The Stonecipher Report

The Current State of the Conservative Movement in Less Than 100 Words

Posted by: Tyler Rippeteau

Dec. 24, 2009

Earlier today I came across the best summary of the current state of the conservative movement that I have ever read and thought it would make a great Christmas treat for The Stonecipher Report readers.  From The Daily Kos:

"To remain a member in good standing of the conservative movement, it isn't enough just to vote a certain way. You have to evidence a very particular tribal belonging - you need to hate the right people, be ignorant of the right facts, be fearful of the right bogeymen, and be arrogant about the whole enterprise. If you somehow fail this tribal litmus test, it doesn't matter how right-wing you are."

- DavidNYC, The Daily Kos, Dec. 23, 2009.

Wow.  Absolutely perfect.  Thanks David.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Stonecipher's Top Ten Worst Democrats - The Grudge List

Posted by: Tyler Rippeteau a.k.a. Stonecipher

Dec. 22, 2009

Since some of the traffic for this post is likely to come from conservatives and Republicans who are searching for lists of rotten liberals or Democrats, let me begin this post by stating, clearly, that I am a liberal and a Democrat.  The site's political director, and other prolific writer, Michael Sweeney, is also a liberal and a Democrat.  In fact, the site as a whole has a decidedly liberal bent, and that is the perspective from which I present to you: The List.

My Complete, Utter Lieberman-Induced Breakdown

Posted by: Tyler Rippeteau

Dec. 17, 2009

Among friends and many of my foul-mouthed family members, I freely and openly drop f-bombs, use non-radio-friendly terms to describe feces, and even occasionally construct entire sentences with a subject, noun, and verb all being variations of the f-bomb. 

Over the course of the past year-and-a-half, however, the 330,000+ people who have visited this site have rarely, if ever, seen any expletives appear on these pages (at least in the posts I have written).  [Quick editorial note from Michael S.:  Uh, there is perhaps NOT as much restrained vocabulary delicacy in many of MY posts...]  I work hard to not sound like a ranting, raving lunatic and I hope (and believe) that I don't come across that way.  Even when a reader completely disagrees with me, I hope they can at least come away with the sense that they have heard the other side's intelligent argument.

With all that in mind, in regards to Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman and his recent shenanigans, I no longer have the ability to take this approach, and if you continue reading this post, you will witness the complete, utter breakdown in civility that I am about to have.  You will also read a lot of the words that I politely described above.  So, readers who may be offended by foul language, children, and my wonderful grandmother are all strongly discouraged from reading below this point (sorry Gran!).  (Plus, for previous coverage about Lieberman on The Stonecipher Report, check out our section of posts related to him, available here...)

The Stonecipher Report Radio Show, On the Air Today – Monday, 12-14

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Dec. 14, 2009

The Stonecipher Report radio show will be back in our usual timeslot of 3:00 - 4:00 PM Central (Chicago) time this (Monday, 12-14) afternoon.

As usual, we will be coming at you over the air as well as via the Internet live today on WHPK-FM. You can tune us in locally in Chicago at 88.5 FM…or, of course, you can also hear the show online at WHPK.org, streaming live, by just clicking the "Listen" tab or the "We are STREAMING" window on the station's website.

Tyler and I hope you can tune us in – either by radio or via that whole "World Wide Web" thing…!

A Year After the Arrest of Rod Blagojevich

Ah, Blago Memories Light the Corners of My Mind…

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Dec. 11, 2009

Not being a parent, I guess I don’t have as much direct, running-around-under-my-nose-everyday evidence of how quickly (and seemingly unnoticed) an entire year can pass by (frankly, there’s not much difference between the then-6-year-old and now-7-year-old kitty siblings – Gracie and Pumpkin – at our house).

So…I suppose I was a bit startled to learn that we had (already?) hit the first anniversary of the early-morning, unexpected FBI arrest of then-IL Governor (and now universal punchline) Rod Blagojevich. Aw, look at how BIG our cute, extremely funny political scandal has gotten! Why, any day now it’ll be walking around by itself, talking non-stop, going to school, moving out on its own, and trying to get Judge Zagel to let it go make a few desperately-needed dimes on a crappy reality-television show off in the jungles of Costa Rica! (Just gotta pinch its rosy, cute lil’ cheeks and ruffle up its beautiful hair!) [Important Note: DO NOT touch The Hair…]

In case you need to get fully up to speed – AND share our sense of utter surprise (and more than a few semi-cheap laughs) – I heartily direct any interested readers to some of The Stonecipher Report’s deep coverage and analysis of the whole trying-to-sell-the-Obama-Senate-seat, trying-to-bribe-the-Chicago-Tribune-off-his-back, trying-to-cut-deals-and-make-some-dough, [effing] golden scandal that sucked our youngish, overly-ambitious (AND oft-delusional) Governor down the crapper and spit him out as a should-be-ashamed (yet apparently ain’t) pariah…

The Stonecipher Report Radio Program, On the Air Today – Monday, 12-07

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Dec. 7, 2009

Another Monday (this busier-than-usual month), another special, fill-in edition of The Stonecipher Report radio show, coming your way today at the slightly-later time of 4:00 - 5:00 PM Central (Chicago) time.

As usual, we will be broadcasting over the air as well as via the Internet live today on WHPK-FM. You can tune us in locally in Chicago at 88.5 FM…and, of course, you can also hear the show online at WHPK.org, streaming live by just clicking the "Listen" tab or the "We are STREAMING" window on the station's website.

Tyler and I will be talking about some of the topics we’ve been covering out here, such as where we are at nearing the end of the first year of the Obama-as-President era…I'll play a cool John Lennon protest song most people have never heard (on the eve of the anniversary of his tragic murder)...and I’ll even have a new segment to debut, as I crown a "Loser of the Week." We hope you can tune in and join us!

 

The Stonecipher Report Radio Program, On the Air Today – Monday, 11-16

It’s time once again for The Stonecipher Report to take its Liberal-Progressive opinions to the airwaves…as Tyler and I will be doing out radio show this afternoon, Monday, November 16. We will be broadcasting over the air as well as via the Internet live today from 3:00 to 4:00 PM Chicago time on WHPK-FM. You can tune us in locally in Chicago at 88.5 FM…and, of course, you can also hear the show online at WHPK.org, streaming live by just clicking the "Listen" tab or the "We are STREAMING" window on the station's website.

We’ll be taking a look at some of the latest things in the news (such as idiot beauty queen Carrie Prejean [see her embarrassing herself on Larry King’s show in the attached video below], Sarah Palin’s (perhaps-fictional) book, and the possibility of terrorist prisoners coming to an otherwise empty new prison in Western Illinois), as well as our continuing looks ahead to the 2010 elections. Here’s hoping you get a chance to tune us in!

 

 

This is Why I'm Thrilled That Al Franken Won in Minnesota

Posted by: Tyler Rippeteau

Oct. 23, 2009

Some of you may have already seen this clip, it was originally posted over at Fire Dog Lake, but in case you missed it, here is Al Franken taking on the for-profit health care industry:

Mayor Gavin Newsom Has a Big San Francisco Hill to Climb in CA Race for Governor

Posted by: Tyler Rippeteau

Oct. 14, 2009

As I've written before, the year after a presidential election is generally a terribly boring political year.  All we political junkies get are three big elections - the Virginia governors race, the New Jersey governors race and the New York City mayoral election.

Well, those elections are all right around the corner, and soon after they end, the focus will shift to what will no doubt be a far more exciting year in politics, 2010.

One of the races that promises to make 2010 thrilling to all of us political bloggers and news junkies is the race for governor of California.  The General Election may not end up being a terribly interesting one, but before that, the primary fight on the Democratic side appears to be shaping up to be a heavyweight battle between two champions of Golden State politics.

The Sun has Not Yet Risen in Chicago and the Right is Already Talking Trash About President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize

Posted by: Tyler Rippeteau

Oct. 9, 2009

Screw the Olympics, how 'bout a Nobel Peace Prize for our president?

Yup, didn't see this one coming, but about an hour ago President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize.

When the rest of you normal people wake up, you'll see the news, but this is one of the advantages to being a bartender with a crazy schedule.  I'm still awake, and I'm probably one of the few bloggers in America near my computer and TV screen at this hour.  It's about 4:45 AM here in Chicago.

Amazingly, Barack Obama's Wikipedia page has already been updated, despite the fact that this announcement was made just minutes ago.

Not so shocking is the instant criticism from the right.  Joe Scarborough is already yacking about how the Nobel Prize is no longer prestigious, that it is given to people who hate America, that Marisa Tomei did more to win an Academy Award for "My Cousin Vinny" than Barack Obama has done to win the prize, that if anyone should have gotten it, it is Ronald Reagan and that maybe, just maybe, President Obama would be worthy of this not-so-prestigious award in three or four years, but certainly not now.

That's probably an early look at the anti-Obama, anti-Nobel Prize rhetoric that is certain to come from the right.  Any guesses as to which nutty right-winger makes the most insane comment about this?  Click here or check out the right-hand column to vote in our poll.

Well, might as well stay up and watch us bomb the moon at this point.