"I'm not trying to say the Republican Party is the Taliban…"

Hey Pete Sessions (R-Tex.), chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee! How are you gonna rally public and member support for the uphill climb of opposing the stimulus? Um…

"Insurgency, we understand perhaps a little bit more because of the Taliban," Sessions said during a meeting yesterday with Hotline editors. "And that is that they went about systematically understanding how to disrupt and change a person's entire processes. And these Taliban—I'm not trying to say the Republican Party is the Taliban. No, that's not what we're saying. I'm saying an example of how you go about [sic] is to change a person from their messaging to their operations to their frontline message. And we need to understand that insurgency may be required when the other side, the House leadership, does not follow the same commands, which we entered the game with."

How did these guys ever win elections, again?

Link via Wonkette.

Comments

[JCoke]

Terrorists!!!

[SIV]

How did these guys ever win elections, again?

Doesn’t matter. The question is how will they win elections in the future?

The answer? Let the other Party govern for a while and make them look good in comparison.

[Stagman]

Doesn’t matter. The question is how will they win elections in the future?

The answer? Let the other Party govern for a while and make them look good in comparison.

And prove Will Rogers right yet again: “Democrats are the only reason to vote for Republicans”.

[Jefferson]

If House Republicans are the Taliban, I guess the Senate Republicans are technically Al Queda.

[Paul]

How did these guys ever win elections, again?

I don’t vote so…

[Kolohe]

He should have quoted from the little red book.

Maoists. Those are the guys that know how to do insurgency. (winning record iirc; in fact, undefeated with the exception of Peru)

[Shannon Love]

I don’t know, emulating muslim fundamentalist could pay off big. After all, people make all kinds of horrific statements, artworks etc about Christians but are terrified to offend muslims.

Violence works. Violence gets you respect.

Likewise, I am sure that the the fundamentalist ability to manipulate leftist would be a good thing for Republicans to learn to emulate.

[David E. Gallaher]

Only peaceful anarchists and Talibani’s can perceive this: If a lot of government spending is a bad thing, then a little government spending (relatively) is a little bad too.
Now the Taliban as insurgents have a spotty track record, but with regard to seeing issues as black or white…

[tarran]

I should point out that a wise person does look at historical examples that work.

For example, the Mises institute was no doubt inspired by Rothbard’s analysis of Lenin’s successes

[Naga Sadow]

Did he make his statements from a cave by any chance?

Props to “You might be a terrorist if . . . ” jokebook by Bin Laden.

[Kolohe]

“You refine heroin for a living, but you have a moral objection to beer.”

[Mike Laursen]

For example, the Mises institute was no doubt inspired by Rothbard’s analysis of Lenin’s successes

WTF. Just more proof Rothbard was crazy. One of the big signs of muddle-headedness is an inability to be succinct.

[thoreau]

Religious fundamentalism? Check!
Base concentrated in backwards areas? Check!
Strongly pro-gun? Check!
Opposed to Iran? Check!
Hypocrites on illegal drugs? Check!
Willing to fight a land war in Asia? Check!

I find that this GOP=Taliban comparison meets all the criteria.

[jon]

How do they get elected? The average gerrymandered district has impassable demographics and geography that’s utterly inexplicable to outsiders. Their local voters are too poor and Godfearing and living on the government tit to want to change the status quo. The opposition has been bought off or worse. And you just don’t want to mess with people from Neckistan, Methistan, Gunrightsistan, Godistan, or Mobile.

[highnumber]

Doesn’t matter. The question is how will they win elections in the future?

The answer? Let the other Party govern for a while and make them look good in comparison.

People are always conflating or confusing cynicism, pessimism, opportunism, and skepticism. A pessimist expects the worst; an opportunist takes advantage of a situation, exploitatively or not; and skeptics, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, doubt the good of anything. Cynics, on the other hand, don’t just see or expect the worst of people or situations, they rely on it.

Thank you for providing me with a go-to example of cynicism.

[Andrew Dobbs]

As a resident of North Texas (tha D-F-Dub to friends), home to Mr. Sessions, I can say that while the word Taliban might scare some folks around here hysterical, theocratic, cryptofascist buffoons do rather well politically in these parts.

[David E. Gallaher]

thoreau,
Ain’t science a wonderful tool?

[joe]

If John Boehner isn’t a hill-dwelling tribesman, why does his face look like that?

[TrickyVic]

“””The answer? Let the other Party govern for a while and make them look good in comparison.”””

The ever dumbing of America. Great. We don’t know how to get quality leaders, we get people who can look good only if the other team is soooooo bad.

[joe]

Kolohe | February 5, 2009, 7:29pm | #

He should have quoted from the little red book.

Maoists. Those are the guys that know how to do insurgency.

Take the countryside, and the cities will fall.

[David E. Gallaher]

“If John Boehner isn’t a hill-dwelling tribesman, why does his face look like that?”

“Man-tan” ointment and expensive whiskey?
What’s your point?

[Mad Max]

“You might be a terrorist if . . . ”

You have more RPGs than teeth.

You not only think your wife looks great in a burkha, you think the burkha is a great way to hide the bombs she’s wearing for her suicide mission.

You think that Bert from Sesame Street is Bin Laden’s glorious comrade in arms, thus explaining why the two are shown together in so many photographs.

You deride President Obama for abandoning the Islamic faith of his father – kids ain’t got no respect any more – although his mother sure looks like an IILF (the first “I” is for “Infidel”).

You’re so obsessed with the war with the Great Satan, you have no time for petty distractions, hence your sheep is the only sheep in the region that has actual virgin wool.

You kill any Congressman who offers to bring “pork” to your district.

You can’t remember how many children you have, or by which wives, but you can give a detailed account of the Muslim victory in the Battle of Khaybar in AD 629.

Your death will take place on a Jewish holiday – regardless of the date.

[Hazel Meade]

Take the countryside, and the cities will fall.

Newsflash. They already have the countryside.

[joe]

The Maoists have the cities these days, too, Hazel.

[Douglas Gray]

Actually, the Taliban supports the Stimulus Package, as they know it will weaken America economically, so that we have fewer resources to fight them in Afghanistan.

[Elemenope]

Willing to fight a land war in Asia? Check!

LOL. To be fair, one of the two is *actually Asian*. That helps along the “willingness to fight a land war in Asia” thing, I think.

[Aresen]

Is there a translator for Rep. Sessions?

The words look English, but Sessionese eludes me.

[here a long time]

You’ve done a fine job dumbing yourself down to the level of your occupation, thoreau.

[Sir Meatgoggles]

Remember, my terrorist Congressman also voted for the TARP bailout (and the Patriot Act, and the Iraq War), etc. Nice to see him at least on the right side for the first time in quite a while, but WTF was he thinking in saying that?

[Solana]

Ha! Now just wait a day or so; someone’s bound to drop the gratuitous Nazi reference.

[Gratuitous Nazi reference, dro]

Ouch!

[James Ard]

Has it really come to this? Reason gets its panties in a wad because some fool makes a Taliban reference. I thought we were bigger than that.

[Mike Laursen]

Panties in a wad? Welch’s post was snarky commentary, which is a Hit & Run specialty.

[Waldo]

The republican party is ridiculous. I really hope they NEVER ever win an election again.

[MaterialGeeza]

I’d say American Taliban is a fekin apt description for the republican party,

Surely the republicans are a little bit jealous of the theocratic state that the ragheads got in Afganistan,

imagine if they could kill gays, ban abortion, outlaw Darwinism, ah the fervent religious joy that could be had!

Praise the Lord Allah akbar!

Ah republicans, lovely people and seriously they belive in “limited government”, seriously they do