News Roundup for 2/25/09

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal

-Headline of the day-
"Bobby Jindal's Secret Past."

Believe it or not, Lousiana Gov. Bobby Jindal wasn't created in a Republican laboratory to oppose the stimulus. He was a person long before Barack Obama came into office. And those years are actually pretty interesting. Turns out Bobby's crazier than a shithouse rat. Among Jindal's past achievements:

-Has "boasted of participating in an exorcism that purged the spirit of Satan from a college girlfriend."

-Originally named Piyush, changed his name to Bobby "after becoming mesmerized by an episode of The Brady Bunch."

-Began conversion to Catholicism in high school after "being touched by the love and simplicity of a Christian girl who dreamt of becoming a Supreme Court justice so she could stop her country from ‘killing unborn babies.’”

A complete religious fanatic? Wow, he's perfect for the GOP.

That Bobby Brady thing's a little weird. It might explain his contempt for volcanoes, though... (Daily Beast)


-Not the best argument-
During a floor debate, Colorado State Sen. Scott Renfroe argued against Senate Bill 88, which proposed equal access to benefits for same-sex spouses of state employees. To make his argument, Greeley turned to the Bible -- which, BTW, is not a legal document, although Renfroe seems to believe it is. The Bible told us to "be fruitful and multiply," so gay stuff is verboten. He also said that the purpose of government is to make laws in accordance with the Bible, saying that since murder's a sin and illegal, so should homosexuality be.

Here's the thing -- only three of the ten commandments are illegal and, even then, only two are illegal in every circumstance (you can get away with lying most of the time). Not illegal are worshipping false idols, working on the sabbath, and have the hots for your neighbor's wife. If the Bible is the basis for our law, we're doing a pretty shitty job of it.

And here's a crazy idea. If the founders had governing by the Bible in mind, why did they bother to write a constitution and why didn't they bother to mention this whole "purpose of the government" thing? Seems to me that if they thought this was the way to go, they might've mentioned it someplace.

But hey, he's a religious nutjob. It's not like Renfroe's going to let little things like logic, fact, or history influence his opinions -- all those things were invented by Satan. You don't have to be technically right to be correct, you just have to believe you're right with all your little heart.

Then Republican Jesus comes down and fixes reality so it agrees with you. Hallelujah! (PageOneQ)


-It's a hit!-
Barack Obama's big speech last night is getting rave reviews, but more importantly seems to have made an impression on voters.

A CNN/Public Opinion Research poll taken before and after the speech shows that two thirds had a very positive reaction to it.

Additionally, the report tells us, "85% of those polled said the president's speech made them more optimistic about the direction of the country over the next few years, with 11% indicating the speech made them more pessimistic." That's a 17% increase in optimism from before the speech.

"Eight out of 10 said the president's plans will improve the economy and 68 percent said his proposals will reduce the federal deficit," reports CNN. "Three out of four questioned said Obama's plan will improve health care and 82 percent said his proposals will create or save jobs across the country."

Hey GOP, how's that grand strategy of obstructionism working out for you? From where I'm standing, it kind of looks like it really sucks. (CNN)