About TCL
That's me in Iraq in 2003.
This blog is about the lies that the new conservative movement tell and how they use them to convince otherwise intelligent people in the U.S. to vote against their own self interests.
The author is Dave Jeffries, a 17-year U.S. Army veteran with 4 children and a wife all living together happily in Middle America. I’ve also been a teacher (English and Journalism) and a union organizer. My grandfather and great-grandfather were Pennsylvania coal miners. Both died of “black lung consumption”.
I believe in truth, fairness, equity and opportunity. I feel the left believes that what is good for the country is good for “me” and that the best intentioned voters in the right believe that what is good for “me” is good for the country. I believe that conservatives base their politics on fear, short-sighted self-interest, and misinformation.
There are liars in both parties. I know that no one, especially politicians, are perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. I believe, however, that the right has made lying an integral part of their agenda and that those lies are particularly harmful to our nation and our national identity.
This blog addresses those lies.
thebigotbasher
The_Conservative_Lie
The Conservative Lie 
For the Rove caption…
“Hey do you know wny my wife is such a bad judge of distance? I’ve been telling her for years that this is 12 inches.”
Dave
You might like knowing that nicedeb who popped up in your recent thread re ‘hate’ and the right wing – has also just made it to memeorandum:
John / Verum Serum:
Memo to Paul Krugman and Rep. Van Hollen: My Search Was Not in Vain — In last Thursday’s column, Paul Krugman admitted to having fun watching “right-wingers go wild.” One of the things that apparently delighted him was this map which Sarah Palin posted on her Facebook page:
Link Search: IceRocket, Google, and Ask
+
Discussion: Nice Deb, Gateway Pundit, Villainous Company, The Corner on National …, RedState, Sister Toldjah, HotAirPundit and Weasel Zippers
Here’s a link
I like your site, and I appreciate the comment you left on my own site, “Ranking America.” Careful attention to the rankings I provide can help illuminate the lies that you are working to uncover.
Mark – you mention your own site, but neither your name nor gravatar provides a link.
Interesting site. I enjoyed exploring it and look forward to all you come up with down the road.
http://joechianakas.wordpress.com/
Nice site! Just seeing the picture of Sean Hannity makes me cringe though. 🙂 I think the GOP are on their way out like the Whigs.
The infighting, the hypocrisy, the desperation and the blank looks – have them walking into walls and they can’t find the door.
Keep up the good work. 🙂
Nancy – I agree they’re on their way out, but that’ s in the long term. They can still do a lot of damage in the short term.
Hey, I just noticed. You could use the same photo caption I offered for Rove for the O’Reilly picture too. LOL!
Perfect. Perfect.
Check out my stuff regarding the gun right crowd!
I appreciate you adding me to your blogroll. I’ve been subscribing to your blog for some time. I finally activitated my blogroll yesterday. I hate to admit it, but I’ve been a bit slow figuring out all of the WordPress features. Anyway, thanks. I enjoy your blog, and if there’s anything we can write/research together in the future, I’m always open to new ideas.
I would be more than happy to be one of your writers. I write letters to the local paper frequently, but it’s a limited audience around here. I do use my Facebook page to opine some, and have written a few diaries on DailyKos. I do have a full time job which would augment your no pay no benefits program, but because of that I mostly write on weekends. We need to get the progressive base motivated big time. We not only cannot afford to lose these elections in November, we need to kick ass to shut up the freak side show once and for all.
I sent you an e-mail deb. May not have a subject line… doh!
Just came across your website and really enjoyed your posts (as well as the insights on the blog). Keep up the good work and I look forward to receiving the emails!!! I am very afraid for this next election cycle.
I read your post looking for writers, but thought you might be able to pull a lot of good information from three places:
1. CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) and also “The Coffee Party Movement” and last, “The Other 98%”
All three can be found on Facebook and have their “dot-orgs” accordingly. They tend to be focused more on common sense and also exposing the hypocrisy.
Maybe some of their articles and reportings could act as a copy/paste to your blog when you have days you want to take a break or do more research on another topic.
Good luck!
Love to help you defeat the lies
Great blog. enjoy reading it and I appreciate you adding miine to your blog roll.
Jeff Pruett
“The radical invents the views. When he has worn them out the conservative adopts them.” – Mark Twain
Great site. Fighting against the talking points of Republicans is getting hard because they say the same thing over and over and over again. Keep fighting the good fight.
Also interested in maybe contributing.
You would probably enjoy reading a similar point of view from an old guy.
http://palinbabygate.blogspot.com/
http://www.e-tabitha.com/
Wow. I read your blog and Gryphen’s. I am impressed and intrigued. Not 100 percent convinced yet, but intrigued none the less.
Hello Dave,
Your profile is similar to my own, although I am a recently retired History Teacher and long-time union rep. I am originally from Wyoming Valley Pa. and many of my relatives were also coal miners and I have witnessed first hand what Black Lung does to once strong and proud men.
I have enjoyed in the past debating politics and economics on several forums with those on the right that exhibited some rational thought and background knowledge, but now it seems the Tea Party fanatics have sabotaged all attempts at rational discussion with their own peculiar combination of revisionist history, distortion, and outright lies.
I would like to contribute and help, please contact me.
I’d love to Bob, but there is no link on your avatar or name. You can e-mail me at jeffriesdave@ymail.com
There is only one group in America that should vote Republican, one group that has consistently prospered under the protection of Republican economics, and that group is the upper 1% of the American population. It is completely logical for the top 1% of Americans making more than $348,000 a year to sing the praises of the Republicans, but for anyone else, electing republicans only pushes you farther from the American Dream.
Based on statistics provided by a very reputable list of sources including the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Census Bureau, the UN World Wealth Report, and the Economic Mobility Project (Pew Trusts) found that as of 2005, .01% or 14,000 American households hold 22.2% of the total wealth of the United States, and the bottom 90%, or just over 133 million families, control only 4% of the nations wealth. This is the highest percentage of wealth to the richest .01% since 1928, less than a year before the Great Depression began.
According to Elizabeth Gudrais, economist and editor of Harvard Magazine, as of 2005 income inequality is now at the highest point since the Guilded Age (1870-1900) the period of U.S. History defined by the “contrast between the excesses of the super-rich and the squalor of the poor”. In 1900, the share of national wealth controlled by the upper .01% was at 18%, in 1928 the share of the nations wealth taken by the richest hit an all time high of 21.1%, that percentage dropped steadily over the next 3 decades resulting from the post-World War II education boom from the GI Bill to less than 10% of the nations income taken by the top 1%. Although according to Harvard Magazine, “Since then, the top most 1% have seen their share rise again, it shot past 15% in 1996 and crested at 20.3% in 2006”, partly as the result of Republican tax cuts for the upper .01% of wealthiest Americans.
Based upon Internal Revenue Figures the richest 1% have tripled their cut of the American income pie over one generation, in 1980 the richest 1% took 1 out if every 15 income dollars. Now, as of 2008, they take 3 out of every 15 income dollars.
Now, where exactly is the justification to support Republican trickle-down economics, or for that matter, where is the logic for any member of the middle class to support any republican for any public office?
Hi, nice to meet you !
Another example of the right wing’s conservative media propaganda machine. The lead article on the Cybercast News Service’s web site on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 was ‘Tommy Hilfiger on Bush Tax Cuts: ‘Any Tax Cuts Are Beneficial to Business Owners‘ (http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/hilfiger-bush-tax-cuts-any-tax-cuts-are).
In the About section of the web site they state:
The Cybercast News Service was launched on June 16, 1998 as a news source for individuals, news organizations and broadcasters who put a higher premium on balance than spin and seek news that’s ignored or under-reported as a result of media bias by omission.
Study after study by the Media Research Center, the parent organization of CNSNews.com, clearly demonstrate a liberal bias in many news outlets – bias by commission and bias by omission – that results in a frequent double-standard in editorial decisions on what constitutes “news.
Of course, there are no opposing views of tax cuts to balance the concept of ‘bias by commission and bias by omission’ on the part of this web site. The article immediately goes from Mr. Hilfinger’s astute economic analysis to praise his work hosting charity events for MS.
CNSNews.com asked Hilfiger if he thought these tax cuts would help small business owners create jobs.
“I think any tax cuts are beneficial to the business owners. So I think that whatever help we all can get is always a benefit, and unfortunately, we can count on 3 things in life, death, taxes and fickle weather,” Hilfiger told CNSNews.com when asked about the issue. Hilfiger was in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday night to attend the “Fashion’s Fight Against MS” event.
Their resources page lists right wing sites all designed to cast doubt on the credibility and balance of ‘liberal media’ outlets such as the NYT. All of these sites talk of scientific analysis that demonstrates liberal bias. None of the journalists and contributor’s credentials are listed except the vague resume type information such as radio talk show host, political columnist since…
There is one comment on the article that I think sort of sums up much of the intelligence and considered thought that characterizes much of the conservative movement today:
is Submitted by texasgirl on Sun, 2010-10-24 21:53.
A government does not need to raise taxes if the elected officials did their jobs ( to serve the people) rather than serve themselves and their pocketbooks. In a capitalist society the citizens have to help themselves and be productive not expecting the taxpayers to bail them out of lifes ups and downs. We need to get rid of incumbent morons, foreign aid especially to the Middle East, institutional welfare, make drug addicts work to pay off the billion dollars a year they cause taxpayers because of their addictions, deport illegal aliens and get rid of czars and the NEA. That alone would put social security back on track in a day.
It’s “Hilfiger” not “Hilfinger”
Hey Dave – nice new picture!
tanks!
Good site. Still looking for contributors? Contact me.
I’d love to Eric, but there is no link on your comment. Got a valid e-mail address?
Is there anywhere I can find out where the money was spent in the 3.5 trillion dollar dephit short fall. I am getting pounded by the Reight Wing about how Obama has spent us into the poor house. I need ammo to shut these assholes up.
Look at this graph…
notice the trend downward prior to Bush the Lesser’s reign, notice the trend upward during his administration. Then notice that aside from the stimulus, the trend is flattening out under the Obama budgets. Also, take into account, that during his first year in office, the budget was Bush’s, not Obama’s.
Dave makes an important point – that the 2009 budget was a Bush budget. (By the way, the Tea Party began in FEBRUARY 2009, one month into Obama’s presidency!) Not to be all blogwhore here, but I made a debt-by-presdient chart some time ago which I think is good ammo:
There have been no budgets approved by Obama and the slimy Harry Reid senate by design so they( you libs) can spend recklessly on social crap. All the while you guys bitch about conservatives holding on to and reinvesting their hard earned incomes. Go to europe all of you socialists and join the broke and greedy.
On New Years Day, HGTV ran a series called Million Dollar Rooms. The link below is to the most obscene of that I saw. (I turned the damned TV off before they finished.)
http://www.hgtv.com/real_estate/more-extraordinary-spaces-from-million-dollar-rooms/pictures/page-2.html
I have no problem with tax cuts targeted to building factories in the US, making new products here, creating jobs here. HGTV shows how the money was really used.
Many have encouraged me over the years, so I’ll take the plunge. I’m interested in writing for your blog. I’m also “hardknoxfirst” on Twitter.
I’d be happy to talk to you steve, please leave an e-mail, or e-mail me at jeffriesdave@ymail.com. I’m not a tweeter, so can’t hit you there.
Dave,
You and what you are trying to do here, especially given your history, stands in stark contrast to so much of what is found within the blathering blog world…
I am easy to find, have a keyboard and much writing experience…if you think my style fits with the intentions of your site, let me know, I am good for a post or two a month.
Good Luck!
poetman,
I’ve looked at your blogs (well, two of them anyway), and I’d be happy to have you aboard. let’s talk some more via e-mail. contact me at jeffriesdave@ymail.com.
That’s really thniking out of the box. Thanks!
Hi Dave,
I’d be interested in chatting with you about a book I’m writing.
If you want to do so, please drop me an email and I’ll give more details.
Cheers,
Matthew
I agree with what you say, and I am highly interested in writing for your blog.
I am very interested in and regularly follow politics and current events, and I post things about politics from a liberal/progressive perspective. My blog includes other things as well (interesting articles, music that I like, etc.) If I fit your criteria, please email me. It would be a real honor and a privilege to write an article for your blog.
Thank you very much, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Hi! I’m a newspaper illustrator and caricaturist blogging from Argentina on international matters. I’m of a leftist, non-dogmatic stock. Look if some of my Art suits your blog; and tell me if you’re interested in blogroll exchange.
My best
Roberto (Bob Row)
WOW! Bob, that is excellent stuff – both the illustrations and the writing. I’d be honored to add you to my blogroll and even more so to have a place on yours.
Great article; I am from Pa and both my parents were in unions. Sad to say that they both today are against unions. They both wonder why they paid those dues all those years – but the difference with them is that they believe unions should exist and people should have the right to either join them or not join a union.
I myself don’t see a need for a union – my personal belief for me, but we shouldn’t bust up unions either. I know I sound wishy-washy by sitting on the fence but I am a great believer that those who are truly in power on both the liberal and conservative side love how they have divided us. Sometimes I feel like a puppet on a string. The liberal base, us, and the conservative base are not all that different. Throw in the politicians and people like Limbaugh, Beck, and Hannity and then we got an all out war.
I think most of us forget we cannot have liberalism without conservatism.
Thank you for your service to our country. I loved your article
Progress is needed and keeps an individual, a business, or a nation in the forefront. However, America was not built on progressive ideology. One only has to take a look at Europe and Greece to know progressive programs eventually fail. Capitalism, aka the free market hasn’t worked either in the last few years and why? Because of the progressive ideology that throwing money at something will make it work. History has proven since almost the beginning of civilization that the free market is the best economical arena if left alone.
I am not going to say that conservatives do not lie. Most of those we have elected today, both conservatives and liberals are power hungry morons. The sad part of this whole issue is that we have left them divide us. We are not so different in our beliefs – some of us want a small federal government with little interference and some of us want a larger federal government but we both want the best for our fellow citizens. Yes as a conservative we want grandma to have medicare coverage, the poor to have opportunties to better themselves, and the infirmed taken care of. We just don’t want the government running these programs.