and it comes the other way from Democrats and that's why the American people are fed up with politics.

Do you really think that Republicans are racist?

Nope.

A Mitt Romney TV ad claims the Obama administration has adopted "a plan to gut welfare reform by dropping work requirements." The plan does neither of those things.

Work requirements are not simply being "dropped." States may now change the requirements -- revising, adding or eliminating them -- as part of a federally approved state-specific plan to increase job placement.  And it won't "gut" the 1996 law to ease the requirement. Benefits still won't be paid beyond an allotted time, whether the recipient is working or not.

Save the racist claim for real racism.

Should we take the Tom Brokaw approach and let it go, because whatever mud one party slings is also slung by the other?

What is more divisive, do you think: the actual appeal to people's fear and ignorance through deliberate use of racist and sexist messaging, or people engaged in vigorous opposition to it?  Which approach is more likely, do you think, to slow it or stop it?

No question that Chris Matthews' behavior toward, comments about and overall attitude about Hillary Clinton and women in general were reprehensible; I had to stop watching his show and haven't been back since.  Sadly, he was not alone: not only were there many in the media who revealed their inner misogynist, but Barack Obama didn't exactly distinguish himself as someone with much respect for women, either, nor did many Democrats on the Obama side of the contest.  So, what else is new?  A prominent figure sends a message that certain behaviors and tactics and behaviors are okay, and elements of the media pick it up and run with it; the media did it for Obama four years ago, and it's now coming back in the other direction.  This time, it's the GOP candidate and his party, who are giving permission to the media to defend the racist, sexist, jingoistic tactics we're seeing.  Matthews was wrong in 2008 but he's not wrong on this, now, and I'm not about to encourage him to shut up when the message he's delivering is the right one.

And Priebus - he kept looking toward Joe as if he thought any second, Joe was going to jump in and defend Romney's comments.

I wish it had gone long enough for Matthews to get an answer to his questions: "so, what's so funny about it?  Where's the joke?"

And now some doofus running for - what else? - the Senate from PA is trying to deny that he compared a pregnancy from rape with one that takes place without benefit of marriage:

Mark Scolforo, Associated Press: How would you tell a daughter or a granddaughter who, God forbid, would be the victim of a rape, to keep the child against her own will? Do you have a way to explain that?

Smith: I lived something similar to that with my own family. She chose life, and I commend her for that. She knew my views. But, fortunately for me, I didn't have to.. she chose they way I thought. No don't get me wrong, it wasn't rape.

Scolforo: Similar how?

Smith: Uh, having a baby out of wedlock.

Scolforo: That's similar to rape?

Smith: No, no, no, but... put yourself in a father's situation, yes. It is similar. But, back to the original, I'm pro-life, period.

[Another question on an unrelated topic]

John Micek, Morning Call: Mr. Smith, can I ask you to clarify one more time the question that Mark asked you. Did I just hear you say that having a child out of wedlock is analogous to rape?

Smith: No, I did not say that.

Scolforo: You did say that.

Micek: But you did say it, sir.

(Noise as a Smith campaign aide sought to answer, but Scolforo insisted Smith answer).

Scolforo: But you did say that.

Smith: I said I went through a situation.

Scolforo: With your daughter, with a daughter.

Smith: Yes.

Scolforo: OK.

Smith: And it's very, very difficult. But do I condone rape? Absolutely not. Do I propose life? Yes I do. I'm pro-life, period

He seems to have had a profitable professional relationship first with Roger Ailes , responsible for hiring Tweety to CNBC in the mid 90s, and with Repub corp boss of GE Jack Welch, who appears to have been a workplace father figure, and may have wanted to repay them with some toughly conservative broadcasting in the 90s/early next decade.  Or at least not offend the people who'd put him in that nifty media job.

Then Welch leaves, and Matthews, not wanting to be stuck holding the brief day after day for Doofus Dubya, Jack's guy, decides the 2004 cycle would be a good time to transition back to moderate Dem.

Same with O'Brien, same with some local news reporters that made big news with their localized interviews.  The powers that be need to listen to our "huzzah!"'s or they'll condemn it and intimidate any reporter who is tempted to confront these guys in a similar manner.

I'm no fan of Chris Matthews either, but he's absolutely and positively right about this issue, and I'm glad that someone in the media finally showed the cojones necessary to look the RNC chairman right in the eye and call both him and his party out on their racism.

What the Romney campaign's been doing of late is nothing short of dispicable. The birth certificate "joke," the false welfare-to-work meme (which the candidate himself endorsed as MA governor), the "food stamp president" references -- those are all naked appeals to the hardcore white-wing base of the GOP, in an effort to gin up the still-substantial white supremacist vote. Period.