“Moderates — and maybe, just maybe, the occasional liberal as well — should appreciate Ryan all the same, because he’s almost single-handedly responsible for saving the Republican Party from some of its own worst impulses.” [Ross Douthat, “Why Moderates Should Like Paul Ryan”]

“As Mitt Romney’s vice presidential selection nears and buzz about Rep. Paul Ryan’s prospects builds, a split is emerging among Republicans about whether the choice of the House Budget chairman and architect of the party’s controversial tax and spending plan would be a daring plus for the ticket or a miscalculation that would turn a close election into a referendum on Medicare.” [Politico]

We’re planning on installing a server upgrade today — always a moment of Unalloyed Joy at Stinque World Domination Headquarters — so everything will be going Straight to Hell while we’re in the midst of it. And when we’re done, you’ll have no fucking clue why we went to the trouble, since everything will seem the same as it ever was.

Our guest columnists are Jim Conte and Thomas O’Mara of the Great State of New York, who don’t realize that if their bill passes, everybody will sign their name as Jim Conte, Thomas O’Mara, or George Tierney Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina.

An act to amend the civil rights law, in relation to protecting a person’s right to know who is behind an anonymous internet posting.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. The civil rights law, is amended by adding a new section 79-O to read as follows:

S 79-O. Anonymous internet poster; right to know.

1. Definitions. As used in this section, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings:

(a) Anonymous poster is any individual who posts a message on a web site including social networks, blogs forums, message boards or any other discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages.

Read more »

[Telegraph UK]

[Mediaite]

“You must favor, and live up to, abstinence before marriage.” —One of 28 conditions you have to meet to run as a Republican in Laurens County, South Carolina. You also cannot “from the moment you sign this pledge, look at pornography”. [Clinton Chronicle, via TPM]