“I have to admit that I was more than a bit disgusted by the lionizing of Tip O’Neill at his death.”

Sure, but I just remind myself they’re not really being lionized — you work in the House or Senate for 40+ years, you automatically get a public “what a great guy” show, regardless of racism, dead hookers, really being a bastard, whatever. Conversely, even if you literally raised the dead, if you die in your 1st or 2nd term the best you could hope for is a moment of silence and/or an after-hours memorial/fundraiser/networking party.

On the other hand, I do gotta say the “lying in state in the Senate” is both creepy and annoying. I don’t care if he is or isn’t a saint . . . I pay for that place so those lazy s.o.b.s can work. Don’t be parking a dead guy on the floor and calling an early weekend. It’s Washington D.C. — y’all have plenty of showy venues to put the body while you get on with your jobs.

I’ll remember Byrd for his courageous stand against the Iraq invasion, one that so many cowardly Democrats wouldn’t take.

Hello?? Democrat here.

I don’t care if the GOP self-destructs.

We don’t have lynching in this country anymore, so unless I become a statistic like Amadou Diallo, it doesn’t affect me none.

Why should I care if one party makes no effort to court roughly 20% of the population and is working hard at pissing off the fastest minority, that isn’t us?

Suddenly, the ads come out talking about crime … and featuring scary black or hispanic actors in shady scenes. And in 2008, you get the overt labeling of Obama as “the Other”.

Seriously? That’s how you envision attracting minorities to your party? By branding the first black guy to ever get a major party nod for President and “the Other”?

Believe me, I refuse to defend the shitty image on race the GOP has. I’m a reluctant moderate Republican for a long time after waking up and seeing the mess the South left in the party.

Then whose responsibility is it if not yours? That statement pretty much told me how you feel about wanting the GOP to change. Someone else should do it.

It’s not my responsibility to convince the GOP to end their race-baiting ways. As we all know Rush is not a racist, he’s just a racial provocateur. And sure Reagan thought MLK was a communist and supported the Apartheid regime on South Africa, what’s wrong with that?

Being I am a Democrat, I want the Republicans to lose and if they choose to continue acting in a way the repels 95% of black voters, and now seem seem bent on similar numbers with Hispanics, who am I to stop them.

We have our own nuts and racists on this side of the aisle, but they aren’t hosts of hugely popular radio and television shows, nor are they for the most part elected officials. What office exactly has Louis Farrakhan ever been elected to? What legislation does Code Pink write? How many legions do Animal Liberation command?

When members of congress spew hatred towards ObamaHitlerMao, flirt with the birthers, and hint the we currently live in a totalitarian state it is nothing more than hysterical race baiting brought on by the election of a black man to the presidency.

Where were all these patriots when Bush was busy shoveling a Trillion dollars into the furnace of Iraq? What changed between 2008 and 2009 that drives these foam flecked people into the streets and cause governors to talk about secession?

The teabaggers aren’t all racists, but the enough of them are that it would be incumbent upon the GOP to do something about it, except that they find it useful to turn a blind eye as long as it means they might gain one more seat in November.