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The Republican chaos engine

October 14, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

The thing to keep in mind when dealing with modern Republicans is that they depend heavily on two tactics: One of those tactics can best be described as a sophisticated version of the childhood retort: "I know you are, but what am I?" That's the effective GOP response when, for example, critics accurately note that Republican administrations tend to run high deficits and enact tax giveaways for special interests that make those deficits worse.

The second tactic, which is really just a psychological means of dealing with their own hypocrisy, is when Republicans project their own behaviors and motives onto the opposition. In short, Republicans are willful dissemblers but also, deeper down, in denial of their own dysfunction and inadequacy -- and quite willing to fantasize that it's always the other guy's fault. Projection increasingly is the psycho-glue that holds their fractured party and ideology together.

Barbara Grothus Guest Blog: Los Alamos Burns - Just Say Now

September 24, 2011 by Democracy for N...

This is a guest blog by Barbara Grothus, an artist and activist who supports the legalization of marijuana, among other progressive measures. She says, "I also support the DFNM blog, and I hope others will too by making a donation today!" (Click on the orange DONATE button on the upper left side of this page or use this .)

I grew up in Los Alamos and spend a lot of time there now, taking care of my mother. I was meaning to write about the big fires then (2000) and now (2011). There are some interesting contrasts between the events. But I simply don’t have the time to spend on it.