Today on the Dish, the heart of Tea Party movement proved to be religious fundamentalism, fueled by racial and cultural panic, and Obama meep-meeped the GOP by playing weak. Andrew wanted Obama to chastise Perry's weak apology, and listened to the rage on the left. The right revved up the backlash against Rick Perry, even though he could actually claim the undefeated title and Jacob Stokes weighed Perry's cred as a neocon versus as a tea partier. Perry's comment could neutralize Bernanke's pro-Republican leanings, Rove wasn't impressed, while Perry could turn out to be too liberal for today's GOP. According to a reader, Perry wasn't personally complicit in Cameron Todd Willingham’s execution, Steve Benen and Bernstein urged the legacy media to realize not all presidents are old white guys, and Chait tried to balance the crazy-electability pendulum in the GOP. Brad Schaeffer urged Sarah Palin to quit hogging the spotlight, Ben Smith had a hunch she was going to run, and even Jennifer Rubin may have turned against her. Rick Santorum missed the freedom our founders experienced, Ron Paul got hurt by his own claptrap, and Ricky Martin threatened Bachmann's argument that gays are enslaved. Scott Galupo raged against the GOP's reverse class warfare, and if social security is a Ponzi scheme then so is most insurance.
Andrew wondered how Murdoch could survive an obstruction of justice, and readers grappled with God's forgiveness. Iraq's violence would continue whether we stayed or not, we traced Saudi support of the revolution in Syria, and London's riots proved the inefficacy of the UK's CCTV cameras. Germany's economy teetered, Norm Geras contemplated Irish pride, and the madness of the Libyan intervention continues. Michael Weiss chastised the rumor-mongerers surrounding the Arab Spring, bearded South Asians shaved before flights, and Israeli and Palestinian were fairly recent identity constructs.
The Dish was working on an Android app as well, science finally discovered bisexuals exist, readers picked apart Original Sin and mitochondrial Eve, and Star Trek forever changed one reader's reaction to intolerance and sexual equality. Abercrombie offered to pay The Situation not to wear their clothes, readers appreciated Holden Caulfield but didn't consider him a hero, and grandmothers could master Tetris. Dissent of the day here, chart of the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, and FOTD here.
–Z.P.
The Dish 