Decline of the GOP - XVII

[92tide]

not that this is news

https://www.axios.com/2026/02/18/republicans-christian-nationalism-trump

Christian nationalism is now deeply entrenched inside today's Republican Party, according to a sweeping 50-state survey.

 

[92tide]

"Lee Greenwood is a pathetic has been, a guy married five times to four women, a loser from California who dared to enter the marketplace with his own false Bible. While "God Bless the USA" - and yes, amen - is a great song, it should not be tarnished while tied with the name of a loser like Greenwood and his Bible. Instead, you should buy the Trump Bible, the one inspired by Jesus Himself. Jesus has five letters, so does Trump. Can't be a coincidence. I'm cancelling Lee's future White House visits until he withdraws his pathetic attempt at sacrilege from the divine marketplace. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

- Trump's Next Tweet No Doubt

no offense selma, but that has to be one of the worst songs ever recorded

 

[92tide]

But now I have another question on this.

Isn't that equal time provision WAIVED for entertainment shows like Colbert?

Honestly. Is it?

I thought it was, but I may also be wrong.

yes, it is

 

[Bamaro]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2023843159604596894

This just in from CBS: "THE LATE SHOW was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico. The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled. THE LATE SHOW decided to present the interview through its YouTube channel with on-air promotion on the broadcast rather than potentially providing the equal-time options."

It makes me wonder if Carr may be playing the long game, knowing that this will give Talarico publicity and a boost, to 'pick' the opponent of John Cornyn?
I may be giving him (Carr) more credit than he deserves.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

no offense selma, but that has to be one of the worst songs ever recorded

I think what has to be remembered is this: WHEN THE SONG CAME OUT (in 1984), it was actually pretty decent. Reagan's "new patriotism" was in vogue and the country seemed (to a point) to be coming out of the doldrums and stagflation that had marked the post-JFK assassination 60s and malaise of the 70s right through the Reagan recession. So I don't think - in the abstract - it's a bad song.

I think what happened is that like everything, it got WAY OVERDONE. It became an anthem to be used for every cause no matter how specious. Attach Lee's song to your cause and then question anyone's patriotism who didn't endorse your cause was almost how it came across.

Plus we've all sat through 100 bad renditions at church or public functions, there was a truck commercial back around 1990 where they sort of mimicked it (Lee sang, "The truck for the US-A-eh-A-hey!"), there was a subpar variation from someone else on 9/11 and - I think it just got tired and cliche.


Note: I've also thought the line "thank my lucky stars" is not exactly the most Christian viewpoint and sounds a lot like paganism or the fools at Procter and Gamble who finance the Satanist church.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

It makes me wonder if Carr may be playing the long game, knowing that this will give Talarico publicity and a boost, to 'pick' the opponent of John Cornyn?
I may be giving him (Carr) more credit than he deserves.

If you were going to pick an easy opponent for Cornyn, you'd pick Jasmine Crockett and he could sit on his front porch and win.

 

[92tide]

I think what has to be remembered is this: WHEN THE SONG CAME OUT (in 1984), it was actually pretty decent. Reagan's "new patriotism" was in vogue and the country seemed (to a point) to be coming out of the doldrums and stagflation that had marked the post-JFK assassination 60s and malaise of the 70s right through the Reagan recession. So I don't think - in the abstract - it's a bad song.

I think what happened is that like everything, it got WAY OVERDONE. It became an anthem to be used for every cause no matter how specious. Attach Lee's song to your cause and then question anyone's patriotism who didn't endorse your cause was almost how it came across.

Plus we've all sat through 100 bad renditions at church or public functions, there was a truck commercial back around 1990 where they sort of mimicked it (Lee sang, "The truck for the US-A-eh-A-hey!"), there was a subpar variation from someone else on 9/11 and - I think it just got tired and cliche.


Note: I've also thought the line "thank my lucky stars" is not exactly the most Christian viewpoint and sounds a lot like paganism or the fools at Procter and Gamble who finance the Satanist church.

i was on staff at a boy scout camp that summer and we were inundated with that song. it became a running joke by the end of the first week.

when it made its big comeback during the first iraq debacle, and every subsequent burst of “patriotism” it was quite traumatizing

 

[selmaborntidefan]

i was on staff at a boy scout camp that summer and we were inundated with that song. it became a running joke by the end of the first week.

when it made its big comeback during the first iraq debacle, and every subsequent burst of “patriotism” it was quite traumatizing

Too much of anything can be a bad thing.

I once at least sorta liked it but I agree totally it has been overdone.





Unpopular opinion: I think "Imagine" by John Lennon might be the most overrated pop sing in history. I've had a few people think I have some sort of problem with the first line (as a Christian), but I honestly don't. As was pointed out in the censorship episode of "WKRP," it's IMAGINE there's no heaven, not a declaration there isn't one.

No, my problem with that song is multi-faceted. I think the piano itself (incredibly easy to play) is juvenile, I think the rhyme scheme is more designed to shock than anything, and his notion I should "join him" (us) in a land of no possessions and sharing all the world when he died with a net worth of half a billion bucks is a little inconsistent if I may be charitable. No possessions, no religion, no this, no this. I just don't think the song is that great, I'm not overly offended by the lyrics, but it's not some sort of deep thought exercise to me. Even the guy singing it doesn't believe the crap he's singing - but it's "sincere" and "profound."


Let me put it like this: we had an atheist musician along the lines of John Lennon who ACTUALLY DID the stuff Lennon just wanted to imagine. His name was Harry Chapin, and in my opinion he was ten times the musician who believed what Lennon only imagined with how he lived.

 

[dtgreg]

CBS and Carr are fully in the deplorables catagory.

So this has some skull-duggery to it. I mean, the FCC has a fig leaf in that Jasmine Crockett is running for the same Senate seat, no? And there would not be enough time before election day to give her equal time? What am I missing?

 

[92tide]

Too much of anything can be a bad thing.

I once at least sorta liked it but I agree totally it has been overdone.





Unpopular opinion: I think "Imagine" by John Lennon might be the most overrated pop sing in history. I've had a few people think I have some sort of problem with the first line (as a Christian), but I honestly don't. As was pointed out in the censorship episode of "WKRP," it's IMAGINE there's no heaven, not a declaration there isn't one.

No, my problem with that song is multi-faceted. I think the piano itself (incredibly easy to play) is juvenile, I think the rhyme scheme is more designed to shock than anything, and his notion I should "join him" (us) in a land of no possessions and sharing all the world when he died with a net worth of half a billion bucks is a little inconsistent if I may be charitable. No possessions, no religion, no this, no this. I just don't think the song is that great, I'm not overly offended by the lyrics, but it's not some sort of deep thought exercise to me. Even the guy singing it doesn't believe the crap he's singing - but it's "sincere" and "profound."


Let me put it like this: we had an atheist musician along the lines of John Lennon who ACTUALLY DID the stuff Lennon just wanted to imagine. His name was Harry Chapin, and in my opinion he was ten times the musician who believed what Lennon only imagined with how he lived.

taxi is a wonderful song

 

[Its On A Slab]

Lee Greenwood has been using that song as a meal ticket ever since. Can anyone cite another song he's associated with? Yet he's always available for Republican chicken feeds and inaugurations.

Country music is full of patriotic anthems. Usually written when the artist's popularity is waning and eh/she is in need of a quick fix.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Lee Greenwood has been using that song as a meal ticket ever since. Can anyone cite another song he's associated with? Yet he's always available for Republican chicken feeds and inaugurations.

The Donald Trump Song - IOU

 

[75thru79]

no offense selma, but that has to be one of the worst songs ever recorded

Not even close. "Send in the Clowns" from Judy Collins wins that contest hands down.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Not even close. "Send in the Clowns" from Judy Collins wins that contest hands down.

I can think of a few:

Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree (please - take me back to the Hanoi Hilton!)
I Am, I Said ("and no one heard at all not even the chair" - because chairs don't have ears for starters)
The Lion Sleeps Tonight (a weiner whacker, weiner whacker, weiner whacker, weiner whacker)
Help Me Rhonda ("well since she put me down there's been owls pukin' in my bed!")
MacArthur Park
Achy Breaky Heart
Swingin' by John Anderson

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Country music is full of patriotic anthems.

"Well I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison....."

 

[selmaborntidefan]

It makes me wonder if Carr may be playing the long game, knowing that this will give Talarico publicity and a boost, to 'pick' the opponent of John Cornyn?
I may be giving him (Carr) more credit than he deserves.

Plus as a reminder - in today's episode of "Democrats love to shoot their own party" - there are now videos of black Democrats (Allred and Crockett) explicitly saying Talarico is a racist.

So his goose is likely cooked anyway unless the GOP goes full "hold mah beer" and nominates Paxton.

 

[Bamaro]

So this has some skull-duggery to it. I mean, the FCC has a fig leaf in that Jasmine Crockett is running for the same Senate seat, no? And there would not be enough time before election day to give her equal time? What am I missing?

She's been on Colbert multiple times.

 

[CrimsonJazz]

So this has some skull-duggery to it. I mean, the FCC has a fig leaf in that Jasmine Crockett is running for the same Senate seat, no? And there would not be enough time before election day to give her equal time? What am I missing?

If anything, it's the fact that CBS's lawyers had enough foresight to see how quickly this could turn into a race hustle. With Crockett, it was pretty much guaranteed, so they did everything they could to head this off at the pass, but Colbert was stupid enough to try to politicize this decision and it was all for naught. It's kinda funny when you think about it.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

Too much of anything can be a bad thing.

I once at least sorta liked it but I agree totally it has been overdone.





Unpopular opinion: I think "Imagine" by John Lennon might be the most overrated pop sing in history. I've had a few people think I have some sort of problem with the first line (as a Christian), but I honestly don't. As was pointed out in the censorship episode of "WKRP," it's IMAGINE there's no heaven, not a declaration there isn't one.

No, my problem with that song is multi-faceted. I think the piano itself (incredibly easy to play) is juvenile, I think the rhyme scheme is more designed to shock than anything, and his notion I should "join him" (us) in a land of no possessions and sharing all the world when he died with a net worth of half a billion bucks is a little inconsistent if I may be charitable. No possessions, no religion, no this, no this. I just don't think the song is that great, I'm not overly offended by the lyrics, but it's not some sort of deep thought exercise to me. Even the guy singing it doesn't believe the crap he's singing - but it's "sincere" and "profound."


Let me put it like this: we had an atheist musician along the lines of John Lennon who ACTUALLY DID the stuff Lennon just wanted to imagine. His name was Harry Chapin, and in my opinion he was ten times the musician who believed what Lennon only imagined with how he lived.

You are not alone in disliking Imagine. Only Hollywood would think that song is good. Gal Gadot and those other idiots that did the song during covid shutdown made me want to destroy my computer.

 

[Crimson1967]

Lee Greenwood has been using that song as a meal ticket ever since. Can anyone cite another song he's associated with? Yet he's always available for Republican chicken feeds and inaugurations.

Country music is full of patriotic anthems. Usually written when the artist's popularity is waning and eh/she is in need of a quick fix.

Would love to ask him why he didn’t stand up next to anyone and defend the USA during Vietnam.