Here's my contribution:
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/02/will_2009_be_a_very_bad_year_for_antivac.php

It is for those who--because of ignorant fear mongers like Jenny McCarthy and Robert Kennedy Jr.--might find themselves to "on the fence" regarding vaccinations for their kids.

The long and the short of it? Vaccinate your goddamn kids, people!

Rules? Rules are fer sissies! Ya know... dem dat sound all intellectual-like. You got you too much book learning son!

We in Wasilla and N'arlins don't cotton to that kinda thinkin'! You won't be hearin' nuthin' like dat stuff from Sara and our Guvner! You know... dat Middle Eastern lookin' dude who sounds like a little retahded boy. Nope, not 'round here!

Yes, and Gomer could always kick Goober's ass.

I mentioned this elsewhere yesterday, but the truth is the Republican Party had their asses handed to them in the last two big elections. Yet they continue to put forward and internally elect people with the same--no, even more entrenched extreme conservative mindset that got them their asses handed to them in the first place. They are doubling down! "The American people rejected us and our way of thinking? Well that obviously means we need to go deeper down that hole we're digging!"

McConnell, Boehner, Cantor, Sarah Palin, Michael Steele and "Bobby Brady" Jindal (just naming a few!)... this is not the way you show the American public that you understand them. That you can adjust and make amends. This says you have nothing to adjust to. Nothing to make amends for.

In short it's a big FU. A strong and proud middle finger to the whole country.

I sincerely feel for the Arlen Spectors of the world, and the folks like OGD's pal. But I feel worse for the country. There are more than enough of these kinds of Republicans in power at all levels to genuinely fuck up the works. Always ready and able to toss that wrench into the spokes.

Fuckers.

Not trying to be gratuitously contrarian, honestly, but we may be making too big a deal of this. I mean, the Republican Party has consistently put forth--despite a lovely trouncing in the last two elections--people who fit solidly in the 20th century (some would say 19th century!) Republican mold:

-deniers of global climate change
-ignorant of basic evolutionary processes
-promoters of ignorance ("intelligent design" anyone?)
-raising taxes is always bad
-giving tax breaks (mostly to the rich) is always good
-government can do no good
-free market is always the solution
-regulation is always bad (I guess that goes with the above)
-helping the needy is socialism/marxism/communism (they make no distinctions)

It goes on, of course.

I know there are probably a few in the Republican Party who don't fit perfectly into that mold--Arlen Spector comes to mind--but for the most part it's all they got. They ditch Jindal? Who else is there? Who's the next great rising Republican star? Besides a lame performance... his content was pitch perfect. Didn't miss a Republican talking point. You could close your eyes and throw a dart and whatever Republican it landed on they too would most likely delivered an identical speech.

From the current Republican leadership in the House and the Senate to the most recent crop of potential Presidential hopefuls--Palin, Huckabee, Romney, Steele, and yes Jindal--it is all the same. There are absolutely no signs of evolution in the Republican Party. None that I see, anyway.

Jindal blew it? True. But that's by our standards--and yes a few moderate Reps--but so what? They have no control. No power. And the rest? Clearly they have no brains.

As I said before: Palin/Jindal (or Palindal!) 2012!

What will he do for an encore? There are a lot of people out there just waiting to be outraged!