Your republican translation machine

Just a reminder, when a republican says they believe in "personal responsibility," what they really mean is:

You're on you fucking own, chump!

The subtext of that is "you shoulda worked hard and gotten right with jesus sooner."

The republican candidates refer to "personal responsibility" in debates and on the stump fairly frequently. But you won't find it on their websites, though the doctrine is implicitly spelled out in their policies.

Republican dead-ender crowds know what it is though. Make no mistake about that. Check this out:

"It was one ovation after another as Bush ran through red meat issues: making tax cuts permanent, extending the surveillance law, winning in Iraq, defeating terrorism, limiting stem cell research, upholding life, appointing conservative judges."

But a telling moment came when Bush was talking about people "swept up in a cycle of addiction, and crime, and hopelessness." Said Bush: "We know that people can change their behavior. Sometimes all it takes is the help of a loving soul -- somebody who puts their arm around a troubled person and says, I love you, can I help you."

Suddenly, as Gillman reported, a woman shouted out very loudly, "I love ya Dubya!"

Bush responded: "My soul is not that troubled, but thank you."

Two things going on here- first, notice those red-meat issues are all about rewarding his base and nothing about the very real economic problems in this country. And second, notice that Bush isn't the least bit troubled by all the damage he's wreaked on society. It's all about him and the adulation of his fan club. Via today's Froomkin.

Have I said today how much I hate these people?