In an email Rush Limbaugh wrote, “OK, fine. I am now researching his past endorsements to see if I can find all the inexperienced, very liberal, white candidates he has endorsed. I’ll let you know what I come up with.”

Yeah, I didn’t grow up Catholic. My mom did, so I didn’t learn ANYTHING about it until college. Nice with the Assumption thing. Didn’t get it till you pointed it out.

“Let’s say someone posted at this site using the handle ‘Adolf Schickelgruber.’ Now admittedly it’s not the most common knowledge that this was Hitler’s name before he changed it, but folks who know a thing or two about 20th century world history might pick up on it immediately and start teasing the poster about being ‘der Fuhrer.’” It’s funny you mention this, as it was debunked right here on this site not too long ago. I think tODD or WebMonk or someone talked about it being a bit of a myth or something. Not totally sure. Whatever. I’m not using the little boot anymore, just so I can avoid all this in the future.

Okay, so you didn’t get my BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary, a common designation for Mary especially in the Roman Catholic communion) or the pun on “assumptions.” Here’s another attempt at making the same point. Let’s say someone posted at this site using the handle “Adolf Schickelgruber.” Now admittedly it’s not the most common knowledge that this was Hitler’s name before he changed it, but folks who know a thing or two about 20th century world history might pick up on it immediately and start teasing the poster about being “der Fuhrer.”

“Nevertheless, Michael, Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus is the most famous “Little Boots” in all of history. You have to take care with a literate crowd. If someone came around here styling herself “BVM” we might legitimately make some Assumptions…”

Well, I am not literate then. I have said numerous times I didn’t know it meant that before I came here, and I don’t use it for that purpose. It’s not “little boots” it’s “the little boot,” which is literally different. Caligula means “little boots.” Also, just because someone is the most famous person in history to have used a name, that means it’s off limits to anyone not wishing to be associated with that person? Ridiculous. It seems a lot of people want me to be a hedonistic Roman emperor. Just because I don’t believe in God, or what?

I don’t know who BVM might refer to, as I am not literate. Those of you who keep going on about this are pretty happy with how many works of “classical” literature you’ve read and apparently memorized. Awesome. Ever cracked the Bhagavad-gita? That’s even older. Older than the Bible, too.

FW, calling a progressive “conservative” because he seeks to maintain and expand on established progressive programs is certainly an inventive use of language. That progressive, nay, socialistic government programs are widely accepted as the current traditional norm goes to show that the frogs are oblivious to the temperature of the water in their pot.

bush the younger´s campaign tipped his hat as to what kind of administration he would have. it was agressively partisan and the tactics were rovian. the end justifies the means was the rule.

#4 #5 joe and ken. yeah yeah, I know. I have to be mindful of the audience here. what i mean is that fdr and lbj´s policies are generally not viewed as “radical” or “socialist” or “communist”. they are in fact viewed as the current traditional norm. both republicans and democrats look at social security and medicare as a political “third rail”. I am merely saying that obama will seek to preserve and extend policies that look like that. this actually makes him a “conserve-ative” in a certain sense doesn´t it? In any case my point is that he will be predictably and not radically liberal. no sudden moves.

“In general, I believe most conservatives think of progressives as wrong-headed but right-hearted, while most progressives think of conservatives as wrong-headed and evil.” I think both sides think the other is wrong-headed and evil. Nothing either side says would lead one to believe otherwise. Unless you want to believe “your” side is correct, or at least better. I think there are examples on both sides which would lead one to believe each side demonizes the other. How can you say the right doesn’t demonize the left? Do you even watch television?

As for the Caligula thing: come on, people. Just because Caligula is ONE WAY to say “little boot” in another language doesn’t mean it’s all that phrase can mean. I only speak english, so I say little boot. I had no knowledge of its connection to Caligula until I got to this blog. If I change my name here, I’ll have to explain to everyone who I am! Why doesn’t everyone just stop saying it? In fact, I don’t really care that people use it as a joke. I was mostly referring to Anon’s usage of it. Anon likes to use it to “poke the bear.” Anon’s lucky we don’t talk in person.

“He is not alone in this, of course, but in his stated divergence from that document he is of all recent major presidential candidates the most .. well, .. extreme.”

In his “stated divergence,” possibly. But the most recent president has diverged from the constitution more than any other president in the past. Nothing in what you’ve stated says to me Obama is any different from Bush. Bush has taken his personal opinions as more important than the constitution. I think most people think that same way. I think it’s unhelpful, and possibly unhealthy, but there you go.