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Republicans - The Stupid Party

Often, when someone does something really stupid in public, decent people will look away. Decent people do not ordinarily want to add to the embarrassment of the unfortunate person who has done the painfully stupid thing.

However, in the case of the National Republican Party, it is almost impossible to look away. Their incredibly stupid behavior is so frequent, so pronounced, so public one wonders how any person with any self-respect can continue to claim to be a Republican.

At the recent Winter Meeting of the Republican National Committee, they let Governor Bobby Jindal have the microphone.

Jindal said: “We must stop being the stupid party.”

Stupid is defined as 'lacking intelligence or common sense."

Is it even possible for the Republicans to stop being the party of stupid? A look at their recent history would suggest not.

The Republicans got behind a candidate for President who could not understand that the first rule of being a candidate is to get the voters to like you. The Republicans supported -- then ran away from, then supported -- Todd “Legitimate Rape” Akin of Missouri.  They put forth Republican Richard Mourdock of Indiana who managed to say (publicly!) that God intends for rape to happen.

Then, former bright light of the Republican Party, Marco Rubio, denies science when asked a 6th grade question about the age of the earth.

Surely, there is much stupid to overcome here.

After Obama’s second inaugural address, Speaker of the House John Boehner complained that the President is out to "annihilate the Republican Party." The Speaker must have forgotten about Mitch McConnell’s pledge to make Obama a one term President. 

At the RNC meeting, Jindal could have gone on to say that the Republican Party also has to stop being the willing handmaiden of fringe groups who hold extremist views on social issues which Republicans are bullied into supporting even if those views are unpopular with the very voters the Republicans need  in order to win a national office.

The National Rifle Association heads this list closely followed by Grover “No, they didn’t vote for a tax hike” Norquist.  (The Tea Party is all but defunct and Sarah Palin is no longer a Fox News Contributor).

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the N.R.A. spent almost $19 million in the last federal election cycle. This money was used to attack Democrats but it was also used to attack Republicans who dared to stray from the NRA position that all gun regulations are the work of the devil.

Other groups who oppose gay marriage, abortion, stem cell research, acceptance of mankind’s role in climate change and science deniers of all stripes, among other issues, are endowed by billionaire supporters.  These groups are more radical than the population as a whole. Their money, given the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United, allows them unlimited impact on the stupid party. 

As if to prove they completely failed to grasp reality of the 2012 elections, Jindal’s message and Boehner's fears, the Republican National Committee re-elected Reince Priebus as chairman.

The Republicans seem to think that the guy who was at the head of the disastrous Republican showing in the 2012 election can put on a new suit and suddenly read the changed demographics of the nation; shake off the collective choke-hold of the NRA, Norquist, and the radical and religious right; design a campaign that doesn’t exclude 47% of the voters; and refocus the Republican Party on its traditional message of growth instead of Mitch McConnell’s message of obstructionism.

Chalk up one more stupid for the Republican Party.

Ed Bertorelli

6:48 am on Monday, January 28, 2013

Another liberal 'nasty-gram' from one of the peanut gallery of close-minded liberals who blog to name call. It's always a treat see liberals name call and then accuse the GOP of being negative.

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SKK

1:28 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

Ed, You said it! The patch should be renamed "The Patch, A place for liberal Democrats to start arguments" I can't believe I even bothered reading this. There is a minute I will never get back. OMG funny.

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Robert Rosen

3:21 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

SKK, thank you for your comment. I'd love it if someone would like to take the time to write a blog expressing the other side's point of view. If you would like to contribute a blog on politics from a Republican standpoint, here is the link so you can get started: http://natick.patch.com/blog/apply. Thank you so much for your consideration and your comments.

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Francis P. Ardito,Sr

3:37 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

Stupid Republicans only ? Mr. Wilson cited two beauts with their rape statements. What about stupid Democrats ? There are none ? As I said many times in the past, beware of the radical right and the liberal left !

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SKK

3:54 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

I understand and thank you for the offer. I would not be able to nor would I like to write from that side as I don't stand on either side but somewhere in the middle. I was just pointing out that many of the blogs on here are very liberal and usually aimed to start an argument. Just reading the titles makes one defensive. I have never written a blog. Maybe someday I will draft one from the middles perspective.

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Robert Rosen

5:31 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

SKK, that's an excellent idea. If anyone else who feels their political opinions are more of the independent variety, rather than to the left or right, it'd be great to get that viewpoint and a discussion from that viewpoint. Anyone is welcome to submit a Local Voices blog. Thank you again for that idea, SKK.

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GwenB

4:24 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

They're so angry. Why is that. They get everything they want all the time. Still so angry and hateful. Sad.

Danielle Lizotte

9:26 am on Monday, January 28, 2013

I don't think this is about being stupid at all. It is about a movement that has won in the past by doing the very same things that caused them trouble both in 2008 and this time around. Why change it if it works? It takes a while to turn an ocean liner around. Based on the bipartisan immigration reform news coming from Washington this morning I would say that Republicans are finally willing to make some changes in their platform. My guess is that the 1% are getting nervous.

Dennis Wilson

10:24 am on Monday, January 28, 2013

Ed,
This is not the Republican Party that you have belonged to for the past 40+ years. This is not the Republican Party of Eisenhower, Reagan, Brooke or Weld or any of your other heros. "Stupid" was Jindal's word. You Republicans have sat back and allowed various groups to hijack your once honorable party and place it on the verge of irrelevancy. You Republicans have become the party of 'no' ; the party of shut down the government; the anti- this and anti- that party. And yeah, as a liberal Democrat, I'm enjoying the debacle. You can stand outside the circle and call me names all you want.
Why is Scott Brown reluctant to announce for the U.S. Senate? Is he, like Olympia Snowne, fed up with the gridlock the Republicans have brought on Congress? Does he not want to have to defend the 'party of stupid' in yet another losing effort?
But in a larger sense, Ed, this country needs a two party -- if not three party -- system. I hope you old time Republicans reclaim your party and figure out how to participate in governing once again.
And finally, Ed, spending and the debt have to be significantly reigned in. Just not on the backs of poor people.

Dennis Wilson

5:03 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

Francis. Sr:

Here’s what Republican Colin Powell’s said on ‘Meet the Press’ a couple of weeks ago.

“I think what the Republican party needs to do now is take a very hard look at itself and understand that the country has changed. The country is changing demographically and if the Republican party does not change along with that demographic, they are going to be in trouble."

“When we see that in one more generation, the minorities of America — African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans — will be the majority of the country, you can’t go around saying, ‘We don’t want to have a solid immigration policy. We are going to dismiss the 47 percent, we are going to make it hard for these minorities to vote,’ as they did in the last election.“The court struck most of that down, but most importantly, it caused people to
turn out and stand in line because these Republicans were trying to keep us from voting.”

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Michael Barrett

2:15 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

In one more generation? Oh brother. Yeah, you're only a few decades off. Yeah, obama was dominate with less than 51% of the vote. You have no understanding of national politics.

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GwenB

8:18 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

He said it cause Obama is black and so is he. If Obama was white, his attitude would be right where it was 10 years ago.

Dennis Wilson

5:04 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

Colin Powell continued:

“There’s also a dark vein of intolerance in some parts of the party. What do I mean from that? What I mean by that is that they still sort of look down on minorities. How can I evidence that?

“When I see a former governor [Sarah Palin] say that the President is ‘shucking and jiving,’ ‘that’s a racial-era slave term. When I see another former governor after the President’s first debate, when he didn’t do very well, say that the President was ‘lazy.’ He didn’t say he was slow, he was tired, he didn’t do well. He said he was ‘lazy.’ “...to those of us who are African Americans, the second word is “shiftless” and then there’s a third word that goes along with it...”

“Birther, the whole Birther Movement…why do senior republican leaders tolerate this type of discussion in the party?”

Francis, tell Powell the only problem with the Republican Party is “...two beauts with their rape statements.” He obviously sees larger problems.

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Francis P. Ardito,Sr

6:51 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

Mr. Wilson, I see many problems. I don't know your ethnicity. Do you recall who started the "Birther" idea? It was that damn fool blowhard, Donald Trump. People who believed Trump are fools. Biden, in his campagne speech told the blacks that Romney would have the blacks back in chains. That was racist and divisive. The Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons are racist and divisive. There are stupid fools of all color and politics. Thank God I'm a conservative.

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aycaramba

8:54 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

Do tell us, specifically, what you're conserving...

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Michael Barrett

2:19 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

So when Democrats used the term 'shucking and jiving' as they did, that was ok but with Palin its racist? O...K...

Obama wasn't lazy before the debate? He didn't prep, he went to the Hoover Dam and screwed off instead of practicing.

The founder of the birther movement was a Democrat. But since everything else you said is wrong, why bother getting it right this time.

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aycaramba

12:10 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013

It was foolish of the few pro-Hillary Democrats who raised questions as to President Obama's background, to do so. But to embrace it and--this is important!--to perpetuate it in the face of the documented facts--now THAT is stupid, and the birther movement we know today is all Republican and all unbelievably STUPID. As we can see in its various faces, Ms. Orly Taitz and Donald Trump, the poster children of the complete moral and intellectual vacuum.

SKK

5:22 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

I agree things need to change with the times on BOTH sides. Just as the republicans need to accept that immaigraton reform and gay rights need to be addressed the democrats need to accept we cannot keep spending and taxing. They need to accept that being wealthy is not a crime. Both sides need change Dennis. Isn't it a good thing some republicans see issues from within? I think it is. I also think it is a problem that more Democrats do not see problems. Dennis, Do you think the Democratic party is running pefect?

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aycaramba

9:40 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

Perfection is not of this earth. But as for taxing and deficits, the Republicans are FAR more dishonest than the Democrats. BOTH take, but the Republicans pretend not to. SHAMEFUL!

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Michael Barrett

8:33 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013

aycaramba - Yeah, the Dem's are very honest. Obama was very honest when he campaign on no tax increases for anyone outside the top two income brackets ($250k and under). But it was the democrats that controlled the issue and allow the social security tax to increase. Someone making $50,000 a year will pay over $1000 more in taxes this year. Obama and the Dem's didn't lie, right?

How about the $200 billion is special tax breaks for the Dem's favored companies and industries they put in the "fiscal cliff" deal. That was really honest right? They had it planned sine August too.

The Dem's are as honest as Lizzy Warren is about her pale white heritage.

Dennis Wilson

7:38 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

Francis, Francis, Francis...
Trump didn't publicly get into the birther thing until the run-up to the 2012 election when he began to say he might run for President. You might research the origin of the birther movement -- you might find something to really chortle about.
Neither Jackson nor Sharpton have had the impact on the Democratic Party that Palin, Norquist, the NRA, McConnell, Perry, Santorum, the Kock brothers, Bachmann and the pizza guy have had on the Republican Party. (Hey, I think those folks are all conservatives). Neither Jackson nor Sharton caused the Republicans to lose 70% of the Latino vote. Neither Jackson, nor Sharpton nor Biden caused the RNC to re-elect Reince Priebus as chairman.

BTW, what does my ethnicity have to do with anything, Francis? Was I only supposed to quote white Americans? Is someone's p*e*u*i*e showing?

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Michael Barrett

2:31 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Al Sharpton gets invited to the White House to speak with obama and advisers on policy. Check the white house log book.

Yeah, the Kocks blah blah. The Dem's get 10's of millions of dollars from the Herb and Marion Sandler, Peter lewis of progressive, George soros, etc.

Why hasn't obama approved the the Keystone pipline after 3 years? Because he's in the pocket of the environmental groups.

Why did he stack the National labor relations board with union thugs? Because the D's get 98% of the tens of millions of dollars from unions. And his packing of the NLRB with illegal recess appointment was just struck down by the federal courts. What is the WH response? They are ignoring the court ruling.

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Michael Barrett

2:36 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

So Dennis Dennis Dennis, you don't have a clue about national politics. So get over yourself.

aycaramba

9:09 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

Go Dennis! The Republican Party (but there are many Republican exceptions: good people who have been roped into a party with which they have little in common) has, on the whole, spent the bulk of its time and money trying to hoodwink hard-working conservatives into thinking that their interests lie with the one-percent of the wealthy, who wouldn't, by the way, give them the time of day. Which one-percent doesn't give a damn about women or abortion or gay marriage or YOU! What they care about is keeping their ill-gotten gains, and growing their ill-gotten fortunes, on the BACKS of their brethren, both conservative and liberal. And I'm telling you, the YOUNG PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY will have none of it! They are sick of the lie! Sick of the racism masked as "love of the Constitution". Sick of the misogyny posing as "the old values". Sick of violence and the idolatry of firearms that dares to pretend it is the will of the "Founding Fathers". No Founding Father would have tolerated the many treasons of the Bush regime, the vile and cowardly NRA, the arrogant, anti-American candidacy of a McCain/Palin ticket, or a Bachman debacle, or a Romney/Ryan gambit. Yeah, it's time for a good long look in the mirror.

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Michael Barrett

9:05 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Yeah, the Dem's are not the party of the 1%. All those hollywood millionaire are not in the 1%. The rich in very very liberal Manhattan are not 1%ers. The richest counties in the country by median household income are all D voting counties.

Yeah the Dem's care about women. Ted Kennedy cared about Mary Jo so much he called the cops the next morning. And abortion is great. The Dem's love planned parenthood, that wonderful group which was founded to keep blacks and other unworthy people from having kids. Their racist founder who is so regarded by PP that they have their award named after her to which many D's have been given.

Racism, huh? Oh like Al Sharpton, who gets invited to the white house for policy meeting with obama and his advisors. You know, the guy who started the crown heights riots where a jew was beaten to death, called the jews "diamond merchants". Maybe you are talking about obama's pastor who disparaged many groups and hates the country.

Maybe you are talking about obama who called the grandmother who raised him after his floozy mother dumped him off with her, a "typical white person".

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Michael Barrett

9:10 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013

"keeping their ill-gotten gains, and growing their ill-gotten fortunes"

You mean all those Wall street guys like Dick Fuld the CEO of lehman brothers, Angelo Marzilo the disgraced CEO of Countrywide Financial, or maybe you mean the guys at Goldman Sachs or Citigroup. Yeah, they are all Democrats who have given millions to the party.

Or maybe you mean the disgraced crooked ex gov of NJ Democrat Jon Corzine. You know, the one who stole $1.2 billion in customer money to fund his foolish trades on european debt.

And how many are in jail or being prosecuted by the obama admin? Not one. He takes care of those who give to the democrats.

Maybe you are talking about the Kennedy's who have a very long history of trying to avoid estate taxes.

Maybe you are talking about John Kerry who is only good at marrying rich desperate women. He tried to dock his boat in RI to avoid $700,000 in MA taxes.

Oh lies? I'm still waiting for obama to "cut the deficit in half in my first term" that he promised in '08. How about under his tax plan, no one who makes under $250k will see their taxes "rise by 1 dime". He only passed a dozen taxes on lower income people.

But you have no knowledge, so your mistakes are understandable.

Dennis Wilson

10:46 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

ayca, as much as I enjoy seeing the current Republican self-strangulation, my view is not as harsh as yours. The country needs to have at least two viable political parties and I hope the Republicans get their act together and once again participate in governing as opposed to obstructing.
It is good that a bipartisan group of Senators are proposing an outline for immigration reform but it is far from a done deal. Schumer said they do not want this to be a wedge issue but it may very well turn out that way and further damage the Republican Party.

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aycaramba

11:45 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

Two good parties. Two smart parties. Yes.

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Michael Barrett

2:48 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Republican self strangulation? Yeah ok. The R's dominate on the state level all over the country. A few national elections do not overcome what is being done on the state level. Indiana enacted Right to Work legislation, Wisconsin enacted Right to work for public workers except police and fire and other union reforms, Michigan's Right to Work goes into effect in March, etc. And there are many other moves at the state level across the country.

The D's rely on the forced union dues from members being funneled to them. Have you seen the Wisconsin union numbers? They are down dramatically in only 1 year. Michigan's will be down even more since it is not just public employees but all unions.

Without forces union dues the D party cannot survive. So long term the D's are in trouble.

aycaramba

11:40 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

Where did I read that Eisenhower would not have consented to enter a room with Ronald Reagan in it? I Like Ike!

Ralph

6:48 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Sorry, didn't read the Blog.

I can't read any article by a writer who starts with an insult in the title. Just wrong. Wouldn't have read the blog if it said Democrats or Liberterians etc. were inserted where Republicans were in the title.

The far left and far right are so diametrically opposed, and so eager to toss insults, or Incite the other, there seems to be no room for compromise. Disheartening to say the least.

Good luck to you Mr. Wilson- hopefully you can write a blog without such an insulting title in the future, I may actually read it then.

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Michael Barrett

9:58 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Hey, don't ask too much. Dennis Dennis Dennis does know much about national politics, so you cannot have high expectations for his little diddy here.

Dennis Wilson

8:02 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Bobby Jindal, Republican Governor of Louisiana, said the following at the Winter Meeting of the Republican National Committee last week:

"We must stop being the stupid party. It’s time for a new Republican party that talks like adults."

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Borden Wicks

8:26 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013

Dennis, that is it in a nut shell. The Republican Party, specifically the Tea Party, have been the party of "stupid." Colin Powell and Gov. Jindal realize they have to reign in their far right, or they will continue to lose national elections.

As it is, in the past election, the only reason the House remained in Republican control was re districting. A ploy practiced by both parties over the years. The fact is, Republicans received 1 million fewer House votes than Democrats, and have lost the popular vote in 5 of the last six presidential elections.

Moderate Republicans would do well to listen to the advise of Gov. Jindal and Gen. Powell. The future of their party depends on it!

Continued bowing to corporate interests is killing them, just ask Willard!

BC

8:02 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Liberalism is a disease! Liberals are the problem.

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Dennis Wilson

9:39 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Please stay on topic. This blog is about the RNC being called "the stupid party" by Bobby Jindal & then re-electing the same chairman.
Perhaps you could take Patch editor Rosen up on his earlier suggestion that someone take the time to write a blog expressing the other side's point of view.

aycaramba

11:44 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Oh I think that the Republican governor's point about the stupidity of his party has been amply illustrated here. And nobody ever thinks anybody else really "knows about politics." And thanks for keeping things rude as usual, MB.

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Michael Barrett

9:11 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Hey, thanks for being uninformed. You make average people look intelligent.

Common Sense

12:50 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Funny, liberal democrats have been in charge of this state for the last 40 years and it's still not a utopia. Hard working middle class folks are leaving in droves for NH and RI in protest and yet no one listens. I am sure once welfare baby deval gets his way on the tax hike I will be leaving with my 6 figure income too.

Let's face it, liberals have failed to win any common sense arguments, and they demonize & hate everyone who doesn't agree with them or has the audacity to question their judgement. If that isn't the text book definition of arrogance, I don't know what is.

As much as you can call one party "stupid", I can call them both stupid.

Which is why it's time to outlaw political parties; toss out anyone who has been in office for more than two terms, and tie thier pay to the average median incomes of families in their districts.

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Jim O'Connor

9:49 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Common Sense. I agree with you that Massachusetts has been in control of Democrats for the last 40 years, although we had 16 years of Republican governors.. Guess what?, Massachusetts is a pretty good state. I don't have time to do the research and provide you the citations, but look up the many important measures, e.g.., education, health care, violent crime,rate, economic growth, wages, environment, Massachusetts fares quite well. Certainly better than the Republican utopias of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama.

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Michael Barrett

9:18 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Jim O'Connor

Oh yeah, Mass is great. There were only a handful of states who lost a congressional rep in the redistricting in '10 and MA was one of them. That means we lost people vs. the other states. People think MA is so great they are voting with their feet and leaving.

Health care is great. We have the highest medical costs in the country so that is wonderful. The HC bill which was passed in '05 has exploded costs even more than before, just as many people are using the emergency rooms for primary care and the costs are FAR higher than expected.

Economic growth? Are you kidding? The state is very poorly situated.

Knocking Tennessee? You certainly don't know the state, huh? They are doing MUCH better than MA. Companies are moving their, their economy is growing. MA is a dying state like NY and CA. Look at Texas. They are getting thousands of people a month from CA alone. The blue states are the dying states and all the talent is going south to the red states.

Dennis Wilson

12:05 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013

Generalities are defined as statements having general rather than specific validity or force; also, vague or inadequate statements.

Jim O'Connor

10:33 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013

Michael Barret,Please refer to Boston Herald April 27, 2012 "Massachusetts Growth Rate Outpaces National GDP.." Data is cited in the article...(I assume the Herald is a source you trust..). I didn't mention Texas. Check out the data (there's that word again) regarding its education, health care, real wages, and environment. But not to worry, TX is on its way to being a blue state. ,Once they purge their Republican politicians, things will begin to improve. in TX.
As for TN, 'Ole Miss, "Bama,, and the rest of the former Confederacy, i.e., the Republican base, you can have them.

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Danielle Horn

8:14 pm on Thursday, January 31, 2013

Per the blogger's request, I am closing comments for this thread. Also, I'd like to remind readers/commenters that they should continue to flag comments they feel violate our terms of use.

The editor has closed comments for this Blog Post.