H/t: DBM

In 1994, nobody had any memory of Republicans in power. Now they do, and it wasn’t pretty. And so we have something to overcome that we really didn’t in 1994.

— Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), quoted by Politico, on his party’s chances of taking control of Congress.

Pensito Review celebrated its fifth anniversary on January 28. Thanks to all our readers.

From the BBC, here, finally, is an explanation of the underlying cause of the rise of the tea bagger movement and the concomitant decline of Americans’ standard of living: It’s stories, not facts, that influence voters. As author Thomas Frank puts it, “It’s like a French Revolution in reverse in which the workers come pouring down the street screaming more power to the aristocracy.”

“I’m not suggesting that we’re going to agree on everything, whether it’s on health care or energy or what have you, but if the way these issues are being presented by the Republicans is that this is some wild-eyed plot to impose huge government in every aspect of our lives, what happens is you guys then don’t have a lot of room to negotiate with me. You’ve given yourselves very little room to work in a bipartisan fashion because what you’ve been telling your constituents is, ‘This guy’s doing all kinds of crazy stuff that’s going to destroy America.’”

Pres. Obama, speaking to the Republican House members at their retreat in Baltimore

Smoking Gun: John Edwards’s ex-mistress is seeking to suppress what appears to be a sex tape featuring her and the disgraced politician.

Charlie Brooker from BBC4.

TNR: TSA officer to passenger: “Someone ought to do something about those machines–it’s like we don’t have any privacy in this country anymore!”

Chattahbox: Dale “Niggar” Robertson “photoshopped Obama with a pencil-thin mustache, wearing an oversized zebra-striped fedora trimmed with white fur, a garish purple band and a black feather.”

TNR: And would he be the only plausible Democrat to win the U.S. Senate seat?