I find this completely bewildering. The Republican Governors Association is embracing the mantle of a 17th century radical who tried but failed to pull off a mass casualty terrorist attack to kill the King of England and all of Parliament. Only now Obama plays the role of James I. Guy Fawkes is their new hero? 
 
 Nothing shocks me anymore. But this shocks me. ||||| I was going to submit this without comment, because the video speaks for itself. However, it appears that the video is even more effective than I first thought. Allahpundit at Hot Air notes that Time Magazine (I know. I was surprised to learn that it’s still in publication, too) is already frothing at the mouth over the ad. Apparently, according to Time Magazine, the ad means that Republican Governors are paying “homage to Guy Fawkes.” If you have the stomach for it, go read the comments over at that article post. They are extra delusional! Says Time: 
 
 The Republican Governors Association has embraced the symbolism of Fawkes, launching a rather striking website, RememberNovember.com, with a video that showcases far more Hollywood savvy than one can usually expect from Republicans. Again, the Fawkes tale has been twisted a bit. This time, President Obama plays the roll of King James, the Democratic leadership is Parliament, and the Republican Party represents the aggrieved Catholic mass. 
 
 Sigh. They are even wrong about the snide “Hollywood savvy” part; the Daily Caller reports the ad was done in house by young staffers. 
 
 We Will Remember from Republican Governors Association on Vimeo. 
 
 Awesome. To me, it brings to mind my new favorite quote from a sign at a recent tea party rally: 
 
 “I can see November from my house.” 
 
 Well done, RGA. Well done. ||||| Republican Governors Pay Homage To Guy Fawkes 
 
 A few years back, two left-leaning writers, Andy and Lana Wachowski, adapted the story of Guy Fawkes, a Catholic radical who is remembered primarily for his failed attempt, on November 5, 1605, to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I. The Wachowski brothers movie, V for Vendetta, made Fawkes the hero and presented the British crown as an oppressive dictatorship that was meant to echo, at least in technique, certain aspects of the administration of George W. Bush, down to the hooded prisoners, the orange jump suits and the unapologetic embrace of harsh interrogation techniques. 
 
 The meaning of Fawkes is, of course, not fixed. The Wachowski brothers' retelling of the Fawkes' story was later embraced by libertarian supporters of Ron Paul. During the 2008 campaign, "Remember, Remember The Fifth of November" became a rallying cry for Paul boosters, who shared at least some of the revolutionary fire of both Fawkes and the Wachowskis. On November 5, 2007, Guy Fawkes Day, Paul supporters raised more than $4 million online. 
 
 Now, the Fawkes mythology has come full circle. The Republican Governors Association has embraced the symbolism of Fawkes, launching a rather striking website, RememberNovember.com, with a video that showcases far more Hollywood savvy than one can usually expect from Republicans. Again, the Fawkes tale has been twisted a bit. This time, President Obama plays the roll of King James, the Democratic leadership is Parliament, and the Republican Party represents the aggrieved Catholic mass. 
 
 The politics and substance aside, this strikes me as a remarkable bit of political messaging, not just for its cinematic quality. The RGA, under the control of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, is clearly stepping out of the stodgy, safe territory it normally inhabits. It is aiming to tap into the vast well of anti-government fury now coursing through the nation. Who would have guessed that Barbour would embrace the symbolic value of the same would-be mass murderer as the Wachowski brothers? 
 
 One other note, RGA message wizards have intentionally not circulated this video on YouTube or made an embed version of it publicly available. (Swampland asked for, and was granted, special dispensation.) They want people to view it on their site, RememberNovember.com, in the hopes of building a grassroots army. 
 
 UPDATE: I notice quite a bit of electronic dust this post has stirred up on the interwebbing. A couple points: First, as I suggest in the post, the tale of Fawkes has been so thoroughly appropriated by so many that it is just not right to associate the latest appropriators with the intent of the original criminal in 1605. The RGA is not calling for a violent uprising here. It is tapping into well-established online anti-government memes. (Remember 1984.) The Wachowski brothers, who were themselves referencing a comic book adaptation of the Fawkes story, were not calling for violence when they made their movie. Ron Paul supporters were not calling for violence when they decided to raise $4 million in 2007. To suggest that this is what the RGA is doing now is, it seems to me, overly simplistic and inflammatory. Second, there has been some speculation in the comments that the RGA fed me the Fawkes reference. They did not. But the connection is not exactly a stretch for anyone who has closely followed Republican politics online (and yes, here I am counting Paul as a Republican). Aside from the Remember November refrain, the classical music, the near-apocalyptic crises messages, the suggestions of totalitarian intent, the imagery of Castro and marching soldiers, the sound of a ticking clock all points to a well established online narrative, where Fawkes thrives as a sort of folk hero for all ideologies. These sorts of videos are made to go viral. They are intended to be edgy, provocative. They are meant to tap into running passions, online story lines. This one is very successful at accomplishing its viral mission. ||||| GUY FAWKES, NEW REPUBLICAN HERO.... Last fall, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) organized a right-wing rally on Capitol Hill for November 5, in the hopes of killing health care reform. After characterizing her followers as "insurgents" and "freedom fighters," Bachmann urged far-right activists to, in her word, "scare" federal lawmakers. 
 
 The scheduling of Bachmann's Capitol Hill soiree was a little disconcerting -- she picked a date widely known as Guy Fawkes Night. In other words, one of the country's most extreme lawmakers chose to rally right-wing activists, label them an "insurgency," and encourage them to roam the halls of Congress deliberately "scaring" members of Congress, on the infamous date that marks an attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament. 
 
 Fortunately, 11/5 came and went without incident. But the Republican affection for Guy Fawkes has apparently not dissipated. Time's Michael Scherer had this report: 
 
 The Republican Governors Association has embraced the symbolism of Fawkes, launching a rather striking website, RememberNovember.com, with a video that showcases far more Hollywood savvy than one can usually expect from Republicans. Again, the Fawkes tale has been twisted a bit. This time, President Obama plays the role of King James, the Democratic leadership is Parliament, and the Republican Party represents the aggrieved Catholic mass. The politics and substance aside, this strikes me as a remarkable bit of political messaging, not just for its cinematic quality. The RGA, under the control of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, is clearly stepping out of the stodgy, safe territory it normally inhabits. It is aiming to tap into the vast well of anti-government fury now coursing through the nation. Who would have guessed that Barbour would embrace the symbolic value of the same would-be mass murderer as the Wachowski brothers? 
 
 Josh Marshall added, "I find this completely bewildering. The Republican Governors Association is embracing the mantle of a 17th century radical who tried but failed to pull off a mass casualty terrorist attack to kill the King of England and all of Parliament.... Nothing shocks me anymore. But this shocks me." 
 
 It's a reminder that the Republican mainstream made a right turn at scary, and have arrived right at stark raving mad. ||||| The Republican Governor’s Association put out a video Friday that is a pretty slick piece of work. 
 
 It’s basically an 80-second movie trailer that casts President Obama as the villain of modern American politics, with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid as his sidekick and henchman. 
 
 But it’s a pretty impressive piece of multimedia, especially since conservatives are generally thought of as being pretty lame in that realm. The music, editing, pacing and graphics are top notch. And an RGA spokesman told me they did it all in house with young RGA staff. 
 
 Watch it here.
– This much is clear: The Republican Governors Association has put out a new anti-Obama video that can be seen at RememberNovember.com. Young RGA staffers put it together, reports the Daily Caller, which calls the video's production "top notch." Most agree it's pretty slick, but then things get a little confusing: The left thinks it's a tribute to Guy Fawkes—who tried to off the king of England in 1605—and the right says no way. Time makes the case for the Fawkes connection here, noting the old rhyme of "Remember, Remember the Fifth of November." Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo finds it "bewildering" that Republicans are honoring a guy who "tried but failed to pull off a mass casualty terrorist attack." Steve Benen agrees at Washington Monthly. Still, there's no overt reference to Fawkes in the video, and Lori Ziganto at Red State thinks the left is way off base. Maybe RGA chief Haley Barbour can clear things up?