The ‘Tea Party’ as we now know it has become the major driving force for conservatives in this decade, exhibiting major power to engage people politically and get out the vote. Thus it isn’t shocking that many are attempting to harness some of that energy, but the latest spin-off of the Tea Party– a Latino-centric get out the vote effort named the “Tequila Party”– highlights a serious misconception in the media of Latin Americans as a monolithic group with similar political leanings and concerns.

It’s 1984 all over again, and not just because everyone is terrified of Big Brother. Right-wing blog RedState.com is up in arms over what author Dan Specter is calling President Obama’s “latest outrage”– his refusal to take a stance regarding the ongoing territorial dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland/Malvina Islands (population: 3,140 people; 500,000 sheep).

In what may have been the most poorly-executed, excruciatingly-detailed news conference in recent memory, Gov. Mark Sanford explained his five-day absence today in a way that improbably made people forget about the whole “missing Governor” aspect of the story.

“Surreal” may be the best word to describe what occurred: or maybe just heartbreakingly awkward. Here’s a play-by-play of how the newser went: