Brownback's Humility

by Chris Bowers, Tue Jan 10, 2006 at 11:25:19 AM EST

I am working in the Hart Senate building this week. One of the things I have discovered by working here is that Kansas Senator Sam Brownback is a humble man who washes the feet of his staff. In fact, he is so humble that he also has Stalin-esque wall-size paintings of himself:

Yep, that is a huge painting of Brownback superimposed over an American flag and the Capitol. Man, that is humility. And check out a close up of the bottom of the painting:

Yes indeed, those are angels with black wings, or fallen angels:

A fallen angel in Abrahamic traditions is an angel that has been exiled or banished from Heaven. Often such banishment is a punishment for disobeying or rebelling against God.

The best-known fallen angel is Satan. According to some traditions, fallen angels will roam the Earth until Judgment Day, when they will be banished to Hell.

The angels are looking up toward Brownback. I guess this is because they want redemption and Brownback is God.

There also appears to be a staffer who is required to gaze longingly at Washington's very own diety:

Sam Brownback is a humble, humble man.

Tags: Culture (all tags)

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43 Comments

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can they get creepier?

by Matt Stoller 2006-01-10 11:27AM | 0 recs

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Re: can they get creepier?

I don't think so. This is really really revolting.

by Mark J. Bowers 2006-01-10 11:30AM | 0 recs

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Re: can they get creepier?

Uh, this picture is creepier than you think. Notice the American flag in the arms of the cherub to the right in the original photo. Look at the flag in the hands of the cherub to the left. Kind of hard to make out, but I think I see the pre-revolution Iranian flag. Compare for yourself and see what you think:

http://www.theodora.com/flags/new/iran_old.gif">

by KansasNate 2006-01-10 04:32PM | 0 recs

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Re: can they get creepier?

it's not that creepy. if you read the above comment by the brownback staffer, he mentioned that the painting was a gift from an iranian exile. so the fact that it has a pre=1979 iranian flag actually makes sense

by upyernoz 2006-01-11 04:29AM | 0 recs

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Eek!

I thought it couldn't get any creepier than Santorum and his wife spending the night with the corpse of their infant. I was wrong. What is with these religious wackos, and what are they doing in the government???

by arlaur 2006-01-10 11:31AM | 0 recs

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Re: Eek!

I don't like santorum but you can't blame him for what happened with his infant. People have very strong and different reactions to the death of a child.

by sam89 2006-01-10 11:57AM | 0 recs

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I think that is great

Damn what a funny post.. I laughed out loud. Those little angels look like the angels smoking cigarettes on the cover of Van Halen's 1984.

by Winston Smith 2006-01-10 11:47AM | 0 recs

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Re: I think that is great

Those angels look more annoyed than reverent. They're making the quintessential "Bitch, PLEASE" face.

by thejill 2006-01-10 02:10PM | 0 recs

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blahhhh

that is freaky! This man wants to be POTUS? Wait till these pics come out. I thought we defeated Saddam.

by Max Friedman 2006-01-10 11:49AM | 0 recs

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Right Wing Crazy

No its all kittens and love....lookie there's some angels there.

Plus I got the flag....

Love and Kisses

Sam

by kmwray 2006-01-10 11:55AM | 0 recs

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This reminds me of great HUMILITY!

I thank you for the visual. I was reminded of how those who hold our Congress hostage really hold humility in their "Pants Pocket".
This way they can pull it out, like a used hankie, everytime they find themselves in front of a camera or mic.

How Narcissistic! This has been my analysis of this group from the begining. (The definition of Narcissistic-Personality Disorder-in psychiatry, a personality disorder characterized by the patient's overestimation of his or her own appearance and abilities and an excessive need for admiration.)

Thanks again for reminding me, Chris
;-O

by GalfromCal 2006-01-10 12:00PM | 0 recs

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Photoshop MyDD on the computer

and that Dude is sooooooooooooo fired!

by Robert P 2006-01-10 12:20PM | 0 recs

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the angels...

...are looking up to Sam because he is their leader. He's not god, he's satan. They are impressed with how far he's gotten emulating a moral, forgiving leader. They only wish they could talk the talk and walk the walk like him.

by The lurking ecologist 2006-01-10 01:17PM | 0 recs

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Other flag

Usually I'm pretty good with flags but I've never seen this one. I googled "red white and green flag" on google and came up with a pretty weird one that seems to match. Looks like it's an ancient Persian flag.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nypp.org/images/flag-lg.gif&imgrefurl=http://w ww.nypp.org/parade2004/parade2004-about.htm&h=151&w=264&sz=3&tbnid=ja3c7-54dq4J:& ;tbnh=61&tbnw=107&hl=en&start=2&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgreen%2Bwhite%2Band%2Bred%2Bflag% 26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN

Dos anyone know how to copy a picture into a post?

by jkfp2004 2006-01-10 01:28PM | 0 recs

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Re: Other flag

I also tried to look up the flag. No luck, but it must be something obvious.

by Winston Smith 2006-01-10 03:03PM | 0 recs

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Too good

Someone play the USSR's national anthem and drape this pic over the Capitol. Let's have some missle parades, while we're at it.

by jkfp2004 2006-01-10 01:34PM | 0 recs

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Who says that

Big Brother is dead?

by jurassicpork 2006-01-10 01:45PM | 0 recs

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This is taken out of context

First, I am sure that is not Senator Brownback's office, but a member of his staff who is showcasing the painting that you snapped the photo of. Senator' have bigger nicer offices. And in that case, who cares. Most staff people who work for a member of congress or for someone in a presidential administration will display such items.

Secondly, it was probably given to him by a constituent and some staffer took a liking to it. Having worked in politics for all of my professional years before turning to journalism, I can tell you that constituents are famous for sending such items. What better way to thank a constituent for such an item than keeping it in the office.

And last but not least, I think if you are going to make the kind of comments you are making, not just here but in other postings as well, you might want to invest some time in posting thought provoking items rather than just try to stir the pot in order to attract traffic to your site.

When you take things out of context you become part of the citizen journalism problem, not a solution. At least in my humble opinion.

by Voice of Reason 2006-01-10 02:14PM | 0 recs

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Re: This is taken out of context

Out of context? Brownback hung this in his office.

by Matt Stoller 2006-01-10 03:09PM | 0 recs

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Yes it could get creepier!

President Brownback? President George Allen? THAT is creepy! And yes, it could happen here. I'm not really that much of a pessimist, but let's face it, successful politicians are not exactly known for humility.

by howardpark 2006-01-10 02:39PM | 0 recs

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Could that picture be a screwed up version of the

Mexican flag????

by strrbr 2006-01-10 03:15PM | 0 recs

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The angels are in the style of Raphael

They are from The Sistine Madonna, a painting by the artist Raphael. (You might remember him as one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Madonna_(Raphael)

by Buckaroo 2006-01-10 03:38PM | 0 recs

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Re: The angels are in the style of Raphael

Hopefully better links.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Madonna_%28Raphael%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Raffael_051.jpg

by Buckaroo 2006-01-10 03:43PM | 0 recs

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Re: The angels are in the style of Raphael

Raphael fucked up his painting. He left out the flags.

by Winston Smith 2006-01-10 06:32PM | 0 recs

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Re: The angels are in the style of Raphael

So, is Brownback supposed to be Jesus or the Virgin Mary?

by aretino 2006-01-11 06:52AM | 0 recs

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Speaking of creepy...

In England, they were known as the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. Hero Turtles? Who ever heard of hero turtles? From Shinobi to Snake Eyes, my childhood was replete with ninjas. Good, heroic, ninjas. I think the day I heard some of my English friends singing the theme song "Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles..." was the day my childhood died.

by Matt Lockshin 2006-01-10 05:22PM | 0 recs

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the real deal

I work in Brownback's office. Hello all. I fully shout-out who I am at the risk of hostility in blue territory, but I thought some of you might actually appreciate the real scoop.

First, let me say that this exercise has been an amazing view into the world of blogging, real time news, and politics. Something we follow closely, but none the less, had a nice insight into with this posting.

Apparently, the photos were snapped around noon, and again later to get a shot of the "staffer", and posted around 5:30. We got a call to our Wichita office, and they relayed the 411 to our DC office by 6p. The painting was removed within 30 minutes of the posting. Now even though the content of this post is trivial at best, I genuinely appreciated seeing how it all played out and the comments left by those who have their minds made up and are darn sure they know exactly what happened and what is symbolized here by looking at a few grainy photos on the web. Even the nice defender didn't get it exactly right. This is an example of the blogging world making an impact on the body politic for good or bad, regardless of the magnitude of that effect. Interesting to observe.

The real scoop: That is a painting that was presented to the senator by a very nice Iranian American gentleman who painted it and wanted to thank Brownback for his work regarding Iran, namely condemning the anti-Semitic comments of their new president and legislation to encourage peaceful democratic reform inside Iran. Since I fully admit, which is unusual to do on a blog, that I work for Brownback, I will forgo the very easy flames about lack of flag knowledge or googling skills, but that is one of the flags of Iran. I don't blame you too much, as it's grainy and seen through glass from a distance.

The painter explained all the symbolism of the angels, but I don't recall exactly what it was. It was something along the lines of angels (of which Islam and Christianity both recognize) coming together to guard over the U.S. and a free Iran. I don't think the wings are black, but never analyzed the painting. I never saw the Van Halen angle before, but so true.

And the office that was photographed is not the senator's office. It houses our staff, but folks who work for a committee as opposed to the personal office. They now know to be mindful of the windows...thanks for that.

That gentleman at the desk did not and will not get fired. He is a graduate student intern that just started today. He probably doesn't even know he is now immortalized in the blog-o-sphere all on his first day. The painting is sitting on that desk because it was unoccupied as of yesterday--a decent place to stash it.

I will forgo addressing the political opinions expressed, because that is your right and this is your blog (even though you are dead wrong about a very good man). I'll just leave you with the factual play-by-play and head back to RedState.

Come to Kansas! It's a great place to visit.

by RedandBlueMakesPurple 2006-01-10 04:16PM | 0 recs

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Humility and a nice place to visit?

All things I associate with a man and place that consider some of my friends and myself to be second-class citizens and actively work against my civil rights. He can believe what he wants to believe religiously, but I will never call a senator sworn to uphold the consitution working to enshrine discrimination into it as a decent man.

by PHDinNYC4Kerry 2006-01-10 05:33PM | 0 recs

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Re: the real deal

Hey man, I appreciate you coming to MyDD to discuss the painting. I am actually amazed that you guys found out we posted on this so quickly.

Your comment will be noted and kept on file.

by Chris Bowers 2006-01-10 05:52PM | 0 recs

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Re: the real deal

Just for the record, I think it needs to be pointed out that -- contrary to the comments of both Sen. Brownback's staff member and the other gentleman -- the post never actually said that the painting was hanging in the office of the senator himself. What the post said was "he also has Stalin-esque wall-size paintings of himself" without specifying where in the artwork was hanging.

by darrelplant 2006-01-10 06:48PM | 0 recs

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Re: the real deal

For clarity, I was responding to Matt's comment, "Brownback hung this in his office."

I definitely see how it can be seen out of context as creepy/funny/weird; which is why the rare "official response" on the blog seemed appropriate.

And I am the only person affiliated with Brownback's office that is posting here. As you can imagine, we keep a nice professional hold on who can speak for the office.

by RedandBlueMakesPurple 2006-01-11 03:29AM | 0 recs

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Re: the real deal

Not to spike the atmosphere of restraint here.... But Iran has never had a flag that was red white and blue. The general color scheme has been the same since 1906.

Not quite calling bullshit but I'm pretty close.

by Windowdog 2006-01-11 04:18AM | 0 recs

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Re: the real deal

Ahh, my mistake. Missed the flag in the foreground due to a crappy monitor. Nice when you catch those things three seconds after posting.

by Windowdog 2006-01-11 04:19AM | 0 recs

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Re: the real deal

Thanks Chris. The welcome and fairness is both unexpected and appreciated. If you are in the Hart Building today for the Alito hearings and want to say hello, stop by 303 and ask for the press shop. Tell the front office that you are with MyDD.

I'll be happy to show you the painting and give you more details if we can agree to leave some of it off the blog for the sake of the artist.

by RedandBlueMakesPurple 2006-01-11 03:32AM | 0 recs

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Re: the real deal

I'm a constituent of Senator Brownback's, and I'd like to ask him to vote against the confirmation of Judge Alito.

Judge Alito is advancing an anti-family agenda. He ruled to limit the Family and Medical Leave Act in Chittister v Dept of Commerce and Education. We need the protections afforded to us by the FMLA in order to care for our children.

Judge Alito ruled against Overtime protections in Reich v Gateway Press. Parents need Overtime protections in order to spend time with our children and raise them as well as we can.

Please protect American families. Oppose the confirmation of Judge Alito.

Shawnee Mission KS

by OverlandParkResident 2006-01-11 09:29AM | 0 recs

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Re: the real deal

Hey Red,

I also appreciate your time coming to address the diary. I hope you get treated with all due respect here. I did not believe it was a painting commissioned by the Senator, but you can't blame us for revelling in Chris's humor.

Would you please ask the Senator if the painting is available for sale? If he is just going to store it in a back office, he may be willing to part with it. I am very interested in aquiring weird art, and have a beautiful spot in my living room which would make a great display area. My opening bid is US$ 2,000, and I may be willing to negotiate.

My regards to all the good people in Kansas, and I will await your reply.

by Winston Smith 2006-01-10 06:50PM | 0 recs

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Re: the real deal

If the Senator signs it, I will go up to $3,000.

by Winston Smith 2006-01-10 07:32PM | 0 recs

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Re: the real deal

Thanks for the welcome Winston.

Sorry to say, we can't sell the painting or anything else. There is no capacity for a constitutional officer or their office to sell anything. The only capacity to receive money is a contribution. And if you did that, you'd be on file as a Brownback contributor at the FEC (;

Even if you did contribute, we cannot give you anything for that contribution that is not given to a broader audience and within campaign finance limits (like a lapel pin, or a bumper sticker). No quid pro quos--very much against many rules and laws.

In fact, I can't even talk to you about contributions on federal time, from a federal PC, from a federal office or at all unless I am a political designee (beyond explaining the rules).

It's rigorous and difficult, especially for something seemingly simple, like buying some art, but them's the rules and they serve a good purpose.

And we can't even take it home ourselves, and although I am less sure, I don't think the senator can take it home. It is now property of this office (not the office holder) and has to be given to the Senate archives.

Sorry man. I see the appeal.

by RedandBlueMakesPurple 2006-01-11 03:20AM | 0 recs

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Re: the real deal

Regards from Kansas.
Things may be starting to improve around here.

Democratic Governor Sebelius has a 62% approval rating. A Republican District Attorney switched over to the Democratic Party in order to run against right-wing State Attorney General Phill Kline.

The School Board members who voted to mandate the teaching of Intelligent Design are facing strong challengers in the Primary AND General elections. We expect to get rid of them this fall. We'll just have to live through the next few months.

by OverlandParkResident 2006-01-11 02:25PM | 0 recs

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Re: the real deal

I, for one, appreciate the explanation. Interesting story.

by Steve M 2006-01-11 05:58AM | 0 recs

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Re: the real deal

Huh...

I imagine your office is slightly bemused and more than a little put off by the ambush...

Next time you hear MoveOn.org attacked for a video one of their contest entrants uploaded to their open and public webserver (kinda like the open and public windows), perhaps you'll remember this situation.

In fact, maybe, now that the Senator knows first hand how simple circumstances beyond his control can be unfairly used as ammunition by political opponents... well, maybe the Senator could tell Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Blenn Beck and the rest of the right wing propaganda catapulters to cut it out.

Just saying...

by Mike Stark 2006-01-11 07:58AM | 0 recs

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Re: the real deal

Before anyone starts painting canvases with "RED + BLUE = PURPLE" Understand that the "COLOR YELLOW" must be added to the mix. That will turn out some mush, akin to "GREEN", which is much closer to the color that drives sen brownbuck!

To place his face before the U.S. Flag, for which he has risked absolutely nothing, is an insult to all the veterans he has so steadfastly attacked the pensions and benefits of. But then, in an administration led by a coward, who can expect any other behavior?

Remember that brownbuck represents Kansas, where the state motto is now:

"KANSAS, STOP THINKING and START PRAYING"!!!

by WSS2 2006-01-11 01:00PM | 0 recs

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Visiting DC Office buildings

To add a bit more perspective to this - visiting those office bldgs is an interesting exercise in oddities like that, esp the bldgs with windows. The thing that stuck out to me every time I had to go there (on errands when I worked for the evil empire) was how many interns were crammed in to every single small corner, so I'm not surprised to hear that an intern was put by that, um, interesting painting.

Also, those offices are crammed full of stuff that people have given them. It would drive me crazy, personally.

by twomblyk 2006-01-11 05:42PM | 0 recs