A big $&#(*$&#(*$&# deal

And there it is...your Health Care Reform Act of 2010.

Republicans are certainly doing a fantastic job of screaming that the sky is falling...while simultaneously flying above dropping bags of shit from a (probably private, chartered) plane. Taxes on people making $250,000 a year!!!! Insurance Companies can't cancel plans on actual sick people!!! Increased competition in the insurance industry!! Oh, the humanity!!!!

I've been on record that I'm not a big fan of the Senate Bill. Some of the House changes, including the removal of the "Nebraska waiver," are improvements. Primarily, my beef is that the bill doesn't go far enough. We couldn't have a truly public health care option, we were told, because Republicans and Conservative Democrats would block it. Well, surprise, surprise, Republicans and Conservative Democrats didn't vote for the watered down version, either.

The bottom line here is something needed to be done. Small businesses were dropping health care insurance as a benefit all over the nation as prices skyrocketed. The ranks of the uninsured are increasing, not decreasing, daily.

How about those Republicans though! How proud they should be. Sen. McCan't of Arizona and his crews latest vow to say no to everything from the administration from now on notwithstanding, I didn't see a single option presented by the other half of the aisle that would have done anything other than continue the Bush tax cuts that got us partially into this mess. People have a short memory, but the entire economic system of the nation collapsed under the previous, and REPUBLICAN, administration. Why? LACK of government oversight. And now, of course, the McCan'ts are spouting their same old less government nonsense about this bill. Why? Because it's an easy message. It's cheap. The slack jawed yokels who throw racial epithets at Congressmen and call them "baby killers" for trying to provide health care coverage to the uninsured can understand hate speech far easier than a package of insurance reforms.

As I said, I'm not sure this bill has what it takes to truly take care of the issue. But certainly, it has provisions that are a step in the right direction. Also certainly, the cost of doing nothing was greater than the cost of trying something. The Pres. stood on his principles in this regardless of dropping public opinion and for that he should be commended. It is, after all, much easier to espouse hate than it is hope.

Wow, what do you know.

An ad quotes McCain campaign manager Rick Davis: "McCain won the debate — hands down."

Hmm, interesting, since I'm posting this at 3:07 on Friday and the debate HASN'T HAPPENED YET. Idiots.

Finally, A Vice President Who is Against Witches

One would have to laugh...until you stop to think that the person receiving the blessing has a good chance of being next in line for leadership of the free world; and that the person asking Jesus for campaign contributions for Sarah is well known for, well, hunting witches in Kenya.

From Bishop Thomas Muthee's Wikipedia entry:

"Muthee ... came to believe that a witch known as "Mama Jane" was the cause of crime and spiritual oppression in the area.Muthee alleged that "top government and business leaders were afraid to do anything without her approval," that at least one person per month would die in a car accident in front of her "divination house" (otherwise known as Emmanuel Clinic), and that she harassed his congregation. According to Muthee, soon after his followers began to pray that God would either save or oust Mama Jane,three young people died in another apparent accident in front of Mama Jane's clinic. The angry townsfolk wanted to stone her in retaliation, and when the police entered Mama Jane's home to intervene, they were apparently startled by what they believed to be a demon and shot her pet python to death. Mama Jane was then questioned by police, after which she left town.Since then, Muthee has frequently referred to his witch-hunt as an example of successful spiritual warfare."

Put him on a milk carton...

Roger Simon writes today:

"Where’s George? The president, I mean. You remember him. Dubya. No. 43. Won a second term a few years ago. It was in all the papers. But where has he been lately? Where has he been during America’s worst financial crisis since the Great Depression? Nowhere. AWOL. Every now and then, when the stock market takes yet another sickening plunge, a few words issue forth from the presidential lips. A very few words. Delivered with the greatest reluctance. “I will continue to closely monitor the situation in our financial markets and consult with my economic advisers,” President Bush said Thursday in a two-minute address from the Rose Garden. That’s right, two minutes. Delivered, according to the official White House transcript, from 10:15 a.m. EDT to 10:17 a.m. EDT. Maybe you missed it. Maybe you were at work.

Maybe the president doesn’t care.

Maybe that’s the problem."

Read the rest here.

The Republican Guide to Stealing Elections

Chapter 1

Artificially lower turnout by disenfranchising and/or confusing otherwise legal voters. Particularly in battleground states, such as, say Michigan.

An Open Letter to Sen. John McCain

Dear Senator:

My five readers will tell you that you've been taking some shots on my site. For lack of a better term here's the "straight talk" about why. Sure, I'm a Democrat. I won't be disingenuous about my political viewpoint. After eight years of the "current occupant" it would take an asteroid to hit me in the head in order for me to pull a Republican lever this Fall. Nevertheless, Sen. McCain, there was a time when I thought if there was someone on the Right that I might have been willing to cross over for, it was you.

Remember those days? In 2000, when the picture above was taken, and you were giving George Bush fits because he was unqualified for the highest office in the land? (You were right about that one, Sir.) Remember when you still had your honor? When you could take a stand on meaningful issues and, even though maybe your position was different than mine, I would still listen--because you appeared to be a decent public servant of the kind sadly lacking in my lifetime.

Then came the South Carolina Primary. It's well documented how the Bush hatchet team had automated calls going out distorting your record...telling voters, in one example, that you voted against "breast cancer research" when you actually voted against a bill that contained a small amount of funding for research, and billions in unnecessary spending (or earmarks, as we've grown to know and love them). That's just one example of how you were a victim of dirty campaign tricks in the year 2000. Sure, I most likely would have still voted for Gore that year, but I have to feel that the last eight years may have been a little better if you had won the nomination of your party then, instead of now.

Eight years later. For some time you were still running a decent campaign and although thanks to George, Jr. I wasn't going to vote for a Republican, you still had my respect. Emphasis, had.

First, you stood behind a banner trumpeting "Country First" while proceeding to announce arguably the most important decision of your campaign. And you told us that you had caved to the far right wing of your Party, passed up on Fmr. Gov. Ridge (a well qualified candidate), and nominated to the second highest office in the land a person of achievement, but with little of the experience you told us for months that you value so highly. Your VP pick makes Dan Quayle seem overly qualified for the position, Senator. It disappointed me.

Worse, once you got a little momentum going after your Convention, you "approved" a few messages. Your campaign launched a series of ads well documented to be distortions of the record, misleading to the public, and, frankly, just out and out lies. Senator, you went on The View...The View for the love of God, and got your ass handed to you by the queen of softball questions, Barbara Walters. Barbara Freaking Walters, Senator!! You stood before America on the night you accepted the nomination and said you would reach across the aisle--and then you immediately launched the same partisan, destructive Bush/Rove tactics used against you in 2000. In the words of Elliott Ness (as potrayed by Kevin Costner, lol) You have become that which you condemned.

Senator, you have an admirable record of a life spent serving this Country. Before the events of the last few weeks you did not have my vote, but you had my respect. Now, Sir, you have neither. You may win this election yet, but if you do, it certainly won't be because you put "Country First."

Hmmm...wasn't a what or a what for a short period of time??

Everybody Lies Part II

Way to take on those fat cats, Senator..

From The Nation:

"A photo of populist war hero presidential candidate John McCain lumbering his way onto Raffaello Follieri's yacht in Montenegro! And on the day after Follieri pleads guilty to multimillion-dollar fraud! How highly enjoyable. It was already known that McCain spent his 70th birthday, in 2006, aboard the yacht with Follieri and glamorous actress Anne Hathaway. But this is the first photo of the meeting, which drives home the unmissable point: John McCain spends his birthday on foreign yachts with criminals and Hollywood types"

Nice...show those fat cats what's up, Senator...use up their yacht fuel, drink their wine, and eat their caviar. That'll teach em.

Hey voters, Don't Forget About This Guy...

From CNN.COM:

Foot tapping protected by First Amendment, Craig's lawyer says
Craig's attorney said foot tapping may be protected by the First Amendment.
ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) – In an effort to persuade a three-judge panel to throw out Sen. Larry Craig's guilty plea, his attorney suggested Wednesday that his foot tapping in an airport men's room may have been protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

______________

Wow. Larry, it's okay. You're gay. I don't care. Stop hiding who you are. Fly...be free. Also, let's not make it harder for people with real free speech claims by using this bogus defense to your scouting out dudes in the MN airport restroom. Here's a thought...in this election year, why don't you and Mark Foley and Ted Stevens (you know, the guy from Alaska under indictment, that one woman's pal, what is her name again...) get together and go on a Republican values tour of the States. Show us godforsaken liberals how the good folks live.