It'd be a lot funnier if I didn't think so many people across the country actually, un-ironically, believe this.
From Tim Dickinson at Rolling Stone:
What I Learned On My Summer Vacation
Barack Hussein Obama, natural born Kenyan socialist, usurper of the American presidency and “Trojan Horse of Islam,” possessed of a “deep seated hatred of white people” and with the aid of his media “brownshirts,” is embarking on a Nazi-styled eugenics campaign to grant “death panels” the authority to “pull the plug on grandma” and “redistribute the wealth” otherwise required to sustain her “unproductive” life as “reparations”. Failure to halt his “government takeover” — with assault rifles if necessary — will lead inexorably to future generations having to “wait in line for, I dunno, toilet paper.”
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Healthcare Reform Bill
This is one source (CNN) reporting on the bill, and of course it's still due for a lot of mark-up. But what I see here, just glancing over, gives me hope that we might actually get some kind of meaningful reform.
"According to the CBO, the bill would cover 97 percent of Americans by 2015."
That's notable. Getting the majority of Americans coverage, even if it's shitty coverage, at least moves us from "third world country" in terms of our healthcare to "poorly-run first world country."
"The bill includes tax surcharges on Americans in the top 1.2 percent of income. It proposes a 5.4 percent surtax on couples earning more than $1 million, a 1.5 percent surtax on couples with income between $500,000 and $1 million, and a 1 percent surtax on joint incomes over $350,000 or individual income over $280,000."
I can't be elitist if I think anyone making over $280,000 can spare some taxes, right? Isn't that reverse elitist or something? At any rate, I make less than $100,000 a year - considerably less - so this doesn't affect me, and maybe I'm just anti-capitalist, but it seems to me that if you're making over $1 million dollars a year, you've got money you can spare to make sure your fellow Americans have basic health coverage.
Does that make me a socialist? It does, doesn't it? Damn it!
Oh, and I'm one of those small business owners unaffected by this. I am apparently a "micro business."
" -- A Health Insurance Exchange providing individuals and small business with choices for coverage, including a government-funded public option."
Holy shit, are we actually going to get a public option?
"-- No more coverage exclusion for pre-existing conditions."
Any word on legal penalties for insurance companies that dump folks who have medical issues, like cancer?
"-- Affordability credits for low- and moderate-income individuals and families, available to those with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or $43,000 for individuals and $88,000 for a family of four."
This all sounds in the right wheelhouse. Maybe even more generous than I'd expect. It'll probably be cut down.
"-- Limits on annual out-of-pocket spending."
Hallelujah. Less bankruptcies due to medical costs will have a huge positive effect on the economy.
"-- Expanded Medicaid coverage to individuals and families with incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level."
Again, sounds pretty fair.
"-- Required participation by individuals, with a penalty of 2.5 percent of adjusted gross income for non-compliance."
I have to admit, I was against any kind of mandate to get health coverage, but I understand the philosophy behind it (requiring preventative care increases the effectiveness of medical care and makes it cheaper for everyone).
"-- Requirement that businesses with payrolls exceeding $250,000 provide their employees with health coverage or contribute up to 8 percent of their payroll on their behalf."
My payroll is small enough that this doesn't affect me... but I already offer health coverage for my employees, because it seems like the right thing to do.
"-- A series of measures intended to reduce costs of Medicaid, Medicare and other existing systems."
All good.
This sounds so much better than I thought it would a few weeks ago. I'm still skeptical, and worried about conservative Democrats blocking things (the Republicans seem too mired in making themselves look like asses at the Sotomayor hearings and having sex outside of marriage to be much of a threat at this point), but this looks much, much better than I thought it would.
"According to the CBO, the bill would cover 97 percent of Americans by 2015."
That's notable. Getting the majority of Americans coverage, even if it's shitty coverage, at least moves us from "third world country" in terms of our healthcare to "poorly-run first world country."
"The bill includes tax surcharges on Americans in the top 1.2 percent of income. It proposes a 5.4 percent surtax on couples earning more than $1 million, a 1.5 percent surtax on couples with income between $500,000 and $1 million, and a 1 percent surtax on joint incomes over $350,000 or individual income over $280,000."
I can't be elitist if I think anyone making over $280,000 can spare some taxes, right? Isn't that reverse elitist or something? At any rate, I make less than $100,000 a year - considerably less - so this doesn't affect me, and maybe I'm just anti-capitalist, but it seems to me that if you're making over $1 million dollars a year, you've got money you can spare to make sure your fellow Americans have basic health coverage.
Does that make me a socialist? It does, doesn't it? Damn it!
Oh, and I'm one of those small business owners unaffected by this. I am apparently a "micro business."
" -- A Health Insurance Exchange providing individuals and small business with choices for coverage, including a government-funded public option."
Holy shit, are we actually going to get a public option?
"-- No more coverage exclusion for pre-existing conditions."
Any word on legal penalties for insurance companies that dump folks who have medical issues, like cancer?
"-- Affordability credits for low- and moderate-income individuals and families, available to those with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or $43,000 for individuals and $88,000 for a family of four."
This all sounds in the right wheelhouse. Maybe even more generous than I'd expect. It'll probably be cut down.
"-- Limits on annual out-of-pocket spending."
Hallelujah. Less bankruptcies due to medical costs will have a huge positive effect on the economy.
"-- Expanded Medicaid coverage to individuals and families with incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level."
Again, sounds pretty fair.
"-- Required participation by individuals, with a penalty of 2.5 percent of adjusted gross income for non-compliance."
I have to admit, I was against any kind of mandate to get health coverage, but I understand the philosophy behind it (requiring preventative care increases the effectiveness of medical care and makes it cheaper for everyone).
"-- Requirement that businesses with payrolls exceeding $250,000 provide their employees with health coverage or contribute up to 8 percent of their payroll on their behalf."
My payroll is small enough that this doesn't affect me... but I already offer health coverage for my employees, because it seems like the right thing to do.
"-- A series of measures intended to reduce costs of Medicaid, Medicare and other existing systems."
All good.
This sounds so much better than I thought it would a few weeks ago. I'm still skeptical, and worried about conservative Democrats blocking things (the Republicans seem too mired in making themselves look like asses at the Sotomayor hearings and having sex outside of marriage to be much of a threat at this point), but this looks much, much better than I thought it would.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Us vs. Them
I know I get caught up in the "Democrats over Republicans" things more often than not, but I am aware that in many ways, the problem is that both of our political parties are so huge and so corrupt that they've lost any touch with the notion of helping people instead of lining their own pockets.
It's always good to have a reminder that the real "us" in "us vs. them" is the everyday person trying to work their job and provide for their family while rich, entitled assholes game the system. That's the "them." Unfortunately, while there are a lot more of "us" than there are of "them," they've got all the money, power and guns and there's pretty much no way "we" are ever going to beat "them" at a game that they've got so thoroughly rigged in their favor.
Depressing, but there it is. Matt Taibbi's Rolling Stone piece on Goldman Sachs and their ties to the Clinton administration, the Bush administration and the Obama administration lays that out pretty clearly.
It's always good to have a reminder that the real "us" in "us vs. them" is the everyday person trying to work their job and provide for their family while rich, entitled assholes game the system. That's the "them." Unfortunately, while there are a lot more of "us" than there are of "them," they've got all the money, power and guns and there's pretty much no way "we" are ever going to beat "them" at a game that they've got so thoroughly rigged in their favor.
Depressing, but there it is. Matt Taibbi's Rolling Stone piece on Goldman Sachs and their ties to the Clinton administration, the Bush administration and the Obama administration lays that out pretty clearly.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Obama's Weekly Address
Gotta admit, we're more than a month in, and I still love that Obama is our President.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
It's Still Weird...
I'm still trying to get used to seeing the President speak and not cringing. Even more, I'm still trying to get used to feeling not embarrassed or terrified, but inspired and hopeful.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
What The Inauguration Means To Me
Talking Points Memo has asked folks to email them their thoughts on the inauguration and what it means to them. But rather than do that, I figured, "Hey, I have a blog! Why don't I write stuff there?"
I like to think myself a cynic, but compared to some of my friends (Hi, Nate!) I'm a starry-eyed optimist. And the truth is, Barack Obama really gets to that optimistic side of me. I teared up watching U2 singing at an over-produced concert in Washington, D.C., being broadcast on HBO.
And here's the thing: It's not what the inauguration means to me, really. It's what I think it means for my kids. For six years, ever since we knew Katy was coming, I've been watching as the world got worse and worse. As the Bush Administration made America less and less a country I wanted to be a part of, much less bequeath to my child in the future. It seemed like the American dream of leaving a country where my child could do better than I had was not going to be possible. Worse, it seemed like even a modified, scaled-down version of the dream, leaving America as good as it was when I was growing up, wasn't going to be possible.
Sunday night, as Katy was watching part of the pre-Inaugural celebration with me, and Martin Luther King III came out, she told me about Martin Luther King Jr., who they had been learning about in school. I got the five-year-old version of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. And Katy gets it, better than I did at her age... they described it in kid terms, but she knows that he "fought with words, not fists" and she knows that Rosa Parks "got arrested because she wouldn't give up her seat to a white man," but as a five-year-old, the significance of these things doesn't quite sink in. But perhaps more importantly, when we talked about judging people based on who they are, not the color of their skin? She honestly had trouble comprehending what I was talking about. My kid's pretty smart, but this whole notion of judging someone based on their skin color? She doesn't get it. Racism is a completely foreign concept to her.
Now I know part of that is a childish innocence, but I also know that because of the powerful message that Barack Obama's inauguration sends out, that more and more kids are going to see that the racists are the minority. They're the crazy ones.
And that's what Barack Obama's inauguration means to me. When I was in the minority who didn't want George W. Bush as President in 2000, and even worse, in 2004, I started to feel like my country had gone completely insane. Suddenly the majority were the crazy ones. (In the spirit of unity that Obama is trying to encourage, I apologize for any offense this gives my Republican readers (Hi, Chris!), but in the spirit of honesty, voting for Bush in 2004, especially in hindsight, has got to be categorized at the least as foolish act, right?) But now, though there are plenty of crazies out there trying to recruit for their white supremacist movements, trying to enforce their religious beliefs on the whole world or just trying to make a buck by playing to our own worst natures, the majority is on the side of hope. The large majority has a favorable opinion of our new President, most have realistic expectations about what he can accomplish but also hope that he can accomplish unrealistic goals.
And for every annoyance, both minor (emailer tech issues) and major (Diamond deciding to try and strangle the indie comics market), that has occurred in the last few days, I can't help but find a smile on my face. Because for the first time in eight years, it feels like sanity, intelligence and hope has won out over insanity, ignorance and self-interest.
I like to think myself a cynic, but compared to some of my friends (Hi, Nate!) I'm a starry-eyed optimist. And the truth is, Barack Obama really gets to that optimistic side of me. I teared up watching U2 singing at an over-produced concert in Washington, D.C., being broadcast on HBO.
And here's the thing: It's not what the inauguration means to me, really. It's what I think it means for my kids. For six years, ever since we knew Katy was coming, I've been watching as the world got worse and worse. As the Bush Administration made America less and less a country I wanted to be a part of, much less bequeath to my child in the future. It seemed like the American dream of leaving a country where my child could do better than I had was not going to be possible. Worse, it seemed like even a modified, scaled-down version of the dream, leaving America as good as it was when I was growing up, wasn't going to be possible.
Sunday night, as Katy was watching part of the pre-Inaugural celebration with me, and Martin Luther King III came out, she told me about Martin Luther King Jr., who they had been learning about in school. I got the five-year-old version of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. And Katy gets it, better than I did at her age... they described it in kid terms, but she knows that he "fought with words, not fists" and she knows that Rosa Parks "got arrested because she wouldn't give up her seat to a white man," but as a five-year-old, the significance of these things doesn't quite sink in. But perhaps more importantly, when we talked about judging people based on who they are, not the color of their skin? She honestly had trouble comprehending what I was talking about. My kid's pretty smart, but this whole notion of judging someone based on their skin color? She doesn't get it. Racism is a completely foreign concept to her.
Now I know part of that is a childish innocence, but I also know that because of the powerful message that Barack Obama's inauguration sends out, that more and more kids are going to see that the racists are the minority. They're the crazy ones.
And that's what Barack Obama's inauguration means to me. When I was in the minority who didn't want George W. Bush as President in 2000, and even worse, in 2004, I started to feel like my country had gone completely insane. Suddenly the majority were the crazy ones. (In the spirit of unity that Obama is trying to encourage, I apologize for any offense this gives my Republican readers (Hi, Chris!), but in the spirit of honesty, voting for Bush in 2004, especially in hindsight, has got to be categorized at the least as foolish act, right?) But now, though there are plenty of crazies out there trying to recruit for their white supremacist movements, trying to enforce their religious beliefs on the whole world or just trying to make a buck by playing to our own worst natures, the majority is on the side of hope. The large majority has a favorable opinion of our new President, most have realistic expectations about what he can accomplish but also hope that he can accomplish unrealistic goals.
And for every annoyance, both minor (emailer tech issues) and major (Diamond deciding to try and strangle the indie comics market), that has occurred in the last few days, I can't help but find a smile on my face. Because for the first time in eight years, it feels like sanity, intelligence and hope has won out over insanity, ignorance and self-interest.
Monday, January 19, 2009
So...
Does anyone else feel like throwing a *huuuuge* goddamn party on Tuesday? Like fireworks and music and people drunkenly shouting "I love you, man!" at everyone in sight?
Is it just me?
Seriously, inauguration fever and optimism is so prevalent in me right now that there's only a tiny amount of bitter hatred wishing 24-7 that Dick Cheney will keel over dead, and only a tiny bit of joyous spite in remembering that Bush is gone, gone, gone.
Edit: Nope. Not just me.
Is it just me?
Seriously, inauguration fever and optimism is so prevalent in me right now that there's only a tiny amount of bitter hatred wishing 24-7 that Dick Cheney will keel over dead, and only a tiny bit of joyous spite in remembering that Bush is gone, gone, gone.
Edit: Nope. Not just me.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Shrieking, Mocking Triumphant Laughter
Imagine Bill Hicks at his most manic, gleeful, "fuck you" laughter.
Some of you may recall me working myself into a bit of a froth over Bush's veto of the expansion of SCHIP, the child healthcare plan.
As annoying as that was, it also means I take special glee in this, from CNN:
House passes expansion of children's health program
See, Bush is on his way out, so he can't wave his magic veto wand at the bill again. Hell, he's so impotent at this point, he can't even fill up a press conference.
No, the bill that he (and other Republicans, including John McCain) shot down, the bill that provides expanded health care for American children? It's headed to President Obama's desk.
FOR HIM TO SIGN.
I hope it's the first in a long line of "Fuck Yous" that the Democrats have planned for Bush and his administration. Certainly the "Tomnibus" bill was a similar thing of beauty, as Harry Reid shows signs of a spine and cleverness that I was beginning to think the Democrats lacked, even when they're the majority party.
Some of you may recall me working myself into a bit of a froth over Bush's veto of the expansion of SCHIP, the child healthcare plan.
As annoying as that was, it also means I take special glee in this, from CNN:
House passes expansion of children's health program
See, Bush is on his way out, so he can't wave his magic veto wand at the bill again. Hell, he's so impotent at this point, he can't even fill up a press conference.
No, the bill that he (and other Republicans, including John McCain) shot down, the bill that provides expanded health care for American children? It's headed to President Obama's desk.
FOR HIM TO SIGN.
I hope it's the first in a long line of "Fuck Yous" that the Democrats have planned for Bush and his administration. Certainly the "Tomnibus" bill was a similar thing of beauty, as Harry Reid shows signs of a spine and cleverness that I was beginning to think the Democrats lacked, even when they're the majority party.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
24: It's Back And...
I'm bored. I gave up on 24 before the end of last season. At least, I think I did, as I have only vague memories of it, but I may have watched through to the end. Who knows... it was all so long ago, and had long past the point of stupid.
Understand, I loved 24 at the outset. I was willing to roll with the ridiculous amnesiac plot in the first season, I have a certain fondness for the Kim/Cougar second season bit (if only for the running gags, and for Johnny Drama as survivalist nut who's hard up for a date) and I thought the show picked up again in its fourth and/or fourth season (like I said, they all kind of blend together for me at this point). I didn't even mind the obvious right-wing wet dream that the show represented. Hell, West Wing was a liberal wet dream, so if I don't have any problem with that, I really shouldn't have a problem with 24.
But the new season takes an entertaining, dumb-but-fun action show with right-wing tendencies and turns it into a polemic about how useless the UN is, how right the U.S. is to unilaterally invade a country, how important torture is and how any senator questioning someone about using torture is clearly the bad guy in the room. It also saddles us with the same tropes of moles, overly convoluted sinister plots and various other credibility-straining plot and character developments, which would be OK if they were at least *new* credibility-straining plot and character developments. Worst of all, perhaps, is that after giving Tony Almeida (second best character on the show after Jack) a pointless bitch death in the prior season, they bring him back with a half-assed explanation and use him for either a dumb role (if he's what he appears to be in the first two episodes) or something we've seen plenty before (if in fact he's deep undercover).
I'd say more, but Alan Sepinwall pretty much nails it.
Life's too short, and there's too much good TV (Battlestar Galactica, Burn Notice, new 30 Rock/Office/Chuck) on the way in a few weeks to waste precious hours on this. I'll check back in if I hear it gets better, but I don't expect that to happen.
Understand, I loved 24 at the outset. I was willing to roll with the ridiculous amnesiac plot in the first season, I have a certain fondness for the Kim/Cougar second season bit (if only for the running gags, and for Johnny Drama as survivalist nut who's hard up for a date) and I thought the show picked up again in its fourth and/or fourth season (like I said, they all kind of blend together for me at this point). I didn't even mind the obvious right-wing wet dream that the show represented. Hell, West Wing was a liberal wet dream, so if I don't have any problem with that, I really shouldn't have a problem with 24.
But the new season takes an entertaining, dumb-but-fun action show with right-wing tendencies and turns it into a polemic about how useless the UN is, how right the U.S. is to unilaterally invade a country, how important torture is and how any senator questioning someone about using torture is clearly the bad guy in the room. It also saddles us with the same tropes of moles, overly convoluted sinister plots and various other credibility-straining plot and character developments, which would be OK if they were at least *new* credibility-straining plot and character developments. Worst of all, perhaps, is that after giving Tony Almeida (second best character on the show after Jack) a pointless bitch death in the prior season, they bring him back with a half-assed explanation and use him for either a dumb role (if he's what he appears to be in the first two episodes) or something we've seen plenty before (if in fact he's deep undercover).
I'd say more, but Alan Sepinwall pretty much nails it.
Life's too short, and there's too much good TV (Battlestar Galactica, Burn Notice, new 30 Rock/Office/Chuck) on the way in a few weeks to waste precious hours on this. I'll check back in if I hear it gets better, but I don't expect that to happen.
Monday, December 29, 2008
This Headline
GOP reaction divided over controversial Obama song
Pretty much says everything you need to say about the modern GOP, doesn't it?
To their credit, *most* of them are smart enough to distance themselves from this, but a couple are actually trying to defend it as "political satire."
Oh, and the song originated with Rush Limbaugh. Shocker.
Pretty much says everything you need to say about the modern GOP, doesn't it?
To their credit, *most* of them are smart enough to distance themselves from this, but a couple are actually trying to defend it as "political satire."
Oh, and the song originated with Rush Limbaugh. Shocker.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Rick F*%^#ing Warren?
I'm on record as giving the President-Elect a chance to at least get into office before we start criticizing his policy decisions. But inauguration decisions, those seem like fair game.
And this... well, this makes me as angry as anything Sarah Palin ever said. I've been annoyed at the overly conciliatory tone the Democrats (and Obama) have taken with their foes in the media and the political arena, but I was willing to swallow my own sense of revenge in the name of moving forward in a positive direction.
But you sit a guy who is so vehemently anti-gay, so vehemently anti-choice, so much the embodiment of making yourself rich and famous off of the faith of others, and turning that faith into a weapon against those who disagree with you... well...
It's just a slap in the face. It is, at the very least, a dick move.
I still believe a President Obama is going to be better than a President McCain or *shudder* President Palin... but this is disappointing. Bordering on crushing.
On most days, I can accept that religion is for some people... I have a close friend who leads a congregation, and most of my family is in church of one kind or another. But there are also days when I wish that organized religion would completely vanish from the planet, never to be seen again. This has become one of those days.
And this... well, this makes me as angry as anything Sarah Palin ever said. I've been annoyed at the overly conciliatory tone the Democrats (and Obama) have taken with their foes in the media and the political arena, but I was willing to swallow my own sense of revenge in the name of moving forward in a positive direction.
But you sit a guy who is so vehemently anti-gay, so vehemently anti-choice, so much the embodiment of making yourself rich and famous off of the faith of others, and turning that faith into a weapon against those who disagree with you... well...
It's just a slap in the face. It is, at the very least, a dick move.
I still believe a President Obama is going to be better than a President McCain or *shudder* President Palin... but this is disappointing. Bordering on crushing.
On most days, I can accept that religion is for some people... I have a close friend who leads a congregation, and most of my family is in church of one kind or another. But there are also days when I wish that organized religion would completely vanish from the planet, never to be seen again. This has become one of those days.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Why I Hate Congress (Even The Democratic One)
Barney Frank offers up this little nugget for President-Elect Obama. You know, the guy who has been putting together his administration faster and more effectively than we've seen in decades? The guy who has put together a pretty amazing cabinet thus far, who is getting kudos from a majority of the public in polls pretty much whenever he announces something?
"He's going to have to be more assertive than he's been," House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., told consumer advocates Thursday.
"At a time of great crisis with mortgage foreclosures and autos, he says we only have one president at a time," Frank said. "I'm afraid that overstates the number of presidents we have. He's got to remedy that situation."
Well, that's very glib, Congressman. But hey, isn't asking the guy not yet in power, who is trying to observe the Constitution, to "get more assertive" a bit hypocritical when you and your idiot cronies are the ones who gave Paulson a blank check to further fuck up the economy?
The speed with which the liberal blogosphere and the Democrats in Congress have turned on their new party leader, *before he's even in office*, is astounding. Are we *so* determined to put the Republicans back in office that we're going to undermine our leader a full month and a half before he's even sworn in? Even when pretty much every indicator is that he's on a pretty solid path?
Look, I get a little cautious needling and questioning around the edges. But there seems to be this huge panic that Obama isn't doing whatever they want him to do right this minute, even if he's *legally prevented from doing so.* I'm not a "My President, right or wrong" kind of guy. If Obama turns out not to be able to do this, then hey, yeah, call him on the carpet.
But at least let the guy get to standing up before you try to cut him off at the knees. We elected him to lead, let's see if he can lead, huh?
"He's going to have to be more assertive than he's been," House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., told consumer advocates Thursday.
"At a time of great crisis with mortgage foreclosures and autos, he says we only have one president at a time," Frank said. "I'm afraid that overstates the number of presidents we have. He's got to remedy that situation."
Well, that's very glib, Congressman. But hey, isn't asking the guy not yet in power, who is trying to observe the Constitution, to "get more assertive" a bit hypocritical when you and your idiot cronies are the ones who gave Paulson a blank check to further fuck up the economy?
The speed with which the liberal blogosphere and the Democrats in Congress have turned on their new party leader, *before he's even in office*, is astounding. Are we *so* determined to put the Republicans back in office that we're going to undermine our leader a full month and a half before he's even sworn in? Even when pretty much every indicator is that he's on a pretty solid path?
Look, I get a little cautious needling and questioning around the edges. But there seems to be this huge panic that Obama isn't doing whatever they want him to do right this minute, even if he's *legally prevented from doing so.* I'm not a "My President, right or wrong" kind of guy. If Obama turns out not to be able to do this, then hey, yeah, call him on the carpet.
But at least let the guy get to standing up before you try to cut him off at the knees. We elected him to lead, let's see if he can lead, huh?
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Can Someone Explain the Appeal of Joe Lieberman?
I wish I could say that I'm surprised that the Dems decided to keep Lieberman not only in the caucus, but at the head of the Homeland Security Commission, where he's been complicit in malfeasance in New Orleans, Iraq and elsewhere by not investigating any wrong-doing after Katrina, or by Blackwater, or indeed seemingly anything.
But if history has shown us anything, it's that the Democratic Congress and House of Representatives seems to have little to no balls at all. I mean, the Republicans may be the enemy of almost everything I stand for, but Jesus, at least they have the cojones to stand up and fight for what they believe. All too often, the Democrats have just knuckled under, calling it "compromise" and "bi-partisanship."
So in that spirit, let me just ask: What do we, the Democrats, gain by having Lieberman there? Was it so important to keep him in the caucus that they couldn't risk him getting mad and bolting after pulling his chairmanship? Is he so convincing a figure that his vote actually equals a half-dozen votes or more? Does he always bring the best potato salad to the Democratic/Connecticut for Lieberman two-party barbecues?
The talking points against this have been "We shouldn't be seeking revenge, it goes against the message." But this was never about revenge. Sure, some of us (OK, me) who have always disliked Lieberman's censorship happy, pro-Iraq War, right-leaning version of Democratic policy were incensed by his actions during the Presidential election. But... we won. His smears against Obama didn't work, and he was ultimately as helpful to John McCain winning the White House as he was to Al Gore in 2000.
But I've seen lots of arguments that we *shouldn't* strip him of his chairmanship, that we shouldn't kick him out of the caucus... can anyone tell me why? What exactly does he bring to the table? Is it just a matter of "We're showing that we can be the bigger person?," which is childish and naive political policy? Is "Because Joe might get mad at us?" really enough to make the Dems back down? And if so, just what is it going to take for Senate and House Dems to grow a pair? I don't want a replay of the last 8 years, where the Republicans controlled all three branches of government and still complained about being the minority party. The Dems won. They've got Executive and Legislative Branches all but sewn up. But if they're going to act like the Republicans and their allies (which Lieberman is, let's be honest) are still calling the shots, then what was the point of the election?
But if history has shown us anything, it's that the Democratic Congress and House of Representatives seems to have little to no balls at all. I mean, the Republicans may be the enemy of almost everything I stand for, but Jesus, at least they have the cojones to stand up and fight for what they believe. All too often, the Democrats have just knuckled under, calling it "compromise" and "bi-partisanship."
So in that spirit, let me just ask: What do we, the Democrats, gain by having Lieberman there? Was it so important to keep him in the caucus that they couldn't risk him getting mad and bolting after pulling his chairmanship? Is he so convincing a figure that his vote actually equals a half-dozen votes or more? Does he always bring the best potato salad to the Democratic/Connecticut for Lieberman two-party barbecues?
The talking points against this have been "We shouldn't be seeking revenge, it goes against the message." But this was never about revenge. Sure, some of us (OK, me) who have always disliked Lieberman's censorship happy, pro-Iraq War, right-leaning version of Democratic policy were incensed by his actions during the Presidential election. But... we won. His smears against Obama didn't work, and he was ultimately as helpful to John McCain winning the White House as he was to Al Gore in 2000.
But I've seen lots of arguments that we *shouldn't* strip him of his chairmanship, that we shouldn't kick him out of the caucus... can anyone tell me why? What exactly does he bring to the table? Is it just a matter of "We're showing that we can be the bigger person?," which is childish and naive political policy? Is "Because Joe might get mad at us?" really enough to make the Dems back down? And if so, just what is it going to take for Senate and House Dems to grow a pair? I don't want a replay of the last 8 years, where the Republicans controlled all three branches of government and still complained about being the minority party. The Dems won. They've got Executive and Legislative Branches all but sewn up. But if they're going to act like the Republicans and their allies (which Lieberman is, let's be honest) are still calling the shots, then what was the point of the election?
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
More on Prop 8
Governor Schwarzenegger, despite being a Republican, spoke out against Prop 8 and encouraged the gay community to continue fighting.
This makes me feel so much better about loving Total Recall, Predator and so many other '80s Schwarzenegger movies.
But here's the key thing that jumped out at me:
"Sherrie Derriko, a longtime Saddleback Church member and hair salon owner from Mission Viejo, said she was bothered that protesters had targeted houses of worship. As she drove by, she rolled down her window to offer some advice.
"Read the Bible. God made man and woman, and that's what a marriage is," she called from inside her SUV.
Derriko recounted the incident after attending services. "When we saw them out there, we thought, 'Why are they not over this? Do they think they're going to change anything, or are they just stirring up trouble at our church?'""
Are you f*&^cking kidding me? "Why aren't they over this?" Lady, they didn't get turned down for a loan or not get a job they interviewed for. The majority of the people in the state they live in told them that their lifestyle is illegal. Not just immoral, illegal. Would you give up after a couple of days if religion were banned?
And the complete smugness is so clear in the quote. "She called from inside her SUV." Tells them to "Read the Bible." This is the extent of deep thought the woman has given the issue.
I can imagine she heard some very un-Christian remarks directed at her in response.
This makes me feel so much better about loving Total Recall, Predator and so many other '80s Schwarzenegger movies.
But here's the key thing that jumped out at me:
"Sherrie Derriko, a longtime Saddleback Church member and hair salon owner from Mission Viejo, said she was bothered that protesters had targeted houses of worship. As she drove by, she rolled down her window to offer some advice.
"Read the Bible. God made man and woman, and that's what a marriage is," she called from inside her SUV.
Derriko recounted the incident after attending services. "When we saw them out there, we thought, 'Why are they not over this? Do they think they're going to change anything, or are they just stirring up trouble at our church?'""
Are you f*&^cking kidding me? "Why aren't they over this?" Lady, they didn't get turned down for a loan or not get a job they interviewed for. The majority of the people in the state they live in told them that their lifestyle is illegal. Not just immoral, illegal. Would you give up after a couple of days if religion were banned?
And the complete smugness is so clear in the quote. "She called from inside her SUV." Tells them to "Read the Bible." This is the extent of deep thought the woman has given the issue.
I can imagine she heard some very un-Christian remarks directed at her in response.
Keith Olbermann on Prop 8
I know some don't like Keith Olbermann, folks I respect, like my dad. I know some absolutely despise him, folks I like, like Thom Zahler.
This special comment, offered not with the usual anger (which I love, quite honestly) but with a sincerity and a genuine hurt that maps almost exactly to how I feel about this puzzling, backwards anti-gay marriage, forgive me but there is no other word *bullshit*, is exactly why I like Olbermann.
Like Olbermann, I have no personal stake in this. I don't have any close gay friends that I can think of, just gay acquaintances. No one in my family, at least no one that I know of, is gay. I've never been to a gay wedding, I don't see any invitations in my future. On a personal level, this affects me not at all.
But on a basic human rights level, the notion that we should treat a group of human beings as other, just disgusts me. If you voted yes on Prop 8 or one of its compatriots, if you would vote yes on a ban on gay marriage, then part of you is a bigot, and you need to deal with that part. Really examine why this is so important, really examine how much of a difference there is between laws preventing gay marriage and the laws that, until the late '60s, prevented mixed race couples from marrying. The same arguments were used then, that allowing mixed race marriages would change the definition of marriage, would destroy the institution.
We've managed to simultaneously move the country forward one giant leap and yet stumble backward several important steps. And as happy as many of us are about President Obama, it's hard to celebrate when that election also came with this awful, dehumanizing price for so many.
Friday, November 07, 2008
Blog Update for October 2008
This is the latest monthly update to the right column of the blog, updating my favorite comics and TV for the previous month. The listings are alphabetical, not by rank of how much I liked them in comparison. My criteria for what makes the list is when I read them, not necessarily when they were published. This is basically also my own records of what I read/liked for the inevitable "End of Year" lists I feel like making.
I don't know if it was my investment in politics, a lame month or (more likely) a combination of both, but this was a pretty weak month for single issues. So much so that I was only able to put together a top 19, even including a couple weaker contenders in the mix, and even though it was a five week month. I still had no trouble putting together a Top 5, as there were plenty of great single issues like Criminal, RASL and BPRD, but... not a great month for single issues. DC lost me entirely this month (and the solicits don't look promising for the future), as they had only 2, the now-cancelled all-ages Family Dynamic and the slowly-losing-my-love Fables. No DC Universe at all. Also taking 2 slots? Boom! (with two Warhammer books), Dark Horse (BPRD and Usagi), IDW (GI Joe and Welcome to Hoxford) and Image (Dynamo 5 and Walking Dead). There were two indies (RASL and The Corps), and, dominating my single issue, reading, Marvel, with 7 books (Brubaker's Criminal, Cap and (co-written) Uncanny and the Rosemann-edited group of Marvel Zombies, Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy and Thunderbolts).
Started working on the second Son of Ice & Fire novel this month, and I'm about halfway through... greatly enjoying it. Also played a little Force Unleashed, a little Mass Effect and a lot of RocK Band 2.
October was a weak month for comics, but a decent month for TV, as my Top 10 is finally, once again, a Top 10. Although one is a cheat, as I finished up seasons four and five of The Wire on DVD. I have to say, seasons two and four are my favorite, although both rely on character and plot work from the other three to really have their effect. Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles continues to impress, and now that it's gotten better, of course it's ratings are slipping and the impending move to Friday is worrisome. The Shield also returned from a shaky start to once again become riveting television, and I can't wait to watch the last three episodes. Pushing Daisies is, as always, sweet, fun and strange and, more than likely, doomed. Chuck is fun, and definitely shaking off any problems it had early on to become a lean little comedy-action show. How I Met Your Mother and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, unfortunately, started strong and then got weaker. I'm just barely hanging on to HIMYM at this point (the whole Stella plot was a *huge*, uninteresting waste of time) and, while Sunny continues to amuse from time to time, the first two episodes of the season were so good, and I'm missing that consistency. The Office, meanwhile, has been brilliant (Amy Ryan was *such* an awesome addition, and the Jim/Pam stuff has thus far been fantastic as well) and 30 Rock *finally* returned with a hilarious first episode.
In RSS feeds, I added two political feeds (humor/political site 23/6 and the awesome Margaret and Helen) and one webcomics feed (Action Age Comics!). I read FiveThirtyEight.com (who were the most accurate pollsters of the season, according to the Rachel Maddow show's analysis) throughout the election season, but I'm probably not going to follow them at the moment.
I don't know if it was my investment in politics, a lame month or (more likely) a combination of both, but this was a pretty weak month for single issues. So much so that I was only able to put together a top 19, even including a couple weaker contenders in the mix, and even though it was a five week month. I still had no trouble putting together a Top 5, as there were plenty of great single issues like Criminal, RASL and BPRD, but... not a great month for single issues. DC lost me entirely this month (and the solicits don't look promising for the future), as they had only 2, the now-cancelled all-ages Family Dynamic and the slowly-losing-my-love Fables. No DC Universe at all. Also taking 2 slots? Boom! (with two Warhammer books), Dark Horse (BPRD and Usagi), IDW (GI Joe and Welcome to Hoxford) and Image (Dynamo 5 and Walking Dead). There were two indies (RASL and The Corps), and, dominating my single issue, reading, Marvel, with 7 books (Brubaker's Criminal, Cap and (co-written) Uncanny and the Rosemann-edited group of Marvel Zombies, Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy and Thunderbolts).
Started working on the second Son of Ice & Fire novel this month, and I'm about halfway through... greatly enjoying it. Also played a little Force Unleashed, a little Mass Effect and a lot of RocK Band 2.
October was a weak month for comics, but a decent month for TV, as my Top 10 is finally, once again, a Top 10. Although one is a cheat, as I finished up seasons four and five of The Wire on DVD. I have to say, seasons two and four are my favorite, although both rely on character and plot work from the other three to really have their effect. Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles continues to impress, and now that it's gotten better, of course it's ratings are slipping and the impending move to Friday is worrisome. The Shield also returned from a shaky start to once again become riveting television, and I can't wait to watch the last three episodes. Pushing Daisies is, as always, sweet, fun and strange and, more than likely, doomed. Chuck is fun, and definitely shaking off any problems it had early on to become a lean little comedy-action show. How I Met Your Mother and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, unfortunately, started strong and then got weaker. I'm just barely hanging on to HIMYM at this point (the whole Stella plot was a *huge*, uninteresting waste of time) and, while Sunny continues to amuse from time to time, the first two episodes of the season were so good, and I'm missing that consistency. The Office, meanwhile, has been brilliant (Amy Ryan was *such* an awesome addition, and the Jim/Pam stuff has thus far been fantastic as well) and 30 Rock *finally* returned with a hilarious first episode.
In RSS feeds, I added two political feeds (humor/political site 23/6 and the awesome Margaret and Helen) and one webcomics feed (Action Age Comics!). I read FiveThirtyEight.com (who were the most accurate pollsters of the season, according to the Rachel Maddow show's analysis) throughout the election season, but I'm probably not going to follow them at the moment.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Rahm Emanuel - Chief of Staff?
The New York Times has this piece, with the headline "Capital Asking - Politics As Usual?"
Really? Less than two days after the election, we're already dipping into that well?
But despite the headline and editorial slant of "this looks like a bad idea," it actually gives me a lot of hope for Emanuel. I don't know the guy, although I'll be doing some research in the next couple of days, but here are my takeaways from the piece:
*He swears a lot. It's implied that he loves the "F" word. So we've got that in common.
*Like Obama, he looks like a relatively (49) young, ambitious guy who hasn't been a decades-long fixture in the current political machine, but who nonetheless has become "one to watch" very quickly
*He's willing to go at his own party, which included pissing off Hilary Clinton when he was in the White House. Look, I'm not a Hilary hater, but somebody who ruffles Hilary's feathers is at this point, a plus to me.
*The Republicans hate him for his partisanship. Which, of course, I like. Just because Obama plans to run a bipartisan administration, that doesn't mean there shouldn't be some die-hard Democrats in there. Especially if they're going to have to battle it out with Republican appointments in his cabinet or staff as well. He has some Republican friends, but it's clear that he leans Democrat. That's about where I'd like him to be.
*Joe Scarborough thinks it's a bad idea. For that alone, I'd almost say it's the right way to go. ;)
He may turn it down, for family reasons, which I could totally respect. But if Emanuel does take the job, to me, it looks like a good first pick.
Really? Less than two days after the election, we're already dipping into that well?
But despite the headline and editorial slant of "this looks like a bad idea," it actually gives me a lot of hope for Emanuel. I don't know the guy, although I'll be doing some research in the next couple of days, but here are my takeaways from the piece:
*He swears a lot. It's implied that he loves the "F" word. So we've got that in common.
*Like Obama, he looks like a relatively (49) young, ambitious guy who hasn't been a decades-long fixture in the current political machine, but who nonetheless has become "one to watch" very quickly
*He's willing to go at his own party, which included pissing off Hilary Clinton when he was in the White House. Look, I'm not a Hilary hater, but somebody who ruffles Hilary's feathers is at this point, a plus to me.
*The Republicans hate him for his partisanship. Which, of course, I like. Just because Obama plans to run a bipartisan administration, that doesn't mean there shouldn't be some die-hard Democrats in there. Especially if they're going to have to battle it out with Republican appointments in his cabinet or staff as well. He has some Republican friends, but it's clear that he leans Democrat. That's about where I'd like him to be.
*Joe Scarborough thinks it's a bad idea. For that alone, I'd almost say it's the right way to go. ;)
He may turn it down, for family reasons, which I could totally respect. But if Emanuel does take the job, to me, it looks like a good first pick.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
I Promise I'll Stop With The Gloating... Maybe in 2010
But this is just as sweet and uplifting as it was before the election. Better, actually, because now I know that all my hopes aren't going to get dashed like they were in 2000 and 2004.
Politics: More Thoughts and Linkblogging
You know, I'm a little worried... I thought my political obsession would end when Obama won. But it hasn't. I'm still much more casually interested in comics, TV, movies and videogames than I was about a year ago. Everything I've written about, what my career has become (in the case of comics), has taken a bit of a backseat to politics. This is worrisome, because unlike my place in the small pond of comics, I'm not really in a place to get there with politics. I'm way too old to work my way up to political pundit, and way too atheist to actually get into politics. ;)
I've been spending much of the night catching up on the very early post-mortem reactions from all the blogs I follow, and here are some of the pieces that moved me, in one way or another:
Margaret and Helen:
"I feel good, but I will feel even better when Barbara Walters slaps the crap out of Elisabeth Hasselbeck."
Fivethirtyeight.com: Chicago The Day After:
"We suspect we're not alone. Right now, organizers, full-time volunteers, campaign staff, and everyone else who gave single-minded effort toward November 4 are waking up and saying to themselves and each other, "what do I do with myself?" Their cars are messes, their rooms disaster zones, and they've been cut off from friends and family for God knows how long."
23/6: President Bush's Legacy: President Obama:
"Speaking of Bush, it is clear now, if it wasn't before, what his legacy is going to be: Obama.
Bush will be known for ushering in the Obama era, the way Herbert Hoover was known for ushering in FDR or Pete Best was known for preceding Ringo."
Paul Krugman: The Monster Years:
"What I mean by that is that for the past 14 years America’s political life has been largely dominated by, well, monsters. Monsters like Tom DeLay, who suggested that the shootings at Columbine happened because schools teach students the theory of evolution. Monsters like Karl Rove, who declared that liberals wanted to offer “therapy and understanding” to terrorists. Monsters like Dick Cheney, who saw 9/11 as an opportunity to start torturing people."
Christopher Frizelle at Slog: Majority Rules:
"One got the startling sense last night that we were bigger in number than we realized. It is possible to deeply internalize your family’s fucked up Republican arrogance, to believe on some level that you are outnumbered—as another of my relatives, also a diehard Republican, likes to chirp whenever we talk about politics, “Majority ruuu-ules!”—and one great gift of last night was the realization not only that there are lots of liberals out there (duh) but also that there are enough people out there who like liberals to make this happen (easy to forget). Obama has made liberalism likable again."
Savage Love Letter: Gay Days in Utah:
"I think there are many gay and lesbian citizens who, like me, are enraged by the campaign in support of prop 8. As you know a large chunk of the funding came from the Mormon Church. Instead of just bottling our rage, let’s all get on planes and trains, and in automobiles, and go to Utah. The plan would be for gay and lesbians to visit Utah en masse to make the point that if religious folk are going to encroach on our lives, we will encroach on theirs."
Dan Savage: Black Homophobia:
"I’m not sure what to do with this. I’m thrilled that we’ve just elected our first African-American president. I wept last night. I wept reading the papers this morning. But I can’t help but feeling hurt that the love and support aren’t mutual."
Paul Constant at Slog:
"When Obama gave his speech last night, he looked relieved, yes, and assured, yes, but he also looked tired. And it was the kind of tired you see on the face of someone who’s run five miles and has to go fifteen miles more before he or she sleeps. Intellectually, he realizes the burden of a presidency, and he’s getting ready for it. It’s amazing to watch. Here’s a man who’s giving up the rest of his life for this national service, and, completely understanding what it means, he’s doing it willingly. That’s a kind of heroism."
Talking Points Memo watches The Republican Party begin to eat itself:
"Randy Scheunemann, a senior foreign policy adviser to John McCain, was fired from the Arizona senator's campaign last week for what one aide called "trashing" the campaign staff, three senior McCain advisers tell CNN.
One of the aides tells CNN that campaign manager Rick Davis fired Scheunemann after determining that he had been in direct contact with journalists spreading "disinformation" about campaign aides, including Nicolle Wallace and other officials.
"He was positioning himself with Palin at the expense of John McCain's campaign message," said one of the aides."
Greg Sargent: Obama's Win A Death Knell for 1960s Cultural Politics?
"There's a tidy symmetry in the fact that Obama defeated, in succession, both the Clinton machine and the Rove-Atwater brand of politics that Republicans have honed for so long.
In so doing, Obama defeated not one, but both of the leading practitioners of that 1960s-rooted cultural politics. More to the point, he did this by quite literally running against politics as both those groups practiced it."
Jeff Parker: Congratulations Obama:
"What a night. I’m so ridiculously, unabashedly proud of America right now I can’t tell you. Maybe our motto should be, as would also apply to our stalled entry into World War 2, “We’ll screw up and drop the ball most of the time, but right at the very last minute of the eleventh hour when it’s almost too late- we’ll do the right thing!”"
I've been spending much of the night catching up on the very early post-mortem reactions from all the blogs I follow, and here are some of the pieces that moved me, in one way or another:
Margaret and Helen:
"I feel good, but I will feel even better when Barbara Walters slaps the crap out of Elisabeth Hasselbeck."
Fivethirtyeight.com: Chicago The Day After:
"We suspect we're not alone. Right now, organizers, full-time volunteers, campaign staff, and everyone else who gave single-minded effort toward November 4 are waking up and saying to themselves and each other, "what do I do with myself?" Their cars are messes, their rooms disaster zones, and they've been cut off from friends and family for God knows how long."
23/6: President Bush's Legacy: President Obama:
"Speaking of Bush, it is clear now, if it wasn't before, what his legacy is going to be: Obama.
Bush will be known for ushering in the Obama era, the way Herbert Hoover was known for ushering in FDR or Pete Best was known for preceding Ringo."
Paul Krugman: The Monster Years:
"What I mean by that is that for the past 14 years America’s political life has been largely dominated by, well, monsters. Monsters like Tom DeLay, who suggested that the shootings at Columbine happened because schools teach students the theory of evolution. Monsters like Karl Rove, who declared that liberals wanted to offer “therapy and understanding” to terrorists. Monsters like Dick Cheney, who saw 9/11 as an opportunity to start torturing people."
Christopher Frizelle at Slog: Majority Rules:
"One got the startling sense last night that we were bigger in number than we realized. It is possible to deeply internalize your family’s fucked up Republican arrogance, to believe on some level that you are outnumbered—as another of my relatives, also a diehard Republican, likes to chirp whenever we talk about politics, “Majority ruuu-ules!”—and one great gift of last night was the realization not only that there are lots of liberals out there (duh) but also that there are enough people out there who like liberals to make this happen (easy to forget). Obama has made liberalism likable again."
Savage Love Letter: Gay Days in Utah:
"I think there are many gay and lesbian citizens who, like me, are enraged by the campaign in support of prop 8. As you know a large chunk of the funding came from the Mormon Church. Instead of just bottling our rage, let’s all get on planes and trains, and in automobiles, and go to Utah. The plan would be for gay and lesbians to visit Utah en masse to make the point that if religious folk are going to encroach on our lives, we will encroach on theirs."
Dan Savage: Black Homophobia:
"I’m not sure what to do with this. I’m thrilled that we’ve just elected our first African-American president. I wept last night. I wept reading the papers this morning. But I can’t help but feeling hurt that the love and support aren’t mutual."
Paul Constant at Slog:
"When Obama gave his speech last night, he looked relieved, yes, and assured, yes, but he also looked tired. And it was the kind of tired you see on the face of someone who’s run five miles and has to go fifteen miles more before he or she sleeps. Intellectually, he realizes the burden of a presidency, and he’s getting ready for it. It’s amazing to watch. Here’s a man who’s giving up the rest of his life for this national service, and, completely understanding what it means, he’s doing it willingly. That’s a kind of heroism."
Talking Points Memo watches The Republican Party begin to eat itself:
"Randy Scheunemann, a senior foreign policy adviser to John McCain, was fired from the Arizona senator's campaign last week for what one aide called "trashing" the campaign staff, three senior McCain advisers tell CNN.
One of the aides tells CNN that campaign manager Rick Davis fired Scheunemann after determining that he had been in direct contact with journalists spreading "disinformation" about campaign aides, including Nicolle Wallace and other officials.
"He was positioning himself with Palin at the expense of John McCain's campaign message," said one of the aides."
Greg Sargent: Obama's Win A Death Knell for 1960s Cultural Politics?
"There's a tidy symmetry in the fact that Obama defeated, in succession, both the Clinton machine and the Rove-Atwater brand of politics that Republicans have honed for so long.
In so doing, Obama defeated not one, but both of the leading practitioners of that 1960s-rooted cultural politics. More to the point, he did this by quite literally running against politics as both those groups practiced it."
Jeff Parker: Congratulations Obama:
"What a night. I’m so ridiculously, unabashedly proud of America right now I can’t tell you. Maybe our motto should be, as would also apply to our stalled entry into World War 2, “We’ll screw up and drop the ball most of the time, but right at the very last minute of the eleventh hour when it’s almost too late- we’ll do the right thing!”"
My Less Gracious Obama Victory Post
Awash in the unity mantra of my candidate, happy with an election that actually went for my party, feeling for the first time in eight years like we started digging up instead of deeper to get out of the shithole that over 50% of the country seemed to want us in, last night I offered up a fairly congenial "we're all in this together" post with only the slightest bit of anger in the form of the late, great Bill Hicks.
This is not that post. Chris Hunter, you can probably stop reading now.
We've won a great victory. Those of us who voted for Obama realize it now. Many of you who didn't will hopefully realize that in the next year or two. But as I said on Twitter last night, we've won a battle, not the larger war for our country.
Michelle Bachmann, she of the "let's root out the un-Americans in Congress" McCarthyite opinion, was re-elected.
Ted Stevens, convicted felon, author of the Bridge to Nowhere who famously refused to relocate funds for New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, is looking like he's getting re-elected. (Between that and Palin, is Alaska this year's Florida?)
George W Bush, Dick Cheney and their many cronies both corporate and government, are going to walk away from their thorough, unrepentant fucking of our government, its economy and its military without so much as a slap on the wrist.
Bill O'Reilly is still being paid $10 million to be a douchebag spreading a mixture of hatred and bullshit on the air.
Despite my fervent wishing and hoping, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter continue to draw upon our nation's precious oxygen reserves.
And most noxiously, the Mormon Church funneled obscene amounts of money from their tax-free churches into passing Proposition 8, which *took away* the right of marriage from gays in California. Anti-gay measures passed elsewhere (including Arizona), but in the blue state of California, it stings even more that it passed with such a near margin.
There's still plenty to be pissed about. Do not think we will forget. We may forgive, in order to move towards a unity this country desperately needs, but we will not forget. Unfortunately, while everyone was busy talking about how great this country is for getting past its racist roots and electing a black President, many of the same people who voted for a black President also voted to strip the rights from homosexuals. The hypocrisy of this position seems lost on many. But while yesterday was a huge step in the right direction in terms of living up to our promise of "all men being created equal" we've still got a lot of steps left.
Btw, "men" in the "human" sense, not "male" sense. But clearly the country still has some equality issues with women to deal with as well.
For those who hoped that the election ending would put an end to my political posts, sorry... I've still got plenty to say. More than ever, in fact. We're taking baby steps in the right direction. It's up to us to make sure that in all ways, large and small, we continue on that path.
This is not that post. Chris Hunter, you can probably stop reading now.
We've won a great victory. Those of us who voted for Obama realize it now. Many of you who didn't will hopefully realize that in the next year or two. But as I said on Twitter last night, we've won a battle, not the larger war for our country.
Michelle Bachmann, she of the "let's root out the un-Americans in Congress" McCarthyite opinion, was re-elected.
Ted Stevens, convicted felon, author of the Bridge to Nowhere who famously refused to relocate funds for New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, is looking like he's getting re-elected. (Between that and Palin, is Alaska this year's Florida?)
George W Bush, Dick Cheney and their many cronies both corporate and government, are going to walk away from their thorough, unrepentant fucking of our government, its economy and its military without so much as a slap on the wrist.
Bill O'Reilly is still being paid $10 million to be a douchebag spreading a mixture of hatred and bullshit on the air.
Despite my fervent wishing and hoping, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter continue to draw upon our nation's precious oxygen reserves.
And most noxiously, the Mormon Church funneled obscene amounts of money from their tax-free churches into passing Proposition 8, which *took away* the right of marriage from gays in California. Anti-gay measures passed elsewhere (including Arizona), but in the blue state of California, it stings even more that it passed with such a near margin.
There's still plenty to be pissed about. Do not think we will forget. We may forgive, in order to move towards a unity this country desperately needs, but we will not forget. Unfortunately, while everyone was busy talking about how great this country is for getting past its racist roots and electing a black President, many of the same people who voted for a black President also voted to strip the rights from homosexuals. The hypocrisy of this position seems lost on many. But while yesterday was a huge step in the right direction in terms of living up to our promise of "all men being created equal" we've still got a lot of steps left.
Btw, "men" in the "human" sense, not "male" sense. But clearly the country still has some equality issues with women to deal with as well.
For those who hoped that the election ending would put an end to my political posts, sorry... I've still got plenty to say. More than ever, in fact. We're taking baby steps in the right direction. It's up to us to make sure that in all ways, large and small, we continue on that path.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
