Mid-term Election Thoughts

All right--I admit it.  The party of Thomas Jefferson blew it.  In 2008, it looked like it would transform the nation.   Money filled their coffers;  voters of all ages and races turned out in unbelievable numbers with unbridled exuberance.  The new president would be post-partisan and post-racial.  A filibuster-proof majority was sent to the Senate.  And now, November 1,2010, twenty-four hours before the mid-terms, all that feeling is gone.  The Democratic domination in 2008 has resulted in a wave of lethargy and the sense of unfulfilled expectations.
What caused this? The answers would fill a book and this is just a blog post.  But the short list would include the partisan leadership in both houses of congress on both sides.  There wasn't REAL leadership.  Just business same as ever and post-partisanship be damned.  The R's just said "NO" ; the D's never pushed the president's agenda.
So it's time to vote again.  In my state, the choices are pathetic.  No policy differences between the candidates for Congress.  If you didn't mark "D" or "R" beside their names you couldn't tell which was which.  For governor there are two women (we'll get our first female governor): one is tarred with allegations of her own corruption, the other tarred with the corruption in the present administration that caused our present governor to turn down a cabinet post.  Nice choice there.......
Normally, I might not even to bother to vote in this kind of an election.  But I am going to, and I am voting to support what I voted for in 2008----CHANGE.  Not Tea Party or Glen Beck B.S. but the change we need.  The change Obama promised.  Let's look at the record:

End of Partisanship----didn't happen, not because the president flubbed it but because the Republicans ignored the gestures and Reid and Pelosi did not push his agenda nor did they make the kind of attempts at reaching across the aisle that the president did.
Health Care Reform---again, Congress dropped the ball and gutted what could have been one of the defining pieces of legislation in the 21st Century.  There's much good in it and it deserves to be revisited and improved.  Repeal is moving backwards.  And a reminder to those sign holders--if the government took its hands off of "your" Medicare, there wouldn't be any Medicare--it's a government program, you fools!!!
WAR--"huh, good Gawd y'all, what is it good for?"(Edwin Starr) Obama has fulfilled his promise to wind down Bush's war of choice in Iraq.  He has escalated the effort in Afghanistan; unfortunately, because of the mis-begotten Iraq conflict, it's too late to destroy Al-Qaeda's structure, which has moved to Pakistan and Yemen.  But he has promised an end there as well in 2011.  Guantanamo needs to be closed but I think congress may need to be involved there to craft legislation to legally detain or try the terrorist suspects outside the present legal strictures.  Seems with terrorism the right to presumed innocence and illegal seizure, among others, are not applicable.
The Economy----Obama's policies probably helped avoid a repeat of the Great Depression.  Unfortunately, they did not go far enough to stimulate rapid growth and alleviate the painful job losses that ALWAYS follow financial melt-downs.  Read any economic history and you will understand this fact.  What the nation is going through is nothing new.  And cutting the deficit and taxes will NOT help---these policies are shown to worsen the effects of the crisis and prolong recovery.  Ask Japan--do we want a lost decade of economic stagnation and deflation like they had/are having??

So please go to the polls tomorrow, November 2nd, and vote with intelligence--not with sloganeering or nice catch-phrases dancing in your head.  Barack Obama was elected to provide change.  He thought he had allies in congress but political gamesmanship trumped the post-partisan era Obama attempted to introduce.  Let's use these mid-terms to send people to Washington who will help the president fulfill the dreams we all voted for two years ago.



 

"...with a whimper"

So the Christians and tea-baggers go from the capitol. Health reform, or at least, health insurance reform, was passed by the House of Representatives late Sunday evening. And the debate was at such a level that all Amerikans should be proud----cries of "baby-killer", "nigger", etc. raining down on our elected representatives. Stand tall, Amerika. From water-boarding to torture to the total dissolution of any modicum of civility, your partisanship rises triumphant. I am as disgusted with the inexcusable performance of supposed "leaders" over the health care debate as I was over the Vietnam war. What a pathetic excuse for a civilized country. So shall we go to our just desserts, not with a bang but with a whimper.........or in a hale of racist or hateful epithets.

Death in D C

Mourning time hath come.

On two issues the Democrats have proven why they cannot govern, even with the change agent the people elected in November 2008 as their leader. It is truly time to change the name of the American capitol from the "District of Columbia" to the "Dysfunctionality of Congress."

The latest fiasco by the Democratic leadership is the Senate's alleged leader Harry Reid doing all he can to strip a bill fashioned by---hold your breath---a Democrat and a Republican to boost jobs. The details are too much to go into here---see the N Y Times piece. Suffice it to say that once again Reid has managed to sabotage the president's initiatives in trying to get the Republicans to participate in rather than stonewall his program.

Reid's blunder follows on the heels of his and the House speaker Nancy Pelosi's total mismanagement of health care reform, which degenerated into health care insurance reform, which is now nowhere. I know there are those who say good riddance and keep the government's hands off my medicare, but most economists, even those of the conservative ilk, take the position that unless health care inflation is brought under control, deficits at the federal level never will be and future generations will pay and pay as America's position as the world's economic engine sputters into decline.

I almost wish I lived in San Francisco because if I did, I'd be working to get a new representative----Where is the "Draft Gavin Newsom, Dump Pelosi" movement. He'd do more good in her seat than following the Gubernator............

State of the Union 2010

So the first state of the union address by Barack Obama, originally believed to be scheduled for Feb. 2, has been the victim of constituent pressure. Rather than pre-empt or, worse yet, compete with the season premiere of Lost, the prez and team have scheduled the big speech for Wed. Jan. 27. Bending to special interests already.....And think of the poor speechwriters. Seven seasons of West Wing have taught us all about the angst of the White House staff in crafting this annual message and policy statement. To move it forward a week would have sent Josh and Sam into apoplectic fits and a long stay in a sanitarium.

In a previous post, we said we'd comment on some of the political news, so here we go---from the perspective of some rather intelligent canines---the Pirate Dogs!!!!

The first subject is hubris. The Democratic leadership (or lack thereof) embodied in Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid were so certain they could use their numerical advantage and senatorial super-majority to ram through anything on their agenda. In the course of attempting this one party take-over of the republic, these two have totally undermined the bi-partisan goals of their party's leader---the president. So the Republicans do a drug war thing--"just say no"--- and all the economic recovery and needed programs like environmental protection and health care become subject to the pork needs of every Democratic denizen of the halls of the capitol. These "leaders" of the Democratic party are so inept they allowed a Republican victory in a Massachusetts special election for the Senate seat that has been held by a Kennedy since 1952!!!!! Scott Brown ran the type of campaign that might entice any voter. If he eschews his "Number 41" b.s. and actually does what he said---represent the citizens of MA first, he would be a breath of fresh air in the Senate.

Next we have Pat Robertson saying Haiti's deals with the devil caused the tragic earthquake. What is it with "Christians"???? Now the soldiers in the Middle East can't aim their weapons properly because all the gun sights have biblical inscriptions on them and they are being recalled and replaced!!!! Or at least removed. Did it occur to these people that part of the rationale for the Islamic jihadist is their perception that they need to defeat the Crusaders, i.e., Christians, in order to preserve their life style and religion. Aren't they to be allowed the same freedom of religion as the citizens of the United States??? Didn't the King of England in 1776 call the Sons of Liberty "terrorists"?

Scandals----aahhh, what would American media be without them. Around the clock Tiger affair coverage, Mark Sanford and the Argentinian/Appalachian deception. Now John Edwards has admitted fathering Rielle's daughter and the National Inquirer's editorial board is going to submit their coverage for a Pulitzer prize, that most coveted award for SERIOUS journalism!!!! The National Inquirer---home of "I was an Alien Love Slave" exposes.......People, are you there?? Thank heaven they are "ineligible". What a fiasco that would be-----maybe even worse then McCain picking Palin !!!! Or thinking Reid and Pelosi could steer health care reform through the legislative process and have it emerge as a really positive benefit for the American people!!!

Next, let's discuss campaign finance reform. Now that the Supreme Court has overturned parts of McCain-Feingold and opened the door to limitless contributions, maybe it's time for real reform. Let the federal government take one dollar from each tax return and put the money in a pot for the presidential election. The money would be divided equally among all candidates appearing on the ballot in 26 states. (26 states is one more than half the total number of states. Some states have very low filing fees which encourage very marginal or fringe candidates to enter their primaries. If candidates can file in at least 26 states this might prevent public funding for the extremists and wackos.) Any additional expenditure would be illegal and we wouldn't want a criminal for president, would we?? No fund raising is permitted in local elections. Each office seeker should pay a filing fee and get out and meet the voters and convince them of their worthiness to serve. Just like the Founding Fathers had to---you didn't see George Washington or Thomas Jefferson doing polls and paying political advisers!!!!!!

Finally, the BIG ONE---health-care reform. Now Paul Krugman has some ideas in his column today but how about this----let's make the plan that all the government officials, Senators, House members, and federal employees have available to the general public?? Even a Republican couldn't vote against that without having to answer charges of elitism. What's good for our bureaucrats and elected representatives should be good for all the citizens, right???

Unreformed

This morning the Senate passed the health care reform bill. 60-39. Who was missing?? Was this 40 Dems and 20 Repubs in favor?? As Aerosmith says, DREAM ON.

Now that the bills are through the nonsense of quorum calls and cloture resolutions and all the other b.s. that our representatives use to avoid governing and making hard choices, what did we get?? A political deal where any Dem senator who wanted could get some pork or special consideration for his/her state!! Abortion reform? Insurance pools? Less responsibility for the state and more for the Fed on Medicaid?

What about all the millions of baby boomers who would like to retire but can't get reasonable cost health insurance? What is so bad about a Medicare buy-in at 55? That's what all federal employees basically get for their health insurance. If it's good enough for Senators Liebermann, McCain, and Nelson it should be good for the rest of us!!!!

Now there will be a conference committee to blend the House and Senate versions into a bill that can become law after Barack Obama signs it. So to Nancy Pelosi, John McCain, John Boehner, Joe Liebermann, Barry Obama----before you go any further, please, over the Christmas recess, read Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy and learn how a LEADER acts.

The American people want HEALTH CARE REFORM not political hash. Early buy-in to Medicare, a public option for health insurance, reform in how medical professionals are compensated (pay for results, not number of procedures). This is not too much to ask and we, the people, deserve better than what we've gotten to this point!!!!

Frustrated

Well, I almost managed to blow a long weekend. Finally got to The Owl on Tuesday for a couple green chile cheeseburgers. Also got hold of a realtor in central NM where we have been looking on our own to set up a tour of some properties.

I have followed the political doings in our capitol over the past couple of weeks. The elected representatives in Congress have basically tabled environmental legislation. Cap and trade only works if there's some payment and the special interests have convinced our representatives to represent them, not the people. So a lot of the caps are not traded but given away. Maybe, hoping against hope, the Congress will realize over recess that this idea stinks worse than a coal fired power plant and change the bill to allow and enforce a carbon tax with the proceeds going to provide affordable renewable clean energy.

Next is the Sonia Sotomayor hearings in which a bunch of old white men proved that a "wise Latina" is, in fact, smarter and wiser than them. Of course, some senators absolutely have to play politics so they will oppose the nomination not because of anything the nominee said or did during the hearings; nor are they in total disagreement with her record as a jurist. They even admit she'll be confirmed. So why are Cornyn and Hatch voting no if not for purely partisan reasons??

Finally there's health care. What the hell is Barack Obama thinking leaving the shepherding of this most important of all reforms in the hands of Pelosi and Reid!!!! At best these two are political hacks. At worst they are absolute proof that absolute power corrupts absolutely. They go out of their way to antagonize the minority---I would hope after their years of being out of power they might realize that allowing the opposition to inject a few ideas might make the bipartisanship that Obama seeks possible. But, oh no, these two dunderheads just keep ramming through their agendas and the poor citizens,as well as the G O P, be damned. I guess I'll be spending a lot of time watching "West Wing" dvds---at least when Jeb, Toby, Leo, CJ, Sam, and Josh screw up I don't pay for it.

Republican redux

So the Obama budget passed both houses of Congress by the biggest margins since the 1990's.  And the Republican counter-budget had 38% of that party's members vote NO.  I find it hard to understand how tax cuts for the upper-most 1% and a five-year spending freeze are good for the present economy and the situation in which most Americans who aren't super-rich find themselves.   Haven't we just been through eight years of these policies that didn't work?? And how does Mitch McConnell, Senate Republican leader, seize the moral high ground on spending?  Wasn't it the Bush administration with a Republican majority in BOTH houses of Congress that turned a multi-million dollar surplus into a trillion-dollar deficit and that's with the Iraq and Afghan wars OFF THE BOOKS---not included in the budget numbers!!!!  A significant part of the present budget's deficit is putting those conflicts' costs into the budget.

So I guess it's Republican Red Ducks, not redux.  And Sarah the avionic wolf butcher wants to have a special election in Alaska now that Ted Stevens has had his conviction vacated.  Wasn't it the Justice Dept. under Bush that blew that case so badly??  Might be time to bring back the Whigs---after all, slavery has been abolished legally and the Union has been preserved---Now the Republicans can truly say "Mission Accomplished."   And go away.................

And after the latest tragedy in Binghamton NY, isn't it long past time we made assault weapons and other forms of automatic weapons illegal??  After all, I don't know of one hunter who thinks it's sporting to go after deer with an AK-47. 

Time Travel

Driving on the highway the other day, a perfect confluence of events punctured the space-time continuum and transported me back to when long hair for men was ok and my guitar strap was red with white doves alternating with white peace symbols.

The radio was playing Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. As the vocal wailed "Four dead in Ohio" I passed a pick-up with a bumper sticker reading America, Love It or Leave It. Serious flashback, man.........................Today, we'd say Blue or Red, Joe the Plumber or "palin around with terrorists". ( I meant to spell it that way!!!!)

Why there are people who "'oppose your interests' and 'really believe that if they can make you afraid enough or angry enough, you can be tricked into voting against yourself. It is all part of the same contempt, and [on Election Day] you can show them the mistake they have made.' The debate wasn't between left or right, but between 'the politics of fear and the politics of trust. One says: you are encircled by monstrous dangers. Give us power over your freedom so we may protect you. The other says: the world is a baffling and hazardous place, but it can be shaped to the will of men...cast your vote for trust, not just in leaders or policies, but trusting your fellow citizens, in the ancient tradition of this home for freedom and, most of all, for trust in yourself."

If that don't sound like the Bush/Cheney era and the tone of the 2008 presidential campaign, I don't know what would. Divisiveness, the culture wars, an unpopular military action overseas, fear of terrorism and crime......The above is from Nixonland by Rick Perlstein on pgs.536-537. The context is a televised speech by then Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine exhorting voters to cast their ballots the next day for Democratic candidates. The fear-mongers were Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew. And their speeches and approaches would be so familiar to John McCain and Sarah Palin----because they are the same. And for me, Edmund Muskie's words ring as true today as when he spoke them on that evening in 1970.

Vote early if you can (I did) and please vote with your head, not your fears!!!!!

The Last Debate

OK, I'm sure you've all been deluged with the analysis and commentary about the last presidential debate Wednesday night. So what have I got to add? Probably not much, but............
As the Pirate Dogs and I watched the candidates, we noticed a couple of statements that screamed out for some further exposition but as of this posting I haven't seen any---in the N Y Times, on MSNBC, the BBC, FoxNews, etc.

First, does John McCain really equate Down's Syndrome with autism??? And does the fact that Sarah Palin has a Down's baby make her one of the world's foremost authorities on autism and special education as Mr McCain stated???

Second, did anyone else out there catch the bit about making people who serve in the army teachers without making them go through all the rigors of certification?? Does John McCain believe that any veteran can teach?? Enlistment standards are so low that they waive high school graduation and minor drug offenses!!!!! I think BETTER teachers are what's needed, not just more of them.

Don't forget to pay attention to reason and think before you vote. The Pirate Dogs are counting on you since they can't get that armament ship and take over in DC.

Flashback

"We see Americans dying on distant battlefields abroad...We see Americans hating each other...at home. And as we see and hear these things, millions of Americans cry out in anguish. Did we come all this way for this?...When the strongest nation in the world can be tied down for four years in a war...with no end in sight; When the richest nation in the world cannot manage its own economy; And when the president of the United States cannot travel abroad or to any major city at home without fear of a hostile demonstration-then it's time for new leadership for the United States of America...My friends, America is a great nation. And it is time we started to act like a great nation around the world."


So did John McCain say this? Or Barack Obama? Maybe Joe Biden? In my humble opinion it seems to exhibit too much understanding of our times to come from Sarah Palin.


The answer is---NONE OF THE ABOVE. The quote is excerpted from Richard Milhous Nixon's speech accepting the 1968 Republican nomination for president of the United States as reported in the book Nixonland by Rick Perlstein (pgs 304-305).


The parallels to 1968 just keep on manifesting themselves. Obama "pals around" with terrorists according to Ms. Palin. Did she, or anyone else in the McCain organization, note that the terrorist, Bill Ayers, formerly with the Weather Underground who botched a couple of bombings when Obama was 8 years old, was named citizen of the year in Chicago in 1997? For helping with educational reform in the City of Chicago---serving on the same board as Obama? Which educational kudos have the Republican ticket won? And do you, watching your retirement funds bleed away into the bank accounts of the stupor-rich like Cheney, W, and, yes, John McCain, really care about this issue??? If you do, then you deserve what's happened to you.

Syndromes

Syndromes seem to be in the forefront around here this week. The Pirate Dogs' look-out has SDS, the Captain has SDS, and even I was SDS. And they're all different syndromes!!!!!!!!

Weets is part chihuahua so she is very noisy and aggressive---Small Dog Syndrome.
'Roid has the foulest breath in the western world, the result of a peculiar and disgusting habit I won't go into here--Stinky Dog Syndrome.
And this blogger was fairly radical in his younger years, even joining Students for a Democratic Society in college.
So why all the "syndrome-icity" this particular week??
How's your 401-k? How's your trust in the sitting government to get us on the right track? If you have any syndromes, now's the time to give them free reign. Loosen that halter and give them their head.



I think I've decided on the elections. Paris Hilton for Prez, Tina Fey for VP. (Although Gina Gershon does a good job as well.) Paris makes sense on the environment and the pool-side shots could be inspiring as well as profitable for the government. Sales of her exploits would dwarf the tax cuts of either main-stream candidate and could result in a surplus. Tina does a better Palin than Sarahcuda. Only problem is after she gets elected, where would she get her material? No worry though, the current VP candidate has just regurgitated the same lines since she was nominated. Is there really that big a difference between 6 weeks and 4 (or 8) years??
Hey, after this week we need to exhibit a sense of humor more than ever.

In a more serious vein, I'm currently reading Nixonland by Rick Perlstein. The sub-title pretty much summarizes the premise--"The rise of a president and the fracturing of America." I'm only about a quarter of the way through the 800-plus pages but the parallels from the 1968 campaign to today's are striking and, for me, terrifying. I have watched film of the current Republican rallies where either of the candidates whipped up the crowd to the point of denouncing the Democratic nominee as an Arab, a terrorist, or, even worse, calling for his head. First off, pandering to racism and fear is Nixonian. That's a large part of how he won. The "Silent Majority", "law and order", the menace of racial warfare. Have we learned nothing in 40 years? Watching McPalin is remembering Tricky Dick and Spiro. I've long felt that the Baby Boomers squandered their potential with their pursuit of riches pre-empting the idealism of the counter-culture. Now we pay for it with the Republican attacks that, let's face it, are racist without saying that word. I've seen comments on other blogs where people wrote about their fathers saying "Good, they shot another Kennedy" about RFK's assassination in 1968. I can remember comments about how "that uppity nigger" Martin Luther King got what was coming to him, also in 1968. I get the same feelings of foreboding listening to some of the McPalin supporters today. And I try to remember that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" but still there's this thing in he back of my mind..............a motorcade in Dallas, Nov 22 1963....

See http://zeesgowest.blogspot.com/ post for October 11 for a powerful video. We can take back this country. We can undo what Nixon spawned and W has promulgated.

WE ARE THE ANSWER!!!!!!!!!!!!

TWTW

This is the week that was. Just phenomenal. From the campaign gaffes to the Wall Street melt-down.
As today's New York Times says---the sound of the bubble bursting. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/weekinreview/21leonhardt.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin
I've long subscribed to the theory that when a country/economic entity begins to make money by making money, i.e., letting the financial sector become dominant over the manufacturing or other sectors of the economy, decline results. The dotcom correction, the housing bubble, the trade deficit, and now the latest financial snafus illustrate this. I wonder how many people with money in various funds, saving for their retirement, can define financial derivatives, cdo's, tranches, hedge funds, or the myriad other "financial products" they are involved with, wittingly or not. Let alone understand them. And now the government is going to spend something like $700BILLION to $1TRILLION to buy these tarnished "investment instruments". That's OUR money!!!!! If the Federal Government can raise this money for the purpose of rescuing financiers-turned-gamblers it can certainly raise this sum to fully fund the Social Security endowment and Medicare so poor working people don't have to trust their retirement savings to those same gamblers, which is what the privatization of Social Security is. I believe the money would be better spent in this way and in reimbursing small investors for their losses thanks to the financial mismanagement of their investments by these same gamblers. John McCain has voted to privatise Social Security. He still believes in this. I'm sure Sarahcuda has some canned response along the same lines.

I live in a region of the country where "NOBAMA08" bumper stickers significantly outnumber the ones that read "IF YOU ARE NOT OUTRAGED YOU ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION." Perhaps this week will get more of these people to pay attention.

Equal Time

First, a word about comments. I moderate the comments on this blog. I try to be fair and reasonable and I hope that readers who honor this blog with comments do so in the spirit of the blog--open discussion, expanding the mind, and a little fun. So I don't allow comments from "Anonymous" to appear. I've had a couple from this moniker and they were personal attacks like you're an eastern liberal and why don't you move back there. I welcome and encourage comments on any post but please keep them in the spirit of the blog. Even if you don't agree with something that appears, present your arguments. I pledge to try to be fair and as impartial as I can be when moderating comments. And the Pirate Dogs promise too.....

About the Republican convention--I found I was glad I had a mute button. Sarah Palin was impressive in front of the microphones. But I got sort of bored by the rest of the speakers. From Mitt complaining about "liberal Washington"(!!!!?!!!?!!) to Rudy's almost-imitation of a hockey mom (pitbull, no lipstick) to the endless paeans to John McCain's bravery and maverick credentials--my father was a hero in WWII and he was not qualified to run for president. There was so much about patriotism, strength under the duress of torture, and maverick tendencies that I almost thought they weren't going to nominate McCain but had switched to Mel Gibson, who played all those roles (lead character in The Patriot, tortured in Braveheart, and the inimitable "the name is Brett" Maverick). Then I remembered he was born in Australia, so they must have been talking about McCain.

I have always respected John McCain, his service in the Navy and the Senate. I think I even wrote in his name on my ballot in 2000. But he wasn't a ship captain or exec, he was a fighter pilot. This plays well with his maverick identity but not his leadership as an officer. That experience was negligible in that he didn't have command responsibilities like Ike or JFK. His votes over the last year against the environment, against the prohibition of torture, against the new GI Bill, and for the misguided efforts in Iraq have eroded this respect and, for me, raised doubts about the very independence he so promotes. As for Sarahcuda, I hope I soon hear what she thinks rather than the same canned sound bites from the convention she has so far uttered at every whistle stop. And I don't think it's sexist to want answers to her feelings on God and government, or the internet rumor that her son only joined the army because the other option was jail on a vandalism charge. It's out there and should be addressed. After all, it's as least as relevant as Obama's having attended madrassas. "Sauce for the goose, Saavik." (Leonard "Spock" Nimoy to Kirstie "Lt Saavik" Alley in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

Labor Day Weekend

So the traditional end of summer has come. Here in Eastern NM it's pretty rainy, cloudy, and humid. More than we usually get, much less than Down East.


I watched the DNC last week and will hit the high spots such as they may be of the RNC this week if Hurricane Gustav doesn't force its postponement. Instead of Sarah Palin (who???????) all the talking heads, or I prefer Frank Rich's term "bloviators", are tracking the storm. It looks like the Big Easy is gonna get clobbered again. Hopefully the present administration is performing as well as they are talking about their preparedness. Pray for the Gulf Coast.


Speaking of prayer, "[T]hey believed in America as they believed in God-they could not really ever expect that America might collapse and God yet survive, no, they had even gone so far as to think that America was the savior of the world, food and medicine by one hand, sword in the other, highest of high faith in a nation which would bow the knee before no problem since God's own strength was in the die." Describes the current royalty under Dubya, doesn't it? But this passage is about the Republicans from Miami and the Siege of Chicago by Norman Mailer written in 1968. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.



Ever note the similarity between Antonin Scalia and Julius Hoffman??? Both think it's ok for defendants to be shackled and gagged in the presence of the jury. Fair trial??? About as fair as a good dunking chair in Salem MA.



I see Rush Limbaugh's pleas for a repeat of Chicago in Denver didn't happen. A few protesters, a couple yahoos with guns investigated for a possible assassination plot. I don't think I understand why there won't be massive protests in St Paul. It's McCain who's come out for the draft. Of course, we don't need a draft. Dubya and "Dead Eye Dick" both learnt the lessons from their Vietnam draft evasion--the National Guard!!! So they send the Guard to do multiple tours in the Middle East. What the hell, they'd just dodge a draft, this way they have to serve!!! Get with the program, McCain. By the way, does John McCain really think so little of women that he believes he will pick up their votes by having a female running mate?? I am certainly no fan of Hillary but her speech Tuesday last was very good, especially when she asked her supporters if it was her or what she stood for that was important. Maybe the Rovians running the McCain "campaign" should have listened in.........

Super Tuesday Primary aftermath

Some thoughts on the aftermath of the Super Tuesday primary---My brother is a "main-stream" Democrat, read Hillary supporter. We had an email exchange and I thought it appropriate to post some of my comments here. I have been and remain a Bill Richardson fan but since he has quit, I did not want my vote to help Not-so-Hilarious Clinton in any way so I supported Obama in my state's Democratic caucus. Here's why:
28 years of Bush-Clinton does not sound at all good. Neither has excelled at anything but divisiveness, partisanship, and a severe lack of vision for the country and its people. W's record speaks for itself. His father was out of touch. Bubba Clinton was a bubba---where's the latest Monica?? Are we proud of his administration---Somalia, a couple of genocides, failed Hillaricare, the failure to see the threat of Al-Qaeda and Islamic extremism??? Could Obama do worse????? Look at the group around Hilarious---same as the ones who screwed up with her husband. Time for a change----if we elect her we might as well amend the constitution to allow for dynasties and the divine right of kings. It's been 40 years since 1968---Chicago, Vietnam, loss of personal liberty. What's changed in Washington???? NOTHING. This is the opportunity for a radical change; otherwise we'll suffer another 40 years of regression as the world's leader. We are getting hammered and continuing on the same path is ludicrous. In terms of Clintonistas---been there, done that, didn't work then, why do it again??
Obama MAY screw up like Carter but I'm sure Hilarious would.