Month: February 2010

Sarah Palin Support Collapses! Not A Nice Birthday Present! :)

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Former Alaska Governor and 2008 Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin received a very unpleasant 46th birthday present today, but it is good news for the country!

Palin obviously hurt herself in her performance at the Tea Party Convention in Nashville, and her followup interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News Channel. She was ridiculed on the Comedy Channel by Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, and on the late night talk shows. She was even made fun of by Obama Press Secretary Robert Gibbs earlier this week, with him showing his hand with notes written on it, causing laughter among the press corps.

One could feel bad for Sarah Palin, but she has caused her own grief, and the country cannot afford to have a person of her limited knowledge and capability being seriously considered as a Presidential candidate.

Thankfully, the new ABC News-Washington Post poll gives evidence that the American people understand that fact!

According to the poll, 71 percent feel Palin is NOT qualified, as compared to 26 percent who think she is qualified for President.

45 percent of Republicans think she is qualified, down from 66 percent a few months ago.

37 percent of the people have a favorable view of Palin in a general sense, compared to 55 percent who see her unfavorably.

Hopefully, the Palin base support will continue to erode, and we will spend time focusing on QUALIFIED candidates in the Republican party for the Presidential nomination in 2012. There are many who would qualify, no doubt!

The Moronic Climate Change Deniers: Senators James Inhofe And Jim DeMint

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Washington, DC and the Atlantic Coast from New York to Virginia are suffering from what is, at least in the nation’s capital, the worst winter season and snow totals in recorded history.

Florida had a sustained period of two weeks of very cold weather, which did great damage to agricultural crops, causing major financial losses.

This has encouraged climate change deniers, such as Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma and Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, both Republicans, to ridicule the idea of climate change, with Inhofe building an “igloo” as a gift to former Vice President Al Gore, the leading promoter of the concept of global warming. And Senator DeMint has been joking about Gore as well.

The problem with these two senators is that they do not understand science, as both are religious zealots who believe that there is no crisis pending, that no evidence is able to convince them of the need to plan for climate change in the future. They ridicule people like Gore because of the colder weather and heavier snow now going on, but the point of climate change is that it is not just warmer weather than normal, but also much colder weather than normal, which are scientific signs of the climate change crisis.

The fact that heavy rains and flooding is becoming more common worldwide, and that the icebergs at the North Pole are melting very rapidly does not dent their moronic brains.

Rather than prepare the nation and the world for the future, they would rather put their heads in the sand as an ostrich would, and only focus on the moment, instead of on the future when their children and grandchildren will face the climate change crisis and wonder why these stupid, moronic senators refused to believe scientific evidence and show some statesmanship in preparing for the future, as Al Gore and many others have been doing.

The ignorance of science is astounding, and the stupidity of these two senators and their ilk is mind boggling! 🙁

60th Anniversary Of McCarthyism: What Has The Republican Party Learned? NOTHING! :(

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Sixty years ago today, Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin began his rampage on the Communist issue, accusing everyone he could find of being a “Red”, a “Pinko”, or a “Fellow Traveler”, without any regard for the truth and for the damage he was doing to their reputations and lives.

Most Republicans backed him for political gain, not caring about justice and the truth. Fear and hysteria and panic reigned in that period, and only a few leaders of the Republican party spoke up against it.

One was Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine, who issued a Declaration of Conscience on June 1, 1950, condemning Senator McCarthy’s methods and tactics. She was a conservative who demonstrated truly a “Profile In Courage”, which even John F. Kennedy, who later published a Pulitzer Prize winning book under that name, did not have, due to the fact that his father Joe helped to finance Joseph McCarthy.

Today, we have the Tea Party Movement which embraces similar characterics, coming across as racist, anti immigrant, ignorant, and promoting similar fear and hysteria, including willingness to utilize Tom Tancredo and Sarah Palin as advocates of its message, which includes conspiracy theories about Barack Obama and promotion of the concept that he is a dangerous “Socialist”. The Tea Party Movement has demonstrated that it is a right wing, fascist oriented, dangerous movement, much like Senator McCarthy represented sixty years ago.

And yet, who today in the Republican party is willing to speak up? Certainly, not the two women Republican senators from Margaret Chase Smith’s Maine, who have been thought to be moderates, but are unwilling to stick their necks out to speak up for what is right and good, instead choosing to remain silent.

I am referring to Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, who should show their courage and principle by denouncing the rightward trend of the party, and its collaboration with this extremist Tea Party Movement, but instead avoid any comment.

The Republican party will self destruct if they continue down the road of the Tea Party Movement, and the fact that Sarah Palin chooses to support and defend this movement, should eliminate her as someone who could be considered for national office, for which she has demonstrated absolutely no competence anyway.

For Sarah Palin, whose husband was involved in the Alaska Independence movement, to go to Texas and speak up for Governor Rick Perry, who advocated secession and nullification, bringing back memories of John C. Calhoun and the Civil War, is just more evidence of the dangers of the Tea Party Movement and Sarah Palin, its champion!

The party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower should be totally ashamed on this anniversary of McCarthyism for its sinful past and its sinful present! What a disgrace for a major political party to have so little spine for what is good and decent! 🙁

Repeal Of Social Security And Medicare Promoted By Marsha Blackburn And Michele Bachmann

Ronald 2 Comments

The Republican Party has been promoting the view that Barack Obama is a Socialist, and they have been bitterly resisting any health care plan.

But now two of their “illustrious” women members in the House have gone one step further: They are promoting the privatization of ” Socialist” programs such as Social Security and Medicare! 🙁

Tennessee Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn has introduced such legislation, and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has also endorsed it. How crazy is this, that two women who have to know that women are more the beneficiary of both Social Security and Medicare since women tend to live longer than men, are so mean spirited and ideological as to want to end all government involvement in these programs, which have meant so much to the promotion of a safety net that protects the middle class and the poor!

One has to wonder how the GOP manages to recruit these women, who are, along with others, among the most extreme members of the party! These Congressmen are absolutely crazy, nutty, nasty, vengeful women who have no care about the poor or those less fortunate!

If this represents the Republican party, which I fear it does, then the GOP is doomed to be a minority party for a long time, UNLESS they can somehow promote enough fear and hysteria and panic to convince Americans foolishly to vote for a party that gives not a damn for anyone except the rich and the powerful! 🙁

The Crisis In Health Insurance Costs: A Moral Issue!

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While the Republicans refuse to negotiate on health care legislation, and the Democrats are unable to unite to accomplish necessary reform, the health care costs of the American people are skyrocketing! 🙁

Health care is already 17 percent of the total national budget for all Americans, and is expected to rise to 20 percent in the next decade if nothing is done to contain costs. And this does not even include the millions of Americans who have no health care.

Many health insurance companies are raising their health care premiums in an obscene way, some as much as 35-40 percent. There is no motivation by these companies to promote cost containment to their customers, and this will continue, unfortunately. In other industrial nations, where everyone is covered, the percentage spent on health care is dramatically lower, as in Great Britain, where the cost is seven percent of the total budgetary expenses, as compared to our seventeen percent.

The longer we take to deal with this issue on a national basis, the more we will have millions of Americans thrown off health care by skyrocketing costs, and lives will be lost, as already we know that 45,000 per year are lost due to lack of health insurance coverage.

This is a moral issue, if nothing else, but it is more, as so many lives depend on it, and decent health care costs are essential as the population increases, and more Americans are going without health care coverage.

Congressman John Murtha Dead: Had Great Impact On Iraq War

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Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a conservative Democrat who rose to the fourth ranking House position as the person in charge of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on defense, and who was very close to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, passed away this afternoon at age 77.

Originally elected to the House at the time of the Watergate scandal under Richard Nixon, Murtha became a powerful force in the House, and made many enemies of people who respected and also feared him.

A gruff Marine who always supported defense spending, he surprised everyone by coming out against the Bush Administration Iraq War policy in November, 2005, and after that, he suffered from constant, bitter attacks by conservatives and Republicans, but that criticism of the administration took a lot of guts and courage on his part.

Often criticized for excessive “earmarks”, and thought to be involved in crooked dealings at times, he was under attack and was facing a tough 2010 re-election challenge this fall.

While many had mixed feelings about John Murtha, he certainly made a difference in our history, if for nothing else, than his willingness to stick his neck out–this Marine and defense advocate–against the Commander in Chief and the war he waged!

Sarah Palin’s Tea Party Convention Speech

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Sarah Palin, the former Alaska Governor and 2008 Republican Vice Presidential nominee, was the center of attention in Nashville at the Tea Party Convention on Saturday night.

She delivered a 40 minute speech and then answered questions while sitting down with the moderator for about 20 minutes.

The speech was highly critical of Obama Administration national security policy and economic policy, not a surprise to anyone.

But the question is whether she rang a bell in the minds of independents across the country with her line of argument.

It will be a while before we know what polls say, but at this early point, there are certain points to make.

Palin criticized the fact that we have a “college law professor” as the Commander in Chief, but is it proper to condemn someone’s education and intellectual ability? Don’t we want a person who believes in the power of the law and wishes to stay within our legal system, or do we want a person who violates constitutional law and abuses the Constitution? It sounds to me that Palin is at least slightly jealous that we have a President who has taught law, but I suppose for someone who had to go through SIX colleges to get a bachelors degree in communication, it might be proper to be envious!

She also attacked the fact that Obama uses a teleprompter in his speeches, failing to realize that it is a way to make certain that what is said is very precise and accurate. Meanwhile, she had written a few words down on her hand and looked at it as she answered questions from participants in the Tea Party convention. So she felt a need to write down a few key words, as if she did not know what she believed in and wanted to say, but Obama in a speech cannot have a teleprompter! Oh, and by the way, she had her speech in front of her, and it was clear she was often directly reading it!

She also talked about representative democracy and how the people should be able to speak up, but forgot that is the whole point of representative democracy, that our representatives speak for the nation! Since the Democrats won nearly 60 percent of the House and the Senate, and the White House by nearly 54-46 percent, they have the right to make policy, as much as the Republican opposition made policy with a far less percentage of the majority and with a President who did not win the popular vote!

Palin said she gets emails from supporters and advisers to improve her knowledge of the issues and problems facing America. But the fact is she has still not demonstrated any intellectual curiosity about anything, is still exploiting her fame given to her by John McCain to enrich herself, and still makes clear by her words and actions that she is a shallow individual, not proper for the Presidential office!

And yet, when asked, she says she might seek the Presidency, and will not close the door if it is right for her family and her country.

It is perfectly clear that Sarah Palin SHOULD NOT seek the Presidency as she is ill prepared in experience and intellect for the position. She also should not seek the Presidency for her family as she has a special needs child who needs her attention and that of her family, not the spotlight of a Presidential campaign, and god forbid, the power of the Presidency which would keep her busy with no time to do the proper job of helping her child grow and develop. This is not sexism against women as some might say! It is the question of what Republicans always emphasize: FAMILY VALUES!

So Sarah, continue to make money and enjoy the adulation of people who do not see you for your limitations, but don’t burden this nation and your political party by creating a nightmare candidacy for President of the United States!

Bipartisan Health Care Summit Called By President Obama

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President Obama has just taken the step to welcome Republicans in Congress to a bipartisan summit on February 25, to be televised live.

This is a good step, and will test the Republicans as to whether there will be any cooperation by that party toward some form of health care legislation.

It will be interesting to see if the GOP tries to evade the summit, or will in some way, attempt to undermine it.

Stay tuned for the reaction by Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Michael Steele et a!

The Hypocrisy About “Excessive” Government Spending

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Everyone rails against “unnecessary” and “excessive” government spending, including Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, and also the Tea Party and Freedom Works protest groups.

But dare to cut any particular state or district’s favorite programs or “earmarks”, and suddenly governors, senators, congressmen, and ordinary citizens bitterly complain!

Don’t cut the space program in Florida! Don’t diminish agricultural subsidies in Iowa! Don’t look for cost savings on military spending in Texas! Don’t dare to suggest that there must be long range cuts in entitlement programs, such as Social Security and Medicare! Don’t force a state or city into a crisis on crime prevention or education or health services! In other words, DON’T CUT anything except other programs elsewhere! 🙂

It is certainly obvious that this is the major problem in the budget process–that no one wants their programs or services cut, only others, and that goes around all fifty states and all members of Congress and all governors!

So we hear over and over again that we must cut spending, and yet there is no way to do so, without antagonizing and alienating different interest groups and voters and political leaders!

So the never ending problem: Government spending must be cut, but yet it cannot be in a reasonable way. Therefore, there is an hypocrisy about “excessive” government spending, and it not limited to just one group, but ALL groups and both political parties! 🙁

Republicans Politicizing National Security

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Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan was on Meet The Press this morning, and he accused Republican leaders of Congress of politicizing national security.

Brennan declared that he had fully informed the top Republican leaders of Congress–Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader; Ohio Congressman John Boehner, House Minority Leader; Michigan Congressman Peter Hoekstra, ranking member of the Intelligence Committee in the House of Representatives; and Missouri Senator Kit Bond, ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee–of the Christmas Airliner incident in Detroit, and told them that the FBI was using normal procedure, including reading the Miranda rights to the suspect, and that no objection was registered.

Now all of the Republicans are making it a political issue, he said, instead of recognizing that using the typical criminal methods of questioning the suspect through the FBI and Miranda rights was that always utilized by the Bush Administration during the nearly eight years of the War on Terror under that President.

Brennan said that the profesionalism of counter terrorism experts was being challenged in an unfair and destructive manner.

Is this anything new, that the Republicans are refusing to cooperate and support the administration? During the Bush Presidency, it was said to be unpatriotic and counterproductive if anything was criticized about the Bush approach to terrorism, which ironically was exactly what the Obama Administration is doing, regarding terrorism suspects arrested on American soil. Unfortunately, the answer is that there is no willingness to cooperate and avoid partisanship! 🙁