Abortion

Texas Tea Party And Conservative Republican Dominance Today, But Long Range, Democrats Have Advantage

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Texas has become a solid Tea Party-Conservative Republican state, arguably the most right wing state, although with strong competition from Florida, South Carolina, Idaho, Utah, Oklahoma, Arizona and Kansas.

It has the longest serving Governor in the nation, Rick Perry, who has endorsed the idea of state secession, even though that was supposedly resolved 150 years ago!

It is the home of Senator John Cornyn, and Congressmen Louie Gohmert, Joe Barton,  Randy Neugebauer, Jeb Hensarling, Pete Olson, Ted Poe, Pete Sessions,  Lamar Smith, and of course, the best known of all, libertarian Ron Paul!

It is also a state in which two Democrats just switched parties and gave the GOP a two thirds plus one margin in the State House, making it a veto proof legislative body.

This is a state which has promoted secession and states rights; propagandized in the History curriculum so as to distort and omit large portions of history and de-emphasize historical personalities and events; worked to undermine the study of evolution in favor of Christianity on the state level; became the leader of anti abortion and anti gay rights crusades; and has an oligarchy of powerful financial interests who aim to keep Hispanic, Latino and African American populations in a dependent state and deny them bilingual education, equal job opportunity, and even the ability to study their own heritage, as it may lead to immigration raids to arrest illegal immigrants.

It is hard to believe that Texas was the state that gave us Sam Houston,Lyndon Johnson, Sam Rayburn, and many others who made the state renowned!

The problem for the GOP is that while now they have a tremendous edge, there could be a complete collapse of the Republican dominance within a generation in the state.

This is due to the fact that there are so many Hispanics in Texas, along with African Americans, that as time goes by and as the modern Republican Party manages to turn off most minority people, the likelihood of Democrats regaining majority status in the House of Representatives and in state government grows greater, particularly due to the present economic downtown, in which there are inadequate efforts to provide jobs and educational opportunities as government cuts back social services.  So although the GOP is more dominant than ever, Texas is going into turmoil which bodes for a change of the leadership statewide as Hispanic and Latino population become citizens and go in droves to the Democratic Party!  So Texas is likely to go “blue” in the near future, meaning by 2025-2030!

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli And The Health Care Legislation

Ronald 1 Comment

Yesterday, a Virginia District Court judge appointed by President George W. Bush ruled that the Health Care reform law passed by Congress was unconstitutional, because it would require citizens, who could afford it, to buy health care insurance by 2014.

This decision was the first by the opponents of Health Care reform, after two other district court judges, one in Virginia and one in Michigan, declared the law constitutional.

This decision yesterday was hailed by conservatives and Republicans who want the Health Care reform repealed by Congress.

It was also a victory for Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli who led the fight to bring about this result.

Cuccinelli’s contention is that the federal government cannot force anyone to buy health care insurance, and compared it to requiring that a person buy a particular car. 🙁

This is totally preposterous as a comparison, and forgets that if one does not purchase health insurance, then when such an individual suddenly has health care issues, WE THE PEOPLE pay for them, adding to everyone’s tax burden! 🙁

Is that responsible, Mr. Cuccinelli, that all of us have to pay for the irresponsibility of others to avoid being concerned with their own health? What is more important in a person’s life than his or her own health care? 🙁

Going by Mr. Cuccinelli’s reasoning, why should anyone pay taxes? Why should anyone in the time of a military draft have to serve? Why should anyone have to pay auto insurance, which most states require, and in the cases of those states which don’t demand auto insurance coverage, all of the rest of the population sees their insurance rates go sky high to cover for the irresponsibility of those who will not buy such coverage? 🙁

Part of the responsibility of every individual is to take on the understanding that necessities come before pleasure, a hard concept for many in this society! 🙁

If one can afford ipods, iphones, ipads, fancy cars, smoking, drinking, etc, one must understand that one MUST pay for health care coverage so as to take the burden off the rest of us! 🙁

And why is it Ken Cuccinelli and other conservatives are only too willing to control our social existence, as with abortion, gay rights, etc, but refuse to see that economic regulation is also necessary in the public interest? 🙁

And also, Mr. Cuccinelli, are you really wishing to promote “welfare”, where we all have to pay for others? Is that a conservative belief? You would say OF COURSE NOT, but yet that is the effect of what you are advocating, along with denying other aspects of the health care law that might also be ruled unconstitutional by the courts, including pre-existing conditions no longer being covered, which seems not to bother you! 🙁

Is this a government of WE THE PEOPLE, or only WE THE RICH PEOPLE who shall have health care , Mr. Cuccinelli? 🙁

The Strange Relationship Of Joe Lieberman And John McCain

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The story of the strange, odd relationship between Independent Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona continues to amaze.

Lieberman was the Vice Presidential running mate of Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential election.

After September 11, Lieberman became very fixated on national security, including giving full support to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, joining McCain and many Republicans in that view, including Vice President Dick Cheney.

By 2006, Lieberman had alienated many Democrats, lost the Democratic Senatorial primary for another term, and ran as an independent Democrat, winning back his seat.

By 2008, he had antagonized the Democratic Party further by refusing to support Barack Obama, and endorsing John McCain for President.

He was on the short list of McCain to run for Vice President, which would have been a path breaking bi-partisan ticket.

There was some consideration by the Democratic Party to deny him a chairmanship because of his disloyalty, but Obama made clear that he did not support such an action.

Lieberman and McCain have continued to be the best of friends, and on national security and defense, they are united.

But as McCain turned further right in order to win back his Senate seat, Lieberman continued to be a liberal on domestic issues, other than homeland security.

So Lieberman is working very hard to end “don’t ask, don’t tell” in the military, while McCain is leading the charge to keep it the policy of the defense establishment. Lieberman has even said that he is working on McCain but is having no success in changing his mind.

The two men are on opposite ends of the abortion issue as well, along with all other domestic issues, and yet they remain good friends and socialize a great deal with each other.

A book will be written someday analyzing the strange, odd friendship and alliance of Lieberman and McCain–of how a basically liberal Democrat and conservative Republican could become such strong allies on things they believe in common, and strong opponents of each other, in a very civil way, on issues that they totally disagree on.

This may be the greatest, but oddest relationship of two opposing Senators since the famous one of Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy and Utah Senator Orrin Hatch!

NY Gubernatorial Nominee Carl Paladino: A Nightmare For The Republican Party! :(

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The year 2010 has been a weird year of political oddballs running for high office. But New York’s Republican nominee for Governor, Carl Paladino, may very well be the most outrageous, extremely weird candidate of them all! 🙁

Paladino defeated the mainstream Republican candidate, former Congressman Rick Lazio, in a hotly contested primary race in September, despite his record of being angry, nasty, confrontational, and defiant of party leaders and the news media!

Paladino has a child out of wedlock, but has claimed that his opponent, Democrat Andrew Cuomo, is of high sexual prowess and has cheated just as he did, without any evidence of such assertions being provided!

Paladino has sent emails that are racist, sexist, and pornographic, and does not apologize for them! 🙁

Paladino has threatened a journalist with bodily harm in a public confrontation, and has sent campaign literature imbued with the smell of rotten garbage!

Paladino is constantly combative with everyone he deals with, and has said that poor people should be housed in prisons that would be turned into work camps to train them in personal hygiene!

Meanwhile, Paladino pledges that he would cut Medicaid, which is the medical plan for the poor by $20 billion, as his first act as Governor!

Paladino is opposed to abortion in all cases except the life of the mother, which means he believes that women who are victims of rape or incest should have to go through the pregnancy!

He just condemned yesterday the whole gay rights movement, as he spoke before a group of Orthodox rabbis in Brooklyn, New York, even though there has been a spate of anti gay violence recently in New York and nationwide!

Paladino also has made clear his desire to make life tough for those on welfare and unemployment compensation, as if those on these programs enjoy being in those unfortunate positions in a time of tremendous difficulty due to the Great Recession’s effects!

Paladino spent very little time in the military, but brags about his record as if he was General George Patton!

Paladino comes across as a nut, and as anti social, and the New York Republican Party would be facing a real rebel against their establishment, were he to be elected Governor, as he has made it clear he does not wish to cooperate with legislative leaders!

Thankfully, no poll shows him able to win the election, as it would be disastrous for the state, already enmeshed in a horrendous financial mess, to have to deal with such a maniacal personality!

This is another example of what the Tea Party Movement is all about, and hopefully, the American people will reject most, if not all, of these weird characters running to disrupt our system of government with their obstructionism! 🙁

We have many problems with government in this country, but we cannot afford to, as they say, “throw out the baby with the bath water!”

Extreme Anti Abortion Views Of Libertarian Tea Party Republican Candidates For US Senate!

Ronald 2 Comments

The Republican Party has had an anti abortion plank in its national platform since the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980!

But Presidents Reagan, Bush I and Bush II all made clear their beliefs in exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother!

Recently, the GOP position on exceptions on abortion has become more hard line, particularly so among libertarian Tea Party backed Republican candidates, most notably for the United States Senate!

Kentucky Senate nominee Rand Paul; Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle; and Utah Senate choice Mike Lee have all made clear their belief that a woman should be required to go full term on a pregnancy, even if caused by rape or incest–that as Sharron Angle terms it, two wrongs don’t make a right! 🙁

This is shocking for libertarian Tea Party types who would argue against big intrusive government in our lives, but yet are prepared to have government intervene on a personal matter of a woman’s body and health, and force her to follow through on a traumatic pregnancy caused by rape or incest!

This shows the hypocrisy of the Tea Party Movement and of libertarians who rail against big government, but insist that government has the right to force women to go through nine months of trauma after a shocking sexual assault!

This is a denial of personal freedom, but conveniently, the only freedoms Republican libertarians believe in is freedom of corporations to exploit the American people, and freedom of hypocrisy by these despicable candidates for public office! 🙁

Laura Bush And Abortion And Gay Marriage

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Former First Lady Laura Bush has written a memoir of her life and years in the White House, and was interviewed this evening on Larry King Live on CNN.

It was a very revealing and fascinating hour, and it was somewhat surprising that Laura Bush revealed that she was in favor of gay marriage being explored, and believed that abortion rights should not be reversed by the Supreme Court!

This is a stand revealed publicly now, after her husband took the exact opposite stand as President.

But it is interesting that Barbara Bush and Nancy Reagan also revealed publicly after their husbands left the Presidency that they both were pro choice on abortion.

So it seems clear that the women have a more open minded attitude on change and reform than their husbands, who apparently feel the need to toe the Republican “party line” and promote an anti abortion and anti gay rights and marriage agenda!

Kansas Abortion Trial Has Rapid, Proper Result!

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The decision of a Kansas jury to convict the killer of an abortion doctor took only 37 minutes, and it should have taken five minutes!

Scott Roeder, an anti abortion fanatic who felt he had the right to kill an abortion doctor, George Tiller, because he personally opposes abortion, is a heinous act that should be punished by life imprisonment without parole, nothing less!

Many people are morally opposed to the concept of abortion, and that can be understood, but like it or not, it is a legal procedure permitted by the Supreme Court in Roe V. Wade in 1973.

If that decision was ever to be reversed, which is highly unlikely, abortions would still take place, but cause more pregnant women to die unnecessarily. Whether one agrees or disagrees with abortion, no one has the right to use his or her opposition to justify acts of violence!

This quick decision, hopefully, will deter future such crimes from occurring.

The Republican National Committee, Michael Steele And Abortion

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Isn’t it interesting that the Republican National Committee has, as part of its health care plan with Cigna, allowed its employees to have abortions since 1991, and now, suddenly, are aware of this anomaly and are announcing, through Chairman Michael Steele, that abortion will no longer be covered?

So a legal right to abortion, which has existed since 1973, and was covered for RNC employeees despite GOP platform language at national conventions ever since, now will come to a halt, although back in 1991, it was put in without controversy and debate.

What does this tell women in this country? It makes clear that you had better not get pregnant and have a health problem, as you are not entitled to an abortion no matter what the reason or the age of the female. It is catering to the religious right, so concerned that every fetus be born, but of course unwilling to believe in assistance to poor women and poor children in any form by government, because then it is “socialistic”!

There are women who are against abortion, and that is their prerogative. But it is clear a majority of women want the privilege to control their own reproductive rights, and see what the Republicans are now making very public, as really a declaration of war on their constitutional rights!

So the Republican party continues to show its lack of concern about Latinos, African Americans, women, young people, veterans who need government support and concern, state governments in turmoil, poor people, moderates, environmentalists, civil libertarians, and immigrants.

This party is alienating itself further every day from the majority of the American people, and seems only concerned about religious extremists who wish to impose their values on the whole nation. Is there any hope that the GOP someday will regain its senses and become a party separated from the control and dominance of the talk show hosts, FOX News, and religious right wingers?

The New Problem For Health Care Reform: The Abortion Controversy

Ronald 3 Comments

As if Joe Lieberman’s threat to filibuster the health care bill in the Senate if the “public option” is included was not enough, now Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska threatens to filibuster and fight against the legislation if abortion is allowed under the bill in final passage.

Many of the liberal Democrats who backed the House bill and allowed it to pass by 220-215 on Saturday night have made it clear that they would not support the final legislation IF abortion limitations are not taken out of the bill, and Senator Barbara Boxer of California has made it clear that she and other women senators in the Democratic party are working to prevent abortion restrictions in the final Senate bill.

So the abortion debate that has raged since Roe v. Wade in 1973 still simmers, and is a new obstruction to fundamental health care reform. It is looking as if the barriers to health care legislation are becoming so massive that it will not be possible to gain passage of legislation unless “reconciliation”, use of the 50 or 51 vote majority, is invoked to overcome any filibuster on abortion or on “public option”.

Since “reconciliation” has been used before by the Republicans under George W. Bush, it is reaching the stage where the Democrats MUST use it or face failure and dissolution of their mandate for change. If that happens, then the Democrats are doomed. If they use it, there will be anger, but the accomplishment of health care reform, despite controversy, will eventually assist the Democrats and President Obama, as the vast majority of Americans want such reform, so what must be done to accomplish it should be pursued.

Forget bipartisanship and catering to conservatives: It is time to play hardball and do what MUST be done!