Maybe Health Care Repeal Threat IS Serious?

The many expressions of Mitch McConnell
from IndieDesign

The last post I filed here on the blog made fun of John Boner Boehner.  And who can blame me? But the reason this time was the futility of the House's repeal of health care reform (known derisively or not as Obamacare). But after reading the post excerpted below, I'm wondering if I was premature.  Actually, before I read that post, I saw Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Terrarium in Kentucky) with a shit-eating grin on his lipless mouth, declaring that there would be a vote in the Senate.  My grandmother (the mean one, not the nice one) had that same expression when she thought she'd gotten one over on us kids.

If John Aravosis' analysis is correct--and it often is--this may be a torturous, nasty ride after all. As though we didn't get enough of that for the last couple of years. Ugh. Will Republicans actually threaten to shut down government when unemployment is so high? When the economy is so fragile? When we're in two wars? Oh come on, what do you think? Being a nation at war is only usable as a political argument when Republicans are in power. When they're not, politics trumps everything. Even "our troops" and the world economy.

[Excerpt]

Increasing concerns GOP will shut down entire fed govt to stop health care reform



The President better have some big cojones, because that's exactly what the Republicans will do. They'll take hostages. And as we know, the President's track record on negotiating with hostage-takers is not good. First Sam Stein at HuffPost, then I'll explain what Sam is talking about. . .
 
Read more at: AmericaBlog

House of Reps Repeals Health Care Reform; Rep. Anthony Weiner Translates

Boehner Jumps the Shark (sorry, Fonzie)

Yeah, yeah, the House of Representatives are back under Republican control. And though they berated every action of the previous Congress if they were doing something unrelated to "creating jobs," they put repeal of The Affordable Care Act as job #1. And they did it, except they renamed it "The Job Killing Health Care Law," so that it would sound like it had something to do with jobs. Plus it had "killing" in there, and they really dig that stuff, just ask Mrs. Palin.

So, they finally did it, in a somewhat anti-climactic vote on Wednesday. The House repealed "Obamacare." Hell yes they did!!! And it will die in the Senate, and even if it didn't, it would die in a veto. It's completely symbolic, completely a waste of time, and just a bone to throw to the tea partiers. Democrats actually got something out of it, by getting to explain some of the better parts of the deal. And Republicans got to grandstand. You could be forgiven for getting a little lost when listening to the GOPers though, since so much of what they had to say bore scanty resemblance to the truth. Fortunately, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) was there to translate.

Sarah Palin: Waiting to Inhale? Lip Smacking Good!

Lots of people in the spotlight have little tics or odd mannerisms that can really bug when you clue into them. President Obama has a problem with "uhhhhs". George W. Bush had that weird, grinding coke-jaw thing, as well as an annoying chuckle/snicker. John Boner Boehner pulls back the corners of his mouth in a distracting twitch (something only I seem to notice).  So how about Sarah Palin? She's well known for a voice that makes liberals' ears bleed. She's prone to winking, pointing, and making that tchk! noise for punctuation. But here's something you might not have noticed. She audibly inhales. A lot. And she smacks her lips. Also a lot. Check it out.

FOX "News" Loses Some Viewers' Trust

Image from source, Raw Story

Wait, wait, wait. . .there are people out there who trust FOX "News"? You'd think people that gullible would be the number one advertising segment in America.

[Excerpt]

Trust in Fox News plummets: poll



In the space of one year, Fox News has lost its perch as the most trusted TV news network in the US and is now average at best, a new survey has found.



A poll gauging public trust in TV news has found that PBS is the most trusted name in news, while trust in Fox News has dropped significantly. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Stephen Colbert Explains Sarah Palin to Morning Joe's Mika Brzezinski

For one of the best--and funniest--explanations of Sarah Palin's whine-fest this past week, check out this clip from The Colbert Report. It's a thing of genius.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Mika Brzezinski Experiences Palin Fatigue
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog</a> Video Archive

What Exactly is the Far Left Wing?

I've been pondering this lately, and it brought to mind an old post of mine. What is "far left wing" these days? And really, what is "far right wing?"  Rush Limbaugh (and thus, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and Michael Savage) used to be far right wing. They were fringe. They were the equivelant of Morton Downey, Jr. But today? Sean Hannity is a prime time FOX "News" host. The rest (Hannity too) are the biggest ratings earners on AM talk radio.

What this odd change has brought is to bring the far-righty fringe into the mainstream, and to move moderates to the left. So who the freakin' hell are the left, and the far left now? Really, I wanna know. I'm a fan of several leftist personalities, from Randi Rhodes to Thom Hartmann to Rachel Maddow. But they're just left. Not far left, just left. Does anyone else see the bizarre skewing of the political spectrum?

ORIGINAL POST:

So I'm watching Meet the Press and FOX "News" Sunday on the DVR today, and I've heard that President Obama should "move to the middle" or "move to the right" in order to more effectively govern. It's counter-intuitive, since doing this is what his own party thinks he's already done too much of. Despite the ridiculous right-wing image of socialist/Marxist/Communist, the President has made countless gestures to "reach across the aisle" in the health care program, in fiscal policy and elsewhere. The President's descending approval ratings have as much to do with the left's disappointment in his timidity as they do with the right's over the top attacks.

So, I'm digesting this really annoying "conventional wisdom" talking point, and then I hear another one. Senator Evan Bayh--in trying to discount the move-to-the-middle point--said that "far left blogs" were upset with concessions already made to the right. Huh? Who is he talking about there? The biggest left-wing blogs I can think of are Daily Kos, Huffington Post, FireDog Lake, and Democratic Underground. I wouldn't classify any of those as "far left." I'd be willing to bet that Bayh (and every FReeper) would call this blog far left, even though I am a former Republican with a few conservative opinions.

Do some far leftist readers comment at blogs like these (and mine)? Probably. Is there occasionally a post that would be out of the mainstream, even for a solid Democrat? Probably. But by and large, all of those blogs represent merely the left, not the far left. None of them is as staunchly extremist as say FreeRepublic.com, the far right internet outpost. The weird part is, with the mainstreaming of people like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck--extremist far right-wingers by any definition--anything left-of-center is now seen as "far left." It isn't. And I didn't like seeing a prominent Democrat furthering that misperception.

My Car is Dead: Mitsubishi is Moving On

It was inevitable, I know. There is a limited window in which you can drive a car that is current, one that hasn't been replaced, upgraded, or facelifted beyond your car's current visage. My 2009 Mitsubishi Galant is identical to the 2010 and 2011 models except for some minor differences in the grille and the headlamps. We're talking some plastic bits here. But soon, very soon, my car will not only be not current, it will no longer be made at all! I'll be with those sad Pontiac, Saturn and Mercury owners. . .orphaned! I'm a victim!

[Excerpt]

Mitsubishi Planning to Build Lancer-Based Models in the US, Axe Galant and Eclipse



. . .According to Automotive News, Mitsubishi will build vehicles based on the Lancer/Outlander platform at the Normal, Ill. facility in two years time. As a result, the current models being built there could get the axe entirely. They include the Galant, Endeavor, Eclipse and Eclipse Spyder. . .
 
Read more at: AutoGuide.com

UPDATE 06/15/12: I was at Courtesy Imports last weekend for an oil change, and they had at least five new 2012 Galants, in basic and in tricked-out versions. They may be killing this car, but they're killing it slowly. Thats 2004-2012 with only modest redesigns. Nine seasons. Way to milk it, Mitsubishi!

Dr. Laura Schlessinger on Hannity

There is a list of people out there who are largely reviled by the left. More than that, they are alleged by the right to be merely hated for their correctness, their courage, their rightness, not for any valid or legitimate reason. This list would of course include Sarah Palin, who has never done anything wrong, never made a significant error, is pure as the driven snow, and should become our next President.

Also high on that list, but not as popular as she once was, is "Dr." Laura Schlessinger. "Dr." Laura gets the quotes because though she is a doctor, but she's not that kind of doctor, though she seldom did anything to discourage the assumption. Anyway, she used to have a radio show, where fawning women would call her and say "I love you Dr. Laura, and I trust you, and I'll take your advice, whatever it is." Then, Dr. Laura would insult the woman, call her stupid, a "shack up honey," dismiss all of her actions as those of a dime store floozy, and leave the poor thing in tears.  This despite the fact that Laura herself had a very checkered past herself, a relationship with her mother that ended in a shameful tragedy (seriously, look it up), and even nudie photos on the web!

It's because of the nudie photos that I wrote this post. Schlessinger was on the (very) lowbrow FOX "News" program, Hannity on Tuesday night. Simple Sean brought up Schlessinger's nekkid shots for some very strange reason, and she responded to his odd query by saying that they were real, except for any nude below the waist. Those, said Laura, were fakes. I'm calling bullshit. I've seen the photos. They're many and varied, and plain. They're not dolled up, they're not glamor shots. And they're not--at least not for the most part--PhotoShopped. Laura really has nothing to be ashamed of here, at least she wouldn't were she not a professional finger-wagger and prude. She wasn't hideous, and she's hardly alone. Naked shots on the internets will soon be fairly commonplace, I'd think. I betcha within two or three elections, we'll have a President with a known naked photo in circulation.  But those twat shots are not fakes, Mrs. Schlessinger. I'm not posting links, they're too easy to find yourself. But you be the judge.

UPDATED: To add that I think the placement of the circle around Dr. Laura's face on the FOX video is hilarious. It highlights just her face, which looks remarkably like Zira from Planet of the Apes.

Bomb Found in Spokane on MLK Day Parade Route

Image from source, TPM Muckraker

Yeesh. Well, the Arizona shooting tragedy is ten days old, so we were due for a new news cycle obsession, right? Here you go then.

[Excerpt]

FBI: Bomb Planted Along MLK Day Parade Route In Spokane



An incendiary device found along the route of a Martin Luther King Day parade in Spokane, Wash., was "likely capable of inflicting multiple casualties," the FBI said today. . .
 
Read more at: TPM Muckraker

New Year's Resolution Update: No Smoking, Day 16

Image from (no joke) Church Times

It's been a little over two weeks now, so I thought I'd write an update, giving a little of my progress.  I'll not recap any of my smoking history here, other than to say that most of my smoking was very regimented. Evenings, weekends and when we went out to the casino.  So, my habits were possibly more attuned to situations and timing, making me very vulnerable to "triggers."

I picked January 3 as my first smokeless day, since it was the first day back to work in the new year. I bought my last pack of smokes (Marlboro Menthol 100s, Silver Pack) on January 1, and rationed them out over my last weekend. This was sort of a dry run for the actual quitting, rationing out the pack, even letting The Other Half (who still hasn't #$@?! quit!) have some, and leaving him two or three in the pack at the end of my last day.  I really didn't enjoy my last two days, which is probably a good thing.

The first day really wasn't so bad. I've been able to set rules for myself before, and have gone many hours or even a couple of days without smokes before, depending on circumstances.  The biggest challenge was fighting the urge to go outside.  I liken the smoke breaks to commercials during a TV show: I was segmenting my evenings into sections, and after this message from Marlboro, I'd be right back.  So having continuous, unbroken evenings took--and is still taking--a little getting used to.  Day two was much like the first, no biggie, a few genuine cravings, but mostly pointless urges to go outside.

Day three was different. By now, my body and brain couldn't be fooled into thinking this was merely a "break." There was really no cigarette coming. This inspired many more cravings than the first two days. To make matters worse, The Other Half was out of town, and on those days, I traditionally smoked a bit more.  But I held fast, and didn't buy more.  I ain't gonna lie though, it was tough. On day six, I had to cut up a big branch to throw away. After twenty minutes with a hacksaw and some big clippers, I realized. . .I'm not winded! I'm not tired! That my friends, was amazing.

Each day since then has gotten a little easier, with some days being almost completely without an urge to smoke. The urges returned at predictable times, those old times when I'd have usually lit up. I just shook them off, ranted a few times on Facebook, got some support, and moved along. Day 14 had a strong desire, once. Then it passed.  I've always liked cold turkey. . .

Best things about being smoke free:

- Morning coughing (and afternoon, and evening) has reduced to that of a normal person. Phlegm production way down. NO hacking to the point of nausea. This is new!
- Nighttime wheezing tendency gone. I often had an annoying whistle I'd have to clear, and could always churn up something, given a try. Not any more.
- Hypochondria easing. Yes, I can convince myself that I've got a terrible disease. . .wait, did my heartbeat just skip? That nuttiness will likely always be with me, but it's eased a lot.
- I've saved at least $50 already, just in the cost of cigarettes. That doesn't count the time it took to get them, and the planning involved to make sure I was always stocked up.
- My clothes don't stink. My hands don't stink.
- My gums--plagued by periodontitis--already feel better. Maybe that's reverse hypochondria, but I swear it's true.
- I feel a sense of accomplishment, and no longer have a feeling of vague shame.

Hardest things about quitting:

- Getting started. Just set a date and try it.
- Gritting your teeth and having will power for five to ten minutes until the urge to smoke passes. Really, that is about what it takes, a few times per day. Trust me, you can do it.
- Resisting the urge to have "just one." I've already gone through that bargaining process with myself: "If I have just one, I can still say 'I've only had one since I quit.'"  But I quit for me, not for somebody else. What point is there in cheating, when I'm the one who matters?
- Realizing there really isn't a substitute for the activity. There's nothing else where you stop what you're doing for three-five minutes while you go outside and sit/pace around, and then come back and resume what you were doing. This should be no big deal, but it is so hard to get used to.
- Resisting the urge to become an anti-smoking Nazi. I want to slap butts out of people's hands. I want to tell them they stink, that I don't want to smell their smoke. I have to only flash back a couple of weeks to the other side of that argument to stop me. But I do feel sorry for those currently smoking.

More as I move through this.

Frivolity Break: Julie Brown's Another Drunk Chick (Ke$ha Tik Tok Parody)

I've always loved Julie Brown, and have wondered where the heck she went. She made a little ripple in 2008 with some great Sarah Palin spoofs, then I have no idea where she went. Well, she's got a new album, so I'm happy.



Find out more at: Kenneth in the (212)

Joe Lieberman Finally Retiring

Other than for his support in getting Don't Ask, Don't Tell repealed, I've always had very little use for Joe Lieberman. Al Gore's selection of him as a running mate was perplexing, and arguably cost him one of the closest losses (even though it was a popular vote win, it must be noted) in presidential election history.  The only thing I'll miss is Jon Stewart's Droopy Dog impression of him.

[Excerpt]

Lieberman Will Not Run for Re-election

Senator Joseph I. Lieberman will announce on Wednesday that he will not seek a fifth term, according to a person he told of his decision.
Mr. Lieberman, whose term is up in 2012, chose to retire rather than risk being defeated, said the person, who spoke to the senator on Tuesday. . .
Read more at: New York Times

Battle Hymn of. . .Sarah Palin

This is so laughably bad, so hideously, groaningly, mind-numbingly stupid, I really don't know what to say. Are we sure it isn't a parody?



Don't watch with a mouth full of coffee.

Sarah Palin Continues to Unravel on Sean Hannity's Show

What, you don't think this lady is coming apart? Sure, she seems all hyper-defensive, accusey and full of you betcha as ever, I'll grant you that. But first, she releases a tone-deaf video response of a tragedy that makes herself out to be one of the victims. Then, after that fairly well bombs (especially in contrast to President Obama's speech on the same day) with all but her diehard fans, she needs to do more damage control. So what venue does she choose? Well, FOX "News," of course, but even worse, Hannity, the only program whose host would give her even softer treatment than Greta Van Whatsername.



Hannity does not interview. He sets up--not softballs--T-balls for conservatives to hit, or if he's talking to a liberal, he rattles off talking points while ticking them off on his chubby fingers. And Sarah Palin continues to make herself a victim, not conceding an inch. But she seems fairly rattled to me, and I don't think she did herself any favors with this her second "defense." Surely, she's going to have to now do a third one to explain Monday's Hannity outing. Greta, are you ready?

The article excerpted below is by Salon's Joan Walsh, and it starts out with the barest statement of fact I've just about ever read (underlined by me to point it out).

[Excerpt]

Sarah Palin was too blood libeled!




In a defensive blast at her critics, she doubles down on her use of the charged term and seems angrier than ever.

Sean Hannity is an oaf. . . .

Read more at: Salon

Conservatives Jump to Conclusions?

After all the grousing that liberals were jumping to conclusions about Jared Loughner's political ideology, and other things in the last week and a half, you'd think they'd refrain from doing something similar. And yeah, I know not all conservatives are doing it (and neither were all liberals before), but there's a healthy chunk of the blogosphere and its audience that just pounces on this stuff. It happened with a fake "Laughner" [sic] Facebook page, and it happened with an alleged "applause" sign at Obama's Arizona memorial speech. And it'll happen again. This one can happen on the right or on the left, for sure, I know. But when one side is being highly critical of the other for "jumping to conclusions," they probably ought to be more careful.

[Excerpt]

Wingnuts Have Proof Obama Wanted Applause At Weird Times In Tucson



It has taken some time, but Gateway Pundit figured it out! We now know why those rowdy, unassociated college kids whooped and cheered every time they heard the words “University of Arizona” (“mourning”), at the memorial in Tucson last week: The president’s Jumbotron told them to applaud! It certainly couldn’t be that these wingnuts don’t understand the concept of closed captioning, right? Oh. . .
 
Read more at: Wonkette

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment, 9 Days Later

Gov. LePage (R-Maine), MLK Day and Racial Politics

Image from source, Think Progress.
Are all Republicans turning
into turtles?

There are times when I blog about things I deeply care about, some times when I find something that is merely entertaining or amusing, and other times when I post something just because the photo struck me funny. While I'm sure this Governor LePage guy worthy of scorn, and is probably a real piece of work, I'm merely amused by his photo. It would appear that the man is either doing an impression, or actually turning into Senator Mitch McConnell!

[Excerpt]

LePage Relents, Attends MLK Day Event After Refusing NAACP Invites And Telling Them To ‘Kiss My Butt’

As ThinkProgress reported Friday, Maine’s tea party-backed Gov. Paul LePage (R) declined invitations from the NAACP to attend events honoring Martin Luther King Day today because he said he had prior commitments. When LePage was criticized for skipping the events, he fired back, saying, “I am not going to beheld hostage by a special interest group,” and telling the civil rights group to “kiss my butt. . .”

Read more at: Think Progress

So, Is it Still the "Blame Game" When Nobody is Blaming?

Much of this blog over the last week has been focused on the Arizona assassination attempt of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and the offshoot discussions it generated. While there of course has been discussion about gun control (a topic which oddly is widely believed to be futile), the bulk of the chatter has been about political rhetoric, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Sharron Angle, and other tangents. The right wing in particular has been in hyper-defensive mode, vociferously denying that their rhetoric could incite violence, while simultaneously advocating their right to use violent rhetoric (and don't forget, the left does it too! and just as much!).

But more than that, they've also nattered on about how the left "blamed" Sarah Palin for the shootings. And blamed the right and everything about it, and that's just wrong, it was too soon, and it isn't true! Well, it isn't true. I've been saying this for a while now. Pointing out that Palin said and did incendiary stuff, or that the political air is toxic isn't the same as "blaming." I'd say the furthest most mainstream pundits or politicians went was to say it could have contributed to a climate that could lead to such actions. And it could.

[Excerpt]

NYT: No widespread blame of the right for Arizona shooting

Conservatives are outraged -- outraged! -- that the traditional media has spent the last week blaming them and their violent rhetoric for the shooting in Arizona.

Just one problem: it's not true. . .

Read more at: DailyKos

Saturday Night Live w/Gwyneth Paltrow

After a string of so-so episodes (and some downright unfunny ones), SNL may be getting its groove back. Last week's Jim Carrey episode was better than average, and this weekend's was actually pretty darn funny. They started with a strong cold opening, making fun of FOX "News" trying to be civil. The monologue was okay, with Gwyneth Paltrow--who is currently starring in a movie as a country singer--acting like she knows nothing about country music, and Weekend Update was funny too. Those three elements make or break any SNL episode. Some of the other skits were hit-or-miss, but over all, a decent show.



The SNL Digital Short with Pee Wee Herman was weird, but was the highlight of the show.

Overtime With Bill Maher: January 14, 2011

Ep. 198: January 14, 2011 - Overtime