What Future for Republican Hooligans?

Good Morning Bloggers! What do you guys make of the latest Republican demonstrations at town halls across America, so reminiscent of the Spring "Tea Parties" featuring hundreds of America's finest citizens? I know I'm getting very tired of today's juvenile Republican antics. Their love of democracy is only surpassed by their love of shouting and drowning out our individual right to congregate and debate.

They are making a big splash in the media, but they still look like a bunch of FOOLS! To suggest they're coming across as a productive opposition to a serious debate is laughable. I'm pretty sure ordinary citizens observing the health care debate from the sidelines consider them distractions - since despite what Republicans are saying in the media, most Americans do consider health care a serious issue that needs repair.

In my opinion, which of course is what this blog is all about, I see them as loud-mouthed bullies, pure and simple. They are no different then children who scream to make their point, pouting if they don't get their way. They may see themselves as a determined opposition who will drown out those they disagree with, but the rest of us see them as fools who refuse to sit down and discuss a very serious issue.

I'm pretty sure most Americans see them as irrational. Most of us are smart enough to realize they didn't shout over the past eight years or so when the Republicans were spending more than at any other time in history.

Where were they when the Republicans passed the last health care bills? Where were they when their own political party funneled hundreds of billions of government tax money into the hands of the pharmaceuticals (prescription drug benefits) and private health insurance companies (Medicare Plus) under George W. Bush and the Republicans?

Democrats wanted to save our tax dollars from corporate waste during that debate. That is a fact! Where were the Republican shouts about waste then?

I'll tell you where they were. They were SILENT! SHEEP! OBEDIENT MORONS! The damn hypocrites. They have no credibility when it comes to lecturing us on how to spend tax dollars.

They're trying to shout-down a debate about health care - insurance - reform when most Americans want and need to talk about the issue. Republicans may feel empowered by the demonstrations (if you listen to Pat Robertson and others), but the rest of us only see a bunch of loud-mouthed fools trying to take away our microphones, or whatever else we need to make ourselves heard in this very important debate.

The bottom-line is that Republicans want to spend-spend-spend when they're in power, doing everything they can to help their own constituencies such as corporations, the wealthy and the military-industrial crowd, but do everything they can to shut down ANY spending when not in power.

It doesn't even seem to matter if we're trying to reform a system that is threatening America's ability to pay down past Republican debt, guarantee our competitive place in the world (other countries have affordable health care, giving them a competitive edge), and much more. They don't seem to care about those points. They just ignore those very important national security considerations.

Oh yes, and they - incredibly - have the gall to treat all government money as though it were their own. The really disgusting part is that we're trying to spend American money to save American lives, and they still object.

They won't object when it comes to spending money on weaponry, but will fight tooth and nail to prevent children and poorer Americans from being able to purchase affordable - reformed - health insurance. It's clear from the "debates" so far they are prepared to lie and lie and lie. They keep telling INCREDIBLE LIES!

They keep saying that Democrats are trying to take away your health insurance as it exists today (LIE!), kill your grandmother by recommending euthanasia (LIE!), bring about socialized medicine (LIE!), fund abortions (LIE!), and my favorite, suggest that poor people will be shipped to better neighborhood hospitals reminiscent of the busing scares decades ago.

It's clear the Republicans and their industry allies will stop at nothing to shut-down debate about health insurance reform. They will do everything they can to muddy the waters and make Americans fear change. They may be more Rovian, but by and large they are using the same basic tactics they used when trying to kill Social Security, Medicare and every other major program that helped civilize our great country. It's time people wise-up when it comes to Republicans.

The simple truth is the rest of us need to stay focused. Just like when we were in school, we cannot allow a few bullies to derail education, evolution and advancement for the rest of us. We need to use whatever means at our disposal to continue debate and get our message across that we voted for change and health care/insurance reform is one of the most important parts of that change.

We need to fight against their hooliganism. We need to treat Republican bullies the same way we treat angry children - either ignore them, and if they don't listen to reason, send them away.

Their screaming didn't work during the campaign at the McCain and Palin rallies, so hopefully it won't work now. My recommendation is to stand-up to them. I know I will. Don't allow them to silence our debate. It would be a crime to allow ourselves to be cowered by people who have no place in a modern, civilized political debate.

Whether it's a "tea partier," a "birther," a "deather," or whatever comes next (how about throwing furniture like in the picture), today's Republicans are looking more and more like a party for both hooligans and fools.

Tuesday's Political Rant - Michael

Turn Around and Fight, Face to Face!

Hello Readers! I would like to discuss something close to my heart and this blog: the poor state of political communication or debate today. I'm mostly referring to what I see coming out of the Republicans, or the right, but I'll be fair and say that we all seem to be talking past each other these days. In my opinion, the traditional QUALITY of American political debate is in jeopardy. We all need to go back to school for a refresher.

The more society becomes interconnected by electronic networks the less we seem to understand each other, or at least LISTEN. I'm sure we've all noticed it. We all - both the right and the left - seem to be drifting apart. Where's the common ground we used to share? It's getting more and more difficult to be civil. What's the cause? Could it be the Internet? It may contribute to the quantity of today's debate, but is it possible that it detracts from the quality? That's a good question we should ask ourselves.

Take this blog for example. If you go back and read many of my posts you'll see that I go to great lengths to find facts and figures. I do a lot of homework before I write about an issue. Unfortunately most of the responses are what you might call incomplete. They're always personal, sometimes cruel, and most of the time illiterate. Instead of debating the issue they always seem to go after me. To this day, I have yet to enjoy a traditional point-by-point debate with the right. It's true. Go and look if you disagree. I dare you to find a decent debate. They usually just call me names.

It's as if we come from two different worlds, and speak two different languages. To be blunt, I've grown frustrated and lost faith in small blogs like mine as a place for actual debates. To be clear, I'm only speaking about getting responses, since I still like writing for people who just enjoy reading about political issues. I've gone back to real life, person-to person debates, usually at dinner parties, where I can really dig in. Those are fun too. Like so many of us here, I've begun to ignore the intellectual rot that has infected today's political dialog on the Internet. You know its many forms.

This blog is now simply an outlet, where I get to vent about politics to a few hundred people who stop by every now and then to read my rants and raves. I still love it when you debate, but you don't have to. I encourage healthy debate, and discourage unhealthy, stupid debate. Please, do your homework. READ! I'm speaking mostly to those on the right who seem to resist facts, while using their keyboards to vomit forth garbage that adds nothing to the debate. Their usual word fare is hardly worth the read, much less a response.

Anyway, back to the discussion about the poor state of today's political communication. Here's a great example of the way the right looks at the left today. It's a recent transcript from Rush Limbaugh:

RL: This is... it's about power, it's about control. These people genuinely look out over this country from their lofty perches. They don't like what they see. Otherwise...

Caller: So they can go somewhere else! Like, I don't understand, why do they have to stay here? Like, leave us alone!

RL: At this point, at this point Gretchen, I don't care about the why. They're not going to leave. They're trying to control it. At this point, the only thing is they must be stopped!

Caller: I agree...

RL: Within the confines of our Constitution, and the political arena of ideas, they must be stopped. I don't care why they see this country the way they see it. I don't care why a murderer does it. I don't care why a rapist does it. I don't care why this Muslim guy offed his wife's head. The NOW gang is out there saying 'oh, that's not domestic violence, that's just, uh, that's just...' what do they call it? 'Culturally honor killing. Or this woman was going to divorce him, that's against the law. That's his diversity.' I don't care, I don't care why anymore. If I figure it out, I'll be glad to tell you because it's interesting to know, but it doesn't matter in terms of defeating them.

It's so tiring. They're so tiring. I realize that Limbaugh is just trying to get ratings, and he's not a politician, but many Republicans admire him and consider him to be a solid representative of the right wing. It's still horrible! Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly and Beck are all out there calling us "socialists" and "communists" these days, and they won't allow for a real debate to counter their BS. The really dumb ones - on the radio - are even worse, calling us "fascists" and "baby killers." Unlike left wing radio, they never take OUR CALLS! They screen us out. They never welcome our best people on their TV shows! The system doesn't work!

I understand we all - on both sides of the aisle - get colorful at times, but things are getting out of hand. We deserve the right to counter their crap! I often get heated and passionate on this blog, but I'm always willing to debate my points - as long as you do it properly, POINT-BY-POINT! That's the only way to determine what side is right, and what side is LYING!

Our national conversation seems to be getting worse. The right is spending its air time calling us names. They oppose our positions without debate, and they do it while the country is FALLING APART from problems THEY CREATED! The Republicans and those on the right are being INCREDIBLY IRRESPONSIBLE in my opinion. Something needs to change, and FAST!

I have an idea! Our Democratic leaders need to challenge the Republicans to REAL POLITICAL DEBATES, like the ones held during the election, but BETTER! More PASSIONATE! The American people are worried about their future, and they would respond. If they're really feisty, the networks could sell advertising. The ratings would probably be good. Just like in school, let's put our best debaters up against their best debaters. Let's see who wins the day. We could even offer a prize. How about real power and the future of the nation.

That's today's great political challenge. Let's turn that FAT ELEPHANT around to face us, and have a series of real, honest American political debates. It may be the only way.

Friday's Political Rant #1 - Michael

Debate Review: Obama was Clear, Strong While McCain Was Twitchy, Angry

Good Morning Bloggers - It's a beautiful morning here in Southern California. It's kind of perverse, but sunrises are always more beautiful when they're bathed in wildfire smoke. Anyway, here's my impression of the last presidential debate of the season. As I've grown to expect, my candidate Barack Obama did another great job. McCain seemed twitchy, angry, and inarticulate.

McCain seemed hyperbolic and crazy to me. ACORN, one of America's oldest and community organizations that hasn't done anything wrong except maybe hired some bad people who they fired, is a "threat" to democracy. Is he nuts! He seemed to ramble, stare, groan, breath weirdly, and get very defensive about everybody and anybody who ever attended his rallies, when it was clear that Obama was talking about a few bad apples. Even his bravado was strange. Was it just me, or did he seem to be want to punch somebody at that moment? It was freaky to say the least.

I will be posting the Factcheck.org details about how each candidate "stretched the truth" soon after I get it, but my gut tells me that McCain lied about some pretty important things. One of the worst was when McCain claimed to "repudiate" anybody who was "out of line" in his campaign. What a load of crap. The McCain campaign has tolerated and encouraged outrageous comments about Obama from spokespeople and supporters for months. That comment was outrageous and without a hint of truth.

Early polls released last night showed that Obama did well again. If things continue to go this way, America will have something to celebrate in a few weeks. Obama is a good man, but even more important, he's an intelligent, capable man. We are very lucky to have him at this time in our history. If we succeed - yes, WE, his small donors and supporters - in getting him elected president then we will all have a reason to hold a big party.

His campaign is considering an election night party in Chicago's Grant Park. I think we should all consider holding a party or attending one. Email me if you have any ideas. For those negative Republicans who think we might be counting our proverbial eggs, I say there's nothing wrong with being optimistic, especially since I can't even imagine the alternative. Thanks for another great debate Barack! You're doing a great job!

Thursday's Debate Review #1 - Michael

Political News: Factcheck.org Debate Review

Hello Bloggers - Just in case some of you stragglers aren't signed up to receive Factcheck.org's newsletter, I thought I would repost their debate review here on the blog. Enjoy!

McCain and Obama debated for the second time, in Nashville. We noted some misleading statements and mangled facts:

• McCain proposed to write down the amount owed by over-mortgaged homeowners and claimed the idea as his own: “It’s my proposal, it's not Sen. Obama's proposal, it's not President Bush's proposal.” But the idea isn’t new. Obama had endorsed something similar two weeks earlier, and authority for the treasury secretary to grant such relief was included in the recently passed $700 billion financial rescue package.
• Both candidates oversimplified the causes of the financial crisis. McCain blamed it on Democrats who resisted tighter regulation of federal mortgage agencies. Obama blamed it on financial deregulation backed by Republicans. We find both are right, with plenty of blame left over for others, from home buyers to the chairman of the Federal Reserve.
• Obama said his health care plan would lower insurance premiums by up to $2,500 a year. Experts we’ve consulted see little evidence such savings would materialize.
• McCain misstated his own health care plan, saying he’d give a $5,000 tax credit to “every American” His plan actually would provide only $2,500 per individual, or $5,000 for couples and families. He also misstated Obama’s health care plan, claiming it would levy fines on “small businesses” that fail to provide health insurance. Actually, Obama’s plan exempts “small businesses.”
• McCain lamented that the U.S. was forced to “withdraw in humiliation” from Somalia in 1994, but he failed to note that he once proposed to cut off funding for troops to force a faster withdrawal.
• Obama said, “I favor nuclear power.” That’s a stronger statement than we've heard him make before. As recently as last December, he said, “I am not a nuclear energy proponent.”
• McCain claimed “1.3 million people in America make their living off eBay.” Actually, only 724,000 persons in the U.S. have income from eBay, and only some of them rely on it as their primary source.
  

Review: Poor McCain, I Almost Felt Sorry for Him, But Not Quite

Good Morning Bloggers - As usual, I would like to give my impression of the debate before reading the daily news. I thought Barack did an amazing job last night explaining not only his positions but how we have to focus on revenues, not just cuts. I felt kind of sorry for McCain. He wasn't angry like I expected. He just seemed kind of slow and awkward. But after all the name calling lately, calling Barack a terrorist in every other speech, I have very little pity for the guy. I guess what goes around, comes around.

McCain and the Republicans try to keep any discussion of revenue generation or maintenance off the table. I thought Barack was very convincing last night slamming McCain for not recognizing the scope of the problem. Cuts alone will not solve our problems. Every American, including the wealthy, must sacrifice while continuing to invest. The country cannot afford McCain's tax cuts any more than we can afford his health plan with its trillion plus dollar cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.

I also appreciated the questions about making sacrifices and priorities. Bush, McCain and the Republicans have wanted us to go shopping. McCain didn't even have a direct answer to the question about sacrifice. Obama is calling for us all to learn more about energy savings and to implement changes in our daily lives. I really appreciated that call to action. It was a breath of fresh air. Obama gave his clear priorities: energy, healthcare and entitlements. Again, McCain didn't answer the question.

Overall I thought Barack had another solid debate performance. I got calls from some Republican friends of mine who were very disappointed with McCain - they're even questioning their support for him. To me, McCain seemed old and doddery last night while Barack looked strong and confident. I must admit things are looking up. Perhaps there really is light at the end of this nightmare of a tunnel.

Wednesday's Political Debate Review #1 - Michael

Political Rant: Doggone It, I'm Begging You, Send the Winking Wacko Back To Alaska!

Good Morning Bloggers - I thought I would post prior to reviewing the press this morning to give my gut reaction to last night's debate. I thought Joe Biden was brilliant! He proved that he will make an awesome VP and possible president in the case of a disaster. Sarah Palin did very well, but so mind numbingly annoying, corny, folksy and "good-ole-galish" that I wanted to gag. I don't understand how anybody could vote for her, but I would say that she did well in a very difficult setting - a bit scripted, but well.

"Ah, say it ain't so, Joe," was one of those remarks that crawled under my skin and died. I couldn't stand the "now doggone it," the winks, or the wrinkled nose. I also hated the way she said "mavericky." All of it gave me the creeps. She would be fine as a congresswoman, but running for VP during one of the most difficult periods in American history, I say NO WAY!

What is wrong with you Republicans? How can you even consider putting that woman one step away from our presidency? McCain could have stage two or three melanoma - it's been reported by reputable sources, just not covered by the corporate media. She could wind up our PRESIDENT if you don't reconsider your vote. You already get failing grades as voters for electing the incompetent boob George Bush, but to consider another one makes me feel like you should all be disqualified as voters. You guys need to go to voting school or something.

Overall I think Biden did a great job. He made me feel proud as a Democrat and American. It was Scanton versus Wasilla, and Scranton won. Palin made me cringe most of the time. I'll give her kudos for not screwing up, but that's about it. Please, I'm begging you, don't put that woman in office. She scares me even more than Dick Cheney. God help us! Please, send her back to Alaska - and soon!

Friday's Political Rant #1 - Michael

Political News: CBS Debate Poll Results

Hello Bloggers - CBS News polled 500 uncommitted voters during and after the debate and I thought you should have access here, so visit http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/2008Debate1.pdf and check out their very interesting results. Of course, I'm pretty happy with the results:

WHO WON THE DEBATE?

• Obama 39%
• McCain 24%
• Tie 37%

Saturday's Political News #1 - Michael

Political Comment: First Debate a Draw, So Obama Wins

Good Morning Bloggers - My view is that both candidates did a good job last night, and even though McCain kept Obama on the defensive more, I think Obama's solid performance was critical.

John McCain pointed out many times last night how he has the experience and voters know him. Obama simply had to prove he was well informed and could keep up with McCain. In my opinion he did a good job keeping up and more. He was knowledgeable and assertive, even questioning McCain's judgement in many areas.

McCain might have impressed some people with his combative style, but not me. I think America is instinctively turning away from that style after eight years of Bush. I don't know it hurt him or not, but McCain was slightly hunched and angry and far too dismissive, rude, and condescending. He didn't treat Obama with the respect he deserves. I really didn't like the way McCain never looked at Obama - it made him look small and petty. For all those who thought Obama was too polite, I disagree. Obama needed to show McCain respect. The American people would have been offended if Obama treated McCain poorly in any way.

Some clarification from FactCheck.org:

• Obama said McCain adviser Henry Kissinger backs talks with Iran “without preconditions,” but McCain disputed that. In fact, Kissinger did recently call for “high level” talks with Iran starting at the secretary of state level and said, “I do not believe that we can make conditions.” After the debate the McCain campaign issued a statement quoting Kissinger as saying he didn’t favor presidential talks with Iran.


• Obama denied voting for a bill that called for increased taxes on “people” making as little as $42,000 a year, as McCain accused him of doing. McCain was right, though only for single taxpayers. A married couple would have had to make $83,000 to be affected by the vote, and anyway no such increase is in Obama’s tax plan.


• McCain and Obama contradicted each other on what Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen said about troop withdrawals. Mullen said a time line for withdrawal could be “very dangerous” but was not talking specifically about “Obama’s plan,” as McCain maintained.


• McCain tripped up on one of his signature issues – special appropriation “earmarks.” He said they had “tripled in the last five years,” when in fact they have decreased sharply.


• Obama claimed Iraq “has” a $79 billion surplus. It once was projected to be as high as that. It’s now down to less than $60 billion.


• McCain repeated his overstated claim that the U.S. pays $700 billion a year for oil to hostile nations. Imports are running at about $536 billion this year, and a third of it comes from Canada, Mexico and the U.K.


• Obama said 95 percent of “the American people” would see a tax cut under his proposal. The actual figure is 81 percent of households.


• Oama mischaracterized an aspect of McCain’s health care plan, saying “employers” would be taxed on the value of health benefits provided to workers. Employers wouldn’t, but the workers would. McCain also would grant workers up to a $5,000 tax credit per family to cover health insurance.


• McCain misrepresented Obama's plan by claiming he'd be "handing the health care system over to the federal government." Obama would expand some government programs but would allow people to keep their current plans or chose from private ones, as well.


• McCain claimed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had drafted a letter of resignation from the Army to be sent in case the 1944 D-Day landing at Normandy turned out to be a failure. Ike prepared a letter taking responsibility, but he didn’t mention resigning.

Overall, I think they both did a good job. I think Obama - being a poker player - is keeping his cards close to his chest. I think he plans to poke McCain more and more over the next three debates, hopefully leading to an angry McCain in the end. Like Reagan in 1980, all Obama has to do is communicate competence and strength, and I think the American people will accept him in November. Your reactions?

Saturday's Political Comment #1 - Michael