Friday Talking Points [295] -- Happy Pi Day!
Today is 3/14, therefore a happy Pi Day to all! Next year will be even more fun, though, since it'll be 3/14/15....
Moving right along... a lot happened in the world of politics this week, including Democrats being disappointed in a special House election down in Florida and the president appearing between two ferns (which caused some underwear-bunching on the right, so to speak). We'll get to all of that later, though. First, let's take a run around the rest of the news from the week, shall we?
Setting a level for hypocrisy usually not so blatantly shown by Democrats, Senator Dianne Feinstein is hopping mad that the government spied on her computers. The irony is so thick you can spread it on toast. Previously known as a champion for pretty much any spying the N.S.A. felt like doing, on every American, Feinstein doesn't have a whole lot of moral high ground to stand on, no matter how much high dudgeon she's currently showing. Edward Snowden immediately called Feinstein onto the carpet for her hypocrisy.
But after the raft of manure she deservedly got for her "laws for me, but not for thee" elitist view of the Fourth Amendment, Feinstein certainly does have a point. Maybe what America needs is a second "Church Committee," in fact, to investigate how the intelligence services of the country should be operating. And while the dustup between Feinstein and the C.I.A. is what's in the news now, this is truly all a sideshow to the real subject matter at hand -- the impending 6,000-page report from Feinstein's committee, on how America used torture after 9/11. That is going to be an explosive report, if the American public ever hears what is in it, that is.
Marijuana made the news in several ways over the past week, so let's just hit the high points (so to speak... ahem). In California, the state Democratic Party just included a plank in its platform which calls for "the legalization, regulation and taxation of pot in a manner similar to that of tobacco or alcohol." Gavin Newsom, who is now California's lieutenant governor, pushed for the inclusion.
Sanjay Gupta used another of his shows to call for nationwide legalization of medical marijuana, after speaking with "marijuana refugees" who have moved to Colorado to secure medicine for their children to avoid seizures. Gupta felt compelled to revisit the subject on his show: "This refugee situation that is developing, I thought it would be a bit apocryphal, I wanted to make sure I wasn't being led down some false path -- but I met with these families and it is real. Are you really going to arrest a person for taking their medicine back to their state? This is not the society that I think most people would think we are and yet it's absolutely happening. It's heartbreaking."
In Colorado, the state appeals court ruled that people convicted under previous state marijuana laws should probably be let go, now that the laws have changed. It's pointless to hold someone in prison, after all, for doing something that is now legal. Eric Holder made the news for calling for reducing mandatory minimum sentences federally to cut down sentences for all non-violent drug offenses, as well.
And it was lobbying week in Washington for the marijuana lobby. Yes, there now is such a thing. In past years, they haven't made much of a splash on Capitol Hill, but this year they've been drawing much more serious attention. After all, Colorado has shown that there are millions of dollars in tax revenue to be had out there, just for the asking. The concept of a "marijuana lobby" might be an odd one to contemplate, but it is indeed as important as the other drug reform efforts taking place. Members of Congress need to hear how even small changes in current law could help this new industry grow and prosper. There are all sorts of hurdles and needless obstacles to creating a real marijuana marketplace, and they need to be removed, one by one. Lobbyists are exactly what is needed to get this job done.
And finally, the Supreme Court has refused to take up a First Amendment case, which leaves the lower court's ruling intact: students in public schools cannot be banned from wearing "I [heart] Boobies" bracelets (in support of the fight against breast cancer), because it is not disruptive to the schools' educational mission and is in fact free speech. So feel free to heart all the boobies you want, kids! So to speak.
We've got a few Honorable Mention awards to get to before the main event this week. Dianne Feinstein deserves some credit (in and amongst the ridicule for the inconsistency of her Fourth Amendment views), both for the torture investigation itself and for reportedly pushing very hard for at least a summary of the report to be made public. Declassifying at least an overview is indeed important, because it may be the only chance Americans get to see what was done in our name. A secret investigation which produces a secret report (which can't even be talked about in public because it is so secret) is the very definition of pointlessness. The public deserves to know, which Dianne Feinstein seems committed to making happen somehow. For that, she deserves mention.
Eric Holder's push on reforming mandatory minimum sentencing is a big step in the right direction, so he also deserves at least an Honorable Mention for his speech this week. I wrote about this yesterday, in more detail.
House Democrats have certainly been showing some feistiness, and they have now tried twice to pass a reprimand of Darrell Issa for shutting down the microphone of the ranking Democrat on his committee, during a hearing. Of course, it failed on party-line votes, but this is indeed the way to hold people's feet to the fire (especially considering that Issa is scheduled to step down from his chairmanship at the end of this year, but has been rumored to be begging Boehner for an extension).
But the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week this week was President Obama, for announcing that the Department of Labor will be reviewing rules on overtime pay. This will close a loophole many employers use to get free overtime work out of very minor employees, by calling them "supervisors" and putting them on a yearly salary instead of hourly wages. By raising the amount real supervisors must make (to be classified as such) and revamping the rules for who can be labelled a supervisor, this will restore traditional time-and-a-half overtime pay to millions of workers. These are people who work hard making just above the poverty line, who are being exploited for extra free overtime labor.
This initiative goes hand-in-hand with raising the minimum wage, because it answers the previous complaint that "this will only affect the lowest-paid workers." Moving up the salary scale and identifying a welcome change which could be made for people who are working very hard and deserve to be paid appropriately for it will dovetail with the Democratic push to raise the minimum wage nationally. It sets up the Democratic election-year theme "We're for Main Street, Republicans are for Wall Street" perfectly, in fact.
For making a bold move on overtime pay, and for it fitting in so neatly with the push for raising the minimum wage, President Obama deserves the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week. He's doing a good job, so far, of laying out a theme for his fellow Democrats to use in the campaign this fall.
[Congratulate President Barack Obama on his White House contact page, to let him know you appreciate his efforts.]
Senator Dianne Feinstein also deserves at least a (Dis-)Honorable Mention this week, for all of her previous support of government spying on computers, phones, and anything else they feel like doing. She has pushed legislation to legalize the mass collection of data from every American, and she is adamant that it's for the best for everyone. Until her own computers were monitored, that is. For such breathtaking hypocrisy, DiFi (as we like to call her out here in California) has earned at least a (Dis-)Honorable Mention.
The biggest disappointment of the week, however, was down in the 13th congressional district of Florida, where Democrat Alex Sink lost a very close race to a flawed Republican candidate. If Sink had won, it could have changed the whole Republican campaign plan for this fall's midterm elections; but because she lost, it's going to be all anti-Obamacare, all the time on the airwaves.
Now, losing this election wasn't any sort of crushing blow to Democrats (even Karl Rove is warning Republicans not to break out the 2014 champagne quite yet), since Republicans have held this particular seat since the 1950s. But it was a "purple" district, since Obama (barely) won it both times. Sink got close to winning -- within roughly two percent. But the turnout stayed low, which is a much more worrisome thing for Democrats this November. Republicans reliably vote every two years, while Democrats only really turn out big in presidential years. If this stays true in 2014, Democrats are going to have a bad year.
For being the first to lose a (closely-watched) House race this year, Alex Sink is our Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week.
[Alex Sink is now a private citizen, and we do not give out contact information in this case. Also, she's probably disappointed enough on her own, without any further comment from others.]
Volume 295 (3/14/14)
Once again, a mixed bag this week. Some positive talking points for Democrats, some slams against Republicans, and the idiocy of "presidents before Obama were more dignified than doing comedy," just to close on.
Enjoy, as always.
I'm not going to let them take away your rights
Every so often, we feature a talking point from a professional in the field. This week's is from Paul Begala, who is telling Democrats to go on offense on Obamacare, instead of always playing defense. As he puts it, "We can win on Obamacare, but we have to fight. You cannot win if you do not fight." Here's his proposed talking point for Democratic candidates this year:
My opponent wants to repeal your rights to health care. He wants to take away your right to be protected against discrimination because you have a pre-existing condition. He wants to take away your right to be protected against discrimination for being older or being a woman. He wants to take away the closing of the Medicare donut hole for seniors. Look, I'm open to working with everybody to fix the law. But I'll never let them go back to the days where insurance companies could send letters saying your coverage has been canceled because you have a pre-existing condition. Repeal is Republicans' whole agenda. They have no ideas for giving you a pay raise. No ideas for raising the minimum wage. No ideas about how to create jobs. No ideas about how to get your kid into pre-K. Their entire agenda as a party is repeal -- to take away rights that you have won. I'm not going to let them do that.
Uninsured rate continues to fall
Can't argue with the facts...
"For all the noise on the right about how Obamacare is destined to be a giant failure, I notice that the rate of Americans who don't have health insurance began to fall right when Obamacare was implemented. It's down for the first three months of this year, in fact. I predict that this rate will continue to fall, as more and more people take advantage of their new access to affordable care. This was the main reason this law was passed, so it's good to see it is doing what it was designed to do -- reduce the percentage of Americans who don't have health insurance."
Doing things for the poor rather than just talking about it
Republicans are waking up to the fact that their party is seen as only caring about the wealthy. Point out that Democrats have always focused on Main Street.
"After over two months of Republicans blocking an extension of unemployment benefits in the Senate, we've finally reached a point where enough Republicans are getting worried about the upcoming election to get on board the Democratic effort to provide relief for these Americans who are hurting. We hope that a few Republicans will realize this over in the House, so we can get some money in the pockets of millions of Americans who are being used by Republicans as nothing more than a political football. Democrats would also like to invite Republicans to join in our efforts to raise the minimum wage, especially after it was announced that the fatcats on Wall Street made more in bonuses this year -- not salary, mind you, just bonuses -- than twice the entire combined pay of everyone who makes minimum wage in the whole country. That is disgusting, to be honest, which is why Democrats are working hard for all those hard-working Americans making minimum wage. For those a little further up the pay scale, President Obama just announced reforms that will guarantee that people get the overtime pay they really should be entitled to. They work long hours and they get nothing for their overtime now -- Democrats believe that is wrong, and we will end it. If Republicans want to do something for the poor that involves anything more than just talking about doing something for the poor, we have many efforts they could join us in today. The voters will remember who supported these efforts and who stood in the way, that's my guess."
McCain drops "R-bomb" on Republicans
John McCain is not happy with his fellow Republicans in the Senate, it seems. The Senate moved on sanctions against Russia this week, and McCain took those Republicans to task who held up the process. In doing so, he invoked Saint Ronald of Reagan, in what amounts to "fighting words" among Republicans. In his own words:
I will say to my friends who were objecting to this -- and there are a number of them on my side -- you can call yourself Republicans. That's fine, because that's your voter registration. Don't call yourself Reagan Republicans. Ronald Reagan would never, would never let this kind of aggression go unresponded to by the American people.... I've been embarrassed before on the floor of the Senate, I will tell the president. But I haven't been embarrassed this way about members of my own party.
Ready for the next discrimination battle?
This one is going to have some ripples spread from it, that's for sure.
"With the federal ruling that health insurance everywhere in America must not discriminate against gay spouses, I can see yet another struggle for equality on the horizon. Some corporations are already balking at providing birth control under its employee health plans, and now insurance companies will have to provide the same spousal health benefits to everyone -- gay or straight -- as long as the couple has been officially married in a jurisdiction which allows it. I'm sure there are plenty of corporations run by people who will not accept such equality, and I bet there will be many a court case filed. Sooner or later we're going to get a Supreme Court ruling on this issue which clearly states that corporations have no 'freedom of religion' rights, because they are not, in fact, souls with a conscience. Religion is private, the public marketplace is not. I don't know of any Bible verse -- any verse from any religion's holy book, in fact -- which says that corporate entities have souls."
GOP outreach update
Hoo boy. There were so many of these this week, we almost could have used the whole talking points section for them all. Instead, we're just going to cram them all into one.
"To paraphrase Sarah Palin, I have to pose the question to the Republican Party: 'So how's that minority-outreach thingie workin' out for ya?' I see that the Republicans are forming lots of groups in an effort to reach out to women, but it doesn't matter how many spokeswomen you put out there if your basic policy is still to make women's lives needlessly harder -- like Michigan forcing all women to buy 'rape insurance,' for instance. In an extraordinary display of some very un-Christian behavior, I see that the president of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute has declared that 'the hard left, human-hating people that run modern universities... should all be taken out and shot.' Um, yeah, I can't seem to find that particular quote from Jesus in the Bible, personally. So much for 'religious liberty,' eh? In other GOP outreach news, one Republican candidate in Arizona proclaimed that slave owners weren't so bad because, quote, basically slave owners took pretty good care of their slaves and livestock and this kept business rolling along, unquote. Another in Minnesota tweeted that if the NBA folded tomorrow 'nobody would notice a difference w/possible exception of increase in street crime.' Hey, way to reach out to minorities, GOP! I haven't heard a whole lot of condemnation of such remarks by other Republicans, although one Tea Partier candidate up in Montana was shunned for essentially espousing white supremacist views. Well, I'm glad to hear that there is actually such a thing as going too far for some Republicans. But, all in all, I'd say the whole Republican outreach to minorities effort still has quite a ways to go, wouldn't you?"
No president would do such a thing...
Barack Obama appeared on the comedy web show Between Two Ferns this week, and boy were some pearls clutched in response.
"I see that David Gergen and Bill O'Reilly have come down with a fit of the vapors over the president appearing on a comedy show. They both asserted that other presidents would never have done such an unseemly thing. Well, Bill, Abraham Lincoln was indeed fond of telling humorous stories, including one famous fart joke that has not been lost to history. Rachel Maddow also helpfully pointed out to Gergen that presidents all the way back to Eisenhower have appeared on comedy shows on television, besmirching (as he called it) the 'majesty' of the presidential office. Ike did it, Nixon did it (with his famous "Sock it to me?" on Laugh-In), and Ronald Reagan did it. So what's the big deal with Obama doing it? Unlike other presidential comedic appearances, Obama had an ulterior motive -- to convince people to visit the health care marketplace site. After his appearance, a flood of traffic from the Between Two Ferns video appeared on the HealthCare.gov website -- showing that Obama's appearance worked. And that, I have to say, is pretty darn majestic."
-- Chris Weigant
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Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
Cross-posted at: The Huffington Post
OK, I'm mostly caught up on answering comments. Anyone who commented in the past week, go back and check....
Just for everyone's info...
-CW
I still think that Charlie "THE CROOK" Rangel deserves an honorable mention in the MDDOTW category for saying a 2 building collapse where 7 people died is his "community's 9/11".. That's just moronic...
As far as the Florida contest??
It proves beyond ANY doubt that Democrats who run on the "Don't Repeal obamacare, Fix It" will lose...
The only platform Dems can run on if they want to save their jobs is REPEAL OBAMACARE...
Michale
"For all the noise on the right about how Obamacare is destined to be a giant failure, I notice that the rate of Americans who don't have health insurance began to fall right when Obamacare was implemented. It's down for the first three months of this year, in fact. I predict that this rate will continue to fall, as more and more people take advantage of their new access to affordable care. This was the main reason this law was passed, so it's good to see it is doing what it was designed to do -- reduce the percentage of Americans who don't have health insurance."
WHAT!!!!
Are you saying that "the main reason", "THE MAIN reason for TrainWreckCare was to get uninsured Americans insurance!!!!?????
VINDICATION.... thy name is Michale
:D
A simple, "You were right, Michale" is all that is necessary... :D
Michale
Having got THAT out of my system...... :D
Only about 10% of the sign-ups of TrainWreckCare have been from uninsured Americans...
So, even if the rate is slightly going down, the fact that only 10% of all sign-ups are uninsured Americans, it simply shows ANOTHER reason why obamacare is TrainWreckCare...
And, just to throw more fat on the fire, nearly 25% of ALL signups for TrainWreckCare, HAVEN'T EVEN PAID yet...
This number is somewhat in dispute because the systems that monitor payments and such are STILL not even done!! So, the number is probably a lot higher..
March isn't going to be good to obamacare...
Michale
As an aside, CW...
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2014/03/12/we-need-a-do-not-track-list/#comment-46728
If you use it, be sure and warn your family and friends first.. :D
Michale
i was working a few blocks away from those buildings in harlem. loud noise, awful smell. but the teachers kept on teaching and the students seemed to be okay. i'm not sure whether or not any of our students had family there.
JL,
i was working a few blocks away from those buildings in harlem. loud noise, awful smell. but the teachers kept on teaching and the students seemed to be okay. i'm not sure whether or not any of our students had family there.
I have no doubt it was traumatic and, yes, it's sad that 7 people were killed..
But 9/11???
It's like saying that Benghazi was this generation's Pearl Harbor..
There is absolutely NO COMPARISON between the two events and anyone with more than 2 brain cells to rub together would know that...
Michale
nytimes.com/2014/03/16/us/politics/obama-factor-adds-to-fears-of-democrats.html?hpw&rref=us
nytimes.com/2014/03/16/opinion/sunday/dowd-dems-in-distress.html?_r=0
Who was it that said Democrats should beware the Ides Of March??
Oh, wait... That was me.... :D
"Who was it that said those who can't think, fight? Oh, wait. I think it was me!"
-Judy Robinson, LOST IN SPACE
Dems are in a panic...
Obama approval has dropped below 40%...
Dems lost a special election that was there's for the taking. Lost to a third-rate LOBBYIST fer chreest's sake!!
November is gonna be fun!! :D
Michale
ohmygods, now THAT....
http://sofrep.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sofrep-thin-red-line-obama-putin-opt.jpg
... is funny!!!!
"It's funny because it's true..."
-Homer Simpson
Michale
Obama national security aides meet to discuss Ukraine
Obama did not attend the meeting but was being briefed about it and other developments involving Ukraine, said Laura Lucas Magnuson, a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council.
http://news.yahoo.com/obama-national-security-aides-meet-discuss-ukraine-192833314.html;_ylt=AwrBJR_fziRT6XYAS5zQtDMD
I guess our POTUS couldn't be bothered with this national security stuff...
"Hay! Is this National Security stuff boring you??"
-Tom Arnold, TRUE LIES
Someone needs to clue in our POTUS that this "Lead From Behind" crap is what got us into this mess in the first place..
Michale
saw rangel in person a few weeks ago. i also see the members of that district every day. if you had his constituents, maybe you'd also resort to ridiculous hyperbole to try to reach them. of course it's no 9/11, and of course saying it is constitutes a wild exaggeration, but two buildings in harlem did explode and kill people due to government negligence protecting infrastructure. a vastly smaller scale doesn't make the impact or the parallel insignificant.
again, i'm not saying the guy is the best congressman ever or anything. hell, that district has only had two reps in the last 70 years, both with scandals galore. but if you're going to criticise something about a congresscritter, one over the top sound-byte seems like a pointless place to start.
JL
again, i'm not saying the guy is the best congressman ever or anything. hell, that district has only had two reps in the last 70 years, both with scandals galore. but if you're going to criticise something about a congresscritter, one over the top sound-byte seems like a pointless place to start.
Touche'.... :D
It just seems that "over the top sound bites" are fair game when they come from a GOP'er and are routinely ridiculed here in Weigantia......
I just figured I would spread it around.. :D
As I am wont to do...
Michale
but two buildings in harlem did explode and kill people due to government negligence protecting infrastructure. a vastly smaller scale doesn't make the impact or the parallel insignificant.
I am also constrained to point out that it might NOT be negligence on the part of the government, but rather negligence on the part of the residents, no??
Government is an easy scapegoat.. It's a lot harder to look in the mirror and ask, "Am I part of the solution? Or part of the problem?"
I'm just sayin'....
Michale
"Russia is the only country in the world realistically capable of turning the United States into radioactive ash," anchor Dmitry Kiselyov said on his weekly news show on state-controlled Rossiya 1 television.
Kiselyov made the comment to support his argument that the United States and President Barack Obama were living in fear of Russia led by President Vladimir Putin amid the Ukraine crisis.
-http://news.yahoo.com/state-tv-says-russia-could-turn-us-radioactive-212003397.html
Welcome to Cold War Redux, ladies and gentlemen.. Complete with the "WE WILL BURY YOU" rhetoric...
All courtesy of your Emperor Barack The First and your Democratic Party...
To paraphrase Toby Keith...
"How do you like (Your Democrats) now???"
Michale
Michale,
How do you think the wise, ahem, people of Crimea will like their freedom in Putin's Russia - when they're not missing it, that is?
Michale -
I would say the buildings that blew up were an indication (yet another one) of how our country's infrastructure is decaying all around us. Kind of like bridges collapsing, in other words.
Google "San Bruno pipeline explosion" -- these things aren't isolated. For those that notice, that is. That's one that happened out here, in my neck of the woods.
What can solve this problem? Two things: strict government oversight of utilities, and federal infrastructure spending. Which side are Dems on, and which side is the GOP on? I ask you...
-CW
CW,
I would say the buildings that blew up were an indication (yet another one) of how our country's infrastructure is decaying all around us. Kind of like bridges collapsing, in other words.
As I said to JL above, we don't know that.
It could have easily been caused by a meth lab, eh??
What can solve this problem? Two things: strict government oversight of utilities, and federal infrastructure spending. Which side are Dems on, and which side is the GOP on? I ask you...
Democrats have been in charge for 6 years now..
Why haven't things changed???
Don't say because of Republican intransigence... Obama has proven time and time again that he has NO PROBLEM ignoring Congress to further his agenda.
So, why haven't things changed??
Because Dems only give LIP service to "strict government oversight of utilities, and federal infrastructure spending."
Liz,
How do you think the wise, ahem, people of Crimea will like their freedom in Putin's Russia - when they're not missing it, that is?
I have no doubt that the new Russian citizens will come to regret their decision..
But, of course, they are going to blame America for allowing it to happen.. :^/
Michale
Don't say because of Republican intransigence... Obama has proven time and time again that he has NO PROBLEM ignoring Congress to further his agenda.
In other words, Obama has no problem ignoring Congress if it helps himself personally or the Democratic Party..
Why doesn't he ignore Congress on behalf of the country???
I can answer that..
Party uber alles...
Michale
The Obama administration announces "sanctions" against Russia and Russian markets rally at how weak they are...
Ya know, I am beginning to pine away for the strong assertive effective leadership of the Carter Administration... :^/
Michale
President Obama's appearance on Between Two Ferns was absolutely brilliant.
If you haven't checked it out, I'd highly encourage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnW3xkHxIEQ
-David
President Obama's appearance on Between Two Ferns was absolutely brilliant.
Fiddling and burning come to mind..
Maybe if Obama actually ATTENDED National Security meetings instead of playing around, Russia wouldn't be making a jackass out of him...
I'm just saying....
Michale
What can solve this problem? Two things: strict government oversight of utilities, and federal infrastructure spending. Which side are Dems on, and which side is the GOP on? I ask you...
Here in Ohio, spending is really becoming a concern as the GOP keeps choosing to give tax breaks to the wealthy at the expense of public investment.
This is a point I don't think is highlighted nearly enough.
What's happening is that schools and communities are suffering - literally, there are potholes everywhere and its getting to the point where simple basic services like fire & police are being cut.
Why?
It's not creating jobs. The vast majority will never see any breaks because they're raising sales taxes and property taxes.
Who benefits? The 1%.
It literally is nothing but a shell game to shift the burden from the wealthy to everyone else.
I've found it helps to explain this if you can connect the dots from potholes to tax cuts. The 1% get more, you get less.
-David
I've found it helps to explain this if you can connect the dots from potholes to tax cuts. The 1% get more, you get less.
Then quit electing people who become PART of the 1% and will actually TAKE ON the 1%...
Barring that, at least acknowledge that the ones you vote for are part of the problem and NOT part of the solution...
Michale
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/03/russian-deputy-pm-laughs-at-obamas-sanctions/
Yea, our POTUS *REALLY* knows how to turn the screws and retaliate for his "red lines"... :^/
It simply just HAS to be embarrassing that the majority of Americans view PUTIN as a stronger leader than our own POTUS...
Michale
In an attempt to lighten the mood...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WPkByAkAdZs
MUST be viewed by EVERY avow'ed Trekker in Weigantia.... :D
Michale
http://media.washtimes.com/media/image/2014/03/17/obama_twitter_s160x181.jpg?824284b24e797e6d409db65fab910376f300ea6d
AHHHHHHH
*THAT* explains it....
Michale
Once again, the danger in Ukraine is that Obama might lash out irrationally, feeling he has to prove he can be tough...
If this does occur, then a shooting war with Russia is all but certain.
Michale
Then quit electing people who become PART of the 1% and will actually TAKE ON the 1%.
Yep. First we need to get rid of John Kasich, former Lehman Brothers executive and architect of the 1% budget.
Then we need to unelect all of the state reps who decimated the Ohio budget in order to provide a tax break to the 1%.
Did you have someone else in mind?
-David
Did you have someone else in mind?
Harry Reid
Nancy Pelosi
Barack Obama
And anyone else who puts PARTY before Country...
Michale
LOL ... it's funny that you seem to only think this of Democrats.
Especially since Republicans have done nothing since 2008 except bash Obama in order to elect more Republicans.
I think you're the most conservative "independent" I've ever met :)
-David
LOL ... it's funny that you seem to only think this of Democrats.
And the first name on your list was a Republican.. :D
Especially since Republicans have done nothing since 2008 except bash Obama in order to elect more Republicans.
And Democrats did nothing BEFORE 2008 and SINCE 2008 but bash Bush in order to elect more Democrats..
Bush, incidentally, put Country before Party in the prosecution of the war on terrorism...
Democrats sided with Al Qaeda because it suited their political agenda..
None of these facts are in dispute, Mr President!!!"
-Klingon Ambassador, STAR TREK VI, THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY
I think you're the most conservative "independent" I've ever met :)
Depends on the subject matter.. :D
Michale
VP Biden has announced that US soldiers will be rotated thru the Baltics...
Looks like we're going to have boots on the ground in the TOP....
Any red lines yet, people??
Michale
Let's see...
Obama was trained by ACORN...
Putin was trained by the KGB....
:^/
Michale
The most moronic statement to come out of the Crimea...
"Russian soldiers have started shooting at Ukrainian servicemen and that is a war crime."
Soldiers shooting at enemy soldiers is a "war crime"???
Who knew!?
Michale
And, since we haven't bashed obamacare in at LEAST a few days...
O-Care premiums to skyrocket
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201136-obamacare-premiums-are-about-to-skyrocket
"Caeser, beware the Ides Of March"
-Julius Caeser
Michale
Beaten Obama turns his back on the world
http://nypost.com/2014/03/19/beaten-obama-turns-his-back-on-the-world/
Pretty strong words..
From a Democrat, no less..
Michale
Bush put Country before Party in the prosecution of the war on terrorism
So when it's your issue, country somehow comes first?
And everyone else is terrorists, right? If we're not with 'ya, we're against ya?
Sheesh ... where have I heard this before?
I hate to break it to you, Michale, but it's just as much my country as it is yours.
And , our country would have been better off if we hadn't gotten into those idiotic expensive wars which won us nothing. We'd of been better off if we'd of focused on the terrorists.
-David
So when it's your issue, country somehow comes first?
Country ALWAYS comes first...
Well, of the things we're discussing..
For me, personally, FAMILY comes first..
And everyone else is terrorists, right? If we're not with 'ya, we're against ya?
You mean, like Democrats who claim Republicans are "terrorists", "arsonists" or "hostage takers"???
Don't tell me.. Let me guess...
"That's different"...
I hate to break it to you, Michale, but it's just as much my country as it is yours.
Then why not work for the betterment of the COUNTRY rather than the betterment of only the Democrat part of the country???
And , our country would have been better off if we hadn't gotten into those idiotic expensive wars which won us nothing. We'd of been better off if we'd of focused on the terrorists.
And yet, your Democrats plunged headlong into those wars right along with Republicans..
Yet, you only hold Republicans accountable...
Why is that???
Michale