He Can Do No Right

Look, I know that if you're a Republican, to agree with anything that President Obama has to offer is a political risk. I know that everyone in the GOP has pretty much taken the Mitch McConnell tact of making President Obama a one-term president as its main and major goal, even at the risk of US economic collapse. I know that the Republican Party likes to tout itself as the party of national security. But these latest comments from Republican Senator John McCain and his personal Renfield, Senator Lindsey Graham are absolutely laughable.

"Americans can be proud of the role our country has played in helping to defeat Qaddafi," their statement reads, "but we regret that this success was so long in coming due to the failure of the United States to employ the full weight of our airpower."

This statement comes from the same two Senators that were part of a delegation that considered selling nonlethal defense equipment to Gaddafi's Libya (with a little McCain bow to boot in his meeting with Gaddafi).

McCain wanted the US's "full weight" of the military airpower, and yet his own members of Congress were losing their shit just a few weeks ago, stomping their feet with a House vote to admonish the President for continuing America's role in the NATO operation and claiming a violation of the War Powers Act, and threatened to cut off funding for the operation. Does that mean that McCain and Graham would have been fine with a unilateral US strike against Libya with the "full weight" of our airpower had it only taken 89 days?

The bottom line is that the Republican Party has lost their "strong on defense" moniker and they don't like it.

The Obama administration was successful in taking out the Somali pirates that captured Captain Richard Phillips and held him hostage, but immediately afterward came the email smear campaign that the President was hesitant in authorizing lethal force.

President Obama made capturing or killing Osama Bin Laden a top priority as soon as he was sworn into  office and said so during the campaign. This was something George W. "Wanted Dead Or Alive" Bush couldn't bother with just six months after 9/11. Yet again, right wingers went to the Internet and created another smear email to claim something about which they knew nothing.

And now, with a war in Afghanistan and in the process of a methodical withdrawal from Iraq, and the President deciding to honor the US's obligation to NATO and the UN in the Libya conflict, and here are the Republicans making sure to criticize the widest range possible just to confirm they cover everything, from acting without Congressional authority, or berating Obama for letting France and England take the lead in the action, to now McCain and Graham whining about not acting quickly enough and that it took six months to ouster a dictator who held power for 42 years. Even the Wall Street Journal editorial page is praising the efforts while criticizing the the naysaying GOP.

The fighting continues in Tripoli, and Moammar Gadhafi still hasn't been captured, but the triumph of the U.S.-backed Libyan rebels seems to be only a matter of time. Though you wouldn't know it from the reaction at the Council on Foreign Relations or among some GOP Presidential candidates, this is a victory for freedom and U.S. national interests.

A dictator with American blood on his hands is about to be overthrown by a popular revolt invoking democratic principles. Not a single American has died in the effort, and the victory would not have been possible without U.S. air power, intelligence and targeting as part of NATO. A long-oppressed people now has a chance to chart a freer future, a fact that is clear from the rejoicing in Benghazi.

What would we prefer: That Gadhafi stay in power?

...Yet some of the same people who said we shouldn't help the rebels now want the U.N. to send "boots on the ground," including U.S. troops. It's not clear that the Libyans want or even need such help, especially from Americans, which could complicate their own nascent attempts at self-government.

...President Obama was right yesterday to urge the rebels to pursue "reconciliation." But America's foreign policy elites have also so far misjudged the rebels, who have shown impressive persistence and coordination in maintaining a six-month military campaign.

...One disappointment is the reluctance among Republicans to praise the rebel success, perhaps for fear it will somehow help Mr. Obama.

...U.S. intervention has succeeded in preventing a bloodbath in Benghazi and soon in deposing a long-time U.S. enemy who could have re-emerged as a terrorist sponsor.

Michele Bachmann, who played the al Qaeda tune, now looks partisan to a fault.

...The U.S. military is stretched at the current moment and we can't take sides in every civil war. But the Libyan intervention shows that when the cause is just and the means are available, the U.S. can make a moral and strategic difference.

U.S. support for the rebels won't be lost on a Middle East still undergoing its own upheavals, not least on the people and governments of Syria and Iran. NATO showed it will finish a military task it started, and soon Gadhafi will take his place with Saddam in the ranks of Arab despots who will terrorize their people no more.

I believe everyone has forgotten (including Michael Steele and the Morning Joe pundits this morning) that the initial intervention is Libya was a humanitarian one, with NATO acting on the information that Gaddafi was about to unleash hell on his own people in Benghazi.

And yet, President Obama can do no right. He doesn't even read the right books on vacation. I suppose he would have gotten a reprieve on the reading list criticism if he'd included Ayn Rand's ATLAS SHRUGGED and Rick Perry's FED UP!, both also works of fiction, by the way.

Comedy Break! Louis C.K.

Must Reads

Allison Samuels: The Black War Over Obama

Eric Dolan: Kathy Griffin asked Bachmann: 'Were you born a bigot?'

Warren Buffett: Stop Coddling the Super-Rich

Ben Smith & Jonathan Martin: Michele Bachmann's Bouncers: Unnecessary Roughness

Hadley Freeman: Proof of Republican 'Doublethink'

Jonathan Martin & Jake Sherman: Rick Perry’s Loose Lips Worry Hill Republicans

Allison Kilkenny: President Red Herring

Bob Cesca: Rick Perry is a Socialist in a Secessionist Costume

Steve Benen: How About a Bachmann-Inspired Stimulus?

T.P. Pratt: Stop Coddling The Poor

President Obama's Weekly Address - August 20, 2011

Putting Country Ahead of Party

A Vacation From Perspective

I'm kind of disgusted with the constant MSM drum beating about President Obama's vacation in Martha's Vineyard. He should cancel his vacation and sit in the Oval Office and wait for what? For Congress to come back to Washington in September? The bottom line is, no matter what the President does, it is Congress that creates and votes on legislation.

Now I thought I might be teetering on hypocrisy because back in the "good ol' days" I complained about Bush's vacation time, but it's time for a little perspective. In President Obama's 31 months in office, he has taken 61 vacation days. At the same point in their presidencies, Ronald Reagan had taken 112 days off and George W. Bush had taken 180 days off. In fact, it's laughable for a "news" outlet like Fox to whine and moan about Obama's time off when their guy took a combined THREE YEARS off out of his eight years in office. So, no. No hypocrisy. And I may be wrong, but don't remember seeing Bush's vacation time scrutinized nearly as much as what's happening now.

I'm not begrudging anyone their time off to recharge their batteries, especially when you have one of the toughest and most important jobs in the world. But what would your boss say if you took 6 months off in your first 2½ years of employment. Or the equivalent of 10 weeks of vacation time per year? It looks like President Obama's average of about 2½ weeks off per year is more in line with the rest of us plebeians, doesn't it?

Presidential Protection

I'm trying to remember when the last time anyone questioned the Secret Service's actions as it pertains to protecting the president... I think the answer is never. That is of course until this president.

The latest smear tactic of the rabid right wing is to try and pin "wasted tax dollars" on President Obama for two tour buses at a cost of $2.2 million that were used for his 3 day bus tour; vehicles that were commissioned by the Secret Service over a year ago and actually SAVE the country money as part of the permanent Secret Service fleet, as opposed to retrofitting leased buses every four years. Vehicles that the future GOP presidential nominee will also use. But that doesn't stop hacks like Sean Hannity and Eric Bolling from blaming Obama for yet another thing that he's not responsible for. David Shuster takes the hacks down handily filling in for Keith Olbermann.



After a 400% increase in presidential threats since Obama took office, I suppose Hannity or Bolling would prefer him ride around in a convertible... maybe in Dallas... and wave to passersby in Dealey Plaza.

Cartoon of the Day

Christie Running For President? FAT CHANCE!

Earlier today, Jonathan Alter reported via the Twitters that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was conducting focus groups for a possible 2012 presidential run. I mean, hell, if know-nothings like Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry can get into the act, why not lovable, straight talking, education fund blowing, job killing Chris Christie?

Well it seems to have been a misguided rumor.

A top adviser to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie insists the big name Republican is not exploring the possibility of running for president in the next election cycle despite rumors swirling that he could jump into the GOP primary mix...
"It’s completely untrue -- one hundred percent that is not true,” Christie adviser Mike Duhaime said in response to the suggestion, according to The Hill. “Nothing’s changed. I’m not sure who [Alter’s] source is or what they are saying, but nothing’s changed."

... and Alter concurs.

It's a good thing too, especially considering that it was only seven months ago that Christie said he wasn't ready to be President. But hey, he now has the same amount of gubernatorial experience as half termer Sarah Palin, so anything's possible.

Nothing Happened Before January 20, 2009

It's the only reason I can think of that Sean Hannity would blame Obama's policies for the mortgage crisis that began four years before he became president. Or, you know, he's a disingenuous hack.



As Media Matters' Jeremy Holden reports, economists noted as early as the summer of 2005 that the bursting of the housing bubble cause an economic recession.

It's amazing how Hannity reaches new levels of buffoonery on an almost daily basis.

Paul Ryan's Pay To Play Town Halls

I suppose Paul Ryan learned his lesson. After revealing the Ryan plan and the idea of making Medicare a voucher system, he got quite an earful of angry constituents at subsequent town hall meetings and realized no one as buying what he had to sell. So to alleviate that problem, Paul Ryan decided to now charge admission for his town hall meetings.

...Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and other Republican members of Congress have chosen to charge admission to their home-district appearances.

Ryan will speak September 6 to the Whitnall Park Rotary Club in Greenfield, Wisc. Admission to the event is $15 per person and includes lunch.

Ryan has no free public town hall appearances scheduled during the recess.

What a coward.

If anyone who reads this blog happens to be nearby a Ryan event in the next few weeks (maybe the September 6th event) or knows of anyone who does, and would like to continue to give Mr. Vouchercare a piece of their mind but can't afford it, please contact me. Maybe we can strike a deal and I'll try to help you pay the price of admission. I'm not a wealthy man by any means, but I don't want this chickenshit to get away with this type of tactic without some pushback.

He's Got Our Back, Now Get HIS!

Posted by JHW22

I just watched Democratic Representative Marcy Kaptur on The Rev Al's show (video later) basically second-guess why the President is choosing the towns and states he is visiting on his bus tour and saying he needs to talk about infrastructure jobs.

Well, Representative Kaptur, I now have you in my Sanders column. That column is where I am putting Democrats who are working AGAINST President Obama rather than with President Obama.

Here's the deal, Representative, unless I am mistaken, you haven't won a national Presidential campaign. Am I right? Let me check. Yep, I'm right, you haven't. Maybe you are the next David Plouffe and I missed the Obama for America memo. I get emails from them every day, but I am pretty sure I didn't get one that says you are the new mastermind behind the amazing machine I call Team Obama. So, questioning where the President is speaking, really, should be left to those who actually know how to run a national campaign. Okie doke?

Second, I suggest you Google "Obama, infrastructure bank". Go ahead, I'll wait. Now, I will also suggest that you actually leave your schedule clean whenever the President has a town hall, no matter what town he's holding it in, and listen to the entire thing. I recommend you watch it at the White House site or CSPAN because the MSM will cut away for the most valuable portion -- the Q & A. You'd be amazed at the great questions average Americans ask and the wonderful answers he provides. If you would listen to the President directly, you'd hear him talking about the jobs you don't seem to think he's talking about.

Your comments today remind me of right after the debt ceiling deal was made and I read Luke Russert's report that

A source close to the House Progressive Caucus tells NBC News that after reading media reports about a potential debt deal between the White House and Senate Republicans, many members are, "sufficiently spooked."

MEDIA REPORTS. I do NOT want my members of Congress basing their votes on MEDIA REPORTS! Why? Because of what I just posted above. Someone told someone who told someone that a member of the Progressive Caucus said that. But I didn't hear it said, did I? So, should I base a crucial vote on a game of hearsay? No. And you shouldn't form your judgment of the President on what is clearly not his first-hand speeches, statements or memos.

Here's my beef:

President Obama is constantly second-guessed, Monday Quarterbacked and hindered by his VERY OWN PARTY! STOP IT! STOP NOW!

Here's what you need to do, Representative Kaptur and Senator Sanders and all the other Democratic members of Congress who fall into my column of jackasses: you need to listen to the President, support what he says and focus on how the GOP is saying the opposite. You need to get your own damn House and Senate on board working WITH the President to get the best deals possible instead of fracturing into a left-wing version of the right-wing critics. How about when Al Sharpton asks you how Congress can pass the utopian policies you answer what YOU can do to get those policies passed rather than passing the buck onto the President who you just hindered and doubted and treated like a naive, stupid child.

I have accepted that the liberals in the MSM are going to twist and ignore and analyze based on tidbits when it comes to the President. But I expect far more from elected Democrats.

It is LONG PAST TIME for Democrats to start standing shoulder to shoulder with our President instead of twisting the GOP knife in his back.

Quit expressing disappointment and begrudging support of the President who has been going it almost alone in every battle. Democrats have been chicken shits when the big fights come and have been so easily distracted by their own fears that they have turned on him, requiring his energy to be divided between the GOP and his own damn party.

Quit putting your principles in front of your principles and MAYBE you will actually HELP the President get closer to your damn principles. Each time you treat him like he's not lifting heavily enough as you step back from the lifting to criticize how he's bending his knees, you weaken this party and this country.

Support this country by supporting this President. AND I MEAN NOW, GODDAMMIT! NOW!

Iowa Loves Them Some Crazy, Hates Milquetoast

CNN: Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann won the Ames Straw Poll Saturday, besting eight other Republican candidates in a nonbinding but politically significant vote in the first caucus state of Iowa.

"This is the first step toward taking the White House in 2012," Bachmann told the crowd. "And you have sent a message that Barack Obama will be a one-term president. This is a wonderful down payment on taking the country back -- and it started in Iowa."

Once again, Iowa shows its irrelevancy by dismissing any possible legitimate candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in their Ames Straw Poll and instead choosing Michele Bachmann as the person they'd like to represent Iowans, closely followed by Ron Paul.

The vote tallies were:

Michele Bachmann: 4,823
Ron Paul: 4,671
Tim Pawlenty: 2,293
Rick Santorum:1,567
Herman Cain: 1,456
Rick Perry: 718
Mitt Romney: 567
Newt Gingrich: 385
Jon Huntsman: 69
Thad McCotter: 35

Of course, this poll means practically nothing if you look at past winners. I mean, Pat Robertson won the thing in 1987, the same Pat Robertson that said Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment because of America's abortion policy.

The real winners of this Straw Poll were Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, who didn't even have to spend any time in Iowa and let Bachmann knock off Tim Pawlenty, a more legitimate but intensely boring candidate, who decided to call it quits after coming in, not second, but a distant third behind Ron Paul.

I suppose when you shoot yourself in the foot by coining "Obamneycare" and then show you have no balls by walking it back the next day in Romney's presence during the GOP's first primary debate, have no money and no support, it's probably the smartest thing you can do. No Pawlenty can go back to being irrelevant and ignored on the local level.

Must Reads

Timothy Egan: Rick Perry’s Unanswered Prayers

Bob Cesca: The Case for Republican Economic Sabotage

Jason Easley: Iowa Publicity Stunt Fail: Sarah Palin Gets Super Congress Wrong

Ezra Klein: Three Possible Futures for Health-Care Reform

John Nichols: Can We Have Health Reform Without an Individual Mandate? Yes, It's Called 'Medicare for All'

President Obama's Weekly Address - August 13, 2011

Putting the American People First

Bachmann's Newsweek Cover

Yes, folks. She IS that crazy. John Wayne Gacy crazy.

Cover via HuffPo

Liberals vs. Christianity

POSTED BY DESERT CRONE

I am taking a long and winding road in this post because I think it is important to understand my spiritual journey and beliefs to understand the message in this piece. Little did I know that this post would have its roots in something my Twitter friend @JKelton1 tweeted the other night. Basically, she said that if she made the same derogatory statements about Muslims that many liberals make about Christians she would be called out as a bigot. Yet many liberals think those same kind of statements about Christians are acceptable. What an amazing observation. My wheels started turning, and so many thoughts and ideas sprung from her statement. The criticism of Christians comes from liberal Christians, atheists, and followers of other faiths. I frequently see on my tweeter timeline other liberals questioning the intelligence of those of us who believe in God. I see Christians calling out other Christians for their hypocrisy. I think if many of us were honest our faith or lack of faith has taken a long arduous path through uncertainty, questioning, guilt, and enlightenment. The truth is that Christians are different in their own beliefs, in their definition of God, and even how they view the Bible. Yes, there are many liberals who practice the Christian faith, and we need to rejoice in the fact that in our political party we have people who actually walk the walk of Christ instead of talking.

As for myself, my faith is personal. I rarely debate anyone about faith or lack of faith. I am making a rare exception in writing this post. One reason I refuse to debate is because usually civil discourse disappears 5 minutes into the discussion. Faith or lack of faith is a very intimate decision often times based on emotion, although I’m sure there are many exceptions. If someone asked me if I were a Christian, I could not answer yes or no, but that is the kind of answer many people expect. To some the Bible is the literal Word of God, and we all worship the same God. They believe that folks are saved by God’s Grace and by accepting Christ as Lord and Master. So if that is the standard for Christianity, then I would say no, I’m not a Christian. However, I believe the Bible is the most beautifully written book in literature—and believe me, since I have both a BA and MA in English, I have read some magnificent literature. I do not take the Bible literally, but I follow the teachings of Christ. Well, at least I try to follow them. The Bible is filled with contradictions and possibly propaganda, but this is my opinion about which I could be wrong. For example, one reason I believe this is that the same creation myth appeared long before the story of Adam and Eve as well as the virgin birth in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Yet, I do look to the Bible for guidance. After the loss of my wonderful father and the onset of one health problem after another, I read the story of Job. Job is about faith, not patience, and my faith was taking a beating, not because I blamed God but because I couldn’t feel God’s presence. I also don’t believe in magic, and of course, the Bible is filled with what I call magic. However, many of my friends do believe in miracles, and I totally respect that. I do not listen to them with skepticism. Faith is faith, period. You can’t argue someone out of faith with logic or reason or facts. If you do, then what they had was not faith.

I grew up in a small Southern Baptist Church in the Bible Belt of southeastern New Mexico. My dad taught Sunday school, and we religiously attended church. My mother, not my dad, was the biblical scholar in the family, and every Saturday night she taught my dad the lesson he was going to teach Sunday morning. As long as I can remember, my mother was a self-proclaimed agnostic and possibly an atheist by the time she died. One Sunday after church when I was in high school, my dad, sister, and I walked out of church never to return again. My dad said, “I’m tired of walking out of church feeling worse than when I went into church.” Although I was baptized in that church, I vowed I would never set foot in that Baptist church or any other Baptist church again. I went off to college and drank myself right into alcoholism.

I’m not recounting my story other to say I got drunk, acted like an ass, felt like crap, and then started the process over again. Eventually, my husband, daughter, and I moved to a northern New Mexico town where they attended a small liberal church. They were always trying to get me to go to church with them, and I eventually acquiesced. We struck a deal that when I went to church, my husband would take us out for Sunday dinner. I attended church with them as I continued my downward spiral into both alcohol and drug addiction. Spidery veins covered my face and my stomach was distended. I looked 50 although I was only 38 years old.

One Sunday I, who had denounced God or declared Him dead, prayed for help with my drinking. No, I didn’t want to quit because I was not an alcoholic. I just wanted to drink without getting drunk and feeling like crap the next day. Why I thought of prayer as an answer I do not know. Well, one week later I was in a rehab center in Oklahoma City and on my way to 25 years of sobriety thus far. In my journey through the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, reading what we call the Big Book, and attending meetings, I began an amazing spiritual quest. That quest was only intensified when I helped other drunks find their way to AA. About now, you may wonder what this has to do with my topic—well, a lot actually.

A young man named Steve whom I taught in both junior high and high school got clean and sober not too much longer after I did. I adored that child. He helped me facilitate the recovery group for students. In that group we shared our strengths, hopes, fears, and experiences. Needless to say, I heard stuff that would make most people’s hair curl. One snowy day a friend called me with the tragic news that Steve had died in a car crash on a slick Colorado pass. He was clean and sober. His death was so devastating to me that I cannot write about it now without tears running down my face. His funeral was to be held at the First Baptist Church in this northern NM town—not my church, but a Baptist church, nonetheless. Of course, I attended with hundreds of others from the recovery community. I learned in AA that if I heard only one good thing in a meeting, then it was a good meeting. I just instinctively listened and heard one of the most beautiful sermons I have ever heard in my life. It was a good meeting.

My epiphany that day was that if I open my heart and mind to any spiritual message, I will hear what I need to hear. And so now I come full circle. Do I believe in Jesus Christ? Yes. Do I believe that He is the Son of God? I just don’t know because that is part of my continuing journey. Do I believe in Heaven? Again, I don’t know, but I believe in Heaven on earth. When I do something good for the underprivileged, when I bring someone into AA, when I look at my husband, my children and grandchildren, I experience Heaven. My Higher Power is not a cruel, angry, vindictive God so I don’t believe in Hell. He didn’t take Steve from me or his loved ones because He wanted him in Heaven. Steve died because the driver took an icy curve much too fast. I don’t believe my Higher Power works that way.

I cannot think of a faith in the traditional sense of the word that doesn’t practice love and compassion, and yet, throughout history, those religions have been held captive by extremists at some point. Followers have also committed countless acts of unimaginable cruelty. Sometimes we liberals who are so quick to point out the failings in Christians overlook those same failings in people who practice other religions. And yes today, as in other religious faiths, we have extremists who have captured the Christian faith.

It’s not my place to question anyone’s faith or lack of faith because you can see I’m a pretty unconventional Christian. I have believed what Christ admonished us to do in Matthew 6:5-6 long before Rev. Al read the passage on MSNBC in context to the Rick Perry revival meeting. I believe my relationship with my God is personal and private, and I will not denigrate that relationship by proselytizing to all around me. I won’t refer to the Rick Perrys of the world as hypocrites since I am a practicing hypocrite. I don’t want to be nor try to be, but I’m a human with all the accompanying weakness and character flaws.

So I tell my story about my spiritual journey to demonstrate that we are influenced by our experiences and individuality. Also, to illustrate that Christian thought is probably as varied as Christians themselves. It is a mistake to condemn Christianity and its believers for the unconscionable way some who profess Christian faith behave. Instead, judge them by their actions and words. If you do that, you will see neighbors, friends, and family who help others on a daily basis without the need for praise or recognition.

Perry's Texas by the Numbers

POSTED BY JHW22

As a Texas resident and mother of a Texas native, I am consistently calling for fellow Democrats to put aside the "Go ahead and kick Texas out" crap. Seriously. We are more purple than people think. And now that our governor is running for POTUS, we need your support and you need our resources and knowledge.

Can you imagine if Texas voted for Obama instead of our own governor? It IS possible IF all of America works with Texans to make sure the state goes blue. So, now that Governor Goodhair is officially inferring that he is officially running, I will start regular posts about him. After all, I have a special knowledge of the man and the state.

So join me in informing voters about his true record. Join me in educating voters on what he really has done to the state. Let's make sure he doesn't move from his $9,000/month rental mansion into the White House. Okay, y'all?

And with that, I give you this report issued in February of 2011 by members of the state legislature. I can say, without hesitation, that one of the members, State Representative Lon Burnam is a fantastic liberal and deserves as much support as he can get. He is a consistent voice for Democratic values in this state.

So here y'all go. Texas by the numbers. It ain't pretty. Make sure your friends and family know it.

Texas On The Brink

Entitled

POSTED BY JHW22

I am reading a lot lately about people mad about the word, "entitlements" and in the same breath, a raging disrespect of members of Congress who use the word and at the same time have great benefits on the job. So here's my rebuttal to that:

An entitlement MEANS something we have a right to. SO, they are entitlements and we should call them entitlements. Because we have the right to them.

What's happening lately, is people are wanting to change the meaning of the word and their purpose. And we shouldn't. We should embrace the word and the purpose. Some people are trying to change the meaning of the word to imply something undeserved. We can't let people change the meanings of words for political purposes.

Now, as for how much people pay in and get out, TECHNICALLY, most Americans will get back more in benefits than we ever paid in no matter when we started working. For the most part, you will get back, in social security and Medicare, benefits very early into retirement. If a person has a lot of health conditions, they will likely get what they paid into Medicare back within a couple of years of their 20+ years of receiving the entitlements.

Now, my last point, some in Congress totally suck. Some are idiots and racists and homophobes and just plain bad for America. BUT we have some amazing members of Congress who work their asses off, don't see their families for weeks at a time, have to have a home in their state AND one in D.C. (which is not a cheap place to live) travel constantly, meet with angry constituents, work with asshole coworkers, fight for the best policies against completely obstinate ideologues, and have very little respect from Americans.

I can name at least 30 members of Congress, off the top of my head, who I believe earn every penny and benefit. And it's because of those, and the even more I could think of if I really thought about it, that I don't lump them all into a bucket. And that is WHY we need to be active citizens, stay informed, counter crap that is false and meant to mislead, communicate, and VOTE. When we find junk in Congress, we need to get it out of there.

WTF Wisconsin?!

Democrats gained two state Senate seats in Wisconsin last night, falling short of the three wins needed to gain control of the state's upper chamber.

...Voter turnout was high for the recalls, although not as high as election officials and news reports initially predicted. Overall, about 43% of eligible voters came out for the recalls, compared to about 50% turnout in last year's gubernatorial election.

That second paragraph is really a killer. 43% voter turnout is considered high? Just shows another American attribute made clear: we take voting for granted and are just too damn lazy to go out and make our voices heard. You had a chance Wisconsin Democrats, but 43% just doesn't cut it. Guess your citizens aren't as union friendly as you thought.

You'd better turn out in droves next week for the recall elections against Democrats to keep what you won last night, or else all this was for naught.

Recharging Batteries

I'm out of town for a wedding and a vacation, so there'll be very light blogging here for the week. For a while I kind of felt guilty about it and then I thought, "Hell, if Rachel Maddow can take a vacation, than so can I. And I don't even get paid for this shit!" ...Not that I'm comparing myself to Maddow, but you know what I mean.

Hopefully JHW22 and Desert Crone will pick up the slack while I'm gone. Until we meet again, but judging by the Dow maybe I should say IF we meet again.