Symbolic Tea Party Protest Going Symbolically Wrong

Ken AshfordHealth Care, Obama Opposition, Right Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

So the tea partiers boarded the corporate-sponsored buses to come to Washington DC today to let their Congressmen know that they don't want socialism blah-blah-blah.  Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn, who fell out of the right wing crazy tree and hit every branch on the way down, was the one who called for the protest.  She's not known for her truthfulness when it comes to healthcare.

A couple thousand are there, along with B-list celebrities.  Well, two B-list celebrities.  Actors Jon Voight and Jon Ratzenberger ("Cliff" from Cheers).

And things aren't going well.

First, one speaker forgot the Pledge of Allegiance, after giving a fervent speech about its importance:

Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) had the honor of leading the anti-health care protesters on Capitol Hill today in the Pledge of Allegiance. To show his fervent devotion to the Pledge, he gave a short speech about the importance of the phrase “under God.” However, when it came time to actually recite the Pledge, he was so excited about that one phrase that he forgot to say “indivisible” before “with liberty, and justice for all.” The crowd seemed to remember the actual words though, which threw Akin a bit off track.

Ironic how the divisive GOP forgets the word "indivisible".

Later on, the flag dropped to the ground.

UPDATE:  Steve Benen adds more:

Almost as embarrassing was House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), who decided to wave his pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution around. Boehner, with voice raised, pledged to "stand here with our Founding Fathers, who wrote in the pre-amble: 'We hold these truths to be self evident …"

In our reality, that's the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, not the U.S. Constitution.

Now, I'll gladly concede that these were fairly inconsequential errors, which were part of a fairly inconsequential right-wing rally. But the flubs were nevertheless a reminder — self-righteous conservatives, who enjoy nothing more than lecturing others on patriotism, should hesitate on using the Constitution and the Pledge as some kind of partisan weapon, especially if they don't know what they're talking about.

By the way, here's one of the signs out there today (click to embiggen):

Teapartybig

That's right.  Health care reform is just like the Holocaust.

UPDATE — More rally signs, these having little to do with health care:

Potest

UPDATE — More from TPM just now:

At the Capitol Hill Tea Party, TPMDC's Christina Bellantoni happened upon what looked to be a series of several arrests — for an as-yet unidentified offense. She reports that a crowd of Tea Partiers began heckling Capitol Police and singing "God Bless America" while several people were being detained.

There's also a massive backup of people outside Longworth office building. They've blocked traffic and some supportive cars are honking. Many protesters are shouting, "Kill the bill!"

UPDATE— Some arrests were made.

Republicans’ Boycott of Climate Change Bill Committee Fails

Ken AshfordEnergy and Conservation, Environment & Global Warming & EnergyLeave a Comment

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee have been working for weeks on a bill to address climate change, and Republicans on the committee wanted to stop it.  Their tactic?  Not showing up.  Republicans were aware of committee rules saying that no business could go forward unless two members of the opposite party were present.  So, every day this week, they sent one member, who would make a perfunctory appearance, then leave.

It didn't work:

With Republican boycotting the proceedings, Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) relied on a little used interpretation of committee rules to move the legislation. Traditionally, two minority members are required to conduct committee business.

Boxer said that she passed the bill “in full accordance with long-standing committee and Senate rules.”

“This is not a procedure we wanted; it’s a procedure that’s available to us,” said Boxer. “The majority has to be able to do its work…otherwise the whole Senate could come to a screeching halt.”

It won't be long before Republicans start to complain that climate legislation is going through without their input, etc., and waah waah waaah how unfair it is.

The thing about bipartisanship is that both parties — at a minimum — have to show up.  Republicans can't complain now (or later) about how they were cut out of the loop when they themselves, on their own initiative, boycotted legislative procedure.

Sarcasm Alive And Well At Amazon

Ken AshfordRandom MusingsLeave a Comment

A few days ago, I wrote about a product being offered on Amazon…

Laptopsteer

I checked back to the Amazon listing, and I must say, some of the "customer reviews" of this product are fantastic.  Here's a small sample:

150 of 158 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing! Holds my sheet music perfectly while driving., May 7, 2009
By  Brent A. Nelson (San Antonio, TX) – See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This has been a total lifesaver. It allows me to prop my sheet music against the wheel, allowing me to play the guitar with both hands while driving.

**********

 
92 of 96 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest thing ever invented!, October 26, 2009

Wow is this thing great! I use it as a "mini-bar" when the friends and I go out to the bars. I can quickly fix multiple shots of tequila for myself and the friends as we drive from one bar to the next. We also discovered that if you place a pillow on top of it and turn on the cruise control you can catch quick naps on the interstate. If you swerve to the left or right the rumble strips on the road wake you up in plenty of time before you get into trouble. I can now take longer trips without being tired!

Also, i am now dating a midget and she fits nicely on the steering wheel desk which allows us to experiment sexually while driving. This thing is like WD-40 or duct tape, it is a million and one uses!

**********

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great For Young Drivers!, November 4, 2009
By  K. Ernst (Rochester, NY) – See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

My 16 year old daughter just got her license a few weeks ago. Since then, she's been going out for drives a lot after school. Unfortunately, all the time spent in the car for her has meant less time for homework. Her grades have noticeably slipped, but instead of taking away her car privileges, I bought this steering wheel desk. It's perfect for young drivers with heavy academic loads! Now she can work on her homework and still be out driving, improving her road skills and staying on top of her grades. I couldn't be prouder and would encourage all parents with new drivers to set their kids up with this super-portable work station!

 
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars What a Timesaver!!, November 4, 2009

Finally!! I don't know if anyone else has small children that they drive with, but this has been a lifesaver for me. I get so tired of pulling over whenever my infant son soils his diaper. Now, whenever I smell that familiar stench, I just turn around, unbuckle him from his car seat and change him right on this desk. It is the perfect size for a newborn! And believe me, this kid poops A LOT! I have saved so much time in my daily commute with this little treasure! Change the baby while changing lanes, then drop the soiled diapers out the window. It couldn't get any easier! Just don't forget to signal or you might get pulled over.

 

The CBO Scores The Republican “Health Care” Plan

Ken AshfordHealth CareLeave a Comment

The House Republican caucus has been working behind closed doors since June on a health care plan. Last week — five months later — they unveiled their plan.  Key features: it does nothing for the uninsured, nothing for those with pre-existing conditions, and nothing for those worried about losing coverage when it's needed most.  Republicans admit this — they say that their bill is designed to cut health care costs (mostly by capping damage awards when doctors are negligent and remove the wrong organ), not to provide for more and better health care insurance coverage.

The main reason why the Republican plan is so different is because Republicans have a different view of what the problem with health care is.  The problem, according to Republicans, isn't that millions don't have coverage, or that insurance companies can drop your coverage as soon as you get sick.

House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas), a new ringleader for right-wing activists, stated plainly what the "problem" is, according to the GOP:

"The largest empirical problem we have in health care today is too many people are too overinsured," he said.

There it is, the right's philosophy on American health care in 17 words. Most of us think the problem with the existing system is that we pay too much, get too little, and leave too many behind. Dick Armey sees the existing system and thinks we'd all be better off with less coverage.  It's all premised on the notion that health insurance encourages medical treatments. If we have coverage, we might get tests and procedures that we wouldn't get if weren't so darned insured. Less coverage means fewer costs.

Josh Marshall recently explained:

The problem is that you go to the doctor and agree to take the tests the doctor recommends. Shadegg and Hoekstra want a system where if your doctor suggests a biopsy for a suspicious lump you think about the pros and cons. Is it worth the money? Do you have the money? How suspicious is the lump anyway? Maybe you get the first one. But not necessarily the follow up scan six months later.

This is the essence of the Republican plan: the fact that you're insured and aren't directly feeling the cost of individual tests and procedures is the problem and getting rid of the insurance concept is the solution…. [T]he problem according to most Republicans in Congress isn't that there's not enough insurance or that it's not good enough. It's that there's too much. The problem is that you have insurance. And good policy will take it away from you.

Of course, if you don't have insurance, you don't even get to make that choice.

But let's see move past the features of the GOP plan and see what the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says about it.  Ezra Klein summarizes:

Late last night, the Congressional Budget Office released its initial analysis of the health-care reform plan that Republican Minority Leader John Boehner offered as a substitute to the Democratic legislation. CBO begins with the baseline estimate that 17 percent of legal, non-elderly residents won't have health-care insurance in 2010. In 2019, after 10 years of the Republican plan, CBO estimates that …17 percent of legal, non-elderly residents won't have health-care insurance. The Republican alternative will have helped 3 million people secure coverage, which is barely keeping up with population growth. Compare that to the Democratic bill, which covers 36 million more people and cuts the uninsured population to 4 percent.

But maybe, you say, the Republican bill does a really good job cutting costs. According to CBO, the GOP's alternative will shave $68 billion off the deficit in the next 10 years. The Democrats, CBO says, will slice $104 billion off the deficit.

The Democratic bill, in other words, covers 12 times as many people and saves $36 billion more than the Republican plan. And amazingly, the Democratic bill has already been through three committees and a merger process. It's already been shown to interest groups and advocacy organizations and industry stakeholders. It's already made its compromises with reality. It's already been through the legislative sausage grinder. And yet it saves more money and covers more people than the blank-slate alternative proposed by John Boehner and the House Republicans. The Democrats, constrained by reality, produced a far better plan than Boehner, who was constrained solely by his political imagination and legislative skill.

This is a major embarrassment for the Republicans.

Epic EPIC fail.

Carrie Prejean, the Anti-Gay Christian Spokesperson, Has A Sex Tape

Ken AshfordSex Scandals, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

It's almost not worth writing about anymore.  Another "family values" icon proves to be a hypocrite.  TMZ writes:

Carrie Prejean demanded more than a million dollars during her settlement negotiations with Miss California USA Pageant officials — that is, until the lawyer for the Pageant showed Carrie an XXX home video of her handiwork.

The video the lawyer showed Carrie is extremely graphic and has never been released publicly. We know that, because TMZ obtained the video months ago but decided not to post it because it was so racy. Let's just say, Carrie has a promising solo career.

We're told it took about 15 seconds for Carrie to jettison her demand and essentially walk away with nothing. As we first reported, the Pageant is paying around $100,000 to her lawyers and publicist — a fraction of her bills. She pockets nothing in the settlement.

I wonder if she'll be invited to next year's Values Voter Summit.

Election 2009: “No on 1” Loses In Maine

Ken AshfordElection 2010, Sex/Morality/Family Values1 Comment

In May, Maine became the fifth state to approve marriage equality, and only the second state to approve gay marriage through the legislative process. Yesterday, sadly, a narrow majority of Maine voters turned back the clock.

In a stinging setback for the national gay-rights movement, Maine voters narrowly decided to repeal the state's new law allowing same-sex marriage.

With 87 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday morning, 53 percent of voters had approved the repeal, ending an expensive and emotional fight that was closely watched around the country as a referendum on the national gay-marriage movement. Polls had suggested a much closer race.

With the repeal, Maine became the 31st state to reject same-sex marriage at the ballot box. Five other states — Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire and Vermont — have legalized same-sex marriage, but only through court rulings and legislative action.

The Maine vote was particularly discouraging for gay-rights groups because it took place in New England, the region that has been the most open to same-sex marriage, and because opponents of the repeal had far outspent backers.

The results showed a very strong urban-rural divide, with the initiative being rejected by a margin of about 2:1 in Portland but racking up big margins in smaller towns and rural areas, especially in the north of the state.

I'm sure my nephews and niece in Maine are disappointed.  While most of them couldn't vote, it was clear (if their Facebook statuses are any indication) of their emotional investment.  Their uncle, also a Mainer, is an openly gay man; he and their grandmother bucked the Catholic Church to make this pro-marriage equality ad.

Hopefully, my nephews and nieces are wise beyond their years of life experience.  The arc of history is long, but ultimately — ultimately – it bends towards justice.  Ten years ago, a vote like this would have probably gotten only 25% support for marriage equality.  Twenty-five years ago, television stations would never have even aired their grandmother's ad.  And forty years ago, their uncle's sexual preference probably couldn't be openly discussed or accepted in Maine.

On the other hand, my sister's kids need only look to their classmates to see the future of Maine. In five to ten years, these kids will be voters, and — yes — the issue will come back again.  With a different result.  That's the way these things work.  All the Catholic Church and homophobes did was kick the can down the road for a few years.

[UPDATE:  Want more evidence that the younger generation gets it?  Here's the tally on "Question No 1" from the University of Maine at Orono: 81% No, 19% yes]

In the meantime, there are signs all over the places that the bigotry against gays is becoming a dinosaur.  In Washington state, voters moved the state closer to marriage equality by passing a referendum allowing for domestic partnership laws (which Maine already has for gay couples, despite the loss yesterday).  Voters in Kalamazoo, Mich., approved an amendment to extend the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance to include LGBT people. In Houston, lesbian mayoral candidate Annise Parker secured a spot in the runoff by capturing about 30 percent of the vote in a four-way race.  And in Chapel Hill, NC, an openly gay candidate was elected mayor.  None of these things were even imaginable when I was the age of my nephews and niece.  The arc of history and all…..

Election 2009: NY-23, NJ, and VA Thoughts

Ken AshfordElection 2010Leave a Comment

Republicans took back the governor seats in New Jersey and Virginia yesterday.  Some have said that those two races were referendums on Obama, especially the Virginia race, since that state voted for the Democratic presidential candidate for the first time in a long time.

I don't think one can make those kinds of conclusions about Obama based on a governor's race.  There are too many other important factors, like — oh — the candidates themselves.  Besides, Obama's popularity in Virginia is 57%.

No, the Republicans won the governorship of New Jersey and Virginia because of their candidates and because (especially in New Jersey), the Democratic incumbant was very unpopular.  It had nothing to do with Obama.

In the NY 23rd district, however, I think you can make some broader implications about the outcome.  There, the Republican candidate was a moderate (pro-choice, pro-same-sex marriage).  The tea-bagging conservative fringe of the GOP targeted her, supporting a third-party candidate, Doug Hoffman (of the Conservative Party).  The Republican candidate bowed out two weeks ago, throwing her support behind the Democrat.

The Tea Baggers had hoped that NY-23 would show that conservatism lives, and a Hoffman victory means that the GOP should move to the right — waaaaay to the right.

And Hoffman should have won.  NY-23 has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. House since the 1800's.  That's right — no Democrat has ever come from NY-23 in over 100 years.  Furthermore, Sarah Palin went up and campaigned for Hoffman.  Beck and Limbaugh talked him up incessently. 

But he didn't.  Owens, the Democrat, gained 49 percent of the vote, versus 46 percent for Hoffman, and six percent for Dede Scozzafava, who's name was still on the ballot, even though she dropped out of the race.

Now, this was the first test of the tea baggers attempt to rebrand the Republican Party as far right.  They had a candidate in a very conservative district.  And he lost.  Major setback for the so-called revitalized conservative movement.

Will they see it that way?  Doubt it.  They're still aiming to pull the GOP to the far right, further dividing the party, and letting Democrats sail through the crack.

Cool.

What’s Obama Done For Me Lately?

Ken AshfordObama & Administration, Obama OppositionLeave a Comment

Many conservatives and many liberals have taken up the meme that Obama really hasn't done that much in his first year.  Esquire's John Richardson shoots this down.  A healthy excerpt:

These days, the argument that Obama hasn't accomplished anything may be the only example of real bipartisanship in America.

Here's the conventional wisdom in a single paragraph: Three hundred and sixty-four days after he was elected president, Obama is still stuck in Iraq, hasn't closed Guantánamo, is getting deeper into Afghanistan, hasn't accomplished health-care reform or slowed the rise in unemployment. His promises of bipartisanship are a punch line… And there's still no peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. What a failure! What a splash of cold water in the face of all our bold hopes!

But the conventional wisdom is insane. Consider the record:

A week before he was sworn in, Obama jammed part two of the bank bailout down the throat of his own party — a $350 billion accomplishment.

Two days after he was sworn in, Obama banned the use of "harsh interrogation" and ordered the closing of Guantánamo.

A day later, Obama reversed George W. Bush's funding cutoff to overseas family planning organizations — saving millions of lives with the stroke of a pen.

Three days after that, Obama gave a green light to the California car-emissions standards that Bush had been blocking for six years — an important step on the road to cleaner air and a cooler planet.

Two weeks after that, Obama signed the stimulus bill — a $787 billion accomplishment.

Ten days after that, Obama formally announced America's withdrawal from Iraq.

A week later — we're in early March now — Obama erased Bush's decision to restrict federal funding for stem-cell research.

In April and June, Obama forced Chrysler and GM into bankruptcy.

In June, Obama reset the tone of our relations with the entire Arab world with a single speech — an accomplishment that the Bush administration failed to achieve despite a series of desperate PR moves (anyone remember Charlotte Beers?) and a "public diplomacy" budget of $1 billion a year.

Also in June, Obama unveiled the "Cash for Clunkers" program, a "socialist" giveaway that reanimated the corpse of our car industry — leading, for example, to the billion-dollar profit that Ford announced on Monday.

I haven't even mentioned Sonia Sotomayor, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the order to release the torture memos, Obama's push for charter schools, his $288 billion tax cut, or the end of Bush's war on medical marijuana. Or the minor fact that he seems to have — with Bush's help, it must be said — stopped the financial collapse, revived the credit markets, and nudged the economy toward 3.5 percent growth in the last quarter.

Oh, and one more thing: President Obama is now a month or two from accomplishing the awesome and seemingly impossible task that eluded mighty presidents like FDR, LBJ, and WJC — health-care reform.

Obama's early returns also include a host of remarkably cautious and prudent national-security decisions that seem, these days, to have been completely forgotten:

Appointing a conservative Bush holdover like Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense.

Appointing an establishment centrist like Leon Panetta at CIA.

Appointing a hard-ass like Stanley McChrystal to head up our military forces in Afghanistan, despite McChrystal's dubious involvement in torture and the cover-up of Pat Tillman's death.

Increasing the number of drone attacks on Al Qaeda — more in the last year than all the Bush years combined.

Reinstating, with tweaks, Bush's military tribunal system for Guantánamo prisoners.

Fighting, in another unexpected defense of a controversial Bush policy, lawsuits against the "warrantless wiretapping" program — as recently as this weekend with a decision that a leading civil liberties group called "extremely disappointing."

Sending, way back in February, seventeen thousand more soldiers to Afghanistan. As Fareed Zakaira recently pointed out, this was just three thousand fewer soldiers than Bush sent to Iraq for his famous "surge."

Richardson points out that, if you're a conservative, Obama's actually done a lot to please you in the areas of foreign policy.  If you're a liberal, he's done a lot to please you with his domestic policy.

But either way, to suggest that he hasn't done enough strains credulity, he argues.  Just remove the partisan blinders:

So the question, a year since we elected him, isn't how much Obama has accomplished. The question is why we've turned so small and mean that we only see half of it — the half we happen to agree with.

Food for thought.

Racist Much, CNBC?

Ken AshfordRace, Red Sox & Other Sports1 Comment

Hard to believe they allowed this to be published:

Marathon's Headline Win Is Empty

By: Darren Rovell
CNBC Sports Business Reporter

It's a stunning headline: American Wins Men's NYC Marathon For First Time Since '82.

Unfortunately, it's not as good as it sounds.

Meb Keflezighi, who won yesterday in New York, is technically American by virtue of him becoming a citizen in 1998, but the fact that he's not American-born takes away from the magnitude of the achievement the headline implies.

Nationality in running counts. It's why many identify Kenya as the land of the long distance champions.

As for the United States? Not so much.

It has been well-documented that since the mid-80's, Americans haven't had much success in the marathon. Many cite lack of motivation as the root of our troubles, as in our best athletes devote their lives to sports where they can make big money instead of collecting the relatively small paychecks that professional running offers. That, of course, is not the case with African runners, who see in the same winner's check a lifetime full of riches.

Given our disappointing results, embracing Keflezighi is understandable. But Keflezighi's country of origin is Eritrea, a small country in Africa. He is an American citizen thanks to taking a test and living in our country.

Nothing against Keflezighi, but he's like a ringer who you hire to work a couple hours at your office so that you can win the executive softball league.

The positive sign was that some American-born runners did extremely well in yesterday's men's race.

If any of them stand on the top step of the podium in Central Park one day, that's when I'll break out my red, white and blue.

Got that?  Keflezighi is "technically American", but he's not a real American because he wasn't born here, according to this bozo.  Never mind the fact that he's been living in America since he was 12, after fleeing as a refugee from Eritea.  Went to American high schools, and finally became a U.S. citizen — he's not a real American.

Fortunately, the commentors over at CNBC are lambasting this guy.

UPDATE:  A weak apology, but an apology nonetheless.

Election Day 2009

Ken AshfordElection 2010Leave a Comment

I actually saw someone with an "I voted" sticker.

The New York Times has a nice write-up of three elections to watch, since they (supposedly) foretell the political winds. 

Personally, I think the story is already written on what these elections mean: We're seeing a complete break-up of the Republican party — and all-out political war between the purists (the tea party people) and the moderates.  Certainly, the Democratic party won't benefit from the loss of enthusiasm that it had one year ago, but the divided GOP will hurt the Republicans more.

The NY 23rd race is actually kind of amusing to me.  The tea baggers think that if they get a "win" here, they have some sort of proof that there movement is a legitimate one, and it's time to carry forth nationwide.  But that itself is a joke.  The NY 23rd is one of the most conservative districts in the country outside of the South.  That seat has been held by a Republican 70 times.  It hardly would "mean" anything, if a conservative won there.  That's like a liberal Democrat winning in Vermont, and socialists thinking it means America is ready for socialism.

Nate Silver adds:

This deserves a deeper exposition, but I don't think it's entirely correct to characterize the fight between Hoffman and Scozzafava as a fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party. Rather, its a fight between the institutional Republican Party and a group of people who feel like the Republican Party may not be worth fighting for. They might even prefer to be on their own, for while the upside is that Republicans are re-branded as conservatives, the risk is that conservatives are re-branded as Republicans.

RELATED:  Speaking of NY-23, it took Fox News two days to get the story right.  Over and over again, they reported that the Republican candidate dropped out of the race to throw her support to Hoffman, the third-party conservative candidate.  Watch:

 

In reality, she threw her support behind the Democratic candidate.

Virginia Foxx (R-NC): Still Fearmongering on Health Care

Ken AshfordHealth Care, Local InterestLeave a Comment

Her past hits include:

Today, on the floor of the House, Rep. Virginia Foxx rolled out another song to complete the crazy con hyperbole fear trilogy — a little ditty called "I believe we have more to fear from the potential of that [health care reform] bill passing than we do from any terrorist right now in any country."

Watch:

It's ironic that she invokes "terrorism".  "Terrorism" is, after all, designed to spread fear — that's why it's called terrorism.

But listen closely to Rep. Foxx.  She uses the word "fear" or "fright" 8 times in the first 40 seconds.

WHO is spreading fear, Virginia?