Iowa & Other Stuff

Here are a couple of things I took away from Iowa last Tuesday.  One, 70% of the Republicans voting decided not to go with a buffoon.  Now that, to me, is significant.  I guess I should explain my definition of buffoon.  Basically, as it applies to the Republican field this go round, it's anyone who can put together a coherent sentence, followed by a coherent paragraph, followed by a coherent position.  In other words, they have a literate and thoughtful platform from which to run for the office of the President of the United States.  I know many people think Ron Paul is a buffoon, but at least he can speak in complete sentences.  He doesn't make my head explode trying to follow his verbal and grammatical gymnastics. (Same with Santorum)  I agree with almost nothing they say, but at least I feel like I could carry on an intelligent conversation with them as long as Santorum and I never talk about abortion.  I might just lose control and hit him or something and then the Secret Service would have to get involved and it would just be ugly.  There are some things I cannot remain calm about when talking to someone with the opposite point of view.  Abortion is one of those issues that I start foaming at the mouth when I get into an argument about it.  I know my limitations, which is more than some people.  Anyway...

The second thing I took away from Iowa is this:  How does winning six less votes in this record setting voter turnout Caucus than the last Caucus in 2008 translate into front-runner status.  I know, I know, everybody says Mitty is going to win the nomination.  Yet, still, 75% of Republican voters would rather it was someone else.  We all know that the Republicans will fall in line behind whoever their nominee ends up being, which as a Democrat, at times I envy that, then I realize that's just lock-step mentality, but still...  Back to my point about Romney and his six fewer votes.  I cannot remember a time when a candidate has sold their soul so thoroughly to get their party's nomination and still not really be accepted by the ones that go out and vote during primaries.  I wonder how much of himself he has really lost, and (win or lose) will it truly be worth it in the end?  I know he scored eight more votes than Santorum, but six fewer votes in a record turnout translate to a whole bunch more people that prefer someone else in there besides you. 

Racist Much?

An elementary school in Norcross, GA had some unusual word problems on a math test recently:  
“Each tree had 56 oranges. If eight slaves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?”    
“If Frederick got two beatings per day, how many beatings did he get in one week?”              
The district spokesperson, Sloan Roach said, "the teachers were trying to do a cross-curricular activity.”  Sure, they were Mister Roach.  You know I cannot think of a more appropriate name for you.  What's the teacher's name? Legree? 

More Thoughts on Iowa

I am kind of sorry Bachmann dropped out, though.  That makes one less bat-shit-crazy person to make fun of in the race.  Whom am I kidding?  Now my head will be exploding less since I will be hearing her voice far less often (God please make it so, because it never really happened with Palin.  Her side lost the election; she was supposed to go back into obscurity, damn it!).

When Our Governor of the Unnaturally Wide Shoulders said he was going back to Texas to reassess his campaign, I didn't realize he meant he was going to astral project back here.  Really, is it me or was that the fastest reassessment and non-trip back to Texas we've seen in quite some time?  I guess he's more like Shrub than he knows.  OGOTUWS seems to have gone with his "gut," even his closest advisers were caught off guard.  Now he seems to be thinking of himself as Stephen F. Austin or Jim Bowie or John Wayne.  He is calling the South Carolina Primary his Alamo.  He has such a small ego, it's a wonder he got into the Presidential race to begin with. 

One Last Thing

Go TEXANS!  Great game Saturday against the Bengals!  It's time to put the Ravens back on their nest!  Good Luck in Baltimore!   

I'm Back.

As a friend of mine said at dinner one night, "Who knew the Republicans could be so funny?" 

I am still laughing at Herman Cain's eyebrow knitting & looking to the ceiling (and the questioner) for the answer regarding his stance on - um... Libya, uh Libya, yes Libya...  Really?  and it still took several weeks for people to realize he is not Presidential material.  Not because of his stunning inability to handle, "all of this stuff twirling around," in his ridiculous head; nor, when a few days later he tried to clarify his position on Libya that he said it was the Taliban in Libya that was the problem.  He was only off by a few thousand miles and a continent.  No: it took more and more women coming forward with evidence of his misconduct to for him to finally get out of the race.  What's funny, though, is that all of these women didn't seem to shake his support as long as they were claiming sexual harassment in the work place, it took a woman saying that she and Cain had an affair that lasted over a decade.  Think about that.  He could do whatever he wanted to women at work, but a prolonged "affair" was intolerable.  He could be astoundingly ignorant of the world outside of his own little circle, and he still had the support of a whole lot of people for President.  Are they really that desperate for someone other than Mitt?

I was watching the Republican Debate Saturday night, when a question from a viewer struck me, and Diane Sawyer posed it to all of the candidates.  Basically, the person was trying to get them to relate to what so many people are going through on a near daily basis, choosing what bill to pay (he was referring to mortgage, insurance, groceries, power, ect. not luxuries) and what will have to wait a while.  The questioner wanted to know when was the last time any of them had to do that and, what were the consequences of that choice?  Other than, maybe, Ron Paul, not even one could relate to that question as an adult having to make a decision like that.  None of them said they ever had to make such a choice.  I do not begrudge their being able escape being that position, I’m happy that a fellow human being is able to live comfortably.  However, the fact remains, not a single one of them can wear those shoes and know how it is, and I'm not sure most of them would even care to try to find out.  Thank you, Andrew, 32, Texas, for your question that further highlighted their lack of empathy.  

Speaking of Ron Paul, why does he always wear such ill-fitting suits?  I cannot decide if he looks like some angry, scrawny-necked, turtle or just some angry scrawny-necked, little brother wearing his older brother's hand-me-downs.  Despite his scrawny little neck, he is in a position to do well in Iowa in January.  I'm not saying he'll win, but he will probably place or show.  I'll bet you $10,000.00 he will most likely continue to do that in other states, and by the time the general election rolls along, he will be on the ballot as an Independent.  Why not?  His Congressional seat has been gerrymandered out of a winnable situation for him.  That seat will now most likely go Democratic!  That's how much Our Governor of the Unnaturally Wide Shoulders despises the angry little turtle-man.  But, then again, the Supremes are now getting in on our Voting Map, so stay tuned.

Our esteemed Governor of the Unnaturally Wide Shoulders (GOTUWS) never disappoints.  When asking about immigration, Diane Sawyer said this, first, "And can we just do one thing for the interest of time? Can we stipulate that every single person on this stage tonight has said the number one thing to do is secure the borders, secure the borders, secure the borders, secure the borders. You may have slightly different prescriptions to do it. But, we stipulate that, that that's what you all want to do first." Then OGOTUWS responded thusly when it was his turn, "Well, let me-- address the issue that you asked from the start, and obviously securing that border is the-- is the key. And any of these conversations that we're having now are nothing more than intellectual-- discussions until you secure that border." I guess he does not understand the concept of stipulatin' in the interest of time.  Another pearl of wisdom that dripped from his lips is that, basically, Adulterers equal Bad Business Partners.  Huh?  

It has now become painfully clear that what we all suspected: had OGOTUWS debated Bill White during the 2010 election, then Bill White would most likely be or Governor.  Perry looks like the little brother of W the family never talks about, the one they tried to keep hidden in the basement.  

Why does Bachmann keep invoking Herman Cain?  Did the Godfather make her an offer she couldn't refuse?  She kept bring up his 9-9-9 Plan because it was, "reducing something to a very simple level so people get it."  Never mind that it will destroy what is left of the middle class and drive people deeper into poverty; as long as it's simple and has a catchy feel to the words.     

Are you sitting down?  I'm about to defend Mitt.  People are making excessively too much out of Romney's $10,000.00 bet remark to Perry.  I don't think it shows anything other than he was so sure he was right and that Perry was wrong.  The amount came from certitude, not attitude.  It took OGOTUWS off guard, he is far more used to people offering him money to do, oh I don't know... Build an unneeded toll road across the state and use imminent domain to seize the land to do so.  But I digress.  

Mitt lost his ever-present-1950s-even-headed-cool in this debate.  I don't think he knows quite what to do with Newty.  I can make a suggestion.  Mitt, pay a visit to that vast genealogical data your church has amassed and look back in Newty's ancestors for an Ebeneezer or some other Dickensian-like character and use it in ads showing little waifs cleaning their school's restrooms or clerking for the librarian.  Then show Newty at the end of the ad with all of the chains he forged in Washington to become Speaker of the House, and the ones he adds every day of his campaign.  I just love A Christmas Carol.

Newt, really?  Poor kids don't know how to make money unless it's through illegal means?  The Palestinians are a fictitious people?  And all of these so-called fictitious people are terrorist?  Really?  I know Americans have a short memory (that's just a polite way of saying we don't have a effing clue about our own history) but, how could anyone possibly think that the former Speaker of the House of Representatives (a politician’s politician) could in any stretch of the imagination be a Washington outsider?!  

Back to Mitt for a moment.  Earlier today, in New Hampshire, he approached what must have looked like a safe person to sit down with in a crowded diner and answer a question.  The man in red flannel jacket complete with a pack of cigarettes in the pocket, and wearing a cap stating he was a Vietnam Veteran, Mr. Garon.  He asked Mitt about his position on gay marriage, and how it relates to married gay veterans and spousal benefits.  Mitt is strongly anti-gay marriage.  Mr Garon said, "It’s good to know how you feel, that you do not believe everyone is entitled to their constitutional rights."  To which Mitt said, "No, actually I think at the time the Constitution was written it was pretty clear marriage was between a man and a woman."  Now correct me if I'm off base here, but when our Constitution was written, it also said it was OK for some states to allow slavery, and that those slaves were only 3/5 of a person, and that only white men could vote.  So, Mitt, what's your point?  Oh, by the way, that Vietnam Veteran, Mr. Garon, is gay and is legally married to his husband, the other man sitting in that booth.  Priceless!  

Economics, Prazies, & Racists, oh my!

One of the things that really pisses me off is the amnesia that has struck every single Republican in office or running for office.  This economic mess did not start with President Obama’s term; President W created the vast majority of it!  Yes, the deficit has grown under President Obama, but that is in large part because he no longer fought the wars off the books like his predecessor.  Also, the stimulus package added to it, but it, actually, was not big enough to really work.  So, in that, yes, I do fault the President in not going far enough to help out the people, like he did the auto industry and he and W did the financial industry. 

Standard & Poor’s, as far as I’m concerned, lost all legitimacy in 2008.  They are the ones that gave all of the toxic asset companies triple A ratings.  Just because I think S&P lacks legitimacy doesn’t mean a damn thing, however.  They decided to keep on with their illegitimate ways and join hands with the Tea Party and wreak further havoc.  The ridiculous sideshow those supposed patriots put on over the debt ceiling, which, I might add, gave cover to the rest of those pledged-signing-never-going-to-raise-taxes-Republicans, just gave S&P an excuse.  Now look at everything!  The markets around the world have gone crazy, like it’s 2008 all over again. 

 

S&P is now acting like a petulant little child.  All you had to do was watch the interviews with John Chambers & you could see it in his face that another tantrum was coming.  Today, they downgraded Fannie and Freddie.  It looks like the state’s bonds are next in their sights.  Are they trying to push the US and then, consequently, the world into another Great Depression?  I doubt it, but really, they need to get a grip, especially in light of Moody’s and Fitch upholding our credit rating. 

 

I’m not saying that the reasoning behind the downgrade is not true, but so far, the US has not missed a payment.  No thanks to the Tea Party and the rest of the Republicans that cower to them.  So in reality this stock sell off mess rests squarely at their feet.  Jerks!  So, the downgrade is based on politics, not finances.  Therefore, the S&P needs to back off and reassess. 

 

Being in Houston, I’m just glad the weekend is over, now all of those crazy evangelicals that sponsored Rick Perry’s, Our Governor of the Unnaturally Wide Shoulders, over-the –top day long fast & prazy (pray + crazy = prazy) event have cleared out of town.  Bachmann, not to be outdone,  attended her own prazy in Iowa.  Those two are heading for quite the showdown.  She better have a weapon to combat his shoulder pads or she’s done for.

 

Oh, I saw on a couple of different newscasts that The Donald is thinking of getting back into the race.  Why do those networks even give that head-carpet-wearing, attention-seeking, blowhard the time of day?

 

And now for something completely different… I am so tired of people using racist statements when talking about President Obama & then denying that they had any idea that the statement could be misconstrued as racist.  What planet must you be from if you do not know that referring to a person of African descent as a tar baby is racist?  Really, Representative Lamborn, really?  The questioning of Barack Obama’s birthplace; the cartoons depicting Michelle Obama as Zera from Planet of the Apes; the photo of the chimp family with the President’s face superimposed over the baby chimp’s; all of this we are supposed to believe was not intended as racist.  Would the Congressman, Joe Wilson, from South Carolina have yelled out, “You lie!” from the floor of Congress during a speech the President was giving if the President was white?  I hardly think so.  Rush Limbaugh (who makes my head explode every time I hear his disgusting, grunting-pig-at-the-trough-like voice) is always there to defend these preposterous statements as completely innocent, and complains that he no longer will be able to utter the phrase, “tar baby,” when referring to an African-American without someone calling him a racist.  Poor misunderstood junkie.  I fear for this country and the tone of the 2012 election, especially if it ends up being a rightwing nut that earns the Republican nomination.  Being from the south, I knew racism would raise it’s repulsive head, but I didn’t expect quite so many other people to condone it with their silence.          

Just Curious

So, I wonder if the food booths were open or closed during the Prayerathon/Fastingapalooza goings on at the Reliant Stadium today?  Would the vendors really pass up the chance of selling their wares?   

Wow!

My, these last few weeks have been crazy!  So much has happened; I really don’t know where to start.  There’s the prospect of Glenn Beck running for Governor here in Texas.  Then there’s Michelle Bachmann’s signing of “The Marriage Vow” pledge and her husband trying to straighten out gay people.  Or, Rupert Murdoch’s empire being threatened.  Then there’s the Republicans coming undone over the Debt Ceiling negotiations.  Also, the seemingly daily creepy revelations regarding the people backing Our Governor of the Unnaturally Wide Shoulders day of fasting and praying here in Houston.  I think I’ll start with Murdoch.

I remember hearing about this phone hacking crap years ago, but nobody cared because it was just movie stars, Prince Charles, and Camilla who were victimized.  What’s the harm, right? Yeah, right.  It took significant public outcry for Parliament and Prime Minister Cameron to finally start saying something from the floor of Parliament.  It can’t because most of the politicians are beholding to the Murdoch family, can it?  I was listening to the radio when I heard Murdoch’s reply to the hacking by his employees was, “Deplorable and unacceptable.”  I was immediately put in mind of the scene from Casablanca when the Police Prefect was closing down Rick’s Café, because he was, “shocked, shocked to find gambling going on.” just as the Roulette dealer brings him his winnings from that evening.  Is it such a stretch of the imagination that if it happened in the UK it can happen here?  Why is it only a few Democratic Senators and one lone Republican Congressman (Peter King of the Muslim Hearings, if you can believe it) have asked for an inquiry into the possibility of phones being illegally tapped here?  There’s FOX, the New York Post, (I’d really hate to think he could corrupt the Wall Street Journal that quickly.)  I think this is something that is going to play out for some time.

On to happier things… Glenn Beck the Carpetbagger!  If he runs for Governor here in Texas he will give carpetbagging a whole, new, twisted, twist.  Most of the original carpetbaggers came south after the Civil War to help newly freed slaves get established as actual citizens of this country, to be sure, some just came down to make a buck.  Beck, I think will fit into that latter portion and turn the former portion on it’s head.  I can envision him happily and steadfastly trying to restrict a citizen’s right to vote, and probably peaceably assemble, and the way our Legislature is right now, and will likely remain for the foreseeable future, they will go right along to Crazy Town with him.  While he actually has moved to Dallas, Texas and opened a new broadcast studio from which to spew his crazy brand of crazy, it is just pure speculation that he will run for Governor.  But you can never be too careful when it comes to Texas politics and crazy, crazy people running for office.  Look at George Bush.  Now, even Beck is not crazy enough to run against Our Governor of the Unnaturally Wide Shoulders, so he will have to bide his time.  Which brings me to…

Those exceedingly insane people that are behind Rick Perry’s day, the Response, I will not refer to them as religious people, because they babble nothing but hate and insanity.  The web site, Right Wing Watch, has been posting examples of their extreme views on everything from the Statue of Liberty being a demonic idol to Oprah Winfrey being a harbinger to the anti-Christ.  Here are just a couple of examples: from John Benefiel, I’m not even sure how to classify this one, it’s so idiotic and bat-shit-crazy all at once,

“Homosexuality was and is one of [Baal’s] big strongholds. Now we’re not against homosexuals, but we are against homosexuality because the Bible very—clearly God says ‘I hate it, don’t do it.’ By the way, homosexuality is a great way to control the population. Do you understand? I’m serious about this and I’ve seen this in lots of places, that the entity that we call the Illuminati which is really over, above Free Masonry, has stated it as their goal…to limit the world population to no more than 500 million. Do you realize that means getting rid of all of us? Because there’s between 6 and 7 billion people in the world today, and to get from 6 to 7 billion down to 500 million you gonna have to kill a lot of people off. What do you think the health care bill is? Oh yes, it’s a death culture. What about homosexuality, that’s a great way to limit the population. It’s not a great way it’s a perverted way, isn’t it.”

Alice Smith explaining Spiritual House Cleaning,

“Many families, even Christian families, suffer needlessly from unseen evil infestations. This doesn’t just happen.
A demonically infected atmosphere is a result of “doors” that have been left open—doors of sin, even the sins of previous residents and of past generations! And evil’s grip is often maintained as a result of one’s possessions.”

All of these people are listed as official sponsors of Our Governor of the Unnaturally Wide Shoulders for Christians only event.  Their kind of rhetoric is not, in my book, religious and certainly not Christian, it’s simply nuts. 

 

Speaking of nuts: Michelle Bachmann, when asked about signing “The Marriage Vow,” responded to the question with one of her nuttiest responses yet.  She signed it because she considered marriage to be(see video), “the fundamental unit of our Government.” Huh?  Since when?  I had no idea!  I must have been absent that day in school.  And, what, by the way, does the rejection of Sharia Law (it’s in the pledge) have to do with a Marriage Vow?  Why do these people have so little faith in our country and our Constitution as to think that the United States will suddenly chuck it’s laws in favor of Sharia Law?  Really!  Speaking of missing class, the Congresswoman really needs to go back to American History and First Grade Math.  She then needs to look at, among others, whose signature is on the Declaration of Independence, and also realize that the second President of the United States came before the sixth so she can understand that John Adams not John Q. Adams was one of our Founding Fathers.  Also, it was the Civil War that eliminated slavery, it was not that the Founding Fathers worked tirelessly to end slavery.   

You know how Bachmann always spouts off about being a job creator?  Well, apparently, she & her husband, Marcus, have hired a whole lot of homophobic fanatics cut from the same seconds cloth pile as they were to staff their so-called Christian Mental Health Clinic to pray the gay away and other discredited forms of reparative therapy.  Junk science from junk politicians.  You know that as soon as Rick Perry enters the race her poll numbers will most likely plummet because he will knock her off the podium with his unnaturally wide shoulders.   

   

Finally; an adult showed up on the Republican side of the aisle of the Senate, Mitch McConnell rose to speak to President Obama about the debt ceiling.  While the rest of the Republicans are at each other’s throats and Eric Cantor acted like a two-year old baby, Senator McConnell proposed removing politics from the equation.  Of course, he is trying to couch it in terms that will make it somewhat palatable to enough of his fellow Republicans, the adults are fine with it and the children are not.  Here’s an adult; Senator Lindsey Graham as quoted in Politco, “Our problem is we made a big deal about this for three months. How many Republicans have been on TV saying, ‘I’m not going to raise the debt limit.’ You know, Mitch [McConnell] says, ‘I’m not going to raise the debt limit unless we talk about Medicare.’ And I’ve said I’m not going to raise the debt limit until we do something about spending and entitlements.’ So we’ve got nobody to blame but ourselves.”  Here’s a child, (you will find her 1:33 into this video) “President Obama is holding the full faith and credit of the United States hostage so that he can continue his spending spree.  We’re saying President Obama, is your spending spree really that important to you that you would put at risk the full faith and credit of the United States?” Isn’t it just amazing how they always accuse their opponent of doing what they are doing?  

 All most of these people care about is keeping 

President Obama from governing.  That is what is behind all of this ridiculous debt ceiling nonsense.  The fact that he might actually get re-elected for a second term is driving them to distraction, and possibly fracture.  This, you might be surprised to hear me say, is not good, since we need the smart ones for balance.  

 

Last, but not least, a great and kind Lady was laid to rest today.  This country will miss her steadying hand.  Rest in peace, Betty Ford.