Despite Republicans statements to the contrary the majority of uninsured Americans WILL purchase insurance and NOT simply pay the penalties.

Courtesy of Gallup: 

Nearly two in three uninsured Americans say they will get insurance by Jan. 1, 2014, rather than pay a fine as mandated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), while one in four say they will pay the fine. Less than half of the uninsured say they plan on getting health insurance specifically through a federal or state health insurance exchange.

 Personally I think that this number goes up once more people learn about how the program works and get some help cutting through the Republican bullshit.

And that theory is supported by the data that Gallup gathered in their poll:

Overall, 83% of Americans are aware that most Americans will be required to have health insurance or pay a fine beginning January 2014. This awareness drops to 68% among those who are uninsured, and is at 69% among the vital group of 18- to 29-year-olds who are the most likely of any age group to be uninsured.

Kind of frustrating that the very people who need this program the most seem to know the least about it. Gee almost as if  some nefarious group had tried to confuse them and discourage them from learning more.

By the way you can count me among the uninsured who will soon be taking advantage of Obamacare.

I live in Alaska, where our Governor has completely refused to cooperate with the program, so I imagine I will run into  obstacles, however I will do it and report back to all of you as to how it goes and what I learn.

Freshly kicked off the Fox and Friends couch, blonde dingbat Gretchen Carlson takes a stab at interviewing Sarah Palin. Kind of like Malibu Barbie interviewing Trailer Park Trash Trixie.

Apparently the new methodology for making Palin appear smarter is to have her interviewed by the human equivalent of a blonde houseplant.

As for Palin she is back to wearing her hideous purple furry collared housecoat, as well as a fake smile and a barely housebroken rodent on her head. In other words somebody pulled her out from under the bed, plopped a hunting trophy on her head, poured a Red Bull down her throat, and tied her to a chair in front of a fake backdrop.

(And action!)

Of course the purpose of this interview is to gave Palin  the chance to pimp her ghostwritten Heritage Foundation love note to Ted Cruz. As well as to attack Obamacare. ("What about Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi!")

The interview is almost impossible to listen to without wanting to rip your hair out (Or at least bitchslap that half dead thing on Palin's noggin.), however here are a couple of Palin-isms that I managed to glean in between the giggling and jaw dropping stupidity.

"United we stand and divided we will fall. And we will fall under Obamacare."

"Obamacare is going to result in a part time employment arena that most Americans are going to have to face."

"This is what we're looking for, some kind of relief for Americans. Idilly (sic) the relief would be the same relief that Congress gave themselves, and that is an exemption from this burdensome,  unaffordable, unworkable, law called Obamacare."

"Obamacare is a disaster, it is a train wreck, it is huge government intervention, I believe it's unconstitutional because it violates the commerce clause, and the Federal government really has no right to tell us what we should, or should not, purchase." (Does she mean like they have no right to tell us we have to buy car insurance?)

"That's why we don't want to just give up and say okay Federal government intervene even more fully in our lives, more than what our Founders had ever intended. For this branch of government to...to..um..be able to  burden us. No we don't give up we..we..we fight for what's right and tart's why we elect those like Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, who are willing to stand firm and speak on behalf of we the people."

At the end of the interview Carlson asked Palin if there is anything about her that nobody knows. (You know like faking a pregnancy, or lying about an abortion, or about how and why your oldest son joined the military? Something like that?)

Of course Palin is not willing to reveal anything of any news value. (Dammit!) And instead says that everybody pretty much knows all about her since her e-mail got hacked and everything. (It wasn't hacked!)

However she does volunteer to tell the viewers how her Fox interviews are done.

"Something that maybe viewers would find interesting is the way that we put together these Fox interviews. I'm in Todd's airplane hangar, and Todd is the one manning the camera, and he's behind the controls. And we put a sign outside the door asking the kids to stay out for about fifteen minutes. Don't come knock on the door, we put that sign up, and we also ask the kids to keep all the dogs outside because we've had them wander through once in awhile during these hits and it creates some chaos."

WTF? Does anybody remember a time when a dog caused a problem during a previous interview? I sure don't.

Carlson then asks Palin how many dogs they have.

This kind of catches Palin by surprise, and she fumble a bit before claiming that they usually end up "babysitting" Bristol's dogs and then bizarrely suggests they always have "strays" coming around as well.

Really, taking in stray dogs? Does that sound like something the Grizzled Mama would do?

It sounds to me as if SOMEBODY is once again working to put to rest the rumors that she is no longer living in Wasilla, and is using this hokey story to provide cover.

I wonder what kind of sign she has on her door in Arizona?

Former Bush spokesperson Ari Fleischer attacks President for using too many Twitter characters. Math says, "I'm sorry, what?"

So this was the tweet where Fleischer got all outraged over the fact that clearly Twitter loves the President more than everybody else.

Question to @gov: how come @BarackObama 's last tweet was more than 140 characters? Does he play by different rules???
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 24, 2013

Yeah, why does the President get to break a rule that should be impossible to break since the 140 count thing is automatic?

Wait, who did the counting here? Uh oh!

Then the Twitterverse weighed in:

To be fair once Fliescher started to receive these tweets he took his socks off and did a recount.

Of course it was too late and the mocking continued for days. As well it should.

After all what can we expect from a man who had to play dumb on a daily basis about all of the criminal activity undertaken by the Bush administration?

And it is not like his other tweets are bursting with intellect either.

Congress passed it. Then the voters through out the Congress that passed it.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 26, 2013

Yep, they certainly "through" them out all right.

You know people sometimes say that I unfairly mock the Republican party as being full of assholes and idiots.

I think I take exception to the word "unfairly."

CNN's Hillary Clinton biopic is a no go.

It was the film that caused the Right Wing to rip their hair out in frustration, and the RNC chairman to state that there would not be a presidential debate on CNN if they went ahead with their plans to make it.

However as it turns out THAT was not enough to kill the movie. No that was achieved by Hillary Clinton herself.

This from the filmmaker himself courtesy of HuffPo:

I would have loved to explore all this. But when I approached people for interviews, I discovered that nobody, and I mean nobody, was interested in helping me make this film. Not Democrats, not Republicans -- and certainly nobody who works with the Clintons, wants access to the Clintons, or dreams of a position in a Hillary Clinton administration. Not even journalists who want access, which can easily be taken away. I even sensed potential difficulty in licensing archival footage from CBN (Pat Robertson) and from Fox. After approaching well over a hundred people, only two persons who had ever dealt with Mrs. Clinton would agree to an on-camera interview, and I suspected that even they would back out. 

This, of course, was the real consequence, and probably the real intent, of the announcements by the RNC, Philippe Reines, and David Brock. Neither political party wanted the film made. After painful reflection, I decided that I couldn't make a film of which I would be proud. And so I'm cancelling. (Not because of any pressure from CNN -- quite the contrary.) It's a victory for the Clintons, and for the money machines that both political parties have now become. But I don't think that it's a victory for the media, or for the American people. 

 I disagree that having this biopic made would constitute any "victory for the American people." As I have written before I really don't think that any movie about Hillary will sway voters one way or the other, but  I can certainly understand why the Clinton camp does not want all of those old stories dredged up right now, and why the RNC fears how THEY will be portrayed in any non-biased documentary.

To be honest I probably would not have watched in anyhow, nor will I watch the one made by NBC, assuming of course that they will have any more luck than CNN.

By the way, for the slow learners among us, it is very unlikely the Clinton's would have worked this had to kill this thing if Hillary was NOT running in 2016. I'm just saying.

NRA lobbyist shoots elephant in the face and then celebrates manhood by drinking champagne.

Courtesy of the YouTube page:  

NBC Sports network came under fire this week after it aired an NRA-sponsored program that included gun lobbyist Tony Makris shooting an elephant in the face and then drinking champagne. Deadspin noted on Tuesday that the Botswana hunt had aired during this week's episode of Under Wild Skies. 

Makris is a longtime friend of NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre and is best known for orchestrating Charlton Heston's rise within the organization. 

In a video of the hunt, Makris spots an elephant in the brush, walks up and shoots it in the the face twice. After a short chase, Makris fires again and the elephant is dead. The NRA lobbyist then takes a moment to pose with his .577 "Tyrannosaur" rifle and the dead pachyderm. 

As the episode ends, the group of hunters enjoys a glass of champagne while watching the sunset. 

Yes, NOTHING will improve the reputation of the NRA like televising a hunt featuring one of their lobbyists, where he shoots a majestic elephant IN THE FACE.

I will have to assume that there were no kittens or puppies around for them to stomp to death.

Probably one of the best indicators of just how phony Sarah Palin is.

Source

I somehow doubt that too many of you are surprised to learn that almost half of Palin's Twitter followers are fake, and of course that goes for her Facebook followers as well.

However it is an indication that at one time Palin, or somebody who really wanted her to succeed, paid for 350,000 fake followers in an attempt to buoy her credibility and provide her with some street cred.

Not that it would have been THAT expensive, according to this site it may have only run her just a little over $1,500. Though it would have cost her substantially more to purchase fans and likes on Facebook. (Now do you know where all that postage money goes to?)

It is by NO means news that Sarah Palin is a complete phony, but it is nice once in awhile to provide a little proof of that to the people who may not have been paying close attention.

Remember, how do you know when Sarah Palin is lying? Trick question, she is never NOT lying.

Conservative logic.

In case you missed it here is the President's Weekly Address.

Wow that Obamacare sure sounds scary doesn't it?

Well it clearly does if you are a Republican politician, then you are so terrified you are willing to shut down the government to stop it.

Kind of makes you wonder what is so frightening about it to them.

But then again, I bet you know.

The Republicans don't let a little thing like voting to shutdown the government interfere with their need to P-A-R-T-A-Y!

Photo courtesy of No Tea Party Today

Courtesy of Liberals Unite:  

Maybe it was the alcohol, or the late hour, or maybe the House Republicans have just completely lost their minds. On Saturday night, while they were trying to come up with some kind of magic bullet to kill Obamacare, they decided that not only were they going to shut down the government, but now they have added a “conscience clause” to the spending bill which takes away preventative care from women, which includes birth control. 

Under Obamacare rules, birth control is free with most providers, but apparently the House Repubs have decided that the reproductive rights of American women are better off in their control. Yeah, so basically the GOP is saying that it doesn’t want the government involved in your health care…unless it’s a birth control issue, of course. 

And before you go thinking that this attack on women was the only outrageous thing they did Saturday night, hold on, I’m afraid I have more to report. Friday afternoon, Republican John Culberson from TX got huge applause from his colleagues when he compared the GOP’s effort to destroy Obamacare to the heroes of 9/11. Culberson compared the House Repubs to the passengers on United Flight 93 who overtook the terrorists and got control of the plane on 9/11. Yes, Seriously. 

And all of this was BEFORE they started drinking! As the evening wore on, reporters on the House floor were tweeting about the smell of booze in the room and obnoxious behavior more and more. Now, we all would expect that sort of thing from Boehner. I mean, come on, it was Saturday night, he’s John Boehner, of course he would be drunk….and orange. But I must admit that even I am a bit shocked that the others were hitting the bottle.

And JUST when I thought my opinion of the Republican party could simply not get any lower.

So called "good guy with a gun" meets other good guys with guns, and badges. Does not end well for 2nd Amendment.

Courtesy of Dallas News:

Dallas police have confirmed that three officers shot and killed the homeowner who had fatally shot a burglar. 

Officers responded to a call in the 10300 block of Plummer Drive in Far East Dallas. Witnesses said they saw a homeowner shoot and kill Jerry Hale in the alley. The suspect was evidently trying to break into the homeowner’s residence. Police arrived to find the armed man standing over the burglar’s body in an alley, police said. 

They stopped an ambulance from entering the alley because the homeowner was still armed. Officers gave “loud verbal commands” to drop the gun. 

After he refused, they shot him multiple times, police said. He died from his injuries. The homeowner has not been identified.

Ten to one that the dead burglar was unarmed.

Look I completely support a homeowner defending their home, but I cannot help but wonder what makes it okay to kill a man who was in an alley behind that home?

And as for that whole "stand your ground" thing, well apparently standing that ground when the police are telling you not to is NOT going to work out in your favor. But you know, sometimes when you are holding a gun, you feel invincible.

Ted Cruz on Meet the Press builds a case against the Affordable Care Act with lies, lies, and more lies.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I watched this interview with growing agitation as Cruz made one false charge after another against Obamacare, and cited facts that were apparently freshly pulled out of his ass.

And perhaps even MORE upsetting was how many of them David Gregory let slide.

Here is but a sample:

Cruz: "The House last night, at 12:30 in the morning, voted to keep the government open, to fully fund the government. But at the same time, the House responded to the millions of Americans who are hurting under Obama Care. And I think the Senate needs to do the same thing."

Now in this case I will give Gregory a little credit for challenging Cruz on his facts.

Gregory: " You keep saying that the Senate and the House should listen to the American people. I looked at polling this week that shows, in a lot of quarters, the bill is unpopular, the law is unpopular. 56% want to uphold this law. So when you say, "Listen to the American people," they're not necessarily with you."

That was something, but considering how over the top Cruz's statements were I wanted more than that.

Later Cruz makes this statement: "I've spent hundreds of hours cris-crossing the state of Texas, traveling nationally. And people all over the country, they're losing their jobs, they're being forced into part-time work, they're facing skyrocketing health insurance premiums, and they're losing their health insurance."

NOBODY has been directly affected by the law as of yet because it has not been fully implemented, and  the parts that have seem to have been consistently beneficial. The only reason that companies might be laying off worker or moving them to part time is to create the impression they are suffering a hardship, and provide talking points to the conservative side of the argument, or are attempting to avoid having to provide health care for their employees. In other words this is a problem created artificially by certain businesses and NOT the direct result of Obamacare.

Then there was this exchange where Cruz tried to blame Harry Reid for the looming government shutdown: "Well, let's be clear what the Senate has done. So far, Majority Leader Harry Reed has essentially told the House of Representatives and the American people, 'Go jump in a lake.' He said, 'I'm not willing to compromise, I'm not willing to even talk.' (It must be noted that in Cruz's eyes a "compromise" would be to repeal the new law, defund the law, or delay the law for a year so that the Republicans can use it against the Democrats in 2014. Because once people know what it's about they will no longer have that in their toolkit. Can't imagine why Harry Reid won't go along with that!) His position is 100% of Obamacare must be funded in all instances, and, other than that, he's going to shut the government down. Now David, I hope he doesn't do that. If Harry Reed forces a government shutdown, that will be a mistake. I hope he backs away from that ledge that he's pushing us towards. But that is his position."

Once again Gregory does challenge him on it not very aggressively.

Gregory:  "But Senator, even Republicans that I've spoken to, your colleagues, say, 'Senator Cruz can't blame Harry Reed for shutting down the government. Senator Reed acted. He passed a bill to keep the government open.'"

I do like however that Gregory mentioned that Cruz does not represent the majority of the Republican party.

Later Cruz tries to pretend that his position has the support of the unions: 

Okay, look. The facts are becoming more and more clear that Obamacare isn't working. Every day, that's becoming more clear. There's a reason the unions are jumping ship. One union after another is saying, "Let me out." There's a reason why James Hoffa, the president of The Teamsters, said that he was writing on behalf of millions of working men and women, and he used "millions," not hundreds, not thousands. And he said Obamacare was destroying their health care. "Destroying" is his word. Now why is it that Harry Reed and the Senate Democrats are not willing to listen to the millions of working men and women whose health care is being destroyed?

This of course a gross misrepresentation of what Hoffa said, and just three days ago he expressed his anger at being used by the conservatives to further their agenda: 

"I call on Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. David Vitter and others to cease and desist from misusing our constructive comments in their destructive campaign to hobble the president and the nation," Hoffa said.

"Though we may have concerns with specific provisions of the ACA, we share the president’s goal of ensuring that every American has affordable access to top-quality health care," Hoffa said in the statement. "It is on this main point that we disagree wholeheartedly with the efforts of extreme right-wing Republicans to gut the ACA. Any suggestion otherwise is simply political posturing." 

There are many more examples just like this, and they are equally enraging to listen to.

However what I took overall from this is that it is proof positive in my eyes that, much like the Tea Party movement, this whole sham is funded by the Koch brothers and their ilk and that it more or less explains why not every conservative is on the same page when it comes to dealing with this new law.

Essentially if you are on the take, like Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Ted Cruz, and Mike Lee you fight this thing with everything you've got. But if you are not receiving the payola then you try to do your job while also watching to see how this whole thing plays out so you are not on the wrong side of history.

Personally I think I can already determine how this is going to go down, and it does NOT benefit Cruz and his Teabaggers politically. However I have little doubt that Cruz has a cushy job waiting for him somewhere if this thing blows up in his face and costs him his reelection bid.

After all look how well being a paid shill worked out for Sarah Palin.

(Full transcript here.)

Sarah Palin loves her some graphics! Especially graphics that spread lies and attack the President.

Courtesy of the Facebook page of Arizona's newest political gadfly:

A friend sent me this graphic today. It says it all. "If there's a government shut down, who will spy on me, waste my money and have contempt for me?" 

We could add so much more to this list, friends. For example, if the government shuts down, who will: 
*block responsible resource development 
*borrow more money from foreign countries to give to foreign countries 
*mortgage my kids' future to bail out their friends on Wall Street & finance their big government crony capitalism 
*"misplace" IRS receipts and ledgers to the tune of tens of millions 
*stockpile ammo at DHS 
*commandeer pro athletes to testify in front of Congress while watching bureaucrats plead the Fifth 

Please feel free to add to the list with your own comments below. I so appreciate your great comments and "likes" and "shares" on these Facebook posts! 

- Sarah Palin

A "friend" sent her this graphic? Does she mean a friend on her payroll who undoubtedly found or created the graphic and then wrote the post for her, which she only found out about after reading her email or logging on to Facebook? Does she mean that "friend?"

And by the way WHAT a disingenuous post!

As US News has pointed out the negative impact of a government shutdown is far more devastating than Palin apparently realizes, or wants to admit.

They include Social Security checks not going out on time.
National parks and museums potentially closing.
Tax refunds could be delayed.
And the pay for U.S. troops would be delayed, while some civilian Defense Department employees would also be furloughed.

None of this may be important to a person living off of SarahPAC donations and dirty Fox News money, but it IS important to millions of  Americans, including our soldiers who are in harm's way, and our elderly who are living on a fixed income and really need their Social Security checks to arrive on time.

Finally I would like to point out that Palin's desperation to continue appearing to be popular is truly evident in her plea for more "likes" and "shares" on Facebook.

Of course it should also be pointed out, and I will do so more thoroughly in an upcoming post, that Palin's Facebook followers and Twitter followers are largely phony, as are the number of likes and shares she receives.

It's all mooseshit my friends, one big steaming pile of mooseshit.

Planned Parenthood sues Texas over bill that Wendy Davis filibustered 13 hours to stop.

Courtesy of Reuters: 

Planned Parenthood, the largest U.S. abortion provider, filed a lawsuit in federal court on Friday challenging part of a new Texas law which the group said will dramatically reduce access to safe abortions, especially in rural areas of the huge state. 

The lawsuit does not challenge two other restrictions that would prohibit abortion 20 weeks or more after the date of fertilization, except to save the life of the mother, and would require major upgrades to most abortion clinics to meet hospital surgical standards. 

"We're in court today to stop a terrible situation for women in Texas from getting even worse," said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which was joined by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups in bringing the lawsuit. 

In a conference call with reporters, the groups said they were challenging a provision stating that doctors who provide abortions must have admitting privileges at a local hospital, and another part that requires direct supervision of a doctor for women to receive the so-called "abortion pill" RU-486. 

Asked why the groups were not including the other provisions, Jim George, a lawyer for the groups said: "The simple answer is you can only do so much at once."

Good for them! At least somebody is standing up for women's rights in Texas!

Perhaps once Wendy Davis gets elected Governor of the state she can help to do a whole lot more.

President Obama calls out Fox News for spreading disinformation about Obamacare. Fox News gets panties in a twist and demands to be shown when they have done that. Okay.

Okay so on Tuesday the President gave that rousing, and quite humorous, health care speech.

And you may remember that during that speech he said this: 

“If you talked to somebody who said I don’t know, I was watching Fox News and they said it’s horrible, and you can say you know what, don’t take my word for it, go on the website, see for yourself what the prices are, see for yourself what the choices are, then make up your own mind,” he said. “I promise you, if you go on the website and it turns out you’re going to save $100, $200, $300 a month on your insurance, or you’ll be able to buy insurance for the first time, even if you didn’t vote for me, I’ll bet you’ll sign up for that health care plan.”

Well apparently this chapped the asses of the propagandists over at Fox, and they got all pissy.

This courtesy of Raw Story: 

Personnel at the Fox News Channel put on a great show of being outraged Friday that President Barack Obama called them out by name in a speech about lies and distortions about the Affordable Care Act — also known as Obamacare — which goes into effect Oct. 1. 

Former CNN anchor turned Fox personality Bill Hemmer protested on Friday, “What have we reported that is inaccurate about this? What has been reported through the Fox News Channel that is not accurate?”

Seriously?

Okay so the folks over at Media Matters decided to show them what they had so conveniently forgotten:

There, now do you think they get it?

Yeah me either.

Man confidently walks around high school football game with holstered weapon assuming he will be seen as heroic. Instead the players are removed from the field and the police are called.

Courtesy of Michigan High School Sports:  

A man who openly carried a holstered gun at a high school soccer game Thursday led Muskegon Western Michigan Christian leaders to halt the contest against Hudsonville Freedom Christian with 30 minutes remaining. 

The man, whose identity was not immediately available, was spotted with the weapon by a Warriors assistant coach, who alerted head coach David Hulings and assistant athletics director Fred VandenBrand. 

VandenBrand asked the man to leave, but he refused. Instead, he apparently took the firearm to his car and left it there before returning to the stands. His presence, and the uncertainty if the gun was still being carried, resulted in the game being stopped with 15 minutes into the second half. 

"I thought it was necessary to clear the field of players and parents," Hulings said. "It is regretful that the boys on both teams could not finish. I am sorry for the inconvenience, but I thought it best to err on the side of caution. 

"Although I personally have no objection to, and do support, his right to carry, the school also has a right under the law to ask him to leave." 

Police were called to the scene, but it was unclear if the man with the gun was questioned about his intent or his interaction with Western Michigan Christian school officials. VandenBrand said an officer told him that the private school had a right to ask the man to leave, and that the scenario is unprecedented in his career.

That is the problem with these disphits.

They are under the impression that having them walk around openly displaying an weapon will make people feel safer, but of course it has the exact opposite effect.

If I see a guy with a gun, who is clearly not a police officer or part of the a security patrol, I immediately think that there may be something wrong with that person.  And nothing about seeing them would put me at ease.

However that logic is completely lost on these assholes who act all put upon when the police roll up and confront them about their weapons.

I am beginning to think that we seriously need to revisit the whole idea of a 2nd Amendment. There is no way that the Founding Fathers could have predicted how it would be interpreted and the kind of firepower that is now available to civilians. No way.

Time for yet another soothing story about Christianity courtesy of the Bible.

Source

Well great, whose going to rock me to sleep now?

And here I thought Stephen King books were terrifying.

The barely bearded one, Joe Miller, who don't need nothing from no stinking "gubmint," is begging for donations on Facebook to pay for the birth of his grandson. Oh and a vehicle to transport his surfboard.

Courtesy of the Alaska Dispatch:

The Facebook page of Joe Miller, who is seeking the GOP nomination for Senate after a failed 2010 Senate run as the Republican nominee, has shared a plea for financial help from his daughter, Kelsey Meza, and her husband. The couple works in Mexico for Youth with a Mission -- a Christian charitable organization -- and they draw no salary, instead relying "on God’s provision and generosity of our support team for our income." Miller, who campaigned on a theme of smaller government and greater personal responsibility, shared the money request on Thursday. According to the couple's blog, which features instructions about how to help, the goal is to raise $10,000 by December -- to pay for the birth of a baby and for a new truck or SUV capable of carrying the family, its dog and surfboards.

A surfboard? Seriously?

Okay now I know what you are going to say. You are going to say that surely this is some kind of joke, because there is NO way that a man like Joe Miller, who constantly talks about pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps and how REAL Americans don't need help from anybody (Except maybe God), would stoop to begging for money from strangers on the internet.

And to that I would answer, "Man you don't know Joe Miller do you?"

Of COURSE Joe wants money donated to him when his family has financial problems, hell he has been grifting for money ever since he got his ass handed to him back in 2010 by Lisa Murkowski.

Not that it has usually done him much good:  

A campaign disclosure report shows Joe Miller’s political action committee raised $5,210 last year.

But hey maybe he has not always been good at attracting donations, but this time is different. 

After all there is a baby on the way. And a surfboard that desperately needs a ride. Have some compassion!

P.S. Speaking of compassion if you take a look at the comments section over at the Dispatch you will see that there is very little available for Miller in Alaska these days.

Good luck with that primary race oh Barely Bearded One. You're going to need it!

Kansas group claims science is religion and sues to keep it from being taught in public schools. Wait, what?

Courtesy of Right Wing Watch:  

A Kansas-based group that “promotes the religious rights of parents, children, and taxpayers” is challenging the state’s science standards because they include the teaching of evolution, which the group claims is a religion and therefore should be excluded from science class. 

As the AP reports, Citizens for Objective Public Education (COPE) claims that public schools “promote a ‘non-theistic religious worldview’ by allowing only ‘materialistic’ or ‘atheistic’ explanations to scientific questions.” The group argues that by teaching evolution “the state would be ‘indoctrinating’ impressionable students in violation of the First Amendment.” 

COPE’s challenge [PDF] states that the teaching of evolution “amounts to an excessive government entanglement with religion” and violates the rights of Christian parents. 

Indeed, COPE’s stated mission is to create “religious[ly] neutral” schools that do not promote “pantheistic and materialistic religions, including Atheism and Religious (‘Secular’) Humanism” - a category under which it includes “Darwinian evolution.” 

I am not even sure where to begin.

Well first let me say that I sort of saw this coming decades ago when I first heard the argument proffered that "evolution was just a theory, which scientists believed to be true." I knew then that it was a blatant attempt to bring the teaching of evolution into the same realm shared by religion, as simply a matter of faith, because essentially it was the ONLY way that religion could challenge it.

Over the years I have watched Creationist polish their argument and even some of these debates between scientists like Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss with young earth Creationists like Kent Hovind and William Lane Graig, which can be found all over YouTube, are attempts to position themselves in the same rarefied air that only scientists should really occupy. 

Personally I am all for this Kansas case actually going to trial, during which those who want to teach Intelligent Design (The camouflaged version of Creationism.) in public schools can explain exactly WHAT they want to teach and what evidence they will use to teach it, and the scientific community can do the same.

I am also interested in how this group defines "religion" and how they would make the case that the teaching of science fits within it. And does that definition apply to ALL science taught in schools, including botany and astronomy, or does it only apply to those scientific disciplines which might negatively impact their ability to explain the world to children using fairy tales?

In the category of more bad news for the Conservatives, the UN's climate panel says "Yep it's hot, and it's all our fault."

Courtesy of BBC:  

A landmark report says scientists are 95% certain that humans are the "dominant cause" of global warming since the 1950s. 

The report by the UN's climate panel details the physical evidence behind climate change. 

On the ground, in the air, in the oceans, global warming is "unequivocal", it explained. It adds that a pause in warming over the past 15 years is too short to reflect long-term trends. 

The panel warns that continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all aspects of the climate system. 

To contain these changes will require "substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions".

Gee, first the attempts to stop Obamacare crashed and burned, then Obama secures diplomatic breakthroughs with both Syria AND Iran, and now the whole world (Except REAL Americans of course.) recognize that man is behind all of the crazy climate change?

It is almost enough to convince a pro-business, anti-government, Bible believing, conservative that they have been wrong about..well just about everything!

Well if they believed in something called "facts" that is. 

The Heritage Foundation has another article written for Sarah Palin to claim as her own. Don't worry they made it folksier with hunting metaphors.

"Wait how far is it to the nearest bathroom?"

Courtesy of some defunct blog left behind by a dead guy: 

A simple fact is missing from all the media hysteria and political establishment temper tantrums over Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee’s attempt to defund Obamacare. (Oh this ought to be good!)

Americans are getting slammed by Obamacare right now. Workforces are decimated as health care prices rise. Public opinion is on our side. If now was not the time to unite and fight it, when was? Those who are attacking Cruz and Lee’s efforts have forgotten how negotiations are won. (Okay this might be a good place to remind everybody that Obamacare does not officially kick off for three more days, so there can be NO "decimated workforce" or "rising health care prices" that can be attributed it. IF in fact any such data existed, which it does not! Actually quite the opposite data is available which refutes these statements completely.)

Use as an example the negotiations a governor of energy-rich Alaska must engage in with powerful multinational oil tycoons. In my experience, I found that the key to achieving success for the people you’re elected to serve is to take a firm position, stand solid, and negotiate from there when the other guy is ready to take you seriously. You fight as hard as you can with whatever small edge you’ve got until the other guy respects you enough to wise up, sit down, and come to a mutually acceptable agreement. You get nothing at all if you preemptively surrender before the battle even commences. (After which of course you leave office and the successor YOU chose completely guts the signature legislation that you are bragging about up above.)

Imagine how much stronger the GOP’s hand would have been if every Republican (and those Democrats who’ve finally admitted Obamacare’s devastating flaws) stood together against cloture in order to prevent Harry Reid from cutting off debate and stripping Obamacare defunding from the bill? (Yes, imagine the government grinding to a complete halt. Or simply read history to determine just how stupid this idea would be.)

Not only would there have been pressure on red state Democrats up for re-election (She's talking about you Begich.) to join the right cause, there would have been pressure on Reid and the White House to negotiate agreements. Even if the GOP couldn’t have defunded all of Obamacare, they could have negotiated some relief for average Americans who now feel they can do nothing but brace for the coming train wreck. (The law will have virtually NO effect on the vast number of already insured Americans beyond lowering their health care costs. There are currently some companies stripping their part time workers of their health insurance benefits, but that will not last once the health care exchanges are up and running. Really it is estimated that only 1% of companies will stop providing a health care plan to their employees.) We average Americans know we’ll never get the exemptions and favors Obama gave his political cronies and Congress, (This, of course, is a purposeful misrepresentation of what Congress gets, and here is an article that explains it fully.) but any relief for the middle class would have been welcomed. (You mean like relief in the form of affordable health care?)

But Republicans got nothing from squabbling with each other and denouncing (on and off the record) the brave men who tried to do something. (Well except credibility for being serious about their responsibility that is.)

Ted Cruz and Mike Lee fought to fulfill the campaign promises every Republican made (To shutdown the government?), and their actions have been revelatory for all of us. 

Hunters know what flushing dogs do. (Yes they do what their masters tell them to do and assist them in achieving their goals.) Cruz and Lee were acting as the grassroots’ ("Grassroots" in this case meaning the Heritage Foundation and the Koch brothers.) flushing dogs. Their actions showed us who was willing to stand up for hard working Americans and who wasn’t. We thank Senators Vitter, Paul, Crapo, Enzi, Fischer, Roberts, Scott, Heller, Grassley, Toomey, Moran, Rubio, Shelby, Risch, Inhofe, Portman, and Sessions for standing with Cruz and Lee. (That's right, name them all. Any politician who is endorsed by Sarah Palin is guaranteed to have a troubled future.)

In 2010, a galvanized grassroots rallied against Obamacare to carry Republicans to victory. But in 2012, many in the grassroots stayed home, and we saw how that turned out for the GOP. (And get ready for a repeat in 2014.)

Unfortunately, the message of some politicians today seems to be: “Whoopsie, seems I can’t fulfill my election promises, but vote for me again and I promise to do what I promised last time.” 

Sorry, that doesn’t cut it. America, you deserve better. If they can’t do anything with the power you gave them through their elected office, then you deserve someone else to give it a try. (Yes keep right on electing unsophisticated idiots who do not understand how government functions. Look how well that has worked out so far.)

2014 is just around the corner, and we’re ready for it. Support those who do us a favor by flushing out politicians wanting to hide. Retrieving liberty must be the point in all this. 

"The sky is falling, the sky is falling, the sky is falling" cried Chicken Little Brain.

Personally I am over the moon that the conservatives have become so desperate that they have resurrected Sarah Palin's moldy corpse and have it shuffling around snapping and clawing at everybody who dares stand up for fixing our broken health care system.

Her reappearance has helped numerous pundits point out the ridiculousness of the conservatives argument, as well as helping to identify the many lies proffered by the Koch brother sock puppets. After all who better to draw attention to the bullshit than Ms. "Death Panels" herself?

As the President would no doubt say if he was even aware that Palin was still alive, "Proceed half-term Governor turned reality show loser, proceed."

Congratulations to Bristol Palin, for making the number nine spot on Radar Online's list of "Stars Who are Famous for Doing Nothing."

Courtesy of Radar Online: 

Bristol Palin: Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol caused a sensation when it was revealed she was a pregnant and unmarried teenager during the 2008 campaign. Bristol and her baby daddy, Levi Johnston, were supposed to wed but never did. After Sarah lost the election, Bristol decided to parlay her fame into a stint on Dancing with the Stars in 2010. Despite questionable dance skills and performing in a monkey suit, she finished 3rd! Later, the Alaska girl released a memoir, Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far. Incredibly, the reality journey continued in 2012, when she starred on Lifetime’s Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp, and returned to DWTS as part of the all-star cast.

Sadly they left off  Bristol's most recent foray into "things I can only do because my past name is Palin" with her appearance on "Celebrity Wife Swap" with Joan and Melissa Rivers, which you have to admit what QUITE an achievement since neither Bristol or Melissa are indeed wives.

Have you ever stopped to imagine what it must be like to be Bristol? (Try not to gag.)

You would have been paid to talk about abstinence even though you were unable and unwilling to practice it in your own life. You would be paid to appear on your mother's short lived reality show as a  mythologized version of yourself. You would have been able to place third in a dance contest even though everybody who watched could see that you sucked balls. You would have a book ghostwritten for you in which you were able to attack the father of your son for not being an involved parent, even though you tricked him into impregnating you, and were actively keeping him from seeing his son. You would then get your own short lived reality show during which you could show the world just how screwed up your kid was while continuing to blame his father for not being an active parent, while once again actively keeping him away from the boy. Then for some reason you would be invited back onto DWTS to finally be treated as you deserved and get kicked off in week four. (And even that was being charitable.) Then you would have a new blog launched in you name apparently to give you some credibility as an uber Christian political pundit. (This would be ghostwritten for you as well. Of course.) And finally you would be invited to appear on "Celebrity Wife Swap," even though you are unmarried, during which you would act like a spoiled brat and once again show your the world your complete lack of parenting skills.

You know after reading all of what I just wrote all I can ask is, how in the hell is she ONLY number nine on a list of people who are famous for doing nothing?

Just for fun. A little video of driving from Anchorage to Fairbanks for your morning's entertainment.

I don't think there is ANYBODY living in Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla, or Palmer who has not driven that first portion more time than they can remember. (For some who commute it is a daily occurrence.)

Around the 30 second mark, though you don't really see it, is Peter's Creek whihc is where I lived for about half a year when I was learning how muhc I DIDN'T want to grow up to be my Dad.

At the 45 second mark is when you take the off ramp and get to drive through scenic Wasilla. (Hah!)

The whole drive takes between seven to eight hours depending on the conditions.

Sadly this video was taken on a very gray day so you do not really get a sense of just how beautiful it can be.

According to Billy Graham's grandson when it comes to sexual abuse the Catholics have got NOTHING on the Evangelicals.

Courtesy of Religion News:  

The Christian mission field is a “magnet” for sexual abusers, Boz Tchividjian, a Liberty University law professor who investigates abuse said Thursday (Sept. 26) to a room of journalists. 

While comparing evangelicals to Catholics on abuse response, ”I think we are worse,” he said at the Religion Newswriters Association conference, saying too many evangelicals had “sacrificed the souls” of young victims. 

“Protestants can be very arrogant when pointing to Catholics,” said Tchividjian, a grandson of evangelist Billy Graham and executive director of Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE), which has investigated sex abuse allegations.

 “The Protestant culture is defined by independence,” Tchividjian said. Evangelicals often frown upon transparency and accountability, he said, as many Protestants rely on Scripture more than religious leaders, compared to Catholics. 

Abusers discourage whistle-blowing by condemning gossip to try to keep people from reporting abuse, he said. Victims are also told to protect the reputation of Jesus. 

You know you would think that if church groups were so invested in protecting the "reputation of Jesus" they might prosecute the shit out of somebody who raped one of their own and protect the vulnerable from any further abuse.

After all isn't that what Jesus would do?

I have long thought that all of the attention on Catholic sexual abuse was somewhat hypocritical within the religious community. I have not had a great deal of exposure to Catholics up here (With the exception of my beautiful and talented ex-girlfriend.) however I have had substantially more exposure to religious types of other denominations raping children, sometimes even their own, as well as their wives.

It also needs to be pointed out that the sex abuse that has been visited upon the indigenous people of Alaska has NOT all come from Catholic priests, but has also been linked to other missionaries working in rural communities, though there is barely a whisper about it in the media.

Sadly there are features within certain very religious communities which allow this abuse to continue unabated, especially when the victims are kept away from secular education facilities, or others who might not be so willing to overlook abuse to protect a prominent church member or a minister.

You know the ironic thing is that if these people were REALLY living their lives according to the teachings of their idol, they would never think to harm anybody in this fashion. But the mantle of Christianity can often camouflage a black heart, and for some it is a license to do despicable things with no fear of retribution.

Neither in this world, or the next.

How can you be against Obamacare when it is presented in such an adorable fashion?

Those painfully cute images are the brainchildren of the folks over at the Adorable Care Act who decided that perhaps the ACA would be less frightening to Americans if presented in the above adorable fashion.

Of course as most of US know the ACA is anything BUT frightening, as demonstrated by the fact that while 46% of Americans oppose Obamacare only 37% oppose the Affordable Care Act.

And for those who are still a little spooked they can always visit Politfact who addresses the Top Sixteen Myths about the Health Care Law. (Including by the way that ridiculous death panel BS. Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it Sarah Palin!)

I think it is well past time for everybody to realize that the law is NOT going to be repealed or defunded, it IS going to start for everybody on October 1st, and, want it to be true or not, the only way that it will ever honestly be considered a terrible plan is once it is replaced by a single payer one.

Bill Maher explains how liberalism saved California and that it can do the same for the rest of the country.

Courtesy of HuffPo:

 New Rule: Conservatives who love to brag about American exceptionalism must come here to California, and see it in person. And then they should be afraid -- very afraid. Because while the rest of the country is beset by stories of right-wing takeovers in places like North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin, California is going in the opposite direction and creating the kind of modern, liberal nation the country as a whole can only dream about. And not only can't the rest of the country stop us -- we're going to drag you along with us. 

It wasn't that long ago that pundits were calling California a failed state and saying it was ungovernable. But in 2010, when other states were busy electing whatever Tea Partier claimed to hate government the most, we elected a guy who actually liked it, Jerry Brown. 

Since then, everything Republicans say can't or won't work -- gun control, immigration reform, high-speed rail -- California is making work. And everything conservatives claim will unravel the fabric of our society -- universal healthcare, higher taxes on the rich, gay marriage, medical marijuana -- has only made California stronger. And all we had to do to accomplish that was vote out every single Republican. Without a Republican governor and without a legislature being cock-blocked by Republicans, a $27 billion deficit was turned into a surplus, continuing the proud American tradition of Republicans blowing a huge hole in the budget and then Democrats coming in and cleaning it up.

In lots of areas, California seems to have decided not to wait around for the knuckle-draggers and the selfish libertarian states to get on board. They can mock "European style democracies" all they want, we are building one here, and people like it -- the same way when Americans come back from a vacation in Europe they all say the same thing: "Wow, you can see titties on the beach!" But they also remark on the clean air, the modern, first world infrastructure, the functioning social safety net, and bread that doesn't taste like powdered glue. And they wonder, "Why can't we get that here?" Unless they're Republicans, in which case they wonder, "How can people live like that?" 

Well, swallow hard, guys, because California is eventually going to make all Americans live like that. Why? Because we're huge. The 12th largest economy in the world, the fifth largest agricultural exporter in the world, and of course number one in laser vaginal rejuvenation. There's 40 million of us -- so, for example, when California set a high mileage standard for any car sold in this state, Detroit had to make more fuel-efficient cars; we're just too big a slice of the market, and it would be too expensive to make one car for us, and another for shit-kickers who want something that runs on coal. 

It's so ironic -- the two things conservatives love the most, the free market and states rights -- are the two things that are going to bend this country into California's image as a socialist fagtopia. Maybe our constipated Congress can't pass gun control laws, but we just did. Lots of 'em. Because we don't give a shit about the NRA. Out here that stands for "Nuts, Racists, and Assholes." So while the rest of America is debating whether it's a good idea to allow guns in bars or a great idea to allow guns in bars, California banned lead bullets. Which is a no-brainer, because bullets don't need lead, and lead kills birds and gets into the food supply of people who hunt their own food. Which explains why Ted Nugent is such a raving lunatic. 

This in only a portion of the article which goes on for many more paragraphs and I recommend that you read all of it.

I guarantee it will provide new hope if you are a liberal, and make your head explode if you are a conservative. 

I anxiously await Sarah Palin's spittle saturated response. 

Photograph of the huge Ted Cruz rally that took place outside of the US Senate today.

HUGE rally outside the Senate for Ted Cruz right now. pic.twitter.com/BHAn52atH5

— jennifer bendery (@jbendery) September 27, 2013

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

A rally in support of Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was planned for today outside the U.S. Senate. 

Tremble, I say tremble, at the sight of the overwhelming grass roots support that Rafael Ted Cruz has behind him. 

Goddammit! Am I out of popcorn again?

Wendy Davis to announce that she will run for Governor of Texas! Yeehaw!

Courtesy of the Guardian:  

Wendy Davis is set to run for Texas governor, in a race that could have wide-ranging consequences for Democrats at both national and state level. 

The state senator from Fort Worth became an overnight celebrity in June, as a result of her 11-hour filibuster against restrictive new abortion legislation. The bill ultimately passed in a special session of the state legislature, but Davis's stance galvanised people on both sides of the debate and led to large rallies and protests at the Texas state capitol in Austin. 

Davis has been mulling over whether to run for several months, but delayed announcing her decision following the death of her father earlier this month. She will formally reveal her decision on 3 October. 

"A week today, I'm announcing something big," she wrote today on Twitter. The Associated Press reported that Davis will run, citing two unnamed Democrats with knowledge of her decision. Politico and the Dallas Morning News reported that Davis and her advisors have begun telling influential Democrats that she will stand.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

This is GREAT news for Texas and even better news for her fellow Democrats in Texas. Once she is on the ticket it will attract tons of media attention and any other Democrat running at the same time is guaranteed to get extra attention and extra funding. 

Can I ask a favor? Once we turn Texas blue, can we please start on Alaska?

If Texas can do it I see no reason that Alaska cannot follow suit. It is my fervent hope that before I die I get to see the state of my birth finally return to its progressive roots.

Palin adviser, and SarahPAC treasurer, used "dark money" group to fund attack ads against Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown. Color me unsurprised.

Courtesy of The Nation:

Last year, a “mysterious non-profit” called the Government Integrity Fund appeared in the midst of the campaign season and began airing campaign commercials in support of Republican Josh Mandel’s bid to unseat Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH). 

Although the Government Integrity Fund does not disclose its donors, a recently released tax form shows that a group run by Tim Crawford—a Republican known for his work as a close adviser to Sarah Palin, who also serves a a spokesman and treasurer of SarahPAC, Palin’s official campaign committee—provided $627,000 to the pro-Mandel mystery fund. 

Crawford used an entity called “New Models,” itself another undisclosed political fund that raised over $4.4 million last year, and dispensed that money to Republican polling operations, Super PACs and undisclosed attack-ad organizations like the Government Integrity Fund. Crawford is the only board member of New Models, which he used to provide himself with a $265,000 salary. Where did Crawford find the cash for these undisclosed political endeavors? Crawford did not respond to a request for comment, but a tax form from the Business Roundtable, a trade association for large corporations, shows that the group gave Crawford’s New Models $600,000 the previous year. 

The Business Roundtable represents companies including J.P. Morgan Chase, GE, Wal-Mart, Honeywell, MasterCard Worldwide, AT&T, ExxonMobil and General Electric. 

This isn’t the first time Crawford has been connected to a mysterious campaign effort. As the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported, New Models was “behind controversial automated calls to Pennsylvania voters made during the 2008 presidential election. The calls told voters that Barack Obama’s aunt was living in America illegally and that he accepted campaign contributions from his ‘illegal alien aunt.’” 

So Palin's crappy treasurer has a side job does he?

Can't say I'm surprised that it involves shady monetary dealings and underhanded political attacks. After all what would you expect from somebody associated with Sarah Palin?  

According to SarahPAC's recent financial report Crawford was paid $138,000. Since that was for half of the year it is safe to assume that Timmy rakes in a cool $276,000 annually from the paint chip eaters who still throw their hard earned money at Granny Grifter.

The fact that he also pays himself a $265.000 dollar salary from this other group means that he is getting over half a million dollars a year.

And they say crime doesn't pay!

So it seems safe to assume that, like Palin, this "New Models" group is undoubtedly funded by the Heritage Foundation and Koch brothers.

As Alice would say "Curiouser and curiouser."

Even as the Republicans cave to Tea Party pressure the Teabagger's popularity drops to new lows with the American people.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

Support for the tea party is nearly as low as it's been since the movement's creation, according to a Gallup poll released Thursday. 

Twenty-two percent of those polled consider themselves supporters of the tea party, while 27 percent of respondents say they oppose the movement. The remaining 51 percent say they're neither, or don't have an opinion. Those who say they "strongly oppose" the tea party also outnumber those who "strongly support" it, 17 percent to 11 percent. 

Overall support is down 10 points from the 32 percent who supported the tea party in the days after the 2010 midterm election, and nearly tied with the record low support for the movement in late 2011, as measured by Gallup. 

While Republicans continue to have the closest ties to the tea party, their level of support is far lower than it was in the movement's heyday. Thirty-eight percent of Republicans support the tea party, while 7 percent of them oppose it and a majority 55 percent is ambivalent. In November 2010, 65 percent of Republicans identified with the Tea Party.

Perhaps just as interesting is that the Teabaggers have the same issues with the Republicans as they have with them:  

On the flip side, tea party members are less than unanimously pleased with the GOP; while 55 percent of members view the Republican Party favorably, 43 percent of them view it unfavorably. 

"U.S. support for the Tea Party is at a low ebb at a time when key issues of concern for the movement -- funding for the Affordable Care Act and raising the U.S. debt ceiling -- are focal points in Washington, with Tea Party-backed Sen. Ted Cruz prominently fighting both policies," Gallup senior editor Lydia Saad wrote. "The discomfort he has created in the Republican caucus is merely emblematic of the ambivalence national Republicans feel toward the movement. Although few Republicans outright oppose the Tea Party, far more are neutral toward it than support it."

Sarah Palin recently claimed that Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and other Tea Party politicians have essentially become a third party. This is something that I have been hesitantly predicting for a few years now, but have always maintained that it would be an extremely dangerous and politically costly endeavor for the Republicans if it were to occur.

With the polling numbers so low it would seem that it is less likely than before, but so long as the Koch brothers and the Heritage Foundation keeping sending it money it will not go away completely. And who knows it just might prove impossible for the GOP to completely isolate them before their tentacles spread so far into the party that attempts to kill it may cost the life of its host as well.

Sounds like good news for the liberals.

Just in case you missed it, here is President Obama's entire speech about the Affordable Care Act from yesterday in Largo, Maryland.

It was a truly great, and informative speech.The President also took a few well deserved shots at his Republican opponents.

“Just the other day, one Republican in Congress (None other than Ted Cruz) said we need to shut this thing down before the marketplaces open, and people get to see that they’ll be getting coverage, and getting these subsidies because — and I’m going to quote him here, he said ‘It’s going to prove almost impossible to undo Obamacare. So, in other words, we’ve got to shut this thing down before people find out that they like it,” the President said, to more applause from the crowd.”That’s a strange argument.”

And this:

"One congressman said that Obamacare is the most dangerous piece of legislation ever passed," (Louisiana Representative John Fleming) Obama said in Largo, Md. "Ever, in the history of America, this is the most dangerous piece of legislation. Providing -- creating a marketplace so people can buy group insurance plan, the most dangerous ever." 

"You had a state representative somewhere say that it's as destructive to personal and individual liberty as the Fugitive Slave Act," (New Hampshire representative Bill O’Brien) he added. "Think about that. Affordable health care is worse than a law that lets slave owners get their runaway slaves back. I mean, these are quotes. I'm not making this stuff up." 

"And here's one more that I've heard. I like this one. We have to, and I'm quoting here, we have to repeal this failure before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens," (Michele Bachmann) an incredulous Obama said. "Now, I have to say, that one was from six months ago. I just want to point out we still have women, we still have children, we still have senior citizens. All this would be funny if it wasn't so crazy."

And then pointed out that, despite so much bizarre opposition, that someday it will be accepted and that they will no longer want to associate it with his name:

"Here is a prediction for you: a few years from now, when people are using this to get coverage and everyone's feeling pretty good about all the choices and competition that they've got, there are gonna be a whole bunch of folks who say, "Yeah, yeah, I always thought this provision was excellent. I voted for that thing,'" he continued. "You watch. It will not be called Obamacare."

In fact that day of acceptance may be almost upon us as we just learned the other day that the cost of Obamacare will be lower for 95% of Americans than previously estimated.

Oh, and all of those full time jobs that the law was supposed to be costing Americans? Yeah well that is turning out to be a bunch of crap as well.

Yep, all of that spells good news for uninsured Americans, and bad news for the Republicans who have spent all of these last four years fighting against its implementation.

I would shed a tear for them but I am too busy being excited about signing up for health insurance.

(H/T to TPM and Mediaite)

"Green Eggs and Blam!"

If Ted Cruz rewrote the Dr. Suess classic.

Final picture of the day. The George Bush, gay marriage, and awesome socks edition.

He may not be gay, but I think his socks might be.

Courtesy of Bulgebull:

Former President George H.W. Bush served as an official witness at the marriage of Bonnie Clement and Helen Thorgalsen, the owners of a general store in Kennebunk, Maine, close to where the Bush family has a home.

After so many negative stories concerning the Republican party today it is nice to remember that there was a time when they were not overrun with mental health patients and political insurgents. 

I did not always agree with George the first by any means, but at least it appeared he did what he thought was best for the country and did not allow ideology to dictate his actions. 

Chris Matthews discusses Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin, and the future of the Republican party.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This conversation gets very contentious and there is a lot of people talking over each other, but I thought it was a very good indication of the problems that Republicans, in this case represented by GOP strategist John Brabender, are having reconciling the numerous moving parts within their party.

It is becoming clearer then ever that the Republican party is under a very aggressive attack by political insurgents and there may be NO WAY for them to survive intact.

I don't know how anybody is not watching politics these days! I swear there is nothing on television to rival the drama, plot twists, and villainous characters that are contained within this struggle for political dominance.  

Sarah Palin pimps her daughter's ghostwritten blog, and kisses up to Billy Graham and the ghost of Ronald Reagan, all in the service of increasing her Christian bonafides.

Courtesy of Sister Sarah Simpleton's Facebook page:

Please read Billy Graham’s impassioned plea to the new president of Iran imploring the release of the imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini. Bristol has been covering Saeed’s story for a long time on her blog. We are all so grateful to Rev. Graham for taking out this full-page ad in the New York Times to bring light to this terrible injustice. 

President Obama, please act on this by using your position to appeal for Saeed’s release. We often ask ourselves, “What would Reagan do?” Well, in the 1980s, President Reagan worked behind the scenes to appeal to the Soviets for the release of Russian Christian dissidents who wanted to emigrate, and because of Reagan’s quiet work in the background, these Christians were finally allowed to leave the former Soviet Union. Reagan used the exceptional position of POTUS to appeal for justice, and it worked. Now we need our current president to appeal to Iran's new president for the release of this imprisoned Christian. 

Kudos to Rev. Graham for taking action today. I have so much respect for him. As my dad wrote about in his book, Billy Graham was the man who led my mom to Christ years ago, which resulted in the rest of the family becoming Christians in the 70s.

 - Sarah Palin

Okay, well first I think that Sarah Palin has quite a pair of wrinkly balls to ask President Obama to do ANYTHING after she has been lying about him and attacking him for having the temerity to beat her and her grandfather lo those many years ago.

Putting that aside I would imagine that there are all kinds of diplomatic measures being taken in order to gain his release (Including Secretary of State John Kerry's numerous attempts.) as well as the two other Americans being held, just like there are for Kenneth Bae currently being held in North Korea, who for some reason does not garner the same outcry for his release from Graham and Palin as does Saeed even thought Bae is also a Christian missionary.

I think it is admirable that Graham or ANYBODY advocate for the release of prisoners, though I would personally not make their religion the primary reason for my advocacy. After all there are numerous Muslims being held as political prisoners in Iran, and numerous North Koreans being held in prisons for the same reasons, and yet no outraged demands appear to be forthcoming on their behalf.

By the way it appears that the main reason Palin and Bristol are jumping on this bandwagon is because it has become a cause celebre, with numerous Christian leaders and others who are joining in to call for his release. This includes of course Ted Cruz, who, like Palin, knows a good public relations stunt when he sees one.

There is something very unsettling about certain religious types caring only of their own, and having little compassion for those of a differing faith.

Are not human beings worthy of the same rights as every other human being? Or is there a religious litmus test to determine those worthy of compassion and those deemed unworthy?

Having said that I also fervently hope that Saeed Abedini will soon be granted his freedom.  As well as the prisoners currently held in Gitmo, those serving time in American prisons for minor drug offenses, and those locked away in prisons around the world for speaking out against tyranny and in favor of human rights.

After all they are fellow human beings. And in the absence of serious criminal behavior all human beings deserve to be free. 

Christian or not.

The Daily Show mocks perhaps the most mock-able thing in the news, Ted Cruz's non-filibuster filibuster.

Click image for video.

Part two: The Bore-ax

There were a plethora of choices to post today of pundits taking shots at Cruz's ridiculous ineffective grandstanding yesterday, but it was not until I watched the Daily Show last night that I knew what I HAD to post.

Not only is it spot on, it is truly hilarious.