Et tu, Newsweek?

I know that I need to hear both sides of the issues. I should want to hear both sides, and while I have still not resolved my lack of love for Newsweek's redesign from earlier this year (WHEN will people learn that sometimes things are left well enough alone—yeah I am looking at you Facebook), I get their efforts to present a somewhat balanced approach to news and politics. Of course I am admittedly partial to their leftist-leaning writers—sue me I am an unabashed, unapologetic liberal.

But I had to stop and post something in response to the article by Yuval Levin I just read in their latest issue (November 16). And who you might ask is Mr. Levin? (It's ok, I had to ask that question myself.) Well, according to his byline he is the editor of National Affairs. A new publication, National Affairs is a quarterly journal, launched this year, "that aspires to help Americans think a little more clearly about the challenges of governing ourselves." Well bully for them.

Being not entirely sure what it means to "think a little more clearly"—I have found that generally liqueur is involved, or at least it should be—I decided to read on. Another journal, The Public Interest and its former editor Irving Kristol were credited as the model for Levin's new publication. Kristol, Kristol . . . any chance 'ole Irv is related to Bill Kristol of the conservative rag The Weekly Standard? Well a quick little jaunt over to Wikipedia confirmed that yes indeedy, Irv was the proud papa of Bill.

So with just a few quick search statements Levin's credentials as a conservative were established, but I kinda new that from the tone of his article. Titled "What Coattails? Why right-of-center candidated are succeeding in the age of Obama," Levin details why last week's off-year elections were a good thing for the GOP and should be a wake up call for the Dems.

Obviously, I am not convinced that an off-year election, when people are focusing on their own local issues, is really qualified as a referendum on the current president and the entire Democratic party. I will grant you that a mid-term carries a bit more weight, but I think we are jumping the gun to say that 10 months into the Obama administration, people are already fed up and looking to the benevolent Republicans to save us from the savage atrocities of the lefty liberals.

But what got me going about the article came down to two things. First that Levin said "Republicans are not in the midst of a destructive civil war, any more than the Democrats were when they kicked out Joe Lieberman in 2006." Lieberman was never kicked out of the Democratic party; rather, he chose to leave when it became obvious that he was facing a serious challenge during the primary from another Democrat. Last I checked it was certainly allowable for a member of someone's own party to challenge them during the primary season, thus the reason for a primary in the first place. Lieberman likes to whine, that is painfully apparent, but he created a situation in Connecticut where Democratic voters were no longer enamored of him and were leaning toward giving the Democratic nomination to Ned Lamont. So Mr. Levin, if you want me to give ANY credence to your musings, I suggest you get your facts straight.

Second, Levin ended the piece by saying "liberals in Washington would do well to let go of the Republican breakdown narrative, take a real look at the mood of the country and the state of their own party's prospects, and pull back to the center—or suffer the consequences." As some one who freely admits to being left of center, I can assure you that I in no way consider the current administration or the Democratic party in general to be left of center, if anything, the Democrats have become center in many cases with the Republicans veering more to the right. I wish the Dems would behavior as bigger lefties (dare to dream), but sadly, that is just a boogie man created by the right to scare those few Americans who sit on the fence and to reinforce the ideology of the right.

Oddly enough I agree in a way that the Dems aren't taking a real look at the mood of the country. In fact, in my opinion, if they were taking a look at the country's mood they would be doing a lot more left-leaning things, i.e. getting out of Afghanistan, funding a public option (otherwise known as "Medicare for everyone,") and sticking it to Wall Street but good.

So Mr. Levin can live in his fantasy land that the GOP is on the rise and the Dems are causing it. But I don't think that is the case. Not to say that the Dems aren't mucking things up, but I don't think the country is thinking the Republicans are the answer. At this point, I would hazard a guess that most Americans agree neither party has an answer.

Political Terrorists and Death Panels

Once again I am compelled to say that the Democrats need to get off their asses and grow a set. Gentle reader, the nonsense that the GOP is saying in regards to the healthcare plan put out there by President Obama is crazy, and the biggest loon of them all—Sarah Palin—decided to add her measly two cents the other day on Facebook. Come on people, I thought Facebook was for sharing your thoughts on the latest box office offerings and letting your 200 closest "friends" know what you ate for lunch, not implying that the President want's to off your developmentally disabled spawn. But I have been wrong before.

So Palin says that the healthcare plan will create death panels that will determine whether the infirmed or disabled will be allowed to live or die. Hogwash. The stuff that Palin and her buddies in the Republican party are coming up with are so off base as to be laughable, but the problem is the Democrats aren't busting their chops on this. Maybe they are waiting for the lunacy to die down, but meanwhile, the lunatics are growing in number.

Take for instant these town hall meetings where middle aged, lower to middle class white people are asking for their country back. Well I have to agree with Mr. Maher on this one, what they mean is they want their country back from the black guy. Nice, huh?

But speaking of growing a set, the Dems could take a page from Hillary Clinton who when questioned recently about John Bolton's response to her husband's efforts to return the two American journalist being held in N. Korea, laughed uproariously, and then said basically that what had been done was far from out of the ordinary. See for yourself below:



Now that is what I call balls, ladies and gentleman. More democrats need to pay attention to her easy, breezy way of just blowing off the GOP as ridiculous fossils that are out of touch with reality.

But getting to the political terrorists part of things. Steven Pearlstein wrote recently in The Washington Post, about the Republican's efforts to derail heathcare efforts:

The recent attacks by Republican leaders and their ideological fellow-travelers on the effort to reform the health-care system have been so misleading, so disingenuous, that they could only spring from a cynical effort to gain partisan political advantage. By poisoning the political well, they've given up any pretense of being the loyal opposition. They've become political terrorists, willing to say or do anything to prevent the country from reaching a consensus on one of its most serious domestic problems.

The Congress may be taking a break, but this ain't over yet. Far from it.

Yes Virginia, You Are a Douchecanoe

Healthcare is a problem. A big problem. I think that there are serious issues with the idea of someone making a buck over whether or not someone lives or dies. Our system frankly sucks. As one of the unemployed masses, having your healthcare tied to your job just ain't cool, and makes a trying time that much more scary and dangerous. Lose coverage because you can't afford it and you won't be able to get covered again if you have pre-existing conditions. And with insurance companies today, a freakin' hang nail is considered a pre-existing condition I believe.

I know that the Republicans like to say that universal healthcare is evil and that the Europeans and Canadians have to wait for care, etc. That may be true, but if you ask them about whether or not they are happy with their plans, the majority are. For instance, 78% of the French say they are happy with their healthcare. But we wouldn't want to be like the French. Canadians seem equally pleased. Ninety two percent (yep 92%) would recommend their family doctor, and 85% of the population over 12 have a family doctor. Yes there are issues, but that seems pretty good to me. I doubt the same could be said of Americans.

I don't doubt that there are issues and problems with President Obama's health plan. Nothing is perfect, certainly not our system currently. So I say "good for the dems for at least TRYING." But as usual that isn't enough for the GOP. Not that they have a plan, at least not one that I have heard articulated.

And there there is Virginia Foxx. Who had this to say about Obama's plan last week:

"Republicans have a better solution that won't put the government in charge of people's health care," she said. "(The plan) is pro-life because it will not put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government."

Thank God I am not in the district this woman represents, although Lord knows I have enough to apologize for having been born in that area that would elect her I suppose.

Republicans Gone Wild

Like most of the world I was surprised and immensely curious about Sarah Palin's decision to leave office. Part of me gets her wanting to focus on her family if that is in fact the true reason, but something in my gut says no. If that were the case, why wouldn't she have quit before her son was born? Why wouldn't she have never accepted the VP nod from McCain? There is too much raw ambition in this woman for her to simply be quitting because it isn't convenient for her family and their lives. As far as the media attention goes, the Palins have more than courted that in my opinion, so I can't really give her a pass on that one either. I mean what did she think would happen in our media-saturated culture that thinks it is ok to tour the home of a dead pop star, a home that he no longer lives in and is devoid of furniture or personal effects? I mean what does that even tell us about him or us other than that we are extreme voyeurs with souls that may no longer be worthy of redemption?

But back on topic. You can't rationally expect to be the first Republican female vice presidential candidate, especially one with five kids, one of whom is a pregnant teenager and another who is special needs, and not expect to get some media attention. If you thought it would be otherwise you are either in deep denial or delusional. Sarah Palin, may of course, be both of those things, but I strongly suspect she is a bit more canny than that. Lord knows I hate to give a Republican too much credit, but she has to have some smarts to have gotten where she is. So yes, I think that there is much more going on with her resignation than simply wanting to spend more time with her family. The other day the spouse saw a Romney/Palin sticker. So I wouldn't count Palin out in the political arena just yet.

Meanwhile, across the country another Republican governor should be resigning and isn't yet. What is with these dude's in the GOP not being able to keep it in their pants? But hey, at least Mark Sanford has found his soulmate right? Glad that his wife and sons weren't inconvenienced by his little affair of the heart. Just like with Palin, I think there is more going on here than we know about now. First, they tell us they don't know where he is, then he is hiking, but no one can contact him for days over Father's Day weekend. Finally he says he was in Argentina and is having an affair. And he supposedly used some tax payer money to fund his little love jaunts south of the border. But he doesn't want the state of South Carolina to take any of the bailout money, explain that logic to me. I hope Mrs. Sanford sticks it to the Governor but good, he deserves whatever she does to him.

Finally, Norm Coleman has decided to back down in the Minnesota senators race, after eight months, countless legal wrangling efforts, and the state Supreme Court saying that Franken was the winner. How gracious of him. If I remember correctly he said something about not wanting to divide the state anymore. Wow! Really—not having a junior senator for eight months was divisive enough for you?

It is amazing how much trouble the Republicans can get into in less than a month when you are just minding your own business and living life. Don't make me have to start paying more attention boys and girls . . .

Talk the Talk

I admit it, I got giddy when I heard that CIA director, Leon Panetta had manned up and said that Cheney almost seemed to want the country to be attacked again, merely so he could be proven right about all his doom and gloom media ramblings of late.

And then he did what all Democrats seem to do. Panetta backed down. Dear lord. What is wrong with the Democratic Party? Are they completely lacking in balls? I gotta go with Bill Maher here, who's final New Rule last Friday night called the Dems and specifically Obama to task by saying if they can't get their agendas through now, then when can they?



Dubya thought he had a mandate in the 2004 election because he scraped out a win. Obama beat McCain decisively and he acts like he has to tip toe around a sleeping lion. The Republicans are down right now for the count, but if Obama and the rest of the Democratic Party don't grow a set (and SOON!) then they might as well be on the mat beside the GOP helping them back to their feet before the ref reaches 10.

The Democrats time is now and if they fuck this up, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Left of Center

Unless we are talking about the Little Rascals, I think that in general "gangs" are not such a hot idea.

Recently, 15 so-called "moderate" Democrats (including my state's own Kay Hagan) have formed a gang to try and dial back President Obama's agenda a bit. One of the group's main goals appears to be to restrain the new administration's spending. Evan Byah is the ringleader and wants the group to be known as the Practical Caucus. Alrighty then.

You know, I certainly am not going to sit back and say that Obama's plan to get our country out of its economic troubles is absolutely going to work. But I do know that the previous administration's financial policies sure did help to get us into this fix and to continue in that vein just isn't the answer. (More on the GOP's fiscal ideas in a moment.) 

But back to my Democratic buddies. I get that some of these people come from more moderate states. And as I mentioned above, I get that Obama's plan may not be THE answer, but it is a start or at the very least an attempt. And at this point, I would dare to venture that the majority of Americans want to see some action taken, even if it may be ineffectual or wrong. The waiting game won't accomplish anything. I don't want to be the one caught twiddling my thumbs while more of my friends lose their jobs, or even more go without insurance (either because of losing said job or because they can't afford insurance and oh, say, their house payment).

Here's a who's who of the group:

Mark Begich of Alaska
Michael Bennet of Colorado
Kay Hagan of North Carolina
Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire
Mark Udall of Colorado
Mark Warner of Virginia
Herb Kohl of Wisconsin
Mary Landrieu of Louisiana
Claire McCaskill of Missouri
Ben Nelson of Nebraska
Bill Nelson of Florida
Evan Bayh of Indiana
Blanche Lambert Lincoln of Arkansas
Thomas R. Carper of Delaware
Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut (An Independent)

The first six are all newbie Senators. Hope this works for them. I guess if you are a Democrat and not happy that your Senator is taking this stance, you need to let them know. Send them an email and voice your opinion. After all, they were voted to represent you.

While I appreciate that the Republicans FINALLY submitted their own budget plan, it appears to be a rather slim document without any real numbers. Therefore, I don't really think there is much cause for rejoicing just yet. Nineteen pages with no hard figures? Boys and girls, can't we do better than this? I mean either come up with your own REAL solution or just accept that you don't have the answer. And then let's everyone move on.

No Line On The Horizon

It is hard to know where to start when I have been disconnected for so long. As always, it wasn't that news items didn't pop up that intrigued me (I have a stack of dog-eared magazines to prove it), but it is amazing how easy it is to get overwhelmed by the minutia of daily life.

Case in point, as I type this, I am listening to U2's latest album. It came out last Tuesday and, freakishly enough since it was in my face that a.m. as I journeyed to my expensive coffee-esque beverage purveyor, I bought it. And I am JUST NOW listening to it, almost one week later. This time last week there was 6 inches of snow. Today it will be almost 80 degrees. The world turns on a dime. The bottom can drop out at any given moment, with no warning. Relationships change, drama is created, and hopefully in the end you surprise yourself and emerge from it all for the better.

So meanwhile, much has been made lately of Rush Limbaugh and the freakish pull he seems to have over the Republican Party. I think the fact that so many GOP members have felt like they need to apologize for criticizing an entertainer is the surest sign of what is wrong with the right. Can you even imagine the same thing happening if a Democrat criticized Keith Olbermann or Bill Maher or even Jon Stewart?

I have read/heard several accounts that indicate the Democratic Party is intentionally going after Limbaugh to further divide the Republicans and weaken them more than they already are. If so, then it is about the ballsy-est thing the Left has done in some time.

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'Atta Boy!

Now this is what I am talking about:

[D]on't come to the table with the same tired arguments and worn ideas that helped to create this crisis.

President Obama, during a speech to House Democrats, where he admonished Republicans for their opposition to the stimulus bill.

Retreat and Retrench

I am weeping copious tears today for the poor, beleaguered executives at Wells Fargo who are going to have to forgo their retreat to Sin City this year because we pesky middle class Americans are all up in arms at their lack of frugality. And woe is me! It is going to cost them. Something tells me that it is going to cost them way more than cash. I particularly love what Barney Frank had to say to the banking industry in general:

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., said banks were acting "stupid" and making it harder for lawmakers to defend them.

"People really hate you," he said, imploring banks to do everything possible to avoid offending people. "And they're starting to hate us just for hanging out with you."

Yeah I would say that pretty much pegs it. Meanwhile in other financial news, Obama's decision to cap CEO salaries at $500,000 for any company taking a future government bailout has been lauded by those on Wall Street as draconian. Are you freakin' kidding me? If that is draconian, maybe they should just give the CEO's a 10th of that, a salary that the average American would consider themselves damn blessed to have.

Meanwhile, the Senate Democrats can't seem to grow a pair and force the Republicans to actually filibuster Obama's proposed stimulus package. The Dems have 58 seats so it seems logical that they could come up with 50 votes to pass the thing. But no! They would rather lie down and roll over while the GOP forces them to meet the 60 vote threshold a filibuster demands without working for it. What is going on here? Is this some sort of bizarro version of battered spouse syndrome? The Democrats are so used to being whipped by the Republicans that they can't stand up and take charge, rather they continue to cower and submit? Today my party of choice is making me sick.

Adding to my general feeling of malaise is the fact that Cheney has decided to re-emerge. (Is this like the groundhog? A Cheney sighting means we will have eight more weeks of fear-mongering  or some other Bush Administration-related bullshit?) And what tender morsel of glee does the Dark Lord have to convey to us today?

"When we get people who are more concerned about reading the rights to an Al Qaeda terrorist than they are with protecting the United States against people who are absolutely committed to do anything they can to kill Americans, then I worry," Cheney said in an interview with Politico. He added that protecting the country is "a tough, mean, dirty, nasty business... These are evil people. And we’re not going to win this fight by turning the other cheek."

Right Dick. It is so much better that we inter people without cause or reason indefinitely. Cheney talked about the recidivism rate of the Gitmo detainees at 11%. Alrighty. But, maybe you ask, what is the recidivism rate of a normal U.S. prison? That would be 65%. Just go away Cheney, sane people do not care to buy the crazy that you are peddling.

You know, I don't know what the answer is to our current economic nightmare (aside from wishing this was an episode of Dallas and we will wake up and find out it was all a dream), but I do know that no one—meaning the politicians—seem to be talking about the credit card debt that faces most Americans. Only my boyfriend Jon Stewart seems to be pushing for this to be acknowledged. Twice in the last two weeks, he has questioned guests (newscaster, Gwen Ifill, and economist, Lawrence Lindsey) as to why the government can't give the American people a bailout to pay off their debts, thus giving the banks liquidity and giving the consumers cash to spend and/or save—preferably both. (Isn't it ironic that just last year everyone bitched about how Americans weren't saving and now they are bitching that we aren't spending? Make up your minds already.)

Admittedly I am no economist, but sounds like a fine idea to me. Maybe we all need to start contacting our Representatives and Senators asking why this idea isn't on the table?

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It's the End of the World As We Know It . . .

And I feel like shit. There I said it. Pollyanna is on vacay today and my mood is sour, sour, sour. It is raining. I am hungry. And I have a heinous meeting tonight that I have been dreading for weeks. Perhaps tomorrow I will hoist up my bra straps and get back on my happy horse, but not today folks.

Let's start with yesterday's layoffs. Anytime someone, anyone gets laid off it sucks. No matter what your back up plan, no matter how prepared you are, even if you know it is nothing personal or at all related to your job performance it sucks. It sucks financially, it sucks for your self-esteem, and it certainly doesn't make our economy any better. (Maybe I should have titled this post "It Sucks"—that seems to be my true theme here.)

How many got the axe yesterday when Microsoft, Caterpillar, Home Depot, Sprint and the merging Wyeth and Pfizer, among others, lowered the boom? According to AP about 40,000. Lovely. And in that 40,000 were three of my friends. They were three of 10 who got laid off at one of my previous employers. I have had friends laid off before, and while I know that three or 10 seems like chump change in comparison to 40,000, I knew most of these people and that makes it all different. Everything is relative gentle readers.

And what is best served with a delicious main course of "It Sucks?" Why a healthy spoonful of "We Know It Sucks," as consumer confidence declined again in January (wonder how much lower the numbers would be if the stats had come out after people knew about all the layoffs?) Did I mention I was hungry?

Meanwhile, the GOP bone heads in Congress are trying to rally support to block Obama's economic stimulus plan. Dang. I sure do hope John Boehner (or as I like to call him Boner) have some money socked away in their mattress's for a rainy day. I wonder how many of his (and the other Republicans) constituents have been hit by yesterday's layoffs and are desperately looking for something, anything to give them some hope or a way to keep their families feed and sheltered? I wonder if they will like that the GOP is trying to block the new administration's efforts to help? I wonder if they wouldn't like an explanation from the previous Congress and administration on where exactly that previous bailout money went? It isn't like the banks are giving loans to average folks like me these days. Hell no. They are too busy giving back door bonuses to their high dollar employees like Merrill Lynch did before their buyout by Bank of America went through. Classy, real classy folks.

Forgive my ranting, but it makes me angry and I don't know what to do with my anger. (If you can id the movie I stole that line from, I might just smile a little today. Maybe.)

I Want My Bailout

If Wall Street gets its $700 billion, shouldn't I be able to just write off a couple of my credit cards? Trust me, they are small potatoes compared to that disaster.

That being said, this whole situation cries out for a giant WTF. I mean really folks. I just don't know what to think about this nightmare. So let's start with what I do know.

First, I don't know crap about economics, never took a class and consider my major mathematical accomplishment to be that I do balance my checkbook. However these banks sold mortgages around to each other is something that simply escapes me. It just makes no sense. Maybe banks shouldn't do things that don't make sense to the mathematically and economically challenged individuals like me and we wouldn't be in this whole stitch. Too late, and we are, so moving on.

Second, I really don't like the idea of handing over money to the jackasses who didn't know how to deal with it in the first place. You might as well hand heroin to a junkie and tell them to enjoy. Not smart. That being said, it would seem to me after yesterday's nose diving stock numbers that if nothing else this money will make those dudes and dudettes in the ridiculous jackets chill out and stop gesturing as wildly. (Which always leads me to think of the scene from Ferris Bueller where they visit the Chicago Exchange—classic. But I digress.)

Thirdly, if giving these asshats a big, fat check is the only solution, then just freakin' do it already. Stop your dithering, Republicans. It isn't exactly like you guys have been the party of fiscal responsibility the last eight years. And you pick NOW to finally stand up to Dubya? Really, killing thousands of our men and women in uniform was something you could get behind, but handing fistfuls of cash to your Wall Street cronies and funders—that wakes you up in the middle of the night? Again I say—WTF? The GOP has been funneling money to these people with their tax loop holes and other manner of nonsense for years and god knows they have returned the favor, pouring money into your campaigns. So way to develop a conscience now you chicken shits.

Lastly, while I say better late than never on the GOP and this whole conscience thing they are giving a whirl, I still can't help but catch the faint whiff of bullshit in the air. I mean, come on! Nancy Pelosi gets up there yesterday, says vote for this and by the way, you and your monkey in the oval office got us into this mess in the first place and what do the House Republicans do? They grab up their blankies and sippy cups and hightail it out of there. So not only did you create this disaster in the first place with all of your deregulation, and you won't cop to it, but now you won't do anything to fix it because some "woman" insulted you.

Dear god. Go the fuck home and see what your constituents have to say about this. God knows I don't want to be moving my family into a refrigerator box ghetto anytime soon or (shudder) even worse, my parents basement.