Loathing and Excuses in Republican Land

       As the republican base and RNC seeth in anger and frustration, they are quick to pass blame on everyone and everything except themselves from a super storm to "stupid people", as some pundits have said. First and foremost, super storm Sandy was highly blamed coupled with Chris Christie thanking President Obama for doing his job and helping the storm-damaged state. Republicans were quick to shame Gov. Christie by saying "he endorsed the president" when he did not. Gov. Christie chastise the republican party for their quick and wrong accusation while standing his ground as a real conservative not afraid to stand up to what he believes in, instead of returning into the fold lock-step with nary an utterance to the contrary.

       Republican mouth-piece Limbaugh sounded off a list of "offenders" from minorities (especially hispanics), women, ignorant voters, young new voters, gays and lesbians, state and federal supreme court justices, and super storm Sandy. It is speculative that Limbaugh did not admit that the voter suppression laws failed or Tagg Romney's voting machines were pulled before the election. Instead, Limbaugh went on a rant, short of using expletives or racial slurs.

       The only true excuse not used by many republicans and the RNC is that Mitty-boy never really  connected with anyone below his tax bracket. The majority of Americans only saw the bully for what he really is: a plutocrat with contempt for poor and middle-class Americans. One would bet that even Big Bird was used as an excuse for Romney's loss. But, the loudest ones making excuses is Karl Rove and other super PACs that spent over a combined billion dollars and got NOTHING! Millionaires and billionaires are also demanding to know what happened and may decide to sue for a refund. I bit of advice for them is to remind them that if they make a bet and lost, there are no refunds, so let the buyer beware.

       Just recently, Karl Rove accused the president of (get this...) SUPPRESSING the vote! How cynnical and low will they go? This is coming from a party that demanded cutting the early voting days in half (or just doing away with it all together!), shrinking the hours for people to vote, causing long lines and hours to wait to vote in minority-heavy districts, denying people their right to vote, redistricting boundaries to lean more republican. Basically, this is republicans at what they do best: lying, cheating, and stealing to win an election at any cost. After all of this, they still lost.

       Facts be damned for any republican voter to admit to. There is no convincing them that the republicans have no interest in them except their vote (permission) to strip them of their rights, little by little. It should be insulting to ALL Americans when you see and hear people like O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Reince Prebus, Fox and "Friends" commentators, and Fox "News" entirely make cynnical and insulting remarks about minorities and women. Some of these Tea Party "conservatives" were actually calling out for a civil war to "storm the capitol and take the White House by force". Sounds like treason to me!

       As of now, we can only hear more excuses and blame. But none to themselves.

It's Over! America Wins!!

       CONGRATULATIONS, MR. PRESIDENT!!

       In the final hours of the election, before the first polls closed and votes counted, Republicans continued to insult the president and demean those who vote democrat. Not even wishful thinking and praying from all republicans could get Mitt elected. Republicans had every opportunity to win the election by working with the president rather than against him. All of the economic and jobs bills that came from the president had more republican ideas than democrat ideas, but republicans chose to make it their only effort and job to make President Obama a one-term president.

       Mitch McConnell sounded the hatred and anger in his pledge to ruin President Obama's administration through outright partisanship and deny him anything at every turn. Full transparency into how all republicans are to act hostile to the president. Technically, this was treason on the republicans part because they openly abdicated a civil war, expecting citizens to rise up in arms to "take back the country" from overt obstructionism to using "second amendment remedies".

       Mitt Romney was supposed to win through the use of voter suppression laws, his billionaire friends and donors, lies, "Citizens United", and rigged voting machines in Ohio. In the case of the voter suppression laws, it seemed to back-fire because those very laws designed to discourage minorities, veterans, and women, also alienated his own republican voter bloc.

       However, Mitty-boy did most of the damage to himself by identifying the middle-class as those who earn $250,000 up to one million and alienating those who do not by calling them moochers, only wanting a handout and "not wanting to take personal responsibility to earn a living". Mitt also said "Let Detroit go bankrupt". Mitt angered our allies as well as refuse to show America at least eight years of his tax returns and responded to a crisis prematurely without waiting for the facts. Mitt also showed that he does not know or understand foreign policy and flipped on allowing his record at Bain Capital and his tenure as governor to show what kind of person he is. Instead, he has only showed us how much of a bully he really is from his youth to a spiteful candidate.

       The republicans failed in their efforts to block the vote and tried to use race and gender as a definitive factor to divide the electorate. Hopefully, this will be the last we'll see Mitt or any other plutocrat run for office. So, who will it be in 2016? Jeb Bush? Chris Christie? Jon Huntsman? Donald Trump? We shall see in 2015, so get ready for that campaign to get uglier. Republican strategist are already learning from this election and planning their next platform to run on, so be prepared to hear more euphemisms and code talk to influence their base while skewing or dismissing the facts of the matter.

       Should the republicans regain the White House, there will be a campaign to bring a "right-to work" law that would give organizations to bust unions and erase pensions and retirement accounts, and take away the rights of workers to have a voice in the law. If they can get that to pass, Civil Rights will be next, just as Rand Paul wanted.

       If you can, influence the young on the importance of education, inform the clueless and misinformed, use logic where needed, and keep up with important issues to call out those who lie or "opinionate" actual fact.

       Go get'em tiger!

Twilight of the Vote

       November 6, 2012. Presidential election day. It has now come down to the wire. Will there be enough people who bought into Romney's campaign of hate, fear, and outright lies to put him into office? Or will President Barack Obama's campaign of facts and fairness give him four more years to repair the damage done by Bush and the Republican party?

       As you look at the photos above, please take a moment to think of what the caption should be. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words!

       In a desperate attempt to turn a failing campaign around, Romney and the RNC sunk to a new low by lying about the president wanting to send Chrysler's Jeep production to China. Not only did Chrysler and General Motors (GM) rebuke Romney's lie, each organization had to reassure their employees that their jobs are staying in the US.

       According to President Obama's record, he has worked hard to bring jobs back to American shores, and continues to do so with moderate success despite the overt obstructionism from republicans in the House of Representatives.

       Based on what Mitt Romney said about Chrysler and the auto industry, he should be brought up on ethical violation charges after he loses the election. As for his campaign, Romney has continued to champion more tax breaks for the rich, de-regulate Wall Street, and allow organizations to SHIP JOBS OVERSEAS!

       This is not a hard decision to make. Undecided voters should know and understand that under a Romney/Ryan administration, their investments in Social Security and Medicare will disappear. Their job may be reduced or exported. Their pay may shrink either by having "fees" (taxes) added to their paychecks and/or a nation-wide "right-to-work" policy will be signed into law thus nullifying OSHA, EEOC, and hollow out Civil Rights to give organizations rights over their employees and strip employees right to have a voice in the workplace.

       Simply put, if you make $250,000 up to a million dollars per year, you're the middle-class Romney has classified. If not, then you're the 47% moochers and freeloaders that Romney sees and has talked about throughout his campaign and has no interest in helping.

       As Americans, it is your right and civic duty to vote. Please do so before that right is taken away by Republicans and their voter suppression laws.

Romney Loses Debate, Exposes His Own Contradiction

       At the end of the third and final debate, Romney found out that bullying and lying will not be tolerated. Fact-checking was definitely not helpful for Romney after having been called out on a number of issues and statements he made before and during his campaign. While Republicans are reeling from the absurdity of Romney's answers, they can only blame the media and the moderators they agreed to arbitrate. Their only recourse is to now rely on the stupidity of the middle-class tea party republicans' ability to vote against their own benefit and take the rest of us down with them just to "take the country back" from a black man in the White House.

       In short, the Republicans whine while the Democrats dine. What should have been a campaign of issues and policy, the Republicans have constantly shown that theirs' is a campaign of race-baiting and wedge issues that have nothing to do with the economy, domestic policy, or foreign policy. The Republicans prefer to gloss over the past and re-write recent history to favor themselves and blame others for their past transgressions. This is not an opinion, but actual fact. Just listen to them and look at their voting record and the laws they pass. Just recently, another judge barred Pennsylvania from enforcing its own voter "fraud" law.

       During the third and final debate, Romney tried to retreat back into "moderate republican" Romney to make up for lost ground from the second debate. That worked like a screen door on a submarine. Although Romney and the Republican party is floundering in this election, the Romney campaign is now relying on corporate business owners to force their employees to vote for him (Romney) under the threat of losing their jobs. This is an example of plutocrats forcing their will among their employees. In another example, early voters in red states are voting for Romney simply because he is a Republican despite the fact that Romney called them "freeloaders" and "moochers" many times behind closed doors. One has to question, "what else has he said about you and me, veterans, the elderly, and the real middle-class Americans"?

       Although both parties want Americans to go out and vote, the Republican party continue to make clear that they only want like-minded republicans to vote by enforcing those so called "voter fraud" laws. There is recent news that Tagg Romney, son of Mitt Romney, owns a company that manufactures voting machines and is selling them in Ohio. This is a big conflict of interest since daddy is running for president. If "voter fraud" laws won't work, maybe rigged voting machines will, just like the 2000 election with Diebold voting machines.

       As the RNC and Romneys' clock is running out, the only recourse their party has is to threaten and intimidate voters into not voting, or vote for a man they clearly did not want as their candidate at the beginning of this election year because of he is a member of the Mormon faith. Remember this: a vote for Romney and other Republicans running for office is a vote for a plutocracy and a vote against democracy.

Mitt's True Colors!

“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it — that that’s an entitlement and the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. … These are people who pay no income tax. Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax. So our message of low taxes doesn’t connect. And he’ll be out there talking about tax cuts for the rich. I mean, that’s what they sell every four years. And so my job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.” (Connie Schultz, the National Memo, 20 September, 2012).

http://www.nationalmemo.com/mitt-romneys-betrayal/

       The only time Mitt Romney tells the truth about what he believes is when he is behind closed doors where the only poor people allowed to be around him are the servers and the wait staff who work hard serving them and have to endure their insults, arrogance, and utter contempt. Mitt's "47% of the people" speech shows exactly what he really believes as he explains how "those people" (middle-class Americans) will vote against him because he is rich.

       Mitt claims that those who "vote for the president no matter what" are dependent on government to support them. According to the 2010 Census Report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other independent government statistics, the majority of those 47% of the people voted republican and show that Anglo/Caucasian are on welfare more than African American and Hispanics combined. They now make up the new poor generated from the Bush economic policies and deregulations that almost bankrupt America.

       "Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax. So our message of low taxes doesn’t connect". Mitt's statement alone shows how he is not just out of touch, but completely in a different galaxy far, far away! According to Mitt's own 2011 tax return and tax "summaries", he still paid less in taxes (13%) than all middle-class Americans (35%). Economists and professional accountants have discovered that Mitt's "summaries" are actually inflated to show he paid more in taxes and have calculated that Mitt may have actually paid less that 9% in taxes. However, Mitt's "message" of "low taxes" is clear: If you're rich ($200,000 or more), you will get a big tax break, and if you make less that $200,000, you will pay more in taxes.

       In an interview on CBS, Mitt Romney considers middle-class as those who make $200,000 to $250,000 a year. According to IRS records, only 4% of Americans (not including the top 1%) earn that much. Still, there is Mitt's problem with the 47% of Americans who do not earn as much and, as he believes, "do not pay taxes"! NEWS FLASH for Romney: ALL 99% of Americans pay a variety of taxes in local, state, and federal levels from property taxes, payroll taxes, social security, medicare/medicaid, federal withholding, federal OASDI, state taxes (where applicable), sales taxes, utility bill taxes, taxes incurred on pension, 401K, and benefits to retirees or when said savings plans reach a specified amount. But, according to Mitt, such people are "moochers who prefer handouts from the BIG BAD government" and should be written off  for daring to use such funds Americans put in through taxes.

       "And so my job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.” Again, Mitt Romney's true colors comes out as he says he will not "worry about those people" Exactly who are "those people" Mitt is referring to? In a room full of rich people, it is clear Mitt is talking about you and me and he'll never "convince" us to "take personal responsibility and care for our lives". We, the REAL American people, have always taken personal responsibility to care for our live and will demonstrate that by not voting for the plutocrat who emphatically told us to "eat cake" because we're jealous. If, according to Mitt Romney, we are jealous of his wealth, then why are Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet highly regarded by the middle-class and actually scorned by Republican-leaning rich people? Because they began their lives as we did: middle-class.

       Mitt Romney's message is clearly based on lies and hyperbole meant to stir anger among the less educated middle-class and poor Republican voter. Unknown to Mitt, his message based on his recent "47%" speech only reaffirms his war on the middle-class and working poor. Mitt only understands wealth, privilege, and aristocracy in the belief that only the rich should rule the world. Mitts private "47%" speech was only one of many only meant to be heard by wealthy donors and was held privately not to be heard by the multitude of Americans he views as "the little people" needed to vote for him.

       As more information is being fact-checked and witnesses coming forth to give testimony, the Republicans only recourse is to overtly lie, cheat, and steal to win another election. Mitt will hold more "private" fund-raising tours, but only in affluent areas where his viewed "47%" can never enter unless they're "the help". After all, Mitt has already written off half the nation as freeloaders and moochers and clearly noted that he does not need their vote. However, Mitt Romney has proven to the world that even obnoxious, ideologically motivated plutocrats can be losers, too!

The 2012 Obama Bash Fest RNC in Tampa Florida

       The 2012 Republican "Obama Bash Fest" Convention in Tampa, Florida is now over. It was full of lies and bumper-sticker slogans to make Fox viewers wanting more made up lies and accusations. George W. Bush had to sneak in and meet with the candidates discreetly. Clint Eastwood will be remembered as the "drunk uncle Harry" talking to an empty chair, just as Chris Christi will be remembered as overshadowing Ann Romney's speech with his own speech about himself. Oh yeah! He did mention Mitt 16 minutes later into his speech! Although Ann Romneys' speech was supposed to be about how Mitt is a leader, it was nothing more than a love soliloquy of how they met and married. Now keep in mind how Ann said that they were "poor" when they moved in together when they met in college and how they used a door for a table. The only reason why they used a door for a table was because the movers did not bring the furniture. Besides, their worth at that time was calculated to be between $8 to $12 million respectively because of their family's wealth and influence during their "we were poor" time.

       However, there were a lot of topics that were never to be mentioned at the RNC convention: Mitt's tenure as governor of Massachusetts, his taxes, his tenure as CEO at Bain Capital, his wealth and father's influence for four deferments to avoid being drafted during the Vietnam War and how he used his religion to flee the country to France for missionary "work" to also avoid the war, how he openly protested (cheered) FOR the war in Vietnam, and his bullying a weaker and less affluent fellow student at an exclusive private preparatory high school. Now, it is understandable that Mormons normally do missionary work after their first year of college and spend up to a year doing so. But, in FRANCE?! Other topics that were avoided include 36 months of consecutive job growth, especially in the private sector, veterans and troops of Iraq and Afghanistan, the war in Afghanistan and the troops fighting there, Dub'ya and his administration, women's health and fair employment, Paul Ryan's voucher plan for seniors, privatizing the U.S. Postal service, Romneycare, and his "plan" to generate jobs.

       It comes as no surprise that nothing substantive or original would come from these two who would expand on the ideas and deregulation that nearly destroyed the American economy and divided Americans among themselves. It only makes sense when republicans say they "want to take back the country" so they can finish the job! Already, they have reassembled half of the staff that George W. Bush assigned to "run" the country (minus Cheney) into the ground and have added Bain Capital ideas to further the goal of eliminating the middle-class, Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, the Affordable Health care Act, public education, Pell Grants, the endowment for the arts, Post 9/11 G. I. Bill, actual small business loans, the mortgage interest tax reduction, and the Lilly Ledbetter Act just for starters.

       During the Republican Tea Party Convention, Romney made a lot of promises to overturn everything accomplished during President Barack Obamas' tenure to restore the overt damage done by Bush W but has, once again, failed to elaborate exactly what those plans are and to whom or what they will benefit. Romneys' answer is always the same, "elect me to find out". The Romney/Ryan plans and promises are as secretive as their tax returns of the last ten years. Unionized member or not, most (if not all) hourly and salaried workers will lose their rights for fair pay and benefits under the business model suspected of being used at Bain Capital.

       To remind readers, there are essentially two types of capitalism: venture and vulture. Venture capitalism involves buying, selling, and trading in business as a small start up to the large manufacturers that develop products and render services for all consumers, while vulture capitalism invests in businesses from new start ups to troubled ones. While vulture capitalism is helpful to new start ups in their industry, they can also run companies into the ground by loading it with too much debt and then raiding the company for all it is worth, including its pension and savings fund for all employees. Thus, Romney has again "slipped" and truthfully signaled his plan to run the country as a company and is relying on the Republican Party to rig another presidential election with "voter fraud" laws instead of using Diebold voting machines.

       The only question raised at the RNC's Obama Bash Fest in Tampa, Florida was "are you better off now than four years ago?" The obvious answer is not just yes, but a HELL YEAH!! due to more jobs returning to American shores, a revitalized economy, a rebounding auto industry, a re-regulated banking system, and payroll tax cuts for every working American despite overt Republican obstructionism. Even Romney himself noted that the last 38 months had shown progress.

       Romney is not the first candidate to suggest running the country as a company. Ross Perot, who ran as an Independent, also offered a plan to run the United States as a company. The only difference between Romney and Ross Perot was Perot's plan was explained in detail and mapped out how it would be applied to all state and federal agencies while the Romney/Ryan plan remain a secret.

       The most memorable speaker at the Republican convention may just as well be Jeb Bush who said, "...he kept us safe", a reference to his brother George W. Bush. What a laugh! Jeb even failed to say his own brother's name at the convention! George did not keep us safe when he ignored months of repeated warnings on Osama Bin Laden's "...imminent strike within the United States" and when he started an illegal war with Iraq. This is the latest of Republicans rewriting history again. Now, Bush is regarded as "he who will not be named" for the rest of Romney's presidential campaign, but his policies will be re branded as Romney's ideas.

       As Romney and the rest of his millionaire and billionaire supporters believe most Americans, as Romney said, are "jealous" of their wealth, Romney will continue to be waaayyy out of touch with the rest of the 99% of Americans he continues to alienate and condescend to. His only recourse is to rely on those middle-class supporters who continue to vote against their own best interest.

Bush's Eight Years of "AWESOME"

            In an interview with Peter Robinson of the Hoover Institution, Dub’ya proclaimed the eight years of his (Cheney’s) presidency was “awesome”. One has to wonder what was so “awesome” about eight years of the Bush years.

            In the first four years of the Bush administration, there was the theft of the 2000 presidential election, the recount halted illegally by the state of Florida and the Republican-led Supreme Court, the refusal of the intelligence reports of an impending terrorist attack and the eventual 9/11 attack of the twin towers world trade center, no-bid contracts that led to corporate war profiteering (Halliburton and Kellogg Brown and Root, also known as KBR), the dismantling of many business and environmental regulations that led to a mass exodus of jobs and large businesses to export overseas, the switch from a technology-based industry to a service industry, massive layoffs and firings of hourly and salaried professional workers, the Bush tax cuts for the rich and large businesses, No Child Left Behind that was quite the contrary, the Iraq War and the lie that led to it, two unpaid wars, secret White House meetings with oil executives and Cheney, the “Patriot Act”, the restriction of many rights, internal spying of U.S. citizens, and the reduction of the middle-class and the influx of the new poor. How “AWESOME” was that for the first four years!?

            Although there is more to list, one has to leave it up to you, the reader, to think about it and remember what else happened that changed our lives and the perception of the world we live in today.

            The second term was no better than the first. However, most people still remember both inaugurations: the pelting of eggs on the first inaugural ride on the president’s motorcade to the White House, and the “private” motorcade during the second inauguration due to the many protesters.

            Still, the next four years of Bush’s Corporate States of America (CSA) included murder-suicides of families reeling from the reality of losing everything and becoming poor, hate-mongering paranoia that led to everyone being suspect for questioning or criticizing Bush’s actions, motives, and excuses rather than reasons in any way, shape, or form, “Homeland Security” and the handling of hurricane Katrina, the extension and expansion of the Bush tax cuts, record home foreclosures, the failure of Wall Street, the collapsing of the U.S. auto industry, and the near collapse of the U.S. economy.

            On the eve of The Great Recession of 2007 under George W. Bush, the top 10% received 49.7% of total income, thus paying only 19% in tax filings while the middle-class continued to pay the “Bush Tax Cuts” 35% on top of paying 20% more into social security and another 20% into state taxes (if applied) or 1.1 and 6.7 times as mush into state and sales taxes.

Citation:

http://elsa.berkeley.edu/~saez/pikettyqje.pdf

             Again, what was so "awesome" of eight years of Dub'ya, and who really benefited from his administration? If people continue to vote against their best interest, just think what a Romney presidency would bring.

             As the country continues to recover slowly despite the all out obstruction of Republicans and a Boehner-controlled House of "Representatives", it seems we are headed back to those "awesome" times again on steroids if Tea Party influenced Republicans regain control of the White House.

             Think about it.

The Reluctant Candidate

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As the Republican party get closer to officially nominating their candidate of choice for president, many former candidates are now supporting Mitt Romney they had smeared, attacked, and exposed. From the disgraced former speaker of the house Newt Gingrich, who called Mitt Romney a moderate and a liar, now believes he (Mitt Romney) is best suited to "defeat (President Barack) Obama in November.
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Mitt Romney gained his fortune the old-fashioned way: he inherited it. Mitt Romney avoided the Vietnam war by doing missionary "work" at a chateau in France. Mitt Romney's only success in business was turning around troubled companies by gutting them or buying them out to turn for a profit at the expense firing most of the workers (mostly hourly). Most of all, Mitt Romney cannot connect with the middle-class.
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Michele Bachmann blamed Mitt Romney for "providing the blueprint for Obama care..." and suggested that Romney "would be another Obama" (whatever that means), then feigned excitement when introducing Romney as "the next president" to be elected in November. Rick Santorum was also reluctant to give his support to Romney citing he (Romney) "had more funds to run negative TV ads", but then noted he (Santorum) had to leave the campaign trail to care for his youngest daughter with a rare genetic disorder. Let us pray for Rick Santorum's daughters' wellness and quick recovery.
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The only one candidate left in the running is Ron Paul. Although virtually silent, Ron Paul is still speaking at "town hall" meetings speaking to Republican and Independent voters. The use of quotation marks on town hall is on purpose. When holding a "town hall meeting", it is to speak to all of the people, not just a specific group.
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For the Republican party itself, the GOP (Grand Old Party) cannot hide their disdain for the former Massachusetts governor. The GOP itself has splintered into many subgroups that real conservatives can no longer voice their concern without drawing fire from the fringe elements that have outnumbered them within the party and threatened to "vote them out of office" for not being "right" enough. They are now hostages within their own party.
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The Republican party and the RNC (Republican National Convention) have no real policy to present other than to continue their mutiny by making President Obama a one-term president by any means necessary. Republicans in the House and Senate refuse to work with Democrats and refuse to give the president any credit for the success of turning the economy around, revitalizing the US auto industry, putting millions Americans back to work in meaningful permanent jobs, and the death of Osama Bin Ladin.
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Under a Romney administration, jobs will again leave American shores, corporations will be able to send their profits to off-shore tax shelters (Ryan budget plan: "Territorial Tax"), unions will be broken up, and Romney will continue to enjoy his hobby of firing people at will. It was noted that recently on the campaign trail, a Romney "practical joke" led to a chamber maid to be fired by hotel management when a e-mail was sent to complain about "poor services and short sheets on the bed". Even though the "joke" was conducted by Romney's staff members, the maid lost her job with no (reported) attempt from the candidate or the Romney team to correct the matter.
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The RNC know that Mitt Romney will lose because there are no issues he (Mitt) can win against President Obama. So, with fake smiles and feigned support, Mitt Romney has become the GOP's reluctant candidate.

The Affordable Healthcare Act and the Supreme Court

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The Affordable Health Care Act (AHA), signed into law in 2010, was modeled closely after the Massachusetts Health Care act that ensured health coverage for most, if not all, state citizens. Mitt Romney, as governor of Massachusetts, believed that everyone should have some affordable insurance provided by the state if people could not afford or do not have health coverage. President Barack Obama, with the help of the writers and designers of the Massachusetts health insurance law, designed and developed the Affordable Health Care Act for an entire nation.

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Republicans were quick to label the AHA "Obamacare" as an insulting negative slur, only to realize that brother Romney also had passed and signed into law the same mandate in Massachusetts (Romneycare, anyone?). What Republicans do not want of this new law is to share in the benefits what they have been using since the Nixon administration. Politicians such as Boehner, Cantor, McConnel, Issa, Bush, and the rest have always taken advantage of free federal health care. It would not surprise anyone to know that even Cheney uses the free federal health care more than Limbaugh abuses Oxycontin.

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Cheney recently had a heart transplant, surpassing other younger patients waiting for an organ transplant. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), younger and more healthy patients have precedence to receive organ transplants first over older patients (usually in their mid 60's and older) regardless of wealth and status. This rule by the medical community was to insure that those with a better chance of survival would benefit greatly for themselves and their family. Apparently, rules do not apply to Republicans, especially Cheney. Obviously Cheney used the free "socialist" health Care paid for by tax payers and is now enjoying a heart he cut in line for. One has to wonder, how much was his deductible? Oh yeah! It was FREE!

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When "Obamacare" was enacted into law, some states implemented it on schedule or early, mostly in blue states with unheralded success. Red states continue to hold back with Texas being the last state to (yet) enact the law. Red states have challenged the AHA's constitutionality as a reason to not implement it, not admitting to the public that the AHA's intent is to curb insurance companies from raising their rates, denying coverage, or dropping customers because they got sick or injured. So much for the "helping hands"! If Cheney was a regular client with insurance some Americans have, he would have been dropped after his third heart attack.

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Now, we reach the culmination of the lawsuit challenge in the Supreme Court, and Republicans are quick to pounce on four of the justices as being "activist" in their decisions. One did not realize that Republicans were also mind readers! After days of hearing arguments. it was reported that five of the "conservative" justices, all of whom were appointed by Republican presidents (excluding Justice Sotomayor who was appointed by Dub'ya), are ready to invalidate the AHA law entirely despite 71% of public support in favor of the law. It seems there are "activist" justices on the Supreme Court bench after all: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, John G. Roberts, Antonin Scalia, and Anthony M. Kennedy as a swing vote justice.

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According to the Code of Conduct of United States Judges (this includes Supreme Court justices), each justice must adhere to the five Canons under the code of conduct. One particular Canon states "A judge should perform the duties of the office fairly, IMPARTIALLY, and diligently", (click on the link: http://www.uscourts.gov/RulesAndPolicies/CodesOfConduct/CodeConductUnitedStatesJudges.aspx ).

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Although it may seem that the five listed justices are poised to strike down the AHA law entirely, it only raises the question of ethics and impartiality each one has sworn to uphold as Supreme Court justices. What does it say about the Republican party that wants to deny affordable coverage to all Americans and keep it for themselves? Is this truly a matter of looking after the best interests of the people, or to the best interests of the health insurance industry?

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According to one of the justices (Scalia) who opined the mandate as forcing people to buy the coverage is akin to forcing people to eat broccoli, what does it say about the "forced" requirement that people buy car insurance? Obviously it makes sense for people to get car insurance because you cannot buy or use a vehicle without some form of liability. However, you cannot buy a house without house or home owner's insurance. Maybe it was applied to "mobile" homes but was mandated for all forms of homes. Gotta have property insurance when you open a business; it's "mandated" by banks as well as local and state laws.

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If Republicans want you to believe there are "activist" justices, they are correct. They are: John G. Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito with Anthony M. Kennedy as the deciding justice.

Republicans' War on Americans

...Please read blog first.

In view of what the four current Republican presidential candidates have promised in their campaigns, it becomes more relevant that their agenda is more about control and those they summon to reign dominion over.

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Their actions and speeches are merely ideological rants of the Republican Tea Party, and the Republican Party itself, to ensure votes in support of an oligarchy government. The middle-class and working poor that support such a party are either overcome with their empty promises or are not intelligent enough to understand that they themselves are only pawns and will not benefit anything from another Republican administration except a return to high unemployment, an economy that only favors the rich 1%, another war, and (my favorite) "less government" with more government intrusion.

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In light of the Rush Limbaugh "apology", it was not intended to insight regret on his behalf to Sandra Fluke, a third-year law student, but to try to minimize his entire rant to two key words that he could not get away from; "slut" and "prostitute". Limbaugh's "apology" was only about him being a victim of the "liberal media". In case he missed it, he is a part of that same "liberal media" because of the liberty he takes to bully anyone who disagree with him and to bash President Barack Obama and his administration on the air.

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The premise of the Republican party and the RNC (Republican National Convention), is regression, not progress. It is clear in how red states are pushing their legislature to write and pass new Jim Crow laws by restricting the voting rights of minorities, students, women, the elderly, and the poor, based on a problem that does not exist. If the Republicans are so adamant of such voting restrictions, then they should have no problem exercising such restrictions in their primaries when they vote for their candidate.

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Now, at the forefront, Republicans want to eliminate a woman's right to choose and concentrating on eliminating Planned Parenthood entirely. Each Republican presidential candidate have expressly and clearly identified that organization and any "affiliate" associated with Planned Parenthood as a target to shut down if either one becomes president. Red states cannot shut down a government-sponsored organization such as Planned Parenthood because it would violate the Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade. Instead, they have enacted laws to deny funding to such an organization that helps millions of working poor women.

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Although such laws are in violation of Roe v. Wade, it is an end-run around the federal law itself. Texas Governor "Doctor"Rick Perry seems to think he knows more about female anatomy than women and actual physicians do. Recently, Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau penned and sketched six panels depicting "Dr." Perry's new invasive sonogram law, only to have most newspapers deny publication and place alternative Doonesbury comics in place and, in some papers, relegated Doonesbury to the "Opinions" section of the paper.

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Without further adieu, here is Doonesbury, by Garry Trudeau (go back to top of blog):

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The Republican Warlords.

In the wake of women's rights for contraception in President Barack Obama's new health care law, Republicans chose to attack the plan under the ruse of "protecting" religious freedom. This is an example of an organization grasping at straws simply because Republicans cannot dispute any of the successes the president has achieved.

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Republicans cannot dispute a faster-than-expected recovering economy, a foreign policy that has mended relations with our allies, a successful military action that resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden and Awal Al Maliki, ending the war in Iraq, passing a health care law that covers all Americans, reducing the need for foreign oil while expanding domestic oil exploration, thus exporting more oil than we consume, not seen since the 1960's, and now, a contraception plan that covers women's health and appeases churches.

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Now, drawing on a wedge issue that Republicans favor, is to use religion as a weapon to deprive a woman's right of equality by denying health coverage, contraception, and forcing laws that intrude on women's bodies. It was one's understanding that Republicans were for limited government but, as usual, are more inclined to take away their rights of choice by telling them what they can and cannot do to or with their bodies and force doctors to perform unnecessary intrusive medical procedures under the threat of arrest.

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It is bad enough that red states enacted their own destructive and intrusive laws to circumvent Roe v. Wade, but to force their will upon women amounts to nothing more that state sanctioned rape. Kansas virtually allows super pro life suspects to murder doctors who perform abortion or prescribe birth control related prescriptions. Although those suspects were caught, judged, and sent to prison, the state's Republican Attorney General was reluctant to administer the full extent of the law because he is "pro life". Texas Republican Governor Rick "See, I'm a bigger Christian and I carry a gun" Perry enacted redundant sonogram laws that are also intrusive and force doctors to demean and humiliate women who choose to abort a pregnancy and force them to wait much longer before performing the procedure.

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And now at the apex of the issue, Rush "where's the Oxycontin?" Limbaugh has resorted to attacking a third year law student by calling her a "slut" and a "prostitute" for testifying the need for women's contraception. Where is the proof to his conclusion? Limbaugh, through his rant against the student, wanted her to "have sex" and "post it on the internet so he could watch". Rush is now abdicating pornography.

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Through the outrage and backlash from all sides, some Republicans had to repudiate Rush's tirade, even Rick "I was Tea Party before there was a Tea Party" Santorum said Rush's rant was "absurd". Although John Boehner had a chance to personally say something, he chose to let his spokesperson to speak for him. I thought he was the Speaker of the House and could "speak" for himself. The other Republican presidential candidates did offer some slight repudiation, but Mitt "I'm rich and you're jealous" Romney did not say anything for almost 48 hours after the backlash. It was recently noted that Clear Channel broadcasts Limbaugh's show and owns the the rights, but it is also known that Bain Capitol owns Clear Channel and Romney owns stocks and shares of Bain Capitol, essentially making him Rush's boss. This is clearly a "firing" offense for Romney to influence, but it becomes even more clear that Rush is the mouth piece for the Republican Party.

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Because of the backlash, Rush had to apologize. Rush's "apology" was more about himself than it was about being sincere to the young law student. I am sure suing Rush for Defamation of Character and Slander comes to mind from many law students and lawyers, but until then, Rush will continue to slander any one, group, or entity that is not "conservative". Rush should practice that term and conserve his one-man war of words against anyone with a different opinion while Clear Channel should consider firing him. Until then, Limbaugh will continue to speak for the Republican Party while the "candidates" allow him and his followers to continue to hate.

The Four Stooges of the Apocolypse.

"I pledge allegiance to Grover Norquist, to eliminate taxes for the rich and corporations.

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And to the Republic, for which it will no longer stand, under our Autocracy, in the name of the Republican Tea Party.

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One nation, under Ronald Reagan, divisible, with limited liberty, and justice for some."

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The perception of what the Republican party now stands for seems to reflect the fictitious pledge written. Their actions and speeches reflect the very notion that they do not represent all Americans as they vowed to do so in their actual oath of office.

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The Republicans have charged that class warfare was waged when Democrats, Independents, and few true conservative Republicans suggested that the very wealthy, and corporations pay their fair share of taxes to stimulate the economy and to help generate jobs. Under the existing Bush Tax cuts, most (if not all) economists and universities noted that the rich, corporations, and energy companies were the only entities that benefited from said tax cuts, loopholes, and deregulation of most industries. What little money that was returned to the middle-class, poor and working poor was merely a pittance afforded by the Bush tax code as a guise to get votes.

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Now, the onslaught is apparent based on what the four remaining Republican candidates now promise to their selected audience and donor(s). It is expected for each Republican candidate to demonize President Barack Obama, his policies, and his administration, but is it really necessary to call the president "a snob", as blurted by Rick Santorum? Where is his proof? How is it possible for "a snob" to help all Americans and actually work with Republicans through sharing and compromise? If anyone should be labeled "a snob", it should be directed at Santorum himself. Recently, Rick Santorum held a very private fundraiser in Texas at a very exclusive gated community, and only invited prescreened wealthy donors. Talk about being "a snob"!

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Under eight years of Bush and six years of a House and Senate under Republican "leadership", America, as a nation, came close to going bankrupt. Each Republican candidate has vowed to dismantle President Obama's policies and overturn recent laws passed to bring American overseas jobs back and get more long term unemployed and returning veterans back to work. Although the Keystone XL pipeline would help the unemployed, it is only a short term temporary fix to a long term problem and would not benefit anyone but the energy companies involved.

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Only we are in charge of our own destiny, yet there are Republican candidates who want to take that away. Red states are rewriting their laws that aims to eliminate women's' rights and voters' rights under the threat of nonexistent problems. Red states are also pushing for new laws that would circumvent President Obama's laws and policies that allows local and state law enforcement agencies to racial profile anyone they deem "non American". Now, you have Republican candidates who want to return to the Bush policies that brought America close to the brink of destruction.

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As each Republican candidate promises nothing for all Americans, their responses, retorts, and Obama loath speeches clearly points out the destructive nature each has planned to eliminate the middle-class entirely, from eliminating public education to eliminating Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and to secure an autocratic rule, the very same type of autocratic rule our founding fore fathers fought to secure us from. Apocalypse now, anyone?

...And The Hate Goes On!

Now that there are only four Republican presidential "candidates" left, each one has ratcheted up their own talking points and wedge issues to attack and vilify President Obama. Not one candidate has truly offered to give any credit to the president where credit is due. It is embarrassing to the nation and to the world that a singular political party (Republican) would hold such contempt to a sitting president. It is the same language the Republicans said was unpatriotic and anti-American when Dubba-u Bush was in office.
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When Bush was in office, his policies (mostly Cheney's) were more self serving to himself and his rich buddies and their businesses while the middle-class lost their jobs to overseas outsourcing and the working and non working poor suffered even more. Industries were deregulated and rewarded more for sending jobs overseas to third and fourth-world countries. Ignoring the previous administration's intelligence and cherry-picking their own would lead to two unpaid for wars. The deregulation policies of the Bush administration resulted in a tainted food supply (mad cow disease), a runaway spending habit by Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate that led to increasing the deficit seven (7) times without complaint. The USA "Patriot" Act was passed to search for terrorists, only to be expanded to spy on Americans, mostly minorities and anyone not a Republican. "Homeland Security" was established to combine the efforts of the FBI, CIA, NSA, and other state and federal law enforcement agency to share information. So much for "smaller government"! And now there is the Bush "tax cuts" that only benefitted millioaires and billionaires, corporations, and Wall Street that resulted into the economic crisis we are now recovering from.
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Based on how each "candidate" has vowed to make the Bush tax cuts permanent and overturn the progress made by President Obama, each of their ideas is only focused to help only those who have the means to help themselves, restrict or overturn Civil Rights and womens' rights, and turn America into a rich and poor only society, thus eliminating the middle-class entirely.
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Ron Paul calls himself a "Libertarian", but is more Republican who harken to the days when isolationism was policy and overt racism was the norm. Ron Paul is more of a dottering old man who only lives in his own time and prefers his groundskeepers brown and his mansion staff black, and prone to putting his foot in his mouth.
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Rick Santorum is so staunchly "far right", he has finally gained the full support of Tea Party Republicans and evangelical Republicans by promising to end womens' rights by using abortion and contraception while suggesting a state religion. As long as he keeps suggesting that President Obama is anything other than what he actually is (American, Christian, etc;...), he will continue to gain higher Republican poll numbers. Santorum is the clown who always steps on the yard rake thus hitting his head with the handle.
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Mitt Romney is more business-oriented that his idea of America is to run it like Bain Capitol: to fire anyone at will, eliminate unions and curtail workers rights and pay. Romney is only in it for Romney. He would extend the business aspect and economics of the Bush policies. Romney has always had a life of privilege, his idea of "doing without" was reminicing about doing missionary work in France living in a three-star hotel, while other not-so-rich Mormon missionaries went to Africa. Based on his out of touch with reality and his inability to connect with the majority of the middle-class and poor, he continues to shoot himself in the foot every time he speaks publicly at a prescreened location.
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Last, but not least, there is Newt Gingrich. He is so full of himself, he continues to suggest he will be president by saying "after my second term,...". Gingrich, like Romney, is only in it for Gingrich, but will step over anyone to get what he wants. Just ask his last two wives: one whom he served divorce papers to while she was recovering from cancer in a hospital and the other mistress to wife who developed multiple sclerosis. Gingrich's jobs plan is to eliminate unions and overturn child labor laws in order to employ poor and minority children as school janitors under the premise of "teaching" said children a work ethic. Gingrich is the kind of guy who would pull the pin from a grenade, drop the grenade and throw the pin.
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In light of their stance against pro choice, Republicans will have to choose who will be their nominee. Based on their debates, their caucuses and the number of delegates, their public speaking, and each one's only doner and super PAC, President Obama is assured another term in office.

Goodbye Whitney, and God Bless You!

Like so many great artists of our times, sometimes they also leave so abruptly. Whitney Houston will now be forever remembered as one of the greatest legends who have touched so many lives with her voice. Within the triumphs of her success also came some tragedies with addiction. Her last triumph was overcoming those addictions and to proceed with her comeback.

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Goodbye Whitney, we'll miss you!

2012: The Doomsday Year!

Doomsday! An event that has been predicted since the earliest forms of civilizations sprung up. Although the Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012, text surrounding the calendar, deciphered by archaeologists and scholars, seem to indicate some form of catastrophic event to take place on the dated winter solstice. The Incas' also made similar predictions as did a few Native American Indians. It is also mentioned in the Book of Revelations in the New Testament Bible as well as the Old Testament. Nostradamus, the Romans, even our own American sooth sayer Edgar Casey predicted the end of the world. Even Carl Sagan estimated a possible physical end of the world based on a number of factors relative to the sun burning out into a giant red dwarf before collapsing into a pulsar. However, Dr. Sagans' prediction would occur sometime in the 38th century.

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So, how will the world end? Who knows what cause or event will destroy our only world? There are a number of possible causes and disasters that seem plausible: super volcanoes, major tectonic plate shift (giant earthquake), tsunami, extinction level asteroid strike, neutron burst from a nearby star, black hole, nuclear/biological war, extraterrestrial invasion, or even (according religion) divine intervention. The only people who seem eager for the world to end are evangelical and "born again" Christians because they believe they will be "raptured" off the Earth, an idea invented by a British pastor in the early 18th century. It is very interesting that people continue to believe the end is near. A belief that has continued for many centuries. All they can think and preach about is the mortality of man. How morbid! Still, we can look at our clocks and calendars and take notes as each day in 2012 winds down.

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We can only guess when the world will end or how people will find a way to end it. Just remember that when politicians play up to some of those christian branch religions, pious groups and sects by promising more wars and less freedoms to those who are not one of them (rich), you can bet that others will suffer based on biased Republican ideology.

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Just remember that doomsday may just be a Republican vote away.