Olbermann joins Current TV - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety

Olbermann joins Current TV - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety

Is the Republican Party Imploding?

My Momma always said, "Be careful what you wish for... you just might get it". Politicians, of both parties, have fallen into this trap numerous times over many years. An example that many of you might be aware of occurred in the great state of Louisiana. The powers that be, created the open primary system for the Pelican state in 1978. I learned, although I do not know where, that this was done in an attempt to permanently hobble the the state Republican Party. The belief was that enough of the local voters identified as Democrats that the top two vote-getters in most elections would be Democrats. Needless to say, that projection ended up being faulty, and if anything, the Republican Party of Louisiana has been stronger in the last 30+ years than at any other point since the end of Reconstruction.

This story should be a lesson to the Republican Party, and it definitely would benefit the Democrats if they paid attention to it as well. The Democrats have been out of power for the better part of eight years and therefore, are eager to push forward legislation that will shape the nation in a way they see fit, they should be careful of over-reaching. While the Republicans are so shocked at being out of power, that they are in the process of "purifying" the party. Neither of these are good ideas.

Just this week, Senator Specter left the Republican Party in the hopes of holding his seat in the 2010 race. It appears from the outside to be a remarkably selfish decision. He basically said that this was done in an attempt to keep his seat and it was not a remarkable problem with the stances of the Republican leadership. Michael Steele, the head of the Republican National Committee, basically responded by saying something akin to (I'm paraphrasing) 'He wasn't a real Republican anyway'. Uh Mr. Steele when you are the head of a party that is down to 21% of people calling themselves Republicans, you are not in a position to be choosy.

The Republicans appear to be reacting to the last two election cycles by acting like a spoiled 6th grader, (I teach 6th grade, I know what they sound like). This is a quick version of the Republicans response from my perspective. For the sake of this example the Republicans are Johnny.

Teacher: "Johnny you are wrong. Everyone else in the class says you are wrong, you got the wrong answer. Here is the correct answer."
Johnny: "But Teacher this was the right answer for my brother when he took the test last year..."
Teacher: "Johnny, We have new information"..
Johnny: "But, it was the right answer when my parents took the test."
Teacher:"Sorry. You are wrong."
Johnny:"I don't care what you say I'm sticking with that answer.".

The Republicans inability to accept that they can not just be a party of the White South seems to be a problem for them. The Northeast is almost without Republican representation at this point, and considering how the Hispanics are voting recently the West and Southwest are definitely uphill battles for a party that proclaims at least through its actions to have disdain for immigrants that are currently one of the fastest growing voting blocs in the country. The Republicans need to recalibrate their policies, rather than just saying effectively, "I'm still right I don't care what everyone else says.

For at least a few years, the Republicans talked about a permanent majority and how the Democrats would be relegated to the opposition for years to come. Less than 10 years ago Karl Rove talked up the permanence of the Republican majority in both houses of Congress and the Executive. The belief being put forward was that Republicans had the right mix of social beliefs and governing philosophy. Obviously, this permanent majority was about as long lasting as some of my favorite T shirts from college. The governing strategy by the Republicans in Congress and the White House was that of exploiting narrow majorities, and winning by the slimmest of margins. In this way the Republicans were able to advance their agenda without the need of anything close to a significant majority.

Recently, The Democratic Congressional Leadership passed a rules change that will allow them to pass a Universal Health Care Bill without achieving sixty votes to gain cloture. The Republican Leadership responded with such howls of protest that you would think that their favorite pets had just been killed. Senator McConnell talked how this was a travesty of the Senate rules, and that it was a bad precedent for the future. He forgot to mention that the Republican Leadership had used the same tactic less than 10 years ago to pass the Bush tax cuts.

I hope the Democrats take a lesson from this. Do not get too comfortable in that position of power that yall now hold. Those individuals that put you in power in the last 3 cycles, can very easily push you out of power in a year or two. This is still a Democracy of the people, for the people, and by the people.

To be honest, I'm happy that President Johnson was wrong to the tune of 5 years.

John McCain does not support American troops

I copied the following from:

Veterans for Common Sense
Post Office Box 15514
Washington, DC 20003

McCain's Voting Record: He Does Not Support Our Troops and Veterans
clammyc

The Daily Kos
Mar 14, 2008


Tuesday, February 26, 2008 - Since everyone is at least a bit familiar with John McCain’s record when it comes to strolling through a market in Baghdad with hundreds of his closest guards, or how he wants to stay in Iraq for 100 years (except when he flip flops on that).

But not that many really, truly know just how horrific his voting record is when it comes to the troops. And it is pretty consistent – whether it is for armor and equipment, for veteran’s health care, for adequate troop rest or anything that actually, you know, supports our troops.

This is chock full of links to the roll call votes, and the roll call votes have links to the actual underlying bills and amendments. I present this so that there is support and things that can be rattled off when saying that McCain is not a friend of the military. Feel free to use it as you want, but this can be tied into the "Double Talk Express". But here is a very quick statement - John McCain skipped close to a dozen votes on Iraq, and on at least another 10 occasions, he voted against arming and equipping the troops, providing adequate rest for the troops between deployments and for health care or other benefits for veterans.

In mid 2007, Senator Reid noted that McCain missed 10 of the past 14 votes on Iraq. However, here is a summary of a dozen votes (two that he missed and ten that he voted against) with respect to Iraq, funding for veterans or for troops, including equipment and armor. I have also included other snippets related to the time period when the vote occurred.

September 2007: McCain voted against the Webb amendment calling for adequate troop rest between deployments. At the time, nearly 65% of people polled in a CNN poll indicted that "things are going either moderately badly or very badly in Iraq.

July 2007: McCain voted against a plan to drawdown troop levels in Iraq. At the time, an ABC poll found that 63% thought the invasion was not worth it, and a CBS News poll found that 72% of respondents wanted troops out within 2 years.

March 2007: McCain was too busy to vote on a bill that would require the start of a drawdown in troop levels within 120 days with a goal of withdrawing nearly all combat troops within one year. Around this time, an NBC News poll found that 55% of respondents indicated that the US goal of achieving victory in Iraq is not possible. This number has not moved significantly since then.

February 2007: For such a strong supporter of the escalation, McCain didn’t even bother to show up and vote against a resolution condemning it. However, at the time a CNN poll found that only 16% of respondents wanted to send more troops to Iraq (that number has since declined to around 10%), while 60% said that some or all should be withdrawn. This number has since gone up to around 70%.

June 2006: McCain voted against a resolution that Bush start withdrawing troops but with no timeline to do so.

May 2006: McCain voted against an amendment that would provide $20 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for health care facilities.

April 2006: McCain was one of only 13 Senators to vote against $430,000,000 for the Department of Veteran Affairs for Medical Services for outpatient care and treatment for veterans.

March 2006: McCain voted against increasing Veterans medical services funding by $1.5 billion in FY 2007 to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.

March 2004: McCain once again voted for abusive tax loopholes over veterans when he voted against creating a reserve fund to allow for an increase in Veterans' medical care by $1.8 billion by eliminating abusive tax loopholes. Jeez, McCain really loves those tax loopholes for corporations, since he voted for them over our veterans' needs.

October 2003: McCain voted to table an amendment by Senator Dodd that called for an additional $322,000,000 for safety equipment for United States forces in Iraq and to reduce the amount provided for reconstruction in Iraq by $322,000,000.

April 2003: McCain urged other Senate members to table a vote (which never passed) to provide more than $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve equipment in Iraq related to a shortage of helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts, and tactical vests.

August 2001: McCain voted against increasing the amount available for medical care for veterans by $650,000,000. To his credit, he also voted against the 2001 Bush tax cuts, which he now supports making permanent, despite the dire financial condition this country is in, and despite the fact that he indicated in 2001 that these tax cuts unfairly benefited the very wealthy at the expense of the middle class.

So there it is. John McCain is yet another republican former military veteran who likes to talk a big game when it comes to having the support of the military. Yet, time and time again, he has gone out of his way to vote against the needs of those who are serving in our military. If he can’t even see his way to actually doing what the troops want, or what the veterans need, and he doesn’t have the support of veterans, then how can he be a credible commander in chief?

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/9559

Their names are Righty and Lefty

I've never been a fan of Beanie Babies.... but when I saw these two I figured I had to get them... For Cassie...

“Dissent is the Highest Form of Patriotism”

I’m not certain where this quote comes from. It was originally attributed to Thomas Jefferson, but there seems to be a good deal of disagreement over who actually said this. Regardless, I believe that respectful opposition is necessary for a republican democracy to succeed and survive.

Why do I bring this up? Well, the most obvious reason is because Memorial Day was this week. I’ve also noticed for a number of years that the Republicans I know equate dissent with some form of mild treason. If you think I’m exaggerating, take a neo-conservative to dinner and mention any problem you might have with the current Administration.

There are millions of men and women that are overwhelmingly grateful for the job our military is doing. I’ve been a lifelong Democrat, and have always understood regardless of the President, the military should be appreciated. We might not agree with the policies, but I think it would be hard to find a significant segment of this country that does not respect and appreciate the work and sacrifices of our servicemen and women.

I was working in Washington, DC on September 11th 2001. It shook me up, just as it did everyone else. A few months after the attack I was riding on the Metro, the subway for that area, past the Pentagon stop. A member of the military sat down next to me on the train. As tears welled up in my eyes, I thanked the man for the job he was doing not only for the country, but also from my perspective for me as a citizen. Never once did I agree with going into the "war", but I certainly can appreciate the sacrifices that the military men and women make.

Every time I turn around, the Republicans (read: McCain/Bush) talk about patriotism. They are always wearing flag lapel pins, or singing "Proud To Be an American" by Lee Greenwood. I appreciate a show of nationalistic pride. It is great to feel a sense of unity and caring for the flag of your country, but put some substance behind that show of nationalism.

John McCain has talked about how much he supports the troops in Iraq. He has complained that Barack Obama has not been on the ground in Baghdad. Yet, one of the most famous times that McCain was on the ground there, he continuously lied about the conditions for political purposes. When confronted with these lies he backed down. He was more interested in the appearance of success, than seeing what was really going on in Iraq at the time.

Late last year, the Congress took up the Defense Appropriations bill. Before I continue remember that those "unpatriotic" Democrats now run Congress. The Congress passed a bill that gave a 3.5% salary increase for members of our armed services. That was more of a raise than the White House had requested, and the White House threatened to veto the bill. Now, before you think it had something to do with timelines and the like, the veto had nothing to do with that. The veto was threatened because the original legislation stated that Iraq would be accountable for acts of state sponsored torture. The Republicans, were willing to stop funding American troops during a war, because they didn't think a government should be held responsible for state sponsored activities of torture.Yet again the Republicans want to waive the flag, but not necessarily as interested in the substance of supporting our nation's troops.

Finally, on May 22nd the Senate voted on an updated GI Bill. This bill has passed overwhelmingly. It provides college tuition, room and board, and a $1,000 stipend to veterans who have served two years active duty since 2001. Both Senators Obama and Clinton supported this bill, while the war hero John McCain supported President Bush and skipped the vote. His rationale was that many of the troops would be tempted to leave the service early because of the benefits. His proposal was a tiered program giving more benefits for more years of service. Sorry, but the minute you enter into the Iraq or Afghan theater your life is in danger. I guess your service doesn't need to be respected until you hit the five-year anniversary.

Again, Republicans run around the country talking about how patriotic they are. I've given you a few examples where the hype does not measure up to the reality. Regardless of party, we should all honor our veterans this year. I think we should pull the troops out as soon as is practical, but let me put that argument to the side. If you are going to have this occupation in Iraq continue, then fund the troops properly. That means not only in the field of battle, but also fully funding the Veterans Administration for hospital upgrade (i.e. Walter Reed); or making certain that military families make enough money to stay off food stamps. Rather than wave a flag or wear a lapel pin, we should honor our troops by giving them the necessary tools necessary to defend themselves during combat, and support themselves after their distinguished service.