Don't Let GOP Cries About "Obamacare" Fool You. They're Really Against The Law's Real Benefits

One thing that really angers me is how Republicans so quickly dismiss the Affordable Care Act passed by Congress and signed by President Obama.
To hear Republicans tell the story, the act they call "Obamacare" is nothing but an evil scheme that dictates to Americans their health care choices and takes powers away from the states.
The problem is that you never hear Republicans say what the act really does.
You never hear Republicans tell about how the act prevents insurance companies from denying health care coverage to those with pre-existing conditions.
You never hear Republicans tell how the act allows families to keep college-age siblings covered under their policies until the siblings reach age 26.
You never hear Republicans tell how the act closes what's called the "donut hole" in prescription drug coverage that causes seniors to pay ever higher costs for their medications.
If you forced Republicans to respond to what the Affordable Care Act really is, they'd go into a psychiatric tizzy and would wind up losing the argument. That's why you hear all this demagoguery from them about the evils of "Obamacare."
These Republicans don't want folks also to know that the ACA is patterned after the Massachusetts legislation that was signed into law by that state's then-governor, Mitt Romney, who is trying to run away from what he did as a GOP presidential front runner.
There's too much good in the legislation that Republicans only want to yell "Obamacare" to the top of their lungs and spread all sorts of lies and disinformation about the law. They told these lies when the law was considered, and they're still telling those lies now that the legislation has become law.
Here's a sampling from a Republican candidate for my area's Texas House seat (district 115), Matt Rinaldi:

Fight ObamaCare and regain control of our health care system from Washington, D.C.
Federal healthcare mandates are threatening to overwhelm the Texas state budget, and taxpayers will be on the hook for the unintended consequences of ObamaCare. I support the current efforts of Attorney General Greg Abbott to challenge the Constitutionality of ObamaCare and will support legislation asserting the rights of the state under the Tenth Amendment to determine its own health care policy.

To Matt Rinaldi, it's evil for health insurance companies to be forced to cover folks with pre-existing conditions. It's also evil for health insurance companies to be forced to cover those they just don't want to cover. And furthermore, it's evil for the federal government to do its part to protect seniors from paying huge sums for their prescription drugs.

That's the Obamacare Rinaldi is fighting so hard against. It's not about government intrusion as Rinaldi and other Republicans claim. It's about keeping folks from getting health care, period, without having to pay a huge sum.

That's why Rinaldi and other Republicans will NEVER talk about what "Obamacare" really does. They are so bent on protecting the 1 percent that anything that benefits everyone else is dismissed by these Republicans as everything from budget busters on down.

My area and the rest of the country deserve far better from those who seek public office. If Rinaldi's campaign serves as any indication, the GOP will never do anything to really protect the 99 percent while pursuing policies that continue to allow the 1 percent to get even richer at our expense.

Rinaldi and the rest of the GOP is totally wrong. They are wrong for my area, they are wrong for Texas, and they are wrong for America.

Romney Can't Give Straight Answer When Questioned About His Mormon Faith

I frankly don't care what religion a man is when I vote on public office candidates. Yes, there a lots of evangelical Christians who believe that the Mormonism of Mitt Romney is akin to a cult, but are still willing to consider his qualifications to become president.
But one thing that irks me about Romney (among many other things) is his lack of authenticity. He doesn't seem to have a set of settled principles aside from saying anything to win votes.
No where was that more present than his interview on a Birmingham, AL, talk show. Here is a video clip of the interview:

Here's part of an account on the interview:

The hosts of the Birmingham-based radio program, Rick Burgess and Bill Bussey, pressed Romney on his Mormon faith, asking him if he believes the United States reigns over Israel as the true Judeo-Christian "Promised Land." The Book of Mormon teaches that America is a "land of promise."
"Do you as a Mormon believe that America is the new 'Promised Land,' yes or no?" asked Burgess.
"You're gonna have to go to the church and ask what they think about that," Romney responded with a laugh, referring to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, of which Romney is a member.

Why couldn't Romney give a straight yes or no answer to the question? Is he THAT insecure about who he is that he couldn't give a straight answer even if there was a possibility that whatever he said could cost him votes?
This is the same Mitt Romney who is bold enough to lie about President Obama's positions ('here's one example), but is so cowardly when it comes to standing up to the woman-hating Rush Limbaugh. 
He won't stand up to Rush Limbaugh, he'll say anything, including lie, to gain votes, and he is also willing to change his position no matter how bad he looks doing it. Is this someone you'd want to be president?
I say H--- no.

One Man's View About Republicans' War Against Women

I'm a man, and as one, I am appalled that the Republicans are fighting so hard to deny women essential health care benefits. Republicans starting with their presidential candidates and continuing down the line can shout as loud as they want about how they're defending "religious freedom." The question isn't religious freedom. The question is whether women should have access to essential health services, including contraception, as part of the Affordable Health Care legislation Congress passed and President Obama signed. The answer is a definite yes. That sure hasn't stopped Republicans from digging themselves into a huge political ditch with their latest moves designed to deny such health care coverage under the false guise of "religious freedom." Here's a telling passage from the Daily Kos post linked:

Even as they claim it's about something bigger than contraception, you can bet Republicans will keep the focus squarely on that—they want the public debate to be contraception (associated with sex and women's health, and therefore ... icky) against religious freedom (a noble abstract idea and essential constitutional principle). But they're going for something much bigger. They're simultaneously looking to eviscerate the Affordable Care Act, turn over governance to churches—in fact, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is sponsoring a bill similar to Blunt's because of something he heard in church—and give employers yet another way to shaft their workers.

There's one big thing missing in the Republicans' thinking. Do these Republicans really understand that women aren't alone when it comes to their concerns about the threat to their benefits these out-of-touch elephants are pushing? Do they not understand that women have families too, and these families also include men (like, for example, womens' spouses)? Or do they not understand that the American people they claim to represent really want women to have access to health services that include contraception? Check out this poll from that Republican-friendly "news" organization called Fox:

For example, the poll contains a question regarding employer coverage of birth control:

The new Obama health care law requires that employer health plans provide birth control coverage as part of preventive services for women. Catholic and other religious-affiliated hospitals and universities typically have not provided any birth control coverage for their employees, and oppose the new requirement because it violates their religious rights. Overall, do you approve or disapprove of requiring employer health plans to cover birth control for women? Approve 61% Disapprove 34 (Don’t know) 5

As far as I'm concerned, let these Republicans continue to dig themselves deeper into the political ditch. The deeper they dig, the better the chance they will wind up partying like it was 1964 (when GOP nominee Barry Goldwater was trounced by LBJ and dragged down a bunch of Republicans with him) or even 1936 (when FDR won every state but two against Alf Landon. The Republicans have cast their lot for those wanting to deny women essential health care services. Let these elephants rot and die en masse under the heavy weight of a landslide victory led by President Obama.

Could American Airlines' Bankruptcy Make Romney's Texas Skies More Stormy?

I suspect we'll be seeing a lot of this photo between now and the November general election. If anything illustrates more Mitt Romney's undeniable linkage with the privileged 1 percent, it's the photo above.
Here in Texas, that photo has taken on an additional meaning. Check this out:

On Wednesday, February 1st, American Airlines announced that it will take the advice of Mitt Romney’s firm, Bain Capital, and lay off 13,000 workers -15 percent of its workforce- replacing their pension plans with 401(k) plans and ending company-paid retiree healthcare.
The lay off announcement came only seven days after American Airlines hired Bain Capital to guide it through a bankruptcy procedure for which the airline had filed last November.

The problem for Romney is this-- he has made his experience in the business world, particularly at Bain, as a selling point for his presidency. Although he claims to have created 100,000 jobs while working there, stories like this one do anything but reinforce the image Romney has been trying to present.
Instead of being a job creator, it seems that Romney has lost far more jobs than he has created. It sure calls into his question his gargantuan claim of having created 100,000 jobs.
And it calls even more for Romney to release far more years of tax returns than he has shown willingness to do so far (just 2010 and 2011). The question is not Romney's right to make money and profit from what he does, but how he made his money.
With stories like this one, the picture becomes even worse than anyone could imagine when it comes to the current GOP front runner.
One note: Since American Airlines is based in Fort Worth, I'd love to see Romney try to explain this one as he campaigns for votes here in Texas. Even in GOP country, Romney may find himself in deep trouble with revelations like this one.

Chrysler Super Bowl Ad: An Unintended Boost for Obama?

They just don't do it better than this.
It had no political overtones, no mention of President Obama or the Democratic party, and its speaker has in the past endorsed Republicans.
Even with all that, there are some who believe the ad may have crossed the line between non-political and political speech with the mention of the rebirth of the Detroit auto industry thanks in part to policies implemented over Republican opposition by President Obama.
Still, there are a lot of folks who support the president like I do who can't be anything short of pleased with the Chrysler ad.
Here is the ad:

The problem for the Republicans with this ad is not only that it was non-partisan with a narrator with a decidedly Republican political past, but it reinforces the President's message of economic recovery in the face of GOP opposition.
It makes it even easier for the Obama campaign and other Democrats to compare their record of recovery with the GOP's do-nothing approach and Mitt Romney's call to let the U.S. auto industry go bankrupt.
I'm wondering how Romney tries to spin his way out of this one (among many other things) as the presidential campaign progresses.

Is It Now "Country Last" As Far As GOP Loons Are Concerned?

When I was growing up in Southern California, there was a prominent Hollywood actor who starred in westerns and also excelled in portraying military figures.
He was also a staunch conservative Republican, but after then-Vice President Richard Nixon lost to John F. Kennedy in the closely-fought 1960 presidential election, John Wayne made the following statement referring to Kennedy:

"I didn't vote for him, but he's my president, and I hope he does a good job."

It is sad to see what the Republican party has become in the three decades after Hollywood's legendary Duke died. Instead of putting partisan differences aside, leading Republican figures have cheered for the failure of Barack Obama's presidency.
A whole range of GOP and GOP-supporting voices, most notably Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Matt Drudge, reacted with glee when the International Olympic Committee rejected Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Olympics.
On his radio talk show, Limbaugh crowed, "The ego has landed," while Beck proclaimed the defeat as "sweet." Drudge, on his blog, echoed Limbaugh's comment in a banner headline.
Whatever became of the "country first" mantra that they and other Republicans repeated over and over again while John McCain campaigned for president? Whatever became of the old sentiment that partisanship stopped at the shorelines while the president was conducting foreign policy or otherwise promoting American interests overseas?
That sure has been missing from the sentiments echoed by these right-wingers and the other peddlers of their propaganda.
Can they please explain their glee to thousands of folks who could have had Olympics-generated jobs doing things like constructing the various Games sites that would have to be built in the years leading up to 2016? Can they also explain their glee to those in Chicago and beyond who would have benefitted tremendously from the Games being in the United States?
If they really believe Chicago's loss was a big defeat for President Obama, they are dead wrong. Many following the competition understood that Chicago faced an uphill climb against a city on a continent that never hosted an Olympics (while the United States has hosted both summer and winter Games through much of the 20th century).
For all the benefit the Games would have generated for Chicago, the state of Illinois, and the United States, Obama was right to help out in pitching the city. Although the bid was not successful, Obama's presentation (and that of Chicago) was both powerful and poignant.
Had he not come, I suspect these same right-wingers who are crowing about Chicago's loss would have barked the loudest about Obama betraying his home town and letting the rest of the Chicago delegation carry the water while he stayed home.
To these right-wingers, this wasn't about winning or losing. This was about their personal hatred of the President of the United States who was freely elected and who doesn't cower to their every command.
This was about their refusal to accept the fact that Barack Obama was elected fair and square by a clear majority of Americans last November.
And this is also about their demonstrated jealousy and resentment toward a moderately progressive president who also happens to be well-educated and intelligent as well as a successful author of two books ("Dreams From My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope.")
When he came back from Copenhagen after Chicago's loss, Obama was gracious in defeat and congratulated Rio de Janiero for its accomplishment. He showed far more manhood in that brief moment then these right-wing crybabies have demonstrated in their lifetimes.
Obama will continue to do well in his presidency and beyond, but what about these right-wingers and the Republican party that looks up to these folks? If Republicans continue to embrace those who celebrated Chicago's loss and continue to root for Obama's failure, they will corner themselves even more in the fringes of American politics.
John Wayne at least had the sense to understand that one he didn't agree with was elected and that his success was in our nation's best interest. The same can't be said about the clowns who are currently the most prominent Republican party spokesmen and propagandists. The quicker the GOP disassociates itself from the Becks, Limbaughs and Drudges of the world, the better it will eventually be.

Anti-American Right Wing Shows True Face in Olympics Loss Celebration

These right-wing nut jobs who are cheering Chicago's defeat in its bid to win the 2016 Summer Olympics really need to have their heads checked out.
Are they really happy because all the jobs Chicago would get in the years before the Games even would have come won't be coming?
Are they really happy because of the positive press Chicago (and the U.S.) would get from the Games but won't since Rio de Janiero wound up winning?
Somehow, these goons who cheered Chicago's loss and yelled "The ego has landed" like Rush Limbaugh and Matt Drudge did need serious mental counseling.
Besides all that, it sure makes me wonder where the Republican party these guys have been front and center off since Barack Obama became president are really mainstream...or has the GOP (and the farce of a "news" channel called Fox) really gone so right-wing that it has fallen far out of the reality map (or even the mainstream map).
I hoped Chicago (which my wife and I visited a few years ago) would win, and I was disappointed that it didn't, but the classless and juvenile display of glee from these right-wing clowns and their allies in and out of the media must not be forgotten either.
In fact, they show conclusively that they, and the Republican party it supports, don't give a rat's a-- about providing real and compelling solutions to America's problems. They also don't give a rat's a-- about promoting goodwill of the very country that gave them the platform to gain the followings (and resulting monies) they've gotten.
To take it a step further, the Glenn Becks, Rush Limbaughs, and the Fox "newses" of the world have proven beyond a doubt that they are anti-American subversives who deserve to be thrown into the trash cans of history and beyond.

TX-32: What Part of Support for Healthcare Reform Doesn't "Taliban Pete" Understand?

When I saw this poll, I was reminded of the fallacy my area's Taliban congressman, Pete Sessions (R-TX-32), and others in his party continue to peddle-- that healthcare reform is not popular with the American people.
Not only is Sessions wrong when he claims that healthcare reform has been "rejected" by the American people, this latest poll, along with a recent CBS News/New York Times survey, show support for reform with a robust public option continues to be strong.
To review, here's what Sessions said in response to President Obama's address on healthcare reform:

“Tonight, President Obama launched another prime time sales pitch for a government-run health care product that the American people have already undeniably rejected."

Actually, contrary to Sessions' claim, healthcare reform support has INCREASED since the summer of screaming, lies, and distortions coming from the Republican party and its allies in the media (most notably right-wing talk radio and the fraud of a "news" channel called Fox), according to a Huffington Post article.
Here's part of what the Huffington Post reported:

The anti-reform town hall anger that dominated the health care reform debate appears to have ebbed. Support for health care reform increased in September after falling over the summer, according to a new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Fifty-seven percent of Americans now believe that tackling health care reform is more important than ever -- up from 53 percent in August. The proportion of Americans who think their families would be better off if health reform passes is up six percentage points (42% versus 36% in August), and the percentage who think that the country would be better off is up eight points (to 53% from 45% in August).

So what part of this don't anti-reform politicians like Sessions understand? Have these guys become so blinded by their own lies that they can't even acknowledge that they have been proven to be wrong?
Yes, Democratic politicians like Max Baucus, Blanche Lincoln, and Kent Conrad must be held accountable for their demonstrated preference for protecting insurance company profits and discretion at the expense of the public interest, but the same must be said for others who have made a living of fanning the lies of insurance company opponents of real healthcare reform.
That list, sadly, includes my area's Taliban congressman, Pete Sessions, and the sooner this nutjob is retired from his current position by voters, the better we all will be.
I hope folks in my district will see a strong opponent rise up to confront Sessions with his "public be damned" attitude when it comes to healthcare reform and a host of other issues.

Heartless GOP Plan Exposed-- "Don't Get Sick And If You Do, Die Quickly."

I couldn't have said it better myself. Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) need not apologize to the heartless Republican party who'd rather see folks like me rot and die rather than have real healthcare reform with a robust public option.

TX-Sen, TX-32: Hutchison, Sessions: Out Of Touch and Wrong On Healthcare Reform

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is the latest Texas Republican who has demonstrated how out of touch she and the rest of her party are when it comes to support for real healthcare reform with a robust public option.
To review, the latest CBS News/New York Times poll shows that 65 percent of the American people support a real public option as part of healthcare reform (including a plurality of REPUBLICANS). That fact seems to have been lost on Hutchison, who's trying to demonstrate her right-wing credentials as part of her campaign for governor in next year's Republican primary against incumbent Rick Perry.
Here's part of the senator's statement that appears on Hutchison's campaign web site:

"I received nearly 1.25 million petitions from Americans including 165,000 Texans who object to a government take over of health care. The President needs to stop and listen. People are sending a powerful message: we want choice, access, and affordability. I hoped that President Obama would have heeded the people’s wishes and announced in his speech that he was willing to wipe the slate clean and abandon the public option. But instead of new ideas the President is repackaging the same bad policies and continuing to promote a government takeover of health care. President Obama’s proposal will increase the size of our government and shrink patients’ choices. It will still drive up taxpayers’ costs and deteriorate our nation’s quality of care. President Obama’s government run health care plan needs to be thrown in the shredder!"

The repeated claim that what President Obama has proposed is "government-run health care" is an outright lie that has been rejected by the American people in poll after poll (with the current CBS News/New York Times survey being the latest). The real question is this: Why are the for-profit insurance companies that have been pushing this canard are so afraid of competition from a not-for-profit government-run entity that will be supported by users' premiums, not taxpayer dollars.
In Texas, public options in post-secondary education (like the University of Texas and Texas A&M systems) sure haven't prevented private institutions like SMU and Rice from providing attractive alternatives that have helped them garner a good number of students.
In the world of package deliveries, the presence of the government-run U.S. Postal Service hasn't prevented two private companies, FedEx and UPS, from gaining large shares of the market with attractive and customer-friendly products that have enabled both to be able to deliver millions of packages daily across the United States and around the world.
If these private education institutions and package delivery companies can do well against public entities, why can't private insurance companies if they offered consumer-friendly and cost-efficient products that don't deny care because of pre-existing conditions or because an insured party gets sick or injured?
Besides being proved totally false when it comes to her claims of public opposition to healthcare reform and what it is (and isn't), Hutchison, like the rest of the Republican gang, is also out of touch when it comes to the facts about the cost of legislation that DOES include a public option.
Reports Congress Daily on House legislation that does include the public option, quoting the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office:

In a bid to wrangle concessions from the Blue Dog Coalition on healthcare reform, House leaders Thursday released CBO estimates for liberals' preferred version of the public option that show $85 billion more in savings than for the version the Blue Dogs prefer.

What part of this statement doesn't Kay Bailey Hutchison understand?
Hutchison may think the teabagging town-hall rabble rousers who tried to disrupt meetings about the issue constitute a majority of the American people, but if this latest CBS News/New York Times survey serves as any indication, Hutchison and fellow Texas Republicans like Rep. Pete Sessions (TX-32) are the ones who are out of touch with the American people and even members of their own party.
Here's Sessions commenting on President Obama's recent healthcare reform speech to Congress:

“Tonight, President Obama launched another prime time sales pitch for a government-run health care product that the American people have already undeniably rejected."

If this is the best job Hutchison and Sessions (who, I am ashamed to say, represents my congressional district) can do in interpreting the will of the American people, they should seek other employment fast. They, and the rest of the Republican cabal, are the ones who are out of touch and are trying to keep in place a system that has failed the American people badly and has denied needed care to those who needed it the most.

Adult In Charge: Obama Speaks On Foreign Policy Issues, Gets Results

This is what an adult sounds like when it comes to discussing foreign policy issues:

And this is the text of a real adult speaking on foreign policy concerns:

This week, I joined leaders from around the world at the United Nations and the G-20 economic summit in Pittsburgh. Today, I can report on what we achieved—a new commitment to meet common challenges, and real progress in advancing America’s national security and economic prosperity.
As I said at the U.N., over the past nine months my administration has renewed American leadership, and pursued a new era of engagement in which we call upon all nations to live up to their responsibilities. This week, our engagement produced tangible results in several areas.
In Pittsburgh, the world’s major economies agreed to continue our effort to spur global demand to put our people back to work. We committed ourselves to economic growth that is balanced and sustained— so that we avoid the booms and busts of the past. We reached an historic agreement to reform the global financial system—to promote responsibility and prevent abuse so that we never face a crisis like this again. And we reformed our international economic architecture, so that we can better coordinate our effort to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
We also established American leadership in the global pursuit of the clean energy of the 21st century. I am proud that the G-20 nations agreed to phase out $300 billion worth of fossil fuel subsidies. This will increase our energy security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, combat the threat of climate change, and help create the new jobs and industries of the future.
In New York, we advanced the cause of peace and security. I joined the first meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in nearly a year—a meeting that even nine months ago did not seem possible. And we resolved to move forward in the journey toward a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
We also took unprecedented steps to secure loose nuclear materials; to stop the spread of nuclear weapons; and to seek a world without them. As the first U.S. president to ever chair a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, I was proud that the Council passed an historic and unanimous resolution embracing the comprehensive strategy I outlined this year in Prague.
To prevent nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists, the Security Council endorsed our global effort to lock down all vulnerable material within four years. We reaffirmed the basic compact of the global nonproliferation regime: all nations have the right to peaceful nuclear energy; nations with nuclear weapons have the responsibility to move toward disarmament; and nations without them have the responsibility to forsake them.
The United States is meeting our responsibilities by pursuing an agreement with Russia to reduce our strategic warheads and launchers. And just as we meet our responsibilities, so must other nations, including Iran and North Korea.
Earlier this year, we imposed tough, new, sanctions on North Korea to stop their efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction. And we will continue to stand with our allies and partners to press North Korea to move in a new direction.
This week, we joined with the United Kingdom and France in presenting evidence that Iran has been building a secret nuclear facility to enrich uranium. This is a serious challenge to the global nonproliferation regime, and continues a disturbing pattern of Iranian evasion. That is why international negotiations with Iran scheduled for October 1st now take on added urgency.
My offer of a serious, meaningful dialogue to resolve this issue remains open. But Iran must now cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and take action to demonstrate its peaceful intentions.
On this, the international community is more united than ever before. Yesterday, I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our European allies in condemning Iran’s program. In our meetings and public statements, President Medvedev of Russia and I agreed that Iran must pursue a new course or face consequences. All of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and Germany, have made it clear that Iran must fulfill its responsibilities.
Iran’s leaders must now choose – they can live up to their responsibilities and achieve integration with the community of nations. Or they will face increased pressure and isolation, and deny opportunity to their own people.
These are the urgent threats of our time. And the United States is committed to a new chapter of international cooperation to meet them. This new chapter will not be written in one week or even one year. But we have begun. And for the American people and the people of the world, it will mean greater security and prosperity for years to come.

It's great to see a mature adult again at the helm in the White House, something that was sadly missing during the eight years before President Obama took the oath of office.

Me to Ed Schultz: Cantor, GOP deserve NO apology

I love how Ed Schultz isn't letting Republicans off the hook when it comes to their opposition to any healthcare reform.
The night before, the MSNBC host lit into Rep. Eric Cantor for his heartless remarks to a woman with a relative battling cancer. While Schultz noted the positive response he got, some Republicans took exception with one group demanding an apology from Schultz.
Schultz didn't give one, and he shouldn't. What Cantor's answer proved a sad fact about Republican governing philosophy-- when it comes to protecting the wallets of big corporations and contributors, Republicans couldn't be better, but when it comes to average folks, the Republicans, well, simply don't care.
Here's Ed's Friday segment:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

ACORN: Victim of GOP, Media Lies, Disinformation

Back when I was studying journalism years ago, I was taught that those who were spreading sensationalistic lies were practicing "yellow journalism" and would be subject to immediate firing.
That doesn't seem the case when it has come to the right-wing campaign against ACORN and those in the mainstream media that have peddled the blatent falsehoods without even an ounce of fact checking.
That is what Rachel Maddow so brilliantly reported on her program last night.
Check this out:

And also check out this well-done Daily Kos diary. Yes, like Rachel said at the end of her story, this report gets me really mad and causes me to demand the undoing of all damages that have been done against ACORN whether it be funding or otherwise and the investigation of the lies and how they have spread.
And journalistic outlets that have spread the disinformation without any real fact checking must begin immediate internal investigations and fire those accountable for producing and approving the reports.

Precisely who DOES John Cornyn represent?

John Cornyn is supposed to be representing all the citizens of Texas in the U.S. Senate, so what gives him the idea that the only folks that matter are for-profit insurance companies that write his campaign checks?
That was a big point raised today by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va) in response to an amendment that Cornyn proposed to the healthcare legislation that the Senate Finance Committee is busy marking up.
Here's what the Huffington Post reported:

Reacting to an amendment proposed by Sen. Jon Cornyn (R-Texas) during the Senate Finance Committee's markup of health care reform legislation on Thursday, committee member Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) called his colleague a pawn of the health insurance industry.
"This is a very, very important amendment and it's a very, very bad amendment," said Rockefeller. "If there's anything which is clear, it's that the insurance industry is not running this markup, but is running certain people in this markup."

Here's a link to the clip of Rockefeller on the Cornyn proposal:
Cornyn isn't the only Republican on the Senate Finance Committee whose work on behalf of for-profit insurance companies has been getting called out. Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts brought the issue to the forefront during his comments:
Reported the Huffington Post:

"The thing I'm trying to point out," said Roberts, "is that we would have at least 72 hours for the people that the providers have hired to keep up with all of the legislation that we pass around here, and the regulations that we pass around here, to say, 'Hey, wait a minute. Have you considered this?' That's all I'm asking for."

Are Roberts and Cornyn so naive that folks won't pick up whose bidding they're doing (or not doing)?
Here's Roberts on his begging for time to help corporate lobbyists display:

It's time Republican gamesmanship be brought to an end so real healthcare reform can pass.

Heartless Eric Cantor Might As Well Have Said, "Let Her Eat Cake"

We in Texas' 32nd congressional district aren't the only ones represented in Congress by heartless politicians who'd rather do the bidding of anti-healthcare reform corporations rather than average folks like me.
Here's Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor showing total heartlessness toward a needing constituent:

Here's the transcript of Cantor's exchange with Patricia Churchill, who has a relative who lost her job and hs fighting cancer:

CHURCHILL: I have a very close relative, a woman in her early forties, who did have a wonderful, high-paying job, owns her own home and is a real contributing member of society. She lost her job. Just a couple of weeks ago, she found out that she has tumors in her belly and that she needs an operation. Her doctors told her that they are growing and that she needs to get this operation quickly. She has no insurance. [...]
CANTOR: First of all I guess I would ask what the situation is in terms of income eligibility and the existing programs that are out there. Because if we look at the uninsured that are out there right now, there is probably 23, 24% of the uninsured that is already eligible for an existing government program [...] Beyond that, I know that there are programs, there are charitable organizations, there are hospitals here who do provide charity care if there’s an instance of indigency and the individual is not eligible for existing programs that there can be some cooperative effort. No one in this country, given who we are, should be sitting without an option to be addressed.

Doesn't Cantor get it, or is he too busy playing games on Twitter (like he was while President Obama was speaking on healthcare reform) to be concerned with the people's business? The health system is broken, in part because it provides no real remedies for folks like Ms. Churchill's relative who runs into hard times and then gets ill and needs help.
Real healthcare reform can't wait. It must pass WITH a real and robust public option.

No recession, eh, Rick?

Here is our out of touch governor who wants our state to secede from the Union wondering whether there IS a recession:

BUSTED: Fox "News" Producer Caught Staging Teabagger Protest

I remember when I first studied journalism that if anyone got caught doing what this Fox Republican Advocacy Channel producer did, they'd be fired.
Evidentally, this sort of conduct passes for sound journalistic principles in the eyes of the FRAC, which long ago ceased to be a legitimate news channel.
Reports the Huffington Post:

A Fox News Channel producer has been caught in a behind-the-scenes video rallying the crowd during last weekend's 9/12 protest in Washington.
The Huffington Post has confirmed that the woman in the below video — seen raising her arms to rally the crowd behind Griff Jenkins, who was reporting from the scene for Fox News — is Fox News producer Heidi Noonan.

The Huffington Post piece continues:

The video shows the producer on her cell phone as she urges the crowd behind Jenkins to cheer louder. An "I'm A Foxaholic" poster appears nearby.

The Huffington Post piece reported that Noonan, according to a Fox spokesman, was already "disciplined," but what kind of discipline?
Back in my journalism days, that discipline would have been immediate firing, but I guess that doesn't apply at Fox so long as the producers and others promote right-wing thoughts like those expressed at the rally.

TX-32: Sessions Defends Extreme Teabagger Rhetoric

Excuse me if I get a bit emotional, but I couldn't be more ashamed that Pete Sessions represents my congressional district (TX-32) than I am now.
It's bad enough that Sessions dishonestly claims that healthcare reform has been rejected by the American people when in fact poll after poll shows the completely opposite conclusion. It's also bad enough that Sessions has opposed anything that represents real progressive change in this country, including the Employee Free Choice Act.
Now Sessions has, in effect, allied with those who have toted guns during presidential events and have made hints of violence in placards seen during last week's teabagger protests.
Folks have a right to express their opinions, including those that strongly disagree with President Obama's policies and those of the Democratic leadership. But when my area's representative who also happens to be one of the main House Republicans made the statements that he did, it requires more than just mere comment. It requires that strong action be made to assure his defeat next year.
Sessions made the comments in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's stated concerns about the extreme and sometimes violent rhetoric that has been heard across the nation during the past month or so if not beyond.
Here is what Pelosi said and the question that triggered the speaker's response:

Q: Madam Speaker, in terms of the political tone, the tone of the debate, Hoyer said earlier this week he thought it was the most vitriolic since '93-'94. And around that time we also saw acts of domestic violence, domestic terrorism. How concerned are you about the tone of the political debate, in terms of people talking about anti-government rhetoric and so on and the possibility of violence?
Speaker Pelosi: Well, I think we all have to take responsibility for our actions and our words. We are a free country, and this balance between freedom and safety is one that we have to carefully balance.
I have concerns about some of the language that is being used because I saw this, myself, in the late '70s in San Francisco (when then-Mayor George Moscone and County Supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated). This kind of rhetoric was very frightening, and it created a climate in which violence took place.
So I wish that we would all, again, curb our enthusiasm in some of the statements that are made, so that understanding that some of the people -- the ears that it is falling on are not as balanced as the person making the statement might assume.
But, again, our country is great because people can say what they think and they believe. But I also think that they have to take responsibility for any incitement that they may cause.

As one who was horrified when a junior high school teacher interupted a nutrition period with his announcement of President Kennedy's assassination in 1963 and was equally in shock when the killings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 were announced, I understand what Pelosi meant and the need that now exists to tone down the rhetoric so reasoned debate can prevail and all viewpoints can be heard.
But even after some folks were seen with weapons at presidential events and some placards seen at teabagger protests hinted at violence, Sessions seemed to turn a deaf ear to that. Instead, he irresponsibly blamed Pelosi for expressing her concerns.
Here's what Sessions said:

"The Speaker is now likening genuine opposition to assassination. Such insulting rhetoric not only undermines the credibility of her office, but it underscores the desperate attempt by her party to divert attention away from a failing agenda," Sessions said in a statement. "During one of the most important policy debates of our time, the American people have been completely abandoned by those elected representatives under her control. Voters are justifiably frustrated with Washington, and the Speaker's verbal assault on voters accomplishes nothing other than furthering her reputation for being wildly out of touch with the American people."

It's bad enough that Sessions showed his fact-deafness toward public sentiment on healthcare reform, as witnessed by recent polls showing SUPPORT of real reform that includes a robust public option, but when he misstates what Pelosi said and even defends those who have displayed placards such as the ones alluding to violence against our leaders, it calls into serious question whether he is truly fit to represent my district in anything, even dog catcher.
I was grieved enough after both Kennedys and Dr. King were killed, and I was also saddened when Moscone and Milk were killed. Sessions' statements justifying the actions of those protesting President Obama (including those hinting of gun violence) are totally unworthy of the office he was elected to in my district.
Putting it mildly, Pete Sessions doesn't speak for me, and I hope that more than just rhetoric is used to condemn him. It's time to hit him hard where it can really hurt, by helping to fund a strong opponent who can really take the fight to him next year.
Pete Sessions may think that we'll forget the despicable things he said when election time comes next year, but this latest comment is too much for me and I suspect many others to take. Putting it mildly, this scumbag must be retired from office with a resounding election defeat in November of 2010.
NOTE: MSNBC's Rachel Maddow had an excellent report on what Pelosi said and Sessions' irresponsible response during her Thursday newscast. In case you missed it, here's the story:

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Baucu$ Plan: Good For Insurers, Bad For America

Do you really want a healthcare bill that does nothing to deliver real reform but instead rips off the middle class while lining the pockets of corrupt for-profit insurance companies?
That, to make a long story short, is the long ballyhooed proposal of Montana Sen. Max Baucu$, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, on healthcare.
Baucu$ has sung a great song when it came to his support of a real public option during numerous appearances, but does his proposal INCLUDE a public option?
No.
What he proposed is a weak co-op with little, if any, accountability.
Does he really think this will pass as real healthcare reform? I think it passes more as snake oil instead of reform.
Here's what The Bagof Health and Politics observed in his Daily Kos diary called "The Moral Case Against the Baucus Bill":

If Baucus bill passes, millions of Americans will face a 13 percent tax hike in order to line the pockets of Baucus' insurance CEO buddies.
Since Senator Baucus shut progressives out of his negotiations, I will take the opportunity to explain my concerns, as a progressive. I have no problems with an individual mandate...as long as that mandate comes with strict restrictions on insurance industry profit and insurance industry executive compensation.
The current system, despite Baucus claims to the contrary, would be largely untouched by the Baucus bill. The problem with that is that the current system creates incentives for bad practices. Insurers try to please Wall Street by lowering their medical loss ratio. In layman's terms, that means insurance companies try to increase their stock price by denying cancer patients and abuse victims the medical care that they need in order to live healthy lives.

Is this the definition of change we can believe in? I dare say no.
I hope the Baucu$ bill reaches the trash heap as fast as possible so real healthcare reform proposals that will really rein in insurance companies while providing real competition and really affordable prices for Americans at large.

Former President's Harsh Words On Racist Hate Speech Against Obama

When former President Jimmy Carter speaks, especially when it comes to race, one better listen.
The former president had some harsh words against the hate speech that has been unleashed against President Obama.
Here's the report aired on the "NBC Nightly News" on what Carter had to say:

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Putting it mildly, what former President Carter said was scary. When you see signs of folks putting up posters likening our president to the villanous Joker character from "Batman" or signs mocking Obama's being African American, it is very scary that racism is still very real in our society, many years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought successfully to end racial discrimination nationwide, and especially in the South.
It is sick, and it is despicable. It is evil that elements of the Republican party and their allies in the right-wing talk show industry (not to mention the Fox Republican Advocacy Channel) have tried to legitimize the flagerent racism displayed in these unprincipled protests against our president.
As we have learned from the grossly overplayed teabag march on Washington this weekend, those attacking the president aren't content merely with disagreeing with him on legitimate policy questions.
All we have heard from these folks are false questions about Obama's place of birth, not-too-subtle negative references to Obama's race, and even some seemingly subtle threats to Obama's life ("bury Obamacare with (the late Sen. Edward) Kennedy").
It was important that former President Carter speak out the way he did, and it's time America face this issue head-on before it bleeds us even further.