Laura Ingraham at the Republican National Convention

The Lap of Luxury

I kind of feel sorry for Melania Trump.  I suspect she sold her youth for a luxurious life style for herself and her family.  I doubt she ever suspected that her oaf of a husband would run for the presidency and hold her up to a  certain level of public humiliation.

One of the sad things about the whole plagiarism things is that it has drawn attention away from the ravings of Dumbo's supporters at the Repug convention.  In general, I hate Nazi analogies, but let's be honest,  Rudy was a few minutes away from calling for concentration camps for American Muslims.  General Michael Flynn was also pretty sad.  Apart from being a horrible public speaker, until Donnie came around, the retired General was a life long, pro choice Democrat, yet he was willing to throw it all away for a very slight chance to be on the losing ticket.  And would someone please tell Antonio Sabato Jr., that President Obama is not a secret Muslim.  Now I have my doubts that the Prez is all that religious, but come on, the next thing we'll see is some sort of birther nut opening his big mouth, and wouldn't that be pathetic.

Teddy Boy and the Women

Teddy Boy is running as an evangelical Christian.  Of course his sexual dalliances are relevant.   Meanwhile, our favorite hacktivists, Anonymous, have posted phone records that may show a link between the Texas Canadian and D.C. madam Deborah Palfrey.

Now, let's be clear.  Heidi Cruz's appearance is not an issue, but as long as the press is fixated on who's wife is hotter, they aren't questioning Mrs. Cruz's employment at Goldman Sachs.  The Wall Street firm already has too much influence in Washington.  What happens if a Sachs employee is First lady?  Will it be a repeat of Dick Vader and Halliburton?

Donny Dumbo vs Teddy Boy

Let's be honest.  Ted Cruz is worse than Donald Trump.  Trump may be a jackass, but at least he's a malleable jackass.  

More On Donny Dumbo

I've noticed that the media seems to be taking Donald Trump seriously, and why shouldn't they.  He is, after all, leading the Repug field, that is if early polling is to be believed.  Everything he says gets parsed for meaning and how it will influence voters.  My question: Why hasn't anyone questioned his sanity.  We're so used to his publicity mongering that we're overlooking the very real possibility that he's clinically insane.  Let's face it, put Donny on a street corner, and people are crossing the street to avoid the crazy guy.

Please Tell Me They Were Non Union

This just in! (Not really)  The Donny hired background actors to fill out his Presidential announcement rally.  As a member of SAG-AFTRA, I hope they were all non union.

The Donald

So Donald Trump want's to be President of the United States.  Actually, I suspect he'd be horrified if he actually won.  Best guess, his publicity addiction has finally got the better of him.  The only question in my mind: Will his behavior at the Fox sponsored Republican debates make one of the other nuts look reasonable?  Reasonable enough to be a viable candidate?  Only Donald Trump, by comparison, could make Ted Cruz look sane.

And speaking of debates.  As I understand it, only the top ten contenders, based on polling, will be invited.  As of right now, Donny is in, but John Kasich, the sitting Governor of Ohio, is out.  Lindsey Graham, a sitting U.S. Senator is out.  Don't get me wrong, there's not a single announced Repug candidate that I would vote for, but Kasich and Graham actually have experience in government, and too, there not lunatic  publicity whores.

I'm Confused

I'm confused.  Republicans detest Attorney General Eric Holder, but they won't confirm his successor, Loretta Lynch, effectively keeping Holder in office.  My head hurts.

The New Definition of Treason

It's time to start calling it what it is.  It's not extortion, blackmail, an attempt to force negotiations, or a power grab.  It's an attempt to subvert the constitution, a coup, it's treason.

Yes, the Repugs are at it again.  There's a way to get rid of a law that 's not to one's  liking.  It's called repeal.  But what to do when that's not possible.  Why, subvert the constitution. Shut down the government, destroy the credit of the United States.  When small, far right (Or left.) parties try something like that in a third world country, we sniff, hold our noses and call it treason.  For the life of me, I can't understand why Ted Cruz and his followers aren't guilty of the same crime.

Of course, the Repugs have been pulling this stuff for awhile now.  Let's see, there's that whole voter suppression thing.  Five conservative thugs on the Supreme Court overturning an election.  And let's not forget the impeachment of Bill Clinton over a sexual indiscretion.  Bad taste, for sure, but a basis for removing a President from office?  I think not.

There's an important constitutional issue here.  If the Repugs can threaten the destruction of the country, if they don't get their way, then the country ceases to exist.  I hope President Obama fights this one to the end. Let's also hope that the Republicans are going the way of the Whigs.

I Have Seen the Future....

............and it involves long lines.  I went to the post office this morning.  All I needed was a couple of stamps and I had to stand in line for half an hour to get them.  The budget cuts that will soon sweep the country have already come to the post office.  I won't go into all the reasons why the post office is wanting for money.  I'll just write that there are issues that go beyond email, reasons that include long-standing Republican policy that has been putting up roadblocks to an efficient, government run institution that benefits us all.

Oh those Repugs, they're at it again.  The tuskers argue that the mail should be run like a private business, that it should have week unions, or better yet none at all, and it should make a profit.  And so we get down to the fundamental argument of governance.  For those who agree with the Republican theory of things, the post office shouldn't even exist.  If an American citizen chooses to live somewhere it's not profitable for a private carrier to serve, or if that citizen can't afford the higher costs of a FedEx or UPS, so be it.  In the world of free wheeling, anything for a buck, market capitalism, that's just the way things are.  For those of us who think that it is the job of government is to provide needed services at a reasonable price, and that those services should be subsidized so that they can be used by all.....well, if we had our way, lines at the post office would be a lot shorter and Saturday service wouldn't be on the chopping block.

Thick As A Brick

A few thoughts on Mitt's speech.

Mitt brought up his father, former governor and Republican candidate for president, George Romney.   Papa Romney was most famous for his principled stand against Goldwater/Miller extremism.  Mitt's political career has been, like his father's, one of moderation, but he has shown a lack of principal in embracing Tea Party extremism.

Would someone please tell anti-government Repugs to stop praising the Apollo program and the greatest generation.  The Apollo program was one of the biggest government programs in history.  The greatest generation was the generation of Franklin Roosevelt and big, really big, government.

The Republican party is not the party of small business.  It's the party of transnational corporations and big finance.  Someone opening a store has more to worry about from financial markets and Walmart than they do from government.  Mr. Bain isn't likely to regulate big banks, or enforce anti-trust law.  Given the power by congress, President Obama might.  A good reason to vote Democratic in congressional races.

Mittens wasn't a business man, he was an investor.  Big difference.

Is Romney a nice guy or a bully?  It's possible to be both.  The general public might prefer a nice guy but the Repug base likes a kick ass bully.  While the elephants are criticizing the Obama campaign for fighting dirty, O has nothing on the Romney super pacs.

Maybe, just maybe, Mitt could overcome his character defects, but not if he continues with stiff performances like we saw tonight.

Clint

I admire Clint Eastwood the film director.  I think he has made some of the best film of the past several decades.  I admire Clint Eastwood the actor.  I'm looking forward to seeing his new film, Trouble With the Curve, and would be quite happy if he were to finally win a much deserved acting Academy Award to go with his directing Oscars.  I do background work in the movies and spent some time on the set of Million Dollar Baby and found him to be a gracious and thoughtful person.

But his performance at the Republican National Convention was just sad and strange.  The interview with the empty chair, standing in for President Obama, full of  sarcasm and at lest two allusions to an obscenity was beneath him.  One of Eastwood's strengths as an actor and director is an eye to a good script.  I don't know who wrote Clint's convention words, but he doesn't have a future in Hollywood.

Repug Convention Night 1.5

I've been watching the Repug convention on PBS (Slated to be defunded by a Romney administration.) and I've got a few  quick thoughts.

Ann Romney gave a great speech.  It was one of the best arguments for big government  I've ever heard.  She also painted her husband as a big government activist.  To bad Mittens isn't a Democrat.  It would have really put him in a good light.

Why didn't Chris Christie talk about Mitt?  I know he managed to squeeze in a bit about the hair piece towards the end, but mostly it was about what a wonderful guy Chris Christie is.  Talk about ego.  Too, he brought in the whole greatest generation thing.  Shouldn't someone tell the Repugs that the greatest generation was the ultimate big government generation.  The WPA, the CCC, the arsenal of democracy.  And of course the G.I. Bill that sent Chris's dad to Rutgers.  Once again we have Franklin Roosevelt to thank for the American century.

Mr. Shrimshock

When I heard Missouri representative Todd Akin's remarks about legitimate rape and a woman's magical ability to shut down pregnancy, my first thought was of my junior high school gym and boy's health teacher, Mr. Shrimshock.

When we were in the eighth grade, we had the lecture.  It was about mid year, we all filed into class,  Mr. Shrimshock pulled down the door blind, handed us a brochure and told us to read it and keep our mouths shut.  As I remember it, the pamphlet was three or four pages long, it had a couple of not very well executed illustrations, and gave a very brief explanation about sperm, eggs and pregnancy.   After we were done reading Mr. S gave us a brief talk.

Women, he told us, would only have sex with us so they could get pregnant, force us into marriage and bind us to a lifetime of labor so that they could stay home, watch soaps, and eat chocolate.  And if that was all that happened to us we would be lucky, since women were all filthy and would give us a disease that would make our penises fall off.  Even at thirteen, I knew that Mr. Shrimshock was a sick man who hated women.

Since Todd Akin delivered his opinion on legitimate rape, I've heard a lot about the Republican war on women.  I think that's wrong.  I think it's a conservative, fundamentalist Christian war on secular values.  The Christian right has become very quick to label disagreement with it's agenda as a war on religion.  If we think a woman has a right to choose, that we all should have access to contraception, if we believe in gay rights or that organized prayer has no place in a public school the Christian conservatives start in on how we are trying to trample on their religious values.  I don't see it that way.  I would never tell a fundamentalist woman that she should have an abortion, or use an IUD.  I would never tell a conservative Christian that he or she should    associate with gays or not pray when ever they feel the need.  But the right wing fundamentalist would gladly take away my right to live a life apart from religion.

I think those of on the left feel very uncomfortable standing up to the religious.  Our belief  in tolerance is so strong that we shrink from fighting back against those on the religious right who have no tolerance for any religious beliefs different from theirs.  I'm an atheist, and even I have trouble with push back.  But if we don't get a back bone and start telling the fundamentalist crowd to keep their belief system out of government, someday we'll wake up to an American Taliban, and that won't be a pleasant world.

The Robes of Office

I was up late last night (Reading a book, I can't afford a social life) so I was still in bed this morning when the weekly Republican radio address came on.  I'd say I couldn't believe what I heard, but there's not much the Repugs can say or do that would shock me anymore.  Dear old Rand Paul, Senator from Tennessee, asked if we wanted to swap out our constitution for South Africa's.  Come on Repugs.  There must be a subtler method to remind us that President Obama is black.  Perhaps they could talk about the dusky sunset, no that's not it.  The tribal approach....no, that doesn't work either.  Oh hell, just be honest, break out the elephant embroidered robes and burn a cross or two.

Was Rand Paul named for this years co Vice Presidential nominee Ayn Rand?  Inquiring minds want to know.