Benghazi: the lost years

And we really need to check on other conspiracies regarding attacks prior to Obama. My favorite chart: #p2 #Benghazi pic.twitter.com/EC6kdRnBXb
— Casey (@pari_passu) May 2, 2014

Filibuster history?

Well, maybe.

It took Reid and Obama almost five years before they realized that the GOP was never, ever going to compromise with them. Not for a second, not even on a whim in an unguarded moment. Not even if they were given every ransom they sought.

Just like Lucy wouldn't yield, even on occasions that demanded some adherence or concession to tradition...

..or even when nothing was at stake, Kevin was not going to get in the car.

Defunding Obamacare? Or Astute Bargaining?

Let's be clear about this. What the Republicans did by passing the "Defund Obamacare OR ELSE..." continuing resolution was clever. It is also exactly what both parties wanted.

No, the Democrats (or at least Obama) do not want to defund Obamacare, and the Republicans (bar a really clueless one or seven) know that they cannot defund it as long as Obama is in office and wields a veto.

So what was this about?

Winning!

This was about selectively undoing the sequester cuts. Remember when Congress chose to have the sequestration which enacted roughly half its cuts from the defense department and the other half from everything else?

Well, the CR undoes those defense cuts. Which means that what the House proposed was

1. Defunding Obamacare
2. Funding defense back to the pre-sequestration levels.

Now the Senate takes this over, and after public posturing sends it back to the House after stripping 1. Boehner can then get this passed and get 2. Saving defense jobs helps politicians of both parties.

That was always the best deal they were going to get, and Boehner will get it. With absolutely no bargaining. If Obama caves in to the debt ceiling hostage crisis (which he has steadfastly refused to negotiate so far) Boehner will get another ounce of flesh.

The Syrian Intervention

A military intervention would be considered successful if it accomplishes the following:

Yeah, right!

1. It destroys existing stockpiles of WMDs;
2. It cripples Syrian capacity to manufacture or acquire more WMDs;
3. It drastically reduces the civilian death and injury toll;
4. It does not weaken either side in the Syrian civil war to allow a change of balance;
5. It holds the users of chemical weapons accountable for their war crimes;
6. It persuades the warring sides to seek a political solution;
7. The USA is seen as a moral force willing to do what is necessary

Any chance that military strikes by Obama will accomplish any of the above?  Possibly some of 1 and 3. At best.

"Moderate" declares end of race

Remember Bobby Jindal? Sorry, didn't mean to, I'll keep this short. Someone ghost-wrote his thoughts on Politico wherein he expresses great sadness that there is racism race.

In 2003, I decided to run for governor of Louisiana, a state where David Duke got 44 percent of the statewide vote in 1990. The pundits said I was insane to even try. Friends worried about my mental stability and begged me not to run. I narrowly lost that first race, but I’ve won every race since then. I wish I had a nickel for every time East Coast political journalists have asked me about discrimination, and I wish I had a dime for every Louisiana voter who has broken those journalists’ ugly stereotypes.
Here’s what I’ve found in Louisiana: The voters want to know what you believe, what you stand for, and what you plan to do, not what shade your skin is.

So David Duke got 44 percent of the vote because those Louisiana voters didn't care that he was a self-avowed racist? How does that work?

The Rehabilitation of Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio is a smart man. Articulate, soft-spoken, opportunistic and reasonably photogenic to appear on national TV where he could spew his conservative positions without fear of appearing to be an ideologue. In many ways, he reminds one of a Barack Obama on the national stage soon after he spoke at the DNC in 2004.

Polished. And if he were a Democrat, he'd be in the reckoning for a future White House run. No, not like the one he is fooled into believing is his destiny within the GOP. Or at least was, after his much heralded meteoric rise to the Senate with a win over the grizzled veteran Crist, and his positioning as the GOP minority answer to Obama.

Following the 11-6 disaster for Romney, Rubio wasted no time in lining up his ducks. He refused to play the errand boy for Jim DeMint his supposed mentor, who wanted him to lead some sort of a Tea Bagger caucus in the Senate, and instead started exploring his Presidential run.

So far, so good.

Paululan Jr. filibusters!

Actually, this is A Good Thing!

I may not agree with Rand Paul on...well, anything, nor his motives in filibustering the nomination of a CIA director with this tangential issue of presidential powers to kill without due process.

But it is a vital issue of civil liberties. It must be raised.

Of course, Paul is doing it for political gain, and will revert to his usual obstructionism for other things, but this  is good.

If only he'd filibuster when the Patriot Act comes up for renewal.  Or when the NDAA has to be reauthorized.  Or when Gitmo funding is renewed.

Still, this is good.

A Fact Challenged Democrat

In the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, we find this gem:

Sen. Mark Begich, who earlier this week released a statement calling for more mental health support, said he’s not interested in new gun laws. The Alaska Democrat said the previous assault weapons ban has proved to be inconsequential in reducing gun violence.

Seriously?

Note the drop following the previous ban in 1994, and the slow creep up since its expiry in 2004:

 Then there is this from Sam Wang on mass shootings:

Be sure to read the link to understand that if you change the bar from five shootings to four for a "mass shooting," you will end up with a more benign result.

Name that social liberal

OK, you cannot look this up, you have to guess.

Who is this self-identified social liberal, on record, uttering these things:

“Look, I’m basically a social liberal, I know nobody will believe that,”
“Number one, I’m supporting stem-cell research,”
“I’m pro-choice,”
“You can take your own religious beliefs …and live your life with your own beliefs. But to make it a portion of the government’s policies?”
“Abortion shouldn't be brought up as a political issue,”
“I’m pro-Dream Act, I’m pro the Dream Act. My parents were immigrants to this country, What are we going to do? Listen, I’m sure a lot of my parents generation...snuck onto the ship and they came into the country.
“It would be inhumane to send those people back , to send 12 million people out of this country to disrupt a whole potpourri of family issues
“I mean it’s all ridiculous. So we've got to find a way, find a route for those people to get legal citizenship,”
“And by the way I’m in favor of a socialized-like health care.”
“Look, nobody agrees with 100 % of their planks”

Upcoming debates: Predictions

The presidential debates are coming up. I have a few ideas as to what will happen. Let's see how it works.

The overall strategy for the Romney/Ryan ticket will start by the old stand-by of focusing on the economy and raising people's overall fears about the general state of horribleness in society. They will possibly pull out some actual "facts" (whether they are true or not) about how this is all the fault of Obama directly. They will then attempt to capitalize on the fear of the audience and gain votes to cover their gap by using the standby return-to-the-Christian-era-that-never-actually-happened tactic.

In Which I Agree with Santorum

It is not often that I will pay attention to what Mr. Sperm Feces has to say, but on this, he is almost absolutely correct.

RICK SANTORUM: We will never have the media on our side, ever, in this country. We will never have the elite, smart people on our side.

Well, almost all the elite, smart people. Some will, because, well, just look at who they have to convince!

Ghost of Reagan

Paul Ryan plans to campaign on one issue in Wisconsin, at least for now:

"Are you better off than you were four years ago?"

Do not know about Wisconsinites, but basically no. I'm worse off today than I was four years ago. My 401K is slightly better when it should have been a LOT better. I make a little more money when it should have been a LOT more money. My health is a LOT worse than it was four years ago, but I suppose I cannot blame that on the government since my health plan is about the same or perhaps a tad better.

However, ask me the same question in another fifteen days.

Lies, damned lies, and politicians

I admit something right up front: I have not been watching the RNC. I can't bear it. Instead I watch the Daily Show to get me a factually-correct and contextually-relevant synopsis. And some snort-coffee-through-my-nose hilarity, of course.

I was watching the Hermain Cain interview from the other night. In order to see the relevant parts, you have to watch the internet interview, which has some extra content, and check out around 24:30. Jon Stewart was actually grilling Cain fairly hard on Cain's support of the Romney ad claiming that Obama removed the work requirement for welfare recipients. 

This is what is particularly amusing about the presidential race this time around. We aren't actually debating any issues. We're debating FACTS.

Republicans: Ryan ain't your (VP) candidate!

The view of many conservatives that I hear is that they want a small
government. I wrote about this here.

He is so far in favor of heavy hands in government that he doesn't even want people to have protection of their own civil liberties. He thinks that he knows whatis best for everyone else, regardless of what you value or believe. Want to be able to buy condoms at the drug store so you don't have too many kids (which, I'm sure you'll agree with, is certainly a drain on the welfare system in many cases)? Tough shit, according to Santorum. He believes family planning should be religiously-based and that his
views should be imposed on everyone else.

The real reason Akin is in trouble

It is not unusual for a GOTP member to do his open-mouth-insert-foot act. Heck, some even take out ads or make public speeches on the matter (see Saxby Chambliss, Joe Walsh on their partially limbless opponents.)

Usually the leadership simply shrugs it off with a "People who endorse me or people who work for me, I respect their endorsement and their work, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I endorse all of their statements," or accuse the liberal media and move on. But this one is different. Why? Because it crystallizes the assault on women's health and reproductive rights that the GOTP has denied ever making.

So distance from Akin, but shun him like this to call for him to drop out?

Yes, this one is that different.

Don't turn your back on us Mitt!

Not when you're begging for cash.

Alaska Palin Auditions for the DNC

Recently, Mitt realized that his campaign needs some serious clowns instead of ones rejected by the circus like Donald Trump, Alaska Palin, Minnesota Palin and Newt. So he had his henchmen draw up the speaker schedule at the RNC, and guess what?

No Alaska Palin!

So the grifter is left with no one to feed her word salads. FOX "News" does not quite get the ratings with her as they once did, and she no longer has a reality show. Bristol and Todd filled up the Palin quota, and nothing kills like over-exposure. Just ask the Kardashians.

What's a GILF to do to regain the "edge"?

Obama's worst nightmare!

Ever notice how this unique titleholder changes every few months? No?

Well, let me refresh your memory, starting in 2008.

First it was John GET-OFF-MY-LAWN McCain.

Till he picked the GILF, and Alaska Palin was unleashed on the country. People forgot about Bush very quickly. Just like she forgot "tax cuts" was an important thing to throw into her word salad.

Mitt Picks his Alaska Palin

The good news for him is that this one may be a tad more educated, so won't be quite the boat anchor Palin was.

I had predicted Pawlenty, but obviously things are not going well for the Mitt campaign, and he needs someone more than blah. Of course Rubio and Christie want to run for POTUS someday, and do not feel so rosy about Mitt's chances, so they chose wisely, since running and losing might sound the death knell for their ambitions.

Enter Paul Ryan of the two numbers and other "facts."

Well, fuck you Obama!

We have another kook going postal and killing a bunch of people.  Nothing to see here because, well, this will happen again. No matter how much gun control or liberalization you have, the nutcase is unstoppable as long as there are such weapons available. It happened in Norway, with far more stringent gun control, and it happened here.

Yes, you can reduce the probability a little bit with regulation, education, preventive treatment for the mentally ill and such, but not enough. There are far too many guns already out there.