YOU know that there are essentially two sides to the “balance sheet.” On one side is your “Assets/Revenue/Income“…the money that is coming in. On the other side is your “Liabilities/Debits/Expenses“…the money that is going out.

YOU know that these two sides, in conjunction, determine your bottom line…which is to say, whether or not you are making money (in budgeting, we call this a “surplus“) or losing money (in budget terms, a “deficit“).

Republicans are currently trying to tell us (examples here, here, and here from Huffington Post) that spending money, like extending unemployment benefits, increases the deficit and is, therefore, BAD. They say all measures to spend money MUST be offset by reduced spending in other areas.

In principle, this is TRUE. Yes -- adding expenses without either increasing revenue or decreasing expenditures somewhere else…would increase the deficit. File that little equation under “D” for “Duh.”

They also tell us that reducing revenue, for example the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, does not increase the deficit and is, therefore, GOOD. They say these tax cuts do not require that either more taxes be collected somewhere else, or that spending be decreased to offset their effect.

That much, is FALSE…and is, perhaps, the most irresponsible rationale we’ve heard used to justify what amounts to little more than partisan political hackery. Your average person with no financial education whatsoever can see that decreasing the amount of tax revenue without increasing revenue somewhere else or decreasing expenses WOULD increase the deficit.

See the attached graph…and you’ll see that tax cuts, in fact, have a bigger impact on increasing the deficit than two foreign wars, stimulative spending, and entitlement programs:

Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

This particular deception…is nothing new.  Once upon a time, in our not-so-distant past, a man named George Herbert Walker Bush (a Republican) ran against another man named Ronald Reagan (also a Republican) for President of the United States.  Reagan espoused an idea that has come to be known as “Supply Side Economics.” Essentially, this theory holds that reducing taxes on the private sector will lead to significant economic growth…enough growth to offset the loss of tax revenue.  Bush, in challenging Reagan’s proposal, would famously call this “voodoo economics.“  Watch part of the debate between the two men:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=edchtf9MS7g

Reagan would later go on to win the election, and today he is viewed by many in the Republican Party to be a “true conservative hero,“ a sort of epitome of what Republicans are “supposed to be.” But the truth is that his presidency, in many ways, represented an END to responsible, fiscal conservatism, and it was during his presidency that America’s federal deficit, and our national debt, SKYROCKETED.

In fact, if we look at the increase in the national debt while the last two Democrats were in office, Carter and Clinton, we saw increases of 42% and 36%, respectively.

While Reagan, following “tax cut ideology,” was President…the National Debt increased by 182%.

George H. W. Bush, who initially lambasted “tax cut ideology,” only to later adopt it himself….saw an increase of 55%.

George W. Bush, also added MORE tax cuts…and saw an increase of 89%.

Wait a minute.  Here are the Republicans, claiming STILL to be the party of “fiscal responsibility and conservatism,” and they are spending us into MORE debt than the Democrats, and are continuing to reduce our tax revenue through tax cuts, creating a LARGER deficit than under Democrats.  How exactly is this methodology either “responsible” OR “conservative?”

And what’s worse, they continue to spout the SAME lie as before.  Just this month, Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said, “The reality is that as you study — when President Kennedy cut marginal tax rates, when Ronald Reagan cut marginal tax rates, when President Bush imposed those tax cuts, they actually generated economic growth, they expand the economy, they expand tax revenue.“  Senator Kyl (R-Az.) has echoed this idea, as have Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and many others in the GOP.  Unfortunately for Pence, and for all of us, what he says is clearly NOT reality.  George W. Bush’s economic policy group told him tax cuts would not generate enough growth to make up for the lost revenue. Bush’s Chief Economist was even more direct about this when he said, “You are smart people. You know that the tax cuts have not fueled record revenues. You know what it takes to establish causality. You know that the first order effect of cutting taxes is to lower tax revenues. We all agree that the ultimate reduction in tax revenues can be less than this first order effect, because lower tax rates encourage greater economic activity and thus expand the tax base. No thoughtful person believes that this possible offset more than compensated for the first effect for these tax cuts. Not a single one.”

And yet so many Americans, seduced by the idea of tax cuts and ignoring their own common sense, still accept and repeat the GOP’s fiscal mantra: “Tax cuts pay for themselves.”

I love a good ideological debate, and there are a great many that we can have…but is it necessary for us to debate an issue where one side’s position is completely, demonstrably false?  Must we continue to listen to the same people who ballooned our debt and our deficit, by cutting tax revenues while spending as if the money were on fire…tell us that they deserve to be elected back into office because they have the solution to the problem: More tax cuts and responsible spending…the latter of which they proven incapable of doing?  For how long, in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary and amidst the screaming of expert economists, must Americans still see the GOP as the party of “foreign policy and fiscal responsibility?”

An Analogy:  You are very sick.  You go to a doctor who says he has a revolutionary, “proven” cure (although he can’t produce any proof of it actually working) called “slap therapy.“  He slaps you…nothing happens, you’re still sick.  He says, “Well, you have to do it more than once,” and slaps you again…but you’re still sick.  You decide to try another doctor who has an actual, proven, documented therapy which has helped millions of people…but it will take months of treatment, and the treatment is uncomfortable.  You try it, but after a few weeks you are tired of the discomfort and waiting so you go back to the first doctor.  He says he has the answer to your problems: “slap therapy.”  And the slapping begins anew…

America…aren’t you tired of getting slapped?

This is, of course, a map of the election results showing the states that voted for Senator John McCain in red.

I saw some networks, in their near obsession with voter demographics, show this map:

This map shows which states had the lowest percentage of white voters voting for Barack Obama.  The states where the fewest white people voted for Obama are in dark red and purple.

Now stay with me…here is an interesting map, also shown during the election’s demographic analysis, highlighting the states with the highest number of voters who identify themselves as members of evangelical, Protestant religions:

The darker the shade of blue…the more evangelical Christians.

Of course, analysts also covered the educational aspects of America’s voters.  Here’s a map showing which states have the fewest high school graduates:

The lighter the shade of green…the fewer people graduated from high school in that region.

Another subject for analysis, was the income/poverty level of voters.  Here’s a map showing areas with the highest poverty levels:

The darker the green…the more people living in poverty.

You probably know where I am headed with this.  But if that is the case…then why did I not see a single network, a single media outlet, directly address this “800 pound gorilla” which is dramatically affecting our nation’s political conversation?  I saw experts on NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, MSNBC, and CNN display these maps…then scratch their chins and shrug, saying things like, “I’m not sure what this tells us.“  How about this:  I’ll say it…

The poorest, most uneducated, most intolerant, most religiously extreme portion of our country…limited mostly (but not entirely) to the southern states…is the base of the conservative movement, and the Republican Party.

Now…before we go any further…here are things that I am NOT saying:

- Not everyone in the South is racist/intolerant, and yes, there are lots of intolerant people in other parts of the country.  The South simply has MORE racists and otherwise intolerant people.

- Not everyone in the South is poor or uneducated, and yes, there are lots of poor and uneducated people in other parts of the country.  The South simply has MORE poor and uneducated people.

- Not everyone in the South is an evangelical Protestant, and there are evangelicals in other parts of the country.  The South simply has MORE evangelical Protestants.

- Not everyone who is an evangelical is poor and/or uneducated.  Not everyone who is uneducated is poor and/or evangelical.  Not everyone who is poor is uneducated and/or evangelical.  Some people are one, two, or all three of these things.

This population is more likely to be on unemployment, public assistance (re: welfare, food stamps), or some other public program…and they are also more likely to be AGAINST these same types of social programs, which they are told to view as “big government,” or “socialism,” or, “handouts for lazy people.“  They are also more likely reject evolutionary theory, climate change theory, health-related studies…and many other scientific ideas.  They are more likely to believe that President Obama’s birth certificate is a fraudulent document…and that he was instead born in Kenya.  They are more likely to believe that the newly-passed Health Care legislation is going to “kill grandma,” or “pay for abortions,” or “provide insurance to illegal aliens.“  They are more likely to want prayer in schools, the Ten Commandments in courthouses, and to vote against political candidates for not being “Christian-enough.”  They are more likely to be opposed to any measures granting equal rights to gay and lesbian citizens, and to oppose any laws to protect these citizens.  And they are MUCH more likely…to vote Republican.

Does this have an effect on our country?  Of course it does…

Case in point: I live in a southern state.  Here are some interesting examples of what has occurred in the last twenty years due (in part) to public officials being chosen by a largely poor, uneducated, and highly religious population:

- Our state’s educational performance?  35th to 48th out of 50 states (depending on the source of the study).  Our schools have frightening numbers of “portable classrooms,” crumbling facilities, high teen pregnancy rates, and many teachers forced to teach outside of their licensure area.  We also have deceptive graduation rates…because failing students are still promoted to the next grade and nearly EVERYONE is given a diploma.  Proposals for a three cent tax increase to improve the system, buy new materials, fix buildings, or increase teacher pay…rejected by the public.  Proposal for a one cent tax increase…ALSO REJECTED.

- In 1999, just after the city’s mayor publicly questioned why so many people deride the South, the state legislature passed a bill…allowing people to legally collect road kill off the street, take it home, and eat it.

- Members of our state’s GOP, Republican elected officials, and Republican staffers…account for at least three of the nationally publicized, racism scandals stemming from “jokes” directed at our current president. In fact, it was a former Republican Party chair from our state who brought you the “Barack the Magic Negro” song.

- It was a mayor in our state who went on Facebook and accused Obama of being a Muslim…because a televised presidential speech pre-empted a Charlie Brown holiday special.

- Our state’s GOP released statements attacking the President over his middle name, and accused him of being an anti-Semite…which even prompted condemnation from the national RNC.

- Our state’s Republicans said this year…that $2.13 an hour for “tipped workers” like restaurant servers, is MORE than adequate, and objected to the wage being raised to $3.28 an hour.

-  The metro council in our state’s capitol proposed an “English-only” bill…that said that all government services and notices would only be conducted/written in English, with no translation services offered.  They also included a proposal that would allow private business to dictate that only English could be spoken in their workplace.  This is the THIRD TIME in recent years that such a measure has been proposed.  This same council recently debated (at length) as to whether or not to switch from pitchers of water to bottled water at their meetings…out of fear that “terrorists” would try to poison them.

-  The state legislature recently PASSED a bill, allowing people to start carrying guns in bars…as long as they promise not to drink while packing heat.

-  In late 2009, one state legislator proposed a bill…that would allow our state to disregard or “nullify” any federal laws they hold to be unconstitutional.

- In the Firearms Freedom Act, our state legislator proposed that federal gun laws don’t apply to guns made in our state.

- When the state was engaged in a heated debate over whether or not to enact an income tax…most of the anti-tax protesters circling the capitol, either didn’t have jobs (therefore, no income) or made so little that an income tax would not apply to them.  Many of the districts which most strongly opposed the bill, were low-income districts that would have benefitted from an income tax and decreased taxes on sales and food.  By the way, despite a soaring state sales tax…the income tax measure was defeated, and this year the legislature took steps towards making a state income tax unconstitutional.

- During our current, tough economic times…the state Senate found time to pass a bill banning the late night, “Girls Gone Wild” advertisements, almost certainly on the grounds that Jesus doesn’t want you to see them.  Similarly, our state still has “blue laws” detailing certain times when alcoholic products may not be purchased. You can guess on which day of the week sales are prohibited…

- The legislature also found time for an important debate…on whether or not an old law should be overturned, so that fish tanks could be allowed in barbershops. It passed.

-  A resolution was proposed to reject federal stimulus money, and which proclaimed that the state legislature should “strongly urge the federal government to reject attempts to establish socialism as a form of government in America.”

- I couldn’t make something like this up:  A bill has been proposed this year…to prevent the federal government from putting a chip in our heads.  Its sponsor told a local reporter, “In the Christian religion, and I’m a Christian, in the book of Revelation, there was a reference to, you know, the Mark of the Beast. Some people interpret that to be one of these microchips.“  No one is entirely certain what she is referring to when she says “these microchips” (said as if there is actually a plan to install microchips in people), but oh well…she probably saw it in a movie and just got scared.

- Our governor recently signed into law the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” which makes it easier for a person or group to claim that their religious freedoms have been violated by the government.

- One of our Representatives to the United States House recently told reports that the dialogue in Washington should definitely be more “civil“…but wouldn’t commit personally to stop calling the president a “socialist” or a “tyrant.”  This same Representative, when research studies suggested that women should get mammograms performed less often, said “this is how rationing begins.“  Ironically, she did not support requiring insurance companies to COVER mammograms.

- Another Representative (who is also a gubernatorial hopeful) recently stated that health care is a “privilege” and not a “right,” and that the health care bill represented “socialism” and “class warfare.” Our Senator said that the use of reconciliation to pass Health Care would be “the end of the Senate.”

These are the kinds of people elected by an uneducated, religiously extreme constituency…and these are the kinds of laws those elected officials focus on to satisfy such a constituency.  A constituency who is willing to be told something or someone in “Un-Christian“…even though the Bible holds no such scripture, or at times even contradicts the claim.

…willing to be told something is or isn’t in the Constitution…even though cursory examination of the document would quickly prove the position false.

…willing to believe that “end-of-life counseling” is the equivalent of a “death panel.”

…willing to believe that, if gay people are allowed to marry, that people will also have to be allowed to marry children and animals…when even a high-school-level of legal knowledge would prove this false.

…willing to believe that “their tax dollars” are going to be given to “someone else“…even when it’s not their tax dollars, and THEY will be the recipient of the benefits.

…easily led to believe that their tax burden should stay the same, and that decreasing the tax burden of the wealthiest 2% of the country will help THEM.

…easily led to believe that certain people or laws are “socialist,” or “fascist,” or “tyrannical,” or “totalitarian“…even though they have no knowledge of what these terms mean.

…willing to believe that one government-run or government-subsidized program equates to “conversion to socialism” and the “death of the free market system.”

…willing to believe that “regulating business” will cause companies to no longer be able to “do business.”

…willing to dismiss scientific claims that they don’t understand…such as believing that one blizzard invalidates Climate Change theory.

…willing to believe it when their churches told them President Clinton was the “Antichrist“…and are twice as willing to believe it when their church now tells them it is President Obama.

…willing to give up their freedoms under one president in the name of “security“…and then willing to be outraged over imaginary threats that another president will take their freedoms away.

…willing to be told what the founding fathers of this nation thought, or believed, or intended…lacking the sufficient historical knowledge to know which claims are demonstrably false.

…willing to accept that one president’s unprecedented expansion of government and the power of the Executive Branch was “necessary“…and that the use of those same powers by the next president constitutes a “dictatorship.”

…willing to accept that the use of parliamentary procedures by one congressional faction is “necessary“…the use of those same procedures by the opposing faction is a “subversion of our democracy.”

…willing to believe that waterboarding is not torture…as long as our government promises to only use it against terror suspects.

…willing to believe one year that a “patriot” supports everything his or her government does…and that the next year a “patriot” rejects everything his or her government does.

…willing to believe that everyone believes the same things that they, and the people in their community, believe.  Or that everyone SHOULD…

…and lastly, willing to believe that smart, educated people should not be listened to.  That these “elites” consider themselves to be “better” than the uneducated…and that these educated people “don’t know anything about the real world.“  They are told that those people with college degrees may know about “poetry” and other “esoteric subjects“…but don’t have any “common sense.“  That those people who have traveled the nation and the world have been somehow “tainted” by their exposure to other people, culture, and beliefs…and have come to “hate America.“  Well, as I know that conservatives are not fond of political correctness, allow me for one moment to cut right to the point:

Educated, knowledgeable people…may not be better people…may not be more principled people.  However, at the risk of damaging the fragile egos and self-delusions of the uneducated, the educated do have clear advantages.  Education builds knowledge…in vital areas such as reading comprehension (you know, so you actually UNDERSTAND what you read), history and civics (so you actually understand what America is about, and how its government is supposed to function), science (so you can better evaluate scientific claims and theories), math and business (in order to better comprehend matters of taxation, budgets, spending, and trade).  Those who go on to college further develop their research and reasoning skills, which aid them in better accumulating information and in knowing how to analyze, and synthesize that information into your own beliefs and theories…and to reevaluate and modify those theories as new information is attained.  Those college and university attendees often focus on developing deeper knowledge of business, or law, or civics, or culture, or science.  While the uneducated base their ideas on “common sense” which is often wrong, “conventional wisdom” which is tied more to “popular ideas” than to facts, and to political and church dogma or propaganda…the educated, if choosing to USE their education, are gathering information, applying reason to the data, and forming sound conclusions based on a wealth of experiences and information spanning several subject areas.

So why am I focusing so much attention on the South?  Because it has come to the time when we MUST do so.  It is time we acknowledged that we have an “at risk” region of our country.  An “at risk” region that must be dragged forcibly into the light…made to see that racism has no place in America, that education should be every person’s priority (particularly, every PARENT’S priority), that Southerners do not represent the “majority” or the “mainstream.“  The captain and passengers of our great “ship of state” are looking to the horizon, wondering why we are drawing no closer to fuller equality, fuller happiness, fuller opportunity for all our citizens.  If they would just look down, they’d see that someone neglected to raise the anchor…the southern states…and they now drag upon the ocean floor. This message is even more critical, given the current tone conservative leaders are using when addressing this particular flock.  In just the last week, I have heard this group addressed with terms like “killing,” “destroying,” “reloading,” “revolution,” “demons,” “tyrants,” “hanging,” and “crosshairs.”  This demographic has responded by spitting on members of Congress, shouting racial and homophobic slurs at members of Congress, hanging elected officials in effigy, throwing bricks, and firing guns.  The conservatives tell us that they aren’t encouraging violence, and then in the same breath they defend it by saying that these people are “angry.”  The conservatives tell us that they are simply using violent “metaphors,” without realizing the inherent threat: Their intended audience…does not know what a “metaphor” is.

In closing, believe it or not: I love the South.  I love that people here are more conversational…I just wish there were more topics that could be intelligently discussed.  I love that people here are more willing to voice their opinions…I just wish fewer of those opinions were based on their parents’ prejudices, their church leaders’ demagoguery, their political leaders’ propaganda, and their favorite media personalities’ disinformation.  And most of all, I love their big hearts, and their willingness to help out total strangers…I just wish they’d still be so willing to help those people if they knew their ethnicity, their beliefs, their sexuality, their politics.

But, I still love the South…and hope to see the day when its residents can truly love and accept all the rest of us.

THE HEALTH CARE CARNIVAL OF DESPAIR:

• First, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and the Republicans DEMANDED that the current Democrats’ health care bill be posted online for 72 hours prior to the vote.  Boehner quickly, and sheepishly, backed down when asked if the GOP would do likewise with their bill.  The problem: they had no bill.  They’d been claiming for over six months that they had their own plan…but had produced nothing.  Zip.  Bubkus.  Even conservative economists start voicing their concerns: without a GOP alternative bill…they look REALLY bad, especially going into the 2010 and 2012 elections.  On CNN, Boehner gets even more defensive…when cornered, the best he can offer is that they have “eight or nine ideas about how to make our current health care system better.“
• Then…a miracle:  the GOP announces it will be releasing its own health care reform bill.  Now, remember the stimulus debate?  Remember how the Democrats had a plan and the Republicans didn’t?  Remember how the Republicans then made themselves look even WORSE, by claiming they had a plan…and it turned out to be just a flimsy political statement with no numbers, no data, no specifics?  Well…they surely wouldn’t make that mistake again…oh wait, I guess they did.  Their “triumphant” alternative to the Democrats’ health care bill?  It doesn’t force insurance companies to insure people with pre-existing conditions (something the GOP has claimed to support), it wouldn’t provide insurance to a SINGLE one of the FORTY MILLION uninsured people in this country, and…wait for it…it costs MORE than the Democrats’ plan.  Wow…less benefit…more cost…way to show us all that you’ve really embraced the whole “fiscal conservatism and responsibility” thing.
• Now, if you’re like me, you might well ask: With the soaring price of health care, the number of uninsured, and the number of people dying because they are uninsured…why would the GOP put out a plan that fails to address ANY of these problems?  The answer: They don’t admit to the problems…or they simply don’t care.  Representative Steve King (R-IA) was asked how many people in his district were uninsured and could only mutter, “My district…The people in my district are calling for freedom.“  House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) said that the recent, full endorsement of the Democrats’ plan by the AARP and the AMA doesn’t mean anything to him or the other Republicans.  That’s right: The largest groups representing seniors and doctors, groups that almost always lean heavily conservative and have usually opposed health reform in the past…they back the bill, and it’s meaningless to Cantor and the GOP.  Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) showed he didn’t care AT ALL when he said earlier this week that he doesn’t see what the problem is…because “everyone can show up at the hospital.“  Jim…those emergency room visits by the uninsured are one of the number one financial drains on the system, and if you were paying ANY attention, you’d know that:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZIr6w1_AVU

THE POLITICIZATION OF…WELL…EVERYTHING:

• Have you noticed? It seems that the GOP/RNC/FOX are willing to politicize anything?  Shamelessly…and in a way that, if the Democrats did so, they would certainly be positively livid?  A few very current examples follow…
• Yesterday, something truly awful happened.  At Fort Hood, Texas, a soldier went on a shooting spree. When the dust settled, thirteen people lost their lives…thirty-one people were wounded…many more would be emotionally scarred…and conservatives, well, they saw the usual opportunity to make political hay from the tragedy.  It started with cries of “terrorism,” even from some GOP members. Then when they found out the shooter was a soldier, a Muslim soldier, their cries changed to “domestic terrorism!“  World Net Daily‘s Jerome Corsi, renowned for creating conspiracy theories out of thin air with no regard for reality, quickly claimed that the shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan, had ADVISED Barack Obama.  Turns out that Hasan only attended a seminar as an audience member, that was held by a task force that advises Obama…but that’s close enough for Corsi.  Fox & Friends explored the idea of whether or not there should be “special screenings” for Muslims that serve in the military, and Gretchen Carlson floated the idea that if not for “political correctness” towards Muslims, Hasan might have been stopped.  This should sound familiar…conservatives often use “anti-political correctness” arguments to justify racial profiling and other discriminatory tactics used against “non-white, non-Christian” Americans.  Today, I already spotted conservative friends parroting this talking point on Facebook…condemning the supposed “pc mentality” that they hold truly responsible for the killings.  It was Geraldo Rivera that stepped in to point out that it was more likely “government bureaucracy” and not “political correctness.”  Comment: you know your talk show is more than a little flaky…when GERALDO RIVERA is serving as the “voice of reason.“  Interesting side note: the military also appears to have trouble keeping biker and street gang members out…not because of “pc” OR “bureaucracy“…but because they are so desperate for new recruits.
• Want to know what happens when you’re enough of a jackass to politicize rape?  Senator David Vitter (R-LA) was one of the GOP senators to vote against Senator Al Franken’s recent bill, that would force government contractors to allow their employees to report rape or harassment.  Here’s what happened when Vitter runs into a victim of rape:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6YZ1wP1978

• How do you politicize the stimulus package?  Well first…you call it “socialism” and say you’ll refuse to accept it in your state.  Then, of course, you accept it.  Then you travel amongst your constituents, taking credit for all the jobs and programs that it creates/saves.  Then…you pronounce the plan a “failure” and apply third-grade level math to the numbers to “prove” your point.  For example, the latest GOP “numbers“…subtract some of the benefits created by the stimulus from the total cost of the bill…and they claim the amount left over is the “shortfall.”  The problem with this, besides the obvious over-simplification…the cost of plan is divided over ten years, but they are only subtracting ONE year’s worth of benefits.  As one writer put it, “it’s as if the 10-year cost of George W. Bush’s big tax cuts were compared with the benefits to the economy that only accrued during the first year.“
• Swine Flu?  Ready for “politicization,” if you ask the Republicans.  Representative Joe “You Lie” Wilson (R-SC) recently attempted to blame the shortage of H1N1 vaccines on President Obama (all experts cite supply problems).  Perhaps Joe forgot: He voted against vaccine funding.  Why is he so upset now…when he obviously didn’t think it was too important back when they were voting for the funding?  Oh yeah…his wife has Swine Flu. It’s the two things you guys NEVER seem to understand, Joe:  First, it is always better to spend some money up front to PREVENT something from happening…than it is to pay a lot of money and tears AFTER it has already happened.  Second, that thing you don’t want to help “the other guy” with, because it’ll never happen to you?  Yes, it can happen to you.
• Remember the census worker who was found hanged?  The conservative officials of that county, rather than admit that the violent, anti-census rhetoric of some GOP legislators and FOX News may have claimed an actual victim…are still treating the case as if it might be a suicide.  That’s right, instead of admitting that some goofball got swept up in the anti-government incitement of Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Glenn Beck…they’re saying that this poor guy probably stripped naked, carved “FED” on his own chest, duct-taped his hands, and hanged himself in a public area.
• She was the GOP’s darling.  When Carrie PreJean lost the Miss America pageant, after answering that she did not support gay marriage, conservatives shouted “political correctness at work!“  They invited her to speak at conservative fundraisers, Republican events, and other gatherings…and she would regale them with tears and nonsensical statements about her First Amendment rights being violated (ummm…Carrie…the government never stopped you from saying ANYTHING).  But now…it’s amazing how one little SEX TAPE, and you’re just not the spokesperson they were looking for anymore.  It’s so hard to maintain the appearance of holding the high ground…well, especially with all the affairs…oh, and the hooker scandals…oh, yeah, and don’t forget the little boys, and the airport bathrooms….oh, heh, and getting caught in the cemetery with a hooker AND sex toys.
• I’ll keep this brief: Want to know how best to politicize health care reform?  Ask Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT).  He tried to put an amendment into the health care legislation, that would force insurance to treat medical treatment and “Christian Science prayer treatments“…EQUALLY.  Some have said that this would violate the “Separation of Church and State.“  Duh.

THE RECENT ELECTION…EVERYBODY WANTS TO TELL YOU WHAT IT MEANT:

• Did you even know there were elections this week?  If you did, it was because the media certainly wanted you to get into all the “drama” they generated about them.  I’ll provide the short version: Two governors races…one with a wildly unpopular Democrat who is rich, tied to Wall Street, and who failed to make good on promises of tax cuts.  The other governor race…Virginia: Enough said.  There were also two state legislative races, one in a New York district that has voted Republican for more than one hundred years, and the other race in California.  Now if you listened to conservative/liberal/moderate media…these races would tell EXACTLY how American feels about President Obama, Republicans, and Democrats.  Well…not really.  Read on.
• THE RESULTS:  The Republican candidate beat the unpopular/rich/Goldman Sachs Democrat for the New Jersey governorship.  The Republican beat the Democrat for the governorship of Virginia, for obvious reasons involving, well, Virginia.  The Democratic candidate won the California legislative seat, and the Democratic candidate won the seat in the highly conservative New York district.   Oh yeah…and Mayor Michael Bloomberg managed to buy back his office as mayor…but few people cared.  In truth, only one of these races, the New York legislative race, even involves ANYTHING worth talking about.  So what did the “liberal” media report:  headlines everywhere reported a “Republican Sweep,” and proclaimed this a sign of the “disillusionment of voters” with the president.  Stop…roll back the tape…what was that? Is the media so desperate to create sensationalism and conflict…that they would proclaim the GOP “reborn, revitalized, and ready to rumble,” based on THESE election results?  Jon Stewart of The Daily Show tackled the issue of the media’s coverage:

• As I said, the New York legislative race was the one that was at all “revealing.”  The short and sweet: GOP offers up a candidate, endorsed by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), and the Democrats do likewise (but the Democrats know they have NO change of winning the seat).  Sarah Palin, and the “wing-nut brigade,” throw their support behind an “Conservative Party” goofball who adores Glenn Beck (even calls him a “mentor”), and who doesn’t even live in the district.  Rush Limbaugh accuses the GOP candidate of committing “widespread bestiality.“  Boehner and other Republicans hedge on whether they now support THEIR candidate, or the conservative goofball.  The Republican candidate…she gets disgusted by her own party, and throws her support behind the Democratic candidate…who then wins the election.  Some say the current attempts by conservative purists to oust ANY Republican candidates who are at all moderate, or even simply reasonable…is a mistake.  At least, looking at these results…they appear to be correct.
• If there is one thing Republicans SHOULD know by now…it’s that they can’t look to RNC chairman Michael Steele for sound guidance.  After the elections, Steele first proclaimed that there are NO ideological divisions within the Republican Party (which we clearly know now to be false)…THEN, Steele calls the results of the elections evidence that the GOP is now “transcendent“…THEN Steele admits that all the intra-party fighting (which he said did exist) was “stupid” and that it was causing them to “screw” themselves.  Steele would find out what it is like to be truly screwed, when he was interviewed on Morning Joe alongside Lawrence O’Donnell…who congratulated him on leading his “party to a disastrous loss:“

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcYuJX-hzQo

Hopefully we’ll be back to more regular, consistent posting next week.  Have a great weekend.