1 – “This will cause the Democrats to get crushed in the November elections”
2 – “We’re going to repeal this bill.”
3 – “The people are angry about this.”
4 – “Several states are suing the federal government to block its implementation.”

I’ve heard a number of conservative “voices on the street” uttering the first claim, in particular, so I wanted to take some time to examine what I have termed, “The November Myth.”  Let’s examine how three political demographic groups are likely to respond to the issues, followed by likely voting outcomes.

LIBERALS: Anyone on the far-to-moderate left is likely to see the passage of the Health Care Bill as a success.  Perhaps not what they would deem a “full, unqualified” success, but victory over what they would view as GOP obstructionism, and a corrupt Health Insurance Industry.  They are, of course, not going to support repeal of the legislation, nor lawsuits in their states to block its provisions.  In other words…their reactions are just about exactly what one would expect them to be.

MODERATES: This is the segment of the population that BOTH extremes (far left and far right) understand the least…and which both sides often mistakenly believe agrees with them.  Liberals assume that political events that stir their anger or their joy, provoke the same emotional response in moderates…and somewhat comically, conservatives are making the exact same assumptions about moderates: “If we are angry, they must be, too.“  They are most often, both TOTALLY mistaken.  Moderates are easily fatigued by partisan bickering, generally stick to mainstream news from the major networks (if they even watch it at all), and if there is one thing unlikely to motivate them…it’s ideological and political causes.  Extreme beliefs on either side of the fence tend to either turn them off, or even scare them outright.  They are already adjusting to the bill: this group tends to set aside any complaints over a piece of legislation the moment it passes…and they quickly develop a sort of acceptance: “Well, it’s now law, so I guess we have to learn to live with it.“  A Gallop/USA Today poll shows that the minute the bill passed…its popularity started rising.  What a difference a day makes.  As the year progresses, and the legislation’s initial offerings affect these people’s lives, you’ll find them even more unwilling to consider repealing the bill.  It’s a simple principle: once someone has been given a benefit (a tax credit, a reduced price, a service) they don’t want you to take it away.  Plus – after watching the debate over health care tie up Congress for a year…moderates will not like the idea of even more time being spent in a protracted battle to repeal it, when legislators could be working on other issues that polls show they care more about (ie. the economy, jobs, Iraq/Afghanistan).  Suing the federal government over the bill…will similarly look like a giant, futile waste of time and taxpayer money in moderate voters’ eyes.  They will be told three things:

1 -  The lawsuits will fail since states can opt out of the mandate.
2 – That the mandate was originally a Republican idea (Orrin Hatch and Chuck Grassley, along with 19 other GOP Senators, sponsored a bill in 1993 advocating the mandate…now they call it “totalitarianism”)
3 – That they better HOPE the suits fail, because if they succeed it might threaten Medicare and Social Security.

These points will effectively end support for that particular strategy among moderates…game, set, match.  In short – they are likely unimpressed by this bill…over the next year will likely enjoy at least one of its benefits, which they won’t want to give up…and they neither think it is the “great hope” that the Democrats claim, nor the “great evil” purported by Republicans, which means they are unlikely to vote solely based on this issue.

CONSERVATIVES: Here is where some surprises reside.  Like their counterparts on the far left, the supporters on the far right are fairly predictable.  They will support any and all arguments against the bill.  They will favor its repeal, they will support lawsuits against it.  Moderate Republicans…are a bit more complicated.  Many of these individuals chose to simply “sit out” the last election over the last GOP president and the current GOP leadership.  Many, once the benefits of the bill kick in, will not openly and actively support its repeal.  This is simply human nature.  Anybody who no longer suffers because of the Medicare prescription “donut hole“…anyone whose child gets to stay on their insurance until age 26…anyone who finally gets insurance despite their pre-existing condition…anyone who finds out they no longer have to pay a co-pay or deductible for preventative services…these people will (quietly) not support repeal.  I’m not saying they’ll suddenly start voting for Democrats…I’m saying that a campaign war cry of “repeal the bill” will not motivate them to show up at the polls.  These moderates are also increasingly not fond of being associated with Tea Party demonstrators and other far right extremists.  To them, lawsuits against the federal government sound like an expensive waste of time…and obstructionist measures like invoking an obscure Senate rule to stop all work at 2pm are starting to make them a little bit embarrassed.

So…what can we expect come November?

DEMOCRATS:
- ADVANTAGES: Passed the Health Care Bill.  By November, many will have benefitted from it.  Can claim some moderate economic successes.  Credit Card Reform Bill has a couple of laudable measures.  Have generally given off the appearance of attempting to be reasonable, even bipartisan, which will appeal to moderates.  No major blunders.
- DISADVANTAGES:  Apathy…after nearly every successfully presidential election, a party can expect its voters to “sleep in” during the mid-term voting…and Democratic voters have been traditionally bad about showing up ANYWAY.  Promised much that has not come to pass: Iraq pullout, Gitmo closure, improved situation in Afghanistan, regulating Wall Street.  Economy and jobs still struggling…and there are plenty of Americans who WILL hold it against a President and Congress for not “fixing everything” in two years.  Activists liberals have cooled off, since progressive agendas have been largely ignored (ie. gay rights, environmental issues, prosecuting those responsible for torture). Incumbency: Often in poor economic times, incumbents face tougher re-election bids (due to increased “vote all of ‘em out” mentality), and since there are more Democratic incumbents…fewer “gimme” elections for Dems.
- WHO WILL VOTE FOR THEM:  “Still-hopeful liberals” across the spectrum, ironically motivated more out of fear of all the extreme talk from the right-wing, than by anything said or done by the Democrats.  Some moderates, either happy with what small progress has been made so far, or simply turned off by the actions of the far-right and the current GOP leadership.

REPUBLICANS:
- ADVANTAGES:  Economy still stinks.  Many Obama promises not yet fulfilled.  Base is energized and likely to turn out at the voting booths.
- DISADVANTAGES:  They can’t really point to anything they’ve accomplished…and the one thing they tried to block (Health Care), they failed to do so.  AND…since they contributed nothing to Health Care Reform…they’ll have real trouble trying to take credit for any of it.  Similarly, any attempts to take credit for improvements in their states tied to stimulus funds will be highlighted as political/ideological hypocrisy.  Plus, energizing their base came with a steep cost…it also energized some liberals (fear is a motivator powerful enough to overcome considerable apathy and disenchantment), and has turned off minority and moderate voters.  You’d think they’d have learned from the last election, that it’s not worth it, because you cannot win without strong support from moderate and independent voters.  Just today, they failed to distance themselves from the “lunatic fringe” and in doing so, pushed moderates even further out of reach. In responding to the latest violent and racist attacks from conservative supporters…the GOP essentially said, “We’re against this violence…but it happened because people are angry.“  Representative Boehner: first of all, you cannot condemn violent acts and in the same breath try to justify them.  Secondly…see below for my comment about your premise that “the American people are angry.”
- WHO WILL VOTE FOR THEM: Strong number among the far right, good numbers but less than expected from moderate conservatives, disappointing numbers from moderate sectors.

NET OUTCOME: The Democrats will likely lose a few seats in both houses, but not nearly what one would normally expect in the first mid-term election following a successful bid for the Presidency.  Neither party will have a dominant majority in either house of Congress.

This real-world analysis clearly contradicts the claims of the GOP Party, but that is because they are currently, completely absorbed in what I call, “Tinkerbell Syndrome:” That is to say, they seem to think that if they say something enough times, and enough of their supports clap their hands and believe it to be true…it BECOMES true.  They tell us “Americans overwhelming disapproved of this bill,” and that “Americans have spoken and they are angry,” and that the Democrats’ efforts violate the “will of the American people,” and they tell us that all these angry people are going to turn out at the polls in November and vote out all the Democrats.  Problem is: These statements are contradicted by most polls, statistics, studies…and any other available real-world evidence.  And these statements effectively ignore LAST NOVEMBER when a majority of the American people did indeed display the “will of the American people” in electing Barack Obama and a Democratic majority in both houses.  In truth, the GOP is not in a position to tell us what “the American people” think at all.  Their current and prolonged use of tactics appealing only to the far-right conservative base, GUARANTEES that they are unable to represent anything but a rapidly shrinking segment of the American population.

The answer has arrived: “Yes…and that time is now.”

Recently, there has been considerable news coverage of two stories.  Two stories, that actually represent the very same issue:

1 - Attorney General Holder’s announcement that the masterminds behind the 9/11 attacks would be tried in a federal court in New York.

2 - The announcement that a prison in Thompson, Illinois might be used to house Guantanamo Bay’s detainees.

Let’s start by taking a look at each of these issues independently:

New York Terror Trial:

One can easily predict the response to BOTH these items from the conservative camp.  Conservative pundits and politicians have made the standard “not-in-my-backyard” argument, asking their viewers and supporters, “Do you really want these terrorists brought to the U.S.?”

• Former New York Mayor Giuliani proclaimed that the wounds in New York are still too fresh for the city to withstand the “psychic pain” of a locally held trial.  News flash, Mr. Giuliani…you can’t one minute tell us how strong New Yorkers are, and then tell us the next minute that they are “too fragile” to endure trials of the terrorists who attacked them.  The former is true: New Yorkers have shown themselves to be remarkably resilient, and there are few psychologists who WOULDN’T agree that a trial would be a further step in the healing process.  When people are attacked, it is of fundamental benefit to be able to “face” their assailants, and to see the assailants brought to justice.  Side note: Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) also opposes the trial, calling it “unprecedented” and “indefensible“…strangely, both Sessions and Guiliani had no problem eight years ago with Zacarias Moussaoui (the so-called 20th hijacker) being tried in the U.S.
• Former Attorney General Ashcroft says that a trial in a civilian court, rather than a military commission, would be too “transparent.”  Too transparent?  Is there such a thing when it comes to the American government and our national ideals?  No.  The absence of transparency brought us unjust investigation methods, unjust arrests, unjust detentions, and unjust treatment of prisoners.  There is only one way to get that particular train back on the tracks, and that is to apply the two hundred year-old, Constitutionally mandated, Due Process of Law.  That means courts…it means evidence…and it means a jury gets to weigh that evidence and determine guilt or innocence.  Period.
• Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said that all we need to do…is to remember what happened in the O.J. Simpson trial and ask ourselves, “Do we really want that to happen again.” Really?  Is this perhaps the most inane thing we have ever heard from Chuck Grassley?  If anything hindered the O.J. trial…it was the fact that he is, to some, a beloved football/movie celebrity.  But Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other 9/11 plotters?  Does Grassley really think that a jury is going to wrongly acquit them because they are “esteemed celebrities?“
• Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) told Holder that since Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has asked to confess his guilt to a military commission and be executed…that is what we should do.  AG Holder rightly pointed out to Kyl: we aren’t going to do what the TERRORIST wants to do…we are going to follow the American legal process.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOVN3iWu9vM

• Karl Rove, Liz Cheney, Newt Gingrich, and Bill Kristol tried desperately to mobilize an angry mob to appear the day of the hearings, where Eric Holder would be explaining his decision to a Senate committee.  The effect of their scare tactics, utilizing the full force of the airwaves and the internet?  Crickets…

It’s really quite simple:  These men participated in murdering thousands of people in New York.  We have an established process for handling this.  We are very proud of our process for handling this.  The absolute dedication to the application of the Due Process of Law is one thing that is truly American, and encompasses all aspects in our belief in fairness, justice…and the necessity for fairness and justice being decided BY THE PEOPLE.  In the New York federal court…the defendants will appear, and be represented by counsel.  The prosecutor, will represent the PEOPLE.  The jury, will represent the JUDGMENT OF THE PEOPLE.  What’s more…the process itself validates and establishes WHO WE ARE as a people each time it is successfully conducted, and also serves as a point of closure and healing for victims.  Much more so than some shadowy, closed, military tribunal down in Cuba.

Relocation of Gitmo Prisoners to Thompson, Illinois:

Thompson, Illinois has a prison.  An expensive, new…and EMPTY supermax facility.  Built during the boom times…when bust times came, it was not practical to staff the prison, so only the minimum security section is used, and for only a small number of prisoners.  The governor of Illinois loves the idea of the prison’s super-maximum section being used to house detainees from Guantanamo Bay.  The state’s two senators also strongly support the idea.  The citizens of Thompson, a city experiencing very hard economic times, love the 3000 jobs and over a billion dollars that the opening of the super-maximum prison would create.  So what could possibly be the problem?

• Illinois Republican Representative Mark Kirk has been holding press conferences and circulating calls for support…saying that bringing the detainees to Illinois would make Illinois and its landmarks the new number one target for terrorists, specifically the Sears Tower, as it is America’s tallest building.  Kirk also warns that, if the Board of Corrections has authority over these prisoners, they will receive visitors…and he says that people would then have to be afraid of terrorists flying through O’Hare airport to come see their incarcerated friends.  Ummm…Kirk?  The Defense Department would be buying the prison FROM the Board of Corrections…and has already said it would not allow the detainees any visitors.  Try doing a little bit of research first, before diving headlong into scare tactics…
• Illinois Republican Don Manzullo, who is actually SUPPOSED to be representing the good people of Thompson (who, again, want the prison to open), warns that the terrorists will be brought here and then released into the Illinois community.

Editorial boards across the country immediately criticized this use of fearmongering, and set about stating the easy counter-arguments to the GOP representatives’ claims.  One of the best columns, by Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg, makes some of the clearest points:  Here’s his column.  I’ll summarize, thusly: First of all, there are already Al Qaeda terrorists being held in Illinois…27 of them…it hasn’t caused Al Qaeda to “zero in” on Illinois yet, so what’s 200 more?  Secondly, history proves that trying to avoid doing anything to provoke “agents of evil”…doesn’t really work (it’s called “appeasement” and you Republicans claim to be against it).  Third, being home to the tallest building in the U.S., doesn’t really mean anything…when terrorists have shown interest in military bases, trains and subways, shopping malls, government buildings, and a multitude of other targets.  But it turns out, the columnists were not the only people who thought the senseless fearmongering had gone too far;  Some Republicans and conservatives are fed up with it as well:

• A statement was released by the Constitution Project, David Keene, founder of American Conservative Union, Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, and former representative and presidential candidate Bob Barr…saying that the housing of Gitmo detainees in Thompson, Illinois…”makes good sense.“  They didn’t stop there, and went as far as to say, “The scaremongering about these issues should stop…[there is] absolutely no reason to fear that prisoners will escape or be released into their communities.“  You can read the rest of the statement here.
• Illinois Republican Representative Jim Sacia was even more direct, saying that legislators (including his GOP brethren) who oppose the measure to move the detainees to Thompson…are “idiots.”  Sacia said, “My thinking on this is extremely positive.  If we lose this opportunity. All I can think of is we literally are idiots. I mean that sincerely…I understand I’m on different pages of music with others in my party. First of all this should not be a partisan issue in any way. If President Obama brings the detainees on U.S. soil and we sit here with a brand new state-of-the-art, max security prison, sitting vacant for the last eight years, and pass on an opportunity to sell it to the federal government, which we would fill it with 1,500 regular prisoners and 800 detainees, what is the problem? The building was designed to do that.“

So, perhaps that’s “it.”  Perhaps Americans, even conservative Americans, are not willing to accept arguments the consist of nothing more than “If we do [insert action here] the terrorists will kill you.“  Perhaps Americans are no longer willing to set aside Constitutional rights and the guarantee of Due Process…just in the sake of “perceived safety.”  Perhaps Americans think jobs and revenue are more important right now than slippery slope arguments regarding what the terrorists “might” do.  And perhaps…just maybe…because Americans are no longer willing to be scared into supporting GOP positions…the GOP is realizing that they have to make a better argument.  Just perhaps…

Well…if you are one of those people who is just not quite disgusted enough by the current state of affairs, here are some very recent news items to help you along:

1 -- ENOUGH HYPOCRISY TO GO AROUND: Yesterday, the Senate Finance Committee discussed Senator Rockefeller’s amendment to add a public option to the bill.  While it was nearly a foregone conclusion that the amendment would not pass (in fact, four Democrats voted against it)…the discussion leading up to the vote was shameful.  Senator Grassley (R-IA) showed his usual disdain for factual information, citing studies from the conservatively biased Heritage Foundation, as well as a study by the Lewin Group…which is WHOLLY owned by a large health insurance company (it is worth note that he disregards all of the credible studies, including the one done by the Congressional Budget Office).  He joined the chorus of GOP lawmakers who openly admitted that their argument, that the public option would lead to a government takeover of health insurance…was a “slippery slope.”  Of course, this shows (once again) that these politicians don’t know that a “slippery slope” is a type of LOGICAL FALLACY…an indefensible argument, not supported by reason.  And they are openly admitting this.  The second part of their argument is that “government run programs are bad“….but then when confronted with their hypocrisy regarding the government-run Medicare program, they don’t want any of its costs cut, and they say that Medicare is different because Medicare is POPULAR.  Then, they have the nerve to boisterously object to Representative Alan Grayson’s statement on  Tuesday that the GOP health care plan suggests “don’t get sick“…and if you do, “die quickly.“  This, while just last week, Representative Eric Cantor (R-VA) suggested to a constituent that her sick family member (who had no insurance and needed surgery) sell everything she own, so she will be poor enough to get on a government program…and then seek charity.  So why are the GOP making such empty and ridiculous arguments?  Why are the Democrats even too spineless to conform to their own principles?  Simple…they are all bought and paid for:

2 -- THE “OBAMA YOUTH” FAUX CONSPIRACY: The latest fake outrage?  A group of school children are on tape singing a song about helping their country and President Obama…for African-American History Month…and the lyrics were sent home to parents ahead of time and nobody objected.  So how does FOX News and the rest of the right-wing media respond?  Of course…they decry it as the worst kind of indoctrination, and go as far as to vehemently claim that this never happened (and never would have happened) under the Bush administration.  Except…it did.  There is a clip circulating of Bush with children…praising him for his handling of the Katrina disaster.  That’s right: it’s kids praising Bush…and over one of his biggest, most thorough SCREW-UPS of his presidency.  Here’s the coverage from Countdown with Keith Olbermann (contains all the clips):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LkE8AuIPkY

3 -- DEMONIZING YOUR ENEMY 101: Representative Trent Franks (R-AZ) speaking to a right-wing conference at the inanely titled “How To Take Back America” conference, told the assembled crowd: “Obama’s first act as president of any consequence, in the middle of a financial meltdown, was to send taxpayers’ money overseas to pay for the killing of unborn children in other countries.  Now, I got to tell you, if a president will do that, there’s almost nothing that you should be surprised at after that. We shouldn’t be shocked that he does all these other insane things. A president that has lost his way that badly, that has no ability to see the image of God in these little fellow human beings, if he can’t do that right, then he has no place in any station of government and we need to realize that he is an enemy of humanity.“  Frank says that OBAMA does insane things?  What about a sitting congressman referring to the President and Commander in Chief of his country as “an enemy of humanity?“  How is THAT reasonable or sane?  At the same conference, considerable time was also given to the threat of the “gay agenda,” the “fascist agenda,” and the “communist agenda,” making it a veritable cornucopia of issues best categorized as “things to scare uneducated rubes, entrenched bigots, and homophobes.”

4 -- SCAREMONGERING FOR DUMMIES: Meanwhile, the sick comedy team of Liz and Dick Cheney, would still like to tell you that Obama is making you less safe, that he is going to put terrorists in your neighborhood, and that he is going to let the terrorists kill you.  Even the generals are calling this “nonsense” and “scaremongering.”  Retired General David Maddox, former Army commander-in-chief for Europe, said:  “Some of the fear issues that are being raised in this are really unfortunate. It gets people excited about things they shouldn’t be excited about and impedes doing what is critical to this country. Get that damn symbol off the table.  We take a setback every time somebody, whether it’s the vice president or his daughter comes out and says the things that they say…We have to get out there again and just keep pounding.”

5 -- POLITICS MINUS ETHICS: Remember hearing about the census worker found dead in Kentucky?  Hanging from a tree, bound and gagged, with the word “FED” written on his chest?  No doubt murdered as the result of the litany of “Census Conspiracy Theories” being peddled by Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and others of the right-wing fringe?  Well the local authorities…still haven’t ruled out suicide or accidental death.  Now, Kentucky officials may not be the brightest on the planet…but I’m certain that even they don’t think this happened “accidentally,” or that the substitute teacher/cancer survivor/census worker did it to HIMSELF.  No…they are mere petty politicians…who don’t want to admit that the chickens are coming home to roost…that the violent, inflammatory hate speech emitting out of the GOP and the right-wing media has finally claimed its first, and most obvious victim.  The man’s son calls it “shameful“…but it is even worse than that.

6 -- MORE CHICKENS COMING HOME TO ROOST: What is all the outrage and incendiary language producing?  Besides dead census workers?  Incidents like this:  Facebook, the social networking site, has had to disable the “polling” function because someone posted a poll asking if the president “should be killed.“  It’s a simple-to-understand social phenomenon, that has occurred at other times in history (for those willing to learn from history):  violent language, talk of killing political enemies, proclaiming the end of America, labeling opponents as the enemies of humanity, calling for armed insurrection…it invariably leads to public, violent ideation, threats, and eventually…actions.  The Secret Service is investigating because, once again, threats against the president (even if made in jest) are ILLEGAL.

7 -- YES, SADLY, MORE CHICKENS: Need other examples of where this is headed?  Newsmax’s columnist John Perry wrote a piece this week…OPENLY CALLING for an armed uprising against the government.  Perry wrote: “Imagine a bloodless coup to restore and defend the Constitution through an interim administration that would do the serious business of governing and defending the nation. Skilled, military-trained, nation-builders would replace accountability-challenged, radical-left commissars.“  Newsmax would later pull the article…and at the same time attempted to lamely justify the piece saying that the author was only “describing” the scenario…not “advocating” it.  This semantic word-play should only serve as further cause for our disgust…and I would, as I did in the previous item, remind readers that “free speech” is not without constraints, and inciting armed insurrection against the government is CLEARLY illegal.

8 -- PRIORITIES, SHMIORITIES: What does Michael Steele, chairmen of the Republican National Committee, think of the rhetoric, and the threats and violence it’s spawning?  Steele says in response to calls to tone down the level of discourse: “Where do these nut jobs come from? Come on, stop this…To make those equations, examples and put that out there that way, to me is just crazy and yeah, I’m sorry, but if you’re going to approach this discussion, approach it from a rational position.  [They're] saying, because you disagree with the president on policy, that all of the sudden we’re going to make this leap into, you know, assassinations and all this other stuff. I mean, at the height of all this stuff on Bush and people complaining and protesting, and jumping up and down, you didn’t have this kind of conversation.“  See what he did there?  It’s how the conservatives are responding to ALL criticism.  When it was suggested that SOME of the people adamantly protesting the president MIGHT be harboring racist sentiments, the right-wing responded, “They’re saying that ALL people who criticize the president are racists!“  And now, that many are saying that the current level of unreasonable, inciting language by SOME could POSSIBLY lead to violence, the right-wing responds, “They’re saying all people who criticize the president are going to cause an assassination!“  It’s a childish, pat response to an argument…that they are going to lose.  It’s worth noting that the cause that Steele DOES think is worth fighting…is denouncing Obama for taking ONE DAY to travel to Copenhagen to try to get the Olympics to be held in Chicago.  That’s right…Steele, thinks it’s important to attack the president for trying to bring the Olympics (with all the business and prestige that accompanies the event) to an American city.  Not health care…not the increasingly violent tone of American political discourse…not Afghanistan…the OLYMPICS.

9 -- JUST ASK BRISTOL: Teens know that “abstinence programs” are a joke.  Studies show that the government, under the Bush administration, spent MOUNTAINS of our money funding these programs…to NO EFFECT.  Even Texas…the number one recipient of “abstinence program” funds, is now changing their program to a more comprehensive sex education program…because under “abstinence” their teen birth rate stayed the third highest in the nation and they have the highest percentage of teen mothers giving birth more than once. So…it makes ZERO sense that the Senate just approved restoring the $50 million a year of federal funding to “abstinence-only programs.“  That is…it makes zero sense until I tell you it was the Senate Finance Committee led by Max Baucus, the same committee to produce the only health care reform bill out of five currently in Congress that has neither a public option, nor true reform…and that would net billions more in profits for the health care industry.  Suddenly, it all becomes clear how this happened…

10 - AY, DIOS MIO! The Republican Party has failed miserably despite its attempts since the election to attract minority voters.  Its latest efforts related to Hispanic Heritage Month, won’t help very much.  It’s bad enough that the party’s leaders regularly spout anti-immigrant, xenophobic, anti-Hispanic propaganda…but when their press release (in Spanish) to the Hispanic community is literally FILLED with spelling, grammatical, and translation errors, well, it certainly doesn’t make them look very “in touch” with the Hispanic people.  I mean seriously…if they had even had ONE Spanish-speaking person JUST LOOK AT the release…they could have avoided this.  The ad they put out…was in some ways even more insulting, since they failed to deem any prominent non-conservative Hispanics worthy of mention.  You would think they would at least have give some time to Sonia Sotomayor…yeesh.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQzTuJdJNlQ

I read pieces like these and my first thought is, “I wonder if they are ashamed…I wonder if they are embarrassed,” and then I realize that since the behavior of our elected officials, our media, and our fellow citizens reflects on me…that I am embarrassed.  We all should be, because it is only by our permission that people such as these are given power, are given a voice.  And until we revoke the power and the pulpit from those who we do not wish to represent us…it is we who are equally at fault.