My Congressman on the Colbert Report...

Wish I could go direct to video here, but the technology's beyond my grasp at this moment, so...

I confess I'm of two minds, here...on the one hand, it's nice to know Rep. Polis isn't afraid to ham it up with Mr. Colbert...

but Coors Lite?

(shuddering, here). You know, Fat Tire is a Colorado brew, too, sir. Not to mention Boulder Beer, which is even in your district.

Coors Lite?

(Shuddering again).

Also concerned that Congressman Polis has been linked to the "Blue Dog" Democrats who are mucking things up with regard to health care reform, but on a personal note, when I called the Congressman's office to raise a little Hell, I was told in no uncertain terms that "The Congressman is fully behind the public option." That's a direct quote.

I'm holding you to that, Congressman.

Robert Novak is dead at 78

Bastard.

Washington's 'Prince of Darkness' Broke High-Stakes Scoops

By Adam Bernstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 18, 2009; 1:03 PM

Robert D. Novak, 78, an influential columnist and panelist on TV news-discussion shows who called himself a "stirrer up of strife" on behalf of conservative causes, died today at his home in Washington of a brain tumor first diagnosed in July 2008.

***

I just wonder if the puntitocracy is going to demonstrate its whorishness and kiss Novak's dead, bony ass now that he's gone, or whether they're going to show some cojones and call him out for the vile traitor that he was. Remember this?

In recent years, Mr. Novak was best known for publicly identifying CIA operative Valerie Plame. His July 14, 2003, column was printed days after Plame's husband, former U.S. ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, publicly claimed that the Bush White House had knowingly distorted intelligence that Iraq tried to obtain uranium from Africa.

The column triggered a lengthy federal investigation into the Plame leak and resulted in the 2007 conviction of a top vice presidential aide, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, for perjury and obstruction of justice. President George W. Bush later commuted Libby's prison term.

Mr. Novak was accused by prominent journalists of being a pawn in a government retribution campaign against Wilson. Mr. Novak, who had called the U.S. invasion of Iraq "unjustified," denied the allegation.

He wrote that his initial column was meant to ask why Wilson had been sent on a CIA fact-finding mission involving the uranium. Then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage mentioned Plame's CIA position to Mr. Novak, and Bush aide Karl Rove confirmed it.

In a 2006 column, Mr. Novak wrote that Armitage "did not slip me this information as idle chitchat. . . . He made clear he considered it especially suited for my column."

Outing a CIA operative? Sounds like treason to me.

But come on, J.T. Tell us what you really think.

Santorum in 2012?

Oh, please! Pleeeeeeeeeze, Rick! Run! Run, Rick, RUN!!!

Jonathan Martin – Tue Aug 11, 8:34 pm ET
Add former Sen. Rick Santorum to the list of potential 2012 Republican presidential candidates.

POLITICO has learned Santorum will visit first-in-the-nation Iowa this fall for a series of appearances before the sort of conservative activists who dominate the state GOP’s key presidential caucuses.

The Pennsylvanian, who lost his 2006 reelection bid, will visit Iowa on October 1, appearing on a Des Moines radio talk show and speaking to a luncheon and workshop of Iowa’s Right to Life group before heading east to Dubuque, where he’ll headline a fundraiser for the conservative America’s Future Fund PAC and then speak about the future of the GOP to a public audience in the Mississippi River city.

“Your voice becomes more amplified when you go to a place like Iowa or New Hampshire,” Santorum explained in an interview Tuesday about the visit.

Like other potential White House aspirants, he insisted it was too early to consider a presidential run. But he acknowledged that he was interested in taking a higher profile in the party.

Of course, I'm referring to the former Republican Senator from the state of Pennsylvania, and not the common slang form of the word, namely:

"the frothy mixture of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex."

This is great news. The only thing better than "Santorum in 2012" is "Palin-Santorum in 2012."

Rick Santorum is one of the worst of the worst. Ridiculously homophobic, the man's main claim to fame is asserting that the legalization of gay marriage is akin to allowing bestiality and pedophilia in the bedroom. Only slightly less well known is Santorum's publicly stated positions that public education is weird, especially for single women seeking to advance themselves, and that too many women are seeking employment outside the home. The former Senator is also noted to have publicly stated that marriage isn't about love or companionship, but about making babies.

Please, Rick! Run and ensure more Democratic victories in 2012!!

Bring it on, Rick!!!

Today's Moment of Zen

Wish I could post the video, because it's brilliant.

From last night's Daily Show

"The U.S. government should not be running death panels. It's far too big and out of control to effectively run something that important. That responsibility should remain where it is now...with private insurance companies."

Samantha Bee

...But Is It Already Too Late?

Posted by Gallup today.

Constituents Divided, Highly Partisan on Healthcare Reform. Equally split in advising Congress to vote for (35%) or against (36%) a new law

by Frank Newport

PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans at this point have mixed sentiments on the issue of a new healthcare reform bill. A new Gallup Poll finds that about the same percentage (35%) would tell their congressional representative to vote for a new healthcare reform bill when Congress reconvenes in September as say they would tell their representative to vote against such a bill (36%). The rest (29%) have no opinion either way at this time.

Significantly, as late as last July 14, according to Gallup, the American public showed much more support for reform.

Majority in U.S. Favors Healthcare Reform This Year. Controlling costs a higher priority than expanding coverage
by Jeffrey M. Jones

PRINCETON, NJ -- As U.S. House leaders unveil a plan to reform the U.S. healthcare system, a USA Today/Gallup poll finds 56% of Americans in favor and 33% opposed to Congress' passing major healthcare reform legislation this year. Support for healthcare reform before the end of the year is sharply split along party lines, with 79% of Democrats in favor, compared with only 23% of Republicans.

It's unclear whether the Righties' brownshirt tactics are working on members of Congress, but they seem to be having an effect on public opionion.

Stay tuned

President Obama Goes On The Offensive...

The President was in Portsmouth, NH to talk about health care reform.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - President Obama took shots today at rumors of “death panels” and other dire predictions of his national health care overhaul at one of the most supportive town hall forums he’s held to date.

“Let’s get this done,” Obama shouted to a cheering crowd of 1,800 inside Portsmouth High School.

The president was hit with polite questions on the lack of Republican support for his plan, “mean” signs outside, the use of generic drugs, if private plans will survive (they will) and if mental health issues will be covered (he’s in favor of that). There was no shouting matches at this forum, unlike the scene at some of the previous six sessions.

It's significant to note that the President had to invest/waste time debunking the myths that the "Pay Or Die" Industry and their whores in the G.O.P. are spreading.

I found this passage significant...

The first question asked if Obama is prepared to bypass Republicans, if they disagree with the plan, and push for passage anyway.

"Some of my Republican friends are ... diligently working for a plan that works,” Obama said.

And yet no details of this Republican plan seem to exist. Does it even exist? Or is it in that netherworld of Gov. Palin's "Death Panel" or the valid Kenyan birth certificate?

Obama and Palin Are On The Same Page...Really?

This is by the President about an hour ago at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire:

"Let's disagree over things that are real -- not these wild representations that bear no resemblance to anything that has actually been proposed," Obama said in at the question-and-answer session. "The way politics works sometimes is that people who want to keep things the way they are will try to scare the heck out of folks, and they'll create bogeymen out there that just aren't real."

And, of course, this is former Gov. Palin on Facebook last Sunday...

"we must stick to a discussion of the issues and not get sidetracked by tactics that can be accused of leading to intimidation or harassment. Such tactics diminish our nation’s civil discourse which we need now more than ever"

Not sure whether to be heartened or troubled...

Who Are The Holy Terrors?

I feel that the definition of a few terms is necessary.

"Holy Terrors noun 1. a very troublesome child; one who is playfully mischievous; syn scamp, imp, monkey, rapscallion, rascal, scallawag. (Source, the Free Online Dictionary

2. A group of politically and religiously conservatives/radicals known for their extremely fundamentalist/evangelically "Christian" views and their powerful stranglehold on the Republican Party. Well-known "Holy Terrors" include, but are not limited to:



James Dobson, recently-retired founder and President of Focus On The Family...




Pat Robertson, former Presidential candidate and boss of the 700 Club...



and Jerry Falwell, the late founder of the Moral Majority

These so-called "Christians" are well-known for sitting in judgment, casting stones, sticking their noses into the private lives of average Americans, attempting to shred the First Amendment and break down the barrier between Church and State, and otherwise establish the U.S. as a nation of gay-bashing, misogynistic, theocratic fascist Crusaders bent on sweeping away all those icky non-Christians out there, paving the way for the Second Coming.

(Source: J.T. Benjamin's Irreverent Dictionary Of Slang And Terms).

These guys are the enemy.

Where Stimulus $$ Are Going

"The Stimulus isn't working! The stimulus isn't working!!"









The graph comes from the GAO, and the analysis comes from Derek Thompson at The Atlantic I just think it bears repeating.

Mr. Thompson:

The best explanation I've found for why the stimulus didn't work is this graph from the GAO analysis of the stimulus act. It shows pretty clearly that the 76 percent of stimulus spending through the first four months went to fill in the gaping holes in Medicaid and state budgets. In other words, the stimulus isn't acting like a pole vault lifting job creation above the baseline. It's been acting like a crutch to keep state budgets and payrolls from imploding tumbling.

Paul Krugman even admits as much.

A few months ago the possibility of falling into the abyss seemed all too real. The financial panic of late 2008 was as severe, in some ways, as the banking panic of the early 1930s, and for a while key economic indicators — world trade, world industrial production, even stock prices — were falling as fast as or faster than they did in 1929-30.

But in the 1930s the trend lines just kept heading down. This time, the plunge appears to be ending after just one terrible year.

So what saved us from a full replay of the Great Depression? The answer, almost surely, lies in the very different role played by government.

Probably the most important aspect of the government’s role in this crisis isn’t what it has done, but what it hasn’t done: unlike the private sector, the federal government hasn’t slashed spending as its income has fallen. (State and local governments are a different story.) Tax receipts are way down, but Social Security checks are still going out; Medicare is still covering hospital bills; federal employees, from judges to park rangers to soldiers, are still being paid.

All of this has helped support the economy in its time of need, in a way that didn’t happen back in 1930, when federal spending was a much smaller percentage of G.D.P. And yes, this means that budget deficits — which are a bad thing in normal times — are actually a good thing right now.

Which begs the next question...

Krugman himself believes the stimulus was (is) too small. So, should another stimulus possibly be in the works?

Hmmm...

Obama's Honeymoon Is Over?

Not according to Gallup.

Obama has 6-month approval of 63 percent

PRINCETON, N.J., Aug. 10 (UPI) --
More than 60 percent of U.S. residents approve of the job President Barack Obama has done in his first six months in office, a Gallup Poll indicates.

Sixty-three percent of respondents approve of Obama's performance, results released Monday indicate.

In a state-by-state breakdown, Obama's approval rating was above 50 percent in all but two states -- Wyoming and Alaska, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said. His highest approval ratings were in the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Vermont, Maryland, and Massachusetts, Gallup said.

Gallup tracks Obama's overall job approval ratings each day as part of Gallup Poll Daily tracking. Since June, Obama's approval rating slipped into the 50s, sinking to 52 percent in late July before making a modest recovery to the mid- to upper-50s in recent days, pollsters said.In general, Gallup reported state patterns of support for Obama followed the state's political orientation.

Results are based on telephone interviews with 81,022 adults conducted Jan. 21-June 30 as part of Gallup Poll Daily tracking. The margin of error is 1 percentage point.

What does it all mean? Not a lot at this point, but last week the MSM was beating the bushes about Obama's approval rating dipping to 50, wonder if this will get as much airplay.

Ultimately, however, it's not just about the President.

What, for example, is generally thought of the Republican Party?

(excerpted, here)

Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll: (7/21-22/09

"I'm going to read you the names of several individuals and groups. Please tell me whether you have a generally favorable or unfavorable opinion of each one. If you've never heard of one please just say so."

The Republican Party
Favorable: 36%
Unfavorable: 53%
Not sure: 11%

The Democratic Party
Favorable: 50%
Unfavorable: 41%
Not sure: 9%

NBC News/Wall St. Journal Poll: 7/24-27/09

"Now I'm going to read you the names of several public figures and organizations, and I'd like you to rate your feelings toward each one as either very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat negative, or very negative. If you don't know the name, please just say so."

The Republican Party
Very Positive 9%
Somewhat Positive 19%
Neutral 29%
Somewhat Negative 21%
Very Negative 20%
Unsure 2%

The Democratic Party
Very Positive 13%
Somewhat Positive 29%
Neutral 19%
Somewhat Negative 17%
Very Negative 20%
Unsure 2%

If one were a Republican, one would hope to see not just a drop in the President's approval, but a corresponding fall in the Democrats' numbers, plus a boost in the numbers of the G.O.P.

Doesn't seem to be the case, yet.

Sarah Palin Is Off Her Nut

So, let's get this straight. First, she's a maverick, unconventional politician, and then she racks up nineteen ethics complaints. She's a protective mother, so she makes sure they get exploited on her terms. Then, she's a fighter, so she quits her job before the end of her first term.

Then, she's a psycho-propagandist...

"The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's 'death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their 'level of productivity in society,' whether they are worthy of health care,"

And now she's calling for calm and rationality...

Alaskans will join Senators Murkowski and Begich in town hall meetings to discuss the current health care legislation. There are many disturbing details in the current bill that Washington is trying to rush through Congress, but we must stick to a discussion of the issues and not get sidetracked by tactics that can be accused of leading to intimidation or harassment. Such tactics diminish our nation’s civil discourse which we need now more than ever because the fine print in this outrageous health care proposal must be understood clearly and not get lost in conscientious voters’ passion to want to make elected officials hear what we are saying. Let’s not give the proponents of nationalized health care any reason to criticize us

Did you get that? We need to stay away from inflammatory rhetoric because it diminishes the national health-care debate.

Thanks for clearing that up, Gov. Palin.

Why A Blog?

I suppose I should start at the beginning...

Billions of years ago, as the earth shook violently from the activities of volcanos and the shifting of tectonic plates, as the skies were filled with noxious gasses and clouds of nitrogen and bolts of lightning and meteors fell from the heavens, in a tiny pool of water, microscopic ancestors of the first amino acids were startin' something funky...

Okay, that's too far back.

Sometime during the Clinton Administration, I got involved in a group called the Erotica Readers And Writers' Association, which is a kick-ass website and an even more kick-ass email group. About six years ago, I gave vent in an email to something that was bugging me, (Republican hypocrisy, most likely), and the group's administrator, Adrienne, asked me to turn my rants into a monthly column for the website. I called it, "All Worked Up," and I still contribute to this day. It's tons of fun. I get to give vent to whatever bugs me, as long as some element of the world's sexual state of affairs is a topic. Marriage equality, the war on porn, political sex scandals, whatever. It's a gas.

However, as the years have passed, it's come to my attention that there's a lot more going on about which to rant than just sex. As much as I enjoy teeing off on matters sexual, and as much as I plan to continue doing so in my ERWA column, I've decided to branch out.

What else is there to get All Worked Up about?

I'm glad you asked...