Call me jaded, but I cannot muster the energy to care about the presidential primaries. The Republican voters, of course, will inevitably pick someone despicable because that's just what Republicans do. The Democrats, on the other hand, will pick someone that pretends to be respectable (e.g., Hillary Clinton) but really is just as rotten as the "alternative." That's what Democrats do.

None of this really matters.

New Mexico has closed primaries. Only registered party members are allow to vote and the only official parties in NM are the two parties of capitalism: Republican and Democrat. I'm not a member of any political party. So, I don't get a vote in the primaries.

It's hard to care.

Early in the pre-election cycle, I made an effort to listen to what candidates were saying. I thought over who I really thought might follow through on promises of Universal Healthcare (not Universal Insurance), a solution Iraq, etc. Then I realized it didn't matter since I choose not to affiliate with either party. Regardless, I suspect none of them to follow through. More accurately, I suspect that the final winners in the primary contests will be the least threatening to the status quo. Hell, you can't even get into the presidential debates unless you're in one of the non-threatening parties.

That's what elections in America are about.

Technorati Tags: politics, state primaries

Clinton unveils mandatory health care insurance plan

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) -- Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton announced a $110 billion health care reform plan Monday that would require all Americans to have health insurance.

...

A Clinton adviser compares the plan's so-called "individual mandate" -- which requires everyone to have health insurance -- to current rules in most states that require all drivers to purchase auto insurance, according to The Associated Press.

In her plan, Clinton said families would receive tax credits to help pay for coverage. The tax credit would be designed to limit the premiums to a percentage of a family's income.

Here's another reason not to vote for Clinton. No, I'm not afraid of national healthcare. What I'm afraid of is corporate shills that will "solve" the healthcare crisis in this country by legislating in the interests of the insurance industry. Clinton's plan would require us to purchase coverage from the very industry that works tirelessly to drive down quality of care and drive up quality of profits. All this plan will do is force more citizens and tax dollars into the hands of the insurance industry. Let's be clear: the insurance industry operates to maximize profits, not coverage. Who's being subsidized here? Right-wing critics will decry this plan as "socialized" healthcare, but the only beneficiaries of this plan are corporations. Sounds like capitalism to me; the ruling class will always legislate in its favor.

Americans don't need universal insurance coverage. We need quality, universal health care.

Technorati Tags: healthcare, Clinton, politics, insurance

I haven't had a strong opinion on the primaries. I live in a state with closed primaries and I'm registered as an independent. That means I only get to vote in the general election.

I don't have a problem with this.

Hillary Clinton's campaign called today. The woman on the phone asked if I was voting for Clinton in the primaries. I said "No, I'm an independent..." She cut me off with some nonsense about Clinton. I'm fairly certain her phone flunky was either calling from out-of-state or was ignorant of how voting works in this state. So, I told her I'm voting for Obama. I figured, "why not?" If she isn't going to listen, I'm going to start making stuff up.

She asked, "Why?"

I told her some vague BS about not caring for Clinton's politics. Actually, I can't stand Hillary Clinton and would vote against her daily if I could. There's no way I'm voting for her in the general election. I'd rather stay home.

I thought maybe the caller would give up on me or at least defend her candidate. I wasn't prepared for her cunning strategy. Instead of arguing her candidate's positions, this woman says (paraphrasing):

Well, their positions are very close to each other, so why not just vote for Hillary instead? It would be the same.

I wish I was joking. That paraphrase is actually almost an exact quote.

I hope this sack of shit doesn't win.

Technorati Tags: Hillary Clinton, politics, primaries

Clinton: 'Rocky' and I aren't quitters - CNN.com:

"Let me tell you something. When it comes to finishing the fight, Rocky and I have a lot in common. I never quit," she said.

Apparently Senator Clinton has never watched Rocky. Otherwise, she would realize that the movie ends with Rocky losing to Apollo Creed. All Rocky wanted to do was go the distance against an opponent he knew was superior. Is she trying to tell us something?

Maybe the comparison is appropriate, because Clinton seems hellbent on achieving an ugly loss. Unlike Balboa though, Clinton has no chance of winning over the crowd with her persistence.¹

I originally intended to blog a lot during the primaries. I soon realized what a waste of energy it would be since I can't vote in my state's primary. Part of me hopes that Clinton's continued campaign to derail the Democrats in the general election ultimately destroys the party. The US needs a real leftist party, not a slightly less right-wing party and another rightist party.

Technorati Tags: 2008 elections, politics, primaries, Hillary Clinton, Rocky

The 2008 primaries have been instructive. They've reminded us all of how sleazy and shallow the Clintons are. We've also learned that Geraldine Ferraro is either a bitter racist or suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Maybe it's both.

What's most depressing to me is what I've learned about my immediate family. I usually don't talk about politics too much with my family because we share few core beliefs. Still, I was surprised to hear one college-educated family member refer to Barack Obama as a nigger, and two other family members suggest that Obama may be some sort of Islamist sleeper agent secretly planning to decimate our military and surrender to al-Quaeda and possibly Iran. He may also be Marxist. Of course, I was told we don't know enough about the guy to determine his real allegiances. All we really know, I gather, is that he doesn't wear an American flag lapel pin and that he's not white.

I wish I could say I was joking, but that's what was expressed to me. Sadly, these are views that aren't limited to my relatives south of the Mason-Dixon line. There's a strong, ill-informed segment of the population that apparently believes this sort of backwards nonsense.

What's wrong with my family?

What's wrong with our country?

Technorati Tags: Geraldine Ferraro, racism, primaries, Barack Obama, USA, 2008 elections

Joking about the president’s lack of bowling skills, Leno quipped, “I imagine the bowling alley [in the White House] has just been just burned and closed down.”

“No, no. I have been practicing,” the president said. “I bowled a 129.”

“It's like — it was like Special Olympics, or something,” he joked.
[From CNN Political Ticker - Obama makes late-night gaffe]

I hope we can focus on this outrage instead of our ongoing financial crisis.

Dead Milkmen - Takin' Retards to the Zoo

Hey, did you know there's a teabagger rally in DC today?

Apparently they're mad about the prospect of health care reform (a.ka. "Obamacare"), and possibly that the president is a communist, socialist, nazi, muslim, fascist, racist, negro Kenyan. Feel free to google any of these topics and Obama and prepare to read truly moronic rightwing paranoia.

God bless America.

Update: I increased the awesome of the teabagged liberty image by adding some sweet stylized flags to the teabags. I did this around 2 PM MST.

Check this out from Crooks and Liars:

Jesus H Christ. Is there anything more pathetic annoying than this idiots's pathetic, sobbing, ranting bullshit?

What is this asshole even talking about? There's not a goddamn coherent thought in his entire rambling performance.

Here's the real question: Does Beck really believe the shit he says?

Fuck. Someone came into my office. Lost my train of thought...

Update [9/14/09 @ 1:19]: Wow. This is a terrible post. I used pathetic twice in the same sentence. This is what happens when you try to blog from work while talking to someone else. I should probably be embarrassed. But this is a shitty blog, so I'm not. In fact, you could even say I'm proud of it.

Also, Glenn Beck is a jackass. Not even this half-assed post can get that wrong.

Shamelessly stolen from Palin attacks Obama and Biden for their 'lack of experience' -- and can't tell us why she can do the job better

O'Reilly: Let me be bold and fresh again. Do you believe you are smart enough, and incisive enough, intellectual enough, to handle the most powerful job in the world?

Palin: I believe that I am because I have common sense, and I have, I believe, the values that are reflective of so many American values. And I believe that what Americans are seeking is not the elitism, the, um, the, ah -- kind of spineless -- a spinelessness that perhaps is made up for that with elite Ivy League education and -- fact resume that's based on anything but hard work and private-sector, free-enterprise principles. Americans could be seeking something like that in positive change in their leadership. I'm not saying that that has to be me.

I've payed attention to Palin in the media since everyone else did, when the disingenuous GOP thrust this brain-dead parasite onto the national political scene. I've impatiently waited for the end of her 15 minutes ever since.

Why do people take this idiot seriously? Do people hear her speak and actually think, "This is the sort of person our country needs!"

What's her appeal? You're a dumbfuck and I am too?

Is the Right in this country too stupid to be insulted by this moron and the party that supports her?

Looks like we're getting sold out on the public option.

Two Democratic sources said that the deal includes proposals to replace the public option by creating a not-for-profit private insurance option overseen by the federal Office of Personnel Management, much like the current health plan for federal workers, and another allowing people 55 and older to buy into Medicare coverage that currently is available to those 65 and older.

[From Senate Dems agree on how to handle health bill's public option - CNN.com]

We should be getting single payer healthcare. Instead we're going to end up with a bill that does very little to help anyone except for the insurance industry.

Great job Democrats!

Well, this is just retarded Palin-American:

NEW YORK – On the heels of health care, a new Harris poll reveals Republican attitudes about Obama: Two-thirds think he's a socialist, 57 percent a Muslim—and 24 percent say "he may be the Antichrist."

...

"high percentages of Republicans—and Americans overall—believe that President Obama is "racist," "anti-American" "wants the terrorists to win" and "wants to turn over the sovereignty of the United States to a one-world government."

Source: Opinion: Scary new GOP poll

These beliefs would be laughable if the percentages and overall stupidity levels weren't so high. What world do these people live in? Are there broad swaths of the American public that drink gasoline and eat lead-based paint chips for dinner?

Additional findings include:

45 percent of Republicans (25 percent overall) agree with the Birthers in their belief that Obama was "not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president" [and] 38 percent of Republicans (20 percent overall) say that Obama is "doing many of the things that Hitler did"

I wonder, are these people so far off the deep end that they'll never be able to come back?

Do the even know what they're mad about?

Clearly, calling them retarded and stupid isn't enough or nice, even if it is gratifying.

So the Republicans are already working to fight the "big fucking deal" healthcare bill signed by Obama earlier today:

14 Attorneys General are suing to stop the bill as unconstitutional.

Rep. Steven King (R-Iowa) has a bill ready for the House to repeal it (PDF).

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) and a handful of Republicans have a Senate bill worked up.

Here's the Senate Bill:

TEXT of Senator DeMint’s bill to Repeal ObamaCare: To repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REPEAL.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and the amendments made by that Act, are repealed.

I'd be lying if I said their outrage didn't amuse me.

When these attempts fail, what will they do next? Secede?

I'm still unclear on what rights and liberties are lost by enacting this bill.

To be fair, I'm not impressed with the mandate to buy insurance from private companies. I still think that aspect is a mistake, but maybe it will provide an opportunity for something better in the future. The bill should have, minimally, included a public option. Unfortunately the Democrats gave up on that early in the process.

Single-payer was never an option, though it should have been.

Maybe we'll get that in another 103 years.