anti-[everything]

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