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Please Vote, Now!

Early voting is allowed in 32 states and has started in most of them. My wife and I already voted a couple of days ago, and it is nice to have that out of the way. At least one-third of all ballots this election will be cast before election day.

Once you have voted early at home, you will never want to go back to the lines, parking problems, cranky voting machines, and other annoyances of going to a polling place. And a big advantage of early voting, to me, is that when faced with some obscure position and you can’t remember for whom you want to vote, you can just look it up on the web and see what your options are. No rush, no fuss, and you can vote when you want to. If you live west of the Mississippi River, then your state has early voting, and quite a few states in the east do so as well.

Where I live we only have early voting, which we call “vote by mail”. I love it. My only nod to the old days is that I don’t like mailing in my ballot, so I always drop it off. Luckily, the drop-off point is only a half mile from where I live.

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Tea Party v2


© Clay Bennett

They protest against taxes, and yet taxes are at their lowest rate since WWII (and we are having to lay off teachers because of it).

They claim lower taxes will result in greater prosperity, and yet the periods when our prosperity was highest was back when taxes were much higher.

Did Bush’s tax cuts result in improvements to our economy? No, the economy fell apart in the worst recession since the great depression.

I’m not saying that taxing and spending are always good, I’m just saying that there is no direct, ironclad correlation either way.

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Late Night Political Humor

“There is a big difference between a disappointing friend and a deadly enemy. Of course the Democrats are disappointing. That’s what makes them Democrats. If they were any more frustrating they’d be your relatives. But in this country they are all that stands between you and darkest night. You know why their symbol is the letter ‘D’? Because it’s a grade that means good enough, but just barely. You know why the Republican symbol is ‘R’? Because it’s the noise a pirate makes when he robs you and feeds you to a shark.” – Bill Maher

“The Obama administration had quite a day today annihilating the people who might vote for them. They appealed the ruling striking down Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, even though they are supposed to be for striking it down. And then they said even if California legalized pot, the feds would still come in and bust people. But in fairness to Obama, it is an election year and Democrats can’t afford to be seen being for freedom or equality.” – Bill Maher

“A very joyous week. A week where the whole world was watching a bunch of men trying to climb out of a hole they dug for themselves — but enough about the Democrats. Lets talk about those Chilean miners.” – Bill Maher

“Americans love Chilean miners. I haven’t seen so much hoopla about an endless procession emerging from a scary hole since the Octomom.” – Bill Maher

“One guy had four women waiting for him; there was the wife he never divorced, then there was the woman he lives with, then there was his current girlfriend and then the baby mama. He is now known as the Tiger Woods of mining.” – Bill Maher

“TLC just released a promo for Sarah Palin’s new reality show. Haven’t the last two years been her reality show?” – Jimmy Kimmel

“They asked [O’Donnell] to name a Supreme Court case that she disagreed with; she said Kramer vs. Kramer.” – Bill Maher

“Vice President Joe Biden told The New York Times that President Obama has asked him to run again in 2012. The bad news? Nobody is asking Obama yet.” – Jay Leno

“New Rule: Jerry Brown must stop apologizing for being in the same room when someone called Meg Whitman a whore. If you want to see a woman really get mad, compare a whore to Meg Whitman.” – Bill Maher

“‘Jackass 3D’ just opened. It’s the life story of New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino.” – David Letterman

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Must Everything be Political?


© Marshall Ramsey

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Investing in America

By the way, you know that big bank bailout that the pundits and Tea Party are still screaming about as an example of government waste and increasing the debt?

It turns out that the Troubled Asset Relief Program has actually made money for the government — $25.2 billion actually. That’s a 8.2% return over two years (more than what US Treasury bonds pay, although that comparison is a bit dicey since the TARP investment was presumably a bit more risky than US bonds).

And in the name of fairness, I want to point out that many of the people who were complaining about the TARP program blamed it on Obama, when the program was established in October 2008, before Obama was even elected. It is ironic that now that the program is considered to be a success, their efforts might mean that Obama will get the credit for it.

Naw… That will never happen. I’m sure they will now hypocritically trumpet TARP as something the Republicans did right.

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Helen and Margaret’s Pledge to America

[I’m reposting this from the ever-brilliant Margaret and Helen.]

Margaret, the problem with Populism is that the population includes asses like Sarah Palin and her Tea Party. Someone needs to remind them that this is America. The government is elected by the people. Questioning your government is patriotic. Hating your government, one the other hand, is simply a form of self loathing.

And let’s talk about that hatred. It seems so at odds with the supposed Christian morals they so proudly espouse. They hate big government but instead of taking issue with the largest part of that government – the military – they take issue with healthcare. They hate big government in healthcare but they have no issue with government being big enough to intervene in the private health decisions of a woman seeking to end a pregnancy or the private decisions of a husband wanting to end the decade long sufferings of his wife. They hate big government but they don’t seem to hate using government to legislate hate against homosexuals. And they hate big government, but they don’t seem to hate it when they can use it to fuel their hatred. Gosh I hate that…

And now those morons in Washington with the “R” after their names have made another pledge to America. I guess it’s just one more thing they can do today and then ignore tomorrow . A Contract With America. A Pledge to America. Mission Accomplished. For goodness sakes how many times are we going to fall for this prank? They spend years screwing everything up and then eventually pledge to not do it again. How about not doing it the first time… or the second time for that matter?

Here is my pledge to you Margaret. I hope you like it.

I pledge that I will actually read the Constitution before pledging to uphold it. And I pledge that if I am too stupid to understand its intent, I won’t become a politician.

I pledge not to start two wars, give tax breaks to millionaires, ruin the economy and then get mad when someone shows me the bill.

I pledge not to be a hypocrite or a Tea Party Republican – whichever comes first.

I pledge to remember that religious freedoms apply to all religions including the lack of a religion. And I pledge to remember that no matter how much I believe in my religion, I will remember that my neighbor believes in his religion just as much. And finally, I pledge that if I believe in my religion too much I will keep it to myself.

I pledge to stop calling Sarah Palin a stupid bitch when she finally admits that she is too stupid to run this country. At that point I will simply call her a bitch and let the stupid speak for itself.

I pledge that I won’t hate gay people in public and then sleep with them in private.

I pledge to accept the fact that John McCain really can’t pull his head out of his ass at this point. It’s in too deep.

I pledge not to be shocked when Rick Sanchez announces his new show on Fox News.

I pledge to remember that there are 6 billion people in the world and only 300 million of them live in the United States . And with 300 million Americans to choose from, we can’t do better than John Boehner? Really?

And Margaret, my dear, I pledge that I will vote on November 2. I meant it. Really.

Here is my pledge to you dear.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

That about sums it up, dear. That and Endust is as good if not better than Pledge.

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Your own self interest?


© Tom Tomorrow

Why is it that the people who complain the loudest about big government are the first ones to turn to it when they have a problem?

UPDATE: Even the Wall Street Journal notes that there have been many problems with foreclosures, despite banks’ claims to the contrary. The problems prompted a strong warning from the Obama administration.

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What if Obama cut taxes, and nobody noticed?

When surveyed whether Obama had raised or lowered taxes, less than 10% respond that Obama has lowered their federal taxes. And yet, since entering office, Obama lowered taxes for over 90% of the population.

Making this even more ironic, those tax cuts were part of the stimulus bill, a bill which right-wingers routinely attack while simultaneously calling for more tax cuts.

One reason people didn’t notice the tax cut was because rather than sending out a tax rebate check with great fanfare, they purposely designed it to lower withholding in people’s paychecks. While rebate checks may make for good politics, they don’t help the economy as much since people are more likely to put a single check into savings, while an increase in the size of their paycheck is more likely to be spent, stimulating the economy.

Obama purposely did something that was better for the economy, but worse for his own politics. And yet the pundits (on both sides) attack him for not being more political. Which would you rather have — a president who is actually trying to solve our economic problems, or a leader who does things that sound good, but don’t work as well? I’m afraid that the midterm elections will demonstrate that Americans stupidly prefer the latter.

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Late Night Political Humor

“I feel bad for the Chilean miners. They were down there in the dark so long. I mean, my God, it’s like the Tea Party.” – David Letterman

“At one point during the debate, Christine O’Donnell said, ‘What I think is irrelevant.’ I’ll keep that in mind come Election Day.” – David Letterman

“The first debate was at podiums. The next debate will be at satanic altars.” – David Letterman

“Vice President Joe Biden said that the Democrats up for election aren’t running on their accomplishments because they’re too hard to explain. So basically he’s saying either voters are to stupid to understand or the Democrats are too stupid to explain it. You know what’s even harder to explain? Why the Democrats are letting Joe Biden talk with the election just a couple weeks away.” – Jay Leno

“Joe Biden told the New York Times that President Obama has already asked him to be his running mate in 2012. Not only that, he said Sarah Palin, Mitt Romey and the rest of the Republicans also asked him to be Obama’s running mate in 2012.” – Jimmy Fallon

“Joe Biden said today President Obama has asked him to run again with him in 2010. So I think I speak for all late-night hosts when I say, ‘Thank you, Mr. President.” – Jay Leno

“For the first time in history, there are 100,000 home foreclosures in the month of September. 100,000 people were told this fall they were going to lose their house. 100,001 if you count Nancy Pelosi.” – Jay Leno

“You know that anti-gay candidate Carl Paladino running for governor? He had this horrible anti-gay thing the other day. It turns out he owns two buildings that house gay night clubs. So I guess when it comes to making money, Mr. Anti-Gay’s attitude is ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell.'” – Jay Leno

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The Last Two Workers in the US


© Ted Rall

If businesses won’t start hiring until demand picks up, and consumers won’t start buying until they have jobs, then this scenario doesn’t seem to be that far fetched.

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Has anyone heard a Republican name one thing they would cut to reduce the deficit?

Republicans continue to claim that they will reduce government spending. For example, when asked how they will pay for extending the Bush tax cuts, they claim they will do it by cutting government spending. There’s one big problem with this. In order to cut government spending, you are going to have to cut at least some government programs that people like.

For example, Carly Fiorina appeared on Fox News Sunday, but even they wouldn’t let her get away with her claim that she would “rein in out-of-control government spending.” Fiorina supports extending the Bush Tax cuts, but when asked how she would pay for the $4 trillion price tag, she couldn’t answer. Host Chris Wallace asked her seven times to “name one single entitlement expenditure you’re willing to cut” because “that’s where the money is.” Fiorina refused to answer, claiming “You’re asking a typical political question.”

Well, what other kind of question can you ask when someone claims they are going to cut taxes and balance the budget, but won’t name a single large program they will cut? Isn’t that political?

But I don’t mean to pick only on Fiorina. I can’t think of a single national Republican candidate who has actually said what they will cut to balance the budget and pay for tax cuts.

The few times I have heard any Republican candidate mention any spending cuts they would actually propose to reduce the deficit, they end up backpedaling furiously. For example, in 2009 Rand Paul proposed raising the Medicare deductible to $2,000, but when his opponent accused Paul of this, Paul denied he ever said it. When his opponent produced video proof, Paul then claimed he didn’t mean it.

Besides, look at the evidence. No Republican administration has managed to cut the deficit in the last 50 years. How come we still listen to this hallow promise?

UPDATE: The Republican Medicare Part D prescription drug program will add more to the national debt than the bailout, stimulus, and the health care law combined.

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Uncomfortable with Reality

It is fascinating to watch Dylan Ratigan explain the simple truth about Muslims, terrorists, and the American “War on Islam”. But what makes this ironic is how absolutely uncomfortable this makes the rest of the people on the Morning Joe show. Especially when he calls it “an extraordinary failure of our politicians and our media.”

I wasn’t able to embed the video here, but you can go watch it over at Gawker.

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Miles to Go

On October 20th, just a few days away, 60 year old brothers Laird and Robin Monahan end their 3000 mile walk across the US to support a constitutional amendment to abolish corporate personhood.

This is the defining issue of our time. A time when we, as a nation, revisit the tyranny that sparked the first American Revolution. We are not done. We are not even at the end of the beginning. It is our job now to wake up the rest of our nation to the peril our Democracy is in. We stand in the shoes of Paul Revere. “…and I have miles to go before I sleep.” – Robert Frost.

As the brothers put it, when the Supreme Court decided in Citizens United that corporations were people and money was free speech, they legalized political bribery.

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The Very Model of a Modern US President

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Tea or Tree?


© Lisa Benson

I’m not actually completely sure what this is trying to say, but it made me laugh!

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