More Evidence Stupid People Vote in Florida

Here's the problem. Exhibit A in my local paper:My Word by Bill Barnes

Starts with this...

According to the Social Security Administration, the Consumer Price Index has not risen since 2008, and benefits will not increase in 2011. Congress just approved an $858 billion package of tax cuts but rejected a bill to give each retiree $250.

Then goes to this...

When I retired in 2000, our annual health insurance cost was $1,200. Today, the cost is $10,960. This amount does not include the amount my former employer continues to pay. Next month, our health insurance will increase by $600.

Here is what he concludes with...

So what do retirees have to look forward to? We could sit around, run out of money and die. Or we could mobilize with the Tea Party and hound elected officials until they cut spending and taxes and help retirees who worked a lifetime to make America great.

Okay Moron. You don't complain about overspending in the same letter you demand that every retiree get $250. That's number one. Number two--you complain about high health care costs, but then decide that your solution should be to join a group that sided with the very insurance industry that is currently gouging you.

I don't know why your are complaining, Mr. Barnes. It sounds like you got everything you voted for.


PS--to anyone bashing our prez: just remember that it was he who compromised with the GOP by caving into their demand that the uber-wealthy get an extra tax cut so he could SAVE YOUR middle-class tax cut along with the unemployment checks this holiday season. Your f*&^ing welcome.

Orlando Sentinel: 1 Year Fight Over Health Care is "Fast-Tracking"??

My hometown paper has taken to the GOP talking points with an editorial ironically titled "Don't pull a fast one with health reform. It is calling Reconciliation a "a fast-track process" as well as an "historic error for Democrats to resort to" in order to "muscle through" health care reform. Dudes...we've been debating health care for OVER A YEAR now! What hasn't been said already?

Funny, I don't recall them complaining about Reconciliation with the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, or any of the other dozens of times it has been used by the GOP. But now that the Dems are finally considering what they should have done last year in order save our health care system from impending disaster, this year-long process is now being treated as a fast-tracked scam.

Even though the GOP used it to make the rich even richer, it would be wrong, goes their argument, to use reconciliation now because:

...an abuse of the process in the past is a poor argument for doing so now.

Reality check: Reconciliation is in the Constitution. Fillibusters requiring a super-majority IS NOT. Even if you agree with the principle of a fillibuster, no reasonable person can argue that the GOP is using it responsibly. They have fillibustered EVERY SINGLE BILL in the Senate!! Even bills that get over 80 votes in the end, even bills that fund our troops, even a bill to pay unemployment benefits!

The article even acknowledges the Dem plan is good and mocks the GOP plan as meager. They even admitted that the GOP has offered "little beyond obstruction." But in the very next sentence, the editorial board confusingly states this:

But if the Democrats' plan so sharply divides Congress that it can't become law unless rules are bent, it will be a weak plan. Already unpopular with the public, it'll be vulnerable to repeal when the partisan balance in Washington, D.C. shifts.

Democrats also will further poison the atmosphere in Congress if they pull a power play through reconciliation. Good luck getting anything else done — even on urgent matters such as the economy.

There's a better way forward. Senate and House leaders should hash out their differences in open meetings. They should strip the payoffs from the bill. They should make more room for good ideas from Republicans — Mr. Obama already has suggested four.

Riiiiiiiight!! Let's load up the bill with MORE ineffective GOP ideas and THEN they will play nicely!!

The GOP is opposed to covering everyone. Period. They said so. They are on the record against subsidies and against the public option. Passing a bill that says we promise we'll work harder on fraud and the ever present "tort reform" is a joke that WILL NOT stop the out of control price gouging and won't cover one extra person.

The GOP will also not repeal this. Once in effect, people will have health care coverage and will see that the sky didn't fall. Could you imagine the GOP trying to take away Medicare?? No, in fact, after years of arguing to gut Medicare they have the audacity to pretend to be its guardians--ironically while all the while opposing "government-run" healthcare!

That is why the GOP is fighting SO HARD, along with the insurance industry, to stop this bill! They know it will work and once its in effect, it will be too late. However, if they defeat the bill, all the false, negative things they said will become true and they will run campaign after campaign saying how they saved us from disaster with the added bonus of saying (rightfully so) that the Democrats can't govern.


Don't LET THESE LIES go answered! Take a few seconds and VOTE NO:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edpoll-saturday,0,2955208.poll

While you are at it, respond to this poll to. It asks if Dems should move forward on HCR without GOP support. Obviously, vote YES!:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-poll-health-care-reform-030510,0,1120017.poll

They print the results of the polls the following day. Since tomorrow is Sunday, when most people get the paper,...let's send them a strong message!

My Rant on Babs West in the Orlando Sentinel

Because I've already been published just a little bit ago, and also know its usually bad form for news organizations to criticize each other's reporters--I figured the best way to get my point across on Babs in our local paper was in the 30-word rant section. Today's paper:

WFTV's Barbara West threw softballs to [John] McCain but compared Obama to Karl Marx. Are you applying for Fox News, Ms. West?

See the full story below.

WFTV's Barbara West: SCHOOLED-Biden Style!

Hey Barbara--Thanks for making Central Florida and the rest of my state look ignorant. Again.

I couldn't believe my ears... This so-called unbiased reporter from WFTV asked Joe Biden three different times if Obama was a "marxist". I would stake that he would have had more intelligent questions going on O'Reilly.

Joe Biden completely eviscerated her. From the fake ties to ACORN to repeated attempts to link Obama to Sweden/Marx, etc, Biden slams her and looks calm and presidential while doing it. ("Is that a real question?") This is the very reason Obama chose him. Palin he is not.

That's the thing about using phony talking points without doing research. They go unchallenged when featured on the likes of Hannity and Limbaugh; but trying to use them against a well-informed opponent? Well, you get exposed for the ignoramous you are.

The WFTV director, Bob Jordan, responded to the complaints by arguing they were just tough questions.

No, Bob. Tough questions are one thing. Questions based on false and ignorant talking points are, well, ignorant.

McCain/Bush "spread the wealth around" by giving a tremendous tax cut benefitting the super wealthy and the oil companies. That didn't work so well. Obama and Biden are talking about giving a tax cut to those who actually need it: the middle class. And now that's "socialist"??? That's "marxist"?? That's "welfare"??


Enjoy:



Even though she was rude and insulting to Biden, it may have passed muster with people if she were equally rough on McCain when she interviewed him October 14th. Nope--she throws softballs and downright begs him to go after Obama on ACORN. Watch the difference: http://www.wftv.com/video/17712615/index.html

You should never be able to tell a reporter's ideology. I think this makes it clear.



PS--If you are as embarrassed by her antics as I was, drop her a line:

Babs: Barbara.West@wftv.com
General Manager: Bob.Jordan@wftv.com

UPDATE: Turns out that her husband, Wade West, is a political and media consultant for Republican politicians. The GOP talking points Barbara West used in her interview may have come directly from the McCain Palin communications team via her husband Wade.

OMG! ORLANDO SENTINEL endorses Barack!!

I am watching Powell endorse Senator Obama as I write this. What a great way to wake up.

I am looking at the Orlando Sentinel full page endorsement of Barack Obama! IF you don't know the Orlando Sentinel, you have to understand that they love to endorse Republicans. The joke on talk radio is usually "do what the Sentinel tells you and vote Republican".

With ONE exception, John Kerry, they have endorsed Republicans for president for the PAST 40 YEARS!! They also endorsed John McCain, but NOT Obama, (rather Hillary), several months ago in the respective primaries. I really didn't think they would do it.

The Sentinel even admitted that they wer leaning McCain as the primary season began, but changed thier mind over the events of the past several weeks.

While Obama showed "sound judgment" and "grace under pressure", Mr. McCain has reacted "haphazardly" and "abandoned" positions that the Sentinel had supported. Their words: Mr. McCain has demonstrated "shockingly poor judgment".

I encourage you to read the entire endorsement. It is a work of art. They contrast the difference between McCain when he started (when the Sentinel originally endorsed him) and McCain now; and also where Obama was then and where he is now. I won't put the entire endorsement here, but I will provide the portion under the heading "Obama Now":

Under months of unrelenting scrutiny and withering political attacks since then, the Democratic nominee has proved to be an unflappable and thoughtful leader. He has displayed a remarkable command of issues, both domestic and foreign. It's hard to imagine a quicker study.

Mr. Obama has wisely compensated for his relative inexperience by reaching out to experts, from billionaire investor Warren Buffett and former treasury secretaries for advice on economic policy to ex-national security advisers on foreign policy. He chose as his running mate Joe Biden, the veteran U.S. senator from Delaware and Foreign Relations Committee chairman. The contrast with Mr. McCain's choice for vice president could not be more striking.

Mr. Obama gets the nod in this race not just because of his opponent's flaws.

The Illinois senator has a better plan than the Arizona senator for expanding health-care coverage. Mr. Obama would focus on the problem -- uninsured Americans -- while strengthening the current system of employer-based care. Mr. McCain would unravel that system.

Mr. Obama also would be more aggressive in curbing America's dirty and dangerous addiction to petroleum by mounting an ambitious campaign to develop renewable energy. Mr. McCain says he favors alternatives to oil, but his "drill, baby, drill" fixation could prolong the nation's habit.

The Democratic nominee is more inclined to turn the page on the foreign policy of the past eight years that has alienated allies and incited enemies. His willingness to engage when necessary in tough negotiations with enemies is not naive or irresponsible; it's an approach followed before by presidents from both parties.

Since he began his meteoric rise in American politics, Mr. Obama's critics have trivialized his remarkable skills as a speaker. From Abraham Lincoln through Ronald Reagan, history has shown that eloquence is a powerful tool for presidents to rally Americans to get through tough times together and achieve great things.

If you have a moment, please PLEASE send a quite note of support to insight@orlandosentinel.com.This is a conservative area, and they are going to be bomarded with hate mail. When they endorsed John Kerry last time, you would have thought the apocalypse was upon us. Tons of letters came in complaining and hundreds of subscriptions were canceled.

I honestly thought they would cave like the idiotic endorsement of the Tampa Tribune yesterday. But they didn't. And I couldn't be more proud.

What a great morning.

Don't Let Me Down Orlando Sentinel

The Orlando Sentinel loves Republicans. A guy on the radio yesterday joked that he would do what the Sentinel tells him to do and vote Republican. Today, they endorsed Ric Keller--even though they admitted in his endorsement he hasn't done anything, along with John Mica, and the dreadful Ginny Brown-Waite.

Up until the last presidential election, they hand't endorsed a Democratic president in 40 years!! Bush was so bad, they finally did the right thing and endorsed Kerry:

Four years ago, the Orlando Sentinel endorsed Republican George W. Bush for president based on our trust in him to unite America. We expected him to forge bipartisan solutions to problems while keeping this nation secure and fiscally sound.

This president has utterly failed to fulfill our expectations.

The Sentinel endorsed John McCain and Hillary Clinton in their respective primaries. A few months or even weeks ago, I would have expected the Sentinel to endorse McCain. But after these past few weeks, I don't know how the Sentinel can justify it.

Just look at the events of the past few weeks:

He tries to question Obama's judgment, but picked an unvetted right-wing zealot as his running mate who abused her power in office according to a report that was released yesterday by a unanimous vote of the bipartisan Joint Legislative Council in Alaska.

His bizarre plan to fix the housing crisis would destroy the taxpayer, and has been mocked by his own GOP supporters and even economists who formerly endorsed him.

He has allowed his campaign stops to become little more than hate rallies, with people yelling "Kill him" and "terrorist"--while saying nothing. (His nutty veep even eggs them on).

Instead of leading in a crisis, McCain seeks to continue the politics of division and hatred. Ironically, he hired the disciples of Bush/Rove, who propogated the very smears against McCain's own child back in 2000.

After promising not to go negative, decided that 100% of his ads would be smears. Lying about Obama supporting sex ed for kids (it was an anti-stalker law), lying about his "frienship" with Ayers (Obama was on a board with him-along with prominent Republicans such as a Reagan ambassador), and trying to hint that he's somehow unAmerican. Sick, sad, and desperate.

McCain has been proven wrong on just about everything: the Iraq War, health care, the economy, deregulation, etc. Not to mention that this is the LAST chance we have to prevent the Supreme Court from becoming a permanent arm of the GOP.

We deserve better.

The Orlando Sentinel grudgingly did the right thing four years ago (and Florida has suffered greatly for not listening). Here's hoping they do the right thing at this critical time.

Mel Martinez Lied in the Orlando Sentinel Today

Senator Mel Martinez wrote the Sentinel to try and excuse why he and Bush are fighting the bi-partisan S-CHIP bill, which would allow health coverage to 3.8 million low-income uninsured children. Mel parroted Bush's claim that the bill provides health care for families earning as much as $83,000 a year. But according to factcheck.org, under current law and this proposed legislation, the president retains the authority to set the ceiling. No state has close to $83,000--and by the way, Florida's ceiling is set at $41,300 for a family of 4.



Mel, one major illness could wipe out a family's finances. I think if we can find $12 billion a week for Iraq, then we can find the money to save our own children.

WTF?! What Bush Supporters Have Stooped to...

Quicknote: This was a recommended post on DailyKos under my moniker "SEMDEM", and featured on my favorite local blog FLPolitics last week. If the guy was trying to intimidate me, mission unaccomplished.

Three years ago they were supporters of an administration that had absolute control over our government and kept the American public under its thumb with fear. Now they have to deal with watching the Bush regime collapse before their very eyes with record low approval numbers, the loss of Congress, defections from their own party, and the very real possibility of a Hillary Clinton presidency. So what's a Bushie to do?

Send hate mail to people who write Letters to the Editor!

Here in Central Florida, we are beseiged with right-wing propaganda. Our radio stations feature every major and minor conservative pundit, FOXNEWS shows in gov't buildings, (the Sem Courthouse is on BUSH Blvd, not far from RONALD REAGAN Ave.), and after the 2004 election, Clear Channel put up a billboard on I-4 featuring a smiling Bush with the caption "OUR LEADER".

The Orlando Sentinel attempts to put some balance in the editorial section--I've written and gotten published 5 times. This year, however, I have received hate mail. Once with a Cal Thomas response, and another with a complaint about the Libby pardon. This time I got a THICK PACKET complete with misspelled rantings. (The cowards never leave a return address or name). Even though it's an old address, the mail lady forwarded it--(which I asked her not to do anymore.)

I know of at least one other person who got published who received hate mail as well.


The goal is to intimidate people who complain about this administration or the GOP into not writing. For some, it has been effective. My friend has said it freaked him out that they looked up his address and won't write again--I won't be intimidated, but I did promise my wife that I would use an alias next time.

This is what I wrote:

Let me get this straight. The GOP vigorously opposes "amnesty" for those who break the law. But they demanded the president give amnesty for someone who compromised national security, leaked intelligence for cheap political gain, and lied to prosecutors and the FBI. I guess they only oppose amnesty if you are poor and Mexican.

P.S. That was nothing compared to what Scott Maxwell wrote (he gets hatemail all the time, though). Bush argued that he did it in the interest of justice--OK, then are we supposed to believe out of the millions of cases out there that only his personal friend was treated unfairly? Only "Scooter" was worthy of a pardon? Isn't this more about helping out a buddy than justice?--He actually got a formerly indignant GOP Rep. Adam Putnam to admit that was wrong...


For my rantings, this is what I received in the mail:

The packet had Ronald Reagan postage, and was stamped "God Bless W" all around it.

• It had my article scribbled with "Falsely Convicted A-----E!"--odd, since no one, not even Dear Leader, said he was innocent.
  
  
• A letter to a right-wing rag about how if Democrats were in charge in 1945, the bomb never would have been dropped in Japan and we would have lost WWII. --Typical educated Bushie. Harry Truman, Bush's IDOL, dropped the bomb. Wasn't he a Democrat, idiot?
  
  
• A list of favorable quotes for war by Democrats (such as Joe Lieberman) and accusing them of flip-flopping on the war ---I love this, Bush cherry-picked intelligence and lied about WMD, and the DEMS are to blame for being dumb enough to believe him
  
  
• My favorite--a picture of Bush with the caption "It's laundry day on Towelheads, and I'm the MAYTAG Repairman!!--Yeah, I don't get it either, but it inspired the hell out of this inbred hick

There were a few other articles and crap that were scribbled on that aren't even worth mentioning--I refuse to read it all anyway.

Please take time to write a quick editorial to the Orlando Sentinel. Just a few lines-- Bush and the GOP have provided no shortage of scandal to write about.

Just leave a name, city, and phone number in your email: insight@orlandosentinel.com (You can leave an alias if you are worried about hate mail--the editor just calls to verify you wrote it).


These bastards are desperate, let's shine the light on these cockroaches.
Thanks for your help.