Helen:
Margaret, while God was deciding which state he hated more – Louisiana or Mississippi – the Republicans pitched the biggest circus tent I have ever seen in Tampa and my -oh-my what a show they put on. Do you remember that clown car of candidates that led up to this circus?
Not long ago that car was packed full of nut jobs and we really weren’t sure which one was going to be in the center ring. Gov. Tim from Minnesota was the first clown out after admitting he wanted to cut Social Security and Medicare to balance the budget. (Funny how he’s out but Paul Ryan is in considering they share the same brain.)
Then there was Congressman Thaddeus McCotter who came and went pretty quickly. If you even remember his name, it’s probably not from his presidential run, but rather from the fraud investigation concerning his congressional re-election campaign. But I bet lots of you remember the next clown out – Herman Is that A Pepperoni in Your Pizza or Are You Just Happy to See Me Cain.
I’ll skip Gary Johnson because most everyone did, but that brings me to my personal favorite clown, the Prophet Bachmann. God spoke directly to Michele telling her to run. He forgot to tell her he was just kidding, but this week he did stop by to let her know how much he hates Louisiana and parts of Mississippi. I sure do miss Michele. She was a hoot. But at least we still had Rick Perry to laugh at… I mean with. Seriously, I was sort of sad when he went out because it was beginning to look like Perry was going to be almost as amusing as Sarah Palin. Rick can see Mexico from his kitchen window don’t you know.
And then there were four.
I’m pretty sure Ron Paul still thinks he’s running, but in the end it really came down to Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. It was pretty easy to predict it would be Mitt. After all, Newt was never really campaigning. He was just selling a few books and looking for his next wife – at 46 the current one is getting old. And Santorum didn’t realize that Mitt had already taken his only argument away by switching from Pro-Universal-Healthcare to Pro-Running-for-President. Besides, Santorum should have known if you do your own tax returns, you aren’t even close to being rich enough to be the Republican nominee for President. You have to have at least one or two off-shore bank accounts to get that nomination.
No it was always Mitt. And all he needed to seal the deal was Paul Ryan – a life-long politician who could energize those incumbent-hating Tea Party voters. Like I said, it was some circus. You would have thought, however, that in Florida they could have found at least a few people with a tan to fill the bleachers. I’ve seen more color in a pack of loose leaf paper. The speakers had a litle bit of color but most of it was in their speeches including several Republican Governors going on and on about how well things were going in their States while simultaneously arguing that President Obama had destroyed everything in the other 49.
Even Clint Eastwood made it to the party and he brought an imaginary friend with him. I wonder if he was hearing the same voice last night as Michele Bachmann heard several months ago. But it didn’t really matter that Clint was off message. No one was listening to him anyway. The ones who weren’t throwing peanuts at black people were covering their ears because the imaginary friend in the empty chair next to Clint was saying some really bad words. Bet you can’t guess what color the imaginary friend was?
But the star of the night was Mitt. He gave a good speech managing to talk out of both sides of his mouth and his ass without actually saying much. He did manage to mentioned sanctity of life which is code for legitimate rape stops all sperm. He gave a slight nod to traditional marriage which is code for only one man and one woman can enter into a divorce. And he hinted at religious freedom which I found rather odd considering he doesn’t talk about his own religion because most Republicans aren’t comfortable with Mormonism.
Governor Romney suggested that my proudest moment was when I voted for Obama. Yes. It is pretty high up there on my list. But I was also proud on the day he signed equal pay for women into law. Or the day he ended a war and pledged to end another. I was proud the day he decided American soldiers should be honored regardless of who they love. And again I was proud the day he delivered on his campaign promise to bring about healthcare reform. And you know what, Mr. Romney? I will be proud when I vote for my President again and bring this Republican war on women to an end.
The convention is over and I for one got the message loud and clear – a bunch of white people hate President Barack Obama. But we knew that already.
November seems forever away so y’all might as well pull up a chair and have some pie with me. I mean it. Really.
Margaret:
Clint Eastwood was on? Which movie? What channel? Oh I hope I didn’t miss that one with Meryl Streep and all those beautiful bridges. I love that movie. I knew I should have made Howard turn the channel. He was watching Charlton Heston talk to a chair so I tuned out.
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By: apfsbxlh on February 7, 2013
at 4:04 PM
slashdot, there’s no loading icon (it finiehsd loading) but it still displays hacker news.So I don’t know but it seems something is fundamentally wrong in the communication between native UI and gecko, or the display driver is going mad.Scrolling also occasionally gets super choppy.I’ve the issue on both devices. One run android 2.3.5 the other android 3.2. All other browsers including XUL-Fennec (aka Firefox Beta right now) behave normally.I don’t get it, but Fennec’s nightly totally unuseable for me. Not even able to make a proper bug report. Too slow, too buggy. Aurora ain’t much better.
By: Ezequiel on February 6, 2013
at 4:28 AM
As a sequel to his empty chair, I humbly suggest the invisible horse. Clint Eastwood Gangnam Style.
By: MichaelEdits on September 26, 2012
at 10:13 PM
Hi, Terry W – I wish with all my heart that the debates will do it. I’m confident that they will do it for me… But there are all those people out there who will not listen, whose minds are already made up. There is not much point in trying to convince them otherwise.
So… i am going out tomorrow to do something that I just HATE doing – going door to door, campaigning for our local Democratic congressman who is running for the US Senate, against the wrestling lady – another CEO who is sure she knows how to run the country. And she has lots of money…
So, anything you can do – but I think you said it wasn’t easy for you to get out and about – would help. You can write; you can call your friends… I think every little thing matters. Dammit.
Gato
By: gatodicima on September 14, 2012
at 5:49 PM
Gato, Linda and all you like-minded ladies – I’m just hoping that the truth will come out in the debates. Robme and Lyin’ Ryan can’t keep up their unfounded, unchecked pack of untruths. We know the Republicans will vote for them anyway but hopefully Independents will recognize the truth when they hear and see it. The truth will set us all free! – Terry
By: Terry Waggle on September 14, 2012
at 5:30 PM
Hi, Linda – I’m very happy for you and your family, and hope many other military families are experiencing the same! Thank you for sharing a really meaningful personal story.
I’m biased, but I do think that Obama understands that “policies” impact real people, in ways about which Romney seems to have not a clue.
And, in my opinion, that’s a critical difference between the two!
Gato
By: gatodicima on September 13, 2012
at 7:24 PM
You ladies Rock!!! I plan on voting fro Obama again!! Because he did what he promised & ended the wars my son’s orders for Afghanistan were cancelled!!! YAY!!! Lets vote all the Dems in & Repubs out!!! Keep on keeping on Ladies….
Peace
By: Linda Page on September 13, 2012
at 6:48 PM
Hi, Terri – You and I may pay them to compromise and cooperate… But the sorry truth seems to be that the people with the Really Big Bucks pay them to obstruct and defeat…
What’s that old saying…? FOLLOW THE MONEY. (You know that, I can tell.)
A very cool thing for me to see happening here, is how many people are really cutting to the chase, and getting beyond the crap. We had a lot of that crap happening here several days ago, and much of it seems to have gone away. That’s a good thing.
A good evening to all. Thank god I don’t have to stay up until midnight again tonight! And thanks to all for your thoughtfulness, and your willingness to share your thoughts.
Gato
By: gatodicima on September 8, 2012
at 8:07 PM
Recently I have been completely fed up with the GOP and their obstructionism. When you think of it, at a crucial time for our country’s fiscal health and future, they came to the deliberate decision that they were more interested in regaining power than helping its citizens and their duly elected President. They are so interested in making sure Obama isn’t relected that they would let millions of people suffer. We pay these people to compromise and cooperate. They are not doing their jobs. It is really reprehensible, and in my mind, unforgivable. President Obama has had a jobs program languishing in Congress for more than a year that would add 1 million jobs. The GOP won’t vote on it, instead they found time to vote more than 30 times to repeal the Affordable Health Act. I cannot take these people seriously any more. And I don’t want to hear any more of their phony outrage, phony facts, and phony piety. And I mean it. Really.
By: Terri in NY on September 7, 2012
at 1:31 PM
Amen, Sister!. Vote in Democrats. The Republicans have sent a clear message that they WILL NOT compromise. Vote them out.
By: Beth on September 7, 2012
at 1:27 PM
To etylerjc and Gato and all the rest of you like thinkers: I too was impressed with the speeches last night. It’s been hard to hear criticisms of what was or wasn’t said, what was taken out of the platform and put back in. That being said, the main concern I have now is that in addition to the actions to disenfranchise a large group of voters is the reality of our current system. Obama can’t do it alone; he’s not a dictator. He has to have cooperation, a word the Republicans seem to have removed from their dictionaries and compromise, a word they believe has only four letters! I have my own definition of compromise. You pull that word apart to make two words: ‘come’ and ‘promise’. I think of it and all politicians should think of it as ‘coming together with a promise’. A promise that includes the ability to give and take for the common good. Mitch McConnell set the tone when he said their goal was to make sure Obama was a one term president. Like pouting toddlers they’ve stuck to their guns and said “NO!” every chance they got without any concern for us or this great country. Which brings me to the best part: we’ve got to do everything we can to vote in every Democrat running for Congress. Obama can’t do it alone and, as we’ve seen, he can’t do it with a Republican Congress. The circus tent has been folded but the clowns are back in that car and they’re headed to a location near us. Now I understand why some people profess to a fear of clowns. I’ll never wear my own clown costume again without that hanging over me!
By: Terry Waggle on September 7, 2012
at 11:51 AM
Hi, Julie – And Terry, and Terri, and everybody else… We’re all good!
These are not easy times… I stayed up late to watch President Obama last night… and I was initially disappointed… But then I realized that it was because my expectations, and, yes, my HOPES, have been so high… Even he seemed to acknowledge that he realized that about himself… That he, like all of us, is flawed, and human. So, this morning, I find myself so impressed with, and inspired by, his MORAL COURAGE… To stand there, in front of an entire nation – and even the world – and acknowledge his own shortcomings… And to make it clear to all of us that he knows that, even with those flaws, he has been given – and accepted – the monumental job of serving as OUR PRESIDENT, and that, as such, he must continue to work, and strive, and try to do his best for all of us… Flaws and all.
This is so different from someone who (delusionally, in my opinion) seems to believe that he must tell us that he is right about everything; to insist that he knows what is best for everyone, and will not be challenged by anyone on any of his actions, and is insulted that anyone would even question him about anything… That he, unlike the rest of us, is without flaw, and has been “chosen” by his faith, by his god, or as some consequence of his father’s “failures”, to tell the rest of us what is right, good, and just…
That kind of person will draw those of like minds to him – and only those. The rest of us, who can live with the knowledge that we are not perfect, look elsewhere for leadership. And I think we’ve found it.
Gato
By: gatodicima on September 7, 2012
at 10:10 AM
I’m sure many of you were sitting there wiping your eyes as I was last night as Joe Biden was introduced by his son, as Gabby Giffords led the pledge of allegiance, honoring our military, and at so many, from-the-heart speeches. Every speech was so eloquent I thought. I watched the RNC too and I remember actually being impressed with a couple of speeches, but after the DNC, I honestly cannot remember them. My daughter would probably say it’s because my memory is going — at the ripe old age of 65, but hey, I read the other day that people with Alzheimers forget that they forget, and I still remember forgetting so maybe I’m okay for now. Anyway, there is just one itty-bitty thing I wish they had brought up in their talks and that is that they should not only vote Obama/Biden, but also vote DEMOCRATIC All.The.Way. Let’s get these obstructionists out of there!
By: etylerjc on September 7, 2012
at 9:11 AM