A Backhanded Defense of Mitt Romney

Romney has gone out of his way to point out that he left Bain Capital in 1999, so the Obama campaign claim that he was running it when the company liquidated (and fired the staffs of) a bunch of companies. So when the Boston Globe dug a little and found that Romney is listed as "sole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president" of the company until 2002 according to documents filed with the SEC, the Obama campaign ran with that in a big way.

My gut feeling is this is a non issue - I don't read SEC filings but he could have stopped running the company while still maintaining the need to have SOMEONE in those slots on the forms. Probably the company was run by an autonomous subordinate, but in order to avoid contractual problems they couldn't "promote" him for a few years. Plausible.

Where I can fault the Romney campaign is that they don't offer any evidence one way or the other. You can't just say, "I'm a politician, trust me." That's crazy talk. You know what might help? If we had access to 12 years of tax returns.

WND Thinks Blacks Should Be More Like Jews

You might think my title is a little offensive! If it helps, try to imagine it without "WND Thinks."

World Net Daily is right though. Have the blacks ever gotten it together enough to control the Banks and the Media? I don't think so! Sure somehow we don't have a Jew president yet, but that's just because the liberals hate Jews. Just kidding, this is a Christian nation.

Adults In the Room?

Okay, time for serious.

Yesterday I took issue with a guy on Facebook who was posting unflattering charicatures of democratic figures. This is an example:

Unlike the other democrat animals, Nancy Pelosi never had a childhood. She was simply spawned as an adult female dog, or Bitch.

"Klassy!" I responded. He asked if I was offended, and I said no more than you would be by people referring to George W. Bush as "Chimpy." And it degenerated from there. I know, you think it can't get lower than this but it can. Oh, it can.

He cited the terrible things Democrats have done as motivations for his sides terrible things, and I cited earlier terrible things to excuse those. In this way we both blamed others for our own immaturity.

In fact, I'll cop to one of my transgressions now: earlier this year I made fun of Chris Christie's weight, right here, on this blog. Rather than double down now, I will admit I was wrong, apologize to Governor Christie and all his fans, and promise to not do it again. All this without anyone demanding an apology, because that means something.

Now look, the rest of you. If you say something as stupid as I just admitted to because the other guys did it first, or they made you do it, know that it's a zero sum game. What you're admitting is that what they did wasn't so bad, because you forgive yourself for it. So if you're saying you're offended by their behavior, you're lying. And we can all agree that there's too much lying in politics. Don't stir more in.

Mitt Romney Addressed The NAACP This Morning

It's amazing they were able to be so loud when they were booing the affordable care act!

Former Genius Now Poindexter 4-Eyes

Now I think this Krohn kid would be pleasant to hang around with. I especially like that he isn't calling himself liberal. He's sensibly deciding on individual issues.

Predictably, the demonizing has begun.

The Most Arrogant Man In The World!

What's worse, he always apologizes for America! And he fails to lead!

 

They probably meant "uppity."

A Waste of Gunpowder and Sky

(Title from Aimee Mann, Fourth of July)

Don't get me wrong, I love the 4th of July as much as the next guy. You don't believe me, have a look at these pictures I just took at a celebration at Warner Ranch Park. Or listen to my Dark Meat show this week, all about the best goddamned country in the world.

What I don't like is fireworks.

I'm not afraid of them, like most dogs and a handful of children. I don't object to them as a war metaphor, like the hippies of my youth. Both fireworks AND football are fine with me if you want to enjoy 'em. Knock yourself out. It's just that, well, fireworks are boring.

Probably the thing is I think of a fireworks show as a show, a thing with a narrative, with a beginning, middle and end. And some time just before I hit puberty, I realized that it's always the same story. A firework goes off, another one does, pause, then another, then one that's louder but less visual, then a couple, then one, then after about twenty minutes they all go off at once. Then you all spend the next hour and a half trying to get to your car, and trying to leave the parking lot.

So I'm blogging alone in my apartment right now, listening to fireworks going off outside and trading quips on Facebook. This, to me, is where the action is.

Unraveling the Mystery of Obamacare

This morning I have a question for you: why is requiring car insurance for drivers good, but requiring health insurance for people who have bodies bad? A few possible answers.

1. Not all states require auto insurance, just 47 of them. If you want to drive, you can always move to New Hampshire; also Wisconsin or California if you're willing to put up an enormous bond.

2. If you're poor, well, stop driving. Driving is for rich people! If you are rich and a poor person rams into your car (probably by accident but they're getting pretty irate lately) you can afford to fix it yourself. Or sue the poor person for his... uh... well, why give money to a trial lawyer anyway?

This second point is nicely illustrated by this clip from Fox News Sunday, in which Mitch McConnell points out that if you wanted medical care, you'd make more money.


After all, the last thing we need is for the death panels to say that we should approve treatments for your retired-without-a-pension parents. What kind of strong society will that serve?

Apocalypse Now

I'm too overwhelmed this morning by the right wing response to the SCOTUS decision upholding "Obamacare" so I'm going to direct you to Wonkette's excellent summary. Bear in mind that Rush Limbaugh devoted some time today to complaining that the left is marginalizing the right by making them appear insane. The left, for example, might mock this tweet by Ben Shapiro:

This is the greatest destruction of individual liberty since Dred Scott. This is the end of America as we know it. No exaggeration.

Or me might ridicule the several people who weighed in with this dire threat. We'll miss you guys! Incidentally I've been watching a little CBC lately and it's distressingly like American TV, only milder.

I want to end on a positive note so kudos to John Boehner, who was able to keep his brethren in line. Didn't see any one of those guys spiking the ball!

The Platform

Mitt Romney, as you know, has no opinions of his own. When he refuses to comment on something it's not because he's being cagey; it's because he doesn't know yet what you want him to believe in. In any event, it matters less who is President than who has majorities in the House and Senate; those people are the ones who make all the laws. So what is the Republican platform?

Let's start with an actual platform, from the Texas State GOP.

We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.

So, they oppose critical thinking. (Yes, it's true that there is some background to this but if that's what they really mean, maybe put THAT in the platform.)

Huge amounts of money given by a corporation to a candidate cannot cause corruption. Well, that's good news! Go get 'em, Soros!

Death panels are bad, but it's great to kill off people who can't pay for medical care.

Science Wins Again

Now and then someone will question the science of Evolution, which is widely acknowledged. If you claim that it doesn't exist, then the burden of proof is on you, right? So how can you PROVE that there is no such thing as evolution? Finally a school in Westlake, Louisiana points out the obvious.

"Are dinosaurs alive today? Scientists are becoming more convinced of their existence. Have you heard of the 'Loch Ness Monster' in Scotland? 'Nessie' for short has been recorded on sonar from a small submarine, described by eyewitnesses, and photographed by others. Nessie appears to be a plesiosaur."

See? SEE? The very existence of the Loch Ness monster proves there's no such thing as evolution!   Case closed!

Quote Of The Day: Beyond That, Whatevs Edition

“He is the leader of our party from now until November."

- Mitch McConnell, explaining why he won't disagree with Romney about the Dream Act today.

More and more, Romney is starting to look like a good choice for President. He'll legislate like Obama (right toward the center), nothing significant will get done because the tea party will filibuster it (just like they do Obama) and he'll spend the next four years fighting with the Republicans. What's the difference? With Obama it's frustrating. With Romney, it would be hilarious.

A Piece Of Work

It would be great if he got to appear before female judges, yes?

Gretchen Carlson Deserts the War On Women

Female Fox Anchor Walks Off Set After Co-Host’s Sexist Joke: Don't let those women-hatin' Democrats on Fox And Friends upset you Gretchen! Run to the arms of Rush Limbaugh and let him talk you back down!

And make me a cup o' coffee, honey.

Republicans Learn That Non-Christian Is Also A Religion

You know how all those Republicans are insisting that we should offer vouchers so people can choose private schools instead of going to those Godless public ones? In New Orleans, that philosophy is hitting a little snag.

Rep. Kenneth Havard, R-Jackson, objected to including the Islamic School of Greater New Orleans in a list of schools approved by the education department to accept as many as 38 voucher students. Havard said he wouldn't support any spending plan that "will fund Islamic teaching.""I won't go back home and explain to my people that I supported this," he said.
"It'll be the Church of Scientology next year," said Rep. Sam Jones, D-Franklin.
Carter, R-Baton Rouge, said the Islamic school withdrew its request to participate in the voucher program.
"They're not interested. The system works," he said.

So basically vouchers for all private schools as long as the government approves the curriculum? If only there was a system of schools that already had government approval, maybe a system that costs less than the private school system! 

White On White Crime *UPDATED*

I dunno, what do you think. Is this the way that Stand Your Ground is supposed to work?

*UPDATE*  Reassuringly even a Texas Jury has decided that stand your ground doesn't apply to this case. I'm honestly a little less worked up about the law now, if such obvious violations can be seen as such. Of course, if those neighbors had been wearing hoodies, maybe they'd still be in chambers, deciding.

No, the DEMOCRATS Are Waging War On Cops

Mitt Romney said this late last week: “[Obama] says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers,” said Romney. “Did he not get the message of Wisconsin? The American people did. It’s time for us to cut back on government and help the American people.” He didn't mean to imply that we don't need more firemen, policemen or teachers though. Although everybody knows they are unionized, and therefore union thugs.

But if you're trend-watching, note that it is a Republican who has finally made a move to put these union cop thugs in their place: Mitch Daniels.

Governor Mitch Daniels, a Republican, has authorized changes to a 2006 legislation that legalizes the use of deadly force on a public servant — including an officer of the law — in cases of “unlawful intrusion.” Proponents of both the Second and Fourth Amendments — those that allow for the ownership of firearms and the security against unlawful searches, respectively — are celebrating the update by saying it ensures that residents are protected from authorities that abuse the powers of the badge. 

Although critics have been quick to condemn the law for opening the door for assaults on police officers, supporters say that it is necessary to implement the ideals brought by America’s forefathers. Especially, argue some, since the Indiana Supreme Court almost eliminated the Fourth Amendment entirely last year. During the 2011 case of Barnes v. State of Indiana, the court ruled that a man who assaulted an officer dispatched to his house had broken the law before there was “no right to reasonably resist unlawful entry by police officers.” In turn, the National Rifle Association lobbied for an amendment to the Castle Doctrine to ensure that residents were protected from officers that abuse the law to grant themselves entry into private space.

Thank God we're safe now, and a guy cooking meth in his place can shoot first and ask questions later! Finally, cops will take the trouble to hamstring themselves with warrants before they make a move! Just like Republicans have always wanted.

A Little Something to Look Forward To In The Fall

“I like the platform that we have right now. I’m concerned that Ron Paul and some of his supporters out there are looking for a platform fight. And I want to make sure that we have strong, principled conservatives there who stood with me in our primary fight to go there and counterbalance the effect of the Paul folks,” said Mr. Santorum on ABC’s This Week. 

The Pennsylvania Republican, who exited the race for the Republican nomination in late April, has endorsed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney — the presumptive Republican nominee. While Mr. Santorum says he plans to support Mr. Romney’s bid, in recent days a growing divide between Mr. Santorum and Mr. Paul has grown.

I can think of no better time for the Republican party platform to be publicly influenced by Santorum and Paul than AS CLOSE TO THE ELECTION AS POSSIBLE. America loves those guys! That's why they're doing so well in the primaries.

Speculation that Mr. Paul could use his delegates to influence the direction of the Republican Party comes just one week after his campaign released an email saying they plan to send upwards of 200 to 500 delegates that could persuade Mr. Romney to change his policy.

Look up the definition of "overkill" in the dictionary, and you'll find using any kind of persuasion to make Mitt Romney to change his policy.

A Great Visual Metaphor

This is how Republicans treat health care law - instead of helping to craft it, they shoot holes into it so they can get votes.

Colbert Nails It Again

Check out the illustration - bears ARE the nation's number one threat!