Bitter Leavings

I was watching Hardball on MSNBC this afternoon when host Chris Matthews did a segment titled "Whatever Happened to John McCain?" He quoted extensively from a Time Magazine article written by Joe Klein, in regards to McCain's opposition to the Dream Act and his crusade against repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

McCain distinguished himself doubly this weekend, opposing the Dream Act and leading the opposition to "Don't Ask," despite the very public positions of his wife and daughter on the other side of the issue. I used to know a different John McCain, the guy who proposed comprehensive immigration reform with Ted Kennedy, the guy--a conservative, to be sure, but an honorable one--who refused to indulge in the hateful strictures of his party's extremists. His public fall has been spectacular, a consequence of politics--he "needed" to be reelected--and personal pique. He's a bitter man now, who can barely tolerate the fact that he lost to Barack Obama. But he lost for an obvious reason: his campaign proved him to be puerile and feckless, a politician who panicked when the heat was on during the financial collapse, a trigger-happy gambler who chose an incompetent for his vice president. He has made quite a show ever since of demonstrating his petulance and lack of grace.

I've felt that way about McCain for many years, but didn't quite know how to verbalize it effectively. Bravo, Joe Klein.

For more, read the entire Swampland blog entry written by Joe Klein titled Two Dreams, One Dead.

Healthcare Parity

I've always been an advocate of Congress relinquishing their benefits as Americans struggle to survive in the current economy. As lawmakers make or block decisions that affect millions, why should they reap the benefits of healthcare, hefty salaries and pensions as their constituents flounder? See Collective Ineptitude, Power to the People, Malice McCain and Healthcare Foes.

I'm glad to see someone has taken it a step further by creating a petition:

• Repeal THEIR healthcare: GOP leaders want to repeal health reform? Let the hypocrites start by giving up their OWN government sponsored care.

Credo Action's petition reads:

Senator McConnell and Congressman Boehner, I am calling on you and your fellow Republicans in Congress to practice what you preach, and to give up your government-sponsored health care.

For two years, you opposed any effort at reasonable reform and derided attempts to help tens of millions of uninsured Americans as "socialist." And yet, you seem to have no problem at all accepting government-sponsored health care for yourselves.

Practice what you preach, and stop being hypocrites. You want to repeal health care reform? Fine, start by repealing your own.

Signing the petition certainly can't hurt. Nothing else seems able to spurn the right-wing into action.

Uphill Spread

How sick is the current atmosphere of "compromise" being conducted in Washington DC? Right-wing legislators will now cave on extending unemployment benefits only after President Obama agrees to extend Bush tax cuts for the rich.

What the hell? Why not take the money saved from denying tax cuts to the rich and giving it over to the common folk who can't find jobs?

When I saw the sour-faced Mitch McConnell on Meet the Press on Sunday, I had the strong urge to vomit. This sorry excuse for a man went on about the voters "having spoken" during the elections last month. Where were the Republicans when the voters spoke during the 2008 election? Did they listen to the voters then? No, they did everything in their power to block everything President Obama tried to do to help the American people.

I detest prejudice in every form, but I can say without equivocation that I hate the Republicans and all they stand for. Their party needs to be abolished, or better yet, taken down by angry public mobs. The GOP doesn't deserve to be taken seriously. Their self-serving agenda is enough to turn normally rational and decent people into snarling, livid beasts.

Wing Nut Clog

I think it's the right-wing media's plan to clog the airwaves with garbage. By highlighting ridiculous stories, they probably hope to keep President Obama and his administration so busy debunking rumors that his agenda will not be carried out.

• Attacks on President Obama Going to Asia: A Long Trip from Reality

Why didn't anyone raise a fuss at the cost of George W. Bush's 160-plus excursions to his private ranch in Texas during the eight years he was in office?

Paid for with tax dollars, I might add.

Memory Loss

Most of the election results are a huge disappointment, and prove the voting public has short memories.

Hopefully the tide will turn by the time the Presidential election rolls around two years hence. It took folks two years to erase facts in regards to Republicans causing our current economic mess. Perhaps it will take another two years to jog their memories to what happened the last time right-wingers were in the majority.

It's bound to end in a reversal in 2012. Republicans have no intention of addressing the needs of common people across the country. They just don't give a damn, and never have. Their non-actions will surely reawaken the general populace in due course.

Down to the Wire

Similar to my thoughts from last Friday:

• Obama: Agenda 'all at risk' in any Republican romp

And on a lighter note:

• Five Signs Your Campaign Is Toast

Enjoy or bemoan at your leisure.

Ad Weary

I'm so sick and tired of campaign ads on television, prerecorded telephone calls from various local and national candidates and an influx of crap – yes, I said crap – flooding my email inbox at the moment, I could care less who wins the various elections anymore.

And what difference will any of the elections make, really? As long as there are Republicans in the mix, nothing of great importance will get accomplished in Congress anyway.

If people used their brains instead of their silly prejudices as a basis for voting, the common folk might stand a chance.

However, we're all screwed in the current political environment.

On the Job

Some folks are making a big to-do about the fact that several figures in the Obama administration have resigned recently.

If they paid attention to history, it shows many key personnel resigned after a few years in almost every presidential administration. People burn out, plain and simple. Not many can keep the pace of twenty-hour days without time off to rest. Most of the resignations have nothing to do with internal division issues, but rather with personal well-being and other, less stressful, opportunities.

If only the rest of us had such problems.

GOP Frothing

How can the GOP claim to have solutions for job creation and spending control when it was one of their own - namely George W. Bush – who got us into the current mess in the first place?

In addition, their plan to repeal President Obama's healthcare law will only intensify problems with the economy as more uninsured people show up in emergency rooms for general care.

The right-wing's overreaction and overreach is symbolic of their inability to address serious issues facing America. They make a big to-do about solving problems and then sit on their hands and accomplish absolutely nothing. The sickest aspect of their display is that certain types of people follow their every word as if it were gospel, frothing at the mouth and seizing on any excuse to discredit the president and his agenda.

Block FOX

A very worthwhile place to visit:



From the site:

We don't have to let Fox's attempts to stoke fear and hate shape our country's politics and culture. It's easy to turn off Fox News in our own homes — but when TVs in public places are tuned to Fox, that also spreads fear, division, and misinformation. Turn Off Fox is about ordinary people and small businesses working together to reduce Fox's influence in their own communities and across the country.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Foes of the People

After almost two years of offering little in the way of alternative solutions, the GOP finally gives their best:

• GOP Claims $50 Billion For Infrastructure Is Too Pricey, While Pushing $800 Billion Tax Cut For the Rich

According to Think Progress' Wonk Room:

In fact, extending the Bush tax cuts provides just 10 to 40 cents in economic activity for every dollar spent, compared with up to $1.20 for a dollar spent on infrastructure. As CBO said: "a permanent extension [of the Bush tax cuts] would entail large revenue losses after the recovery is over, so its effects on output and employment in the next few years per dollar of total budgetary cost would be much lower."

In typical selfish fashion, Republicans opt to protect their own interests rather than those of the constituents who elected them. It also shows blatant mockery of the level of public intelligence, which is erroneously and yet gleefully touted as
"the will of the people."

More Hand Sitting

Rather than do the jobs they were elected to do, this best describes the goal of the right-wing in Congress for the next few years:

• Rep. (Jim) Jordan: If GOP wins the House, we won't get anything done except frame the 2012 election

They've been doing that already, the minute Barack Obama walked into the White House as President. The republican members of Congress have accomplished absolutely nothing since 2008, so why should the next two years be any different?

However, they do like to spread lies and innuendo, sit on their hands when it comes time to help the American people, and generally disdain those who voted them into office.

Why formulate good policy when they can lull their constituents into voting for them, therefore allowing non-action and the collection of huge paychecks/pensions/health benefits from the taxpayers?

More Right-Wing Kaflooey

What kind of reality are these nut jobs living in?

• Maybe Obama Should Go To Church More Publicly So People Know He's Christian

If possible, the right-wing just keeps getting freakier.

Last Linkage

I really hate the new layout at the MSNBC web site. It's not exactly new – perhaps a month or two old – but the more I use it to read or to reference a political article, the more I dislike it.

The pages are slower to load, probably due to increased graphic advertisements. In the past, MSNBC displayed articles on one page with reference links to additional and related information. Now articles are displayed in portions if they are a tad overlong, with the option of "show more text." Frankly, showing more text just provides MSNBC with the opportunity to force in videos and yet more advertisements.

Since I don't particularly care about the happenings in my local area, I'll continue to get my news from MSNBC-TV because I find them to be a highly credible source (as opposed to the blatant deceit perpetuated by Fixed News).

However, I'm through perusing and linking to the MSNBC web site articles.

Manic Diatribe

See Republican rants up close and personal:

• Republicans in their Own Words

Per the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC): "We're sure you've heard about all the extremist Senate candidates the Republicans are running this year. In case you've missed a few, we here at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee - the branch of the Democratic Party dedicated to electing Democrats to the Senate - would like to provide you with an introduction. Read their quotes, and then pass them along to your family and friends. We simply can't let these people gain power."

I wholeheartedly agree.

And another goody:

• Meet the GOP

Per J.B. Poersch, Executive Director of the DSCC: "Republicans are running to take our country back. This argument infuriates me. It's as much our country as it is the Republicans'. It's not theirs to take back."

Hallelujah!

More Righty Spew

I used to like Ted Nugent, and even saw him in concert in Reno a very long time ago, but the man's political views repulse me. He's entitled to his opinion just like anyone else, but its people of his ilk who represent the fanatical element of the right-wing. Frothing at the mouth, you might say, with very little to offer in the way of rationality.

Nugent's recent comment that we have "a clueless, rookie president hellbent on spending like a maniac as unprecedented debt piles up all around him" is hypocrisy in the extreme. Where was Nugent when George W. Bush was spending like a drunken sailor, or when the economy crashed with Bush at the helm?

And to think I wasted my hard-earned money on a few of his albums, not to mention one forgettable concert.

Froth at a Glance

I've been swamped with work for the past month or so, which is a poor excuse at best for not keeping current with my political blogging. However, in my defense, not much new has been happening in the continuum other than typical right-wing froth and boring attempts to further discredit the president and his administration on all fronts.

There are some days I don't even listen to the news because it seems to be much of the same, day after day. I'm not referring to the oil spill, but to the ongoing and tiresome divisiveness between political parties.

Here are some little treasures that caught my eye this morning:

• Utah radio station drops Hannity from its lineup, possibly for being uncivil.
• Hoekstra skips unemployment extension vote for country club fundraiser, even as unemployment sits at 13.6%.
• 17 senators from states with double-digit jobless rates repeatedly vote to filibuster unemployment benefits.

And is this any surprise?

• Bush is the worst president of the modern era, bottom five of all time

He joins illustrious company with Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Warren Harding and Andrew Johnson, who round out the bottom five.

However, the topper last week came from the typically verbose and scarily irrational Rush Limbaugh: "We are now governed by people who do not like the country; our greatest threat is internal." He is also convinced President Obama has no intention of growing private sector jobs because it's "payback" time for years of racial injustice in America.

His babble is suggestive of the Republican mindset. The worst part is people actually listen to him, and believe what he says to be gospel.

I hope to see the day when the GOP has rational representation, although such an event is highly doubtful.

Collective Ineptitude

If the "real" emergency facing the country is the growing national debt rather than expiring unemployment benefits, as Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has said, why doesn't he and his fellow-lawmakers forego their salaries and benefit packages until every American who wants to work has found a job?

• To woo votes, Democrats scale back jobless aid

If Congress wants to scale down or cut off unemployment benefits, why not stop their own salaries first – which we pay, by the way – until every American can put food on the table for their families and children? Why should the so-called lawmakers be allowed to live comfortably off the backs of their constituents while people are going bankrupt, losing their homes or suffering without health insurance?

At this point, every last member of Congress makes me sick. They are socially retarded, out of touch with reality and the common people. Why doesn't someone – anyone - get off their ass and speak the truth for a change?

God forbid they should go without. I'm sure none of them have to worry about where to sleep tonight, or stress over what's going to be on the dinner table for their families.

Tit for Tat

Republicans have always been ultra-sensitive to the criticism launched at George W. Bush during Hurricane Katrina. Bush's non-responsive actions during the crisis nearly five years ago marked the lowest point of his so-called presidency, aside from engaging the United States in the Iraq War.

Rather than expressing sincere concern about the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, right-wingers such as congressman Mike Pence from Indiana couldn't wait to get on television to bemoan "the lack of response from the Obama administration." Others stated that the oil spill is "Obama's Katrina."

From Paul Krugman at the New York Times:

"…Much of the press floated the idea that this was "Obama's Katrina" despite the fact that the administration responded as quickly as anyone could reasonably have expected, and anyway there wasn't much it could do.

What I didn't quite expect, however, was the extent of revisionism I'm seeing about Katrina itself. Again and again, I'm seeing people claiming that tales of Bush administration failure were just a falsehood spread by the liberal media, that those left-wing crazies were blaming Bush for an act of God…"

For once, I wish the right-wing would display just a smidge of real concern instead of jumping on the "take-a-stab-at-Obama" bandwagon.

They are profoundly pathetic and utterly transparent.

Speaking Volumes

This man typifies the true right-wing:

• Rand Paul/Rachel Maddow interview

Paul is just dumb enough to open his mouth and say what he thinks, unlike some of his GOP counterparts. Most right-wingers at least have the sense not to spew their hateful and intolerant rhetoric, knowing it will repulse the majority of informed voters.

Ironic Truths

The ironic truth:

• What if the Teabaggers weren't white?

Can you imagine the hellacious furor from right wing-nuts if the majority of teabaggers were African-American and carried loaded guns to their public rallies?

Thanks for the link via Rebecca's Pocket.

Post Surgery Note

My own recent hospital stay makes me wonder, yet again, how people survive in the United States without health insurance.

As I said: Every American who is not living in extreme right-wing denial knows that the money itself is more important to insurance companies than the actual health of individual human beings.

No wonder the rest of the world is appalled by America as a nation "caring" for her people.

Southern Hospitality

This was bound to happen sooner or later, unfortunately:

• Man faces judge after Obama gun scare: Armed 23-year-old was spotted at N.C. airport as Air Force One departed

It figures one of the first nut jobs would pop up in the south.

Money First, Health Later

Whoever wrote this for French President Nicolas Sarkozy should be given a gold star:

Welcome to the club of states who don't turn their back on the sick and the poor. In reference to the US healthcare hullabaloo.

And:

From the European perspective…when we look at the American debate on reforming health care, it's difficult to believe. The very fact that there should have been such a violent debate simply on the fact that the poorest of Americans should not be left out in the streets without a cent to look after them is something astonishing to us.

More importantly, Sarkozy said:

If you come to France and something happens to you, you won't be asked for your credit card before you're rushed to the hospital.

His words rang in my ears yesterday as I pre-registered for surgery at a local hospital. Almost at once, I was asked for $700. The amount was based on my healthcare insurance deductible and on a percentage of what the surgery will cost. When I informed the admitting clerk I did not have that kind of money, she rushed off to find a "financial counselor."

The issue was finally resolved, but not before the "financial counselor" made the rather cold side-remark of "you should be aware of your insurance and benefits before arranging surgery."

After she left, I turned to the admitting clerk and said: "Would it be easier if I went outside and fell down in front of the hospital in order to get treatment?"

She shook her head. "No. They'd probably just ship you to another hospital."

Nice.

The State of Hell No

My summary of the GOP:

• They do not accept Barack Obama as President even though he won the election in a landslide. However, in order to maintain "appearances" they publicly address him as "President."
• They refuse to acknowledge the new law of the land as "healthcare reform," preferring to call it "Obama-care."
• Rather than moving ahead to other issues, they are belching "repeal and replace" on healthcare even though they don't have a chance in hell of winning the argument. That's acceptable to them, apparently – they don't have to create their own solutions or work for the people who elected them.
• They spread lies and misinformation in order to confuse and anger their constituencies instead of rationally giving them the truth.
• They are prime-grade hypocrites: refusing to take stimulus money from the outset, only to perform a quick turnaround when it becomes obvious people in their states need the assistance. Assuredly they didn't eventually accept stimulus money out of concern for their constituents, but rather in fear of re-election failure.
• They rant and rave about abortions being funded by the government (another misnomer) because they don't want the self-described immorality of it shoved down their throats. On the other hand, they don't mind shoving their beliefs down the throats of those who are pro-choice.
• They incite the less-educated echelon of their constituencies into frenzies over President Obama's legitimacy as a US citizen or portray him as a Hitler-like caricature. In doing so, they reveal that their goal is to reach one of the mentally unsound fanatics in hopes they go off the deep end and actually take a shot at the President.
• They offer-up Sarah Palin as their darling even though the woman is as dumb as a rock. If she's the best they have, their hate and denial mode is beyond repair. Just look at the crackpots who attend the "Tea Party" rallies – their glazed eyes and often unintelligible ravings tell the whole story better than anything or anyone else can.
• Their new moniker, thanks to John Boehner: The Party of Hell No.

Although a tad unrelated, I'm at an age where I don't want escalating drama in my life. The other day a friend asked me if I would ever date a Republican or otherwise conservative man, and I responded with a resolute "No."

I am an informed voter, a political junkie if you will, and I keep abreast of an assortment of issues. With news coming in instant media these days, I cannot imagine anyone else's argument swaying me in either direction because I draw my own conclusions. In other words, I am not interested in a debate over right-wing and left-wing policies and credos because I do remain informed. High drama and screaming matches are a waste of time and accomplish absolutely nothing in my mind, and I have come to the point in my personal life where I will make room for neither. Just ask my three ex-husbands.

That being said, I cannot imagine anyone in their right mind abetting and condoning violence and hate rhetoric the way Republicans do. Blinded by greed and potential political advancement, human life and circumstance means nothing to them.

Eviction Notice

I truly hope Republicans keep on their chosen path:

• United stand on health bill could hurt GOP: While electorate seems skeptical of legislation, some provisions are popular

From the article by Adam Nagourney via the New York Times:

[And] in a week when Democrats are celebrating the passage of a historic piece of legislation, Republicans find themselves again being portrayed as the party of no, associated with being on the losing side of an often acrid debate and failing to offer a persuasive alternative agenda.

Come November, it won't be Americans turning out in droves to validate GOP stance but rather to firmly evict them.

Bitter Ooze

This man's bitterness knows no bounds:

• McCain repulsed by health care bill euphoria

What's he repulsed by? That the insurance companies can no longer cut people off when they become seriously ill or deny them coverage if they have pre-existing conditions? That Democrats are giddy because they managed to sweep by the Party of No to get something accomplished that truly benefits the American people?

Or is he "repulsed" that voters showed him the door during the presidential election in 2008, thereby robbing him of the chance to shine when healthcare reform finally saw the light of day?

If I were John McCain, I'd worry more about the upcoming reelection campaign in Arizona. The fact that he voted against healthcare reform might not sit too well with his long-held constituents, who have also been long-suffering to say the least.

Dubious Blower

"Historian" Richard Shenkman claimed on MSNBC this morning that the healthcare bill does not compare in historical importance to the passage of Social Security and Medicare.

From under what rock did this moron crawl from?

Suggestion that his rhetoric has been questioned before:

• "Historian" Richard Shenkman Distorts History

Although I've never heard of Shenkman before today, I'll bet the lot he's another right-wing fanatic against anything President Obama has a hand in.

How does the historic overhaul of our pathetic healthcare system not rate up against Social Security and Medicare?

True Colors

The collective mentality of tea baggers, birthers, right-wingers, et al, is finally and irrevocably revealed:

• Demonstrators hurl N-word, spit at black members of Congress

True colors will out.

Power to the People

I reiterate: Until a substantial and legitimate healthcare bill passes, members of Congress should be denied their own medical insurance coverage. Perhaps this would light a fire underneath their seats and force them to get the job done.

I've heard it mentioned by certain commentators on political television sideshows, albeit briefly, and the notion is quickly dismissed. No one wants to explore the possibility of non-coverage for members of Congress, and I don't understand why. As voters, we have the power. Let's hold our elected government representatives feet to the fire until they accomplish something, once and for all.

Perhaps I sound like a raving lunatic, but I know I'm not the only one who feels the frustration and anger at the lack of action in D.C.

I am sick and tired of the time-wasting vitriol going back and forth between members of the Democratic and Republican parties. Each one of them likes to begin their argumentative statements with "The American people want…" They have no idea what the American people want, or they would be doing it instead of prolonging the process with rehashed debates.

Let one of their children or spouse go without health insurance coverage for awhile and see how fast something happens.

Malice McCain

Against my better judgment, I listened to the Healthcare Summit on MSNBC this morning. It goes without saying I was hesitant to tune-in because my expectations included typical right-wing denial and disagreement.

Of course I wasn't far off the mark, but I was still disappointed. I truly thought the right-wing would pull their fingers out for the public; to at least try and display a smidge of cooperation or a desire to legitimately participate in the summit. Even on live television, the Republicans cannot set aside their hatred of President Obama and work for the people who elected them.

However, there was an entertaining moment in the morning session. So far, it's my favorite scene from the summit:

In [another] sharp exchange, onetime GOP presidential nominee Senator John McCain suggested that Obama had broken his campaign promise to make the legislative process transparent.

"We're not campaigning anymore," Obama retorted to his 2008 presidential campaign rival. "The election is over."

Another irritation was the reference to the health insurance coverage currently enjoyed by members of Congress and federal employees. As taxpayers, we pay for the lot. Why should members of Congress have the best insurance coverage in the nation while others go without?

Perhaps senators and congressmen/women should forego their own health benefits and excessive pensions in order to save the average taxpayer a few dollars. The money saved could be put into a big pot to cover American citizens in need of healthcare rather than the over-privileged and self-involved members of Congress.

Party Face

Interesting article:

• Your Political Party: Written on Your Face

Funny, I also tend to assume someone's political party from their demeanor. I don't mean to boast, but more often than not I get it right.

From the article by Andrew Price:

...Republicans' faces tended to score higher on a measure of "power," based on how dominant and mature they looked. Democrats' faces scored higher for "warmth," as based on their perceived likeability and trustworthiness.

However, I don't assume on "power" or "warmth." To me, Republicans have a particular air that relates to several extreme religions: a blank, glazed stare; holier-than-thou stance; rigidness, and self-styled superiority. None of which exemplifies knowledge and common sense.

Repulsive, yes, but that’s the way of it.

Credit Foul

This is an issue that defies belief:

• Bad credit sidelines some jobless workers

How on earth can one protect their credit rating when they can't find work to pay the bills? Is having an avalanche of unpaid medical bills because of lack of insurance and employment an indicator of job skills or work ethics?

And whose bright idea was it to include credit rating as hiring criteria? It has nothing to do with job performance, and frankly is not the business in any way, shape or form of one's employer.

Media Recoil

I have reached a point where I avoid television news coverage like the plague.

I am saturated with negative, vitriolic and pointless repartee between political parties. The selfish bastards – Democrats and Republicans alike – are thinking of their own careers and questionable agendas, not of doing the jobs their constituents elected them to do.

It seems as if every bit of "live" commentary rehashes the same old issues, where focus is placed on the ridiculous rather than the serious problems at hand.

I've even stopped listening to my beloved MSNBC as I work at my computer during the day. They have become just as bad as CNN by allowing the flow of nasty back-and-forth.

I'll get my news in quiet internet fashion from now on, or until the hogwash subsides.

To the Curb

The current sense of glee from certain members of the GOP is a bit premature, if you ask me. Most right-wing numb-nuts think the retirement of several key Democrats in government signals their death knell in the next election.

I have a different position on recent events. The general public is tired of the non-action in Washington, period. It doesn't matter if representatives are Democrat or Republican at this point. When the business of the nation is stalled because of pure obstructionism and self-interest, no one really cares about the nature of the party anymore.

Prediction: Come election time, I believe most incumbents will lose their seats because of their non-accomplishment and newly-elected officials will reflect the opposite party of their opponents.

Put simply, the "people" are sick and tired of being treated like idiots and receiving nothing in return from the people they voted into office. It's time to kick the bums to the curb, no matter how long they have held their privileged seats.

Handy Tea Bag

Is it any wonder this woman is not taken seriously?

• Did Palin write the answers to Tea Party Convention questions on her hand?

She was caught red-handed, so to speak.

I did not watch the Tea Party paid-speech on television, unwilling to listen to more right-wing nonsense or rather more of the same uneducated gobbledygook.

However, of the few hundred present in the room I'm sure there must have been glee in the knowledge they scored Palin - for a fee, mind you.

I believe it underscores the tea-party-goers' deep-seated and bigoted hatred of President Obama more than anything else and not their proclaimed disagreements over his policies.

Swine Club

The ignorance of this man knows no bounds:

• After Calling the Stimulus 'Fiscal Child Abuse,' Sanford Flies To DC to Demand Stimulus Money

I am not a resident of South Carolina and therefore have no real interest in their internal issues. However, since Mark Sanford's "scandal" last year I think he would want to draw as little attention to himself as possible. The man is a joke, both morally and politically. Because of his self-inflicted personal drama, hypocrisy and dubious governing, he has no real credibility – kind of like one of his right-wing comrades.

On that note, last night I found myself watching ABC's "news" program 20/20. It's not my typical viewing choice for a Friday evening, but after a bit of channel-surfing following Medium, I came across Jenny Sanford speaking to Barbara Walters about her marriage.

One word kept coming to mind as I listened to the poor woman talk about her husband and her life with him. Pig. The man is a pig. Not only did Jenny Sanford give up a promising career to marry the dumb bastard, she devoted herself to his political ambitions. In all likelihood, her selfless efforts propelled him into congress and into the South Carolina governorship.

And what does she get in return? A self-involved philanderer who had the utter bloodlessness to declare his mistress "soul mate" in front of the world after he was caught out in his lies. Instead of honoring his wife's loyalty and devotion to him, Sanford tromped on her like she was a piece of garbage instead of returning the respect she was due.

Self-entitlement and moral ineptitude is not confined to the right-wing. At the moment I'm also disgusted by the behavior of John Edwards, although he was never at the top of my choice of presidential candidates.

I'm not one to tout anything done by members of the right-wing, but the actions of Jenny Sanford following the scandal made her different from the rest. Instead of "standing by her man," she left him in the dust - which is where he belongs.

For that she should be applauded.

GOP Charity

The right-wing definition of humanity:

• SC Lt. Gov. compares people getting government help to stray animals that breed because they don't know better

When will the people who keep voting for Republicans get the message?

Stating the Obvious

Yikes! Another "news flash" from the right:

• Hatch Admits Hypocrisy: "A Lot of Things Weren't Paid For" When Republicans Ran Congress During Bush Years

Although I don't care for the man or his policies, at least Orrin Hatch admits GOP failings and hypocrisy. Perhaps a bit of his late friend Ted Kennedy rubbed off after all.

Pins & Needles

Although I don't live in Massachusetts, I'm keeping an eye on the Senate election there with great trepidation.

There has been enough brainwash and outright lies from the right-wing to perhaps sway some people away from the left at this point. It's hard for me to fathom that anyone would want a Republican in an office held for decades by a Democrat in one form or another, much less allowing right-wing policies that are proven failures into the mix.

I understand people are frustrated by the lack of jobs and the enormous amounts of money being thrown at various social issues. The fractured healthcare system, as it limps along, is not much help, either.

However, those same people seem to have forgotten that the current troubles originated with the Bush regime and have little to do with President Obama. Our current President was stuck with the mistakes and poor governing of the previous administration, and yet in the one year he has held office he has devoted his energies to fixing the serious problems afflicting the United States.

The quandary is he cannot fix all of the massive and complicated issues overnight. No one could. Unraveling eight years of failed policies will probably take his entire term as President, and then some.

Here's a bit of history on the Massachusetts Republican candidate from Think Progress:

• Brown stands by supporting a tax-subsidized golf course over 9/11 rescue workers
• Scott Brown Denies Asserting That Obama Was Born Out Of Wedlock, Refuses To Apologize
• Brown supporters trying to suppress vote by bullying

If the people of Massachusetts vote a Republican into the US Senate, the issues and problems will only become muddied by venomous rhetoric and non-action. The right-wing record stands on its own: the Party of No will continue to block progress, not caring one whit for the welfare of the American people but rather in furthering their own political agendas.

Nuts Afloat

It figures this nut job would appear on Fixed News:

• Pat Robertson Cites Haiti's Earthquake As What Happens When You Swear A Pact To The Devil

The right-wing bats are out in full force. How can anyone in their right mind assume an entire country deserves ruination and death for any reason?

Southern Discomfort

This display is the result of uneducated people who have too much time on their hands and ignoramuses who allow generational hatred to continue:

• Secret Service investigating effigy of President Obama hanged in Georgia

Any sort of "message" to be derived from the twisted exhibit is that certain echelons of people in certain parts of the nation give credence to the common perception about them: toothpick-chewing country bumpkins who have no sense of human decency and who are easily led by the wide array of right-wing nuts surrounding them.

And yet they still wonder why the mainstream population never takes them seriously.