Dim Contagion

Does the ignorance of this woman ever improve?

• Outrageas Michele Bachmann says Anthony Weiner's wife Huma Abedin may be aiding the Muslim Brotherhood

More about John McCain: When he and Barack Obama were running their presidential campaigns four years ago, I wrote a blog entry entitled "Spec of Light" on 10/11/08:

I was stunned last night when I witnessed John McCain defend Barack Obama not once but twice, when two nut-jobs attending one of his rally's flew off the handle (re: Obama is involved with terrorists, or is an Arab/Muslim). Both are ridiculous misconceptions, but I suppose uneducated people cannot be expected to know any better.

At any rate, I could not believe my eyes and ears when the videotape showed McCain defending Obama, claiming he was a "decent person and a person who you do not have to be scared as president of the United States" and "not a Muslim."

I used to respect John McCain even though I never agreed with his beliefs or strategy. He was once an honest man with more integrity than the average public servant in the United States Senate. That honest man disappeared when the current presidential campaign became an ugly morass of innuendo and outright lies. I lost complete respect for McCain and viewed him as desperate and pathetic, willing to do anything – even sacrificing his principles – in order to become president.

A bit of that honest and decent man peeked through again last night when he defended Obama in front of his supporters, as if he could no longer stand the lies and subterfuge which are so removed from his normal character. I think it was the first time I witnessed honesty in him in the last several months, and one of the few occasions when I saw him as self-assured and someone I would be willing to listen to.

JohnMcCain is perhaps the only decent member of the GOP left standing. While I may not agree with his political views, I do appreciate his basic humanity and integrity. It is all too rare these days.

*POSCTSCRIPT 07/22/12: Fallout from Bachmann's irresponsible and unfounded claims > Anthony Weiner's wife threatened by New Jersey man after Muslim Brotherhood allegations. Is she happy now?

Books & Taxes

They get you sooner or later…is nothing sacred from the taxman?

• E-BooksRemain Tax Evaders — for Now

According to Smart Moneyz: "Republican governors are gradually easing their longtime opposition to sales taxes on online purchases. This will push up the price for the wide variety of tangible goods sold on sites like Amazon. Most Americans who read books on their Kindles, Nooks and iPads have been exempt from taxes, but getting a piece of such sales may be irresistible to cash-strapped governments, experts say. 'It's become too big a market to ignore,' says Carolynn Iafrate Kranz, chief operating officer at Industry Sales Tax Solutions."

Sales tax on online purchases of e-books is not really a left or right-wing issue collectively, but just another way of dinging the pleasures of reading many of us enjoy.

Healthcare Notes

I must be one of the few who applauds the Supreme Court's decision to uphold President Obama's Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (PPACA), according to various members of the GOP. If we take the right-wing seriously, by now most of us should be convinced President Obama is not an American and is hell bent on destroying the country via intrusion of government into our lives, among other things. Phooey!

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor appeared on Morning Joe today to disparage the decision. One of his oft-repeated phrases was "Americans don’t like this bill." Is he speaking for us in general, or just his narrow constituency cluster? Has he – or any other notable Republican – ever gone without health insurance or faced a financial catastrophe because of an illness?

First Thoughts made a good point:

Romney made this argument after the decision: "vote for me because I will repeal the health-care law." But is repeal a realistic outcome? On "Morning Joe," House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said that Senate Republicans could do it through reconciliation. But conservative writer David Frum argues that Republicans would no longer have the high political ground; they'd find themselves in the same position Democrats did in 2009-2010. "Suddenly it will be their town halls filled with outraged senior citizens whose benefits are threatened; their incumbencies that will be threatened."

On a related note, many politicians were against the idea of "social insurance" (aka Social Security) when President Franklin Roosevelt introduced a limited form of benefits in the 1930s. Detractors of the program called it "socialism," even though it excluded women and minorities at the time. Can you imagine what would happen if social security benefits were taken away from the American people now? Not only would there be an uprising of epic proportions, it would likely plunge millions of senior citizens into the streets, homeless and living in true abject poverty.

So are we to accept government intrusion only when it suites the collective political agendas of the GOP? How different is the healthcare act from social security, really? And which politicians are lining their pockets with money from insurance companies in order to perpetuate their own greedy schema?

For someone who has been gouged and denied by insurance companies even while paying top-dollar premium and then going without insurance altogether for awhile, I can say having another option is a relief. Medicaid is fine and dandy, but coverage is limited and rather like being part of a nameless and faceless herd. In other words, "take a number" and move on.

Think Progress also makes some good points:

• Four Reasons Why the Court's Decision To Uphold Obamacare Is Good News for the Economy

To rebuff Cantor's claim that "Americans don't like this bill," he does not speak for me. I suspect I'm one of many millions who feels the same way.

Election Dread

I think my biggest fear about this year's presidential election is that people will vote for Romney out of sheer frustration with the economy, rather than looking at the big picture.

I'm of the opinion that policies administered by the Bush administration are what sent this country into a financial tailspin in the first place. Lack of regulation and foresight was a huge factor in the meltdown, which had nothing whatsoever to do with Barack Obama.

Bringing in another Republican will only make the situation worse, reversing us back to non-regulation and dinging necessary entitlements for those who need it most.

GOP Nuttery

Why are so many conservatives noisy about not having their rights and beliefs trod upon, but don't see the hypocrisy of forcing their fanatic views on the rest of us?

Go figure.

Stranger than Fiction

Love this picture - speaks for itself, doesn't it? Thanks to Teabonics and Blue Ollie for the reference!

Debatable Intentions

I'm not sure if it’s my predisposition to the left or if I'm among the many who feel this way, but I find it very hard to take any of the Republican candidates seriously.

I keep imagining future Presidential debates, and inevitably Barack Obama always comes out the winner. Whoever wins the GOP primary – Romney, Santorum, Gingrich, Paul – will never be able to hold a candle to the President in a serious, one-on-one debate. He'll simply wipe the floor with them. It's not just his forward accomplishments and track record – which cannot be factually disproven no matter how much negative chatter emanates from the right – it's his innate calmness, gift-of-gab, natural command and clear grasp of all political scenarios. None of the Republican candidates seem to have a deep understanding of the issues, nor do they appear to have a sincere connection with common, everyday people.

I listened to all the "Super Tuesday" coverage yesterday, and one theme seemed to be prevalent amongst most of the political pundits: The majority of conservatives are desperate to remove President Obama from office, even if means casting their vote for an unqualified right-wing candidate. Silly me - I thought doing right by the American people was top priority, not personal career advancements. It speaks volumes about the right-wing agenda, frankly, which is fully demonstrated by their ineffectual version of Congress.

Some might argue that replacing President Obama is "doing right" by the American people, which I heartily disagree with. Can you imagine going back to the days of an unchecked Wall Street, cuts in benefits for the poor and elderly, reversal of stem cell research, religious and moral bigotry, dismissal of global warming and free tax rides for the rich, just to name a few?

A return to right-wing policies will throw our nation backward, not forward, and bodes nothing but ill for the future of our country.