Romney's Triumphant Return From His Semester Abroad

Having wowed the British with his tact, done more for peace in the Middle East than Sadaam Hussien and insulted more ethnic groups than Joseph Goebbels, Mr. Warmth Mitt Romney makes his triumphant return to America today.

As evidence of Romneymania, Karl Rove, formerly Bush's bain, er... I mean brain, noted a tectonic shift in the presidential race with the Garden State moving from formerly a toss up state to now solidly in Romney's camp.  What's that you say?  New Jersey's gone over to the dark side?  To paraphrase the Spass in Animal House (i.e. "What you expect me to do you moron...") No you stupid Mormon, the Garden State as in the "Garden of Eden State" which of course all Mormons know is Missilou, best known for being a pro slavery border state and an oasis of cheap cigarettes.

Romney's aides, hoping to at least salvage the Polish part of his world tour, a tour designed to burnish his vast foreign policy experience, which experience up to now has consisted of exporting U.S. jobs to nearly a dozen foreign countries when he was CEO and sole shareholder of Bain, (but not actually in charge as he "was working 16 hours a day saving the Olympics", apparently from the British) tried to hustle their candidate out of Poland without any further public statements by America's answer to Prince Charming.  How's that for a run on sentence!

Unfortunately for his staffers and much to the chagrin of his hosts, seeing an unattended P.A. mic at the airport and thinking it was a  microphone set up for his press conference, the erstwhile candidate forever endeared himself to the Polish people by stepping up to the ticketing station mic and in some impromptu remarks, reminded them of their wide ranging and inalienable ties, cultural, strategic and militarily to Germany and the Soviet Union.  Drawing an analogy similar to that of the United States and Mexico or Israel and Palestine, Romney stated that "Poland shall forever be in debt to its great benefactors Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia".

Well done Mitt.  Not since my daughter's semester abroad in London a few years back, has an American gone over seas and thrown up all over themselves with such panache!  Well done indeed!

Happy Birthday Bubba! We Miss You.

July 4, 1947 to January 11, 2008

 

Bob you left us way too soon. Hardly a day goes by without thinking of what a good friend you were and still are.

Bob you are very much alive in the memories of your countless friends and no count drummers (only kidding John), horn players and side men, bandmates and bar flies, of every size and walk of life, you touched us all with your sincerity as a friend, challenged us with your zest for life, and were always ready for a good time.

So today, on your birthday, I raise my glass, here's a toast to good friends, good music and good cigars, keep aiming the beat at their feet and may you always hit your high note, love you brother.

The Day the Earth Stood Still: Republican Lies and Over-Reaction to the Supreme Court Decision on Healthcare

Now that the sun has continued to rise for the third day in a row and the Republicans have put away their cyanide capsules, before we turn the page and finally start concentrating on jobs and the economy, I just had to take one last look back and survey some of reactions to the Supreme Court Decision handed down last Thursday upholding the Affordable Care Act.

While the Supremes decision, and especially the majority decision written by Chief Justice Roberts was anything but predictable, the hysterical, sky is falling, end of the world, knee jerk reaction on the right certainly was.  Surprisingly, at least to me, was that two of the most astute and measured reactions I have come across so far came from Republicans:

From Peggy Noonan, the former Reagan speechwriter in Friday’s Wall Street Journal: 

“It is a big victory for the White House. ObamaCare, including the insurance mandate, was upheld. What would have been a political disaster for President Obama has been averted. He has not been humiliated, and the centerpiece of his efforts the past 3½ years has not been rebuked by the Supreme Court.” http://on.wsj.com/LVfyNI

and

From conservative Republican U.S. Senator from Ohio and likely Romney running mate, Rob Portman:

“As a lawyer, I can see where Roberts is concerned about the institution and maybe that explains it..." http://bit.ly/N2xhV1

But of course rational and reasoned Republican reactions like the above were far from the usual and there were few in between those and the hysterical.  Two of the most hysterical and delicious reactions came from some in the Minnesota Republican Congressional delegation.

Republican Congressman John Kline from Minnesota called the ruling '’a devastating blow to the American people.’ ‘If Washington can penalize private citizens for failing to buy government-approved health insurance, then there is no reasonable limit on federal power,’ Kline said in a statement."

Even more delicious was the  reaction from Minnesota Congresswoman and poster girl for  politicians dropped on their heads at birth, Michele Bachmann, who had slept her way into a seat in the courtroom when the decision was announced, and at first was unusually Marcel Marceau like in her reaction, so much so that one onlooker reported:  "‘you could see her astonishment" by just looking at her face.  Later, after collecting herself, Bachmann, truer to form, called the decision "...a turning point in American history. We will never be the same again."  I for once hope she's right, but think it will be change for the better!

 Rounding out the white noize from the Right were the following reactions from:

Mitt Romney, formerly viable Republican Presidential candidate: “If we want to get rid of Obamacare, we’re going to have to replace Obama.”

Sarah Palin, reality t.v. star who said on Facebook  “Thank you, SCOTUS (i.e. Supreme Court of the U.S.). This Obamacare ruling fires up the troops as America’s eyes are opened! Thank God.” http://on.fb.me/NJ9MNZ

and the radically UnAmerican rantings of Republican and Tea Party imbecile and Senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul:   “Just because a couple people on the Supreme Court declare something to be ‘constitutional’ does not make it so. The whole thing remains unconstitutional.” http://politi.co/MuJ2Vt.  Perhaps someone should slip Sen. Paul a copy of Marbury v. Madison and suggest he read it before opening his stupid pie hole.  If such a statement were made by a sitting Demoratic Senator, the Republicans would be falling over each other in a race to censor him.

In summation, perhaps no one summed it up better than Patrick Gaspard (former White House political director and current executive director of the DNC): “it's constitutional. Bitches.” http://bit.ly/NVt2eH

Now live with it!

 "Klaatu barada nikto"