#LackofImagination

Frankly, I think #lackofimagination would make a good, new hashtag.  Here's the skinny on #FullRepeal.

From the Republican National Committee:

#FullRepeal: Stopping ObamaCare Is Now Up To The American People- bit.ly/LFLauD
— RNC (@GOP) June 28, 2012

From Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor:

On July 11th, the House will once again vote to repeal ObamaCare.#healthcare #fullrepeal
— Eric Cantor (@GOPLeader) June 28, 2012

From Speaker of the House John Boehner:

Today’s ruling by the Supreme Court underscores the urgency of #fullrepeal of #ObamaCare j.mp/LFJTni #4jobs
— Speaker John Boehner (@SpeakerBoehner) June 28, 2012

Since it's all about taxes, Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso:

#SCOTUS decision confirms President broke promise not to tax middle class.Law remains bad for patients, providers & taxpayers. #Fullrepeal
— Sen. John Barrasso (@SenJohnBarrasso) June 28, 2012

And since it's REALLY all about taxes, Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo:

RELEASE: POTUS said he would not raise taxes on families making less than $250,000, but #obamacare does. #fullrepeal bit.ly/M932O7
— Senator Mike Crapo (@MikeCrapo) June 28, 2012

Oh, and let's not forget it's all about freedom.  Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich:

@Sarah_Boxer economy will be second to obamacare because choice between govt monopoly and freedom will be so big-obama loses on both issues
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) June 28, 2012

And because they seem to be habitually unable to tell us how they are going to do any of this, Chairman of the House Budget Committee, Rep. Paul Ryan:

With the right leadership, we will pass #FullRepeal & advance real health care solutions for the American people. ow.ly/bTgWR
— Paul Ryan (@RepPaulRyan) June 28, 2012

Note to Rep. Paul Ryan.  We have "the right leadership."  Wake me up when the Republicans have a plan.

#lackofimagination

SCOTUS Day

Now that the Republicans have to stop demonizing the President as a monster hell-bent on circumventing the Constitution, public opinion on the Affordable Health Care Act may change.  Watch Mitt Romney stop talking about health care, altogether.  Avoidance is his style, anyway.  Given the history of health care reform in Massachusetts – and the former Governor’s place in implementing it – it’s the last thing he wants to talk about.  He will go back to talking about jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, at least from the Bain & Company perspective.  The jobs talk is what candidate Obama will be running against.  Starting, now.

Republicans say they will continue to harp on this through November.  Maybe they will, and maybe they won’t.  Romney himself, won’t.

This was in part, a moral decision on the part of Chief Justice Roberts.  To the extent that the Republicans had nothing to counter offer in the area of health care reform, lack of imagination worked against them on this one.  There are ramifications to lack of leadership. 

It will be interesting to see if Republicans can get beyond their disdain for this law and the line-in-the-sand they have drawn.  The “stark choice” discourse they are presenting.  The “American’s will have the choice to overturn in November…” dialogue.

If they don’t have something concrete to offer, they will lose again. 

Lack of imagination, has consequences. 

SCOTUS Eve

Too funny  Nothing else to say...

SCOTUS Eve. Putting out milk & cookies. I can't wait to find out what Commerce Claus brings me!
— delrayser (@delrayser) June 28, 2012

Good night, all. Until tomorrow morning!

Military, Or Bust

So, Mitt Romney thinks the only way undocumented children of illegal immigrants growing up in the United States should be entitled to citizenship is if they serve in the military.  DREAMERS and their advocates, not-so-much-happy.  The emphasis is mine:

“You’re basically putting undocumented youth in a corner where they have to choose whether they enlist in the military to continue living a life in the shadows,” said Mayra Hidalgo, an undocumented college graduate planning to seek a graduate degree now under the new White House policy ending deportations of DREAM-eligible youth. 

Hidalgo confronted Romney after his NALEO speech, asking him what he’d do for people like her. She went away from the encounter without an answer, she said. 

“We are just as American as anyone else, we’re just missing a piece of paper,” she said of Romney’s plan. “We deserve to have the choice and say in where our future’s going to take us. We deserve to have control of our lives enough in which we can say no or yes concerning joining the military.” 

Other advocates for undocumented children say that compromising on the education path for DREAMers would deny the country more highly-educated citizens, which is what politicians on both sides say the country needs to grow.

They are indeed as American as anyone else.  As American as Mitt Romney’s father, born in Mexico and coming to the United States at age 4.  Just missing the piece of paper, he had.

I’m not really sure if Republicans really believe it is a crop of more highly educated citizens this country needs, in order to grow at this time.  Call me cynical, but even if they do believe this, I am even less sure they want them to be of the Latino-Hispanic-stripe.

Today's Take on Latino Family Values

This is precisely why Republicans will never truly make inroads with Latino and Hispanic voters. The emphasis is mine:

Criticizing President Obama’s decision to grant immunity and temporary legal status to some young undocumented immigrants, Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX) told CNN’s Soledad O’Brien Monday that undocumented teens “had a say” in their family’s decision to travel to the U.S. illegally.  

“Well, you are also talking about people that came over at 16 years of age,” Farenthold said. “At that point you had a say in it and that looks more like amnesty.”  

“You think a 16-year-old whose parents are coming across the border has a say in whether or not they’re just going to stay behind in their country?” Soledad asked.  

“They’re certainly in a position to have a conversation with their parents about it,” Farenthold said.  

“A 16-year-old is in a position to have a conversation with their parents about coming across the border, do you think?” said Soledad, skeptically.  

“Believe me, my 16-year-old daughter has given me input on everything — pretty much everything the family wants to do,” said the Texas Republican. 

For the folks that try to portray themselves as the family-values-party, they sure don’t understand Latino family values. A sixteen-year-old knowingly and willingly agreeing to be separated from parents?

Oh, and giving input on “pretty much everything the family wants to do?” Not so much, either.

Keep On Dreaming

The power of the bully pulpit, when running for re-election.

The written word, here. Better than the image below, but I just could not help myself.

The spoken word:

   

Now, if only Mitt would put the not-too-popular-among-Latinos Florida Senator Marco Rubio on the ticket, and see the Republicans lose any, any, any chance of ever making a dent with us.

Not that they had much of a chance to begin with. We’re not stupid, and as I have always said, if Republicans really think they have a natural ally in Hispanics and Latinos, they are truly out of touch with reality.

It's Not My Fault, Man

Lots of talk this morning about statements made by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

I strongly believe that one of the legacies of the GWB administration is an overwhelming, cultural sense of – lack of responsibility. Nothing is my fault any more. Everything is the fault of, the other guy. This is very, very, very bad for America, me thinks.

Seemingly, it’s a family affair. The emphasis is mine:

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush today said that both Ronald Reagan and his father, George H.W. Bush, would have a hard time getting nominated by the more conservative voters in today’s Republican Party.

“Ronald Reagan would have, based on his record of finding accommodation, finding some degree of common ground, as would my dad, they would have a hard time if you define the Republican party, and I don’t, as having an orthodoxy that doesn’t allow for disagreement, doesn’t allow for finding some common ground,” Bush said, according to Buzzfeed, which reported Bush’s giving the comments at the headquarters of Bloomberg LP in New York City.  

Bush, a much-discussed contender to be Mitt Romney’s running mate, said he sees the ultra-conservative and partisan standards of today’s GOP as “disturbing,” but called “this dysfunction … temporary.” 

And this:

Bush railed against both sides, but blamed President Obama for much of the clashing.  

“His first year could have been a year of enormous accomplishment had he focused on things where there was more common ground,” Bush said, arguing that he believed Obama made the “purely political calculation” to run a more partisan administration. 

So, let me see if I get this right. Clashes between the left and right – mostly driven by President Obama – have caused the Republican Party to drift to the right. So much so, that Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush might not be elected president in today’s climate. And this is a bad thing. But problems within the party are not the root cause. The president, is.

Take responsibility.

Oh yeah. Republicans and Democrats, alike.

Message From Wisconsin: What We’re Losing

I say losing – instead of lost – because the jury is still out. The fat lady has yet to sing.

We have not completely lost. But we are losing. We are losing the war of words. We have lost control of the discourse. The dialogue. 

My mother is to blame for everything that is wrong with this country today. My mother, the immigrant, who came to this country in her mid-30s with 10 years of teaching experience behind her. My mother, who re-trained as a teacher in this country during the bad economic times of 1970’s, New York City. My mother, who waited for years to get a permanent teaching job in the public school system. My mother, who really didn’t teach that many years. My mother, who in her retirement, is far, far, far from rich, but well-taken care of enough that my sister and I don’t have to lose any sleep. My mother, who as a fairly young widow, put her two daughters through school at fine East Coast colleges.

My mother was a public servant. She entered into a social contract with the citizens of her adopted city, to serve. Her salary would never be great, but in return she would have deferred benefit when she needed to be taken care of. She would have a decent pension and health care in her old age. And maybe because a few worries would be taken off her head during her senior years, she would have the where-with-all to continue to contribute to her society, in other capacities.

And now, everything is her fault. And the fault of others, like her.  Public servants.

So yes. We are losing. We are losing the war of words. We have lost control of the discourse. The dialogue.

And there is no better evidence of that fact than the trial balloon Mitt Romney thinks is acceptable to float.

Romney said of Obama, “he wants another stimulus, he wants to hire more government workers. He says we need more fireman, more policeman, more teachers. 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.” 

Better yet, watch the video, if you can stomach it.

 

I would be lying if I said I knew what the message from Wisconsin was this week. I can’t wrap my head around it. Can’t put myself in the place of those who support Gov. Walker.

But my message to the Democrats? We have to fight the war of words. We have to take back the discourse. We have to take control of the dialogue. We have to burst the trial balloon.

And I am not sure we have the guts to do it.

Happy Friday!

Just getting around this week to paying tribute to another one of the greats, Doc Watson.

 

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, Lord, by and by
There's a better home awaiting
In the sky,
Lord, in the sky.

RIP, Doc Watson. And Earl Scruggs, too. Two great losses this year. So far.