The Complete Works of the 2012 GOP Nomination Campaign (abridged) / 11-8-11

[The curtain comes up. A bare stage, save for a television set and a dozen people, milling about.]

GUY IN CORNER: Not Mitt

PERSON WITH CHURRO: We love you Saaarah, oh yes we do

GUY IN CORNER: Not Mitt

QUIET PERSON (lip synching): /huntsman/

GIRL (skipping across stage): Christie, Christie, Christie

PERSON WITH CHURRO: And you too Michele

BOY (marching, carrying sign across stage, chanting): Ron Paul, that is all... Ron Paul, that is all...

GUY IN CORNER: Not Mitt

PERSON WITH BIBLE: I <3 Huckabee

PERSON BACKSTAGE (yelling): Santorum!

QUIET PERSON: /huntsman/

PERSON WITH CHURRO: Saaaaraaaaah Palin (clap clap clapclapclap)

TWO GUYS IN CORNER: Not Mitt

CRAZY PERSON (dancing, chanting): Obamacare Obamacare Obamanation Obamacare

THREE GUYS IN CORNER: Not Mitt

CRAZY PERSON (still dancing): Birth Certificate!

PERSON WITH CHURRO: Obamacare

PERSON WITH BIBLE: Obamanation

TWO GUYS IN CORNER: Not Mitt

CRAZY PERSON: (unintelligible yelling)

NOW JUST ONE GUY IN CORNER: Not Mitt

HERMAN CAIN: Me

BOY: Ron Paul, that is all...

RICK PERRY: I'm not George Bush

GIRL (skipping, not running): Christie, Christie, Christie

OLD GUY: Newwwwwt

THREE GUYS IN CORNER: Not Mitt

FOX NEWS: Cain Is Able

EVERYONE (running to TV): oooooooooooo

FOX NEWS: Not Mitt

FOX NEWS: Cain Is Able

EVERYONE (droning): Cain Is Able Cain Is Able

BOY (oblivious): Ron Paul, that is all... Ron Paul, that is all...

PERSON WITH CHURRO (weeping): I dropped my churro

PERSON BACKSTAGE: Santor-- (loud banging noise) -- owww hey owww

HERMAN CAIN: Nineninenine

FOX NEWS: Not Mitt

EVERYONE: Not Mitt

CAIN: Nineninenine

CAIN: NinenineNIIINE

PERSON WITH BIBLE: I still <3 Huckabee

FOX NEWS: Shut up

CAIN: Nineninenine

FOUR WOMEN: Nein! Nein! Nein!

FOX NEWS: Shut up

FOX NEWS: Cain is Able

EVERYONE: Wait a second

RICK PERRY: I'm not Rick Perry

EVERYONE: Not Mitt

MITT ROMNEY: I'm not Mitt Romney

BOY: Ron Paul, that is all...

GIRL (slowing down): Christie, Christie, Chris --

OLD GUY: Newwwwwt

CRAZY PERSON (sitting): Sad

PERSON WITH CHURRO (hanging head): Sad

GIRL (walking off stage): Sad

HERMAN CAIN: Hey baby

FOX NEWS:

RICK PERRY: I'm not Mitt Romney

GUY IN CORNER: Not Mitt... ?

EVERYONE: Mitt?

FOX NEWS:

FOX NEWS:

FOX NEWS: Aw nuts

QUIET PERSON: /i told you/

[Curtain descends.]

BOY (still marching with sign, still chanting): Ron Paul, that is all... Ron Paul, that is all...

144 Or less, Vol. VIII / 2-18-11

Something Baby Bush DID get right:

"The desire for freedom resides in every human heart. And that desire cannot be contained forever by prison walls, or martial laws, or secret police. Over time, and across the Earth, freedom will find a way.

Granted, he got himself some speechwritin' help there, as is usually the case with presidents (but only usually), yet the point remains: Freedom gonna do its thing.

Totalitarian regimes tremble today across the Middle East (Tunisia, Egypt, maybe Bahrain, then Iran?). Made me recall the run-up to III (Illegitimate Invasion: Iraq), when conservative apologists continually insisted that a free Iraq would set off a neo-domino theory in which long-awaited civil and economic liberties sweep the region.

They were probably right. Doubtful our military "assistance" was needed, but still.

To conclude, more W: "This young century will be liberty's century."

Hoping.

(Word count: 142)

Give Me Taxes Or Give Me Death, Part II / 9-14-10

Well well, look who's not really serious about the deficit after all.

Republicans screaming "Save the tax cuts for the rich," that's who.

Summary: Bush tax cuts for everyone are set to expire at the end of the year. President Obama wants them to expire - for those individuals or families making more than $250k, but not for the middle class. He's fine with extending that portion of the tax cut. Republicans say they'll fight that course of action if congressional Democrats try it. The tax cuts will expire for everyone and tax rates will return to 1999 levels if no agreement is reached.

It is that simple. All other commentary is helpful, but not crucial. It comes down to, whose side are you on? And most the D's are, yet again, as almost always, on the side of 98 percent of the population, and all the R's are, yet again, as almost always, on the side of 2 percent of the population. (Follow the link. Do it.)

Looking at pure numbers, the President shouldn't have a terrible time selling his preference to Americans, except that his White House couldn't make itself look good if it invented cold fusion and brokered permanent peace in the Middle East while solving world hunger on the side.

All BHO has to say is something like this, right?

"We were a more prosperous, more responsible nation while President Clinton was in office. I believe the tax rates that were reasonable in the nineties remain reasonable now for our wealthiest citizens. George Bush's tax cuts were reckless and unnecessary, and should they survive, they would grow the deficit to an even more dangerous level. You can't have it both ways, my conservative friends. You can't spend the last two years harping on the deficit your party's presidents created, then decline to raise revenue when the opportunity presents itself in the natural way it has. Either you're for deficit reduction or against it. Time to choose. I've chosen my route, and I am proud of it, and I trust the American people to support a more responsible course of action than the one they've grown accustomed to seeing from their leaders.

"Therefore, you will join me in letting the tax cuts expire for only the wealthiest Americans. Or you will show yourselves to be the deficit enablers you have been for the past 30 years."

Instead, we got:

"But we’re still in this wrestling match with John Boehner and Mitch McConnell about the last 2 to 3 percent, where, on average, we’d be giving them $100,000 for people making a million dollars or more — which in and of itself would be OK, except to do it, we’d have to borrow $700 billion over the course of 10 years. And we just can’t afford it."

It's a start. But we're not in a wrestling match, Mr. President. A power struggle you should be winning, but aren't. Yet. Partly because there are five numbers in that sentence. And while I followed what you were saying, most people tuned you out after $100,000, before you got to the important part: the "we just can't afford it" part. That's the lead. People understand "we can't afford it." Nowadays, it rings true and urgent. Start there, mix in a jab about how Republicans only care about the deficit when it gives them an excuse to block legislation aimed to help the middle class, then give numbers for support.

(I sound arrogant, but mostly I'm just annoyed with how the facts and public opinion are on the D's side and yet the fight goes on.)

Here are some more encouraging responses from Democrats, all from Massachusetts.

Rep. Michael Capuano: “We either have to give Republicans everything they want or they’ll take their ball and go home? Well, go home then."

Rep. Jim McGovern: “I would be happy to listen to any ideas that my Republican friends have that won’t explode the deficit and which would actually help create jobs — like tax credits for small businesses and incentives for manufacturing.’’

Rep. Richard Neal, a key member of the House Ways and Means Committee: “If there’s a compromise that we can live with that protects the middle class, I’m open to it,’’ adding he wants to dedicate revenue from expiring tax cuts to begin to pay down Iraq war debt.

Let's see if THAT message gets out.

9/11: An Alternate History / 9-11-09

Some news briefs for you.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2002 -- President Bush today announced an end to combat operations in eastern Afghanistan, near the Pakistani border.
Remaining Taliban warlords surrendered all claims to power in a ceremony earlier this week, shortly after an American-British force of nearly 300,000 troops began to overwhelm the country with brute force and sheer numbers.
"We can now turn our goal to the imminent capture of Osama bin Laden," Bush said.

RALEIGH, Sept. 11, 2003 -- Osama bin Laden was sentenced to death today for his part in masterminding the deadly attacks on the World Trade Center precisely two years ago.
Death penalty groups picketed outside the courtroom, sporting signs such as "Scum is still scum / But life is still life / And murder is still murder."
"This is America," President Bush said at a press conference following the verdict. "I welcome peaceful dissent on this and other issues, but I am pleased with the jury's decision. The death penalty exists for reasons like these."
Bin Laden, who was captured late in 2002, was convicted after ten-month trial relatively free of controversy. More than a dozen prosecution witnesses detailed bin Laden's involvement in planning the bombings.

BOSTON, Sept. 11, 2004 -- President Bush reiterated his pledge today that his second term would be dedicated to preserving Social Security benefits for the foreseeable future - at the expense of his tax cuts enacted three years ago.
"Lower taxes are good for the economy and good for entrepreneurship across the nation," Bush said. "But responsibility to future generations dictates that tax cuts be temporary. I have changed my mind in this regard and will push for my 2001 tax relief package to expire in 2006, four years early. There is a time and a place for everything, including tax cuts."
Bush can afford to ignore the far right on the issue of taxes. The Bush-Crist ticket is trouncing its Democratic opposition by an average of 26 points in major polls this week, and most electoral projections have 48 states in the red column.

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 11, 2005 -- Relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina continue to run smoothly and on schedule, according to high-ranking government officials.
"This could have been a major disaster the likes of which our country has never seen," FEMA chief Michael Black said. "A Category 5 hurricane is capable of wiping a city off the map, but our systems worked. Local authorities were organized and ready, having completed a partial evacuation before the inadequate levees failed."
Two deaths have been reported in connection with Katrina thus far.

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 11, 2006 -- An independent autopsy of deceased Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, done by a team of EU physicians, ruled out foul play in the dictator's death.
Hussein ruled Iraq from 1979 until a fatal heart attack on August 31 of this year.

NEW YORK, Sept. 11, 2007 -- Final plans were unveiled today at a ceremony at Ground Zero, detailing a record-setting skyscraper (the planet's second-tallest building and tallest in NY history) and accompanying memorial on the site of the old twin towers of the World Trade Center.
The plans call for a single tower stretching 1,911 feet in the air, overlooking a massive rolling staircase of memorial buildings dedicated to victims of the bombings from six years ago, plus remembrances of the role the NYPD and NYFD played in rescue efforts.

SEATTLE, Sept. 11, 2008 -- Nationwide Service and Remembrance Day kicks off locally this year with than 800,000 participants from across the Northwest ready to spend the day away from school and work. They will join a projected 10 million volunteers nationwide who've pledged to dedicate the day to community projects such as mentoring kids, stocking food banks and refurbishing homeless shelters.
NSRD, the brainchild of Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Illinois), is only three years into its existence, yet has already become the largest community service organization in the nation.
"What this program does is remind us that just like on Sept. 11, 2001, we're all in this together, one nation, indivisible, with much more that unites us than divides us," Obama said in a statement.