That which shall not be said....

If you have not seen the TED talk by Nick Hanauer, then I highly recommend it. 



The thing about this I find fascinating is how obvious this is.   The fetishization of businessmen in our society is slightly disturbing.  The idea that businesspeople are, somehow, possessed of special knowledge that will allow them to be better  run government is just wishful thinking.  Or more disturbingly ego stroking of the elite. 

This is a belief I wish would change, but it seems ingrained in the body public.  Even though most of the times it is actually followed through on, it has disastrous results (last to "business" Presidents, George W. Bush, and Herbert Hoover).

-Cheers

On Governance

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When people talk about "compromise" and "meeting in the middle".  How do you account for this mentality.    The modern Republican party is not interested in any governance other then Republican governance.    Democratic party rule is illegitimate prima facie. 

Steve Benen over at Maddow blog points out how revolutionary this is.  How is compromise even possible when the people you are supposed to work with believe things like this:

"I certainly think bipartisanship ought to consist of Democrats coming to the Republican point of view."

So the only way we can work together, is if we do exactly what you want?

These are the sorts of people Republican voters are sending to deal with the problems we face.  Is it any wonder that nothing gets accomplished?

-Cheers

Thrusters On-line

Yeah, I know.  I have been silent for a bit this year.    But now that we are officially in campaign season, it is time to get to work.


So here you go, the new campaign video from the folks at Obama central. 

Firing up and getting ready to go.  Indeed.

-Cheers

Obviously women don't understand their own bodies.....

Rep. Terry England compares women to cows, pigs and chickens. from Bryan Long on Vimeo.

I just want to let that sink in.

The bill in question HB 954 in the Georgia house of representatives, would make it illegal to obtain an abortion after 20 weeks even if the fetus is known to be still born or otherwise is not expected to live to term.

Yes this is a bill that would punish women for not wanting to carry their dead child to term.

Party of small government my ass.

-Cheers

Reforming Healthcare....

Once again Ezra Klein puts together an exceptional post on rising health care costs in the US.

There is a lot to unpack in there:

It's not the Pill....it is you that is immoral!

I will repeat that. Ladies, according to the GOP, the problem isn't contraception. It is your immoral whorish-ness that is the problem. Just keep your knees closed and your mouth shut and everything would be better. The absolute inability to even acknowledge the health issues or even the right of women to control their own bodies, is striking.

Increasingly the GOP is the party of old white dudes.

-Cheer

Rev. Franklin Graham is a political hack.

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That is all but certain from this interview. Basically what he is saying is that, the only people who are "Christian" are those who agree with me.

My friends of faith, if you ever wonder why I am, at times hostile towards religion. Look no farther then this as an example. This is not about any sort of theological discussion, this is brute force politics. Live the way I say. Nothing more.

Rev. Graham, is definitely not like his father in that regard.

-Cheers