Writer's Blog

What she said.

2008-01-10T14:25:00.000-06:00

Please read this post by Frances Kissling. It's exactly why I don't support Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.

Frances Kissling at CommonDreams.org

Caucus... over and out.

2008-01-07T12:55:00.000-06:00

This year was the second time I've caucused, and my emotions about the experience are mixed.

1. The turnout was amazing! Almost every precinct at least doubled its attendance from the previous caucus in 2004. We had over 400 people at our location.

2. I started out caucusing for Dodd. I was pumped. I had a button. I had stickers. I had signs.... I also had two other supporters. Not a good sign when I needed 37 to be viable.

3. I switched to my second choice of Edwards when it became readily apparent that Dodd didn't have a chance at wrangling in 34 more people. I like Edwards and was happy to support him.

4. The Richardson and Biden people joined with several Kucinich supporters to form an "Uncommitted" group. They then tried to sway 3 Clinton supporters and 6 Edwards supporters to their group to make them viable. No way. And it especially doesn't help if you yell at people to try to convince them. The 25 of them ended up not counting. Well, that's what you get.

5. Our Drinking Liberally party afterward was amazing. I'm guessing we had 75-100 people turn out to the event. We watched the returns on the big screen, and cheered and booed as different candidates came on the screen.

6. Obama's speech following the caucus was incredibly inspiring. The man is a great orator. I just hope he has the walk to back up the talk.

In all, the caucus was a good time, but it was great to hear the planes take off overhead on Friday morning. Iowa is lucky to get this kind of opportunity once every four years - and if this ends up our last year as "first in the nation," at least we went out with a bang.

Don't drink the Blackwater.

2007-10-16T15:51:00.000-05:00

Keep a close eye on this developing story, kids.

The Iraqi government has insisted that ALL Blackwater operatives be pulled out of their country. How the U.S. government responds to this request will be very telling about our true mission in Iraq.

In case...

2007-09-25T11:23:00.001-05:00

...you need more proof that Sen. Clinton is NOT the person for the job, may I present Exhibit A?

Bush Advises Clinton on Iraq

I know the article says that the Clinton camp couldn't be reached for comment, but seriously. This is great news.

/sarcasm

Donatin’

2007-09-21T11:22:00.000-05:00

I, too (because Mikael wrote about this a while back), just made my first donation to a presidential candidate.

I had a bit of an epiphany of Sunday night. A big group of us were sitting around at Centro, wading through all the excitement of the weekend (the Drinking Liberally National Conference) and especially the day (the Harkin Steak Fry). We talked about which candidates speeches we liked, who we thought could sweep Washington free of the corruption that has taken hold, etc.

I like Barack Obama. He's exciting. But I worry that the enthusiasm that backs his campaign is like a passionate love affair - new and exciting, but bound to fizzle out. I don't like Hillary Clinton. To me, she's more of the same and too steeped in D.C. to affect real change. I like John Edwards a lot. I think he's really electable, and I'm pretty confident he could fix our domestic problems (health care, living wage, etc.). I'm not so sure how he'd fare on the international playing field.

Then it hit me. The one person I think could fix our domestic problems and help recover America's image on the world stage is Bill Richardson. He's got experience, yet he's enough of an "outsider" that he could affect some pretty big change in Washington (with the help of voters, of course). He's my man.

So today, I put some money on my racehorse. And now, I'm making my official announcement: I'm caucusing for Bill Richardson.

1984

2007-07-27T15:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the world of double-speak.

They just don't get it, do they?

How much longer will Congress - and the American people - tolerate this bullshit? Are we really just going to let Bush & Co. run the clock out?

Someone has to answer for this - the most dishonest administration to ever inhabit the White House, the destruction of American civil liberties, the straw house of our foreign policy (which has left our international reputation in shambles, thanks), the ignorance of domestic policy for six years.

Enough was enough a long time ago. Now is the time for action.

Cheney makes his final move.

2007-07-17T15:39:00.001-05:00

Well, this is good news.

Crap.

Caucus & Coronas

2007-07-12T14:56:00.001-05:00

Here are some general observations (mostly along party lines) from the Caucus & Coronas event on Tuesday night (co-sponsored by Drinking Liberally):

1. The topic was health care. The featured issue expert was concise and well-spoken. However, I think his portion of the night was short-changed. The issue quickly became quite partisan and the open-question session seemed to avoid any questions that dealt with health care GENERALLY.

2. Republicans are doom and gloom when it comes to this topic. The representative from the Iowa Republican Party strayed far from the bulleted list of where Republicans tend to fall on the issue and instead held his own "the end is near" rant against socialized health care.

3. Some of Mr. Republican's comments included:

"Health care is a commodity. If my appendix bursts, I need someone to sell me an appendectomy."

"Socialized health care failed in Europe and Europeans are fleeing the system. A federal health care program in the U.S. will fail because state needs are too different."

"If you've ever had to deal with an HMO, think of how much worse it is to deal with the IRS. Who would you rather have in charge?"

I cannot tell you how much I find wrong with this first statement, which is why I guess I'm a liberal. I don't view health care as a commodity. I view it as a universal right. Sue me.

Per the second comment, I don't believe that socialized medicine has failed in Europe. Also on this note, Mr. Republican claimed that anywhere from 50-70% (he was unclear as to which asinine number he thought it was) Canadians come to America for their health care.

As for the third comment, it's really not even a good analogy. So Republicans want us to choose the lesser of two evils? Those are the options they give us? Not the best we can do? Shame on them.

4. Jesus Estrada spoke as a representative of the Iowa Democratic Party. He was concise and brief. He said, simply, that Democrats believe in full funding of Medicare and Medicaid, that pharmaceutical ads should be limited, there should be coverage for every single person and that substance abuse and mental health services should be covered by insurance the same way physical health care is. What a concept!

5. Basically, here's the difference: Republicans can't follow the rules. Democrats keep it nice and brief.

Republicans really don't believe the health care system can be improved and know that their pockets wouldn't be padded as nicely if we went to some type of universal health care coverage. Democrats take money from health care lobbyists, too, but I think that some of the 2008 candidates really see the need for a significant change (if not a complete overhaul) of the American system and are willing to put the needs of the American people ahead of special interests.

There is a lot to be done with health care in this country, and overall, it was nice to see young people caring about an issue that is often seen only as affecting "old people." We'll be old some day too, folks, and the healing has to start now.

They tried to make me vote for sales tax; I said, "No, no, no."

2007-07-10T08:41:00.001-05:00

Voter #49 at Crown Point in Johnston today voted "no" on Project Destiny.

I've got nothing against trails, the arts and any of the other things PD funds MAY be used for. But that's just it. The plan is so poorly mapped out, there's no enforcement of fund use, and many communities have just voted to use the money for further property tax reduction (including my current home in Johnston).

You want to spend money of "community betterment"? Hey, I'm a liberal, and I'm all for making our neighborhoods better for the common good.

Just show me a plan that actually promises to do that.

Polls are open until 8 p.m. today.

Karl Rove is classy.

2007-07-09T14:19:00.000-05:00

Speaking in Aspen at the annual Aspen Ideas Festival:

"[Rove] downplayed the poor treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo that has been widely publicized.

"'Our principal health problem down there is gain of weight, we feed them so well,” he said as many in the audience shook their heads and groaned in unison."

Seriously, how much longer until these unfeeling bastards leave office?

Blue Cross gets the blues.

2007-07-06T15:10:00.000-05:00

Michael Moore has a post up at Common Dreams addressing a confidential memo sent out at Blue Cross Blue Shield after one of its employees saw the movie SiCKO. It's awesome.

Read it here:
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/07/06/2344/

America! America! America!

2007-07-06T13:23:00.000-05:00

The Onion is just great this week. Go check it out.

Semi-related blog shot:

Celebrating the 4th of July, white-trash style.

Tough week...

2007-06-28T12:25:00.000-05:00

...if you're a Republican. Or a Republican mouthpiece:

President Bush's immigration bill killed in the Senate.

Veep Cheney's craziness finally gets noticed by the mainstream media. And the White House spokewoman can't explain it.

Congress subpoenas White House and VP offices, and they respond like dicks.

Former Iraq Division Commander Gen. John Batiste takes the adminstration to task.

Elizabeth Edwards exposes Ann Coulter for the turd that she is.

And all this has poor Bushy looking pretty beaten down:

John McCain is a dick.

2007-06-21T11:59:00.000-05:00

Please see exhibits A and B below. Sheesh.

I actually yelled at my TV because McCain talking over Stewart and repeating himself was driving me so crazy.

Yes.

2007-06-21T11:58:00.000-05:00

toothpastefordinner.com

Once again...

2007-06-21T11:57:00.000-05:00

...may I present Mr. Keith Olbermann: Go here and read or watch it. Go now.

Then stand up, wherever you are, and applaud.

I need to love you with an iron fist...

2007-06-21T11:54:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of my favorite things from the Republican debate on June 5:

1. Mitt Romney claimed that to do away with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in a time of war would be a "social experiment." Moreover, every single Repub candidate was in favor of keeping DADT.

2. Rudy Giuliani said it was important to talk about I. Lewis Libby's 30-month prison sentence because "a man's life is at stake." Um, Rudy? Not so much. He'll be out in 2.5 years. Just sit tight.

3. John McCain repeatedly referred to the audience as "my friends." Just... ugh.

4. Tom Tancredo is nuts. He - for whatever reason - is under the impression that bilingual countries don't work. He said as much last night. You know what Tommy? Where's the proof?

5. McCain actually responded to Tancredo's comments with some really positive remarks about Hispanics and the important contributions they've made to American culture. I still think McCain is a dick, but it was a nice gesture.

6. Tancredo - still on an immigration rant - answered that to him, being an American means cutting all ties with your past. Nice, Tom. Real nice.

What?!?!

2007-06-21T11:49:00.001-05:00

Seriously.

It's good to see, at least, that the Bush administration is consistent. They love to name people to positions who hold beliefs exactly opposite of the agency they're supposed to serve: John Bolton and the U.N., Big Oil and energy policy... now this.

Iowans should be so proud.

Fa, Fa, Fareeeeeeeeeed!

2007-06-21T11:46:00.000-05:00

I love Fareed Zakaria. He is one of the best journalists in the country, and he offers a unique perspective on American politics, as an Indian man who moved here in 1982. He is quite critical of the path the Bush administration has taken our country down, but his writing is tempered with reason and suggestions to fix the problems we face.

Last week's issue of Newsweek featured the main article by Zakaria, titled "Beyond Bush: What the world needs is an open, confident America." It didn't disappoint. Some excerpts:

"The administration has - surprise - tried to play up fears of the consequences of a drawdown in Iraq (which is always described as a Vietnam-style withdrawal down to zero). It predicts that this will lead to chaos, violence and a victory for terrorists. When we listen to these forecasts, it is worth remembering that every administration prediction about Iraq has been wrong. Al Qaeda is a small presence in Iraq, and ordinary Sunnis are abandoning support for it. "If we leave Iraq, they will follow us home," says the president. Can they not do so now? Iraq's borders have never been more porous. Does he think that Iraq militants and foreign terrorists are so distracted by our actions in Iraq that they have forgotten that there are many more Americans in America?...

"...I have no magic formula to stop Iran from going nuclear, nor to change Iran's regime. But the strategy we have adopted against so many troublesome countries over the last few decades - sanction, isolate, ignore, chastise - has simply not worked. Cuba is perhaps the best example of this paradox. Having put in place a policy to force regime change in that country, we confront the reality that Fidel Castro will die in office the longest-serving head of government in the world. On the other hand, countries where we have had the confidence to engage - from China to Vietnam to Libya - have shifted course substantially over time. Capitalism and commerce and contact have proved far more reliable agents of change than lectures about evil. The next president should have the courage to start talking to rogue regimes, not as a sign of approval but as a way of influencing them and shaping their environment. ...

"...The Bush-Rumsfeld model of leadership - through declarations, threats and denunciations - is dead."

And to boot, Zakaria was a guest on the Daily Show last night: