MY SOTU Thoughts

I get it, I do. The State of the Union address is generally kind of a pep rally for one party or another; the chance to crow about what you’ve done, and what you want to do. And I get that it’s almost always partisan, with the side that doesn’t have the White House sitting there stone-faced while the President speaks.

Both sides do it, I get that.

But what I don’t get is how, while Obama was speaking last night and talking about how far we’ve come in the last six years — the economy, jobs, healthcare, the War Based On Lies In Iraq — is why the GOP sat on their hands. I mean, they couldn’t even be bothered to clap for the fact that the economy is better than it was, that the jobs outlook is better than it was, that millions of people who’ve never been insured before now have healthcare.

They couldn’t even be bothered to applaud for America, for Americans, because the guy in charge while all this was going on is a Democrat and, yes I’ll say it, a Black Democrat at that.

It sickened me to see Orange Is The Old Boehner sitting their smug and disinterested when the President talked about rebounding from a recession; sure there’s work to be done, but we are better off than we were in 2008 after the Bush Regime, and yet Boehner cannot even be happy with that.

It sickened me to see Paul Ryan not even bother to show a modicum of respect for the President because he’s a member of the ‘other’ party. Why not cheer that things in America are improving? Why not cheer all that your party has done to make things better for—

Oh, yeah, maybe Ryan and Boehner and Paul and the rest of those Republicans couldn’t cheer for the successes of the Obama president y because they tried to thwart him at every turn.

Or maybe they couldn’t cheer because he schooled them …

 “I have no more campaigns to run …”

And there was a smattering of GOP applause because, they know, if he did have the option to run again, he’d wipe up the floor with them, again, and then he said:

“I know, because I won both of them.”

The GOP was served in that moment, and it was priceless.

And it was priceless that he made mention of marriage equality, after being the first sitting president to advocate for same-sex marriage; it was priceless that he became the first president to mention of transgender and bisexual, brothers and sisters during a State of the Union address.

It’s priceless, because his approval numbers are up, and will probably continue to go up, and things will continue to change and we will see marriage equality across the country, and we will see LGBT rights expanded and we will see the GOP sitting on their hands, doing nothing, offering nothing, complaining about everything.

Obama isn’t going to sit this one out, these last couple of years; he’s going to continue working for us …

Unlike the other guy.

Sunday Funnies

Sunday Funnies

My Mid-Term Thoughts

First off, thank god that's over ... except for some of the weeping of some of the people.

I seriously hope both sides can opt to work together and not continue this “You’re wrong … No, you’re wrong” business as usual mentality. I’m tired of things not getting done — and I’m counting the 100 or so attempts to repeal Obamacare that failed each and every time. And, remember, if the GOP intends to spend the next two years trying to impeach the President, then we must, as a country, send them packing, Getting nothing done is not doing their jobs. You’ve won, now do something!

That said … Gosh, I so wanted Mitch McConnell to lose, if only to see him pull his head inside his shell and quiver like a frightened turtle. Maybe next time?

Here in South Carolina — where it’s not the heat it’s the stupidity — Nikki Haley handily won reelection. But she may suffer defeat later today because the federal court may move that her continued fight against marriage equality is about the lamest thing ever, since it’s already been decided. Haley just might go down in history as this generation’s George Wallace, barring the doors of marriage to The Gays as he barred the doors of public schools to Black children. And, if history repeats itself, and it does, George Wallace didn’t fare very well politically after that. So, yeah, Nikki, you’re pretty much through here.

Rick Scott won in Florida over Charlie “I’ll think I’ll switch parties again” Crist proving that the people of the Sunshine State put the ‘duh’ in Flori-duh.

In Massachusetts, Maura Healey wins, becoming the country’s first openly gay Attorney General.

Clay Aiken; also ran; again. But at least this time he didn't lose to Ruben.

Lindsey Graham won reelection here, too and was last seen pressing his crinolines for his victory cotillion.

In funny news because it was never really going to happen, virulently anti-LGBT crackpot, and a Kill The Gays sponsor, Scott Lively earned just 0.9% of the vote in the Massachusetts gubernatorial race.

And, probably to pour salt in Lively’s wounds, let’s also mention that each of the six openly LGBT members of the US House — Representative Mark Takano of California, Representative Jared Polis of Colorado, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, Representative Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, Representative David Cicilline of Rhode Island, and Representative Kysten Sinema of Arizona — all retained their seats.

So, again, as I said, I hope both sides can work together, from the President on down; they haven’t been so eager to team up in the last six years, but maybe now they’ll do something.

Please.

Psst? Lindsey Graham Is In A Bit Of Trouble .... Pass It On

I am not much for poles, except for the stripper pole though those days, for me at least are over … but I digress.

We got a hint of good news this morning down here in South Carolina where it’s not the heat, it’s the stupidity, when I learned that Lindsey Graham, Tea Party goose-stepping, war mongering asshat, is falling way down in his approval ratings with his constituents; in fact, he’s as far down as President Obama, whom he loves to chastise and castigate at every opportunity.

Halle-loo!

In fact, head-to-head matchups against his three opponents Lindsey Graham can’t even muster 50% of the votes, and in most polls he’s hovering around 45%--still enough to win, I guess, but not a wide enough margin to keep Lindsey from twisting in his granny panties.

And Lindsey doesn’t have a lot of room to improve upon those numbers because there are two other conservatives running against him. Sure, one of them is Bravo reality star Thomas Ravenel, who was found guilty of cocaine possession and forced to resign as South Carolina State Treasurer; but he’s going up in the polls, ever so slightly, while Lindsey dips. Also not helping is Libertarian Victor Kocher, another conservative causing Lindsey Graham tsouris as more voters question whether Lindsey’s right for South Carolina.

He’s not.

Now, the Democrat running against Graham is Brad Hutto, a 19 year veteran of the state senate, and if he can get the Democrats out to vote — and, seriously, Dems, why aren’t you voting because not voting is a vote for Lindsey — and the all important black vote, he could end up in the mid 40’s making him the leading vote getter.

And here in The SC all you gotta do is win by one vote. One vote; I'd love to think it was mine!

Still, Hutto isn’t well known with most voters and, right now, is polling in the mid-30s range. But since most of the undecided voters are either Democrats or Independents, he could, with some help, and some cash, unseat Lindsey Graham and sent him back to the bogs from whence he came.

It’s not a sure thing, y’all, but it’s a thing, so, pass it on, and let’s lose Lindsey. 

via Blue Nation Review

That's Our Nikki: Blackmailing The People For A Vote

I know the election for Governor isn’t until November, but right now the race is a virtual dead-heat between the incumbent, the oh-so-transparent Republican Nikki Haley, and the challenger, Democratic state Senator, and Smallville resident, Vincent Sheheen. And if Nikki keeps pulling stunts like this, well, that may change in a way she won’t like.

This week Haley announced that she has a plan to repair the state’s roads and bridges with what she calls a “road map for future infrastructure funding, and that it won’t include a tax increase” but she isn’t saying what her plan entails until January; after the election.

See, it’s like this: elect me and I’ll tell you my plan to fix the roads and it won’t cost you a dime; or, don’t elect me and my plan goes away and the roads don’t get fixed and you’ll all suffer.

It’s either a giant lie — go figure, it’s Haley — or else she’s blackmailing the people of South Carolina into voting for her. But that’s our Nikki … so transparent.

Sidenote: while Nikki won’t talk of her plan, except to tell us that we won’t be paying for it, Vincent Sheheen has pointed out any number of ways to fund road and bridge repair, including long-term bonds, dedicating general fund surpluses for infrastructure and increasing vehicle registration fees.

And I know some folks will hate this idea, that they actually have to pay to have the roads and bridges upon which they travel, repaired and strengthened, but at least it’s a plan and not some “I have a dream but I won’t tell you unless you vote me” political ploy of a desperate women trying to keep her job.

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