Thank You, Senator Goss

"Senate votes to ban mountain wind turbines"

That's the headline posted today at the Winston-Salem Journal.

Senator Steve Goss was the lone vote in the N.C. Senate against this wrong-headed attempt to hobble alternative energy.

This very bad bill has yet to be calendared in the N.C. House and probably won't be considered until next year.

Wading the Buffalo Dust

I mean, you can't step over the shit.

Americans for Keeping Corporate Health-Care Profits manufactures coordinated mob action against Democratic members of Congress, inducing elderly Americans on Medicare to come out and protest "government-run health care," meaning, logically, that they want their own insurance coverage ended and will gladly put themselves at the mercy of the huge insurance corporations mounting the "astroturf" protests.

The racists of the Obama "birther" movement steal an Australian birth certificate and forge it to make the president appear to be born in Kenya before it was Kenya, supposedly in a Kenyan city that was actually part of Zanzibar at the time of his birth. Forgery ain't these guys' strong suit. The fact that we have a black president has deranged Lou Dobbs. And Chuck Norris (bless his heart).

Fox News, pausing to draw a breath in its promotion of astroturf protests against reforming health care, hyper-ventilates against "Cash for Clunkers," deciding that the overwhelming success of the program (in running out of the allotted money so fast) must mean the program was a huge failure. You can't just sneeze at "news judgment" that creative! Fox commentator Mara Liasson compared Cash for Clunkers to the failures during Hurricane Katrina. I'm not kidding.

John Bolton (whose puss is pictured above) gets indignant that former President Bill Clinton successfully springs Euna Lee and Laura Ling from a North Korean jail. There's moral relativism for you.

And our absolute favorite pile of bull feces today: Joe Lucas, vice president of communications for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a front group for (dirty) coal, told the Guardian that dynamiting the tops off of mountains is actually a good thing for Appalachia cause it gives the hillbillies some flat land to square dance on. Okay, he didn't say the last part of that sentence, but he did say that mountaintop removal was good because it provides flat land.

This is just a sampling of the people who were thrown out of power last November and who think if they scream loud enough, and insult our intelligence just a little bit more, the American people will welcome them back in 2010 to run everything further into the ground.

Forsyth Elections Chair Removed

We covered last fall some of the elections obstructionism occurring in Forsyth County, with the Democratic Chair of the local Board of Elections voting with the Republican member of that board to defy state rules for ballot access.

Well, that Forsyth board chair, Eric Elliott, has been removed from his position by the State Board of Elections for insubordination.

The Forsyth County Democratic Party could have replaced Elliott but didn't. Must be a lot of drama there.

Senate Guru profiles the four "most likely" Democrats to get into a Senate primary race next year to challenge Sen. Dick Burr.

Four? Add Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy, sez Senate Guru.

How Virginia Foxx Is Spending Her Summer Vacation

If you've got deep pockets, you can get into her general vicinity. Everyone else, not so much. Her appearances at astroturf events, like the one yesterday in Winston-Salem, don't count, since she did her three minute speech, took no questions, and retreated to the air-conditioned innards of that spiffy big bus supplied by Americans for Prosperity.

Instead of meeting with the public, here's what our highly paid, thoroughly insured, so-called "representative" in Washington will be doing:

Monday, August 17, 2009
Fundraising Lunch with Dana Perino (already noted below)

Saturday, August 22, 2009
5:30 p.m. ­-- 7:30 p.m.
Elk River Country Club
539 Banner Elk Highway
Banner Elk, North Carolina 28604
Fundraising Reception and Dinner
Featuring Special Guest Congressman John Mica (FL-07)
$1,000 Host
$500 Sponsor
$250 Co-Sponsor
$100 Attendee

Thursday, August 27, 2009
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Fundraising Reception Featuring Special Guest Rich Galen,
Nationally Recognized Conservative Commentator and former Press
Secretary to Newt Gingrich and Dan Quayle
At the Home of
William and Tina Morgan
422 West End Avenue
Statesville, North Carolina 28677
$1,000 Host
$500 Sponsor
$250 Co-Sponsor
$100 Attendee

Friday, September 25, 2009
Fundraising Reception in Winston-Salem
Details not yet finalized

Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Fundraising Luncheon featuring Rep. Eric Cantor
Greensboro
Details not yet finalized

This Grass Has Plastic Roots

This is the bus supplied by Americans for Prosperity for the rally against health care yesterday in Winston-Salem. (Hat-tip: this and other pics gratefully found here.)

Grassroots, right? Yeah. Uncle Ted and Aunt Esther and some of their friends found themselves an old touring bus, and with some gallons of flat paint and a few camel-hair brushes, they painted that sucker to exercise their American right to disagree.

Well, no. This is "astroturf," so-called because it's fake grass(roots).

Americans for Prosperity started the tea-bagging movement. It's funded by corporations and other rich guys who've figgered out how to con the modestly salaried into screaming about taxes. Other than the outside agitators they bussed into Winston yesterday, they attracted local Republican activists, Paularoid remnants, birthers, the "Obama is the devil" crowd, and racists (but I repeat myself).

Madam Doctor Virginia Foxx was there and didn't say a word about the government putting old people to death. Instead, she harped on abortion, claiming that proposed health-reform was really a sneaky way to force teenaged girls to abort their babies.

Many in the crowd were clearly over 65 and therefore already on Medicare, that terrible, socialistic, government-run insurance program that they claim they're dead-set against. They are either willfully ignorant, or duped, or simply hateful, but all of them are serving the interests of big corporations who've labored all these years to take over our government and who have no intention of relinquishing their grip now.

Two Intercepted E-Mails

Subject: Democratic Protests Against Virginia Foxx's Rhetoric on Healthcare Reform

Hello Fellow Democrats,

As many of you know, the US Congress is in recess during the month of August. So this gives our Senators and Representatives an opportunity to meet with their constituents and have a healthy civil debate about the Health Care Reform Issues and other Issues important to their constituency. As you may recall, this is what our President, Barack Obama, has called for. Virginia Foxx, Congresswoman, who represents the people of the 5th District, rolled into Winston-Salem and to the Golden Corral this morning with a bus loaded with outsiders, people from "Who knows where," to rally against the Healthcare Reform measures being presented by our Democratic Party. These Healthcare Ideas will benefit everyone by providing for a Public Option to give some competition to the Insurance Companies and other Healthcare agencies. Competition will make the cost of insurance come down, thereby helping reduce Healthcare Costs, which people from both parties know is needed. But Virginia Foxx, instead of holding roundtable discussions, including people from both parties, to discuss the issues, chooses to let the insurance companies, who have given her so much money, finance huge busses to bring along her supporters, anti Healthcare Reform People. Foxx doesn't even bother to inform all of her constituents, especially those of us who are pushing President Obama's Healthcare Reform Measures, when she will be in town. She only "speaks to the choir," such as this morning over at the Golden Corral in Winston-Salem.

As reported in the Davie Enterprise, last week, Foxx will be speaking at the Masonic Picnic, behind the Brock Center for Performing Arts, at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 6. I'm telling you this so you can be prepared for a large number of her followers to pounce upon our little town. We need a huge group of supporters, for our cause is very great! I have applied for a permit, which will allow us to assemble, have signs and voice our disappointment with the rhetoric that Foxx has been using to scare seniors and claiming that every American has access to healthcare. Having and access are not the same!!! I should be receiving a call this p.m. or early a.m. to pick up the permit. (Just got the permit, that's a relief!) The picnic is on private property, but as in the past, the public is invited to attend. The parking lot behind the Brock Center, where we will be organizing for our protest, is town property; hence, the need for a permit. We can go onto the picnic grounds, but if we are asked to leave, we will do so in a very civil manner.

Please forward this message to all your Democratic friends in and out of town. I don't know if there's ever been a protest in Mocksville or not, but if ever one were needed, it is NOW! So bring your signs, supporting Health Care Reform, to the parking lot around 10:00 a.m. Please forward this message to all your Democratic Friends so we can have a large group of supporters. Make those signs. Few large words to make our point, such as "SUPPORT OBAMA'S PLAN" or "HEALTHCARE REFORM NOW."

Thanks for all your help and support!


From: Virginia Foxx
Date: Mon, Aug 3, 2009 at 9:39 AM
Subject: Lunch with Dana Perino

You are Cordially Invited
To Attend a Luncheon Honoring
Congresswoman Virginia Foxx
Fifth District of North Carolina
Rules Committee

Featuring Special Guest
Dana Perino
Former Press Secretary to President George W. Bush

Monday, August 17, 2009
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

The Cardinal Club
150 Fayetteville Street
Raleigh, NC 27601

(Business Attire)

$1,000 Host
$500 Sponsor
$250 Co-Sponsor
$100 Attendee

Republican Hypocrites and One Brilliant Smart Ass

These Republican members of Congress voted on Friday in the House Energy & Commerce Committee against eliminating the most socialistic government plan known to man ... Medicare:

Joe Barton, Tex., ranking member
Ralph Hall, Tex.
Fred Upton, Mich.
Cliff Stearns, Fl.
Nathan Deal, Ga.
Ed Whitfield, Ky.
John Shimkus, Ill.
John Shadegg, Ariz.
Roy Blunt, Mo.
Steve Buyer, Ind.
George Radanovich, Calif.
Joseph Pitts, Pa.
Mary Bono Mack, Calif.
Greg Walden, Ore.
Lee Terry, Neb.
Mike Rogers, Mich.
Sue Myrick, N.C.
John Sullivan, Okla.
Tim Murphy, Pa.
Michael Burgess, Tex.
Marsha Blackburn, Tenn.
Phil Gingrey, Ga.
Steve Scalise, La.

The Republican hypocrisy on this issue is (duh) so blindingly obvious. They scream against "government-run health-care," but when given the opportunity (by Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y.) to once and for all vote to end socialized medicine in America, they all voted to keep it. (Medicare is not only "government-run" ... it's SINGLE-freakin'-PAYER!)

You can see Mr. Weiner introducing his amendment and daring the Republicans to vote for it -- "I double-dare you!" -- on YouTube. He admitted up front that his amendment was not anything he personally was in favor of, but it should be something every conservative Republican should jump on.

An eye-witness wrote up what followed in the committee (via Scrutiny Hooligans):

...Wiener observed that a lot of Republicans had been warning direly about the dangers of socialized medicine and government interference in the health-care market, and so offered "the amendment they've been waiting for" to give them the opportunity to vote to end the scourge of single-payer health care in America. As a counterpart to the now-famous Republican flow chart of Obamacare, Wiener had a nice simple chart demonstrating how Medicare works (with just 3 boxes: patients, providers, government). There was also a poignant moment when everyone paused to honor John Dingell, who actually voted for Medicare 44 years ago (and is now on crutches and looking rather feeble).

The Ranking Republican, Joe Barton of Texas, made some nonsensical and indecipherable distinction about "government-mandated" health care versus "government-run" health care, and said that Republicans support the Medicare because it is in the former category (if that's true, they sure ought to be supporting the current House health care bill). Wiener asked if the Republicans would support a public plan if it looked like Medicare, and Barton dodged the question. Later Barton hit on the semi-coherent response that Medicare only pays 80% of the cost of treatment, so the private insurance market has to pick up the slack to ensure that doctors and hospitals stay solvent. My understanding is that that's completely false, but at least it sounds coherent.

The debate on Wiener's amendment got pretty heated, with Rep. Steve Buyer calling Wiener an "intellectual smart-ass" and Wiener calling all the Republicans hypocrites (with good reason, though). Initially, Chairman Waxman was not amused by the amendment, since he was trying to keep the markup moving quickly in order to finish on Friday. By the end of the debate, though, Waxman was clearly enjoying it. In the end, despite Wiener's "double-dare," all the Republicans voted no (how often do you see a unanimous "no" vote?), thus proving on the 44th anniversary of the signing of the Medicare Act that nobody's going to mess with Medicare anytime soon.

The company line among Republican rank-and-file (who don't know any better but who grasp at any straw to oppose President Obama) is that Medicare was present in Eden, granted by God in his first creation, and has nothing to do with government and certainly isn't "socialism." Which is how they can stand in their tea-bag protests holding signs saying "FIGHT SOCIALISM," while either they themselves or their parents are direct beneficiaries of Medicare ... and would skin several cats to keep it.

Madam Foxx "Should Be Ashamed"

Our 5th Dist. Rep., editorialized about, in the Winston-Salem Journal yesterday.