Image by PinkMoose via Flickr

There is something unseemly to me about people who don’t do their jobs, particularly those who are elected officials. I have been mulling this over, and I think that those cowardly Dems who took an out of state hike during the union crisis should be kicked out of office on their arses. Now.  Did they not understand that they had a moral, ethical and professional obligation to their constituents? I do not recall “taking a hike” being in their job description.

I don’t know what the law is, but there should be some punitive measures for such dastardly actions. I say throw the bums out on their proverbial bums and put people in their place who want and need a job and are willing to work! Jimmy Carter once  said (awful when you must resort to Jimmy Carter) that life isn’t fair. Those Democrats in Wisconsin should have stayed in session and at least tried to look as though they were doing the job people elected them to do.  Their actions were unconscionable. This may be the only time in my life that I agree with Sarah Plain who said, “Recall the fleebaggers.” Oh, how I cringe at the thought of agreeing with Palin on anything, but I gotta give her this one.  Recall them for dereliction of duty, or some legal term that says what I mean. Don’t go fly-fishing, or whatever they did, on taxpayer’s money.  And Wisconsin is not even my state, not to mention the fact that I am a Democrat. My husband says that the world has turned upside-down. He’s right. Turn these guys upside-down and they all look the same!

—cher

On the first day of Christmas
Obama sent to me
A package from a sparse tree

On the second day of Christmas
A Bill was sent to me
Too high a cost, all will be lost
And rich men cannot see

On the third day of Christmas
Obama made a pact
Many cats got fat
And where’s the U.C.?

On the fourth day of Christmas
Dems were not in glee
Too many Rights
Too few Lefts
And you didn’t ask me

On the fifth day of Christmas
Obama was in fits
Take it or leave it
We might just heave it
And the media sang, Oh whee!

On the sixth day of Christmas
Congress said, this is not peace
You can’t release money
And the treasury tree

On the seventh day of Christmas
Palin went with Kate
Taking more than eight
Out in the cold; she is so bold
And her show paid the fee

On the eighth day of Christmas
Negotiators met
No one had slept
Rand Paul made sense
More than sixpence
And you should have asked he!

On the ninth day of Christmas
Lots of indignation
No imagination
And compromise did flee

On the tenth day of Christmas
Tempers were flaring
Estate taxes glaring
And deficits are not free

On the eleventh day of Christmas
Unemployment rising
Dow was nose-diving
And Congress said, well, I’ll be!

On the twelfth day of Christmas
Congress said to he
This does not fit
You’ve caused a snit
And this cannot be!

—cher

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the White House,
Obama was pacing, Beck sure is a louse.
The stockings were hung with holes in Health Care,
And hopes that Olympia Snowe would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of IPods danced in their heads.
Michelle in her beauty and he in his cap,
Each settled in for a short winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
He sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window he flew in a dash,
His own Secret Service gets way too much cash!

The moon on the breast of globe-warming snow
Gave credence to nay-sayers and emails below.
When, what to his wondering eyes should appear,
But hackers and slackers old Rahm should have cleared.

With health care so close, he ran oh so fastly,
And knew in a moment it must be Chuck Grassley.
More rapid than eagles his discoursers came,
And he whistled and shouted and called them by name!

“Now Thune! now McCain, now Palin the vixen!
On Hannity, Limbaugh, this bill I am fixin’!
To the top of the porch! Get off of my wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

As dry leaves that fall before new public option,
When met with an obstacle, they threw their old stocks in.
So up to the house-top discoursers they flew,
With a sleigh full of toys and Tiger Woods too.

And then in an inkling, he heard on the roof,
The prancing and cawing, now there is your proof!
As he drew in his head, and was turning around
Down the chimney came Medicare with nary a sound.

It was dressed all in funding from bottom to top,
Its words were all sooty, please now can I stop!
Like a bundle of joy he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were not sunken, he rose like Chuck Berry.
His droll little mouth drawn up in a smile,
And he gave him a shave not had in a while.

He sprang to his desk, to his team gave a holler,
And in they all flew, now looking quite taller.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he dove out of sight,
Happy Holidays to all, and to all a good night!

—cher

With the 2008 presidential and congressional elections less than one year behind us, the list of Republican, 2012 presidential-wannabees is beginning to take shape. Although the list currently contains over a dozen names, at least half of them have already begun the early stages of campaigning. At this point in time the Republican candidates are all attempting to highlight their right-wing, “party line” values in order to win over the conservative vote, which will be critical in the primaries. No one has yet painted a clear vision for the future of the GOP, and no one has yet dared to incur the wrath of the “all-powerful” Rush Limbaugh by moving (even slightly) to the political center. Rather than accepting the fact that right-wing, conservative candidates did not fare well in the last elections, the Republican Party has promoted candidates with even more right-wing credentials. For example:

Sarah Palin : the less-than-inspiring, one term Governor of Alaska, who woefully lacks the knowledge and diplomatic skills to lead anything bigger than a girl scout troop, and who wants to get the government totally out of the way of controlling special interests such as health care and financial institutions.

Newt Gingrich : the formerly disgraced Speaker of the House, who talks a good game, depending on his audience, but lacks the integrity or believability to be considered viable by most Americans. As the darling of the right-wing, radio talk shows, Gingrich is just to the right of Attila the Hun.

Rick Santorum : the former Senator from Pennsylvania, who was kicked out of office by a landslide majority for his radical, right-wing ramblings, was criticized for mis-using public funds by maintaining no residence in his home state.

In addition to the potential candidates mentioned above, several other conservatives such as Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, George Pataki, Mike Huckabee and Haley Barbour have all thrown their hats in the ring. If this is the best that the Republicans can do, than 2012 should be another good year for the Democrats. So much for the talk about re-inventing the GOP!
—Rich

It is a new axis of evil, this triumvirate, consisting of Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Representative Joe Wilson. They are demagogues, all. Truth has no place in their repertoire and their only seeming goal is that of disseminating false information in egomaniac self-promotion.

Palin pontificates about the non-existent “death panels” in Obama‘s proposed Health Care Reform legislation. Her outrageous claim that end-of-life counseling would entail pulling the plug on terminally ill patients and the elderly is ludicrous. It would have involved counsel on hospice care, living wills and matters of quality of considerations through information. It matters not to her that most of us will be faced with these decisions either for our families or ourselves. But scare tactics must work because her frenzied, ill-informed statements rankled so many that bipartisan negotiators on the Senate Finance Committee agreed to drop the end-of-life provision.

Then we have the inimitable Rush Limbaugh who described President Obama’s speech on Health Care Reform as “disgusting, reprehensible and predictable.” Like a rabid dog, Limbaugh bites at every statement made by the President as though El Rushbo alone has the answers to the many issues facing this country.  Perhaps he should put himself through the rigors of running for office. I must wonder whether he would address FBI Agent Harry Samit who had attempted to warn his superiors that Moussaoui and Al-Attas were planning what turned out to be the attack on 9/11. He was thwarted with arguments of obstruction and the information was lost to our country. Since this was the Bush administration, no doubt old Rush would have rationalized what turned out to be a real death panel.

Last but not least we have Representative Joe-no-decorum Wilson. “You lie!”, he screamed at the President during his address. When Republicans turned scarlet and Democrats seethed with righteous indignation, Wilson gave a paltry apology. Let’s bitch-slap this man into reality. Wilson called the President a liar when the President claimed that illegal immigrants won’t be covered under HCR. Fortunately Politifact’s Bill Adair “fact-checked the heckler” and said that Wilson’s statement was false.

According to Adair, “the bill goes to some lengths to make sure that illegal immigrants do not get the credits for the health care exchange that would allow them to get free care. They’d have to pay for it, like everybody else. False for Wilson.” The singular consolation here is that Wilson’s opponent for his up-coming election has raised over $400,000 since Wilson’s outburst. Kudos to the contributors.

That this triumvirate is given any credence whatsoever is frightening. These people do not serve the interests of this country. They serve only self-aggrandizement. The Quitter, the Addict and the Disrespectful Congressman have evil voices which are allowed to be heard but can be tuned out. Put them in the wilderness where they belong.

—cher

Elocution is defined as the art of effective public speaking. The art of oration once taught in public schools has become a lost discipline. Elocution emerged as a formal discipline during the eighteenth century and and instruction included proper diction, use of gestures, stance and dress. Having been a Speech major in college, I was able to teach this for some time in public schools. It was determined by powers-that-be, however,that this discipline was unnecessary and could be taught as part of the English curriculum. I saw it as a terrible loss in our education system.

Those who have the natural “gift” have an edge in their ability to communicate with substance as well as style. Barack Obama, of course, would be the most likely example. In the aftermath of of the Palin storm, it would appear that this woman had some style (thanks to an expensive make-over), but whatever substance she may have was lost in her “you betcha’s”, other trite phrases and in her sarcastic tone. Palin would have been a problem for the country. Her manner of speaking may have sunk ships and ignited dignitaries were she to have become Vice President.

 Caroline Kennedy has been berated for using “you know’s” and for not having the Kennedyesque style of oration. Some have therefore judged Caroline as inept for the New York Senate seat. Her detractors have stated that she is playing on the Kennedy name. Could it be possible that while she does not possess the speaking skills of JFK or RFK, she does in fact have an abiding love for this country and a desire to serve in the Kennedy tradition? In addition, she has a law degree from Columbia, is a writer and has served on the boards of many non-profit organizations. My guess is that she does not know the requisite ingredients for putting together a moose stew. Caroline Kennedy has a great deal more substance than Sarah Palin.

Palin inspired “Hot Chick” buttons which were worn at the Republican convention. I remember thinking that sure, she’s cute, but she didn’t just say that, did she? What in the wide, wide world of politics was she thinking? She made me cringe.

Caroline, on the other hand, showed grace in her demeanor at the Democratic convention. She had a hand in selecting Joe Biden as VP and would not have been asked to do so were she not considered a woman of political substance and knowledge. She did not make me cringe.

Perhaps the real loss is in the instruction of elocution. Were either of these women skilled in the art of communication, one of them may have ascended to political heights. My hope is that Caroline may still do so.

The ubiquitous Sarah Palin has been making her rounds on talk shows and mass media. Having been thwarted or short-circuited from making a case for herself during her campaign with John McCain, Palin is now doing her version of Palin Unplugged. The more she talks, the worse it gets.

While Sarah Palin may have felt called by God to serve her country, I wonder if she misread the signal and missed an opportunity, for example, to help parents of special needs children from her position as Governor. She could have declined the tap for VP given her family circumstances. She chose what she perceived, I suppose, as a higher calling in serving her country.

 As Alaska’s Governor though, Palin actually cut that state’s Special Olympics budget in half. Resources in Alaska for children with physical and emotional needs are scarce. The rural make-up of Alaska makes it difficult to access services and many families take their children out of state for help. Certainly Palin could have used her empathy to drive better care in her own state. Perhaps she will when she has depleted her welcome as a media star. Or maybe the glow of media attention will continue for awhile.

In an interview with Wolf Blitzer, Palin was asked if she would consider working with the Obama Administration on issues of energy or services for special-needs children. “It would be my honor to assist and support our new president and the new administration.” She made this statement during the same interview in which she pronounced that Obama’s association with Bill Ayers still troubles her. There are times when I wonder what planet she is from.

And then there is the issue of the wardrobe. It boggles my mind that John McCain did not have enough money to do a stronger media blitz, but the RNC ostensibly found more than $150,000 for a Palin make-over. Rewind to Palin’s first days as Mayor of Wasilla. According to former Wasilla City Council member, Nick Carey, in 1996 after her successful run for the Mayor’s office, Palin spent over $50,000 in city funds to redecorate her office. Carney stated that Palin’s office makeover included flocked red wallpaper and “looked like a bordello.” It was also not legal because Palin had not received the council’s approval. High-falutin taste this small town gal has. John, John, John, you should have vetted and spared yourself this headache.

Sarah Palin is still young enough to right some wrongs, but when all is said and done, she will have lost her state of grace and missed some opportunites to seek a better calling.

It was a long and sometimes grueling road to the election. We invested ourselves emotionally and physically. At times we were frenetic, anxious or exhilarated to the point of exhaustion. Now it is time for recovery. Since we don’t have the White House culinary staff to help, I will offer you some plebeian recipes for PESD (post-election stress disorder).

1. Palin Pumpkin Dippy– Inside one small pumpkin add the following mixed together: 1 can of packed pumpkin, 1 pkg. 8 ounce cream cheese, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp. ginger, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. vanilla (not Wasilla) extract, 1 tsp. orange extract. Fill the pumpkin and serve with vanilla (not Wasilla) wafers and ginger snaps (not snappy patter).

2. Hot McCain Crabby Dip—Mix 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds, 1 pkg. 8 ounce cream cheese, 1 tablespoon horseradish, 1 (7- 1/2oz.) can crab meat, which must be drained and flaky, 1/2 tsp. curry powder, 1/4 cup minced green pepper, 1 tablespoon chopped chives. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and serve with assorted (yikes!) crackers.

Now if you are like a member of this family and are suffering as a result of wheezing so much, make yourself a hot toddy. That would be a cup of very hot tea with a bit of lemon, honey, a sprinkle of nutmeg, a shot (or two) of bourbon and stir it with a cinnamon stick. This is guaranteed to help you resume your sleep pattern.

Well, I hope this helps your recovery. If not, take two aspirins and email me in the morning!

 In United States v. Nixon, Chief Justice Burger stated that executive privilege would most effectively apply when the oversight of the executive would impair that branch’s national security concerns. In 1998 President Bill Clinton became the first president since Nixon to invoke executive privilege in the Lewinsky scandal. On August 1, 2007 Bush invoked the privilege in rejecting a subpoena for Karl Rove. Rove’s attorney stated that his client is “constitutionally immune from compelled congressional testimony.” Interesting in that this may mean that issues of national security were involved. Hmmm, I thought all he did was fire some federal prosecutors. Rove still has not honored that subpoena.

In Rovian fashion the Palins are also claiming executive privilge. Help me out here. I thought Todd Palin was only the husband of the Republican VP nominee who has not yet been elected to that position. What have those two been doing in Alaska that may have jeopardized national security?

The whole issue of Karl Rove and the Palins is nothing more than a contrived cover-up and a stonewalling for the sake of blind ambition. As witness the events in the market these last few weeks, our government seems to be floating on a boogie board, riding the waves of political expediency. We deserve the truth as citizens and voters, and it should be a moral imperative that it happen directly. To wait until after the November elections would be an affront to all Americans. Karl Rove and the Palins should not be above the law, but rather should uphold our laws and should be held to a level of higher accountability. They need to cooperate.

The duplicity of the Palin/McCain campaign is contemptuous. McCain has changed his so-called theme several times in an effort to find his niche. He now uses “Change.” Honestly, this man is so lacking in integrity he would plagiarize the works of Shakespeare and think he could get away with it. Well, I see no change with his VP candidate, Palin the queen of earmarks.

This woman accepted $256 million for 52 earmarks in her first year as Alaskan governor and $197 million for 31 earmarks this year. Even as mayor of Wasilla, she helped to secure almost $27 million for a town of approximately nine thousand residents. But she can name that tune in two notes: “Vice President.” Suddenly she recasts her past and colors inside the Conservative lines. With a smile and designer glasses, she struts on stage and proclaims her innocence. She is completely driven by absolute ambition and will stop at nothing to get to the White House. She puts her husband on stage with his deer-in-the headlights look and makes certain he wears a blue collar. It is all staging. It is all lies.

If voters do not recognize this Republican campaign for its balderdash, then we are doomed. There would be no change in the highest deficit this nation has ever seen, and Palin/McCain would continue the Bush/Cheney lies that took us into a war based on non-existent WMD’s. Where would we go next, Georgia or maybe the Ukraine? What is also troubling is that Palin cannot or will not speak to the media. She has become the bridge to nowhere. She does, however, seem to do all the talking when on stage with McCain. She has found his voice.

There is really only one response to the Republicans and their repudiated earmarks. Vote for Obama/Biden and know what you are getting: truth in government.

So Sarah Palin may be a heartbeat away from the Presidency. Now there is a frightening thought. If John McCain with his history of serious health problems would settle for this 44 year old, inexperienced woman as a VP nomination, he truly must be desperate. If he wanted to trump the Dems by having a woman on the ticket, there were several others who easily would have been viable. Think of Kay Bailey Hutchison, Christine Todd Whitman or Elizabeth Dole. Instead he chose Palin. This is supposed to be the most critical decision a presidential nominee makes as a portend of their thought process. What was he thinking?

Palin has been the Governor of Alaska for 18 months. Prior to that she was mayor of a town of 9,000 people whose chartered mayoral duties included the following: (1) Preside at council meetings; and (2) Act as ceremonial head of the city. Now there is experience I would treasure were she called upon to step into McCain’s shoes. Palin makes Dan Quayle look good.

All these months McCain has been posturing about Obama’s supposed lack of experience and stating that only he “puts America first.” If McCain really puts America first, he certainly did not exhibit that with this choice. By choosing this woman he may actually rally Clintonites for a strong Democratic vote just so Palin will not be viable any time soon. Palin herself praised Hillary in her acceptance speech but made no case for herself. That’s because she has no case.

Well, let’s see. Palin does support oil drilling in Alaska. That will certainly please environmentalists. She is also known to be on the inside with Big Oil. With McCain’s plentiful funding from Big Oil, one has to wonder if the lobbyists have been assured they will retain their power. Sounds like Bush-Cheney all over again. But let us not forget that her husband is a champion snowmobiler. That will garner a lot of support for this ticket. In defense of his choice for Palin, McCain said in an interview today that “she has even been on the PTA.” At least he didn’t say “Harper Valley.”

Palin’s approval rating in her own state has been slipping. She is under investigation for “troopergate.”  Her sister’s husband was fired from the police force while her sister was locked in a bitter custody battle. Hints and allegations are flying. Was this woman even vetted? The president of Alaska’s State Senate who is a Republican woman from Wasilla, Palin’s hometown, stated, “Look at what she’s done to this state. What would she do to the nation?”

Well, McCain may have just handed Obama the platter. As an Obama supporter, I should be glad. It does give me pause, however, that a man of John McCain’s stature could have gone into political panic mode and slipped into improbable thinking.