Casual Observation

10 Comments

1. 

   Phil Perspective on August 25, 2015 at 2:26 pm

   And how do we know this isn’t a good cop/bad cop thing?  Maybe the leadership doesn’t want a government shutdown, but it didn’t hurt them last time, did it?

2. 

   Marie3 on August 25, 2015 at 3:06 pm

   For people that claim to loathe government spending and waste, they do seem blind to how much money PP saves.  Not just government funds but private health insurance as well.  A single unplanned, unaffordable, and/or unwanted pregnancy results in a potentially higher risk birth due to lack of prenatal care and the birth paid for by Medicaid or the costs absorbed by the hospital that then passes those costs along to their other insured patients.

   PP also allows women with decent health insurance to choose comparable medical attention with low co-pay/deductible from an authentic non-profit provider or other, for profit providers with a higher co-pay/deductible.  

   • 

     MNPundit on August 25, 2015 at 3:56 pm

     But that doesn’t punish those ignorant sluts for getting knocked up, does it?

     • 

       Marie3 on August 25, 2015 at 4:25 pm

       No.  But I’m a believer that when social issues get framed as a choice between more public spending or needless punishment, a majority would go with the less costly option.  

       (And note I didn’t include all the costs of each unintended, unwanted, unaffordable child — the necessary medical attention from 0-5 (a matter of public health even if the wingers have zero interest in the health of the poor child, public education 5-18, school meals, food stamps, Medicaid or S-Chip, and possibly housing subsidy as well.)

       • 

         Geov Parrish on August 25, 2015 at 4:52 pm

         But if you punish those sluts harshly enough, it’ll convince all those other sluts not to get knocked up, saving even more money. Plus, it helps keep your woman in line. AND it feels so good. Win-win-win.

       • 

         MNPundit on August 26, 2015 at 2:27 am

         Eh, there’s a strong belief that morality pays out on earth in this country so I think there’s strong incentive to inflict punishment even at cost, because it’s the Right Thing to Do.

         That said, You’d think they’d be willing to pay for aborting the anchor babies.

3. 

   Parallax on August 25, 2015 at 4:39 pm

   The only real question is how long before the Republicans are devoured by the monster of their own creation. People pay so little attention to politics and have such short memories, they get away with murder again and again. At the same time, more and more people seem to be aware.

   We need to do our part by not forming up circular firing squads. All the talk about “permagov” and one party being no different than the other needs to go out the window. The truth is we’re at a point in history where one party is committed to policies that are insane while the other, despite being far from perfect, is making a good faith effort to govern. We need to support those efforts with everything we’ve got.

   • 

     DerFarm on August 25, 2015 at 7:01 pm

     NO PROBLEM!!!!  

     PermaGov is off the table.  AG hasn’t said anything about it since Trump began to be seen as poised to clobber the shit out of AG’s newest KY bromance.

   • 

     n1cholas on August 25, 2015 at 7:37 pm

     I agree with this.

     Driftglass makes the argument that the BigLie of all big lies is that Both Sides Do It, pushed by faux centrists who are really just enabling the right.

     I always frame it as: one political party is hypocritical, unethical, and corrupt like any other random political party in the world, whereas the other political party is literally batshit insane. In essence, the Democratic party isn’t going to solve the problems of the US even if we gave it 100% governing capacity, but it sure as shit doesn’t have as a goal to break everything and then sell off the scraps, as does the Republican party.

     I believe that before the left is able to “take the country back!^TM” from the oligarchs who own and operate this country, the Republican party needs to be destroyed, at least as a national party.

     While many/everyone may disagree with me, I believe that Trump is the deathknell of the Republican party, if he becomes the nominee.

     No longer are the centrist enablers of the right and the media able to talk about how BothSidesDoIt^TM while Trump is out front spouting his inane bullshit. Mostly because Trump isn’t saying anything that any other GOP candidate doesn’t believe, he’s just saying it loudly and proudly and not walking it back afterwards, Etch-A-Sketch style.

     Carpetbagging the Republican party, or destroying it and having the “moderates” leave it is what allows the left wing to move somewhat left, instead of trying to just hold on to the status quo. Perhaps Trump as the nominee allows both to happen at the same time, and is the very reason I hope Trump as a candidate doesn’t implode.

     Trump is the conservative/Republican (actually, Reactionary) ID, and the longer he hangs his ass out in the open, the harder it is for the media and centrist enablers to continue the BothSidesDoIt^TM BigLie.

     And killing the BigLie is the first step of many steps in moving past the status quo of the past 35+ years.

4. 

   aarrgghh on August 26, 2015 at 3:36 am

   “jordan, in an interview, said an investigation is important, but the accused must hang …”