Skewering Sebelius–not so much

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Republicans who set out to skewer Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius  got off on the wrong foot.  First off, some of the first speakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee started with the Wizard of Oz theme.  Sebelius is the former governor of Kansas.  “We’re not in Kansas any more” was used on several occasions, to no avail.  Their theme simply didn’t fit into the day or its events.

Sebelius disarmed her attackers by immediately opening up with the following statement:

“Access to HealthCare.gov has been a miserably frustrating experience for way too many Americans,” she said in her opening statement. “So let me say directly to these Americans: You deserve better. I apologize. I’m accountable to you for fixing these problems. And I’m committed to earning your confidence back by fixing the site.”

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Candidate haunted by “Cuccinelli Compass”

“The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.”
―     Maya Angelou

Washingtonpost.:

Throughout Virginia’s gubernatorial race, Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic candidate, has cast Cuccinelli as a tea party extremist, incapable of forging the centrist consensus necessary to manage the commonwealth. The portrait has stuck, according to recent polls; McAuliffe appears to be ahead in the race — and Cuccinelli’s conservatism is a leading reason.

For years, he articulated that conservatism in the Cuccinelli Compass, honing a combative political persona and providing opponents with material that has now driven up his negative poll ratings and lifted McAuliffe. At the same time, Cuccinelli has accused Democrats of turning him into a caricature, seeking to scare off voters by distorting and lying about his record as a state senator and Virginia’s attorney general.

The Cuccinelli Compass is where Cuccinelli presented himself as an unbridled firebrand, venting about the “left-leaning media,” “gun-grabbing liberals” and “liberals wigging out” over, say, his proposal to allow employers to fire workers for speaking inadequate English.

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Opposition to Tea Party reaches new high in Virginia

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Washingtonpost.com:

Opposition to the tea party movement has reached a high in Virginia, a Washington Post/Abt SRBI poll shows, kicking a key leg of support out from under Ken Cuccinelli II as he tries to win the governor’s race on a strongly conservative platform.

Cuccinelli (R), the state attorney general, trails businessman Terry McAuliffe (D) by 12 percentage points among likely voters, the survey shows. And Cuccinelli’s decline comes as Virginians are increasingly turned off by the movement that has backed him strongly and with which he shares many views.

The tea party is opposed by 53 percent of registered voters in the commonwealth, up a slim three points from last year and up 10 points from a May 2011 Washington Post poll. Just 36 percent support the movement, down from 45 percent two years ago. Among those with the most intense feelings, voters who strongly oppose the tea party now outnumber those who strongly support it by more than 3 to 1.

Independents have soured most dramatically on the tea party: Fifty-five percent oppose the movement, up from 37 percent in May 2011. It’s also opposed by 80 percent of Democrats and 23 percent of Republicans.

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In defense of Gansler

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Washingtonpost.com:

The Baltimore Sun on Monday published additional excerpts from an interview last week with Gansler, the state’s attorney general, regarding a teenage beach house party he attended in Bethany Beach, Del., where there was apparent underage drinking.

During the interview, which took place in a diner, Gansler was approached by a woman who asked to have her photo taken with him, according to the Sun. Gansler drew the woman into the conversation about whether parents should intervene in such situations, the Sun said.

After the woman left, Gansler said having a daughter might factor into a parent’s judgement on how to react.  “It also has to do with whether you have a boy or a girl,” he said, according to the Sun.

Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Montgomery), who is also seeking the Democratic nomination in June, said she was “deeply troubled” by Gansler’s comments.

Gansler “appears to be saying that the safety of some children is more important than that of others, or that young girls need guidance and protection from their parents and other trusted adults that boys do not,” Mizeur said. “The dangers of underage and binge drinking have been well-documented, and for the attorney general to suggest that it’s only a problem for young women, as he appears to be doing, is tragically wrong and indicates that he doesn’t understand the larger issues at stake here.”

In defense of Gansler, it seems that there are all sorts of people second-guessing what they would do in a similar situation.  In the first place, I expect most of his criticism is coming from people who don’t have kids who are young adults and from people who don’t have children of each gender.

Gansler is correct.  Parental response is different depending on their chid’s gender.  Why?  Society has different expectations for males and females and there are different inherent risks for each gender.  Parents view the risks differently.   While kids of both genders can die of alcohol poisoning and in horrible crashes, I doubt that many of us warn our sons about passing out and being gang raped by marauding gangs of over-sexed drunken girls.

Additionally, Gansler would probably not be going around checking IDs.  Unless he is sponsoring the party, it isn’t his job.  Young adults, or whatever we call those creatures between 18 and 21, really are in no man’s land.  They are supposedly adults (I will never buy into that one.) and yet it is illegal for them to drink.  That right there sets up a conundrum that is almost impossible as a parent to navigate through.

It’s time to move on and check out what Gansler’s other qualifications are.  Supposedly his own kid wasn’t even drinking.  Tempest in a tea pot.

 

McAuliffe leads in polls by 12 points

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Washingtonpost.com:

Democrat Terry McAuliffe has opened a double-digit lead over Republican Ken Cuccinelli II in the race for Virginia governor, in a new poll capturing increasing dissatisfaction among voters with Cuccinelli’s party and his conservative views.

According to a new Washington Post/Abt SRBI poll, McAuliffe tops Cuccinelli 51 percent to 39 percent among likely voters in the Nov. 5 election. McAuliffe led by eight percentage points in a poll taken last month. Libertarian Robert Sarvis, who has capitalized on voter unrest with the two major-party candidates, is at 8 percent, according to the new poll.

The margin between the two major-party candidates is driven by a huge gender gap. Among men, the two candidates are running even, with Cuccinelli at 45 percent and McAuliffe at 44 percent. But among women, Cuccinelli trails by 24 points — 58 percent to 34 percent.

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Saudi Arabia women drive in defiance

Washingtonpost.com:

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — More than 60 women across Saudi Arabia claimed they drove cars Saturday in defiance of a ban keeping them from getting behind the wheel, but they faced little protest from police in their push to ease restrictions on women in the kingdom.

The campaign’s message is that driving should be a woman’s choice. The struggle is rooted in the kingdom’s hard-line interpretation of Islam, known as Wahabbism, with critics warning that allowing women to drive could unravel the fabric of Saudi society.

Though no laws ban women from driving in Saudi Arabia, authorities do not issue them licenses. Women who drove Saturday had driver’s licenses from abroad, activists said.

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Food stamp cut: this should seal the deal

 

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CNN.com

Food stamp benefits will be cut, starting next Friday.

The cuts, totaling $5 billion, will mean less money for groceries for millions of people who rely on food stamps. It’s a tough time to have less food on the table, just a few weeks before the start of the holiday season.

Congress has the power to halt the cutback. However, experts say it’s highly unlikely at a time when Republicans are calling for even more drastic cuts to food stamps.

Food stamp benefits were bumped up in the midst of the recession. The temporary provision expires Nov. 1.

As families have struggled during the recession and also the slow economic recovery, enrollment has soared in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

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**NC Republican precinct chairman resigns after Daily Show interview**

No, it isn’t a spoof!!!!

Yes, its a spoof, but why have I known people who talk just like this southern dude? In fairness, do you find this kind of ignorance north of the Mason-Dixon line? I say yes.  Just not in this skit.

The new voting laws in North Carolina go beyond getting an ID.  At Appalachian State, the polls are often several miles from the campus and off the beaten path.  It appears that the new laws are  more against democrats than against any minority.  The changings have come from republican controlled state legislatures.

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Open Thread…………………………..Thursday, October 24

field of pumpkinsTime for the great count-down to Halloween with a field of jack-o-lanterns.  Some of those fellows look pretty ferocious!  Want pumpkin but don’t feel like carving?  Try some pumpkin flavor coffee, found at Starbucks or Dunkin Doughnuts.

International Delight and Baileys both make a pumpkin flavored creamer for your coffee.  Pepperidge Farm has wonderful pumpkin swirl bread.  If that isn’t decadent enough, there is pumpkin flavored cream cheese to finalize the pumpkin fix.  Pair it up with pumpkin swirl toast.  Enjoy!

http://gotinsurancecolorado.org/ Get that brosurance!

What a great concept!

brosurance

This is a MUST-SEE website.  It’s probably one of the more engaging websites I have seen about young adults needing health care insurance.

http://gotinsurancecolorado.org/

I keep hearing about how Americans will be living off the backs of young adults under Obamacare.  Wait just a minute there….!!!!

What age group has the most automobile accidents?  What  age group has the most pregnancies?  What age group participates the most in sports, especially contact sports and extreme sports where the most injuries occur?

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Girl Scout Cookies Turn Children into Lesbians? Latest Preacher Rant!

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One has to wonder sometimes, when the lunacy will end.   Pastor Kevin Swanson tells his radio flock not to buy girl scout cookies as they lead to lesbianism, abortion, and communism.

I don’t wanna promote a wicked organization that, according to its own website, doesn’t promote godly womanhood. It just doesn’t! I don’t see anything that promotes godly womanhood! The vision of the Girl Scouts of America is antithetical to a Biblical vision for womanhood, friends. […]

Really, “ungodly womanhood”.  What IS that anyway?

I wonder what denomination this Pastor espouses.

Holy Cow, all that from a thin mint!  Its hard not to laugh.  Seriously, you have to listen for yourself.

 

 

 

 

GOP lawmakers want to reform SOL testing in Virginia

Washingtonpost.com:

Republican lawmakers in Virginia announced Monday they intend to make reforming the state’s Standards of Learning tests a key part of their legislative agenda in 2014.

Virginia students currently take 34 standardized tests between third grade and graduation, said Del. Tag Greason (R-Loudoun). “That’s a lot to ask from our students,” he said.

He also said legislators are devising a plan that would reduce the number of SOL tests and improve them so they emphasize more problem solving skills and less rote memorization.

“We expect them to do and perform on our standardized tests in a very rigid way,” Greason said. “We think there’s a better way.”

Expletive! Expletive!   Last year the GOP lawmakers wanted to be gynecologists.  This year they want to be educators.

What they need to do is turn the SOL tests completely over to the State Department of Education and get the hell away from it.

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Hillary comes to town, endorses McAuliffe

Hillary came to Northern Virginia and endorsed Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe and long time friend. Former President Bill Clinton is expected to join McAuliffe on the campaign trail in its final 3 weeks.

Hillary spoke of divisiveness as she endorsed McAuliffe, according to Politico.com:

She laid out a case for him that rested strongly on women’s equality, gay marriage and rejecting the “scorched earth” politics that have defined Washington over the past several months. Though she didn’t directly call out Republicans, it was clear who she was talking about when she said some politicians have been operating in an “evidence-free zone”, “do not believe in America’s progress” and are trying to “hijack” the future

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The Saturday Falls Church event was Hillary’s first campaign event in nearly 5 years. She looked refreshed, energized, and ready to roll.  Meanwhile, according to most news sources,  national republicans as well as many state republicans have given up on the Cuccinelli campaign.  Some point to the McDonnell scandal.  Others blame the government shut down.

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AP reporter Bob Lewis suspended for error regarding McAuliffe

politico.com

Bob Lewis, the Associated Press political reporter who last week published an erroneous report about Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe, has been temporarily suspended, POLITICO has learned.

Lewis, a highly respected veteran on the Richmond political scene, will no longer cover the race between McAuliffe and Ken Cuccinelli, and may be suspended through the election. His last story on the race was published Oct. 14.

Lewis did not respond to a request for comment regarding the suspension. The Associated Press declined to comment on personnel matters.

On Oct. 9, Lewis published an exclusive report for the AP alleging that McAuliffe had lied to a federal official investigating a death benefits scam, seemingly upending one of this year’s most contentious political races. The Associated Press retracted the story one hour and thirty-eight minutes later, on the grounds that the initials referenced in the indictment did not identify McAuliffe. Lewis immediately took responsibility.

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