What I Learned from the Crazy Shutdown

1. They (Tea Party "Conservatives") Learned Nothing.

Just Watch This

I could not say it better, this is perfection:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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On Losing

So this one is about why Republicans on the Hill are acting the way they are acting right now.  

I worked on the Hill for years.  Specifically, for years I worked on the Hill as a Democrat in a government ruled entirely by Republicans.  For years.  

Would You, Could You, in a Fauxlibuster?

GOP 2016 Primary Math

1. Hey, we should NOT do public primary debates again, because that was some public Cray-Cray last time, huh?

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Girls

A few brief recent observations about girls and how we raise them...

"Cheer Up, Donkey!" Follies

So these scandals (real and totally trumped up alike), and a general sense of foreboding at the likely results from uber-gerrymandering of the House for the foreseeable future have left me in my political sad place.





I need a pick-me-up.  You probably do, too.


Here are some things to cheer us up...

I'll Give You A Conspiracy Theory

Senator Inhofe wants to limit the purchases by the U.S. Government of ammunition based on a whacked-out conspiracy theory that the government is buying up all the ammo.  The NRA said this was not true.

The NRA.

I have now had it with the crazed "government is coming to get us" thing from people who claim to be patriots.

It's dangerous to gin up people who are already prone to believe the worst of the government and whose common denominator is a love for weapons.  It's bizarre for a Senator in a representative democracy to demonize the government.

Hey, Conspiracy Brother Senator ("climate change is a hoax!" "they're coming to get your ammo!"), you want a conspiracy theory?

10 Things That 90 Percent of Americans Agree On

Color me angry.  The Senate is about to fail to pass even the compromise version of legislation to improve background checks for gun purchases.

Sen. Joe Manchin tells me "we will not get the votes today" expanded background checks to fail in Senate. Try again he says.
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) April 17, 2013

                                                         

So as a sort of follow-up to my "10 Things That Are More Regulated Than Guns" post, I decided - on this day of the Senate vote on a compromise, bi-partisan, non-universal background check bill - to take a look at some things that are as popular with Americans as universal background checks for gun purchases...

Leaders Wanted. Apply Within.

                                                          

"There go my people, I must find out where they are going so I can lead them."

Gay Marriage Follies

So.  Many.  Gay.  Marriage.  Memes.

Arithmetic: A Memo to CPAC

So we've heard from conservatives now.  And as much fun as that was, I feel like it's important to underline something.

But Seriously, Let's Ban Some Guns

It looks like there is impressive progress on universal background checks for guns.  And that's great, that needs to happen.  Now.  But it's not enough.

Watch This. Pretty Please.

Top 5 Reasons the Sequester Sucks

Presidents Day Follies

Happy Cray-Cray Valentine's Day

Alright.  The crazy has become too much.  I must comment.

Friday Follies: #Hillary2016

1. Bubba DNC Speech - 

Regularly-Scheduled Programing?

So Mandi and I are going to be posting sporadically for awhile.  We're both pretty busy right now, and we're experimenting with time management and priorities.

Here are a couple of stories I've found interesting to tide you over:

Happy MLK Jr./Inauguration Day!

                                                   

                       

Friday Follies: Inauguration Madness!

So President Barack Obama's second inauguration is almost upon us.  I thought I would visit (and revisit) some memes from times past:

Remember Aretha Franklin's hat from the 1st Inauguration?  I do.

 

Linkage is Good for You: Hypocrites Edition

Here are some fun linkage posts to lighten up a dreary January day....

10 Things That Are More Regulated Than Guns

Apparently many Americans - and not just fringe-y scary ones - have an affinity for or emotional attachment to guns.  But the level of actual regulation on guns is simply topsy turvy, considering the amount of danger they present to people (especially children).

So I wanted to pull together a bunch of ideas I've seen floating around to underscore just how under-regulated guns are in America.

Ten things that are more regulated than guns:

Asking for It: When is Rape Acceptable?

Yes, for those of you who were wondering, it's tape over them.

The proper answer, as everyone knows to reply out loud and in public, is never.  However, there is always a private, whispered, "... but...., if s/he was really drunk, dressed inappropriately, if I could see their ankles, on the wrong side of town, etc. wasn't s/he really asking for it?"

Friday Follies: We Both Reached for the Gun Edition

So what are people saying about guns, now that some time has passed since Sandy Hook Elementary's tragedy?  The Obama Administration seems to be coming down to proposals on universal background checks (which like 85% of people support and a whole lot of people think is already the law - it's not, there are gun-show and internet loopholes) and banning high-capacity magazines, but abandoning the assault weapons ban.  If you disagree with that, the time to let people know is now.  Here's what people have been talking about, about guns...


The Scary:

• Conspiracy Brother Alex Jones (he gets uber-scary starting at the 2-minute mark) - 

                                                          

Walking While Black

Even the dog knows the routine...

Imagine going outside your house to take the trash out, and the police stopping you to pat you down.  Imagine going for a stroll around your block, and the cops ask you for your identification.  Imagine going to your significant other's house, and being arrested for trespassing.  For millions of New Yorkers, these scenarios are no figment of their imagination, it is an everyday reality.  And everyone else seem pretty ok with that.

De Do Do Do De Da Da Da: 5 Irrational Things

So I'm watching the Daily Show last night, and Jon Stewart does a pretty awesome job unpacking the sheer irrationality of our political culture about gun control...

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Which made me want to talk about the top 5 mindsets that are driving me nuts this week.

Drug Testing For Welfare

It's an idea that draws wide support from people of all ideological stripes.  The idea that we should have mandatory drug testing for all people applying to welfare, and deny those who fail the drug test any benefits.  Some states, such as Florida, have recently tried to implement testing, to mixed results. Should we drug test welfare recipients?

5 Things We Could Change to Make Washington Work

There has been a lot of talk lately about Washington and our government being broken, lame, and even that we should throw out the Constitution (for the record, I think this is a ill-conceived idea, but more on that later).  But the thing is, there are simple, structural reasons why Congress in particular is not working well.  If we addressed those reasons, Congress would work better...

SCOTUS Part II - The Justices (End of Year Re-Run)

I know, it's Friday, and you want your Follies.  But we've done a few extra follies lately, and I want to get one more re-run in before we go back to our normal schedule.  This is the second of my SCOTUS background pieces.  This one (from June 6th) is about the current justices, and how this Roberts Court stacks up versus prior Courts...

The Happiest Court Ever

My kids ate my homework.  Okay, no, but boy did they get in the way of me doing any kind of efficient writing in the past two days.  Until the fall I am first a mom at just about all times, and only secondly, well, a person who can do things like write cogent sentences without being interrupted constantly, particularly when my kids are low on sleep and wearing their cranky pants.  But bear with me for one more bit of background, because it really does help in any discussion about the Court to know something about the personalities and histories of the current justices.

First a note about terminology:  There are no liberals on the Court right now,

SCOTUS Part I - Con Law 101 (End of Year Re-Run)

In preparation for more Court-watching soon, I thought it's worthwhile to revisit my 2-part series from June on the Supreme Court.  Today's edition revisits the law...

I'd like to talk some about the Supreme Court this week.  But first I think it's worthwhile for those of us who aren't particularly focused on the Supreme Court (and really, how many of us are), to talk a bit about the Court and its current members.  These are probably things you learned about at some point in school, but like with me and anything to do with chemistry or calculus, they may have been tossed by your brain to make room for things you use more.  Like 1980s song lyrics.  Seriously, when the kids get to chemistry and calculus it's going to be painful.  But if they would like to know the words to every Madonna song, I've got it covered.

What in the House? Speaker What Now?

Keep that gavel warm for her, buddy.

This has been a telling series of recent political choices by the Speaker.

Having It All? (End of Year Re-Run)

It's something I think about a lot, and it spawned some good discussion last time, so I thought we should revisit Mandi's Post (from June 26th) about whether women can have it all...  

P.S. And speaking about having it all... Please get well soon, Hillary.  P.P.S. Please shut up everybody who is dogging Hillary while she's ill.  Get a life.  Now without further ado -


I thought it was a good time to chat about the article that has been making waves around the internet recently, the Atlantic article on why women can’t have it all.  This type of article, in various permutations, has been coming out yearly for a while now.  In the beginning, it was penned by men, then by women.  Either which way, someone is always willing to wag their finger in women’s faces and admonish them for thinking that they “can have it all”.

I confess I’m not sure what that means. 

New Year Follies: Happy Fiscal Cliff?

Will it be a cliff drop today?