To Yer Posts, Sailors!

(Postdated so ye olde crew makes it aboard. New content be below.)

It be that time again!  Time for ye to pick yer best elitist bastardry and get aboard!  We be sailin' Christmas weekend, if time an' tides be on our sides.  Get yer links in to me no later than end o' day December 26th.  We be sailin' out from Last Hussar's Barracks, and ye don't want to be late when ye're dealin' wi' a captain named Last Hussar, now, do ye?

If ye've never sailed before, here's how it be done:

1. Pick a blog post o' yours that hits the stupid where it hurts.

2. Send us the link at elitistbastardscarnival@gmail.com.

That be it.  Simple enough, innit?

And if ye see a bit o' elitist bastardry while ye be out and about on the intertoobz, be sure to send us the link.  A crew's just not complete without a few press-ganged folk.

See ye aboard!

Ed Brayton Praises Police: Dana Hunter Taken to Hospital with Heart Failure

If you're a regular reader of Dispatches from the Culture Wars, you know that Ed Brayton gleefully exposes every bit of police corruption that comes his way.  He's merciless.  And so, this post rather took me by surprise.

It starts out normally enough:

Dozens of convictions for drunk driving are suspect now that a routine audit of a crime lab in Colorado Springs showed that the results of those tests were typically overstated by the lab's testing.

And so I read on for the smackdown.  Instead, I got this:

The good news is that the local police and prosecutors seem to be taking this seriously and looking to do the right thing:

"We're not going to be relying upon any questionable blood alcohol content results," he said. "The District Attorney's office and the Colorado Springs Police realize how serious it is and we're acting accordingly."

"We don't want to treat anybody as guilty if they're not," he added...

And then he gives them kudos.  Kudos!

I don't know if my world will ever be the same again.

Oh, and Colorado Springs?  Kudos to ye for caring more about truth than convictions.

We're On Our Way

To what, I'm not quite sure yet.  But the Dems in the Senate held together this morning to defeat the Cons' filibuster of Harry Reid's manager's amendment.  The bill's got a long road ahead, but it's possible it may pass.

Cujo's hating it.  And I'm meh.  I think Cujo got the impression I support the thing just because.  How, I don't know - I've been linking to arguments for and against, and my main argument is not that we should pass any bill, no matter how bad it is, but that we shouldn't let progressive setbacks keep us from fighting for better Dems to represent us.  As for the bill itself, I'm wanting to see some improvements before the end.

I do know that this bill's already seen some meaningful changes, and it will see more before its final passage.  McJoan's got an excellent rundown of the good, the bad, and the ugly in this current incarnation. Howard Dean's backed off calls to kill the bill and is sounding more hopeful about what we might be able to do in conference. 

Personally, I believe we should have single payer.  We ain't gonna get it.  Failing that, I'd like a public option.  We're probably not getting that.  And without the public option, either subsidies need to be higher or the mandate should probably go altogether.  But am I calling for them to kill the bill without that?  No.  What I'd ask for is higher subsidies.  And I'd like to know that this "exemption for those who can prove they can't afford coverage" is actually a meaningful protection for those who may not qualify for subsidies and can't afford their premiums.  If we can't pull the bill a lot further to the left by pressuring Reps and Senators in conference, then I'd at least insist on that.  And the percentage of income that goes to health insurance should be a fuck of a lot lower, much more in line with the House bill, if not even smaller.

Cujo seems to think those of us who support the bill, or at least don't despise it, have never been poor.  Hate to break it to him, but many of us have.  And those days when I didn't have health care because my $6 per hour job didn't offer benefits were horrible.  I wouldn't have been able to afford a coverage mandate.  Fuck, I could barely afford my (mandated) car insurance.  But newsflash: under this bill, I'd qualify either for Medicaid or subsidies.  Under this bill, my teeth may not have rotted nearly away, and I'd have been able to go to the doctor when I got sick.  And under this bill, my pre-existing asthma wouldn't disqualify me for coverage.  Those are no small things.  That's why I can't put myself firmly in the "hell no" camp.  Especially not before we see what comes out of conference.

So, no unqualified celebration in the cantina tonight.  But at least we're on our way to conference.  If anyone's got any blackmail material we can use on kings Lieberman and Nelson to keep them in line if the House manages to insert progressive priorities back into the bill, now would be an excellent time to pony it up.

Catching Up on Health Care Reform Stupidity

I assured you I'd give you a little something on Sunday, and here it is.  It's what I can manage at the moment.  There will be more later, as energy levels and chores allow.  Word o' advice to the guys who might be thinking it'd be awesome to be a woman: it ain't.   And that's all I have to say about that.  Let's talk about health care reform instead.  (I'd be a lot more excited by it if it had a hysterectomy-on-demand amendment.  Gah.)

Whelp, it looks like me might just possibly see the Senate actually vote on a health care reform bill by Christmas Day.  Harry Reid's filed for cloture - well, I should say clotures, because there's lots.  The Senate, my darlings, is nothing more than a glorified political obstacle course.

So that means he's got the votes, right?  Well, mebbe.  If King Lieberman doesn't pitch another fit, and they'd better hope he doesn't, because Queen Snowe still thinks things are moving too fast for her poor little self to handle, and has therefore refused to answer the call of history.  That's it.  The sum total of her excuse.  "It's all happening so fast!"  The poor dear - apparently, debating health care reform since the days of Truman, and debating it in its current incarnation for nearly a full year, is just too much for her.

At least Lord Nelson's finally decided to vote for cloture - as long as none of those dirty peasants in the House muss up his shiny little abortion compromise.

Meanwhile, Stupak's working with Cons in an attempt to murder health care reform in its cradle.  Cons just want it dead.  Stupak cares more for blastocysts than living (or, for that matter, dying) people.  It makes for a rather strange and disgusting marriage, especially since the Rabid Religious Right's been invited into the marital bed.  I'm with Susie: "I am so tired of living in a country where a group of religious extremists get to hold our rights hostage..."

Cons are awfully damned proud of themselves for digging in their heels.  Why, Tom Coburn thinks they're just doing what Americans want - being the Party of No.  They must only be listening to "real" Americans, because that vast majority of folks who're pissed off because they wanted single payer or the public option or at the very damned least the Medicare buy-in can't possibly be real.

It turns out they're such piss-poor chess players that they're responsible for getting us something far more progressive than we might have ended up with.  Awesome, eh?

So, what will we get with the Senate bill?  Steve Benen sez it's no mansion, but at least it's a halfway decent starter home.  Digby weighs in with a somewhat different, thoughtful opinion.  The CBO gives it a middling-passing score.  Howard Dean hopes that the conference committee can fix what the Senate fucked up.  It ain't great, but it's something, and it can be built on - if we stay on top of it. 

And on that subject, what both Steve Benen and Matt Yglesias said is important, so I shall quote it here:

Matt Yglesias had a good item on this, noting that "the crucial question going forward is whether it will be possible to further improve this legislation."

I think it's very possible, but only if the people who are disappointed by the shortcomings of this bill take appropriate action. First and foremost, that means working as hard as possible to produce as good an outcome as possible in the 2010 midterm elections. Recall that before 2006, SCHIP expansion couldn't pass the Senate. And before 2008, SCHIP expansion could pass the Senate but couldn't get signed into law by the President. Elections have consequences. Starting in January 2011 we might have new progressive senators representing Ohio, New Hampshire, and Missouri or we might have new conservative senators representing Nevada, Delaware, and Connecticut. This is a very big deal. Has Ned Lamont been able to beat Joe Lieberman back in 2006, this might have had a happier ending this year. Elections have consequences. [...]

[Y]ou accept compromises and then keep on working to build more political power. You do it by contacting members. You do it by urging friends and colleagues to contact members. You do it by donating to and volunteering for good candidates. You do it by turning out and voting for the better candidate in the race even when that candidate is disappointing. You do it by urging viable candidates to mount risky primary challenges against incumbents who don't reflect the real possibilities of their constituency. You do it by staying engaged, and working hard.

I think this is an excellent bill, all things considered, but whether you agree with that or not the most important thing is what does the progressive community do going forward to enact even better bills in the future.

The country can either go forward or backward. Those who wanted key provisions in this health care bill that were ultimately scuttled -- a public option, Medicare expansion, etc. -- can still achieve those goals, but not by throwing their arms up in despair or by deciding to register their frustration by staying home.

Got it?  If not, read it a few more times.  We are not going to win progress if we give up in disgust, folks.  

And now, on a lighter note, clowns.  More specifically, the spectacular clownishness of Rep. Tom Price.  Enjoy.

Unplanned Night Off

Don't ask me about today.  Really, just don't.

Bloody snowstorms. 

No, it's not snowing in Seattle.  But it's snowing on the East Coast, which closed a call center, which led to a domino effect of chaos that eventually knocked me over out here.  Therefore, the cantinera ain't making it in due to snow. 

I'll make it up to ye on Sunday, my darlings.  In the meantime, go write me up something for COTEB.

Deck the Halls with Holly-Shaped Holly

Truth in advertising, I guess:

And I'd like a star-shaped star for my tree.

Your Daily Dose of Health Care Reform Stupidity

Same ol' suspects are being dumbshits.  Ben Nelson's apparently jealous of all the attention Lieberman's getting, so now he's digging in his heels.  Again.  Expect histrionics from Lieberman, but they won't be on Al Franken's watch - Al isn't putting up with his bullshit.  I wish more Dems would shut Lieberman down like that.

The Senate had better not make any plans for Christmas.

If anybody's wondering why so many women hate Rush Limbaugh, here's a clue.

The Big Dog's come out in favor of reform.  Let's see if his bark is loud enough to make Lieberman and Nelson roll over.

And, if you click on no other link in this paltry post, click through and read this one.  Seriously.  Just do it.  In fact, I'm going to stop right here so you have time to go and read.

What George Said

I've been meaning to write a post like this.  Thankfully, George pretty much summed up my thinking:

Barack Obama took office in a country on fire.  He has right-wing loonies - congressmen and senators - trying to trip him up at every turn, telling lies about him, telling lies about his legislative agenda, and aided by media that thrives on idiot “we’re just askin’ questions’ equivalency.  The deficit was (and still is) headed for geosynchronous orbit, two wars going on, the judiciary and key government agencies packed with Reagan/Bush/Bush appointees.  You wanna blame somebody?  It’s all those people in the voting booth. 

So no, I’m not happy with everything Obama has done.  I had high hopes but you have to take anything a candidate says with a grain of salt.  But we can NOT let really stupid, dangerously ideological people take office.  It’s easy to lose sight of the damage they can do.

I know some among you won't agree.  But I'll say to you again what I've always said: no matter how much the Dems piss you off, the solution isn't to let the Cons take back power.  The solution is to fight tooth and nail for better Dems.

We didn't get the perfect progressive champion when we elected Obama.  But we got something a fuck of a lot better than McCain.  The fact that our national standing went up overnight, that we avoided a reprise of the Great Depression, and that we have a man at the helm who can bloody well think is reason enough for me to sleep soundly at night.

Happy Hour Discurso

Today's opining on the public discourse.

Pretty thin gruel today, my darlings.  Which is probably for the best, because between the PMS and the Neverending Day o' Frustration at work, I'm pretty much wiped.

Still, there's a few items of interest.  Guess who CPAC's having to dinner:

In February, the Conservative Political Action Conference will get underway in D.C., and because CPAC has become the right-wing event of the year, the conservative movement's heavy hitters are anxious to be a part of it.

But let's note who, exactly, has become part of the conservative movement. For example, the 2010 CPAC gathering will be co-sponsored by the hyper-conservative John Birch Society. While JBS was, not too long ago, considered far too ridiculous for the American mainstream -- even Republicans considered Birchers a political pariah -- the bizarre group has slowly been welcomed into the fold as conservatives have become more extreme.

When Glenn Beck embraced the Birchers two years ago, Alex Koppelman reminded us, "The JBS is, after all, the group that believed fluoridated drinking water was a Communist mind-control plot. Oh, and its founder, Robert Welch, once accused Dwight Eisenhower -- and no, we are not kidding -- of being 'a dedicated conscious agent of the communist conspiracy.'"

And now the John Birch Society is co-sponsoring CPAC. When I talk about radicalism being mainstreamed by the right, this is what I'm talking about.

I remember, back in the day, when even rabid Republicans would vehemently denounce the JBS.  They wanted nothing to do with the insane pieces of shit.  Now, the insane pieces of shit are du jour.  This tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the current state of the Con party.

(Do click through and read the rest of the article.  There's potential for some hilarity brewing - you don't want to miss it.)

Teabaggers, meanwhile, are coming up with ever newer ways to let the country know how fucktarded they are:

This morning, Washington, DC residents have may seen a plane with a giant banner bashing President Obama flying overhead, courtesy of the Danville, VA Tea Party Patriots:

The group’s project coordinator, Susan Lee, raised funds during the last two months to fly a plane over Washington, D.C. morning traffic today with a nearly 100-foot-long banner reading “OBAMA STOP DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY” in five-foot-tall letters. [...]

Back when I was a kid, the local crazies usually just ranted in front of the grocery store.  Now they've taken to the skies.  Nowhere is safe.

And, finally, we report that a waahmbulance had to be called to Copenhagen:

Republican lawmakers who accompanied Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the climate talks in Copenhagen say they learned something about the speaker in Denmark: she's a Mean Girl. Citing slights like "not being helped in setting up their own media briefing," Republicans are smarting after being subjected to Pelosi's unique brand of bullying.

On the National Journal's Copenhagen Insider blog, the five GOP members of the delegation reel off the ways Pelosi has maliciously attacked them:

[It] includes not being invited to attend a press briefing today featuring Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and five other Democratic leaders; not being helped in setting up their own media briefing; and initially not getting access to top U.N. climate negotiator Todd Stern.

[snip]

Pelosi is such a terrifying bully she apparently has kept the GOP's own media staff frozen with fear, according to another Democrat who spoke to NJ:

A House Democratic aide also said that Republicans didn't struggle with Democratic staff to get a room for their press conference; they made a late request to the U.N. "They had press staff out here since the weekend and seemingly have not done any planning," the Democratic aide said.

Obviously, it's all Nancy Pelosi's fault that the Cons are a bunch of incompetent fools.

These people just make me tired...