MOMocrats

John McCain, Crazy Like a Fox

As you've seen from LawyerMama's post, the John McCain campaign is, in political parlance, "reaching out" to a variety of progressive bloggers to participate in McCain's weekly conference calls.  I even got to ask a question on his bipartisanship proposal, getting him to acknowledge that he would appoint Democrats to his administration if elected.

Confused about how a true blue PunditMom and MOMocrat can dip her currently unpedicured toes into red waters?  As my husband likes to say, it's good to know the enemy!

Wait, isn't it a problem to talk with your enemies in McCain's book?  Sorry, I digress.

My point in writing some more about our invitation to talk with Senator McCain is this -- I know they aren't doing this in hopes of convincing people like me to vote Republican in the fall.  I'm sure they've done their research and know that's never going to happen.

They're casting for bigger fish.

Let's Keep 'Em Poor & Uneducated

Updated to add conference call link, below.

This afternoon I participated in a blogger teleconference with John McCain to discuss the statements he made earlier today about how he foresees his first term in office. Because apparently it's very presidential to pretend that you've already won the election before you even officially have the Republican nomination.

First, I have to mention that MOMocrat Joanne Bamberger got a scoop on the call.  In response to her questions and several follow up questions, he stated that he will appoint Democrats to his administration.  (Assuming he has one.  And you know what happens when you assume?  You make an ass out of u and me.)  After listening to her dogged questioning, I can understand why Joanne is such a great journalist.  I bet she was a hell of a lawyer too!

The big news in John McCain's remarks this morning was, of course, his statement that,

By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed terribly so that America might be secure in her freedom.... The Iraq War has been won. Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension....

Elizabeth Edwards testifies before US Senate on Funding The Cancer Fight, Healthcare reform

Elizabeth Edwards and Lance Armstrong are backing legislation sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texas, that would create a more comprehensive approach to fighting cancer. Both testified before the U.S. Senate today on the importance of cancer research, prevention and treatment funding.

Christine-Modern English

Cindy McCain: Woman of the People.

(Credit to Talking Points Memo for the video.)

Cindy McCain doesn't feel it's necessary to release her tax information, because "[she's] not the candidate."

That sounds *almost* logical; except for the fact that John and she are married.  Which means that what is hers is his.  Based on common knowledge regarding how marriage works (at least among the unwashed masses types), they share everything they own.  In other words, despite their separate-filing status, he still, in all likelihood, makes use of the things that Cindy's money paid for.  Like the kitchen, and the food, and the toilets, and the beds, and the sofas, and chairs, and cars, and gardens, and serva-- uh, and the domestic help, and the private jet (because what beer baroness *doesn't* have a private jet, right?)

(ftr, I am merely speculating about the private-jet ownership by Cindy.  Who knows what she really owns, because she won't release her tax records.)

Doesn't that mean John's wealthy, too?  Where else did the man find the money to run for public office in the first place?

(This is all just me, thinking out loud, all crazy-like.  Because, lord knows, Lady Cindy has a perfect right to keep *her* tax information to her own damn self.  John's obviously planning this whole presidency business without including her.  As is typical of the extremely wealthy pandering populist kinda Republican that usually runs for the highest office in the land.

Next you'll tell me John and Cindy have separate bedroom suites in each of their residences.  Which sounds so totally like my neighborhood.  Minus the space to have one actual bedroom suite in any of the houses in my neighborhood, let alone two.  Oh, and minus the multiple-residence-having.  Also, minus the super-sweet fancy vaseline'd-camera-lense for those times when my neighbors are interviewed on national television about their stockpiled millions.  Except for all that, Cindy and John are just. like. us.)

Hannah Montana and the Politics of Desensitizing America

Last week, while the Momocrats were here celebrating our no small victory of getting a substantive blog-terview with Senator Obama, the rest of the interwebs were a twitter with the latest incident of inappropriate celebehavior, namely Miley Cyrus disrobing for Annie Lebowitz in Vanity Fair.

Now, I’m as avid a participant (though closeted, must maintain my brainy Clark Kent disguise) in the celeb-culture as the next gal. Though I would not dream of filling my home or my daily commute with any of the dozens of celeb-rags that cover newsstands in techni-colored rainbow splendor, let’s face it, there’s little as satisfying as doing the treadmill or the elliptical while voraciously snarfing down a Star or an Ok! or even a Life & Style (you can pretend to workout, and get some culture too!) So I know about Hannah Montana and Heidi Montag (except for why she’s famous?) and Gossip Girls and of course Ms. Brittney.

So when the Miley Cyrus brouhaha erupted, I was tempted to dismiss it with the usual sleight of hand that I reserve for news that isn’t news. But then this most appalling thought stopped me short: how could I, a mother of two girls, be so non-plussed about a 15 year old “role model” cavorting half-naked in a theoretically “reputable” general interest magazine? When did I become so desensitized that it no longer phased me that a girl that I could imagine my own daughters emulating was basically set up to seduce the entire world with her tousled hair, lacquered lips and bedroom eyes?

Because every day, in this life we lead, our values are getting chipped away, one little nick at a time, by those who profit by doing so.

McCain Would Stack the Supreme Court Deck With More Scalitos.

Just another reminder as to why we need to make sure no one is forced to endure a third Bush term; that McCain will flesh out the already far-too-fleshy Roberts/Scalia/Alito/Thomas model on the top court.

We don't really need that, do we.  Seeing as how the current justices have done things like throw a presidential election illegally to their crony's kid (uh, Bush Junior, in '00, for those who have spent the last decade under a large shade tree buried several hundred yards below ground), and, just recently, foisting unconstitutional poll-tax Jim-Crow-esque voter ID laws on one of our states.

Yeah.  McCain?  Keep giving us that kind of fodder.  It helps.  We like hearing what you'd do as president.  Because it reminds us to work our asses off to ensure we keep that from ever happening.

Because no one should have to live through a McCain presidency in their lifetime.

Indiana Voters, Don't Forget Your Photo ID -- If You Have One

(Photo from Mother Jones Magazine).

If Indiana voters show up today at the polls without a photo ID, will they be turned away?

Thanks to the Supreme Court, the answer to that question is almost certainly, yes.

With an anticipated record turn-out looming and possibly thousands of new registered voters heading out to vote in the state that calls itself the Crossroads of America, the swell of interest in this election may well be tamped down, thanks to our friends -- wait for it, wait for it -- the GOP.

While there has never been a documented case of election fraud in Indiana where an unregistered voter has tried to pass himself off as a registered voter, Indiana passed the most restrictive voter identification law in the country in 2005. 

Last week, the Supreme Court upheld that law, claiming that while it might be burdensome for a variety of groups to obtain valid photo ID, the state still had a legitimate interest in protecting the integrity of the election process.

What does that mean in English?

McCain and Iraq: BFF!

McCain loves the Iraq war so much he wants to stay there forEVAH.  What a good idea!  We totally should.  It's awesome there.  It's totally safe and no one has to wear full body armour inside the green zone, er, that is, there was a long, long span of time where no one had to wear *much* armour inside the green zone, although that's kind of changed, but the point is, our Iraq war is awesome!  McCain (and who can blame him) has such a big crush on Iraq that he wants to marry it.  For at least 100 years.

Swell.  (Although there's probably at least one word McCain can relate to more closely than "swell.")

Here's a video of McCain and Iraq holding hands.  It's really sweet.  Consider yourself warned about wanting to rush right out and start a war of your own if you watch it, though.  And it'll only cost you $500 Billion!, not to mention the sacrifice of at least 4,000 of your countrymen's lives, and untold hundreds of thousands of lives of the citizens of the nation where you enact the war.  See?  Totally worth it, if you can get it to turn into another Korea, because look how well that all went!  (Please avert your thoughts from the N. Korea sitch.  That is -- well, just -- avert.)

p.s. Looks like somebody's pissed off at McCain for sweeping Iraq off its feet and has decided to throw his weight behind the person most likely to have NOT made sweet, sweet love to the oil fields Iraq in the first place.  (Two hints: it's Ron Paul.  Okay, one hint.  Look.  I never said I was good at this whole "hint" business.)

Because Raging Against the McCain Must Continue:

And this is just too funny to pass up.  (Found it at Eschaton.)

Best portion:

Audience member:
This question goes to mental health and mental health care. Previously, I've
been married to a woman that was verbally abusive to me. Is it true that you
called your wife a (expletive)?

McCain:
Now, now. You don't want to... Um, you know that's the great thing about
town hall meetings, sir, but we really don't, there's people here who don't
respect that kind of language. So I'll move on to the next questioner in the
back.

And by people, Senator, I'm gonna have to infer that you mean, NOT YOU.

Classism: Is Republican Rejection of Universal Health Care a Form of Discrimination?

After MOMocrats nabbed an exclusive Q&A with Barack Obama*, we were asked by Geoff Livingston if we would welcome McCain's response to our questions in the same manner.  My initial gut reaction was, "Well, of course."  I like to think that I'm always ready to listen to rationale, reasonable people and their ideas.

But then I started to think about it a little more.

I'm impressed that John McCain's campaign reached out to bloggers, even non-political bloggers, to explain his plan for health insurance.  This is a great time to discuss health care because it's Uninsured Children's Week. 

MOMocrat Donna wrote about McCain's plan today, including all the problems she sees with his ideas. But there is a fundamental difference between the way John McCain sees health care benefit for people driven by market forces - and the way I see health care - something that should be a Right, regardless of socioeconomic status.

A $5000 tax credit sounds like a nice deal, right?  Except that families on the edge who don't currently have health insurance, usually don't have it because they don't have money left over at the end of the month after paying for basics like food, clothing and shelter.  Are they supposed to take out a $5000 loan until tax season comes around?

Oh & $5000?  For health care?  Are you kidding me?  Have you ever priced an individual policy for a family of 4?  Donna did.  Go read her post.  I can tell you right now that the quotes you'll get back won't account for the fact that your son has asthma and allergies and needs medication every month.  The insurance company will exclude that from coverage. Oh and that high blood pressure your husband has?  That, and any complication even remotely related to high blood pressure will be excluded too.  Is your wife still of child bearing age?  Routine pregnancy will be excluded.

Better start saving up for those prenatal and hospital bills now. You can bet your patootie it will come to more than $5,000.

I worked for a health insurance company before I went law school.  I analyzed claims for individual policies.  I know what they cost 10 years ago and I know they're a lot higher now.