I try not to be over the top with my word choices and descriptions here.  I don’t always succeed at that, but I think I stick to it the vast majority of the time.  But tonight there’s really no other way to put it – it was truly revolting to watch Donald Trump during his speech, basking in the glory of the standing ovation received by the widow of fallen Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens.

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Do you think Ryan & Pence had a Brenda & Kelly moment when they first saw each other’s outfits tonight?

During the campaign, and even after he won the election, people across the political  spectrum speculated about whether Trump really even wanted to be President.  The answer to that question is “no.”  He wanted to win the title of President, but he didn’t want to actually be President and have to do all that the job normally entails.  But tonight, the pageantry of the address to Congress, this is the reason Trump ran for President.

He doesn’t give a crud about your wonky 10 page policy memo, he doesn’t want hour long daily security briefings, he’s not interested in the intricate details of how to make health care reform work. Nope, his whole life he’s craved nothing more than to hear a room full of people clapping and cheering for him while the whole world watches on tv. Doesn’t even matter why they’re cheering, as long as it’s all for him.

Republicans can’t avoid it.  And I guess I can’t avoid it anymore either.  It’s Obamacare.  (Obamacare of course is officially named the Affordable Care Act, but since we’ve all known it as Obamacare for years now, I’m going to make it easy and just call it that here).  Republicans have been really hearing it loud and clear from constituents who are angry or worried about the GOP plan to repeal Obamacare and replace it with some as yet undefined new plan.

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This is not meant as a standalone post but as a “ride-along” to this main post about the GOP’s dilemma on Obamacare. So I don’t recommend reading this without reading Queasy, Breezy, Beautiful (though you can read Queasy without reading this one.  This one is just some extra info for those who want it while reading Queasy). I made a claim in the introduction to Queasy, stating that Republicans told an endless flow of outrageous lies throughout the entire Obamacare process – from the drafting of the law to implementation right up to today.  So I thought I should provide a little bit of backup for that claim. Continue reading →

Congress was on recess this week and Trump had one of those very rare weeks where he managed to cage his demons (relatively speaking), so the news was mostly dominated by the very crowded & lively town hall meetings GOP members faced when they went back home to their constituents.  Here are some other things that happened this week . . .

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John McCain is a hero.  Unlike Trump, who prefers people who weren’t captured, I do believe that McCain’s actions were truly heroic when he was a prisoner of war in Vietnam 50 years ago.

But he’s not a political hero.  And it’s pretty frustrating to watch the same scene replay itself over & over again with McCain always cast as the daring lead . . .

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GOP members of Congress have been greeted with very big and very angry crowds at their town hall meetings with constituents as they’ve ventured back home for this week’s recess (at least, those members who’ve been brave enough to hold town halls – many are just  avoiding them altogether).  Much of the anger has been focused on GOP plans to repeal Obamacare, especially with no stated plans for what they’re going to replace it with.  Continue reading →

With the real-life Russian intrigue swirling and the premiere of season 5 of The Americans only two weeks away, it seemed like the perfect time for a re-post . . .

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I have a confession.  Donald Trump is not the only one whose sympathies lie with the Russians.  I too find myself rooting for them at the most unexpected moments

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Trump’s Muslim ban/travel ban has been mostly missing from the news recently, pushed aside by the incredible Russia revelations at the beginning of last week, and that doozy of a press conference at the end the week.  But while the travel ban may be momentarily forgotten, it is most certainly not gone. Continue reading →