The Kochs Are Feeling the Bern!

The Koch Brothers kicked off 2015 making an $889 million bet with Americans that they could buy their very own government in 2016. Now, merely six months later, it sounds as if Americans are sending back a resounding, "Nu'huh..."

I have marveled repeatedly at their capacity to build a backward political movement based solely on hate. I feared that enough people wouldn't realize what was going on in time to stop them. Every election cycle they have been able to add to their arsenal of assholes and it seemed almost impossible to get things turned around after they had such a triumph last fall adding both a leader for 47 traitors and a train wreck inside a pair of Wonder Bread bags to Congress along with about a dozen others who promised to do whatever the Koch Brothers asked.

It has really seemed to all be falling into place for them. I am sure there is a sense of security to go with their sense of accomplishment which may have hindered their capacity to see some of the flaws in their plan. Of course, the one that is the most fun for me is their belief that everyone can be bought. The Kochs created the platform and they promoted those who would be beholden to their money and do whatever they were told to ensure future elections. Poor people are so easy, huh? But they forgot something about those they were promoting. Not only are they ignorant, they are so ignorant that it doesn't occur to them that they are not really qualified to run for office. If you couple that ignorance with the arrogance that tells you a run for office would be a great idea, its not a big leap to decide that you should definitely be President of these United States. Brilliant! And now we have at least 14,860 of them competing for the Regressive Party primaries. Whoops.

Their next oversight was in the Citizens United case they demanded. In their haste to make absolute the financing of all candidates deemed necessary by the billionaire class, they forgot a single factor in the equation that could screw up the whole thing. You see, it was an imperative that the Regressive Party have the right to financially bury any candidate on the left. Americans are so stupid that the only thing we vote for, apparently, are the people with the most television ads and the swankiest t-shirts. But what if you counted on an electorate falling to your will because of your sole capacity to fund the most ignorant and most arrogant candidate and then an even more ignorant and more arrogant candidate decided that he was going to fund his own campaign?

What could be worse than that if you were a Koch Brother? Well, there is one thing that could be worse. What if this ignorant and arrogant candidate was aligning with the Regressive Party and stealing all of your talking points but lacked the political savvy to realize that those are only the dog whistles used in certain company? What if he didn't realize that he wasn't supposed to actually say those things in front of every international news station for his kick off speech? And what if he was so unfucking-believably arrogant as to never EVER take back a single thing he says and if only hires people for his staff who will completely agree with whatever he wants them to? Well, I imagine, that means you are fucked if you are a Koch Brother. Fortunately I am not. So Donald Trump is just entertainment for me. And it is glorious, I'm not gonna lie.

For those of us who pay attention to politics every year and not just the month prior to the general election, we realize that the hate speech and rhetoric is supposed to be reserved on the right just for selected rallies during the primaries. We know that you don't want the media to cover it and we know that once you make it to next summer you will have to speak to those beyond your base and bring in those who your top candidates and the basest of your base call RINOs (Republican in Name Only) because they are not radical enough. But look what your little accident just did? He just told them all what you really have to say. And he is being dropped by major corporations every day who want to disassociate themselves from his extreme views. Could there be anything worse than that for your RINOs to hear? Well, yes. They could hear reminders of this daily. While getting the daily polling figures to show that Trump is rising in the polls. Daily. Ouch! You always know you can count on the media not to  report to those RINOs about what is going on in the world because they are too busy but entrust their party to nominate the best candidate so they can walk into the polling station, check the Rs and go home. But Trump is just too juicy. They had to report it. You can hardly blame them. I bet your RINOs will have to spend a little more time researching their party now. Shit. It sucks. I'm sure it does.

If Freud were around today I believe he would define four parts of the human psyche with an addition of a super id, which he might just call Trump to avoid any confusion. Trump is presently screaming all of the hateful shit he knows the right like to hear on their radio shows and the Fox cable station with the word 'news' in its title. He lacks the political sophistication to realize when and where the hate is appropriate, however. And he lacks the capacity to humble himself or ever just shut the fuck up so I don't think we will have to worry about his turning off the rhetoric any time soon. I wonder how many high level Regressive Party strategists do facepalms every hour.

Trump campaigning in the same cycle as Bernie Sanders is offering America a profound look at the juxtaposition of two sides which many like to ignore with a quick, "All politicians are the same," or "both parties really want the same thing." Sanders is speaking not only to those who are aware of what the Kochs have done politically, but also those who may not understand exactly what their effects have been but are still pissed about the overall economic catastrophe created by their ideals of austerity and disavowed commitments to America and her citizens.

Beautiful Bernie Sanders is the revelation no one could see coming. No one was supposed to take him seriously. He proudly identifies as a Socialist and that is a word Americans have been conditioned to recognize as a bad word. Again, in true Koch arrogance, they assume all Americans are as ignorant as the teabaggers. Even if someone had heard its negative connotations and is only just becoming politically aware, we all have dictionary apps, or at least Google. The majority of Americans do not learn from memes and could read the definition of Socialist, contrast that with the oligarchy we are obviously heading for and consider that theory a healthy alternative.

Americans are excitedly awakening to the messages of Bernie Sanders. And it's only beginning. It is July 2015. So many people are not even paying attention to what is going on in the political realm  yet. Many are disgusted with the way things are going but are not involved enough to quite put it in words or understand how and why things are the way the are, at present. It is hard to believe that people exist who literally don't want to discuss why women make less than men or why any state in America would be flying an official Confederate flag or why anyone is considering a law to prevent a baker from having to make a cake for a gay wedding, but they exist. With one thoughtful conversation about the futures they want to offer their families, it could be the beginning of a true American revolution toward the left. One conversation at a time.

Because the people who aren't paying attention often do so because they don't have time, the best message we can send them to guarantee their participation is about the economy. About their economy, in particular. The candidates on the right are saying they want to eradicate the IRS. Have that conversation with a rational human being. Feel free to explain they have no proposals on how society will function without the myriad benefits afforded by our present tax structure (the one guaranteed by the Constitution they are so desperate to defend), and be sure to make sure they understand that the only reason this is important is because the billionaires who fund those campaigns (and who generally pay a much smaller tax rate than whomever you're speaking to) would just rather not participate in taxation. Sanders is sincere. He is believable and he speaks as if his audience is peopled with free-thinking human beings.

Forward this and let him see why you are so excited:

Every month his support will grow as he continues to explain the how's and why's about the deteriorating middle class and people see that he actually gives a shit about the environment. America's disaffected voters will continue to be reignited as they realize that Bernie doesn't fumble to find the answer he thinks will appeal to a targeted audience, as he quickly answers every question very matter-of-factly as if he sincerely believes in what he is offering the voters. What a revelation! And his answers just so happen to coincide with most Americans.

I am reminded of the report card the Regressive Party gives itself after every election cycle where they remind themselves that they need to start getting people involved in the party who are women and people of color. It seems like it comes up daily from one pundit or another and I still realize I am shaking my head when they say it every time. Those on the right are literally so far out of touch that they do not realize when they say, "We need to find a way to reach out beyond our base," that intelligent audiences can hear them saying, "We have to find the right words to convince women and minorities that we don't really hate them." Its as if they think we are so stupid as to fall for their rhetoric if phrased properly and fail to notice the laws they try to pass, the laws they refuse to pass, and the awful things they say to make sure their base doesn't feel forgotten.

Bernie Sanders isn't pandering to anyone. He hasn't had to evolve on any of his positions to appeal to anyone. In fact, I bet he has staff are frustrated because he won't take advice on the 'right thing to say' to the media. The glaring difference between our wild card and theirs, however, is truthiness (thanks Colbert - wink). Sanders isn't saying anything new. He isn't trying to build a following by denouncing the majority of the country. He isn't building a following by trying to convince us that we are superior to the 'others.' Bernie Sanders respects his constituents. He wants us to know what is really going on. And he wants us to know that he really knows what is going on. The most amazing part of the whole thing is, he actually has ideas about how to fix what is going on.

Sanders won't find many billionaires to back him. Unlike the CEOs and fat cats comfortably eased into this economy they've demanded, many of Sanders' supporters won't have a lot of money to offer his campaign. However, the beauty of an Internet that can create and perpetuate a political movement solely based on hate is that it can also do the opposite. Bernie has had the largest turnouts by far of any politician of this season. He has had no empty rooms nor has he had to pay actors $50/each to attend a kick off and wear shitty t-shirts. Bernie has not had anyone screaming absurd demands of their chosen presidential candidate to rewrite the Constitution to mirror the Bible, promote discrimination or begging for protection from the Muslim tyrant known in sane circles as President Obama. All of these distinctions will make it easier for a solid and well organized team to inform America about this new candidate they keep not quite hearing about. And they will need to hear about him as soon as possible because hundreds of millions of people takes a long time to contact.

I hope the Koch maids are working overtime scrubbing stained underwear because this shit is getting real.

Hey David and Charles, don't feel too bad. Off of the top of my head I can think of at least 50 legitimate American charities which don't bear your names who could sincerely make positive use of your $889 million. If you want a list I would be glad to fax it to your private secretary's personal assistant's admin. Just let me know.

Kiss kiss.
The Mean Progressive

UPDATE: I leave this post on my website because it is important for the Sanders supporters to realize how excited I was about his campaign. Before I vetted him. I am 100% supportive of Secretary Clinton and am ashamed and disgusted by the negative campaign Sanders has decided to run. I could write a fucking book. 

I found a piece that encapsulates everything I would want to say if I could think straight when I try to write about how furious Sanders makes me. The writer suffers an even more profound verbosity than my own, but please take the time to read it. No thinking person who makes it to the end would support his toxic campaign. Kiss Kiss...

This is where I am now after thoughtful reflection.

Science? Republicans Don't Need No Stinkin' Science!

Every scientific field seems to have a quack or two. They are on the fringe of what has become scientifically Accepted or proven. They have crazy theories which they are desperate to hold on to. They are probably the 6% (yes, 6%) of American scientists who identify as Republicans. The scientists who listen to repeated dismissals of their research and findings have lost all regard for those who lack the moral depth to accept truths when they counter what their constituency and, more importantly, their donors, want to hear.

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The quacks are the doctors our 'representatives' on the right like to find and give an opportunity to offer a different perspective on things. It is as if a person has a title, Americans should just accept that whatever they say is true. They know that by the time it is researched and proven false, the majority of the country will have moved on to paying attention to something else. The GOP faithful will believe it as if God himself came down to proclaim its truth. Again, they have been very well conditioned.

There are two issues that the right are very adamant about reporting false information on. They are, of course, choice and climate change. Because Republicans only objective is to appease their base and their donors, they often rely on information that is blatantly false. Completely false. The kind of false that you literally pay for. The kind of false that you find a scientist, tell him what you need the theory and the outcome to be, and then pay that scientist to give you that answer. This is always most important to their issues of the environment. Several of their biggest donors are from industries that are decimating the environment. But they would really rather we not focus on that. So they just say "nu'huh" and America is supposed to then agree that climate change is a hoax. Senator Inhofe brought a snowball to the Senate floor, after all.

A favorite scientist for the GOP to cite and hear testimony from is Wei-Hock Soon. He is a solar physicist and, per the New York Times, he has been repeatedly discredited for having violated the ethical guidelines of the journals he was publishing to. What types of violations? The kinds where they have to disclose where the funding came from to bankroll their research. It seems he has earned over $1.2 million from the fossil fuel industry and left this out of most of his reports. His reports have literally identified themselves as "deliverables" when submitted to corporations, to include Koch holdings, and Congress. What a glorious country we live in when a person can be completely discredited in his own field and ostracized by his contemporaries, but still manage to make a good living working for the government. I wonder if they would like for me to help them out with anything on Department of Education studies? I did aspire to be a teacher when I was a kid. That should certainly count for something.

In 2012, Representative Todd Akin (R-MO) was being interviewed by a local news station and they asked if he supported abortion rights for victims of rape. What should've been a pretty common, if not nonsensical, answer, ruined his career. Thankfully, he answered, “It seems to be, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, it’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down." This sounds pretty ludicrous, but, like he said, he had heard it from doctors. John C Willke, a General Practitioner and former president of the National Right to Life Movement, said "[Rape] is a traumatic thing - she's, shall we say, she's uptight. She is frightened, tight, and so on. And sperm, if deposited in her vagina, are less likely to be able to fertilize. The tubes are spastic." During Akin's tenure in Congress, he was on the Committee on Science, Space and Technology. Considering his fantastical ideas of how a woman's body works, its probably a good thing he isn't there making decisions on scientific endeavors anymore.

Fortunately, sometimes it is only the representatives who are quacks. Sometimes they invite doctors for testimony who can set them straight. In February of this year, Idaho held a hearing on a bill to stop doctors from using telemedicine, allowing women in rural areas to teleconference with a doctor while sitting with a nurse to explain her situation, from being allowed to prescribe abortion medications. During the hearing, testimony was provided by Dr. Julie Madsen who explained the many attributes of telemedicine and insisted that it is a rather useful resource for many types of procedures where the patient would be far from their doctor. She explained that a patient could swallow a pill and it could have a small camera in it to allow a doctor from thousands of miles away to upload pictures for a colonoscopy. Vito Barbieri, Republican State Representative, then asked Dr. Madsen, “Can this same procedure then be done in a pregnancy? Swallowing a camera and helping the doctor determine what the situation is?” The doctor replied, “It cannot be done in pregnancy, simply because when you swallow a pill it would not end up in the vagina.” Well, thank goodness that's settled. But it should give us pause about which people we are allowing to legislate regarding our health.

As with all opportunities afforded the right in matters of caring for our country or its people, it seems they will continue to only care about protecting those who send them to Washington. The word 'representative' offers a much narrower definition than our forefathers initially intended. As long as we don't ask for something better in our government, we will continue to ask America to be led by those who truly have no interest in her well being or her future.

The Generous Heart of the GOP

I have had the same argument handed to me three times now by teabaggers on Twitter. As one might imagine, I am not able to speak in short sentences in real life, and I certainly cannot have a debate in 140 characters. But, I have my very own blog so I will put it all here and forward a link to the next moron who tries to hand me this line of shit.

Now, first of all, for all of my regular readers with an IQ in the triple digits, I want to make sure that you all realize what each of these people sent me. I want you to click this link to see the "fact" that they each sent me and #1 realize that they still do not believe that they are being conditioned even though I have somehow managed to come across this same message and link from three different people at three different times. #2 (giggle) tell me the other thing you see immediately as soon as you open the link (maybe even before it opens and you see the name of what you are opening in the address bar).

FOLLOW HERE

You saw it, didn't you? Its an Op-Ed! Jesus. Christ. And two of them were quick to tell me that its from a Liberal and from the New York Times. (sigh). Before reading it the first time, I told the teabagger who forwarded it to me "that's an Op-ED." His reply told me he didn't know what that meant. No part of me was surprised.

So here is what I would have said if I had not been limited to 140 characters at a time and just ceased my conversation several messages in because of ridiculous rants of my ignorance and insistence of the superiority of those on the right:

The OPINION piece said that Conservative households contribute 30% more annually to charities than those led by Liberals. A second study showed that it was up to 50%.

So here it is: Bullshit. I don't need any data to support what I know to be true and I will try to make this as clear as I can devoid of statistical data which could never be collected anyway:

1. As the article mentions, if you were to remove the amounts donated to churches, Liberals would be a higher percentage of donations. It feels funny to include monies that can be bullied out of a donor when being told Jesus wants them to tithe a percentage of their income. A much larger amount of those on the right identify as religious (and many have scared those from the left away altogether).

2. Any moron (most, anyway) could realize that the majority of millionaires and billionaires are Conservatives. The percentages of their donations would far exceed those on the lower end of the income gap spectrum when added together.Those who are wealthier have accountants give them numbers at the end of November to let them know exactly how much they need to donate in order to get the biggest deduction, are doing so for less than philanthropic reasons. It has nothing to do with generosity.

3. Those of us on the left are, traditionally, less well off. Therefore those of us who donate to charities do not keep track of how much we donate because its not going to help us when we file our taxes anyway. AND we don't do it for a tax benefit.

(I give to charities all of the time. I have never asked for a receipt. I kind of get upset when they ask if I need one. I was raised that you don't brag about your generosity or its not coming from the right place anyway. And if a pollster asked me to tell them what I donate annually, I would just give them a blank stare and start rattling off different times I gave $100 to this or $250 to that. I lost 175 pounds and donated an entire plus size Lane Bryant wardrobe once to a charity that gives women getting off of assistance a wardrobe to go to work. I don't know what that's worth. I don't ask. My only intention is to help others, it has never once occurred to me to consider thinking about myself in the new year).

4. Something else we on the left do give that I bet a lot of Conservatives don't - Time. It is much easier to hand someone a check than offer them a day or a weekend out of your life. At the end of any given year if I were asked which events or charities I had donated my time to in that calendar year, I could list some and still end up forgetting others. Again, I do it because it is important to me or someone I love, not because I think it will benefit me in any way later.

The piece didn't cite the actual data used or any means of obtaining it, but I feel confident as a thoughtful person who happens to live and pay attention to what goes on around me in America, the statistics were not inclusive or detailed enough to make a sincere representation of generosity in our society.

I will close by saying that the writer of this op-ed is a Liberal. And he wrote it a few days before Christmas with an urge for all to go out and donate. And he did it through a traditionally Liberal outlet openly encouraging Liberals to make donations. I dare say, had it been an Op-Ed in appeal to Conservatives in the Washington Post, it would've been used as a comical talking point around the Koch's New Years Celebrations before adding it as wadded up kindling on the roaring fire in the grand ballroom in the west wing of their winter hunting retreat.