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[Mothra]

That OBAMA~

[Thad]

So okay, that contraception requirement?  Good idea, most everybody onboard, religious conservatives pitching a fit in stark contrast to what people actually want.

This was good.

Then after two weeks of the ranting Obama announced a compromise where the church-connected orgs wouldn't have to pay for birth control after all.  My first reaction was the usual "Dammit, you back down even when you're winning" frustration, but on hearing what his compromise actually entailed -- that women would still have free access to birth control coverage -- I decided that yeah he'd made a good call; he looks reasonable, still gets what he wants (and women get the healthcare they need), and...an even smaller group of the religious right is even shriller.  Has Obama finally learned how to haggle?

Maybe.  But I bet right now he's going "My God, I can't BELIEVE they fell for that."

There are precious few things that could be better for the Democrats than making this election about birth control.  It's pretty much Schiavo-level tone-deafness of religious conservatives to what the mainstream of America actually believes.

There's a statistic NPR keeps citing, that 98% of American Catholic women use some form of birth control at some point in their lives.

98%.  Of CATHOLICS.  The religion whose leadership is currently raising the LOUDEST objection to this.

Now, I know Santorum cares about his religious views more than actually getting elected.  But I'm surprised by how much the mainstream of the Republican Party seems to be chiming in on this, like it's a popular issue that will win them lots of votes.

And don't look now, but I'm pretty sure at least one of Newt Gingrich's wives took birth control pills provided by his government healthcare plan.

[Ted Belmont]

Yeah, the GOP is really shooting themselves in the foot with this one. They've got hearings on the issue without any female witnesses(granted, that was for the morning session, but every one of the few women presented as witnesses in the afternoon hearing were strongly against contraception), and one of Rick Santorum's biggest backers, in an incredible moment went on TV saying women could just use aspirin as a contraceptive.

Oh, almost forgot, they also tried to block a domestic violence bill because it protected too many people.

[Brentai]

Ugh.  Fuck all the headlines the say "Friess suggests women use aspirin as a contraceptive" because they're deliberately mischaracterizing his statement as hilariously stupid instead of just being a straight dick right to a respected journalist's face.

[Shinra]

I don't think I've ever felt more empathy for a single human being than I felt for that reporter. Holy shit, holy fucking christ shit, if we could convert awkwardness to energy that single moment could power the world until the end of time.

[Thad]

Somewhere there are still sane Republicans.

And they are SCREAMING about this self-immolation.

I mean, it's not that I give the Republican Party credit for being reasonable or ethical.  (Or the Democrats, for that matter, but let's leave them aside for the moment.)  But I DO give them credit for knowing exactly the right kind of red meat to throw out to get votes.

This...this is, like I said, the dumbest political stand they've taken since Schiavo.  Just completely tone-deaf and out of the mainstream.

Never mind that the vast majority of the idiots pushing this obviously have engaged in family planning.  (Santorum, at least, practices what he preaches, having fathered nine children, but again, he's not actually saying this shit because he thinks it'll be popular.  I am talking about people who ARE SAYING THIS SHIT BECAUSE THEY THINK IT'LL BE POPULAR.)  They should be able to look around and notice the huge majority of people who ALSO have obviously engaged in family planning.

...hm.  This conversation made sense here when I started it (because it was about Obama making a good call and possibly finally learning how to haggle), but maybe it'd do better in the Culture Wars or GOP Will Eat Itself thread.  (I'd suggest Aborpopulation, but given that the latest CPAC strategy is actually to lie and conflate contraception with abortion...well, that might actually make it MORE appropriate.  Hrm.)

[Bal]

It's as if they're holding up placards that read "WE ARE OUT OF TOUCH."

[Rico]

I'M OUT OF TIME

[François]

ain't no shiny happy people in there!

maybe some 'a them oughta be losing their religion

[Rico]

I'm sorry, but changing Hall and Oates into R.E.M. is an unacceptable musical downgrade.

[Thad]

I keep hearing people say Obama's going to run against the Supreme Court; I'll believe it when I see it.  That's too risky; he's not a risk-taker.

His comments about judicial activism overturning the will of the people DID feel off -- but he's already backpedaling from them, precisely BECAUSE he's getting pilloried for it.

As it is, well, yes it's fucking obvious that we have a deeply partisan Supreme Court right now; it was obvious when O'Connor was still serving, and it's only gotten worse.  (It really doesn't get any more partisan than Bush v Gore.)  I DO think it's probably a good idea to keep calling attention to that very obvious and indisputable fact, and it's a good idea to knock the public's opinion of the SCOTUS down a peg.

But as far as that leading to any actual reform, well...how?  Even if SCOTUS were subject to the same type of ethics rules that district judges were, how would they be enforceable?  Unfortunately I think this is one of those wait-it-out-until-Scalia-or-Kennedy-dies-or-retires situations; I don't think there's any other option.

Though I suppose if Obama DOES start laying the groundwork for history to remember this as the Worst Supreme Court Ever, then, long-game, it would make reversals likelier.  I don't think most politicians actually think that far ahead, though, and I don't think that's really what's motivating him.

[Thad]

Rolling Stone interviews Obama.

He's in campaign mode, of course, and he's smart -- the very first thing he does is point out that there's a difference between Republicans in general and Republicans in Washington, and that there are plenty of moderate Republicans in this country -- they're just not serving in Congress.

He continues to frame things along those lines -- the Congressional Republicans aren't bad people, but they have a rigid ideology and are more interested in obstructing the President than in getting shit done.  And that it's because they're letting guys like Limbaugh and Norquist dictate policy.

He's not wrong, and I wish he could bring this kind of game when he's NOT running for re-election.

Course, he still punks out on gay marriage, the drug war, prosecuting Wall Street criminals, climate science...because he's a punk.

He says he reads Krugman and watches Stewart, so he's at least got some access to smart people telling him why they're frustrated with him.

It closes with the personal stuff, which feels manipulative, but okay, I like the guy; I think he's a good guy.  But he's still a punk.  I know that you have to be careful what you say to win an election or get a bill passed, but I really do think he's too cautious and makes too many excuses.

[Classic]

As I've said before, part of the reason I like Obama is that I feel we share personal flaws. So I'm more likely to be willing to forgive them.

[Thad]

Well, y'know, maybe I'd be having a real crisis of conscience if I were in a swing state, but I'm not.  Arizona's gonna go Romney.  If things actually go so badly for Romney that he loses Arizona, then Arizona's electoral votes sure as hell won't be the ones that swing the election, it's going to be part of at least a Dole-scale failure at a national level.

So, armed with the knowledge that any vote I cast is a throwaway vote, I don't see why I should throw it away on somebody who's consistently disappointed me.

Again, he's got a shot at winning me back over the next six months -- it largely comes down to showing some fucking spine.  I'm serious when I say that if he vetoes CISPA that'll probably win my vote, but again, I don't see it passing the Senate, and talk is cheap.

But I know "win back liberals" is pretty fucking low on his list of priorities.  Which is precisely the reason "vote Democratic" is so low on mine.

[Brentai]

There's also the promise/fear that his balls will drop after the election and he'll be able to move around more freely.  I mean, the fact that he actually said as much sent ripples of abject terror through the right-wing establishment (of course, it was hard to detect due to the right-wing's permanent state of abject terror about everything).

Of course, it goes both ways - ever since Real Obama's taken office he's made a lot of bold moves that I wish he fucking wouldn't.  The shackles on the guy may be a blessing in disguise, but it's no replacement for a real leader who's not a DBIVFHA.

[Dooly]

DBIVFHA.

Douche Bag I Voted For something something?

[Thad]

Him Anyway.

[Shinra]

There's also the promise/fear that his balls will drop after the election and he'll be able to move around more freely.  I mean, the fact that he actually said as much sent ripples of abject terror through the right-wing establishment (of course, it was hard to detect due to the right-wing's permanent state of abject terror about everything).

Of course, it goes both ways - ever since Real Obama's taken office he's made a lot of bold moves that I wish he fucking wouldn't.  The shackles on the guy may be a blessing in disguise, but it's no replacement for a real leader who's not a DBIVFHA.

I don't think you can be not be a douchebag and run for president.

[Brentai]

I actually couldn't remember if there was a Bag in there or not, and I was on a phone, so I took a guess.  Whoops.

[James Edward Smith]

Him Anyway.

Oh, there's actually a website about what my position on American politics has been since 2004, cool.