Truth and lies

The lies:

Obama says Americans' voices should be heard and Americans want health care reform, while Nancy Pelosi and others like her say that opposition to Obama's health plan is astroturf and accuse opponents of disrupting town hall meetings.

The truth:

One of Obama's Health Care for America Now organizers is caught on tape outside a town hall meeting in Skokie, Illinois instructing supporters in how to shout down opponents and block them from speaking, as he hands out HCAN stickers.  ("Quality, affordable healthcare we can all count on."  Hmmm ... "[mumble] we can count on" ... where have I heard that before?)

Now tell me with a straight face exactly who is astroturfing here, Ms. Pelosi?

It's crap like this that leads to the Rasmussen poll announced Monday that found 57% of Americans would vote to just fire the whole of Congress, every last Representative and Senator, and another 18% aren't sure but would consider it.  Only 25% would vote to keep the Congress we have.

(Yeah, I know, the GOP is claiming that this means a swing back to the right as God and, oh, say, Babe Ruth intended.  But the same article reports 69% of Republican voters believe their party has lost its way and does not represent the party's base any more.)

Previous Rasmussen polls this year have found that 50% of voters say members of Congress manage to keep getting re-elected because the elections are rigged.  Only 23% believe Congressmen are re-elected because they do a good job of representing their constituents.  The remaining 28% are unable to explain Congress's remarkable job security. 75% say members of Congress are more interested in their own careers than they are in helping people, 72% believe Congress listens more to special-interest lobbyists than to the constituents they supposedly represent, 77% believe that friends and relatives of politicians get special treatment when seeking government favors, 74% trust their own judgement more than Congress on economic issues, and two thirds of Americans believe that no matter how bad things get, Congress can always manage to make it worse.

Truth and lies

The lies:

Obama says Americans' voices should be heard and Americans want health care reform, while Nancy Pelosi and others like her say that opposition to Obama's health plan is astroturf and accuse opponents of disrupting town hall meetings.

The truth:

One of Obama's Health Care for America Now organizers is caught on tape outside a town hall meeting in Skokie, Illinois instructing supporters in how to shout down opponents and block them from speaking, as he hands out HCAN stickers.  ("Quality, affordable healthcare we can all count on."  Hmmm ... "[mumble] we can count on" ... where have I heard that before?)

Now tell me with a straight face exactly who is astroturfing here, Ms. Pelosi?

It's crap like this that leads to the Rasmussen poll announced Monday that found 57% of Americans would vote to just fire the whole of Congress, every last Representative and Senator, and another 18% aren't sure but would consider it.  Only 25% would vote to keep the Congress we have.

(Yeah, I know, the GOP is claiming that this means a swing back to the right as God and, oh, say, Babe Ruth intended.  But the same article reports 69% of Republican voters believe their party has lost its way and does not represent the party's base any more.)

Previous Rasmussen polls this year have found that 50% of voters say members of Congress manage to keep getting re-elected because the elections are rigged.  Only 23% believe Congressmen are re-elected because they do a good job of representing their constituents.  The remaining 28% are unable to explain Congress's remarkable job security. 75% say members of Congress are more interested in their own careers than they are in helping people, 72% believe Congress listens more to special-interest lobbyists than to the constituents they supposedly represent, 77% believe that friends and relatives of politicians get special treatment when seeking government favors, 74% trust their own judgement more than Congress on economic issues, and two thirds of Americans believe that no matter how bad things get, Congress can always manage to make it worse.

Save the Dragons

Well, Dave Freer's pets, actually.

SF writer Dave Freer (davefreer) is, unwillingly but out of necessity, emigrating from South Africa to Australia, and needs help to take his rescued animals with him.  He's not looking for a handout; he wants to raise the money via work-for-hire.  Those who donate get an ongoing e-copy of his current work Save the Dragons, and a hardcover copy of the book when it's done.

Go here for all the details and to help out.

Tired thought-of-the-evening

I keep hearing people saying, thank god for this, thank god for that.  But you know what? If I actually believed that there was a god who is actually responsible for good things happening enough to deserve thanks for them, then I'd be left with no choice but to get totally mediaeval on his ass for all the bad shit that, by extension, he must be allowing to happen.