Bernie Sanders’ Revolution is really just common sense. Sadly, that HAS become Revolutionary.

Yes, he’s calling his campaign a “revolution”, but if you look at Senator Sanders’ positions, it’s kinda hard to find anything all that radical:
* Clean up Washington by getting bribes money out of politics;
* Fix the tax code so that everyone pays their fair share. Including “people” like corporations;
* Adjust the minimum wage for inflation so it works as originally intended;
* Work to protect our national security by addressing climate change and its impacts;
and other sensible policies like those.

Even though he calls himself a “Democratic Socialist”, his ideas are actually quite mainstream if you ask regular folks instead of Pundits, Polticians and Plutocrats. C’mon, who in the real world seriously objects to obeying the law, being able to pay your bills, having insurance and living in a reasonably safe place? Even “Republican” voters profess to hold such values, ferchrissakes, if they don’t hear that scaryscaryscary word “Socialist”. All Bernie’s saying is “let’s do things the way we are supposed to already be doing them’.

It is truly sad that if we are to get some common sense back into American politics, we WILL, in fact, have to have a revolution at the ballot box. It’s sad, depressing, and disgusting that things like fighting corruption, fair tax policy, equal protection under the law, and requiring the government to honor its obligations are revolutionary, but they are. They have become ever more revolutionary over the past few decades, as Teapublicans and Vichy Dems have dragged us down the slimy slope of Supply-side economics and Teavangelical social policies into the trickle-down sewage lagoon that is contemporary America.

A Revolution of Common Sense? Sign this blogger up. See you all at the polls.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

The Ultimate Lesson of Election 2014: “Nothing’s Free”.

Stripped down to its barest bones, that’s the takeaway. The “Republicans” won because they invested in things that could help them win, and the Dems lost because they didn’t invest thus. Not saying it’s fair, not saying it’s right, just saying that smart investing pays dividends, and un-smart investing loses shirts.

And what was the GOPee investment? Why, ’twas in propaganda media. 24/7, all across the TeeVee, radio, Internets, billboards, you name it, the Elephants paid millions upon millions to hammer their message home. And even though the bulk of said message was a pack of lies, the repetition of it over a period of years proved effective – lots of gullible nitwits believed it. The ‘Phants bought the media and used it to brainwash the masses. That was a huge investment, and it resulted in an enormous return.

In contrast, the Democrats invested in smart public policies (like the ACA), and then tried to pretend they hadn’t. They invested in the election of a truly historic President, and then tried to pretend he wasn’t there. Dems invested a lot in holding back the most cray of the Repubs’ cray-cray ideas, and then pretended they hadn’t done that either. Many Dems actually did a very good job in office, but got scared of seeming too, well, non-Republican. They invested and then tried to un-invest. Small wonder they got bupkis for a return, innit?

You can’t get ANYTHING for free. Even the air we breathe and water we drink requires investment to keep it clean enough to use. Hell, even love requires an emotional investment, does it not? Gravity isn’t free, for that matter – ask any physicist. NOTHING COMES FROM NOTHING. Ya gotta do something, pay something, sweat, speak, take some kind of action, if you want to get something in return.

The Democrats, Greens, and the Left in general need to treat this as a lesson in reality. If they want power, they won’t get it by being virtuous; by being right; by having a “D” by their name; kicking and braying; or any of the other stupid, lazy, disorganized, inconsistent methods they employed in 2014. And they can look to their own ranks for proof. Minnesota Dems invested in candidates, media, turnout, message, and did much better than the party as whole. They invested wisely and profited thereby. Something the rest of American Democrats did not do.

One phrase common during this writer’s youth was “the marketplace of ideas”: the notion that quality ideas would, like quality goods and services, rise to the top via free and vigorous debate. The willingness to invest time and effort in the debate was part of how well an idea succeeded in the “market”. The Repubs invested in control of the debate instead of quality policies, but have succeeded because, 9 times out of 10, the public hears only GOP talking points. Sadly, because of this unscrupulous (but competently executed) strategy, the GOP is winning the battle of ideas, at least when it comes to how it shakes out at the ballot box.

Non-Repubs needn’t opt for the criminal methods employed by the GOPee; but they DO have to invest in good ideas and policies, courage, consistency, and learn to aggressively promote themselves and their “products” if they are going to succeed. Based on this year’s election cycle, Democrats have a f*** of a lot of work to do.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Uh, You DO Know that Obama’s Not on the Ballot, Right?

Just checking, because lots and LOTS of people are yammering on about him during this year’s campaign. Which is pretty f***ing stupid, because OBAMA CAN’T BE F***ING RE-ELECTED. The pundits and “news” types are all ratchet-jawing about the man, but in truth he matters not one bit for next Tuesday’s contests.

The Senatorial candidates matter. The Gubernatorial candidates matter. The House candidates matter. So too do the other state and local ballot options. They matter, and they matter a LOT. (For example, McConnell, Boehner, and a host of other politicos are up for re-election or de-election.)

By your actions you can help turn this country into a Red Hell or a Purple Patchwork (It’ll take a Helluva lot more than one election to turn America Blue). You can take away our rights, or give them back to us. You can enable us to: feed the kids or starve them; fight or cower; fix or ignore; pay or go broke; function or fall apart; all of these vitally important matters are in the hands of voters on November 4th, 2014.

But Obama is NOT on the ballot. We kinda need to ignore him when we hit the voting booth, because the people for whom we DO cast ballots can actually make our lives better or worse.At the very least, we need to focus on the people and issues that are on the table this coming Tuesday.

The media moguls and bribe artists would love nothing better than to have us focus on a lame-duck President: that enables them to play their sleazy shell games via distraction and misdirection, f***ing us over royally in the process. We The People need to see past the sleight of hand and focus on the task at hand.

Like Obama or loathe him, as you choose: but you can’t vote for him this year. Concentrate on the people you CAN vote for instead.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

“Republicans” are VERY different from Democrats, Day One: Repubs Hate Women. Dems Do Not.

Wingnuts are in high gear of late, proclaiming their usual canard about there “being little or no difference between the parties”. Bull-f***ing-s***. Today’s debunking: women’s rights.

Huge differences abound: look at the current Teapubbie and Democratic platforms:

Number A: Repubs think women should allowed to die rather than allow them to have a life-saving abortion. Dems do NOT believe this.

Letter 2: Repubs think women should not be allowed to use birth control, or at least be deprived of insurance coverage if they need it. Oh, and that applies even if the pills are being used for other medical reasons than birth control. Dems do NOT believe this, either.

Thirdly: Repubs believe women should be made to work harder and be paid less. Once again: Democrats do NOT share this belief.

Ignore the lunatics of the fringe: the parties are VERY different. A vote for a Dem IS a vote against Repubs. Get on out and vote Dem.

Unless, of course, you hates you some women. If so, sit out the election or vote Republican. If not, get out and vote AGAINST the party that hates your mothers, sisters, and every woman on Earth. Any electoral action  OTHER  than a vote for a Dem is an attack on women. Period.

“No difference”, my Cranky A**. Tomorrow: Repubs’ love affair with terrorists.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Giving Up = Guaranteed to Lose (Talking to YOU, Democrats)

Mr. Blunt and Cranky has become somewhat accustomed to dealing with weakness, vacillation and incompetence from the Democratic Party, but it is still possible to be shocked. Thus it happened when he read this article. In it, we find out that one of the worst Teabaggers in Washington is guaranteed to win, because Local Dems did not field a candidate. Seriously. Nobody is running against Mr. Sessions:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The primary season just ended and the general election campaign now unfolding looks the same to Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, tea party favorite, foe of immigration legislation and the only Republican senator running in 2014 without a ballot opponent of any stripe.

Sessions’ lack of opposition this fall in a state with a heavy African-American presence stems from a Democratic party weakness so pervasive that it holds none of the statewide offices, only one seat in the nine-member congressional delegation and a minority in both houses of the legislature.

Against this backdrop, we are compelled to inform you that two Dems are in a position to win in Georgia: for Governor and Senator.

All the talk of a Republican takeover of the US Senate after this year’s midterms may have been a bit premature as a new poll in Georgia shows that Democratic candidate Michelle Nunn holds a three-point lead over Republican nominee David Perdue for Georgia’s open Senate seat. The seat is currently held by retiring Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss. The poll, conducted by Landmark Communications, has Nunn up on Perdue, 46% to 43%. The poll’s margin of error is 2.9%, so Nunn’s lead is razor-thin. However, considering that Georgia is a deep-red state, it has to be extremely disheartening for Republicans to see themselves down in a race where they’d normally be holding a comfortable lead.

The GOP is also taking its lumps in the race for governor. Incumbent Governor Nathan Deal is currently trailing his Democratic opponent, State Senator Jason Carter. Like Nunn, Carter is the beneficiary of a famous last name. While Nunn is the daughter of former US Senator Sam Nunn, Carter’s grandfather is Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States. The poll shows Carter leads Deal by three points, 47% to 44%. With Deal dealing with an ethics investigation, along with general voter dissatisfaction over his policies, trend lines seem to be pointing in a Democratic direction.

The difference in this Tale of Two Red States? Attitude. That is all. Both states are deep red, full of entrenched “Republicans” who rule with iron fists over what should be Democratic majority populations. Geryymandering? Check. Vote suppression? Check. Poverty and oppression? Check. Corruption? Check. These two states are far more similar than they are different.

In Georgia, we have two bad-ass Democrats running for statewide office: Nunn and Carter are lean, mean, politicking machines who are in it to win it. The Sessions race could be going just as well, but Alabama’s Democratic officials are a load of whiny little weenies with loser sweat all over them. They surrendered before the battle even began.

When you give up, you WILL lose.
When you stand up, you CAN win.

Let’s all remember that we are not defined by either of our two parties. We have the power to change things whether  our party hacks have any intestinal fortitude or not.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Attention, American Women: “Republicans” Really, REALLY Want You to be Stupid.

Almost none of the women that this writer knows are stupid. In fact, a preponderance of them are smarter than, well, stupid old white guys like him. And thank the Gods for that. The world needs more smart people. But the GOP has a desperate need for the exact opposite: they need women to become stupid. Lots of women. In a big hurry. But only until they cast a ballot this November.

You see, Repubs know that their War On Women has pissed off a lot of women. So now they are trying to find a way to fool women into thinking that the GOPee really doesn’t hate them, so that they can get a few more votes. And the way they’re going about it?

By f***ing women out of getting their birth control covered by insurance, and pretending that it is a “benefit”. Here is a good piece on the matter. A few excerpts:

A string of Republican candidates for Senate are supporting an issue usually associated with Democrats: increased access to contraception.
They’re supporting it on the road and in ads, like this one from pro-life conservative Cory Gardner:In it, he says he believes “the pill ought to be available over the counter, round the clock, without a prescription.”

The catch? OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDS ARE ALMOST NEVER
COVERED BY INSURANCE, that’s the catch. It’s Hobby Lobby 2: another way to screw women out of equal access to health care. At a stroke, they would further fatten rich people’s wallets and discriminate against women. Not that Repubs are admitting it. But even NPR has cottoned on:

Calling for an over the counter pill allows Republicans to support access to birth control while also supporting the right of corporations to avoid covering it. Getting the pill at a pharmacy without a prescription leaves insurers and employers out of the picture altogether.

Got it, Gentle Reader? We’re talking maybe hundreds of dollars a year that women would have to cough up. It’s a cynical ploy, and an insulting one at that. Add to that sexist, unfair, and any number of other perjoratives. Republicans hate women and have indeed declared war on them. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t act towards females as Ray Rice does in elevators (Offended by the comparison? Well, OK, maybe it’s unfair. After all, the “Republican” party has injured LOTS more women than Mr. Rice has).

Women are not deserving of such blatant and systemic hostility and abusive action from anyone, be it individuals or an entire political party. We all owe it to ourselves to vote the scum out of office. AND cover everyone’s health care without caveats.

We’re ALL smart enough to know that it’s unfair for men to get their Woody Pills covered while women can’t get their reproductive prescriptions paid for as well. Let’s act like we’re that smart when we vote.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Want to vote in South Florida? Better wear Depends.

That’s because if you have to pee during your six-plus-hour wait to cast a ballot, the bathrooms are verboten. Closed. Not available. No matter how long the line, or if you are elderly, or if the weather is crap (oh, you can’t do that either-no potties for you voter types).
From the article:

Instead, he received a written response announcing that the county would close all restrooms at polling places “to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not treated unfairly,” a January email stated. “[T]he Department’s policy is not to permit access to restrooms at polling sites on election days,” Assistant County Attorney Shanika Graves said in a Feb. 14 email.

This latest voter-suppression effort is, of course, designed to keep the elderly, minorities and working poor from casting their ballots: Democratic voters, in other words. The local Board of Election is pretending that this is a decision based on the rights of the disabled, which is a lie more transparent than a hooker’s blouse. No, it’s Miami-Dade county doing what it does best: rigging elections so that “Republicans” win.

If it’s any comfort to all those voters waiting in long lines to vote this year: no matter the state of the diapers they may have to wear in order to exercise their franchise, they will never be as full of s*** as the elected officials who concocted this, well, crappy idea.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

It’s Corrupt. It’s Extremist. It’s anti-American. It’s the Teapublican Party.

The “Republican” establishment is pretending that they are not like the Teabaggers, that they are at odds with them, that Baggers are troublesome, that they do not “represent the views of the Republcian party”, and that they were a problem. Bull-F***ing-Shit. They are all part of the Repub caucus, share bank accounts, and work together in offices across the country. There is no difference between the Baggers and the Repubs.

For example: Elected “Republican” Brian Berger was found stoned on drugs, passed out in his car, and busted for OMVI. For the fourth time. He’s also a psycho who has a restraining order against him for abusing an ex. He is still in office. Corrupt? Hellz yeah.

Elected “Republican” Ted Yahooo Yoho is holding a pro-gun event on Saturday. The anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre. He claims it’s a coincidence. Suuuuuuure, Teddy Boy. Extremist? Oh, Hellz Yeah.

“Republican” party official Dave Agema recently went on an anti-gay tirade full of lies and discriminatory rhetoric. He has a few critics, but is largely supported by his state party, and will be Michigan’s representative at national committee meetings. Evidently he thinks the Founders didn’t really mean that “all men are created equal” language. Anti-American? Oh, HELLZ YEAH.

People, these scumbuckets ARE the “Republican” party. They are mainstream. They’re not fringe wackos living in shanties, they are public officials: elected by Repubs, funded by Repubs, supported by Repubs, and that makes them mainstream Repubs. They are also corrupt, gun nutty, hateful, homophobic psycho cases.

And if you vote for or support a “Republican”, then you also show your support for corrupt, extremist haters of the Constitution. Squirm all you like, but that’s the reality. The Dems will stick a shiv in the back of any of their members if they step out of line, but the Elephants support and enable the crooks and crazies in their ranks. So, voting for a Dem doesn’t make you a supporter of crimes and misdemeanors, because they’ll throw one of their own under the bus without so much as a honk of the horn. The GOP ignores the misdeeds of its officials and members.

Not that this is a new thing that came in wtih the Teabaggers: Former Ohio Governor (and “Republican:) Bob Taft was convicted of crimes in office, and STILL served out the remainder of his term, even though he was, well, convicted of crimes in office. The first Ohio Governor convicted of crimes in office, and his fellow ‘Phants shrugged it off. That’s the “Republican” party, folks.

Corrupt? Extremist? Anti-American? Hellz Yeah.
Deserving of your vote? Oh, Hellz No.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Once Again, A Democratic President Cuts a Republican Deficit. Almost No One Notices.

This showed up on a friend’s feed, and the Cranky One just had to post it here. Because with all the Benghazi/IRS/NSA brouhahi, it’s a good bet you haven’t heard about it. In less than four years, Obama has cut the budget deficit he inherited from the Shrub in half. That’s right, a “tax and spend Democrat” is a better money manager than a “conservative Republican”. Don’t believe it? Tough rocks, pal, here are the numbers: http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/federal_deficit_chart.html

Nor is it the first time. Clinton did the same thing to another Bush deficit, if you’ll bother to remember.

It is time for us to throw away the old labels and advertising slogans, and look at the facts. And the facts say, without equivocation, that modern Democrats spend less and tax less than do modern “Republicans”. Shocking, yes. But true. You want to pay less in taxes? Vote for Dems. Believe it or not.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Do They Care? No, They Don’t. Here’s Why.

We should be used to this by now: a new record low approval rating for Congress. Only a tenth of us think they don’t suck. But do they care? No, they don’t.

Hell, some of them even think they suck:

“Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) told Bloomberg News that the latest poll results are what Congress deserves, and that he won’t be seeking another term in 2016.

“Why should it be that high?” he said of the Gallup ranking. “Look, we’re incompetent. I think it’s full appropriate.”

It’s so bad, even the party the controls Congress thinks they are über-suckiferous: most “Republicans” think their party’s “representatives” suck. But do they care? No, they don’t.

And here is why: two reasons:
Number A; most incumbents get re-elected, no matter how worthless they may be or what the poll numbers may say.
Letter 2: they pretty much do what those who bribe them tell them to do. (How else did do many of them become millionaires?)

The only “poll” Congress will listen to is the one that takes place on Election Day. And until we vote the bums out, they won’t care. No, they won’t care.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky