Reasons to be cheerful, 2015 edition

It can be easy in light of the vile words and actions of Donald Trump and his supporters (and other republican candidates), or the never ending strength of the NRA, or another disappointing decision concerning murder by police officers in Cleveland, or another senseless killing by police in Chicago, or the constant stream of hatred directed toward Muslims, or the continued influence of money in our political system, among many, many others to remember that we Liberals had a pretty good year in 2015.

   To wit:

• We have three solid candidates to offer the American people for the Presidency of the United States in 2016--which is three more than republicans have.
• Minimum wage increases were passed from Los Angeles to Rhode Island to New York--with wages as high as $15.00.  There's still work to do, but it's a solid start.
• A treaty was passed with Iran that in the long run will make the Middle East--and America--safer.
• Relations with Cuba were normalized after more than fifty years of poisoned and pointless policy that accomplished absolutely nothing other than securing Cuban-American votes for republicans in Florida.
• Marriage equality is the law of the land--let me repeat that:  Marriage equality is the law of the land.
• Obamacare broke records again this year for sign-ups and the number of Americans without health insurance is at all-time lows.
• A climate accord was reached in Paris that, while imperfect, is nonetheless once again a good start for the good guys.
• Bernie Sanders--a Democratic Socialist?  Who'd have ever thought he'd run such a strong campaign?  And, yeah, it's a long shot he'll win, but it's the best shot the left wing of our party has ever had.

Onward in 2016!

Happy New Year,
emaycee

Schumer is the schits

One of the more depressing thoughts for Democrats these days has to be that if we do manage to win back the Senate next year, as it stands now, Chuck Schumer would become the majority leader, replacing the ever feisty Harry Reid.

As if being a Wall Street apologist and being one of only four Democrats to oppose the Iran Treaty wasn't bad enough, today Schumer said a pause may be needed in allowing Syrian refugees to enter America.  At a moment when he could have chosen to show the moral courage of  Democratic Reps. Tammy Duckworth and Keith Ellison, or Democratic Governors Jay Inslee or Dannel Malloy, Schumer chose instead to stand against widows and children and stand with cry baby republicans.

Over the course of the next year, we as Democrats are going to be asked to donate money again and again, donate time again and again, but I'd like to ask if in return Chuck Schumer is the best we can do as our leader in the Senate.

Because I find it really hard to believe that he is.

Peace,
emaycee

The man in the mirror

Mike Huckabee, this past weekend, told Fox News that President Obama's Iran deal would march the Israeli people "to the door of the oven."   President Obama responded to Huckabee's ignorant comment by saying it would be "ridiculous if it weren't so sad."

President Obama's later excoriation of the republican party was spot on, because it is indeed really sad that Mike Huckabee has zero chance to be our next President but when his charade of a run is over the chickenshit former governors of Arkansas will go back to making millions of dollars as a political pundit and writing really bad books.  Meanwhile, millions of kind and decent working class Americans will continue to struggle financially living paycheck to paycheck if they can pay their bills at all.

Republicans constantly whine about what's wrong with America.  If they really want to know what's wrong with America they should take a good fucking look in the mirror--the fact that it pays to be an asshole is neither a noble nor a particularly proud American concept

Peace,
emaycee

How low can they go?

Embarrass yourselves with the funding of Homeland Security.  Further embarrass yourselves with an unprecedented speech from a foreign leader that actually turns public opinion against him and his nation for the first time in decades.  What to do for an encore?  How about have 47 of your Senators sign and send a letter to the leader of Iran that undermines a sitting President as he tries to negotiate a nuclear deal with one of your enemies?

Well done republicans!

I'm not a legal scholar but according to this definition--"...any act that manifests a betrayal of allegiance to the  United States...."--the actions of these 47 Senators come awfully close to treason (especially since we can technically be considered at war with Iran as they are considered a state sponsor of terrorism and we've been fighting a war on terror for what seems like eons now).  You know it's bad when The New York Daily News, a hardcore supporter of republicans and their policies, calls the Senators "traitors," on their front page no less.  It probably isn't treason, but it's just another case of republicans who claim to love America and all of what it stands for showing that they actually care about neither.

Funny thing is, they had Hillary Clinton on the ropes (somewhat) with another faux manufactured "scandal" and they've managed to remove the spotlight from her and place it squarely on their own chronic ineptitude.

These fuckers can't even run their own party, let alone this country.

Peace,
emaycee