Mitt’s Latest Flip Flop Sets Record

Mitt Romney may enjoy firing people, but he doesn’t seem to be doing enough of it.  His campaign staff keeps letting him down badly, as we saw when they had him address about 1,200 people in a 65,000 seat stadium.  Campaign events are supposed to be standing room only, you get a smaller venue than what you really need.

With the Blunt Amendment coming up for a vote in the Senate on Thursday, they should have known he would be asked about it and provided him with a response.  He was totally unprepared, first saying that he opposed it, and then reversing his position in less than an hour.

This amendment, which will lose, goes beyond letting an employer like the Catholic Church refuse to provide contraceptive coverage.  It says an employer can refuse to provide coverage for any medical service if the employer has a religious or moral objection to it.  So at the whim of your employer, your children might not be able to get their vaccinations, or you might not be able to get a blood transfusion.

It’s fitting that the GOP has attached this amendment to the highway bill, because it’s an exception you can drive a truck through.

George Orwell Alert

The Pennsylvania bill requiring women to have an ultrasound and then wait 24 hours before having an abortion is called the “Women’s Right to Know” bill.

That would be funny if it weren’t so infuriating.

More on the Virginia Ultrasound Bill

The only member of the Virginia Senate who is also a physician, Dr. Ralph Northam, describes the bill requiring ultrasounds before an abortion as “a tremendous assault on women’s health care and a tremendous insult to physicians.”

War with Iran?

Salon’s Glenn Greenwald is reporting that Gen. Barry McCaffrey told NBC News executives in a briefing on January 12 that he expected war with Iran within 90 days — and that they would start it.

We’ve had the Yom Kippur War back in 1973, will there be a Passover War?

I don’t know if it will happen that quickly, but I think there will be military action, if not outright war, by the end of this year.

Tea Party Excess in the States Will Help President Obama Win

Conventional wisdom says that in a presidential election year, turnout for state offices is increased because more people come out to vote for our highest office.  Winning presidential candidates have “coattails” and help pull their party to victory in the down ballot races.

But I believe that this year Americans will be highly motivated to turn out for their state races, to swing a pendulum that moved too far to the right after the 2010 triumph of the Tea Party.  2010 saw the GOP win many gubernatorial races and take total control of many state legislatures.

People who thought they were voting for smaller, more efficient government found that once these candidates were sworn in, it was all abortion, all the time.  While voters certainly wanted negotiation with public unions, such as on health care and pension contributions, they didn’t want those unions to be stripped of all their rights.

Angry voters showing up to fix things in their state houses will help President Obama stay in the White House.  I believe there will be reverse coattails in 2012.

Yes, gas prices and the unemployment rate matter for him.  But so do transvaginal ultrasounds.

Hubris and over-reach are consistent losers for both political parties.

After Michigan

Winning Michigan was a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition for Mitt to win the nomination.

To me, Mitt and Rick are just the oblivious twins.  Mitt can’t stop reminding us of how extremely rich he is, and Rick can’t stop reminding us of how extremely extreme he is.

The rich stuff is merely off-putting, while the religious stuff is scary.  Mitt may have a tin ear, but Rick has a tin brain.

Rick, you’re not getting the Catholic vote.  Doesn’t that maybe tell you something?  There’s somebody like you in every parish, and we try not to sit next to you at church suppers.

Things have come to a pretty pass when we’re relying on the Mormon to save us from the weird religious guy.

Quote of the Day

“We’re working in a parallel universe.”

Retiring Senator Olympia Snowe, moderate Republican of Maine, on the relationship, or lack thereof, between Democrats and the GOP.

Mitt Continues the “Popeye” Strategy

Mitt speaking today on his relationship with the GOP base:  “It’s very easy to excite the base with incendiary comments. We’ve seen throughout the campaign, if you’re willing to say really outrageous things that are accusative, attacking of President Obama, that you’re going to jump up in the polls. I’m not willing to light my hair on fire to try and get support. I am who I am.”  Emphasis added.

Or, as Popeye would say, “I yam what I yam.”

It’s Not a Dirty Trick If You Follow the Rules

It’s not a “dirty trick” for Rick Santorum to encourage Democrats to vote for him in Michigan, as Mitt Romney is now whining.  It’s an open primary.  If Michigan wants only Republicans to vote in its primary, it can have a closed primary.

I expect there are Reagan Democrats who would vote for Santorum in the general.  Let them speak up now and try to get their preferred guy the nomination.

Mitt just sounds like a spoiled rich guy used to getting his own way.  He wasn’t complaining back in New Hampshire.

Another One Bites the Dust

There aren’t many moderate Republicans left in the Senate.  Now another one, Olympia Snowe of Maine, is retiring.  I can’t say I blame her.  Pushing back against the crazy is an exhausting and losing battle right now.