Month: February 2010

Inside Baseball

~ susie ~ 6 Comments

I don’t get into deconstructing everything the right wing media does. There are plenty of other blogs who do so and I figure, if you buy into the wingnut narrative, it’s because you have a psychological need to do so. But this Politico interview with Andrew Breitbart, the guy who pays James O’Keefe, is worth a look, if only to gain a little insight into the right wing’s sense of eternal victimhood:

Divorce Folly

~ susie ~ 6 Comments

As someone who was raised Catholic and married a Jew, I can only shake my head at this one. I remember how upset my mother-in-law got when she found out my oldest had been baptized (a couple of years after the event). But I think this probably has more to do with the idea that Jews have a duty to maintain their tribe by raising their children as Jews, rather than any specific aversion to other religions. (Although I have to say, my own in-laws were pretty bigoted and uninformed about Catholics.)

I had my first son baptized without giving it that much thought. It was just one of those ritual things. By the time we had the second kid, we had a ceremonial bris performed – but without the party, which also pissed off my in-laws. Oh well! (My mother-in-law was also pissed that I wouldn’t take the kids to Hebrew school. I told her that her son was more than welcome to do so, but I didn’t see it as my responsibility. I said something to the effect of “If you really wanted Jewish grandchildren, you should have raised Jewish children.” Once they were bar mitzvahed, my husband and his brothers lived a completely secular life – until my kids arrived, and then suddenly, it was an issue.)

I always felt a little bad that my kids weren’t raised with anything but now, not so much. Because I don’t believe in religion. I’ve seen it used primarily to build walls and divide people, and since I believe we’re all one, organized religion is a contradiction.

Medicaid Rolls Exploding

~ susie ~ 5 Comments

I don’t understand. I thought Americans were strongly against any kind of government health care program? Do you suppose maybe the politicians were wrong?

The recession has fueled the greatest influx of Americans onto Medicaid since the earliest days of the public insurance program for the poor, according to new findings that show caseloads have surged in every state.

More than 3 million people joined Medicaid in the year that ended in June, the data released Thursday show. That pushed enrollment to a record 46.8 million, exacerbating the financial strains on already burdened states and complicating the federal politics of health care.

The analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health policy and research organization, found that in three-fifths of the jurisdictions, including Maryland and the District, people rushed into the safety net for health coverage at more than twice the rate as the year before.

Medicaid directors said in interviews that despite early clues elsewhere that the economy may be starting to improve, the demand for government health coverage has not tapered off since last summer. “Nope. It hasn’t slowed down yet,” said John Folkemer, deputy secretary for health-care financing for Maryland, where the caseload rose by 20 percent from June 2008 to June 2009, the steepest increase in the country.

Tiger Woods

~ susie ~ 9 Comments

Why is this anyone’s business? Seriously, why does Tiger Woods owe anyone an explanation? Yeah, I can see doing it to maintain commercial viability (Nike, etc.) but on the most basic level, why do people feel they’re “owed” something here?

They’re upset because the reality of Tiger Woods doesn’t gel with the happy little fantasy they had in their heads, the one that was crafted and marketed to them.

Doesn’t that make it their problem, and not Tiger’s?

20 Senators Sign Reconciliation Letter

~ susie ~ 7 Comments

I want to believe this is actually happening, I really do. But we’ve been burned so many times already, I have to wonder: Are they really serious about this, or is this just another show to placate the base? Because if it’s the latter, they’re going to have even angrier Democratic voters on their hands.

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But I do! I do want to believe! Via Plumline:

This is key: Senator Chuck Schumer has just signed the letter calling on Harry Reid to hold a reconciliation vote on the public option.

Schumer just fired off an email to supporters in which he announced that he’s added his name to the letter, which was initially spearheaded by Senator Michael Bennet and three other Senators. He wrote:

I just added my name to their effort to pass a public option through the reconciliation process, and I wanted you to be the first to know.

This is far from a done deal, but it’s an opportunity to break through the obstructionism Republicans have pushed for the past year.

That brings the total number of Senators calling for this vote to 17. But Schumer’s signature is arguably far more important than many of the others.

That’s because Schumer has now become the first member of the Dem Senate leadership to join this effort. As the former head of the DSCC he played a major role in engineering the Dem takeover of the Senate.

Schumer’s voice is highly respected inside the Dem caucus on policy matters. He played a major role in driving support for the public option throughout this process. And, crucially, Dems have trust in his political instincts. So his support implicitly suggests he thinks a reconciliation vote on the public option could also represent good politics.