In Memorium - 2012 Election

H/T Bill Maher:

Nuff Said!

Islamophobia in Michigan

In this country nowadays, it's not unusual to see large amounts of prejudice and hatred toward Muslim-Americans. It's been elevated for the past 11 years and it doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. This is 2012. I thought we had moved past racial and religious bigotry.

It was reported today on ThinkProgress, that the gentleman running for the 11th congressional district seat in Michigan, Dr. Syed Taj (D), has now been graced with Tea bagger bigotry. And it's ugly.

Here is the commercial that is running, painting him as an Islamic extremist hellbent on taking over the United States and all that yadda yadda.

 

Let us analyze this mess, shall we? 

First, this commercial links Dr. Taj to the Democratic Socialists of America. From the statement on his campaign site, Dr. Taj states, "The ad claims Dr. Taj relies on funding from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Dr. Taj’s FEC filing is publicly available; the Taj Campaign has not received any funding from the DSA. A physician colleague, who also happens to be on the DSA board, hosted a fundraiser in his home at which individuals made donations to Dr. Taj’s campaign." See? You know what should be frightening the hell out of everyone? Millionaires and billionaires who give excruciatingly large amounts of money to super PACs run by shady, crooked people like Karl Rove and the Koch brothers. They are people who are literally BUYING our democracy and taking away our voices. Chevron just donated $2.5 million dollars to defeat President Obama. That is what is worrisome!

Next comes the obvious line of attack. The cheap shot. Since Dr. Taj is Muslim, he HAS to be a terrorist or some sort of supporter of Islamic extremists, right? Well, duh, according to this ad. My god, the man even states he wants Muslims to have POWER! Because, of course, why should we give Muslim-American's a voice in our government? Who do they think they are?! Human beings?! But what really gets me is the "Too extreme for Michigan. Too extreme for America." Extreme in what ways? They never mention that, but I think it's safe to assume what they mean. It's utterly asinine.

Notice the pac who is putting on this ad? The Freedom's Defense Fund? Guess who runs that one. Jerome Corsi. You may remember him from such masterpieces as "Obama Nation" and "Unfit For Command" about John Kerry. Corsi is an extreme birther, truther, and idiot extraordinaire. You might be asking yourself, "wow, I thought he fell off the map? What's he up to these days?" Oh you know, being a racist bigot, screwing with elections, hanging out with Republican presidential candidates. Yup. Corsi is spending his time lately with Mittens! He claims he's part of the press corps, but no one believes it's that simple. We should be VERY concerned that this is the company that Romney and Paul Ryan choose to keep.

Whether it's religious bigotry, hatred and disdain of women, loathing immigrants and people who are of different backgrounds, the GOP has become a toxic sludge that is poisonous to the very ideas of justice, freedom and liberty that we cherish. The right-wing speaks of a deep loving obsession for the Constitution but when it comes time to act, they do the total opposite of what these founding documents stand for. Think about this video when you go to vote. This is just a glimpse into a meek, hate-filled future if the GOP is allowed to make gains on November 6th.

Women of America Unite!

For anyone who was watching the last debate on Monday night, you may have heard Mitt Romney talk about the necessity of gender equality in the Middle East. My first reaction to that was, "wait, Mitt Romney said what?" because, of course, he's not one who tends to advocate for women's rights. My second reaction was, "how full of bs is this guy?" Mitt Romney, and especially Paul Ryan, have never been a friend to women's rights. Hell, if Mitt Romney couldn't even answer if he supported the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, really, what does that mean for our female future if he became president?

Richard Mourdock, a GOP senate candidate in Indiana, said in his debate last night, that if a woman gets pregnant from rape, it is "something God intended to happen." I mean, is it really? I don't think so. I think Republicans are just sick creeps who have a genuine disdain for women. Oh, and guess who just released a campaign commercial, proclaiming his support and adoration for Mr. Mourdock? Yeah, Mitt Romney. Isn't that nice? (but of course, Mr. Mitt "backed away" from Mourdock's comments. I bet.) These kinds of comments are not just out of the blue, once in awhile, off the cuff quips. This attitude has been a common theme with the GOP for a very, very long time. It just seems like this election cycle, it's been more solidified. They are becoming more open with their misogynist message. They've simply given up on caring whether or not the American public finds that kind of message acceptable.

We really need to ask ourselves a serious question - Do we want someone who, in one of his first acts as president, signed a law for fair pay? Someone who passed a healthcare law that made being a woman NO LONGER a preexisting condition? Someone who supports a woman's right to choose? Who supports women struggling to pay for school and find jobs? A president who treats us as equals? The answer is, of course, a resounding YES!

Mitt Romney and his campaign PUSHED for a personhood clause in the GOP platform at the Republican National Convention. If you haven't noticed, since then, Mitt has taken on a few interesting positions on birth control and abortion. In the second debate with President Obama, Romney said he wants women to have access to birth control. Uh...really? Because the last time I checked, he and Paul Ryan are fervently anti-choice. They play up to their extreme base very well, and it pays off for them. It's gross, and it's wrong, but that's the GOP for you.

What is really unfortunate, is that a lot of women will be voting for Mitt Romney this year. One of the Romney campaign cornerstones is repealing the Affordable Care Act. That legislation single-handedly put women back in control. Insurance companies could turn us away, our natural biological functions considered a "pre-existing condition." Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan want to go back to that, and no matter how many times Romney switches his position, we know that above everything, he wants to get rid of the ACA, and along with that goes pre-existing condition coverage. I don't know about you, but I don't want insurance companies to once again be allowed to tell us that our periods are grounds for denying us health care. It's not like we some how have the power to just shut that whole thing down.

Obama/Biden 2012!