Tueday Mashup (11/23/10)

In today’s Philadelphia Inquirer, Matt Mackowiak says the following (from here, concerning the elections a few weeks ago)…

Despite the protestations of Democrats, this election was not a mandate for bipartisanship. (Isn't it funny how the losers always want bipartisanship?)

Yeah, that’s really hilarious, isn’t it (which a certain Baby Newton Leroy Gingrich called for in 2006 in the wake of the Dems retaking of Congress, he being the disgraced former Repug House Speaker, of course, as The Eternal Molly Ivins reminds us here).

And the Dems actually offered “bipartisanship” in working with Former President Highest Disapproval Rating In Gallup Poll History, as noted here, though we know what happened of course (yes, I’ll admit that that was always a stretch largely because of Dubya’s pig-headed intransigence, but it’s beyond pathetic that nothing was worked out on immigration reform due to the right-wing caterwauling from the usual suspects).

Just goes to show what happens when you reach with your outstretched hand to a person who refuses to unclench their fist.

And uh oh – speaking of Gingrich, it looks like he’s at it again (here… I give you one of Newt’s “12 Ideas To Replace The Left and Restore America”)…

As a step toward more affordable (health) care, eliminate the $70 billion to $120 billion in theft in Medicare and Medicaid created by the administrative incompetence of the federal bureaucracy and the innovative determination of modern criminals.

It’s good that Gingrich targeted that, actually. The problem for him is that Patrick Murphy already co-sponsored the legislation noted here that accomplishes the following…

Murphy authored the bipartisan IMPROVE Act (Improving Medicare Policy for Reimbursements through Oversight and Efficiency) to help eliminate fraud in the health care system and protect taxpayer dollars. His legislation was included in the health insurance reform bill the President signed into law last month.

“This law cracks down on criminals who pose as doctors to cheat seniors and drain taxpayer dollars,” said Congressman Murphy. “Every dollar we lose to fraud is a dollar lost for seniors’ health care and for middle-class families.”

“Congressman Murphy’s IMPROVE Act cuts down on the $60 billion that Medicare loses to fraud every year, helping to protect and improve the program that millions of seniors rely on for their health care,” said Ray Landis of Pennsylvania AARP.

Once again Mikey, you can’t imagine how big the shoes are that you have to now try and fill…sigh.

Finally, I suppose this is what now passes for humor in Mrs. Graham’s once-legendary newspaper before it descended into utter absurdity (the premise, such as it is, is that conservatives have to supposedly stop playing nice with liberals and go for “the knockout blow,” and what follows is advice in doing that - I guess this is written from the perspective of a "liberal")…

Treat us with the same respect with which we treat you, which is none. Our “fairness” mask slipped away some time during Bush’s second term, to reveal the absolute contempt in which we hold you. We are angry, unhappy people, at once at war with God, truth, justice, the American Way, and pretty much the entire Constitution, so why should we give you suckers an even break? We think lawyers are the solution to all life’s problems, since there’s always gotta be an angle somewhere, whereas you think God, four aces and a loaded .45 will pretty much see you through any eventuality, including us.

If there’s one thing I’m sick of, it’s listening to conservatives whine about how awfully lawyers generally are. If you or someone you know is horribly wronged due to an auto accident, an illegal act on the part of law enforcement or a botched medical procedure, who do you plan to call for help, your dentist?

And besides, if lawyers are supposedly so awful for Republicans, then why did so many of them contribute to Mike Fitzpatrick’s congressional campaign, as noted here?

What I really want to point out, though, is that conservatives owe the legal profession (and one guy in particular) more than they will ever admit. And that one guy would be James Bopp Jr.

As noted here…

WASHINGTON — A conservative Indiana lawyer engineered the string of legal victories that have enabled corporations and wealthy individuals to channel tens of millions of dollars into this year's midterm elections secretly, a study by campaign watchdogs has found.

James Bopp Jr., a Republican-backed lawyer from Terre Haute, Ind., who's fought campaign finance laws for 30 years, filed the suit that led to last January's Supreme Court decision allowing unlimited corporate and union dollars to bankroll independent election ads.

Bopp said he's now challenging laws in at least a dozen states, including California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Ohio, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, which require disclosure of the names of campaign contributors.

Some of those cases, Bopp said, challenge requirements to disclose all donations of $25 or more, a threshold he considers to be too low.

"James Bopp is the point man for conservative wealthy interests whose goal is to dismantle the laws and regulations we have in place to stop the buying of Congress and other elected officials," said former Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Bob Edgar, the president of the liberal-leaning lobby Common Cause.

So just remember that Bopp is the guy responsible for smashing the floodgates of corporate advertising in political campaigns that allowed those with the deepest pockets to get their message out and suffocate those who have fought and sacrificed to ensure a level playing field.

Typical for a “family values” charlatan selling his trade and his very soul to the highest bidder.