politics

Romney Bullshit on Pre-existing Conditions

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Yes, I do think Obama was pummeled by Romney in presentation and style tonight, and it’s not my intention to analyze it. I just can’t let Romney’s bullshit about pre-existing conditions slide.

Romney “lengthy description” of his plan on his website, as he alluded to during the debate, is only 369 words, and it states

Prevent discrimination against individuals with pre-existing conditions who maintain continuous coverage

If Romney “appeals Obamacare”, we’d just revert back to the old status quo, which I’ve been intimately acquainted with for the past 15 years or so. You must retain “continuous” coverage  to avoid losing coverage for pre-existing conditions. Continuous coverage means you can’t have a gap of more than 63 days. It means that a person struggling to get by who loses his job has to figure out a way to pay $500-$1000/month for COBRA coverage to continue affordable treatment for his or his family member’s cancer treatments. A snafu once put my continuous coverage in jeopardy years back. It would have been disastrous, as it has been disastrous for tens of millions of Americans over the years.

Again, people would pre-existing conditions would not be protected under Romney’s “plan”.

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Pride

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To paraphrase Michelle Obama, I have never been more proud of any President.

Hours after North Carolina embarrassed itself, the President of the United States took a surprising stand by declaring definitively that he supports marriage equality. Say what you will about the potential political calculation of the statement. EVERYTHING a President says on record is politically calculated. This doesn’t mean President Obama would not have said it if he didn’t mean it.

There are plenty of reasons to think this will hurt Obama politically. Then again, you will have a President who has made some gutsy decisions versus a candidate who is the antithesis of gutsy. Then again, there are supposedly a whole army of disillusioned young people who might have been staying home in 2012. I don’t think they will now. Who is against marriage equality and was planning to vote for Obama as of yesterday, anyway?

Even if Obama loses, for whatever reasons, he has just done something monumental in American history. 61% of North Carolinians and roughly half of all Americans will ultimately be on the wrong side of history. Obama just taken a stand for what is right and just.

I think I might finally click on one of those Barack and Michelle ads and tell them “I’m all in.”

Shameful

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I’ll just record some thought for posterity.

North Carolina IS the backwards, ignorant cess pool of stupidity that people from more civilized places have always said it is.

I’ve never been ashamed to live in this state. I am tonight.

Most of the people who voted for the amendment have no idea what they’ve just done. And that’s not my fault or your fault for not educating them. At some point, we have to have some faith in each other. At least, I would like to think that. But that’s incredibly ignorant and stupid, isn’t it?

I truly admire activists who never give up the fight for progressive change. I cannot be such an activist. That requires a speck of optimism in humanity.

Am I being a bit harsh?

Nope, this is what I want to say for posterity, which is no less harsh than what the majority of voters of North Carolina just did today. They will be far more embarrassed in the years to come than I will be by anything I write tonight.

And this doesn’t even directly impact me. I can’t imagine what it feels like to have your fellow citizens decide that you do not have the right to the family you want.

Why You Should Vote AGAINST Amendment One

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I should have done this during early voting. But if you haven’t voted yet, and you either don’t plan to vote today or don’t know why you should be voting AGAINST Amendment One, here’s why:

  • The rights of ALL UNMARRIED COUPLES will be restricted
  • Discrimination will be embedded in the state constitution, reminiscent of the 1875 amendment that passed to ban interracial marriage
  • Health insurance access to unmarried couples and their children will be restricted
  • Domestic violence protections for unmarried couples for will jeopardized
  • No civil unions will not be a possibility; again, domestic partnerships other than heterosexual marriages will have zero recognition under state law
  • The state’s economy will suffer; businesses that value diversity and equal rights for employees will not relocate to N.C.
AND
I have friends who have been happily partnered for many years. They long to be parents. They are in the process of adopting. North Carolina will allow them to adopt, and they’ll be terrific parents. However, if the amendment passed, only one of them will have the right to legally be the child’s parent. This is ridiculous, it’s terrible for children, and it will be the law, unless a majority of voters vote against the amendment tomorrow.
I’ve said my peace. May my state do the right thing tomorrow.

Vote AGAINST N.C. Amendment 1

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Amendment One is not merely “the gay marriage amendment”. But the impetus for the amendment, its sponsors will tell you, is the word of God, and God’s condemnation of homosexuality.

I don’t study the Bible. Fortunately, President Bartlet does.

For the four people reading this who aren’t voting AGAINST N.C. Amendment 1

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That’s just an arbitrary number. It may be somewhere between zero and five. And you may not necessarily be planning to vote for Amendment 1. You may just not be planning to vote. (And I’m just referring to those reading this who live in North Carolina.) This post may not change your mind. I’ll post something else later that might. But I saw this and thought this guy Zach Wahls is a great spokesperson for why The Amendment is bad. It is NOT “the marriage amendment”, by the way. Remember, same-sex marriage is already illegal in North Carolina. The Amendment will potentially deny all unmarried couples rights that they may currently enjoy. Well, more on that in another post. Just watch this.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Zach Wahls
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

John Owens for Durham County Commissioner

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I am wading into local politics for the first time in a few years, and I would appreciate it if you could take a minute to visit Team Owens, the page for Durham County Commissioner candidate John Owens.

I have known John since he moved to Durham. He is intelligent and well-educated on the issues facing Durham. He is young, but politically experienced. The average age of a Durham County Commissioner is roughly 60, and we need fresh leadership. John came to Durham because, of all the places coast-to-coast, he felt this was the right place to raise his family. He is not an establishment candidate. He may be the most progressive candidate, but he is also thoughtul and takes a nuanced approach to complicated issues.

I think he’ll make Durham proud as a great County Commissioner.

I wish I could tune out politics

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I haven’t watched any of the 17 or 18 GOP debates. I certainly follow what’s going on. I read news stories and commentaries and hear way too much on NPR, who, to my annoyance, give these guys a fair shake. Most of what they say is repulsive to me.

I turned on the CNN debate earlier (via the web).

Romney, defending his Bain record of creating jobs to wild applause, got even bigger applause when he spoke of shoving capitalism down Obama’s throat in the general election campaign.

Santorum then chimed in that Obama was responsible for the squalor that too many Americans were living in.

I turned it off. I didn’t even wait for Newt to make his pandering over-the-top racist comment-of-the-hour.

McCain was the Dalai Lama compared to these guys. At least he’d tell supporters to calm down and that they were wrong when they’d say Obama was a Muslim or a terrorist who’d destroy America.

I don’t even like Obama all that much, but the tone of the GOP is so nasty.

UPDATE I recommend Andrew Sullivan’s commentary. It informs me and validates my disgust at the same time.