Obama-The Perfect, The Good, The Ugly

In case you haven't heard, there's a huge election in Massachusetts today where Martha Coakley (D) is in a Senate race for her life and the life of the Democratic majority in the Senate against Scott Brown (R). Coakley's run a lackluster, obtuse campaign and Democrats are having a collective freak out because Ted Kennedy's seat may go to a tea party candidate whose convictions run as deep as friendships on Jersey Shore. Oy. This is not good. A Coakley loss could mean the 'death of healthcare.'

Throughout the entire lead up to this election, Obama and the White House have made many miscalculations that are probably going to cost them. As a proud member of 'Obama's base,' I offer where I think Obama and the greater 'Obama machine' went wrong.

Incorrect Assumptions...

1. The vibrant base that elected Obama would somehow become tone-deaf once he got into office and behave as sheep pining for a shepherd.

WRONG. Why? Who do you think Obama's base is? Folks who have no access to technology? Folks who ran off into the hills after the election, waiting for smoke signals about the 2012 race? No. The base who elected Obama...their lives are filled with nuance. We aren't ignorant. We understand the difference between a public option and an exchange. We understand what it really means to allow insurance companies to compete across state lines. We're sickened by vote buying and lame-ass elected Democrats. We despise bail outs and pointless wars. This is 2010, dude. We tweet all damn day. We practically know what you ate for lunch.

2. Any attempt at bi-partisanship is better than none. Oh, and it's noble, too.

WRONG: And WRONG. We have a -0 respect for Republicans in general, and quite frankly, we don't understand why Obama has any at all. Why campaign effectively against Republicans and then throw all of that momentum in the crapper the second you enter the White House? Have the Republicans done anything to help you or the country? No. They blew the 2008 election by thinking that running an empty vessel for Vice President was even more fabulous than the empty vessel who ran this country for 8 years. (They called you a terrorist, remember?) They risked the basic security of our country for their own political gain FOR 12 YEARS IN A ROW. Can we please not aim for a baker's dozen here?

This isn't a Montessori school exercise in social graces. This is the United States of America. The Republicans presided over a corrupt war; they drained our economy to fund it with mercenaries from Blackwater and cost-plus contracts to Haliburton and KBR; they tortured and imprisoned people for nothing; they took their eye off the real terrorism ball; they presided over a gargantuan theft of wealth by bailing out Wall Street, and they called anyone who questioned their actions in this regard un-American and un-patriotic. Today, they show up at mis-named rallies with goofy ass hats, tea bags, and absolutely sick posters.

At this point, striving for bi-partisanship in this climate is the actual unpatriotic thing to do.

3. The perfect can never be the enemy of the good.

WRONG. Why not? Sometimes the distance between good and perfect is a country mile on a foggy day. The perfect is always the enemy of the good. They're supposed to be enemies. If they weren't, how would we know what we're fighting for? Where are the standards, the goals, the benchmarks, the platform shoes of our platform? There's a difference between the good (a dirt road) and the perfect (a paved road) when that dirt road runs backwards at no lawful speed limit (dirt road and all that) and crashes into the same trees that it was trying to get away from. Who's going to fix that car? The perfect mechanic who was overlooked for the good one? Turns out 'the good one' doesn't even work on cars. He works on motorcycles. Whoops, our bad. (Come on, he looked so 'good' on his resume.)

4. The best time to expose your backbone is after you've had the crap beaten out of you in a Democratic state.

WRONG. Granted, I'd like to see that backbone again because I'm starting to think it was a temporary medical procedure or something, but mirages aside, if this is what it takes to get Obama riled up, then someone in the White House has let the perfect be the enemy of the good for waaaay to long.

Mr. President, your base was so fired up after your election that we would've moved to the moon to outsmart Al-Qaeda. Now, we can't even outsmart a tea bagger in Massachusetts. We don't want to look that stupid. We're the liberal elite, remember?

~Lori

The Capitol Necklace 14K gold by Lanyapi

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The Only Option Left

Tonight is a very important night, the President speaks to the country about health care. I was driving around town the other day running errands, thinking to myself that, drat!, I forgot that I needed to stop at the grocery store for something. I hate grocery shopping, so I was trying to rationalize why I didn't really need to stop there. Couldn't I make it one more day?

Warm Hugs Microvable Hot and Cold Therapy Corn Bag Set, $19.95

That train of thought made me think about health care for some reason - probably that whole wait one more day thing...one more month...one more presidential election thing, and I was headed to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions. My health insurance (via Cobra) ends on October 15. I've spent a lot of time making phone calls trying to figure out which meds will be affordable without insurance and which won't. ( I have chronic migraines that make it all but impossible for me to work for anyone but myself. They've gotten much better now that I work for myself, but I still have to have medicine.) So, while I was thinking about this and stopping at the pharmacy and not the grocery store, I started to wonder, why am I even allowed to go to the grocery store? I mean, I'm not insurable after October 15, so why should I have the luxury of shopping for food? Shouldn't I have to buy a weapon and just start hunting? And why do I even have a car? Shouldn't somebody take it? And a roof over my head? Ridiculous! Somebody should just come to my house and toss me and my beadage right out into the street!

Ouch Pouch, Mini First-Aid Pouch for Purse, BackPack, or Diaper Bag, $4.95

Oh, stop being ridunkulous, you're probably saying. You can still buy your drugs without insurance. Well, yes, but not the really important ones. I'll be jonesing in front of Glaxo for those. And it's no big deal that since I already have this condition, any other bug I get on top of it, is extra problematic, so if I can't afford to see a doctor about that, then BONUS POINTS FOR ME! I don't know how I'll adjust about October 15th. I'm so used to donating 90% of my earrings to BCBS of NC so they can tell me that the medicine my doctor prescribes isn't good for me that the shock alone might do me in.

Arnica Sore Muscle Balm, $12

So, Mr. President, please remember that I'm just a person who lives a regular life, who goes to the grocery store and drives a car and pays rent and works for herself and oh yeah, I need affordable health care. I'm happy to pay for it; I'm not asking for anything free, just some access. Please?

I'll pick something up at the grocery store for you if you want.

~Lori

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Wordless Wednesday

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Why the Public Option Means Everything to Me

This is my story, and it's one of many that sound exactly the same.

I have chronic migraine headaches. I've had them since I was a child, but they became debilitating when I went to college and got worse and worse and worse. In college, Imitrex wasn't out yet, so I would walk to Student Health where they would pump me full of Demerol and Phenergan, put me on the shuttle, and drop me off in front of my dorm. It wasn't uncommon for someone to help me up to the third floor (no elevator). I would sleep for 24 hours, wake up the next day and go to yesterday's classes, not even knowing what day it was.

When Imitrex came on the scene, things got a little better, but it only works if you catch the migraine at the very beginning and unfortunately, I tended to sleep through my aura and wake up with a migraine that was past that point. Turned out to be a good thing, though, because regardless of what my neurologist prescribed me, Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, United Healthcare and any other insurance plan I've ever had, thinks it's unsafe for me or anyone else to have more than 6 injectable doses or 9 tablets of Imitrex a month. Despite appeals from my neurologist, they think they know better. It's fun to play 'is this going to be a real migraine or should I not waste this dose?' You should try it sometime.

I can't work an 8-5 job because of my migraines and the now associated health problems. I can work, don't get me wrong, but I can't keep a schedule. You can't rely on me to be anywhere at anytime, especially in the summer. I've lost more jobs than I've ever had. Every time I lost one, I had to carry COBRA because if you let your insurance drop, then the next insurance you get will rider you for at least a year before they'll cover your pre-existing conditions.

Had there been a public health care option available to me when I lost my job, I could've have transferred to that. I could've not carried COBRA and all of it's horrific financial side effects. I would've been able to make a better choice for my life. I could've taken a less stressful job and not worried about trying to push myself to make enough money to stay in the game for medical insurance because that's all I was ever doing. For fifteen years, every occupational decision I made was made based on health insurance.

My self-esteem took a nose dive all the way to Hell, but not anymore. There isn't an insurance company, a politician, or a pharmaceutical company who's going to dictate one more day in my life. I'm done. If the people that we elect to run this country can't figure out something so unbelievably basic as health care, then shame on them.

Shame. On. Them.

Do I care if they taxes to pay for it? No. You took my tax dollars overseas and killed a bunch of people. You took my tax dollars and gave them to bunch of unbelievable idiots on Wall Street. I'd really appreciate if you'd use my tax dollars to do something decent for a change.

Do I quiver in fear of a 'government run health care program?'

Give me a break.

An insurance company has dictated the care I'm allowed to have my entire life. They don't give a #$%^ what any of my doctors think I need. Do you really think I'm the least bit worried about the government? Are you insane? Do you get what this is about? This is people's lives. Sick, suffering, and often extremely poor people. They aren't the least bit afraid of the government 'rationing health care.' They're afraid of politicians rationing health care. You're the ones causing the problem. Grow up.

Super sick people can't get to the polls to vote, you know? Did you ever think of that?

~Lori

Top image is Inside Trying to Get Out by Carapace.

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Top 5 Talking Points the Obama Campaign is Ignoring

5. Where is the emphasis on the real skinny (and I mean skinny) behind McCain's health care plan? Why don't I hear Obama or Biden or an ad running every 5 seconds reminding me that McCain's 'tax credit' for an INDIVIDUAL is $2500? A $2500 tax credit for health insurance in an unregulated industry is supposed to buy me what? A coffin?

4. Who cares about George W. Bush anymore? The man's life is an Oliver Stone movie while he's still in office. Everyone who understands that link, understands it. Why aren't you zooming in on McCain? McCain has nothing positive going for him except martyrdom and name recognition. That's it. He's not a scholar or a gentleman. People who have respect for our military THINK before they send them into harm's way. McCain is standing in front of bused in crowds chanting, "Fight, fight, fight!" We need to, "Think, think, think!" If you want to compare him to Bush, that's your analogy right there. We've had 8 years of arrogance; we don't need 4 years of impulsive rage on top of it.

3. Remember Fantasy Island? Remember Mr. Rourke and his little sidekick 'Tattoo?' Remember his constant alarm, "De plane! De plane!" Okay, here's the new alarm, "De-meanor, demeanor!" Run this ad: (insert male announcer and not that Amityville Horror creepy chick that does McCain's ad. Every time she talks, blood starts running down my walls.)

"John McCain is worried about Barack Obama sitting down with evil dictator's without preconditions? John McCain can't even sit down with Barack Obama without...." (insert debate montage of every childish and disrespectful smirk, eye roll, and face pull McCain made.) "If John McCain can't control himself in a debate in the United States, how can we trust him to lead this nation?"

Because honestly, McCain, with all due respect, you've been in public life and on TV long enough to learn how to control yourself. You're going to look at Putin's 'ugly head' the wrong way one day and it's curtains for us. You looked into Putin's eyes and saw 'KGB;' we look into yours and see 'PTSD.' (Respectfully, you really need help.)

2. The pie analogy. Let's bake a real pie here because everybody loves pie. Let's look at the pie the McCain/Palin are baking for you. Do you want a bite of it? You're not sure? Why not? Is it because you don't know which piece is yours? Are you white or black, rich or poor, Christian or Satan, gay or straight, pro-America or anti-America? Are you pro-gun or anti-gun, sweet or bitter, short or tall, a domestic terrorist or Joe the Plumber? Gee, your piece of the pie is probably too cold to eat now, isn't it? Next time, come to my house. The pie will be warm and you can have WHATEVER PIECE YOU WANT.

1. Taxes? Taxes, really? You're going to let this be about taxes? Why aren't you running testimontial ads right now that say:

"I'm voting for Barack Obama because I'm not an idiot. I refuse to accept the fact that my tax dollars are good enough to fund a represhensible war and yet are somehow not good enough to provide health care, education, and decent roads and bridges for me and my family."

OR

"I'm voting for Barack Obama because he understands that a we can fight and win all the wars we want to 'keep us safe,' but if there's no 'us' when we're done, then what's the point?"

OR

"I'm voting for Barack Obama because the Alaskans that CAN see Russian from their house have never actually SEEN Sarah Palin or a dentist or running water."

OR, and finally...

"I'm voting for Barack Obama because it's time to move forward and leave division to the math teachers."

I feel better now.

Peace out, Lori

You can still sign up for my blog giveaway through midnight on Oct, 31st. Go here!

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