The Top Eight Fox News Election Lies In Just The Last Eight Weeks

Mitt Romney - Original BanksterWith the election season fully in bloom, the aroma of deceit and desperation is growing more pungent by the hour. Mitt Romney, The Original Bankster, continues to be evasive about his international business affairs, and he refuses to release more than a single year of tax returns in order to quell speculation. His electoral prospects have not been noticeably enhanced with the addition of Wisconsin congressman, and extremist right-winger, Paul Ryan to the ticket. Consequently, the GOP PR machine (aka Fox News) has swung into action to attempt to cauterize the wounds and manufacture some positive spin on behalf of the struggling Republican standard bearers.

The most effective contribution of the Fox spinners is their expertise in disseminating brazenly dishonest propaganda without shame or fear of reprisal. They construct fabrications that benefit their patrons and broadcast them to an audience that is so undiscriminating that they’ll watch Sean Hannity more than once. And since the majority of rational news consumers will never see much of what Fox works so hard to invent, we have complied a list of some of the most dishonest moments so far in the 2012 election cycle. [Note: in order to pare this list down to a manageable length, it has been limited to just just the last eight weeks. There’s only so much bandwidth on the Internet]

1) President Obama Did Not Call Mitt Romney A Felon
Mitt Romney claims that he had ceased to be involved with Bain Capital in 1999, although his signature on SEC documents affirms that he was the sole shareholder and CEO as late as 2002. Obama’s Deputy Campaign Manager, Stephanie Cutter, pointed out that Romney had to have lied on either the SEC forms or his public statements that contradict them. Fox News turned that into an accusation by Obama that Romney is a felon. However, there is a big difference between calling someone a felon and simply noting that if one were to commit a felony they would be a felon, which is all that Cutter had done. But Fox is not inclined to miss an opportunity to invent a controversy where none actually exists.

2) Fox News Built That
In a speech to supporters in Virginia, Obama praised the hard work of individuals and businesses while also noting the collective value of American investment in economic prosperity. So Fox News plucked an out-of-context soundbite from the speech that said “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that.” What Fox deliberately left out was that Obama was referring to public services like teachers and police, and to infrastructure like roads and bridges that contribute to the success of all businesses. It’s a position that Romney himself has taken. However, Fox News blew this distortion up into such a frenzy that the Romney campaign adopted it and now have made the Fox-built fallacy the theme for the GOP convention in Tampa. [Note: The GOP convention is being held in the Tampa Bay Forum, a facility that was built with mostly public funds]

The tactic of taking quotes out of context has been a favorite of the Fox News gang this year. They did precisely the same thing with remarks Obama made about the economy (the private sector is doing fine) and his record in office (we tried our plan and it worked). In both cases Fox left out critical language surrounding these remarks that revealed just how purposefully dishonest the Fox News team is.

3) The Swift-Boating Of President Obama
Fox News has proudly announced the commencement of a Swiftboat campaign against President Obama. The organization set up to carry out the assault is described as “A group of former U.S. intelligence and Special Forces operatives,” but in reality is a partisan assembly of Republicans and professional Obama haters. The Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund (SOOEF) plans to produce and distribute videos and advertisements that will criticize Obama for “taking credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden.” This is an archetypical implementation of Swiftboating whose purpose is to spread lies about a key achievement of Obama’s leadership as Commander-in-Chief.

The assertions by the SOOEF that Obama has improperly heralded himself for the demise of Bin Laden are demonstrably false. Their video features gross misrepresentations of Obama’s statements on the subject that loop portions of his speech referencing himself, but leaves out his abundant praise for the military and intelligence operatives who carried out the mission. The opening line of the President’s address to the nation announcing that Bin Laden was dead explicitly and unselfishly stated that “the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden.” He went on to thank “the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome,” and he praised “the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country.”

None of that was in the SOOEF video which Fox has featured in numerous broadcasts. What’s more, Fox actually uses the term “Swiftboating” to describe the anti-Obama campaign. Either they have completely given up on trying to pretend that they are a “fair and balanced” news enterprise (which no one believes anyway), or they don’t know that Swiftboating means lying.

4) Fox Nation Ignores Polls By CNN, Reuters, And — Fox News
Virtually every time a new poll on presidential politics is released Fox News will make a point to publish the results – so long as the poll shows Obama losing. In a particularly egregious example of this bias earlier this month, Fox prominently reported on a poll by the right-wing Rasmussen operation that placed Mitt Romney in the lead 47-43. What Fox neglected to report was that there were three other polls released at the same time that all put Obama ahead. And the most striking part of this omission was that one of the polls that Fox declined to cover was conducted by Fox News itself and put Obama ahead of Romney by nine points.

Fox couldn’t even bring themselves to report on their own poll conducted by their own pollsters. That’s the sort of biased cherry-picking that is the hallmark of Fox’s “news” charade. And it’s a crystal clear message to pollsters from Fox: If you want to be covered, you better say what we like. And that goes for Fox’s pollsters as well.

5) Welfare-To-Work Rules Were Not Weakened By the Obama Administration
The Romney campaign recently accused Obama of directing his administration to relax the welfare-to-work provisions of Bill Clinton’s welfare reform bill. That accusation is directly refuted by the facts. What Obama did was to permit waivers for states that could affirm their progress in moving people from welfare to work, and allowing them flexibility to enhance their programs. It’s a modification that Romney himself had requested when he was governor of Massachusetts. Nevertheless, Fox News picked up the accusation and ran with it. In every segment on the subject they portrayed the issue precisely as Romney had framed it despite every fact-checking operation concluding that Romney’s charges were entirely false.

And speaking of fact-checking, Romney has been rated untruthful 67 times by PolitiFact, and 14 of those were “Pants-on-Fire” lies (including the welfare lie). In fact, 43% of PolitiFact’s findings on statements by Romney are rated as untruthful. He’s downright pathological, but Fox has not yet reported that fact.

6) Obama Did Not Sell Amnesty For $465.00
After Obama issued a directive to the Department of Homeland Security not to advance the deportation of young immigrants who had been brought to this country by their parents and who had demonstrated achievement in school or the military, there was a rush of dishonest reporting from Fox News that Obama was placating law breakers and opening our borders to criminals, drug traffickers, and terrorists. Of course, none of that was true. News reports from more objective sources correctly noted that the beneficiaries of the program had broken no laws and that the public overwhelmingly supported the President’s plan.

After the initial drama subsided, Fox News decided to take another stab at promoting their false narrative. They began running reports alleging that Obama was “selling amnesty” to illegal aliens. What Fox was grossly misrepresenting was that the program had an application fee to help offset its costs. One would think that deficit minded conservatives would have approved of that fiscal responsibility. But Fox chose to present it as the purchase price for amnesty even though no one in the program would receive amnesty.

7) Soldiers Were Not Prevented From Voting In Ohio
The issue of voter suppression has been a major factor in this years election contests. In states across the country Republicans have been working strenuously to reduce early voting availability and impose unreasonable identification requirements that serve to disenfranchise mostly voters who are minorities, seniors, students, and low income. But perhaps the worst example of distorting the issue occurred when Fox News accused the Obama administration of seeking to trample on the voting rights of people in the military.

The actual story is that the Republicans in the state of Ohio passed a bill that reduced early voting for everyone in the state except the military. The Obama Justice Department contested the move arguing that the same early voting privileges should be available to all Ohio voters. So the Obama administration was actually advocating for expanding voting rights for everyone, including veterans who would have been excluded under the GOP bill. The characterization by Fox News was 180% opposite of the truth.

8) Fox News Reports Obama Birth Certificate “Definitely Fraudulent”
In a stunning piece of journalistic malpractice, Fox News reported assertions that Obama’s birth certificate was “definitely fraudulent.” The remarks were from Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, and while they were correctly attributed, nowhere in the article did Fox note that the birth certificate had been authenticated and that every credible source agrees that it is valid. The only references to the birth certificate’s authenticity were framed as merely “claims.” And Fox being “fair and balanced” regards all claims as having equal weight, even those without any substance to back them up.

Pray for Fox NewsThis is a necessarily abridged collection of Fox falsehoods. There are far too many more to list here. But in the last eight weeks Fox News has disseminated some glaring whoppers in an attempt to prop up the flailing Romney campaign. Expect this to continue through the upcoming conventions and straight through to November. Because when you are supporting a candidate who refuses to reveal his taxes, his business history, or even his proposed policies, all you have left is what you can make up.

Ann Romney Salutes Women But Still Doesn’t Trust Them To Make Decisions About Their Own Bodies

The Republican National Convention Kvetch-a-Sketch continues. Last night Mitt Romney’s wife gave a speech that included the shocking revelation that she loves her husband and that she thinks he’d be a pretty good president. Fox News broke into their Karl Rove convention analysis with a “News Alert” to announce this hot scoop (of manure). But the real news item was Ann’s salute to American women:

Ann Romney

“You are the best of America. You are the hope of America. There would not be an America without you. Tonight, we salute you and sing your praises.”

Too bad that Ms. Romney and her husband don’t have enough faith in American women to make decisions about their own health care; or get equal pay for equal work; or receive sustained funding for family services like Head Start and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Romney’s singing the praises of women is a dour dirge that she refuses to back up with actual policies that women really need and want. It is hollow rhetoric intended to stem the rapid decline of support for her husband by America’s women. And it won’t work. There is a reason that Mitt’s support is so low. It has something to do with the GOP war on women that Romney supports in full. And vacant words from Stepford wives will do nothing to bring Women to the Romney campaign.

Romney Campaign Advisor Says That Facts Have ‘Jumped The Shark’

Anyone paying attention to this campaign already knows that Mitt Romney has little respect for facts. He has repeatedly mangled the truth in order to advance his campaign and to slander President Obama. And it isn’t just a few policy disagreements that are shaded for effect. Romney is a full-blown pathological liar.

Mitt Romney Pathological Liar

Now the Romney campaign has stepped forward to confess their aversion to facts. In a discussion about Romney’s ad that falsely claims that Obama’s welfare policy “guts welfare reform,” Romney’s pollster Neil Newhouse said…

“We’re not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers [who have] jumped the shark.”

It’s not surprising that the Romney camp is hostile to fact-checkers since his welfare ad was excoriated for dishonesty. Romney’s ad was given four Pinocchios by the Washington Post and was rated a “Pants on Fire” lie by PolitiFact. In fact, he has been rated untruthful 67 times by PolitiFact, and 14 of those were “Pants-on-Fire” lies (so far). More than 40% of PolitiFact’s findings on statements by Romney are rated as untruthful.

Clearly Romney’s campaign strategy is to make Obama respond to a barrage of lies for the next two months. It’s the only path left for Romney who has decided to cast off the facade that he’s concerned with running a campaign that represents reality. And, as Stephen Colbert insightfully observed, reality has a well-known liberal bias.

News For Losers: How Fox News Facilitates Pathetic Whiners

On this day when the Repblican National Kvetch-a-Skecth is scheduled to kick-off; when a hurricane is threatening the Gulf Coast; this is the day that Fox News features this as the headline article on their web site: “Too Conservative To Sell?”

Fox News - Geico

The story, which was also covered by Megyn Kelly on Fox News, is about an actor who is still whining two years after having allegedly been fired by GEICO Insurance for saying that President Obama is trying “impose socialism” on America and is “destroying the country.” There is no new information to update this two year old story. It was simply plucked from the past and placed atop Fox’s web page, displacing all of the current news events that are far more significant. Note: GEICO denies that the actor was fired. They say that his contract expired when the campaign for which he was hired came to an end.

The scorned actor, typical of whiny wingnuts, bemoaned his fate as some sort of conspiracy saying that conservatives in Hollywood have to “watch out.” He apparently agrees with Kelsey Grammer who whined a couple of weeks ago about not getting an Emmy nomination because he is conservative (forgetting that he already has five Emmys).

Not reported by Fox News in this item is that GEICO also fired a liberal actor a couple of years ago. D.C. Douglas (aka Lance Baxter) phoned the Tea Party string-pullers at FreedomWorks and left a message on their answering machine saying in part “I just need to know what the percentages of people that are mentally retarded who work for the organization.” After a call-in campaign by FreedomWorks’ followers, Douglas was let go. However, rather than wallow in self pity for years, Douglas produced a string of YouTube videos spoofing the right-wing extremists and hate-mongers. Fox left all of that out of their reporting despite the fact that they had reported on it at the time, albeit in their typical biased manner that got much of the story wrong.

This behavior is characteristic of conservatives who, while talking like bullies, are actually thin-skinned wimps. It’s a personality disorder that is evident in their party’s standard bearer, Mitt Romney, whose entire campaign seems to be a strategic kvetch-a-thon. Romney has spent the last several weeks complaining that Obama has been saying unkind things about him. He gripes about being asked to release his tax returns, as almost every other candidate for president does. He throws tantrums when Obama dares to reveal his record as CEO of Bain Capital or governor of Massachusetts.

Since Romney has no agenda to run on, he spends all his time bemoaning any criticism of him no matter how accurate. And while calling the President a socialist and referring to him as “foreign,” and questioning his patriotism, Romney has the gall to assert that Obama is running a negative, divisive campaign. That sort of projection is emblematic of whiners like Romney. So expect to see much more of it during the convention and the days that follow.

Is Hurricane Isaac God’s Wrath On The GOP?

The Republican National Kvetch-a-Sketch™ scheduled to begin tomorrow has been set back due to the approach of Hurricane Isaac. On other occasions where natural disasters wreaked havoc on Haiti, New Orleans, or the Virginia city from where Pat Robertson broadcasts his television show, there was a deafening outcry that the reason for the tribulations was that God was angry and was punishing sinners.

So what does Robertson and his ilk have to say about the hurricane bearing down on Tampa, the second consecutive hurricane that has disrupted a Republican convention (remember Gustav in 2008)? It seems like the Lord has some issues with the GOP. But suddenly the explanations of divine intervention have come to a screeching halt. If there is one message that can be taken from this affair it is this: When the Republicans launched their War on Women they forgot that Mother Nature is a woman.

GOP War on Women

While mocking sanctimonious right-wingers and Tea-vangelicals is fair game, we should not forget that hurricanes are no laughing matter. Isaac has already resulted in fatalities in the Caribbean. And even if it misses Tampa, there is almost certainly going to be devastating damage to persons and property elsewhere before it is done.

The media, however, seems wholly focused only on how the hurricane will impact the political party goers at Mitt Romney’s coronation. If Republicans don’t take some time during their convention to acknowledge the suffering of Isaac’s victims, it will be emblematic of their notorious insensitivity toward Americans who aren’t fortunate enough to be members of Romney’s elite class.

Mexican Anchor Baby Mitt Romney: No One’s Ever Asked To See My Birth Certificate

In keeping with his promise to change the tone of the campaign, Mitt Romney just dove head first into birtherism in a speech to supporters in Michigan:

“Now I love being home in this place where Ann and I were raised, where both of us were born. Ann was born in Henry Ford Hospital. I was born in Harper Hospital. No one’s ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this is the place that we were born and raised.”

First of all, I need to point out that Romney is factually wrong. I have asked to see his birth certificate and he has yet to comply. There have also been numerous others who have called on Romney to produce the document. He did release a “certificate of live birth” last May that is obviously a fake. We know that it’s a fake because when President Obama released a similar document the birthers uniformly denounced as an outright fraud.

Mitt Romney's Fake Birth Certificate

By asserting that nobody has asked to see his birth certificate, Romney is illustrating the undisguised racism that has fueled the birther movement. Of course no one asked a wealthy white man to prove his citizenship. Why would they? That’s only a question for foreign looking people who differ from the majority.

In the past week Romney has been complaining that much of the campaign has been about trivial matters that are distractions from issues like the economy and jobs that Romney says he wants to focus on. He whined about having to respond to questions about his tax returns, abortion, and Medicare. So apparently he is taking the initiative to raise the tenor of the campaign by reminding people that President Obama has been accused of being a Kenyan agent sent to deliver America into the hands of godless Muslims and socialists. That is the sort of substantive subject that Romney thinks the nation should be talking about.

Perhaps Romney is just offering a preview of the Republican National Convention Etch-a-Sketch that begins next week and will feature speeches by notorious birthers Donald Trump and Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The theme of the GOP event is “We Built That,” a dishonest, out-of-context reference to remarks Obama made in praise of the American system that has helped so many people to prosper. It is unlikely, however, that Romney will acknowledge that the Tampa Bay Forum where the GOP convention will be held, was built by mostly government funding.

GOP Convention

Judging by Romney’s latest attempt at humor, next week should be a barrel of laughs.

Mitt Romney Blasts Businesses For Using Off-Shore Tax Havens

In a monumental display of [Pick One:] 1) Irony; 2) Hypocrisy; 3) Arrogance; 4) All of the Above; Mitt Romney unloaded two barrels of hollow-point criticism at businesses who use foreign tax shelters to shield their income from U.S. taxes.

Romney: “We’ve got to make it easier for small businesses. Big business is doing fine in many places – they get the loans they need, they can deal with all the regulation. They know how to find ways to get through the tax code, save money by putting various things in the places where there are low tax havens around the world for their businesses. But small business is getting crushed.”

Swiss Mitt RomneyThat’s the same Mitt Romney who fails to acknowledge how he has benefited from similar financial shenanigans. The same Romney who refuses to release his tax returns. The same Romney who steadfastly defends the tax manipulations he engaged in, at least when he will admit to them.

Romney was speaking to a private group of supporters at a fundraiser in Minnesota yesterday. He seemingly is unaware of the hypocrisy in his remarks, as well as the tone-deaf insensitivity to the majority of Americans who cannot take advantage of the loopholes that people like Romney have created for themselves. And while he lambastes big businesses for exploiting the tax code and foreign stash accounts, he has yet to propose any reforms that would address the matter.

Also notable in his remarks is the statement that “big business is doing fine.” When President Obama made a similar remark about the private sector, Romney and his surrogates plucked it of its original context and misrepresented the President as having said that the economy overall is fine. How would Romney respond if Democrats were to do the same thing with this comment? And Democrats would not even have to obscure the context because Romney actually did say this without qualification.

If big business is doing so well, then why aren’t they hiring? Romney’s assessment is a direct contradiction of his previous analysis of the economy. He has been adamant that Obama’s stewardship of the economy has failed and that a course correction would produce more prosperity and jobs. But now, before a freindly audience of wealthy donors he hails the success of businesses but fails to explain why the prosperity and jobs have not followed.

In these remarks Romney has demonstrated that he is a poor judge of economic affairs and astonishingly lacking in self-awareness as he castigates others for exploiting off-shore tax shelters that he uses himself. No wonder he so obstinately refuses to level with the American people about his tax returns. And next week he will enter the GOP convention with the theme “We Built That,” but will decline to acknowledge that the facility hosting the event was built with a majority (62%) of government funds.

Pundit Ignoramus: Dick Morris Says Todd Akin Story Is A Big Plus For Romney

The prostitute toe-sucking Fox News contributor, Dick Morris, has once again put his idiot brethren to shame by publicly making remarks that are so over-the-top stupid that it boggles the mind. Internationally known as the “World’s Worst Pundit,” Morris spoke yesterday with Bill O’Reilly guest host Laura Ingraham to discuss the Todd Akin affair. Morris said

Morris: “I think that story is a big plus for Romney right now. Because the story is not that some kooky Republican congressman running for the senate said something stupid. That was the first story. Now the story is that the responsible leaders of the Republican Party, Romney and McConnell and Ryan and all of them are piling on Akin’s withdraw and he won’t. And that really sends a message to pro-choice women that they don’t need to be afraid of Mitt Romney, that they don’t have to vote for Obama because of that.”

Dick Morris

The stupid is so thick it’s hard to know where to begin. Let’s start with Morris’ contention that the story is not about “some kooky Republican.” Yes it is. Akin’s defiant insistence on staying in the race insures that he will continue to be a lightening rod for controversy. However, the story is not just about him. It is also about the rest of the Republican Party who share his views. That includes Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan who have both endorsed legislation and constitutional amendments that would ban abortion for any reason, including rape, incest, and the health of the mother. The Republican Party this week voted to include in their party platform a ban on abortion with no exceptions.

Morris goes on to assert that Romney will somehow benefit because he eventually tried to distance himself from Akin. Morris specifically notes the unsuccessful attempts of Romney and the rest of the GOP leadership to get Akin to withdraw and cites that as “a message to pro-choice women.” Indeed it is. It’s a message of failure. It’s a message that Romney et al are incompetent and have no influence, even over “kooky Republican congressmen” who see no need to comply with Romney’s demands. Contrary to Morris’ claim that women “don’t need to be afraid of Mitt Romney,” the reality is that they do need to fear Romney. and not just because he is unable to strip his party of its most extreme positions, but also because he holds those positions himself. The notion that it’s safe for pro-choice women to vote for Romney is just plain delusional.

Finally, if Morris thinks that the Akin story is a plus for Romney, then why is Romney avoiding it so strenuously? This morning Romney held a series of interviews with local media in Colorado. In order to be granted an interview, Romney forced the reporters to agree not to ask any questions about abortion or Akin. That’s an admission of fear on Romney’s part. It’s also a concession that he won’t get away with when talking to the national press.

Dick Morris seems to come up with new embarrassments every time he opens his mouth. He is a lazy thinker and a transparently biased hack. Last year he openly admitted that he was going to refrain from criticizing Romney, even when he disagreed with him.

Morris: “I decided a couple of – a month or two ago to stop dumping on Mitt Romney, for example … Not because I approve of Romneycare, not because I approve of his flip-flops, flip on abortion, but because I may have to be one of those who carries this guy for a couple of months when he’s running against Obama and I don’t want to make my own task harder.”

So Morris has confessed that he is operating as a shill for Romney, even though he privately objects to Romney’s positions and his tendency to flip-flop on issues. Yet Fox News continues to employ him as a “fair and balanced” political analyst. That says something about both Morris and Fox.

Romney And Ryan Think Seniors Don’t Care About Their Children

Much of the discussion about Medicare has centered around the question of who will be affected by the proposed reforms. The Obama campaign correctly points out that Romney’s pledge to repeal ObamaCare would immediately subject seniors to higher costs for prescription drugs and preventive care. The President also notes that the $716 billion dollars his plan saves would come from administrative expenditures and the reduction in waste, fraud, and abuse. Not a single dime would be cut from seniors’ benefits.

Romney and RyanHowever, a major talking point from Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan is that their plan to create a voucher program would not impact anyone who is 55 or older. The first question that raises is: Why not? If it’s so great, why are they preventing current Medicare recipients from enjoying it? Obviously, they recognize that their plan is objectionable and unpopular.

But the the more pressing problem is the notion that they can pacify today’s seniors by assuring them that they will not be harmed by the changes. They think that seniors will respond by saying…

“OK, thanks for not taking away the Medicare plan that is working so well for us. But go ahead and take it away from our children because who the hell cares about them. So long as we get ours those little snots can fend for themselves.”

If Rom-n-Ry think that seniors in Florida, or the rest of the nation, are going to be satisfied with assurances that their own benefits will be preserved but their kids will be hung out to dry, they are going to be in for a big surprise. Most seniors really do love their kids and grandkids and want the best for them. They will not willingly sacrifice the welfare of their children for promises that exempt themselves from the changes that reduce benefits and cost more.

The absurd suggestion that current recipients will not be effected is the very first item in a list of the “Key Elements of Mitt’s Plan.” Other elements are just as deceptive and/or harmful. For instance (taken directly from Mitt Romney’s web site):

#4: If seniors choose more expensive plans, they will have to pay the difference between the support amount and the premium price; if they choose less expensive plans, they can use any leftover support to pay other medical expenses like co-pays and deductibles.

This proposal reveals that the costs awaiting seniors will include unspecified co-pays and deductibles that will not be covered by the voucher, or “premium support.” The burden of that expense will fall on the recipient. It also makes clear the choices that seniors will face with regard to their health care. If their budgets are constrained they may have to settle for “less expensive plans” that fail to meet their needs. If it’s a choice between insurance or rent or groceries, it puts the recipient in an untenable situation. That is a big difference compared to what they get today from Medicare. It is also notable that any of the savings from choosing a an inferior plan cannot be spent on anything but authenticated medical expenses.

#5: “Traditional” fee-for-service Medicare will be offered by the government as an insurance plan, meaning that seniors can purchase that form of coverage if they prefer it; however, if it costs the government more to provide that service than it costs private plans to offer their versions, then the premiums charged by the government will have to be higher and seniors will have to pay the difference to enroll in the traditional Medicare option.

That is an admission that the “traditional” plan that today’s seniors are familiar with will cease to exist. The costs for the recipient may be substantially higher than they are now. And they will be competing with private insurance companies whose plans may be less expensive, but also less comprehensive. That also forces seniors into making decisions driven more by budget than by need.

#7: Competition among plans to provide high quality service while charging low premiums will hold costs down while also improving the quality of coverage enjoyed by seniors.

The assertion that competition among private insurance plans will hold down costs is refuted by the current market for heath care insurance. Does anyone reading this know of any insurance policy that has added benefits and cut premiums? Insurance companies are notoriously greedy in the way they administer their products, despite the fact that they are more profitable year after year. Most policies increase significantly over time while coverage is narrowed. That’s the free market that Rom-n-Ry want to force seniors into. And by encouraging seniors to exit Medicare, it will shrink the coverage pool, thus forcing costs higher while diluting the influence of Medicare to negotiate provider costs downward.

There are some services that ought not to be subject to the whims of the free market. Health care is one. Social Security is another. Just imagine the devastating hardship beneficiaries would have faced if their Social Security had been in the stock market in 2008. Yet that’s precisely what Rom-n-Ry support in their privatization plan. It is a plan that demonstrably harms seniors today and tomorrow. And seniors are not going to selfishly secure advantages for themselves at the expense of their kids. That would be a poor display of family values.

The GOP Is Fighting For Legitimacy

The comments of GOP senate candidate Todd Akin regarding “legitimate rape” are not out of place for conservative Republicans. He was expressing a view that is commonly supported by his colleagues, albeit in a uniquely distasteful manner.

Akin has been an outspoken advocate of banning abortion in all circumstances, including rape, incest and the life of the mother. It’s a position that is also held by Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and many others in the Party. In fact, both Akin and Ryan cosponsored a bill to redefine rape so that only cases where it was determined to have been “forcible” would be approved for federal funds for victims.

But on an even larger scale, the GOP conservative cabal has long aspired to be the authority that certifies what is legitimate in America. They want to rule over legitimacy in patriotism, religious faith, scientific credibility for evolution or climate change, citizenship, and even what constitutes personhood.

Republicans have appointed themselves the martinets of virtue and all Americans must pass their test to be considered legitimate. Submit to their judgment, ye heathens.

GOP Fighting For Legitimacy

Calls for Akin to withdraw from the Senate race are pouring in. The Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, Tea Party Express, the National Review, and more are among them. Even Karl Rove has announced that his Super PAC is pulling all funding from the Missouri senate campaign. As a GOP candidate, if you’ve lost Karl Rove you are in deep manure.

However, I am pulling for Akin to hold firm. He was the candidate that the Republican voters of Missouri chose to represent them in the campaign and their voice should not be canceled out by a political machine who would replace Akin with an unelected crony chosen by party insiders. That’s simply undemocratic. In 2000 a Democratic candidate for the senate, Mel Carnahan, died during the campaign and his name was not taken off the ballot. So why should Akin be forced out if Missouri is OK with running corpses? By the way, Carnahan went on to a posthumous victory over former Attorney General John Ashcroft.

To be frank, I really would like to see Akin continue his candidacy and fight to defend his views for another couple of months. After which he will likely lose to incumbent Claire McCaskill. The last thing I want is for Akin to be replaced by a candidate who will fare better in November. So hang Tough, Todd. Democrats are rooting for you. You bring much needed attention to the despicable agenda of the right.

Update: Congressman Allen West has joined the chorus of Republicans condemning Akin. He wrote on his Facebook page: “I found Congressman Todd Akin’s comments about rape to be…simply unacceptable.” That’s the same Allen West who said that half the Democrats in Congress are Communists and compared them to Joseph Goebbels. You’ve sunk pretty low when someone like West thinks your comments are unacceptable.