We’ve had lots of discussion the last few days about what motivates people opposing reforms that hinge on government-run health care. I’ve concluded that even educated, well-intentioned, and highly engaged people, regardless of ideological orientation, sometimes seem to have an unfortunate tendency to fit the narrative to a worldview. Take E.J. Dionne, Jr, in a Guest Post right here on TMV today (my emphasis): On the contrary, violence and the threat of violence have always been used...

It’s unfortunate that what I brought online yesterday was colored by some distracting background noise, and I very much regret that I allowed a defensive reaction to intrude on the larger point I was trying to make. Since that point got lost in the shouting and attacks (and with the acknowledgment that I may have some hitherto unrecognized masochistic pathology), I’m going to try again. Let’s go all the way back to the original question from Dorian de Wind: But what I don’t...

This morning, co-blogger Joe Windish points to a paper that says Americans are resisting health care reform because we’re racist; it’s a legacy from slavery. Our bottom line is that Americans redistribute less than Europeans for three reasons: because the majority of Americans believe that redistribution favors racial minorities, because Americans believe that they live in an open and fair society, and that if someone is poor it is his or her own fault, and because the political system...

This is a (very) lightly modified version of a letter composed at my house this weekend. The only changes are the removal of my personal information and the name of the company. FWIW — I thought very hard about going Galt with the whole credit card industry. Still thinking about it, in fact… ***** August 15, 2009 To: My (former) Credit Card Services Company Re: Your response to the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Act Dear Sirs: This weekend I received a document in the mail...

In light of all the heated discussion about health care reform, this Houston Chronicle article seems pretty timely: Obesity is causing “death and illness on a massive scale,” according to a new study by University of Virgina and Urban Institute researchers. And it is all but impossible to treat. “Unless there is some vast improvement in the efficiency of the health care system — and I mean vast — we’re going to be spending a lot more just because a lot more people will have diabetes”...

Patrick Edaburn’s interesting post yesterday, in which he examined his mental reactions to a slow driver, set off a whole slew of thoughts for me regarding stereotypes, prejudices, bigotry, and racism. For instance: Let’s say you attended a neighborhood social function, and your Republican neighbor talks at length about his son, of whom he’s extremely proud. This beloved son, as it happens, is gay. Yet a week later, you hear a Republican say s/he thinks marriage carries religious...

This, I’m sad to say, is absolutely right: The lesson that the ruthless corners of the political world will take from the rise, fall, and departure of Sarah Palin that if you attack a politician’s children nastily enough and relentlessly enough, you can get anybody to quit. A hideous, but logical, outcome. My chron post about her resignation is here. Cross-posted from Polimom Says.

The outcome of yesterday’s election in Iran is, to say the least, disturbing. From CNN: TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has won a landslide election victory despite protests by his main challenger of “blatant violations.” Ahmadinejad won 62.63 percent of the vote while chief rival Mir Hossein Moussavi received 33.75 percent, the Iranian government said Saturday. Winning by nearly 63%, in a field of 4, is indeed a landslide. More — it’s...

There’s a fair amount of spin going on regarding yesterday’s tragic shooting at the Holocaust Museum and as a result, many Republican and conservative leaning blogs and writers are on the defensive as their political opposites attempt to score points. It looks, in fact, very much as it did in April when the DHS report came out. Unfortunately for the defense, though, I’m afraid that report was right — at least, as it applies to the shooter yesterday. Since I’m a bit late...

President Obama’s speech in Cairo today was excellent (full text here). He gave historical context to grievances, lauded achievements, and affirmed commitments. He addressed primary concerns held closely by people on the various sides of many issues… and from my perspective, he did it very well. Of course, noting that Obama gave a great speech is like noticing that the sun rose today. He’s really really good at it, as everyone’s long-since discovered. The real question...

On the heels of the assassination of Dr. George Tiller on Sunday, some wondered about what they see as relativism, and complained that radical actions from the extreme Left don’t get the same treatment as those from the Right. As a commenter to my post on the subject asked “Where’s the outrage over extremists from the left?” Leaving aside the obvious immediate answer (the Tiller story was a current event and the extremist left was not), there’s a valid question here....

Polimom watches very little television, and when I do, it’s almost always as something to do with someone else. Dear Husband and I, for instance, set aside fall Sundays for the NFL, while springtime Tuesday and Wednesday evenings are family time with American Idol — and since I’m writing this in May, you can easily guess what I’m fixin’ to talk about: the culture wars. (What? You thought I was gonna write about talent, or singing? Silly you…)

I suspect everyone has a specific event from the Iraq war that stands out in their minds. For some, perhaps it’s Haditha; for others, maybe it’s Abu Ghraib. There were plenty to choose from, but time and further information have placed many of those incidents into context. As terrible as those stories were (and are), they have always been a part of war, and they serve as the ultimate reminder of why it should always be the last option. But there was one crime that seared my soul...

Online nastiness has been there since its inception, but once upon a time, one could make the argument that there was a line between cyberspace and the “real” world. “Don’t like it? Don’t read it” was the short-sighted thinking. But the lines aren’t just blurred today; they’re nonexistent. The internet has become an indispensable part of the modern world, and real lives are affected all the time now. The Houston Chronicle’s running a story...

Another day, another national event. How does Hallmark manage to keep up? This time, it’s National Prayer Day — and some folks are mad at President Obama. The National Day of Prayer Task Force, chaired by Shirley Dobson, will be holding an observance at the Cannon House Office Building on Thursday, May 7, from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon. That observance is open to the public. The White House has been asked to send a representative on behalf of the Executive Branch, but no response has been...

Note to John McCain: if you’re going to pluck someone out of the seething masses and hold him up as an icon in front of millions of people, you should vet that person first. Note to political parties in general: If you put someone forth as symbolic of your party and its values, people will — for good or ill — pay attention to him thereafter. Note to Republicans specifically: You created your own image problem and it’s a doozy. More here.

This is hysterical. La Crosse – Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele appealed to the political middle Friday to join his party but added that the party itself wouldn’t moderate. “All you moderates out there, y’all come. I mean, that’s the message,” Steele said at a news conference. “The message of this party is this is a big table for everyone to have a seat. I have a place setting with your name on the front. “Understand that when...

In a ground-breaking move Thursday, the Texas Senate passed a bill approving new license plates that read “Choose Wife” — thus allowing Texans to publicly display their concern for high divorce rates in the state. The bill now moves to the House. If it passes there, concerned Texans will be able to order the metallic bumper stickers plates as soon as this fall. Like all vanity plates, they will cost more than the dry, boring, non-politicized plates, but ten percent of the higher...

Polimom’s local school district sent out the dreaded email alert this afternoon. Swine flu is here, in a school very nearby, and they’ve closed that school. Not only that, but Adorable Child tells me they think there’s a student from her school as well (though nothing’s been said about that yet) — so I’m fully expecting a forced vacation next week. I’ve been watching, jaw hanging, as the panic around the swine flu has ramped up. I’ve even poked a...

A couple of days ago, I relaunched a former blog — and right away was confronted by “Is Polimom really a ‘moderate’”? The question brought me up short, in part because I’ve never personally tried to define what I think a moderate is. While the question has been engaged here at TMV in the past, it’s been awhile — and I didn’t agree necessarily with everyone. So I thought I’d share here how I answered over there. I’m very interested...

I had an interesting conversation with a friend today about a boardwalk that has been constructed on the beach in her city. It’s a lovely walkway — I’ve been on it — and it was built with funds designated some years ago. You know… back when cities were flush (or at least solvent). But a beach boardwalk rests upon sand. Which blows. And so, the obvious is occurring: the boardwalk is being covered. My friend isn’t particularly bothered about this (yet), but...

In recent days, a number of prominent Republicans have made the news by declaring they’re crossing party lines to vote for Barack Obama. One after another, they’ve publicly stated their dissatisfaction with either the ticket, the direction of the GOP, or both — and they’re being pilloried for it. But the Colin Powells and Christopher Buckleys and Ken Adelmans of the political world are merely the public face of a very real problem for the Republicans. In fact, the very first...

Joe Wurzelbacher is a pretty ordinary guy — or at least, he was until Wednesday night, when John McCain decided to feed him to the wolves. Today, of course, he’s the devil incarnate (or a martyr, depending on one’s point of view). I wonder… did he have to borrow the horns and tail from Graeme Frost and his family? Or is there some government warehouse that both parties use?

Thank goodness the debates are done! Everybody ready to go vote now? I sure hope so, because I think we’ve covered tonight’s ground many times over now. Everything from here on out is gonna be pretty ugly. Rather than focus on the remaining three weeks of hostility, spin, and loose facts, I think we should give some credit for tonight’s lighter moments. (Transcript via CNN) I nominate Barack Obama for the “Best Euphemism in a Presidential Debate” award: “We...

As some of you know, I’ve been running a little civics experiment over at my blog. In it, I asked congressional candidates in local races whether they’d publicly commit to fiscal responsibility via PAYGO — and I was very careful in how I defined PAYGO: Once upon a time, in another era, the concept of ‘pay as you go’ was well understood. In recent years, unfortunately, partisanship and political polarization have distorted and undermined its effectiveness, and many in our...