Regarding the Tea Party

Why the Tea Party doesn't represent real Republicans . . .

Regarding Corporate Tax Evasion:

Who are the worst corporate tax evaders? Here's Bernie Sanders on that issue:

Latest on Senate Races

Here's a map from the Washington Post showing how Senate races are now going:

And More and More on Republican Lies

Just a collection of links to commentary on Republican lies:

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/09/02/20-historical-facts-that-republicans-distort-or-just-get-plain-wrong/

http://factcheck.org/2012/08/does-obamas-plan-gut-welfare-reform/#.UDfJm6y3U30.facebook

http://front.moveon.org/robert-reich-and-jared-bernstein-expose-mitt-romneys-main-campaign-lies/?rc=fb.fan

http://www.classwarfareexists.com/its-not-that-they-think-theyre-smart-its-that-they-think-youre-stupid/#axzz24Wi45cQN

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/rnc-tampa-night-one-12158408

http://news.yahoo.com/fact-check-ryan-takes-factual-shortcuts-speech-070905927.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/30/fox-news-sally-kohn-paul-ryan_n_1842580.html

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/03/13636706-ryan-plays-fast-and-loose-with-the-facts?lite

http://ed.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/03/13642278-paul-ryan-suffers-amnesia-forgets-dubya-as-he-compares-obama-to-carter?lite

More on Republican lying

Here's a great report from Rachel Maddow on lying by the Romney campaign:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Wealth, Power, & Sharing:

Let's face it.  Politics is all about power.  And Romney plus all his Super-PAC backers want the power to ensure that government policies favor them . . . not you.  They want policies that will increase their wealth and power.  Romney has already stated quite explicitly that he has no interest in working for half the American public.  We need a President willing to work for everyone. 

To be fair, Obama is also rich.  But not all the rich are focused so completely on themselves as Romney & company.  Many--like President Obama--understand quite clearly that for our society to be stable and healthy, wealth must be shared.  For a good example of some very wealthy people that understand this clearly, see http://finance.yahoo.com/news/forbes-photographs--titans-of-philanthropy.html

More on Republicans and Ignorance

http://voice4america.com/articles/2012/08/28/the-gops-anti-science-science-committee.html

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/texas-judge-warns-possible-civil-war-president-obama-230545603.html

http://www.examiner.com/article/gop-official-says-god-chooses-to-bless-raped-women-with-pregnancy

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=434957343212296&set=a.422284007812963.86634.422004901174207&type=1&theater

Regarding Liberal Bias:

People complain that academia and the press have a liberal bias.  That's true, but no one seems to be asking the important question:  "Why?"  Think about it a second.  Where do we find the largest concentration of our society's most intelligent and highly educated people, people who have undergone years of training to critically evaluate evidence and determine its meaning or significance?  In academia.  It seems to me that to dismiss their conclusions as simply a "liberal bias" is the height of foolishness.  Likewise, what group, outside of the members of government themselves, are best informed about what goes on in Washington and elsewhere?  The press.  It is their job to gather information and, once again, to evaluate it.  Neither group is naive.  Far from it.  So, if these two groups favor liberal ideas, shouldn't we take them very, very seriously?  These are the people who have the knowledge and intelligence to best assess the ideas offered by our politicians.  What do they gain by favoring poor ideas? 

And Rick Santorum makes it very clear that the GOP appeals to the ignorant!  http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/17/freedom-from-facts/

Regarding Trickle-Down Economics:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/tax-cuts-rich-dont-spur-151649273.html

It surprises me that people keep insisting that lower taxes for the wealthy will create jobs.  That's simply not how the economy works.  New jobs arise from increasing demand for goods and services.  For demand to increase, those who might want the goods and services need money.  And by far the largest market for goods and services is among the middle and lower classes, particularly the middle class.  Therefore, if we really want to encourage job growth, we must do everything we can to ensure that the middle and lower classes have a good income.  Giving money to the richest members of society, who already have plenty to spend on the goods and services they want, will only promote them socking it away in places that tend to be far removed from job growth.

Regarding Republicans:

I used to divide my vote fairly evenly between Democrats and Republicans, but as the Republicans have moved to the right and adopted more extreme positions, I've found it harder to do.  The defeat of Richard Lugar in this spring's primary was the last straw.  Aside from their extreme views and unwillingness to compromise, the three things that bother me most about today's Republican leadership are 1)  they embrace and celebrate ignorance, showing what can only be seen as a contempt for science, for knowledge and learning, that is not only appalling but downright dangerous, 2)  they appear to be guided entirely by selfishness and lack of compassion, very much in keeping with the doctrines of Ayn Rand, and 3)  they seem to have wholeheartedly adopted Hitler's technique of the big lie (see Mein Kampf), i.e., if one tells a colossal falsehood often enough, most of the public will come to believe it (see Rachel Maddow's compilation at http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/07/13731433-chronicling-mitts-mendacity-vol-xxxiii?lite).  These are not nice people, and most of us will suffer if they gain control of the government.  Whatever the shortcomings of the Democrats, and they have plenty, they are dwarfed by those of the Republicans.