Let's get the record straight. Obama supported Ned in the general. Lamont is supporting Obama now. CT went for Obama in the primary and the grassroots progressives that supported Lamont are now supporting Obama. Check out myleftnutmeg.com if you have any doubts. These are netroots folks that got Ned the Dem nomination.

Posted at March 2, 2008 9:49 PM in response to Obama’s Judgment on the Eve of Judgment Day

OK, Larry, I guess you've hit on the really important issue. It's not which candidate spoke out against the war in 2002, right? That's just not the point. The point is whether he accurately stated during which senate race he made the statement. That's the real sign of character. Got it!

Posted at February 29, 2008 9:06 PM in response to Why Can't Obama Get His Facts Right on Iraq?

I see no analogy. If I am poor, auto insurance is worthless to me, because it provides me no benefit. Health insurance, on the other hand, affords me peace of mind and the opportunity to obtain real heathcare as opposed to emergency room assistance on an ad hoc basis. Whether or not I become a judgment debtor as a consequence of not having either is out of the equation because neither the health care provider nor the plaintiff can get blood from my stone. The difference is that liability insurance only benefits third parties while health insurance provides highly desirable health benefits to the insured policyholder.

Posted at February 28, 2008 10:06 PM in response to Lessons on Insurance Mandates for the Candidates

Try and collect on a judgment against a poor person, it's an exercise in futility. Wage garnishment is limited to a small percentage of income and assumes regular full-time employment. Most of their personalty, if they have any, is exempt from attachment. Judgment proof is not a term I invented, it describes people against whom a judgment is worthless. My argument is that poor people do not need liability insurance because the protection it affords is against assets and when you have no assets, you need no protection. Protecting your health is an entirely different proposition.

Posted at February 28, 2008 10:11 AM in response to Lessons on Insurance Mandates for the Candidates

It's actually an apples to oranges comparison. Automobile liability insurance has virtually no value to the poor because the prospect of legal liability is meaningless to the judgment proof. So what if I get in an accident, if I have nothing, you can win nothing from me. This is the reason that most of us (whether we know it or not) have uninsured/underinsured motorist protection with our auto policies.

Having or not having health insurance, on the other hand, may make the difference between life and death to a poor person and accordingly has real value. The emergency room is only a stop gap and does not provide chronic or long term illness care. So the mandate may make a whole lot of sense in the area of health care, but not as result of comparing it to auto insurance.

Posted at February 27, 2008 11:00 PM in response to Lessons on Insurance Mandates for the Candidates

My bad. When I discussed this issue earlier with my wife she later said "I got the e-mail" and I assumed that it was the one being distributed among Jewish groups. As it turns out, this e-mail is apparently spreading like wildfire among Christian fundamentalists. It may or may not be the same e-mail.

Posted at January 10, 2008 7:49 PM in response to The Hate Campaign Against Obama

Here's the e-mail message being circulated among the Jewish community:

Who is Barack Obama?

Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu , Hawaii , to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black MUSLIM from Nyangoma-Kogel , Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white Athiest from Wichita, Kansas .

Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii . When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His father returned to Kenya . His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a RADICAL Muslim from Indonesia . When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocated to Indonesia . Obama attended a MUSLIM school in Jakarta. He also spent two years in a Catholic school.

Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is quick to point out that, "He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school."
Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that he is not a radical.

Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned
to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son's education.

Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Obama was enrolled in a Wahabi school
in Jakarta .

Wahabism is the RADICAL ISLAMIC teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world. Since it is politically expedient to be a CHRISTIAN when seeking major public office in the United States , Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background.&nbs p; ALSO, keep in mind that when he was sworn into office he DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran.

Barack Hussein Obama will NOT recite the Pledge of Allegience nor will he show any reverence for our flag. While others place their hands over their hearts, Obama turns his back to the flag and slouches.

Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential candidacy.

The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at the highest level - through the
President of the United States , one of their own!!!!

Please forward to everyone you know. Would you want this man leading our country?...... NOT ME!!!

“I despise ideologues masquerading as objective journalists.” - Bill O'Reilly, March 30, 2007

Posted at January 10, 2008 7:35 PM in response to The Hate Campaign Against Obama

Well, there is something going on, at least at the fringes as seen here.

Warning: You will not likely want to watch the entire thing and may be overcome by a strong desire to shower afterwards.

“I despise ideologues masquerading as objective journalists.” - Bill O'Reilly, March 30, 2007

Posted at January 10, 2008 7:04 PM in response to The Hate Campaign Against Obama

Holy smokes! I was a registered lobbyist for an insurance company (I guess that means the entire industry) in New York in, I believe 1998 or 1999. I mean, insurance is as bad as Pharma, right? Does that sully all of the recipients of my campaign donations or in-kind support since then?

“I despise ideologues masquerading as objective journalists.” - Bill O'Reilly, March 30, 2007

Posted at January 7, 2008 7:11 PM in response to Obama, What Drugs Are You Using?

All of your arguments rest on the same basic premise that the Times is a lousy paper, which I cannot objectively accept as being the case. The Times is agreed to be by most thinking people that I know to be the best paper in the country. You can stick your head in the sand and fail to read it in a tiff over an op-ed page decission if you choose. Your loss is your loss.

“I despise ideologues masquerading as objective journalists.” - Bill O'Reilly, March 30, 2007

Posted at January 2, 2008 8:00 PM in response to Department of Huh