Here's a long quote from Charles Pierce, yesterday:
And then there was Trey Gowdy, who's supposed to be pumping hot air into the Benghazi, Benghazi!, BENGHAZI! balloon, but who took off his kangaroo suit for the afternoon and favored us with his Sam Drucker imitation.
"Why in the world did the president pick a dadgum lawyer?" Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina, asked at the hearing, pointing out that Klain doesn't have a background in communicable disease, infectious disease, or West Africa. "If this were an outbreak of people who don't have wills in West Africa, or if this were an outbreak on contested elections in West Africa, then I'd say yeah, go hire Mr. Klain," Gowdy conintued. "But it's not. It's a medical crisis."
Oh, put a sock in it, Gomer. Like you wouldn't be saying the same damn thing if the president had put Hippocrates in charge. Would you like a list of highly qualified people whom the president has sent up into the monkeyhouse whom you and the other goobers wouldn't confirm. Wait a second. I'll get back to you after this Jason Chaffetz guy finishes his remarks.
"Why not have the surgeon general head this up?" Chaffetz asked in a Wednesday appearance on Fox News. "I think that's a very legitimate question. At least you have somebody who has a medical background whose been confirmed by the United States Senate...It begs the question, what does the surgeon general do? Why aren't we empowering that person?"
And we arrive, finally, at the deepest part of the tangle. We don't have a Surgeon General at the moment. The president sent up Dr.Vivek Murthy as his nominee for the post almost a year ago. Murthy's credentials are impeccable, Gomer. The reason he hasn't been confirmed is that Murthy has been outspoken on the obvious fact that firearms in this country are a public health issue. Whereupon the National Rifle Association announced that it would be "scoring" the vote on Murthy's confirmation, which was enough to scare the Congress into putting the nomination on ice. And, by the way, the only senator who has admitted putting a "hold" on Murthy's nomination is Senator Aqua Buddha, the brogressive hero from Kentucky and The Most Interesting Man In Politics (tm/Time, Inc.).
"In his efforts to curtail Second Amendment rights, Dr. Murthy has continually referred to guns as a public health issue on par with heart disease and has diminished the role of mental health in gun violence," wrote Paul in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "As a physician, I am deeply concerned that he has advocated that doctors use their position of trust to ask patients, including minors, details about gun ownership in the home... Dr. Murthy has disqualified himself from being Surgeon General because of his intent to use that position to launch an attack on Americans' right to own a firearm under the guise of a public health and safety campaign."
So we don't have a Surgeon General at the time of Ebola because of the NRA, which has dedicated itself to making sure that there are enough guns floating around so that Jaylin Fryberg could get his hands on one and shoot up a cafeteria.
Several students identified the shooter as Jaylen Fryberg. Jarron Webb, 15, said the shooter was angry at a girl who would not date him, and that the girl was one of the people shot. He said he believes one of the victims was his friend since kindergarten. Freshmen Brandon Carr, 15, and Kobe Baumann, 14, said they were just outside the cafeteria when the shooting happened. "We started hearing these loud banging noises, like someone hitting a trash can," Carr said. They heard screaming and yelling. "Once I knew it was gunshots, we just booked it," Carr said. They eventually joined about two dozen kids inside of a classroom with police and FBI. Police told them to stay in there. "Everybody in the classroom was just freaking out crying," Carr said. Eventually, they were told they could leave, and were loaded onto buses.
Isn't it wonderful when news stories sing in harmony?
This accurate account of some amazing double-talk being spouted by Republicans is plenty enough reason to keep Kay Hagan in the US Senate as North Carolina's sane representative. Let me add one more bit of the same brand of vile. Early this week the Time-Warner company ran an alleged "debate" between Mrs. Hagan and her Republican opponent, Tom Tillis. Mrs. Hagan had been invited to this "event" in July and had declined, having already agreed to three debates with Tillis, which she appeared at previous to this "event." When the co-sponsors of the "event," the Raleigh News and Observer and the Charlotte paper learned that Mrs. Hagan would not be attending, they dropped their co-sponsorship. Oh, also and possibly relevant, Time-Warner is a significant contributor to the Tom Tillis campaign, according to reports.
This one-hour political advertisement for Tillis, falsely presenting itself as a "debate" which for some reason Mrs. Hagan had "no-showed" at the last minute, ran on the televisions of those who subscribe to cable service via Time Warner. Moreover, even ostensibly liberal media such as the Rachel Maddow show ran pieces tut-tutting at Mrs. Hagan for failing to attend--the usually sure footed Maddow apparently was not aware of the background for the alleged "debate."
So. Here's the deal. If I was you I would not vote for the blatantly mendacious side of a ballot. Go at the question from that level. And by the way, the Libertarian dip who's running in this race is being funded in large part by the Koch machine. Where's my Homer Simpson "doh" key? Cats must have kicked it under the cabinet.
I'm going to Martinsville tomorrow, and pulling for Brad Keselowski. I'd even buy his hat, but I hate "lite" beer and Redd's Apple Ale, his sponsors. Go Brad.
(Photo via Getty Images)
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