Senator Jim DeMint on Hugh Hewitt’s show:

Well, I grew up watching Andy Griffith, and this is a story that involved Opie, and he was essentially being blackmailed. And of course Deputy Fife got involved. But it turned out that Opie decided to take the matter into his own hands, and fight for his own freedom. And after Andy shared a story from his childhood with him about a fishing hole that a bully was running him off from, but the end of it all is that Opie took charge, he got a black eye, but he was proud of himself, and he was responsible for his own actions, and he made a difference in his own life. And it’s not always easy to be responsible. And the temptation is to give up your freedom for some kind of supposed security. But that little story just reminded me that I need to keep swinging.

You can’t have health insurance because Little Jimmy channels fictional characters to guide his actions in the Senate.

I wonder what Andy Griffith would say about that.

[via]

Looking for something — anything — to distract us, we stumbled across what looked like a fun controversy: criticism of Michelle Obama’s vacationwear.

The headlines were all over Google News: Michelle Obama Shorts spark debate! Michelle Obama’s shorts causing a stir! Michelle Obama’s Shorts: too short? Even the Today show did a segment on the First Gams:

During a recent family vacation to the Grand Canyon, Michelle Obama stepped off Air Force One in a pair of “short shorts” that some are calling inappropriate.

Great, we thought. Let’s find some stupid people saying stupid things.

Read more »

What a little shitbag:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyJC_uVysuM

One of yesterday’s contenders goes home with the roses:

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday defended critics of Democratic health care reform plans who claim the proposals would provide subsidized health care to illegal immigrants. Kyl said Democrats have long sought to block curbs on public services for people illegally in the country.

…

“In the last couple of bills … there were efforts to ensure that only eligible people would get the benefits … those efforts were defeated by Democrats,” Kyl argued, pointing out that hospitals currently are required to provide illegal aliens — as well as anyone else — with health care if they are in need.

Except, well, that’s a lie:

Read more »

Picking up one of our favorite subjects from the past couple of weeks, a new poll asks 909 voters what they really think about socialized medicine:

Do you think the government should stay out of Medicare?

Yes: 39%

No: 46%

Not Sure: 15%

If we grant the wish of 4 out of 10 Americans (and 6 out of 10 Republicans), we’ll have enough left over to cover everyone else and keep costs down. Let’s do it!

Obama’s approval…increases [Public Policy Polling (PDF), via TPM]

Remember when Ted Stevens described the internet as “a series of tubes”? Max Baucus has upped the ante:

The encounter in the video took place last week after Baucus spoke at a preventive care conference in Bozeman, Montana. According to the New York Times, Baucus described the protesters as “agitators, whose sole goal was to intimidate, disrupt and not let any meaningful conversation go on.”

There were a couple of people in the crowd “with YouTubes,” Mr. Baucus added (meaning cameras), and he posited that the agitators were paid and probably from out of state.

Some YouTuber footage after the jump.

Read more »

• “Fox News is lying to you.”
• “Chuck Grassley is lying to you.”
• “Sarah Palin is lying to you.”
• “John Boehner is lying to you.”
• “Newt Gingrich is lying to you.”
• “Dick Armey is lying to you.”
• “Michael Steele is lying to you.”
• “The National Republican Congressional Committee is lying to you.”
• “Robert Novak would be lying to you if he was still breathing.”

See, craven Democrats, it’s not that hard. These are not innocent misunderstandings. These are not subtle distinctions. They are deliberate lies. And until you say as much, word for word, you’re nothing but spineless enablers.

Barney Frank excepted.

Obama To Hold Live Strategy Meeting With Organizing For America Supporters [TPM]