Romney Has No Hand

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Monday February 27, 2012 · 7:29 AM PST

2012/02/27 · 07:29

Mitt Romney is apparently a Seinfeld fan. “As George Costanza would say, ‘When they’re applauding, stop,’” he said during the Arizona debate after being interrupted by applause mid-sentence. The fact that Romney butchered the line is now well-documented (the actual line is “When you hit that high note, you say good-night and walk off,” and it’s from Jerry, not George).

But all quibbling aside, a different Seinfeld episode applies to Romney even better: “The Pez Dispenser,” in which George laments that he never has the upper hand (or, more simply, “hand”) in his relationships. If Romney hopes to win in November, he should look to George for lessons on how to get hand, not on how to react to applause.

chippens

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Saturday February 19, 2011 · 12:37 PM PST

2011/02/19 · 12:37

I returned to the front this morning around 10:30 a.m. and stayed two hours before heading to the relative peace of the law school to publish this report. I can assure you, first and foremost, that the energy of the People has not diminished since Thursday night. The conviction and fervor among the masses is strong, sincere, impassioned, and peaceful. Everyone also knows that this "budget bill" by Governor Walker has nothing to do with budgets but instead has everything to do with fulfilling the long-held Republican fantasy of busting up unions. Wisconsin had a budget surplus going into this year--until Walker gave $140 million to big business. As one impassioned speaker told the crowd this morning, Walker is the emperor with no clothes. His association with the Koch brothers--the billionaire industrialists and Tea Party overlords--is notorious. As Think Progress reports, Koch Industries has a major presence in Wisconsin, and it funneled tens of thousands into Walker's campaign war chest. In return, Walker has done nothing less than prostrate himself in front of the mighty Kochs and pimp out the state he supposedly serves. A Koch-funded group advised Walker on the very legislation at issue here and the aforementioned corporate giveaways. Moreover, Walker has done everything in his power to make it easier for the Kochs to rape Wisconsin's natural resources and pillage its workforce. A Koch company just laid off 158 workers in Green Bay despite the fact that demand was steady and the Kochs themselves took home 11 billion dollars. Yes, that's BILLION.

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A Report from Madison

chippens

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Friday February 18, 2011 · 10:14 AM PST

2011/02/18 · 10:14

I feel a bit like Ernie Pyle today, sending you this dispatch from the front lines of the American labor movement here in Madison, Wisconsin. Indeed, though, much more than organized labor is at stake, for this attack by the petulant, sniveling, conniving governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, strikes at the very heart of American ideals of democracy, equal representation, and popular sovereignty. Groups as diverse as the Gay-Straight Alliance and the Catholic Church have found common ground in repelling this fascist attack designed to kill organized labor for the benefit of a corporate oligarchy. Governor Walker claims the bill is necessary to fix the "budget crisis," but the facts belie that claim: just last month, the governor passed $120 million in tax cuts and subsidies to big business. If not for that and a couple other measures, according to an editorial in today's New York Times , Wisconsin would actually have a budget SURPLUS this year. This bill is nothing more than an ideological "kill shot"-- as one local conservative columnist gleefully put it --to end organized labor as we know it. Yes, the benefits in Wisconsin are generous, but they were earned through negotiation and offset by salary reductions. Now, Walker wants to end collective bargaining rights so that he alone can dictate the terms of employee compensation.

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Keep Sports Unfair

chippens

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Saturday June 05, 2010 · 11:05 AM PDT

2010/06/05 · 11:05

Predictably, Jim Joyce’s botched call at first base that robbed Detroit’s Armando Galarraga of a perfect game last Wednesday night has renewed the call for expanded use of instant replay in Major League Baseball. In the aftermath of such a horrendous mistake, it’s hard to avoid the temptation to make sure it never happens again. But if we care about the future of our civic life, it’s a temptation we need to resist.

chippens

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Thursday December 10, 2009 · 2:45 PM PST

2009/12/10 · 14:45

Some of you may have read my story detailing my foray into the wondrous pleasures of the free market to purchase health care insurance last summer. Well, I recently learned that those pleasures don’t end when the initial transaction is complete. Oh no no no no; as you’re about to learn, those pleasures only just begin at the first payment.

chippens

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Sunday August 30, 2009 · 8:10 PM PDT

2009/08/30 · 20:10

Over the last year, I’ve had several amazing experiences navigating America’s health care system, and what follows is a true account of that journey.

Like many Americans are wont to do, I switched jobs last August. It’s a good thing I did, because the place I worked for went out of business a couple months later. Unfortunately, my new employer does not offer health insurance. My old insurer quickly got wind that I no longer worked for who I said I worked for, so they sent me a brochure and a letter. "Oh how wonderful," I thought. "They’re going to let me continue my coverage."

The brochure’s cover featured a picture of a smiling, beautiful white family frolicking happily in front of their large mansion on their perfectly manicured lawn. The handsome father in the picture was throwing a football to his light-haired son while the thin, fully-bosomed blonde mother watched approvingly as her sweet, doe-eyed daughter played with a doll or something in the background. The American Dream!

"Where do I sign up?!?" I thought, ripping open the packet in a frenzy, searching for the dotted line and the box to check that said, "Yes, send me your insurance and this lifestyle immediately."

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Romney Has No Hand

Madison on a Saturday Morning

A Report from Madison

Keep Sports Unfair

My Health Care Story: The Saga Continues

My Health Care Story