I Didn't Say It...

Michelle Obama, the greatest First Lady, on George W. Bush’s “refreshing” tradition of sharing candy” with her:

“He has the presence of mind and the sense of humor to bring me a mint, and he made it a point to give me that mint right then and there and that’s the beauty of George Bush. …  We’re all Americans. We all care about our family and our kids, and we’re trying to get ahead. And that’s how I feel about him. You know? He’s a beautiful, funny, kind, sweet man.”

I will say this, I never much cared for W, but seeing the sweet friendship he and Michelle Obama have, makes me like him a little more.

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James Comey, calling out the GOP for allowing _____ to attack the FBI and the Rule of Law:

“So another day of Hillary Clinton’s emails and the Steele dossier. This while the President of the United States is lying about the FBI, attacking the FBI, and attacking the rule of law in this country. How does that make any sense at all? Republicans used to understand that the actions of a President matter, the words of a President matter, the rule of law matters, and the truth matters. Where are those Republicans today? At some point, someone has to stand up and, in the face of fear of Fox News, fear of their base, fear of mean tweets, stand up for the values of this country and not slink away into retirement, but stand up and speak the truth.” 

The GOP is no more; now it’s just a band of rats trying to save themselves and putting themselves over their country, and their constituents.

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Sarah Silverman, comic, after being called for her own homophobic tweets in the wake of the Kevin Hart Oscar mess:

“Yeah, I’m done with that. I think I can find other ways to be funny. I mean, I used to say ‘gay’ all the time … ’oh, that’s so gay.’ We’re from Boston, we’d go, ‘That’s what we say in Boston. I have gay friends. I just say gay.’ And then I heard myself and I realized I was like the guy who said ‘What? I say colored … I have colored friends.’ And I realized it was stupid and I’m certainly creative enough to think of other words besides that, that don’t hurt people. But I f**k up all the time.”

At least she gets it; Kevin Hart still doesn’t think he did anything wrong. But, when you know better, you do better.

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Chuck Schumer, on _____’s “temper tantrum” over a border wall and threat of a government shutdown:

“President _____ should understand, there are not the votes for the wall in the House or the Senate. He is not going to get the wall in any form. Even the House, which is a majority Republican, they don’t have the votes for his 5 billion dollar wall plan. In fact, Ryan, afraid of what’s going to happen, sent all the House home, until Wednesday night, a day and half before the—two days before the shutdown. And they certainly don’t have the votes in the Senate. Now, we Democrats, Leader Pelosi and I, offered the president two options as to how to avoid the shutdown. And we should not let a temper tantrum, threats, push us in the direction of doing something that everybody, even our Republican colleagues, know is wrong. Leader McConnell has said we shouldn’t shut down the government. Chairman Shelby has said we shouldn’t shut down the government.”

But _____ is an infant who, if he doesn’t get his way, will punish innocent people during the holidays.

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Barack Obama, my President, about Texas striking down the Affordable Care Act:

“[Y]ou might have heard about a federal court decision on a Republican lawsuit trying to strike down the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. That can be a scary thing to hear, particularly if you or someone you care about has a pre-existing condition. And that’s why it’s so important for you to know that last night’s ruling changes nothing for now. As this decision makes its way through the courts, which will take months, if not years, the law remains in place and will likely stay that way. Open enrollment is proceeding as planned today. And a good way to show that you’re tired of people trying to take away your health care is to go get covered!”

Go get covered, and then vote out every single politician, Republican or Democrat, who works to take away your healthcare while they enjoy free healthcare. 

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I Didn't Say It ...

Seth Meyers, on the firing of Omarosa in as she claims, the Situation Room:

“Wow, the Situation Room, though I have a feeling any room Omarosa walks into becomes the Situation Room. Seriously, you know it’s bad when they have to fire you in the same place they killed Osama bin Laden.”

Omarosa Bin Laden. Yeah, that sounds about right.

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Complicit _____, on Fox & Friends  to promote the GOP tax bill, but proving she doesn’t understand it at all:

"I'm really looking forward to doing a lot of traveling in April when people realize the effect that this [tax bill] has... The vast majority will be [doing their taxes] on a single postcard.”

Um, Complicit? May I call you Stupid?

Yes, Republicans hope to one day simplify and streamline taxes to the point where you could file them on a postcard but that isn’t happening this year.

Stupid. Complicit. Ass.

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Greg Locke, “pastor” of the Global Vision Bible Church, on Jack Phillips, the anti-gay baker at the heart of that Supreme Court case:

“If you’re anything like me, you’re sick and tired of hearing about this homosexual cake baking nonsense. The LGBTABCDEFG – whatever the foolish acronym is at this particular point, they’ve gone overboard. They have fake outrage, selective drama, and why don’t they get up and go try that nonsense at a Muslim bakery? See if they get their tails thrown out in the street and see what happens then. This is an absolute, positive target. It is a target on Evangelicals with actual convictions. Time out Bucko. I don’t really give the flip of a wooden nickel who you have sex with. I don’t care about your stupid perverted sex life! But I do care when you cram it down my kid’s throats in public school. I do care when every sitcom, every late night talk show host, every comedian, every song, every movie coming out has to push push push push push push the agenda. We’re sick of you pushing your agenda. You’re emotionally scarred because you’re a pervert and you do things that are an abomination to God. You’re not emotionally scarred because someone won’t make you a cake. Are. You. Flipping. Kidding. Me.”

Methinks a closet case doth protest too much, but, still, I wonder how this so-called pastor would feel if a baker refused to bake a cake for a Christian?

Uh huh.

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Sarah Huckleberry Sanders, refusing to offer specifics of how the GOP Tax Scam will, as _____ claimed, “cost [him] a fortune”:

“This actually could impact the president in a large way.”

Yes, just because she said it, we’re supposed to believe it.

Bitch.

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Sarah Silverman, comedian, on patriotism in America:

“The right has perverted the meaning of being liberal, or being feminist. Even ‘social justice warrior’ is an insult. We pervert language so much. Patriotism has always been a bit owned by the right. Patriotism is perverted. We’re not on the same page of what it means. To me, being patriotic is loving your country — being a citizen, having a voice, being e pluribus unum. How perverted it is to go from ‘We are one’ to ‘We are number one,’ which is such a childish idea.”

Patriotism doesn’t mean whites only, men only, the rich only, America only.

The right doesn’t get that because they have a buffoon in charge.

The right doesn’t get that because they have a buffoon in charge.

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Ian McKellen, on Kevin Spacey being an assh*le for using his own sex scandal to come out of the closet:

“The circumstances in which he chose to do it are reprehensible because it linked alleged underage sex with a declaration of sexuality.”

Word.

I said it before, gay men don’t molest boys, pedophiles do, and the majority of pedophiles are straight men.

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Tom Goss, openly gay singers, has recorded “Gay Christmas”, inspired by his own decision to not go home for the holidays, about five people who ultimately but find their own family in each other:

“Too many of us have had to learn to accept less from our families when it comes to fully embracing us for who we are. It’s become even worse since the election, due to the sense of betrayal we felt when we learned how family and friends voted. Yet we are expected to be the ones to forgive, to ‘move on’ and pretend everything is okay, even as the current administration and GOP keep supporting anti-gay politicians and policies.”

Sometimes it’s not the family you’re born into, but the family you make.

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Day One: The Democratic National Convention ... or ... How Much Do I Love Michelle Obama?

Hillary’s party started last night and while she won’t make an appearance until later in the week, it was an invited guest who stole the show.

No … not Bernie, though he was good.

And, No … not Elizabeth, though she did what she does best.

It was First Lady … first … lady … Michelle Obama’s night and, well, who knew? But I’ll get to her in a minute because, you know, save the best for last.

It started off rough, some protestors, some demonstrations, in the wake of that DNC email hack that lead to the ousting of party chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. And that has caused some on the right to suggest that Bernie supporters are abandoning ship.

Let’s be clear, the majority of Bernie Sanders supporters are rallying behind Hillary Clinton because, while she might not have been their choice, and might not still be their choice, they fully understand what might happens if she loses; so they put away their differences and step up.

I did that in 2008; I was ardently pro-Hillary. I liked Obama but I was with her, even then. When she lost her chance I was miffed, but instantly became Team Obama because I knew that it was the right choice for this country, as do most Bernie supporters now. For the ones who don’t understand, who boo and moan and kvetch, well, as Sarah — a former Bernie supporter — now says:

“Hillary is our Democratic nominee, and I will proudly vote for her.”

And then she made what some say is a mistake, and I say is something that needed to be said:

“To the Bernie-or-Bust people, you are being ridiculous!”

And they are; it’s over. No matter what this email hack shows, it did not get Hillary Clinton more votes than Bernie; she did that. It did not get minorities out to vote for Hillary; she did that.

So, yeah, to continue to bellyache is ridiculous, so here’s what you do: stay active, stay motivated, vote for Hillary and then demand she do the work you want of her; hold her accountable  hold her feet to the fire. But sitting on your hands in November will accomplish nothing.

So stop …

As for Bernie, well, he was a little verklempt at the ovation he received last night — a deserved ovation, I’ll say — but then he stood with her, Hillary Clinton, as the only choice this fall, though he made it clear that he has ideas, he has plans, and he’ll continue to fight for them, with Hillary, not against her:

 “We have made progress, but I think we can agree that much, much more needs to be done. … This election is about which candidate understands the real problems facing this country and has offered reasonable solutions— not just bombast, fear-mongering, name-calling and divisiveness. … We have got to defeat Donald Trump and do everything we can to elect Hillary Clinton to the White house.”

So, you ardent ‘Berners,’ if your champion can set aside his differences, and understand that he can still be heard, still have a voice, why not do the same?

Just sayin’.

And we also had Cory Booker, who may just find himself in the Oval Office one day … perhaps as part of an Obama-Booker ticker …. Or a Booker-Obama team.

Booker was cheered for demanding that we aim higher and become a “nation of love” and not just “tolerate each other”:

“This is the high call of patriotism. Patriotism is love of country. But you can’t love your country without loving your countrymen and countrywomen. We don’t always have to agree, but we must empower each other, we must find the common ground, we must build bridges across our differences to pursue the common good. We can’t devolve into a nation where our highest aspiration is that we just tolerate each other. We are not called to be a nation of tolerance. We are called to be a nation of love…”

He told how Donald [t]Rump does not love anyone but himself, and how [t]Rump “treats women in a way he would never accept from man” speaking about wife or daughter; a man who speaks of immigrants as thieves and rapists; a man who demonizes an entire religion because of the actions of a few; but he ended on a high, calling for the election of Hillary Clinton:

“[She] knows what Donald Trump betrays time and again in this campaign: that we are not a zero sum nation, it is not you or me, it is not one American against another. It is you and I together, interdependent, interconnected with one single interwoven American destiny….We will RISE!”

Elizabeth Warren did what she does; it wasn’t so much a rousing speech as it was a list of what’s wrong with [t]Rump; the lies, the cheats, the bankruptcies, the bloated sense of self.

She blasted him:

"Donald Trump's entire campaign is just one more late-night Trump infomercial."

And she reminded us that during his lengthy acceptance speech he railed about a lot of things but never said anything about what he was going to do:

"Other than talking about building a stupid wall...did you hear any actual ideas?"

No ... but enough of that; as I said earlier, let’s save the best for last.

I have always admired, respected and loved Michelle Obama, but last night she went beyond …

She spoke mostly about her children, just girls when they moved into the White House and now beautiful intelligent young women. But she also talked about the struggles, about dealing with people who continually, year after year, “question their father’s citizenship or faith.”

“We insist that the hateful language that they hear from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country. When someone is cruel and acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level. … When they go low, we go high.”

And then shoe pointed out that the issues a president faces — and she never once mentioned his name — “cannot be boiled down to 140 characters” and how she wants a president  “whose life’s work shows our children we don’t chase fame and fortune for ourselves.”

“Hillary Clinton is the only person I trust with the responsibility of our children.”

And she praised Hillary Clinton who, almost the instant she knew she wouldn’t get the nomination in 2008, began the campaign to elect Barack Obama to the White House with her own brand of grit and determination:

 “When she didn’t win the nomination eight years ago, she didn’t get angry or disillusioned. … Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life.”

But it was toward the end of her speech when she made her point, quite simply, and talking another show at the elephant in the bad rug in the room:

 “Don’t let anyone ever tell you that this country isn’t great. This, right now, is the greatest country on earth.”

And she told us how great this country is, because we adapt and change and accept and love one another, as much as we can; Michelle Obama probably grew up never thinking for a minute that she would be where she is right now because it had never been done, hell, it had almost never been a thought, for centuries, because of her skin color:

“The story of those generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today, I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves, and I watch my daughters, two beautiful and intelligent black young women, playing with their dogs on the White House lawn.”

That’s what makes America great; we may not always move fast on issues, but we move.  And America can stay great, and become greater, with the election of a party that wants “liberty and justice e for all.”

All.

Quote Of The Day: Sarah Silverman

In 2007, Sarah Silverman said she would not marry then-boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel until all Americans could legally marry. In an interview with The Advocate [HERE] she reiterated her position brilliantly:

"Absolutely. Not only that, but lately I’ve been really annoyed by any liberal person getting married who says they stand for gay rights. How can anyone in good conscience get married right now? How is that different than joining a country club that doesn’t allow Jews or blacks? "