Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for September 03, 2012

No choicer

Poor Biden, can’t even get love from GT.

Can’t wait to hear Elizabeth Warren’s speech at the Democratic Convention! She is an intelligent, superior candidate for the US Senate and this opportunity lets her speak to a national audience.

Just to remind you Ryan could be that guy.

GT loves bullies. Elizabeth Warren faked Cherokee blood, thus depriving a true Cherokee of the chance to be a professor at Harvard. Warren refuses to meet with representatives of the Cherokees, whose ancestors her own ancestor helped to drive along the Trail of Tears. GT worships Warren.

GT also worships the apartheidists, who are still stealing the land and resources of the natives, thus depriving them of the chance to flourish. GT is a lot like Romney, who himself is a bully and who’s promised to do anything the apartheidists want. But GT thinks he can get away with his bullying by casting himself as Goody Two Shoes.

Ever notice how the entire criticism some folks level against a person in public life boils down to “I can document at least THREE occasions in the last thirty years when this person did or said something REALLY DUMB.” Romney once strapped his dog’s carrier to the top of his car for a cross-country trip, when any vet will tell you not to even let your dog stick his head out the car window, even if the dog likes it, as it can damage his ears. Romney certainly did not intend to abuse his pet, though that’s what he did, and he is rightfully criticized for it. Also, he was a bully in prep school, as he admits. Both these fact suggest a callous nature. But would any reasonable person alter his vote based on those two facts ALONE? “I agree with his politics, but as a dog lover I am going to have to vote for the other guy, whose politics I dislike, because he’s better to his pets.” Frankly guys, I am often ashamed of my own side when I read these discussions because of name-calling and venom they employ. It’s bad enough when the other side does it. But whoever does it, it suggests a degree of fear (which is what hatred is all about) and even paranoia on the part of the writer of such things, that bodes ill for our country. My family, like my country, is half Republican and half Democratic. If the one can’t survive as a family, then the other can’t survive as a country. And if the members of my family spoke to one another as my fellow countrymen do in these discussions, I would have no family left.

Having Biden for a VP is one of the FEW good ideas Obama had – NO ONE wants Biden in the Oval Office.

@DoughfootIn many ways I agree, in particular when policy differences don’t then get the airing they should.

But sometimes, the minor incident becomes a lightning rod for a whole lot of other unfocused concerns. We had an issue over here in the last election when the then PM, Gordon Brown, started slating his staff for letting a particular ‘bigoted’ woman get into a conversation with him, unaware that he was being driven off still wearing the TV radio mike he had on at the last stop.

On its own it is the sort of mistake anyone could make. But Brown already had a reputation for a volcanic temper in private, often aimed at his staff. Given the problems this had also caused when as Chancellor [Treasury Secretary] he was at loggerheads with Tony Blair as PM, I think that was valid for media and voters to concentrate on the incident, which quite possibly lost him the election.

Joe Biden always reminds me of the favorite old uncle who shows up at all the family events. He kind, generous, and witty but after a couple of cocktails, you never no what he’ll say.

I noticed after the marathon of lies that were spoken by Ryan, that started the line of everybody does it. Not true, not to that extent. Clinton and Edwards lied about sex. Shame on them, but is that relevant to policy? What does that have to do with me and my life?

Hey, Clark Kent, you wanna do a little fact-checking before making assertions. The Ryan-Rand thing is a little tiresome considering it was debunked months before he became a candidate.

Here’s a couple of links to get you started: http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/297023/ryan-shrugged-robert-costa?pg=1

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/295806/ryan-isn-t-randian-brian-bolduc

Will Warren communicate with war drums?There’s a line from Calvin & Hobbes about monsters under the bed. When he asks them if there are any under the bed, they answer, "Nope! None here. So, he answers, " OK." Hobbes says, “how can you say that?” he says, “They lie, I lie.”Which reminds me of these polls being taken!!

Biden our Pres?THINK ABOUT IT!!!

Not that I will vote Rep or Dem this year for president, but while Romney took the dog with the family on vacation, that was a bad decision of a dog owner(means he at least tolerated dogs). Obama, on the other hand, got a family dog only because the public expected it.Which one is a dog lover?

“you wanna do a little fact-checking before making assertions. The Ryan-Rand thing is a little tiresome considering it was debunked”lol! Really?? . . . you’re going with the “let’s just pretend it never happened line” and hope no one notices?First, quoting Republican campaign literature from the National Review doesn’t ‘debunk’ anything. Second we have actual audio and video of Ryan himself espousing Ayn Rand. That’s the problem Republicans are having with the flip-flopping these days. There’s so much darn audio-video out there!Ryan himself on video.Ryan himself on audio (interview text with audio file).

At least he can correctly pronounce and define “United States,” “nuclear,” and “terrorist,” quite unlike his boss’ predecessor.

Biden certainly is no worse off than Reagan was while he was in office. Reagan was really out of it. Dozing off in meetings, constantly quoting some B rated movie over and over again, yet somehow we made it through. I know the GOP has practically canonized him but he really did have a lot of memory issues and such. He was not the hero the right wing seems to think. He never went to war, for example, other than on camera. He was a lot of phony baloney.

It should be interesting to see what the debate will be once we go to the DNC. The RNC seemed untroubled by the fact that a quarter of Floridians have no health care insurance until the affordable health care act kicks in. They want the status quo, which means that when someone doesn’t have health insurance they go to the ER and we all have to pay for that. The Obama plan would ask that we all buy into our own health insurance and yet the Dems are the ones being accused of socialism?!

BTW, the idea of everyone buying into the affordable health care plan, rather than having all of us pay for those who don’t have health insurance going to the ER was a point which Romney himself made at a debate when he was governor of Massachusetts.

Typical GOP tactic— when losing an argument, say something racist.

Well, sometimes I use “Pawpawbear”. But at least I have the size and facial hair for it.

Susan, Gladly thinks he is being cute by using a take-off of the old hymn, “Keep Thou My Way Dear Lord” by Fanny Crosby.In it is a line that says; “gladly the cross I’d bear”.

It becomes more and more apparent why you would consider Palin & Quayle to be on your Mt. Olympus of intellect.

True, but I was referring to his experience as a non-commander-in-chief, of course. It is, as you know, one thing to go to war as a soldier and another to go as POTUS.

Yes, I am aware that as an old man in the White House, Reagan did send young guys off to war. So there is that.

OK, I take your point. However, I said before, I wasn’t talking about Reagan’s time as president. Reagan did send others to war, that is exactly right. The point is that he didn’t serve in the military, unless you count his time as commander-in-chief. I hope I have sufficiently clarified that.

I think the most amazing part about the fact that Reagan did not serve in the military, is that he was a WWII era guy. During WWII, just about everybody who was able did serve in the military. He did some movies about war at that time though and for this he was considered a hero…

If you check your facts Reagan was in the military from 1937 to 1945. His nearsightedness kept him in the states where he worked in the First Motion Picture Unit along with Clark Gable and William Holden making over 400 training and propoganda films.

Since when is acting in propaganda films the same as being in combat?

For that matter, since when is acting in propaganda films and staying stateside the same as any role that one might play in the military overseas?

If Reagan was nearsighted, he shouldn’t have been in the military. The point is, he should not receive credit as a big war hero, since he was not any such thing. Meanwhile, John Kerry did go to Vietnam and did serve, yet he was swift boated during his campaign… Typical GOP way of seeing the world. Sorry GOP, I know he is your fantasy hero, but a lot of his story is really just a fantasy. I know of a reporter here in KC who had the opportunity to interview Ronnie once and after every question, Reagan would always flip through cards to answer his questions. He had no real intellect, no real ability to think on his feet. He was just an actor, through and through and people bought it hook, line and sinker.

I knew people who went to Vietnam and came back home in a body bag or came back without limbs or came back with severe PTSD. That is called serving in the military.

More importantly, not only was Reagan nothing like the persona that he wanted to project, but he was a lousy president. The trickle down economics of the Reagan era are once again being supported by the GOP. They didn’t work decades ago and they won’t work now. He was a lousy president and that era is over.

One CAN make jokes about Joe’s “gaffes”. The same can’t be said for Ryan’s and Mitt’s blatant lies, and fiscal insanities.

REMF trying to judge “intellect” is like a nail critiquing hammers.

Right. I make the rules. Guess that is why John Kerry was treated in such a shameful way after he dodged bullets in Vietnam.

…and this relates to today’s strip exactly how…?