Leadership? Not so much…

As I reported last month, tea partiers in Michigan have been working diligently against their own self-interest, trying to prevent a state-run health insurance exchange from being formed in Michigan. The exchange, mandated by the Affordable Care Act, would help up to a half million Michiganders obtain affordable health insurance.

If the state doesn’t create one of their own, the federal government will do it for them. And that, apparently, is exactly what is going to happen in Michigan because Governor Rick Snyder has backed down from his push for the Michigan-run exchange.

More after the jump.

Aw, geez…

Wow. Even Republicans have to be flinching when their Number One Two on the ticket resorts to going full Palin on them. But that’s what Paul Ryan did on the campaign trail yesterday.

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney and the Republicans continue to lie their asses off as if nobody is watching or cares.

Follow me over the jump.

So much anger, so much hate, so much astroturf

Yesterday, Americans For Prosperity held a fake grassroots rally in Belleville, Michigan near the Detroit Metro Airport. Around 400-500 tea party supporters and Sarah Palin fanatics showed up to bake in the hot sun to witness an event, dubbed “Kochstock” by LOLGOP, bought and paid for by the conservative group that bills itself as a non-political 501(c)(4) nonprofit group. This nonprofit status allows them to hide their donors and to sponsor these types of events around the country as long as they don’t support a candidate.

The result was a several-hour long anti-Obama, anti-Democrat hatefest where not a single Republican candidate got mentioned.

Too stupid to vote???

Despite the fact that most Americans want Republicans to move on (pdf) and quit fighting a battle they’ve already lost, House Republicans spent the day debating the repeal the Affordable Care Act, a waste of time and taxpayer money given that it’ll never get out of the Senate much less be signed into law by President Obama. The vote tomorrow will be 31st time they’ve done this. In light of that, it’s worth having a look at what Obama-haters in the hinterlands are saying and thinking.

I was perusing the Letters to the Editor page at the Livingston County Press and Argus today and came across this letter, written by a person so detached from facts and reality that it’s almost insulting that they printed it.

This letter shows just exactly what we’re up against heading into the November election.

Sorry, face. This nose has GOT to go…

Tea party types in Michigan, facing the stinging blow of the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the constitution, are now working on a self-defeating effort to make sure that Michigan doesn’t create a health insurance exchange for Michiganders to shop for affordable health insurance. This comical effort apparently disregards the fact that, if they are successful, the federal government will create one FOR us, limiting our state legislators’ ability to have any say or control in the matter.

This is from an email I received yesterday from the Tea Party of West Michigan (all typos and grammatical errors are theirs, not mine – like the grammatically incorrect tagline at the top of every page on their website: “Influence policy, effect elections, protect the Constitution”)…

[Email and more after the jump.]

Shoot ’em up, shoot ’em up, rah, rah, rah!

For some on the right, this whole “every American having access to healthcare coverage” thing is just too goddam much. I wrote yesterday about some of the instant freakout responses. Today we have another and it’s a doozy.

Former Republican Party spokesman and Lansing “civil rights” attorney Matthew Davis sent out a press release titled “Is Armed Rebellion Now Justified?”.

His press release and more after the jump.

It’s time to knock this crazy train off the rails Troy, Michigan Mayor Janice “Woohoo” Daniels is facing a recall and today recall organizers from Recall Janice Daniels will turn well over the required 7,985 signatures needed to put her recall on the November ballot. “Appearing” on the First Shift with Tony Trupiano radio show this morning, organizer Matt Binkowski […]

What’s the Mayan word for “Tea Partier”? Dear people who live outside of Michigan, Michigan is a “blue state.” Democrats have won the state in every presidential election since 1992. Clinton, Gore, Kerry and Obama. Yet in blue Michigan, we know exactly what happens when Republicans take control of all three branches of state government: corporations win and people lose. […]

Liberal media, my ass

As I have already written about, yesterday President Obama visited Michigan for a couple of fundraising events. The Associated Press, of course covered the event. How they covered it blew my mind.

Don’t get too comfy, Mayor Daniels The team of people working to recall Troy, Michigan’s woo hoo Tea Party mayor Janice Daniels is well on their way to having enough petition signatures to recall the mayor whose efforts are driving businesses out of Troy. From this week’s press release; The Recall Janice Daniels initiative has reached a major milestone in […]

Lipton Lite?

Once the darling of the tea party, Michigan Lt. Governor Brian Calley seems to have fallen out of disfavor of late. Calley, the father of a child with autism, has championed mandatory insurance coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism. This does NOT sit well with his tea party brethern, nosiree Bob.

I have been tempted to write about Calley’s interesting situation. His tea party support suggests that he’d be against any sort of mandate like this but, apparently, having an autistic child has pried open his heart a bit, at least in that regard. At any rate, I haven’t been inclined to criticize him for his hypocrisy or for his use of his position of power to advocate for a cause that’s near and dear to his heart and family, not when it can help out a group that needs it.

But the tea party is. They are totally inclined.