CSotD: Running out the clock
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I've got a poster Darrin Bell did of Barack Obama's inauguration in which he is surrounded, not by the current crowd of politicians and bigwigs, but by the iconic figures of black history.
And yet here Bell depicts the president as scoring a touchdown by having moved the goal line.
I find it compelling because it's not one of that raft of adolescent snits we've seen from starry-eyed liberals who expected him to fulfill all their dreams, those of whom I have oft times quoted Wanda Sykes, "He went to Harvard, not Hogwarts."
This is a coherent and limited commentary, but it's also an example of why liberal politicians are more vulnerable than conservatives: Progressives tend to call their own leaders on the carpet, while Conservatives tend to obey Reagan's dictum of never speaking ill of a Republican. (Except for "RINOs," moderates who are cut out of the herd in order to strengthen it)
The cartoon has an internationalist flair in that it depicts a situation without direct commentary, which is not the American style. Is it a touchdown, is it cheating, will it count as six points? He's putting it on the table; analyzing the instant replay is up to history.
Meanwhile, today is the last day people can begin the process of signing up for coverage under the ACA, and even that deadline is being, if not "lied" about, at least obfuscated in a way that will depress enrollment.
While Obamacare foes are frothing at the mouth over the extension, it has been portrayed as offering people a great deal more flexibility than it actually does. You have to apply by today. The extension simply gives you more time to complete the process.
In other words, it's like closing hours at a bank: The extension doesn't mean you can come in the door after five o'clock. It simply means that, if you are already in line, you will be able to stay and be served after they've locked up.
And for all that one might object to unfair attacks on Obama for changing the rules, the real damage is not that conservatives have found one more thing to scream about, but that supporters of the ACA have done such a poor job of letting people know that they still have to get in the door today.
Yesterday, I pointed out the falsehoods in an anti-Obamacare meme on Facebook, and one reply came from a woman who said they could not afford coverage because the application, which they had filled out with the help of a "navigator," used her husband's most recent 1040, but he had lost his job since he paid last year's taxes.
The navigator erred. While the 1040 is the best way to estimate your upcoming income, it is not required and they should have attempted to estimate his actual income for 2014 based on how long he was likely to remain out of work, what he was doing in the meantime and what he expected to make in the coming year.
With all due respect, I suspect navigators are like census workers: Some are very capable, others were simply available for a short-term gig. She got one of the "available" ones.
I hope she gets back in line today, because it's not a good time to be jobless and without coverage and the ACA can help with the latter.
The constant drumbeat of "It doesn't work, it doesn't work, it doesn't work" has been good politics — the GOP may win the Senate in 2014 — but it has been a great disservice to the most vulnerable Americans.
Worst part is, when one side is constantly, blatantly lying, it makes valid criticism problematic. But I still like Tom Toles' take on economic analysis.
The Dow is up! Your salary, well, you just stand here and wait for the trickle-down, 'cause it's gonna be great!
"Inequality for All," Robert Reich's documentary takedown on how the middle class got cut out of the pie over the past generation or so, is infuriating and well-supported by facts, but, as I watched it, I couldn't help thinking that, even if you tied a conservative blue-collar voter down and forced him to watch it, he'd simply declare it false.
To re-quote Swift, "Reasoning will never make a man correct an ill opinion, which by reasoning he never acquired."
Fiddle-dee-dee! I'll just think about that tomorrow!
However, if you know someone who hasn't signed up for Affordable Care coverage because they got bad advice or no advice or dishonest advice, today is the day you have to persuade them to please, please, please find out for themselves.
If nothing else, post a rebuttal when you see bad information on social media. It's one thing to let your friends — knowingly or foolishly — spread ridiculous photos of "cloned dinosaurs" or reports on how, if we all jump at the right moment, we'll experience weightlessness.
Standing by while they spread false information that could shorten a person's life by keeping them from getting regular preventive care, or that, in the event of an accident or serious illness, could destroy their family's economy entirely, is on another level.
Plaque time!
The National Cartoonists Society has announced this year's finalists for awards, to be given out in May at their confab in San Diego. I'm not a believer in awards, but I am a believer in helping good cartoonists do well, and winning a plaque can help sales.
As you'll see on that link, there are several cartoonists up for awards whose work has been seen here. I already think they're great, but I hope they win something that will persuade people who have actual jobs and money to hand out of the same thing.
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