Weekend Highlight: #FeelingTheBern with Stephen Colbert and WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING (AGAIN), CONGRESS?

For you Bernie fans out there, here’s a link to an article and Stephen Colbert’s interview of Bernie Sanders:

• Stephen Colbert Gets Bernie All Riled Up on The Late Show | Gawker

The article does a good job summing the interview up, including an issue I had with Sanders not exactly answering one of Colbert’s questions – instead of answering with a concrete question about taxes, Sanders continues with his rhetoric against the top 1%, which is all well and good, but I need more concrete answers about how exactly you’re going to combat the rich, Bernie.

There was another point that I found needed work, as well:

During a bit in which Colbert brings up a comparison between Trump and Sanders, our presidential hopeful replies that Trump encourages xenophobia and racism, saying it is old hat and disgraceful to direct hate at a specific group of people to win votes and favor. That’s unfortunately true. However, this is, in a way, what Sanders himself is doing. His platform is for the people by being against corporations and billionaires. He is also targeting a group of people to win other people over.

Personally, I don’t disagree with where Sanders is pointing his hate-dar. He’s not targeting people who are struggling to even have status as human beings. The greed and loophole-gallavanting of the uber rich is more harmful than people “illegally” crossing the border sincerely looking for a better life. It does need some polishing, though. But this also helps me see how people can feel justified in going along with Trump’s hateful rhetoric against immigrants. I don’t condone it, but it’s becoming just a few shades more clear. It’s definite food for thought for me. I’ll be waiting to see how his vision and platform grow as we enter 2016 because as inspiring as the “eat the rich” style soundbites are now, they’ll inevitably sound tired by the time even January rolls around.

And as much as I’d like to just gush about Sanders and share a Stephen Colbert clip, I cannot ignore the juvenile passing of a bill through the House to defund Planned Parenthood. (“Welcome to another round of WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, CONGRESS?!”) In addition, we might be looking at yet another government shut down on October 1 – the second in the span of 2 years. Are the reasons really any more justified this time around? That’s a big HELL NOPE. Here’s a couple links to the House’s decision on Planned Parenthood and updates on what’s being done in terms of the looming shutdown:

• “House votes to defund Planned Parenthood, but will that help avert a shutdown?” | The Washington Post
• “Obama Drops A Reality Bomb On Republican Plans To Defund Planned Parenthood” | Politicus USA

Ugh. UGH. The misinformation surrounding Planned Parenthood is astounding. I don’t claim to know all the stats on PP, but I do know that pictures floating around saying that 94% of mothers that go into PP come out not as mothers anymore… Outrageous. It might be a good idea for PP to make its service calculations a little more transparent, too. Here’s an interesting read on the breakdown of Planned Parenthood stats:

• “For Planned Parenthood abortion stats, ‘3 percent’  and ’94 percent’ are both misleading” | The Washington Post

A quote from the article above:

Non-government health services revenues refer to money collected for health care services, such as abortions, that are not covered by government programs. (The largest source of revenue for Planned Parenthood is government funding, but federal funds can’t be used for abortions. Planned Parenthood does not separate its federal and state funds in its annual report.) [Emphasis added by me.]

So if this is true that federal funding doesn’t even go to abortions, then the motives of those who voted to defund PP are not upfront and transparent (surprise, surprise). It’s good to know that since it’s his last year in office and therefore fewer and fewer fucks will be given about approval ratings, Obama will veto the bill if it arrives on his desk.

Thoughts on any of it? Bernie, Planned Parenthood, the sparse giving of fucks?

Until next time,
Michelle