So I like politics. A lot. So much so that when candidates offer merchandise on their campaign web sites I go on a bender like QVC-Aholic with unlimited credit. Consequently I have a Romney for America t-shirt (the blue one and the grey one). I have a Bill Haslam for Governor (R, TN) and Kay Hagen for Senate (D, NC). I even have a Buddy Roemer, (no party affiliation) for America T-shirt. What, you don’t know who Buddy Roemer is? Damn communists. Read here: The Best Presidential Candidate You Never Heard Of.
Buyer beware. It ain’t just a shirt bro.
Of course I also have an Obama for Tennessee (D, USA) T-shirt. And that’s where the weirdness started.
One side note, the fact that Obama had T-shirts for every individual state and US Territory shows how flush with cash he was for his second term campaign, and a good indication he was going to win. Still baffles me. 23% unemployment and he was raising money like he was printing it. Hey, wait a minute….
Just kidding NSA guys, any chance you’ve found my LinkedIn password yet?
Anyway, like I said it got weird, in a Star Wars/Princess Leia/Obi-wan kind of weird.
Below is an example of the e-mails I’m getting from one Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States, signed by her. This is just the subject line:
Barack needs you, Francis, you’re his only hope!
Really, I’m his only hope? How the hell has it come to this? When did it get this bad? I’m not sure I can handle this kind of pressure. I only wanted a f*&%ing t-shirt, now I’ve been saddled with the weight of the country’s very existence?
This particular email was about helping middle class workers, because “…for too many families, that American promise is no longer within reach.” My problem with that sentence is the irony, spelled with a capital ACA (affordable care act). The irony is so thick it might actually choke you, (an no you ain’t covered for choking under Obamacare, unless you’re a corporation).
On our podcast you will here me say from time to time that I am a liberal and my people need to stop being stupid with respect to Ted Cruz’s citizenship, etc… Tony takes issue with the fact that I call myself a liberal, but by comparison to Tony, I’m Karl Marx’s illegitimate son. While it’s true I am conservative on some things, with respect to health care I’m so far left it’s not to be believed. Any self respecting socialist should be aghast at the abomination called Obamacare. It’s not socialized medicine in any form. It didn’t just stop short of socialized medicine, it made a right turn onto capitalist utopia and slammed full speed into insurance company nirvana.
And now because parts of Obamacare are being held back or delayed or whatever, it’s going to crush the middle class worker, eliminate the 40hr work week, taking overtime & vacation eligibility with it, and cover less than half of the people then what was initially projected.
How’s that for irony Michelle?
So for whatever reason, buying a campaign shirt from Obama puts you on the short list for people they come to in case of emergencies. You know real world stuff like finding out your policies will hurt the very people you claim to want to help, or the country finding out you’ve been collecting all of their electronic data all the time. Electronic data like this blog post and all the people who click on it for instance. Whoops too late. Should have mentioned that in the header. My bad people.
Michelle, Barack dosen’t need my help with middle class workers. He screwed them but good, all on his own.
Unfiltered and Unfettered 
Nice Fran! I would love to see your face when you open those emails from the First Lady.
Thanks Chief. It’s some comical stuff. Typical campaign staff. They think the American public is totally ignorant of anything to do with government.
Francis Linardo…one each…perhaps the most dialed-in guy I know when it comes to sorting through political weeds. Intellectual diligence at its finest.
Not sure what to think about our country’s leadership anymore…irrespective of aisle.
However, B-to-the-O and his “obsessed with obesity” soulmate could learn more about the pulse of the nation from this article than any research-laden pollster out there.
Great words pal…please keep moving right…would love to have you with us permanently 🙂
Thanks Chris. Preciate ya. Not sure I’m moving to the right though. I agree it gets tougher because the “Aisle” is no longer clearly marked as it used to be. So I just call things as I see them. You know me, I’m not bound by blind loyalty to an ideology.
Don’t be too quick to condemn the First Lady. Obesity is as big an issue as illiteracy (Laura Bush’s issue while First Lady).
Nice one Francis. I like your stuff, despite you being a Raging Leftist. I also am for universal healthcare. It would simplify our country tremendously if everyone was just automatically covered. And believe me, I’m not a fan of Gubberment agencies or programs. They couldn’t manage their way out of a wet paper bag.
You and your damn facts. Ha yeah, you hit on the fatal flaw of socialism. It’s a good form of government until it’s laid in the hands of men. The founders got it right I think. A representative republic is really the best form to govern such a large and diverse country.
Thanks Mark and thanks for the read.
BTW, in case Tony hasn’t told you, I used to work with him at Wright-Patt. Anyway, I forwarded your post to a liberal friend of mine. His response was something like: No self-respecting Liberal would call ACA a good idea.