A Frenchman's home is where another man's wife is.
- Notebook #18, Feb.- Sept. 1879

It has always been a marvel to me -- that French language; it has always been a puzzle to me. How beautiful that language is! How expressive it seems to be! How full of grace it is! And when it comes from lips like those [of Sarah Bernhardt], how eloquent and how limpid it is! And, oh, I am always deceived--I always think I am going to understand it.
- Mark Twain, a Biography

Sometimes one has to disagree with the inventor of the American Novel!

Twain really really really did not cotton to the French. Hahahaha

I do cotton to the French from time to time though.

I came across a wonderful assessment of our last election by one Bernard-Henri Levy posted at the Beast.

It is a victory for his strategy of government intervention that has allowed the United States to weather the storm for four years.

It is a victory for this great American who, since his first great speech in 2004, has never tired of saying and repeating that he is not the man of the blue states against the red, but of the United States of America.

It is obviously a defeat for the neo-Darwinians who, including certain Republican ideologues, think the poor should merely to suffer or die in times of crisis, as well as for those partisans of the culture war who treat a battle of each against all set up as a divine commandment. The American people want none of that...

It is a victory for the American people who refused to be taken in by the charm of those who Barack Obama called (in his Chicago acceptance speech) the “pundits” and who, indeed, didn’t do him any favors this time around.

It is a victory of reason and hope.

Of intelligence and inspiration.

It is the victory of a still young president who has four years to fulfill the promise I heard him make, eight years ago, completely unknown, during the Democratic convention.

It is a historic victory.

It is a great day for America and for the world

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/07/bernard-henri-l-vy-a-great-day-for-america.html

Mr. Wattree and Ramona have already expressed their thanks over the election results of 11/06 and I concur in both their assessments!

You know, sometimes we should just savor our victories.

Just today, I swear to God, MSNBC (or CNN, I forget) a national poll (PP) listed the top candidates for the Republican Nomination for POTUS in 2016!

THIS IS ABSURD!

What a bunch of crapola.

And do you know what the listed dates were for when the poll was taken?

November 3-4!

A poll completed two days BEFORE the election of 2012?

Just to buttress the points made by Mr. Wattree and Ramona and Levy:

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/11/22/1227921/thankprogress-10-things-progressives-can-be-thankful-for/

I am so very happy that President Obama has been re-elected that I decided to at least, examine the emotions and the actual results of this election.

49 1/2 months left for his tenure and many great journalists and pretty good pundits are examining those results.

Otherwise what is the difference in my life?

The Twins finally won the World Series in 1987 and again in 1991. I mean this did not change my life except that I am dumb enough to continue rooting for the Twins.

After reviewing the actual messages sent out to us by the candidates and their minions as well as reviewing the better journalists and pundits I conclude the following.

HEALTH CARE

I really believe that if Mitt had been elected, his own stance would have demanded the erasure of Obama Care.

If Mitt had actually won (and remember that Mitt had written his acceptance speech long before he scrawled his concession speech) he would have won both Houses of Congress.

The House would have simply mimeographed its previous bills to abolish the new health care legislation (that was not to go in effect until 2014) and the Senate per an amalgam of procedural rules (why the hell cannot Reid use these tools?) would have adopted the House plan.

The Primary Legislation proposed by the Obama Administration would have been erased.

Health care reform would be lost for decades! The Clinton initiative would have been lost forever!

The ER would be the only avenue for life saving protocols left for 25% or more of our population.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Good_as_It_Gets

TAXES

This issue really bugs me.

Mitt was telling us that everyone would receive a 20% reduction in tax rates.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/22/news/economy/romney_taxes/index.htm

Well, that didn't work. 20%?/

Oh but that reduction would do no such thing, Mitt would tell us later?

Because, he said, that the tax code would be permanently changed so that certain deductions and credits would be erased, somehow.

Wonderful!

Oh but the 1% says Mitt would actually pay more money in taxes.

NO THEY WOULD NOT!

The middle class would have paid more and some members of the poorer classes who hence had not paid any Fed Taxes would have to come up with some more governmental contributions after paying their payroll taxes.

The Bucket was one of the Romney backers refrain.

Oh, there would be some limit upon the middle class as far as deductions and credits.

…..................

Now I just saw some youngster Congressman on Matthews yesterday tell us all that a fertilized egg was a human being and that this concept was the basis of his belief system.

So some 14 year old impregnated by a step father should not receive an abortion.

So some 30 year old raped in a park must bear the felon's child.

So a pregnant woman (at two months positive) must bear a child when her very existence shall be challenged.

If you are in some funk and you think that we have won nothing as of November 6^th; just take a note of how angry the repubs actually are.

Both Rush and O'Reilly have, once again, noted that they must leave the country if taxes are increased.

I MEAN THERE IS NO REASON FOR ME TO CONTINUE!

God I hope not. It would be so much fun to see these flatulent frauds cease to continue!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fqbnaKABAE

Oh Jesus, I bow down to you and pray that you fulfill these demagogues with their promises!

Goodby Old Paint, I'm aleavin Cheyenne!

People, you must understand what a revolution in this country has been averted by this recent election.

I have hopes.

And today I am happy!

And the ghost of Mark Twain must tip his hat to the FRENCH!

ha