N. Dakota Blue Cross Blue Shield: "No member elected to have abortion riders"

By GottaLaff

Boyoboy, if we're not careful, and health care reform passes, there will be a mad rush-- no, a stampede-- to abortion providers. EVERYone will get one. You will, I will, men will, cats will, because we can.

Here, look, this exactly what I mean:

In North Dakota, where insurers can cover abortions if customers pay a separate premium, the state's largest provider says it sells no abortion policies because no one has asked to buy one.

Oh.

Kidding.

Amid a high-stakes debate over abortion that could determine the fate of President Obama's health-care initiative, North Dakota's law offers a test because it is much like the language favored by antiabortion lawmakers on Capitol Hill, notably Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.).

"There's not a lot to tell. We have no member who elected to have abortion riders," said Denise Kolpack, vice president of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, which covers about 80 percent of the North Dakota market. "We would be legally bound to provide an offering, but we have no groups that have requested it."

So much for all those abortion parties I had planned. Guess it's time to return the streamers.

Mika Brzezinski: Pat Buchanan ‘Says What We’re All Thinking’

By GottaLaff

If Pat Buchanan said what we were all thinking, he'd say, "I quit. I will never show my face on the Tee Vee Machine again."

Via Dave Weigel, Mika thinks Pat's the bestest guestest ever:

Brzezinski jumps at the chance to name Pat Buchanan “because he says what we are all thinking.”

Then again, if Pat said what Mika had going on inside her little noggin, we'd hear this:

CPAC: Not Even Conservatives Want To See Joe the Plumber

By GottaLaff



Then what is he, a seat-filler? Via Wonkette:

Joe-he-Plumber spoke to 1/4 full room. It was pathetic. I got video of how fucking empty the room was. I tried to make an echo off the walls but I got yelled at. Video to come.

If I get a Tweet alert about the video, I'll grab and post it.

Gramm-pa McCain Running on Empty: The Photos

By GottaLaff

Apologies up front for the amount of space this will take up, but it's so worth it...

Volunteerless in New Mexico.. and Iowa.. and Ohio... and Virginia... and:

As the only reporter during this election who has actually visited upwards of 50 of John McCain's field offices around the country (13 battleground states and counting), this piece by Matthew Mosk at the Washington Post comes as no surprise:

The decision to finance a final advertising push is forcing McCain to curtail spending on Election Day ground forces to help usher his supporters to the polls, according to Republican consultants familiar with McCain's strategy. [...]

[O]ne top Republican strategist who has been privy to McCain's plans: "The folks who will oversee the volunteer operation have been told to get out into the field on their own nickel." [...]

John McCain's ground campaign is just not happening. It hasn't been happening, without Sarah Palin there might be four or five volunteers across the entire nation left, and now, per Mosk's piece at WaPo, it looks like it will be happening even less.

One dialer, Santa Fe:

One dialer, Albuquerque:

Staged, Española:

Closed, Durango:

Posed, Cortez:

Closed, Grand Junction:

Des Moines, empty of volunteers:

Troy, Ohio, locked:

Columbus HQ, one dialer:

Toledo, two volunteers and one security guard:

Sterling, VA, closing at 5, one dialer:

Empty, Fredericksburg, VA:

Richmond, VA, one dialer:

Raleigh, NC HQ, two dialers:

Wilmington, NC, closing at 5 and yawny, empty:

Thank you Sean, for the amazing report. There's much, much more here.

H/t: Eve