This has been a baffling year for the presidential wanna-bes contenders. I still haven’t quite figured out why most of the GOP seems to be playing, “Who do we like better than Romney this month?”, other than to point out the obvious fact that apparently, they really don’t like Romney. Gingrich’s vow to run a positive campaign lasted all of what, eight seconds? before he started attacking the others. Rick Perry’s collapse in the polls is one thing, but his insistence that he’s still in it to win? Things just keep getting weirder and weirder. Anybody have any insight?

It seems to me that conservative pundits on television are ignoring what the President has actually done over the past two years and merely continue to bang the drum of, “Obama’s a Marx-lovin’, Muslim-huggin’, liberal socialist!” Meanwhile, due to the stubborn idiocy of the Tea Party movement, he’s had to move so far to the right that he’s essentially somewhere in Reagan territory. I’m not upset with the President about this. I’m more upset with the complete and utter lack of work that Congress seems to be doing. It’s been quite frustrating in my view.

Oh, wait. Forgot this was a comic strip and supposed to be funny. How many surrealists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

Fish.

Yes, I know my opinion is just one of many. So is yours. I respect your right to have an opinion that may or may not differ from mine. All I ask is that you grant me the same courtesy. Thanks.

I don’t care if you agree with me or not. Either way, just please vote tomorrow.

And if you’re not sure if you agree with more or not, read this or alternately, watch this.

But again, regardless: please vote. Thank you.

And while last week’s strip referenced Law and Order, it is in reality this week’s strip that is “ripped from the headlines”.

Of my own life.

Yeah, my health insurance (via COBRA) got canceled. Apparently, my old company changed COBRA administrators, meaning that the automatic debit I had set up with the old administrator didn’t carry over. The new folks claim that they mailed me a packet of information about the change.

I never received said packet.

The new folks said I should have noticed that I wasn’t being charged by checking my bank statement. Have you ever tried to look for something that isn’t there? The whole reason we did automatic debit was so that I wouldn’t have to monitor this bill like a hawk.

The only notification I got was a notice stating that my account is two months past due, meaning that not only has my coverage been canceled (retroactively to two months ago), but since I’m outside the 30-day grace period window, there’s no chance of me getting it back.

Hasn’t been the greatest of weeks.

To be fair, at least the Republicans have a duck. The Democrats have…the guys from Doonesbury? Wait, I know! A penguin: Opus from Bloom County! …Wait, that strip ended a while back didn’t it? And then it ended again. And still again just a year or two back, now.

Oh, wait. There’s Tom Tomorrow. That strip’s got…a Geordi LaForge visor-wearing…penguin. Why penguins? Is there some sort of genetic connection between penguins and donkeys?

…I really hope not. (shudder)

I kid you not with Jane’s news quote. More information available at this link: http://news.discovery.com/human/obama-the-muslim-antichrist-survey-says.html

I know I’ve avoided being overtly political for a few months now. Thought it might be good to let you all know that I haven’t gone soft.

If you need a refresher, Cole was first seen in this strip, and this one. Finally gave him a name tonight. He should be thanking me, despite the fact that he really comes off as a jerk in tonight’s strip. Gotta give a little to get a little, Cole.

By the way, Linh’s experience is nothing like my own personal experience. My part-time job is at a church, not a grocery store. Couldn’t be more different. Ahem.

New guy was intended to be just a one-shot dude for last week, but his effect on Jane seems to have captured a bit of my imagination. Except for the part where he gets a name; haven’t figured that much out yet. We’ll see how much longer he sticks around…

A situation similar to this happened to me this evening. I was sitting in a parking lot, enjoying a fruit smoothie with the Eponymous Neaner, when a Cadillac SUV pulled up nearby, and proceeded to spend the next 20-25 minutes… sitting there, with the engine running. It was warm outside, but I didn’t personally feel it was hot enough to need the A/C (and I am not a fan of hot weather, believe me). It just felt… well, to use the popular vernacular of my high school years, incredibly ignorant.

Oh, and for the record, some of my best friends are Republicans. But they’re getting better.