Sanders is now sounding a lot like Trump

Sanders is now sounding a lot like Trump.  Complaining about the “unfairness” of the Democratic National Committee.  Crying that he’s being silenced. Yadda, yadda, yadda. When you are an outsider to the Democratic party, fail to support the Democratic party, and bash the Democratic party, but “claim” to be a Democrat every time you run a primary, you get the Democratic party looking for anyone else but you to represent their party.  Get over it. What would be really ingenious (snark) is if Sanders actually ran a primary as an Independent, and coalesce his base through an honest representation of Independents. Stay out of the Democratic party lane. I hope the lesson is being learned.

What Is Medicare? Read Steve Benen's Thorough Commentary

All I'm suggesting is that a little critical thinking on the part of the electorate and the political world can go a long way.

Well, in today's false equivalent world, that suggestion will fall on deaf ears. Still, the piece by Steve Benen is a good read.

Given how critically important this is in the presidential election, let's pause for a moment to consider the bigger picture.

[snip]

What is Medicare? It's a massive, government-run system of socialized medicine. It's wildly popular, very successful, and one of the pillars of modern Democratic governance. This government-run system of socialized medicine was created by Democrats against the opposition of conservative Republicans, and it's Democrats who've fought to protect it for more than a half-century.

Or to summarize, the left loves Medicare and always has; the right hates Medicare and always has. For liberals, the system is a celebrated ideal; for conservatives it's an unconstitutional, big-government outrage in desperate need of privatization.

[snip]

In other words, the argument pushed by the most right-wing major-party ticket in a generation is that Barack Obama is a left-wing socialist who wants government-run socialized medicine and that Barack Obama is a far-right brute who wants to undermine government-run socialized medicine.

Watching The Dems Squirm Over Hillary Rosen's Comments About Ann Romney, Oh My!

UPDATE: 4/15/12: Since the piece below has been rocking the boat for both sides, and with the Dems joining the Rethugs by saying Hillary Rosen was out of bounds by making such a statement about Ann Romney, I bring you the following from Think Progress. As always, for every side of the mouth Mittens says something, there is always an equally opposite statement coming out of the other side of his mouth!

Romney and allies cried that Democrats had declared “war on moms” after a Democratic strategist said Romney’s wife hadn’t worked a day in her life. Romney’s camp said this meant Democrats don’t value stay at home moms and motherhood, while they believe that women who stay home are doing real work.

But for every Romney action, there is an equal and opposite Romney reaction, and this morning, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes dug up a video of Romney from just January in which the Republican presidential candidate said he wanted to require women who receive welfare to work outside the home, even if their children are very young. He told a New Hampshire audience:

“I wanted to increase the work requirement,” said Romney. “I said, for instance, that even if you have a child 2 years of age, you need to go to work. And people said, ‘Well that’s heartless.’ And I said, ‘No, no, I’m willing to spend more giving day care to allow those parents to go back to work. It’ll cost the state more providing that daycare, but I want the individuals to have the dignity of work.”

===============================
This caught my eye this morning. I have mostly stayed silent with respect to the Republican circus that has been the nominating process for the next candidate for president (all of them are ignorant pieces of shit, as far as I am concerned). I don't particularly care who wins the election this year. I will still sit it out and not vote. I am not a fan of Obama, and quite frankly, I could give two shits if the stupid people take over. To me, that just means we crash and burn a lot faster, and we all know that we can't rebuild until we break. This current trend of plugging the holes with our fingers (or putting our fingers in our ears) is not stopping the bleeding of this country, or the world, so I, for one, am on the side that takes us down as fast as possible.

With that in mind, I do have to come to the defense of Hilary Rosen, who has both the Democrats and Republicans all trying to get their underwear out of their asses.

President Obama’s top political advisers moved rapidly late Wednesday night to distance the president from a Democratic strategist and adviser to the Democratic National Committee who said Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann, had “never worked a day in her life.”

[snip]

And then, in a commentary on The Huffington Post, Ms. Rosen wrote a long defense of her comments, accusing critics of “faux anger” aimed at scoring political points.

“I don’t need lectures from the R.N.C. on supporting women and fighting to increase opportunities for women; I’ve been doing it my whole career,” Ms. Rosen wrote. “If they want to attack me and distract the public’s attention away from their nominee’s woeful record, it just demonstrates how much they just don’t get it.”

She added: “I have no judgements about women who work outside the home vs. women who work in the home raising a family. I admire women who can stay home and raise their kids full time. I even envy them sometimes. It is a wonderful luxury to have the choice. But let’s stipulate that it is NOT a choice that most women have in America today.”

Amen to that. I raised my daughter and worked. My daughter is a single mother who had been raising her son while attending college, but on welfare, food stamps, and pell grants, plus some scholarships (no help from the father, that's for sure). In my time, and in today's culture, women being able to stay at home and NOT work is an anomaly, not the norm. Well, unless you are the .01% like the Romney family, who can afford multiple cars, homes, boats, horses, and probably a lot of nannies. The rest of us 99% in America have to get by, raising a family with both parents working ... and in today's economy, with probably both parents on unemployment because the Romney's of this country "like firing people." I don't care if Mrs. Romney raised five kids or ten kids ... she did so with the kind of money monthly most of us will never see in a lifetime.

UPDATE: 4/13/12: I knew I knew the name "Hillary Rosen" but could not place where I knew it from. And although I concur with the comments and the intent of the comments she made, I realize now (thanks to an post over at AMERICAblog) that this is the same Hillary Rosen with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) the group responsible for pushing the lawsuits against individual file sharers, the one who brought down the original Napster, and helped create the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of which even I have had experience with by Blogger taking down a post of mine claiming it was in violation of the DMCA. I hate this woman! I am sure in by archives I have a lot of posts really badmouthing her.

Seems The Ryan Budget Just Cost Republicans Upstate New York

Democrat Kathy Hochul drew on voter discontent over Republican plans to revamp Medicare to score an upset win on Tuesday in a special election to represent a conservative upstate New York congressional district.

Apparently only two Democrats have held office in this district since WWII, but because of voter discontent over the Ryan budget, they voted in a Democrat who opposes said budget.

Nancy Pelosi's take:

The national implications became apparent only minutes after The Buffalo News and other news organizations declared Hochul's victory when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., welcomed the new congresswoman as an "independent, strong, passionate voice."

"Kathy Hochul's victory tonight is a tribute to Democrats' commitment to preserve and strengthen Medicare, create jobs, and grow our economy," Pelosi said. "And it sends a clear message that will echo nationwide: Republicans will be held accountable for their vote to end Medicare."

Solidarity With Wisconsin - You Go, Dems!

3/27/11 Update here.

UPDATES REGULARLY AT THE BOTTOM - CONTRIBUTE TO THE WISCONSIN RECALL HERE

3/18/11 - Moved to Front Page - Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi issues a temporary restraining order blocking Wisconsin's collective bargaining law from taking effect. Read more here. One small victory for the time being.

The stakes are high nationwide. Wisconsin is the first in a long line of states considering big changes to pay, benefits, work rules and the bargaining power of government workers.

The Wisconsin measure would force public employees to pay more for pension and health benefits while limiting their union's power to negotiate.

The sergeant at arms was searching for Democratic state lawmakers who had not shown up for a vote on the sweeping legislation, and one Democratic lawmaker said he and his colleagues had left the state.

This reminds me of a few years back when Texas Republicans were trying to redistrict the state to their favor, and the Democrats (and others) flew out of the state so as not to be present to allow a vote!

Now we have this idiot in Wisconsin having the National Guard on standby ... yeah, like 1970 in Ohio, dude? Ya gonna shoot the protesters?

UPDATE: 2/19/11, courtesy of Crooks and Liars:

Here’s the other thing: the current crop of extreme-right Republicans have no interest in compromise, on anything. They don’t want to force the public employee unions to the table to bargain over wages and health care, they want to utterly destroy the unions for all time. They don’t want to negotiate over changing the formula on pension contributions, they want to make workers pay for half their pensions, or slash their benefits to shreds — and then never have to negotiate with workers again over them. At the federal level, they don’t just want to make substantial cutbacks in domestic programs, they want to defund many of them entirely — and if they don’t get their way, all of it, they’ll just shut down the government. It’s not just economics issues either: pro-lifers don’t just want to make it harder to get abortions, they want redefine rape and make shooting an abortion doctor a justifiable homicide. These Republican extremists are completely beyond the pale.

UPDATE 2/24/11, Courtesy of AMERICAblog:

How un-American can you get. Having the GOP legislators pass a law requiring the protesters to be removed. In the old days we'd call that a bill of attainder - it's something Henry VIII liked to use, a lot, when he wanted to behead a wife or a top aide.

The Republicans will not be happy until they've gutted democratic principles and looted the treasury on all levels of government. At the time we see the Middle East oligarchies being toppled, we see the United States turning into one.

We shall see what happens this Saturday.

Speaking of oligarchs, here's an interesting tidbit I found.

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller has dismissed a deputy, Jeff Cox, for posting inappropriate comments online critical of the labor union protesters in Wisconsin.

Cox sent out a message on his Twitter account saying that police should "use live ammunition" against the protesters.

Banging. Head. On. Keyboard.

UPDATE 2/26/11 from THE WISCONSIN PROFESSIONAL POLICE ASSOCIATION:

HEAD OF POLICE UNION ASKS GOVERNOR TO KEEP CAPITOL OPEN AND ANNOUNCES LAW ENFORCEMENT SLEEPOVER

MADISON—Following action by lawmakers to approve a rule change that clears the way for closing down the State Capitol and ejecting the people protesting Governor Walker’s bill to curtail union activity, the head of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association called on the governor today to keep the capitol building open and allow the peaceful protesters to remain.

“The law enforcement officers from across the state that have been working at the Capitol and have been very impressed with how peaceful everyone has been,” said WPPA Executive Director Jim Palmer. “As has been reported in the media, the protesters are cleaning up after themselves and have not caused any problems. The fact of that matter is that Wisconsin’s law enforcement community opposes Governor Walker’s effort to eliminate most union activity in this state, and we implore him to not do anything to increase the risk to officers and the public. The costs of providing security can never outweigh those associated with a conflict.”

Palmer also announced that, beginning tonight, the WPPA is formally requesting its members from across the state to come to the Capitol to sleep amongst the throngs of other union supporters. “Law enforcement officers know the difference between right and wrong, and Governor Walker’s attempt to eliminate the collective voice of Wisconsin’s devoted public employees is wrong,” continued Palmer. “That is why we have stood with our fellow employees each day and why we will be sleeping among them tonight.”

And then there is this:

Amendments to block labor unions from engaging in collective bargaining with the government over salaries and benefits for public workers are sparking protests. In Wisconsin, which may wind up as the Egypt of the Midwest, more than a dozen Democrat senators are AWOL, while Republican Gov. Scott Walker is standing his ground and becoming a tea party hero. Click on the map to see which states have proposed collective-bargaining amendments and follow our updates on the protests.

UPDATED AND MOVED TO FRONT PAGE 2/27/11:

First, I am pleased to see that the police decided to join the protesters.

From inside the Wisconsin State Capitol, RAN ally Ryan Harvey reports:

“Hundreds of cops have just marched into the Wisconsin state capitol building to protest the anti-Union bill, to massive applause. They now join up to 600 people who are inside.”

I gather the Saturday deadline to remove the protesters from the Capital did not actually result in any removal, considering close to 100,000 were there yesterday (of course, you wouldn't know it by watching any television as most news programs just couldn't stop "gushing" about the alleged two year anniversary of the tea party). From Politicus USA:

There is a deeper bias evident in the case of the Wisconsin rallies. The corporate ownership of these networks, like most businesses, is anti-union. They assume that all of America is also anti-union, and they have conveniently ignored all the polling that shows the American people are behind the protesters in order to rationalize ignoring the protests.

There was an interesting post up a while back when this all started in Wisconsin and the comparisons were made between Egypt and the protesters. And, that is, while American corporations have been shipping American jobs (especially in the manufacturing sector) overseas to underprivileged and dictatorship controlled countries under the guise of free trade agreements, some of the people in various countries that are starting to revolt against the leaders are just like the people in Wisconsin protesting. That is, they want better wages, better benefits and want to put a stop to the "bottom line" mentality of their employers or their government's stealing what is rightfully theirs. When across the globe, the people stand in solidarity against abusive working conditions and the taking advantage of dictatorships and oligarchies that force their people to live in substandard conditions and have a life that is barely livable, where will these corporations go to get cheap labor? When everyone joins together for the right to earn a decent wage against those that are stealing from the very people whose backs they made their millions off of, equality and justice looms around the corner. That's the deeper issue of these protests in the Middle East -- they want out from under the thumb of oppression, and it's a tough spot for the rich American politicians and the corporations they represent (because by now most Americans are well aware their representatives in government are not beholding to them, but to the fat cats that put the money in their pockets, and I mean this as to all parties, not just the Republicans) as it has always been their position to allow the despots to stay in power in exchange for cheap labor (or oil).

It's a new day approaching. The youth are revolting again, and I for one, am proud to see the lie exposed that there is apathy attributed to the youth, and its perpetration by mass media worldwide, and corporations with a vested interest in keeping young people poor and desperate, is slowly crumbling.



This is a must read piece about what else is really at stake in Wisconsin based on Walker's plans for the state. Courtesy of ThinkProgress:

As the standoff between the Main Street Movement and Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) continues for the twelfth day, much of the media coverage — and anger — from both sides has focused on Walker’s efforts to strip Wisconsin public workers of their right to collective bargaining. But Walker’s assault on public employees is only one part of a larger political program that aims to give corporations free reign in the state while dismantling the healthcare programs, environmental regulations, and good government laws that protect Wisconsin’s middle and working class. These lesser known proposals in the 144-page bill reveal how radical Walker’s plan actually is: (abbreviated by me) -- 1. ELIMINATING MEDICAID; 2. POWER PLANT PRIVATIZATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEGLECT; 3. DANGEROUS DRINKING WATER; 4. DESTROYING WETLANDS; 5. FISCAL IRRESPONSIBILITY; 6. DISENFRANCHISING VOTER; 7. CUTTING JOBS, LOSING THE FUTURE; 8. STIFLING INNOVATION; 9. “NAKED POWER GRAB”; 10. POLITICIZING STATE AGENCIES.

Latest update:

Wisconsin authorities backed away Sunday from a threat to evict hundreds of labor rights demonstrators who have occupied the state Capitol for nearly two weeks.

UPDATE 3/1/11 from FireDogLake:

The Capitol Police were supposed to open the building to the public at 8am. Two hours later they are still not letting anyone into the building. It’s particularly cold out in Madison today, with big crowds outside trying to enter.

[snip]

As you can see, they are really cracking down on access, and particularly what can be brought into the building. They have tried to make it very uncomfortable for people to stay, forcing them to sleep on jackets or the bare floor. They have restricted medical supplies and slowed the supply of food. But according to the CCLC, they are going well beyond these rules and basically blocking access to the building. And this comes after the police told protesters that they would be allowed back in at 8am.

[snip]

This is all tied to the joint legislative session on the budget on Tuesday. Governor Walker really doesn’t want to have to deliver the budget in a building under occupation. I think initially he planned to move locations, but that would not have been legal under Wisconsin state law. So instead of mass arrests and the negative publicity that would have went with it, Walker is going for the slow squeeze.

Local union leaders and the ACLU are working on the issue as we speak. More when I get it…

UPDATED 3/2/11 - Good news about recall efforts of key Republican Senators. H/T to ThinkProgress:

This morning citizens from around the state took the first steps by filing recall papers against key Republican Senators who have stood with Scott Walker and pushed his partisan power grab that will strip thousands of middle class teachers, nurses, librarians and other workers of their right to collective bargaining. And we learned just last night that their disastrous budget that will cut millions from our schools and universities. . . .

Make no mistake, these Republican Senators are vulnerable to recall for their radical partisan overreach. Senator Randy Hopper won his last election by just 184 votes. And Alberta Darling won her last race by only 1,007. By recalling just three of the eight Senators [Democrats] are targeting, [Democrats] can regain control of the Senate.

UPDATE 3/3/11

Now the Republican senate in Wisconsin has passed a resolution (not sure if anything they try to pass without the necessary lone Democrat is legal) that will fine the missing Democrats $100 a day, take away any per diem, and will punish their staff and more.

MADISON - The 14 Wisconsin state Senate Democrats who left the state two weeks ago will now face fines of $100 for each day they miss, if they miss two or more days.

Republicans remaining in the Senate approved the daily fine on Wednesday morning with none of the Democrats present.

[snip]

Republicans have already withheld the checks of missing Democrats from direct deposit and denied access to copying machines for their staff.

According to TODAY'S TMJ4's Mick Trevey, there are punishments incorporated into the resolution which would allow for the removal of offices from senators, to downsize their offices, to take away spending capabilities for their offices for photocopies and office supplies, even to changing the way the staffs are run.

This is so school yard playing. The typical "it's my ball, so I make up the rules" kind of thing. I am really very surprised, in a way, that these Republicans, with not only a majority of the citizens in their own state against them on this (and other) issue, still believe in their own bubble tent that they are right, and all those people outside the Capital and across the state are ALL UNION THUGS. What idiots. The recalls of many Republican senators has already been put in motion. Are they just dolts? As this is playing out across America, do they even think no one is paying attention?

Oh, and I love this new tidbit. Seems those television and radio personalities (think O'Reilly, Hannity, et al.) all, OF COURSE, belong to AFTRA (like Reagan was, and who was PRESIDENT of that union for a number of terms) believe that AFTRA really isn't a union, and they give different reasons for why they feel they aren't union members, despite the fact that their pay and pensions are the result of THEIR UNION's negotiations with the television and radio bosses. Oh, the humanity! It's only public workers whose union is being targeted by these scumbag politicians. God forbid any union they belong in should be targeted. Union for regular people equals bad. Union for idiotic and over payed television and radio right wing nut jobs equals ... long pause ... crickets chirping ....

UPDATE 3/9/11 - A lot happened today. Apparently the Republicans in the Senate "passed" certain portions of the Governor's bill (see more here) without the requisite number of Democrats. Not sure if it is legal or not, but Democrats tried to hold some kind of hearing, which resulted in the Capitol building being open and the protesters being allowed back in (see here with some great video of the protesters).

"Their disrespect for the people of Wisconsin and their rights is an outrage that will never be forgotten," said Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller, D-Monona, in a statement released shortly after the vote. "Tonight, 18 Senate Republicans conspired to take government away from the people. We will join the people of Wisconsin in taking back their government."

What an amazing scene (watched the videos). As an old timer, it warms my innards to know that the young folk are finally finding their protest voice. Keep at it, and know that all of America actually supports you guys, and they are decidedly against what the Wisconsin governor is trying to do. It's not supported even by Wisconsin residents, for goodness sake. I mean, come on, it was bad before with Bush in the White House, but this surge in Republican power grabs that are clearly unconstitutional, not to mention outright wrong (especially when it comes to the supposed "deficit" in Wisconsin that really resulted because of the governor's giving of tax breaks to his buddies like the Koch brothers, et al) is definitely giving ammunition to recall efforts, among other things. Don't be surprised when there is a definite trending in the opposite direction in 2012. This just makes me sick to my stomach to watch one man think he is god and can run an entire state solely on his personal agenda.

I was raised in a show business family, of which most belonged to AFTRA, SAG or AFM. I grew up knowing about unions, and just what they did for actors and musicians. Sports unions abound in professional sports. Collective bargaining is just a part of labor life for many, many Americans. And now the rich oligarchs just want to turn back the clock 100 years so that the robber baron lifestyle can return, and child labor will be the norm.

(Hate The Marks This Keyboard Makes On Head When Banging Head On Keyboard).

Feel free to click on the link below at the end of every page where I have placed my two cherished organizations, PBS and ACLU, for donations - since the inception of this blog. The private sector has to step up for what the Republican fear mongers continue to take away from us ... our freedoms.

Unbelievable. This is how Republicans want to rule. Just take over. Not even the slightest pretense of actually following a just order or a proper procedure as an elected official. Ram it down your throat improperly. All Hail Caesar as they say, e tu?

Great post over at ThinkProgress about options Wisconsin residents have to repeal this gawd awful bill and a step-by-step process to ensure that this never happens again. It's a must read.

UPDATE 3/13/11:


It is estimated that over 100,000 protesters converged on Madison, WI yesterday.

For two years, tea party activists and their allies in the GOP have claimed that the hard-right movement represents the true beliefs of the American people. But the crowd in Madison and numerous polls tell a different story.

H/T to ThinkProgress.

"Please, sir, I want some more."

Well, it's that time again, where the Republicans in Congress are informing everyone else that unless entitlement programs are cut, they will not raise the debt ceiling, which is, of course, a must.

One really has to wonder after all these years of unpaid for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, why any American at all would say yes to cutting their own Social Security benefits, or Medicare. If this was a lesson for elementary school children, cutting defense spending would be the first and only choice. Millions and millions of people will be affected by the Republican plans. Turning America into a third world country, with despots running every state, and an oligarch in the White House, is not how I thought I'd spend my retirement years. Hell, what retirement, eh? According to the Republicans, just work longer. Easy for them to say (and many Democrats too) as they only receive government benefits on top of their million dollar fortunes that got them into Congress in the first place. Don't take their government health care away from them, just take it away from the rest of America. Let's not fund the infrastructure of America, let's give this money away to defense contractors blowing shit loads of cash in Iraq and Afghanistan for their infrastructure, which by the way, is still looking like shit despite the years and billions that have been handed over to foreign countries. Let's continue to support financially countries like Saudi Arabia and Libya, but let's not feed our own citizens. Let them die in the streets of hunger, or freeze to death in the winter because they simply do not have enough money to pay to heat their homes. How many deaths have we had so far that fit that particular scenario, eh? (And, no, I'm not Canadian, but it just seems a fit word - eh?).

People, wake up. The Horatio Alger myth is no longer an option for our young kids. There is no ability to pull yourself up from the proverbial bootstraps and make yourself wealthy. The only options are to be worker bees or be the queen bee. And since there are only a limited number of queen bees but tons and tons of worker bees, you can pretty much count yourself out of the running of queen bee. Most of Americans will never be anything more than a worker bee. And then you die, thanks to Republican (and blue dog Democratic) policies.

What I really truly do not understand is why the wealthy in America (those very, very, very few), and especially the wealthy politicians, feel the need to not share the wealth? Especially considering the Christian motif that generally surrounds those that espouse the "I am rich and you are not" policies keeping the poor in their place. It is the opposite of Christ's teachings to hoard wealth. That's common knowledge -- among everyone, even those who aren't Christian! But in God's name, and American patriotism, the rich politicians bury this country under needless debt so they can continue to hoard the money built off the backs of the rest of America. Compassion is a dirty word in politics -- when did that happen?

It's heartbreaking to see this country go down the tubes as a whole. I can't say I never imagined this happening, though. I realized back in the 1980's that the destruction of the world as we know it would be a financial meltdown, and it would start and end with the United States. People back then thought I was crazy. Hell, we were still fighting the imaginary Communist Russians and fearing the rise of power in China. Now Russia has been broken up into smaller countries, and China has more money than God, and owns most of America.

The rich have sold out this country. But that still isn't enough for them. They won't rest until this country reverts to what it was 100-200 years ago. "Please, sir, I want some more."

Get used to that phrase. And get used to the answer as well, my friends.

We Just Need To "Buck Up" So The President Says

Admonishing his own party, President Barack Obama says it would be "inexcusable" and "irresponsible" for unenthusiastic Democratic voters to sit out the midterm elections, warning that the consequences could be a squandered agenda for years.

"People need to shake off this lethargy. People need to buck up," Obama told Rolling Stone in an interview to be published Friday. The president told Democrats that making change happen is hard and "if people now want to take their ball and go home, that tells me folks weren't serious in the first place."

Sorry dude, but I think you've got the story backwards. YOU need to shake off this lethargy and get YOUR ass to work! We, the ones you keep wanting to make go away, but want to vote Democratic party ticket anyway, we got you and the majorities into the House, Senate and White House. We did that, Mr. President, and now you tell us to be satisfied with what little you have accomplished because it is "hard?" Hmmmm, now where have I heard before that being president is "hard" work? Oh yeah, that was Bush's favorite line, wasn't it!

And to now use the phrase that we want to take our ball and go home, that's just hitting below the belt to YOUR OWN minions, prezzie darling. You really just fucking lost the last few of those that were still trying to convince the rest of us to just give you another chance. Name calling, in this age of politics, is for the other side, damn you, not to be used against those that have expressed frustration that you are simply a loser at being president, and that you have NOT, let me repeat, NOT done what you said you would do. Don't throw that piece of shit health care at me because you and I and most of the progressives know you caved in from day one, and never ever tried to put the bill out there that we all NEEDED, let alone wanted. Don't toss out the stimulus package as an accomplishment, because we all KNOW it was TOO LITTLE and was only a band aid on what is yet to come. Catering to big business on all levels over WE progressives is an insult, and you sir, can reap the rewards of that insult. Go ahead and count on your corporate dollars, cuz they ain't gonna do shit when it comes time to actually vote ... we the PEOPLE have to actually submit a ballot, not your corporate donors. So you suck it up.

Prez, old buddy, we are sitting this one out, and tough shit for you and your corporate cronies. Not a dime has been coming into your coffers from we out here in fringe land as you like to call us while your hand is out begging. Nada dollars and nada votes. Remember, as John reminded readers, Bush got his agenda passed quite regularly, and he did it with 50 to 55 votes! So this excuse of a "super majority" problem isn't going over well with those of us that fucking gave you the damn 60 you needed! Don't you get it at all? We gave you the power to push the agenda, and YOU FUCKING CAVED at each and every battle. Sure you talk a good talk, but you ain't walked the good walk ... and now a lot of you will be walking ... bye bye.

If I'm going to be lied to, have my privacy invaded, be asked to agree to Democratic positions just because that is what the "party" has decided it stands for, etc., I might as well go back to letting the idiots run the show. At least when we go down the drain, we can blame it on them, because right now, the stink is all over you, Obama, and your entire majority in the House and in the Senate. It was your one and only chance to do something great, and just like most rookie quarterbacks, you called the wrong calls, threw the ball short, and your coach (ahem, Rahm, ahem) have called for punting way too fucking much.

Good luck trying to pry us from sitting on our hands this year. You dealt this hand of cards, and it's just too bad for you that the progressives are not going to ante up in this election.

"Stop Whining?" WTF?

This is, I believe, the third time that Obama (twice) and Biden (once) have recently belittled the Democratic base heading into this election. It's now clearly a White House strategy, for at least its wealthiest fundraisers, to knock the base of the party. That base would include labor, Latinos, gays, women, environmentalists, health care advocates, and more.

[snip]

The President, rather famously, routinely refuses to stand up to conservative Democrats and Republicans, and it's likely the primary reason we're about to lose the House. The President insisted on compromising out the gate on the stimulus - rather than asking for the amount of money we needed, he asked for half, then gave another 35% away in near-useless tax cuts, cutting the impact of the emergency legislation even further. The entire country, all of us with friends and family members currently out of a job, are paying dearly for this mistake. So for him and his to tell us and ours to stop whining is pretty pathetic. It's also a pretty idiotic strategy a month out from a crucial election.

John keeps hitting the nail on the head on this one, and I concur. I do not understand the abusive tone from the White House concerning the progressives, the GLBT groups, minorities, etc. And, if that was not enough, I get hit over the head from the "other" side of the progressive agenda (you know, the DK group) to just hold my nose and vote for the Democrats in my voting pool because, you know, they are better than the Republicans. Ya think?

How's this for NOT being better than the Republicans. From Glenn Greenwald:

At this point, I didn't believe it was possible, but the Obama administration has just reached an all-new low in its abysmal civil liberties record. In response to the lawsuit filed by Anwar Awlaki's father asking a court to enjoin the President from assassinating his son, a U.S. citizen, without any due process, the administration late last night, according to The Washington Post, filed a brief asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit without hearing the merits of the claims. That's not surprising: both the Bush and Obama administrations have repeatedly insisted that their secret conduct is legal but nonetheless urge courts not to even rule on its legality. But what's most notable here is that one of the arguments the Obama DOJ raises to demand dismissal of this lawsuit is "state secrets": in other words, not only does the President have the right to sentence Americans to death with no due process or charges of any kind, but his decisions as to who will be killed and why he wants them dead are "state secrets," and thus no court may adjudicate their legality.

Kind of makes me sick to my stomach to know that the President I voted for, and actually had such high hopes that he would be so much more different than the Bush regime, turns out to be actually far worse than Bush. I know, I am shaking my head at that, because it's so obscene, but I personally believe it to be true. Bush's administration knew they were fucking with civil liberties and all that, but at least they tried to hide it. Obama's administration is just in your fucking face with the same crap of arguments that Bush's team threw out.

I'm stymied at this, for sure, and there is absolutely no way in hell I'm putting any more Democrats in office. Let the Republicans take over. At least we know they are nutjobs (most of them). We expect more from Democrats. We expect more from the so called liberals we elect.

I'm not eating the pablum any more. I'm done with it. Let this country go to hell, because we can't fix it if our only choices are "more of the same, please" regardless of party!

Gonna go back to my football game, and try to stay cool! Hey, just noticed the temperature dropped to 95! Yippee! This calls for an early cocktail, ahem.

Daley Out, Emanuel In?

Bringing Obama's approval rating from the 70s to the low 40s was quite an accomplishment. One of Rahm's job was to make sure that the first two years of the Obama administration didn't mimic the first two years of Clinton. Great job with that.

My prayers will so be answered if the very first presidential decision that Obama made (hiring Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff) is finally a bad experiment that is ending. Obama cannot possibly have a deaf ear as to what many Democrats feel about Emanuel's impact on this presidency, and he would be a fool to not replace Emanuel FINALLY with someone that actually has a pulse (and one that is on the real Americans that the President is supposed to represent).

Good Grief Charlie Brown! Now Harry Reid Joins The Insanity

More stupidity in Washington over the planned Muslim community center in NYC. This time, it is Democrat Harry Reid, of all people!

I totally, totally, totally do not understand these people. The foaming at the mouth, over the top level of hate, astounds me. The demonizing a religion that is fast overtaking the world is sheer stupidity, coupled with an enormous amount of ignorance. From claims that Islam is not a religion, to claims that Islam is the voice of the devil or demonology, just blows my mind.

America is NEVER, ever, going to go backwards, people. This land that was invaded to begin with back before it became the country we know as the United States of America, already was populated with indigenous people of dark skin, from the south and from the north. And yet, despite the fact that white people were not the natural population of this continent, white Americans believe that somehow, the good ole USA is supposed to be for white people only. The meme is to get back to our roots, which really is inane when one actually ponders that thought, because the roots of white people were never in this country to begin with!

The religious superiority claims of the white Christians who somehow have been brain drained and fed some sort of crap that God wants America to be white and Christian totally belies the fact that this country was founded (however illegal it may have been) on immigration -- of people of all ethnic and religious backgrounds. As each successive wave of immigrants arrived, however, older Americans (whom I can pretty much say with some sense of truthfulness probably cannot trace their origins to a purely white background, given the merging of cultures throughout the world -- many white people who have their DNA tested for their origin of race find out that they have percentages of Native American, sub-Saharan and eastern European in their DNA!) I would bet that one would be hard pressed to find a "pure" white American these days.

I am totally opposed to those that are stirring up untruths about Islam and Muslims, and who are projecting their rancid ideology onto the general public under the guise of concern for the sanctity of ground zero. The idiocy of such concern is borne out by the very REAL fact that there is currently a mosque in the Pentagon! The fucking Pentagon, which was also attacked on 9/11! Where are the crowds calling for it to be closed because of the "hallowed ground" theory? Um, not gonna happen. So, next time you hear someone voicing a very stupid opinion about the Cordoba House, why not ask them about the mosque in the Pentagon. Come to think of it, why not ask Harry Reid why it's ok to have a mosque in the Pentagon, which was also attacked, and where people lost their lives, but it's not ok to have a community center, albeit, a Muslim center, a few blocks from ground zero?

Another reminder of the fact that the Democratic party is spineless, inept, seriously afraid of its own shadow, and clearly not representative of the progressive and liberals that it is supposed to represent.

Harry Reid -- you are one stupid individual. You need a good slap upside your head.

Gibbs Is An Ass, But Hold That Thought -- My Comments Later

I' m not silent on the Gibbs fiasco today, but I can't really post a cognizant comment today. Besides the initial outrage, which has been covered immediately by the big blogs (we of the "professional left" whatever the fuck that means), which I share, there's everyone on the "professional left's" comments that have to be absorbed and commented on, as well.

Expect light and airy posts this week. In my legal real work world, I have an opposition to a summary judgment motion due Thursday morning, and so my office is busy, and I am exhausted by keeping up with the other day to day stuff and still assisting on the opposition creation (from discussing law and research on that law to basic clerical stuff like typing).

Hope Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Only Anger

The funny thing is, our government, in toto, is actually very much uninterested in what Americans want. It is as if politicians have allowed politics to actually be a job, a job unfortunately, one has to lobby to keep either every two years, every four years or every six years. So, the job of a politician is to lobby, and from the first day after they are elected, they lobby their entire term to stay where they are. This, sadly, has become quite known to many Americans (although that 24% of the stupid people don't even have a clue about this).

It has become maddeningly magnified by how waste, bad governing, and inattention to the constituency is just part of the daily job. And since lobbying is the job, in and of itself, any duty that, say, our congressional leaders owe to perform on the platform they ran, or govern in the manner in which they told those that elected them they would, once on the job, all that goes out the window as the politician has begun his actual job, lobbying.

Waste is an interesting topic. One of the reasons the government can never trim the waste is because those that cause the waste pay the politicians the most money to be able to continue to waste. So when The Washington Post does a three piece spread (here) concerning the "secret government" that virtually controls American lives (by "spying" illegally and legally), no politician jumped on it. The point of the piece was that this vast "secret government" which started out to be of national security importance, has turned into an unmanageable and poor functioning apparatus of the government such that hundreds of billions of dollars are being wasted.

Now, in this time of recession bordering on depression, and the mantra of the entire Republican party centering on "balance" with regards to budgetary ideology, you would think that someone would address this form of waste. Unfortunately, for Americans, our politicians figure that "waste" is helping those out of work, those unfortunate "teachers" who educate the majority of American children (because none of the politicians whose job is lobbying actually have children in public schools, so they don't care that teachers just don't make enough to live on), or in any jobs bill, or further stimulus package, or proper health care (remember, many of our elected lobbyists are actively lobbying funds to repeal the help to average Americans for affordable health care).

No, and that is because the people affected by those choices are American people, not the corporate people, a class we now have thanks to the Citizen's United decision. Even though actual American people are the only ones that can line up outside a voting booth, and put a mark down for a candidate, the corporate people have control over which politician will be elected, and what that politician's agenda will be. And so, as for the Washington Post expose, the very people involved in the "secret government," like AT&T and other surveillance giants, pay far too much money in kickbacks and in seeing that the lobby job of our politicians is carried out, such that the elected lobbyist would not actually try to cut this source off, regardless of how much American tax payer money is used to funnel the money to them. Nary a peep from our representatives in Washington except how irresponsible the Post was for actually doing the piece. No waste here. Move along. Nothing to see.

The sad part of this is that it is not exclusive of the Republican party. Democrats, Independents, and yes, some Progressives, once they get the "job," they realize that it is not to do the bidding of the real people that elected them, but to do the work of the corporate people who will see that they are still in their job and who will fund them quite handsomely to stay there.

The corporate people running the war that is destroying the lives of the real people in America will never give up their free line at the soup kitchen of the American government's tax monies. No sireee. And, thanks to all the tax breaks many of these corporates get from that same soup kitchen, the relationship is so symbiotic that neither side really is able to cut the other side off, for risk of dying.

It has come to that. We had that one moment of light that "a change is gonna come" feeling, in 2008,


when led by a grassroots coalition made up mainly of American people networked through the Internet, elected the first African American president, and overwhelmingly placed the Democratic party in charge. But after 18 months, and an upcoming "two year" job election by our elected lobbyists on the horizon, the focus from day one of Obama and the rest of the Democrats, Independents and Progressives the real people put in charge, things have not only not changed, some of stayed the same, and many have become worse. There are a small cadre of real people and corporate people that have something on the line in trying to highlight what the 2008 elected lobbyist actually did for the real people, but most of us already know what was done to us, because our collective asses really hurt.

And many of us with sore asses just won't get up come this November to stand in a line and punch a hole, when we already know we are screwed. Hell, the gas money alone to get to the polling place could probably feed a family of four at McDonalds.

At some point, this recession will turn into the depression, as the haves continue to hoard, and the have nots continue to be mislead, mistreated, maligned and ignored.

Hope doesn't seem to live in America anymore. But, anger, certainly is on the rise.

Addendum: Funny, after I put up this piece, AMERICAblog links to this article by Judy Woodruff, who addresses the same sentiments in my post, but takes the "change" part and gives it more "umph" as well as links and actual "changes" that have not come about, or just barely made a dent.

When "it" is in the air, "it" is in the air everywhere.

Media Lost When It Comes To Obama

John pretty much sums it up.

I just don't understand when I read stories like this from good reporters in the NYT:

If passage of the financial regulatory overhaul on Thursday proves anything about President Obama, it is this: He knows how to push big bills through a balky Congress.

President Obama has said that he believes the agenda he has pursued is “the right thing to do for America.” But Mr. Obama’s legislative success poses a paradox: while he may be winning on Capitol Hill, he is losing with voters at a time of economic distress, and soon may be forced to scale back his ambitions.

He knows how to push big bills through Congress?

Mr. Obama has done what he promised when he ran for office in 2008: he has used government as an instrument to try to narrow the gaps between the haves and the have-nots. He has injected $787 billion in tax dollars into the economy, provided health coverage to 32 million uninsured and now, reordered the relationship among Washington, Wall Street, investors and consumers.

But as he has done so, the political context has changed around him. Today, with unemployment remaining persistently near double digits despite the scale of the stimulus program and the BP oil spill having raised questions about his administration’s competence, Mr. Obama’s signature legislation is providing ammunition to conservatives who argue that government is the problem, not the solution.

He's done what he promised during the campaign?

[snip]

Take the stimulus. The reporter notes that Obama "has injected $787 billion in tax dollars into the economy." Yes he has. And it wasn't enough, he knew it wasn't enough, and now we have nearly 10% unemployment as a result, hurting Democrats' chances for re-election in the fall, and dooming the country to a listless recovery for years to come. How is that something to laud? Is it better than nothing? Yes. But so is the doctor who gives the patient only half of his needed cancer meds. It's certainly better than nothing. It's also malpractice.

When the economy is on death's door, you don't push for half of what you know is needed. The President did just that. It's what he does on most legislation, and most of his promises. He pushes for half, or at least something far less than what he promised. He pushes for half from the outset. Not at the end when you might have to compromise, but from the beginning. And that's his problem, and the reason, at least one of the reasons, so many Democrats and Independents are unhappy with him. He comes off weak.

Either the media is truly stupid, or they think the rest of us are. Or both. The problem with the left and progressive liberals who supported Obama and his "agenda" prior to his election is that we have soured on him these first two years. He's a half-assed president, that doesn't have the cajones to push for what he promised. It's an old song we've been singing for about a year now. But, like John states in his post, to have the NYT try to equate Obama's actions as accomplishments, when in fact, they are sell-outs, especially when the Democrats have the majority, is irresponsible. Well, except when your audience is the stupid people. And in this case, the targeted audience are the stupid people that actually believe Obama has accomplished something, when what he's accomplished is one compromise after another.

Is There An Agenda To Their Stupidity?

It's funny, my last few posts have been about how the American "people" seem to be not getting it based on all the forces of the Republican lie machine working (big business, money, lobbyists, PAC's, etc.), and lo and behold, AMERICAblog has a post, with more links (yeah, bust me, I'm tired sometimes of having to always "document" my rant) pretty much on target with what I put up, um, what, yesterday? "I think Jon Alter has seriously soiled himself here." And, here I thought I was in the gutter with the "doo doo" reference!

Just saying.

"... What if all of these "mistakes" aren't mistakes at all, but careful calculations? If so — and here I return you to Joe's point at the start of this post — it's working. No needle of outrage has moved; no Obama policy has been nudged toward change I can believe in. (In fact, "Team Change You Can Believe In" has managed to rebrand itself — "Team No Change You Can Notice" is sadly closer to the mark.)

A strategy this successful (admit it — it really is successful) is neither a series of "gaffes" nor the product of idiots. So best be prepared. I think we need to batten down, folks.

I've said a million times — Big Money enables Republicans and neuters Democrats. Money is handing a fortune to Republicans for this next election, and threatening Dems if Dems don't toe the line.

Money has all the bases covered. Money controls both opponents and the media who report the story. (If you have time, check out this from Digby — I think Jon Alter has seriously soiled himself here. I wish I had the video.)

And the people? They seem to be passing through this staged event like Disney patrons in super-size shirts and shorts moving to the next faux presentation. (And it probably won't surprise you to learn that, according to this new study, the only effect that facts have on the already-cemented-in is to harden the cement.)

Love the new GP contributor!

Cleaning House, NOT

Ok, so trolling AMERICAblog for stories. Bite me.

This one, though, is just as interesting as the last piece about the lemonade stand!

My point? It's not about this hangnail. Adams, having done a fine small job, will be rewarded and fade. It's about what happens when you leave Republican insurgents to operate in a "Democratic" administration. Adams worked at the DOJ until the middle of this year. Think about that — 18 months in Obama's voting rights enforcement division.

Digby wonders how many more like him there are. I wonder why Obama didn't clean house the day he walked in the door. There are people like Adams (and McChrystal) all through his administration.

I mean that seriously — why didn't he clean house? We shouldn't be stopping at the question. We need to be finding the answer.

GP

What Is The Point Of A Majority If You Can't Get Anything Accomplished?

While I certainly can't speak to Bennett's motivations or state of mind, I think his observations about Republicans are critically important. The party that once liked to throw around the "party of ideas" moniker has become devoid of almost all thought. Indeed, in most GOP circles, ideas themselves are suspect -- they're probably the result of some kind of egg-head intellectual who reads books instead of watching Fox News.

Bennett has to be frustrated that his career his is ending because members of his own party were outraged that he tried to solve problems by working with other senators (i.e., his job). But the more important point is that the development itself is evidence of a Republican Party with a kind of reflexive sickness -- an allergy to substance, problem-solving, compromise, and reason.

Interesting point from Steve Benen.

I was reading an earlier piece at Benen's site, The Washington Monthly, concerning the lock step approach to governing adhered to by the current Republican party by threatening members who "stray" from their ideological viewpoints with such things as taking away chairmanship of committees, among other things. While that has been common knowledge by most people, whether in politics or not, what comes to mind, as was noted in the article I read, was why the Democrats don't take the same type of approach. The point was made that if the Democrats HAD taken this road, most of the agenda that Obama tried to pass WOULD have passed. Instead, the inept Democratic party caved in all the time on everything that the Republican party did not like since Obama came into office and the Democratic party took over Congress. And even WITH the caving, the Republican party stayed together on it's "NO" votes, regardless of how much the Democrats gave them in concessions.

Imagine how much better the economy and life would be right now if only the Democrats figured out that they ain't gonna get no bipartisanship votes. We stormed the White House and Congress in 2008 for the sole purpose of overriding the bullshit that had been passing for government the past eight years under the Bush Administration, and right after that, the Obama Administration started playing pussyfoot with the other side. The end result is the complete mess we have today. Nothing major by way of any reform ... all half ass crap that doesn't go far enough to change the direction this country is heading in. And, of course, the failure of Obama to even attempt to try to push through the more progressive concepts he (supposedly) ran on. In fact, it is quite clear that Obama is distancing himself from the man we all rooted for during the campaign.

And for what? That is my big question. No one on the Hill that has an "R" next to his name likes him. Many, in fact, despise him, still think he's not an American citizen and is a Muslim! And the Blue Dogs ... well they mostly just shit on him, like good little doggies.

What is the point of a fucking majority if you can't get anything accomplished?

Billy Boy, No One Gives A Shit About You Anymore!

Former President Bill Clinton returned to his home state Friday to help a beleaguered ally and delivered a broadside against some of the most powerful interests in the Democratic Party.

Using unusually vivid language to describe the threat against Sen. Blanche Lincoln, Clinton urged the voters who nurtured his career to resist outside forces bent on making an example out of the two-term Democratic incumbent.

He pounded the podium with Lincoln at his side, warning that national liberal and labor groups wanted to make her a “poster child” in the June 8 Senate run-off to send a message about what happens to Democrats who don’t toe the party line.

“This is about using you and manipulating your votes to terrify members of Congress and members of the Senate,” Clinton said in the gym of a small historically black college here.

Um, yeah, that's about right, Mr. Clinton! When the Democratic party, and the President promise "Change You Can Believe In," and then give is "The Same Old Song And Dance," then of course we liberals are going to do our damnest to unseat those Democrats that are not towing the party line. And I don't mean the corporate party line, I mean the people party line. Blanche Lincoln must go, and I for one, am proud to say that I have contributed not once, but twice, to Bill Halter's campaign! Thank god for ActBlue.

Bill Clinton to stump for Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas

Yeah, that's almost as stupid as letting Monica suck your dick, dude.

And who the fuck REALLY CARES if it was a prior commitment? I mean, you had a commitment to Hillary and you blew her off ...LOL.

Bill, do the right thing. Pass on Blanche. It's not like she's going to suck your dick or anything.

Sending more of MY MONEY to Bill Halter, damn it.

Another Obama Failure - Siding With Specter Against Sestak

Most of us that voted for Obama did so because we were hoping that the change promised would manifest itself during his presidency. As soon as Obama let Rahm Emanuel into his circle as his Chief of Staff, a huge gasp was heard around America from the liberal camp. Most of us remember how Emanuel as head of Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee butted heads with Howard Dean as head of the Democratic National Committee, and who won that battle (Dean did, with his 50 state strategy and placing good money on good candidates in all 50 states, which is how we ended up with the damn congressional majority in the first place). In fact, had we gone the route of Emanuel and his committee choices, the democrats would still be the minority.

Well, they're at it again in Pennsylvania. The DNC is pouring good money in there to support Specter (you know, the guy that was a Republican for most of his political career but suddenly switched sides recently -- and still can't be counted on for a permanent vote anyway) against Sestak. Even the arm of Obama's political campaign unit that morphed from the netroots support into the Organizing for America is in on it.

Sigh ... you know this president is a failure when he can't even tell the good guys from the bad guys. Well, we know how well Obama's support helped out in Massachusetts with the vote to replace Ted Kennedy's seat.

My only hope is that the Pennsylvania democrats will recognize and support a true blue candidate against one that is more purple ...

2010 Might Be Another Banner Year For Democrats, After All

You know, I was pretty sure I was just going to sit out the 2010 election this year because, as most of my readers know, I am not a fan of Obama anymore, based on his lack of progress on his promise of changing America. And, I'm not buying any logic that being president is "hard work," either.

Also, I was pretty sure, based on what most of the liberal and progressives were touting on their websites, that we all felt the same way, and were willing to let the Republicans take over the majority, even if it was by default.

However, unexpectedly, for all of us, the teabaggers came along. They don't really bother me, except for their lack of knowledge about government and their deep reverence for all things Fox. But, they are a problem for the Republican party, because the teabaggers hate many Republicans, if not most, as well.

So, if you add that to the mix, plus the recent actions in the Senate by the whining Republicans who are refusing to let government do its job (never mind the fact that all the Republicans in Congress have en masse voted no on every bill, regardless of how much the Democrats, much to liberals' and progressives' chagrin, catered to their needs and wishes), it's not looking so bad for the Democrats this 2010!

The teabaggers represent a MINORITY of Americans. Fox news (as well as the right wing hate talk radio shows) coupled with all print media (right wing or liberal) and TV (cable and non-cable) only reach approximately 10% of the 300+ million Americans. See my post here from 2008 that indicates 90% of Americans do not get their news views from quote main stream media unquote.

There are more registered Democrats than Republicans, and the base of the teabagger movement is close to 100% Republican in origin (give or take a few percentage points). Which, pretty much rules out any effective takeover of Congress in 2010 by the Republicans!

The party of no, of violence, of intolerance, of hatred, of racism, of bigotry, of homophobia, of war, of religiosity, of lies, of deception, of greed, of white power (I could go on, and on, and on) will most likely not be representative of this country come 2010. They simply don't have the numbers, despite what the main stream media tries to say to the 10% that watch/read/listen to them. And, with Jerry Brown in the mix for Governor of California ... (grins) I guess I might have to just go to the polls in 2010 after all!