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I occasionally have the chance to listen to Bill Press’s morning radio show, but had been having trouble listening for very long recently because Press had taken on the mantle of Booster Club member, actively defending Barack Obama as Obama and his team engaged in hippie punching leading up to the midterm elections. That is why it was so surprisingly refreshing to catch a bit of the program this morning and to hear Press and his listeners ranting this morning about how they will completely give up on Obama if he caves in to Republican pressure and extends the Bush tax cuts for the highest income brackets.
Press and his listeners were doing a tremendous job of parsing Obama’s language in his attempt to claim that he doesn’t want to extend the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Watch the video, and you will note that what Obama really says is that he doesn’t want to permanently extend those cuts. Press correctly points out that this means Obama is planning a “compromise” in which the cuts will be “temporarily” extended. And of course, when those temporary extensions are about to expire, say in 2012, they will just be extended again and again. Also note that CNN’s Ed Henry is incapable of seeing the duplicity, as he headlines his article accompanying the video with “Obama says he’s not caving on tax cuts”.
So I would like to take this opportunity to extend a hearty welcome to former Booster Clubbers. Yes, we DFH’s get punched now and then, but we at least know that we are adhering to our principles and not selling out to the continued transfer of wealth from the poor and middle class to the rich. For a bit of remedial reading on this topic, today’s column by Paul Krugman is a must, where he completely destroys Obama’s Catfood Commission:
It seemed obvious, as soon as the commission’s membership was announced, that “bipartisanship” would mean what it so often does in Washington: a compromise between the center-right and the hard-right.
/snip/
It will take time to crunch the numbers here, but this proposal clearly represents a major transfer of income upward, from the middle class to a small minority of wealthy Americans. And what does any of this have to do with deficit reduction?
/snip/
It’s no mystery what has happened on the deficit commission: as so often happens in modern Washington, a process meant to deal with real problems has been hijacked on behalf of an ideological agenda. Under the guise of facing our fiscal problems, Mr. Bowles and Mr. Simpson are trying to smuggle in the same old, same old — tax cuts for the rich and erosion of the social safety net.
So, welcome former Booster Clubbers, one and all. We have no dress code here, and the only requirement is a desire to make our country better by promoting an economic playing field that is no longer tilted in favor of large corporations and the ultra-wealthy.
Thanks for listening. I’ll be here all week.
103 Comments
I noticed the same phenomena while I was listening to Ed Schulz. He was talking about Obama and tax cuts for the wealthy, gutting Social Security, and trade deals, and he and his listeners were not defending Obama. Interesting. Probably short-lived, but interesting.
I say welcome to the Booster Clubbers, too.
Since the mid-terms are over, there is no reason to carry water any more. I had hoped for this, and maybe I’m beginning to see a bit of it. The talking heads did their GOTV duty of campaigning for the Dems, and now that election day is gone, they can use this opportunity to speak truth to power.
This will be short-lived. When the Republicans get control of the House next year, the talking heads will invest their time into defending Obama from the evil Republicans, giving him cover to pursue more corporate-friendly policies.
Interesting theory. Especially if Issa succeeds in having as many “investigations” as he wants.
Many people still get emails from Obama, whitehouse, michelle etc. …. I would be ask all Democrats to unsubscribe to those emails.
GREAT to know that I’m not the only one who feels that way. I’ve already given up on Obama but I’ll give the Democratic Party up in it’s entirety if they extend the cuts for the rich. Period.
If Issa succeeds, there will be no need to defend Obama. The best thing for the talking heads to do would be to present it as news and let it go at that. Issa will hang himself and the Republicans.
Well, yes and no. It also helps to see what arguments are being use with those they still consider to be their supporters.
I’d like to think so. At least that’s how Whitewater and the Clinton impeachment turned out.
The President is going to have one term and here is the reason, IMHO…He was elected to do and fight for “the right thing”. The “right thing” is to fight for, and just not talk about fighing for the middle class and values. He has not done that. And while I know politics is the art of compromise, he has done all the compromising while the GOP said “hell no” and the President compromised on healthcare reform, the war in Afghanistan, etc. Now on taxes he is again offering to compromise to what…the GOP position? That is not compromising it is giving into blackmail from the right. Enough, please! Make the GOP filibuster; make them bring out the mattresses; make them defend having all the tax cuts expire; make them answer for once. And, since the President is only going to have one term; do the right thing!
And leave the insults and name calling to the Obama administration please.
Welcome.
I agree, albeit conservative voters will love to trot happily after Issa seeing all kinds of nefarious socialism surrounding the “Kenyan pretender.” Many conservative voters are totally nuts and will happily immerse themselves in Issa’s lunacy.
And keep in mind, economic times were GOOD then. Do you really think even the ‘baggers want endless hearings when they also are worried about their jobs? Yeah, I’m sure the racists wouldn’t have a problem with it but fortunately they are a small and shrinking minority of the public.
I’ve been thinking about Issa and “investigations”. No doubt most of us have.
Obviously the Republicans know that they can pass whatever they want in the House, but with little real chance of getting anything through the Senate.
So, the House will spend most of its time on investigations – not necessarily to impeach, at least not right away, but to “expose” reasons to craft legislation that “protects” America from the supposed offenses discovered by the “investigations”, and to obstruct everything not controlled by conservatives.
The legislation will be intended to discredit, humiliate, give talking points to Fox News, etc, and will be intended to die in the Senate, generating additional talking points about the evil obstructionist Dems.
Obama, in what seems to be his stubborn ongoing efforts to capitulate to everything conservative, will have to defend himself from the same people to whom he capitulates. Not just bowing to the Republicans, but bowing and scraping.
To me, it all seems like the obvious path.
Welcome to anyone ready to see the reality of what’s been happening during the Obamaco Admin. Obama is not the “friend” of the “small people.” Obama is the ultimate Trojan Horse POTUS sent forth by the rich, powerful and connected to destroy the Democratic party from within.
Obama’s apparent caving on tax cuts especially bothered the folks at Huffington Post, whom I consider to be former Obama loyalists. This itme, it seemed like a lot of them were finally seeing the light. What next–an apology to the PUMAs?
It was sad yesterday on DailyKos. First they said, “Well, it’s only the Huffington Post, what do they know?” Then it was, “It’s only Politico and the Huffington Post,” then “Now the New York Times is saying it, but really, they’ve got no credibility at all…”
Yeah but those guys aren’t persuadable. That was Rahm’s mistake, thinking that he could tempt conservative voters with conservative “Democrats”.
There’s even rebellion brewing there. I used to get reviled for daring to criticize Obama and now I get beaucoups recommendations for my comments.
I don’t think Issa will hang himself. I think a lot of people would like an investigation of Obama’s handling of the BP disaster, for example.
Just because people–who didn’t have access to as much information as we have now–rallied around Clinton doesn’t mean they’ll rally around Obama. Especially since Obama slapped the most informed people in the face: his base.
Good take on how it might pan out.
Disagree with Krugman column. That commission wasn’t “hijacked”. The outcome of the report has been pre-determined for a year.
Only those willfully blinded by Obama’s alleged charisma or those still pining for a position within the administration could believe – based on the composition of the commission and its stated goal – could believe it was “hijacked”.
Sorry Paul, time to open them eyes and be completely honest with yourself…and your readers.
More than theory, methinks. A pattern. I’ve said it before and will say it again: FDR would be proudly strike the first match setting ablaze and burning to the ground the Democratic Party as it now spinelessly exists.
But FDR can’t be here, so we must do it for him.
(boy I really hate this lack of edit options…)
they also never said they “wouldn’t” extend the tax cuts, how they parsed this further was;
“we will do whatever it takes to get the permanent middle class cuts”
see that?
trying to make believe they are doing something for us so they can really steal from us by giving more of our assets to the wealthy
and THEN they will say, “but we can’t affooooorddddd these jobs, we can’t affooorrrrrd retirment, we can’t affooorrrrddd pay raises, we can’t affooorrrddd cost of living increases”
etc
etc
etc
etcetera, etcetera, etcetera
nice work Jim !
I was busy welcoming scores of Booster Clubbers back to reality yesterday (we’re talking Precinct Captain types) – I’m of a mind that most will never look at this White House the same ol way again
sadly, some will go back – especially if they’re sold the Diamond/Orszag thing of kicking down a few more $$$ in benefits to those below the poverty line -
but the WH has done some very real and permanent damage to their brand this week
and no one’s asked, but I’m a little dismayed that it took ‘caving to Republicans™’ to get them to finally wake up
and not the beyond-Cheney human rights abuses this crew has perpetrated since the get go
Yeah, that one burns.
jim, watch this youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJqM2tFOxLQ&feature=player_embedded
grayson documents, the fed, under no scrutiny what so ever gave trillions of our dollars away and nobody knows where it went, which amounts to about 30,000 dollars for every man women and child, I wonder what kind of stimulous that would have had if we actually got that money instead of rich people
Scarecrow has a fresh cross-post ready: Corporate Welfare Queens and Business Plans
Obama has not compromised on anything yet; he only pretended to compromise.
On health care reform, for example, he cut secret backdoor deals with Big PhRMA and the health insurance companies before the Chairman Baucus of the Senate Finance Committee created his phony bipartisan subcommittee and began to hold hearings. After all was said and done, the final bill that passed contained the agreements Obama secretly wanted. That is, a mandate to buy health insurance, no public option, no cost controls, and a ban on importing cheaper drugs.
To characterize that end result as “this is the best we could do,” is mendacity at its worst.
a little ironic you cite Van Jones – apparently that Booster Club mantle gets passed around – he was busy scolding progressives for ‘eating popcorn, tweeting, blogging about what POTUS has not done’
and otherwise good, highly effective guy now bleating from the veal pen
“an” not “and”
crikey!
When you look at Obama’s positions from the perspective of serving the interests of Wallstreet and Corporations, the contradictions quickly fade away. Wanting to extend tax cuts of the richests while advocating reducing benefits for the rest of us by cutting social security and medicaid looks like a contridiction if it were about the deficit.
But since its about Wallstreet and Corporations, seems perfectly logical to me. The deficit talk is just for PR purposes.
I saw that yesterday, and it did give me pause. But the Van Jones link is to Jane’s definitive post on the Veal Pen, which she just happened to explain on a day when Jones was being railroaded. It is truly ironic though, that on being run out of Washington by Glenn Beck, Jones would end up where he has in the Club.
A little off topic (sorry) but it does involve more WH/Congressional duplicity and I wanted to get it out there.
Via Atrios I find out from CNBC that it looks like our fearless leaders might be getting ready to hand out another get out of jail free card to the banksters.
This time by retroactively legalizing the fraud that is the MERS mortgage system.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/40150186
The important points here are:
1) Watch how bi-partisany Congress gets when it comes to their billionaire bankster buddies.
2) I think this vote (if it happens) will show us the 14 Democratic Senators that will be joining their Republican brothers and sisters to pass the catfood commission recomendations.
Your government has their priorities, and they aren’t the same as yours.
Excellent report, Brother Jim.
Recommended.
“….selling out to the continued transfer of wealth from the poor and middle class to the rich.”
Speaking of the Rich Peoples, er MOTU, stimulus: Legalizing Fraud http://www.eschatonblog.com/2010/11/legalizing-fraud.html
“Now it appears that Congress may attempt to prevent any MERS meltdown from occurring. MERS is owned by all the biggest banks, and they certainly do not want it to be sunk by huge fines. Investors in mortgage-backed securities also do not want to see the value of their bonds sink because of doubts about the ownership of the underlying mortgages.
So it looks like the stage may be set for Congress to pass a bill that would limit MERS exposure on the recording fee issue and perhaps retroactively legitimate mortgage transfers conducted through MERS private database.”
Only if you got skin in the game, and if your house is underwater, ya’ ain’t got squat.
Garry Wills: How did he respond?
He was very prickly. He said: “I’m not a naïve optimist. I know of the difficulties. They’re all being considered and taken care of.” He really cut off this conversation. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/magazine/31FOB-Q4-t.html
Being prickly, the dignity of the office and all, if he was Rahm it would have been: “I’m not naive. How ‘effin retarded!” It’s the Professional Left’s fault.
With respect to deficit shenanigans, just how does cementing in cuts to Social Security that don’t take effect for sixty-five years help the deficit? I couldn’t believe the shamelessness of announcing that – in effect saying Social Security is toast down the line. Talk about encouraging news to tell your grandkids this Christmas. I say fire Alan Simpson and dock his pay for that one.
Behold the Betrayal Parade, where the hits keep on comin’!
All of the Bush tax cuts, including the miniscule ones for people making under $250,000 should be allowed to die a natural death. There is no economic justification in lowering taxes at a time (a) when there are urgent public goods to finance and (b) there is a hair-raising deficit. The whole idea of splitting up the cuts to give people up to $250,000! a break was just politics. Try to isolate the super-rich. But letting them just die is the best policy. Obama gets no credit for the $250,000 exemption, so what’s the point.
Madness, madness, madness!
If Obama can’t find a back bone and be more like F.D.R. I say how about “Alan Grayson” for President. I can’t believe his constituants in Florida didn’t show up at the polls for him.
A monument to shame should be erected in DC and the name of every member of Congress who votes to cut social security should be emblazoned on it.
Better yet, house the monument in a building called the United States Museum of Shame.
I have a feeling they’re going to need more space.
I also was listening to Ed Schultz last night, and for the first time heard him call for a primary challenger to Obama -
- however, he immediately had Papantonio on and staged a question period in which the only name suggested was Hillary Clinton.
I’d call that framing bigtime. But it was nice at least to see the edifice trembling a bit.
I have to agree. The middle class may need some tax breaks, but if its at the cost of letting the richest 2% keep theirs it’s not only not worth it, we can’t afford it.
So sad, but so true.
Press has always struck me as a Democratic operative first and foremost. Perhaps it is now time for him to be drug-tested–an ever expanding list of names in that category…
Unfortunately, this administration has fully proven that it can not learn. It is incapable of learning. The mid-term election has completely and incontrovertably demonstrated this.
“Yes, we DFH’s get punched now and then, but we at least know that we are adhering to our principles and not selling out to the continued transfer of wealth from the poor and middle class to the rich.”
Well Said!
My reply above was directed to the first post by lefttown, got shunted down a space. If folk only read towards the end as I do, I’ll repeat it.
I observed that Ed Schultz last night mentioned that Obama should be primaried, first time he’s done so to my listening. However, he followed with a brief Papantonio interview in which the only name enthusiastically mentioned was Hillary Clinton.
Trying to frame the issue already, get another corporate kowtower into the picture. Third party is looking stronger as that kabuki show isn’t going to fly second time around for me.
thanks for the update on Press. I no longer can listen to the cheerleading progressive radio stations and tired of hearing about the crazy republicans, when it is our very own party leaders that we need to fear. I am tired of people talking about our president “caving in” and being weak. He is not. He is totally not caving into the people of this country. he is representing the people who bought and paid for him and has become one of them.
Slightly OT but as good a place to ask this as any I’ve seen recently – Since Geithner, Bernake & Summers are all Rubin proteges & thus the Clinton’s most likely picks for treasury, would it have made any difference economically if she was president today & not Obama? It always appeared to me when she basically conceded the nomination to Obama while the primaries were still ongoing that there was some sort of deal between her campaign & Obama’s to use the Clinton’s treasury & Fed picks. Yeah I want to see Obama face a primary challenge in 2012 & my suggestion is Howard Dean if he’s willing.
From the Krugman article:
“They want the age at which Social Security becomes available to rise along with average life expectancy.”
Actually, and for the first time since it has been measured, average life expectancy is expected to decline for US citizens. Obesity (over-consumption) and the rise in diabetes due to increasing levels of sugar (corn syrup in damn near everything you can imagine) are a couple of the reasons.
http://www.jonbarron.org/blog/2010/05/life-expectancy-on-decline.html
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2008-releases/life-expectancy-worsening-or-stagnating-for-large-segment-of-the-us-population.html
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/mar2005/nia-16.htm
“By “establishing a process to regularly evaluate cost growth” and taking “additional steps as needed.” What does that mean? I have no idea.”
Here’s a guess: Less health care coverage. Keep kicking the old and sick down the stairs.
You had better get ready. It is a near certainty that the current tax rates are going to be extended. Obama F’d up in that he should have addressed this earlier in his term. Now, there is no way they are not going to be extended. Not because Obama wants to extend them, but because the only other alternative is to extend none of them.
The GOP is perfectly willing to go to the matt on it. And, they won’t suffer any blowback now. So, Obama has to choose between extending none, and getting blamed for it, or extending all, with some maybe for 4 years. (two years if off the table).
Any sane person would extend all. Yes, he could have worked it a year ago, but not now. Yes, he f’d up by getting the timing wrong, but at this point, he has no other alternative.
Though, it is possible that some people are so rabid about the “rich” that they don’t care if everyone’s rates go up if that will stick it to the rich.
Obama mis-read his teleprompter on that one. He thought “right thing” said “right wing.”
Some of those “rabid” people care more about the government having sufficient resources to carry out its infrastructure and social safety net functions more than they care about upgrading their flatscreen TV to 3D.
What level of middle class tax cuts would be necessary to balance out the losses they will incur from shouldering the burden of tax cuts for the rich?
You are right.
First there will be the decision to give tax cuts to the very rich who, I seem to recall a former candidate saying, don’t need them and didn’t ask for them. Then there will be the “tough” decisions (tough for us, not for them, of course) that “we” (that is, they) will have to make regarding social security, etc.
My hatred of Obama is now so bad that it is effecting my health. Has there ever been a more obscene betrayer/Benedict Arnold of a president’s electing voters than Obama? Is he the greatest betrayer of supporters in a Democracy ever? This guy is pure lying subhuman scum. And the betrayals now seem to be just coming faster and faster.
That anyone would work in the administration for this rat-bastard without resigning just blows my mind and shows just how compromised the Democratic Party is.
“Oh no! The Republicans are going to try to impeach him!” Pleeeze… (Edited by Moderator: We’re not going down that road on this site.)
It truly boggles the mind… the complete lack of any kind of negotiation that goes on in the white house or in the administration. First reaction seems always to be… we can’t fight that, let’s just call it a compromise!
Well, at least they did wake up. People always wake up when they have a personal stake in the outcome.
The key now is that we not be divided. I wonder if we’ll see any defectors from the tea party looking to save SS, or perhaps a redefining of their purpose. I am angry with the tea party, as they are providing populist cover for the raid on SS. But I hope that they too wake up and see what is in their interest and I’d certainly welcome them to our movement.
Yeah, yeah. Former Club member here. It feels like a really bad hangover. Of course it’s possible Obama gets the message on this one, as I have seen now in the Times and the Post mentions that many supporters are voicing their intention to jump ship if the tax cuts for the wealthy are extended. So, short-lived, yeah probably. But then again, maybe he doesn’t really want to be re-elected. There’s a lot of money to be made on the public speaking and book circuits….
I would have to agree–even at Kos it appears that the knives are out for Obama, and criticism there in many diaries and comments is now bordering on open ridicule of the prez.
Though I should say that I did get a warning when I upgraded a comment in a photo-op diary that Obama followers must be illiterate, lol.
Yep, you talk about the shock doctrine–one after the other, the daily drumbeat of bad news. When you can’t imagine it getting worse, it does.
Another month of this and I’ll be a zombie, like the banks.
I doubt Obama will reject the commissions findings. After all he’s the one that appointed most of these puds. Seems every action/inaction he’s taken piss off the electorate and only make his handlers(MOTU) happy. He runs for reelection in 2012, gets trounced by Megan McCain and leads the gentile life of a retired, wealthy, connected world misleader, while the GOP takes Congress and the WH.
Then, since you imply you’d be OK with all rates going up, do you think a massive tax increase on all earners would do anything to cut the deficit? Would such an increase boost the economy, leave it the same or cut the legs out from under it?
Again, this question assumes all rates rise, not just some, so an answer regarding the the top rates would not answer the question.
If the rise would boost the economy, then, yes, the deficit would go down due to increased revenues.
Also, I think some of those toward the bottom would more be debating between whether beans or rice as opposed to 2D or 3D TV.
Obama has no alternative at this point. Earlier, yes, it would be caving. Now, he has no alternative, so I don’t call it caving. Stupidity, yes; caving, no.
Talking heads are only attracted to interview or defense of GOPers, as evidenced statistically, I believe, since at least 2001 in the numbers of GOP on talks shows vs Dems.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/30/obama-primary-challenge_n_776443.html
Almost half of all Dems want a primary challenge
Obama the Clarence Thomas of the Demo. party. When do we primary this wanker?
Is there ANYONE on progressive radio who ISN’T a cheerleader for the corporate DLC Democratic party? Thom Hartmann, just this morning repeated how we MUST vote for President Obama in the future purely for the sake of the future Supreme Court. Does anyone at his point believe the President will choose “liberal” candidates in the future? Are they paying attention to what he is doing right now? Ed Schultz, Randi Rhodes, and many of the “so called progressives” have become so entrenched on continuing the corporate message that their voices become irrelevant. Anyone who calls themselves “progressive” (whatever that even means anymore), should NOT be promoting a corporate loving President, nor should they make excuses for the conservatives. But please, do not push a corporate President as my only choice.
I’m just wondering whether those who TRULY believe in historically progressive issues will have a voice in the future at all to balance what is happening to this country. If not, the last century which provided a better society for this country BECAUSE OF PROGRESSIVE ACTIVISM is doomed.
This Commission shows people how bad things could get. How much damage has been done by the Big Bubble scams of 1994-2000 and 2003-2008. There are only two areas where changes to fiscal policy will have sufficient effect:
– Cut back the military and intel operations. counting all the off-books Top Secret expenditures, that is close to $1-trillion. The Commission talks of a $100-billion-a-year reduction, where 500-billion is sensible.
– Weath Tax. The massive redistribution occurred because of Big Bubble welfare to banking insiders and their favored companies. A claw back maxxed at 2%-a-year on wealth at $200-million and more — that is significant with respect to reducing Federal debt. (Start at 0.1% for $10-million, scaled with 1% above $100-million.)
The wealthy became wealthy by investing cheap ZIRP welfare money. Good for them. Now we need it back. 2% of the Top Money’s $20-trillion is $400-billion-a-year.
Budget balanced ! Cocktails at Joe’s Bar on 6th Street.
Did you write in “Nader” in 2008 ?
Maybe its time to wake up that the Republican Party, today, is a full fledged example of American fascism. For that bunch a candidate such as Tom Tancredo is middle-of-the-road. Of course Tancredo’s stump speech did do the “Impeach Obama” line, so maybe he is a leftie blogger ?
President Obama wants business support and he wants to pull in support from folks who formerly supported people like Reagan, Goldwater, and even the Christian right. If there’s such a thing as “PROGRESSIVE ACTIVISM” that goes against this strategy, then it goes against the main techniques for winning presidential elections for the past hundred years.
The alternative, now, to winning elections is seeing America become a Roberts-Cheney-Rove fascist state.
I’m done voting. Doesn’t matter who’s elected, the little guys get fucked. No more. I’m taking care of me and mine and the rest of the world can just fuck itself.
There is very little “progressive activism” in this country now…especially when you compare progressive activism from the past century by groups such those seeking civil liberties, voters rights, workers rights, etc., etc., etc… which was my point. And, I don’t believe as the corporate media and even many on the internet try to convince us that “most people in this country are center-right”. I bet if I listed some of my basic core beliefs in justice and a society which helps each other to lift people up rather than tear them down, that the majority would agree. As for the mid-term election, people are angry and many voted against their own interests. Many people desperately want changes made to how our country is being run (right now by corporations, lobbyists, the wealthy elite and corrupt politicians in Washington D.C. who do their bidding).
Because the Democratic party continued the same failed corporate monied interests policies, there really wasn’t a choice other than “hoping the other party will do something differently” when it is obvious that the game is completely rigged AGAINST the working and middle class. “We the people” can fight against the destruction of our civil liberties and fight for the once strong belief we had in “democracy” by actually taking back our government and electing candidates who represent citizens first…OR, we can sit back, watch the continued takeover of a plutocracy and watch the fast erosion of our country by greed.
If even the “so-called progressive” radio pundits continue the corporate message, who do “we the people” have to represent us? The conservative-corporate agenda put forth by all Presidents (including Democrats) since 1980 has been dismantling this country. It will continue to destroy this country because they are failed policies. As for voting, I have been a lifelong Democratic party member who no longer recognizes that party as representing the interests of the working and middle class. Therefore, they (and obviously the Republicans), have lost my votes for the future.
As for business support, if it was the primary requirement for getting elected, then Republicans should have held the White House and Congress for the past 100 years. Obviously there are other factors involved. We have decades of examples now to illustrate the danger of putting multi-national corporations and global banking interests ahead of those of the citizens. If we fail to recognize this as citizens, we are in big trouble.
I’m sorry, but I think it is the attitude that “I’m taking care of me and mine” which in part has added to the problem we are now seeing. It continues a certain level of chaos among citizens such that we don’t unite cohesively with some basic values. That is exactly the opposite of what we need as a country. We need to start recognizing that we are part of a bigger social group and work together for the common good of all. If we don’t, the plutocrats win and we continue a race to the bottom as everyone fights for “me, me, me”.
$4 Trillion — projected COST over ten years in reduced revenue, adding to federal deficits, if all the Bush era tax cuts are extended past 12-30-10.
$4 Trillion — proposed CUTS over ten years in federal spending by the Cat Food Commission, which while calling for draconian cuts in social programs also gives the wealthiest additional tax cuts and tax loopholes.
Gee, funny how these two figures just happen to match.
The fix is on. A fix, once again, that is only meant to benefit the wealthy at the expense of everyone else in America.
You just don’t get it.
He’s not being duplicitous out of political expediency.
He’s messing with the nature of truth to channel Bush (albeit in a less harmful way) so you can rise up, reject him, and stand up to someone even worse than Bush.
That’s been the central goal of this Administration since the beginning: to undo the bad precedents set by Bush. To rally the people through self-empowerment rather than grandiose rhetoric. Charlatans who crave power give good speeches, too. This is about moving past speeches.
It’s all calculated to make you self-reliant, and it takes real courage and restraint to seem weak.
When will you understand what’s at stake and what he’s doing for this country?
I want what he’s smoking.
“My hatred of Obama is now so bad that it is effecting my health.”
I understand what you’re saying and why you’re saying it, but you have a limited amount of energy, so why would you want to expend any of it on hating the dirty rotten scumbag?
You have the power to detach and change your perspective by focusing on something else for awhile. He’s still going to be there doing terrible things when you drop back in to check out what he’s up to.
I’m not attempting to excuse or minimize the choices he’s making. I’m just saying that obsessing on hating the asshole to the point that your health begins to suffer is ceding too much power to him.
He ain’t worth it.
Let’s all of us instead expend our energy on having fun making his life miserable enough so that he decides to resign or not seek a second term. We make fun of him and heckle him wherever he goes. Maybe even pie him in the face with a shaving cream pie, although that might be a wee bit extreme — not that he doesn’t deserve it. We just want to avoid being clubbed and tasered to death by Secret Service thugs, right?
If that doesn’t work and he still runs for reelection in 2012, we primary his sorry ass.
Meanwhile, we get busy creating a new progressive national party and we pick someone to run for President in 2012.
Very important to keep laughing at the Kleptocrats’s main stooge. Better for our health and it will piss him off a lot more than hating him.
“he is representing the people who bought and paid for him and has become one of them.”
He didn’t just become one of them. He’s been a member of the Club since the eighties when his hero, Ronald Reagan, was President.
You got that right, speakingupnow. Yes, indeed.
I assume that’s a generous helping of snark because it’s hilarious.
So Obama goes to the G20 to ask for currency reform: before that
Bernanke prints $600B cash in order to reduce the value of the
dollar. Exactly what he’s accusing the Chinese of doing. Bernanke
hosed him! Just like that guy in Israel hosed Netanyahu by
announcing new construction in E. Jeruslam (Biden should beware
Netanyahu). Geithner wants to export the financial raid-and-pillage
model by attacking the other economies. Goldman-Sachs needs some new
economies to destroy! So Obama gets hosed by thinking he’s going to
open up Korea. (No foreign cars in Korea.) The banksters created
the mess the US is in. The other countries are doing just fine,
thank you very much.
I think the Obama administration is more like the Vichy government.
Do the Koreans still want the US military there? Some don’t,
some do. But why are we protecting them from the North if they
won’t sign a trade agreement with the US?
Duplicity must be a synonym for malignant narcissism. Obama is double-speaking all the way to the bank. He likes to speak before adoring naive college goers, POTUS is far too much work. He always said he wanted to “BE” President. Once he won, his work was done. At least we can all be comforted that Barry got to play a pick-up game with his billionaire basketball buddies.
Give me a shout when you’re ready to leave personality politics at home and get savvy.
SocSec does nothing to or about the deficit. The Cat Food Commission is there to go after SocSec, as Obama let us all know he would be about doing back in November of 2007 when he said SocSec was in big trouble.
He, an ostensible Dem, can do this, a thing which no Repub prez could.
Only Nixon could go to China, and only Obama can send us to Hell. Well, into deeper penury….
I seem to recall polls showing that most people would rather have all the Bush tax cuts expire. They would rather go without keeping tax cuts for the little people if it means the rich get richer and richer and richer.
Also, the well-off are living longer, but those less well-off are only living about a bit longer.
As Paul Krugman has helpfully pointed out, more than once, but here most recently:
(Uh, where have the HTML shortcut buttons gone? Preview?)
Well, I’ve learned blockquote doesn’t work. Whassup?
The lack of negotiation either means they’re negotiating in such a way we don’t see it. And they’re getting just what they want.
Not what we want, but certainly what Obama et al want.
Obama is the Manchurian candidate for the Republicans, out of choice. Obama is the “frontman” for the Social Security theft charade. Obama’s life of ease from now on is assured, no matter what “role” he has in the Kabuki Theatre used to divert attention.
Obama is not stupid nor are the grifters/MOTU/which “Versailles” has employed to shake America down. this has to be Organized cause it has been so very well done. the genius of using a Black man to steal Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid from the Poor Whites and Poor Blacks.
What Genius!! some screen writer must have given the Republican/Democratic Party a script on how to “Take Down America.” and all this talk about how Republicans hate “Hollywood.” Ronald Reagan was Hollywood’s greatest actor to pull the rug on America. and for the Republicans. life is full of irony.
“That’s been the central goal of this Administration since the beginning: to undo the bad precedents set by Bush. To rally the people through self-empowerment rather than grandiose rhetoric. Charlatans who crave power give good speeches, too. This is about moving past speeches.
It’s all calculated to make you self-reliant, and it takes real courage and restraint to seem weak.”
Sorry, I thought you were kidding, but apparently not. Also appears that you think he’s doing us a favor to get us in shape to deal with someone worse than Bush. Well, I think that’s preposterous.
Assuming for the sake of argument that you’re right, however, then I still would not respect, support, or vote for Obama because such a strategy is incredibly reckless, places the well being and lives of millions of innocent people, including many children and physically and mentally disabled adults in harm’s way for the sole purpose of teaching them to be responsible and independent. That, IMO is the height of irresponsibility because that is playing God with a loaded gun and no human being ever should do that with unconsenting people for that is hubris taken to its maximum extreme.
Do you not see that?
Even if reglawyer is wrong, it’s an interesting way to look at the world right now.
People didn’t stand up to Bush — we didn’t pour out into the streets with every supplemental request that funded the war in Iraq. We didn’t go out and demonstrate in the streets when we heard about torture, rendition and his other war crimes.
But if we WON’T go into the streets under a republican and we DON’T go into the streets under a democrat, then what sacrifices are we really making to keep our democracy? A rant on a message board in the hopes that someone in the white house is reading it and will pass it along?
Progressives in the last century went out into the streets to get a 40 hour work week, a two-week vacation and a safety net for the poor.
And we’re willing to do what? Thumb wrestle?
The poor and the weak and homeless shouldn’t have to be on the front lines of the war, as you propose. WE, those of us still able to walk, should take that position. WE have to be willing — as the teahags were — to go to the meetings and raise a ruckus, be the creeps and the crazies who are fighting the good fight.
Obama said from day one that people were going to have to make him do the right thing. He was begging for support for his programs. Not diaries, not editorials in the Times, but REAL human support for the programs he wanted to institute. Where was the riot when Baucus said there was no support for a public option?
We have to get up out of our comfy zone and do the work that patriots do to get their country back. We have to be willing to sit down in the streets — the freezing cold streets — with a scarf around our necks (not orange please, it could be mistaken for support for Bonehead) and demand that the government do our bidding.
I heard Papantonio suggest Hillary, too, and I about puked.
Yes, I agree. The edifice did tremble a bit, though, and that’s encouraging.
“My hatred of Obama is now so bad that it is effecting my health.”
“I understand what you’re saying and why you’re saying it, but you have a limited amount of energy, so why would you want to expend any of it on hating the dirty rotten scumbag?”
Because that’s not how the mind works. Each person has his or her own reaction to people and events. I hate the SOB, too. Sometimes hate and anger is a good thing. It shows you still care. When a movement comes about, those that feel anger and hate will be out there fighting. I don’t think Mason’s response is different from what most people are now feeling or will feel in the future.
Yes, I agree.
Wow, what a great idea. A “Monument to Shame.” I love it.
I meant hopeadoped’s response, not yours, Mason. I think both yours and hopeadope’s response are healthy and normal responses to our situations.
Exactly. It doesn’t matter what I say or believe. A lot of times I just argue positions to tease out arguments. Words are cheap. The ideas you just advocated, if turned into action, are priceless.
Yes, the radio folk are going to promote Obama to the very end – they’ll strategize how to do it, but I’ll be very surprised if they ever do more than nibble around the edges. Corporate restrictions and all that. I listen mainly for the few call-ins they are brave enough to permit.
One to Thom Hartmann got in the ‘primary Obama’ subject before being summarily dismissed – his argument stated that anyone who did primary Obama as an alternative candidate would be politically dead as far as the party was concerned, so no one would attempt it.
Immediately sprang to my mind the counter example of Ted Kennedy (which I’ve mentioned here on another thread). To my mind he had less reason to primary Jimmy Carter, but it certainly didn’t hurt his career in the Senate – in fact, if anything, it solidified his place in the party hierarchy.
I don’t look for the talkmeisters to change their tune – they are emasculated by the powers that let them squawk. It’s their microphone, not ours; though if truth be told, they stole it from us.
Sorry, to correct the ambiguity, it was Thom’s argument that I was debating. The caller was female, (yay team).
Excuse me, but who appointed you to play with other people’s heads?
To be honest, if as you say, “It doesn’t matter what I say or believe. A lot of times I just argue positions to tease out arguments,” why don’t you do us a favor and let us stupid fools find the truth in our own way in our own time?
Besides, what makes you think you know the truth? What makes you think you’re so much smarter than anyone else around here?
Because the wolves are at the door, Mason. It’s time to shape up.