It may also be that the G8 comments on retaining Greece in the eurozone and vague mumbles on lightening up on the austerity are meant to muddy the waters of the Greek election. I can imagine they don’t want to see Tsipras win. In terms of his campaign, my read is he wants to show he’s ready for the big time. Who knows?

Puzzling? A couple months ago Nocera was saying the Cornell study was worthless. He’s been carrying water for the oil/gas industry on this for a long time. If what he says makes no sense, look at the position he’s trying to defend. Puzzling? Check his speaking engagements and get back to us on that one please

I think Obama will be running FOR demolishing Iran — the old “yes we can” spirit.

Democratic values? Republican values? Please. What is the role of government when the government is in the hands of the .01%? What is the value of the an election when the election machinery is in the hands of the .01%? Paul’s base is no doubt racist and anti-New Deal, but as you point out, in structural if not rhetorical terms, that position is reflected in all announced candidates (including the murdering war criminal Bush-in-Blackface) or reporter/pundits of the MSM? Paul will never get the nomination, and if he comes close, he’ll be assassinated. Even if he survives, how does one man, without Congress, without the media, without a large politically mobilized constituency turn around the Pentagon, the CIA, Homeland Security, Wall Street, etc.? Progressives should take heart; the electoral arena has never favored progressives and now the Supremes have sealed the deal with Citizens United. The only time in this country progressives won anything was when they fought for it, organized, occupied, went out on strike. As the immortal CSN once sang: “rejoice rejoice we have no choice.”

Actually there is a time in the recent past when “body count” was used to measure foreign policy success. Right, Vietnam. So it is of ironic note that prior to setting his “strategy” for Afghanistan, Obama and his boyz famously read Gordon Goldstein’s “Lessons in Disaster.”

Another problem with the plan is identifying the true mortgage holder. My understanding is that in all the HAMP stuff, you basically give up your right to challenge the identity and legality of the “mortgage holder”. Because of the fraud, etc. in the way mortgages were securitized and derivatized, the issue of who really owns our homes is still one that’s up for grabs as far as I can tell.

totally agree – Obama as a “rule of law” guy is one of those comments that really wakes you up in the a.m. i’m sure others will supply example after example of his support for criminals (“we look forward”) and his own personal lawlessness (this morning’s news that Awlaki has been murdered). It’s OK Dave,take a deep breath.

They sat on their hands so long because they had no need to get off them. After all, they’ve been doing OK, some even better than that. Why now? Along with the obvious insanity of the Deficit Follies, there was Britain. And I think Britain may have served as something of a wakeup call for the consensus manufacturers and distributors. The current Tar Sands demos, Stop the Machine in October may appear as harbingers (or specters) of the near future.

what is the government? what is the market(s)? who are the people? god is not the only god who’s dead. come on, we live in a political-economy completely dominated by hug global corporations. this is their system. it works, and it is working for them — government, market(s) and most of all, people.

it doesn’t matter who they appoint. all that matters is that in the end, at least one of them sides with the reps. and at least one will. because this is the role of the democratic party. of course, they will have been given no choice. it’s either the republican cuts to medicare etc., or the mandatory cuts in the triggers. of course they will take the republican offer, declare they have once again saved etc. etc. had a gun pointed to their heads, etc etc. haven’t we seen this movie over and over and over and over and over again?

A “compromise” to “save” Social Security and medicare? From whom? Obama was the one who put them on the couch and already had his pants down. Social Security appears to have been “saved” not by a wise compromise between two parties, but by another strange case of “coitus interruptus”

Of course you are right; the Supreme Court has rendered electoral fantasies null and void. Either that or be trapped like the House “Progressives” in a “veal pen” of our own making. Progressives who believe reform the Democratic Party is the road to political power have to consider their fantasies in the light of this defeat. Save Social Security? The social contract on which it is based has been torn up by the rich. Is the New Deal dead? Fine. We need a Real Deal, not a deficit deal, but a new social contract. And before you conclude it impractical to pose systemic solutions to systemic problems, take a good look at the system; it’s the “best money can buy” a rusted, hollowed-out dysfunctional, over- bureaucratized dystopia run by bullet-headed jocks on the brink of dementia, corporate klansmen on meth, over-sexed sexists who prefer to be whipped on the floor and failed thesbians who believe in nothing but their own empty voice – like that feckless doormat at the white house, the “most powerful man in the world.” Seriously, how can we lose?

Yes, and how will this be spun as a compromise. This is the best show money can buy. It is a game for the Included. The Excluded are growing exponentially in number and power. You want to see Obama the Progressive? Watch what happens when more and more of us walk away from our titanic toxic mortgages.