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best of halibut wrote a new diary post: You don’t like me, I don’t like you, so . . .
The many articles pointing out that the Republicans and the Tea Party essentially represent the former Confederacy make me wonder whether it would be a good idea to let Gov. Perry have his way and dissolve the union. I think it’s an undesirable idea — but worth thinking about, because it makes one think about what the purpose [...] -
best of halibut and
jeffroby are now friends
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best of halibut joined the group
MD-08
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best of halibut commented on the diary post Call To Action: Primarying Obama by freesociety.
I agree and would devote both time and money to such an effort. I do not have strong feelings about progressive Democrat vs. progressive third party – whatever works. I would also hope to help develop progressive local government policies and office holders as a farm team. I assume that the more strong progressive governors [...]
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best of halibut commented on the diary post Water Cooler – A Plague of Broken Mains, Things To Come From Climate Change by Bill Egnor.
On a faint positive note, replacing ancient water mains does create jobs, and the funding for it may not count as “taxes” to the Republicans. So it might actually get done. This is a very useful article as it publicizes both global warming and an infrastructure repair need. Unfortunately, I would suppose that water rates [...]
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best of halibut commented on the blog post Is Obama Actually Trying to Make Progressives Not Want to Support Him?
Obama may be the only person who could cut entitlements. If a Republican tried it and the Democrats could keep at least 40 senate votes, I assume (hope?) they would block any such thing.
So if Obama indeed believes that cutting entitlements is essential for preserving the nation’s economy, in his mind he really is the only one who can get the job done and his re-election really is critical. In that case, he’s not trying to get progressives to dislike him but simply advancing his own horrifying idea of nobility. Most people do believe they are virtuous (despite all evidence) and Obama certainly seems no exception.
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best of halibut commented on the diary post What if Obama wins? by best of halibut.
Larue – best of halibut here. I don’t mind being flamed for writing stuff like this. The idea of voting for a Republican is disgusting. I can still be talked out of it. You can’t know who I really am but I would point out that I included a lot of links to writers like [...]
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best of halibut wrote a new diary post: What if Obama wins?
My Obama outrage meter runs from green (vote for him) through yellow (stay home), orange (primary), red (third party), to purple (vote Republican). Lately it’s been oscillating in the red range shading to purple . The deciding question may be, what happens if Obama wins reelection? If Obama wins in 2012, he will not likely change much . Even if [...] -
halibut commented on the diary post What Doesn’t Create Jobs by Arthur Fullerton.
A useful reminder. One of the many annoying features of Obama’s economic policy is how much of the $700 billion stimulus he did offer included so many things that did not create jobs, while helping to discredit the concept of stimulus as extravagant. I would add that free trade agreements with lower-income countries tend to [...]
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halibut commented on the diary post Lessons in Progressive Hope from 1992 by Kansas City Progressive.
I hope your parents complimented you for that. In the very long run, our best hope is to create as much as possible the conditions that created an eight-year-old like you.
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halibut commented on the diary post It’s Time to Show Obama the Door by Happy Rockefeller.
How does it maximize your electoral clout to vote for a third party? The third party candidate will not be elected. Democratic politicians would presumably find the threat of an extra vote for the Republican worse than the threat of what is effectively an abstention. Are you saying that if you vote for a third [...]
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halibut commented on the diary post It’s Time to Show Obama the Door by Happy Rockefeller.
The logical implication of this is to vote for the Republican nominee. As the Washington Post the Fix column noted yesterday (“Liberals Hate the Debt Deal. So what?”) Democratic operatives do not take progressive opposition to Obama seriously because they do not have any place else to go. But if the only choice is between [...]
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halibut and
letsgetitdone are now friends
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halibut commented on the diary post Proof Platinum Coin Seigniorage: A Political Game Changer for Progressives! by letsgetitdone.
MMT is a new and complex theory with such huge implications that practical policymakers may well hesitate to use it. Is there any way it could be tried at a state level first? Suppose a state issued its own “transferable state tax credit certificates” (which I believe is what MMT claims that money is) as [...]
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halibut became a registered member
