Neoliberalism

Q: What's the difference between Reaganism, Neoconservatism and Neoliberalism?

A: Neoliberalism applies a drop of lube. Other than that the answer is 'Nothing'.

Obama is a Neoliberal

Daily Kos: UPDATED: What is Neoliberalism?:

"* Economy is a self-regulating entity that always balances out.
* Government is inefficient and costly.
* Private business is efficient and therefore the best way to solve our problems.
* Wealth trickles down from the wealthiest to the middle class and the poor because businesses create jobs that then puts more money into the economy leading, in turn, to more jobs."

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FDR's grandson:

Curtis Roosevelt: The Absent Commander-in-Chief: Who's in Charge Here?:

"President Obama seems to have forgotten that President Eisenhower warned us about 'the military/industrial complex' as long ago as 1960. Does the president not recognize the danger of appointing an Army general to head the CIA and appointing the former director of the CIA to become Secretary of Defense? Is Obama not tying himself ever more closely to the military-industrial complex? Is this naivete? Is it lack of experience? Neither is an appropriate excuse for a president who should be acting as commander-in-chief.

In essence, the president does not seem to be in charge. And that is a serious charge."

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Obviously.

Obama Not Obsessed With Keeping Job: Robert Gibbs (VIDEO)

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‘You’ve got to get mad!’

No longer the beacon...

Opinion: Once Upon a Time in the West - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International:

"The word 'West' used to have a meaning. It described common goals and values, the dignity of democracy and justice over tyranny and despotism. Now it seems to be a thing of the past. There is no longer a West, and those who would like to use the word -- along with Europe and the United States in the same sentence -- should just hold their breath. By any definition, America is no longer a Western nation."

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Entirely reposting , Fair Use be damned. Needs to be read.

AMERICAblog News: Hope takes a holiday

I'm starting to align myself more and more with Woody Allen (and Hillary Clinton) on this whole "hope" thing. People don't just turn out, and vocally turn on, their members of Congress because you give a blind quote to the Wall Street Journal. And it takes more than hope to make it happen. Not to mention, a lot of us aren't feeling much other than despair at the moment. If past is prologue, why should the effort on jobs be any different than the stimulus, health care reform, or the deficit? Big promises, small effort, and a so-so, or in the case of the deficit, a horrific finish.

The White House thinks it can dispirit millions of people who voted for the President, who believed in him, who truly thought he was different, who believed that he would actually, finally, bring change to this city, to our dysfunctional government, only to find out that he was as bad, if not worse, than the rest of them. The White House thinks we can go through all of that, time and time again, and then they can just pivot and say "never mind about that man behind the curtain, now go sic em," and we're all, like happy little lemmings, going to start terrorizing members of Congress on their behalf?

Uh uh.

I just heard from a young gay Obama supporter, who works in DC politics, who told me he's not even voting for the President next time. Not that he wants him to lose. He just isn't very interested in him winning. And he doesn't think his vote will make the difference anyway, so it's a matter of principle for him. The problem for the President is that if you add up enough dispirited principled voters, suddenly you find yourself losing a close state. (You also lose a lot of volunteers, and donations, along with the lost enthusiasm - I've had more than one person tell me they're not going to volunteer, or donate, or raise money this time around like they did last time.)

It's a larger problem for the President, and one his team has never fully acknowledged going back to the days of the campaign, when it first reared its head. The Obama people - and let's face it, the President himself - have/has a way of alienating people who really want to like them/him. You don't just do that to people, get their hopes up, then dash them repeatedly, and then think you're going to flick some switch and everything's going to be all back to normal.

Not to mention, it takes a lot of organizing to get people to swarm their members of Congress. And it's something that's likely far beyond the capabilities of the demoralized masses, and the emasculated sorry excuse for non-profit advocacy groups, that we now have in the wake of three years of hope takes a holiday.

As negative as this presidency has made me, I'm someone who almost always thinks you can win in politics so long as you have the right people and the right plan. But like that young gay kid I mentioned earlier, and like so many other people I work with every day, I'm just not sure how much I care anymore. Or rather, I still care a lot - but I know this President, I know this Congress, I know these pitiful progressive non-profits who do little more than genuflect in the White House's shadow, and I know that regardless of what any of us do, the powers that be are going to sell us out and make a mess of things. And the Republicans know it too, as evidenced by their spectacular victory over the President and the Democrats in Congress on the deficit deal.

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Olbermann on debt deal: ‘You’ve got to get mad!’�|�Raw Replay:

"“We have superceded Congress to facilitate 750 billion dollars in domestic cuts including Medicare in order to end an artificially-induced political hostage crisis over debt, originating from the bills run up by a Republican president who funneled billions of taxpayer dollars to the military-industrial complex by unfunded, unnecessary, and unproductive wars, enabled in doing so by the very same Republican leaders who now cry for balanced budgets – and we have called it compromise.”"

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Still not mad?

Obama Sides With Panetta On Need To Cut Medicare Over Defense | TPMDC

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HiStory

Let's do this, Wisconsin. Make it happen.

Wisconsin recall votes may impact 2012 election | Reuters

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Daily Kos: The debt ceiling, the White House and the damage of 'compromise':

"The more we hear reaction from both parties, the more convinced I am that my original take on the debt ceiling deal was correct, and that this 'compromise' is in fact an unambiguous and abominable failure by the administration. There's simply not enough lipstick for this pig: it is a failure, pure and simple, and one which is going to have serious long-term negative repercussions for the economy, the markets, and the political environment in general."

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What Happened to Obama’s Passion? - NYTimes.com

But the arc of history does not bend toward justice through capitulation cast as compromise. It does not bend when 400 people control more of the wealth than 150 million of their fellow Americans. It does not bend when the average middle-class family has seen its income stagnate over the last 30 years while the richest 1 percent has seen its income rise astronomically. It does not bend when we cut the fixed incomes of our parents and grandparents so hedge fund managers can keep their 15 percent tax rates. It does not bend when only one side in negotiations between workers and their bosses is allowed representation. And it does not bend when, as political scientists have shown, it is not public opinion but the opinions of the wealthy that predict the votes of the Senate. The arc of history can bend only so far before it breaks.

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Jeff Madrick: Obama: The President Who Wouldn't Make the Louisiana Purchase:

"He might even have pulled the Constitution card and said Congress had no right to set a debt ceiling in the first place, according to the 14th amendment. He said his lawyers told him that was a weak argument. But Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territories in 1803 knowing full well that it was probably unconstitutional for him to do so. There were also concerns back then about whether America could afford it. But that's what great presidents do in the big moments. They do what's right rather than abiding by minor niceties. Jefferson's is but one example.

Consider Obama the president who would not have made the Louisiana Purchase."

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The history lesson Obama has ignored - History - Salon.com

Just under three quarters of a century ago, a group of conservative economic advisers close to Franklin Roosevelt informed the President that they were worried about the rapid rate of growth in the US economy. Since 1933, when FDR took over at the height of the Great Depression, the economy had been expanding steadily, at an average rate of 14 percent per year. Schooled as most of these advisors were in the tenets of economic orthodoxy (which called for cuts in spending during an economic downturn), and unsure of the effects of the Keynesian-style deficit spending that the administration had been engaged in under the terms of the early New Deal, the President was advised to cut the budget, reduce deficit spending and tighten the money supply as a means to stave off inflation. Heeding their word (and no economist himself), FDR did just that.

The results were an unmitigated disaster.

Thanks to the Administration’s decision to move away from the increasingly Keynesian policies it had been following — policies that saw the unemployment rate fall from a high of 25 percent in 1933 to 14 percent by 1937 -- FDR launched one of the sharpest economic downturns in American history-the so-called "Roosevelt Recession" of 1937-38. In just a few short months, the GDP declined by 13 percent; industrial production by 33 percent; wages by 35 percent and an estimated four million people lost their jobs. No fool, FDR quickly reversed himself and went back to Congress to seek a massive stimulus bill to put people back to work and repair the damage to the Depression-era economy. Within three months growth had returned and the economy was back on track.

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Kinda feels like this.

Mar 11, 2011: Japanese tsunami from the point of view of a car. [VIDEO]

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Primary

Krugman.

Meh, Bleh, and Eek - NYTimes.com:

"At this point, we just have to accept it as a fact of life: Obama doesn’t, and maybe can’t, do outrage — no matter how much the situation calls for it. The purpose of last night’s speech, if there was one, was to rally the nation against crazy Republicans. But there were no memorable lines, no forceful statements of the very stark reality. “Now, now, that’s not reasonable” isn’t going to move multitudes.

It turns out, I’m sorry to say, that he wasn’t the one we were waiting for."

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He doesn't represent me. He doesn't represent Progressives. I will not vote for Obama in 2012. I do not believe he deserves re-election, the alternative be damned.

Obama and the Left: a problem for the WH? - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com:

"At this point, the only factor that can lead someone to deny the significance of this trend is willful blindness. And it's hard to imagine those numbers going anywhere but down as the realization sets in that it is the President who, now by his own admission, has been working hard to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits, and as the President increasingly pursues what is clearly his 2012 strategy: casting himself as a trans-partisan centrist (his doing so vindicates, in my view, those of us who have long argued that there was nothing 'new' about Obama's politics; it was just slightly re-branded Clintonian, Third Way triangulation)."

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Mr. President, What is this "Shared Sacrifice" You Talk Of?

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Daily Kos: Short and Succinct on MY Social Security:

"'Entitlement' my ass, I PAID cash for my social security insurance! Our benefits aren't some kind of charity or handout. Congressional benefits -- free premium federal health care, enormous retirement packages, 67 paid holidays, 3 weeks paid vacation, unlimited paid sick days -- now THAT is welfare! And they have the nerve to call my retirement 'entitlement'?"

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For the sake of what's left of any soul of the Democratic Party, Obama needs to be challenged.

Bernie Sanders Says It Would Be A ‘Good Idea’ To Primary President Obama | ThinkProgress

SANDERS: Brian, believe me, I wish I had the answer to your question. Let me just suggest this. I think there are millions of Americans who are deeply disappointed in the president, who believe that with regard to Social Security and other things, he said one thing as a candidate and is doing something very much else as a president. Who cannot believe how weak he has been for whatever reason in negotiating with Republicans, and there’s deep disappointment. So my suggestion is, I think one of the reasons the president has made the move so far to the right is that there is no primary opposition to him and I think it would do this country a good deal of service if people started thinking about candidates out there to begin contrasting a progressive agenda as opposed to what Obama believes he’s doing. [...] So I would say to Ryan, discouragement is not an option. I think it would be a good idea if President Obama faced some primary opposition.

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Dupes

Eschaton: No Drama Obama:

"The rather obvious solution is a clean debt ceiling hike, but none of the people involved in this ridiculous mess seem to want that.

Using crisis as an excuse to ram through massive 'bipartisan' changes without public input is horribly undemocratic.


Shame on all of them."

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Compromise My Ass:

"Man, the citizens of this country are being duped big time, again.

Dupe: One that is easily deceived or cheated; delude, trick.

President Obama quoted Thomas Jefferson in his nationally televised speech tonight. Here's another quote from Jefferson:

Thomas Jefferson: .'If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their Fathers conquered.'"

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It’s not like you weren’t warned:

"My response to the President’s speech?

You know, at some point, you just have to stop listening to people who always end being proven wrong.

And to help nudge you along, here’s a reminder of what some people, some outsiders, some people who are scorned as “the professional left” and as “bloggers in their mother’s basement” were saying, back at the time President Obama agreed to extend the Bush tax cuts in December 2010, last year:"

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Does politics disappoint Pres. Obama?:

"The President doesn't want his hands tied. I can understand that from Lincoln -- but Obama doesn't face an armed rebellion, he faces a bunch of Republicans who don't want to do what's reasonable, what's customary, and what the American people overwhelmingly want. I understand the need for negotiation, but he's not really negotiating with the Republicans. He's like a man picking up an unconscious opponent from the floor and pretending to wrestle with him so he can justify calling the bout a draw. He has sought this outcome; sought the inferior position we suddenly, amazingly given public opinion, find ourselves in today."

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AMERICAblog News: The top priority of Obama’s "grand bargain" is his reelection:

"but it seems depraved that a Democrat would run for reelection on a platform that would 'cut social insurance and health care programs for people who are old and sick and cannot work.' If a GOP President proposed these changes, we'd be calling it was it is. The Democratic base would be apoplectic. But, for some reason, we're all supposed to suck it up because a Democratic President is doing it. It's just wrong."

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U.S.A.!

The ladies World Cup Semi against Fucking France (h/t Christopher Moore) kicks off in 30.

Watch it on ESPN3: Watch Live Streaming Sports Online - ESPN3

Check out this great video while you're at it. U.S.A.! (I love you, Hope Solo)

Wambach goal gets its own tribute video - World Soccer - Yahoo! Sports

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Good work, WI. I want to see this headline from across the nation in '12:

Fake Democrats lose in Wis. primary recalls - Yahoo! News

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Pip-pip and hell yeah. Hopefully this monopolist who peddles propaganda to the rich and political goes down like a whore tryin' to make rent.

Fuck Murdoch.

Murdoch’s Watergate? - Print - Newsweek:

"The hacking scandal currently shaking Rupert Murdoch’s empire will surprise only those who have willfully blinded themselves to that empire’s pernicious influence on journalism in the English-speaking world. Too many of us have winked in amusement at the salaciousness without considering the larger corruption of journalism and politics promulgated by Murdoch Culture on both sides of the Atlantic."

Daily Kos: Investors Turn On Murdoch. This Is Going To Leave A Mark

Murdoch drops bid for British Sky Broadcasting - Yahoo! News

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One Term

So inspiring.

Obama: ‘There are days where I say one term is enough’�|�Raw Replay

So Progressive it hurts.

Obama bid to cut pediatrician training draws fire - The Washington Post

So wrong, so damn wrong.

AMERICAblog News: Obama slams government hiring, says private industry should lead

Finally! Someone tackling those out of control $10 URL costs. Nevermind those $500 military toilet seats.

Kabuki.

The Campaign to Cut Government Waste: Efficiency Theater:

"Ah, waste, fraud, and abuse. Nobody likes those, do they? Of course not! That’s why the Obama administration is going to eliminate it. A lot of it. Just don’t ask exactly what. Or how."

I'm fine with one term, too. Very fine.

And Let the Bad Guys Win? | Ted Rall's Rallblog

If you aren't willing to lose now to win big later, you aren't in the game.

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Unwise Center

This article is as comprehensive as I've read regarding what is being called the Hackleburg tornado. Hard to put into words, but somehow they did.

132 Miles of Devastation: EF-5 tornado deadliest in United States in last 56 years | al.com

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I get a bit put off by the bastardization of the word 'elite' when what they really mean is 'privileged-hasn'tworkarealjobever-powerhungry-assholes'.

But, yeah, what the professors says... again.

The Unwisdom of Elites - NYTimes.com:

"The fact is that what we’re experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. The policies that got us into this mess weren’t responses to public demand. They were, with few exceptions, policies championed by small groups of influential people — in many cases, the same people now lecturing the rest of us on the need to get serious. And by trying to shift the blame to the general populace, elites are ducking some much-needed reflection on their own catastrophic mistakes.

Let me focus mainly on what happened in the United States, then say a few words about Europe."

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Maybe the Democrats will finally realize this on 1/2013 when President Huntsman is being sworn in. Doubt it, though. That lot doesn't do much learnin' from past mistakes.

Appealing To The “Center” Drives Away Voters:

"The way to grow your voting base is NOT to try to “appeal” to some group that is not left or right, but is “between” something called left and right. To get more voters — especially the “independent” ones who won’t identify with a party — is to take stands, be more committed to progressive positions, and to articulate them more clearly."

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The operative here is 'with the right policies' so, not gonna happen in the States.

Renewable energies could supply 80 percent of world’s demand by 2050: UN report | The Raw Story:

"ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Governments approved on Monday a U.N. report projecting that renewable energies such as solar, wind or hydropower could leap to supply almost 80 percent of the world's demand by 2050, with the right policies."

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Alabama's GOP Delegation Voted Against Funding for Tornado Forecasting

Not nary a one will pay a political price.

Legal Schnauzer: Alabama's GOP Delegation Voted Against Funding for Tornado Forecasting:

"Bachus, however, apparently neglected to mention that he and other Republicans in Alabama's Congressional delegation voted against funding for satellites that are critical for accurate storm forecasting. The Web site climateprogress.org reports that Bachus and his fellow Alabama Republicans--Martha Roby, Mo Brooks, Robert Aderholt, Mike Rogers, and Jo Bonner--voted against a bill that would replace aging satellites that are the heart of America's weather-forecasting system."

Therefore, who's really at fault? The asshole politicians or the dumb-asses who elect them. This we know for sure: An ass is involved in the process at all points.

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Oh, Matt Taibbi. How many nails must you crush on the head...

Loony-ass Insurgents vs. Waffling Bores: GOP Presidential Fight Starts Tonight | Rolling Stone Politics | Taibblog | Matt Taibbi on Politics and the Economy

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Daily Kos: Bill Maher lays out GOP's utter failure

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People of the U. S. can not or will not wrap their collective heads around the ass kicking we receive. America. farf yea.

AMERICAblog News: Rachel on Osama and money: "The goal of Al Qaeda was to bleed America to the point of bankruptcy":

"'According to bin Laden, the goal of Al Qaeda was to bleed America to the point of bankruptcy. That was his grand strategy' (6:35 in the clip).

She titles her report 'On Our Terms, Not His'. On his terms, we lost, right? After all, isn't that what the Reagan of our myths did to the old Soviet Union — get them to spend themselves into bankruptcy?

Food for thought, though I don't hold out hope for our digesting it. The real predators feeding on our decline — the military-security industry — are feasting. They're unlikely to allow the process of decay to stop until the last drinkable drop has passed their lips. And we're unlikely to stop them."

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Sounds

Credit where credit is due.

House Democrats Punk Republicans On Budget Vote (VIDEO)

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Make no mistake... this was no mistake. Campaign has begun.

Obama remarks caught by open mic - Los Angeles Times

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Words, words, words.

AMERICAblog News: Candidate Obama vs. President Obama

Me, I'll go back to my Grand Bargain drinking game. See the part in the Krugman quote about letting the Bush tax cuts expire? Never gonna happen. See those defense cuts? Never gonna happen, not in any non-cosmetic way. He's had two years to do lots of stuff like that, and folded on all of it. Never gonna happen.

I think the target of this speech wasn't the nation — but us, the rebellious left. I think the political geniuses in the White House finally got scared of losing the base. Finally. So they retired President Obama for one inning and brought out Candidate Obama to pinch hit. Candidate Obama can put one over the fence.

So my take-away is two-fold:

▪ We had an effect; I think we changed the speech. Don't forget that. This is one thing we can learn from the Teabags. Finally, a small but noticeable liberal victory. It's been like forever since one of those.

▪ This is just a speech — "Words, words, words" to quote the Bard. We've seen this act before. In fact, it's been the great one-two punch of this administration; Candidate says this, President does that. So stay rebellious until you get what you want, until the action matches the promise. That's the other thing we can learn from the Teabags.

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What The Japan Earthquake Sounded Like... Underwater (AUDIO) | TPM Idea Lab

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For Whom the Tollbooth Shuts

Primaries are very good for any political party. As a voter, do the opposite of what any incumbent Democrat (especially a 'DINO') wants and you'll be a damn patriot.

After a life time of staunchly being a Democrat, the only reason I remain one on paper is so I can vote against an incumbent in a primary.

House Dem: Liberal groups need to back off for party to succeed this cycle - The Hill's Ballot Box:

"Liberal groups need to stay out of Democratic primaries if the party is going to retake the House majority, according to a conservative Massachusetts Democrat."

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I'm just surprised it wasn't stamped 'Made in China'.

Winning hearts and minds.

Richard Engel, On The Ground In Egypt, Shows Tear Gas Canister Stamped 'Made In The USA':

"ENGEL: You talked earlier about anti-American sentiment and a lot of that has been because the United States while today the Press Secretary is saying how they've been talking about Egypt and the need for reform and bringing up this at every meeting that's not the way many Egyptians see it. Most Egyptians see the United States as having stood solidly by President Mubarak while the government here grew more and more corrupt. And they see the Americans as complicit in it. And just today, for example, when we were out on streets this is what a lot of people were showing us about American involvement. If you can see in my hands this is one of the tear gas canisters and very clearly written in English on it, it says 'Made in the USA by Combined Tactical Systems from Jamestown, Pennsylvania. And they say this is the kind of support that the United States has been giving to the Egyptian government and bears some responsibility, although today it it trying to say that it never backed Mubarak so much, it has been calling for reforms for a long time, Egyptians don't see it that way."

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He plays for Oakland and had to go back to Alabama to be shot at.

Going to Oakland and not being shot at is like going to San Francisco and not visiting the Golden Gate Bridge.

SUV driven by Oakland Raiders linebacker and former Alabama star Rolando McClain targeted in shooting | al.com

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Speaking of which....

This is sad. The tollbooth workers and generally some nice folks. I just won't be the same experience.

Golden Gate Bridge set to shut tollbooths:

"It looks as if tollbooths and toll collectors, a fixture at the Golden Gate Bridge since it opened in 1937, will no longer be used at the span starting in 2012 as the bridge district moves to an all-electronic system."

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Orange Tossing

Amen.

Grayson: Democratic ‘appeasement’ cost us the election | Raw Story:

"'Our strategy for two years has been appeasement, and look where it got us,' Grayson told MSNBC. 'I think Democrats want to see a fighting leadership, they want to see a fighting president — somebody who actually accomplishes good things for constituents.'"

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Double Amen with a Weeellll.

Peace Sucks a Hairy Asshole - First Draft:

"Here's the problem, you gutless fucks. You had majorities. And I KNOW, okay, but all America sees is that you had majorities and you wasted them. Because that's what the GOP told them, and you said, 'buh buh buh' and couldn't point to anything you did right, not even with the unwashed hippies holding your arm up for you. You had majorities, and you had Harry Reid, refusing to be mean to Republicans by shoving stuff through. You had majorities, and you had Barack Obama acting like he was already an ex-president and could be gracious and social with these pricks. You had majorities, used them to do some stuff, and then sat back and acted like we should be grateful when we can fucking count.

We can fucking count, out here. We know what 51 means. We know what 257 means. We're not morons. And all the procedural whatsit you argue today, about ConservaDems and Blue Dogs, doesn't mean shit. You had it, and we worked hard to give it to you, and we see you calling things impossible which are just very hard, and we get fucking annoyed, because we don't get to get away with that shit. Not at our jobs and not in our lives."

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And yet, I'm not allowed to drive with a six-pack in belly. Does. Not. Compute.

As boomers age, 1 in 5 drivers will be oldsters - Yahoo! News

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Yeah, what's the big deal?

Man arrested for throwing oranges at planes:

"Police say Henio admitted to sniffing spray paint. He also admitted to throwing oranges at the planes, and said he didn't know why it was a big deal."

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Failure of Leadership

Yesterday's post was cathartic. More of my thoughts and some action items on Monday.

I received a lot of support both publicly and privately for yesterday's post and I appreciate those who haven't pulled the shades over their eyes and are tuned into to the failure of leadership we are tragically experiencing.

The election map was in our favor on Tuesday. What happened absolutely did not have to happen. The election map in 2012 is in the Republicans favor. You do the math.

We've got to find a way to bring on board our Progressives brothers and sisters who are simply predisposed to avoid any kind of conflict and are too scared to consider that 'their guy' is turning into a very big problem. We need an unapologetic, advocate leader, not a philosopher king.

First article: Look up 'Marshall Ganz' and see the position this person held in Obama's campaign in '08. Then read their op-ed several times. This is an insider who nails part of the problem.

Obama suffering from failure of leadership - latimes.com:

By Marshall Ganz

"The nation was ready for transformation, but the president gave us transaction. And, as is the case with leadership failures, much of the public's anger, disappointment and frustration has been turned on a leader who failed to lead.

Obama and his team made three crucial choices that undermined the president's transformational mission. First, he abandoned the bully pulpit of moral argument and public education. Next, he chose to lead with a politics of compromise rather than advocacy. And finally, he chose to demobilize the movement that elected him president. By shifting focus from a public ready to drive change — as in 'yes we can' — he shifted the focus to himself and attempted to negotiate change from the inside, as in 'yes I can.'"

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Ask yourself, which strategy prevailed on Tuesday? Which strategy failed? Why are we going to continue to pursue a failed strategy? The very definition of insanity.

Daily Kos: How'd That Bipartisanship Thing Work Out For You?:

"Could the effort at bipartisanship over the last two years have been a bigger disaster? The Democrats allowed the Republicans to make their case for two straight years while Democrats laid down their arms. And it turns out the voters didn't know why they should vote for the Democrats. Surprise, surprise.

The Republicans on the other hand went with complete and utter partisanship -- and it worked! If the Obama White House trusts one more idiot in Washington who says they should try reaching consensus with the Republicans, then they deserve the ass kicking they'll get next time around, too."

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Obama's Fed dropped a nice little bundle of cash on Corp America the day after the election, b/c they knew it wouldn't get any press.

This is unbelievable.

Federal Reserve Rains Money On Corporate America -- But Main Street Left High And Dry:

"When it comes to helping Wall Street and corporate America, the Federal Reserve spares no expense."

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Thank jeebus for Markos.

Daily Kos: The battle for 2012 starts NOW:

"First thing's first -- stop bashing the base, or the professional left, or whatever liberal boogeymen pisses them off. Fact is, people who fall in those disaffected categories -- the young, blacks, Latinos -- don't read blogs, or watch Keith Olbermann, or read Firedoglake. But they are losing their jobs and their homes, and they see Wall Street get all manners of bailouts without any of it trickling down to them. That has killed us. Make their lives better, or (since nothing will happen with Boehner in the House) at least fight to make their lives better."

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This is what happens:

Turnout among young voters: 20 percent | Raw Story:

"Only about one in five people under the age of 30 voted in the mid-term elections Tuesday, says a study based on exit polls.

The poor turnout among youth likely had some effect on the outcome of most races, but nowhere was this more dramatically highlighted than in the California ballot initiative to legalize marijuana. Political observers on Wednesday said the poor youth turnout in California accounted for the defeat of Proposition 19.

'Pot legalization defeated thanks to the elderly,' reads the headline of a Justin Elliott article at Salon.com. Elliott points to a report that while six in 10 youth voters supported the measure, it was opposed by seven in 10 senior citizens."

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He simply doesn't get it and he's a stubborn as Bush. He's not going to change. We are looking at a complete Republican takeover in 2012. He'll get annihilated by whichever clown the Republicans nominated. Obama will run on 'I'm not as a bad as the other guy' again, and it'll look like we got off easy in 2010.

Obama challenges Cabinet, sets bipartisan talks - Yahoo! News

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Interesting Times: The Era of the Disappearing Era : The New Yorker:

"Yesterday, I ran into Senator Mark Warner, of Virginia, who was campaigning with Perriello in Martinsville and Danville. When I interviewed him over the summer for my piece on the Senate, he had said that he expected the election of some moderate Republicans, like Mark Kirk of Illinois and Mike Castle of Delaware, who might be able to create more middle ground for bipartisanship. When I reminded him of this yesterday, Warner wouldn’t abandon the hope. How is it faring tonight? Not well—Castle lost to Christine O’Donnell in the primary, Kirk is losing, and Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, and perhaps other Tea Party senators, are headed to Washington. I predict that there will not even be a gesture toward centrism and bipartisanship on the part of Republican leadership. They’re too scared, and too eager. Pace David Brooks, the level of extremism and partisanship I described will go up—way up. This midterm is the party’s first salvo in its first order of business, to end Obama’s Presidency. There will be little mercy and a great deal of rancor. Tomorrow we’ll find out how Obama sees the next two years. I see one of the ugliest political periods in my lifetime, which has seen a few."

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The only highlight from last Tuesday.

Blue Dog Coalition Crushed By GOP Wave Election

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This is a pissing into the wind article to post, b/c Obama is not going to deviate from the iceburg he's got us pointing towards, but it is a good read. And it makes you hope that we can, at some point, elect an actual Progressive Leader with some giant balls.

Opinion: Obama can learn from 'Godfather' - Roger Alan Stone - POLITICO.com:

"Remember that the don has done you this favor.

As a powerful man, the don does many people many favors. But they know that something will be expected of them in return. When that moment comes, they had better be willing to return the favor. This favor bank is a great source of the don’s power.

Obama has been all quid, with no pro quo. With Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) down on his luck — no job in the McCain administration and the Democratic Caucus skeptical of his liberal credentials — Obama intervened. Because of that, Lieberman got the committee chairmanship he so desperately wanted. But, somehow, attached to that favor were no strings — for example, no condition that he could vote as he wanted on bills but would support the caucus on breaking filibusters."

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One Day It's Gonna Be....

(The views expressed here are mine (JPW) and mine alone.)

You're not going to like the way this sounds, but.... today is the day We Told You So.

Heckuva job, Obama and Democrats. Heckuva job. This is ALL. ON. YOU.

This is what happens when you take a historic opportunity and flip it on its head.

This is what happens when you don't have a back-bone and you are willing to compromise your beliefs before negotiations even begin.

This is what happens when you have no convictions to be courageous about.

This is what happens when you piss on your base and bend over backwards to accommodate TeaBagging Lucy, yet she still pulls the ball away every fucking time.

This is what happens when you're blindly loyal to your guy (Obama) regardless of his actions because he's your guy. And, oh, how scary it would be for President Palin. We must keep not-as-bad-as-Palin or the vapors will kill us all!

This is what happens when you base your case on being a little less worse than the other guy.

This is what happens when you are too polite to challenge your teabagging neighbor because talking about politics isn't polite. And an argument might happen. And somebodies fweewings might get hurt.

This is what happens, Democratic voters, when you are too scared to punch your politicians and your Republicans neighbors square in the fucking nose every chance you can.

This is what happens when you bail-out Wall Street (Banks are doing super these days) and screw over main street again and again at the expense of Big Business (almost 10% unemployement still and this doesn't reflect the real unemployment figure which is closer to 20%). People need to realize that nobody, and I mean NOBODY is looking out for the American people in Washington.

This is what happens when you ask for half of the stimulus you need then give away 35% of that half to Republicans as worthless tax cuts.

This is what happens when you bail out health insurance companies instead of providing a TRUE means for affordable health-care for ALL.

This is what happens with you put a Blue Dog and Republicans in charge of health care.

This is what happens when you fill your cabinet with Blue Dogs and Republicans instead of Progressives and Liberals.

This is what happens when you employ the people who created the economic mess to fix the economic mess.

This is what happens when you defend, in court, a bigoted, unconstitutional law (DADT) all the while stating that you are a 'fierce advocate' for gays/lesbians (and I don't give a damn that the OA has more gay staffers than any in history. See next This is What...)

This is what happens when you try to buy off a constituency with access instead of sound policy that would actually serve WE THE GODDAMN PEOPLE.

This is what happens when you govern like Republicans.

This is what happens, when you, the voting Democrat buy into the bullshit Jon Stewart false-equivalency, Rally for Insanity (remember the definition of Insanity) kumbaya 'Why Can't We All Get Along', both sides are being mean horse-bull-fucking-shit.

This is what happens when you are weak and wrong ALWAYS.

The loss of Alan Grayson is what happens.

The loss of Russ Fiengold is what happens.

Who's 'fucking retarded' now, Rahm.

You kinda need the 'Professional Left', don't you Obama.

Whose the fucking whiners now?

If you are a Democrat and are too timid and scared to fight and fight dirty... If you are too frightened to go lower than our enemies (make no mistake, Republicans are our enemies. They hate Democrats with a blind rage. The Will NEVER CHANGE unless when beat them into oblivion) step the fuck aside and keep your fucking mouth shut.

If the Democratic Party has any chance at all the REAL fighters must take over and be absolutely brutal about it.

A figurative gun should be placed to the heads of every conservative Democrat holding office. Get on board or change parties, otherwise, you life will be hell.

I'm looking forward to hearing from those who wagged a weak finger at me for pointing a stern finger at the failures of Obama and Dems over the past two years. You were warned.

At least we'll get to the bottom of that pesky birth certificate issue.

Heckuva job, Obama and Dems. Heckuva job.

Today is the day We Told You So.

P.S. If you think you are being informed by any of the 'news channels' on TV, you might be fucking retarded. Kill your cable. Read your news.

Dean in 2012.

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ThinkProgress � To Pay For Mortgage And Health Care, Woman Forced To Sell Letter From Obama Saying ‘Things Will Get Better’

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Liberal activist blames ‘weak Democratic leaders’ for historic losses – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs:

"'What the average voter saw of Democrats was weak, watered-down change - and weak Democratic leaders who cut deals with the very Wall Street banks and insurance companies they are supposed to be fighting,' Adam Green, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee said in a statement."

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Cenk Uygur: Why Are Democrats Going to Lose When They Are More Popular?:

"No, this is about broader issues. Did you deliver for the average American voter or did you deliver for Wall Street? Come on, look at the numbers. Wall Street is backing to make record profits and bonuses and we're at nearly 10% unemployment. People aren't stupid. They got robbed. The system didn't get fixed. It's still rigged in favor of the rich and powerful.

Some liberals, progressives and Democrats will accuse me of party treason for saying that. They're right, I don't give a damn about the parties."

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Robert Kuttner: What Lessons of Election Day?:

"For starters, liberals are dismayed with Obama not because this or that initiative was insufficiently lefty. They are mad at Obama for blowing what had to be a Roosevelt moment, and thereby ushering in a totally needless period of far-right resurgence, dominated by a lunatic right that makes Newt Gingrich and Karl Rove look like moderates."

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Daily Kos: Don't Fool Yourself, Democrats. KNOW why you lost.:

"You have to learn to fight dirty. I am sick and tired of saying this. Most of us are. You have to fight dirty and win. If you don't, if you feel that your good intentions will win out just simply because they are good, you are the most naive people on the planet.

I have been a democrat my entire life. I am exhausted at this argument. It's the same thing every time. Get a fucking backbone, stand up for something and be willing to fall into the abyss over it. That is the only way you will win respect.

Otherwise, the republicans, who shouldn't hold a job at McDonalds let alone power in Washington, will roughshod over you for decades to come. And it will be your fault - again."

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This exact opposite of this wish will happen. Bank on it.

Twitter / Peter Daou: I don't want to hear anyth ...:

"I don't want to hear anything about Obama being conciliatory tomorrow - how about throwing down the gauntlet and challenging GOP to deliver"

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11/2/10

11/2/10:

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Drunken diaper-wearing man seeking candy arrested

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Sticky Hands

Uncanny, the accuracy.

Which Party Will You Vote For? Flowchart Predicts Your Midterm Vote (PICTURE)

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Hilariously hypnotizing (yeah, yeah, LOLcat post. A rarity around these parts, but this 'tube is worthy).

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Super. Now idiots can hack.

Firesheep In Wolves’ Clothing: Extension Lets You Hack Into Twitter, Facebook Accounts Easily:

"It’s not hard to comprehend the far-reaching ramifications of this tool. Anytime you’re using an open Wi-Fi connection, anyone can swiftly access some of your most private, personal information and correspondence (i.e. direct messages, Facebook mail/chat)— at the click of a button. And you will have no idea."

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Excellent choice. Here's hoping NZ doesn't lose the film to another location.

Martin Freeman: The perfect Bilbo Baggins for "The Hobbit"? - CSMonitor.com:

"Is relief too strong a word to use? That seems to be the emotion that some fans are expressing after hearing that Martin Freeman – best known for his portrayal of Tim in the original version of 'The Office' will fill the role of Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming New Line film version of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit.'"

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Land of the Free-ish

OK. Sold.

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Pro-stripper, anti-religious freedom.

Poll: More Republicans Support Strip Club Over Mosque Near Ground Zero:

"Just four percent of Republican respondents said they support building a mosque two blocks from the site, whereas 21 percent said they would be fine with a strip club. Forty-nine percent of Democrats said they supported the mosque and 33 for the strip club. Among Independents, it was 34 percent for the mosque and 28 percent for the strip club."

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America. Land of the free-ish.

Student finds tracking device on his car; FBI demands it back | Raw Story

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Dude. Seriously.

Albert Mohler, Southern Baptist Leader, On Yoga: Not Christianity

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Finger Wagging and Hippie Punching

Obama just can't help himself. Must. Punch. Hippies whilst kissing money-bag ass.

AMERICAblog News: About Obama's recent comments:

"There's an arrogance to the President's comments, and an inability to recognize how much he is a part of the problem. What's increasingly disturbing is that the President just doesn't seem to get why so many Democrats are so disappointed in him. He seems to believe the apologists' standard line that we're all naive purists who simply don't understand politics.

The comments add fuel to a greater, and growing, concern about the President: that he honestly thinks he's been doing a great job, and that he honestly thinks his approach to problem solving and legislating - compromise first, then reach any deal you can - is an appropriate way to run a country. Inside the White House they call this success. Outside, it's perceived by a growing number of Democrats and Independents as weakness."

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Problem is, Obama, that your hippy punching hasn't gone unnoticed by sensible Republicans who voted for you in '08. They are as unimpressed as we hippies are.

Op-Ed Columnist - When Peggy Left Barry - NYTimes.com

One of the independent voters Obama will be trying to charm over the next two years is my sister, Peggy, a formerly ardent Obamican (a Republican who changed spots to vote for Obama).

Disillusioned with her beloved W. over Iraq and Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and the disdain for bipartisanship, she gave her affections — and small cash infusions — to Barack Obama in 2008.

Despite being a Washington native, Peggy believed that the dazzling young newcomer could change Washington.

But she has lost a lot of faith now, saying she might vote for Mitt Romney over Obama if Romney is the Republican nominee in 2012. (Sarah Palin shouldn’t count on her vote though. In Peggy’s words, “Are you nuts?”)

Peggy thinks the president has done fine managing W.’s messes in Iraq and Afghanistan. And she lights up at the mention of his vice president, Joe Biden. But she thinks Obama has to get “a backbone” if he wants to lure her back to the fold. “He promised us everything, saying he would turn the country around, and he did nothing the first year,” Peggy says. “He piddled around when he had 60 votes. He could have pushed through the health care bill but spent months haggling on it because he wanted to bring some Republicans on board. He was trying too hard to compromise when he didn’t need the Republicans and they were never going to like him. Any idiot could see that.

“He could have gotten it through while Teddy Kennedy was still alive — he owed the Kennedys something — and then the bill was watered down.

“He hasn’t saved the economy, and now he’s admitting he’s made very little progress. You can’t for four years blame the person who used to be president. Obama tries to compromise too much, and he doesn’t look like a strong leader. I don’t watch him anymore. I’m turned off by him. I think he’s an elitist. He went down to the gulf, telling everyone to take a vacation down there, and then he goes to Martha’s Vineyard. He does what he wants but then he tells us to do other things.

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Yup.

Slow Boil | The Agonist:

"I also get told on a regular basis that if I don't shut my pie hole about all this and vote Democratic that it will all be my fault when tEh crazies get elected. Please explain to me in simple, clear, elementary language how the above seven highlights are my fault. To wit: I voted for a candidate who promised to close GITMO within a year. I voted for a candidate who promised to end DADT and provide equal rights for all Americans. I voted for a candidate who promised immigration reform. I voted for a candidate who promised to put Americans, all Americans, back to work. I voted for a candidate who promised to protect our social contract and expand the economic safety net.

Obama has not only not done any of it, he's made shit worse.

Now, tell me why I should vote for the Democrats in 2010? Because tEh crazies are coming? Fuck that: tEh crazies are here."

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You know what has more power than a finger wag and sternly worded letters? A FUCKING SOLID HEALTH REFORM LAW!

Otherwise, the insurance industry (Sebelius' and Obama's masters) is just fucking laughing at your dumb asses.

Sebelius To Health Insurers: Stop Lying About Your Rate Increases:

"WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's top health official on Thursday warned the insurance industry that the administration won't tolerate blaming premium hikes on the new health overhaul law."

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Things could be worse, though.

Judson Newton, Missing Bahamas Boater, Likely Found Inside Shark Off Jaws Beach

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Douchebag Fight!

Grab the popcorn because we've got us a bonafide douchebag fight on our hands.

Limbaugh slams Rove for attacking O’Donnell | Raw Story

All over this anti-masturbation nitwit that just won the Republican nom in Delaware.

Read that delicious quote about blindly accepting evolution as fact. Not even a hint of the irony from the Fundie nut-job (redundant, I know).

Stupid science. Jeebus created the earth in 6 24 hour periods. Blindly accept that, bitches!

O’Donnell On Creationism: ‘Too Many People Are Blindly Accepting Evolution As Fact’

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Funny how when a Rethug gets booted from the party and faces jail time how these prison conversions occur.

It just must feel really good to say something truthful after living the lie that is the Republican partay.

Greer Apologizes To Obama For GOP Racism, Recants Critique Of Socialist Indoctrination School Speech | TPMDC

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What Atrios Says:

Eschaton:

"I'm really not on board with the 'Republicans will rule one day so let's hope they're not crazy when they do' idea. First of all, Republicans... already crazy! I think the new batch of crazies are just more likely to be up front about it and less likely to be well trained in how to speak crazy in code. Second, yes Republicans might rule one day, but the existence of amateur crazy candidates makes that less likely.

As for the fact that Republican voters are crazy...well, that isn't new either. What's new is they've gotten permission from their leaders (Rush, Glenn, Sarah) to stop voting for the establishment."

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I'd like to give an OA kudo here, but he's fucked up so much that he had to tap Warren. Had to. No other choice.

About the only right choice he's made for his cabinet.

White House To Tap Warren To Set Up Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

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Can't keep a good corpse down.

The way the redneck mafia use to do it is they'd hollow out the stomach cavity and fill it full of chickenwire and rocks. No shit.

Dead Man Floats Up After Botched Burial At Sea | NBC Miami

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Heckuva Job

Sans comment:

Daily Kos: If you're trying to convince us NOT TO VOTE FOR YOU in 2010 or 2012, Mission Accomplished:

"Turns out calling me 'F$#^ing retarded' or 'On Drugs' doesn't make me FIRED UP, it makes me think you think I'm an asshole, and that doesn't exactly win my vote, now does it?

Advice for Democrats who want to win WITHOUT 'The Left of the Left' this election season.

Step 1. Get Republicans to phonebank for you, Get Out The Vote for you, go door to door for you, and send donations to you. Get Republican teabaggers to do all that crap for you, because you can only insult Progressives and 'The Professional Left' so many times until we figure out that The Democratic Party wants our money and support, but after that, we can piss off.

Step 2. Once you've realized that Republicans WILL NEVER DO SUPPORT YOU, LET ALONE VOTE FOR YOU NO MATTER HOW LOUD YOU SING 'KUMBAYA' AND TRY TO APPEASE THEM, you'll have already lost seats in both chambers of congress. Lots of seats."

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Robert L. Borosage: Gibbs on the Left: Dog Bites the Man

4. The left hasn't been a rebel; it's been too good a soldier. Amazing that the White House would be upset at carping from the beltway left which has embarrassed itself by its willingness to absorb insult and salute. Women rallied to support a health care bill that weakened choice. Progressives supported the bill despite the president's unwillingness to fight for a public option, the taxes on good (read union) health care plans, and the grotesque deal with drug companies to sustain the ban on Medicare getting bulk price discounts. Environmentalists went so far as to embrace off-shore drilling in the failed effort to get the energy bill. Black leaders like Al Sharpton argued against any targeted economic programs, even as the African American community was suffering depression levels of misery in the economic collapse. The anti-war movement gave the president a pass on Afghanistan. Gays have been remarkably patient at delay in repealing the indefensible don't ask, don't tell policy. Progressives pushed financial reform hard, even after the Treasury Department helped defeat amendments to break up the big banks and more.

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Daily Kos: Why the discontent

A year ago at Netroots Nation, President Bill Clinton promised that if health care reform passed, Democrats would see a 10-point bump in the polls the following day. It didn't happen.

Here's why --

In the past, the only contact most people would have with the legislative process was the final product -- big headlines proclaiming that a historic bill had just passed and signed into law by the president. But in this media-saturated world of today, that doesn't happen anymore.

Rather, we got an intimate look at the sausage-making process. We saw what the various pieces of legislation could've been. We saw that the good stuff (like the public option or drug reimportation or job spending or comprehensive immigration support) had a great deal of public support. We saw those provisions stripped away (or ignored), one by one, as various industry lobbyists had their say. We saw people like Joe Lieberman and Max Baucus humored by the Democratic leadership and the White House. We saw Democrats "negotiate" with Republicans who openly scoffed at the idea of compromise, and openly bragged about their delaying tactics. We saw Ben Nelson throw his periodic hissy fits, while (openly!) extracting taxpayer-funded bribes in order to get his support. We saw how "bipartisanship" seemed a more important ideal to Democrats and the White House than "passing the best legislation possible." And we saw our party play the role of "deer in headlights" as the teabaggers took over the debate, on issue after issue.

So when the various pieces of legislation have passed, whether its the health care or financial reform laws or whatever, the sense hasn't been jubilation, but relief.

And relief isn't a positive emotion. It's a negative one.

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Rep. Ellison: 'Gibbs Crossed The Line':

Ellison said that Gibbs's resignation would be an appropriate response. 'I think that'd be fair, yeah. That'd be fair, because this isn't the first time. And, again, people of all political shades worked very hard to help the president become the president. Why would he want to go out and deliberately insult the president's base? And why would he confuse legitimate critique with some sort of lack of loyalty. Isn't this what the far right does? Punishes people who are not ideologically aligned with President Bush?'"

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Yelling At The 'Professional Left' Is One Of The White House's Few Joys:

"In that spirit, let me end by saying I don't pretend to have all the answers to the challenges we face, and I look forward to periodic conversations with all of you in the months and years to come. I trust that you will continue to let me and other Democrats know when you believe we are screwing up. And I, in turn, will always try and show you the respect and candor one owes his friends and allies."

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Gibbs’ Walk-Back: Clueless about “in America” | Emptywheel:

"No matter how many mean names Gibbs calls hippies, the real issue is that he, the voice of the Obama Administration, appears totally clueless about why America isn’t clapping louder about the Administration’s economic “successes.”"

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Daily Kos: Inartful:

"If the White House thinks their problems are reserved among a handful of progressive critics, then I'm afraid, because it tells me they're really out of touch with the undercurrent of discontent faced by Democrats this year.

The unemployment rate is brutal, while high-profile cave-ins to nefarious interests, like the Cornhusker Kickback during the health care debate did more to drive the Democrats' numbers down than any blog post or MSNBC segment ever did.

It may be easier to blame the dirty fucking hippies and kick them in the face, but that sure won't address the root cause of Democratic malaise, and it sure as heck won't better motivate base Democrats into helping close this November's intensity gap."

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FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: As Liberals Lose Hope, the White House is Losing Its Cool:

"I don't know whether Gibbs was going 'off-message' out of frustration, or whether the White House has become so jaded that they actually think this was a good strategy. Either way, it speaks to the need for some fresh blood and some fresh ideas in the White House. The famously unflappable Obama is losing his cool."

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Robert Gibbs Clarifies "Professional Left" Criticism, Calls Initial Comments Inartful:

"'There are two big problems with Gibbs outburst - policy and politics,' added Robert Borosage, head of Campaign for America's Future. 'In policy, the left got it right. The president is hurting because his reforms were not bold enough... On politics, the enthusiasm gap comes less from forced compromises than from political malpractice. The destructive health care waltz with Baucus and the supposed moderate Republicans... the White House's infatuation with taxing union health care benefits; the White House's unwillingness from day one to pound on the failed conservative policies that drove us off the cliff... Part of that malpractice, arguably, was on the left as well - as significant energy was devoted to the sausage making of the Congress, and too little resources and energy went towards independent mobilization. There was and is no reason for the ersatz Tea Party right to capture the populist voice.'"

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AMERICAblog News: WH spokesman: I was just out of control and winging it when I criticized the Democratic party base:

"Huh?

The White House spokesman would now have us believe that he wasn't in full control of his faculties when he did an interview with the Hill in which he blasted the Democratic base, and suggested we all needed to take a drug test. Really? He couldn't control himself? Then what is he doing remaining in the job as White House press secretary?"

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