If you're not concerned - you should be.
Russia is poised to become the threat it once was. Vladamir is doing what's natural for Russian leaders: do whatever you want, screw the consequences.
It's dangerous territory and the world let him have a bit too much leash. Unfortunately for all of us, the repercussions of letting Vlad go out and about ... is now we have a nuclear player gone rogue.
It comes down to this: Russia wants the Ukraine for obvious reasons (um, oil - hello!) So Russia seizes a moment where the Ukraine was vulnerable and just slipped right in before anyone could react.
I know Republicans are blaming Obama - but they blame him for the sun rising each day, so it's moot to take their points seriously.
Who is to blame then?
I'm going out on a limb to say it's nobody's fault - as Vlad took it upon himself to act for the betterment of Russia.
I've studied 19th century European history. There's the David Hume reference to "The Balance of Power" by which you ensure everyone has equal dominance so that countries don't fight one another. The belief is that once these countries fight - it'll end in stalemate while both sides losing heavily in terms of people and having their economies ruined.
When there's a power vacuum as what has taken place in the Ukraine, it's not unheard of for another country to run in and put their flag on their capital.
The world is supposed to run on a system of checks and balances ... but if we're going to play the role of world cop - then exactly how to Republicans expect to FUND being a world cop?
It's laughable ...
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Monday, July 21, 2014
Is it willful?
I'm consistently amazed at how folks view the world around them. When presented with factual content to the contrary, there almost appears to be a willful ignorance to maintain their own reality.
It's astounding how much bias has entered the foray anymore.
Literally: if we lived in the era where the roundness of the earth was still resolved and agreed upon ... how many folks would willfully stow their bias in the name of needing to be right?
What got me going?
Comments on FB - where folks were applauding Gov. Perry's option to send national guardsmen to the border to "protect" Texas.
Most of the comments blame Obama - okay.
But when Obama challenged the Republicans to pass comprehensive immigration reform, where are those commenters now? Still pining over what happened in Benghazi? Seriously folks ... c'mon.
Obama can only do so much when you have an ass dragging Congress who has completely lost touch with reality. Instead of being sensible, we've become divisive. Instead of being realistic, we've become obstinate. Instead of being reasonable, we've become accusatory.
I'm reminded of those completely idiotic beer commercials:
"Taste great!"
"Less Filling!"
"Taste great!"
"Less Filling!"
.... if the national conversation has been reduced to that of a 1970's alcoholic beverage commercial then the human race has all but lost. Enough with the bullshit.
It's astounding how much bias has entered the foray anymore.
Literally: if we lived in the era where the roundness of the earth was still resolved and agreed upon ... how many folks would willfully stow their bias in the name of needing to be right?
What got me going?
Comments on FB - where folks were applauding Gov. Perry's option to send national guardsmen to the border to "protect" Texas.
Most of the comments blame Obama - okay.
But when Obama challenged the Republicans to pass comprehensive immigration reform, where are those commenters now? Still pining over what happened in Benghazi? Seriously folks ... c'mon.
Obama can only do so much when you have an ass dragging Congress who has completely lost touch with reality. Instead of being sensible, we've become divisive. Instead of being realistic, we've become obstinate. Instead of being reasonable, we've become accusatory.
I'm reminded of those completely idiotic beer commercials:
"Taste great!"
"Less Filling!"
"Taste great!"
"Less Filling!"
.... if the national conversation has been reduced to that of a 1970's alcoholic beverage commercial then the human race has all but lost. Enough with the bullshit.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Obama has to go
Yep, I said it.
The big O - done. Gone. Go. Git.
That works if you're a little picture guy. The guy that wants their news catered and crafted. It's the kind of real meal you can expect from canned processed meat and starched, over preserved side-dishes.
Folks that want to decry the work Obama has done really elect to avoid looking at the big picture. For the last 6 years - there has been continual obstructionism.
Deny that if you want - but in no other period of our time has a Congress been so inept and putting self-preservation interests above the national interest.
It's disingenuous to blame Obama and conveniently ignore the role of Conservatives have played in this mess.
For folks blaming Obama - I ask: "how do we know that his policies would've failed when we have a Republican Party that's set out to stop anything he does before it even becomes law?"
It's why we have a broken health care system - because Republicans want to brand Obama with that boondoggle. Nevermind what's best for Americans - they were out to make sure it wasn't a Democrat that did it. Same thing now with immigration reform and with banking regulations which help us - while finally addressing the real problems.
It's become apparent that no one in Washington wants anything done. Obama's first moves to try and reconcile the parties made him look weak. And that was an irrecoverable error on his part.
So pardon my disgust the next time I drive by your anti-Obama sticker only to raise my hand in the form of an L and place it on my forehead. Because if you're really going to blame Obama - it's time to start bearing some of the responsibility for why things didn't materialize like they should've.
The big O - done. Gone. Go. Git.
That works if you're a little picture guy. The guy that wants their news catered and crafted. It's the kind of real meal you can expect from canned processed meat and starched, over preserved side-dishes.
Folks that want to decry the work Obama has done really elect to avoid looking at the big picture. For the last 6 years - there has been continual obstructionism.
Deny that if you want - but in no other period of our time has a Congress been so inept and putting self-preservation interests above the national interest.
It's disingenuous to blame Obama and conveniently ignore the role of Conservatives have played in this mess.
For folks blaming Obama - I ask: "how do we know that his policies would've failed when we have a Republican Party that's set out to stop anything he does before it even becomes law?"
It's why we have a broken health care system - because Republicans want to brand Obama with that boondoggle. Nevermind what's best for Americans - they were out to make sure it wasn't a Democrat that did it. Same thing now with immigration reform and with banking regulations which help us - while finally addressing the real problems.
It's become apparent that no one in Washington wants anything done. Obama's first moves to try and reconcile the parties made him look weak. And that was an irrecoverable error on his part.
So pardon my disgust the next time I drive by your anti-Obama sticker only to raise my hand in the form of an L and place it on my forehead. Because if you're really going to blame Obama - it's time to start bearing some of the responsibility for why things didn't materialize like they should've.
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
The Day the 'verse went right
Mark this day down. It's an important one.
Today marked the day that a sitting President, who is able to do many things from his position - acknowledged that gays and lesbians deserve the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts. Today marked the first time this President went on record - into the camera and said: "...I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married."
Kudos Sir. Kudos.
But while the universe finally smiled on something positive for a change ... I caution that now is not the time to break out the streamers and noise makers.
The hard part is going to be approaching ... very .... quickly.
I know Gay and lesbians have been frustrated with this President's stance on gay marriage. Understandably so. I can draw the same inferences of a black man - who has ridden against the same bigotry waves towards his ascension to the White House. Many feel that the President should be more empathetic towards gays and lesbians - as they draw the same bigotry lines that have plagued this country when it the issue was racial equality or giving the women the right to vote.
Again - I understand.
The country's opinion towards same-sex marriage is changing faster than the Republicans who are trying to throw up laws and roadblocks ostensibly to push their own societal agenda contrary to the 70% who are in favor of domestic unions of some kind. But the reality is that this is a political hot potato and in an election cycle and it's a hot potato that neither candidate can control. Not when they are trying to do the things they need to win and be the leader for the next four years.
I understand the President's plight.
I also understand the frustration by gays and lesbians who see their window of opportunity fading with the growing masses on the right. While my political side-kick will disagree with the potential outlook for this upcoming election cycle, there is a possibility that President Obama will be a one-termer ... the topic of gay marriage only bumps up the political temperature a few more degrees.
This will now become an active torpedo in the water for his re-election bid. The Republicans have been begging Obama to take up the measure so that they can run their ads confirming everyone's fear that he is single-handedly destroying America. That's the message. Fox confirmed that on their website tonight. That's the platform and that's the reason why he has been tentative about going all in even though he knows it's the right thing to do ... but this position alone could swing some Democrats to stay home because they themselves don't believe in that rights should be extended to gays and lesbians.
I know that's a hard pill to swallow - because as a liberal - I would hope that my democratic brethren would be open-minded to the concept of gay marriage. Instead - I find some democrats fearful about the direction the platform would take the country. I understand the fear - but I consider it an irrational one. This issue isn't going to be the tear in the fabric of society that's going to bring civilization to a halt. It's not that grandiose as the Republican message machine says about it.
The movement is about doing what's right. Just as women's suffrage was in the 1920's or the civil rights movement of the 50's and 60's.
This country is founded on momentum ... and there finally is enough to start pushing outward and onward.
So while I want to take a moment and be happy for so many friends ... I'm looking forward ... and I see problems. This can only work if the country can unite behind the idea that no group - no matter your background - deserves any kind of maltreatment, bigotry and condemnation by those who believe in their own self-anointed morality.
The simple truth is people deserve to be treated as people - and that's exactly what happened today.
Today marked the day that a sitting President, who is able to do many things from his position - acknowledged that gays and lesbians deserve the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts. Today marked the first time this President went on record - into the camera and said: "...I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married."
Kudos Sir. Kudos.
But while the universe finally smiled on something positive for a change ... I caution that now is not the time to break out the streamers and noise makers.
The hard part is going to be approaching ... very .... quickly.
I know Gay and lesbians have been frustrated with this President's stance on gay marriage. Understandably so. I can draw the same inferences of a black man - who has ridden against the same bigotry waves towards his ascension to the White House. Many feel that the President should be more empathetic towards gays and lesbians - as they draw the same bigotry lines that have plagued this country when it the issue was racial equality or giving the women the right to vote.
Again - I understand.
The country's opinion towards same-sex marriage is changing faster than the Republicans who are trying to throw up laws and roadblocks ostensibly to push their own societal agenda contrary to the 70% who are in favor of domestic unions of some kind. But the reality is that this is a political hot potato and in an election cycle and it's a hot potato that neither candidate can control. Not when they are trying to do the things they need to win and be the leader for the next four years.
I understand the President's plight.
I also understand the frustration by gays and lesbians who see their window of opportunity fading with the growing masses on the right. While my political side-kick will disagree with the potential outlook for this upcoming election cycle, there is a possibility that President Obama will be a one-termer ... the topic of gay marriage only bumps up the political temperature a few more degrees.
This will now become an active torpedo in the water for his re-election bid. The Republicans have been begging Obama to take up the measure so that they can run their ads confirming everyone's fear that he is single-handedly destroying America. That's the message. Fox confirmed that on their website tonight. That's the platform and that's the reason why he has been tentative about going all in even though he knows it's the right thing to do ... but this position alone could swing some Democrats to stay home because they themselves don't believe in that rights should be extended to gays and lesbians.
I know that's a hard pill to swallow - because as a liberal - I would hope that my democratic brethren would be open-minded to the concept of gay marriage. Instead - I find some democrats fearful about the direction the platform would take the country. I understand the fear - but I consider it an irrational one. This issue isn't going to be the tear in the fabric of society that's going to bring civilization to a halt. It's not that grandiose as the Republican message machine says about it.
The movement is about doing what's right. Just as women's suffrage was in the 1920's or the civil rights movement of the 50's and 60's.
This country is founded on momentum ... and there finally is enough to start pushing outward and onward.
So while I want to take a moment and be happy for so many friends ... I'm looking forward ... and I see problems. This can only work if the country can unite behind the idea that no group - no matter your background - deserves any kind of maltreatment, bigotry and condemnation by those who believe in their own self-anointed morality.
The simple truth is people deserve to be treated as people - and that's exactly what happened today.
Friday, March 23, 2012
It's about the defeat, not the plan
The GOP has one mission, one plan, one goal.
They don't have a roll out of policy and substance.
They are fixated by a single quest: beat Obama.
They admit it. They don't deny it. They won't even attempt to walk it back.
It's their bed.
So when November rolls around - and I really hope Americans are watching what's happening, there single most important thing to remember is: do you want someone who has a plan for America ... or do you want someone who is only interested in getting the current President outed.
Our founding fathers would be incredibly disappointed in how the GOP has bastardized the election process this time around. The nation is founded by those who want to lead ... LEAD ... not trying to turn this into a Gladiator event. The only platform this party of choice has is: "beat Obama." Beat the man, not the policy. Come up with a better plan? Put it out there, but if Republicans are going into the voting booth this fall to vote for "the other guy" ... then I would really hope that they could honestly say why they were voting in the first place.
They don't have a roll out of policy and substance.
They are fixated by a single quest: beat Obama.
They admit it. They don't deny it. They won't even attempt to walk it back.
It's their bed.
So when November rolls around - and I really hope Americans are watching what's happening, there single most important thing to remember is: do you want someone who has a plan for America ... or do you want someone who is only interested in getting the current President outed.
Our founding fathers would be incredibly disappointed in how the GOP has bastardized the election process this time around. The nation is founded by those who want to lead ... LEAD ... not trying to turn this into a Gladiator event. The only platform this party of choice has is: "beat Obama." Beat the man, not the policy. Come up with a better plan? Put it out there, but if Republicans are going into the voting booth this fall to vote for "the other guy" ... then I would really hope that they could honestly say why they were voting in the first place.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Unions are Destroying America!
No they aren't....
Despite the best antics on the conservative side of the aisle, unions are an essential part of the overwhelming majority of Americans. If you're working your 40 hour a week job, most of the labor protections came as a result of unions. You can try to deny it - but if you work 40 hours and get paid overtime for working over 40 hours ... you can thank unions for that. Grateful to have weekends off? Thank the unions. Benefits? Health care? Vacation time? Pensions? Unions paved the way for all of us.
"But do we still need them?"
Yes we do. Think about it for a moment. Do CEOs have a responsibility to shareholders or their employees? Let me rephrase the question better - what do CEOs have a higher level of responsibility to?
Ahhh yes - the power of the mighty shareholder.
It's the fall back answer for nearly 90 percent of conservatives who believe that unions are the bad guy ... while major corporations continue to reel off profits every quarter. The shareholder has a vested interest - but so does the American worker. The problem is - the shareholder has a vote - a say - in what happens with the company. The employee doesn't. If you don't like it - there's the door.
Unions level the playing field for the American worker.
Furthermore there's legislative action that want to roll back employment protections for workers. Make it easier to hire children because their labor is cheaper. Make it easier to force workers to work over 40 hours a week without compensation ... and even slashing benefits and vacation time because "the company needs this sacrifice."
"But unions milk money and cost companies a lot of money."
So do CEOs, CFOs, boards and other executives who continually line their golden parachutes ... for themselves ... rather than the much SMALLER piece of the pie that unions "milk" from their members or from companies. It's hard to call the kettle black when watching a $400 million payout with stock and other benefits being laid out for someone who drove a company into the ground.
Sorry - you're not going to get much sympathy from me.
"But it's socialism!"
The ever infamous last resort of conservatives who really don't understand exactly what socialism is. We are as close to socialism as I am from dancing as a ballerina in Swan Lake. "But it's the start of the slope!" .... no it's not. Everything in life can't be run on a purely capitalist, anti-union system.
But instead of being satisfied with something in the middle, unions are crumbling right and left. If you look at the amount of unions around today ... in comparison to the last 50-100 years ... you'd understand that it's a fallacy that "unions are destroying America!"
The greed-fest and Corporatocracy this nation has been enduring since the Reagan years is the lone culprit. Even as unions continue to represent less of the American work force, companies and corporations continue to exploit agreements that take jobs out of the country. That's why there are shoe plants in Taiwan that employ young kids in sweat shops. The Republican party has become whores for corporations and companies ... thoroughly unable or unwilling to do the right thing for their constituents because they believe their constituents are companies and corporations .... not American people.
"Obama is just as bad as Republicans when it comes to this."
Could actually be a fair point - but Obama knows that no matter how idealistic he was when he took office ... the Republicans were going to drag their heels on every single piece of legislation. So Obama knows he has imperfect legislation - but it's better than no legislation at all.
Look in the details. Look who benefits. Look who gains. Look who wins.
It's not the union you should worry about. It's that corporate fat cat dolling out hundred dollar bills to the whores he pays for. That's who's destroying America...
Despite the best antics on the conservative side of the aisle, unions are an essential part of the overwhelming majority of Americans. If you're working your 40 hour a week job, most of the labor protections came as a result of unions. You can try to deny it - but if you work 40 hours and get paid overtime for working over 40 hours ... you can thank unions for that. Grateful to have weekends off? Thank the unions. Benefits? Health care? Vacation time? Pensions? Unions paved the way for all of us.
"But do we still need them?"
Yes we do. Think about it for a moment. Do CEOs have a responsibility to shareholders or their employees? Let me rephrase the question better - what do CEOs have a higher level of responsibility to?
Ahhh yes - the power of the mighty shareholder.
It's the fall back answer for nearly 90 percent of conservatives who believe that unions are the bad guy ... while major corporations continue to reel off profits every quarter. The shareholder has a vested interest - but so does the American worker. The problem is - the shareholder has a vote - a say - in what happens with the company. The employee doesn't. If you don't like it - there's the door.
Unions level the playing field for the American worker.
Furthermore there's legislative action that want to roll back employment protections for workers. Make it easier to hire children because their labor is cheaper. Make it easier to force workers to work over 40 hours a week without compensation ... and even slashing benefits and vacation time because "the company needs this sacrifice."
"But unions milk money and cost companies a lot of money."
So do CEOs, CFOs, boards and other executives who continually line their golden parachutes ... for themselves ... rather than the much SMALLER piece of the pie that unions "milk" from their members or from companies. It's hard to call the kettle black when watching a $400 million payout with stock and other benefits being laid out for someone who drove a company into the ground.
Sorry - you're not going to get much sympathy from me.
"But it's socialism!"
The ever infamous last resort of conservatives who really don't understand exactly what socialism is. We are as close to socialism as I am from dancing as a ballerina in Swan Lake. "But it's the start of the slope!" .... no it's not. Everything in life can't be run on a purely capitalist, anti-union system.
But instead of being satisfied with something in the middle, unions are crumbling right and left. If you look at the amount of unions around today ... in comparison to the last 50-100 years ... you'd understand that it's a fallacy that "unions are destroying America!"
The greed-fest and Corporatocracy this nation has been enduring since the Reagan years is the lone culprit. Even as unions continue to represent less of the American work force, companies and corporations continue to exploit agreements that take jobs out of the country. That's why there are shoe plants in Taiwan that employ young kids in sweat shops. The Republican party has become whores for corporations and companies ... thoroughly unable or unwilling to do the right thing for their constituents because they believe their constituents are companies and corporations .... not American people.
"Obama is just as bad as Republicans when it comes to this."
Could actually be a fair point - but Obama knows that no matter how idealistic he was when he took office ... the Republicans were going to drag their heels on every single piece of legislation. So Obama knows he has imperfect legislation - but it's better than no legislation at all.
Look in the details. Look who benefits. Look who gains. Look who wins.
It's not the union you should worry about. It's that corporate fat cat dolling out hundred dollar bills to the whores he pays for. That's who's destroying America...
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The Loss of Hope
My hiatus from SpoonsRant was something that I didn’t anticipate. I thought I would continue to blog about all things political. After all politics continues to happen regardless of what’s happening in our daily lives. But I found my frustrations growing with this administration. It had nothing to do with the weak tea party or the subsequent Republican floggings about why Obama is bad this week. My focus for the last three years has been squarely on our President and the Democratic party.
I was disappointed that there was an overemphasis placed on cooperative government. Obama reached far too often across the aisle … and ended up selling the store, the dog, the cat, the parakeet, grandma … and getting nothing in return. The Republicans managed to marginalize Obama’s political capital and they weren’t going to turn loose. Democrats remained too unfocused and scattered across the political spectrum (Landreu, Nelson and other conservative Democrats) that ultimately lacked cohesion.
It was thanks to these centralist Dems that awarded power back to the Republicans. It was thanks to Obama benching his platform because the job was too tough to pass it. The country ran with no steward. The helm just kept going with the ebb and flow of the sea current. The captain wasn’t on the bridge – leading – as much as he was trying to quiet the crew … with over half of them fighting him on every single solitary thing.
What got lost in the last two years – is the fact that Republicans refused, every morsel of their being, to work with Democrats or this President on the overwhelming majority of legislation coming out. That forced Obama and the Democrats to continually give up ground – and their fights were watered down and lost. Reid lost respectability. Pelosi fought inconsistently. Americans lost out.
Hope … was lost.
Now that we’re entering the last leg to determine who Obama’s opponent is going to be, I’m back to wondering what Obama is going to say next. I’m wondering how he’s going to be able to justify the stuff he has done over the last three years. Yes – he’s done plenty. He’s done big things … he’s done a lot of medium and little things. He had such high hopes. He had such a vision. He energized those that helped get him elected to fulfill those ambitions.
While the finger pointing can be squarely on the Republicans, the Democrats did their fair share of eating their young. Obama himself became a microcosm of being too idealistic and not being able to reach as far as he wanted. It hasn’t been until the last 3-4 months that we’re finally seeing a commander that’s commanding. Someone who has finally said “enough” and did something big, bold and bad … he called out the Republicans and put it on the line. He finally started calling the Republican’s bluff. Lines are drawn in the sand now … and that’s what Obama should’ve been doing when the R’s decided they were going to behave like insolent disrespectful children.
For as long as we have the likes of Fox and Rush continuing their epic distortions and incredibly self-serving biases … Obama doesn’t stand a chance. He was patient. He tried, kept trying, regardless of what it meant to him politically, this President kept his arm extended while the Republican party spat on him. There is no shame for Republicans and that’s why I can find no respect for them.
I was disappointed that there was an overemphasis placed on cooperative government. Obama reached far too often across the aisle … and ended up selling the store, the dog, the cat, the parakeet, grandma … and getting nothing in return. The Republicans managed to marginalize Obama’s political capital and they weren’t going to turn loose. Democrats remained too unfocused and scattered across the political spectrum (Landreu, Nelson and other conservative Democrats) that ultimately lacked cohesion.
It was thanks to these centralist Dems that awarded power back to the Republicans. It was thanks to Obama benching his platform because the job was too tough to pass it. The country ran with no steward. The helm just kept going with the ebb and flow of the sea current. The captain wasn’t on the bridge – leading – as much as he was trying to quiet the crew … with over half of them fighting him on every single solitary thing.
What got lost in the last two years – is the fact that Republicans refused, every morsel of their being, to work with Democrats or this President on the overwhelming majority of legislation coming out. That forced Obama and the Democrats to continually give up ground – and their fights were watered down and lost. Reid lost respectability. Pelosi fought inconsistently. Americans lost out.
Hope … was lost.
Now that we’re entering the last leg to determine who Obama’s opponent is going to be, I’m back to wondering what Obama is going to say next. I’m wondering how he’s going to be able to justify the stuff he has done over the last three years. Yes – he’s done plenty. He’s done big things … he’s done a lot of medium and little things. He had such high hopes. He had such a vision. He energized those that helped get him elected to fulfill those ambitions.
While the finger pointing can be squarely on the Republicans, the Democrats did their fair share of eating their young. Obama himself became a microcosm of being too idealistic and not being able to reach as far as he wanted. It hasn’t been until the last 3-4 months that we’re finally seeing a commander that’s commanding. Someone who has finally said “enough” and did something big, bold and bad … he called out the Republicans and put it on the line. He finally started calling the Republican’s bluff. Lines are drawn in the sand now … and that’s what Obama should’ve been doing when the R’s decided they were going to behave like insolent disrespectful children.
For as long as we have the likes of Fox and Rush continuing their epic distortions and incredibly self-serving biases … Obama doesn’t stand a chance. He was patient. He tried, kept trying, regardless of what it meant to him politically, this President kept his arm extended while the Republican party spat on him. There is no shame for Republicans and that’s why I can find no respect for them.
Monday, January 23, 2012
So We Were Right All Along...
The New Yorker magazine has an incredible quote from "two well-known Washington political analysts, Thomas Mann, of the bipartisan Brookings Institution, and Norman Ornstein, of the conservative American Enteriprise Institute:
"One of our two major parties, the Republicans, has become an insurgent outlier—ideologically extreme, contemptuous of the inherited social and economic policy regime, scornful of compromise, unpersuaded by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science, and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition"
Read more at the New Yorker magazine: click here
A very interesting read about how Obama tried to assert himself as a post-ideological politician following his election bid.
"One of our two major parties, the Republicans, has become an insurgent outlier—ideologically extreme, contemptuous of the inherited social and economic policy regime, scornful of compromise, unpersuaded by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science, and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition"
Read more at the New Yorker magazine: click here
A very interesting read about how Obama tried to assert himself as a post-ideological politician following his election bid.
Friday, January 06, 2012
The Occupy, Tea Bag, 99% Problem
I just love how the Republicans and Tea Bag crowd continue to decry the Occupy Wall Street movement. Little do they know but at least when it comes to the Tea Bag party ... they are not unlike their Occupy breathren. Both groups vocally protest their dissatisfaction with the way things are being run. One group chooses to blame the government, the other group blames the fat cats.
Tea Baggers come out against Occupy Wall Street - OWS come out against the Baggers and there's a free for all somewhere in Central Park. It's not unusual to have these sprig parties sprout out every election cycle. There was the Green party, the Ross Perot party, the Gary Coleman party (okay - that was a typo..) But the prevailing two parties have remained relatively unscathed throughout history. That's not going to change anytime soon - but the reality is that as populist as some candidates have been (ahem, Obama) ... what matters is their service to the American people. Despite the Republican view on this, I subscribe to the belief that our electorate is there to represent the American people ... not American corporations and businesses.
That's why I haven't signed onto the OWS crowd as much as I've embraced the 99% movement. Because it's the 99% that continues to work hard everyday, see to their child's education, care and provide for their family while getting hammered by the lack of rise when it comes to salaries. That's why there's no single breadwinners in families these days. That's why both parents are needing to work to make ends meet and try to lay some sort of foundation for their family's future. Benefits are getting slashed, health care is out of reach for so many Americans, and there's a significant amount of the right side of the aisle that has NO PROBLEM with it. Our previous President once said that it's "uniquely American" to have such problems....
"Corporations are entitled to maximize their profits."
"Corporations have a duty and responsibility to their shareholders."
"It's not up businesses to take care of their employees..."
Really?
These are the folks you're protecting?
This is the philosophy you subscribe to?
The Tea Baggers and Republicans that continue to defend big business - they themselves fall well within the 99%, they continue to protect big industry, big banks, big pharma and big oil ... for reasons that simply don't make sense. The illusion that if you give the rich enough money - it'll trickle down to you - is a proven falsehood. The rate of salary increases have remain stagnant since Reagan's infamous boondoggle. The rich remain rich, while the poor remain poor and the middle class finds themselves on the endangered species list.
Even though they themselves are equally susceptible to the other 99%'ers out there in terms of job and benefit security. Sure - they have a nice paying job and can complain about others not doing enough to get their own damn job. Easy for them to say when unemployment has suffered mightily under the great recession. Easy for them .... until they find themselves on their own receiving end of it. Companies have no loyalty to their employees - as we've seen with the shift of jobs overseas. If you get a life-threatening condition - Sarah Palin's death panels will instantly be enacted to ensure that because you have become a liability of the company and you will lose your job and your benefits. It's all about profits, right Sarah?
Try treating cancer on unemployment after you've already emptied out your life's savings that you had HOPED was going to buoy your retirement ... and let's see if you still want to protect big pharma.
These folks are equally affected by the deregulation of food, water, air, and work conditions. Is profit really worth it if your water is laced with ignitable gas? Or the beef you get at the store tainted and contaminated? Or the factory you work in has asbestos in the walls and ceilings? Is the profit worth it to you then? The 99% seeks the balance against businesses and corporations from polluting and endangering employees lives for profit. A well known company that won't settle $300k in OSHA fines and making work condition improvements while guarding their CEO's $4 million salary (and $6 mil mansion) just doesn't resonate well with the 99%ers. It's not that we don't think a CEO is worth $4 million. "The market sets the rate" - and I'm okay with that, but if you're doing it at the EXPENSE of others - then I'm not going to be okay with that. Whether its petitioning to loosen pollution controls or having agencies turning a blind eye to their unfair business practices. "Everything in the name of profit" has become the new mantra for the 21st century, "damn the employees and the world we build it on, I want my 4th yacht because I've grown tired of the first 3."
Elizabeth Warren, who is now running for Senate in Massachusetts has it right. “There is nobody in this country who got rich on their own. Nobody. You built a factory out there - good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory... Now look. You built a factory and it turned into something terrific or a great idea - God bless! Keep a hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”
That's not socialism folks. That's being socially responsible. The false information of Rush, the banter of Beck and the mis-guided network known as Fox ... all do their part to press forward with the fear of socialism. Even though they casually neglect to point out that we already live in a pretty fair amount of socialism as it is ... not everything can or should be turned into a capitalized profit. Elizabeth's point is simple: everybody is responsible for paying back to society in order to get back from society the kinds of things we all enjoy. The problem is that with corporations going overseas and doing everything they can to avoid paying their taxes like G.E., then there is no investment happening back in the country that allowed them to flourish to begin with. Anyone who believes that's a form of socialism really needs to examine their history and look back at what socialism actually was back in the days of the Soviet Union - who was a Socialist Republic. The nation was impoverished and kept that way ... there was no 1%, there was no middle class, there were no SUV's or WalMarts where you could buy your flat screen TV using your Visa card. If you truly think you know what socialism is - then you can clearly see that this country is not even close to the big red scare like Fox continues to advertise.
If you're finding yourself protecting the 1%'ers ... then maybe you should begin to ask yourself why. When the majority of the 99%'ers make up folks on the Democrat and Republican side - it's no longer a political issue, but an ideological one. It's not that I want all of us to feel entitled to what they have. That's not my argument. But when these companies focus on profit over responsibility - then that's my argument. If you're not going to show much loyalty to the country that gives you the right to have your business, or to the employees that work hard for your company ... then you really need to sit down and examine why your loyalties are with businesses who conduct themselves as cowardly as they do.
Are you trying to protect your job? Your stock portfolio? Are you content being complicit as these companies lay off workers or break the laws - forcing them to work over 40 hours but not be entitled to the benefits of a full time employee? Are you sleeping well at night with your $100/quarter dividend check because the company you're invested in wants to lie and cheat to stay ahead? Is that the capitalism dream that you subscribe to?
Is that your definition of what America is about?
Then I challenge you to examine how you got to think about yourself over your country. Were you misguided by the man sitting behind the golden microphone who thinks pretty highly of himself? Or were you misguided by the network that claims to be fair and balanced - yet is anything BUT fair and balanced? If you're offended that I'm tackling your two big idols it's because I take great offense of those that seek to put the country behind its citizens and the companies that have enjoyed an incredibly open expanse when it comes to making profit hand over fist.
This country was founded with a unified, hand-in-hand approach that made us stronger than any nation around. While Rush and Fox are entitled to spew whatever opinions they care to - they're doing so irresponsibly and for the sake of themselves. I'm not espousing that we need to revert to a Soviet Socialist regime, but there has got to be a balance with this out of control "it's all about me" attitude that it's okay to disavow the principles of this country ... just so you have some spare change in the jar at the end of the day.
Morally - even Jesus would be mortified.
Tea Baggers come out against Occupy Wall Street - OWS come out against the Baggers and there's a free for all somewhere in Central Park. It's not unusual to have these sprig parties sprout out every election cycle. There was the Green party, the Ross Perot party, the Gary Coleman party (okay - that was a typo..) But the prevailing two parties have remained relatively unscathed throughout history. That's not going to change anytime soon - but the reality is that as populist as some candidates have been (ahem, Obama) ... what matters is their service to the American people. Despite the Republican view on this, I subscribe to the belief that our electorate is there to represent the American people ... not American corporations and businesses.
That's why I haven't signed onto the OWS crowd as much as I've embraced the 99% movement. Because it's the 99% that continues to work hard everyday, see to their child's education, care and provide for their family while getting hammered by the lack of rise when it comes to salaries. That's why there's no single breadwinners in families these days. That's why both parents are needing to work to make ends meet and try to lay some sort of foundation for their family's future. Benefits are getting slashed, health care is out of reach for so many Americans, and there's a significant amount of the right side of the aisle that has NO PROBLEM with it. Our previous President once said that it's "uniquely American" to have such problems....
"Corporations are entitled to maximize their profits."
"Corporations have a duty and responsibility to their shareholders."
"It's not up businesses to take care of their employees..."
Really?
These are the folks you're protecting?
This is the philosophy you subscribe to?
The Tea Baggers and Republicans that continue to defend big business - they themselves fall well within the 99%, they continue to protect big industry, big banks, big pharma and big oil ... for reasons that simply don't make sense. The illusion that if you give the rich enough money - it'll trickle down to you - is a proven falsehood. The rate of salary increases have remain stagnant since Reagan's infamous boondoggle. The rich remain rich, while the poor remain poor and the middle class finds themselves on the endangered species list.
Even though they themselves are equally susceptible to the other 99%'ers out there in terms of job and benefit security. Sure - they have a nice paying job and can complain about others not doing enough to get their own damn job. Easy for them to say when unemployment has suffered mightily under the great recession. Easy for them .... until they find themselves on their own receiving end of it. Companies have no loyalty to their employees - as we've seen with the shift of jobs overseas. If you get a life-threatening condition - Sarah Palin's death panels will instantly be enacted to ensure that because you have become a liability of the company and you will lose your job and your benefits. It's all about profits, right Sarah?
Try treating cancer on unemployment after you've already emptied out your life's savings that you had HOPED was going to buoy your retirement ... and let's see if you still want to protect big pharma.
These folks are equally affected by the deregulation of food, water, air, and work conditions. Is profit really worth it if your water is laced with ignitable gas? Or the beef you get at the store tainted and contaminated? Or the factory you work in has asbestos in the walls and ceilings? Is the profit worth it to you then? The 99% seeks the balance against businesses and corporations from polluting and endangering employees lives for profit. A well known company that won't settle $300k in OSHA fines and making work condition improvements while guarding their CEO's $4 million salary (and $6 mil mansion) just doesn't resonate well with the 99%ers. It's not that we don't think a CEO is worth $4 million. "The market sets the rate" - and I'm okay with that, but if you're doing it at the EXPENSE of others - then I'm not going to be okay with that. Whether its petitioning to loosen pollution controls or having agencies turning a blind eye to their unfair business practices. "Everything in the name of profit" has become the new mantra for the 21st century, "damn the employees and the world we build it on, I want my 4th yacht because I've grown tired of the first 3."
Elizabeth Warren, who is now running for Senate in Massachusetts has it right. “There is nobody in this country who got rich on their own. Nobody. You built a factory out there - good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory... Now look. You built a factory and it turned into something terrific or a great idea - God bless! Keep a hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”
That's not socialism folks. That's being socially responsible. The false information of Rush, the banter of Beck and the mis-guided network known as Fox ... all do their part to press forward with the fear of socialism. Even though they casually neglect to point out that we already live in a pretty fair amount of socialism as it is ... not everything can or should be turned into a capitalized profit. Elizabeth's point is simple: everybody is responsible for paying back to society in order to get back from society the kinds of things we all enjoy. The problem is that with corporations going overseas and doing everything they can to avoid paying their taxes like G.E., then there is no investment happening back in the country that allowed them to flourish to begin with. Anyone who believes that's a form of socialism really needs to examine their history and look back at what socialism actually was back in the days of the Soviet Union - who was a Socialist Republic. The nation was impoverished and kept that way ... there was no 1%, there was no middle class, there were no SUV's or WalMarts where you could buy your flat screen TV using your Visa card. If you truly think you know what socialism is - then you can clearly see that this country is not even close to the big red scare like Fox continues to advertise.
If you're finding yourself protecting the 1%'ers ... then maybe you should begin to ask yourself why. When the majority of the 99%'ers make up folks on the Democrat and Republican side - it's no longer a political issue, but an ideological one. It's not that I want all of us to feel entitled to what they have. That's not my argument. But when these companies focus on profit over responsibility - then that's my argument. If you're not going to show much loyalty to the country that gives you the right to have your business, or to the employees that work hard for your company ... then you really need to sit down and examine why your loyalties are with businesses who conduct themselves as cowardly as they do.
Are you trying to protect your job? Your stock portfolio? Are you content being complicit as these companies lay off workers or break the laws - forcing them to work over 40 hours but not be entitled to the benefits of a full time employee? Are you sleeping well at night with your $100/quarter dividend check because the company you're invested in wants to lie and cheat to stay ahead? Is that the capitalism dream that you subscribe to?
Is that your definition of what America is about?
Then I challenge you to examine how you got to think about yourself over your country. Were you misguided by the man sitting behind the golden microphone who thinks pretty highly of himself? Or were you misguided by the network that claims to be fair and balanced - yet is anything BUT fair and balanced? If you're offended that I'm tackling your two big idols it's because I take great offense of those that seek to put the country behind its citizens and the companies that have enjoyed an incredibly open expanse when it comes to making profit hand over fist.
This country was founded with a unified, hand-in-hand approach that made us stronger than any nation around. While Rush and Fox are entitled to spew whatever opinions they care to - they're doing so irresponsibly and for the sake of themselves. I'm not espousing that we need to revert to a Soviet Socialist regime, but there has got to be a balance with this out of control "it's all about me" attitude that it's okay to disavow the principles of this country ... just so you have some spare change in the jar at the end of the day.
Morally - even Jesus would be mortified.
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
The Big Thaw....
It's been a painful three years to watch the goings on in Washington. Admittedly - I've went into hibernation. I deliberately distanced myself from the political hashing and rehashing because there simply was no point to get upset or angry with the political climate. Republicans don't care, Democrats don't care either. Americans care and I'm not sure that's something either party fully understands yet.
I've distanced myself from my familiar political haunts - mainly because they were proving themselves to be equally divisive spin-masters as the other side has been. There's so much political media pandering going on - that it's impossible to really gauge a politician's real view point without them pausing and thinking through the mind games of "what's best for me."
In Reflection... In 2008, many of us believed we had a candidate that would be our fiercest advocate. While I believe he was very well intentioned - the realities of the Washington culture transformed him into something completely unrecognizable. My posts diminished as it felt like many of us were abandoned by someone who was leading the charge to make a difference. In that span of time -- we watched someone who was constantly extending his hand - trying to rally both sides to adopt his vision.
The "Respect" Factor...Republicans should be ashamed at how they have treated this President - if they actually knew and felt shame. Even with the incredible bumblings of George W., I respected his role as President. There was none of this: "He's not MY President" flatulence. I so desperately want to turn to those folks and have them arrested because if Obama is not your President then you are here illegally and you need to be deported. In all of my rants about the previous administration - as much as I hated what his policies were doing to this country - I never said he was "not MY President."
Grow up.
Race Is Still an Issue... The tragic thing is that this kind of disrespect is now acceptable because Obama is "lesser" somehow. I don't mean to play the race card - but I find those that hide behind their disrespect are being majorly disingenuous about how they really feel about a black President. If you're going to hate, then hate - the very least you can do is own it and expose it for who you really are. Don't hide - be proud of it. At least be honest without the Rush Limbaugh-esque "I have black friends" as an excuse for your hatred of the man.
If you don't like his politics - then say so. The problem is - most people who rail against Obama are the exact same ones that benefit from his policies.
Thaw or Hibernation... Does this mean there's a thaw coming for Spoon's Rant ... or will I sleep back in slumber? I really don't know the answer to that. I've seen things from Obama that have gotten my attention - but I've also seen things that still concern me. He has a lot of explaining to do and a lot of repair work with his base. He's lost the support of the left wing - but then I don't think many left wingers want another mistake to end up in the White House.
...I've been wrong on that before though... who would've thought Bush would be elected twice in a row?
I've distanced myself from my familiar political haunts - mainly because they were proving themselves to be equally divisive spin-masters as the other side has been. There's so much political media pandering going on - that it's impossible to really gauge a politician's real view point without them pausing and thinking through the mind games of "what's best for me."
In Reflection... In 2008, many of us believed we had a candidate that would be our fiercest advocate. While I believe he was very well intentioned - the realities of the Washington culture transformed him into something completely unrecognizable. My posts diminished as it felt like many of us were abandoned by someone who was leading the charge to make a difference. In that span of time -- we watched someone who was constantly extending his hand - trying to rally both sides to adopt his vision.
The "Respect" Factor...Republicans should be ashamed at how they have treated this President - if they actually knew and felt shame. Even with the incredible bumblings of George W., I respected his role as President. There was none of this: "He's not MY President" flatulence. I so desperately want to turn to those folks and have them arrested because if Obama is not your President then you are here illegally and you need to be deported. In all of my rants about the previous administration - as much as I hated what his policies were doing to this country - I never said he was "not MY President."
Grow up.
Race Is Still an Issue... The tragic thing is that this kind of disrespect is now acceptable because Obama is "lesser" somehow. I don't mean to play the race card - but I find those that hide behind their disrespect are being majorly disingenuous about how they really feel about a black President. If you're going to hate, then hate - the very least you can do is own it and expose it for who you really are. Don't hide - be proud of it. At least be honest without the Rush Limbaugh-esque "I have black friends" as an excuse for your hatred of the man.
If you don't like his politics - then say so. The problem is - most people who rail against Obama are the exact same ones that benefit from his policies.
Thaw or Hibernation... Does this mean there's a thaw coming for Spoon's Rant ... or will I sleep back in slumber? I really don't know the answer to that. I've seen things from Obama that have gotten my attention - but I've also seen things that still concern me. He has a lot of explaining to do and a lot of repair work with his base. He's lost the support of the left wing - but then I don't think many left wingers want another mistake to end up in the White House.
...I've been wrong on that before though... who would've thought Bush would be elected twice in a row?
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Restoring Sanity
Oh how I wish we could've been there.
What an event by all accounts - if anything, to tell our fabled leaders: "Enough."
America has had enough of the antics, of the obfuscation and we demanded real change. Yes, REAL change. We were sick with what the Republicans did during their 8 year stint that we voted for a radical shift. As we now face a mid-term election this coming Tuesday America isn't really happy with how the Democrats have played out either.
Until both parties try to reapply their pulse on America - we are going to keep seeing the revolving door in Washington.
That's why the recent Restoring Sanity rally on the National Mall in D.C. was so important. Take any picture from the event and SEE the demographics. Old, young, white, black, Hispanic, male, female -- proved that you can get over 200k folks coming together to tell Washington that they need to change their attitude. They need to change their approach with how they govern.
The problem is - they won't.
A very telling interview with President Obama took place on the the Daily Show with Jon Stewart last week - where Jon (to his credit) really laid it out there for the President to address the fundamental problem with the party and the direction of things in Washington. It was a great display of a leader doing this in secured measurements to ensure that change is at least moving forward. Progressives are never really going to like that it wasn't "everything" that Obama preached for and something even he admitted to.
"Obama: You know, there are folks, I'm sure, who don't think that we've achieved the ideal. And so, I guess, on all these issues, my attitude is, if we're makin' progress, step by step, inch by inch, day by day, that we are being true to the spirit of that campaign —
Stewart: You wouldn't say you'd run this time as a pragmatist — it wouldn't be, "Yes, we can — given certain conditions..."?
Obama: No, I think what I would say is, "Yes, we can, but — [audience laughs] — it is not gonna happen overnight.""
I think as a society - we really need to look at that reality. But when pressed about the frustration in Washington:
"Stewart: Do you believe government is nimble enough to handle these 21st-century crises? Is government agile enough — you said, "We want to build a 21st-century regulatory regime for business" — by the time government builds that, obviously it'll be the 22nd century, but won't they have already started trading molecules in some sort of weird — Does government still have the ability to be agile enough to handle these types of things?
Obama: I think it's a legitimate question. I will tell you that there are a couple of things that have changed in our politics that are gonna have to be fixed. One is the way the filibuster operates. As I said, that's just not in the Constitution. In fairness, Democrats used it when Bush was in office and felt very comfortable using it — although not to the extent that it's being used today. What we've been seeing is unprecedented. And that makes it very difficult for us to move forward in serious ways, and actually reduces compromise, because what ends up happening is that if Republicans know that they can block anything because we don't have 60 votes, then they feel no need to compromise. That means the Democrats, then, their attitude is, "Well, we're not gonna compromise; we can't get 60 votes," and everybody moves in opposite directions. The same thing is true, I think, when it comes to how our districts are drawn. You know, we've got a lot of districts that are so safe — 90% Democrat or 90% Republican — that that also helps to polarize the electorate, so there are a couple of things that are structural that are probably going to need to be changed, but, having said all that, we have made a lot of progress over the last 18 months that, from a historical perspective, ranks up there with any legislative session we've seen in history. And we're gonna have to continue to make some progress on things like energy (which didn't get done), on immigration reform (That did not get done.), and most importantly we've just got to do a lot more work in terms of generating the kind of jobs that ensure we've got a growing middle class and that people are able to live out the American Dream, because right now I think there are a lot of folks who are worried that if we don't make serious investments in education, in energy, in infrastructure, in research and development — that we're gonna start fallin' behind."
(see the video and full transcript at LincMad.blogspot)
......
Admittedly -- I was certainly caught up in the same frustrations. But I also see a party that is creating more hell and frustration upon themselves - than the other party. I'm patient as long as it feels like our representatives are moving in that direction, Mr. President. Unfortunately that's the problem so many of us see and that's why many of your candidates are in trouble this week.
That's why the likes of Restoring Sanity were important for you to see and understand that America is frustrated not necessarily with you, Mr. President. They are frustrated by the electorate that have a really hard time buying into your plan for the future or be bought out by special interest groups.
The GOP make absolutely no apologies that they are corporate hacks. They don't care that they're painted as unforgiving, uncaring, shills for industry so as long as their own personal tidings are taken care of.
It's time for real representatives to step up and to represent Americans. Not some corporation, not some shill for the insurance lobby or the oil lobby or the bank lobby or the military industrial complex lobby. We need representatives that know that a gallon of milk costs a shade under $4.00. We need representatives that know how hard it is for folks who ARE trying to work, who have spent a lot of their lives playing by the rules and who feel left out of the process. We need representatives who care about Americans first -- corporations and businesses second.
It's time to restore sanity in the process and to put people in power that want to make change - REAL change .... and not revert us back 10 years or believe some incredibly stupid notion of "trickle down economics."
Bring it on Tuesday America. Make your vote count.
What an event by all accounts - if anything, to tell our fabled leaders: "Enough."
America has had enough of the antics, of the obfuscation and we demanded real change. Yes, REAL change. We were sick with what the Republicans did during their 8 year stint that we voted for a radical shift. As we now face a mid-term election this coming Tuesday America isn't really happy with how the Democrats have played out either.
Until both parties try to reapply their pulse on America - we are going to keep seeing the revolving door in Washington.
That's why the recent Restoring Sanity rally on the National Mall in D.C. was so important. Take any picture from the event and SEE the demographics. Old, young, white, black, Hispanic, male, female -- proved that you can get over 200k folks coming together to tell Washington that they need to change their attitude. They need to change their approach with how they govern.
The problem is - they won't.
A very telling interview with President Obama took place on the the Daily Show with Jon Stewart last week - where Jon (to his credit) really laid it out there for the President to address the fundamental problem with the party and the direction of things in Washington. It was a great display of a leader doing this in secured measurements to ensure that change is at least moving forward. Progressives are never really going to like that it wasn't "everything" that Obama preached for and something even he admitted to.
"Obama: You know, there are folks, I'm sure, who don't think that we've achieved the ideal. And so, I guess, on all these issues, my attitude is, if we're makin' progress, step by step, inch by inch, day by day, that we are being true to the spirit of that campaign —
Stewart: You wouldn't say you'd run this time as a pragmatist — it wouldn't be, "Yes, we can — given certain conditions..."?
Obama: No, I think what I would say is, "Yes, we can, but — [audience laughs] — it is not gonna happen overnight.""
I think as a society - we really need to look at that reality. But when pressed about the frustration in Washington:
"Stewart: Do you believe government is nimble enough to handle these 21st-century crises? Is government agile enough — you said, "We want to build a 21st-century regulatory regime for business" — by the time government builds that, obviously it'll be the 22nd century, but won't they have already started trading molecules in some sort of weird — Does government still have the ability to be agile enough to handle these types of things?
Obama: I think it's a legitimate question. I will tell you that there are a couple of things that have changed in our politics that are gonna have to be fixed. One is the way the filibuster operates. As I said, that's just not in the Constitution. In fairness, Democrats used it when Bush was in office and felt very comfortable using it — although not to the extent that it's being used today. What we've been seeing is unprecedented. And that makes it very difficult for us to move forward in serious ways, and actually reduces compromise, because what ends up happening is that if Republicans know that they can block anything because we don't have 60 votes, then they feel no need to compromise. That means the Democrats, then, their attitude is, "Well, we're not gonna compromise; we can't get 60 votes," and everybody moves in opposite directions. The same thing is true, I think, when it comes to how our districts are drawn. You know, we've got a lot of districts that are so safe — 90% Democrat or 90% Republican — that that also helps to polarize the electorate, so there are a couple of things that are structural that are probably going to need to be changed, but, having said all that, we have made a lot of progress over the last 18 months that, from a historical perspective, ranks up there with any legislative session we've seen in history. And we're gonna have to continue to make some progress on things like energy (which didn't get done), on immigration reform (That did not get done.), and most importantly we've just got to do a lot more work in terms of generating the kind of jobs that ensure we've got a growing middle class and that people are able to live out the American Dream, because right now I think there are a lot of folks who are worried that if we don't make serious investments in education, in energy, in infrastructure, in research and development — that we're gonna start fallin' behind."
(see the video and full transcript at LincMad.blogspot)
......
Admittedly -- I was certainly caught up in the same frustrations. But I also see a party that is creating more hell and frustration upon themselves - than the other party. I'm patient as long as it feels like our representatives are moving in that direction, Mr. President. Unfortunately that's the problem so many of us see and that's why many of your candidates are in trouble this week.
That's why the likes of Restoring Sanity were important for you to see and understand that America is frustrated not necessarily with you, Mr. President. They are frustrated by the electorate that have a really hard time buying into your plan for the future or be bought out by special interest groups.
The GOP make absolutely no apologies that they are corporate hacks. They don't care that they're painted as unforgiving, uncaring, shills for industry so as long as their own personal tidings are taken care of.
It's time for real representatives to step up and to represent Americans. Not some corporation, not some shill for the insurance lobby or the oil lobby or the bank lobby or the military industrial complex lobby. We need representatives that know that a gallon of milk costs a shade under $4.00. We need representatives that know how hard it is for folks who ARE trying to work, who have spent a lot of their lives playing by the rules and who feel left out of the process. We need representatives who care about Americans first -- corporations and businesses second.
It's time to restore sanity in the process and to put people in power that want to make change - REAL change .... and not revert us back 10 years or believe some incredibly stupid notion of "trickle down economics."
Bring it on Tuesday America. Make your vote count.
Monday, February 22, 2010
The Teflon is starting to flake off....
Outright lies is the way of Washington politics.
...which is why so many Americans are put off by our elected representatives -- and for good reason.
But there has been an aggressive campaign by the right to completely fabricate, lie or enjoy their own rolls in the mud. Each time they roll around in the mud - remarkably, almost impossibly - the GOP comes away scot free ... amazing! No dirt, no problem and they can launch salvo after salvo at Obama and the Democrats and have absolutely no accountability....
But something has changed.
Now - there finally seems to be some accountability.
The Teflon the GOP has worn for several generations is finally starting to flake off a bit. If you're going to be against Obama's stimulus plan, but you're going to take credit for it - FINALLY - someone is going to call you out on it. Even within their own party people are finally starting to take notice.
Never mind the other incredibly blatant attacks of late of "fiscal responsibility" while protecting Bush for 8 years. Or the sudden concern about terrorist rights when Bush was doing the exact .... same .... thing..... Even Colin Powell has no idea what the GOP is doing.
But then the GOP had their big confab this week ... the CPAC where they are supposed to hone in their message and get back on track. One of their headliners is no stranger to obscuring and obfuscation ... Mitt Romney delivered his speech which had about as many holes as a board riddled with termites.
This isn't some "vast left wing media conspiracy..." No. These are the hometown papers and the Wall Street Journal that's calling out the GOP for their .... "mistakes." Now comes the moment of atonement ... because I do believe this is nothing more than a strategy ploy to help re-define the Republican Party for 2010 and 2012. As long as we have the likes of Fox News, Rush and Beck coming to their aid to help them correct their mis-deeds ... the Republican Party will keep living by their teflon lies and hypocrisy.
...and the sad song and dance continues.....
...which is why so many Americans are put off by our elected representatives -- and for good reason.
But there has been an aggressive campaign by the right to completely fabricate, lie or enjoy their own rolls in the mud. Each time they roll around in the mud - remarkably, almost impossibly - the GOP comes away scot free ... amazing! No dirt, no problem and they can launch salvo after salvo at Obama and the Democrats and have absolutely no accountability....
But something has changed.
Now - there finally seems to be some accountability.
The Teflon the GOP has worn for several generations is finally starting to flake off a bit. If you're going to be against Obama's stimulus plan, but you're going to take credit for it - FINALLY - someone is going to call you out on it. Even within their own party people are finally starting to take notice.
Never mind the other incredibly blatant attacks of late of "fiscal responsibility" while protecting Bush for 8 years. Or the sudden concern about terrorist rights when Bush was doing the exact .... same .... thing..... Even Colin Powell has no idea what the GOP is doing.
But then the GOP had their big confab this week ... the CPAC where they are supposed to hone in their message and get back on track. One of their headliners is no stranger to obscuring and obfuscation ... Mitt Romney delivered his speech which had about as many holes as a board riddled with termites.
This isn't some "vast left wing media conspiracy..." No. These are the hometown papers and the Wall Street Journal that's calling out the GOP for their .... "mistakes." Now comes the moment of atonement ... because I do believe this is nothing more than a strategy ploy to help re-define the Republican Party for 2010 and 2012. As long as we have the likes of Fox News, Rush and Beck coming to their aid to help them correct their mis-deeds ... the Republican Party will keep living by their teflon lies and hypocrisy.
...and the sad song and dance continues.....
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Blame Game #7,846
The fingers and thumbs and words have been all a flurry the last few days. Folks blaming Coakley for being on vacation, for not being aggressive enough, her campaign firing back saying that they didn't get the support they needed in Massachusetts ....
....but if anyone was really TRULY listening to the voters, you would've found the REAL reason why Coakley lost....
Folks stayed home and didn't vote.
Why?
Because they do not feel Obama has been aggressive enough on Wall Street and Health Care Reform ... imagine that!!! The populist rage still loves Obama -- would rather see him in office versus any Republican ... but it's the policies set forth by this party that has stymied reform in two central aspects that really matter to the American people.
Independents and Democrats didn't CARE if Coakley went on vacation ... they cared that the current political approach in Washington isn't working, despite having a fillibuster proof majority....
So what happened?
It rests on the President's shoulders I'm afraid. Because he did something so incredibly admirable that no one in Washington really truly understood: let's come together, let's make it right for everyone. But if not for the incredibly old and decrepit party of "NO!" ... they simply are resigned to say no that the sky is blue or that the earth is round. In fact, they will say anything contrary to this President - even if he's right.
As incredibly selfless and fantastic as it would've been if someone was brave enough to meet Obama halfway ... who could see that the real America is not represented by an ass or a pompous elephant ... but by people from all walks of life, all cultures, all backgrounds and experiences. The days of "can't we all just get along" has become something of a parody in these times.
As well intentioned as this President was in his gracious and tireless efforts to make this a middle of the road kind of deal ... the voters of Massachusetts sent out their warning: "we don't want the middle ground." Good or bad, positive or negative - President Obama now has to decide which course he's going to choose as a result of this special election of some incredibly suave doofus poised to sell off his daughters to the highest bidder.....
...because the folks of Kennedy's home state just may have lit the warning torches of all Democrats: Shape Up, or Ship Out....
Obama was awarded a mandate .... and the American people demanded change. Enough with this party of "no" - and start legislating like you mean it Democrats .... or suffer the same Republican defeat of 2006 and 2008.....
....but if anyone was really TRULY listening to the voters, you would've found the REAL reason why Coakley lost....
Folks stayed home and didn't vote.
Why?
Because they do not feel Obama has been aggressive enough on Wall Street and Health Care Reform ... imagine that!!! The populist rage still loves Obama -- would rather see him in office versus any Republican ... but it's the policies set forth by this party that has stymied reform in two central aspects that really matter to the American people.
Independents and Democrats didn't CARE if Coakley went on vacation ... they cared that the current political approach in Washington isn't working, despite having a fillibuster proof majority....
So what happened?
It rests on the President's shoulders I'm afraid. Because he did something so incredibly admirable that no one in Washington really truly understood: let's come together, let's make it right for everyone. But if not for the incredibly old and decrepit party of "NO!" ... they simply are resigned to say no that the sky is blue or that the earth is round. In fact, they will say anything contrary to this President - even if he's right.
As incredibly selfless and fantastic as it would've been if someone was brave enough to meet Obama halfway ... who could see that the real America is not represented by an ass or a pompous elephant ... but by people from all walks of life, all cultures, all backgrounds and experiences. The days of "can't we all just get along" has become something of a parody in these times.
As well intentioned as this President was in his gracious and tireless efforts to make this a middle of the road kind of deal ... the voters of Massachusetts sent out their warning: "we don't want the middle ground." Good or bad, positive or negative - President Obama now has to decide which course he's going to choose as a result of this special election of some incredibly suave doofus poised to sell off his daughters to the highest bidder.....
...because the folks of Kennedy's home state just may have lit the warning torches of all Democrats: Shape Up, or Ship Out....
Obama was awarded a mandate .... and the American people demanded change. Enough with this party of "no" - and start legislating like you mean it Democrats .... or suffer the same Republican defeat of 2006 and 2008.....
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Democrats deserve it....
Disappointment doesn't even come close to expressing how I feel about the Democratic Party right now. When I look at the headlines, hear the news accounts and wonder exactly what happened to the party that was supposed to LEAD us from the plight of the Ott years ... into a new decade.
This party has done EVERYTHING to take itself out of contention in 2010 and even 2012 because there's no unity. There's no consensus and the American people can sense this. So when this party faces its potential doom on Tuesday with the Brown v. Coakley race in Massachusetts -- I have to shake my head and say that the Democrats deserve it.
For 10 months they fought and rallied behind the man that would become their leader ... and everything this President wanted to do, every senator, every representative, every official was absolutely standing behind it ....
.... until they actually were confronted that this President was ACTUALLY going to do the things he set out to do. And then the floor began to fall out of this "super majority" which now looks like some sort of comical keystone cops convention....
It's been frustrating for this President, who thought he had every ally in alignment, in agreement, in forward thinking about health care ... only to find that he has a splintered party that supports (literally) both sides of the debate. HOW these elected representatives can side with the insurance industry is nothing short of shocking. It's unfathomable if not inherently against the ideals of the Democratic party.
That's why the Republican party is licking its lips come Tuesday. They can sense the door swinging harshly back in their favor at a time when it's surprising anyone would trust a Republican these days.
So what happened?
I do believe this President abandoned his vision for a better, stronger, more resilient America. I believe his party is a rag-tag bunch of individuals all vying for whatever political capital and cover they can get. The problem is - when they lose their majority, progress in this political climate will come to a standstill and Obama will fatefully be called a lame duck in his first term....
...thus making the Republicans look like prognosticators when all they did was muck and mire the entire process knowing full and well that the Democrats would only shoot themselves in the foot.
Well - the Republicans called that play right ... because it's pretty apparent that the Democratic majority has several self-inflicted gunshot wounds in their foot....
Independents see that weakness and they get less enthused for the President. I can't really blame them except to say that the alternative is NOT going to make this country better. But the Democratic party ultimately did this to themselves. The Republicans, in all their collective flailing about still had zero chance of overtaking the momentum.....
As he approaches his State of the Union address on the 27th - his party is in shambles. You can thank the likes of Grassley, Nelson, Landrieu, and others who completely let their blindness consume them for the greater good. What these idiots so truly don't understand is that they are NOT well liked by either party .... and hence the "once in a century" opportunity to improve a failing health care system falls squarely on these misinformed jackasses.
So I can't really say anymore except: "Good job Dems ... you got what you deserved..."
This party has done EVERYTHING to take itself out of contention in 2010 and even 2012 because there's no unity. There's no consensus and the American people can sense this. So when this party faces its potential doom on Tuesday with the Brown v. Coakley race in Massachusetts -- I have to shake my head and say that the Democrats deserve it.
For 10 months they fought and rallied behind the man that would become their leader ... and everything this President wanted to do, every senator, every representative, every official was absolutely standing behind it ....
.... until they actually were confronted that this President was ACTUALLY going to do the things he set out to do. And then the floor began to fall out of this "super majority" which now looks like some sort of comical keystone cops convention....
It's been frustrating for this President, who thought he had every ally in alignment, in agreement, in forward thinking about health care ... only to find that he has a splintered party that supports (literally) both sides of the debate. HOW these elected representatives can side with the insurance industry is nothing short of shocking. It's unfathomable if not inherently against the ideals of the Democratic party.
That's why the Republican party is licking its lips come Tuesday. They can sense the door swinging harshly back in their favor at a time when it's surprising anyone would trust a Republican these days.
So what happened?
I do believe this President abandoned his vision for a better, stronger, more resilient America. I believe his party is a rag-tag bunch of individuals all vying for whatever political capital and cover they can get. The problem is - when they lose their majority, progress in this political climate will come to a standstill and Obama will fatefully be called a lame duck in his first term....
...thus making the Republicans look like prognosticators when all they did was muck and mire the entire process knowing full and well that the Democrats would only shoot themselves in the foot.
Well - the Republicans called that play right ... because it's pretty apparent that the Democratic majority has several self-inflicted gunshot wounds in their foot....
Independents see that weakness and they get less enthused for the President. I can't really blame them except to say that the alternative is NOT going to make this country better. But the Democratic party ultimately did this to themselves. The Republicans, in all their collective flailing about still had zero chance of overtaking the momentum.....
As he approaches his State of the Union address on the 27th - his party is in shambles. You can thank the likes of Grassley, Nelson, Landrieu, and others who completely let their blindness consume them for the greater good. What these idiots so truly don't understand is that they are NOT well liked by either party .... and hence the "once in a century" opportunity to improve a failing health care system falls squarely on these misinformed jackasses.
So I can't really say anymore except: "Good job Dems ... you got what you deserved..."
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Wanda Sykes.....
I love the White House Correspondence Dinners... For one - it brings a small moment of levity in times where levity might not be possible. For two - it's almost like a Washington Roast ... with all the fixings. We loved it when Colbert was there (and the "scaled back performance" of Rich Little the year after) ... and the hilarity that comes with it.
Now tonight, we watched it on MSNBC - which is always slammed for being so liberal-left on things -- and the wrap up afterwards would leave one to believe that they just watched something on Fox News... Which is fine - I don't have any problem with anyone really coming out and saying that Wanda said something inappropriate or wrong....
....but then I have to start thinking of all the right wing trash that constantly attacks the democrats and liberals IN THE EXACT SAME LIGHT .... oh - the pity that the Republicans are being (mockingly) "victimized" despite being unable to wash their own hands in their same mud....
And the likes of Pat Buchannan being mysteriously quiet about ... yet condemning Wanda's performance was being "over the top...." Right Pat -- call a spade a spade for once.
What Wanda did is bring out and expose the Republican hypocrisy for what it is. It's okay to chant "kill Obama" from the crowd, but you can't wish for some flamboyant talk show host's kidney to fail......
What Wanda did - was to expose the Republicans by handing them a mirror. Look at yourself - and see how ugly you make your party out to be. Wanda slapped the right side of the aisle in the same petulant stroke they've been dishing out for the last two years. In my humble opinion - the Republicans deserved to be seered tonight and their flaws need to be exposed for what they are.
If the Republicans can't handle what they dish out -- then maybe they need to find a different soup line....
Now tonight, we watched it on MSNBC - which is always slammed for being so liberal-left on things -- and the wrap up afterwards would leave one to believe that they just watched something on Fox News... Which is fine - I don't have any problem with anyone really coming out and saying that Wanda said something inappropriate or wrong....
....but then I have to start thinking of all the right wing trash that constantly attacks the democrats and liberals IN THE EXACT SAME LIGHT .... oh - the pity that the Republicans are being (mockingly) "victimized" despite being unable to wash their own hands in their same mud....
And the likes of Pat Buchannan being mysteriously quiet about ... yet condemning Wanda's performance was being "over the top...." Right Pat -- call a spade a spade for once.
What Wanda did is bring out and expose the Republican hypocrisy for what it is. It's okay to chant "kill Obama" from the crowd, but you can't wish for some flamboyant talk show host's kidney to fail......
What Wanda did - was to expose the Republicans by handing them a mirror. Look at yourself - and see how ugly you make your party out to be. Wanda slapped the right side of the aisle in the same petulant stroke they've been dishing out for the last two years. In my humble opinion - the Republicans deserved to be seered tonight and their flaws need to be exposed for what they are.
If the Republicans can't handle what they dish out -- then maybe they need to find a different soup line....
Friday, January 30, 2009
The End of Racism...
I caught a couple quick hits from sources that proclaimed after the inauguration of the first African American President that "racism is finally over."
When I first heard that bit -- I contemplated for about 4 seconds and then shock my head in disbelief. While there's a LOT to be said for the first African American President, we are still a very long ways off by officially calling racism over. One definitive clear sign was the whole "Barack, the magic negro" insensitive race-laden fiasco that they tried to pass it off like it was some kind of "joke." Well, I didn't laugh then, nor do I laugh now. Nor do 99% of African Americans that would find that little "parody" to be funny.
That's where the wheels start coming off the whole "racism is finally over" bit. Merely achieving "the first African American President" or being the "first African American (insert job title here)" has absolutely no relevance on the levels of by which we can accurately measure racism in this country.
That said - the election and inauguration of President Obama does remove one more barrier, one more obstacle. It truly is a momentous occasion given our incredibly violent and morally reprehensible racial history over the tenure of our country. From slavery to the White House - we've made progress, wonderful progress. But we still see racial divides when it comes to our neighbors, our court system, our schools, our society.
But in the era of personal responsibility, President Obama is a beacon that social change doesn't come from the outside in -- but from the inside out. Thus he is calling out every American - not just black, white, brown or red - to be better. To do better. To work better. To learn better. To make better decisions. To be responsible. To care. To take pride. To take come together for a common goal of being better.
It's still a color issue in this country when minority children still have a difficult time getting the education they need to make it in society. It's not always the school's fault - because most all of this starts at home, with our families and inside ourselves. Because we are in control of our destinies. We need to embrace what we can do - and continue to remove the obstacles and barriers that have held this country back from greatness.
The inauguration of President Obama was a first and very necessary step on that path - and we've come a long way, but we still have a ways to go.
When I first heard that bit -- I contemplated for about 4 seconds and then shock my head in disbelief. While there's a LOT to be said for the first African American President, we are still a very long ways off by officially calling racism over. One definitive clear sign was the whole "Barack, the magic negro" insensitive race-laden fiasco that they tried to pass it off like it was some kind of "joke." Well, I didn't laugh then, nor do I laugh now. Nor do 99% of African Americans that would find that little "parody" to be funny.
That's where the wheels start coming off the whole "racism is finally over" bit. Merely achieving "the first African American President" or being the "first African American (insert job title here)" has absolutely no relevance on the levels of by which we can accurately measure racism in this country.
That said - the election and inauguration of President Obama does remove one more barrier, one more obstacle. It truly is a momentous occasion given our incredibly violent and morally reprehensible racial history over the tenure of our country. From slavery to the White House - we've made progress, wonderful progress. But we still see racial divides when it comes to our neighbors, our court system, our schools, our society.
But in the era of personal responsibility, President Obama is a beacon that social change doesn't come from the outside in -- but from the inside out. Thus he is calling out every American - not just black, white, brown or red - to be better. To do better. To work better. To learn better. To make better decisions. To be responsible. To care. To take pride. To take come together for a common goal of being better.
It's still a color issue in this country when minority children still have a difficult time getting the education they need to make it in society. It's not always the school's fault - because most all of this starts at home, with our families and inside ourselves. Because we are in control of our destinies. We need to embrace what we can do - and continue to remove the obstacles and barriers that have held this country back from greatness.
The inauguration of President Obama was a first and very necessary step on that path - and we've come a long way, but we still have a ways to go.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
The Dawn of a New Era
This past week - we witnessed history.
This past Tuesday, both Darby and I got up early so that we could watch the celebrations festivities all day long. We weren't disappointed. The TV remained on until the President and the First Lady finally called it a night - returning to their new home and the beginning of what is destined to become the change that America has been demanding.
Our credibility took a major step forward to being restored.
What President Obama accomplished during the first week of his brief tenure was to help restore our international credibility that had been victimized and abandoned by the previous administration. We returned to our core principles established by our founding fathers and restored our place as what a civilized society actually looks like.
In the midst of this transformation, we witnessed a President who articulated the structure of what he wants to do, how he intends to get it done while shoring up support from both sides of the aisle to try and make it happen. A true case for bi-partisanship -- and signs that the GOP will be nothing more than petty obstructionists as our lingering crises worsen.
So much for that ol' republican mantra: "Country First" ....
For those that continue express their disdain and pompous arrogance -- wishing for President Obama to fail -- let's just say that those folks continue to spout their poisonous perspective on deaf ears. The majority of Americans, by an overwhelming margin -- are ignoring the naysayers, hypocrites and punditry. That's because they can finally understand that the venomous hatred they have been ingesting all of these years has finally been weened from their bodies.
Change is finally upon us -- and the majority of Americans are very thankful that it's arrived.
So when President Obama made his case to the GOP by uttering the simple two word phrase: "I won" -- it wasn't because he was showing off or being flippant. That's what we would've expected from the last administration. No. President Obama was sending the GOP a clear message: "The American people have spoken - and they want change now."
But the task and list facing this new administration is incredibly long. The inefficiency and corruption widely ignored by the Bush administration is going to take a very long time to undo. But we have a President who is not only keen on making a difference, but he's getting traction to getting things done.
A completely refreshing change after just a mere 5 days in office.
We have a man of vision...
A man of dedication and ...
A man who is willing, able, realistic and energetic about the problems he's facing.
This country has been in complete neglect for the last 8 years -- and it's going to take a lot more than a can of paint to fix her. Those that blindly supported and followed the previous administration as it irresponsibly led this country to the pit we're finding ourselves -- maybe it's time for you to seriously reconsider the company you're keeping, or the punditry you keep subscribing to -- as they are the complicitors to this disaster. Simply subscribing to the bottom denomination is not what this country needs. I don't care how plain spoken or how much you identify with your candidate of choice -- we need someone smart, competent and has a healthy sense of morality.
The air has been changed America -- may the new dawn emerge better than what we've endured the last 8 years.
This past Tuesday, both Darby and I got up early so that we could watch the celebrations festivities all day long. We weren't disappointed. The TV remained on until the President and the First Lady finally called it a night - returning to their new home and the beginning of what is destined to become the change that America has been demanding.
Our credibility took a major step forward to being restored.
What President Obama accomplished during the first week of his brief tenure was to help restore our international credibility that had been victimized and abandoned by the previous administration. We returned to our core principles established by our founding fathers and restored our place as what a civilized society actually looks like.
In the midst of this transformation, we witnessed a President who articulated the structure of what he wants to do, how he intends to get it done while shoring up support from both sides of the aisle to try and make it happen. A true case for bi-partisanship -- and signs that the GOP will be nothing more than petty obstructionists as our lingering crises worsen.
So much for that ol' republican mantra: "Country First" ....
For those that continue express their disdain and pompous arrogance -- wishing for President Obama to fail -- let's just say that those folks continue to spout their poisonous perspective on deaf ears. The majority of Americans, by an overwhelming margin -- are ignoring the naysayers, hypocrites and punditry. That's because they can finally understand that the venomous hatred they have been ingesting all of these years has finally been weened from their bodies.
Change is finally upon us -- and the majority of Americans are very thankful that it's arrived.
So when President Obama made his case to the GOP by uttering the simple two word phrase: "I won" -- it wasn't because he was showing off or being flippant. That's what we would've expected from the last administration. No. President Obama was sending the GOP a clear message: "The American people have spoken - and they want change now."
But the task and list facing this new administration is incredibly long. The inefficiency and corruption widely ignored by the Bush administration is going to take a very long time to undo. But we have a President who is not only keen on making a difference, but he's getting traction to getting things done.
A completely refreshing change after just a mere 5 days in office.
We have a man of vision...
A man of dedication and ...
A man who is willing, able, realistic and energetic about the problems he's facing.
This country has been in complete neglect for the last 8 years -- and it's going to take a lot more than a can of paint to fix her. Those that blindly supported and followed the previous administration as it irresponsibly led this country to the pit we're finding ourselves -- maybe it's time for you to seriously reconsider the company you're keeping, or the punditry you keep subscribing to -- as they are the complicitors to this disaster. Simply subscribing to the bottom denomination is not what this country needs. I don't care how plain spoken or how much you identify with your candidate of choice -- we need someone smart, competent and has a healthy sense of morality.
The air has been changed America -- may the new dawn emerge better than what we've endured the last 8 years.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The Impossible Situation
As Blagojevich continues to shrug and disavow any potential wrong-doing ... he named a successor to President elect Obama's Illinois Senate seat: Roland Burris.
Let's keep in mind that Democrats and Republicans have been very animate towards Blago to resign and to relinquish any possibility he has to naming Barack's successor for the U.S. Senate -- which he refuses to even acknowledge. So while I can continue to blog about Blago -- I'm really feeling sorry for Roland Burris in this process.
We don't know much about Roland.
He was the Attorney General for Illinois and like so many people -- he gave Blago money when he was making his gubernatorial run. Roland and others clearly wouldn't have given Blago the time of day - much less invest in his future run for the Senate had they known how much of a crook he was going to be.
Hindsight is always 20/20.
But Roland is in the most impossible situation right now. He has come out against Blagojevich - publicly condemning the "seat for sale" approach to politics. And he now finds himself named for the seat any rational person would want in Mr. Burris' position. The seat has been tainted by Blago's antics and now Roland has to quietly walk away from the possibility of becoming the next Illinois Senator -- or he can choose to fight to keep what has been given to him on a heavily stained platter.
I have no doubt that Mr. Burris is a man of integrity - and that's why he has my most sincere condolences for being put in the position he's in. As Harry Reid pointed out -- this has nothing to do with Roland -- because it's entirely possible that Mr. Burris would have been the best possible choice to succeed the President Elect.
Blago has done everything he can to screw the Democrats in his state -- and the most likely scenario is that there would be a special runoff election being held -- and if that happens, the Democrats may find themselves in big trouble if they can't retain the seat because of one person's mired self-absorbed dreams of this mad man ... the effects could be felt nationally as well.
Instead of doing the right thing -- Blago continues to thumb his nose at the system while even self-admitting it was him in the recordings. This isn't what the democratic party stands for -- and Blago should be ousted as quickly as humanly possible. While I would expect this kind of nonchalant attitude from the Republicans ... I'm not afraid to call out the members on this side and telling them they need to step down.
And to Mr. Burris -- I'm deeply sorry for the situation you find yourself in. I do hope that it corrects itself and you can be the voice of reason for the people of Illinois.
Let's keep in mind that Democrats and Republicans have been very animate towards Blago to resign and to relinquish any possibility he has to naming Barack's successor for the U.S. Senate -- which he refuses to even acknowledge. So while I can continue to blog about Blago -- I'm really feeling sorry for Roland Burris in this process.
We don't know much about Roland.
He was the Attorney General for Illinois and like so many people -- he gave Blago money when he was making his gubernatorial run. Roland and others clearly wouldn't have given Blago the time of day - much less invest in his future run for the Senate had they known how much of a crook he was going to be.
Hindsight is always 20/20.
But Roland is in the most impossible situation right now. He has come out against Blagojevich - publicly condemning the "seat for sale" approach to politics. And he now finds himself named for the seat any rational person would want in Mr. Burris' position. The seat has been tainted by Blago's antics and now Roland has to quietly walk away from the possibility of becoming the next Illinois Senator -- or he can choose to fight to keep what has been given to him on a heavily stained platter.
I have no doubt that Mr. Burris is a man of integrity - and that's why he has my most sincere condolences for being put in the position he's in. As Harry Reid pointed out -- this has nothing to do with Roland -- because it's entirely possible that Mr. Burris would have been the best possible choice to succeed the President Elect.
Blago has done everything he can to screw the Democrats in his state -- and the most likely scenario is that there would be a special runoff election being held -- and if that happens, the Democrats may find themselves in big trouble if they can't retain the seat because of one person's mired self-absorbed dreams of this mad man ... the effects could be felt nationally as well.
Instead of doing the right thing -- Blago continues to thumb his nose at the system while even self-admitting it was him in the recordings. This isn't what the democratic party stands for -- and Blago should be ousted as quickly as humanly possible. While I would expect this kind of nonchalant attitude from the Republicans ... I'm not afraid to call out the members on this side and telling them they need to step down.
And to Mr. Burris -- I'm deeply sorry for the situation you find yourself in. I do hope that it corrects itself and you can be the voice of reason for the people of Illinois.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Republicans and conservatives continue their spiral...
I came across an op/ed piece about the Sacramento Bee cartoonist who also capitalized on the shoe-flinging experience that Bush had in Iraq recently. (read here)
As Rob points out the comments were nothing more than humorous if not completely out of touch:
"Conservative readers have dropped it in droves. Young liberals don't read, and thus can't pick up the slack."
Young liberals don't read??
It's poison like this that conservatives continue to dish out, but have absolutely no basis for. Given that most conservatives are in those "red states" that have a lower education rate. Unlike the coward that posted such trash -- I can at least back it up with substance:
- Look at the top 10
- Look at the bottom 10
1.) Vermont (OBAMA)
2.) Mass. (OBAMA)
3.) Conn. (OBAMA)
4.) New Jersey (OBAMA)
5.) Maine (OBAMA)
6.) Virginia (OBAMA)
7.) Montana (MCCAIN)
8.) Wisconsin (OBAMA)
9.) Iowa (OBAMA)
10.) Pennsylvania (OBAMA)
as opposed to:
41.) Georgia (MCCAIN)
42.) Hawaii (OBAMA)
43.) New Mexico (OBAMA)
44.) Louisiana (MCCAIN)
45.) Alabama (MCCAIN)
46.) Alaska (MCCAIN)
47.) California (OBAMA)
48.) Mississippi (MCCAIN)
49.) Nevada (OBAMA)
50.) Arizona (MCCAIN)
So it would seem that our uninformed midget of a poster would rather mud-sling with lies and fact-less bull crap, than to address the reality that Bush deserves the tainted marks in history. This entire process of trying to make sure he can walk away unscathed is nothing less than criminal -- not after how the Republicans filleted and crucified Clinton for what he done. Oh no, my little elephant friends -- you don't get the pass you're trying to create.
Because the shoe flinging episode is completely appropriate given the symbolic meaning and social implication it carries in the Middle East. Now Republicans conveniently dismiss anything this President has done -- assuming that there's absolutely nothing wrong with killing innocent people in a baseless war in the wrong country. It's horribly unreasonable to have this President trying to re-write his own history that paints the world he wanted to leave, but simply couldn't because he messed it up so incredibly bad.
And that's what the Anonymous mouse doesn't understand or get. Instead of realizing the meaning behind the cartoon - and commenting on the validity of relevance of how this is going to be in history -- he would rather tout some phony line that "young liberals don't read" as some boldface lie in order to deflect and dodge the overriding issue.
It's the standard Rush Limbaugh approach to the conservative party -- and I'm thankful for Rush for having the lack of intelligence to see what it ultimately did to his party of choice. Americans are incredibly pissed off with Republicans and how they've guided our nation into one of the biggest messes most all of us have never seen. They've seen through his smear and factual irrelevancies to really see how much the Republican party cares about the nation.
They'd rather tend to their profits at the cost of American lives than see any of the resounding reasons that led us down this sordid path that we've been on. It started a lot earlier than the Democrats taking control of the Congress -- but that's not what your Republican Faithful will say. They seem to glaze over the fact that the economy was already in trouble with a skyrocketing national debt and unthinkable tax cuts for the rich having any effect except how much it was going to line their portfolios.
Look where that got us.
...and thankfully Americans saw the light as well.
I refuse to let this President "save face" so that any form of his legacy is protected. A real President, a real man -- doesn't care so much about his ego, but cares about every single decision he makes so that it serves his country at its best. That's what makes Obama much more appealing because you get the sense he really does care and can see the big picture.
Bush has been a failure - and he has a lot of fingers to point to -- but it has to start with himself and I don't see that happening anytime in the rest of his lifetime.
As Rob points out the comments were nothing more than humorous if not completely out of touch:
"Conservative readers have dropped it in droves. Young liberals don't read, and thus can't pick up the slack."
Young liberals don't read??
It's poison like this that conservatives continue to dish out, but have absolutely no basis for. Given that most conservatives are in those "red states" that have a lower education rate. Unlike the coward that posted such trash -- I can at least back it up with substance:
- Look at the top 10
- Look at the bottom 10
1.) Vermont (OBAMA)
2.) Mass. (OBAMA)
3.) Conn. (OBAMA)
4.) New Jersey (OBAMA)
5.) Maine (OBAMA)
6.) Virginia (OBAMA)
7.) Montana (MCCAIN)
8.) Wisconsin (OBAMA)
9.) Iowa (OBAMA)
10.) Pennsylvania (OBAMA)
as opposed to:
41.) Georgia (MCCAIN)
42.) Hawaii (OBAMA)
43.) New Mexico (OBAMA)
44.) Louisiana (MCCAIN)
45.) Alabama (MCCAIN)
46.) Alaska (MCCAIN)
47.) California (OBAMA)
48.) Mississippi (MCCAIN)
49.) Nevada (OBAMA)
50.) Arizona (MCCAIN)
So it would seem that our uninformed midget of a poster would rather mud-sling with lies and fact-less bull crap, than to address the reality that Bush deserves the tainted marks in history. This entire process of trying to make sure he can walk away unscathed is nothing less than criminal -- not after how the Republicans filleted and crucified Clinton for what he done. Oh no, my little elephant friends -- you don't get the pass you're trying to create.
Because the shoe flinging episode is completely appropriate given the symbolic meaning and social implication it carries in the Middle East. Now Republicans conveniently dismiss anything this President has done -- assuming that there's absolutely nothing wrong with killing innocent people in a baseless war in the wrong country. It's horribly unreasonable to have this President trying to re-write his own history that paints the world he wanted to leave, but simply couldn't because he messed it up so incredibly bad.
And that's what the Anonymous mouse doesn't understand or get. Instead of realizing the meaning behind the cartoon - and commenting on the validity of relevance of how this is going to be in history -- he would rather tout some phony line that "young liberals don't read" as some boldface lie in order to deflect and dodge the overriding issue.
It's the standard Rush Limbaugh approach to the conservative party -- and I'm thankful for Rush for having the lack of intelligence to see what it ultimately did to his party of choice. Americans are incredibly pissed off with Republicans and how they've guided our nation into one of the biggest messes most all of us have never seen. They've seen through his smear and factual irrelevancies to really see how much the Republican party cares about the nation.
They'd rather tend to their profits at the cost of American lives than see any of the resounding reasons that led us down this sordid path that we've been on. It started a lot earlier than the Democrats taking control of the Congress -- but that's not what your Republican Faithful will say. They seem to glaze over the fact that the economy was already in trouble with a skyrocketing national debt and unthinkable tax cuts for the rich having any effect except how much it was going to line their portfolios.
Look where that got us.
...and thankfully Americans saw the light as well.
I refuse to let this President "save face" so that any form of his legacy is protected. A real President, a real man -- doesn't care so much about his ego, but cares about every single decision he makes so that it serves his country at its best. That's what makes Obama much more appealing because you get the sense he really does care and can see the big picture.
Bush has been a failure - and he has a lot of fingers to point to -- but it has to start with himself and I don't see that happening anytime in the rest of his lifetime.
Monday, December 15, 2008
The GOP continue to disintegrate
The lull in posting here doesn't mean that I haven't been keeping up with the political pot stirring that has been going on. However, there hasn't been much stirring of the pot -- even with all of the news. How come? Because over 70% of Americans think that Obama is doing a great job and he's NOT even President yet!!!
When you cycle those numbers next to the current President dodging shoes in Iraq -- well, let's just say that the Republican Party continues its downward spiral.
Palin continues to try to take the headlines -- but when you read the quotes from other Republicans BESIDE HER and they really don't take her seriously. That's rather astounding when you consider that she almost became the Vice President -- "a heartbeat away" from the Presidency. Even McCain has been quoted recently as to saying that he's not going to automatically fall in line in support of her potential bid in 2012. It speaks volumes in a way - because while she may have been seen by some on the right as being their "savior" - she's proven that she doesn't have a lot of substance. Charisma gets you in the door, but if you can't make the pitch strong and clear -- people are still going to shut you out. She has 3 years to craft that -- and it would be very foolish to write her off.
The delusions by this administration continues to impress. The past couple of weeks have been marked by certain quotations that are supposed to be designed to solidify the legacy left by this Presidency. What makes this delusional is how both Bush and Cheney have declared that Obama has inherited a safer country and he will appreciate what we've done here ... all completely absent of reality. Unless there is some gigantic encyclopedia of classified info that we don't know about regarding the "successes" of this administration, I don't think their resumes are particularly strong. In fact, I think history is going to judge them extremely harsh in the coming years.
The last nail in this "legacy" talk has to be about the economy Bush let sour on his watch. It's convenient that he was one of the leading advocates that we need to further deregulate certain industries and businesses -- and yet we're witnessing a catastrophic collapse of our economy that enjoyed incredibly lax regulations and oversight. Even when the fabled "bailout" of the banks was approved -- the administration and the GOP balked at the idea of providing any sort of oversight into these bailout programs....
Well now it would appear that Bush actually sought to preserve the CEO spending sprees -- while thousands of workers are being forced from their jobs. Where does it make sense that CEO salaries should continue unabated, without oversight -- when hundreds of thousands of Americans are unemployed and businesses are having a tough time pulling it together.
It's ironic that the GOP casually blindly ignored that oversight over $700 billion, but are making such grand overtures about bailing out the auto industry for a paltry 3.5% of the total bank bailout -- where the banks are hoarding the cash instead of making loans like was intended to do in the first place.
Way to go GOP.... As if the sugar sprinkles weren't enough -- you should be ashamed of yourselves and exposed for the frauds you've become. If Americans are going to bailout anyone then sufficient oversight and FOLLOW-THROUGH isn't unreasonable. It's MY money and if they aren't going to be using it wisely -- then I want it back -- thankyouverymuch.
The hypocrisy of the GOP will be its eventual undoing. Obama's crest is just starting to emerge and he has a lot of momentum following him .... is this something you're really ready for, Republicans?
When you cycle those numbers next to the current President dodging shoes in Iraq -- well, let's just say that the Republican Party continues its downward spiral.
Palin continues to try to take the headlines -- but when you read the quotes from other Republicans BESIDE HER and they really don't take her seriously. That's rather astounding when you consider that she almost became the Vice President -- "a heartbeat away" from the Presidency. Even McCain has been quoted recently as to saying that he's not going to automatically fall in line in support of her potential bid in 2012. It speaks volumes in a way - because while she may have been seen by some on the right as being their "savior" - she's proven that she doesn't have a lot of substance. Charisma gets you in the door, but if you can't make the pitch strong and clear -- people are still going to shut you out. She has 3 years to craft that -- and it would be very foolish to write her off.
The delusions by this administration continues to impress. The past couple of weeks have been marked by certain quotations that are supposed to be designed to solidify the legacy left by this Presidency. What makes this delusional is how both Bush and Cheney have declared that Obama has inherited a safer country and he will appreciate what we've done here ... all completely absent of reality. Unless there is some gigantic encyclopedia of classified info that we don't know about regarding the "successes" of this administration, I don't think their resumes are particularly strong. In fact, I think history is going to judge them extremely harsh in the coming years.
The last nail in this "legacy" talk has to be about the economy Bush let sour on his watch. It's convenient that he was one of the leading advocates that we need to further deregulate certain industries and businesses -- and yet we're witnessing a catastrophic collapse of our economy that enjoyed incredibly lax regulations and oversight. Even when the fabled "bailout" of the banks was approved -- the administration and the GOP balked at the idea of providing any sort of oversight into these bailout programs....
Well now it would appear that Bush actually sought to preserve the CEO spending sprees -- while thousands of workers are being forced from their jobs. Where does it make sense that CEO salaries should continue unabated, without oversight -- when hundreds of thousands of Americans are unemployed and businesses are having a tough time pulling it together.
It's ironic that the GOP casually blindly ignored that oversight over $700 billion, but are making such grand overtures about bailing out the auto industry for a paltry 3.5% of the total bank bailout -- where the banks are hoarding the cash instead of making loans like was intended to do in the first place.
Way to go GOP.... As if the sugar sprinkles weren't enough -- you should be ashamed of yourselves and exposed for the frauds you've become. If Americans are going to bailout anyone then sufficient oversight and FOLLOW-THROUGH isn't unreasonable. It's MY money and if they aren't going to be using it wisely -- then I want it back -- thankyouverymuch.
The hypocrisy of the GOP will be its eventual undoing. Obama's crest is just starting to emerge and he has a lot of momentum following him .... is this something you're really ready for, Republicans?
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