As I watch the Republican debates, I realize that we are on the brink of a crazy person running our nation. I sit in front of the television and shudder at the thought of one of these creationism-loving, global-warming-denying, immigration-bashing, Social-Security-cutting, clean-air-hating, mortality-fascinated, Wall-Street-protecting Republicans running my country. -- CNN contributor James Carville.As I saw the clip of James Carville waxing hysterical about the Tea Party candidates, I couldn't help but wonder how he can, in good conscience, draw a paycheck from the same network that "teamed up" with the Tea Party Express to present a travesty of a GOP debate Monday night. The only thing worse than watching some of the reverential 9/11 coverage on CNN was being subjected to the pre-debate hype. Interspersed with the endless images of collapsing towers, it was a real double dip treat of fear dished out by a cable TV "news" outlet seemingly now vying with Fox for all those Koch Brothers advertising dollars.
In any case, I enjoyed Carville's colorful tirade. Another quotable quote from his laundry list of advice to Obama:
Fire somebody. No -- fire a lot of people. This may be news to you but this is not going well. For precedent, see Russian Army 64th division at Stalingrad. There were enough deaths at Stalingrad to make the entire tea party collectively orgasm.Since the Republicans won the erstwhile solidly Democratic seat of Anthony Weiner the other day, the Democrats are already in full panic throttle. Did you notice that first thing this morning, the White House suddenly let it be known that Social Security is now off the Grand Bargaining Table? This, just a day or two after it floated a trial balloon to telegraph that Obama still wanted those benefits cut. It probably had more to do with septuagenarian crooner Pat Boone's Republican robocalls warning NYC voters of Obama's plans for their benefits, and the subsequent Congressional GOP rout, than with any change of heart on the president's part toward the well-being of retirees. If it's not about his re-election, it doesn't exist.
Now that Obama can no longer take New York for granted, maybe he'll set foot here for a purpose other than collecting millions at the fund-raising dinners of his wealthy bundlers. New York State extends far beyond Manhattan and Westchester. Just ask the drowned communities in the Hudson Valley and Catskills.
But as far as indicting any Wall Street miscreants is concerned, it's not gonna happen. He begged banker tool Timothy Geithner to stay. He just hired banker tool Bill Daley to be his chief of staff. The last thing in the world Obama would ever do would be to dump on his own constituency.
American democracy is now two wolves and a sheep deciding what’s for supper.
ReplyDeleteThe Republicans, aided and abetted by our Democratic president and increasing numbers of elected Democratic representatives in Congress, will not rest until all vestiges of the social safety net programs associated with Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal are dead and buried with him.
Franklin Roosevelt’s words are worth recalling:
“Our Republican leaders tell us economic laws - sacred, inviolable, unchangeable - cause panics which no one could prevent. But while they prate of economic laws, men and women are starving. We must lay hold of the fact that economic laws are not made by nature. They are made by human beings.”
“If American democracy ceases to move forward as a living force, seeking day and night by peaceful means to better the lot of our citizens, fascism will grow in strength in our land.”
Behaviors are again emerging in our nation’s political scene that violate the basic social contract of what this country is about, raising the ugly specter of mob rule. This is very worrisome. Eric Hoffer described these political busybodies, zealots for a cause, The True Believers, who filled the ranks of ideological movements that created the totalitarian tyrannies of the 20th century. The political cowardliness of so many who know better is a sad commentary and equally alarming.
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” – C. S. Lewis
“So power and greed ran riot, contaminated and pillaged everything, and held nothing sacred or worthy of respect until the Romans plunged themselves to their own destruction.” – Sallust, War with Jugurtha
“Happy days are coming again…break out the Hoovervilles, Hoover hogs, Hoover flags, Hoover blankets, and Hoover Pullmans.
Barack Hoover Obama, forgetting history, has turned himself into a modern day Hoover by preemptively giving up FDR’s New Deal social and economic programs.
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) announces formation of bipartisan group of 36 senators to encourage super (Catfood Commission II) committee to "go big" on deficit reduction.
ReplyDeletehttp://warner.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?p=bipartisan-deficit-reduction
"The 12 members of the super committee have been tasked with reaching a bipartisan consensus on a plan to begin eliminating $1.5 trillion from our debt over the next 10 years," Warner said. "Frankly, that's not nearly bold enough to truly fix our nation's balance sheet." So they are urging the committee to seek $4 trillion in deficit reductions.
There are 17 Democrats in that bipartisan group asking that entitlement reform and tax reform be included in the effort:
Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA)
Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK)
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE)
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE)
Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC)
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT)
Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO)
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said, “May be we 36 started ‘The Washington Spring’ today.”
Maybe not the way Droopy imagines.
Happy days are coming…break out the Hoovervilles, Hoover hogs, Hoover flags Hoover blankets, and Hoover Pullmans.
Hoo boy! I read that whopper coming from skeletor yesterday in Glenn Greenwald's column. And Democrats like to tout themselves as part of the "reality based community"?
ReplyDeleteImmediately after the debate the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee sent out this request for funds:
ReplyDelete"friend,
Have you been watching the Republican debates? Jaw-dropping:
The Tea Party audience cheered Ron Paul’s suggestion that freedom means letting an uninsured man die.
Another audience cheered the 234 executions Gov. Rick Perry has presided over.
Michele Bachmann calls the EPA a “job-killing” agency. Clean water and air? Who needs it?"
I couldn't help but write back:
Friend,
Clean water and air? Who needs it? Is this why Barack Obama withdrew the draft Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards on September 2?
It seems that Barack Obama & democrats are right there with Michelle Bachmann.
JAW-DROPPING!!
Obama is not the problem, he is the symptom, a symptom of the decay of the New Deal. We are faced with a truly terrible dilema, continuing on with this farce and going steadily downhill (a frog in increasingly hot water), or takeover by a GOP devoted to the principles of Ayn Rand. Once in power these people will not be easily removed, given their contempt for democracy. Having gotten rid of Obama and turning the Democratic Party around could we regain the electorate and, having regained the electorate, would the electorate be allowed to exercise its political power? I have considerable doubts. Should we stay in the water or jump out and face a possible ordeal by fire?
ReplyDeleteObama doesn't need to fire anyone. He's the one who should be fired.
ReplyDeleteObama conducted farcical 'negotiations', offering concessions without reciprocity. He conducted secret backroom deals with lobbyists and corporate CEOs. He is the one who chose his corporatist cabinet, staff, and advisers.
Most importantly, he's put Social Security on the table and has cut contributions to the Social Security program by employees. Despite those cuts doing nothing to help the economy in the past year, and while arguing that the Bush tax cuts hurt the economy, Obama wants even further payroll tax cuts, this time by the employers, allegedly in order to stimulate jobs. Right.
The Bush tax cuts that he 'had' to extend = bad. Obama tax cuts = good, especially when they are for a worthy cause, such as mortally wounding Social Security.
And to add insult to injury, he is now claiming to be taking Social Security off the table. Good thing they are referred to as payroll taxes, or we might realize he is a two-faced liar.
So now we know what the Obama Doctrine is: free the corporations from "onerous burdens", such as their portion of Social Security, Clean Air regulations, etc.
Forget Truman's sign 'The BUCK STOPS here' for Obama's desk. A more appropriate sign would read 'THE $$$$ STOPS HERE'. Please send to the nearest bundler.
That's the root of his problems.
Excellent comments both @Denis and @Anne.
ReplyDelete@James - I suggest the DNC take a long hard look at itself and determine whether they want to lose the next election because of Obama. They need to get out ahead of this mess and allow someone else to take on Obama in the Primary. Better yet, get Obama to say he isn't running for a second term for "the good of the party." Obama loyalists are not going to convince intelligent, genuinely decent, fair-minded people to vote for Obama by simply trying to scare them into doing so.
And BTW - We are not stupid. We know the second Obama is re-elected, Social Security and Medicare will very much be back on the cutting board.
@Denis
Thanks for that list of Dirty Democrats. We should work hard to see that they don't get re-elected.
@Valerie
ReplyDelete'Stupid'? Interesting. Where did you get that?
"Should we stay in the water or jump out and face a possible ordeal by fire?" -- JFT
ReplyDeletePlease, go on. I mean beyond the metaphors. What should the frogs do next? That's us, right? Spell it out. Plain talk. Concrete detail. Be specific. Karen's so good about letting us explain ourselves with lots of long paragraphs.
I was refering to Obama (and the DNC) after realising the Prez went too far, now saying Social Security is off the table.
ReplyDelete