S&P downgrade: John Boehner got 98% of what he wanted

By Barbara Morrill   Fri Aug 05, 2011    Original Article

Last week this is what a gleeful John Boehner had to say about the GOP having their ransom demands met on the debt deal:

When you look at this final agreement that we came to with the White House, I got 98 percent of what I wanted. I'm pretty happy.

And tonight, for the first time in this country's history, "S&P cut the long-term U.S. credit rating by one notch to AA-plus," because:

The political brinksmanship of recent months highlights what we see as America’s governance and policymaking becoming less stable, less effective, and less predictable than what we previously believed. The statutory debt ceiling and the threat of default have become political bargaining chips in the debate over fiscal policy ... It appears that for now, new revenues have dropped down on the menu of policy options.

Congratulations, Mr. Speaker.

Technorati Tags: Johm Boehner,S&P,Standard & Poors,Politics,Debt Ceiling,RepublicansPolitics,Democrats,Barack Obama,Current Events,Tax Cuts,Deficits

Bachmann:Timothy Geithner Should Resign

   Up until this point in time, Michele Bachmann has never said much of anything that have agreed with, but after the S&P downgraded the U.S. credit rating, Bachmann suggested that President Obama should call for the resignation of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner while also saying that President Obama has destroyed the credit rating of the United States.

MSNBC

"President Obama has destroyed the credit rating of the United States through his failed economic policies and his inability to control government spending by raising the debt ceiling," said Bachmann, Minnesota Republican and GOP poll-leading candidate for her party's presidential nomination in 2012.

"President Obama is destroying the foundations of the U.S. economy one beam at a time," she said. "I call on the president to seek the immediate resignation of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner."

  Though I do not agree with her talk on Obama killing the credit rating, I do believe that Geithner should be ousted from his position. After all, he is one of the hoods who helped the big banks and Wall Street screw the economy up.

  While he is at it, Obama should also get rid of all of his advisors as there is way to much Republicanism running around in the White House as it is.

Technorati Tags: Michele Bachmann,Timothy Geithner,S&P,Barack Obama,Current Events,United States,Deficits,Politics

Saturday Satire

  I know. Usually this would be my weekly  “ Friday Funnies “ but it has been a very long day, not to mention a very bad one.  Since it is so late in the day, this is the early edition of political humor for Saturday.

Conan O'Brien:  "A man jumped the White House fence, but after a brief chase, the Secret Service was able to talk President Obama into coming back and finishing his term."

"In Washington a Native American tribe has approved same-sex marriage. The move was led by the tribe's leader, Dances to Gaga."

Jay Leno: "President Obama signed the new debt bill into law. But it doesn't really solve the problem. Economists say in 10 years, the deficit will be $27 trillion. But you know what? In 10 years, that'll be President Bieber's problem."

"Just 10 days until the big Iowa Republican presidential straw poll. How many think Mitt Romney will win the straw poll? How many think Michele Bachmann will win? How many would rather vote for the straw?"

"To give you an idea how bad our credit is, I'll just say that if Obama asked China for another loan he has to get his mother-in-law to co-sign."

Jimmy Kimmel: "Happy birthday to President Obama, who is turning 50, although Republicans in Congress are demanding he cut his age to 40."

"It's interesting to see the Tea Party go from a small group of people that everyone thinks is crazy to a large group of people that everyone thinks is crazy."

"President Obama celebrated his 50th birthday in Chicago. Obama cut the cake, then Republicans cut everything else."

Technorati Tags: Political Humor,Politics,Late Night Talk,Jay Leno,Jimmy Kimmel,Conan O'Brian,Current Events,Humor

Governor Rick Scott Making Donuts…

… which should be fairly simple for the man since he’s only one step above being a donut hole himself.

  The Florida Taliban Governor made a visit to Tampa in order to revive Bob Graham’s  “ workdays “ at regular jobs.

Graham said the workdays gave him insight into how people earn their living, "how they live their lives, pursue their dreams and confront their challenges," and hopes Scott will get the same "rich experiences."    TBO

  Knowing what a corrupt sack of crap that this man is, he will probably decide that the donut shop employees are being paid to much and then he and the legislature will pass a lower minimum wage law with an added tax cut for businesses. That is the Republican way, after all.

   Mr. Scott served donuts to patrons at Nicola's Donuts and Bakery in Tampa from 6am to 8:30 am on Wednesday, with this act being the first of a few stabs at different jobs that he performed while growing up. If that is the case, then he will get to clean a phone booth, if he can find one, and he will also get to sell groceries.

Technorati Tags: Rick Scott,Florida,Current Events,News

 

The Bipartisan Compromise

  Okay, I got an email from the White House which purports to explain the debt ceiling bill which Obama signed this week.

  It is in graph form for an easy explanation so check it out.

  Is it fact or is it just more government fiction? You decide.

White house Budget Compromise

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,Deficit Ceiling,Budget Cuts,Current Events,Politics

Eric Cantor:'That's what business does'

  Try this on for size, will you? The airlines have gotten what is basically a tax cut from the government because they cannot collect the $30 per ticket tax due to the lack of funding to the FAA. Are those airlines passing the savings which they are enjoying on to their customers? Hell no! This ploy enforces the fact that corporations are pretty much just sticking those tax cut savings into their own pockets. Have you seen any jobs being created by the Bush/Obama tax cuts? I thought not.

  Eric Cantor thinks that keeping that money is just fine and dandy.

CANTOR: And what airlines have done is have stepped in and said, well, if we’re not going to pay that money to the federal government, we’re going to keep it towards our own bottom line. And I guess that’s what business does.

 

ThinkProgress, Alex Seitz-Wald :

Oddly, Cantor seems to be unintentionally making the progressive argument about corporate taxes here. While conservatives generally argue that cutting business tax rates will lead to companies passing on savings to consumers and hiring more employees, progressives argue that corporations will just pocket much of these savings.

Technorati Tags: FAA,Airlines,Eric Cantor,Republicans,Corporations,Current Events,Politics.John Conyers

American Taliban Jobs Program?

  Why don’t you just find an FAA employee who is not working because the Republicans in the House are playing politics ( hostage taker ) over the short-term funding of a few job categories such as airplane inspection and so forth only because they are once again back into their union busting mode.

    John Boehner and the rest of the congress-critters went on their summer vacation and as a parting gift they left 74,000  workers  ( 4,000 FAA, 70,000  airport construction workers ) on a summer vacation. The difference is that the workers vacation is what is normally called unemployment. We get more of the Republicans jobs program in action.

  At this point, the Democrats are standing

firm.

Greg Sargent

The DCCC is now going on the offensive over the issue, blasting out releases in the districts of 50 House Republicans slamming them for going on recess without agreeing to the “clean” temporary reauthorization. “Representative Chip Cravaack called it quits and closed shop in Washington without resolving the FAA shutdown, which has thousands of workers on furlough, safety inspectors working without pay, and millions lost in revenue by the day,” reads the DCCC release sent out in Cravaack’s district.

 It will also deny the government over $1 billion in revenue from ticket taxes, $200 million of which has been lost already. This savings is not being passed on to consumers, however, as airlines immediately increased fares by the same amount as the tax.   WaPo

  Is this just another one of the Republicans ways to cut the deficit and to also give the government a tax break?

   The really sad thing is that Mr. Obama, being the ever resourceful Republican enabler, urged the Senate to pass the House version in order to avoid the shutdown. Senate Leader Harry Reid said no.

What the bills say: The provision Mica added to the short-term bill causing the shutdown would cut funding for the Essential Air Service program, which provides funding to rural airports that otherwise cannot sustain themselves. The long-term reauthorization passed by the House phases out funding completely for EAS. Also in that reauthorization was a provision that would reverse a regulator's ruling that airlines can unionize if an election is held and a majority of ballots favor a union — the same procedure as in most workplaces. Previously, those not voting in airline unionization elections were counted as "no" votes, an unusual practice the House bill sought to restore. The House bill would also allow more long-distance flights to Ronald Reagan National Airport, a provision opposed by Maryland and Virginia representatives who want to protect other airports’ business and avoid higher noise levels for their constituents. The Senate bill does not phase out EAS funding or reverse the union ruling, and increases flights to Reagan by a smaller amount.

Technorati Tags: FAA,The House,Republicans,American Taliban,Jobs,Unemployment,John Boehner,Harry Reid,Current Events,Politics

 

Florida Driver License Offices…

   … are a total waste of time of you need a license replacement in the same lifetime that you are now living in.

  Last week, I lost my wallet on the fine public transportation system in the Tampa, Florida metropolis. It was lost on Friday afternoon, so I could do nothing about it until Tuesday as I spent most of Monday at the Social Security office. As luck would have it, the office located closest to me has been closed down. Waste of my time. So, I hope on the bus to go to another location which happened to be closed down also. Between bus tips to these places, the day is over because of closing time at these overworked offices.

  I’m up early Wednesday morning on my way to the driver license office in order to be the near first in line. I make it! Yes! I sit around for only 30 minutes before it is my turn.

  In Florida you have to have a crap-load of info which identifies you as a real citizen of the United States. I have everything that I need since I’ve done this once before. But wait! They now want 2 proofs of residence instead of 1. Shit, back to the house I go, and it is raining.

  I get my other form of proof, go back to the driver license office, only to find out that I now need a marriage certificate. Say what? I’ve been divorced for over 30 years. Something to do with a name change. I replaced my license less than a year ago because I lost it somewhere, and I didn’t need a marriage certificate along with the other shit.

  What the hell’s the problem with this state? Give me a fucking break because you gouge the fuck out of us when we get a license in the first place. You have me on record as having a license for at least 20 years from the state of Florida so you should be able to look me up in your database/records. Are you morons not educated enough to push a few buttons on that keyboard in front of you, or is it that you still haven’t mastered your “ Hooked On Phonics “ system yet? Seven and a half hours of wasted time with you clowns is more than enough.

  Another thing? Is the budget cuts from governor Scott so bad now that you cannot afford to hire a live person to talk to when it is necessary. That automated bullshit is great when you don’t need anything other than basic information, for the rest, it’s bullshit.

  Florida is bullshit. The assholes at Tampa driver license office, one in particular, are incompetent.  FUCK YOU ALL!!!!

Technorati Tags: Florida,Tampa,Driver License,Current Events

Trojan Horse: The Obama Deception

     America, we have been screwed over by President Obama once again! From this point on, I will be calling him either Barack or Mr. Obama with full disrespect intended.

  Original Article

H/T to my old friend TocqueDeville who saw this ruse for what it was long before I did.

I have resisted writing this for a long time. I didn't want to believe it myself. But the fact is, we've been had. Anyone who believed that Barack Obama ever intended to be 'the change President' in a way that would make Democrats proud and our nation a better place has been cruelly betrayed.

”The Republicans, Speaker Boehner or Majority Leader Cantor did not call for Social Security cuts in the budget deal. The President of the United States called for that.”

John Conyers

H/T to my old friend Edger for the Conyers quote and linked video

This shameful attack on entitlements was an underhanded deception from the beginning. Entitlements add to the deficit in much the same way that we invaded Iraq for 9/11 - which Leon Panetta, Obama's Sec/Def, swears is true. These bastards don't even try to tell credible lies anymore. They just make shit up...and take what they want.

In many crucial areas, he has done more to subvert and weaken the left's political agenda than a GOP president could have dreamed of achieving. So potent, so overarching, are tribal loyalties in American politics that partisans will support, or at least tolerate, any and all policies their party's leader endorses - even if those policies are ones they long claimed to loathe. This dynamic has repeatedly emerged in numerous contexts. Obama has continued Bush/Cheney terrorism policies - once viciously denounced by Democrats - of indefinite detention, renditions, secret prisons by proxy, and sweeping secrecy doctrines. He has gone further than his predecessor by waging an unprecedented war on whistleblowers. And now he is devoting all of his presidential power to cutting the entitlement programmes that have been the defining hallmark of the Democratic party since Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal.

Glenn Greenwald: Obama Gutting Core Principles of Democratic Party

This latest abomination shows our government for what it is – outright enemies of the American people. More importantly, it shows Obama for who he is, a willing dupe and loyal servant of the rightwing corporate plutocracy. Let's take a look at just a few elements of his legacy so far:

George Bush, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove on national television bragging about torture and their other crimes against humanity. They are carefree. They've been given a Presidential pass. So much for justice or human decency in America.

Renewal of the shameful, destructive and idiotic Bush tax cuts for billionaires.

America occupying Afghanistan for 10 years and counting. Total estimated cost of unnecessary wars = $3 to 4 TRILLION.

American troops hunting Afghans for sport.

US soldier admits killing unarmed Afghans for sport

Jeremy Morlock, 23, tells US military court he was part of a 'kill team' that faked combat situations to murder Afghan civilians

Didn't even try for single-payer. Took it off the table preemptively. Unilaterally.

The Military Industrial Complex continues to bankrupt the nation to pay for their stupid and immoral wars. The only thing Obama has done about this is to step it up. He immediately reappointed Bush's Sec/Def. Bob Gates for crying out loud.

Fabricated bogus rape charges against Julian Assange for the high crime of telling us the damned truth (and don't say the Obama administration had nothing to do with it - you know damned well they did). And tortured Bradley Manning for the same egregious offense.

Continued and unremitting persecution of whistleblowers. Just ask Jesselyn Radack.

The largest corporation in the world, Exxon-Mobil, earned $18 billion in profits and received a $156 million tax REFUND.

Bailed out crooked banksters with sixteen-trillion dollars of OUR money, and then refused to tell us where the money went.

Multimillion dollar Wall Street bonuses paid with taxpayer money after we rescued them from their own incompetence and thievery.

The richest 2% getting $850 billion in tax cuts while the rest of us are losing our jobs, our homes and our hope for the future.

Goldman Sachs paying 1% in taxes on their obscene and ill-gotten profits.

The brutal rape of the poor by the rich hasn't missed a beat.

A Democratic Party distinguishable from the Republican Party only by their rhetoric.

Dismissing Richard Holbrooke's dying words to our nation as a joke.

Holbrooke's Last Words On Afghanistan Clarified As Being Part Of A Humorous Exchange By Obama Administration

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration said Tuesday that the reported last words of veteran diplomat Richard Holbrooke, its point person on Afghanistan and Pakistan who passed away this week, were meant as humor.

Administration officials sought to clarify that, according to people who were present, Holbrooke's final words, "You've got to stop this war in Afghanistan," were part of a jovial back-and-forth with the medical staff.

And now this odious piece of excrement. He gave the Republicans everything they ever wanted and then some on a silver platter. This vicious attack on the American people would never have happened without Obama leading the charge.

”The Republicans, Speaker Boehner or Majority Leader Cantor did not call for Social Security cuts in the budget deal. The President of the United States called for that.”

John Conyers

If Obama were merely incompetent we could say that he's a disappointment. But he's not incompetent and he's not merely a disappointment – he's a willing traitor to the American people. He has betrayed the movement that brought him into office. It's as simple and awful as that.

Hope? Change? We were fools to ever believe it.

So don't call Obama a moderate. Don't call him a centrist. Don't call him a blue dog. Call him what he is...a Republican.

Technorati Tags: Progressives,Democrats,Republicans,Barack Obama,Current Events,Politics.John Conyers

Shift Focus: Internet Blacklist Bill

   Forget the debt ceiling , and let’s move forward to another bill which will probably make its way to the House in a matter of weeks. That would be the " PROTECT IP " Act. Watch the video and get educated.

 

Technorati Tags: Protect IP Act,Internet,COICA,Current Events,House of Representatives

Deficits And Tax Cuts

  The debt ceiling crap is over with, finally. But, while that made up crisis has been going on, another issue has been creeping up on us and that would be the corporate proposed tax repatriation holiday backed most certainly by the GOP and lately by more and more Democrats. This “ only once “ tax break for corporations who stash their foreign earnings, and much domestic earnings, is gaining steam among our congresscritters.

Representative Shelley Berkley, a Nevada Democrat, is the latest lawmaker to consider legislation allowing multinational companies to send offshore profits to the U.S. at a reduced tax rate.

Her proposal, which was confirmed yesterday by Berkley’s communications director, David Cherry, would allow companies to return profits to the U.S. at a 25 percent tax rate, 10 percentage points below the maximum statutory rate. Most companies publicly supporting a holiday, such as Duke Energy Corp., have spoken favorably of the 5.25 percent rate that is being offered by Representative Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican.

Source

   This is the same  “ tax holiday “ that the Bush clan gave corporations back in 2004, which allows most of the biggest corporations in America to bring that money into the United States for what would basically be tax free. Of course, they are still using the same line of shit that they used the first time around, that being that giving them this tax break would give the companies more cash to invest in jobs growth. It did not happen in 2004, and it damned sure will not happen this time around either. The money went to shareholders in the form of dividends, and to the way over-paid CEO’s, along with the purchased government officials in the House and Senate. Nothing has changed for this trip either.

Matt Taibbi

One thing that people must understand about this tax repatriation business is that it’s a wholly bipartisan affair. It’s not solely the work of evil Republicans. This is a scheme that requires heavies in both parties to help ram the knotty, hard-to-sell legislation through. On the Democratic side, unsurprisingly, the main actor is going to be Chuck Schumer. John Kerry is also involved with this nastiness. Barbara Boxer led the 2004 effort and the failed 2009 campaign to get a holiday, and is rumored to be lurking somewhere in this business.

Note that Cisco, a California corporate heavyweight and one of the companies lobbying most ravenously for this tax holiday, has been a consistent lifelong contributor to Boxer. You’ll find Cicso is also a contributor to most of the other congressional allies in the repatriation holiday effort, as are companies like Motorola, Merck , Pfizer, Proctor and Gamble, Ford, and others.

   This crap needs to be stopped dead in its tracks. Corporations who pay very little, if any, taxes do not need another free ride on the backs of the American citizens.

Technorati Tags: Corporate Tax Holiday,Deficits,Cisco,Merck,GE,Republicans,Democrats,Barbara Boxer,John Kerry,Current Events,Politics

Senate Passes Debt Ceiling Bill…

   … and we all knew that that was going to happen. Senators Reid and Durbin both spoke of moving forward to the jobs issue, as did Mr. Obama.

    Speaking of jobs, just what is the true unemployment situation in American?

  As of August 2,2011   1:15pm      Source

Official Unemployed: 14,013,664

Actual Unemployed: 24,762,815

U.S. Workforce     : 139,283,628

  I’ll have other stats which you may be interested in later on.

Technorati Tags: Jobs,Unemployment,America,Current Events,Senate,Debt Ceiling

Jon Stewart: Dealageddon

What more can be said?

The Daily Show - Dealageddon! - A Compromise Without Revenues
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

 

Technorati Tags: Jon Stewart,Barack Obama,Debt Ceiling,Deficits,Tax Cuts,Current Events,Politics

Keith Olbermann: The Debt Deal

 

Keith Olbermann

I'm glad this is the compromise. I would have hated to have seen the capitulation.

UPDATE: Here's the link to the video (I tried to embed; things bloweded up).

President Obama's greatest vulnerability in this tragic debt deal is not that he might appear to have failed, or appear to have abandoned the principles demanded of any humane president (let alone of a Democrat). His true risk is that he and the form of government he heads have suddenly begun to appear utterly, irredeemably, irrelevant.

Tonight, after my guests, including Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), the head of The Congressional Black Caucus and the coiner of the memorable 'Satan sandwich' phrase, Kos his ownself, and Al Gore, have had their say, I will have mine.

Our government has now given up the concept of right and wrong.

We have, in this deal, declared that we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all political incumbents are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Re-nomination, re-election, and the pursuit of hypocrisy.

We have, in this deal, gone from the Four Freedoms to the Four Great Hypocrisies.

We have superceded Congress to facilitate 750 billion dollars in domestic cuts including Medicare in order to end an artificially-induced political hostage crisis over debt, originating from the bills run up by a Republican president who funneled billions of taxpayer dollars to the military-industrial complex by unfunded, unnecessary, and unproductive wars, enabled in doing so by the very same Republican leaders who now cry for balanced budgets - and we have called it compromise. And those who defend it have called it a credit to a pragmatic president who wins some sort of political "points" because, having stood for almost nothing here, he gave away almost nothing for which he stood.

It would be comical if it were not tragic.

If you are expecting some kind of red meat call to primary President Obama, or a withdrawal of support, I'm afraid it's not as simple as that. It seems to me that given the choice between a Democratic president in 2013 and a Republican one - possibly one who is certifiably insane - I'm going to choose the Democratic one every time. I don't think a primary helps anybody but the GOP, and I don't think it even addresses the real problem that is suddenly starkly clear after this disaster.

The problem is that this is the new form of government: PR stunts with teeth in them. National Lampoon (correcting) Cover government ("Cut this deficit or we'll shoot this economy"). Prop-box pistol government featuring real bullets. Living with arsonists in your house government.

Well it's time for another option.

Where is the outrage over these Great Hypocrisies? Do you expect it to come from a corrupt and corrupted media, for whom access is of greater importance than criticizing the failure of a political party or defending those who don't buy newspapers or can't leap website paywalls or could not afford cable tv?...

Do you expect it from those elected officials who no longer know anything of government or governance, but only perceive how to get elected, or how to pose in front of a camera and pretend to be leaders?...

Do you expect it will come from the great middle ground of the country, with a population obsessed with entertainment, video games, social media, sports, and trivia?

Where is the outrage to come from?

I actually have an answer to that question. It is hardly fully-formed. But as it always occurs to me in these moments when the jaw-dropping stupidity of our elected officials numbs my mind, no solution has ever been achieved without somebody first saying "this here is wrong, and we need to do something about it."

UPDATE: Somewhat off-topic: I am told Congresswoman Giffords insisted on being flown from rehab in Houston to DC to vote on the bill, and will be returning immediately to Texas to resume her therapy.

Originally posted to Keith Olbermann on Mon Aug 01, 2011

Technorati Tags: Debt Ceiling,Current Events,Current TV,Countdown,Keith Olbermann,Democrats,RepublicansPolitics

Debt Ceiling Bill Passes: What Do You Think?

  Just as soon as I can get a copy of this bill, I am going to look through it to find the part where our congress-critters have to take a pay cut in order to help balance the budget.

  The bill passed  269-161 in favor of screwing the country. 95 Democrats did the right thing by voting no. The press was reporting that very few congress-critters like this bill but they voted “ yes “ anyway, in both parties. Bad move children. They should have voted no and then they should have let our fearful leader ( Obama ) do the constitutional 14th Amendment ploy.

  Hats of to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz who came to the House in order to cast her vote.

  Other comments from off of the web

andy: some tell me how do ya get out of debt by getting another creditcard

Rich : Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right, stuck in the "middle" with you....

Highwayman: Bend over every working American, It is going to hurt.

  You may wish to find your nearest pill mill and stock up on painkillers. In Florida, that will be easy to do.

Technorati Tags: Debt Ceiling,Congress,Democrats,Republicans,Tea Party,Current Events

Michele Bachmann’s Bill Sponsorship & Cosponsor ship

  Bachmann has sponsored 38 bills since  January 4, 2007 and not one of them has made it out of committee nor were any of them enacted. She has also co-sponsored 513 bills with varying results.

Some of Bachmann’s most recently sponsored bills include...
H.R. 1286: Healthcare Fiscal Accountability Act of 2011

H.R. 1285: Military Health Care Affordability Act

H.R. 849: Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act

H.R. 850: To facilitate a proposed project in the Lower St. Croix Wild and Scenic River, and for other purposes.

H.R. 86: End Tax Uncertainty Act of 2011

View All... (including bills from previous years)

  It is worth the look at this woman’s voting record and the fact that the other Reps. in her state also thought that her bills weren’t worth the time of day.

Technorati Tags: Michele Bachmann,TeaPot Party,Tea Party,Republicans,Voting Record,Current Events,Politics

 

American Government Going Nazi?

Commenter at Alternet

People, you are missing the real point here:  As bad as this deal is (and it stinks to high heaven), it is more than a bad deal.  It is not only a failure in leadership by Obama, but proof that the GOP is taking its marching orders from an historical play book - Mein Kampf.
Now, I know many of you will holler that I am being outrageous (to put it politely), but study your history of the late 1920s and early 1930s in Germany, and how what started as a small right-wing elected minority, backed by bankers and corporations, strangled any legislation that would have helped German citizens to recover from a depression, led to the rise of the Nazi party and their control of the German Parliament.  It was through their control that they undermined the leadership of Germany at the time, and forced the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor.  Within two years, he had suspended their Constitution and dissolved their Parliament in favor of a supported Nazi regime.  This is all verifiable in unedited history books.  This is happening here, and the controlled press is aiding and abetting it, just as it did in Germany. 
The Nazi party grew in strength by tapping into the anger of the German people over inflation and unemployment.  Here it is taxes and unemployment.  They attracted the disaffected, and they built a power base built on hatred of what was portrayed as an unfair government and its policies.  The GOP, Rove, Norquist, and the Koch Brothers, along with their allies, are doing the exact same thing - angering whole groups of disenfranchised segments (or who perceive themselves as disenfranchised), using the media to control the message of lies and misinformation, and holding our nation hostage in political policy debates to make the government of President Obama and the moderates of both parties ineffective.  They are not for creating jobs or fixing our economy, only favoring their financial interests and seeking the aphrodisiac of power.  This is history repeating itself, and it is as dangerous now as Nazi Germany was 70 years ago.  Only this time we are the ones in danger, not Germans.
This debate was clear evidence of an agenda by a minority of Americans who lust for power and money, and they will make us all hostages to their demands until they have destroyed American ideals.  We do not need to pander to the two political parties as they now stand, any more than we have to accept the ideas of the Tea Party ideologues and backers.  We have an electoral system, that while often gamed to favor millionaires and billionaires, is still ultimately controlled by the votes of the citizens.  Run for political offices in Congress and in state legislatures in 2012 - but run as Independents without party alignments.  Offer Americans a choice between what we have now which is not helping them, and their neighbors, friends, families, co-workers, teachers, family farmers,union leaders, accountants, doctors, etc. who run on the idea that by voting for them you are voting American - American jobs, American small businesses, American public education, American safe food production, American Human Rights, American energy independence.  Don't run against individuals, run against political ideology and political/religious extremism.  Take away the Tea Party's power and undercut the current political structure, return American governance to real Americans who make up the backbone of this nation.

 

Technorati Tags: Alternet,Debt Ceiling,Deficits,Barack Obama,Current Events,Government

Debt Ceiling Bill Part 2

  You and I are being fed a very large bowl of crap from both the White House and those other Democrats who support the deal made with the Teapublicans. They are screwing the American middle class and those who are even suffering more.

Steve Benen @ Alternet| Sourced from 336

: there’s nothing in this deal to promote economic growth and nothing to create jobs. We’re still stuck in the wrong conversation, focusing on a crisis that doesn’t exist, and ignoring the immediate crisis that confronts the nation. Indeed, all available evidence suggests the agreement will make the economy and job losses worse, not better. That Republicans wanted to take a huge step backwards, and Democrats negotiated to make it a more modest step backwards is cold comfort.

Here's what folks are saying about this deal:

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri, Black Caucus Chair): "This deal is a sugar-coated Satan sandwich. If you lift the bun, you will not like what you see."

Paul Krugman, Nobel economist: "The deal itself...is a disaster, and not just for President Obama and his party. It will damage an already depressed economy...The worst thing you can do in these circumstances is slash government spending, since that will depress the economy even further."

Robert Reich, former Labor Secretary: "Anyone who characterizes the deal...as a victory for the American people over partisanship understands neither economics nor politics. The deal...puts the nation’s most important safety nets and public investments on the chopping block...the largest threat to our democracy is the emergence of a radical right capable of getting most of the ransom it demands."

  If your Representative votes anything other than no on this bill, remember them at election time and then vote NO on their re-election. Enough is enough!

Technorati Tags: Debt Ceiling,Congress,Tea Party,Current Events,Barack Obama,Deficits

Debt Ceiling Bill Agreement: What You Are Saying

 

  So the White House and the TeaPotters/Republicans have come to agreement on a debt ceiling bill, which generally amounts to the Republicans getting most of what they wanted because Obama once again has leaned forward and kissed Republican/Corporate ass.

I browsed the Internet this morning for comments on political sites ( Liberal ) and there are not to many happy folks out there.

Yahoo::

wild

how about we make some cuts to THIS entitlement program...members of congress have to only serve 1 term in office to gain life long medical care, a nice pension, and unlimited access to Medicare/Medicaid, all on the back of MY tax dollars that apparently cannot provide those same things to ME...THE TAXPAYER. example: even though mr Weiner has been removed from office sending pics of his "package" around the country, he will still collect a million in pension from OUR tax dollars. I suggest cutting all of this entitlement. Especially now that our congressional men and women have unlimited financial resources from big business thanks to the supreme court's ruling removing any restrictions on big business political contributions. This is NOT the america I learned to love as I was growing up. The america I know WOULD NOT sacrifice the well being of all its TAX PAYING VOTING citizens to bow and scrape to the whims of the few, the greedy and self involved.
well done congress NOT!!!

In the end, it would have just been better to raise the debt limit out-of-the-chute. That's ultimately what happened....save for a lot a political bull*cr@p in the middle.
Folks....we are screwed - Democrat and Republican alike.

Not weak, but wilfully, catastrophically wrong.

This is cannot be passed off as an innocent misstep or weakness on Obama's part.  No longer.  He's done it time after time:  deceitfully undermined the best interests of ordinary people  He has turned out to be the perfect president for the oligarchy.  One can only assume that was his intent in the first place.

I almost feel sorry for him. History will not judge him kindly;  and the people and forces he's aligned himself with will not be loyal or benevolent friends. They don't know how.      by tovan

 

I agree, can we primary Obama now?

I don't think Obama can win in the general anymore.  He's betrayed the base.  What's not to love about a Democratic presidential primary?  How about this slogan for Obama's challenger:  "Defend the middle class!"  by rbird

 

Obama

I think it is part intent, but I also think he is an extraordinarily dumb man. He may be book smart, but he has absolutely no common sense.    by btsenffner

 

Contact Your House Reps. Vote NO!

The WH coward can then use the 14th, as an actual Democrat would have done already. This 100% capitulation does not have to pass. The Senate Septic Tank will pass it. Our only hope are the Dems in the House.  by mcartri

Technorati Tags: Debt Ceiling,Senate,House,Barack Obama,John Boehner,Mitch McConnell,Tea Party,Current Events

Conyers spills the beans on Obama & SS & jobs bill; call for WH protests

DailyKos

Conyers on Jobs: “We’ve Had It.” Lays Out Obama, Calls for Protest at White House

At a press conference held by members of the House Out of Poverty Caucus  Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich), the second most senior member of the U.S.  House, was pointed in his criticism of the White House regarding jobs  and cuts to Social Security the President put on the table last week.  "We've got to educate the American people at the same time we educate  the President of the United States.  The Republicans, Speaker Boehner or  Majority Leader Cantor did not call for Social Security cuts in the  budget deal. The President of the United States called for that,"  Conyers, who has served in the House since 1965, said. "My response to  him is to mass thousands of people in front of the White House to  protest this," Conyers said strongly.

  It would seem that Democrat President Barack Obama is a Republican in Democrat clothing. Of course, we knew this already.

Technorati Tags: The President,Barack Obama,Republicans,Social Security,Budget Cuts,Deficit,Debt Ceiling,Current Events,John Conyers

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Technorati Tags: Tea Party,Deficits,Debt Ceiling,Republicans,Current Events,Politics

Speaker Boehner Chose The Dark Side

  Nancy Pelosi let it rip on the floor of the House on Friday, especially when it comes to John Boehner and his ass-kissing of the TeaPot Party.

Nice to know that there is at least one true Democrat with a voice.

Definitely worth the listen.

 

Technorati Tags: Nancy Pelosi,John Boehner,The House,Tea Party,TeaPot Party,Politics,Debt Ceiling,Current Events

Welcome to Teapocalypse

Original Article

by Mark Sumner  Sun Jul 31, 2011

Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, by Viktor Vasnetsov. (1887)

Yes, there are still a couple of days in which Congress can act like adults and produce a simple, clean bill that keeps the nation solvent and ensures the dollar retains some fragment of its traditional value, but really what are the odds? From now on it's zombie hordes all the way down.

I know some people are busy converting money into gold with the idea that this will still be worth something. I'm taking a more practical approach: SPAM and shotgun shells. By next week, I figure you'll be bringing me buckets of that useless, soft, yellow metal just for the chance to sniff the juice from a can of hickory smoke flavor.

Republicans, of course, will not be interested in my salty meat by-product. They'll get by just on the pleasure derived from finally seeing the nation brought to true freedom; true looting, screaming, Ayn Rand-loving freedom. As it turns out, not one of these super genius ultra patriots had to go Galt to bring on the blood-dimmed tide. They just had to unleash their superpower of unbending narcissism. They successfully saw that oil companies still eat for free and protected the sovereign right of billionaires to pay less taxes in a year than the average mom shells out at a back-to-school sale. Congrats to them. The satisfaction from this achievement will sustain them right up until the zombies eat their brains.

It doesn't make a lot of sense to put this on the Internet, not when it'll soon run you two cans of Roasted Turkey SPAM just to flip on the lights. So if you're reassembling this message by reading it from the worthless thousand dollar bills I'm using as both writing stock and Charmin alternative, put this thought on top of the roll: we did it backward.

Government and markets aren't designed to be enemies. Honest. Governments are created to provide mutual benefit for citizens (again, honest), and one of those benefits is seeing that the exchange of goods and services happens as smoothly as possible. Sure, you can substitute gold bars and spiked clubs for currency and regulation, but the result is a lot less neat. Most people would rather not turn buying a Big Mac into a test of their ability to storm the McCastle.

Good economies aren't a measure of the lack of regulation; they are regulation. In plumbing terms, if money is water, regulations are the pipes. You sort of need those if you expect the water to go anywhere, and you don't move more water by weakening the pipes. Without government, you just get mud.

But somehow, a good fragment of people got into a position where their operating rules were: big business & billionaires=good, government & ordinary people=bad. How this happened isn't completely clear, though it's just possible the TV and radio channels that big business & billionaires set up expressly to flog this message 24/7/365.25 had something to do with it. In any case, it's an admirably simple bit of code. A brain running this program requires less power than a cell phone and still has room for the deluxe edition of Angry Birds.

Thing is, a nation running on this idea? It doesn't. Run.

When things are working as designed, government is there to pick up the slack when business gets in trouble. That's not shocking; that's the design. Then when government gets in trouble, business—you know, the business that's utterly dependent on the stability provided by government to make sure that its products have value—is supposed to step in to ensure that government can recover.

Regulation and legislation are what ensures that trade is possible, contracts mean something, and every deal isn't done at knifepoint. You think namby-pamby la la la freedom-gulch fountain-shrug makes billionaires? Government makes billionaires. Government makes business possible. It does that every day, and all it asks in return is that big businesses & billionaires contribute something more than nothing toward the expenses involved. Apparently, that was too much to ask.

Now that we're well and truly screwed, let me just leave you with one last piece of advice. Well, two pieces. First, when planning for the apocalypse, fat calories are important. Nobody wants SPAM lite. Second, when running from the horde, don't hide behind conservatives. Because, really, how long do you think it takes a zombie to finish with Louie Gohmert?

Technorati Tags: Tea Party,Republicans,Business,Debt Ceiling,Current Events,Politics