glider, January 21 at 3:56 am,

For the most part the American Populace/Back Street America agrees with you that they are not represented in both houses of Congress and the government of the United States in the making and enforcing of legislated law and order that is in the best interest of the American Populace/Back Street America; as a result voters in Massachusetts lashed out against their exclusion and elected a greater political enemy, a Republican, that could do harm to their lesser enemy, Corporate Democrats, that are suppressing the American Populace/Back Street America.

This is the American Populace saying to the Corporate Democratic Party to paraphrase Dylan Thomas in his poem, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, Rage, Rage against the dying of the light”.  We will not go gentle into the night.  This is the American Populace/Back Street America seeing themselves as being representative of “Moby Dick” in Herman Melville’s story of the same name backlashing against their harvesting by the whalers represented by Captain Ahab.  As the story demonstrated, backlash led to backlash, but the antagonist of Moby Dick died in the cyclical backlash and the whales had nothing to lose for their effort.  We the American Populace/Back Street America are the whales represented by Moby Dick and the Corporatist Democratic Party are the whalers represented by Captain Ahab.

If it is to be that the Corporatist Democratic Party continues to take the position of Captain Ahab with regard to harvesting the American Populace/Back Street America, the American Populace/Back Street America will take the backlash position of “To the last I grapple with thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.” and the cycle of backlash will continue until the antagonists of the American Populace/Back Street America, the Corporatist Democratic Party meets the same fate as Captain Ahab.

ardee: I do not call your Obama-bashing “pertinent and truthful”, I call it bashing.

but you are a troll from a long way back, and so I understand your motives.

What I do not understand is why Truthdig continues to “host” you,

but that is their decision.

Virginia777, January 20 at 9:53 pm #

ardee: yes, you get to keep your “well-deserved” criticism of Obama and the Democrats,

Talk about arrogance!! (and stupidity)

Speaking of stupidity, you seem to dimish the ability of the voters of Massachusetts to arrive at their own decision. Speaking of even more stupidity, you think my criticism of Obama, however pertinent and truthful, actually swayed an election…how flattering, how flatulent your commentary.

Now addressing a poster with an actual brain:

diamond, January 20 at 4:00 am #

If you want to know who caused this disaster look in the mirror Truthdig. I haven’t read one unambiguously positive word here about Obama since he got elected and the coverage of the health care bill has been overwhelmingly negative and misinformed, hysterical and inaccurate.

Perhaps you refer to the criticism from the right, but those of the left, re the health care reform sellout seems accurate enough.

It’s not that the Democrat voters voted for Mr. Brown, the porn star clown (who gave an acceptance speech worthy of a porn star, offering his daughters to the crowd): it’s that they stayed at home like idiot children and didn’t vote at all. As I keep reminding everyone, Reagan got elected with 31% of the vote. If you want to re-run the Bush/Cheney Fascist years then just continue in this vein.

Forty percent turnout, for an off term election in very bad weather…sorry Diamond but your shine is flawed.

By Outraged, January 21 at 4:27 am

I am so pissed off right now because my connections were lost
and I lost what I was responding with so I will be brief.

Thanks for your re-comment. It is essential that people look into
who is running for office or you or they will just end up trying
republican this time instead of looking into who would be
legitimately concerned in representing and restoring our
republic’s democracy.

Republicans are the worse choice as voting goes with the dims
being hardly any better, so researching the candidates is most
imperative for a better choice and the internet makes it a bit
easier to do so I would not even consider to qualify a republican
whatsoever.

It’s late and I may add to this later.

Re: samosamo

Your comment: “Nothing will happen, if as I gather from either of your comments, that only pure dem or repub will get us out of this mess and into the light of day or however you may say it.”

From what I assertain regarding your comment, no, no, and no.  This is not what I meant to enamour at all.  Certainly, not all dems are to be considered legitimate, however the fact remains that THERE ISN’T A CURRENT REPUBLICAN that is trustworthy.  End of debate….? unless of course you could qualify one, if so…. please back that up.

Btw, I disregard “Heritage Foundation” and “Tea Bagger” rhetoric.

Maybe Scott Brown can pose for one of those x-rated calendars and then sell them to fund the wars the Repugs like to get America involved with and then perhaps the taxpayers funding of Bush’s wars could be diverted to funding more constructive things like health care, infrastructure, jobs, ect…

Nice job offering your daughters there Scott!
Also his leering at his daughters after winning was questionable and equivalent to the look of a child molester sizing up his next victim and not the look of a loving father watching his child.Something about it was just plain creepy.

Don’t be surprised if we hear about him in some sort of scandal real soon. Wonder if he has his “room” at C Street with the Family ready and waiting for him?

This whole experience with the 2008 election of Obama akin to winning the lottery and then finding out your reward check has bounced.

What is the issue with these REPUBLICANS in the buff claiming virtue?  LOL.  Another naked REPUBLICAN!!!!  lol. 

Not only is that hilarious, it’s befitting an organization of pedophiles.  LOL.  Again and again and again, republican after republican after republican…. is anyone seeing the connection? 

Arnold and his wanker, now Cloakley and his…. what is it about the miniscule apparatus (if it exists at all) repubs and their “manhood”?  Creepy… very creepy.

I’d vote against the possibility of miniscule balls… truthfully… I would.  Personally, I sense they SCREAM, “I have no balls, I have no balls”, while this may or not be the case LITERALLY, the fact remains… they ain’t “showing” us much…. need I say more,... ahem.  Hey, I’ve seen more, not to be crude… but, hey…...

I’m… certain that THESE BALLS are .... oh, shriveling…..

By Outraged, January 21 at 1:52 am #
Re: diamond
*****************************************************
Let’s see:
democrat
republican
DFL - Dem-Farmer-Labor
C - Conservative
CP - Constitution Party
GR - Green
Ind - Independent
LB - Libertarian
Whig - late 17th-early 18th
Hsing for Congress
unaffiliated

All these are from people listed in the ‘World Almanac’ and
except for ‘whig’ the rest of these monikers are represented in
our congress.

And between you two, I would say the both of you are saying
that there are NO choices worth a shit except either a
democrat or a republican, members who have any and
everything to do with the disaster called american
government, excluding just a couple of dozen or so who are
genuinely concerned about setting congress back to it original
functions, so I wonder how much either of you two make in
earmarks and pork barrel giveaways for payment of this NO
OTHER CHOICE rigamarole.

Or could it be possibilities that either or any of those above
named ‘parties’ is the total of a 3rd party, but no matter there
is a very important point of having other people running for
office that want NO affiliation with either the dems or repubs
and are willing to be a lot more concerned about the people
who voted them into office than what the major part or far too
many of the Ds & Rs try to get into office to perpetuate the
criminal system of BRIBING ELECTED representative and a
‘better & worse’ scenario of the current congress are the
independents, senator joe liarman and Senator Bernie Sanders
where liarman has nothing to do with legislating for the
people and Sanders has everything to do with legislating for
the people.

But no matter what the affiliation, even with the Ds & Rs, if
they are bad or immediately start selling out the people, in
the next election any other choice in their primary should be
closely scrutinized for replacing the ‘pretenders’, just as if
enough is known by what I will call here, for clarification,
‘another party’, consideration for voting for that person with
considerable scrutiny is appropriate.

Nothing will happen, if as I gather from either of your
comments, that only pure dem or repub will get us out of this
mess and into the light of day or however you may say it.

“they (Republicans) deserve to be hated for what they’ve done to white working class Americans and black Americans for many decades”

I agree with that statement 70%.  Republicans are a devil to the public welfare.  But the Democrats were complicit.

“I think you’ll find that as a party they (Democrats) have been affected worst of all by the corporatization of America and its political culture while the Republicans have thrived on it and have been in power more often and longer as a result of it.

Well that may have had some truth in another time.  But the Democrats made a tactical decision to change that by embracing Corporatism.  And they are now in power because of that decision.  So I would contend that if you decide to sleep with the devil and legislate for the devil then you become the devil.

How am I as a voter supposed to get excited about this new Corporatist Democrapper identity?  I will tell you that my tendency at the moment is to move away from politics and towards a policy of adapting personally to reality.  Because there is simply no mechanism to express one’s opinion when all choices are false choices preselected by the Corportists.  Yes I am hugely disillusioned. At some point the differences between the two become too subtle to justify the effort.

Re: diamond

Your comment: ” Bashing Obama might feel good but that’s exactly what they want you to do because while you’re hating him you’re not hating them. And believe me, they deserve to be hated for what they’ve done to white working class Americans and black Americans for many decades. Their nightmare is that black and white will unite against them and demand their rights as citizens.”

Well put.  Even in this we could engage the many voices of AMERICA which have been marginalized, side-lined, and/or otherwise disregarded.  The MAJORITY does not engage in this type of supposedly “single-issue” politics.  Overridingly…. most people are of the “live and let live” category.

For this reason, any supposed “outrage” outside of these constructs should be engaged and/or “considered” VERY, VERY cautiously.

Virgina
“Talk about arrogance!! (and stupidity)”

Perhaps running a campaign on “Change You Can Believe In”, and then immediately doing a 180 degree turnabout after getting the people’s vote, is more consistent with being “Arrogant”.  And perhaps those in the electorate that remain happy under those circumstances are more consistent with being “Stupid”.

Glider, look at the situation of American politics and its corporatization, which influences directly the ability of any President to make policy that these rich and powerful people don’t want. Now think: ask the old question -who benefits? Is it the Democrats? I think you’ll find that as a party they have been affected worst of all by the corporatization of America and its political culture while the Republicans have thrived on it and have been in power more often and longer as a result of it. Then there is the incredible corruption and mendacity of the media and again just ask yourself, who do they favour? Have they ever asked the questions of Dick Cheney and George Bush or Ronald Reagan or Bush I that they ask everyone in the Obama administration? You know they don’t. You only have to remember what some of these idiotic talking heads said about Mr. Brown, namely that he looked like ‘an American’. Now what does that mean? He looks white, my friends, he looks really white. And the fact that he will vote down the health care bill if he can get involved in some skulduggery with Joe Lieberman and other skunks of the far right is fine with the MSM. After all they, like the political class, have the best health care money can by. It would be a major achievement for the Democrats to pass any bill on health care at all and that is why the far right don’t want any bill passed. Any bill at all. You need to look at the big picture and study the history and political agenda of both parties. I think that would be a real eye opener for you. Bashing Obama might feel good but that’s exactly what they want you to do because while you’re hating him you’re not hating them. And believe me, they deserve to be hated for what they’ve done to white working class Americans and black Americans for many decades. Their nightmare is that black and white will unite against them and demand their rights as citizens.

Re: diamond

Your comment: ” All this crap about a third party is just another sort of cargo cult, an almost magical belief that there is another party out there somewhere that will make politics magically easy. Voters won’t need to inform themselves, understand their history,understand the political agenda of the two parties, admit that their country has lost its way and make hard choices: their ship will come in and some hero will arise to make it all right again. The Emerald City doesn’t exist, you know.”

I’ll second that.  Everyone needs to get their game on, and that’d be SPECIFICALLY the AMERICAN PEOPLE and her “REPRESENTATIVES”.

Simply hoping you’ll have a place in the lifeboat won’t cut it.  Nor will entertaining constructs outside of those ON THE GROUND.  Think about it America, think.

Given our non-democratic system of government another strategy for voters to consider is to deliberately attempt to vote opposite parties into Congress and the Executive Branch in order to promote gridlock.  In the absence of fundamental strong campaign finance/lobby reform this may be a logical response.  My late father used to promote this idea and I always thought it to be crazy.  I am certainly not happy with this concept and it certainly has limited effectiveness (such as not stopping Clinton’s passage of NAFTA and repeals of important financial regulatory safeguards) but it is perhaps the lessor evil of available realistic options given a dysfunctional government.  Still for me I will prefer to vote 3rd party or “ultra left” Democrat and perhaps rationalize it a bit whenever that may promote a gridlock outcome.

diamond

You are advocating for an unnatural state.  I accept that the Republicans are somewhat worse.  But you can basically think of the 2 parties as being in competition for funding by Corporate Power.  In the last election the Democrats won that battle and are now fighting to consolidate that win by making various alliances with that Corporate Power.  However, a big problem for the Democrats is that they must present a Populist message to get elected yet legislate for their Corporate Power sponsors.  This is why you see a rejection of the Progressive Left by this administration, even though they were more than happy to court these voters during the election.  So there is a deep flaw in our democracy because the funding of elections and the wealth of politicians is controlled by Big Money Corporations.  So naturally the electorate will feel the disconnect in the form of disillusionment and a sense of powerlessness and betrayal.  Under those conditions you can not motivate voter turnout at the same level as the opposing party which has more of a what you see is what you get platform.  But memories are short and I think this works to cause a cycling back and forth between the 2 parties.

ardee: yes, you get to keep your “well-deserved” criticism of Obama and the Democrats,

and the Country gets to keep Brown.

Talk about arrogance!! (and stupidity)

It wasn’t the Democrats that made a donkey out of this one, it was the liberals.

As many commentators here today have openly admitted, they were simple teaching Obama a “lesson”, this was a mere “backlash” against him.

Yikes!!

CaptRon, January 20 at 7:48 pm,

How about an Institutionalized Multi-Party Political System and Coalition Governance that represents the political diversity of the United States in the Making and Enforcing of Legislated Law and Order?

If the American Populace/Back Street America stands up en mass on the streets and demand an Institutionalized Multi-Party Political System and Coalition Governance that represents the political diversity of the United States in the Making and Enforcing of Legislated Law and Order, it will happen——— it must be made to happen by the American Populace turning out on the streets and forcing change in the political system that includes, rather than excludes the American Populace/Back Street America, the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION.

What kind of a dummy asks leaders of a Political Party of an opposing constituency to represent them on the issues???????

There are two Institutionalized Political Parties in the United States, neither of which represents the American Populace ——— the Republican Party represents the American Aristocracy of business, industry, and capital; and the Democratic Party represents Corporate Interests and the Professional Middle Class;———both of which constitute a 30% minority population of the United States.

I have been trying now for years to get the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION of the United States, the American Populace/Back Street America to understand that neither the Republican Party that is representative of business, industry and capital, nor the Democratic Party that is representative of the Professional Middle Class and Corporate Interests have any interest, or any cause for interest in representing the issues of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION of the United States, the American Populace/Back Street America, because it would be contrary to their own political interests to do so.

Why is it so hard for the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION of the United States, the American Populace/Back Street America to understand that if they want their issues represented in the Making and Enforcing of Legislated Law and Order in the United States, that they will have to do the job themselves with their own political party and their own leaders???????

The American Populace/Back Street America represents their own best interests to work and make a living for themselves and their families, and they do not expect others to do it for them; why on earth does the American Populace/Back Street America expect others to represent their best interest politically, when it is contrary to the others they ask, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, to do so?

How about toss out party affiliation as a requirement and replace with experienced voting record. No spin there. What you vote for is who you are. How about media debates presenting candidates voting record when they are addressed on TV and have voting records displayed largely at the venue as well. If new candidate, whatever they bring in voting record or public action to the table can be displayed along with the negative of inexperience in office. The candidate will answer questions based on their agenda but with proof of past to either verify or denounce that answer. Answering a question with a spin answer won’t work because their voting record will be displayed. It will tend to eliminate a non-answer from that candidate with a diversion to another topic. It will probably scare those away from debate also since they will be held accountable for an answer then and there. This can’t be put off and neither can campaign funding reform. Candidates should only be allowed to spend from an equal fund or base. Take away the campaign coffers to eliminate the rich candidate or one who was lobbyist supported, and or that candidate must show who paid for his non-media event and have it independently audited. Too expensive? Tough, be accountable by representing what you stand for not who bought your answer.
This is more of what I want from a candidate. I’m sick of politics as usual, GOP, DEM, and 3rd party. Independent candidates scare me(i.e. Lieberman or newly Scott Brown)as well and I don’t trust them either. I’m sure there are positive ways to eliminate the bull and create positive campaigning. Will it eliminate candidates? I’m sure, and I also feel the people who make these candidates pretty to win the vote won’t like it either. Maybe the way they look naturally is better anyway. At least it’s real.

Look ardee if you can make the case that by electing Republicans to ‘punish’ the naughty Democrats you’re somehow going to have a Democrat in the White House who will do all the things you listed then make the case. You can’t. What you are displaying is the almost shocking dumbness of American voters, who seem to have no understanding of which party represents the interests of the majority of the population and play at being voters the way children play pin the tail on the donkey at parties. Blindfolded and hoping for the best. All this crap about a third party is just another sort of cargo cult, an almost magical belief that there is another party out there somewhere that will make politics magically easy. Voters won’t need to inform themselves, understand their history,understand the political agenda of the two parties, admit that their country has lost its way and make hard choices: their ship will come in and some hero will arise to make it all right again. The Emerald City doesn’t exist, you know. The Wizard of Oz doesn’t exist either. Essentially what Americans need to do is grow up but they have shown themselves, historically, to be unwilling or unable to do that.

The problem is that the Left, like rocks, is unaware of its own being as the Left, and until the Left develops awareness of its being as the Left, the American Populace/Back Street America—— the Left will not be represented —— because the Left is unaware of its being, and like a rock, cannot represent being that it can’t conceive exists.  Rocks always have been unrepresented because they are unaware of their being and the Left, like rocks, will be unrepresented until the Left, the American Populace, the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION, becomes aware of its being.

The Obamatrons still won’t believe
it’s Obama’s fault.

For the past year:
Corporate Communism, Never-Ending Wars, Profits before People,
No Human Rights for Palestinians, Tibetans, Cubans . . .

Obama is business as usual in DC.
After the balloons and music died, the Wars played on.
More “terrorists” were inspired, more people will die, the “Empire” expands, and the bone pile of humanity grows larger.

Obama is no Ghandi, as is no world leader.
They are all gangsters “fighting over the loot” - securing their power, and serve no decent purpose for the well being of humanity.

By truedigger3, January 20 at 5:22 pm

I dunno digger, I have come to believe that once again the
possibility of electing a bona fide 3rd party president was
dashed in 2008 especially since o was so visible in announcing
his total support of corporate america and the american izraeli
public affairs committee which for me set off the most vivid
alarms about this possible black/mulatto becoming president
and whom I was giving a lot of thought about voting for him
but after witnessing that (aipac was in june 2008 and corp am
was earlier) I decided to vote nader and what I was alarmed of
has come true with the only consolation in that I did not vote
for him.

It is these little promises, to groups or nations that show
nothing whatsoever as anything more than a greedy lust for
what can be stolen or manipulated, that is most important and
unfortunately cleverly concealed as to make most people not
even notice an extremely important warning sign well in
advance so as to reconsider one’s vote.

I have a sinking feeling that now we are back to several more
national, and local, elections that will only leave the
numbskulls a choice of dem or repub vote back and forth as if
that would ever fix anything.

diamond wrote:

“How putting another Republican in the Senate will do anything to address the real problems created by the Bush/Cheney legacy is also a mystery.”
____________________________________________________

Neither electing another Republican nor electing another Democrats will make any difference.
Both the Democratic and Republican parties are owned and controlled by big finance/Business and are its loyal servants.
The people elected Obama and he brazenly reneged on all his promises.
Switching back and forth between the the Republicans and the Democrats is futile because they are exactly the same with minor cosmetic difference.
I hope this a wake up call and will lead to a viable third party.

What happened in Massachusetts is not only a victory for Brown but also an astounding defeat to the Democratic party and Obama.
I don’t think that victory means that more people voted Repulican, but I think that victory is the result of many liberals/progressives/leftists, or whatever you want to call them, have finally wised up to the DLC Democratic party and decided to stay home in disgust with the Democratic party and Obama and his total reneging on all his campaign promises. 
Yes, most politicans lie and give false promises during elections but when it comes to Obama, he is second to none. I never saw a politician before him who made so many promises and aroused so much expectaions, and then brazenly broke them all after winning the election. He is a total fraud.
I hope this will lead to a viable third party.

The American Populace/Back Street America is unrepresented because the American Populace is “unaware” of its being the Left, and like rocks, the American Populace will continue to be unrepresented until the American Populace becomes aware of being the Left.

This race was another example of “Charley Tuna” logic ... you know, good taste vs. tastes good.  The voters, like usual, are in a bad mood and basically voted for “none of the above”.  They voted for a guy younger and better looking than George W. Bush instead of a cranky middle-aged crone who didn’t know Curt Schilling from Curtis LeMay.  Coakley botched her so-called campaign from the start and was, honestly, a poor replacement for Kennedy to begin with. 
  The machine in Mass needs to go back to the drawing board and dig up better candidates.  That is probably a better plan for all the rest of the US.
  As long as “We The People” nominate and elect clothes horses and empty suits instead of qualified, honest, hard-working candidates, We will get the representation We deserve ..... the bottom of the barrel. 
  This win confirms that a Palin-Beck ticket for 2012 is “viable” (notice that I didn’t say “good”).

2001-2003: Dems bow and pay homage to post 9/11 xenophobia, Americans told to go shop, Dems stand in solidarity. Hundreds of thousands soon perish.

2004: Dems run war hero ticket, fall flat. The next day, “What’s The Matter with Kansas” becomes instant best seller, Dems discover liberal “spine.”

2006: House and Senate turn blue on a festering anti-Bush, anti-conservative, anti-war sentiment.

2007-2008: No action taken on wars, economy.

YES WE CAN!
2008: Financial collapse, first black president elected (D), supermajorities in House and Senate.

YES WE DID!
2009: Dems spray blue piss on the Consititution, vow to continue nearly every GWB policy:

No Accountability, Double-Digit Unemployment, Triple Comma Wall Street Welfare, Healthcare-For-All! becomes *insurance purchase requirement for all, War Expands, Veteran Suicides SkyRocket, Democratic Votes sold for two condoms and a smoke.

WHY DID WE?
Jan 2010: Dems lose Senate Majority, blame Martha Coakley.

Nov 2010: NO WE WON’T.

2012: Dems and Evangelicals Join in harmonious celebration to give thanks for the pending armageddon.

Oh, and let me add, congrats to Obama for a disaster in
the making. It is a masterful stroke to lose a ground
swell of support in less than a year. There must be
some kind of conspiracy, no?
Never have so many screwed over so many more in such a
short time. It’s positively underwhelming. Refer my
previous comment.

The real joke is voting for either of these corrupt incompetent parties. They both play the us for suckers and ignore the will of the people. Vote third party. Any party but the two majors. If you think that that is throwing your vote away take a look at what your vote gets you now. If you want to get their attention step out of the box that has been constructed around us and deny them a vote. It will take time, but the system is hopelessly out of control. I can’t believe the voters chose Brown. He’s going to deliver exactly what that is going to make a real difference?

With Democrats in control, we have a health care crisis. With Republicans in control we have a health care crisis. As long as the burden of health care costs remain on American employers, we have no remote chance of an ecnomic recovery. So who won last night?

I’m not sure it makes a damn bit of difference anymore
which party is in charge (oops, I mean office). The
view from over here? America is ruled by benevolent
tyrants and populated by serfs.

That’s a l;arge agenda bluepunk and I agree, especially with your second and third
paragraphs. The only thing is, and this is a big one most did not see when he was
running for office,  Obama is a reflection of those around him. That is why the
power/elite put their money on him. In other words, there is nothing inside that is
really him. He is the reflection and can only do what those he reflects call for.

Massachusetts is a liberal state so why not vote for a former hunk who posed in the buff for Cosmo.. at least we know the naked truth about him.. be interested to see what the female vote for Brown was, esp in the 18- 34 range…
Palin now Brown… its time those Democrats started running some sexy candidates with personality

This just doesn’t really matter.  Its the same old, same old.  American voters can’t make up their mind, and can’t stick to anything.  Short term thinking looking for a short term solution.  So, we just bog down the legislature in a deeper morass of partisan infighting, and the inability to accoomplish anything of substance.  The March of the Myrmidons.
The real villan is our two party system, and until that changes, nothing else will.  Unless we have another true disaster like the 1930’s, we won’t follow through on anything.  Remember when we all had flags on our cars after 9/11?  Not there anymore, are they?

The Dims looked for the worst, ill-spoken, tone-deaf, barney-bureaucrat they could find. She then took 3 weeks off ASSUMING that Teddy’s seat was invulnerable.

“Never assume. It only makes an @$$ out of U and ME!”

Everyone’s passing blame.  Sorry gang, it’s EVERY Democrat’s fault, including BOTH Coakley and the President.  NOBODY did THE MINIMUM of what they were supposed to do.

If even this sh!tty health care plan fails to pass, in the next five years 1,000 hospitals will disappear in the United States.  1,000, including all the ones that are marginal or near marginal in their bottom line.

Ok Diamond I accept responsibility for the Massachusetts debacle, it was progressives who bad mouthed Obama, never mind that the criticism was accurate and well deserved,or that the GOP has tirelessly run slanderous comment after diatribe against this administration, mostly unanswered by incompetent Democrats, never mind that voters stayed home in droves, never mind that a great majority of Massachusetts voters have never even heard of Truthdig, never mind that Democrats put up a horrific candidate who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory..it is the fault of those damn liberals and their insistence on calling betrayal exactly that.

Imagine the nerve of the electorate being angry at a President who ran one way and now runs another…..Imagine the nerve of voters who actually want decent health care, peace instead of war, and a government responsible to them…some damn nerve.

How sad. People are dissatisfied with a Democratic President and Senate that are too timid to put together a REAL health care reform bill. If the Democrats had the guts to propose a bill that delivers Medicare for all, and pay for it by raising tax rates on incomes over $1 million and cutting the military budget and agribusiness subsidies, it would generate passionate support. Instead, the pathetic little wimps dither and dabble, trying not to upset their insurance company campaign donors, and they produce a complicated bill full of twists and turns and special deals that nobody understands and nobody trusts.

The only thing easily understandable about the “health care” bill is it would force us all to buy health insurance from the same damn companies that have been ripping us off for the last 80 years, or else pay a fine. Why not pass a law requiring the homeless to buy houses, or else pay a fine? How about requiring the unemployed to find jobs, or else pay a fine? Why not pass a law requiring the blind to see, or else make them pay a fine?

So far as I can see, the only health care this bill promotes is the health of insurance company profits.

I have never voted Republican and I very nearly did today, because I don’t want the Democrats to pass their pathetic “health care” bill. Finally I voted for Martha Coakley, but only because I thought she was more likely to vote the way I would wish on other issues like banking regulation and labor relations.  Obviously many other Massachusetts residents voted for Scott Brown precisely because they wanted to defeat the health care bill.

You can be sure Massachusetts is not suddenly morphing into South Carolina. It’s just that the only way people are able to express their displeasure to the Democratic President and Congress (because they’re not acting like real Democrats), is to vote for a Republican. The irony is that the Republican party is even further off beam from what people really want and need in this country.

Is this “democracy”?

What we need is a system of representation that actually enables people to vote for the candidate who most closely reflects their views instead of forcing us to choose between just two parties. Proportional representation would achieve that, and it is also possible to devise methods whereby people can vote for more than one candidate in order of preference. These kind of voting systems are used in other countries, and their politicial systems are more responsive to the voters. It could be done here, but like healthcare reform and so many other things, it is impossible to persuade the people in positions of power and privilege to embrace reforms that would take away their special status.

If you want to know who caused this disaster look in the mirror Truthdig. I haven’t read one unambiguously positive word here about Obama since he got elected and the coverage of the health care bill has been overwhelmingly negative and misinformed, hysterical and inaccurate. It’s not that the Democrat voters voted for Mr. Brown, the porn star clown (who gave an acceptance speech worthy of a porn star, offering his daughters to the crowd): it’s that they stayed at home like idiot children and didn’t vote at all. As I keep reminding everyone, Reagan got elected with 31% of the vote. If you want to re-run the Bush/Cheney Fascist years then just continue in this vein.

Most of the people who hate Obama on this site are closet Republicans pretending to be liberals or racists who hate him because he’s a black man: a crime they refuse to forgive him for. They disguise their racism by accusing his father of being a bigamist or claiming he was born in Africa and has no legitimate claim to be President but they don’t fool me. America is in the grip of a Fascist cabal that has taken over the corporate world, the political culture and the military and intelligence services. How getting rid of Obama or the Democrats will fix this is a mystery no one can explain to me, since the Fascists overwhelmingly support the Republicans or are Republicans. How putting a man in the Senate who has openly vowed to bring the health care bill down is a step forward for America is absolutely beyond me. It’s a step back into the neo con/ economic rationalist/Darwinian/dog eat dog/fundamentalist world that Reagan introduced in America, as Thatcher introduced it in Britain. It’s no accident that it’s Britain and America that invaded Afganistan and Iraq and have lied and killed together since 2003. Fanatical Christian fundamentalists have taken over the US military and persecute both Muslims and Jews in the military. How putting another Republican in the Senate will do anything to address the real problems created by the Bush/Cheney legacy is also a mystery. Unless you people are so deluded you think Ralph Nader will fly in wearing a green cape and rescue you all, once Obama has been sent into the wilderness. Delusional and ignorant just don’t cover it.

Scott Brown showed the GOP how to win: Don’t mention that you are a Republican.

My opinions only:
1) The nude layout for the magazine shows several things(no pun). He had the immense self-confidence to even do it in the first place. He also has thin wrists which mean his self-confidence is very short or backward up his butt.
2) The people of Massachusetts evidently decided to make a statement to the Democratic Party. They were going to show them and America, at any cost, that they were dissatisfied and in control. That they had health care in their state already and didn’t care about health care reform for the rest of the country, which is understandable to a point. My problem is how they chose to do it and the fact that they don’t care what happens to the rest of their fellow country people in doing it that way. They took care of themselves with disregard for others. This leaves me with the feeling that if a hurricane, or disaster should happen upon their state, they should take care of themselves then also. After-all, I should only have to take care of myself and not need to help them in their time of need since what happens to them is not my problem.
3) There were better ways to make better government for the people then disregard for those who have worked so hard even if misguided. Things have changed direction, only just a start, but they have changed. To throw that change of direction away just to show your displeasure that it isn’t changing fast enough is not right. People are hurting and need even that little bit of change, and for one reason that the Democratic candidate said Schilling was a Yankee fan. Please, ask yourself just how loyal he really was to the Red Sox, really. I know there was more to it than that, and I don’t think she was the best candidate for the Dems, but to elect a guy who blatantly promises to rub your faces in it. You live with him. You elected him.

Oh, well, it’s their State. What else can a non-resident say?  Massachusetts already has something close to universal healthcare, and if Brown is the man all those Independents, Libertarians, Republicans and dissatisfied Democrats wanted, so be it. And if their guy is as Keith Olberman describes “an irresponsible, homophobic, racist, reactionary, ex-nude model, teabagging supporter of violence against woman and against politicians with whom he disagrees,” so be that too. They got what they wanted.  Can’t say I respect the guy and have a desire to visit Massachusetts any time soon though.

hello. how did this happen? whom is responsible for this? what is going on here? why wasn’t i sent a memo? he does drive a truck, doesn’t he? and wasn’t he nude?
  there is a strong sucking sound in Washington,D.C. tonight- and Hillary must be drunk with anticipation. what is the chance: she gets the ticket, and the Democrats win another Presidential erection? if everyone runs quickly away, from Oboymama: they will not be sucked down the huge hole he is dragging the Democratic Party into. they are really not much different from the Republicants. health care may be D.O.A., but the beltway is still business as usual. if this is ‘step one’ to the coming change, then there is a very long way to go. but it is a real shiner. can you see the black eye, in the Senate next week? government is now paying attention, and the real crap is about to hit the proverbial closed door triple Chester uncommunicative fan: CSPAN. Full Disclosure. CSPAN

Now we can get on with using the budget reconciliation process to pass health care reform, which is how it should have been dealt with from the start.

It is not really surprising. Democrats are mad. However, we are showing our anger by voting for Republicans who will give us more of the same.

When will those people who call themselves democrats get it?  They think it’s business as usual, that people are going to put up with this crap from banks and insurance companies who are outright stealing from people with impunity. You can’t campaign on reform and then eviscerate it at the request of the corporations who oppose it. They act like they are constituent-less, worse, like we are chattel to be sold out to profiteers.

Campaign finance reform.  Stop taking money from these crooks or be prepared to exit.

Now watch them get in front of the cameras and whine about 60 votes this and 60 votes that. Someone tell these fools they are in power and accountable to we the people.

Obama…honey, you need to get in the ring and fight all 12 rounds. Instead of reading about Abe Lincoln, you need to read up on Lyndon Johnson. What are you thinking?  We will not be finessed.

Exactly, too many sell outs..

“Republicans, with a big assist from the national media, are saying that Democrats need to move to the right, where they’ve been headed ever since our community organizer in chief walked away from a public option, opened up the national checkbook for the banks and doubled our troop levels in Afghanistan. Communist.”

and if they do it, there won’t be a Democratic party when it’s over.

The Democrats need to go for broke. Pass the reform they were elected to do, show some back bone…fight fight, fight and go down fighting if that’s what it takes, it’s the only thing that will work…

If these guys were capable of responding to the people who elected them they would scrap this Health Care Obamination and ram through a progressive agenda by concilliation and combat the Republicans.  Ditto on firing Geitner/Sumners and reinstituting the financial reforms that protected the public from the wonderful new financial “services”, and prosecuting the instigators.  But that would require not using their big corportist d*ck to keep screwing the people.  As far as I can tell that ain’t going to happen.  This Democrap Corporatist executive branch will likely give use some more “we need to better communicate our message (aka con) to the American public” crapola spin.  Well you can keep your “change” and stuff it!

Coakley lost because of what’s happening in Washington, President Obama   all of his broken promises; more wars, bailouts, scam health care bill, scam mortgage assistance bill, lack of transparency, backroom deals,  retaining all of those crooks from the clinton/bush administrations, etc.

the list of Obama sellouts & broken promises is seemingly endless and the voters know it. and there’s a lot of anger & resentment.

the small ripples in Va & NJ turned into a tidal wave in Mass. & its heading toward the november elections. there will be very few safe democratic party seats &  many longterm incumbents will be vunerable.

its just really sad at what has happened to the expectations of “hope” & “change” in less than a   year. Obama is basically a lame duck with   three years remaining in office.

Incompetent, arrogant, spineless, indecisive imbeciles.  Next November, the House and Senate will be Republican and they’ll start impeaching Obama…they don’t need a reason other than he’s not Republican.  And Nelson and Lieberman will go along, as well as the other blue-hyena DINOs.

It took them only 3 years to totally f*** up every chance and opportunity they had.  Jan 2007 to Jan 2010.