JFoster2K—“New New Deal”?? With all these MORE tax cuts??? With more for business? Hardly!

“Raising taxes at this tenuous juncture is widely acknowledged to be a very bad move.” Yes, by Bush, Clinton and Larry Summers…now, by Obama.

“most informed decisions possible. With that in mind, would you have him surround himself with only liberals?”

...name ONE libaral . Not all. Maybe just ONE.

Just because I didnt “expect” it, doesnt mean I couldnt hope for better. I am not surprised, really. But, yes, I am angry that the man who ran on “anti-war, help the poor” platform is advising MORE tax cuts, and, hiring on more people like Summers and Gates. I am ceratinly not the only liberal (nor the only Dem) who is voicing problems with it.

Yes, you DO put your car in reverse. If a guy with a gun is running at you. People are without work, without homes, without health care,,,,half measures are neither helpful not appredciated.

KDelphi -

I fail to see how a New New Deal and investing in infrastructure and alternative energy is more of the Bush policies.

The prospect of initiating dialogue with nations that Bush labeled “The Axis of Evil” is clearly not a continuation of the Bush policies.

As for taxes, what would you suggest we do in the midst of this econonic crisis? Raising taxes at this tenuous juncture is widely acknowledged to be a very bad move.

Obama has also been very clear that he wants to hear all sides so that he can make the most informed decisions possible. With that in mind, would you have him surround himself with only liberals?

If you, like many others, had expected or hoped that Obama would storm in and shake all of the neocons out of the trees while implementing some radical left adgenda you either never listened to the man or simply heard what you wanted to hear.

Change will come, not in the form of a tsunami, but rather like the changing tide. It took years of mismanagement to get us into this mess. It will take at least as long to get us out of it.

If you are driving in the wrong direction you find a safe spot to make a u-turn. You don’t just throw your car in reverse.

JFoster2K—

The Dems just passed a resolution supporting Israel. Obama reports that his stimulus plan will include 40% tax cuts for BUSINESS and what he considers to be “middle class” ($250,000??). Obama is considering Ross, Haas, and Holbrooke for foreign relations. He considers Larry Summers , of Wall St infamy, for financial policy. He appoints Hilary SOS. He suggests Salizar and others—he loooks to hire on many very conservative people, and, not one single “liberal”, unless it was Richardson, and he is gone…

I do not think that it is specifically Obama—it is the entire Dems Party!
What should we do, keep pretending that he is a a “liberal”?? That we support more tax cuts, after the huge Wall St bailout and MORE tax cuts for business, which has pushed the deficit higher than ever?Fears of “socialsm” must be quelled!

He is supposedly giving the huge business cuts (and not reversing Bush’s) to placate the Right—you are correct that the Right will oppose him anyway—if he is not conservative why would he support more Bushite policies?

What are the “differences” you see, so far, between Dems and GOP, since, say, 2006?? The “wars”? Health care (tax credits)? Social security? (“Reform”). Financial/monetary policy (tax cuts, for business)

So we should just support more Bush policies?

YOu can be patient, if you are not bankrupt, homeless, trying to survive on social security or unemployment, have health insurance (or are “well”, temporarily),not a soldier, not a civilian in the Middle East…we have an right ( no obligation) to speak out if we see the Dems heading in the wrong direction. They have rejected Liberals for years-wso why should we keep sucking up to them?

Obama is already president. If you are happy with him—good. There are plenty of sites where you get banned is you criticize him—go to one of those.

I expect the doom and gloom prognostications from the Fox bloggers, but to read so much of it on this site is more than a little disconcerting.

I’ll say it again, Obama is not inaugurated yet!

So what if he is appointing lots of Clintonites. He needs experienced players with some measure of ideological consistency. In the end, he is the one that will call the shots… not his cabinet.

So what if he is currently pandering to the middle rather than the far left. The center elected him. And if he remains generally centrist, all the better. He has a plan for the country and it’s far better than anything the right has ever presented.

The Republicans are obstructionists. They won’t present any viable alternatives to liberal policies, they will just oppose them. They are beligerant and dogmatic in their beliefs regardless of facts or their failures. That will not change. A change that can happen (and already began during the campaign) is a merging of the left and center. That will be a power base too strong for the right to shake.

Bottom line… come 1/20 we will begin to see what the next 4 years will bring. Until then, I believe Obama is being cautious and prudent in what he says and does. He’d be a fool to show his hand while Bush/Cheney are still holding their cards tight to the vest.

His promise of hope and change never stipulated that everything would be fixed BEFORE he took office (as the right-wing wackos continue to spew).

I, for one, am happy he won and am patiently optimistic to see how things will develop from 1/21 onward.

A candidate whose track and offering is strong enough CAN WIN, and the media elimination of those outside the incumbent CORRUPT usurping parties against the Constitution, upholding AUTOCRACY and TYRANNY against democracy CERTAINLY were supposed to be presented.

This New Year faces a PURPLE nation by the media ABUSERS.  Red and Blue states forced on a nation as if the states were not free to have the 48 “winner take all” status to any one of SIX not TWO who were on the ballot in most states, or a write in, in a few states.  SIX not TWO were due the view of the nation for the decision BY THE PEOPLE on November’s Constitutionally REQUIRED ballot power for putting the BUMS out.

Red ink and increasing by the bailouts and offensive illegal war advanced by both obama and mccain suspiciously endorsed against the proper view by the entire “mainstream” media is an offensive against the U.S. Constitution.

We are not supposed to be a media forced PURPLE nation.

100 million non-partisan and 62 million in the combined two parties nets the required NON-PARTISAN view is REQUIRED.

Two party monopoly is only the MEDIA’s PURPLE nation who should complain of the clear impending usurption intentionally stated in advance by Obama the supposedly ONLY choice to unseat a man whose CONSTITUTIONAL TERM EXPIRES, and the election was supposed to allow PEOPLE rule, not corrupt war racketeers which Eisenhower said, is the “Military Industrial complex” which currently is at a huge trillions DEFICIT RED INK STATUS of unwanted war and very illegal.

The media loves to talk as if the opposition to Bush is now accomplished and then they return to favor Bush, while the country hates the current corrupt agenda against the people for corporate corrupt military industrial usurption of the U.S. Constitution out of control.

It is not ok.

We have, as of June, 2007, voter registration statistics shown on the 50 websites of elections data, 24 states do not register party, about 82 million people, and of the 26 states which allow party declaration, 21.3 million “outside” either at a complete no party independent by choice or minor parties by truer affiliation with ideals, and 36 million Democrats and 26 million Republicans.

My definition of party is that it is supposed to produce a viable candidate who can win the Presidency and lead not a party, but the NATION for the best interests of the BEST agenda on track.  Parties and independent candidates decide what platforms they believe are suited to their own track and beliefs and to the current events and needs of leading America for the PEOPLE and, supposedly to UPHOLD the U.S. Constitution.  Each party is supposed to produce a candidate, or each independent is supposed to be able to net a majority, to be believed worth running.

Nader’s candidacy CERTAINLY was appealing to both Democrats, Republicans, Greens, and “other” minor parties and certainly to those just like himself, registered unaffiliated voters who view no party as their best truth as a registered voter.

The nation is NOT “undecided” between the parties of the incumbents.  The nation is desireous of REAL CHANGE and the full slate of candidates was REQUIRED for a REAL DEMOCRACY. 

This extreme insult of the media to continue the insult of talking as if two party rule is unassailable is entirely intolerable and at least deserves voter registration statistics and the hate of my independence from both by the wanted view of FOUR outside who were DUE the DEBATE for the nation to choose a REAL CHANGE if that change was wanted BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE, and for GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, not of Corporate Corrupt media!

More than 100 million are non-partisan registered voters, apparently, with the media’s view AGAINST (not true, the two party voters CAN CHOOSE OUTSIDE IF THEY WANTED TO AND THEY DESERVED THE CHOICE JUST AS MUCH AS THE 100 million)—only 62 million—a clear minority of registered voters are registered in the COMBINED two parties.

But the media refuses to acknowledge FACTS and STATISTICS posted on 50 websites of voters and 24 states expecting complete non-partisan FREEDOM to vote for the BEST on ELECTION DAY, which did not happen in 2000 and in 2004 and in 2008…it is overdue that the people force the FACTS of DEMOCRACY is supposed to be REAL in America.

Gore doesn’t get it.  He is the same corrupt level as Bush and Obama.

I get it, I voted appropriately, for a challenge not only who deserved to win, but IF presented by the media fairly for the real contest of true agenda offered, COULD EASILY WIN A CLEAR DECISIVE LANDSLIDE MAJORITY.  Oh yes!

Shut your media lying hype Obama mouths and face the truth, we are a Majority OUTSIDE the TWO CORRUPT TYRANNY against democracy for choice for good agenda on track, we are a non-partisan Majority and we deserve truth for democracy.

Not hypocritical tyrants who lie in our faces with egregious red ink and offenses entirely Unconstitutional and therefore entirely illegal, and punishable under the constitution.

Hint: when Obama says ‘pragmatic’, he means ‘won’t do anything to anger our corporate masters.’ You know, the same way that EJ Dionne is pragmatic.

Gen Grove once said that you can only do two things with ass, you either lick it, or you kick it.

Barry and the Dimmos seem to prefer the former.

At a time when the dimmos should be leading the way down the OTHER ROAD, their new pragmatic leader is busy trying to make kissy faces with the vanquished neocon hoard, almost apologizing for his party’s victory. And all the while, turning his back on the liberals, shunning us just as Carter and Clinton did.

Barry has made the same mistake W did, surrounding himself with political has beens from a by-gone failed era. These times call for bold new leadership, not the same poisonous rhetoric from a disasterous last 40 years of neo-conservative and neo-liberal policies. The fat is in the fire, the hog is in the tunnel, and the best Barry can come up with Old clintonites.

What a disgrace.

Hang in there my fellow liberal brethren, our voices will eventually be heard again. I just hope there are enough people left to hear it.

Purple Girl—As you know, I am no longer a Dem…but I have had quite enough of this neo-con bs, also. The country just cannot withstand anymore.

As Paul Krugman says in “The Conscience of a LIberal”: “The progressive agaenda is clear and achievable, but it will face fierce opposition.(by)..Republican Party by movement conservatives, whose vision of what America should be is completely antithetical to that of the progresssive moevement…Because of that control, the notion, beloved of political pundits, that we can make progress through bipartisan consensus is simply foolish..To be a progressive, then, means being a partisan—at least for now”.

The neo-cons are going to block anything that is , in any way, “progressive”, no matter how much you try to sweeten it. They think that that is their “job”

Progressives, “job” , then, is to resist their calls for “bipartisanship”—they certainly wouldnt be calling for it if they had won!!

After nearly 40 yrs of misrepresenting ‘Liberal’ by making it nearly synonomous with ‘Hippie’, It’s about time we turn the table and equate ‘Republican with 30 yrs of Failed and disasterous Economic, social and foreign policy
Americans have not only Heard the ‘Republican Way’ , we’ve lived it and suffered under it.I respect Obama’s desire to ‘give everyone a place at the table’...But Americans have heard,seen and expereinced ENOUGH of the What ‘Repubulicans ’ have to offer as Ideas and solutions…They have not only Failed they have been the cuase of Most Ills we are all experiencing Now.
It’s been liberal calling for Healthcare reform. It’s was Liberals who forecasted the quagmire in Iraq (and the exorbinant costs of Blood & treasure). It was Liberals who block the move to ‘Privatize’ Social security and Staunch advocates for Medicare. It has been Liberals who have been screaming about Global Warming.
Lets face it most people ahve come to realize those “crazy” liberals have been right every step of the way since the Reagan Era.
Americans are at such a point of economic desperation,Gay marriage & Abortion are infuriating (insulting) distractions.
Republicans have had their Monologue, and have intentionally ignored the others at the table for decades. Why not now give them the ‘Kiddie table’ where they may Watch How the Adults conduct themselves.
The silver lining to this Socio-economic, International Meltdown, Americans are back to focusing on what REALLY matters( a ‘Rovian’ nemisis).
If every a Prophecy has come to fruition it was the one which Proclaimed Facism would come to America Wrapped in a Flag and waving a Bible….The gigs Up Neo Cons.Americans Are Pissed Esp those who they have conned (and made Fools of)for the last 3 decades.

The true progressives. That is the only thing that can save this corporatocracy from itself and fascism..

The Dems are no more liberal than a few moderate GOP—in fact, they seem to be following in Bush’ s footsteps.More tax cuts, more war, no social welfare programs…what is goi to change?

I wonder, where I wander way up in the sky! Since I am one of the dying or dead breed, it must be that I have gone to the place of my reward and now am no longer meaningful or wanted in any political discussion.
I am a particularly liberal, progressive Roman Catholic
who believes in a woman’s right to choose, that taxing the rich, not through confiscatory taxes but by a standard which helps to benefit the body politic as a whole is a good thing, that health care is not a privilege, neither is food. That the government should get out of the marriage business, while allowing all who are so inclined to marry within the structure of legal partnerships.
This and many more things should have been addressed in the campaigns of both candidates, sadly, the candidate of the Democratic Party, has chosen to govern from the center, not as a progressive, liberal
who makes every effort to uphold the ideals of a liberal.
This to me is extremely disheartening and discouraging. Why, you ask? The reason is this, while
Barack Obama, promised change and change that was noticeable, we have now gone the other way, we are sliding into the abyss of corporate silliness and with it, the nation is giving way to an authoritarian
corporatocracy.  No more freedom, no more of the grand experiment that was once America, we now have the grand and exalted country of Amerikkka! 
Built on the premise that what we tell you is good enough for you, seek nothing further than where you are right now, and look no higher than the ceiling for your needs and wants to be met, through economic means.
Are you dying of an incurable disease?  You will certainly not get the medical treatment that is necessary to keep you alive, because you cannot pay for it, while we, the ruling elite class, enjoy the benefits of modern medicine, the life of Reilly and having what you do not have, mobility and freedom.

Who Then? The right?

WLA—Indeed! Certainly not the Democrats…

The left will always matter. Who else will look out for the people?

Both parties have been saying that the left doesnt matter since Carter.

Now, what do we do to create (or improve, and enlarge) our own party—an unabashedly LIBERAL Party. Empower Green Party?

What do true liberals think?

I spent almost half of my life supporting Dems, and, they have never failed to disappoint. (I wont go into GOP—but, there are some, who I would prefer to Blue Dogs). I would like to spend what is left of my life, trying to change things for the future…

Were the Republican party, and, indeed, most Republicans to suddenly disappear into the ether, I cannot but think it salutary to the body politic.

Then we could start dismantling the Democrats.

Since the Democrats think the Left no longer matter, I guess we can all vote for someone else in 2010.

So in other words, political success is the definition…policy is secondary at best and probably inconsequential.

Or, the will to power drives the machinery.  Thus spake Zarathustra.

“Hey, the nation’s crumbling around us,” said one political power player to the other, “What do we need to do to win another election?”

“But won’t the rabble be angry that we’re more concerned with our political futures than doing what’s right?” questioned the other.

“No,” scoffed the one, “The rabble is blind and stupid and we can keep them that was for as long as we like.  We’ll tell them that we won’t be able to put or policy into action without more political victories.  We’ll say that real action will come after the next, victorious election cycle.”

“Do you really think that they’ll fall for that?”

“They always do,” smirked the one, “They always do.”

You inside-the-belway pundits don’t have a clue. While congress grants itself another pay hike, everyone else is strapped and Obama’s lame bribe to the population is as shallow as all his bowing and scraping in front of the power structure that insures no substantial structural changes to a system that ultimately proved to be the undoing of American power.
  You inside-the-beltway pundits preach to us like you know more but you can’t see the writing on the wall in out here in the American hinterland. Don’t think we can’t see through overused buzzwords like “pragmatic” to characterize centrist capitulation as the party of Republican lite in an era when the Republicans are on the skids. You would think now would be the time for Democrats to forge ahead and make a stand on something without shirking from the ideological. The Republicans at least know where they stand—and the Democrats can’t continue to pose as an alternative if they continue to be ineffective of doing anything they were elected to do. Not exactly the change we voted for.
  Obama has been a growing disappointment.
  Yesterday’s news.
  Already, he is irrelevant and your recycled Clinton-era Republican appeal will eventually lose you the Democratic base.

Well, since liberal Democrats are a “dying breed’-I hope that we can all remember that it doesnt matter how “us liberals” vote in 2012.

At least we can feel free to follow our conscience and stop voting in all these conservatives.

If Dionne thinks that it is “sadly so”, the Dems certainly know how to behave differently from that during campaign seaason. Lets all remember it next time.