Eugen,
I’m sorry you thought you were relevant. I was addressing Eugene who wrote the above article.

OCJIM, this is a debate so I think you have missed the point. The name is Eugen. I just read your paragraphs and there is no substance. The majority of the people are behind Obama. The majority of the people once thought the earth was flat. The majority of the people believed that the earth was the center of the universe. We’re spending 11 trillion dollars. That is almost equal to the entire GDP of last year. How long is it going to take to pay that off?
  One good thing that has happened is that Obama pissed off congress by forcing them to pass the bailout bill without studying it. I think they have enough smarts to be a lot more careful the next time crap is thrown in front of them.

Eugene, I think you miss the point. The fight is actually against the tea-baggers. It is against the neo-cons and their tactics and their money. They have successfully polarized Americans making forward movement toward progress difficult. That is their strategy. It is win for them, and lose for the country either way.

It is a chasm that was intentionally constructed by money and power. Now we have well-entrenched right-wing nut jobs with a self-serving mission on one side, and pragmatists funded by similar money on the other side.

What is important is that the new corporate media thrives on rancor and name-calling – what I call misanthropic discord – so working together and unity just doesn’t cut it.

But this is what is playing out in our current political environment.

On the right-wing side of this chasm, there is lunacy and idiocy that transcends a responsible humanity. The main media sources stirring this up are Limbaugh and Fox.

On the other side is an Obama sense of immediate needs that prompts him to forego delving into BushCo darkness: its torture and power abuse past. Lacking glitzy spectacle, there is not as much media interest here.

The chasm has been created and funded by right-wing think tank money, building since Reagan times, aided by a Clinton presidency the right-wing loved to hate, and reaching an ideological plateau that included war, fear, and loathing during Bush years.

But now with Obama’s efforts at unity, the division has to be maintained.

Some 88% of Democrats approve of the job Obama is doing; 27% of Republicans approve. The American Spectator demonized the Clintons since the 1990s but now calls Obama a fascist.

The internet propaganda machine compares President Obama to Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini or assorted psychotics like Charles Manson and David Koresh.

In a neocon show of rancorous unity, when a single conservative journalist like Jonah Goldberg praised Obama for dispatching the Somali pirates, Goldberg was punched by the pugnacious right.

Now on the other side of the chasm are the Obama administration and the majority of the American people.

Because the latter seem to be so fickle and subject to the media’s marketed entertainment culture, Obama wants to forgo the acrimony of holding Bush criminals accountable for the latest wave of white-color crime, this in the form of torture, lying to the people, taking away rights and abuse of power.

Bob Z, Enclosed is a summary of Larry Summers given bt Naomi Klein - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/16/AR2009041603244.html

I think she does a good job. The other name you mentioned Geithner, did you mean “Wall Street Bailout Geithner” or President of the New York Federal Reserve Geithner? Or was it the Geithner who failed to pay $50,000 dollars in taxes. Oh wait a minute, they are all the same person.
  You can read about the taxes and the bailout here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Geithner
I’ll let you absorb this and if you like we can talk about all the promises President Obama has broken already. The word promise, to him, means tell them what they want to hear.

Eugen,

I didn’t vote for Carter. I thought Ford was a better candidate since he had very moderate positions on most issues. Carter proved me right. I have never voted the straight party line, but in my lifetime, George W. Bush has been our worst president. Inflation was not the worst of our ills back then. At least most corporations had no layoff policies, so job security was a lot better.  Since I worked on the Obama campaign and read his policy positions, I know that he is using Summers and Giethner to move his agenda along which is to fix the Wall Street excesses and ensure that all Americans participate in the American dream. Obama is a free market capitalist but with regulatory controls. He is a Democratic version of Theodore Roosevelt one of the few good GOP presidents. Reagan was a fraud - he was no friend of the working people in this country and all of his friends were eltists. But at least he was smart enough not to get us involved in a full scale war.  I did not expect any of McCain’s supporters or Ron Paul supporters to get behind saving our economy, but for them to try and make Obama fail is an insult to all American’s who are in a bind right now. You mentioned Reagan giving the military a 17% pay increase which is good, but Obama will also provide increased funding for military pay and taking care of their transition from the military to civilian life without the trauma of having to prove combat injuries to the Veterans Administration. Michelle Obama has also made it her mission as first lady to push for better treatment of servicemen’s families. One thing to keep in mind is that elections have consequences and Obama is fullfilling the promises he made during the campaign to the majority of the people who voted for him. He has more of a mandate for change than Bush did in his two elections, both of which were suspect.

GORE VIDAL - YOUR FUTURE - BLACK, NATURALLY

@ Fadel Abdallah, April 17 at 3:39 pm #
> I have mixed feelings about the so-called “Teabag” protests.

> The fact that they took place on April 15, the day of the year I hate most because I believe that we are overtaxed and our taxes are used for imperial wars and to benefit Wall Street and the military-industrial complex.

You have excellent judgement FA - Gore Vidal agrees with you exactly. From 1995.

Gore Vidal with Patt Morrison - 1995. Or today - Your future - Black, naturally, it is Gore Vidal after all -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L54H8HUNZZs

‘ASTROTURFING’ THE TEA PARTY PROTESTS

Mark Ames, editor of The Exiled and Yasha Levine expose Rick Santelli’s fronting for right wing Republican FreedomWorks Tea Party Protests. Six weeks ago. -

http://tinyurl.com/dev87j

The latest on the ‘Astroturf situation’ - The Exiled - April 15th 2009 -

http://tinyurl.com/c4deaw

BobZ, I guess you don’t remember when President Carter was president that the country was experiencing double digit inflation and double digit unemployment. He wouldn’t give the military cost of living raises and as a result many enlisted were eligible for food stamps. When he ran against Reagan he told the American people that things were going to continue to be bad. (sound familiar?) Reagan came in and the first thing he did was give the military a 17% pay raise. I know because I was in the Navy at the time. The economy seemed to change overnight.
  You complain about Wall Street and banking and you don’t even know who Obama has brought into his administration. He stacked the deck with Wall Street and bankers. There has never been a Presidency where Wall Street was this well represented in the White House. Don’t take my word for it. Look it up. It is easy. You find a source (Wikipedia will do) and look up who he has appointed. Then you look up their bio’s.
  I tell religious people to read the Bible so they would know what they believe. They don’t because they don’t want to know. I have a feeling you won’t look up the Obama administration for the same reason. You don’t want to know the truth.

A growing sense of us versus them, of the little guy versus the big guy, is out there waiting to be exploited by anyone clever enough to fashion a sophisticated populist critique of the Obama administration’s policies. I know it seems crazy to use words like clever and sophisticated in connection with today’s Republican Party, but stranger things have happened.

~*~*

Great piece Gene, and you’re so right, these people cannot simply be ‘blown off’ despite their ‘made for television’ activism. And the wider the difference between the them and us, the more we see of ‘them’ - some even giving up an hour or two on the golf courses around here, or even bringing the yachts into the docks to join up with the golfers (they would never consider using a dinghy to get from their floating palaces to make that half mile distance to the beach and or the buildings on the land). Besides, the wind has been really bad and all.

So they leave their lifestyles of the rich (famous or not) to come out and complain about paying taxes that they don’t pay ANY damn way!!! My neck of the woods has too many of these 1%‘ers who Dick Bush EXEMPTED from paying anything even remotely close to their fare share of taxes. So dick bush runs two flippin’ wars of choice off the books at the same time he’s exempted the wealthiest from paying any taxes, and then have the pure audacity to complain.

So YEAH, they ARE clever as hell, (not ALL republicans obviously) but the Cabal that is still very much a part of the apparatus is damn sure clever enough to have run a kleptocracy for a hell of a long time, and the rest of them have allowed it, either as a result of “Sincere ignorance and/or conscientious stupidity.” (MLK). Either way, we’re screwed by the very same folks who are claiming their tea party.

Re: ErnestV

Your comment: “I will keep my God, My Money, and My gun. You can keep the change.”

It would be impossible for a country to run without money.  In this regard, it wouldn’t matter where on earth you went, there will always be money to be paid to the government.  Regarding how much to be taxed and how it is disbursed, is a debatable issue.

Additionally, this administration like all others before it, is NOT attempting to take away Your God or Your gun.  So I’m curious as to where you’ve gotten that impression.

In fact, this administration has EXPANDED monies to the Bush created, “faith-based initiative”.  Something I very much disagree with, since I feel it is against the “separation of church and state”.

The issue currently facing us is NOT one of taking Your “god” away.  The current fiasco is really an attempt to shove “god” down every-one’s throat and using tax dollars to do it!

BTW, congratulations on your degree.  I’m guesstimating your major wasn’t political science, economics or law.

ErnestV,

I think you’re views might be more palatable on Townhall.com.  We have all heard the meaningless labels and cute slogans from the right that take the place of intelligent thought. We had eight years of anti-intellectualism and now President Obama has to deal with the cleanup on aisle eight years. If a person or family needs a helping hand in life and our government can help, I would rather do that than fight a needless war in Iraq or give welfare checks to large corporations. The upper classes in our country enjoy far more tax breaks than the poor whom you seem to look down upon. The evaporation of much of our wealth in this country was not caused the poor, but by the wealthiest people in our society - hedge fund traders and companies like Lehman Brothers and AIG. I guarantee you they accomplshed a lot of wealth distribution from our pockets to their pockets. Your comments sound much like the old Reagn bromides of “welfare queens driving around in Cadillacs”. Reagan and Nixon were the original drivers of class warfare in this country and now the tea baggers are trying to turn one class of Americans against another and tea baggers like Rick Perry threatening to bring the United States back to 1861.  Like you, I am also a veteran and I was thankful to my government for helping me get through college on the G.I.bill and for funding the mortgage on my first home through the V.A. loan program. I am also thankful for the unemployment benefits I recieved when I got laid off close to retirement. As far as I’m concerned it will always be ok to help our fellow citizens in need rather than throw money away on unnecessary wars and having our life savings sucked away by Wall Street.

“How many teabaggers does it take to make a majority?”

No more than two, as long as they agree on it.

One way to discern how many wingnuts make up a tebagging, just ask them all if they support Sarah Palin.  I doubt there’s a member among them who wouldn’t jump right in with a big old “You Betcha!”

I would guess almost 0 of the teabaggers are Palinites. Which just goes to prove, this was no populist uprising, it was a fairly non-violent mob scene.

Interesting, not ONE of those events had anywhere near the total numbers that showed up for Obama’s events at the tail-end of the election. 

Yet the media as a whole and Faux Noose in particular, did everything they could to downplay the turnout to those Obama events. Now they count every man-woman-and child in attendance at these teabaggings, add their dogs and cats, and the squirrels romping through the park, to come up with their inflated attendance numbers.

The future will soon turn the term “teabag patriots” into a derisive label, and for good reason.  These poeple are only patriots if they feel in control, but when they are relegated to minority status, their bitterheaded, sore-loser nature prevails and they concoct these astroturf events in a desperate to convine themsleves they are some sort of silent majority,in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.
Here’s hoping that, as they realize how far from mainstream America they really have become, they do not try to attempt some sort of “tyranny of the minority” twist on that old cliche.
When that minority is managed by the greedy rich, as we see now, the one thing they will never admit is that they are in the minority.

“anyone clever enough to fashion a sophisticated populist critique of the Obama administration’s policies.”

Actually, it takes nothing clever, and certainly not anything sophisticated, to stir the Palin mob into disorder and dangerous hostility.

All it takes is a dollop of Fox News anti-American propaganda, and a few teaspoons of Republican bitterheads to create an astroturf recipe that the majority of beholders just shake their heads at.

It is by the lesser angels of our nature that the provocateurs incite their reliable knuckle-draggers into mob rule.

And there is nothing clever or sophisticated in mob rule.

Holy cow Guntotinsquaw. That was a mouth full. I’m not a republican and I might even hold the record for nasty emails to President John Wayne Bush.  President Obama’s honeymoon is over. It is time for him to tell us why he is breaking all his promises. It is not good enough for him to stand at the podium and in a firm voice tell us what he going to do to us. He needs to tell us why. As our President he needs to tell us about secret meetings he attended back in October. What is it that the President isn’t telling us?
  I thought that President Clinton just wanted to live in the White House and maybe fool around a little in the oval office. He got his wish. I thought that President Bush wanted to be the tough guy and play John Wayne and he got his wish. I never thought that either one of them was out to destroy the country. The bank failures, the stock market crash couldn’t have happened at a better time if it were planned.

In the usual blinding polarization, Robinson fails to recognize that the anger isn’t coming from a political party, it’s coming from a class of people who simply used an existing political infrastructure to mount a protest.

Robinson is right though, when she says that this anger is ripe for the picking. Many are willing to stand up, they are only waiting for a true outsider to coalesce their message, and to point the way toward meaningful change. This financial crisis is an unprecedented opportunity for such a change. It will be a shameful loss if Americans waste it.

For those of you that don’t know, the TEA party was started and promoted by Youtube Thomas Paine. I was at the TEA party and as Polosi opens her stupid mouth calling this astroturf, perhaps she should READ the flag we fly ” DON’T TREAD ON ME!!” I’m real tired of being called a republican right wing, perhaps you should have come to the TEA party and listened to what was said. NO PARTIES!!! Are you hearing it clear enough. I’m not right or left, I am an AMERICAN and I like my FREEDOM. I happen to be be pro-choice, pro-gun, pro-gay marriage, pro-stem cell, boy I’m as right wing as they get. I’ve never asked the govt. for anything and never will. In turn the govt. never came around with a spare tit so they don’t get a voice in MY house. If I want a gas guzzler, MY choice. If I want a personal assult rifle, MY choice. The govt. doesn’t have the right to force me to be charitable. If I want to be charitable with my money, ITS MY CHOICE. I shouldn’t have to feel compassion for 20 billion illegals with MY MONEY! English only PLEASE! Secure my borders, a nation without borders is NOT a nation. We are not a welfare state for corrupt foreign countries. I don’t want the govt. telling me what car I can drive, how much electric I can use, or what doctor I can see or how much I spend on my meds. I was mad with clinton, bush and obama. I sick of the direction they (republican and democrats alike)are taking MY country. I expect them to follow the constitution….The government ain’t your daddy. If you want to try a socialist lifestyle that’s great, pack your crap and move to France. I can’t move to another capitolist country, this is it and we have piggy backed the world long enough. NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND!!!!! I’ll keep my money and my guns YOU KEEP YOUR CHANGE

By Eugen, April 17 at 2:30 pm
“”“What chance is there that people will realize what is happening when the majority of people in this country still believe in Noah’s Ark? They live in a fairytale world and their prince can do no wrong. Not funny at all.”“”
********************************************
Kinda makes disney land take on a whole different meaning for those of us who grew up watching that stuff, doesn’t it? And consider the reality of CORPORATE DISNEY in this country today and the role it plays in ‘maintaining’ the population.
Racism is part of all of us, it is how you handle it that matters.

I have mixed feelings about the so-called “Teabag” protests. The fact that they took place on April 15, the day of the year I hate most because I believe that we are overtaxed and our taxes are used for imperial wars and to benefit Wall Street and the military-industrial complex.

Generally speaking, any protest against the government is a healthy thing that I, as a dissident, welcome and promote as a check and balance mechanism against the erring ways of the ruling class. 

On the other hand, knowing that these “Teabag” protests were mostly organized by right wing nuts and highly promoted by Fox News, I have to question their validity and motivations.

As to Texas Gov. Rick Perry “prattling nonsensically about Texas’ one-time status as an independent country and how, purportedly, the state had reserved the right to secede” I think that Texas, which produced evil Bush, is really a burden on and a liability against the Union, and its sedation is good for America. Let them secede, then there would soon an opportunity to invade them for the only thing of substance they have, which is oil!

SamoSamo, I agree with you. I think if the government is going to torture people they should start with the Federal Reserve. Maybe we would find out what they have done to us.

I’m afraid it is going to take a long time before the majority of Americans will realize. There are a lot of people who will refuse to see the truth. President Obama is counting on it. The people who put him in power are counting on it. Who worked out the bailout? When was it worked out? Who has Obama appointed into cabinet positions and agency heads? How many of them represent banking and Wall Street? When are the troops coming home. How many more troops have been deployed?
What are they doing with the prisoners in Guantanamo? Who badgered congress on voting for the bailout without them reading it?
  These were not mistakes. They were lies.
  What chance is there that people will realize what is happening when the majority of people in this country still believe in Noah’s Ark? They live in a fairytale world and their prince can do no wrong. Not funny at all.
  No one knows me here so just let me say, I’m not a racist.

If people got some bang for their buck then taxes would be seen as a good investment if by pooling their money taxpayers could get a better deal. Instead what they are seeing is everything poured into the rich man’s pocket. Now, the Right, desperate to ride any wave that would take them anywhere are associating themselves with this movement, but the truth is most Americans are not happy about bailing out the banksters—especially for short term looting propping a failing financial stucture at the expense of the country’s future.

  Obama will get spanked.

Patriotic Americans cannot afford to dismiss the tea-baggers, myrmidons of the Republicans.  Republicans are vicious, bloodthirsty, exploitative of the poor.  To piss in the ear of one whose brain is ablaze is an act of treason to the ideals and the Constitution of the U.S.

Well, there is no going back on the amount of money that has been squandered on the very criminals that created our current disaster. But a big help would be the repeal of the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 and the next amendment to the constitution making central banking a high crime and treasonous offense in this country. Because the federal reserve charges interest for every dollar they print(worthless paper), they have no reason to stop the presses and thus this private corporation maintains a permanent debt on us the taxpayer who is where the federal reserve is paid for this useless debt. There should be no reason why the U.S. government does not service its own economy instead of a crooked corporation like the federal reserve. Problem is trusting the congress to act responsible in overseeing the money.(hahahahaha!)

It’s hard not to underestimate a group of people who are nominally protesting “taxes” when the overwhelming majority of them are paying the lowest taxes in decades. And how can you not underestimate them when this group is so easily manipulated by Fox News/CNBC/right wing talk radio, and the likes of Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, and Dick Armey. And take a look at most of the signs the protestors were carrying - many of them were outright racist and/or had themes nothing to do with taxes. Much of what we saw on Wednesday was a reprise of the John McCain campaign rallies - the same people carrying the same signs. None of those folks voted for Obama and they represent a very small portion of this country. Even conservative friends of mine are turned off by the no so hidden “hatred” message behind most of these protestors. They are really angry because a black man got elected president. Rick Perry wasn’t even subtle about it - he took us right back to 1861. Good God, what planet are these people from? We are in one of the worst economic crisis since 1932, with millions out of work, and they are upset because our government wants to lend a helping hand just like we did 75 years ago.

Purple Girl, I guess you think it is great that the Obama has just spent trillions of dollars. Some of the money will actually go to education. Who is going to pay that back. You , me and the 6, 7, and 8 year olds I saw at school this morning.
  Things are going to get worse. I don’t think I’ll see them getting better.

Tax Cuts are Generational Theft
Who will pay for our schools, Our Police, Our Fire depts, Our Roads,Our elder/Disabled care, Our national Defense…
What aspects of civilation are these folks willing to forego, Willing to voluteer to pick up the slack?
Tax cuts only puts moeny in the pockets of those paying taxes now. It does not go to assuring our kids more classes, or even books, and certainly not better educated teachers. So their ability to compete for th ebest jobs in the Future is severely hindered.
And who will help pay the grocery, Medicine, Long term care and heat for our elderly who are no longer able to participate in the labor force? Are these people ready to should the costs alone? Willing to give up their jobs to stay home with granny 24/7?
And as for Safety on a community level or national- what committments are they willing to pledge to secure safety? Rotate duty as Cops and fire fighters? Have a mandatory (volunteer) Military Service for ALL able body citizens?
Are they willing to give up their Weekends to go repave the Highway in their area or repair a crumbling bridge?
Really What do those we will be passing on the Reins to get from that little extra cash in our pockets- a new video game, a bigger Flat Screen TV.
And what does those who toiled to build thei scountry get for their efforts- Poor houses with no medical care.
Lets be honest when given a little more disposble cash in our pockets, we use it to buy a Luxury trinket. reason we not only built our Superpower economy, but also contributed to the growth of economies around the world. We bought Gucci Shoes and French Wine. If wwe were a nation of Thifty people, there would be no reason for College loan programs, nor Social Security checks.
funny how Social Security & medicare were on the chopping block through the ‘80’s and ‘90’s- but have now become a ‘Third Rail’- gee who do you think might be panicing now at 65?Interesting a Boomer like W finally recognized the need for Medicare Part D, ah? The Boomer generation has been lining their pockets with pilferred money from their kids and their parents since the ‘80’s- When ‘Generational Theft’ first began.
My taxes not only pay the justifiable homage to my parents and grandparents efforts, but assure my Children and their children suceed in Perpetuating this Wonderful ‘Great Experiment’
Paying taxes is not just Patriotic, it is the Moral and ethical thing to do.

My impression is there is more outrage with the Republican Party from those who used to identify themselves with the Republican Party.

The Gop is no doubt trying to capitalize on the message but there were several smackdowns with folks calling them out on it. Steel was denied, as was Perry and several others. They tried to stage their own forum and co opt the media but no one is buying it.

For those who voted for change, I think you are going to finally see it. It will not come from the Dem or Republican party. People are fed up and pissed off with both.

President Obama doesn’t know what the word truth is so it is unlikely he would ever read Truthdig. How many times has he lied already? There are people you could hit over the head with a hammer and they still wouldn’t be able to see how he lied his way into office and that he is carrying out some weird agenda.
  I took my dog to the park this morning and on the way I passed by the public school. Outside were a couple hundred little faces standing at attention. I think it was a fire drill. I thought what are these kids going to have 20 years from now?
  New world order. What does that mean?
  I really would like to see the world united as a cooperative not as a take over.
  Listen to Emanuel. He talks about taking peoples rights away as it is no big deal and brushes it off with a shrug of the shoulders. He talks about being a citizen has a price. The dope thinks that the American people work for the government instead of the government working for the people. Mandatory this mandatory that, that’s a bunch of bull.
  I hope when the American people realize that we have been sold out and that it isn’t to late to take back the trillions of dollars that are being stolen.
  I’m mad as hell.

Exactly.
  Especially when there is real concern about the success of squandering tax-payer money by temporarily propping up banks and at the same time making noises about social security “entitlements” after people have lost their pensions to rich white men.
  Nothing could appear worse than having the first black president appear as an “uppity” servant to rich white men and the elitist entitled class who are looting the livlihoods of the working class.
  And Obama’s answer is he “gets it”?
  What can you expect from a president who doesn’t seek any justice or accountability for torture? Anything and everything can be pushed under the rug by claiming that we most move forward.

Now before we all go off complaining/laughing about the benighted fundamentalist whackos at the tea parties, remember Robinson’s words- there was a lot about “us” vs “them” in the rhetoric.

I’ve been reading TruthDig for a very short time, but the strongest impression I get so far from most of the posts is deep frustration over the fact that “they” don’t listen to “us.”

You progressives have close cousins out there, whether you want to admit it or not.