No one “stole” Washington.

What happened in Washington was “the same thing that always happens” as “Brain” answers to “Pinky”.  What happened in Washington was “backlash” between establishment duopolistic political parties that represent the American Aristocracy and the Professional Middle Class, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, and exclude the American Populace, the 70% Majority Common Population, from participation in the making and enforcing of legislated law and order in the interest of the American Populace, the 70% Majority Common Population of the United States.

No one “stole” Washington.

What happened in Washington was the same thing that always happens as “Brain” says to “Pinky”.  What happened in Washington was “backlash” between establishment duopolistic political parties that represent the American Aristocracy and the Professional Middle Class, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, and exclude the American Populace, the 70% Majority Common Population, from participation in the making and enforcing of legislated law and order in the interest of the American Populace, the 70% Majority Common Population of the United States.

RedHorse and Lafayette,
Actually, I think “shill” is a quite accurate description for Obama (er, Soetoro).

While everyone else was putting the NAFTA positions of the line during the
debates, Soetoro was conveniently whitewashing his refusal to comment with
his notorious Hope and Change crap.

Think about it for a moment. Why is it that, since and including Reagan, the
citizens have become subjects and we ALWAYS wind up losing more of our
God-given rights. Where people here and around the world used to believe that
the US was a model for democracy, we are now seen as a joke, while the troops
from some 40 odd foreign nations are poised to assist the UN in controlling the
upcoming civil unrest.

Civil unrest? Why would we be having civil unrest here in paradise unless our
politicians weren’t telling us something? Maybe they see themselves as all
loving parents that are having to keep their flock under a protective umbrella.
NOT! In fact, what we are seeing is the destructive concatenation of legislative
attacks against our country’s founding documents.

Obama isn’t in this all by himself. Ever since the Reagan Administration, where
Dan Inouye had twice gavelled Rep. Jack Brook for even daring to mention the
“Continuity of Government” program, which was activated by Oliver North
under REX84alpha, the United States has been intentionally sabotaged by its
own elected officials.

The government works great, when great people are performing their elected
duties, but no government will survive when corruption becomes the rule.
What we are seeing now is not so much the collapse of democracy as the
collapse of morality and integrity. Avarice, after all, has forced its ugly head in
showing exactly how far man has NOT socially evolved.

Obama, after all, isn’t in this corruption by himself. If there are any history
books left, they may show a presidential candidate that used his gift of
charisma to inject his oratory opiates to a populace which was hoping to regain
that moral high ground. What that populace failed to understand was that
Obama was knowingly carrying the baton in a race that was started 30 years
before. He didn’t just decide to run for office and then had the world just shit
on him; his campaign to support the people of the Unites States and the
Constitution was all lip service and he went into this with A LOT of
expectations.

Imagine for a moment what an honest president would have been supporting.
We would have had our troops home

NAFTA cancelled

Pulling out of the UN

Recognized the sovereignty of other countries as well as our own citizens

We would be teaching all the subtleties of the Constitution in every grade from
1 through 12

We would have used our military to support our borders

The FDA would be dissolved or at least had its staff fired or imprisoned

Agricultural corporations would be forced to abide by the nutrient density
standards of organic or biodynamic farming techniques

Law Enforcement Officers would dress, instead of black, in either light blue or
khaki and be called Peace Officers .... again

Real Estate Developers would be seen as blight promotors

Box stores like WalMart would be taxed heavily because of their known
potential to damage the communities they build within

9/11 needs a real investigation

Bills submitted before Congress and the Senate would only be on a single sheet
of paper and written in a style that is common among the average newspapers

Pork-barrelling and earmarking would become indictable offenses, as would
lobbying.

Our schools should try having students research every other country’s
equivalent to the Lord’s Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance so that they learn just
how much we all have in common.

And lastly our own fucking President should at least know how to perform and
be required to actually say the Pledge of Allegiance

DYSFUNCTIONAL DEMOCRACY

RH: Persona is not substance and rhetoric isn’t human moral reason. Hope has nothing to do with the hogs in Washington.

Finally, a bit of cogent argument. (I knew you were up to it, if provoked.)

But you slander BO calling him a “shill”. If you want to make such accusations, then you’d best prove them.

Which you cannot, so they remain just impassioned sermonizing and unreasoned to boot. This sort of bile does not advance the debate. Yes, we have a pathetic political class in Washington, on both sides of the aisle. But mud-throwing ad hominem and bitching-in-a-blog will do nothing to alter such Dysfunctional Democracy. You should know better.

Only the body politic can bring about improvement and decently functional democracy. For the moment, most of that body-politic is both indifferent and indolent—having long since relinquished any sense of either moral or civic duty.

“We have met the enemy and he is us”. (Pogo by Walt Kelly) It has been this way for a long, long time—perhaps since the early post-war years. America’s exaggerated accent on wealth and the hell-bent accumulation of riches rots core values of fairness and social justice.

It shows also how mindlessly monochromatic the American body-politic can be—with a bit of vibrant colouring from Tea-Party nostalgics totally disconnected from modern reality and its exigencies. We have moved far, far beyond their mentality (as original as it was in advancing human rights and liberties).

America has become the Land of the Lotus Eaters, crazed by self-enrichment whilst societal equity be damned.

Where all notions are reduced to dollars and cents, a ludicrous game by which only the most pernicious will always win out. Especially in America, where Income Inequality is decidedly the worst of any modern nation on this planet by any means of calculation.

Redhorse,
Indeed, any attempt at healing this huge rift will need something like a 9/11 investigation or something of that magnitude. It would need, as Natalie Portman stated at the end of “V for Vendetta”, ...... HOPE.

Obama promised hope but didn’t deliver. He never had any plans to deliver because the guy has no integrity. He’s just another slouch politician with no backbone and no morals. A fine example to set for his daughters.

LAFAYETTE: What part of “it’s over” don’t you understand? Please don’t confuse hope with the childish magical thinking that blinded and led American voters to place their faith in a shill like Obama. Persona is not substance and rhetoric isn’t human moral reason. Hope has nothing to do with the hogs in Washington. The corruption is absolute. Obama and Boehner both swill from the same trough. If you want to let apologists like Robinson stroke, hook and obfuscate your reality be my guest.

    Washington is a wide open criminal conspiracy. Other than the dangers it presents to the American people it holds no relevance. Its sole purpose is the looting of the American economy. The welfare and lives of the People is its last concern. Accept that and live.

    The only “broad brush” I see in play is the one used to whitewash the megalomaniacal machinations (Rethug and Dim) of the criminals destroying my Country. Robinson needs to wake up and start reporting on the inner workings of a Congress that holds closed door sessions at three in the morning to avoid press coverage and open debate of bills ripping the guts out of the American economy and environment.

      I enjoy your posts and I agree that there is “always hope” but I’m no longer willing to believe that a savior will rise from the cesspool. Obama is and has always been a cooler for the “gold sacks” crowd. Whatever light the American future may hold, it won’t come from Washinton.

Lafayette, December 7 at 11:00 am:

‘... We’ve implemented a Spoils System. Those who control campaign financing control the media and those who control the media manipulate political sentiment—because the body-politic is collectively self-indulgent and morally indolent. ...’

In that case they’re getting what they want, and people who dislike the result need to think outside the box of electoral politics.  Is that not the logical conclusion?

Ardee,
True. If the Obama Administration was so different, why are we still going in the exact same direction as the Bush Administration?

Psychologist Harville Hendrix humorously spoke of people who break up with one partner, fail to address their own ‘baggage’, and set off to find another more suitable partner. He used the example of trading in your old car on a new model, getting it home, and admiring the paint and the smell of the new interior. Your so pleased with your new purchase, yet after opening up the hood, you find that the exact same engine that was in your old car.

We aren’t going to get anything different if we don’t expect anything different. The 2008 election seemed to be that pivotal turning point, where we thought we had bought a new car, were admiring the new paint, but hadn’t opened up the hood yet. to find that we had the same engine. We have some serious baggage to address, as a country, particularly with respect to what we call ‘foreign policy’ and how we allow ourselves to live in an abusive relationship being married to the Federal Reserve.

Lafayette, December 7 at 11:08 am

If you mean that Obama’s speeches differ from those of Boehner then you are correct. But you fail miserably to note that Obama’s actions dovetail rather closely will Boehners wishes.

POLITICALLY SUPINE

RH: Spare me the spin. There isn’t a nickels difference between Obama and Boehner and TRUTHDIGGERS know it.

Then you are blind to the facts; they could not be more different.

Try harder. Look into the policy details of either. They are starkly different.

Broad-brushing the entire political class as the same kind of hack is a dead-end. It means there is no hope.

There is always hope and it is a matter of educating a politically supine American body-politic. Which will take decades, so the time to start is now.

1984 REVISITED

More so, the midterms were moronic.

The American body politic played right into Replicant hands:
* The Supremes lowered the barriers to indiscriminate campaign funding.
* The Replicants exploited the huge hole in the dike and the moolah rushed straight through.
* Americans wanted to “punish” BO & Co. because it did not know how to walk on water and thus repair the worst recession in more than half a century (that was handed to it on platter).
* And to the “victorious the spoils” as described in this thread’s article.

We’ve implemented a Spoils System. Those who control campaign financing control the media and those who control the media manipulate political sentiment—because the body-politic is collectively self-indulgent and morally indolent.

Bringing about, in its own way, “1984 Revisited”—with thanks from BigBrother. I.e., the menace is always on the frontier about to wreak havoc and only the plutocrats can manage internal economics (to their benefit).

George Orwell got it right a long, long time ago. We are just following the formula. Or maybe its just the initial outline of a Banana Republic?

Whichever, the prospects are not enticing.

As my drinking buddy, Darryl, says, “If you have to tell these Democrats what to do, then you’ve elected the wrong people.”
***************

Can’t argue with that!

Every day I get a large number of emails from progressive organizations asking me to sign their petition urging Obama and the Democrats to stand up to Republicans and Corporate interests. “Obama needs to hear from you!” Or, “Tell your Senator to stand up to/for/against etc.” As my drinking buddy, Darryl, says, “If you have to tell these Democrats what to do, then you’ve elected the wrong people.”

Anarcissie, December 5 at 8:46 pm Link to this comment

FiftyGigs, I have noticed the problem.  If only people were as wise, well-informed and virtuous as I am, they would all think exactly as I do.  Unfortunately….

**********************

Funny, I feel the same way…However, if they were even wiser, better informed and just as virtuous, they’d think exactly as I do!

(and they’d be more humble as well! )

Spare me the spin. There isn’t a nickels difference between Obama and Boehner and TRUTHDIGGERS know it.  Mr. Robinson should consider actual investigation and reporting on the oligarchic criminal enterprise now underway in International Washington. The corruption and looting is wide open, just like the noses of the hog politicians that run the slot machine feeding corporate/criminal greed hard earned American tax dollars. Boutique hogs may be dressed in silk but they’re still swine. Lets not pretend anymore Mr. Robinson. Try earning your money.

      Our Supreme Court and the ‘thuglicans and Dims couldn’t wait to assert that corporate predators could buy elections at will in the name of “free speech”. But Wikileaks? “Theatre” isn’t the word. It’s a transparent sideshow to distract the tricks in a third rate cathouse. Sadly, the facts are there. Robinson and others could shine truth on them. We know why they don’t.

      It seems our President can no longer look into the camera when he makes a speech? It breaks my heart to see the open wound inside him. He’s lost. We’re lost. Home is further and further away. Recovery is no longer possible. The sooner we accept it the better. Table scrap journalists will continue with red meat obfuscation and the hounds will continue to rationalize and howl but there is no way back. 

      It’s over.

FiftyGigs, I have noticed the problem.  If only people were as wise, well-informed and virtuous as I am, they would all think exactly as I do.  Unfortunately….

Anarcissie, I’m not sure you’re getting my picture.

People can be fooled, I understand that. But I don’t believe people are unthinking tools. Call me liberal

Nobody is holding a gun to people’s heads forcing them to go to a Creationist Theme Park. Yet they go happily, look at the displays, and walk out believing that the Universe is 6,000 years old, despite all the nose-on-their-faces evidence to the contrary.

No evidence changes that. There’s examples all over the place.

Journalists rebroadcasting Sarah Palin’s Twitters as though they contain thought or relevance. Progressives staying home on election day resulting in the loss of their own power. The truth doesn’t bear on any of this. Progressives think their powerlessness will somehow transform them into a power. Journalists think banality will transform them into historians. The dysfunctionality is awesome and wide-spread, but here’s the inexplicable thing:

It’s occurring among a population that is almost universally educated, in a culture fostering advanced scientific development, in a society with ready access to information available by simply turning on the power switch to the Internet, a knowledge repository unparallelled in human history and unimagined only decades ago.

So, the Theory of Manipulation by Shrewd Tribal Leaders doesn’t cut it for me.

Lafayette, December 4 at 4:52 pm:

‘... Taxes have always had a negative connotation in the US, because Americans refuse to understand the benefit that taxes can bring when employed to develop a socially just nation. ...’

According to what I read, many Americans say that they would be willing to pay higher taxes if they thought the tax money would actually be used for the purposes given for collecting them, whether these are housing the homeless or fixing the streets.  It is widely believed, with good reason, that a substantial portion of the money collected will be drained off into mysterious bureaucratic channels and political payoffs.  Fans of big government, then, should also be fans of ‘good government’.  (From my point of view this is an oxymoron, but I’m trying to be helpful.)

However, in regard to social justice, few people care for it unless they expect to be the beneficiaries of it.  You want to approach the middle-class voter with a different sales pitch.

FiftyGigs, December 4 at 5:35 pm:

‘... It seems to me we have a population that wants lower taxes voting for the party that intends to raise their economic burden, on the one hand. On the other, we have a population wanting the taxes used for social benefit undermining the party that is pushing to ease their tax burden.

Given that equation, I guess it’s obvious that the rich win both ways. Wow! Can it be true that the upper class is actually indebted to the progressive movement as well as the Tea Party?

This seems obvious to us cranky old radicals.  The rich and powerful surround themselves with supporters professing various ideological colorations, whose job is to manage the various tribes of the lower orders who belong to their seemingly different styles and specialties.  Here in New York City we hate Bush because he is a cowboy, and love Obama because he is a city slicker.

Press on, FiftyGigs.  You’re getting the picture.

Writeon, you must have missed it, but Obama DID come on and chastise the Right for just that…and he DID link the tax-cut vote to the Unemployment vote.

The fact that you probably didn’t hear it on the Media points to the other big half of this problem: the Media!
They probably only ran it the least possible times they could get away with. If you missed it that’s it, folks…now you’ll have to do with what their Talking Heads tell you….and we’re on to obsessing about something else less important.

Anarcissie hit the nail on the head in describing the
‘workings’ of Congress as ‘theater.’  Until we accept
that we haven’t been written into Congress’s script,
we’ll continue to flail away effecting nothing that
will ever benefit us.

Cultural genocide and framing of 70% of the American population, the American Populace, as “The Poor”, in favor of a Middle Class Singularity that the “so called” Poor are striving to obtain membership in is a false and disingenuous frame.

The American Populace striving to achieve a better life in societal circumstances where the Professional Middle Class is a part of the American Populace as a 90% Majority Population of the United States; where all 90% of the American Populace is politically represented in the making and enforcing of legislated law and order is in the best interest of the whole 90% Majority Population of the United States, rather than the situation that presently exists in the United States where the Middle Class is a 20% minority population of the United States represented politically by the Democratic Party in the making and enforcing of legislated law and order in the United States, and the remaining 70% Majority Population of the United States, the American Populace, are NOT REPRESENTED by a political party, are NOT REPRESENTED in the making and enforcing of legislated law and order in the United States and are left with “no choice” for political representation in the making and enforcing of legislated law and order in the United States other than “backlash” between the political agenda of the American Aristocracy, a 10% minority population of the United States, and the Professional Middle Class Singularity, a 20% minority population of the United States.

The 70% Majority Common Population of the United States, the American Populace, are NOT POLITICALLY REPRESENTED by an institutionalized political party and are NOT, therefore, represented in the making and enforcing of legislated law and order in the United States; this is “Greek Democracy” where the American Populace are the “Helots”,  the Professional Middle Class are the “Perioci” and the American Aristocracy are the “Spartans”; which is democracy for the few at the expense of the many, originated and maintained by the use of “personal metrics of morality” as a substitute to replace “cyclical historical metrics of culture”, to frame resultant tyranny and oppression as democracy.

American Democracy was evolved from “Greek Democracy” as a model, and American Democracy is based upon the Concept of Democracy for the FEW at the expense of the many and Causal Education for the FEW at the expense of the many.

Power, Control, and Benefit were originated and are maintained with American Democracy by way of the origin and maintenance of Class and Cultural Stratification that originates and maintains a Cultural Vacuum in the masses and perpetuates that Cultural Vacuum with “savant education”, so that “personal metrics of morality” supplant and replace “cyclically historical and causal metrics of culture”, and those being ruled over are trained to act and react with “personal metrics of morality as culture” as the mass equivalent of a cultural metric;————This is a very efficient and effective system of governance of a majority population by a minority population, but it is NOT DEMOCRACY in any shape, form, or fashion that is inclusive of the 70% Majority Common Population of the United States, the American Populace.

Since 1776 America has prided itself on Democracy for all of the people of a great American Democracy.

Cultural genocide and framing of 70% of the American Common Population, the American Populace must end.  It is time for a change from American Democracy for the few at the expense of the many to American Democracy for the many with the few paying their own way and making restitution for the Class and Cultural oppression, tyranny, and benefit received from 1776 to the present.

When the American Populace become aware, the minority Grinch will not be able to steal democracy from the majority so easily.

Lafayette: “Americans refuse to understand the benefit that taxes can bring when employed to develop a socially just nation”

I can agree with that, however I’m not sure simple “pain” will bring the necessary awakening.

It seems to me we have a population that wants lower taxes voting for the party that intends to raise their economic burden, on the one hand. On the other, we have a population wanting the taxes used for social benefit undermining the party that is pushing to ease their tax burden.

Given that equation, I guess it’s obvious that the rich win both ways. Wow! Can it be true that the upper class is actually indebted to the progressive movement as well as the Tea Party?

Is anyone else having problems with the word wrapping here on TD?

Trying to properly format a response here is like driving a 5 spd car with only the
2nd and 5th gears working.

Bob, are you getting this?

tdbach, thank you for making the point that honestly only dawned on me yesterday. You said it perfectly:

“The fact is even if all of the Democrats were as unified and single-minded as the Republicans, the Republicans would still be able to stop any legislation from happening.”

Allow me to emphasize your observation.

Even if EVERY Democrat were a clone of what you, dear Reader, imagine the ideal Senator to be, Mitch would still shut you down.

Change? Damn right, I trust Obama.

Mitch? Not on your life. Boehner? Oh, sober up.

NADA, NIENTE, NIXT, RIEN, ZIP

The politics of this question are on the side of the Dems. They’ve been scolded by the midterm elections and if they let the tax cuts go (to hell, where they belong) then they will take only more abuse—but none of it mind boggling.

And the Replicants will loose the moolah that so richly (pun intended) deserve to go to the Treasury. Now, as mature adults and not neophyte economists, we do understand that tax cuts for the rich do not produce jobs since the rich could not care a fly’s fart about extending their propensity to spend. They will not diminish that propensity even with higher taxes.

If fact, they are so rich as to be immune to tax cuts as a stimulus for spending. The rich can always afford everything, even in their wildest imagination—which is typically their downfall as well.

So, I ask, what have the Dems to lose to let this Lead-head gift to his cronies go by the wayside?

Nada, niente, nixt, rien, zip.

POST SCRIPTUM

Until Americans understand that taxes need not pay for massive DoD-budgets, but can actually do social good to level the standard-of-living playing field (like a Public Health Option and Next-to-no-cost Tertiary Education) then they will not see the silver lining in the Tax Cloud.

Taxes have always had a negative connotation in the US, because Americans refuse to understand the benefit that taxes can bring when employed to develop a socially just nation.

But that wont be happening anytime soon, methinks. America needs more pain before it understands the benefits to society as a whole of social investments.

Tis a pity, but some people are slow learners ...

JDmysticDJ, December 4 at 1:22 pm Link to this comment

Democrats who did not vote are morons, people who voted for Republicans are morons, posters here who are consumed with irrational hatred are morons…excuse me that’s elitist
*****************

You elitist moron, you! 

Democrats who did not vote are morons, people who voted for Republicans are morons, posters here who are consumed with irrational hatred are morons…excuse me that’s elitist

@BR549"Then, Ray, who were the going to vote for instead, the Democrats?”
It worked in California, keeping out scary Meg Whitman.
The way the electorate is distributed at the moment, voting non-Democrat and non-Republican is a throw away. The Dems who stayed home are equally responsible and if they are unemployed my sympathy for them is minimal also.

The Grinch who stole Christmas is you Mr. Robinson,
still writing with your position why did Obama cave,
why is Pelosi doing this where are the democrats, You
live in DC stop deceiving the rest of the nation
bought and paid for, i lived in dc before i used to
think you were a great journalist until recently
Obama Pelosi etc could have dealt with tax cuts
before the last election - put it on hold blame it on
republican pressure cant get anything done too funny
its all a big charade Obama useless Pelosi fake they
are all fake and why anyone of your background would
keep spitting the same shit that the rest of them do
is beyond my wildest imagination this whole
government is beyond corrupt and its time to start
voting libertarian where is moses when you need him
maybe he can cross the potomoac and wipe all of you
useless worms out of that cesspool with the hand of
god after he gets over it hope you can sleep
with yourself uncle tom.. excuse me thats racist

RayLan, December 4 at 3:24 am
“If any of the millions of unemployed voted for Republicans, then I have trouble feeling sympathhy for them. Stupidity is its own punishment.”

Then, Ray, who were the going to vote for instead, the Democrats? The strategy should have been to vote for anything Independent, Green, or Libertarian, anything BUT Republican or Democrat. Even if one of the R&D dysfunctional pony show managed to get back in, it would have had to be with such a low percentage. Too many people, however, are still voting for the lesser of two evils.

======================================

berniem, December 4 at 1:55 am
“......... they [the Republican voters] are the ignorant, poorly educated, superstitious, matierialistic, and intolerant people of this nation euphemistically called “conservatives” and they comprise probably upward of 40% of the populace and growing as educational opportunities continue to dwindle and laziness increases the acceptance of disinformation and propaganda as fact!”

I would agree, but how are they any different from the Democrat voters who still have their eyes glazed over with Hope and Change? ANYONE who still believes this system is working is delusional. That doesn’t mean that our form of government needs to be changed; only that it is still easy prey to the bankers and their interests that Thomas Jefferson and others had warned us about. The powers that be in the legislature want everyone to believe that opposition to the current state of affairs is sedition, when in fact it is THEY who are deep into treasonous behavior.

I heard the other day about how gang members could be charged with crimes that other gang members committed solely because of their association. Well, that must also mean that if Cheney is found guilty, then Rumsfeld, Condi, and Bush are guilty as well. Would that it be so. I’d love to see how fast they all try to roll over on each by cutting a deal.

If any of the millions of unemployed voted for Republicans, then I have trouble feeling sympathhy for them. Stupidity is its own punishment.

Archie1954: Your fears are realized; they are the ignorant, poorly educated, superstitious, matierialistic, and intolerant people of this nation euphemistically called “conservatives” and they comprise probably upward of 40% of the populace and growing as educational opportunities continue to dwindle and laziness increases the acceptance of disinformation and propaganda as fact! In the face of the truths revealed by Wikileaks these people are screaming for the death of the messenger rather than showing repugnance for the crimes committed in their name!

Anarcissie, December 3 at 4:59 pm Link to this comment

Couldnt let this comment pass unremarked. Well said, absolutely on the mark…thanks for it.

August 29 of this year was when it became evident that Washington Week is the same as all of the other “news shows” on television that tell me all I need to know about widgets, wiffelumps and woozels in the United States and other nations; all subjects of which I need to know nothing; Washington Week along with all of the other sources of news on CBS, ABC, NBC and PBS are not prepared to tell me the news I need to know and the American populace needs to know in order to make informed decisions that will serve the best interest of the 70% Majority American Populace with regard to personal choices, and choices on a National level that affect the vision and course of the United States as a nation, so that the American Populace will be able to get out of the swampy widget choices made by wiffelumps and woozels of the American Aristocracy and the Professional Middle Class for the American Populace.  Another Bill Moyers must somehow rise within the Public Broadcasting System.

Wikileaks and the government’s response and threats aside, what is seen and heard daily spewing from the halls of power informs me that it is time to start serious consideration of a resistance movement in this country. By this I don’t mean some idiotic form of nativist or right wing militia poised to start some crazy campaign of violence or whatever; rather an increasingly widespread and diversified underground movement focused on information gathering and dissemination on a worldwide scale in the hopes that international pressure can be brought to bear on an irresponsible, disconnected, and corrupt US government. The Wikileaks approach and mindset must proliferate to an unstopable degree and I for one am willing to support it in whatever meagre capacity be it financial or thru active involvement. FRE BRADLEY MANNING!!!

What does the eternal recurrence of the same script of the 1930’s in the 21st Century really mean to the American Populace as true American patriots that have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness with freedom and justice for all as tropes, while they are homeless, hungry and unemployed?

Since the American populace can experience life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness with freedom and justice for all as homeless, hungry and unemployed vagrants, what is the need of improvement in the living conditions of such true American patriots?

What is a true American patriot patriotic to?

Is a true American patriot patriotic to propaganda that serves the class and cultural interests of other classes, rather than their own class and cultural interests, and can life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness with freedom and justice for all be achieved in service to the self serving class and cultural propaganda of the American Aristocracy and the Professional Middle Class?———— the answer is that the American populace is patriotic to self serving class and cultural propaganda of the other classes that are contrary to the class and cultural best interests of the American populace, and until the American populace develops sufficient objective awareness to serve their own best class and cultural interests, apart from the self serving interests of the American Aristocracy and Professional Middle Class, it is fitting that the American Populace be true American patriots that are homeless, hungry and unemployed vagrants until they are sufficiently homeless, hungry and unemployed as vagrants long enough to realize that it is not patriotic, and is not the American Dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness with freedom and justice for all to be homeless, hungry and unemployed vagrants.

If the American populace want objective life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness with freedom and justice for all, instead of subjective tropes for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness with freedom and justice for all as true American patriots, patriotic to someone else’s best interests; the American populace will have to quit drinking the Kool-Aid of the American Aristocracy and the Professional Middle Class and learn to be true American Patriots, patriotic to their own class and cultural interests and the interests of their own life, liberty and the pursuit of their own happiness with freedom and justice for all, rather than to continue to be dependent upon the self serving American Aristocracy and Professional Middle Class, who will continue to serve their own class and cultural interests without regard for the class and cultural interests of the 70% Majority American Populace.

We constantly hear Republican leaders and spokesman boldly and falsely state, “The American People want this, or the American People that,” in an effort to convince the American People that they don’t want, what they do want. [P]pollingreport.com provides all the data from all the major pollsters on a myriad of issues. The American People currently want, by large majorities, what the Republicans are calling “Chicken crap.”

People here should give the Democrats credit, where credit is due.

We constantly hear Republican leaders and spokesman boldly and falsely state, “The American People want this, or the American People that,” in an effort to convince the American People that they don’t want, what they do want. [P]pollingreport.com provides all the data from all the major pollsters on a myriad of issues. The American People currently want, by large majorities, what the Republicans are calling “Chicken crap.”

People here should give the Democrats credit, where credit is due.

Looks like your finally beginning to see Obama for what he is—-a colossal disappointment. Better late than never.

While Republicans stall the Senate and block the completion of anything that’s left of Obama’s electoral mandate, where’s our little Cinderella president going? He’s off on a magic carpet ride to Afghanistan, to dress up and play “Commander in Chief” and “Leader of the Free World” while the press gather for a photo frenzy.

I’m so disgusted with this pathetic weakling I hope the Republicans impeach him.

Obama….... secret Muslim, ha ha.

Obama….... secret Republican, hmmmmmmm

The democrats have done nothing for the left.
They know they have our vote.
We sure ain’t going to vote for a republican.

If the dems cut Kucinich out again I am voting for Ron Paul.

I ain’t a whimp and can’t support these spineless cowards we ended up with in DC.

Simple arithmetic:  The tax cut for every person in the top 5% will provide 52 weeks of unemployment benefits for about 7 unemployed people.  This is based on the assumption that the average tax cut for the top 5% will be $85,000 and the average person on unemployment gets $305/week.

In other words, the tax cut for the top 5% for one year could fund an unemployment rate of 35%(!) for that same year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So while the Re-phony-cans are saying we can’t afford to extend benefits but have to give the top 5% a tax cut, the numbers are clear.

And the Re-thugs are lying.

The Reps’ stone cold insistence on favoring the rich over the unemployed is morally disgusting. It is in Boehner’s eloquent language, ‘chicken crap’.
How utterly blind, disingenuous or just profoundly selfish one has to be to buy into this ethically bankrupt line of reasoning- that giving the rich a break is going to create jobs.
They’ve had a break for years - where are the jobs?
duh.

The same question should be asked of the Democrats and the President? Why did you
go to all the Trouble of winning the presidency and a majority in both houses, if your
just going to piss it all away?

So when the Democrats have a majority, it’s still a minority; and when the Republicans have a minority, it’s still a majority.  This suggests to me that some sort of theater is going on, and I think even our author is beginning to wake up to that fact.

Good comment, FiftyGigs.

One reason that Democrats appear so weak is that the meme that Democrats are an inchoate swarm of jellyfish versus an organized, stiff-spined Republican opposition has taken root, first in the media, and now in the progressive blogosphere.

The fact is, there are a lot of Democratic voices, including the president’s, articulating the madness of Republican position, voices that are drown out in the wind of media meme-amplification.

The fact is, given the arcane rules of congress, even if all of the progressive and truly centrist Democrats (as opposed to the more-right-than-many Republicans Blue dogs) democrats were as unified and single-minded as the Republicans, the Republicans would still be able to stop any legislation from happening.

The problem isn’t one of lacking the courage of their convictions. The problem is that McConnell & Co. has cynically made their political fortunes not only more important than the welfare of the nation (to some extent, that’s probably true of most politicians), but in direct opposition of it. And THAT is what should be the news.

Gene,
You’re almost there in realizing that there is NO hope for either party, even your once illustrious and now permanently tarnished Democrat Party. Don’t cave in. Keep digging.

Let’s face it, if Ron Paul can be an honest Republican, why can’t the rest of them? There are (a few) honest democrats, as well. It isn’t the party ideologies that are the problem; it’s the scumbags that are racing to haul in their catch that are the problem, the ones that are desperately trying to convince us that turban clad men are waiting to blow us off the map with the least provocation. Well, I have news for them. If we pulled our forces out across the globe and spent 1/10th of our defense budget on truly humanitarian endeavors, not only would we be able to recover our manufacturing base, but we wouldn’t be seeing the level of international disdain over US foreign policy.

We aren’t likely to see that happening, which tells us quite convincingly what forces are involved in this total charade ....... and many of their gutless minions reside in our legislature and the White House.

Eugene—you’re right on for the most part, but your seeming confusion is frankly—confusing. The administration is in free fall. The Democratic Party was half-hearted about the Obama experiment in the first place, as was the man himself, apparently. Guess it was just high-sounding campaign rhetoric, after all. The lack of principles, conviction, and downright guts is clearly absent from the party, but you’re right—the extent of it IS breathtaking. There seems to be nothing Obama won’t cave on. The one thing he fought for was health care reform, and he let that be castrated by abandoning the public option. The chickens will be home to roost, of course, when Americans are forced to buy crummy, overpriced health insurance policies. Still, the tax breaks for the super-rich is the kicker, and the best case for third-party politics in the US. Without the Greens or a mass movement pressuring them, the Dems will never do the right thing. What’s to make them? MoveOn and like organizations need to push for regional and national demonstrations and stop blinding backing Democrats, and the unemployed must organize. We had a saying in the 1960’s—“Eat the Rich”. I think I’ll have some buttons printed up today. Time to get busy and stop believing these millionaires in Congress are on our side.

The headline was promising. But alas, it was not to be. Just a few words later, the stereotypical Democratic bash came out—“Maybe the Democratic Party will find one someday.”

Eugene, you ought to hear me sigh, as I read the same “progressive” dribble every day.

Not one mention of Mitch McConnell, the biggest slimeball sleezebag in government, bar none.

Again.

Yet, TruthDig runs a daily edition chocked full of commentaries pitching all kinds of angled attacks against the President. Who, by the way, doesn’t make any laws. Who doesn’t vote on any laws.

Mitch does. Did you know that?

So, while this commentary was sort of in a better direction than most on this site, I’d like to request one commentary—I’m not greedy, just one will do—explaining exactly how President Obama or anyone (you, me, Al Franken, anyone) can make Mitch McConnell start being an American.

Yesterday, I was astonished—honestly shocked—to learn that there was a Senator, a Democratic Senator, named Debbie Stabinow from the great state of Michigan actually providing a cogent attack against the real problem, Republican irresponsibility.

Why doesn’t this get reported? Why are we only offered attacks against the President?

TruthDig, you may consider yourselves “fair and balanced” because you’re not being a “cheerleader” for the Democrats. But if you only print negativity about the Democrats, you aren’t fair and balanced. Do you understand that?

If, as the author suggests, the proposals and policies Republicans offer are so ludicrous then it might follow that they would be both easy to refute and thus defeat through the simple expedience of educating the public to those flaws.

Yet we see, not once even, allowing the GOP to carry through with its eternal threat to filibuster, and, while these right wing hypocrites read from the phone book or whatever on the floor of the Legislature, the Democrats make much political capital by appearing on every talk show possible explaining the dangers of said GOP plans to the public.

The inexplicable cowardice and incompetence of the Democrats, coupled with the intransigent shutting down of our government by refusing to engage in dialogue leading to compromise and the pursuit of goals that would end entitlements to everyone but themselves by the GOP shows me that we need a third party as intermediary in our Govt. This two party debacle simply no longer works.

Gee, has Eugene been reading my posts?  This is a watered-down version of what I’ve been saying and saying and saying.

But why isn’t the President and the Dems in Congress listening?

I fear the economic doctrine the author ascribes to the Republicans is not really Republican, but that of the corporations who support politicians’ campaign and lobbyists. The corollary is that it doesn’t matter who is
president or controls congress or the supreme court, corporations govern.

Politicians allow them to rule…because they need corporations to keep the economy running and to get themselves elected.

If corporations didn’t govern there wouldn’t be liberty though, the state would be just as heavy handed as corporations are. With greater concentration of power in their government, the people and the means of
production would have no protection from bureaucracy and corruption, and eventually, this would lead to loss of freedom and economic decline.

This is not speculation, Europe and Asia are littered with examples.

Churchill said: “democracy is the worst system of government, except for all the others.”

There has to be a better way. The absurd state of politics in the world squanders our hope. Perhaps hope itself is to blame?