Anarcissie,

Let me give you an example from a previous post:

“One good thing about Obama is that it is not his
inclination to be a liar. He has pretty much governed just like he said he would.”

The old war cry that we’re after the ‘hearts and minds’ sounds like it’s been turned on it’s head. 

It’s our ‘hearts and minds’ they want to change.  It’s we they are after.  That’s why they take their sweet time in killing us with medications and such.

Ever so slowly, they will achieve their goals. 

I went to a funeral this morning of a working class man who never achieved the ‘Horatio Alger like’ level of success.  One person turned to me and said, “I don’t think that this many people who’d show up to my funeral.” 

Are we the dead walking?

I am not one for ideas.  I am not a planner, nor am I a schemer.  But I think the answer might be given in the movie “2001.”  And that is,  “Pull the plug.”

Don’t do it. Whatever it is.

Start by disbeliveing anything the Government says until their final denial.  And that’s usually about something they are ashamed of.  Maybe shame is still in play?

Take the Food Safety Act of 2007 that was just passed, for example. It was a sponsored by Rosa Dilauro (D-CT) the wife of Stash Goldberg of Monsanto, the “seed guys.”

It has been passed by Congress. 

Last year, I went to a workshop for gardening put on by the Women of Cambridge.  They stressed how to grow vegetables in your home garden.

Let’s see the Govenment Police Force enforce their dictum of not growing home gardens on these women.

Women have balls.  Men do not.

The tide has changed.  And it will always change. With ideas like Socialism, Communism and a new Capitalism afoot it’s like they are trying to “Find Wally” or whatever that childhood cartoon was.

To their end, they want it all: Food, Water, Education, Transportation, etc.  Most people find themselves here on Earth, alive and trying to go day-by-day.  As my father used to say from his days during the Depression, “We just tried to find something to eat.”

Now, food is everywhere.  But that is also in their bailiwick.  They can also make it unaffordable.

Let ‘em go for it.  Let ‘em try to reverse the course of history. They are not smarter; they are more educated.

The antidote is: Tell the truth, tell the truth, tell the truth.

War as an Investment:

Let ‘em have their wars.  If the gays want to get their asses shot off that’s their business.

If the miraculous event could occur that people came to their senses, then it’ll be trough education, experience or finally by getting their noses rubbed in it.

PS.  I have enjoyed your analysis of late.  Thank you.

Liberals seem to be taken by surprise that Obama goes
right along with Republicans at almost every turn.

When, in the Presidential primaries, Obama proclaimed
he believed in American exceptional-ism and believes
in being a ‘free trader’, what the heck did you think
he meant?

To those that parroted endlessly about Obama playing
chess while everyone else was playing checkers: have
you seen the light yet?

One good thing about Obama is that it is not his
inclination to be a liar. He has pretty much governed
just like he said he would.

It is just that most liberals couldn’t/wouldn’t hear
what he was saying.

garth, December 6 at 5:34 pm:

‘... I liked ITW’s because it was, I think, accurate, pithy with a rhetorical twist.  I also concur with yours.

But to be honest, a lot of that talk sounds like cliche right now.  I think we, the people, have to go for the jugular. ...’

That sounds kind of violent.  I’m a little bit dubious about violence because I’m not sure I am going to win.  Violence is fun only when you win, you know.

On the other hand, I suppose something’s got to be done.  If we don’t do something, something will do us.  Got any ideas?

I just heard the Nooz of the Tax cut compromise on Jack Welch’s-GE’s, NBC Nooz.

I read Paul Krugman’s column in the NY Times this morning.

I wish I could die a Canadian.

Given President Obama’s consistent track record of
vacillation, capitulation and validation of his
political opponents positions, there are three
possibilities.

1.  He is a great politician and reads the political dynamics well.  He sees where the power is and has surrendered without a fight.  The Oligarch’s have won, game over.

2.  Obama is a “Trojan Horse” candidate.  He really intends to serve the political and financial elite and let the Oligarch’s rule and the middle class dissipate.  He can collect his reward after his Presidency. Murdoch will publish his next book, give him a TV show, and he will sit on the board of five healthcare companies.

3.  Maybe Obama is a great politician but a weak,
vacillating and inept leader who failed to recognize or was afraid to exercise the greatest electoral mandate since Ronald Reagan at a time when the country was desperate for a new direction and strong leadership.

It doesn’t really matter.  Whichever is the case no identifiable progress to redress the grotesque
imbalances is going to be made anytime soon.

Anarcissie, says,

“Maybe he has no choice, in that he has to operate within the parameters given by the ruling class, who I think are no longer able to maintain their business.  He has earnestly tried his best—it couldn’t have been very pleasant looking at, much less listening to a pig like Larry Summers every day—but sometimes the best isn’t enough.  The machine won’t go.”

————————————-

Anarcissie,

I liked ITW’s because it was, I think, accurate, pithy with a rhetorical twist.  I also concur with yours.

But to be honest, a lot of that talk sounds like cliche right now.  I think we, the people, have to go for the jugular. 

They are having their way with rape of Iceland, Greece, England, France and now Ireland.  Next is the New Knighted States of Criminalia

After watching and listening to tv’s talking heads from lasst Friday till Sunday on topics like the Deficit Commission Report, the WikiLeaks, the war in Afghanistan, the Bush tax cuts for the very wealthy, I can see why Martin Amis declared “War on the Cliche.”

These cliches are mind-numbing.

For example, the Deficit Commission Report was a ‘bold step’.

Julien Assange is an anarchist (Thanks, John Kerry.)
BTW Kerry’s not a U.S. Senator, he’s Senator of the U.S.  His mutton-head has not checked to see how the home fires are burning?  I have a feeling that Obama was Kerry-in-waiting.)

—The worm adds a few—. Here’s one,

“‘White House spokesmen say (over and over) “Obama’s political capital will go up, when the economy goes up. Well, sure.’” 

Or as my neice says, “Well, yu-uh!”

All over the tv dial.  The same old cliche-driven yama-yama. (I can’t call it dialogue.)

One episode of the talk-analgesic by the Powers-that-be, though, stood out.  Fareed Zakaria’s GPS. 

On his show, they are talking to other members of the CFR.  It’s not really meant for casual consumption.  All the other shows on ABCCBSNBC are.

He had on that guy who needs two ‘a’ in his name to spell Haase.  I guess he doesn’t want anyone to say that meybe he’s a ‘has been.’ 

He’s been on the circuit for 25 or 30 years, as he admitted.  Well which is it 25 or 30?  There’s big difference. 

And you’re still posing in front of a tv camera, bobbing and weaving the same old questions?  Sunday’s a great day to take some time off.

Fareed says the WikiLeaks was no great nooz.  They revealed that out coumfry was tru to its Foreign Policy.  What is that?  Is it really all about bombing Iran and complaining about Karzai?  That’s our foreign policy?

Oh! And defend the mid-east Arab tyrants and ignore the Arab people.

Mr Cologne Salesman from Oxford and Harvard ‘B’ School, Niall Ferguson, laughed at Zakaria’s joke about this being the end history in the financial world because, surprise, surprise! no took notes during the financial meltdown.  The guys in the best seats just scribbled on pieces of paper.

Fergie admitted he doesn’t do research anymore.  He relies on his Stream-of-bullshit to tell us what the fuck happened.

The Evangelocos used to say that Satan’s greatest accomplishment was that he got people to believe he didn’t exist.

It’s more like Satan’s greatest accomplishment was getting people to believe that evil is reasonable.  It can be talked away.  That we should just go about our business. 

Maybe we can ‘call-in’ C-SPAN, or write a letter to the editor and add a cliched comment, and that’s all that’s needed. 

Everything will be all-right. 

Well, to them I use a phrase that never seems to be a cliche:  FUCK YOU!

It’s constant dark comedy to read commentators on the state of things re-discover daily that Obama is a gutless appeaser who can’t fluff the Republicans enough.

Some people try to apologize for it: he can’t do this, he can’t do that, his hands are tied, etc. ad nauseum. Nonsense. It’s a question of will and principle, neither of which he has. And when the Left, who got his sorry ass elected, points this out, he blames them for his failures.

The position of most Democrats makes perfect sense if you see them as a member of the same species as Republicans. Their fundamental job is to advance the interests of the aristocracy and keep the peasants disenfranchised.

CommonDreams is up at the moment.  Interesting Q&A session with Assange copied from the Guardian there.

Commondreams just got shut down, just wondering if the
same happened anywhere else.

Washington corruption is absolute. Obama and Washington are one and the same. Obama and Boehner are flip sides of the same counterfeit coin. They will without question, pursue destruction and violation of our Constitution, social/financial systems and the lives of the American people, to total collapse. It’s broken and can’t be fixed. Save yourself.

    Major Campaign Finance Reform to remove corporate graft, revolving door politics, and the MIC “shadowland” interface that merges international oligarchic criminal black market/financial cartels, cannot be achieved. Open looting of the economy can’t be stopped. The horror soaked American psyche is fractured and the “people” have retreated into infantile superstition. Political unity is no longer possible. American political reality is unbearable and the alternative too terrible to contemplate.

    This article exemplifys the psychotic insane denial of a jounalist, who, passing through a literal police state apparatus, that can strip naked and cavity search, or simply disappear, any citizen at will, makes light of small talk between two TSA guards. To preserve his place at the trough he avoids discussion of the deeper criminal conspiracy he confronts daily and serves red meat laced with obfuscation.

    Everything is exactly what it appears to be. It’s not something else.

Folks, we need to stop attributing to Obama some ‘liberal’ or ‘progressive’
inclinations that - some how - he is unable to articulate, encourage or enact.

A recent example:

White House spokesmen say (over and over) “Obama’s political capital will go
up, when the economy goes up.” Well, sure.

But Obama’s response to the economy is purely and simply conservative,
Republican, free-market apologist: Do nothing.

It is simply a distraction to speak of Obama’s failures as the result of political
ineptitude. Obama is doing what he wants to do - exactly: Nothing.

garth, December 4 at 5:21 pm:

ITW: “By not taking risks, Obama has risked EVERYTHING.”

Very astute observation.  I think you hit the nail right on the head.  By playing it safe he has driven the ship ever closer to the edge of a big, bad, major change.  ...

Maybe he has no choice, in that he has to operate within the parameters given by the ruling class, who I think are no longer able to maintain their business.  He has earnestly tried his best—it couldn’t have been very pleasant looking at, much less listening to a pig like Larry Summers every day—but sometimes the best isn’t enough.  The machine won’t go.

The official hysteria about Wikileaks, the purposeless wars and occupations, the elaborate security theater in the airports and elsewhere, the surreal monetary games, the hypertrophy of IP laws, suggest that the present system of authority is very brittle and that some kind of cracking or partial dissolution may be anticipated in the not-too-distant future.  Too bad we’re not ready for it.

Obama will not resurrect the long-decayed corpses of Democratic values. He’s Judas, not Jesus.

Discussing Obama in terms of his ‘no risking’ or being ‘unable to negotiate
effectively’ or ‘giving things away to early’, ‘capitulation’, etc. misses the point
by assuming Obama is a liberal with the intent to govern in the manner the
electorate expected.

People voted for Obama believing he was ‘different’, that Obama represented a
real change from the Bushies, etc.

But the people misunderstood Obama. Perhaps, because we wanted so
desperately to believe the nation could change, we projected on to Obama the
qualities we wanted and the policies we hoped for.

We were mistaken.

Now, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, we continue to believe; it is
now simply delusional.

Obama is not politically inept in his ‘bargaining’; Obama simply represents the
monied interests, not the middle class. Obama does not stand for the policies
we believed him to have; Obama is simply someone who ‘goes with the flow’
and, in our system, ‘the flow’ is controlled and directed by the lobbies in DC.
Obama does not have the qualities we believed he had (e.g. leadership); Obama
is a ‘go a long to get along’ guy.

So, please, let’s stop putting Obama on the couch and pretending to analyze his
actions as if they were the result of some ‘weakness’, ‘ineptitude’, ‘character
flaw’, etc.

Our interests are not protected by the President, simply because he finds them
to be less important than the interests of the wealthy and the corporations.

It’s not that difficult to understand, requires no Freudian, Machiavellian or
global conspiracy theories. Obama simply cares less about the wellbeing of the
middle class than he does about the wellbeing of the wealthy and his policies
and actions reflect that belief.

ITW

“By not taking risks, Obama has risked EVERYTHING.”

Very astute observation.  I think you hit the nail right on the head.  By playing it safe he has driven the ship ever closer to the edge of a big, bad, major change.  He’s like the son whose father let’s him take the wheel for the first time and then the kiddo panics and starts heading straight for a parked car.

Elected Government should have a hook like they usd to use in burlesque.  If an act id dying, put it out of its misery. 

I hope the people who vote in the next election will have learned something from W., Obama and now the Republican House.  If we keep digging and poking and asking questions, we should be able to unearth at least some legitimate, deserving candidates.

Ninety of the 94 members of the Progressive Caucus were re-elected

He’s nothing more than another ‘ball-less’ wonder but I blame myself for falling into his hole of bull. My wife always referred to him as a ‘player’ - someone who would have never gotten to where he was without playing the game. We both voted for him anyway because the only other choice was to stay home on election day. But after seeing what he has turned out to be, I will probably never vote again until the revolution comes along.

Garth,
By not taking risks, Obama has risked EVERYTHING.

Obama is definitely not spineless.  It takes Incredible Guts to deliberately romance the mass of lower, middle, and upper middle class Americans in an election, and then turn around and fuck them up the ass while maintaining a reassuring smile on his face.

Most of the Democratic Senators are millionaires, do you think they want to pay more taxes. A Democrat now is a supporter of gay marriage who reads Ayn Rand when he is not on the phone to some Wall Street executive begging for money. Both Republican and Democrats disgust me, they have brainwashed Americans with this Free Market Drivel while they cut insider deals. Russia is less corrupt than this lot, and Obama has just figured out the game and is feathering his nest like the rest

ITW

I meant Leonard Nimoy, a fellow who happened to be born in the West End of Boston back when it was still a neighborhood.

I respect both, or as they pronouce it here, “Bofe.”

Evan Thomas of Newsweek (and seemingly, the Peterson Foundation) and Colby King of the Washington Post just gave their advice for Obama’s re-election.  It sounds like they want to end Social Security and Medicare, or as Thomas likes to refer to them as ‘entitlements’. 

They both came out in favor of the Commission’s suggestions.  (Thomas is a hawk on Social Security.)  King, I think, is just plain crazy.

They sounded like they were singing in two-part harmony when they said that if Obama wants to get re-elected he’ll have to come out four-square in favor of the Commission’s failed recommendations.

Raise the elegibilty age to 69.  Paul Krugman points out that this longevity ‘thing’ is only happening for the upper incomes.  If you’re income is in the lower 90 percentile, chances are you’ll die at the same age your parents did, maybe sooner. 

Work till your 69?  Right!  Retire early—get substantially reduced payback on the dollars you put into the fund.  All those years of work for a bag of chips.

Lower the benefits for the upper 50% of those on Social Security.  That is, those who have saved or have a pension.  With the disappearance of pensions, they’re talking about savings.  In other words, if you have a few bucks stashed away in a bank, better get it out now and put under your mattress, there’s no telling what they’d consider as upper.

They want to lower taxes on corporations.  That’s sounds ‘nice’ to some except that most corporation don’t pay any taxes as it is.  They’re sending their loot overseas.

If ever there were a message I’d like Obama to hear it is this:  Social Security is not part of the defecit.  Kill it and you run the risk of throwing this country into a tailspin.

You haven’t taken any wild-ass risks thus far.  Why start with so many other’s lives at stake?

I THINK (and hope!) you mean MR. Spock, the Vulcan, not DR. Benjamin Spock, the baby book doctor!

(Not that I don’t admire the late Dr. Spock—he stood up for what he believed—but dry witty lines? I don’t remember him delivering those—just babies.)

ITW,

Garth: Interesting stuff.  But Ryan’s such a sicko I’m glad he’s not in the Senate…So Obama owes the start of his chance to be President to…..Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek!!!!!

——————————-

I agree.  I think Ryan’s biggest error is that he is a Republican.  The twist in the story I found interesting was that ‘Lefty’ Lahood (R-IL), sold out Pancho and headed off to Washington for his great new job, Head of the Department of Transportaion.  He gets his picture on the wall of every US Dept of Transportaion building, right next to Obama’s.  And what’s best is you don’t have to know anything or do anything to pull it off.  It’s a fakir’s paradise.

But I’m glad, too, Obama won the seat.  He ran against that lunatic they flew from the coast, sort of like fresh fish just flown in for the evening sit down dinner.

“So Obama owes the start of his chance to be President to…..Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek!!!!!”

You think like Dr. Spock, only funnier.

The Lion that squeaked.

JD:

Did you not see the post by Peter Breitholtz before TD deleted it?

BTW, thanks for the support on the other thing.  I don’t object to people being seriously pissed at Obama.  I now am, too.  But I’m not throwing out rational thought for an easy conspiracy theory to explain it.

Garth: Interesting stuff.  But Ryan’s such a sicko I’m glad he’s not in the Senate…So Obama owes the start of his chance to be President to…..Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek!!!!!

“In the divorce she alleges he tried to force her to go to sex clubs so he could watch her have sex with other men…Ryan’s campaign collapses and….Barack Obama is now a US Senator in the minority in Jan 2005.”

Another little aspect of this squalid affait is that Ryan’s divorce records were sealed, and one can easily understand why.

They were ‘mystreriously’ unsealed and released to the press.  That when Ryan’s supposed friend, Ray Baby Lahood came a-calling.

To add some perspective to the World Wide Hunt for Julien Assange, consider this:  He’s wanted in Sweden for inserting his penis in a woman who wanted him to wear a condom.  He want bareback, instead.

The Interpol in 180 countries have the dragnet out for him.  His lawyer admits he’s in England.

Sweden’s criminal justice system is about to become the laughing stock of the world.

Surprisingly, it’s on the verge of WikiLeaks’s threat to release some insider commuiques of a big US bank.

Here we have all the previous fuss about our military in Iraq and Afghanistan, but they didn’t call out the dogs until the insiders got gored and the threats came out about making public the banksters’s secrets.

Comedy?  We might be on the verge of a veritable collapse of Western Democracy.

As an older teacher used to say when he got up after lunch to head back to the classroom, “I’t a tough life, but you can’t weaken.”

A shill is a shill is a shill.

We’ve all been duped before. Why is it so hard to admit this one?

InheritThe Wind

If I may, I’ll offer that your post,

By Inherit The Wind, December 3 at 3:04 am Link to this comment

Is one of your best, and causes me to be less disturbed. It’s nice to know that some are rational, and not overcome by irrational, counter productive hatred.

However, your post

By Inherit The Wind, December 3 at 12:37 pm Link to this comment

Damn! The neo-nazis are crawling back out from under their rocks.

Strikes me as being less productive.

The objects of your wrath do not consider themselves to be “neo-nazis.” Quite the contrary.
These wrongheaded hate mongers fail to see that they will serve the interests of “neo-nazis,” proto-fascists, whatever, in the final analysis. The real “neo-nazis,” proto-fascists, whatever, have been out from under their rocks for quite a while. Recently they have been engaged in stealing Tiny Tim’s crutch while advocating a tax break for Scrooge, and in the halls of Congress shouting “Chicken crap!” in response to fair, rational, and productive tax policies.

I too am finished with the Democratic Party.
I will vote 3rd Party from now on.
If the Republicans plunge us into another Great Depression,
so be it.
I’d rather have a fast Republican Party death
than a slow, tortuous Democratic Party death.
And from the ashes, perhaps the Phoenix will rise.

ITW explains,

“It’s 2004. A fine-speaking state senator (or what ever he was) known for a surprising great speech at the convention is in a doomed race for Illinois’s opening Senate seat against the VERY popular Jack Ryan (even has a Clancy hero’s name).  But Ryan has separated from his voluptuous, stunning wife, Jeri, who’s far more famous than he is as “Seven of Nine” on Star Trek: Voyager.  Then the bomb-shell hits. In the divorce she alleges he tried to force her to go to sex clubs so he could watch her have sex with other men…Ryan’s campaign collapses and….Barack Obama is now a US Senator in the minority in Jan 2005.”

As a footnote, the Republican Congressman from Illinois who went to see Ryan and told him to drop out of the race was Ray Lahood, the current Secretary of Transportion in the Obama Administration.

I am kind of surprised that you all proggies continue to be so shocked at Obama and his fellow Democrats.  As we lefties have been telling you for years, the two parties represent the same ruling class, the same interests, the same ideology, and by and large the same policies.  The differences are about style and which demographic groups are on whose plantation.  Our theory accords with observed phenomena, whereas yours, which centers on myths of ideological difference, personal character, and inexplicable media conspiracies, does not.

But many of you are not even doing the reading in the first place.  While Obama was still running for the Democratic nomination, he published a plan to re-invade Afghanistan on his web site.  As soon as he secured the nomination in May of 2008, he dumped the lefties off his bandwagon and derided those who were offended.  There was every indication that he was a cautious, conservative establishmentarian.  Hence the vacuous election campaign which followed, based on vague slogans and the skin color, age and sex of the candidates. 

You got what you voted for.  If you want something different, you’re going to have to at least vote differently, if not employ more committed means of political action.  But it’s a little bit late in the game.  Happy days are not right around the corner, and the selection of this monarch or that is not going to change that fact.

Obama has a medical condition: premature capitulation. He deserves our pity, not
our criticism.

Thanks, TD, for taking out the trash.

Damn! The neo-nazis are crawling back out from under their rocks.

Where Is Obama Going?

Same way as his fellow one term President Jimmy Carter.

obama was already a right wing politician, and now he is moving even farther to the right.  He is a war criminal and a corporatist; he should be prosecuted.  We need a new constitution, a new system, a new media.  Trash it all!

I think JD’s on to something.  I’ve been just as angered and frustrated by the President’s actions as the gang on the far, far left.

But unlike you, I don’t immediately run to scream “IT’S A CONSPIRACY! HE’S REALLY A REPUBLICAN!!!!”

No, he’s not.  He’s not evil, he’s not mean-spirited, no more than Lyndon Johnson was, though he sunk us down the rat-hole of the Viet Nam War.

As usual, it didn’t take much than a little history to explain THIS President’s apparent weakness.

It’s 2004. A fine-speaking state senator (or what ever he was) known for a surprising great speech at the convention is in a doomed race for Illinois’s opening Senate seat against the VERY popular Jack Ryan (even has a Clancy hero’s name).  But Ryan has separated from his voluptuous, stunning wife, Jeri, who’s far more famous than he is as “Seven of Nine” on Star Trek: Voyager.  Then the bomb-shell hits. In the divorce she alleges he tried to force her to go to sex clubs so he could watch her have sex with other men…Ryan’s campaign collapses and….Barack Obama is now a US Senator in the minority in Jan 2005.  The Dems are hapless.  No matter what it is, they can’t swing a solid block to stop GOP excesses—6,8, 12 Blue dogs peel off and it’s as if the GOP has 62 solid guaranteed Senate votes…Dems whine, beg for tiny compromises and have to satisfy themselves with thin bones while being blamed for all the nation’s problems.

It’s the take-back class of 2006!!!

We were all excited! NOW we are gonna put those Re-thugs in their place! No more CRAP! Right?

wrong. very, very wrong. IMMEDIATELY both the majority leader in the Senate, and the Speaker start caving in to the minority and the White House. HUH?????  I watch the Dems: Compromise is: We give, you give.  But the President and the minority don’t budge.  So…rather than standing firm, the Dems move a little more to the right…again the GOP doesn’t budge…a little MORE right…still nothing.
Finally when the Dems are two inches away from the President’s position, he moves an inch left, they move that last inch right and cheer “We have a bi-partisan compromise!!!! YAY!!!!!”

We all know: It’s bullshit. They caved.  Barack Obama’s whole experience as a Senator is that the GOP is cohesive and unstoppable and the Demos are either all pulling in opposite directions or in a circular firing squad.  No way to stop the Re-thugs, even when you have the majority.  So THIS is how Washington, DC works….

And there you have it. In the six years since Obama came to Washington all he’s seen of the Dems, and all WE have seen, is a spineless caving-in to the GOP.  In fact, that’s all we’ve seen for 16 years, since the fall of 1994.

Is it any wonder?  Even his so-called pit-bull, Rahm Emanuel, is part of this scared-dog tail-between-the legs Democratic caucus on The Hill.  And who has led this debacle?  Reid and Pelosi.  Who advises Obama on how to handle The Hill?  Reid and Pelosi.

When is Obama going to figure out he’s not a senator, he’s the PRESIDENT and start using that power to change the course of our history?  He CAN do it. 

But will he?  Sadly, I see NO sign of it at all.  I’m not sure Hillary Clinton wouldn’t have done the same—her experience in the Senate hasn’t been much different than Obama’s, only 4 more years of it.

When even the loyals like EJ Dionne and Eugene Robinson and the gang at MSNBC are snapping at his heels, will the President WAKE UP and stand firm?  Not so far.  If there’s ONE THING he should learn from Bush it’s to take a stand on what you believe (or say you believe) and stick to it.

But he’s been like an off-key, off-page singer trying to not get noticed in the middle of the chorus.

Fortunately, for those of us who were paying attention the charade was up the
president’s first week in office with a triple bitch smack to his minions—the
selection of his cabinet members, as well as ok’ing the illegal droning of
Pakistan, as well as being too soft on the crooked banks!  That was day #7.  Am
I far off base here? 

Guess we’re supposed to sit back and watch it all go to hell with Obama.  They
have this assumption in the media and in expert discussions that the economic
growth somehow means more jobs. Well let me be the first to say that it’s a
horse shit.  Economic Growth = stocks going up, and corporate profits
breaking through new ceilings.  What they don’t say is that economic growth
also means deepening unemployment, rolling back all social services,
deregulating all industry, slashing workers rights, and getting rid of minimum
wage, putting people out of homes, stuff like that. That’s what they mean by
economic growth and increased competition.  The growth is severely lopsided
and the competition lies between the classes not the people.

My only point is this every key word every phrase is a political smokescreen for
their own self-serving interests.  To live on top the hill you must learn to smile
as you kill.  To smile as you kill is an art.  You have to be able to convince
people that you are doing them a great favor.  Then suddenly it’s to late by the
time they discover they’ve been sodomized it’s over.

The only claim Obama has to any political competency is in stark contrast to the alternative- McCain. Palin, scaaaaary. He owes these bridge trolls a debt of gratitude.

Jimmy Carter spoke of a “Malaise,” he didn’t use that word, but that word describes what he was trying to convey. I don’t believe that the word “Malaise” is adequate to describe the chaos that is evident in our political life today. I don’t see any possibility of a traditional political solution to the problems that confront us. The differences between our two major Political Parties regarding Foreign Policy and National Security issues are negligible. Regarding domestic policy, the differences between the two parties can only be measured in shades, or in degrees of difference. A viable third Political Party achieving a position of political dominance, or even having significant influence on our politics is not on the horizon.

Our current President was advertised as being the people’s president, and an alternative, but he has turned out to be nothing of the sort. Some declare this president is nefarious and evil because of a non-existent extreme left-wing philosophy, while others declare he is nefarious and evil because he misrepresented himself as being the people’s president, while in actuality being a representative of elite financial interests. While others are baffled by his consistent wrong headed actions and lack of actions that not only do not serve the interests of the people, but also do not serve this president’s interests or the interests of his party. Having been a passionate supporter of this president, and a person with a preference for this presidents Political Party, it pains me to have to state my opinion that this president will more than likely be recorded by history as being one of the most ineffectual (Worst)  Presidents in this nation’s history.  Even if an electorate in the future were to look back on this president with a preferential longing, this president can not be absolved from effectively betraying his supporters, and making wrong headed decisions, or not taking actions against destructive policies that led to further deterioration of the people’s interests, to the deterioration of democratic principles, and to the general deterioration of the nation as a whole. Some have argued, my self included, that this president has been overwhelmed by political realities, and has lacked the political power necessary to achieve his political goals, but clearly this president has failed and continues to fail to take actions available to him. Clearly this president lacks the motivation, or the courage, to take these actions. This president has proven himself to be a powerful and persuasive public speaker (Less so recently,) but he has failed to adequately use the “Bully pulpit” to advance the people’s interests. In spite of a, gentlemanly, restrained perception of machismo, this president has proven himself to be either impotent, or disingenuously, and treacherously, shrewd. “Where is Obama Going”? Hopefully he’ll be going through a complete metamorphosis, or going into exile, replaced by a less charismatic but more authentic progressive usurper.

Although I have condemned this president’s foreign policy in the past, this overall condemnation is not typical of me. I have feared, and continue to fear the only alternative to this president and his party. Extricating ourselves from the dilemma of this president, without making circumstances worse, creates another dilemma. I’ll suggest that only drastic measures offer any possibility of alleviating the difficulties that confront us, and will result in progress rather than regress. I have no delusions of grandeur, and I am well aware that am just one voice, and that my voice is lacking in influence and significance, but I believe that the issues to be confronted are of the utmost importance. Criticisms here are manifest, but rational and mutually agreed upon effective solutions seem to be non-existent. Chris Hedges recently offered his readers hope of a solution, and has recommended actions that could possibly lead towards a solution, but Hedges’ hope and recommendations have not been received positively by many, and I’ll suggest that the positive reception of Hedges’ recommendations by many is necessary in order for his recommendations to offer any hope, but more important than acceptance of these recommendations, would be actual implementation of his recommendations, which doesn’t seem at all likely. Hopefully, Hedges will continue to do what he recommends others to do, and that others will join him. Hedges has the forum, and the ability to influence, but how many will be influenced into following his lead does not appear to be promising. Small relatively insignificant, barely noticed protests serve to inspire [the “choir,”] but only massive protest can serve to edify the masses, bring a sense of urgency to issues, and validate political positions. As foolish as it may seem, or be, I am repulsed by cynicism, and believe that the truth, if not obscured, will prevail. To me, it’s not at all inconceivable that ignoring, not pursuing, or failure to actively advance the truth, will lead to our decay, and eliminate the possibility of a salvation. The truth will prevail, and if we fail to embrace the truth, and advance the truth, we will be the victims of truth. Please forgive me for being grandiose, I’m not worthy of grandiosity, but I am capable of having common sense. My common sense tells me that the concepts of good and evil are not metaphysics, and that certain goods and evils are readily apparent when experienced, but that understanding certain goods and evils is more complicated and requires some sophistication, but that these more complex interpretations of goods as opposed to evils are recognized by those who seek to recognize them. The problem as I see it is that some are blinded by fear, a lack of faith in truth, and a failure to seek the truth. They speak of truth, but their truth is not truth at all, their truth is only an illusory specter, their truth includes evil and does not reject evil, and what they perceive as good, can actually be evil. The essence of truth has been sought by the ancient philosophies; the primitive has been rejected, while basic truths have been accepted. I believe that the truth also lives in the subconscious of a free spirited, well loved, healthy child. I believe the real truth can not be manipulated or compromised, but that truth can be obscured, and that that obfuscation can infect mortal souls, and fearful minds, and that these mortal souls and fearful minds then proceed to perpetuate the obfuscated truth.

Obviously I’m disturbed. I’ll leave the definition of the word “Disturbed” to you. Relative anonymity is wonderful thing. If I catch too much flack, I’ll change my alias, and carry on being disturbed, or disturbing.

In all seriousness, I am disturbed by the reality that confronts me. Maybe I need a sabbatical. Hopefully I’ll see you at the demonstration, you’ll recognize me, I’ll be the disturbed guy

Where is Obama going? Down in history as one of the worst Democratic presidents in history, then on to a lucrative career writing books, giving meaningless speeches, and fronting for the oligarchs. Come to think of it—he’s doing that now!

Where is Obama going?

Straight to hell.

How discouraging for Democrat workers, like BobZ, and for all Democrats, to find out Mr. Obama betrayed them. He also betrayed the American people after seducing them, when they sorely need change.

From hope to despair, in two short years.

Since then he’s been the best friend of the Repulicans, and Wall street. Who despite what they have done, want to continue to pick the bones of the people of this country, they are un repentent.

When you don’t punish evil you reinforce it.

So now, Unions are protesting Mr. Obama’s debt commision, who want to shift corporate tax to something called a “competitive Territorial System” exempting all American corporations overseas from domestic tax laws. What a deal.

What do you think would have happened if Mr. Obama had run in the primaries on that one?

Just another in a long list of people and organizations, who Mr. Obama has betrayed by his policys.

I’m sorry but I have to say it, this country, will not again be on a sound economic footing, until the goons on wall street and every crooked plutocrat is behind bars for a long long time. Because they will continue to undermine our system of goverment, and it’s laws as long as they have one penny.

They believe they are above the law, and its’ going to be up to the people to let them know they are not.

I ‘d like to believe that Obama had two choices when he
made his big career move in 2008: Attempt to be a transformational leader (as advertised during his
campaign) or…his current role as a moderate GOP
President, serving the interests of the few over those
of the many. Most likely he is just being himself, same
as John Boehner and other empty suits, looking out for
number one.

E.J. Dionne, the hoity toi of Fall River, MA

“As I was passing through security at Boston’s Logan Airport on Tuesday night..”

As he was what?  I never passed through.  I can either be zapped or groped.  Why does this schmuck, a super, over-educated office worker formerly of the Washington Post with some connections to Georgetown Uninversity and the power-brokers of Washington, or so he lets on, get a pass through?

I want to to know why?
Who gets the Mel-al-no-ma treatment or who gets the big, latex covered thumb up the ass and who gets to avoid it altogether.

It ain’t America, anymore.  It’s a sick, sick fearful place.

These bastards remind me of the cartoon character, a basset hound named, ‘Farfull.’  We’re all so farfull.

Let’s see how many of these planes the Homeland Security sponsored Te’‘oism can take down? 

Or better yet, take a bomb with you.  In the 60s, they did a study and the the chances of two bombs being on the same flight dropped and the chances dropped exponentially.

Let’s face it amigo, your life ain’t gonna be worth a plug nickel anyway.

Who gives a shit about you?

Let me give you a slice of life of where this is all heading.

Background: the right-wing says that Charity should take care of the poor, the ones who’ve slipped through the safety net.  Face the Church woman.

You’ve paid, and paid and now they want to come a-calling with your hat in your hand like you’re a bum. 

But, here’s the slice:

I got a refund check in 1970 from the Federal Government for overpayment of my Educational Loan.  I took it to the back, the US Securities something or other in Central Square, Lynn, MA.

I wore my best attire for someone my age and my bewilderment at the time: wide tie, aqua shirt, sharkskin pants and snazzy loafers.

The greyed-haired dame on the bank’s side of the counter said she could not cash it.  All of two dollars from the US Govenment.

She glared at me.  Her look said I was below her and I had no power.

Knowing it was a Federal Check, I took it to the next window where a young woman, perplexed by the development, cashed it.  Two dollars.

That is what you are facing if you let this shit happen:  the Obama Cave-in, the Simpson-Bowles plan, the tax cuts for the rich, etc.  Etc refers to whatever else they have in their play bag.

Look up and sown the street.  Notice who are the church people.  Do you want them nosing through your personal life?  I don’t think so.

But if I am wrong, maybe you are all right with being subjected to X-rays that might give you Skin Cancer, or around the coffee table, you could call it melanoma, almost like having an Italian lover.

Better safe than sorry?  You’re a sick bunch of mutants of the human race.

Trust Chertoff!  He’ll keep you safe.  Just like the

BobZ, I think your confidence in saying most of the people who worked for Obama’s election still support him is unfounded. You sound like you wouldn’t have bothered to work for his election if you knew what a weak pathetic little wuss he was going to be as president. Yes, I think most of Obama’s former supporters also feel that way but we’re past the denial/anger/bargaining/depression stages. We’ve accepted that the Obama presidency is a lost opportunity, and we’re finished crying over the spilled milk.

Either the Dems have to dump Obama and put up a presidential nominee with some progressive backbone or else progressives have to back a primary challenger or a third party. So what if we get another Republican president? How much worse can it get that what we’ve got under a president who sells us out, continues Bush’s wars, re-appoints Bush’s Fed chairman and secretary of “defense”, appoints Wall Street insiders to run the Treasure and the economy, doesn’t support card check in union elections, continues mouthing support for global “free trade”, never mentions the need to substantially slash military spending, lets banks continue to foreclose, lets to-big-to-fail banks continue to merge, speculate and profit at the expense of the real economy, supports privatized charter schools and undercuts teachers’ unions, sends his precious little girls to a private school for hypocritical Washington liberals and looks forward to life as a guaranteed millionaire from book deals and the lecture circuit.

Obama’s presidency is already a dead letter. Get over your grieving process and start thinking ahead.

R.E.P.U.B.L.I.C.A.N. stands for

Radical
Extremist
Psychotic
Unhinged
Bigoted
Loud
Intolerant
Cruel
American
Nazi

G.O.P. stands for

Greed
Oligarchy
Plutocracy

D.E.M.O.C.R.A.T stands for

Deferential
Establishment
Mainstream
Opportunist
Courting
Republicans
Always with
Timidity

O.B.A.M.A. stands for

Oligarchic
Bankers
Always
Moving
Ahead

Robert Beal:

The Reich blog in Huffpo that you cite sums up how the Republican’s changed
the narrative from Wall Street/banks are the problem to one of government is
the problem ala’ Ronald Reagan. I read the Reich article last night and posted
made sure all of my friends read it. Reich captured the essence of what this
battle is all about. I noticed when talking to conservatives about the causes of
the economic meltdown in 2008, they have a hard time acknowledging that
Wall Street and the banks were the primary culprits even though dozens of
books written on this subject point that out. Conservatives want to blame
government and/or Fannie/Freddie, even though Fannie and Freddie were
sucked into the subprime vortex by Wall Street not the other way around. Now
we have the sad sight of yet another segment of our society forced to tighten
their belts as Wall Street starts to payout their year-end bonuses.

I feel confident in saying that most of us who worked on the Obama campaign
still support him, but are extremely disappointed in how easily he caves in to
Republican demands. He is certainly not a very good negotiator. It is hard to
believe he is that naive about the leadership of the Republican party. These are
not very nice guys. They play hardball and have a disdain for the president that
borders on unAmerican. Obama should be taking his lessons from FDR and
Truman, not Bill Clinton. The sad truth may be that he is not a progressive after
all but more of a blue-dog Democrat.I came to this sad conclusion after giving
him the benefit of the doubt, when he first started exhibiting these tendencies. 
If I had known that ahead of time I would not have volunteered to work for him.
That said, I will still vote for him in two years but America will not really move
forward as a nation until we have a true progressive in the Oval Office. If
Obama doesn’t change his style in the next year, he will have a hard time
attracting the enthusiaster volunteers he had in 2008.

Obama’s behavior has me completely flummoxed, like,
how weird is it to begin every negotiation FROM
compromise, in other words start negotiations from
one-rung-down, put another way, your opponent starts
from one-rung-up.

By the way, the Simpson etal edict managed to leave
off the table an ‘adjustment’ of the 15% tax rate
paid by hedge-funders - some of them on record as
earning $2.2 billion in a 13 month period.  Frankly,
neglecting to deal with this inanity should make us
suspicious that the entire Bowles/Simpson paper will
screw 90% of us while leaving the 2% even fatter and
sassier.  Revolting.

Take-away message is they were both darlings of Wall Street, from Reich:

“Bill Clinton had a rapidly expanding economy to fall back on, so his appeasement of Republicans didn’t legitimize the Republican world view. Obama doesn’t have that luxury. The American public is still hurting and they want to know why.”

From Dionne, gloss or meaningless mush:

“The best gloss on all this is that the president is engaged in a holding action aimed at getting out of this lame-duck period with something to show for his efforts and a chance to regroup.”

Below, the curtain ripped back on our first black president (Ivy Leaguer former member of the Millionairres Club):

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/post_1362_b_790614.html

The United States of Criminalia

Obama is ushering us into a criminal culture led by the corporate CEOs, billionaire bankers, and their toadies in Congress.

If any of these Republican wet dreams comes true, the US will become a close approximation of a middle-eastern tyranny.  There will be a few ‘royals’ at the top committing brutal crimes and the elected officials will abet them with a dereliction of duty.  All future programs will be written by the Corporations and the banks and will be paid for with the hard-earned tax money of the lower- and middle-classes.

Wars.  I have a feeling we ain’t seen nothing yet.

Meanwhile, B.H Obama is sitting in the background doing the ‘Hand Jive.’

We’re headed for the United States of Criminalia.
Gangs will flourish, privatized prisons subsidized by tax dollars will increase and expand.  (We already top the world in percentage and the sheer number of people behind bars.) Beneath the headlines of the major news outlets, one will be able to gather the inference that this Democracy is collapsing.

Noam Chomsky pointed out that that is what is clear with WikiLeaks:  our leaders hate democracy.

Sort of harkens back to the Prescott Bush days and his support of Adolph Hitler in the buildup to WWII and his involvement in the blocked coup attempt in the 30s.

In a generational continuation of this graft, did anyone notice how George W, played the ‘air guitar’ during the Katrina’s destruction of New Orleans, yet got off his bicycle to get behind the Dubai Ports deal?  This would have given his pals in the Middle East control over nine of our largest ports along the Atlantic and Caribbean. 

I’d say he was trying to set up a drug-dealing future for him and his descendants.  Of course the money would be washed and spun-dry before it reached his accounts.  Who’d ever suspect the Bushes?

(I now realize what happened to George W.  You know the restaurant size mayonnaise jar where Barbara kept the fetus of his dead sister.  George unscrewed the cap and sniffed the formaldehyde—in his formative years.  It’s rare but I’ve seen the effect before.  And George’s got ‘em.)

Back to the current dirt joke:

Obama’s “...strategy of offering pre-emptive concessions destined to make enemies of his potential friends in the electorate without winning over any of his adversaries? “

‘pre-emptive concessions’ are weaker apes showing their asses to the alpha males.  Sort of like “If I can hurt myself this bad, why won’t you take pity and leave me alone and let me play?  I am no threat to your muscular plans.”

Democracy is where the majority rules.  Yet here we have a classic distortion of that ideal.  In January of next year, they will control one out three branches of Government, the House, and they’re throwing their weight around now.  They must be tough, unbeatable, even.

Let’s see how Obama shows them both cheeks. A la, I’m just a nice guy.  Pity my position.

On the heels of that comes the Deficit Commission.  What an appropriate name. 

PS. I am still waiting for the humor that Alan Simpson promised to Judy Woodruff on the PBS News Hour a few months ago.

Was the humor in his 30-second shot at the ‘greediest’ generation that he filled in for Judy Woodruff in their interview last night?

I think he thought ‘humor’, ‘comedy’ when took one look at ‘Ersk’ as Alan calls him and thought, “Wally Cox.  That’s it we go with the humor.”

Nowhere fast….as to the debt commission their number one job is to cut corporate
taxes, starting in a 35% cut for all taxes on overseas operations. 

The degt commission has a long list of Christmas presents for the plutocracy. Soon it
will be Obamas job to b.s it to the public.

I agree with the previous comments. 

Obama doesn’t make preemtive concessions to appease Washington Republicans - - - he means to show Wall Street and Corporate America that he’s still their man.

He’s a Chicago politican.

President Obama is the lose-win politician, maybe that is what got him there, but it isn’t going to keep him there.

Let me chime in with other commentors and ask why you keep up this myth that Obama is giving in when he compromises with the corporate-right? “Giving in” implies an aversion to a particular action.

Obama (and the majority of Dems) are no more committed to opportunity and justice for the unwashed as any Repub. Their hypocritical hand-wringing is no longer convincing anyone.

They are doing what they believe in and serving the oligarchy that owns them.

I don’t understand this.  There’s a budgetary contingency that allows the Senate to bypass the 60 vote req. Just do it and get the tax cut to the 95% who need it done.

But Reid is showing the same spinelessness as Obama, and McConnell is eating it up!  That tax cut to the top 5% costs 2.5 times what it costs to extend unemployment benefits for another year.  It’s not that hard to do the math.

This is pretty nasty thing to say, but Im mad and it’s true so I guess that gives
me some latitude on the nasty scale.

Obama pimps for the Republicans.

I would list ‘evidence’, but anyone who cant look at, doesn’t know or doesn’t
know the facts it wont matter (see brief list below).

For Democrats, it’s no longer about ‘winning and losing’. We appeared to win
the last election only to have the things we voted for rejected by the very
people - nominal Democrats - we elected.

It is time to withdraw from the Democratic Party and actively support a third
party. Which one ? I don’t yet know, but I will find one and I will vote for it. Is
that ‘throwing away my vote’? No more than it was thrown away on Obama and
the 2008 election.

By going third party,  I will at least have the pleasure of knowing that I
accomplished three things:
(1) voted against the Republicans,
(2) voted for principles and policies I believe in, and
(3) lost straight up - i.e. i didn’t get fooled into thinking ‘i won’ only to find out
‘i lost’.

So, it’s either dump the guy who pimps for the Republicans or go third party.

Pimping for the Republicans - Partial List:
?$ 3,400,000,000 or $ 3.4 BILLION in ‘loans’, bailouts and guarantees given to
Wall Street from the public coffers.?
And
?The largest shift of debt (i.e. losses) from the private sector to the public in
American history.?And?Billionaires enjoying all the benefits of our country, but
pay only 15% on their incomes (carried interest).?
And
?100’s of 1000’s of ‘mandated customers’ brought to the insurance industry and
guaranteed the industry will get to keep 15-20% of the ‘premiums’ received
from the new ‘mandated customers’ (oh, if a ‘mandated customer’ cant afford to
pay the insurer, taxpayers will pay the insurer , but the insurer can still keep
15-20%). Only 80% of your and my premium has to be spent on actual health
care services.?And?Afghanistan, pre-emptive war (starting wars to avoid wars),
torture, renditions, etc continued.?
And
Non-reform of the financial industry (six largest banks still too-big-to-fail,
and investment and commercial banking functions still greyed - so, your and
my deposits are at risk).?
And
?The system manipulated so banks can borrow from the government at 1%, to
buy government bonds that pay banks 3.4%; thus, ‘making’ 2.4% by simply
shuffling paper. (This is a great trick! And illustrates clearly why a huge finance
industry provides nothing to the nation)
And
The budget will be ‘balanced’ on the backs of the middle class while tax
gimmicks will persist for the wealthy and corporations.

Slapping Americans in the Face:

1 The American people wanted a government administered plan like Medicare -
for everyone. (72% - CBS/New York Times poll June 2009)

1A. Democrats gave private sector insurers a windfall: mandated customers,
with a taxpayer-paid overhead rate of 20% for ‘mandated customers’ (20% of
our premium spent on administration, CEO salaries, bonuses, Boards to set
rates and decide who’s covered and ‘profits’).

2 64% of the American people opposed expanding the war in Afghanistan and
wanted to disentangle from Bush-era ‘War on Terror’ and ‘preventive war’
policies.
2B. Democrats gave us an expansion of the war in Afghanistan.

3 The vast majority of Americans opposed the transfer of taxpayer wealth to
cover private company debt – the bailout.
3B. Democrats kept the 6 too-big-to-fail banks – now bigger than ever; kept
deposits at risk by maintaining huge grey areas between commercial and
investment banking; didn’t ‘punish’ the financial industry - now even more
profitable, with bonuses among the biggest ever.

At this point, maybe we should simply assume that Obama is a plutocrat and be pleasantly surprised when he acts like a liberal.  I’ve really grown weary of being shocked and outraged by his trickle-down economic policies.

So, this is what President Obama should be doing today. Tomorrow? Don’t worry. Tomorrow’s “news” is going to press as we speak, and rest assured it will contain an entirely different imperative for the President.

Just believe what you’re told.

I’m looking at the homepage of this “progressive blog”. There’s one article about Mike Huckabee, and it starts out that he “just might run for President again”. Nice free plug. Oh, there is one tease about Senate Republicans going to do their “darndest” to block all Democratic initiatives. Oh, those naughty boys.

Everything else targets the Democratics or the Democratically-controlled government, and positions it negatively; that is, against the “public’s” interest.

Anybody heard any news about employment gains lately? They’ve been happening, but that’s pro-Obama news, you see. It—like WikiLeaks—can’t see the light of day. Stocks skyrocketed on good economic news. Can’t report that, though. Nothing to analyze. Doesn’t fit the fantasy. Here. Here’s a Christmas story about unemployment benefits. Sales are up so far this season, but shhhhh…

What Obama needs to do is… posture. Emote. “Get a back-bone.” Empathize. Dance. Come on, man, Dance.

This is, after all, what progressive’s want. Why else would its media keep letting Republicans off the hook?

Oh boy, this tired old MSM crap about our little president having actually been anything other than the Financial Oligarchy’s Tool.  He was then and is now, same as he ever was. 

It gets old, but then that’s the MSM’s job—keep ‘em bamboozled.  It’s all in a day’s work at Public Perception Management, Inc.

The Little Man that Tony Rezko Made is doing what he was always supposed to do—disable any possible opposition to the Financial Oligarchs.  Make sure no FDR or like thinker ever gets close to 1600 Pennsylvania ever again.  In fact, Our Little Audacious Man thought it would have been “irresponsible” of him to have acted as FDR had.  Little Audacity suggests FDR was “irresponsible”

We have the likes of E.J. to thank for the Tool they presented to the Oligarchs / their boss. The Whitehouse Insider gives us some examples of how Public Perception Management, Inc. got Obama elected.

Bee…atch all you want about Obama’s soon to hit the fan capitulation on the tax cut issue. 23 Dem. Senators can not stay on the sheet music. The Dems are not a party, they are, in Navy terms, a flaylex.

Though an Independent, I have voted predominately for Progressive candidates. I think I’ve got the go Green. I’ll not have the aspirations of a winning hand, nonetheless, I won’t be in anguish over every good hand misplayed, nor the tactless inability to bluff when the deal seems to go the other way.