America is an inspiration to those who yearn to be free and have the ability and the dignity to determine their own destiny...Did you hear that Joe? This so-called "government" that was supposedly "elected" -- You didn't vote for them now did you, Joe? You don't have to sit down and listen to what they say. These aren't your laws that are being passed. Remember Joe, if it's not your team that won the big game, it's not really your America now is it? Your first allegiance is to The Party, above all else.
In a self-governing society, the only bulwark against the power of the state is the consent of the governed, and regarding the policies of the current government, the governed do not consent.
An unchecked executive, a compliant legislature, and an overreaching judiciary have combined to thwart the will of the people and overturn their votes and their values, striking down long-standing laws and institutions and scorning the deepest beliefs of the American people....
An arrogant and out-of-touch government of self-appointed elites makes decisions, issues mandates, and enacts laws without accepting or requesting the input of the many...
Like free peoples of the past, our citizens refuse to accommodate a government that believes it can replace the will of the people...
"McLuhan called it "driving with the rear-view mirror" and the only thing good about it is it's better than driving with no mirror at all. "I don't think I'd call it Amnesia, I'm more and more of the opinion that what we are dealing with now is an utterly complete Willful Ignorance. And ultimately, I despair because I don't see any solution on the horizon that can really deal with this viral infection in our cultural sphere. The hope as I see it has to be long term, because I sadly don't have any for the short term.
At the first sign of you not getting everything you want, you jump ship. My first vote for President was Michael Dukakis. So a bunch of kids come around and think this is An American President? It all gets worked out in two hours?Yes, that's exactly correct! So why don't you give us everything we want?
...contrary to Obama's occasional public statements in support of a public option, the White House clearly intended from the start that the final health care reform bill would contain no such provision and was actively and privately participating in efforts to shape a final bill without it. From the start, assuaging the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries was a central preoccupation of the White House -- hence the deal negotiated in strict secrecy with Pharma to ban bulk price negotiations and drug reimportation, a blatant violation of both Obama's campaign positions on those issues and his promise to conduct all negotiations out in the open (on C-SPAN). Indeed, Democrats led the way yesterday in killing drug re-importation, which they endlessly claimed to support back when they couldn't pass it. The administration wants not only to prevent industry money from funding an anti-health-care-reform campaign, but also wants to ensure that the Democratic Party -- rather than the GOP -- will continue to be the prime recipient of industry largesse.In short: Obama lied to our faces - repeatedly, for months and months - about what he was working towards.
...
Does anyone actually believe that Rahm Emanuel (who built his career on industry support for the Party and jamming "centrist" bills through Congress with the support of Blue Dogs) and Barack Obama (who attached himself to Joe Lieberman when arriving in the Senate, repeatedly proved himself receptive to "centrist" compromises, had a campaign funded by corporate interests, and is now the leader of a vast funding and political infrastructure) were the helpless victims of those same forces? Engineering these sorts of "centrist," industry-serving compromises has been the modus operandi of both Obama and, especially, Emanuel.
...
... the idea that the White House did what it could to ensure the inclusion of progressive provisions -- or that they were powerless to do anything about it -- is absurd on its face. Whatever else is true, the overwhelming evidence points to exactly what Sen. Feingold said yesterday: "This bill appears to be legislation that the president wanted in the first place."
These 21 pages tell you lots of things, some contradictory things, but mostly this: it is a serious {sic} of compromises and milquetoast rhetorical flourishes in search of unanimity among House Republicans because the House GOP does not have the fortitude to lead boldly in opposition to Barack Obama. {...} Yes, yes, it is full of mom tested, kid approved pablum that will make certain hearts on the right sing in solidarity. But like a diet full of sugar, it will actually do nothing but keep making Washington fatter before we crash from the sugar high.And former Dubya speechwriter David Frum responds:
"Question for Erickson: What did he expect? {...} But if the document is unsurprising, it's also unsurprising that Erickson and those who think like him would find it enraging. The 'Pledge to America' is a repudiation of the central, foundational idea behind the Tea Party. Tea Party activists have been claiming all year that there exists in the United States a potential voting majority for radically more limited government. The Republican 'Pledge to America' declares: Sorry, we don’t believe that."While the progressive left has to determine for themselves whether the record of Obama and the Democratic leadership has been satisfactory for a midterm election turnout, the Tea Party ought to examine the GOP Pledge closely and decide whether or not it truly deserves their votes. Their grassroots momentum will probably carry them over the November finish line without a pause for thought, though, and leave them with the same opportunity for buyer's remorse that the Contract with America held for the Gingrich would-be revolutionaries.
I know I'm a broken record on this, but there is no great mystery why the Dems are looking at potentially major problems in November. The economy is truly atrocious and has been for a long time. I remember just before the '08 election - almost two years ago - betting a friend that unemployment would rise above 7.6%. At the time to many people 7.6% seemed to be a pretty crazy number, even in the middle of the unfolding crisis. Soon after the administration projected that unemployment would peak at 9% from Q1-Q3 2010, and then start declining without any stimulus. It's now been above 9% since May 2009, including 3 months where it was 10%+. If I had traveled back in time to warn them of this state of affairs, they would have been more likely to believe the time travel part.posted by XQUZYPHYR at 10:44 AM on September 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
There are areas of this country that are completed devastated, some due mostly to the collapse of the housing bubble and, increasingly, places which are being demolished by the recession even though they were largely untouched by the bubble.
Maybe an "I feel your pain" or "Message: I care" speech isn't going to do it, but jokes about the petulant base at $30,000 fundraisers aren't going to help either. Though, in truth, the petulant base - the assholes who don't cheerlead sufficiently on their blogs - are going to go out and vote. We vote. It's what we do. It's the people who are unemployed, union members wondering what happened to EFCA, immigrants and their families who know that we got a bunch of money to militarize the border and stepped up deportation but no progress on immigration reform, and women who might question the administration commitment to reproductive rights for good reasons.
Now I hope all of these people go out and vote. I certainly think keeping Team Blue in power is important and not just because the Republicans are stupid and crazy, but if they don't vote it isn't my fault.
The Republicans are going to win the House back, and possibly the Senate.
Is it possible to have a thread about anything political without it turning into the Joe Beese Is Disappointed In Obama show?
"The Republican Party's 21-page blueprint, 'Pledge to America,' was put together with oversight by a House staffer who, up till April 2010, served as a lobbyist for some of the nation's most powerful oil, pharmaceutical, and insurance companies.The Missing Page from the GOP's Pledge: "We Would Like to Thank Our Sponsors."
... Until early this year, [Brain] Wild ['who is on House Minority Leader John Boehner's payroll'] was a fairly active lobbyist on behalf of the firm the Nickles Group, the lobbying shop set up by the former Republican Senator from Oklahoma, Don Nickles. During his five years at the firm, Wild, among others, was paid $740,000 in lobbying contracts from AIG, the former insurance company at the heart of the financial collapse; $800,000 from energy giant Andarko Petroleum; more than $1.1 million from Comcast, more than $1.3 million from Exxon Mobil; and $625,000 from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc."
Van Hagar RULES!!!
Rep. John Boehner, R-OH (9/23/2010): On the point we make in this preamble to our pledge, is that we are not going to be any different than what we've been."Fresh new ideas that sound exactly like their old ones" indeed.
John Stewart: I believe that is a promise you can keep. So two years ago, just to get this straight, two years ago America broke up with you, because you had badly mistreated her. And so you disappear, do some soul-searching, get your head together, and you come back rapping on our door, hat in hand, and you say, "Baby, I know you love me. But if we get back together, I pledge to you, I promise you, I will still try to fuck your sister every chance I get. It's who I am, baby! It's who I am! Now, make up your mind, because I'm not going to ask you twice!"
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posted by Danf at 6:04 PM on September 22, 2010 [32 favorites]