text:
End of the Age of Obama
by BAR executive editor Glen Ford
The Democrats' defeat could turn into legislative disaster if President Obama continues to follow his "bipartisan" impulses. Obama's past determination to find common cause with Republicans spells catastrophe under the infinitely less favorable terms of the new Congress. "We can only hope that the Republicans are so consumed with destroy-Obama fervor that they reject his entreaties to bipartisan collaboration," and rush to gridlock.
Cartoon by Mike Fluggenock at www.sinkers.org
End of the Age of Obama
by BAR executive editor Glen Ford
"No one should have doubted that the forces of white supremacy would regroup after the 2008 anomaly."
Let us pray (figuratively or literally) for gridlock, because all else is disaster. The best outcome that could result from Tuesday's Democratic debacle is that the Republicans overreach and, in their white nationalist triumphalism, make it impossible for President Obama and congressional Democrats to reach an accommodation with rampaging reaction and racism.
The phony racial narrative of 2008 has been undone with the abrupt termination of the Age of Obama. After two short years, the illusion of a post-racial society has gone the way of all mirages – poof! – and we are forced to behold the United States as it actually exists.
Barack Obama's totally predictable failure to lead the nation on a transformative path all but guaranteed that the United States would revert to default mode: rule by a plutocracy backed by a white electoral base intent on cutting off their own noses to spite Black and brown faces. The white nationalist backlash to the actual reality of a Black-led government – exemplified by but much larger than the Tea Party – was a reversion to type.
Only 43 percent of whites voted for Obama in 2008, despite general recoil at what the Republicans had wrought under George Bush. In large swaths of the Deep South, the white vote for Obama registered in the single digits and low teens. No one should have doubted that the forces of white supremacy would regroup after the 2008 anomaly, or that the Republicans, the White Man's Party, would employ the racist tools and strategies that have kept them in the White House for 20 of the last 30 years.
"After two short years, the illusion of a post-racial society has gone the way of all mirages."
There was every reason to expect that many whites would reflexively scapegoat Blacks and browns in the wake of the economic meltdown of 2008 unless there were some countervailing rallying call for mobilization around a larger, socially cohesive national mission: a massive jobs and public works program. President Obama, the corporate Democrat, chose instead to transfer trillions in public wealth to Wall Street, the salient act of his tenure that overwhelmed – and, in much of the public's perception, was conflated with – his wholly inadequate stimulus effort. The long and revelatory health care grind showed Obama's eagerness to deal in the dark with the hated insurance and drug companies, to concoct a plan that essentially requires everyone to pay for private insurance. Even in friendly quarters, the glow was gone from his presidency, while the billionaire Koch brothers and Rupert Murdock fanned the flames of race hatred through their Tea Party "movement."
Progressives, of course, had no movement, having opted to become Obama's groveling left flank, instead.
The corporate media wonder what will become of any future Obama initiatives with the House under firm Republican control and the Senate only nominally in Democratic hands. But, from a progressive standpoint, any new Obama initiatives should be feared like the plague. Even with Democrats in charge of both chambers of Congress, Obama persisted in attempting to forge a grand coalition with Republicans, which they steadfastly rebuffed. If he continues true to form in the next, much more troglodyte Congress – and there is no reason to think Obama won't try – we will witness a repeat of the Clinton years, when a Democratic president oversaw passage of NAFTA, welfare "reform," vast expansion of the prison Gulag, and deregulation of Wall Street.
"From a progressive standpoint, any new Obama initiatives should be dreaded like the plague."
Obama had his own plans to go down in history as the president that "reined in" so-called entitlements: Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. On his own initiative, he caused the creation of a deficit cutting commission whose recommendations are due, next month. The president planned for commission members to threaten entitlements, whereupon he would position himself as the Great Compromiser and Conciliator, further weakening the safety net while pretending to salvage portions of it. But that was before Tuesday's Republican tidal wave. In the new relationship of forces, an Obama attempt at triangulation on entitlements would invite utter catastrophe. We can only hope that the Republicans are so consumed with destroy-Obama fervor that they reject his entreaties to bipartisan collaboration. The people's interests would best be served with the GOP charging ahead with their own Neanderthal agenda, forcing Obama to respond with vetoes, if necessary. The people have no champion in the White House or the Congress. The best we can hope for is that the two evils cancel each other out. Let there be gridlock.
BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Post-Election Advice For Desperate Dems:
Dump Pelosi, Dump Obama, Stop Foreclosures, Tax Wall Street
Webster G. Tarpley
November 9, 2010
Dumping for a new start? No, A New Start
Rather than trying to dump Obama, Pelosi and company, why don't you consider not electing them in the first place?
But history repeats itself, the poor turn on those even poorer while they revere the rich, inspite of the fact that it is the rich who are ruining society and the planet. We continue to give the stick to the man who is going to hit us over the head with it.
Not me, I vote third party. Of course, all I may be I'm doing is letting the man find his own stick, but I prefer that rather than the other option.
I don't believe everything I read on the net either, but I cherry-pick from views I may not agree with.
Obama's puppeteers don't want to attack Iran right away, and that's where I think the problem is going to be. Read this book:
Iran: Time for a New Approach - Paperback (Mar. 1, 2004) by Zbigniew Brzezinski, Robert M. Gates, and Suzanne Maloney
Also, Black liberation theology might have been funded by the Ford foundation. You gotta read this book and then double check its claims:
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Written by the author of the legendary 1992 expose of Bush the elder, this book works from a New Deal point of view. Obama is exposed as a foundation operative and agent of Wall Street finance capital, controlled by Zbigniew Brzezinski, George Soros, and Goldman Sachs. Obama's mother was an official of the Ford Foundation, the World Bank, and US AID. By all indications, Obama was identified for future political use by Brzezinski at Columbia in 1981-1983, during Obama's secret lost years. Obama has worked for the Gamaliel Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the Woods Fund, and the Annenberg Foundation as a community organizer - a poverty pimp, a cynical opportunist who uses suffering people as a political commodity. The foundation strategy is divide and conquer, pitting blacks against whites against Hispanics against Asians, to prevent any challenge to Wall Street. Racist provocateurs like Wright and Pfleger, along with Weatherman terrorist bombers Ayers and Dohrn, Obama's best friends, are cast in this mold. Rezko, Auchi, and Al-Sammarae represent the cesspool of Chicago graft and corruption in which Obama cavorts. Schooled in Nietzsche and Fanon, Obama qualifies as a postmodern fascist. An Obama administration would strive for brutal economic sacrifice and austerity to finance Wall Street bailouts, and for imperialist confrontation with Russia and China.
Read the rest of this interview at the link posted below:
16 May 2008
Here's some quotes:
-You call Obama a Manchurian candidate, a sort of mind controlled man. Why do you do that?
Tarpley: First of all Obama is the most synthetic. He is the most prepared, indoctrinated, and I would indeed say brainwashed candidate that we've had. Obama himself is nothing. He has no legislative record, he has no accomplishments, no commitment, no loyalties. He is essentially an empty slate on which people are invited to project what they think.
His pedigree is first of all the Ford Foundation. The Ford Foundation is of course the institution which more than any other, tries to maintain the existing social order in the United States , which is to say: The dominance over this society by Wall Street, by financier oligarchs and the super rich. So his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham - he had a mother named Stanley which is interesting in itself – his mother was a pro-communist who worked for the Ford Foundation. She was part of the gender equality program of the Ford Foundation. She also worked then for the Word Bank and the US Agency for International Development. Obama himself has worked for the Gamaliel Foundation. This is a counter insurgency operation. It is the Saul Alinsky community organizing foundation of Chicago and the Gamaliel Foundation is a satellite of the Ford Foundation. And the idea with them is organizing community control projects, autogestion, local control on a very very local basis , always with the idea of pitting white against black, against Hispanic, against Asian, against Korean or Chinese or whatever it is, always keeping the population fragmented. On the lowest possible level, very parochial, very local and not allowing therefore a challenge to Wall Street to emerge.
He is also associated, this Obama, with the Woods Fund. And here he sat next to Bill Ayres, the Weatherman terrorist bomber, a professed an unrepented terrorist, an odious personality who I had a chance to observe in the late 1960s inside Students for a Democratic Society. Ayres is somebody who has also promoted Obama's carrier. Ayres hired Obama to become president of the board of the Edinburg – Chicago Challenge, which is yet another foundation funded effort at social engineering and racial conflict inside the Chicago school system. So we've also got the fact that Obama attends a church the pastor of which is now a Ford Foundation scholar, a guy who got his college education thanks to the Ford Foundation, and that is the Trinity United Church of Christ. You must have seen things about this.
-You link this to Obama?
Tarpley: Yes. This is the thing that Obama is a product of, an asset of the left wing of the US intelligence community so you've got to look in to this.
I just want to add in terms of that church: This Jeremiah Wright is of course a racist provocateur, working in the framework of something called 'Black Liberation Theology'. It's a synthetic religion created by the Union Theologian Seminary in New York and then spread with the help of the Ford Foundation, in order to do what? In order to perpetuate racial conflict. The model of the Ford Foundation is divide and conquer. Play white against black in every conceivable way to prevent the emergence of a class based challenge to Wall Street. And what they've done is take this into the realm of theology and church affairs, knowing the importance of churches in the black community and in the United States.
"Also, Black liberation
"Also, Black liberation theology might have been funded by the Ford foundation. You gotta read this book and then double check its claims:"
* Not sure of the accuracy to the conspiratorial view where social movements are concocted and then unleashed into the world. More likely legitimate grass roots movements very quickly get sucked up by monied interests to then gently and/or not so gently guide their movements - so that they generally become co-opted and or worked into "working within the system." It should be no surprise that a monied interest such as the Ford Foundation would give money to something "christian" - i.e. in some ways it just reinforces the general paradigm from which the Ford Foundation operated. The same with the world bank getting behind certain micro-finance operations which generally tend to re-inforce the general neo-liberal economic paradigm:
Also civil rights - co-opted and generally dovetailed to meet evolving capitalist demands of tapping new markets(blacks). MLK's evolving viewpoints came into direct contradiction with the smooth operators who were manicuring integration for their needs. Hence - assassination.
Feminism - same thing - interesting it dovetailed with the decrease in the real wage and the need for two members of a family to bring home income that was traditionally brought home by one to keep the family surviving.
We see the same thing today - glaringly with the anti-war/anti-Bush movement which was co-opted by Soros(Carlyle Group member) early on only to catapult the other wing of the war party into power(dems). The US population is so easily manipulated and controlled through mainstream media - this kind of thing is par for the course at this time.Will the real opposition please stand up!
"Exodus" of Jewish Advisors from Obama White House Likely Not an Omen of Good Things to Come:
"Hi?" What an intro to f***king up my world!!
C.N., you've appear to be parroting me.
Part IV: Options: There are two options, neither one of which is good....
C.N. that was a power article and I dare say there's some truth to it I dare say even if the writer doesn't have it ALL correct, the commentators/bloggers are probably "filling in the blanks." Either way, shit doesn't look good.
Anyone who peruses Rawstory.com from time to time, same for antiwar.com, senses a rise in the call to attack Iran. Biden, David Broder, the list goes on and on. There is irrefutable BIPARTISANSHIP in attacking Iran. And let's face it, somebody's got to get scape goated for the coming economic collapse and gridlock in D.C.
The Cockburn brothers at counterpunch.com are awfully good and insightful. I remember one of them wrote an article that Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme proceeds were being funneled to Israeli Settler movements. And, does it not explain how One (1) person, one fucking person could be indicted for a billion dollar scam? No auditors, no managers, no co-principals??? Seriously, think about it. Even in Bush's watered-down Enron prosecutions a few heads rollled. But just poor, ol, terminally ill Bernie? Puhleez folks, dissect shit.
There's a fly in the ointment folks. Poor ol Bo wock will be just fine, he, Michelle and the kids will be in outer space or some shit, saying, "Oh, look, golly gee, didn't that use to be the planet earth? So pretty from outer space." You get my drift?
Say what you will about "religious folks," I kick them in the ass all the time, but only for lack of critical thinking skills and ahistoricism, but that aside, no spiritual being on this planet fails to recognize that the Whore of Babylon is about to show her ass. Demonic forces are unleashed. Stay tuned folks, guns and Bibles now, or guns, water, iodine and ammonia? Gold? Fuck gold, bullets will be worth their weight in gold.
There are no good options here.
Oh Shit! Hold onto your guns and Bibles
An update on Mr. Bipartisanship's "Lincolnesque" journeys. If you thought Clinton/Lewinsky/White Water/Ken Starr was bad, get your TiVos because you are about to witness the largest reality tee vee show in the history of the world. The Rethugs are about to make Mr. Hope and Change look like "Real" and "Chance." In fact, Obama's ONLY revenge might be to chase bikini-clad, voluptuous White Girls when the GOP House get's through with his ass. The set up is in play: Those mean nasty, KKK-loving Tea Party/Rethuglicans made me do it. "Can't you see how mean they are to me? "Can't we just all get along???" "I had to go hard right, or the Rethugs threatened to waterboard me, in the Rotunda no less, their lawyers said it was legal." LOL
The Rethugs are about to make D.C. gridlock look like a traffic jam in Mexico City or Mumbai. I guess we might as well be entertained, might try to gain some insight into the demented state of the commonwealth, because we damn sure ain't gonna get shit done for the next two years. The $64K question is what will constitute the breaking point?
1. the economy crashes after Xmas,
2. the "Draft Hillary Movement" gets legs,
3. The Rethugs punk Obama so bad, and with some claims so ridiculous, the Blacks and Libs grow a pair,
4. Obama cuts social security, medicare and medicaid, or
5. Obama is punked into attacking Iran
Stay tuned, cling to your guns and Bibles, next few years will be interesting to say the least. We'll see if Obama fights back or reverts to the West Wing bunker, crying himself to sleep. "Po wittle Bo wock, " the long-knives have been unsheathed.
Seriously folks, is any rational human being surprised? I mean even the friggen dog catcher knows his losing opponent is spreading lies that he'll prohibit pets from old folk's homes?? Where was Obama during the Clinton presidency,-- somewhere voting "present." Ah Bo wock, you "present" all right. You "presently" a target for the Rethuglican long-knives. Reaching across the asile, or reaching for his ankles? (That should be # 6, LOL).
You might be giving us Liberal Retards the middle finger Bo wock, but the Rethuglicans are shoving their entire fist up your ass. Karmic justice I'd say.
New GOP chairman of Oversight Committee plans hundreds of hearings into executive branch
I Know that we like to attack Obama-------
-----> and ignore the power behind the thrown, but let me throw this out there:
Would anybody consider entertaining this little "conspiracy theory" concerning Rahm Emanuel (the mossad agent?)
Carol Moseley Braun slams Rahm Emanuel's Hollywood fund-raiser, and his Obama chief of staff tenure
By Lynn Sweet on November 4, 2010 2:33 PM
A message from Obama's CIA buddies?
Rahm's goodbye gift: A dead fish
Chicago Sun-Times / 2nd Oct 2010
Washington -- Departing White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was given a standing ovation at his last White House senior staff meeting Friday -- as well as a wicked going-away gift.
Chicagoan Austan Goolsbee (Skull&Bones), chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, and the White House policy team delivered the "present'': a dead Asian Carp, wrapped in copies of the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune.
White House Staff Gives Rahm Emanuel Dead Fish as Parting Gift
Netanyahu Tells Biden Israel Impatient with Iran Sanctions
Kurt Nimmo | Israeli PM makes comment after country receives batch of advanced U.S. weapons.
Rahm Emanuel team replies to Moseley Braun "cut and run" on Obama charge
By Lynn Sweet
Chicago mayoral hopeful Carol Moseley Braun went on the attack Thursday, slamming rival Rahm Emanuel for "abandoning" President Obama after "pushing policies that [led] to the biggest Democratic Party political loss in 27 years."
"He left the president holding the bag," Braun asserted in a statement that also claimed Emanuel "cut and ran" on Obama when he left his chief of staff job to return to Chicago for a mayoral run.
"If Rahm abandoned the president of the United States, what makes anybody think he'll stick by regular Chicagoans?" Braun asked.
The former U.S. senator and ambassador lobbed the broadside at Emanuel on the day he flew to Los Angeles for a major fund-raiser hosted by his brother Ari, the Hollywood super agent, and entertainment industry moguls David Geffen, Bob Iger, Peter Chernin and Haim Saban. The event was in Saban's Beverly Hills home, with tickets ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.
Braun slammed Emanuel's fund-raiser, too.
"On this day when President Obama and Illinois Democrats are still recovering from the painful political debacle that he was the architect of, Rahm Emanuel is off in Hollywood hanging out with bankers and billionaires. But maybe Hollywood is where he belongs because the story of how he 'helped' the Obama administration when he was chief of staff is indeed fiction."
Rahm Emanuel leading exodus of Obama aides from White House
By Rupert Cornwell in Washington
Saturday, 25 September 2010
Shrouded in Secrecy: Rahm Emanuel trip to Israel
Israeli parliament member in letter to Rahm Emanuel: 'Don't forget you're Jewish!
Rahm Emanuel heckled while in Jerusalem for son's bar mitzvah
A deal with the Devil
There is very little "conspiracy" to the theory me thinks.
Obama, himself, is essentially a Mossad Agent, the first "Jewish" President by proxy. The Chicago Jewish Mafia made Obama, and like most "made men" he is expendable if the cause warrants it. The Zionists, remember, stoop to any lows possible to get their bidding done, whether it's sending prostitutes, even gay ones to catch their prey. Appears Rabbinical law doesn't prohibit that (lol). I had a conversation with a friend last night, my radio co-host and he said what many have said, "Obama doesn't really associate or relate to his half "Black" side". He's been deferential to Whites all of his life. That's why he is never the "angry Black Man." To bad he's got to deal with a bunch of "Angry White Men" and "Angry Zionists." lol They have no trouble being "angry" do they?
Obama was set up all along, be he jumped at it to please his "White side"-- his dominant personality. Perhaps this is why my F-in-Law, parroting Farrakhan, claims the Jews are giving Obama bad advice? Well, I'll say, but certainly a Haa vud lawyer has some critical thinking skills, or not? Fact is, Obama views the world through the prism of White America. That's why, "There is no Black America, bla bla bla." That's why he had no problem eviscerating 400 years of Black struggle in his "Race Speech," one of the biggest conflabulations of all time. Interesting how the wicked Bush keep his religious counselors close, meeting with them periodically, giving them special phone access. How many Black ministers do you see around Obama? Is he afraid Faux Noise might say this or that Minister practices Black Liberation Theology??? You know the answer, don't you.
Funny, some of yall, a lot of yall cheered that shit. "Hip hip hooray, he put Wright in his place, the hater." Dumbasses. Now the Tea Party aka Bush's Base is putting the whammy on your asses, proving once and for all that there IS A BLACK AND WHITE AMERICA, DUH!! (Just like the playboy Prez candidate from N.C. accurately said there are "Two Americas,"--in terms of class and wealth.) Hilarious how all of these post-racial Negroes and post-racial White Libs had the friggen rug pulled from their fairy-tale lies by the Tea Party. (Thanks Tea Party for the historical reminder, your useful idiots too) They ain't singing that post-racial shit no mo. Now the scales have tipped completely to the other side. Now, EVERY white person who criticies Obama is a racist. Welcome to Bizarro world. Can yall make up your friggen minds??? LOL
Blacks ain't the only ones who've been screwed up by racism, the virus affects everyone. Don't be surprised if Obama's most fervent White Bots get pissed at Black's lumping their critiques in with the Tea Party, that frustration, combined with economic survivial, --"dog-eat-dog"-- is going to compel them to abandon equality and fairness once and for all. Why work 30 hours a week on Obama's campaign, more than the Black guy in the cubicle next door whose "support" consists of a bumper sticker, only to hear his ass accuse you of being racist when you are lodging valid critiques. See where this is going?
Part III: There are 2 options, neither one of which is good. Do I need to finish the rest of the sentence/paragraph.....???
p.s. The dividing line will be demarcated when the "Draft Hillary Movement" gains steam. Two more years of capitulation and frustration with Obama and it's bound to happen. When it does, the Negro Obama Bots will be gnashing their teeth, claiming the "First Black President" Clinton sold out the second one, Obama. lol If it weren't for the country going to hell in a hand basket it would be great political theater and entertainment. I'll probably still laugh at the shit..... to keep from crying.
Great analysis
I always love reading your posts E.C.
The Obamabots Got Clocked.
The Obamabots got clocked. He had many chances to change but dropped the ball on every one. I knew he was a fake. The Bush Cheney cabal left a ton of doo doo for the next president to clean up and when Obama took office he brought a shovel when he needed an earth mover. The rethugs had trashed the country and their image too. They were walling in their own stink and looking for a way to put lipstick on a jackass
The oligarchs that really run this country knew that if the rethugs were completely vanquished that some other political entity would develop to fill the void (one that they might not be able to co-opt). So they created/manufactured the tea baggers/ ass hats so that the rethugs could co opt them and in the process rebrand themselves as the tea party and presto change-o you have a movement/malignancy has metastasize across the nation. They also pulled Obama's leash so that he/demowits (Thanks Beverly) would NOT pass any legislation that they did not want passed.
Obama's part in this all this was to push bipartition bullshit. Fred Hampton (remember him) described politics best he said politics is war without bloodshed and war is politics with bloodshed. If you follow that line of thinking then Obama set himself up to loose from the get go. He came to a gun fight unarmed. Which was to be expected; when has a Black Man ever been allowed to exercise real authority in a social/political structure that has white supremacy as an active component??? Obama could have investigated the Bush/Cheney cabal for war crimes and lying to go into war BUT he chose to look forward and continue the very same things that Bush/Cheney started (Yes massir). He could have fought for single payer health care BUT kissed up to the insurance/Pharma parasites and gave them just hat they wanted Forced health insurance NOT health care (pucker up). He could have bum rushed the banksters and brought charges and prosecuted them for driving the economy over the cliff BUT he bailed them out so they could do it all over again (felt Sooo good we want to do it again). If he had done any one of these things (and there is a long list of other opportunities he had) he would have assured the political death of the rethugs BUT none of these things happened why??? Lets face it he is a PAWN in this kleptocracy/Plutocracy game. He is a FAKE that duped the many into believing that he represented something that he did not. Scroll down to the video clip Top Six Things Obama and Democrats Did to Give Congress Back To Republicans and let Paul Jay from the real news network explain it to you.
The change that was projected was an illusion/deception. When given the opportunity to push for that change to drive the nation toward that change he flipped the scrip triangulated and disintegrated like a puff of smoke and did the opposite of what he clamed he would do (That's called LYING isn't it). It is now plane for everyone to see (those that still aren't blinded by the illusion/deception). Mr. Ford stated that Obama wants history to look at him as the Great Compromiser and Conciliator. That may be one view of him but from my point of view I see him as the biggest Lying ass appeaser to occupy the oval office (that just my point of view didn't drink any hater aide today).
S Murph
Irony of Ironies
Great post Murph.
Ironically, it was Iowans, a state with 3% Black population who catapuled Obama's presidency, proved that he had "relevance" viz Hillary, and with that propulsion came the hopes and promise and expectation by many (not me) that Obama would become the new "FDR," ironically it's the only President from Iowa, Herbert Hoover, that Obama will be compared with when all is said and done.
But don't cry for Obama, payback might be a bitch for the Bots, but it will be sacks of gold for Obama. Ask Clinton if you don't believe me. Btw, GWB had a breif interview with Matt Lauer today to promote his book. Cocky and smug lil bastard is he, but I have to tell you if only Obama had 1 of Bush's nuts, if only Obama was half the man his momma was.
Breaking News!
On top of the Zimbabwean Easing 2 (ZE2) the treasonous right-wing anarchist make their first move to help Wall street bring the American government, and the American people to it's knees, at a time that we're at war and in a depression:
GOP to Use Debt Cap to Push Spending Cuts
By DAMIAN PALETTA
Republicans are planning to demand major spending cuts next year before they would agree to raise the amount of federal debt that can be issued, setting up a clash between the Obama administration and a Congress stocked with lawmakers who campaigned as deficit hawks.
The U.S. can't accrue debt above a certain ceiling set by lawmakers. In the most extreme scenario, the government would default on certain debts if the cap doesn't move.
Obama would be responsible for shutdown: Cantor
By Thomas Ferraro – Sun Nov 7, 2:49 pm ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A top Republican refused on Sunday to rule out the possibility of a government shutdown next year over growing federal deficits but said if there were one, President Barack Obama would bear responsibility.
House of Representatives Republican Whip Eric Cantor said it's up to Obama to work with Republicans since they won the House from Obama's Democrats in last week's election, vowing to slash spending and shrink government.
Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Cantor focused on Obama when asked if Republicans could provide assurances that they wouldn't let the government shut down in any confrontation with the White House, disrupting all but the most essential services to millions of Americans.
"The president's got a responsibility as much or more so than Congress to make sure that we are continuing to function in a way that the people want," Cantor said.
"This president certainly, as in his own words, took a shellacking by the voters" in Tuesday's election that saw Republicans take the House and cut the Democratic majority in the Senate, Cantor said.
"It is time for him to try and come meet us and say, 'Fine, let's get back to the kind of things that Americans are about. It is living within our means,'" said Cantor, in line to become majority leader when the new Republican House convenes in January.
As majority leader, Cantor would be the Republican's No. 2, behind only John Boehner, expected to become the chamber's new speaker, replacing Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
The U.S. budget deficit for the fiscal year that ended September 30 was about $1.3 trillion, with the U.S. debt topping $13 trillion. Congress must decide next year whether to raise the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling to avoid a U.S. DEFAULT!
These plans have brought back visions of spending battles that led to a government shutdown in 1995 after Republicans won the House from President Bill Clinton's Democrats. That shutdown backfired politically on the Republicans, helping position Clinton win re-election the following a year.
House Republicans are determined not to make political missteps that give Democrats a boost in 2012.
Webster Tarpley Tears Ron Paul and Peter Schiff a New One Video:
I am fully convinced that some of the reason why Black people are not advancing is because of our leadership. Therefore, In my book, all Black leadership is suspect.
I know this is going to be hard for you. Part of the process of healing is realizing that things ain't what it seems to be. It even took me awhile to let it sink in that Al Sharpton was a paid race provocateur working for the government. Leave open the option that Rev. Wright might be a fraud!
Again, I'll point you people to the most accurate analysis pre-Obama regime. These books are required reading:
Barack H. Obama: The Unauthorized Biography by Webster G. Tarpley and Jos. Azar (Paperback - Nov 1, 2008)
Obama: The Postmodern Coup - The Making of a Manchurian Candidate by Webster Griffin Tarpley, Bruce Marshall, and Jonathan Mowat (Paperback - Jun 2008)
Surviving the Cataclysm: Your Guide Through the Greatest Financial Crisis in Human History [Paperback] by Webster Griffin Tarpley
9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA, Fourth Edition [Paperback] by Webster Griffin Tarpley
@ N.C. It ain't hard Bro., its the nature of the beast
Since this ain't facebook and I don't do facebook, I avoid giving too many personal details of myself. Most know I live in Iowa and work in government. I say this to say that I went to college at the Harvard of the South where I meet some of the best and brightest Negroes in America. I don't know too many of them who are not successful now, I have frat bros who hold powerful positions and who've ran for high political office here and there.
So C.N. I aint surprised at all. The Elites Universities are breeding grounds for American Exceptionalism, and conformity. I'm broke as hell because I have a hard time conforming.(I know that's a shocking admission to most of you) Oh, it should be clear that I could be good at it, it's just that I couldn't do it at times when I needed too to move up the ladder. For one thing, I don't suffer fools gladly. So my "success" may not "measure up" to some of my peers. This is not E.C.'s lamentation, but more so E.C.'s revelation. Soul-selling seems like hard work to me.
So N.C., I agree with you, most if not all "Black Leadership" is suspect because it will hardly ever, it is most rare for it to speak truth to power or upset the apple cart. It is inherently "go-along-get-along" by nature. It will always affirm a Euro-Centric worldview and all it encompasses. This is why many in the Civil Rights, or Women's Rights, or Hispanic Rights movements or Poor White Labor Movements had leaders who usually stood/stand out: whether in dress, appearance, speech patterns, and certainly in thought. They were/are not desirous of being "accepted" or mainstream, that just want/wanted a friggen fair share or break. As I stated couple weeks ago, (by citing the Counterpunch article) the gay movement was about wanting to be accepted as being gay, they didn't give a shit about marriage, which in some ways is just some tired ol mainstream b.s. Marriage as a "gay" issues is actually a conservative one if one contrasts it in relation to the goals of the original gay movement who consisted of "queers" and "fairies" who wanted acceptance for who they are.
Perhaps it's a function of the inherent conservative character of Americans, be they Black, White, Hispanic, gay or straight, that America is a reactionary country contrary to the propaganda, always has and always will be. Liberalism has died with the End of the Age of Obama. Btw, what has happened to the "Women's Movement?" I hear more women call themselves bitches and hos than rappers. (Things that make you go, "Hmmmm.") Can you feel me now?
p.s. On Rev. Wright, I look at his works not his words. Rev. Wright to the best I can tell never wanted a platform per se the Oligarchs and Elites pressured Obama to do a Sista Souljah on his ass (and perhaps test the craveness of the Black population's hysteria with the idea of a Black prez. See how far the Negroes would shoot themselves in the head.) And, in keeping with the education and training of most elite-school pricks, Obama readily complied. Look at what the good Rev.'s church was being acknowledgef for? His ministry was a model. Look at the ministries that were operative, and consider that he wasn't homophobic like Bishop Eddie Long Stroke, he had a serious AIDS ministry. I don't give a shit about what people of stature say because they should have sufficient works manifesting their words if they indeed have "power," otherwise they shit talkers. "We shall know them by their deeds."
HA! Looks like the Rethugs middle finger is wagging
Mr. "Bipartisanship" is about to get bushwacked by the Rethugs.
So much for "reaching the across the isle." He deserves it for being a wuss. By the way, when the retards and cretins from the GOP (the Tea Party IS the GOP) start conducting useless, corrosive investigations of Obama, Black folks will rally around him even more. This, despite the fact that Obama will cave to GOP pressures and lurch further right. Now do yall comprehend the fucked up situation we're all in?
A man can't ride your back unless it's bent. Serves Obama right, I hope the Klansmen in 3 piece suits make his lil ass cry. "Boo, hoo, hoo," Mr. Bipartisanship, serves your ass right.
In response to the GOP promises to scale back or scuttle damn near everything Obama has done, Obama says "now is not the time to relitigate." Puhleez Barack, are you a trial lawyer or a desk lawyer? Obama doesn't want to "relitigate," the Rethugs want to get his ass without indictment or trial, and execute him at high noon. Who do you want as your lawyer, the (Con)law scholar or the (Con)gress? (lol).
The Useful Idiot(s)
Another reason for the Oligarchs to keep Obama in office is because of the degree to which he mutes criticisms of US foreign policy. Although I have little doubt that the Arab/Muslim world has awaken to his fraud, many nations throughout the world still cling to the phony hope/change mantra. Much of this is due to the tradition of African American leadership (which Obama debunked in his rebuke of Rev. Wright and most Black sellouts endorsed), the historical world-wide role of African Americans providing a bulwark, a voice against US imperialism and racism. The presumption that the African American, an aggreived soul, is inherently "fair."
Many foreign countries, just like that "75%" of African Americans, will believe in their little hearts of hearts that Obama will "do the right thing," as he smiles in their faces while drones are hovering overhead or CIA/Blackwater assassination teams flood their shores. A howling idiot like Palin or a flame-throwing GOP thug could never bambozzle the entire world like smooth-talking Obama. Obama is the Oligarch's wet dream.
Just like Bill Clinton got his $30 Million quid pro quo, Obama will be handsomely rewarded once he leaves office. He's young so he can spread the lies of the Empire for a long, long time. I can even see the NAACP and the Urban League and the "new" SNCC, and BET awards and all the little Negro establishments inviting Obama to give speeches at their annual conferences as they struggle or pretend to struggle to deal with the economic fallout of his presidency on their "constituents." Don't worry folks, "we the people" will be stumbling over ourselves for pay his $50,000 appearance fee. The fact that Aunt May's house got foreclosed or cousin John was unemployed for 2 years during his tenure won't stop us from welling up with tears of joy at his holy presence.
Maybe it ain't just Black folks who are in need of pscyhoanalysis, maybe the whole goddamn world needs psychoanalysis?
Btw, I didn't specify who the "Useful Idiot(s)" were, for obvious reasons. Might want to check "all of the above."
Update #1:
Glen I'm a bit confused - are
Glen I'm a bit confused - are you saying Obama failed b/c of white nationalism or b/c he served a conservative agenda - or both?
Also, given the corporate servitude of the Dems i don't understand why karl rove and the koch brothers spent so much money funding GOP campaigns - religious fundamentalism? Simple racism? Doing a good job of carrying on the charade that the 2 parties are different? It's hard to believe it's b/c obama wasn't conservative enough for them. He was serving the corporate/conservative agenda just fine.
Hopefully the gridlock and/or draconian policies enacted will wake people up.
The Black and White - Go Green
The real question is why so many black people voted for Obama when he was clearly going to be working against their interests. They should have voted for Ralph Nader or McKinney and the Green party instead.
www.AttilaAndTheHUNZ.com - Don't Trust the Government (song)
Why i don't like the Greens
I don't want to destroy private individual ownership, like the Marxist and Fabian socialist do. I want to destroy the monopoly that a small group has over the means of production and private ownership. And though I believe that we must keep our air, water, and food clean, I think the global warming thing may be a scam to carbon tax and price gauge the middle class into oblivion. I once read a article about some U.N. quack-a-demics producing a "scientific" study that said that if the world consumes less meat that we'll reduce global warming lol...
With the disagreement with Marxism withstanding, this WSWS article comes close to outlining why I don't like the Greens:
"The Green Party has attracted disgruntled elements from within the establishment, together with a layer of former Stalinists and ex-radicals. The party's origins can be traced back to the PEOPLE party, founded by former Conservative activist Tony Whittaker in 1973, an admirer of the American biologist Paul R Ehrlich, who advocated enforced sterilisation as a means of implementing population control. An early recruit was Edward Goldsmith, older brother of the financier Sir James Goldsmith.
"PEOPLE published the "Manifesto for a Sustainable Society", which although amended over the years, and now styled as "Policies for a Sustainable Society", still forms the core of the Green Party's programme. The document begins by saying, "It is human activity, more than anything else, which is threatening the well-being of the environment on which we depend".
"The Greens today still primarily portray the threat to the environment as one of bad individual "lifestyle choices". For them it is not capitalism—and its incessant scramble for profits above all other considerations—that is responsible for the degradation of the environment, but "human activity". This theory of original sin places each individual virtually on a par with the transnational corporations.
"After renaming itself the Ecology Party in 1975, the organisation finally adopted the name Green Party in 1985. In 1991, then Green Party spokesman David Icke caused a minor controversy when he announced on television that he was the Son of God. The party achieved its highest general election result in 2005, polling 281,780 votes.
"Despite the radical rhetoric accompanying some of their policies, the Greens are a pro-capitalist party whose vision of society is one in which the profit system is not abolished but can be made to function better. The Green Party sees the economic crisis presently threatening the jobs and livelihoods of millions of working people everywhere not as the inevitable product of the private ownership of the banks and factories, but what they call "casino capitalism". Just as often, however, they ascribe all of the planet's difficulties to a supposed focus on "economic growth"!
"They are critical of the neo-liberal economic policies pursued by New Labour over the last 13 years, advancing a number of policies they claim would "promote fairness". In the party's manifesto, "Fair is worth fighting for", the Greens say they want to "see the back of rampant inequality" that "begins at birth" in British society. However, they do not advocate any measures that might eradicate the essential source of social inequality.
"Their answer to the crisis is a "Green New Deal", which would limit growth and "localise" the economy in a manner that, if implemented, would represent a horrifying economic and social regression. The Greens see society in Malthusian terms, in which "the scale of economic activity has taken us dangerously beyond what the planet can bear if it is to continue to support flourishing human and other life...".
"Making their argument more explicit still, the sentence continues by asserting that "population growth only makes things worse."
"A return to small-scale production would require far more with regard to population control than the Green Party's calls for "informed debate on a sustainable population", "free family planning" and reinforced "sex education in schools". In the UK it would be economically disastrous. On a global scale it would lead to mass starvation worse even than that which already exists. This is particularly the case in parts of the world that have no alternative to the harsh existence advocated by the well-heeled few, for whom it merely implies installing a solar panel, riding a bike occasionally, buying a low emission car and growing a few vegetables in the back garden.
"For the Greens, the development of advanced and globally integrated production does not hold out the prospect of utilising the resources of the planet to eradicate disease, poverty and hunger—once it is set free from the constraints of capitalism and is applied democratically to meet human need. Rather, they regard globalisation as inherently evil, since it threatens to destroy the environment.
"Global warming, pollution and other forms of environmental destruction can be addressed only on the basis of an internationally coordinated plan, placing the interests of the world's population before the profit margins of the major corporations.
"Even the imposition of "carbon quotas", the main policy advocated by the Greens to stem global warming and protect the environment, seeks to use the capitalist market! The trading in carbon emissions is itself a means of extracting further surplus value from the working class and to boost the profits of the major energy conglomerates. For example, in Australia, the so-called Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme introduced by the Rudd Labour government in 2009 will strip low and middle income earners of nearly £3.6 billion previously allocated as compensation for higher fuel and energy costs. Instead, the money will be used to cover the bulk of an additional £4.2 billion allocated to the major corporate polluters, bringing the grand total of public funds to be transferred to business through the emissions trading scheme to a staggering £74.6 billion.
"The Green Party completely accept the financial parameters of the existing capitalist order. A Green Party government would maintain the same expenditure levels as Labour, including the need to slash the current budget, which they say they would "aim to more than halve" by 2013. To meet this target, their programme advocates a series of "selected cuts" totalling £20 billion in 2010 and rising to £28 billion in 2013. While a Green Party government would introduce higher taxes on those with incomes above £100,000, the right of a tiny minority of the super-rich to possess obscene levels of personal wealth goes unchallenged."
Sometimes as a Black person I can't grasp
why so many Blacks remain loyal to Obama either. The confusion crosses racial lines. In addition to what Beverly says about news censorship on the "MSM" and fake "Left" news, I believe tribalism or racial loyalty is a big reason, and last but certainly not least, (arguably first and last), slavery, Jim Crow, and Institutional Racism in the context of a cut-throat capialist system has really done a head job on Blacks in general. It's sad, yet karmic. The chickens ALWAYS come home to rest, sometimes we just don't hear to want to hear the clucking.
In keeping with the controlled media and the institutional effects of racism theme, because of the (false) symbolism Obama represents there is an undying loyalty and an undying assumption that "popular" Black politicians are doing the work of of the people, despite mountains of evidence that they are either doing nothing, are working hard to maintain the status quo, and even in some cases are being regressive. I'd guess that for 75% of Blacks (I predict you will never see Black favorability ratings of Obama under 75%, NEVER), ANY, I mean ANY white critique of Obama is deemed racist even if the critique is lodged by someone who donated $10 million dollars to his campaign or worked 40 hours a week outside of their regular job on his campaign .
Check out this video of Greewald and the "Young Turk" on Dylan Ratigan, Greenwald and the "Turk" are expressing the views of so many White progressives and so many of us Blacks here are BAR, but Friday I showed this to an older Black gentlemen at the radio station and he said, with more than a bit of incredulity, "those White (critics) are racist." When I and my co-host explained that these were Whites who organized, funded, and worked their buts off to get Obama elected, he still maintained they were racist. "How do you know," he asked." I wanted to say, "Goddamnit, look at the facts." When confronted with the question of why an unpopular GWB did wtf he wanted to, despite Dimocraps regaining the House in 2006, he said, "A Black president can never do what a White president can do." So in his mind, by the magical power and sway of racism, Obama will never be able to, "be Obama." LOL Despite mountains of evidence--which is why I like Greenwald, as a lawyer he marshals facts--that Obama's policies are in continuity (if not worse) than Bush.
As I have said repeatedly, if Black folks refuse to awaken from their sleep when Obama convinces them, "the Devil made me do it," the Rethugs made me cut social security, medicare and medicaid," than I will probably stop blogging because my cynicism that the case is "hopeless" will be warranted. You could do a documentary on BET about Obama's Fiscal "Cat Food" Comm. being loaded with persons hostile to the social safety network and that 75% of Blacks I speculate exists, STILL WON'T BELIEVE IT'S OBAMA'S FAULT. They continue to say, "It's the crackers and the Jews fault," they're hamstringing Obama. As much as I hate to say it, even the Tea Party is being set up to DISPLACE Black anger at the Dimocrap Party.
This is why, as my fellow posters have stated, Obama is a much more useful tool than a Clinton, or a Palin. Obama negates the statistical significance of 10 to 15% (the Black) of the electorate. That segment no longer as any ability to "tip the scales" in close contests, they are self-sidelined, hence their concerns and protests are sidelined.
Frankly, you would need a someone like a Fanon, someone trained in the pscyhological sciences to state my thesis in more elegant terms or explain it better. But trust me, I've put a lot of thought into this and I think I'm onto something. What's weird is that same gentlemen I referenced above essentially believes that Whites are out to make Obama the last Black president, and yet believes a Black president is impotent???? You see the psychosis operative here? By my way of thinking, and pardon my political incorrectness, If a nigga can't act and be Black, fuck em, give me a principled White person, Martian or Klingon." I don't need a "symbolic" President who means little in terms of substance. The days of symbolic achievement are long over with. And for those, like the gentlemen, who say, "He'd be assassinated if he did the right thing," I say, you know that when you sign up for the job, there's a reason they have SS for their lifetime, duh."
As one of my favorite white bloggers, Joe Baegent would say, "Nobody gets out of here alive." With that being said, of course I could never withstand the vetting to be President, but if I did slip through the cracks, they've have assassinated me over a year ago. You don't get that many chances to go to your grave with a smile on your face, do you?
I too lost interest in symbolic "leaders" and other symbolic markers of racial "progress" many decades ago. Black people's obsession with empty symbolism and with the need to feel accepted by White America is killing us. The only reason to be in politics is to exercise power. Sometimes one can make friends in the process, but often one cannot. At the end of the day, if most Blacks accept the American premise that exercising political power in service of one's self-interest is something that is available only to Whites and to members of other ethnic groups, then we are surely a hopelessly lost people. In that case, we may as well stick with the Sharptons and Jacksons, at least, unlike most elected Black officials, and in spite of their shortcomings, every now and then these so-called hustlers actually manage to get action on controversial issues such as police shootings. What has President Obama, or the CBC, or the handfrul of Black governors done for us lately?
"Ding, Ding, Ding"
Quote of the Year:
"Black people's obsession with empty symbolism and with the need to feel accepted by White America is killing us."
Fascinating isn't it? That Whites are never afraid to be "White,": English-only, anti-"diversity," anti-affirmative action, etc. and Jews are never afraid to be "Jewish", but Blacks shit their pants if someone accuses them of being "Black?" When in fact, "Black Agenda" is nothing more, nothing less than a working class agenda. My God, what has a Black politician asked for of late that was specifically geared to Black folks? Not a goddamn thing. And Whites, Jews, Hispanics, and Others hide their racism behind charges of a Black politician being "too Black" or "racist" because he or she dares to look out for their constitutents. Another remarkable and telling example of the psychosis inflicting this country.
Chris Hedges just appeared on NPR discussing this book about the end of Liberalism (The end of Liberalism coincides with the End of the Era of Obama) and he makes this simple, profound, salient point. No real change ever takes place in America without a MOVEMENT and a movement by it's nature operates outside the mainstream attacking the status quo. (Of course BAR has been beating this drum for years). Black people, in their efforts to impress or please Whites have also lost their way with this bullshit about being the "First." This (being "First") speaks volumes to historical ignorance and psychological self-hatred, it speaks to Blacks being brainwashed that all that is good and wondrous comes from Whites, something totally antagonistic to the breath and scope of Black Civilization.
Blacks refuse to try to grasp and reflect on the fact that civilizations borrow one from another, Greek, Roman, or "Western Civilization" would have never existed without Nubian, Sumerian, Chinese, and Mesopotamian Civilization (and other civilizations not mentioned) including Meso-American Civilizations. The Spaniards were in awe of Meso-American Civilization, 1/3 of Spanish derives from Arabic. I could go on and on, but yall get the picture.
And some folks want to say history is irrelevant?! Good God people if you don't know it your destined to repeat it as we are in this very instance, this exact point in time in the African American journey in America is due to ignorance of our history. Had we knew, understood it, embraced it, we would have never put our stock in Presidents and Congresspeople. But, suck it up, because when millions of you co-signed Obama's lies and bullshit in his (in)famous "Race Speech," you signed your own death warrant.
Only Movements will bring change in America, not Parties and Politicians. This has been true of all peoples, women, poor Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. Most politicians in fact are arrogant, self-serving pricks who couldn't speal commonwealth let alone define it, and Lord knows, never actualize it.
The presumptive reason among the "75 per centers" is that the reason Obama can't be Obama is because the institutions won't allow it. Well then, if you got that sorted out, then you should realize only through grass roots movements will you affect change! Change is not selecting some punk, burnishing his or her resume, making yall think they got access when they really getting pimped, willingly I might add. (Clinton had ol Kendrick Meeks going, didn't he??) Because they know yall will continue to look up to them because White America has given them the "Good House Negro Seal of Approval," and that means grants and money, oooh weee!
Shit, if the Million Negroes who participated in the Million Man March had dropped $500 a piece in the "hat" spent the weekend building programs and systems instead of partying, we wouldn't need no damn government programs. Why not leave there with a pledge to have $5 Million men commit to donating $250 each year thereafter, for the next 5 years? (some of yall spend $250 at the strip clubs bf the recession, on a good weekend) That would have been some powerful shit instead of buying a T-shirt and getting some honey's digits.
(Translation: "He's an impotent President but he's "our" impotent President). It's a fucked up situation, but one rapidly remedied by grass roots Movements. Not symbolic ones like the Million Man March but the ones where people's asses and livelihoods are at risk and the urgency requires sacrifice. I don't know, the Real Housewifes of Atlanta is on tonight and it informs me the American Dream is just a click away. If only I had more facebook friends I might be famous too?? (sigh).
Either Blacks better get bold like Whites or Jews or shrewed like Asians, Pakistanis and Muslims who focus on the own communites and ignore mainstream politics because they don't need it. The middle ground is quicksand.
re: go green
Agreed! although as a white person i realize i can't have any grasp of what the prospect of a Black president must have meant to the Black community.
No quarter asked or given
As Michelle Malkin said, "take your olive branch and shove it." Between the gains this year in the House and Senate AND governors AND state legislative bodies AND the prospects of redistricting, Democrats will be out of power for the next 20 years at least.
The next 2 years are chicken scratch except that the new crop of legislators is beholden to the Tea Party and the Tea Party is more ruthless than any crime family. I love being associated with the Tea Party. I have great friends in it and I believe in the movement as a means of regaining our constitutionally recognized freedoms but have no doubt. If those we got elected don't toe the line, we'll turn on them like a mad dog. In 2012, we'll have presidential candidates and more for the legislative seats that open then.
If (no offense intended) socialists or whatever you want to be called want something different, I'd politely suggest you cut all ties with Democrats and try to segment the country, reserving a piece of it for your brand of governance. What more do you need to show you that the Dem's did nothing but take you for granted? Do you have housing or health care or jobs? In 2 years, what did Obama, Reid and Pelosi deliver that won't be taken away in the next 2 years? Just sayin'.
The Tea Party?
What in the world makes you think that the Tea Party is going to do anything whatsoever to help the average non-wealthy person in this country? It's backed to the hilt by the billionaire Koch brothers. I mean no offense but they are simply using people like you. The sad truth is that there is no political party or "movement" for the average non-wealthy American, white or black or latino or whatever to vote for. The Republicans make no effort whatsoever to hide their corporate allegiance and the Democrats at most give lip service to the people while working in the interests of the oligarchy.
This is precisely how the elite that owns this country wants things to remain, with the electorate being forced to choose between two hardly-different wings of the billionaire elite. American elections are nothing but more sophisticated versions of "elections" in third world military dictatorships where one can choose between this or that hard-line general. Please don't think that the Tea Party, the mainstream Republicans or the Democrats are going to offer any chance of making this country into something egalatarian and worthy of confidence. They're all working for the elite, not for us. Voting out a bunch of corporate stooges to replace them with other corporate stooges because that's all you're allowed to choose between achieves absolutely nothing.
@Brutal Truth:
As you said, the interchangeable party state marches on, in lockstep with its corporate masters, never missing a beat, irregardlessly of the results of "elections", mid-term or otherwise. In all honesty, I cannot fault most of Texas Tim's critiques or analysis of the Obama Administration's "failure" to deliver on anything of substance from a left or progressive standpoint. Unlike many, I never expected anything else from that group. President Obama never ran or acted like a progressive, and he retained far too many Bush and Clinton people on his staff to have any credibility when he talked about change. I believe that, unlike most Blacks, leftists, progressives and so-called liberals, Texas Tim and the Tea Party people will really try to hold those who they've elected accountable. Unfortunately for them, they too will soon discover that system does not serve them, and that it cannot be fixed from the inside, especially if one's "solution" is based on a deep-seated belief that "big government" is the only problem, as if "big government" exists in a vacuum in outer space without any links to big theocracy, big media, big military or big corporations. Many true believers in the Tea Party are in for a series of rude awakenings.
You betcha'!
Regarding holding politicians' feet to the fire, we've already started making their lives "interesting." Here in Texas, we're demanding that Joe Strauss not be re-elected Speaker of the Texas House because he tried to moderate and give chairs to Democrats. In the 2011 session, we're already on course to have an Arizona-type immigration bill and to expand the rights of Texas citizens to carry weapons onto college campuses. We're also going to REDUCE state government expenditures and nullify unfunded and unconstitutional mandates by the fed. When we redraw district lines, we'll ensure that Democrats are hobbled for the foreseeable future.
More importantly, our work to transform the GOP has been, so far, successful. The other option, demanding change through rebellion, has become unnecessary, at least to us. To my friends on the left, I still suggest you learn from us and transform the existing Democrat party into one that better reflects YOUR values. If you don't, I see your ideology fading into obscurity for generations. Even as it is, the Democrat Party is just a bunch of bureaucrats whining for crumbs from the industrial table.
The "centrist" one party establishment made one mistake..
While trying to co-opt the Tea party, they failed to sabotage the only true tea party candidate - Rand Paul. This guy is a committed, right-wing, Austrian school, anarchist, who wants NO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AT ALL!
Of course, this man poses a danger, because if people like him were around back in the day, there would still be things like states and individual "rights" to own slaves and impose Black code -Jim Crow laws. Black people in the south wouldn't have been able to use the toilet, because in his utopian world, not only would there not be any "socialist" public bathrooms around, but people would have the right to refuse Blacks from entering their private establishments.
I believe that there is a role for government in the business of protecting our god given, natural, human right's, and providing for the basic welfare of the public, but we can work with the Rand and Ron Paul's of the world on the size and scope of a ever growing, all seeing, all knowing, big brother government that wishes to enslave us and be our god. A government that wants to control how many of us will live, how we can live, and how much medical care we'll get. An intrusive government that wants to control what we think and say, what we eat and drink, what we can own, how many kids we can have and how we raise them:
"Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don't want to have too many of. So that Roe was going to be then set up for Medicaid funding for abortion. Which some people felt would risk coercing women into having abortions when they didn't really want them." - Ruth Bader Ginsburg
New York Asks to Bar Use of Food Stamps to Buy Sodas
By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg sought federal permission on Wednesday to bar New York City's 1.7 million recipients of food stamps from using them to buy soda or other sugared drinks.
Dems may use food-stamp money to pay for Michelle Obama's nutrition initiative
By Russell Berman - 08/14/10 06:00 AM ET
Democrats who reluctantly slashed a food-stamp program to fund a state-aid bill may have to do so again to pay for a top priority of first lady Michelle Obama.
The House will soon consider an $8 billion child-nutrition bill that's at the center of the first lady's "Let's Move" initiative. Before leaving for the summer recess, the Senate passed a smaller version of the legislation that is paid for by trimming the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as the food-stamp program.
The proposed cuts would come on top of a 13.6 percent food-stamp reduction in the $26 billion Medicaid and education state-funding bill that President Obama signed this week
42 million Americans on food stamps.
Gingrich brands Democrats 'party of food stamps'
By BRIAN BAKST, Associated Press Writer – Thu Oct 7, 1:42 am ET
MINNEAPOLIS – Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is advising Republican candidates on November's ballots to frame the choice for voters between Democrats as "the party of food stamps" while selling the GOP as "the party of paychecks."
DETAILS: TSA Fondles Women, Children Refusing Airport Naked Body Scanners...
Opt Out of a naked body scan? Then Brace Yourself..
Prince Charles urges British families to 'snub the bathtub'; Take shorter showers..
'Steralised to Reduce Carbon Footprint': Meet the women who won't have babies -- because they're not eco-friendly..
Al Gore's Carbon Footprint Is Big.
Posted by: Bruce Nussbaum on February 27, 2007
I've wanted to write a piece on the carbon footprints of famous people who are for sustainability and against global warming because I've noticed that many of them live in many very big houses, drive many very big cars and fly in private jets.
"While trying to co-opt the
"While trying to co-opt the Tea party, they failed to sabotage the only true tea party candidate - Rand Paul. This guy is a committed, right-wing, Austrian school, anarchist, who wants NO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AT ALL!"
* Are you sure about that? He's caved on many things that his father still stands fast for - including foreign wars, military tribunals, sucking up to Israel, etc. There is no way he's gonna get close to the trough without doing these things. Did you have a look at his idiotic acceptance speech when he accepted the Republican nomination? Here's what I thought about him then - not sure why the infowars folks are so gaga over him. It's similar to the way the progs were gaga about obama - and still can't get over their illusion . . .
"He's already states he is for military tribunals, supports the recent Supreme Court decision about corporations basically bankrolling candidates, makes it seem like Obama is some kind of socialist with intimate ties with leftists like Chavez and Morales, when he in fact is a corporatist(thank you Ron Paul). Rand Paul speaks for the coal industry - on his site he is very obviously distorting facts when he says "solar and wind" special interests are distorting the market in relation to energy. The mofos who have stacked the deck for decades are coal and oil industries. Yet - no talk of this from Rand. So far, Rand has outright lied about several facts, and he isn't even in office yet. I'm all for a shake up, but shit man . . . my initial assessment is this - Rand Paul is just gonna be used as a hustle to get the Republicans back in in November."
You may be correct
Is this the Henry Clay "American System" that Rand Paul said he was for in his victory speech? or the foreign austrian school of austerity?
I found this while perusing the net:
Rand Paul Endorses Bernanke And Agrees that Granny Must Pay For The Banksters Economic Crisis:
Rand Paul Cites Bernanke on U.S. Debt
By Damian Paletta
It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement, but considering some of the things Sen.-elect Rand Paul (R., Ky.) has said about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in the past, folks over at the central bank might be breathing a little sigh of relief today.
Mr. Paul, in his first Sunday talk show interview since winning election on Tuesday, invoked Mr. Bernanke's concerns about the country's debt to support his point that the government must cut spending to balance the budget.
"Bernanke says the debt is unsustainable," Mr. Paul said on ABC's "This Week." "We need to do something about it."
Tea Party favorite Rand Paul pushes budget cuts for Social Security, Medicare and defense
BY Richard Sisk
WASHINGTON - Tea Party superstar Rand Paul bucked the GOP leadership on Sunday by pushing drastic budget-cutting proposals, including a 10% pay slash for federal workers.
Paul, the Republican senator-elect from Kentucky, said on ABC's "This Week" that Social Security, Medicare and defense should also be "on the table."
"You have to look at entitlements," he said.
Paul's specifics on cuts contrasted with the generalities offered by the current and incoming GOP leadership in the House and Senate, indicating that Republicans could be battling each other as much as the Democrats in the new Congress.
Another Tea Party fave, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), said, "We're not talking about cuts in Social Security."
Republicans were determined to balance the budget, DeMint said on NBC's "Meet The Press," but "without cutting any benefits to seniors or veterans."
The self-described "Young Guns" of the new GOP House leadership also were vague on cuts - while lining up to go after President Obama's health care plan.
Webster Tarpley Tears Ron Paul and Peter Schiff a New One Video:
Sad news: Charles Barron (Freedom Party) fails to get the 50,000 votes needed to get automatic ballot access in NYS for FP:
HOWIE HAWKINS (Green Party) BREAKS 50,000 MARK, REDLICH IS CLOSE
posted by FreedomParty
Wed, 11/03/2010 - 6:23am
This is only a minor setback of the inevitable. As the billionaire's and their millionaire lackey's in government puts the screws to the people, they will turn to strong, "controversial" leaders who won't sell them out.
Cuomo has basically already admitted that he would employ the strategy of turning the middle class and poor on one another -instead of having them focused on THE REAL greedy class of billionaire's- if the unions and the old folks don't capitulate and accept slave wages/benefits.
As the rich get richer and the poor gets poorer, the reaction of "the peasant class" shouldn't be to wish that their neighbor's had less. The reaction should be with pitch forks for the government and the monied class, along with the demand that they have THE SAME pay and benefits as their neighbors.
Imagine that! A bunch billionaire's with their millionaire lackey's in government trying to brainwash sections of the middle class and poor to be jealous and hateful towards one another, with the end result being: EVERYONE getting their pay, benefits, and services CUT, everyone house fraudclosed on, everybody economically evicted from their rentals.
Part II: There are Two (2) Options, Neither Good
Before I get into the "options" I wanted to share an opinion piece written in the Wall St. Journal with amazing alacrity. It talks about Obama's lack of substance and leadership. Read it and share it with others. I've been saying since bf his election, "Obama is weak, a tabla rasa to boot, no fight, no real principles, not even Reaganesque in that Reagan could at least "articulate" his vision to his "base," frankly Bush "articulated his vision to his base also." Without further comment here's the piece, sure to elicit your own reactions.
Why Obama Is No Roosevelt
Roosevelt: 'Your government has unmistakable confidence in your ability to hear the worst without flinching and losing heart.' Obama: We don't 'always think clearly when we're scared.'
Now, the two options, neither good. The Oligarchs have positioned Obama to win the election if Palin or some similar wingnut runs. Mitt Romney or Rudy G. could beat Obama, Jeb Bush too. Pawlenty and Hucklebee could give him a run for the money. On the other hand, given Obama's success at gutting, nay EVISCERATING the Liberal base, and given that the Liberal base will spend years, if not decades, if EVER recovering from Obama's Manchurian Candidacy, why not leave him in office? He can achieve far more damage than Clinton.
At least Clinton was selling out and triangulating when the economy was strong, so it didn't feel like a fuck job when he ushered in the DLC version of Globalization, not so with Obama. The pain will be unmistakble. Don't you see the Peace Laureate trumping up WOT 2.0 with this Yemem bullshit, another US false flag that Paul Craig Roberts highlights?
But since Obama is going to move further to the right ( you notice I didn't say "move to the right," but FURTHER), why should the Oligarchs dispense with his services? He has the ability to nulllify (or has nullified) the Black vote for sure, and still a majority of the White Liberal vote. The alternative will scare the hell out of at least 40% of "thinking" White folks whereas 80% of Blacks will remain stupified. So option one, he's reelected by a narrow margin and as a "two-fer" not only continues fucking the "Libs" but also (indirectly) does a fuck job on the "Tea Party" that the Oligarchs are hell bent on sidelining. With a GOP challenger, a credible one, he or she will have to "deal" (he, he, ha, ha) with the Tea Party's incoherence and unpredictability. TheOligarchs have to find a way to shut off their spigot; Obama is the best White House Plumber in the world. Why deal with rabble rousers when you can deal with and coopt their USEFUL TROPES, through Obama's fecklessness?
Obama just set up a meeting with two men who have told the American people their job one is to hand him his head, make him a one-termer, and they chided the lil punk on public record that "don't fuck with us, compromise boy, or your punk-ass is grass."
Obama is perfectly positioned and suited for the FINAL INSTALLMENT.
Yall feel me??? Either way, we fucked. Obama Part 2, or Palin or someother wingnut, Part 1.
As they say in the horror movies, "see you in hell." LOL
p.s. Perhaps this aint the end of the "Age of Obama," maybe the "ending" part is based on WHO he said he was versus who he IS?
Maybe the Obama era is just beginning, the wicked version, sort of like we're living with Clinton's deregulation and globalization bullshit. Isn't it the Clinton era that brought us this economic calamity? I believe Obama sat at the table of the Trilateral Commission and CFR with Bill C. there to and told the Oligarchs and Bill, "I'll see you one, and raise you two." And the Oligarchs replied, "Shit! We're all in!!" The cards are being shuffled folks, but the Oligarchs always deal from the bottom of the deck too many goddamn jokers in their deck.
Change you can believe in my ass. In highsight, 10 years from now, Blacks might wistfully say, "Hell, Clinton was the first AND the last Black President." LOL
I think the oligarchs will let him stay
I think the ruling elite has too much invested in their puppet Obama to let him be a one-termer. Probably all this was decided in July 2008 when he and Hillary met with the Bilderberg Group in their Chantilly, Virginia meeting a bare two days before Hillary threw in the towel and endorsed Obama. What I suspect was said was something along the lines of this: "Now Hillary, we expect you to be a good girl and bow out of the race gracefully, endorse Barack for president and work to get him elected. In exchange when he's elected he will make you secretary of state, keep you in the limelight for eight years as America's public face for diplomacy, and then in 2016 you will be our next choice for president with all the money and backing that goes along with it."
Something else that we don't often hear mentioned is that a President Obama can be used for doing things that they wouldn't want a Republican president (or even a white president regardless of party affiliation) doing. Sort of like the "Only Nixon could have gone to China" strategy. A Pres. Obama can privatize public housing and privatize Social Security where Bush failed to. A Pres. Obama can gut welfare benefits and raise taxes on the middle class and privatize public schools and escalate the wars for energy resource dominance. Because after all it would be done by an alleged "Democratic" president and people 10 years from now couldn't look back and blame Republicans for it. He can do things they don't want the lily white Repubs getting their hands dirty doing and that in addition to their sizeable investment they've already sunk into this clown's political future will be the reason that we will see Obama beating Marco Rubio in 2012.
Unusual number of White House departures creates questions
October 20th, 2010 11:38 am ET
By Anthony G. Martin, Examiner
According to a report issued by retired U.S. Army Major-General Paul E. Vallely, who has served as special Fox News analyst for military issues, a reputable journalist with significant contacts inside the White House has asserted that Barack Obama has become unfit to serve due to emotional instability:
An analysis of the "middle finger"
"What we need is leadership that will tell the Republicans, as Dick Cheney so famously put it, "Go f**k yourself." That's what the Republicans have been saying to Obama all along, he just doesn't realize it."
The Op Ed News Articles You Linked to are so On Point...
Enlightened Cynic: Those Op Ed News Article you referenced are so on Point, that I'm going to Post some excerpts:
OpEdNews: Ed Martin- Nov 4, 2010
The entire time of the Democrats control of the House & Senate, the Republicans have been totally, obstinately against anything Democratic. Days before the election, John Boehner, the next speaker of the house said, "We will not compromise."
Now, look at these two headlines from 3rd November.
From the AP: "Obama signals compromise with GOP on tax cuts."
From the NYT: "Obama Vows to Work With GOP After 'Humbling' Losses."
Where has this guy Obama been for the last 2yrs? Why does he still think that he can "work" with Republicans after they have made it perfectly clear that they have no intention of doing anything he proposes and that they absolutely will not make any compromises?
We elected Obama to get the banksters under control with regulation and to reform health care with at best universal health care, or at least a public option. Both efforts wound up torn to shreds and tatters ... while the Democrats had control of both houses of congress. No wonder they didn't get elected.
Why is Obama still kowtowing, bowing and scraping, and kissing the asses of the Republicans??.. It's sickening to see Obama trying to placate the Republicans the day after the election. It's as if he's saying... "Yes sir [Boss], Mr Republican, anything you say [Boss], Mr Republican...
Obama spent 2yrs apologizing for his enemies and putting himself between the people and the banks--while neither creating jobs nor saving homes in the process.
The president has not forcibly condemned a widening banking foreclosure fraud scandal or stood up for twice-victimized homeowners. This is a very timid, erratic approach to domestic policy that got voters angry and Republicans laughing.
Obama is, sadly, the exact opposite of what we need. Especially now.
November 3, 2010 - Rob Kall - Op Ed News
The people have spoken & "rightly" repudiated failed leaders, corporate cronies and arrogant centralized, top-down politics.
Let's start with Pres Obama. He betrayed voters before his inauguration, appointing a team of Clintonites and banksters...
By appointing Rahm Emanuel, who hated Howard Dean- the architect of the Democratic party's 50 state strategy that produced success in 2006 and 2008, Obama set the Dems back decades-- Rahm Emanuel played a role in the bloodbath even before Obama was president. He was the DCCC chair who fought incoming progressives, funding blue-dogs in primaries-- Obama unleashed Emanuel to show his contempt for progressives. Believe me, they did not show up to get out the vote like they did in 2006 or 2008. It wasn't that progressives were whining as Joe Biden insultingly remarked. They were stabbed in the back and insulted and lied to.
Obama deserves to be primaried and replaced. He has failed as a leader in so many ways-- horrible appointees, weak, inadequate responses to crises, inability to handle the military... He has shown himself to be weak, ineffective, with poor judgments and inadequate strength to do the job...
Corporatists Democrats-- Almost all the elected Democrats sold out their constituents and America to lobbyists and corporations. Watching Chris Dodd pretend he was trying to protect main-street would have been entertaining if it wasn't so disgusting. Watching the Obama Whitehouse sabotage real reform, like auditing the Fed, produced a sense of outrage...Now the Dems have this bloodbath to show for it. The People have held Obama's Dems accountable for their... selling out Main Street for Wall Street, Big Pharma and Big energy.
The Blue-dogs- were massively repudiated. Half-assed Democrats who tried to evade the tea-party tsunami by pretending to be Republicans discovered.., that a Real Republican will beat a DINO who acts like a republican every time. Half of them in the house lost last night. Good riddance. I call them "the Rahm repudiation."
The DLC-- the Democratic Leadership Council-- is Clinton-land. It's a powerhouse that tries to push the Democrats to... look more Republican. When you talk about the DLC you're talking about the Clintons and they had a role in the bloodbath too. The US has lost millions of jobs because Bill Clinton signed off on the US joining the WTO & NAFTA. We did hear and suffer that great sucking sound of jobs leaving the nation that Ross Perot described in 1992. The DLC is a major enemy of progressives. Whoever they endorse is going to be a blue-dog, Rahm Emanuel type.
Nancy Pelosi- Pelosi's impeachment off the table set a pattern that the house and the White House followed of not holding [Bushite] criminals accountable. The house should have spent more time investigating war crimes and DOJ prosecutorial misconduct... Pelosi betrayed American justice... Now she's lost her job. Good riddance.
Harry Reid- Reid gave a detailed explanation why filibusters were so hard to deal with. Problem is, he knew that from the previous congress and he could have changed the rules at the beginning of the current one. He didn't ...
Chris Dodd- was so transparently protective of the finance industry it was enough to make you puke,.. Good riddance.
...etc. There are others to blame-- the mainstream corp-stream media, people who go to see Jon Stewart for 3hrs instead of engaging in real protests like the millions of French who went to the streets to protest the rise in retirement age...
We need... leaders who are strong, principled populists. I'd start looking towards Russ Feingold and Alan Grayson. Also, we can be sure that people blaming progressives for the loss will be coming out of the woodwork. Such accusations should not be allowed to stand. [Unemployment is in the double digits among African Americans, and at Depression levels among the Black young people who drove the president's 2008 remarkable youth vote. Pundits ask what happened to those young and Black voters. But how much more can we ask of them? If President Obama wanted their support, he needed to fight for them with the same vigor that he pursued comity with Republicans and bankers.]
"We Are All Centrists Now"
Obama's mental and psychological state is questionable, he's out of touch with reality.
Remember, Obama couldn't even "fake" rage at the BP disaster, and of course during and after the disaster he engaged in wholesale coverup, even his own "commission" looking into the disaster concluded the gusher vol. was minimized. And where is Holder and those prosecutions they promised? For the love of God, something is seriously, deeply wrong with this guy. I often ask my white friends and acquaintances if my assumption that the reason a lot of white man don't vote Democrat is because they are viewed as weak and the overwhelming answer is yes. Liberals are viewed as pussies ( pardon my impolitic terms) and there's good reason why. Haven't we all seen even the bullied fight back, at least on some occasions?
It looks like "we are all Centrists now" to paraphrase McCains rallying cry for the lying ass Georgians. Thanks to the Dimocraps and Obama you "liberal retards" need to get to the back of the bus. Notwithstanding, I remind folks of the bradlog article on the polling that showed Tea Party views are extremist NOT MAINSTREAM. "Well, goddamn, " an observer would say, "you could have fooled me."
While we are talking about the hollow shell called Obama and the Dimocrap Party, let's dwell on the hollow shell that is our so-called media, a true propaganda machine par excellence. Allow me a few sports anologies. It's like ESPN and the Vikings trying to trump up shit on Randy Moss, but Farve's dalliances, the Commisioner's office giving him a free pass, Farve's selfish and destructive behavior on the team, and the Coach's capitulation to Farve and resulting chaos get's censored because Moss "complained about the caterer." Let's see, you waived Moss because he complained about the food? WTF??!!! But niggas will be calling into the sports talk show I do to say, "Yeah, Moss he's a problem, just like Iverson's too selfish" (though better than 80% of the scrubs sitting on NBA benches, and wasn't selfish in Denver). Let's see how many white icons finish their careers overseas.
I know I'm digressing on a sports vibe, but the point is to be instructive, the purpose is all the same. Put the nigga in his place and scapegoat him, feed the perceptions of the masses, including Black folk. The problem isn't that the Vikings organization is completely fucked up, inept as Teddy Bruschi said, but that Moss doesn't like the food. People will buy this shit wholesale because "Moss is a problem," just like yall niggas "is a problem." Feel me?? Ask the Tea Party if you aint getting it.
When the CIA established Operation Mockingbird it was game over. With media consolidation and the SCOTUS's United Citizens ruling the CIA is probably getting bored at the ease of manipulating US public opinion.
p.s. When you look at Obama's personality you can understand how the stories that he's undercover gay and mentally unstable gets "legs." I wonder about the shit myself. Now that the Rethugs control the investigatory arms of Congress I guess we'll find out in the next 2 years huh? Obama's going to "reach across the asile?" Puhleez, more like reach for the bar of soap.
"Change you can believe in." Yeah, this "change" you can damn sure believe in, you're looking at the true nature of the beast, the US political system, a tin-horn democracy. Parroting Palin: "How's that hopey, change thing working for ya?"
Don't like my sports anology? Here's my media one
As I've said on BAR before I really, really do not understand how WaPo's Eugene Robinson won a Putlizer, but then again, I guess we all do. He's a dedicated spokesman for the appartus. Looks like Gino is despondent over Pelosi losing her position as majority leader, here's his puff piece entitled:
A Speaker Who Stood Out
Check out this paragraph, I almost fell out of my chair laughing:
"President Obama still has the ability to set the nation's agenda—and also the power of the veto, in case of emergency. Harry Reid is still Senate majority leader—and after the way he punched and scrapped his way to victory, who wants to mess with him? As for John Boehner, he'll soon learn that his new job requires a more extensive vocabulary than "no."
Big Ass HA!!! Did Gino actually write that," Who want to mess with (Reid) him?"
Gino goes on to say:
But amid the wreckage of Tuesday's GOP rampage, there's one person for whom I feel awful: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She's losing her job not because she does it poorly but because she does it so well."
More Gino:
" Pelosi would never ask for, or even accept, my sympathy—that's not her style. Her place in history was secure the moment she became the first woman to take possession of the speaker's gavel. Still, she squeezed every drop out of her four-year tenure. To string together a couple of sports cliches, she came to play and she left it all on the field."
Now I didn't link this article for Gino's sports anology, he slipped that in on me. Get it folks, "She left it on the field." Now compare her "leaving it on the field," with BAR's dissection of her capitulation. Not to mention, this is the same corrupt woman who said, "Impeachment is off the table." And who lied about receiving the same Intelligence Briefings as the Rethugs regarding Tel-com criminality. "She left it on the field." You damn right "she left it on the field" for the Rethuglicans. She left the friggen Bush machine excesses and crimes in tact. Impeachment was off the table because the Dimocraps were equally complicit. Not even the Dimocraps are stupid enough to investigate themselves, because in investigating Bush's crimes they would be investigating THEIR OWN CRIMES.
Gino should have won the Putlizer for the Fiction Writing Cateogry, poor Gino, "he's left it on the field" for the Dimocraps.
Rethuglicons likely to urge Obama not to shred documents
By Jordy Yager and Bob Cusack - 11/03/10 10:32 AM ET
Republicans are likely to urge the Obama administration not to shred documents as they transition to the House majority.
Before the election, GOP officials on Capitol Hill privately discussed the issue but refrained from publicly tackling it, not wanting to assume what would happen on Election Day.
Now that Republicans will control the House, the shredding matter will move front and center.
No one is accusing the Obama administration of destroying documents, but Republicans are expected to try to ensure that all records — on a range of issues — are kept intact.
Darrell West, a political scientist and director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution, said Republicans likely will formally ask the administration not to shred or delete any relevant documents that could be requested in a congressional probe.
"That'll happen right away, because they want to make sure that the documentary record is preserved so that they have something to investigate," said West.
Armed with the House majority, Republicans next year will enjoy subpoena power — something they have not had in four years.
There are 2 options, neither good
While I expect gridlock to prevail as option one, I actually go back to the BAR piece last week, not yet archived, which talks about Obama "going right." I haven't heard the Prez's "concession" or "explanatory" speech in toto (nor am I really interested, Obama is too predictable to bother), but what snippet I DID hear on NRP was more of the same, more of the same triangulation and capitulation. Obama said words to the effect, "We are open to good ideas," from the Rethugs. So what I predict is a combination of both option 1, gridlock, but also option 2, capitulation and triangulation, in response to option 1. We're fucked any way you shake it. Sadly, Obama will interpet Tea Party ideas, which Bradblog debunked as marginal versus mainstream, as mainstream ideas. We all know how Obama trembles at the sound of Hannity, O'Reilly, Beck and Faux Noise.(aided and abetted the faux "liberal" media).
I too am "wistful," "hopeful," for gridlock as the lesser of evils, but come on folks, don't count on "Mr. Bipartisanship," to veto the Rethugs unless it's something ape-shit insane. Obama is too timid to take a stand now. But tax cuts, deregulation, privitization of schools, slashing social security, medicaid, medicare, food stamps, HUD programs, Section 8 and the like,- anything "Reaganesque" is on the table. C.N. talked last week about "starving the beast." Grover Norquist must be doing high fives because the beast is now officially starved. Welcome to the Age of Austerity.
Obama would wet his pants if he thought he couldn't "lead." The one thing he fears even more than confrontation, is "not being liked by the White elites." (the regular whites he'll shit on them, you know the "retards" and the white working class in the Gulf of Mexico).
One more thing, would somebody please check into Bush's speech after the Dimocraps took over the House in 2006, I don't remember concessions, I could be wrong, and what I do remember is Bush saying in 2008, "I have capital and I intend to spend it."
"Poor Bo wock, boo, hoo, hoo," he had a fucking Fort Knox of capital and yet couldn't rub two nickles together. I bet Bush didn't reach out the Dimocraps after 2006, I'm open to someone proving me wrong.
p.s. Texas Tim, read this to understand what "cutting off your nose to spite your face means," the upshot?? All of those selfish Tea Party Pricks, the one's who achieved their status in life due to a sound public education system and "Great Society" programs that gave them equal access to education and a good life-style, well who in the hell do they think will fund THEIR retirements? Read em and weep T.T.
Title: The Gray and the Brown: the Generational Mismatch
P.S. After thought, big one though. The REAL QUESTION is whether these crazy mother fuckers punk Obama into attacking Iran? "Liberal" Dean of the Washington Press, David Broder, suggested this week that a war with Iran would get us out of the recession. Unbelieveable folks, but yall don't expect sanity these days, do you???
Auctions Not Elections
"Progressives, of course, had no movement, having opted to become Obama's groveling left flank, instead." - Wow, How true, constant naval gazing, personality over issue. Didn't even protect the left flank!
DNC / RNC different hands, same body, corporate whores.
Until the corporate military occupation and corporate class warfare ceases there will be no progress or peace. That won't happen with the current for Congress nor likely any Congress in the near future, with so much already invested in these corporate shills. Establishing a factual government of We The People, will be the only resolution forestalling a full collapse.
Do you really think last night was about white nationalism?! What if I were to tell you that "whitening" the nation never comes up except on black sites? I'm in the Tea Party and we NEVER NEVER NEVER talk about race relations except that we're trying to make minorities feel MORE welcome in our groups.
What you should take away from the Obama failure is that you can never trust government with freedoms that belong to the people. To wit, what did Obama and a Democrat majority do about socialized health care? They raised costs and gave you no single payer system. What did government do with stimulus? A few political allies got big pay-days and taxpayers got stuck with the tab. And how do you like being underwater on your mortgages? Pretty cool, huh? The bottom line is that you will NEVER, under any circumstances, get a system of centralized government that treats you like wards of the state. A better course is to keep the money you work for and do for yourself.
What the Tea party
First all Texas Tim, you don't have to talk about race in the tea party because as white people you are in the majority, so you have power and you know you are in control. So yes you welcome so called minorities, but on your terms. You certainly don't recognize the right of black people to self determination and to be in charge of our own destiny.
Some of your observations are on point, the sad part is that many in the tea party still see their interest as aligned with the very people that are causing them pain in the first place. Consequently you work against your own self interest.
Whether you realize it or not working class white people have common cause with progressives and with black people's struggle for self determination. First you must own up to your own racism and your centuries of indoctrination to the extent you are unable to recognize your true allies. It does not mean you are a bad person, but that you are seeking to come to terms with your white privilege and prepared to renounce your complicity with forces who ultimately are part of the problem you want to fix.
The Big Corporations and finance capital do not give a hoot about your concerns as ordinary Americans, regardless of your color, if you consider yourself in that group. The road to a truly democratic society is not the path you are presently pursuing. The Tea Party is a construction of white nationalism in the service of Finance Capital, and unless you have an exceedingly large amount of capital stored away somewhere you are not part of the team, but only the lackeys in some larger scheme.
Amen Hamadi!
I say bravo to you too, Hamadi. Fantastic reply to TT. I hope he gets it, because if he doesn't, it will be his funeral, and the undertakers will be from China and Brazil, if not the Pakistani-Afghan-Indian Coalition. One whiff of that (subtly) racist chauvinism in TT and his collective's future, not as powerful position will spell premature death by the hands of the annoyed, new decision-makers. Tell him to wise up for his children's sake, the next generation, who will throw him into the worst senior citizens' home in revenge for him not preparing them for the future. Refer him to Frances Welsing and James Baldwin as an introduction.
Remind him that the 500 billion dollars the Fed just pumped into the economy might just be the equivalent on placing 500 dollars on number 1(!) at the roulette table.
The GOP Elite is scheming to side line the Tea Party
T.T. heed Hamidi's words, the GOP Elite, the Peggie Noonans, the George Wills, the power brokers are already working behind the scenes to sideline any grassroots aspects of the Tea Party. When I googled to find this article there was one where (laughingly) Newt claimed that Obama represents the Elites (a half truth at best). Newt is talking about "cultural elites" I assure you not the capitalist elite which poured billions into GOP coffers this election.
I'll make a deal with you T.T. if the Tea Party can AT LEAST get the Federal Reserve audited, put that pariah out of commission, they I'll applaud you even if you do nothing else, even screw shit up. Let's see if the first Congressional act for the Tea Party is (1) auditing (and possibly disbanding) the FED, or (2) cutting social safety nets for the poorest and politically weakest among us. I know where I'm placing my bets.
Now that the GOP hierarcy has manipulated the grass roots of the Tea Party they are going to kick you to the curb, you'll become a foil for more corptocracy and we'll see more and more small, predominantly white towns across the landscape of America go the way of extinction. It's "What's the Matter with Kansas," on steroids.
hamadi: bravo
Good reply to TT. Some of the groups you list could overlap.
I think than anyone looking
I think than anyone looking over the past year and not seeing an Obama administration and a Democratic Party deliberately working its way towards a 2010 'loss of power' just doesn't get the kabuki.
From saving the California deserts point of view----
I am extremely delighted that the teacher-in-chief and in particular, his right hand man in the senate, Harry Reid, got their wings clipped last night. Harry Reid, along with this president, have done more to endanger the Mojave desert and its' many endangered plant and animal species than almost any other in history.
Now, thanks to this humbling, I doubt there will be too many more calls answered for multibillion energy boondoggles way out in the
middle of nowhere, since maybe the republicans might be more interested in helping oil or coal companies, neither of which are found out there.
This site, btw, is one of a handfull anymore that I feel I can get the straight scoop on what's happening with "our" government.
Yes, Slick Willy Part 2, but with a little twist (lol)
Barack Obama -- Larry Sinclair Press conference Pt 1
By firedogIake
Barack Obama & Larry Sinclair: Cocaine, Sex, Lies & Murder? [Hardcover] By Lawrence W Sinclair, Jeff Rense (Foreword)
President Obama's Second Generation Human iPad (iReggie)