Don't listen to republicans

Why does anyone listen to republicans? I mean, really? They have ZERO, ZILCH, NADA, creditability. History proves they are on the wrong side of every issue. So please tell me why they are allowed to use the public airways to mislead the American people and distort what we decide while liberal/progressive voices are silenced? Why aren't we hearing about the Progressive Caucus Budget to the same degree we're hearing about Paul Ryan's budget proposal?

The 75-member House Progressive Caucus has put out its own budget to counter Paul Ryan's Medicare-gutting GOP plan.

This is more than a fantasy document. It's sound policy. The conservative Economist magazine has called the budget "courageous." As a conversation-starter, it shows that the path out of our debt and deficit quagmire is not as steep as most imagine, and that getting America's fiscal house in order isn't incompatible with making critical investments in jobs and infrastructure.

The budget has more of what Americans say they want — new taxes on the rich and cuts to defense — than either the GOP's or the president's budget. And it has none of what Americans say they hate: changes to the social compact that's guided America from the days of the New Deal and the Great Society.

What's that you say? The Americans want new taxes on the rich and cuts to defense? I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you! That explains why we aren't hearing about it in the media. *Snark*

Let Congress Test Out Paul Ryan's Medicare Plan on Themselves and Their Families: That Would Kill It Right Quick

If the politicians in DC are so serious about deficit reduction, then why don't they start by cutting their own pay, health care benefits and pensions?

Doesn't budget control begin at home?

And if Paul Ryan's Medicare plan is so terrific, why don't Ryan and other Congressional supporters of his budget immediately pass a bill that will replace their health care benefits with the Ryan plan?

In fact, why not run a test program with the Koch brothers, members of their Americans for Prosperity and elderly Tea Party supporters? All of them should volunteer to immediately go on the Ryan Medicare, drastically limited "voucher program" - which would leave a high percentage of seniors unable to afford medical insurance - as sort of a test model of Ryan's plans for privatizing and shrinking Medicare.

Then we can see the actual results of a plan that would raise health care costs by adding the profits of corporations and administrative costs to Medicare, while drastically reducing benefits due to the small amount of money allocated to vouchers for each senior - and the for-profit insurance industry profit motivation to deny as much care as possible.

Why aren't Senator Bernie Sanders and Dennis Kuchinich invited to appear on mainstream media talk shows? I'll tell you why, it's because they might tell the TRUTH.

Presidential Tug of War... Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't

Guest editorial by MES

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 3:42am

We knew this would happen with the Libyan conflict. The neo cons are belly aching about President Obama's "dithering" instead of invading Libya guns blazing Rambo style, killing everyone not wearing an American flag lapel pin or swearing allegiance to American Jesus Ronald Reagan.

Joining the chorus of neo-cons are those who are upset the United States is even supporting joining the "no fly zone" with France and Great Britain and the Arab League, claiming the US "bowing down" to them and the United Nations.

Of course, there are natural born cynics who believe that we shouldn't be there under any circumstances. How many tin pot dictators do we need to take out? There are just too many, and trying to pay my car note is a higher priority than Libyan rebels.

Lastly, we have this new breed of constitutional law scholars who sprung up over night who KNOW the President has violated his enumerated powers granted by the constitution. Republicans and Democrats are now using the "i" word, impeachment because Obama went to the UN, talked to senate reps, and bombed Qaddafi. It's not like he lied to the UN and the entire world to link a terrorist attack to a country that had NOTHING to do with that attack. That's ok. The very people that were so gung ho for war is now so concerned about "collateral damage" and the civilians that could possibly be killed. People being blown up, guns, missiles needing to be replaced (defense contracts), regime change for brown people, what's not for a conservative to like?

I'm confused...When Bush's hillbilly holy war to spread "freedom and democracy" began in Iraq began in 2003, terrorist organizations were kidnapping contractors and posting the be headings online. Bush leaning on his podium with that cocky crooked smile defiantly said, "We don't negotiate with terrorists", "Bring 'em on" and I'm the Decider." No one said a word, no screeching histrionics about wanting their country back.

When Sadaam's sons were killed, their dead mutilated bodies were posted on every television and web page, but that was ok, because they were Saddam's sons and they allegedly killed his own people. How did Saddaam use chemical weapons against his own people? Where did he get it from? The United States. That's what happens when we intervene. I digress...

With all that has happened in Iraq, one of Bush's Middle Eastern policy makers stated, "The President traded the effectiveness of early action for political cover, the administration is itching to get out in days, not weeks and turn the operation over to France, Britain and other allies. It get's better:

" How does that look? , calling the U.S. role “intervention on the cheap” and accusing Obama of “rejecting leadership on principle” instead of continuing the traditional U.S. role as first among nations. While allowing European and Arab nations to take the lead may be fine militarily and from a cost standpoint, politically it projects “a sense of diminishing U.S. influence more broadly.”

Have I been dreaming for the last decade? Didn't Gates, McCrystal and Powell, all of the people that have stripes and have served in the military, say that the military was stretched to thin? Didn't grampa Munster McCain even say that? It's kind of hard to be the first and the best when you are owned by the Chinese and are engaged in two wars and have an electorate that think FEMA concentration camps are real. and Glenn Beck is a prophetic voice from God. What God, I'm not sure...

Dennis Kucinich has joined in "impeachment" cacophony, talk about party solidarity. That's always the democrats problem isn't it? They have superior intellect but for some reason they decide to wander off the reservation and detach their balls, drench them in kerosene, set them on fire, jump in the Prius for sushi and wonder why they lost the election.

It appears all of the "anti-American" if you criticize the president talk has been erased in two years maybe because we had our first functionally retarded president, and now we have our first communist, Marxist, Nazi black president. The logic is there, but only in the southern states.

Anything Obama does will be criticized. He acted to soon, to late, it's to expensive, it's a war on the cheap, it's political posturing, it's Bush's fault, it's Obama's fault, does bail outs, he added to the deficit, he's a ditherer, he lacks leadership, he rises above, no drama Obama, he's detached...The irony of him being criticized by likes of Lynn Cheney, Sister Sarah, and Bush's Middle Eastern Advisor and all of the new constitutional law experts that exist under the flag of tea party should make Obama and his staff very fearful about re-election. Whatever mileage he had after the Gabby Giffords shooting is slipping.

As usual, Obama has not articulated and effectively communicated what our long term goals are, what is the mission. Will this be another situation where we run in, play security, train the military and the police occupy the entire country and have no exit strategy? Will we have more Abu-Graib's? Why is this loophole to bomb Libya that Obama pulled suddenly "impeachable?" Bush should've been impeached first. I know, Obama said he would never use his Presidential authority in this way, but no President gives up Presidential authority, that's like eating one potato chip.

Again, no one said a word about the Patriot Act, Rendition, Spying on Americans for the sake of feeling safe, and Guantanamo. The lie that kept being parroted was, "Bush kept us safe", Not so, it takes time to effectively plan, fund and execute a major terrorist attack. 9/11 took years to pull off, it wasn't just a bunch of random dudes that woke up one morning and decided to hijack some planes.

This is the sort of psychological projection that conservatives have mastered in the media. Notice how now, the conservatives are spinning the Obama Administration lacks a "clear strategy" in Libya meme? Here's the thing - if the Obama Administration were to explicitly lay out a "clear strategy" to the liking of conservatives, they would howl and scream about how this president is "giving away military strategy".

Recall their complaints when Pres. Obama announced goals to end military operations in Iraq by a set date - they were livid, claiming that the enemy would just wait us out. Now they complain when the President doesn't tell all. As others have noted, all you have to do is listen to the statements from the Administration to ascertain their goals - establish a no fly zone and deter the Libyan Army from attacking civilians, all these per the UN resolution. It's THAT simple.

What's chaffing conservatives is Pres. Obama simply isn't in this to build chest-thumping kudos for America like his predecessor. That's why they were angry with his relatively subdued approach when the events unfolded in Egypt, allowing the people to take credit for what happened, not the USA. He's not going into Libya with the bravado that armchair generals desire or cowboy diplomacy that got shoes thrown at his predecessor. Are some actions politically motivated? Absolutely. He's a politician. However, I don't think he thinks or runs the WH like he is in campaign mode funneling misinformation through fox news or has a bunch of flunkies like Karl Rove slithering in his own ooze infiltrating civilized society telling lies with a pale forked tongue.

What the American people need to understand are the political realities the President faces which are a direct fallout of Bush's policies. It's because of those policies the US CANNOT take a lead role and MUST NOT appear to act unilaterally. America is paralyzed, having squandered the goodwill and trust of the world, especially the Arab world at least 40 years ago, through our mismanagement of Afghanistan, Iraq, interventionism in the West Bank, Israel and so on...

Thanks to our desire to spread the joy of McDonald's, "Jesus"/ Ronald Reagan and pop music to the Middle East, we can't be the GI Joe, we have to be the little green stationary men, with no names.

Hypocrisy never get's old.

Support Obama or Else!

Support Obama and STFU!
Support Obama or leave!
Don't think, support Obama!
Stop whining, Support Obama!
Give him credit for what he has done!
Give him time, he's only been in office 18 months!


There shall be no criticism of President Bush, I mean Obama. Deja Voodoo all over again? One thing that gets my goat is people who don't have problem with President Obama's policies and who don't want to criticize his actions bashing those of us who do

 If you support Obama blindly, that's fine. If you don't want to question Obama that's fine. But don't try and suppress dissent or dissenters. That's something that happens under evil dictatorships and under gop administrations. Remember?

For the record I am a strong supporter of President Obama's, but I have serious and strong objections to some of his policies. It's not the CHANGE I HOPED and VOTED for.

I voted for our troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.
I voted for restoring honesty, integrity and justice to the Justice Department and an end to Scooter Libby justice and Brownie incompetence.
I voted for closing Gitmo.
I voted for health care reform that included a public option.
I voted for public education reform.
I voted for jobs.

Now, the way Obama is heading he will be a one term President because his base, aka The Professional Left will stay home in November (can you say Scott Brown?).

Former White House Press Secretary  Robert Gibbs showed his true colors (pun intended) when he attacked The Professional Left.  Like former Mississippi Senator Trent Lott , he told us us how some in power in this administration really about the base. It also explains why President Obama's agenda is what it is (not) and why his poll numbers are tanking enabling republicans to get their hands on the car keys in November.

Was Robert Gibbs in cahoots with Rush Limbaugh to make sure President Obama failed? How many more Robert Gibbs are there in the Obama administration? Hmmmmm....

Gibbs re "Professional Liberals":

"They will be satisfied when we have Canadian health care and we've eliminated the Pentagon. That's not reality," he added. "They wouldn't be satisfied if Dennis Kucinich was President."

Wrong Mr. Gibbs. I would be perfectly satisfied if Dennis Kuchinich was President. For one thing, our sons and daughters would be coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Our tax dollars would be used to rebuild America. We would have health care reform that included a public option. As a matter of fact Mr. Gibbs, Dennis Kuchinich has been right (no pun) about everything.

What The Rude Pundit said, all the damn way! Warning, contains raw, language.

So, let's get this straight, Bobby G. We on the left warned your boss and the Democrats that every time you reached out your hands to the Republicans, those f&^kers would just gnaw on 'em. But you kept on with the effort of bipartisanship, watering down bills and watering 'em down. Anyone with a lick of sense knew that the GOP was just setting you up: force 'em to compromise and then make sure that what gets passed does just a scintilla of what could have been done. On bill after bill these mad negotiations occurred, and now you're accusing us of not living in reality? No, really, truly, f&*k you, man.

And all of you who don't have a problem with President Obama's agenda STFU. Really, truly.

It's official, Faux News is the right arm of the republican party.

I stand by White House Communication Director Anne Dunn, who stand by her assertion Faux (Fox) News is an arm of the gop. Faux News Talking TeeVee head Bret Baier talked to the President of the United States of America like he was a boy. Never in all my years of watching Presidential interviews have I seen a President treated with such disrespect by a interviewer. If Katie Couric or Charles Gipson had spoken to President Bush or Vice President Cheney with such a combative, negative tone they would have been hauled off to Gitmo for some Water boarding (or worse) so fast it would have made our heads swim.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for interviewers asking hard questions of our elected officials, but the office of the President and the President should be treated with respect and not arrogance. Bret Baier was the epitome of "white privilege". He was determined to put President Barack Obama in his place.

Faux News wants Health Care Reform to fail. Strike that. Faux News wants President Obama to fail. As Chris Matthews noted, there was no debate/discussion just trashing health care reform.

Last night MSNBC host Chris Matthews was discussing health care reform with NBC political analyst Chuck Todd and took a broad swipe at the health care coverage by Fox News, asking “has there ever been a bill before in congress where an entire network on television has blasted it every day for more than a year?”

The answer is a resounding NO. Maybe if Faux News and the other MSM outlets had blasted the Iraq Invasion every day for more than a year our troops wouldn't be dying in Iraq. Maybe if the MSM had blasted the FISA Bill and the Patriot Act Americans wouldn't be spied on. Maybe if the MSM had blasted and investigated all the Bush lies instead of suppressing dissent Bush and Dick wouldn't have driven our country into the ditch like drunk frat boys.

Speaking of frat boys, that's who President Obama is up against. The frat boys and mean girls in the MSM vs. the scholarship kid. You know, the kid who was teased and treated like a second class citizen because he was not born of privilege. The kid who was smarter and more compassionate than all of the them. The kid who united with the other outcast and was elected Prom King. The kid who won the game because of his outstanding ability. The kid who became their leader.

So now the new stop health care reform right wing media enabled whine is "deem and pass". Where was the media when Bush wanted to invade Iraq because they might have WMD? Booman calls it a hypocrisy...with crazy talk on the side.

I do believe the Republicans have outdone themselves in the hypocrisy department since they are much more fond of using the procedure than Democrats. That goes for reconciliation, too.

Even GOP media consultants are disgusted with Faux News.

Fox has faced withering criticism for its treatment of the Democratic White House. On Sunday, former New York Times editor Howell Raines decried the network and questioned why other news organizations lend it legitimacy.

"Why haven't America's old-school news organizations blown the whistle on Roger Ailes, chief of Fox News, for using the network to conduct a propaganda campaign against the Obama administration — a campaign without precedent in our modern political history?" Raines wrote in a column for The Washington Post. Ailes was a prominent GOP media consultant before becoming a national TV news executive.

It's not about the process. It's about putting President Obama in his place.

How can republicans be pro life and anti health care reform?

Republicans are pro life as long as it's in the womb, but after that all bets are off. I'm beginning to wonder if they are pro life as long as it's in the womb considering they don't want women have access to quality, affordable health care, which includes prenatal care and birth control. Correction, they don't want poor women to have access to quality, affordable health care, nor do they want them to have welfare, or acess to quality public schools, but I digress.

Is it pro life when children don't have access to quality affordable health care because their parents can't afford it? Is it pro life when their parents don't have access to quality affordable health care? Are Republicans pro life as long as it's a republican life

Owens’ mother, Gina Owens, said her daughter, who didn’t qualify for Medicaid, avoided regular visits to a doctor despite frequently throwing up blood. In June 2007, Tifanny Owens was hospitalized yet again, this time at University of Washington Medical Center. After a week of unconsciousness, she died at age 27, leaving Marcelas and his two younger sisters. Gina Owens has custody of the three children.

The bottom line is republicans are opposed to health care reform because they oppose President Obama. The question is, do they oppose President Obama because he's a democrat or because he's an African American? How hypocritical is it for gop and DINO Congress Critters to do everything they can to make sure Americans don't have access to the same government run health care they have yet say they are pro life? Have you no shame?

The Party of No is also the Party of No Shame. No Conservative ever seems to have a concept of taking responsibility for when the party has fucked up, or made fools out of themselves or the rest of America. Republicans routinely abandon their office, cheat on their spouses, have homosexual affairs with underage children, steal large sums of money, show naked and obvious corruption, and generally act like uncontrolled children with nothing more than their self-aggrandizement in mind.

Is any Republican embarrassed by this? Do any of you ever look at the Larry Craigs, Tom Delays, Newt Ginriches, Gordon Liddys, and think, "Geez, we have to get these clowns out of our party if we want the American people to believe a word we say?"

Or are you even aware of how silly you all look? How inconsistant, unserious, immature, and ridiculous your party appears to most Americans?

Or do you care?

And what's up with the "conservative dems" who plan to vote no for health care reform? In addition to calling out Dennis Kuchinich, President Obama needs to call out all the dem traitors. I agree with Moveon.org, any so called dem who votes against health care reform needs to be primaried and primaried hard.

How can republicans be pro life and anti health care? How can they be pro life and anti welfare? How can republicans claim to be the compassionate, conservative religious right yet be so wrong?

republicans are lying when they say the majority of the American people are against health care reform, just like they lied when they sent our troops to invade Iraq. They are lying just like they lied when they said Bush's tax cut for the rich was going to create millions of new jobs. They lie when they say they are pro life. They lie.

Stop listening to the lying liars and the lying liars who tell them and start listening to we the people. Stop pandering to stupid white men and other sorry excuses for the state of the union at the expense of we the people. Work for us, not against us.

Be pro life.

It's the Stoopid Media, Stupid!

I know you're probably tired of hearing me say this, but I keep saying it because it's true. The MSM we has is largely responsible for influencing public opinion and shaping public policy. As President Obama said in the SOTU address, the media has turned politics into a game of gotcha, right wing talking points and all spin all the time. Instead of telling us what we need to know, they tell us what they want us to know. For example, we know more about Bill Clintons' private parts than we do about 911. Why?

This is the media who allowed Bush and Cheney to take us to war based on DEAD WRONG INTELLIGENCE. This is the media who allowed Bill Clinton to be impeached for trying to conceal a private, consensual, extra marital,sexual affair from his wife, his daughter and the country. This is the same media that marginalized and minimized the anti war protesters as anti Americans who don't support our troops, but legitimize the Teabaggers as a "grass roots" movement. This is the media that claims it's being fair and balanced when they are actually UNfair and UNbalanced.


As this post from another group explains "Democrats are lacking in media and message".

It seems to me more and more that the Democrats and the Obama administration
lack a comprehensive media strategy to explain and promote their agenda,
policies and programs. They have left it up to the increasingly active tea party
movement and promoter such as Fox News, Right wing talk show and cable networks
of all stripes to tell the American people what President Obama and the
Democrats are all about.

It's not only Fox News and other right wing media outlets, it's CNN, MSNBC and even C-Span. CNN is so busy trying to prove it's not "liberal" they've turned into Fox lite. MSNBC treats us to three hours of misinformation with ex republican Congressman Joe Scarbrough first thing every morning. We used to be able to count on C-Span to at least be fair, if not balanced, but the so called liberal Washington Post has been replaced with the conservative Washington Times as the newspaper of record and conservative leaning Politico.com is the blog of record and conservative/right wing groups and talking heads out number and out debate the democratic/liberal counter side. All of them have a noticeable lack of cultural diversity i.e. it's all white unless the minorities are conservatives.

They have allowed the President to have his face grotesquely smeared on posters
all around the country, House leader Pelosi and Harry Reid's name used as a
pejorative by Fox News day in and day out.

I would add they also allowed President Clinton, Hillary Clinton, the late Senator Edward Kennedy, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and liberals in general to become a dirty word. If anyone dared protray Bush is a negative light they screamed bloody murder. Republicans=good. Democrats=bad.

Democrats could not explain their health bill in a way the American public could
understand.


Democrats reigned in the credit card companies last summer, then gave the same
companies six months to raise before the law kicked in.

Democrats failed to create a consumer protection agency.
The Democrats failed to create a Deficit reduction commission.

The democrats passed a stimulus bill and then let the right wing and cable news
pick it apart.

The democrats passed the Tarp and other laws and actions without adequately
explaining what would have happened if that had not been done.

With all the so called big money donors, why the lack of any media buys
explaining the Democrats and Obama's accomplishments?

Why indeed? The President and the democrats need to stop taking a knife to the gunfight and take the big guns instead. The current group of people who are allowed to present the message on TeeVee have failed and failed miserably. They are not effective. POTUS needs new, strong, bold faces on TeeVee speaking on behalf of the people, like Howard Dean, Rep. Maxine Waters, Rep. Dennis Kuchinich and other effective progressives and liberals. Someone who isn't afraid to take on the right wing bullies. In sports lingo, they need to send in the second string. ASAP.

One example that could have been effective is a simple chart showing which U.S
President had the highest deficit during their terms. This chart from zFacts
clearly shows the trend between cumulative federal debt and the economy during
each presidential term since Truman.
See: Gross National Debt as a Percent of GDP, by President
1950-2010
http://uspolitics.about.com/od/thefederalbudget/ig/Political-Economic-Measures/Debt-GDP-by-President.htm?p=1

The writer concludes;

The republicans, conservatives, corporations have a simple formula for winning
elections.
1. Appear to be for the middle class while doing the corporate bidding.
2. Embrace the moral issues (always votes there)
3 Strong military defense (men like guns and war- Male Vote)
4. Use fear of immigrants (brown, black) White and Asian are OK.
5. Use fear of Debt and deficits even though Republicans presidents such as
Reagan and Bush ran up more debt than any other previous presidents.
6. Count on the voters not reading or knowing history.

When will the progressives and liberals get their own Cable network to mirror
Fox News but from the left? The way things are going, liberals are disheartened
and disappointed and the right wing smells blood in the water.

When will progressives and liberals get our own Cable network and talk radio programs? How long are we going to continue to allow the public airways to be used to spread misinformation and to distort what we decide?

It's the media I tell you. The media thinks we are stoopid. They think they can tell us anything and we will believe it. It ought to be against the law to use the public airways to lie to the American people.

Weeping and Wailing is in the eye of the beholder.

Interesting discussion on Left in Alabama last night regarding criticism of President Obama. There are some who feel expectations are too high and President Obama is doing the best he can considering the circumstance and all the weeping and wailing is unproductive and unfair.

I on the other hand argue, it's easy for us to sit behind our computer screens in our comfortable homes, send our students to quality public schools/colleges, take care of our elderly parents, take vacations, have 401k plans and access to quality, affordable health care to be patient. So far President Obamas' policies have benefited Wall Street but not Main Street like he promised.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich reminds us 47 million are with health insurance because they can't afford it. How many times have you seen Congressman Kuchinich on TeeVee talking about health care reform? As my late maternal grandmother used to say, "very few" because the weepers and the wailers are suppressed in favor of polls claiming a majority of Americans are in favor of halting the health care bill. Who did they poll? The media? republicans? Can you say Waterloo?

Progressive Congressional candidate Marcy Wingold says it's not time to back off and soften our approach and without progressive challengers we will continue to see more Massachusetts. I agree.

Silence helps the oppressors not the oppressed.