Spintested: 08/12/10

Chris Dodd, Top Democrat, Fights Against Elizabeth Warren

Thursday, August 12, 2010

To punctuate your point, Frontline's "The Warning", about Brooksley Born, the head of an obscure federal regulatory agency -- the Commodity Futures Trading Commission [CFTC] -- who not only warned of the potential for economic meltdown in the late 1990s, but also tried to convince the country's key economic powerbrokers (Robert Rubin, Alan Greenspan, Larry Summers, et al) to take actions that could have helped avert the crisis.

"They were totally opposed to it," Born says. "That puzzled me. What was it that was in this market that had to be hidden?"

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warning/view/
About Financial Crisis
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The Real Story Behind Time's Cover

If anyone in power in the US gave a d@mn about the treatment of women, we would be arming women in Darfur so that they could walk the mile to the river for fresh water without getting raped and/or murdered. And arming women in the Congo. And issuing an ultimatum to the Saudis to grant Saudi women equal rights now and not next century.

If we gave a d@mn about women in Afghanistan, we would have required they all remove their burqas after the invasion in 2001.

We are not in Afghanistan, or anywhere else, because of the treatment of women. The US does not and has never warred on any other nation for humanitarian reasons. It's always about money and resources.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The Real Story Behind Time's Cover

The US government (and Obama is t00I of it now) has no intention of ever leaving Afghanistan. Freeing Afghan women, allowing a real democracy to exist, etc., would mean we had "won" and could go home.

Why do you think Bush made every counter-intuitive move to actually lose the war in Iraq? Why he sent Paul Bremer (replacing Jay Garner), who mucked it up so badly, disbanding the Iraqi military and firing all Iraqi government employees, leaving everyone without salaries?

Think of it as Penelope (the wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus in Greek mythology), who waited 20 years for her husband's return from the Trojan War (ten years of war, and ten years on his way home). She kept her many suitors at bay by telling them she would marry them when she had finished weaving her web (a shroud for her father-in-law). She wove during the day only to unravel it during the night.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The Real Story Behind Time's Cover

'Hijacking Catastrophe' (a 2004 documentary):

"The war in Iraq was very very clearly about oil, as was the war in Afghanistan. The oil pipeline that was planned (in Afghanistan), the best security for that was an occupation."

"If you map the proposed pipeline route across Afghanistan and you look at our bases? Matches perfectly. Our bases are there to solve a problem that the Taliban couldn't solve. Taliban couldn't provide security in that part of Afghanistan -- Well now that's where our bases are. So, does that have to do with Osama Bin Laden? It has nothing to do with Osama Bin Laden. It has everything to do with the longer plan, in this case a strategy which I wouldn't necessarily call neoconservative, however it fits perfectly in with the neoconservative ideology which says, 'If you have military force and you need something from a weaker country, then you need to deploy that force and take what you need because your country's needs are paramount'. It's the whole idea of unilateralism, of using force to achieve your aims."

-Lt. Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski, retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel whose assignments included a variety of roles for the National Security Agency and who spent her last 4 1/2 years working at the Pentagon with Donald Rumsfeld

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUxI3rSLDO8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SltOy_F6ZII
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The Real Story Behind Time's Cover

Just this past month, Rachel Maddow walks the streets of Kabul with Richard Engel. This is why the US strategy is never going to succeed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR5BHnN__5M
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Chris Dodd, Top Democrat, Fights Against Elizabeth Warren

If she makes it, it'll be due to the 'leftists' (professional other) who had the audacity to hold Obama to his word.

During the 2008 campaign, Obama told people that they had to stay involved after the election, that they couldn't just vote for him, go away for four years and expect that he would do what they had hoped. He said that there were powerful interests working against what the people wanted, and if We The People wanted Obama to do our bidding, we would have to MAKE HIM DO IT.

Obama's most ardent supporters forget that those of us who criticize Obama are only doing what he warned us needed to be done. NOT to trust him.

Since the election (and even before, with his FISA vote), Obama has been deceptive, breaking every campaign pledge and promise, conceding the positions of the left (getting nothing in return), and hobbling real Democrats at every turn while making Republicans and Blue Dogs stronger (and harder to beat in 2010 and 2012).

Obamabots are the most immediate problem, as they help him screw them (& us) over. Until Obamabots wake up to these facts, they are their own (& our) worst e n e m ies, and the reason we don't get what we all thought we were voting for when we voted Obama and Democrats into office as the majority power in our government.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

Obama and Democrats are continuing Bush's policies.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

What are your issues?

Specifically, what did you vote for Obama and your representatives to Congress to do for you?
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

Unlike the 600 members of the Tea Party (yes, that's all there are), 70% of the Democratic Party is liberal.

And when informed on the issues, most Americans agree with liberal policies.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

The Tea Party has always been a myth, & a myth that Obama & Rahm Emanuel have helped to create. In all of the US, there are 600 registered members of the Tea Party.

What Obama's doing is a variation of the old Bush-R0ve 'fear' tactic. Only instead of terr0rists with kn!ves between their teeth climbing over border walls between Mexico & Arizona/Texas/California, it's gvn-toting John Birchers at Town Hall meetings.

No sooner did Obama get into office than he & Emanuel went after two people who have no official connection to the Republican Party -- Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ02WUmh-24

Obama (nor RahmEmanuel) has NEVER gone after the Republican leadership in Congress -- Not McConnell, not Boehner, not Cantor, nor any other Republican politician. He's trying to recruit them into the DemocraticParty.

Last year, Obama disappeared from the healthcare debate as the Tea Party grew & bullied at Town Halls. All of last summer, as they brought gvns to the Town Halls, & members of Congress were canceling Town Halls, did Obama take charge, send out federal marshals to protect the democratic process? Did Obama hit the air waves, saying, "There will be gathering in the public square to do what we do in America: Debate and discuss the issues facing us!"?

No.

What Obama did was unleash federal security forces to Pittsburgh to break up peaceful protests of the G20 meeting.

There is no "far left" in the Democratic Party: Just liberals & DINOs.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

The senate would still be the same with the Corporate Clintons in office.

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

Where are you coming from with this?

Do you think I or the left likes the Clintons?

Obama's no different. He was a stealth candidate. He said just enough buzzwords to let all of the different interest groups within the Democratic Party believe he was one of them. He's wasn't and isn't. He's a corporate t00I. There is no reform possible with him in office. Nor is it possible with the DLC controlling the Democratic Party.

Democratic voters thought they were tossing the DLC out of power when they voted Obama in over Hillary. That's what Howard Dean's 50-state strategy was about, over Rahm Emanuel's DCCC "We'll Even Fund Republican-Minded Candidates As Long As They'll Put A 'D' After Their Names"-strategy.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Gibbs Stands By His 'Professional Left' Critique, Expects Liberals To Vote In 2010

Are you capable of discussing issues, or do you just lob off insults and opinions you've formed based on no apparent facts, just wishful thinking?

The week before & the week after the healthcare bill (or, more accurately, 'The Insurance & Pharmaceutical Industries Windfall Act') passed in the Senate was the one & only time a public option had any chance of happening until another generation passes.

A group of senators had mobilized behind it since the bill had to be passed through reconciliation anyway, & there was no way that Democrats weren't going to get enough of its members to vote against it just because it had a public option in it.

Obama nixxed it.

The excuse was that if the Senate did that, the bill would have to go back to the House for a vote & "There's no time!"

After the (allegedly) pro-public option senators accepted that excuse & stood down, 2 flaws were discovered with the bill requiring it going back to the House anyway. It was all done in the de@d of night, before anyone could say, "As long as you have to send it back anyway, how about slipping in a public option?"

http://www.huf fingtonpost.com/2010/03/25/byrd-rule-sends-health-care-back-to-house_n_512609.html

Obama is not only not for any kind of universal public healthcare, he will do everything he can within his power to prevent it as long as he's in the White House.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

Dems haven't abandoned the public option. Dems are going to reintroduce the public option as a debt reduction bill.

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

Political theater.

The week before & the week after the healthcare bill (or, more accurately, 'The Insurance & Pharmaceutical Industries Windfall Act') passed in the Senate was the one & only time a public option had any chance of happening until another generation passes.

A group of senators had mobilized behind it since the bill had to be passed through reconciliation anyway, & there was no way that Democrats weren't going to get enough of its members to vote against it just because it had a public option in it.

Obama nixxed it.

The excuse was that if the Senate did that, the bill would have to go back to the House for a vote & "There's no time!"

After the (allegedly) pro-public option senators accepted that excuse & stood down, 2 flaws were discovered with the bill requiring it going back to the House anyway. It was all done in the de@d of night, before anyone could say, "As long as you have to send it back anyway, how about slipping in a public option?"

http://www.huf fingtonpost.com/2010/03/25/byrd-rule-sends-health-care-back-to-house_n_512609.html

There will never be a public option as long as Obama is in office. Or as long as the DLC controls the Democratic Party. Or another 25 years. At least.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

The week before and the week after the healthcare bill (or, more accurately, 'The Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industries Windfall Act') passed in the Senate was the one and only time a public option had any chance of happening, until another generation passes.

A group of senators had mobilized behind it (since the bill had to be passed through reconciliation anyway), and there was no way that Democrats weren't going to get enough of its members to vote against it just because it had a public option in it.

Obama nixxed it.

The excuse, feeble, was that if the Senate did that, the bill would have to go back to the House for a vote, and "There's no time!"

After the (allegedly) pro-public option senators accepted that excuse and stood down, a couple of problems were discovered with the bill which required it going back to the House anyway. And it was all done in the de@d of night, before anyone like me could say, "As long as you have to send it back anyway (so your past excuse for not including a public option is moot), how about putting in a public option?"

http://www.huf fingtonpost.com/2010/03/25/byrd-rule-sends-health-care-back-to-house_n_512609.html

There will never be a public option as long as Obama is in office. Or as long as the DLC controls the Democratic Party. Or another 25 years. At least.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Gibbs Stands By His 'Professional Left' Critique, Expects Liberals To Vote In 2010

TAKE YOUR FINGERS OUT OF YOUR EARS!!!

What do you think "Canadian-style healthcare reform" means?

What do you think "ending the Pentagon" means?

Better yet, ASK HIM. GIbbs. Demand that Gibbs explain what he meant. He can't even say who he meant by "professional left" -- He had a flunkie, a deputy, come out and "suggest" it was MSNBC's program hosts.

This administration, like the one before it and the one before that, uses high-priced public relations' experts, wordsmiths, crafting sound bytes which use the shortest syllables to convey full blown messages to targeted audiences. It's a sophisticated art form, and the proof of their expertise is that you don't even detect it.

The only defense against it is knowledge. Once you know what they're doing, once you chase them down and demand full explanations, step-by-step details, it loses all its power.

But we can't even get them to answer simple inquiries. Obama, himself, avoids questions at all costs. He should be facing press conferences weekly, with real (non-corporate) media asking the questions, but he can't even manage 5 softball questions once every 6 to 8 months.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

Incidentally, that was the deal that Obama made. There can be no possibility of a public option as long as Obama is in office.

Voters put Obama and Democrats into power to get affordable quality medical treatment for all. What voters got was legislation that forces the People to purchase even-more-expensive-than-before insurance policies that don't require the insurance companies to pay for medical treatment. That's a Republican policy that even the Republicans didn't have the caj0nes to try to put over on Americans.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

Gibbs just told you that Obama and Democrats have (abandoned universal public healthcare).

You just don't listen.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

One of the many 'services' Lieberman has performed for Obama:

After Obama flip-flopped (one of many) on an issue he campaigned on (transparency and releasing the thousands of t0rture photos of detainees), he used Lieberman to slip it into legislation that gave the SoD the power to gut FOIA and bury the evidence forever.

http://www.truthout.org/1022095

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/143322/outrage:_house_sneakily_passes_bill_banning_release_of_photos_showing_detainee_abuse/
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

Obama never pressured Ben Nelson (or Blanche Lincoln, or any Blue Dog), either. The Democratic leadership could've taken away committee chairs (Blanche Lincoln's, too) of members in their caucus that filibustered a public option for healthcare. They didn't.

The DNC could've taken away reelection funds. They haven't.

Reid could've actually forced Republicans and turncoat Democratic senators to filibuster. He didn't (& doesn't).

The Progressive Caucus could have kept their pledge about not voting for a bill that didn't include a robust public option. They didn't.

Obama DID unleash the attack dogs to go after Howard Dean when Dean said it was a lousy bill. Dean was then forced to get back into line. Obama went after Kucinich, the last remaining holdout on the Progressive Caucus, for threatening to vote no on the healthcare bill, and we all know how that ended.

There is nothing that Lieberman is doing that Obama hasn't ordered. Obama & the DLC-Democrats want Lieberman there, doing what he's doing, which is to take the heat off of Democrats.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

Obama insisted Lieberman remain in the Democratic Caucus. In spite of multiple betrayals by Lieberman before and during the 2008 election (Lieberman endorsed McCain, campaigned FOR McCain).

Over REAL Democratic senators, Obama insisted Lieberman keep the chairmanship of the Governmental Affairs & Homeland Security Committee. That's the committee that whitewashed the Bush administration's failure during Hurricane Katrina. Obama rubberstamped that committee's not investigating Bush once Democrats took over control of government after the 2008 election.

Do you really believe that Obama got nothing for that concession? No agreement that Lieberman would vote as Obama told him to vote?

Obama did more arm-twisting on behalf of Lieberman remaining in the Democratic Caucus & keeping the chairmanship of that committee than he did on behalf of healthcare.

During the healthcare reform debate, Obama never once pressured Lieberman for threatening to filibuster any legislation that had a public option in it ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/21/lieberman-obama-never-pre_n_399355.html

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/02/22/public-option-dramatically-more-popular-than-senate-bill-so-obama-pushes-senate-bill-without-public-option/ ).

KEEP READING
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

During the campaign, Obama told people that they had to stay involved after the election, that they couldn't just vote for him, go away for four years and expect that he would do what they had hoped. He said that there were powerful interests working against what the people wanted, and if We The People wanted Obama to do our bidding, we would have to MAKE HIM DO IT.

Obama's most ardent supporters forget that those of us who criticize Obama are only doing what he warned us needed to be done. NOT to trust him.

Since the election (and even before, with his FISA vote), Obama has been deceptive, breaking every campaign pledge and promise, conceding the positions of the left (getting nothing in return), and hobbling real Democrats at every turn while making Republicans and Blue Dogs stronger (and harder to beat in 2010 and 2012).

Obamabots are the most immediate problem, as they help him screw them (and us) over. Until Obamabots wake up to these facts, they are their own (& our) worst e n e m ies, and the reason we don't get what we all thought we were voting for when we voted Obama and Democrats into office as the majority power in our government.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

Since Obama has gotten into office, he's continued most of Bush's policies & his 'accomplishments' are being spun as "reform" when, in fact, they're Republican in nature.

Obama came into office with the greatest Democratic majority in Congress in decades. A filibuster-proof senate, and Obama did a 180-degree turn and slooooowed the pace down. To get "bipartisanship", from Republicans who had already announced that they were going to block everything that Obama and Democrats wanted to do.

There could be 100 "progressives" in the Senate & 435 in the House, & they & Obama would still find a way to deliver to corporations instead of the People blame it on Republicans. Because they're DLC, aka Republicans-in-Democrats'-clothing.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

So you have facts that prove Obama is Bush on Steroids?

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

Another example of Obama, not only continuing Bush's policies, but going him one better:

Obama administration defends its assassination program

In the wake of Leon Panetta's public defense of the targeting of American citizens suspected (but never charged or convicted) of Terrorism, Obama officials are now apparently going around the country and, with chest-beating rhetoric, overtly defending their right to target Americans for assassination with no due process of any kind - http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=11055975

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/01/assassinations
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

So you have facts that prove Obama is Bush on Steroids?

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

Another example of Obama continuing Bush's policies:

Doctors Who Aid Torture (And Obama Who Helps Cover It Up)

The report from the physicians’ group does not prove its case beyond doubt — how could it when so much is still hidden? — but it rightly calls on the White House and Congress to investigate the potentially illegal human experimentation and whether those who authorized or conducted it should be punished. Those are just two of the many unresolved issues from the Bush administration that President Obama and Congressional leaders have swept under the carpet.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/08/opinion/08tue1.html?ref=opinion
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

So you have facts that prove Obama is Bush on Steroids?

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

Another example of Obama continuing Bush's policies:

Feingold sees similarities between Bush and Obama on intelligence sharing

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) voiced his suspicion that the Obama administration is stonewalling on intelligence.

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) voiced his suspicion that the Obama administration is continuing some of the stonewalling practices of the George W. Bush administration when it comes to providing full intelligence briefings to the relevant committees in Congress.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/62959-feingold-sees-similarities-in-bush-and-obama-on-intel
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

So you have facts that prove Obama is Bush on Steroids?

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

Another example of Obama continuing Bush's policies:

ACLU chief 'disgusted' with Obama

The top official at the American Civil Liberties Union seems to be losing patience with President Barack Obama and his administration.

Speaking at a conference of liberal activists Wednesday morning, ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero didn't mince his words about the administration's handling of civil liberties issues.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/joshgerstein/0610/ACLU_chief_disgusted_with_Obama.html
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

So you have facts that prove Obama is Bush on Steroids?

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

Another example of Obama continuing Bush's policies:

Obama Upholds Detainee Policy in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has told a federal judge that military detainees in Afghanistan have no legal right to challenge their imprisonment there, embracing a key argument of former President Bush’s legal team.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/washington/22bagram.html?_r=1&fta=y
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

Robert Gibbs is a conservative Democrat. As is Obama.

The DLC controls the Democratic Party, and got into power by refusing to defend the word 'liberal' when Ronald Reagan, Lee Atwater and Karl Rove were demonizing the word. Instead of educating the public about liberalism, and how liberals were responsible for creating the largest middle class in the history of the world, a strong regulatory system that provided clean water systems and nutritious affordable food for everyone, a public education system that led the world, etc., the DLC convinced Americans that liberals could never win another election -- In spite of the fact that when informed of the issues, most Americans agree with liberal policies.

The DLC has been a t00l of the corporations, just like Republicans have been.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

Dennis Kucinich wrote his own epitaph when he caved on a public option (as did every 81 of the 84 members of the Progressive Caucus who pledged not to vote for any healthcare reform bill that didn't include a public option).

Kucinich made himself irrelevant. He showed that he's weak and has no power or ability to achieve any of our objectives. The sooner we on the left forget his name (and all of those in the 'Progressive' Caucus) and get on with our business, the better.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kucinich Hits Back At Gibbs: You've Read Liberals Wrong

Obama's numbers have dropped 13 points since Gibbs attacked the left. Good job Gibby.

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

Gibbs attacked the left in anticipation of an NBC poll coming out (today) showing a bad drop in his (& Democrats') numbers - http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/wsjnbcpoll-08122010.pdf

There is nothing that Gibbs said that wasn't authorized at the top.

The abzurdity of the charge at all is that when Gibbs tried to walk it back yesterday (in such a c0wardIy way, too, by having a deputy say that Gibbs wasn't talking about the rank and file liberals, but "cable news show hosts", ==coughMSNBC==), he hoped nobody would remember that the Obama administration has had MSNBC's on-air hosts on his side since the beginning. They spend most of their time attacking Republicans and teabaggers and the very few times that they do show how Obama has broken just about every pledge and promise, and continues most of Bush's policies, it's because their own ratings are sinking because the left sees them for the corporate w.h.o.r.e.s they've become. Every single one of them (from Keith to Ed) has fallen into lockstep when the White House says "Ok, back in the cages, little woogems!".

Obama even used Rachel Maddow a week ago to tout his 'accomplishments' for his pitch at the Net Roots convention - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so-Uuooz-Zo
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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