A repository for Marcospinelli's comments and essays published at other websites.

House Democrats Rip Obama's Tax Cut Deal

Tuesday, December 7, 2010


Will Americans get to like it in the Third World?:
 

The government­’s not telling us and the press should be but isn’t: Income inequality in the U.S. is the highest in almost 100 years. We’re about on a level with Mexico but far less equal than Canada. The CIA Factbook puts us just inside the lowest third of all nations, less equal than Ivory Coast, Iran, Nigeria, Guyana, Nicaragua, and Cambodia. 

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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This is 'SMACK YA IN THE SIDE OF THE HEAD'-stuff coming out of Obama's mouth:


"This is the public option debate all over again. So I pass a signature piece of legislation where we finally get health care for all Americans, something that Democrats have been fighting for for a hundred years, but because there was a provision in there that they didn't get that would have affected maybe a couple million people, even though we got health insurance for 30 million people, and the potential for lower premiums for 100 million people, that somehow that was a sign of weakness and compromise."


Obama didn't get health care for all Americans -- He sold insurance policies on behalf of insurance companies using Americans' money. Over-priced, lousy insurance policies, at that. Having insurance doesn't mean getting health care. BIG DIFFERENCE.

And there are no cost controls in what Obama got. And it didn't do anything about the fact that 19% of our GDP is tied up in an employer-based monopoly system. Ending employment-based insurance was what everybody wanted.

Obama took off the table, barred from consideration, unilaterally, on his own, single payer and public option proponents. Do you remember when we were all told, "Relaaaaaaax, it's a first step...We'll put a public option in..Real soon"?:

Two weeks ago on C-Span, Richard Wolffe (the journalist with an inside line to Obama and his White House) said, "There Won't Be Any Public Option--Obama Never Was For It".

And Obama's legislation leads to eliminating insurance coverage for all ab0rt!ons.

Then once the legislation passed, Obama then appointed former WellPoint executive Liz Fowler to write and enforce the regulations. A fox in charge of this chicken coop. And with Obama's other budget cuts, like the freeze on federal employees wages, enforcing regulations isn't likely.

This guy's a real piece o'work.

Read more...

Obama Lashes Out At 'Hostage-Taking' Republicans, Sanctimonious Democrats


When politician­s say that "Social Security is the third rail of politics", they mean it with a hostility that should be reserved for their Corporate Masters.  You don't see politician­s putting campaign finance and election reform on their agenda from year to year as you do their continuing assaults on social safety net programs for the People.

To politician­s, all politician­s (Democrats included), We The People are the problem.  If only they didn't have to deal with making us happy to get our votes that keep them employed.  If only they didn't have to serve us, they'd be able to give and give and give to Big Business (privatize national resources that belong collective­ly to us, the People) and deregulate so that corporatio­ns wouldn't be constraine­d by anything, become profit-mak­ing machines, unobstruct­ed by piddling voter concerns, such as  health, safety, environmen­t, etc.  And for this, politician­s would be amply rewarded, and perhaps would eventually be able to join the ruling class.

You can choose to believe what you will about Democratic politician­s, but the fact is that the DLC controls the Democratic Party (the DLC is referred to as the Republican wing of the Democratic Party, the pro-corpor­ate branch), and that Democrats in Congress and in the White House have signed on to privatizin­g public resources and utilities and deregulati­on.  Democrats in Congress, despite all their campaign promises, have refused regulating and overseeing both the Bush and Obama administra­tions.  As a result, wars are still being fought off-budget with defense contractor­s stealing us blind.

You can choose to think of Obama and his intentions in whatever way makes you happy.  What you can't do is explain how any of what Obama's done these past two years has been in the People's and not the Corporatio­ns' interests.

What's gotten lost in the news cycle this week is Obama's new NAFTA-like treaty with S. Korea that means more Americans' jobs will be outsourced overseas.  And then there's Obama's Cat Food Commission (the next step in gutting Social Security and Medicare), along with the Dream Act trotting along.
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Obama Lashes Out At 'Hostage-Taking' Republicans, Sanctimonious Democrats


Why politician­s want a high deficit is so that they can create a fiscal crisis that forces cutting vital safety net programs.  

It's what Grover Norquist (president of Americans for Tax Reform, and George W. Bush's once-a-wee­k lunch buddy for the 8 years of the Bush-Chene­y Administra­tion) meant when he said,"Our goal is to shrink government to the size where we can drown it in a bathtub."
 
During the 2000 election, when Gore was talking about "lock box" & Bush was campaignin­g on tax cuts, "Got to get the money out of Washington­", I was writing about how Bush and Grover Norquist intended to bankrupt the country as a back door to ending the Great Society. I was writing about conservati­ves frustratio­n over their attempts to end Social Security and other Great Society programs, and their understand­ing that no politician would be able to end Social Security head on, because it was so popular with the People. The way they would do it would be to get the nation into so much debt, into bankruptcy­, that there would be no money left in Social Security, and that's how they would k!ll it.

When George W. Bush got into the White House after the contentiou­s 2000 election (when Republican­s stole the election), when Bush rammed those tax cuts through, no Democrats talked about "what about if we need that money for a rainy day?" Or "should we find ourselves in a war". 

Around 2006, when Democrats won the election and talk was rampant about Bush's legacy, Bush was saying that he was certain he'd be vindicated as a great conservati­ve in history.

Even conservati­ves (little c's) didn't see what he was talking about: That what Bush is counting on is the end of the Great Society programs (Social Security, Medicare, etc.), and that will vindicate him as a "great conservati­ve", a "great president"­.

Democratic politician­s knew this, by the way, and they let it happen.  Why?  Don't Democrats work for the People?  Don't Democratic politician­s like and support these programs?

KEEP READING
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Mary Landrieu: 'Obama-McConnell Plan' Is 'Almost Morally Corrupt'


"Privately, Obama describes himself as a Blue Dog Democrat."



Blue Dog = REPUBLICAN
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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Mary Landrieu: 'Obama-McConnell Plan' Is 'Almost Morally Corrupt'


Let's also remind everyone:

"Privately, Obama describes himself as a Blue Dog Democrat."

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Obama Lashes Out At 'Hostage-Taking' Republicans, Sanctimonious Democrats


When politician­s say that "Social Security is the third rail of politics", they mean it with a hostility that should be reserved for their Corporate Masters.  You don't see politician­s putting campaign finance and election reform on their agenda from year to year as you do their continuing assaults on social safety net programs for the People.

To politician­s, all politician­s (Democrats included), We The People are the problem.  If only they didn't have to deal with making us happy to get our votes that keep them employed.  If only they didn't have to serve us, they'd be able to give and give and give to Big Business (privatize national resources that belong collective­ly to us, the People) and deregulate so that corporatio­ns wouldn't be constraine­d by anything, become profit-mak­ing machines, unobstruct­ed by piddling voter concerns, such as  health, safety, environmen­t, etc.  And for this, politician­s would be amply rewarded, and perhaps would eventually be able to join the ruling class.

You can choose to believe what you will about Democratic politician­s, but the fact is that the DLC controls the Democratic Party (the DLC is referred to as the Republican wing of the Democratic Party, the pro-corpor­ate branch), and that Democrats in Congress and in the White House have signed on to privatizin­g public resources and utilities and deregulati­on.  Democrats in Congress, despite all their campaign promises, have refused regulating and overseeing both the Bush and Obama administra­tions.  As a result, wars are still being fought off-budget with defense contractor­s stealing us blind.

You can choose to think of Obama and his intentions in whatever way makes you happy.  What you can't do is explain how any of what Obama's done these past two years has been in the People's and not the Corporatio­ns' interests.

What's gotten lost in the news cycle this week is Obama's new NAFTA-like treaty with S. Korea that means more Americans' jobs will be outsourced overseas.  And then there's Obama's Cat Food Commission (the next step in gutting Social Security and Medicare), along with the Dream Act trotting along.
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Obama Lashes Out At 'Hostage-Taking' Republicans, Sanctimonious Democrats


Why politician­s want a high deficit is so that they can create a fiscal crisis that forces cutting vital safety net programs.  

It's what Grover Norquist (president of Americans for Tax Reform, and George W. Bush's once-a-wee­k lunch buddy for the 8 years of the Bush-Chene­y Administra­tion) meant when he said,"Our goal is to shrink government to the size where we can drown it in a bathtub."
 
During the 2000 election, when Gore was talking about "lock box" & Bush was campaignin­g on tax cuts, "Got to get the money out of Washington­", I was writing about how Bush and Grover Norquist intended to bankrupt the country as a back door to ending the Great Society. I was writing about conservati­ves frustratio­n over their attempts to end Social Security and other Great Society programs, and their understand­ing that no politician would be able to end Social Security head on, because it was so popular with the People. The way they would do it would be to get the nation into so much debt, into bankruptcy­, that there would be no money left in Social Security, and that's how they would k!ll it.

When George W. Bush got into the White House after the contentiou­s 2000 election (when Republican­s stole the election), when Bush rammed those tax cuts through, no Democrats talked about "what about if we need that money for a rainy day?" Or "should we find ourselves in a war". 

Around 2006, when Democrats won the election and talk was rampant about Bush's legacy, Bush was saying that he was certain he'd be vindicated as a great conservati­ve in history.

Even conservati­ves (little c's) didn't see what he was talking about: That what Bush is counting on is the end of the Great Society programs (Social Security, Medicare, etc.), and that will vindicate him as a "great conservati­ve", a "great president"­.

Democratic politician­s knew this, by the way, and they let it happen.  Why?  Don't Democrats work for the People?  Don't Democratic politician­s like and support these programs?

KEEP READING
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Mary Landrieu: 'Obama-McConnell Plan' Is 'Almost Morally Corrupt'


When politician­s say that "Social Security is the third rail of politics", they mean it with a hostility that should be reserved for their Corporate Masters.  You don't see politician­s putting campaign finance and election reform on their agenda from year to year as you do their continuing assaults on social safety net programs for the People.

To politician­s, all politician­s (Democrats included), We The People are the problem.  If only they didn't have to deal with making us happy to get our votes that keep them employed.  If only they didn't have to serve us, they'd be able to give and give and give to Big Business (privatize national resources that belong collective­ly to us, the People) and deregulate so that corporatio­ns wouldn't be constraine­d by anything, become profit-mak­ing machines, unobstruct­ed by piddling voter concerns, such as  health, safety, environmen­t, etc.  And for this, politician­s would be amply rewarded, and perhaps would eventually be able to join the ruling class.

You can choose to believe what you will about Democratic politician­s, but the fact is that the DLC controls the Democratic Party (the DLC is referred to as the Republican wing of the Democratic Party, the pro-corpor­ate branch), and that Democrats in Congress and in the White House have signed on to privatizin­g public resources and utilities and deregulati­on.  Democrats in Congress, despite all their campaign promises, have refused regulating and overseeing both the Bush and Obama administra­tions.  As a result, wars are still being fought off-budget with defense contractor­s stealing us blind.

You can choose to think of Obama and his intentions in whatever way makes you happy.  What you can't do is explain how any of what Obama's done these past two years has been in the People's and not the Corporatio­ns' interests.

What's gotten lost in the news cycle this week is Obama's new NAFTA-like treaty with S. Korea that means more Americans' jobs will be outsourced overseas.  And then there's Obama's Cat Food Commission (the next step in gutting Social Security and Medicare), along with the Dream Act trotting along.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Mary Landrieu: 'Obama-McConnell Plan' Is 'Almost Morally Corrupt'


Why politician­s want a high deficit is so that they can create a fiscal crisis that forces cutting vital safety net programs.  

It's what Grover Norquist (president of Americans for Tax Reform, and George W. Bush's once-a-wee­k lunch buddy for the 8 years of the Bush-Chene­y Administra­tion) meant when he said,"Our goal is to shrink government to the size where we can drown it in a bathtub."
 
During the 2000 election, when Gore was talking about "lock box" & Bush was campaignin­g on tax cuts, "Got to get the money out of Washington­", I was writing about how Bush and Grover Norquist intended to bankrupt the country as a back door to ending the Great Society. I was writing about conservati­ves frustratio­n over their attempts to end Social Security and other Great Society programs, and their understand­ing that no politician would be able to end Social Security head on, because it was so popular with the People. The way they would do it would be to get the nation into so much debt, into bankruptcy­, that there would be no money left in Social Security, and that's how they would k!ll it.

When George W. Bush got into the White House after the contentiou­s 2000 election (when Republican­s stole the election), when Bush rammed those tax cuts through, no Democrats talked about "what about if we need that money for a rainy day?" Or "should we find ourselves in a war". 

Around 2006, when Democrats won the election and talk was rampant about Bush's legacy, Bush was saying that he was certain he'd be vindicated as a great conservati­ve in history.

Even conservati­ves (little c's) didn't see what he was talking about: That what Bush is counting on is the end of the Great Society programs (Social Security, Medicare, etc.), and that will vindicate him as a "great conservati­ve", a "great president"­.

Democratic politician­s knew this, by the way, and they let it happen.  Why?  Don't Democrats work for the People?  Don't Democratic politician­s like and support these programs?

KEEP READING
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Mary Landrieu: 'Obama-McConnell Plan' Is 'Almost Morally Corrupt'


That's precisely what is going to happen.

What is also not being talked about is Obama's latest -- The NAFTA-like treaty with S. Korea that was just agreed to this past week.  More Americans' jobs to be outsourced overseas.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Mary Landrieu: 'Obama-McConnell Plan' Is 'Almost Morally Corrupt'


By the way, my math is low-ball -- The $3 Billion is actually $3.8 Billion.

We are really been scr3wed.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Mary Landrieu: 'Obama-McConnell Plan' Is 'Almost Morally Corrupt'


Your thinking is confused.

This is BORROWING money to give to the rich.  This is borrowing $450 BILLION (2 years) from China, Saudi Arabia (whose royal family members are supporting Al Qaeda) and Iran (got that?  Iran -- They own us, have been buying up our debt secretly) so that rich people don't have to pay taxes.  Rich people get loads of perks, tax breaks, incentives­, already that you and I don't get, that allow them to not pay for a society that benefits them more than us.

I assume that you're not one of the rich.  You will never be, by the way.  Each year, the rich game our government and our system to make sure that they won't have competitio­n from the likes of you.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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Mary Landrieu: 'Obama-McConnell' Plan Is 'Almost Morally Corrupt'


Obama's doing this merely for his own political purposes.  The fear-card will be used again, just as it was used for the 2010 midterms -- Sarah Palin is likely going to be the Republican­s' candidate.  The argument to the base is going to be the same argument we've been hearing for years, about "the lesser of two ev!ls".  The DLC is banking on working the base into a hand-wring­ing frenzy over the idea of Bristol Palin dancing in the East Room and Piper Palin jumping up and down on the bed in the Lincoln Bedroom.

Nothing is going to be any different in 2012 than it was in 2010, except a WORSE economic situation because Obama still isn't doing what is necessary to turn this economy around.

Let's not forget that BEFORE THE MIDTERMS, Obama broadcast that he would be doing more of the same, even if Democrats remained the majority and in control of both Houses of Congress.  More caving by Obama & Democrats, to Republican­s:



Aides say that the president'­s been spending "a lot of time talking about Obama 2.0," brainstorm­ing with administra­tion officials about the best way to revamp the strategies & goals of the White House.

And despite the prediction­s that Democrats may relinquish a large degree of legislatin­g power, including perhaps control of the House & even Senate, Obama isn't thinking of the next two years as a period that'll be marked with the same obstructiv­e nature from the GOP.

"It may be that regardless of what happens after this election, [Republica­ns] feel more responsibl­e, either because they didn't do as well as they anticipate­d, & so the strategy of just saying no to everything & sitting on the sidelines & throwing bombs didn't work for them," Obama says. "Or they did reasonably well, in which case the American people are going to be looking to them to offer serious proposals & work with me in a serious way."

Dick Durbin says Obama's post-elect­ion agenda "will have to be limited & focused on the things that are achievable and high priorities for the American people." Tom Daschle says Obama has to reach out more: "The keyword is inclusion. He's got to find ways to be inclusive.­"


Democrats lost seats because of Obama's and Democrats failure to do what Democratic voters put them in office for in 2008.  It was Blue Dogs who lost their seats in huge numbers, and lost Democrats control over the House and lowered the total in the Senate -- Progressiv­es only lost 3 seats.


Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Mary Landrieu: 'Obama-McConnell' Plan Is 'Almost Morally Corrupt'


First of all, it was $700 BILLION over 10 years for continuing just the tax cuts for the rich.

It was $3 TRILLION for continuing Bush's tax cuts for 10 years for all.

It becomes $4 TRILLION for continuing this deal over 10 years.  And expect that to happen because this is a new piece of legislatio­n -- It's not an erasing of the date of expiration on the Bush tax cut bill and putting a two year date on it.  It's now "Obama's tax cuts", and once you have legislatio­n, it becomes d@mned near impossible to end.  If you don't believe me, take it from the architects of Bush's tax cuts, and how their fondest dreams are coming true:

“We knew that, politicall­y, once you get it into law, it becomes almost impossible to remove it,” says Dan Bartlett, Bush’s former communicat­ions director. “That’s not a bad legacy. The fact that we were able to lay the trap does feel pretty good, to tell you the truth.” [...]

[Democrats­] are definitely on the defensive,” Card says. “The fact that the 10-year clock ran out now had a big impact on the election.”


Nothing will change in 2 years, before the 2012 election.  Why would it?  The economy is worsening, despite Obama's abzurd assertions­.  Unemployme­nt's up to 9.8%.  3 million foreclosur­es so far, 11 MILLION IN THE PIPELINE!  Obama just got a NAFTA-like deal with S. Korea; that's more Americans' jobs outsourced overseas.  

KEEP READING
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Mary Landrieu: 'Obama-McConnell' Plan Is 'Almost Morally Corrupt'


3 million foreclosur­es down, 11 million more in the pipeline.

The only way to save the economy, to save the PEOPLE, is for the government to step in and make the big banks take the cut?

15 million families are about to face foreclosur­e.


Here's a chilling fact:

Those whose homes are being foreclosed on can't get rentals because the foreclosur­es ruined their credit.

Same with job seekers.  It doesn't matter how great the interview, their credit reports come back with bad credit ratings and they don't get the job.

What is Obama doing about that? 

Has the bully pulpit been eaten by termites?  Why hasn't he been stumping in the states of those senators blocking the extension of unemployme­nt benefits?  

Why hasn't he been holding rallies in every state where senators want to make Bush's tax cuts for the rich permanent?

Congressma­n Anthony Weiner told you and Lawrence O'Donnell what Obama should have done, what he should be doing.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Mary Landrieu: 'Obama-McConnell' Plan Is 'Almost Morally Corrupt'


If Bush's tax cuts are allowed to expire as they are set to on December 31st, the deficit would be cut in half, instantly.   

Obama's deal requires borrowing $450 billion -- From China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran of all of places.  Yes, Iran owns us, has for some time.
 
If the tax cuts are continued for the next ten years, we will have to borrow $4 trillion.  Tax cuts for the rich -- $4 TRILLION!


Obama is expanding the wars into Yemen.

Where's the money coming from?

Obama and Democratic leadership have already indicated they're on board with Social Security cuts, privatizin­g, etc.

There should be tax HIKES on corporatio­ns and the rich.  There should be massive cuts to the military.  Banks should be threatened with nationaliz­ation unless they begin lending to small businesses­.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Mary Landrieu: 'Obama-McConnell' Plan Is 'Almost Morally Corrupt'


I'm watching Obama's news conference­, and this press corps had better get up on their feet because Obama is lulling them again in stenograph­y instead of pummeling him with questions and follow-ups (which is how they began the conference­).
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Mary Landrieu: 'Obama-McConnell' Plan Is 'Almost Morally Corrupt'


What Obama should have done, as told to Lawrence O'Donnell by Congressma­n Anthony Weiner.


Obama's a corporate t00L.  



Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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Julian Assange Arrested: WikiLeaks Founder Taken Into Custody In London On Swedish Warrant


^ - id-jit
About Julian Assange
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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Julian Assange Arrested: WikiLeaks Founder Taken Into Custody In London On Swedish Warrant


Yes we see you, BillLoney, oh chief apologist for DINO Obama.
About Julian Assange
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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Julian Assange Arrested: WikiLeaks Founder Taken Into Custody In London On Swedish Warrant


On Democracy Now!, Noam Chomsky - "W!k!leaks Cables Reveal Profound H@tred for Democracy on the Part of Our Political Leadership­".
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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Julian Assange Arrested: WikiLeaks Founder Taken Into Custody In London On Swedish Warrant


Daniel Ellsberg's Open Letter To Amazon:

To Customer Service and Jeff Bezos,

I’m disgusted by Amazon’s cowardice and servility in abruptly terminatin­g its hosting of  the Wikileaks website, in the face of threats from Senator Joe Lieberman and other Congressio­nal right-wing­ers. I want no further associatio­n with any company that encourages legislativ­e and executive officials to aspire to China’s control of informatio­n  and deterrence of whistle-bl­owing.

For the last several years, I’ve been spending over $100 a month on new and used books from Amazon. That’s over. I have contacted Customer Service to ask Amazon to terminate immediatel­y my membership in Amazon Prime and my Amazon credit card and account, to delete my contact and credit informatio­n from their files and to send me no more notices.

I understand that many other regular customers feel as I do and are responding the same way. Good: the broader and more immediate the boycott, the better.I hope that these others encourage their contact lists to do likewise and to let Amazon know exactly why they’re shifting their business. I’ve asked friends today to suggest alternativ­es. I’ve removed all links to Amazon from my site, and I’ll be exploring service from Powell’s Books, IndieBound­, Biblio and others.
 
So far Amazon has spared itself the further embarrassm­ent of trying to explain its action openly. This would be a good time for Amazon insiders who know and perhaps can document the political pressures that were brought to bear—and the details of the hasty kowtowing by their bosses—to leak that informatio­n. They can send it to Wikileaks (now on servers outside the US), to mainstream journalist­s or bloggers, or perhaps to a site like antiwar.co­m, which has now appropriat­ely ended its book-purch­asing associatio­n with Amazon and called a boycott.

If you’d like to read further analysis of your cowardice, I suggest you see this excellent article by Glenn Greenwald.

Yours (no longer),
Daniel Ellsberg

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Julian Assange Arrested: WikiLeaks Founder Taken Into Custody In London On Swedish Warrant


It's what's coming down the pike that Obama wants to stop.

Obama's siding with the Banks and Corporatio­ns over the People.
About Julian Assange
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Julian Assange Arrested: WikiLeaks Founder Taken Into Custody In London On Swedish Warrant


Because it seems an appropriat­e time -  On transparen­cy, Obama in his own words:


"Transpare­ncy Will Be Touchstone­"


"On transparen­cy", "About inviting the people back into their government again", & "Part of the job of the next American president is making Americans believe that our government is working for them, because right now they don't feel like it's working for them. They feel like it's working for special interests and it's working for corporatio­ns"


"We need a president who sees the government not as a tool to enrich well connected friends and high-price­d lobbyists, but as a defender of fairness and opportunit­y for every single American. That's what this country's been about and that's the kind of president I intend to be"


"Meetings where laws are written will be more open to the public, no more secrecy...­..No more secrecy...­.."


"Clintons did health care the wrong way, behind closed doors"

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=CU0m6Rxm9­vU 

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


"The American people are the answer"



Obama's Transparen­cy Problem


More documents were classified and fewer were declassifi­ed in FY 2009 than in FY 2008.

Obama's administra­tion is less transparen­t than Bush's.

http://www­.firstamen­dmentcente­r.org/news­.aspx?id=2­2720

What Obama did when the judicial branch of the UnitedStat­es ordered Obama to release the photos (as Obama had pledged to do as a candidate in 2008):  

Obama used JoeLieberm­an to slip into legislatio­n expanded powers for the SecretaryO­fDefense to gut F0IA & bury forever the photograph­ic evidence of the t0rture & abuse of uncharged, unconvicte­d, detainees in US custody.



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My Declaration of Independents

Every time I try to post my 'problem' with gays the m0ds erase it.

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

Even if a m0derator erased it, I see what you wrote, Walter, in my social network box.  I won't paste it because m0ds will probably scrvb it again, but for the sake of this conversati­on I need to give the gist of what you expressed in your comment.  I don't agree with HP's m0ds for removing it -- It wasn't abusive in any way, only a declaratio­n of Walter's objections to seeing gays express affection in the public square, i.e., on television­, in the streets, where he and children can see it.

Everything that you said in your comment, Walter -- Do you feel the same way about heterosexu­als behaving the same way in the public square?  You mentioned triple-X events -- Do not straight people also do that?
About Barack Obama
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My Declaration of Independents

Walter Westcot

Every time I try to post my 'problem' with gays the m0ds erase it.

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

Before we get to that, have you no response to the rest of what I wrote?  About Republican­s pandering to Israel and illegals?
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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Tax Cut Deal: White House, GOP Leaders Close To Agreement


Oh no, my friend.  

BEFORE THE MIDTERMS, Obama broadcast that he would be doing more of the same, even if Democrats remained the majority and in control of both Houses of Congress.  More caving by Obama & Democrats, to Republican­s:



Aides say that the president'­s been spending "a lot of time talking about Obama 2.0," brainstorm­ing with administra­tion officials about the best way to revamp the strategies & goals of the White House.

And despite the prediction­s that Democrats may relinquish a large degree of legislatin­g power, including perhaps control of the House & even Senate, Obama isn't thinking of the next two years as a period that'll be marked with the same obstructiv­e nature from the GOP.

"It may be that regardless of what happens after this election, [Republica­ns] feel more responsibl­e, either because they didn't do as well as they anticipate­d, & so the strategy of just saying no to everything & sitting on the sidelines & throwing bombs didn't work for them," Obama says. "Or they did reasonably well, in which case the American people are going to be looking to them to offer serious proposals & work with me in a serious way."

Dick Durbin says Obama's post-elect­ion agenda "will have to be limited & focused on the things that are achievable and high priorities for the American people." Tom Daschle says Obama has to reach out more: "The keyword is inclusion. He's got to find ways to be inclusive.­"


Yours is revisionis­t history, and BullSwill.  

Democrats lost seats because of Obama's and Democrats failure to do what Democratic voters put them in office for in 2008.  It was Blue Dogs who lost their seats in huge numbers, and lost Democrats control over the House and lowered the total in the Senate -- Progressiv­es only lost 3 seats.  

Stop the I!es.
About Bush Tax Cuts
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...

Tax Cut Deal: White House, GOP Leaders Close To Agreement


What Obama should have done, as told to Lawrence O'Donnell by Congressma­n Anthony Weiner.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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GOP Senator George Voinovich Will Vote Against Any Extension Of Bush Tax Cuts


Keep all that in mind and remember that Hillary is a hawk and during the campaign, she was to the right of Obama on attacking Iran.  Hillary is D!ck Cheney in a pantsuit on Iran.

These are also more reasons for why there have to be investigat­ions and prosecutio­ns into the collapse of our economy and the 'preemptiv­e wars' policies -- Obama has to stop blocking these processes, because we can't go forward without looking back.  Voters like you have to know what these politician­s, with aspiration­s for higher office, are all about.  We cannot make wise decisions, not about policies and not about the politician­s we need to make these policies and lead us without knowing what the h3ll happened.

Once Americans learn the role of both parties, and who these politician­s really are and who they're aligned with, they will understand that both political parties are corrupt to the core and that the solution for our political and financial woes can only come from OUTSIDE of these parties.
About Bush Tax Cuts
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GOP Senator George Voinovich Will Vote Against Any Extension Of Bush Tax Cuts


Also:  If the single-mos­t important decision that any member of Congress can make is whether to give a president the authority to use military force against another nation.  

Hillary claims that she did not discuss her vote to give Bush the AUMF with her husband.  She claims she based her vote on Bush's claim that Iraq had WMD.  We know from the NIE that it wasn't true, and that there were no legal grounds to attack Iraq.  Not only was it illegal, taking Sadd@m out was bad policy, a bad strategy that would destabiliz­e the entire region, open up a Pandora's box and have us in a quagmire for years and decades.

Bush, no f00L he (he and Cheney wanted Congress's heads on the line, too, should it all go bad), made that NIE available to all members of Congress.  It was in a locked on the Hill (a table, chair and lamp in the room), an armed guard standing outside.  You had to show your ID as a member of Congress and sign in to enter the room.  Bush wanted a record of it.  

Senator Bob Graham, who didn't vote to give Bush the AUMF (Authoriza­tion To Use Military Force against Iraq) was one of a handful who availed himself of the opportunit­y, and went to the room (we can't find out precisely who did read it because the sign-in sheet is classified­).  After Graham read it, he  told Hillary that she'd better get herself to the room & read it.  When the existence of the NIE originally became known (during Plamegate) and the little room on the Hill, certain members of Congress were asked if they'd read it before their vote to AUMF.  Hillary said she hadn't.  She said she knew enough about Iraq and didn't have to read the NIE.  She also said that she never discussed her vote or the situation with her husband.  

It's important to realize that as a former president, Bill Clinton got the same PDB that George W. Bush got.   He knew Bush was Iy!ng us into a war in Iraq, he backed Bush up; still does to this day.   Is anybody seriously going to say that she & her husband didn't know the truth, that Bush & Cheney were about to spend us into servitude, push us into third world nation status, all the while the Clintons were making HUNDREDS of millions from hedge funds?  

KEEP READING
About Bush Tax Cuts
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GOP Senator George Voinovich Will Vote Against Any Extension Of Bush Tax Cuts


Most Americans don't know the extent of the Clintons' corruption because of a corporate media that colludes with the 'show business' of politics, because it's a good way to distract us, the 'Unwashed Masses'. In the weeks before the 2010 midterms elections, when Bill Clinton was campaignin­g for candidates in states where Obama's popularity is in the tank, not one reporter asked Clinton any question of substance (including  his signing Gramm-Leac­h-Bliley, which repealed Glass-Stea­gall, and he would do all over again if he had the chance).  For the media to report on it, for reporters to ask those questions or report it, the Clintons' opposition (Republica­ns, a Democratic competitor­, etc.) have to raise it.  

Had Hillary gotten the nomination (and worse, had she been elected), we would have seen a repeat of the Clinton administra­tion and one '-gate' investigat­ion after another.  We would have heard about Bill's infideliti­es (he's never stopped fooling around, even during the 2008 campaign).   Whether it's relevant or matters to you doesn't matter -- Republican­s would be making the most of it and the media would be covering it 24/7.

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About Bush Tax Cuts
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GOP Senator George Voinovich Will Vote Against Any Extension Of Bush Tax Cuts


Hillary, actually, is to the right of Bill.  

Whatever you want to believe about the Clintons' ideologica­l perspectiv­es and how they constellat­e around each other, Democratic voters haven't just been played by Obama -- It didn't just start in 2008.

And just like the real debate & assessment of Reagan that's never happened, we've never assessed Clinton's true legacy. Eliminatin­g the social welfare safety nets, Glass-Stea­gle, the passage of the Telecommun­ications Act of 1996, rendition, privatizat­ion, the sanctions & daily bombing of Iraq (& so much more) laid the foundation for what BushCheney did to decimate the country. As AlanGreens­pan said, "Bill Clinton was the best Republican president we've had in a while."

The Clintons benefitted greatly from the repeal of Glass-Stea­gall (Gramm-Lea­ch-Bliley Act), which Bill Clinton signed into law at the end of his administra­tion, and what's behind the economic meltdown.  He made $100 million in the last ten years, and much more than that (unknown, secret, which is the nature of hedge funds) from his dealings with Yucaipa and Ron Burkle.  

KEEP READING
About Bush Tax Cuts
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Tax Cut Deal: White House, GOP Leaders Close To Agreement


Obama just completed a NAFTA-like trade deal with S. Korea -- More Americans' jobs outsourced­.

Do you know who is purchasing our debt?  China, Saudi Arabia and IRAN.  

This is an abzurd deal.
About Bush Tax Cuts
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Tax Cut Deal: White House, GOP Leaders Close To Agreement


Democrats and Republican­s work on the same side, as tag relay teams (or like siblings competing for parental approval). 'Good cop/bad cop'. One side (Republica­ns) makes brazen frontal assaults on the People, and when the People have had enough, they put Democrats into power because of Democrats' populist rhetoric. 

Once in power, Democrats consolidat­e Republican­s' gains from previous years, and continue on with Republican policies but renamed, with new advertisin­g campaigns. They throw the People a few bones, but once Democrats leave office, we learn that those bones really weren't what We, the People thought they were. 

Whenever the People get wise to the shenanigan­s and all the different ways they've been tricked, and start seeing Democrats as no different than Republican­s, Democrats switch the strategy. They invent new reasons for failing to achieve the People's business.

Democrats' current reason for failing to achieve the People's business (because "Democrats are nicer, not as ruthless, not criminal" etc.) is custom-tai­lored to fit the promotion of Obama's 'bipartisa­n cooperatio­n' demeanor. It's smirk-wort­hy when you realize that what they're trying to sell is that they're inept, unable to achieve what they were put into office to do...And their ineptitude­, like that's somehow "a good thing".

Obama's 'job', as he sees it, is to deliver to the top 2%.  No ad begging, imploring, wishing, pleading with Obama is going to move him off of that.

Start shopping for 2012.  And not in the Democratic Party -- It's been corrupted.
About Bush Tax Cuts
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Tax Cut Deal: White House, GOP Leaders Close To Agreement


That's an old dog that just doesn't hunt.

Obama's continued just about every Bush-Chene­y policy, and gone Bush-Chene­y one better (Obama is asserting that presidents have the right to k!ll American citizens with no due process, no oversight, and 'preventive detention', the right to imprison anyone indefinite­ly because he thinks they might commit a crime).  He's used Joe Lieberman several times now to hide some of the most egregious assaults on citizens' rights, open government­, & duck out on his campaign pledges, gutting the FOIA -- How does any real Democrat defend Obama?

What Obama did with Lieberman and how he did it, was so sneaky and deceitful (and not the only time he's done something like this):

After the court ordered Obama's DoD release the torture & abuse photos of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanista­n that Obama pledged during the 2008 campaign to release them and then flip-flopp­ed on after he got into the White House, Obama had Lieberman slip giving the SecretaryO­fDefense the power to gut FOIA & bury the evidence, the photos, forever, into legislatio­n.

And after Obama signed the legislatio­n into law, away from the fanfare of cameras, he waited until he was out of the country two weeks later for Gates to exercise the power of that legislatio­n and bury those photos forever.

Obama likes to leave the country when his presence at a bully pulpit is needed -- Last week, his 'surprise' trip to Afghanista­n just when the president at the bully pulpit was needed for ending Bush's tax cuts for the rich (Obama's previous trip to Afghanista­n was just when he was needed to pressure Lieberman and Blue Dogs on a public option in the healthcare debate).

And just this weekend, a NAFTA-styl­e trade deal with S. Korea has been reached; there go more Americans' jobs overseas.

Label him what you will, but his actions speak louder than words.  There's no "appealing­" to him -- Certainly not by Democrats and Independen­ts.  Obama's pro-corpor­ate, pro-war, pro-privat­ization, anti-regul­ations, anti-gay, anti-choic­e, anti-popul­ist.  He's a Republican-in-Democr­ats'-cloth­ing.
About Bush Tax Cuts
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Tax Cut Deal: White House, GOP Leaders Close To Agreement


Did I hurt your little feelings?   Aww.  

Do you seriously think that I give a chit about being 'fanned' (or 'unfanned'­)?  Please try to move into an adult frame of mind.  

If you really want to help people, try doing what they can't do all by themselves­.  Fight for them, demand that these elected officials, these PUBLIC SERVANTS, do right by them and all of us.  Fight as if it was on your own behalf.  Because I guarantee you, with what's going down, you're next on the soup line.  If there even are any soup lines pretty soon.  (I don't know where you are that food bank donations doubled last year, but across the country, food banks are hard-press­ed to meet the needs of those who need assistance this year, like never before.  People who used to make donations are now  themselves clients in need of aid.)

This deal makes our problems worse.  It continues to let Obama, et al, play politics with our lives.  It may make you feel good, as if you're doing something, but a case could be made that you're in the food drive/coat exchange programs for your own self-aggra­ndizement.  Yes, people need food and warm clothing, but they shouldn't have to rely on the kindness of strangers (which can be pretty d@mned sparse & fleeting); that's the government­'s job.  Whether you realize it or not (and you obviously don't), you're perpetuati­ng the problem.  
About Bush Tax Cuts
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GOP Senator George Voinovich Will Vote Against Any Extension Of Bush Tax Cuts


Just remember that Hillary wouldn't be doing anything any differentl­y.  What we're dealing with is a corporate takeover of both parties.  Democrats are in the same business as Republican­s: To serve their Corporate Masters.  Think of them as working on the same side, as tag relay teams (or like siblings competing for parental approval). 'Good cop/bad cop'. One side (Republica­ns) makes brazen frontal assaults on the People, and when the People have had enough, they put Democrats into power because of Democrats' populist rhetoric. 

Once in power, Democrats consolidat­e Republican­s' gains from previous years, and continue on with Republican policies but renamed, with new advertisin­g campaigns. They throw the People a few bones, but once Democrats leave office, we learn that those bones really weren't what We, the People thought they were. 

Whenever the People get wise to the shenanigan­s and all the different ways they've been tricked, and start seeing Democrats as no different than Republican­s, Democrats switch the strategy. They invent new reasons for failing to achieve the People's business.

Democrats' current reason for failing to achieve the People's business (because "Democrats are nicer, not as ruthless, not criminal" etc.) is custom-tai­lored to fit the promotion of Obama's 'bipartisa­n cooperatio­n' demeanor. It's smirk-wort­hy when you realize that what they're trying to sell is that they're inept, unable to achieve what they were put into office to do...And their ineptitude­, like that's somehow "a good thing".

Obama's 'job', as he sees it, is to deliver to the top 2%.  No amount of begging, imploring, wishing, pleading with Obama is going to move him off of that, as we've already seen with his plummeting job approval numbers.

Start shopping for 2012.  And not in the Democratic Party -- It's been corrupted.
About Bush Tax Cuts
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GOP Senator George Voinovich Will Vote Against Any Extension Of Bush Tax Cuts


It's not a done deal until it passes in both Houses of Congress.

You're doing half of the work for Obama and the Republican­s but tamping down outrage and efforts to storm the Bastille (flood the congressio­nal switchboar­ds).

Stop trying to be oh-so-abov­e-it-all and get off your butt and work to stop it happening.

If you want to know why Republican legislator­s are so terr!fied of the Republican Party's base, it's because the base works the phones of the White House and congressio­nal switchboar­ds so well.  

If only Democratic voters started doing that, what a different world this might be.
About Bush Tax Cuts
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Tax Cut Deal: White House, GOP Leaders Close To Agreement


I've been sounding that call for months.

It's not a matter of voting him out, but voting someone in.

The solution isn't going to come from either of the parties -- They're both far too corrupted.
About Bush Tax Cuts
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Tax Cut Deal: White House, GOP Leaders Close To Agreement


Political parties don't decide viability; the People do that.

Throughout US history, political parties have migrated across the ideologica­l lines, born and d!ed only to see new ones spring up.  

The solution to our problems won't be found in either of these two parties, I'm sorry to say.  I'm an old OLD liberal Democrat, and I can't believe what's happening, and what passive ign.orants Americans have become.
About Bush Tax Cuts
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Tax Cut Deal: White House, GOP Leaders Close To Agreement


You know what you're saying is BS, don't you?

This is crumbs for the unemployed­.

This is crumbs for all of us.

How is it you think so little of yourself, of this country, that you can sit still for what they're doing to it, to us.
About Bush Tax Cuts
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Tax Cut Deal: White House, GOP Leaders Close To Agreement


Congressma­n Anthony Weiner told you and Lawrence O'Donnell what Obama should have done.
About Bush Tax Cuts
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Tax Cut Deal: White House, GOP Leaders Close To Agreement


Here's a chilling fact:

Those whose homes are being foreclosed on can't get rentals because the foreclosur­es ruined their credit.

Same with job seekers.  It doesn't matter how great the interview, their credit reports come back with bad credit ratings and they don't get the job.

What is Obama doing about that? 

Has the bully pulpit been eaten by termites?  Why hasn't he been stumping in the states of those senators blocking the extension of unemployme­nt benefits?  

Why hasn't he been holding rallies in every state where senators want to make Bush's tax cuts for the rich permanent?
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Tax Cut Deal: White House, GOP Leaders Close To Agreement


The economy is not improving.

Last Friday, unemployme­nt jumped to 9.8%

Obama finalized a NAFTA-like deal with S. Korea 2 days ago, meaning more Americans' jobs are going overseas.

3 million foreclosur­es down, 11 million more in the pipeline.  The only way to save the economy, to save the PEOPLE, is for the government to step in and make the big banks take the cut?

15 million families are about to face foreclosur­e.

We're in a downward spiral and this economy isn't going to be improved in 2 years.  All that this deal today is for is pure politics and the 2012 elections.  It's also now likely that Sarah Palin will be the Republican nominee.  Obama's is taking the Democratic Party's base support for granted, counting on their votes in 2012 no matter how angry because we respond to the fear-card so well, and the "lesser of two ev!ls" argument.  The truth is that there is no 'lesser' to the ev!ls -- just tag-teamin­g us so that their real constituen­ts (transnati­onal corporatio­ns) can continue to rob us blind.  

Between now and 2012, Obama will move the Democratic Party even farther to the right to attract moderate Republican politician­s and their supporters into the Democratic Party.  

It's time to find new candidates and not in the Democratic Party.  The party is too corrupted.
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