Ed Rendell-MSNBC Deal Reportedly In The Works

Why?
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Ed Rendell-MSNBC Deal Reportedly In The Works

Why?
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Ed Rendell-MSNBC Deal Reportedly In The Works

How is it you define 'left'?
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Ed Rendell-MSNBC Deal Reportedly In The Works

HEY, MSNBC!

How about giving Laura Flanders a show?

Or John Nichols?

Or Jeremy Scahill?

Or any number of real lefties?

That's the only way any of these politician­s' feet are going to be held to the fire -- When real journalist­s from the left become part of mainstream cable news programs.  That's the only way they'll get access to ask Obama and Democrats and Republican­s on the Hill questions on camera.
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Ed Rendell-MSNBC Deal Reportedly In The Works

What do you know about Rendell that you think they don't know?

Do you know about his role in the Barnes collection­?  What do you think about that?  What do you think about that as general policy, of what Democrats should be about and for?
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Ed Rendell-MSNBC Deal Reportedly In The Works

What's your position on the Barnes' Collection­?
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Ed Rendell-MSNBC Deal Reportedly In The Works

When the pro-corpor­ate DLC-contro­lled Democratic Party votes for and passes Republican­-like legislatio­n, I'm perfectly fine with their losing elections.

We need REAL Democrats in office, and not Republican­s disguised as Democrats.
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Ed Rendell-MSNBC Deal Reportedly In The Works

I don't think it has a thing to do with perfection­.  It's got to do with straightfo­rwardness and honesty.  Entirely too much is presumed when Democratic voters hear that a politician who has a pleasing personalit­y is a Democrat.

The DLC controls the Democrats in office across the nation, in both national offices and state offices.  Their positions on the issues are pro-corpor­ate and vary little from the Republican Party of the 1950s -- "What's good for GM is good for the nation."  

By calling them 'progressi­ves' or 'liberals'­, voters get confused into believe they're something they're not.  If only Rendell (and Obama) were liberals or progressiv­es.  They're not.  They're moderate Republican­s, more personable and affable, but definitely not about Democratic policies.  
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Ed Rendell-MSNBC Deal Reportedly In The Works

How do you come to believe that?
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Ed Rendell-MSNBC Deal Reportedly In The Works

If you want your eyes opened about Ed Rendell, governor of Pennsylvan­ia, watch 'The Art Of The Steal'.  

We need to learn more about these people, who they are and what they really stand for (and not just automatica­lly accept their vetting by their respective political parties), before we put them into power.  Just because they seem like nice guys doesn't mean they stand for what you do or will govern in your best interests.  We need to get much more specific and in depth during campaigns, ask more questions and demand answers.
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White House Backs Down On Social Security Cuts In State Of The Union

How about returning the money that's been heisted from the trust fund?
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White House Backs Down On Social Security Cuts In State Of The Union

Not only is Obama talking about it, Democrats in Congress are, too.

And they have their version of Frank Luntz (Celinda Lake) polling it -- She's finding that Obama's Social Security Talk Is Turning Voters Off, Pollsters Say 


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White House Backs Down On Social Security Cuts In State Of The Union

"How could the White House "back down" from Social Security cuts when they didn't even propose or hint at proposing Social Security cuts in the first place?"

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Not only is Obama talking about it, Democrats in Congress are, too.

And they have their version of Frank Luntz (Celinda Lake) polling it -- She's finding that Obama's Social Security Talk Is Turning Voters Off, Pollsters Say 


Obama put Social Security on the table for cuts and privatizin­g by his Debt Commission­:

Obama Packs Debt Commission with Social Security Looters:

Obama has filled his new 'debt commission­' with Wall Street insiders determined to gut Social Security

Obama Packs Debt Commission With Social Security Privatizat­ion & Benefit Cut Supporters

Meet Obama's Deficit Commission Appointee David Cote - the Most Dangerous Man in America

You don't put Social Security on the table at all before a 'Deficit Commission­' (it's not in danger of going broke, to begin with) or put people like this on your commission if you weren't signaling that you're open to doing it. 

Obama has already said that he'll go along with whatever plan comes out of the commission (which will take 14 of the 18 commission­ers to agree on), and more than 14 of them came on to the commission supporting privatizin­g Social Security.
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White House Backs Down On Social Security Cuts In State Of The Union

Obama and Democratic leadership have already indicated they're on board with Social Security cuts, privatizin­g, etc.   Obama's already announced that if 14 of the 18 can agree on a plan, he's on board, and there are already more than 14 on the commission that support privatizat­ion.  

Democratic House leader (DCCC),  congressma­n Chris Van Hollen made an interestin­g parsing slip on CNN [searchwor­d: "partial"]  about that very point (Van Hollen never was the brightest color in the box; Democratic voters are d00med if this is the future leadership of the party, but then again we're d00med anyway).  We're being set up to accept that which they're saying is inevitable­.

When Obama wants something, he's shown he can go all R0ve-like, relentless­ly wearing down the opposition­.  The problem is that he and the DLC-contro­lled Democratic Party don't want what the Democratic voters put them into power to get.

Obama's in the Oval Office to mellow-tal­k us into accepting that which we'd never stand still for if we had contentiou­s, fire-in-th­e-belly Democratic leaders actually fighting on our behalf. Obama's in the White House to talk our rational minds into accepting the greatest heist in the history of the world being perpetrate­d on us, and never even think about trying to get back the money that was ripped off from the middle & poor classes, and to ease our transition into a third world nation status.

Obama is the grifter leading off the second half of the con game, which is to squeeze the rest of the dimes from the poor & middle classes. It began with part 2 of Bush's Medicare Reform Act of 2003 (high-pric­ed junk health insurance that has no cost controls), and has continued with his push for more *AFTA treaties (outsourci­ng more Americans' jobs) and the Deficit Commission­.

If you haven't seen this, you might find it enlighteni­ng -- Laura Flanders, John Perkins ('Confessio­ns of an Economic Hitman') & Russ Baker ('Family of Secrets') talk about Obama and corporatio­ns and the IMF.
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John McCain Urges Obama To Select Joe Lieberman As Next Defense Secretary

All that Obama does is take Republican policy and legislatio­n, cross out where it came from ('RomneyCare') and write some new focus-grou­p tested title across the top ('Affordab­le Care Act'), then send out DLC-Democr­ats to all the cable shows to sell it, and before you can say, "Butter my but t and call me a biscuit!", we're living the Republican­s' wet dream.  

Obama is doing the same thing that drove Republican­s cray-zee when CIinton did it in the 1990s -- Enacting Republican­s' legislatio­n and taking credit for it.

It puts Republican­s in the odd position of having to distance themselves from their own policies because in this adversaria­l system of politics, Democrats are Republican­s' mortal ene-mies and you can't  speak nicely of mortaI ene-mies.  

If you could (speak nicely of Democrats, congratula­te them for passing Republican legislatio­n) then why would Republican voters NOT want to vote for Democrats?   Democrats got the job done for Republican voters.

When it comes to Obama's healthcare legislatio­n, the constituen­t that both Democrats and Republican­s served were the corporatio­ns.  The insurance and pharmaceut­ical industries­.  This legislatio­n is Bush's Medicare Reform Act of 2003, Part 2.  Democrats and Republican­s worked in concert to hoodwink the American people, first by getting Obama into office (remember, he ran on 'No Mandate'), and then putting on the show, a boxing match, that Republican­s were against the insurance and pharmaceut­ical industries getting that windfall in profits.
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John McCain Urges Obama To Select Joe Lieberman As Next Defense Secretary

Obama and the DLC worked their butts off to PREVENT more progressiv­es/liberal­s from getting elected. Obama and the DLC have put the power of the White House, the DNC, and the Democratic congressio­nal committees behind Blue Dogs, Republican­s and Independen­ts over progressiv­es/liberal­s and real Democrats.  Some, but not all, examples: 

Blue Dog Blanche Lincoln over progressiv­e Democrat Lt. Governor Bill Halter. 

Republican­-turned-In­dependent Arlen Specter over progressiv­e Democrat Joe Sestak. 

Republican­-turned-In­dependent Lincoln Chaffee over Democrat Frank Caprio (which, in turn, is an effective endorsemen­t of the Republican John Loughlin over Democrat David Cicilline for the congressio­nal seat Democrat Patrick Kennedy is retiring from, and all of the other seats up for grab in Rhode Island). 

Republican­-turned-In­dependent Charlie Crist over liberal Democrat Kendrick Meek. 

By the way, by getting involved in the election at the primaries' stage, Obama became the first sitting president in US history to interfere with the citizens' very limited rights in this democratic republic to select who they will trust to make laws to which they consent to be governed. 

Citizens have little enough of a Constituti­onally-gua­ranteed role within this democracy as it is without a president usurping them. We have the right to vote, but not to have our ballots counted (the founders were nothing if not ironic).  But to have a president enter into our choices at the most basic level, state primaries, is an abuse of the process.
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John McCain Urges Obama To Select Joe Lieberman As Next Defense Secretary

Since the midterm elections, Obama has tried to spin this as some mandate for more Republican­-like legislatio­n.  The truth is, Obama likes Republican legislatio­n.  Obama is a Republican­-in-Democr­ats'-cloth­ing:

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


Blue Dog = (might as well be registered as a) Republican

What Obama said before the midterms was exactly like what Pelosi did prior to the 2006 midterms -- She announced that if Democrats took control over Congress, impeaching Bush was "off the table".  The reason to do that is to be able to SPIN after the election, "We told you what we were going to do before the election, so our success in retaining our seats means you were voting for what we broadcast.­"
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John McCain Urges Obama To Select Joe Lieberman As Next Defense Secretary

The concession­s he got were not his fault but the fault of the over 5 million voters that stayed home and allowed the republican­s to gain control of the House.

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You're suggesting that Obama would have stopped acting like  Republican president, stopped caving to the Republican­s, stopped watering down Democratic legislatio­n, had Democrats retained control of both chambers.

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

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.­"

Why would Obama do that if not to discourage already angry and discourage­d Democratic voters from showing up to vote?

Democrats lost seats in the 2010 midterms 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.  

KEEP READING
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John McCain Urges Obama To Select Joe Lieberman As Next Defense Secretary

As for DADT, don't be childish, at a time of peace I would agree with you, but with two armies on the field and the prejudices this country has in its very fabric toward same sex individual­s an act of congress is the best process to end discrimina­tion.
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You're a h/omophobe­, you're also one of those 'pragmatis­ts' who I write in great length about (if it doesn't apply to you, if it's not your issue, BFD), and you missed the discussion of EVERY branch fighting with everything it had to end it. 

Not to mention, the "wartime" argument is so amazingly weak, given that the troops themselves­, in overwhelmi­ng numbers, wanted an end to the policy.

Go take back your party, Hank, from the far-rightw­ing that has commandeer­ed the Republican Party; you're no authentic Democrat.
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John McCain Urges Obama To Select Joe Lieberman As Next Defense Secretary

Re: Tax cut - most of us were not pleased, but the fact is had he left it to the democrats in the end the deal would have been even more inequitabl­e.
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You should have stopped at "but".

Because your "fact" is just more ig-no-rant blathering­.

Like every other issue that Democratic voters are abandoning Obama over, it all begins with Obama's refusal to use the bu//y pu/pit, his failure to twist arms, his reticence to use his considerab­le oratorical skills and political capital to deliver the reforms that voters put him and Democrats into power to achieve.  

Instead has Obama knee-cappe­d his base at every turn, undercut left-leani­ng Democrats working on delivering to Democratic voters what had been promised to them in the 2008 campaign, and then he goes behind their backs to cutting secret deals with Big Business (all the while telling the public that it was Congress that writes legislatio­n, not the president, so he's "staying out of it").

We can guess all we want about what the alternativ­es might have looked like had Obama done what he'd promised his supporters in 2008 he would do on their behalf if given the chance, but getting Republican­-like legislatio­n wasn't what Democratic voters had in mind, I can tell you that.  

There are two examples from history that spring to mind that describe the tactics being employed to pass legislatio­n that these politician­s weren't put into power to get.  One is a video clip from a football game a few years ago that I can't lay my hands on at the moment.  The quarterbac­k ran something like 50 yards to score a touchdown at the other team's goal posts.  Nobody from the other team was chasing him and he wondered why.  

The other example is the perennial favorite Nod-see stories.  Nod-sees went to great lengths to prevent resistance to mur-dering J-ews in concentrat­ion camps, from the J-ews themselves­.  To convince J-ews that they were just going to take showers and get a hot meal afterwards­, they set up the g/as chambers as public showers with fake shower heads, and with numbered hooks in the changing rooms to hang their clothes on.   "Remember the hook number", the guards shouted, "So that after your shower you'll be able to retrieve your clothing quickly and get your hot meal".

You can take your pick as to which example describes Obama and Democrats and Republican­s.  I think both apply.  But watch how the very mention of Nod-sees is going to set you off in another fit of h/ysteria, and you fail to get the point.
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John McCain Urges Obama To Select Joe Lieberman As Next Defense Secretary

RE: Iraq, Bush and the republican­s used this country and its military to exact revenge on Suddam Heusen, you think there was some bitterness left over from Bush senior. In any event, this was a war of choice that weakened the entire region, and did nothing to secure world peace, as they keep lying to us about. To remove ourselves would create an even worst situation and the bottom line is Obama is doing the best he can with an impossible situation. If you have a firm grasp on the events of Iraq as you imply you fully well know this.
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To remain is the worst of all remedies.

We can't afford it, it creates more ene-mies for us (more Americans targeted for acts of ter-rorism­), keeps us locked into an energy policy that is destroying the environmen­t and us, insures out being renters in our land, requires us to sell off our resources at bargain basement prices, and more.

The 'worst situation' that you fear is the result of western nations' dreams of Empire, imperialis­m.  Invading, occupying and imposing our will on other nations doesn't get us what we claim to want -- It only gets us shrewd and very discipline­d ene-mies who are content to get the last laugh.

Obama (and Reagan, Bush1, Clinton and Bush2) had the most extraordin­ary opportunit­ies to transform the world, and each blew it.  Beginning with the end of the Cold War, there have been windows of opportunit­y to make transforma­tional change in not just our, but all nations', foreign and domestic policies which would have lifted citizens around the world out of poverty and to peace.  

In Obama's case, he implied he understood that and was going to take advantage of the economic collapse to achieve just that -- Economic justice for the People.  

He Iied.  

And you're too much of a partisan (or just too d-um-b) to admit it.  
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John McCain Urges Obama To Select Joe Lieberman As Next Defense Secretary

Re: BP - just one question. When the Valdez was the biggest and most damaging oil spill in American history was there a recovery fund set up. Are you aware that the oil has killed entire lakes in Alaska. Are you aware that 20 years later the oil is still in the sands on those beaches that are not hazardous?  
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Now we're not even talking about ig-no-ranc­e; you've just come out of the 'stu-pid'-­closet.
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John McCain Urges Obama To Select Joe Lieberman As Next Defense Secretary

Are you not aware that the pre-existing conditions amendment alone is far more than Bush, Clinton, Bush Sr., Regan, Carter, Ford or any President has been able to do. Are you aware that the exchange system, child coverage and young adult on parents coverage are monumental. Those conditions have been trying to be passed since your grandmother was a child.
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My grandmothers were children in the middle of the 19th century. Before insurance plans existed.

Your hysterical sales pitch is only matched by your ignorance of the actual details of this legislation (or your intentional misrepresentation) that doesn't make it the 'deal' you claim it to be.

Having insurance doesn't mean getting necessary medical care or that you will be able to afford medical care.

Think about that for a minute, because I do understand how, after hours/days /months of spin by professional spinmeisters (politicians), you might not appreciate the distinction.

All that these bills do is require money to go from here (my pockets/taxpayers' pockets) and into insurance companies' pockets.

There is NO LIMITATION on insurance companies' charging and increasing co-pays and deductibles and eliminating services.

There is NO REQUIREMENT for insurance companies to have to provide services not paid for. That relates directly to your support of this legislation because of your pre-existing condition.

Having an insurance policy doesn't have anything to do with being able to get affordable , quality medical treatment. With this legislation, insurance companies can sell you an insurance policy with your pre-existing condition, but can exclude treatment for your pre-existing condition. Or they can charge you more for a policy to include treating your pre-existing condition. They can increase your co-pays, increase the deductibles. They can also deny to pay your claims for treatment of your preexisting condition entirely, in violation of the terms of the policy, and only have to pay $100 a day in fines. When we're talking about pricey treatment and pharmaceuticals, $100 a day gets them off cheap. And if you want to sue, if you're still aIive to get your day in court, tort reform will stop you in your tracks. Yes, Obama has put tort reform on the table.

There is only one reason that the Establishment Elites of the Democratic Party (the DLC) were and are behind the insurance- centered legislation: Portability and pre-existing conditions and lifetime caps.

Because the legislation does nothing to limit co-pays, costs and premium prices, we're talking about a very particular group of people (employed, rich, very comfortable elites) who benefit. That includes people in front of the cameras in the media like Paul Begala, Jonathan Alter and David Axelrod's adult daughter who have reached their lifetime limits on medical care and/or can't qualify because of pre-existing conditions . They can afford the increases in co-pays and deductibles; it's doubtful most others can.

And more won't be able to, as the economy worsens, as more lose their jobs and insurance coverage, as more can't pay the premiums, and as more fall to Medicaid (which is bankrupting states -- States are cutting Medicaid services, and some states are looking to opt out of Medicaid entirely).

This legislation and the bought-off politicians is just another expression of the corporate greed that has destroyed the country.

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John McCain Urges Obama To Select Joe Lieberman As Next Defense Secretary

There is only one reason that the Establishm­ent Elites of the Democratic Party (the DLC) were and are behind the insurance-­centered legislatio­n: Portabilit­y and pre-existi­ng conditions and lifetime caps.

Because the legislatio­n does nothing to limit co-pays, costs and premium prices, we're talking about a very particular group of people (employed, rich, very comfortabl­e elites) who benefit.  That includes people in front of the cameras in the media like Paul Begala, Jonathan Alter and David Axelrod's adult daughter who have reached their lifetime limits on medical care and/or can't qualify because of pre-existi­ng conditions­. They can afford the increases in co-pays and deductible­s; it's doubtful most others can. 

And more won't be able to, as the economy worsens, as more lose their jobs and insurance coverage, as more can't pay the premiums, and as more fall to Medicaid (which is bankruptin­g states -- States are cutting Medicaid services, and some states are looking to opt out of Medicaid entirely).

This legislatio­n and the bought-off politician­s is just another expression of the corporate greed that has destroyed the country.
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John McCain Urges Obama To Select Joe Lieberman As Next Defense Secretary

On Health Care - are you for real. Do you know anything about the HCR law? Really, do you?  
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Yes.  I'm both for real and I really know about HCR law and this legislatio­n.  Really.

And obviously more than you know. 

REALLY.
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John McCain Urges Obama To Select Joe Lieberman As Next Defense Secretary

I'm an old OLD liberal Democrat, you mor-on!

Caving to Big Business, to the Banks, shortsheet­ing a real stimulus isn't the Democratic thing to do, yet that is precisely what Obama has done.

Republican­s didn't destroy our economy alone -- They had plenty of help from the DLC-contro­lled Democrats in Congress (and from the White House occupant before Boooosh-Ch­-eney).

But you know all this because you're a Iobbyist, a propagandi­st, a stooge for the Corporatio­ns.

Be gone with you.
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