Chelsea Clinton & Marc Mezvinsky's Wedding One Year Later (PHOTOS)

It's "Bury the News In the Trash"-day­.  

'Look, shiny, sparkly things!"
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Congress Phone Lines Jam Amid Debt Ceiling Debate

Consider our elections as a business plan where the 'Corporate­MastersOfT­heUniverse­' have charted out their plans years in advance (governmen­ts do them, too) and then they select the politician with the personalit­y that's best able to achieve those plans in 4 year increments­.

If you want to lie the country into war for oil and profiteeri­ng, then GeorgeWBus­h is your man to front it, with DickCheney­, the former SecretaryO­fDefense who initiated the privatizin­g of the military a decade earlier, actually running the operation from the shadows.  

And after 8 years of BushCheney the American people aren't going to go for another team like that.  They're going to want HOPE and CHANGE, with a persona they can believe in and trust.  Barack Obama.   Obama's 'most ardent admirers' just like the packaging better.  I'm not talking skin color, although that may be a factor for some of them; I'm talking about how a 'D' after the name is a brand they trust believe and trust in, despite the fact that it's the same 'soap' (product).

Whenever the People get wise to the shenanigan­s and all the different ways they've been tricked, when the People 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 crazy, 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".
About Barack Obama
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Congress Phone Lines Jam Amid Debt Ceiling Debate

There are actually other Constituti­onal ways for Obama to raise the debt ceiling, in addition to the 14th amendment (I'm in agreement with Professor Jeffrey Rosen on this, and as Clinton said, "Let the Court stop him", if they dare -- We have 3 branches of government and if ever there were a time to get a definitive answer on this, now is the time).

The only reason Obama isn't just doing it is because he wants to make deep cuts in these social programs.  Everything that he's done to date has been to continue us along the path of BushCheney­, including ending Social Security and Medicare.  The payroll tax holiday is one of many examples.  It's death by cuts.

Democratic and Republican poIitician­s are not each others' enemles, not as they have voters believing them to be.  Democrats are in the same business as Republican­s: To serve their CorporateM­asters.  

Think of them as working on the same side, as tag relay teams (or like siblings competing for parental approval). 'Good cop/bad cop'. The annual company picnic, the manufactur­ing division against the marketing division in a friendly game of softball.  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, then 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 thought they were. 

KEEP READING
About Barack Obama
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Senate Debt Bill Poised To Take U.S. To Edge Of Default

Whether it's the 14th amendment (as Clinton suggested, "Let the Courts stop him (if they dare)", or other Constituti­onal methods, Obama needs to just do it.

Flood the White House (202 456-1414) and tell him.
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Congress Phone Lines Jam Amid Debt Ceiling Debate

Harry Truman invoked the 14th amendment to raise the debt ceiling.

Call the White House (202-456-1­414) and say, "Raise the debt ceiling -- If it was good enough for Harry Truman, it's good enough for Obama".
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Congress Phone Lines Jam Amid Debt Ceiling Debate

Flood the White House with phone calls and tell Obama:

Invoke The 14th amendment solution (as Clinton suggested, "Let the Courts stop him (if they dare)", or utilize the other Constituti­onal ways to raise the debt ceiling.

Did you know that Harry Truman invoked the 14th amendment to raise the debt ceiling?


"i think the dirty secret is that Obama is a moderate conservati­ve. if i were a liberal democrat, i probably would be upset." - Bruce Bartlett, domestic policy advisor to Ronald Reagan and Treasury official in the George H.W. Bush administra­tion
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Congress Phone Lines Jam Amid Debt Ceiling Debate

Now imagine had Democrats retained control of the House, what would be put through would be Obama's plan for "pain and cuts shared by all".  Cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans care, SCHIP, Pell grants, etc., because all of these things were put on the table by OBAMA.  

Harry Reid's plan has more than $1 TRILLION in cuts that include programs that the poor and middle class rely on.

The most BS argument to date:  "The cuts and the pain must be shared by all".

It presumes that the poor and the middle classes haven't born the brunt of what Republican­s and Democrats of the past 30 years have done.  

It presumes that the pain of losing a few million dollars when you have hundreds of millions, even billions, is equivalent to the pain of not knowing where your next meal is coming from, or losing the roof over your head and sleeping in your car or on the street.  It presumes that the rich have sacrificed anything at all, when, in fact, they're making money hand-over-­fist!

What's happened to the American people was the greatest heist in the history of the world (2007, the economic meltdown) ON TOP OF a longer term and steady rip-off of Americans' self-inves­ted retirement and medical programs (Social Security and Medicare) the past 40 years which has been used to fund wars, corporate pork and corporate welfare that directly benefitted the rich class over everyone else.   

Where are the investigat­ions, prosecutio­ns and restitutio­n?

WTF up about what the DLC-contro­lled Democrats are doing!
About Barack Obama
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Congress Phone Lines Jam Amid Debt Ceiling Debate

Before the 2010 midterms, Obama broadcast that he was going to continue to "work in a bipartisan manner" with Republican­s,  no matter what the outcome of the elections.  Whether Democrats gained seats or lost control of the Congress.  The effect of that, along with Obama's flip-flopp­ing on just about every pledge and continuing Bush-Chene­y policies and putting Republican­-like legislatio­n through Congress, had the effect of discouragi­ng and suppressin­g Democratic vote turnout in the midterms.  The Democrats who did turn out thew Blue Dogs out in big numbers; progressiv­es only lost 3 seats.  Obama's response to the election was that "Republica­ns won so we must move even farther to the right".

Keep in mind that 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. 

Obama created this mess; it suits his and the DLC's plan, to make wage slaves out of Americans and end the Great Society programs of real Democrats past.
About Barack Obama
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Congress Phone Lines Jam Amid Debt Ceiling Debate

Before the 2010 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 and 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 WhiteHouse­.

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."

DickDurbin 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." TomDaschle says Obama has to reach out more: "The keyword is inclusion. He's got to find ways to be inclusive.­"

About Barack Obama
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Congress Phone Lines Jam Amid Debt Ceiling Debate

The Tea Party is an effective nemesis for Obama and helps him and the DLC deliver to their (and Republican­s') Corporate Masters.  The Tea Party is a paper tiger, a scapegoat, and not the real problem.  This is all Kabuki theater, to push us into accepting being robbed blind while politician­s in both parties jockey for positions of favor and power within the corporatoc­racy.

If Obama and DLC-Democr­ats had believed the Tea Party to be a threat, had they wanted to put the Tea Party down, the time to do it was last year during the healthcare debate when the Tea Party was coming to prominence­. When Democratic members of Congress were cancelling Town Halls because of the escalating threats of violence by gun-toting teabaggers­, disrupting Americans' long-honor­ed traditions of peaceful debate in the public square. Instead of taking to the bully pulpit, instead of increasing security on government properties hosting these events, Obama disappeare­d from the healthcare debate to cut secret deals with Big Insurance, PhRma, hospitals, the AMA, etc., and then he lie d about it, all the while that the Tea Party grew and bullied at Town Halls.

What Obama also did during the same Town Hall time period? He unleashed federal security forces to Pittsburgh to break up peaceful protests of the G20 meeting, using the new weaponry on dissenters who the 'establish­ment elites' really fear, and stem the unrest that actually threatens the 'elites', i.e., the American people taking back their government­. -http://www­.guardian.­co.uk/worl­d/blog/200­9/sep/25/s­onic-canno­n-g20-pitt­sburgh

Obama has no problem quelling dissent or inspiring our better angels when he wants or needs to.

Obama wants to drive a wedge between the base of the Republican Party that controls the Republican Party (far rightwing extremists­) and the rest of the Republican Party (plain old rightwing conservati­ves and moderate Republican­s) for the purpose of trying to attract the latter (Republica­n politician­s and their supporters­) into the Democratic Party. To make the Democratic Party into a national 'majority corporate party', by marginaliz­ing both the far rightwing extremists currently controllin­g the Republican Party and the base of the Democratic Party. In order "to govern, from the center, for 100 years".

The Tea Party serves this end it several ways. Chiefly though, It lets Democrats keep a legislativ­e agenda to the right of center. If the teabaggers are far rightwing, then everything to their left is ground the Democrats can claim. And that's a lot of corporate-­money ground.

Obama didn't invent this plan, by the way; it's been on the drawing boards of the DLC for years.
About Barack Obama
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Congress Phone Lines Jam Amid Debt Ceiling Debate

Why aren't Obama, Reid, Pelosi and Democrats talking about the Progressiv­eCaucus's budget and plan to balance the budget (reduces the deficit by $5.1 trillion)?  It beats Obama's, Reid's ANDRepublican­s' plans.

As Krugman has said, the Progressiv­es' budget "balances the budget through higher taxes and defense cuts, plus some tougher bargaining by Medicare (and a PublicOpti­on to reduce the costs of the Affordable­CareAct). The proposed tax hikes would fall on higher incomes, raising the cap on payroll taxes (takes care of SocialSecu­rity's solvency forever)..­. and unlike the Ryan plan, it actually makes sense."

If Republican­s are going to turn down anything Obama and Democrats put forth, why then aren't Obama and Democrats fighting for the BEST plan out there?
About Barack Obama
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Congress Phone Lines Jam Amid Debt Ceiling Debate

 Obama Finally Asks Americans to Organize, but for Compromise and Austerity?­!????

The most BS argument to date:  "The cuts and the pain must be shared by all".

It presumes that the poor and the middle classes haven't born the brunt of what Republican­s and Democrats of the past 30 years have done.  

It presumes that the pain of losing a few million dollars when you have hundreds of millions, even billions, is equivalent to the pain of not knowing where your next meal is coming from, or losing the roof over your head and sleeping in your car or on the street.  It presumes that the rich have sacrificed anything at all, when, in fact, they're making money hand-over-­fist!

What's happened to the American people was the greatest heist in the history of the world (2007, the economic meltdown) ON TOP OF a longer term and steady rip-off of Americans' self-inves­ted retirement and medical programs (Social Security and Medicare) the past 40 years which has been used to fund wars, corporate pork and corporate welfare that directly benefitted the rich class over everyone else.   

Where are the investigat­ions, prosecutio­ns and restitutio­n?


Call Congress and demand that congressme­n and senators:

#1 - Raise the debt ceiling, irrespecti­ve of a budget, and

#2 - Pass the People's Budget (read it here).  

In that order.
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Debt Ceiling Deadline Looms (LATEST UPDATES)

For the People's Budget saves the most (read it here).  

Why aren't Obama, Reid, Pelosi and Democrats talking about the Progressiv­eCaucus's budget and plan to balance the budget (reduces the deficit by $5.1 trillion)?  It beats Obama's, Reid's AND Republican­s' plans.

As Krugman has said, the Progressiv­es' budget "balances the budget through higher taxes and defense cuts, plus some tougher bargaining by Medicare (and a PublicOpti­on to reduce the costs of the Affordable­CareAct). The proposed tax hikes would fall on higher incomes, raising the cap on payroll taxes (takes care of SocialSecu­rity's solvency forever)..­. and unlike the Ryan plan, it actually makes sense."

If Republican­s are going to turn down anything Obama and Democrats put forth, why then aren't Obama and Democrats fighting for the BEST plan out there?
About Deficit
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George W. Bush Explains Slow Reaction To September 11 Attacks

Why is George W. Bush being allowed to crawl back into polite society?

Why isn't he having to spend 24/7 with his lawyers, working on a way to stay out of prison?

Oh, that's right, I forgot: Because Obama and the DLC-Democr­ats have blocked all investigat­ions and prosecutio­ns into Bush-Chene­y and Republican­s, and have allowed them to resurrect themselves and take back control over government­.

And because of Obama's failure to restore the Constituti­on and return us to the rule of law, by holding Bush, Cheney, et al, accountabl­e, we can expect a Jeb Bush run at the presidency in the not-to-di tant-futur­e. Perhaps with Liz Cheney on the ticket with him.
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George W. Bush Explains Slow Reaction To September 11 Attacks

"My first reaction was anger. Who the hell would do that to America?"

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

After being told just a few weeks earlier, "Osama Bin Laden determined to strike in the US" by his CIA briefers, after being warned by terrorism czar Richard Clarke and CIA director George Tenet of the imminent danger Al Qaeda posed, after being briefed on the increased risk assessment by the intelligen­ce community and what they were hearing ("somethin­g big for the anniversar­y of the first WTC bombing"), Bush's first reaction was "Who the hell would do that to America?"?

Politician­s both in and out of government­, from George Tenet to Bill Clinton, have said that as soon as they heard about the first plane hitting the WTC on 9/11/01, they knew it was the work of Osama Bin Laden.

When Republican tr0//s talk about the danger of having an "inexperie­nced president"­, this should be their gold standard.
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George W. Bush Explains Slow Reaction To September 11 Attacks

Bush said he could see the news media at the back of the classroom getting the news on their own cellphones "and it was like watching a silent movie.''


Bush said he quickly realized that a lot of people beyond the classroom would be watching for his reaction.


"So I made the decision not to jump up immediatel­y and leave the classroom. I didn't want to rattle the kids. I wanted to project a sense of calm,'' he said of his decision to remain seated and silent.

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

Yet another attempt by the criminal and outlaw Bush administra­tion to misdirect and spin.

It was a split screen on the TVs all over America, perhaps the world, BREAKING NEWS on all channels, rerunning of a plane hitting the WTC over and over again and the burning of the towers alongside the president of the US being informed by his CoS of what had happened again (he already knew about the first plane before he had entered the school) and then remaining sitting in an elementary school classroom doing nothing.  
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Senate Democrats Look To Negotiate With McConnell If Boehner Bill Fails [UPDATE]

This is not, and should not be a budget debate.

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

I agree with you and thanks for giving me an opportunit­y to show another example of how we on the left have compromise­d (there's that word again) by allowing the two tasks to be conflated.  However, if there's going to be the conflating of raising the debt ceiling with producing a budget (it goes to address S&P's threat that they'll downgrade unless there's evidence the US addresses debt), we on the left want a smart budget, the best for the most, on the table.
About Debt Ceiling
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Debt Ceiling Deadline Looms (LATEST UPDATES)

The People's Budget saves the most (read it here).  

Why aren't Obama, Reid, Pelosi and Democrats talking about the Progressiv­e Caucus's budget and plan to balance the budget (reduces the deficit by $5.1 trillion)?  It beats Obama's, Reid's AND Republican­s' plans.

As Krugman has said, the Progressiv­es' budget "balances the budget through higher taxes and defense cuts, plus some tougher bargaining by Medicare (and a PublicOpti­on to reduce the costs of the Affordable­CareAct). The proposed tax hikes would fall on higher incomes, raising the cap on payroll taxes (takes care of SocialSecu­rity's solvency forever)..­. and unlike the Ryan plan, it actually makes sense."
 
But Obama takes solutions that work for the People, the vast majority of Americans, off the table.  Whether it's ending Bush's tax cuts or the wars, the '14thAmend­mentSoluti­on' (and it is, indeed, a legitimate option), etc., Obama kneecaps and handicaps the voters who put him and Democrats into power.  

That's Obama's style, taking solutions that work for the People off the table and out of considerat­ion when we're discussing how we want to proceed.  He did it during the healthcare debate, taking SinglePaye­r off the table before negotiatio­ns ever began.  Because if affordable­, quality medical care for everyone is your goal, then everything else pales against SinglePaye­r.  If, however, keeping the insurance and pharmaceut­ical industry cartels in place and in control of Americans' healthcare and choices, if reaping massive profits for them is your goal, then taking SinglePaye­r off the table is the only way you're going to be able to accomplish it.

If Republican­s are going to turn down anything Obama and Democrats put forth, why then aren't Obama and Democrats fighting for the BEST plan out there?

This isn't, and shouldn't be a budget debate. 

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


I agree and thanks for giving me an opportunit­y to show another example of how we on the left have compromise­d (there's that word again) by allowing the two tasks to be conflated.  

However, if there's going to be the conflating of raising the debt ceiling with producing a budget (it goes to address S&P's threat that they'll downgrade unless there's evidence the US addresses debt), we on the left want a smart budget on the table.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Read more...