Dem-Controlled Senate Committee Axes Public Option: Well, I wish I was surprised. Hardly.
You can read all about today’s edition of “Dems see their shadows and run for cover” here.
I can’t wait to hear the Dem-faithful start spewing their excuses for their party’s continued failure when it comes to leading on essential political issues.
As we all recall, first they needed control of Congress. Then they needed a bigger majority in Congress. Then they needed to get rid of big-bad-Bush. Well, Dems, you got all your electoral wishes. And look what you’re doing with it: Nothing.
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Bankers Still Drunk on Derivatives: Yeah, you all remember derivatives, don’t you. Those were those nebulous trading schemes that were largely “credited” with last year’s global economic collapse. President Obama, while opening the public’s money vault to those very same corporate criminals in the early weeks of his presidency, declared that he wasn’t just “throwing money around” but trying to rein in the shady derivative dealings of the financial behemoths that were on the verge of falling like dominos.
Here’s Obama’s direct quote:
“We will not go back to the days of reckless behavior and unchecked excess at the heart of this crisis.”
Well, technically, Obama was right: We will not go back. Because we never went forward.
Yep, after throwing more than a trillion dollars at the financial sinkhole of corrupt American capitalism, absolutely no regulations – or policing actions – have been put into place to stop the obscene reverse Robin Hood scenario that has been Wall Street’s norm.
And now we’re learning that those same financial institutions are beginning to step up their derivative trading practices once again. You can read about it here.
Quick, everyone go to the mirror and repeat after me: Sucker.
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When Right Wingers Had Brains: As we all know now, William Safire of Nixon and New York Times fame died last weekend. Strangely, I found myself getting a bit nostalgic over Safire’s death, only because in the context of today’s right-wing ninnies (read: tea-bagger hell), Safire seems like a total breath of fresh air in comparison.
Today’s right-wingers seem proud of their abuse of the English language and logic in general. Safire, on the other hand, was an English language master – not quite Chomsky, for sure, but a genius none-the-less. And, while I agreed with almost nothing Safire said, he could construct an argument that at least made for an interesting read.
In contrast, today we’ve got complete dopes and charlatans like Beck and Limbaugh who want nothing more than to be stupid and loud and damn proud of it. And, on the local scene, we’ve got the pathetic wannabe known as Paul Beaudry, a man who couldn’t put together a correct complete sentence even if he tried to copy it straight out of “Dick & Jane.” [Hint to Beaudry: “are” is the plural of “is.” Use it sometime. Please.]
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Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: A Love Story”: Ever since “Roger & Me,” I haven’t really been a big fan of Michael Moore’s. Sure, he’s usually right-on when it comes to the issues he’s covering. But they’ve never sparked a movement or significant change. Worse, Moore himself has seemed more interested in his popularity (and profitability) than using his enormous clout amongst liberals to actually hold some feet to the fire (read: Democrats).
Okay, okay, I’m also holding a grudge against Moore for doing a complete 180-degree turn on Ralph Nader by touting him in 2000 and then all but burning him at the stake in 2008. Moore, as we’ll all recall, put his liberal clout fully behind Obama, even though Obama made it clear – then and now – that he wouldn’t be ending the wars, fighting for single-payer health care, or putting the clamp down upon gross corporate malfeasance.
Moore’s movies seem like another chance for liberals to giggle amongst themselves (a la John Stewart, Colbert, etc.), slap each other on the back about how right they are, and then do little more about it. Been there, done that.
But then I read this review by one of the best bloggers in existence, Louis Proyect, and he gave me pause to reconsider this latest Moore movie. Please, take a moment and read Proyect’s review.
Proyect convinced me to get in line at the Savoy this weekend and see it. But I’m hoping that – always the dreamer, you know – that the laughing liberals who emerge from this Moore movie will be willing to do more than giggle with him for a couple of hours and then return to their “the Dems are great” mantra upon their exit. Yawn.
It’s movement time. And I’m not talking about the great big shit the Dems took on the nation today by voting with the insurance industry and killing the already wimpy “public option.”
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You’ve gotten more than you deserve. Keep those comments coming – anonymous or otherwise.
That’s what baffles me.
There are these democrats (mostly from the south?) who are infected with this anti government virus.
No universal health care. No single payer insurance. No options.
Totally surrender to the free market of private companies that only have profit as their interest.
Are they representative of their constituents opinions?
Man, seems like they still have this slave/master imprint.
And they prefer to be slaves.
To the private master companies.
If you think the Democrats are learning anything, you should have been at the Philip Baruth kick-off party last night. Rah-rah-rah, smile for the cameras, stroke the egos, and grab the ring of power before getting in line with the same old Democratic nonsense. I went thinking that I might be energized by it, but left feeling like I needed to take a shower. One thing’s for sure, Baruth loves himself. No question about it.
First Bill Buckley now Bill Safire. Two of the few remaining intelligent conservatives within the space of so short at time. The voices of reason within the conservative movement are dwindling by the day.
Meanwhile the movement that the two men were so identified with – the movement they both tried to save from the kooks, criminals and fools who have hijacked it – continues to implode.
Isn’t life wonderful?
http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Tom Degan
Interesting. You have Safire, Moore, and Proyect in the same post. Where’s Paul Craig Roberts?–the man from Reagan.
What about Michael Moore the Democratic Party Cheerleader. Although, he does criticize Democrats lightly, he does not seem to really go after Obama’s deep connections to Wall Street. Maybe it has something to do with the fact Rahm Emanuel’s younger brother, Ari Emanuel, is Michael Moore’s agent in Hollywood.
Obama raised more money from Wall Street and the big Piranhas of the Chicago Global Financial Industry than John McCain and somehow that seems to be a minor story to Michael Moore.
Hey Robb — excellent points/facts. The bottom line is that it is simply bat-shit crazy to espouse both an anti-capitalist and pro-Obama stance. The two simply don’t mix. Unless, of course, you’re Michael Moore and the fleecing of liberals is your capitalist/political game. He looks well-fed to me.
Sadly, Moore has perfected the art of positioning himself in the all-too-familiar land of liberal hand-wringing that stops far short of political action. He riles them up just enough to get them to buy his book/movie/video but won’t push them enough to make them “uncomfortable” (read: taking action beyond the $8 movie ticket).