The Big Conservative Con Begins in 2010...."Don't Get Fooled Again"
By John Amato Monday Jan 04, 2010 1:00pmNow that we've begun a new decade, the right wing will begin their new con game, and their "mark' will be the American people. What's a mark?
A confidence trick or confidence game (also known as a bunko, con, flim flam, gaffle, grift, hustle, scam, scheme, swindle or bamboozle) is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. The victim is known as the mark, the trickster is called a confidence man, con man, or con artist, and any accomplices are known as shills.
Typically con men feed on dishonest people, but in politics they focus on the unsuspecting. What we've learned from the previous decade is that conservatism is a total failure when it comes to governance. Under Bush and Cheney we've had a massive terrorist attack, two wars, torture and a global financial meltdown. We've had Hurricane Katrina expose how conservatives respond to Americans after a natural disaster hits two states. We've had government corruption at the highest order, which resulted in Cheney's chief of staff being convicted of multiple felonies. We had the horrendous Terry Schiavo affair. We had a news network actively become a propaganda arm of the GOP. We had Wall Street inflate a mortgage bubble that almost turned into another Great Depression.
I can go on and on, but because of a timid media, they will be allowed to perpetrate their newest con. "Only conservatism can save America," will be their motto. If the media actually acted like an independent monitor of the news, we might stand a chance against the new scam, but we know better. Drudge rules their world.
The GOP is brilliant at one thing, and that is tearing people down. Because they left this country in such tatters it's an easy scam to pull off, because hard-working Americans are vulnerable pickings. They have to try and survive in a world destroyed by conservative values. The con is easy. Just blame everything on President Barack Obama. All your job woes, all your fears about how your life will recover and the future that it holds for your children. If we had a real media that would expose the Bush regime for the manifest failure it was, it would be a much harder task, but we don't, and instead news programming has turned more into endless right/left opinion discussions.
"Don't Get Fooled Again" should be our national slogan, because even if we disagree as liberals in the way our president has handled the situation he was elected into, we are engaged enough to know what conservatism has done to this country.
Devilstower at DailyKos reminisces about the previous decade also:
Don't forget the naughts, because this decade, no matter what anyone on the right might say, was conservatism on trial. You want less taxes? You got less taxes. You want less regulation? You got less regulation. Open markets? Wide open. An illusuion of security in place of rights? Hey, presto. Think we should privatize war by handing unlimited power given to military contractors so they can kick butt and take names? Kiddo, we passed out boots and pencils by the thousands. Everything, everything, that ever showed up on a drooled-over right wing wish list got implemented -- with a side order of Freedom Fries.
They will try to disown it, and God knows if I was responsible for this mess I'd be disowning it, too. But the truth is that the conservatives got everything they wanted in the decade just past, everything that they've claimed for forty years would make America "great again". They didn't fart around with any "red dog Republicans." They rolled over their moderates and implemented a conservative dream.
What did we get for it? We got an economy in ruins, a government in massive debt, unending war, and the repudiation of the world. There's no doubt that Republicans want you to forget the last decade, because if you remember... if you remember when you went down to the water hole and were jumped by every lunacy that ever emerged from the wet dreams of Grover Norquist and Dick Cheney, well, it's not likely that you'd give them a chance to do it again.
And they will. Given half a chance -- less than half -- they'll do it again, only worse. Because that's the way conservatism works. Remember when the only answer to every economic problem was "cut taxes?" We have a surplus. Good, let's cut taxes. We have a deficit. Hey, cut taxes even more! That little motto was unchanging even when was clear that the tax cuts were increasing the burden on everyone but a wealthy few. That's just a subset of the great conservative battle whine which is now and forever "we didn't go far enough." If deregulation led to a crash, it's because we didn't deregulate enough. If the wars aren't won, it's because we haven't started enough wars. If there are people still clinging to their rights, it's because we haven't done enough to make them afraid.
Forget the naughts, and you'll forget that conservatives had another chance to prove all their ideas, and that their ideas utterly and completely failed. Again.
The point of remembering bad events is to stop them from repeating. So remember, and remind others if they start to forget. Because really, this is one trip to the water hole we can't afford to repeat.
And as Digby points out:
I don't deny that the corporate Democrats are screwed up too. But they didn't invent this political world. As I quipped before, they just learned to stop worrying and love the money. This world of graft and corruption and unfettered greed was the conservative movement's idea of utopia. And they got it.
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Not naughts?
Aught means "anything" - naught means "nothing" (or zero.)
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aught
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/naught
I think the confusion came from an old western movie where they tried to add authenticity by having an old-timer refer to an event that occurred "back in naught eight." A lot of listeners apparently mistook the n in naught as being the last letter in the preceding word. Somehow it took and 'aught' took on its opposite meaning, but only in America. In Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada there is no confusion.
ought (def. #2)
n
mathematics zero: zero
So naught or ought. Aught is anything. Archaic, but in Commonwealth countries, especially the U.K.
in case you haven't noticed.
Obama is "practically one of them" now.
I see no difference in the two parties.
The Dems have the majorities in Congress and the presidency and yet they've watered down the health care bill, the financial reform bill, and yet we're supposed vote for them again?
This time I'm not getting fooled by either corporate party.
Until the Dems get their act together, I'm voting for the Greens indefinitely.
C'mon. Look at the crimes of the bush administration! The kind of crimes they committed. The magnitude of their crime. The millions of dead and displaced.
think about voting democratic.
All that really says is think about NOT voting republican.
More and more people are thinking democrats = republicans. Don't vote republican also means don't vote democrat. Until the 2 party system crashes, those people just won't vote. Thats why you actually need to paint the democrats in a positive light if you want people to vote democrat, its the only way to make them different from republicans.
success. Gross Domestic War Product is up 128% and non military Gross Domestic Product is down -20 to -27% and still falling.
and CPAC is being cosponsored by the birchers...
start looking like idiots if they keep focusing on Cons and Wing Nuts.
Wrong "target" at this point of the game. How much more dissing from the Prez and his Boyz you going take?
"Just blame everything on President Barack Obama. All your job woes, all your fears about how your life will recover and the future that it holds for your children."
The reason why people are so cynical is because this is exactly the same "strategy" the left employed when bush was elected. Before Katrina, before the wars, and before 9/11 Bush was already the worst president in history. And the left are certainly taking notes from the right wingers on how to bash a president. The next republican president will be treated no better than Obama.
Do not fight the propaganda with more propaganda. Stop pointing out the flaws of conservatives and start pointing out the greatness in Barak Obama and progressives.
right?
nope. the left predicted the worst of the iraq war and they were wrong. they strayed from their sound arguments against it, to impossible garbage about it. let the right wingers predict the worst of Obama, let the media let the rest of us know what they are predicting. they will look like fools when they are proven wrong.
I still think by 2012 Obama will prove to be even better on the US deficit than Clinton, despite the bailouts. Please save the soundbites predicting "runaway inflation" for that election.
Perpetual Bailouts
Perpetual War
The warmongering Bailout Nation does FAKE HEALTH CARE (barf) REFORM!
well, here's to hoping that any deficit reduction won't be down on the backs of the poor (as has been the usual route), and that the obama admin will do what needs to be done: get back to pre-reagan tax levels for the richest of the rich. (and let's go ahead and address the hedge fund tax rate while we're at it).
I would have pointed out barak obama promised not to raise taxes on the lowest earners, but that appears to be a semantic issue ("fines"). But like the bailouts that too seems like an exception, not a rule. The fines wouldn't amount compared to the debt, anyway.
If Obama can't get re-elected in 2012 its his own fault. He was given a gift. He's labeled the tax and spend scary black guy. The only "unpopular" thing he has to do is raise taxes on the rich, and cut (actual) wasteful spending (like military boondogles). If in 2012 he lowered the deficit, lowered unemployment, and lowered household debt, then voters really shouldn't give a rats ass if he had to tax the rich to do it. All of those things are not so hard to accomplish within 3 more years.
I'm still "hoping" Obama is an egocentric arrogant man who cares only about his legacy. Someone like that will care to prove his detractors wrong. If he's in it for the bling, well, then American itself is hopeless.
Tom Engelhardt, Nick Turse, Tomdispatch.com
Alternet here
I remain skeptical on those claims.
USA does spend a lot on military but that technology has displaced many dead soldiers. The 25 years before the start of the Iraq war doesn't include Vietnam, where almost 50,000 American soldiers died. ten times more than in all middle east conflicts since.
The first Military budget under Obama had the smallest budget increase in decades, thats a good sign.
We spend about $1 trillion per year which is more than the next 25 countries combined.
You need to understand that the DoD portion is only part of the number.
This fantastically militarized culture has no purpose other than war profiteering and the expansion of empire.
We should CUT this obscenely bloated budget by 90% which would STILL leave a larger budget than our nearest rival.
NOT INCREASE IT. Warmongers!
War profiteering bothers me, but not the expansion of Americas "empire".
I've been reading some history and the American empire is like no other. It does not "claim" its empire, thus is has no obligations to it, and suffers little damage to its "image" if it loses control over a region. Its not a glorious "for the empire" kind of empire. In turn much of Americas empire is actually prosperous and self governing.
War profiteering means the USA is making profit directly by soldiers being at the front lines, and not the profit that comes from the developments AFTER the conflict is over. Just want to be clear on that because the "perpetual war" in germany and japan seems to be working great for everybody, even the soldiers posted there.
The American Empire is like all other Empires, it kills people.
You are either for the slaughter or against it. Should I count you among the murderers?
Chris Hedges here
Information Clearing House here
Ask them how they are doing!
Ugh.
I saw it before you edited it Alice.
Alice, have you ever gotten student loans?
Do you pay taxes?
Do you drive on public roads?
Ever paid to get into a State Park?
We're all guilty Alice. You are too.
Being for it or against it is irrelevant.
Of course being against it puts people in a better position to claim innocence.
But make no mistake Alice. You're just as guilty as the next guy. So am I.
So don't go down that road by accusing someone of accessory to murder. We 're all guilty of that.
so I will not cop to accessorizing either.
It will be hard for a jury to decide if I forgo bail and stand trial in my organge jail jump suit. Besides, what accessories go good with organge one piece canvas?
Perhaps a nice scarf of some sort. If you are being held in a cold part of the country, I would suggest wool. If you are in a warmer climate, definately silk. Go with black or white just to be safe. I doubt you could find a US flag print on a scarf, but if you could that would be fabulous.
you can't go wrong with a cashmere scarf.
Me? I'm wearing black. No reason not too.
Being against the slaughter is more than relevant.
I did not vote for the perpetrators.
None of them.
I speak out at every turn.
But you're just as guilty as the next guy.
Speaking out, while it may feel good to do. It will not take away the guilt.
We're all guilty Alice. That will never change.
Also, voting either for them or against them is also irrelevant. Or not voting for either. Or not voting at all. No Alice, it's not that easy.
I think you're off the mark on this one.
Student loans = No profit for the murderers and a way of getting a little something back from the money that's been stolen (taxes) from you and your family.
Paying taxes = There is no guilt when the murderers are threatening violence against both parties in a transaction involving necessities.
Public roads = A monopoly controlled by the murderers. They give you no other choice if you want to get from here to there.
Voting is one of the few situations in which you have a choice of whether you are or are not going to legitimize/sanction/support the murderers.
I honestly was. I was reluctantly in favor of Afghanistan. I was wrong.
I let my emotions get the better of me on that one.
My point is, We are all Americans. And like it or not, Bush made us all guilty.
Yes, the Congress made us guilty too.
But if you pay taxes, or get some kind of loan from the govt, or any help or use anything the govt had a hand in building and we used it. We're guilty. Bush made us guilty.
It's not a matter of choice. And yes, it is guilt by association.
We're all guilty. If we like it or not.
not sure, but I think you're saying that calling yourself an "American" makes you guilty by association. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has never called themself an "American" because we're not, we're human. Calling myself or anybody else something other than a human is a lie.
Yes, we are all human. Well, most of us anyway.
We all share some guilt in this virtue. Some more than others. That's true.
But we all share some guilt.
That's the main reason why I hate George Bush.
He made me into something I'm not.
appears that the only thing that you're guilty of is not knowing. It's understandable. It took me 20 years to completely flush the shit that the public schools and society put in my brain.
..should somehow be made to pay back the money handed to them by Reagan's and Bush's tax cuts with interest, considering the cuts led to deficits on which interest had to be paid.
What I would propose would be an estate tax that would be 0% up to some fairly high point - say 1 or 2 million dollars. Beyond that it would be somewhere between 95 and 100%.
If conservatives truly believe in competition they shouldn't mind that their own children and heirs compete in whatever business environment they create on a level playing field. Anything else exposes their hypocrisy.
barret d: "the left predicted the worst of the iraq war and they were wrong."
What??????????? An unprovoked war of choice where hundreds of thousands (est.) were killed and an entire country was laid ruin to and made dysfunctional, is somehow a success (in your opinion)??????
the costs of it were high, the left were right about that. but the left was actually saying the war couldn't be won at all. of course it could be won. America can take over any rinky dink enemy country it wants to and reorganize it to be an ally. You think Iraq is still dysfunctional? You think Iraq isn't now headed towards something better? America paid a hefty price. But the world has 1 less a crazy dictator with oil and America has 1 more ally with oil. From the perspective of empire, it was well done. The American people on the other hand, not sure what they gained out of it all, except some dead brothers and sisters.
that might run afoul of your call to avoid fighting propagnda with more propaganda...
indeed. Hallmark of the loser has nothing to say for himself. That is all that needs to be said of conservative whiners.
The Democrats have proven themselves to be the complete stooges of the über Capitalists.
Who needs Republicans with tools like these.
Think about voting. You may get a day to do that later this year.
Think about that day every day until that day comes again.
Since the dems are already doing a great job fooling us, who needs repugs? What we need is to build a strong third party. The time to start is now.
It's been proven over and over again. Remember Ross and Nader? They both helped lose elections. I believe we have to build the Dem party from within and make it more progressive.
Remember Cox, Stevenson, Carter and Gore?
Ross Perot who got 19 million votes after dropping out and then dropping back in. He helped elect Clinton in '92. Clinton got 42% of the vote.
So Perot did help lose the election for George the First.
That was Perot's purpose, he hated Bush.
As far as Nader goes, Gore cost HIM the election.
So there.
..which I heartily agree with, BTW. Third parties do work - if your intention is to hand power to the other side. Perot was a libertarian/conservative and his involvement did indeed help elect Clinton.
Clinton was also a Republican, there were three conservatives running.
but true.
The Republican Party started as a third party, as did the Whig Party, which someone else here mentioned. The sad-but-true fact of the matter (pardon the pun) is that both parties serve Wall Street, and making the Dumb-O-Craps progressive from within is about as feasable as turning poop into gold. We have a single-party system, and nothing makes that more apparent than when the Greens or whoever threaten to get more than three or four percent of the vote. One scenario I can envision is where the progressives split from the Dumb-O-Craps and the wingnuts split from the Repugnicants leaving a moderate middle party and a three-way slugfest.
.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/372068502...
(Encountered in an exchange earlier with ysb)
You're not going to get a workable third party in our electoral system, especially not at the federal level. I think it would be great if more parties were viable in this country, but if we're serious about making it a reality, we need to take a long, hard look at our electoral system, something no one really seems interested in doing save a few dedicated activists.
In the short term, progressives need to realize that the two major parties are like shells waiting for resident crabs. If it's corporations who crawl in and take over the shell, fine by Democrats and Republicans. But the Christian Right and the Know Nothings and other right wing wacko groups know how to infiltrate in order to gain some control over one of the parties. And they didn't care which one. They picked the Republicans, and they've made the party virtually unrecognizable to some of the staunchest conservatives of one or two generations past. We need to do the same thing to the Democrats.
In the long term, we need to focus on reforming the electoral system so that we have genuine representation accountable to the voters.
the two major parties are like shells waiting for resident crabs
nice analogy.
"Now that we've begun a new decade..."
Sorry, you're a year early.
...but majority rules on this one. For ease of grouping 10 years into decades, we go by numbers, not distance to zero. Or do you really need to spend time arguing that 1990 was actually part of the 1980s?
I'm with you on that one, but you can't fight ignorance with logic and the truth.
... no one's ignorant of the "facts" here, it's just that no one cares. It's the "tens" or "teens" now, because that's what the rest of us are going to be calling it. You can be the lone voice in the wilderness explaining all the factual and logical reasons why we shouldn't call it that, but it's unlikely to change things. And since it's all made up anyway, and really doesn't matter, you should just let it be....
was the big story of the decade before he was born. At least they understood math for the first two thirds of our existence.
..being that there was no year zero. That is what established the tradition that centuries start in the year xx01. It is much more convenient with respect to decades to simply ignore that. Therefore, of course 1990 was not part of the 80s.
The Dems didn't invent the corruption but they are for it.
They got it and the Dems got it.
To those that insist there is a substantial difference between the two facets of the corrupt corporate party,
I say this:
The Democrats mince their words, the Republicans do not mince theirs.
If that is enough of a difference for you, then you have been hoodwinked.
Their probably more reckless and dangerous then the cons with their smug we know it all bullsh*t.
As I see it they are looting the American people every bit as shamelessly as the cons did from 01-08
As I see it they are looting the American people every bit as shamelessly as the cons did from 01-08
But, you wouldn't want the Dems to stand up for their principles and campaign promises, would you???? Why, why, that wouldn't be bipartisan....gasp!!!
Giving us a corporatistic health care bill, a weak financial reform bill, more money to Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, and little to no tough action on the banksters?
How about voting outside of the two-party farce? The Green Party, as I see it, is the only worthwhile party left.
won't keep the republicans from winning.
From my perspective, the Green Party is the ONLY true viable and progressive third party out there.
If we can get more people to embrace their message then we could get some real "hope" and "change".
a realistic look at things, not wishful thinking.
I agree with you Ron.
You mean like CHANGE WE CAN WE CAN BELIEVE IN?
That kind of the realistic look at things?
I vote Socialist.
The corporate media is very fair. If the Right cries wolf, they uncritically report it. If the Left cries wolf, they uncritically report it. Is it the media's fault that it's only ever the Right who *does* cry wolf?
Investigate and prosecute the war criminals - not on the table with the Democrats!
Investigate and prosecute the Wall Street Crooks - not on the table with the Democrats!
Get the bailout money money back - not a chance with the Democrats, they just upped the ant with Fannie and Freddie to infinity.
End the Perpetual War - not on the table with the Democrats!
just who was it who ran on the platform of investigation, prosecution,
not bailouts and no war? How many votes did they get?
Who do you mean?
but I thought you knew who was running last time on the Prosecution Party ticket.
But I am interested in your take.
I was mad at Nader long before New Hampshire and Florida in 2000. I'm a single front engine vehicle voter when it comes to that perpetual ball of self righteousity.
So do I gather you are against investigations and prosecutions?
You need to look inward as to perpetual balls of whatever…
Of course the conservatives are repeating their rather shopworn mantras of less government and lower taxes. And of course it's just the same old conservative con. But that doesn't mean we should fall for the same old Obama con about "change we can believe in." On issue after issue -- from the economy to health insurance to civil rights -- the Obama Administration's position seems indistinguishable from the conservative position. Not surprising, given their alignment with Blue Dogs and Conservadems. And before anyone brings up that hoary chestnut that the Republicans would be even worse, let's remember that it was a Democratic president -- Bill Clinton -- who gave us DOMA and DADT. Thanks, but no thanks, the national Democratic Party isn't getting my support in the next election -- I can survive another Republican administration, but God save us from our "fierce advocate."
was in the other direction...
Not that it matters anymore....
The republicans use tax cuts as the carrot to lure some people into voting for them and then they throw in fear to frighten the rest of the people into voting for them. As long as people are greedy and fearful the republicans will have a shot.
It will be interesting how closely the republican candidates will align themselves with the tea baggers.
...by the repubs or the democrats next time.
anyone has fooled me into voting for them.
Hell, I'm so far behind that I don't even feel I have been fooled by anyone into voting for them, but I can't promise it won't happen in the future.
admit it like others here so proudly do.
And I applaud you for that. One should keep their times of being fooled under their hat or under their bed but just not in their pants when flying on a plane.
generally have little room left for messages on their bumpers to begin with.
Probably very true. Are we sure they still have their bumpers or might they have fallen off due to the weight of those stickers?
After reading this article, it seems like the libs are scared. Not sure if you are telling the truth here. It appears to be mostly a rant!
Could you be more specific? We are definitely concerned for our country. Conservatives had total control from 2000-2006, and all they did was start wars and hand our tax dollars to their billionaire buddies. You want more of that, do you?
Why would anyone here care?
You keep on trustin the neoconservatives. In case you haven't noticed, they did a bang up job. So, by all means, trust the GOP. They'll lower your taxes. And your kids will be saddled with the chore of fixing the country.
And if you don't have kids. Why should you care?
Are you saying that the current situation this country is in bothers you? Or how about ethics? Do you feel the GOP has superior ethics?
By all means, trust the GOP. They're lookin out for ya.
still we cannot lose sight of what we are fighting for...
...or against.
http://washingtonindependent.com/73036/n-word...
The republican candidates can simply come to the comments of this post and get enough ammo to run against democrats. They can say here's what liberals are saying about the democratic party and their President. If the liberals are this unhappy with their own party, why would any republican want to vote for a democrat?
Who cares. Eventually a viable third party will be formed by the former middle class, and it will be codified around a large fire.
Right now it looks like the third party maybe forming and it's on the far right. They are laughingly known here as the Tea Baggers. Republicans may have to cater to them this year and in years to come. If the left formed a third party of their own at the same time a tea bagging party started, every sensible person would lose a whole lot.
...baggers?
I imagine green tea baggers would sound too elitist for our tea baggin' buds.
I thought they were pretty straight. They don't act mellow enough. Maybe they toke up after rallies and town meetings, huh?
They just chug a bottle of Jack Daniels and hit the road pissing and moaning about everything they can think of. Of course at that point it is so wise to also have loaded guns with them.
One would be a fourth party.
All the sensible people would be with the progressives, by definition.
The working class people of this country constitute between 62% and 80% of the population.
I don't use the metric of income but rather of power to determine the nature of their own work.
When they coalesce and understand that neither of the two corrupt parties has anything to offer them, the dynamics will change.
one day. ...soon.
awakes. There will be bloody hell to pay.
Does he want my money, too?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59EQi2kKJ6A
Or, in a South Park classic, shenanigans. I declare!
"Mark" is a term used by old carnival workers to describe someone who is holding a wad of cash, usually observed upon paying entrance to the carnival. At the proper moment, a carnival worker would walk up behind the cash-heavy individual and quickly and surreptitiously take a piece of chalk and MARK a line down the back of his jacket to show that this is indeed the individual to fleece. This was done with a quick motion as the carnival worker closely passed the sucker by, ostensibly patting him on the shoulder or on the back. The carnival workers would then proceed to clean "The Mark" out of all his money either by engaging him in impossible to win games, gambling, or even out and out pickpocketing.
I have never heard that story before. I sure won't forget it. Thanks!
And there will be no ice cream or cake.
Our government has been so corrupted for so long, we can't even tell anymore. The Reps and Dems melded into one pretty much after WWII, and the process has just been refined in the last 4 decades.
What we have now is fascism - we have our elitist class using their political power and the power of the markets, solely under their control, to make the rest of us march to their drums. Recently, they're evolving more and more into the imperial/security/militaristic state we generally recognize as fascistic.
We are controlled in every facet of our lives, more and more every day, even though we still have the illusion of 'freedom.' The only information we really get is tightly controlled by the MSM - a wholly-owned subsidiary of the US Gov't.
And, soon (when we have the next financial disaster - 2010?, major terrorist attack? ) it will become evident to many more Americans that we cannot Vote our way out of this mess. I do not have the answers for how we correct course; I only know it would be helpful if more people would just become more aware and honest about what we are dealing with.
but i myself think its more like the govt is a subsidiary of mega-corp
"but we need EXTRACT in our foods, all kinds of foods..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzJI08YUNik (safe for work)
On CNN...more turncoats going over the side.
Parker Griffith's staff resigns
Most of Rep. Parker Griffith's staff resigned Monday.
Washington (CNN) – Most of Rep. Parker Griffith's staff resigned Monday morning, nearly two weeks after the former Blue Dog Democrat announced his intention to join the Republican Party
Good riddance.
The newly ointmented Republican is at the end of his road.
I'm not happy with the Democrats trust me and I am not sure of what to make of Obama at this point , maybe he just doesn't have the power , the backing he needs to really make changes or maybe we were flat mislead but people better think twice about saying F the Dems and letting the Repugs win . How soon people forget the last administration , Bush , the shit head psychopath Cheney and the neocon / Repugnants in total control . You think that was bad , when ( not if ) they regain power they'll make Bush / Cheney seem like the good old days . Don't be stupid , the Repugs / neocons , their main stream Christian pals who are nothing but frauds and shysters ( not Christians at all ) and their band of morons and nut jobs are dangerous , obviously this ain't the Repugs of old but a whole different breed .It is a catch a twenty two but do you want bad or MUCH MUCH worse ? Like it or not these are the only viable choices we have right now .Best concentrate on running the blue dogs and "Repugnantdems" out and try to do some "house cleaning" .
It's not the duality of conservative verses liberal and certainly not democrat verses republican. The real, true and present danger here in the good ol' USA (and globally) is corporate (fascist) slavery verses the slaves (that's most of US). You can put labels on it, you can put lipstick on it, but it is a cold hard fact that International CORPORATIONS own and operate our government.
Over the decades, it has become crystal clear what choices we have. Truly progressive representatives of the people have systematically been silenced or murdered. To regain control of our government with votes is at best a long shot and in reality, a fixed crap shoot. MONEY talks and that is all you need to know about our current form of democracy.
I do like the idea of pulling assets from major financial corporations and minimal contact with other corporate behemoths but let's get real (as George Carlin said) and admit they have us by the short hairs. - And, it will take more than an act of congress to turn this ship around. So forgive me for being blunt: since we are all more or less starting this decade with a clear slate, let me be the first to admit that my employment and health care is via a corporate Frankenstein. Let me also say that I am doing everything I can to minimize my dependence and contact with said entities. That is all this slave can do for now without committing self-destruct. So happy Gnu year: get your finances in order, plan your victory garden, and try to stay out of the weather. Vote if it makes you feel good, but don't expect it to actually CHANGE anything.
If however, we do, by some cosmic event come to our senses and actually organize our resistance to enslavement, I will see you at the barricades.
Good choice, since in America, there are millions of suckers reborn every year.
I hate to see Democrats endlessly acting like corporatist Republicans or like spineless jellyfish as much as any other progressive. Believe me, it leaves me feeling angry and betrayed all the time.
I remember how difficult it was to bring myself to vote for Al Gore in the 2000 election. I waited until the very last moment to vote (I'm in California). If the election results were close, I'd vote for Gore, in any other scenario, I'd vote for Nader.
I had a huge distaste for Gore, but given what we got instead, I'd take him as President in a heartbeat.
As much as I'd like to see a Green Party president, it's just not viable at this time. If you want to build a Green Party, it has to start from the bottom up, not the top down. Vote Green locally, fill up the House with Greens, but for God's sake don't give us a President Palin. If you don't believe that can happen, you need look no further than two terms of George W. Bush.
Which begot the "have-naughts".
I'm no archconservative by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm one of the reviled "centrists" that people on this site love to hate every bit as much, and I just can't understand (other than writing it off as sheer cognitive bias) why this statement is being accepted so uncritically:
As best I can tell ...
(1) Social Security is still 100% public, with not even the option, let alone the requirement, of personal accounts;
(2) The Bush tax cuts have not been made permanent;
(3) The Iranian theocracy stands;
(4) The Communist regime of North Korea stands;
(5) Roe v. Wade remains the law of the land;
(6) etc. etc. etc.
I, too, share some of the frustration expressed by members here who feel that neither party adequately expresses their views, but I doubt I'd see eye to eye with them on substance: Having found both Keynesian and supply-side economics wanting, I'd be strongly in favor of a balanced budget amendment, and hang the consequences for both the welfare state (which would almost certainly shrink) and the economic elite (who would almost certainly see higher taxes). That said, I don't think a third party is going to be viable in the medium term in the U.S., and the ability of popular conventions to pass constitutional amendments to the federal constitution is curtailed (it's never happened).
The present day economic misery and uncertainty of most americans, is a testament to the fact that they (Bush and his cronies) did get nearly everything they wanted. This 2nd GOP Great Depression was no accident.
Furthermore, the Bush tax cuts should have never been passed. 88% of that tax break went to the top 5% - millionaires!
As Scalia wrote years ago; "overturning Roe would be the worst thing the republicans could do. No longer having abortion as a wedge issue, would have people concentrating on the economy - which would be a disaster for the republicans." The Roberts Court - (like the Rehnquist Court) could have overturned this if they wanted.
I don't know if you forgot, but the communist North Koreans have been around for 60 years. What's your point?
Same goes for Iran's Theocracy - which has been around for 30 years.
Every social safety net and public service is slashed to the bone or on life support; while private corporations devour most tax payer dollars.
If all of this social injustice is fine with you, then you are by no means a moderate. You are a neocon trying to hide your colors. What the republicans have done to america and it's people, is pure evil!
Agree.
All people have to do is remember the incompetance of bush and remember the lack of progress of 2009. We obviously need more progressives to win this year to get the job done. Forget about corporate memes trying to form a teabagger narrative for ratings, and to slam the American people yet again to try to perpetuate their class war.
Just look around you.
Great article, we should be hammering this home with every breath. The only thing the Bushies did right was to implement a perfect Conservative agenda. And it damn near destroyed the world, bringing untold misery to millions of people.
The biggest scam of the Century, "No New Taxes". The only way these brain dead Republican/Conservatism's can get a vote is to fool the American people with a sleazy slogan "No New Taxes".
What many people fail to realize is that for a mere 30% of your pay you get a whole military, fire , police, hospitals, roads, library's, schools, jails,, retirement, etc, etc, etc,. Try privatizing any one of those essential luxury's and nobody will be able to afford even one of them.
Not everybody wants military, jails, police, school, etc. Pointing a gun at someone and forcing them to pay for what they don't want is not a good way to go.
Well you can move to another country because most people do want a military, jails, police, school, etc.
Can you come up with a better solution? Or can we try to improve the system we have?
Fire departments used to be private. If you could pay, they'd save your house, if not it would burn.
Because we all live in large modern societies (not tribes or villages) most people agree to pay to provide "basic services". The argument is where to draw the line. Hence, we get "conservatives" and "liberals".
(Every country, you'd want to live in, provides all of these services.)
except criminals. Who doesn't want schools except morons.
republicans?
ron paul?
To those of you who feel it's absolutely necessary to vote against evil. Why not start working on getting the candidate called "Nobody" on the ballots. You'll probably get the actual majority, who have otherwise always been too principled, to finally vote. I would bet a lot of $$ that your candidate will win at least 90% of the elections.
Let's face it, none of you really want a government. If you did you wouldn't be forever trying to get someone else to pay for it.
...live under power lines as a kid?
perhaps
Wavy Gravy started the Nobody for President campaign way back in 1975.
Too many timid Dems in congress, too.
They may tell themselves they are "taking the high road" with their silence, but I think they are just ducking for cover.
There is not much I like about the GOP, but they do seem to have the courage of their convictions, no matter how wrong those convictions are.
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