http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/research/4278874.html

Interesting analysis.

Welcome and thanks for that comment.

One problem that will be solved is that we will lose some Blue Dogs to Rep. in 2010. But it’s the conundrum of a 50-state strategy when you decide to offer up conservative candidates instead of economic populist Dems. We need to tweak the 50-state strategy or we’ll always get people voting against women, among other things.

Can’t say more right now… Dylan Ratigan appearance may come later this week, though with Christmas schedules are tough to coordinate. It’ll happen eventually.

Great to hear from you. Thanks so much for your kind words.

And YES, those who jumped in to help also allowed a modest donation to go out to the Afghanistan org. that received 10% of the total donations. It’s the first time TM.com tied a fundraiser to an international charity org that targets women & girls, but others too. It was gratifying and everyone who helped on that fundraiser should be proud.

I can’t wait until health care isn’t sucking all the air out of the room. So much foreign policy to cover.

Merry Christmas, Velvet.

Nelson threatened to withhold his vote until he got that retrograde antiabortion language in the health care bill.

Now it appears your turn to withhold your dollars and purchases from the friends of Lieberman until we got a single payer public option by sending him email at http://bit.ly/traitorjoe

You can also withhold your dollars and purchases from Omaha Steaks the friend of Ben Nelson until he removes ALL antiabortion language from the health care bill by calling omahasteaks.com at 1-800-960-8400 and tell them that you refuse to buy from them until Ben Nelson removes ALL antiabortion language from the final health care bill.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

I share your sentiments. But. . .

You say: “yes Feingold says he would vote for the bill bc it expands medicaid, opens pub healthc centers etc.. but his shot at Obama is making headlines.”

Tell me, would you not prefer RESULTS that actually help people than headlines?
Lieberman, Nelson and the Blue Dogs get tangible things that they want; the Progs seem to be satisfied with “headlines.” No wonder some people think we should grow up.

Sorry about the late response.
Re Tower 7. I’m afraid I have no idea.

texan4hillary says:
20 December 2009 at 9:38 pm

Yeah, no. Hell no.

No fu@&ing way does Congress get a pass by pointing fingers when they were given carte blanche to make it happen. Set Obama at the top of the HCR offender list, but in no way does the rest of the gang get to play the C.Y.A. game.

If a bill with the P.O. reached Obama’s desk, it’s would’ve been signed handily. bottom line.

Yes, I think her comments reveal what a lot of us have been thinking, but didn’t want to say. Maybe we were hoping we were wrong, that there was something more to Obama than the color of green. When I get an e-mail from the WH, I answer back how disappointed I am in Obama (and that’s putting it nicely).

Thank you for the great articles, Taylor. I so look forward to coming to TM every day!! Among all the craziness, I know I can trust your analysis. And, amazingly, I’m learning about foreign policy from you!! Not too long ago, I thought I’d never catch on. I still have a long ways to go, but I’m doing OK now. BTW, did you make your fund raising goal (I sent you $50)?

“As a black woman I didn’t want to believe it…but Obama sold out immediately after the inauguration, when he fail to prosecute the Bush administration for war crimes, which included outing an undercover CIA agent.
Next he filled his administration with lobbyists and wallstreet bankers.
This proves that race means nothing. Bush didn’t care about the average person, white or black, and Obama doesn’t appear to care the average person, white or black.
Green is the only color that matters (and money is the only ‘green’ that matter$!)”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/20/feingold-obama-responsibl_n_398658.html?page=3&show_comment_id=36722346#comment_36722346

Hi, Velvet. Good to hear from you.

It was the mainstream media, who launched an unprecedented mass marketing extravaganza extraordinaire, that catapulted an unknown to celebrity status in record setting time. So, to answer your question one would have to consider exactly whom, or what, is the power behind our corporate media.

SEN. FEINGOLD HOLDS OBAMA RESPONSIBLE FOR LOSS OF PUBLIC OPTION

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Who else? Or were they still planning to blame “Clintons?” Bahhhh, humbugggg. Absolutely – who else?

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/12/16/white_house/index.html

and that corporatism is the underlying theme:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/12/18/corporatism/index.html

It seems that Rahm and the Blue Dogs comprise a significant faction of Congressional Dems, but they represent a school of thought and political strategy which is celebrated as being “politically savvy” because it focuses on the influence of corporate funding as one basis of electoral power and seeks to exploit that relationship for their personal benefit and the enrichment of their corporate donors, regardless of the broader impact to the nation, humanity, or the planet.

Progressivism, on the other hand, seeks the best solutions for the most people (rather than the richest few), and proposes that electoral power and legislative control should flow from the numerical superiority of the citizens / taxpayers / voters supporting the issue or agenda, rather than the size of their individual bank accounts.

The point, though, is that the Blue Dogs have some structure or methodology which allows them to coordinate their activities to achieve their nefarious ends, as Progressives look on in helpless disbelief. We need a structure and methodology which will enable us to counteract and defeat the Blue Dogs in Congress as legislation is in process – we can’t wait to push back only at election time. Petitions and negative ads have been inadequate; we need a persuasive force at least as formidable as a lobbyist’s checkbook.

It’s more logical & practical for Progressives to oppose the Blue Dogs for control of the Democratic party than to splinter off and expect the elected officials we LIKE to change affiliation to a “third party”. The Democratic party IS the Progressive party. We just need to push the Blue Dogs out of the driver’s seat, because they’re going the wrong way.