The poll found that 61% would oppose a law in their state similar to one being considered in Wisconsin, compared with 33% who would favor such a law. – USA Today
You sit down across from your boss to negotiate a raise or change in your benefits. It’s basic fairness. But tonight in Gov. Walker’s address he threatened to fire workers if they don’t give that right up. Former Republican Governor Mitch Daniels and Florida’s Gov. Rick Scott disagree with Gov. Walker. Mitch Daniels and Rick Scott understand the larger picture, but right now we’re all being whipsawed by elements who don’t.
You can’t fight an ideological war if you don’t suit up with a message. It’s even harder when you don’t know you’re in one.
I recently wrote on the Right’s war against women, a compilation post cross-posted at The Moderate Voice, which included the video shown here (in case you missed it), and that Egypt’s revolution was in inspired by liberalism. Both were included in my newsletter I sent out to people who have voluntarily signed up to receive it. The reactions from some readers and a few newsletter recipients was stunning, though nothing surprises me anymore.
From JennyM:
You’re fighting a losing battle. Liberalism wants to control what we eat (michelle obama controlling salt), the air we breathe (carbon tax which isn’t going anywhere), our energy sources (obama is under contempt of court for his drilling moratorium), what we drive, and controlling the rights of unborn babies.
Liberalism keeps welfare recipients on welfare, controlling their motivations, and desire to live the American Dream.
We know that conservatism is associated with freedom – In fact Sarah Palin is the woman that girls can look up to now – a woman who has it all – the career, loving husband, family, raising a downs syndrome child; with the media telling lies about her, she continues to rise above it. [...]
In fact if it wasn’t for Palin, DEATH PANELS would not be a topic of discussion would they? And did the white house and obama cave and take end of life counseling OUT OF Health Care. Why, yes they did! True leadership is what this WOMAN brings. [...]
I’m an Independent and Sarah Palin appeals to me because of this. I’m a Mom, active in PTA and local politics, want the best for my country and am willing to fight against the radical liberals who don’t know how to balance a budget. Millions of Moms can see themselves in Sarah Palin and we are rallying. We don’t like what liberals bring and feminists hypocrits (sic) like you stand for. [...]
… Where were you when Hillary was getting bashed during the primaries? You will be caught in hypocrisy if you tell me you supported Hillary against the biased media and not Sarah Palin. You feminists are all hypocrits. (sic) You will not win 2012.
I have no idea why JennyM signed up for my mailing list. She seems to think feminism is about supporting any woman, including someone who doesn’t think women should be as free as men. As for my role in the ’08 primary season, if you were involved it was hard to miss. Hey, but JennyM’s got her celebrity, so she’s happy in her bubble.
This is what Democrats are up against.
Then there is Mary, another “independent” voter, aka conservative:
You really have a lot of nerve even tackling this issue from the left…Where have you been as you’ve watched, initiated, participated in, approved of and encouraged even more crucifixion of a fellow woman, her daughter, even her handicapped child and stayed silent? Christine Whitman…you butchered her. Michelle Bachman..same thing….it’s ok to support women ONLY if they’re liberal leftists so you know what that makes you? A HYPOCRITE!!! Your disingenuous support of women is ONLY if they share your ideology. For what it’s worth, I’m a former lib/Dem and now an independent because I finally woke up to what’s going on here and I’m sick of it. So, this article is nothing but drivel to one like me and let me tell you something, Ms. Marsh…there are MANY women out here who feel exactly the same way. Call an end to the despicable way, by ANY standards, the way the media has treated Sarah Palin and then, maybeeee you’ll have my support and respect…and to what the media does to ALL women…and just maybe I won’t have to stop reading an article like this in sheer disgust in order to write to you and call you on your hypocrisy. I condemn it all…whether from the right OR the left and you are JUST, if not MORE guilty of advancing equality for women. You eat your young. Shame on you.
Mary doesn’t care about the facts any more than JennyM does. She isn’t interested in this column I wrote taking on Andrew Sullivan, because of his attacks on former Gov. Palin, nor does she care that two columns, here and here, pointed to Rep. Michele Bachmann’s ascending power on the Right. That I gave Palin credit for throwing Dems off their health care messaging, but also for the midterm outcome is lost, as is the fact I wrote that Sarah Palin should have been TIME magazine’s “Person of the Year,” which I also posted at Huffington Post where it was featured.
We’re dealing with uninformed people who don’t bother to do their own homework, many of whom are women who also support Sarah Palin. DorothyK said it well:
This is not new. I wish I could feel sorry for those who will be affected by those elected in the past election.
Then there is PeterV, who responded to my video by putting “Progressive Hate” in the subject header of his email; anyone doing so doesn’t get the privilege of sending me further emails. What’s the point? Then he sent a second email from a different address, which was very long and complete with Saul Alinksy quotes, which had at the bottom of it “Media Truth-Watcher” as his title. He particularly disliked the reality that revolutions are based in liberalism fighting against conservative rulers trying to keep the people down, but also hated that I was correct on Planned Parenthood and the Right’s war against women. PeterV didn’t care that denying funding would increase the number of abortions, or that pap smears, HIV tests and other screening would be diminished for women. What made him feel exultant was Rep. Mike Pence, whom he quoted at length. Here’s a small snippet of what PeterV quoted:
“Planned Parenthood and their defenders will claim that the money they received has not been used to fund abortions,” Pence said. “That is only technically true. … ..”
After I read “technically true” I didn’t read any further, though I scanned to see the Alinksy quotes, which were just as humorous as truth being a technicality.
Truth is now subject to qualification. That’s what conservatives and their like-minded “independent” friends think about the fact-based world, which they do not inhabit.
But it’s always good to know I struck a nerve and inspired conservative “independents” to go on defense. Because if you’re playing defense you’re losing. That Gov. Walker has now blocked a pro-union website says the rest.
It’s hard to win when you are scared of facts and the truth.
These are the people Pres. Obama is bending over backward to reach at the expense of Democratic policies that put the middle class first. It’s a losing cause, especially if you believe in progressive policies and liberal freedoms.
These people you are quoting are proof of the power of right wing propaganda. They have serf mentalities,upholding the desires of their masters.Pathetic.
Your right…I see it day in and day out among family and friends quoting these right wing TV pundits.
It is also proof that when one approaches life from a superstition based world view any stupid shit,any illogic and fantasy,any lie or fiction can have for the superstition “believer” as much validity as facts or truth or proof or logic and rationality.
I GUARENTEE that each of those writers was a UBERChritian, rightwingnut, repugnantklaner/teabagger.
Why should they care about the reality based universe or the consequences of their actions in that reality based universe?
They “BELIEVE”! Whether it’s the racist,xenophobic,homophobic(although so many of their leaders are self loathing closeted gays willing to use gaybashing for politicol gain) misogynistic lies from their “leaders” like limpwithnoballs, handjobity and blech along with the politicol imbecilic assmonkies of the right or their televangakist sheep herder.
This has become and has been for some time a war between sanity and insanity. What could a sane person possibly call what the right is proposing and DOING today anything other then suicidal insanity>
Wake up folks…VOTE…ELECT REAL LIBERALS/PROGRESSIVES!
oh boy. the american people are siding with the unions, the progressives in this fight. gov daniels said today to pull the union buster bill. for 2 yrs we have heard so much about tea party rage . look out- rage from progressives and ordinary americans is exploding onto the scene in protests. this weekend oveon is organizing protsts at all 50 state captials. 50. we are pissed at the rightward direction and callousness of too many pols. obama couldnt rouse his base in 2010. the tea party will in 2012 watch!
A friend of mine predicted that if Republicans get their way between now and 2012…Angry voters will be out in full force come 2012…lol
I think what happen is many uninformed voters ignored the warning signs from these right wing extremist and just sat back and let them win in 2010. However, as time goes by and the more outlandish the Republicans become with there policies…the bigger the backlash will be in 2012.
The way things are going 2012 may be to late . Unless we have our own walk like an Egyption moment the damage these imbecilic assmokies of the right are doing may be beyond repair.
“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.” – Carl Sagan
Taylor,
As much as we both bump heads, I thought your coverage and analysis of Egypt was the best on the Internet. With one exception: Marc Lynch as ForeignPolicy.com and I only found him because you have quoted him numerous times.
Your definition of liberalism was one of the best I’ve ever seen.
Today, I read Juan Cole’s take on the Middle East. And like you, he said the citizens over there are choosing liberalism as they did back in the 30s and 40s before colonialist from the West did them in.
Juan also posted this gem: ***The protesters put their fingers on the phenomenon of the vampire state and concluded that before anything important could change, they had to put a stake through its heart.***
I think this same analogy should also apply to America, today. I am willing to fight for the middle and lower classes’ survival. I think we all are, we just need organization. God speed!
“we just need organization” — Ronc
Yes, we do. I don’t pretemd to have the answers about how that can be accomplished, but maybe what’s happening in Wisconsin and Ohio will be an inspiration.
Taylor,
On a side and more funnier note, per Rahm Emanuel winning the mayor’s job in Chicago, today — Marcy Wheeler from FDL tweeted the following:
RT @MayorEmanuel: If you have a giant f*cking pile of money and a bunch of dumb f*cks running against you, DREAMS DO COME TRUE (asterisks mine)
*rimshot*
enjoyed your video taylor nice job. sarah is a media creation; (un)reality television. the public’s fascination was to see when she would crash and burn. because her comments about russia and putin instantly disqualified her. ditto the couric interview.
mary + jenny sadly don’t have a clue.
thoreau, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. The media especially MSM would not going after her if they didn’t think she was a threat or something !! You don’t attack something unless you feel threatened !! After Chris Matthews had the damm nerve to call Palin Gaddefi, and other hits she has taken, it seems she is the only one with balls !!! I voted for Obama in 2008, now it looks like I am very much leaning toward Palin !! I also don’t like the way the right-wing especially in talk radio talk about President Obama, even though I disagree with him on some issues. I don’t mind people calling out people they disagree with, but everyone has a right to vote and support who they want without being called names !!
Taylor,
I posted the following link on my FB wall. It exposes what the GOP Governors and their GOP legislatures are doing across our nation. Simply shameful!
Link: http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/22/gop-governors-misplaced-priorities/.
“These are the people Pres. Obama is bending over backward to reach at the expense of Democratic policies that put the middle class first. It’s a losing cause, especially if you believe in progressive policies and liberal freedoms.”
He is still looking for that mythical centre and bi-partisan world where there is no one but him because most people tend to stand for something.
He is still looking for that mythical centre and bi-partisan world where there is no one but him because most people tend to stand for something.
Ha! Isis you hit the nail on the head!
So you didn’t support Hillary Clinton. Well, you sure had me fooled.
But since the subject of Hillary has been brought up, I have to say that I have been very disappointed in her supporting the illegal actions of Obama’s administration and her hypocrisy in criticising other nations for doing what the US is doing too. She has said that she will never again run for an elected office and I say good riddance. The sooner the better.
I didn’t view it as a threat, other than to the Dems on the lam to get back to business. There’s a way to avoid those layoffs, but he needs for them to return.
I do think the issue of other public employees having to lose their jobs is relevant. The teacher’s union has a proven track record of not being willing to change and forcing those layoffs.
So it’s a relevant point of discussion for WI voters.
But then, I definitely like his plan to give negotiating power to local districts so that they can better manage the coming cuts from the state. In states where they have no tools, it may lead to cities having to default.
And that is not going to be fun to watch. That will crash the municipal bond market.
AnninCA…where are you getting your information on unions refusing to compromise leading to lay-offs? I hope not from Gov.Christie because I think he is lying much of the time.
Every state is different but in my 32 years as a teachers union member we never had such an outcome.We went through several periods that corrosponded with other recessions in which we did not get raises for two or three years at a time.We also had a few times with lay-offs,usually recalled before the year was up,but they came after teacher concessions.
Maybe the teachers in NJ are cut from a different cloth but I doubt it.Teachers are by nature givers whose proiorties in life do not begin and end with money.Most are rewarded by the act of contributing to society as much as the salary range.They made those compromises and choices at the beginning of their careers as college students.
I for one followed a path I found in volunteer work while in High School and I was heavily influenced by Kennedy’s call to service. My Dad and I had many arguments that started with his opinion that I would never make any money in education.I often note the irony in the relatively comfortable retirement I enjoy compared to the insecurity felt by many of my friends who always made more money than I did.
I think teachers and public employees are being scapegoated for economic conditions over which they had no influence. They just happened to have chosen careers that cannot be outsourced or until recently privitized.