To bring the point home, Pres. Obama is now warning Democratic activists to brace themselves for the budget. But after capitulating to conservatism over Democratic economic values throughout his entire first term what comes next really shouldn’t require a warning. From the Hill:
Top White House officials are warning liberal and labor leaders to brace themselves for President Obama’s budget proposal. – Obama warns left: You won’t like budget
If Lunchpail Democrats did exist they would be boycotting the Democratic National Convention, which is being held in right-to-work North Carolina. They would also have challenged Pres. Obama’s conservatism, instead of saying the debate wasn’t worth the effort, while making excuses for him when he embraced austerity.
Obama’s Bank of America decision, on top of his right-to-work reelection self-interest, on top of everything that came before, which is magnified by a warning from the White House on Obama’s next budget, all of it points to a plundering of Democratic principles inside a political party that stands for nothing anymore.
Lunchpail Republicans in Indiana not only have more self respect and principle to stand up for the middle class and working families, as well as unions, than Pres. Obama and the entire Democratic Party, but this group of Republicans are willing to challenge their own at the ballot box to prove it.
How arrogant are Obama’s conservative apologists to think these things don’t matter? Coupled with slick Mitt on the other side, who can’t even convince conservatives, they think they’ve got a ticket to ride to reelection. So, team Obama and his conservative fans think they can do anything and get away with it and why not?
We keep hearing and reading how people feel they have no choice but to vote “lesser of two evils” and back Pres. Obama. I certainly feel their frustration and it’s their vote, their choice. But what will change and what will be gained by hoping the same action will produce different results? How will the Democratic Party and the ideals at its foundation change with more of the same?
Or maybe as far as the Democratic Party is concerned it’s just too late.
TM NOTE:Art Pronin wrote “Progressive Notes” in 2011. This year I’ve asked him to take a look at Democratic and progressive support for the reelection of Pres. Obama, versus the policies actually implemented and decisions made, asking what are Democratic Party members getting for their votes?
Art offers his perspective as a movement progressive activist.
So what is labor getting in return for all it’s efforts for the Democratic Party?
It used to be issues would be pushed by Democratic federal office holders in return for union support. Things like raising the minimum wage, expanding collective bargaining rights and improving regulations for work standards.
But President Obama has not introduced nor discussed a wage increase his entire time in office, has not pursued expanding the right to bargain via card check, among other things. He has, however, expanded free trade agreements. The worst one with Columbia, deemed an outrage, with many union workers have been murdered there for years.
So now we have the latest great return for labor with the Democratic Party: the party’s national convention in “right to work” state North Carolina.
The Machinists were some of the loudest to oppose Charlotte as the host city last year, when it was chosen by the Democratic National Committee. North Carolina, a right-to-work state with the lowest rate of unionization of any state, is seen as hostile to unions and has laws that ban state and local workers from collective bargaining. Frank Larkin, spokesman for the Machinists, said the group continues to oppose the host city and will not participate in the Democratic convention. Union members may be delegates, but unlike past years, the Machinists union did not push its members to seek out those slots, according to Larkin. And the Machinists will be hosting their own convention in Canada at the same time as the Democratic convention, an event that was planned long before the 2012 DNC event dates were selected. – Democratic National Convention getting little help from unions (Politico)
The full tale is telling, with a dozen unions refusing to participate due to the lacking efforts of this administration or their representatives. Some unions, however, are assisting despite getting few, if any, demands (think card check, public option) met.
Of note are International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the Building and Construction Trades Department. Both are AFL-CIO members but have fully opted out of participation at the convention. To try and placate such concerned unions the…
Democrats recently signed a “project labor agreement” that allows union workers to do work inside the site where Obama will be formally nominated, which pleased union leaders, although not enough to overcome labor concerns with Charlotte, a city where… there are no hotels with union workers.
But those concessions are not enough for the dozen unions opting out of Democratic support, as their spokesman Ted Owens said:
“it just doesn’t make sense for us to be down there partying when we’ve got 13 percent unemployment.”
AFSCME has committed to being participants and so has SEIU.
But even with those unions committed to the Democratic Convention in North Carolina and re-electing Pres. Obama, they appear edgy and cool to the efforts at hand.
Obama’s recess appointments to the CFPB and NLRB reveal how nervous the national party is about the situation. This quote is telling about the 2012 NC convention efforts, with unions not rushing to assist:
“Typically for the Democratic Party, they (unions) would be the first ones signed up and committed to doing events and activities at the convention,” said LeeAnn Peterson, a veteran convention planner with Conventions 2012. “They are always the biggest supporters, the first ones in the door.”
If labor wants a better stronger working class they simply must pull back from the parties and only provide aid when elected actually fight the fight for their members.
The convention in North Carolina is an example of how weak labor’s hand has become with the Democratic Party. Too many years of acquiescing to too many bad deals with electeds have rendered the major unions sidelined and disrespected by the national party. There are signs this acquiescing has slowed, with AFL-CIO’s Trumka re-organizing toward a more local oriented labor movement.
The failing relationship and lack of leverage of the labor movement with the Democratic Party will continue until labor exerts true independence.
To win in November, Republicans have to make the election a referendum on Pres. Obama, not a choice between him and the GOP nominee, which is still likely to be Gov. Romney. Proof of this comes from Jonathan Martin, through the voices of establishment Republicans:
Mitt Romney’s Iowa showing indicated he still has glaring vulnerabilities with his party’s base — but conservatives got a stark reminder Wednesday about just how difficult it will be to block his path to the nomination. Romney’s conservative opposition remains split and unable to unify behind a single alternative — all the more so with Rick Perry deciding to stay in the race Wednesday after hinting he might step aside. A high-profile Christian conservative, Gary Bauer, said he had no intention of joining a campaign to take down Romney.
Because of the divided nature of the opposition and Romney’s organizational and financial advantages, GOP elites made the case Wednesday that there was no clear way he could be stopped. …
It’s one reason why Rick Santorum’s strong showing in Iowa has the potential to be transformative for Republicans. If he can put together a strong blue collar economic message, with the empathy and heart he showed in his Iowa speech, something Romney nor Obama can do, he might be able to finally galvanize conservatives and help them warm to Mitt Romney if he’s defeated, coming together with him in the end, perhaps even be able to make a case for the vice presidential slot (though I still think Chris Christie is a stronger). Putting Pennsylvania into play would throw Pres. Obama’s reelection hopes into a tailspin. George Will is positively giddy over the prospect.
Romney Campaign Photo
Glenn Kessler is on the fact checking beat, beginning early on Mitt Romney’s claims that he “helped create 100,000 new jobs” and his attacks on Pres. Obama’s economic record, which is the number one issue on voters’ minds.
Pres. Obama came into office after George W. Bush handed him a miserable economy, which was made worse by Bush’s tax cut policy and warmaking off the books. However, it didn’t help that Obama didn’t fight for the stimulus that was needed, didn’t make the case for Democratic economics and chose conservatism instead, including extending the Bush tax cuts.
The other issue with presidential candidates touting their job creating skills is that it’s about putting policies and creating a climate that inspires the private sector to manifest jobs. Governments jobs, however, are just as good as any other job, as are infrastructure jobs created in down economic times, which is a big way the federal government can help the economy.
Another thing that is never considered is the difference in talents for the times between Pres. Obama and Gov. Romney. The New York Times story on Romney and the Olympics reveals strong leadership by Romney. If Barack Obama was thrown into a CEO situation or brought into a situation like the Olympics, how would he handle it?
That’s what we’re asking of Romney when it comes to the presidency.
Recently, Greg Sargent tweeted that the difference between Pres. Obama’s handling of the car companies, which was a success, versus Gov. Romney’s vulture capitalism is that Obama didn’t benefit financially after cutting and closing in order to save these companies. I’m not sure that’s a relevant comparison. Both Obama and Romney did the same things in their requisite positions, doing what they felt they had to do to get the best result. As president, Barack Obama isn’t supposed to benefit financially. Are Democrats and progressives really prepared to say that Gov. Romney shouldn’t have benefited, nor should the shareholders, from cutting and closing, an fundamental risk of free enterprise?
As we all know too well, the blade of capitalism is wickedly sharp and often indiscriminate, which is why we have laws and regulations. It’s also why Occupy has risen up. The tools to even the playing field haven’t worked, the global economy has changed workers’ power and those of the unions, with the reality that the tax code is cooked obvious.
Pat Garafolo over at Think Progress asserts that Romney’s claim on jobs is “incredibly dishonest.”
Kessler is fair at fact checking and found Romney’s statement worthy of 1 Pinocchio out of a possible 4, instead of his ” Geppetto check mark,” though he credited Romney for adjusting the timeline in his calculations on Obama.
Romney’s statement, while technically correct, is lacking crucial context. He compares his four-year record with Obama’s three-year tally and ignores the fact that hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost before Obama’s policies had an impact. He also focuses on his job creation record as a business consultant but does not count the jobs that were lost.
That’s hardly “incredibly dishonest,” though it’s certainly not entirely accurate.
The Washington Post fact checked Bain Capital’s jobs record in November 2011, a snippet of the report below:
Romney’s record at Bain proves that he can produce staggering returns for investors, but it is unclear if that record tells us anything about his ability to create jobs. His campaign offered no definitive proof that Bain added more jobs than it eliminated while Romney headed the firm. For all we know, he pulled his “tens of thousands of jobs” number from thin air.
Still, the evidence available suggests Bain probably did create more jobs than it eliminated, especially when it comes to start-ups — as opposed to those leveraged buyouts, in which the firm perhaps saved more jobs than it eliminated.
While important, these types of things aren’t the only consideration for voters, who vote on emotions rather than facts, which is proven every election cycle.
Pres. Obama’s bigger problem is how people feel about the economy during his first term, coupled with the comparison of how Mitt Romney, assuming he’s the nominee, is able to convince voters that he can make things better, people’s outlook more optimistic and their futures more secure.
The model for Gov. Romney’s move is how he swooped in to Utah to save the Olympics.
After an important Iowa victory that seemed impossible two months ago, if Mitt Romney wins New Hampshire, as is expected, and if conservatives decide to accept him, which isn’t guaranteed right now, Romney could be ready to turn his fire on Obama as early as February, with the full weight of the RNC and Super PACs engaged.
That would be very bad news for Pres. Obama and the Democrats, who are hoping Newtmageddon explodes, conservatives join up against Romney, and the contest becomes a long hard slog into summer. They may not be so lucky.
Joyce L. Arnold, Liberally Independent, Queer Talk, equality activist, writer.
At the 12-12 Port Shutdown, in Oakland, this sign appeared: “When injustice becomes law, protest becomes duty.”
That sign message seemed a good way to begin, since today is Bill of Rights Day, and since The National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 has passed with the “indefinite detention” language intact.
The Bill of rights was ratified 220 years ago, on December 15, 1791. It is shameful that today, in the United States, we are forced to come together in defense of the Bill of Rights and our civil liberties, as the representatives of the 1% who rule this country continue to take our rights away.
Congress is attempting to bury the Bill of Rights. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA) includes language proposed by Democratic Sen. Carl Levin and Republican Sen. John McCain that allows for the arrest and indefinite detention of U.S. citizens by the military, on U.S. soil and without the right of trial. This … comes at a time when we are witnessing unprecedented attacks on our civil liberties.
Some of these attacks include:
Massive spying on the Muslim community … ; …
The recent raids on homes of antiwar activists by federal agents, who have carted away personal computers, cell phones, books, and other possessions and handed the activists subpoenas to appear before federal grand juries;
The recent, often violent evictions of anti-Wall Street occupations around the country;
The refusal of the Chicago city government and the federal government to allow for peaceful protests when NATO and the G8 countries come to Chicago in May, 2012 to hold summit meetings. …
Civil rights groups, counterterrorism experts and former military leaders have expressed serious concerns with sections of the NDAA which would effectively allow for the indefinite military detention of United States citizens and lawful immigrants in America … . A group of Lawmakers submitted a letter to House and Senate leaders stating their concerns of the possibility of these provisions undermining the rights of US citizens.
While adjustments have been made in backdoor meetings due to President Obama’s threat of veto, none of these primary concerns were directly addressed. The NDAA in its present form could still allow for an indefinite military detention of a US citizen on American soil without trial.
From Chris Bliss, Executive director, MyBillofRights.org, via Huffington, about the “remarkable story” of the Bill of Rights:
All the more remarkable when you consider that … the provisions of the Bill of Rights only applied to roughly 5% of the human beings living within the United States when it was ratified in 1791. They didn’t apply to slaves. They didn’t apply to Native Americans. They didn’t apply in large part to women, and only in full to white males of a certain amount of property and position.
And yet there is no exclusionary language within the Bill of Rights itself. So as our concept of individual liberty evolved through the experience of it … we had the blueprint already in hand to build on … .
The sad fact is that at this key crossroads in the life our nation, the Bill of Rights is … nowhere to be found in our public square. …
Meanwhile, our politics is mired in a Never Never Land where the word ‘compromise’ is only uttered as an expletive by those bent on enforcing their will (and extending their incumbency) at the expense of meaningful dialogue and any serious attempt to craft comprehensive and inclusive solutions.
Attempts to occupy Never Never Land, and provide some Bill of Rights sanity continue, in multiple ways. Today’s Occupy schedule, via OWS, includes:
Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 was the first labor union to come out in support of Occupy Wall Street. Now, Occupy Wall Street Labor Outreach Committee is mobilizing #OWS to stand in solidarity with TWU as they begin their campaign to demand a fair contract.
On Saturday, December 17th Occupy Wall Street — with support from more than 1400 faith leaders, elders of the civil rights movement, prominent artists and community members — will gather at noon in Duarte Square, downtown Manhattan, for an all day performance event. This event is part of a call to re-occupy in the wake of the coordinated attacks and subsequent evictions of occupations across the nation and around the world.
Freedom of expression and the right to assemble are sacred human freedoms. …
On Saturday, December 17th – the 3 month anniversary of the birth of this movement, we will gather to celebrate Occupy Wall Street and to occupy space together.
Finally, some examples of freedom of expression, via the OWS Twitter feed:
This is why we support #OWS: Census shows 1 in 2 people are poor or low-income apne.ws/uMBPZO #AFLCIO
oneillpaintings RT @TheNewDeal: #Retweet to Tell @BarackObama If He Signs #NDAA and/or #SOPA, He Loses Your Vote in 2012. #BillofRightsDay #OWS #p2 #Obama2012
#OccupyAustin joins #Austin Taxi Cab Driver Protest at City Hall! Bring signs, voices, friends. #Solidarity and support
nathanc RT @OccupyPics: The Chinese village that fought back, Wukan, is now Occupied telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews.
Joyce L. Arnold, Liberally Independent, Queer Talk, equality activist, writer.
From the initiators of the Occupy Movement, on December 1, Darren Fleet writes at Adbusters “Fear of Flying: Liberating the Left … .” It includes this:
Lefty arguments are fraught with asterisks, exceptions, caveats, considerations, footnotes, excuses and pie-in-the-sky moral posturing coded in a lexicon that most people don’t even get.
The right meanwhile is able to stand behind simplistic, strong and wrong optimism, cloaking itself with the grace of God and good intentions. The left is caught navel-gazing and obsessing over whether or not their actions are philosophically correct; stuttering, qualifiyng, apologizing, accommodating, whimpering along the way. The right meanwhile is going with its gut, shooting from the hip … pick your conservative maxim. The reins of global power are in the hands of those who are able to symbolize a big idea, whatever that idea may be. The fortunes of the global left depend on whether or not they can take a stand on a big idea again.
This isn’t a new analysis, but it’s still timely. I read the following as related to questions about what “the left” will do, not just as related to the Occupy movement, but that’s where the action is centered at this moment. From Brittnay Shoot, at AlterNet:
Occupy the Stage: Hip-Hop Artists Fight Continuing Segregation with National Tour
Rapper Toussaint Morrison has long been involved in intervention-based educational theater and socially conscious hip-hop. …
Toussaint got in touch with two of his friends, Los Angeles–based rapper, organizer, and Ph.D. Jus Rhyme … and Minneapolis-based pop-funk songstress Mayda. The trio … began asking one another what it would mean to tour the top ten most segregated cities in the country, addressing issues of gender, race, and class discrimination through art.
The result is the Segregated City Tour. Shoot continues:
Despite the disconnected beginnings of each, the Segregated City Tour and the Occupy movements have a symbiotic relationship. Both raise more questions than can be answered, but Jus Rhyme thinks that’s appropriate.
‘It isn’t Occupy’s job to answer all the questions being raised. … It’s up to society and institutions of power to answer why this is happening.’ Pushing back against the dominant narrative that the Occupy movement is incoherent and disconnected, he shares his enthusiasm for the way the new movement is growing, explaining that it’s often hard to recognize what can truly cause change as it is unfolding. In the same way, he hopes the Segregated City Tour will raise more questions than it answers while creating an accessible platform for others to share their experiences and talk about change in their own communities.</blockquote>
Of course, there are other perspectives, including from those who think Occupy should, in fact, provide answers as well as questions. From Laura Flanders, at The Nation, in “What a Difference an Occupation Makes”:
As Boots Riley, of Occupy Oakland (and the Coup) told me a few weeks back. ‘What we’re thinking about now is how OWS can become a tool in the hands of communities.’ Which is to say, where can 500, 1,000, 2,000 people, make a difference? At an eviction, a housing auction, a school board hearing, in a congressman’s office—OWS have shown they can make an impact in all those places. …
‘The way to get community support,’ says (Malik) Rhasaan (of Occupy the Hood) ‘is to work in the community. Offer change people can measure.’ Note, he didn’t say ‘believe in.’ Been there, done that. What’s being asked of OWS now is not what the movement can demand but what they can deliver, for people who feel their lives, not just their hopes, hang in the balance.
My take, as always, is that it requires everyone who is willing to step up and do the needed work. I think it highly unlikely that alone, the Occupy Movement can name the problems and create the solutions. It seems obvious that “the left,” in its various forms, hasn’t been able to do that, either. So, you work together. Of course, being willing to do that, and being willing to go through the constant necessity of learning and evolving, is a challenge in itself.
One key component is a willingness to acknowledge the complexities, to accept the reality that there aren’t always, even usually, easy “fixes.” Among other things, that requires listening to each other, and generally speaking, that’s hard work in itself, even if everyone involved identifies as on “the left.”
I know it’s another example of my stating the obvious, but the problems Occupy, and others, are highlighting are complex. And the demands of media, pundits, Electeds and whoever else that Occupy provide neat and tidy answers, preferably ones which fit into the “analysis” and sound bites with which they are comfortable, just add to the complications. I think in part, at least, that’s what this “Open Letter from America’s Port Truck Drivers on Occupy the Ports,” related to the December 12 Port Shutdown,” points out. From OWS Press:
We are the front-line workers who haul container rigs full of imported and exported goods to and from the docks and warehouses every day. …
While we cannot officially speak for every worker who shares our occupation, we can use this opportunity to reveal what it’s like to walk a day in our shoes for the 110,000 of us in America whose job it is to be a port truck driver. It may be tempting for media to ask questions about whether we support a shutdown, but there are no easy answers. Instead, we ask you, are you willing to listen and learn why a one-word response is impossible?
Repeating, from the “Liberating the Left” article with which I began: “The fortunes of the global left depend on whether or not they can take a stand on a big idea again.” Of course, you first have to recognize the need for “liberation,” and then want to be “liberated,” before you can create and carry out ways to make that happen, before you can “take a stand on a big idea.” I think that’s what the Occupy movement is playing a very big role in doing: recognizing and “taking a stand.” And providing one possible way for “the left” to liberate itself.
It’s the classic “the emperor has no clothes” kind of thing: Look at Wall Street. Look at the Two Corporate Parties. They. Have. No. Clothes. Why the hell keep pretending they’re dressed in respectable suits, or that they’re paying anything but election year attention to people who are having very real problems providing clothing and other essentials for themselves?
Joyce L. Arnold, Liberally Independent, Queer Talk, equality activist, writer.
“Shutdown the Port” actions began early this morning, and continue. You can check out what’s happening via OWS, where you will find a livestream link. The purpose of the Port Shutdown, from Occupy SF:
We Are Protesting… • In solidarity with the ILWU Local 21 workers in Longview, WA and their struggle against EGT (Export Grain Terminal) • In solidarity with port truck drivers and their struggle to be reclassified as employees, rather than independent operators, and in their fight to be organized in a union. • In response to the coordinated national attacks against the Occupy camps. This is our coordinated response to police violence and repression. • Against the priorities of the 1% and ‘Wall Street on the Waterfront.’
From some participating locations, the first revealing another innovation in the Occupy movement, via Occupy Oakland:
In the early hours of December 11th an autonomous group of individuals launched a handmade raft in Lake Merritt, the SS Don’t Let the Banks Punk You Out. Their aim is to bring attention to the occupy movement, which has been evicted from Frank Ogawa/Oscar Grant Plaza and has faced repression across the country and all over the world. …
The occupants of the SS Don’t Let the Banks Punk You Out also hope to bring attention to the … coordinated west coast port shutdown … . The shutdown is in solidarity with the longshoremen against the multinational corporation EGT and the truckers against one of the main culprits of the financial crisis, Goldman Sachs. Cities participating in the port shutdown include: Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Tacoma, Olympia, Seattle and Vancouver. There will be solidarity actions in cities without ports, such as Denver and Houston.
In solidarity with the West Coast Port Shutdown on December 12th , the NYC Occupy Movement vows to disrupt business as usual for the that exploit our nation’s ports – and profit from the exploitation of tens of thousands of working people laboring behind the scenes …of the international trade system. …
Occupies from coast to coast have joined with longshoremen and truckers in the fight against the exploitation of workers. On December 12th, the 99% will take action in support of these workers and their successful mobilizations, unifying around key strategic targets engaged in indulgent control of our economy and government.
In response to rumors, lies, and hearsay that have circulated regarding the 12/12 Walmart Action, we, as the General Assembly of Occupy Denver and the planners of the action in Loveland, hereby reaffirm that the 12/12 Action is and has always been a non-violent action, and that we do not and have never condoned or sanctioned violence of any kind or the destruction of property. Any allegations to the contrary are patently false.
A few 12-12 day of action related tweets, plus a couple of others:
andybp85 RT @OccupyWallStNYC: Why #GoldmanSachs? They r owner of the shipping company that is target of #D12 #PortShutDown.
WhirlwindWisdom RT @kstrel: The vampire squid is trying to enter Goldman Sachs building. Crowd chanting ‘he’s gotta go to work!’
savetheusa RT @nydailynews: #OWS using squid symbol b/c @mtaibbi called Goldman Sachs ‘a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity’ bit.ly/fP1n2A
Sancti_purist RT @mofogrande: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, & then they build a tv version of your camp.#ows #mockupy
At Occupy Patriarchy, you can read about a number of “empowering actions and statements” around the U.S. Included in the piece is this:
The recent demonizing and vilifying of the Occupy movement in the media is a scape-goating of the problems and violence that plague our communities and cities daily. Rape happens every day, murder happens every day and Suicide happens every day. These tragedies are not symptoms or creations of the Occupy Movement, nor are they exclusive to the Occupy Movement; they are realities of our society and of our everyday lives.
While 100 million Americans are at or near the poverty level and Congress debates whether it can afford an extension of unemployment benefits and other crucial lifelines for working Americans, a new report estimates that U.S. corporations are sitting on $3.6 trillion in cash reserves.
The corporations are “sitting on” those reserves in ways that are legal, or at least that’s what I’m reading. Just like for years, decades, the right to vote was denied, “legally,” based on whether or not you owned land, or on race or gender, or right now in some states, on whether you have the latest state approved identification (meant to make voting more difficult). Just as lesbian and gay couples are “legally” denied the right to marry by our federal, and most, state governments. Just as the right to strike has been consistently and “legally” curtailed. The Occupy movement is addressing a “legal” system — or systems, political, financial and more — at fundamental levels of human rights. Not perfectly, not without mistakes, but also with some significant success.
I’ve not said this in a while, but please remember that in these posts, I’m only hitting on a few actions and stories and comments. A great deal more is happening.
In response to a few inquiries, a housekeeping note: Computer challenges are making it difficult for me to get to Comments. And there are some “life” challenges as well, reducing time available. I do read all comments, and appreciate everyone’s participation. Please keep talking. I hope to be able to join you again soon.
( Vampire Squid graphic via Digg Port Shutdown Raft photo via Occupy Oakland )
Joyce L. Arnold, Liberally Independent, Queer Talk, equality activist, writer.
You’ve had the experience. Two or more people, talking about how to solve some problem, or how to plan something, even as simple as where to eat. And there’s that person who greets every idea with some version of “Yes, but …,” and proceeds to say why a particular idea or suggestion won’t work. That’s how some people are approaching OWS.
The Occupiers are really making a statement, through their camps, about the gulf between the 1% and the 99%!
Yes, but they’ll have to do more than that to be successful. And nobody knows what they really want.
The Occupiers are making it clear what their concerns are — in statements, chants, signs, street theatre, teach-ins, their own newspapers and libraries, general strikes, marches, occupying a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser, gathering in front of Bloomberg’s mansion, occupying foreclosed properties, all kinds of ways!
Yes, but they need to get in the face of bankers.
The Occupiers are rallying in front of banks!
Yes, but that’s just going to make people who need to do some banking get mad. They really need to get in the face of politicians.
The Occupiers ‘mic checked’ Obama!
Yes, but they need to understand that it’s the Republicans they should be targeting.
The Occupiers confronted Gingrich!
Yes, but the Republicans aren’t going to listen to Occupy.
You really have a lot of criticisms. Got any ideas?
Yes, but you’re clearly too politically naive to understand them.
Meanwhile, the politically naive, dirty f’kin hippies, etc., keep on coming up with ideas and actions.
On Wednesday, Dec 7, Occupy DC calls on all occupiers in the DC Metro area to unite for a day of action against the undue influence of money in politics.
We will meet at McPherson Square at 10:30am to march on an undisclosed lobbying firm.
At noon we will reconvene at McPherson Square for an occupation block party on K Street. …
At 5pm we will march to the White House, a central hub of corporate bribery. President Obama is expected to raise as much as $1 billion in his re-election campaign — enough to pay 20,000 school teachers for a year.
Then we will march to the Supreme Court to protest its decision in the Citizens United case. This decision promises to unleash a flood of corporate campaign contributions unlike anything seen before, until the American citizens unite to overturn it.
Support Grows For Occupy Movement’s Coordinated West Coast Shut Down On December 12th
‘We’re shutting down these ports because of the union busting and attacks on the working class by the 1%: the firing of Port truckers organizing at SSA terminals in LA; the attempt to rupture ILWU union jurisdiction in Longview, WA by EGT. EGT includes Bunge LTD, a company which reported 2.5 billion dollars in profit last year and has economically devastated poor people in Argentina and Brazil. SSA is responsible for inhumane working conditions and gross exploitation of port truckers and is owned by Goldman Sachs. EGT and Goldman Sachs is Wallstreet on the Waterfront’ stated Barucha Peller of the West Coast Port Blockade Assembly of Occupy Oakland.
‘We are also striking back against the nationally coordinated attack on the Occupy movement. In response to the police violence and camp evictions against the Occupy movement … . ’
Each Occupy is organizing plans for a mass mobilization and community pickets to shut down their local Port. The mobilization of over 60,000 people that shut down the Port of Oakland during the general strike on November 2, 2011 is the model for the West Coast efforts. …
From West Coast Shutdown, a list of participating Occupations includes Anchorage, Berkeley, Denver, Houston, Portland, Oakland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tacoma, Santa Barbara, Vancouver, and Occupy Wall Street.
Because the Occupy movement is addressing the pressing concerns of all people, Cleveland City Council has passed this resolution to state that it supports the principles of our movement and the peaceful and lawful exercise of the First Amendment! The Council is transmitting copies of this resolution to President Barack Obama and all members of the U.S. Congress. The resolution passed 18 to 1!
Some Occupiers decided to try a tactic which has worked in other cities, of retreating to the sidewalks at night when the park is closed. Every morning at 6 am, the tents are moved back into the park. So far, so good… . After tomorrow there will be THREE Occupations in Atlanta: the park and two houses under threat of foreclosure in the Old 4th Ward and Riverdale. Occupy Gwinnett is working on their own plan.
In continuing solidarity with the oppressed LGBT community of the Russian Federation, Occupy Houston will be holding protests outside of the Russian Consulate … .
Two tweets for today:
… RT this if you want to #OccupyFox
CryptoAnarchy RT @tibettruth: ‘You have the right to consume & a right to remain silent’, anything else means you are a #terrorist
“I’m like everybody, I want more action. But I understand that [Pres. Obama's] trying not to piss off a lot of people. But I believe wholeheartedly if he’s back in, he’s going to do some gangsta sh—.” – Chris Rock, Politico
Thanksgiving week began with a rhetorical explosion of Democratic, progressive and liberal disgust met with defensiveness, which was a continuation of what’s been building throughout Pres. Obama’s first term. The latest defense comes from the estimable Nicolas Kristoff and joins the list of equally unimpressive efforts, which culminates with this all being about “grumpiness toward the incumbent during a difficult time.” That is another wishfully lame assessment of an American electorate who passed “grumpiness” some time ago.
The quote above from Chris Rock came in early November, but it follows the current mood, as well as what I’ve written many times before about Mr. Obama and entitlements, for instance. Somebody’s going to “reform” entitlements, so everyone needs to decide which is better to get the blame, Democratic or Republican politicians. It’s a fitting end, because the big two parties have gotten us into this mess, which has led to a political system long overdue for upheaval and realignment, which has begun, the completion of which will take years and several election cycles.
Chris Matthews finally let his frustrations out with Alex Witt recently as well. It was one of the more extraordinary events from the notorious career Clinton hater, someone who earned a significant role in my book.
Coming on MSNBC made Matthews’ grousing more amazing, because there isn’t much political reality to be seen from MSNBC’s primetime coterie of hosts. The entire network has taken a dive into Democratic denial, which could be driven by the lack of sanity on the Republican side and betting it’s the smart move, but which is actually decidedly out of sync with most Americans, who are sick of both big two parties. Being the bookend for Fox News Channel might have seemed like a good idea once, but now just comes off as equally unwatchable.
From the interview with Matthews:
“There’s nothing to root for. What are we trying to do in this administration? Why does he want a second term? Would he tell us? What’s he going to do in his second term, more of this? Is this it? Is this as good as it gets? Where are we going?” – Chris Matthews with Alex Witt
What Mr. Matthews still doesn’t understand, though he’s certainly got a lot of company, as Mr. Kristoff proves today, is that even if Pres. Obama answered his questions it wouldn’t mean anything, because it’s coming from a man with no internal compass and people now realize it. Pres. Obama’s style is not moored in leading people to consensus from his own foundational principles that would give us something firm to grasp, but instead is predicated on culling consensus from what’s presented from others, which can change with the wind.
Of course, this in no way means he can’t win reelection. However, there’s a reason Dan Baltz points to the Center for American Progress recent report that states 2012 will be “no election for the faint-hearted.” The uncertainty is also why the news that Democrats are out fundraising Republicans for House races is so important to Democrats, in case Obama loses.
Last week a video circulating had one Obama supporter give a flatly delivered, unenthusiastic case on why he wasn’t disappointed by Pres. Obama, which I rebutted easily with Obama’s history, while simultaneously you had Jonthan Chait give a long-winded whine about liberals. From Chait’s piece:
Harry Truman has become the patron saint of dispirited Democrats, the fighting populist whose example is invariably cited in glum contrast to whatever bumbling congenital compromiser happens to hold office at any given time. In fact, liberals spent the entire Truman presidency in a state of near-constant despair. Republicans took control of Congress in the 1946 elections and bottled up Truman’s domestic agenda, rendering him powerless to expand the New Deal, as liberals had hoped he would after the war had ended. Liberal columnist Max Lerner decried Truman’s mania for “cooperation” and his eagerness “to blink [past] the real social cleavage and struggles,” attributing this pathological eagerness to avoid conflict to his “middle-class mentality.” (Some contemporary critics have reached the same psychoanalysis of Obama, substituting his bi-racial background as the cause.) The New Republic’s Richard Strout lamented how “little evidence he has shown of being able to lift up and inspire the masses.” The historian Richard Pells has written that in the eyes of liberals at the time, “the president remained an incorrigible mediocrity.”
An exception to this trend, but only a partial exception, is Franklin Roosevelt, the most esteemed of the historical Democratic president-saints. Roosevelt is hard to compare to anybody, because his achievements were so enormous, and his failures so large as well (court-packing, interning Japanese-Americans). But even his triumphs, gleaming monuments to liberalism when viewed from the historical distance, appear, at closer inspection, to be riddled with the same tribulations, reversals, compromises, dysfunctions, and failures as any other. Roosevelt did not run for office promising to boost deficit spending in order to stimulate the economy. He ran castigating Herbert Hoover for permitting high deficits, then immediately passed an austerity budget in his first year. Roosevelt did come around to Keynesian stimulus, but he never seemed to understand it, and in 1937 he reversed himself again by cutting spending, helping plunge the economy into a second depression eventually mitigated only by war spending.
I’ve written, as Chait did this past week, on J.F.K. being dragged to civil rights by Martin Luther King, Jr. In my book, in a chapter titled “Blaming Bill” that makes a similar case on liberal schizophrenia, I also write about Bill Clinton’s mistake on derivatives, his help campaigning and electing Blue Dog Democrats while making labor the villain, not to mention Clinton’s free trade penchant, which is being channeled by Pres. Obama, as the former president’s economic policies make the latter’s possible. It’s juxtaposed against the pastime of progressives to blame Bill Clinton for everything, which is often cited by Obama fans as what’s happening to our current president, though I also lay out a conclusive case of just how different the situations were for these two men entering the presidency.
See, contrary to my “die hard Clintonite” mantle (given to me by the Washington Post, no less), I’m no stranger to Democratic discontent. It’s why my recovering partisan present is a natural. In fact, anyone paying attention to my history of writing going back into the ’90s will see that it’s the one constant in my life, seen best in my vote for Reagan in ’80.
Chait resurrects a beauty from the history books on that one:
The Times’ editorial board captured the liberal view of the era when it relayed the joke of a voter with a gun to his head who’s asked to choose between Carter and Ronald Reagan and replies, “Shoot.”
So furious was I at Carter, a combination born out of waiting in gas lines in New York City, a place in decline at the time, while watching the hostage crisis play out, with Teddy Kennedy’s hopes going up in smoke with Roger Mudd, it made voting for Reagan easy. Anger’s like that at the voting booth; emotion a powerfully irrational catalyst.
Who can forget candidate Obama hoisting Ronald Reagan up as an example over William Jefferson Clinton time and again? Chait does it as well. However, Mr. Chait ends his attempt at defending Pres. Obama with a thank you to his critics. Oh, the irony, which he misses completely, making his own defense of the President schizophrenic.
Republican Reagan-worship is a product of a pro-authority mind-set that liberals, who inflate past heroes only to criticize their contemporaries, cannot match. If recent history is any guide, they are simply not capable of having that kind of relationship with a president. They are going to question their leader, not deify him, and search for signs of betrayal in any act of compromise he or she may commit. This exhausting psychological torment is no way to live. Then again, the current state of the Republican Party suggests it may be healthier than the alternative.
It brings me back to a place I know well. Not so much looking for an ideological leader, as a human being with an unflinching compass and undeniable character to stand up against Congress and politicians of both parties. A lightning rod of a person who rails at the injustices and isn’t afraid of anything, including outcome. An individual outside of the corporate and political systems that has brought us to the brink.
However, even though this person no doubt exists somewhere it won’t matter as things stand today. Because the system our founders put together wasn’t driven by two locked in ideological political parties that after two hundred years have reached the only ending they could: stalemate.
In the end our American democratic republic wasn’t made from political parties, but from a diverse group of leaders standing on their own principles, as well as self interest, with compromise and deals made possible out of necessity, not ideology. There is no necessity to compromise today because the political parties to which our politicians belong won’t allow this natural occurrence to manifest. The only thing that can alter that fact is more political individuals elected outside the system.
But first we have to tear the two party system down, which is what the Tea Party began doing, with Occupy Wall Street offering another angle, which holds more hope, because there is not party alliance at its hub, though it’s clear there are more similarities with Democratic principles at its core.
As an side, Libertarianism, as seen through politicians like Ron Paul, the only person talking war and peace in real terms, offers an alliance for Democrats and even Republicans sick to death of the militancy of their own conservative wings, which has gained more ground under Pres. Obama. But again, this can only happen with more independent minded and not beholden to party politicians getting elected.
It won’t be done completely in 2012, but the system has already begun to shake. The bad news is that we are going to elect a few more weak leaders before it’s over. That’s the case whether Barack Obama gets reelected or Mitt Romney takes the presidency, though the case for Mitt with some will lie in what might be possible from him, which comes coupled with what is known not to work already with Pres. Obama.
The likelihood that the American electorate will just keep throwing the bums out until we reach a moment when the person we’re electing means more than the party he or she represents is where American politics is being pushed today.
Voting for a Democratic or Republican politician simply because of their brand simply isn’t working anymore. Certainly we can all at least agree on that.
Being selected as part of this “NOOK First” Barnes and Noble project was an incredible honor and opportunity. Now you know why we waited until this week to publish.
This is a tremendously exciting moment for the entire team that made this happen, beginning with Thomas Ellison and Hutch Morton of Premier Digital Publishing.
Organized labor’s early flirtation with Occupy Wall Street is starting to get serious. [...] “The Occupy movement has changed unions,” said Stuart Appelbaum, the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. “You’re seeing a lot more unions wanting to be aggressive in their messaging and their activity. You’ll see more unions on the street, wanting to tap into the energy of Occupy Wall Street.” Unions have long stuck to traditional tactics like picketing. But inspired by the Occupy protests, labor leaders are talking increasingly of mobilizing the rank and file and trying to flex their muscles through large, boisterous marches, including nationwide marches planned for Nov. 17. Organized labor is also seizing on the simplicity of the Occupy movement’s message, which criticizes the great wealth of the top 1 percent of Americans compared with the economic struggles of much of the bottom 99 percent. – Occupy Movement Inspires Unions to Embrace Bold Tactics
Pres. Obama didn’t lift a rhetorical sentence to help Wisconsin activists fight Scott Walker.
In Ohio, Ed Schultz was on the front line, while Pres. Obama stayed out of it.
In Arizona, the voters kicked out a radical right wing bigot.
Mississippi refused a “personhood” amendment that was so extreme it would have theoretically outlawed some forms of contraception, as well as in vitro fertilization.
But it’s Obama who is benefiting from what happened, taking Ohio as a prime example, which will come as very good news for the White House and national Democrats. It’s good news for progressive activists, too, no matter how much Pres. Obama has infuriated them.
Just months ago, Obama’s chances in Ohio for 2012 were uncertain at best. However, after what labor, teachers, firefighters and cops did on SB-5, the Democratic coalition, joined by Republicans too, have not only made the Democratic Party a little sexier, these activists proved their party actually stands for something.
I’ve been writing about the “coming home” phenomenon for a very long time. PPP today:
The biggest thing Obama has going for him right now is an extremely unified Democratic base. Obama gets 88-92% of his party’s vote against the six Republican candidates. What makes that particularly notable is that [Pres. Obama's] approval rating with Democratic voters is actually only 73%. But these numbers suggest that when election time comes around the party base will get around Obama whether they’re totally thrilled with him or not, and that’s a very good sign for his reelection prospects.
Give people something to rally around, as well as vote for, as they did in Ohio for instance, and they’ll come out every time. Democrats didn’t in 2010 and they got what they deserved, even if the rest of us did not.
Occupy Wall Street is the backdrop.
It is the power helping fuel what’s going on.
The inspiration for people to get up and out and OCCUPY.
What happened in Ohio and in many other places across the country must be seen through the “We are the 99%” prism. Activists and voters who show up to vote in off-year elections know about #OWS, they’re savvy and they’re speaking out about what’s happened to the middle class, because they’re living it.
So, let’s call last night’s election a reset for 2012.
There’s something new afoot.
People are fed up. So they rose up, spoke out and then voted, with their successes washing over national Democrats, including Pres. Obama, most of whom don’t deserve to share the glow. But that’s how these things work. Now if the national politicians could catch the fever of your purpose.
A couple of months ago I said Pres. Obama had until Election Day, yesterday, to change what was going on.
He got lucky. The voters, represented by what happened in Ohio, did it for him.
What’s next? The supercommittee decision. People are watching.
This is bipartisanship I can dig, baby. Republicans joining Democrats to take down the most onerous anti-labor, anti-worker, anti-middle class law in the country.
Huge victory for Ohio that sends a message across the country.
A lot of other news, which you might have noticed through the hilarious video above. It’s for San Francisco mayoral candidate Ed Lee, who faced over a dozen opponents.
As for Virginia, I’m keeping an eye out to see if Adam Ebbin wins locally. It would be a good thing.
Today’s not going to be the day we publish, but I promise we’ll have a big send off for the publication next week! It will be worth the wait.
Some book PR to give you a little more on what it’s all about.
Spanning nearly two decades of American politics, The Hillary Effect is the provocative and insightful story of the first viable female presidential candidate in history to win a primary and do so in spite of her campaign team’s mistakes. And the galvanizing impact that her loss represented for both women and men, in and out of Washington. It revolves around media coverage that treated her differently as first lady, senator and then presidential candidate – not only because she was a woman, but because she was Hillary Clinton.
Candidly written by veteran political analyst, Taylor Marsh, it is the view from a recovering partisan, someone who the Washington Post called a “die hard Clintonite” in their profile of her in 2008.
The Hillary Effect began when Hillary, as first lady, dared to challenge China’s treatment of women. A countless number of women have and will benefit from her presidential loss, the most famous being Sarah Palin (the Tea Party queen of 2010 and first female on a national Republican presidential ticket), who weaves throughout this story as the anti-Hillary. The Hillary Effect also sees Michele Bachman as a player, as the first Republican female to win a straw poll, primary or caucus.
The male leads in this stunning tale are Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama (someone who turned out to be very different from candidate Obama), with David Plouffe and Mark Penn making appearances. The story includes a host of media personalities and their outlets, but also new media and progressive voices, and famous names like Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, Sally Quinn, the late Tim Russert, Richard Wolffe, Laura Ingraham, Liz Cheney, Peggy Noonan, Maureen Dowd, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and even Bill O’Reilly, who offered Hillary the best interview she would do during the 2008 season.
All of this is seen through the economic and political crises of today, health care, women’s individual freedoms being challenged by the right, Afghanistan, women’s rise around the world, the debt ceiling debate, tax cuts for the wealthy, Occupy Wall Street and an American public disenchanted with Republicans and Democrats, just as the race for 2012 revs up.
Ed Schultz has been all over the SB5 or Issue 2 being voted on today in Ohio. He was at his best last night, revving up Ohioans for what hopefully will be a very important day, not just for Ohio, but for workers in states across this country.
Is Gov. John Kasich blowing it for Republicans in Ohio? Too soon to tell if Kasich has also opened up an opportunity for Pres. Obama for 2012. However, one thing is clear, according to a new poll, Kasich’s poised to lose big this coming Tuesday. His anti-labor law, SB5, looks like it’s going down.
Labor is poised for a big victory in Ohio Tuesday. PPP’s final poll on Issue 2 finds 59% of voters plan to reject Senate Bill 5, with only 36% voting for approval.
What might be most remarkable about the 23 point margin in this poll is that it’s exactly identical to what we found the first time we polled on this issue all the way back in March. Voters were furious then and that anger has continued all the way to November.
The article goes on to reveal that 30% of Republicans are planning to vote SB5 down, joining Democrats.
If this margin holds on Tuesday night it will be a humiliating defeat for John Kasich. Kasich continues to be one of the most unpopular Governors in the country with only 33% of voters approving of him to 57% who disapprove.
When Kasich won the governorship last year he beat Ted Strickland by 2 points. Today, Ohio voters would elect Strickland in a walk.
I guess Gov. Kasich forgot that firefighters and policemen, Democrats and Republican alike, depend on collective bargaining and the union that backs them up.
Joyce L. Arnold, Liberally Independent, Queer Talk, equality activist, writer.
This is stating the obvious, but I, at least, need “obvious” reminders periodically. The Occupy movement is made up of people. And any time you have even a few people, much less hundreds or thousands gathered, especially in public spaces, there will frequently be some who will cause trouble.
Add to that the fact that we still live in a society where there are significant numbers of people who think inequality based on race, gender, orientation, ability, income and more are acceptable, and it isn’t surprising that various Occupations are having to deal with the consequences of such thinking and acting. There have been reported incidents of racism, of homophobia, of transphobia, of verbal and physical assaults on women, of some white guys assuming they should be in charge. There are also ongoing efforts to address these concerns.
Sexism existed in the Civil Rights Movement, the Anti-VietnamWar movement. It exists today, to a lesser but still significant degree in organizations that work for human / civil rights. Same for racism, for classism, etc. So it isn’t unusual that Occupy, as a whole and in specific situations, has to deal with such things. It’s still disappointing, and for the targets, much more than that – it can be terrifying, and it’s always demeaning.
Another “obvious”: every incident of harassment, much less assault, should be taken seriously. Reports range from expressed concerns that some men are attempting to dominate General Assemblies, to verbal harassment of women, to the physical – from unwanted hugs to rape. There are also reports of prostitution, including by at least one young woman who is a minor. Some women, as well as others who feel threatened, have organized to create “safe spaces.”
As it’s essential to address these incidents, it’s vital not to brand the entire Occupy movement as “sexist” or “racist” or any other label. I realize all of this sounds quite “obvious,” but then, a part of ongoing societal problems is how easy it is not to see what’s in front of us. Occupy, the movement, is successfully putting the naked emperors on stages around the world … and that spotlight is also revealing the systemic realities of race, class, gender and more that help keep the oligarchy on top.
I’m working on compiling a list of Occupy sites related to addressing racism, immigration, etc. For now, the Black Agenda Report is always a good place to start. Any suggestions you may have will be very much appreciated.
For some very interesting reading about the focus on gender, check out these sites. As always, this list is far from inclusive, but it’s a start.
One article that’s received a lot of attention since it was posted on October 29 is Sarah Seltzer’s Where Are the Women at Occupy Wall Street?, to which she responds, “Everywhere – and they’re not going away.” Also see:
Now, a short Occupy round-up, and my yet again mentioning the relatively new The Occupation Report:
REQUEST FOR UPDATES FROM READERS: … We are currently putting together a list of cities that have been supportive of local Occupy groups and those that have been less than supportive (i.e.: police crackdowns and evictions). Please send your stories and updates to monique@rebuildthedream.com or lizbutlerdc@gmail.com.
This report includes updates from Occupy sites and related efforts across the country and the globe. It includes big wins, local organizing efforts, protests/events, police activity reports and calls to action where additional support from allies/general public may be needed.
Today rumors are rampant that the city is again considering action to end the occupation. Labor leaders, local elected officials, and news outlets are hearing the rumblings of eviction. We know that when the next eviction attempt comes, we will not get advanced warning. NYPD could move in as early as tonight, or it could be next week.
Tens of thousands of people around the nation and world have vowed to move their money from corporate banks such as Wells Fargo & Bank of America into credit unions or local banks. Many have been using the Move Your Money Project website as a resource for learning about credit unions and how to transfer your account. This isn’t an action that has been formed by any specific GA, it is a mass day of global action that people have individually decided to participate in.
Finally, efforts from the Left to use if not co-opt the Occupy movement continue. Here’s one (be sure and check out Taylor’s post on this earlier today), related to the Keystone / Tar Sands project – the “jobsforthe99.com” website. The way they identify the “1%” is interesting, as much for whose left out as the one “elite” group they identify.
Hollywood’s elite 1% should stop flying to DC and speaking out against jobs that help the other 99% of America!
But you CAN make your voice heard.
Tell the White House to support Keystone XL …
Paid for by: ‘America’s Building Trades Unions’ and ‘Oil and Natural Gas Industry, Labor Management Committee.’
For another take on Keystone / Tar Sands, check out Tar Sands Action:
November 6th: Tar Sands Action Returns to DC
One year from the next election, we will return to DC to try to encircle the White House to ask President Obama to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The action begins at 2 pm in Lafayette Park.
About unions, not everyone agrees with “jobsforthe99.com.” Or, perhaps some are playing both sides of the fence? There is an understandable caution by Occupiers about outside support, but there are also several instances now of unions marching with the Occupiers, and I don’t doubt there are those who are sincere in their Occupy support. Whatever, check out Occupy Wall St. Unions:
OccupyWallSt-Unions.org is a movement clearinghouse for unions and union members supportive of the uprising against Wall Street and corporate greed. …
Unions listed as “Supporting Occupy Wall Street” include: AFL-CIO, American Assn. of University Professors, Assn. of Flight Attendants / CWA, Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), National Nurses United, SEIU, Teamsters, United Auto Workers.
“Allied Organizations” include: AFL-CIO Baltimore / California / Missouri / New York / Texas / West Central Illinois and Building Trades and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.
I notice in the “Allied” listing, there is one “Building Trades” union that apparently doesn’t agree with the “Hollywood elite” framing.
The battle is said to be about jobs vs. the environment, but it’s really about Republicans like the Koch Bros. selling the State Dept. and Pres. Obama a bill of goods Keystone can’t back up.
So now the Occupy movement is being occupied by the Keystone Pipeline proponents, which include the AFL-CIO led by Richard Trumka. “Jobsforthe99″ is a pro-Keystone website. It trumpets an article from Richard Blackwell that is linked by Lucianne Goldberg, a right winger (some of you may remember her from Linda Tripp).
Jane Hamsher has an unintentionally hilarious post on Firedoglake, explaining that advertising policy is quite different from editorial. Keystone proponents are occupying her site via advertising that no business person should refuse.
Young people believe the environment matters. We need more of these individuals to get involved in politics, because the current crew is clueless.
CASE STUDY NO. 1: ROMNEY AND STAGNANT ECONOMY Obama approval rating in November 2011: 43% G.D.P. growth in 2012: 0% Probability of winning the popular vote: Romney: 83%, Obama: 17%
CASE STUDY NO. 2: ROMNEY AND IMPROVING ECONOMY Obama approval rating in November 2011: 43% G.D.P. growth in 2012: 4% Probability of winning the popular vote: Romney: 40%, Obama: 60%
CASE STUDY NO. 3: PERRY AND IMPROVING ECONOMY Obama approval rating in November 2011: 43% G.D.P. growth in 2012: 4.0% Probability of winning the popular vote: Perry: 17%, Obama: 83%
CASE STUDY NO. 4: PERRY AND STAGNANT ECONOMY Obama approval rating in November 2011: 43% G.D.P. growth in 2012: 0% Probability of winning the popular vote: Perry: 59%, Obama: 41%
But I think that we have to be a little cautious about interpreting the importance of Obama’s mediocre approval ratings in the face of a polarized electorate and a still-discredited opposition party.
As for my analysis, it’s like trying to handicap whether Hillary Rodham Clinton will run for president in 2016. One year is a lifetime in politics, but three is an eternity. Remember in 2008, three years ago this week, when Barack Obama was elected and conservatism was pronounced D.O.A.? A time when Obama had the world and the press at his feet and Republicans, Independents, Democrats and progressives not just hoping, but believing he would deliver on change.
Anything can happen, with Obama very beatable, as long as Republicans don’t nominate a crazy person or an incompetent. However, considering what’s played out before the American public in the Republican debates, as well as the Cain catastrophe, the nomination process has helped Pres. Obama’s status immensely.
Back to Silver:
THE BOTTOM LINE
Average these four scenarios together and the probabilities come out to almost exactly 50-50. A month or two ago, when Perry and Romney appeared about equally likely to be the Republican nominee, it would therefore have been proper to think of the election as a toss-up.
With Perry having slumped in the polls, however, and Romney the more likely nominee, the odds tilt slightly toward Obama joining the list of one-termers. It is early, and almost no matter what, the election will be a losable one for Republicans. But Obama’s position is tenuous enough that it might not be a winnable one for him.
It’s why things like the Solyndra subpoena have the potential of tipping the scale, but only if it gains traction, which right now is a big if. But given the Republican Party’s ruthless tenaciousness, Democrats should never expect fairness.
Oh, if only Pres. Obama and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi would have treated the Bush-Cheney administration with such investigative fierceness.
The wild card in Silver’s equation isn’t Rick Perry or Newt Gingrich, whose due for his turn at the top, or even an independent candidate. It’s the American electorate.
When you look at the anti-democratic actions of Ohio’s Gov. John Kasich, or Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin, not to mention the war on women being waged by right-wing zealots across our country, it’s amazing that Democrats aren’t flying high.
It’s too bad today’s Democratic Party has chosen to capitulate and compromise with Republicans, which we’ll see further when the “super committee” comes in with its recommendations, instead of taking their advantage and pushing it to aid the people. Democrats today no longer have the courage of their convictions or the principles on which the Party has stood for decades.
Gov. McDonnell had the good sense to blast these despicable efforts. Unfortunately, he didn’t say what needed to be said, which is that Pres. Obama is our president and any such dangerous images are un-American and should be investigated by the Secret Service. McDonnell should also fire the entire staff in Loudon Cty.
Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) called the e-mail “shameful and offensive,’’ his spokesman Tucker Martin said. “He calls on those involved to apologize for their actions, and to immediately ensure that such imagery is never used again. The governor has long stressed the need for more civility and respect in our politics. An e-mail like this one undermines those goals, offends all Virginians and discredits our entire political process. It will not be tolerated.”
The e-mail, first reported on the blog Too Conservative, has “Halloween 2011” in the subject lines and has several other images, including one of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, whose face has been made to look deformed with one eye bulging out of its socket.
The e-mail invites supporters to a Halloween parade. “LCRC members and Republican candidates: We are going to vanquish the zombies with clear thinking conservative principles and a truckload of Republican candy…It’s fun and a great way to represent our candidates to a ton of voters (and their kids) just before the election.”
Rush Limbaugh translation: It was a joke.
This is who the Republican Party is today, because they’re being run by a bunch of ignorant, some would say crazy, cretins who have no impulse control.
In Gov. McDonald’s Virginia, where I live, George “macaca” Allen, is actually running for Senate again. That he’s being challenged by Tim I-blew-the-2010-midterms-because-I-didn’t-have-the-guts-to-make-an-economic-message Kaine seems fitting. Allen and Kaine representing the perfect examples of everything that’s wrong with both parties.
The same actually goes for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, both men having a weak ideological core, but no problem saying one thing on the campaign trail and another to the Wall Street jackals who fund their campaigns. Two politicians who are the epitome of the type of men who rise to the top in both parties, toting craven allegiances that leave we the people out in the cold, because it’s all about the best politician money can buy.
So, until Republicans get a handle on the people inside their party who trade in such dangerously racist, violently misogynistic, and anti-American rhetoric and campaign tactics, they don’t deserve a single vote.
But considering what Democrats, as well as progressives in Congress, are letting Republicans get away with, their cowardice doesn’t exactly deserve praise or a vote either.
This, in a nutshell, is American politics as it stands today.
UPDATE: Politico has a brief story up on the cancellation of the fundraisers in Houston here.
Did the words of Houston Federation of Teachers President Gayle Fallon, its Director Zeph Capo, my post here about their opposition to the event, and a story in Politico nix the horrid thing?
I view this as a small but important victory.
Note the First Lady is still visiting New Orleans tomorrow, a spot mere hours from Houston. From ABC News Radio:
First lady Michelle Obama has postponed a campaign fundraiser that had been scheduled for Tuesday at the Houston home of billionaire and former Enron executive John Arnold, her office announced Monday.
The White House advisory cited “scheduling conflicts” for the change. Dana Guefen, a co-chair for the event, declined to comment to ABC News on why the event was moved.
Obama was to also appear at an earlier, larger fundraiser at the Westin Oaks in Houston. She was slated as the keynote speaker at both events….
Capitalism Out of the Closet **UPDATED** Would we be any worse off with Stephen Colbert as president? I doubt it. Politifact has watched the video [...]
Not Disappointed in Pres. Obama **Postscript added** President Obama is now neck and neck with a generic Republican challenger in the latest Real Clear Politics [...]
Fan Politics Despite rising public concern about the federal budget deficit, Americans favor keeping Social Security and Medicare benefits as they are [...]
