OUR leaders have asked for “shared sacrifice.” But when they did the asking, they spared me. I checked with my mega-rich friends to learn what pain they were expecting. They, too, were left untouched.
While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks. Some of us are investment managers who earn billions from our daily labors but are allowed to classify our income as “carried interest,” thereby getting a bargain 15 percent tax rate. Others own stock index futures for 10 minutes and have 60 percent of their gain taxed at 15 percent, as if they’d been long-term investors.
These and other blessings are showered upon us by legislators in Washington who feel compelled to protect us, much as if we were spotted owls or some other endangered species. It’s nice to have friends in high places.
The current makeup of the GOP is completely insane. When asked at the debate who would walk away from a financial deal that had 10:1 ratio of spending cuts to spending increases… all of them said they would walk away. That’s simply absurd. I know the teahadists have control, but we really shouldn’t let our financial policy be determined by inbreds who need a calculator to figure out what 10% of any number is.
“The greatest concern to the Cut, Cap and Balance Coalition is the integrity of the Cut, Cap and Balance Pledge that was signed by 39 House Members and 12 Senators, and whether voting for the proposed deal constitutes a Pledge violation,” reads the memo.”
“We hold that is does violate the pledge, on several grounds.”
… it’s so nice for our entire government to be in lockdown because of a tiny minority (heh) of terrified ignorant bone-stupid old white people. I would like to say we deserve better than this… but that would be a lie.
Nancy Pelosi is a remarkable politician and one of the top Speakers this country has ever had. Her determination, singular focus, and management skills are remarkable. Without her, we would not have health care reform (of any kind).
Now, I wouldn’t want to have a beer with her because the skills that make her a great Speaker make her a pretty miserable social “normal” human (see also: Madonna and M.D.s) but I wanted to note for the record how much I appreciate her and admire the job she has done.
Note: this is in response to James Brooks’ saying on PBS “She is not a great speaker — I mean a spokesperson, a communicator. I personally don’t think she’s great on policy. But she has the skills to know how to control this body, which is a fractious body, even when you have a majority. And, so, those skills are maybe in her blood from her father and her brother, but also skills that she really possesses. And there’s no denying she is a very effective legislator.”
Barney makes my real world job more difficult, but I can’t help but love the guy. Finally, a dem stands up to the astroturfed ragemonkeys. Reminds me of the Army-McCarthy hearings…
There’s an easy way to not pay the bonuses, there is good legal footing to deny them. What is lacking is political will. Let’s help those spineless twerps in DC out.
I should note that there are rumors that if the bonuses aren’t paid, the managers (or the French, it’s unclear) will declare a default event and trigger hundreds of billions of dollars more to come due. To which I say to the AIG management: bullshit. Go ahead and try it and take your economic terrorism elsewhere. Go Galt on us, please, you worthless shitbags.
Team Obama needs to get out in front of this. It’s a position so easy to spot that even Bill Kristol can see it, and if Obama doesn’t deny the bonuses, then they just gave the GOP a 300 pound birthday cake. With balloons.
As the GOP is now playing partisan politics while the country tapdances on the edge of financial ruin for generations (quel surprise, non?), stating that the stimulus bill (weighing in at 1/4th of the Iraq debacle and 2/3rds of the 2001 Bush tax cuts) is “too expensive” I have a proposal for President Obama.
Instead of getting rolled and creating a “bipartisan” bill that the GOP is going to vote against anyway, why not, you know, be proactive and aggressive? The GOP will not support this bill because if it works, it’s Obama’s bill, and if it fails (which is what they are hoping for – who cares what happens to the country, their only path back to power is if we’re in the shitter in 2010 and 2012) they don’t want to have voted for it.
So here’s my proposal:
Obama to GOP: OK, the bill is too expensive? We’ll eliminate all the tax cuts. Now you’re down to a $500B stimulus package.
GOP to Obama: *head explodes*
The Democrats and Obama on this issue have been an embarrassment. Going from record high approvals, a clear mandate, and a tide of victory to getting their asses handed to them in parliamentary games and disappearing from the media during this entire debate is fucking ridiculous. The GOP is entirely controlling the narrative of this bill now – they own the media and are just slaughtering what we here still like to refer to as “reality” and “reason.” It’s like the past 8 years never happened.
The Dems are an absurd party fully of namby pambies with no spine. It’s infuriating. But at least they’re not Republicans.
In sum: tell the GOP to stuff it and do what’s right. It’s the best way forward.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson on Sunday announced that he was withdrawing his nomination to be President-elect Barack Obama’s commerce secretary amid a grand jury investigation into how some of his political donors won a lucrative state contract.
I’ll bet you the beard restart is in full swing, though.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) easily won a vote to remain chairman of a key committee today and will stay in the Democratic caucus despite his high-profile criticism of President-elect Barack Obama and his support of Sen. John McCain during the presidential campaign.
To recap: Lieberman actively campaigns against the Democratic president, up to and including implications that he may be a terrorist, undermines the last Democratic president at every turn, is defeated in the Democratic primary and runs on an “independent” ticket, and is the #1 supporter of Bush on the “Democratic” side. Lieberman is also the head of one of the most important Senate committees around (Homeland Security), where he has yet to conduct a single investigation or question the administration.
Democrats win both houses of Congress and the Presidency in a landslide and do not need Lieberman’s vote.
Do the Democrats kick him from the Committee chair? Do they refuse to let him caucus with them?
No.
Lieberman retains everything.
Jesus fuck, Dems, can you possibly be any more of a collection of wimps? He actively attempted to destroy your party.
Lesson to be learned: senators hate the Left and outsiders far more than they hate being stabbed in the back.
Oh, what I wouldn’t give for an actual party with some balls and the ability to enact progressive legislation.
Please, Sarah, run in 2012. I’m begging you. Pleeeeeeeeeaaaase. It would be like Fitzmas all over again, only this time with the entire destruction of the GOP under my tree.
VARGAS: But the point being that you haven’t been so bruised by some of the double standard, the sexism on the campaign trail, to say, “I’ve had it. I’m going back to Alaska.”
PALIN: Absolutely not. I think that, if I were to give up and wave a white flag of surrender against some of the political shots that we’ve taken, that … that would … bring this whole … I’m not doin’ this for naught.
As a side note, the entire circular firing squad in the GOP rat’s nest going on right now is a thing of beauty. This massive implosion, embarrassment, and extreme displays of cowardice couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of choda scrubbers. That Palin has gone rogue and is using McCain’s carcass for a national run and that McCain obviously blames her for everything up to and including the soon-to-be loss (except, of course, for his pick of her in the first place) is just icing on the cake.
How all voter suppression activities stem from Republicans?
A phony State Board of Elections flier advising Republicans to vote on Nov. 4 and Democrats on Nov. 5 is being circulated in several Hampton Roads localities, according to state elections officials.
This happens every cycle – some flier comes out in minority/black/poor neighborhoods either giving a wrong location, date, or threats of arrest/seizure/investigation should the darkies show up.
