oleeb's Blog tag:www.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk/blogs/oleeb//1468 2008-12-05T04:14:10Z Movable Type Pro 4.21-en The fastest stimulus and the best long term stimulus: pass em now! tag:www.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk/blogs/oleeb//1468.246871 2008-12-05T03:54:48Z 2008-12-05T04:14:10Z oleeb While the media and our elected officials obsess about how to make sure the rich stay rich, the ordinary American family is being heaped with the debts they are generating to do this.  Problem is, throwing money at the perptrators of the economic catastrophe is doing no good at all.  What to do?  What to do?

I propose two things.  One that Obama has voiced support for and another he hasn't breathed a word about.

First, the one Obama hasn't said anything about: the fastest and most supercharged stimulus that Congress and the new President could enact would be to offer refinancing of every existing mortgage at either 3% or 4% at a fixed 30 year rate.  Every homeowner in America would be eligible for the refi on their primary residence so it is inherently fair and equitable.  Few (if any) people have rates that low so nearly every homeowner would benefit right away and not just a little bit. 

The US Government would make these mortgages directly, bypassing the banks and finance industry who are now hoist on their own petard of greed and irresponsibility, thus eliminating all the superfluous fees they charge.  With current interest rates, the government would actually realize a profit on the mortgages in the long term even though they would offer mortgages at historically low rates.  Furthermore, since this would lower every mortgage payment in the country for every family, literally hundreds of billions would be instantly freed for other purposes without balooning the deficit even further or rewarding the crooks who wrecked the financial industry and caused this economic catastrophe.  All the bad mortgages out there would be paid so we eliminate the whole "distress" asset problem with respect to mortgages.  This is a damn sight better, in terms of addressing the real problem at the heart of the credit crunch than it is to simply dole out money that will never be repaid to banks who will not lend it out.  Nearly every family in America directly benefits and the nation as a whole benefits tremendously.

Second, the solution Obama has said he supports and that Democrats have always been for anyway: a massive, sustained infrastructure rebuilding program nationwide.  Bridges and roads that need repair could be rebuilt but a higher priority should be put on building a national rail system for passengers, mass transit light rail systems in every city of over 100,000 people, and rebuilding and expanding where need be the frieight rail system.  We can build schools and public facilities and require that they all have a minimum percentage of the energy required to operate them come from renewable resources---specifically solar, wind, and water.

It is far better to spend public funds on the public and the public good than it is to try and prop up failed businesses run by greedy crooks, scheisters, con-men and thieves.  It is also far better to use the people's money to make the lives of the people better than it is to take their money to make the lives of a few better.  There is no reason for the new Democratic President not to support such measures, particularly in solving the mortgage crisis which is at the heart of the panic and meltdown in our economic system.  It's time to start addressing the needs of the nation first instead of the needs of the richest and most powerful interests.  Besides, if it doesn't work, the people will at least gotten something for their money.  Under the current schemes passed and proposed, the people get screwed coming and going.  It's time people raised their voices loudly in demanding these sorts of solutions and let the financiers and other thieves from Wall Street regain their position the old fashioned way: earn it.  It is bound to improve the moral character of the rich if we take this approach as they will, for the first time, have had to work for the money they get instead of looking to Uncle Sugar for a handout.

]]> What if the crew saved itself first and let the passengers drown? tag:www.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk/blogs/oleeb//1468.245769 2008-11-25T15:27:15Z 2008-11-25T15:35:16Z As I observe all the absurdities and shenanigans going on in Washington to save the very people and organizations that created the financial catastrophe we are now in it seems to me as though we have a situation analgous to... oleeb As I observe all the absurdities and shenanigans going on in Washington to save the very people and organizations that created the financial catastrophe we are now in it seems to me as though we have a situation analgous to the crew of the Titantic making sure it saved itself and letting all of the passengers just fend for themselves.  How would history have judged that crew had they operated thusly?  Pretty poorly I imagine.

And so it is for our political leaders of BOTH parties as they flail about desperately seeking ways to save the culprits who caused the financial melt down while letting the average American family continue to suffer and in some cases go under for the last time.  Foreclosures are rampant across the country and yet the only voice for effective direct relief for homeowners is the woman who runs the FDIC.  I hear few if any Democrats, and certainly no one in the Obama coterie, is clamoring for direct relief for homeowners.  All we hear Democrats offering is a public works program which won't have any immediate impact on the average person and extension of unemployment benefits.  Everyone in Washington is so busy servicing the powerful and wealthy as they have been doing these past 40 years they hardly even remember to worry about the little people.

Seems they are unaware that while the "crisis" for the well-heeled started just a couple of months ago, the crisis for the average American family has been going on for 30 plus years with staqnant wages, job losses, the decline in educational quality, lack of reliable health benefits and so on.  I wish the inside the beltway crowd of Democrats would start responding primarily to the needs of the people instead of just the needs of the rich people.  In my opinion, if they don't shift their emphasis very soon, they will miss the mark entirely and won't remain in power for a terribly long time.

]]> Just exactly what would it take for the Democrats to grow a pair? tag:www.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk/blogs/oleeb//1468.244795 2008-11-18T02:26:25Z 2008-11-18T03:41:47Z Headlines on TPM as I write this indicate that Democratic leaders will recommend a slap on the wrist to the vile and reprehensible Joe Lieberman and that Obama will not pursue any sort of meaningful investigation or prosecution of the... oleeb Headlines on TPM as I write this indicate that Democratic leaders will recommend a slap on the wrist to the vile and reprehensible Joe Lieberman and that Obama will not pursue any sort of meaningful investigation or prosecution of the criminals responsible for violating our national and international laws against torture.  In recent days we see the Obama people going out of their way to indicate their desire to include Republicans throughout the government. 

Reading these sorts of headlines is particularly disturbing after the 8 years of lawlessness we have just endured.  Jefferson, Adams and Washington would certainly all agree that we have been living under a tyranny since the Presidency was stolen in 2000.  Countless laws have been broken, our sacred Constitution shredded time and again, and corruption has been rampant throughout the Bush regime's reign of error.  And still, none of these outrages and abuses can get a rise out of the DC Democrats so ably led by Obama, the alleged outsider, who, for an outsider, has acclimated himself pretty damn well and quickly to Washington insiderdom.

So, if waging illegal wars of aggression, reviving torture, trampling the Constitution and nearly bankrupting the nation's treasury isn't enough to make these DC Democrats do something to bring those responsible to justice and punish them, what the hell will it take for them to grow a pair?  What the hell is wrong with those people?  The whole "why can't we all just get along" crowd of DC Democrats seem to be acting out the old George Wallace line that "there's not a dime's worth of difference between the Democrats and Republicans."  It seems that my old Poli. Sci. Professor Murray Levin was right when he said that we do not have a two party system in America.  We have the slightly left of center and slightly right of center wings of one, unified national Party that represents the interests of the upper classes.  Given the headlines, it's getting more and more difficult to deny.  Next thing ya know we'll be hearing that the 16 month withdrawal plan is no longer feasible and that we'll be "forced" to stay in Iraq for the forseeable future.  If that happens, I'll never even consider voting for another "centrist" Democrat as long as I live.  May as well have a genuine imprerialist Republican screwing us instead of a pale imitation of the real thing.

I know it is unpopular to point out that the newly elected administration might be betraying millions of those who voted for change so soon after winning, but I can't help but notice the stench of deception not too far off in the distance despite the euphoria of beating the hated party of tyranny and endless war.  I've seen this Democratic bait and switch con numerous times in the past.  "Give them time" cry the apologists, but ya know what?  We just went through an election where the winning candidate said he was going to change the way Washington does business and that was his mantra for two years.  It's what got him nominated certainly and perhaps it was enough to get him elected though methinks the proper credit goes the economic catastrophe that broke out in September more than anything else.  Other than some window dressing in terms of lobbyists not being able to work in the adminstration directly, I have seen nothing since the election to indicate that the Obama administration is going pursue any significant changes in Washington anytime soon.  I pray that I'm wrong, but it's one corporate centrist after another being floated as potential advisers and staff, it's DLC rhetoric and it's the usual cocktail of lame Democratic excuses for not doing what was promised and sometimes not even doing a good job at seeming sorry that they are doublecrossing their core constituency.  Some of that should be expected of course, but I see nothing but that coming out of the Obama camp.  It sickens me to think we may have to endure 4 years of maintaining the status quo when we so desperately need to move away from that foolishness.  The status quo is illing our nation and destroying our common people's standard of living.

I am once again reminded of what the very wise, insightful and courageous Helen Keller (no centrist she) once said:

"We the people are not free.

Our democracy is but a name.  We vote?  What does that mean? 

It means that we choose between Tweedleduma nd Tweedledee.  We elect expensive masters to do our work for us, and then blame them because they work for themselves dn for their class."

 

]]> Yes, some compromise will be necessary but Obama should not compromise on his priorities/agenda tag:www.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk/blogs/oleeb//1468.243722 2008-11-10T14:29:04Z 2008-11-10T15:00:57Z oleeb Discussion in the media is now beginning to focus on the transition, how much they will tackle initially, and which issues will take precdence.  Clearly, the most successful modern Presidencies focus on just a handful of major items and stick to them in the early months after taking office.  In contrast, FDR and LBJ had sweeping, multiple initiatives that were put through at the outset but they did this as a result of significant party discipline and overwhelming numbers in the Congress.

If Obama is confident the Congressional leadership can and will deliver the swift and unified backing of Congressional Democrats then Obama can take the FDR/LBJ approach.  If Reid and Pelosi cannot guarantee (and I suspect that is the case) that sort of cooperation and swift passage, then Obama would be foolish to proceed on more than 4 major priorities in the first six months of his aministration.

As is their wont (like a dog that's been kicked one too many times) their is a stampede among many liberal/Democratic leaning pundits and commentators in the blogosphere to urge Obama to compromise, lower expectations and otherwise "prepare" the electorate for less change than they had hoped for mainly because of the massive addition to the deficit as a result of the $850 Billion Wall Street Welfare Bill (oops, I mean "rescue" bill).  Whether or not the bailout bill was passed, compromise on many details of individual inititatives would be required of any new administration.  However, it is important for the new administration not to compromise on the big picture which is the broad agenda and priorities Obama has established which are health care, climate change, getting out of Iraq, and energy independence (which really is a subset of climate change).

If Obama focuses on those four items, he ought to be able to succeed on each of them in the coming 6 months.  If he does so, that will set the tone for his entire first term.  If, instead, he allows his staff and Congressional Democrats to leave the reservation and break up the focus on a million different pet projects, group interests, etc... such as what we're seeing in all the talking to the press right now about executive orders and such, it will be much like the beginning of Jimmy Carter's term or the first Pres. Bush when he took office.  The momentum will be lost and the honeymoon will be short.

Obama/Emanuel needs to maintain tight control and discipline over who talks to the media and what they talk about.  Democrats always bring problems upon themselves by talking way to much to the media.  Historically it seems Democrats apparently cannot resist trying to be in the limelight and instantly suffer from diarrhea of the mouth the moment they gain power.  Obama must find a cure for this.  The entire focus should be strictly limited to the handful of priorities Obama sets right now.  There should be no compromise, however, on what Obama's prirorities or agenda will be. 

He must deliver to the people on the broad issues he discussed consistently for the past two years.  He may not be able to do everything he promised right away, but if he capitulates in advance and tells the people we have to put one or more of the big issues he talked about during the campaign on the back burner that would be a very bad sign for the coming four years.  Whether or not that occurs is clearly a choice and not a fait accomplis either way.  I hope Obama's vision of what he wants to achieve is not clouded by the crisis of the moment or by the consistently bad advice that passes for wisdom among DC oriented Demcorats.

]]> Both parties responding nimbly to the woes of the wealthy and both equally deaf to and slow to respond to the cries of the common people tag:www.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk/blogs/oleeb//1468.240999 2008-10-30T05:23:13Z 2008-10-30T06:04:09Z oleeb The economic crisis was caused in large part because millions of Americans could not pay their mortgages when interest rates kicked in that were far too high for them to be able to maintain payments on their home loans.  As millions of forclosures started appearing across the land (now known euphemistically as "troubled assets") the greedy masters of high finance looked the other way and did nothing, hoping to preserve the mortgage ponzi scheme that had paid so handsomely thus far.

At last, the bottom dropped out and the mortgage flim flam was exposed for all to see as major financial institutions began to implode.  The scions of Wall Street (many of whom were major architects of the schemes leading to the financial collapse), realized the catastrophic nature of what was occuring and so began to clamp down on the free flow of money and to charge higher rates to the remaining customers they actually would lend to, in order to try and recoup some of their losses.  The Bush regime stepped in and announced that a massive relief package had to be enacted immediately in order to stave off a far more cataclysmic financial collapse and general worldwide depression. 

Democrats and Republicans hearing the call of their masters via the lobbyists who engineer their government favors, quickly fell into line.  Unfortunately some of the wackier Republican members refused to go along with the transfer of yet another trillion dollars from average citizens to the wealthy and so they had to be bribed to the tune of $150 billion in "sweeteners" into supporting this giveaway and it got passed on the second attempt in less than a week.

All during this crisis and continuing to this day nearly everything about this bailout package and how the money should be used has focused on propping up the failed banking system.  In Europe they are taking a straightforward and honest approach by simply buying large numbers of shares in the various "distressed" banks and calling the shots as any major stockholder might do after rescuing a company from insolvency.  Not so in America.  Here we are doing far more to give this money away with as few strings attached as possible.  This means that in return for the billions taxpayers are shelling out, the banks will have few, if any real or enforcable obligations or responsibilities to fulfill in return. 

The hogs are really begining to feed at the trough now, to paraphrase the once powerful David Stockman, over this newfound source of easy money.

Returning to the beginning of this post let us pause to reflect that much of this could have been avoided if only homeowners could have continued paying their mortgages.  But there has been precious little discussion of how to assist homeowners in doing this.  Obama's anemic proposal for a 90 day moratorium on forclosures is so ineffectual that it's tantamount to a cruel joke and even if it wasn't is a startlingly inadequate response to the problem facing millions of families regarding their mortgages.

Right now, there are 10,000 foreclosures daily in this country.  How would a "moratorium" help any significant number out of that 10,000 daily foreclosures group?  It wouldn't.  Remember, that means about 300,000 foreclosures monthly which is roughly 3.6 million foreclosures within the next year.  Meanwhile, the entire focus of Washington remains on enticing the greedy bastards who engineered this crisis to start loaning money again.  Unfortunately, those greedy bastards are now hoarding money because they want their ill-gotten gains cake and to eat it too!  In many cases, if not most, the banks themselves could renegotiate terms more suitable for the borrowers so they would continued to be paid monthly but they are so greedy they will not provide any such relief on their own.

I have thought for some time, that the best means of stopping the bleeding in this crisis is to start approaching the problem on the front end instead of on the back end.  Why not help homeowners keep meeting their mortgage obligations directly and thus forestalling an ongoing collapse?  Ater all, it will be the very people who are being helped and their children who will have to pay back all the taxpayer money being used for the bailout not the bankers and financiers.  Once American families receive the direct support they need to maintain their mortgage payments on their homes, the uncertainty factor is effectively addressed.  There are a number of ways of achieving direct assistance to homeowners, but one example is in Italy where they passed legislation that simply required all adjustable rate mortgages in the country to be returned and fixed at the original rate.  That way, the bank continues to have the original loan obligation repaid, but at a reduced profit and it doesn't require taxpayers to bribe the bankers to do it.  Seems a pretty good deal for the banker when the alternative is the homeowner walks away leaving the banker emptyhanded.  There are other means of achieving this same sort of relief to families but my point is that is can and should be done but that neither Democrats nor Republicans are even attempting to advance any sort of policy approach even resembling direct relief for homeowners.  Why?

I believe it is because over the past thirty years, as more and more Congressional Democrats have been cozying up to and carrying the water for corporate interests, they have lost touch with why they were sent to Washington in the first place.  I dont' think anyone would realistically expect the Republicans to attempt any kind of relief for regular Americans so it is to the Democrats alone that most people look to for some leadership on most issues.  Sadly, for the regular American of today, unless and until Democrats realize that they must choose between those who actually elect them and the corporations they have become so accustomed to responding to, there will be no real change in the way things get done in America. 

I believe that few of the leaders in either party understand the catastrophic magnitude of what has happened and what the implications are for the regular American family in the coming years.  It is 1929 again and they are all acting as though it's just a bump in the road.  It's not.  Capitalism has, once again, failed in spectacular fashion and it is once again time for another New Deal.  Will Obama, Reid or Pelosi understand this assuming Obama is elected?  Will any of them understand that if they do not act quickly when the next Congress opens that things will continue to grow worse and worse and worse?   I doubt it and I won't be changing my opinion on it until I actually hear something out of any major leader in our government about directly, massively and quickly assisting the average American family with as much unfettered financial assistance as they are providing for the fat cats who built the house of cards and knew all along it could not be sustained. 

]]> Attacking Syria as prelude to attack on Iran tag:www.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk/blogs/oleeb//1468.240118 2008-10-27T07:56:12Z 2008-10-27T08:10:40Z I have thought for many months now that Bush's sick mind would prepare for and then launch an attack against Iran after the election but before the next President is sworn in so as to make permanent war a fait... oleeb I have thought for many months now that Bush's sick mind would prepare for and then launch an attack against Iran after the election but before the next President is sworn in so as to make permanent war a fait accomplis that the next President will have no choice about other than to keep fighting.  Today's idiotic provocation in Syria is a transparent set up for further "cross border raids" to stop the alleged foreign elements of Al Qaeda from entering Iraq.  This is such a transparent lie it is rivaled only by the prewar lies of BushCo before illegally invading Iraq.

Never mind that "Al Qaeda in Iraq" is a nearly nonexistent organization tha tplays a minor role, at best, in what is going on in that country today.  Never mind that the negative effects of Bush's illegal and immoral war in Iraq, if widened, could conceivably lead to the complete, permanent downfall of the United States and the west.  This is recklessness and irresponsibility on a scale unheard of since World War II.

People need to understand that our alleged President is the biggest war criminal of the young 21st Century and that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gen. Franks and many other top adiminstration officials should be tried and then given what was called in the old west "a necktie party".  All of them should be swinging from the end of a noose for the crimes they have committed that have led directly to the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis.  All of this needless bloodshed and barbarity has crippled the nation, perhaps permanently both economically and militarily.   The behavior of Bush and his henchmen since the theft of the election in 2000 has been that of people who know well that their power is illegitimate and that they must do all the damage to the nation they can because they will not have another chance. 

No sane nation could ever again trust a rogue nation such as the United States.  Why would they?  We don't abide by treaties we are signatories to, we don't respect human life or private property if it stands between us and "our" oil.  It is absolutely shameful that this criminal tyrant in DC is allowed to widen this ill conceived and unwinnable war.  And where is the opposition to this tyranny and the crime spress overseas and at home that accompanies it?  Silent as a church mouse.  All of them.  It is time that people think long and hard of Jefferson's famous quote:

"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is indeed, just."

]]> Congratulations Prof. Krugman! tag:www.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk/blogs/oleeb//1468.236591 2008-10-13T12:46:35Z 2008-10-13T12:50:25Z oleeb Congratulations Prof. Krugman on winning the Nobel Prize!

I know I speak for many who are pleased to see you receive this great honor.  Perhaps equally satisfying is the thought of how this will make the wingnuts of America howl and snarl with their customary envy and resentment!  Congratulations again and thank you for being a voice of reason in a sea of stupidity during the Bush tyranny of the past seven years.

]]> McCain's home mortgage relief plan tag:tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk//17.222834 2008-10-08T16:17:03Z 2008-10-08T16:17:03Z oleeb
But the bottom line is that this is one of the only substantive measures that's been discussed of providing relief to average people and that was option rejected last week by the congressional Republicans (including McCain) to readjust mortgage values so people don't lose their homes and with that option being endorsed this week by McCain it seems to me Democrats should be ballyhooing both his position to highlight the hypocrisy and to get more Republicans on record supporting such a measure which will actually help real citizens weather this financial catastrophe brought on by Republican policies.]]> Bush to Congress: Tie Obama's Hands NOW! tag:tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk//17.220578 2008-09-29T14:35:48Z 2008-09-29T14:35:48Z oleeb The tyrant gave his "dire" warning to the Congress today that if they don't pass the finance industry's burglary of the treasury the sky will fall.  But one of the more important motives of the tyrant at 1600 Penn. Ave. has goes back to Grover Norquist and his objective of bankrupting the government as a means of destroying all the social programs and other successful government efforts that grew out of the New Deal and Great Society.  By adding an other totaly unjustifed trillion to the national debt, Bush achieves the objective of tying Obama's hands on demostic policy even if he wins two terms!  It is the equivalent of the fait accomplis Bush has structured with Iraq.  He's done all he could to make American withdrawa in Iraq impossible regardless of who succeeds him.  The real purpose of Bush's tax cuts for the rich you may recall wasn't to simply give money to them.  It was to drive the deficit so high Congress would have no choice but to get rid of everything except defense and social security and maybe not even social security.

The great heist of taxpayer money now being engineered by the tyrant and his man Paulson is simply frosting on the cake for bringing the federal government to it's knees for a generation or more ad thus preventing Obama or any other successor from implementing national heath care and a host of other urgently needed domestic intitiatives.  That the Democrats and even Obama are falling for this obviously bullshit is horrifying.  Any and all politicians, regardless of party, who vote for this will have no plausible excuse for doing so in the future as it becomes increasingly apparent over time just how illegitimate and unnecessary this thievery is.  Why are the DC Dems so blind?  Why are they so stupid? 

Why the Democrats would go along with tying the hands of Obama in advance of his election is beyond my comprehension.  It's just so politically stupid and cowardly that it makes my head hurt thinking about it.  Is there anything these idiotic DC Dems won't do if the tyrant says: "Boo!"?

]]> Why not ationalize the banks? tag:tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk//17.220481 2008-09-29T00:47:32Z 2008-09-29T00:47:32Z oleeb
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-us-bradfordbingley.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
]]> Obama continues to pull partisan punches and launch mild attacks on McCain tag:tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk//17.220233 2008-09-27T05:14:52Z 2008-09-27T05:14:52Z oleeb
Now most liberals/Democrats, etc... will scoff and say that Obama clearly bested McCain up and down the line throughout the debate.  All well and good I suppose.  But over and above the intellectual, highly interested, highly motivated Democrats, what types of voters would share that assessment?  Methinks very few indeed.

This is always the problem for the Democratic Presidential nominee.  For some reason the air of Washington seems to inoculate Democrats from common sense and the need to understand the concept of "winning" in a debate as we had tonight or as in an election as we will have in November.  Winning is not about impressing your partisan supporters which is merely singing to the choir.  Winning is about winning in the eyes of those who will actually decide the election.  That would be voters who are persuadable and there are many millions of them this year as there are every year.

This year, the dynamics are highly favorable to Democrats generally and thus for the highest office in the land the dynamics are favorable to Obama.  He has continued to fail to capitalize on these favorable dynamics.  Some of these reasons he can influence from one degree to another and others are beyond his control.  One set of tactics that Obama continues to fail to employ that would be highly beneficial to him are partisanship and agressive attacks on John McCain and his record of flip flops, lies, and toadying for the rich and powerful.  Obama not only continues to fail to deploy this set of weapons, he personally opposes their use.  This is a gigantic error.  And, as the economic situation worsens dramatically, Obama's failure to use partisanship to his advantage and to attack McCain grows in significance.

It is doubtful that we will ever see the Republican Party as unpopular as it is at this moment and I distinctly remember how unpopular they were in the wake of Watergate and in comparison, the level of disgust and mistrust for the Republicans and their policies now is off the chain in comparison to that time.  Thus, strategically, it only makes sense to tie McCain as closely to his party and to Bush as possible.  Obama has in his own tepid fashion been trying to make the point that we don't need more of the same, but the direct, clear connection between McCain, his party, his President and their collosal failures is missing.  That's why Obama never clearly breaks away from McCain in the polls.

Rarely int eh debate did you hear either the word Democrat or the word Republican coming from Obama.  Never did you hear him use a phrase even similar to "the failed Republican policies of George Bush and John McCain."  You never heard Obama say "John, you're lying about this just like you have been lying in your commercials..."   You didn't hear McCain identifying himself with Bush or the Republican Party either.  So Obama's hands off policy toward his most powerful weapons is, actually, helpful to McCain's campaign.  Did McCain associate himself with even one Republican tonight?  I don't think so, but he sure did try to connect himself both to Teddy Kennedy and to Hillary Clinton.  That speaks volumes about how incredibly unpopular the Republicans are right now and it is precisely why Obama should be beating that drum daily and in as loud a fashion as he can.

If Obama would just come to terms with the reality that his starry eyed fantasy about "bipartisanship" coupled with his refusal to get down and dirty and fight to win the Presidency is depressing his level of support, then he could quickly begin to roll out some devastating blows on the aire and rhetorically on the stump.  Why Obama, who I think is fairly smart guy, doesn't get this basic political calculus is a mystery to me.  But whatever the reasons for Obama's ongoing foolish choice, he better get a clue and fast or he'll end up just like the war hero we nominated four years ago.
]]> The Biggest of the Big Lies Debunked tag:tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk//17.220155 2008-09-26T22:24:58Z 2008-09-26T22:24:58Z oleeb
When I was a very little boy the liberals were firmly in charge of government nationally and in most states but beginning with the reactionary tideof the elections of 1966 the liberal retreat slowly began building and reached a fever pitch by 1968.  The assualt of the reactionary Republicans upon all things liberal was unending even once they had firm control of the national government.

The carping, bitching, cheap shots and general derision heaped upon liberalism has been the background noise of American politics now for over 40 years.  There are many angles and many nuances to this that one can talk about, dissect, reconstruct, and so on with respect to the Republican offensive against the modern world but in the most fundamental way, it all rested upon one big, simple lie.  In fact, it was and is the biggest lie of them all.  The lie was and remains that the New Deal and it's descendants the Fair Deal and the New Frontier and all progressive, proactive government policies somehow failed and that the underlying philosophy of those political efforts was quintessenially both flawed and unrealistic.  They never stopped denouncing every effort on the part of elected or appointed officials to represent the people's interests and instead claimed that all the interests of the people were best left to "the market" and/or to the businessmen who "know" how to run successfull enterprises and produce value.
 
Despite all the abundant evidence, the facts, the historical reality and the experience of our people in the real world, this biggest of all lies has gone virtually unchallenged for decades until now.  Now, right now, is the time to make the point once and for all just what a grotesque and obscene lie Americans have been sold by the right wing extremists of the Republican Party.  The financial "crisis" has laid bare for all to see what a complete and utter disaster the Coolidge/Hoover approach to government is in the modern world and it is no exaggeration to say that the "modern" Republican approach to governance is that of Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover.  Today, just as back in the early part of the 20th century, the Coolidge/Hoover approach yields precisely the same results it always did: dramatic boom times for the wealthy and disasterous busts for everyone else.

The remedy today, for the financial problems created in the wake of the dismantling of New Deal and New Deal inspired regultions is to reinstitute those regulations and others, for government to intervene and stabilize the economy and in that effort the government must actively represent the interests of the people instead of simply serving as an arbiter parceling out favors between a variety of powerful interests all wanting what they consider "their" fair share of largesse.

So, as our capitalist system once again lies prostrate in critical condition from collapsing as the result of an all too predictable binge of unrestrained greed, the fog of free market delusion is lifting from the eyes and consciousness of our people once again.  It is apparent for all to see what shameless, irresponsible and dangerous hypocrites the Republicans and their masters on Wall Street and the big business community really are.  It is quite clear that the only solution will have to come from the government and that it cannot be a series of remedies dictated by the lobbyists by and for the wealthiest of special interests.

Surveying the destructon left in the wake of the return of Cooolidge/Hoover governemtn is on display for all to see.  That is why now is the time when liberals, progressives and Democrats must make clear that the biggest lie of all is and has been that the New Deal was a failure.  The truth is that the New Deal was a success so spectacular it is difficult to quantify and that our mistake was not to have too much of the New Deal type programs and initiatives.  Our biggest mistake was the abondment and dismantling of the many programsa and policies that served us so well for so long and our failure to expand the very same approaches and philoosophies into other areas of American life such as healthcare, the workplace, education, and housing.

Liberalism/progressivism can rise from teh ashes of Wall Street's disaster like a phoenix and deliver at long last on some of the most fundamantal promises our nation has and the Democratic Party have left undone for so very long.  My advice to all who read this and care about moving the country forward before they die is, do not miss any opportunity to point out how this dramatic failure of conservative Republicanism has made it clear what a sham it has been all along and it is time to return to the successes that brought our nation into modernity and prosperity at the same time.  No more apologizing, no more excuses for being a liberal.  Liberalism, the New Deal and it's offspring never produced failure such as that we have witnessed in these past few months.  Quite the contrary and it's about time people were made aware of it so we can once again get the nation moving in the right direction.]]> Dire consequences eh? For who? That lie just doesn't pass the smell test tag:tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk//17.219683 2008-09-25T17:09:50Z 2008-09-25T17:09:50Z Bush and all the factotems of officialdom and their lackies (in both parties)are barking and howling and yelping every minute of the day now it seems, to make sure we all buy their line that unless the common people agree... oleeb
It is time for cool heads to preval.    The lies, hype and propaganda cannot stand the light of day.  Speed is the only element that favors this spectacular heist.  Slow things down (as our system is intended to do to protect us from unwise decisions) and they thieves will be thwarted.  Regardless of the threats and attempts to scare the nation, our leaders need to stand firm against the hype and demand a high price from Wall Street, fully comensurate with the exceptionally huge request they are making of the common people of America.  If they fail to do so, it will mean they will be back for more and soon.

What is the truth of the matter here regarding the financial problems Wall Street has and is trying to foist upon the taxpayers?  The truth is not what we're hearing on tv or reading in the newspaper.  The truth is that if the nation's greediest and most irresponsible businessmen are not rescued, the sky will not fall.  The people will not suffer anymore than they already do.  The economy will not collapse or stabilize based upon whether we assume the bad debts of the wealthy speculators who crapped out on fraudulent, worthless "securities" they knew were no good.  The whole idea of having to hand over nearly a trillion dollars right away or else is little more than the most brazen scam ever perpetrated on any people in history!  

Those of us who live in the real America have been aware of dire economic circumstances for years.  The doctored unemployment statistics do not reflect the actual unemployment rate in the nation.  Wages have been stagnating or dropping for decades despite continually increasing productivity on the part of our workers.  Health care now is for the fortunate and destitute only: everyone in between just gets and stays sick until they're bankrupt.  All the while our people have been suffering their increases in productivity have ot been used to reward them but to allow the corpulent rich to gorge themselves even more than they used to do.  

The "dire" consequences we are all supposed to care about are, in fact, dire only for the predatory rich people.  The suffering of these wealthy people, if you can call it suffering at all, is not a problem at all for most common Americans and won't have a negative impact on their lives.  It actually might have a postive impact.   We plebians have been in dire conseqences for the longest time and few (if any) of the aforementioned factotums, lackies, etc... of either party gave a tinker's damn about us, our relatives, friends, children or neighbors.  I think it's high time then that the common people return the favor and say to Wall Street and to the wealthy and their tribunes "Go fuck yourself!"

If Wall Street is made to suffer the consequences of it's own irresonpsibility and greed how does that negatively impact the America I live in where people are and have been suffering for years much more than the wealthy on Wall Street will ever suffer if they have to own up to their fraud and incompetence?  The truth is that it doesn't.  The powerful have found it acceptable to have our people suffer and struggle so I think it high time we told our "betters" now that they want to steal our money on top of screwing us for the past 30 years that it's time they tasted the medicine we've been swallowing forever!

Ultimately, this financial problem/collapse/crisis highlights a much bigger and overarching truth that Americans have not faced and the powerful are even now laboring very hard to keep from coming out.  That greater truth is that our capitalist system, left to it's own "genius" is a collosal failure.  This lesson was learned well by the American people during the New Deal and the right wing has never ceased to do all it could to make sure people forgot it.  Well they got their wish and it has delievered precisely what it always delivers: riches for the rich and subsistence for eveyrone else regardless of how much wealth is available.  It is a system, that, left to it's onw devices, never fails to fail.  The system has gone bust once again because it doesn't work.  It isnt malfunctioning at all.  It's now functioning just as the wealthy wanted it: unfettered by regulation, under the total control of the modern day Babbit's of America who care not at all about anyone but themselves and who simply cannot control their shortsighted greed even if, in the long run, it is to the benefit of the sacred shareholders.

During the Prague Spring of 1968 Alexander Dubcek and those whose hopes rested upon his efforts talked about fashioning what they called "Socialism with a human face."  We in America need to look clearly at our system and decide pemanently that we must have a "Capitalism with a human face."  If we do not demand this, then the system will eventually collapse in chaos and revolution.  Is that what the predatory elite really want?

I believe that instead of glossing over the titanic failure of the conmen of Wall Street, our leaders should let the predators crash and burn and only move in when we, the taxpayers and common people of the country, set terms very favorable not to them, but to us!  Like any financial institution or investor rescuing a bankrupt company we should provide no capital without a full $1 in equity for every $1 dollar we put up.  We should demand the best and most favorable terms for us, not for them and for a seat in every boardroom and to set terms for operations of such businesses moving into the future.  After all, we are not rescusing families here or poor people.  We are rescuing large, money making institutions that exist solely for profit.

The failure of Wall Street is not a crisis for the common American people at all.  This is a crisis only for the powerful representatives of predatory wealth in America and their benefactors.  FDR called them the "maelfactors of great wealth" I believe.  Only the calendar has changed, but the nature of the interests FDR and the New Dealers battled haven't changed one whit. 

What's happening is The Battle at Kruger with human participants instead of peaceful water buffalo vs a pride of hungry lions taking place right in front of us.  If you haven't seen The Battle at Kruger just put that title into Youtube or a search engine and go watch it.  It will be worth your while.  We, the people through our government, hold all the cards in this situation, but we are so used to being cowed and belittled and told what to do by the predators of Wall Street that we are hesitant to charge them, take command, set terms and force them to do our will for once.  It is time for our leaders to assert the power of the people and provide not one penny in relief for the predators without a direct, equitable exchange that benefits us.  Anything less, and the US Congress, as the representative of the people's interests, should say no to any action at all.]]> It Ain't no Bailout: it's a Robbery! And we are the victims! tag:tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk//17.219140 2008-09-23T22:15:52Z 2008-09-23T22:15:52Z oleeb
All this sudden hysteria about having to take quick action is a red herring designed to get us to buy into the preposterous idea that if we don't allow them to rob us and payoff the most irresponsible, foolish and reckless crowd of financiers in American history that somehow things will be worse.  I don't think it is in any way an exaggeration to say this is a simple robbery in broad daylight but it doesn't have to take place if only we object.  Anyone with eyes can see what is going on here as long as you don't fall for their bullshit story.

Well ya know what?  I'm one of the little people and it is no more "our" economy than it is "our" interests that are threatened by third world nationalism.  It is "their" economy and "their" interests that we are always supposed to be all worked up about and has been now for 30 or more years. In return for our backing and support of "their" interests our wages have stagnated, our jobs have disappeared and our schools and communities have been left to rot on the altar of "their" profitability.  What real difference will it make in the lives of average Americans if the "financial industry" goes sour?  Very little indeed.  You can make an argument of the negative effect on workers, etc... when industry slows down but we are already living with all that.  It's only with this consensual rape of the taxpayer we will also have to pay off "their" bad debts while being unable to support our families or educate our kids or go to the doctor when we need to.  Fuck that!  Yes, the finance interests have employees, but bad times won't mean they all lose their jobs.  It could, however, mean that for once, the rich guys asses get handed to them and maybe they FINALLY lose THEIR jobs!  That's a cause for joy not a cause for alarm!  The system that has bilked us all and screwed us daily for years needs to be exposed for the utter and complete failure it is.

I think that would be a good thing to see the Wall Street Welfar seekers go down in flames and I have no problem at all saying so.  Screw those bastards just as they've screwed us for decades.  They deserve to be horswhipped and imprisoned for what they've done.  A little financial discomfort won't hurt em.  It may actually be good for them.

So folks, don't fall for this rhetoric about how the world will come to an end and "our" economy will go into recession.   The recession has been here for years for most of us.  It's time the Wall Street boys and their ilk get a taste of it.  The average American has no more at stake here than we do when they gin up the propaganda machine for starting a war so they can attempt to seize Iraq's oil to enrich the very same interests.  It's hype, bullshit, lies!

Don't let them rob the American people under the guise of saving "our" economy.  It's all a lie.  Let them crash and burn.  The lives of the common people will be unaffected.  In fact, refusing to bail out those assholes will mean the average man and woman will be better off because we won't have another Trillion dollars in debt to pay off on top of the rest of the messes we are being asked to cleanup now that the wealthy predators have finished gorging themselves.]]> Before we fork over a Trillion dollars I have a question: why is it important that we save these crooks from their own greed, fraud and failure? tag:tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk//17.218916 2008-09-23T04:32:53Z 2008-09-23T04:32:53Z oleeb
Let's say we let them crash.  What difference would it make to the millions that have been working for declining wages, losing benefits, even losing their homes?  I am beginning to think that the only reasonable response to the "crash" on Wall Street is to let them go ahead and take their lumps.  We little people are going to get fucked either way.  It's just that if we don't hand these crooks a Trillion dollars in the next couple of weeks, we'll still have some money left to spend on health care, fighting poverty, economic and community development, education, the NIH and a thousand other things that are worth spending our tax money on.

I honestly do not see how saving those rich assholes benefits the common people of this country.  All it does is load us down with debt that will, at some point down the road, turn into an enormous tax obligation and you can be damn sure the rich will not get stuck with the tax tab.  Nope!  The rich will escape higher taxation while the little people once again are forced to work like slaves to keep the rich growing richer.

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