Rightward Tilt Leaves Obama With Party Rift

Source: The New York Times

WASHINGTON — However the debt limit showdown ends, one thing is clear: under pressure from Congressional Republicans, President Obama has moved rightward on budget policy, deepening a rift within his party heading into the next election.

Entering a campaign that is shaping up as an epic clash over the parties’ divergent views on the size and role of the federal government, Republicans have changed the terms of the national debate. Mr. Obama, seeking to appeal to the broad swath of independent voters, has adopted the Republicans’ language and in some cases their policies, while signaling a willingness to break with liberals on some issues.

That has some progressive members of Congress and liberal groups arguing that by not fighting for more stimulus spending, Mr. Obama could be left with an economy still producing so few jobs by Election Day that his re-election could be threatened. Besides turning off independents, Mr. Obama risks alienating Democratic voters already disappointed by his escalation of the war in Afghanistan and his failure to close the Guantánamo Bay prison, end the Bush-era tax cuts and enact a government-run health insurance system.

“The activist liberal base will support Obama because they’re terrified of the right wing,” said Robert L. Borosage, co-director of the liberal group Campaign for America’s Future.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/us/politics/31dems.html

---

An excellent article reviewing Obama's debt/deficit proposals and activist criticisms; it will appear on the front page of Sunday's Times.

Well, actually, Clinton tried to slash it too. But in any case, you cannot be a Democrat and try to steal the Social Security Trust Fund at the same time. They are mutually exclusive positions.

This has been a mind-blowing few years.

You know, something new. A Third Way. It's going over like a flaming back of shit but there's no stopping a person with a "vision".

PB

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just like Raygun, paternalism being the next stage of development, lol.

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and isn't that what Nader said in 2000 _ "I don't care if Bush becomes President". Yeah, how did that work out for ya Ralph? I mean besides the hundreds of thousands you got in tax cuts.

instead of doing The Right Thing just for the sake of doing the right thing. I'd always thought that, if you do your job well, this "legacy" stuff will take care of itself, whether you have a multimillion dollar "library" or not.

And if you do a really crappy job, your "legacy" will reflect that, too.

If you are gonna make Bachman President, you could at least vote her some Democratic Congresspeople to keep her in check.

Assuming you really don't want the country to take a hard right turn, that is.

That goes for about any Democrat. Same as last time anybody we threw up there could beat McShame and fuckwit.

Run a real Democrat and give up on the younger, hipper Bob Dole with the adorable family and you got a fighting chance.

Voting for the "lesser evil" will only do what it has always done --

i.e., moved the party and Congress further to the right!



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1617727&mesg_id=1623384

but only because I looked it up recently http://journals.democraticunderground.com/hfojvt/149

and I do not buy your argument here. If Ike and Stephanie and Stephene and even the accursed Raj Goyle were in Congress along with another 15 or so blue dogs, we would not be in this debt ceiling mess. And whatever Congress did in 1978, it didn't have the impact of what Reagan did in the 1980s.

I'm not following any fool who's willing to toss Social Security on the fire. I don't give a shit what he calls himself.

They can call themselves that if they want. I can call myself the freaking Queen of England. Doesn't make it so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjtyuIY67w0

But a "democrat" includes a wide variety of opinions on a variety of issues. One huge difficulty though is that having made this guy our standard bearer it is virtually impossible to replace him. Even beyond that, he, much like Clinton, will be hanging around making tons of money giving third way speeches. Maybe Michelle will run for the Senate in California and end up being the first woman President.

THIS is NOT the guy we made president --

the mask is off and it's over --

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1617727&mesg_id=1623384

there is no other word for it. Clinton didn't do any such thing. He did suggest taking some money and investing it in the stock market but no ones benefits would be cut under that plan.

there is no other word for it. Clinton didn't do any such thing. He did suggest taking some money and investing it in the stock market but no ones benefits would be cut under that plan.

I don't get it --

But the more we vote for the "lesser evil" the more we move the party

and the Congress to the right --

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1617727&mesg_id=1623384

Financial and Political Crimes be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and highest priority.

There were prosecutions, fines, banning from the financial industry, and prison sentences in the S&L scandal (that was orchestrated) and Boyd Jefferies, Ivan "Greed is Good" Boetsky, and Mike Milken received prison sentences and banning from the financial industry in the early 90s.

POTUS Obama hired the perps and GWB, Obama, and the Fed drowned them with dollars and made "too big too fail" a reality.

"Too big to fail". Seriously wrong.

Nancy Pelosi took impeachment off the table in 2006. The prosecution and recovery of stolen monies and stopping needless wars should have first priority for POTUS Obama.

POTUS Obama would have been a hero in the USA and on DU today if he had simply played by the rules and followed the wishes of about 80% of Americans, regardless of Party.

But he has zero integrity and this is why I seldom post at DU and feel the fool for passionate support in my real life.

About two months ago he became a human of such low integrity that I could never cast a vote for him again. I feel the same about DiFi. Both are War and Financial criminals that belong in jail far more than anyone busted for pot.

I have been a member of the Democratic Party longer than Obama and graduated from the same MBA program as Richard Blum (DiFi's spouse of the no bid war contracts).

I simply will not vote Obama again and the DNC et al better hell realize that there are many like me, most of the liberals and Democrats I know.

The Democratic Party leadership and WH threw the 2010 midterms not the rank and file Democrats.

They pissed away the political capital and opportunity we provided in 2006 and moreso 2008.

POTUS Obama is not an idiot, he is complicit not to mention a War criminal.

Better find another candidate Democratic Party or you will lose in 2012 across the board.

I am going to die before the USA has a hope of being on a good trajectory so I can say the stark truth.

Where-in lies the difference?

That comment in the article made no sense. If they are both right-wing, why does it even matter? I guess Obama is just a center right "Republicrat" who is more articulate about cutting social security. Let's see:

"the fetid waste of a male cow" is still "bullshit."

In Obama's case it's bullshit blather or B Squared talk.

republicrat? really??

It's on the tip of my tongue, Trojan something, what was it again? Trojan Donkey? Trojan Man? no, Trojan Horse! yeah that it!

Manchurian Candidate.

How does one fight such corruption at such high levels tho?

and MIC -- !!!

Actually, I wouldn't discount Global Warming and its future impact on this --

and when I say future, I don't know if that's 10 months or ten years from now --

but think there's going to be a huge wake up soon.


Of course, they've been taking down other countries as well --

Not going to leave anyone standing this time to rescue anyone else!!

Totalitarian control -- and confiscating everyone's funds -- !!

Say hello to the Obama FEAR 2012 campaign slogan.

Now we see that we need something more tangible. Hope was not enough.

I've been wondering all night.
Someone on his election team.

but you can bet I won't vote again to give him another crack at it!!

J

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Second, where did this Borosage acquire a crystal ball, because I want one, too.

Perhaps the writer was trying to create a self-fulfilling prophesy?

in my circle. The ultimate fuck was social security and Medicare.

Without that we don't need dems.

and that sentence makes a lot more sense.

Obama is 'liberal' on the issues that do not cost money. (I put in the scare quotes because he is certainly unwilling to take risks over gay rights issues, but that's not the same as actively hating and oppressing gay people.) That makes him less terrifying than the Republicans, who are 'conservative' (those of us getting trodden under the bootheel of homophobia would call them "radical," but anyway) on social issues as well as fiscal ones.

If by "support" they mean "vote for," then yes, I will vote for Obama over whatever runs against him. If by "support" they mean "bust ass working for him like we did in the 2008 election," well, no, not so much.

The Plaid Adder

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DADT tool way too long to certify imho and at one point in the year his admin was supporting doma in court. Pm wall street regs he has put little peddle to the metal and so forth...

using DOJ to defend women's clinics against this organized criminal attack on

reproductive freedom?

Certainly Obama is not supporting unions -- look what he's done to public education

with Arne Duncan -- destroying teachers and their unions!

Also, this is upside down thinking because the GOP gave start up funding for the

Christian Coalition -- it's patriarchy which invents organized patriarchal religion --

not the other way around!


Richard Scaife also financed Dobson's group -- and other wealthy rightwingers funded

Bauer's organization.



On and on thru their many movements -- it's all paid for with rw wealth -- Kabuki!!

There are just so many things on Congress people's plates these days. And on the President's plate also. The "Theater" takes them away from many much more important things.

like - "How much should I ask for from energy companies when they need to destroy the water table to drill for their natural gas?"

like - "How much do I figure I'll get for continuing to pretend there was nothing wrong with my EPA decision to use Corexit in the Gulf Of Mexico?"

like - "How much does Halliburton wanna give me for my not pulling out the US operations in Iraq?" (Remember: though it is true we are pulling service people out, we have private contractors there that some estimate to number 50,000 to 60,000. And those people make ten times more than our GI's ever did, if not more.)

like - "How much do Wall Street Big Shots owe me for making sure they were not hit with serious regulations?" (Good thing the average American forgot all about this pledge from Candidate Obama.)

...again? It's like the Mafia. And We the People are supposed to go along with that?



The hell with such nonsense! The hell with such "leaders!"

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Wasn't the general idea supposed to be that elected officials represent the interests of the voters who elected him/her, i.e., not just blow them off in order to accommodate the diametrically opposed interests of a few potential swing voters who didn't elect him/her? Could not one argue that's malfeasance, breach of duty, that sort of thing?

and Congress to the right -

If you want to see liberal control of government, we have to stop knocking our

heads against that wall!!

:wtf:

if he loses.

:thumbsup::scared:

We won't win either way.

Another four years of caving in to the Republicans and we will not have a country left.

I can't believe I am writing this about a Democratic President.

I am really sad today, a piece of me has died.

My Father was a Democrat all his life, active in the party.

I am still a proud Democrat but not of this President.

I vist a nursing home, what will happen to the people there with the cuts.

We need to take our party back.

(2) there will be violent revolution within 3 to 6 years, or (3) the US populace passively falls into an oligarchic tyranny controlled by a system of scientific fascism led by the global monetary Neo-Pharaohs.

My money is on #3.

Same as it ever was. It's what the US is about, and always has been.... taking power away from hereditary kings, and giving it to those who have made themselves kings.

and he did it by rule making of his administrative agency, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Rule making - the method so popular with Bush/Chaney to control spending without relying on congressional approval.
(From Friday's OP by w8lifting lady)

w8liftinglady Donating Member (1000+ posts) Fri Jul-29-11 06:32 PM
Original message
CMS Will Cut Skilled Nursing Facility Reimbursement


CMS announced in a final rule that it will cut Medicare skilled-nursing facility pay by 11.1%, or $3.87 billion, in fiscal 2012, a move strongly opposed by the SNF industry.

The CMS cut the payments to claw back estimated increased reimbursement in the current fiscal year that resulted from unintended changes in SNF Medicare billing for therapy, which had followed changes in how Medicare paid for therapy. The CMS in the rule said that it has recalibrated its payment structure, enacted through what it calls resource utilization groups, or RUGs, to correct the incentives that led to billing for higher-cost therapies.

CMS also tightened the rules for SNFs in the timing of allocating group therapy, to also reduce future overbilling.

“We are appalled that the (CMS) chose to implement an 11.1% across-the-board rate cut for skilled-nursing facilities in one year,” said a statement from not-for-profit nursing home association LeadingAge. “We believe that any across the board cut is unwarranted and problematic, and one of this magnitude is unprecedented.”

The fiscal 2012 recalibration reduced payments by $4.47 billion or 12.6%, but that change was partially offset by the update of 1.7%, or $600 million, according to the CMS. The update reflects a 2.7% inflation increase and was reduced by 1 percentage point through a productivity adjustment mandated by last year's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act


Read more: CMS to cut skilled-nursing facility pay - Healthcare business news, research, information and opinions | Modern Healthcare http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20110729/NEWS/3 ...
?trk=tynt
http://ready-tv.com/?p=109

Who could have anticipated that?

:eyes:

That is the plan, I believe.

God help us when he has nothing to lose.

It never was. With Obama, it's always a political calculation, as described in the article. He's willing to throw every part of the New Deal under the bus, along with the unions, the poor, and the elderly, if his pollsters, like Mr. Mellman, tell him it will bring in the "independent vote," the Holy Grail of electoral advantage.

against cutting social security and medicare. Independents are also in favor of increasing taxes on the wealthy, ending the wars and protecting collective bargaining. Obama's attack on the New Deal can't be because he wants the independent support because he will lose votes there too. Obama hates this picture.

He never talks about that though..but I have heard him say that 80% of Americans want a bipartisan answer to resolve the current situation. Seems he's cherry picking what he wants to use in his rhetoric

It was by no fluke that he came out praising Saint Ronnie. He is yet another of his destructive disciples.

Witness with me, the destruction of the Democratic Party, and our nation with it.

I wish I would have seen that OP back then. At the time I was still foolish enough to have believed in Obama. As one poster put it, the Democratic establishment is controlled by neoliberals. We never had a chance.

Didn't see it either. But we've gotten an education through all this. Words mean very little when trying to get elected. We've got to do the research..only I thought I did. :hi:

Progress And Change, cuke, BenDavid, Tellurian, and IndianaGreen - all tombstoned. I could have benefitted from their objectivity regarding Obama's actual record and ideology.

of course he would rather win than lose 2012, but that is not his primary concern.

opening the door to cutting ss, medicare is what this is all about. it is an epic plan that is playing out exactly as the rich want.

obama will be well taken care of either way.

:applause:

Something only someone with a "D" behind his name could do. No one, but no one, with the "R" monicker would even get past home plate.

I suspect he hasn't necessarily been tasked with the total decimation of SS and MC at this point, but all he really needs to do is just "crack the egg"... then it's only a matter of time (short at that) before we have these two programs served up "fried"!!

If he's this far to the right now, imagine what he'll be like when there is no re-election facing him. What a disaster he has been.

I keep thinking of dear Ted Kennedy, the Liberal Lion of the Senate. Obama owes him better than this.

but especially those that voted for him.

If he thinks he owes the banksters more,then he's sadly mistaken.

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...since there is no other set in your deductive-logic construction
!!

money on getting real Progressive Democrats elected to Congress. Sure, they'll vote for him, but not many will be all that enthusiastic about working for or donating to him. That money and time will be better spent on Congressional Candidates.

Strategically speaking, the base has to consider that if Independents don't come back, the base alone won't be enough to get him elected, and unless he can appeal to Republicans, and I don't see why they are angry with him frankly, we have to face the fact that he may lose. Even if he was a real Progressive, that fact makes it all the more imperative that we take back the House, but with strong, Progressive candidates wherever possible, and keep the Senate, which will be hard with so many seats up for election.

Both Parties have similar problems. Neither Party's base is enough to win a Presidential election.

The religious right is not large enough to elect a Republican President, but they are mobilized and motivated enough to have a huge influence on the nomination.

Just as Republicans were trying to moderate some and enlarge their theretofore small, but rich tent, in order to court Indies and tax hating Democrats, up sprang the Tea Party and yanked Republicans rightward again. And, Republicans may have a bit of an edge, given the solid South, including electoral vote rich Texas.

The Democratic base is not enough to elect a Democratic President either, because of the electoral vote and also because they aren't as motivated to turn out. But there is no equivalent of the Koch-funded and driven Tea Party on the Left to yank Democrats left. So, the country seems likely to keep going further and further right.

Go long on flag pins.

What you don't fight, you will get more of --

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1617727&mesg_id=1623384

I'm not sure how motivated they are these days. However, I remember 2004. Karl Rove believed that about 4 million religious righties stayed home in 2000, but hat they would come out in 2004. Bush's margin in the popular vote in 2004 was about that number. So I think that numerically they could still have an impact.

Most of what you think is reality is Kabuki --

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1617727&mesg_id=1623384

the house and senate are more important then the oval office when you have a weak president.

must be dismissed. He has plenty of strength when standing up to the left.

candidate with a solid record on which to run. He wins because the Republican Party is in thrall to the 'crazies' and no Repuke with any gravitas and semblance of rationality can win the Repuke nomination.Thus, Obama wins because his opponent will be so weak. The American people are not stupid enough to vote for the likes of Bachmann, Palin or Romney (unless unemployment breaches the 10% level).

to vote. If he does win, it will be because some sane Republicans voted for him, and voted (R) for Senate & House. So we're going to get crushed in the Congressional races

At least some Democrats at that point would act like opposition with a Republican in the WH

I checked my mom's bank account and found she already received her SSI check on the 27th of July. She usually gets $1300 a month, but now she got $96.00. She usually gets her direct deposit by the 3rd. Is this happening to others? Has anyone checked their accounts to see if they got screwed too?

not have taken place already. Call the office and see what's up.

http://www.cr-sdc.org/DefaultFilePile/NewsReleases/2010/SenCompPublicBenefitsNR7-12-11.pdf

The service being offered by Senior Companions will potentially
enroll eligible seniors in one of a number of programs. Seniors who are at an
income of $1,246 or less a month may be eligible for the Medicare Savings
Program that helps pay for the Medicare Part B premiums. That can add
around $96 per month to Social Security checks.

That kind of cut has not been authorized. a $1,204.00 decrease has to be the result of something else. Did she miss a doctors appointment? If she doesn't go to every one of the appointments with the sell-out doctors appointed to make sure her disability continues to be down graded then cuts like this will happen.

Example: When we were younger, 1988, my wife was a pedestrian who was struck down and severely injured by a hit and run driver. Believe it or not she had the wherewithal to get his license plate number and they caught him (more on that later). The injuries she suffered are lifelong. Her left foot was broken in so many places her orthopedist documented it and submitted his surgery techniques to be published. In the beginning she had pins running through the tarsal bones in many places to hold the bones together while they fused and healed. These pins stuck out both sides of her foot and were removed after about 8 months. He had to place a screw in the left side of her ankle to replace the bone that was ground down by her being drug across the asphalt, and then he had to place a pin vertically to attach to her foot to her leg. The vertical pin and screw will be with her for the rest of her life. Now, here's where it begins to get dicey. Because she was young and I was her sole support(my choice) she didn't have enough credits to get SSD, so she applied for SSI. After she was declared 100% disabled by a court we thought the process was complete and she would get her check without incident. WRONG...every few months we would get a letter directing her to some quack who would ultimately try to downgrade her percentage of disability. Fortunately they never succeeded however it was clear in the letters if she were to miss one of those appointments she would automatically see a decrease in her benefit.

Endgame: Fast forward a few years and I was moving up the line in my career. We received a letter to come to to the Social Security office for an appointment. When we got there we were told that my income disqualified her from receiving SSI and that we owed them over $14,000.00 in over-payments. We were barely surviving on my income and we were the parents of a 4 year old daughter. After investigating our position we found out that they had not been paying us the additional $405.00 per month for our daughter for her entire life. And yes, we did report her birth to the SSA as soon as she was born. The fact was, they owed us $19,440.00 just for her, not to mention the COLA's we were entitled to. When we brought this to their attention along with the paperwork we filed at her birth, they quickly reversed their position. However they also stopped their payments to my wife even though our household had grown by one person therefore rendering my income below the levels required to receive the benefits at the time. When we brought that to their attention as well, the worker just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Sorry, there's nothing I can do."

Thanks to my wife being aware enough to get this guys license plate number, a short time after this debacle we received an insurance settlement from the lawsuit filed against the driver and we were able to survive the loss of income and my career began to pay off so we ended up ok, but the bottom line is that had she missed even one of the appointments with the quack doctors working for the SSA, we would have seen a decrease in payments immediately.

Good luck and don't just accept this decrease. Make some noise, $1,204.00 per month is not a loss to take lying down.

Every last one of them . They are a disgrace to their profession and humanity and we would all be served if they either voluntarily retired or wereforcibly removed from positions where they practice damaging the sick. It should be a war crime.

Emanuel and others in his cabinet were chosen. But I set them aside and have Obama a chance. I even gave him a chance when some of his policies were not liberal, just because I thought it was a long term strategy to get elected while slowly moving the country left. I've now accepted that he's really a New Democrat that's just better than the Repukes because the Repukes are so extremist. I'll vote for him, but I'm just not enthusiatic right now, and this debt deal thing has me more disheartened than ever.

...when Bill Clinton introduced him at the 2004 DNC convention. I sensed then and there we were being played.

I told everyone that he would be president one day.

IIRC, next up as keynote speaker, Mark Warner, another DLC founding member and, like Bill, a Southerner.

Did Bill realize then that Obama would beat out Hillary, though? I doubt it.

Look how the 2008 primary played out. It was designed to elect Obama with Hillary being the loyal opposition. The two of them ate up 2/3 of the air-time.

You think they wanted this guy to get any attention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFabLp-Jcbg

That's so spot-on it hurts.

This is horrible.

the snub of Howard Dean. How do you not show appreciation for the man who is in large part responsible for your election? At least offer him a bone, but no, not this president.
And again, like you, I said I would hold my nose and vote for Obama, but I'm not certain any longer. I'm not buying the "at least he's better than..." meme any longer. Why vote for someone who has spit in my face? As George Bush tried to say, "fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

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his whole "as Americans have to come together" theme, but it foreshadowed him being too nice with Repukes. I really wanted to believe the best in Obama.

The dye was cast then.

selling out to Corporate America.

Heckuvajob BO! :puke:

no real record who couldn't be bothered with showing up half the time.

President Obama could have been one of our greatest Presidents.

Too late now, you don't mess with SS.

but if you're REALLY concerned about a theocrat being president or can overcome emotional despair then vote for him

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Exactly which sand has this NYT's writer's head been buried in for the last two and a half years?

Obama promised to "preserve" OASDI during his primary campaign. Silly me, I assumed he meant raising the cap. And, he promised to "reform" OASDI and Medicare before his inauguration, referring to them as "entitlements." So much for being forced just now by Republicans to adopt the economic language of Republicans. (Hey, at least they all know better than to use "trickle down" nowadays.)

Moreover, how much more of a signal of a "rightward" economic policy could a Democratic President possibly give than arriving in Washington D.C. with a Republican protege of Henry Kissinger as your Secretary of Treasury and Summers as your chief economic advisor, then re-appointing Bush's Republican head the Fed? What a Trifecta!

I don't know what's worse. The fact that a Democratic President espouses the philosophies that Obama does--and is able to get Democrats in Congress to back him--or the fact that the best those who try to support him can do is portray him as a helpless President and politician, or as playing some 11th dimensional game of chess that Democrats never seem to win.

"a willingness to break with liberals on some issues."

:rofl:

Don't you have to be a liberal before you can be said to exhibit a willingness to break with liberals?

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:shrug:

I've had it with rightwing politics in my Democratic Party.

As in "You will be assimilated". Yeah, President Obama has governed in a corporatist friendly manner, but he article seemed more like a push-poll than actual reporting. To me it's typical corporate media softening up of the masses "this is the way it's gonna be and you'll like it or lump it" corporate media propaganda.

The media in the US is all about control of the masses, the message, the vote, and the corporate system/wars. The media is actually the number one power, don't ever trust any of it completely.

"guvermint run health insurance system"

"size and role of duhr fedrul gubmint"

Although his handlers might suggest he throw a few crumbs at Democrats who still support basic Democratic Party principles,Obama is clearly center-right, just like many Republicans he works so hard to please.

Obama will never get my vote again because I know the difference between a pound of Vermont cheddar cheese and a package of Kraft "cheese food."

when viewed through the lens of corporate interest and maintaining influence of the nation's wealthiest one percent. Who has he asked to sacrifice the most and who has gotten a pass?

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Now it's more about protecting the status quo. :(

If the repigs win the middle class will disappear, the poor will suffer, and the government will do nothing. If Obama wins he'll take it as a sign that he was right about going rightward and won't stop negotiating away the gains we've made since the 1930's. Looks like the DLC won afterall.

by his own choice, mind you. You dance with the one that brung you.....Mr. President. That's called manners.

That is who the Third Way Democrats represent. This has everything to do with money.

Money does seem to be the only stimulus that provokes a response.

The buying of political candidates and parties is not the stuff of Hollywood thrillers, but is mundane and as old as the hills.

Yes, money speaks. Follow the money.

...what's needed is a different President, and then this same Congress will fund the closing of Guantanamo and pass the public option.

This is the example of Obama's "rightward tilt"?

Since he hasn't dismantled Social Security or Medicare as reported, seems like there is a lot of flame fanning going on.

eom

talking about SS, instead of "cut". As in, 'he isn't going to dismantle SS or Medicare'.

Not so sure about cuts anymore? Is that it?

Someone just exclaimed to me in another thread that I must think Obama is raping nuns.

It says a lot when you have to go to "raping nuns" in order to make the theft of food and retirement money from the elderly poor seem reasonable.

I'd venture that we'll be hearing more about restructuring soon as well, as in "they just need to restructure SS/Medicare to 'strengthen' it."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1601665&mesg_id=1607200

, the whole GOP has been infected by a Bizzare Religious cult

the Tax Cuts for the rich, trickle down economics, the New World Order, Globalism.. but who actually runs the GOP..??

these are all Neo-Dominionist Principals..!!

the Dominionists work in the Shadows. in 1934 a Nazi refugee Abraham Vereide started what is now the "C st Family", the Christian Fellowship, A.K.A.the Christian Mafia.. and have taken the Evangelical movement into the Dark Side. THEY ARE BY DEFINATION..the the Christians defination of the Anti-Christ,

the the "C street Family" and the Dominionists believe that God/Jesus only bless the Rich, Wealth and Power is proof of gods Favor of a man/corporation, so it is a sin to tax them. God Speaks directly to the rich/Powerful, the poor must "Submit" totally to their will, and become a slave to god. the poor/sick are being punished by god so it is a sin to help them, or not to torment them.

Trickle Down doesn't mean money, it means only gods blessings to those who followed gods greatest plan and made the rich richer. the New World Order is the Utopian Paradise created when all the worlds poor submit to gods great plan, and become slaves.. the GOP is a Theocratic Cargo Cult of OCD psychotic narcissistic wealth/power hoarders.. in the 30's Depression FDR appointed Abraham Vereide to a Cabinet position to start programs for the poor to bring them out of poverty.. Vereide's plan was to start Dominionist evangelical tent "Revivals" all over the country, only the Poor who came and prayed thru and totally submitted to the Dominion of the rich and Gods great plan would get help. he quietly was replaced ..and the Reich Wing immediately began undermining the New Deal.. still the fundamental purpose of the GOP is to repeal the New Deal, because it is the work of Satan, communists and Socialists, all interchangeable. that is what all the Debt debate is to get the power to repeal the New Deal legislation and the rights of the under class.

this is back ground info

... this is one of the best..especially from Strauss to making slaves
http://doggo.tripod.com/doggchrisdomin.html

this is very good
http://blog.buzzflash.com/hartmann/10016

this is older, more is known about them now that Jeff sharlets book is out
http://www.insider-magazine.com/ChristianMafia.htm

http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/TheDespoilingOfAmerica.htm


http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html
the top 1% richest hold 42% of Americas Financial Wealth, 6 times that of the bottom 80% who hold only 7%.. so the top 20% hold 93% of Financial Wealth. that is why there is a Recession.. nearly all the available money has been looted by the rich. there isn't enough left to run an economy.


the GOP's agenda is really obvious.. it is simply Dominionism.. they don't care who they hurt, who dies in the process.. they are Elite Favorites of god who hates the poor under Divine orders to control the World.. no Quarter for unbelievers.

the best books on the subject, he lived UTF8&s=books&qid=1298244911&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Street-Fundamentalist-Threat-American-Democracy/dp/0316091073/ref=pd_sim_b_1

this really sounds conspiratorial and crazy, but read Sharlets book, cheap on Amazon. i have been researching this for a while. they count on people thinking it's Way tooo crazy to be true. they are organized and spread in secret cells, Vereide said, 'we don't openly indoctrinate we secretly "infect". people who join are often unaware of what it is, and become infected. it is now the the way power is distributed in the GOP. the tea party is now a thorn in the GOP ass because the Tea partyers are way to crass, unsophisticated and ignorant to be let "inside" the actual Cult, they are just flying monkeys.

but it really explains all the weird stuff they do. they openly admire the Nazis and murderous dictators. it is always rationalized like.. 'yea, the genocide was unfortunate nut they were really well organized'. it was bad enough before leo strauss amped it up with Machiavellian.. economy of perpetual war, a government that lies and spins the horrible things they do. they have studied morally fallen religious leaders to learn how to spin all the criticism away and come out with opinion poles better than they were before they got caught with their pants down with a homosexual Crack whore. their official inside dogma is that god doesnt habe to forgive the rich and powerful, god and Jesus just don't "remember their sins" because they are the chosen.

they are stuck in an "Apriori" loop, where the Conclusion comes first and the Premise follows

they exist in a parallel universe, their Fascist-Anti-Christ Dogma, where logic and truth, right and wrong have entirely different meanings. they are the Modern "Contrays" of the Plains Indians.

talking to them only makes it worse. they are mentally ill. i really believe there is nothing we can do and they will eventually drag us all down to hell. Mad Max and the Thunder Dome is comming to a socker field near you sooner than you think. Obama knows.. Sharlets Book "the Family" was a best seller on the NY times best seller list for about half a year. right after Vereide said Assisination could be a useful tool.. Liberal leaders began to be slaughtered. JFK first

THIS IS A NEW BBC DOCUMENTORY ON RFK--- MUST SEE ..it is the complete documentory, and not the official CIA version.. nice site too

http://documentaryheaven.com/rfk-must-die-assassination-of-bobby-kennedy/
with them..wonderful writer

http://www.amazon.com/Family-Secret-Fundamentalism-Heart-American/dp/0060560053/ref=sr_1_1?ie=

They could not do it. Obama has been able to do what Republicans have only dreamed of doing and we are supposed to be more afraid of Republicans than Obama.....Wolf in Sheep's clothing is a fair description of Obama IMO.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1619126&mesg_id=1619487

sorry.. i just did that here .. oh well. :blush:

eom

x(

There is a valuable lesson here.... The house has the power if you have the right core of people... Pelosi was a joke in 2008 and I blame most of this mess on her incompetency. But the baggers have shown if you get a staunch core in the house you can divert an agenda. 2012 is about the house and somehow keeping the senate, it's the only way

sorry, only just now saw this OP

He's been on the right from the get go - actions speak much louder than words. A regular fifth column -

Not even Bush and the T-bags could've accomplished that.

If we'd been attacked from the outside, there would have been a huge fight. Much better to attack from within, under the guise of being 'one of us'. Much more damage could be done before people finally woke up.

infiltrating the party with Republicans and destroying in from within. Now they have carried out that plan, but somehow much of the Left has failed to notice this.

I worked with a Tory on the Kerry campaign. He lived here for four months out of the year, then returned to a teaching position in London. He said "We see your Democratic party as good old Tory conservatives. Kerry would make a great Tory leader. You have no party like Labor or the Greens because the Left no longer exists in America."

starting to watch it more closely now.

David Swanson also started a draft Sanders website. One of those websites was closed reporting that Sanders had decided not to run - but that was before the last couple of weeks.

It does not say Obama wants the cuts, it says Obama knows he had to in order to get a debt ceiling raise.

Are none of these people married? I'm not, and even I realize that if your spouse wants more space and you give it to him does not mean you don't want to hang out with him. And that there is no way it will work unless you give in now and then but that does not mean you agree - you're doing it to keep the peace.

With a President and House from different parties, obviously both sides have to give and take. The Republicans don't want this either, it's not all they want. It's like calling Boner a liberal for agreeing to raise the debt ceiling. And the Repubs are in the position they don't have to write a bill at all. They could just do nothing. Legislation starts in the House.

Good ol' progressive NYT

except that I wish we had elected This Guy instead of Obama:

Restore America’s Honor
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-15-2010/respect-my-authoritah

Transparency in Government
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5t8GdxFYBU

EFCA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMNVIQqatyU

NAFTA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LtbLEKHsi0&NR=1

Cadillac Tax
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8wmN3wvhNM&feature=player_embedded

Support for LABOR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA9KC8SMu3o

Health Care
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acc6Wn_BWlk

New WARS without Congressional Approval
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejvyDn1TPr8


K&R





Who will STAND and FIGHT for THIS American Majority?
You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their Rhetoric.

During the dark days of the Bush administration, I was terrified. Now, I think we are at a point of no return. The thing has to completely collapse before it can be rebuilt on a strong foundation. Nothing that those in power do (whether Democrats or Republican) is going to change the economic status quo because their job, in many ways, is to cling to it. They have to sell the populace on the idea that it is working, that it isn't broken. But, it is broken, WE are broken. So, no, I am not terrified because it needs to collapse whether it happens swiftly under GOP policies are slightly more slowly under Democratic ones.

Obama needs to stop taking his base for granted, especially when such a large percentage of Americans support the base on the critical issues.

is that loss of jobs hurts Obama's election results rather than loss of jobs hurts Americans...

Pity Obama and the poor Democrats who's chances of reelection may be at risk. :sarcasm:

like Obama.

He's just the opposite, it's just that he works for the other party.

“The activist liberal base will support Obama because they’re terrified of the right wing,” said Robert L. Borosage, co-director of the liberal group Campaign for America’s Future.

This one won't, because I'm not going to be an activist for something I don't believe in, and I'm not going to fight for the lesser of two evils when both are evil.

Those of you that are entertaining that we are going to do so are dreaming. You can't make a boogey man less frightening by saying this one is only going to rape and beat you until you are unconscious, and this one is going to just kill you.

has brought us to this. We need to take a stand and make a 'positive' influence on policy and politics. Vote our hearts, what we know is right. Fuck them...they don't give a damn about the American people.

I'm more "terrified" and ANGERED by a Democratic administration that lied and betrayed me so much so that have no trust left than I am of the right wing! :grr:

WARNING ... DO NOT count on my support!

I never thought I'd have to hold my nose and vote for Obama.
I often think about 08 convention, because it was here and I was at the stadium when he accepted the nomination.
Heaven
Now I feel in limbo

“The activist liberal base will support Obama because they’re terrified of the right wing,” said Robert L. Borosage, co-director of the liberal group Campaign for America’s Future.

This is why Obama needs a strong primary challenger, because they expect the Left to vote for him out of FEAR. Screw That!

I have always said I would write in a candidate in the primary but would vote for 0 in the final. That is over. I will write in the candidate of my choice now in the final. Now I believe it is of no consequence to have either 0 or a nutbag in the whitehouse; if the end result is the same. At least the extreme right wing policy will be hung on the head of a pugrat.

From here on out my money, my efforts and my grassroots support goes to liberals running for congress. I have had it. I will not be held hostage. Basta!

badabadaba that's all folks.

Kill me for this but I won't be supporting Obama this time. I'm ready for Nader - people hate him but he's been right all along about the lie of a two party system.

We've had a single party since Clinton, maybe before, and the only way to really shake things up and send a message is to vote out greedy, fat, pastyfaced rich white men who have been in the good ol boy network for far too many years. And then we would have to provide a huge, true grassroots, 50-state movement a la Howard Dean to elect a viable third party candidate to shake them all up. I'm not ashamed to say I'm ready to risk calling it a Citizens party.

a group made up of long time party hacks like myself and not many as liberal as I am. Someone there was whining that she had been calling a list made up of people identified as "strong Democrats" on behalf of Organizing for America and she was not getting warm, fuzzy responses. She was pretty much outraged that people who consider themselves Democrats would not be jumping up and down at the chance to send a check or volunteer to get "our president" like that.

Her remarks opened the door for at least a third of the people at the meeting to make it clear that a primary challenge would be welcome and that a voting for a third party candiate wasn't impossible. Most said they were debating about attending the caucuses in February as there is no point if Amy Klobuchar for Senate and Obama are our only options (though we could go "uncommitted" in both races to send a message). These are people who always attend caucus - some of us have been attending since McGovern ran and a couple others since 1968.

This is a group made up of long time party activists who have stuck with the DFL and the national party through thick and thin. What has tipped us over the edge is the health insurance sell out, his corporate cabinet, continuing the policy of never ending war but the last straw was his even hinting that Social Security and Medicare were on the table.

I'd say Obama is in some serious trouble with party activists and he'd better wake up and figure it out.

pretty much since the day they moved in, imo.

at his events.

Ever since he got the office I, who worked tirelessly for his election, felt as if I had been discarded like an old shoe.

Someone here once said Obama was the biggest bait and switch con on Americans ever. I have to say I agree.

after the crowds of supporters Obama wrangled with his loud and progressive-sounding promises of hope and change --many will never believe another politician ever.

Thanks for the info. It's sad but important to know how lifelong Dems are feeling about O's re-election. If DLC thinks Dems will show up and vote Dem while holding their noses they're going to be quite surprised. I think this is THE year many many people will be willing to consider a 3rd party candidate if they have something meaningful to say. Unfortunately, until we can rid the congress of lifetime reps and senators anyone elected seems to have to learn to play the good ol boys game.

Sigh...........

campaign promises never to be fulfilled. It is my prediction that, that is just what is about to happen. 0 is about to become a "new man" "a real democrat" at least till the finals.

I am totally disgusted by his capitulation on the debt "crisis" and giving those bastards what they wanted.

Like 0 she was a corporate lawyer.

Most of you people are so hilariously fickle. You were gungho Obama supporters but now that it's clear he's not a cookie cutter democrat, you would have no problem seeing him thrown off the mountain.

The people who think they are making some kind of stand by saying they aren't gonna go vote are especially hilarious.

Without a shadow of a doubt, that is a completely illogical idea. Not voting is a catagorically invalid position. If you don't vote, something bad could happen. If you do vote, you could help him get re-elected.

There is no other choice, politically. Not voting is just a schoolkid overreaction.

Guess what people, I hate to break it to you, but Obama IS a third way politician. That's right. He is. And the third way is BETTER.

Here's the unfortunate truth for those who you who are hardcore idealogues caught in this dualistic left vs right position.

Democrats are right, sometimes. Republicans are right, sometimes.

Anyone who is a hardcore idealogue is quite frankly, a bit daft, and even worse, somewhat dangerous.

The world is not black, white, or shades of grey. It is in full color. Beyond the full color, there are invisible spectrums. Beyond that, there may be other demensions.

Obama HAD to play the role the dualistic polarization - the incredibly idealistic role to get elected by the saps that make up most of the world. No one will hear him out on the pragmatic realitys of what it will take to fulfill his goals for the country. People don't have the intellectual capacity or flexibility of mind to go there.

He is not a leftist, center right, or any of that. You COULD describe him as a moderate, but in actuality his ideals are quite revolutionary.

You see, the best way to revolutionize things is with deliberate moderation.

What he is trying to do is get america back to the brief periods of time in American history when we all worked together toward common ideals despite our ideological differences. Such times have been when America has experienced the most profound growth.

America has reached a point where dialogue has broken down and politicians are incredibly polarized. Not very much can be accomplished this way.

Obama has higher level goals than your petty little straight from the democrat playbook idealogies.

Yes, he'd rather get some revenues in the mix etc. But I think he realizes that these things are not really as importanty as coming to a workable compromise and slowly making people see that he is the guy to get behind. To what end, you say?

Remember 'the sputnik moment'? That is his most important goal. I would bet a million dollars, if I had it, that if he wins re-election in 2012 and is able to get a democratic congress (which is seeming very likely considering how he's making the republicans look, and the amount of young independents that dont normally vote, but will vote for him and also vote democrat for everything else), he will create something resembling nasa but geared toward moving us into energy independence.

America doesn't need more squabling over BS. What we need is quite aptly described in the Obama teams new slogan. We need to WIN THE FUTURE.

The way that will be done absolutely will require innovative thinking, and personally, I believe, an investment on the scale of the manhattan project. I read some article in Foreign Affairs the other day about how Obama definitely seems to have two grand strategys, but his failure is in explaining it to the american people.

Please. Obviously very few people have read The Art of War, or 48 Laws of power, or played any poker.

You don't reveal what's in your hand! You don't give away tells to your strategy. You keep people off balance by confusing the hell out of everyone and seeming as if your going against your own interest, pushing your enemy to make stupid choices.

That's exactly what he did with this whole default dillema. He put together a plan that almost seemed more serious on cutting the deficit than republicans own plan. The republicans reacted like small children and made themselves look obstinate. They then ended up falling right into line with Obamas own message. Praising the idea of compromise and "doing whats right for the american public" despite the fact that the deal didn't please the idealogues of either party.

Obama is getting almost exactly what he wants, and playing BOTH partys against each other to get it. Would he rather get some revenue increases in there? Sure, but he also knows that cutting deficit is important. He will succesfully cast himself as the leader that got a hard compromise to happen, while cutting the deficit, and keeping social security, medicare etc from being gutted.

He will then put this behind him and continue his unwavering message of Winning The Future, which is truly what matters.

Obama has accomplished a lot already. He has repealed dont ask dont tell. He has passed a healthcare reform that while it doesn't reach the democratic 'ideal' of singlepayer healthcare, and is far from perfect, it vastly improves the situation. The healthcare act will definitely make sure almost everyone has insurance, while actually decreasing the overall cost to both the government and the increasing cost to the insured. I would be that very few of you have actually read the Act and know how smart a lot of it is. Especially the pilot programs for new, more efficient ways of running hospitals etc. It's a way of doing what government can do best, spend money in ways that private industry almost never would, toward grand aims that do not insure profit. That's how the internet, gps. etc was created.

In addition, Obama has saved gm, and put a lot of money toward electric cars. The investment in Karma was especially wise. That company has perfected electric car technology and made it sexy... which is going to dramatically speed up the adoption of electric cars. Sure, it's an expensive car, but new technologys that see widespread adoption always start in the aspirational high end with an incredible product.

Beyond that, his military leadership has been superb. He really has winded down the war in Iraq, and is soon about to do the same in Afghanistan... as well as killing Osama Bin Laden. I also think he made the perfect descision with Libya. He started a multilateral initiative that doesn't waste massive amounts of our money, and will ultimately destroy Qaddafi and replaced it with a more free society. Of course, since these aims have not been accomplished yet, everyone is going to say it's silly. But once you see both Egypt and Libya arise as great democractic allies to the united states, you will sing a different tune.

The correct approach to 'spreading democracy' is support of independent revolution (like the American revolution), not preemptive excursions into other countries that will take our efforts as an assault. That was the problem with Iraq. We made ourselves into imperial Occupiers rather than saviors, and made America look like a bunch of Assholes worldwide.

Anyway, time will tell.

This is only my pretty damn informed opinion.

This is some top grade satire. No one could actually believe this nonsense.

"Mr. Obama, seeking to appeal to the broad swath of independent voters, has adopted the Republicans’ language and in some cases their policies, while signaling a willingness to break with liberals on some issues"

This is bullshit. Independents already voted for the liberal talking Obama on '08. The notion that he needed to move to the right to get the backing of the all powerful 'independents' is crap and a piece of M$M and DC propaganda.

We believed you when you said" Change is coming to America",the only change so far has been a change in office holder.

And that you WILL engage in predictable behavior because you are TERRIFIED of the right wing. BOO!

Weird, huh?
I thing they mean 'moderates'...the term 'independent' can mean many things and he's not courting such a broad swath. No one could.

when it does.

:sarcasm:

Bake

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