But a question: what is “Top Line”? [Can you tell I don’t watch tv, except for Keith & Rachel?]

I was also struck, as I am whenever I do manage to catch the “MSM,” at how ignorant the “interviewers” are, how they work off talking points or “gems” that they have to get into the conversation, and generally how worthless they are. [It’s kinda interesting to go through your two interviewers’ questions & remarks and note how many political cliches they manage to insert. And is “the Left” ever going to stop being a curse word?]

That to me is what the difference is between these fools and Rachel: she clearly studies her heart out for every interview, asks good initial quesitons, and follows up. Her brain is engaged, not just her mouth.

The increase in the on book federal debt is something to worry about after the economic crisis is dealt with. In the meantime speaking up for infrastructure improvements, getting the most bang for each stimulus buck is important. Right now stimulate – fix bridges, water systems, electrical grids. Invest in clean energy research. Extend unemployment, food stamps. Pay for it all out of the productivity improvements that the working infrastructure and research enable.

I’m a bit perturbed that you link HR 1207 to wingnuts like Michele Bachman, but have consistently neglected to say Ron Paul sponsored, wrote and introduced it. Now that Paul isn’t a candidate maybe some credit where credit is due? Yeah he’s bad on abortion rights. He’s coming at the Fed from a gold bug perspective, but he is also standing up for transparency. And he voted against the supplemental as an anti-war measure and stood up and talked about the power of the purse for holding the executive accountable.

Kudos are worth giving, and they can help with our strange bedfellow allies for accountability.

I have heard some people say the only way the government and Wall Street will listen to the American public is if we have a “mortgage strike“. A mortgage strike is like a rent strike that they have in NYC when a landlord will not fix the building. In this case, if everyone would delay sending in the mortgage for 7 days past the due date, it would cause the banksters to FREAK OUT!!! It wouldn’t affect anyone’s credit rating because those are only reported if loans are 30 days late or more. But a delay in loan processing of 7 days would cost the banks millions in anxiety!

It would also get Obama to pay attention to the little people who contributed $50 or $100 — because they believed he would fight for thier interests.

My hat is off to Jane. Working with conservatives about a common interest — that is PROGRESSIVE!

A right-left coalition is unlikely to work because while both oppose Obama’s actions they do so for radically different reasons. I caught for instance a few minutes of the Leahy hearing with AG Holder. Both liberals and conservatives expressed disappointment in him. The liberals because he wouldn’t reject Bush’s excesses in things like domestic spying and indefinite detention. The right because he hadn’t embraced these excesses sufficiently. This is not the basis for a stable coalition even on a single issue.

As we saw with the war supplemental, Obama will either turn to the Blue Dogs or peel off a few progressives. We need to think less about winning votes (because we won’t) and more about moving into opposition.