OBama is turning into a great Republican president

Yes, a landslide of people bailing over HCR. Thanks for reading between the lines again, Jane.

This story is so sad on many levels. Can’t list them all, but women refusing to stand up for women, allowing the system to encourage them to abandon core issues just makes me shake my head.
I wonder how many of these females have trouble sleeping at night.
The bad change is happening too quickly. The good change, too slowly. IMO.

I think it really just brings home the point how similar both parties are…

You have to wonder how many bad deals and compromises it takes to lose progressive support. It seems there is no end.

I can’t tell you how many people, both men and women, at another blog have told me I’m crazy for being upset about this. It’s like talking to a cement wall, no movement whatsoever. I truly don’t get it.

It’s sad to see her walking away from the rubble before the Democratic Party presses the detonator, but totally understandable.

Actually we should thank those folks who get out before the rubble buries them, if they’re people we trust and admire, they provide a sure confirmation that we’re facing reality, and we’re not upset over nothing.

I think I feel her…Obama and his DINO criminals have destroyed the Democratic Party. Where do Dem voters go from here?

I think it is time to use the republicans, join them, to get rid of the entrenched democrats and in 2 years, get some real progressives in there, including a new president. Trying to replace corporate democrats without the help of republicans will be impossible. But as Jane says, there are so called progressives (my words)out there applauding this bill as “progressive” and “something to build on”. So people are not ready for the revolution.

Likely some parallel to Sen Dorgan announcing he will not go for re-election… and not telling the WH first (and the mustard seed balls people who work there).

Same reason some people refuse to root for the D’s like a team (pol parties are not the same as rooting for the Yankees or Red Sox). The reason being – whats the point (or… is this the best we can do)?

Until the party faces the real threat of diminished fundraising – which let’s face it is not gonna happen because they will always be able to play off the GOP Boogeyman – the Democrats will continue to cut deals that betray their most ardent supporters.

Look, I’m a Republican who’s somewhat to the right of Pinochet, but I have great respect for people who do not compromise their values. People like Jane, which is the only reason I’m here. I’ll try not to be too much of a troll.

Just as the GOP takes wide swaths of it’s base for granted, so do the Democrats. Neither party will pay for it really because they will always have the other to use: “Yes, we might be bad, but look at the alternative!!”

Hopefully, 2012 will see schisms hit both parties and allow for more representative views to be seen in DC. I’d like to see a more socially moderate, fiscally conservative alternative to the current GOP of the So-Cons and the idiots who think that parroting talking points from 1983 make them Conservative. I’d also like to see a more progressive version of the Democrats that unapologetically speaks from the heart of the left without qualifiers. Maybe I’m a dreamer, but more choice cannot be any worse than what we have now.

Just to make it clear to the people who moniter blogs for the parties – I am voting in 2010….but not for your team.

Another example of the point I’ve made several times: women who rise to positions of power will behave like men in similar positions, as a first approximation.

“cheap hustlers who are totally willing to demagogue highly emotional issues for fun and profit on both sides of the aisle”

This is the difference between R & D (or faction within those parties) – they do the same thing to pillage, and then they put on a show about abortion, gays, or flag burning. As if Cheney gives a f*ck it his daugher is gay (since it did not “embaress” him into any election loses) when he is stealing money and power hand over fist?

“They” don’t care about the same things.

For more see who gave the prayer in DC last January, or all the D’s who are part of the Family (to use religion, which they are “above”, to project power and gather money worldwide (and to plan out dealing with their extra-martial sex acts)).

Yes, it’s like when they are elected, they get a welcome package with testosterone suppliments and a strap on.

I can’t help thinking of the old song (Judy Collins?) that goes, “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone?”

You have the causality reversed. They are able to get elected because of the testosterone thing.

As Progressives we need to admit to ourselves that Obama was the weapon the ELITES who love the status quo use to halt and try to destroy the Progressive movement.

Our next move should be to get angry.

After that we need plan on how to take back the Dem Party.

Obama and DINOs have no base of support.

All progressives need to think Bush for wiping out the middle.

Obama and His Dino criminals are not Dems, they are and have always been the enemies of the Progressive Movement.

Ellen Malcolm is another sign, that more and more progressives are starting to realize they got the HOPE A DOPE in 2008.

A lot of Dems know that signing this HCR scam Bill, will end their political careers.

I wish Mrs. Ellen Malcolm all the luck in the world.

We all got tricked by OBAMA, and we must accept this fact.

Joni Mitchell.

Dimished fund raising will not occur because the tax money goes to the big biz, they steal it all, and use a small percentage as an investment back into pols and lobby.

Its a pity the system is setup such that giving away billion and taking back in a few 100K or a few million is a good deal.

Apparently the money is laundered through the system.

I was much more solid on the blue team in the past, then as they failed to do anything under Bush and as I learned and researched more I knew that once the D’s were back in controll they would have to show their true hand/colors.

I pinned it on HCR, since I know climate change will get 1/1000 of what the interest of the people get on HCR, and bank regulation will get 1/100000 of it.

Ha. Maybe so. Last night I dreamed that I was one of Hilary’s assistants. In my dream, she was a very nice person.

Well, if you want that to happen in real life, you should learn how to spell her name. *g*

Ach. Saw-ree. I think it’s just my subconscious telling me I need to make more money.

I think since men and women are equal – that we will act “equally” (the same).

One would expect life experience to have more of an impact (easier to walk in someone shoes when in fact it (discrimination, and more) has happend to you) – however most of the people that rise to power are in the upper class and apparently for them life is pretty good and it (discrimination, and more) does not happen to them as much.

For the others that fight their way up, its a mystery why they stray…but I suspect more $ & pow is the reason.

Total agreement..most of Bush’s base turned a blind eye to his crimes. I hope Dems will figure out Obamas MO early on enough to respond correctly.

One more example, it would seem, of the post-Wall Street/Banking shock and awe that has allowed more power and money to flow to those who are diverting the sluiceways their way and taking from everyone else.
This bill is one more example of legislators kowtowing to corporate masters, to monied interests because they are still shaken or threatened,
as Naomi Klein has described it.

Theft of power from women isn’t any different than an armed robbery: both create fear in the victims, both are stealing without permission, both leave the victims with less, both produce feelings of reduced potency, both weaken the social fabric and increase the threat of social failure, both are unfair if not illegal.

That the theft from women is being facilitated by women makes it all the more sad, and all the more worrisome.

Does Congress get their family members abortions covered. Will birth control be covered in the bill at least?

In this case, the difference is not gender, but alpha-maleness. There are, of course, fewer women with alpha-male characteristics than men with them, so you get fewer women leaders. But women with alpha-male characteristics are less likely to be interested in women’s issues. And you’re also right that they come from backgrounds that has sheltered them from issues typical women confront.

Dear Jane,

Here is a paste of my latest message to my local Federal Senator, the Honorable Bill Nelson:

Honorable Senator Nelson,

As a Medically Bankrupt U.S. Citizen, I take the Health Care Reform Issue very seriously, because I have been a victim of the debackle that our Healthcare delivery system is, and I will never forget that when I was dying FAST, Your Tampa Office was there for me.

Since I literally owe you my life, it is no small matter to have to say a contrary word, I trust that you comprehend that I take my Constitutional Rights and Responsibilities seriously, and am also aware that you have worn the Uniform, and have put your life in harms way to protect and defend every U.S. Citizens Constitutional Rights.

The reason I voted for Obama is because he said “NO MORE OFFSHORE DRILLING”, and McCain said “Drill everything, everywhere as fast as possible”. It was a “case-closed” type of decision for me.

The most STUPID thing that Obama said was in reference to thinking that “clean coal sounds like a good idea”, and IF you know anything about my messages to you, and other U.S. Senator’s since 2002 regarding my idea on how to generate electricity, you would know that there is no need to continue down the stupid paths that have caused ALL of our problems with climate change, and that : Nuclear, Coal Burning of any kind and Fossil Fuels are not only dangerously STUPID ideas, said Technologies are not valid or necessary anymore, “money” be DAMNED!

I have signed a Petition at Firedoglake.com addressed to Speaker Pelosi asking for the “Mandate” to be flushed from the Bill. I am an old-school conservative, however I stand with Jane Hamshire (also a cancer survivor, and worth Listening to regarding Health Care Reform) on this matter.

The entire fiscal model of the past 30 or so years is Spiritually, Ethically, Morally, AND Constitutionally DEAD WRONG-ASS BACKWARDS, and the “chickens have come home to roost” as they say on the foolish Ayn Rand “crap”, Our Economy is the worst it’s ever been, we can’t afford to be extorted to fund a collection of white collar criminals whom have become filthy rich already by interfering with the private business between a Doctor and a Patient, and live in the lap of luxury only because they cause suffering and death to fellow Citizens in order to pocket any and all funds that could have been spent on proper, necessary medical treatments.

WE the PEOPLE want and DESERVE the “single payer”, “public option” or whatever it’s being called this week, and what I would define as Constitutionally consistent with the Preamble, and in harmony with the teachings of Christ.

It is a matter of life and death for 290 Millions of us, and as far as we are concerned : “to hell with the k-street out to lunch bunch on this matter”

Sincerely,

A.J. Max Cherbonneaux

###

I dearly Love you FDL folks.

see you when I see you.

So true, and so sad. As soon as this monstrosity passes, I’m calling Boxer’s office and telling her no money and no vote. This liberal feels the highest priority right now is for these Democrats to learn there will be fucking consequences for their sellouts.

thank you Jane

I’ve spent the last few weeks prospecting the progressive blogisphere, looking for someone outside of FDL to speak this truth – whole lotta crickets, interpersed with some clumsy buck and wing

this is a long standing plank in our Party’s platform for goodness sakes – it’s got me feeling all Sojourner Truth

. . . aint I a Democrat ?

Welcome, and take a look at some of our (my) financial posts on this site. Financial regulation isn’t really partisan. Good financial rules set a stage for reasonable capital allocation, which is simply not happening today. If we don’t regulate Wall Street closely and fairly, we won’t have anything you would recognize as capitalism.

Sensible management of government finances is not partisan either. There are disagreements over the proper balance, but no one believes we can run annual deficits forever. Since Exodus, we have known that you have to save during the fat years so you can survive the lean years.

We may not agree on everything, but the agreements are much broader than you might guess.

we’ve long heard tales of a lost tribe of sane and forward looking Republicans – wow, you really do exist ! :D

Welcome to Firedoglake Big Daddy, looking forward to reading you here

Do the relationships between both parties and the corporations bother you?

Check out what David Plouffe “Organizing for America” just sent out. How will they/he attempt to spin the last year and the next year.

“Kathleen –

Last Friday marked our passage into a new year, and a new decade.

2010 will be a year of new, exciting challenges. We’ll be working hard with President Obama to finish the fight for health insurance reform, put more Americans back to work, and get our economy running strong. We’ll fight to protect consumers and our economy from Wall Street abuses, improve transparency in Washington to elevate the voices of the American people, and create a vibrant, clean energy economy. And we’ll stand up for the President’s allies at the ballot box.

As we’ve always known, change this big must come from the bottom up. Organizing for America was founded last year based on your feedback, and OFA supporters are at the core of everything we do.

So as we wrap up one year and prepare for the next, we want to hear your reflections on our work together in 2009 and how you want OFA to move forward in the new year.

Can you take a minute to fill out our quick survey on what’s next in 2010?

OT
Listening to Afghan panel on cspan2. It took them only 1 hour 20 minutes to get to the issue of what motivates terrorism. Buncha jerks, especially including Bruce Reidel of Brookings who was an advisor of O during the transition.

The green party, and no I don’t give a shit whether it spoils the dems and the republicans are elected. In long run either the dems get purged of the corporatists or the greens take over their role, so they can become the new republicans and the republicans can become dixiecrats.

Thanks Jane. I’m tired of left-leaning websites saying the Nelson language is No Big. If this were the 1970′s people would be apoplectic. They’d be burning their underwear. How did we get to the point where huge setbacks for abortion rights can practically slip under the radar?

I was in Barnes and Noble yesterday looking for a 2010 calendar. Couldn’t resist the current affairs section. David Kilcullen’s The Accidental Guerrilla is my buy next target. Been out almost a year. Wonder how I missed it.

it is amazing, to me how the Main Stream Media treats Obama falling poll numbers.

all of this crap about independents and moderates leaving Obama.

what is really happening is that the Base of DEM party is leaving OBAMA.

the MSM fears the truth. the MSM never talks about progressives leaving Obama in droves.

the MSM wants to paint OBAMA as a progressive, that will be hard to do when the Progressives Hate him.

the elites tried to steal the Progressive Movement. (the conservatives are trying to steal the Tea Party Movement)

Both parties fear govt by the people for people.

Obama and Bush did accomplish one big thing, they are showing Dems and Reps your parties no longer represent you.

Obama, David Axelrod, David Plouffe, Robert Gibbs, all know they are looking at a one term administration.

the internal poll numbers they have all got to pointing downward.

Obama will face a primary challenge, and who ever the challenger is will destroy him, I don’t see a Corporate Dem having a chance in 2012.

Obama, David Axelrod, David Plouffes, and others under estimated the hate toward Bush, and what it did to the left.

this is not a passive left, this is a left that wants blood, anyone who thinks otherwise will be shock. Bush radicalized the USA, beyond repair.

the middle and independents died.

on one side you have Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Palin, Bill O, Hannity,etc.

on the other side

you have Bill Maher, Keith Olberman, Rachel, Ed, Jane, etc.

there is no MIDDLE!

Obama needs to fear Bill Maher. Maher will attack Obama and his White House with vengence from the left.

Get your pop corn ready. this is going to be good.

As a life-long feminist unafraid to use that term to describe myself, and as someone who used to contribute to Emily’s List, I’m beyond disgust and despair. Words simply fail me. Here we are in 2010, and THIS is what it’s come to? Bunch of entitled, self-serving women abandoning the rest of us for the sake of lining their pockets with filthy lucre. Then again: twas ever thus.

Ron Paul was on Rachel Maddow last night speaking about the commonalities among & between progressives & the teabaggers. While I shudder at that, I think Ron Paul (much as I don’t really trust him, either, and he’s a rabid racist) had some points. Paul stated clearly that there is NO difference between the 2 big parties & sounded much like Ralph Nadar: they’re all owned by their corporate overlords & totally not beholden to we, the people, who elected them. We and the teabaggesrs are mad as hell. Now what?

Obummer is beyond … words fail me again. Not so much disappointed or surprised, just beyond disgust.

Ready & willing to do what it takes. Let’s primary away. I’m at the point where I don’t care if the Republics get back in again: what’s the difference? There is NONE.

Right on! Good analysis. Couldn’t agree with you more. To the barricades!

That’s how I see it, too. Been a green for a long time; caught hell from all my Dem friends in 2000. Fortunately, in NM Gore still won. So far Greens aren’t allowed anywhere near a microphone. Nader wasn’t even let in the building in 04; Mckinney’s name never was mentioned (I heard her mentioned once on NPR). But, as Jane has proven, there are ways to grab a mic. I expect that before long the Earth is gonna bitch-slap everybody in a way that will turn the tables.

Will do, Massacio. There needs to be common-sense regulation of the financial industry, and that’s what it is: an industry. You won’t get an argument from me there. The corporatists have proven that they are unable or unwilling to govern their industries with any sense.

No, I am sure we have much on which we agree. Which is something that we all need to look at as citizens: our differences are not nearly as great as the many things that bind us together. We all have to fight those who seize upon those differences and use them to divide us.

Crap, I sound all kumbaya. I may have to start a war or something.

Heh, few would describe me as sane.

In the ‘cheap hustlers for fast money’ department, don’t overlook who recruited Joe Solmonese to head the Human Rights Campaign (DC’s major LBGT advocacy arm, which doesn’t have ‘gay’ in its name, they are so ashamed) — Ellen Malcolm.

Of course they bother me. They should bother anyone with any sense. We have a ruling class of “elected” officials – bought and paid for by the haves and sold by the media who are owned by the haves – whose exist to serve the needs and desires of corporate America. I agree that business is important and that a society cannot survive depending upon government to fulfill the majority of its needs, but we’re kind of at a place we’ve been before. Back then it was my kinda Republican – a Roosevelt at that! – who took action to fight the corporations. Granted, he ended up not a Republican at all but a Bull Moose. Kinda why I see a break coming in both parties.

When the allegiance of both is so grotesquely clear, the people cannot sit idly by supporting them.

Okay, now that‘s funny.

Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi, 1970. It has the chorus, “…paved paradise and they put up a parking lot…” It works on a bunch of different levels.

x2

responses:
I have a good friend, a retired nurse who has worked quite a lot with rural and poorly served sectors, who says that she is not very concerned about the abortion provisions because she says poor people can always get help paying for abortions through Planned Parenthood. True?

In October I heard Madeline Albright say “The hottest places in hell are reserved for women who don’t help other women.” Thanks so much for all the empty promises in Congress, you women who are supposed to represent me. Go fry.

PPhood provides women’s gynecological health services like pap smears, providing birth control pills, and morning after pills. There is a sliding scale for payment for some services but abortion isn’t one of them. The person seeking an abortion must pay full price. It’s archaic. There is an extra price if you would like a pain shot and you can only get those on certain days in certain places – full price of course. They even force you to look at the sonogram of the fetus before the abortion.

your pants are on fire.

Dude, I assume that you are male because your name is Elliot.
This was a personal experience of mine, so don’t insinuate I’m a liar. It’s a damned difficult decision that women have to make and to top it off, the experience was made as traumatic as possible on purpose.
I even had to write a letter to Senator Oran Hatch telling him why my reproductive choices were important to me= oh and I had to provide proof that my “husband” knew that I was getting an abortion.
so fuck off.

In 1983 I resigned from the board of the local PP in frustration because the board president and other members scoffed at my assertion that the Right was organizing and that unless we did the same, it was only a matter of time before Roe v. Wade was endangered. Here we are. I have been the only psychologist in my state who has publicly supported abortion and gay and lesbian rights for many years. Two years ago I gave testimony before the joint meeting of the house and senate (state) in defense of abortion rights. Incidentally, I am male. Not one single female colleague has been willing to publicly stand up for these rights as I have, never mind male psychologists. So, folks, where have your Sisters been?

For seventeen years I taught a class at the local community college. In that time, not once could any of my female students recite for me the Equal Rights Amendment. Most didn’t even know what this was. Somewhere here, you folks have dropped the ball in educating young women.

As to everyone elected with support of Emily’s list abandoning abortion to get the health care legislation passed, wake-up folks; this is politics. If this is what they have to do, maybe that says something about how hard the task is, rather than selling out.

As to President Obama, who truly has a herculean task before him on all fronts, of all of the candidates that ran, who would you really rather have as president at the current time?

Dennis Kucinich

If you think Obama has been ineffective, I give you Dennis Kucinich, who would have gotten absolutely nothing accomplished. Doesn’t mean I don’t admire the man and many of the things he stands for. It simply means he would have accomplished nothing.

kucinich saved cleveland muni light for the people of cleveland.

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20061214_battle_muny_light/
http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/8280

I am sure the people of Cleveland are grateful, as they should be. No sarcasm intended.

Well, so she’s a great fundraiser. Given that abortion is so readily used by–really both political parties–to create political division and diversion, I’ve long wondered why the ladies auxiliary doesn’t go around the federal system completely and fund abortions for low income women and provide other related community services.

For one, it seems to me that that feminist movement of a generation ago was, on the whole, much more vigorous–and *connected* to the lives of living, breathing women–than it is today, when it has beceom insitutionalized within an essentially *conservative* government and conservative political parties.

I do get that there are many ostensibly “feminist” careerists out there in politics, political commentary, etc who take this line of argument because they have nothing else to contribute. It seems to me that ladies auxillary funding arm has been supporting these careers–careers devoted to shreiking at a fundamentally unresponsive convervative government.

I would like to see all these ladies put their money and their mouths BACK to work directly in the trenches. When that happens, I will start to take them seriously again.

Right now, they’re just wasted political air time. I don’t care about their (clearly futile) careers.

As for funding abortions for low-income women, this organization does just that:

http://www.nnaf.org/

But it’s simply impossible to provide private funding for every woman who undergoes the 10th most common surgical procedure in the country.

Why wait? Let her know now. You might also tell her she was a complete asshat when she campaigned for Lieberman, not just for doing so, but because of how disdainful she was of liberals – and she’s supposed to be one of the most liberal senators we have. But I digress

I’ve been pummeling my congress critter, Chellie Pingree, with my opposition to this bill and I’ve reminded her each time that if she votes for it, she loses my vote forever. Chellie was the driving force behind a health care program here in Maine. She was also the head of Common Cause. So, while her record gives me reason for hope, I have no objective reason to believe she won’t follow Pelosi, Schakowski, and all the big-talk-no-follow-thru “liberal” democrats – male and female – off the health care cliff.

By the way, re: #64 above. I have absolutely no illusion that elected representatives have the slightest interest in what constituents say. That’s why I’m always so cynically amused when some earnest liberal website will urge us all to call or email our elected official. Puh-lease.

The way to get their attention is to walk into their office with one of those cartoon bags of cash – you know, the sack with the big $ sign on it. I have no doubt that Democrats in the House were inundated with demands for meaningful health care reform. And look at what we got for it. So, my emails to Ms. Pingree have been more therapy for me than something I believe will have even the slightest impact.

The lobbyists have our representatives’ and senators’ ears. We don’t. And that will never change until meaningful campaign finance reform is enacted. Which will never happen. Which means we’re perpetually screwed, no matter what Hal Sparks and Katrina vanden Heuvel tell us about just getting MORE involved, not less.

Sparks and KvdH may have the time to engage in that sort of thing. For most of us, working 10-12 hours days, at least six days a week, it’s just not possible. But, we made the time in 2008, because we (as it turns out) naively thought Obama offered genuine hope.

So, with our minimal free time, we rang doorbells, made phone calls, mailed flyers, and did all the scut work to get Obama and lots of other democrats elected. And now, after they played us so cynically (albeit successfully), we’re expected to just roll up our sleeves again, suspend disbelief, and work even harder for the next smooth talker – or, for the current House and senate members who’ve also betrayed us so profoundly.

Well, here’s the thing, Hal and Katrina and Bob Cesca – politics may be your world, but we live in the real world. We have every day lives where we’re trying to keep our nostrils just above the water line. We can’t be expected to devote months of our lives, yet again, to another say-anything-to-get-elected grifter.

And that is why Democrats are going to lose big in November. Because they take us for granted, they take away our reason to believe, and the only retribution we can exact is apathy, sitting on our hands. Sure, it’s somewhat self-defeating because it sweeps the GOP back into office, but they will eventually overreach, and in the meantime, maybe we can edjumacate democratic politicians that there is a price to pay for their treachery. Nothing else seems to work.

God, I’m pissed.