“… why did Obama pack his deficit commission in 2010 with people like co-chair Alan Simpson, who are dead set on doing the same thing?”

Because our lords and masters, who are Obama’s actual constituents, are demanding that our social security be turned over to them. Now.

Not that they need it themselves, Obama’s actual constituents don’t have to worry about ss still being there when they choose to retire, but the idea of us “small people” having such a safety net independent of their wealth and power does not sit well with them.

It’s Bamboozlement Tour 2010: The Reunion! We’re getting the band back together.

… why did Obama pack his deficit commission in 2010 with people like co-chair Alan Simpson, who are dead set on doing the same thing?”

Overzealous staffer. Non-story.

Because a black Democrat faux-liberal/progressive can get away with completing the destruction of the safety net and the total impoverishment of the American working class.

His campaign and subsequent actions after being elected are the biggest bait and switch ever.

Bush’s third term keeping the seat warm for the fascists to come.

Don’t forget that obamarahma’s touchstone is st. ronnie, so getting rid of those nasty old progressive safety nets is his desire. obamarahma’s economic objective is more chicago school milton friedman “shock doctrine” for the masses. The reduction of most of us to Haitian style poverty is the goal. That way we work for them at whatever wages they are willing to bestow on us. Why do you think w and his buddies empowered the mercenaries to become so strong? They have many non-US people who have no attachment to the US Constitution.

Just to prove I’m Nostradamus: In October of 2008, I uploaded a YouTube video about Obama entitled “The Democrats’ Answer to George W. Bush.”

But in truth, I am not Nostradamus. I knew Obama would be bad news, but I had little idea what a stinker he would be. As mattcarmody says, it’s the biggest bait and switch ever.

Obama can accomplish what Republicans could only dream of, thanks to Tribal Identity. Under BushCO, the Democratic Tribe was unified against them. Under Obama Inc., the Tribe is split, thus parting the sea of liberal/progressive opposition between principled opposition and the ignorant lackies who will do whatever they’re told, like good little lemmings. I count a few friends in the latter group and it’s almost impossible to get it through their skulls that Obama’s intent is actually quite bad and his policy preferences will do massive damage to this country. They simply won’t hear it and have become increasingly bristly under the weight of all their cognitive dissonance. What matters to them is they are of the Democratic Tribe and they oppose Republicans. In fact, that’s the only thing they oppose: The Other Tribe. It should be no surprise then that all this “polarization” is really just about reinforcing Tribal Identity. It makes it really easy to manipulate people.

These days, we talk about sports, weather and other esoterica. AT this point, the Obamabots are more angry with progressive dissent than they are Republicans. Well, sometimes anyway.

Why would a Blue Dog status quo corporatist President pack his deficit commission with Social Security haters? Hmmmm, coming up empty on that one. Just as I am on why he would sign the Executive Order creating it on the same day a status quo corporatist (Coaklye) lost in liberal Massachusetts to a Republican Teabagger.

We’re not in 2005 or 2010. We’re back to the days of serfs and aristocrats.
From all appearances, we’ll stay there.

Obama seems to have a fatal flaw called bipartisanship. He keeps thinking he can “work” with the other side and, more importantly, we want him to. He needs to start looking at first principles, like never let a scorpion hitch a ride on your back. It is becoming unclear whether or not he can redirect himself.

As I noted earlier today:

I’m starting to see anti-SSI chain emails flowing into my email box from friends of the wingnut persuasion. It’s almost a full-time job to shoot this crap down. I did reference the FDL big SSI page, but I fear that as soon as these people see the word “progressive” or “liberal” or “left” or (horror of horrors) “Move On,” the steel trap door on their minds will slam shut. Never mind the facts…

O/T: Is there server maintenance going on at FDL today? I’ve been logged off multiple times. Or maybe I have a jacked-up browser setting? I’m running Firefox. Ideas?

Perhaps as with every other appointed commission in the history of the world, this one is designed to pretend to do something but actually do nothing.

He keeps thinking he can “work” with the other side and, more importantly, we want him to.

Actually, I would suggest that his “bipartisan” stance is just window-dressing. He’s a corporatist through and through. He’s playing for his corporate masters.

We been had.

I doubt it. This one is designed simply to provide cover for the “Democrats” when they gut what’s left of the New Deal.

Sorry, bluedot, that’s not a “flaw,” it’s a design feature. With all due respect, you’re buying into the notion that Obama’s just trying to be bipartisan. That’s just Kabuki show to hide what’s really going on.

Read the rest of the comments here. Obama’s a bait and switch candidate. Karl Rove’s permanent republican majority has been achieved (and then some). Obama has no intention of “redirecting” himself. Obama is doing exactly what he and his very rich overlords want to do.

No such issues with Opera, so it’s not server related. Possibly related to FF security upgrade yesterday?

It’s not about bipartisanship. Orhama is a con. He lied his ass off during the campaign like a good con.

I’m afraid it’s not unclear at all. Redirection is not his goal–maintaining the status quo and ensuring his “legacy” are his only aspirations. I think he’s been trying to get in with “the people who matter” since he was a young man, and I believe that how he is perceived by these people is all-important to him. Add to that the fact that the status quo of 10 or 20 years ago that he believes he is trying to preserve is vanishing like dew under a hot sun and very few people, including our president, realize it. There’s been too much damage done, economically and socially. Our country has been permanently changed, and things are never going back to the way they were.

Yes, I’m seeing the anti-SocSec emails flowing from the right as well. It’s unceasingly amazing how willing most citizens are to shoot themselves in the foot, isn’t it? So many rightwingers are now completely indignant about Soc Sec, as if “teh poors” are personally sticking their dirty brown fingers into the rightwingers cookie jars and piggy banks.

It’s enough to make me sick. And as you say, if you refer someone to a good and reasonably objective article somewhere like FDL – loaded with facts and links – the rightwingers just sneer that it’s gotta be trash talk because some disgusting leftist wrote it.

Yeah, the rightwing really has done its job in terms of brainwashing much of our citizenry. sigh…

Blue Texan’s regularly scheduled post is up: New NBC/WSJ Poll: Sarah Palin and George W. Bush Liked By Same Percentage of Americans

Dan Froomkin wrote a great column specifically about Obama’s speech week ago Tuesday — meant to be firm about what’s happening to in the Gulf waters and shores — really nails the pathology:

The extraordinary barrage of vitriol and obstruction with which Republicans and the right-wing media have consistently responded to Obama, pretty much no matter what he says, has become a fact of life in Washington. So one of the biggest mysteries of Obama’s still-young presidency is: Why doesn’t he find that liberating?

If you’re going to get savaged by your opponents, no matter what, why talk in half-measures and generalities that make even your supporters cringe?

It’s also smart politics. One of the countless lessons of the Bush era is that the American people, for better or for worse, respond very positively to a leader who acts with conviction (unfortunately, that is the case pretty much regardless of what that conviction may be).

By contrast, Obama’s ambivalent mush is getting ripped apart by both the right and the left this morning. Being attacked from all sides is, unfortunately, some people’s notion of good political journalism, but it’s nobody’s idea of effective political leadership.

At first glance, I thought that your story was commenting on the fact that Sam Seder was old enough to qualify for Social Security. What?

What is Pres. Obama’s motivation for escalating his war on the Afghani people? Why is he dragging his heels on leaving Iraq? Why does he do anything? Because he is corporate, imperial, and a Royalist Tyrant. More corporate than Bush; more imperialistic than Bush; more of a Royalist Tyrant than Bush; for more deep-water, off-shore drilling than Bush.

We progressives must stop looking at the word Democrat and Republican like they mean what they use mean in the 1930s.

Obama, Rahm, Clinton, a lot of the other phony people in congress are not FDR democrats, they are Trojan Horses, design to kill the party of FDR.

Obama is not making mistakes, his action are very clear, he hates the progressive agenda and he hates democrats that like FDR.

Case in point, Obama and Clinton campaign for Blanche Lincoln, a person with no chance of winning, to keep a real progressive from winning Halter.
(also keep in mind how the New York Times attacked Halter on election day with a lot of lies, we progressives underestimate the corporate media to much, the corporate Media is what keeping Obama poll numbers above 30%, the good news is everyday, more and more people are waking up to the con artist name Obama)

Every Dem that campaigns this year needs to be ask, do you want to cut social security yes or no! and they must not be allowed to give some long BS answer, just answer yes or no! this is all we need to know.

The other BS the dems are using is this BS about needing 60 votes to do anything, you don’t need 60 votes to get tax cuts for the rich, but to help the average american you need 60 votes.

running any AD in the USA telling the people of USA Obama is going to cut social security would make Robert Gibbs, David Axelrod, Rahm, all have heart attacks, Obama can’t deny this fact, and we all know the idea cutting social security would end his political career quickly.

Obama’s bipartisanship looks like an excuse for him to follow his paymasters’ agenda.

Is it really a fault or is it deliberate?

Obama bipartisanship talk is all a con!

Obama wants the democrats to lose control of congress.

Obama and his type hate the idea of progressives having any seat at the table.

In 2008 Jobs were number 1 issue in the USA
In 2010 Jobs are number 1 issue in the USA

Old Obama the con man created a Health Care Plan that benefits rich insurance companies and does nothing to improve the health care of avg. americans.

He is planning on attacking social security

He has done nothing to increase JOBS for avg. Americans

Is it still 2005?

POTUS Obama has put up a record on the scoreboard that suggests we did not move Bush/Cheney regime politics/policies in 2008 to the dumpster and Jan.20,2009 marks/marked the start of the same craptastic Bush/Cheney regime dressed up differently by BO and his way too easy smile and slick ways.

From torture,rule of law,Wall Street,HCR and human rights or the Asian Land Wars BO is more akin to GW then he ever let on was the case during 2008.

At this point here in mid 2010 we know BO sold out to AHIP/PhRMA early on and then pretended to be a disinterested spectator while Max,Joe,Nancy and Harry played hopscotch with HCR. Clearly BO got what he wanted for health insurance reform/no HCR Single Payer or PO idea survivors.

This Pete Peterson was BO’s go to guy for deficit/SS confusion why again?

At this point it is not out of line to start confronting BO on the flag he flies and who does he count as foe and as friend?

BO is not in my estimation a friend. Sure is acting more like a foe.

It does seem more like 2005.

Not so much like 2010 could have or should have been.

Sorry, can’t buy into Obama deliberately playing a bait and switch game. His book talks abut bipartisanship. He buys into it. That is his ideal. Sadly, it does not help us. It may well be fatal though. At the moment he and the dems don’t have much hope of surviving. We’ll see.

Why, indeed, does he not find it liberating. Maybe he feels if he takes it enough both the left and the right will come to “like” him.

I have had extra helpings of heaping heifer excrement from the harvard yard. These self-serving shits need to be scraped off my boot, pronto.

bluedot12, you think OBAMA is honest? and the book he wrote tells us about his true being?

you must have heard Obama talking about the following on the campaign trail?

Obama told you he hates the public option
Obama told you he is going to tax Union Health Care Plans
Obama told you he is going to expand the war effort
Obama told you he is going to cut social security
Obama told you he likes dems like Blanche Lincoln? he supported her

A lot of us miss this speech, we heard all the lies

I’ve had trouble with s-l-0-w page loading since the last firefox update. Switched to IE for a while this morning which was working fine and then went back to ff. It’s been fine since then.

Obama hates progressives….Rahm hates progressives…most red blooded Americans hate progressives.
Are you people beginning to take the hint?

Oh well, two out of three ain’t bad, or so the song goes.

Anytime you’re ready to enter reality, it will welcome you with open arms.

Good luck!

Yeah, I do think he is honest. But he also lives in a world of reality where you either compromise or lose it all. Things do not always come out the way you want and you have to deal with it. I could argue all of those things you mentioned but it would do no good. His problem as I said is he chsses consensus to his detriment. But he has seldom gotten any, not from the far left or the right. You hate him and so do all the repugs in the universe. Hell of a place to be in – in the middle !!! Who do you want to replace him?

Yeah, I do think he is honest.

May I ask what this is based on?? I mean do you have some evidence of his honesty? I could link to unedited bald faced lies and 180 degree turnarounds from what he said as a candidate to what he’s said/done as a President.

But I’m not going to waste my time if this belief you have is based on something other than evidence. Because all the evidence in the world won’t change your mind.

I read some of Obama diaries on dkos that he published before he announced his campaign but was planning his run, and its all there between the lines. It’s evident to me now that reaching across the isle is code that the rightward pivot and leftward kick is his schtick. He’s not bipartisan, he’s a false conciliator and that’s why the republicans hate him as well. I also picked up on a sense of superiority that I didn’t notice before.

oh.. poor little O.. and those mean republicans..
I think you are in denial still. Read some of powwow’s diaries.

bluedot12
you are a “center right” democrat?
let us review your record, Obama record, Bush record, Clinton record etc.

the “center right” wars are a disaster
the “center right” health care bill pass by Obama is a disaster (by the way this is the bob dole bill
the “center right” street call WALL STREET went bankrupt
the “center right” regulations of Oil Companies just gave us the worst man made disaster to ever happen on the planet.
the”center right” idea call NAFTA wipe out the middle class of the USA

you do know the only thing that is working is the FAR LEFT idea of Social Security.

bluedot12
let us discuss the “FAR LEFT” since you watch so much Corporate Media, that is own by the “center right”

the public option was supported by over 80% of real democrats ( and a majority of americans)

drug importation was supported by over 80% of real democrats (and a majority of americans)

getting out of the wars is supported by over 70% of real democrats (and a majority of americans)

the idea of america being a center right nation is a JOKE!!!

the current economy was developed by “center right” leaders, like Clinton, Bush 1, Bush 2, etc. Hoover was a center right politician.

Obama is a Trojan Horse, what normal thinking president would have pursued the policies Obama pursued?

The only issue in the USA in 2008 was Jobs, the only issue today is JOBS. Obama could have been FDR, now he will be HOOVER. you know why? Center Right ideas do not WORK!

Obama will be primaried in 2012, and he will get slaughtered.

Obama is the one who wants to cut social security, no president will survive the idea of cutting social security.

.

Look, Obama doesn’t care about his ‘legacy’, he doesn’t care about ‘bipartisanship’, and he sure as fuck doesn’t care about you. These are all excuses you make for his real intents, which are no different than Reagan’s or Bush’s. You are being played for a sucker, sorry.

Jane,

The biggest problem we have in this country right now and the leading cause of the country’s decline is the corrupting influence of government by moneyed special interests. Both parties are infected and it is paralyzing the political process. Have you ever wondered why government never really solves anything anymore even when it passes legislation to do just that? It is because “the powers behind the throne” like the status quo. If things changed, they might get less and they can’t have that. We start wars. We don’t win them. We don’t finish them. No one can honestly tell you why we are even there! Yet, they roll on out of sight. Meanwhile Halliburton, Blackwater, oil interests and defense contractors keep getting paid. The most immoral part of it is, we do all of this through “emergency funding.” That means we don’t even pay for it. We kill people on a credit card! At one time we had as many private contractors (Hessians) in Iraq as miltary personnel. If they all left at one time, our miltary would have had to follow them home. It could not of prevailed on its own. Rather than reinstitute the draft for an unpopular war, Bush/Cheney just pulled out a credit card and hired out.

The Health Care Bill will not bring down costs. The new Financial Regulation Bill does not solve Too Big To Fail! Hello?

Campaigns for both parties in Congress raised over a BILLION dollars in the last election cycle. Do campaign contributors want something for a BILLION dollars? You tell me. Where does all of that money go? Primarily, to tv advertising. Think about it, the American people give giant corporations a BILLION dollars to help them get some bozos elected. What do you think the big corporations do with the profits from all of that tv advertising? They spend a lot of it trying to influence government to srew you and me.

The American people own the airwaves. We just lease them to big corporations. We could decide that all political advertising is a public service message and therefore free.

To solve the biggest problem facing America today, I refer you to Fair Elections Now Act (S. 752 and H.R. 1826) – matching public funding of federal elections.

I guess you find time to write when Rush goes to commercial…

That is SO frigging true. Now I just say “why don’t you concern yourself with actually solving problems? The problems of people and the nation and not just belonging to the Democratic tribe.” But they just look back with that glazey cross-eyed look that says I don’t know and don’t confuse me with reality.

Yeah pretty much. And for his next act, Obama will lead us to the promised land of the Goldman Sachs Cap&Trade plantation to work off “our debts”.

These days, typical government reaction to real problems is to give the bankers more money and to avoid actually solving the problem.

Obama will be primaried in 2012, and he will get slaughtered.

I wish this were true. But who is NOT an abject sellout who might actually stand a chance of dethroning His Royal Obama?

I honstly miss W at this point. At least if the R’s are in power the Dems are forced into a posture of opposition to all this horrendous legislation. The Dems are proving themselves too skillful at ramming through the rightist corporate agenda.

10/10 for Sam Seder

Gotta keep hold our kleptocrats feet to the fire.

On a related note, Romania’s kleptocrats recently tried to cut pensions by 15% in a deal with the IMF. Romanian’s responded by storming the presidential palace. Riot police had to be brought in. Romanian courts subsequently ruled the cuts unconstitutional.
Score: Romanian General Welfare 1, IMF Kleptocrat Coalition nil.

If we push back hard enough against our kleptocracts and related asset stripping oligarch’s, we will win.

Hmmmmm. Will a weed wacker and tiki torches be acceptable substitutes for 21st century rabble? :)