Word up Jane.

Already news shoes have entire segments on Shirley Sharrod’s ouster without a single mention of Breitbart’s role.

Obama looks foolish, impulsive and reactive. And he has only empowered Breitbart, who will continue to employ the same tactics until someone stands up to him.

Yep, Obama sure does. but check out Plumb Line and you’ll see Sherrod is fighting back. She’s popping-off about Fox is a very good way, but one that makes it much less likely she’ll get hired back. You know, because she’s being controversial.

Another thing that strikes me here is that Sherrod is on Obama’s staff too–not just the politicos working for Messina. What kind of message did Obama just send to low level federal employees in this country? The message is something like

“you’re pretty much worthless, and you’re gone if you cause the least bit of inconvenience for us, whether you are actually at fault or not”.

Obama actually has a really big staff out there, all across the country, and he’s not looking very good at all to any of them today.

I think we might want to think this one out a bit. When The Reverand Wright episode surface name me ONE democrat who stood behind Obama and the right of a black minister in a black church to decry racism – even in a colorful and impolitic manner. Certainly HRC did not. Nor did the press. So we had politicians – many who celebrate the confederacy, screaming bloody murder about Wright Damning America! Obama might be spineless, but, just like on Health care reform, charges of weakness in the global sphere (the apology tour), charges of socialism, Liz Cheney’s never ending charges of weakness, anti-Israel posturing and hatred for America – even the birth certificate nonsense – no democrats have said to their Republican peers that enough is enough….
A strong spine might help – but the democrats and the left in general are quick to critisize, but silent in the face of a continuous onslaught of lies and distortions…

Has Obama said anything about this mess, anything at all? What a putz!

Why would anyone vote for a putz?

Is this like a “screw in the lightbulb” question? Well, the answer is “none” because they’re a bought off party that knows that we won’t go elsewhere or third party to vote. We’re all loyal Kossacks no matter how evil their policies or so they must think. They’re probably right….And we probably have to create a viable third party on our own.

The only answer is fully funded and viable third party runs. Yes I know I’m repeating myself but here’s the 5/25 plan. You need to support five senate runs and 25 house runs that are being waged by green or lefty leaning independents. Thanks to the fact that you don’t censor green party activists here (thank you) we know a few things: there are Green Party senate candidates in Illinois, Arkansas and South Carolina, where even the Democratic Party establishment down there is growing a spine and openly talking about supporting the Green Party nominee, common sense really…until Rahm and the other enforcers tell them that Alvin Green is better than the Republican Demint….

We’ve also learned that the Green Party is a bit insular and not organized well (if they’re commentators here are correct, then they don’t even know who their own members are…) so we would probably have to start an outside group just to help put them over the edge. All of those senate candidates seem to be running terribly underfunded and poorly planned (not even using the free internet to its potential for example…)and would a Firedoglake 527 to provide them with 2 million each in ads and a field canvass. Can progressive politics win in the south? We need to run Huey Long class warfare kind of runs and we need to mean it…1

That’s my two cents.

Philip Shropshire
The 5/25 Plan

PS: Here’s the rule: Viable senate candidates need at least 2 million dollars and viable house candidates need at least $250000, most of which should be spent on a field canvassing campaigning and one weeks worth of ads…you might even be “viable” with a 40000 canvass in a house race…

Personally, I thought Obama’s speech in reaction to the Wright furror was very well done. And generally, Obama the candidate was much more aggressive on this GOP bullshit than this current edition of Obama is. That is part of the problem–the substantial differences between the Old Obama and this guy we have in office.

as for this:

A strong spine might help – but the democrats and the left in general are quick to critisize, but silent in the face of a continuous onslaught of lies and distortions…

Do NOT include the left in this. In this particular episode, and many others, it is this administration that has been silent, and/or caved at the first hint of ‘difficulty’. This goes for establishment democrats as well. Not the left, who have been screaming for Obama to grow a pair–all for naught.

2 typos: Usually Jane has a thousand comments by now…frontpage yourself Jane.

First typo, last graph before sig, PS: “they’re” should be “their”
Second typo, last graph before sig, PS:”and would need a Firedoglake 527 to provide”…carry on.

It only takes one real Democrat to stand up to the likes of Breitbart, Poor Deaf Boy Limbaugh and Poor Blind Boy Beck.

Unfortunately, real Democrats are in very short supply.

President Blue Cross is too busy picking out the furniture for the corner office at the insurance company he’ll be moving into on January 21, 2013.

Obama looks foolish, impulsive and reactive.

And cowardly.

Obama and his entire administration think that if they let the liars and bullies on the right kick enough sand in their faces he will eventually win them over. What a spineless fraud.

Um, when you say:

Obama looks foolish, impulsive and reactive.

You left out “cowardly, disloyal, and scared of Beck’s shadow.”

Worthless coward/bullies, every one of them.

The ruling Democrats seem to believe the absolute worst about the American people. Beck, Limbaugh, Breitbart, and the teabaggers represent a very noisy 30-35% of the population, not all of it or even a majority, but the Obama team is terrified of them.

I would like to shut Breibart up due to his divisive nature. His work creates a national security threat.

Could we focus on Breibart and the fact that he will be the focus of a criminal investigation?

“basically”? There’s NOTHING basic about Obama’s contempt for the middle class, progressives & ideological Dems. included. His contempt for us will be well-deserved IF we reelect Dem. incumbents up for reelection this Nov.

All characteristics of a useful patsy.

One cannot substitute a wishbone for a backbone.

When does Obama fire Vilsak, Salazar, Emmanuel, Axelrod, Allen and all the other appeasers?

Jane nearly always says exactly what I wanted to say, so I never have anything to say in response! Going back to my lurker status. Good day, peeps!

When I wrote a Seminal Diary about Andrew Breitbart back in February, I titled it Andrew Breitbart IS a Racist – Max, Digby and Eric Boehlert Are Painting Him into a Corner. I got jumped on in the comments for my allegation that Breitbart was then a racist.

I’m going to write a new diary on this asshole. I think I’ll call it Andrew Breitbart is a Goddam Fucking Racist and Should be Sued for All He’s Worth.

Now, if he’d just praise some right-centrist Muslim cleric, he’d be outta here in a nanosecond.

Thanks, Jane.

The neo-cons are going after Alan Grayson. They have threatened violence against him but that is OK if you are a shill for corporate thugs. Alan Grayson has caused a political problem for Republicans, which is that none of them want to run against him. Grayson fights. Obama folds.

“I think they intimidate people,” Grayson told MSNBC’s Ed Schultz on Tuesday. “That’s what the right wing does. They try to instill fear in the other side. Just today somebody tweeted, ‘I’ll give $100 to somebody who punches Alan Grayson in the face.’”

“Do you consider this a promotion of violence?” asked Schultz.

“I do but I just want to let him know I punch back,” replied Grayson.

“If somebody came up to you from this outfit, you’d nail them right back, huh? I knew you were my kind of guy,” said Schultz.

“You should see my reach,” joked Grayson.

That’s a trick question Jane.

Democrats don’t have the balls or the spine to stand up to someone like Breitbart

Obama is a total fraud. we all had such high hopes. He let everyone down (except the banksters and big pharma and the usual cast of miscreants; they all made out like bandits, while normal Americans are suffering like never before). We were sold a bill of goods. I kind of wish McCain and that nitwit would have won.

If Obama had the least little bit of interest in protecting his staff, he too would have demanded that Breitbart release the entire video before making any decision regarding Shirley Sherrod.

I suppose the people who are looking for differences between the Obama Administration and the previous one have a talking point now. Bush protected his people. He kept Rumsfeld and Cheney around long after they were liabilities.

Don’t it just make you proud?

Jane have I thanked you today for your magnanimous site, well I just did.

A third party is failure in a box in the near term.

We have a person who had a fifty state strategy that probably put the in office current president. He has experience and ability, Dr. Dean.

The trick is to convince America that we need a thinker on his feet rather than a snake oil salesman.

Just a thought: maybe, as Mrs. BearCountry says, obamarahma is thinking too much about JFK and Paul Wellstone.

Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water with comments like I wish McCain/Palin would have won and let’s vote out all Democratic incumbents. I know it’s hot, it’s summer. Happens every year. And, I know people are hugely disappointed in the actions and inactions of the current administration, but let’s try not to say things that really don’t make any sense, can we?

Most have missed this, but you might want to include this implied “fire with fire” rationalization of Breitbart’s :

“It’s ok if the Tea Party has racists because the NAACP does too!”

I don’t think anybody, Democrat or otherwise, has ever stood up to Breitbart. After all, Glenn Beck made up that whole story about Occular Dystrophy, when the truth is, his blindness was caused by contracting gonorrhea from Breitbart. Why is Beck protecting Breitbart, even as he loses his eyesight due to Breitbart’s reckless, irresponsible lifestyle?

At least Obama dodged this load.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128638778

MrsBearCounty is a smart woman.

Then he shouldn’t have run for office in the first place. Anyone could see that the office has risks. If he wasn’t there to actually do some good, then why the hell did he work so hard to get the job?

I think he’s just where he wants to be.

A spine is necessary to stand up. Hence, the lack of standing.

Pardon, but as near as I can find, ALL of the “progressive” blogosphere supports Obama in his continuation of the Bush/Cheney Plan. Except Firedoglake. You can’t say a word at any other blog that even SLIGHTLY smells like criticism of Obama. The only part of the message their “members” see is the criticism of their darling: He Who can do no wrong no matter What He does wrong. They fly straight into the fan at the first whiff, and out of the fan comes scattered bits of meat and blood spatter (might as well be, that’s how self-destructive it is to be that way for Obama, I mean JEEZ). ALL of them are strict Obama support blogs. Do I gotta name them? I used to “live” at these web addresses, now I can’t even visit there, without getting inundated by lollipop sucking bama-buddy comebacks, to which the only possible reply is, “Here’s a bunny with a pancake on it’s head, hon.”

I just watched the nightly news on my local NBC affiliate.

The Sherrod story was prominently featured,HOWEVER, although the Breitbart header was visible in the news visual, NOT ONE spoken word mentioning Breitbart’s name.

Re: Dana Priest WaPo story, not one word was even uttered about this story on the national NBC nightly newscast,with Brian Willliams, for the past two evenings.

“Obama looks foolish, impulsive, and reactive…”

That’s exactly what he looks like, and it’s depressing, to be seeing it, nearly a year-and-a-half into his term in office. (At this point, I refuse to say “first term in office”…)

He’s young, and we all know, Presidents do grow in office. (Truman comes to mind, and even, I think, Eisenhower.) But he better get to it, and quickly, or he’s headed for the historical dustbin.

Breitbart should be sentenced for life to have to:

1). Put the crying-inducing stuff in Glenn Beck’s eyes
2). Have to clean the wound abscess on Rush Limbaugh’s posterior every six hours
3). Rub anti-acne cream on Anne Coulter’s adam’s apple
4). Be the doorstep for Sean Hannity’s jet
5). Clean out Christopher Hitchins’ ashtrays with his tongue
6). Listen to non-stop rants by Sarah Palin in one ear, Pam Geller in the other

and so on…..

Carly! Good on you, for calling out the other blogs, for their compulsive ass-covering of Obama and the dems! :o)

The main technique is:

“Look, everyone! Sarah Palin is talking out of her butt again! What must we do? I know! Let’s talk about it incessantly, while Barack Obama hides under his desk.”

Yeah, the WaPo story is quickly going down the memory hole.

As my sainted grandmother used to say,

“If ya don’t stand for somethin’,you’ll fall for anything.”

Shirley Sherrod for Congress… or the Senate. We need people of her strength to STAND UP FOR US!
Meanwhile is Obama is looking like a corporatist if not a wimp.

Well that poster mac is an obamabot, so it first has to be okayed by His Royal Majesty before he will approve of it.

We have a Prez who is a wimp.

It’s why I keep saying ,when his time in office is over
he would have set Back the Democratic party,15-20 yrs.

And unfortunately, many would not see any betterment in this country.

Gaw, you are harsh! :P

…5). Clean out Christopher Hitchins’ ashtrays with his tongue…

Which reminds me of one of my favorite insults courtesy of author William Gibson:

“Go lick a dog’s ass until it bleeds!”

Hoping for a savior, a messiah or “great white hope” or whatever, Dean or anyone else, is self-defeating.

Whoever coined he term “Obambi,” unfortunately seems to have hit the nail on the head. And I, for one, am sick to death of Obama’s brain-trust crapping all over the people who worked so hard to get him elected. He is not without sin because he put those boneheads in positions of power and apparently listens to their “sage” advice. If he doesn’t start fighting for real Democrats and the people who elected him, he’s toast in 2012 and he deserves to be!

Oops, now I’ve gone and done it. I’ve exposed a Progressive hypocrisy and now I’ve been censored.

I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.

Will Mr. Obama have the balls? He’s only the most powerful CEO in America. His opponent is Mr. Breitbart, an inventor of muck, a mediocre and easily revealed propagandist not yet employed by the Washington Post or the New York Times.

Mr. Obama is not a wimp; he’s willing to take on, to dump on centrists, progressives, and the left any time, any where, no matter the cost.

“Go lick a dog’s ass until it bleeds!”

Nooooo! Till your TONGUE bleeds. (Poor doggy.)

I hear Sherrod might not want to come back. why would she? when all she can expect is another knife in the back from this administration when Faux Propaganda farts.
I swear, Obama likes the right better than he does his own party.
That OLC story this morning is even more proof.

Oops, thought I heard someone pissing into the wind. Must be my hearing going bad.

He has no balls, ergo he is worthless and weak.

Man up, dude. Take your lumps.

Thanks, Jane. Not much to add except that it’s truly pathetic that the other “liberal” blogs are still “excusing” BHO and “backing” him. I don’t know how much clearer of a picture has to be drawn that BHO is not a Democratic POTUS – not even close. Excusing BHO at this point is beyond stupidity.

That said, Breibart deserves whatever fate awaits him. Often one doesn’t get see karma played out, but I do subscribe to the philosophy that karma’s a bitch. And may it be particularly bitchy to such as Breitbart.

What is the OLC story ?

I missed that one….just came in from work.

If William Gibson is hanging about, I hope he notices that your version is even better. *g*

Jokes about Ann Coulter being transgender have no humor value.

Please don’t tell them.

Future repub talking point:

If Obama can’t stand up to a blogger, how can he stand up to the terrorists?

Vilsack, head of the administrations trike force.

Some say this is an issue of color. It is, and the color is yellow. I can’t imagine “Probate Court” HRC acting like this.

You know who would be awesome? That Van Jones that Obama fired. I love that guy! He’s so true, so unswerving. Great human being. Wow.

Agree. Obama’s actions are deliberate, and it takes some nerve to betray his constituents in the way he is doing. That said, I don’t admire his cojones or anything else about him. Corporate hack selling himself out to the highest bidder. Disgusting.

I guess it was a repeat of the Gayle King Show on KTLK. Sherrod was interviewed. She was put on “administrative leave” while at a conference. She had to leave and return her government vehicle. While driving back, she was told on her cell phone to resign by an Obama flunkie. She was not given a chance to defend herself.

She was asked if she would go back to USDA. She answered, “I am uneasy about how I would be treated by the Administration.”

Mr. Obama is inexperienced, but he is not immature. He is a fully formed personality. He explicitly and knowledgeably chose Joe Lieberman, for example, as his mentor on coming to Washington. He chose Rahm Emanuel as his closest confidante, adviser and implementer. He stands by those choices and the priorities they imply.

What displays Mr. Obama’s hubris is that that is so obvious, and so obviously at odds with his campaign persona, and yet he cynically thinks neither he nor his party will suffer by it. Oh, my.

Mr. Obama has plenty of courage; the issue is what is he willing to fight for.

Progressives, including me, call him weak for not fighting for the rule of law, for consumers over Wall Street, for middle America over corporations. That’s not weakness, that’s choice.

HP is the worst, I used to post there under the same handle until the mods started deleting everything I posted about 3 months ago. I wonder if Obamarahma was mad because I refer to him as Sanstesticles, and I think AH was wanting a job with them.

The thing that really set this off is that she said it wasn’t race it was class irrespective of color and that kind of talk just ain’t going to play. The power elite don’t need some kindly black lady talking about class struggle while they are busy destroying the American middle class.

In Obama’s defense, it’s is not that he doesn’t care about this woman although he doesn’t, it is because her destruction had a perceived short term benefit to him.

As did Mr. Obama, she trained as a lawyer; that should provide room for anybody’s sense of humor.

She’s also a performance artist; as with Mr. Douthat or Brooks, accuracy or consistency are not prerequisites for making money doing that.

When Bush preempted Constitutional governance and due process, the rule of law in America was bound, gagged and hanged like a helpless GWOT detainee.

The corpse of our body politic rots beyond the reach of salvation while the frightened social watchdogs whimper and pine for the grandeur of American Exceptionalism, now gone rancid.

American institutions are consigned to reactionary spasms punctuated by complete breakdowns and further structural collapse. How much worse can it get? Yeah, you guessed it…alot worse…

There’s a new sheriff in town…

A Chinese rating agency critique

“The US is insolvent and faces bankruptcy as a pure debtor nation but the rating agencies still give it high rankings ,” Mr Guan said. “Actually, the huge military expenditure of the US is not created by themselves but comes from borrowed money, which is not sustainable.”

Living on borrowed time? You Betcha!

But more ironically — You Can Trust the Communists (to be Communists financially objective.)

Hoo boy. Give it up for the deadbeat ratings agencies. And while you’re at it, watch what happens when their now unprotected “opinions” are flushed down the big financial poophole called Wall Street — where dreams of solvency go to die. But no hurry. We’ve got till the end of 2012 to sort this mess out.

Here’s the formula: Non US Treasury paper rated AAA = Ice9. US Treasuries come 2013? Ice9.

I don’t worry about the dems so much as I worry about how the world deals with the next $60 trillion of toxic debt now under water. Hey, gives new meaning to the concept “China Syndrome”.

Correct. I stated something similar on a different blog. Although this issue is partly about Breitbart attacking and attempting to take down the NAACP, plus the loveliness (for conservatives) of the false issue about purported racism by an AA female – another big issue here is class warfare.

An AA female attempting to help poor whites (or blacks) keep their family farm… oh my! And don’t ever forget the power that BigAg has in this nation. I’m talking about you, Monsanto.

Lack of morality,
Lack of consciousness,
Lack of civility,
Lack of fairness,
Lack of judgement,
Lack of gratitude,
Lack of humanity, and a
Lack of courage, almost always leads to fear and trepitation,
which results in the inability to lead and inspire…

This President and this administration are sorely LACKING!

She should be concerned about staying at the Ag Dept. As I said elsewhere, it would be well within the ability of an aggressive bureaucracy to welcome Ms. Sherrod back with open arms – so long as the spotlight is on Vilsack and the White House – then “document the file” and fire her ass when the spotlight shines elsewhere.

Part of this is standing up to Breitbart. Part of it is that the media LIKE having Breitbart stir stuff up. They enjoy running the stories. “Get the popcorn!”

Nobody in the media or in the either of the parties want Breitbart gone. The right likes him like they like Drudge. On the left they get to be the victim. Expect fund raising letters going out from various groups who will use this to raise money, but NOT to have an impact on Breitbart.

I thought that the Obama campaign understood that you can’t always be on the defensive with these people, you also have to be aggressively pushing back. Don’t give them the benefit of the doubt. They want to hurt you. To quote Dr. House, “Everybody lies.”

How should the media deal with people like Breitbart? To paraphrase Reagan “Don’t Trust, then Verify. No, really Don’t Trust.”

By the way, if you wanted to defeat Breitbart there are ways, I’ve got a track record.

Obama, call me.

spot on!

I’ma look him up now (blush).

I second that.

Democrats stand up for some things:

They let corporations write labour laws.
They let polluters write environmental laws.
They let banksters write banking laws.
They let the energy industry write energy/climate laws.
They let the insurance/pharmaceutical industry write health care reform.
They let sociopaths write interrogation regulations.

What’s not to like?

Progressives, including me, call him weak for not fighting for the rule of law, for consumers over Wall Street, for middle America over corporations. That’s not weakness, that’s choice….EOH

Perhaps the freedom of choices were influenced by another University of Chicago luminary, Milton Friedman:

Free to Choose – Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaFree to Choose (1980) is a book (ISBN 978-0-15-633460-0) and a ten-part television series by economists Milton and Rose D. Friedman that advocates free …

Free to choose: a personal statement – Google Books
Milton Friedman, Rose D. Friedman – 1990 – Business & Economics – 338 pages
Argues that free-market forces work better than government controls for achieving real equality and security, protecting consumers and workers, providing …
books.google.com/books?isbn=0156334607…

howdee………..another particularly ugly look at BHO

a great read

Bob Herbert

http://tiny.cc/ot78b

GITMO’s still open.

Rumor has it that the next “beer at the whitehouse festival” features Oboneya doing a keg stand wearing panties on his head while Dumb Spaniel plays air guitar to Inna Godda Da Vidda.

I don’t know if I believe that but its anonymous so it must be true.

Why is it that Breitbart is popcorn-worthy to the media? Aren’t dirty hippies worth some of that popcorn? What’s better crisis TV, a grainy Sherrod video or some sexed up WMD?

Pitch perfect, as per usual.

An alliance between left leaning Democrats, Labor and the Greens could change American politics for the better. We would finally have an opposition party. Unfortunately, cutting partisan Democrats from the herd is dang near impossible. Keep up the good work Mr. Dan. And write to Jane. She has indicated that she is at least open to opportunities outside the two party system.

The political cliche I probably hate the most is, “I take full responsibility for . . . ” Vilsac accepted full responsibility for the firing of Shirley Sherrod. Well then, doesn’t it follow that he should get the same treatment he meted out to Sherrod? Shouldn’t he be fired since it was the standard he used in punishing Sherrod? What the hell does taking “full responsibility” mean if nobody ever actually takes any responsibility? I’ll take full responsibility for things, too, if I never have to pay a consequence.

I watched too and saw Breitbart get the last word, that the NAACP audience was CHEERING as she spoke. I’ve watched that particular segment of the video and heard NO CHEERING. WTF is he talking about? And why did NBC end the segment on that note? Trying to be “impartial”? I was (am) furious.

The irony of the discussion on the Sherrod comments is that she was in reality talking about Class, the one truly taboo subject in the U.S..

I think they would prefer the term “Fair and Balanced.” Works for their competition.

Pres. Obama is both corporate and a cowardly timid half-black Republican President. What more could Americans want in this 21st century of corporatism, fascism and Royalism?

6). Listen to non-stop rants by Sarah Palin in one ear, Pam Geller in the other

Scratch that one, there are a lot of guys that would love to have Palin whispering in their ear.

Obama Fail always brings up the image of him standing before thousands on the day of his inauguration and how grievously he let those people down. Thousands must have an empty feeling in the pit of their stomachs when they think of their president.

Obama looks foolish, impulsive and reactive

That’s how Obama governors – not to mention how incredibly whiny how passive-aggressive he is by constantly having his head honchos speak off the record when attacking someone.

We need to permanently cap the uncontrolled Fascist Noise gusher, aka “Fox News,” which has been spewing out millions of gallons of vitriolic lies and smears and hate on a daily basis for almost fourteen years now.

Millions if you count those watching it on TV.

The political cliche I probably hate the most is, “I take full responsibility for . . . ”

He needs to be given full responsibility and be fired. Cept it was Obama that did the firing.

Obama picks up where Bill Clinton left off which is respect your enemies more than the people who got you elected.

Indeed, it may not win here in the South but I would not care if they were from CA or WA so long as I had a voice in the Congress.

Hey–Don’t see a lot of taking on Breitbart or Fox from this group. More crying and disparaging the closest we have gotten to a pres in the last 8 years. Grow up.

Obama looks foolish, impulsive and reactive.

His specialty is accountability for victims.

The problem is that Obama has taken full responsibility for the cleanup in the Gulf and, unfortunately, as harmful and slipshod as the Gulf cleanup has been to this point, it means that Obama would have to fire himself. Therefore, firing Vilsac would set a bad precedent. It sure sounds nice and official-like to say you’ve taken “full responsibility”, though.

You complain about others disparaging and then you immediately go and disparage others – brilliant!

Despite the yelping and destructive machinations of the deficit hawks, employment and the economy are by far the public’s biggest concern.

Nice.

Herbert is just begging to be fired. /s

You’ve just earned yourself a free viewing of the inimitable Bob Dornan in Starfighters.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/112299/mystery-science-theater-3000-the-starfighters

We all know Fux is there, and so should Obama. Deal with it. When a person drives his car off a cliff I blame the driver, not the cliff. P.S. Go to huffington post, there is a chorus of Obama sycophant commenters blaming Faux News for his inadequacies, you’ll fit right in.

Neither Breitbart nor Fox WRONGFULLY FIRED the employee – the administration did.

Wake up.

Yeah, it’s Obama’s fault his administration wouldn’t even listen to her side of the story and had the nerve to fire her while she was in her car. The Obama administration did that all on their own and trying to excuse Obama’s bad treatment of his employees only encourages and emboldens Obama to go and abuse his employees in the future.

Great bumper sticker:

The closest we have gotten to a president in the last 8 years

This is the result of an emerging standard in today’s media where ‘opinion journalism’ trumps the previous standard of objective journalism. Emotion on both sides of the political spectrum cloud judgment, leading to shoddy reporting and knee jerk reactions.

The most basic tenet of responsible journalism, independent confirmation on information received, was ignored.

Let this be a lesson to us all.

I am not a lawyer, but when you slander a person as callous at this latest incident, I do not know why the NAACP who thru Ms. Sherrod under the bus, is not now suing FOX NOISE and every one on that show.

If you are not reporting stories with integrity, it is time to stand up and start the ambulance chasing.

No wonder the Republicans are making so much headway. With friends like the commentors here, the Democrats don’t need enemies. Whatever else os wrong with them. at least the Republicans stick together.

And how does Obama and the Dems stand against these charges? Mostly by avoiding them or offering sacrificial goats, like Sherrod. So, the perception of weakness is continually reinforced until Obama could slaughter the the Right Wing on a a stage and he would still be call a ball-less wonder.

Those who do not stand against bullies when the truth is on their side will get beaten, again and again.

The NAACP cannot claim to be ‘snookered’ by FOX when they had in their possession the tape of the entire speech.

False equivalency is the hobgoblin of little minds.

Breitbart is one pathetic mother……

If Andrew Breitbart’s own mother had been smeared like Shirley Sherrod was smeared with a doctored videoclip, one that falsely sullied Breitbart’s own mother’s reputation, then I’d be up in arms calling for whoever pulled this stunt to apologize to Breitbart’s own mother and stop castigating innocent people. If it was Rush Limbaugh’s own mother that was the target of an attack like this, the same. Or Bill O’Reilly’s, the same. Or Sean Hannity’s, the same. Or Glenn Beck’s, the same. Or Roger Ailes’, the same. Or even Rupert Murdoch’s, the same.

What brought this to mind is that Shirley Sherrod reminds me of my own mother, and the color of one’s skin doesn’t make any difference. I’m white. So what. My mother was white. So what. Shirley Sherrod is black. So what.

Shirley Sherrod comes across as a gracious lady with a heart of gold and sharp intellect…just like my own mother. And probably every one of the mothers of those mentioned above share the same human attributes as Shirley Sherrod, and my own mother, gracious, heart of gold, and smart.

And now (via Think Progress) Andrew Breitbart, who is one pathetic mother……., attacks another mother, 82-year-old Mrs. Spooner, as well as a World War II hero, 88-year-old Mr. Spooner, both white, both helped long ago by Mrs. Sherrod when they needed help to save their family farm, when facing bankruptcy, on the brink of foreclosure.

My Gawwwd, Breitbart is one morally-bankrupt, pathetic mother………, and the Republicans, especially those radical ones at Fox News, absolutely loooove this guy. Pathetic. All of them. The gracious Shirley Sherrod and the wonderful Spooners out-shine all of them.

Really? How about Americans demand justice for crimes against their own? How about some reaction there too? We can’t get rid of crimes and conspiracy? Shit. How worthless we are then.

Taking advantage of the slow-footed and meek Dem arsenal is such easy pickings.

That said, it takes a particularly scummy shitbag to use race in this matter. But the Republicans play with the weapons Democrats hand them, and they are not afraid to pull the triggers.

For that, they are to be congratulated. Indie, feel the pride.

@ Jane

What is your view of the journolist threads? I know you call it navel gazing but how do you feel about the suggestion by writers on the left to arbitrarily accuse any prominent conservative of racism to deflect and protect candidate Obama from criticism regarding his association with Rev. Wright?

Will you weigh in with an equally thoughtful and measured response?

If the Netroots had their head on straight they would pool their resources to investigate and expose Andrew Breitbart.

There is no equivalency.

The Confederate Right and their media allies are engaged in an on going campaign of race baiting for the purpose of tearing this country apart. This is by design and deeply immoral.

The Administration made a mistake.

Big difference. In fact, it is a difference not measured by degree, but by kind.

Truer words were never spoken! I want a bumper sticker!

Do you know the axiom about assuming?

Breitbart was no doubt politically motivated but so what? Breitbart is to the right what Media Matters is to the left. Everyone should ‘consider the source’ when reading info from these two sources.

Expose him as what? Anyone who ever considered him to be anything other than a crusader for the right, and the Tea Party movement in particular, wasn’t paying attention. His entire raison d’etre is to counter/copy the efforts/tactics of Media Matters.

How many Democrats does it take?

One.

Shirley Sherrod

Of course being in SNCC gives one some backbone.

Nicely done. You just put yourself squarely behind the squirmiest grub found under any log, anywhere. TeamBreitbart™!

I won’t speak for anyone else, but if I had to carry a refuse bag behind the foibles of MediaMatters, I would feel a helluva lot better than if I were trailing Andrew Breitbart.

But you go, girl.

Breitbart is to the right what Media Matters is to the left. Everyone should ‘consider the source’ when reading info from these two sources.

False equivalency.

Name one right wing politico wrongfully fired from their job, as Sherrod was, based on a Media Matters report.

First of all, Conservatives are racist.

Second, Conservatives also discriminate against the poor and unemployed.

Third, Rev. Wright was a victim of rightwing slander and smears and lies, with Obama choosing to not defend him.

Fourth, let us see all your private e-mails with all your wicked and vile lies that you spread.

WHY isn’t the NAACP and OTHERS using this opportunity to lambast Breitbart and Fox and NYT about the railroading of ACORN with those edited pimp and ho tapes ,resulting in Congressional approval and imprimatur,to defund ACORN?

Holy cow, Keith O. is comparing Sherrod to Dreyfus. Yikes!

Not so. I believe that Breitbart was looking for a ‘scoop’ bigger than the journolist threads and in his haste to outdo the Daily Caller he acted rashly, and wrongly.

Daily we are divided and the division is between the political establishment and an independent anti-establishment sentiment embodied by the Tea Party and by progressives here at FDL.

Jane, thank you once again for telling it like it is. The story of how a Democratic White House fed the gutsy Ms. Sherrod to the sharks after jumping tanks full of them just so Obama could claim another “Sister Souljah” moment may never have had the legs to survive the 24 hour news cycle without the doggedness of sites like FDL or Glenzilla’s. The fact that Ms. Sherrod has received justice in the court of public opinion is due in no small part to the efforts of the progressive blogosphere.

What appears obvious about this whole fiasco (other than Vilsack being set up to be the designated fall guy) is how much credence Obama’s administration gives to ALL street-organ grinders of the Vast Right Wing noise machine. For the White House to (1) accept at face value the libelous words of a soulless, no-talent asshat like Andrew Breitbart without first investigating the allegations, and then (2) demand the resignation of an innocent victim whose story is nothing but inspirational sadly tells us all we need to know about Obama and the neo-liberal corporate cheerleaders who are the leadership of the Democratic Party.

Maybe this incident opened the eyes of some Obamabots at the Great Orange Satan.

The next set of questions are: what do we do now? How do we organize to really make a difference? Do we try to reform the Democratic Party from within because it pays lip service to our values and can always count on our votes, money and volunteers come election time because it is the “lesser” of two evils? Do we go the third party route and spend years in the political wilderness without being invited to engage in the debate? How much blood, sweat, tears and dollars will it take, and how much worser do things have to be before it gets better?

(Sorry for the hand wringing, but after surviving eight years of the second Bush crime family I never expected to be this frustrated with a “so-called” Dem White House and Congress)

LOL.

Nice try.
I would be humiliated and embarrassed to have to backtrack from this, too.
But fortunately for you, I am and will remain, a registered Democrat. So you have that going for you.

I don’t follow this crap anymore because it is SO pointless. But just had to blurt my .02 cents, besides all his other foibles, Obama ALWAYS betrays his own. Oh, and he’s also weak. Which the other side-fascist bullies they are LOVE to drag down and beat. Expect more, Mr. Obama.

Welcome to FireDogLake, stevo67.

Absolutely. Bush was a terrible president, but he was loyal to his people and looked out for him as long as he could. He didn’t cut and run every time there was a controversy.

Obama runs like hell.

She (Sheerod) was asked if she would go back to USDA. She answered, “I am uneasy about how I would be treated by the Administration.”

So would I. Smart woman.

Didn’t read much of the above. Just want to vent.

If I’m pissed off about this, shouldn’t Obama be pissed off? And if he is, shouldn’t he say so?

I don’t know. Just watched Olberman’s thing, and Rachel’s rundown on the history of the Nixon/Republican southern strategy, so I may be overwhelmed with context, but Obama’s gotta say something about this.

And it better be him kneeling on the ground with his back to the cameras praying to his god for forgiveness.

Narcissists have no religion. They just pretend to.

thanks for letting me vent LM

The Tea Party is the type of popular, spontaneous political movement that truly has the political establishment fearful. If such a political movement were to establish itself on the left, we all would benefit. But it would involve a great deal of courage by the writers and activists here at FDL because they would have to turn on their own party or wait for their own party to become so weakened in order to effect significant change.

Many are right when they criticize conservatives for not speaking up against spending by Bush and the wars. They did speak up but their voices could not penetrate the GOP establishment’s desire to preserve the status quo. It will be even harder for the ‘progressives’ because today’s modern ruling class is the Democratic Party.

Right now that the differences between the GOP and Dem establishments are one of degree and not of kind, and those who are not members of the ‘ruling class’, those who are harmed, not enriched by the ‘cronie capitalism’ engulfing our federal government, lack a vehicle for electoral politics.

Just a thought: maybe, as Mrs. BearCountry says, obamarahma is thinking too much about JFK and Paul Wellstone.

Oh come on. JFK was opposing the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the National Security establishment (in and out of government) that was spoiling for a nuclear showdown with the Soviet Union (Yes, he was also fighting the steel industry over price fixing and wanted to issue currency independent of the Federal Reserve but neither of those entities would have had the ability to orchestrate and cover up a presidential assassination. Only the national security state had the apparatus and control over government operations to pull something like that off).

Are you really suggesting that the issue of global nuclear war can be equated with a media contretemps over a minor government employee? If Obama thinks he might be shot over that then he’s really got a screw lose.

No, the explanation is not a lack of courage. It’s that his fundamental sympathies are with the right wing, the corporations and the MIC. He’s not even a shadow of JFK and it was very disheartening to see the Kennedy family get suckered into supporting him.

I’m highly amused that Indie can’t rebut my false equivalency charge.

Because that’s what wingers do – ignore irrefutable fact based charges.

Indeed! Obama is concerned only with himself. He does not even realize the consequences of his action, the chaos and uncertainty he creates when his ‘reality’ does not match with what we all see too clearly. “Summer of Recovery” says it all.

Nor are you surprised.

That is not Breitbart’s doing. I stand by my assertion. The administration is to blame for that. Any responsible employer would get all of the facts before taking any action.

“Consider the source” and independent verification of the evidence should be the rule rather than the exception.

And it better be him kneeling on the ground with his back to the cameras praying to his god for forgiveness.

Yes, because as we all know, begging forgiveness from an imaginary, all-powerful friend is the only way of demonstrating one’s moral bona fides.

Yeesh, the religious blathering on this site is really starting to get to me.

Maybe FDL should hire PZ Meyers.

I won’t be the first to mention it, but TalkLeft.com (though focusing on legal matters, and lately sports, more than politics) as well as LeftCoaster.com (at a laid back pace) and OpenLeft.com (with Bower’s excellent polling analysis) offer objective views of the Obama administration.

Benen’s washingtonmonthly.com, Mulitsas’s dailykos.com, Marshall’s talkingpointsmemo.com, and Drum’s propaganda whereever-he-is-now.com are unarguably biased. They’ve become nearly fulltime Obama apologists. I don’t think they realize it, but they were heavily invested going in, so it’s not surprising they lack objectivity now.

Right now that the differences between the GOP and Dem establishments are one of degree and not of kind, and those who are not members of the ‘ruling class’, those who are harmed, not enriched by the ‘cronie capitalism’ engulfing our federal government, lack a vehicle for electoral politics.

Another false equivalent. The conservatives oppose democracy and democratic government. Liberals press to have more democratic and effective governing.

If you falsely accuse someone of something – especially racism – they explode. And to the media, it rarely matters if that rage is righteous. Because all they want is an angry mob.

That is simply your opinion.

The confusion/disappointment stems from the lingering false belief that Obama and his crew were ever some kind of “liberals” to begin with. They never were. A lot of people probably realized his “antiwar” image was phony (although a remarkable number didn’t, even despite his explicit pledge to escalate the war in Afghanistan). Fewer realized that he was no friend of women, gays, Blacks, or working people. Sure, he and the 95% of Democrats who are like him talk a good game, but when it comes to actually doing things (e.g., repealing DADT which he could have done by executive order on day 1 in office), not so much.

Compare Obama’s response to the baseless charges against Sherrod to his vigorous coming to the defense of Israel, accused (in the U.N. Goldstone report even, not just by left-wing bloggers) of war crimes in its invasion of Gaza, accused of more war crimes in its massacre of nine members of the Freedom Flotilla. All completely justified charges, and yet those friends Obama will vigorously defend.

Blacks, women, gays, working people? Not so much.

It does however have the advantage that it does not defy common sense, nor does it offend the most meager intellect.

Hey, fred. What do you suggest?

Get thee to the progressive site, Black Agenda Report ASAP!

Woo hoo-you want some unvarnished opinion of this administartion -from an African American perspective?

One of the best little sites on the net.

fred: PS. He could meditate for all I care, or recite a self-affirmation, as long as it’s him kneeling on the ground with his back to the cameras.

SUN TZU all war is base on deception.

Your praise of the Tea Party shows your ignorance about the current political climate.

The Tea Party was developed by the elite to protect Obama from the left. (Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, and other media outlets owned by rich conservative republicans made the tea party a house hold name.)Tea Party rally draws a couple thousand, War Protect draws tens of thousands guess which one gets the most media attention, the Tea Party

The USA media now makes the news! and the ruling class loves the idea of a bunch of un-informed people begging the govt to destroy social security, cut taxes, etc.

The Tea Party shouts and scream everyday about how Obama is a Liberal, Socialist, progressive etc.

The elites need un-informed americans shouting and screaming that Obama is not Reagan, because all real progressive know Obama is Reagan.

Obama and Rahm probably love the Tea Party, the Tea Party keeps the masses of the USA confused. The elites are great at population control and keeping the population confused.

Indie? The Tea Party are basically servants of the ELITES they hate. Tea Party people shout about Freedom, low taxes, small govt. etc.etc. all things the ruling class love

The elites are scared of Tea Party? really? you have got to be joking!

Politics is WAR! The elites fear progressives! the elites don’t fear people who love low taxes, small govt, no regulation, etc.

Progressive have always been the enemy of the elites. Ask rich people what they think about FDR. (FDR saved the USA not Reagan)

The mission of the tea party is simple, the tea party is like a smoke screen, the tea party is being used to Hide Obama republican actions.

Indie? you do know, that Obama pass the great Health Care Bill written by that famous republican name BOB DOLE.

Indie? the stock market does not lie, every Obama Bill increase the stock value of the industry in question.

Indie? no one likes the idea of being puppet, but the elites created the Tea Party, to protect Obama from the Left.

Indie? the ruling class have never feared those who believe and worship everything they love!

LOL. You’re kidding, right? Perhaps you should read the Jounolist threads.

Do I hear crickets?

“Another false equivalent. The conservatives oppose democracy and democratic government. Liberals press to have more democratic and effective governing.”

You paint with an broad brush. If what you said was true, we wouldn’t have had over a year of drama due to the 60 vote rule in the Senate with HIR, which if the Democrats actually did believe in democracy, they would have gotten rid of this rule instead of used it repeatedly (and still continue to use it repeatedly) in order to provide cover for passing corporatist legislation. Many Democrats are on record (including Obama himself) explicitly supporting this anti-democratic rule.

Can’t handle the truth?

Huh? I don’t suggest anything – your question is a complete non-sequitur.

I’m merely pointing out that the blathering on about God and Jesus and about how “real” Christians wouldn’t do anything bad or immoral is getting a little ridiculous. Yes, I can “change the channel” or ignore the posts and comments I don’t like (and, in fact, I do) but it’s getting progressively harder to dodge that stuff and at some point I will cease to read this site. But that’s my problem not yours or anyone else’s.

Think of my comment as feedback. Do with it what you will. I really don’t give a shit.

Note. I said Liberals. Many of the Democrats in Congress and the one in the White House are not Liberals.

Again, at this somewhat “early” part of Obama’s presidency, I am hardly suprised, stunned or shocked by the behavior of people such as Tom Vilsack.

Gibbs was lying through his teeth at the press conference when he denied White House “knowledge” of the firing or that Obama “knew about it.” Lies, lies and lies–the “change you can believe in.”

Obama will soon be asking the Congress to get rid of Social Security. When will Democratic Party members of Congress be outed for their allowing Social Security and the safety net to be completely destroyed?

I am more concerned about the things happening under the radar of these types of stories.

In all fairness, I bet that Shirley Sherrod is not the type of person who shares Obama’s worldview.

I remember when Obama gave a speech and failed to mention Dr. King by name but instead referred to him as “that preacher from Atlanta, Georgia” yet he did most of his preaching as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, from which he led the Montgomery Bus Boycott, in 1955.

If King were alive today. Mr, Obama would not support his actions or activism. King stood against imperialism, war, poverty and economic injustice.

Obama’s support of austeity and the debt commission put him at direct odds with the likes of Dr. King and Roger Wilkins.

word up, Indie, on just about everything you said.

I doubt progressives can compete with corporate influence on a dollar for dollar basis in attempting to regain the Democratic party’s soul. The Greens have the right values for many progressives, but face an almost impossible task in getting quick acceptance in the South and Midwest- and certainly face issues getting on the ballot in those areas.

The only solution in my (probably limited)imagination is a grand coalition of working poor, middle class, and Labor groups united on economic class issues, very similar to FDR’s coalitions of the 30′s and 40′s. Nothing short of putting mass numbers of people on the streets will do, whether it be the bread and soup lines of the Great Depression or the protest marches of the Vietnam and Civil Rights movements- and I hope like hell I’m wrong about that ’cause things will most likely be a lot worse for a lot more folks than now.

What Ms. Sherrod said about it not being about race when she described her experience with that white farm family 20 years ago, but about being poor and about the haves taking advantage is spot on, and that may be the thing that can resonate with Tea Partiers and Progressives enough to overcome the differences.

Scarecrow is upstairs!
New York Times Whitewashes Breitbart’s and Fox’s Dishonest Smearing of Innocent People

If you view Shirley Sherrod as a martyr, victim and scapegoat, just remember which presidential administration allowed it to happen. Obama promised to be “different.”

Yeah, he’s different alright.

I remember Black Agenda Report’s Glen Ford’s comment’s on the firing of Van Jones by the Obama administration. Yes, Ford acknowledged that Glen Beck and FOX News painted him in a terrible way. Ford did not deny that Beck’s portrayals of Van Jones had not been over the top and outlandish.

But, Glen Ford at Black Agenda Report also remined Mark Thompson on Sirius Left 146 that Glen Beck was not the one “who fired Van Jones.” Ford reminded the host at Sirius Left 146 that it was Mr. Barack Obama who fired Van Jones and not Glen Beck.

Ford reminded Mark Thompson that it is Barack Obama who was elected president of the United States and not FOX News or Glen Beck. Yes, say what ya want about FOX News and Glen Beck and the rest of them, but, ultimately, it’s the Obama White House whose at fault here.

The Obama administration seems to have rabbitt ears and are easy on the trigger when it comes to their “own people.”

If Obama was a baseball pitcher he would not last one inning if the opposing team was riding him in the dugout.

Wrong. The Tea Party began as a group of average folks who stepped out of their living rooms for the first time in protest of corporate bailouts, HCR, and runaway spending. Only about a fifth of Americans trust the government to do the right thing. The rest expect that it will do more harm than good and are no longer afraid to say so. It is NOT a top down organization contrary to your opinion.

The Democratic Party is the ruling class. The Republican Party does not disparage the ruling class, because most of its officials are or would like to be part of it. In 2009-10 establishment Republicans sought only to modify the government’s agenda while showing eagerness to join the Democrats in new grand schemes, if only they were allowed to. No prominent Republican challenged the ruling class’s continued claim of superior insight, nor its denigration of the American people as irritable children who must learn their place.

Protect Obama from the Left? The Left is under the thumb of the Democratic Party.

Why doesn’t Michelle’s organic garden offset all the bad?

How much more progressive must one be?

Signed, Dick Armey

Awesome and enjoyable.

Not hiding republican action- just shouting out that distraction.

Any theories about why the left is and remains so quiet?

Bob Dole as in unlocking Soc. Sec. What a gentleman.

The tea party is neither spontaneous nor popular.

It’s feared by right-thinking American people, who recognize its roots in the racism and jingoism of the John Birth Society: unpopular. And its funding comes from corporatists like Dick Armey and his dick army of lobbyists and Villagers: planned, organized and not at all spontaneous.

You can’t come around here and just make shit up, you know. We’ve been watching the teabaggers since the beginning.

Bad day?

The problem for Democrats is that they have a malignant narcissist as the POTUS. Lying and scapegoating are characteristic behaviors of such a deeply flawed individuals. They sacrifice others to preserve their self-image of perfection.

The worse thing you can do is show a bully that your afraid of them, once they smell fear your going to catch hell. Obama has made the mistake of letting the right wing mobsters know that he is terrified of them and they are going to kick his ass for the next two years. His disgust with the progressive movement is obvious and insane bcz we are the only way he gets reelected. And even if we are foolish enough to rally around him to win in 2012 I doubt if he wld win again. Americans may vote for all kinds of scoundrals but one thing we dont vote for are weak and cowardly people. I dont care how smart you are or what great ideas you have, if you dont have the courage to fight for them what good are they?

He had ample opportunities to make friends with Progressives, took a pass instead.
I guess this is called a learning curve.

Why progressives ever thought he was anything but opportunistic and self-serving is beyond me. And while he may not pass your ‘purity test’ he is a product of the liberal Democratic ruling class.

It’s not the fairest paraphrase of the Constitution’s eligibility requirements for POTUS, but you’ve pretty well nailed them nonetheless. Good job.

Twisted. No fear. Complicity. Just a job. Working it. Not insane either. Does he really care.. about a re-election?

If this was a learning curve problem, why didn’t the Obama team learn their lesson when Van Jones got taken down, or ACORN? After all, Obama might not have been elected if it were not for ACORN’s voter registration and activism. Did he not understand why the right went after ACORN? How could he — and his team — be fooled by them again, this time about (as Rachel put it so well) ANOTHER African-American.

I don’t think an exhortation to wake up is appropriate any more. I think Obama needs to surround himself with better people.

If he is so inclined. Available evidence suggests otherwise, though, wouldn’t you say?

Oh sure – anyone who thinks God beliefs are irrational, is put off by authoritarian worship cults like Christianity or finds a discussion of current events that that turns into a Christian apologetics fest a bit oppressive must be having “a bad day”. No one could possibly have principled objections to any of those self-evidently true propositions or not revel in endless discussions of how Jesus should influence our political debate.

Your attitude perfectly illustrates the pompous, pretentious bleating of religionists that I find most off-putting.

His almost outward, public disdain for our (progressives/liberals) input is almost passed the point of going back. Seems to the outside world and me that the reason it took the WH and Obama’s staff so long to react to the TRUTH, is that no one could find Rupert to get permission to speak.

The Democratic Party is the ruling class.

What a coinkydinky. That is what drug addled rightwing windbag Rush Limbaugh says. Are you perhaps a “dittohead”?

I will tell you who are some of the ruling Class. K-Street, CFR, SAIC, Federalist Society, Exxon, BP, Bilderbergers, Pete Peterson, Henry Kissinger, Lanny Davis, and all those secret dee cee spy committees that are unaccountable. The whole thing is controlled by Goldman Sachs.

Here’s a quote from Black Agenda Report website. You will find no apologism ,there:

Blacks have given blind allegiance to the Democratic Party over the last 75 years, just as they did with Republicans in the previous 65 years since Emancipation, says BAR’s Bruce Dixon.

“Our 1870 political strategy makes us unable to discern an enemy when he is a professed Democrat, all the more a Democrat with a black face.”

That 11 dimensional chess match isn’t going so well…

I will not vote for Obama in 2012 as I held my nose doing so in 2008.

I will be voting for ANY Green Party candidate in 2012.

No Democrats nor Republicans will be getting my vote in 2012. I still vote for some Dems at the state and local levels in my home state but the national level is an entirely different story.

Obama is a fraud but we all knew that in 2008 didn’t we? I did.

What seems to be a routine in many comments is “that why can’t Obama see the light” implying he really believes but he just has to be shown the way. Well, it may be that he is a corporatist and knows exactly what he is doing. The lesser of two evils argument is also old. People may want to consider actually voting for people who believe in what they believe in, whether conservative or liberal, etc., and quit accepting less. Write a name in if there is no candidate you believe in. Some would say its a wasted vote but I would say, that principle is a more important. The reality is that when you take the lesser of two evils you really get no change, you just get older.

Indie? no one likes being call a puppet, but Indie as soon as you accept this fact the better you will be able to understand the politics of today.

The Tea Party, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, are all distractions the elites used to keep americans looking the other way, why they rob the USA blind.

Indie? how can the Tea Party on one hand support un-funded wars, tax cuts, and on the otherhand support deficit reductions?

Indie? for years the elites have been trying to develop a group of clueless americans, that they can manipulate for their agenda.

Indie? you do know that Real Republicans love NAFTA! and you do know that NAFTA wipe out the Middle Class, and yes NAFTA was pass by Clinton.

Indie? both USA political parties are now under the control of the so call liberal media that is own by rich republicans.

Indie? the mission of the elite is very simple! Divide and Conquer

Indie? the elite are scared of the fact that Obama is exposing their tricks and games, Obama poll numbers are at all time lows, and Republican and Democrat numbers poll numbers are also low. The elites fear that drug of ignorance they spew via their media outlets is not working.

Indie? what we all must understand and come to grips with, is FDR policies WORKED to save the USA from the other depression,

Indie? also remember this Lincoln, FDR, had serious doubts about the USA govt surviving because rogue Corporations, CEOs, etc. could be a huge threat to the USA. Indie what is USA corporation today? GM makes more cars in CHina than in the USA, Goldman Sachs is off in la, la, la, land, what USA corportation currently puts the USA first when it comes to good paying jobs?

Indie? Ayn Rand did not account for the idea of Corporations trying to take over the World and topple Govts.

I don’t get your point. Coulter has a HUGE Adam’s apple. Other women do too.

If Gramps McC and ‘that nitwit’ had won, ‘that nitwit’ would have gotten into the Oval Office by the end of the year. And we’d all be regretting that.

Fred, you’re free to believe whatever you please, as long as you allow everyone else that same freedom.

The administration made a mistake contending that the firing of Ms. Sherrod was because of her behavior rather than their fears. This White House doesn’t think it made a mistake; it would do it again, just as the treatment of Ms. Sherrod repeats earlier sell-outs of victims of Reichwing smears. That’s a pattern, not a mistake.

This administration is truly an embarrassment.
When Bill Clinton couldn’t manage to have a towel handy, I was embarrassed for him and Hillary and Chelsea. I was not embarrassed by him. The whole welfare reform and NAFTA deals were something I did not like but it did not embarrass me either. Largely, that administration was sincere in trying to change some very harsh realities.

Rahmbo and Dumbo have taught me that there really are wolves in sheep’s clothing. I have been a Democratic leaning independent since I focused enough to see past the veneer of Reagan and Klan. Ramhbo and Dumbo are going to fuck with Social Security just like BUSH wanted to. All that is necessary is a second term and a Republican congress. My Representative is a Republican but, my Senators are very solid Democrats in the progressive tradition. My Rep. will likely not change until he retires or tries to go Senator. Locally and statewide, the Democratic party is still people centric. The Republicans wacky wingnuts for the most part. This administration will be the reason I vote Green. I believe nothing this White House says. NOTHING. The soul of this administration is corrupt and I would rather have a Republican in the executive branch than a repeat. With the GOP in charge they would have to deal with the problems and likely make it worse. Rahmbo and Dumbo have decided to do nothing, deliver nothing and be nothing. HC Refom is servitude. F Reform is under rug swept. Populism has been squelched. The DNC will not get my money or a vote for President until they focus on the people. There are six votes at my address and Obama lost all of them.

Jane -

Thanks for being you and doing what you do. It is so nice to see you are still working your best and fighting the good fight. You provide me comfort in the knowledge that you bring an intelligence, grace, and platform for people of all types. This is not the only place on the net but it is one of the deepest and dedicated to freedom and justice.

How in the world is saying that praying is useless theatre preventing you, or anyone else, from believing what you want? Please, explain this thought process, because from over here it looks like there’s not much belief to be robbed if what fredcdobbs said is doing it.

The blog site that looks like it’s a propaganda arm of the Obama political machine is “Daily Cos”. Those bloggers seem to think that Obama’s a god and can do no wrong.

Agree with momwantedaus, Obama has not been snookered by anybody. He does the minimal to get to the next goal (which is what I saw when he was campaigning). Maybe he thinks his baby step towards a more responsible world are better than nothing, but there’s always such huge concessions to the corporations that not only negate progress, but hobble it by entrenching corps power & control.
As for voting, my vote has been an exercise in futility for years (I live in a red state that’s one of the engines of the crazy train), so I will get a little creative next time. I seriously, seriously considered it in 08, so it’s an easy transition for me. We have to BE the change we want.

President Barack Obama needs to shake up his White House. It’s overdue. Along with booting Tim Geithner (no surprise — his opposition to Elizabeth Warren is expected!), Rahm Emanuel and Jim Messina need to go (no s***!).

Unless President Obama doesn’t have balls, it’s understandable if he doesn’t have a real Chief of Staff (with his/her Deputy Chief of Staff) with balls (for the correct purposes).

I often think Glenn Greenwald (Salon.com) has it right about the Democratic Party — that they’re “complicit.”

And Ralph Nader has that other good question: “What are they [the Democrats] afraid of?”

All this aside: I am awaiting the results of the guberatorial primaries — scheduled for Aug. 3 — in my home state of Michigan. If I don’t like what will be the results, then not a single Democrat will have my vote in the midterms on Nov. 2.

The reason for the disdain of the left is shown in all of these previous comments. Rather than focusing on the real matter which is Breitbart and FOX News you are using this to hammer Obama and his staff. While they certainly deserve criticism for the way they reacted to the whole affair, you give a pass to the real criminals in this case.

Taking a snippet of a comment out of context, declaring it racist, and waiting for the predictable howling to start is entirely typical Obama.

I’m no Hillary Clinton fan, but if I remember correctly, this is more or less exactly how Bam turned the D-Party primary in his direction in 2008.

So, we’re to understand that a conservative con artist participated in the con this time out–instead of the usual “liberal” mob?

I’m glad the woman got her job back.

Jane,

It’s the classic smear called the “angry black man syndrome”. Obama has a made a living off of looking non-threatening to the white population, i.e. someone that they don’t mind having in the house. It is un-official White House policy that any whiff of racism against whites by anyone, and I mean anyone, (including the janitor cleaning toilets) and you can rest assured that they won’t be around before the first shoe drops, much less the second. Think about it, according to Ms. Sherrod, they wanted her to pull over and text message in a resignation? Gotta love this guy…….this Obama. That is why I laughed at the lady on you tube when she claimed that now Obama is president she won’t have to worry about paying her mortgage. Well, the canning of Sherrod, Van Jones, and the destruction of ACORN should prove without any doubts of any kind that Obama is not now nor will he ever be any friend to blacks, much less poor whites in this country…………Where is my next free trade agreement……???????

Rather than focusing on the real matter which is Breitbart and FOX News you are using this to hammer Obama and his staff.

If Obama and Co. told Breitbart and Fox News to go piss up a rope, instead of immediately caving to their demands, there wouldn’t be a problem, would there?

Looking back on it, what does it say about Obama that he almost wet himself in excitement that he almost got a Republican to join his cabinet (Judd Gregg), yet it is almost entirely devoid of Progressives. The people that put him in office.

Fuck him.

Of course Obama is running scared, he knows he can not win reelection without a sizable chunk of whites voting for him. Right now, since Bush’s policies are still in effect, Obama couldn’t get elected head janitor of clean-ex Incorporated. Obama has too look non threatening totally sympathetic to what whites in American think or he’s done, period……

You forgot lack of commitment to any principles or agenda.

paulap writes:

“The reason for the disdain of the left is shown in all of these previous comments.”

Do you ever see the Republican Party being disdainful of the right?

“Rather than focusing on the real matter which is Breitbart and FOX News you are using this to hammer Obama and his staff.”

With my comment appearing above yours, I understand that you think folks forgot about Andrew Breitbart and Fox News. I haven’t. But attention given President Obama is for good reason: It’s in his power, not FNC’s, to officially fire Shirley Sherrod. (Through whomever — Tom Vilsack, in this case.)

“While they certainly deserve criticism for the way they reacted to the whole affair, you give a pass to the real criminals in this case.”

Valid concern. I hope Sherrod brings lawsuits against Andrew Breitbart; against Fox News; and individually against the “stars” of that channel.

Barry was hoodwinked and bamboozled… The WH firewall for media control has been breached, exposing what most had already known. As the great Walter Sobchek said, ” A bunch of f*cking amateurs!”

Someone asked why is the left so silent.

Well folks, we have an African American dream president. After the nightmare fascist idiot one. He talks pretty and has a beautiful family. A leftish dream. Kinda like marrying the smartest best looking guy in college that has won a noble prize and makes a million bucks a year but oopps! you find out he he’s a total bastard.
Well, yeah who is gonna bail on the best husband you could find?

Who’s going tell the truth and leave with nothing?

Or in other words denial, denial and more denial which is why humanity never gets anywhere.

The left is in denial. I no longer respect ANYONE in politics. What is that crap that Rachel Maddow and Olbermann do daily? It’s like masturbating in a mirror. It serves no purpose. We get it-we are smart and we are right but mostly we are lying to ourselves.

It takes courage to divorce the fraud who keeps you safe and warm. Especially since you want to believe. I have grown to hate believers. Worst cons of all.

It’s funny: If only a Democrat would stand up to him, he or she’d bring down the whole house of cards and shame the rest of the media into blowing off Breitbart.

Nonsense. It isn’t fear. Obama’s very thick skinned. He’s using guys like Beck and Limbaugh. They’re useful tools in his ruse to get his agenda through. He doesn’t give a shit how; he’s geting it done.

So what if he has to clear the decks of some riff raff along the way.
It’s full speed ahead.

Exactly.
He’s Wall Street’s guy.

And if his polls continue on the downward slide, Wall Street’s gonna drop him as fast as he dropped his campaign promises.