Not crazy about this caricature. Are the large teeth meant to convey something in particular?

In theory if the Congressional Democrats were more than members of the Money party they should be in a very strong negotiating position, although they sure haven’t been acting like it.

Do congressional democrats have enough mass to block any deal? Some of them will always join the republicans. If that is so then Obama can make any deal he choses to keep himself in the game. I doubt he has the stones to use the 14th but maybe you are right. That move would bring impeachment and the supremes into the game,I think, and I doubt he will want that.

Deficit reduction is an inside The Beltway cluster fuck. Most of the Nation, even teh stupid, know employment is needed more, with changes to laws to make it more tenable for onshore jobs is the answer. Any honest politico would make massive cuts in DoD spending, starting with cuts to outsourced contractors, change medicare laws to allow import of foreign pharmaceutical and means test Social Security. That Obama LLC and Congress are addressing none of the above, indicate once again how totally corrupt Obama and Congress are.

Seriously…does anyone still believe that Obama is negotiating with Republicans or can we now agree that he is negotiating *for* Republicans.

barry is bought and paid for; his cowardice,stupidity,negotiating with himself are all covers to do what he is doing…the last real dem president was jfk and we all know how that worked out. when he was running for office in 2008 who would have imagined that he would surround himself with the same traitors that destroyed the economy? who would have thought that he would never use his position to educate voters as to what reganomic policies are and where they failed. i guess if i criticize him too much i will be labeled a racist. so 2012 will be a contest between a corporate dem and a corporate republican- great cant wait…….

Obama’s goal is to protect Wall Street while he guts the New Deal. Can’t do that if you use the 14th Amendment.

AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…

Citizen Jon Walker:

The question isn’t whether or not Obama has the resolve to use the 14th Amendment (of course he doesn’t because that would be diametrically opposed to his politics) but whether or not he has the political intelligence to take advantage of the Conrad proposal and force the Republicans to cave in to a “grand bargain” that comes through the political budgeting process established by the Constitution as opposed to a backroom political deal that bypasses the congress.

The real question here is whether or not the fix is already in between the bankers and the oil cowboys to force a compromise on the debt ceiling that will throw the economy onto a permanent “Great Depression”.

We’re facing the end of industrial-oil capitalism and the question is, like in 1932, will capitalism survive or will the entire economic house of cards fall down and the world revert to a new feudalism.

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, THERE ISN’T ANYONE THAT WILL FIGHT THIS FOR YOU!!

I kind of like it.

The big teeth give a sort of Giger-esque Alien Predator vibe to the rendering.

Ya know, the really f’ing scary thing is that the Supreme Court with its current members would probably disregard the 14th Amendment without any *real* deliberation. That’s the kinda times we live in.

Love the caricature.

Eh? I figure the FIX was in a looong time ago, and everything we’ve seen up to this point is yet more Kabuki show. Obama & the Dems are just using the so-called “Republicans” as cover for what they’ve planned to do all along.

In other words: get ready to bend over & take it where the sun don’t shine.

And don’t expect complacent US citizens to get up in arms over the gutting of Soc Sec & Medicare. They won’t. They’ll “take it,” listen with rapt attention to their tinpot gods, like Rush, and get their daily dose of marching orders about why it’s all the terrible terrible “liberals’ fault.” and then be *insanely* delighted to “blame” it all on liberals.

Talk about weak sauce, but that’s my prediction.

“Rightly or wrongly, the Obama campaign believes getting the headlines “Obama brokers big bipartisan deficit deal” in itself would a be big boost to his political brand, especially if they can blame the GOP for the unpopular components of the deal.”

I don’t believe they are that tone def on the issue, wanting to do something big would include repealing Bush’s tax cuts and things of that ilk. There’s basically no real win in anything I’ve heard about the negotiations (maybe minor military cuts?).

Saying I don’t believe them is as nice as I can say it.

Obama isn’t lacking the resolve to use the 14th amendment option, he is lacking the desire.

Yep. But Democrats are not going to be the only ones to walk the plank on “increasing the debt” or “cutting Social Security and Medicare”. And I don’t see enough House Republicans stepping up to the plate to make it happen. The Teabaggers especially don’t won’t to have voted to “increase the debt”.

It’s a 50-50 bet that Obama, regardless or his desire, will have to use the 14th amendment. How he uses it determines whether Wall Street will be damaged. I bet he finds a way to use it without damaging Wall Street. There are revenues still coming in. And there are Congressional budget authorizations that create spending that must be paid, at least up until October 1. It is not clear what power to reprogram spending having to obey the 14th amendment will give him. But there are a lot potential expenses in the pipeline that could be put on hold and the public would cheer. Especially in defense.

Obama will cave, right on schedule, when the time comes and give the Republicans everything they want.

Wall Street is a willing and voluntary hostage.

“that one may smile, and smile, and be a villain”–William Shakespeare

‘

Obama also made “bending the cost curve” a line in the sand on health care reform

That’s why we have the Public Option, Dorgan Amendment and Drug Price Negotiation. Wait! We don’t have that. The cost curve was not bent, but instead was cost shifted. I expect Obama will continue to cost shift onto those who weren’t rich enough to take advantage of the Obama private jet tax break as he only cares about the private jet set.

And I don’t see enough House Republicans stepping up to the plate to make it happen.

If there are NO tax increases?

A few points:

1. Obama isn’t stupid. He knows and does exactly what he wants to. What deals he makes are intentional and his desired outcome.

2. I am convinced that Obama would be fine with finishing off the middle-class even if he looses the next election. He will be taken care of for the rest of his life. So he is not afraid of the voters.

3. Finally, Obama and his backers would be happy with Mitt Romney-so why not pass the baton to him?

From the Obama administration’s perspective, the best outcome is to give into almost every GOP demand, win a few token concessions, and have Obama be the President that did “something big” on the deficit. Obama isn’t lacking the resolve to use the 14th amendment option, he is lacking the desire.

only half right david, the part about getting the gop to force him into something he wants to do

otherwise I’m sorry but you are giving obama far too much credit, he doesn’t want “to do something big on the deficit” he wants to destroy social projects in government

the “deficit problem” would have been solved if he simply did not extend the re-distribution of middle class assets to the wealthy scheme marketed as “the bush tax cuts

he set up “the deficit problem” he was told he was setting up “the deficit problem” and he knew it as a fact

this is going according to plan david, that part you got right but the plan is not “to do something big on the deficit”, that was the setup

Even if there are no tax increases. Because the deal still “increases the debt”.

Possibly “big teeth”?

please take note, this part takes it’s own panel, it is VERY IMPORTANT!

we have forgotten to blame the very cause of “the deficit problem”, the cause lies at the door of obama, it does not lie at the door of bush, it lies at the door of obama, it was deliberate

he KNEW extending the asset re-distribution scheme marketed as “bush tax cuts” would cause this problem, and that was the very design of said re-distribution

we NEED to remind EVERYONE, this is OBAMA’S design this “deficit problem”

That is to say, Republicans in the House are going to depend on Democrats to pass cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

It’s up to the Democrats to see that at least all of the Republicans vote for the cuts first and not give them cover by being the majority of votes for the cuts.

An excellent commentary by Jon Walker leads one to the conclusion that I should have voted for McCain, since he could have become a closet liberal, just as Obama has proved to be a closet Third Way corporate neoDem.

The Middle CLass needs Middle Class incomes, not two jobs at $8 an hour and a speech on “hope and change.”

We have many people in this country who did not go to Harvard, and they will work their asses off – if given the chance. They don’t deserve dirt wages, just because the elite morons in the WH looks down their noses at people with dirt under their fingernails and no college degree majoring in poltical bullshit.

From the Obama administration’s perspective, the best outcome is to give into almost every GOP demand, win a few token concessions

The excuse of Flip Wilson’s Geraldine was “The Devil made me buy that dress.”

For Barack Obama, it’s “The Republicans made me pass that terrible law, but it’s half a percent better than it would have been, so shower me with your gratitude.”

Get out of town, Barack.

I want to make another important point;

this ‘deficit reduction” scheme of re-linquishing government assets and well paid government jobs will create MORE “deficit problems” then they “appear” to solve, there will be fewer middle class jobs, more job competition which will bring wages DOWN even more then they have, there will be less revenue at places like beaches.

they are causing MORE of the problem by making believe they are “fixing it” and THAT’S the goal too

I’ll take “Permanent Great Depression” for $500, Norske!

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Since Obama apparently plans to CUT SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS by fiddling with the calculation, i.e,. trying to TRICK seniors out of their benefits in the fine print — the folks would be dead right to blame liberals.

This liberal would like to preemptively apologize to the folks for her serious error in voting for Obama. I did not mean to cut your Social Security benefits 3-6-9%. I NEVER would have done it on purpose. I will never forgive myself.

I PROMISE I will not do it again!

you make good ponts but miss one important fact;

the puppeteers NEED a president in office who runs as a democrat to pass the radical agenda they are getting passed, they could not HOPE to pass this agenda if the republican in office runs as a republican

obama is their man, it’s going to be hard to imagine they will let anyone else get elected

oops…I meant to be addressing the statement by you jon, sorry, for some reason I thought this was david’s thread, my opologies

No one is forcing Obama to do these dirty deeds against the very bedrock principles and greatest accomplishments of the Democratic Party. If anything, Obama has forced the issues onto his “table” (the same one he took single payer off of). He has ignored the base of the Dem Party, either lying to them or just brushing them off.

As was mentioned above, he has over and over put “fixing the deficit,” “fixing Medicare,” “fixing SocSec” up for Republicans to look as if they’re “forcing” him to do things the Dems and Dem voters DO NOT WANT DONE. Out DC Dems are fearful of ticking off his supporters by going against him. And he does do his evil bipartisanship shit behind closed doors for the most part, then emerges with a Grand Bargain, lamenting that he just had to give in to those wild and crazy Repubs.

So, what’s up? Hell, he’s a conservative. The Dems were tricked into nominating a Republican as their nominee. What a joke, eh?

I did not want him to be the nominee, but I figured how bad could he be?

Pretty damn awfully bad. In many instances, he’s worse. And he will probably destroy the viability of the Dem Party, Medicare, SocSec, and Medicare. That’s quite an accomplishment for a Dem prez!

Perhaps, but that’s a Republican meme, so are you suggesting that 0bama is colluding with the Republicans, or that the Republicans are following 0bama’s lead?

Doesn’t matter much to me; the nuance is irrelevant. As far as I’m concerned, 0bama is a Republican and therefore the enemy of the American people. I will not vote for him again.

What we all need now is some more kabuki theatre from a tosser like Waxman “tell us if you’re going to fold, because we need to know, Mr President, Sir, – my I kiss your ass too, Sir?”, before voting for exactly everything and anything he claimed briefly to be upset by, and falling right into line, like all the other members of the Uniparty will do. We need this just to increase the frustration even further, and add to the molten fury of many people.

Getting the Bush tax cuts renewed was part and parcel of his strategy to get to gutting the great social programs of this nation.

He was a stealth candidate, a conservative Repub in Dem’s clothing.

Your point about Obama does not prove your point about McCain.

You were screwed either way.

The Republicans have always been and continue to be whole owned by Wall Street. Extending the debt ceiling is vitally in the interest of Wall Street. Therefore the Republicans will agree to extend the debt ceiling.

So what is going on now?

Well, Obama isn’t stupid. He knows the Republicans will agree at the end. So if he was a progressive he’d be standing firm. But he isn’t; he’s a Neo-Liberal.

So this is all a “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” thing. He keeps “trying” to get them to agree to some revenue raising. They keep “refusing.” They keep “demanding” cuts. He keeps giving them to show “good faith.” This dance will go on until the deadline when the Republicans will agree to “compromise” by having smaller over all deficit reduction and just taking the cuts already negotiated.

This is all about making cuts palpable to Obamabots, the same way they all made extending the Bush tax cuts palpable.

When Obama speaks about the deficit, he uses Republican talking points and terms. From his Saturday, 7/2, radio address:

Government has to start living within its means, just like families do. We have to cut the spending we can’t afford so we can put the economy on sounder footing, and give our businesses the confidence they need to grow and create jobs.

He also uses banksters’ framing and approaches in rationalizing their issues.

He is not a progressive, liberal, or Democrat of the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party. I go with he’s a Republican.

If McCain has proposed these things, DC Dems would stand against him and his attempts to ruin SocSec and Medicare.

The DC Dems do not stand up to Obama.

Please don’t use Obama and Constitution in the same sentence. I can’t take this clown anymore.

“An excellent commentary by Jon Walker leads one to the conclusion that I should have voted for McCain, since he could have become a closet liberal, just as Obama has proved to be a closet Third Way corporate neoDem.”

Actually I voted for McCain for pretty much that reason, he was due to cycle back to the progressive side of the fence.

McCain’s voting behavior during Bush’s first term is almost never mentioned in the press anymore. Yet McCain’s secret history is simply astonishing. It is no exaggeration to say that, during this crucial period, McCain was the most effective advocate of the Democratic agenda in Washington. In health care, McCain co-sponsored, with John Edwards and Ted Kennedy, a patients’ bill of rights. He joined Chuck Schumer to sponsor one bill allowing the reimportation of prescription drugs… On the environment, he sponsored with John Kerry a bill raising automobile fuel efficiency standards… He was also one of six Republicans to vote against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. McCain teamed with Carl Levin on bills closing down tax shelters…
http://www.tnr.com/article/maverick-vs-iceman

I think the huge, long front teeth are for getting nice big bites out of SocSec and Medicare. Medicaid is almost all gone….

And yet the cowardly progressives still follow Obama and the Democrats like a bunch of puppies.

Totally lacking the courage to stand up these corrupt politicians who are as much our enemy as the Republicans.

he is a corporatist and promoting corporate agenda, that has typically been the republican brand, now with corporations buying all our politicians, it is a bi party brand

ya, obama was a republican elected as a democrat

mccain would not have been a stealth liberal but the democrats would have never EVER let the corporate agenda through under mccain that they allowed under obama

Exactly which cowardly progressives are you talking about? Reps in Congress? Spell out the exact “who” you mean.

If McCain had won, likely he would have brought more Republicans with him.

The Dems would have folded like they did 2002-2006.

I’m talking about the so called “progressivs in name only” in congresss who are not progressive at all, just corrupt politicians.

I’m talking about “progressive” blogers who whine and complain… but come election time.. continue to blindly follow and support these corrupt Democratic party pol’s.

And I’m talking about ordinary “progressive” voters who do exactly the same.

I am a lifelong liberal progressive and an ex-Democrat who re-registered as an Independent [not affiliated with any political party]. One of the saddest things I have ever seen is the total lack of courage of my fellow progressive to stand up… and fight for what they claim to believe in.

Instead they endlessly complain… and endlessly analyze the problem as if we dont already know what the problem is.

And yet, as of this date… NO ONE in a positiion of authority or stature is calling for progressives to vote against Obama… and NO ONE is calling for or advocting for an opposing candidate to run against this scoundrel. And so in the coming election, progresives will be left standing on the sidelines, helpless and cowed.

Progressive have no one but themselves to blame. No one respects people who are cowards. So progressive continue to be treated with contempt by our elected officials and everyone in authority because they know they can get away with it… and progressive still whine and complain and then vote for these corrupt politicians anyway… with the same result as always… a continuation of the totally corrupt government we have now.

The Democrats and Republicans in Washington are, with rare exceptions, owned by a Fascist Oligarchy. Right now they are pretending to be on opposite sides of a debate about the “deficit”. It’s just a show for the rubes. If they were concerned about the deficit they would raise taxes and cut war spending. In the end they will raise the so called debt ceiling and steal a portion of our pensions and health care. Then there will be another “debate” at the end of which we will be further impoverished and the Oligarchs will be further enriched. The Fascists are laughing at those who are still playing red state/blue state in earnest.

Sorry … my comment above was meant in response to a question asked by KellyCanfieldDenver. My response is not aimed at Kelly but at progressive as a whole.

Now you tell me. (sigh!)

I am not sure the rubes are entertained by this show.

“Resolve” and “Obama” in the same sentence? Really? Seriously? Really?!

He has certainly showed a great deal of resolve in establishing his Catfood Commission and now in implementing its recommendations. Very serious persistence.

I would love to actively damage Wall Street. The crooks!

Obama is a Republican. He wants to cut Medicare and now he talks about eliminating tax write-offs which any good tax-lawyer would have a work-around in 15 min. He has no desire to doom the Bush tax-cuts nor use the 14th amendment. How did we ever elect this fraud!

Draft Hillary!