The economy - oops - Page 44

I'll get killed for this, but as a vaguely right-leaning European conservative, which as far as I can tell at the moment in American political terms, places me somewhere in the centre of the Democrats, I think you're being a bit hard on Obama. I never bought the folksy, populist angle he sold during the election, my right not to since I didn't have a vote, but he has presided potentially over a rescue from apocalyptic politics being played by marginals with pitchforks and burning torches interested as far as I can see only in advocating the primacy of theory and ideology over the current financial reality.

Somewhere amongst all of this, the US may avoid financial default, and the primary economy of global financial system has the chance to turn back from precipitating a meltdown that none of us would be thankful for. You'll regain you credibility, your economy and standard of living will recover, and the sensible, moderate and humane voices will have the chance to be heard again instead of facing a street fight which only the most dangerous absolutists would have started on the front foot.

The political process currently mirrors the Grover Cleveland, William McKinley era when both parties were right-wing, pro-business institutions. We'll need a Teddy Roosevelt or a real depression before people finally wake up and stop electing these elitists.

Seems a good chunk of the initial cut is coming straight outta the defense budget, with a backdoor trigger that will enable even larger chunks if Republicans play ball. As much as I love me some Michael Bay military propaganda, let's put a lot of that elsewhere. We're number one by a wide margin (I think the next five biggest militaries combined spend what we do). And without cuts to SS, Medicare and Medicaid? I'm actually quite impressed at the gamesmanship on some level.

Politics aren't going to cure the systemic failure we've witnessed in our current Economic model.  The wingnuts are right on one point: Government is part of the problem.  It's going to take a massive grassroots level movement for real change to be implemented and I don't think the American people, as a whole, are brave or interested enough to undertake something on that scale. Which is also why the wingnuts in the Tea Party and Ron Paul gained traction: the path of least resistance (No more evil Big Guberment giving your hard earned tax dollars to lazy minorities and people that don't want to pull themselves up by their bootstraps!) with a good dose of class and race inspired fear mongering.

 

I'm all for decreased Defense budgets but at this point you're dousing the four alarm fire with a thimble.

 

Chumps.  The lot of them.

 

 

Namely, that most people in the US--including especially those for whom voting in favor of conservative politicians espousing such policies is completely contrary to their economic self-interest--are conservative.  That's why they're all chumps.  The greatest trick the Republican party ever pulled was making poor, white folks believe that the GOP is the sole steward of their interests.

God I wish it were true we could avoid defaulting eventually. I hope with all that I am that this deal and what comes of it becomes a positive.

Change is feared by those of low intelligence so of course the majority of people are conservative - it's exactly he same here as well. We live in spoiled, entitled countries where people are comparatively well off and as such overly comfortable.

 

I don't blame low intelligence or poor whites.  I blame fear and selfishness on the part of the (shrinking) middle and working classes.  They're selling these people that you won't have your chance to get into the millionaire's club or take away your consumer based lifestyle with all your trinkets if you don't go along.  This group (predominately white and better educated in most regards than their minority counterparts) aren't as politically or socially organized and conscious as poor or working class minorities.

 

Race has always been used as a divisive tool to shatter solidarity among class and this is firmly a class war.  The foot soldiers are just being brainwashed to believe that their shot at being "one of them" is at stake and they'll end up like the "blacks and Mexicans" if they don't vote for policy that helps them zero and enriches people that could give a flying fuck about them. 

I wasn't sure where to post this but this seems like as a good a thread as any. Here's a great article from Salon regarding the Tea-Party Movement and how it is  basically a Southern neo-Confederate Dixiecrat-like Party of angry old white people. A totally regionaly party that would be doing a lot of us a favor by just secceding from the U.S.

http://www.salon.com/news/tea_parties/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2011/08/02/lind_tea_party

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/08/video-of-the-day-jon-stewart-compares-marc-ambinder-to-harry-potter/242935/

 

It's so frustrating to know that Obama could have negotiated the debt limit as part of the package in which Repubs succeeded in extending the Bush tax cuts.

That video should single handily bring down his presidency because it makes him look like an ineffectual, naive buffoon in light of recent events.

 

There are legions of Conservative Republicans who think George H.W. should have drug this country straight to hell rather than renege on his "read my lips" pledge despite that it helped save the economy (for a time) at the expense of his re-election.  I'm with them: The President should have done the right thing and told them all to go straight to hell.  Instead he got caught in a political game of chicken and he swerved out of the way.

 

 

I posted that link on Facebook and had a lengthy conversation with yt. Hopefully she won't mind me reposting her comments, but she makes some good points. I hope she's right; that Obama knows what he's doing. But it is hard to tell because it isn't really clear what his end goals are and how he hopes to accomplish them. Perhaps that is best so the Reps don't out-strategize him. But in the meantime Obama's tactics are leaving his supporters cold.

 

 

God I'm so sick of the "Obama is playing chess, everyone else is playing checkers" bullshit.

 

If he is indeed playing chess, dude got checkmated a while ago.

PS Tell yt I said hello.

I think it is funny that YT still clings to her Democrat party and her blind allegiance to Obama in the face of the Super Congress.  The Super Congress is a reactionary measure of the status quo borne of the "[Tea Partiers sweeping] not only into the House but into the legislatures of a huge number of states."  Entrenched Washington bureaucrats just sent a message to the plebs that their nobility will not be overcome.  We are Rome and the Republic died, if it were even still alive, yesterday.

 

Despite there being budgetary commissions in the past this one reeks to high heaven.

Kinda like how you cling to the rightwing in the face of all human decency, isn't it.

While she does champion Obama, yt doesn't champion the Dems. In fact she's argued that the two party system is a joke and that people disenchanted with Dems need to funnel their energy into changing how we do elections.

 

In other news, I scored a free ticket to Obama's soiree tonight here in Chicago.  I'll be sure to direct him to this thread if I get a chance.  Maybe have him start on page 39?

Do it.

Haha that's awesome give him a Fist Bump!

Glad to see she realizes somewhat that the system is broken.  She tended to very much lay the whole bought and paid for schtick down on the Republicans when it ought to be very clear nowadays that both parties are entrenched with backdoor money running the show.

 

Should probably go back and edit a few of my posts first.

 

 

Possibly, and at first I was thinking the same thing. I hate all the self-congratulatory back slapping over such routine, destructive bullshit.

But then I read this and I have a slightly interesting take on the whole thing.  The stuff about the way the Triggers work is especially interesting.  

Can you get a prison sentence for calling the POTUS a naive, ineffectual buffoon?  I hope to find out.

The systems been broken since the founding of the damn thing. The only thing that's really changed is the scope and power of forces outside of the electorate (and the citizenry itself) who have a direct (and I'd argue detrimental) influence upon it and the governments they empower.
 

 

Perhaps in Russia.

 

Plus, I don't think I've ever referred to him as naive or a buffoon.  I just think he sucks at his job.

 

Obviously I disagree, the system was a fine system.  It wasn't until the system began being misrepresented as a democracy that things began going to shit.

 

No, that was me.  And the President isn't a magic wizard or a dictator but he's becoming more Clinton-esque by the day without a bubble economy to hide behind.

Didnt realize this:

 

 

 

Good for him.  When the time comes (and I think we can all agree that it will) and Obama is presented with this opportunity, let's see if he actually takes advantage of it.

Ah, my bad.  I'll do my best to pass along the message then.

 

The system was flawed but it had potential.  Every argument in modern day American government can be directly traced to the very founding of the country.  The rhetoric may change but the underlying themes and issues never have.

 

Of course I have and always will be a proponent of the theory that what does not change or adapt will eventually perish. It's an evolutionary principle applied to political thinking but here, at least, exists a system in place where that sort of adaptive change is at least possible.
 

 

Your quote said end of 2012.  I hope to God he doesn't have the opportunity even as a parting fucking shot.
 

 

Thanks for this. Definite food for thought.

Heh

 

Drunken Ben Bernanke Tells Everyone At Neighborhood Bar How Screwed U.S. Economy Really Is

http://www.theonion.com/articles/drunken-ben-bernanke-tells-everyone-at-neighborhoo,21059/

It's never enough, Bluelou. It'll never be low enough for these assholes.

Sensible solutions = enemies of the state.

 

Meanwhile, days like today remind me why I'm happy I don't manage portfolios anymore.  Christ on a crotch.

Yeah, good thing they "compromised" in time.  Good thing they dragged it out forever and then took the rest of the summer off.  Good thing they're so focused on jobs and the economy.  Fucking bullshit makes me sick.

 

But seriously, imagine if they hadn't reached a deal.  What a bunch of assclowns.  

Hey, they worked hard!! Even a few hours on the weekends!!!  (sarcasm)

Yea,  Harry Reid had to miss his fig trees blooming. Try to have some empathy.

Hey, The Closer, fill us in on your Soiree with El Presidente. How was the chicken? Did you get a chance to confront Obama with your critique of his Presidency?

Those Presidents sure know how to throw a party. 

 

Had a decent time.  One of my clients who I work closely with (hence the free ticket) used to be head of fundraising for the DNC and worked on Hillary's, Gore's, and Quinn's campaign so I got to meet a lot of interesting folks.  Traded a funny story with Rahm Emanuel (my wife, who was born in Canada, ran into him while he was shaking hands at an El station about a month before the election.  He went to make baby kissing vote-for-me smalltalk with her, and she replied "I dont want to waste your time - Im not a citizen and can't vote."  He said "bring your husband down here.").  He seems like a douche.

 

Tried to bust out this thread on my Samsung and show Obama but the bastard wouldn't give me the time of day.  He probably read my posts in advance and knew he would have gotten some knowledge bombs dropped on him so he avoided me.

 

But yeah, only saw him from afar.  Still gives a helluva speech.

The Closer.  That's so funny ... Represent!

If lobbyists paid in common sense we'd have a better country.

 

I don't know about you guys but when I spend more than I make I'm usually in trouble and I need to either a. make more money or b. prioritize what's important over what's not or c. find ways to save money.

 

 

 

He's so fucking good. I could listen to him give me oral pleasure all day!

[gulp]

Same here.

 

Wait, what?

 

What about getting a second job or start charging rent from the slacker brother that lives in the guest room but blows all his money on gambling?