What has happened to the Democratic Party of Paul Wellstone? Where have all of the truly bold and visionary progressives gone? Are they hiding under a rock or does the Party Machine not let their voices be heard via the corporate media lest they piss off the corporate sponsors of the Democratic Party? Yes, that is correct, I said Corporate Sponsors of the Democratic Party. After reading the following article, http://www.salon.com/news/opin... I must say it only reinforces the beliefs I have had for the last 12 months.
The Democrats don't care about their base unless it is 9 months before the next election. Then, on cue, they start up with the populist and "working families" rhetoric. After the election is over and they have won, it is right back to "business as usual". They slide up to the lobbyists and continue to do the work of Big Business all the while giving us patronizing quips, gentle pats on the head, and nice, warm fuzzies.
Take, for example, the recent Al Franken rally in Minneapolis. The room was packed and people were cheering for a bill that FORCES PEOPLE TO BUY A PRODUCT THAT IS SO BAD, THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO FORCE PEOPLE TO BUY IT. Unfortunately, it is sadly ironic and masochistic. I am sure there were quite a few people who were questioning the bill, as am I, but you could tell the MoveOn.org, SEIU, HealthCareForAmericaNOW, TakeActionMN, and OFA people were all boldly and vigorously cheering for not only Al Franken but also the bill that the President and Congress will eventually pass.
How is that possible? Why have we, the people of the Democratic Party, become so gullible and misinformed that we are willing to become slaves to the medical insurance industry. If you question that statement, I ask you; what other option is there in the president's plan? How else do I obtain medical insurance except through a private medical insurance company?
I truly believe that if President Bush was offering this very plan the Democratic faithful would be up in arms and frothing at the mouth. However, since someone from our party is in power and is offering the plan, we sit back quietly and say while nodding our head, they must know better.
Bullshit! They don't know better because the facts show that they have sold us out for the campaign contributions by the medical insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the medical device industry, and almost every other sector of health care. I can't believe I just said that. The Democratic Party has sold out the working people for Big Business. Disgusting and pathetic!
Therefore, I forewarn you with great respect and remorse before this legislation becomes law. KILL THE HEALTHCARE REFORM BILL!! KILL THE BILL!! Otherwise, the Democratic Party will no longer be the party of the People. Instead, they will join with the Republicans and be the party for the Power.
First blogged at Outstate Politics. Eric is in MN CD6 (Bachmann's district) and allows people to post. To become an author, e-mail him. Details here.
When's the last time a popular politician "went rogue," flew to China and promptly criticized our President? The answer is in September of 2009, and the politician is Sarah Palin. It worried me since it seemed she was garnering political allies, rather than trying to sell a book.
"...The Alaskan Independence Party's goal is the vote we were entitled to in 1958, one choice from among the following four choices:
1. Remain a Territory.
2. Become a separate and Independent country.
3. Accept Commonwealth status.
4. Become a State.
The call for this vote is in furtherance of the dream of the Alaskan Independence Party's founding father, Joe Vogler, which was for Alaskans to achieve independence under a minimal government (emphasis mine).
I've heard Sarah say she loves America, but I'd like to hear exactly why. I value my government and what it does for me. I understand that we are the government, even when the Republicans have the majority. I value my freedom of speech. I'm for responsible gun ownership (and keeping guns out of the hands of terrorists). I'm not happy about having to wear my seat belt, but I love America.
Recently, Sarah spoke about revolution at a Tea Party gathering and I'm wondering who was listening. Are the majority of Tea Party members patriots, or separatists? The original Boston Tea Party members did, indeed, turn out to be separatists. Are the 21st century Tea Party members only concerned about "no new taxes" (Taxed Enough Already) rather than separation from our Union? (And BTW, Tea Party people, here in Minnesota "no new taxes" resulted in IOU's to our schools, which is a disgrace.)
What's the saying... birds of a feather flock together? Soon Palin is coming to Minnesota's Congressional District 6 to campaign for Republican Michele Bachmann. The very same Michele Bachmann who has been saying we should be armed and dangerous, not pay our taxes, and not complete the census.
It's for certain. If the Palins and Michele Bachmann lived on my street, I'd be wondering, "Just what the heck is going on over there?"
Michele Bachmann's opponents are Tarryl Clark and Maureen Reed, if you'd like to make a donation.
Last night, on AM950 Radio's "Minnesota Matters - Friday Edition" show, we had State Senator Jim Carlson, DFL, SD-38 on, to discuss how Minnesota, under the "fiscally (non)conservative" Gov. Tim Pawlenty got the state into it's latest budgetary mess.
Well, we also talked about The Sons Of Nixon's Plumbers, a story that's not going away, and we played "False or False Witness!" too - Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive's quote is below the fold, at the very end. But, the bulk of the show was how Gov. TBag deliberately put the State into an unbalanced budget, so TBag could exercise Unitary Executive Power (Nixon would be so proud!).
When the podcast/download becomes available, I'll update and link to it.
In the meantime, Senator Carlson's sheet explaining what we talked about is below the fold.
In a nutshell, here's what happened:
The February 2009 Forecast predicted revenues of $31.1 Billion (rounded). Knowing that number, Gov. TBag proceeded signed Spending Bills of $33.8 Billion (rounded) anyway.
This created a deficit from Governor-approved spending (remember, when TBag signed those spending bills, they were now law) and the Feb 2009 Forecast of $2.7 Billion (rounded). A bill to balance that deficit, HF-2323, was passed and presented to Gov. TBag to sign. Except, TBag didn't sign that revenue bill to balance the budget; he vetoed it.
Upon creating an unbalanced budget, TBag immediately claimed unilateral power to fix the problem he created, and then hit the campaign trail. As to TBag's actions creating an anticipated budget problem, then using powers to deal with unanticipated budget problems? The Court was not amused.
So what was wrong with the claim the stimulus produced no jobs? If you guessed the right answer is jobs are growing, sorry, that's the one that's wrong. Well, the "communist Wall Street" answer is wrong too, but if I have to explain to you what's wrong with that concept, I hope your tea party went well. If you picked one or more of the other answers, well done.
Even before we get to evidence or lack thereof, think for a moment: some stimulus money has been spent already. States and cities have plugged budget holes, construction projects got done, and to assert there weren't jobs created or saved means maybe you do think invisible unicorns did the work and didn't demand any pay. That bit of logic says nothing about how many jobs were created or saved, but it should indicate there were more than zero. Maybe you refuse to believe the tax cuts (yes conservatives, your taxes have actually been cut) and unemployment extensions have saved any jobs, but to drive on a fixed road and think there were no jobs --- maybe you shouldn't be allowed to drive.
And do some math. If one employer uses stimulus funds to hire 50 employees, but another employer lays off 60, you are down 10 jobs, but that doesn't mean no jobs were created. If the first employer didn't hire anyone, but would have laid off 50 without the stimulus funds, that's still 50 jobs saved. Though we're likely to say 60 jobs were lost, the fact is whether a new employee is hired, or a layoff is stopped, the effect is the same: one more person is working who otherwise wouldn't have.
I mentioned in the current Fun with Debunking the Right" that when I went looking for an example of conservatives denying the stimulus produced jobs that I could link to, I found an example that turned out to be authored by Michele Bachmann. I wasn't interested in who the author was, but there she was.
And there she is again: I took a moment today to look at the news, and TPM had a story about a Republican Senate candidate, Richard Behney, threatening armed revolt if the teabaggers don't pick up enough seats in 2010. TPM posted the video, and the revolt remarks came early. I think the commenters at TPM just listened to that first part, but I absently left it going while I was thinking about something else, and six minutes in, he said the only tough guys in Congress were Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin. Behney did correct himself about Palin being in Congress. He then bemoaned that something is wrong with the men that the only tough guys are women.
All Bachmann needs is to be spoofed by Tina Fey, and she's reached Sarah Palin status. They're quite different of course. One is an ignorant conspiracy theorist who sounds like a parody of a Minnesota accent, while the other one...oh, never mind.
Michelle Bachmann held a press conference on the steps of the Capital last Thursday. It was called a press conference because she failed to get a permit for a rally. Freedom loving Americans won't allow legal technicalities to get in the way of their right to threaten anybody they see as un-American.
This press conference was made to show the power of the mob.
Bachmann loves the mob. It's this mob that gives her power and she feeds it and it feeds her.
The mob is mindless, angry and confused and in it Bachmann feels that the mob can give her the power that the democratic system has denied her.
The mob sends her money and brings her fame. The mob is followed by TV cameras and Bachmann was made for TV. In The State Senate and the U.S. Congress her vote is meaningless, she has yet to author, co sponsor or sign onto a single meaningful bill, a failure by any definition of the word.
But on the street she has power. The mob shouts that that the President is both a Marxist and National Socialist and Bachmann smiles and tells them they are "beautiful" and they love her for it. The mob says the President is not an American and Bachmann tells them that they need to be armed and dangerous and they have been waiting years to hear that. The mob says the president is both a Muslim and part of the Jewish conspiracy and Bachmann tells them to go forth and spread the word.
Bachmann didn't create the mob, that job was done by others most notably Fox News. But Bachmann saw that the mob had no leader and that opportunity was hers for the taking.
History is filled with examples where the mob elevated their leader to power. The signs that the mob is carrying show two examples of the mob giving power, Hitler and Mao. The irony that they are using the same technique that elevated these tyrants is lost on them but not on her.
A mob feeds on hate and Bachmann is a master at channeling their fears. Turning the mobs anger towards minorities is her stock and trade and she wouldn't be standing here today if she hadn't mastered it.
The tea baggers are the mother lode of modern mobs. It's the first corporate sponsored mob in history since the 3rd Crusade. She's brought them here under the pretext of opposing a bill. But she knows that they are here for a very different reason.
They are here because they fear the future. They say they are here because the future will be controlled by a god hating Muslim, Jewish, Rev. Wright Christian, Maoist, Nazi, new world order liberal. They are really here because of racism. And in Bachmann home district there is no problem with that.
Bachmann and her mob have no equal. There is no effective response to the mob because the opponents dismiss the mob. They continue to cling to the hope that sanity and reason will prevail and it's that hope that allows the mob to grow unchecked.
"Bachmann is crazy" they say, yet she has not lost an election since her first for school board many years ago. Bachmann knows that she will find plenty of demons for the mob to hate and feed on while her opponents will bank on moderation to inspire their campaigns. In the end as Bachmann knows, hate wins.
The Congressional Budget Office has released it's initial analysis of the Republican's version of Health Care Reform. http://cbo.gov/ftpdocs/107xx/d...
Ezra Klein today in his Washington Post blog writes some comments about the CBO's analysis.
The meat of the Klein post:
The Democratic bill, in other words, covers 12 times as many people and saves $36 billion more than the Republican plan. And amazingly, the Democratic bill has already been through three committees and a merger process. It's already been shown to interest groups and advocacy organizations and industry stakeholders. It's already made its compromises with reality. It's already been through the legislative sausage grinder.
What's bothersome about the opposition at this point is that not only does it not offer an alternative that covers more people and saves the government money, they are at this point creating an environment by yelling, "Look over there!", that feeds the paranoia of the fringe, and doesn't add to the nature of the debate.
Today they are "storming the halls" of the US Capitol today with a Representative that wanted to "drive liberals crazy" by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, but then forgot how it goes.
We all make mistakes, sure, but if you're going to try and make a point, you might want to practice beforehand. Oh, and Rep. Akin, you did succeed at driving me crazy, by omitting the word "indivisible" from the pledge and then sort of bumbling to the end.
One of the leaders of the GOP "house call" today in Washington, D.C. is, of course, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who tends to have a problem with the truth. http://www.politifact.com/trut...
What really bothers me is the fringe's continual equating of the Democratic health care reform plan as one that is similar to Hitler's plan to exterminate the Jewish race, perhaps using "death panels."
Joe and Bill have been talking about "things getting ugly." Things have been rhetorically and intellectually ugly for quite a while. Dishonesty has been rampant throughout the health care debate.
This is just another example of the kind of hateful sideshow that pops up along with the activists that might actually try to have some legitimate points:
We need more people from within to speak loudly and publicly against this hateful rhetoric, to stop the madness, and stop fueling the fire of paranoia. I would hope that someone would've asked the sign bearers to put it away. It adds nothing to policy debate, and it creates a theatrical environment where reality and decency no longer apply.
Plus, if you're going to propose opposing policy, make sure it isn't less viable than the policy you're opposing.
While Michele Bachmann was interviewed by Laura Ingraham on her radio show today concerning retired GOP Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (TN) and Bob Dole (KS), Ingraham made some comments about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opposing Bachmann because of her gender. Go figure! And watch below:
Together, we've supported causes and campaigns over the years, many of them near and dear to our hearts. But few campaigns present us with the opportunity to make as significant a change as in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District.
That's why I'm supporting Tarryl Clark in her campaign for Congress. And I hope you'll join me today.
I believe that Tarryl Clark can lead the 6th District in a new direction. She will unite us behind positive solutions - a stark change from the controversial comments and partisan rancor we've seen over the past few years. She will focus her time and efforts on listening to her constituents and turning ideas into action.
She's already done it here in Minnesota. Tarryl is a vigorous campaigner and a tireless leader in the Minnesota Senate.
As a community advocate and then as a State Senator, Tarryl has always stood up for Minnesota's working families. From raising the minimum wage to ensuring our seniors aren't scammed by predatory lenders; from ensuring access to early childhood education to investing in our state's treasured colleges and universities; from strengthening reintegration services for our returning veterans to building our transportation infrastructure, Tarryl has always fought for our families and our communities.
I'm proud to call Tarryl my friend, and I know that she will make a tremendous Member of Congress.
But to get there, she needs your support today.
I hope you will join me in supporting Tarryl's campaign for Congress. Your contribution of $250, $100, $50, or whatever you can afford will help ensure Tarryl's campaign is off to a strong start.
Minnesota has a long tradition of electing people with a deep-rooted belief in public service. Tarryl Clark will continue that tradition, and I ask you to join me in supporting her campaign.
Sincerely,
Walter F. Mondale
p.s. Tarryl's first fundraising deadline is tomorrow - September 30th. Please join me in supporting Tarryl's campaign and make your contribution today.
Bachmann heaps praise on O'Reilly and Beck: That's where people want to go to find the truth.
In an interview with Fox News, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) kissed up to Bill O'Reilly and his audience, telling producer Jesse Watters, "The Factor is the factor. That's what's important." Bachmann then showered O'Reilly and Glenn Beck with her praise:
People vote with their feet. And they love Bill O'Reilly; they love Glenn Beck. They love the shows that are on Fox. That's what matters. Because people want to go where they can find truth. They obviously aren't finding truth over on some of these other channels.
Bachmann has gone on Fox News to claim health care reform is unconstitutional, that the Census is dangerous because it was used to intern the Japanese, and that Alaskan caribou favor oil drilling because they like the the warmth of the pipeline. Together, the Fox News network and Bachmann create a very "truthy" tag-team.
Michele Bachmann is crazy in a lot of ways. If you're reading this blog, you probably know that. One of her most outrageous examples of that is her denialism and lies about global climate change and the cost of federal action on climate change to avoid the devastating effects of climate change.
She has been doing this by making wild and incorrect claims to scare the American people into opposing climate action. She's thrown out a lot of figures, for example in a op-ed she wrote for the Avista Capital Partners-owned Star Tribune in which she claimed the cost of climate action would be between $3,128 and $4,000 per household. To combat climate action she's called for 'Armed and Dangerous' Opposition.
But as we learned today her fearmongering is far, far from the truth. In reality the modest climate action being considered by Congress now in the form of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) would likely cost $5 dollars a year or less per household, and that's without factoring in the negatives economic impacts of climate change that would be averted with this action.
The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) released a report about the economic impacts of H.R. 2454 (ACES) at the request of Rep. Dave Camp, a Republican from Michigan. And here's what they found: the average household would spend a minuscule amount to reduce global warming pollution. Their analysis determined "that the net annual economywide cost of the cap-and-trade program in 2020 would be $22 billion-or about $175 for the average household." To put that in perspective, 48 cents per day - a tiny bit more than the cost of a postage stamp - to avoid climate change. In fact, households in the lowest economic quintile would see an average net benefit of about $40 in 2020.
But the CBO is certainly overestimating the what the costs would really be. It only estimates the economic impact of the cap and trade "title" of the bill and does not factor in the other major parts of the bill dealing with energy efficiency and renewable energy which would significantly lower economic impacts. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy estimates that the efficiency provisions alone could save $170 per household in 2020. The math is easy. That's nearly as much as the CBO estimates the total cost per household to be which makes the cost of climate action a mere $5 a year per household in America or a little bit more then a penny a day.
And even that estimate is likely far overstating the costs of action. Most environmental regulations cost much less then originally estimated, for example the actual cost of the Clean Air Act of 1990 was just one quarter of original EPA estimates.
So when you hear politicians like Michelle Bachmann lying about the costs of climate action remember what the truth is. Climate action will cost per household at most, will create 30,000 new jobs in Minnesota and prevent the worst impacts of climate change which could hit Minnesotans, particularly our farmers. Unfortunately Minnesota's Rep. Colin Peterson is leading the fight to block climate change action with some of the same Bachmannesque denialism which is sadly being enabled by Rep. Tim Walz who helping him delay progress until Peterson's demands to weaken the American Clean Energy and Security Act are met. It's too bad that Minnesota Democrats are standing in the way of climate action that will help the farmers in their districts and create new jobs for their constituents. I'll have more on that soon.
(Fact checking is one of the most admirable of missions. So I love the effort involved in this article, demonstrating the truth! - promoted by Grace Kelly)
(I am a Bachmann analysis junkie, for I cannot figure why she is fundraising MORE money. - promoted by Grace Kelly)
Smart Politics implies Michele Bachmann's mad pursuit of the national right wing media is a strategy for raising money at home.
In short, Congresswoman Bachmann's increased profile is generating her more support at the grass roots level - particularly in Minnesota. This growth can be seen by the fact that Bachmann raised 77.3 percent more money in contributions from individuals in Q1 2009 than in Q1 2007. Bachmann even raised 5.0 percent more money from individuals in Q1 2009 than in Q1 2008 - an election year.
Now, Eric Ostermeier of Smart Politics has a PhD in Political Science and I only have a BA in Detecting BS, but I do beg to differ.
First, we don't know if there is any correlation between national media appearances and increased fundraising of any type. Second, the sort of national media Rep. Bachmann is pursuing - Hannity, Glenn Beck, O'Reilly, etc. - are the most receptive outlet for her extremist views. Actual news media, including those in her home district, have higher standards. (Do read the St. Cloud Times link.)
Believe it or not, there was a day when journalists, pundits, and anchors told a straight story to the public. However, over the years and after many relentless attacks by conservatives, the media morphed into a mouthpiece for both the left and the right, allowing anything to be propagated over the airwaves. Fast forward to today, and we are now seeing mega-media outlets heavily slanting their coverage to one end of the spectrum over another.
It is safe to say that conservatives feel that the media has always been biased toward liberal thought, but what is alarming is that this has really never been the case. The media has stood for, and sometimes even acted as, the last full measure of devotion to our founding principles as a nation. It is the conservative movement, in all its glory, that has brought our media to its knees.
I had started to believe that these former champions of liberty such as Edward R. Murrow, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were mere figments of media imagination. That was until today.
There is now one faint glimmer of hope that a change is on the horizon, and it appears that the Saint Cloud Times is the leader of a new media era.
America the Great. We the People. Personal Freedom and Liberty. Democracy. Democrat. Republican. It's OUR history, and we're in this together.
Just when our nation is heaving, sighing, sobbing and looking for hope, some are calling for irresponsible and dangerous behavior.
In Minnesota, Republican Michele Bachmann is an example of such an extremist. Google Bachmann and you'll read about recent, absurd behavior. One thing for sure, she certainly isn't calling for Americans to help each other.
Today's extremists, who might be concerned about power and individual liberty, could simply make sure proper checks and balances are incorporated. Instead, there seems to be an effort to rouse fear and hate.
Good people are losing their jobs, homes, and health care. The new administration under Obama is doing everything it can to help the middle class. So, at this crucial time, a time when we need to bind together to overcome adversity, what should we do about those who call for division? The matter needs to be addressed.
