Well, I've survived the first week of being on my own. Now, on to matters of greater import.
Back in 2008, We, the People elected a fellow name Barack Hussein Obama to be the president of these here United States. He won rather handily, with 52.9% of the popular vote compared with 45.7% for John McCain. Those numbers are outside the statistical margin of error.
In order to run for POTUS, Senator Obama had to provide proof of natural born citizenship. This was easy enough. His mother was unquestionably from Kansas. He could've been born on Mars...or in Panama like his opponent Senator McCain, and he still would've been a natural born citizen of these here United States by virtue that his mother was a citizen.
Senator Obama became the first black president of these here United States. With 52.9% of the vote, more than just black people voted for him. He had the numbers, he won, and he was declared the winner.
And it's been downhill ever since.
No Drama Obama is a smart guy and We, the People, elected him because President Bush II was neither of those things and that proved to be deadly for We, the People. We wanted a guy who wouldn't drag us back into war; in fact, we wanted to be pulled out of a war we had no business being in. We wanted someone who could right the ship of economy in such a way that it would not be another half-baked-quick-slipshod-shady-bargain-in-the-shuk kinda of fix and we got exactly that: a slow steady recovery, not as fast as some would've liked, but steadily upward. And if it wasn't for this new pseudo-war into which the House would like to drag us, we might be okay.
But we're not.
From the beginning, Fruit Loops like Donald Trump and the Tea Bags have continued this birther bullshit. The confederacy of GOP congressclowns have done everything possible to sabotage this government, including stopping the government. No other president, not even William Jefferson Clinton and his traveling penis extravaganza, has been subjected to the kind of derogatory and defamatory rhetoric that is currently being broadcast masquerading as campaign-speech....and it isn't even a presidential campaign.
Don't get me wrong; the Democrats are not exactly the poster children for clean campaiging. Both sides own a piece of this action. But what is getting my knickers all twisted is the abject evil implication of this campaign season. Not that it's ever been clean, fair, or on point, but there is an undercurrent which began with the election of a black president and has escalated into something that shames this nation wholesale. Then venom with which the President's name is spit out in those ads is grotesque. Not President Obama...just Obama, as if he is not worthy of being President of the United States.
And then it all spills into the local campaigns: they're not about ideas, they're about fear. The issue is not policy, the issue is how to hide croneyism. It's certainly about not about We, the People, it's about deep pockets. And it sure as hell isn't about electing a Congress that will work for the betterment of this nation.
The process has devolved into nothing more than fodder for the chat shows and the butt end of one-liners.
Our little Minnesota 2nd won Bill Maher's Flip-A-District Contest. I had hoped that this would give a bit of a boost to Oberbobermober...but he's functionally invisible. Kline now has ads running on television, but Oberbober has nothing. He couldn't even manage to parlay Maher's visit into anything. His people let Kline's mouthpiece run amok on Bill Maher rather than use the spotlight to get his message out. This isn't a campaign; this is that butt end of a joke.
That's a shame. Kline, a guy who's never met a checkbook lobbyist he didn't like, will continue to suck up more oxygen in Congress where he does nothing. Says nothing. Accomplishes nothing. He's actually pretty dumb, and if you ever have the misfortune to listen to one of his town hall meetings, you'll know what I mean. Porch light is flickering and there ain't nobody home in there. Instead, he is a shill for the Tea Bags and the other neo-cons who fight to keep America in the dark ages. Kline has sold his soul, his conscience, and his vocal cords to the Koch brothers and my district is going to send that mindless marionette back to Washington without so much as a decent squawk. Makes me want to barf.
Just so you know...this is what set me off this week: images. The images used in a number of ads created by the National GOP election committee are right out of George Orwell and Nazi, Germany. They are dark, distorted, and subliminal. There is an image that keeps popping up and disappearing: the candidate (or I believe in one ad, it's POTUS) with his right arm outstretched waving at the crowd. But the way the ad is cut, it looks like a Nazi salute. There is a subtle intimation that these guys are Nazis. I thought it was me, and then someone else mentioned it, and then two other people mentioned it. It's no accident; nor is it all that subtle. It's fascism. And in case you don't remember what fascism actually means:
Don't believe me? Listen to James Risen's talk about protecting his sources and his new book PAY ANY PRICE on PBS Newshour.
Fasten your seat belts, people, we are in for a very bumpy ride.
Senator Obama became the first black president of these here United States. With 52.9% of the vote, more than just black people voted for him. He had the numbers, he won, and he was declared the winner.
And it's been downhill ever since.
No Drama Obama is a smart guy and We, the People, elected him because President Bush II was neither of those things and that proved to be deadly for We, the People. We wanted a guy who wouldn't drag us back into war; in fact, we wanted to be pulled out of a war we had no business being in. We wanted someone who could right the ship of economy in such a way that it would not be another half-baked-quick-slipshod-shady-bargain-in-the-shuk kinda of fix and we got exactly that: a slow steady recovery, not as fast as some would've liked, but steadily upward. And if it wasn't for this new pseudo-war into which the House would like to drag us, we might be okay.
But we're not.
From the beginning, Fruit Loops like Donald Trump and the Tea Bags have continued this birther bullshit. The confederacy of GOP congressclowns have done everything possible to sabotage this government, including stopping the government. No other president, not even William Jefferson Clinton and his traveling penis extravaganza, has been subjected to the kind of derogatory and defamatory rhetoric that is currently being broadcast masquerading as campaign-speech....and it isn't even a presidential campaign.
Don't get me wrong; the Democrats are not exactly the poster children for clean campaiging. Both sides own a piece of this action. But what is getting my knickers all twisted is the abject evil implication of this campaign season. Not that it's ever been clean, fair, or on point, but there is an undercurrent which began with the election of a black president and has escalated into something that shames this nation wholesale. Then venom with which the President's name is spit out in those ads is grotesque. Not President Obama...just Obama, as if he is not worthy of being President of the United States.
And then it all spills into the local campaigns: they're not about ideas, they're about fear. The issue is not policy, the issue is how to hide croneyism. It's certainly about not about We, the People, it's about deep pockets. And it sure as hell isn't about electing a Congress that will work for the betterment of this nation.
The process has devolved into nothing more than fodder for the chat shows and the butt end of one-liners.
Our little Minnesota 2nd won Bill Maher's Flip-A-District Contest. I had hoped that this would give a bit of a boost to Oberbobermober...but he's functionally invisible. Kline now has ads running on television, but Oberbober has nothing. He couldn't even manage to parlay Maher's visit into anything. His people let Kline's mouthpiece run amok on Bill Maher rather than use the spotlight to get his message out. This isn't a campaign; this is that butt end of a joke.
That's a shame. Kline, a guy who's never met a checkbook lobbyist he didn't like, will continue to suck up more oxygen in Congress where he does nothing. Says nothing. Accomplishes nothing. He's actually pretty dumb, and if you ever have the misfortune to listen to one of his town hall meetings, you'll know what I mean. Porch light is flickering and there ain't nobody home in there. Instead, he is a shill for the Tea Bags and the other neo-cons who fight to keep America in the dark ages. Kline has sold his soul, his conscience, and his vocal cords to the Koch brothers and my district is going to send that mindless marionette back to Washington without so much as a decent squawk. Makes me want to barf.
Just so you know...this is what set me off this week: images. The images used in a number of ads created by the National GOP election committee are right out of George Orwell and Nazi, Germany. They are dark, distorted, and subliminal. There is an image that keeps popping up and disappearing: the candidate (or I believe in one ad, it's POTUS) with his right arm outstretched waving at the crowd. But the way the ad is cut, it looks like a Nazi salute. There is a subtle intimation that these guys are Nazis. I thought it was me, and then someone else mentioned it, and then two other people mentioned it. It's no accident; nor is it all that subtle. It's fascism. And in case you don't remember what fascism actually means:
Fascists sought to unify their nation through an authoritarian state that promoted the mass mobilization of the national community and were characterized by having leadership that initiated a revolutionary political movement aiming to reorganize the nation along principles according to fascist ideology. Fascist movements shared certain common features, including the veneration of the state, a devotion to a strong leader, and an emphasis on ultranationalism and militarism. Fascism views political violence, war, and imperialism as a means to achieve national rejuvenation, and it asserts that stronger nations have the right to expand their territory by displacing weaker nations. [from Wikipedia]This is the direction the GOP and the war mongers are pushing us...neo fascism. Without war, profiteers lose money. Spending our tax dollars on stuff like infrastructure, schools, and roads does not benefit them. Keeping the war machine churning out 2.5 million dollar toilet seats does.
Don't believe me? Listen to James Risen's talk about protecting his sources and his new book PAY ANY PRICE on PBS Newshour.
Fasten your seat belts, people, we are in for a very bumpy ride.
The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week
When Jeb Bush runs for president....that's when to start really worrying.
Senator Obama became the first black president of these here United States.
ReplyDeleteNo, he didn't. That was Bill Clinton. Obama is the first gay president, however.
Susan, you were very undiplomatic in your use of the words tea bag. Since we are are definitions- lets be very clear about what defines tea bag as it is used by the progressive community. To tea bag is to lay your testicles on someones face.
If you are a 1%er, you would very happy with Mr. Obama. If you are a Wall Street banker, you would be very happy with Mr. Obama. If you are an interventionist (progressive) you might be happy with Mr. Obama. If you own a golf course, you might be happy with Mr. Obama. Me- I'm a U.S. Navy veteran. He's done little to show me he respects the military. Corpsmen- really? The salute with the cup in his hand (to me as a military man) was an absolute slap in the face. I was involved in the evacuation of Vietnam, I was involved in the rescue of the USS Mayaguez and I was involved in the cold war chess game with the Soviet Navy. I have much to be proud of when I salute the stars 'n stripes. I don't have much to be proud of when I consider how belittling our President has been to the US Military. You may have a different take, but I'm pretty sure you've only viewed military operations from afar.
=doug=
I have a rather hard time with the "cute" name changes... It tends to put the entire the entire piece at a 5th grade level... And I know that you are far above that...
ReplyDeletePlease continue to do well with your new life situation.
Doug, I salute your service. Every member of the military deserves respect and we thank you for what you did. However, that doesn't mean your views are universal or based in facts. Instead, they are more often based in Fox.
ReplyDeleteAs a member of the military, I'm not at all offended by President Obama. Yes, he "saluted" with a coffee cup in his hand. However, CIVILIANS DON'T SALUTE and YOU DON'T SALUTE UNLESS IN UNIFORM. President's didn't salute at all (including former-General Eisenhower) until Reagan mistakenly saluted and decided he'd just double-down on the mistake.
Yes, he's removed us from wars and tried to restrain our involvement in conflicts which it seems we necessarily must participate (e.g. combating ISIS). While he hasn't asked for Congressional authorization (which I see as a mistake), he hasn't committed ground troops without support or based on lies either. He respects the military enough to not risk lives unnecessarily. There are military commanders that disagree with him, but that is why we have civilian control of the military. They focus on the war fighting and tactics, civilian leaders tell them if the country deems the risks worth the costs. Every soldier wants to do his duty, but sometimes it's not a bad thing to have someone holding you back when the circumstances call for it.
Yes, bankers and big money are happy...despite everything Obama has tried to do to spread the wealth. How can the man be both a communist and a oligarch? He's made the changes he's been able to, and with this Republican House (and filibustering Senate) most of things that have passed have focused the benefits on the top-tier while they helped everyone else along to some degree as well.
Your golf course comment is plain idiocy. Yes, Obama plays golf. So have many other presidents. If you look at the FACTS you'll see his vacation days are miniscule compared to those of GWB and many others. Hell, Reagan didn't even want to come back to work when the Soviets shot down a commercial airliner - no big deal!
President Obama is not perfect, but he is not the soulless fascist, socialist, communist, oligarch that you make him out to be. Really, those things can't even align.
Citizens United...Corporations are People...Money is Speech...Our democracy is on the edge of becoming transformed forever. An appeal to racism underlies all the right wing attacks. I will vote November 4, I've donated my $25 or $50 as I could afford to candidates I support and I'm walking precincts and talking to voters. But against all the money, I dread the results of this mid-term election as more and more voters lose interest in voting as a result of the propaganda campaign by the right wing.
ReplyDeleteLuke- I also 'salute' you for your service. Your mom tells me how very proud she is of your military career. Good luck (in Washington DC, right?). OK, so the golf course comment is off the wall, but it's still something us conservatives have in our back pocket (same as liberals using FAUX news to combat conservatives). Well, I guess we also have MSLSD to hold against you, as well :).
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty, I don't hold Obama responsible for the many many travesties that have occurred on his watch, but I don't give him a pass either. Holder, Rice, Lerner, and others have no been forthcoming with the American people. Yet Benghazi, fast & furious, the IRS scandal & others must be put on hold and we have to come together as Americans to combat the serious Ebola & ISIS issues we now face. British Air, Air France & many other top airlines in the world have suspended flights to/from W.Africa, and the US is still wavering, as Mr. Obama said "it would be bad for the African economy". I'd say- let's see where this goes, but from this moment on, every single American's security is threatened, as by January, worldwide nearly 1 million will die worldwide from Ebola. We don't have anywhere close to a handle on this and we don't have a contingency plan beyond the miminum requirements set by the CDC. We are a country - no .... we are a world in peril.
-doug-