I have been saying for months that President Obama's team will be framing the 2012 election as a choice of continuing to move forward or going backward (to the Bush years). It is a natural theme and maybe the only one they have.
During the primaries it became pretty obvious the Republican field was offering a warmed over version of the Bush Presidency. The one notable exception was Herman Cain. The only thing new in the Republican Primary was his 9-9-9 plan. Whether it made sense or not was irrelevant, it was a new idea.
As Romney outlasted the second tier of the Republican field it became clear that the forward vs. backward theme was going to fit.
In attempt to be as objective as possible I see Romney's platform as cut lower taxes to even lower levels than Bush, talk aggressive in areas of foreign policy, return our Health Care system to the way it was 4 years ago and.... let me know if I am missing something.
There have been several hints of the Obama Team setting up the continue forward or go backward theme. Well today they have unleashed it in full color glory with the following video.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
One Day - MLK
I came across the following article. It states the Martin Luther King Jr.s "I have a dream" speech is not public domain. It stated that Sony was sending takedown notices. While I should have posted this yesterday. Here it is.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Thursday, December 8, 2011
What a difference 4 years make
Two ads by GOP candidates for President. The 1st from Governor Mike Huckabee in 2007 and the 2nd by Governor Rick Perry in 2011.
I don't agree with Governor Huckabee on a lot of issues. However, this was a classy and effective ad.
I agree with Governor Perry even less. I hope this is simply indicative of his own personal lack of class and not a reflection on the GOP as a whole.
This might be a good time for Sister Sarah to do some "refudiating".
BONUS VIDEO:
I don't agree with Governor Huckabee on a lot of issues. However, this was a classy and effective ad.
I agree with Governor Perry even less. I hope this is simply indicative of his own personal lack of class and not a reflection on the GOP as a whole.
This might be a good time for Sister Sarah to do some "refudiating".
BONUS VIDEO:
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
OWS / Tea Party: Two sides of the same coin
I happened upon this post after following a couple of links on the subject of OWS and the Tea Party.
I mentioned in a post a couple of days ago my belief that moneyed interest were able to hijack the sentiment and passion of the Tea Party Movement and misdirect it through slight of hand.
Blogger James Sinclair posits his opinions on the similarities of the two movements in his post Occupy Wall Street vs. The Tea Party.
The fact that there is a very large group of people in America that are reacting to the increasingly "large and powerful influence of large corporations" scare politicians that rely on said powerful large corporations. This is one major reason you will see the establishment right wing and the corporatist attempt divide the two movements. You will see the elite attempt to dismiss and undermine the validity of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
If the supporters of these two movements were to combine their anger and energy in the same direction it would be a force for true change in America.
Maybe the best part of Mr. Sinclair's post was his third footnote.
I mentioned in a post a couple of days ago my belief that moneyed interest were able to hijack the sentiment and passion of the Tea Party Movement and misdirect it through slight of hand.
"Voters can be persuaded that their moral well being is more important than their financial well being. What I have been amazed at and confused by was how successful the Rick Santellis, Koch Brothers, Karl Roves, Grover Norquists etc could fool these voters with financial issues."
Blogger James Sinclair posits his opinions on the similarities of the two movements in his post Occupy Wall Street vs. The Tea Party.
"We should pay less attention to the individual lunatics, and more attention to what a movement is really about. Occupy Wall Street, at its core, is a reaction to the increasing power and influence of large corporations. The Tea Party, at its core, is a reaction to the government's constant interference with private enterprise. But wait a minute—aren't those things connected?"
The fact that there is a very large group of people in America that are reacting to the increasingly "large and powerful influence of large corporations" scare politicians that rely on said powerful large corporations. This is one major reason you will see the establishment right wing and the corporatist attempt divide the two movements. You will see the elite attempt to dismiss and undermine the validity of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
If the supporters of these two movements were to combine their anger and energy in the same direction it would be a force for true change in America.
Maybe the best part of Mr. Sinclair's post was his third footnote.
By all means, leave a comment if you think I'm wrong, but it's a myth that big corporations are anti-government, right? They don't want to have to compete in a free market, they want to "compete" in an artificially restricted market.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
An attempt to dismiss Occupy Wall Street: Rebutted
5 Myths of Occupy Wall Street
1) Myth: The protesters are pushing for anarchy, support violence and communism.
2) Myth: Most Occupy Wall Street protesters don’t know what they’re protesting.
3) Myth: The protest is simply a liberal tea party.
4) Myth: Occupy Wall Street is a paid group aimed at re-electing Obama.
5) Myth: The protesters are hypocrites. They say they hate the banks, but they bank. They buy from big corporations. They’ve been spotted at McDonalds.
David Weidner of MarketWatch debunks the 5 basic myths
1) Myth: The protesters are pushing for anarchy, support violence and communism.
2) Myth: Most Occupy Wall Street protesters don’t know what they’re protesting.
3) Myth: The protest is simply a liberal tea party.
4) Myth: Occupy Wall Street is a paid group aimed at re-electing Obama.
5) Myth: The protesters are hypocrites. They say they hate the banks, but they bank. They buy from big corporations. They’ve been spotted at McDonalds.
David Weidner of MarketWatch debunks the 5 basic myths
The devils greatest trick was convincing the world he didn't exist
The greatest hoax of the last couple of decades has been the ability of the right wing to co-opt members of the struggling lower middle class and lower class and pretend they speak for them while enacting policies that enable the super-rich.
I understand how the super rich have been able to use social issues to achieve this goal. Voters can be persuaded that their moral well being is more important than their financial well being. What I have been amazed at and confused by was how successful the Rick Santellis, Koch Brothers, Karl Roves, Grover Norquists etc could fool these voters with financial issues.
The quote above comes from John Cole over at www.balloon-juice.com and his post title Long Division
To clarify for those that need clarifying, I am not suggesting that rich = devil. There is just a familiarity with what has occurred over the past 30 years and the old saying about the devil.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Understanding Occupy Wall Street
Moderate to Conservative Blogger Andrew Sullivan discusses the movement and it's necessity.
Why Occupy Wall Street is here to Stay
Why Occupy Wall Street is here to Stay
This is not socialism. It's pointing out how capitalism, unchecked by government, can kill itself. But if this issue is left unresolved or defended in the brain-dead fashion of many in the GOP, it will soon become so.
Impassioned, Informed, Enraged.
Is America primed for a progressive populist movement. I often felt that much of the rage of the tea party was reasonable but somehow misdirected. I will suggest that the Koch Brothers, Dick Armey, Grover Norquist's etc. were successful in manipulating outrage at Wall street and outrage about Barack Obama's election intertwined it and directed the outrage away from the root cause.
Occupy Wall Street is redirecting the rage back toward the causes of our current situation. Now when you have a movement that is as open as suggesting we are the 99% there are going to be people on the fringes speaking out and many members of a media that are ruled by ratings will be focusing on these few.
Right now there are few people speaking to the rage with as much knowledge and passion as Elizabeth Warren. Check out this latest video where Warren provides a historical breakdown:
Occupy Wall Street is redirecting the rage back toward the causes of our current situation. Now when you have a movement that is as open as suggesting we are the 99% there are going to be people on the fringes speaking out and many members of a media that are ruled by ratings will be focusing on these few.
Right now there are few people speaking to the rage with as much knowledge and passion as Elizabeth Warren. Check out this latest video where Warren provides a historical breakdown:
Friday, October 7, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Herman Cain takes the lead
Public Policy Polling (a democratic, but highly accurate polling firm) has ran 3 state polls over the past week and Herman Cain has used his bounce from the Florida straw poll to take the lead in all three.
West Virginia, Nebraska,and North Carolina shows Cain in the lead over Gingrich and followed by the field. This tells us a couple of important things, 1) the GOP base has not settled on anyone (specially on Romney) and is still looking 2) that debates matter.
June 2nd. That was when I wrote my post about watching out of Cain. We will have to see how things play out in the next couple of weeks to see if his bounce lasts or if Christie might burst his bubble.
Herman Cain may have put the nail in Perry's short lived misadventure into national politics. The story of Perry's hunting camp the racist signage present might have been manageable with the GOP base that would instinctively rallied around Perry as being the victim of a liberal media witch hunt. Herman Cain spoke up and has put Perry in a corner on the is story and more importantly Perry's supporters. This could be a very good sign of Cain's ability to go for the kill.
The Question remains is Cain simply the latest Palin, Trump, Bachmann, Perry or will he maintain his upper level of support once he weathers increased media scrutiny. My biggest question is in all his time on the radio subbing for Neil Bortz is there audio that is going to be difficult to defend.
Here are some thoughts on some of the questions I asked above. They come from progressive organization Mother Jones , but are quoting leading conservatives.
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/10/herman-cain-rick-perry-niggerhead-controversy
West Virginia, Nebraska,and North Carolina shows Cain in the lead over Gingrich and followed by the field. This tells us a couple of important things, 1) the GOP base has not settled on anyone (specially on Romney) and is still looking 2) that debates matter.
June 2nd. That was when I wrote my post about watching out of Cain. We will have to see how things play out in the next couple of weeks to see if his bounce lasts or if Christie might burst his bubble.
Herman Cain may have put the nail in Perry's short lived misadventure into national politics. The story of Perry's hunting camp the racist signage present might have been manageable with the GOP base that would instinctively rallied around Perry as being the victim of a liberal media witch hunt. Herman Cain spoke up and has put Perry in a corner on the is story and more importantly Perry's supporters. This could be a very good sign of Cain's ability to go for the kill.
The Question remains is Cain simply the latest Palin, Trump, Bachmann, Perry or will he maintain his upper level of support once he weathers increased media scrutiny. My biggest question is in all his time on the radio subbing for Neil Bortz is there audio that is going to be difficult to defend.
Here are some thoughts on some of the questions I asked above. They come from progressive organization Mother Jones , but are quoting leading conservatives.
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/10/herman-cain-rick-perry-niggerhead-controversy
RedState, Erick Erickson concluded, "It also seems to be a slander Herman Cain is picking up and running with as a way to get into second place." Glenn Reynolds remarked that until now, Cain's "big appeal is that he's not just another black race-card-playing politician." Over at the Daily Caller, Matt Lewis called Cain's remarks "a cheap shot, and, perhaps a signal that Cain is willing to play the race card against a fellow Republican when it benefits him."
Sunday, September 25, 2011
The Herminator wins in Florida Straw Poll
After Herman Cain's surprise win in Florida yesterday I thought I would link back to a quick post I put up earlier in the summer.
Election Perspective
Election Perspective
My only point at this time is,I expect Mr. Cain to gain some more serious traction in the near future within the Tea Party segment of the Republican party. If Palin doesn't run (which I have serious doubts that she will) a sizable portion of her base could follow Mr. Cain.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The end of DADT
I respect and thank all those who have and continue to serve our country. A special thanks to those that did so with an extra weight on their shoulders.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tea Party Congressman Calls For Tax Breaks To Put Out Raging Wildfire In District
The Onion breaks the story
Tea Party Congressman Calls For Tax Breaks To Put Out Raging Wildfire In District
Yes it is a lazy way to blog, but damn the Onion can be spot on.
Tea Party Congressman Calls For Tax Breaks To Put Out Raging Wildfire In District
"We must act now. The longer the oppressive tax burden on honest, hardworking individuals remains unaddressed, the larger and more deadly this fire will become."
Yes it is a lazy way to blog, but damn the Onion can be spot on.
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