Friday, January 29, 2010

Mr. President, I'll Gladly Eat More Crow...

...if you continue what you'd done over the past few days.

President Obama showed today, by going into the lion's den, he is a capable and highly skilled political leader. The format with the Republicans in some ways resembled the UK's questions for the Prime Minister, and was just as compelling for those who follow this type of discourse. Obama used his intelligence ans unflappability to show, in their own forum, how petulant and revisionist the Republicans are. He commanded the debate by pointing out the hypocrisy and inconsistency in the Republicans assertions, particularly about the stimulus and health care reform. He took the GOP to the woodshed and gave them a spanking.

Obama operated from the standpoint of the incontrovertible and left the opposition with no valid truthful response. Moreover, he made no demands that the Republicans simply fall in line for his proposals, he simply asked them to engage in the process of politics, versus obstruction. It was masterful, and the GOP has to feel on notice: Obama is more formidable than we may think. I'm thankful for that.

Mr. President, I'm ready for more crow.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Obama - It Doesn't Seem Like He's Going To Get It

Tonight, in his State of the Union address, President Obama is expected to call for a three-year freeze on discretionary spending. Despite the economy continuing to stagnate, Mr. Obama has decided, counter to the best economic minds in the country, to curtail government's role as the spender of last resort, and go along with the proposal made by his election opponent, John McCain.

Every time I hear some Republican politician, strategist, spokesperson or shill suggest that the president move to the right and adopt GOP ideas I wonder if Mr. Obama asks himself what I ask myself: When was the last time Republicans were right about anything?

Republicans have been wrong about trickle-down economics, they've been wrong about Iran, and torture. They were wrong about family leave and wanting to let individuals invest their Social Security savings in the stock market. They've been on the wrong side of history on civil rights, women's rights, and gay rights. Over the past 30 years, on the biggest issues, the Republicans have been consistently wrong, and yet the spineless ConservaDems, Blue Dogs, and the conflict-averse president can't wait to kowtow to them. Mike Pence goes on TV and lies that the Republicans have tried, in good faith, to work with the president, and is not even mildly rebutted by the often bombastic Dylan Ratigan. Those two can be substituted by a dozen other GOP pols or news-biz hosts, and you'd witness the same thing; near lapdog compliance with the right-wing's narrative.

Despite polling to the contrary, the Democratic loss of the Massachusetts' Senate seat has been spun by the Republicans and the malleable media to be a referendum on Obama going too far left. The facts, as stated by the results of the survey, are the opposite; the majority feels that Obama has not gone far enough.

This latest rush to embrace another bad Republican idea continues to assure such facts will not interfere with Obama's insistence of fealty to the Republicans and the ConservaDems. "Fighter", indeed.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Mass. Grave

The chickens have come home to roost.

The utter stupidity by the Obama Administration is dwarfed only by those media hacks who believe Coakley's loss is because the country's gone more to the left.

The thing Obama still doesn't seem to get is his election was a bold action by Americans who, using politics as their mirror, wanted bold action in return. Meekly begging for a non-arriving bi-partisanship is not bold. Turning the bully pulpit over to Max Baucus is not bold. Talking tough to Wall Street bankers while giving them the gentlest of handjobs under the table is not bold. And away go your independents.

Running away from repealing DADT, caving in to Joe Lieberman, abandoning the public option, and ratcheting up the fighting overseas loses you the base. When the Democrats called over the weekend looking for my help, I said "Fuck 'em!" I can't fight beside those who don't, and I know I was far from alone. The White House has the names and numbers. Why don't they do a poll and see how many Dem volunteers sat this one out? I bet that'll open some eyes.

If the White House is dumb enough to move further to the right, they deserve the rout they'll encounter this Election Day.