I walk the line
July 13th, 2011 | 
Author: In the news: Casey Anthony wasn’t convicted of murdering her daughter. Why do we give a damn? She probably did it but all evidence was circumstantial. There was no cause of death and no motive so get over it. I hear some English royalty arrived here in Southern California the other day. Again, who cares? I don’t. I can’t find a reason to. Apparently our women won some soccer contest. Good for you if it matters. Rupert Murdoch appears to be in real trouble over some obtuse fuckery hitherto unseen. This thing with Murdoch will be fascinating. Vulgar and salacious. Obscene and untoward. I’d love to see him suffer because he just might be the world’s hugest asshole.
Anyway.
Obama and the debt ceiling.
He blinks too soon. Almost always.
We need a president who wields not just a sword or an axe, but an electrically or pneumatically powered tool when it comes to policy. Just like the last one except he was stupid and Obama is smart. His wife said rather famously that if he could walk on water they’d accuse him of not being able to swim. So be it. That’s where we are. Own it Mr. President. Why behave in public if you’re living on a playground?
Just how much the electorate cares about our debt and the deficit is debatable but that level of concern sure as hell isn’t anywhere near what it is for jobs and incomes in a sustained state of atrophy.
I’m flirting with the notion of becoming a member of the “professional left”. That is, if I’m not already. This president could have quite literally been among the greatest in the relatively short history of America. He could have. I don’t care about the color of his skin and neither should you. It shouldn’t matter but it does. It matters to bigots and Republicans. It shouldn’t matter but it does. It’s the best reason they have for hating him. It’s the worst reason for hating anyone. Still, they do.
I may have been foolishly optimistic in my musings over what a second term might bring. Foolishly optimistic indeed, concerning this man over who’s election and subsequent inauguration I actually wept.
I confess to being overwhelmingly distraught over human nature and it’s effect on the human condition.
He has absolutely failed us. I try to remind myself what he’s accomplished. It’s not insignificant. How he’s championed our cause. The list keeps getting shorter. The cause keeps getting more diluted. The effect just can’t help but diminish.
It is what it is:
THE WARS, THE ABJECT NAKED FAILURE TO REGULATE BANKING THAT THRUSTED OUR HEADS INTO THE TOILET OF ECONOMIC DESPAIR , FAILURE TO EVEN PURSUE PUNISHMENT OF THE CULPABLE . FAILURE TO LEAD. FAILURE TO PROSECUTE THE BANKERS AND THE WAR CRIMINALS. FAILURE TO EVEN CALL THE BASTARDS ON IT.
Why? Give me a reason. A reasonable reason other than you’re not interested in stirring shit. Is it because you sought leadership of the free world knowing you were a pussy?
If Barack Obama is complicit in any way to cuts to social security, medicare or medicaid to offset or finance tax cuts to millionaires, billionaires or subsidies of any kind to obscenely wealthy corporations, my belief in hope and change will become the the vapor of foolish optimism it was consigned to be when my gullible reluctance for cynicism reared it’s pretty head for the last time. In short, if this takes place in any way shape or form, I am fucking done with this guy and I am completely prepared to seek and support any other pretender to the throne to which we anointed him with our collective gust of naive indulgence.
Chain yanking of the first order. The big picture is obscured by a shit smeared lens.
Fucking taxes. Barbarians at the gate being thrown the meat and bones of the poor and elderly so they might gobble and suck at the marrow. I fucking hate these guys. Why is it we can’t repeal the Bush tax cuts on the rich? It might just be that our president has a sore vagina.
Social security does not contribute to the deficit. It goddamn doesn’t. It is solvent for the next 26 years and is easily fixed beyond that. The private sector in terms of health care is an absolute clusterfuck when compared to medicare and medicaid in cost, efficiency and efficacy.
There is sufficient debate to note that the actual intention or substance of this as a news story may be suspect, particularly in the context of some pretty clear, overt and specific proclamations by Obama on the subject in the past. Regardless, whether it’s a mere “trial balloon” or an inauthentically spurious manipulation by mainstream media, it should be met with nothing less than a fierce vehemence and furious adamance of opposition by thinking Americans. It is far too dangerous a bluff to make, even if that’s all it’s intended to be.
How many Americans have counted on the parachutes of medicare, medicaid and social security being there for most of their lives? Cutting them will only accomplish one thing; it will worsen, egregiously, the economic malaise that every citizen save the wealthy, is already in the desperate throes of. The Republican strategy is to hold the the heads of the American middle class in sepsis until it can no longer breathe and blame it on on Democrats and Obama so they can once again seize control of all three branches of government in 2012 and finish the job of remaking us into a plutocracy. The writing is on the wall in glowing neon relief.
Obama needs to understand that nothing short of making a stand and calling bullshit on that strategy will enjoy the merest modicum of success.
Our only alternative might be a Republican executive and a Democratic legislature. Given the persistent and homogeneous spinelessness of Democrats, such a turd would likely never have any shine.
Wanna take that chance?
Be ready for it because it just might be the only one we have.
Drinks for my friends.
Posted in Uncategorized
I keep thinking that President Obama is so intelligent that he is just playing these asshole republicans and that, one day, it’s all going to come out and we’ll know he was really working for us all the time.
Supposedly, that happened today. I really don’t understand what happened–something about, the senate will not vote for extending the debt ceiling so the President will own it and the republicans gave up the whole spending cuts crap. If that’s true, that is a major victory, but I’m still not sure how it’s supposed to work. I think John Boehner is probably through as Speaker, although he looks like the reasonable one these days. I certainly don’t want Eric Cantor as third in line to the Presidency. He is an evil, greedy fuck.
I also wept the night President Obama was elected and the day he was inaugurated, when two million people showed up in Washington to see history being made. I actually thought things were going to change for the better. Obviously, they haven’t, but I’m not sure whose fault it is. From day one, the republicans were against everything he tried to do. The President kept trying to placate them to get their support, but every time he gave in on something, they just took it and didn’t give anything back. He should have learned his lesson. We don’t have a public option for health care because of this.
I have no doubt the republicans hate him because he is black, just as I have no doubt that the whole tea party bullshit about “Taking our country back” is about taking it back from a black man. They are scared to death because they know their time is past. The demographics of this country are changing and soon those rich white men will no longer be a majority–and they are scared shitless. Too bad. Unfortunately, they are trying to do as much damage as possible before they are gone.
It is difficult to comprehend how they refused to make one little tax increase, such as the one on corporate jets, while lying to everyone about Social Security. You are correct. Social Security is self-funded and has added absolutely nothing to the deficit to this point. That will change in 26 years, but I think we can come up with some kind of solution in 26 years if we get people elected who actually give a damn about what happens to those who are not so fortunate in life.
That brings up a question. We elected these assholes. What does that say about us?
I hope democrats have learned a lesson from the 2010 elections–even if you’re not too happy with what is going on, things can always get worse–and, shit, have they gotten worse. Did all these republican governors and legislatures get together and put this plan together to get rid of unions, restrict voting rights, restrict women’s reproductive health rights, and on and on? It has to be a conspiracy. How else could it all be happening at the same time?
And the results. State government jobs are being lost at an unprecedented rate and the unemployment rate went up to 9.2%. That’s what the republicans want, right? They want the economy to be so bad when the presidential election comes that people come flocking to them. Don’t count on it assholes. You were so transparent in what you were doing. You even admitted it. I don’t think there will be an “enthusiasm gap” in the next election.
The candidates the republicans are running for president are an embarrassment to the country. They are racist, homophobic, islamophobic, sexist, and I swear they want to turn this country into a theocracy. They don’t believe in evolution and think the earth is only 6000 years old? We must be the laughingstock of the rest of the world. What happens if one of them wins? They can change things that are taught in schools so the next generation of kids doesn’t believe in evolution. They can make life a living hell for homosexuals and Muslims. They can end abortion and even birth control–and pornography, God forbid (yeah, like that will ever happen).
That’s why they can’t win. That’s why we can’t let them win. No matter what. I had a “discussion” with someone on Facebook tonight. She said she was upset with Obama and didn’t like republicans, so she would just write-in a vote for someone else. I told her that was just like voting for the republicans. She said it was her right. Sure, it is, but if people hadn’t voted for Ralph Nader in 2000, George Bush would never have been President. A write-in vote is a vote for nothing, so look for the republicans to start running ads for people to do it. “Don’t like the democrats? Don’t like the republicans? Write-in your choice for President. It’s your right!”
If we can somehow get past the 2012 elections with President Obama still in the White House and democratic majorities in the House and Senate, there may still be hope for us yet. And maybe we’ll see the “real” Barack Obama in a second term. I would like to see the man I voted for and cried about again. But we all have to work our asses off so people stop believing the lies and voting against their interests. And we can’t vote for “Other” on our ballots. We need to vote democrat all the way.
How very well written and articulated these comments are. It is very enlightening to read and hear from those who are equally conscience about America’s political consequences. These comments mirror my own feelings and undoubtedly mirror millions of other concerned Americans. I will share these remarks on my wall and throughout the groups I have relationships with. Thanks to everyone for sharing these unspoken truths. I look forward to more of the same and I will do what I can, through sharing to my FB friends, to broaden the awareness and appeal of staying strong in the face of these nefarious, fascist Right Wing Theocratic Oligarchs.
Regards, Patrick Duncan
Hey Patrick, Your response was also very well stated. Thanks for sharing
Such disappointment….he is the George “H” of 2012…and the other side, Palin, Bachmann, Newt…WTF…How did it get this bad? We really didn’t pay attention did we? We thought the answer had arrived, while all along he didn’t have game, just smack talk…
There once was a time when I was every bit as befuddled as you are about the actions of Obama and the Democrats. It was at about this time last year that I came across the speeches and articles of a man named Chris Hedges over the net. The cheap and brittle scales have been gone from my eyes ever since.
I’m sorry to break the news to you, but the liberal establishment in this country has been dead for quite some time. I trust that you’ve heard of the man. Maybe you don’t agree with him on some points. But I was truly amazed at his ability to remove all farce from the reality of this shithole we’re all wading into.
He has said our only recorse of salvaging this world is civil disobedience.
I’m not very good at stirring the pot. Please help me. We are all together in this alone.
Hey, Mr. Douglass, you know what I DO give a damn about? The fact that this kind of shit is the very thing that so many of my Mississippi redneck, conservatard, so-called-Christian, hate-mongering, Rush Limpballs-worshiping neighbors, and in some cases, former friends or aquaintances, are just having a fucking field day over. “Look at them libruls, fightin’ amongst theirself! There ain’t no way Obummer’s gonna’ make it agin, ’cause we know when they don’t vote we win!” (<–Overheard by me yesterday morning at a local eatery, quoted here, Word For Mispronounced, Made-up or Otherwise Mangled Word)
And you know what I DON'T give a damn about? The fact that I've now been labeled an "Obamabot" because I have the strengths of MY convictions to stand behind the person who, with eyes wide open, I voted for. And although he's disappointed me, or downright pissed me off, on more than a few occasions, I will continue to support him. Do you want to know why, Mr. Douglass? Because(get ready for something ELSE I don't give one good goddamn about–that being how often you may have heard the following rationale): HOW THE FUCK COULD HE BE EXPECTED TO FIX EVERYTHING THAT IS SO FUCKED UP NOT JUST IN AN UNBELIEVABLY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, ESPECIALLY WHEN COMPARED TO HOW LONG IT TOOK TO GET SO FUCKED UP, BUT ALSO CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT HE HAS TO WORK THISCLOSE TO EVIL FUCKING INCARNATE, A.K.A. THE GEE-OH-GODDAMN-PEE?
You want to know something else, Mr. Douglass? I wept, too, on election night, and again during the inauguration of President Obama. No, more like I blubbered. Bawled like a baby. I was so overcome with–oh, I dunno', let's call it Audacious Hope, just for funsies–that we may finally, FINALLY be seeing the beginning of the end of the jack-legged bullshit horrors of the Republican party that I, for one, happen to remember starting DECADES before Dubya crashed onto the scene. See, no, I wasn't crying because I felt that things were instantly, magically fixed. And I wasn't crying because I felt that they'd be fixed after a just a few months or even a few years of tiddly-winks and mumbo-jumbo, hocus-pocus. Rather, I was awash in emotion because, among many other reasons–and not ONE of them being "proud fer votin' in a Black" like so many of the aforementioned conservacrapheads insisted–I knew that before us lay a long, drawn-out, uphill battle of legislative, senatorial, bureaucratic, get-out-the-vote bullshit, and WE FINALLY HAD THE RIGHT MAN TO LEAD THE WAY.
Yeah, that's right. Foolish Optimism was my companion for a while, too, keeping me all toasty and warm during those crisp November nights and those frosty December mornings in '08 and into the bleak, winter days of the new year. Hell, I even tried to use it as a shield of sorts when I first began to hear the low rumblings of what was quickly becoming the TeaParty Army, not just in other parts of the region, but almost literally at my back-fucking-door. But the more I witnessed first hand the already unbearable neighborhood Bubbas going full-blown, bat-shit crazy NOT just over the fact that THERE'S A BLACK MAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE, but over some of the most asinine, idiotic, misinformed, bass-ackwards bullshit I'd ever heard, the more I knew that Foolish Optimism & I would soon be parting ways.
It wasn't even a bailout or new invasion or tax cut extension or something not closed quickly enough or policy not repealed quickly enough or even the not throwing the fat cats in jail where they belong (should I say Yet? I mean, is that even a foregone conclusion? Fuck knows I won't forget about it)…No, it was none of those things that finally caused my split from Foolish Optimism. That occurred when throngs of sniveling, whiny-ass buffoons decided to stay home instead of voting, thereby giving the GOP back the Senate in 2010. And since, in no short order, we've seen relentless attacks on women's rights, social programs for the elderly and poor, education, and LGBT rights, to name just a few. Although we'd been estranged for some time, it was around then that F.O. and I split for good and I hooked up with my new companion, Cold-Ass REALITY.
My reasoning may seem simplistic to you. Lord knows that part about being bothered by the idiot tea-party types doing a happy dance is somewhat petty, but one thing I hate more than a redneck is a smug redneck, especially over matters in which I've traditionally considered myself better informed, as snooty as that sounds. But overly simplified or not, there it is. Facts and figures–hell, really even rational thought at this point (it's fucking 6:00 a.m. and I haven't even BEEN to snoozeville)–elude me, although I sure as hell would like to provide some good ol' anecdotal evidence to counter your bitter little attacks. I have bookmarked more articles from Daily Kos, Slate, AddictingInfo.com, The Last Word, et al, that I can count–but I somehow just do not have the gumption to try & sort through them now so as to paste a link or links that you may or may click on, Mr. Douglass.
I would like to suggest that you give my friend, Cold-Ass Reality, a call, as ours is not an exclusive type of companionship. Many others spend time with this friend too, and there's always room for more.
I agree the President is a major disappointment. He promised and didn’t deliver. Is he the only one to have done that, hell no. Like you said the expectations were huge and the delivery small.
There will be no Big O vs Snowflake caged death match.
He is “Rope a Dope” and it is not easy to watch.
Get him elected for another term along with a few “Graysons” in state…
We will be debt free and on top once more.
The right blew it’s load way to fast and now just looks tired…
We will win on points not on knockout.
Progress always win soon or late.
today, all is looking good. I don’t understand his political strategy either, but it seems to have worked. I think there is zero chance of a GOP president – O will win in 2012. the only CHANCE we have is a dem pres AND a dem congress/senate – all major liberal reform in the 200 plus years we have been a nation took place under exactly that – mixed govt doesn’t work.
But for liberal change it esp doesn’t work.
liberal change IS harder than GOP/right wing change – IT JUST IS – partly because cheating makes winning easier and getting rich is easier if you steal, but mainly because the rich getting richer is DEFAULT position of most of all human history – I get it that you don’t like that this is so hard, but it IS – MLK, FDR – READ ABOUT HOW HARD IT IS.
what bush did – he did very very well, agreed, BUT IT WAS EASIER – he went with the roll of history – hell if we did nothing – the rich would get richer – not as fast, granted – but they would – hell the world has been ruled by royalty for most of history – PLEASE c’mon! do you know that FDR got every state cept ONE? that he had 331 members in the house on his side and STILL the supreme court fought EVERY ONE of his policies – he lost a great deal EVEN WITH THAT MAJORITY – so yes – he passed a TON of legistlation – but much of it was taken AWAY by the god awful court at that time.
THE USA is a capitalist/protestant rich get richer nation unlike ANY OTHER – spiritually and at it’s ORIGIN (the people at time of revolution were RICH – land and farming – USA was rich – revolution never about class or econ) is a PRO preverted toward the rich NATION.
so buck up – fight your ass off – and if you give up I will sock you in the jaw.
Just a note! I found your place through FB. I’ll do my best to stop over when I can. Good job!
Tim
As usual, I enjoy the art of your writing and the stream-of-conscious quality you bring to the written word about politics. Most political writing is more – ahem – pompous and, well, political. But…hey, Mike. You streamed your conscious too soon, man. The Jedi Chessmaster we elected President in ’08 just checkmated the Republithugs and made them all look totally stupid, ridiculous, petty, immature…other adjectives?
Keep the faith, chilluns’ Remember, this ole lady’s been through the cycle more times than all’y’all and survived the REAL Watergate.
Cant wait to buy this new album.
All these comments and not a single reply From you, Michael? I felt your anger and disgust from the tone of this post.. Maybe you just need some cooling off time?
I understood the need to believe something big was going to change when Obama got elected. I, myself, really wanted to believe it, too. Just not going to happen. In order for ANY politician to rise to the level of candidate for the presidency he/she must first be an unequivocal whore. A bent over, morally/ethically compromised, two faced, human shaped collection of half truths and hidden motivations. We have NEVER been offered a GOOD choice for President, only the lesser of two ass-fucked evils..
This is the way of the world. I don’t blame you or deride you for your hope that it could be otherwise, but….
I want to thank you all for wading in and giving up a piece of your minds. I’m acutely aware of how controversial my stand on this is and I hear ten times as much about it on the various social networking sights as I do here in the comments.
I really wish you would all participate here but it is what it is.
A lot has happened since I posted this piece and yet nothing has happened. It’s absurd. What actually happened today, with Obama endorsing the plan foisted by the “gang of six”, is in no uncertain terms, an absolute betrayal of the people who supported his candidacy. If the meat of the matter ends up being in any significant way substantially congruent with the plan floated today, consider yourselves bent over and dry fucked as hard and as violent as any ass raping George W. Bush ever visited upon you. Bullshit wars and all.
There are a number of pundits who believe that what will actually transpire is a clean and unencumbered bill raising the debt ceiling and nothing else. I pray they are right despite my agnosticism.
If that ends up actually being the case, then I will be the first to say bravo Mr. President, I’m happy I supported and voted for you.
If however, he signs anything resembling the plan presented today, with the egregious evisceration of social security and medicare and the unconscionable tax cuts for the wealthy (from 35% down to 29%), I will not vote for this man ever again for anything.
I have no intention of voting Republican, I cannot promise that I will vote at all. I believe that I will have learned that this man is no better than any Republican and see no other choice beyond being a conscientious objector to and of the fucking sham our democracy has become. I will have come to understand that the voice of the American electorate no longer matters to the assholes in charge at all, including our president.
This is my tipping point.
I see myself writing Bernie Sanders or Dennis Kucinich in and taking a long slow piss in the parking lot of my polling place before driving away.
“While all of the details from the so-called Gang of Six proposals are not yet clear, what is apparent is that the plan would result in devastating cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and many other programs that are of vital importance to working families in this country. Meanwhile, tax rates would be lowered for the wealthiest people and the largest, most profitable corporations,” says Sanders.
“This is an approach that should be rejected by the American people. At a time when the rich are becoming richer and corporate profits are soaring, at least half of any deficit-reduction package must come from upper income people and profitable corporations. We must also take a hard look at military spending, which has tripled since 1997.” -Bernie Sanders
I trust Mr. Sanders and that’s all I need to know.
Good night and good luck.
WOOF! BURNIN’ HOT WRITING AND EMOTION! As crooked as this country IS, I wouldn’t be surprised if fucking CHENEY was in the closet at the white house holding a gun to one of Obama’s kids’ heads….