This sums up a whole lot

The United States is the most admired country globally thanks largely to the star power of President Barack Obama and his administration, according to a new poll.

http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE59447120091005?rpc=60

"What's really remarkable is that in all my years studying national reputation, I have never seen any country experience such a dramatic change in its standing as we see for the United States for 2009"

======================
Here's another way a change from GOPpers to Dems can change things:

One of the ways the Obama Administration is trying to undo the damage done to the US economy by so many years of "trickle down" economics: close tax loopholes for the largest corporations:

www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aWoQkk2WY1oc

Think about it, if the US corporate tax rate is set at 35%, but some corporations are allowed to pay only 5%, that means the US taxpayers are subsidizing the profits of those companies via corporate welfare. This unduly harms not just the US taxpayers, but also US corporations that play by the rules, or are too small to exploit "voodoo economics" loopholes.

What happens when taxpayer money is funneled to large corporations to boost their profits? The everyday taxpayer has to pay more. Eliminate the loophole, and the rank-and-file pay less taxes.

=========================
And one more illustration of change, for good measure:

For Obama, the pressing issue on national defense is stopping terrorists. For Republicans, it's making sure Goldman Sachs makes some extra profit at the expense of US taxpayers.
www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/27947.html

Profits must be backed by taxpayers

Here's a taste of the status quo that so much money is being spent to preserve, to the detriment of reform:

Insurance companies suing state governments because they won't guarantee profits at taxpayer expense


Oh, but really - where's the harm in keeping the status quo, allowing insurance companies to write the rules and then self-regulate? Perhaps we can ask the doctors.
www.progressive.org/mprichter100409.html

Republican ethics and family values

Always nice words, but here are their actions:

Cheat on your wife with a staffer. Then hire staffer's husband to pay them off. Then get staffer's husband hired as a lobbyist, including lobbying for said cheating GOP Senator. Then negotiate, through another GOP Senator, a cash payoff to try to make the whole affair go away. Not just immoral, it's against the law. Business as usual with the new Republican Party and their unquestionable moral superiority.

thisweekwithbarackobama.blogspot.com/2009/10/senator-john-ensign-r-nv-in-huge.html

The most laughable part is the Republican explanation. Oh, the Senator didn't pay off his mistress and her husband. The Senator's parents just decided to present the mistress and her husband a GIFT of almost $100,000, and technically, there's nothing illegal about it.

www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/02/politics/main5358459.shtml?tag=cbsnewsSectionContent.5

========================
Speaking of ethics ... Newsmax. That would be the "news" organization that called for the US military to stage a coup against its own government. They just so happen to be sponsored by ... wait for it ... the Republican National Committee. Shocking, huh?
tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/republican-national-committee-sponsors-newsmax.php

========================
Oh, why not report on just one more nugget of joy from the GOPpers. Want to hear the latest Republican talking point? As usual, it's completely false and just made up to scare people away from discussing a serious topic as adults. Here we go:

Bachmann: "Sex Clinics" In Schools Will Result From Health Care Reform
www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/01/bachmann-sex-clinics-will_n_306292.html
"if health care reform passes, the nation's schools might begin offering abortions to students"

That is just how ridiculously far mainstream Republicans are from reality. This is the kind of looney stuff they'll make up, expecting "the base" to believe it, all in the name of opposing anything by anyone other than the party faithful.

Grayson

Republicans are beside themselves with outrage at Rep. Alan Grayson's speech. They are demanding an apology because it was against House decorum.

See what lying gems they consider perfectly appropriate, including "Seniors drop dead", when they say them: youtube.com

While GOPpers hide from criticism when launching such lies, Grayson goes into a hostile interview and is ganged up on. He still wins the day.
dailykos.com

http://www.actblue.com/page/standbygrayson
https://www.graysonforcongress.com/contribute.asp

This is leadership?

“I’m still trying to find the first American to talk to who’s in favor of the public option, other than a member of Congress or the administration. I’ve not talked to one”
--Republican House Leader John Boehner
thehill.com

Uh, John? You need to get out more, and not just restrict your conversations to yes-men. Go anywhere in America - for example, you own district. You'll find 70-80% of the people, when they're presented with the actual facts, will be in favor.

At least Boehner is a good soldier, following orders of the political gameplan, in lock step with the Republican plan to block any form of health insurance reform. BTW, here's how Boehner's own constituents are doing:
daytondailynews.com

Remind me again how situations like this illustrate how protecting profits is of utmost concern?

Granted, when there are 6 healthcare lobbyists for every Congressperson, and they're doling out hundreds of millions of dollars, it's hard to break away from talking to them, John, but try. factcheck

Ah, that Republican mindset

America lost! YEAAAAAA!
(uh, shouldn't that always be a bad thing?)
http://www.dailykostv.com/w/002209/

For perspective, in 1972, Republicans Voted For A National Healthcare Plan for Kidney
Patients. Now they call plans like this evil, Nazi, communistic, socialistic, hating
America and wanting the terrorists to win.
crooksandliars.com

"we learned that the modern conservative movement, which dominates the modern Republican Party, has the emotional maturity of a bratty 13-year-old"
Well put, Mr. Krugman
www.nytimes.com/2009/10/05/opinion/05krugman.html?_r=2&th&emc=th

======================
Hm, wanting America to lose. Sounds like the border "control" plan. Here's the Republican legacy on their approach to illegal immigration - throw a LOT of taxpayer money at it now, guarantee that even more will need to be spent in the future, and have no real effect on the issue itself.

Every time someone breaks a hole in the U.S.-Mexico border wall, it costs about $1,300 to repair. The estimated cost of maintaining the fence over the next 20 years is $6.5 billion -- on top of the $3.7 billion allocated to the Dept. of Homeland Security’s Secure Border Initiative since 2005.
blogs.reuters.com

The GOPpers float Treasury bonds and pass legislation to spend over $10,000,000,000 so that future administrations will have to deal with the bills, and cannot grasp the fundamental problem that an 18-foot fence is no match for a 20-foot ladder. Yes, Mexico has 20-foot ladder technology.

======================
On the other side of the aisle, here's what can happen when you act like an adult:
More accomplished in one day of negotiations than in 8 years of threats
www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald

=======================
George Carlin