Where the deficit came from

Gee, thanks Conservatives.

Queue the next crazy

Wait a minute - if the Republicans' latest anti-Obama ploy is to remove his citizenship, doesn't that mean that they admit that he's a citizen right now? That kinda contradicts one of their more far-fetched pre-election propaganda campaigns.

I just get so confused with their talking points. First, a website allows you to make a Kenyan birth certificate with any name you like, so that proved that President Obama wasn't a citizen. Then the claimed that Hawaii didn't issue real birth certificates, so they don't count. Then they claimed that Hawaii either wasn't a state then or isn't "real America" enough to count. Then they claimed that the birth certificate wasn't authenticated because not every anti-Obama dittohead physically saw it in person.

Now they think that the actions of a few Swedes is justification enough for revoking his citizenship? Are they that devoid of ideas, or do they think their base is just that stupid?

www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/29/iowa-gop-embraces-plan-to_n_663621.html?ir=Politics

GOP Opposes Medical Funding for 9/11 Victims

There is no depth the new conservatives won't stoop to in order to make this country fail, because it furthers their political agenda of "see, it's all Obama's fault, put us back in charge".

www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024949.php

House Republican leadership is advising its members to vote against a bipartisan bill that would, among other things, bolster medical support to Sept. 11 victims.

The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009, sponsored by New York City Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D), provides medical monitoring to those exposed to toxins at Ground Zero, bolsters treatment at specialized centers for those afflicted by toxins on 9/11 and reopens a compensation fund to provide economic loss to New Yorkers.

And it's all paid for by closing a tax loophole on foreign companies with U.S. subsidiaries, Democrats say.

"I was under the impression that the emergency teams who responded to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 are considered American heroes."

I was under that impression too. Republicans, however, think differently.

Bilking the base

Scam that fox "news" played on its viewers, bilking them of their money.
i.imgur.com/Hbwq1.jpg

Poof goes 8.7 billion bucks

Fact - pentagon cannot account for $8.7B in Iraq reconstruction money.

www.federalnewsradio.com/?sid=2012362&nid=35

Liberal reaction: this unaccountability is a waste of taxpayer money and we need to be more careful with the money.

Conservative reaction to liberal reaction: why do you want America to be less safe? If we don't part with a little bit of treasure, the terrorists will win.

Conservatives just lost another battle

Largest Wind Power Project in the United States Breaks Ground

greenanswers.com/news/180345/largest-wind-power-project-united-states-breaks-ground

Taxpayers should pay for BP spill

Republicans are still at it. They are still trying to get the US taxpayers to foot the bill for cleaning up BP's disaster.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/27/gops-oil-spill-liability_n_660878.html

Those conservative values always seem to be awfully quick to stick it to the taxpayers...

Do you WANT another Great Depression?

It's amazing that nearly 80 years after the Great Depression, some adults are actually arguing for Hoover economics over Roosevelt economics.

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704720004575376923163437134.html

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Bonus amusement - Rep Ryan has consistently been a loyal party voter, going along with all the budget-busting, debt-raising policies when his party was in charge. Now he wants his new words to make you forget all his past actions. On behalf of Wisconsin: America, I'm sorry you're being subjected to Ryan...

First Amendment issue of our time

Sen. Franken: Stop the Corporate Takeover of the Media

Net Neutrality is the First Amendment issue of our time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ODV5U87yps

Oppose transparency at all costs

Nobody could have predicted it...

So, the DISCLOSE act would say that corporations (domestic, international and foreign) and foreign governments donating to US political races must declare their contributions. Since the Supreme Court legislated a new law allowing them to donate without limit, this is one way to shine light on the dirty dealings.

Who would be against transparency in our elections? Not only are the Republicans unanimously against transparency, but they're using parliamentary maneuvers to prevent a vote on the issue from even taking place. What ever happened to their mantra of "we just want an up or down vote?". Guess that's only their stance when they're in power.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/27/disclose-act-faces-gop-fi_n_660461.html

Reform vs. fraud

One of the reasons why Republicans fought against President Obama's health insurance reform initiative:

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1007088

When you start eliminating $98B worth of fraud, sure it benefits the people, but that's a lot of really rich fraudsters that are going to be really pissed off, and donating a lot of money to the people campaigning on repealing the progress that has been made.

The base speaks

Reminder - this is how "the base" responded to the conservative propaganda during the presidential campaign.

Is anyone really surprised at how fox and the rest of the conservative media have continued spreading lies to keep this momentum?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRqcfqiXCX0&NR=1&feature=fvwp



Hey, speaking of "the base", as top Republicans always refer to their loyal followers, does anybody know what "al Qaeda" translates to?

Journalism

What would it look like if liberal took journalism as seriously as conservatives:

dailykos.com

Shirly Sherrod followup

Fox is just doing what it does best. Taking some piece of information, removing all context, and surrounding it with their own narrative to promote their political agenda. In this case, to stir up racism. They are succeeding wildly with "the base", who still cannot comprehend the extent to which they're being manipulated.

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/38353774#38353774

www.salon.com/news/opinion/joan_walsh/politics/2010/07/20/the_tragedy_of_right_wing_journalism/index.html

www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/07/sherrod-breitbart-and-vilsack/60202/

http://www.politicsplus.org/blog/?p=2342

Cutting waste - more great change

I remember the Clinton/Gore campaign talking about the dangers of government waste that had built up in the previous 12 years of Republican rule. They were so successful in reversing that trend and reducing government waste that they not only balanced the budget, but created a surplus that was on track to completely eliminate the national debt in a decade.

Unfortunately for the working class of the United States, Republicans returned with a vengeance and government waste not only returned, but exceeded the massive levels of the 80s. The budget was shifted horribly out of balance as government spending rocketed to new levels.

Part of the change what we wanted when voting President Obama into office was to once again reign in wasteful government spending, correcting the damage caused by the previous eight years of runaway spending.

www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/07/22/obama.wasteful.spending.act/index.html?hpt=T2

Republicans tried their best to stop this bill, and were successful with their parliamentary maneuvers in delaying a vote, but once a vote was allowed, they were unable to prevent the will of the people from being victorious. We're once again on a path of reducing government waste.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Shirley Sherrod

Isn't it a bit early in the election cycle for conservatives to launch their "Willie Horton" style blitz to let their base know that black people are scary and only the GOP can protect you from them?

talkingskull.com/article/summer-of-racism-in-united-states

This story does serve to demonstrate just how much positive change there has been in Washington with regards to the White House. A character assassination is done by a dubious news organization for the purposes of stirring up racial tensions. Some official actually believes what fox puts out and fires the target of the character assassination.

The Obama Administration hears of this, and finds out the actual truth. Then they admit the obvious - that this person was done a great disservice, and apologizes.

www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-white-house-usda-apology-20100722,0,6600718.story

What a change from the previous "stay the course" strategy where not changing one's position was more important than realizing that a mistake (accidental or intentional) was made in the first place.

Once again, thanks Mr. President for bringing us to a better place than we were just a couple of years ago.

Kettles and Pots in WI

Wow, talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

GOP Rep. Ryan: Republicans Are Putting Politics Over Principle

www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/07/gop-rep-ryan-republicans-are-putting-politics-above-principle/60230/

For those outside of Wisconsin, Ryan fancies himself as a national up-and-comer in the GOP. To that end, he consistently touts the party line, votes as told, and will place national political interests above the interests of his own constituents. His record on job losses alone is enough to show how much of an "outsourcer" he is. But now that it's becoming fashionable to appear "anti-establishment", this tool takes a break from doing party bidding to claim to be above the party? Sorry, Rep. Ryan. Your record speaks much louder than your latest words.

By the way, exempting big business from all taxation (and making up for it by adding more taxes on the working class), abolishing Medicare and handing Social Security over to private crony contractors is still exactly what your party is pushing for. So how exactly does that make you different?

Thanks, Dems

thehill.com/homenews/administration/109163-left-vows-to-fight-any-proposed-cuts-to-social-security

I've been paying into Social Security for my entire working life. I know it won't make me rich in retirement, but I've put so much into the system that I'd like to get a reasonable amount back to help with retirement, when that day comes.

Therefore, I'd just like to say: Thank you Democrats.

Just a few years ago, President Bush tried to tie Social Security to the stock market via crony contractors who were guaranteed to become rich by skimming off the top. This was just before Bush's Great Recession hit and the stock market lost 1/2 of its value. Some actually claim that the timing was coincidental, but it's just too suspicious with too selfish a track record.

Currently Republican leaders are calling for the earliest that Social Security can be taken be raised from 62 to 70, and reducing benefits. They say that by keeping the working class working an extra 8 years later in life, and reducing the quality if their life afterwards, it can partially pay for the tax subsidies for the very rich enacted under Bush.

Other Republicans are actively calling for an end to Social Security or "weaning us off", such that everything I have put into the system will be lost. This seems like a pretty bad deal for the working class.

Thusfar, Democrats have been successful in preventing any of these scenarios. So I just wanted to say "thanks".

Dittoheads

mediamatters.org/blog/201007020039

I have encountered many people who cannot understand how otherwise intelligent and common-sense people love conservative propaganda and hate-speech, and seem all too willing to accept complete falsehoods as truth, despite themselves, their upbringing and their circumstances.

Perspective - have you ever known someone with a life-threatening cholesterol or weight problem who just cannot stop themselves from eating horrible food? Have you ever known a smoker fully aware of the dangers they're exposing themselves and those around them to? Not to mention drug addiction, alcohol abuse, reckless/inattentive driving and the like.

Well, why wouldn't there be perfectly intelligent people who really do crave information but decide instead to feed their minds junk food?

Screw the unemployed

They've probably forgotten how we brought the economy to the brink of disaster and caused them to be unemployed in the first place.

So, Republicans succeeded in preventing unemployment benefits from being extended to those in need. Their claim is that we cannot afford it, and we're better off letting the unemployed find alternative means of supporting themselves and their families.

One thing, according to those same Republicans, that we have absolutely no problem affording is the Bush tax cuts to the very wealthiest Americans. That subsidy is supported by taxation on the rest of us.

Here's the cold truth. Bush's tax cuts account for 40% of the 2010 Deficit. Unemployment benefits account for just 3%.

www.sj-r.com/opinions/x1876471793/Ralph-Martire-Deficit-hawks-wrong-to-nix-jobless-benefits-extension

This isn't a hard math problem, conservatives. You're simply lying to your base, hoping they cannot understand the math.

It may seem bad taste to accuse Republicans of wanting a rise in unemployment but their actions leave no other explanation

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/jul/06/republicans-party-of-unemployment

========================

www.nytimes.com/2010/07/05/opinion/05krugman.html?_r=3&hp

Punishing the Unemployed - "Republicans have made the cynical calculation that blocking anything President Obama tries to do - especially anything that might alleviate the nation’s economic pain - improves their chances in the midterm elections."

Returning to absolute power by harming the very country you seek to control. And my conservative friends can't understand how I can't embrace "the party"...

========================

A look, on a small scale, of what results from actually implementing all that conservative economic rhetoric.

griperblade.blogspot.com/2010/07/conservative-economics-at-work.html

Gee, but it sounded so good when they just repeated their mantra over and over...

========================

Big money makes another big-time Republican operative a major player in the tea party movement.
www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/39426.html

It's all about the money, big party agendas, and dirty politics...

U.S. Forces Drawing Down In Iraq -- On Schedule

musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2010/07/us-forces-drawing-down-in-iraq.html

Sure beats the previous plan of perpetual military occupation of Iraq and blank taxpayer checks to crony contractors to the tune of hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars every year.

Liberals protest war. Conservatives protest healthcare.

===========

So, let me get this straight. Because President Obama gave a speech at a company that produces electric vehicles, the conservative media feels obliged to spread lies about that company?

I know they're all about more drilling and killing for oil, but c'mon. Electric vehicles are not the enemy.

mediamatters.org/research/201007090025

By Republican logic, are historic projects such as rural electrification, TVA and the Interstate system complete and wasteful failures because they weren't completed in 1.5 years?

Change in spying

Now this is change I can believe in. Under Bush he subverted our national security and nuclear non-proliferation by outing an under cover spy for cheap political gain. Under Obama we capture foreign spies and strengthen our national security.

www.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/world/europe/09russia.html?_r=2&hp

Turns out the Russian spies didn't uncover anything, and they were exchanged for US spies that were being held by Russia. This is way better than the alternative of exposing our own secret organization trying to secure black market nuclear weapon materials, just so you can make an example of someone who's unwilling to repeat your lie.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota

Pawlenty asks feds for more aid to recover from June storms

www.startribune.com/local/97949134.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUT

On its surface, this seems rather mundane. A governor asking the federal government for assistance. But this is Minnesota Gov. Pawlenty who loudly repeats that he wants the federal government out of states' business. Same goes for the stimulus package which he decried, vowed to reject, then summarily collected when he wasn't addressing "the base".

No wonder he's such a rising star in the Republican/Tea Party. He has absolutely no qualms taking actions in direct opposition to his words. Just follow those party orders, Tim.

======================
Head South and the conservative logic gets even more interesting.

Very conservative, very Republican law: in Alabama, if you're a drug addict and you become pregnant, you could be arrested if you DON'T have an abortion, because otherwise your addiction might hurt the child, and that cannot be allowed.

No, it's not supposed to make sense, but this is what happen when you take conservative political posturing and actually make it into laws.

www.aclu.org/blog/reproductive-freedom/pregnant-woman-not-meth-lab

Slavery never existed

Slavery never existed in the United States. We simply had "Atlantic triangular trade". There, that doesn't sound so bad now, does it.

Republican logic.

www.wfaa.com/news/local/Slave-trade-would-become-Atlantic-triangular-trade-under-new-proposals-94506319.html

===========================

Typical conservative family values. A twice-divorced Republican champions "family values" and "the sanctity of marriage" by saying homosexuals don't deserve rights like heterosexuals. The party of strong federal law once again flips to the side of state autonomy when it's convenient to push a wedge issue. Hypocrites.

politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/07/hawaii-governor-vetoes-civil-unions-bill-says-vote-should-decide

Class warfare

You're not supposed to think about the endgame, where every policeman, firefighters and public schoolteacher is fired, and those institutions are sold for pennies on the dollar to cronies, and then the services they provide are only for those who can afford to pay a for-profit corporation whose sole purpose is to charge the highest possible fees for the least possible service.

You're only supposed to agree with the latest mantra from the conservative political leaders - that policemen, firefighters and teachers are your new enemy.

www.progressive.org/wx070510.html

========================

Eric Cantor - just another Republican leader betting against America. At least he had the guts to use his own money to bet against us.

washingtonindependent.com/87455/minority-whip-cantor-bets-against-u-s-bonds


Thankfully, the second half of the equation failed - his party was unsuccessful in creating runaway inflation. Therefore, his bet lost.