The Party of No
When Barack Obama entered the White House in 2009, Republicans promised to turn him into another Jimmy Carter - unsuccessful, one-term Democratic President. But in order to make Obama another Carter, they needed another Ronald Reagan, and they soon discovered that Ronald Reagans don't come along every day.
Everybody wishes to be like Reagan because he was successful – during his time the whole Soviet empire crumbled, the economy created 20 million jobs, the spirit of the country went up, and it was morning in America again – what's not to like?
No Republican members of the House or Senate have been willing to work with President Obama since his appointment. Mike Lofgren had been a Republican congressional staff member for 28 years, but began to worry about the Tea Party when they declined to back up the usual increase in America's debt ceiling.
Arlen Specter was elected to the US Senate from Pennsylvania as a moderate Republican. He later became a Republican Presidential candidate, but left the Party when Republicans refused to support emergency spending at the height of the global financial crisis. Arlen Specter's defection gave democrats and President Obama an important 60th senate vote to overcome a filibuster and it made possible not just the rescue of the US economy but Obama's landmark health care reforms.
It's not just old style republican moderates like Arlen Specter that find they no longer have a home in the republican party – any Republican member of congress now who works across the aisle with democrats to try to get something done can now face a conservative challenger from the Tea Party – the result, the 112th congress elected in 2010 was officially the least productive and most partisan congress in American history – quite simply without compromise from both sides, this place doesn't work.
Wow, the ignorance and fraud is exponentially increasing with most every new graduate from high school or college, indoctrinated by the marxists installed therein by the grants from the central banksters. Obama was one of those Alinsky weasels too; like the Clintons and all major Democrats. Their Alinsky motto: Lie, lie, lie, and lie some more. "For if you told the truth none would want that kind of change."
If you believe what your professor or your teacher told you about evil Capitalism, evil Republicans, etc. You failed to do your own homework about the agenda and lies of those you listened to. Failed to follow logic, rather than emotion, to the ultimate end game of the so called Progressives (of either party).
It is rather comical of you to be bashing those progressive republicans who support most of the same things as the progressive or socialist Democrats ...but you think they are evil while you vote for the Democrat who is pushing the same evil things... which is a march towards Globalism to your total lack of freedom in a Communist one world govt. The antithesis of what the USA was all about.
It is incremental socialism which is inherently corrupt and has caused all the things your lying teachers blame on capitalism.
You are worse than the greedy corporate CEOs if you desire others to pay for what you want... free healthcare, free education, free anything. Arrogant dupes. Anything from govt comes with socialist evil strings attached. Nothing is free and costs far more if you agree to let the govt provide it.
Voting is not the first and only responsibility of the citizenry. First they must recognize that stealing from others via govt is still stealing. Recognize that few would be able to steal EXCEPT FOR GOVT. If you got rid of govt, the economy would flourish and there would be little need to rob or steal via taxes.
What is capitalism but a name given to the natural method of trading a good or service you can provide or perform for something that you want or need. Anything else really isn't capitalism. Corporatism is NOT capitalism, it is the corruption of capitalism. Everything that IS NOT Capitalism, is a corruption of capitalism.
There is very little in school that is factual. Teach yourself something worthwhile, do your own homework. You can start here on this website, especially these docus: Why Big Oil Conquered the World. Everything is a Rich Mans Trick gNote: Mostly Rich Progressives by the way, who have never given up their nefarious evil enslaving ways. The James Holmes Conspiracy, 9/11 Decade of Deception, and many others.
Ronald Reagan was the beginning of the end of America. He had absolutely nothing to do will Russia, that was a polish union and the simple fool attacked air traffic controllers and began the destruction of all unions and so the middle class.
The party of "No" is a media spin...it doesn't mean anything...just a bumper sticker slogan for those who don't want to discuss the issues
Democrat, Republican it makes no difference both parties are criminals and voting is a complete waste of time. Get smart!
Troll alert. That is the most terrifying thing I have ever heard. DONT VOTE?
Jesus Christ man that is the most important task we have as a citizen. We got them war mongers out and we need to keep them out. What we have is a hard road ahead of us without a wartime economy to drive us on it. Hard measures must be done hard work must take place. There are no easy ways out of the economic problems. The republicans used war to bolster temporary economic relief. The Democrats are attempting to do that without war as the MAIN means for economic success.
Ok, let's get smart. How ?
'Shouting at Obama" for not doing his magic? What a pant load. President Obama cannot do it alone. He actually expected Republicans to act in the best interests of the country,and submit to the will of the people,by living up to their oath of office. They are on the opposite side of the public opinion on almost every single major issue.The letters GOP now mean Get Obama Party. That is all they care about,and they do not care how many people get hurt to achieve that goal. Is it because he is black? No,it is because he is HALF black,which is an even bigger sin,down in they Valley of the Super Bigots,where Ted Cruz,Michele Bachman,Louie Ghomert,and Rush Limbaugh live.
That is more correct than you know. I have spent the last 5 years as a Christian and a minister in the deep south. When a party is willing to shut the government down costing millions of tax payers money we cannot afford to throw out like that, they need to be called out on that irresponsibility.
Both parties are really just one party. The Republican Party. There's no left wing in America anymore. The Democratic party is simply the right wing from a time gone by. And the President has been a puppet since they killed Kennedy and took the wheel.
I'm so tired of ppl deciding that the Tea Party is only from the GOP! Its a group of Americans that want this Govt brought under control! Back when Reagan was in office we didn't have the craziness we do today! 16 trillion in debt?? And we can't get rid of the spending that we do? Are you kidding me? I think its quite funny that the librals believe that if you believe in the Tea Party message that your a racist! Well I'd like to know how come those of you that believe that- only believe hes a black man? Did you forget that his mama was a white woman? So knock it off already! Do you really think that calling ppl names is the way to get this country back to where we all could be proud Americans? There is corruption on both sides. And I do believe there has to be some give and take but unfortunetly the ones doing the taking is the radical left! I don't understand why those of you who are on the left that you could let your party decide what you think, feel, say, etc.... This admin is really hurting this country. And its not because I am a racist! I'm a realist! Hence the Tea party!! Even tho there are ppl who are part of the Tea party from the Right- they at least have the guts to go against the establishment and put out there what they think and feel! Rather then doing what those on the left are doing. Which is making excuse after excuse for a Adminstration they probably don't agree with either! But because the left has called it racism the left wont stand up for themselves! Stand up ppl!!! Lets become a country again and get behind our constitution, bill of rights, etc.... Quit looking for the Govt to give you your rights! You were born with them! Cheers 2 you on the opposite side of me. Lets come together and not let the thieves in office hurt us anymore then they have already! :)
Probably because the tp is the GOP. And it owns them. And if they didnt act and say so many racially offensive things, maybe people wouldnt think they were racists. The Tp loves to use dog whistle terms, like inner city, thugs, government dependence. All code words for blacks and minorities. Some fo them even say the N word. False equivalency. At least there are still some liberals in the Democratic party. There are none in the Republican party. And liberal means caring about your fellow mans well being. Something Libertarians and conservatives never will understand.
Wow you are so misinformed and programmed by the corporate owned media and big banks/Fed that run this country.
Inner city? Thugs? Gov Dependance? Hello.. these are terms, not dog whistles... They are used by people not parties. All people, regardless of which view they have. Please provide some proof that the "N" word...)ignorant term), was used by the Tea Party... There must be several you can provided. Standing Fast.
The problem with the Tea Party is not racism; it's absolute ignorance. Reagan INCREASED the national debt by roughy 180%. It is the largest increase topped by only FDR and we all know that his situation was dominated but to small events, WW II and The Great Depression. Everything you wrote after your manufactured memory of the glory days under Reagan crumbles because you don't have a true grasp of history.
That is some sick thinking there. Taxes pay our military might. Taxes pay our men and women in uniform. And I know NO decent individual who is a tea partier. They are all jerks. If you are truly a patriot you will pay your share fair and just. And you will do it proudly supporting your country. If you are not able to join the military to serve your country then all we can do is pay our taxes and be proud that we support or country. To not pay your taxes is like wanting your home but not wanting to pay for it.
I know where you get your slant from. I know where it is that your information comes from. We don't need to discuss that at all. It is obvious.
Give me a name of ONE democrat who is a tea party member. verifiable.
Reagan signed on more liberal policies than Obama has ever done.
Reagan also let the money lenders run things to their great advantage, damn the rest of us. What we got trickling down, we are still trying to put back what we have lost under his presidency.
Taking? The liberal left? Look up the definition of liberal my friend.
Remember what our grandfathers died for: Freedom and LIBERTY. Yes, I said it LIBERTY. And I'll say it again in case you missed it LIBERTY.
The left does not have propaganda media disguised as news shows.
Jobs? Yes.
Healthcare? Yes.
Education? Yes.
Public transportation works? Yes.
Show me where this administration is hurting America. South America maybe? I want to see the particulars here. What makes you say what you say?
You are right about ONE thing we are one people and we need to stand up to the lies and corruption of the previous administration. They hid behind big money. There is no coincidence that when our economy tanked the rich just got richer. I agree with you on the WAKE UP part. You are standing in the far right shit pile up to your neck. You may thing lies and corruption is normal, and what if a politician is not corrupt? You don't trust them because your so indoctrinated in your opinions that NO politician can possibly be honest. That's an issue all your own, and good luck with your paranoia and fear. You have gotten used to it and now you are uncomfortable. Be brave my friend and fight for justice and inequality and against discrimination. America is made up of all the skin colors in the world. We need a maturity level that we just don't seem to have yet. But we'll get there.
Personally i think most of them just refuse to do business with a black man...the same way they'll refuse to do business with a woman if Hilary wins next term.
Party of NO means to me not to vote ever again. Why? Only scum rises to the polls as wanting to be elected. They are all backed by interests other than mine or yours.
Your right in the regard that scum rises to get elected. I have seen in life many who WANT the power of the position but they make the worst kind of bosses don't they? Its the quiet confident man that is qualified and reluctantly takes the reigns. Because he THINKS first before acting and that my friends makes the best leaders.
The party of "No"... the Democrats when President Bush was in office?
This is a big game to them. If they actually solve these problems and things that supposedly divide them, how will they distinguish themselves in elections? Democrats don't want poor people to become rich? How will they get elected by demonizing the rich? Likewise, Republicans don't want abortion to become illegal, because they won't be able to motivate anti-abortionists to mindlessly vote for them no matter what their other positions are. So they go round and round for decades.
I just look for the people who vote no all the time. At least they are consistent.
We still respected the position. We watched the presidential address. We didn't call parents and tell them if their child wished to watch the presidential address they had to stay at home, because the school system would NOT televise Obamas speech urging kids to respect and listen to not only their parents but to their teachers as well and to do good in school because education matters.
I get tired of the rather infantile analysis of president Obama's performance. Could Americans ever assess the performance of a president or the economy without being partisan or prejudiced? Let us assume for a minute that president Obama was a white male. How would he be seen by most Americans?
If Obama was a white male he would be George W Bush.
No party is worth voting for ever, they are all unscrupulous scum bags all of them, elected or to be elected. Don't bother voting because the offices corrupt for a corrupt government. No hope. Don't even bother to tell me that if I don't vote I cannot complain, that is an old saw and does not work anymore!
Wrong. Voting for big money to GET THE F**K OUT OF ELECTIONS would be a good start. It seems like the office is available for the biggest bidder. But deep down I believe that the system will work. Redistricting and republican efforts at keeping people from voting will only work against the success we have had as a people together voting to get rid of war mongering knee jerk reacting cowboys.
you guys know its the truth...it hurts don't it...lol poor repubs/tea party...look what yall doing to America..
This kind of grossly one sided and dishonest propaganda isn't particularly enlightening. Bruce Bartlett is particularly angry, dishonest, and openly hostile. Alan Simpson looks down at notes to complete his rehearsed comments on cue.
Ron Reagan is a ridiculous talking point parrot, complete with every straw man in the army, claiming "Republicans" all watch nothing but Fox, think Obama is a Kenyan Muslim who is going to put in Sharia law, etc. It would be funny if rubbish like this weren't being taken seriously.
The high point was the bottle of Pliny the Elder on the shelf behind Matt Kibbe.
Both parties suck, don't bother voting anymore!
Nope that would be to the advantage of the republicans and you ALL KNOW we cannot afford that to happen again.
"It's not just old style republican moderates like Arlen Specter that find they no longer have a home in the republican party – any Republican member of congress now who works across the aisle with democrats to try to get something done can now face a conservative challenger from the Tea Party – the result, the 112th congress elected in 2010 was officially the least productive and most partisan congress in American history "
Am I the only one who thinks this is a good thing?
If it were true independents getting a voice then that would be good but tea party member is not good for the country and if you can't see that then there is nothing I can say to talk sense into you. lol
You can't support your argument so you are going to leave a snarky comment?
"gridlock can be the friend of liberty" - from 'Liberty, Defined' by Dr. Ron Paul
Kill the two-party system!
there is a two party system because we are a 2 party people.
We are a two party system because most Americans have no idea how something else would work. Not because they necessarily like it that way. I don't think most people believe they are represented by either party.
We are a two party system because they have got all the money and it takes billions to run for this office, when it should be based on the character of the man running for office not how many millions he can spend! Reform the election laws.
Say you have two boys or 2 girls, that isn't the issue, but if one of them is a free spirit who loves to take chances, make decisions on the fly, just imagine the trouble he/she would get into, if they even lived long enough to see adulthood? Another child, cautious and careful, would be a blessing, keeping the other alive, basically. The problem with the cautious and careful is never taking chances that by all accounts are promising. There's ALWAYS A POSITIVE TO A NEGATIVE. A lock & key. Darkness/light. Hill/hole, more???
My point was, thinking on one track would never work for EVERYBODY. They're supposed to compromise.
It is truly amazing how stupid liberals are....let's call socialism what it is, and stop lying - steal from the middle class and grow the poor who are dependent on the government. thoughtless sheep...but as with their whole lives, they (and others) will pay for their idiocy. I've adopted 4 disabled girls who were not my race, and yet, ignorant liberals say that I am racist because Obama is incompetent... just keep voting revenge and drink your liberal coo lade as your occupiers rape and kill people.
While I agree that Obama is incompetent (or, rather, very competent at pleasing TPTB), I have to disagree with your hypothesis of a socialist redistribution of wealth being a concerted effort to steal from the middle class and grow a dependent tumor of poor, helpless people that will eventually drown us. A real socialist revolution would aim at bolstering economic democracy, i.e. worker ownership, and defeating the religion of inhumane wealth inequality. I don't think you've realized just how much of the planet's wealth sits in the oily accounts of our plutocrats. Also, the neocon-polished MIC and the neoliberal trade agreements they protect are the "occupiers [who] rape and kill people" Ironically they gain so much from you believing their are equal armies of "Liberals" and "Conservatives" in America. Sheesh. Wake Up.
The upper class use the middle class to keep the lower class down and this is why these middle class people are convinced poor people are the source of their problems.
Please define socialism in your own words. I bet you have no idea what it is, all you know is you hear it from Fox.
thank you kelly for the common sense
Clearly you don't know what socialism consists of. Ignorance is bliss i suppose. Our society has always taxed and redistributed wealth to poorer people and these are tenants of socialism. Our country is a mixture of republic, democracy and socialism already. Please think before speaking
Did you adopt these disable kids as a way to wear your non-racist credentials as an arm-band for everyone to see? Why cite them in this debate, if otherwise. How do you think your disable children would feel 20 years from now if they were to read your comments. Would they be proud of their father? I wouldn't if I were one of them. Your arrogance is beyond belief. I'm sure you're probably a good man. But please don't beat your chest too much about the good you are doing for your disabled kids. Let your actions be rewarded by the transformation that you bring to their life.
Well, nice little documentary, but in the end, the same puppeteers are going to pull the strings of whoever gets the president job.
Well no s**t sherlock, that's because who is president does not determine everything about our society, the constants are often the problem. Lifetime appointments to office are the problem.
Of course, I agree with you. Though It still feels like an other distraction from the real problems, like our way of life based upon exponential growth, which the material opportunists of this world are pleased by and use it to run our "society".
By puppeteers I meant bankers, and bankers don't care about presidents. Everyone is fighting and arguing with his neighbors on illusive matters while they sit, watch, and eat popcorn.
As long as we accord importance to planed obsolescence, we're just going to have more and more of conflict and hate.
We feel like everyone is failing on improving society, but I believe that's because we're living in a machine so complex nobody understand how it works anymore.
These primitive, backwards thinking and totally ignorant members of the Thea party are just really pissed off because President Obama is a black man. That's all there is to it, really!
Republicans never cared for the general public or what the people thought. They only thing that matters to that bunch of racist scum of the earth is themselves.. They don't care if people loose their jobs or end up on the streets, as long as they get what they want, when they, want, no questions asked they will crush everyone who get's in their way..
I won't say that race doesn't play a role in their reaction but to say, "he Thea party are just really pi**ed off because President Obama is a black man. That's all there is to it, really!" Is just plain naive.
He's the leader of the country, and the countries f--ked. You'd have to be r*tarded to not be shouting at the guy to do all that magic he promised.
We've never had a congress in history to behave so radically. Even from the beginning we had bipartisanship and compromise to get the Bill of Rights done and decide on Ratification. It's how this country was built. Record filibusters and a complete shutdown of congressional compromise can only be laid at the feet of the GOP. Bush didn't go through this with Dems, we saw Dems vote in things and compromise where most liberals and moderate Dems in America cringed at them going along. The decision to go into Iraq being a huge one. Dems in congress went against what the American left wanted them to do which was to say no to Bush and Cheney on invading Iraq and we were right in the end. Obama has failed to lead with an iron fist but no one knew that republicans were going to go so bitterly radical to think any president would have to try and lead them so that way. The majority of Americans who said no to McCain and the republicans this time around truly thought that business would go as usual in congress and our representatives would act accordingly mature.
Christopher, I can't find any reason to disagree with any of your statements. So instead I'll just ask, what should be done about this?
Vote Democrat? That's doesn't work, as you pointed out.
Blame the Republicans? Sure, OK, that happens a lot, but still there is no delivery on promised goods.
Admit the Democrats are right? Well, even if the democrats are right about literally everything they've every theorized on, more than half of the country still doesn't believe them most of the time, therefore, being right doesn't mean anything gets done.
Abolish Congress? But that would mean a ruler with an iron fist, which I think we're opposed too.
Hope the Republicans bow down? Make fun of them? Shame them? Yell at them? It's been tried, still doesn't work.
So, what's to be done?
It's old white privileged men who cant accept that the country is changing and they no longer have the power they once had. They think they can stop progression. In the end they will end up dead and carry a legacy of ignorance.
Obama has more in common with those men than he does your average black man. Don't forget, he was Barry Obama for his first 40 years. Stop listening to what Obama says and instead focus on what he does. The word "hypocrite" and "coward" will come to mind quite often.
Is it like a gag reflex for you people to call racism every time Obama is criticized? Good Lord, just measure him by your own liberal standards. We're still starting wars, still bombing people, still trampling civil liberties, still destroying the economy and running up ridiculous deficits. What, you got gay marriage and a broken health care bill? Well done, you jacked a ton of stuff up along the way to get it.
Indefinite detention without charge or trial for American citizens was the Obama administration's idea. Levin said so himself when defending that part of the bill from other Democrats on the floor of the senate, it's on youtube if you care to look for it.
It's the Obama administration that expanded the Afghan war into Pakistan. It's the Obama administration that drone bombed Anwar al-Awlaki and his entire family(citizens of the United States and entitled to due process).
It's Obama who has failed in his Article II responsibilities that the laws of the country are enforced while he has obstructed justice in 3 major cases of corruption within his administration and it is he who instructed the justice department to not enforce laws they didn't agree with.
Yeah, sounds like racism.
Take it from a Canadian when I say that it is hard enought to find left wing politicians in this country, so you won't find them in the U.S. As far as American debt goes, the day before 9 11, Donald Rumsfeld declared on t.v that the pentagon misplaced 2.3 trillion dollars that they couldn't accont for. Funny, how this issue was never raised after the economic collapse of 2008, while your government bickered over a 800 billion dollar bailout for the very banks, and Wall St. that burned the american public with unregulated derivatives, and sub prime mortgages.
Obama inherited a disaster, that started with Reagan, and Margaret Thatcher. The awful truth is the U.S has 1 political party with 2 factions that are backed by the same corporate interests, and the only reason the U.S thrived for 50 years was because they had no competition while Europe, Japan, and China rebuilt themselves. Since greed rules the day, all the jobs have moved to places where the labor rate is the cheapest. (slave labor) That is what capitlism/fascism is, and the direction it is headed, (global slavery)and until the trillion dollars a years you pay in interest on your debt to the privately owned federal reserve is adrressed, all the left/right wing politics that everyone wishes to blame is meaningless! Any questions?
I'd like to point out for clarification's sake that it was not inherently "right-wing", "fascist", or "captialist" ideas that led to any of the situations happening that you mention above - at least not on their own. All of those systems have equally as good a chance at deterring corruption as do "leftist" ideas (in fact, I would argue a better chance). It is the introduction of fractional reserve banking and/or non-asset based currencies that really allow corrupted individuals/groups to flourish in any society.
Eliminate the ability for corrupted elements to quickly gain financial power through these systems and it becomes much more difficult for them to gain any real influence without people taking notice.
Its probably impossible to get rid of the baking system as it stands now
The banking system is no different now than it was when it was the church dishing out loans to crusaders.
The church of course still has a lot of the land it took from those men who went out to die for it's cause.
As usual an outside perspective is the clearest.
@mike jarvis: Thank you for the kind comment, it is most appreciated. With that said, it is just my opinion, and I only express it to inform others, with the hope they will research for themselves. Take care, and best wishes.
good comment, and so true..
You say Obama inherited a disaster, but he didn't. It wasn't given to him, he wanted it. He ran for president with the promise of fixing it, he didn't. I wouldn't even call it a disaster I would call it a blessing, because there was his chance to let poorly managed companies die, but he did the opposite, and gave them billions in taxpayers money.
@avd420: Man, where to start:
1) How could Obama fix anything with a republican dominated congress?? (unlike George Bush Jr. who got unconditional support for more than 6 years)
2) The collapse and bailout occured during Bush's presidency, not Obama's. Everything was put in motion before Obama got in power.
3) Assuming Obama actually tried to fix it, he would end up like John and Robert Kennedy. (give black people rights, pull the troops out of Vietnam, disassemble the federal reserve, smash the CIA into 1000 pieces, remove J Edgar Hoover who was protecting the mob, etc. - basically threatened all the power players in an attempt to fix it - reward - assassinated)
4) Obama ran for president because he was electable, as opposed to Herman Cain, Sarah Palin, Romney, etc; and the rest of the minutia the republicans offered.
5) Last but not least: if you read my orignal blog, you would understand, it is the illusion of democracy supported by the same corporate interests who literally spend a billion dollars promoting their guys. (win/win situation) When the president gets in power, he is handed a list of financial advisors that he has to choose from, (the federal Reserve) not a choice of his own.
With all due respect, you need to dig a little deeper before you blame any one guy, (Bush included) and realize nothing is as it appears to be. If you really believe you have any constitutional rights, ask why Edward Snowdon is living in Russia? Answer: The Patriot Act would prevent him from getting to the Supreme Court, where he would be found 'not guilty' due to consciencious objector status for exposing just how nasty your corporate controlled government has become. This court precedent was set by Daniel Ellsberg who did the same thing back in the early 1970's, and won.(exposed 7000 pentagon papers revealing illegal government activity) Any more Questions?
P.S: They could have hung Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz, and Rumsfeld along with Saddam Hussein, and I wouldn't have shed a tear!
1 - Obama said he was going to get republicans and democrats to work together, so according to his promises, it didn't matter who was in congress, he was gonna get s*it done anyway.
2 - The collapse happened when Obama was running for presidency, and he still ran instead of dropping out, he promised to fix it, and he didn't. I agree that it was set in motion before him, and it goes back decades through democratic and republican administrations,.
3 - Assumption with no evidence. AKA: an excuse.
4 - If he was that electable he didn't need to make hundreds of promises he had no chance of keeping. AKA: Lies.
5 - I agree. BTW, I wasn't blaming one guy, it;s a systemic issue, and with all due respect, you need to dig a little deeper if you think that Obama isn't a willing participant in that system, Also, it's not MY government, I'm Canadian.
P.S - Same here.
@avd420: Well, it appears we are basically on the same page. For the record, I have no doubt that Obama is a willing participant of the system. The proof lies in the fact that nothing has changed since his arrival. (closing Gitmo, etc)
I guess we will never know whether Obama's intentions were genuine or not. There are 2 likely possibilities.
1) He believed he could change things from the inside, and found out it was an exercise in futility. (didn't lie)
2) He lied his ass off to get his family higher up the global pyramid scheme. (sold his soul)
Of course, there is a 3rd possibility that it was a combination of the two. Since we are on the outside looking in, we will never know.
Note: I apologize for assuming that you were an american. (no insult intended) That assumption does not extend regarding the death of the Kennedys. There is no doubt there was a conspiracy involved in there deaths, (more than one shooter for JFK) regardless of the many attempts in the last 50 years to quash the obvious. Since the release of Oliver Stone's JFK, congress sealed the files indefinitely, which were to be release 75 years after his death. It was even confirmed by 2 different jailed assassins (who turned the job down) that it was Lucien Sarti, a French Corsican underground hitman who fired the kill shot from the grassy knoll. This was also confirmed by E Howard Hunt's son that his father made a deathbed confession implicating himself along with Sarti, and several other individuals. (LBJ, and J. Edgar Hoover included) Don't take my word for it, research it yourself. Take care, and best wishes avd420!
Best wishes to you as well, awfultruth. It's been fun and informative reading and replying to your comments.
I was actually thinking while reading what you wrote: it kind of sounds like me and this guy are on the same page. lol
Keep up the good work, see you around!
"This happened under Obama", what did you lapse into a coma while Bush destroyed the country?
Kelly, you have that in quotation marks but I didn't say it, so who are you quoting?
Republicans made it their mission top ensure that nothing got done so what could Obama do about that? Nothing. He is a willing participant but to focus on him means you have some malice toward him as an individual.
Neil,
You are correct that I have some malice towards Obama as an individual. As I stated, he's a willing participant in the system, therefore, malice.
...so you blame Obama's Republican Congress...which he didn't have until midway through his first term....but you do not blame Bush's Democrat Congress who spent and spent...seems double minded
@StillTruth: If you read my blogs carefully, you would understand my position that democracy is an illusion. In reality, it is 1 political party with 2 factions. (republican and democrat, both backed by the same corporate elite/ no left wing elements) The only difference is congress backed Bush for 6 years for the war machine, (capitalism) while they have resisted Obama for medicare. (socialism) Thus, it doesn't matter what the congress is composed of, (repulican/democrat) since money rules the day, and american propaganda (FOX) warps it people.
Nothing has changes since Obama got into power, because the same people and system are pulling the strings. (owners of the federal reserve collecting 1 trillion dollars a year in interest for doing nothing, on money they created out of thin air)
Now, if you go back and read all my comments, you will understand the context of my statements, and the direction of the discussion I was having with AVD420. Take care, and best wishes.
I see...so your argument is because the last congress spent some money, this congress is infallible?
Kennedy didn't give black rights, that was Johnson. Kennedy didn't pull the troops out, that was Nixon. Kennedy didn't do anything.
Gerald Allen: Regarding rights for black people and pulling the troops out of Vietnam, Johnson and Nixon only finished what the Kennedy's started because they were dead. (assassinated for trying to bring a brainwashed racist society into the 20th century - note: according to ex Cia Howard Hunt, this was carried out by Lucien Sarti, and sanctioned by J. Edgar Hoover, LBJ, and their friends, at the CIA and organized crime)
As far as stating that JFK 'didn't do anything", he did save all your lives during the Cuban missile crisis. (you know, when the Russians had 180 nukes sitting 90 miles off your doorstep because the U.S had placed nukes on their doorstep in Turkey)
Any questions?
P.S: Giving credit to 'tricky Dicky' is a poor example of a supporting argument. If he would have had his way, the U.S would have nuked China! Don't take my word for it, listen to the tapes.
Yes, just yes.
and it has only improved since he took office, albeit not as much as we would like.
No questions here, just total agreement.
It's very much the same in the UK. there are no left wing politicians any more, everyone is lurching ever further to the right in order to pander to the vocal psychopath vote.
Regan did nothing, the man was a m*ron. a barely coherent mouthpiece. He was incredibly lucky that everything sorted itself out for him. The USSR didn't fall apart because Ronald Regan handsomed it to death, it fell apart because it was a political mess built on infighting and backstabbing and had been since it's inception.
Don't get me started on Thatcher. The north of England will probably never recover from the damage she did to it, and social mobility is practically non existant now thanks in a very large part to her and the political atmosphere she created.
Without Thatcher there could never have been a Tony Blair. the damage she caused, he magnified by dragging us into a series of wars that drained our economy of everything Thatcher hadn't sold off to the lowest bidder!
@a_no_n: Well, it is nice to see that we do have common ground on some issues. Now that I know you are British, it is easy to understand your feelings regarding Thatcher, and Blair. Sadly, the damage that they and their counterparts in the U.S (Bush, Cheney) have done will be with us long after the next generation asks who these people were, and the crazy ideologies that they implemented! Take care, and best wishes!
yes i'm not insane...just a bit of an a**hole lol.
Fortunatly the Thatcherist/Reganite era seems to be drawing to a close.
The one thing we can definatly thank Obama for is breaking the stronghold that the christian far right has had over American politics in the last 50 years.
unfortunatly it appears as if england is just about to march blindly into that mindframe with the slow rise of UKIP who are basicly the British tea party. a group of white upper class bigots trying to put a friendly face on racism. Their entire political platform revolves around pointing a finger of blame at whatever miniorities you can still get away with bullying.
Our biggest problem however is not our politics it's our media, which is polarised far beyond even Americas. except of course that there's a far more prominent right wing bias.
I've always been kind of jealous of you Canadians, you lot seem to be sat up there, perfectly balanced and forward thinking watching the rest of us slowly go completely insane.
@a_no_n: For the record, I am very proud to be a Canadian, however, I have come to understand that the stability of the Canadian experience does not stem so much from political ideology, but more from the environment itself. (don't freeze, don't drown) It also helps that we have the 2nd largest country in the world, with only 34 million people. (lots of elbow space) Combine this with our abundant resources, and it is not hard to understand why we are a friendly lot, (generally speaking) where crime is kept at bay with 6 months of cold weather a year. (note: we just had our 3rd coldest winter on record where it stayed below -40 for over 4 months straight. (at least -30 with a windchill keeping the temperature between -40, and -50 degrees) I guess like all people, we have take the good with the bad. (no one gets to walk between the rain drops)
I did find it interesting that you feel your media is a bigger problem than the politics itself. With that said, since you are there, and I am not, you are in a far better position to understand the dynamics of your own country than myself. One thing for certain, getting a complete picture from the media is problematic at best, regardless of which ideology governs. I leave you with a quote from Albert Einstein. (well, paraphrasing since I am doing it from memory, but close none the less)
"Humanity, like any other animal, tends not to consider it's own situation unless goaded by circumstance. As a young man, I too went through such a phase, trying to act and be like ones fellow. Communism, socialism, nationalism, and militarism, while constituting diverse political ideologies, ultimately all lead to the subjugation of the individual by the state, putting an end to personal freedom, and liberties". (definitely a very smart man)
Take care, and best wishes a_no_n!
P.S: Perhaps it is the relentless heat that is frying everyone's brain to insanity. If that is the case, than Canadians truly won the lottery of life. (go figure)
'Everybody wishes to be like Reagan because he was successful'
You know how many members of Reagan's administration where investigated for ethics violations? 130!
The Soviet Union would have collapsed a lot sooner without the threat the US posed anyway.
**ck Reagan and anyone who thinks we need another... It's those policies and ideologies that have destroyed the middle class.
Reagan was elected. He was a republican. He and the congress at the time did as the were elected to do... run the country...! This is what is NOT happening today. The title of the doc. says it all. The party of NO! Sooner or later our county's demographics will catch up to them and this corporatocray. Personally i think this is ,unfortunately, race based to some degree. Yes political ideology is foremost but, there is still "back of the mind" bigotry in a large part of our country. The fire was already burning but i think President Obama's skin color gives some of the "mob" extra reason to fan the flame. sad...
Clowns to the left of me
Jokers to the right.
Stealers Wheel
Sharia law!
Oh no you didn't. Haha.
it's actually a position advocated by our bloc of "dominionist/christian reconstructionist" lunatics as a "solution".
Oh I know dude. Ironically the ones shouting loudest about how vile the whole sharia concept is are the ones pushing for the same thing in a different guise. Hypocrisy of the highest order.
"my theocratic totalitarianism is much more socially acceptable than yours... nyah" lol
So what is the solution?
A large fire.
the voters of both extremes to realize a train wreck isnt a solution.
Clearly you're referring to voters of the far-right wing party vs. voters of the center-right wing party.
laying blame on a single camp is folly. both sides are a part of single machine, "participatory politics simulator 2000". extreme tree huggers are no less ridiculous than the "drill baby drill" boys, the mantra of "all guns are evil" is no less ludicrous than the NRA position of "mutually assured destruction will make our malls safe" our streets house masses of seriously mentally ill folks because a left-wing movement of the 70s fed into cheapskatery on the right, resulting in far too few treatment facilities, but many more warehouses of smaller size. just a few (of VERY many) examples. there are NO "clean hands" in our political system, just variation in the depth of crud under any particular set of fingernails
The idea that the left and the right are equally to blame is the laziest argument in politics. First, start by looking at the money. Which organizations have more funding to leverage their political agenda? Big oil companies or tree huggers? The heavily financed tea party group or the Occupy groups? Organized management or today's organized labor? The distinction between those who own vast sums of wealth vs. those who have little more than charity groups should be obvious to anybody, and recent laws such as Citizens United only serve to widen this divergence.
Second, don't think for an instant that there are any serious left-wing politicians in office. There are no tree huggers in Washington. There wasn't a single politician who openly supported Occupy. There's only one Democrat, Elizabeth Warren, who's outspoken about the class struggle in America. But most Democrats reach accross the aisle in support of free trade deals and legislation supporting companies like Monsanto. Heck, just look at the presidential debates. While Romney promised to expand oil pipelines, Obama boasted that more pipelines have been built under his administration than any other. Tree huggers? Where? The idea that tree huggers are equally to blame for this mess as a heavily financed group of businessmen who control the media and most of Washington is both dangerous and astonishingly inaccurate.
The largest deficit in the history of the country happened under Obama, so obviously the left is to blame for this current mess. They want to give all the deadbeats free money forever and let everyone into the country. I can't imagine how any sane person can think this can end in anything but disaster.
henrymart81: Do you really believe that Obama is left wing? Take it from a Canadian when I say that it is hard enought to find left wing politicians in this country, so you won't find them in the U.S. As far as American debt goes, the day before 9 11, Donald Rumsfeld declared on t.v that the pentagon misplaced 2.3 trillion dollars that they couldn't accont for. Funny, how this issue was never raised after the economic collapse of 2008, while your government bickered over a 800 billion dollar bailout for the very banks, and Wall St. that burned the american public with unregulated derivatives, and sub prime mortgages.
Obama inherited a disaster, that started with Reagan, and Margaret Thatcher. The awful truth is the U.S has 1 political party with 2 factions that are backed by the same corporate interests, and the only reason the U.S thrived for 50 years was because they had no competition while Europe, Japan, and China rebuilt themselves. Since greed rules the day, all the jobs have move to places where the labor rate is the cheapest. (slave labor) That is what capitlism/fascism is, and the direction it is headed, (global slavery)and until the trillion dollars a years you pay in interest on your debt to the privately owned federal reserve is adrressed, all the left/right wing politics that everyone wishes to blame is meaningless! Any questions?
NOT so. Clinton left office with a budget surplus "on paper" 1994-2001(factcheck.org). Bush cut taxes almost every year of his presidency. Remember the $400 individual rebate??? which by the way was a "token" for the common man while oil companies and other huge corporations got BILLIONS in permanent tax subsidies. Bush left office with over 10 TRILLION in real debt and many more in unrealized debt (say Iraq).Not to mention the worst financial predicament since the great depression (yes Clinton did his part with the repeal of Glass-Steagall). Where was the Tea Party and the Heritage Foundation then??? Check out the Frontline documentary "10 Trillion and counting" and then ask yourself how You would fix the country if you were elected in 2008?
Henry my friend...so... that lovely war in Iraq had no devastating financial repercussions for the US economy at all. Ok, and Obama was supposed to clean up Bush's 8 years in office, with a mop and a bucket. Seriously, Obama is easy to blame for what Bush left behind yet I am reminded of the facism of the Nazis in this business of scapegoating of Obama (and the Left) for the spending spree. As I see it-though it is convenient for some to forget-many trillions were wasted and misplaced somewhere in the course of the Iraq war. We really did not have to go there and we are not safer now. Of course, I am NOT saying that both parties are not part of the problem. Time for a history lesson: During George Washington's presidency, American did not have a two-party system. Therefore, I applaud Alan Simpson and other straight-shooters (Dems or Republicans) who are in favor of putting America before a *tupid political party. There ARE a few good politicians, yet we also need Americans to get serious about America, and that does not mean killing people just because they are not americans. War is an expensive enterprise, as we saw between 2000 and 2008. We have enough money to kill and not enough to help people get medical help and a decent education???
Henry my friend...so... that lovely war in Iraq had no devastating financial repercussions for the US economy at all. Ok, and Obama was supposed to clean up after Bush's 8 years with a mop and a bucket. Obama is easy to blame for what Bush left behind yet there are some very short-term memory issues with those in charge of public media. We must have forgotten that $Trillions$ were wasted and misplaced somewhere in the course of the Iraq war. We really did not have to go there and we are not safer now. Yes, both parties are part of the problem. In fact, as George Washington said that two-party systems are the "tools of monarchy". Therefore, I applaud Alan Simpson and other straight-shooters (Dems or Republicans) who are in favor of putting America before a *tupid political party. There ARE a few good politicians, yet Americans need to get serious about America, and that does not mean killing people just because they are not americans. War is an expensive enterprise which is why the British Empire fell--due to too much attacking other countries to plunder their resources. We thought we had enough money to kill and now we do not even have enough to allow americans to get medical help, decent education, keep their jobs and own a house? What?!!!
To stop letting the system narrow your choices down to one of two options. It suits the dumbed down electorate as much as it suits the lobbyists and special interest groups but a red or blue solution cannot possibly represent the interests of 314 million people, it's just not believable in any sense of the word. Even if that were true then at any given time close to 50% of the population are deemed in the minority. You only need to look closely at either one of the two flavours on offer to see how much internal turmoil there is and the amount of effort that goes into not upsetting the apple cart.
Dude did you go to UT?
The internet sure is small place!
Cut spending across the board. Reduce the size of federal government, by allowing corporations to take over some of the lesser important roles of the government. Some companies already are footing the bill to keep national parks open. Make this permanent and expand on it.
The privatization of public property and function is precisely what we've learned to be the root cause of our financial trouble. When America understood that some functions are best left in the hands of public stewards, we prospered. Since January 1981 and the privatization that began under Ronnie RayGun, America has been on a steadily declining path.
When you elect politicians who believe that the government can only fail, what do you expect the result to be?
The day that Ronald Reagan took office, America's route to the dustbin of history was canonically plotted and its resources were laid bare for the ultrawealthy scavengers to steal.