Should we have low expectations in advance of the specifics of President Obama’s speech on Wednesday, just so that we won’t be “disappointed,” in order to permit ourselves to be pleasantly “heartened” if he decides to be the president who defies the political winds and tells the American people in no uncertain terms what needs to be done on health care? To lay out the issues unambiguously, and throw down the gauntlet and do battle with the forces of ignorance and reaction?

Will Obama finally announce that “I’ve heard what the Republicans have say, and beyond than fear-mongering, deception and falsity, they have brought absolutely nothing to the table. I have compromised my own principles repeatedly in order to satisfy them, and in return they offer nothing—nothing but more stonewalling and inaction. It is now time to put away childish things, and tell the American people straight and clear that the necessary steps needed to reform health care will come with some cost, because it requires us to do something. It is a cruel fallacy to suggest that doing nothing at all comes without cost; it only insures that the cost will be even greater in the future.

“I have heard the arguments against a public option; I have waited in vain for the health insurance industry and its political backers propose a plan that will insure universal coverage at affordable cost. I have not heard another plan that will lower costs while insuring necessary care for all. I have not heard another plan that will insure that people will not be forced into bankruptcy or lose their homes the first time they get sick. I have not heard another plan that will insure that people will not be denied coverage for pre-existing or post-conditions. The fact that the health insurance industry and its backers have all but stated their opposition to the concept of universal coverage, and prefer to keep a third of the population uninsured or underinsured, requires that someone else must make the moral choice. Since the insurance industry and its backers refuse to make that moral choice, the federal government by default has the responsibility to make that choice. I will make that moral choice by demanding a comprehensive public health insurance option that refuses no one care, and I enjoin Congress to follow me in making this critical moral choice.”

Am I dreaming? Is this fantasy? Should I even bother wondering?

I hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable Labor Day. Remember labor creates wealth and the wealthy horde the money!

You must go to antiwar.com and read two articles. These articles are in the antiwar.com website for September 8, 2009. One article is written by Andrew Bacevich and the second article is written by Fred Reed.

For eight years under Bush II and now for Obama we face everyday as a BOHICA day. Bend over here it comes again!!!!!

Here is the article by Andrew Bacevich.

http://freedomsyndicate.com/fair0000/latimes00000.html

Here is the last paragraph of Fred Reed's article.

Julie Jacobson sounds like that modern-day rarity, a reporter, as distinguished from a volunteer flack. Bless her. I used to wonder whether women could hack it as combat correspondents. I no longer do. (There are lots of them.) I used to refer to smarmy, over-groomed, bloodthirsty office warts as p*ssies, saying that they lacked balls. The anatomical reference no longer works. I note that Jacobson has more combat time than the aggregate for Bush II, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Obama, Biden, Gonzales, Clinton, Perle, Abrams, Kristol, Feith, Podhoretz, Krauthammer, George Will, Dershowitz, and Gates. These men, if the word is appropriate, killed that kid. Jacobson just caught them in the act.

regarding the photo of the marine ,we do not see the horrors of war anymore in the news. as a people and our youth we must see the horrors of war for us to be truly human to wake ourselves up. to say no more wars. i remember as a kid during the viet nam war seeing the horrors of war on my tv during dinner time. as people of our nation we need to see and know everything that's happening in war time. we as a people are all interconnected. what happens in Iraq and afghanistan affects us also its not just that marine and his family hardship. it is also our hardship enough of this bullshit of war the peace movement was based because we seen the horrors of war.

Hi Brian, Yes the Christian rite is a cult, but so is most of what is called Christianity today. When the Christian church was taken over by Rome around 300 AD. It was turned into a death cult, with Jesus at the center as a sort of get out of hell free card.
On the other hand the teachings of Jesus are powerful and life giving. As he said "my words are life" Also if you compare the teachings of Jesus to those of the Buddha and other enlightened masters, you will find that they all were saying the same things.

Any spiritual discipline which does not teach that Love and Compassion are the way to life abundant is a cult. As Jesus said I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say "don't worry about a thing, in a little while my father in heaven is going to off me and send me to hell, so after that you can be as evil and rotten as you want as long as you believe that God offed me for you, you can have a great life after you die"

Guess what is being advertized on the bottom of the live stream window of The President's speech- who just finished now--

Retire Harry Reid
Stand Against a Second "Stimulus" Text "RetireReid" to 466772
www.nrsc.org

No kidding!

So...is there a law against being a communist/ socialist/ fascist in America?

Better yet, is there a dictionary in which defines the combination of all 3 of them as they are being used by the teabaggers?

Speaking of CULTS.......More of the Israeli 'SUPER RACE' Fascist cult of supremacy and their supporter Thom Hartmann

Israeli Government Ads Warn Against Marrying Non-Jews

World: Israel has launched an advertising campaign urging Israelis to inform on Jewish friends and relatives abroad who may be in danger of marrying non-Jews.

straaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaight out of Hitler's playbook

http://www.alternet.org/world/142478/israeli_government_ads_warn_against...

BTW, does anyone else find it completely disgusting that so many Americans had to work on LABOR DAY?

thom where can i get the recordings of FDR speeches?. we need to have everyone listen what FDR said about corporate america.

The President also said Do not let your failures define you, it just means you should learn have your failures teach you.

These right-wing nuts are teaching their children not to respect the Office of the President -- How American of them. We are in the throes of a Fascist take over of our government and there isn't anyone, in or out of government, who has the "brass" to say it out loud. These people have been plotting and planning this coup for 60 years. They are more patient than Al Queda and the rest of us behave like "Good Germans".

It's frightening, sad and disgusting that the best hope of the world is failing and falling and we're ready to let it happen as long as we have our "American Idol" show to watch.

I've been around for 70 years, marched for Civil Rights, against the Vietnam War, etc. I can't for the life of me figure out why our "progressives/liberals" can't muster the courage to march for health insurance/care reform. My parents generation and my generation were willing to take the "hit" for our beliefs--where the hell are the people of this generation. Too afraid of not being liked? Too afraid of not being "politically correct"? Or just too damned lazy? There are some who have organized online and helped Obama get elected, but you can't get the marjority of them out from behind their computers. As long as we are unwilling to put our bodies on the line, we will lose everything this country has ever stood for.

I'm not young enough to start organizing (besides I'm retired and still have to work full time), but if MoveOn.org or Democracy for American could muster the courage to organize a march on Washington, I'd use what little savings I have to get there.

Who else is willing to push for this!

Protest sign seen at Obama speech: Pay attention to God, not the President...So, grow your hair long, drop out of school, give away all your money, wear sandals and roam around the country talking about peace and living off the charity of others...Kool...KC

OMG Alan Colmes at http://www.alan.com/ is becoming the Progressive Talk Radio Host Champion of Twitter. More Thom Tweets would be a healthy competition. Beck seemed to say in a recent broadcast to discourage use of the web as us progressives are knocking down these bizarre flying monkey right misgivings and tweeting links to progressive radio shows.

Alan has on his blog today @angrytownhall on twitter that Thom did talk about. Also on Alan's blog today is that Mark Foley may be considered for a radio talk show!

Michael Hood at Blather Watch reports that former sexcapader Mark Foley may have found a home on Talk Radio. WSVU in Palm Beach will present “Inside the Mind of Mark Foley” which “will expose the inner workings of Washington DC.

Listen online to Alan 7-10PM PST http://www.foxnews.com/radio/alancolmes/index.html

Thom,

We have been distracted from talking about and protesting the war in Afghanistan while fighting for health care. Was the long break before the vote partly intended to distract us in just that way? We could all write to the AP and say we support their decision to publish the photo, and that we believe Americans need to know the cost of war through honest visual images.

Such a letter would be as important as writing to our senators if it will help convince journalists that honest reporting about the cost of war, even against the governments wishes, is essential to not turning Afghanistan into another Vietnam.

Here's a link to the AP's statements regarding their photo. The bottom of the page has a link to other statements including one from the reporter.

http://www.ap.org/fallen_marine/

Also, I think we could write a letter of support for publishing the photo to this address: info@ap.org

As an aside to the topic of the hour about being honest about the cost of war (which I agree with), I just wanted to say that the AP is no hero in this scenario. They are shills for the right-wing. Where were they during the 8 years of the Bush-Cheney administration? They were brainlessly and obediently complying with Bush-Cheney order to censor all such truth.

I also can't forget Rachel Maddow's reporting about the AP event last year to which they invited John McCain. I think the event was post-primary so I believe that it was known that Obama was the Democratic candidate for president but I don't think Obama was invited to this thing, only McCain. And the thing that our brain-dead media played up was that the AP staff presented McCain with a cup of coffee just the way he likes it and his favorite type of donut, one with sprinkles. Ringing any bells with anyone? Well, Rachel reported, correctly, that this was an entirely inappropriate thing for a news organization to do. How can we really believe that the AP will report on McCain's contradictions and hypocrisies, which were numerous during the campaign, when they're his pal?? So the AP has revealed itself to be compromised and unethical in its reporting, and I hope liberals aren't clapping them on the back as friends of the left.

I wouldn't be surprised if they suddenly 'got religion' about reporting the truth about the horror of war just to give Obama another headache or to try to turn public opinion against him in another arena besides healthcare reform.

Tomorrow night there will be a watershed event. I noticed that the date will be 09/09/09. We are told by the White House that the president will "draw a line in the sand". Not only will we learn where that line is drawn but in subsequent days, we will find out if that sand shifts. Then we will discover, not only if that line falls before us, or behind our backs, but also where he, (Obama) , really stands. Anything less than a strong public choice, will be a betrayal, by my measure. I believe Thom has also drawn that same line. We will also finally find out if we have been watching checkers or chess being played. I may pop some popcorn!

Listen. I don’t want to be negative, but if Barack delivers the kind of health care reform speech that I expect him to, I have a proposal. I live just outside of the San Francisco County Line. Everybody is invited to my house. I will provide many, many bottles of Veronique’s organic wine. If you’re not a wino, BYOB. We will wave our white flag to Corporate America with a special single-finger salute to the health insurance industry. We will play drunken monopoly and donate the properties to non profits.

Cuz folks, dats da name of dat tune.
This is the only victory possible in modern day America.

I wish I could come too kas, but I'll be waving my flag and saluting right along with you from here. Can you fed ex me a shot of Eau de Vie, DDay? just in case:-)

food facist------------ thanks for FDR link

FDR: "I welcome their hate."

http://vodpod.com/watch/1406318-fdr-i-welcome-their-hate-

Sure my dear Loretta! I'll take a shot of my few bottles with my trusty digital camera and email them to you. Oh....wait.... you meant the other kinda shot....didn't you? :-) I'll bring some when I visit Portland next.

Hey kas,
I get to S.F fairly often. Are you a little north or a little south of the county line? I usually hang with friends in Marin. I might be able to share some 'recipe" if you are around. and ye it doe's remove pain but as in all things there is a flip side the next morn. :-(