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The main problem with the Democratic Party? There are several that could be rationally put forth...but the main problem is that they stand for nothing...that is enough to fight for! Everyone knows what the Repubs stand for...NO TAXES! Sometimes the Dems do too. What is it that everyone knows we stand for? Nothing. We let our opponents define us because we are too afraid to take a firm stand on anything. Proof? The Dems reaction to last week's SCROTUS decision.
Obama FIGHT = Rolling over and exposing one's throat.
FYI: Regarding Thom's visit to Minneapolis last weekend.
I have posted a personal account of Thom's visit here Saturday night. Anyone interested here...go to
www.thomhartmann.com/2010/01/24/highlights-on-the-show-january-25-29-201...
I guess I'd say its Constitutional amendment time.
Only Human Beings are people, no organization can have the rights of an individual imbued upon it.
Of course we got a snowball's chance in Hell for that to pass, but heck let's agitate.
We have a corporate society right now: It isn't a bumper sticker!
we have lead painted toys that are given a deadline on the shelf - not a destruct date
we have labels that don't tell us that a drug was made in China - or an option to get one made in the USA instead
we had over a hundred people die due to the bad heparin formula - it gets a small article in mainstream media
we have carcinogens dumped into our air and water but too little regulation to clean up or stop it
we have BPA in plastic while Europe does not because our laws protect corporations instead of people
we have clean coal commercials when it doesn't exist because its ok to lie in american media without being called out
we have decades in which states have been competing with each other to get a corporation in their area
we have decades in which states have been competing to give up revenue, give up consumer protections,
and offering special protections for the corporation, including some liability exceptions
we have local, state and federal levels giving tax cuts, tax exemptions, write-offs, and special perks,
we have local, state and federal levels being blackmailed into giving up rights and protections for people as consumers and workers but the media, 85% owned by 5 corporations, does not report the effects on american citizens
we have local, state and federal levels losing revenue from corporations keepin their profits outside the USA to avoid their share of taxes which is picked up by regular citizens and goes unreported as the cause
small businesses are overwhelmed by special privileges given to their big competitors
small businesses are overwhelmed by red tape that is easily handled by big competitors which encourage its implementation
we have farmers being sued because copyrighted seeds were dropped by birds or blown by the winds onto their farm
we have farmers unable to use their own seeds because a corporation was allowed to copyright them
we have corporations putting in copyrights for plants and trees unmodified by science
we have seen the housing market bubble and burst, where good loans were bypassed, oversight removed, and then repackaged to fleece even more investors
we have seen wall street and bankers get bailed out and give billions in bonuses while allowed to continue their gambling practices
we have seen corporations commit first degree murder and get fined - the only punishment available
we have seen corporations use their erroneously given rights to knowingly harm people
we have seen the media go from vibrant to silly because the reporters checks are signed by a corporate CEO who tells them what to say, backed by a court saying there is no law requiring reporters or journalists to be truthful.
we have seen monopolies increase and debt charged to the entity that was purchased putting it in jeopardy
we have seen out sourcing of American manufacturing and jobs to cheaper locations, not for superior products
we hear that America needs to be RESTORED to a third world country status - for workers
we have seen vibrant businesses bought up, their assets sold, and their doors closed by profiteers
we hear that Americans need to give up privacy to be free, to give up rights to private email, internet and phones
we hear that privatization is required for jobs once done by the military, so we can pay more for less
so no draft is setup that would make people take notice of this change, so we can be fleeced by bad service,
crimes, leaks of sensitive information all while based in tax havens or OFC (Offshore Financial Centre) to avoid
paying taxes to the USA while paid by the USA.
we have corporations dumping thalidomide, which caused birth defects, because any drugs can be dumped in a disaster area and written off
when mexican truck drivers were allowed into the US - there was no screaming heard from American truckers in the American press because the corporate media benefitted from that action
we have farmers in foreign countries forced to compete with dumping by American corporations getting subsidies, which undermines the economy, jobs and self-sustaining abilities of places like Haiti, Mexico and other places too poor to fight big money
we have a Superfund set up to clean up air and water pollution, which has been modified so it is paid by taxpayers instead of the companies that caused the problems
we are told by propaganda that regulation is communism - not that it protects consumers - citizens - from criminals
we are told by propaganda that union are evil - a good worker needs no rights - but the CEO has a contract!
we get propaganda from the Chamber of Commerce that American workers are lazy and overpaid - becasue their are many 'front' groups that protect corporate views and profits in our front yard.
we have GATT/WTO, NAFTA and G20 treaties that give corporations rights that override the Constitution and allow a corporation to sue a government
while Unions have been fighting for Americans against foreign dumping it gets little to no notice in our corporate media. When the unions win a case it is put on the Presidents desk to react - the presidents choice to act or not.
we had a company making magnets requried in smart bombs sold to the chinese and the manufacturing plant packed up and sent to China along with the copyright - not stopped by Democratic or Republican presidents
while corporations have an interest in profits, it is not in their scope to protect the USA, but their money determines if a politian gets elected - so we have fewer and fewer politicians interested in protecting America, fewer voting to pass legislation required to protect America - a myopic condition threatening our country right now
while corporations have seen greater gains in rights and power, Americans have seen wages lowered for most
illegal aliens are used as scapegoats to fuel hatred - so they are blamed for the lower wages
legal aliens are brought in thru the front door helping to keep American wages low, legislation renewed
we've seen mr greenspan apologize for believing that the market would level itself - when it destroyed all the small fish instead and created corporations 'too big to fail'
we've seen mr greenspan explain that keeping workers number high keeps the wages low = protecting corporations - through numerous presidents
illegal aliens can be paid less to keep costs low, corporations getting caught claim they didn't know - repeatedly
legal aliens can be brought in to keep costs low - H1B Visas - used in fields that can't be outsourced
we are told Americans won't do that job - when Americans won't do that job for below poverty wages but will be poop scoopers and anything else it takes to make a living
we are told that fast food places aren't hiring our teens because the minimum wage is too high when they are hiring Dad instead who is much more reliable and can't find a job after being out-sourced to China, India or elsewhere
we are told that we must compete with third world nations - because we cost to much to pay when it is because ...
tariffs used to protect American workers in America and pay for government funding to keep taxes non-existent or low
tariffs are now villified as harming America - when it is corporations that benefit from this change - not workers
tariffs are still high for imports in countries that protect their own workers - like China, Japan, Germany, etc.
buy american was removed from the 'reinvestment' plan in america --- but not the plan in CHINA
VAT - value added tax - was also used to keep American jobs safe --- now we export resources, not products
we have foreign corporations dumping products in the USA to destroy our existing business and only an action by the president can be taken to stop it, Bush received 5 cases but took no action, Obama has reacted to the first occurrence (tire industry). Why should it take presidential action? Why should 'business' overrule government?
Can you fight Exxon? Walmart? General Electric?
Teabaggers --- the original tea partiers were fighting against a law that allowed only one company to sell tea within the colonies. A monopoly given by Great Britain to the East India Company was used to fleece colonists. So many businesses in the USA today are near monopolies that this is a current horror story in all our lives. Fleecing America and Americans!
Now the corporations have MORE power! MORE! Now foreign nations can use subsidiaries to have their very own 'free speech' in American politics!
Dateline- January 23rd, 2010, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Convention Center, 6th Annual Blue State Bash....
Minnesota Liberals gathered together Saturday for the local Air America affiliate radio station's annual gathering to drink, nosh on hors douviers, and listen to speeches from invited political celebs. This year the roster of celebs included Stephanie Miller, Ed Shultz, Bill Press, Mike Malloy, and our own Thom Hartmann.
True to form for the frozen tundra threw up a rainy-frozen mix of weather to greet everyone brave enough to venture out. The gloom and doom did not prevent a good crowd from gathering together to mix, mingle, and hold forth on the state of all things political. This reporter attended with the express purpose of promoting the formation of a new Political Progressive PAC dedicated to bringing down Michele Bachmann and other charlatans who threaten our Republic. A few months ago I was approached by a group of lawyers and businessmen who were fed up with the congresswoman in question and wanted to know what they could do to defeat her. I was contacted for my political advice and that of my fellow band of merry pranksters with whom I am surrounded by, here. (All of us have worked together on several local campaigns.) This group of interested citizens seeking advice included some who were politically progressive but also some who probably often voted with the G.O.P. in the past. What they all seem to have in common is a hatred for what Bachmann stands for, and personal ideologies which place country above party.
Like many politically active progressives, I have become increasingly disenchanted with the Democratic Party. They seem to stand for nothing, that is... enough to fight for! This group of grassroots patriots coming to me couldn't have come at a better time personally. I and my compatriots who I brought forward to help advice this group managed to convince them to form a PAC. We thought it would offer the greatest flexibility to effect change. (Of course, last weeks SCOTUS decision resets the rules somewhat.) So, I was there Saturday night to introduce these new activists to various political types and network.
Of these two principals of this new PAC, (both lawyers), one had heard of Ed Shultz. Neither had heard of any of the other radio and TV personalities in attendance. I secured a table against the wall and adjacent to the cash bar, set them there and proceeded to act as a "roper". I went out in the crowd and roped in people who might be helpful or interested in this new PAC and brought them back to meet my charges. It was largely successful and people were interested. Many talented and influential local pols and professionals stopped by and were supportive. Both Bill Press and Ed Shultz not only were willing to give me the "time of day", but came over and sat down with my lawyers for a few moments. This was laudable given the circumstances. Everyone wants a piece of these people. Try and lead a celebrity through a crowd of fans; it can take 20 minutes to move 10 feet! Ed Shultz and Wendy Shultz and Bill Press were very gracious to us and seemed interested in our cause. Stephanie Miller seemed a little off her game Saturday. To my great disappointment, she refrained from calling me her little "stud-muffin", as she so foolishly had done the last time we met. I was a little crest-fallen, but, soldiered on. My biggest disappointment was that I was never able to interact with our hero Thom. When I saw him, he was like a shooting star speeding across the sky. He was always being ushered through the crowd it seemed. His schtick, before the microphone was excellent, thoughtful, and very well received by the audience. I regret not having a chance to shake his hand and perhaps having him meet my lawyers. Cest la vie. All in all it was a good evening. Ed and Wendy Shultz along with Bill Press expressed a willingness to hear from our PAC in the future when we begin acting out. We'll see. I have heard promises before. At least they expressed admiration for our name and cause. The name of this new PAC is: The Rat PAC. We are going after rats...of all political stripes. Michele Bachmann will be our initial target. When our web site goes active I will post it here. Hopefully, some of you here will be interested enough to visit it and consider making a small, (or LARGE!) contribution. We begin fund-raising and register with the F.E.C. next week. We need a minimum of 50K to do anything effectively. Thom said to start a movement. From here in the heart of darkness, Bachmannland, we are trying. Wish us luck!
p.s. Sorry we missed you Sat. night Thom.
A Call to Arms
Since this recent SCOTUS decision came down, I have been SO angry and depressed, just like the rest of us. I keep hearing the sentence I learned so well in typing class: "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party,"* though the word "country" should be substituted for party. I am beginning to have thoughts that Obama was nothing more than a Trojan horse, sent to mollify us until this final ruling (the final nail in the coffin of democracy) came down.
Single Pay or we don't Play! It's time for a healthcare boycott.
Regarding the Republicans' record number of fillibusters, the Dems should never miss an opportunity to point thet fact out. They should also craft better legislation - rather than aiming for 60 votes, aim for 50. And when an important bill is fillibustered, refuse to bring anything else before the Senate until the important bill is allowed to come to a vote.
THEY STILL DON'T GET IT
By BOB HERBERT
Published: January 22, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/23/opinion/23herbert.html
Excerpt:
Democrats in search of clues as to why voters are unhappy may want to take a look at the report. In 2008, a startling 91.6 million people — more than 30 percent of the entire U.S. population — fell below 200 percent of the federal poverty line, which is a meager $21,834 for a family of four.
The question for Democrats is whether there is anything that will wake them up to their obligation to extend a powerful hand to ordinary Americans and help them take the government, including the Supreme Court, back from the big banks, the giant corporations and the myriad other predatory interests that put the value of a dollar high above the value of human beings.
The Democrats still hold the presidency and large majorities in both houses of Congress. The idea that they are not spending every waking hour trying to fix the broken economic system and put suffering Americans back to work is beyond pathetic. Deficit reduction is now the mantra in Washington, which means that new large-scale investments in infrastructure and other measures to ease the employment crisis and jump-start the most promising industries of the 21st century are highly unlikely.
Thom,
Could you please discuss Blue Mark's suggestion (above)? It seems beautiful in its simplicity!
Anyways, it wasn’t that long ago that the left was gloating over the “death” of the Republican party, but the Massachusetts election, supposedly a reliable blue state on the national level, proved that reports of the party’s imminent demise were premature. In the past “party bosses” kept control over the party rank-and-file, and were able to identify the causes of potential dissatisfaction and forestall defections. Republicans seem to have been more successful in keeping order among their minions, but the Democrats seem to have lost such control. This failure to adequately gauge the expectations and desires of voters can be laid at the feet of relying on “polls” that usually provide an incomplete measure of the mood of the electorate—because they are usually responses to leading questions with the expectation of a preconceived result—as well as on disinformation from special interests both from inside and outside of government, and on the mainstream media which focuses on the superficial rather than the substantive.
This failure to keep track of how voters are feeling and keep them satisfied and react quickly to dissatisfaction has had the expected result. One voter who supported Obama in 2008 said that he voted for Scott Brown because he thought the Democrats were moving “too fast” on health care reform. Too fast for whom? The people who can’t afford health insurance, or those for who have difficulty in absorbing the issues at stake? Anyways, the Democrats are going to have to make a decision. They’re going to have to start acting like a party in power with an agenda, and bold enough to use its power to bypass the obstructionist party. Obama needs to use his state of the union address to clearly identify the issues and what is at stake for the country, and state emphatically that he will do whatever is necessary to move legislation, even if it means bypassing “traditional” means, as the Republicans have done in the past to pass measure inimical to the people’s interest.
Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that while we have term limits for the presidency (and for governors in most states) for reasons both “traditional” and arbitrary (Dwight Eisenhower complained of the 22nd Amendment’s “lame-duck” effect on the office), but mainly to curtail the concentration of power in the hands of one person, one rarely speaks of the ossification of the U.S. Senate. Ancient figurines in a chamber that never seems to move without being shoved (hard) seems to be the order of the day. An amendment for a two-term limit might be in order of the day, since a “lame-duck” senator might be less worried about where his or her campaign cash is coming from.
They say that a close loss hurts worse than a blowout, because you have sufficient time to absorb the impact of the latter. What is worse is when your team makes the opponent look like a high school practice squad most of the game, and yet manages to lose in agonizing fashion in overtime without ever touching the ball. I know, people will be talking about another one of Brett Favre’s patented heart-stabbing interceptions at the end of regulation in the NFC title game, but the only reason the Vikings looked like the superior squad despite all the mistakes was because he made good things happen while he took a horrible beating all night; he wouldn’t even have had to throw that last one without two runs for no-gain and an idiotic penalty which essentially put the Vikings out of game-winning field goal range. There was plenty of blame to go around in a game where all the “experts” predicted that the Saints would win the game handily. Six fumbles, “only” three lost but all killing drives went along Favre’s two picks. The Saints couldn’t stop the Vikings offense at all in the second half, but with four turnovers the Vikings seemed to take pity on them and play their defense for them. And then in overtime, the Saints went marching to the Super Bowl with the help of a special teams breakdown and gifts from the officials, especially on the pass interference penalty on an overthrown ball, and the ball that was ruled a catch but appeared to be laid on the ground. And then some walk-on who hadn’t kicked a field goal longer than 38-yards all year kicks a 40-yarder.
And now, of course, there will be the will he/won’t he drama of Favre coming back for another season, which he is under contract for. His last pass as a Packer was an interception in the 2008 NFC Championship game, and now we have the 2010 version. But he played his best football at age 40, so I don’t see why he shouldn’t at 41. He was the Vikings best option at quarterback this year, and he will be next year. This gut-busting loss should be regarded as what coach Brad Childress likes to say, as one by the “team.” As for the Saints, frankly I don’t see how they can survive Manning and the Colts playing as they did in this game, since the Colts will not self-flagellate like the Vikings did Sunday night.
Let's force the courts to confront the fiction of corporate personhood.
Let's have a corporation (that is over 18 years old) register to vote in its state and city of incorporation. When that registration is rejected - sue in Federal Court. If it is accepted - have someone sue in Federal Court to remove it.
Either the courts will have to reject the concept of corporate citizenship that United Citizens is based upon, or they will accept it, and the backlash should move Congress and the States to Amend that misreading of the Constitution out of existence.
James Bopp, Jr. Bio and Contact Info:
http://www.jamesmadisoncenter.org/firmbio.html
From:
DAVID LIU January 25th, 2010, 2:49 am
Thom, please talk about this article on your show on Monday: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/25/us/politics/25bopp.html?hp
This article shows that James Bopp Jr. is behind the organized effort to dismantle campaign finance laws!!!
Quotes from the article:
“The Citizens United case “was really Jim’s brainchild,” said Richard L. Hasen, an expert on election law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.”
“We had a 10-year plan to take all this down,” he said in an interview. “And if we do it right, I think we can pretty well dismantle the entire regulatory regime that is called campaign finance law.”
“Mr. Bopp said the next step in his 10-year plan is to roll back the disclosure rules. ”
Thom, please talk about this article in your show!
From:
DRSARAZAWA January 24th, 2010, 9:07 pm
So a Corp is a person, but a person can’t be a Corp— is that right? Well, I want the same legal protection that a Corp has, namely the tax rights. As a wage earner I want to deduct ALL my earned income as depreciation. Each year my income earning asset — my corpus — is reduced in value by exactly the amount I’ve earned. The 14th Amendment says the law has to treat me equally as well as an artificial person.
I’m serious, dammitt.
From:
PRGK1 January 24th, 2010, 7:41 pm
Stiglitz or Warren are not possible FED Chair nominees. Obama has to choose from a candidate list created by the FED Board of Governors, and they are not going to put anyone that is not already part of the FED system on the list.
Transcription of 5 comments from "hightlights":
From:
GERALD SOCHA January 24th, 2010, 12:35 pm
http://www.paxchristiusa.org/news_events_more.asp?id=1869
Let us say a prayer for Haiti!
James Bopp, Jr. Bio and Contact Info:
http://www.jamesmadisoncenter.org/firmbio.html
Thom, please talk about this article on your show on Monday: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/25/us/politics/25bopp.html?hp
This article shows that James Bopp Jr. is behind the organized effort to dismantle campaign finance laws!!!
Quotes from the article:
"The Citizens United case “was really Jim’s brainchild,” said Richard L. Hasen, an expert on election law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles."
“We had a 10-year plan to take all this down,” he said in an interview. “And if we do it right, I think we can pretty well dismantle the entire regulatory regime that is called campaign finance law.”
"Mr. Bopp said the next step in his 10-year plan is to roll back the disclosure rules. "
Thom, please talk about this article in your show!
So a Corp is a person, but a person can't be a Corp--- is that right? Well, I want the same legal protection that a Corp has, namely the tax rights. As a wage earner I want to deduct ALL my earned income as depreciation. Each year my income earning asset --- my corpus --- is reduced in value by exactly the amount I've earned. The 14th Amendment says the law has to treat me equally as well as an artificial person.
I'm serious, dammitt.
Stiglitz or Warren are not possible FED Chair nominees. Obama has to choose from a candidate list created by the FED Board of Governors, and they are not going to put anyone that is not already part of the FED system on the list.
http://www.paxchristiusa.org/news_events_more.asp?id=1869
Let us say a prayer for Haiti!
Will this be a whole new definition to 'shoplifting' as political protest? They think it is still 1907, the age of Teddy Roosevelt, but it isn't. Times have changed. [I'm bying myself a teddybear by the way] Stores can get hit - easy. And what about mall dolls? those models and corporate chicks who wear store clothes, brand names. Thom sees politicians wearing logos, like sports, but I see models sporting not just clothes - like Gap say - but also posing with a candidate. Model wars are huge. Talk of media coverage and dirt flying!
You'd think political wars would be the LAST thing stores want to deal with. Will they have to create lobby offices - what to do with all those customers lobbying them? Go the the "return counter" ?! Customer complaint office?! It's gonna backfire on the corporations - I can feel it. They don't think about being HERE NOW - as opposed to back there, back then.