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I have a crazy suggestion for our so-far feckless President. Take a lesson from F.D.R. Thus far, the single most common complaint against the Obama White House, shared by people of all stripes, is a strong dissatisfaction with the economic polices as practiced by Geithner, Somers, and Bernanke. A major part of this has to do with the immoral and unpatriotic actions of Wall St., the Financial Industry, and Insurance cartels against the working people of this nation.
F.D.R. when confronting similar circumstances decided who better to construct security for the chickens than the fox? He appointed ol'Joe Kennedy to reform the S.E.C. He knew all the tricks and did a good job closing the gaps. Jon Corzine is looking for work and similarly understands the gaps in our financial system. Obama should ignore the inevitable howls from the right and appoint the former Governor to a post where he could make a real difference. I think he would be a formidable force for good. Just don't send him on to the Court of St. James after he cleans out the barn. Just a thought.
I appreciate Mark's well reasoned and thought provoking post, (above), which examines a side of the coin which many are uncomfortable viewing. One early observation that the Democratic candidates for the New Jersey and Virginia governorships probably didn't inspire Obama's younger and first-time voter support is clearly a truism. What Mark didn't mention is that to expect these voters enthusiasm for Obama to translate into anything more substantial is a fool's errand. President Obama's historic campaign, which was supposed to end one year ago today, was always more of a cult like worship of the man in retrospect, than a true political movement for a shared vision or cause. Progressives joined this effort in the HOPE that he shared our ideals. Organizing for America, is more a continuation of that personal support than a policy driven movement to advance change we can all believe in. Truth in advertising would result in a more accurate name like "Whatever Obama Says", or "Organizing for Obama".
I saw indications of this 18 months ago at our Democratic Congressional District Endorsing Convention. The room was filled with excited delegates, many of whom had never before been formally active before in politics. Their faces had never been seen at the local precinct or district Democratic meetings before. A disproportionate number were young and African American. This is notable because our district is disproportionately white and ex-urban. There were two palpable shared goals for these new recruits. They wanted to coronate Obama and to be selected to attend the National Convention in Denver. Beyond these aims, there was little else. Just a few months before, our statewide Democratic Precinct Caucuses had seen an unprecedented historic turnout. The new faces at the Endorsing Convention a few months later reflected this. Some of us who had been working to build the party for years naively became hopeful, after all, we were the Congressional District that had sent Michele Bachmann to Washington and inflicted her extreme right-wing insanity on the nation. We needed volunteers, money, and help!
Now one year has passed since electing Obama president. I'm sorry to say that I have not seen any of those new faces at the monthly local meetings. Wham, bam, thank you mam. I look around the table at all the meetings I attend, and all the faces are white. They are the same faces I saw two or four years ago. One could fairly argue that we, (the longtime Democratic activists), dropped the ball by not doing better to welcome in these new faces and encourage participation in the party. That however does not explain what is really going on now. The sad truth is that this "movement" was never so much about principals, policies, or patriotic ideals so much as it is about pigment and personality. It is a thin, slender and weak foundation upon which to build a party of progressive politics.
I myself, have fallen victim to the lure of personality driven politics in the past. We want to believe in a "savior" and "hero". Experience has taught me to distrust cults of personality. ( I was once a strong supporter of John Edwards.) I have great hope for President Obama's success so long as it results in America's success. So far, I see little more from him than a slick self-promotion effort. So far, he has seemed to have betrayed his progressive base who he has "ridden hard and put up wet". Yes, he rode those new horses into the White House, but us old work horses carried the load. Thus far he still lavishes attention on his fanatical supporters while neglecting the rational left. He will only go so far if he continues to abuse those who can be depended on to show up to work after the hoopla ends. No, we won't vote for the other side, we just might not show up at all next time. We need more than slogans and promises.
It appears that most news outlets are declaring that Republican wins in the governorships of New Jersey and Virginia are referendums on Obama’s popularity, although it is more likely that the Democratic candidates simply didn’t inspire Obama’s younger and first-time voter support to come out and vote. Obama certainly made a mistake in putting his personal prestige on the line for the unpopular Jon Corzine, and in a state (Virginia) that is still part of the conservative South. He didn’t need to tie himself so directly to candidates who were likely to lose anyway, and by doing so has put his agenda in jeopardy, no thanks to weak-kneed Democrats in Congress. Even now Harry Reid is backing off on passing a health care bill this year, and waiting until next year when Democrats will be less likely of passing a worthwhile bill in an election year, especially when the aroma of fresh insurance company re-election dough is waiting on the table.
I’m not sure what Thom’s point is concerning tea-baggers. Is he saying that they “mean well” and their anger is “righteous,” but their anger is being manipulated by the right? Is he saying that progressives should infiltrate these “parties” and offer alternative explanations for why the country is in its current state? Yes, I think progressives should have their own parties (like in the 1960s), but not with these people; all that will happen is shouting and shoving matches, maybe even violence. I wrote a few weeks ago that one should take great care in interpreting what people like this tell you, especially when they have something to hide, and Thom clearly has allowed himself to be duped by these people. Obama has made himself appear naïve and weak by defending these people’s motives.
Where were tea-baggers (or their equivalent) when Reagan was cutting taxes for the rich, firing union air traffic controllers, and exploding the national debt “winning” the Cold War by outspending the Russians building tanks, jets and warships--while there was double digit unemployment? Nor were they motivated to act during the Bush One, Bush Two, or even the Clinton administration. It is only when the likes of tea-bagger-in-chief Mark Williams—a serial bigot given mainstream “credibility” by the media—licked their finger and felt the racist wind, did they come out. Does Thom really think that references to Obama as “an Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug and racist in chief” does not resonate with these tea-baggers? Anderson Cooper on CNN was, like Thom, fooled by the “reasonableness” of the statements made by tea-bag trumpeters in their “official” public statements, but was “surprised” by what they really think when no one is looking. The fact is that tea-baggers are motivated by one thing, and one thing only: we have a black president, and they can’t stand it.
United Healthcare has gobbled up a whole lot of the competition and put in some really stupid rules to govern its employees. To give you an example of what they consider important. When United Healthcare purchased Americhoice(a then black minority owned insurance company), they moved people around from cubicles and floors to correspond to their salary. So if you were a low paid worker and you had a fair sized cubicle, you were moved to a smaller one that befit your low salary. Stephen Hemsley''s salary is obscene.
I find their rules for healthcare reimbursement to be hard to follow. I never seem to use up my deductible. Another example, they purchased LabCorp and immediately proceeded to mandate that LabCorp be used exclusively. A routine bloodworkup would be billed at $1,000.00, adjusted to $200 which would be fully billed to the patient while not even applied to the deductible at all.
Obama is a failed president. When will people start to believe me?The stimulus package was to bailout the rich. Why is Obama a failed president?
He failed to join the International Criminal Court; he failed to rollback those obscene taxcuts; he failed to start a robust public works program like FDR; he failed because he is Bush's clone; he failed because the generals run the military; and he failed because he has embraced the slaughter of human beings in the Middle East.
I disagrree strongly with Hanania and Ben Ami that the Goldstone Report is a distraction from the peace process.
On the contrary, it is central to the peace process.
Until now, Israel has steered the discussion of peace in terms of its own security. Israel portrays itself as the victim, the small outpost of democracy in the midst of backward Arabs. This is the image of Israel that its leaders would like the world to have.
The Goldstone report demolishes this image, and re-imagines Israel as an entity capable of committing war crimes. It describes how Israeli soldiers used Palestinian civilians as human shields, how Israels targeted Palestinian civilians and civilian infrastructure, and how Israel used chemical weapons on a civilian population. These are not the actions of a helpless, morally just state.
Furthermore, the report would lead to real questions about the siege of Gaza and the right of Palestinians to resist the illegal occupation. Israel claimed it attacked Gaza to stop the rockets on Sderot, but in truth, those rockets were in response to the siege, targeted assassinations, the killing of civilians, and the occupation in general.
Aside from weaponry, Israel’s big advantage over the Palestinians is its PR abilities—it gets better press because it knows how to manipulate the press and because racist Americans want to believe that it’s the good guy. No doubt we can identify with Israeli theft of Palestinian land as our ancestors stole Native American land. But the Goldstone report would hang Israel’s dirty laundry out for all the world to see, and it would force Israel to acknowledge its illegal and inhuman actions.
In our local election of Bloomington, MN city council and school board members, there are 3 rabid right-wing Grover Norquist Republicans running for city council who are dead set against any form of taxation. (Our senate district committee just sent out an email alert.)
This is so disgusting. There is a good chance they will be elected...
Addition to my previous post:
Financial services Comittee chairman Barney Frank decided to delay Tuesday's vote on legislation which would eliminate "too big to fail." (Video):
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31510813/#33602617
Democrat rips Barney Frank bill as 'TARP on steroids'
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28883.html
If Israel were negotiating with the majority of folk calling themselves Palestinians, I am sure that the two-state solution would be acceptable. Although I maintain that what the Israelis are being forced to negotiate with is a marketing campaign and not the Palestinian people.
Hail Dionysus.
The re-building of the Temple will be Version Three . . . Recessivist Rapturarians . . . Sigh.
For a great read about Monsanto, check out Vanity Fair's "Harvest Of Fear"
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/05/monsanto200805
A lot of the teapartyer/libertarian/"conervative/right-wing" types have been sold on the idea that any limitation on the amount of wealth an individual can accumulate results in an overall loss of liberty within that society. Rather than try to convince people who are invested in this point of view to change their attitude, we need to appeal to people newly becoming involved in social and political discourse to focus on the corporations and the oligopoly which is controlling the corporations. The oligopolists use populism against the government because they are done exploiting it, and they feel ready to take over the functions which government has traditionally been responsible for (things that are too important to screw up). But in reality "the" government may be subverted, but barring the emergence of genuine anarchy there will always be "government" by somebody. Who will decide who can built what house or open what business where? How will it be decided who can travel on roads? How will contracts be enforced? If the transnational corporate cartel has its way, the answers to these questions will paint a very grim picture; if the democratic movement originating especially across South/Central America there may be some hope for a an egalitarian and free society based on small-scale and collective agriculture and manufacturing, mass ownership of the means of production in a genuinely free market.
Oh crap . . . This means RASTA will be back . . . Sigh.
You know what? There is no way big ag is going to let De lauro's bill through. How was it that the organic community got so paranoid about this- I think a masterful pr campaign targeted and used the organic community to frighten them in the same manner the tea baggers are used. Given all the deaths from the 1000 cow hamburgers (meaning who knows how many different cow's guts make up a single hamburger) - we really should regulate big ag and the meat industry in general.
Obama Adopts Bush's State Secrets Position -- And Exact Language -- In NSA Spying Case
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/obama_adopts_bushs_sta...
THX all here- more for the Food Fascist Files!
Also, again is that Scype that Victoria is calling in on- fantastically clear phone line!
"Over the last decade, 200,000 farmers have committed suicide. The 1,500 figure is for the state of Chattisgarh. In Vidharbha, 4,000 are committing suicide annually. This is the region where 4 million acres of cotton have been grown with Monsanto's Bt cotton. The suicides are a direct result of a debt trap created by ever-increasing costs of seeds and chemicals and constantly falling prices of agricultural produce....
Monsanto's contribution to the suicide economy is by extracting super profits from farmers in the form of royalties and by intentionally transforming seeds from a renewable resource that farmers can save to a nonrenewable resource that they must buy in the market every year. Monsanto had a big role in shaping the TRIPs agreement [on intellectual property] of WTO."
- from an interview with Vandana Shiva Ph.D., a physicist, environmentalist, feminist, science policy advocate and director of Navdanya and the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology;
"Corporate Agriculture Is to Blame for the Hundreds of Thousands of Farmer Suicides in India"
By Tara Lohan, AlterNet
Posted on May 20, 2009, Printed on November 3, 2009
http://www.alternet.org/story/140105/
ALL ACTIONS: 2/4/2009:
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2/4/2009:
Referred to House Energy and Commerce
2/4/2009:
Referred to House Agriculture
4/23/2009:
Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.
And here is the latest update on HR 875 per www.govtrack.us
This bill is in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced bills and resolutions first go to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise them before they go to general debate. The majority of bills and resolutions never make it out of committee. [Last Updated: Sep 18, 2009 5:06PM]
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-875
The bill is in limbo . . .
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.00875:
So important exerpt from above is: Congresswoman DeLauro wants to make clear she is open to constructive criticism, and will continue to be a champion for farmers markets and organic farming, despite all the crazy talk out there. She is not trying to criminalize organic farming. She also wants to make clear that her bill is just a marker bill.
HR 875: Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 . . . proposed in February 2009 by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and was supposed to be up for vote in September 2009.
California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) Weighs In
From: Claudia Reid [mailto:claudia@ccof.org]
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 10:28 AM
To: foodfascist.blogspot.com
Subject: your phone inquiry
FOOD SAFETY LEGISLATION
Prepared March 2009 by Claudia Reid
Thank you for contacting us about federal food safety legislation such as HR 875 or S 425. CCOF is watching this legislation closely and has provided additional information which you can read by going on our website, http://www.ccof.org/foodsafety.php. There is a link on that page to a review of the legislation, prepared by Food and Water Watch, which articulates Myths and Facts surrounding food safety legislation. I encourage you to read this review since it will put your mind at ease.
Claudia Reid, CCOF’s Policy and Program Director, is paying very close attention to this legislation, as well as to other proposals. According to her colleagues in DC, many organic agriculture advocates and farmers themselves have had meetings with Congresswoman DeLauro, the sponsor of HR 875. Congresswoman DeLauro wants to make clear she is open to constructive criticism, and will continue to be a champion for farmers markets and organic farming, despite all the crazy talk out there. She is not trying to criminalize organic farming. She also wants to make clear that her bill is just a marker bill. This means that it is a placeholder in the legislative process. Congresswoman DeLauro is not on the committee of jurisdiction and ultimately the bill that gets worked on in the House will be a bill carried by Congressman Waxman. In the meantime, Congressman Waxman has to deal with energy and climate change bills. Congressional staff in DC have said many times recently that barring some major new food safety scare, the likelihood of food safety legislation moving in 2009 is slim. There is more likelihood of legislation moving next year (2010) but even this is not a sure bet. In either case, nothing is happening legislatively right away, despite all the messages out there in e-land, on various blogs and action alerts.
If/when the legislation is forthcoming, CCOF will work with other organizations on an advocacy campaign where we will ask members like you to communicate directly with your elected officials. CCOF appreciates your inquiry. Please email Claudia Reid (Claudia@ccof.org) if you need additional information. Thank you.