Disgraced Democratic Politicians Who Have Permanently Discredited Themselves Because they Advocate the Dismantling of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, or Other Programs that Benefit 98 Percent of Their Constituents.

Part I of a Running Series: Emanuel Cleaver Edition

Why on earth should anyone in Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District who is under the age of fifty-five ever vote for this man, ever again?

Seen at a local fair.

Yay! This is the best 9/11 since 9/11!

Be sure to light the candle to celebrate!

After we've all had a slice, maybe we can give a bullhorn to a Texas rooster so he can climb all over it and sing cock-a-doodle doo!

Cock-a-doodle doo!

BEST IN CLASS!

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The news from Wisconsin today is that Wisconsin State Troopers, under the direction of a political appointee of the Governor, are visiting the homes of legislators who are resisting the Governor’s deeply unpopular legislation. By what reckoning can an executive, using armed men in state uniforms, dictate a legislator’s prerogatives, or the prerogatives of a caucus of legislators? If you chose “brute force,” you answered correctly.

The extremely dubious provocation of sending State Troopers to legislators’ homes gives the impression that what the legislators are doing is illegal. It’s not. And by attempting to refocus the media on where the legislators live with their families and children, instead of the huge mass demonstrations at the capitol, it seeks to exert not only official, state-sanctioned physical intimidation of those legislators in the places where their spouses and children live. By bringing the legislators’ homes into the discussion it invites unofficial state-sanctioned violence in the form of people like Jared Lee Loughner, the man who brought a gun to a political event and injured fourteen people, including sitting congresswoman Gabreielle Giffords, and killed six others, including Chief U.S. District Court Judge John Roll.

That Was a Yes or No Question, Mr. President.

This is part II of a multipart series to demonstrate how everyone in Washington—and one-term President Barack Obama in particular—are telegraphing the fact that they will be gearing up for a major campaign to steal money from Senior Citizens by making drastic changes to “fix” the Social Security program. Part I can be read here. Part II can be read here.

Today at the top of Atrios’ (Duncan Black’s) website, he writes the question he asked about at a recent blogger conference with one-term President Barak Obama:

Q Mine is an easy question. Will you rule out raising the retirement age to 70?

More after the break.

In a recent post showing an incantation of the spirit of Eugene Debs vs. the War, Michael Collins asked, "Who would dare say this today?" Almost by mistake, I found the answer to his question in the following embedded link. I would highly recommend setting aside the time to watch this erudite and devastating critique of the liberal class--from the perspective of a liberal. The time spent would be far more productive than the equivalent surfing the internet or listening to pundits while washing the dishes. And it's more persuasive than anything you're likely to read or watch for the next week.

Dog Whistle Politics and Impending Democratic Congressional Losses

This is part II of a multipart series to demonstrate how everyone in Washington—and one-term President Barack Obama in particular—are telegraphing the fact that they will be gearing up for a major campaign to steal money from Senior Citizens by making drastic changes to “fix” the Social Security program. Part I can be read here.

"You didn’t elect me to do what was popular. You elected me to do what was right."
--One-term President Barack Obama,
Speech to Congressional Black Caucus, Washington DC, September 18, 2010

I was pecking away at my computer, absentmindedly watching Countdown with Keith Olberman when I heard something that made my blood run cold.

Social Security Is Not a Campaign Issue?

This is part I of a multipart series to demonstrate how everyone in Washington—and one-term President Barack Obama in particular—are telegraphing the fact that they will be gearing up for a major campaign to steal money from Senior Citizens by making drastic changes to “fix” the Social Security program.

Why oh Why are the Democrats not making Social Security an Issue? Wonders Rachel Maddow (click here and search for “The Ad Democrats Need to Win” for the segment—will edit as avail). As admirable as she is for being quite possibly the most intelligent person on cable news, the incorrect rhetorical effect she seeks is to demonstrate that Democrats are really bad at politics. She points out that many prominent Republicans have plainly said that they will privatize social security or eliminate it altogether, which for obvious reasons is vastly unpopular with very large majorities of Americans.

If Democrats disagree, surely they will raise their voices.

Anyone? Anyone? (More after the break)

If current polls and predictions hold true, the Democratic Party, rotten to the core as it is with conservative Blue Dogs and Democratic Leadership Council weenies, will win a substantial majority in both the House and the Senate. The progressive left, however, does not appear to have created the necessary institutional policy groundwork and thinktank apparatus to compete with the GOP, and as such has more of a reactionary legislative stance after eight years of Bush. Be that as it may, they will have to legislate on a number of issues, and here is a list I would like to submit they consider. Many of these issues may already be covered by existing law, though not enforced by the Bush administration. Many may be considered radical and partisan. But after thirty years of Republican rule, it's no time for bipartisanship. Please feel free to add your own legislative agendas in the comments section; I may add some of my own.