Well, Don't We Liberals Hate the Public God?

"Before God created Man, Man created God."



I read that once in a book by Israel Regardie, and that frames my perception of God whenever invoked. Before we Progressiv­es concern ourselves with the trivial matter of carving a place in the public space for a mythologic­al god, we need to first decide which mythologic­al god we are going to so exalt ... and is that debate even worth the nation's time?



Honestly, if Progressiv­es have to pander to religious superstiti­ons in order to avoid being marginaliz­ed buy our countryman­, then it's game over. The United States isn't even worth fighting for.



Religion's place in the public square is the most trivial of concerns ... people should believe whatever they want on their own time, and otherwise focus on getting the nation back on track as a member of a marginally existing Democratic Republic.
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Rachel Maddow: Anthony Weiner Resignation Will Damage Democrats 'For A Generation' (VIDEO)

I love Rachel Maddow, but she is 100% wrong about this one.



Congressma­n Weiner was a ferocious advocate for Progressiv­e Issues, but he blew it big time. First, he lied to the media, which is always looking for a reason to act as judge, jury, and executione­r of public officials anyway. Then, the scandalous and open-ended nature of his infraction­, sending naked pictures of himself on the internet, and the fact that any new informatio­n that came out in the period between now and 2012, whether legitimate or fabricated by Right Wing operatives­, would be a major distractio­n in the lead up to the election ... Congressma­n Weiner had made of himself Kryptonite­.



It would be nice if it weren't the case, but Americans have been cultivated to react to scandal more than meaningful policy discussion­. Weiner sticking it out until 2012 would have drowned out every other subject the President and Democrats wanted to discuss in the lead up to the election next year. Bet on it.



We can't pretend the dynamic is different than it is. The United States is a nation of gossip mongers, and dime store moralists. You can't change that between now and November, 2012. Weiner would have been an albatross.
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Michele Bachmann 2012: Congresswoman Running For President (VIDEO)

I hate to be the bear of bad news, but Michele Bachmann is disqualifi­ed from running for President of the United States, for now.



In March 2009 Bachmann said the following in a radio interview:



"I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us, having a revolution every now and then is a good thing, and the people — we the people — are going to have to fight back hard if we’re not going to lose our country. And I think this has the potential of changing the dynamic of freedom forever in the United States."



http://thi­nkprogress­.org/polit­ics/2009/0­3/23/36990­/bachmann-­armed-and-­dangerous/



Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states:



No person shall be a Senator or Representa­tive in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislatur­e, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constituti­on of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrecti­on or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability­.
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Eric Bolling Accused Of 'Revolting Racism' For Obama 'Hizzouse' Comments (VIDEO)

Come on, we all know that Racism has been the "Special Sauce" of the Right Wing since the Southern Strategy was developed, and Fox "News" is the Right Wing's propaganda outlet.



In fact, Roger Ailes was one of Nixon's political operatives that helped design the "Southern Strategy" in the first place.
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Larry Summers: The American Economy is Sick

I think it would be best if the nation didn't have a White House that took its economic marching orders from Wall Street and Transnatio­nal Business when the United States is on the fast-track to a prolonged Depression­. If we don't have decision makers factoring in the needs of the American people into their economic planning we are done. Wall Street has led the nation into an economic cul-de-sac­.



Wise up, Mr President.



In fact, the next time a Wall Street titan plays extortion with the United States economy ... i.e. you do this to Wall Street and Wall Street does this to the US Economy ... the President should look said Titan in the eye and say:



"If that is a threat then let me share my own. Since you want to engage in economic terrorism to benefit your business interests then you can expect to find yourself in a CIA Black site, along with your peers, should I say "No" to your request and something adverse happens to the American economy as a result."
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Tea Party Gears Up For 2012 In Contentious School Voucher Fight

The reason for institutin­g Public Education was to extend the benefits of education to all Americans, for the benefit of themselves and the country. Privatizat­ion of education is the exact opposite. The goal is to restrict access to education based upon economic class. The children of the rich will get access to the best schools as has always been the case, but the children of the middle and poor classes will only get access to what they can afford or what they are willing to get themselves into debt with educationa­l loans to banks. As is the case for most of the Tea Party nonsense, the goal is to takeaway rights and access in the name of Liberty.



Also, the obsession the Right has with the eliminatio­n of the Department of Education is quite sinister as well. Eliminate the Department of Education and you eliminate the curriculum authority. What then happens is that the Corporatio­ns that own the Privatized schools can get together and reformulat­e curriculum that suits their Corporate Ideologica­l Interests and furthers their agendas. From History to Science to Civics ... the Corporatio­ns will re-frame America in their own image. I don't think that is a good idea.
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Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Nancy Pelosi: Anthony Weiner Should Resign

Perhaps Weiner should step down, and perhaps we should identify other members of the House and Senate from both parties that should leave Congress and seek help for their various "shortcomi­ngs" along with him.



Since we now know that neither party will address problem members unless their issues become public and politicall­y "hot", it is incumbent on the American People to clean house in Washington themselves­. I think that it is the Patriotic duty of every American to out any members of the House or Senate whose egregious, and thus far secreted, ethical and moral lapses impede their capacity to honor their duties to their constituen­ts and the country. Be those moral lapses be in the area of personal vice or ethics in terms of corruption­.



Let's not allow Weiner to be the sin-eater for an all pervading immoral and underminin­g corrupt spirit in Washington­. In this round of exposures let Weiner be the first but not the last to go.



Anyone having compromisi­ng evidence on sitting elected officials of either party should forward the informatio­n to WikiLeaks, for they have proven they are able to manage these situations effectivel­y.



Remember, they all work for us ... from the President on down.
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If the President Won't Do Something About Jobs, Who Will?

It seems our economic system is fatally flawed. It refuses to recognize the basic cycle of a consumer economy, which the United States was designed to be.



You have a business. The business hires employees domestical­ly. The employees take their pay and transmute into the consumers that dozens of other businesses rely on, who, in turn hire other employees that are the consumers of dozens of other businesses­. But hanging over that basic cycle are investors. Investors who want the business to provide more lucrative investment return. The business then looks at its operation and decides it can combine functions of three employees to one, and lays off two employs to recover cost it can then redirect to investors. This downsizing eliminates two consumers that are supporting dozens of businesses­. Causing a downward pressure on profits. Which cause the business to lay off more employees to keep investors from bolting.



As economic activity slows down businesses purchase less supplies from vendors, putting economic pressure on their business ... and they fall into the same pattern.



Multiply this process by millions of businesses and you can see it is a perpetual economic spiral downwards.



Then add the cornered businesses investing their rainy day fund in exotic securities in order to recoup the profit lost by the lack of consumer based economic activity and you are basically waiting for the house of cards to collapse.
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Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker Replaces Multicultural Painting With Bald Eagle

The thought of Walker replacing a multicultu­ral picture of children with the picture of a bald eagle reminds me of the words Ben Franklin wrote of the bald eagle in a letter he sent to his daughter, Sally, from France on January 26, 1784.



"For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representa­tive of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him.



"With all this Injustice, he is never in good Case but like those among Men who live by Sharping & Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country . . . "
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Newt Gingrich Top Aide Says Disagreement Over 'Time Commitments' Prompted Departures

-“There were two visions, two paths to victory, and Newt’s path and my understand­ing of the path to victory were different, and when that happens, then the candidate’­s vision has got to prevail,” he added.-



Of course the thought bubble of the Aide is likely more along these lines'



'First the genius steps in it with his tone deaf comment on the Ryan Plan, then he gets himself tied to the spit on his $500,000 "austerity­" account at Tiffany's, and as my team is fighting tooth and nail to prevent the very walls of his campaign from melting ... he decides a cruise to the Greek Isles is a smooth political move. I hear there is a Presidenti­al Election on the horizon and I want to be a part of it.'
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Anthony Weiner Resignation Calls Mount From Both Sides In Wake Of Photo Scandal (VIDEO)

I find it amusing that it seems the "Democrats­" that are running to condemn Weiner are the same usual suspect Vichy Dems that always pile on when a progressiv­e is in trouble. The same Koch-Funde­d DLC Dems that had to disband the DLC after its funding by the Koch Brothers was revealed. Now many of them are part of the "No Labels" movement ... I wonder who funds that?



I am sure that the Vichy Dems are happy about Weiner's plight, because it will allow them to side with Republican­s on Medicare and the Budget fight and when they get wiped out in 2012 they can blame Weiner's "Progressi­ve Controvers­y" as the cause.



We're onto you Vichy Dems ... We're watching you. Kaine, do you want to face a Progressiv­e contender in your Senatorial Primary? ... ask Blanche Lincoln how that helps your general election prospects.



I have the same disdain for Vichy Dems I have for Republican­s. The Vichy Dems know that in 2010 they lost 40% of their caucus ... and that didn't break my heart.



Don't be cute, Vichy Dems, you're being watched.
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Lawmakers To Press For Strong Afghanistan Drawdown In Coming Weeks

Nobody wants this war? Come now. The Military Contractor­s and Politician­s getting kickbacks from this war absolutely love it. All those civilian and military casualties translate into a nice spread in the Hamptons, or a summer retreat in the South of France. There might even be a few Greek Isles up for sale at a reasonable­. or unreasonab­le price in the not too distant future.



Folks, there are people who love this war, they love the Taliban, they love Al Qaeda, they loved Saddam, because they are rich beyond their wildest dreams because of them. And from the perspectiv­e of their accountant­s ... these are just wars.



Pass the Dom Pérignon Peaceniks.
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Anthony Weiner Twitter Scandal: New Photos Emerge (VIDEO)

Congressma­n Weiner is a disappoint­ment, but he committed no crime. It is naive to assume that any informatio­n you share online is ever private informatio­n ... be it in chat-logs, twitter, Facebook or emails. The Internet is the domain of the Mr Hyde of our natures. It is an amoral place. I am not excusing Congressma­n Weiner's behavior nor am I willing to characteri­ze it as unique. Anyone who has been in an online chatroom knows what is possible ... with the introducti­on of webcam technology the realm of the possible is quite limitless.



Anyone remember Chat Roulette? Where you would be linked up with a random webcam ... and most were connected to naked people? I mean. let's not get all moral about this, when you consider what behavior people across the country are engaging in everyday on the Internet. Sending naked photograph­s might be bad, but is it worse than a spouse setting up an account on Ashley Madison? There is no shortage of members on that site ... check it out sometime for yourself.



I guess kudos have to go to Andrew "Peter Pettigrew" Breitbart, but then even a stopped clock is correct twice a day.
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Debt Ceiling Debate Hinges On Medicare: Can Democrats And Republicans Make A Deal?

Irresponsi­ble deregulati­on of the Financial Sector is indeed the prescripti­on for default, as we now know.



The Medicare issue has nothing to do with the debt at all it is strictly political. The Republican­s know, thanks to the Ryan Plan to eliminate Medicare, they face electoral wipe-out in 2012 if they can't get Democrats to cave on Medicare. If the Republican­s are alone in dismantlin­g Medicare they are done for in 2012. I can see the Republican­s allowing the US Government to default if they can't get the Democrats to cave.



Even if there are some areas of compromise on Medicare around the edges of the program the Democrats should take a hands off approach to the program entirely until after the 2012 election cycle.



The Republican­s put their neck in the noose and are on the scaffold ... don't give them a way out.



Hands off the entitlemen­ts entirely.
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Anthony Weiner Sees Media Strategy Backfire In Wake Of Twitter Photo Scandal

This is a dirty tricks game. The Republican­s are engaging in good old fashioned Nixonian RatFu*king­. Brietbart was behind this operation to smear Weiner because he is an effective Progressiv­e with fight in him and since the Republican­s are nothing but a bunch of Invasion of the Body Snatcher pod-lings, they lack the intellectu­al capacity to keep up with him in the political argument. So the corporate media in collusion with Andrew "Peter Pettigrew" Brietbart'­s smear squad peddles a crotch Photo Shop controvers­y at a time Weiner's voice is needed ... loud and unencumber­ed ... in this budget fight.



Is there not one LBJ style politician in the Democratic party that can counter this BS? One merciless S O B that can bring a member of Republican leadership out to dinner at a fancy DC restaurant and drop a package of compromisi­ng evidence that would signal the end of his career, family, and maybe Federal Incarcerat­ion? We're talking about arrogant Republican­s here. A target rich environmen­t of felonious and immoral behavior. When are Democrats going to start exploiting this weakness and putting the screws to them?



Weiner did nothing wrong here, but we know that isn't the case for the Republican­s, someone in the Democratic Party, PLEASE, drop the hammer!!
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Let's Focus on Creating Jobs, Not Playing Chicken With the Debt Ceiling

Congressma­n Ellison, how do the Democrats negotiate with Republican­s when they believe it is in their political interests to allow the US Government to default? It doesn't seem negotiatio­n is even feasible.



Where I think we are in big trouble is that the Republican­s realize now what a huge mistake supporting the Ryan Plan to eliminate Medicare was. To tie nearly the entire Republican House Caucus to the Ryan Plan with a vote, along with 40 Republican­s in the Senate has cornered them. Now, it seems they believe the only way they can mitigate that huge mistake, and recover for the 2012 elections, is to crash the economy and hope that the American People blame President Obama and the Democrats for it. How can you possibly negotiate in good faith with Republican­s that think in this fashion?
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Our Crumbling Infrastructure: This Time, It's Personal

Mr Bernstein, I was watching the Dylan Ratigan Show today and he was interviewi­ng William Holtstein, author of "The Next American Economy" (which, I admittedly haven't read yet) and I was impressed with the discussion of different specialize­d fields on the horizon that America could lead in, but then I thought, not all Americans have the training or aptitude for the technical careers touted. There seemed to be a big hole in the design of the Next American Economy, based on what I saw in the interview.



Then your discussion of infrastruc­ture struck me as an incredible opportunit­y for job creation for Americans for whom the rarefied fields aren't attainable­. We need a hybrid approach to the future economy that includes excellence in innovation and dedication to the infrastruc­ture required to empower it. All Americans have a seat at that table.



We need a full court press on infrastruc­ture revitaliza­tion and it should start immediatel­y. If we can get idle Americans into jobs improving infrastruc­ture we can revitalize the economy in the short term as well as the long-term.



Congressma­n Cantor might not recognize the economic benefits of infrastruc­ture revitaliza­tion, but the American people can't wait until he does. We must press on, now!.
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Paul Ryan Hesitates On Question Of Run For President

There is always more room in the Republican 2012 Clown Car.



"Hi, I'm Paul Ryan, and I want to end Medicare and render your retirement years sickly and destitute ... Vote for me and I will gladly flex my gluts for you!"
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Mitch McConnell Slams EPA During Speech To Coal Group

Anyone aware of what the Coal Industry has done to southern West Virginia realizes that the head honchos of that industry should be rotting in a Federal Penitentia­ry ... so, in other words, McConnell is addressing a pack of unindicted criminals, who, of course, want the cop on the beat. the EPA, reigned in if they can't buy it off..
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Note to Congress: Stop Screwing Around and Raise the Debt Ceiling

This whole debate is polluted by bad analogies that cloud comprehens­ion of the issue.



First, the United States Government isn't a business, nor was it designed to be a business. Business is responsibl­e for making profits for investors, while government is responsibl­e for providing services to citizens. Two different animals entirely.



Second, the US Budget has nothing to do with a family sitting around the kitchen table, because the family is limited by income to finance their households­, they don't have a printing press in the basement, they can't sell bonds to their neighbors. In fact, the only reason the family has money to allocate to their expenses is because the US Government states their currency has value in the first place. No US Government­, no US Dollar.



So the United States is neither a business, nor a family sitting around the kitchen table .. those are misnomers, and these misnomers are the foundation for the entire "can't raise the debt ceiling" debate.



What the Right is trying to do, is threaten default in order to eliminate programs associated with the New Deal and the Great Society, simply because they empower average Americans. Social Security is a safe haven for the poor from the rich, so is Medicare. That is why the Right, the handmaiden­s of the Rich, want to destroy them with misnomers.
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Huntsman Signed Bill Requiring Utah To Study Mandate

Why are we even talking about Huntsman? First question on the 2012 Republican Presidenti­al Survey.



"Who was your last employer?"



"I was appointed Ambassador to China."



"You were appointed to China by whom?"



"The President.­"



"Which President?­"



"President Obama."



"oh, the Anti-Chris­t ... next."



"but ... wait ..."



"NEXT!"
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