QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The failure of Obama to go to Wisconsin and campaign for Barrett — instead issuing a last minute luke-warm tweet . . . yes, a tweet – is shameful.
A Barrett win with enthusiastic support from Obama would have driven home the message that the working class won’t be pushed around anymore. But No Drama Obama played it “safe.” It’s not really safe at all. It’s a guaranteed losing strategy — for the good people of Wisconsin, and for Obama this November.”
Will Bunch on how Barack Obama and the national Democratic Party completely abandoned the recall effort in Wisconsin and allowed Walker to amass a 10 to 1 financial advantage over Barrett going into yesterday’s election.
Compare and contrast that with what Karl Rove and the Bush White House did to smear and destroy Gray Davis in California in 2002 and the resources they committed there.
I loathe Romney and abhor absolutely everything that the republicans stand for. But as it stands right now, Obama doesn’t deserve to win this fall — and just because he’s marginally “better than the other guy” doesn’t mean that he deserves to be President of the United States.
Maybe if the Dems lose in November a republican victory will speed the calamitous destruction of our society so that rather than it happening more slowly — thanks to an Obama second term — it will happen quickly, due to GOP overreach and arrogance.
Then, once we’ve found ourselves well and truly in the shitter — with a Supreme Court packed with reactionary conservative ideologues, rapine republican policies and laws destroying the middle class, killing the poor and sick, and destroying our environment — we can finally get around to the business of trying to rebuild what we allowed to be destroyed over the last 40+ years.
That’s pretty much the only good I can see coming out of any of this.
Because I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but either way — a Romney win or an Obama second term — America is totally fucked.
I wonder if I’d be any happier if I just stopped paying attention to what’s going on in this country?
June 6th, 2012 at 6:45 am
The Democratic Party is like a Cleveland sports team, they take every advantage and opportunity then somehow manage to fuck it up every time.
I get so pissed because the bottom line comes down to something so simple; it’s all about the message, message, message. Republicans have been KILLING Democrats the past 3 years when it comes to delivering a message that the general population of America is going to respond too. Where are the Dems? Why aren’t they trotting out the long list of accomplishments that have been achieved? Why don’t they have SPECIFIC answers about dealing with what is on every Americans’ mind right now (jobs and deficit.) I swear I could walk into a Democratic organizing office, tell them this, and I would be laughed right back out the door.
This much I know; if the November election where held today, Obama would absolutely lose Ohio and Florida which is telling of where the mind of the nation is. Dems better hear that message NOW and start fixing the message.
June 6th, 2012 at 6:58 am
Hmm. Interesting point Scott. I have a great fear of all confrontation and avoid such at all costs. So naturally, I would do EVERYTHING to avoid the conflagration you refer to. I have already done “the head in the sand thing”, back during the Bush Jr. years. It helps, but not that much. I just worry that coming back from the destruction you refer to would cause irrevocable damage to the planet and society from which we could never hope to emerge as well off as we are now. I worry that the planet cannot recover as well as we might hope, nor can we.
So as far as environmental damage, are we talking nuclear winter, or miles of oil slicks, or toxic air, endless miles of deforestation, or what? All of these types of damages really take time for the planet to recover from, if it can EVER recover at all. I don’t see why people who propose things that will result in this don’t or can’t understand this.
It is similar with society. If you hurt people or a culture, the reverberations stay with them for generations to come. Poor people just don’t spring back upwards into society that easily, as you yourself have pointed out. Once down, folks tend to say down.
Count me as a worry wort if you will. If it does come to revolution, I’m right behind you! But I think that we can find a third option after Obama is re-elected. I think society is ready for it. But the conclusion is Wisconsin is quite worrying. Still. As my dear mother would say: Shit Piss Fuck. Isn’t she eloquent?
June 6th, 2012 at 7:52 am
Scott – I know people who made the conscious decision to stop watching/reading the news. They seem very happy. And as a self-preserving act – especially when the impetus to accomplish change clouds reason and results in unrealistic and unreasonable pressure and expectations that one not only “be the change” one seeks but also shoulders responsibility when it doesn’t occur – it’s not a bad idea. There really is only so much that any one person can do. And if you stopped paying attention and railing against the windmill and we never read another rant from you, I’d understand.
So I guess the question might be, is the good that you do by keeping us informed and sharing your passion and brilliance worth your having to keep abreast and react to injustices and feel frustration and disappointment as you inspire us consider that we should try to be the change we seek?
June 6th, 2012 at 8:07 am
I’ve thought the exact same way for years. Our government and foreign owned media have been portraying the working class as idle layabouts who need to be worked HARDER HARDER HARDER for LESS LESS LESS for years now. Everyone in employment is being told by our billionaire ministers to thank their lucky stars they have a job and to remember there is a line of people waiting to work for less. Social mobility and workers right have completely disappeared. The final solution for these people is to have a workforce consisting entirely of slaves. At least under B.O gay slaves will be allowed to marry. If any of you think a gay friendly president will make one jot of difference I suggest you have a look at the booming british economy under the most pro gay prime minister EVER.
There’s no going back now, Im just waiting for this years london summer riots to start!
June 6th, 2012 at 8:07 am
I’m with Gregorio. The democratic party is hopelessly fucked, we can’t even get a vote to ensure equal pay for equal work.
The really telling thing is that the rethuglicans have managed to convince *union* workers to vote against their own self-interests. IIRC, exit polls showed that 37% of “union households” voted for the excreble Walker. WTF? I suspect the reich-wing propaganda machine succeeded in creating class envy between public sector employees and the private rank and file workers who’ve seen their jobs, pensions and opportunities vanish since the Reagan era.
While I tend to agree with Scott that Obama has been a high functioning twit and deserves deep scrutiny for his use of words to weasel around extra-judicial assassination of American citizens without due process, I think his road to national perdition is the slower and potentially more correctable one. The option presented by Mittens is a fast death for the elderly, lower classes and decimation of what’s left of the middle class. We’re fucked.
Scott, maybe it’s time to put up the George Carlin “American Dream” clip again…
June 6th, 2012 at 9:02 am
I “voted with my feet” and left the USA in 2008. Canada is not far enough removed from the wrath of destruction that is about to happen, regardless of the presidential election. But I’m close enough to come home when the time for rebuilding starts.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:57 am
Scott: i’m dredging up what little energy i have left to let you know that the people of Wisconsin have been stomped down into dust. Perhaps some of you saw a CNN interview with a very distraught Barrett supporter in front of our state Capitol. His tears, dread and anguish are in the hearts of so many progressive Wisconsinites who worked our asses off in the hope that we might be rid of Tea Party bitch, Scott Walker. But when POTUS flies over Wisconsin to a fundraiser in Minnesota without stopping to campaign for Tom Barrett, where’s the hope? When POTUS thinks that a mere tweet of support is sufficient, where’s the hope? When POTUS won’t share campaign funds to defeat our liar-governor when the POTUS’ own party in Wisconsin is being out-spent seven to one, where’s the hope?
We Wisconsinites are completely fucked now. Our liar-governor will attack and disarm the unions he didn’t dare touch during the first go-around (police and firefighters). His aim is to lower wages to benefit his rich friends. But we’ll also be plagued with the agendas of other regressive Republican governors, which Scott Walker is now free to add to his own agenda.
There’s no energy here anymore. It’s all gone because we were abandoned. We were attacked, and few people stood with us to make a victory happen. If those who wouldn’t help us come around this November with their hands out, they’ll find we have nothing to give. We’ve spent our money, and we’ve spent our sweat and tears. There’s nothing left. And if the rest of American thinks that this whole event in Wisconsin is over-blown and melodramatic, all i can say is that your turn is coming if the Republicans gain more power in your state than they already have.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:09 am
A tweet? That’s all Obama contributed to the recall effort? Seriously? Sheesh
June 6th, 2012 at 10:26 am
That’s how I ‘ve come to feel about Israel & the Palestinians; everybody talks peace & bipartisanship about the situation, but nobody believes a peaceful solution will be agreed on, so nobody really works with commitment- outside the Middle East or in Tel Aviv or Gaza. We see the weekly attacks by one side or the other, and the mock outrage by governments. The US Democratic Party and many working stiffs and unemployed are clueless how vulnerable they are: Life is a little suck-ier than before but not enough to get out of the Lazy-Boy or turn off the Reality shows. Like lobsters in warm pots, the temperature will go up and faster under Walker, Snyder, Kasich, Scott and Romney.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:10 pm
I’m always the happiest when I turn off the damn Internet for a few hours.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:54 pm
The Wisconsin recall election only underscores and old old refrain: “Money TALKS! Shit walks.”.
June 6th, 2012 at 2:56 pm
Our only hope now is that the ass is indicted in the John Doe Investigation going on. It looks like he will be in the next couple months….
June 6th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
From what I heard tonight 26% of Union members voted for Walker. If that is not cutting your own cock and balls off I don’t know what is.
June 7th, 2012 at 3:02 am
Scott. I recommend a nice glass of red. Some low lighting and some slow breaths whilst listening to Susan Boyles versions of Wild Horses and You’ll See.
June 7th, 2012 at 5:15 am
Just looked up the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to give them a piece of my mind about their lack of balls in Wisconsin, had to choose between them and the Do Not Call (DNC) Compliance Center on Google. And I had to wonder whether the quality of my life would be better simply with no annoying sales/political calls while Republicans further erode liberty and ruin the planet. Maybe the Washington Post is right about the Wisconsin recall being premature–but it sure looks like the crooks are taking over the voting booths here in Florida and lots of places.
June 7th, 2012 at 6:05 am
Damien, I took your advice but instead of the red I had a nice bottle of Tres Generaciones tequila to suckle upon. It did the trick, for now.
June 7th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
Whatever works for you mate