Neo-Liberal Centrists Cant Win This Fight
They had their chance and royally blew it.
- Continuing foreign wars.
- A half arsed attempt at universal health care.
- Increasing income inequality.
- Accompanied with the stench of bipartisan selling out when given the chance to change.
Watching the Pussy Grabber's inauguration show with its American Exceptionalism on steroids, I expect the mushy centre [on both sides] to fold as per usual.
The question is also what did the centrist neo-liberals propose? More of the same. Now what are they proposing? More of the bloody same. The confirmation process for Trump's picks promises to be a collective fold across the board. It's going to be hilarious when he picks his first SCOTUS candidate, after all "Mad Dog" passed confirmation with a senate vote of 98-1, hahahahaha.
The Republicans in a vast majority of the States have basically free reign to impose their hate filled agenda, as the song goes "B-B-baby, you aint seen nothing yet" now that they control DC as well. The Democrats basically abandoned fly over country for the last 20 years, promises of "we are with you" disappeared without trace once they got their wish of the Presidency. They forgot that political parties are nourished from the ground up and not from the corporatist elite on down, hopefully Trump is making the same mistake.
The ACA will be politically easy for the Republicans to replace/trash because the Democrats refused to make it something worth keeping, it will be dropped on the States to do what is necessary. Some Democrats recent votes against buying properly priced drugs away from the BigPharma pushers in the US said it all really, mushy, pathetic even.
The Democrats failed to push ahead and become the world leader in renewable energy and climate change, it was hardly even mentioned during the campaign. I suppose trying to halt the rape and pillage of our biosphere would have upset some of their sponsors.
After the banking crisis they gave the money to the banks after Clinton had allowed them to basically "fuck the system", the controls now in place to monitor trading practices are farcical. Socialism for the uber-wealthy, scraps [if any] for the rest, not a way to inspire confidence that you are indeed "with us".
The illegal wars continued and expanded, then the blame games started when someone else dared to shit on our parade, Russians! Torturers walk free along our streets the reality ignored. War crimes continued, murder by drone increased, who needs Gitmo when you can just kill and avoid the messy legal stuff. Gitmo is still there for some strange inexplicable reason.
Democrats enabled further and expanded greatly the Surveillance State, they continue to support such unnecessary legislation as the "Patriot Act" and its hangers on. Forget our objections after 9-11 that they may well come to regret them under some spiteful President/Administration in the future. You have to fight this type of stuff right from the get go and never shut up until they are repealed. Yeah, but the President seems so nice and I don't do anything wrong, until that all bloody changes that is.
So busy with new "free trade deals" such as the TTP and TTIP at the behest of the owners they forgot just how unpopular they were where manufacturing still took place. They abandoned Unions so long ago its hard to remember, they even squabbled over the living wage and how it would hurt their sponsors. They hugged the richest closely to fund their next campaign whilst ignoring what they really should have stood for. When they had a candidate that reminded them, they manned the torpedoes, because succession/right/her time/owners needs or something or other.
Bipartisanship died but should have been put out of its misery when G W Bush won the Presidency. The neo-liberal centrists failed across the board only vast amounts of money kept the boat afloat until this year, neo-liberalism will be replaced by full blown aggressive rapacious capitalism, America first and if you don't like it, see our MIC. The British are in full blown denial, they are not first in the queue for Brexit trade deals, America is and ready to screw you. Putin is going along with it in the short term as it could be pretty funny, but I doubt that will last long even if it bolsters his control over Russia itself.
Now the left has to concentrate on how to win back the States in fly over territory and not take refuge on the coasts if that means organizing another party so be it. The Democrats in congress are by and large mush and more than willing to organise themselves to give the Republicans what they want, ten here, ten there to cross party lines as per usual. Then no doubt they will explain to us that it was all that we could do, forgetting how the Republicans have gained so much power over the last ten years both in DC and the States.
You have to fight 24/7 and not cede and inch, personally I believe that the leadership of the Democratic Party couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag and they don't want to, their lacklustre damp squib of a campaign proved just that. Time to replace or move on or both.
PS
Thankfully this nasty flu is nearly done, my cough was a bit like hacking up a Trump. Ick.
Comments
Yay, BTO!
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal I want to be the guy in
I want to be the guy in the fake fur nodding in time in the background.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Your avatar picture doesn't jive with Bachmann Turner Overdrive
That's my generation's stuff! Lol!
The real SparkyGump has passed. It was an honor being your human.
@SparkyGump I'm actually a 48-year
I'm actually a 48-year-old woman.
http://caucus99percent.com/content/it-seems-really-dumb-post
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I want to be the guy in the audience
burning some Columbian Gold.
The real SparkyGump has passed. It was an honor being your human.
@SparkyGump I want to change my
I want to change my answer. Let's both be that guy.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Utterly Despise
I've just come to utterly despise Democrats.
I mean, Republicans are easy to hate right.
But Democrats...ugh, such nauseating hubris. They believe themselves to be the smartest people in the room, but often show themselves to be the most incompetent.
"Our party isn't dead or dying, we just have to tweak it a bit. More commercials on TV and boardroom slogans. Genius!"
The frightening thing about Democrats though is they actually believe that what they are doing is good, and makes them good.
Endless wars in the Middle East and slaughtering innocent people is seen as good...because we're spreading democracy or humanitarian interventions or other Orwellian language.
Allowing the 1% to slowly strangle the poor around the world is somehow good, because Wall Street is important.
Taking rights away is necessary, because people are too stupid for democracy. That's why we place trust-fund babies in Ivy League schools to rule over you, while we rob and oppress you.
C.S. Lewis has a great quote:
@Strife Delivery The Republicans never
The Republicans never let me down I know what they are, the Democrats have been one of life's major disappointments.
@LaFeminista That's the thing...
That's the thing... Republicans tell you to your face what they are.
Republicans are truthful about their intentions, but are wrong (lie) about the effects: We'll cut taxes for the job creators (truth), so they can create more good paying jobs for you (lie).
Democrats lie about their intentions, but their effects are sometimes true: We believe in single payer (no you don't), because it is cheaper (true) (unless you're Hillary, as she said single payer will never happen).
So yeah for me, I prefer dealing with Republicans because they tell you directly what they are going to do. Democrats...nope.
Yes, finally the splat
A useless semblance of a political Party. Of the binary.
I am still being chided for electing Trump, because I voted for Stein. Weird logic that works only in binary or fractional flatland.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
All the more stupid
since you live in a state, NY, Clinton won overwhelmingly. Your vote, just like mine, didn't elect Trump or impact the election result in any way, shape or form.
People are stupid when they're angry or afraid. And the media is ramping up that fear and anger on both sides. Doing what their bosses and sponsors want - keeping people divided and fighting one another while they screw all of us.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
It is time for the Democratic Party to die
That is what I have come to conclude. What do they stand for? Nothing. What do they do for us? Nothing. All talk in a bag.
Like the Whigs, they need to be consigned to the dustbin of history. The rich were only funding them to ensure that if they won, they'd fall in line. Well, they more they keep losing, the less incentive there will be for the rich to fund them at all. Why did Hills get so much out of them? Because they thought she was going to win. Now they know that they can win states and control the Feds without Dems why would any rational corporate actor keep funding them?
Wait til 2018 when they collapse entirely and lose even more ground. Being the nicer we support corporations party isn't going to cut it anymore.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
Recent Essay
Steven if I recall you had an essay talking about being done about Dem outrage or something along those lines...
I think I'm with you there. I'm relatively young (wonder if I'm the youngest here on this board ha) but trying to dive deeper and deeper into our political realities, of seeing what happens behind the curtains, it's just taxing. I feel like it's aging me. The stress and concern. Lives cut short due to greed imperialism, the decaying environment, health care for the few, and on and on and on... With no hope that things will actually change.
It's like you're on the Titanic. No one is listening to the 2 people who see the iceberg, everyone else is just trying to saw how awesome they are at steering the ship straight ahead. At that point, you just want to grab a chair and watch...watch while your ship gets closer and closer to the impending disaster.
Yes, I did
For me, I think I'm at the point where it isn't worth saving the Democratic party because there's no there there. They will keep sliding ever further to the right in a futile hope to win power - and that's what most of them care about now - power and power alone. They have no cause other than getting elected or paid to work for someone who is supporting other politicians in the Party.
I'm all for a new Democratic Socialist Party or just Socialist Party period. The Democrats can go chase Republican votes they are never going to get all they want. Frankly, it seems their entire purpose at this point is to represent a small fraction of Billionaires who like to dabble in politics but don't want to compete with the Kochs of the world for influence over the Republicans. I'm 60 and the Democratic party, as I look over my lifetime, hasn't stood for anything that helped me or the cause I cared about in a very long time. I'm tired of all the third way screeds saying the demographics or the odds are in their favor and the GOP is on life support. It's been a big con. When the Dems had power they wasted it to benefit their masters among the oligarchs (e.g., Bill Clinton and Barack Obama). They are a corrupt, arrogant and impotent institution. Better they should die so something better that promotes the interests of everyone making less than $100,000 a year can arise to replace their tired old carcass.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
Steering straight ahead
- that's the lesson the highway teaches drivers, and riders, from an early age - that and in particular to always keep a "safe distance" from others. Bizarre when the shell of the car itself is habitually and probably toxically as distancing as a form of opioid. One can keep one's clothes looking new, one's feet dry, one's image clean.
It's the only viable option now
Less talk online, more action offline. Both politically and non-politically - the homeless is the area I give to.
I'm putting my money, time and efforts behind the Democratic Socialists locally. The Dems take CA for granted, no one is ever canvassed in the Bay Area (that I've heard of). A true left wing party like the DemSoc have the ability to take CA away from the Dems if we invest in a long term, ground game involving canvassing and engaging the half of the country that didn't vote Dem/Rep.
What will the Dems do once we start to threaten or actually capture CA's electoral college votes? That would screw them royally on the presidency and it will either bring them to heel or finally expose them utterly and fatally.
Well that's my hope right now and the plan I'm pushing hard on. Yeah, I see some of the possible (many) ways it can fail but I can't figure out a better way to move strategically. The volunteering locally ensures at least some good occurs even if the big political plan fails utterly.
If you've seen Luke Cage "Always forward." and if you haven't you should, it's a treat!
I saw Luke Cage
If everyone adopted that mantra and approach we might actually get something done, but not within the Democratic party. I'm done letting those parasites feed off my support.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
Took me long enough but finally being the change I want to see
and then encouraging others, patiently, to do likewise.
If absolutely nothing else increasing bonds between people and community readies and fertilzes the ground.
Effecting change is fractal and here I'm getting rather Buddhist
"Democrats have been one of life's major disappointments"
And when will they figure this out? The 2010 mid-terms should have been a massive wake-up call when the Returds picked up 6 Senate and 63 House seats. The Dims could have stood up and said 'This is what we stand for' and started fighting; could have started calling the Returds liars and destroyers and failures but instead relied on their two old stand-byes: "We're the good guys and "Demographics are moving our way. All we have to do it wait." That sure as hell worked out well.
Now we get to watch as the Returds try and destroy almost everything good the Dems have done since FDR.
What a worthless party I used to belong to.
Dear Dems: You lost the WH, Senate, House, dozens of governors, state level SOS and AG and about 1,000 state legislative seats. Maybe...you're doing something wrong.
Inauguration Photos Compared - Pussy Grabber Edition
Apparently the womenz didn't want to get their pussy grabbed so they stayed home. Hahhaha.
I watched some of the spectacle on teevee. It all seemed especially hollow to me.
To see larger size, right click and pick View Image.
Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.
The couple's dance was weird.
The couple's dance was weird.
At least Pence and wife know how to dance. Hairball and gold digger reminded me of kids at a Jr. High dance.
I explored my podcast app last night instead of watching any footage other than the awkward dance. I'll have tons of new things to listen to at work now. Thanks Trump!
@Deja meant for Citizen of
meant for Citizen of Earth. Shouldn't have deleted the comment#. My bad.
How many gown changes? And arm-length gloves
Is the new orange? I wore gloves to fancy shit in a private girl's school in HS. But white, not matching. I recall one fancy tea with panty hose and my mother's shoes (and gloves). We ended up playing soccer on the lawn. Barefoot save for pantyhose.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Isn't about every idea about implementation and
without power we can't implement them? That's the point, without real democracy, we're not going to be able to implement any other ideas or demands. Without real democracy, we won't end wealth inequality, we won't end the wars, we won't address climate change. Maybe we need the power first.
It's more than an idea, it's crucial, it's the foundation.
GIven the distribution of wealth in the world today --
(and in the US also) -- 8 white guys (most claiming US citizenship) collectively control more wealth than ONE HALF of the world's population (around 3.5 billion individuals); Trump's cabinet collectively controls more wealth than ONE THIRD of the US population (around 50 million households) -- I believe that the next SUCCESSFUL political movement will be focused on confiscatory taxation.
No one (other than a psychopath) requires multi-millions/billions of credits (in whatever denomination) to satisfy his/her wants, needs, or extravagant desires. We have (unwittingly or otherwise) turned human society over to psychopaths. Might be time to consider a few "... close shaves with the National Razor" (H/T to Charles Dickens -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guillotine )
When Cicero had finished speaking, the people said “How well he spoke”.
When Demosthenes had finished speaking, the people said “Let us march”.
I voted for Jill also --
and I don't regret it. The Donald is completely unpredictable -- we knew what we were going to get with The $Hill, and it wasn't going to be pretty --
When Cicero had finished speaking, the people said “How well he spoke”.
When Demosthenes had finished speaking, the people said “Let us march”.
mark blyth
I suggest watching some of his youtube video's.
Our current economic system has something in common with every economic system ever conceived of in history. When the cost of ameliorating the internal conflicts of the economic system because to great to maintain, it will collapse. Just like economies based on feudalism, or slavery collapsed under the weight of their respective internal conflicts, feudalism being unable to coop with technology When the lords could not directly use wealth to protect themselves(any random guy with a gun could kill him, expensive armor and "knightly" status stopped being a functional means of maintaining order), and Slavery being unable to coop with the expense of keeping/policing slaves, keeping large numbers of people in bondage, is really damned expensive, to say nothing of the fact that maintaining large populations that can't participate in economic activity is in of itself has very expensive lost opportunity cost.
Our current capitalist system is slowly reaching this point, we can actually look at history a bit to see what a failed capitalist system looks like, Just look at the causes of the French revolution and note all of the similarities. Not completely, but the revolution was mostly caused by aspects of a capitalist economic system failing, France was slowly exiting the feudal system still.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_the_French_Revolution
Don't think some of the differences are all that big either, clearly their is a certain group of rich families and billionaires that are trying to build something similar to an aristocracy, Just look at the ones that are so concerned with social policy rather then just simply economic policy.
Excellent idea
Getting some forum setup that can discuss strategy would be good, especially if it can be created in a way that can't be monitored by the political establishment, strategy for change would work better if the neolibs can't build around your plans to wreck it.
Building a community where credentials for access are given by in person meetings to persons active in works or political activity to change the landscape would be a good thing, I can provide help with getting software/websites setup, And I am very keenly aware of computer security, I can give training on how to communicate securely, keep software up to date, and sensible security practices as it relates to computers.
@luminous This is a very
This is a very encouraging response. Thank you.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Excellent idea
Getting some forum setup that can discuss strategy would be good, especially if it can be created in a way that can't be monitored by the political establishment, strategy for change would work better if the neolibs can't build around your plans to wreck it.
Building a community where credentials for access are given by in person meetings to persons active in works or political activity to change the landscape would be a good thing, I can provide help with getting software/websites setup, And I am very keenly aware of computer security, I can give training on how to communicate securely, keep software up to date, and sensible security practices as it relates to computers.
hmm
Message 23/24 was meant as response to cantstopthesignal above, not sure why the forum isn't putting my messages in the right spot as a reply.
About directing or correcting messages
- I find one has to leave the system-generated code at the upper left in the Comment window in place. Also, that trying to delete the code, or making an edit, will generate additional repeats of that code in the same message.
What you say is true
You can even drop in a few more references if you like.
But once you have posted the comment you should not edit them out, I think, because breaking links that have been formed can generate problems in the system.
"...if that means organizing another party so be it."
I think that's the only hope we have.
I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa
Aren't we dismayed by being treated as commodities?
somewhat like slaves to be traded or discarded as our "worth" disappears? It is very disheartening to discover we are of no further value in the Workforce and to be tossed like a bag of puppies or kittens by the side of the road. Die then. Now. And that is how we treat others in the ME, for example, except they have zero value until they tread our way. Whichever way the wind blows...
Not a good life lesson. Did our grandparents have life easier in some ways through the Depression? I think not. Tossed by the side of the road, due to crap like the natural gas deposit in the ground ran out (yes, Indiana), surprisingly. Suddenly, with no warning, the local economy crashed.
Unfinished thoughts. More ponder.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
In the thirties it was still possible
- for some to return to the farm. My father's brief escape was riding the rails to work as a "savage" (waitperson) in Yellowstone. Later he felt, probably accurately, that he was not physically strong enough to farm, and had already seen what it meant when some wealthy farmers were not bringing in their wheat at its dry weight, but getting paid more for heavier damp grain with no questions asked.
Something deeper also changed around 1905 when motors replaced the contact with reality of people's close society with animals and the warmth but blunt reality of their needs.
I Think I'll keep dropping this into threads where we talk
about what to do to coalesce a movement/party. This conversation with Chris Hedges last week was one of the better and more honed messages on organizing that I have heard/watched.
[video:http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/chris_hedges_talks_with_michael_gec...
You all can tell me to stop when I've over done it. Thank you.
You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again you did not know. ~ William Wiberforce
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Thank you for that. As Hedges says
- at the end, "the longer the elites who oversee the disemboweling of the country on behalf of corporations remain in charge, the worse it is going to get."
This can never overstay its welcome.
Therefore, by definition, you will never be able to "overdo it" by posting this message.
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