- 4 shares
Ben Manski Yes, and after the election you'll get 4 more years of the past 3, with no independent voice to show for it.
Jeff London An election year maneuver. Dems fake left every 4 years and like Charlie Brown, we keep missing the football as it is the left who gets played. :-(
22 hours ago · · 5
Tarit Datta Gupta 09 July 2012
Barbara, thank you very much. The ideal state of taxation is the progressive taxation which reads the more the income the more the tax and I am very much glad to hear from you that President Obama appears to move towards the same dimension though it is not easy task for The President. More important is that very recently President Obama has adopted a number of measures that obviously will benefit the powerless stressing from the middle section to the absolute poor what the whole world needs at this moment. I believe with complete trust and confidence in President Obama that President Obama will bring more reform measures profitable for the powerless, that is, the people of USA. At this moment the fundamental argument is that what President Obama is doing is doing for the people and powerless. However, I will not enter into more discussions because I am working with my World Embracing Alternate Paradigm In Development: Integrated Relations Among Global Governance, Global Civil Society and Human Security Is Complete Life for the New World Order. Warmest regards. Tarit Datta Gupta, Dhaka, Bangladesh
22 hours ago · · 1
Jillian Eleventhirtyeight The right wing of the Republican party punished the party by withholding their vote from George H.W. Bush in 1992, because he just wasn't far right enough for them. The Republicans had to deal with eight years of Clinton - and they used that time to get their shit together and organize. In 2008, that got them a man much more closely in line with their values - George W. Bush.
If people as stupid as right wing Republicans can figure this out, why can't left wing Democrats figure it out? Are that many of them really stupider than right wing Republicans?
22 hours ago · · 1
Chuck Leddy Yes, Obama runs as a grass-roots progressive and then governs like an accommodationist/centrist, alas.
22 hours ago · · 1
Julian Ponce I, for one, always knew he was a mainstream centrist Demo, so can't say I'm surprised at his policies. I do wish he was a better negotiator though, he's let the corporate bully boys push him around far too much. However, I did gladly give him $2,400 in 2008 as I thought it would be cool for the race-crazy US to end up with a black Prez, especially after the depravities of Dubya. I'll still vote for him and am giving him a little (little means little) $. If for no other reason than I hate Romney and the racist, nativist GOP.
22 hours ago · · 2
Alan L. Maki Obviously you are playing us all for fools since we all know you intend to support Obama for re-election. Your name is still on the "Progressives for Obama/Progressive America Rising" web site as an initiator of the organization.
I "like" the way you intellectual elites play games with people by pretending to be somewhat critical and then you find something to latch on to as a reason for supporting Obama once again so he can shove his Wall Street war economy down our throats, again.
Progressives have three very good candidates they can support and vote for: Jill Stein, Rocky Anderson or Stewart Alexander; all of whom support what you claim to be for yet you don't provide your encouragement and support. Instead you choose to back this warmonger Obama.
And you are so arrogant you try to play us all for fools by insinuating you haven't made up your mind if you will endorse Obama, or not.
Playing the kind of games you and your other "progressives for Obama" are playing is very cruel and rude.
That you evade even comment on the programs, platforms and what your three fellow progressives--- Jill Stein, Rocky Anderson and Stewart Alexander--- are saying is very arrogant as you have to search for a reason--- an excuse--- to back Obama's re-election.
That you helped sell Obama to progressives the first time around is bad enough; now you are going to compound your betrayal by working to re-elect this Wall Street charlatan who make Elmer Gantry seem to be a hero.
What Obama says for political expediency and what he does for his Wall Street friends and backers are two different things.
In fact, Obama hasn't done anything in line with fulfilling his campaign rhetoric--- demagoguery--- from the first time around and there is nothing to suggest he will deviate from his Wall Street agenda of wars abroad paid for through the nose by working people who will have higher taxes imposed on them instead of the rich as the already wealthy Wall Street coupon clippers amass greater fortunes from these dirty imperialist wars.
You insult our intelligence to even suggest that Obama has somehow "found his way" to support a policy of "tax the rich" when you know full well he will continue to place the burden of higher taxes on working people--- thus compounding an already bad situation of driving more working people into poverty.
I am surprised you haven't honed in on supporting Obama like your fellow "progressives for Obama" have done in rejoicing that the United States Supreme Court has found constitutional the "Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industry Bailout and Profit Maximization Act of 2010"--- or did I miss your glee?
Bo Young Last time we Progressives "had a good candidate" in lieu of the Democratic nominee we ended up with Dubyah. Been there. Done that. Don't want that again. For the time being, as usual, we will hold our noses and vote for the lesser evil. Not to vote for Obama is to make way for Romney. That is too awful to contemplate.
22 hours ago · · 2
Jillian Eleventhirtyeight If Al Gore is your idea of a "progressive" candidate, then you are what's wrong with the Democratic party these days.
Adam Holland Presidential politics is less about ideology than it is about finding wedge issues which let a candidate win over undecided or independent voters in ways that still appeal to the candidate's base. This is just such an issue.
Bo Young Clearly Gore was NOT my idea of a progressive candidate...but neither was Dubyah and I would have much preferred the former's administration to the latter. And I would suggest your "circular firing squad" answer is what's wrong with the Democratic party these days.
Jillian Eleventhirtyeight Odd how suggesting I'm supporting a circular firing squad isn't doing very much to motivate me to give my vote back to the Democratic party........
Alan L. Maki Bo; What is the difference between Romney and Obama? Aren't the Democrats and Republicans working together on Wall Street's behalf to attack the rest of us? I thought the objective is for liberals, progressives and the left to come together around a program of unity based on the solutions to our problems and force whoever happens to be president and those sitting in congress to act as if they work for us instead of against us.
As we saw in Wisconsin, the Greens or other progressive parties could have run candidates for governor and the result would have been the SAME at a minimum--- but, perhaps other progressive parties being in the race would have spurred and forced Obama and the Democrats and their hacks in the labor movement to put up a real fight to get rid of Walker and his cronies.
Bo Young You work with what you've got. Obama is more likely to move in our direction than Romney ever would. I'm speaking as a gay man who is not terribly happy with many of the decisions Barry has made. Until there is the real possibility of a Progressive movement being elected in any place other than Vermont or an obscure Ohio House district I will work with the devil I know.
Jillian Eleventhirtyeight And as long as you continue to do that, there will never be any real possibility of a genuine progressive being elected.
Deborah Wilker Any person who supports the wholesale destruction of civil liberties and right to move freely within our country, I am never voting for. I have never been so hugely disappointed in a candidate I formerly supported. His endorsement of irradiating us all at the airport with carcinogenic equipment, shoving thug hands down our pants, squeezing balls and breasts - this is the new American obstacle course to get to a business trip. Criminalization of the entire American public does not make us a productive nation. This, and rising police brutality everywhere, makes us a Third World laughing stock - all from the guy who is a "Constitutional Scholar" . . . No thank you. I will stay home in November.
Alan L. Maki Bo; you continue to work with the "devil you know" but don't you and Barbara try to drag the rest of us into supporting this warmonger Obama under false pretenses.
Bo Young Don't come crying to me then when Romney is elected. I hope your self-righteousness gets you through his administration and the wreckage to follow while you wait around for some perfect candidate.
Alan L. Maki Deborah; why "stay home" when you can "come home" by voting for one of the fine progressive candidates running for president: Jill Stein, Rocky Anderson or Stewart Alexander?
Deborah Wilker I actually like the guy from New Mexico - let's see what ends up on the ballot. Meantime - here's some more fine work from the O Administration: http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2012/07/ 09/ reminder-tsa-still-asking-w omen-to-raise-your-skirt/
hotair.com
Reminder: TSA still asking women to “Raise your skirt”
22 hours ago · Edited ·
Deborah Wilker Yes where the F indeed are Glorias Whore-red and Steinem when ya need 'em
21 hours ago · Edited ·
Robert Birnbaum The idea of voting in such a rigged system (American governance) causes me great vexation which occasionally boils over into rage. I supported Obama not the least because he was smart and he offered to end 2 wars and turn back the tide of the ever encroaching security state. His fault or not the US is tumbling into the class distinctions of Central America. Mitt? Barak? The only effective difference is one is an eloquent speaker... Ay caramba!
21 hours ago · · 3
Barbara Ehrenreich Alan, Progressives for Obama has not existed since 2008. I have no idea what the others (Tom Hayden, Bill Fletcher etc) are thinking about 2012.
21 hours ago · · 1
Deborah Wilker @Robert It is interesting that you voted for him hoping that he'd "turn back the tide on the ever encroaching security state." That was exactly my feeling - that he would at least do his best to undo the nightmare created by the W admin post 911. But instead he has simply entrenched Bush's sickening police state - to the point now where these policies are unlikely ever to be undone.
21 hours ago · Edited ·
Cliff Webb He always has been. Politics is the art of the possible. Obama has shifted the landscape back from the last generation's insane march towards fascism with amazing skill given the swamp in which he has to operate. My only beef with the Prez was kicking of the Libyan coup for BP and Shell, seems to have wised up around Syria, and isn't letting the Israelis and call the shots....
David Wylie A great many Progressives seem to have no idea about the federal character of not only our government(s) but of our politics. What can be accomplished through voting for President once in four years is limited. Many of the major, long-term achievements take longer, if no no other reason than that a President can accomplish only what is politically feasible, and political feasibility depends on politics at the local and state levels. My first question to anyone who wants to vote for Romney in the guise of a third party is, are you involved in local governance on a year in year out basis, or do you just squawk every four years? Politics is about power and power is accessible locally as it is not nationally unless you have millions of dollars or a string of media enterprises. The first test is not Obama's, it is yours and mine - do we WORK to muster the power that our favored policies depend on?
21 hours ago · · 2
Tarit Datta Gupta Thank you very much Cliff Web. President Obama I believe is trying to avoid the involvement of USA in another war with Syria because it will not be an easy war to clean sweep. Moreover, I also believe it firmly that President Obama is not a warmonger. Neither the Iraq war nor the Afghan war is initiated by President Obama. Moreover, President Obama had sideline meeting with with Russia at G-20 conference exclusively on Syria while both Russia and China are strongly standing behind Syria. For Syria, the equation is too complex and the only solution is the dialogue and sacrifice from both the parties concerned. Warmest regards. Tarit Datta Gupta, Dhaka, Bangladesh
20 hours ago · · 1
Deborah Wilker How about we stop telling the rest of the world what to do, we figure out how to turn the damn lights back on in Virginia after it rains, and we gather the proper number of professional workers and service vehicles to put out a forest fire before it destroys the entire state of Colorado? This would be a start, getting our own house in order.
Alan L. Maki Babara; in fact just the name of "Progressives for Obama" has been changed to "Progressive America Rising." Anyone can read for themselves that you are listed as one of the four main initiators of the organization. That your name is still listed and you haven't requested your name be removed tells us all we need to know.
How can you not know that Tom Hayden and Bill Fletcher remain backers of Obama? I can't comment on the "etc." now, can I but if you would like to provide those names we can quite easily find out where they stand in relation to supporting Obama.
Here is YOUR website that is maintained by the Pol Pot supporting Maoist, Carl Davidson, who as editor of The National Guardian drove the best progressive newspaper in this country right into the ground:
http://www.progressivesforobama.ne t/
Notice: the name of the organization has supposedly changed but it's diehard support for Obama has not; and even the name "Progressives for Obama" is the address for the website.
In a previous response to me here on your own Facebook page you acknowledged you would most likely be supporting Obama for re-election this time around but on a lower key. and here you are, again, trying to justify your support for Obama making the most outrageously false claim that Obama stands "to the left of most Democrats on tax cuts." But we all know Obama to be a master demagogue when it comes to his election rhetoric versus his Wall Street agenda simply because Obama is imposing austerity measures hurting the poorest of the poor.
www.progressivesforobama.net
Maria Verdugo, a 20-year-old graduate of the University of California, Santa Cru...See More
20 hours ago · ·
Robert Birnbaum Thanks for the civics lesson Mr Wylie— voting in presidential elections is about the electorate expressing its wishes, hopes and desires. Not working in local politics doesn't/shouldn't disqualify anyone from an emotional response to its (the election's) results.
Robert Birnbaum Also, early on in Obama's term the inimitable Howard Zinn opined: I wasn't terribly disappointed because I didn't expect that much. I expected him to be a traditional Democratic president. On foreign policy, that's hardly any different from a Republican--as nationalist, expansionist, imperial and warlike. So in that sense, there's no expectation and no disappointment. [...]
I thought that in the area of constitutional rights he would be better than he has been. That's the greatest disappointment, because Obama went to Harvard Law School and is presumably dedicated to constitutional rights. But he becomes president, and he's not making any significant step away from Bush policies. Sure, he keeps talking about closing Guantánamo, but he still treats the prisoners there as "suspected terrorists." They have not been tried and have not been found guilty. So when Obama proposes taking people out of Guantánamo and putting them into other prisons, he's not advancing the cause of constitutional rights very far. And then he's gone into court arguing for preventive detention, and he's continued the policy of sending suspects to countries where they very well may be tortured.
Cliff Webb "Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
Director of Organizing" ...that's obviously a mob affiliation...you on FB working on Sheldon Adelson's dime Mr. Maki? Drugs are bad, m'kay....
20 hours ago · · 1
Barbara Ehrenreich Wipe off your glasses. Alan. I said "left of the Congressional Dems," and maybe should have confined myself to Nancy Pelosi.
19 hours ago · · 1
Alan L. Maki Barbara; the fact is, Obama has pushed the entire Democratic Party to the right--- even further to the right than where most of the Blue Dogs were at prior to his election. I understood you meant "left of the Congressional Democrats" but even that simply is not true because Obama pushed and pulled most of the Congressional Democrats who had been to his left rightward in order to find common ground with the Republicans, previously.
Cliff Webb; I resent your innuendo and outright slanderous accusation that I must have some kind of "mob affiliation" because I work with casino workers employed in the loud, noisy, smoke-filled casinos of the Indian Gaming Industry who are paid poverty wages and have no rights under state or federal labor laws. An industry which is owned and controlled by organized crime whose managements have funded Barack Obama's campaigns--- so, if you want to look for your "mob affiliation" I suggest you check out the campaign contributions Obama has received from the likes of Brownstein/Hyatt/Farber/Schreck and the likes of the Fertitta family... not to mention the campaign contributions he has received from those who inherited Myer Lansky's "family business" who own all the slot machines and table games.
In fact, it is Barack Obama and thousands of Democratic Party politicians taking bribes (you call them "campaign contributions") in order to keep this dirty Indian Gaming Business in operation which leaves Indian Tribes fronting for a bunch of rich white mobsters while leaving the Indian Nations mired in more poverty created through heavy debts.
Mr. Webb, I have been thoroughly scrutinized by these fascist-like government outfits like the FBI for over 40 years and the only thing they have been able to come up with on me is the fact that I have left wing views supporting worker's rights, civil rights, human rights and the struggle to free ourselves from Wall Street's domination in building a socialist society as an alternative to this thoroughly rotten and corrupt capitalist system of which the warmonger Barack Obama is the leading figure for U.S. imperialism.
In no way, shape or form do I have any association with organized crime or "mob affiliations" nor do I have anything in common with creeps like Sheldon Anderson.
I posted here presenting my views not to be slandered by the likes of you because you can't find a better way to defend this Wall Street scum-bag Barack Obama.
Since when do the ideas of union leaders represent the ideas of the bosses? Oh, ya--- you have me confused with the "leaders" of the AFL-CIO national board who unanimously endorsed Barack Obama even though Obama has been engaged in a never-ending attack on workers, their standard of living and their rights, from the day he took office.
And since Barbara Ehrenreich "likes" your slanderous comment trying to link me to the mob even though I represent and work with casino workers being hurt by these mobsters who are their employers, what does this say about her? I notice Barbara Erhenreich has never put her fingers to a keyboard to expose the exploitation and Draconian conditions two-million workers employed in the Indian Gaming Industry are being subjected to; so what does this say about her that she would "like" your slanderous and bigoted comment demeaning me?
16 hours ago · Edited ·
Cliff Webb Blah blah blah...facts matter sport. Fact is, Obama has been out endorsing progressive candidates for office, while Bill Clinton has been out stumping for bluedog vermin in the same races. Your assertion that Obama has somehow pulled the party to the right doesn't stand up in the face of facts. Your fact free blather, and your slander of the President is far more aggregious than anything you may not care for in my tone. The fact is that you use deception to advance your agenda, while echoing libretard nonsense that's been a long running meme..Obama, a corporate tool, war monger, you can toss in zionist stooge depending on the audience i suppose, but nothing you say is supported by the facts. http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/ signed-legislation...
Alan L. Maki Obama is definitely one of the biggest boosters the Israeli killing machine has had in a long time. I would remind you that it was Obama who salvaged Joe Liberman's worthless political career after a progressive Democrat defeated him. How much help did Obama give to the liberal Tom Barrett in Wisconsin who tried to defeat Walker and the Koch boys? Did Obama make one single appearance after his campaign staff in Wisconsin took possession of the one-million names petitioning for the re-call election? No; Obama took possession of these one-million names to use for his own campaign.
I understand for you, Mr. Webb, that politics is nothing but a middle class sport because you are afraid to play touch football. For working people politics is about protecting and defending their lives, livelihoods and rights.
Working people have everything to lose in backing Obama as you suggest. Obama has "earned" the right to be defeated.
Just ask anyone:
How is Barack Obama's Wall Street war economy working for you?
Ask people this honest question and stop feeding people Obama's lies manufactured to create the kind of image it will take to get him re-elected.
Cliff Webb hahahahaha Really really stoked about my new Blue Cross ins. card thanks to fascist Obamacare....
Alan L. Maki Maybe you should talk to some working class people to find out what a mess it has become and how expensive trying to insure their children on their health insurance plans.
Alan L. Maki Obama touts his "Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industry Bailout and Profit Maximization Act of 2010" as his most significant accomplishment so it is fair to judge his presidency on this piece of legislation alone. On health care reform alone Obama is a complete failure.
Sally Robbins Alan Maki sure nailed this one correctly. I bought into your Obama line once and I won't be voting for Obama again. Worst vote I ever cast in my life.
Alan L. Maki Nothing like tossing a little anti-Communism into the mix here, Mr. Webb. Did you forget that Barack Obama touted "Frank" (the Communist leader Frank Marshall Davis) as his mentor in his book? Why is it okay for Obama to have been associated with Communists in building his political career but it is now considered wrong by you for people to be Marxists when they oppose Obama? Interesting that you pick up the same red-baiting from the ultra-right in using this red-baiting to support Obama. Very clever and classy of you.
All this leads me to wonder if you are confused or you are intentionally using misinformation, lies, hate and slander to drum up support for Obama?
9 hours ago · Edited ·
Cliff Webb Marx...Lenin... Manhattan and Zurich based and backed cockroaches...same old story. Bolshevism sucks. The commies vermin, all tribal fruitcakes ended up marching over 40 million Russian Orthodox Christians to their death in the gulags... Wrap yourself in whatever flag you want sport, you are completely transparent...
Alan L. Maki Yes; and we don't have a National Public Health Care Program in this country today as advocated by FDR's Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, because the American Medical Association called it a "Bolshevik plot."
Perhaps, Mr. Webb, you should be more concerned with the parasitical Wall Street vermin represented by Barack Obama?
And, yes; the truth is very transparent--- you are typical of Obama's reactionary backers who always turn to this kind of vicious lying and red-baiting when the truth is being told. You Obama sock-puppets simply can't stand the truth.
8 hours ago · Edited ·
Alan L. Maki And, Mr. Webb; your support for Barrack Obama using such well contrived lies and deceit is unethically ingenious. Why don't you confront the fact that Obama has attacked liberals, progressives and the left (the majority of Americans) as he reaches out for "unity" with the most reactionary Republicans in attacking the rights and livelihoods of working people as the way to pay for his dirty Wall Street imperialist wars?
The muddle-headed middle class intellectual elite among liberals, progressives and the left are very confused about Obama but working people struggling on a daily basis to make ends meet have no such illusions that Obama holds out any kind of hope for change.
Go ahead and pose the real question we need to ask of voters:
How is Barack Obama's Wall Street war economy working for you?
Have the common human decency to ask this most basic and fundamental question before bring all your distorted and biased accounts of the Obama presidency forward along with these absurd assumptions that Barack Obama is to the "left of most Democratic members of the United States Congress" when it has been Obama and his Administration loyal to Wall Street who pushed them to the right in the first place and now we supposedly have a "new left" (pun intended) based on everything being shoved to the right in the first place by Obama.
The intellectual elite pulled together by Barbara Ehrenreich, Tom Hayden (the poster boy for the Israeli killing machine), Bill Fletcher, Jr. (the guy who talks a good line about class struggle but evades the issue of what side of this class struggle Obama is on), Danny Glover and Carl Davidson (the Pol Pot loving Maoist who now lays claim to being a Marxist thinker and John Dewey pragmatist) now have to contend with the facts and real substance of Obama and his Administration therefore they had to even change the name of their organization from "Progressives for Obama" to "Progressive America Rising" even though there is nothing progressive about Obama and they have contributed nothing to getting America to rise up in opposition to Obama's wars when they should have been pushing Obama to end these dirty wars in order to launch a new war on poverty.
Barack Obama is the most warmongering right wing president in the last 70 years and here we have Barbara Ehrenreich intentionally perverting the definition of the word "left" in order to try to deceive the American people, again, about what drives and motivates Obama--- his loyalty to the Wall Street merchants of death and destruction, the Masters of War:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CshmapFJ088&feature =related
As long as these long imperialist wars for occupation and the subsequent occupations continue taxes will have to rise and new taxes will have to be imposed on the working class to pay for these dirty wars because the wealthy who profit will never pay for their wars and Barbara Ehrenreich more than anyone should understand this.
Only struggle against Obama and his Wall Street entourage will give us shelter from the storm.
A hard rain is gonna fall in 2012, the fallout from the deception perpetrated and now perpetuated by the muddle-headed middle class intellectual liberal, progressive and leftist elite who helped to sell us Barack Obama in the first place with a bunch of deceit and lies and then refused to challenge him in the primaries once he was exposed himself as an enemy of peace, social and economic justice.
Enough!
The times they are a changin' and we better not throw it all away by wasting our votes on Obama when we have three good progressive, liberal and left candidates before us as an alternative to Obama and Romney--- Rocky Anderson, Jill Stein and Stewart Alexander.
http://www.worldwiderebeltour.com/
- 2 hours ago · ·
- Cliff Webb Maki, no matter what your mom told you you are no more special than the rest of the kids, and zionism sucks. You're socially gross.
- Alan L. Maki Well, Mr. Webb; you aren't exactly my cup of tea, either. You can't defend your support for Obama so you try to poison the discussion with personal attacks including red-baiting and outright slander, libel and defamation.
What is "gross" are Obama's wars which are making us all poor. - Cliff Webb "Obama's wars".. mindless jingoistic claptrap...what was that again??
- Alan L. Maki If not Obama's wars; whose are they? Worse than the wars themselves as far as a waste of our nation's wealth are the occupations of countries Obama is carrying out. How much will these long-term occupations cost?
- Alan L. Maki The alternativeS are: Rocky Anderson, Jill Stein and Stewart Alexander since all of you so-called "progressives" saddled us with Barack Obama and now you turn around and run this game on us, again. Well, Mr. Stone, most people don't see any difference between Romney and Obama so I doubt these kind of scare tactics are going to drive people to the polls.
Obama should have to run on his record not fear of Romney.
Let me tell you something; every single day of my life I have to deal with employers that are far worse than Romney just as most working people do. Only you well-heeled phony liberals, progressives and leftists don't understand this. If you did understand this you would join us in working for the kind of country we really want instead of settling for a Wall Street stooge like Obama.
If you put your time into trying to bring together the historic liberal/progressive/left coalition around ending these dirty wars and using the resulting peace dividends to fund human needs we would finally get a National Public Health Care System which would create over ten-million new jobs.
I know that since it is fear that drives you to action we will never be able to count on any of you muddle-headed middle class intellectual elites when it comes to defending the lives, rights and livelihoods of working people because it takes a fight and a struggle to win real reforms.
But, just don't suggest that I waste my one precious vote voting out of fear because Romney doesn't scare me any more than the employers we fight every single day.
Take your campaign based on fear and shove it where the sun doesn't shine.
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As a teacher, I find this reprehensible. As a union member, I stand for solidarity: I would speak out against him if he had done this to any of my fellow unions. I am hoping for solidarity in return from the rest of the unionized workforce.