September 4, 2009 archive

The Public Option IS Hope… Kill the Hope, Lose the Voters

Simulposted at Daily Kos

Note: This diary is intended to put political pressure on Obama to come out strongly for the Public Option in his speech on Wednesday. It is also intended to pressure the Obama team to shift to more effective strategies and tactics. It is not intended as a personal attack on Obama

11th dimensional chess players don’t have to scramble to throw together a last minute make or break speech before a joint session of Congress to save their Health Care plan….as their base jumps ship.

Period.

NewsFlash: Obama is mortal, and not a supergenius who is smarter than everyone on the planet. Obama does NOT “Got This.” Bulletin! There is no such thing as 11th dimensional chess.

The Obama team, by any realistic political metric, has indeed “Blown This.”

Even if they DO (somehow) end up being able to pass a bill with a robust Public Option, politically speaking, strategically speaking, tactically speaking…they blew it.

They blew it for one reason and one reason only. They tried to be calm and reasonable and fair. They tried The Obama PostPartisan Experiment…and it blew up in their faces.

It WAS a Noble Experiment…but it failed.

Matt Barber Brings The Full Scale Insanity.

Crazy Matt Barber of the Liberty Council is at it again! Somehow the Dog wound up on Mr. Barbers radar and is now subjected to weekly spamming. Since Mr. Barber e-mails these to the Dog, there is no question of being able to reproduce the whole thing and then show exactly how bat-shit crazy Mr. Barbers points of view are. As a glimpse into the deranged mind of the deranged Right, serves two purposes; first to know what our opponents are saying to each other and second it gives the Dog a chance to mercilessly mock this mouth-breathing race and sexuality baiting asshat.

Originally posted at Squarestate.net

Four at Four

  1. The NY Times reports Signs of a jobless recovery in unemployment report. “The American economy lost another 216,000 jobs in August and the unemployment rate jumped to 9.7 percent”.

    “Many experts now see a high probability of another so-called jobless recovery, in which the economy expands but jobs continue to disappear – a replay of what happened after the last recession in 2001.”

    The broader U-6 measure marks the seasonally-unadjusted unemployment rate for August 2009 at 16.8 percent.

    McClathcy adds the rate of Job losses have slowed down. “Taken along with a key manufacturing index showing growth for the first time in 18 months, Friday’s job numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics are one more indication that the U.S. economy appears to have hit bottom and is on a slow upward climb.”

    Bloomberg reports Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says even this jobless U.S. economic recovery may not be ‘sustainable’. “It’s not clear that the U.S. is recovering in a sustainable way,” Stiglitz said.

    Stiglitz said he sees two scenarios for the world’s largest economy in coming months. One is a period of “malaise,” in which consumption lags and private investment is slow to accelerate. The other is a rebound fueled by government stimulus that’s followed by an abrupt downturn — an occurrence that economists call a “W-shaped’ recovery.

    “There’s a significant chance of a W, but I don’t think it’s inevitable,” he said. The economy “could just bounce along the bottom.”

    The U.S. economy is increasingly more vulnerable because some firms are now too big for the financial system to handle any one of them failing.

    “These institutions are not only too big to fail, they are too big to be managed,” he said.

    Stiglitz believes the U.S. “economy faces a short-term threat of disinflation and possibly deflation” with the possibility of declining wages and prolonged high unemployment. Longer-term, massive inflation is the threat.

Four at Four continues with the Afghanistan update, firefighters on the frontline of health care, urban density can fight climate change, and a library goes bookless.

Alberto Gonzalez + Classical Music + Snark = EPIC WIN!

This is soooo good I just HAD to share it with my fellow Dharma Bums here at Docudharma.

Meet the PhillyFringeHarmonic, a oof beat classic music troupe who is cuurently featuring their latest work, The GonzalezCantata

This is such a clever Progressive WIN, I just love it.

This was featured on the Rachel Maddow show last night, tickets are on sale this weekend only, so if you are in Philadelphia in the next few weeks you MUST check it out.

Enjoy!

“I Can’t Recall”

“This is not about Alberto Gonzalez”

     I wonder if Fredo will be singing this behind bars someday soon. One can only hope.

Cheers.

Interview With A Modern Republican

Good Morning Sir, I am…..

WHY SHOULD I PAY FOR YOUR HEALTH CARE???

…buhdydharma and I would like to….oh…um…you shouldn’t! A properly structured reform as President Obama proposes would pay…

KEEP THAT SOCIALIST AWAY FROM MY CHILDREN, HE WANTS TO INDOCTRINATE THEM INTO GAY SOCIALIST YOUTH CAMPS!!!!

…for itself.. Well it is just a speech about educa…

I HAVE A GUN!

…tion… Yes, I see your gun, it is very, um, big and impressive and I am sure it makes you feel very secure to be able to…



SECURE???SECURE??? HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BE SECURE WITHOUT TORTURE? IF WE ARE NOT CONSTANTLY TORTURING MUSLINS THEY WILL INVADE THE US OF A AND KILL OUR CHILDREN!!!

Well actually neither the Taliban or Al Qaida have any planes or boats with which to…

AND WE HAVE TO KILL THEM ALL BEFORE THEY GET THEM

Um…if we could get back to Health Care….

STAY AWAY FROM GRANNY YOU COMMIE BASTARD

Um…

I HAVE A GUN!

Yes Ma’aam, if you could just calm dow….

CALM DOWN, YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN WHEN A NI… COLO… BLACK GUY IS TRYING TO TAKE AMERICA AWAY FROM ME AND TURN IT INTO RUSSIA? TRYING TO TURN MY KIDS INTO GAY COMMIE SOCIALISTS, KILL MY GRANNY, RAISE MY TAXES TO STOP A HOAX LIKE GLOBAL WARMING, MAKE ME PAY FOR HEALTH CARE FOR NI… COLO… BLACK PEOPLE, LET MUSLINS ATTACK AGAIN AND PUT US ALL IN FEMA CAMPS AND BE FORCED TO EAT ORGANIC FOOD????

well….um….

YOU LIBERALS ARE CRAZY!!!

Ok let’s skip to the final question, do you think there will be the same kind of backlash that occurred after the 60’s when the Liberals were seen as…

FUCKING HIPPIES, GET A JOB!

…too radical…

AND A HAIRCUT

…now that folks on the Right are the ones who are..

I HAVE A GUN

Ok……this has been buhdydharma, reporting from…

FUCKING CRAZY HIPPIES

…the home of a modern Republican.

Can’t Argue With The Numbers.

This poll, unsavory as it may be, seems to be teaching a very specific lesson. While the great debate has been whether or not Democrats will lose “the vital center” if they push hard for aggressive health care reforms, a greater debate which is being ignored is whether or not the Democrats lose their own base if they punt on the issue.

And there is no shortage of evidence to suggest that the base should be the Democrats primary concern. Our “generic ballot test” asks voters whether they would rather see more Democrats or Republican in Congress next year.

Democrats only hold 70% of their base on that question. The Republicans hold onto 85% of their base. This strongly correlates to the (growing) conventional wisdom that the Democratic base may do something as bad as vote Republican–they may simply choose not to vote.

And here’s a nickel’s worth of free advice to the Obama White House–ditching critical parts of health care reform to appease Republicans, over 90% of which don’t like you anyway, is not the magic elixir that will inspire Democrats to vote in mass numbers.

Arctic Temperatures Now Highest in 2000 Years!

The BBC has the summary:

Arctic temperatures are now higher than at any time in the last 2,000 years, research reveals.

Changes to the Earth’s orbit drove centuries of cooling, but temperatures rose fast in the last 100 years as human greenhouse gas emissions rose.

Scientists took evidence from ice cores, tree rings and lake sediments.

Writing in the journal Science, they say this confirms that the Arctic is very sensitive both to changes in solar heating and to greenhouse warming.

The full article is firewalled at Science, but it’s long enough to allow some significant quotes. The lead author is Darrell S. Kaufman of the School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability at Northern Arizona University.

Pairing dogs and troops with PTSD

McClatchy Washington Bureau continues their extremely stellar reporting on the effects of Wars and Occupations of others on those that serve in these theaters of operations, especially as to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder {PTSD} with the following report printed in their Kansas City Star:

Defense Dept. funding study pairing dogs and troops with PTSD

Ten Progressive Senators Are Enough

Burning the Midnight Oil for the Next American Revolution

The White House has said it will do anything to “get a win”.

Clearly, there are several Democratic Senators who will vote no, even if they vote for cloture.

Which means that with 50+ Congressmen willing to stand firm for the Public Option, it only requires 10 Senators willing to stand firm for the public option to force the President to go all in for the Public Option.

My Senator Sherrod Brown sounds like he’s close.

ACTION: Call The White House, Demand The Public Option

There were many things the Dog thought might happen with the debate about Health Care Reform. It was always going to be a tough fight, the amounts of money involved and the absolute cravenness of the Republican Party made this a foregone conclusion. However the list of things which he could have predicted did not include the President who ran on the premise of a public option failing to fight for it was never on the list.

Originally posted at Squarestate.net

What I Learned About Leadership This Week

When you work night shift at a hospital, you are bound to have a bad week. What I was not expecting to experience was “the moment”, the moment when you have very little time to think or plan.

We had a perfect storm. Normally we have more than one supervisor. I was supposed to work half a shift and take a class in the morning but alas everybody was also sick. I was also sick, that stomach thing going around, but functional. Just tired. When I came in the day shift said,”Houston we have a problem” and laid out all the issues. We all rolled our eyes at one another. Day shift said,”hey man want us to stay a few minutes and make out the schedules for the next day.” I accepted which turned out to be a good idea. They offered which turned out to be critical because as it turned out I wouldn’t have time to do it.

I told myself,”Well, I won’t be bored tonight.” I told the staff I was apologizing in advance that if I did not answer their pages right away it was simply because I was tied up but I would still be available. Eye rolls. They were very busy and I often help them make clinical decisions as well as tactical ones.

Docudharma Times Friday September 4

Advisers to Obama Divided on Size of Afghan Force



By PETER BAKER and ELISABETH BUMILLER

Published: September 3, 2009


WASHINGTON – The military’s anticipated request for more troops to combat the insurgency in Afghanistan has divided senior advisers to President Obama as they try to determine the proper size and mission of the American effort there, officials said Thursday.

Even before the top commander in Afghanistan submits his proposal for additional forces, administration officials have begun what one called a “healthy debate” about what the priorities should be and whether more American soldiers and Marines would help achieve them.

Leading those with doubts is Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who has expressed deep reservations about an expanded presence in Afghanistan on the grounds that it may distract from what he considers the more urgent goal of stabilizing Pakistan, officials said.

Hundreds March in Chinese City Hit by Riots in July



By Christopher Bodeen

Associated Press

Friday, September 4, 2009


BEIJING, Sept. 3 — Hundreds of Chinese protested deteriorating public safety Thursday after a series of mysterious syringe attacks further unnerved residents in the western Chinese city of Urumqi, where ethnic rioting in July killed nearly 200 people.

People living near the city center reached by telephone said hundreds, possibly thousands, of members of China’s Han majority marched peacefully in the city center. They waved Chinese flags, confronted local Communist Party leaders to demand they step down, and shouted “Severely punish the hooligans” — a reference to the July 5 rioters.

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