POLITICAL KABUKI
THE CURIOUS POLITICS OF PREDATORY STATE CAPITALISM
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Week of February 12, 2012
Even More Severe
Rick Santorum, now the clear favorite among conservatives, is best known for equating homosexuality with incest and bestiality (man on dog). He advocates a modern crusade against the "America left who hates Christendom," and thinks climate change is a hoax to justify "government control of your life." Welcome to the looney tunes presidential marathon.
From Compassionate to Severely Conservative
Mitt Romney has a gift for words — self-destructive words. On Friday he did it again, telling the Conservative Political Action Conference that he was a “severely conservative governor.” As Molly Ball of The Atlantic pointed out, Mr. Romney “described conservatism as if it were a disease.” Indeed. Mark Liberman, a linguistics professor at the University of Pennsylvania, provided a list of words that most commonly follow the adverb “severely”; the top five, in frequency of use, are disabled, depressed, ill, limited and injured.
--Paul Krugman
Week of February 5, 2012
Expectations
It's just too much to expect conservative Republicans, that want nothing more than to drive the sitting President from office, to reasonably discuss which economic policies work and don't work. Truth is they don't want any of them to work except tax cuts and deregulation. That's been their fix for everything for the past thirty years and its brought us to where we are now. lol America
Government can create jobs, but it’s not easily done.
It's all about "class" in a "classless" society.
Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Show
The widening achievement gap between affluent and low-income students has received less attention than the divide between white and black students, which has narrowed.
Define "Mercenary"
Afghan War Risks Are Shifting to Contractors
Last year, at least 430 employees of American contractors were reported killed in Afghanistan, more than the number of American soldiers killed.
Religious War?
Who are they trying to kid anyway? Obama's war on religion? Is there a contest among conservative presidential contenders to have the most incredible outlandish mouth? Then there are the imbeciles in the audience that applaud that crap. This is a affront on gender rights and a push for retrograde standards in birth control. Does the right, supported by conservative Jesus freaks, really want to take society back in history 60 years? Yes they do and yes they can! Just watch Obama compromise.
Conservative Pap
Conservatives have claimed since the 1960's that our society was unraveling and predicted further unraveling as the Victorian virtues continued to erode. They seldom cite the sixty percent decline in violent crime since the mid-nineties or the plunge in teenage pregnancies. Could it be that the main distinguishing development in the traditional family is not a decline in family cohesion, but a drastic reduction in the opportunity for lesser educated men to obtain a job with a livable wage? But don't dare call it 'class.'
America Exposed
"Among rich countries, America stands out as the place where economic and social status is most likely to be inherited." But don't dare call it 'class.'
Conservatives have started telling us that the growing inequality is about a decline in morals. But it’s mainly about money.
Week of January 29, 2012
Lazy and Ignorant?
Are you as disturbed as I when conservatives rush to the defense of the top 1% of wealth and income and call inequality and those who see it as a cancer that is devouring our economy and our republic, calling it a distraction? Probably not, because most of us are lazy and ignorant and busy with the mundane of surviving every day life. Here is a more objective appraisal of the situation.
On Brooks’ muddled defense of the top 1% | Economic Policy Institute
The Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit Washington D.C. think tank, was created in 1986 to broaden the discussion about economic policy to include the interests of low- and middle-income workers. Learn more »
More Than a Dimes Worth of Difference
...If you ask how the parties differ — how the GOP agenda differs from the Democratic agenda — it’s all about the top 1 percent versus everyone else. The GOP wants to cut taxes on capital gains and the top tax bracket, issues that mean nothing even to Americans at the 95th percentile. It wants to privatize Medicare, which would create a lot of insecurity even among upper-middle class families, but wouldn’t trouble the truly wealthy.
Put it this way: the actual policy agenda of American conservatives serves the interests of Mitt Romney, not the Bobos.Maybe you think they should have a different agenda, but the fact is that they don’t.
And I guess I’d say that the attempts to shout down discussion of the 1 percent are in large part an attempt to distract our attention from that fact.
- Paul Krugman
Conservatives Ask "What's Wrong with Romney?"
The problem... is that because he isn’t a natural politician he breaks the language where it needs to bend. He uses language — “I like to fire people!” “It’s nothing to get angry about” etc ...his language makes him seem like a caricature of a conventionally stiff country club Republican. (i.e., a filthy rich bastard out of touch with the 99%)
Jonah Goldberg writes on NRO: Congratulations to Mitt Romney for his big win last night. It was a win that, Romney supporters hoped, would help bury concerns about his ability to seal the deal do what it takes. But I’m not so sure. If you’re a straight-laced grown-up with money to burn, burying New...
Conservatives Committed to the Poor
Here is a big indicator of where conservative Republican's abandon ideas that in any way counter their ideology. A Pew Research Center survey of Republicans found that 57% of them did not think the government did enough for families that had under $30,000 a year income. That must be way down on their list of priorities because I can't think of anything conservatives have supported in the past five years that would do anything supportive for those families.
The Biggest Losers
Americans have shown a propensity to be swayed by political appeals to their worst instincts which include fear, racism, religious intolerance, greed, sexual and gender bias, etc. I suspect that once the dust is cleared from this election, Americans will find they have elected not only a new President but also will realize that they have underwritten the dismantlement of a caring society, their republic and attendant liberties.
Poor America
Mr. Romney tried to explain that he was focused on middle-income Americans because the poor — now 15 percent of the population and a full 47% in at or near the poverty level — already have a government safety net. He failed to mention, of course, that his policies, and those of his fellow Republicans in Washington, would drive more people into that net — while at the same time shredding it.
America the Beautiful
Last week, when asked in a debate what America should do about the 11 million undocumented immigrants living here, Mitt Romney said he favored “self-deportation.” He presented the strategy as a kinder alternative to just arresting people. Instead, he said, immigrants will “decide they can do better by going home because they can’t find work here.”
But really this goes along with a larger movement in states like Arizona and Alabama to pass very tough laws against immigrants in an attempt to make their lives so unbearable that they have no choice but to leave. People have called for denying work, education and even medical treatment to immigrants without documentation; many immigrants have grown afraid of even going to the store or to church.
Undocumented immigrants like me hope that there will be comprehensive immigration reform, with a path to citizenship for people who have spent years living and working here.
Right to Life?
Another incredible right-wing attack on institutions that aid the poor and disadvantaged. No, no. It's not class warfare. Of course not.
Uproar as Komen Foundation Cuts Money to Planned Parenthood
Two organizations dedicated to detecting and curing breast cancer have found themselves on opposite sides of the nation’s divisive debate over abortion.
No Such Thing as Too Far Right
"...for all the time Gingrich spent lambasting Romney for being a Massachusetts Moderate he’s been spectacularly unsuccessful at opening up any ideological ground between them. There is no major issue... on which Gingrich is clearly and unmistakably to Romney’s right, at least in the case he has presented to voters."
-David Brooks
Prevent Elderly Billionaire Abuse
This should be a wake-up call to us all about the little-discussed national scandal of billionaire abuse. All around the nation, we are hearing stories about elderly billionaires being taken advantage of by grasping politicians. Here in New York we have just learned that Republican candidates for the State Senate wheedled $436,500 out of a 97-year-old billionaire over the last year. This sort of predatory attack on our billionaires must stop!
-Gail Collins
Campaign Wives Club
Newt had that slogan last night, “46 states to go” which numerous people immediately turned into “46 wives to go.”
Summarizing Mittness
I'll bet you $10,000 that corporations are people that don't care about the poor.
Leaders In Europe Aren't So Bright Either
European countries agreed to sign a new fiscal compact that will legally restrict them from fighting recessions with robust fiscal stimulus. Most economists outside the euro zone consider this approach a dangerous one. Those countries account for more than 20 percent of the world’s economy. Condemning them to longer and deeper recessions will drag down economies elsewhere that depend on trade, from the United States to China.
A leader wiser than Mrs. Merkel would build a stronger European Union by helping her neighbors grow their way out of debt, not squeeze them to the breaking point. A wise leader would also remind German voters that the prosperity of their own export-dependent economy requires sustained demand in neighboring countries. Seems a thought fundamental knowledge of economics is in short supply... worldwide.
European Union leaders agreed to sign a new measure to enforce fiscal austerity and restrict stimulus, which could be a dangerous approach.
Pet Lovers
If you know how to treat your dog with care and sensitivity, it's a good bet that you know how to treat people too. Don't put your dog in the back of a pick-up or on the roof of your car, Stupid!
This page is dedicated to showcasing the Obama 2012 spirit of our favorite animals and those of us who love them. While this page is run by the Obama 2012 campaign staff, our honorary host is Bo Obama, First Dog.
America is Polarized and Tribal
America has polarized. The word “class” doesn’t adequately capture that divide. Bifurcated tribalism is a better description. Brooks' continues to short-change the role of inequality in undermining American vitality, but this comes much closer than the 'school cafeteria clicks' analogy that Brooks has used previously.
Charles Murray’s “Coming Apart” describes the most important cultural trends today and offers a better understanding of America’s increasingly two-caste society.
Worse than Whores
It must be a comedy, but it is certainly is not divine. Fifty years ago I sat in an Economics class, using Paul Samuelson's introductory text "Economics." I was in the process of changing my major from political science to economics because I understood that it was economy that drove politics. It was in my senior year that I realized I was wrong, but it was too late to switch to psychology. Besides psychology in the 1960's was dominated by thoroughly discredited 'behaviorists.' That seemed to be my only talent. I recognize crap when I step in it.
Today, the world is filled with 'economic whores.' They are economists and educated politicians that know better but have abandoned known economic principles that were taught in Samuelson's text. They make up the 'intellectual' elite of the conservative movement. They promote government austerity during a recession when they know that a short term policy diametrically opposite to conservative ideology is necessary. They promote the unnecessary suffering of millions to attain power. They are so much worse than whores. They are deluded sociopaths.
Six Points of Proof
First
The USA is at the pinnacle of economic and political inequality and a few of us have just begun to recognize it. It's a fact that money drives the political system. Does anyone disagree?! That money comes mostly from the wealthy... wealthy individuals, wealthy businesses, wealthy institutions. Can anyone argue, with any degree of credibility, that the rich do not influence and largely direct our capitalistic 'democratic republican' system? Studies show conclusively that the desire, influence of the bottom 30% income group has precisely ZERO percent influence on our economic and political system.
Second
Taxes in the USA are an anathema. It is not because they really are. They are the lowest of most modern, industrialized states. It is because for 30 plus years conservative Republicans have propagandized people into believing it. The majority of our population has been persuaded. Taxes are too high and they’re higher now than they’ve ever been… and spending is out of control!!! Look at the statistics and you will find out how absurd that line is. But after intense rightwing conditioning, a majority of the population has no use for facts.
Third
As poorly as conservatives have behaved for a generation, liberals and progressives have been irresponsible too. No one in America has consistently made the case for why government can be beneficial and how it can be an instrument of economic and political justice and fairness. Government is a tool. It can be used for good or ill. It should be mistrusted and its policies should be examined closely. Conservatives argue that the public sector should be reduced and eliminated at every opportunity. Liberals and Progressives (sometimes) argue that changing policies and implementing those aimed at justice and fairness can do good things for people.
Fourth
Conservatives want to reduce and eliminate government by denying it resources obtained through taxes. “Starve the Beast.” That is simplistic and attractive to a few, but is also unreasonable, unwise and, decidedly, not the smart way to proceed.
Remember, we are talking about placing at risk the basic underpinnings the security and stability of our modern mass society: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Unemployment Insurance, general well being through regulation, the rule of law and simple justice. Conservatives proclaim, “one size does not fit all and that state and local government do it better.” They say this, I’m convinced, because their financial enablers can dominate smaller state and local government much easier. In my life as an American, I have not encountered a government entity more tyrannical than state and local government.
Fifth
To be completely honest, one must say that after looking briefly at the economy, it seems there is nothing that Americans love better than taxes. Why else would they spend nearly forty percent of their income on them if they didn’t? After all, we are nowhere near a revolution in this country, especially when it comes to the level of taxation. Here is what it amounts to: in the world, countries with the highest and most rigorous taxes are the most civilized, less violent, healthiest and best adjusted. That is exactly what we are paying for with our taxes. Somehow, after all the years of propaganda spewed by conservative Republicans, Americans must intuitively know that to be true.
Sixth
There is another false narrative in America that taxes are always increasing. And, again, if looked at statistically, one can know this to be completely untrue. Oh, if only we could go back to the tax rates under the Reagan administration… that would provide government the revenue to reduce its debt and solve some pressing economic problems as well. The large majority of Americans believe taxes are high because they are high relatively to the upper income groups. It is for the upper 2% income group that taxes are incredibly low. The middle 60% pay so much; they just can’t believe that the wealthiest pay so little. US tax policy, in fact, redistributes income to the upper 2% and mostly to the top .01%. Make no mistake: that is what the political fight in America is all about.
Archives
of Political Kabuki and BushWhacked USA
Political observations as money and lies replace truth
as the Life-blood of American democracy
The Reality of Wealth and Power in America
Decades have passed since the elimination of ‘countervailing power’ that supported a strong and dynamic middle class in the United States. Labor unions, independent community organizations and progressive church groups have little influence in America today. Federal and state governments have been absorbed into the economic power structure of the ruling class. With only token gestures of government working to protect the well being of wage earners, the middle class in America can no longer afford to be deluded about ideas of upward mobility, financial security, healthcare or of a progressive tax system. The barons of the economy dominate economic policies and judicial judgments of the state. The wealthy, the CEO’s and highly paid managers hold the reins. Corporations have more rights and privileges than individuals and money in politics is constitutionally protected as free speech. Even the most dedicated elected public servants survive by trading access to the processes of making government policy and laws for cash. The influence of money is so great that this is no longer the democratic republic your grandparents learned about in civics. The American system has transformed into something other than a government by the people, for the people. 99.5% of the population have become nothing more than a population to be exploited by the upper 1/2 of one per cent. Americans are so accustomed to being nickeled and dimed by the monied, we no longer notice little thefts that occur countless times a day. Most Americans are absorbed in just maintaining their livelihood and are continually subjected to the distractions of media advertising, manufactured news, titillating gossip and entertainment, the joy of electronic toys and technological progress. Ahh, yes. Hard earned income is constantly being sucked from the bottom 99.5 percent of us, but hey, this is America and everyone has an opportunity to be rich. We surely must be better off than we were before.
...You think?
