Electronic Writer

More than 30 countries were polled, and if they were voting in the upcoming election, Barack Obama would win a second term.  More than 26,000 people were polled and 81% said they would support Obama, compared to 19% for Romney.

Read the full article at United Press International

‘I think some of our members may have thought the default issue was a hostage you might take a chance at shooting,’ Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said. ‘Most of us didn’t think that. What we did learn is this – it’s a hostage that’s worth ransoming.’ (Running in Red, Washington Post)

• How is this supposed to be good for the United States of America?
• How is this evidence that you are doing your job as a legislator?
• And, how can you be so emboldened to admit publicly that you collaborated with other Republican legislators to hold the United States hostage for your own political gain?

I don’t even want to write this, but seriously–this is language used by organizations who want to inflict the WORST POSSIBLE HARM on the United States of America.  Is this really what you want to do, Mitch McConnell?

I need to go puke, now.  This is disgusting . . . .

Let’s channel our anger about this deal and let everyone know that Republicans fought tooth and nail for the richest Americans and tax-dodging corporations—instead of getting our economy back on track. To get Congress to focus on jobs and hold the Republicans accountable, thousands of us are protesting at hundreds of GOP offices today. [ed. Emphasis theirs]

Daniel Mintz from MoveOn.org has painted a pretty succinct image about what happened in Washington . . . .   The losers in this deal are the education, clean energy, and health programs THAT always lose.  Those same republicans demand that we buy guns and airplanes, but spending money on the education of our children is INTOLERABLE.

Republicans and Tea Partiers, your hypocrisy is almost as awe-inspiring as your hubris . . . .

This is like a movie script.

Big money pours into Wisconsin State politics, and with a majority of votes in the legislature, it rams the big money agenda through government–but, not without a fight.  The agenda is to break the backs of unions and strip the power of collective bargaining.  Wisconsinites brave sub-zero winters every year (and apparently like the challenge enough to keep living there), so they are not going without a fight.  They protest. After WEEKS of protests, the big money finally wins.

The hardy Wisconsin citizens aren’t done–they vow to recall the vulnerable Republican politicians as retribution for doing the bidding of the Koch brothers so willingly.

The Republicans put fake candidates in the primaries–and TOLD us they were putting fake candidates in the Democrat party primaries, but it didn’t work.  The Wisconsin voters stayed focused and legitimate Democrat candidates won the primaries.

Fast forward to today:  We are roughly 10 days from the actual election where it looks as if the recall might actually happen . . . and the STRANGEST thing happens.  The building of the We Are Wisconsin offices goes up in flames and is a total loss!  The plot thickens . . . .  The campaign office of the Democratic challenger, Rep. Jennifer Shilling, shares a wall with the building that burned.  Campaign workers were forced to evacuate.  The La Crosse Fire Investigators are investigating the issue.

While it may be inappropriate for me to speculate, I am a storyteller . . . and, this is a good story.  If this were that script I fantasized about at the beginning of this post, there would be a dark room.  Two men talking–dramatic lighting from the top of the.

Look, we’re not going to lose this.  Do you HEAR ME?

Yeah, I hear ya.

You do whatever it takes, and I mean WHATEVER it takes to make sure that we win.  I don’t like losing, and if we lose this election, it will reflect very badly on you–you understand?

All speculation aside, let’s help We Are Wisconsin–give money and help if you can.  (Last time I checked, I couldn’t get through to the website.)

See images of the blaze here at Blue Cheddar.

Negotiation apparently means “compromise” for Democrats and perhaps a more sinister term for Republicans.  “Leverage” might be the definition internalized by Republicans ( could be a euphemism for “extortion opportunity” or “Democrat weakness”).  Let me be clear—I am tired of this arrangement.

I know the new debt ceiling vote isn’t complete, yet . . . but, the newest debt ceiling legislation feels like a loss for Liberals.  We have two votes for the debt ceiling (albeit the second vote is watered down in teeth, but will be a press-generating opportunity for Government-killing Tea Party legislation).  The legislation cuts spending—by TRILLIONS.  The legislation does not raise any revenues.  ZERO.    And, there is a vote for a balanced-budget Amendment to the constitution to be scheduled—also, a press-generating opportunity for ultra-conservatives.  It appears as if the Republicans got everything they wanted.
When we review the spoils of the Democrat-side of this deal, we have:  uhhhm, the promise to leave Medicare and Entitlement cuts alone . . . .  Yep—that is all, folks.  That, and the ability to get back to work.

There was a time in our not-so-distant past when an evil dictator rolled tanks into the Czech Republic and claimed that it was his to take.  The world, at the time, gave it to him.  They told that evil dictator, and his ideology, that we won’t fight you on Czech Republic issue if you promise to not take any more countries.  Of course, he promised and was happy at how easy his first conquest had been.

The evil dictator and his ideology were lying.  He would use the newfound leverage to wield uncertainty and indecision amongst the leaders of the rest of the world and as a springboard for his attacks.  Many, many people had died before the world was moved to respond.

My first message is to Democrat politicians.  Please learn from history.  Placating Hitler did no good.  His singular focus of conquest and extermination outweighed all logic.  His greed for power erased his ability to compromise.  Democrats—you have to do better.  You MUST take a stand.  Protecting entitlement programs from the chopping block is NOT A VICTORY.  It is merely the best outcome of a catastrophic loss.

There is no reasoning with Republicans, Conservatives and Tea Party members—their singular desire to hunt-down and eradicate the people who utilize entitlements is non-stop.  The want all of the poor, minorities, sick, elderly and young to get out of their way while they make money.  There is no village in their distorted view of the world—merely profit margins.  They will happily poison the town well, because they are selling water and will make a larger profit without the competition.

Republicans, Conservatives and Tea Partiers are driving the United States, whether they know it or not, into a tribal/feudal state—where the tribes are multinational corporations with their own armies, bottomless pools of lawyers and lobbyists, unlimited money, and not a single person to be held accountable in a court of law.

My message to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the poor, the elderly—anyone who does not generate money (or value) for those multinational corporations is simple.

Run

Representative Grayson summed up the Republican position on Tax Cuts for the wealthy in a very succinct way.  The reason why we hear about this non-stop from the Fox Media Machine is because the main hosts have millions of dollars to gain from getting a Tax Cut for the wealthy–despite how unhealthy it really is for economy.

Watch for yourself:

I just finished reading the LA Times Article, GOP hold reins in debate over tax cut extension.  The authors of the article wrote pretty strong opening statements about the situation:

A day after agreeing to work with President Obama to end a stalemate over expiring tax cuts, congressional Republicans flexed their newfound political muscle Wednesday, declaring that they would block consideration of any other legislation during the lame-duck session until a deal is reached on the tax cuts and temporary government funding.

You don’t have to dig too deeply to discover the hidden meaning.  It is pretty clear.  Republicans intend to block EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF LEGISLATION unless they get to extend tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans (that were irresponsible, to begin with–according to Ronald Reagan’s Budget Director).  Everyone agrees that middle and lower-class Americans need the tax breaks, but the fight is squarely over making the tax cuts from George Bush permanent.

Does this sound like extortion to you?

While I am certainly no legal expert, my first impression was that this sounded like a form of extortion.  But, being unsure of the exact definition and some of the nuances that make certain actions Extortion, so I did a little research.  According to the Wikipedia, the definition of Extortion is:

Extortion, outwresting, and/or exaction is a criminal offense which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person(s), entity, or institution, through coercion.

This seemed to be a pretty close match as a description of the behavior of these Senators, but after a bit more research, I stumbled upon the definition of Coercion, and thought it may be a better fit:

Coercion is the practice of forcing another party to behave in an involuntary manner (whether through action or inaction) by use of threats, intimidation  or some other form of pressure or force. Such actions are used as leverage, to force the victim to act in the desired way. Coercion may involve the actual infliction of physical pain/injury or psychological harm in order to enhance the credibility  of a threat. The threat of further harm may lead to the cooperation or obedience  of the person being coerced. Torture is one of the most extreme examples of coercion i.e. severe pain is inflicted until the victim provides the desired information.

This sounds much closer to the case–though, apparently, the Republicans have a code-word for this behavior on Capitol Hill.  I think they simply call it Power. Regardless of the name we use for this, obstructionist tactics (also see:  here, and here for more examples) for political gain are wrong.  This is not how the Democratic Process was intended to be used, and is a misappropriation of the government and their positions as legislators.

Perhaps Robert Gibbs summed it up the best:   “Nothing could be more completely out of whack with what is important to the American people and to getting our economy going again than to watch a debate about billionaire tax cuts while people lose their unemployment benefits.”

Dear Mitch McConnell,

You may think this is a game, and you may very well be proud of your actions, but as an American Citizen, I am not impressed. And, I am not alone . . . .

Your games of blocking the Government from accomplishing anything for no reason other than to assist you in your personal power-grab are very un-American. In this case, you are ruining one piece of legislation that has bi-partisan support and as an opportunist with your voracious appetite for power, you are willing to waste American tax dollars in the pursuit of your personal agenda.

Please leave the Food Safety Bill alone, and stop hurting America.

-E Writer

PS. I would not want to be written into the history books as an American legislator responsible for constipating the American Government, but your actions show that you are apparently happy with it.

September 25, 2007

This is a lovely little video showing Mitt Romney as the front-man for Wall Street. Listen to his rhetoric, but watch the images. It is all double-speak.