Everything Southern Humboldt and more
No way should the Democrats have won this race under normal circumstances, but the message is clear – don’t f— with Medicare. Even the millions that Karl Rove’s group dumped into the election weren’t enough to turn it around.
I’ll write more about this later.
Addendum: The first fallout. Eddie Munster’s budget bill goes down in the Senate with five Republicans defecting.
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25 comments
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May 25, 2011 at 8:58 am
moviedad
What is really annoying about the Democrats is they keep flirting with progressive-socially conscious rhetoric, then they cash in, Obama a shining example of saying what people wanted to hear; and end up colluding with the looters and job-stealing executive class.
The only real viable hope for those like me, who demand a utopian society (why not?) is the Green Party. And yet the Democrats steal the Green party constituency with empty promises of reform.
Now here we go again with the same problem as every other election year.
“We can guarantee a democratic victory by keeping the Democratic Party unified and not split with the Greens.”
That being exactly the problem with the Republicans have with the “Tea Party”, they’re extremists lose hands down on social issues. They’ve won up til now with corruption and corporate financing.
But, I still want to support the Green Party. So I am not going to be duped by the false choice between two aristocrats; both supported by corporate money.
May 25, 2011 at 9:09 am
ED Denson
If we had proportional representation in government – i.e. if the Green party got 5% of the vote it would get 5%of the seats in Congress – it would make a lot of sense to vote Green. But we don’t have proportional representation. So we vote Green and instead of getting 5% of the seats, we get George Bush for 8 years. The idea that the Democrats and the Repubicans are the “same party” should be pretty well discredited by the contrast between Bush and Obama. There are certainly many ways in which the 2 parties do agree, but the Republicans, when you give them a chance, wiil be breathtakingly appalling. Torture, war, Patriot Act, destruction of medicare, destruction of social security, union busting, tax cuts for the rich… Did you hear the new plan? No assistance to Joplin’s tornado victims without cuts in other programs? So if the only real alternatives are the 2 parties and one is much worse than the other, what can you do but hold your nose and vote for the least bad even if you don’t agree with all of its positions.
I’m hoping that this NY election is a bellwether of the Great Awakening when voters suddenly see what the republicans actually represent. It could be a fluke, of course, but we pin our hopes on the slenderest reed if that’s all we’ve got.
May 25, 2011 at 10:55 am
moviedad
If we had real progressives leading the Democratic Party, then I could support them. But I don’t see the contrast from Bush to Obama. He is a Neo-Con’s best friend. He has maintained the looting process that has disable our infrastructure. He’s continued it.
I think people will tire of the illusion of change by voting Democrat. The progressive, pro-diversity, pro-labor, pro-corporate regulation, has to either change the leadership; or abandon the party in favor of a real change, which is the Green Party.
ED, no one is to blame for Gore losing Florida, but Gore himself. Another fake-progressive in Democrat clothing.
May 25, 2011 at 11:09 am
Ernie's Place
Although I greatly approve of Medicare, and hope that they don’t do away with it. Being a recipient, after have paying into it my whole career, I especially want to get some back.
It is obvious that the Republicans are trying to squeeze the system down to where they can drop all of the social programs, because it will become even more obvious that they are un-fundable. The Democrats yammer on about saving the social programs with seemingly no thought about jobs.
As everybody knows, jobs are what fund Medicare, it doesn’t grow on trees. We are all so sidetracked playing politics that we have taken our eye of the real ball, jobs. What do we do to get our politicians to stop the bleed of the American dollar to offshore countries and build a few jobs at home?
May 25, 2011 at 11:56 am
Not A Native
HumCo is where ‘political Rumplestilskin’s’ linger to stew in the frustration that they ‘wuz robbed of a perfect world’. Just stamp your feet, put your fingers in your ears, refuse to breathe, say no no no no no no, and the bad feelings all go away. But it will have no effect on the body politic.
May 25, 2011 at 5:24 pm
Sally
Eric, I hope “don’t f_ _ _ with medicare” will be joined with the mantra “don’t f_ _ _ with social security”. I also hope “medicare for all” and “let’s strengthen social security by having the uber-rich to finally contribute just a tiny bit” will become popular ideas!
May 25, 2011 at 5:26 pm
Sally
While we’re at it, how about: “let’s fund public education, and consider it more crucial than corporate welfare, and tax cuts for the uber-rich”.
May 25, 2011 at 5:56 pm
anonymous
Has anyone ever seen Netanyahu and Dick Cheney in the same room. Two pompous pigs. Why are we cursed with these blowhards as our learers
May 25, 2011 at 6:25 pm
Jim
I agree, jobs, jobs jobs should be the only thing on politicians minds (but then they wouldn’t be politicians). But whatever knocks some sense into the American people that the R’s don’t have their best interests in mind.
Unfortunately moviedad, only a minority of voters would identify with your perspective as a progressive/green. Might even be smaller than the tea-bag party. I agree with Ed; there is a stark contrast, and if you don’t see it, I’m sorry for your lack of perspective.
May 25, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Bolithio
I often wonder why Democrats dont frame tax cuts to the wealthiest corporations as entitlements. Its never looked at that way, but from what I can tell, our government entitles these mega companies to make trillions at our expense. So if your gunna talk about entitlements, we get to look at all of them, and consider proportionality of money spent to what truly serves the greatest good for government sponsorship. Naive?
May 25, 2011 at 7:53 pm
moviedad
Because most of them are millionaires and they benefit from the cuts personally.
May 25, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Mitch
moviedad,
Both elected Republicans and elected Democrats operate under the same constraints from the financial markets, the campaign funders, the corporations, and the electorate’s attitudes. That is why you never see them actually accomplishing what unelected Greens say they will accomplish. The Greens, if elected nationally, would look as disappointing as the Democrats, or they would be out of power within months. It’s just the nature of things — you can’t change the house by slapping on a new coat of paint.
I was disappointed in Obama — particularly disappointed by his Republican handling of the banksters. But I recognize that Obama is smart and a politician, and he tries to get the most he thinks he can get. It’s sad that he doesn’t think he can get more.
Before you insist that the Republicans and the Democrats are the same thing, you could do the President the courtesy of glancing through this list… you’ll see what he accomplishes despite being forced to play ball.
http://www.blueoregon.com/2010/12/obamas-accomplishments/
The Green Party makes good sense for local politics; not in national elections. In national politics, without proportional representation, the Greens can accomplish nothing but the creation of Republican victories where they wouldn’t otherwise take place. It’s truly sad, but it’s true. Just be glad that the Tea Party is splitting the Republicans.
May 25, 2011 at 8:44 pm
Anonymous
Yeah, the Green Party brought us Medicare. And Social Security.
But what does this have to do with the Community Park?
May 25, 2011 at 11:40 pm
moviedad
All points well taken.
It just looks all: “Business-as-usual” to me. That’s my perspective.
Two aisles of wealthy aristocrats contemptible of democracy. Mocking the rights of common people.
Simplistic I know. Doesn’t have all the nuanced discussion of how it all works.
Problem is we all know how it works and it’s very corrupt. It’s an unfair, predatory alliance of the government and the corporations who own it.
Look at how little the Democrats have done for the unions.
Have they ever been anti-war?
I’m not throwing away my vote again.
May 26, 2011 at 6:58 am
Mitch
moviedad,
I’m sympathetic. But if you were in a hospital and could vote on your surgeon, would you choose the psychopathic murderer who hated you, or the bungling guy with the fake diploma. In my opinion, it would be a valuable vote.
I’d suggest going for the bungler, even over the idealistic kid who kept banging on the door, convinced he could do surgery even though he’d gotten a zero on all his medical school applications.
May 26, 2011 at 8:26 am
PAN
Thanks Mitch, that sums it up tidily.
May 26, 2011 at 11:27 am
tra
Hmmm, so the question is would I choose as my surgeon a psychopathic murderer who hated me, a bungling guy with the fake diploma, or a kid who kept banging on the door, convinced he could do surgery even though he’d gotten a zero on all his medical school applications?
If those were the only three options, I think I’d rather just shoot myself in the head and be done with it. I’m not sure exactly how that would relate to national politics, but clearly it doesn’t sound good.
May 26, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Eric Kirk
For the record, gutting Medicare would NOT be “business as usual.”
May 26, 2011 at 9:15 pm
Sinclair Lewis
Really appreciate Mitch’s comment, but have to agree with TRA. There are additional choices, including a system based on fairness, competence, and affordability. Hey, wasn’t this thread about medicare?
May 27, 2011 at 7:08 am
Mitch
SL and tra,
I’m all for a national electoral system based on fairness, competence, and affordability. I’m also all for the platforms of people like Ralph Nader.
Being for both doesn’t mean I need to pretend either exists today. And, if an election system based on fairness, competence and affordability doesn’t exist today, I think the three choices I offered pretty much some up the available options.
Sometimes, “B” depends on “A”. Trying to do “B” — getting greens in national office — when “A” — an electoral system based on fairness, competence, and affordability — is not in place is not a path to getting anywhere, even though both “A” and “B” are desirable.
It’s just a little bit crazy, like thinking that a little more push on the gas pedal will move the car this time even though the emergency brake is on and the car is in neutral. It’s absolutely true that, in general, more push on the gas pedal makes the car go faster. It happens in Europe all the time. But, sadly, it’s not true for this particular case.
I’m not sure whether the SCROTUM is the emergency brake and campaign finance law is the gear shift, or the other way around. Either way, more gas will make a promising sound and spectacle, encouraging those who don’t get it, but will not move the car.
May 27, 2011 at 10:10 am
pathetic actually
say mitch,
What’s up with (your) SCROTUM? And what’s it got to do with cars or national politics?
May 27, 2011 at 10:46 am
Mitch
My SCROTUM, like yours, is suffering from serious decay in the right half. It no longer serves its purpose well, and there’s been a terrible odor for several years now. Hadn’t you noticed?
May 27, 2011 at 11:46 am
tra
Mitch is referring to the Supreme Court of the United States, sometimes known by the acronym SCOTUS.
May 27, 2011 at 11:52 am
tra
By the way, here’s the latest fallout from the Supreme Court’s Citizens’s United decision:
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/05/federal_judge_rules_corporations_just_like_people_should_be_able_to_give_to_candidates.php?ref=fpblg
May 27, 2011 at 12:29 pm
pathetic actually
I see. It’s clever word pray.