It's Time for a Progressive Revolution -- Cenk Unger

[nashville_brook]

(interesting bit from Cenk. Yes, we need a real people-powered movement in Congress, but this is also the first of year of our new "Citizens United" monied-interest victory over free speech...so, I wonder, really, how this will shake out. I hope Cenk's optimism is well placed. -- brook)


It's Time for a Progressive Revolution

by Cenk Uygur | February 13, 2010 - 12:24pm

http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/26753

New numbers from a CBS News-New York Times poll indicate that only 8% of Americans want their representative in Congress re-elected. That's staggering. That's the American people saying it's time for a revolution.

This is what a revolution in a democracy looks like, where the voters throw everyone out of office. The number one concern people have is that these politicians represent special interests instead of their constituents. An overwhelming 80% of people think that and only 13% think politicians are representing the voters. And the majority is absolutely right.

So, why are Congressional numbers now lower than they have ever been? My theory is that some people actually believed that the Democrats were going to make a difference. They got sold a bill of goods on hope and change. And when the Democrats sold out to special interests just like the Republicans, there was profound disappointment and hopelessness. That leads to the attitude of they're all bums, throw them all out.

Now, this presents a great opportunity. If you just wait for the general elections, the ironic winner of this trend will be the Republican Party, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of corporate America. They're proud of it; they even recently bragged about how they can sell out to Wall Street better than Democrats can. They'll benefit from this general atmosphere though because there are more Democratic incumbents to get tossed out than there are Republican incumbents.


(snip -- more at link)

[DirkGently]

1. I think this is a core issue

going forward. For one thing, everyone's noticed the Republicans (and their corporate sponsors) trying to foment and ride a generalized "throw the bums out" populist drumbeat (see, e.g. Teabaggers) which allows them to conveniently sidestep the problem they have with ... their actual record. It was weird seeing them try to say, "Look what a mess we're in -- throw out the (Democratic) Congress!" starting Jan. 21, and it worked up to a point, but I think they've miscalculated hoping to ride a tide of Joe Bloggs anti-government anger back into power, because it turns out that at least part of the new wave of conserva-populists, actually are sincere, and therefore don't trust Republicans either.

This point you raise is an important corollary to the same dynamic, I think. Why should Progressives *ever* concede the populist, grassroots, outsider mentality? It's what got Obama elected, and I think that there is at least a perception that the administration has taken too much of an Establishment-type stance -- such as subsuming OFA into the DNC and otherwise allowing itself to be viewed as wanting to do business in a traditional, quid pro quo "backroom deal" fashion. Call me a naive idealist, but I think the organization Obama built had the best shot we've seen in a long time to really bring the American people into the day-to-day political process. Instead, Teabaggers aped it (perhaps poorly) but STILL had enough impact to cripple, if not kill, healthcare reform.

I guess what I'm taking from the article is that Democrats and Progressives, and the Obama administration need to decide whether we actually believe we can change the political process itself, NOW, or whether we have to settle for hoping that "our team" can perform politics-as-usual better than theirs. I think the coming elections, and the overall success of the administration may turn more on how that question is answered than our leaders seem to recognize.

[nashville_brook]

2. the OFA > DNC thing is a great example of the core issue

"senior staffers" decided that the thing to do was to eliminate the possibility of grassroots critique from the left. so, by letting the DNC swallow up OFA they eliminated the possibility of a real grassroots movement that could hold Dems to account. We essentially blew off all the political capital/momentum going into the inauguration. We were "let go." Given our walking papers. Shit-canned, lest we unseat the likes of Baucus and Lincoln.

[nashville_brook]

3. shameless self-kick

[DirkGently]

4. Re-kicked

... for a worthy topic.

:toast:

[patrice]

5. K + RRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

[nashville_brook]

6. at first, i read this as "K & GRRRRRRR" -- which, i think is appropriate too!

[Hugabear]

7. I'll believe it when I see it

I've heard this all before, "throw the bums out". Yet more often than not, when it comes time to actually cast their ballots, they buckle and re-elect them. I don't know if most people just assume that other voters will pick up the slack, or if that their Congressional rep is okay while all the other ones deserve to be voted out. But until I actually see the American people rise up and vote out their reps en masse, I'm not going to get my hopes up too high.

Except in my case, I don't want Alan Grayson to get voted out - we need MORE people like him in Congress!

[readmoreoften]

9. I agree. "Throw the bums out" doesn't work. There is a structural problem here.

Anti-incumbent sentiment doesn't get you much; and local, low rent campaigns within the party itself never seem to work (see Ned Lamont). Maybe if you strike the fear of God by supporting a 3rd Party (actually, an authentic 2nd party to challenge the Money Party.) No, not the Greens. My vote is for a new Labor Party.

[nashville_brook]

13. would be nice if the dems would again be the party of labor...but it seems like we're

frittering that away.

would also be nice (we talk about this at work a LOT) if there were a union for office-y type workers. like administrative assistants, researchers, marketing schlubs (me!), and all the other paper pushers in the world.

[Scruffy1]

24. I think you are right

As long as the democratic party can count on the vote of the progressives in this country they will have no incentive to change the status quo. The math is simple if you have 30% who will vote against you no matter what you do and 30% who will always vote for you no matter what and you need MONEY to campaign to get the majority of the other 40%, you will do whatever it takes to get the dough. While a progressive party can never provide the money that big business can it could accomplish two goals. First it would change the definition of where the center is and secondly it would have the leverage of being able to field its own candidates which could cause a candidate of the Democratic Party to go down in flames. I think this scares the hell out of many politicians.
I think the example that many use of Florida 2000 has a positive side. Perhaps a small number for a third party determined the outcome and it showed a way forward even if in this instance it resulted in the worst disaster for America since the Civil War.

[nashville_brook]

10. my greatest fear is that we'll see a repeat of '94...

a groundswell of populism doesn't always swing to the left, and currently the left is looking pretty weak. the TeaBaggers seem to have the populist wind in their sails, so there really is a danger of losing what little "control" we have.

Grayson is one district over from me -- i'm in Kosmas' area. and there's already beaucoup opposition to him -- lots of money is being thrown at that race. if you stomach it, check out mycongressmanisnuts (dot) com.

[Hugabear]

11. Sure there's a lot of opposition to Grayson, but who's going to run against him?

I haven't seen any repuke stand up and announce that they're taking on Grayson. If anything, most of the potential candidates seem to be dropping left and right. It's like they all want to see him out of office, but nobody wants to actually face him in an election campaign.

[nashville_brook]

12. here's someone who's trying to get the sigs to file...

Patricia Sullivan -- took this pic at the Mt Dora art show last weekend. they were allowed to set up right smack in the middle. f'n outrageous.

[FrenchieCat]

8. One fucking year, and a hell of a difference!

Those who can't see are bats in a cave hanging upside down!


Let's work hard to safeguard what certainly "could be" instead of holding ransom the future,
based on what we believe we should already have.
None of it was supposed to be easy, and as we all can see, it won't be.

Still.....





Economy in U.S. Grew at 5.7% Pace, Most in Six Years
Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) -- The economy in the U.S. expanded in the fourth quarter at the fastest pace in six years as factories cranked up assembly lines and companies increased investment in equipment and software.

The 5.7 percent increase in gross domestic product, which exceeded the median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, marked the best performance since the third quarter of 2003, figures from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. Efforts to rebuild depleted inventories contributed 3.4 percentage points to GDP, the most in two decades.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=acQASpga4OhM&pos=1

U.S. Retail Sales Rose 0.5% in January
WASHINGTON—U.S. retail sales rose more than expected in January, posting a broad-based increase in a sign of promise for the economy at the start of the first quarter.

Retail sales last month increased 0.5%, the Commerce Department said Friday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast a 0.3% increase.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703525704575060922363790634.html?mod=googlenews_wsj


Jobless Claims Drop Markedly
February 12, 2010
The past week saw a huge fall in the number of persons making an initial filing for jobless claims. The U.S. Department of Labor reported:
In the week ending Feb. 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 440,000, a decrease of 43,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 483,000.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/188235-jobless-claims-drop-markedly

Blue-Collar Jobs in Demand for 2010

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-blue_collar_jobs_in_demand_for_2010-1099

Volcker Op-Ed: Look out, big banks. Change is coming

Paul Volcker, chairman of the president’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, contributes an important op-ed to today's NY Times. And the message to big banks is clear: Your "too-big-to-fail" ass has been saved for the last time: ......
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/opinion/31volcker.html?pagewanted=1

Volcker Speaks on the Volcker Rule

February 12, 2010, 5:55 am In a video interview with The Financial Times, Paul A. Volcker, former head of the Federal Reserve, explained his thinking behind the package of reforms that includes the Volcker Rule, which would ban banks from engaging in proprietary trading.

“What is addressed in these proposals is what banks can do,” he told the newspaper, “and what non banks can do.” He noted that banks have deposit insurance and access to the Federal Reserve.
“Proprietary trading in all its forms was an important part of the crisis,” Mr. Volcker said. The term refers to trading in securities, options and bonds that a bank does on its own account, with its own funds and for its own profit, as opposed to risks it takes for clients.
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/volcker-speaks-on-the-volcker-rule/

"...Love him or hate him, or anything in between, recognition of the overall effect of the broad points of Obama's emergency economic policies --- quickly passed at an historic moment of looming disaster --- is due. At least along with any honest appraisal of those policies."
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7679

and well, the Barack Obama Admin and Dems in Congress did some other Hopey-Changey things as well.


One down, two more to come

.....because even with the wrench thrown in by Republican Scott Brown's election in Massachusetts, this Democratic Congress is on a path to become one of the most productive since the Great Society 89th Congress in 1965-66, and Obama already has the most legislative success of any modern president -- and that includes Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson. The deep dysfunction of our politics may have produced public disdain, but it has also delivered record accomplishment.

There were also massive investments in green technologies, clean water and a smart grid for electricity, while the $70 billion or more in energy and environmental programs was perhaps the most ambitious advancement in these areas in modern times. As a bonus, more than $7 billion was allotted to expand broadband and wireless Internet access, a step toward the goal of universal access.

Any Congress that passed all these items separately would be considered enormously productive. Instead, this Congress did it in one bill.

Lawmakers then added to their record by expanding children's health insurance and providing stiff oversight of the TARP funds allocated by the previous Congress.

Other accomplishments included a law to allow the FDA to regulate tobacco, the largest land conservation law in nearly two decades, a credit card holders' bill of rights and defense procurement reform.

The House, of course, did much more, including approving a historic cap-and-trade bill and sweeping financial regulatory changes. And both chambers passed their versions of a health-care overhaul. Financial regulation is working its way through the Senate, and even in this political environment it is on track for enactment in the first half of this year. It is likely that the package of job-creation programs the president showcased on Wednesday, most of which got through the House last year, will be signed into law early on as well.

Most of this has been accomplished without any support from Republicans in either the House or the Senate -- an especially striking fact, since many of the initiatives of the New Deal and the Great Society, including Social Security and Medicare, attracted significant backing from the minority Republicans.
snip
Democratic ideologies stretch from the left-wing views of Bernie Sanders in the Senate and Maxine Waters in the House to the conservative approach of Ben Nelson in the Senate and Bobby Bright in the House, with every variation in between. Finding 219 votes for climate-change legislation in the House was nothing short of astonishing; getting all 60 Senate Democrats to support any version of major health-care reform, an equal feat.
snip
specific new policies -- such as energy conservation and protection for public lands -- enjoy solid and broad public support. But many voters discount them simply because they were passed or proposed by unpopular lawmakers. In Massachusetts, people who enthusiastically support their state's health-care system were hostile to the very similar plan passed by Congress. Why? Because it was a product of Congress.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR2010012902516.html

Obama proposes federal climate change agency
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration proposed a new climate change agency yesterday to provide Americans with predictions on how global warming will affect everything from drought to sea levels.

The initiative, modeled loosely on the 140-year-old National Weather Service, would provide forecasts to farmers, regional water managers, and business operators affected by changing climate conditions. It is being proposed as skeptics have become increasingly effective in attacking the credibility of global warming forecasts.

The agency would be part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which monitors climate and conducts research. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration also directs similar operations.

“We currently respond to millions of annual requests for climate information, and we expect those requests to grow exponentially,’’ said Jane Lubchenco, NOAA administrator, adding that with recent scientific advances, “the models will continue to improve, and we will be able to provide more and more information.’’
(snip)
The agency launched a web portal yesterday at www.climate.gov to provide a single entry point for access to climate information, products, and services.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/02/09/obama_proposes_federal_climate_change_agency/

Obama ends Bush-era farm policy
The Obama administration on Thursday gave more job protections to temporary farm workers from both the United States and other countries, ending a Bush-era rule that critics said paid foreigners too cheaply to allow Americans to compete.
"This new rule will make it possible for all workers who are working hard on American soil to receive fair pay while at the same time expand opportunities for U.S. workers," Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said in a news release.
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0210/labor_aims_for_fair_pay_4e8e13d8-0e35-46a3-920c-5d87cbaa8712.html

here is one extremely consequential area where Obama has done just about everything a liberal could ask for -- but done it so quietly that almost no one, including most liberals, has noticed. Obama's three Republican predecessors were all committed to weakening or even destroying the country's regulatory apparatus: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the other agencies that are supposed to protect workers and consumers by regulating business practices.

Now Obama is seeking to rebuild these battered institutions. In doing so, he isn't simply improving the effectiveness of various government offices or making scattered progress on a few issues; he is resuscitating an entire philosophy of government with roots in the Progressive era of the early twentieth century. Taken as a whole, Obama's revival of these agencies is arguably the most significant accomplishment of his first year in office. <...>
<more>
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com /

Presented two Budgets that, considering the state of our economy are more Progressive than any budget in 2 decades!

Specifically addressing FDR’s mistake in reducing spending in 1937, Orszag indicated the Administration will not make drastic cuts that will threaten the fragile recovery. The path to deficit reduction is based on reversing the fiscal policies of the last 8 years including allowing the Bush tax cuts for those earning over $250,000 to expire, ending the fossil fuel subsidies, ending the Iraq & Afghanistan wars, implementing the Fiscal Commision, and instituting the 3 year freeze. In addition, Orszag said strict adherence to PayGo will prevent irresponsible spending as it did in the 90s. This is also the thinking behind the freeze in that departments will have the ability to raise spending provided they find reductions to pay for it. These tactics are expected to reduce the deficit to 3.9% of GDP by 2015, just above the accepted target of 3% of GDP. Even so, in order to set the country on solid ground for the long term, Orszag acknowledged the need to reform health care in order to reduce the costs of Medicaid and Medicare. Health care has the potential of consuming over 10% of GDP by 2050, which is not sustainable.
http://obama-mamas.com/blog/?p=1162

Tell the truth, and we'll kick GOP ass in 2010. Repeat their lies, and well you know that it says more about you than it does about anything else.......yep, IMFO!

The Inconvenient Truth: A Record of Accomplishment the AP Neglected

Some of you may have seen the analysis piece run by the AP today assessing the President's first year in office. Unfortunately, the AP seems to have adopted the GOP's talking points rather than looking at the facts. Most notably, the analysis utterly ignores both the breadth and depth of the President's accomplishments. Despite inheriting an economy that was in the deepest recession in generations and a foreign policy that left our standing in the world in tatters and the nation less secure, the President has had one of the most successful first years in recent history. As a result of his leadership, and largely without Republican support we have:

-Passed and implemented a Recovery Act that as multiple reports have verified not only saved the economy from the brink but also funded up to 2 million American jobs.

-Provided tax cuts for 95 percent of working families.

-Rebuilt an economy that is growing for the first time in over a year.

-Cut job losses from almost 800,000 a month to 20,000 a month.

-Made the largest investment in green technology in history.

-Made the largest investment in education in history.

-Lifted the ban on stem cell research and restored science to its rightful place.

-Raised fuel standards after years of stagnation and objection.

-Ended predatory credit card practices.

-Made equal pay for equal work more than a platitude with the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

-Expanded health coverage to 4 million more low income American children with the expansion of SCHIP.

-Expanded benefits for loving couples that work at the State Department.

-Lifted the discriminatory, inhumane and unwise ban on immigration of those with HIV/AIDS.

-Started a process to end the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy to allow patriotic Americans to serve and be true to themselves while we fight two wars.

-Begun to responsibly wind down the war in Iraq.

-Implemented a new way forward in Afghanistan in the face of withering criticism from the right and the left.

-Enhanced American security by repairing our alliances and by restoring the rule of law and our standing in the world.

-Successfully managed the outbreak of the H1N1 epidemic.

-Prohibited lobbyists from serving on important boards and commissions.

-Banned federal lobbyists and political action committees from contributing to the DNC.

-Enhanced transparency by making all visitors who enter the White House and the names of those with whom they met publicly available.

And there is more change on the horizon because of the President's efforts this year:

-We've helped pass bills in Congress that will make college loans more affordable and create a cap and trade system that will make this generation a steward of the environment for generations to come.

-For the first time in over 100 years of trying, both Houses of Congress have passed comprehensive health reform bills.

Yes, there are things that still need to be done and change left to be made. But there has been great progress this year. But while we know that the press is likely to tell a particular story that fits a preferred narrative, the facts in this case tell a very different story.
http://www.democrats.org/a/2010/02/the_inconvenien.php

Report Card on Civil Liberties

Obama pledged to reject the Bush administration's fast-and-loose adherence to constitutional rights. How is he doing?

During his inauguration speech, President Barack Obama declared, "As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals." These were words many Americans who voted for Obama longed to hear -- an acknowledgement that American security could not be purchased by shredding the liberties guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.

Interrogation
On Jan. 22, 2009, two days after having taken office, Obama issued an executive order instructing all agents of the U.S. government to follow interrogation procedures outlined in the Army Field Manual, which bans the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques." The executive order states plainly that individuals in U.S. custody shall "in all circumstances be treated humanely and shall not be subjected to violence to life and person (including murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment, and torture), nor to outrages upon personal dignity (including humiliating and degrading treatment)."

This is a marked change from the Bush administration's guidelines, which held that the "executive branch's constitutional authority to protect the nation from attack" trumped all legal and treaty obligations governing how detainees should be treated. The Bush administration's definition of torture "was so narrow as to allow almost anything," according to Ken Gude, an expert on human rights and international law at the Center for American Progress.

"This is the one area where I think we've seen the most change. There will be no gray areas; we've got a pretty clear standard," Gude says. By instructing adherence to the Field Manual, the administration has signaled "there will be no attempt to redefine language to allow things that people would generally consider torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment."

Verdict: Change we can believe in.

Rendition
The same executive order that banned "enhanced interrogation" techniques also ordered the CIA to close the infamous "black sites" where detainees were interrogated and held without trial. It also prohibited the transfer of individuals to other countries to face torture, or transfers with the "purpose or effect" of undermining the United States' obligation to "ensure the humane treatment of individuals in its custody or control."

On April 9, CIA Director Leon Panetta issued a memo to Congress confirming that the black sites had in fact been closed but that the CIA retains the authority to detain individuals solely "on a short-term transitory basis." Gude explains that there is a difference between "extraordinary rendition," the process by which detainees were rendered to CIA "black sites" or to other third countries where they would likely be tortured, and "rendition," which is the transfer of detainees outside the normal extradition process. The purpose of extraordinary rendition, Gude says, is to keep suspects outside of the justice system, while the purpose of rendition is to transfer them into a country where they can be tried for their alleged crimes.

"The Obama administration has ceased the process of extraordinary rendition, but rendition exists as an option," Gude says, adding that it is not necessarily a bad thing. "There are times when it's not feasible for governments to follow the traditional extradition process, simply because cooperation between the United States and another government is not always possible."

On the other hand, the American Civil Liberties Union's Jonathan Hafetz who has acted as counsel in several cases involving terrorism detainees, cautions that even the CIA's limited detention authority may still lead to problems. "The suggestion that the CIA has authority to conduct extrajudicial handovers to foreign governments is ambiguous and troubling, as is the statement that the CIA can still conduct 'transitory' detentions."


Verdict: Change for the better, but questions remain.

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=report_card_on_civil_liberties


And the fact that this government has been more transparent than any others,
Obama administration wins high marks for ‘transparency’
According to the report authored by Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters and U.S. PIRG, "The cumulative effect of the administration's actions has been to adopt the strongest and most comprehensive lobbying, ethics and transparency rules and policies ever established by an administration to govern its own activities."
http://www.peoplesworld.org/obama-administration-wins-high-marks-for-transparency/


and has reformed procurement policies via the defense Department,

Obama backs defense procurement overhaul
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/04/obama_backs_def.html

Military procurement reform sweeps through Senate
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/07/military.procurement/index.html

Obama signs weapons procurement reform
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/22/Obama-signs-weapons-procurement-reform/UPI-75731243011243/


while raising the salaries of our Armed Forces,

Congress approves 3.4 percent pay raise for military
http://blog.al.com/live/2009/10/congress_approves_34_percent_p.html

and passing a GI bill of Rights:
New GI Bill sending veterans to school this fall
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-07-31-gi-bill_N.htm?obref=obinsite


while giving 95% of Americans a tax cut, the biggest tax cut for middle class Americans
ever passed......
BIGGEST. TAX CUT. EVER.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_02/016948.php

Leaving Iraq

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2010/01/05/Leaving-Iraq-Logistics-move-staggering/UPI-25521262732688/

Afghanistan, shift in priorities

"For the first time the focus is less on killing Taliban and more on sparing Afghan civilians" NYT story about the new Afghanistan strategy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/world/asia/13kabul.html?WT.mc_id=fb_nyt1331&WT.mc_ev=click



"DADT....
"This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are," Obama said. "It's the right thing to do." When the president made the remark, cameras showed Defense Secretary Robert Gates standing and applauding, along with many Democratic lawmakers.

Marc Ambinder reports today that the president's directive wasn't just rhetoric -- the administration is already moving forward with a plan to implement the new policy.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/

The Senate Armed Services Committee, for the first time in 17 years, convened a hearing today on whether the U.S. military should allow Americans to wear a uniform, regardless of their sexual orientation. It went pretty well, though there are some lingering concerns about implementing a change in policy.

The nation's top two Defense officials called on Tuesday for an end to the 16-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" law, a major step toward allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the United States military for the first time in its history.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/

Gay military rights advocate Lt. Dan Choi Back on Active Duty

"Gay military rights advocate Lt. Dan Choi has been reportedly called back into active duty. Photographer Jeff Sheng, who recently turned his lens on active gay and lesbian service members, confirmed the news in a blog posting on Bilerico.com.



Choi was to appear at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Creating Change conference but could not attend due to his being called to serve."
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/02/09/Dan_Choi_Back_in_Active_Duty/

Lt. Choi: Other Openly Gay Soldiers Are Being Called Back To Service During Time Of War
Lt. Dan Choi — the DADT advocate who was discharged from the military after he came out as gay on The Rachel Maddow Show — appeared on CNN’s The Situation Room yesterday to discuss his recent call back to training with the National Guard. “Essentially, my commander says, we’re going to war and we need all of the capable soldiers that we could get to train with us,” Choi explained.

Choi said he knew other gay soldiers who were in the process of being discharged but “had been told by their commanders” to come back for the time being. “I know of some of them that are out there. And there’s a lot of people that are in their units that I — I think they realize, look, we’re in a time of war, we’ve got to have everybody that we can.”
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=178920&mesg_id=178920

---------------



If the midterm elections in November turn out to be more like 1994, when Democrats got hammered, than 1982, when Republicans suffered a less costly blow, the GOP will probably be emboldened to double down on its opposition to everything, trying to bring the Obama presidency to its knees on the way to 2012. That would mean real gridlock in the face of a serious crisis. Given the precarious coalitions in our otherwise dysfunctional politics, we could go quickly from one of the most productive Congresses in our lifetimes to the most obstructionist.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR2010012902516.html

[DirkGently]

14. All well and good

but the administration's theoretical report card is kind of OT. The question posed here is whether progressives, in and out of the administration, have miscalculated in ceding the impetus on the *ongoing* need for change, and for popular, grass-roots pressure, to the other side. Now is not the time for progressives to fold up their agitators' tents and claim "Mission Accomplished."

[FrenchieCat]

16. Now is not the time for progressive one year in to join the opposition

and defeat the only reason we are making headway; a majority that allows the leader of both houses to define the agenda. If Republicans get the edge, i.e., the majority in either house, it will be their agenda that we will be brought to the floor. period. So whatever we do, if we don't take in consideration for regional variables, we will be swimming up creek without a paddle...and we will be able to blame whomever however much we want, but it won't change a thing; nothing will get done for the next three years that we want. period. That's how it works, cause that's politics. It ain't fair, ever.

[ihavenobias]

17. This was a prior response I had when someone posted a list of Obama admin accomplishments

Note: I realize your list is different, but my response is still mostly relevant.

(well, most of it, some of it is actually questionable if not downright terrible IMO) is why I'll never 100% accept the argument that there is NO difference between the two parties. While it's true that the difference could and should be MUCH larger, it's also true that there is still some difference.

But here's my major problem - This list does not represent significant positive/progressive change on addressing the fundamental causes of the financial crisis (see no-strings attached bailouts, no significant new regulations, no serious shift in trade policy, no increased taxes on the wealthy, reconfirming Bernanke, etc.), the violations of the 4th amendment or major healthcare reform that could even hope to significantly reduce costs without bloated subsidies, subsidies that only temporarily and weakly cover the fundamental flaw(s) with the for-profit health insurance (and for that matter, pharma) system.

PS---Yes, Obama is much better than Bush in most ways, and better than McCain would be in most ways. In significant ways on minor issues (and on rhetoric, often but not always), and in minor ways on most significant issues. So no one should confuse incredible disappointment as an endorsement of the Republicans or their failed ideology in any way. Oh, and obviously having Sotomayor (who went the right way on the recent corporate personhood issue) on the court is huge.

[FrenchieCat]

18. Here is my original response to you.....

meaning I wrote it just now.....

I'm just saying that if the Republicans win majority in either houses,
than they get to set the agenda, decide the legislation that get onto the floor,
chair the various committees and decide what will be dealt with within
those committees.

Those are not me opining as to what "could" happen if they gain the majority,
these are the facts.

If after a year, you are not happy at all,
and I presume you see little good,
than this is what I say....
(written earlier)

You set your expectations where they should not have been.....
and so what does that make you?

What you may not have noticed is that......

The President campaigned on working in a bipartisan manner and restoring civility and
honest debate to this country, and yet many of us "expect" this President to act
unilaterally partisan, to ram legislation past Republicans, all the while trash
talking them and kicking their asses.

The President ran as a non-ideologue moderate Democrat with progressive tendencies,
yet many "expected" a Tall Tan Kucinich, who would end all wars, nationalizes the Banks,
padlock insurance companies, cut our defense budget while establishing a Department of Peace.
Of course, Kucinich lost the primaries, let alone the general election.

The President was elected after he voted for the Wall Street bail-outs,
that was done due to the de-regulation brought to Wall Street in the last 30 years,
and although he cleaned up the entire Bail-out process once he got into office,
provided less funding to banks than what was originally legislated,
has gotten most of the money back that was given to the banks,
has proposed fees for the money that hasn't been returned as of yet,
and has proposed Wall Street re-regulation reforms,
he is still called out as a corporatist fighting on the side of the Banksters,
and yet with some the focus becomes "bonuses",
an issue that the Teabaggers felt was more important than the fact that
the last Republican administration is who gifted us with the economic meltdown.

The President campaigned on ending the War in Iraq, and yet no progress achieved in Iraq
is lauded as an accomplishment...instead, all energies are focused on the fact that
we are still in Afghanistan.

The President ran on a platform that included refocusing our efforts and escalating the war in Afghanistan,
and yet many of us "expected" this President to de-escalate the war in Afghanistan and
start bringing our troops home.

The President did NOT run on bringing forth a proposal of Single Payer healthCare,
and yet many of us "expected" this President to bring forth a proposal of Single Payer
healthcare from the get go, and started trashing the process as soon as Single Payer
health care was not set on the table.

The President was elected to some degree because of his eloquence and his potential power
at the bully pulpit, yet every time he speaks, we discount his words,
and say we don't want words, we demand "action".

The President asked that we give him help and support in order that he could get things done,
and instead, we "expect" him to do what needs to be done on his own...
and the only time he hears from us is when we loudly yell that we don't want whatever he is proposing,
and we don't like how he is doing just about everything.

The Corporate media is known for reporting twisted news,
writing negative headlines against Democrats,
being ran by corporate interests simply interested in deregulation
and lower corporate taxes, yet we buy everything that they say and print,
in particular if it is against this President and this administration,
plus we are willing to believe unnamed sources before
we believe this administration.

We say we hate the Republicans, and firmly believe that they fucked us hard,
and yet we do nothing to oppose them, as we in essence lend our voice to their choir,
and even seriously propose joining hands with the "teabaggers" in order to gain strength in
demanding and achieving What, I don't know.

The President offers us some of the most progressive budgets in decades,
and yet some of us work hard to find things in the proposed budgets
that we are against, and discuss that more than what is good in the budget.

The President reforms defense procurement, and increases pay for the military,
all which we ignore, and meanwhile complain that the defense budget is growing,
without looking at the details of it, ever.
Sure there were no overall cuts, and indeed that budget has grown,
but then again, this President never ran on cutting the defense budget in the mids of two wars.

The President proposed a nearly trillion dollar stimulus at the beginning of his administration,
yet most of us complained the entire time that it was too small,
while the opposition complained loudly that it was too big,
while no one gave the President credit that it was possibly as much as we could get,
and is the largest single all emcompassing piece of legislation that signified more
change than most Presidents have accomplished in their entire term(s) in office.

The President clearly states that he will not govern by polls, and yet, many of us
follow polls breathlessly, and don't seem to want to understand that there is a reason
that so much focus was placed on his initial sky high poll numbers
simply so that from that point on, any comparison of polls numbers would always make him
look like he was falling. If you didn't catch that, then I'm sorry.

As a Nation we lauded ourselves for electing the first African-American President; noting
with great pride the fact that many of the people of this great country did not allow
skin color to play a negative role in their vote choice, and yet, we have not, at any point,
allowed the first African-American President to govern, because we have been dictating
his every words, and his every moves starting at inauguration and hence since.

I believe and respect the need to hold the President's feet to the fire,
but as I have said many a times, we cannot burn his feet until he cannot walk.
That was true right after the inauguration, and that is still true today.

If we really want to understand what has happened, we should not simply look and point fingers
at this President, or even to some degree at this Congress (all who were duly elected by us),
but we should also look at ourselves and realize that we too are imperfect,
and that we have our own failings; failings that aren't helpful to this nation.....
and that in the end, although we may think we are helping this country move forward,
we may not be as effective as we should have "expected" ourselves to be in getting there.

Whether some of us are talking loudly about a one-term Presidency,
primarying the Prez 3 years from now after fighting him every step of the way in his first year,
claiming that we will be staying home in 2010 and possibly 2012 to teach everyone a lesson,
Publicly calling this Prez a wimp, a tool and a puppet; charging that he does not lead,
and saying that he equals Bush; these actions and words will far from advance this country,
and will not come close to bringing about the change that we "expected".
Instead, it will bring the exact opposite,
and if we don't understand that, than we must share, at the very least,
any blame we eagerly choose to dole out.

You may call this a rant, but for those of us who support not all, but much of what
this President has accomplished to date despite oppositions from every fucking single
side there is, we call it the truth.

[nashville_brook]

21. that's all great. but, he's going to need some dems in the house & senate...and it would

nice to get some dems in there who are ready to match what he's already been able to achieve, with the muscle to take it to the next level.

this isn't an intra-party fight. it's not going to look anything like primary season. there's no "us" vs "them" implied in Cenk's editorial. what Obama has achieved is amazing. what he has the potential to achieve with a real progressive congress, could actually set this country on a healing course.

so, lets not take this to a bad place. no one here is looking for that.

[ihavenobias]

22. I stand by what I wrote.

I'll just put it in the context that when "we" refer to Obama, we're often referring to the Administration and the Congress and the entire system they're in. Rightly or wrongly (depends on the issue) we refer to Obama as the lightning rod who absorbs both the praise and criticism. I'll close by pointing out that FDR didn't initially run as a progressive, rather he was PUSHED in the right direction which resulted in many fundamental changes, not just "tweaks" that require a microscope and an optimistic eye to highlight and explain. No pressure from the left means the president ONLY feels pressure from the right, which leads to bad politics and ultimately bad policy.

PS---I never expected single payer, but any *good* politician knows that your first offer on the table should always be much higher than what you think you can get. So, considering the fact that the right/MSM idiotically painted the public option as a "socialist, marxist, communist, big government takeover with death panels" (etc.), we may as well have started off with a single payer proposal so that when we reached out to the other side (who we all knew would smack our hands away) we could hope to END with a public option or Medicare buy-in, i.e. a 'centrist', moderate position. Instead we offered half a loaf and now we're arguing over crumbs.

[nashville_brook]

23. such a great, cogent response...Clinton, in his biography, actually complains about not

"getting enough political cover" to do the things he promised in his campaign. it was lack of pressure from the left, lack of "political cover" that left him unable to push a progressive agenda.

[DirkGently]

26. Nail, meet head.

"No pressure from the left means the president ONLY feels pressure from the right, which leads to bad politics and ultimately bad policy."

Well of course.

I don't get these responses listing Obama's accomplishments as a purported rebuttal to the type of important observation you've made here.

Even setting aside the rather difficult presumption that there's nothing Democrats could possibly need to do differently, it's a fact of political and social reality that leaders CAN'T pursue marked change without continued, widespread pressure from as broad a swath of the population as possible.

[nashville_brook]

34. given that leaders *can't* pursue change w/o pressure, then we're talking about issues. period.

this isn't about personalities, or ego camps. it's issues-based.

if someone is against healthcare reform, that's fine. declare it and stand tall on that issue.
If someone is against banking reform, that's fine. declare it and stand tall on that issue.

it makes it too easy for anyone who seriously wants to derail reform, to hide behind blanket 'us vs them' accusations.

[rhett o rick]

31. Yes, the President has slowed the bleeding but the patient may still die.

Without fixing what is fundamentally wrong, the accomplishments are most likely a bubble.

[nashville_brook]

19. amen nobias. this is not an either/or proposition. we need more/better congresscritters

and we better get our feet under us wrt to populist messaging, or else we're going to see some losses in Nov.

[DisgustedInMN]

29. With all of that "good news" propaganda..

... and the one "number" that's actually important to me and millions of other Americans just like me, isn't there and won't be in time to reclaim the lives we spent decades of hard work to build, that's the "number" we call to get a FUCKING JOB THAT PAYS A DECENT WAGE, SO WE CAN PAY OUR FUCKING BILLS AND KEEP OUR FUCKING HOMES. Let us know when you get around to giving a shit about us and not just bullshitting us into supporting your epic fail.

I'll refrain from telling you how I really feel.

[nashville_brook]

33. you are not alone

and you're expressing the outrage that's seething for so many americans right now, and coming out at Tea Parties...but mouldering amorphously on the left.

We're supposed to be better than "the echo chamber." Right? We're supposed to have our eyes wide open, keenly focused on the goal of real change. And, we know that change would look like -- it's not like we're just confused about our expectations. That Obama was able to confirm a moderate to the Supreme Court; that's expected. It's necessary, but not sufficient to amount to real change. Real change means taking on the banking industry, putting the country back to work, and reforming healthcare for the people-not just the insurance companies.

We're not mistaken, or forgetful when we say we haven't seen that real change yet.

[KonaKane]

15. Here's the scary part.

Yes, we've definitely hit a fork in the road. We are primed for a democratic revolution. The problem is, are you so sure that the majority want to go the Progressive way? As a progressive myself, I would sure as hell hope so. But I do not see promising signs. I see Americans more and more ruled by fear and stupidity instead of hope and yearning for a better society. I see Americans moved toward anger and greed, not tolerance and sharing with community.

I am really frightened that such a "revolution" could easily go in the opposite direction you want, and we end up with what we had from 2000-2007, on steroids. I am not at all convinced that the "zeitgeist" of this time is yet moving in our direction.

[nashville_brook]

20. yes indeed -- this is exactly my thought in posing this...

we really don't have the wind at our back on this. Between the Citizens United ruling and the TeaBagNation (with whole news networks behind them) we face a serious uphill battle to convince the country that there's any change to be had with us. seriously, the best way to win in Nov would have been to pass real, meaning healthcare reform without Billy Tauzin and Rahm Emanuel giving away the store behind our backs. There's been some serious dicking around that's not gone without notice. Unger apparently thinks this will translate into progressives getting out there and unseating some conservadems. i think it's a much more likely scenario that we bleed seats to the teabaggers.

Either way, we need to get out in front of this right now. Not wait till summer.

[Scruffy1]

25. Yes, I understand your fear

But the majority of Americans are progressive and/or apathetic. If we play defensive politics we will never find a way out of this mess. This is why the Republicans get away with it even in progressive areas they can run a dino and be in a win win situation. The campaign slogan turns into
"I'm a little less of a corporate whore than my opponent." In my view there is no real difference between a conservative democrat and a Republican. The are all corporatist scum. Besides which how can you fuck up a train wreck?

[anonymous171]

27. Anger and greed have driven every revolution ever.

The goal should be to direct those emotions towards constructive ends, like destroying Wall Street.

[rhett o rick]

30. Yes, but that's not a reason to stay home under the bed. nt

[Overseas]

28. K&R. Millions crossed over to vote for the party of FDR.

After the GOP had driven our country off economic and moral cliffs.

And what does our team do? Toss out great ideas like the public option to beg for GOP votes. Very demoralizing.

Pretending it is wonderful to be bipartisan with the party of Giant Blunders and War Crimes really deflates the hopes of the millions who voted for us.

Destructive Republican Privatization had gone way too far. Millions wanted good government again. They wanted corporate greed reined in. They wanted Medicare for All as the public option, with Congress' insurance exchange opened up to those who preferred to go private.

[nashville_brook]

32. yeah, and plenty crossed over to vote for Obama...

what we hear from his senior staff is that there's a "reality" of transactional politics that supposedly transcends campaign promises. But, the only "reason" this is so is because we've got crappy leadership in the Senate...I really think Pelosi is doing fine. It's Reid who is unable to perform Senatorial craftsmanship in a way that compels GOP members to crossover or else.

Being generous to Rahm et al, I believe their tune would change if Reid started acting like the fighter he advertises to be in his fundraising literature.

Being ungenerous, I've read way too much about how Rahm et al are just as interested in keeping score wrt getting corporate $$, and keeping that money out of GOP coffers. So, that's the billion dollar elephant in the room eating up all our change.

[upi402]

35. I like Cenk a lot, he's come around wonderfuly!

What a true patriot:patriot:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/mlasalle/detail?blogid=38&entry_id=19197

[nashville_brook]

36. i used to listen to him way back on AAR when it was good. i love his show.

and he's such a clear/cogent voice.

ack -- i just realized i spelled his name wrong.