ZED!

DIGG IT Pups when ya get here!

Eli I saw that video on the late show last night and thought it was great!
Nice choice!

Thanks, that was a big part of the topic choice…

MOST exactly, Eli!!!

we, as a nation, maybe didn’t know or didn’t remember, or didn’t recall…………..
but ONCE FACED WITH IT,
we, AS A NATION,

well,

you know,

JUST SAY/SAID NO!!!!!

we won’t be making THAT mistake again for
………..
well,

we hope,

a very very LOOOOONG TIME.

we hope.

is why, and i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, we NEED accountability AND

B E T T E R E D U C A T I O N!!!!!!!!
hugz,
s

Howard Fineman’s Hair – The Lament

SNL is just too stoopid for my taste. But luv TDS.

It is very enjoyable to watch The Rock Obama throw Tom Coburn out the window, though.

Since Obama is the voice of that Establishment and has filled his Administration with its members, I can only assume Howard Fineman has not been paying attention.

Now you see, I just couldn’t wait for the denoument, so I missed that. Will replay. Coburn deserves to be thrown out of the window, but only after a valid trial, as selise would remind. *g*

If it’s not tax cuts for the wealthy, it’s crap!

[I]n ways both large and small, what’s left of the American establishment is taking [Obama’s] measure and, with surprising swiftness, they are finding him lacking.

Yup, he’s been so lacking that he not only got through the biggest stimulus package in history, he’s just followed that up with a $410B budget that the Senate Republicans finally went along with tonight, and which is an 8% increase over the last Bush budget.

Obama Ali: Floats like a butterfly and stings like a mothereffer.

Yeah, but if he doesn’t follow it up with a “Booyah!” and some smack talk, he’s a wuss.

Heh!

Ah, but they haven’t all been conservative Republicans, so he’s a failure!

There seem to be 2 trains running thru FDL about Obama. I’m definitely in the camp that sez he’s not good enough, though, to be sure, that does not give him credit for his real accomplishments.

I think about what I told my son when he was about 15, that my best would have to be good enough because there wasn’t any more to be had. Well, as life would have it, my best was not good enough.

You may judge Obama against past accomplishments and find him exemplary, or you may judge him against the requirements of the problems at hand and be skeptical. Les juex sont fait.

Obama so far seems good but not great, and a bit clueless on the economics stuff.

But I don’t think the economy’s prognosis would be any better if he were an obnoxious “in-your-face” asshole.

what’s left of the American establishment is taking [Obama’s] measure and, with surprising swiftness, they are finding him lacking. I’ll hazard a guess that this diminishing establishment also pronounced McCain the instant winner of the three presidential debates. If Fineman thought about it a little bit, he would come up with the reason that the former American establishment matters little anymore in what they think.

Strangely, Newsweek is owned by the same organization as the Washington Post and Slate.
Would the last journalist working at any of these please put out the lights?

Whither the odd guest who mistakenly takes up for Obama’s policy prescriptions. No one, absolutely no one who had their head above ground at any time during the campaign, could regard Obama as anything but not-Liberal, and anything but not-interested-in-bringing-the-last-crew-before-the-bar. He is definitely not my guy, but he is the clay we have. Better than any cast-iron skillet head offered up by the other guys.

Although I agree with PW that he and the congressional Democrats have passed an amazing amount of stuff, maybe more than I would have imagined possible. Although the near-superminority status the Republicans have inflicted on themselves has certainly helped.

Doesn’t mean it’s enough, though – it’s tough to be FDR.

interesting. what is the other camp/train?

That too. I really would have liked to see more commitment to the rule of law, rather than the rule of “Bygones!”

word. *g* (sorry, I was channeling michael Steele and trying to be hip-hoppity)

This Dork has seen Obama’s poll numbers right?

well maybe not an ass hole but how about someone who would challenge the power of the bankers?

BILL MOYERS: What are you signaling with that headline, “Geithner vs. the American Oligarchs“?

SIMON JOHNSON: I think I’m signaling something a little bit shocking to Americans, and to myself, actually. Which is the situation we find ourselves in at this moment, this week, is very strongly reminiscent of the situations we’ve seen many times in other places.

But they’re places we don’t like to think of ourselves as being similar to. They’re emerging markets. It’s Russia or Indonesia or a Thailand type situation, or Korea. That’s not comfortable. America is different. America is special. America is rich. And, yet, we’ve somehow find ourselves in the grip of the same sort of crisis and the same sort of oligarchs.

BILL MOYERS: Oligarchy is an un-American term, as you know. It means a government by a small number of people. We don’t like to think of ourselves that way.

SIMON JOHNSON: It’s a way of governing. As you said. It comes from, you know, a system they tried out in Greece and Athens from time to time. And it was actually an antithesis to democracy in that context.

But, exactly what you said, it’s a small group with a lot of power. A lot of wealth. They don’t necessarily – they’re not necessarily always the names, the household names that spring to mind, in this kind of context. But they are the people who could pull the strings. Who have the influence. Who call the shots.

BILL MOYERS: Are you saying that the banking industry trumps the president, the Congress and the American government when it comes to this issue so crucial to the survival of American democracy?

SIMON JOHNSON: I don’t know. I hope they don’t trump it. But the signs that I see this week, the body language, the words, the op-eds, the testimony, the way they’re treated by certain Congressional committees, it makes me feel very worried.

I have this feeling in my stomach that I felt in other countries, much poorer countries, countries that were headed into really difficult economic situation. When there’s a small group of people who got you into a disaster, and who were still powerful. Disaster even made them more powerful. And you know you need to come in and break that power. And you can’t. You’re stuck.

*sigh*
Anyhoo, how is everyone this evening? I hope all is well in your part of the world.

Yep. His reach across the aisle attitude, his dismissal of the political crimes of RGJOE, his endless willingness to bring Goopers along (if I had Harry Reid at the helm, I don’t think I could tell Republican Senators that I want x with a straight face) – ugh.

Yes, he acknowledges that the public loves him, but The Establishment doesn’t, and that’s what’s important.

I guess I wasn’t clear enuf. One train sez Obama is great because he’s passed so much leg so soon, and reversed so many W policies. The other train sez what he has done is not enough (by a large margin) relative to what’s required.

I look at it as an achievement that is both impressive and inadequate. How’s that?

Or maybe my brain was a little too tired to figure out what you wrote in the first place *g* i think there is a third train or even a fourth.

That’s a clear way of expressing it. Takes the wind out of the false arguement, which is a good thing.

Hey Obama is great but I complain that he can be better sometimes I feel like the little league Dad pushing his kid too much, but we need do need better.
Other times I feel like the Bad Cop to Obama’s good Cop and the GOP is the perp if Obama uses the threat of the Left to get the GOP to go along with us…well I’m cool with Dat:)

that may be the third train?

Probably so, but I haven’t gotten beyond 2 so far, let alone to the caboose. *g*

Um, Obama is playing in the major leagues. No excuses. Only results count.

No one is perfect. There are things that need to be done and things that I hope will be done. I remain optimistic and work to change those things that are not being done or that I would like to see be done.

Don’t we all, even as progressives, have our own idea as to what ‘results’ count?

Yes, he acknowledges that the public loves him, but The Establishment doesn’t, and that’s what’s important.

[I]n ways both large and small, what’s left of the American establishment is taking [Obama’s] measure and, with surprising swiftness, they are finding him lackin

My Bold whats left of America’s establishment is the key phrase the 20%ers are the Washington talking heads and the Media plus the Klan.
I’m surprised Howard Fineman would lump himself in with the 20%ers but at least he is honest on that score.

Oh, and wrt Obama’s short suits, it’s not as though there aren’t a large number of people around who don’t have a better grasp of reality. Kinda like all those folks who knew there were no WMDs in Iraq and that would be a hellhole for the U.S. (not to mention the Iraqis).

Some things are knowable in advance.

Well, one metric is whether the economy pulls out of its nosedive or not.

I’m hoping that the econ wonks like eCAHN and Ian and Stirling are wrong, but I sure as hell wouldn’t bet on it.

Lets see what the second Stimulus package looks like I’m sure its coming its not even 100 days yet I think:)

Just like a quagmire in Iraq is not a result that counts, depression in the U.S. economy is not either.

Josh at TPM has a phrase to describe the hold that the old guard still has in DC, though I’ve forgotten what it is. But the point being that them as inside the DC bubble have a very warped view of the real world, and that is after the “reality creation” bubble burst.

Christy is upstairs in her house with this:
Former Aide To Sen. Cochran Pleads Guilty In Abramoff-Related Charge

It all hinges on that. The only reason why I’m not in Hugh’s camp that sez depression is already baked in the cake.

Too bad your not a part of the WH. Seems like you could offer folks some knowledge.

I don’t dare to think that it will get miraculously better but I just have to wait and see as I’m ordinary folk and like to give a person a chance. I’m a pollyanna

Yeah, look at how the talking heads are scared enough of him to say “Woah!, slow down! We can’t keep up.” They only reason they want him to only focus on the economy is they can’t win if Americans think that Obama is following through on his promises and those folks don’t want Obama to follow through on his promises.

That said, he isn’t perfect, but a lot better than any Republicans would be.

Give yourself a break, wobbly.
Having plowed the path he has so far has given The President, among other things, unprecedented popularity. With that, he will lash Republicans and intransigent Dems to within an inch of their electoral lives in their home districts. Jeebus, Lindsay Graham is talking openly about nationalizing banks. Some of this is working.

The long way has its advantages, too.

I agree, long way has its advantages. What is the sayimg…drop by drop? But things like Human trafficking and slavery are things that are invisible to much of the world and I wouldlike the U.S. to be more vocal about it.

Yep. As much as we know now, we will never likely find out how much of the institutions of government are left after the last 8 years. Just what is the current composition of State, DOJ, EPA, etc. And the courts are just plain screwed.

He is/We are rebuilding the government from bare bricks.

That we will probably never know the extent of crap done by the last administration really bugs me. Rebuilding, I don’t mind. I just want it to be inclusive building

And I should have added that some of the bricks we are using aren’t all that keen.

It’s not enough for me just to know what they did, I want them to be held *accountable* for what they did.

Otherwise it’s like watching one of those crime shows where they know the bad guy’s guilty, and he knows they know, and that he’s untouchable. There’s that smirk that the TV bad guys always have, which I picture as Rove’s permanent expression.

I as well. It does no good to dig up the wrong doing only to sweep it under the rug.

Actually, let me correct myself: It *is* his permanent expression. Every time I see him, he’s wearing it.

It’d be like a laundry list of All The Things That Republicans Are Now Allowed To Do.

The corruption was so endemic on both sides and BO has to figure out who the good guys really are while trying to steer the Ship away from the Rocks.

not enough paper in the world to contain that list

Absofuckinglutley “HELD” and I do mean held behind bars for life as they are all War Criminals! But I really don’t see that happening unless Congress takes action. And not these so called Truth commissions. That would be pure BS and do nothing to repair the damaged to our standings in the world!

In pure practical terms, I agree with this. But the egregiousness of, for instance, Greg Craig cutting a deal for Rove’s testimony – inexcusable and exhausting to contemplate.

OT Sharks win in OT!!

hey dude

I thought I read (have to go look) where the UN is looking into the countries involved in rendition. They even said that the U.S. is not excused just because of a change in administration.

I think you are correct! But still WE/US should bring Justice to those who violated both international and US laws against not just Torture but a litany of crimes!

agreed

Hopeless optimist that I am, I agree with Conyers that this is important if only to validate that Congress can force testimony out of these *ssholes.

If the U.N. is to regain relevance, they’d better take up the cudgel and hold nations accountable.

Hey Newt you try that orange yet??

yep. sounds like that is what they are going to try to do.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t like shit.

:)

While we definitely live in a day of diminished expectations, it’s nice that we can have some standards.

Either Conyers is tired and just blustering about accountability, or he is constrained by Nancy and others as to what he can and cannot look into. It has been that way for years. Recall that district judges have chided him directly, and told Congress to arrest Miers and Bolten if they won’t comply. Conyers did not act. I don’t know what cards he has, and which he is willing to play.

I know … we’ve all been frustrated by Dem Congresscritters, promising to take action and then doing nothing.

Oh and on behalf of all Al Franken Fans in Canada, I would like to tell Norm Coleman to FUCK OFF !!!

No. I have this great pear that just ripened today. Then the orange.

As I said, I do not know if Conyers has the sack. But I do know that Nancy does not. And Hoyer is Hoyer.

You wouldn’t want to see Boner sob any more, wouldya ? /s

ENJOY!

O/T but if y’all see Tula tomorrow, please ask her what she thought of Rachel’s piece on EFCA tonight.

It seemed to me like the best reason why EFCA is badly needed.

Scarecrow Diary promoted!
Liz Warren: If AIG, Giant Banks Are Too Big to Fail, Why Aren’t We Breaking Them Up?