Good morning all.

Saujani has positioned herself as the anti-Maloney, the only candidate who understands how stressful and difficult the past few years have been for some of the wealthiest people in America.

Link.

She was being interviewed on some show late yesterday, I forget which one. She seemed a little petulant. But then, my view might have been colored by Jane’s posting yesterday.
Or, maybe she just reminded me of the kind of girl in high school I “didn’t care for”.

Kabuki Democracy is WELL worth reading. It’s very long (28 pages) and I’m only partway through, and I am not sure I agree with all of it, but DO read it!!

My link is also to Jane’s post. Doesn’t seem to be too in touch with the regular voter, even in her silk stocking district. Think one can’t repeat that statement too often. Do you remember where she was being interviewed?

28 pages on stuff we already know? Give us an example of what we’ll learn that’s new as an incentive to read it, please.

Tweety ripped her up without trying at the end of his show. She was totally unprepared and only had a few talking points.

Mornin’, BT, pups

Already, some oil services companies have said they will not begin new drilling operations in the region until the legal matters were resolved, and some were moving rigs and workers overseas for projects.

Better than nothing. May cost some jobs but if the govt would fund the startup of an employee owned business manufacturing windmill blades or solar panels those jobs would do more for the country than drilling jobs.

I’ve always been astonished at the conservatives’ ability to say or do anything, anything at all and never take a hit in the polls, provided what they do doesn’t rock the ideological boat. i.e. Diapers and a female prostitute, okay, Trolling for sex in a mans’ room, no way. This is partly because the press will never excoriate them like they would a Liberal or a Democrat but it must be rooted in the lemming like behavior of their supporters. I know this is just part of the ancient struggle between progress and stagnation that humanity has had to endure throughout it’s history but then I imagine where we could be as a species and I despair.

Tweety inadvertently did some real interviewing! Good on him. Another wingnut candidate not ready for prime time. Color me surprised. NOT.

Have you read it? If not, how do you know “we already know” what’s in it?

In any case, I personally found it an informative summary of why progressives aren’t getting anywhere. So far … I am only about 8 or so pages into it.

She seemed a little petulant.

Based upon her profile, that’s about what I would expect. Just another dumbass trying to defend the indefensible.

Morning BT, Firepups.

Jobs that could be oh so easily replaced with a real alternative energy strategy and a mandate that the manufacturing required for it be done in the United States.

Only 12 pages if ya don’t use the print-ready version.

Shorter Alterman: It’s not Obama’s fault.

Every now and then Tweety does something good, almost by accident seemingly. That doesn’t make up for his wankery though, not by a long way.

Sorry, I missed your link. I’m pretty sure it was MSNBC, but I couldn’t find it on their website. Maybe I just need more coffee.

Thanks.

Solar panels would work more efficiently if they tracked the movement of the sun. With a GPS and clock attached, the panels could be rotated to be perpendicular to the sun from sunrise to sunset. Why is this not being done?

A six year-old border collie of mine was spooked by the weekend fireworks, ran off, and disappeared with out a trace. This writer is inconsolable.

Oh, I have heard rumors that O is not the problem. Mainly on dailykos.

From the Kabuki article:

Indeed, with regard to almost every single one of our problems, we need better, smarter organizing at every level and a willingness on the part of liberals and leftists to work with what remains of the center to begin the process of reforms that are a beginning, rather than an endpoint in the process of societal transformation. As American history consistently instructs us, this is pretty much the only way things change in our system. Over time, reforms like Social Security, Medicare and the Voting Rights Act can add up to a kind of revolution, one that succeeds without bloodshed or widespread destruction of order, property or necessary institutions.

What’s more, one hypothesis—one I’m tempted to share—for the Obama administration’s willingness to compromise so extensively on the promises that candidate Obama made during the 2008 campaign would be that as president, he is playing for time. Obama is taking the best deal on the table today, but hopes and expects that once he is re-elected in 2012—a pretty strong bet, I’d say—he will build on the foundations laid during his first term to bring on the fundamental “change” that is not possible in today’s environment. This would be consistent with FDR’s strategy during his second term and makes a kind of sense when one considers the nature of the opposition he faces today and the likelihood that it will discredit itself following a takeover of one or both houses in 2010. For that strategy to make sense, however, 2013 will have to provide a more pregnant sense of progressive possibility than 2009 did, and that will take a great deal of work by the rest of us.

To borrow from Hillel the Elder: “If not now, when? If not us, who?”

Yeah, it’s all our fault why Obama can’t pass the things he promised in 2008. It is all our fault that things are as bad as they are. I really like how he believes that 2012, Obama will be re-elected.

Ever notice how all generally accepted societal beliefs are all about “Oh, it’s just down the road.. Keep trying!” Or “If you work real hard, you can make it!” Or “Your reward is that in Heaven.”

So in short, basically keep being the sheep that you are and it will eventually work out. Give me a break.

Obama lost we even before he was sworn in and most certainly by the end of his first year. He’s a traitor to the progressive movement and I cringe every time he is labeled as a radical, liberal or socialist. He is none of those things. He is a corporate shill, plain and simple. A one term President who will be lobbying for all the corps he’s working the street for today.

He is not our President, nor working in our interest.

So sorry to hear about your dog. Hoping s/he finds the way home.

Here’s the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYkb0d-GacA

Contracts are the sacred basis on which our social Darwin capitalistic system is built.
Unless you’re a millionaire going Galt strategic default on your McMansion.

Thanks for the direction to Tweety having interviewed her. And, there I was surfing around the internet. Ha!
Good Morning and How Is Everyone Feeling Today.
BTW, my traditional marriage is actually Not feeling undermined this morning, despite that ruling. I never could understand that thinking, but after reading the closing arguments in the Prop 8 case, I realize that I was looking for some reason that was never there, beyond Because We Said So.

Very painful losing one of the family. Hoping you manage to track the little one down.

a willingness on the part of liberals and leftists to work with what remains of the center to begin the process of reforms that are a beginning, rather than an endpoint in the process of societal transformation

In aother words a willingness of Progressives to sit down, shut up open our wallets and enable the “centrists” to shove us just as far to the right as they please.

The reason why the left is being outorganized by the right is because all the financial resources of the monied classes and corps are behind organizing the right. Hard to compete with that. Not only political parties but think tanks, including wingnut training for federal judges, I learned from Yves Smith’s book.

There are a long series of comments on the Alterman piece at Digby’s Hullabaloo. The piece is a complete whitewash. It’s everyone’s fault except Barry’s. He’s going to give us what we want in his second term. Right.

Total BS, IMHO.

That’s a lot of added complexity and energy requirements.

Sorry to hear about your pupper.

Many thanks. I’m listening to democracynow on another window, so I’ll look at your link a bit later.

I haven’t gotten to the end of the article yet, as I said before, but I don’t disagree, Wirerat. I think Obama has squandered the promise he took into office, and I am disgusted and sickened, and won’t vote for him again. I only voted for him reluctantly because McCain/Palin was so much worse. I will stay home in 2012.

But there ARE a lot of other factors at work. Our democracy is broken, our government is broken, and I don’t see it being fixed in my lifetime (I am 67).

Yep, I’m certainly holding my breath waiting for O’s second term. NOT.

We tried that during Clinton’s reign and look where it got us. Fuck Obama and the neoliberals (aka “centrists”).

Typical claptrap. Tweety did his job, but it really isn’t too difficult to take apart positions that are this patently generic, simplistic and idiotic.

I actually got to the Alterman article from Greg Sargent’s Plum Line blog. And to reiterate, I didn’t say I believe or agree with it — I can hardly do that having not finished it. I wouldn’t call it a whitewash, so far, more like a synopsis of other factors working. As I said above, I won’t vote for Obama again. The article is just worth reading, IMHO.

On edit: I commented at Plum Line that I wouldn’t vote for Obama and that I might simply sit out 2012. I was called “apathetic” and another commenter said to think of the alternative: a Republican. I returned to the thread too late to reply, but I would have said, “And that’s different how, exactly?”

The answer about the solar panels tracking the sun is that it is being done of course, depending on the complexity of the system and the money the developer/user is willing to spend.

As for your dog, I fully understand that platitudes are meaningless but take heart in the fact that Border Collies are among the smartest breeds there are and some of the most resourceful. It’s much more likely that a Border Collie will find it’s way back than most other breeds. Meanwhile, keep an eye out at the shelters.

The Kanjorski Surprise – Now It Gets Interesting from Simon Johnson

Obama has squandered the promise he took into office,

Majorities in both chambers, a whole shitload of goodwill and political capital coming into office. He pretty much could have done whatever he wanted. And what did we get instead? The wreckage on every front speaks for itself.

The ruling is likely to prompt the Interior Department to quickly issue a revised moratorium order on drilling in water deeper than 500 feet to address concerns raised by the federal courts. A department official said earlier on Thursday that such an order would be issued “immediately” to address any deficiencies, but that could spark yet another legal battle and leave drillers on the sidelines again.

Uh, this is a glaring indication that bugger all at DOI has been done to address the Federal court’s legal concerns with administration policy. DOI seems to be dragging their asses, that is to say. Big time.

My point exactly! That’s always the “solution” to our problems. Liberals should just get realistic and pay to elect “centrists” and maybe someday, if we behave ourselves they might throw us a bone. And if those “centrists” lose, it’s never because they were behaving as conservatives, it’s always because of the traitorous liberals not supporting them enough or criticizing them too much.

From Digby wrt the Alterman article:

Update: BTW, I’m not fully endorsing the piece, just recommending it. More tomorrow.

DOI, DOJ, every god damned department in the federal government is chock full of burrowed in Bush ideologues and Obama has done nothing, zero about it.

I understand. (I meant a whitewash as far as Barry’s complicity is concerned.)

Surprising. By the way, I appreciated the link to Galbraith a few days back. Good stuff. I even sent it to a few acquaintances of the wingnut persuasion. Though the effort may be futile, I keep working on them. I’m very selective about what I forward, but I like to think it’s making a dent. I tend to emphasize the corporate state angle, using simple arithmetic to bolster my argument.

Kanjorski gives federal regulators the power and the responsibility to limit the activities or even break up big banks if they pose a “grave risk” to the financial system.

From your link. Yep. Something else I’ll hold my breath waiting to see happen.

if we behave ourselves they might throw us a bone.

We can haz bones?

Let it out, eCAHN. We don’t want you to keel over. heh…

It’s very telling. And as soon as the judge in the lower court denied the petition to restore the moratorium, he was the target of a smear to distract from what’s going on at DOI, et al., which is nothing at all. Katrina redux.

I thought adding NOT again would be unnecessary. *g*

Obama is merely the Kerensky of U.S. politics. The notion of “reforming” this government and economic system is as realistic as the notion that Czarist Russia could be reformed.

Off to swim in the great capitalist cesspool.

US KIA Irak: 4,412

US KIA Afghanistan: 1,162

Iraki and Afghan casualties: estimates vary to over 1.5M

US MBS 2010: 23,436 and counting

Monster

Be good to yourselves, and all other living things.

Namaste

You’ll asphyxiate and I’m looking forward to your PUAC so breathe! In…..Out….In…..Out…..

Far as I can see, it boils down to unite with moveon and put pressure on the biased, right-wing media for more balanced reporting. Oh, and the President is playing a waiting game and after his (almost for-sure according to Mr. Alterman) reelection in 2012 he will proceed to implement all the progressive changes he has so far eschewed.

OOPS, this should have been a reply to eCAHN@5.

ROFL

Gotta finish that off today. About 2/3 written. Just gotta find a couple more links and edit the text a couple more times.

The other thing the of interest in the BP operations article in BT’s list is the delays in effective deployment of skimmers. Again, a government agency is taking too long to get that going effectively.

That piece seems to me nothing but a rehash of the old “art of the possible/Obama is playing eleventy seven dimensional chess” tripe. I’ve just skimmed it so far but I’ll read it in depth later. Not as bad as the crap that comes from Lanny Davis’ keyboard but the same sort of theme.

Fuck MoveOn.

Talking on democracynow about how Wall St have taken up Poverty Inc. (payday loans, subprime, pawnshops, etc) Sandy Weil is King of it.

And the horse they MovedOn on….

Obama’s in Lost Wages doing fundraisers for Lightbrain Harry.

Harry’s lightness not withstanding, you wouldn’t prefer Angle, would you? More scary choices ahead. The lemonade link above is truly frightening to me.

I keep trying to talk to the wingnuts of my acquaintance but in all the years I worked mental health I’ve never encountered such stubborn cases of denial.

Heh. As I said, not ready for prime time.

No, but I’m glad I don’t live in NV and don’t have that choice starin’ me in the face. Bad enough with the wingnuts in FL.

after his (almost for-sure according to Mr. Alterman) reelection in 2012 he will proceed to implement all the progressive changes he has so far eschewed.

Oh, yes, I’m sure he will. /s

There is an interesting relationship, juxtaposition there. People in California move to NV for retirement. People from NY retire to Florida. Coincidence?

Right, starting on the 8th Tuesday in January 2012.

Yep. They say the two party system is supposed to foster excellence but instead they are in a race to the bottom.

Wasn’t it George Washington who was not enamored of the two party system?

More retirees are moving to NV and AZ than FL now. Condos are too expensive and it’s gettin’ hotter. I’ve always thought that some of the folks that retired down here never visited during the summer. I’ve heard more than a few comment that they didn’t realize it got so hot and humid during the summer. Duh. Yeah, dipshits, it’s hotter here in August than in January. Go figure.

Possibly. It seems like one of those compromises in which they compromised away the promise of freedom.

Heh. Like someone who rents an apartment over a night club, but never visited during the evening. People just don’t think. See a bigger picture. No wonder this country is in such big trouble. Tunnel Vision. Thinking in a little tiny box.

On BP I received a respnse from a state university professor stating, in reply to my question about atmospheric dispersal of Corexit toxins due to hurricane driven weather that:

NOAA has recently announced opportunities for research dealing
with the oil spill, so someone might in the near future submit a
proposal related to this topic.

Also postulating this person said that toxins would likely precipitate out prior to reaching the Great Lakes or any effect would be small, but no one he knew was on to this particular question.

Going back to read the comments.

Hey, Peggy Peg, I found Kelly’s pearls.

When I was in the Navy, part of my unit came to Austin Bergstrom to participate in an air meet. It was late July and early August and most of those big talking super guys were so stretched out by the heat that they couldn’t be out in it for more than a few minutes at a time. Out of all of them, I was the only one with any tolerance to it. People are clueless until they experience something for themselves.

LMAO and OMG! Prolly the last time she looked like a girly girl.

Wow, had no idea! My sister lives in Castro Valley, so I knew she was from there, but blonde???

People are clueless until they experience something for themselves.

Now, that is the Ding! Ding! Ding! of the week.

Hey, Peggy Peg, I found Kelly’s pearls.

HA. Did ya find Kelly’s boa, too? (He was wearing it on a thread yesterday.)

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/59014#comment-219094

Margaret and Molly
She makes a much cuter “teenage boy”, in my opinion. I thought that would crack you guys up. My job is done here, for now. See yaz later.

I’m sure I could find a link to the anaconda boa that Margaret had suggested for Belch, but I’m just not a fan of snakes.

You and mocha.

One of your tiggers?

No, one of visitors to Caturday.

http://www.bgladd.com/SharronMangle.jpg

That’s terrible–I’m so sorry. Don’t loose hope–keep looking. Dogs have a way of turning up after prolonged absences.

I read it.

It is pretty comprehensive and really lays out things in an orderly fashion.

It’s the kind of thing I wouldn’t recommend to my son, except as a skim, because he is exceptionally well informed about these issues. OTOH, if you are not “exceptionally well informed” on these issues, you’re going to learn a lot. Even if you are, there is an insider’s perspective that is informative in and of itself.

Lol, Austin-Bergrom AFB, brings back memories. Ah, I remember being there one weekend for a guard training thing where we all pretended to be sick. They took us up for a little hop all pretending to be suffering from one malady or another and the medics or nurses would tend to our imaginary wounds.

Man, that was almost 20 years ago.

Funniest part was the fact my friend rolled his Jeep on one of the turns on base, and we went off into a ditch. Lol. Never forget looking over at him as the his Jeep slowly tipped over.

Ahh, foolish days of youth when Bush I or Clinton was about to get sworn in.