Regressives are as awesome as the dude who tried to launch a bottle rocket out of his ass.

Let me be the first to say I could have told them so.

Reflexive voters suck ass.

You get what you paid for.

Two bad choices vs. no choice. Damn, we really are fucked.

I’m not defending the people who voted Repug, far from it,
but here’s my question: how do we punish the Dems for selling out?
How do we get leverage?

It don’t matter.

This is all just more evidence that 2010 was about punishing Democrats for selling out, not rewarding Republicans for being awesome.

But but but, the Rs are awesome. They’ve taken over both political parties and got themselves elected despite absolutely awful policies that only 1/3 agree with, and are continuing unabated regardless of what voters want.

If that ain’t awesome, I don’t know what is.

popeye! Spot on. Citizens United ensures that just enough voters will be bullied into voting how they are told to vote until such a time as it is legislatively repealed.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

This is all just more evidence that 2010 was about punishing Democrats for selling out, not rewarding Republicans for being awesome.

So often I tried to point out that in our fucked up system, punishing one party inevitably means rewarding the other. Those who weren’t rude to me tried to patiently explain how they were going to “send a message to the Democrats”. So how’d that work out for ya? Let’s see, van Hollen’s out at the DCCC and Blue Dog Steve Israel is in. It’s been one long, steady cave in since they “got sent the message”. I’d say message fail.

It’s not a question of “What’s Wrong with Kansans” it’s “What’s Wrong with the United States.” A collection of willfully ignorant puppets.

I told a Democratic friend today that if there isn’t a third party candidate I can really get behind, I was going to write my own name in. She took me to task for “wasting my vote” and then got an earful. I doubt we’ll be talking presidential politics anytime soon.

This is all just more evidence that 2010 was about punishing Democrats for selling out, not rewarding Republicans for being awesome

The D’s will see anger for a government shutdown as proof that they need to move to the right. (It’s gettin’ kinda crowded over on the right. Wonder if they can smell Boehner’s insta-tan lotion yet?)

“Peg” for Preznident!

Ding!

I feel for the voters. The Democrats utterly failed to do what they were hired to do, so the voters–like good voters–threw the rascals out. It’s not the voters’ fault they had nowhere to turn but the Republicans, who were smart enough to lie about what they would do when they got elected. Unsettling parallels to Obama here.

The D’s seem to see *everything* as proof that they need to move to the right.
on edit: reply to yellowsnapdragon@13

You dismantle the economic system that buys them off and put it under democratic control.

It’s not a question of “What’s Wrong with Kansans” it’s “What’s Wrong with the United States.” A collection of willfully ignorant puppets.

One could say we have a Southern Problem.

Ding.

Back to work.

Namaste

You feel for the voters? Please. They either sat on their hands and didn’t vote, or decided to vote for scum because they “wanted to send a message”.

Yup, we’re boned.

Oh, and I forgot to type my reflexive comment: Who coulda anticipated.

Any moment now…

Per the newz Dems will give us an update.

Guess that means we will soon be having vagina vouchers.

The sun is hot: we must move to the right…

I’ve got my barf bag at hand when the kabuki is finally settled in D.C. when the Great Compromiser and his spineless Democractic quislings cave in to Republican demands and he comes out to declare a “glorious bipartisan victory.”

Kinda more like an excuse to move to the right, isn’t it? Could it be that’s where their corporate overlords want them to go?

The 43% number is none the less troubling.

And to be clear what I’m saying is that “sending Democrats a message” is a stupid reason for voting for Republicans or staying home because Democrats are not going to get the message. They are going to get the opposite message in fact. You can count on that. I also understand not wanting to vote for any Vichycrats, I’m never going to again myself but it’s just a fact that “punishing” one party always means “rewarding” the other so that’s pretty pointless too. Don’t vote against or with hold your vote to “punish” one party but to choose somebody you can believe in. If there is nobody then write one in. The distinction may seem trivial but it isn’t meaningless.

Rain is wet. We’ve got to move to the right.

This could go on for a long time. *g*

The standard refrain, “no one could have anticipated!”

Here comes the cave in. I feel like Wile E Coyote with a tiny umbrella under several tons of falling rock…

Yep. Reid is talking now. I’ll really be surprised if he just says Hell No to them.

Reid’s up on shutdown. The economic problem is that a shutdown for a month would reduce GDP by 1%, USG wouldn’t be able to pay debts. A wery widdle concern for the actual lives of real people, only those who can’t by a car, take a vacation.

Last election I wrote in Public Option rather than vote for Lynn Woolsey. It may mean nothing at all, but Woolsey *did* step down from her post as co-chair for the CPC and will probably retire at the end of her congressional term.

It wasn’t the voters’ fault. They didn’t have anyone to vote FOR so the voted AGAINST. I blame people for voting for the least objectionable candidate. They should have stayed home. This is a perfect example of why the constant mantra that you MUST vote or you are irresponsible is actually contrary to reality.

cnbc cut of female member of congress who followed Reid in favor of interview with Rand Paul, who blames it all on Ds who did nothing earlier.

It’s not clear to me what other immediate course people think voters had in 2010, if they didn’t want to reinforce Democratic behaviour that had been occurring from 2008-2010. I think we all knew Republicans sucked ass, but no one wanted RomneyCare, a tepid stimulus larded with Republican tax cuts that basically only functioned to discredit the idea of stimulus because it wasn’t sizable or structured correctly, and to make banks Bigger To Fail.

I mean, the Democrats didn’t exactly have a clear plan before the 2006 midterms that they followed through on in 2006 when they won Congress either. Five years later, the US is still in Iraq – the distinction is that the people shooting and getting shot are called “non-combat troops.”

You can’t keep voting for people on the sole basis that the other guys are worse, and expect the people you vote for to be incentivized to change their behaviour. They won’t. That’s just basic human nature.

You can’t be sure they can ever be moved to change their behaviour if you don’t hold your nose and vote for them no matter what, but you can be sure they will never change their behaviour if you support them no matter what because the other guys are more repulsive.

So what’s the D update, then? No sound on my ‘puter just now.

“I know that not every member of Congress likes every piece of this bill, and it includes some provisions that I oppose. But as a whole, this package will grow our economy, create jobs, and help middle class families across the country,”

I wonder if his speech writers will remember they used this line already?

I got to see her. She was awesome! What she said:

“Not on my watch!”
“Women will not be kept from care!”

Reid said they agreed on a number of 78.

‘Coal’ TV: MSHA Cites West Virginia Mine After Watching Reality Show

Is this “country” a joke?

The only way to send a message, and it is an ineffective one at that, is to withhold your vote. At least the polls will show low Democratic turnout and the media and Dems will find that harder to spin away. It seems to work for the Republicans.

Whenever you’re voting for the lesser of two evils you still end up voting for evil.

…so Boehner conceded?

Good. Did you see who it was?

I had to switch to mindless pap. Can’t stand Rand.

The D’s will see [__________] as proof that they need to move to the right.

Only one outcome allowed.

Little blonde lady. No name.

YES! Boner is backing down!

However, they are still pushing him from within on the 78 billion could still shut govt down.

Citizen nycterierist:

“”…How do we punish Dems for selling out?”

The answer my friend is one word blowin’ in the wind: ORGANIZE! The state party structures of both parties are and for some time have been hollowed out vessels that are filled with money and stooges every 4th year election cycle. This means that small, well organized and disciplined groups of citizens can get themselves into positions of leadership in each local party organization between elections. Large city and county structures are a bit more difficult but nontheless vulnerable because the caretakers between elections hold the space with money not people so it is possible to overwhelm money with bodies in any straight-up contest.

Stop whinin’ and start organizin’…get to know your neighbors and others in your precinct, ward and town from whom you have been separated by demands of daily life and the structures of social control like political parties. All it takes is the energy necessary to ring a doorbell, make a phone call or talk accross the backyard fence…you’d be surprised how many folks there are who share your views on issues and social priorites. But you hafta have the courage to DO and not just talk about it.

And before you moan about how many ignorant people there are and how it’s impossible to beat millions of corporate dollars in advertising and propaganda I would like to introduce you to a few hundred thousand citizens from Wiscomsin.

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE FUCKIN’ AMMUNITION AND STOP CRYIN…THERE IS NO CRYIN IN POLITICS!!

Oh hell! I didn’t form complete sentences or put commas in the right places. Sorry, watching and typing while on a phone call.

I had to switch to mindless pap. Can’t stand Rand.

What’s the difference between Ayn Rand Paul and mindless pap?

That’s who I observed before I clicked.

One of them is dead.

Don’t worry about it. It’s just for a second there we thought you were practicing your wingnut troll impression.

What a shameful thing for the State Run Media to do!

It’s my guilty form of mindless pap, not THEIR form of mindless pap. :-)

Check.

Pppfffttttttttt! Falling out of chair. LOOL!

Well, goldang! That’s a surprise.

Like Kelly said, whining and fighting are not compatible.

It’s true that there was a backlash (or enthusiam gap) for the Dems’ move to the right and failure to represent the people. It’s also true that our “two-party” system offers no alternatives.

But he biggest problem is an un/misinformed electorate, partly the fault of the MSM and partly due to willful ignorance. Anybody see the segment on Maddow where people on the street could not name the Speaker of the House or recognize his picture?

I demand you apologisze for that pap smear. :-P

See my comment @ 3.

UGH!

Vagina Voucher paps?

Uterus usery fees

I guess we are going to have to have more Vagina Dialogues because they are not getting representation in Congress.

Just saw on the news that the dimocrats have agreed to 78 billion in cuts but there still hung up on the riders.ROFLMAO-This shit is never gonna stop until people get out and start protesting this fu*king BS.Guess ole Barry has caved. Who would have thunk it.

Who is smearing paps?

#WINNING!

There is no message that they will hear.

They are deaf.

Seems like we already have enough anti-Vagina Demagogues in Congress.

Yes. But blaming the voters is de riguer.

Hmmm. Thought you were the one smearing pap by equating it to Rand Paul. :-)

Yep. As I remember it started at 30, then silently went to 34 and sometime during the past two dark nights went to 78.

A lot of people mistake Boehner for a rotten pumpkin. They’re half right.

Just as long as no one smears pup(s). I’m prepped with a new idea on trollicide.

But there is no voting result that would have made any real difference.

Oh, now I’m confused. We’re still held up on the riders, or the shutdown if off? No TeeVee, here.

Ha! No, no. I said Dialogue not Demagogue. Of course neither of them have ears so it would be like talking to a Dick!

Wow! 80 comments and no content trolls. Could we actually make it?

There’s no reason to bring Cheney into this! He doesn’t know a vagina from his elbow.

Great news. You are very good at extermination.

They’re all furiously googling “content trolls”. You just triggered the invasion *g*

When the average person who voted Repub realizes that instead of f’ing the “others” they themselves get f’d..that’s when the great awakening will occur. Maybe…some people just sleep through stuff. Not that voting Repub makes you anywhere near average…:)

If you equate the “State” with corporations then you would be correct and we could then officially declare we live in a fascist state. Mussolini would be so proud.

Heh, musta heard I came equipped today.

I always mistake him for agent orange but then I remember that BONER is poisonous.

Trollicide. Isn’t that a foot fungus product?

I guess it will have the same effect.

Right? I’m gratified but disappointed.

I’ve been saying that for days…

Got that right.

That’s wishful thinking. The electorate isn’t asleep, they’re brain dead.

You’re right. I should have known that. Oh well, he knows how to raise a highball glass and shoot from a truck.

I hope not. I want to witness eCAHN’s Trollicide…

From twitter earlier –

I am capitalism and every time a movement comes along trying to revolutionize the soul of the masses, I arrest Lindsey Lohan.

I blame Desperate Housewives and American Idol.

OH! I will be staying tuned! Go eCAHN!

Hey! Bluetoe gets it!

I’ve been saying it for a long time. Just call the Prez Benito.

Citizen Margaret:

I don’t know what “Kelly” you are talkin’ about not do I care at this moment but, frankly, the purpose of organizing is not just a rhetorical political end…it is to establish human life support systems that exist between and beyond elections. Because of the job I used to have before I retired, I only had time to engage rhetorically with folks in the process of tryin ta educate myself here at FDL. Now that I have retired and made the commitment to return to the political wars after years that I promised I was done with it, I have found that I don’t have the same patience I used ta have with arguing about how many fascists it takes to break a light bulb but I have much more energy and time for people and learning and testifying to their experiences. Keep on keepin’ on, Sister Margaret, and don’t get bogged down in personalities or the cosmetics on the masks folks sometimes wear.

The D’s seem to see *everything* as proof that they need to move to the right.

The Democrats are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They’ll embrace any excuse that justifies their selling out.

Ultimately, progressive have to focus on removing money from politics rather than complain about the politicians being puppets.

LOL!

Among many others. Garbage culture =’s garbage politics =’s garbage government.

I got DeLayed in picking up your comment.

The awakening will only occur after too many have been f’ed.

Benito Obama just rolls off the tongue doesn’t it?

I don’t care if Rep. House Reps. are running away from their promises. I voted AGAINST “Clarence Thomas” Obama, and I would do it again and again and again. I would much prefer to see Republicans push their whacky agenda then I want Democrats I voted for pushing that same Republican agenda.
Obama is the WORST Democratic President we have EVER had (maybe the worst President). Is there any rationalization to explain Obama’s pre-trial treatment of Bradley Manning? Obama is NOT a Democrat, he’s a shill who’s used his race to project a false image better than anyone in history. “Hope” & “change”? yeah, right.

OH MY GARWD! You so funny.

Don’t worry bout it. Bugs are supposed to go to prison that is if some of those folks in Texas don’t find out how he has become a “hinderance to progress”.

In November, independents by a wide margin (48% to 27%) expressed a positive reaction to the Republicans’ victory.

This was less than 2 years after George W. Bush left office. Obama and Congressional Democrats must have f’ed up big time for so many to be happy to have the Republican puppets back so soon.

Note to Democrats: Selling out rather than following through on your promises makes you look like a bunch of backstabbing a$$holes.

I’m talking about Kelly Canfield and he’s been organizing in Denver forever. He’s posted about it here for several years at least. And there’s nothing “rhetorical” about what he does. There you go making assumptions agin. This is why we experience friction Norske. You just assumed that whomever I was quoting must be an empty gas bag it seems like.

It certainly does. I even took a dose of wet noodles on here for saying it a month or so ago. That’s okay though. I know the twooph.

Those elephants do drop huge turds.

Prison? Or the Roach Motel?

David Dayen has a fresh cross-post up: Government Shutdowns Cost Money

Whichever one has the largest supply of hair gel and black dye.

HOT AW MIGHTY!

Trump is investigating Obama’s birth.

Can these republicans not stay out of people’s vagina?

I really don’t know what the fuck is going on. I thought it was 34 billion dollars(last night) and then a few minutes ago , Mark Udall said 78 billion. When the fuc* did that happen? Then I hear Claire Mc Caskill say we have come 3/4 of the way on the money(Im paraphrasing here)but we are gonna hold the line on the PPH funding. This country is so fucked up.SHITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT.

The original number was 30, last week they floated 38 (including the 10 billion already cut in the last two CRs), and I heard Boner earlier this week say he wanted another 40 billion. So 78 billion makes sense.

I guess that’s what I meant, but I don’t have your capacity for clarity and succinctness! lol

Agreed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reid said it on Face the Nation, but it was 73 agreed upon billion then..actually, Barry said it the other day too. A commenter said that it was that much because it was for last year’s budget plus this one…I just don’t know anymore.

Thanks Kris-This whole situation is just so depressing. I told my wife a few minutes ago that if I knew 40 years ago what I know now,I would have started my working career in Canada which is only 40 miles away.I voted for Barry.God I wish I could take it back .

eCahn…”It’s” upstairs…;>

Thanks Isls-I don’t know either.I wouldn’t be surprised if they bump it a little more but I see what you’re saying.

I think we all do :(

I saw, but not obnoxious enough yet & others are responding.

Mine requires timing and that’s not quite right upstairs.

I stayed up late last night & made up for it by getting up early, so I’m gonna take a nap.

YOYO.

Sister Margaret:

I have no time for the person of whom you speak and as far as I’m concerned he couldn’t organize a rock garden and, in fact, he is one of those people who only get invovled with anything for his own preening self interest…I wouldn’t trust ‘im beyond the next mirror and i certainly wouldn’t trust ‘im in a fight with anyone.

But more importantly, how’s the job hunt?

Wait! If we don’t get a troll soon, I’ll do some role playing. I’ve been lurking forever to see what happens.

REPUBLICANS ARE SELLING OUT 99% OF AMERICANS TO THE WEALTHIEST 1% OF AMERICANS

http://www.vanityfair.com/ – article in Vanity Fair Magazine

http://www.angrybearblog.com/2011/04/joseph-stiglitz-of-1-by-1-for-1.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FHzoh+%28Angry+Bear%29 – Interview with Stiglitz on article

I have a choice between Obama and another republican?

REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS ARE SELLING OUT 99% OF AMERICANS TO THE WEALTHIEST 1% OF AMERICANS

Democrats have played their part in the screwing over of the American people.

Yes, you do. I hope you like your choices…

This is all just more evidence that 2010 was about punishing Democrats for selling out, not rewarding Republicans for being awesome

Yup, that sums it up.

But what’s to be expected? It’s like being given the choice of Godzilla or Mothra. Which is better?

Yep.

Yep the best Congress money can buy.

The problem is too many Dems (or is that Dims) believe that’s what happen in 2000 and prevented Gore from being President but of course that’s not the truth (see Supreme Court).

There would be hyperventilating among Democrats because a candidate to the Left of Obama would likely destroy any chances of a 2nd term. Which would mean the Independents need to be on board for it to be a creditable threat not only to Dems but the idiots on the right.

In reality I could care less at this point, the Government and the United States economically and socially are so far gone that its too late to bring them back. In the end change will only occur around the edges and any increase in spending at Federal level will be paid for on the backs of the bottom 90%.

The Monetary System is the overall problem and if you can’t see that then I want five minutes of my life back.

Godzilla obviously, so what if we have to rebuild Tokyo very time????

Yep, the only answer is to break it all up. You start with a visionary 3rd party candidate – http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/ and you just remove money from the equation. Alex Jones and Peter Joseph spent most of their interviews talking about attacking Christians or some other nonsense. Its time to put the Religion genie back in the bottle, its responsible for so much war, death and destruction that I don’t think you can come up with an accurate number of dead, it has to be in the millions since the Crusades…

The answer is not spending the next decade trying to fix the serious problems in the country. We need to get down to serious business in a hurry, Chris Hedges is right, the Scientific Community is right, we’re about to fall off a cliff, if we haven’t already.

California already has Geo-Thermal, we can expand it. We already have Wind Power, we can expand it. We already have Solar Power, we can expand it. We can Desalinate the water, already planning to do it. We can do just Geo-Thermal and shut down Diablo and San Onofre and sell the hardware to some crazy nut case that wants it.

These are the things that need to be done Nationwide and fairly soon if I don’t relocate then I will not venture out of California there is no reason too.

Cenk showed a map of how many states are involved with reducing access to abortion, it ain’t here.

Does that mean we’re not trying to cut social programs? No – http://www.calitics.com/diary/13356/brown-signs-last-of-slashing-budget-bills

But in the by the end of the decade.. All bets are off. You guys keep playing with fire, you’re going to get burned…

I don’t think you punish them by not voting or voting Repub. You elect them then hope they get a challenge from the left then vote them out. Just my opinion. I can’t think of any other way.