It is difficult to recognize the immensity of the threat we face after Citizens United, not just at the Federal level but also the State level. The following is an example of what is going on that we do not know about and the potential extent of it. These people are the enemy of the people and should be treated as such.
To: Interested Parties
From: Marge Baker, People For the American Way
Date: January 19, 2011
Subject: Health Care Reform Repeal: Bought and Paid for by Citizens United
Good question, have we completely surrendered the ship to corporations and the wealthy? The Nation offers a really relevant piece on that:
We have reached a pivotal moment in government and politics, and it feels like the last, groaning spasms of New Deal liberalism. When the party of activist government, faced with an epic crisis, will not use government's extensive powers to reverse the economic disorders and heal deepening social deterioration, then it must be the end of the line for the governing ideology inherited from Roosevelt, Truman and Johnson.
This is well worth viewing/collecting. It is part of a "know the enemy" campaign I guess.
A Visual History of Koch Conservatism, from John Birch to Cato: Want to explain to your friends and relatives how the Tea Party is corporately-financed and "grassroots" right-wing activity is not spontaneous? Here's a graphic to get you started.
This infographic on the Koch brothers' long history of ultra-conservative activity and financial support for the most extreme of right-wing activity comes to us via The Other 98%. Download it and spread it around!
I read far too much about civility lately. David Michael Green on the Regressive Antidote has a rant up, "Civility? Whatever. Capitulation? No Thanks."
So it seems like everybody’s talkin’ ‘bout a new way of walkin’ – at least for this week. Civility in politics is all the rage for the moment. That’s fine. There are ways in which we definitely need to be more civil in our politics, though there are also ways in which our faux civility substitutes for real debates about real issues we desperately need to be having and are not. Mostly, though, I’m very much not interested in civility as a mask for capitulation. Hey, Barack, are you listening? http://www.regressiveantidote.net/Articles/Civility_Whatever_Capitulation_No_Thanks.html
Keith Olbermann announced tonight, at the end of the show, that he was leaving (pushed no doubt). Most likely is that the Comcast meger with NBC had lot to do with it. He was still very highly rated. Will other commentators, Maddow, Scholz and O'Donnell last much longer--Comcast is a right wing organization as I remember.
• Pass a budget with ZERO tax increases
• Allow temporary sales and income taxes to sunset as planned
• Repeal ¼-cent sales and land transfer tax
• Require any referendum to take place on an even- year November General Election
• Increase the number of public charter schools and other school choice options
available to parents
• Promote the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) that would limit government
spending
• Promote an amendment requiring a supermajority to raise taxes
• Eliminate corporate welfare (incentives) and adjust the corporate rate from 2% to 3%
• Protect private property
• Support a Constitutional Amendment to stop eminent domain abuse
• Stop forced municipal annexation
• Stop excessive property tax increases that threatens homes & businesses
• Dedicate all lottery revenue to school construction
• Repeal “Senate Bill 3” which raised energy costs and hurt families
This is one of the best expressions of what is behind the Republican and corporate movements to reduce us to penury and serfdom:
The Republican Party’s real game is to try to lock that income and wealth advantage into place. They fear, rightly, that sooner or later everyone else will begin demanding that the budget deficit be closed in part by raising taxes on the rich. After all, the rich are living better than ever, while the rest of American society is suffering. It makes sense to tax them more.
The Republicans are out to prevent that by any means. This month, they succeeded, at least for now. But they want to follow up their tactical victory – which postpones the restoration of pre-Bush tax rates for a couple of years – with a longer-term victory next spring. Their leaders in Congress are already declaring that they will slash public spending in order to begin reducing the deficit.
Obama’s failure to rescind Bush policies or prosecute the Bush administration criminals has (1)decimated the rule of law, (2) abrogated fundamental
constitutional rights and civil liberties, and (3) given the Government (FBI, NSA, DoD, Homeland Security, etc.) unlimited powers over ordinary citizens with no right of redress). This is a dark, dark stain on Obama’s presidency. He has been captured by (1) corporations and (2) executive departments which he is to lead and manage. He has invited back in many of the major miscreants from the Bush and Clinton administrations.
If Obama loses in 2012, it will because he has conceded to so many Republican demands that there is no need for a Democrat in the White House (same way the Blue Dogs lost big in 2010).
Here are a set of contributions to Kay Hagan from OpenSecrets. The essence of this is: Kay was paid a lot from Democratic/liberal sources for her to now begin maneuvering to center-center thinking to make points with Republicans for cross-over "bipartisanship"? She forgets perhaps the shabby and harsh treatment of Democrats, no matter how well deserved, by Republicans for the past 10 years. Treatment which helped cause our current economic and political woes.
I have read several articles about John Edwards recent trip to Israel. He seems as hooked as any of the right wingers on Israeli propaganda, and even took the opportunity to praise, of all people, Butcher Sharon("remember Shatilla"). Might well have sent a rightwing christocrat over there.
The problem is: Israel wags the US far too much and has for many years. In some respects we are engaged in the Middle East due to the pressures of the American Israeli lobby, which is powerful beyond belief. And, Edwards statements about Syria, Iran and others look like pages from Condisleeza Rice's playbook. This guy is moderate, progressive -- what about is he awake? He was stupid enough to vote for Iraq, that is the few times he was at duty in the Senate and not out campaigning. A number of us told him not to, but he told me he was privy to information I did not have -- I had access to information in my previous life Edwards could not even dream about -- besides in the Senate Select Committee the Administration fed them lies, absolute lies, and then they swore to it.
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