Friday, September 10, 2010
Politics Dems whistle past graveyard
Posted by Max Brantley on Fri, Sep 10, 2010 at 7:18 AM
Some Clinton-era Democratic political players are quoted here as saying the situation isn't as dire in 2010 as in 1994 when Newt's contract on America swept the Democratic majority out of Congress. I'll take hope where I can find it, particularly the idea that decisions aren't made until the final two months of campaigning.
Two questions:
1) Will Arkansas voters turn en masse to Republicans simply because they don't like the black man in the White House? Even, say, for land commissioner? What is it, exactly, that voters are voting FOR in such a decision?
2) Do the Democrats have any sort of cohesive response? On the national level, the focus on Republicans as the party of obstruction seems at least somewhat on point. If you're tired of gridlock, promoting the people who created it seems an unproductive strategy. But what about on the state level? I still like the idea of putting Dale Bumpers, David Pryor and Bill Clinton in a TV spot asking just what is so bad about Democratic leadership in Arkansas. But maybe I'm showing my age by saying this. Bill Clinton, the pup of the group, was last governor 18 years ago. Still, where we've had popular programs in Arkansas, Republicans generally stood in the way, certainly when it came to paying for them. Mike Beebe still enjoys positive feelings in Arkansas, too. (Though, in a tangent, I have to comment that the early going in the federal trial over the Conway Human Development Center seems to be heading to yet another negative recommendation on state human services, where entrenched bureaucrats are defending, poorly, the indefensible way we've always done things.)
Maybe President Obama is onto something.
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Comments (24)
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What is it, exactly, that voters are voting FOR in such a decision?
Throw the bums out. The vast majority don't have the time or know where or how to seek alternatives other than the other box/candidate in their face. Republicans are always pissed off and at least the fits the public mood.
Meanwhile both parties actively usurp election process, or say nothing - think Hot Springs during primary run off, and Hot Springs last exclusionary senate "debate". WHile both major parties take truckloads of money from the same interests... and govern like the Koch Brothers are a monkey on all their backs.
Democrats only response is to govern just like Republicans... Just look at what Obama and his justice department have successfully done with covering up torture under the guise of secrecy... just like, if not worse than Bush Cheney. While all our AR Democrats say nothing... or cheer this on.
Obama wins the right to invoke "State Secrets" to protect Bush crimes
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_gr…
Democrats will not admit as often and freely that they are fascist loving, middle class destroying elites, just as surely as Republicans use ignorance and hate to get the same bipartisan result.
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Pulling out the "grid-lock" card is ridiculous and ludicrous and a total cop-out. If Dems can't govern with these large majorities, they are the obstructionist themselves. Pulling the grid-lock card is a huge cop out and just illustrates the incompetence and lack of will of Dems in the majority.
Would not restrict it to just Land Commissioner, it could be "all". Beebe included. I don't like what anyone is doing and hope we have "all" new faces on Nov 3, in DC.
Any word on the transaction tax?? Read this and you wounder why??
2010-09-02
Pelosi favors 1 percent ‘transaction tax’
Special to the Courier
In a video posted on C-Span 3, Speaker of the United States House of Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-California) discussed a proposed 1 percent tax on all financial transactions, saying it “has a great deal of merit."
Rep. Chaka Fattah of Pennsylvania introduced his “Debt Free America Act” – HR 4646 – to Congress in February. The act is intended to pay down the national debt and eventually eliminate federal income taxes.
The bill also provides gives the Treasury Department discretion to exempt certain transactions on which lower-income people disproportionately rely.
Pelosi said the transaction tax would help Congress raise needed revenue. “I believe that the transaction tax still has a great deal of merit,” she told reporters at news conference. Pelosi added, “The tax would have a really minimal impact on the transaction, but a tremendous impact on helping us meet our needs.”
According to a conservative watchdog organization, President Barack Obama’s finance team with Pelosi’s assistance plan to “sneak it in after the November election to keep it under the radar.”
The 1 percent transaction tax would be imposed on every financial financial transaction in the county – whether by cash, credit card, debit card or any form of financial transfer – except those involving the purchase or sale of stock.
In theory, everyone would pay one cent on the dollar of every transaction made, which would amount to $3 million on a $300 million business acquisition, $300 on the purchase of a $30,000 vehicle or $5 on a $500 withdrawal from an ATM machine.
Any deposits, including checks or cash, or withdrawals would be subject to a 1 percent tax. The transaction tax would also apply to paychecks or Social Security checks deposited directly.
Additionally the tax would be levied on transfers within accounts, such as from savings to checking and vice versa.
Income derived from a bond or stock dividends would be similarly taxed – as would any real estate transaction.
According to http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/debtf…, however, this bill has no backers other than its sponsor and in this current political and economic clime is unlike to garner much support. Snopes predicted, “It has about as much chance of passing as a snowball does of surviving hell.” The Debt Free America Act remains in committee.
Still, Pelosi, at least, considers it a viable tax to be imposed on consumers – and not just those making more than $250,000 annually.
Her discussion of the transaction tax is available at http://tinyurl.com/24dn5ud.
Not to belabor the point with someone who thinks the transaction tax merits serious discussion, but my point is that many of the people who are running are NOT incumbents. If the Democratic Party in Arkansas had any sort of unifieid identity, I might understand a "throw them all out" feeling, but I don't quite get it. What is it that Republicans, as a group, offer? Mike Huckabee redux?
"Will Arkansas voters turn en masse to Republicans simply because they don't like the black man in the White House? "
If you really believe this then there is no hope for you, Max. People will be voting against Democrats more than they will be voting for Republicans. Look at the polls and the President's agenda is opposed by a majority of the country. Obama continues to spend on programs that do not produce including his call for a new stimulus bill. The last one was to prevent the unemployment rate from going over 8% but it failed. H. Clinton even came out yesterday saying the deficit was destroying America's security.
People are tired of being governed by any party that cannot produce results according to their own views. Maybe Americans are tired of being told they can't do something because it might offend someone else. Maybe Americans are tired of being told by Congress to trust them when they don't even read or understand what they are passing. Maybe Americans want $2 gas and not $40k electric cars produced by taxpayer money. Maybe Americans are just tired.
The 1 percent transaction tax would be imposed on every financial financial transaction in the county – whether by cash, credit card, debit card or any form of financial transfer – ****except those involving the purchase or sale of stock.****
She has the entire idea backwards... just like Republicans... the ponzi assault on the lower 95 percentile continues unabated.
To answer your question Max, not much. With Dems you'll get increased spending at 100,000 times, with Rep, just 10,000 times. Otherwise, not much difference.
No, What the, my questions are primarily about state races. What's the theory on land commissioner? Bryant city clerk? And all the rest in which generic polls show a partisan preference?
Obama and the Dems blew it, plain and simple. With a historic Presidency and a majority in both houses the democrats have simply fiddled while Rome burns. Obama has been silent or off message for two years and, America has a three party system, Liberal Dems, Conservative Dems, and Nuttcase Repubs. The three party system has failed.
On top of all that, it was time for a Nixon to China moment that was totally missed by this administration. Americans would have responded to a 'share the pain' strategy. That would have at least reflected reality, been hopeful and looked fairly conservative and bipartisan. Gallons of red ink satisfied no one and makes the whole game look more crooked than ever.
So... 1% on every transaction in. In other words, 2% since the money will come in and go out. When your employer pays you, the employer will deduct 1%. When you make your rent or mortgage payment, you'll pay 1%.
So the "1%" is a lie to start with. And how long will it take Congress to raise that to 2%... 3%... 4%... etc.
This is ANOTHER example of bad Democrat decisions that cause voters to vote against Democrats. Like Eureka says above, the Dims are just as stupid as the Repubs. The Democrats are repeating 1994... they were voted in by the moderates as a protest to the Republicans. The Democrats immediately went hard left, alienating the moderates. So the moderates... myself included... will vote against anybody I consider to be too far to the left.
This is Arkansas Max. There is no national influence. The Arkansas Repub party is mostly a joke, thank goodness.
That's what you get when the populace continually elects style over substance, and sometimes not much style to boot. Time everyone wakes up to career politicians, they are losers that know how to run their mouth and sound good when it matters, and not much else. Rep and Dem alike.
Sorry "what the hell"...but Max is right on with his question regarding a black man in the White House."
You list the things "Americans are tired of" and none of them have merit. The Stimulus has worked - plain and simple. The canard that people like you continue to trot out about 8% unemployment was an unfortunate gaffe made before anyone realized how deep this depression was.
You say this President/party has not produced results! This has been one of the most successful legislative 2 years in history...yet you persist in the silliness that the bills were not read or understood...Nonsense!
Were you writing these hand-wringing pieces from 2001-2008 when Bush took a surplus and turned it into a $1.3 trillion deficit (and that doesn't include the 2 wars that were paid for off budget)? I'm pretty sure I know the answer to that. Have a look at your next Senator's voting record during the Bush years and tell me that Bozoman is a deficit fighter!
http://www.wpaag.org/Boozman%20Voting%20Re…
The veiled and not so veiled racist attacks began against this president the day he announced. How many of those viral smear-mails have you forwarded. You can deny it all you like but you know as well as I, "we want our country back" means we want our white country back! The gathering GOP storm has been fed for the past two years by lies about citizenship, religion, socialism, the coming loss of freedoms and any other story that might scare the hell out of the "white right".
So "what the hell"...you keep pretending that none of this has anything to do with race while GM pays back with interest the the taxpayer $$ that helped to produce a $40k electric car and an entire new fleet of cars that Americans are buying again. And good luck on that $2 gas when you get the Party of Haliburton back in power.
Well Slinger, Though I am not a Democrat nor in agreement with Pelosi here at all... I do not see that proposal/idea as a left one at all.
Raising taxes on the poor and middle in a Depression / in an utterly non progressive manner (while the rich are richer than ever before and still benefitting and paying far lower percentages of taxes overall) is not left. No more so than the Bush tax cuts which were not paid for... and now wont be for decades, if ever. Both ponzi schemes hurt many while benefitting the very few rich. That's not left.
As for the Clinton era... what left are you referring too?
Certainly not NAFTA, elimination of Glass Steagal, telecommunications act, continued egregious defense spending while killing more iraqis with air enforced sanctions than Bush Sr did in D Storm, his plan(with Newt) to loot Social Security would have happened if it weren't for a blue dress incident.
None of that was left... and all of that was major / defining. Republicans agreed with it all. So i am not sure what to far left during Clinton you speak of? But I could go on for days about what was to far right.
There is no left in power (or at least not utilizing their power well) today... nor were they significant in the 90's.
Pelosi even considering a flat tax of any kind makes that perfectly clear. As does the fact Dems are considering leaving the party in droves in our state which has been predominantly Blue since what, WW II?
The Walrus, no one is paying attention. It does not matter what the President and Congress have achieved it is just not enough for folks.
Any number of times I have heard folks say "if only Obama had done this or said this" and low and behold he did do that or said that it is just that no one, not even the folks who get paid to report on the President seem to be paying any fucking attention.
I have always had a feeling that the American people have a short memory, but for heaven's sake if they have forgotten the mess left by the last administration they are just morons. Why put the R's back in control?
It boggles the mind.
And being pissed at Obama and the Dems that things are not "fixed" yet is just lunacy.
But even then to blame state Dems for what you imagine Washington Dems have or have not done is just ridiculous. From where I'm sitting, compared to many Southern (and Northern) states ruin by Foghorn Leghorn Republicans Arkansas is in pretty good shape.
But in the end we will probably go back to having the government that other people deserve.
I'm getting a bit tired of that.
For those who think Obama has broken ever promise he made OR has done nothing, spend sometime on Politifact and take a gander at the Obama truth-o-meter:
http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promis…
And being pissed at Obama and the Dems that things are not "fixed" yet is just lunacy.
Mouse.. give specifics... because. imo, the Dems are not trying at all - save a very few bits of window dressing at best... or in most cases they are doing their best making things worse.
Of course racism is a huge factor.. of course republicans are lunatics... but the D's are nowhere near the answer... not even close. If they were we would all have campaign slogans and Dem ideas - visions at hand worth promoting right now.
None of you Dems have a single one... except fear republicans.
Y'all don't even have false Hope anymore.
False hope is all they have. They cling to it, like a 8 year old child refusing to believe his friends that Santa Clause doesn't really exist.
WTH, don't know if you watched the Stewart Show clip, but FAUX News is pure propaganda all the time. No news there.
Get your Mr. Google out and compare the federal budgets for the 8 years Clinton was president and the 8 years Shrub was (our pretend) president. Democrats believe in assessing/collecting sufficient tax revenues to at least come close to balancing the budget while Rethuglicons are perfectly happy giving lip service to a balanced budget while spending more than Democrats and cutting taxes even for the super wealthy who don't need their taxes reduced. The super wealthy (oligarchs) are already paying at a lower rate than many middle- and lower-income folks.
I try to give the sometimes nattering nabobs of negativism like you credit for at least being willing to look at the record honestly. Please don't strive to prove me wrong. Rethuglicons truly are that, cons, who believe they can con a majority of voters enough of the time to stay in power. Are Democrats perfect? Hell, no, but they are far better than Rethuglicons and some, like our very own Vic Snyder, have more credibility than all the Rethuglicons combined.
Eureka, you seem unhappy with everyone. Have you decided where in the world you will find a more perfect union? Bags packed yet?
Why racist republicans and democrats should silently cheer for and reelect Dems. (Because it's always been about class war, stoopid). Both parties are waging it, but Dems do it better (less Ruckus) if you are into that sort of thing.
Black Unemployment Rate Increases 700% More than White
http://www.bvonmoney.com/2010/09/06/black-…
Sound I'm not going anywhere.. except on an occasional vacation goddess willing and to the Green portion of my ballot box come November.
As has been noted, raping the defenseless is not a left vs. right schism; it is classist, both parties are doing it (to a varying degree). As to the racism, if republicans are unwilling to admit that the “southern strategy” they have pursued since Nixon is based on racism, classism & sexism why would they admit that their “southern strategy redux” was simply more of the same. That the electorate is willing to reward those that destroyed their country should serve as proof as to where America is headed.
“All hope abandon, ye who enter here!”
Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
"1) Will Arkansas voters turn en masse to Republicans simply because they don't like the black man in the White House?"
YES! Because more TV sets in Arkansas are tuned to Fox News than any other network. You can only believe the Republicans are good and the Democrats are bad if you are a regular Fox News viewer too lazy or stupid to check their facts.
Ma's best friend Edna is filling up my inbox today with anti-Obama, anti-Pelosi garbage straight from the Koch brothers and Fox News. I haven't seen Edna in 7 or 8 years, but I promise if we could fly to her house right now...Fox News is blaring away.
And it's so sad that the Greatest Generation who knew better than to listen to Tokyo Rose & Axis Annie when they were young have grown so old and scared that they'll suck up anything Fox News puts out.....which of course scares them nearly to death. We're not paying any attention to an American tragedy going on all around us. Elder abuse at the hands of Fox News. How sad....
Look around you today.....do you like it? Well....better get used to this mess...as long as Fox News is on the air America will always be a terrible place to live.
PS Tomorrow I'm going to burn my copy of The Prince of Tides. That magic dolphin that pops up in the last couple of chapters still upsets me.
Killed by the “Greatest Generation”, may America rest in peace.
“That's inconceivable!” Vizzini, The Princess Bride
With Obumble, it has nothing whatsoever to do with race. Its about competence and ideology. Throwing trillions upon trillions of tax payer money into a black hole is not the answer and only makes economic matters worse. Sentiment would be the same if he were lilly white.
Believe it or not, most people don't think in terms of race. That seems to be the hyper bed wetting libs that constantly see everyone through race and constantly throw out the race card on every occasion. I could care less if Obumble were black, white, yellow, or green. Racism is being propped up more so today by big lib lefties that see race as an issue in every corner of the room. Not by 80% of the rest of us.
ActMax...
If you truly believe "With Obumble, it has nothing whatsoever to do with race" and "most people don't think in terms of race", I want some of whatever it is you are smoking...
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