Class warfare? Who says ...

From health care to education to mass transit to Social Security, if a government program helps those in need, Republicans oppose it. They will support tax cuts targeted for the wealthy, while opposing tax cuts targeted for those that aren't wealthy. The Republicans clearly have an overall ideology, and it is reflected throughout their agenda. Which isn't class warfare. But calling them on it is.

[Turkana at The Left Coaster]

Communism, fascism and democracy ...

Communism and fascism seem to me to have the same ultimate result: making sure workers are completely under the control of management. It seems to make little difference whether management is the government, the party or private industry. Effective slavery is the result.

The US has always had it's proponents for the complete control of workers. But with the T-Bags it's coming to the fore with draconian, or Dicksonian, ferver.

NY Tea Party Platform: Relocate Welfare Recipients to Prison Dorms

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ADDED:
The parallels between the T-Bags increasing attacks on all things muslim is too close to Hitler's sadistically incremental attacks on Jews in Germany for comfort.

The "mosque" debate is not a "distraction"

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ADDED II:
emptywheel writes:

Treasury’s attitude about HAMP is not just evidence they’ve lost all track of who they work for and where the benefits of the economy are supposed to be delivered, but it also suggests that these Treasury folks have lost the most basic notion of capitalism, that if businessmen never pay for bad decisions, they’ll continue to make bad decisions.

I beg to differ. Treasury, as does Obama himself, believe they work for the banksters and other powerful industries.

Elected officials still have to play the election game but money and the corporate controlled media are able to effect sufficient numbers of election campaigns. And when they fail, there's always the Supreme Court who can choose to appoint an embarrassment like Bush to reside in the WH.

Obama, it appears, gave acceptable assurances to the banksters (and others) before he was elected. To get the votes Obama aimed his promises at the fair minded, the liberals, the progressives, the unions, those interested in a responsive and fair government, those who were against these unending wars.

What did Obama do once he was elected? He appointed people who failed to recognize, or actually contributed to, the financial problems of the country. He continued most of Bush's disastrous war and torture policies. He took care to insult most of those who voted for him. His actions and policies appear taken in response to the desires the Robber Barons and the actions of the Crazies.

Truth be told ...

The private, for-profit health insurance companies will always be the enemies of true health care reform. The problem is that they are a pure waste in the system. They are the financial equivalent of a parasite. ...

But then, we don't really want this much truth, do we Obama?

The only reason to cut or eliminate SS and Medicare ...

... if cuts are proposed and enacted in Social Security and Medicare, they will hurt millions, weaken the economy, and the deficits will not decline. It’s a lose-lose proposition, with no gainers except a few predatory funds, insurance companies and such who would profit, for some time, from a chaotic private marketplace. [emphasis added]

-- Galbraith Blasts Alan Simpson: He “Lacks the Temperment to Do a Fair and Impartial Job” on Deficit Commission by Jane Hamsher, firedoglake.com

And our day-late and dollar-short 'democratic' President, the O-Bomb, is doing all he can to help the destruction along.

It'd be funny if ...

Obama's on a roll. He plans to do to Wall Street what he did to the 'health' insurance Robber Barons.... nothing that will hurt them or help us.

This is pathetic. No wonder the Republicans are willing to negotiate from this ludicrous starting point. By the time the negotiations are over, we can expect a mandate that each of us open three credit card accounts and use them for all purchases, paying 30% interest compounded daily, with no grace period. And if you don’t, the IRS will collect a fee equal to 1% of your income to pay for the salaries of the banksters and their lobbyists.

Straight talk about food, 'organic' or not ...

From tristero at digby's:

... so let me cut to the chase. If you want to understand the basics of the issues surrounding organic, start by reading Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle. However, I don't think even that is too necessary if all you're interested in is eating well - meaning lustily, healthfully, and responsibly. It boils down to this:

If you can afford it, and you can find it, prepare and eat unprocessed fresh organic foods.

Otherwise, prepare and eat unprocessed fresh conventional foods.

If you possibly can, don't buy or eat industrial meat.

The End. The rest is detail. Here's a little of that:

Why are organics preferred? Mainly, it's way easier on the environment and far less cruel to animals. Since there are fewer human-made chemicals used in the growing, cleaning, storing, and distribution it's probably healthier (assuming it's fresh and meets the appropriate standards). There are other reasons, but those are the main ones.

Why are conventionally grown foods acceptable? They're much cheaper. If you can't afford organics, there is no reason under the sun to worry that you are somehow harming your family (assuming it's fresh and meets the appropriate standards). Far worse than eating unprocessed conventional is eating processed organic food, which is usually junk food. The less of that stuff, the better (ditto junk food that isn't organic, duh).

Why avoid industrial meat if you possibly can? The more you understand how the animals are treated, how they are killed, and how the meat is made, the more you understand how environmentally destructive industrial meat practices are, the more you realize how thoroughly disgusting it is, by any standards. Get your meat from a high quality butcher and only eat ground meat prepared by people you trust. Since this is more expensive, chances are you'll eat less meat. That is an extra benefit, for many reasons. Pollan, Nestle, and Bittman - none of whom are vegetarians, btw - will be happy to tell you about them.

Just like Bush, Obama works oh so hard to ensure failure ...

But not to worry, all Obama needs is a few super speeches to convince us that his failures are successes. And if he can't fool us all the time, or even some of the time, then he will make the reThugs very happy as he, with much help from the House and the Senate, takes down the Democratic party.

Fact Sheet: The Truth About the Health Care Bill

Not that taking down the Dem Party is much more a loss than the destruction of the reThug Party. Neither party intends to govern this country as a representative democracy.

Today's quotes ... on disillusionment ...

... it is both disheartening and illuminating to realize that the progressives in Congress have no true commitment to anything but putting on a show.

and

Few organizations resisted the urge to whip for the very bill they asked members of Congress to oppose last August during the fundraising drive for the public option. The entire progressive movement devolved into complete message incoherence as the unions announced their willingness to step outside of the Democratic party in order to enforce corporate deals within it. ...

and

... The thing I have learned above all else in this campaign is that the corporate control of government is much more extensive than I ever imagined, and the tools we have to fight its influence are ineffective.

and

... In the end, what we learned is that we can’t count on members of Congress in either party to do anything but play their part in “villain rotation”

What is pragmatism ...

Obama's pragmatism leads him to follow, perhaps reluctantly, in the footprints left by Bush and Cheney, and to work for Banker and Insurance Industry friendly legislation at the expense of 90% of the US population. Obama's pragmatism is tied up with 10%, or less, of the American people. He behaves as if he thinks his pied piper routine of the campaign is all that is needed for the rest of us. Obama's pragmatism leads him to ignore majorities, ignore popular support, ignore justice, ignore law, ignore constitution, ignore principle and cater to the rich, the loud, the corrupt, the greedy.

At firedoglake.com, Jane Hamsher's pragmatism is a quite the opposite:

As for FDL, we’ll continue to maintain the position we’ve held since June 23 and insist that a health care bill must actually achieve its goal of helping people, rather than the the unregulated monopolies who exploit them. That’s not being a “purist.” It’s just being pragmatic.

I'm with Jane.

Alan Grayson is my hero ...

Alan Grayson’s Four-Page Medicare Buy-In Bill Introduced

What couldn't the United States do if we had more like him ...

Talk about myopic ...

Jonathan Chait thinks that Obama, the Scampering One, is actually trying to pass some form of health care 'reform.' (link via digby: Better Than Goldilocks)

Obama is playing around with health 'insurance' with the apparent aim of handing over to the Insurance Industry and to the forced-birthers a nation enslaved to their every whim.

And after he signs the abomination that a Congress with a Democratic majority passes he plans to decimate Social Security and Medicare.

And Chait thinks we should be oh so gratefull as Obama continues Bush the Lesser's destruction of even the appearance that the United States is a democratically governed nation.

Thanks ... so ... much ... oh, follower of Bush!

Taking Obama's intelligence for granted is becoming more and more difficult ...

Political Problems Multiply As Obama Embraces Republican Health Care Ideas

Talk about cutting off one's nose to spite one's face ...

Employees at Catholic Charities were told Monday that the social services organization is changing its health coverage to avoid offering benefits to same-sex partners of its workers ...

.. Catholic Charities will not offer benefits to spouses of new employees or to spouses of current employees who are not already enrolled in the plan. ...

... "We looked at all the options and implications," said the charity's president, Edward J. Orzechowski. "This allows us to continue providing services, comply with the city's new requirements and remain faithful to the church's teaching." ...

One wonders what the term 'social services' actually means to the Catholic Church. Something like "Burn, baby, burn"?

Rockefeller, smuckafeller ...

In other words, Rockefeller was willing to be a righteous champion for the public option as long as it had no chance of passing (sadly, we just can't do it, because although it has 50 votes in favor, it doesn't have 60). But now that Democrats are strongly considering the reconciliation process -- which will allow passage with only 50 rather than 60 votes and thus enable them to enact a public option -- Rockefeller is suddenly "inclined to oppose it" because he doesn't "think the timing of it is very good" and it's "too partisan." What strange excuses for someone to make with regard to a provision that he claimed, a mere five months ago (when he knew it couldn't pass), was such a moral and policy imperative that he "would not relent" in ensuring its enactment.

Except for, maybe Grijalva, 99.9% of those who have supported the Public Option appear to have been deliberately deceiving their supporters. I wish I believed these people would get their just desserts like getting soundly trounced in an election; having their entire constituency calling up and telling them to start doing their job instead of being a paid corporate pasty; or some other miraculous intervention to turn these turds into decent people instead of public paid conmen.

"Did Obama just kill the public option?" ...

Well, why not? It was obvious that he was lying every time he sorta, maybe, perhaps supported the Public Option:

Curious

I have to agree that Marshmallow Man Obama is not as bad as Bush The Lesser, but that is so far from a compliment or recommendation that it is embarrassing.

Today's quote ...

Jon Walker, firedoglake.com: “What a strange ‘Democracy’ we live in that an idea is too popular for any to stand against yet it might bring down the whole party and health care reform because many so deeply hate their supporters.”

Obama, the Marshmallow Man ...

Clueless

The summing up of Obama ...

... Obama not only refuses to point out that progressives have better ideas about health care reform, but he pretends that these progressive ideas don’t even exist at all. ...

Today's quote ...

We’re stuck with Obama patty-cake to dangerous political freaks for seven more years, likely, ...

Today's quote ...

It is important to remember that the perfect was never mentioned in this health care debate. The very good was declared impossible and did not even have a place at the table when they started planning reform last year. Even good reform was dismissed almost immediately.

The debate this entire time has been between what might be labeled “decent reform” at best, and terrible corporate giveaway labeled “reform.” This is not about making the perfect the enemy of the good. We were never even offered the “good” as a compromise.

-- Health Care Reform to Date: So Very Far From Perfect by Jon Walker, firedoglake.com