politics: How Roger Ailes Built the Fox News Fear Factory - 11/26/11 03:21 PM
The onetime Nixon operative has created the most profitable propaganda machine in history. Inside America's Unfair and Imbalanced Network
“It was as though we were looking at Mao,” recalls Charlie Reina, a former Fox News producer. The Foxistas went wild. They let the dogs out. Woof! Woof! Woof! Even those who disliked the way Ailes runs his network joined in the display of fealty, given the culture of intimidation at Fox News. “It’s like the Soviet Union or China: People are always looking over their shoulders,” says a former executive with the network’s parent, News Corp. “There are people who turn … (18 comments)

politics: The Fix is In - 11/18/11 09:40 AM
If you don't think "The Fix is In" with congress, you haven't been paying attention.  Here is an interview on 60 Minutes with convicted felon Jack Abramoff and the influence he had in congress where he says he had at least 100 congressmen in his pocket...which would've made him the most powerful unelected person in American politics.
In the interview, lobbyist Jack Abramoff explains how he asserted his influence in Congress for years, and how such corruption continues today despite ethics reform.Watch the interview here: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7387331n#ixzz1e4Fi0HgE While "the people" squable amongst ourselves, our elected leaders and thier staff countinue selling out our country.
… (7 comments)

politics: If Romney Wins, Conservatism Dies - 11/08/11 08:19 AM
Erick Erickson writes:
"Mitt Romney is not the George W. Bush of 2012 — he is the Harriet Miers of 2012, only conservative because a few conservative grand pooh-bahs tell us Mitt Romney is conservative and for no other reason.
That is precisely why Mitt Romney will not win in 2012. But no worry, once he loses, Republican establishment types will blame conservatives for not doing enough for Mitt Romney, never mind that Mitt Romney has never been able to sell himself to more than 25% of the GOP voters. It’s not his fault though, it is the 75%’s fault.
Mitt … (17 comments)

politics: Former Marine's injury spurs vets to join Occupy movement - 11/02/11 12:40 PM
Although they've been participating in Occupy protests throughout the country, vets say their ranks have been swelling since last week, when former Marine and Iraq War vet Scott Olsen sustained a skull fracture when he was hit by a police projectile at an Occupy Oakland protest .
"His injury has definitely galvanized veterans,'' says University of Illinois senior Scott Kimball, who served in Iraq as an Army specialist. He'll be helping coordinate today's New York City event, which begins with an 11 a.m. march from Vietnam Veterans Plaza to Liberty Square.
"We're getting calls from veterans across the country who are extremely … (17 comments)

politics: Watching the Republican Debate... - 10/20/11 10:21 AM
As I was watching parts of the Republican debate the other night, a song came to me, a song from Romney to the moderate-conservatives in America:
Well I don't know why I came here tonight,I got the feeling that something ain't right,I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair,And I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs,Clowns to the left of me,Jokers to the right, here I am,Stuck in the middle with you,Yes I'm stuck in the middle with you,Stuck in the middle with you.
 
… (7 comments)

politics: The Soros Connection to Occupy Wall Street - 10/15/11 04:58 PM
There has been much speculation over who is financing the disparate protest, which has spread to cities across America and lasted nearly four weeks. One name that keeps coming up is investor George Soros, who in September debuted in the top 10 list of wealthiest Americans. Conservative critics contend the movement is a Trojan horse for a secret Soros agenda.
"Soros and the protesters deny any connection. But Reuters did find 'indirect' financial links between Soros and Adbusters, an anti-consumerist, pro-environmental group in Canada which started the protests with an inventive marketing campaign aimed at sparking an Arab Spring type uprising … (10 comments)

politics: Occupy Wall Street vs The Tea Party - 10/15/11 09:40 AM

A TIME poll taken on October 9 and 10, with a base of 1,001 people, has turned up some interesting results about how Americans view the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street.
When asked for their view of the Tea Party, 27% of the respondents went with favorable, while 33% said it was unfavorable. When asked about the Occupy Wall Street movement, 54% looked at it as favorable, while 23% viewed it as unfavorable. In short, twice as many respondents viewed OWS as the favorable movement.
Digging even deeper into the numbers, the Tea Party was more hated (24% “very unfavorable” … (19 comments)

politics: Romney's Remedy - 10/11/11 11:33 AM
If you haven't seen the new ad by the Perry Campaign, it's worth a look...pretty slick.
The ad opens with President Obama looking in the mirror, and seeing a sinister-looking Romney in his reflection, and later quotes Romney saying, “I like mandates,” and telling Tim Russert that “I would” strive to apply the Massachusetts model to the rest of the country. “Even the richest man can’t buy back his past,” concludes the ad.

… (4 comments)

politics: What Do You Mean...."Socialist?" - 10/08/11 07:16 PM
I've been reading a lot of posts and comments from my fellow countrymen that if we aren't careful, we're apt to become a "socialist state."  But I wonder of the folks making that claim really understand what they're talking about;  Is it Medicare?  Is it Medicaid? Is it the bank bailouts? Auto bailouts? The Prescription Drug Plan? Obamacare? Social Security?  I'm never quite sure what they mean when people start warning me about the United States becoming "Socialist."
I read this article awhile ago from conservative writer Cathy Young and thought it made a good point:
"Social Security and Medicare are "socialism," … (31 comments)

politics: Even with Hype, Christie Win was a Long Shot - 10/05/11 12:17 PM
In the end, it all came down to a gut check.
"The deciding factor was that it did not feel right to me in my gut to leave now when the job here is not finished. I could never get by that."
But could he have won...even the primary? Here's an opinion piece from a NJ coloumnist:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/131134198_Even_with_hype__Christie_win_was_a_long_shot_.html
… (7 comments)

politics: Mitch Daniels Interview - 09/30/11 10:00 AM
Mitch Daniels is, rightfully so, a respected Republican Governor of Indiana, and considered a pretty-darn smart guy...so I found this 15 minute interview interesting.
Here is the basic question I'm glad was asked:  "In the last 20 years the "job creators" (the top 1%) have seen thier share of the National GDP grow from 8% to over 34%, while the middle-class has seen their numbers shrink and have had ZERO real growth in wages (in essence, 1% of the population in America controls 34% of the total wealth); So, how much of the wealth must the richest in America absorb before they start "creating jobs?"
… (15 comments)

politics: Are You a "Classic Liberal" and Don't Know It? - 09/14/11 10:56 AM

Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets.
Classical liberalism developed in the 19th century in Europe and the United States. Classical liberalism built on ideas that had already developed by the end of the 18th century, it advocated a specific kind of society, government and public policy required as a result of the Industrial Revolution and urbanization.
Classical liberals, who broadly emphasized the importance of free markets and civil liberties, dominated liberal history for a … (23 comments)

politics: Extremist Attacks on America - 08/31/11 11:25 AM
Since September 11, 2001, we have finely honed our fear of the other. But the truth is, the overwhelming majority of our terrorism has always been homegrown. And it is times like these — times of anger and disaffection — when we turn on ourselves, and kill.
....two years ago a journalist put together a list of nearly thirty acts of right-wing political violence that had taken place, or had been foiled in the United States since the summer of 2008. The list began with Jim David Adkisson, who killed two people in a Unitarian church in Tennessee because he was angry … (31 comments)

politics: The Debt Ceiling, Sensible Solutions and David Walker - 07/18/11 08:19 AM

The one positive aspect of the current budget discussions is that both parties have acknowledged that we need to reduce our debt by trillions of dollars.
"The dangerous irony is that a refusal to compromise on a deal to reduce the nation's debt now will only serve to increase our debt. A first-ever Treasury default would not only harm the economy and therefore increase deficits in the short term, but could have lasting interest rate implications over the long term that would force even more fiscal austerity than what is being discussed today. There is nothing that consumers, businesses and … (9 comments)

politics: Who Raised the Debt Ceiling? - 07/15/11 08:09 AM
Since 1980, the debt ceiling has been raised 39 times. It was raised 17 times under Ronald Reagan, four times under Bill Clinton and seven times under George W. Bush. Congress is currently in a contentious debate with the White House on whether to raise the ceiling by the Aug. 2 deadline, which would make the fourth raise under Obama.

Source: Office of Management and Budget
 
… (18 comments)

politics: The Debt Ceiling - 07/13/11 05:32 PM
There seems to be a debate on how bad the damage would be if we did not raise the debt ceiling.  Most economists, investors, business people, etc, believe that not raising the ceiling could have catastrophic effects on an already fragile economy.  Then we have those on the right who want to make a political statement, by refusing to acknowledge the problem was created by both Republicans and Democrats, they want the country to default, causing a crises for the current administration.
Just to clarify:  This money is ALREADY spent...this is NOT about future spending.  The debt ceiling has been raised 16 times since 1993, most … (25 comments)

politics: The Pickens Plan - 07/13/11 08:58 AM

We've had lots of talk in our country about what to do about our foreign energy dependence and a way for us to create more jobs and I think The Pickens Plan may help on both fronts.  While I abhor what T. Boone did to in the 2004 Presidential race with the 'swiftbaoating' of Kerry, he may just be on to something here. There is a bill in congress, with 184 co-sponsors from both parties to initiate the plan, but supposedly there are some very influential folks against The Pickens Plan, including the Koch Brothers (the money behind the Tea Party) … (13 comments)

politics: Corporate Con - 07/04/11 12:13 PM
In April I wrote a blog, Corporate Profits Hit Record High, New Home Sales at Record Low, Unemployment Remains High, CEO Pay Soars, Paul Krugman, Nobel Laureate economist says it better here:  
Watching the evolution of economic discussion in Washington over the past couple of years has been a disheartening experience. Month by month, the discourse has gotten more primitive; with stunning speed, the lessons of the 2008 financial crisis have been forgotten, and the very ideas that got us into the crisis - regulation is always bad, what's good for the bankers is good for America, tax cuts are the universal elixir … (14 comments)

politics: Are Bush and Obama Synonymous? - 06/17/11 09:20 AM
I was listening to one of my favorite news/talk programs, "Morning Joe" as I was checking email today and the folks on the show were having a discussion on the mistakes Obama has made and it led me to start thinking about how the last two administrations are pretty darn similar.  Think about it:
Healthcare - Bush adds the prescription drug program which did nothing to control the price of drugs.  Obama overhauls the health-care system - it does nothing to control costs.
Spending - Bush more than doubled the national debt from 5 trillion to over 10 trillion dollars. Obama … (11 comments)

politics: Distort, Attack, Repeat - 06/10/11 08:24 AM
Distort, Attack, Repeat: The Fox Propaganda Machine in Action
Fox may look like a news broadcast, but it’s really the advance guard of the GOP distortion machine. An hour-by-hour look at how Fox turns Obama into the second coming of V.I. Lenin
This is a "Day in the Life" at Fox News, which has, for all intents and purposes, become the de-facto communications arm for the Republican party.  Click here for the full article.


It truly is amazing the discipline in which Fox goes about it's day, delivering the pre-established Talking Points through-out every single broadcast from 6 AM … (20 comments)