Heels for Obama

Olso exceeded expectations: He was Dynamite!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:52:23 EST

Peace Keeping Force!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:47:53 EST

Leftovers from the Bush Administration!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:48:39 EST

But it is not a blank check!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:46:32 EST

Who's Afghan Policy?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:50:24 EST

Death of Blue Dog Democrats: Creigh Deeds

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:07:04 EDT

Does the Creigh Deeds gubernatorial race suggest the death of the Blue Dog Democrats? Creigh Deeds tried to tack away from President Obama and run too much in the middle. Virginia is not ready for a ultra liberal governor, but it didn’t want a Democratic candidate who water down his beliefs and goals until he became a milquetoast Republican. Creigh Deeds was trying to get votes that he would never get because he has a "D" by his name. This same kind of political play has been used by Blue Dogs in the House and Senate in their opposition to health care reform. At the same time, Creigh Deeds and other Blue Dogs ignored those that would support them if they actually stayed true to the ideas of the Democratic Party Platform. Creigh Deeds created a really lose lose situation for himself. He ran away from a popular president during his first year in office, he didn’t sure up his base, and he went after an impossible constituency. These were bad political plays.

The lesson to be learned from the Creigh Deeds campaign is that Democrat who act scared of their party's name and who run away from their sitting President are sinking their own ship. Blue Dog Democrats need to get a new play book. -- Deeds is in trouble because he played with an old one. Did Creigh Deeds misjudged the political will of the state, or didn’t he fully grasped how enmeshed the state was in a paradigm shift? The shift that is happening is always the toughest to see, that is what is happened to the GOP. Like Creigh Deeds, they are running as if it is the latter part of the 20st century instead of 2009.

The good news is, the gubernatorial campaign is not over. If Creigh Deeds' campaign can be pulled out of its troubled waters by President Obama, look at the wider message that will be sent to Blue Dogs.

Dumb, stump but clever: Sarah Palin

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:31:26 EDT

It's all about Sarah Palin and her book deal and proving that she is maverick - rogue. She offered her help to candidates, and there was not one taker. So, she's found a third party candidate who would take her help.

Well isn't she clever? Dumb, stump but clever. She's positioning herself to hold the Republicans hostage in 2012, thereby forcing them to choose her. If they don't, she will take her little army of Christian right who make up nearly 70 percent of the base, and either form her own party or undermine the GOP at every turn. Her maneuver in the New York race should serve as a warning rockets

The GOP isn't stuck with this con artist. There is an escape hatch for them. They could be the ones who actually go to work unveiling her for the fraud she is. They could own up to the ruse they tried to pull on the American people in unleashing her as a vice-presidential candidate. This would will sting, but it would nip her little political adventure in the bud. McCain would need to take the lead. It is doubtful that McCain nor the party will do this. Because they're scared and it is also wrapped up in a struggle between Dick Armie vs. Newt Gingrich for the heart and soul of the GOP.

The GOP, the party that thumps its chest with declarations of their strength and superiority are going to be taken down -not by even by a smart and accomplished person - but a winking little know-nothing charlatan. That must relly hurt--ouch!

Meanwhile, Sarah will laugh all the way to the bank. This is a sad political commentary on the grand old party.

Read More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/23/palin-endorses-hoffman-sn_n_331279.html

Health Care Reform: Who will get their way?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:56:44 EDT

MSM merely conducted opinion polls among pundits to determine whether racism was at root of extreme horrific attacks against Obama

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:24:32 EDT

The MSM did not dig into the story of the racism on the correctly. There was no in-depth reports on those emails or comments made during the campaign, and since Obama has been in office. Even after Jimmy Carter's remarks, the MSM did not go back and highlight these incidents to show maybe he has a reason to say what he said. Instead, MSM just went around asking people do you think there is racism involved in the criticism of President Obama. They merely conducted opinion polls among pundits to determine whether racism was at root of these extreme horrific attacks.

Furthermore, asking Presidents Clintons opinion or whether or not Obama’s critics were espousing racist animosity, was a none starter. Since he was accused of playing the race card during the campaign, Clinton had lost his credibility on this front.

Colbert spout is interesting:

Blackwashing: Colbert Unveils New Strategy For Racists Who Want To Bash Obama (VIDEO)

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/25/blackwashing-colbert-unve_n_299601.html

Fill in Obama's Response to "You Lie"

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:54:23 EDT

These were some of those given by other readers. What is your favorite? I thought the Republican response comes AFTER my speech. 11% (23 votes) Same thing he said when I told him the South lost the war. 25% (54 votes) Could it be the honeymoon is over? 4% (8 votes) Maybe I can invite him for a beer after this. 10% (22 votes) And I'm trying to work with these guys. 2% (4 votes) All I said was, "It's nice to be here." 38% (83 votes) . . . but I haven't said anything yet. 11% (24 votes) Total Votes: 218

Local Coverage David Price's Town Hall

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:28:39 EDT

Emotion high on reform at local town hall meeting
Codey Johnston/Ton Weatherbee argues against health care reform after a town hall discussion with Rep. David Price at N.C. Central University’s B.N. Duke Auditorium on Thursday. About 850 people were on hand to learn about or voice their opinions on the legislation.
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-1191533.cfmBY MONICA CHEN : The Herald-Sun

Town Hall Protesters: How can you answer the irrational?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:00:33 EDT

Banality of Town Hall Protesters

Are the Birthers Certified Kooks?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:48:28 EDT

By the birthers latching on to the forged Kenyan birth certificate make them certified kooks?

Kenyan Birth Certificate: Obama Birthers Latch On To Forgery

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/03/kenyan-birth-certificate_n_249850.html

The stimulus is working as intended: State and Local Gov't

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:11:28 EDT

For state and local governments, the flood of federal recovery money lifted total revenues by 7.5%, overcoming an 8% drop in state and local tax collections. The stimulus funds let states avoid cuts, rather than increase spending.

Since the stimulus served to bail states out of 30 to 40% of their local & state budget deficits, it's hard to imagine how dire the conditions would be. Perhaps the "vacationing" congress members will get the key question: "How would it be for our state if the stimulus wasn't implemented?" Let's see the Republicans sputter around that question.

Stimulus cash lifts states, localities

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-08-02-stimulus_N.htm

Congress's Health Care Compromise

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:35:49 EDT

Congress's Health Care compromises are far from perfect, it has legs. If it has legs, it can walk as while as run. It is not Obama's plan but it has life, its not dead.

Wise Latina Woman

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:40:31 EDT

Real Problem With A PublicHealth Care Plan!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:23:41 EDT

The Ayatollahs and Mullahs take on the Street Protesters

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:13:40 EDT

Loose lips do more than sink ships, they can take lives.

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:50:43 EDT

Dr. Tiller was in church performing service as an usher in his church when he was shot and killed. At the end of the day, this is all about the right to privacy. Late turn abortions are very personal decisions. It must remain a private matter between the patient and doctor. To take someone’s life for helping a patient during a wrenching moral dilemma is unconscionable and threatens everyone who holds a dissenting opinion on privacy and abortions. People who spout intolerance should be careful what they say and how they say it. Loose lips do more than sink ships, they can take lives.

We should be forward about the some inevitable consequence, if this fanaticism about Obama’s economic policies and how he is embracing socialism. To some this is just chatter, and they are scoring political points and increasing television ratings. While for others this kind of talk, it is a call to action to save the nation from destruction. It was irresponsible when Sarah Palin was spouting such obscenities during the campaign, and it is irresponsible now. Even though, the newspaper in Warren, PA apologizes for the advertisement calling for Obama’s assassination, this kind of think is far too pervasive woven in the fabric of our present day nation. The opposition needs to take store and find other ways to oppose the Obama Administration. To reiterate, loose lips do more than sink ships, they have the ability to motive others to take lives.

Late-term abortion doctor decries Tiller killing: ‘This is a fascist movement’

http://coloradoindependent.com/30017/late-term-abortion-doctor-decries-tiller-killing-this-is-a-fascist-movement

How I (and Other "Pro-Life" Leaders) Contributed to Dr. Tiller's Murder

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/how-i-and-other-pro-life_b_209747.html

Paper Apologizes For Publishing 'Assassinate Obama' Ad

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/29/paper-apologizes-for-publ_n_209099.html

Cheney doth protest too much!: Have you committed treasonable acts?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 24 May 2009 13:14:38 EDT

The torture policies were not the GOP’s nor the second half of the Bush Administration, but they were Cheney’s torture policies. Congressional GOP members as well as Democratic members were briefed about torture policies after they were being implemented. Neither party argued for water boarding. The GOP must stop giving Cheney cover. His speaking tour is all about him. It is all about protecting himself from prosecution. Everything has been about him since he usurped the nomination of the vice-precedency. Keep in mind, he was asked to head the committee to select the vice president for Bush. And what every he submitted to Bush resulted in Bush selecting him as his running mate. Cheney began usurping power before he was even the nominee for vice-president. Cheney couldn’t win a national election. He had explored that possibility. So, he did the next best thing. He usurped presidential power from Bush. To be sure, Cheney is guilty of war crimes but if the nation were to look closely we would learn that his behavior probably teeters on some acts of treasons. Cheney doth protest too much!

Today, Pelosi Didn't Crack Under Enhanced Interrogation

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:08:42 EDT

The Real Hypocrite is Cheney!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 22 May 2009 10:07:09 EDT

Kemp promoted civility in political debate and governing

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:35:26 EDT

Kemp promoted civility in political debate and governing. As an athlete, he undersood fair play – Cheney doesn’t get this

Remembering Jack Kemp . . .

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 03 May 2009 16:04:19 EDT

July 13, 1935 – May 2, 2009

Jack Kemp was a good public servant. He will be sorely missed. I didn’t always agree with him, but he was an honest and sincere statesman. He loved his country and the Republican Party. But he, like Arlen Specter, saw the BIG TENT Party becoming smaller and smaller. Kemp was disappointed when the 2008 Republican frontrunners for president decided to skip a GOP debate at Morgan State University moderated by journalists of Travis Smiley and focusing on issues like race. Kemp told Smiley that he was "I'm absolutely shocked and deeply and profoundly saddened that the party of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass would not come to the 'Tavis Smiley Show." Kemp saw where skipping the debate did real damage to the GOP. While the Democratic Party gained certain advantages from the their debate at Howard University. He had been a member of the Howard University's Board of Trustees. He explained that by the Republican candidates missing the Morgan State debate it was to a large degree missing the constituents of Univision, Urban League, NAACP. He thought it was "really bad politics." He said that " I don't think it's good for our democracy, and again I think we will be punished at the polls for seemingly turning our back on such a large proportion of the American people."

Kemp ripped into the Republicans by saying "We sound like we don't want immigration; we sound like we don't want black people to vote for us." Kemp saw the shrinking of the GOP on the horizon when he said: "What are we going to do -- meet in a country club in the suburbs one day? If we're going to be competitive with people of color, we've got to ask them for their vote."

Kemp was an economic conservative. He advocated low taxes and supply-side policies, but believed that inner cities needed help, and worked toward that end. He was dedication to helping the poor. He was a real a bear on education. He was pro-life but fairly moderate in his stance. He made the point during the 1988 VP debates - "I'm not a woman, and only a woman should ultimately decide." Kemp had a deep appreciation for minority issues and was a long time supporter of civil rights. Although he changed his mind on affirmative action late in his political career, he did press on with his singular quest for equality in opportunity Jack Kemp not only knew how to reach across the aisle during his nine terms in Congress, he not only consistently promoted decency, respect and civility in political debate. He had a sharp mind and an easy wit. Jack Kemp was not a saint, he was just a good Republican. The GOP would do well to remember the thoughts, words, and deeds of Jack Kemp!

Jack Kemp Rips Fellow Republicans

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/state_of_change/237000/jack_kemp_rips_fellow_republicans

Debate No-Shows Worry GOP Leaders

Candidates Are Urged to Attend Forums Sponsored by Minorities

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/18/AR2007091801781.html

Miss California: Haven’t we been down this road with beauty queens before?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:04:35 EDT

Miss California Carrie Prejean’s position is not new, nor is the general response by many people to her position. Didn’t Anita Bryant the second runner-up in the 1959 Miss America beauty pageant launch a against homosexuality and to repeal a local ordinance in Dade County, Florida, that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation? Must we re-visit this with beauty queens sitting the tempo? It really got ugly!

Anita Bryant Pie in the Face

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS91gT3XT_A

What did Daniel Ortega actually say?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:04:49 EDT

Does anyone have a link to a transcript?

Did not the United States -backed Contra rebels- under President Regan wage an illegal war against the Sandinista regime led by Ortega?

Ortega was a member of the revolutionary junta that drove Anastasio Somoza from power in 1979. In Nicaragua, the United States put the Somoza family in and back them for years. They were dictators. Our nation did this in more than one Latin American country. Ortega was elected president in 1985. He was defeated in 1990 by Violeta Chamorro and ran unsuccessfully twice for the presidency before winning in 2006.

From 1982 on President Reagan and the hard-liner coalition found themselves in an escalating campaign against the Sandinistas in the face of continuing public and congressional criticism and resistance. As the number of contra forces grew, the army's Special Operations Division replaced the Argentinians and provided training, arms, and intelligence assistance. In April 1982, Washington increased its demands from the arms issue to an insistence that Managua follow through on earlier pledges to permit political pluralism and hold free elections as well as tolerate a mixed economy. Congressional concerns about contra raids into Nicaragua prompted the first of many attempted restrictions: an amendment in December 1982 by Representative Edward Boland that prohibited the CIA and the Defense Department from using funds to support anyone trying to overthrow the Nicaraguan government. Casey's CIA heightened public and congressional criticism with operations to blow up Nicaraguan fuel storage depots at Caribbean coastal cities in October 1983 and to mine Nicaraguan harbors with small C-4 explosives that wounded fishermen and seamen and hit Soviet and British ships. Congress responded with a second Boland Amendment in June 1984 that cut off all lethal aid to the contras but not $27 million in humanitarian assistance. Casey and the National Security Council, with Oliver North as the manager of the supply effort to the contras, proceeded to turn for the next two years to other sources of funding including the diversion of funds from the sale of arms to Iran. The ensuing Iran-Contra affair drove a number of the hard-liners out of the administration and considerably weakened and distracted Reagan in his handling of not only the Central American crisis but also direct relations with the Soviet Union.

Is it time for a New Church Committee?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:08:18 EDT

The United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities (commonly known as the Church Committee), a committee chaired by Senator Frank Church (D-ID) in 1975, led to several major reforms of the intelligence community, including the creation of the congressional intelligence committees and the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The questions the Church Committee set out to ask are more relevant today than anytime since and should be answered publicly, as they were in the 1970s.

Many basic questions regarding the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping program (arguably a program in violation of FISA) and others, for example, Department of Defense operations run through the Counterintelligence Field Activity's now-defunct TALON program, Department of Homeland Security's regional intelligence fusion centers, FBI-organized Joint Terrorism Task Forces and Field Intelligence Groups, have not been answered– and now the Torture Memos.

There is a paucity of publicly-revealed oversight of intelligence agencies and whether or not their activities have violated or chilled the rights of Americans and the Geneva Conventions.

Church Committee

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Committee

Geneva Conventions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions

Conservative Canda PM Defends Obama on Chavez

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:38:29 EDT

Have you read this:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper vigorously defended President Obama's handling of Hugo Chavez at this weekend's summit.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/20/1900010.aspx
CANADA PM DEFENDS OBAMA ON CHAVEZ

If Rick Wagoner is a scarifical lamb for the auto industry, what are the auto workers?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:21:11 EDT

Car Repair

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:18:36 EDT

No Man' Land or Common Ground

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:14:07 EDT

John Hope Franklin dies

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:12:40 EDT

Race relations champion John Hope Franklin dies

Please keep his family your prayers, and take a moment to reflect on the great contributions he has brought forth in the field of history, especially African American history. He author the seminal work From Slavery to Freedom: A History of Negro Americans.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4699034/

Edward M. Liddy, the chief executive of A.I.G.

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:35:58 EDT

The week that was in the life of Edward M. Liddy, the chief executive of A.I.G.

Geithner needs to be given a chance

Lydia from Durham, NC — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:19:42 EDT

Geithner needs to be given a chance

Published: March 19 2009 02:00 | Last updated: March 19 2009 02:00

Barack Obama has pledged unwavering confidence in his Treasury secretary. As a rule, such expressions of loyalty would signal Tim Geithner's imminent departure, but one hopes not in this case. Mr Geithner has had a far from flawless two months, but his difficulties are mainly not of his own making. If he should have to step down, it would be a serious blow to an administration which the US and the world desperately needs to succeed.

The Treasury secretary's difficulties began before he even had the job, when errors in his taxes came to light during his confirmation. He survived, but some other forgetful tax-filers were not so lucky, which served to heighten his embarrassment and diminish his authority.

He has had to cope with ambiguity over whether he or Lawrence Summers, Mr Obama's adviser on economic policy, is really in charge. Partly because of the rigours of an out-of-control confirmation process, he still lacks a team of senior officials to help him cope with a crushing workload. Paul Volcker, head of Mr Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board and former chairman of the Federal Reserve, has called that situation "shameful".

Until this week, Mr Geithner's worst moment came when he and the White House bungled the presentation of his financial stability plan last month, by leading the markets to expect a detailed proposal before he was ready to announce it. Wall Street tanked as he spoke. His newest setback is the outrage over bonuses paid to employees at AIG, the collapsed insurance group and hedge fund that is now 80 per cent owned by the US government. The Treasury and White House have both vacillated over whether these payments could be clawed back. Mr Geithner's critics are asking whether he was aware of the bonuses before they were disclosed to the public, and if not why not. There are calls for his dismissal.

No US Treasury secretary has ever taken office in more testing circumstances. Any occupant of the post would have struggled to impress under these conditions. Mr Geithner, previously head of the New York Fed, was a good appointment, and still is, because of his exceptional expertise in banking and finance, the issues which will decide whether Team Obama sinks or swims. To lose so capable a figure so soon might seriously destabilise the administration, calling into question Mr Obama's judgment.

Aside from some staff, what Mr Geithner most needs is a chance to do his job. For its own sake, the country should grant it.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/39de7d78-1426-11de-9e32-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

Talking 'bout a revolution

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:22:37 EDT

I spent this rainy afternoon in North Carolina listening to Trace Chapman. The clip below is of Chapman bursting out on the stage at the Nelson Mandela 70th Tribute Concert performing Talking ’bout a Revolution. Toward the end of apartheid in South Africa, this concert was held on June 11, 1988 at the Wembley Stadium, London. Some of the biggest stars performed songs of freedom, hope, and love in front of 72,000 people. Chapman’s Talking ’bout a Revolution is about self-reliance and human dignity. A song that mentions welfare and unemployment but is actually stressing the importance of having job– and acquiring dignity from that work. It is a song about turning a dismal circumstances into a victory for justice and humanity. It is a song of hope and salvation. A song that resonates in the events of the day.

Tracy Chapman - Talking 'bout a revolution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rZbvi6Tj6E

Bayh : Viable Solutions vs Vacuous Obstructionism

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:05:05 EDT

Even though Bayh told Obama in January that he was thinking about forming a centrist group in the Senate, it is clear that he is using the formation of this group of about 15 "centrists" senators to booster his political bona fides. He has not had a high profile in the Senate and has rarely spoken on the Senate floor. He is sieging on this moment to play politics, if not for his reelection to the Senate than for future political aspirations, -- and our newly elected North Carolina senator, Kay Hagan, is participating in this political charade. For those of us who knocked on doors, worked day and night, made phone calls and worked tirelessly to get someone with integrity and gumption elected to the Senate, we are disappointed to see Hagan take a bit part in Bayh’s political maneuvering.

Bayh does not appear to have gotten the drift that the political center of the nation has shifted. He has signaled that he has major concerns about the administration's plan to take on global warming by limiting greenhouse gases and imposing penalties on those who cannot meet the limits. Bayh's views expressed on this issue do not sound centrist; instead, they sound more like obstruction to necessary progress. Global warming is an urgent problem for our planet. The center embraces progressive workable solutions. The political center of the nation is leaning toward what will bring long term economic prosperity. The old mantra of left, right, and centrist are outdated and meaningless. The new political bifurcation is between viable solutions and vacuous obstructionism.

Bayh is using political theatrics at a time when the country has inherited the second worst economy in its history. He voted for the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act but against the Omnibus spending bill even though he had earmarks in it. His political maneuvering mirrors that of the GOP’s melodrama. He, like the GOP, claims that he is concern about the nation's "unsustainable" deficit; yet, did he nor other Republicans curtail the massive spending of the Bush administration. The GOP threw fiscal responsibility out the window. Money was spent without any clear objective expect to get someone reelected. The Obama administration is spending money to bring about economic recovery. The purpose and aim of the spending are clear. The American citizenry has expressed a wiliness to pay for it. We have learned there are no quick, easy, and cheap fixes. You get what you pay for– and economic recovery and reinvestment cannot be done on the cheap.

No one would dare suggest that Bayh nor Hagan become yes Senators. The Obama administration does not need a posse of yes senators. The Bush administration gave us that– and we see were that has landed the nation. A certain amount of creative positive tension is necessary to ensure that the nation gets policies that make the right kind of changes that will actually provide workable solutions for our nation’s problems for now and in the future. The nation has an opportunity to get things done that have been left undone since the Carter administration. So, we need to make sure that progressive viable change does happen. To be sure, this is going to be hard, if it were easy it would have already been done by previous administrations. It will require some uncomfortable votes from every politician across various political spectrums.

Hoosiers and Tar Heels are conservative in terms of the spending that they like to see and how much government they like to see, but we also realize that in these dire times the economy must be simulate and government must be effective. Simulating the economy is like priming a pump, you must use enough water to get water to flow.

Senator Kay Hagan : Senate Moderates Forming New Bloc

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:26:52 EDT

Last night, Rachel Maddow lectured a group of Blue Dog Democrats who are forming a coalition to "put the reins on spending" and other Obama initiatives. I'm adding the link to the part of her show that featured these Democrats. The coalition of these dissenters announced by Roll Call is led by Evan Bayh, Tom Carper, and Blanche Lincoln as well as our new senator Kay Hagan is among the group. It appears that this group is considering following the ideas espoused by the leadership of the GOP. I suggest that we write our senator for further clarification on purpose of this new caucus. I agree with Rachel that now is not the time to throw a monkey wrench in saving the country from an economic depression.

Rachel Maddow segment!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#29668122

A brief snippet from Roll Call:

Senate Moderates Forming New Bloc By Emily Pierce

Roll Call Staff March 12, 2009

Senate Democratic centrists believe the 111th Congress has given them the right ingredients to exercise considerable influence, but they still face an uphill battle in a chamber where such alliances typically fail. http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_101/news/33095-1.html

Please contact Senator Kay Hagan:

http://hagan.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm

Washington, D.C. Office

B40A Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

202-224-6342

Raleigh Office

310 New Bern Avenue

Raleigh, NC 27601

919-856-4630

Toll Free North Carolina

1-877-852-9462

No Telling What's in Bush's Acorn Burial Yard

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:43:27 EDT

Is President Barack Obama responsible for the stock market's decline?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 12:47:39 EST

Is President Barack Obama responsible for the stock market's decline? Although the premise of the question is faulty, please vote. This question should have never been posed. . The question carries the same message as do you still beat your wife? The question is designed to sabotage Obama’s economic and recovery efforts.

Question on economy

Not at all -- he inherited this situation

To some extent -- his policies are contributing to the problem

Quite a bit -- his policies have made things much worse

Vote here:

http://www.newsvine.com/_question/2009/03/05/2510561-is-president-barack-obama-responsible-for-the-stock-markets-decline

Limbaugh does not understand the liberal tenets embedded in the Declaration of Independence.

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:59:32 EST

Limbaugh does not understand the liberal tenets embedded in the Declaration of Independence. Laissez- faire capitalism, individual liberty and the pursuit of happiness are basic tenets of liberalism. The pursuit of happiness is a liberal concept. Jeremy Bentham, a liberal critical thinker and classical economist, put the concept into words: "The greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and legislation." In other words, whatever was best for the majority, particularly in regard to economic profit, was thought to be best for everyone. Operating under this mantra would provide equal individual opportunity. This concept is at the core of maintaining an expanding free-market which embraces continuous prosperity for the nation. John Talbott captures this sentiment in Obamanomics: How Bottom-Up Economic Prosperity Will Replace Trickle-Down Economics.

Take a watch: http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=9728&SectionName=Politics

If you want to read Jeremy Bentham see:

The Principles of Morals and Legislation

http://www.constitution.org/jb/pml.htm

The Strange Rebirth of Liberalism

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 15:50:54 EST

Will the Real Liberals Please Stand Up?

Alan Wolfe argues that the future of liberalism is bright. The goal of Wolfe's book is to stiffen liberals' spines, to define what they believe and to stop them from apologizing for the very virtues that, in his view, historically have made liberalism an overwhelming force for good. Take a read of a review of his book that appeared in the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701025.html

New jobs part of stimulus package for N.C.

Lydia from Durham, NC — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:38:30 EST

New jobs part of stimulus package for N.C.

http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1408698.html

Local universities to benefit from stimulus

Lydia from Durham, NC — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:35:43 EST

Local universities to benefit from stimulus

http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-1099230.cfm

Promises, Promises, Promises: Has Senator McCain lived up to his campaign promise of bipartisanship?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:27:51 EST

After the 2000 and 2004 general elections, I do not recalled either Vice President Gore nor Senator Kerry criticizing President Bush within two weeks after he was inaugurated. Senator McCain has not accorded President Obama the same respect. He has been all over the airwaves bashing President Obama. Senator McCain asserts that President Obama has not lived up to his campaign promise of bipartisanship, but has Senate McCain lived up to his campaign promise of bipartisanship? Has Senator McCain put forth a good faith effort of bipartisanship or has he mounted a campaign of Congressional Republican obstructionism?

SNL Mocking Republican leadership in Congress

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:00:03 EST

Have you already seen this --- SNL Mocking Republican leadership in Congress? If not, take a look:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/15/snl-republican-meeting-mo_n_167036.html

Spread the Love. . .

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:03:43 EST

Spread the love throughout the America! Happy Valentine's Day!

Spread the love throughout the America! Happy Valentine's Day!
Spread the love throughout the America! Happy Valentine's Day!

Why is the media so entrench in airing the Republican agenda?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:44:23 EST

To be such, the media has not been a friend to the Obama Administration. At first I thought it was just because the networks just wanted to keep a story going. But I see that it is much deeper. Obama presents a change to how the media should cover governance and their activist role in governing. This explains why the mainstream media gave Republicans so much air time in their criticism of the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Bill. The Bill Moyer's link gives you some in sight into why the media is so entrenched in airing the Republican agenda. The link for viewing is:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html

Today, I listen to MSNBC White House correspondent who kept referring to Obama "taking his show on the road." This characterization of Obama’s speech in Indiana made it seem like a circles act. This characterization down played the national significance of the town hall meeting. Perhaps local news played it differently. We have to remain mobilize to keep the mainstream media from embracing the same old narratives. It's going to take a lot of effort and a real grassroots efforts, or we will be stuck in the same rut without change to meet the challenges our nation confronts.

Are the Republicans being obstructionists?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:39:14 EST

Are the Republicans being obstructionists! All the economic recovery and reinvestment bill seeks to do is to put America back to work! There are no earmarks in this bill! Will the Republicans cause more job to be lost? The Republicans created this mess! This is not about reclaiming their party’s message, this is about the nation’s economic recovery! The Republicans are being selfish!The Republicans are not thinking about the common good of the nation. They are in a partisan campaign mode. Shame on them!

Denying the Benefits of the New Deal is like Denying the Holocaust Occurred

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:25:10 EST

The Republicans are misusing history to oppose Obama's Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. There are Republican voices claiming that FDR’s jobs and spending programs made the depression worst. Shame on them! They are misusing history in the same way as those who deny that the holocaust occurred. This is intellectually dishonest and a threat to who we are as a nation.

During the debate on President Obama's Economic Recovery and Reinvestment plan, it was astonishing to hear Republican Congressional leaders and other pundits argue that history has showed that massive government spending programs made the economic crises worse. For example, they repeatedly claim that the jobs and public works programs of the Roosevelt Administration lengthened the Depression rather than ameliorated its impact. This is simply poppy-cock!

Their arguments are based poor revisionist account of history stemming from one book, Roosevelt's Folly. The book has been rejected by most historians of the period as unbalanced and inaccurate. The book was published in 2004 in the midst of a conservative period. The author, Jim Powell, was a resident scholar with the conservative CATO Institute. To some extinct, Powell is right that FDR's policies did not lead to full recovery from the Depression and that only complete recovery came as a result of World War II. But that contention is not the fully story.

Powell’s argument that reliance on the free market would have produced better results than government job creation, public works and encouragement of collective bargaining is not only impossible to prove, it flies in the face of work most of those who lived during the Depression experience, particular in the rural South and the common sense understanding held by most Americans of what FDR achieved, as well as the assessment of FDR's policies offered by most scholars in American history. Then, as now, it was unregulated private markets that put Great into Depression and has been destroying our jobs and incomes for the last year and a half.

Like FDR, Obama must take what in the context of American history are very radical steps to correct a wrought economy.

To be sure, the New Deal measures didn't restore the economy to pre-1929 levels, but it put the nation on the path to recovery by allowing the people to use their tax dollars to invest in their own future. Now, as then, public works and government spending restored economic growth and ease the suffering of an increasing worried and frightened American people. The measures dramatically reduced hunger and homelessness, bring a modest revival in manufacturing, construction agriculture and retail trades, reduced unemployment by half, and made dramatic improvements in the infrastructure through the construction or roads, dams and bridges.

When the war came, the American spirit was restored and reinvigorated. Americans rose to the challenge with a vigor and a unity that amazed the world, both on the factory floor and the battlefield.

To Americans, the New Deal was hardly a legacy of failure! It was one of the finest moments in our nation’s history. We must not allow political posturing to take it away from us. We must not allow a few voices to deny that it happen!

Seeing how the Reblicans led us into this . . .

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 14:54:09 EST

HARD TIMES . . .

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 14:51:21 EST

Being President, means you must be able to say you are mistake sometimes . . .

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 14:35:31 EST

Problem of the Week . . .

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 14:31:24 EST

Impeach Obama Store

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:36:20 EST

I'm having difficulty with wrapping my mind around the Impeach Obama Store. President Obama has not been in office for two weeks and there is a drive to impeach him. This is beyond the pale! I can understand the anti-liberal thrust of the cite, and even the anti-Obama agitation-- but impeachment is much stronger. This is a constitional matter. How has President Obama violated his oath? The stated goal of the cite is the impeachment of a president that has not yet served for a month. What's up!

http://impeachobamastore.us/main.sc;jsessionid=F88D7938353793D6D0A4BC7596ED8E81.qscstrfrnt02?gclid=CJGqu4jHvpgCFQpuGgodt3lLZQ

Great Expectations!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:34:18 EST

Do-Overs!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:32:16 EST

Are we making Obama into a super hero? If so, why?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:25:04 EST

Bush's Mess

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:21:39 EST

Is the Extreme Right in Decline?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:19:54 EST

How should Senators be replaced?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:15:02 EST

Bipartisan Boat !

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:14:31 EST

Pinch Me!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:11:05 EST

Sunset of W and Cheney

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:09:03 EST

Whta will Bush really be thinking as Obama takes the oath of office?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:04:40 EST

Economy: Consumer Demand!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:13:46 EST

A burning torch is being passed to Obama!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:11:35 EST

True Buyer's Remorse!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:09:43 EST

Cheney Doesn't Get It!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:08:18 EST

On the Inauguration

Phillip Schloss — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:53:25 EST

It's wonderfully amazing that NC and IN placed in O's category. Raised in Indiana, living in North Carolina, I can understand the great significance of the people's will to take back a government that has been usurped by the forces of greed and vengeance. The election means that our President must be courageous in pursuing his vision. The election was not won by pandering to the loud voices of centrists shouting down the spark of original viewpoint that Obama brings to the office. Now that the election is won, we ask President Obama to carefully consider what brought him to this great precipice and pray for the courage to pursue his vision to the end. Man the political animal constructs networks of support. Man the visionary and warrior destroys that which stands in his way and uses his currency wisely to help those for whom he has toiled his whole life. . . the strong community from the South Side of Chicago . . . . . the 9-11 New Yorkers who have seen the coin of suffering for which their tears paid squandered in a stupid war that elevated a man who was at best a footnote in history to a great enemy of the United States. . . . . the victims of Katrina and the victims of the great swindle of the Bush market crash of 08 This election has all of us all the opportunity to stand up nd be counted . . . to stand up strong and offer our friendship to those who lost the election but need a great president just as badly as all of us . . . the election offers us the opportunity to to join arms and face the uncertain future together, for now no American need live or die alone.

Burris helped to turn this senatorial appointment into a "Negro Mess"

Lydia from Durham, NC — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:45:13 EST

Burris helped to bring this on media circus. A meeting with Harry Reid is already scheduled. This is all about Burris. He is a legend in his own mind. It is about what he wants and what he thinks he deserves. Not what is about what about what is best for the nation and the incoming Obama administration. He inserted himself into the a fire storm. He makes all of this look like a "Negro mess." Al Franklin didn't show up. Having just any black person in the senate is not good enough. It is just like having any black on the Supreme Court-- such as Clarence Thomas. Burris didn't have to play in this game. An honorable and virtuous person would have said thanks but no thanks to the governors offer. Burris is truly "an Old Negro in an New Negro era ." New Negro era does not simply refer to young black people, but refers to black people with a certain point of view. As historian Carter G. Woodson put it there were young blacks with an "Old Negro point of view, and Older Negroes with the New Negro point of view." It is a mind set that Burris lacks.

Please Join Us On Facebook

Lincoln Park — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 22:21:32 EST

Please join us on Facebook. Organize to support the change we worked so hard for.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=715935983&ref=profile#/group.php?gid=59770065870&ref=mf

Happy New Year!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:59:06 EST

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Roland Burris: "Old Negro" in the era of the "New Negro" movement

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:08:44 EST

The more I learn about Roland Burris, regrettably, I have come to an understanding that his acceptance of the senatorial appointment is self serving. It is not for the good of the people of the state of Illinois. He saw it as his one opportunity to become senator. He has allowed himself to be used to further the political edge of the governor. He was not the best person for the job. He was selected for his race. He allowed the race card to be played. He is a marginal politician with an undistinguished record. He is leaving the seat wide open for the next general election. He is playing party politics that will cause the party to lose in the end. In a historical context, he represents the "old Negro" in the era of the "new Negro" movement. Burris will be remember in the annals of Black History for his Uncle Tomish behavior in the waning years of his political career on the eve of Obama's Inauguration. Black people in Illinois need to call Burris out! They should not allow their race to be used for Blagojevich’s political ends!

Roland Burris is the stark opposite of Obama. Take a read:

Roland Burris's Monument to Me

http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/1208/Roland_Burriss_Monument_to_Me.html?showall

Happy Hoildays!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:21:32 EST

Happy Holidays!

Family Feud: Cuomo vs Kennedy

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:36:21 EST

In the main, the Caroline Kennedy’s appointment to the US Senate is an extension of the family feud between the Kennedy and Cuomo families, but there are a few other embedded future political concerns in this drama. He was a Clinton supporter, but what is driving this is the lingering discontent about the break-up of his marriage. This is not really about repudiating political nepotism in favor of populism. If this were the case, it would serve as a dis-qualifier for Andrew Cuomo who certainty received certain advantages because of his family name. To be sure, his family has a significant advantage in New York. He has really been working the New York press but the Kennedy name carries greater weight throughout the nation.

This Kennedy/Cuomo family feud is also about maintaining the path for Andrew Cuomo’s political viability. Cuomo’s political future is looking dim. Since it doesn’t look as though he is going to get the US Senate seat, nor has he gotten anything out of the Obama transition team, he is laying the groundwork to run against Patterson. Patterson has been in the trenches of New York politics. He is the first black governor of the state. Cuomo was accused of some mixed racial comments during the electoral campaign. He has to separate himself from the Patterson on clearly non racial issue.

Cuomo has taken a strategic political risk. By attacking Caroline Kennedy, he has made Obama an ally of Patterson. Obama has not exerted any revenge against anyone in or out of the Democratic party who did not support him. But this Senate appointment not is not merely about him, it is about Caroline Kennedy. It is about a friend. Obama does not like drama.

Cuomo has open the path for New York Republicans to chime in on Caroline Kennedy’s appointment. They are making a preemptive strike, because once she is in she will be hard as hell to defeat.

The Clintons have been relatively low keyed about Caroline Kennedy’s appointment not merely because Ted Kennedy threw his support behind Obama– but if Caroline proves to be an extremely effective US Senator, she could be the first female president of the United States – and not Hillary.

What is most unsettling to her critics is that nobody really knows the stuff that Caroline Kennedy is made of because she has been a private person– but this is also to her advantage. Her critics have pushed a narrative of low expectations and political naivety. If she becomes the US Senator, they do not really know how she is going to define herself. A family legacy of hard work and political greatness is on her side. The unknown, like change, is frightening to many people.

We do know that she grew up without a father because he was slain as President of the United States. We do know that she has lived in the shadow of politics her entire life. We can rest assure that she carries all this kind of stuff with her. Caroline Kennedy’s life story maybe more compelling than the average American realizes.

Plain Truth . . .

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:20:17 EST

Financial Aid : College Students

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:15:22 EST

Senate Seat vs Governor's Seat

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:13:37 EST

Going! Going! Gone!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:11:24 EST

Pay to Play

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:59:59 EST

How many shoes are enough, but he gets it?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:57:53 EST

Palin: Leader of the GOP

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:33:46 EST

Too many people in this hoilday line!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:31:11 EST

I'm not surprised, he's not a radical!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:29:35 EST

Dear John Letter. . .

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:26:55 EST

Keeping North Carolina Blue

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:06:50 EST

Winning in a new South

http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columns/story/1298984.html

Who won North Carolina?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:04:07 EST

Farinella led Obama's uphill N.C. win

http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1297721.html

North Carolin take on Michelle's fashion

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:00:21 EST

Michelle Obama embraces fashion

http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/1297749.html

Obama's Presidential Seal

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:39:40 EST

Equality 2008

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:35:01 EST

What Sarah has to send back to the RNC

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:26:06 EST

Obama's White House Meeting

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:23:11 EST

Can a lame duck be ignored?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:16:06 EST

Why Palin Still Matters?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:48:30 EST

Palin still matters because "46 percent of Americans voted for the possibility of this blank slate" becoming "president because she somehow echoed their own sense of religious or cultural ‘identity’. Until we figure out how this happened, we will not be able to prevent it from happening again."

Take a read:

Why Palin Still Matters?

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/11/why-palin-still.html#more

Who Won!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 04:03:01 EST

http://www.hopewon.com

Can he walk in W's shoes?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:56:39 EST

We're back: Clinton Staffers

Lydia from Durham, NC — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:04:06 EST

The Obama Agenda

The ArchDruid — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:34:59 EST

Op-Ed Columnist The Obama Agenda By PAUL KRUGMAN Published: November 7, 2008

Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, is a date that will live in fame (the opposite of infamy) forever. If the election of our first African-American president didn’t stir you, if it didn’t leave you teary-eyed and proud of your country, there’s something wrong with you.

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

But will the election also mark a turning point in the actual substance of policy? Can Barack Obama really usher in a new era of progressive policies? Yes, he can.

Right now, many commentators are urging Mr. Obama to think small. Some make the case on political grounds: America, they say, is still a conservative country, and voters will punish Democrats if they move to the left. Others say that the financial and economic crisis leaves no room for action on, say, health care reform.

Let’s hope that Mr. Obama has the good sense to ignore this advice.

About the political argument: Anyone who doubts that we’ve had a major political realignment should look at what’s happened to Congress. After the 2004 election, there were many declarations that we’d entered a long-term, perhaps permanent era of Republican dominance. Since then, Democrats have won back-to-back victories, picking up at least 12 Senate seats and more than 50 House seats. They now have bigger majorities in both houses than the G.O.P. ever achieved in its 12-year reign.

Bear in mind, also, that this year’s presidential election was a clear referendum on political philosophies — and the progressive philosophy won.

Maybe the best way to highlight the importance of that fact is to contrast this year’s campaign with what happened four years ago. In 2004, President Bush concealed his real agenda. He basically ran as the nation’s defender against gay married terrorists, leaving even his supporters nonplussed when he announced, soon after the election was over, that his first priority was Social Security privatization. That wasn’t what people thought they had been voting for, and the privatization campaign quickly devolved from juggernaut to farce.

This year, however, Mr. Obama ran on a platform of guaranteed health care and tax breaks for the middle class, paid for with higher taxes on the affluent. John McCain denounced his opponent as a socialist and a “redistributor,” but America voted for him anyway. That’s a real mandate.

What about the argument that the economic crisis will make a progressive agenda unaffordable?

Well, there’s no question that fighting the crisis will cost a lot of money. Rescuing the financial system will probably require large outlays beyond the funds already disbursed. And on top of that, we badly need a program of increased government spending to support output and employment. Could next year’s federal budget deficit reach $1 trillion? Yes.

But standard textbook economics says that it’s O.K., in fact appropriate, to run temporary deficits in the face of a depressed economy. Meanwhile, one or two years of red ink, while it would add modestly to future federal interest expenses, shouldn’t stand in the way of a health care plan that, even if quickly enacted into law, probably wouldn’t take effect until 2011.

Beyond that, the response to the economic crisis is, in itself, a chance to advance the progressive agenda.

Now, the Obama administration shouldn’t emulate the Bush administration’s habit of turning anything and everything into an argument for its preferred policies. (Recession? The economy needs help — let’s cut taxes on rich people! Recovery? Tax cuts for rich people work — let’s do some more!)

But it would be fair for the new administration to point out how conservative ideology, the belief that greed is always good, helped create this crisis. What F.D.R. said in his second inaugural address — “We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics” — has never rung truer.

And right now happens to be one of those times when the converse is also true, and good morals are good economics. Helping the neediest in a time of crisis, through expanded health and unemployment benefits, is the morally right thing to do; it’s also a far more effective form of economic stimulus than cutting the capital gains tax. Providing aid to beleaguered state and local governments, so that they can sustain essential public services, is important for those who depend on those services; it’s also a way to avoid job losses and limit the depth of the economy’s slump.

So a serious progressive agenda — call it a new New Deal — isn’t just economically possible, it’s exactly what the economy needs.

The bottom line, then, is that Barack Obama shouldn’t listen to the people trying to scare him into being a do-nothing president. He has the political mandate; he has good economics on his side. You might say that the only thing he has to fear is fear itself.

Evolution of a failed presidency

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:34:22 EST

The Wait Was Worth It!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:29:19 EST