Wednesday, July 07, 2010

In the immortal words of Jean Paul Sartre, 'Au revoir, gopher'.

I left the democratic party today and registered in the Oregon Progessive Party.  I encourage anyone in the state to also join the OPP.  They need to get only about 600 more members by August to maintain their minor party status to appear on ballots.

It probably isn't a surprise to anyone that my frustration with Obama and the democrats have reached this level but what REALLY pushed me over the top is the plethora of douchebags telling the liberals in the democratic party to sit down, shut up and quit our bitching.

After 8 years of having to listen to that crap while the republicans were in charge when we rightly complained about everything from the loss of civil liberties to the economy to the war in Iraq I have ZERO patience to hear that same bullshit coming from my "friends."

Progressives/ liberals have been right time after time and yet we're still expected to sit quietly at the back of the bus.  Not gonna happen anymore.

The only thing I'm looking forward to these next few years in terms of politics will be listening to these democratic moderates wail as the republicans they claim we should be working with to forge some sort of grand compromise for the country fabricate a reason to impeach president Obama and move on same.

Namaste.

Dean

Thursday, March 18, 2010

I must be crazy to be in a loony bin like this.

Even the Great Orange Satan of the Daily Kos has pretty much made it a standard to piss on liberals because we have the audicity to insist that health care reform actually include HEALTH CARE REFORM. 

The problem with this country right now is that the establishment - Democrats, Republicans and the media - will only allow right-wing solutions to problems which in large part stem from ight-wing policy to begin with.

A bird that tries to fly with one injured wing will fly in circles at best.  At worst it will hit the ground.  Hard.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Rome is the mob.



We picked up cable when we dropped DSL because my wife works at home and DSL was simply not fast enough for her nees. One of the things that came with our hundreds of new channels was a few months free of the Starz movie channels.

I'm REALLY digging their new series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand." It's a mix of golden era sword and sandal pictures, NC 17 cable shows like "Deadwood," cheesy guilty pleasure broadcast shows such as "Hercules" or "Xena"and modern movies like "300" with it's comic book vibe.

It's cheesy, over the top and sometimes really, really stupid. But the actors all look like they're having a good time, the action scenes are crackerjack and it's got a light vibe to it despite all the sex, violence and melodrama.

Two Wormer thumbs up!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

What's the matter with you? I think your brain is going soft with all that comedy you are playing with that young girl.

I made the mistake of tuning in to the news just long enough last night to hear that the Massachusetts results are the result of Obama coddling his base and "overreaching."

The narrative from the DLC/ Blue Dog wing of the party is that because liberals refused to compromise the democrats lost their 60 supermajority. A supermajority, I might add, that was clear to anyone paying attention months ago that we didn't really have.

Judging by the comments of "progressive" bloggers like Josh Marshall and Ezra Klein much of Brown's election falls squarely on the shoulders of liberals who continue to make "the perfect the enemy of the good.

I don't pretend to speak for all liberals, but here's how I see the breakdown on some of the major issues confronting the country and why it becomes clear that many, many of us have become completely disillusioned with the democratic party.

HEALTH CARE
OPTIMUM POSITION: Single payer health insurance provided to all legal citizens financed through higher taxes on the wealthy, drug importation allowed.
COMPROMISE POSITION: Government provided national public option coupled with insurance company regulation that would broaden coverage and drive down prices to those in private insurance plans.
LOW-BAR: Medicare expansion coupled with new insurance company regulation.

IRAQ
OPTIMUM POSITION: Immediate withdrawal of all but a handful of token troops, close most permanent bases.
COMPROMISE POSITION: Lengthy (several years) withdrawal of all but a handful of token troops, close most permanent bases.
LOW-BAR: Token withdrawal of troops leaving tens of thousands of soldiers in Iraq and no base closures.

BANKING/ FINANCE
OPTIMUM POSITION: Glass Steagall reinstituted, Banking and Lending institutions separated again, assets of major financial institutions seized and nationalized, executives and decision makes shown the door or prosecuted.
COMPROMISE POSITION: Some re-regulation of finance including controls on executive compensation.
LOW-BAR: Executives called before congress to have their hands slapped every few months but pretty much get to continue on unabated with ruining the economy.

GAY RIGHTS
OPTIMUM POSITION: Repeal of DOMA and DADT. Major speech towards gay rights and push to nationalize gay marriage.
COMPROMISE POSITION: Repeal of DADT.
LOW-BAR: Lip service to gay rights issues.

ECONOMY
OPTIMUM POSITION: Major federalized jobs program with investment in future industry such as green jobs and rebuilding infrastructure. Major and immediate credit card regulation. Mortgage and bankruptcy relief.
COMPROMISE POSITION: Stimulus package build around appeasing concerns of faux deficit hawks rather that what's needed. Token credit card regulation.
LOW-BAR: Weak stimulus package and focus on re-inflating housing bubble rather than addressing core problems with economy.

On almost every issue Obama and the democrats have been weak, spineless corporate suck-ups that weren't even to meet the compromised low-bar for most of the members of the democratic party. As absurd as that is when you put it in the context of 30+ years of proven failure of conservative economic policies, coupled with a clear electoral mandate then Obama's failure to make progress on much of anything important is almost surreal in it's breadth.

Look; if this was a corporation and we were shareholders we could sue the leadership of the democratic party for malpractice. They'

Friday, January 08, 2010

I thought maybe you and I could go dancing or something.

Happy birthday to Elvis Presley. Every time I put a bullet in my television or head off to DC to convince the president to make me a DEA Agent I think of you.