Tuesday, August 02, 2011

A big win for the plutocrats

Guess who gets screwed in this meeting!  (Hint:  It's not anyone seated at the table.)

Every day, I find fewer and fewer reasons to support President Obama.  The ugly negotiation over lifting the Federal debt ceiling just about ices the cake.

The "deal" that they worked out (Harry Reid, John Boehner, Steny Hoyer, Mitch McConnell, Joe Biden, and the President, himself) involves $2.4 trillion (trillion!) in cuts to Federal spending and not a single red penny in raised revenues.  Nothing will be required of the corporate robber barons and the über-rich.  Nothing will be required of General Electric, which made billions in profits last year and paid nothing in Federal income tax.  Nothing will be asked of mega-polluters ExxonMobil and British Petroleum, which continue to "earn" record profits while, at the same time, receiving Federal subsidies.

Looks like this is as far as we're likely to get.

Everything will be required of the poor and middle class.  Less money for national parks, schools and infrastructure.  Less money for public health.   

You'd think that this kind of regressive policy would have the Tea Party patriots kicking up their heels with joy.  But if you thought that, you'd be wrong.  Tea Party folks are too stupid to recognize a victory when they see one.  (They're even more stupid imagining that this policy serves their interests.)  Their puffed-up outrage provided the justification for political leaders (and, yes, that includes the Obama administration) to do what they wanted to do, but couldn't justify without the Tea Party.  That is, to continue to fill the coffers of the plutocrats and scrimp on providing services to the general citizenry.  And yet, heady with their false sense of empowerment, Tea Partiers rage that the deal doesn't go far enough. 

For liberals and progressives, for people like me, this situation is horrendous.  Unlike in the Bush years, when we had no ambivalence, when we could focus our antipathy and contempt on villains like Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Junior, we are now stuck behind a president that, for all his mealy-mouthed passivity, is still the only alternative to insane nihilists deep in the grips of Ragnarok anticipation.

The Democrats have been calling me relentlessly over the past several months, asking for my time and my money.  I've been turning them down flat.  They usually don't ask me why, but I tell them anyway.  Yes, I will probably vote for President Obama.  But I won't do so with any enthusiasm.  And I won't be donating my time or money any more.

F*ck it, Mr. President.  Let the Tea Party burn the place down, if that's what you want.  To the extent that you give a sh*t, I object.

4 comments:

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Jcarnini said...

Right on Dade, so sad so sad.  It is a sad day but not a surprising one.  Here I go again my friend John Trudell always says "remember the last thing out of Pandora's box was Hope"  It is an interesting way to spend your time your days and your life hoping that this time things will be different  I have to say with great sadness that I did not vote in the last election.  You know the old saying if you don't vote you can't complain.  So I try not to, however I haven't given up completely I am still looking for a feeling to replace hope. 
Right now reality is looking grim.  Good bad or indifferent they have already broken the treaties they had with homeowners and pension plans holders the middle class for sure the poor weren't even on the radar.  So i think it will be an interesting next ten years.  The truth is the folks who run this country have never kept "1" treaty they had with the Indians.  I hope the middle class understands they are the next "indian" in this countryGood to see you and Maty last week-end.  I was told you were taking a time out from politics for the summer so not to bring them up.  Happy to see that didn't last long.
Love and Light, J

Anonymous said...

What a surprise! You can't believe that cuts are being made to the, out of control, federal spending orgy. Did you notice that the US credit rating has been downgraded for the first time in history? Did you notice that the national debt exceeds annual GDP? Perhaps, you noticed that the Obam admin. is racking up a $4.2 billion deficit EVERY day. Bush admin. average increase was $1.6 billion a day, also UNACCEPTABLE. Did you notice that federal spending has increased %29 since Obama took office, or has DOUBLED in the last decade?

I'm not a member of tea party. Yet, they are correct that spending MUST be reduced drastically. I would also propose that loopholes in the tax code be eliminated along with corporate welfare.

The problem is Obama is an absolute, abject FAILURE. The man has been in over his head since day one. Even the on the job training has not benefited the imbecile. His nearly $1trillion stimulus a failure. His socialist nationalization of GM and Chysler a boon to the unions a bust for the taxpayers. At least his car czar admitted "I did it all for the unions". Yeah, we know mister czar.
Only a fool would complain he hasn't been liberal enough. Only a fool would have voted for Obama in the first place. Glad to hear your sitting this election out. I will be doing every thing in my power to remove Obama. Our nations future depends on it. The battle cry is "ANYONE BUT OBAMA!"

Also kudos to the democrats for enabling the insane David Wu! Once again what unites you and your democrat buddies? No shame, no class and no honor.

PS. I change my IP address more than I change my socks. Nice try though ;)