Obama surrenders (over and over and over again)
I didn’t want to post today until a deal had been cut, but the more I read, the more I was hoping a deal wouldn’t get cut. Frankly, I’ve lost track of how many times Obama surrendered, then waited for the new demands so he could surrender again. But finally, despite all odds and not without a little begging, Obama got the Republicans to accept his surrender (on their terms, natch), and so we’re fucked. Not just fucked, but apparently Obama couldn’t even get them to use some lube. Frankly, I’m not sure he even remembered to ask if that was an option.
I haven’t been liking what Matt Yglesias has been writing lately, but I do like this comment he just made:
Suppose Barack Obama and Joe Biden walk into the negotiating room and simply offer to resign. Bam. Let’s all play Hail To The Chief for President John Boehner. What are his odds of re-election?
I think that’s a brilliant idea, and maybe some of our first tier bloggers could be bothered to set up some online petitions calling on both Obama and Biden to resign. The Republicans have made their point and they’ve made it clearly: do everything they command, or they’ll shut the country down.
And we’d better smile while they’re doing us because Colorado Republicans just proved they’ve chased all the sane conservatives out of the party by overwhelmingly picking Herman Cain in a straw poll. Yes, they hate America so much they’d elect Herman Cain just to stick it to liberals.
Not since the Civil War has one group of Americans hated America so much, but that’s not surprising because these are the great-grandchildren of the slave-owning peckerwoods who brought us the Civil War.
Raul Grivalja is furious, and the Progressive Caucus may yet having something to say about Obama’s surrender-then-negotiate bargaining skills. [more] The tweets are even less kind. [Black Caucus to join Progressives in fighting this obamanation] [buyer's remorse (include me in)]
David Neiwert thinks debt had nothing to do with it: this is all about impeaching Obama (not if we can primary the bastard first!)
Digby on the Tea party contribution
Ian Welsh says the Tea party is just a front
Even before Obama’s surrender was accepted, Greg Sargent was posting about the size of the Republican victory (immense, although I still have trouble accepting the destruction of our economic system as a win for anyone, even the oligarchs)
I’m not sure, but I think Grover Norquist just said that the Republicans are like teenage girl with their first orchid
Masaccio on the death of Keynesian economics and the resurrection of supply side idiocracy
Steve Benen on the politics of extortion
Naked Capitalism says Adam Smith would have no clue what’s going on
A crude but sincere Obama poster
And, for my money, here’s the soundtrack for what just happened
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Other shit:
A tiny ray of hope from Alaska where a judge just denied bail to friend of Sarah’s (the right will scream, but when you take up arms against your government, it’s hard to see why bail would be justified)
The new big thing? giving up on public schools and buying tutors for your kids (don’t have money for tutors? well then, fuck your kids since you didn’t care enough to pile up wealth while it was there for the amassing)
Scott Walker living down to our expectations
How do you know if a state’s Secretary of State is a liar? Wait to see if they claim there’s illegal voting going on [more]
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After only six years in prison, Mike Hanson may finally be cleared of having killed his daughter. [more] The actual facts of the case make him sound very loving and caring, which must have made the trial a living hell for Hansen to go through. Again, we absolutely have to pass laws making prosecutors criminally liable for pushing bullshit cases solely to advance their political careers.
And, once Hansen’s been freed, maybe the folks behind the Femicide Report will remove his daughter from their carnographic list of child victims. Sorry, I’m sure the list is compiled by well-meaning activists, but there’s more than a whiff of Nancy Grace to many of the folks who think criminals get off too lightly in this country.
I found their list while trying to find the name of the prosecutor who stuck it to Hansen, but that information is proving elusive. If you understand how to find this kind of information, please let me know who the prosecutor was because they’re not the prosecutor now and that suggests they won higher political office, or a judgeship.
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I agree with Jane Hamsher most of the time, but today she totally jumped the rails and massively failed to get Bernie Sanders’ point. Primarying Obama isn’t about Bernie’s huge ego wanting him to be president. Eugene McCarthy never got elected president but thanks to Clean Gene, LBJ had to step down.
Obama needs to step down, but if no one primaries him, he won’t. Not sure where Hamsher’s coming from, but I’ve had more than enough of Mr. Obama. Let Bernie embarrass him, and then let’s see what happens.
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Etc.:
Ry Cooder on banksters [video]
A chart to better illustrate the point of a new study that proves that “pirates” are in fact the labels’ very best customers
Maher on the Bachmanns [video]
Timothy Urbanski is absolutely the dumbest child porn perv ever
Mark your calendars: this year’s Fighting Bobfest will be September 17
The Minnesota Lynx: way better than you thought a pro team from MN could be
Indy bookstores surviving . . . by serving wine? (I commented elsewhere that if bookstores want to survive, they need to provide refuge like libraries used to before they became free internet access centers)
I agree with you about Jane Hamsher. She seems to want to be leading something herself but without like leading something. She’s at the point where she either has to offer herself as a candidate for something and assume actual leadership or shut up.
Thanks for the link to Fighting Bobfest. I actually may go this year.
Agreed! We need to primary Obama. This debt limit debacle was the last straw, abso-tively too much! Even the lamest negotiator should know letting the “Pugs shut down the government is far better than a raw deal. President SurrenderMonkey is officially in competition with Bush 43 as the Worst President Ever!
I suggested at FDL that Jane Hamsher primary Obama. Apparently she doesn’t want to do it now. There’s time. Maybe she’ll change her mind. I love that you use that word “abso-tively”! A neologism!
(from a NYTimes article this morning, also quoted by Greenwald):
Mark Mellman, a Democratic pollster, said polling data showed that at this point in his term, Mr. Obama, compared with past Democratic presidents, was doing as well or better with Democratic voters. “Whatever qualms or questions they may have about this policy or that policy, at the end of the day the one thing they’re absolutely certain of — they’re going to hate these Republican candidates,” Mr. Mellman said. “So I’m not honestly all that worried about a solid or enthusiastic base.”
Correction, Mr. Mellman: I hate the Republican candidates, PLUS I hate Obama as a candidate. I passed that milestone about a year into his presidency.
It has amazed me how many commenters at various blogs today have excoriated people like me for being whiners and quitters. For not supporting Obama when he’s had to deal with such a bad hand and such obstructionist, evil Blue Meanies.
It’s the whole Poor Al Gore Getting Beat Up By Mean Mr. Nader argument all over again. “Can’t you just support Our Guy, no matter how much of a mess he is?”
Why? Because the Gores and Obamas are not worth supporting, that’s why. I’m done with that now. Al Gore should’ve won his own damned state of Tennesse and we would never have had Bush. Al Gore should’ve contested the entire state of Florida promptly and vigorously rather than mucking around for 36 days and “trusting the system to hear him” for 36 days until the bought-and-paid for Supreme Court couped him out of what was his (and ours).
Similarly, I won’t go through how awful Obama has proved to be.
And no, I won’t support these lame-o candidates that the Democrats keep throwing up every four years, guys who can’t stand up on their hind legs and retail the progressive politics that the country wants and needs, and would vote for decisively, if there was ever a standard bearer to do it properly. Bring on the Naders, the Kuciniches, the Sanders, the Wellstones (oh, right) … y’know, politicians who have the right analysis and the stones to push it forward in the debate.
Going to sleep now with the window open. McCartney’s closing out a three-hour set at Wrigley Field with Live and Let Die. Guy’s almost 70 and he’s been on the stage for three hours banging out the hits. We need somebody with that energy in the White House :-).
Sir Paul would never had capitulated. Neither would have Nader.
Seems spoiling is not voting for the other other guy . . . it’s the smell that this entire “agreement” has about it. What did Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, call it . . . “a sugar-coated Satan sandwich.”
“couldn’t even get them to use some lube”
Same old story…they blame lube for their lack of sensitivity and feel it interferes with their enjoyment.
We need to find a better love or get used to living on our own.
Any word on where our Minnesota Senators were/are on this betrayal?
Franken and Klobuchar voted for the Reid bill.
Traitors!