William Rivers I'm certain isn't the only person feeling despair these days when viewing the actions of both parties that seem willing to utilize their manufactured crisis to put our social safety net on the table. However, his expression of despair deserves a bit of attention for at least his eloquence. There is also that it is apparent why Bloomberg would choose to eviscerate Boehner. Obama had a deal that Wall Street could love, the Republicans could love, if they would put away their "bipartisanship", and the working class should hate. William Rivers knows this...do you?
Well…wait. I saw a president in a state of high piss-off because he tried to give away Social Security and Medicare, but couldn’t convince the far right to take the proffered opportunity. They’ve been trying to do this very thing for three generations, and here is Obama practically sweating bullets in his desire to give them the victory they have pined for since Goldwater was in short pants. Sure, it’s proof that Boehner is at the mercy of the Tea Party freshmen in his caucus, but in which universe is this called victory? This Democratic president was angry because he was being denied the opportunity to preside over an historic roll-back of the New Deal?
Wall Street is like, kicking Boehner because a sitting Democratic President was offering a plan that every CEO should love: token revenue, cuts to entitlements, and massive deficit cuts. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was offering plans no new revenue and massive cuts, but at least, as of this date, he had taken entitlements off the table.
As for Bloomberg, you mean, this Bloomberg?
In national polls, majorities of Americans routinely say they want to see the national debt reduced, their taxes lowered, and their entitlement programs protected or strengthened -- contradictory goals.
The ending of Bush tax cuts for the wealthy would at least start us on the road to financial recovery, but Bloomberg conveniently leaves that tidbit out of that article.
In the meantime, the whole jobs thing is virtually ignored while unemployment continues to creep up to massive levels. We're being forced fed austerity during a manufactured "crisis", and we sure as hell don't have to say that it tastes good.
Now if democrats, at least those party members who are still wedded to the base principles that made the party great, such as the New Deal and a social safety net for all Americans (that's what created the big tent), would stop flinching every time Congressional members try to outflank each other for favored position to lick the boots of the oligarchy, you might get busy with reminding party leaders of your ideals, and what you're willing to do to defend them.