Crossposted at the PeoplesView
BooMan has an article titled Know Your Enemies, a required read for all, piggybacking on an article by Robert Reich, about why the President "doesn't need liberals nipping at his heels over shit he can't control" and what we must do to untangle the web of deceits that gets a free pass.
Here we go again. Robert Reich is making good points again, but also misfiring. This is a problem with blame assignment. Before I even look at Reich's argument, let me clear one thing up from the start. How can the federal government create jobs? It can put more money in people's pockets so that they'll spend it on stuff and increase demand. It can give out contracts for people to do work. It can create tax incentives for companies to buy equipment or hire more workers this year rather than next. That's about it. And what do all those things have in common?
They cost money. They lower revenues. They increase our debt and deficit, at least in the short term.
BooMan cuts through the chase and pretty much gets to the bottom of the real problem.
REPUBLICANS.
The GOP does not want to do any heavy lifting of the work to get any of the things that could help the American People. They are obstructionists unless you are the top 1% of the wealthiest American. What is not more important to note is this is not something new to all of us. We have known what the problem is or has been. BooMan sites that President Obama indeed knows "how to use the federal government to stimulate the economy" but he has been restricted to use the tools available to him because of the Republicans.
That's the problem. It's not a problem that the president created. It's a problem created by a Republican majority in the House of Representatives. It's a problem exacerbated by the 60-vote rule in the Senate. The problem is that the Republicans are crazy, ruthlessly partisan, and too powerful in our system right now for anyone to overcome their effective veto power.
So, Reich's correct that nothing can be done to improve the economy, but he's wrong to attack the president over it, because you can replace the president with Howard Dean, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Joe Biden, John Kerry, Al Gore, or Bernie Sanders and it isn't going to make a lick of difference. The problem is the Republicans. And, no, it isn't because the public is deluded into thinking the Republicans are right about anything. The problem is that they were deluded about that last November. The public didn't appreciate the Ryan Plan. And they didn't appreciate the hostage situation over the debt ceiling. But we're stuck with these assholes. The solution is to get rid of the assholes. That doesn't get easier when smart liberals like Robert Reich spend equal time undermining faith in the president and taking it to the real culprits.
Go read the full article here and give BooMan some love.
Now, the question is what are you going to do about getting rid of the assholes.
Tonight there is going to be a house meetings that will take place across the country. If we want to get rid of the assholes, this is an opportunity for all of us to get involved and organize. Our country is held hostage and things will indeed get worse if we let it. So, I hope you will start mopping the floor all over again starting tonight. I don't have to say much about the alternative. Because, you know it.
Let's go to work.
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Courtesy of BWD's website, I noticed this picture that basically speaks volume about how fractured our politics is and the disappointing congratulations on the debt ceiling deal between the two most hardworking President and Vice President of the United States.