Progressive Dems Co-chairs: vote uncommitted at caucus to support progressive values

by: Andrea Merida

Mon Mar 05, 2012 at 17:56:00 PM MST

Many Democrats are disappointed with the Obama administration's failure to consistently defend Americans against the destructionist tactics of the extreme right-wing over the last three years. While we acknowledge the many gains that have taken place in spite of the most obstructionist Congress in history, we still have a long way to go. While we strongly support the re-election of the President, we will not allow the issues most important to most Americans to be relegated to the back of the of the Democratic Party bus.

Too often we've seen the administration's leadership falter, beginning with the first moments of the President's term, when he named an anti-progressive chief of staff to lead his agenda. We shed no tears that Rahm Emanuel has gone, but too many of those strong-arm and financially motivated issues continue to linger.

Richard Cebull: Top Federal Judge in Montana sends anti-Obama, Racist e-mail

by: Zappatero

Thu Mar 01, 2012 at 09:24:02 AM MST

Republican Richard Cebull, Montana's chief federal judge and Bush appointee, sent an anti-President Obama, racist email that was obtained by the Great Falls Tribune. It reads:

"Normally I don't send or forward a lot of these, but even by my standards, it was a bit touching. I want all of my friends to feel what I felt when I read this. Hope it touches your heart like it did mine."

"A little boy said to his mother; 'Mommy, how come I'm black and you're white?' His mother replied, 'Don't even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you're lucky you don't bark!'"

Cebull forwarded the offensive email from his official court account to six "old buddies," who then forwarded to others.

"Heckuva Job" Brownie: "We are NOT in this together"

by: Zappatero

Wed Feb 29, 2012 at 09:58:27 AM MST

In it, he reflected on the state of the auto industry and the trials and tribulations they've been through recently. He looked at Republicans' desire to let Detroit sink under the weight of a dead auto industry and Democrats' views that we need a Middle Class, we need (clean) heavy industry, and, for the success of this nation as a whole, we all had better be together in striving for our ultimate goals as the world's greatest democracy.

Here's a snippet of what the President told auto workers yesterday:

[...]It's been funny to watch some of these politicians completely rewrite history now that you're back on your feet. These are the folks who said if we went forward with our plan to rescue Detroit, "you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye." Now they're saying they were right all along. Or worse, they're saying that the problem is that you, the workers, made out like bandits in all of this; that saving the American auto industry was just about paying back unions. Really? Even by the standards of this town, that's a load of you-know-what.

• About 700,000 retirees saw a reduction in the health care benefits they had earned.
• Many of you saw hours reduced, or pay and wages scaled back.
• You gave up some of your rights as workers.
• Promises were made to you over the years that you gave up for the sake and survival of this industry, its workers, and their families.

You want to talk about values? Hard work - that's a value. Looking out for one another - that's a value. The idea that we're all in it together - that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper - that is a value.

Old News: Stock returns significantly higher under Democratic Presidents

by: Zappatero

Tue Feb 28, 2012 at 10:19:08 AM MST

The Dow was at 8182 when Bush left office.

Of course, the unrequited bipartisanship, the deferred goals of the left, and the constant pandering to Congressional Republicans is still completely unacceptable to today's Republicans who have spun completely off the rails and are presently planting their brand into history's graveyard. While they go down fighting, lying, whining, and dividing, further proof Democrats are better at economic issues is undeniable:

The stock market has been flirting with 13,000 for days, a level at which it has not closed since 2008. As ThinkProgress' Scott Keyes reported, Republicans have been at pains to explain why President Obama deserves no credit for the Dow's rebound (even though the GOP was quite willing to blame Obama when the Dow tanked in 2008 and 2009).

But as it turns out, Obama is not the only Democratic President under whom the stock market has done well for investors. A Bloomberg Government report shows that since the 1960′s, stocks have done significantly better under Democratic administrations than under Republican ones:

The BGOV Barometer shows that, over the five decades since John F. Kennedy was inaugurated, $1,000 invested in a hypothetical fund that tracks the Standard & Poor's 500 Index (SPX) only when Democrats are in the White House would have been worth $10,920 at the close of trading yesterday.

That's more than nine times the dollar return an investor would have realized from following a similar strategy during Republican administrations. A $1,000 stake invested in a fund that followed the S&P 500 under Republican presidents, starting with Richard Nixon, would have grown to $2,087 on the day George W. Bush left office.

(h/t ThinkProgress)

Dear Colorado Republicans,

by: Zappatero

Wed Feb 08, 2012 at 09:45:38 AM MST

Sincerely....

The Do-Nothing, Hate-Everything Republican Congress

by: Zappatero

Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 11:30:22 AM MST

• Ministry of Truth at Kos:

  My friend told me after the State Of The Union that the Republicans looked like a bunch of "miserable old sourpusses."

  "How so?" I asked.

  "He is talking about uplifting stuff and they look miserable."

  I wasn't even planning to watch, but happened upon it as it was just starting. The terminal, chronic negativity of the GOP was on full display. They were not moved by any rhetoric and were not inspired by any of The President's ideas. If the DNC wants some ideas for TV spots, they should just take the closeups of Republican leaders during that speech and run them in an infinite loop.
• Colorado's sublimely daft Doug Lamborn decided he had to stand up for something besides killing the EPA and Big Bird, so he played the ignorance card and skipped the address. Let's imagine the reaction to a Democrat doing that to President Bush. Unfortunately, the voters in CD-5 will never look back on their decision to choose Lamborn over Jay Fawcett in '06. (Hi, Jay!)
• Despite Mark Udall's continuing, lame attempts to foster bipartisanship (God Damn it, Mark, it's Dead, and you're the Last to know! (Even the Supes couldn't contain their pettiness and only a quorom of them showed up. ) If Udall has put this much effort into condemning the automatic filibuster used by Senate Republicans on almost every vote they take, no one would ever know it.
• And despite his late, and most likely futile, efforts to retake the debate on the budget and taxes, Obama's invitation to the speech of Warren Buffet's secretary (who pays a higher tax rate than her Billionaire Boss), showed that Republicans couldn't manage just 1% Solution of Sympathy for that tax dilemma. The result was heapings of scorn and derision for the hard-working woman.

Anything less, and they are all frowns - exactly like last night.

(* - Apologies if I was a little harsh. - Z)

Both sides do it: "Unprecedented"

by: Zappatero

Wed Jan 04, 2012 at 14:55:10 PM MST

President Obama raised quite a few eyebrows this morning when the White House announced a recess appointment for Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It was an unusual display - congressional Republicans abused the rules and told the president to just accept it, and Obama effectively responded, "No."

As it turns out, this more combative attitude goes beyond the CFPB. Greg Sargent has this scoop this afternoon.

Obama is also set to use recess appointments to install his picks to the National Labor Relations Board, according to White House officials and others familiar with ongoing discussions.

The move, which is arguably as important as the Cordray appointment, will ratchet up opposition from Republicans and make this an even bigger fight, since they have been attacking the NLRB regularly for its moves to streamline union elections and inform workers of their rights.

Obama is set to appoint Sharon Block, Terence Flynn, and Richard Grifin to the board - something unions have made a big priority for them in the new year.

"This is an extraordinary and entirely unprecedented power grab by President Obama that defies centuries of practice and the legal advice of his own Justice Department."

"Breaking from this precedent lands this appointee in uncertain legal territory, threatens the confirmation process and fundamentally endangers the Congress's role in providing a check on the excesses of the executive branch."

The Other Half of that Famous Quote

by: Zappatero

Wed Dec 14, 2011 at 19:45:26 PM MST

"I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."

"Bipartisanship is another name for date rape."

And our wonderful President, The Weekend at Bernie's of Bipartisanship, while sorta talking tough, is getting ready once again to cave to ruthless and soulless Republicans as our economy is in a death stall, has forgotten the key part of the quote of his most recent lecture subject in that small Kansas town:

"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far"

Quit quoting and start doing.

And that's my quote for the day.

Who will report this but NPR and Lefty blogs?

by: Zappatero

Sat Dec 10, 2011 at 11:21:49 AM MST

From the article:

NPR put out a request to Republican offices and the business groups that have been lobbying against the surtax to find business owners who'd be affected. Unsurprisingly, Republican leadership and the business groups came up empty:

We wanted to talk to business owners who would be affected. So, NPR requested help from numerous Republican congressional offices, including House and Senate leadership. They were unable to produce a single millionaire job creator for us to interview.

So we went to the business groups that have been lobbying against the surtax. Again, three days after putting in a request, none of them was able to find someone for us to talk to. A group called the Tax Relief Coalition said the problem was finding someone willing to talk about their personal taxes on national radio.

As the President said last week: Trickle Down does not work.

It's a very cool moment: Birther convicted of gun, terrorism charges

by: Zappatero

Tue Oct 25, 2011 at 14:36:35 PM MST

"It's a very cool moment," Boyles said on the air. "It'll rock 'n' roll when this happens. ... Maybe other radio talk-show hosts will do the same and see what their audiences do."

Well, too many radio haters to count have gone on the birther kick. They do it to tweak the racists in their audience and to pretend they are independent of the views and desires of their corporate bosses. Here's what a one member of Boyles' key demographic did with his birther feelings:

Huff was stopped by Tennessee officers in April 2010 and told them he was bringing guns into the state from Dallas, Ga., to support efforts to arrest Monroe County officials who refused to indict Obama.

Huff was a part of a Georgia militia and the `birther' movement that disputes Obama's U.S. citizenship.

Officers testified Huff was carrying a loaded Colt .45 in a holster on his hip plus an assault rifle and 200 or 300 rounds of ammunition in a tool box in his truck. They said he also had a document he claimed was a "citizens' arrest warrant" for officials, saying they were domestic enemies and had been charged with treason.

But that's all cool in Peter's book.  

The President I voted for

by: Zappatero

Thu Sep 08, 2011 at 17:10:34 PM MST

The policy needs are beyond obvious. Though they've failed this basic test before, it would be politically brain-dead for Democrats, especially Colorado's Wimpy Senators Udall and Bennet, to not fully support the goals behind this speech. (I'm looking at you too, me!)

Republicans will bitch and moan about every fine point, but cannot refudiate the President's challenge that America's greatest leaders have never hesitated to invest in a future that would help their progeny at every turn. Republicans will not and cannot do what's right in today's environment. Democrats will hesitate to do what's right and might fritter away the opportunity while the economy continues to suffer. That is truly the most disconcerting part of this drama.

But I have been waiting for this President Obama for three years. I hope his team in DC sees the light and supports him in this critical plan for our economy. If they don't, then once again his eloquent words will be the narration to an empty dream. This is the dream that was expected by the millions who voted for him in November, 2008. They will never see it without unwavering support from those citizens and leaders who also said "Yes, we can" that election day.

That's the day I voted for President Barack Obama, the president we saw flashes of again last night.

PDC Co-Chair suggests Obama Challenger "might get his attention as little else seems to have"

by: johnhkennedy

Sat Aug 13, 2011 at 08:37:25 AM MST

Dennis is also vice-chair of the Park County Democratic Party, a member of the State Central Committee, a member of the State Executive Committee from the Central Rural Region, a member of the state Platform Committee from House District 60, a member of the state Outreach Committee from the 6th Congressional District, and serves as secretary/treasurer for Senate District 4 and House District 60.

What he has to say undeniably carries weight among rank and file Colorado Democrats.

Almost calling for an Obama Challenger: Tim Carpenter of Progressive Democrats of America

by: johnhkennedy

Tue Aug 09, 2011 at 13:21:09 PM MST

So this email shows a sea change in attitude.

Progressive Democrats Of America "banned" me for talking about an Obama Primary

by: johnhkennedy

Mon Aug 08, 2011 at 13:53:02 PM MST

MY CRIME?  I posted the following email to the PDA google group  and was immediately "banned" from the group.

CBS' Bob Schieffer asks David Axelrod re/Obama': Is This A One Term Presidency?'

by: johnhkennedy

Mon Aug 08, 2011 at 12:41:51 PM MST

The question prompted this exchange, which seemed to leave Axelrod a bit shaken.

Obama Primary Challenge Encouraged by Progressive Caucus of Calif. Democratic Party

by: johnhkennedy

Wed Aug 03, 2011 at 19:46:23 PM MST

"On Saturday, July 30th, 2011, an estimated 75 members of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party (CDP) passed a resolution in support of a Democratic Party Presidential Primary challenge to President Barack Obama. Gathering in Anaheim during an Executive Board meeting of the CDP, the group overwhelmingly endorsed the resolution following a discussion on the importance of not only challenging the far-right agenda of unmitigated corporate greed but also the current administration's willingness to slash 650-billion dollars from Social Security and Medicare."

Immediately, it appeared that the powers that be within the California Democratic Party tried to suppress and censor the effort.

Obama Administration to Polar Bear Scientist/Truth Teller - Shut up, and you are suspended!

by: wade norris

Sat Jul 30, 2011 at 17:32:28 PM MST

It was seen as one of the most distressing effects of climate change ever recorded: polar bears dying of exhaustion after being stranded between melting patches of Arctic sea ice.
But now the government scientist who first warned of the threat to polar bears in a warming Arctic has been suspended and his work put under official investigation for possible scientific misconduct.
Charles Monnett, a wildlife biologist, oversaw much of the scientific work for the government agency that has been examining drilling in the Arctic. He managed about $50m (£30.5m) in research projects.
Some question why Monnett, employed by the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, has been suspended at this moment. The Obama administration has been accused of hounding the scientist so it can open up the fragile region to drilling by Shell and other big oil companies.

FDR He Ain't

by: Zappatero

Tue Jul 19, 2011 at 15:07:48 PM MST

President Obama is asking the CEOs of Time Warner, AT&T, and other major companies in a meeting today to funnel money into the nation's public schools, which are facing steep budget cuts on the state level this year.

The Wall Street Journal's Stephanie Banchero writes that both Bank of America and Microsoft  will announce new investments in K-12 education after the meeting: $50 million for programs to prepare low-income students for college and a $15 million investment in video-game technology for the classroom, respectively.

According to data from the National Association of State Budget Officers, 18 states cut spending for K-12 instruction in fiscal year 2011 by $1.8 billion. Proposed cuts for the next fiscal year are much steeper: They total $2.5 billion for K-12 schools.

Republicans will attack this idea and accuse the man as they've done since before Day 1 of his presidency. Obama's been playing nice while others have taken advantage of his naivaté. They have expressed their hatred of him, and by extension us, in a multitude of ways. As of last night Obama was still praising the ideal of bipartisanship with those who are working non-stop to make him fail. At some point he needs to take up their challenge and take them on with the facts and the backing of the American people.

He should welcome the hatred of the CEO, the Oligarch, the Reactionary and the Radical. He'd have Joe Sixpack on his side. He'd have me on his side, for what it's worth. It might be uncomfortable at first, but he would warm to it, and he could easily win re-election from a public still yearning for his leadership.

Many, including I, had projected a bit of FDR onto Obama as he came into office. I'm beyond hoping for that much at this point. I hope we're not all beyond such feelings.

UPDATE: More FDR here: FDR Address at Forbes Field in 1936

Even more FDR here: FDR speech warning of the "smooth evasions" of Republicans who lie about their plans for Social Security, etc.....

Live and Learn, Barack!

The debt ceiling was raised SEVEN TIMES for George W. Bush with nary a peep

by: Zappatero

Sun Jul 10, 2011 at 09:58:49 AM MST

This, from House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson is decent, but rare:

"The American people get it.  They are weary of the theater and the political drama because  they understand that it is their pensions, their savings, their mortgages and their 401Ks that the Republicans are playing with.   This shouldn't be about who's going to be the next President or who's going to control Congress, it should be about who's going to protect their savings, their mortgages and their 401Ks in this crisis.  Republicans continue to hold in disregard Americans true needs: jobs and financial security.  

"For the sake of the nation, it's time to forget the politics and vote a clean debt ceiling increase, as was done seven times for President Bush."

The sheer incompetence of our employees on our side is staggering. It adds insult to injury, and  I hope it leads to a massive refudiation of the Democratic Party Establishment, because they are failing massively before our very eyes.

Did Osama bin Laden win the "war on terror"? YES

by: Zappatero

Sun Jul 03, 2011 at 07:54:41 AM MST

What happened to the United States on 9/11 was no simple thing. It was an enormous tragedy that played out over several states and touched millions of lives. The impact was deep, immediate, and painful. It was an acute infection of horror.

What happened in the wake of 9/11 was something altogether different. In the end, it's what came after that is the biggest cause of prolonged suffering.

As awful as 9/11 was, it was not a threat to our survival as a nation, not a threat to our ability to project American power around the world, not a threat to our economy, not a threat to our freedoms. However, our response to 9/11 endangered all those things. It still does. Like an immune system eating itself from the feet up, we've surrendered thousands of lives, expended trillions of dollars both at home and abroad, abandoned friends, embraced enemies, and tolerated previously intolerable insults to privacy.

But instead of fixing TSA* or addressing the abuses of our liberties put into place by Karl Rove and George Bush and willingly implemented by numbskulls like Michael Chertoff and Tom Ridge we waste time fighting about The President's birth certificate and other mind-numbing trivialities that generate viewers and page hits.

The answer is yes, Osama bin Laden did exactly what he wanted to the United States and its citizens with the attacks on 9/11. Republicans enabled his win almost every step of the way. Democrats sat impotent and mute as all this happened, and every flight we get on our belts and iPhones and shoes and change and underwear must be checked. And some poor, innocent schlub gets frisked by 4 TSA agents to top off the humiliation with a giant violation of the 4^th Amendment, which you'll never hear civil rights activists and government reformers like Jonny Caldara or Mike "Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job" Brown complain about (surprise!).

Thanks alot, guys, for making OBL's dream come true before his very eyes.

* - Didn't even know the TSA certified a union. I guess this counts as a tiny win for citizens and a big FU to Senator Jim Demint.