Politics

REMEMBER: No matter who you vote for, the government always gets in. Read below the fold...

Maybe it's me, but last night's convention/sideshow convinced me that this whole process of electing a president is nothing but a sham, something for the rubes to chatter about while the real action is going on in an entirely different tent.

I know this isn't an original thought by any stretch, but the R convention really drove it home. It just seems like the decision about who is going to sit in the oval office has already been made. But to continue the illusion of democracy, they've got all three rings going full tilt. Read below the fold...

"Not long after the start of the 21st Century, we like to tell ourselves an uplifting story in which freedom expands whenever tyranny is overthrown.

We believe that freedom and democracy are inseparable, so that when a dictator is toppled the result is not only a more accountable type of government but also greater liberty throughout society. "

Obviously, such a point of view is fallacious as can be easily evidenced just by looking at the results of such a perspective in the actions of nations. And what's sad is that the meme is NOT one that those in positions of power actually believe. Read below the fold...

Based on what I perceive happening in industrialized society and in particular the U.S.
the psychological state of denial is fully rampant.

This article titled "America in denial: We're number 29 (of 30)" certaainly makes a case for such a state. Read below the fold...

Maya MacGuineas urges America to debate the debt. She even wants the presidential candidates to devote a whole presidential debate to it. Read below the fold...

Sometimes people object to the idea of the President ordering minting a $1 Trillion proof platinum coin on political grounds, even though they believe it's: legal to mint such a coin, won't be inflationary, and will allow the President to avoid the debt ceiling crisis. Robert Rice offered the following as part of a longer comment on a post of Beowulf's: Read below the fold...

The New York Times report on president Obama's kill list put into stark relief something that has been easy to overlook at times over the past few years: the differences between those who prefer a personality-based political environment and those who emphasize policy.¹ Those tensions really came to a boil after Chris Hayes discussed the drone program on his show last week. Kevin Gosztola posted on the reaction; in it and a companion piece several exchanges involving Tbogg showed the division very clearly.² Read below the fold...

This video points out that fewer and fewer Americans attend church regularly. It takes the view that this is a problem that needs to be corrected, I suspect readers of this blog will take a different view.

But it shows that the conventional wisdom of politicians wearing their religion on their sleeve may no longer be required or even acceptable. People no longer need religion to explain the natural world and many do not feel a spiritual need for church.

Politicians who openly oppose the religious right on issues such as science, women's rights, stem cell research, and other hot button issues should do very well if they stick to their guns and have good field operations. Read below the fold...

Salon.com's news editor, Steve Kornacki, lamented yesterday that "Obama won’t face a credible primary challenge", going on about how the closest thing to a liberal challenge he has comes from Republican candidate Buddy Roemer. While it is true that many liberals aren't seeing any "viable" candidates materialize on the left, Kornacki isn't telling us why that is: the failure of supposedly liberal pundits to report on candidates who are actually running. Read below the fold...

Sometimes I think I may have something to contribute to #OccupyWallStreet. Sometimes I don't know. The only people who would know are you, if you've seen what I'm talking about. So, well, here goes. Sorry that I'm talking about my own stuff. I don't know any other way to let you know about it, and it may be worth your time.

I'm not trying to answer the question about "What's the message?" The message is "A fair deal for the 99%!" Obviously. Read below the fold...

On the Open Salon version of my previous entry, some right-winger who supports Obama kept trying to lay the blame for next year's results on the left for failing to properly support the candidate who has done far more to pass the Republicans' agenda than any GOP office-holder could have.
Read below the fold...

So now we've heard Barry's big "jobs speech" and it turns out to be the exact opposite of what is needed to rescue the crumbling nation. No surprise there. Read below the fold...

Salon.com has a piece up urging Democrats to dump Obama and go with a candidate who will restore their party to its New Deal era politics. According to the column by Matt Stoller, there are a number of reasons why they should, including: Read below the fold...

The central issue in our political life is not being discussed.

At stake is the moral basis of American democracy.

The individual issues are all too real: assaults on unions, public employees, women's rights, immigrants, the environment, health care, voting rights, food safety, pensions, prenatal care, science, public broadcasting, and on and on. Budget deficits are a ruse, as we've seen in Wisconsin, where the governor turned a surplus into a deficit by providing corporate tax breaks, and then used the deficit as a ploy to break the unions, not just in Wisconsin, but seeking to be the first domino in a nationwide conservative movement. Read below the fold...

So I don't have to talk about how important voting is on this website (I hope). Anyhow, in completely awesome news it looks like the Conservative Party of Canada is poised to take a minority again which will probably result in the stepping down of Stephen Harper (the man responsible for the precedent setting dissolution of Parliament last year like so many awesome dictators before him). Read below the fold...