A few conclusions I have reached.... Do You Agree?

[Blackhatjack]

#1 --Having Michele Bachmann rise to a leadership position in the GOP could not be better news for all Democrats. People like Bachmann pushing the GOP even further to the Right, and helping to oust 'moderate' Repubs, will expose themselves as the rigid ultra conservatives with zany ideas to the independents --who will be influential in the 2010 elections. Maybe she will team up with Palin!

#2 --Today, when corporate executives testify untruthfully before Congress, sometimes over and over again, they have absolutely no fear of criminal prosecution or civil sanction. Take a look at the testimony of execs from the Financial, Energy and Insurance Industries testifying before Congress. They appear to have no fear, and in fact exude arrogance.

#3 --Republican members of Congress have no worry about putting out clearly provable lies to the MSM. When they unequivocally state that the Government will encourage suicide and that it is included in the bill, they know the MSM will have their back ... and will never present evidence to viewers which shows it is a lie. It could be called aiding and abetting...

#4 --Health Insurance Companies are in a 'heads we win, tails you lose' position in regard to the pending Healthcare Reform Bills pending in Congress. A bill passes and they get 70 million new premium paying customers required to buy their services. A bill does not pass, they raise rates to make up for the millions spent lobbying Congress. This is true even though the President's HCR bill brings many improvements over the present environment.

#5 --We are far from out of trouble regarding the economic downturn, financial crisis and unemployment spike. Not enough jobs, loss of homes, loss of credit sources... what do we have left to lose? The present credit rating system almost ensures that people who have never missed a payment will suffer credit impairment, higher rates and new fees, while the financial heavyweights continue to use taxpayer money at close to 0% interest rates to shore up their bottom lines. Banks win, consumers lose. Anyone seen the Middle Class lately?

#6 --It appears that job outsourcing is picking up speed rather than slowing down. And corporations which fleeced Middle Class workers are looking for future profits overseas --not in the US. So how do we create jobs in a private sector that has given up on the Middle Class? We need Government regulation(sticks) to go along with the financial incentives(carrots).

#7 --THe price of oil continues to go up, along with gas prices. And speculation in the stock market continues to reward those who produce nothing of value to the economy. Even so, energy profits are rising along with Financial concerns.

#8 --Without campaign finance reform there won't be any real change in Congress. Money talks, and money talks ...

ADD YOUR OWN.

[havocmom]

1. yep

[samrock]

2. BINGO!!

You win a cookie!

[waiting for hope]

3. Lather, Rinse and Repeat ..

#8 --Without campaign finance reform there won't be any real change in Congress. Money talks, and money talks ...

Until that is changed, nothing else will.

[Old Codger]

4. Sadly

All true, bachman, palin and their ilk are the gift that keeps on giving...

[RKP5637]

5. You read my mind! n/t

[Atticus]

6. re: # 1, there was a time I would have agreed with you.

Do you really think, though, that either Bachman or Palin is a weaker leader or a bigger idiot than George W. Bush?

I rejoiced when W. was nominated because I was just certain that the American people were too smart to elect the little ass-wipe.
I was correct in my assessment of W. but failed miserably in my judment of American voters.

Unfortunately, if someone is "important" enough to appear on TV regularly(doesn't matter what they say) and they are recommended by Rush and from the pulpit, they are "in the running" for the GOP nomination and election to the Presidency.

[RKP5637]

7. And this is the country that voted in George W. Bush twice. Who knows

what the voters are capable of anymore. I find many voters disengage their brains before they vote (some all of the time), how else can Bush get in and then be elected again.

[intheflow]

14. The American people didn't elect Bush.

He was selected by the Supreme Court.

[CherokeeDem]

8. # 8...

#8 --Without campaign finance reform there won't be any real change in Congress. Money talks, and money talks ...


This conclusion leads to all of the others.

I concur and we are screwed. As hard as health care reform is, can you imagine what would happen if we tried real campaign finance reform?

[Sinti]

9. This is how things appear, generally

#1 - agreed, unless they start shooting.

#2 - agreed, and disturbed by it still

#3 - agreed, but who would be aiding and abetting whom? Media is owned by very large monied interests (War, Inc. and Associates).

#4 - I lack sufficient information to really consider this sensibly. The bill isn't done yet, so it's a waste of mental bandwidth to try and predict the future. I suspect, the insurance con artists would have something sharp up their sleeve (stiletto maybe) even if we got perfect legislation.

#5 - Agreed, the entire system has hit a brick wall. There is no way forward, we must make some sort of a turn. I hope it is to the left, as to the right is death and slavery.

#6 - I don't know enough about the first part. I have heard of some people leaving the country to get work overseas in tech, but it's not a good sample to make assumptions on.

With the second part I agree. Break up the monopolies (as small as you by, by business group and by county, or smaller) and actually produce legislation in the interest of the citizens rather than the corporations. It's actually not as difficult as they pretend it is.

#7 - Yep.

#8 - agree, but it appears that without a change in Congress there will not be a change in campaign finance. Catch 22.

#9 Even a dog will bite if you don't feed him. Every man with even a small amount of power knows this.

[bluetrain]

10. #374 - Women are the most hated group of people in the world even within supposed

progressive enclaves.

[MrScorpio]

11. Eight for Eight

Very nice

[Orwellian_Ghost]

12. K&R

[Blackhatjack]

13. The Krugman Piece on Paranoia Within the GOP Is Quite Chilling...LINK

Spot on analysis by Krugman of the events and dangers presented by their existence.

I am reminded of the observation that it is easier to make a person crazy than it is to control a crazy person. THat is what the Repubs have done by stoking the far right crazies. They thought they could use them by making them crazy, and now they find these folks are impossible to control. Unless quick action is taken, they will likely burn down the Repub house....


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/opinion/09krugman.html?_r=2&ref=opinion

Paranoia Strikes Deep
by PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: November 9, 2009

"Last Thursday there was a rally outside the U.S. Capitol to protest pending health care legislation, featuring the kinds of things we’ve grown accustomed to, including large signs showing piles of bodies at Dachau with the caption “National Socialist Healthcare.” It was grotesque — and it was also ominous. For what we may be seeing is America starting to be Californiafied.

The key thing to understand about that rally is that it wasn’t a fringe event. It was sponsored by the House Republican leadership — in fact, it was officially billed as a G.O.P. press conference. Senior lawmakers were in attendance, and apparently had no problem with the tone of the proceedings.

True, Eric Cantor, the second-ranking House Republican, offered some mild criticism after the fact. But the operative word is “mild.” The signs were “inappropriate,” said his spokesman, and the use of Hitler comparisons by such people as Rush Limbaugh, said Mr. Cantor, “conjures up images that frankly are not, I think, very helpful.”

What all this shows is that the G.O.P. has been taken over by the people it used to exploit."

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