31 July 2011 Let’s have another cup of coffee…

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/eric-cantors-hoover-leanings/2011/07/29/gIQA7itChI_blog.html

Eric Cantor’s Hoover leanings

By Richard Cohen

By happy coincidence, the name “Cantor” has exactly the same number of letters as “Hoover.” This means that the various ways the name of Herbert Hoover was once used to blame the 31st president for the Great Depression can now be revived for Eric Cantor. Thus, instead of “Hoovervilles,” those encampments of the homeless and unemployed (one was situated in New York’s Central Park), we will have Cantorvilles. And instead of “Hoover Blankets,” as newspapers used to cover the shivering homeless, we will have “Cantor Blankets.” Instead of the term “Hoover Flags,” for pockets turned inside out to signify a total lack of money, let’s run “Cantor Flags” up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes.

This is Cantor’s big chance to become a historical figure — or a punching bag. He and his fellow (very) conservative Republicans stand on the brink of doing in their era what Hoover did in his. They could, just as Hoover did, stick to their ideological guns and let the economy go down the drain. They will be pure. We will be broke.

They could insist on a balanced budget at precisely the time when economic conditions require deficit spending. On paper, everything will look good. In reality, the economy will tank. They could continue to extol the wholly exaggerated virtues of small business and tailor tax cuts for them, and the budget would suffer and few jobs would be created. They could sink the bond market, rattle investors both domestic and foreign, make states suffer on less federal aid, weaken the dollar and convince Martians that they don’t want to come here. But they would, as did Hoover, take solace in adhering to an ideology that was proved disastrously wrong in the last century. No reason, it seems, not to do it all over again.

In truth, Cantor is no Hoover. The late president was an emotional block of ice, cruelly battered by a deprived and Dickensian childhood. He was a great businessman, a master organizer and mobilizer, but when he went to apply the principles that made him rich to the federal government, he found they were irrelevant. Still, he tried and tried and tried. He was not a bad man. He was merely a bad president.

   

Cantor, by contrast, seems an affable sort. He represents a very conservative Virginia district and must vote accordingly, although nothing in the preceding should be interpreted as suggesting that Cantor is in the least disagreement with the people who elected him. This makes him the perfect and suitable choice — the No. 2 Republican in the House, after all — to become the face and the name of the coming economic debacle — maybe even an update of Irving Berlin’s old Depression ditty: “Mr. Eric Cantor says that now’s the time to buy/ so let’s have another cup of coffee and let’s have another piece of pie.”

Cassi Creek:

          That will, of course, be “pie in the sky.”  The Cantor/teavangelists will reject anything that might possibly provide the former middle class with government provided services and benefits.  That follow on piece of pie is going to be seen as socialism if the poor get to taste it.  The fix, of course, will be to have the usual demagogues denounce it as a form of wealth redistribution. 

          The extra cup of coffee is marginally permissible when viewed from the teavangelist’s position.  However, it must be made from dried coffee of the cheapest available source and must be consumed from a Styrofoam cup with an ill-fitting lid while walking in urban pedestrian traffic, so as to prevent any physical enjoyment due to the encroaching socialism represented by the extra cup. 

          Pursuant to the bi-partisan agreement, the cup of coffee must be purchased by the consumer for cash.  The extra piece of pie must meet the same condition and be purchased. 

          There are no other restrictions on the extra piece of pie as it is ephemeral in nature and cannot be physically enjoyed by the former middle class.  At the end of the day, the extra pie must be returned, intact, to the GOP/teavangelist’s party headquarters for final distribution to the very wealthy, who do not want it but who cannot stand the idea of allowing even a morsel of flavor to reach the former middle class or the former working class.  Pie does not trickle down. 

         

30 July 2011 Vote Sarah for Queen

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/28/palin-to-congress-remember-your-values-and-what-i-said-last-november/#more-169210

“Palin, who is considering a bid for the White House in 2012, has said raising the debt ceiling is inevitable, but that Republicans "better get something out of it." She has also been a proponent of the "Cut, Cap, and Balance" pledge passed through the Republican-controlled House and failed in the Senate.  She has also been a proponent of the "Cut, Cap, and Balance" pledge passed through the Republican-controlled House and failed in the Senate.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-tea-fragger-party/2011/07/29/gIQA23pAiI_story.html

The Tea Fragger Party

By Kathleen Parker, 

Fragging: “To intentionally kill or wound (one’s superior officer, etc.), esp. with a hand grenade.”

                “Take names. Remember them. The behavior of certain Republicans who call themselves Tea Party conservatives makes them the most destructive posse of misguided “patriots” we’ve seen in recent memory…

            “the bottom line is that the Tea Party got too full of itself with help from certain characters whose names you’ll want to remember when things go south. They include, among others, media personalities who need no further recognition; a handful of media-created “leaders,” including Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips and Tea Party Patriots co-founders Jenny Beth Martin andMark Meckler (both Phillips and Martin declared bankruptcy, yet they’re advising Tea Party Republicans on debt?); a handful of outside groups that love to hurl ad hominems such as “elite” and “inside the Beltway” when talking about people like Boehner when they are, in fact, the elite (FreedomWorks, Heritage Action, Club for Growth, National Taxpayers Union,Americans for Prosperity); and elected leaders such as Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, head of the Republican Study Committee, and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, who grandstand and make political assertions and promises that are sheer fantasy.

            “Meanwhile, freshman House members were targeted and pressured by some of the aforementioned groups to vote against Boehner’s plan. South Carolina’s contingent was so troubled that members repaired to the chapel Thursday to pray and emerged promising to vote no. Why? Not because Jesus told them to but because they’re scared to death that DeMint will “primary” them — find someone in their own party to challenge them.

                “Where did they get an idea like that? Look no further than Sarah Palin’s Facebook page, where she warned freshmen about contested primaries and urged them to “remember us ‘little people’ who believed in them, donated to their campaigns, spent hours tirelessly volunteering for them, and trusted them with our votes.” Her close: “P.S. Everyone I talk to still believes in contested primaries.” While they’re at it, they also should remember that Palin came to the Tea Party long after the invitations went out. The woman knows where to hitch a wagon.

Cassi Creek:

                We find ourselves in a strange position today, looking at a column by Kathleen Parker and finding much to agree with.  Parker, having called Palin unsuitable for office in 2008, and not having altered her  opinion, must feel as if her back displays one of Palin’s “surveyors’ marks.” 

                The current behavior of our Congress displays some of the worst of our nation’s behaviors.  We are watching government held hostage by a minority, one that has little experience, less knowledge, and no understanding of the scope of the disaster they plan to visit upon the world’s economy in order to carry out their middle school antics.    The teavangelists show an utter contempt for their fellow citizens – the vast majority that did not and will not ever vote for them.  They have formed a clique that has no purposeful existence other than to exclude everyone else.  They can pass notes –electronic is just as good as paper these days.  They can hold secret midnight meetings to plan how they will force everyone else to cater to them in order to obtain their votes.  Other than having a parentally ordained curfew, they are little different than they were in 8^th grade. 

                They were dangerous as 8^th graders when they controlled the social milieu – dominating the majority who should have known better – and placing their own in all the social spotlight roles.    They somehow parlayed that 8^th grade dominance into adult occupations of equally undeserved prominence until they once more convinced a poorly educated mob to vote for them again. 

                Here’s something that we all should recall.  If football player/Adonis was a schmuck at age 14, he’ll be and equal or greater schmuck at 30.  If the social queen dominatrix was a vacuum-brained pregnancy waiting to happen at menarche, she’ll be equally demanding and equally a social tragedy as she tries to parlay rapidly fading pulchritude into some role that she can commandeer without intellect of ethics when the monthly Botox injections no longer lure the aging Adonis’s. 

                Ms Parker offers truth about the GOP and their teavangelist minions.  I am happy that she is aware of the definition of “fragging” I’m afraid that she is already marked to be fragged.  Palin knows how to hold a grudge, and is marginally clever enough to know how deeply Parker has damaged her social/political facades.  Sarah doesn’t want to be President, she wants to be homecoming queen. 

                Lest we forget, Roe = REMF!

29 July 2011 No reality No Compromise No problem

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/michele-bachmann-distances-herself-from-reality/2011/07/28/gIQA8JnWfI_blog.html

Michele Bachmann distances herself from reality

By Ruth Marcus

            “. Bachmann’s position is two-fold:

            “First, the debt ceiling should not be raised, under any circumstances. No deal could be good enough, Bachmann said, to induce her to do so. “I won’t raise taxes. I will reduce spending and I won’t vote to raise the debt ceiling,” she said. “And I have the titanium spine to see it through.”

            “Second, the United States will not default. “I want to state unequivocally I think for the world as well as the markets as well as for the American people, I have no doubt that we will not lose the full faith and credit of the United States,” Bachmann said.

            “Huh? Bachmann accused President Obama of employing “scare tactics” in warning of “catastrophic results for our economy.” But what do she and others in the titanium spine caucus think is going to happen when the United States can’t pay its bills?...”

Cassi Creek:  The divorce from reality among the teavangelists and the voters who elected them is incredible.  Bachmann argues that there will be no consequence to default.  I believe that she can’t equate the huge numbers of foreclosures and repossessions we see among our citizens each day to the national ability to pay our debts and obligations on time.  How does she, or any other teavangelist manage to acquire pubic office with so little awareness of what serving the nation and the public entails? 

            I spent 15 minutes or so on a Facebook page created for our congressional representative, Roe.  Of the 25 or so comments on it, none was from people who were cognizant enough to call him to task for lying to the public, for selling out to energy companies, or to following the teavangelist pattern.  I refuse to approve of his site in order to gain the privilege of posting on it.  I will continue as before, by email, by fax to his offices, and by using other methods to deliver my arguments. 

          I have an ever-increasing dislike for Roe.  The electronic responses I’ve received from his offices are merely a set of pre-programmed responses triggered by key words in my submissions.  There is nothing unique or personal in them.  Nor, beyond his name and his unveiled hatred for Obama, is there any truth in his responses. 

           I’ve worked with too many physicians like him to think that they ever place anything but their own ego at the top of their priorities.  The combination of an OB/Gyn and politician can only deliver an egotistical nightmare that believes its MD also equips one with a PhD in all other disciplines.  Too many people are intimidated by physicians to challenge them.  I understand the language, have common educational background, and worked in an equally demanding field/practice. 

          The single word that most accurately describes Roe is REMF.  Feel free to use it when addressing or referring to him.

          Among the teavangelists and their voter base, there is a deep and increasing inability to view the chasm that separates them from the portion of the populace that is driven more by hope of salvaging the nation than by hatred and greed.  The rate of march toward the abyss is gaining velocity and, like any mob, is being pushed from behind by those too unaware to see the disaster waiting ahead.  The bodies are beginning to fall under the feet of the uncaring, unthinking mob leaders.  They’ve served their corporate masters well as demagogues and are now expendable.  If they are found crumpled and broken at the bottom of the political/financial pit, they won’t be there alone.  They’ll have dragged millions of the merely stupid over the edge with them.  Unfortunately, they will overload the ground beneath them and more millions, undeserving of this disastrous end, will be crushed with them in the financial and social collapse.  The clock is counting minutes and the ground is cracking at our feet.

Shabbat Shalom

28 July 2011 Audubon’s Guide to Teavangelists by Their Sound Bytes

“We don’t have a debt problem, we have a spending problem”

          Easy to remember for the simple minded.  No words of more than two syllables.

 “Tea Party members share similar core principles supporting the United States Constitution as the Founders intended, such as:”

          “We’ve never read the Constitution but this is what we were told last.”

  Often found in a written form to avoid the difficulty of the polysyllabic “Constitution.  Since most teavangelists have not and will never actually read our Constitution, this leads to an easy argument to use in convince them of a point, “It’s in the Constitution!”  Or is that the Bible?  Most likely, it is in neither.

“Limited Federal Government”

          Used to call for the elimination of any governmental agency or program that constructs a social safety net, provides education, limits the power of corporations, allows unions,

“Individual freedoms”

          This is usually a 2^nd Amendment argument or a taxation matter.  “How dare the government say I can’t have a machine gun or grenades to defend my home against foreigners with dark skin?  “I don’t want to pay my hard-earned money to support anyone I don’t like. It may also be a 1^st Amendment problem “We want mandatory prayer in schools and creationism taught instead of Darwinism.”  “This is a Christian nation”  “Stop Sharia law – whatever that is.”

“Personal responsibility”

          Those lazy people should not be paid to sit at home and watch television.  If they can’t afford health care, tough.  Let them get jobs, anyone who really wants a job can find one.  Get raped, get pregnant, tough!  Raise the kid yourself.  No abortions, no housing, food, immunizations, health care assistance.  When the kid breaks the law, we’ll jail or execute him. 

“Free markets”

Privatize everything!  Business can do it better and cheaper.  Who needs government funded and run mail, schools, medicine, food safety, jails, highways, bridges, and public safety officers? Put financial firms in charge of Social Security and sell all the hospitals to insurance companies.  Contract out our military needs to mercenaries.   It can all be done at the lowest bid by corporations.  It works in Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Latin America. 

“ Returning political power to the states and the people.”

          This is almost always associated with some matter that was actually settled by the Union’s victory in the Civil War.  It should make you wonder if the person uttering it is a militia member, belongs to a hate group or some other group that wants to restore the social conditions of pre-1900 Southern culture.  You’ll see it used to demand a repeal of health care reform, in attempts to prevent same-sex marriage, lately, in immigration concerns as red states attempt to over-rule federal immigration regulations.  It shows up with reference to concealed and open carry permits for firearms.  Generally, it means that the proponent can’t think of another argument to parrot. 

“We, the people,”

          Grossly misused, the initial three words of the preamble to the Constitution.  The teavangelists are thrilled with this.  In their minds, it causes them to think that their splinter idiocy is actually shared by the entire nation, Got news for them, it doesn’t.  It is simply another delusion of grandeur that they throw about as if it is a magic talisman to ward away “evil socialism.”  Honest, “I”, one of many people who are citizens of this nation, would appreciate it if “we” would return to middle school and finish their civics class that they obviously failed to complete.  While they’re at it, brushing up on English, spelling, grammar, biological science, geography, and mathematics might provide “we” with a far better understanding of how politics and economics actually function in a democratic republic. That operates on a somewhat socialist format. 

“This is a Christian nation!”

          Not even close.  However much the bible thumpers of the teavangelist party might wish for a theocracy, Most of the nation has no need for them or theocracy.  Jesus didn’t speak English, wasn’t blonde-haired, won’t be arriving in Texas any time soon.  Quit demanding his attention to every high school athletic contest and let him deal with the really major problems on his plate, such as disabusing his professed American followers of their utter lack of comprehension, and getting around to smiting the mega-missionaries who corrupt the sermon on the mount into prayer for profit and political power.  The founders didn’t want a theocracy and wrote their intent very clearly.  It matters not how many times some zealot tells you, “It’s in the Constitution!”  It isn’t and it won’t be. 

          “Default won’t hurt the country.

          OK, suggest they default on their home and car loans.  See them learn about public transport.

          Obama is lying about default, revenue, ( ______)

          This amusing.  The GOP and teavangelists accusing anyone of lying is just too funny for words. 

          There’s no racism in the GOP/teavangelists.

          The minute Obama was elected, before he ever took the oath of office, the GOP was promising to make him a single term President.  The idea of a black male in the White house must have horrified them.  Add in the racism and xenophobia of the teavangelists and the hatred is palpable.  The current debt-ceiling debacle has never happened before.  Were Obama white, it would have been handled quietly, quickly, and routinely as under, say, Ronnie ray gun. 

          Cassi Creek:  there are many more pathognomic sound bytes that will be used mindlessly and endlessly during what will doubtless become an interminable 2012 Presidential Campaign.  Some will be spawned by the propaganda machine.  Others will be combined with absolute unfamiliarity with truth and the English language – as from Palin &/or Bachmann.  Learn to recognize them.  They lead to an illiterate voting base, incompetent candidates, and an emerging 3^rd world United States. 

    

27 July 2011 A Denial of Reality

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/opinion/27wed2.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha211

            “How can so many Republican lawmakers justify pushing their country toward catastrophic default just to score ideological points? The answer can be found in their statements and writings: They are constructing an alternative reality far different from that of most Americans.

            “A large number of Republican lawmakers, for example, simply don’t accept that the United States is going to be in default as of Tuesday. (Wall Street banks say the nation will run out of money within a few days of that date.)

            “The Treasury Department, which keeps the government bankbook, set the Aug. 2 deadline, but they say it cannot be trusted because it is an arm of the Obama administration…”

            “House members have been encouraged in their destructive daydream by many outside organizations and Web sites. An arm of the Heritage Foundation sent out a letter Tuesday saying the government should live under the current debt ceiling rather than pass the Boehner plan, ignoring the need to raise the ceiling to pay for bills already incurred. Several right-wing bloggers, notably Erick Erickson of RedState, have threatened brimstone on any errant Republican lawmaker who even considers compromise with the president.

            “If the economy does begin to crumble next week, the trail back toward the reason will not be hard to follow.”

            

            “I’ve always believed that the Tea Party(s) have no real understanding of American history.  The demolition of this nation’s legislative and financial processes has nothing to do with their pathognomic name.  They all have elected representation and are taxed under the authority of the U.S. Constitution.  Many of them are being taxed unfairly, paying a proportionally higher tax rate than are the corporations and ultra-wealthy that have suborned the teavangelists as unpaid dupes.  They’re useful for carrying misspelled placards around –demonstrating their disdain for education, particularly the English language they claim to hold sacred.  They’re useful to pack local meetings to make incumbent teavangelists appear to be more popular than they are.  They’re excellent fodder for voting against the interests of the working poor, the newly un-employed, and the former middle class – demonstrating their lack of mathematic ability and knowledge of history.   And they are excellent examples of the sort of idiots who think that governmental default will somehow restore U.S. manufacturing jobs and bring about the 2^nd coming – although they aren’t sure if it will be Jesus or Reagan. 

            They seem to be caught at the intersection of Ayn Rand’s fictional ideology and Palin’s dino-coaster theme park.   I’d almost welcome default if I knew that it would wipe this stain of political incompetence from the continent.  Almost.  My mother brought me up to value knowledge and education; not to drool mindlessly and follow demagogues. 

26 July 2011 Our stupid self-inflicted debt crisis

By John Avlon, CNN Contributor

July 25, 2011 8:20 a.m. EDT

http://us.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/07/25/avlon.debt.showdown/index.html

note: John Avlon is a CNN contributor and senior political columnist for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. He is the author of "Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe Is Hijacking America."

New York (CNN) -- Let me get this straight. The people who have been preaching the most about the dangers of American decline are right now helping to hasten American decline.

Because if America defaults on its debt, not only will we find ourselves in a far deeper fiscal hole, but the full faith and credit of the United States will be compromised. In our globalized era, that means America will be considered an unpredictable partner and a second-class power.

Worst of all, this will be a self-inflicted wound. It is a direct result of the hyper-partisanship that has been hijacking America's political debates. Now it is compromising our ability to govern ourselves effectively.

          Today, by 0715 I had called in prescriptions for renewal, tried to contact circulation about a missing newspaper, tried to call Rep Phil Roe’s office in D.C. twice, and faxed a demand for sanity to his (Roe’s) office. 

          The VA renewal normally has a 20-30 minute hold time.  Today, there was perhaps a 2-minute delay.  The newspaper circulation desk failed to answer until after 0800. 

          Roe’s office “was not open” but asked me to leave a message.  Of course, his voice mailbox was full and not accepting new messages. 

          I put my suggestion that he should remove himself from the teavangelist camp in to a document and faxed it.  The fax went through. 

          The political mood is grim as the nation is dragged ever more closely to default by the teavangelists.  I fail to understand how anyone can believe that economic default could be politically or financially acceptable.  The political future of the United States is at stake and is being threatened by personal greed and political incompetency.  Both stem from the GOP, with the ultra-wealthy and corporations opposing taxation and the teavangelists believing that they can bring about a political overthrow of the New Deal and the Great Society by demolishing social safety nets. 

          The very people who bemoan a national downfall are pushing the nation onto the skids.  We note that illegal immigration over the Mexican border has decreased.  The Right Wing credits oppressive, Draconian, and stupidly written immigration policies enacted by red states.  More likely, it is due to our apparent political and social decline.  Why leave one 3^rd world nation for another 3^rd world nation. 

          There is a feeling of grim inability to alter the slide into default.  I’ve written countless letters to legislators, newspapers, and individuals.  I’ve posted articles and blog entries in an attempt to involve other people in unseating the teavangelists and pointing out their lack of competence to run a government. 

          But the voter base is so badly polarized that there is little cohesion among the left and utter idiocy on the right.  The GOP/teavangelist base is poorly educated and believes everything spewed on talk radio by demagogues who rake in millions per month for spreading the lies and propaganda which further misinform the right’s voter base. 

          I, and others, can see the inevitable disaster that the teavangelists will create.  I don’t know how to halt the process.  And the people who can halt it are too stupid to understand why it must be halted. 

          Time, now, to call some more D.C. and local offices. 

Phil Roe lies!

25 July 2011 Palin movie to have “special Wal-Mart only” content.

ttp://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sarah-palins-undefeated-headed-vod-21h4779

Sarah Palin's 'The Undefeated' Headed for VOD, Pay-Per-View, and DVD in Bid for Wider Audience

The controversial documentary has grossed only $101,000 in two weekends of limited release.

While The Undefeated, Stephen K. Bannon’s controversial pro-Sarah Palin documentary, hasn’t attracted many moviegoers to its limited theatrical engagements over the past two weekends, it will be offered on VOD and pay-per-view beginning Sept. 1 in a bid to reach a wider audience.

The Undefeated: Film Review

A DVD of the film, with an initial shipping of 225,000 units, will follow on Oct. 4.

EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: Sarah Palin Blasts Hollywood Stars as 'Full of Hate' at Movie Premiere

ARC Entertainment announced Sunday that the doc would become available to 75 million homes via VOD and pay-per-view access through national and regional cable and satellite operators such as DirectTV, Dish Network and Time Warner Cable in September.

When the DVD rolls out a month later to traditional and online retailers, Wal-Mart will offer an exclusive “Special Edition” DVD, which will have additional content sold only at Wal-Mart stores.

The distributor said the VOD and DVD rollouts “will be backed by a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to heighten awareness in all markets to the film’s availability.”

STORY: Sarah Palin 'The Undefeated' Documentary: What Critics Say

While ARC said it would continue to play the film in theaters throughout August and September “as demand across the country remains high,” that wasn’t evident in this weekend’s box office numbers…

Trevor Drinkwater, CEO of ARC Entertainment, said: “Since the film opened in select markets across the country on July 15, we have been inundated with requests from people wanting the film to be made available in their market. After methodically analyzing the most effective ways to bring this galvanizing film to the widest audience as soon as possible we have determined that continued limited theatrical distribution, video-on-demand, pay-per-view and DVD sales will be the best modalities by which to deliver this film as widely as possible. We have created partnerships with national cable, satellite and mass retailers to achieve our distribution goals.”

STORY: Sarah Palin Documentary 'The Undefeated' Claims Victory in Its Box Office Debut

Cassi Creek:

          The numbers for the first week of this dog and pony show indicate that there was little interest among moviegoers in seeing it.  The nearly instantaneous decision to release it to VOD, PPV, and DVD (at Wal-Mart) indicate to me that there will be no lines to purchase tickets to see the movie. 

          I don’t know anyone nor am I even slightly acquainted with anyone who intends to see the movie.  I suppose there will be impulse purchases by Wal-Mart shoppers.  I can’t think of any new or additional material that would raise enough interest on my part to cause me to buy it at Wal-Mart. 

          I suppose that there may be some people who will buy a DVD or stream/download the two hour commercial to avoid being seen entering a theater where it is playing; or to avoid being observed placing it in their cart or on the check-out conveyer belt at Wal-Mart.  Personally, if I were to stream a movie or buy a movie on DVD, it would be something that I actually might find enjoyable, not a two-hour long distortion of reality that lacks the benefit of being openly fictitious, and therefore amusing and/or entertaining in some fashion. 

          I notice that one of the articles linked above suggests the DVD run will be used as a bonus gift for subscribing to one of the many right wing talk programs.  That’s possible But I also suspect that, since this is largely a compilation of extracts and guided interviews designed to produce political and social infatuation with Palin, any pool of new subscribers will already have sent in their $99.99 plus shipping and handling to Sarahpac in order to own one, or both, of Palin’s attempts at forming at least one grammatically correct and structurally complete sentence using the English language to communicate an idea.  So expect the DVD’s to eventually become like Prodigy and AOL internet CD’s sent out wholesale to “occupant.” 

          The film maker/distributor expends lots of words explaining why no one showed up ( not even in Orange County CA) and how expanding the number of screens will magically, we assume, fill the theaters with rabid Palin fans, eager to listen to re-written history while shelling out $10.00-$30.00/person for admission and munchies.  Well, “munchies” might just explain why anyone would pay to see this.  Stoned people will watch all manner of info-mercial if they are supplied with sufficient food. 

          You’ve also got to be rather messed up to offer a standing ovation at a movie theater with no members of the cast present. Even in Iowa, I’ve never been that bored. 

          The link above leading to the movie review is worth following.  The review is honestly brief and brutally truthful.  Somewhere in America, “The Undefeated” is playing to empty theaters.  Also in America, an Oscar Acceptance speech is being ghost-written. It will only be used on an also-ghost-written Facebook page.  

24 July 2011 Ignore them, they’re only the citizens

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dan-balz-debt-talks-show-breakdown-in-governing/2011/07/23/gIQAjMRWVI_story_1.html

Debt talks show breakdown in governing

          “…It’s clear that House Republicans are the principal obstacle to any grand bargain that includes substantial new revenue. Their rigid opposition runs contrary to public opinion, which shows that a majority of the country believes that a deficit-reduction package should include both spending cuts and new taxes.”

The freshman Republicans came to Washington determined to cut spending and not raise taxes. They also came with the attitude that past Republican Congresses had been too compliant and too willing to make compromises that in fact boosted spending. They have an aversion to compromise that is as strong as their opposition to taxes.

Cassi Creek:  Public opinion poll results indicate that a majority of Americans are willing to see taxes increased in order to reduce our national debt.    The link below leads to the poll results.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postabcpoll_071711.html

Washington Post-ABC News Poll

          “This Washington Post-ABC News poll was conducted by telephone July 14-17, 2011, among a random national sample of 1,001 adults, including users of both conventional and cellular phones. The results from the full survey have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by Abt-SRBI of New York.”

*= less than 0.5 percent

Cassi Creek:

          The teavangelist/GOP desire to eliminate government indicates how poorly informed and educated the teavangelist/GOP voter base (and elected officials truly are. 

          The many aspects of government that are heavily involved in our daily existence depend upon government in visible &/or invisible form.  The pseudo-populist teavangelists and base seem unable to distinguish the invisible forms. 

The facts that Medicare and Social Security are government programs still elude some of the teavangelists, although I fail to understand how.  Less understood to be an agent of government are such things as Transportation safety, a standard target of GOP cost-cutters along with the FDA, CDC, NIH, & dozens of other agencies that provide for common protection.  The FAA’s maintenance of safe air traffic belongs to government.  So does the assurance of food, cosmetics, and drug safety.  China and other lowest-bid manufacturing nations have been proven to ship us adulterated medications, counterfeit medications, adulterated and contaminated food. 

          The teavangelist mob has been conditioned by its Limbaugh minions to demand that government be removed from providing the services currently obtained from the FAA, CDC, NIH, & FDA.  We demand products and services at lowest cost and then experience aircraft crashes, salmonella and E. coli infections, & lethal pet foods.  I don’t trust Chinese companies or Mexican companies, or their U.S. buyers to tell us that their products are unsafe.  I don’t trust an airline to tell me that a plane crashed because counterfeit parts were used to keep maintenance costs low.    The GOP may trust business.  I trust business less than I trust Congress. 

          It’s time to stop the “no taxes – starve government” bullshit.  All of those legislators and their voter base need only look as far south as Mexico to see where their demands lead the nation. 

          If that’s not a bleak enough prediction, send them to Somalia.  A one-way ticket will be fine.  They most likely won’t survive long enough to book a flight out. 

23 July 2011 Teavangelist bigotry and greed leads to default and profit

Dangerous dealings with the Default Caucus

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dangerous-dealings-with-the-default-caucus/2011/07/21/gIQAktWMTI_story.html?hpid=z4

By Dana Milbank, Published: July 22

            “Twenty Republican lawmakers crowded the Senate TV studio last week to issue a threat: Meet their demands, or they will force the United States to default.

            “The only way to prevent the catastrophe, these Tea Party faithful said, was for the Senate to pass, and the president to sign, their plan to permanently cap spending at levels last seen in 1966, before Medicare made the nation soft.

            “We want to make very clear: This is not just the best plan on the table for addressing the debt limit — this is the only plan,” first-term Sen. Mike Lee (Utah) said, vowing that “we’re otherwise going to be blowing past the debt-limit deadline.”

“We have a solution,” said Sen. Jim DeMint (S.C.). “It’s the only one that can be passed before the August 2nd deadline.”

Cassi Creek:  here’s a nasty little snippet of information that has recently surfaced.

http://www.politicolnews.com/eric-cantor-makes-money-if-us-defaults/

          “Eric Cantor makes money if US defaults through his investments, since he holds $15,000.00 invested in Pro-Shares Trust Ultrashort 20 + Year Treasury ETF (TBT) he bought in December 2010. 

The short indicates he is betting against the US government as if this appears to be a plan for investors to capitalize on the US losing ground on debt reduction.  

The exchange trade fun gives Eric Cantor the opportunity to shot the government Treasury bond and he is betting that the US bond prices will drop.  In fact, this represents a conflict of interest for the major player of the debt ceiling talks going on in Washington each day.  

          “Now why would Eric Cantor bet against the US government bonds? Hum.  If Eric Cantor had a conflict of interest which it appears he does, he should have recused himself from the Debt Negotiations debate with the Obama administration. ..”

          “Eric Cantors current portfolio investment of the $15,000.00 in shares means that back in December, Cantor foresees the US treasury bills declining in value…”

          The probability of teavangelist – forced default over their failure to compromise on the debt ceiling is growing higher each day now.  The sheer stupidity expressed by elected congressional members trying to bring about default so that they can point at Obama and blame him for the default is overwhelming.  Only idiots would find such a demonstration of hatred and bigotry acceptable.  There is no patriotism evident in trying to destroy our economy under the guise of pseudo-conservatism.  This would never have happened but for the venomous racial bias of the teavangelists and their intellectually deficient voter base. 

          Combine their hatred and sheer idiocy with Cantor’s apparent greed and the fuse for default is lit.  Cantor is stupid enough to gamble with America’s citizens’ future.  He’s greedy enough to willingly tank the economy by disrupting negotiations intended to prevent default. 

          Since Cantor personally chose investments that would benefit him upon default by the U.S., we know there is an ethical problem and conflict of interest that should result in his immediate removal from office. 

          What is less clear today is how many of the intransigent idiots of the teavangelists caucus are also invested in funds that will profit them hugely if we wind up in default.  If they are willing to force default, one doubts that they are at all concerned over their conflicts of interest.  We also have to ask, "How many of the financial funds that bankroll the teavangelists are likewise poised to profit from default?"

          There is no loyalty among corporations to this nation.  There is no loyalty among the teavangelists in office to the American middle class, workers, or any citizens who are not multi-millionaires.  There is an increasingly clear picture of how the teavangelists plan to destroy the United States for personal profit, and to demonstrate their personal hatred of Obama.