Meet the Depressed

Sounds like the "left of the left" isn't the only group unimpressed with Obama. Read More......

Tea Party Republicans with costumes and signs take on Glenn Beck

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Jim Messina ought to have a talk with his lawyers over at DOJ

It seems they're at odds, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff and the Obama Justice Department. One today promised that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" would be history by the end of the year (not sure if that's the Chinese year or the Mayan year). The other is still defending DADT in court (even though they don't have to), and going so far as to suggest that a gay group out closeted gay servicemembers to the government, even though the government doesn't have to defend the bigoted law at all.

So which one to believe? The guy working for the guy who's made all sorts of broken promises to all sorts of core Democratic constituencies, or the lawyers affirmatively trying to destroy the major civil rights litigation of our day, not unlike the way Southern segregationists tried to keep African-Americans as second class citizens only half a century ago.

So many of us had such high hopes that an African-American president, because of his own life experience, would be more tuned into, more sympathetic with, the civil rights struggle of others. We believed him when he said he'd be our "fierce advocate." And now he's undercutting our entire civil rights legal strategy before our eyes.

Yes, I'm sure the Republicans would be worse. And if that's the best thing you can say about Barack Obama and the Democratic party, that the Republicans would be worse, then it's no wonder we're having such a hard time in the polls. Read More......

AP: Could GOP be playing into Dems' hands?

AP:

Facing a stiff political headwind, Democrats are grasping for any strategy they can find to minimize an expected shellacking on Nov. 2. And the GOP's campaign manifesto gives the president's party a potentially valuable tool as it tries cast the midterm elections as a choice that voters must make between two economic visions rather than a referendum on Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress as Republicans want.

With the 21-page GOP document, Democrats now have something to point to as they seek to bolster their claim that Republicans offer nothing more than the same policies of the past. The plan also is filled with material for Democrats to use to draw sharp contrasts with GOP candidates in a campaign that has been tilting the Republicans' way.

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GOP lives up to expectations in votes today

From McJoan at DKos:

Two key votes today, one in the House and one in the Senate, both exposing the GOP agenda for corporate America.

Corporations won the Senate because of a Republican filibuster. The last ditch attempt to pass transparency rules for corporations funding political advertising failed to reach cloture, 59-39 (roll call will be posted at that link shortly). In any sane world, a 59% majority would be, you know majority wins. Not in the Senate. So Citizen's United stands unchanged. The millions of corporate dollars pouring into (mostly) Republican congressional campaigns won't have any fingerprints.

On the other hand, the Democratically controlled House did pass legislation to help the real small businesses. This is the bill that retiring Senate Republicans Voinovich and LeMieux finally broke ranks on to get out of the Senate. It contained $12 billion in tax breaks and a $30 billion fund to expand credit access to small businesses in community banks. Some experts predict the loan fund could spur as much as $300 billion in lending. It passed 237-187. That would be Republican votes.

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Liberal blogger accuses Axelrod of 'hippie punching' on blogger conference call with White House

Good for her.

Hovering over the call was obvious disconnect between this plea for help and statements like those of Robert Gibbs, who recently pilloried the "professional left" for being overly critical of the White House.

That tension burst out into the open when Madrak directly asked Axelrod: "Have you ever heard of hippie punching?" That prompted a long silence from Axelrod.

"You want us to help you, the first thing I would suggest is enough of the hippie punching," Madrak added. "We're the girl you'll take under the bleachers but you won't be seen with in the light of day."

Axelrod didn't engage on "hippie punching," but he said he agreed with the blogger. "To the extent that we shouldn't involved in intramural skirmishing, I couldn't agree more," Axelrod said. "We just can't afford that. There are big things at stake here."

Madrak replied that Axelrod was missing the point -- that the criticism of the left made it tougher for bloggers like herself to motivate the base. "Don't make our jobs harder," she said.

I can't name one constituency, other than the Netroots, that the President has outright refused to meet in person. And when a blogger was invited to meet with the President, it was a conservative blogger.

I wrote something on Facebook last week, and it's particularly relevant in terms of this post today. I was in Sweden observing the national elections, and I was marveling at the access the Social Democrats had given me (and their own progressive bloggers). I'd not only met the candidate (something that never happened with Obama), but the day before the elections bloggers were invited to travel with the candidate by train to her final rally, and then were invited on her private bus with her.

While some of you might consider Sweden small-bits, and thus not a big deal that the candidate would welcome the Netroots, it's not small-bits to the Swedes. Their candidate takes her time and her campaign just as seriously as does ours. And she gave her bloggers more access to the campaign team, and the candidate herself, than our bloggers ever got to the Obama campaign or the Obama White House.

When someone starts writing the history of "what went wrong," I suggest they start at the top. Read More......

Jack 'I wrote my retirement plan that the SEC investigated' Welch says Obama is anti-business

For starters, yes, the GOP will now start to pile on Obama with this charge since the White House brain trust decided to hint that they wanted a Larry Summers replacement who was more "business friendly." The GOP always knows when to go on the offensive and time after time, Team Change provides the Republicans with plenty of ammo for the attacks. As little as I care to defend Obama for another self made problem, it is something to listen to Welch talk about anyone other than himself ruling by intimidation. Welch himself proposed his own retirement plan that included unusually high financial payments, a free house for life in Manhattan, the use of the GE jet, sports tickets and the kitchen sink. Oh sure the GE board agreed to those terms but we all know that boards are rubber stamp teams who have often been hand picked by the CEO. After listening to Welch I wonder how he compares his perks to Americans receiving a minimum wage that enables them to live above poverty. How did his excessive retirement plan provide benefit to GE or anyone besides Jack Welch? How competitive were his perks since he wrote them?

Welch is blaming Obama for the Republican-created recession and babbles on about entrepreneurs, though it's not clear how Obama has done anything to hurt entrepreneurs. If Bill Gates was worried about taxes when he launched Microsoft, he has never complained about the 70% tax rates of that era. Then again, what does Welch know about being an entrepreneur as the former CEO of GE? Squashing competition thanks to piles of lobbyist money to grease the skids of Washington, sure, but that's not what most Americans think of when they hear the word.

While he remains popular on CNBC, he sounds increasingly out of touch, especially when we know his own work history. He misses the point that some Americans actually care about the social benefit that business provides. Giving away jobs that keep families stuck in poverty while the executives take home superstar pay is no longer in fashion. Sorry, Jack, but the times have moved on and you now sound like a dinosaur. The more pleading he does for the wealthy like him, the more out of touch he sounds. Read More......

The GOP's real pledge to America

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At least Harry Reid's GOP opponent Sharron Angle isn't a witch

That's about the best thing you can say about a woman who mocks 'autism.' I have an autistic nephew, he's probably in his 30s at this point, and boy is it real. I noticed it when he was, I think, two years old - before the rest of the family did, and before he was diagnosed. It's sick that she would mock this, but not unexpected. Intolerance lives in the GOP.

As key provisions of new federal health care legislation come into effect tomorrow, Democrats are emphasizing Republican senate candidate Sharron Angle’s opposition to mandating insurance coverage for basic illnesses.

In a video of Angle at a 2009 tea party rally released by the party’s tracker, Angle appears to mock a recently passed Nevada mandate for insurance carriers to cover treatment for autism.

“Take off the mandates for coverage in the state of Nevada and all over the United States,” she shouts. “But here you know what I’m talking about. You’re paying for things you don’t even need.

“They just passed the latest one, is everything that they want to throw at us now is covered under 'autism',” she said, using exaggerated air quotes to deliver the word ‘autism.’

Maybe it's time we found out Sharron Angle's views on masturbation. Read More......

Besides adding trillions to the deficit and restricting liberty, the GOP 'Pledge to America' sounds great

Who really needs to pay for expensive giveaways to the wealthiest Americans anyway? Hasn't that been the ongoing Republican plan anyway? Looks like they're not the only ones who can't figure out what "change" is supposed to mean. Details, details. Who needs 'em? More from Ezra Klein:

You're also left with a difficult question: What, exactly, does the Republican Party believe? The document speaks constantly and eloquently of the dangers of debt -- but offers a raft of proposals that would sharply increase it. It says, in one paragraph, that the Republican Party will commit itself to "greater liberty" and then, in the next, that it will protect "traditional marriage." It says that "small business must have certainty that the rules won't change every few months" and then promises to change all the rules that the Obama administration has passed in recent months. It is a document with a clear theory of what has gone wrong -- debt, policy uncertainty, and too much government -- and a solid promise to make most of it worse.

Take the deficit. Perhaps the two most consequential policies in the proposal are the full extension of the Bush tax cuts and the full repeal of the health-care law. The first would increase the deficit by more than $4 trillion over the next 10 years, and many trillions of dollars more after that. The second would increase the deficit by more than $100 billion over the next 10 years, and many trillions of dollars more after that. Nothing in the document comes close to paying for these two proposals, and the authors know it: The document never says that the policy proposals it offers will ultimately reduce the deficit.

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Insularity of Obama's inner circle has led to 'routine' heckling from would-be allies

There are two articles in today's Washington Post that complement each other. One explains how the Obama White House functions. The other shows the results of how the Obama White House functions for people who thought they were electing an ally.

The first describes the insular nature of the Obama White House. The President relies on very few people. His little clique consists of Emanuel, Axelrod, Gibbs, Jarrett and Biden. They have shaped this presidency and brought it to where it is now:

"They miscalculated where people were out in the country on jobs, on spending, on the deficit, on debt," said a longtime Democratic strategist who works with the White House on a variety of issues. "They have not been able to get ahead of any of it. And it's all about the insularity. Otherwise how do you explain how a group who came in with more goodwill in decades squandered it?" The strategist asked not to be identified in order to speak freely about the president and his staff.

This is not an uncommon view among Democratic political professionals, many of whom share the goals of the White House but have grown frustrated with a staff they see as unapproachable and set in their ways.

It's also a common view among the "professional left" and the "Internet left fringe," too. Something isn't working in this presidency and the people at the top don't seem to get it. They blame the rest of us when the fault lies within.

Which brings me to another article in today's Washington Post. Last night, at a DCCC/DSCC fundraiser, Obama was heckled from the audience over AIDs and Don't Ask, Don't Tell:

"We need your energy and enthusiasm," Obama said. "This young lady here, she wants an increase in AIDS funding. ... I'm sure we could do more, if we're able to grow this economy again. That young man shouted, 'Don't ask, don't tell.' . . . As president, I said we would reverse it."

Such heckling of Obama at Democratic fundraisers has become routine in recent months. The president was interrupted in April and May - both times at fundraisers for Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.) - by people protesting the president's pace on eliminating "don't ask, don't tell." The policy forbids gay men and lesbians from openly serving in the military; the president has urged its repeal, but Congress has resisted any change.

People are heckling for a reason. Obama and his inner circle have really messed up on the LGBT agenda. They've botched it -- but I keep hearing that they actually think they've done a good job. They're not listening.

The failure to pass DADT repeal rests with the President. And, before the apologists start screeching that it was Congress and the Republicans, ask what Obama did to help pass the Defense Authorization bill. There's a simple answer: Nothing. Not a word.

Yes, there's a reason people are heckling. It's the only chance to be heard. Our advocacy organizations aren't doing their jobs. Most of those groups dropped their organizational missions in exchange for for access and invitations long ago. The only reason the DADT legislative compromise made it this far is because SLDN and SU kept pushing and GetEQUAL upped the pressure.

Being nice doesn't work with Team Obama. If the inner circle isn't worried about you, you don't exist. All we're asking is that Obama keep the promises he has made to us over and over. We've heard the words. We want some action, now.

Soon Team Obama will be in reelection mode. I don't know how they come to LGBT voters and ask for our money, our time and our votes when they aren't fighting to make us equal. Read More......

The GOP is back on the 'let's privatize Social Security' program

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

After the Wall Street meltdown - where Americans still have not recovered from the losses - it would seem like any especially bad idea. Look at how much Big Insurance generates from overhead costs and then imagine what it might look like if Wall Street took their cut for managing Social Security. It's insane to think this makes sense for anyone other than Wall Street, but welcome to the Republican party. Read More......

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

The President is in New York again today. This morning, he'll address the UN General Assembly. Then, he's speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative. Last night, at a DCCC/DSCC fundraiser, Obama was heckled over AIDS funding and Don't Ask, Don't Tell. He did not explain to the crowd how he intends to "reverse" DADT. He sure didn't do anything this week to help that cause.

House Republicans are officially releasing their "Pledge to America" today. John posted it here. It's getting panned -- by conservatives.

Looking like the House and Senate are only going to be in for one more week. Seems like there's a lot to do, but not much time. I guess the Senate freed itself up some hours by not passing the Defense Authorization bill while we're fighting two wars. One would think that would generate some outrage, maybe from the President/Commander-in-Chief. Not so much.

And, what else? Read More......

France confirms Al-Qaeda kidnapping of citizens in Niger

In this case it probably has little or nothing to do with the recent burqa ban and more to do with the regional instability. BBC:

France's foreign ministry has confirmed that an al-Qaeda group is holding five of its citizens after abducting them from a uranium mine in Niger.

A ministry spokesman said France had no proof the five were alive but had "good reasons" to believe they were.

He said a claim from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) was genuine.

Another two people, one from Togo and and the other from Madagascar, were seized along with the French group.

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Majority of new Swiss government cabinet is female

It's especially interesting in Switzerland since women only received the vote in 1971 for national elections. Shouldn't we see much more of this though? Even in the US where we like to think of ourselves as being progressive, the number of women in government is severely lacking. BBC:

Switzerland's parliament has voted a new minister into the government, giving the cabinet a majority of women for the first time.

The election of Simonetta Sommaruga, 50, a Social Democrat, is a historic step in a country where women only got to vote on a national level in 1971.

Ms Sommaruga becomes the fourth female in the seven-member Federal Council.

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