Well that's utterly depressing. Gotta love democracy and elections and such!

Highway To Hell.

I have read that the Republicans are blocking stimulus to make the Democrats look bad for the election but I’m not sure that they would commit political suicide by continuing in that vein once in power. We do need more stimulus but even if we get it that will only be a temporary reprieve from the inevitable. I have no idea what an “economy” is but I do know that with the loss of so much manufacturing there are no jobs for people to go back to. And what has Obama and the Democratic Party done that McInsane or Palin wouldn’t have done? Make eating ice-cream cones in public illegal?

"I have to admit, I may have once again underestimated the ability of the Democratic Party to make the world a much, much worse place."

No offense Jon, because you're a superhero, but that's a reason to reject your past hypotheses and develop a more explanatory theory. Seriously.

Just wait til this election season unfolds with Citizens United on the books. The GOP will win, because they'll get the vast bulk of the money, but the Dems will step up their sucking up to banks and other funders too. This election cycle will be nauseasing, and yes, the prognosis for our national health is poor, possibly sooner than we can bring ourselves to appreciate. We all reflexively ignore the wisdom that bad news doesn't get better if you ignore it.

Well, I've got Feb. 7, 2011 in the local Invasion of Yemen Raffle.

"And what has Obama and the Democratic Party done that McInsane or Palin wouldn’t have done? Make eating ice-cream cones in public illegal?"

The world we have now was in large part MADE ten years ago, and in the future the world others live in will be made now and in the coming years. Al Gore and Lieberman wouldn't have given us anything to sing heroic songs about, but they wouldn't have given us what we got. Neither Obama nor anybody else can UNMAKE the past and start over, so don't assume that continuity from Bush to Obama means that things can't get yet worse. They surely can, and with lunatic GOP control they could quite easily get a lot worse. The insane billionaires are, well, insane. The difference between sane and insane can be important.

That being said, the whole system needs to be junked or there will be hell to pay.

America deserves President Palin.

Although, I don't believe for a second that she wants to even hold the office. She would rather have a talk show.

The Democrats are leading us down the tubes just as surely as the Republicans. While it may take a little longer, and it may be a little less unpleasant, to be destroyed a la mode Democratique, I'd really rather have something other than destruction at the end of the road.

I see no hope while the current party structure still exists. And I see no chance of a reordering of the party structure unless things first get very, very bad. I think we're past the point where it is feasible to avoid the pain and suffering that is coming. What we're fighting for is what the pain and suffering will lead to.

Third Party, Folks.

NE, You misunderstand me, I in no way support Obama or the Democrats. Probably I wasn't very clear but what I meant was I see no difference between the two parties and when you consider that the anti-war movement has fallen to the wayside because Obama is president a case could be made that the Democrats are indeed worse than the Republicans though for the most part I seem them as being the same with different window dressing.

And don't be so sure Gore would not have given us the same. After all during the Clinton years Gore was going around the country calling for the removal of Saddam, should sound familiar.

the whole country won't suffer, and the whole federal cash injection won't stop. just the blue parts.

I said this before the last election, and I say it again. Americans, as a whole, aren't suffering enough. Living in bad times? Sure. But nothing like the Great Depression--23 to 25 percent unemployment with virtually no social safety nets, no welfare as we know it, no Social Security, no medicare. Add a natural disaster, such as the Great Dust Bowl, a people might wake up.

Yes, when millions and millions of the future homeless are picking through dumpsters for their next meal and trying to catch a little protection from the chilly February winds around underpasses, the little comfort and satisfaction they had in saving billionaires and mega corporations from any annoying social responsibilities, maybe, just maybe, might evaporate.

I am reminded of Jon's Iron Law of Institutions.

Imagine a situation where the Republicans could either cooperate and possibly save the country, with the credit going to Obama, or refuse and let it go down the tubes, as long as Obama gets the blame. I can see plenty of them willingly doing the latter, saying, "See! Obama was Satan! We told you so!" even as they elbow each other out of the way for a succulent piece of roadkill.

On the other hand, I see nothing in the pipeline from the Democrats that would save the country, no plan the Republicans could cooperate with to really make a difference. So far it's just PR.

Regarding GOP strategy, there was a piece in last week's New Yorker about a psychopathic psychiatrist in New Zealand which had a couple of interesting points about psychopaths in general from a 1941 book titled "The Mask of Sanity" by Hervey Cleckley at the Medical College of Georgia.

While the charming, cunning psychopath has become a stock character in Hollywood films, Cleckley's psychopaths bear little resemblance to Hannibal Lecter. Often, they look more like the bunglers in "Fargo," whose elaborate criminal plans are derailed by spectacularly boneheaded decisions. Cleckley's psychopaths are not simply blind to the interests of others; in some ways they are also blind to their own. They consistently underestimate the intelligence of other people, lying needlessly, even in circumstances where they are certain to be caught.

No help whatsoever to the victims (i.e. us) but if you're wondering whether Republicans would be crazy enough to ruin the economy on Obama's watch so they could take control...well, they thought they could bomb the heck out of Iraq and make it hunky-dory, too.

Of course, so did most of the top-shelf Dems.

Speaking of bombing Iraq---a majority of Americans thought it was a good idea and CHEERED as WE lit up Baghdad like the 4th of July. AND the songs on the radio about bombing and lynching said it all. I figure ALL OUR wars start out that way and continue as such until WE get a bellyfull, and then---???

"We're on our way to the Promised Land."---AC-DC.

Hmm. I feel that with a Republican-controlled congress/senate he actually has a much better chance of being re-elected. Not that it makes a lot of difference either way.

the biggest difference to me now is transparency

I agree with Numerical Anon that Palin is just fine traveling the country, getting big bucks for rehashing her Oprah-meets-Larry the Cable Guy shtick, making occasional appearances on Fox where she'll never be stumped with brainteasers about what newspapers she reads by hostile reporters. She couldn't resist the temptation long enough to finish a term as governor, why would she want to be President and have to do some actual work? If she runs at all, it'll only be to boost her Q score.

Also, Daniel Larison has some interesting thoughts about what Republicans would do with power.

Third party indeed. What is it's platform? What is it's philosophy? What do we call it? How do we get attention?

Don't worry, Jon! Barry is just playing eleven-dimensional chess with the Republicans. Everything will turn out all right in the end. Hope! Change! He's out there on the campaign trail right now, showing them what he's made of, the Real Barack Obama we got to know in 2008: the cynical marketing hustler. Go Democrats!

I watched his speech in Cleveland yesterday on C-SPAN ( yes, I do watch C-SPAN ) for may be five minutes and felt like "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me". I turned the TV off. I want to see ACTION ----- not just inspiring words, enough of them ----- that really translates into improving the lives of millions of Americans which is not just "survival" but "decent living."

iron butterfly: Here's a start.

THE INTERNET IS THE NEW THIRD POLITICAL PARTY AND THE BLOGOSPHERE IS ITS POLITBORO.
"One nation, indispensible, with weapons and ammunition for all."---NE
SPACEAGE PROGRESSIVE, progress for the future.

REINSTATE THE WPA, call Pelosi @ 1-202-225-0100. JOBS, JOBS, JOBS.

REPEAL THE PATRIOT ACT, call Pelosi @ 1-202-225-0100. Return to The Constitution.

TIPP-- The Internet Political Party.

Jon, I prefer news like this to be accompanied by pretty Venn diagrams. It lessens the sting.

Paul Avery

More suffering is an inadequate strategy for progress. Something more has to translate it into betterment, or else it just leads to more of the same. That has been common in history. But I share your hope that people's ambivalence will diminish as they learn hard lessons, and I too hope that maybe something better will emerge from all the pain.

It's always refreshing to read Schwarz's inability to hide his absolutely resolute grasp on partisan preference for The Noble Democrats. Even when Obama & the Dem-run Congress have flayed Schwarz, are preparing to draw & quarter him, have mules bearing clay jars to portage the remains... he still worries about President Palin and attacks those Evil Rethuglicans as if they are the source of his problems.

Yeah, that's really funny, the constant blaming of Republicans for things the Democrats are doing, Hilarious! Schwarz is as funny as cancer!

Remember, Schwarz-o-philes, everything will be better when the world is rid of Republicans. That will solve EVERYthing.

Jonny says so.

So long as we avoid nuclear holocaust I'll be counting blessings.

Jean: AGREED.

So, Jon says that the Democrats have turned out to be even worse than he expected, and that the Obama everyone is hoping will magically "do something" to fix things is a liberal fantasy Obama who bears no resemblance to the Real World Obama.

Oxtrot, with his usual eagle eye and mad reading comprehension skillz, sees this as partisan cheerleading. Oxtrot has also called John Caruso a "pwoggie" (sarcastic version of "progressive") before as well.

Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I find it hard to believe anyone could honestly be this dense without massive head trauma being involved.

@jean I see youv'e been watching Diminished Expectations Theatre. It's my favorite show!

I got educated about Real World today and do not have to look into the future.
I went to my neighbourhood car-wash. Gave the car to couple of men who I guess put the car in right gear, on track etc and went to the cashier. Through the glass, I saw them hand-spraying the car which I had never seen before. The car used to just start moving automatically and wash would start. I asked the cashier, how one could tip them ( I had never done it before ). I was told, they were salaried and were not to be tipped. So I asked about the men who take care of the car AFTER the wash, wiping, vacuuming, spray cleaning windows and dashboard etc whom I always tipped ). I was told, they do not receive any salary... they only earn what they receive in tips, may be just $10 a day! I was shocked ( at finding out this and at my ignorance about their situation ). Allegedly, this is approved by car-wash industry!! I talked to the gentleman who took care of my car. Does he care about who will be elected or "depression" or "nuclear holocaust"? I think he will be happy if he can buy his lunch today.

I'm pretty sure that having the GOP take control of the Congress in 2010 is Obama's election strategy for 2012.

Obama needs something to run against. If his party controlled the legislature for his entire first term he would have no excuse for not having done anything.

With Republican maniacs shutting down the government, investigating CNBC, boosting Sarah Palin, etc., Obama will be able to pretend that he is the only thing thwarting tyranny and economic collapse in 2012.

He wants the Dems to lose now.

"It's almost certain that if Republicans win the House or Senate or both in November, they will do everything in their power to crash the economy."

So why are they not doing that now? Why have they not in the last two years? I think you are wrong to see any practical difference between Democrats and Republicans but we will soon see I suppose --- or wait --- didn't we already see because of all the years under Bush? How is/was Obama any different?

An excellent Op-Ed......
"Suck It Up and Dig In"
here

http://www.truth-out.org/suck-it-up-and-dig-in63079

"Speaking of bombing Iraq---a majority of Americans thought it was a good idea"

Actually a majority of Americans opposed the war before it started. Don't re-write history to support Bush.

DavidByron wrote: "So why are they not doing that now? Why have they not in the last two years?"

Err, they have been doing it. The GOP is called "the party of no" for a reason.
With the help of some bought-and-paid-for Dem Senators from heartland states, they made sure that we never had enough stimulus. That's part of crushing American labor, formerly called the middle class. In our new economically multipolar global economy, the austerity measures that used to be for countries like Korea and Indonesia and Argentina and Mexico are now for the USA too.

Actually a majority of Americans opposed the war before it started. Don't re-write history to support Bush
@DavidByron~
Mike meyer is right according to the poll findings below, at least in the beginning.
here

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/770/iraq-war-five-year-anniversary

continued....

continued.......
Though, you are also right DavidByron that there were major protests against the war but millions of people protested all around the world......
here

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/feb/17/politics.uk

Rupa Shah: THANK YOU!

DavidByron: NO NEED for me to rewrite history, this stuff writes itself and IS MUCH more exciting than my ability to imagine.
And really, why wouldn't Americans cheer? Gulf War I was only 100 days more or less and Bush/Cheney SOLD the public on the same sort of outcome. 6 billion people in the world, 30 million protested world wide. One can ONLY assume the rest didn't know what was about happen or didn't care enough to protest, a default AYE VOTE, OR they were cheering.

Did YOU cheer
AS Baghdad burned
As Baghdad burned
As Baghdad burned?

Did YOU, David, cheer
As Baghdad burned?
I didn't
I just said NOTHING.

I think we are going to see a global warming catastrophe before the end of the month. Maybe two or three of them.

It was amazing to me how many Americans DID support the invasion and bombing of Iraq, and also amazing how many of them - months later - thought WMDs had been USED by the Iraqi military.

I am no longer so shocked by such dumbness.

"I am no longer so shocked by such dumbness."

Sage is my favorite spice.

Quoth Anon: "America deserves President Palin."

Well, maybe the USA desreves such a creature. Mexico already has an illegitimate, noxious, and dangerous clown in Calderón.

But not "America". Not when we have Evo in Bolivia, El Pepe in Uruguay, Rafael in Ecuador, Bishop Lugo in Paraguay, Hugo in Venezuela, and Lula in Brazil.

Look South for grassroots action that has improved the quality of government.

Quoth Anon: "America deserves President Palin."

Well, maybe the USA desreves such a creature. Mexico already has an illegitimate, noxious, and dangerous clown in Calderón.

But not "America". Not when we have Evo in Bolivia, El Pepe in Uruguay, Rafael in Ecuador, Bishop Lugo in Paraguay, Hugo in Venezuela, and Lula in Brazil.

Look South for grassroots action that has improved the quality of government.

Weniger Gottquatsch, ich liebe dein Name.

Weniger Gottquatsch,

Ich auch.

i think they deserved a president nader or gravel or something. i'm sorry that they're attracted to less practical patriotism.

yeah, Republicans are scary, but when your idea of "Change" is a guy whose whole tiny record was of being a backstabbing bitch you're down to a choice of:

100%Bad vs. 99.999%Bad, yeah, yeah lessor of two evils.

I'm not a big fan of either Clinton, but those of you with "Clinton derangement syndrome" need to take a victory lap for this outcome.

BTW, CDS got Bush two terms...well...three, counting Obama as Bush's 3rd term.

This comment is not related to this post but Mr Schwarz, many many thanks for posting the Al-Jazeera video about Indian govt's handling of food grains for the poor. I absolutely can not understand how a govt can follow policies that keeps poor people hungry when food is available in plenty and is rotting.

ps I always thought, the videos were always "Real News" clips. Now, I will have to check them everyday as it may be something different!

This is my favorite post from above comments so I will repost it. Shargash wrote it:

The Democrats are leading us down the tubes just as surely as the Republicans. While it may take a little longer, and it may be a little less unpleasant, to be destroyed a la mode Democratique, I'd really rather have something other than destruction at the end of the road.

I see no hope while the current party structure still exists. And I see no chance of a reordering of the party structure unless things first get very, very bad. I think we're past the point where it is feasible to avoid the pain and suffering that is coming. What we're fighting for is what the pain and suffering will lead to.
Posted by shargash at September 8, 2010 11:24 PM

Rupa Shah: The bad distribution, the rotting grain is just their govt. keepin'em' down. I've never distributed food over seas BUT I have been poor, or as poor as any American can get while drunk and on a freighttrain. I believe those poor folks need to figure out THEIR OWN distribution network and bypass that govt. middleman. The ONLY way that will materialize is if the ORIGINAL OWNER of said grain kick down a litttle help to make the sale. ALL that requires is a little communication between the two.

A pause to look back to the time of Carter v. Reagan, though oxygen depletion wasn't in the game then...I didn't think Carter was worth voting for, but I also didn't believe "America" wanted Max Headroom.

>More suffering is an inadequate strategy for progress.N.E.>

To this, there is no argument. I was pointing out the inevitable, not the most desirable future.

Although I'm not completely convinced the Republicans will take back both houses of Congress (polls are nearly always misleading this long before Election Day), they don't have to, just maintaining the status quo will inevitably lead to more suffering.

http://network.certmag.com/profiles/blogs/buy-chinese-cigarettes
Давайте вернем вещь похорошему, и администрация отеля не подаст в суд. Для солдата очень важно иметь рядом товарищей, которых знаешь и на которых можешь положиться. Бог отдал новое распоряжение. Фигуры людей окунулись в него и вспыхнули, загорелись, словно яркие, но недолговечные звезды. Мы медленно проникли в анфиладу кабинетов. Я глубоко вздохнул, опять выругался, вытащил меч и внимательно посмотрел вперед. Меня кинуло в дрожь. Я не собираюсь их холить. И больше ты не получишь ни медяка. Солдаты повернулись к нам.

Our only hope is a third party.

Our two existing parties constitute an absolute political monopoly- guaranteeing more greed, crony capitalism, corruption.

As long as people continue to support this dysfunctional two party system- we will get more of the same and worse. The solution, the anti government party- Libertarians just can't get any traction. I guess freedom and liberty aren't important to most schmoes.

"more pain and suffering" - who knows if it's good or bad?

from the interview with Dr. Prof. Col. Bacevich cited in the previous thread here:

McNally: Finally, if you could look back from from a decade in the future – It’s 2020, did the US turn things around in this regard? And... if your answer is yes, how did we do it?

Bacevich: My guess is that we will not have turned it around. The only way that we will is if the American people become truly cognizant of the negative effects of persisting in the Washington Rules.... If there is some further economic calamity, or -- and I obviously don’t want this to happen -- if there is some further 9/11 style calamity, perhaps that would jolt Americans into a recognition that something is fundamentally amiss and something needs to change. My guess, however, is that it’s not all that likely.

So there you have it - the likelihood of America's much-needed metanoia is increased by some further...calamity, in the view of an officer, gentleman, and history professor who has had one himself. If that's not a hopeful sign, then maybe you'd rather have the Chinese fortune cookie that says "All your troubles will be over soon."

Talking about Prof Bacevich, Just Foreign Policy has scheduled an interactive video chat with him on Friday, September 24th at 3:30pm Eastern (2:30pm Central, 12:30pm Pacific). If anyone is interested, you can register at the website below......
here

http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/bacevichtalk

EXCELLENT column by Robert Fisk......
Would anything have been different in the aftermath of Sep 11, 2001 if there was a democrat in the White House? I have to wonder....

"Nine years, two wars, hundreds of thousands dead – and nothing learnt"
Did 9/11 make us all mad? Our memorial to the innocents who died nine years ago has been a holocaust of fire and blood . . .

here

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-nine-years-two-wars-hundreds-of-thousands-dead-ndash-and-nothing-learnt-2076450.html

I was actually semi-serious in my comment about counting blessings so long as there's no nuclear holocaust. That's because I've given up hoping that decent, sensible, well-informed Americans can change anything in that country (though I still heartily applaud and support your efforts, and I would love to be proven wrong). I tried myself for some years but the system is simply too resistant, the power structure too rigged. So I'm thinking now that the best case scenario is if the United States collapses while the rest of us just carry on living our lives, and improving our societies and communities, in places where things work a bit better. Americans in their post-collapse society could freely borrow from more successful foreign models as they rebuild their society, ideally using a better design than what the neoconservatives and neoliberals have given you for the past half-century. Of course, if the crazies in charge of American foreign policy manage to unleash nuclear war as the system writhes in its death throes, that will pretty much put paid to the hopes and dreams of everyone on the planet.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying my universal single-payer health care, beautiful countryside, high standard of living/quality of life, and other perks of living in Slovenia.

Jean: As far as Americans changing THIS country, its CONSTANTLY changing, hell WE (actually) elected a blackman for president. A woman is next because SOON, after Obama is done, a man will most likely be unelectable, no matter what race. I also think WE are still on track toward EMPIRE AMERICA so WE may well be headed YOUR way eventually.(more sooner than later)

A calamity can work wonders, but in more than one way. Plenty of important people thought the country wouldn't come to its senses and do the things they were CONVINCED, according to the logic of the National Security mind, were necessary until after a calamity. That was the belief of one Dick Cheney and many in the National Security elite and plenty of crazy Generals who came up in the aftermath of Vietnam too. But, you know, their idea of why a calamity would befall us eventually unless we woke up was a little different from mine, and their idea of what good a calamity could do was a little different from mine too.

So people should be careful about putting too much hope in calamities. World War I was a calamity of the first order, and for a little while it looked like it might actually lead to mechanisms able to create and preserve a lasting peace, but then that fell apart and the first calamity turned out to be just preparation for a second.

Maybe soon Americans will be emigrating en masse to Slovenia . . . and Venezuela and Norway and Italy and so on.

It's too bad climate change and resource depletion are global.

I think I'll stay in Wyoming.

unclear referent: Bacevich has had one himself

Earlier in this comment thread I wrote: "the likelihood of America's much-needed metanoia is increased by some further...calamity, in the view of an officer, gentleman, and history professor who has had one himself."

I see now that my phrase "has had one himself" is ambiguous. Did I mean:

a)Bacevich himself has had a much-needed metanoia?

a transformative change of heart; especially : a spiritual conversion.
Greek, from metanoiein to change one's mind, repent, from meta- + noein to think, from nous mind
First Known Use: 1577

b)Bacevich has had a calamity?

On May 13, 2007, Bacevich's son, 1LT Andrew J. Bacevich, Jr., was killed in action in Iraq by an improvised explosive device south of Samarra in Salah ad Din Governate. The younger Bacevich, 27, was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division.

To be frank, I was thinking of meaning (a), but (b) also applies.