Uppity Wisconsin
Making Wisconsin Progressive Again
Obama's Cowardly Betrayal
Sun, 11/29/2009 - 11:10am | mal contends
Some forty-five years after the passage of the first civil rights legislation guided into law by JFK and LBJ, the civil rights and peace movements tower as monuments to American progress.
Through the work of ordinary citizens, today's America stands in stark contrast to the contemporary Republican Party earning itself the moniker, the White Party and its retrograde agenda bearing an unseemly resemblance to 1960s institutional racism and endless war.
The GOP conducted massive voter suppression campaigns against Obama who captured the imagination of the country, earning an earnest belief in the possibility of change, peace, and justice. Not just in words but in real-life deeds, and not just in the United States but throughout the world.
Through the work of ordinary citizens, today's America stands in stark contrast to the contemporary Republican Party earning itself the moniker, the White Party and its retrograde agenda bearing an unseemly resemblance to 1960s institutional racism and endless war.
The GOP conducted massive voter suppression campaigns against Obama who captured the imagination of the country, earning an earnest belief in the possibility of change, peace, and justice. Not just in words but in real-life deeds, and not just in the United States but throughout the world.
Tags: Pew Center Data Is Trouble for GOP
Thu, 04/30/2009 - 12:14pm | mal contends
If you want to know why RNC Chair Michael Steele and his allies have become so shrill, it's not only because these guys are unhinged.
They have access to electoral data and a changing America spells trouble for a major political party that is overwhelmingly white, xenophobic, hateful and ignorant. These guys are desperate and Rush and the crew are increasingly impotent.
Consider the just-released Pew Research Center data in the Dissecting the 2008 Electorate: Most Diverse in U.S. History report.
Earmarks No Good? Tell That to Janesville
Fri, 03/13/2009 - 9:12am | mal contends
Update: Mike Madden in Salon - "President Obama urges pork reform and signs a bill with earmarks in it on the same day. Republicans make an unconvincing show of outrage."
From today's State Journal: "U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl D-Wis., added $951,000 to the federal Omnibus Appropriations Bill for Black hawk Technical College to provide job training and placement services for former employees of General Motors in Janesville and it supplier companies."
The horror ... because the job training and placement services are an earmark, according to Wisconsin's Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Middleton) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) and of-course the ever-foolish John McCain.
Reads Feingold's statement:
From today's State Journal: "U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl D-Wis., added $951,000 to the federal Omnibus Appropriations Bill for Black hawk Technical College to provide job training and placement services for former employees of General Motors in Janesville and it supplier companies."
The horror ... because the job training and placement services are an earmark, according to Wisconsin's Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Middleton) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) and of-course the ever-foolish John McCain.
Reads Feingold's statement:
McCain's Nuts, Feingold and Ryan Following
Fri, 03/06/2009 - 2:50pm | mal contends
Update: Herbert: "Freaking out over earmarks is like watching a neighborhood that is being consumed by flames and complaining that there is crabgrass on some of the lawns."
Sen. John McCain is like a man on the Titanic complaining to the bartender that there’s not enough vodka in his drink as outside the iceberg approaches.
Reads a fundraising e-mail from McCain complaining about “pork” in a big spending bill (now blocked by Republicans threatening a filibuster in the U.S. Senate) as McCain seeks reelection in 2010:
Sen. John McCain is like a man on the Titanic complaining to the bartender that there’s not enough vodka in his drink as outside the iceberg approaches.
Reads a fundraising e-mail from McCain complaining about “pork” in a big spending bill (now blocked by Republicans threatening a filibuster in the U.S. Senate) as McCain seeks reelection in 2010:
My Friend, … I have called on the President to take a principled stand and veto the bill if it is sent to him, but unfortunately, he appears ready to sign it into law, which is nothing more than politics as usual.
The Obama Opportunity
Mon, 02/23/2009 - 9:06pm | mal contends
President Barack Obama will speak to the American public tonight via an address to a joint session of Congress.
This critical address comes as financial markets are tumbling while the American public continues to express high levels of confidence about Obama as president and his agenda addressing the economic crises.
Obama needs to call forth a collective effort from the American people. Politically, he is at the apex of his administration’s ability to summon the excitement of community and sacrifice that Americans have always given at moments of peril.
It's an enduring dynamic of human beings living in a community at crisis that is too rarely called on but is most needed at the worst of times.
This critical address comes as financial markets are tumbling while the American public continues to express high levels of confidence about Obama as president and his agenda addressing the economic crises.
Obama needs to call forth a collective effort from the American people. Politically, he is at the apex of his administration’s ability to summon the excitement of community and sacrifice that Americans have always given at moments of peril.
It's an enduring dynamic of human beings living in a community at crisis that is too rarely called on but is most needed at the worst of times.
Obama Needs to Nationalize Now
Wed, 02/11/2009 - 7:39am | mal contends
Update II: Krugman - "Nationalization is actually as American as apple pie."
Update: Time Magazine - "According to Reuters, there are over 8,300 FDIC-insured banks in America. Last August, dour economist Nouriel Roubini told Barron's that 1,400 banks in the U.S. would eventually fail."
The Obama administration can pivot fast, but there is no doubt that Wall Street and policymakers (some of whom are being earnest) want more specificity on how Obama will manage the bank bailout plan.
As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, Obama needs to move decisively on the bank bailout with lots of a details, clear timeliness and delineated scope in a manner that would make project management professionals proud.
Update: Time Magazine - "According to Reuters, there are over 8,300 FDIC-insured banks in America. Last August, dour economist Nouriel Roubini told Barron's that 1,400 banks in the U.S. would eventually fail."
The Obama administration can pivot fast, but there is no doubt that Wall Street and policymakers (some of whom are being earnest) want more specificity on how Obama will manage the bank bailout plan.
As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, Obama needs to move decisively on the bank bailout with lots of a details, clear timeliness and delineated scope in a manner that would make project management professionals proud.
Obama: Now; GOP: No
Thu, 02/05/2009 - 8:09am | mal contends
Update II: Senators Reach Tentative Deal on Stimulus Package
Update: On stimulus, Senate Dems ready to go it alone
President Obama called for action today in a Washington Post op-ed piece implicitly reminding obstructionist Republicans that their policy views are what got us here in the first place and are precisely what was rejected by voters the last election.
President Obama called for action today in a Washington Post op-ed piece implicitly reminding obstructionist Republicans that their policy views are what got us here in the first place and are precisely what was rejected by voters the last election.
In recent days, there have been misguided criticisms of this plan that echo the failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis -- the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can meet our enormous tests with half-steps and piecemeal measures; that we can ignore fundamental challenges such as energy independence and the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive.
GOP Panicks as House Votes on Obama Stimulus Plan
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 10:18am | mal contends
Shafting Vets Makes the News
Thu, 01/08/2009 - 2:04pm | mal contends
Not news among veterans’ advocates, but three pieces paint a sordid picture of what our country intentionally inflicts upon our veterans when it makes war.
War tends to produce results dysfunctional to future war-making so veterans and serving military personnel who point to any evidence of this truism risk a hostile government machinery.
Consider what happens when death gives a veteran a problem and the VA can’t make a fraud charge stick when a solider is diagnosed with the resulting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), here’s an alternative tactic: Ruin a soilder’s career while he’s still in the service and take away as many benefits as possible.
See Army General Improperly Kicks Out Iraq War Soldier Diagnosed with PTSD (Veterans for Common Sense).
War tends to produce results dysfunctional to future war-making so veterans and serving military personnel who point to any evidence of this truism risk a hostile government machinery.
Consider what happens when death gives a veteran a problem and the VA can’t make a fraud charge stick when a solider is diagnosed with the resulting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), here’s an alternative tactic: Ruin a soilder’s career while he’s still in the service and take away as many benefits as possible.
See Army General Improperly Kicks Out Iraq War Soldier Diagnosed with PTSD (Veterans for Common Sense).
LGBT Community Needs to Fracking Chill on Obama and Warren
Sun, 12/21/2008 - 11:08pm | mal contends
Update: Percentage of Americans who believe that God created man pretty much in his present form in one instance within the last 10,000 years: 47 percent. ... Rick Warren is one of these people.
License granted for a total war on recession
Tue, 12/16/2008 - 2:58pm | mal contends
Update: Wall Street Journal: "We are running out of the traditional ammunition that's used in a recession, which is to lower interest rates. They're getting to be about as low as they can go. And although the Fed is still going to have more tools available to it, it is critical that the other branches of government step up."
- Barack Obama in a news conference in which he called for a government spending stimulus program.
The incoming Obama administration has just been granted a political license to pursue virtually anything it wants in fiscal policy in light of the seriousness with which the Fed is addressing the economic situation facing the world.
Reducing its key rate to a historic low, near zero, the Fed said it would use “all available tools” to fight the recession; in other words War against the recession by any means necessary.
----
Reads the Fed's statement:
For immediate release
The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to establish a target range for the federal funds rate of 0 to 1/4 percent.
- Barack Obama in a news conference in which he called for a government spending stimulus program.
The incoming Obama administration has just been granted a political license to pursue virtually anything it wants in fiscal policy in light of the seriousness with which the Fed is addressing the economic situation facing the world.
Reducing its key rate to a historic low, near zero, the Fed said it would use “all available tools” to fight the recession; in other words War against the recession by any means necessary.
----
Reads the Fed's statement:
For immediate release
The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to establish a target range for the federal funds rate of 0 to 1/4 percent.
Obama Signals Comprehensive Action
Sun, 11/23/2008 - 6:58am | mal contends
Rightwing pundits [who ought to have their credibility licences revoked] have been wrong about every major policy area in the last eight years.
Now they're telling Obama to go slow and be mindful that the last election demonstrates that we are a center-right nation demanding only slight changes in the direction of foreign and domestic policy, and indeed rightwing prescriptions for the crises that ail us.
You want to help Americans make a living : Listen to the economists in the Wall Street Journal.
You want to help Americans get health care: Let people choose to pay for it or not get it. [Wisconsin's Paul Ryan is big on that.]
Obama might be listening, but thankfully he's not heeding their advice.
And Obama continues his outreach directly to Americans. Good for him, good for us.
From Change.gov:
Now they're telling Obama to go slow and be mindful that the last election demonstrates that we are a center-right nation demanding only slight changes in the direction of foreign and domestic policy, and indeed rightwing prescriptions for the crises that ail us.
You want to help Americans make a living : Listen to the economists in the Wall Street Journal.
You want to help Americans get health care: Let people choose to pay for it or not get it. [Wisconsin's Paul Ryan is big on that.]
Obama might be listening, but thankfully he's not heeding their advice.
And Obama continues his outreach directly to Americans. Good for him, good for us.
From Change.gov:
Union Busting Writ Large
Thu, 11/20/2008 - 8:24am | mal contends
As America enters what is feared to be a long and deep recession, one question is whether we save or let fade our auto industry.
The GOP has long been hostile to the auto industry's unions so any union-busting opportunity not used is a wasted opportunity, in their view: Let 'em crash, millions of jobs lost, so what?
House Republicans sitting in their fantasy world spouting free market bromides are capable of anything.
But does anyone believe that saving the millions of jobs that depend on the domestic auto industry is not in itself sufficient cause to act?
The new Congress and President will act, and Republicans as a Party opposing comprehensive measures will find themselves by the political wayside very quickly.
The economy will be geared toward establishing a middle class and raising families by this new administration.
Health care reform and the whole array of initiatives addressing the concerns of real people will become policy next year, and the Republicans will scream while they lose a generation or two of voters who will see the results.
Vets Get New Hearing with Obama
Mon, 11/10/2008 - 11:27am | mal contends
Tuesday, November 11 is Veterans Day. But the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA), charged with providing patient care and delivering veterans' benefits, has become a malfunctioning governmental agency.
Rightwingers Set to Mock Themselves
Sat, 11/08/2008 - 9:54am | mal contends
A valuable bequest from the Clinton administration is the revealing to a wide political audience of the American rightwing as hateful whack jobs. Decent, hard-working people no doubt, but whack jobs nonetheless who pursued the Clintons relentlessly and shamelessly, casting every aspersion imaginable upon a cautious administration.
As a result of the Clintons' devastating rebuttal of the rightwing attacks [at the height of the impeachment, Bill Clinton's approval numbers rose to 69 percent], George W. Bush was forced to run as an anti-rightwing, centrist Republican, proclaiming non-divisive moderation in the 2000 election.
Progressive groups like Move On flowered as the attacks on Clinton became utterly untenable and the American people soured on the politics of the right.