US POLITICS SPRING 2011: Let's just call off this country.

Actually, I'll save you the trouble: "He's even ready to unleash the military on his daughters."

what

don't mind him

lol

"His daughters are willing to fight his extra-constitutional acts in Yemen and Libya."

As the deadline for raising the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling approaches, House Republicans are discussing a temporary extension of the cap

Oh great, lets let Republicans and the mainstream media keep talking about the deficit and debt way into the fall, while no one talks about addressing unemployment because that would require liberal steps or tax cuts Republicans don't want because such cuts would hurt their campaign stance that Obama singlehandedly made the economy worse

well unemployment could be fixed by tax cuts / it was caused by the deficit in the first place qed we lose again

thought it was cute that McCain called GOP dwarfs expressing a wish to rein in one or two military adventures as "running to Obama's left," like there's anything partisan about maintenance of our permanent war economy.

Cranky old man McCain was also blaming illegal immigrants coming across the border for starting fires in Arizona even though the National Park Service said that was not true

the Mexicans are making it difficult to provide bottled water to dehydrated babies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43UFiboINQc

I know, I know, I know. It's not funny. But of course, none of this is

damn.

followed some youtube rabbit-hole links and wound up watching an obama campaign speech from 2008. that shit is depressing now.

NJ Dem leaders throw unions under the bus:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/nj_pension_reform_vote_reveals.html

I have a self-appointed pro-union agitator pal who travels around to various protests (with a random emphasis on Wisconsin), but I'm beginning to view him as a tragic figure, like Quixote. I respect his tilting, though.

yeah, I have a NJ labor organizer friend who linked to that article, and his F'book update was "Destroy the NJ Dem Party and start over"

Don't think focusing on Wisconsin is THAT random...

Ezra Klein in the W. Post has a depressing piece on the debt and deficit negotiations and how the Dems keep giving in, but the Republicans don't.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/the-budget-debate-democrats-wont-say-no-and-republicans-wont-say-yes/2011/05/19/AGRJdLeH_blog.html

I used to know what people were talking about when they called for a “grand bargain” on the deficit: Democrats would give in on spending cuts, and Republicans would give in on tax increases. Today, we’re on the verge of a couple of grand bargains. But whatever the Republicans are giving in on, it isn’t taxes

and the Dem 'rank-and-file' is exerting no pressure on the party to do otherwise. Because it would take direct action, ie, general strikes, massive protests -- I mean tens of millions -- and this simply is not that kind of country, certainly not anymore. We have our toys (for now), just sigh and shrug at everything else.

otm

I am really annoyed by this "Dinner with Barack" fund drive because I'd already decided I wasn't donating money to him this year and I know I wouldn't win anyway, but I really want the chance to win so that I can bring aero and Alfred

(I assume, Morbs, that you would not be interested, or rather that you would spend the entire dinner announcing to everyone repeatedly that you are not interested and possibly refer to him as "President Bush-Palin" a few times)

really want the chance to win so that I can bring aero and Alfred

Let's invite curmudgeon and k3vin k so that we can each chip in for the keg.

I am surprised no one has suggested registering as Republicans so y'all can aid the most fun candidate in the primaries.

I have suggested this multiple times!

is it dinner at the white house or is it "dinner with Barack at a place of your choosing?" I think a pizza party is the way to go here

does wendy's still have the "super bar"?

dinner w/ Barack has been a leftover shit sandwich.

it took a long time to get here but I'm pretty sure strongo just made the greatest post in the history of this thread

morbs I don't think there's usually any leftovers with shit sandwiches. if you like them, you finish 'em, and if you don't, putting what's left in the refrigerator is kind of adding insult to injury

all i'm saying is that bush i's regime probably isnt well regarded by history now but it gave us the super bar

http://www.daysinnfallsviewhotel.com/images/applebees-ext.jpg

Applebees bar!

the shit sandwich was in Japan: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/16/scientist-poop-burger-video_n_878210.html

"let them eat soggy garlic bread and cheese from a heated urn"

putting what's left in the refrigerator is kind of adding insult to injury

this is the MO of Your Democratic Party!

"Wendy's phased out the Superbar Buffet in 1998 for economic reasons."

r.i.p. camelot :'(

hahahaha morbs

Imagine a lunch reception with a group of 42 industry-friendly House lawmakers calling themselves the “New Democrat Coalition"

Ugh. From Washington Monthly

Buried deep within the president’s health care reform law is a secret weapon to slow the rising costs of Medicare and tame the federal budget. It’s called the Independent Payments Advisory Board, and once it’s up and running it will have the power to fast-track a host of cost-cutting reforms that the health care industry has been resisting for years.

Naturally, Republicans want to kill the new board. But they need help from across the aisle. And they just might get it. As Sebastian Jones reports in the upcoming July/August issue of the Washington Monthly, a group of 42 industry-friendly House lawmakers calling themselves the “New Democrat Coalition” is poised to join the GOP in gutting the most important cost-cutting measure in Obamacare.

I'd like to prepare lunch for them

*plop*

1. Wouldn’t it be funny if in this fireside chat, years into a sub-trend growth and massive waste from high unemployment and unused capacity, Roosevelt said something like “someday, 25 years from now, Russia will be able to get a space dog into orbit before us. In order to Win the Future against this space dog, we should immediately forget everything going on right now in order to pivot to preparing for research competition with potential adversaries decades from now. We must immediately start planning for this battle right now, lest we lose the future, so let’s give a bunch of tax holidays and easily captured credit benefits to various rocket manufacturers and other incumbents” as a response? That would be crazy. I’m glad he was really serious about using every pressure point and every lever to get monetary and fiscal policies going instead.

2. Obviously back then the Democratic coalition had a lot of farmers in it, people for whom “the price level” wasn’t a graph they pulled from the St. Louis Fed to put on their blog but a real thing that they dealt with daily. There is a chance that insomuch as hipsters are an influential Democratic coalition group, and hipsters begin to engage in urban farming, “the price level” might become more of a thing that Democrats are responsive of in order to meet the needs of urban hipster gardeners. Until then, it’s up to economic bloggers to carry this message.

does wendy's still have the "super bar"?

Sadly, I think not. This is why we need to get America back to how it used to be!

re the NJ bill: it still hasn't been voted on in the Assembly for what it's worth. OTOH, the damage has been done.

i gave up on the NJ Dems after i moved to Hudson County and saw them in action. and the folks who tried to "reform" them. there's a reason why the "rank and file" aren't doing anything (NJ Democratic Party is an unappetizing mix of old-timey political bosses [in Hudson, Essex and Camden Cos] and Gabbneb-style "New Democrats" [hello, Bergen and Union Counties]).

well, the rank and file could start a new party like my friend suggested, then.

that always turns out well

i assume the first line here describes the whole of the relationship:

Joe Biden to me
show details 10:20 (0 minutes ago)
Theon --

The President and I have a routine -- we get lunch together almost every Friday.

But all I get is lunch. You could be one of four supporters to have dinner with him soon.

4. Prizes. Four (4) winners will each receive the following prize package (the "Trip"):

* One round-trip coach-class airplane ticket from the major airport closest to the winner's address within the continental United States to a destination within the continental United States to be determined at the sole discretion of the Sponsor ("Destination"), including ground transportation to and from the airport at the Destination. (approximate retail value $700.00)
* One night's stay for winner at a hotel at the Destination on a date to be determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion in a single-occupancy room or room of equivalent value (approximate retail value $275.00);
* Dinner with President Barack Obama at the Destination, on a date to be determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion (approximate retail value $100.00);

Approximate retail value of the entire Trip package: $1,075.00.

Sponsor will choose, in its sole discretion, the airline, hotel, flight dates, flight times, departure city and airport and other Trip logistics and details. Dates of travel are subject to availability. If winner's address is within 100 miles of the Destination, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, provide ground transportation to the Trip hotel or event in lieu of an airplane ticket. Except as expressly set forth in the description of the Trip above, each winner is responsible for his/her ground transportation to and from the airports and hotel, all meals and all other expenses that such winner incurs in connection with the Trip.

oh boo, I wouldn't get to bring anyone with me

There is a chance that insomuch as hipsters are an influential Democratic coalition group, and hipsters begin to engage in urban farming, “the price level” might become more of a thing that Democrats are responsive of in order to meet the needs of urban hipster gardeners.

heh

is urban hipster the new soccer mom

Bruce Bartlett has been terrific of late:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZNa3JcuTK0

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/why-wont-obama-draw-hard-lines/2011/03/03/AGwM4peH_blog.html