My blood is boiling. And yours should be, too. This New York Times article just reported that Obama, at a $33,400 ticket fundraiser in Texas for the DNC, told donors that it was time to back Hillary. President Obama may just have lost the election for Hillary by putting Bernie on the back burner and dissing the whole democratic process. Bernie's legions will not take kindly to this.
"But while he stressed that he was not endorsing either candidate, and that
both would make good presidents, Mr. Obama went on to lavish praise on
Mrs. Clinton, describing her as smart, tough and experienced, and said
that she would continue the work of his administration."
Guess what? I don't want the next President to continue the work of his administration. I'm not going to list why - I've written plenty about 'why' - but we need fresh thinking and someone with the courage to take on the 'Establishment'. Enough with the status quo.
But the worst part of this is Obama's behind-closed-doors, sneaky 'endorsement' of Hillary. Remember when Mitt Romney was caught on video talking about the 47%? Well, this leak could be Obama's Waterloo. Once again, he's snubbed his nose at progressives. He did it when they put him the White House - make no mistake, progressives early and enthusiastic support was a good part of what propelled him - and now, again, he's kicking them in the balls by not even acknowledging all the progressive supporters' hard work and money and renewed excitement for the political process. Could Mr. Obama be any more disrespectful for the democratic process? He so much as said 'they don't matter'. Imagine if someone told Obama to back out and 'come together' for Hillary at this point in his '08 campaign.
"Mr. Obama has been careful in public to avoid disparaging Mr. Sanders,
given his deeper history and relationship with Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Obama
also does not want to alienate the liberal voters who have flocked to
Mr. Sanders."
Well, Mr. Obama, it's too late. You have pissed off and alienated millions of people. Those "liberal voters" you pretend to care so much about will not forget this no matter what kind of scare tactics you or the media proclaim. Many people are mightily motivated now to upset the whole apple cart and not vote for the coronated nominee because it would only be more of the same. Hillary might be singing the same tune as Bernie right now but she's a terrible singer and, as sure as night is day, I don't think one person believes she will keep her word.
The idea that Hillary as the front-runner and nominal nominee would give her an advantage because of the longer timeline...well, I have no idea what Obama and the DNC is smoking. The longer Hillary is out front, the longer she would be a target for Trump's assaults. He's already started and, as I've said before, he will chew her up and spit her out. He will harp on the FBI investigation, her emails, Benghazi til the cows come home. Any facts about the investigation will not matter a wit to Donald Trump and he will harp on it til his followers believe it as 'fact'. And, that is just the beginning. Bill Clinton will come in for a major drubbing and no stone or cigar will be left unturned.
"Those in attendance described an urgency in Mr. Obama’s tone as he
suggested that Democrats needed to come together to prevent an opening
for the Republicans, whose leading candidate is Donald J. Trump, to exploit."
What 'opening' is Mr. Obama talking about?
This is a shocking turn of tactics for Obama. To reiterate, he has just royally pissed off millions of potential Democratic voters who 'frankly, don't give a damn' anymore about politics as usual. Let's say Bernie loses and is not the nominee, it would take a few weeks of mourning for his supporters to accept it. If Obama had heaped praise and love on Bernie and Bernie's supporters now, instead of marginalizing them, if he made them feel welcome then they might not see fit to turn their backs on the Party come November. But it would take massive mediation and therapy to get Bernie's people in the Dems corner at this point. Let the chips fall where they may...and fall they will.
Showing posts sorted by date for query therapy. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query therapy. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Friday, March 18, 2016
Thursday, October 4, 2012
If Obama loses, will he move to Canada?
Sigh. I know, so much has been written/said about The Thrilla In Denver already but Obama's self-inflicted defeat is almost too much for me to bear. Today, Obama was saying that he met a new Romney last night and so, too, did we meet a new Obama. Or did we? Or was this the old, pre-convention Obama who mustered half-hearted support on his behalf because any thinking person could not tolerate the thought of the other side winning. Until last night, my enthusiasm meter was inching its way up, certainly not to '08 levels, but to a 'feeling pretty good' level. And then, this.
It started early. The slippery slope to ignominious debate hell. The Romneys, all of them, fresh-eyed and bushy-tailed, looked great. Ann was dazzling in her white suit, Mitt's hair perfectly, but not too perfectly, coiffed, wearing a GOP-red tie. Obama looked tired as hell and Michelle seemed uncharacteristically nervous. Did she know something? Did he have a tummy-ache?
Romney was robust, full of fire. He even seemed like a real person. Reganesque one might say, even down to the cadence at times. He must have watched a ton of video. Obama had brain-freeze. It couldn't have been a senior moment. That was reserved for the poor moderator...at least that was what he was called...Jim Lehrer who single-handedly gave old people a bad name, befuddled and unable to string together any 'moderator' words. He's out to pasture.
But the damage done by Obama's piss poor performance, his lack of pushback to obvious openings when he could have, in a not-angry-black man-way (This was remarked on by innumerable articles that he better not come off like that. Sigh), slammed Romney for flipflops, his outright lies. Oh, so on Facebook there is banner after banner, article after article touting Romeny's lies. Let me tell you something, his lies are exactly what those big donors were looking for. Do you think they give a shit if he's telling the truth or not? They just wanted him to do exactly what he did last night...come out fighting, say what they wanted to hear, and ka-ching all the way to the bank. And, here they come, a kazillion dollars in negative Obama ads. Complain all you want about Lyin' Romney and his VP Lyin' Ryan, their supporters could care less. Don't proclaim your self-righteous indignation, it's a waste of time. Instead, GOTV.
But the really bad thing about Obama's no good, very bad day was that it reminds the people, who he needs to get out and vote for him, about what a spine-less compromiser he is. It just highlights his weaknesses, his inexperience. It didn't take much to conjure up 'disappointment' again. It reminds progressives how he jilted them even though they were the ones that lifted him to the lofty heights of the Presidency. Yes, we know that Congress will do everything in its power to give Obama exactly nothing. But still. We were beginning to almost feel warm and fuzzy about him again but now we're back to settling for 'the lesser of two evils'. What kind of legacy is that? I'm reminded of my own post about needing therapy, about selling my soul to vote for him. (Sold. I'm voting for him.) Here's a paragraph but do read the whole thing here:
You can see how badly I need therapy. Maybe you do, too? So, I'm going to sue the President, the White House, the entire administration and his ass-wipe advisors for malfeasance, for taking a gigantic mandate - from middle-class Democrats, progressives, Republicans, blacks, Latinos, women, people who had never felt moved to vote before who registered and voted...students, young people, old people, if dogs could've voted they would have...everyone came out to vote. It was the biggest party, the most positive, charged, electric global, hopeful atmosphere. People were joyful, elated that they rode this prophet, of Hope and Change, to victory on their shoulders, happy to carry this man, this harbinger of better days, after their months and months of hard work and devotion, and love - to victory. To a victory that was squandered by inexperience, arrogance and Obama's weakest link, a pathological need to be liked. As Eric Alterman writes in the Nation Magazine, "Financial Times columnist Martin Wolf has complained of Obama—accurately, in my view—that he “wishes to be President of a country that does not exist. In his fantasy, US politicians bury differences in bipartisan harmony.”" As smart as people says Obama is, he doesn't seem able to pick up the cues of defeat. Or is it pride, the worst sin of all? Are we going to hell in a hand basket because of a prideful President who believes his early reviews?
It started early. The slippery slope to ignominious debate hell. The Romneys, all of them, fresh-eyed and bushy-tailed, looked great. Ann was dazzling in her white suit, Mitt's hair perfectly, but not too perfectly, coiffed, wearing a GOP-red tie. Obama looked tired as hell and Michelle seemed uncharacteristically nervous. Did she know something? Did he have a tummy-ache?
Romney was robust, full of fire. He even seemed like a real person. Reganesque one might say, even down to the cadence at times. He must have watched a ton of video. Obama had brain-freeze. It couldn't have been a senior moment. That was reserved for the poor moderator...at least that was what he was called...Jim Lehrer who single-handedly gave old people a bad name, befuddled and unable to string together any 'moderator' words. He's out to pasture.
But the damage done by Obama's piss poor performance, his lack of pushback to obvious openings when he could have, in a not-angry-black man-way (This was remarked on by innumerable articles that he better not come off like that. Sigh), slammed Romney for flipflops, his outright lies. Oh, so on Facebook there is banner after banner, article after article touting Romeny's lies. Let me tell you something, his lies are exactly what those big donors were looking for. Do you think they give a shit if he's telling the truth or not? They just wanted him to do exactly what he did last night...come out fighting, say what they wanted to hear, and ka-ching all the way to the bank. And, here they come, a kazillion dollars in negative Obama ads. Complain all you want about Lyin' Romney and his VP Lyin' Ryan, their supporters could care less. Don't proclaim your self-righteous indignation, it's a waste of time. Instead, GOTV.
But the really bad thing about Obama's no good, very bad day was that it reminds the people, who he needs to get out and vote for him, about what a spine-less compromiser he is. It just highlights his weaknesses, his inexperience. It didn't take much to conjure up 'disappointment' again. It reminds progressives how he jilted them even though they were the ones that lifted him to the lofty heights of the Presidency. Yes, we know that Congress will do everything in its power to give Obama exactly nothing. But still. We were beginning to almost feel warm and fuzzy about him again but now we're back to settling for 'the lesser of two evils'. What kind of legacy is that? I'm reminded of my own post about needing therapy, about selling my soul to vote for him. (Sold. I'm voting for him.) Here's a paragraph but do read the whole thing here:
You can see how badly I need therapy. Maybe you do, too? So, I'm going to sue the President, the White House, the entire administration and his ass-wipe advisors for malfeasance, for taking a gigantic mandate - from middle-class Democrats, progressives, Republicans, blacks, Latinos, women, people who had never felt moved to vote before who registered and voted...students, young people, old people, if dogs could've voted they would have...everyone came out to vote. It was the biggest party, the most positive, charged, electric global, hopeful atmosphere. People were joyful, elated that they rode this prophet, of Hope and Change, to victory on their shoulders, happy to carry this man, this harbinger of better days, after their months and months of hard work and devotion, and love - to victory. To a victory that was squandered by inexperience, arrogance and Obama's weakest link, a pathological need to be liked. As Eric Alterman writes in the Nation Magazine, "Financial Times columnist Martin Wolf has complained of Obama—accurately, in my view—that he “wishes to be President of a country that does not exist. In his fantasy, US politicians bury differences in bipartisan harmony.”" As smart as people says Obama is, he doesn't seem able to pick up the cues of defeat. Or is it pride, the worst sin of all? Are we going to hell in a hand basket because of a prideful President who believes his early reviews?
Monday, October 17, 2011
I'm suing you, Mr. President...for my therapy sessions.
I've been mulling this idea for months - suing President Obama. It's time to make my move. You see, he's made me schizoid... or schizophrenic...I can't decide. Is that bad to say? I don't want to be less than PC when explaining my symptoms and why I find it necessary to sue and why he is culpable.
Schizoid personality disorder (SPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle, secretiveness, emotional coldness and sometimes (sexual) apathy, with a simultaneous rich, elaborate and exclusively internal fantasy world.[1] SPD is not the same as schizophrenia, although they share some similar characteristics such as detachment or blunted affect.
Let's first parse the schizoid personality disorder.
1. Sometimes I do have a lack of interest in social relationships particularly if they're with Obama apologists who have deified this man beyond all reason. If one were generous, one could call them Optimists, but I am not so generous. I think they're deluded.
2. Okay - "a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle" - I would have to say that's true if only to protect myself from political crazies and Optimists. It's best to hunker down with some good beer and catch up on Arrested Development.
3. Next up -"secretiveness, emotional coldness and sometimes (sexual) apathy" - Well, secretive I am not. Ask me anything and I will tell you. And then you'll wish you hadn't. Emotional coldness? This one's crucial when it comes to shielding myself from reacting to every single Obama disappointment. Sadly, the disappointment started inauguration day and I've been in a cold 'disappointment' bubble ever since. Hmmm, sexual apathy? That could be worth big bucks when I sue, right?
4. However! A "rich, elaborate and exclusively internal fantasy world" - Big Time!
I painfully go over each and every missed opportunity Obama could have/should have taken...like what if he just stood up for single payer and had to settle for the public option? What if he hadn't met with Big Pharma and cozied up to insurance companies? What if he had listened to Paul Volker instead of those Wall St. sycophants, Geithner and Summers? How the hell did he deserve the Peace Prize? I spent a lot of time on that...kind of looking for a lost penny in the sand. The Nobel committee must have been star struck. What if he had prosecuted just a few of his criminal banking friends and aggressively regulated derivatives? I fantasize about how $16 million buys 'friendship' - the amount Obama has taken from Wall St. thugs. Sometimes I go way back to fantasize about why Obama increased Iraq war funding when he always said he was against the war. The number of 'whys' are legion and the gnawing at my psyche is sending me over the edge. But the biggest fantasy of all, (insert violins and angels singing) I'm sure shared by millions, is the heavenly fantasy of Obama kicking-ass in his second term. Possible? Probable? Time will tell but No Guts No Glory, Mr. President. I'm all over the place with this but you can see how I might be schizoid.
Moving right along to schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia (
/ˌskɪtsɵˈfrɛniə/ or /ˌskɪtsɵˈfriːniə/) is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness.[1] It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social or occupational dysfunction.
I hope to god this isn't where I'm headed but it may be too late as Obama keeps piling on with Bushian alacrity. What's up with these 'free trade' deals? But wait! That 'disorganized speech and thinking' symptom...doesn't it make you think of the kooks running for the Republican nomination not to mention those muddled-headed bigots called the Tea Party? They are giving schizophrenia quite the bad name.
My most disturbing burden, though, is philosophical, what I call 'The Dilemma'. The Dilemma is not whether to vote for a Republican instead of Obama; The Dilemma is how badly am I compromising my shabby morals to vote for someone who betrayed me? I am so troubled by The Dilemma that I reached out to my son to help me. He's got a PhD in philosophy so I begged him to find a philosopher for me who can assuage my disquieted soul, someone who will tell me how disgustingly human I am by spinning excuses to vote for O. Obama is like a bad boyfriend who seduces you with a flashy smile (oh, wasn't he adorable?!), whispers meringues of sweet nothings (which it turns out they were...nothing), a hot bod (remember that pic in Hawaii?) and promises you the world with the "C" word, "We will Change the world." (Obama at the Pennsylvania Capitol, Saturday, April 19, 2008) This guy was different. So I happily, dreamily got in the symbolic bed - the voting booth - with him (no sexual apathy here!) And then he dumped me. Just. Like. That. On day one. How dare he have Rick Warren give the invocation at his inauguration?
You can see how badly I need therapy. Maybe you do, too? So, I'm going to sue the President, the White House, the entire administration and his ass-wipe advisors for malfeasance, for taking a gigantic mandate - from middle-class Democrats, progressives, Republicans, blacks, Latinos, women, people who had never felt moved to vote before who registered and voted...students, young people, old people, if dogs could've voted they would have...everyone came out to vote. It was the biggest party, the most positive, charged, electric global, hopeful atmosphere. People were joyful, elated that they rode this prophet, of Hope and Change, to victory on their shoulders, happy to carry this man, this harbinger of better days, after their months and months of hard work and devotion, and love - to victory. To a victory that was squandered by inexperience, arrogance and Obama's weakest link, a pathological need to be liked. As Eric Alterman writes in the Nation Magazine, "Financial Times columnist Martin Wolf has complained of Obama—accurately, in my view—that he “wishes to be President of a country that does not exist. In his fantasy, US politicians bury differences in bipartisan harmony.”" As smart as people says Obama is, he doesn't seem able to pick up the cues of defeat. Or is it pride, the worst sin of all? Are we going to hell in a hand basket because of a prideful President who believes his early reviews?
And here's exactly how schizoid I am. My last post was about forgetting all of this angst and getting on with it...just work your ass off to get O re-elected: http://contrarianbitch.blogspot.com/2011/08/obama-time-to-compartmentalize.html We don't have a choice. And because that choice is so limited, because it compromises my already beleaguered morals, my torment rages on. What to do? What to do?
Say, is your finger also on the dial to your therapist? Are you feeling schizoid, too? Maybe we could join up to file a middle-class-action lawsuit. I did consider raising money for therapy on Kickstarter but I couldn't figure out what I would give for someone's donation...old Obama posters? I have a ton of them, some even signed. No, I'm going direct to the source. He owes me.
My song for Obama:
Baby baby
Baby, don't leave me
Oh, please don't leave me
All by myself
I've got this burnin', burnin', yearnin'
Feelin' inside me
Ooh, deep inside me
And it hurts so bad
You came into my heart (baby baby)
So tenderly
With a burnin' love (baby baby)
That stings like a bee (baby baby)
Now that I surrender (baby baby)
So helplessly,
You now wanna leave (baby baby)
Ooh, you wanna leave me (baby baby)
Ooh, baby baby baby,
Where did our love go?
Oh, don't you want me? (baby baby)
Don't you want me no more? (baby baby)
Ooh, baby
Baby baby,
Where did our love go?
And all your promises (baby baby)
Of a love forever more? (baby baby)
I've got this burnin', burnin', yearnin'
Feelin' inside me
Ooh, deep inside me (baby baby)
And it hurts so bad (baby baby)
Before you won my heart, (baby baby)
You were a perfect guy
But now that you got me, (baby baby)
You wanna leave me behind (baby baby)
Ooh, baby baby baby,
Baby, don't leave me
Oh, please don't leave me (baby baby)
All by myself (baby baby)
Schizoid personality disorder (SPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle, secretiveness, emotional coldness and sometimes (sexual) apathy, with a simultaneous rich, elaborate and exclusively internal fantasy world.[1] SPD is not the same as schizophrenia, although they share some similar characteristics such as detachment or blunted affect.
Let's first parse the schizoid personality disorder.
1. Sometimes I do have a lack of interest in social relationships particularly if they're with Obama apologists who have deified this man beyond all reason. If one were generous, one could call them Optimists, but I am not so generous. I think they're deluded.
2. Okay - "a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle" - I would have to say that's true if only to protect myself from political crazies and Optimists. It's best to hunker down with some good beer and catch up on Arrested Development.
3. Next up -"secretiveness, emotional coldness and sometimes (sexual) apathy" - Well, secretive I am not. Ask me anything and I will tell you. And then you'll wish you hadn't. Emotional coldness? This one's crucial when it comes to shielding myself from reacting to every single Obama disappointment. Sadly, the disappointment started inauguration day and I've been in a cold 'disappointment' bubble ever since. Hmmm, sexual apathy? That could be worth big bucks when I sue, right?
4. However! A "rich, elaborate and exclusively internal fantasy world" - Big Time!
I painfully go over each and every missed opportunity Obama could have/should have taken...like what if he just stood up for single payer and had to settle for the public option? What if he hadn't met with Big Pharma and cozied up to insurance companies? What if he had listened to Paul Volker instead of those Wall St. sycophants, Geithner and Summers? How the hell did he deserve the Peace Prize? I spent a lot of time on that...kind of looking for a lost penny in the sand. The Nobel committee must have been star struck. What if he had prosecuted just a few of his criminal banking friends and aggressively regulated derivatives? I fantasize about how $16 million buys 'friendship' - the amount Obama has taken from Wall St. thugs. Sometimes I go way back to fantasize about why Obama increased Iraq war funding when he always said he was against the war. The number of 'whys' are legion and the gnawing at my psyche is sending me over the edge. But the biggest fantasy of all, (insert violins and angels singing) I'm sure shared by millions, is the heavenly fantasy of Obama kicking-ass in his second term. Possible? Probable? Time will tell but No Guts No Glory, Mr. President. I'm all over the place with this but you can see how I might be schizoid.
Moving right along to schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia (
/ˌskɪtsɵˈfrɛniə/ or /ˌskɪtsɵˈfriːniə/) is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness.[1] It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social or occupational dysfunction. I hope to god this isn't where I'm headed but it may be too late as Obama keeps piling on with Bushian alacrity. What's up with these 'free trade' deals? But wait! That 'disorganized speech and thinking' symptom...doesn't it make you think of the kooks running for the Republican nomination not to mention those muddled-headed bigots called the Tea Party? They are giving schizophrenia quite the bad name.
My most disturbing burden, though, is philosophical, what I call 'The Dilemma'. The Dilemma is not whether to vote for a Republican instead of Obama; The Dilemma is how badly am I compromising my shabby morals to vote for someone who betrayed me? I am so troubled by The Dilemma that I reached out to my son to help me. He's got a PhD in philosophy so I begged him to find a philosopher for me who can assuage my disquieted soul, someone who will tell me how disgustingly human I am by spinning excuses to vote for O. Obama is like a bad boyfriend who seduces you with a flashy smile (oh, wasn't he adorable?!), whispers meringues of sweet nothings (which it turns out they were...nothing), a hot bod (remember that pic in Hawaii?) and promises you the world with the "C" word, "We will Change the world." (Obama at the Pennsylvania Capitol, Saturday, April 19, 2008) This guy was different. So I happily, dreamily got in the symbolic bed - the voting booth - with him (no sexual apathy here!) And then he dumped me. Just. Like. That. On day one. How dare he have Rick Warren give the invocation at his inauguration?
You can see how badly I need therapy. Maybe you do, too? So, I'm going to sue the President, the White House, the entire administration and his ass-wipe advisors for malfeasance, for taking a gigantic mandate - from middle-class Democrats, progressives, Republicans, blacks, Latinos, women, people who had never felt moved to vote before who registered and voted...students, young people, old people, if dogs could've voted they would have...everyone came out to vote. It was the biggest party, the most positive, charged, electric global, hopeful atmosphere. People were joyful, elated that they rode this prophet, of Hope and Change, to victory on their shoulders, happy to carry this man, this harbinger of better days, after their months and months of hard work and devotion, and love - to victory. To a victory that was squandered by inexperience, arrogance and Obama's weakest link, a pathological need to be liked. As Eric Alterman writes in the Nation Magazine, "Financial Times columnist Martin Wolf has complained of Obama—accurately, in my view—that he “wishes to be President of a country that does not exist. In his fantasy, US politicians bury differences in bipartisan harmony.”" As smart as people says Obama is, he doesn't seem able to pick up the cues of defeat. Or is it pride, the worst sin of all? Are we going to hell in a hand basket because of a prideful President who believes his early reviews?
And here's exactly how schizoid I am. My last post was about forgetting all of this angst and getting on with it...just work your ass off to get O re-elected: http://contrarianbitch.blogspot.com/2011/08/obama-time-to-compartmentalize.html We don't have a choice. And because that choice is so limited, because it compromises my already beleaguered morals, my torment rages on. What to do? What to do?
Say, is your finger also on the dial to your therapist? Are you feeling schizoid, too? Maybe we could join up to file a middle-class-action lawsuit. I did consider raising money for therapy on Kickstarter but I couldn't figure out what I would give for someone's donation...old Obama posters? I have a ton of them, some even signed. No, I'm going direct to the source. He owes me.
My song for Obama:
Baby baby
Baby, don't leave me
Oh, please don't leave me
All by myself
I've got this burnin', burnin', yearnin'
Feelin' inside me
Ooh, deep inside me
And it hurts so bad
You came into my heart (baby baby)
So tenderly
With a burnin' love (baby baby)
That stings like a bee (baby baby)
Now that I surrender (baby baby)
So helplessly,
You now wanna leave (baby baby)
Ooh, you wanna leave me (baby baby)
Ooh, baby baby baby,
Where did our love go?
Oh, don't you want me? (baby baby)
Don't you want me no more? (baby baby)
Ooh, baby
Baby baby,
Where did our love go?
And all your promises (baby baby)
Of a love forever more? (baby baby)
I've got this burnin', burnin', yearnin'
Feelin' inside me
Ooh, deep inside me (baby baby)
And it hurts so bad (baby baby)
Before you won my heart, (baby baby)
You were a perfect guy
But now that you got me, (baby baby)
You wanna leave me behind (baby baby)
Ooh, baby baby baby,
Baby, don't leave me
Oh, please don't leave me (baby baby)
All by myself (baby baby)
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Obama Re-election: Time to Compartmentalize
I've had this title languishing on my blog for weeks: "Obama: Buyer's Remorse...but..." and now "buyers remorse" is everywhere from Bill Maher to Joan Walsh to Miss Piggy. I waited too long to be the clever one. Oh well. In any case, they certainly popularized it way better than I could have so I have to go with something else. Here is my original thought anyway: As miserable and disappointed as I am with Obama's leadership, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time to put aside all expert opinions, brilliant psychological analyses, psychic prognostications, the gray hair count, the disgust, and, ok, the buyers remorse and Compartmentalize! Everyone who's ever been in therapy, or into actual survival, knows this much about compartmentalizing: "This process is performed in an attempt to simplify things, and to defend against anxiety." Get it? We are shifting gears, people. I am proposing ALL of us do this...put all those negative, pissed-off thoughts to bed in a corner of your hippocampus - you can trot them out after the 2012 election. In case you're wondering if I've gone off the reservation, no, I haven't. I'm an angry progressive...and a pragmatic one...just like Obama calculated.
Now, it is time to be our most dysfunctional selves and pretend like it's 2008. Well, almost. It's kind of like masturbating...just try your hardest to conjure the memories of the energy and adoration, the fantasy bubbles of hope and change, the hotness of the candidate himself, to fire you up and get out there to volunteer to re-elect Barack Obama President of the USA. "The American People" (you know who you are), we HAVE to get this done - to work work work to push back the vile Taliban Tea Party and servile, ass-kissing Republicans from ever getting near the White House. No matter what you think. That Republicans have an assortment of Marat-Sade escapees for candidates, DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED.
GOTV, "get out the vote" as it is popularly known among us volunteer cognoscenti, will be critical to winning this election. No issues, no polls (don't listen to them except maybe Nate Silver), no trash talk should deter us from #1: registering voters, and that means not only new voters, but people who have moved, been in prison, changed their names or political affiliation - they need to be registered or re-registered, as the case may be. Then, it's knock on doors time. There is nothing more meaningful than speaking to people in real life, and that's the GOTV part. No, Facebook is not "communicating" - you have to have your feet on terra firma and talk the talk and walk the blocks.
This is not a polemic about Barack Obama. Remember American People, we are compartmentalizing, we are focused. OMMMMMM. We are NOT, I repeat NOT, considering a Hillary, Barney, Russ, Andrew or anyone else to run against Obama. That is silly and non-productive. Get out your 2008 campaign gear, stare at your HOPE poster, pin on your iconic Shepard Fairey buttons and hook up with your local volunteer group to help get this campaign going. Do we have a choice? No. I mentioned this in a post 55 days into O's administration, that he would take us for granted because he already understood that he was the only game in town for liberals and progressives. No matter. History will deal with him. Of course, there's always the fantasy of him getting it right in his second term but that's jumping ahead. The game is ON. Now.
But wait! We have double duty this time. We MUST take back Congress. Dicks though they be, we must also work to re-elect incumbents and elect Democratic newbies. Yes, the system is rigged. Hold your nose and Just Do It.
Now, it is time to be our most dysfunctional selves and pretend like it's 2008. Well, almost. It's kind of like masturbating...just try your hardest to conjure the memories of the energy and adoration, the fantasy bubbles of hope and change, the hotness of the candidate himself, to fire you up and get out there to volunteer to re-elect Barack Obama President of the USA. "The American People" (you know who you are), we HAVE to get this done - to work work work to push back the vile Taliban Tea Party and servile, ass-kissing Republicans from ever getting near the White House. No matter what you think. That Republicans have an assortment of Marat-Sade escapees for candidates, DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED.
GOTV, "get out the vote" as it is popularly known among us volunteer cognoscenti, will be critical to winning this election. No issues, no polls (don't listen to them except maybe Nate Silver), no trash talk should deter us from #1: registering voters, and that means not only new voters, but people who have moved, been in prison, changed their names or political affiliation - they need to be registered or re-registered, as the case may be. Then, it's knock on doors time. There is nothing more meaningful than speaking to people in real life, and that's the GOTV part. No, Facebook is not "communicating" - you have to have your feet on terra firma and talk the talk and walk the blocks.
This is not a polemic about Barack Obama. Remember American People, we are compartmentalizing, we are focused. OMMMMMM. We are NOT, I repeat NOT, considering a Hillary, Barney, Russ, Andrew or anyone else to run against Obama. That is silly and non-productive. Get out your 2008 campaign gear, stare at your HOPE poster, pin on your iconic Shepard Fairey buttons and hook up with your local volunteer group to help get this campaign going. Do we have a choice? No. I mentioned this in a post 55 days into O's administration, that he would take us for granted because he already understood that he was the only game in town for liberals and progressives. No matter. History will deal with him. Of course, there's always the fantasy of him getting it right in his second term but that's jumping ahead. The game is ON. Now.
But wait! We have double duty this time. We MUST take back Congress. Dicks though they be, we must also work to re-elect incumbents and elect Democratic newbies. Yes, the system is rigged. Hold your nose and Just Do It.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Obama Backtracks on Windfall Tax...Windfall Being a Misnomer
I have been trying to educate myself on what exactly a windfall tax is. To put it simply (I think), if oil companies make above a certain percentage of profit, they are taxed on it. The argument seems to be that it is unfair to tax these windfalls as it just disincentives the oil companies to do R & D. Their thinking apparently is, why would they spend money to explore or develop innovative ways to create new energy products when all they're going to do is be taxed on those profits. And, the right wingers say all taxes are bad for the economy. Right. I'd like them to realistically explain where we would be without them.
But, PUHLEASE. I understand that corporations should be free to make barrels of money because they're in business, and that's the whole point of being in business, right? But shouldn't they also have a conscience? There's a diagnosis for behavior that 'withholds' like that, it's called passive aggressive. Corporations that withhold their R & D, or whatever Damocles sword they hold over the government's head, are bad citizens and need therapy.
Now is exactly the time that these corporations should be kicking in $ of their own free will to help out the economy. Instead of paying PR firms to gussy up their image, they could do it themselves by being good corporate citizens and volunteer(!) a percentage of their obscene profits. Just think of the mileage they would get out of it. Let's say Chevron - who has a big reimaging PR campaign going on right now - took that PR money, and, instead put it into an emergency fund to help consumers (and no top-heavy administration costs to fritter it away).
During the primaries, Obama talked about repealing the tax breaks for oil companies that are already in place. What happened to that? Boy, I would hate to think that he is already caving to the oil companies. For what? Why? And, this I don't understand...what difference does it make if the price of oil is down for now? That's ostensibly the reason that Obama retreated from his promise of an "emergency energy rebate" for the beleaguered middle class. We all know that what goes down will also go up. Eventually.
I seem to have posed more questions here than comments...I guess because there are so many unanswered questions about how Obama will make good on his promise of taking on corporations. Please President-elect Obama, show the corporations some tough love, and hold their feet to the fire. Make 'em do the right thing. And, show US, the little guys, some real love, and go to bat for us as you said you would. That's why we voted for you; that's why you are where you are. We love you, but don't piss us off. Please.
But, PUHLEASE. I understand that corporations should be free to make barrels of money because they're in business, and that's the whole point of being in business, right? But shouldn't they also have a conscience? There's a diagnosis for behavior that 'withholds' like that, it's called passive aggressive. Corporations that withhold their R & D, or whatever Damocles sword they hold over the government's head, are bad citizens and need therapy.
Now is exactly the time that these corporations should be kicking in $ of their own free will to help out the economy. Instead of paying PR firms to gussy up their image, they could do it themselves by being good corporate citizens and volunteer(!) a percentage of their obscene profits. Just think of the mileage they would get out of it. Let's say Chevron - who has a big reimaging PR campaign going on right now - took that PR money, and, instead put it into an emergency fund to help consumers (and no top-heavy administration costs to fritter it away).
During the primaries, Obama talked about repealing the tax breaks for oil companies that are already in place. What happened to that? Boy, I would hate to think that he is already caving to the oil companies. For what? Why? And, this I don't understand...what difference does it make if the price of oil is down for now? That's ostensibly the reason that Obama retreated from his promise of an "emergency energy rebate" for the beleaguered middle class. We all know that what goes down will also go up. Eventually.
I seem to have posed more questions here than comments...I guess because there are so many unanswered questions about how Obama will make good on his promise of taking on corporations. Please President-elect Obama, show the corporations some tough love, and hold their feet to the fire. Make 'em do the right thing. And, show US, the little guys, some real love, and go to bat for us as you said you would. That's why we voted for you; that's why you are where you are. We love you, but don't piss us off. Please.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
