December 31, 2014

Election 2016: Hillary Must Sever All Ties to Obama’s Economic Team

The frayed relationship between President Obama’s economic team and labor groups may jeopardize democrat’s election chances in 2016 and beyond. This is a huge story that is getting little attention.

According to Richard Trumka, head of the 12 million members AFL-CIO, if Hillary Clinton brings Obama’s economic team with her to the White House, they will not endorse her. This will be a nuclear bomb dropped on the Democratic Party. The thought of this has been inconceivable for nearly a century. Trumka said, “We’ve signed an agreement with all the unions of the AFL-CIO [that] no one will endorse until we decide that all of us are going to endorse, Trumka added, “If you get the same economic team, you’re going to get the same results. The same results aren’t good enough for working people.” Trumka is fed up with 35 years of economic policy that has gutted the middle-class.

Trumka has worked hard to foster a good public image regarding President Obama. The truth: They have had a contentious relationship. In fact, before the 2012 election, Trumka nearly pulled support for Obama. Since then, Obama has tried to pacify unions and delivered some gains to unions, but not nearly enough to keep their support. His recent lobbying for Cromnibus and fast tracking the passage of the Trans-Pacific-Partnership (TPP) may be the last straw.

Without union support, the days of democrats occupying the White House may be over. Unions are the most valuable tools in the democrat’s toolbox. Every election cycle they vote reliably for democrats, donate enormous sums of money to their presidential candidate, but more importantly they offer a vast seasoned network of “boots-on-the-ground.” This includes tens of thousands of door knockers, phone-bankers and the hosting of thousands of rallies. They are not as powerful as they once were, when unions carried the middle-class on their broad shoulders, but they are still millions of votes and indispensable to the Democratic Party. Unions are the glue that holds the party together. They do much of the unheralded grunt work that clears the path for other social movements to advance.

Many may not be aware of the union platform: advocates of immigration reform, aggressive proponents of hiring quotas to ensure minority hiring, equal pay for equal work regardless of gender, and pro-American worker not pro-Chinese worker. They are constantly teaming up with the LGBT community to advance their cause. They look out for everyone – except the one percent. We are all members of the working class: blue-collar, white-collar and green-collar. Every American worker lives and dies with unions. If you are not a one-per center, this means you.

Unions fought on the front lines to build the middle-class. Beatings, firings and murder were common in the labor battle. Until Americans realize the union example of brute force is our answer to rebuilding the middle-class, the rich will get richer. You do not negotiate with republicans, you force money from their cold hands. The effete attitude within the democratic party had better stop or the party will be over.

December 30, 2014

The Constitution Clearly States Jesus Died For Our Sins

If you listen to the right-wing, you would swear the constitution says Jesus died for our sins. They claim we are a Christian nation. Well, if we are a Christian nation, it should be clearly stated in the constitution that Jesus died for our sins. Obviously, it does not.

Considering we have consistently voted for the Christian party (conservatives) and lived under the influence of Christian politics, since Reagan, "How's that Christian nation workin' for ya?"

December 28, 2014

What is the use in being Republican, if you can't be stupid, too?

The over-zealous nature of the Republican Party reminds one of the classic boxing match between light-heavyweight champion Billy Conn and the great former heavyweight champion Joe Louis. The Brown Bomber (Louis) was widely considered the greatest fighter on the planet in the 1940's. The Irishmen, Conn, was a gifted boxer himself.

When the two champs met, it was Conn that used his incredible skills to dominate the heavyweight champion in every round...until the final round. With the fight nearly over and Conn clearly winning, Conn landed a big punch, stunning the great Louis. In his excitement, rather than coast to a certain victory against the nearly invincible Joe, Billy waded in for the kill. With the fight nearly over, the desperate Louis caught Conn with a haymaker that floored Conn, ending the fight.

After the fight, Conn infamously said, "What is the use in being Irish, if you can't be stupid, too?"

This is precisely what the republicans did to the staggering middle class. They had the middle class right where they wanted them: unions nearly eliminated; wages diminished; taxes severely reduced on the wealthy; and Joe Public's disdain for government peaking. Ronald Reagan and his legacy of trickle down economics punched the life out of the working classes for decades.

Bush doubled down on supply-side economics. Republican policies pounded the middle class to its knees, leaving them bloody and bruised. Capitalists had workers right where they wanted them: out on their feet, with no hope in sight. The beautiful thing (if you were a fat cat) is the working classes were blaming the democrats more than the republicans.

The feudalists had everything going for them -- this was not enough. The Koch brothers and similar cronies would not be satisfied with watching the dazed and wounded Reagan Democrats suffer. It was not enough to watch the middle-class stumbling and bewildered. They wanted a knockout.

We are at the moment just before Louis (the working classes) landed his desperate knock out punch. Prediction: Right-wing extremist's lust to obliterate the middle-class, rather than carry them for another round, will be their undoing. The righties will get clocked over the next few election cycles. Desperation will wake up the middle class, just like Joe Louis.

To borrow from Conn's quote, they will soon be muttering, "What is the use in being Republican, if you can't be stupid, too?”

December 27, 2014

American Democracy Is A Failure

Democracy failed the ancient Greeks and it has failed modern America, too. The conservative movement - the backward looking, fact-free, neanderthal system - has in one form or another steered the ship for 35 years. The result is a United States that is far behind the civilized world by nearly every metric.

If we do not turn to science, reason and progressive thinking the decline will undoubtedly continue and probably accelerate.

The real depressing reality is the solution is nowhere in sight. If the U.S. Senate cannot get to around 65 "progressive" democrats, we will never have a just society. We will envy Europe, Australia, Japan and every other smart country.

Our founding fathers failed us. They naively imagined a country of reasonable men working for a common good. Instead, with gerry-mandering, the filibuster, Citizen's United, Evangelical churches and Fox News, the meat heads rule. The chances of democrats ever getting to 65 senators is hard to imagine. Dems probably need 65 senators because there will always be a handful that will be peeled away. This will leave around 60, just enough to get something done.

So, it looks like the conservatives own the future.

With the chances of a benevolent dictatorship unlikely, the only hope is a genuine progressive president that makes big promises and forces his will on the House and Senate. If you see this as a pipe dream then Que Sera Sera.

December 26, 2014

Meet The Press To Change Format: Todd Reverses Direction

This weekend the format for Meet The Press will switch from the standard ratio of five republicans (including Todd) to one democrat to a ratio of four dems to two republicans.

Panelists will include Congressman Alan Grayson, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and AFL-CIO leader Richard Trumka. The republican voices will be Stephen Colbert and Todd.

This will be must see tv. The republican choke hold on the Sunday shows is releasing.

OK progressives, it is time to wake up. Reality is calling. It is doubtful any of the four progressives will get face time. But it is fun to dream.

This is pure sarcasm.

December 24, 2014

Only Three Presidents Have Not Raised The Federal Minimum Wage

Since the minimum wage was enacted in 1938, only three presidents have not raised the minimum wage. The minimum wage began at 25 cents an hour and the subsequent 22 increases now leave it at $7.25 an hour.

The first president to not raise the minimum wage was Gerald Ford. Of course, Ford was in office for only two years. He became president after Nixon was booted. The Nixon/Ford era actually had two increases in the minimum wage. So, he technically did not raise the wage but for practical purposes he did.

The second president to pass on raising the minimum wage was Ronald Reagan. Dutch can be considered the godfather of the modern conservative movement we have suffered through. The man looked up to Ayn Rand. It is no surprise he ignored helping the poor.

The third, and the only Democrat in the nearly 80 year history of the federal minimum wage, is Barack Obama. Granted, President Obama has two more years but there is little chance an increase will happen given the republicans control the house and senate. He has faced immense obstruction but did have strong control of the house and senate for two years.

It the POTUS does not get the minimum wage increased, it can be argued that Ronald (Trickle-Down) Reagan is the only president other than President Obama to have not won an increase for the poor.

December 23, 2014

What progressive bedrock principles are sacrosanct to President Obama?

After putting Social Security on the table with chained C.P.I., the pres now signed off on pension cuts in the Cromnibus bill. College tuition rates have gone up under his watch. We continue to have the most regressive tax policy since FDR. Wall Street got the deregulation they sought. Minimum wagers have lost another 20 percent of their purchasing power with very little support from the White House. Granted, he is not responsible for Reaganomics, but he was elected to reverse it.

We elected him as a progressive, yet what is off of the table to him? Republicans draw lines in the sand that they will die for. What will Obama go down screaming over?

Can anyone tell me what progressive policy or program that Obama will refuse to cut?

December 23, 2014

We All Know Where The Potus Stands On Cuba And The Sony Hack But What About Future Pension Raiding

He seems to have a lot to say lately, but he is silent on the pension raiding and dismantling of Dodd/Frank.

Whenever the middle-class gets hammered he is missing in action or worse, actively working with Rethugs.

Seriously, is he mad about the pension cuts to retirees and the handout to Wall Street that the Cromnibus is responsible for?