Fox Snooze now just posting Onion headlines

Someone in the "fair and balanced" funhouse is having a chuckle and just shrugging, "because we can."

Full Employment Now!

Since The Fed's mandate is all the talk of the day (or was it yesterday, and who keeps track when it never amounts to anything?) this recent essay in n+1 (much like others) has not yet gotten the sustained attention it deserves.

From the people who brought you the idea for the bumper-sticker that reads:

Logically-Speaking, Most Americans Must
Either Love Their Government
or Really Hate Capitalism.

Which somehow I doubt anyone in Shelton-Laurel will get. Can it be shortened?

United States: thy enemy is Republican

This is why I canvassed for two days for Democrats (despite the fact the Democratic party has become more progressive in rhetoric than it has in action the six and a half years I've been blogging about the need for such change):

On one side, Republicans oppose just about everything that might reduce structural deficits: they demand that the Bush tax cuts be made permanent while demagoguing efforts to limit the rise in Medicare costs, which are essential to any attempts to get the budget under control. On the other, the G.O.P. opposes anything that might help sustain demand in a depressed economy — even aid to small businesses, which the party claims to love.

Right now, in particular, Republicans are blocking an extension of unemployment benefits — an action that will both cause immense hardship and drain purchasing power from an already sputtering economy. But there’s no point appealing to the better angels of their nature; America just doesn’t work that way anymore.

And opposition for the sake of opposition isn’t limited to economic policy. Politics, they used to tell us, stops at the water’s edge — but that was then.

These days, national security experts are tearing their hair out over the decision of Senate Republicans to block a desperately needed new strategic arms treaty. And everyone knows that these Republicans oppose the treaty, not because of legitimate objections, but simply because it’s an Obama administration initiative; if sabotaging the president endangers the nation, so be it.

How does this end? Mr. Obama is still talking about bipartisan outreach, and maybe if he caves in sufficiently he can avoid a federal shutdown this spring. But any respite would be only temporary; again, the G.O.P. is just not interested in helping a Democrat govern.

My sense is that most Americans still don’t understand this reality. They still imagine that when push comes to shove, our politicians will come together to do what’s necessary. But that was another country.

Upcoming markets...for those in Asheville

For those neither local nor wishing to support the local college women's soccer team (or teen ministry!), there is still time to order something custom, handmade and built to last for decades, before Christmas. Barely.

GreenRiverWoods.Etsy.Com

Last summer in Europe..some wood-related photos

Sun-bleached old workbench, Moustiers Sainte-Marie
Olive wood...

Italy...


Wine cellar?

Rocks may hit you on the head

I have more recent pictures of beautiful wooden doors than I care to admit, from France, Italy and Switzerland.




When the social situation in the U.S. deteriorates for another twenty years and we move to France this is what I'll do, he told himself...


Below, this old chess set from olive wood was tempting to bargain for (in need of some repair):
I abstained, as we stopped the car at every brocante in provence between Moustier and Nîmes.







Possibly the oldest-looking confessional in existence
Calvin's chair, non-reclining
This is fancy

In hindsight this seems less than perfectly safe
Olives

Republic Party for Billionaires

None of this was inevitable...without Democratic Party complicity.

Bernie Sanders needs to come down here and talk slowly, without condescending to some very much misguided, very working-class conservatives, to let them know that someone besides John Boy and Billy cares. And needless to say, if this country is to survive in any form worth experiencing and sacrificing and working hard for, we need to tax the shit out of the goddamn obscenely rich, starting yesterday.

failure to communicate

Politics is warfare. You'd think the stakes would be high enough for somebody with half a brain to tell Keith and Rachel to at least slow the fuck down when they talk. Jon Stewart is right in this if nothing else: however unusual their concern for historical context and actual facts may be in this day and age, it is not enough to justify their tone. These people are talking (gleefully) right past the entire south and center of this country (I know, because I live and work there) without making so much as a dent in anybody's political disposition, or actively shaking any of the economic lies stemming from the Reagan era of bank-owned politicians. Maybe their personalities are just unsuitable and other personalities need to be found, but someone, somewhere has got to be given a platform to speak to the majority of this proud country in the manner to which they are accustomed.

This would seem to be a matter of some urgency. Factually correct as he is about Jon Stewart's nostalgic and naive "false equivalencies", I don't see the insufferable Keith helping. At least Jon is capable of dialogue!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Democratic tax cuts, Republican class warfare

Grayson, dibgy. Warren Buffet and other millionaires themselves. Not that anybody knows enough to care.

We're going to miss that fellow.

The "Holidays" Beginith

Cleaning out the shop; all chopping blocks and cutting boards made from reclaimed timber:






Orders are piling up. Get yours in now, in time for Christmas!

GreenRiverWoods.Etsy

What your mortgage looks like in the absence of "Big Government" regulation

It's called "Big Finance." Still nobody in Washington is connecting the dots and drawing a line right back to Ronald Reagan, the first politician to be owned by big bankers:

Courtesy of Zero Hedge.

The Fed, cont.

Apologies and explanation here.

Lacking pathos of indignation

Did anybody else notice how pathetic and utterly uninspiring this left-wing "netroots" meeting with the President was? Talk about your generically sweeping, easily-deflected softball questions! You people just really want a seat behind Fox in the briefing room, don't you? Cowards.

Rare actual debate on cable news

Sort of. Refreshing:

Further to Democratic self-criticism, utter lack of

Hardly news, how Democrats have stopped connecting, but it's a story that bears repeating, especially because letting the Rethuglicans continue to own the anti-corporate conglomerate, late capitalist rage/right-wing "populism" and deflect it so cynically and easily toward furthering their old cruel agenda of tax cuts for the ultra-rich, shipping more jobs overseas and slash and burning what remains of collective social responsibility, equality of opportunity, true competition or FDR's "Great Society" in this country...is not exactly working.

Happy Sunday Morning

To the tune of Tom Waits "Dirt in the Ground" from Glitter and Doom:

• Rightwing Billionaires at Cerberus Capital Literally Pump Human Blood for Profit

(via The Vassar Voice)

It's still the economy, stupid

What a truly excellent news show, not even considering the current journalistic vacuum.

Did you know that Credo Mobile helps support DemocracyNow? Watch the whole thing:




Too bad most people, especially Tea Baggers, will only hear something like this.

They should read Robert Reich.

Speaking of The Onion, how often is it, I wonder, that a headline there comes true?

We'll have to see what these Tea Baggers really plan to do about the Fed. Their proclaimed principles should cause them to join with Progressives against the elitist gamblers, as with campaign finance and working class tax cuts, but somehow we doubt that Tea Bagger principles are worth a sack of shit, completely born and funded as they are by Wall Street, Koch Industries, Rove's hedge fund managers, international business interests laundered through the Chamber, and other epitomes of elitist special interest. Those millionaires and billionaires expect a return on their investment; new tax-free casinos have been paid for. Don't worry, Rust Belt, they will be glad to take your unemployment check one way or the other.

Also:



Also (in case you missed Scott's column):

Pushing Obama

The default center setting was never and is still not going to cut it, obviously. All the more reason for progressives to get involved. Join the PCCC today.

Grow a pair.

Part one:




Part two:

Geithner, Summers and the DLC are to blame

Update: Here's what Obama can do now.

Bear in mind there was still some good news for progressives, in Colorado, Arizona, Deleware, Nevada, Maine, Connecticut, Vermont, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Florida, North Carolina, California...as DFA puts it:

While it was a tough night, we had a few important victories too. DFA 2010 Progressive Hero Barbara Boxer won. Public Option Heroes Michael Bennet, Kristen Gillibrand, Jared Polis, and Chellie Pingree all won without running away from their votes for Healthcare. Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Raul Grijalva was in the fight of his life and won. In fact 94%97% of the rest of the Progressive Caucus also won (compared to only 47% of the Blue Dogs).

Florida amendments legally requiring fair redistricting of congressional districts -- instead of Republican-controlled gerrymandering -- won. The anti-environmental Proposition 23 in California, which could have rolled back some of the most important clean air laws in the country, was defeated. And bold progressive Peter Shumlin was elected the first Democratic Governor of Vermont since Howard Dean left office in 2002.

The fact is progressive heroes who lost last night like Russ Feingold and Alan Grayson became collateral damage in a toxic election environment created by weak leadership and corporate Democrats who refused to stand up and fight for real change. Progressives like Annie Kuster, Mary Jo Kilroy, and Tom Perriello ran some of the strongest grassroots campaigns in history, but were drowned out by unregulated corporate front groups that spent hundreds of millions to scare and lie to voters. [That's an important link.]

The biggest lesson from last night is actually pretty simple. For Democrats to win in the future, they need to fight for the people they represent and stop cutting deals to water down reform with the same corporate interests who will turn around and spend unlimited amounts of money to defeat Democrats year after year.

Good riddance, Blue Dogs.

(Also, my brother points out, a long-haired hippie kid just won the world series for San Francisco. In Texas. And with Bush Walker "I'm happy I won't be around when history judges me" and Bush Herbert watching. (Well, I enjoyed it.))

Also: No shit:

Marc Ambinder highlighted a fascinating statistic that we missed last night.

"Who's to blame for the economy? Bankers (34%), Bush (29%), Obama (24%). Of those who blame bankers, Republicans hold an 11 point advantage."

Readers of this blog will recall our reading of the bailout hustle. The defeat for Democrats no doubt began there, in accepting Rubinomics and the precedent of Bush's unconditional bailout without seriously re-messaging it (despite firing the heads of GM, and some luke-warm protections) together with a serious "JOBS BILL" and "TAX CUTS" (as Michael Moore, says, "stimulus" sounds like a disease, at least they watered it down).

How ironic then, that after giving one of the biggest tax cuts in history, Obama is the enemy and Wall Street is the big winner last night.

Especially Karl Rove's "American Crossroads" hedge fund palls.

If that's not incompetent messaging, I don't know what is.

Of course I'm not the only one who is furious with the DSCC and DCCC for ignoring Elaine Marshall and Ann Kuster, respectively, among lots of other electable, and essential bold progressives, while supporting Rethuglicans in Democrat disguise with millions of dollars and high profile visits, like a battered wife who just swallows her pain and principles and comes out to smile beside her husband for the company. That strategy is doomed to failure, even if you win. How does the Harry Truman saying go?

"Given a chance to vote for a Republican, or a Democrat who acts like a Republican most of the day, the voter will choose the real Republican every time!"

So, corporate right-wing Democrats lost. Progressives meanwhile, with a few very sad exceptions the blame for which sits partly on the DLC's lap and partly on "Citizens United", survived. Bold Progressives will show the Democrats how to fight. Join the PCCC.


Also, just for all those Tea-Baggers so ignorantly quick to claim that race has nothing to do with it:

Vote