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A new Gallup poll shows record levels of disapproval with most current members of Congress. When asked “Do most members of Congress deserve re-election,” only 28% responded “yes,” while 65% said “no.” That is lower than the previous record 29% set in 1992, and with a much wider gap between Yes and No than seen 18 years ago.
On the more important question of whether people think their member of Congress deserves re-election, the numbers are also some of the worst in twenty years. Only 49% believe their Representative deserves re-election, while 40% think they don’t deserve to be re-elected. This marks the first time since 1992 that the number of registered voters who believe their own member of Congress deserves re-election has dropped below 50%. And, compared to 1992, the number of people who affirmatively believe they don’t deserve re-election is significantly higher.
These historically bad numbers for incumbents point to an extremely high level dissatisfaction with members of Congress. It is safe to assume that much of the dissatisfaction stems from the current economic downturn and Washington’s response to it.
Given that Democrats hold large majorities in both chambers, they are likely to disproportionately feel the brunt of this anti-incumbent anger in November. But I would not be surprised if this anti-incumbent wave ends up wiping out some fairly unlikely targets in both parties.
This is shaping up to be a very interesting November.
145 Comments
Congress is trying to do the limbo! Howwwww looowwwwww can they go!
IMHO, if I had my way I would take them into negative % territory. Like F- and all.
My members of Congress are Evan Bayh, Dick Lugar, and Joe Donnelly. Lugar is marginal, the others are a waste of time (of course, Bayh isn’t running again, but I wouldn’t vote for any of the current prospects either).
P.S. Lugar is a Republican, but he’s less worse than some.
Bayh is ‘retiring’. Time to pick up that cushy lobbying gig and stroke his wife’s feathers for running Wellpoint so ‘well’.
I always thought Lugar was OK, but he does tow the party line too much for me too. He will be there forever, he’s entrenched anyway.
But I don’t miss Indianerr.
28%? They’ve all hit the Bush Zone.
About as interesting as watching two teams of millionaire brutes (owned by billionaires) fight over a big gold ring with a pork covered air bubble and a few chalk lines in the astroturf.
Throw all incumbents out. Shuffle the deck.
Now that is unfair. Most people find football much more entertaining than politics.
They don’t realize how bad it is. They have lost me, and millions of other independents. I will not vote for someone that lies to me again. Why bother? Obama lied about everything. I no longer care who replaces him because they will be a lying sociopath as well.
I am going to spend my vote on the green candidate. I won’t be wasting anything however. It will be those that think a lesser of evil is a better choice that waste their votes and lives.
Hmmm. Now what happened around 1996 and 2006, and why did feelings about Congress change at that time? Oh, yeah…
Congress can only be as effective as the leadership allows and this leadership is the absolute pits. That said, I am not so sure there is the will among Congressional members to do anything other than collect bribes, pensions and healthcare.
…and why during the time that R’s ran Congress is favorability higher? Democrats really need to think about what all this means. Seriously.
It’ll be interesting to see how many former congresspigs come November, get jobs as ‘non-lobbyists’ à la Daschle.
If Tom is anything to go by, losing the election will ensure a path to filthy lucre for all of them. Sweet, isn’t it?
I wish they would have asked me. I could have bent that curve down further.
It means that the goopers are far more effective at denigrating Congress when they are not in charge. The Dems have to learn how to own the media, use it to vilify their opponents, create facts out of fiction and use the filibuster to stop anything from being accomplished.
When you spend a year passing legislation that does nothing to really address the subject of the legislation and which both sides dislike intensely and which the supporters only support because it is “better than nothing,” what do you expect??
This Congress is like the Keystone Cops–if the Keystone Cops had subpeona power to haul in anyone that disagreed with them.
My blue dog kritter is quitting. His wife is running to replace him. Could be worse.
You MUST have been sleeping from 2000 to 2006. Each of those technique’s were perfected and road tested. You have no better experts in those subjects than Democrats. Who do you think the GOP learned from??
I’m a member of that very small minority that would rather read about where my government has succeeded or failed than watch highly paid professionals proceed along a track of demonstrating the futility of individualism that is only vaguely different than Rollerball.
Go Jonathan E and Energy Corporation’s Houston.
And I forgot to add re-writing history…….
IMO, it is equally important to look at why favorability was high during the R Congress. Those were some seriously backward times for the US, yet people thought Congress should be reelected.
There are some very important lessons to be learned from that first chart. I hope Rahm is forced to look at it.
Yep! Actually, that 28% approval number is going to get worse before November, and is probably already lower but not something Gallup is willing to report yet. The Democrat Party has finally exposed itself for what they are…
My bet on the subject is that when it comes down to the wire the number of people swayed by advertising will be only marginally less than usual. Only a few political lefties will bail, most not even concerned about the Heritage Foundation having won the health insurance reform debate and the pseudo conservative voters will do what they always do, vote against the liberuls. The question will probably depend upon how well the Ds can earn the favor of the Hispanic vote and Team Obama is working that angle in Florida as well as other timed initiatives targeted to that block.
Don’t be scared, according to Kos the enthusiasm gap is closing!
*gag*
It’s going to be worse than 94 for the Dems and rightfully so. Maybe they’ll learn selling out the base doesn’t work anymore…probably not, but it may be the bright side of the destruction facing the Democratic party in November.
Unless something really “real” and serious can be done about corporate control of congress and the POTUS (and the SCOTUS), I don’t really think that elections have much meaning anymore. While it may be emotionally satisfying to dream about “throwing out” every single elected official and replacing them with someone else, I don’t think it would make a whit of difference. The corporations would just buy them off or threaten them or whatever it is that’s going on from K Street.
We are home and hosed, almost no matter what.
It’s worthwhile to pursue third parties, to primary candidates, to look for other alternatives, but I feel that anything much changing in the remainder of my lifetime is looking rather dim, indeed.
Nothing has budged much since the days of Sainted Ghoul Ray-gun. The gutting began in earnest then and continues to now. Both parties are but 2 branches of the one-party corporation party. Both participate in the giant kabuki show of pretending to fight against each other, but it’s all done for the one and only outcome, which is to benefit the corporations not you and me – the voters and so-called constituents.
It’s nice to see charts like this, I guess, and kudos for the post. But I’m feeling so cynical these days that my main response is: SO???? What’s the point? Everyone hates congress and recognizes that they’re all a sorry lot and doing a craptastic job. Yet most voters – excluding many here – are totally sucked into the kabuki show, which presently is called “Tea Party v. Democrats.” Whatever…. onitgoes….
Usually the dream is throwing out everyone else’s elected officials.
It doesn’t seem to really matter what the public’s opinion is of the Congress. With the Citizens United ruling by the SCOTUS the “people” are irrelevant and Congress members know that.
I just wonder too, what will happen when people begin to suffer the real pain of the health insurance bailout? Starting from an already incredibly low base, you would imagine heaping more misery on top whilst enriching themselves and their corporate buddies still more could be the final act of provocation. The one that finally brings about real change the world can believe in. In my opinion, that is the inexorable path you are on now. Or worse, you will become subdued and passive like the peasants of the past, not even daring to fight back.
Your blue dog critter is a blue dog quitter? If your wife gets elected, you’re gonna need a blue dog sitter.
From the first chart we can see that public opinion of Congress rises most sharply when R’s are the opposition party. Why? What do R’s do that is valued by voters?
We can also see from the chart that public opinion is relatively steadily positive during R rule of Congress? Why? What do R’s do during their reign that is valued by voters?
R’s do not actually govern well. They are good at frittering away at the rights they claim to protect. They damage the economy at every turn. Their utter incompetence during crisis times is not recognized. Why?
Time for my morning workout, only marginally less popular to me than my congressman.
From my perspective, this is good news. However, let’s hope this motivates these hacks to move to the side of sanity (left), not in the rightward direction. Time will tell…
Clowns to the LEFT of me; jokers to the RIGHT. COUNTRY before CLUB.
In 2006, Boyd Richie, Chair of the Texas Democratic Party, successfully sued the Republican Party of Texas to prevent them from declaring Tom DeLay ineligible to appear on the ballot, given his public announcement not to seek re-election and evidence he had established a new residence in VA. TDP v. RPT
Given the court’s holdings in that case and in Bradford v. Vento; Judge Abbott would order TDP Chair Boyd Richie to declare Presidential candidate Barack Obama is ineligible for the job.
Perhaps the people finally realize that Congress is nothing more than the legislative enabler for corporate interests.
Why would this be noticed only under D Congresses, not R? Hypocricy or something more?
Well, the majority of the public is assuredly correct, most (potentially all) members of Congress do not deserve to be re-elected.
Notice the first derivatives (slopes) of the yes/no lines, as well. Those slopes do not imply near-term stabilization. The disapproval rating of Congress (there is no longer any point in referring to it as an approval rating) is going to get worse before stabilizing.
Incumbents can lose in two ways — in primaries and in the general election.
The more that unpopular Democrats face primaries, the more likely the Democratic losses are lessened.
The more that unpopular Republicans face primaries, the more likely the Republican losses are increased through nomination of a candidate unacceptable to the general electorate.
And, frankly, I think an electoral wipeout in the elections would be good fore the political class. Let the bums be thrown out for a change.
Sure, it’s an oldie and I have no idea who said it first, probably some English guy:
You put your right bum in, you put your right bum out, you put your left bum in and you shake it all about…
Maybe this is what it’s all about – political hokey pokey.
Something we can agree on…..
Too bad you people don’t support term limits.
Too bad all of those guys that got elected via the “Contract with America” promising term limits for everyone got religion so quickly. Something about me versus thee as I recall.
I agree. The allegedly “progressive” Dems have zero credibility, the Conservadems and Republicans are not an option. The only way to find a lesser of evils candidate these days is to look outside the two major parties.
Me too!
The only approval that counts is the RICHEST 2% that have brought congress and what they will spend to keep their whore dancing to their piper.
What the rest of the country thinks or wants is a quaint concept with no consequences.
Democracy is the joke of the century on us.. and the origination of Ponzi’s scheme.
Because they control the messengers, and thus the message.
Although that’s not all of it, but explains a good deal, if not most, of it.
I think the motto for this congress could run something like
“this is a senator-only elevator”.
“now kiss my ass”.
I would agree with everything except the “excluding many here.”
I don’t think it’s as many here as you think either.
I’d bet dollars to donuts that at least 2/3 of those that post here will vote D in November, if not 75%-85%.
Maybe our only hope is to hope doing the same thing over again will result in something different, because it doesn’t appear to me as though very many are willing to try doing something different.
A few weeks ago I had high hopes of a historical D loss.
Not gonna happen.
It will be doing the same thing over and expecting a different result. Or maybe they’re all just expecting the same result and don’t give a shit. I dunno. Nor do I much care either.
If the folks that should know better can’t help themselves and only consider the D vs R kabuki and “Oh noes what if the R’s ran everything” and never send a message to the D party, then IMO, this country gets the government it deserves.
there may have been a few more items they forgot about also
Yeah, at least one or two more.
BTW, wasn’t it “Contract ON America”? That’s what if felt like.
not so sure OldOne
I’m thinking that they’ll be quite a bunch that will decide to just stay home and we know the Teas aren’t going to stay home.
just a possibility?
got that right
VOTING is term limits
I’ve been struck recently at the close resemblance between many self-described progressives and the so-called Progressive Caucus. Both threatened to oppose a bill (or representative) that did not meet minimum requirements. Both not only capitulated, but actively praised a bill that met none of their preconditions and celebrated it’s passage.
The government they deserve indeed.
Let me see ,my choice is spector or sestek followed by tommey , murphy or fitzpatrick who voted for the war, which one do I give my vote to end the military industrial control over our future.
murphy ran against manion last time, two Iraq vets, some choice!
Yep, all terms are already limited.
By the Constitution.
A House term is two years.
A Senate term is six years.
limited.
Folks that support term limits don’t support freedom of choice for voters. Why shouldn’t any voter be able to support any politician he/she wants to???
Not so, say the term limit supporters. WE KNOW better than you who you can and can’t support.
Talk about elitism.
The trend in the graph “Does Your Member Deserve Re-Election” is very interesting
It appears to me that many who comment here are trying to see who can be the most flippant, the snarkiest, and most pessimistic. I get the impression that many commenters believe some purpose would be served by yielding power to the likes of James DeMint, John A. Boehner, Michele Bachmann, Eric Cantor, and Mitch McConnell.
I detest the influence of corporations on ALL representatives, but here are a few things that happened recently that would not have happened if Republicans were in charge of the US Congress: 1. Revamping of the student loan program. 2. Nuclear weapon reduction from 22,000 to 15,000 by Russia & the US. 3. Health Insurance Reform, thanks to Crooks & Liars blog for the list:
Here are ten benefits which come online within six months of the President’s signature on the health care bill:
1. Adult children may remain as dependents on their parents’ policy until their 26th birthday
2. Children under age 19 may not be excluded for pre-existing conditions
3. No more lifetime or annual caps on coverage
4. Free preventative care for all
5. Adults with pre-existing conditions may buy into a national high-risk pool until the exchanges come online. While these will not be cheap, they’re still better than total exclusion and get some benefit from a wider pool of insureds.
6. Small businesses will be entitled to a tax credit for 2009 and 2010, which could be as much as 50% of what they pay for employees’ health insurance.
7. The “donut hole” closes for Medicare patients, making prescription medications more affordable for seniors.
8. Requirement that all insurers must post their balance sheets on the Internet and fully disclose administrative costs, executive compensation packages, and benefit payments.
9. Authorizes early funding of community health centers in all 50 states (Bernie Sanders’ amendment). Community health centers provide primary, dental and vision services to people in the community, based on a sliding scale for payment according to ability to pay.
10. AND no more rescissions. Effective immediately, you can’t lose your insurance because you get sick.
Please stop threatening to shoot yourselves in the foot, because, you just may end up hitting the rest of us who see incremental change as the only change possible.
Isn’t the bottom line that the two parties which supposedly represent the citizens of the United States are not doing their job? We need better alternatives, from the local level on up. It is time to stop assuming that our only choice is to vote for “the lesser of two evils”. Think about that for a while, why should a country which believes in “democracy” have to elect politicians who represent “the lesser of two evils”? What does that say about democracy here?
I hear ya and mostly agree. Well, let’s face it, though: the real readership of this blog is but a drop in the bucket in terms of the overall population. So even IF every single person who ever read FDL since its inception voted R or Green or whatever, I doubt it would make much difference in terms of the Nov election. It *might* be a step towards sending a message, though, and I would like to see it happen. Won’t hold my breath.
I posted a comment the other day, though, stating that I’ve been casually “polling” my D friends to see what they think about BHO and, in particular, so-called HCR. Most are perfectly satisfied. I do have some friends who are as disgusted as many here are.
However, I think they will all roll over and vote D come this Nov and the next and so on.
I retained my D voter registration due to primaries in my state. It’s worth it for that purpose. Otherwise: count me out.
But as the froggies are wont to say (in more high-falutin language than I can cough out here): the more things change, the more they stay just the same. I expect nothing of any consequence to occur in Nov, but then again, I’m of the opinion that it really doesn’t matter anyway. We are all owned by the corporations. The end.
And good luck to us all.
Well, that would be poetic justice since you enablers of these corporatist Democrats shot us all in the chest when the best chance at real health care reform in the history of the United States was turned into the biggest foray into fascism in the history of the United States. Ensuring that not only is health care screwed up now, but that it will remain that way forever now by further strenthening and enriching the very piece of it that should’ve been the first piece to get axed, the for-profit middleman insurance companies.
And due to enough enablers makeing the D’s feel they had sufficient cover, millions will continue to suffer due to a lack of health care, thousands will continue to die annually due to a lack of health care, hundreds of thousands will find themselves financially ruined because of health care.
And now that system is gauranteed to continue thanks to this fascist POS.
So, excuse us while we’re shooting ourselves in the foot. I assure you we’re aiming elsewhere.
I really think that “fascist” label is a bit over-used. I have always understood “fascism” to mean Nationalism, Militarism, and Racism. I do think the US qualifies, but I don’t see how it applies to getting banks out of the student loan business, or getting the benefits of the Health Insurance Reform legislation as listed in my previous comment. Are you really referring to Obama as a “fascist POS”? Or is it me? Either way, it seems a bit over the top, not at all useful.
Sorry,
fascist POS = the HIPPA act just passed.
Health Insurers Profit Protection Act
that for the first time in U.S. history has the government force it’s citizens to be customers of the for-profit corporations of an industry.
And that’s fascist.
IMO it’s not helpful to call it something else.
“Incremental Change We Can Believe In”?
If Obama had campaigned on what he was truly going to do once in office, he never would have made it out of the Dem primary. One of the biggest liars I’ve ever seen in politics. And the Democrats in Congress are going to pay for going along with his GOP agenda.
Your understanding of what constitutes fascism appears too limited. It is not simply about militarism. The following is from Wikipedia, which you might not consider a definitive source but for what it’s worth.
Passing a law that forces the populace to purchase a product (of dubious merit) from private interests certainly qualifies as fascism in my opinion.
You can’t understand why someone might not find so-called “health insurance reform” which has a regressive action towards woman’s reproductive rights, age and gender ratings such that women over 50 pay much higher premiums, does not allow drug importation, continues an anti-trust exemption for insurance companies, and long term…entrenches PRIVATE insurance companies with mandates to purchase their product without any real competition, etc. as a negative? The bill was written by AHIP and the Heritage Foundation. They will know exactly where the loopholes are and exploit them. Meanwhile, the citizens of this country are forced to live with an already broken system.
The small, incremental changes which you mention will be dwarfed long term by the further entrenchment of the private insurance companies and Big Pharma on our country.
You, my friend , are in for a RUDE awakening. What few enforcement mechanisms exist are generally left for the states to enforce. States historically have done a miserable job of health insurance enforcement.
Even if all of the things you list were to come true as advertised they would still mean thousands of bankruptcies and denial of care. Sorry, not good enough.
Obama and the Dems deserve all the negatives they get for this cruel tragedy of a bill.
Where did you dig up these talking points? The HCR law is a joke, a give away to big business. Notice nowhere in your DNC talking points does it discuss the fact that our premiums can’t go up, which they most certainly will. We have done nothing to promote _real_ competition and frankly I’m tired of arguing about it.
Go drink your Kool-Aid.
Obama is a sham on civil liberties and foreign policy. He is dooming this republic to failure. I’d rather vote for a 3rd party candidate than join you in that glass of kool-aid. Tired of it. Tired of the lies, tired of the equivocation, tired of all the nonsense.
I’ll gladly trade my vote away from the Democrats and if I inadvertently help the Republicans, so be it. The Democrats don’t deserve my vote. Don’t worry I’m sure they can dupe enough people to buy their load of crap.
The polls look hideous for the Dems. This one has Feingold down double digits if Thompson runs against him in Wisconsin.
http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/89979172.html
Besides all of the Democrats and Independents disgusted with Obama and the Dems, many of the others just won’t be motivated enough to go out and vote. They have delivered NOTHING of the progressive promises they made to get where they are.
Thanks for the clarification re POS. Doesn’t the government require auto insurance?
Oh, No! Obama’s a politician!
Nope. Millions of U.S. citizens don’t have auto insurance. My mother doesn’t.
We need an alternative! Neither the Democrats or Republicans represent the citizens of this country. Just think if we had a President such as Elizabeth Warren who truly represents the interests of the middle and working class as President? FDR was able to do it… isn’t there ANYONE in this entire country with intelligence, business smarts, and compassion for the middle and working class who could be our President?
Jane.
I agree that militarism, racism, nationalism can apply to corporations (although they are less and less nationalistic since the behavior of US corporations often undermines what’s best for us), however, I was unfamiliar with the corporatists as fascists equation. I can’t be absolute about it though.
The government requires “liabilty” auto insurance. That protects damage your car does to OTHERS.
We’ll see.
I think the most important # cited is the 49% who would re-elect their own Congressman. That may be low historically but is still HIGH at a time when, in my opinion, the # should be about 2%.
Most of them will be back in their seats, business as usual.
I’m a single parent.
Want to know what the HIPPA does for me? Exempts me from the mandate.
Does not provide me with coverage I can afford.
And I’ll give you that there are a few points that were needed, absolutely.
But when addressing affordable health care or affordable insurance, NOT
“they would still mean thousands of bankruptcies and denial of care.”
Really! And you base this speculation on what?
It’s not the Feds who require Auto Insurance, it’s the states.
And they clearly have that constitutional authority.
Apples and Peaches
“frankly I’m tired of arguing about it.”
Okay.
Auto insurance is different state to state, but I prefer having it, and am glad my state requires it.
Cognitive Dissonance. It also explains why some people are willing to accept small, supposedly “good” changes even when much larger “destructive” changes are occurring.
I hadn’t realized it is the mandate that has everyone up in arms. Well, it won’t work without it. It’s like social security which most people, including me, love.
To compare a mandate to purchase PRIVATE health insurance to Social Security is beyond disingenous.
Which goes to show you just how egregious his lying has been, to get so many of his supporters so disillusioned and/or apathetic.
shoot, it isn’t just the mandate.
It’s an insureco’s dream.
The insurance portion was written by InsureCo insiders.
Again, I say shoot. It’s more looting of America
NO STATE forces it’s citizens purchase auto insurance.
There are millions of citizens in all 50 states that don’t have auto insurance.
Do you understand the term “force” when I said the HIPPA for the first time forces it’s citizens to become customers of a for profit industry?
So I guess you must be up in arms over Obama’s hand picked panel to ram through SS benefit cuts…..
Corporatist policies might resemble fascism, it is only one facet though and does not mean that proponents of said policies meet all the criteria to be considered fascists.
The U.S. meets many of the criteria, particularly as regards corporatism, nationalism and militarism. One key component however is that fascists favor a single-party system. Whether the major parties truly represent distinct separate agendas could be debated but for the moment I’ll concede that the U.S. does not meet that requirement.
Having said that, Huey Long said something along the line of, “Of course we’ll have fascism in America but it will come wrapped in the flag and we’ll call it Democracy.”
Racism is not a requirement of fascism but seems inevitable as distrust and fear of foreigners is helpful in the promotion of nationalism. Our “war on terror” has frequently (if not continuously) contained elements of racism.
In PA, if you drop your auto insurance (and the requirement to carry it is to protect others, not yourself)
the insurance company MUST notify the state.
So there is no choice about buying the insurance.
But the state doesn’t force you to purchase auto insurance.
You still have a choice. The choice is the key.
You can choose to walk. Bike. Take public transportation. Take a cab. Don’t go anywhere.
They may seem unrealistic choices in some circumstances (particularly rurally, like me), but the fact is you still have a CHOICE. If you choose to not drive, you do not have to purchase auto insurance.
With this bill, there is no choice (well, other than than choosing to not be alive or not be a citizen I guess), but there is no choice you can make and remain alive and a US citizen. You are FORCED to be a purchaser of for profit insurance.
It’s just not so with auto insurance, or with anything else to date.
This really is new, groundbreaking, stuff.
And the precedent it sets scares the bejeebus outta me.
Not entirely true, you can choose not to purchase health insurance and pay the penalty.
At least people who don’t comply are not subject to imprisonment… yet. Then again, in prison they’d have government provided health care.
The precedent was established with the implementation of Medicare Part D. Medicare recipients were required to purchase prescription insurance from private companies or pay a penalty if they choose to enroll later.
That was the dress rehearsal for the HCR bill. The lesson Dems learned from Medicare Part D is that the penalty for non-compliance should be universal and immediate. Thanks so much guys.
I am truly sorry for what this legislation doesn’t do for you. And I know that’s a lot. I hope you can and do take advantage of the “few points that were needed.”
However, I will not makes matters worse by advocating we turn the power in DC back to the Nixons, Reagans, Bushes, Gingriches, & Palins. A 3rd party, on the left, might stand a chance of success at some point, but right now a 3rd party, on the left, would insure a Republican victory.
It means that, as far as I can see, when the Democrats took over congress and Pelosi and Reid decided to allow the criminals in the executive branch to continue unmolested, by taking impeachment off the table and allowing Halliburton/KBR, Blackwater, and the out of control Bush DoJ to move ahead with no concern for the constitution or for the rights of Americans, that’s when congress lost it.
How does anyone think people will approve of congress when they refuse to do the will of the people who sent them there at the ballot box instead of under the table?
Screw ‘em all, every last one of them. Campaign finance reform and term limits are more important now then ever.
Huh, and the prisons are more and more privately run and for profit now too….
Hmmm, wonder if these two industries got together and lobbied for this fascist POS??
All true, but that actually started with Medicare Part B.
Part B is the same way, in that if you choose not to enroll in Part B when you’re immediately eligible then you too will pay more if you choose to enroll later.
I guess IMO having the choice of never enrolling (and thus never paying more) is still at least having a choice, whereas with this, there is no choice, except to suffer sanctions. (A penalty in case of the HIPPA act as of now, but that could change).
I dunno, it’s all just crap anyway.
Goddamned it, this country can do better than this.
Single Payer, free at point of service, just like public education. Because like education, health care is a right, not a privelige.
Period.
I agree there ain’t a dime’s worth of difference between Dems & Repubs with respect to corporate influence. But Dems do pass legislation to help the average citizen more often than the Repubs, so I’m going with them for the time being. I really, really wanted to live under progressive leadership. We ain’t there yet, and I will not help regressive forces retake the helm.
I like the Huey Long quote!
I’m afraid now that corporations qualify as people and money as free speech the likelihood of our government doing anything for the benefit of actual flesh and blood non-corporate people is nil.
I sent my check to the Green Party of the United States on the day Obama signed the health insurance bill. I’m a former Dem, who’s tired of working for these sociopaths so I can enjoy the pleasure of being called “a fucking retard” by the people I worked for.
Nothing in Obama’s Republican-corporate agenda that I can support.
Huey was a bright, albeit scary guy. The thing to bear in mind is that when he made those statements WWII hadn’t happened and the term didn’t carry the the overwhelmingly negative connotations that it does now.
Perhaps also worth noting (sardonically) that Huey was subsequently done in by a health care provider.
If you voted for ObamarHama, you already have
Sorry, I much prefer to deliver good news
As someone else on this site said, the D’s after taken a Hard Right Turn and the R’s, well they’ve just gone totally Ape Shit Frickin Nuts
That’s appealing at times, but if I just wait long enough, I may not even have to do anything …
Can’t Wait To See The Next Product or Service That I’ll Be Required To Purchase Simply For The Privilege Of Living Here
if only Ben and James and George and Alexander were to speak now
Yep, exactly. The overton window has moved drastically to the right.
The D’s are R’s, and the R’s are off the reservation batshit crazy.
Thus, with the two party kabuki, this is what you’re left with.
If you’re happy with that, then by all means, support it and vote for the Republicans or the Batshit Crazy Republicans.
Not my idea of democracy.
We’ve got to send the message that those are NOT acceptable choices. And by voting for EITHER, we’re instead signalling support for more of the same.
Not me.
Done.
Yep, 30 years of voting for lesser evils has been more than enough for me, particularly when the margin between the evils has become damn near indiscernible.
Ditto
I’ve made the call. Attending an Independence Party District Convention in a couple of weeks (they’re mainly libs, we will be able to find things to agree on, the big things anyway)
Just Love your Prose OldFatGuy, I really do!
Fascinating! What would this audience, FDL, think Franklin, Madison/Monroe, Washington, and Hamilton would say about this issue?
ANd we haven’t ever touched on the legality, morality or constitutionality of ordering a friggin ‘Hit’ on a United States Citizen that has not been convicted of a crime (not to mention he hasn’t even been charged with a crime)
go ahead, support your D Caucus Republicans – that’s your right.
But please, stop trying to convince us they’re concerned for this country or it’s inhabitants
It is the same old tired MYTH that our only option is one of two parties. Tell that to Jesse Ventura who won in Minnesota on the Reform Party platform. It is time that we as citizens stop listening to this myth and actually vote for candidates who address the interests of the middle and working class instead of the corporate and ruling elite. The message throughout the country should be that we need a candidate who represents the interests of citizens first.
I’m looking forward to lots an lots of concession speeches in Nov. Payback’s a bitch, you sellout little punks. You are not worthy of representing Americans.
Hey! You’re making stuff up here! I never mentioned “support your D Caucus Republicans.” Nor did I attempt to convince you that “they’re concerned for this country or it’s inhabitants.” But You know what the founding fathers would say, so you must know also what true concern/patriotism is! Mazel tov!
Yeah, really, harder and harder to tell.
Although I do believe that in a world with only two choices that Republicans would be better than Batshit Crazy Republicans, it’s settling for that “two choice” myth that we’ve got to overcome. Somehow.
Is this the angriest you’ve ever been?
It sure is for me. Hell, Nixon’s Watergate kabuki didn’t even piss me off as much as the party I supported my whole life, the party I thought stood for the little man, not only betrayed me by NOT doing what they should’ve done (that might’ve been forgiveable, had they just not been able to do something), but to DO this, to actually take a stick and poke me in the eye and say “HA, you thought we stood for the little guy?? You little assholes don’t pay the way these bigshot CEO’s do.”
GODAMMED THAT PISSES ME OFF.
And then to make it worse, folks that I thought I trusted, folks that I know for a fact know better, are now trying to tell me this bill isn’t exactly what it is.
THAT PISSES ME OFF TOO.
Sorry, I just thought this one was different. I bought Obama’s slickness, hook, line and sinker. Not even with Clinton was I even a little hopeful, I was just glad to be done 12 years of Reagan/Bush.
And every speech, every event, and every word out of his mouth was a fucking lie.
THAT REALLY PISSES ME OFF.
Not during Vietnam (though I was young then), or at any time since, has politics ever pissed me off so or disappointed me so.
Truth be told, prior to this year the most pissed I ever got was when I learned of the Jose Padilla case, and then learned more and more what actions W and The Dick did to our Constitution. I’m even more pissed now than that.
Wonder if I’m the only one.
As Glenn Greenwald stated:
Article- Olbermann on Obama’s Assassination Program
For many people, they no longer have faith that so called “progressives” in Congress will stand up and truly act as “progressives” for this country.
Actually, if you read the bill, you will realize that there is no enforcement mechanism for the mandate. If you think the neoliberal mouse trap that you pass off as health care reform needs the mandate to be successful, then you should know at the outset that few, if any, will be penalized at all for not buying insurance. Ergo, from your perspective, health care reform will not be successful. Many of us knew that some time ago, for completely different reasons.
nope, not by a long shot
and I was pretty frickin pissed at Tricky Dick and shit head scumbag Mitchell
Well, I’ve never considered myself a Dem and have always viewed them with a large amount of skepticism. Unfortunately, the party that once believed they had to occasionally deliver something substantive to benefit the constituents is long gone. No substance now, just corporate handouts and spin.
Well that would be fair I guess.
After all, there’s no real enforcement mechanism for any of the new regulations on insurance companies either.
I am stunned! You are angrier at Obama than you were at Bush & Chaney?
It will not be successful to our standards! Go back to my original comment to see what it does do!
Understandable if that is the case. We expected the worst from the Bush Junta so their malfeasance came as no surprise. Many expected much better from Obama and the Dem majorities and so are bitterly disappointed.
Hey OldFatGuy
I’ve got insects buzzing about my screen
Can’t get rid of em, They’re like Flies
You know, the kind That Eat Shit and Bother People while whispering sweet nothings
You bet.
What, dragging a US citizen on US soil off to a military brig in South Carolina and locking him for years with no lawyers, or ever even being charged a crime, you think THAT’s worth getting pissed over?? Pffffft, that’s nothin.
Hell, Obama argued before the SCOTUS last year (and got them to agree) that he can sign a piece of paper and declare anybody a “non-person” and therefore not eligible for any rights. Constitutional or otherwise. None. Not even a right to be free from torture.
Obama took W and The Dick’s shitting on the Constitution to a whole new level, a level that would even make Cheney himself blush (only cause he didn’t think of it first).
And besides that, the continuing renditions, illegal warentless wiretapping, torture, etc. etc. etc., he’s just W and the Dick on steriods.
Plus, W and The Dick didn’t lie to me. I knew what I was getting with them. Absolutely knew where they were coming from, hated them, and got exactly what I expected when they won.
Not so with Obama. Nope. He’s now proven (and I mean PROVEN, you can find example after example after example of vidoe on these here toobz) that damned near everything he said during the campaign, ALMOST EVERYTHING, was a fucking lie.
So YEAH. You bet your ass I’m more pissed at Obama AND THE DEMOCRATS.
And you are far from the only one.
Let’s not forget about the Shoot To Kill On Sight orders, of Citizens
Or the militarization of our civilian police force:
Article – Rand/Army Report Calls for Militarized Police Force for U.S.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JSBhI_0at0
oh so well done, transparait
thanks
what would the possible justification to do that I wonder
Fucking Assholes
Interesting video, especially the point made at the end about the huge number who won’t vote in November because they feel they don’t have any real choice. So, it’s time to harness all the people who want to be represented… (with an FDR type candidate that puts the interests of people first instead of corporate and ruling elite). Something tells me that number is huge.
agree, and they’re on both sides of the perverted, subverted political spectrum
as long as ‘they’ can distract us or depress us, ‘they’ win
I just posted on a different thread, writer said “Look, Look, Over Here, TEABAGGERS”
like in the movie ‘UP’, except it’s ‘Teabaggers’ instead of ‘Squirrels’
but the outcome and affect is the same
Yeah, that would be me too, in terms of disappointment. But we should not let our disappointment undo or destroy what can be accomplished. And much has been accomplished already. Ya know, Bush worked hard trying to get other countries to merely accept his assessment that Iran needed to be sanctioned. Obama offered engagement with Iran for a year, after which time Germany & France saw Iran’s intransigence. They became converts to the need for sanctions. This is progress. I know, I know! This ain’t health care reform, but there are issues as important as health care for Americans!
“Plus, W and The Dick didn’t lie to me”
Wow! Unbelievable!
Yes. I couldn’t have said it better than @125
lol
GOOD CATCH!!
Can’t believe I typed those words.
I mean they didn’t lie to me about what they stood for. Everyone with any intelligence knew what they stood for and whoe they represented.
But yeah, they lied really, really well (and often) too. GOOD CATCH!
I guess the biggest would be the lies they told to get us to go to war with Iraq.
And that still doesn’t piss me off as much as Obama’s lies during the campaign.
Sorry, just being honest. Maybe at the time I was more pissed, cause I know I was pretty pissed about being lied to in order to support a war. But I never believed any of that shit anyway, and didn’t support the war anyway.
I guess I’m saying I knew W and The Dick were lying, and accepted it as part of being a Republican.
I didn’t know the Democrats were just as vicious and accomplished liars.
BUT I KNOW THAT NOW!!!!!!
Thus, don’t support them.
You know that, and still support them.
Why??
Yes, BHO is disappointing. But, do I want to help restore “southern strategy”, “government is the problem”, “Brown/Yellow/Black people are the problem” Republican rule as a response? NO!
Fascist, Disingenuous and Dangerous is much more apt and descriptive.
Funny, I don’t remember saying that’s what I wanted either.
I don’t think I’ve asked anyone to vote Republican, don’t think I could have the stomach to do that.
Problem is, I don’t think I’ve got the stomach any longer to ask them to vote Democratic either. Hard on the stomach when you know you’re asking someone to throw their vote away like that at a party that couldn’t give one little shit less about you. Well, unless you’re a corporate CEO, then I guess I could stomach asking them to vote for the Democrats.
Are you a corporate CEO??? THen ok, I do, in my heart, think it would be in your best interests to vote for the Democrats.
If you’re not, well then, sorry, I would ask you not to waste your vote on a party that doesn’t give a shit about you, but it’s your vote, waste it if you want.
4. Free preventative care for all
whaaaaa? do you have a link for this? because this is the first i’ve heard of it.
This from solon.com
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/04/07/assassinations/index.html
Someone somewhere suggested a permanent voting ballot check off for “None of the above.”
While it’s too late (and too cumbersome) to work on getting it permanently positioned on ballots right now, what about a massive campaign for a write in of “None of the above?”
Any race where “None of the above” wins could be publicized ahead of time as meaning the following:
1. The seat in question will be filled with NO ONE. It will remain VACANT until the next election. Period.
2. Upcoming elections will be subject to the same “None of the above” majority winner unless Congress does the following:
a. Re-instatement of our constitutional rights as United States citizens, ie., a reversal of the Patriot Act, reversal of the upcoming McCain/Lieberman “Enemy Belligerent Act” (if it becomes law), all executive orders that promote arrest without formal charge, indefinite detention, assassination, etc.
b. Pass a constitutional amendment making ALL campaign contributions from corporations, unions, banks, insurance companies, medical establishments, pharmacological industries and other such entities illegal, with fines and imprisonment assured.
c. Pass a constitutional amendment making ANY and ALL “bundling” of campaign contributions illegal, with fines and imprisonment assured.
d. Enact legislation mandating: 1.) members of Congress are required to spend a minimum of half of all working days in the districts/states they represent, meeting with people with an “open door” office policy; 2.) candidates running for any office – local, statewide, or national – must outline how they would vote related to specific areas of potential legislative enactment; 3.) any candidate elected to office must abide by that outline, with one exception: if new information becomes available that affects a previous position, such information must be shared with constituents prior to the time of vote. 4.) If an elected official casts a vote that runs contrary to his/her initially-stated position, the voters of the district or state that official represents will go to the polls within 60 days of that changed vote to determine if the office holder should be replaced.
(And please be kind: I thought of this as I typed, so it’s in rough rough rough draft form and admittedly…needs substantial reworking!)
P.S. After reading an earlier poster, add:
3. Any elected official or staff person of an elected official is banned for life from becoming either a lobbyist or “consultant” to any group, organization, company, or corporation.
The “engagement” with other countries is a change that has occurred under Obama of which I approve.