As we pointed out last Thursday, President Obama finally seems to have had enough of the perpetual obstructions of Republicans, especially on the issue of income inequality in America. If that wasn't clear before last week, it should have become so for most Americans during the President's interview with the New York Times, that was released over the weekend.
Add to the President's interview an exclusive Associated Press study, also released over the weekend, that made it even more clear: Income inequality and instability in America is - just as President Obama has said it was - the worst single problem we're currently facing today. According to that AP study, "Four out of 5 U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives." That's a real blow to the long-held idea that hard work in America leads to success.
The numbers don't get any better when you dig into the study. As Ryan Cooper points out in Washington Monthly, the study's gauge of economic insecurity is defined as, "…a year or more of periodic joblessness, reliance on government aid such as food stamps or income below 150 percent of the poverty line. Measured across all races, the risk of economic insecurity rises to 79 percent."
With those hard facts starting us in the face, and President Obama's angry frustration that Republicans continue to block any progress in fighting inequality, you needed to look no further than a group of Nebraska Republicans to understand the GOP's attitude that poor Americans must be poor as a lifestyle choice.
That feudalistic attitude was certainly on display recently when Nebraska Republican State Auditor Mike Foley gave a speech in conjunction with the right-wing group Americans For Prosperity. Foley was speaking about how the State Auditors office had found federal energy assistance checks, that are nominally for helping to pay the electric bills of poor people, used at places like Wal-Mart for the galling purpose of things like food!
It wasn't just that Foley hinted that he thought poor people were stupid. He came right out and said, "Now if you are a low-income person, you’re probably not managing your money very well anyway. Sorry to stereotype, but that’s true."
That 80% of America is now at some point in their lives, for more than a year, reliant on federal aid like food stamps means that Auditor Foley just called 80% of Nebraskans, and indeed 80% of Americans, stupid, at an event where his audience appeared to agree with him. It's not just a poor minority or racial problem, either. More than 19 million white Americans, according to the AP study, now make up the economically destitute at some point in their lives.
It's no mystery that Foley has since backed down on his comments, after Nebraska Democrats pointed out his classist arrogance. Foley's comments, and indeed the actions of Republicans at many levels of government today, reflect exactly the reason President Obama is so intent on fighting both economic inequality and inequality of opportunity.
Those comments also reflect the sad reality that Ana Marie Cox pointed out in The Guardian last week, and again in television appearances over the weekend: The "middle class" moniker so many Americans have used to define themselves for most of the last 40 years, "…is starting to adjust to sad reality: Americans don't think of themselves as "middle class", because they're not."
Of course, if you're a Republican like Mike Foley, you likely don't think those non-middle class Americans had some bad luck, or maybe lost their life savings because of the criminals on Wall Street. No, if you're like Mike Foley, those poor Americans are just too stupid to know how to manage their money correctly.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Friday, July 26, 2013
The Usual? Not This Time...
While this week we've been focusing on complex topics like the President's plan to tackle inequality, the ongoing sabotage governing by Congressional Republicans, and race issues, many of our professional colleagues were diddling around with Anthony Weiner stories. Others were grabbing quickie tales about Bob Filner, or creating Buzzfeed-like posts along the lines of 'The 7 lavish illicit gifts Virginia's Governor Bob McDonnell recieved.'
For the record - if it wouldn't void our journalistic ethics - every member of our staff would like a ride in the Ferrari that Gov. McDonnell got to "borrow."
It's not that there haven't been hugely important stories to cover this week. From Rep. Steve King's impressively ignorant and racist anti-immigration rants, to the blame-shifting blather and willfully wrong lies about who's to blame for Detroit's failure, to the Justice Department's new challenge of unjust voter laws in states like Texas and North Carolina, there's been no shortage of real news.
Today is Friday though, and for members of Congress and their staff, it's almost time for their annual August recess, aka "summer vacation." We know many members of both the House and Senate have plenty of activities planned in their home districts, and some staff members we know personally are going to use their staycations to try to get caught up on things they've missed dearly - like sleep.
We'd recommend to our friends on the Hill, however, that they hold off from getting too comfortable.
As we noted in Thursday's edition, President Obama and his supporters are obviously not going to be taking a break during August. Their plans are clear: Roll out to events all over the nation, and push Republicans and Democrats in Congress to actually get stuff done when they they get back to DC. For their part, the Congressional Republican leadership also made it clear to their members this week, with their 'Summer Break Packet', that August shouldn't be thought of as a month to relax by the pool and eat bonbons.
That GOP packet makes it clear - the Republican events next month may look more like the town halls of hatred that were ginned up against Obamacare in August of 2009. Already, right-wing propaganda organizations and well-trained puppet governors on the right are trying to crank up the fear machine in advance of those town hall meetings.
Not everyone is planning on a month of heat and hatred though. As Greg Sargent of The Plum Line blog at the Washington Post noted, Congressional Democrats also have a plan of their own they may put into action next month. Instead of heatedly pointing fingers at all the usual suspects on who's to blame, and not doing anything, House and Senate Democrats are proposing the idea of joint town halls, Republicans and Democrats together, focusing calmly on ideas to fix a big problem - like immigration.
That may not sound like the usual procedure for an August recess, but to us it sure sounds like a welcome change of pace to the yelling, screaming, overheated, and ultimately pointless town hall gatherings of the past. It even reminds us a bit of the cool-headed approach displayed during the Amash/Conyers Amendment debate in the House this week.
Think about it - instead of pointless accusations, yelling and screaming? Cool, logical, productive debate instead, in the heat of August.
Might be worthwhile to try somethin' different this year...
For the record - if it wouldn't void our journalistic ethics - every member of our staff would like a ride in the Ferrari that Gov. McDonnell got to "borrow."
It's not that there haven't been hugely important stories to cover this week. From Rep. Steve King's impressively ignorant and racist anti-immigration rants, to the blame-shifting blather and willfully wrong lies about who's to blame for Detroit's failure, to the Justice Department's new challenge of unjust voter laws in states like Texas and North Carolina, there's been no shortage of real news.
Today is Friday though, and for members of Congress and their staff, it's almost time for their annual August recess, aka "summer vacation." We know many members of both the House and Senate have plenty of activities planned in their home districts, and some staff members we know personally are going to use their staycations to try to get caught up on things they've missed dearly - like sleep.
We'd recommend to our friends on the Hill, however, that they hold off from getting too comfortable.
As we noted in Thursday's edition, President Obama and his supporters are obviously not going to be taking a break during August. Their plans are clear: Roll out to events all over the nation, and push Republicans and Democrats in Congress to actually get stuff done when they they get back to DC. For their part, the Congressional Republican leadership also made it clear to their members this week, with their 'Summer Break Packet', that August shouldn't be thought of as a month to relax by the pool and eat bonbons.
That GOP packet makes it clear - the Republican events next month may look more like the town halls of hatred that were ginned up against Obamacare in August of 2009. Already, right-wing propaganda organizations and well-trained puppet governors on the right are trying to crank up the fear machine in advance of those town hall meetings.
Not everyone is planning on a month of heat and hatred though. As Greg Sargent of The Plum Line blog at the Washington Post noted, Congressional Democrats also have a plan of their own they may put into action next month. Instead of heatedly pointing fingers at all the usual suspects on who's to blame, and not doing anything, House and Senate Democrats are proposing the idea of joint town halls, Republicans and Democrats together, focusing calmly on ideas to fix a big problem - like immigration.
That may not sound like the usual procedure for an August recess, but to us it sure sounds like a welcome change of pace to the yelling, screaming, overheated, and ultimately pointless town hall gatherings of the past. It even reminds us a bit of the cool-headed approach displayed during the Amash/Conyers Amendment debate in the House this week.
Think about it - instead of pointless accusations, yelling and screaming? Cool, logical, productive debate instead, in the heat of August.
Might be worthwhile to try somethin' different this year...
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Removing The Blockage
Before you read today's commentary, if you haven't yet read, watched or listened to the President's seminal economic speech on Wednesday, do it now. If you miss the President's talk, you'll be as clueless and unable to follow our commentary today as the tea party parasites on the back of the GOP.
Contrary to snarky Beltway criticism, or the partisan bellyaching of Boehner and Republicans, Wednesday's address wasn't just the President simply laying out a similar progressive economic plan to ones he's laid out previously. In part, this is because - as many in the media still don't seem to understand - President Obama's Wednesday stop at Knox College was just the first in a series of addresses, visits, and town hall meetings, across the nation, that President Obama is going to be heavily involved in over the next eight weeks.
In short, if more of our colleagues actually understood both what the President was saying, and what he wasn't saying, then they'd deduce that President Obama's speech was more like a doctor's declaration of war - both on the GOP's parasite of tea party extremism, as well as the festering failed right-wing policy ideas like austerity and trickle-down economics. As Greg Sargent put it, Obama is going to use the bully pulpit to break the austerity curse of the GOP. Or as E.J. Dionne put it, the President is going big.
Keeping in line with our own medical imagery, you might even say President Obama is going to finally lance the monstrous boil of obstruction on the backside of the GOP that has effectively ground this nation's progress to a halt.
Obama's address was billed as a policy speech, though if policy speeches are all about details, then Ezra Klein was right when he said that the speech wasn't long on policy. Frankly, it didn't have to be. Sure, the President's six part plan is clearly laid out on the White House website. But we believe part of his real goal was to light a fire under the cowering moderate Republicans in Congress, and their too-quiet Democratic colleagues, to let them know he's got their back.
Indeed, last night in the House, that group of centrists from both parties - obviously fed up with the obstructionist methods of the right-wing tea party extremists and old-guard "leaders" from both parties - staged a near-coup, of sorts. Progressive Democrat John Conyers, and libertarian-leaning Republican Justin Amash forced a vote on an amendment that would have effectively returned the NSA's powers back to pre-9/11 levels, in the collection of phone records. There were passionate speeches from both Republicans and Democrats, and some alliances that seemed quite odd.
Ultimately, the amendment failed - but only barely, 205-217. More importantly, what the exercise may have proven to members of the House is something Republicans in the Senate have already been finding: That they have plenty of common cause with members of the other party who actually wish to govern.
Let's hope both the President and those members of Congress who truly care about the success of all Americans, succeed in the next eight weeks at dislodging the barnacle of obstructionism.
As the President obviously believes, it's time we got America - including Congress - healthy, and back to serious work.
Contrary to snarky Beltway criticism, or the partisan bellyaching of Boehner and Republicans, Wednesday's address wasn't just the President simply laying out a similar progressive economic plan to ones he's laid out previously. In part, this is because - as many in the media still don't seem to understand - President Obama's Wednesday stop at Knox College was just the first in a series of addresses, visits, and town hall meetings, across the nation, that President Obama is going to be heavily involved in over the next eight weeks.
In short, if more of our colleagues actually understood both what the President was saying, and what he wasn't saying, then they'd deduce that President Obama's speech was more like a doctor's declaration of war - both on the GOP's parasite of tea party extremism, as well as the festering failed right-wing policy ideas like austerity and trickle-down economics. As Greg Sargent put it, Obama is going to use the bully pulpit to break the austerity curse of the GOP. Or as E.J. Dionne put it, the President is going big.
Keeping in line with our own medical imagery, you might even say President Obama is going to finally lance the monstrous boil of obstruction on the backside of the GOP that has effectively ground this nation's progress to a halt.
Obama's address was billed as a policy speech, though if policy speeches are all about details, then Ezra Klein was right when he said that the speech wasn't long on policy. Frankly, it didn't have to be. Sure, the President's six part plan is clearly laid out on the White House website. But we believe part of his real goal was to light a fire under the cowering moderate Republicans in Congress, and their too-quiet Democratic colleagues, to let them know he's got their back.
Indeed, last night in the House, that group of centrists from both parties - obviously fed up with the obstructionist methods of the right-wing tea party extremists and old-guard "leaders" from both parties - staged a near-coup, of sorts. Progressive Democrat John Conyers, and libertarian-leaning Republican Justin Amash forced a vote on an amendment that would have effectively returned the NSA's powers back to pre-9/11 levels, in the collection of phone records. There were passionate speeches from both Republicans and Democrats, and some alliances that seemed quite odd.
Ultimately, the amendment failed - but only barely, 205-217. More importantly, what the exercise may have proven to members of the House is something Republicans in the Senate have already been finding: That they have plenty of common cause with members of the other party who actually wish to govern.
Let's hope both the President and those members of Congress who truly care about the success of all Americans, succeed in the next eight weeks at dislodging the barnacle of obstructionism.
As the President obviously believes, it's time we got America - including Congress - healthy, and back to serious work.
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