Instead of stalling senseless sequester slashing, the GOP prefers to prove a point by sinking a ship instead of saving it -- but it's their Party's that's submerging slowly.
The 75 Republicans who speak for repealing DOMA are former players, out of step and out of power, dreaming of a moderate GOP future, but stuck in a moderate GOP past.
A former Senator nearly gets blocked from becoming Secretary of Defense because he had the good sense to get out, while he left the senseless back on the Hill.
They say rats flee a sinking ship, but this time everyone else has fled the Party and the rats in the GOP are doing the sinking.
After the haggle and Hagel, you need a huggle, so embrace an evening of engaging imbibing at your local progressive social club.
DRINKING LIBERALLY Find - or start - a chapter near you.
It’s Thursday February 28th! Do you know where your podcast is? On this day in history back in 1861, the U.S. Congress created Colorado Territory. They didn’t actually create anything. They just wrote and signed some pieces of paper that claimed the land that would come to be known as Colorado Territory was now officially Colorado Territory. The land wasn’t aware of its new name. Until that time, the land had always been the land on which the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe people lived. What’s most surprising about this decree to those of us alive today is not how the U.S. Government had taken yet another brutal step in annihilating the indigenous peoples of North America (that’s old hat – and we’re still going to write about it until the day we die), but that the U.S. Congress somehow managed to get something done. Times have changed. Read more
I know I speak for many when I say these words: Dick Cheney Go Away! Let us all be honest, here is a man who deserves to be imprisoned for
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Bead-Reader #3 Dick Cheney, Go Away! appeared first on
Fidlerten Place.
If there is ever a deal between Congress and the president, to divert cuts and find some common ground, or should I say some fair trades, the big three entitlements
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Medicare and Social Security Can Expect Cuts appeared first on
Fidlerten Place.
Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of chatter about the Congressional sequester cuts going through and shock from some that we have reached this point. This astonishment is somewhat warranted given that Congress and the White House reached a deal to avoid going over the so-called fiscal cliff in January, and then voted to raise the debt ceiling for a three month time period. So why has there been no deal or at a minimum a punt? Let’s look back a bit.
In the aftermath of the fiscal cliff deal, both parties began setting the stage for the next parts of these fiscal negotiations: the sequester, the debt ceiling, and the budget. Each party is convinced that they have leverage in this fight and that the other party will be forced to come to them. Of course it is impossible for both sides to be correct. Time will tell who ends up with the upper hand, but with all of these challenges that need to be addressed, it is useful to look at the preferences of the White House, Congressional Republicans, and Senate Democrats.
By comparing the preferences of the various groups, the likely outcomes of the three fiscal issues become readily apparent: Read more
We could have political leaders who seek to create the prosperous economy of tomorrow. Instead Congress avoids responsibility and follows the path of yesterday's bad choices.
Elected officials could make it their quest to inspire confidence in all Americans. Yet now they make Americans question
what our representatives are representing.
They could strive, champion and lead, but they hide, chicken out and flee from a self-created crisis with a silly name
that was a silly solution to another mock-crisis.
Their choices: calm crises, or create them? Ambitious inspiration or anxious perspiration? They can seek or quest...or sequester?
I guess the seekers and questers weren't available.
Come seek some solace in liberal company as we sequester ourselves for political conversation, sharing what we think while sharing what we drink at your local progressive social club.
DRINKING LIBERALLY Find - or start - a chapter near you.
It’s February 18th; do you know where your podcast is? On this date in 1856 the American Party held a convention to nominate a candidate for president - electing Millard Fillmore as the nominee for the Know-Nothings. This moniker reflected the early nativists’ tight lips when asked about their political platform, as members would respond to questions by saying the knew nothing. Two secretive nativist organizations, the “Order of United Americans” and the “Order of the Star Spangled Banner” (sound like great folks), merged to form the American Party in order to protect America from insidious immigrant influences. Ironically, every tribe of “nativists” on the continent prior to the arrival of the European deluge most certainly had a kindred faction the Know-Nothings would really have related to. History was, alas, not on the side of these patriotic souls. The nomination of Fillmore officially ended the party’s demure disposition as they “came out” to the public. This act also signified the beginning of the end of the party itself, as the public responded with a resounding “you suck” and the Know-Nothings won only Maryland, eventually disbanding shortly after. Read more
The presidency of Barack Obama has brought a sea change to Gay rights, with the repeal of DODT (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell) and the president’s announcement that he supports same-sex
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Equality for Gay Americans Not Complete Until the End of DOMA appeared first on
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I for one hope President Barack Obama will see fruition to everything he asks for in his first State of the Union address of his second term. Many of the
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Obama’s State of the Union: Big Dreams, Little Hope, But Great Legacy appeared first on
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Bleeding Hearts Vs Heartless Beasts
The President's leftward lean in his Address made hardy liberals' hearts beat faster, while Boehner's stony, silent stare made you wonder if his heart beat at all.
Increasing the minimum wage, cap-and-trade, immigration reform, pay equity, gun controlwere all valentines to progressive partners, while Rubio proved more heartless than heart-throb.
Investing in education, infrastructure, science, Obama wrote a love letter to the future. Saying that we're better off on our own, Rand Paul wrote a break-up note with reality.
On this Valentines Day, the direction of our nation may be as simple as following our hearts: we'd rather be called bleeding heart liberals than conservatives without beating hearts at all.
If it's bleeding hearts vs heartless beasts, we know who will be our Valentine.
Your heart needn't bleed alone as there are plenty of like-minded lefties ready to share politics and a drink
at your local progressive social club.
DRINKING LIBERALLY Find - or start - a chapter near you.
Barely a year after the defeat of SOPA, Congress is back to testing the waters for legislation that many internet users believe to be in violation of their fundamental rights to privacy and free expression.
CISPA, a bill that would make it easier for corporations and the government to share internet users’ personal data, was officially re-introduced in the House on Wednesday. It’s already being rushed forward in the legislative process. The House Intelligence Committee is holding a full hearing on the bill today at 10 am. They will hear from four witnesses — all from the business sector and all known supporters of CISPA. No experts with concerns about privacy issues in the bill were invited to address the committee. Read more
For updates on the State of the Union tonight, probably best-practice is to follow along with our lists on the micropublishing service ::
- #opengov & civic engagement & open-data leaders
For video background see last Sunday’s edition of ‘
Up with Chris Hayes’, the most substantive & empirically-accountable news show on cable TV. A lot of people prefer the popular social networking service, we keep a
beachhead there too.
Read more
Last week, I drove up to my state’s capital, Olympia, to lobby on Arts & Heritage Day. I was the Team Captain for the Washington State Arts Alliance for several legislative districts, and a representative for the nonprofit arts organization I work for. My oldest son went with me as an ambassador for his school. Wearing gold stars of arts advocacy, we were ready to tell our elected leaders a thing or two about the value of culture, both economically and socially.
Except that’s not what happened.
Instead, my son and I were schooled in the finer points of state budgets, taxation, and funding by our fearless leaders. Taking their time to teach us about how government works, my legislators sent my son and me away better citizens. Needless to say, I was in love! Read more
I am sure that most of us care about our children, we care about other people’s children, and we care what happens to them. Still, children around the world are
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Why Some Children Never Seem to Matter appeared first on
Fidlerten Place.
I thought I would start by listing a group of ideas that are held by the majority of educated Americans. If after you read them you think that no, these are “liberal” ideas, think again. In fact, if you were a Nixon voter, you probably agreed to all of them but the one on climate change, which was unknown at the time. In fact, these are not political ideas at all.
Noah’s Ark is just a fable
Evolution is the founding principal of modern biology (and so modern medicine).
The science is strong that the burning of fossil fuels has started climate change.
Tax rate changes within a narrow range have little to do with the rate of growth in our economy.
Cutting tax rates does not pay for itself through growth.
Gasoline prices are set on the world market and will not be influenced significantly by US oil production.
The free market leads to the fairest price. It does nothing else. Read more
