StephieL's Comments (188)

“The point I was attempting to make was that over the past 8 years, these groups and organizations have managed to use their powers of emotional manipulation to exploit the legitimate anger of the American people, and they've gotten highly skilled at manipulating a fickle, easily angered and easily frightened population.

Since these folks know the American people can be emotionally manipulated very easily, their tactics will be stepped up even further as this financial crash spirals out of control, while the American people demand real solutions to this crisis which are, as yet, not forthcoming from the Presidency, and President Obama goes before the cameras to portray himself as the "righteous indignant", and yet he still refuses to get tough and play political hardball with AIG, and those members of Congress, like Nancy Pelosi, Chris Dodd and Barney Frank, who spent the past 8 years aiding and abetting these financial criminals.”

“It's obvious that the American people are infuriated by AIG executives getting big bonuses for a speculative financial derivative Ponzi scheme, but I'd like to bring up something that's going to become more obvious as time goes on. As public anger over the financial bailout grows, many organizations who occupy the farthest ends of the political spectrum will attempt to exploit and manipulate the justifiable anger of the American people..

According to an article published last Friday in the Washington Post, Post senior columnist Jim Hoagland expressed deep concern over the gathering forces of radicalization and social explosion in the U.S., and warned that if the government didn't "get in front of what could become a destabilizing public anger," and explain what happened, that anger will be used by groups on both extremes of the Right and the Left to induce the American people to engage in an armed insurrection against the government, which would reduce the U.S. to the level of a chaos-ridden "banana republic" where laws are enforced at gunpoint. This is not what we need. What's needed is for the American people to put feet on their anger and make their voices heard by both houses of Congress and by the President. A great moment is upon us, so let's not blow it by choosing to become small people who allow their anger to be manipulated by those who would destroy the nation.”

“What I find ironic is that his arrest comes on the day after the Gov. boldly stated that Illinois would no longer do business with Bank of America and Tribune Company files for bankruptcy.

Interesting timing, hmm?”

“Thank goodness there's someone in the MSM who understands that the media's primary job is to be the nation's political "watchdog", instead of being Corporate America's "lapdog".

Way to go, KO! Bravo!”

“I give Barack Obama credit for refusing to yield to the politics of emotional manipulation which the Republicans have turned into an art form by doing a political ad which is thoughtful, rational, honest (a rarity these days) and which insists that the American people be ready and willing to become involved in the welfare of the nation by supporting him and his economic plans.

Would I love to see more specific ideas from him concerning the rebuilding of our economy? I think we all would, and I hope we'll hear a detailed explanation regarding his economic policy during the upcoming Presidential debates. Bill Clinton won rather handily against George H.W. Bush with "it's the economy, stupid!", and it's time for the Obama campaign to revive this line, and use it against McCain and the same old failed economic policies with a vengeance.”

“To be absolutely honest, we have two Presidential candidates who don't have a clue about how an actual economy works, but should this revelation come as a big surprise when the vast majority of Americans have absolutely no clue about how an actual economy works?

It's a case of the economically illiterate attempting to lead the economically illiterate, and all of them will fall into a depression which will be even worse than the 1930's..”

“HECK, YES! ;-)”

“Our national economy is in a massive freefall -- from the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the massive federal bailout of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and AIG to the precarious state of Washington Mutual Bank -- and at this juncture, there seems to be no end in sight to this crisis which threatens to not only pull America into the abyss, but the whole world along with it.

And what is John McCain doing? Is he providing the American people with real, workable solutions to the economic/financial crisis, we're in? Absolutely not! Instead, he's attempting to provoke a viciously negative emotional reaction from voters by regaling them with tales of the "elitist" Sen. Obama and his "celebrity" friends, and how political fundraising in the presence of celebrities is a sure sign of Obama's percieved "elitism".

Considering that the working men and women of Ohio (and elsewhere) are bearing the full brunt of this massive economic collapse which has been caused, in part, by eight years of Bush/Cheney economic mismanagement, how any sane person could vote for McCain and more of the same stupid economic "policy" is beyond me.”

“There are those within certain political circles who insist that Hillary Clinton has to take this fight all the way to the Democratic convention in August due to the fact that by the time the Democratic Convention is held in August, the country will have been hit with a series of massive crises beyond belief. The entire financial system is coming down, and nothing is being done about it -- certainly nothing is coming from the Bush Administration or Congress. By November, the crisis will be far worse. The majority among the lower 80 percent of the American population see Hillary Clinton as their candidate, and they would see the failure of her party to defend their vote as a betrayal of our nation.

The problem is even if the Democratic Party did defend the majority's vote by allowing Hillary Clinton to keep plugging along to the Democratic Convention, the biggest hurdle would be getting those in the lower 80 percent who voted for Obama to support Hillary's campaign and to vote for her in the general election. While the majority of the 80 percent who voted for Hillary have the upper hand, if Hillary's convention fight succeeds in alienating those who supported Obama, they could very well vote against Hillary by becoming "McCain Democrats", voting for a third party candidate or simply refusing to cast a vote, and the Democratic Party would be wracked by the kind of political civil war never seen before in American politics.”

“Fascism is already here, wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross and going on national television in order to make itself palatable to an American population which see themselves as "virtuous victims" of a mean world, and who are eager to see the Almighty exact "payback" against America's percieved "enemies".”

“Somehow, quaffing a glass of beer followed by a chaser of whiskey in a bar as the TV cameras hum, so HRC can prove that she's "one of us", doesn't seem like "testicular fortitude".”

“Strange that we go through this same vicious circle of demanding bigger and bigger promises from a particular candidate, and just when we think we're going to get the promise which we've been teased with for so long, it's taken away from us. We then go through a time of discouragement and demoralization which destroys those who are in certain sections of the voting population, while those who've gone through this before develop another layer of cynicism, and when the next election cycle comes up, we once again set ourselves up to go running on this same treadmill over and over again.

I really think that the politics of "virtuous victimization" has been so deeply embedded within the American psyche during the last thirty-odd years, and it's not the actual American voter who participates in the election, it's the "virtuous victim" who participates in the election process; the one who demands "change", but who fully expects to be demoralized, discouraged, disappointed and destroyed, and engages in the kinds of political behavior which will guarantee that the "victim's" overblown and unrealistic expectations of their chosen "Messiah" won't really happen becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

“After watching last night's dreadful "debate", which was the political equivalent of watching a train-wreck in slow motion, is it little wonder that the rest of the world perceives Americans as a shallow-minded, frivolous people who are addicted to gossip, insinuation, and innuendo?
Perhaps this is why so many nations -- such as Russia, India and China -- are banding together to plan a future in which America is conspicious by its absence from the world scene. In their minds, America has become irrelevant, impotent, foolish, and utterly useless, and unfortunately, last night's "debate" managed to reinforce that image of America in the minds of many around the world.”

“Well, this is a heartening thing to hear, and if Sen. Obama plans to carry out this wholesale investigation and prosecution of this current criminal "rogue Presidency" when he becomes President, this action could very well give the people of the world hope and also provide them with a reason not to throw in the towel on America just yet..
So, this could be a very good reason to back Sen. Obama's candidacy.”

“Isn't it strange that we've heard nothing from the national and international medical community concerning high food prices? Perhaps they're not commenting about the spike in food prices because if they speak out about people not getting enough to eat, it would contradict their constant complaining that obesity is a "public health crisis", and directly contradict the Malthusian line which states that if people eat less, they'll lose weight, and high food prices would somehow be offset by greatly lowered health care costs , especially for degenerative diseases (such as the Big Three of degenerative diseases -- cancer, diabetes and heart disease), which are linked to obesity, and a supposed overall improvement in the public health.

And perhaps those among the medical community would also be the biggest advocates of pedaling the bicycle generator for electricity, too.”

“Bloomberg is a big supporter of the PPP (Public-Private Partnerships) which would, for all intents and purposes, "outsource" construction of basic infrastructure projects from the Federal government to private contractors. The private contractor would build the project, but the public would be paying for these infrastructure projects twice; through increased taxes and so-called "user's fees" which can be raised frequently, at the company's whim. You can see this clearly on the "Greenway", the private toll road which links Washington with parts of Northern Virginia. The tolls which are charged by the private company which "owns" the Greenway are three to five times higher than the tolls charged by state governments on their toll roads. Also, Bloomberg is a big supporter of the "congestion tax", which would make people who drove into Manhattan pay for the privilege of driving into the city on public streets.

If Sen. Obama were to have Michael Bloomberg as a running mate, it would be the "kiss of death" for his campaign, and once Michael Bloomberg's "fascist" agenda for the nation is revealed, it may cause those voters who are anti-war and anti-fascism to vote for Ralph Nader, while John McCain starts writing his inaugural speech. Personally, I'd rather see a running mate who is anti-war, yet brings serious military credibility, such as Gen. Wesley Clark.

Michael Bloomberg + Vice Presidency = BAD IDEA.”

“Bloomberg is a big supporter of the PPP (Public-Private Partnerships) which would, for all intents and purposes, "outsource" construction of basic infrastructure projects from the Federal government to private contractors. The private contractor would build the project, but the public would be paying for these infrastructure projects twice; through increased taxes and so-called "user's fees" which can be raised frequently, at the company's whim. You can see this clearly on the "Greenway", the private toll road which links Washington with parts of Northern Virginia. The tolls which are charged by the private company which "owns" the Greenway are three to five times higher than the tolls charged by state governments on their toll roads. Also, Bloomberg is a big supporter of the "congestion tax", which would make people who drove into Manhattan pay for the privilege of driving into the city on public streets.

If Sen. Obama were to have Michael Bloomberg as a running mate, it would be the "kiss of death" for his campaign, and once Michael Bloomberg's "fascist" agenda for the nation is revealed, it may cause those voters who are anti-war and anti-fascism to vote for Ralph Nader, while John McCain starts writing his inaugural speech. Personally, I'd rather see a running mate who is anti-war, yet brings serious military credibility, such as Gen. Wesley Clark.

Michael Bloomberg + Vice Presidency = BAD IDEA.”

“It's rather odd that Sen. Obama has been pressured to remove Rev. Wright from his campaign commitee because of his "wild, racist rant against Hillary" (which, if anyone saw the YouTube videos, is far from the truth), when Rev. John Hagee has made inflammatory remarks against Muslims, Palestinans and Arabs, yet Sen. John McCain hasn't been told to distance himself from Rev. Hagee.

Amazing what seven years of quasi-fascist, repressive police-state rule by the current "Administration", with plenty of help from the oligarch-owned press, has done to stifle -- if not destroy outright -- the quality of public discourse in America.”

“What should concern sane citizens is the fact that the Clinton campaign is stooping to using the same fear-based tactics that Karl Rove successfully used to get President Bush "elected" twice.

It's truly sad that Hillary Clinton has lowered herself to this kind of gutter-level politics, and Keith Olbermann had every right to call her on it. Certainly, we should expect better from someone who constantly slams us over the head with talk about her "experience" and "good judgment". Although I'm not an Obama supporter, I'd prefer "no drama Obama" as President than "Drama Queen Hillary".”

“I agree with Sen. Obama that it's time for the U.S. to talk to the Cuban government, instead of going into the knee-jerk reaction of "we're not gonna talk to you", as G.W. Bush has already done.
G.W.'s dad embraced Saddam, while G.W. gladly embraces the Saudi Royal Family, and a dictator in Pakistan. Sen. Obama advocates engaging in an open dialogue with our enemies and maybe -- just maybe -- turning those enemies into our allies, while G.W. wants to create an even bigger "enemies list" so he can continue to prattle his "it's us against the world" fear-based political doctrine.

G.W.'s lunacy makes Sen. Obama the sane candidate for President with each passing day.

”

“It looks like Hillary has managed to sabotage her own Presidential campaign by hiring Mark Penn, whose company, Penn, Schoen and Berland, is owned by the London-based WPP group, and his partner, Doug Schoen, has written a book staunchly defending the creation of a third political party, and has heartily endorsed Michael Bloomberg as a third party candidate who could easily win the White House.

The same people who are managing Hillary's Presidential campaign are also masterminding the Presidential campaign of John McCain and the "non-campaign" of Michael Bloomberg. Since WPP Group is owned by the British, and are actively participating in the Presidential campaign, it makes you wonder whether the British have already selected the Presidential candidate they'd like to see take office, and if that candidate (many believe that "London's man" is Michael Bloomberg) can enter the Presidency through the "back door", specifically, being named Vice President on either the Republican or Democratic tickets.”

“I read "The Executioner's Song" when I was in high school, and it was an amazing, stunning experience which much of what passes for literature today can't hold a candle to.

Rest in peace, Mr. Mailer ... Thank you for telling the truth, and provoking us to think seriously about ourselves and the world in which we dwell.”

“Who needs the TV networks -- or bean-counting studio executives who are terrified to take any kind of creative risk -- when the average person can write, direct and produce their own TV shows via the web, and have full creative control.
Breakthroughs in technology are making it easy for anyone to create a show and distribute it via the web, and the "creator" of the show doesn't have to answer to jittery advertisers who are afraid of offending a particular special interest group or studio/network execs who are more worried about pleasing their shareholders than giving the public good, creative programming which awakens the space between their ears and provokes them to start actively thinking, instead of passively consuming.
YouTube IS the new TV.”

“Maybe it's a good thing that the entire season of "24" was canceled (heard that on "Entertainment Tonight" this evening).

Having Chertoff hanging around on the set would have jinxed the whole season.”

“Sadly, "reality shows" have become deeply woven into the fabric of American culture, but what makes these "reality shows" even worse is that many Americans actually enjoy watching their fellow citizens act like dull-witted, shallow, selfish brats week after week.

At one time, we used to be ashamed of -- and embarrassed by -- adults who behaved like little bratty children in public; now, we call them "celebrities", shower them with fame, adulation and approval, and continue to encourage their destructive behavior as a source of questionable "amusement".”