dawlishgal's Comments (858)

“Oh well, the two having the same initials is enough to get Republican bloomers into a twist of paranoid delusions. Yet, the Republicans can regard it as mere coincidence when an oil-man president picks for his two most important advisors two former CEOs of war-profiteers who are also neocon world-domination freaks. And all of a sudden we are at war with an oil rich county that did nothing to us. Why? Because the oil man and his military-industrial clowns lied to us about having reasons. Nevermind that they had been planning this very war for years, and were just waiting for an excuse, any excuse, to invade.

I wish somebody would do a psychosocial study of the motivations of people who are conned into voting against their own best interests. How can they be so paranoid about the most trival things regarding the opposition, yet ignore strong evidence of malfeasance and trickery on their side?”

“The hypocrisy is staggering. The conservatives won't let you call them warmongers when they spend so much of our money on invading other countries. They will insisit that they are "protecting" us and avenging 9/11. Yet how many thousands more people have been killed for lack of decent health care? Health care that we could afford if we didn't engage in so many arbitrary wars? Who is going to avenge their needless and cruel deaths? Who is trying to protect the rest of us and prevent more needless deaths. Where are the clergy when it comes to the immorality of profiteering on sickness?

Who is going to speak for the people? Certainly not our president and congress who are nit-picking over a much-diluted public option and didn't put single payer on the negotiating table, even as a bargaining chip.

And they don't count war-related expenses as part of the reason for the deficit. The only things that seems to be counted as reasons, and not just by conservatives either....­the Democrats and the MSM are guilty of it too....are the appropriations for things that serve the public good. To advocate spending on education, conservation, health care is to be called a communist. Tthe liberals in congress don't even object; they just cough up more compromises and we are stuck with the status quo..”

“Not only that, but they never mention the unconstitutional wars of choice as one of the chief contributors to the deficit. And they don't mention welfare to the rich and to corporations, either. As is, it is only thiings that serve ordinary people or needy people that contribute to the deficit, if you can believe the leaders of either party.

Am I the only one to notice that countries who exercise some care about whom they invade and the reasons for aggression are able to afford health care for all of their people. Why do health care, education and other things that contribute to the collective national quality of life fall way below war/ (feeding the military-industrial complex and the crackpot world-domi­nation-see­king neocons) when it comes to setting priorities?

. We vote for candiates who promise health care reform and we get wallpapering over human needs and yet more welfare for big insurance and big pharm. The candidates promise to end the pointless bankrupting wars, and we get troop increases. They promise real health care reform, yet single payer options are off the table before discussions begin. And so is the end to banning bulk-price discounts for pharmaceuticals for Americans only....al­l other countries get the discounts, but our congress won't let Medicare bargain for them.

Political candidates ought to be regulated by consumer protection laws. If they lie, and if public harm is caused, we sue.”

“Why are we expected to believe that these tea party people are angry at Wall Street and that gives them a license to behave like barbarians? There has always been a bunch of authoritarians with a lot of inborn anger. The way they dispense the anger is similar to a fire hydrant that has no turn off valves but a lot of hose attachments. If they don't direct the anger at one thing, it will appear and splash all over something else.

These people DEMAND their freedom of speech, no matter how many others it hurts. Remember the savages that picketed military funerals? It is all part of the same personality defect.

Apparenlty, having a black president has diddled with their already precarious brain balance, and I agree with those who warn us of the dangers of unleashing their anger and giving it some direction (does anybody actually believe that the Republicans haven't fostered and condoned these anti-decency groups?) .

From the looks of the public displays by these groups, a lot of them seem to be people who are voting with their anger and against their own best interests. It is a national tragedy the way politicians exploit the brain defects of this sad group of people.

Read the John Dean book about authoritarians. It explains a lot of what is currently happening here.”

“What scares me is that Obama is acting as though it is more important to protect the Blue Dogs from defeat than it is to get a workable bill for health care reform.

It is way past time for him to throw people like Jason Altmire (formerly an insurance company employee) under the bus.

The Blue Dogs claim to be Democrats, but if their records are scrutinized and analyzed, it becomes clear that they vote with Democrats on bills for which the outcome is no surprise..­..the Democrats will either win or lose without their votes. When their vote matters, then they vote with Republicans.

Since almost no votes are all that close, their treachery escapes notice. But we really don't need these fairweather friends in office. Lieberman is the perfect example of those who play the system in Democratic sheeps' clothing, but are really disguised Republican wolves. He passed his turn on the Thomas confirmation vote, and voted "No" only after it became clear that Thomas would be confirmed without his vote. ANd the newspapers reported that he voted "No." One had to be watching the voting to understand what was going on.

People who got the letter from Carville about contributiing to the congressional campaign fund ought to answer that from now on they are giving only to REAL Democrats. Why contribute to any general fund that might end up in campaigns of people like Peterson and Altmire and the rest?”

“It seems as though people didn't learn from the GWB experience that it isn't a good idea to even contemplate electing a president no brighter than the average voter (if that).

It seems more and more clear that a certain segment of voters (maybe 20%...let'­s pray it isn't higher) will vote for any loudmouth that says what they themselves would like to be able to say (but don't dare). Particularly, if the loudmouth claims that God is on his side, and that he has a pipeline to heaven that the rest of us lack because we don't deserve one.

If these dolts started voting for their own best interests (the ones besides elevating a loudmouth), the country would be a far better place. As is, their main function is to sucker people into voting for them because of their "homespun" personalities, and once elected they snap immediately into serving the needs of the rich and the powerful. And, amazingly, the tea party people don't even notice how and why they are constantly being bamboozled.”

“There is always "The Nation" and it has a great crossword puzzle too. I did read Ramparts in the 60s until it disappeared from the scene.”

“..errrrr..­...Mr. Zogby. Reality has no place in either politics or polling. Republicans don't have to move "a bit to the right" (as though it is possible to move just a bit when things are so polarized already). What do you think they should do....conc­oct even more names to use to insult Obama? Their sole political methods are lying about and insulting liberals in power and opposing anything and everything that might benefit ordinary people....­there is NOTHING LEFT TO OPPOSE that they haven 't already opposed.

Conservatives have successfully propagandized enough seemingly religious people into voting against their own best interests and for those of the richest of the rich. How can they move that extra "bit?" By insisting that we give EVERYTHING to the rich? We are almost there already. The top 15% already own 85% of the resources, and the remaining 85% are being forced to pay the taxes that the rich and corporations used to pay.

If we required corporations with bogus offshore operations to pay taxes, there would be more than enough money for decent healthcare for everybody. How many conservatives (or even moderates) know this? It is all about bamboozling, not about reality.

Did your poll even ask people what form this "movement" might take?”

“If McCain had said it, his supporters would have taken it as a compliment.”

“Fanned.”

“I'm not all that curious about why Obama said what he said. I live in PA and I have heard people, make that men, claiming to be Democrats who said in public that they would NEVER vote for a woman or a black man.

What I am curious about is why Ms. Fowler repeated the remark that she ought to have known would be taken out of context and used to damage Obama's campaign.”

“Trying to analyze my deep feelings of disappointment in Obama's presidency.

OK.... It isn't that not much has been accomplish­ed....I didn't expect a lot. I feel cheated by his difference in passion and concern for ordinary people. He can inspire and reassure with his speech, and he has done very little of that lately . Of course, this lack raises questions about whether he gives a damn about his campaign promises now that he won the election.

This gap is especially serious where health care is concerned. He opens the White House door to big pharm and big insurance and grants them major concessions before the negotiations even begin,, and he says almost nothing in public about SPECIFICALLY what HE wants on behalf of those who supported and worked for him and for the rest of Americans. We have been asked to take an awful lot on faith. We KNOW that he can be moving and compassionate when he actually cares about something.­...he did this fairly routinely during the campaign.

Now, when he says and does make a REAL difference, he seems oddly silent and detached. What happened? He spends more time courting Snowe than making a moral case for REAL health care. Why?

And now his flunkies are trying to sell the piece of crap that we seem to be getting as what the president wanted in the first place. Could Obama PLEASE use his eloquency to give his supporters a TRUE explaination of what is happening now?”

“Are you kidding...­.the gave up single payer before negotiations even started. And a deal was cut with big pharm so that they STILL wouldn't have to give Americans they same deal that Canadians and Europeans and who knows who else get from bulk-rate purchasing.

Nobody expected to get everything they wanted, but Obama gave up the store before the Republicans even pulled out their guns.”

“All the brains in he world won't solve our problems unless we have a president who speaks out on behalf the people instead of sitting like a spectator (except when greeting the representatives of big health care and big pharm), and then has flunkies come along after pretty much all is lost and "explain" that the gutted pieces of garbage that we ended up with are what the president wanted in the first place. He is having others sell the the results of his own inactivity. It is SHAMEFUL. I would rather not think that was his original reason to run for president, but the longer he sits on the sidelines, the more discouraged I get about what he really intended all along.

For somebody like me who expected a president who would advocate strongly for change (and maybe win some and lose some), Obama has been a horrendous disappointment.”

“That is faint praise indeed, that at least he is better than a Republican. Especially, since he campaigned on CHANGE. What is he going to do to remind us that he isn't Bush....ju­st invade one country rather than two?

Bush's bad behavior did not give ANYBODY a get out of jail free card when it comes to not doing the right thing. We voted for somebody who aimed to solve problems, not just sit there and send apologists out to say he isn't as bad as the last president.”

“"Core promises".­...those are two weasel words if I have ever heard any (and I worked in academic research for 30 years).

I just voted for the first Republican I have voted for since a crazy alcoholic with a sense of entitlement ran for governor of Minnesota decades ago. I KNOW that our Democratic mayor will win the election, but I don't want him to feel any more entitled than he already feels.

NOW, I am fully understanding the statement of my congressman's chief aide after I complained about how the new Dems elected in 06 were giving Bush all of those war toys. He said, "Who else are you going to vote for," and it wasn't even a question. Now more campaign bullshit, and instead of trying to keep the promises, they are trying to sell us on the delusion that promises have been kept. Same kind of thinking as our mayor had when he "solved" the snow--plowing crisis by asking that public works plow his street last. The problems are NOT ABOUT the elected official..­.they are about the electorate. Will these narcissists NEVER LEARN?”

“I am really dismayed by how many of the old Clinton people Obama has chosen for responsible positions (especially Rahm Emanuel...­.who is a pit bull who accomplishes nothing but offending people..bu­t, then again, maybe that is the personality Obama wanted for that position).

That and how many people who had their hands in the cookie jar and should NEVER be allowed to grab off the top of the public interest EVER AGAIN.”

“Give the job to Ratigan, who seems to be one of the few to understand how we were robbed by Wall Street and the banks.”

“Well said!”

“Where were the people worried about the national debt when it was decided to fake up reasons to invade a country that had done nothing to us? What else could we be purchasing with all of the money we have spent on Iraq?”

“As I said earlier, tax payers are already footing a lot of the bills via state and local taxes. I don't know why these aren't considered when expenses and possible savings are being calculated (and explained).”

“We are already paying for a lot of coverage of the indigent via state and local taxes. Several states, maybe more, but for sure CT, NY and MN) , also have put a surtax on health care (either doctors and dentists or hospital expenses that include doctors), which puts the burden of paying for the care of the poor onto the backs of the sick.

How did so many legislatures come to think this is a good idea? And what does it say about our society that forces the sick pay for the care of the indigent? Obviously, the sicker one is, the less energy is available to protest injustices. The able-bodied complain a lot, in the silly belief that they will never need society's help with anything. I suppose that is to be expected, but for elected officials to go along with this immoral scheme puts a whole new perspective on the concept of filthy politics.

When we lived in CT, hearings were being held about the surtax, and people testified that they lost their homes when a family member became very sick and had to undergo a lengthy hospitalization. These people had health insurance, but some health care plans refused to pay the surtaxes. I can't imagine any other county allowing a situation like this to be regarded as a solution to the problem of health care for everybody.”

“It is baffling why the moral arguments weren't used....I can think of two good ones.....f­irst, it is immoral not to consider health care a basic human right. All other civilized societies do. Second, it ought to be considered immoral to profiteer on other people's misery. The insurance companies provide no reliable services..­..all they do is take your money and administer their plans so that they can keep at least 1/3 of it as profit, no matter how many policy holders they have to cheat in order to do it.

Why are these companies being given a second chance....­look at the advantage they took of the public trust when they were basically given exemption from anti-trust suits? And the way they try to cheat policy holders with big legitimate large claims just because they know they can get away with it. They have used up whatever resevoir of good will that insurance had when people felt protected by having it. Now people not only have to worry about illness, but about being cheated by their insurers.

Believe me, my family has been down the road with cheating insurance companies.­..when my husband became disabled, two of the biggest health, life and disability insurers tried to cheat us. My husband's employer stopped them from getting away with it, but we haven't trusted insurance companies since then.”

“There is health care and HEALTH CARE. What difference does it make if we get a plan that wallpapers over the real problems of corporate malfeasance and continues to reward the lying cheating insurance companies? The Democrats threw in the towel over single payer before the bargaining even started. And now Lieberman is trying to take all of the teeth out of the current bill.

What about the money we wasted in Iraq and Afghanista­n....why isn't THAT seen as keeping us from being able to afford health care?

That is what Democrats ought to be talking about these days.”

“What is a president supposed to be doing, if not trying to keep his campaign promises by putting pressures on the legislative bodies, especially the members in his own party? The way you describe it, he is just a figurehead who goes to funerals and commiserates. If this is true, why the campaign promises for change? You say he needs to be seen and heard.. Do you think we have had enough of heard....w­hat we have seen seems to be mainly frolicking with his dog. What we need to hear is tough talk with moral underpinnings especially where lobbyists are concerned (ie just about everything).

. It seems to me that he is walking on eggs and getting ready to pretend that whatever pale version of real health care reform emerges was HIS idea in the first place. He seems really afraid to take a chance or to offend anybody...­.even the nay-saying Republicans. We need a leader. Especially now.

And I am saying this as a friend, not an enemy. He takes his friends...­if you can call those who spent time and money helping his win, for granted, and panders to the nay-sayers and their corporate puppeteers. This is scary dangerous behavior for one who promised change, particularly when the enemy is the status quo.”