Your scribe has been on the road for a week, but is now back in steaming Central Florida.......and getting reconnected with the cesspit that seems to be our political system........thankfully in addition to the politics we have some good videos...... 1/ This is the story that a lot of people are talked about last week - a serious, reasoned article about what "could have been" with the election of President Obama, and the reality of his failure to lead this country in any direction at all. This is in the aftermath of the disasterous "deal" on the debt ceiling..... And we need to get ready for the round of "negotiations" in September when the Tea Party Republicans have another chance to slash away at the middle class over the upcoming Budget.... Excellent article.... When Barack Obama rose to the lectern on Inauguration Day, the nation was in tatters. Americans were scared and angry. The economy was spinning in reverse. Three-quarters of a million people lost their jobs that month. Many had lost their homes, and with them the only nest eggs they had. Even the usually impervious upper middle class had seen a decade of stagnant or declining investment, with the stock market dropping in value with no end in sight. Hope was as scarce as credit. In that context, Americans needed their president to tell them a story that made sense of what they had just been through, what caused it, and how it was going to end. They needed to hear that he understood what they were feeling, that he would track down those responsible for their pain and suffering, and that he would restore order and safety. What they were waiting for, in broad strokes, was a story something like this: “I know you’re scared and angry. Many of you have lost your jobs, your homes, your hope. This was a disaster, but it was not a natural disaster. It was made by Wall Street gamblers who speculated with your lives and futures. It was made by conservative extremists who told us that if we just eliminated regulations and rewarded greed and recklessness, it would all work out. But it didn’t work out. And it didn’t work out 80 years ago, when the same people sold our grandparents the same bill of goods, with the same results. But we learned something from our grandparents about how to fix it, and we will draw on their wisdom. We will restore business confidence the old-fashioned way: by putting money back in the pockets of working Americans by putting them back to work, and by restoring integrity to our financial markets and demanding it of those who want to run them. I can’t promise that we won’t make mistakes along the way. But I can promise you that they will be honest mistakes, and that your government has your back again.” A story isn’t a policy. But that simple narrative — and the policies that would naturally have flowed from it — would have inoculated against much of what was to come in the intervening two and a half years of failed government, idled factories and idled hands. That story would have made clear that the president understood that the American people had given Democrats the presidency and majorities in both houses of Congress to fix the mess the Republicans and Wall Street had made of the country, and that this would not be a power-sharing arrangement. .............................. IN contrast, when faced with the greatest economic crisis, the greatest levels of economic inequality, and the greatest levels of corporate influence on politics since the Depression, Barack Obama stared into the eyes of history and chose to avert his gaze. Instead of indicting the people whose recklessness wrecked the economy, he put them in charge of it. He never explained that decision to the public — a failure in storytelling as extraordinary as the failure in judgment .............................. Like most Americans, at this point, I have no idea what Barack Obama — and by extension the party he leads — believes on virtually any issue. The president tells us he prefers a “balanced” approach to deficit reduction, one that weds “revenue enhancements” (a weak way of describing popular taxes on the rich and big corporations that are evading them) with “entitlement cuts” (an equally poor choice of words that implies that people who’ve worked their whole lives are looking for handouts). But the law he just signed includes only the cuts. This pattern of presenting inconsistent positions with no apparent recognition of their incoherence is another hallmark of this president’s storytelling. He announces in a speech on energy and climate change that we need to expand offshore oil drilling and coal production — two methods of obtaining fuels that contribute to the extreme weather Americans are now seeing. He supports a health care law that will use Medicaid to insure about 15 million more Americans and then endorses a budget plan that, through cuts to state budgets, will most likely decimate Medicaid and other essential programs for children, senior citizens and people who are vulnerable by virtue of disabilities or an economy that is getting weaker by the day. He gives a major speech on immigration reform after deporting more than 700,000 immigrants in two years, a pace faster than nearly any other period in American history. .............................. Or perhaps, like so many politicians who come to Washington, he has already been consciously or unconsciously corrupted by a system that tests the souls even of people of tremendous integrity, by forcing them to dial for dollars — in the case of the modern presidency, for hundreds of millions of dollars. When he wants to be, the president is a brilliant and moving speaker, but his stories virtually always lack one element: the villain who caused the problem, who is always left out, described in impersonal terms, or described in passive voice, as if the cause of others’ misery has no agency and hence no culpability. Whether that reflects his aversion to conflict, an aversion to conflict with potential campaign donors that today cripples both parties’ ability to govern and threatens our democracy, or both, is unclear. A final explanation is that he ran for president on two contradictory platforms: as a reformer who would clean up the system, and as a unity candidate who would transcend the lines of red and blue. He has pursued the one with which he is most comfortable given the constraints of his character, consistently choosing the message of bipartisanship over the message of confrontation. But the arc of history does not bend toward justice through capitulation cast as compromise. It does not bend when 400 people control more of the wealth than 150 million of their fellow Americans. It does not bend when the average middle-class family has seen its income stagnate over the last 30 years while the richest 1 percent has seen its income rise astronomically. It does not bend when we cut the fixed incomes of our parents and grandparents so hedge fund managers can keep their 15 percent tax rates. It does not bend when only one side in negotiations between workers and their bosses is allowed representation. And it does not bend when, as political scientists have shown, it is not public opinion but the opinions of the wealthy that predict the votes of the Senate. The arc of history can bend only so far before it breaks. 2/ Pretty good column from Maureen Dowd in the Times, again about Obama.... By the way have you noticed he won't name the Republicans in his speeches or remarks? "Some people in Congress" is as stern as he gets.....and the President has never mentioned the Tea Party.....sorry, I find that weird...... Even the Butter Cow at the Iowa State Fair is not enough to sweeten the mood. Three years ago, Barack Obama’s unlikely presidential dream was given wings by rapturous Iowans — young, old and in-between — who saw in the fresh-faced, silky-voiced black senator a chance to leap past the bellicose, rancorous Bush years into a modern, competitive future where we once more had luster in the world. “We are choosing hope over fear,” Senator Obama told a delirious crowd of 3,000 here the night he won the Iowa caucuses. But fear has garroted hope, as America reels from the latest humiliating blows on the economy and in Afghanistan. The politician who came across as a redeemer in 2008 is now in need of redemption himself. Faced with a country keening for reassurance and reinvention, Obama seems at a loss. Regarding his political skills, he turns out to be the odd case of a pragmatist who can’t learn from his mistakes and adapt. Many of his Democratic supporters here, who once waited hours in line just to catch a glimpse of The One, are disillusioned. “We just wish he’d be more of a fighter,” said one influential Democrat with a grimace. Another agreed: “You can’t blame him for everything. I just wish he would come across more forceful at times, but that is not the dude’s style. Detached hurts you when things are sour. You need some of Clinton’s ‘I feel your pain’ compassion.” The president has been so spectacularly unable to fill the leadership void in Washington that the high-spirited Michele Bachmann feels free to purloin Obama’s old mantra. 3/ For every NASCAR race they get in a preacher who gives a prayer....here's the best one yet.......Autotuned...... 4/ Now THIS is interesting to anyone who follows politics.....this anonymous article slams progressives who are disappointed and/or furious at the capitulation to the Republicans, says the caving to Tea Party pressure is all part of the master plan and trust the President and his advisors - they know what they are doing......and look what happened to a true progressive, Alan Grayson, in 2010...... So suck it up and get behind the Party for 2012..... I will have to think about this one.....the lesson this article is trying to spin is that sticking up for your principles like Grayson did will make you lose.....as if the tidal wave of disgust with the economy and Washington in general had nothing to do with washing out the Dems [including Grayson] favour of the Tea Party loonies in 2010........ So if Obama fights for what he and the party believes in, the article implies he will lose... BS. The country, you and I, Joe down the street, etc etc are desperate for leadership, and we're not getting it.... If you're a Democrat, there is a lot to like about Alan Grayson. I have never heard anyone complain that Congressman Grayson was "centrist," or that he was an "appeaser" of Republicans, or that he practiced any of that "triangulation" stuff. Alan Grayson was an unapologetic liberal Democrat, who fought for his beliefs and principles. Alan Grayson can fairly be called a poster boy for the kind of progressive leadership many Kossacks hoped Obama would display. Which brings me to the bad news about Alan Grayson. Alan Grayson lost. 5/ I love Kristen Wiig......really creative in SNL, and if you haven't seen "Bridesmaids" be sure to catch it on DVD......a funny, funny movie........ Anyway here she is giving an interview in a closet........quite awkward, but amusing.... 6/ Al Jazeera English produces some excellent programming, none of which you will see in this country except online. Their great reporting is demonised by the right wing, probably because their stories differ from their preferred narrative which is parroted by the corporate media. This is a documentary about the top 1% and their control of the wealth, power and politics of the US.....a report by Arab TV on our oligarchy....... This doc was seen all over the world..... 7/ Huge protests in Israel last week against the wealth gap between working families and the elites.....it's not just here that the ultra wealthy are trying to crush the middle class..... JERUSALEM — At least a quarter of a million Israelis, fed up with the mounting cost of living, poured into the streets of the country's major cities Saturday night to demand that their leaders address their plight – and proving by their tremendous numbers that they will not go away. The snowballing protest, which started out three weeks ago with a few 20-somethings pitching a tent encampment on a posh Tel Aviv street, has swiftly become a big headache for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seen by many middle class Israelis as too friendly to big business. An aide to the Israeli leader said the government would soon devise a program to break the monopolies and cartels he blames for Israel's economic ills. Protesters appeared to have a more sweeping agenda on their minds. Traveling by car, bus, train and foot, some 230,000 Israelis, according to police estimates, descended on Tel Aviv to mount the largest social protest in the country's history. Young, old and middle-aged, they beat drums and waved flags, some chanting, "Social justice for the people" and "Revolution." Some held signs reading "People before profits," "Rent is not a luxury," and "Working class heroes." In Jerusalem, more than 30,000 protesters gathered outside Netanyahu's residence after streaming past some of the most expensive real estate in the city .............................. The protests initially targeted soaring housing prices, but quickly morphed into a sweeping expression of rage against a wide array of economic issues, including the cost of food, gasoline, education and wages. The protesters' demands have resonated broadly in a middle class that has found it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. Taxes are high, market competition is low, and salaries haven't kept pace with the price rises – even as Israel's leading economic indicators show the economy is thriving in a way that most developed countries would envy. The protests have stunned the government, which had been preoccupied by stalled peacemaking with the Palestinians. Polls released last week showed Netanyahu's approval ratings have plunged while support for the protesters was high. 8/ HATE it when this happens......you just know what's coming next..... 9/ I am truly in two minds about this story - the drought in Texas is awful and wreaking havoc on farmers, cattlemen and parching the entire state with incredible heat..... But then there's the arrogance, the stupidity of Texans with their loony evangelical Governor Rick Perry, their boastful state motto - "If you ain't Texan, you ain't shxt"......maybe there is a God up there that dislikes idiots..... THE drought that grips Texas is a natural disaster in slow motion. Life itself slows down, falters and begins to fade. Out here, in the low hills west of Austin, the ground under my boots is split and cracked, the creek below the house bone-white and dry. Even the Blanco River’s usually cool, spring-fed water is warm and still. Droughts have come to Texas before, but this time it’s a killing heat that grips the state. Even the tough, rangy whitetail deer are starting to die. Last spring, an old, dark-faced doe that comes around from time to time stood in my front yard, her body plump with pregnancy. But her ribs were starting to show; the fawn inside was unlikely to make it far past birth. Folks around here say this is unlike any drought Texas has ever seen. In a way that’s right; it’s the worst single drought year on record. But, as scientists now tell us, historically droughts here can last decades. Worse, when the rain does fall, it evaporates faster and faster as the American Southwest become drier, threatening to turn Texas into desert. As bad as this year’s drought is, the long view tells us that things could get much worse. 10/ A British sandwich chain expands to the US, with great results - the secret? Customer service...... SOMETHING weird is happening inside a Pret a Mangersandwich shop on Broadway in Midtown Manhattan. Multimedia Weekend BusinessIt’s not all those quirky British sandwiches, thin and understated with ingredients like free-range egg mayonnaise and avocado-and-pine-nut filling. No, it’s the employees. The cashier is asking New Yorkers how they are doing — and genuinely seems to want an answer. The guy who is throwing out the garbage offers customers a cup of water. The manager swings by to commiserate about the sweltering weather. This is fast food? In Manhattan? Pret a Manger, the veddy British chain, has gained a foothold in our McWorld of burgers and fries, where you can fun-size this, combo that and, let’s face it, sort of expect sullen service. Next to, say, McDonald’s, Pret a Manger amounts to a fleck of relish, if that. Last year, Pret posted sales of £327.5 million, or about $534 million at current exchange rates. The take at McDonald’s: $24 billion. But Pret a Manger — the name means “ready to eat” in French — is slowly expanding in New York and other American cities with its own brand of grab-and-go food and, more significantly, a fresh approach to fast-food service. Pret feels almost nothing like an American chain. At a Starbucks in Midtown, you can wait 10 minutes for your latte during the morning rush. At Pret, the goal is to serve customers within 60 seconds. At some fast-food outlets in the city, cashiers might fling your cheeseburger across the counter, Frisbee-style. At Pret, they compliment your earrings. What makes Pret a Manger a compelling business case study is its approach to customer service and to training and motivating its staff. Yes, Pret happens to make sandwiches — but the lessons are worth knowing, whatever your line of work. 11/ Love this one....don't normally listen to country rock but this video really gets to you......Brandi Carlisle with "Dreams"..... 12/ Our Governor, Rick Scott under oath....watch our very own piece of slime wiggle and squirm for two disgusting minutes......and you may have voted for this asshole..... 13/ And our Governor is fighting against "Obamacare", and turning down tens of millions in federal funds to help the poor, disabled and elderly.....but he personally? Sucking at the state titty for health care, paying $400 a year for his entire family..... For him the ultimate in oaths, reserved for the most despicable of humanity - "I wouldn't piss in his mouth if his teeth were on fire"..... TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Rick Scott, a critic of the federal health care overhaul, is paying less than $400 a year for health insurance for himself and his wife. While Scott is accepting no salary for his job as governor, the multimillionaire and former hospital chain executive chose to enroll in the taxpayer-subsidized health insurance plan offered by the state of Florida. Scott is among nearly 32,000 people in state government who pay relatively low health insurance premiums. It's a perk that is available to high-ranking state officials, including those in top management at all state agencies. Nearly all 160 state legislators are also enrolled in the program that costs just $8.34 a month for individual coverage and $30 a month for family coverage. Brian Burgess, a spokesman for Scott, confirmed the governor and his wife are enrolled in the state health insurance plan, but refused to discuss why Scott signed up. He called the governor's health care coverage "private matters." 14/ A golfer video that is amazing.....of course I can do the same thing with my swing......HA.....
Todays video - a strangely hypnotic clip of a brick put into a washing machine......for guys only!!!! Ladies - don't watch this stupid video!!! Please!!! Todays funeral joke
Todays bonus religious joke
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Monday, August 15, 2011
Davids Daily Dose - Monday August 15th
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