The fact is the Obama recession is underway.

History trembles on a razor’s edge.

Don’t worry, the Democratic Leadership is already doing everything they can to ensure they lose everything by 2010.

Obama is hiring all the right-of-center ‘Democrats’ he can find, Reid is begging Lieberman to take over the Senate, and the rest of the Democrats are still kissing the shoes of the Republicans.

I’ve been saying since Reagan was ‘president’ that the Democratic Party are wholly owned slaves of the GOP. The last week has shown that to be so very true.

Even with their Socialist Mandate of 2008, the Democratic ‘leadership’ are falling all over themselves to de exactly what the Republicans and the conservative-controlled media demand of them…

Brad: Weren’t you the guy who kept worrying us all to pieces that Obama wasn’t going to win? Because of this and that and the other thing? C’mon man! I’m still reveling in the election afterglow and here you are harshin’ the vibe. Cheer up. These are the same damn “economic forecasters” who’ve been shakin’ the same 8-ball all along. They’re about as reliable as the local TV “meterologist.”

Yeah, I’m just bein’ realistic. Obama’s not going to have a honeymoon, and I think he understands that. He’s going to have to act fast to save millions of people from losing their homes. Bold action on health care is also needed. Now is not the time to be sitting on one’s ass.

The trick is to distract the unemployed from their misery.

History has demonstrated time and again there is only one way to accomplish that task.

Time to start throwing investment bankers to the lions.

Sell the house. Sell the car. Sell the kids.

I’ve been saying the same thing privately.

The die is cast. The one thing I’ll put out there is that Obama most likely realizes this as well if not better than we do, and will use the bully pulpit to prepare us for it. That could help.

What no one seems to be pointing out is that if we had a viable social safety net when it came to unemployment, health care, job retraining, et al, I would be an even stronger proponent of letting the AIG’s and GM’s of the world fail before I funded their collective lawn-care nuts as opposed to a single mother’s ability to get a decent job without worrying about her kids and the rest of her life.

I am, after all, generally pro-free market. Which is why I think the underground (illegal, for the most part) drug trade is a good model. (Kidding on the square.)

The Reagan recession of 1981-82, in which unemployment hit double digits, didn’t keep him from being re-elected.

Why give in to ‘the Dems always lose’ cynicism? The economy was already in slow-down 10 months ago and Dems picked up seats in the House and Senate. In addition, the GOP doesn’t have any planks to run on that aren’t dry rot.

Whenever I hear folks on our side say things like “I hope Palin/Gingrich run in 2012”, I get chills. If things had been a little different this year, McInsane and his chum might’ve been planning their transition now. Always remember, life can spin on a dime (and no good deeds go unpunished).

I’ve been saying since Reagan was ‘president’ that the Democratic Party are wholly owned slaves of the GOP. The last week has shown that to be so very true.

No, it isn’t true. Confirmation bias is an insidious thing. Some Democrats and some Republicans do represent the corporate power structure. Many of the rest represent their respective constituents. The narrative you’ve constructed here is essentially conspiratorial and therefore flawed.

Yes, the world is a mess. It always has been.

It could be that Obama is getting his recession out of the way early. That could work out well provided that we have just about hit bottom.

Right on, Orange Tom. Life is one cluster of unpredictability.

For example, it may just be possible that the American electorate has more or less figured out that it takes longer to fix things than to break them, and are wondering if the Roosevelt Amendment was such a great idea.

Who knows?

I want him to go big, too. I see no evidence that he won’t thus far. And if he does, my suspicion is that we’ll collectively give the sitting POTUS the benefit of the doubt.

4 years is an eternity from now. 2 is half an infinity, still a long time. If Obama does what the most of us (at least on this blog) think he should do, it is hard to imagine a majority of the electorate turning on him.

Especially if Gary gets his dream McBarbie-Joe TP ticket. Not an impossibility, though even *I* can’t really assimilate the concept that the GOP is that stupid.

Brad says this:
Yeah, I’m just bein’ realistic.

How do you know?

Answer — you don’t know. Just like you didn’t know Obama was going to lose even though you thought you did know. You were wrong.

Brad, a little history:

When FDR took over, the public, much like now, knew exactly who to blame. The Democrats took over in ’32, unemployment got worse in ’33, and went all the way down to 21.4 in 1934 — and they won even more seats. Because, by and large, they were doing something about it.

If the Democrats act on the voters will, and good things don’t automatically change things overnight, it’s still a good bet they’ll have a few more years on top of it. Of course, if they dick around and halfass everything, they will go down in flames.

Also: They were more useless than tits on a bull for the past two years, were wildly unpopular with their constituents and they were extraordinarily fortunate that the Republicans are worse by a measurable amount. That dynamic won’t change either.

Brad: Weren’t you the guy who kept worrying us all to pieces that Obama wasn’t going to win?

Yep, the “Spite Works” series. Another “being realistic” panic based on the assumption that Obama will run things exactly like the DLC Dems have.

This time, I think Brad’s on firmer ground, because Congressional dems are the same bunch of doughheads they have always been – but maybe a non-triangulating executive Democrat can beat them into doing something useful.

Hoover got a dam, I hear. Maybe there are some nifty public works Iraqis could name after W?

When FDR took over, the public, much like now, knew exactly who to blame.

I know elderly Americans who lived through the Depression and still insist that FDR caused it all. Republican brainwashing has an impact on simple people looking for a scapegoat.

Jay B., one thing that worries me is the term ‘The Democrats’.

There’s all kinds of Democrats. Some happily appear on FAUX news when it suits their pocketbooks. Speaking of which, back in 1934, I don’t believe we had a corporate media almost completely controlled by a few fatcats and corporations. At least not one with the power of what we face today.

The fact is, give Brad a break. S,N! needs its resident Eeyore.

Sell the house. Sell the car. Sell the kids.

“Nope, nope, I’m afraid it’s medical experimentation for the lot o’ yuh!”

Nope.

No Pollyanna.

’09 is gonna be bad, real bad.

And our dear president Obama has a balancing act.

The only way we see any recovery in 2010 is if he empties out the treasury.

As in, if you liked the 700 billion bank bailout, stand by. You’re gonna love ’09.

But if the economic response is slow, and Obama commits to all these programs, he’s probably toast. It coulda happened to FDR too, it just didn’t.

The question will come come down to narrative and lineups. If Obama can be perceived as the brilliant, calm purveyor of real solutions, he’ll be fine. If republican demagoguery can be effective in painting Obama as ineffective, AND they can run a credible candidate in 2012, they will win.

Obama has to execute, and he has no margin for error.

USA. USA. USA.

mikey

I don’t believe we had a corporate media almost completely controlled by a few fatcats and corporations.

Three words.

William Randolph Hearst.

back in 1934, I don’t believe we had a corporate media almost completely controlled by a few fatcats and corporations.

Back in 1934 there were actually daily Socialist newspapers in the United States.

Maybe there are some nifty public works Iraqis could name after W?

Well, here in the US Communist San Francisco, we won’t even name a sewage plant after him.

I remember hearing on, I think it was the Radio 360 podcast, about how smart people have difficulty lying to themselves. I mean if there is one thing this website has shown is how adept some of the rest are at self deception. Let me see if I can find it.

Ahh… found it

Lying to Ourselves

Can we lie to ourselves? If you are the liar, wouldn’t you know the truth? In this segment, we explore the confusing and contradictory idea of self-deception. We go back to the early 70s, when psychiatrists Harold Sackeim and Ruben Gur came up with a set of embarrassing questions that they say reveal the lies we tell ourselves. Psychologist Joanna Starek tells us that swimmers who lie to themselves swim faster than those who do not. And we explore the power of self-deception to make us more successful, and happier, people.

Well what does this have to do with anything we’re talking about? As I see it people have this tendency to think that the world is some particular thing and that they’ve got it figured out. Or at least they think it’s possible. But of course the world isn’t that way. As someone said, the world isn’t weirder than we imagine, it’s weirder than we can imagine.

It’s all guesswork, even satellite orbits is still guesswork and even there we still don’t have it all figured out. Consider the Pioneer anomaly. So if we are still getting things wrong when it comes to orbits how the hell can we be confident about predicting the future when we are dealing with people?

We Can’t. We just don’t know. Period. End of message.

I don’t see any evidence whatsoever of ass-sitting on the part of Congressional Democrats or Obama. Quite the opposite, really. News today is that Max Freaking Baucus, consummate centrist/corporatist Democrat, is raring to go on a health plan that looks an awful lot like Hillary’s. Infrastructure looks like it’s on the front burner, which will definitely tamp down the unemployment numbers and warm up the larger economy. Paulson has completely dropped the buying bad assets plan in favor of the Krugman-approved approach. There’s a good deal of talk about reworking a lot of mortgages in the manner the FDIC has been doing with failed banks (perhaps the last competent element of the Bush admin, and I actually hope Obama keeps Sheila Bair around). Although Rahm is no lefty, brutha can bust some skulls and he’s signaling the need to take full advantage of the crises in order to push New Deal type stuff.

What the fuck does it matter on any of this if Lieberman sticks around? Sure, on basic principle he should be drawn and quartered, but he has no power over the war stuff and he generally agrees with lefty social and economic policy. The subpoena power issue is important, but it has nothing to do with the three most important goalposts for the success of the this Admin and Congress: 1) Get the fuck out of Iraq, 2) Keep the economy afloat, and 3) Health care.

Basically, chill.

Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. You people are never happier than when you try to figure out how fucked the Democratic Party is. Here’s a clue, folks – we won the election last week. While there are some stupid things still being done – Barney Frank giving Detroit free money being among the stupider things I’ve heard – nevertheless the new Congress has yet to be seated and new President has still to be sworn in, and you’re already predicting that, no matter what, the Democrats are going to lose.

Get that loser mentality out of your collective skulls. I mean, come on, seriously. W. is still in the White House, a lame duck Congress is sitting on Capitol Hill. How about we let the folks we just elected actually take their various offices and, you know, do stuff, before we start winding their shrouds.

Back in 1934 there were actually daily Socialist newspapers in the United States.

Any with decent circulation? While I know that in the prewar days the concept of socialism hadn’t been red-baited to death yet, I don’t think it was ever really embraced by th press that represented the means of production, and therefore had money. Yes, there were some mainstream socialists, but it seems to me that the majority of the press was dedicated to keeping it from gaining a real foothold, a very real danger in the Depression.

Three words.

William Randolph Hearst.
=========================
Two letters: TV

Back in 1934 there were actually daily Socialist newspapers in the United States.

Today we have many socialeist websites. Such as Sadly, No!

TPM is saying Stevens is toast on the recount up in AK!

This is bad…

Stuff like this doesn’t sound too good, either.

I think it’s pretty clear that the economy will be fucked for quite some time to come, though I’m not so sure the Repubs will be capable of getting much traction out of the situation. Too early to tell.

I know elderly Americans who lived through the Depression and still insist that FDR caused it all.

My father. But as the election of 1936 showed, by far most people knew better.

TPM is saying Stevens is toast on the recount up in AK!

That’s great news – I was just zOMG THE SKY IS FALLING!

Just trying to get in the spirit of the thing here.

I know elderly Americans who lived through the Depression and still insist that FDR caused it all. Republican brainwashing has an impact on simple people looking for a scapegoat.

Sure. Some who didn’t live through the Depression sell books on that very theory today. Doesn’t mean the majority felt that way.

I know in the house I grew up in there was a picture of JFK, a picture of the pope and a picture of FDR.

It’s like steering a car. You can’t look a foot in front of you and continually try to correct.

You have to look down the road, and steer according to where you want to be when you get there.

Brad, let’s take the words from the arrogant dickheads at Goldman with a grain of salt (yes, I am still pissed my firm went under and those assholes are getting bonuses in January).

Not saying they are way off the mark, just a little gloomier and doomier than most other economists. And to see them collect a bonus in spite of their gloomy forecasts is pretty infuriating. To see Megan McArdle hold her job is also infuriating.

It is the consensus of economists that the economy will continue to bleed jobs for most of 2009. And check out the recent Harper’s monthly article ‘Why The Economy is Worse Than You Know’ by Kevin Phillips. It explains how the unemployment rate is grossly under-reported. A reported 9% would actually be a depression-level 18%. Some say we are there already.

More reason for Barry to encourage a big solar panel and wind turbine manufacturing industry. I just met the Boeing CEO today and I realized that Boeing is the biggest manufacturer in North America. While that is good, it needs some company from corporations that manufacture green technologies.

And that is change we can believe in. (barf)

I know in the house I grew up in there was a picture of JFK, a picture of the pope and a picture of FDR.

You’re not one of my brothers, are you, Jay B.?

….AND they can run a credible candidate in 2012, they will win.

That’s a pretty big “and” there, dood. Have you looked at that side recently? Their best hopes either A) Embarass and alienate the party members that actually have money to donate that would secure a win or B) Have an easily mockable and exploitable published account of demonic possession. Who else would they run? Totes Disgraced Has-Been Newt? The Plastic, Magic-Underwear wearing Romney-bot?

I hate to say this, but about 50% of the 2012 battle can be won just by Obama showing up at some meetings and looking vaguely like an adult. I love the guy, don’t get me wrong, but after the past 4 years the bar is just set that low.

Snorghagen. fta,

That’s below the cost of paying for crew, insurance, maintenance and lubricants.

So, are those lubricants for the crew? I mean, if they were for the boat, they’d fall under “maintenance”, no?

That’s all well and good folks, but we’re still gonna have to distract all the unemployed from their misery.

Just saying….

You know, it’s also possible that while Democrats try to get serious, worthwhile things done, Republicans will live up to their reputation as obstructionists and thereby lose even more seats next time.

That’s all well and good folks, but we’re still gonna have to distract all the unemployed from their misery.

That’s what the “crew” and “lubricants” are for.

It’s like steering a car.

Why is it when you say that I flash back to the final scene in The Terminator?

Brad from the first Spite Panic post (in comments):

Basically, folks, I’ve given up on believing that anything positive will ever happen and have transformed myself into a cackling prophet of doom. So please, I hope y’all can keep your heads up, because I sure can’t.

And how did that all turn out?

And is there a piefilter for the pants-a-poopin’ posts?

That’s what the “crew” and “lubricants” are for.

Can’t we have “lubricants” AND Investment Banker Death matches?

Obama should go BIG!

It coulda happened to FDR too, it just didn’t.

I think it’s worth pointing out that FDR inherited nearly 25% unemployment. People were literally starving.

And as we all know, FDR was elected to four consecutive terms. The Dems maintained large majorities in both houses until after the war. In fact, they expanded their majorities throughout the 1930s.

back in 1934, I don’t believe we had a corporate media almost completely controlled by a few fatcats and corporations.

As was pointed out above, Hearst controlled much of the media. Father Coughlin was the Rush Limbaugh of his day. Hell, Prescott Bush and a few other tycoons actually attempted a coup.

It remains to be seen how bad things get in Obama’s first year, but people’s memories aren’t so short that they will have completely forgotten who got us in this mess. It was also pointed out above that Reagan won reelection despite a terrible economy in his first couple of years. The Repubs also picked up seats in both houses.

In related events, Mythbusters just came on. They are going to see if it is possible to polish a turd.

Well, I would say no. We’ve just had eight years, and it hasn’t worked yet.

Besides, everyone knows the world ends in 2012. All the Right People™ will ascend to the fourth harmonic plane leaving Cheney and his minions to toil forever here in the 3rd.

Hey!

Whose here from Connecticut?

I LOVE you guys!

Rock ON!

mikey

I see so many people laughing at the “permanent Republican majority” after this election. Meanwhile, they talk as if the GOP is permanently dead and the democrats will rule forever, without any sense of irony.

Things can swing quickly in modern politics and a massive recession is just the thing to do it. And, you are right, there is little the democrats can do it get around it. Thats why we have to jam the really important things like Health Care through the system ASAP.

More reason for Barry to encourage a big solar panel and wind turbine manufacturing industry.

Yet another parallel with the Depression. FDR had his rural electrification, which served the dual purpose of employing lots of people and bringing large sections of the country into the 20th century. Obama’s got a great opportunity to do the same with renewable energy, and don’t think he doesn’t know it.

The shitbox has been tonguejacked.

We’re well and truly between a shit moat and a hard place.

Why, thank you, Mikey.

I really believe we can work together.

The fact is, give Brad a break. S,N! needs its resident Eeyore.
I hesitate to ask who on the S,N! crew corresponds to Piglet.

Now I understand everyone’s shit’s emotional right now. But I’ve got a 3 point plan that’s going to fix EVERYTHING.
Number 1: We’ve got this guy Not Sure. Number 2: He’s got a higher IQ than ANY MAN ALIVE. and Number 3: He’s going to fix EVERYTHING. And he’s gonna do it all in ONE WEEK. (Brought to you by Carl’s Jr.)

Meanwhile, they talk as if the GOP is permanently dead and the democrats will rule forever, without any sense of irony.

How about in longterm intensive care then?

And their best doctors have ordered a trepanation.

Umm…and the hospital’s on fire and the nurses are on strike.

Oh Brad! You silly old bear.

2012? Why worry? Aren’t you familiar with the Mayan Calendar?

The New New Deal, “lubricants” in every pot and Investment Banker Death matches in every garage.

I’m down with it.

Hell, Prescott Bush and a few other tycoons actually attempted a coup.

Ah, here comes the Smedley Butler ref. Gotta love him.

They are going to see if it is possible to polish a turd.

I have made the point for many years now that what you get when you try to polish a turd is generally a bunch of shit on your chamois.

Also, speaking of shit, as far as Lieberfool goes, I think Harry is waiting for the last possibility of his relevance to disappear before doing anything. Begich looks better and better by the hour, Franken ain’t done yet, and if by some miracle they both win and Martin can send Chambliss packing, Holy Joe gets to be Mr. Important again. Unfortunately, Reid and those like him seem to think that A) not pissing off Joe will be to anyone’s benefit but Joe’s and B) pissing Joe off would actually make him change from “voting with us on everything but the war”. As to B), I seriously doubt that. He may want to try for another term. As to A), who are we trying to kid.

I just realized; that late-night TV guy with the free government money? Henry Paulson put that fucker outta business, or what?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Lesko

And their best doctors have ordered a trepanation.

Bring in the leeches!

justme, I’m of the opinion that Harry Reid is teh suXX0rz.

He’s done a horrible job of dealing with Holy Joe and the Republicans since 2006, and dragging this nonsense out now is just more of the same. The Democrats owe the victims of Katrina at least this much: take Liarman’s DHS chairmanship away.

I’m no fan of Harry’s. I worried a lot when he was put in charge, and he has done little to earn any trust, well, other than bringing the lulz by suggesting Harriet Meirs. He’s more of this “center-right-nation” bullshit personified.

Joe’s chair should not, by any stretch of the imagination, be held by Joe come January. Just think what a Republican Majority would do to one of it’s members, even if he voted with them on almost everything, if said member actually campaigned for the other side’s guy for President. Does anyone think that no matter how senior that Senator was, he’d be doing anything but polishing freshmen’s shoes?

There are times to set an example. Heads on pikes, as it were. The message of Joe is that the party will put up with absolutely anything if you pretend to go along. It sucks. I dislike that the Republicans value loyalty to party over everything, even loyalty to country or obedience of law. That doesn’t mean I think it has no place at all.

Hey!

mikey

I was -until I left for Baltimore 16 years ago. I miss the family but not the social retardation. I mean c’mon, Lieberman sill has a job and you can’t get a gallon of milk without a local cop or state trooper following you.

Quit shitting your pants everyone. Tough times ahead doesn’t mean things cant be fixed. Would you leave it to the McPow / Caribou ticket instead?

FDR had his rural electrification, which served the dual purpose of employing lots of people and bringing large sections of the country into the 20th century.

Many of which, oddly, have some serious 19th- or 18th-century attitudes.

Quit shitting your pants everyone. Tough times ahead doesn’t mean things cant be fixed. Would you leave it to the McPow / Caribou ticket instead?

This.

I’m….uh…Not Sure.

Gee.

Wow.

Um. Sorry?

I dunno. Would you rather I just went over to the other side?

Cause I dunno. It sure seems like compromise is surrender in your world.

I don’t want to live in that world…

mikey

Oh, Internet, is there any stupid thing you don’t have?

http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/strategies/how-to-polish-a-turd/

Hopefully the Democrats will beginning campaigning for re-election tomorrow if not sooner.

[…] member. All sorts of new Congress members are busy buying houses in Chevy Chase and Alexandria. And Brad at Sadly, No! is already predicting that they are fucked. And here’s the thing: the Democrats aren’t going to be able to do anything to stop it [the […]

1. Offer Lieberman a plum spot on the cabinet, say, Director of DHS.

2. Connecticut governor names a loyal Democrat to the Senate.

3. “Joe, times are hard. I wish we could keep you on, but you serve at the pleasure of the President.”

C’mon man! I’m still reveling in the election afterglow and here you are harshin’ the vibe.

No kidding. Give me back my batteries, please.

…my pleasure is fueled by wingnut suffering. Hint hint.

didn’t FDR start a war the last time the economy was in the shitter?

2. Connecticut governor names a loyal Democrat to the Senate.

She’s a corrupt thuglican.

Rowland’s henchwoman.

didn’t FDR start a war the last time the economy was in the shitter?

I believe he asked the Japanese to bomb Pearl Harbor and they obliged, then FDR BETRAYED THEM.

Chill out, everybody. The Democrats are just waiting to unleash…..JOEMENTUM!11!11!

I knew there was something wrong with that FDR fellow!

didn’t FDR start a war the last time the economy was in the shitter?

I think that war was kind of, well, already going strong by the time we got there.

OK, the plan needs work. Maybe we could move Congress to Cleveland and not tell Joe.

Besides, I think we have all the wars we’re interested in at the moment.

Maybe Europe would like to adopt one?

For old times’ sake?

I think that war was kind of, well, already going strong by the time we got there.

Wrong.

Europe and Japan and Russia and China were just trying to work out some minor disagreements and then Mr. New Deal had to stick his nose in.

Then he left secret instructions for Jimmy Carter taped to the bottom of a drawer in the Lincoln Bedroom on how to mess up the Middle East.

That’s where I left those. I was going to burn them, but…

Chill out, everybody. The Democrats are just waiting to unleash…..JOEMENTUM!11!11!

That’s good news … for McCain!

Hah, haven’t seen that one in a week!

I do agree with your post Brad. Except for the possibility of dems losing the Senate and House anytime soon. Too many non-political factors in play for that to happen. Terrible demographics for Republicans and a deep ideological split that won’t be remedied anytime soon. However, the 2012 prez election could be problematic for dems if things get as bad as GS’s predicts, and they well could be right. Before it’s over, I suspect we’re going to see more and more Great Depression type programs to keep the bottom from falling out. It will drive the wingnuts crazy and give them a cause to rally around for opposition.

and give them a cause to rally around for opposition.

Opposition to improving lives. Hey, it’s worked in the past. Let’s run with it!

Yup, just like the Democrats lost the House in 1934 and the Presidency in 1936.

OT – does anybody know what’s up with the Missouri election counting? The GOS map and 538 still show it as undecided, though GOS shows it with McCain ahead by 5 or 6 thousand votes.

It’d be awesome if Obama ended up winning it – doesn’t need it, of course, but those EVs would make his win an official landslide. Nice for bragging points and all.

Nice for bragging points and all.

One less state inside Security Czar Ayers’ Heartland Re-education Perimeter.

Let’s not make excuses for him. If he gets in there and does a good job, it will be obvious to people. If he doesn’t he’ll have problems.

The truth, my liberal friends, is that HUSSEIN Obama’s socialist policies will result in an economic downturn, a financial crisis even, with the bread lines and the secret police and the giant PORtraits, they’re larger than life!

Let’s not make excuses for him. If he gets in there and does a good job, it will be obvious to people. If he doesn’t he’ll have problems.

Stop being reasonable. This is TEH INTARWEB!!!

Who started two wars – on credit?
The GOP.
Who turned America’s biggest surplus into its biggest deficit?
The GOP
Who turned the NYSE into Las-Vegas-East via deregulation?
The GOP.
Who outsourced a huge swath of the US economy?
Well surprise, surprise – it was the GOP.

“Country First” my ass – more like “Everything Must Go!”

Now all of those poisoned eggs the GOP laid are hatching – & I’ve got a sneaking suspicion Americans aren’t going to be real keen on replaying the Republicans’ one-note symphonic smash-hit “Contract On America (2012 Apocolypso Dance-Mix)” when they get a taste of what’s in them.

It comes down to whether or not America can live up to it’s own motto – “out of many, one” – with enough energy to offset the nastiness that’s arriving on its doorstep.

Hang together – or hang one by one.

Said it before about the election – now I’ll say it about the Administration: get back to me with the Cassandra schtick AFTER a year or so, & we’ll see if there’s any substance to back it up … once again, I believe you underestimate Obama – & you saw what just happened to the last poor goombah that made THAT mistake.

Not to be too saccharine, but I think that the situation isn’t anywhere near that bleak for the Dems. Remember that the Rove-Cheney-Delay school of government is policy bankrupt. They literally have no ideas and resist the very notion that ideas can solve problems. The problems may be huge, but the bar for an acceptable response from the USG is extremely low. Expectations have been lowered by the Bush admin, moreover that also exaggerates the size of the problem. The crisis seems enormous because of the lack of USG credibility. With credibility and competence, all things are possible. I actually think Obama will have a better than 50-50 shot at EPIC WIN territory. Having an administration that is willing to actually acknowledge problems and confront them is what matters.

Who turned the NYSE into Las-Vegas-East via deregulation?

And we all know, the house always wins.

To add to all the other wise, futility-rejecting comments: Since the *last* Great Depression, we’ve at least doubled the pool of Credible Great Minds available. Women, people of color, gays, non-Xtians, and even those combining two or more “minorities” can get advanced degrees while being only twice as good as the straight white Ivy-League legacies. And they can spend only one-tenth as much of their top-drawer careers “apologizing” for not being straight white guys. Not to say that Condi Rice or Carli Fiorina are anything to be proud of, but as a patriotic believer in the American Dream, I say that the more smart people we have on our side, the better off we’ll end up.

In their first term in office, Bush and Cheney stole everything that wasn’t nailed down. Imagine their delighted surprise when the idiot sheeple reinstalled them four years later. In their second term they stole most everything that was nailed down except for Social Security. Not they didn’t do their best to hand over the fund to Wall Street. The country is now facing economic collapse and there is nothing anybody, including Obama, can do to stop it. All the so-called capital in the markets is actually debt which cannot be repaid. The American people allowed these monsters to destroy this country and now they are going to pay the price for their apathy and ignorance. It ain’t going to be pretty.

Brad, don’t forget the new holiday on Jan 21, “National Whistleblower Day.” There’s eight years of corruption, malfeasance, etc., etc. to talk about, and it’s all going to come out when the Stasi is out of office. Buy popcorn futures and FCS relax!

OT: turns out that the “hot tip” about Palin not knowing Africa is a continent – & the “Warren Harding Institute” – are about as reliable as the API.

The media just got pwned, yet again.
The mere fact that it’s a credible fable says as much about Palin as it does about our gullibility.
It’s two, two, TWO ironies in one!

As for what I said, @ 10:16 … d’ohhhhh!

More crow, please!

Apparently the Palin-thinking-Africa-is-a-country story may very well be bonafide … it’s the guy who claimed to be its source that was guffing. Pretty much. Maybe. I think.

Now for something completely similar.

Shorter Brad:

“SQUAAAAAAAWK! THE SKY IS FALLING! THE SKY IS FALLING!”

Could we seriously stop the institutionalized pessimism in the Democratic party – at least until the changes of the next election actually are allowed to take effect?

Who knows? Maybe this Obama guy might be good at Presidenting.

Since the *last* Great Depression, we’ve at least doubled the pool of Credible Great Minds available.

Ramen!

One of the factors driving my humanitarian goal is the waste of all the friggin’ potential.

Bully the smart kids in school? Well, you might need an operation someday.

Make fun of the arts? Well, go ahead and be a soulless automaton. It hurts.

Think these things run themselves? Well, hope you won’t need a bridge, or food, or a light on when it’s dark.

Our civilization is so complex we need a bunch of caring smart people. Restricting that pool restricts our very civilization.

And I like civilization.

Me, I’m not a half-full, or half-empty, kind of person. I say, “That glass isn’t full enough! Add more rum.”

Wow… way to have some… I don’t know what…. there.

You’re in the interesting position of arguing that the same American people who put up with 8 years of George Dubya is suddenly going to grow an impatient third arm and start waving it hysterically at the dems.

Panic, much?

How’s about you give the American people a little more credit than that… mkay?

The new jobless number for last week? 516,000.

Tucson just got fired.

Yikes. This thing is going to be really bad. I’m not sure that the situation for the Dems is that grim, though.

If they spend all their energy fixing the problem, getting decent results and reminding everyone on an hourly basis that this is all the Bush administration’s fault, they might be OK.

Cheer yourself up by thinking of all the blame-storming self-exculpatory insiders’ accounts of the Bush administration, currently on their way to the publishers. There are not enough printing presses to release them all at once.

“Now all of those poisoned eggs the GOP laid are hatching – & I’ve got a sneaking suspicion Americans aren’t going to be real keen on replaying the Republicans’ one-note symphonic smash-hit “Contract On America (2012 Apocolypso Dance-Mix)” when they get a taste of what’s in them.”

The Contract for America was a Credit Default Swap. The GOP stands to make a killing when we go under.

Save automakers. Re-invest in infrastructure. Bunch of other shit. Jobs, Jobs and more Jobs. That and an increase in the min wage.

[…] Changing deck chairs on the Titanic. Now that the Republicans have handed us a socialist agenda, and branded Obama a socialist, […]

[…] Changing deck chairs on the Titanic. Now that the Republicans have handed us a socialist agenda, and branded Obama a socialist, […]