QUOTES:
About the GOP plans for the USA 2008-2012:
"The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in the National Journal October 2010

Taxes

January 25, 2012
Many Americans think that their federal tax rate is too high and that they pay way too much for medicare, social security and public education. So the government should cut down on these expenditures. But... could it be... maybe, maybe.... that they might be wrong?
Why Taxes Aren’t as High as They Seem - By DAVID LEONHARDT - NYT

Romney second in South Carolina.

Mitt Romney took two blows in one week.
Earlier this week Rick Santorum was the declared winner in Iowa. Today Romney lost the South Carolina primary to Newt Gingrich, after being the favorite in the polls for a long time.
Of the first three states, he won only one.
And all this happened despite an abundance of financial resources.
The main reason is the important role that the debates play. And Gingrich is simply the better debater.
It should also be said that Romney is rather boring compared to the street fighter Gingrich.
Gingrich also clearly appeals to the feelings of right-wing conservatives.
He is against "the media", like the tea party supporters, who do not like those elitist journalists, who write difficult articles in newspapers and magazines which they never read.
He is also against "political correctness." They like that. He calls Obama "the best food stamp president ever." They like that too.
Probably the Obama team will be happy to welcome Gingrich as the Republican nominee. It is unlikely that he will be very popular with the independent voters. In that respect, Romney is definitely a more dangerous opponent.
Dutch text here

The Newt Comeback Kid.

January 21, 2012.
Thanks to his debate performance Gingrich might win the South Carolina primary.

It is a huge surprise. Newt Gingrich is now number one in the polls.
According to Public Policy Polling, Gingrich is leading with 37%, Romney 28%.
If Gingrich wins South Carolina, his chance of winning the Republican nomination will improve drastically.
Link:Newt expands South Carolina lead - Public Policy Polling

How to win the vote of social conservatives.

January 18, 2012

Rick Santorum: "I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money."
(Speaking to Republican voters during the Iowa caucuses campaign - 2012)

Newt Gingrich: "I will go to the NAACP convention and tell the African American community why they should demand paychecks instead of food stamps."
Gingrich campaigning in January 2012

This is one of Newts so-called "creative ideas".

During the Republican primary debate on Monday there was a discussion between Juan Williams and Gingrich:
WILLIAMS: "Speaker Gingrich, you recently said black Americans should demand jobs, not food stamps. You also said poor kids lack a strong work ethic and proposed having them work as janitors in their schools. Can't you see that this is viewed, at a minimum, as insulting to all Americans, but particularly to black Americans?"
GINGRICH: "No. I don't see that."

Gingrich and Santorum are suggesting that poor people are poor because they are lazy, and that all food stamps go to black people and people who are too lazy to find a job.
The reality is different. To give an example: almost half of the food stamps go to working households with children.
Tonight, Thursday at 8 PM, there will be a second Republican primary debate in South Carolina hosted by CNN.
Link: Gingrich’s food-stamp barbs whiz past the truth - Boston Globe

Huntsman out of the race

January 16, 2012 The New York Times reports that Huntsman steps out of the race om Monday. Mitt Romney must be happy. A good start of the week for him.
Huntsman Says He’s Quitting G.O.P. Race - NYT

The lies about Carter, Fannie and Freddy.

January 14, 2012.
Many Republicans blame the housing crisis (and the economic crisis) on Jimmy Carter.
He was president from 1977 to 1981, more than 30 years ago.
I guess that they never heard of George W. Bush talking about "the ownership society". Or is it that they do not want to hear about it? Remember? The American Dream: "owning your own house"?
Every American should be able to own his own house and for that reason Bush promoted sub-prime mortgages. (They were also promoted in those days by, yes, him again, Grover Norquist.)
"We're creating...an ownership society in this country, where more Americans than ever will be able to open up their door where they live and say, welcome to my house, welcome to my piece of property," George W. Bush, October 2004.
Most Republicans also blame the financial crisis on the mortgage companies Fannie and Freddy. It's not the lack of regulation in the financial sector, noooooo, Fannie and Freddy did it!
Ever heard of Countrywide?
I advise these people to read this article, though I am afraid it will not help: The Big Lie - NYT

Iowa Caucuses

January 4, 2012
1 and 2. Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney tied

To be precise: Romney won by eight votes, but does that really matter?
It looks more like a victory for Rick Santorum.

3. Ron Paul
4. Newt Gingrich
5. Rick Perry
6. Michele Bachmann

I think that the victory of Rick Santorum tells more about Iowa (The majority of the Republican voters is Evangelical and born-again Christian) than about his chances to become the Republican Nominee. But it definitely will give him some momentum. And…, we can finally say goodbye to Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry.
Didn’t I say that early in the race about Newt Gingrich? Oh well!
Link: Romney Wins Iowa Caucus by 8 Votes

What are the Iowa caucuses?

January 3, 2011.
During the Iowa caucuses party members come together in schools, community centers etc. At those meetings delegates will be chosen for the "county convention." At the county convention delegates will be elected for the statewide conventions.
At the statewide convention delegates are ultimately selected for the National Convention.

At the meetings in the neighborhoods (Iowa counts almost 1800 precincts) there will be discussions and speeches.
The participating residents will try to persuade others to vote for their favorite candidate. "Grass roots politics" it is called in the USA, though this is not entirely true.
This year, for example, Romney has a much better organization than other candidates like Newt Gingrich. This means that in almost every precinct someone will hold a pro-Romney speech.

The campaigning and the discussions will be followed by a vote. The vote could for instance result in six delegates to the county convention for Mitt Romney, three for Rick Santorum and two for Ron Paul.

A caucus therefore requires a pretty intensive participation of the voters. Yet there are still some 100,000 people participating in the Iowa caucuses.

Link: Iowa Has Hogged First Place in Our Political Line Too Long - The Atlantic

Republicans change their mind after heavy political pressure.

December 23, 2011
At last House Republican leaders gave in to the heavy political pressure from Democrats and leaders in their own party, and accepted a short-term pay roll tax cut. One of the leaders who pushed for a compromise was Republican senator Mitch McConnell. And rightly so. The rejection of the tax cut, thanks to the Tea Party representatives in the House, was the most stupid political move in years.
See: House G.O.P. Leaders Agree to Extension of Payroll Tax Cut - NYT

GOP shoots itself in the foot

December 21, 2011
Tea Party House members do not like the pay roll tax cut at all, so they say they want an extension for a year, not just for two months.
Yes we know, it sounds weird.
More than two million Americans are going to lose their unemployment benefits, and 160 million Americans their payroll tax cut. And then there is also a problem with Medicare. Even the Wall Street Journal is embarrassed, about the latest Republican move.
Everybody went home for christmas. And Obama is rising in the polls. Holy crap! What now?
WSJ online
Obama Gets a Lift From Tax Battle With Republicans - NYT

December 20, 2011
Republicans in House Reject Deal Extending Payroll Tax Cut - NYT

Christopher Hitchens.

December 17, 2011 This week Crhristopher Hitchens died. An article about Hitchens from Vanity Fair was published on the YAHOO web site. A lot of the comments from readers give a pretty good idea of existing religious intolerance in the USA.
See: Christopher Hitchens, writer and Vanity Fair contributor, dies at 62

December 16, 2011
Fact check republican debate 12-15-NYT

The Caucus: Iowa Debate Fact Check
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: December 16, 2011 New York Times reporters examined candidates' statements on Iran, immigration, the national debt and more, during the Republican presidential debate in Sioux City, Iowa.

December 15, 2011
Tonight last republican debate before the Iowa primary. Live stream at foxnews.com

And it will be all about Romney, Gingrich and Paul.

December 11, 2011
Watch the video of the IOWA republican debate here

December 6, 2011
In Iowa, Gingrich Is Gaining Favor, New Poll Shows - NYT

November 27, 2011.
Norquist: Democrats are lying

picture: Gage Skidmore

According to Norquist the Democrats should not blame him for the budget gridlock in congress. And if they do they are lying. Norquist is a political lobbyist who wants to destroy the government. An infamous quote from him is: "My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub."
He is forcing republican politicians to promise that they will not raise taxes. Those who do not want to sign "the pledge" not to raise taxes, or "break" the pledge, will be confronted in the primary elections with very strong "well-funded" opponents. Guess where all that money for these opponents is coming from.
He has never been elected by the people into a public office. He cannot be held accountable for what he is doing. He is a lobbyist. The existence of people like him is symptomatic for what is wrong with America.
LINKS: Norquist - CNN
No deal in sight, says super committee co-chair - CNN

November 25, 2011
Mitt Romney in his own words and by his own standards

November 22, 2011
Republican debate fact checks see: elections - New York Times

November 18, 2011
Herman Cain: Taliban in Libya

These Republican candidates are scary!

November 17, 2011
Millionaires want congress to raise their taxes - CNN Money

November 16, 2011
Oops! Now it is Herman Cain

Libya was front page news for almost a year, but Herman Cain knows less about the subject than a 5th grader.
He also seems to have missed the whole discussion about collective bargaining.
Palin, Bachmann, Perry, Cain.... The GOP has a huge problem. The only serious Republican candidate seems to be Mitt Romney.
See: Cain stumbles on Libya question - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

November 9, 2011.
Republican Debate: Cain keeps denying accusations, Perry suffers a memory lapse.

Andy Rooney (January 14, 1919 – November 4, 2011)

November 6, 2011

Andy Rooney quotes:
“Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress. Ladies, I apologize. For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?", here's an update for you. Nowadays 80%of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!” ― Andy Rooney

“I’m always on the lookout for something good about people; sometimes months go by.” - Andy Rooney
Accolades for Rooney, a Doubter of Accolades - NYT
Andy Rooney - Wikipedia

November 4, 2011.
Mitch McConnell; The pot calling the kettle black.

According to TIME and AP Mitch McConnel, the republican minority leader in the U.S. Senate said:
"The truth is, Democrats are more interested in building a campaign message than in rebuilding roads and bridges," ... "And frankly, the American people deserve a lot better than that."
He said this after the republicans blocked Obama's "Construction Bill" because of its tax surcharge on the wealthy and the spending totals that were too high, according to this report.
What did McConnell himself say last year?
"The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."
Psychologists call this phenomenon "projection" - a defense mechanism by which your own traits and emotions are attributed to someone else.

Income inequality

November 3, 2011.
I have presented this table before on this site. But because a lot of people in the USA are flatly denying the enormous income inequality in the USA, we do it again!
The number on the right is the Gini index.
Oh, and the inequality in wealth is even bigger.
Source: CIA World Fact Book
Go there if you want to see the complete list.

33 Uruguay	47.10
34 Ecuador	46.90
35 Rwanda	46.80
36 Philippines 45.8	45.80
37 Uganda	45.70
38 Jamaica	45.50
39 United States 45.0	45.00
40 Cameroon 44.6	44.60
41 Cote d'Ivoire 44.6	44.60
42 Iran	44.50
43 Malaysia 44.1	44.10
44 Nigeria	43.70

Top Earners Doubled Share of Nation’s Income, Study Finds - NYT

By ROBERT PEAR
Published: October 25, 2011
A new report from the Congressional Budget Office is likely to figure prominently in the escalating political fight over the economy.

Republican debate 10-18-2011 highlights CNN

If you can sleep after reading this article, you are a very calm person (or very wealthy).

October 19, 2011
GOP: ‘Deregulate Wall Street!’ - Washington Post

9-9-9 a disaster for the middle class and the poor - WP

Irresponsible people.

10-12-2011
I watched the republican debate on TV. What I saw was a bunch of self-satisfied politicians without any plan for the economy. They have tried to block every effort to improve the economic situation of the unemployed and the people who are afraid to lose their job.
These are the politicians who only want to talk about spending cuts, tax cuts and the national debt, not about practical solutions for the unemployment problem. This is the political party that has been stalling unemployment benefit extensions, whenever possible.
They are blaming the bad economic situation on Obama, while he is actually the one who has been doing something about it. The Obama administration saved capitalism, after the republican party had been running the economy into the ground.
The only plan they have is 'deregulation of the financial system', while it was excessive deregulation that brought the system down.
A week ago Romney said that the occupy Wall Street movement was dangerous and that it was "class warfare". This week he told us that he does not worry about the 1% rich but that he worries about the other 99%.
Mr Cain said last week: "If you are not rich, blame yourself."
This is what he said about his statement during the debate:
MS. GOLDMAN: Mr. Cain -- (applause) -- you recently said, quoting you: Don't blame Wall Street, don't blame the big banks; if you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself.
So are you telling the 14 million unemployed Americans that it's their fault that they don't have a job?
MR. CAIN: No, the question was -- that response was directed at the people that are protesting on Wall Street, not that 14 million people who are out of work for no reason of their own other than that the economy is not growing, not the millions of people that are underemployed.
That statement was not directed at them. It was specifically directed at the people who were protesting on Wall Street. And I also said that they have basically targeted the wrong target. It should be against the failed policies of this administration, not Wall Street, is where they should be protesting.

During the same debate Mr. Cain was touting his ridiculous 9-9-9 plan. 9% income tax, 9% sales tax and 9% corporate tax. Translated correctly it means: abandon the progressivity of the U.S. tax system. Have the poor pay more taxes, and let the rich pay even less than they already do. Yes it will also raise the deficit, but who cares? Not Mr Cain.

Republicans vote down Obama's stimulus plan.

see: President’s Jobs Measure Is Turned Back in Key Senate Test - NYT
By ROBERT PEAR Published: October 11, 2011 The White House and Congressional Democrats are developing plans to revive elements of what had been portrayed as the centerpiece of Mr. Obama’s push to revive a listless economy.

A majority of the American people support Obama's stimulus plan

But a majority of the American people support the plan
Americans, unlike the Senate, approve of Obama’s jobs bill, poll says By Rachel Rose Hartman - Yahoo - The Ticket

Republican presidential debates: transcripts.

October 11, 2011
seventh debate 1-11-2011 - Washington Post

Watch the full debate video HERE.

Think Again: The Era of the 'One Percent'

This material [article] was published by the Center for American Progress

By Eric Alterman | October 6, 2011

Whether one agrees or disagrees with the tactics of the Occupy Wall Street movement, it’s easy to understand the inspiration for its anger as well as its impatience.

“Historical movements,” the historian Mary Jo Buhle rightly notes, “are rarely judged solely in the light they cast themselves.” In that sense it is a decidedly risky business to try to draw too many hard and fast conclusions about the present moment in history. Even so, I think the Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz was as accurate as anyone is likely to be when he pronounced our age—and our government—to be one “of the one percent, by the one percent, for the one percent.”

Think about it: In 1974 the top 0.1 percent of American families enjoyed 2.7 percent of all income in the country. By 2007 this same tiny slice of the population had increased its holdings to fully 12.3 percent—roughly five times as great a piece of the pie as it had enjoyed just three decades earlier. Half the U.S. population owns barely 2 percent of its wealth, putting the United States near Rwanda and Uganda and below such nations as pre-Arab Spring Tunisia and Egypt when measured by degrees of income inequality. READ MORE

It is not the voters; the Republican Voter ID policy is a fraud.

October 4, 2011
The Republicans are against government regulation, except where it concerns creating hurdles for Democratic voters.
Gerrymandering alone doesn't seem to be enough. To win the elections, honest democratic voters must be discouraged to vote whenever possible.
New State Rules Raising Hurdles at Voting Booth - NYT

Republican crowd: "Let uninsured die."

Just a reminder. This is what happened three weeks ago during a republican debate.
I wonder what the crowd's reaction would have been if this would have been about a family that lost its insurance because the provider lost his job. After watching this... I really do not know ... Though Ron Paul denies it, it is also what his message implies.
This should be broadcasted again the day before the 2012 election.

Republican echo chamber keeps repeating the same false statement that one stimulus job costs $280,000. (2)

Sept 20, 2011
Here is George Will's contribution:
"For two years, there has been one constant: As events have refuted the Obama administration's certitudes, it has retained its insufferable knowingness. It knew that the stimulus would hold unemployment below 8%. Oops. Unemployment has been at least 9% in 26 of the 30 months since the stimulus was passed. Michael Boskin of Stanford says that even if one charitably accepts the administration's self-serving estimate of jobs "created or saved" by the stimulus, each job cost $280,000 - five times America's median pay."
See: Our floundering ‘federal family’ - Washington Post
George Will belongs to the Republican family. Michael Boskin is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.
"The Hoover Institution is influential in the American conservative and libertarian movements. The Institution has long been a place of scholarship for high-profile conservatives with government experience." - See: Wikipedia
See also: Politifact - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Obama presents Debt-reduction plan

Sept 19, 2011

Clinton blames Koch and blue-collar pain for NY9 loss - Politico

More bad special election news for Obama

Sep 15, 2011 Nevada election bodes ill for Democrats - Politico

Carville: Obama should panic.

Sep 15, 2011 Carville to Obama: Fire your staff - Washington Post

Democrats lose in NYC congressional race

Sep 14, 2011
Republican candidate Turner beats Democrat Weprin. This certainly is not good for the Democrats and Obama. But on the other hand: maybe it is not such a big deal.
This analysis puts everything in perspective.
FiveThirtyEight: A Guide to Cutting Through Special-Election Spin

No Future.

Sep 11, 2011.
"Economic growth in the G7 economies excluding Japan will remain at an annualised rate of less than 1% in the second half of 2011. The debate over fiscal policy in the United States, the sovereign debt crisis in some countries of the euro area and the fact that governments have fewer options to boost growth are driving both business and consumer confidence downward. The extent of bank deleveraging, due to the impact of regulatory changes, may also have been underestimated. Earlier improvements in the labour market are now fading, hiring intentions are softening and there are greater risks that high unemployment could become entrenched.
On the upside, a number of OECD countries are taking serious fiscal and structural reform measures, which should boost confidence. President Obama's announcement later today is expected to provide a boost to job recovery in the United States.
Japanese growth is expected to be buoyed by the ongoing reconstruction efforts following the earthquake and tsunami. Inflation may have peaked in emerging markets, which will allow for some policy easing. Investment levels in many OECD countries remain well below historical averages, offering the possibility for renewed corporate spending in the coming months if uncertainty abates."
OECD press conference Sep 9, 2011.
See: HERE

This OECD-graph speaks for itself.
This is what we got after stimulus policies that were not big enough, and the recent policy in the major industrialized countries of cuts in public spending.
And more fiscal austerity is to be expected...

decline in growth

Why are e-books (kindle, nook) more expensive than the paperbacks?

I remember that, when the first music CD's were sold (beginning of the 80's?), they were extremely overpriced.
It looks as if the same thing is happening right now with the ebooks (kindle and nook).
I cannot imagine that the production costs per e-book are, apart from the authors advance, more than a couple of dollars, while the production costs of paperbacks and hardcovers must be a lot higher (paper cost, printing, cutting, binding, transport, storage). And then there are also the environmental costs of course.
Today I wanted to buy Aftershock (Robert Reich) at half price books (price $ 7.98). Then I thought: maybe I should buy the kindle book, because my study is already filled with clutter (mostly books).
I went to the Amazon web site. The price of the aftershock paperback is $ 8.74 (NEW). The price of the kindle book (digital file!) is $ 11.99! The same thing with Barnes and Nobles' Nook (11.99) versus $8.81 for the paperback. This sucks.

blog comments powered by Disqus

Republican echo chamber keeps repeating the same false statements about the stimulus

9-1-2011
Before you start reading the anti-stimulus story, you better first read what politifact wrote about it: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
That will save you a lot of time.
But because we are fair we give you the opportunity to read the anti-Obama story: HERE
The Daily Kos also wrote about the CBO's stimulus report, that was published yesterday: HERE

The 1930's revisited.

9-1-2011
See: The New Resentment of the Poor - New York Times
Published: August 30, 2011
Several top Republicans want to raise taxes on the poor and working class. But the problem is how many Americans are poor, not how much they pay in taxes.

Guess who is responsible for almost half of the debt?

8-27-2011.

Yes, the Republican president George W. Bush.
The people who are now fanatic budget hawks, were his most enthusiastic supporters. Also remember Dick Cheney (his vice-president), who said "Deficits don't matter". I wonder what he writes about that in his memoirs. Why wasn't there a Tea Party when Bush was president? Was it because he was not a Democrat? Hmm!
See: How the U.S. Got $14 Trillion in Debt and Who Are the Creditors

For the story in Business Insider about income inequality go to:
15 Mind-Blowing Facts About Wealth And Inequality In America

Class Warfare

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Seven ways Rick Perry wants to change the Constitution

Another right-wing radical: Rick Perry.

8-18-2011

But a radical who tries to appeal to conservative evangelicals, libertarians, tea-partiers (though the party seems to be over for them) and the GOP establishment.
If you really want to know more about him go here - Christian Science Monitor.
You can also find a lot of information if you go here - en.wikipedia.org
And why not go over here: Krugman - The Texas Unmiracle - NYT for a more balanced view.

Wisconsin Democrats win last two recall elections

8-16-2011
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A setback for Obama's Health Care Law

August 12, 2011.
Let's hope that this is only a setback, and nothing more than that.
Health Law Is Dealt Blow by a Court on Mandate - NYT

CNN Poll

August 11, 2011
Almost two-thirds of the respondents is against major changes to medicare and social security. And 63 percent wants higher taxes for higher income Americans and businesses. more

Wisconsin Republicans keep majority in state senate

August 9, 2011
See: Recall elections

Freedom of religion

August 6, 2012
Texas Governor Rick Perry is going to address a prayer rally attended by conservative christians, I read in an Associated Press article.
"The rally is financed by The American Family Association, a Tupelo, Miss.-based group that opposes abortion and gay rights and believes that the First Amendment freedom of religion applies only to Christians."
What????? (...)and believes that the First Amendment freedom of religion applies only to Christians.
Oh really?
See here

Best medicine against the debt: economic growth.

>
July 31, 2011
Maybe a bit hard to understand for tea-partiers, but not for the rest of us.
Debt Problem’s Sure Cure: Economic Growth - NYT

Kucinich proves that Walker's anti-union bill was an ideological move

April 25, 2011. Senator Dennis Kucinich exposes the real intentions underlying this bill and proves that stripping the bargaining rights has nothing to do with "repairing" the state budget.
Watch how Walker is trying to spin the story.