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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (147762)	11/1/2012 2:14:23 PM
From: Ann Corrigan	3 Recommendations Respond to of 224724

WashPO:"..it is extraordinary how shrunken liberalism has become." Excerpt: After four years of Barack Obama and two clarifying presidential debates, it is extraordinary how shrunken liberalism has become. During his much-praised town hall performance, the president set out a second-term agenda of stunning humility. Enumerating the reasons that the "future is bright," Obama proposed tax incentives for domestic investment, trade promotion, greater investment in solar and wind power, road and bridge construction, broader job retraining in community colleges and higher marginal tax rates on the wealthy. He added pledges to defend Medicare and Planned Parenthood against barbarian assault. The candidate was energized; the agenda remained tired. Taken together, Obama's proposals have little ambition or thematic coherence. They add up to the Marginally Greater Society. It helps little to repeat the words "middle class" over and over in an attempt at political hypnosis. After four years of weary wandering in the economic wilderness, Obama is still incapable of describing the Promised Land. As the agenda of a liberal president, the silences were particularly notable. At Hofstra, Obama gave no sustained attention to poverty, though 6 million Americans have fallen below the poverty line since 2008. (At the town hall, Romney used the word "poverty" five times; Obama never did.) Obama did not mention the scandalous failure of public schools to teach minority children. He laid little emphasis, Keynesian or otherwise, on aggressively encouraging economic growth -- what John F. Kennedy called getting America "moving again." There was no mention of global warming, though Obama once predicted that his "presidency will mark a new chapter in America's leadership on climate change." Bill Clinton had the capability of weaving an agenda of modest economic proposals into a narrative of Democratic moderation and responsibility. Obama's agenda just seems weary, following a health care victory that cost him his House majority and exhausted his political capital. It is likely that Obama's main second-term accomplishment would be the defense of his main first-term achievement -- a health law that remains too unpopular to make a centerpiece of his campaign. Obama has largely set out to protect past ambitions, not project new ones. This may be the fate of any political liberal during a fiscal crisis. It is hard to be Lyndon Johnson with a trillion-dollar deficit. But the Obama agenda also reflects a broader shift in American liberalism, which has become reactive. American liberals often defend unreformed, unsustainable health entitlements -- even though these commitments place increasing burdens on the young to benefit those who are older and better off. They often defend the unrestricted right to abortion -- even though it represents a contraction of the circle of social inclusion and protection. They often defend the educational status quo -- even though it is one of the nation's main sources of racial and economic injustice. Others have termed this "reactionary liberalism." It is more the protection of accumulated interests than the application of creative reform to new problems. In the place of idealism, there is often anger. When Obama failed in his first debate, liberals were generally not critical that he lacked idealism. They were angry that he wasn't sufficiently angry. The fondest hopes and dreams of many on the left were apparently fulfilled in Joe Biden's sneer. As a conservative, I can't endorse every policy of the Great Society -- some were essential, others counterproductive. But America was better off because liberals called attention to those in the dawn, the twilight and the shadows of life. And American politics is worse off because liberalism has become a shadow of its former self. Washington Post Writers Group

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (147762)	11/1/2012 2:19:25 PM
From: TideGlider	3 Recommendations Respond to of 224724

Selling a seat on a regulatory board for a half million dollar campaign donation is serious corruption. I can't agree. Many people get confused by him saying it was just for a campaign donation. That isn't the biggest problem. The problem is the regulatory seat going to another corrupt person without concern for their agenda. State regulatory agencies will almost always be filled by political cronies, but for someone to purchase the seat is simply criminal.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (147762)	11/1/2012 2:46:51 PM
From: longnshort	4 Recommendations Respond to of 224724

Obama Administration Approved Assigning a Member of Al-Qaida to Handle Security at the U.S. Embassy in Tripoliby Betty Butter • October 31, 2012 • Politics • 2 Comments Are you surprised? I’m not. Mr. Hussein Obama has been aligned with the enemies of the United States since “Day One.” Oooh! Excuse me for telling the truth. A secret document that has been obtained by former terrorist turned peace advocate Walid Shoebat suggests the Obama administration apparently approved assigning a member of al-Qaida to handle security at the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli. According to a report published today by Shoebat, the confirmation comes from a letter dated Aug. 30, 2011, that informs the al-Qaida member that he now has responsibility for security in Tripoli, “to include all international embassies.” Read more here. This makes me too sick to write more.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (147762)	11/1/2012 2:47:57 PM
From: Jorj X Mckie	8 Recommendations Respond to of 224724

Have you noticed how the coal mining stocks have been rallying? The market knows that the war on coal is almost over. And Lisa Jackson is going to join the ranks of the unemployed..... that's one addition to the rolls of the unemployed that will actually be a good thing.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (147762)	11/1/2012 3:26:37 PM
From: longnshort	3 Recommendations Respond to of 224724

Students for Obama website becomes Students ‘no longer’ for Obama The grassroots group Let Freedom Ring (LFR) owns the domain for studentsforobama.org and is using it as a last minute push to lead student voters away from President Barack Obama in the week leading up to the election. Clemson University student John Paul Cassil sequestered the website from the Obama campaign in early October, by buying up the domain before Obama’s campaign was able to get to it. He is now working as an activist with LFR to convince college students that Obama does not have their best interests at heart. “We hope to gain as large of a movement as possible,” said Cassil in an interview. “Obviously, the domain name is attention-grabbing. We’ve had numerous people visit the website trying to get to the Obama campaign’s website who get to see why their peers have awakened to his failures.” The website opens with a personal video of a young man who says he voted for Obama in 2008 because of his charisma and energy but will no longer be supporting him because he has seen no economic improvements in either his life or the life of his friends. The website then asks you to click “continue” and the viewer is immediately re-directed to a website called “Students ‘No Longer’ For Obama.” “In the past four years, we have changed. We once supported President Obama. Obama made many good promises. Obama seemed non-partisan and willing to bring about change. He was charismatic. We were excited to see what would come of his administration,” the website text reads. “Sadly, Obama has failed us, instituting policies that have negatively affected us.” Studentsnolongerforobama.com features three videos of testimony from students who said they voted for Obama in the past but no longer will support him in 2012. “President Obama’s record is terrible, and students have noticed,” said Cassil. “Instead of bringing about that Hope and Change for a better life, he’s destroyed our chances of good careers. This administration is a roadblock in student’s career paths.” LFR is asking more non-Obama supporters to send their stories in in video format and is even offering a $2500 prize for the best video. Cassil is using social media and the draw of 15 awards of $500 or more in order to attract young people to the site and make a difference in the election. He is sure students will act once they realize how important this election will be for their careers and the rest of their lives. “Students, especially, have other concerns on their plate,” Cassil said. “They don’t have time for activism if a major test is due. However, once they realize that it is directly affecting them, their pocketbooks, and their careers, then they feel compelled to act.” So far, with such a short period of time it has only been able to collect four videos and there are only six days left. It is too early to tell whether their last minute efforts to turn students against Obama will have any affect at all on the election.