Richard Calderhead
The Fighting Liberal
The Fighting Liberal
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Richard Calderhead
The Fighting Liberal |
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QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The Public Option...available in 2012?????" - Itsez 2009...Start of the New American Century! Just look at Rachel Maddow's reaction to Obama's tardy action on Don't Ask Don't Tell! Every Special Interest Group wants Theirs...Now! Meanwhile, after 100 Plus Days…Obama has moved forward on MANY/MOST Fronts to achieve a Better, Fairer America. Or should I say…return us to where we used to be. That's the America I grew up in. It was not Perfect...by any means. We Won the War! We'd beaten back the Fascists and WarLords all over the World! Now the Boys Came Home…and The Can Do Generation was off and running...for our piece of the American Dream. America back then really DID feel Bold and Strong. And it felt like we were United...and working together. And for awhile…it all seemed to be possible. To be sure...there we're Gaps and Hiccups. Jackie Robinson broke the Baseball Color Barrier in way back in 1947. Now Obama is gazing into his Crystal Ball…wondering what will happen next? - California actually IS Bankrupt. Can he fix that? And on and on and on. Whew! Just remember this, Puppies: Barack Obama won in 2008. Obama got 69,000,000 Votes. It's not just that most of Big Business voted for McCain/Palin. 59,000,000 Americans were perfectly happy to CONTINUE THE REIGN OF ERROR OF GEORGE W. BUSH!!!!!! Wars and All. Katrina notwithstanding. Torture? Bring 'it on. Corrupt Wall Street? Who cares? And on and on and on. Can you IMAGINE America with Sarah Palin as Veep? So here we are…facing a Cloudy Future. And a VERY Murky Past.
If we did it Wrong the first time...why in the World Ah, Puppies...now we arrive at the Existential Divide in the American Experience. Oversimplifying...it's the Haves...who want absolutely nothing done to help the Less Fortunate...vs those who feel that We Are All In This Together...including the Least of Us. There are Ghouls on Wall Street who are DROOLING at the fact that California is a Basket Case...they plan to Make Scads of Money Off the Debacle!!! Let President Obama hear what YOU think about all this. Thank you. Itsez Who? A long-time Itsez follower and contributor said it was about time to upgrade this "Who I Am" feature. Good point. I am the only Living QUOTE OF THE DAY: "We're gonna get that Clown from Minnesotta!" - Sen. Imhoff 2009...Start of the New American Century! And when you hear the Apologists for the Fat Cats…you think you are listening to Martians! They angrily compare Fake Statistics to "Prove" to each other that absolutely Nothing has Changed...and certainly Nothing is Wrong! Dick Morris was rattling off His Favorite Statistics…about how Upper Income People now pay All the Taxes…and his audience audibly agreed with him. Sadly…it's We The People who have Lost the War. Our Interests have been totally subverted in favor of Big Business and The Wealthy. "We" allowed it to happen. We watched it happen…and We said nothing. All that Wealth…clustered at the very, very, very Top of the Economic Pyramid …has wildly distorted everything about America. And not for the better. I will list just a few examples to make my point: - An Imperial CEO is allowed to maximize his Retirement Package…including basing his Retirement on his Highest Salary…with oodles of Off the Books "extras" thrown in to Sweeten the Pie. - In the 1960s…the Home…that small slice of the American Dream…used to cost around $25,000…back in thet 1960s at the High Point of American Home Ownership (before it was distorted by the Wall Street Inspired Bubble)s. Then along came UberWealth…and Sensible American Homes became the McMansions by the Mile; Oversized, Overbuilt and overpriced. By Developers with nothing but Dollar Signs in their Eyes. - America used to be able to afford a visit to a Doctor. Or even a Hospital. - The fact that Bernie Made-off was able, year after year…to pull off his Gigantic Financial Ponzi Scam…is testimony to the absolute Insanity that swept Wall St. To pretend that NOBODY KNEW is beyond Laughable. Of COURSE "somebody knew." The only Question is, were they Insiders…keeping Mum because they were In On It…or were they "Regulators" who kept ignoring the Obvious? This was NOT just a Bush-Years Debacle; Madoff was Alive & Well during the Clinton Era…when Financial De-Regulation became "Disposable". "We"…that is, The People…actually Won the Last Battle…of Nov. 4, 2008.
We finally have a worthy successor to the Democratic - Taxes. That's Number One: We need to reinstate Progressive Taxation…to claw back some of that $33 Trillion. - Corporate Taxes. We've been led to believe that Corporate American CANNOT COMPETE because they are "burdened" with High Taxes. That's again simply LAUGHABLE. 61% of U.S. Corporations pay ZERO TAXES!!! - Tax Shelters/Loopholes/Offshore Hidden Accounts...must End. Period. - We need a National Debate on "Fair" Taxes. Harry Truman salary…our 33rd President…was paid $75,000 (later $100,000) But every Penny that Government spends…in D.C. or Podunk…needs to be accounted for, explained, and justified. Old, bad programs need to be shaped up or shipped out. About that $33 Trillion. That's an Official Number…estimated from Tax Returns, etc. Itsez is convinced that the actual number is MUCH higher. There's so much game playing and financial sleight of hand going on…who KNOWS how much is out there? Let President Obama hear what YOU think about all this. Thank you. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Don't Ask Don't Tell will soon be History." - Itsez 2009...Start of the New American Century! However…it's all come out O.K., with Coleman finally doing the right thing. That means Al Franken should be on the very next plane to D.C. We need him. "We"…are the Democrats. Who the Hell ARE "We"…anyway? Is Al Franken? Yep. He's actually Left of Center…he ran on the Democratic - Farmer - LABOR Line after all. I think Funnyman Al is a far wiser fellow than the guy who helped launch Saturday Night Live way back in 1975. What is all this proving? Wait…I'm not done yet. Is…Diane Feinstein? Hmmm? She comes out with some real Doozies. What about Chuck Schumer? I have my own real Schumer Story. It had to do with a concept I was working on with the Computer Sciences Department of CUNY.
I scheduled a meeting with Sen. Schumer in his NYC Offices. I quickly realized that I was getting brushed off. I confronted my host…and he candidly answered: "Can you IMAGINE if Sen. Schumer came out in support of something like this…Sandi Weill would be on the phone in 10 Seconds!!!" And that was the end of THAT meeting. (I'm still revolted at the Raw Power of Fat Sandy Weill…who even then was in the process of ruining one of my very best Clients…Citibank!) Or…what about Turncoat Arlen Specter? (He was originally a Democrat.) Clearly…we have a shocking number of Unreliables on our Team. That whole Passel of Blue Dog Democrats…DINOs, every one…who are like Ticking Bombs on every Vote. Who knows WHICH WAY they'll Vote? Democrats…REAL, FDR-style, "For The People" Democrats…hardly exist anymore. FDR refinanced nothing less than 20% of all America's Farms! In the next Election…only 2 States (Vt. And Me.) voted for the RepUglyCon!!! Let's play Obama for a moment. He's running down the List with Rahmbo Emanuel, adding up the Certain Votes. They keep hitting the (???) "Democrats." At which point Rahmbo does a Rope-a-Dope: We used to be known as The Party of the Big Tent. So here we are…Welcoming Senator Al Franken aboard…and Democrats are asking: "Now that we FINALLY have 60 Votes…is 60 Votes going to do it?" Let President Obama hear what YOU think about all this. Thank you. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Four DAYS after Glass-Steagall passed...Citi hired Rubin." - Itsez 2009...Start of the New American Century! And the Political Party that Four-Square with Big Money and Big Business...is the RepUglyCon Party. They have done and continue to do…EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER to Subvert the Republic…to make it Safe for Oligarchs! Of course they Deny It All…and constantly point to such worthies as Andrew Carnegie...and extol the virtues of Foundations and Charities and all that. Which, has become, much of the time, sad to say, Pure Smoke and Mirrors. With their Loss of Power, the RepUglies are reduced to a Single Word: "No." Right now their major "No Votes" are against: Puppies…these Greedy Cretins simply HAVE TO GO! 1. Climate Change. The World's Scientists are virtually UNANIMOUS in their Alarm concerning Climate Change. What they see coming…much faster than earlier estimates…is a Planet that is Sick…possibly beyond redemption! And all the RepUglies can say is: "No!" (They call it a Hoax.) 2. Judge Sotomayor. Nothing suggests she's anything but what we see: And all the RepUglies can say is: "No! (They call her an "Activist Judge".) 3. Healthcare Reform. Itsez Readers know there is virtually NO Valid Argument left to cause America to wait a single DAY more to throw out "For Profit" Healthcare…in favor of the long overdue Public Option. And all the RepUglies can say is: "No! (They call it "Socialist".) The new most Disgusting Word in the English Language is now…Recision. Recision: The Willful Denial of Healthcare for Sick Americans by the Insurance Ghouls…in favor of Astronomical Corporate Profits! Even after all this time…and with Right on our side…we are not going to join the rest of the Civilized World...and adopt a Universal Single Payer System. But we absolutely WILL - finally - get a viable Public Option. If Wealthy Americans want to keep their Expensive Insurance...let 'em! It's become blatantly obvious that the Rich can have Operations any time they want...for ANY REASON...and Live (on Average) 10 Years Longer than mere "Ordinary Americans." Did Steve Jobs have to wait in line for a Healthy New Liver? Nope. SOMEBODY got pushed aside in favor of Steve Jobs. OK…fine...but where exactly can President Obama find a Big Stick 1. Facts. Facts are Powerful Weapons. And the more we learn about the harsh Realities of the Medical Insurance Comples…the more certain we are of DEFEATING them. We keep learning more and more and more about how Egregious the Insurance Industry has been…in throwing the Sick under the Bus. In Denying Healthcare to the American Public!!! (This is now coming out at Public Hearings. It's now part of the Official Record. Let's ACT on it!) During the horrible Bush Era...all things Progressive were Denied. But now we're learning the True Facts...and what we're learning is nothing less than Burying The RepUglyCon Party! 2. Grass Roots Pressure. This is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL for Obama…which he so adroitly proved last November. So the Big Stick here is to assemble the Facts, and them get them out there in front of the American People. (One small glitch: Young people think they will live forever, so for many of them Healthcare is something of an abstraction. But when Family and Friends get sick and CANNOT afford Healthcare...they get the Message!)
NOW is the time to
write letters, make phone calls, send emails...and drive
home the point...to Foot Dragin' Obama himself needs to craft a Definitive New Battle Cry. All Americans remember Reagan: "Mr. Gorbachev….Tear Down This Wall!" Let President Obama hear what YOU think about all this. Thank you. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The Euphoria of the November Election is...gone." - Letter To Editor 2009...Start of the New American Century! The Times weeds though incoming emails and posts those that are deemed… "Acceptable." The response to Friday was...disturbing. (It will be interesting to check the Volume on Today's Column...about the Climate Change Vote.) Hmmm. How to report on this? Itsez condenses Long Stories…or in this case scads of emails...into short, easy-to-read Reports. With the email stream...this includes grouping the Facts; letters talking about Cost can be scattered in among remarks on Care...or Cowardice. One of my Ad Accounts, way back when…was the launch of Book Digest; it was a Great Idea (who has TIME to read all those New Books???). My part was a major success; too bad the owners were in such a hurry; they yanked the account, took it to Wells Rich Green....where it promptly died. RIP. Since I am not at liberty to reprint The Times' Letters…I'll recap…paraphrasing the Highlights. My own take on Obama: He's very Calm, Cool and Collected. He's trying to Pick his Shots. He has SO MANY "Burning Issues" that Hip-Shooting is absolutely NOT the right Answer. So here are Selected Comments from Krugman's Readers: - We will spend (est.) $3.3 TRILLION on Drugs in the next 10 years. - Your current Healthcare Dollar flows to CEOs and Investors: .30¢ of Every Dollar! (Meanwhile…the VA takes just .03¢ for "Admin" Costs.) - A major "Healthcare" CEO took home $1.5 Billion in the past few years! - Max Baucus (did you say...DEMOCRAT???)...took in $15,000 from Special Interests…for every day he's been in office! Yikes! - 100,000,000 Americans have ZERO Dental Insurance. - Bill Kristol urged Republicans to "Kill On Sight" ANY Clinton Plan.
Then comes the spontaneous outpouring of...Wimp Talk: - Obama is called…a Fraud. (Hey…just letting you know what they said!) - Several commented on Obama's huge Majority...if not Now...When? That's a Sampling of the Comments. In the face of all the Facts and Figures (which are, of course, Denied and Denigrated by the Hard Right)...one might ask: "What's the Holdup?" Krugman is Correct: It's time for a Frederick the Great Moment: Oh...and one last comment: "...and in the end…I want the right to No Heroic Measures…just let me go Die." (I have a LOT to say on that score…another day.) Let President Obama hear what YOU think about all this. Here's the only link you'll need: www.whitehouse.gov Thank you. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Michelle Bachmann fears INTERNMENT!!!?" - Itsez (?) 2009...Start of the New American Century! In Iraq…our 130,000 troops are about to pull out of the Cities. Last I looked, the Iraqis were busy blowing each other up…by the dozen. With no US troops just around the corner…THEN what will happen??? Rachel Maddow (Bless Her Gay Little Heart) reminds us that the Iraq will Signal our Departure by…"auctioning off Iraq's Oil Fields"…to the Highest Oil Company Bidders"!!! Mission Accomplished, indeed. (Wasn't that what the Misguided Iraq War was actually all about in the first place? Hmmm?) But reel us back to the Good Ole USA. Barack Obama couldn't try to fix the front door of a Local Dog Pound without some Raving RepUglyCon screaming about it Earmarks, Pork & Big Gov. Now we hear that "They" are lining up against Justice Sotomayor. Two Major Blue states - CA and NY - are reeling from Financial Disaster and Dysfunctional State Legislatures. Dems scream "More Taxes" and Reps Respond "No Taxes" leaving both States paralyzed. You keep hearing about those "Green Shoots". Huh? One quick example: Joe is a 50 year old executive. Or was. For a long time he had a pretty good job on Wall Street. As a Typical HENRY…High Earnings - Not Rich Yet, he had a "Good Job" with all the Perks; a pretty wife…a "nice home" in the "Suburbs" (New Jersey is "called" a Suburb…too bad it's an Armpit sorta place…laced with highways, industrial sites…some falling down…and all the other detritus of Urban Sprawl and TOTAL Absence of any sort of Town Planning or GreenBelt thinking)...but it's an Easy Commute from NYC. Only now the 6-figure Salary has stopped. He's dazed…"WhatdoIdonow"? He's THINKING of Selling the House…and Downsizing. As if Buyers are lined up out there waiting to buy his Rapidly Declining in Value Piece of the American Dream. Joe meets regularly with droves of other guys…who are all in the same boat. He's one of the "Lucky Ones", because he still actually has Money In the Bank …and at least SOME value left in that House. But…large numbers of people like this will WAIT TOO LONG…before acting. For every Ex-Wall Streeter…there are hundreds of Ordinary Joes who have been laid off…and are already in Dire Straights. They have no Savings to speak of...many of them took out "Equity" in their houses to fund Spending on "Crap"...and now they're REALLY in Trouble.
Every day, more and more and more Americans So…Let's Play Obama: 1. Let's Rank the Problems. OBAMA'S PHONE IS RINGING…EVERY DAY…and EVERY NIGHT! The Answer: We're all in this together...and it's High Time we started acting that way. We are lucky to finally have a CEO who is capable of dealing with the incredible fist-full of Real and Potential Disasters we face. Let President Obama hear from you. My Very Own Michael Jackson Story: I was in Morocco in 1985. I was in a typical Moroccan Town...with those famous Mud Buildings...and a guide asked what I would like to find for a Souvenir. I said: "Some local Pottery. He said: "Follow me!" We went down an alley, around a corner...deep into the "Neighborhood" (no other Tourists anywhere in sight)...and up some steps (again...made of the Local Earthen materials)...and into a typical Moroccan Peasant home. The Elder Lady...heard our request (translated into Arabic)...and sent her kid scampering off to find some pots. We were served Green Tea...and then the Teen Age son asked in passable English if we'd like to here some "Musik?" I said "Sure"...thinking Local Folk unes. He whipped back a black curtain...revealed a Stereo Unit...hit the Button...and out blared: "Michael Jackson...doing Thrilla!" Michael was EVERYWHERE! (Oh, and I got myself a Nice Pot. For 30 Dirham!) Have a Great Weekend. And...Relax. QUOTE OF THE DAY: Juan Williams Has To Go!" - Itsez 2009...Start of the New American Century! The next time you encounter a Billionaire…ask him where his $ Billion came from? Here are some likely responses: "Tobacco." Yeah, the guy with the Biggest Paycheck last year turns out to be the CEO of Phillip Morris! Uh…unless you've forgotten…that means he got VERY RICH selling…Death! The Numbers speak for themselves: 400,000,000 Americans DIE every year…from Tobacco Smoking!!! And he gets paid $ MILLIONS??? Then there's Big Oil. Oh, they get paid REALLY WELL…as they go merrily along, merely Destroying Planet Earth. Then there are the Biggest Laughers of All…the Banksters. Guys with suitcases jammed full of Money have been landing on Caribbean Islands for DECADES. And we'll never see that Money again. Meanwhile, in NY City…the "Rent Control" Board just passed another RENT INCREASE!!! These people really and truly ARE the Worst Persons in the World; in the face of declining Rents for both Residential and Commercial Properties… Bloomberg's Stacked Board just voted for a new Rent INCREASE!! The whole Disgusting Story of New York's Landlord Class is absolutely DISGUSTING. Too bad it's also an Untouchable Story. Even the New York Times avoids any clear-eyed reporting on that topic...like the Plque. Some years ago I knew a fine, Older Gentleman. He was always perfectly turned out in tailored suit and polished shoes. Such a Fine Man. His conduct was so EGREGIOUS in fact, that after HUNDREDS of Citations (his Lawyer kept finding Loopholes to squeek past the Law)…the Authorities finally clamped down on him; his were the Cockroach-ridden, Leaky-Toilet sort of Tenements they wrote books about. Then there was the Luxury Building (on Park Avenue, no less)…where services were notoriously shoddy. The elevators were constantly "out of service", etc. They, too, never bother to pick up the phone when tenants…"Complain." To sum up…the Banksters are Laughing because they think they've Won Again. OK…there is the Rare Exception: The odd Bernie Made-Off…who actually WILL do some Time Hard Time…but for most of them…it's hop on a plane and fly off to a Sunny Clime and Loll About in Luxury. What to do about all this? 1. First…we're about to have a New Leash on Life. Reagan, et al (and that DOES include Clinton!) allowed the Very Worst Abuses to go…Unnoticed. Let President Obama hear what YOU think about all this. Here's the only link you'll need: www.whitehouse.gov Thank you. Soon I'll take on that Other Untouchable: The Military. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'm from the Government...and I'm here to Help!" - President Ronnie Comments on our Brilliant President's Press Conference! I wallow in it; I feel like Bo the Pup must feel at Tummy-Tickle Time: Obama stepped up to cover (3) Topics: 1. Iran: "I'm keeping my comments low-key on purpose. I refuse to become a Foil for Iranian Hardliners who would love to use comments from me to make it appear that America is the Problem. He (gently) deplored the Stolen Election and the murder of Neda Soltani. In an unbelievably ironic Farsi Twist...the actual name of the Official Iranian Broadcasing Building is...Jam-e-Jam! (I kid you not.) While the really Fair and Balanced Reporters were lapping Up Obama's comments...the Boys from Fox were gnashing their teeth. When their man got a shot…he sneeringly asked "What took you so long?" …which Obama deftly deflected. Much as he deflected that Fly the other day. 2. The Clean Energy Economy: This is HUGE; it happens not to be Topic One in the Public's Mind…but Obama summed it up this way: He sweetened the news with "and it will be Paid For by The Polluters!" 3. Healthcare: That absolutely SHOULD be Topic #1. Skipping over the Details…he's absolutely thrown down the Gauntlet to Retard Kapitalists…(who are doing everything…again…to as usual...to block/stall/ delay...Universal Healthcare). He did it deftly...and twisted the Knife real hard: "If The Markets are so much better than Government... Obama has Perfect Pitch here: They've HAD THEIR CHANCE. Obama continues: "I've left you a Place at the Table...so Prove It!" (Itsez Note: There will always be Super-Expensive Medicine and Care for the UberRich. That's Life. When the Shah of Iran needed an Operation...he flew to America, not Switzerland.) Obama is going to finally EVEN THE PLAYING FIELD…for Healthcare. And THEN let's see how much Vaunted Free Market Competition is going to do to make THEIR Product as good or better than ObamaCare? And how how are Murdoch's Minions Responding to this Superb Perfmormance? 1. They're still calling him Weak and Wonky. But frankly, during this 24-hour New Cycle...they sounded shrill. Even John Bolton reminded them that America cannot Promise Help to Iranians...10,000 miles away...knowing there is Nothing Under the Sun we can DO for them. This is NOT Bosnia, for example. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "In less than 5 years...Power from our Rooftops will be Cheaper than Power from the Wall Plug!" - Itsez 2009...Start of the New American Century! Asked if they would be "willing" to pay MORE in Taxes to implement Universal Healthcare…64% of those earning less than $50,000 said Yes; only 52% of those earning MORE than $50,000 agreed! Huh? Right there we have it…Right Between The Eyes! In places like the UberAffluent Orange County, CA (solid Reagan-land)…they HATE and LOATHE taxes. OK, OK…we know all this. Where do we go from here? Just take a quick look at these STAGGERING Numbers: It is literally OBSCENE that the Rich and Powerful United States of America should be staggering along with Interest Payments on DEBT…OF $700 Billion, year after year…with NO END IN SIGHT! Imagine if we DIDN'T have that Debt? We could either deploy Tax Money for worthy causes…or actually even REDUCE Taxes. Remember: Clinton was Balancing the Budget; Bush let it fly of the Charts. Now…what about our Military? I will state without the POSSIBILITY of Correction…that America Could and Should…slash that budget IN HALF. Now…it's NOT just the Feds; it's States, Cities and Towns that are leaching Tax Dollars out of us. And STILL they can't Balance their Budgets. Think NY and California. There's the story of a Senior in the Northeast…who's retired on $12,000 a year. 30 years ago he built himself a small cottage in the woods. Today…with Property Inflation…they're after him every year for $2,500 in Taxes!!! In New York's Hamptons, ordinary Homeowners have seen their Property Taxes climb inexorably; as the money gushed in…the Towns gave themselves raises and hired new staff and "spiffed up" their quarters. Now they need the Property Taxes to pay for their excesses! States Sock It To the Little Guy…with taxes on everything…from Gas to Car Registration, etc., etc. to keep up with their Rising Costs of Government. Enter ObamaCare. It Can't and it Won't be Free. But it must to be done. So what now? NOT Raise Taxes? We also need to IMMEDIATELY rein in the Cost of Obama has said all this. Democrats: Wake Up! We should be working Night and Day to lessen the Tax Burden on Stressed Out Americans. ObamaCare will cost money...but in the end it will Save Money...and Lives...by delivering Much Better Healthcare to All Americans. Tell the President what YOU think. Here's the only link you'll need: www.whitehouse.gov Thank you. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It's not the Voting...it's the Counting!" - Tom Stoppard 2009...Start of the New American Century! How IS it that all those countries can "somehow" manage Universal Healthcare. FDR tried to get Healthcare for all Americans. And even he failed. He was speaking at the DLC the other night…and for a moment you could almost touch the Greatness that eludes him. When he entered the White House, the public was all set for Universal Healthcare. It Was Time.
And he knows not to Over-reach. And now, suddenly, a mere 5 months after Inauguration...we now have
the Outline of Obamacare to discuss.
There are Six (6) Key Features. I. A Public Health Alternative. Note: You DO know, of course, that when FDR approved the plans for the gigantic Pentagon...his vision for that Vast Pile after we Won the War...was to convert it to Civilian Use...as a Giant Hospital? (It's True...you could look it up.) And...please remember: If you want to keep your Old, Expensive Medical Plan, you are free to do so. There you have it. WAS THAT SO HARD? I ask again: Could America Really Ask For More? Tell the President what YOU think. Here's the only link you'll need: www.whitehouse.gov Thank you. 1% of Americans own over 1/3 of all our Wealth! Our America, Circa 2008 This is CRUCIALLY important; With only 14 days to go, it's still Nail Biting Time...and it reminded me of the big song from The Man from La Mancha: "To dream the Impossible Dream
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Part of it is the Hope Thing: When you dangle Hope out there in front of Millions of Americans…and Hope is pretty much whatever People Want Most… there are bound to be lots and lots of Americans who feel…Forgotten, Ignored, Left Out, Pushed Aside…etc., etc., etc. 
American (that I know of) who was eye-witness to both Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. 
America is now at war with itself. It's an Undeclared War...but this time it is a genuine Class War. As in: "Who Gets to Keep All The Money?"
They did not rest until the Supreme Court awarded Bush the Presidency. 
This much we know: Since the Beginning of Time…the vast majority of Wealthy Americans are anything but Democrats. That's espeically true of the Very Rich. 
Last Friday, Krugman suggested that Obama needed more…"Audacity."
Whack-O Kim really IS about to fire off a Rocket. While I don't think it's going to land in Downtown Honolulu…why do we have to even Wonder about it? 
Now they're sneeringly passing out Giant Bonuses and Fat Pay Raises. Again. 
Right now…with the Whole Cast of Nattering Nabobs Yackedooing over this "Error" or that "Mistake"…and with Dueling Poll Numbers suggesting that his popularity is either Soaring…or he's sliding inexorably down the Slippery Slope toward Oblivion…Barack Obama stands (naked) before the Press Corps…and absolutely Aces The Test! 
Ah! Now THAT'S the Rub, isn't it? How do we define "Our Share?"
Tomorrow will be All Obama…but today Itsez wants to put the Final Nail in George Bush's Coffin.