Thom Hartmann - Is the voice of the middle class becoming more violent?

[thomhartmann]

Run time: 07:11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cIRQMT1lkI   Posted on YouTube: January 06, 2010 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: January 06, 2010 By DU Member: thomhartmann Views on DU: 5218

 
The Thom Hartmann Program can be heard daily M-F 12-3pm ET. Visit www.thomhartmann.com to listen live, join the community or purchase a podcast.

[izquierdista]

1. Thom, Thom what are we going to do with you?

There you go again, making sense.

[dotymed]

8. I am a long-time Hartman fan

IMO this one of his best commentaries.

[bjobotts]

27. Thom you are so misguided on the 'real' problem.It's a hanful of dems doing this

[bjobotts]

29. You really think we are going to punish dems by electing the very ones who caused our current disast

[bjobotts]

30. You act like we'll be screaming bring back the Bushies 'cause the repubs have not changed.

[bjobotts]

31. The real enemy here is our dysfunctional senate and the abused filibuster

[bjobotts]

32. There are 51 progressive senators who would have passed strong HC bill

[bjobotts]

33. It's the filibuister that allows a few dems and all repubs to hold us hostage.

[bjobotts]

34. Threatening repub wins if dems don't deliver is negative thinking when it is only a few dems

[bjobotts]

35. Few people want the repub crazies back in power after Bush nearly destroyed the nation

[bjobotts]

36. Please stop the fear mongering and go after the real problem--the filibuster rule

[bjobotts]

37. Stop making it seem like "yeah we should vote for repubs, that'll teach those dems"It changes though

[bjobotts]

38. Criticism from one of your biggest fans.Haven't missed a show since you came on the air

[bjobotts]

39. Your 'third way' is the corporatocracy and dems are our best chance to bring back our democracy

[bjobotts]

40. It's not the whole party but merely a handful of dems in senate and blue dogs.

[psychopomp]

48. I like his commentary but the title of the thread itself doesn't make sense

The question posed has nothing to do with the content of the video at all.

Anyway, the answer is "no."

The middle class is violent already, as our culture is. Just look on TV...rape, murder, gunfights...and that's just the evening news. After that, on tv shows you can see the same type of violence play out.

The middle class is just going to lie down and take it until there is no middle class left, I'm afraid.

[whyverne]

2. An insurance executive makes $80,000 per day deciding who gets

health care and who doesn't.

Is he really any different from a king or other royalty that have been violently overthrown in the past?

[midnight]

3. I'm not able to view link. Message says error occured...

[dhpgetsit]

4. It must be on your end because it is happening to me too. :P

[midnight]

6. I'm listening now. Time to change course. People need jobs.

[Doctor_J]

5. Not fast enough, IMO

The teabaggers are violent because they think their guns are about to be confiscated (they're not), but the DU segment of "the people" seems light years away from any 60's-level civil disobedience. If King Glenn is in charge of "the people's uprising", say good-bye to the USA.

[V_Byl]

7. I listen to Beck in the morning after dropping my son off at school...

Whenever he gets a caller on the air, I just remember how mainstream stupidity has gotten.

:hide:

[90-percent]

9. Winning all three elected branches didn't do it

What are the vast majority of us supposed to do when we work hard to get Dems elected, and then the needs of the corporations still trump the needs of the vast majority of Americans.

This is why I've suggested on other posts perhaps some Americans out there are contemplating the fix that we used to start this country in the first place:

The violent overthrow of a tyrannical government that taxes us all but does not represent us.

I'm anti war and non violent, but is there ever anything in my life that I would be willing to fight and die for? I am so pissed at the current state of affairs that I could possibly give my life to a cause that would return our country to a system of elected representation, where the politicians actually serve those that elected them. Being 55 and out of work may be a big factor in my feelings here.....

-90% Jimmy

[Overseas]

10. K&R.

Too much to say about how "The Third Way" of over 20 years ago is not "moving forward."

About how "the private sector can do better" when freed from regulations has proven to be untrue unless "doing better" meant doing better at enriching themselves.

I'm still astounded at the missed opportunity the Bush Crash presented for Democrats to reclaim their core values and put people back to work on all the deferred maintenance the Bush Gang left us in their pursuit of war profiteering.

And putting people back to work by the millions on green jobs to curb the climatic destabilization we have seen accelerating.

Too much to say. Finally found work and must dash.

[lib2DaBone]

11. Good Video. Tom is one smart guy...

I'm very disappointed.. almost at the point of giving up.

The corruption runs so deep and pervasive in our society.. it will take a complete collapse before anyone realizes what is going on.

No job or wage growth in 30 years.. and the people still don't get it?

The DEMS blew it big time.. we had the chance. I'm sad for what could have been.... the chance at a great renewal.

The United Corporations of America.(aka S.S. Titanic)... full speed ahead....

[BigD_95]

13. Im with u.

I have been so hurt after this last election. I havent even been on the DU in over 3 months and just came back in the last day or so.

Im at the point of giving up. I stopped following the news and reading anything on politics. I stop listing to America Left on XM radio.

I just have been so turned off. Not at Obama as much because I think he would like to do a lot of the things that we all want. But Presidents dont make law and he knows Corporations are in the pockets of the people that do.

I had so much hope and its all gone. I almost wish the Dems wouldnt have had complete control of everything. Then I still could have believed if we did have complete control then things would be better. Now I know the truth and it hurts. We are powerless.

[dhpgetsit]

12. We need another FDR, not another Clinton!

Wake up, Obama!

[GiuseppeMazzini]

14. Hell yes!!!

After the republicans completely crashed and burned the Liberals in this country finally had a chance to affect real changes, but instead they went with the business as usual motif. We won't get this chance again anytime soon and they are about to blow it.

[lib2DaBone]

15. I agree. I expected way more from Hillary Clinton. She is awful.

She was on the news yesterday.. spinning as hard as any Repuke for the war in Yemen.. what a waste of time and talent. I was totally ashamed of her.

Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Max Baucus, The Blue Dogs... what else can you say except the DEMS have let us down.

I wrote, I donated, I campaigned, I called, I faxed, I participated. What else can one person do?

[emilyg]

25. What did you expect? She can't go against

the prez.

[Mithreal]

28. And why would she. Birds of the DLC feather flock in lockstep.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[zeemike]

17. We n eed to send this link to as many Dem's as we can

They may ignore it but still.
But the big question for me is what the hell are all our progressive institutions and leaders doing?
They should be leading the charge and organizing us to make our thought known in the streets if nessesary...but thy remain silent on this and just ask us for more money. I feel they too have been co oped by the money that is being thrown around by our corporate masters.

I wonder what would happen if we had a protest in a place where there is open carry laws and we came out armed too...do you think they might get the message?

[LeftHandPath]

18. Tom rules!

Thanks. Just Thanks. Keep it up, it wont be long now.

[Gman2]

19. In a vacuum, yes. Add chaos theory, and teabaggers, go boom.

It is all important to develop a coherent, integrated world view, but baggers willl hubristically throw a monkeywrench in the works. Point being, they will implode, specially if we make them show their work. Judge their alternatives.

[defendandprotect]

20. kick - back tomorrow --

[Yavin4]

21. We're In This Viscious Stupid Cycle

The leaders of both parties practice corporatism. The Republican base loves corporatism because they stupidly believe that they're on the verge of becoming millionaires and they want the tax breaks for when they do. The Democratic base hates corporatism.


Here's how the cycle works:


1. When the Democrats take power, the leadership practices corporatism.

2. The Dem base gets discouraged and does not show up for elections.

3. The Republicans slowly but surely re-take control of the government.

4. Corporatism eventaully destroys the economy and leads to massive layoffs.

5. Democrats run a "change" candidate and the base gets energized.

6. Democrats re-take power.

7. Repeat from step 1.

[Waiting For Everyman]

22. K&R Every bit of this was so right-on.

Thank you, Tom! We need this message again and again and again... to every voter and every politician.

On Obama's unfortunate ex-Clinton "third way" insider advisors (Summers, Geitner, etc.) - a great Frontline video I just saw the other day called "The Warning", about Brooksley Born and the adamant, sustained opposition she confronted from them while trying to prevent this catastrophe from happening to us (BEFORE it was too late)...

http://video.pbs.org/video/1302794657/#


Another "must see" just out... "American Casino". Youtube has a glimpse of it in 4 parts, from a "Democracy Now" program on it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ThMsG1pfUk

http://www.americancasinothemovie.com/

I went out tonight to the local store, and as I sat waiting for my car engine to warm up so I could go, I was thinking about those who are homeless in this bitter cold weather. If I had any tears left, I would've cried.

Keep up what you're doing, Tom.

[lyonspotter]

23. How did this video not get removed, let alone scale to the front page?

The title is racy and attempts to make the viewer wonder if violence is the answer.

This suggestion alone is against DU rules.

[Goldstein1984]

41. "Is the voice of the middle class becoming more violent?"

It reads like a legitimate question to me.

[lyonspotter]

43. Thom. Jefferson...

...would say it is a legitimate question as well, and we know his answer to it.

But it's against the spirit of DU rules to pose such inquiries. If the answer is 'Yes', then it clearly violates the rules.

"Legitimate question"... "You don't need to see his identification"...(right hand slowly hand waves)

[Goldstein1984]

44. Well.,,

I'm having trouble expressing how offensive I find censoring of a legitimate question in a forum calling itself democratic.

As I write this, the original post remains on the front page of the site, which tells me that the moderators consider it legitimate subject matter for the forum.

A political website in a nation born in an act of violent revolution, facing what I believe is a crisis situation that could lead to more violence, but incapable of addressing a legitimate question is irrelevant.

Maybe the name should be changed to Democratic Pablum, and "Underground" could be handed off to an organization that it fits.

[lyonspotter]

47. Oh trust me...

the reason I am being so annoying about this is because some material I have posted over the years has been removed and censored. And my having stated what I have stated above is merely to point out the inconsistency. To have a record of it. Nothing more. I hope I have not gotten too far under your skin in this process.

And on edit: I am referring to posts where I said exactly what you just said as far back as January 2008.

[Goldstein1984]

49. No, I understood your intention. I appreciate the guidance.

It's just disappointing.

I'm being ripped up in another OP by DUers who are doing nothing but making simple-minded statements, tossing out insults, and questioning the integrity of people rather than engaging in honest debate.

I've only been on DU a month, and it's only the occasional thoughtful reply that is keeping me from seeking a better use of my time someplace else. I enjoy the way DUers collect and share news, but, with some very notable exceptions, the quality of the discussions is questionable. There is a group of Obama apologists that interpret any challenge or criticism about any aspect of foreign or domestic policy as "Obama hate." The dilute and disrupt rational discussion.

The use of unrecs to censor and suppress unpopular opinions is hypocritical for people who profess democratic values, which I have always assumed includes liberal debate about conflicting views.

Disappointing. I can't even describe how disappointing.

[lyonspotter]

50. Amen, Goldstein1984...I have enjoyed your...

...comments when they have appeared on threads I have participated in, if my recollection serves.

At times I take a break from 'discussions' here, and merely watch the news / video clips. The vitriol of the forums becomes overwhelming, for all the reasons you noted.

Still, it is our job to keep waking people up!

[Goldstein1984]

52. I'm going to step away and catch up on some reading

But I'll keep an eye on DU, too.

Thanks for the conversation.

[Cetacea]

24. Yes. nt

[Joe the Liberal]

26. I agree 100% Thom. n/t

[Goldstein1984]

42. We're in a race we can't afford to lose...

We're in a race we can't afford not to run...

The populist movement in the U.S. is split. On the Right we have the Teabaggers, and on the Left we have the Progressives, both of which have concluded that neither the government nor their own party function or represent them. They have that much in common.

For the sake of not offending the squeamish and staying within the bounds of good form, let's reject violence as a course of action.

And, for the sake of argument, let us agree that, among populists on both the Right and the Left, some sort of decisive action on the part of the masses to make elected officials fear the electorate as much as they fear their corporate puppet masters is becoming an increasingly palatable course of action.

If this is the case, then we are in a race, and the winner will determine the course of the nation for many decades to come. When We the People rise up and take the government back, is it going to be the people on the Right or the the Left who get the attention of government?

For the record, I am not promoting violence, but I fear it is coming. The best way to prevent it is to act decisively before people begin to believe that violence is the only course of action left to them.

[Loge23]

45. It's not just politicians

The anger has to be directed towards corporations that sent our jobs away (just about every major manufacturer), continue to rip us off (pharmacueticals, for-profit hospitals, and oil), and retailers who destroy small business and sell us crap (Wal-Mart). Let's not forget about the worse of the bunch - the Wall St crowd who gambled our 401k's away but still live like royalty themselves.
I do not advocate violence, but massive civil disobedience directed towards these above as well politicians is critical if we are to salvage any shred of democracy.

[Vermontgrown]

46. Whoever

Takes over next will have to stop a civil war here. War on Washington and the rich is coming.....

[Bullet1987]

51. The 2010 elections will be a HUGE referendum of the Obama administration

If Dems lose big, then it's their own fuck up. DLC/Blue Dog policy has been a failure when we needed leadership most. Maybe we need a major loss to wake the Party leaders up to that fact. Somehow, I don't think they'll care though.

[lyonspotter]

53. I doubt it.

The 2006 elections were supposedly a "referendum" on the Bush administration...largely his foreign policy and wars. Nothing changed.

Power does what it wants, as George Carlin so aptly reminded on Olbermann 2 years ago. In '10, we'll elect a bunch of Republicans, and everything will go on business as usual. The real masters are the banks, Military Industrial Complex, oil companies, Big Pharma, etc. Whatever those entities want is what will happen. The nation, as a collective, needs to to discover the Oz behind the curtain. Until then, nothing different will ever come about.

[FlyByNight]

54. "The 3rd Way sucks"

Amen Tom!

We desperately needed another FDR-type presidency but I fear we're getting a toxic mix of deregulation/"free-trade"-friendly Clintonism and Johnson's war/occupation.

:cry:

[rutherford behaves]

55. Everyone just take a deep breath.