In the last 10 years our nation has changed beyond recognition.

[madfloridian]

I am sure all the rightward movements and corporate grabs were going on before then, but I was too busy with life and getting by. I started paying close attention during the election of 2000. Living in Florida was pretty bad then, and it felt like the rug was pulled out from under us. I was on the internet some by then, but mostly doing family research and digitizing old family photos. I came to DU in 2002, and I really got a good understanding beyond my own little conservative area. I came here as a moderate, but I have grown more liberal since then.

In 2000 we saw a side of our neighbors and friends we had never seen before. The election was divisive enough to bring out the radical side of people we had known for years. In 2003 it was a nightmare.

I grew up in this conservative religious area, and I had never seen it come out like this into the public venue. It got awkward and uncomfortable, and sometimes downright ugly. Our neighbors had signs in their yards supporting the president and the war. We found out local churches were providing many of those signs. Hubby and I realized our neighbors were conservatives, we were not. It had never mattered before.

It had not come up in all my years of teaching. No one threw their religion in our faces, it was a private thing usually. In 2003 the Southern Baptist churches in our area came out for the holy war in Iraq...the war between good and evil they called it. They called us unpatriotic, and we took our names off the roll then.

In 2003 we got excited because someone in our party was speaking out and saying that it was wrong to go to war when the truth was not being told. He wondered out loud why out Democratic leaders were voting for Bush's unilateral war on Iraq.

He wondered why we were supported Bush's tax cuts, wondered how we could afford them with our huge deficit. In fact that guy was on Rachel Maddow tonight saying the same thing.

He said something else tonight also on her show. He said that President Obama needed to be a leader, that he needed to stand up and take firm stands...that he was the only one who could do it because he has the bully pulpit.

He said we would lose the House and the White House if we did not start taking stands. Hubby and I both got tears at that because we know he is right.

He tried to change the system, and was chair when we took back the House, the Senate, and the White House. Then the party leaders made sure there was no place for him among them. The cut off started at once, and it was swift and to the point.

Now we are seeing the wobbly words on the tax cuts. There is no one saying let's stop giving in to the religious zealots on faith-based initiatives, on gay rights, on women's reproductive rights. There is no clear message. There is a fear of the right wing that seems to be paralyzing our party and our president.

There has been a movement by our party to continue the education policies of George Bush which amount to turning our schools over to private companies...while giving them our taxpayer money to make them richer. Teachers have spoken out, but they are not being heard, not even being listened to by this administration.

I used to feel safe and secure that Americans would fight back when certain things like Social Security and Medicare were threatened. I always felt comfortable that things would not get too bad here, that our leaders would step in and stop things from going too far in any directions.

I never thought our nation would get to the point that teachers were made to feel ashamed, that seniors would be called "the greediest generation" by a man appointed by our Democratic president. Or worse, that not a single Democratic leader would speak up for them and point out how they had paid into the system during their lifetimes. I never thought that two men who had such contempt for seniors would be put in charge of a commission to "fix" Social Security.

I always felt that our senior safety nets were untouchable. Now I realize they are not. I always felt our country would have the public school system that helped make it great...but we won't. It never occurred to me that the unions who helped build the middle class in this country would be treated badly by a Democratic administration.

I see that the very same centrists who helped run the DLC and the Third Way are forming a new party. They are calling it a centrist party, and the official name is the No Labels party. That is the bipartisanship they want. They think the Democratic party as it exists now has been taken over by liberals, I guess.

It just shows how what was once the right, a normal fairly moderate right....has kept moving to the extremes. And our party, instead of standing with its so-called liberals...has denounced them and moved right as well. They have twisted meanings and words until there is no longer any understanding of them.

We have kept going along with them, fearful of bucking the rightward trend, not wanting to hurt the feelings of the ones who took this country down in the Bush years.

There should have been someone to stop it. There has not been.

[Skittles]

1. there is no one looking out for us

no one

[chervilant]

8. WE

must look out for ourselves. I posted this on a different thread today:

...and I, plus so many more like me, will not go quietly into the night. Mr. Ruffalo embodies what Gandhi adjured lo these many years ago: we must be the change we hope to see in this world. When I finally snapped to that--and to the fact that the corporate megalomaniacs EXPECT us to wallow in our stressed, depressed, jobless, obese lives--I decided to do something unexpected. I have made this decision fully expecting to end up on the DHS hit list or dead. No biggie, our forebears took such risks to establish this democracy. Death is just one price we might have to pay to help insure that our amazing democracy evolves further.

When I have the key components of my advocacy in place, DUers will hear all about it, as will fellow activists on Crooks and Liars, and other internet venues not yet usurped by the corporatists.

To you, montanacowboy, I would say: please find a way to surround yourself with the beauty and peacefulness of your bucolic environment, and contemplate what you CAN do to fight the vile, oppressive radical income inequity promulgated by the handful of hedonists at the top of the Ponzi Pyramid we call capitalism. I promise you, fighting the criminal corporatists is far more envigorating than throwing up our hands in resignation.

More to come, and I respectfully remain,

Ms. Silence B. Damned

Think satyagraha. Think grannies and grandpappies, many of whom are unemployed or underemployed. Think of what Margaret Mead said so many years ago: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

[NorthCarolina]

52. We allowed the corporatist interests to falsely tarnish "Liberalism", and

implant the ludicrous idea of America as center-right nation into the psyche of a woefully misinformed public.

[FiveGoodMen]

99. Yup. That was the beginning of the end.

[jhrobbins]

104. Maybe it's time for us....

I mean, maybe the American Empire is over. Every empire, without exception runs its course and then 'goes away'. Some fizzle and some are thrown out, but never has an empire existed forever. It does seem to be a rather short run for us if this is the case; not like Egypt or Rome or China or Great Britain. But maybe its because everything goes faster now. I'm not sure it will be so bad once the dust has settled; those aforementioned seem to be OK now - it's just this troublesome transition period.

[Still Waters]

140. I agree--making "liberal" a curse word was the turning point

I think we can thank liberals and progressives for many of the programs and policies that allowed for the growth of a stable middle class. Now, Liberals have largely been ridiculed and marginalized. We were just treated to an election where many Democrats ran against their own party. The Republicans have no interest in bipartisanship, they have no belief in the two party system. Democrats are more of an enemy to them than Al Qaeda. Their agenda is to destroy the Democrats and the Repubs suffer absolutely no consequences for their radicalism. I think the reason why I feel such deep despair is that I sense the tide of history turning against us. The Democratic party no longer stands for anything. The Democratic party of my youth stood for bedrock support of SS and Medicare, civil rights, education, environment, and middle class prosperity. What does the Democratic party stand for now? The Catfood Commission, weak "reform" of healthcare and Wall Street, foot dragging on gays serving in the military, and people like Ben Nelson who breaks his neck to vote against anything that goes against the wishes of big business. Republican lite. And if business truly begins to only support Republican candidates and only will hire when it benefits Republican presidents, well, I truly fear what is in store for us.

[sendero]

You nailed it ...

... and Obama is part and parcel of the problem. I hope he is a one-termer - I'd rather have a Republican than a pretend Democrat that just smears the party.

[Blecht]

2. Great post

I wish you were wrong about everything you state here, but you are exactly right.

[inna]

3. (Unilateral) class war has become mainstream. It didn't use to be like this. nt

[happygoluckytoyou]

72. TEA PARTY "thinks" it is part of the future wealthy... -----> -----:>

If we were to wake up some morning and find that everyone was the same race, creed and color, we would find some other causes for prejudice by noon. ~George Aiken

AND IT WOULD ALWAYS BOIL DOWN TO CLASS WARFARE

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. Before we can stop it, we must first reach the same conclusion.

I don't see how it is that we can see the same things, and not be able to reach the same conclusion. Yet, you know that can happen, because it happened to the two of us.

I can only reach one conclusion about this monster we're battling. The right is unperturbed about the anarchy & chaos they are creating, because they already know how to take care of their own, going behind channels. That's the way of life they're trying to protect, and it has nothing to do with the Constitution.

[Raster]

5. Thank you, madfloridian!

This is my 10,000th post on DU. I had thought I would post something profound--at least in my thinking--for this milestone. I see that is not necessary, as you've already done so. You reflect my feelings so well, I could have written this post. Thank you.

And thank you for all of the insightful posts and great reading over my years at DU. You are a DU treasure. Your commitment to education and real progressive values are truly a light in the dark. Please let your light continue to shine.

[Octafish]

6. Paul Wellstone tried.

He had an accident.

Seems like I remember he was the last to try, too.

Outstanding post, madfloridian. War Inc., Wall Street and the Mafia are doing all right.

[TheWatcher]

20. And he was killed for his efforts.

I will never believe he had an "accident".

Unless JFK also died by "accident."

There are no "accidents" anymore.

[Raster]

21. I agree. Senator Paul Wellstone was murdered.

[avaistheone1]

30. I think so too.

Airplanes are pretty convenient for murder especially those with a political agenda. I also believe Karl Rove had his hand in the murder of Mike Connell to keep the lid on the crooked election in Ohio in 2004.

[AnArmyVeteran]

88. Senator Mel Carnahan of Missouri was killed about the same time.

The republicans were desperate to keep control of the senate and they would do anything to keep control.

[jobycom]

98. Carnahan's crash was an accident.

Read the final report on the crash, and the transcipts and actions of the pilot that lead to it. It was a clear case of pilot error caused by instrument issues, in a way that could not have been recreated to fake it. No question at all it was an accident.

Wellstone's crash was probably an accident, but I leave that door a little open, because there isn't clear information like there is with Carnahan. Wellstone wasn't powerful enough to change anything, so there was no need for a big conspiracy to get rid of him. He was my favorite senator before he died, but even so, he spoke mostly to those of us who already liked him. That still doesn't mean someone didn't kill him for some reason or other, but the reason isn't as clear as some want to claim, and without evidence that something happened, it's just a suspicion. I have suspicions, too, but it still mostly looks like an accident.

Rock stars, athletes, and politicians die in plane crashes because they are in planes so often. Talk to most politicians, and they can tell you of close calls in planes. I heard a couple of politicians here in Texas joking about it once. They were in a plane together, and the engine went out, and the pilot was having trouble getting it restarted and was planning a crash landing in a small Texas town. The joke was over how the politicians responded. One said he thought he was the most veteran politician because he was keeping his cool even though he thought they were about to die, but the other politician trumped him by asking the pilot to radio ahead that he was on the plane. "Maybe I can get some ink from it," he said. He was so used to plane troubles his main concern was getting publicity. That's why politicians don't run around screaming "MURDER!" when someone dies in a plane crash. They are an occupational hazard that most have come close to experiencing several times in their careers. And yes, that makes a plane crash a good way to murder someone, since it makes it so believable, but there are people who think any time a plane crashes with a politician on board it had to be murder. That's just not the way it is, any more than claiming Buddy Holly or Jim Croce were murdered. It might be sometimes--I still suspect Larkin Smith was murdered--but it's rare.

[Raster]

107. I disagree. Not only was Wellstone powerful enough, he stood between cheney*/bush* and their...

...New Rome. Wellstone was the most progressive voice in the United States Senate and vehemently opposed to invading Iraq. And what made Wellstone so incredibly dangerous to cheney*/bush* and the NeoConJob hordes was that people actually *listened* to Wellstone. Wellstone had the power to influence public opinion and thus influence the rest of Congress. Murdering Senator Paul Wellstone accomplished two things: (1) it removed the biggest Congressional obstacle to cheney*/bush*'s New Rome; and (2) served as a warning to any others in Congress with a conscience.

Carnahan, I agree, was probably an tragic accident. Wellstone? Resoundingly NO!

[jobycom]

108. Wellstone was the biggest obstacle? Not Kennedy? Not Feingold?

Boxer, Byrd, Graham, Leahy, Durbin? Come on, be serious, there were much bigger threats than Wellstone. The only value Wellstone's death gave was the one seat it turned to the Republicans. The only people who listened to Wellstone were those who already agreed with him. As for making an example, how would Wellstone's death be an example if no one believed he was murdered? The Democrats were much more afraid of opposing Bush because of the mood of the voters than because of fear that Bush would kill them.

I have doubts about the crash. Wellstone reportedly got a lot of death threats. It wasn't long after the anthrax attacks, so conservatives may have been inspired to bring someone down. Maybe it was even Bush, for reasons we don't know about. But if Bush were going to murder someone to stifle opposition to his plans, there were a lot of more likely targets. And he didn't need to, anyway. He had more than enough public support to overcome the handful of Congressional Critters with consciences.

And the two pilots had a history of being bad pilots. The pilot had come out of a thirteen year retirement and was known for letting his co-pilot do all the work. The co-pilot had been fired from two previous jobs in the previous three years for lack of ability. Radar tracked them going at or below stall speed twice on the approach. The beacon at the airport was malfunctioning (there's a possibility for sabotage, if you want one, but it wouldn't have been a sure way to kill someone) so they were a little off course. I think the two pilots were inexperienced and lost, and were flying slow to try to spot the strip through poor visibility (even if they were on instrument flight rules) when they let the plane stall. I know how easy that is--I've done it, while taking lessons. That's the most likely scenario, although as I've said, I have some suspicions because there's just no real way to prove what happened when it's human error. For all we know someone told Guess that if he didn't crash the plane his whole family would be murdered. You can't prove something like that.

[chimpymustgo]

121. Kennedy was thought to be on the plane with Wellstone. A target-rich environment. nt

[jobycom]

156. No he wasn't. He was at a publicized rally in Minneapolis.

That whole Kennedy think came about after the accident when people wanted to invent a conspiracy.

[chimpymustgo]

122. Kennedy was thought to be on the plane with Wellstone. A target-rich environment. nt

[Raster]

129. Think evil for a moment: PNAC/cheney*/NeoConJob evil....

If you wanted to take out a well-placed progressive Senator to: (1) shoot a warning shot across the progressive bow; (2) silence a progressive voice; (3) turn his/her Senate seat into the most advantageous flip, being able to install a confirmed lackey; and (4) do all of the above with minimal fuss and public outcry, who would you take out?

[jobycom]

157. Think common sense for a moment.

If you are committing a crime with minimal fuss and public outcry, then you aren't firing a warning shot across a bow because no one knows you've fired a shot. And the Republicans don't want to silence progressive voices. They want to amplify them. It's good for their fundraising, and it allows them to further alienate that voice when the mood of the nation is against progressives. They had 90% approval for everything they were trying to do. A lot of the people here screaming about it now were probably behind the war at the beginning. I was on the board back then, I remember a lot of people supporting the invasion, and even more who considered it an option because they believed the reports of WMDs. Not the majority, but enough to prove that outside of the DU world our message wasn't getting out at all.

When Wellstone died there were people here who had never heard of him, and this is his natural constituency. What kind of a message did his death send? What did they gain by silencing someone no one had heard of? Kennedy or Boxer or Leahy would have been better. And what did they gain by silencing him that way? A big fake terrorist assassination would have done a lot for them, but an anonymous plane crash did diddly. They already had the momentum, they didn't need to risk making a hero out of an opponent.

[Raster]

161. Wellstone's death wasn't about affecting the progressive community-at-large...

...it was about affecting the progressives in Congress, the persons in Congress who would most interfere with cheney*/bush* and New Rome. This was about shaping a Congress to blindly allow anything cheney*/bush* attempted, from violating international law to breaking longstanding treaties. Wellstone's death was a shot across the bow against others in Congress that would impede the PNAC/NeoConJob agenda. And that has been my point.

Have a good evening.

[soryang]

166. At the time, no one here never heard of Wellstone?

That is a patently false statement.

[AnArmyVeteran]

111. Thanks for that cool story. Very interesting...

[truedelphi]

152. Just a side note, Are you aware that Ted Kennedy was supposed to be

On Wellstone's plane? He changed his mind only at the last moment.

[jobycom]

159. I'm aware that that's a debunked rumor.

Kennedy and Wellstone were campaigning together, and Wellstone decided to go to a supporter's funeral instead of to a rally with Kennedy and Mondale in Minneapolis. Some people twisted that to argue that Kennedy was supposed to be on the Wellstone plane. It wasn't true.

[Javaman]

7. I prefer FUBAR rather than CBR.

;) lol

[pa28]

9. It's no accident. It's the result of 30 years of tax and trade redistribution.

The November 2nd disaster had quite a bit to do with the old social contracts being broken. The ideas became our own mythology and you know what they are of course; that if you worked hard you could make a decent living no matter what your education, that your children would be socially mobile and enjoy a better standard of living if they kept their noses clean and played the game. Those were the rules that gained the mantle of dogma and truth and they pretty much evaporated overnight.

No wonder people were frustrated and angry. Unfortunately a good deal of that anger was manipulated and misdirected.

A similar thing is happening right now inside the Democratic party. The contract of the party has been progressive taxation and protection of the working class as well as the typical anchors we could always rest easy about. I mean, of course, hawkish protection of Social Security and some kind of basic social safety net.

Now we hear our anchors being mentioned in the same sentence as "shared sacrifice", "bipartisanship", "partnership" and "compromise".

I have to think the type of mass alienation in the Democratic party will soon follow if we lift the anchor. We'll truly have a one party system IMO.

[madfloridian]

24. You make some good points.

Frustrated and angry describes it well.

[pa28]

28. The regressive trends are changing the face of this country and your OP framed it well.

Unfortunately our best option right now is raising hell within the party as pushing the pendulum back through our once in a generation mandate seems to have failed.

Oh well, I thought your OP was excellent and I think all DU'ers should see it so this post is mostly a shameless kick.

:dem:

[MadMaddie]

61. Throw in that mix a fanatical religious twist and we have America

2010. These people will not be satisfied until they control every American's life with their fantatical religous beliefs (sound familiar).
They will not be happy until Corporations can poisen us, kill us in the workplace and pay us pennies for 12 hours a day.

[midnight]

10. K&R

[KeyserSoze87]

11. American Society peaked in 1999-2000...

and since the inauguration of Dubya, it has been moving backwards. Obama and the Democratic congress have worked so hard to get this nation back in the right direction. Unfortunately, it's been tough. Hopefully, Obama will be reelected so that he can prevent the Teatard Movement and the Repigs from denting any further progress that we've made towards healing our economy and cleaning up the enormous mess left by Bush and his cronies.

[PSPS]

18. All indicators show the backward movement started with Reagan.

It was Reagan who slashed the taxes on the most wealthy, started the practice of not enforcing anti trust and other laws, institutionalized vulgar extravagance. Ever since then, wages have dropped, personal debt has skyrocketed (people had to borrow to maintain their standard of living,) two wage earners became a common requirement to maintain a household.

[ProudDad]

106. I would put the date at 1964

when Lyndon Johnson took his eye off the ball and bought into the cold war bullshit about Vietnam...

He ended the New Deal and bought into the Permanent War Economy(tm)...

(Although the war machine buildup really began with JFK)...

[digidigido]

155. Actually it died 11/22/63

[KeyserSoze87]

128. I guess it did start with Reagan.

Thankfully we had Clinton during the 90s to clean up the huge mess that Reagan and Bush made.

[atreides1]

84. But

Like a bad military commander, Obama kept looking forward and left his enemies behind him unscathed, something you never do.

Those enemies have taken control of the House and have gained seats in the Senate, all because Obama was "looking forward"!

If he continues his posturing to those who look for him to fail, then the mess left by Bush and his cronies will only get worse.

And we Americans who supported him and voted for him, will be the ones who will suffer most at the hands of the right wing religious zealots and their corporate puppet masters.

[LiberalLovinLug]

95. But again..

A dark paranoid corner of my mind whispers to me that perhaps all is going well on the battlefield beneath the commander-in-chief. I keep wanting to believe otherwise in order to not fall into despair, but perhaps to Obama this is simply a way that he can leap frog his way into the elite class for his family and especially his children. Perhaps he wants to emulate Tony Blair and cater to the corporate class while paying lip service to progressive values? Tony was treated very well after he stepped down with a lucrative position in the Carlyle Group hawking weapons and war. No doubt his family will be set for generations to come.

Is it inconceivable that Obama is looking at Blair's path and wanting to follow suit? That all his firey rhetoric before he assumed office was simply a disingenuous stepping stone to that untouchable class shared by the Bushes and Cheneys of the world? And, to be frank, it would be an even greater accomplishment for someone of African American descent. He would join Colin Powell and Clarence Thomas. I can see the temptation.

The alternative would be a path to making even greater enemies from that class. For instance pushing for a public health care option or including single payer advocates to the table would not have gone down well with them.

I would not have even considered this in November of '08, but every time he is confronted with a decision to side with that elite class, whether it is Wall Street, prosecuting criminal behavior from the Bush admin, war making, privatizing schools, etc.. he sides with them. And I wouldn't' be surprised that "after careful consideration" and "in a spirit of bipartisanship", we see some kind of repackaging and continuation of Bush's tax cuts.

NO NO NO NO NO I just can't go there yet.

... but I'm getting close.

[KeyserSoze87]

130. Trust me, looking forward will help Obama in 2012.

By looking forward and having an aggressive economic policy , Obama has greatly healed our battered economy, and it will continue to improve into 2012, which will win him a second term.

[lpbk2713]

12. I dread thinking of the world my grandchildren will grow up in.

And I must take some blame for not doing enough to keep it from happening.


K n R



Excellent post.

[Bozita]

13. Thank you. That post should be sent to other progressive sites.

Best post of the month here at DU. ... And today's the 29th.

Well done!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. Superbly said...K&R

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Fall from empire

in my worst days I don't think we will have an election, or more precisely, one that matters.

At the end stage Empires start consuming the core. It is the moment you know the fall is a second or two away, in historic terms.

We are there.

[tavalon]

36. Yep

I've started squirreling away those huge bags of rice from Costco and am trying to get a friend to teach me to hunt. I'm not someone who is all that interested in militia but I can read the writing on the wall. There isn't anyone out there to protect my family. I hope we go down like England did, but I doubt we will and I'm feeling very anxious about how long those two seconds really are and when that clock is really ticking.

[DemReadingDU]

118. Same here

and I'm willing to share my beans and rice, but I worry that people would rather rob me first.
:(

[KoKo]

16. So Much EVIL has gone down the "Memory Hole" I wake up and think I have Alzheimer's !

Sometimes I wonder who I am and why I bothered.. It's got to be difficult for Dem Activists who've been around fighting for Decades...How do they keep at it?

What do they hold onto?

I think it's the PRINCIPLES OF HUMANITY (we are all in this life together..how can we make the best of it) and COMPASSION for ALL to work for a Better World.... And, that's in short supply these days and who could have EVER IMAGINED it would come down to THIS?

We need to examine where it all went WRONG...because it was a HORRID FUCK UP!

Edited for "Clarity of Thought."

[Jackpine Radical]

86. Yes, principles of humanity and compassion.

And empathy. Those are the things that mark the difference between Us and Them.

It wasn't so much a fuckup as it was a victory by the reptiles.

Reptilian Republicanism. Maybe I just invented another useful meme.

[saras]

162. Too late

You didn't invent it. David Icke has been being paid for at least a decade to discredit it. Done a damn fine job of it. The meme was invented by people who take neurology seriously, not by invisible-alien-invader nutjobs.

[awoke_in_2003]

125. "If you want to see a picture of the future...

imagine a boot stamping a human face, forever"

[me b zola]

17. K&R

[KoKo]

19. YOU SAY: " There should have been someone to stop it. There has not been."

I ask that question over and over.. WHY IS THAT?

[awoke_in_2003]

126. a mixture of a very effective...

propaganda machine and the lack of intellectual curiosity in most Americans.

[KoKo]

134. yes..there's both of that. But, what about the rest of us "informed" since "Stolen Election 2000?"

That's what bothers many of us who are still alive and well posting on DU.. WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US..WHO WERE ACTIVISTS and INFORMED?

:shrug:

[awoke_in_2003]

145. People who speak the truth...

(like Dennis Kucinich) do not get any camera time.

[madfloridian]

22. Here's the video from Rachel's show tonight.

I disagree with Dean when he says Social Security needs to be included in fixing the deficit, but he is really right on on his thoughts on the party standing up for what they believe.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/40425620#40425620

[Raster]

23. Social Security is not part of the United States debt, which constitutes the deficit.

I agree with you. Social Security belongs to the people that have paid into it all these years. It is NOT the government's private slush fund.

[Old Time Pagan]

66. If I hear Social Security described as an entitlement program one more time

there's going be some serious verbal butt kicking a' gonna' happen.

Talk about the ultimate "conservative" program. Citizens are forced to put away a portion of their earnings into an involuntary retirement plan so the government doesn't have to take care of them in their old age. Sounds like something the elite should be delighted about supporting and defending.

I GET SO CONFUSED THESE DAYS.

[awoke_in_2003]

127. well, it is an entitlement...

the problem is, the right have sullied that word (and liberal, too). If you paid in to the system, you are entitled to receive from it.

[Enthusiast]

43. Dean is a relatively wealthy

man. The wealthy are often disconnected from the reality that many of us actually depend on social security for our very survival. Cutting social security should be OFF THE TABLE.

[prodigals0n]

71. Dean was also disconnected on MSNBC yesterday morning

My wife tells me Dean was singing the praises of Chris Christie to Joe Scarborough of all people.

Dean praised Christie for lowering taxes in New Jersey! HOWARD, I LIVE IN NEW JERSEY. MY PROPERTY TAXES WENT UP OVER 22% THIS YEAR ALONE AND ALL DUE DIRECTLY AND UNILATERALLY TO CHRIS CHRISTIE. The only New Jerseyans who got a tax break from Chris Christie were millionaires who benefited from Christie's veto of a bill to extend a less than 2% tax on millionaires. Maybe Dean got his information from his millionaire friends in New Jersey because Chris Christie has been A COMPLETE DISASTER for the rest of us, Howard.

In Christie's first ten months in office he has lost the state of New Jersey $690 million in funding.

Race to the Top----------------$400 million
ARC tunnel repayment------------271 million
Lost charter school funding------14 million
Lost food stamp funding-----------5 million
--------------------------------------------
Total funding Christie lost----$690 million

That's not even counting the $5.7 billion ARC tunnel funds from the Transportation Department and the Port Authority of NY and NJ, and the $2 billion in bonds Christie floated for "cash flow" even though he cut expenditures to the BONE. Or the $1.4 billion Christie is bonding to replenish New Jersey's transportation fund.

Christie has cut everything from public education, $820 million, to state funding for municipalities which has forced cuts in police, fire, and public services BUT OUR PROPERTY TAXES ARE STILL GOING UP! Highest property taxes in the nation and still rising while Christie cuts EVERYTHING and loses hundreds of millions of dollars in funding.

Dean went on to say Christie is the kind of republican we need in Washington (!) before backpedaling somewhat by saying he didn't necessarily mean the presidency.

I've tried to find a clip of this but no luck so far. The clip at MSNBC's site omits the segment where John Dean obviously lost his mind.

Chris Christie is a corrupt, incompetent moron, a dictator with no ideas other than tax cuts for the rich and cuts in everything else for everyone else. Sound familiar? It should. He's just like his hero, Ronald Reagan, and his mentor, George W. Bush, who appointed Chris Christie as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey even though Christie had NO TRIAL EXPERIENCE, ZERO! But Christie's brother, Todd, did just happen to donate $400,000 to the republican party that same year.

Here is a bit more on Chris Christie, and believe me, there is so much more.

http://www.bluejersey.com/diary/17194/christie-has-lost-the-benefit-of-the-doubt

Someone needs to tell John Dean to stop believing the media hype on Christie and look at the facts before Christie winds up following the same trajectory as that other corrupt, incompetent moron governor from Texas.

[madfloridian]

77. He mentioned Christie on Rachel's show, but not a compliment.

I posted the video in the video section.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x530184

If he was talking the same way in the morning, he was not talking about Christie in a complimentary way. He seemed to be equating him with what the tea party should expect if they logically follow through on what they say they want.

[prodigals0n]

164. I asked the wife again and she's certain

Dean was praising Christie, saying he's the type of republican we need in Washington, and crediting Christie for lowering taxes in New Jersey, which is true but only if you're a millionaire. FOR THE REST OF NEW JERSEY TAXES HAVE GONE UP UNDER CHRIS CHRISTIE, NOT TO MENTION THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FEDERAL AID CHRISTIE HAS LITERALLY THROWN AWAY AND THE BONDS CHRISTIE IS FLOATING, THE SAME TYPES OF BONDS THE HYPOCRITE CRITICIZED THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION OVER, ALL OF WHICH WILL RESULT IN EVEN HIGHER TAXES FOR AVERAGE NEW JERSEYANS WHILE CHRISTIE AND HIS WEALTHY FRIENDS ENJOY THEIR TAX BREAK.

The only video I can find is at MSNBC but it ends prior to the Dean statements on Christie. I don't want to give a plug to that back stabbing demagogue, Scarborough, but here's the link to Dean's appearance that ends just prior to his statements about Christie.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/

Maybe someone recorded the show and can post the rest of the segment.

[Pale Blue Dot]

148. JOHN Dean? John???

Hoo boy...

[prodigals0n]

165. HOWARD Dean, of course. My mistake. Duh.

[Hannah Bell]

97. he's *very* wealthy, not just relatively. old money.

[leftstreet]

25. K&R

[zigzagzed]

26. Thank you

Thank you for eloquently stating what many of us have been feeling. It is disheartening to see the quality of political discourse, especially in public venues such as the Fox Nation or comments to articles posted on Yahoo! News. I don’t know how the United States got to where it is at, and I certainly do not know how we can restore this great nation of ours.

I was a 20 year old college student when George W. Bush was elected. Now I am a veteran of the Iraq war who has deployed overseas four times since these wars began. For many, the military tends to inculcate a very conservative worldview, but for me the war has reinforced my liberalism. I am proud of our successes in stopping terrorist groups and building security, but that pride is tempered with the knowledge that the violence we stopped could have been prevented had we not invaded, or had we done so with a better plan. All the US did over there was clean up a mess it made in the first place. Why didn’t we speak up in 2003 before the war?

I feel utterly powerless to confront the rampant disinformation that circulates from the right-wing machine. I’m at a loss for words when they speak of death panels, socialism, fascism, diverse conspiracy theories, and a host of other irrational claims. They accept it without question and demand proof that there aren’t death panels or that there is no conspiracy. The burden of proof should be on them, not on us. I want to scream “are you out of your mind!” I want to yell all the childish things they do, but I instead take the “higher road.”

There is so much anger and hatred and fear on the right. It’s not that the left is without its extremists, but I think we have always done a better job of reigning in our colleagues. But when the left moderates itself while the right pushes to the extremes, the center of this country continues to move away from where we as progressives want to be.

How can we move forward? How can we restore the United States? Or have we gone too far?

[madfloridian]

27. Welcome to DU. Excellent post.

And your last 3 questions make me feel sad, and I do not know the answer.

"How can we move forward? How can we restore the United States? Or have we gone too far?"

[donheld]

150. I also offer you a welcome

Your questions are good, but I fear what the answers may be.

[Tsiyu]

34. welcome to DU zigzagzed

we're glad to have you here.

Maybe together we can figure out a better US

[madmax]

35. Great post - Welcome to DU

Our circumstances, age, etc. are different but, the feelings you expressed mirror mine.

:patriot: and thank you for your service.

[w8liftinglady]

38. welcome...you have a lot of peers here.

and,yes...like you,many who have served in this and previous wars were enlightened.
Your post was great.Thanks for joining us.
Peace.
Beth

[Wednesdays]

48. George W. Bush was elected?

:shrug:

[zigzagzed]

65. Well...

Elected in the sense that the president isn’t elected by we the people but by members of the Electoral College who are not necessarily bound to cast votes for the candidate that wins the popular vote. If it was good enough for the Holy Roman Empire, it’s good enough for the United States. Right?

[GoCubsGo]

96. Yes.

He was elected by the only votes that mattered that year. He won 5-4 in the Supreme Court. May those five rot in Hell, if there is such a place.

[txlibdem]

112. Ha ha. +1 for the sad truth

now I'm going to go sulk over it some more...

[Paper Roses]

74. Excellent post, we need to hear from you often. Welcome to DU.

[Raster]

89. Welcome to DU. You are among friends.

:hi:

[Mimosa]

29. 'Our party, instead of standing with its so-called liberals...has moved right'

Excellent OP, MadFloridian.

Thus the Democratic Party is not viewed as a viable alternative. I campaigned hard for Barack Obama. Now I'm looking abandoned and stupid to all the family and friends whom I'd persuaded that Obama was 'really different.' The younger people I know who also were enthusiastic are now disillusioned. It didn't have to be like this, did it?

[ChiciB1]

62. Mimosa... You Speak For Me And So Many Others! madfloridian Has Been

so effective in almost all of her posts, and yet... here we sit! It seems to be falling apart bit by bit and I for one am feeling more and more helpless by the day!

The HORIZON, even though beautiful in Florida, looks very bleak!

Great post, I've commented til I'm blue in the face and still we are at THEIR MERCY! I KNOW we must do something, we really must because THEY won't! They're coming to take it all away and we seem powerless to stop ANY OF IT!

[1776Forever]

31. And it all started to go downhill with the formation of the Democratic Leadership Council

Democratic Leadership Council
From SourceWatch

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Democratic_Leadership_Council

The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) was co-founded in 1985 by Will Marshall, who served as its first Policy Director and who is the founder and President of DLC's think tank, the Progressive Policy Institute. DLC counts among its past chairs former President Bill Clinton, Congressman Richard Gephardt, and Senator Joseph I. Lieberman. <1> Current chairman is Senator Harold Ford.

..."Freeing Democrats from being, well, Democrats has been the Democratic Leadership Council's mission since its founding 16 years ago by Al Gore, Chuck Robb, and a handful of other conservative, mostly southern Dems as a rump faction of disaffected elected officials and party activists. Producing and directing the DLC is Al From, its founder and CEO, who's been the leader, visionary, and energizing force behind the New Democrat movement since Day One." --Robert Dreyfuss, The American Prospect, April 23, 2001.

Mission

"The DLC characterizes itself as the 'founding organization of the New Democratic movement,' the goal of which is to 'modernize the progressive tradition in American politics.' The DLC further highlights its commitment to a 'Third Way' agenda that includes some apparently conservative as well as leftwing guiding principles." <6>

.............

That says it all for me!

[David Zephyr]

32. K&R.

Well said, well written and spot on our current state of affairs.

[Tsiyu]

33. No truer words have been written:

There is a fear of the right wing that seems to be paralyzing our party and our president.



Seems the whole nation is paralyzed, watching as we sink into Third World status.

[handmade34]

45. "...whole nation is paralyzed..."

yes, that is how it feels :shrug:

[Tsiyu]

64. What in the world has paralyzed us?

media?

apathy?

hopelessness?

we should all be in the streets....maybe when they gut SS and Medicare we'll see some outrage...

[zigzagzed]

80. I think we want to take the high road

I think we’re paralyzed by a sense that we as Liberals/Progressives/Democrats are “better than that.” We want to take the high road, refrain from sound-bite ad hominem attacks, and not engage their insane conspiracy theories because we don’t want to legitimize them. We want to stick to high-minded debate. If we ignore them, perhaps they’ll go away. Right?

A few years ago I attended a lecture by Floyd Cochran, a former recruiter for the Aryan Nations who now educates government, law enforcement, the military, and anti-hate activists on how to thwart recruitment efforts from the Aryan Nations, Ku Klux Klan, and other hate groups. Mr. Cochran said that when he and his colleagues arrived in a new town to recruit, they would sometimes be met with opposition and other times with silence. If they were opposed, they moved on to the next town. If they were not, they stayed and recruited. They exploited the fallacious reasoning of “ignore us and we’ll go away.”

I want to be clear; I am certainly not making the claim that Conservatives/Republicans/Tea Partiers are the same as the Aryan Nations and the Klan. They are not. However, Mr. Cochran’s perspective is applicable. The diatribes pushed by the right wing will not go away if we ignore them. We should be as vocal in opposing them as they are in voicing them.

We cannot hide behind the “we’re better than that” argument any more. We certainly should not make up our own lies and conspiracy theories (as fun as that might be!), but we should actively and aggressively counter the right’s disinformation campaigns.

[Tsiyu]

101. That is a large part of the problem

There is this false idea that "moderates" will be turned off by in-your-face attacks against the lies and spin and corruption. This appears to be Obama's opinion as well.

But his efforts to appear "reasonable" have only allowed Republicans to grow stronger. They are like bullies on the playground - you can never appeal to their logic or sense of shared concern for one's fellow man. They just don't care.

Since the majority elected Obama, it seems he would be a voice for them without fear of what might happen in two or four years. He inherited a mess, but rather than hold the messy accountable, he's been trying to make THEIR voters feel secure by ignoring the needs of those who put him in office.

It's the same with almost all Dem politicians. Are they afraid of the Rove style tactics, threatened with their lives if they speak out? Then they need to get the hell out of office. I would give my life if it would make this a better nation, and they should be willing to do the same. Fear is not an option now. People are already dying in droves - in war, from lack of healthcare, freezing to death on the streets - and its only going to get worse.

[zigzagzed]

147. Well stated, Tsiyu

I think that too often progressives confuse being reasonable with being timid. Being reasonable does not mean that we should stand down in the face of blustering attacks and demonstrably false assertions.

There's an excellent video on YouTube (and a few discussions on Democratic Underground) showing Anderson Cooper from CNN confront Texas State Representative Leo Berman over claims about President Obama's citizenship and background. Mr. Cooper was well prepared with evidence to contradict Rep. Berman's claims.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AptxVyCwsfs

I think this is where we should be. We can be aggressive in support of the truth, but remain civil with those whom we debate. We should not tolerate falsehoods (particularly those that are deliberately spread), and we should not back down when we hear them.

[Tsiyu]

153. In a perfect world, Dems would have had a shot at it

I was in Radio just before the Fairness Doctrine was removed. I board-opped for Mike Malloy, (and others who shall go unnamed right now.)

AM and FM Talk radio had been revived during the first Gulf War. Station owners and program managers were still tinkering with the demographics and suddenly the key demographic became men 25 to 55 making $100,00.00+. Liberal Hosts were the working man's radio, but not for long. When publicly owned airwaves were no longer required to present both parties' points of view, Rush, Sean, G Gordon ManlyMan and all the other bleaters were shoved down everyone's throats, spreading the corporate dogma like so much fermented pablum to people with nothing else to listen to at the jobsite.

People who never learn their country's history are destined to repeat its mistakes. The ones listening to talk radio were the ones who never learned about unions and the Gilded Age, or if they did, the lessons of letting Business get too big for its britches didn't sink in with these types.

They bought the "libruls and gubbmint" are evil crap without ever taking the time to question the truth.

And here we are.

So now Dems will never have a shot at equal time. It's been enough to completely turn me off to all mainstream "news"

It's WhatCorporationsWantYoutoHearRadioandTV. And until Dem leaders have had enough of being shut out of the nation's conversations, it's not likely to change.

Enjoy chatting about it though. :)

[cjbgreen]

116. What is paralyzing us?

Corruption of the political system! Corporate ownership of the media! And where is the outrage that is misdirected toward Wikileaks and should be directed to George W. Bush whose leadership team outed a CIA agent and started a war for oil.

[Tsiyu]

158. Yeah. When Valerie Plame became fair game

those who deemed her so had lost all rights - in my mind anyway - to cry "foul" to anyone else's outing.

[Still Waters]

144. We are paralyzed because we have no leverage

The government workers cannot strike. Private employees fear if they strike they lose their jobs and know they probably won't be able to find another one. We can't boycott these multi-national corporations--they'll just re-double their marketing efforts in Asia and send more of our jobs overseas for good measure. So what do we do short of violence?

[Tsiyu]

160. I can't answer.

I walked away from corporate work. I'm often hungry.

I'll take the hungry.


To be more positive: For me, starting my own income sources and hunting online for better work every day are my options.


While sword fighting zombies with one hand tied behind my back....

[Senator]

37. K&+R

[City Lights]

39. K&R. nt

[Little Star]

40. Mad, I also never imagined our party would be doing some

of the things they are doing. I actually use to take comfort that the Dems would watch out for the average Joe.

Good post! k&r

[Frisbee]

41. George Bush went AWOL during the Vietman war...

President Obama has been AWOL during the wars on the middle class and the Constitution.

Howard Dean should be back running the Democratic party (he should never have left), but we all know that will never happen.

The first decade of the new millenium has been nothing short of a tragedy, and the second decade may make us look back on the first as "the good old days".

[morningglory]

42. I fell asleep watching a video tape....woke up to a news program

playing from the Clinton presidency. I started crying because every frikken thing was so happy, pleasant, beautiful, fat, dumb and happy. But of course there was a blow job that RUINED EVERYTHING (sarcasm).

[indimuse]

44. KNR! n/t

[handmade34]

46. try as I might

...it makes no sense... this is the 21st century... what the hell is wrong with us? Excellent post!

[WinkyDink]

47. Coups d'etat will have that effect.

[orbitalman]

49. 1st post: Super Post. n/t

[MissDeeds]

50. I agree

This country is unrecognizable, and it breaks my heart.

[Vinca]

51. Important post - I hope people with access to those with a vote happen to read it.

Edited to add . . . vote in Congress. It doesn't seem our individual votes mean much anymore.

[olegramps]

53. The workers screwed their own selves.

The workers enjoyed the their highest security when the nation was 36% unionized. The workers actually had power to affect legislation. The GOP didn't dare oppose the powerful unions and trample on the rights of the workers. Unions are the thing that are most feared by the Republicans and sadly by an increasing number of corporate DLC Democrats who have been bought body and soul.

This not just conjecture. Take out time and read the Republican Platform during the Eisenhower administration. It is more liberal than the policies spewed by today's DLC Democrats who control the party. When workers get to the point of desperation, hopefully the pendulum will swing back and they will once again be forced to unite for the sake of survival before they are totally enslaved. It is my most ardent wish to see some of the leaders of the unions challenge the existing monopoly of the party by wealthy DLCers who are nothing more than corporate bootlickers. The only time they give the unions any attention is when they are looking for a handout and their support on election day. This is the only hope for the working class who are headed for virtual enslavement if they can't gain representation. As George Carlin told us, the rich bastards own you and don't give a damn if you and your children starve.

Yes, there is a way out of this mess and that is unionize and elect representatives that actually represent your interest. The unions built the middle class and it can do it again and if it takes a revolution to accomplish it then so be it.

[deutsey]

54. You express a lot much of what I've been feeling lately

I sincerely believe there is an over-arching agenda among quite a few of the elites running this country to erase the progressive gains of the past century.

Many want to take us back to the Gilded Age and Robber Barons when wealth was concentrated among the elites and the poor were fodder to keep making the wealthy wealthier. Some of the loonier religious ones want to take us back to before the Enlightenment.

I hope I'm wrong, but I think where the 20th century was a progressive one in America, more or less, the "new American century" will be extremely reactionary and regressive.

:evilfrown:

[the.barberpole]

55. 10 years ? 20 years ago the USA had already begun to BE changed

There are so many -many good American people whom are branded
globally by the corrupt and two faced American politicians. It
is indeed sad that a low life like Sarah P. actually has an
audience.
Wish you all the luck  possible.............I'm a Canadian and
our political system isn't exactly great BUT, the stench that
comes from corporate America is - really really horrible.

[russspeakeasy]

56. From a fellow Flordian....Thank you.

[BlueMTexpat]

57. I concur, MF, and it is with sorrow that I do so. I first

noticed the distinct trend for the worse upon my return to the US in 1982, after having worked abroad for two years. Previously, I had worked abroad for six years, but my return to the US in the early 1970s was to a country that was doing deep soul-searching about the US War in Vietnam and still tormented by three significant assassinations in the previous decade. Although there were positive movements in civil rights and some other significant moves forward, e.g., the recognition of "Red" China and reinstatement of diplomatic relations, etc., the national angst was severely exacerbated by the release of the Pentagon Papers and by Watergate.
But in the 80s, everything that I saw led in a backwards direction, except for those who were already "in" and who thus literally had license to do anything. As a result, there was the first major S & L crisis since the Great Depression, the "breaking" of many unions (this may not be popular to say, but some union leadership didn't help their members out at all - there were some real disconnects), the first of which was the air controllers' union. Incremental bit by incremental bit, many reforms that had been ushered in by FDR were being dismantled - some quietly, some not - but dismantled all the same. The Fairness Doctrine was one of these that has had a resounding effect. Supreme Court appointments - and ultimately, confirmations - of Scalia and, later, Thomas literally sent chills down my spine.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing and felt literally alone. It seemed as if no one around me could see the seriousness of what was happening, although I tried my best - I am someone who actually worked on the Dukakis campaign in MD as I was not Hatch-barred from doing so at the time - to do what I could. MD is one state that Dukakis actually won - less due to my personal efforts than to the fact that MD has a lot of Democratic voters! Thank heavens!
I think that I spent most of the 80s in a blue funk that likely bordered on clinical depression. I looked for an opportunity to return abroad and was able to do so. While I hated the overt nastiness that came into being with the Gingrich crew in 1994 and the total circus of the Clinton "impeachment" - I could have wrung Clinton's neck myself for getting himself into such a situation in the first place - it still seemed as if we were little by little leaving some of the worst excesses of the 80s behind.
But then came the election of 2000. I literally could not believe what was happening before my eyes. The resulting blue funk reminded me all too much of that I had lived through in the 80s. In 2003, I too was heartened by the same person who heartened you and, for a too-brief moment, there was hope. But then came the election results of 2004 and that was when I knew that I literally could not bear seeing the terrible events continue. I was slightly heartened by the election results in 2006 - and depressed again when I learned that impeachment was "off" the table.
I was happy with the results in 2008 because I also wanted to believe in Obama - and still do - but so far too many of his actions have been equivocations that ultimately give the truly terrible people who dominate today's Republican party pretty much the results they want. While it is true that Obama has not been given a fair shake by the media and yes, he has done a lot of good things, he has NOT heeded those of us who have been Democratic stalwarts all along and who believe that the Democratic party really IS different - and better - than the centrists want it to be.
Unfortunately, I have come to believe that my country is on a juggernaut course that almost literally reflects the view of the US in "The Handmaid's Tale."
Sorry for the long rant - please know that you and so many others here on DU and elsewhere on liberal blogs are my "heroes" - and thanks also for caring.

[democrank]

58. Wonderful post. Thank you.

The Democratic party hasn`t been taken over by liberals, it has been taken over by weak, selfish politicians collecting cash from the corporate interests they serve. Bernie Sanders was right some time back when he said,referring to elected Washington insiders, "They don`t care about you."

I`d wager that a majority of older DUers hardly recognize today`s Democratic Party and I`ll bet anything they believe the "center" of the party has been moving steadily to the right for some time now. That`s why so many folks can call President Obama a "liberal" even though by most every standard he clearly is not.

My nearly five decades in this party have had some proud moments....during the civil rights movement, the women`s movement,marching against the Vietnam War. I loved all the pro-union rallies and the work on behalf of those who have the least.

Today`s Democratic Party has seriously lost its way as is evidenced in part by the support offered to President Obama for the same policies we were against under George Bush.

[crikkett]

59. *I* recognize this place. It's become soviet russia n/t

[NNN0LHI]

60. About that "Come to Jesus moment", when you switched from moderate to liberal?

Was that brought on by injustices that you began noticing were happening to other people that caused that conversion or was it some event that affected you personally?

Don

[elzenmahn]

63. K&R...

...and while you're at it, read Chris Hedges' new book, "Death Of the Liberal Class".

[valerief]

67. Up in the Northeast, we're all afraid of the rest of the country. nt

[valerief]

68. When the elites can recruit soldiers to defend them and employ yahoos in private security firms

to defend them, how do defend ourselves from the men with guns?

[disillusioned73]

69. FANTASTIC op.. K&R

:dem:

[kestrel91316]

70. I dunno, I think seniors are gonna wake up and head to the barricades with

pitchforks and torches if the noise about cutting SS and Medicare gets much louder. Of course, the RW will find a way to blame it all on the Dems and Obama.

[go west young man]

73. I think if we look at the Wiki State Department leaks it's easy to see the reasons.

The one's who run the country are all about oil, the MIC, profits, and Israel. The leaks from The Middle East confirm
arms deals. Kazakhstan confirms oil deals with despots. All the Gulf States are about oil and arms. The Middle East
cess pot is consuming all our savings. Keeping China happy is about keeping us (regular folks) placated with cheap goods.
The Columbian leaks are about keeping the drug war going for MIC profits.

Sadly it's all an example of unbridled capitalism. The cream doesn't rise to the top. The crap does. As proved by the leaks.
America has to change or it will fall apart.

[immoderate]

75. Yay fascism!

If they are all fascists, that would explain it, wouldn't it?

--imm

[northernlights]

76. for me, it became neighbor against neighbor

It caught me totally off guard. Neighbors that I'd know for 2 decades -- their kids that I watched grow up turning on me. I had never been 'in trouble' with the police before. Now nearly arrested and threatened for a parking lot ding. Harrassed 24x7 by a registered sex offender for 3 years -- with no police protection or help whatsoever -- until I was driven away. My identity stolen by former colleagues at Digital (now part of HP) -- no action taken even with a trail of strong evidence.

I moved to Maine where my property was trashed by a contractor. My new home had half the land it was sold as. I was poisoned by an employer with their contaminated well, harrassed by early morning hang-up calls by a co-worker, and had my animals assaulted by another co-worker.

I keep to myself, don't post *any* political signs. I noticed that one neighbor that had posted a Kerry sign in '04 didn't post a sign in '08. My next step will be to arm myself. I need to protect myself and my animals from certain neighbors. I'm done with this bs.

[robcon]

78. I think the country has improved.

I think Obama's election (like Jackie Robinson's promotion to the Major leagues of baseball) was a signal event in the country's history.

[cjbgreen]

83. I want to believe you are correct

I just do not see actions being taken that convey a change. I look at who is being appointed to cabinet positions, responses to BP. I seriously hope you are correct.

[drlindaphd]

79. Way back in 2000

we were going to an art auction sponsored by a non-profit group. I invited some friends over for a pre-auction drink and they brought a couple with them that my husband and I had never met before. The conversation turned to politics and I was totally gob-smacked when the wife informed us that she was an avid listener of Rush Limbaugh. Wait, it was not just that-she listened to him because he told her what to think!! She actually said it was such a relief not to have to make up her own mind about issues any more. She just turned on the radio and this guy told her everything. Now she was free to just go shopping and have fun because she did not have to think anymore!!!

This was before 9-11. Chimpy had just been selected and this woman had voted for him because she had been told to do so. My friends were aghast. Her husband agreed with her and my husband and I wanted her out of the house. At that time we had no idea what was ahead, but we were intuitive and smart enough to know it did not bode well for any of us who lived in America. We also knew she was not the only one.

After 9-11 I started to feel terrorized. Not by Arabs flying airplane into buildings, but by my own government. In 2004 when we had a Democratic congress. I was less terrorized but under the Republicans (remember saran wrap and duct tape, the patriot act?). In 2008, I had high hopes for a Democratic president and congress. I believe I understand the president. I am a peacemaker too. I am patient and believe in the basic goodness of people. But he is up against a wall of crazy, greedy, sociopaths. He is just one person, albeit a powerful person, but only one. He and the vice president are good people, not sociopaths. They are complex thinkers and the sociopaths who are single minded and do not think deeply or complexly can, in their stubborn single minded way out maneuver the people who have hearts and care about the people and the outcomes.

Oh, what a world these monsters have created for us, our children, and our grandchildren. I am becoming afraid again.

[cjbgreen]

81. Your comments

Your comments reflect the exact same sentiments that I expressed to my husband last night. I used to believe that we were a nation that was governed by laws. I never imagined that the President of the United States would brag about using torture and that there would be no accountability. I was shocked that our current President would support/advocate and reward communities for privatizing "public education". I bought into his "Change you can believe in" and instead of a public option that we were led to believe that he supported, it was traded away. Now we learn that salaries of middle class people who dedicate themselves to serving their country will be frozen and Social Security will be diminished. I understand that a policy of DU is not to criticize and I can't imagine voting for a Republican. My father served as an officer in World War II, extended family members include a Federal Judge, former ambassador, and my father was a career diplomat. I am not naive. But my faith and respect for this country is dwindling as I watch us continue to take actions that injure and damage the majority of people in this country.

[Swampguana]

82. Yes it has changed and not for the better

[hfojvt]

85. The Democratic Party did NOT support the Bush tax cuts

In 2003, they passed the Senate by a vote of 51-50. Even in 2001, it was not more than 10-20 Senatores and a handful of Dems in the House who voted for the Bush tax cuts. Even a Blue Dog like Dennis Moore of Kansas, although he boasted in the 2002 election, which he won re-election by a hair over Adam Taff, that he voted for the Bush tax cuts. Well, Republicans controlled the House. Dennis Noore first voted for the Rangel amendemnt, the Democratic alternative to the Bush tax cuts, which was defeated mostly by a party-line vote. Then he voted for the final passage of a bill that was gonna pass anyway.

Sheesh "He wondered why we were supporting Bush's tax cuts, wondered how we could afford them with our huge deficit."

Except we didn't, we didn't, we didn't.

[femrap]

87. I have a friends and

family that I simply can't be around due to their hard right political and religious beliefs and actions. Greedy, too.

[H2O Man]

90. Recommended.

Thank you for this. It is much appreciated.

I remember in the summer of 2004, I wrote on DU that if bush/CHENEY won (or "won") the election, that we would not recognize our country in four years. A number of DUers accused me if being histerionic.

I knew I was right then. Events have proven this to be accurate.

[hapkidogal]

102. Had I been here then

I would have agreed. I cried and was crushed when they won in 04. I knew it was the end.

[KoKo]

139. If we couldn't take it back in '04...WHAT WENT WRONG?

We Dems on the Left have never spent enough time dissecting that ELECTION...even when Ohio Poved that once again and election for Dems was FRAUDULENT with VOTING MACHINES!

But, after that we Dems on the Left were told to just work harder and there was some money given to investigating Elections...and then it ALL DRIED UP...THE MONEY...AND...the SUPPORT for VOTING MACHINE REFORM!

WHO KILLED IT AND WHY? We've never investigated it......we just "MOVED ON."

At some point just "MOVING ON" means you didn't clean up a mess and you can't sell your house or be a respected citizen if you leave SHIT ALL OVER THE PLACE and MOVE OUT AND ON!

WHO TOOK CARE OF THE SHIT that was LEFT THERE? REPUGS? DEMOCRATS?.........or is that SHIT LEFT THERE STILL DENYING Us the ABILITY TO MOVE ON and ACHIEVE ANYTHING? :shrug:

(Excuse My Language....My Years Out here in the WILDERNESS...have given me a VERY FOUL MOUTH) I shouldn't blame this on anyone...Yet, I do...in frustration. I don't talk like this usually...but sometimes only FOUL LANGUAGE can DESCRIBE what so MANY OF US HAVE BEEN THROUGH....ALL THESE YEARS!

[blackspade]

91. Huge kick! as always!

Great OP!

:toast:

[old mark]

92. K&R. The American people have been abandoned by our "leaders" for money.

Reagan's financial backers were the beginning of the end, and the Democrats proved no better than the GOP in this respect.
Could we use a serious leftwing teabagger type movement?

mark

[xiamiam]

93. exactly..and then some. We need to grasp that in a very short time

everything we thought about our country has changed. Ten years and it is basically unrecognizable. I dont know what to do but little gives me hope. We need a leader ..we need superman..or some force with that kind of strength. Everywhere I go, people are shaking their heads and muttering. Who and what to blame is constantly changing..but..something is rotten and everyone senses it.

I think that one of the ways to effect change is to boycott tv. Watch online if you must..which I do. The one thing we ALL have in common is that we are brainwashed and herded..according to plan. All of us have been told what to think, what to wear, who is important, what is worthy of praise and who and why we should buy or reject..it is obscene and extends to every aspect of our lives..including our government and even crime. We all know that crimes are being committed and that it is destroying the middle class and we also know that NOTHING is being done about it. We have to do something about it.

We must revolt but not in the ways of the past. Turn off the tv..quit buying the stuff and the hype..freeze the economic stranglehold..somehow..I dont know how..but I think the country is ready to ban together to stop the nonsense. ..or will be shortly..

[keepCAblue]

94. Relevent reading: "Death of the Liberal Class" by Chris Hedges. link -->

http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture/item/the_death_of_the_liberal_class_20101029/

[callous taoboy]

100. This highly-skilled teacher now feels like the one-legged man in the ass-kicking contest.

[Mimosa]

103. The worst wasn't Reagan, who was peri-senile.

Rush Limbaugh's propaganda led millions into ignorance. Now Fox News, Beck and Limbaugh are leading people to vote against their own best interests. I listened for YEARS but didn't swallow the Kool-Aid.

[jhrobbins]

105. MF - How do you feel about this going public or viral? I await your reply.

[nckjm]

109. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS POST

[RufusTFirefly]

110. Wonderful post!

Only by stepping outside of where we are today and looking at the present with some perspective does it become obvious just how far we've fallen.

I once thought of myself as a mainstream New Deal Democrat, but now I see that I'm a "leftist." My core ideals haven't changed. The country has. Tragically so.

[TexasObserver]

113. recommend

[WillyT]

114. HUGE K & R !!!

:kick:

[felix_numinous]

115. Thank you MadFloridian

Socializing with friends and family have changed for me too in the last 10 years, we never used to be so divided. I have traveled all over the US, used to party and have fun with all kinds of people from all walks of life and really enjoyed myself. I enjoyed myself immensely and am glad I did that. I think what makes me the saddest is how divided people are now, in so many ways.

My family is like a microcosm of the country, my siblings each explored a different ideology. There is one Repub, one catholic, one pagan, one born again evangelical, one atheist scientist, and one liberal philosopher--if we were to describe our beliefs. When we can remain civil, I have hope. Other times we seem to get in some sort of dysfunctional trap.

What has caused this division? I think when we identify too much with our ideology we are acting out of our heads, instead of identifying with our humanity and acting our of our hearts. What has dramatically changed in the last 10-15 years is how media shapes how people view themselves, each other and the world. It is mind boggling (ha-literally!) how powerful the misuse of media has affected the social fabric of this country--but we were programmed into perfect little consumers long before Fox or the hate talk radio even got started. Propaganda closed the hearts of people, by creating fear and division.

A few years ago I traveled with friends overseas during the Bush years and had a wonderful vacation. During this time, I felt my heart burst open and it seemed everyone was my relative, everyone looked and felt 'familiar' --I felt my connection to humanity, and I cried with joy the whole time I was on that vacation. I will never forget that feeling, it didn't matter who was misbehaving or who was angry, happy, or if someone was rude, they were still family. There was such a sense of community, and I knew this was what has been lost in the US.

Then in 2008, my heart opened again to see so many people connected and hopeful. Just like after 911, after 2008 there was a feeling of unity in this country, although for completely different reasons, but then this unity was not only squandered but interfered with. It is this divisiveness and social decay that feels to me the greatest betrayal.

[cjbgreen]

117. I would add

that it is hard to stomach the purported liberal media (Chris Matthews). Listening to his response and indignation regarding Wikileaks which so misses the point of how leadership abuse their power and rarely mention human rights or our constitution. Is any one else appalled?

[proud patriot]

119. Hats off to you , Geat post

:thumbsup:

[ThatsMyBarack]

120. K and Rec #250

:hi:

[awoke_in_2003]

123. The curtain came down in 2000...

since then it has been painfully obvious what is going on. The democratic party is complicit- no way people these politicians could be that stupid. As to safety nets- I will get to die on the job (if I am lucky) or by my own hand, if the cost to keeping me alive is too high for the family. Some choice.

[Blue_Tires]

124. well said...

[Mike Nelson]

131. ***** VERY well stated! *****

Hope the President reads this...

[flyarm]

132. One of the most Excellent posts I have read in a very long time! Thank You Madfloridian!

You are spot on and could not be more correct in your assessment!

Thank You Thank You...

and for those who don't think it was planned for Jeb to take over and that Obama was just a place keeper..

Jeb was just on our local Florida news..saying he wanted to give Obama advice.."take a three month vacation"!
That was Jeb's advice to Obama about the economy.

Anyone who doesn't think Jeb is going to run.. I have some Florida swamp land for you!

[Raster]

133. JEB will run. He and his dubious reputation are going through the sanitization process even now.

That's why Psycho-Babs let it slip that Bible Spice needs to stay in Alaska.

[newtothegame]

135. It's all perception. I'm sure the other side would say the same. nt

[madfloridian]

151. No.

That is not true. That is what the centrist Democrats try to make us think, that we are just like the other side.

No, we are not like them.

[MichiganVote]

136. They hate us. Its that simple. The "revolt" word is on the rise.

[lowmax1313]

137. in the last ten years

My first post on DU and all i need to say was echoed perfectly
by madfloridian...hope i can contribute more on future posts

[madmax]

142. Welcome to DU

:toast:

[madmax]

143. dupe

[bluesmail]

138. That was beautiful and right on! Kick & Recommend

[Angry Dragon]

141. K&R

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

146. I see what you did there. Last 10 years? Obama=Bush, I get it.

[madfloridian]

149. No, not really. That was not my meaning.

Right now, though, Obama seems to trying to appeal to the very right wing who will never support him. They are never going to cast votes for him.

In case you want to imply it is not okay for me to criticize, let me tell you hubby and I supported him both financially and actively locally.

[delightfulstar]

154. K&R

I agree with the earlier post that we peaked in 1999-2000. That was before Iraq and Afghanistan, before the mortgage crisis, before the massive deficit, before hanging chads, before 9/11, before Alito and Roberts on the SCOTUS, before so many of the things that have become thorny problems in our sides. Were you better off then? I know I sure was, and everyone I know was. We were better off with someone who was accused of lying about who was under his desk, than having someone who was most certainly lying to the entire country about the basis of a war. When all the money seems to go to big business and big oil and big pharma, and elections get decided by courts, instead of by the will of the voters, it defeats the whole purpose of Democracy, of things being by the people and for the people. It took Dubya and the Repugs very little effort to undermine so much of that success, and to build the shaky, proverbial house of cards that has come crashing at the feet of so many Americans.

[Desertrose]

163. Too late for another R but +1000 anyway!