OK: now what? Do you have any fight left?

[MannyGoldstein]

So now http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9603294">I hear that Obama is making utter crap up about FDR purposely making the Depression worse as a political stunt. A couple weeks ago, on The Daily Show, Obama claimed that Social Security started for widows and orphans rather than for retirees, more crazy far-right crap.

This is getting very, very weird. Certainly, it's not what we were hoping for.

Now what? Seems to me that we need a broad grass-roots movement that:

1. Educates Americans as to what their best interests truly are
2. Motivates them to vote for people who will work in their interest
3. Doesn't pin its hopes on a single "messianic" figure - because you never know with people, sometimes they ain't what you think

Tough job. Will require a lot of interpersonal work, not just emails, robocalls, TeeVee, and speeches. Are you feeling up to it? Or is it time to simply capitulate to the Predator Class? Or move to an enlightened country?

[babylonsister]

1. HUH? Link?? 'You hear'??? nt

[Barack_America]

2. I believe he's referencing the Krugman piece on the front page. nt

[MannyGoldstein]

3. Added link to front-page DU post. nt

[ProSense]

4. Go for it. Stop talking about it and go for it.

Why are you waiting for failure or signs of failure to act?

All the brilliant people who sat by and watched this country fail are suddenly discovering they need to get serious?

Go for it.

[Pisces]

5. Move quickly to that enlightened country. Don't waste any time.

[thunder rising]

6. If you run for office the first thing you find out is that the low level Dem orgs are corrupt.

How would I know that?

[Jackpine Radical]

9. Turtles all the way down.

If you get my drift.

[jaxx]

7. Cya.

We Democrats will carry on like always.

[Milo_Bloom]

8. I fear it didn't get quite bad enough.

to wake people up.

Or more likely the fact that Obama has turned out to be such a dud is so overwhelmingly depressing that many have given up on "hope".

Inherently, people know the system is rotten. 77% wanted a public option. 70% want DADT repealed. 60% want tax cuts for the rich to expire (and if they REALLY understood the issue they would probably want them ALL to expire.).

When these things can't done with overwhelming majority support and they watch the cowardly democrats cave in over and over and over again... they're throw their hands in the air and give up on the system, because.. as they knew from the beginning... the system is rotten.

I fear it will have to come from a single "messianic" figure, but one from OUTSIDE the system. A Ross Perot type (without the crazy), who is willing to attack the problems head on and address things for what they are.

Politics in this country has become a dangerous game of win/lose, with almost no regard for ACTUAL results. The abortion of a health care bill is an example of that. No real change, but we are supposed to believe it is a huge step forward.

Someone with money, charisma and influence will need to address this problem. Someone who can awaken the sleeping giant of non-voters who have given up.

I wish I had someone in mind, but I don't.

I just know that people in this country don't get behind principles as much as they get behind an individual.

[DontTreadOnMe]

15. I agree, it didn't get bad enough

Sorry to say that I have held that position since the beginning of the Obama Administration. The country NEEDS to get worse before the general public realizes what is really happening in wealth redistribution in this country. The banks needed to go under, and Wall St. needed to fail. Yes, it might have been a 10 year crushing effect, but the country would survive. Mainly there would be much higher global unemployment -- and solution would be needed in the first 6 months.


Instead, we bailed out the people who are the problem... and the recovery will take years with no real change in where we were in the beginning.

2011 will lead to a record number of foreclosures. The real estate market will go down even more for the next two years. The US economy has been based on real estate for the last 30 years. Until the real estate market is stable, there will be no recovery. Anyone who owns property right now will be losing equity, especially commercial property. And as more homes are foreclosed, the unemployment rates will go up.

There will be a breaking point where the country will stop buying foreign made products, and a national consensus to start making things in the US will start to create new manufacturing jobs. But it's going to take a few more bad years to reach this point.

Meanwhile Mom & Pop main street is going out of business... drive through any town and look at all the empty commercial real estate.

[Jackpine Radical]

10. You familiar with Food Not Bombs?

http://www.foodnotbombs.net/story.html

Food Not Bombs is one of the fastest growing revolutionary movements and is gaining momentum throughout the world. There are hundreds of autonomous chapters sharing free vegetarian food with hungry people and protesting war and poverty. Food Not Bombs is not a charity. This energetic grassroots movement is active throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. Food Not Bombs is organizing for peace and an end to the occupations of Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine. For nearly 30 years the movement has worked to end hunger and has supported actions to stop the globalization of the economy, restrictions to the movements of people, end exploitation and the destruction of the earth.


The organization is not hierarchical. It has a founder, but no CEO.

[Mimosa]

11. Tired, disillusioned, but not beaten. Yet. n/t

[akbacchus_BC]

12. Nah, the majority of America looking at Palin in Alaska, welcome to

your new President. I wish she wins, you all never deserved President Obama!

Dancing with the stars gives her mother more kudos. Best of luck America!

[OhioBlue]

13. We absolutely do need a broad based grass roots movement

to educate our fellow Americans as to what their best interest truly are. I think a movement like this is exactly what our Country needs.

(a little disclosure here - I don't agree with your assertions about the President. More context would probably make his comments more understandable. He misspoke about SS but might have been referring to the program that was its predecessor for Civil war vets that was for widows & orphans and disabled vets... also ProSense has an excellent post providing more context for his FDR quote)

I don't want to argue with you over this... just offer the disclosure. We can absolutely agree do disagree.

I don't want to get into a back and forth, b/c I think the larger and more important issue is your proposal. I think it is genuine and essential. I agree 100%.

I have thought that we need to start house parties - similar to the ones that we held in the early part of the general election in '08. Only these house parties will not be about a candidate - but informative and communicative house parties. We should develop a presentation that shows people how Reagan, Bush, Bush exploded the debt, lets put the lie to rest that the debt is the Dems fault. Let's also discuss how to empower and build the middle class - lets look at things like the Taft-Hartley bill & deregulation. Let's show our neighbors how wealth is being sucked out of the working class to the upper class - let's show them the graphs, the stats, the facts.... Let's offer them a vision of a progressive/populist agenda... and the road map of how to get there.

We have many visionary, educated and intelligent people not only within our local Dem circles, but also within DU - Accountants, Economists, Teachers, Psychologists, Media Consultants, Labor activists, etc. Could all contribute to the development of an effective presentation.

Obviously, the informative part of this is only a beginning.. it would have to be followed up with action - free media (letters to the editor, demonstrations, letters to elected officials and finally registering more voters and GOTV efforts).

I'm willing and planning to start such an effort within my County and if I'm successful my Congressional District. If we did this town by town, county by county, Congressional District by Congressional District and State by State... we could start a movement that not only brings us more Progressive leaders, but also pulls the leaders we have in a direction that truly helps the working class.

I welcome your thoughts on this.

[Catherina]

14. I have plenty of fight left but I'm saving my energy for the 2012 election.

[JamesA1102]

16. Don't beleive Krugman, already debunked

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x529017

[MannyGoldstein]

17. That debunks nothing, sorry. nt

[JamesA1102]

18. The truth hurts nt

[MannyGoldstein]

19. Yes, it is amazing that Obama would claim that FDR made the last depression worse.

An astonishing, bald-faced lie.

[JamesA1102]

20. Nice spin

That is just intellectually dishonest to spin his statement that way.