Some of the 99% finally have lobbyists arguing on their behalf

[No Elephants]

Retirees and homeowners catch a break.

Nov 26, 3:42 AM EST

INFLUENCE GAME: Tax them, not us, groups say

By CHARLES BABINGTON
Associated Press


WASHINGTON (AP) -- A big coalition of business groups says there must be give-and-take in the negotiations to avoid the "fiscal cliff" of massive tax increases and spending cuts. But raising tax rates - a White House priority - is out of the question, the group adds.

The homebuilding industry says it won't tolerate even a nick in the mortgage interest deduction. It doesn't matter, industry leaders say, if it's part of a broad, spread-the-pain package designed to tame the soaring debt.

And there's no ambiguity in the views of the top lobbying arm for retirees.

"AARP to Washington: No cuts to Medicare and Social Security in last-minute budget deal" the group's Web site declares. AARP nixes the notion of slowing the cost-of-living formula for Social Security recipients, even if it's part of a big, bipartisan compromise package. And President Barack Obama should drop his idea of raising Medicare's eligibility age, AARP adds.

So much for the notion of shared sacrifice as Congress and the White House face a Dec. 31 deadline to craft a far-reaching deficit-reduction plan. If they fail, the government tips over the so-called fiscal cliff, at least for a time. Nearly everyone's taxes will rise, and federal programs will be whacked. Financial markets might quake, and a new recession could begin, economists say.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FISCAL_CLIFF_SPECIAL_PLEADINGS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-11-26-03-42-24


For a while, I naively believed that Occupy had changed the national conversation. However, the national conversation is right back where it was last August.

D.C. did not change it's thinking; it only cynically postponed the same old, same old until after the election, for obvious reasons. Still, Occupy did make it clear that the 99% is finally waking up.

[Enthusiast]

1. Once again, the national conversation

is determined by the degree of fairness in the media.

Case in point, I am watching the Joy Bahar program that I taped last night on AL Gore's Current TV channel. She is being run over by a Republican strategist. It is like a Republican commercial.

This is intentional. You will not convince me that Al Gore's channel did not want to promote these right wing talking points. This is not the first time Joy's show has served as a conduit for right wing talking points. Joy's second guest is Salman Rushdie. Rushdie often carries water for the military industrial complex. So even what we perceive as part of a tiny segment of liberal content is not pure.

But, as you said, Occupy did move the yard marker. People of every political stripe now hold the banks and politicians in utter contempt, and rightly so. Occupy is gold.

[No Elephants]

2. I believe that Joy Behar is sincere and bright, to a point. However, she does not do her homework.

She relies on her recollection and no one's is complete. Also on what she hears here and there.

She does not do research or give things a lot of analysis.

That's why Elizabeth Hasselbeck, who supposedly calls O'Reilly before The View and does read up, can best Behar from time to time.

Besides, she seems clueless that the Democratic Party of today is more the party of Reagan than of FDR.

In any event, she seems oblivious to the holes in her knowledge and to her lack of analysis. And she seems hopelessly, unthinkingly partisan.


For example, Bill Clinton was on The View and, in discussing the economic collapse, Behar said to him, "They are saying this is all your fault. Is it your fault?"

Did not seem to know about Glass Steagall enough to name it.

Bubba looked none too happy or grateful for the question, but he said "No" and gave her some spiel I cannot recall now, but I do remember that I was not impressed.

She, however, sat back as if to say, "See, I just knew "this," whatever "this" is exactly, was not his fault. I didn't know exactly why, but I just knew it was not his fault. And now he's explained it and I hope you swallow his explanation hook, line and sinker, as I just did."

She's a good stand up comic and she's good ad libber, so she is good as a co-host on The View, except that I have heard her and Whoopi flat out misstate facts, again because they assume they know what they are talking about off the top of their heads. Behar also seems like a person whose heart is good.

But, when it comes to politics, she is a dilettant, not a pundit; and she has no business playing a political pundit on TV. That she does is another proof of the Peter Principle.