A New National Progressive Movement

This election has shown something that I have been saying for the last decade or so……this country needs a true progressive party as part of the process……

I wrote about it in 2008 after the election of Obama and again in 2010 after the disastrous mid-term elections…..but read them for yourself…..

https://lobotero.com/2010/11/12/how-about-a-new-bull-moose-party-2/

And then later this one……

https://lobotero.com/2016/04/27/is-it-time-from-a-change/

Bernie’s candidacy is showing that there is a growing need for a true progressive party….the Dems are just neocon lite……progressives have nothing to vote for……. but anyone but a Repub…..

As Sanders fights for a California primary season finale, activists look ahead.

The sun was hot. The shade was sparse. Yet they kept coming. For three-plus hours on Wednesday morning, several thousand Bernie Sanders believers of every stripe—college students cutting class, older retirees and labor activists, parents with teenage kids—wearing every imaginable Bernie pin, tee-shirt and baseball cap packed the dusty field at the Santa Clara fairground near San Jose, California. They more than eagerly awaited his arrival.

“He’s the best candidate ever,” one man blurted out. “Feel the Bern! Feel the Bern!” people spontaneously chanted. The sound system played Bob Marley, Neil Young, John Lennon and Steve Earle, who growled “The revolution starts now…” As they waited 1960s folk superstar Joan Baez took the stage and sang, “The opposition candidate is stirring up a fuss. She’s got the billionaires, he’s got us…”

Source: A New National Progressive Movement Is Emerging in the Shadows of the Sanders Campaign | Alternet

Teddy got it Right in the early 20th century…..the trouble is we let his plans slide to the back burner….it was more important to elect one of the 2 parties….be damn for the people and the country……

Time to revive the Bull Moose Party……Bernie has started the movement now let’s not give it away……

Check it out and let me know what you think….should we be happy with the 2 party system or should we start a new party that will put the country and the people first?

Time for the people to step up and do the RIGHT thing!

How To Gut Progressivism

Ever wonder just how the Democratic Party become the party of money?

Look NO further than the Clintons and their puppet masters of the now defunct Democratic Leadership Council (DLC)……these were the people that gave us the Blue Dog Dems…a wordless bunch of cowards that has ever been in Washington.

Finally the party has started coming to its senses and once again embracing progress over regress……

If you would like more on the Clinton tribe and the DLC the below article is a pretty good one……

Imagine there’s no Clintons. It’s easy if you try! Without pernicious DLC, liberalism is a stronger movement today

But Clinton is a skilled politician, so she’s artfully re-aligned herself to blur their differences, with overwhelming support from the elite punditocracy.  When the dark side of the Clinton record from 1990s is raised—NAFTA,  Defense Of Marriage Act, “welfare reform,” mass incarceration, Wall Street deregulation, etc.—two defenses come readily to mind: “Hillary didn’t do it!/Bill was president” and “times change/you’re forgetting what it was like.”

These are both effective narratives in the establishment echo chamber, which is designed and intended for horse-race politics at the expense of political understanding (as well as factual accuracy).  But Hillary Clinton wouldn’t be here today if she hadn’t been aligned with those policies—and with helping to create the environment in which they came to pass.  Even before entering the White House with her husband, who had promised voters  “two for the price of one” during the 1992 campaign, the pair had cast their lot in with those who moved the party to the right, most notably when Bill Clinton became head of the DLC—the Democratic Leadership Council, or as Jesse Jackson called it, “Democrats for the Leisure Class.”

Source: Clintonism screwed the Democrats: How Bill, Hillary and the Democratic Leadership Council gutted progressivism – Salon.com

America…..don’t look now….but you are about to make the same mistake…….. yet again……

Duping Progressives into Wars

I have always been a progressive……and NO that is NOT the same thing as a liberal.  Only a small minded toad would equate the two together.  In that time I have NEVER supported a war of any kind because of some lofty ideal like “A humanitarian crisis”……but that is me….unfortunately there are many that will side with war on the hint of a something that smacks of humanitarian and the powers that be have used that situation as a pretense to do many things from regime change to passing off overstocked water….

Americans spend too much time believing the propaganda that the government feeds them an progressives are no different…..the government will use whatever they must to justify war in the minds of the people……even a humanitarian cause.

The online advocacy group, Avaaz, has pulled progressives into support of U.S. “humanitarian” wars in Libya and Syria by promoting sweet-sounding ideas like “no-fly zones,” as John Hanrahan explains.

A recent two-part series in The New York Times laid out in detail the pivotal role that then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton played in President Obama’s decision to join in France and Britain’s 2011 military campaign against long-time Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The Times articles make the case that Clinton bears a heavy part of the responsibility for the tragic, increasingly chaotic aftermath of that campaign in which Gaddafi was ousted and killed.

As The Times summaries of the articles put it, Gaddafi’s fall “seemed to vindicate Hillary Clinton. Then militias refused to disarm, neighbors fanned a civil war, and the Islamic State found refuge,” leaving Libya “a failed state and a terrorist haven.

Source: Duping Progressives into Wars – Consortiumnews

Americans need to ask question when the government is Hell bent on war……it might just save lives in the end.

6 Surprising Ways Progressives Are Actually Kicking Butt in Congress | Alternet

Please stop using ‘progressive’ to describe Democrats……

When Bill Clinton was elected I told anyone that would listen that the country was in for a good thumping…..but as usual NO one listened.

My problem was is popularly called a “centrist” Democrat…..what crap!  Look what that type of politics has done to the country and now they are asking for another shot at governing…….I say NO way!

But the American people are so scared at being labeled that they will turn a blind eye to the crap that has happened in the last 20 years.

Yes a Repub would be worse but why do Americans have to settle for Bad or Worse?  Progressives are coming on……..they are leading the way…..

 

6 Surprising Ways Progressives Are Actually Kicking Butt in Congress | Alternet.

These Numbers Prove We’re Heading For A More Progressive America | ThinkProgress

For too long us on the Left, and I am talking about the real Left, have been waiting for something to happen that would help make the people see the necessity for a more progressive government………and could there be a future quickly approaching?

If you listen closely…..we can hear their butts slamming shut!

These Numbers Prove We’re Heading For A More Progressive America | ThinkProgress.

Progressive?

After the prez and his inaugural address I read the reviews…..just about all call it a progressive speech for a progressive future…….poppycock!  I am and have always been a progressive and nothing Obama has done is progressive.  He may have a few progressive ideas but they went NO where……

The media is defining the term progressive……stop it!  A progressive is liberal but a liberal is not necessarily a progressive…….I refuse to let the media define me and my beliefs…….I am an old fart and being such there is a difference…..the media has successfully made the word liberal and progressive synonymous……they are NOT!  Only to mental midgets and partisan bobble heads are they the same……

A Progressive is favoring or promoting political or social reform through government action, or even revolution, to improve the lot of the majority……….Progressives in the 21st century continue in this tradition of democracy building and open transparency of corporate and political power. Progressive values are rooted in the American traditions of equality, fairness, due process, and democratic decision making at the deepest level possible. Progressives recognize that institutional power, both public and private, has created inequalities of race, class and gender, and that democratic governmental regulation is needed to make necessary social justice corrections for humanity worldwide. Progressives believe in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Bill of Rights, open access to corporate and governmental information, democratic media and individual human freedom. Progressives believe that human freedom includes the freedom from hunger, homelessness, unemployment, environmental pollution, discrimination based on physical attributes and long imprisonment for non-violent crimes.  (from a piece written by Peter Phillips for ShorewoodVillage.com)

Obama promised change and we got a toothless financial package, and impotent health care bill, and I expect no more come this second term……..Progressive politics is about moving society forward to a better life for its citizens and Obama has not accomplished that as of yet……..and I doubt if it will this time around.

And please do not say that Clinton was a progressive…..that is total crap!  Clinton and his cronies did nothing to move society forward, all his so-called accomplishments did was make profits a lot easier with the promise of a trickle down con……..and as we know, trickle down is total crap……

All this is leading to my point…..I demand an apology from the media for using progressive to characterize Obama…….it is insulting to us progressives…….

So You Want A Budget?

I have read many conserv blogs and have seen that their biggest crying point is that Paul Ryan has offered a budget and the Dems seem to not want to….is that about it?

If so, how about this?

The Budget for All puts Americans back to work, charts a path to responsible deficit reduction, enhances our economic competitiveness, rebuilds the middle class and invests in our future. Our budget makes no cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits, and asks those who have benefited most from our economy to pay a sensible share.

Our Budget Puts Americans Back to Work
• Our budget attacks America’s persistently high unemployment levels with more than $2.9 trillion in additional job-creating investments.  This plan utilizes every tool at the government’s disposal to get our economy moving again, including:
• Direct hire programs that create a School Improvement Corps, a Park Improvement Corps, and a Student Jobs Corps, among others.
• Targeted tax incentives that spur clean energy, manufacturing, and cutting-edge technological investments in the private sector.
• Widespread domestic investments including an infrastructure bank, a $556 billion surface transportation bill, and approximately $2.1 trillion in widespread domestic investment.

Our Budget Exhibits Fiscal Discipline
• The Budget for All achieves $6.8 trillion in deficit reduction, hits the same debt to GDP ratio as the Republican budget, and has lower deficits in the last five years, but does so in a responsible way that does not devastate what Americans want preserved.
• We achieve these notable benchmarks by focusing on the true drivers of our deficit – unsustainable tax policies, the wars overseas, and policies that helped cause the recent recession – rather than putting the middle class’s  social safety net on the chopping block.

Our Budget Creates a Fairer America
• Ends tax cuts for the top 2% of Americans on schedule at year’s end
• Extends tax relief for middle class households and the vast  majority of Americans
• Creates new tax brackets for millionaires and billionaires
• Eliminates the tax code’s preferential treatment of capital gains and dividends
• Abolishes corporate welfare for oil, gas, and coal companies
• Eliminates loopholes that allow businesses to dodge their true tax liability
• Calls for the adoption of the “Buffett Rule”
• Creates a publicly funded federal election system that gets corporate money out of politics for good

Our Budget Brings Our Troops Home
• Responsibly and expeditiously ends our military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, leaving America more secure at home and abroad
• Modernizes our military to address 21st century threats and stop contributing to our deficit problems Protects American Families
• Provides a Making Work Pay tax credit for families struggling with high gas and food cost 2013-2015
• Extends Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child and Dependent Care Credit
• Invests in programs to stave off further foreclosures to keep families in their homes
• Invests in our children’s education by increasing Education, Training, and Social Services

This budget was put together by the progressive caucus…..if you are a conserv you probably think that it is a silly shot….but it is NO MORE silly than the paper of bs put together by Ryan and his heritage buddies……

To me they should both be considered honestly…not from the point of view of the paid representatives of special interests but from the point of view of what will help Americans get back to work and build a good life for their families….all this sloganeering back and forth is doing NO good for anyone but the sponsors of our government….the special interests…the real power in politics!

Wait! There Is A ‘People’s Budget’?

These days in Washington there is enough BS flowing in the streets to keep all us politicos writing for months……and then there is the budget debacle…..Repubs have one…Dems have one…..Pres has one…..everybody has a budget,,,,,but the one that is seldom mentioned is the one that has been offered up for consideration from the Congressional Progressive Caucus….it is called the People’s Budget…..

The CPC proposal:

• Eliminates the deficits and creates a surplus by 2021
• Puts America back to work with a “Make it in America” jobs program
• Protects the social safety net
• Ends the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
• Is FAIR (Fixing America’s Inequality Responsibly)

What the proposal accomplishes:

• Primary budget balance by 2014.
• Budget surplus by 2021.
• Reduces public debt as a share of GDP to 64.1% by 2021, down 16.5 percentage points from
a baseline fully adjusted for both the doc fix and the AMT patch.
• Reduces deficits by $5.6 trillion over 2012-21, relative to this adjusted baseline.
• Outlays equal to 22.2% of GDP and revenue equal 22.3% of GDP by 2021.

It is an interesting document and well worth some real attention….read it for yourself…..

Read the People’s Budget

Read The Technical Analysis by the Economic Policy Institute (External Link)

There seems to be a wealth of proposals out there to help out our budget deficit…..and personally, would like to see them all get the light of day and let the true people of the country see which one makes the most sense and which one would do the most good…..something I know will NOT happen but one can dream…..But wait!  Does it say a balanced budget in 3 years?  Yes it does!  If I am not mistaken that is way sooner than golden boy Ryan’s proposal…..if true why does it NOT get more air time?  My guess is that it does not play well with corporate American and since they own most of the media….it will be ignored!

We can change that….how?  Tell your reps in Congress that they need to consider the CPC budget and remind them that elections are quickly approaching…….WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

What Is It That Pelosi Did?

I mean besides being a Democrat……..

Mention the name Nancy Pelosi and you will send a conserv into a rage that could be just short of a stroke….she is a socialist….she is a dictator…..she is a liberal….she is too partisan….well hell….you have heard all the diatribes linked to her name……but think about it what did she do?

Besides being a rallying point for the GOP and Tea Party….what did she and her House do while in the majority?  Let me see…..Recovery Act, Obamacare, Wall Street reform, an equal pay act,……..let me see she (Pelosi) and her friends (Dems) passed many bills that became law….but she was demonized for political effect……

I am NOT saying that I agreed with everything the she and the House did….far from it….I believe that they dropped the ball on numerous occasions…….that aside…the House did accomplish lots under her leadership…….

Now fast forward you time machine and let us look at the present Congress…..under the leadership of Boehner what has the House accomplished so far?  Have they created any jobs?  Have they actually tried?  Instead of looking at what can get our country back on track, they (GOP) has concentrated their efforts on NPR, Planned Parenthood, and instead of trying to find a budget compromise they have instead felt that the destruction of social programs is more important….when will the new leadership and the new House start working on bills that mean something?

Granted this Congress has about a year and half before they are a failure….but they are off to a good start…..in the mean time, where are the jobs we were promised by almost every Repub that ran for office in 2010?  Will they actually get to that?  Doubtful!  After the shutdown crap moves on….we will be at the crossroads of another budget debate…this time for 2012.  Will we ever get to the jobs thing?

The House and its GOP members seem to be working on talking about everything but what needs the attention….JOBS!  It seems to me that anytime major issues need to be addressed we resort (by we I mean the Congress) back to emotional issues so we do not have to deal with real problems……let us be real for a moment….the budget?  Everybody is fixated on the planned parenthood thing….and that makes it more an abortion debate than a budget debate…..it is a diversion of thought…once again NO one seems to be serious about this thing…..lots of on camera bluster and cowardly votes after the cameras are turned off….

At least with Pelosi and her gang….we had major problems addressed and yes as always someone tried to turn them into a game and NOT a discussion……Once again…I am not saying that I think they (Dems) did a good job with the laws they passed only that they were at least semi-serious about major issues…..

Yes…He Is An Idiot!

From the VOMITORIUM

Did you know that if you believe in the “American Dream”, then you are a COMMIE!….I will give you a minute to absorb that…..why in God’s name would I make such an accusation?

It is NOT me that says such a moronic thing…but rather the darling of the radical right….one Glenn Beck, conspiracist extraordinaire…….he  made this assertion recently……on his cable show on FOX…..

So, think about what the American dream is. Got it? Unless you have read this book [Epic of America], you most likely don’t know what it is. This is a progressive book. This was written by a Woodrow Wilson progressive who was, oh, he was great. He was an advisor. Big progressive. The American dream, you think everybody gets a fair shake. Right? Yeah, no, no.

This is the actual definition of the American dream because it was a progressive that coined the term in this book. It’s that everybody gets a house and a car and a chicken in every pot. It’s that, well, you know, c’mon, a fair shake isn’t enough. It’s state capitalism.

On February 24, Glenn Beck said “most likely you don’t know what the American dream is,” that it is actually a progressive invention of the 1930s, and that it is currently being used by communists, unions, and other assorted bogeymen to cloak their radical intentions behind a term that is “warm and cuddly like bunny rabbits.”

See?  According to Beck if you believe in the American Dream then you are either a socialist or communist or some radical Leftist……you listen to his made up crap about Obama and his policies and nopw YOU are a commie because you believe that there is an “American Dream”….and you continue to listen…..

Now, will some one on the Right or a conservative please explain to me why NO one wants to call this moron out for is deliberate fear mongering and the out right lies?  Why is he allowed to continue to spread hate and discontent?  He has a right to speak his mind….but he does not have the right to make up facts to influence the mentally challenged…..