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When we tell you Koch Industries funds the Tea Party movement, this is what we mean:
"The Kochs are on a whole different level. There's no one else who has spent this much money. The sheer dimension of it is what sets them apart. They have a pattern of lawbreaking, political manipulation, and obfuscation. I've been in Washington since Watergate, and I've never seen anything like it. They are the Standard Oil of our times."
That's Charles Lewis of the Center for Public Integrity, trying to give the New Yorker's Jane Mayer a sense of how important Koch money has been recently in fueling right-wing American politics. We're expecting Mayer on the show tonight. Awesomely.
[The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama]
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How Fox Betrayed Petraeus - http://nyti.ms/9Cpsz8 OK, GO Slow!Read this!!
This is serious stuff by a serious guy. Read carefully! Not my usual snark!
Let's hear again about how the tea parties are organic grassroots outrage.
As much as I can't stand wealthy people buying political power, I am truly sick of the tea party. They are "not racist" because those guys do not speak for us. Then tea party says progressives ALL say (XXXX), but they are not "like that", they are "grass roots" "group of individuals. So they are blameless for those signs that NAACP pointed out. No the Faux News did not doctor the video to bring down Shirley Sherrod and NAACP for being racist. These tea party people (I have a friend) tell me I will email you my (radical) viewpoint, but when you answer with your disagreement, we shouldn't talk politics when we meet for dinner. Controlling? I think so.
So now, I fully encourage wealthy progressives to counter balance this, since the SCOTUS said it's legal and free speech. Perhaps the left with money can hire more like minded folks to pay well, then they could then donate more money to candidates that will vote with people, working people.
Tea party started at Faux, with GB et al telling folks to disrupt town halls (drown out the process) and they should bring their guns to tea parties and presidential events, call President a non legitimate socialist commie Muslim. That's what I recall... they were saying start this, be good minions and drive people with signs that look like whiteface joker and they will call you racist. We can use that to start a racial rift.
Yes, I heard they called some "good Muslims" since they are on the board and investors. Yes, Michelle spoke about the "good girl" and "good negro" terminology, highly offensive to say someone is a good negro if they act right, "in their place".
Look here in case you didn't know, it's RACIST to say good negro and it's CONTROLLING to set up the circumstances of a meeting, it cannot consist of political topics!
Now, I see Rachel et al bring out the counter and elicit things like "they will call you racist" and we are being invaded by "others". What else can we think? They say take OUR country back and imply someone different than "us" is a commie, pinko, a black woman is racist that says how she saw the light of her own racism, Muslim and welfare person. Accuse them of racism because we see racism and they don't see it as such.
Then the words Union, Liberal, Democrat become bad words (not) We should be glad we just still have a job and anything more than taking a pay or benefit cut is "a cause of job loss". We learn that the word "business" or "capitalism" mean jobs, so we must cut taxes to have jobs, we must cut wages or lose jobs.Wonder why people do not buy stuff now, LOW WAGES and a feeling of "I'm just lucky I still have a job, so I better not ask for more. Then we wonder how is it the businesses moved off shore and hire people from other countries to work here, or send factory out of the country, driving down wages for U.S. and undermine labor. Enconomy down? Oh, how could it be? Taxes have BEEN LOW, so where are the jobs, then?
"These tea party people (I have a friend) tell me I will email you my (radical) viewpoint, but when you answer with your disagreement, we shouldn't talk politics when we meet for dinner. Controlling? I think so."
Same here. Friend I've known for going on 67 years does exactly the same thing except it's our wives who say 'no political talk'. He baits me with racist remarks and a constant stream of emails (and he's mexican american with black family members) to the point his emails now go straight to the trash (unknown to him). It must be a winger trait.
That last sentence from Sandy is a point that more journalists should be making when talking to the GOP advocates of extending the Bush tax cuts. If those tax cuts are supposed to "create jobs", then why haven't they done that for the last 10 years that they have already been in place? Why have we been losing jobs at a faster rate every year for each of those 10 years?
There's also the point that was made during Meet the Press on Sunday... extending those tax cuts will ADD $3.2 TRILLION to the deficit. Next question - how much have they ALREADY added to the deficit over the last 10 years? How much better off would this entire nation be right now if those tax cuts had never been enacted?
That is how we should be fighting this battle going into the midterms. The only way we can fight the ignorance that allows so many "middle class" Americans to keep voting for Republicans despite the fact that the GOP really does NOT represent them is to show them the numbers - in big, bold, flashy, unequivocal ways, over and over again. It's time we get our own meme's out there, just as often and just as loudly and just as vigorously as the GOP does.
A possible White House conversation 26AUG2008. Hey George. What is it Hank? The Democrats appear to be winning so lets fix up a welcome wagon. OK, what?
Figure what 2009 budget will be, about 800 billion, stampede congress into bailing out the banks for that amount. So anything they spend including our salaries we can scream, adding to national debt, blaming democrats and prevent them from accomplishing much of anything. We will be in good shape for fall 2010. No matter that you spent 2 trillion on wars.
There will be no movement on this issue until the money in government issue is settled. We need to have concrete giving and disclosure laws, and they need to stand the test of the supreme court. Any other talk about who is doing what with who's money is wasting time. Fox news, or NBC news, is even more of a worry, since their actions can influence their news directly. The whole business of money in politics is corrupt, and these guys are just as bad as anybody else.
It might be a good idea to address the cause of the problem and not just the symptom. Money corrupts, and there's a huge amount of it sloshing around our politics, but that's largely because our endless campaign cycles demand so much. In the UK, politicians can only campaign between the dissolution of Parliament and the election, and that space of time is just one month. There are other differences in the UK system involving how campaigns are funded, of course, but that aside just consider how much cheaper US campaigns would be if the time-frame were similarly limited. The US is much bigger that the UK, so a one-month campaign window would probably be too small (especially for the presidency), but a two-month window for the House and Senate and maybe four for the presidency would severely reduce the need for cash. Trouble is, there are too many who profit by the current system and it a reform such as this would take a constitutional amendment to be implemented (specifically, Article I, section 4, paragraph would need amending as well as the 12th Amendment).
Another case of Righty distraction and Lefty inaction.
What about starting something radical, something absurdly foolish and dumb that it could not possibly succeed? How many Liberals, Progressives and Rational people are out there? How many of them can actually still get a small loan from a Credit Union for $1,000 over 2 years? How many can afford to repay the $500 a year which is about $10 a week, plus a small interest charge and how many of them would be willing to place that combined purchasing power into a common account set up as either a PAC, Green energy research seed fund or, perish the thought, a fund to buy web sites and purchase actual news from people who will not donate it. A fund to buy advertising and further views and truth instead of having people rely on False News. A fund that can be used to further Free Speech TV and Mother Jones or other such organizations? Can you imagine doing any of this with just $1,000? If you can gather 199,999 more friends then the 2 Million of you together with $1,000 each will have $2 Billion to flex.
Can it be done? Will it be done and if not, why and what will you say to all those who scream about non-representation and having no power or voice?
I have to say that whoever sets up your remote interviews is incompetent and should be replaced. First we have the great idea to set the Texas sheriff up next to an active train track; now we have an important journalist on an important story, her interview ruined through having her interviewed outdoors next to a busy wet street? Come on. That is just stupid. Get with it. That is unprofessional and just shows no intelligence.
The Republican party of the Reconstruction period (1860's) would be appalled at the antics of this republican party. The "real" Republican party was not for fiscal responsibility (that comes with law)--there chief concern was the EQUAL enforcement of law. They, like warriors of old, stood up against the old--status quo system--they enacted RECONSTRUCTION legislation. Legislation that allowed for the EXPANSION OF THE FEDERAL SYSTEM for the protection of all citizens. See, they knew that before any system can work--the basis must be in LAW.
The republicans now--would rather sit back and allow the STATUS QUO to be upheld--the same STATUS QUO the real REPUBLICANS fought so hard against, and put their lives on the line for. And now it is Pres. Obama that has taken up the cause of the Republicans of old, and it is the Democrats and a few Republicans standing up to the STATUS QUO . Hindsight is the best sight for foresight
I have been hopeful for a long time that we could get some national exposure to this story about the Koch brothers but it did not include another brother - Bill Koch.
He has fronted with millions of dollars a (so called) non-profit, The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, which is solely aimed at killing America's first offshore wind farm.
The Alliance (funded by Bill Koch) has filed yet another law suit claiming that whales migrate in Nantucket Sound. That is pure bunk.
Maybe the angle is Koch and his oil/coal front group claiming to care about right whales while the real champions of the environment Oceana, Greenpeace, Natural Defense Resource Council, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Clean Power Now support Cape Wind. These fossil fueled opponents are holding back the clean energy industry and the thousands of jobs it will create.
Here is a link from the Greenpeace site that covers some of the earlier attempts at fear mongering and mis-information –
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/global-warming-and-energy/copy-of-wind-power/in-support-of-cape-wind/greenpeace-support-s-cape-wind
And here is a link to the Greenpeace report on Bill Koch:
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/bill-koch-the-dirty-money-behind-cape-wind-op/blog/26104
It is very important that along with Charles and David that everyone far and wide learns how their brother Bill is trying to stop (maybe it will affect his bottom line?) Cape Wind - America's first fully permitted offshore wind farm.
Please post on your site & otherwise: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9010100
Please post & pass this list of the facist KOCH company brands on: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9010100
Boycott KOCH - please post/pass on this list of brands produced by the fascists @ KOCH: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9010100 or http://www.worldofkoch.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/28/business/brother-versus-brother-koch-family-s-long-legal-feud-is-headed-for-a-jury.html?pagewanted=3
Where is hatey when you need him? PSA: All Tea Party Members are useful idiots, puppets dancing at the end of string being pulled by Koch Enterprises!
Is there any difference in Kock and George Sorros not much and what ever happened to camp. finance reform they all pretty much stink.
Delete
Try again?
http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll398/jgm104/crush_koch-01.png
Boycot angel soft toilet paper ? Not in my bathroom
I love this
Some of the information about these Amercan states that they are against civil rights. These billionaires are buying Republicans in Washington to push what they want on the nation. The republican party is not for all Americans,just those who have money. Trump is also on the payroll. Trump is broke and needs his NBC job to stay afloat.