Please join us tonight for an evening of politics under the influence at the Seattle chapter of Drinking Liberally. We meet at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E.. We start at 8:00 pm, and sometimes even earlier for dinner.
Not in Seattle? There is a good chance you live near one of the 211 other chapters of Drinking Liberally.
Sun, moon, tides, eh, whatever. Billo really is a joke, and he lies.
Roger Rabbit has sniffles and can’t attend tonight. (coff-coff)
To Lawrence O’Donnell,
What I see when I look at you is a pompous ass who can’t stand that O’Riley is richer and more famous than he is.
Thanks for posting that clip, it reaffirms my belief that I’m getting by just fine without a TV.
I think O’Reilly’s comment about the moon and tides is, what’s the word I’m searching for, emblematic.
There’s no way this guy doesn’t understand the influence of the moon on tides. He is a college graduate with master’s degrees in communication and public administration, the latter from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He’s not a hick, a slouch, or an ignoramous. The moon-tides bite is a put-on. This guy is a professional entertainer, a very successful one, who has a feel for his audience.
I’m not sure whether that bite was intended to be satire or humor or whatever, or whether he’s really pandering to an audience that is, in fact, dumb enough the take a comment like that seriously.
This brings me to the point I’m getting at. We have an ideology-driven movement in our country that has put ignorance and stupidity on a pedestal and worshipped it. Central to the success of this ideology is brainwashing its followers to reject facts or realities that are inconsistent with the ideology and tend to disprove it. For example, the notion that unregulated markets are efficient is disproven by the irrefutable historical record that they spawn chaos and collapse. The conservative movement depends for its acceptance on the propagation of lies and absurdities. O’Reilly, a highly trained communications professional, knows this.
O’Reilly also knows he isn’t headlined on Fox, owned by one of the world’s most influential troglodytes, and paid the big bucks for being a standup comedian telling tide jokes. Only people engaged in serious propaganda are worth that kind of money to their employers.
O’Reilly, therefore, is an unscrupulous propagandist who plays on the ignorance and stupidity of his audience to sell them a spurious ideological bill of goods. He’s a demagogue and knows it. He doesn’t care. All he cares about is the paycheck.
@3: Umm, the pompous ass is O’Reilly. And I am betting he will show that he has no guts and will not reply to the challenge.
You see, O’Reilly is a big talker but really can’t back up what he says – as evidenced by his ludicrous “tides” comment, his pathetic interview with the President and his lack of respect for journalism and the office of the President.
While I disagreed with Bush and thought him to be rather dimwitted, I did not try to insult the man – I think he insulted himself plenty by just speaking.
Obama made O’Reilly look petty, small and rabidly ignorant by comparison.
[Deleted — see HA Comment Policy]
And the Koch-head LD(iot) is a slavish customer.
Increase in Debt/GDP in percentage points:
Carter -3.3%
Raygun 1st term +11.3%
Raygun 2nd term +9.3%
Papa Bush +15.0%
Clinton 1st term -0.7%
Clinton 2nd term -9.0%
Baby Bush 1st term +7.1%
Baby Bush 2nd term +20.00%
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N.....tial_terms
In March, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its projections that the federal debt will grow from $7.5 TRILLION in 2009 to $20 trillion by 2020.
If you find it hard to wrap your mind around those numbers – and who wouldn’t – consider that the government intends to almost triple the current debt in just 11 years.
ld(iot) is smoking crack KOCH-caine…
Raise taxes on the people who benefited the most from the big deficit spenders of the past – REPUBLICANS and you’re well on the way to solving the problem.
Nope, the poor and middle class lost ground during those years..
Hey ID,
I balanced the budget. How would you do it?
http://www.nytimes.com/interac.....s=83tsd5qj
Reduce nuclear arsenal and space spending
Reduce military to pre-Iraq War size and further reduce troops in Asia and Europe
Cancel or delay some weapons programs
Reduce the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to 30,000 by 2013
Enact medical malpractice reform
Increase the Medicare eligibility age to 68
Raise the Social Security retirement age to 70
Reduce Social Security benefits for those with high incomes
Return the estate tax to Clinton-era levels
The Bush Tax Cuts Allow expiration for income above $250,000 a year and Payroll tax: Subject some incomes above $106,000 to tax
Millionaire’s tax on income above $1 million
Eliminate loopholes, but keep taxes slightly higher
Roger @5:
Not a bad post Rog. Especially for having the sniffles.
I think ya nailed on Bill-O. He is a highly paid propagandist who caters to an audience of lesser minds.
the ld(iot) would “balance” the budget the old fashioned right wing way:
Cut taxes on the rich and INCREASE defense spending. Start another war while you’re at it.
Oh and the war on unions in this country continues no matter what. Look at what’s happening in Wisconsin.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....23836.html
Yeah screw teachers, prison guards, whatever but leave revolving door Pentagon careerists alone.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.....enerations
Millennial Saeculum
(Baby) Boom Generation Prophet (Idealist) 1943–1960 (17) High: Superpower America
13th Generation (a.k.a Generation X)1 Nomad (Reactive) 1961–1981 (20) Awakening: Consciousness Revolution
Millennial Generation2 Hero (Civic) 1982–2000 (18) Unraveling: Culture Wars
New Silent Generation 3 Artist (Adaptive) 2001–present (10+) Crisis: War on Terror
Right now we have our
Artist/Adaptive. An Artist (or Adaptive) generation is born was born approx 1925–1943, so the 70 to 90 year olds are spending their old old age in an Crisis. Artistic leaders have been advocates of fairness and the politics of inclusion, irrepressible in the wake of failure.
Our progressives wave is dying off.
A Prophet (or Idealist) generation born is born approx 1943–1960, so the 50 to 70 year olds, are spending old age in a Crisis. Prophetic leaders have been cerebral and principled, summoners of human sacrifice, wagers of righteous wars.
Our current leaders are the culture war zealots.
A Nomad (or Reactive) generation born is born approx 1961–1980, so the 30 to 50 year olds, are spending their midlife during a Crisis. Nomadic leaders have been cunning, hard-to-fool realists, taciturn warriors who prefer to meet problems and adversaries one-on-one.
Could Obama be considered this?
A Hero (or Civic) generation is born approx 1981–2000, so the 10 to 30 year olds, are spending its rising adult years during a Crisis, Heroic leaders are considered to have been vigorous and rational institution-builders.
Not a big factor yet.
If I have this correct, we are dominated by Prophets and fighting the tide of Profits.
Heh. Randroid Ryan doesn’t have a “baseline” yet.
http://www.dailykos.com/tv/w/002820/index.html
Shit, I thought the “baseline” was 2008 spending. You know, the bad old days when Shrubya was in charge. And I heard the 100 billion figure being passed around? Anyone still hear that? Oh yeah, been there, done that. Only problem is that it was bogus:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsal.....on-in-cuts
“Cut and hide” indeed… Entitlements the biggest piece of the pie? Uh, yeah!
Ryan, keep your grubby randroid hands off the voter’s Social Security and Medicare!
And keep up the great work! It’s a laugh a minute!
What OBAMA has Cost YOU!
Would you have been as loudly proclaiming if it had been….
What MCCAIN/PALIN has Cost YOU!
Awwwwww.. Here’s something that will make trolls (like Troll) sad:
http://www.good.is/post/protes.....-in-egypt/
I’m sure Troll will find a picture of Egyptian thugs bashing heads and Troll will sign: I admire the Egyptian Police.
@9 How much of that is due to aging Baby Boomers? This country has known for 65 years that Social Security and Medicare spending would bulge in the next couple of decades. Are you going to blame this population phenomenon — a product of World War 2 — on Democrats? Go ahead, I dare you.
Wingnut Logic 101
1. Projected deficits will be caused in large part by increased entitlement spending on Baby Boomers.
2. The Baby Boom was caused by World War 2.
3. Democrats controlled the White House and Congress when World War 2 broke out.
4. Therefore, World War 2 is the Democrats’ fault.
5. It follows that the Baby Boom is also the Democrats’ fault.
6. Therefore, entitlement spending on Baby Boomers is the Democrats’ fault, too.
Of course, wingnuts can rightfully blame the existence of Social Security and Medicare on Democrats.
I’d love to see them campaign for Congress and the presidency on a platform of repealing Social Security and Medicare.
In fact, I dare them to.
GOP Budget Cuts = Partisan Grandstanding
The GOP has unveiled their bill to cut federal spending by $61 billion, and needless to say, it’s little more than the standard Republican hypocrisy and partisanship we’ve grown accustomed to in recent years.
This bill INCREASES defense spending while targeting cuts on programs conservatives dislike on ideological grounds, such as the EPA and spending on food and drug safety. (We all know how “safe” our food and drugs were under Bush, don’t we?)
Republicans used their first major spending bill to reflect conservative priorities on a range of issues ….
“The bill would prohibit federal funding for any private organization that uses its own funds to facilitate abortions ….
“It also would block the administration from terminating plans for a nuclear waste site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada — a direct challenge to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. [How does this cut spending? Doesn’t Yucca Mountain COST taxpayers money?]
” … [T]he EPA would be barred from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from factories and other stationary sites.
“Conservatives said they would attempt to add other policy requirements to the legislation during floor debate, including one to prevent the implementation of the year-old health care law.
“Others are backed by affected industries. One would stop the Federal Communications Commission from enforcing its proposed new ‘network neutrality’ policy, which prohibits phone and cable companies from interfering with traffic on their broadband networks. [This is a deficit-reduction measure??? How???]”
http://www.aolnews.com/story/h.....87/?cid=10
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Same bullshit, different day.
Why Do Republicans Hate Workers?
Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, where foaming-at-the-mouth rightwing extremists have captured control of state government, Republicans are ramming through a legislative bill that not only would strip state workers of collective bargaining rights but goes out of its way to antagonize workers.
“Unions could still represent workers, but could not seek pay increases above the Consumer Price Index unless approved by a public referendum. Unions also could not force employees to pay dues and would have to hold annual votes to stay organized.”
http://www.aolnews.com/story/t.....24/?cid=10
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Wisconsin’s GOP governor says taking away public workers’ rights is necessary to balance that state’s distressed budget. Meanwhile, he’s signing tax cuts for business.
When Republicans finally succeed in dictating the terms and conditions of employment on their terms, who is going to want those jobs? Not me. I’ve made another $750 in the stock market today, so why would I fight commuter traffic (paying for my own non-tax-deductible gas while CEOs deduct their corporate aircraft fleets) to get to a job I had to qualify for by paying my own educational and training expenses, buying my own work clothing, and then working for low pay without benefits, which means I have to pay for my own retirement and health insurance?
I’m a capitalist and businessman, and at some point, I can figure out that working for Reublicans costs more than they pay me. That’s called a “loss” and I see no reason to pay for the privilege of working in order to make other people rich. So I don’t work. I don’t see why anyone else should work, either. Republican labor policies and attitudes are turning America into a nation of non-workers.
That’s only one step away from turning America into a nation of non-consumers, too. Then who are Republicans going to sell their goods and services to? This, of course, isn’t a problem because after no one works for them anymore there won’t be any goods or services to sell.
This new GOP-inspired paradigm is called the Zero Economy.
In the Zero Economy, no one produces anything, no one sells anything, no one earns anything, and no one has anything.
Including them.
@21 ” … [T]he EPA would be barred from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from factories and other stationary sites.”
Speaking of this, why do Republicans want to turn Earth into another Venus and wipe out life on our planet, including their own species?
I’m currently reading a book called “Storms of My Grandchildren” by James Hansen, who is a scientist, which means he knows more about climate changing than the global warming deniers who get all their ideas on the subject from the Wingnut Squawk Box.
Dr. Hansen is a Columbia University professor and former NASA science director who frequently testifies before Congress. His book, which is based on scientific methodology, will scare the shit out of you.
The reason it will is because he believes we have overestimated the CO2 tipping point that plunges Earth into climate failure. It’s lower than we thought, and we’re much closer to it than we believe, he says. He backs up that assertion with facts, figures, and scientific explanations.
Continuing to load up the atmosphere with CO2 emissions won’t just melt the polar caps, raise the sea level, increase the ferocity of storms, and raise mean global temperatures to uncomfortable levels.
It’ll make Earth uninhabitable.
We must, Dr. Hansen says, stop burning coal. Now. Not five centuries from now, or 50 years from now, but right now.
Coal and power industry lobbyists say we can’t afford to. Dr. Hansen says we can’t afford not to.
Our troll friends can be counted on to respond to this with personal attacks on Dr. Hansen. Instead of debating the issue, wingnuts will threaten his kids and try to burn his house down. That’s what a Science-versus-Wingnut Hysteria “debate” looks like every time.
Go ahead, wingnuts, turn Earth into another Venus. Fry us all to a crisp. Send all of the atmosphere’s oxygen off into space, where maybe eventually gravitational forces will draw it into the atmosphere of some other planet where some other life form will make better use of it than you do here.
I made $1,050 in the stock market today, but lost $1,000 yesterday, so I’ve netted only $50 in the last two days. That doesn’t bother me. The market doesn’t go up in a straight line. What matters is how you do over the long haul.
I’ve made $12,000 since January 1. That works out to about $100,000 a year. The smartasses among our trolls might chime in and say, “Yeah, but it’s easy to make $12,000 when you’re investing $1 million.” The trouble with that argument is that I’m not. Nobody who makes his living in the public sector has that kind of nest egg. Public service just doesn’t pay that well. Over the last 30 years, I’ve put less than $20,000 of my own money into investments. That 20 grand is going to make me a millionaire (I’m not far away now; I calculate it’ll take 5 more years)because I’m better at playing stocks than most people. And playing is what it is. This is a hobby for me, and my winnings are simply a way of keeping score. I’ve never spent a penny of the hundreds of thousands of dollars I’ve won in the stock market, and I never will. I just like playing the game for its own sake.
You will need a Million Roger, just to afford the skyrocketing food and common day necessities. And BTW, I’m not crying any tears at your public sector pay, retirements, and benefits, they are outlandish!
When the country tanks due to the massive Obama debt load, your million will be flushed.
@26 – Typical fictional arguments from another idiot Right Winger. Inflation right now is running around 1%. I guess it’s that idiot Right Wing math that defines 1% as “skyrocketing.” As for your claim that public sector pay and benefits are “outlandish,” well, you’re completely full of shit on that one. Study after study proves that you are. Here’s one study that shows you’re officially full of shit: http://michiganmessenger.com/4.....-overpaid#
Here’s one that shows that the much-maligned workers in California are–gasp!–paid about the same as COMPARABLE private sector workers. Every fucking study that purports to show that public sector workers are overpaid does not compare apples to apples. Every one of them makes a straight comparison of private sector wages (heavily skewed by fast food workers and low-paid retail clerks) to public sector wages (heavily skewed by professionals such as teachers and engineers). Anyone who argues that kind of bullshit should be required to get a big “LIAR” branded on their forehead.