Tea Party: Are You Serious or Just Bitching?

The Tea Party stands for a few principles that are shared by others. Others they may not like. If they are serious about achieving their goals, or at least some of them, they will need to work with other political groups because this is still a democracy and they don't have a majority.

Some discerned ideas of the Tea Party:

Anger at the banker bailout
Anger at both Republican and Democrat parties
Restoring limited government
Free market boosterism.

Some discerned ideas of Market Socialism:

Anger at the banker bailout
Anger at both Republican and Democrat parties
The means of production are publicly owned, managed, and administered
Democratic socialists do not want to create an all-powerful government bureaucracy. But they do not want big corporate bureaucracies to control our society either. Rather, they believe that social and economic decisions should be made by those whom they most affect.

I propose that the Tea Party, the Market/Democratic Socialists and the Progressives get together to push their common ideas: that the bank bailout was just welfare for the few at the expense of the many, that both the Republican and Democratic parties are owned and controlled by corporate money, therefore neither are really representing us.

If the Tea Party is serious, really serious, about achieving its goals they will be open to this idea of teaming up with other people who don't share their perspective. As long as this is still a democracy, they will have to do that to get anything done at all. That's if they want to in the first place.

If a Socialist Stood Up For the Tea Party, Would They Be Shot?

You might think I'm getting lazy with the YouTube reposts, but this one is good. It raises all the points about how Republicans have failed in the past 20 years. It ignores that Democrats have participated in that failure. Bill Clinton and Robert Reich loosened the Depression-era controls on Wall Street and toxic assets were the result. It is during the Obama Administration that most people were illegally foreclosed on. This administration is really good a rhetoric, but let themselves get rolled by Wall Street. Where are the prosecutions? The newly-impoverished bankers? The news stories on their great fall? Nowhere.

I am not a Republican by any means. I am also not a Socialist. But there are many Socialists who agree with some of the basic idea of the Tea Party. Would both sides be able to get over themselves enough to get those things done?

But getting a few of the Tea Party people into the halls of power might be a good thing. The Tea Party seems to be angry at the Wall Street bailout. So am I. The Tea Party is against health care reform. Too late, it already happened. And no politician on Earth is going to tell a mother her child should be denied health insurance coverage and die. Once you pass something like that, it is here to stay. The Tea Party adherents also fear the religion of Islam and consider it the enemy. And? They aren't going to be able to outlaw the religion or do anything of the kind.

I have great hopes for the Tea Party. I hope they metaphorically hold the feet of Wall Street to the fire. I hope they hold to their beliefs that America does not need to be engaged in a war in Iraq and most of the time, doesn't need to be engaged in a war at all.

DC Cab Drivers as Political Force

Vincent C. Gray, winner of DC's Democratic primary, had significant help from DC cab drivers. It seems that many prospective cab drivers drove voters to the polls for Tuesday's primary.

Cab drivers have long been kicked around in DC. For years there was a zone system that favored anyone traveling from a Congressional office to a Federal building. As in, it only cost three dollars. Talking to those cab drivers was great. The powerful riders spoke as if the cab drivers weren't there at all, much less that they could understand what was being said. Think: what elitism! What information! What fun!

So no surprise that Congressional pressure resulted in DC cab drivers getting stiffed on fair rates for years. After all, they were the help.

So now cabdrivers have found their teeth. Good for them. And let future candidates take heed.

Traitor Democrats, By Their Fruit, You Shall Know Them

The above link is from Jack and Jill politics and lists all of the Congressmen and women who voted against an extension of unemployment benefits. Blogger Leutisha Stills hunts down and names the Democratic politicians who betrayed their political base to join with Republicans in blaming the unemployed for their situation. "Ready for the list? I didn’t write a song about it, but here it is: Robert Menendez (D-NJ). No Comment. Herbert Kohl and Russ Feingold, (D-WIS). Don’t know about Kohl, but Russ Feingold had the distinction of standing up to ReThugs and looking out for US. W-T-F? I don’t think I can give Feingold a mulligan on this vote. He needs to feel the sting of betraying his constituents. Ben Nelson (D-FL). This guy has always been a reliable Blue Dog vote for the Republicans. I’ve already said Blue Dog Democrats need to be put down like rabid dogs, because they offer no value to the Democratic Party AT ALL. Bill Nelson (D-NEB). See Ben Nelson above. Same description applies. Evan Bayh (D-IND). Oh well, since he’s stepping down from his seat and not running for re-election, I guess he feels a good “F-U” to Americans were in order because we called out the fact he’s a wimp and DLC policies have all but prostituted the Democratic Party. Mark Begich (D-AK). Progressive Democrats worked very hard to get this fool elected from the 49th State that produced Sarah Palin and the Family of Grifters. THIS is the thanks we get? Mary Landrieu (D-LA). Ah, Miss Mary must be counting of her share of BP payola from that 20 billion dollar escrow account the President managed to snag from Tony Hayward before he was shown the door. But nothing for her constituents? Maybe they’ll get it right the next time she comes up for re-election, since she almost got shown the door the last time. Joe Lieberman (I-CT). I said not defanging him would come back to bite US and the Obama Administration in the ass. Maybe the Nutmeg State will get it right next time, too, but I doubt it, cause they had a chance and Ned Lamont screwed it up by going on vacation after beating Droopy Dog for the Democratic Primary. Claire McCaskill (D-MO). Missourians always brag about how they need to be “shown” something. Well, your Democratic Senator is showing y’all she don’t care if you guys go broke if you’re unemployed. And she’s supposed to be a reliable “progressive” vote in the Senate. If this is her example of progressivism, I’ll shop elsewhere. Mark Pryor (D-ARK). Okay, he’s as bad as Blanche Lincoln. Blanche Lincoln (D-ARK). See Mark Pryor. And you would think the close call Lincoln got in her primary, not to mention she’s on the hot seat for sponsoring a bill on financial reform that doesn’t explain derivatives, one would think she’d calm her butt down and lay low for awhile. I guess she feels if she got pass the primary, she doesn’t have to worry about the General – but I’m past the “any Democrat is better than no Democrat at all” nonsense. You know who’s name ISN’T ON THIS LIST? Senator Roland Burris (D-IL) – you know; the one that Harry Reid refused to certify his election until he needed HIS VOTE to get Health Care Reform passed. LOL. “Any Democrat” proves to screw the working-class over just like “Any Republican”. By Their Fruit…You Shall Know Them. And as long as I continue to post here, I will see to it that you shall KNOW THEM. They need to go. They don’t do anything in OUR best interests. And they have too much time (six year terms) to continue screwing us over. Maybe if they had shorter terms and had to run for re-election as frequently as the House of Representatives…we’d have a more effective Senate. By Their Fruit…You Shall KNOW THEM. And then, I got a brilliant idea. Can anyone email me (leutishastills1@hotmail.com or lstills@gmail.com) and show me how to set up a wiki? I mean to track this and any other legislation that screws us over. A real-time “CBC Monitor” Report Card, but it will include as many traitors as I can name. We don’t have to worry about the Republicans unless one of them gets attacked for doing the right thing."

Big Three Bailout: Making Them Beg

We all know the big three American automakers are going to get financial relief in one form or another. Until then, Congress is having fun making them beg.

For decades, the U.S. Automotive industry has been the big gorilla in the room. They crushed the electric car. They opposed environmental standards. They opposed fuel efficiency requirements.

Now the rest of the country has the chance to harass them, and is having a ball.

"Sir, I don't see a plan for the money you want. I need to see a plan for how this money is going to be spent."

And then, "This plan doesn't go far enough."

Or the spectacle of corporate jets. "Did you fly here in a corporate jet? Let's take a poll." Imagine, being forced to drive those cars you want the U.S. taxpayer to rescue. Well, they did, with a smile.

Congress is enjoying this, and America is too.

The Red Menace

Let's make a new rule: All states have to be self-supporting in terms of Federal tax revenue. That means that states like Alaska, who comfort themselves with a "suspicion" of Washington, would no longer get all that extra Federal money. Neither would Wyoming or any of the other red states.

Because the debtor states are the red states. These people who want Washington out of their lives could start by giving back the excess Federal money they get over and above the amount of taxes they pay.

But isn't it all about the purity? The "we are better than you because we pretend not to have sex until marriage or gay sex" thing?

Yeah, right. Give us back our money and you can be as pure as you want. Then you really don't have to worry about Washington interfering with your life.

Executive Compensation Under the Bailout Bill

Reclaiming Executive Bonuses

If the executive of a failed financial institution received a bonus based on information later proven to be MATERIALLY INACCURATE, the U.S. Government could go after the bonus money. But not the base salary.

Put another way, if upon valuing a firm's statement of earnings, the federal government decides it is materially inaccurate for 2005 because the value of the mortgage-backed securities was wrong, then the executive bonuses, based on the statement of earnings, can be "recovered."

This bill allows the U.S. Government to go after executive bonus or incentive pay that was based on "materially inaccurate" information. There is no limit on who that applies to. So the executives from two or four years ago who made "materially inaccurate" statements can have their big bonuses taken from them, too, as long as their firm later requires federal rescuing.

So, to get the bonus money back (and not the salary), there would need to be MATERIALLY INACCURATE information from the company, which could be made in a number of ways that Congress has not decided to fully list. And it would not need to be materially inaccurate at the time. It could be "LATER PROVEN TO BE MATERIALLY INACCURATE." The information could be statements of earning, gains, or OTHER CRITERIA. The last item is capitalized because it leaves an open door for interpretation. It could be taken to mean, conceivably, anything a bonus is based on, including media interviews that caused the stock price to move. Yes, it is rather a stretch. But still a possibility.

In short, it is more than I expected in terms of socking it to Wall Street fat cats.

Golden Parachutes

All financial firms that need U.S. Government bailout will not have "golden parachute payments to their executives while the U.S. Government stills holds stock in your firm. The least they could do, I'd say.

See the exact language below.

(B) a provision for the recovery by the financial institution of any bonus or incentive compensation paid to a senior executive officer based on statements of earnings, gains, or other criteria that are later proven to be materially
inaccurate; and
(C) a prohibition on the financial institution making any golden parachute payment to its senior executive officer during the period that the Secretary holds an equity or debt position in the financial institution.

Implications of Bailout

How are the Republicans going to advocate less regulations from now on?

Never again will the cry of "free, unimpeded markets" be the answer to the lack of health care. The teeth of the Republican "no government" stance have been pulled out and tossed away. Liars. Hypocrites. They never meant it to begin with, and the Wall Street gamble paid off.

We have learned through experience that greed is not good for everyone. And the greedy will not take the hit on the chin when they lose because, well, they're greedy cowards.

Now that America KNOWS that they own Wall Street, it's time to start making demands.

A cap on executive salaries with NO golden parachutes.
Compensation tied to performance.
Hiring graduates from state schools.
Diversity.
All investment bankers must run up and down Wall Street once a year in their underwear while people throw eggs at them.

Hey, I bet we could make them do it, they'd sell their own mothers for money, why not volunteer to get eggs thrown at themselves?

Sarah Palin Is Not Stupid

Newsflash: John McCain is running for President. Not Sarah Palin. The more Democrats give her their attention, the more their resources will be diverted from actually winning the election.

Sarah Palin's job is as decoy, and she is doing it well. She is attracting the liberal rage at her seeming lack of qualifications or knowledge.

As long as the rage is focused on her, it won't be spent debunking John McCain's claims or qualifications. Palin knows this. John McCain knows this. I'll bet that everyone jumping up and down for the pistol-packing, moose-killing mama knows it, too.

So once again, the United States is going to be "Reaganed." The Democrats are going to divert their attention to the wrong person, seriously underestimating him/her, while looking like snotty elitist bastards. Put another way, if you insult Palin for being stupid, you also insult the people who like her. And that is no way to convince anybody to change their vote.

Sarah Palin will never be discredited in the eyes of her followers. It is pointless to try. OK, it might make you feel better. Even superior. But it won't get you into the White House.

Rise of the Know-Nothings

Have you noticed young women starting to wear their hair in Sarah Palinesque hair buns? I have.

Fashion is a language. Women are speaking with their hair. But what are they saying? "I can see Russia from my back yard"?

A national leader should be aware of a few things. Just a few. Among them are the current foreign policy they are supporting. Even if they are not supporting it, they should at least know what it is. Or that when Russia sent troops into Georgia, it was in response to something Georgia did. And that would be called "provoked" rather than "unprovoked." After all, she can see Russia from her back yard. Didn't she notice something amiss?

It is the rise of the Know-Nothings all over again.

The American electorate has chosen the deliberately and delightfully ignorant to lead our nation in the past. Why not again? What is the appeal of a person who doesn't know and doesn't care that she doesn't know?

The President doesn't know all the answers. People don't expect him to. In fact, they don't expect any knowledge at all.

Maybe because most Americans don't know these answers, they don't expect our Vice President to know them. Or maybe a candidate that is too well informed makes them feel stupid.

It could be the appeal of the "just nuke 'em" camp of political beliefs, which spares us all the grief of looking at America's role in some of these world conflicts. Remember when the only criteria for U.S. support was anti-Communism? The United States was one of the last countries on Earth to support apartheid South Africa. Even the Queen of England tossed South Africa out of the Commonwealth of Nations decades before the United States reluctantly acceded that apartheid was wrong.

So what does the bun mean? Possibly - "We voted a Know-Nothing into office twice before, let's do it again!"

Obama the Statesman

Senator Barak Obama is appearing to be a better diplomat and representative of the United States than the current President. He looks Presidential, other foreign leaders obviously like him, he draws huge crowds.

George Bush is put to shame by the comparison with Barak Obama on international junkets. No one would ever dream that Barak Obama would wink at the Queen of England. Nor would we imagine the Senator telling the Pope his speech was "awesome."

In short, Senator Barak Obama has shown the United States what it means to be proud of the deportment of a President. Or potential President. Until this trip I didn't really take the fervid enthusiasm for Senator Obama too seriously. Now he has shown he really could do the job, and almost looks like he's starting doing it already.