BUCKNACKT'S SORDID TAWDRY BLOG We should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate, bier or wein in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WHOO-HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!"
Showing posts with label jobs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jobs. Show all posts
23 September 2025
13 April 2012
Helping the Poor is Now Apparently Anti-Bible (ACCORDING TO RICK WARREN) 9APR12
THIS perversion of Christianity is disgusting. rick warren might as well come clean and confess he doesn't worship Jesus, he worships wealth and and power and follows a creed based on greed. What a sad, sad commentary on his faith, he is doing Christianity and the teachings of Jesus Christ serious harm. He and his followers should be ashamed. This from Mother Jones and then for some of the actual teachings of Jesus concerning the poor check out my post from last year 9 Jesus Quotes About The Poor from HUFFPOST 15JUL11
http://bucknacktssordidtawdryblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/9-jesus-quotes-about-poor-15jul11.html
Rick Warren at a TED talk in 2006.
I see that fellow Orange Countian Rick Warren — he of Saddleback megachurch and Purpose Driven Life fame — is in the news again. He was on ABC's This Week yesterday, and Jake Tapper asked him what he thought about President Obama's suggestion that God tells us to care for those less fortunate than ourselves:
But I'm a blogger, not a minister. And while I might not be an expert on the Bible, I've read enough to know that Jesus sure didn't seem to think that helping the poor robbed them of dignity. Can someone help me out here? What part of the gospels do you think Warren is referring to?
http://bucknacktssordidtawdryblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/9-jesus-quotes-about-poor-15jul11.html
Rick Warren at a TED talk in 2006. Well certainly the Bible says we are to care about the poor....But there's a fundamental question on the meaning of "fairness." Does fairness mean everybody makes the same amount of money? Or does fairness mean everybody gets the opportunity to make the same amount of money? I do not believe in wealth redistribution, I believe in wealth creation.You know, there's nothing really wrong with a Republican politician saying this. Or a Democratic politician, for that matter. My first preference for helping the poor is indeed to make sure they have decent jobs. Unfortunately, I haven't yet met anyone who has a brilliant plan for making the economy boom on such a sustained basis that jobs are always available for everyone.
The only way to get people out of poverty is J-O-B-S. Create jobs. To create wealth, not to subsidize wealth. When you subsidize people, you create the dependency. You — you rob them of dignity.
But I'm a blogger, not a minister. And while I might not be an expert on the Bible, I've read enough to know that Jesus sure didn't seem to think that helping the poor robbed them of dignity. Can someone help me out here? What part of the gospels do you think Warren is referring to?
01 October 2011
Tell the Super Committee - Don't ignore jobs 1OKT11
SIGN the petition to the congressional super committee to create jobs not cut them! Corporate America is lobbying the committee to protect corporate welfare and the tax breaks for the wealthy. The military-industrial complex is lobbying the committee to protect the American war machine. Have your say, tell the committee "Don't ignore jobs!".
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08 September 2011
BAD POLITICS, DIRTY AIR from GREENPEACE 8SEP11
PRES Obama's decision on ozone pollution controls is wrong, period. Not only would the law protect the health of all Americans and so lower health care cost it would also put Americans back to work, building the equipment required to cut ozone pollution and installing it. This from Greenpeace....
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Watch our new online ad and tell President Obama that dirty air and sick voters won’t win him anything. The President and his political team are convinced that, no matter what they do, they’ll have the full support of people like you who care about the quality of the air they breathe and the health of their families. So when he announces that he won’t be enforcing ozone pollution protections that according to the EPA would save 12,000 American lives and ease the health burden of the 24 million people suffering from asthma, he’s hoping not to hear from you. But he has to. It’s the only way we are going to get the President to stop working for corporate polluters and start working for everyday Americans. The President will address the nation tonight about the job situation. Greenpeace has just released a 30 second ad in advance of tonight’s speech that addresses his job situation. Our goal is to get 20,000 views in the next couple of hours before the President’s speech. We’ll be pushing this video to news media and blogs we know his supporters watch. But we can’t get his attention without you. Check out the video and share it with everyone you know who supported the President in 2008... He needs to be reminded that in November he is counting on people who care about the environment and the health of their family and loved ones. Not just for votes, but for volunteer hours and everything else that goes into winning a campaign. This is all about politics and it is sickening. There is still hope. The President just needs to start protecting our health from ozone pollution -- much of which comes from coal-fired power plants -- and stop doing the dirty work of corporate polluters. If you agree, watch the video and share it with your friends. Thanks for all you do, Philip Radford Greenpeace Executive Director P.S. Forward this message to the people you know who supported the President in 2008. It's the only way we are going to get the message out.  | |
   Click here to forward this message. | |
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Greenpeace 702 H Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20001 | 1-800-722-6995 | |
19 August 2011
House Republicans Get An Earful At Town Halls Back Home 19AUG11
WELL at least not all repiglican and tea-bagger representatives are the blatant whore rep paul ryan r WI ($15 a session) is and don't charge their constituents to meet with them, but there are a handful who have decided their pay from their corporate masters just isn't enough and so are charging constituents for their time. A session with rep chip cravaack r MN cost $10, rep lou barletta r PA charges $30, rep renee ellmers r NC $13, and rep ben quale r AZ will let you chew his ear off for $35. Shameless political whores, each and every one. It is good these repiglicans and tea-baggers are hearing from their constituents, and that their constituents are realizing what a mistake they made in electing these fools! From HuffPost...
WASHINGTON -- On Thursday, more than 200 protesters impeded traffic in Washington state as they gathered near the offices of GOP Rep. Dave Reichert, chanting, "We need jobs. Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!" This is the third protest targeting Reichert since the vote on the debt ceiling, Patch reported.
He's not the only House Republican getting an earful from his constituents during the August congressional recess. In town halls from New Hampshire to Minnesota, GOP members have been bombarded with complaints.
In New Mexico last week, a woman angry about Congress’ partisan squabbling over the debt ceiling cursed at Rep. Steve Pearce. In Alabama, several constituents blasted oil subsidies at an event hosted by Rep. Mo Brooks. More than 150 showed up in Pennsylvania to express their frustration to Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick about everything from student loans to Social Security.
Taxes have been a major theme at several town halls. In Illinois, when Rep. Randy Hultgren proposed making the U.S. tax code “flatter, fairer,” his constituents responded by demanding that he support more taxes on the rich.
In New Hampshire, Rep. Frank Guinta -- who serves on the committee on oversight and government reform and the committee on the budget -- faced criticism from hurting voters. "I need desperate help," said John Cochrane, an attendee at Guinta's town hall who has been out of work for more than three years, according to Seacoastonline. "I want to be a good American again. I don't want to be a second-class American."
At an Ohio event for Rep. Steve Chabot, protesters held signs that read "Chabot Shame" and "Hands off my Medicare." Chabot promised the roomful of senior citizens that Medicare changes would affect only those 55 and younger. But one attendee, Teresa Law, told the Cincinnati Enquirer that she was unhappy with his answers. “I want to understand what in the world is going on here. We’re just hearing more rhetoric and we’re sidestepping the issues. It’s maddening,” she said.
Some Republicans sought to lower the temperature by holding virtual town halls or only appearing at forums where attendees had to pay to attend. Rep. Chip Cravaack (Minn.) spoke at an event this week for which a business trade group set an admission price of $10. Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.) went to an event hosted by a local Rotary Club that cost attendees $15. Reps. Lou Barletta (Penn.) appeared at a $30-per-plate "CEO-to-CEO" event last week, and Rep. Renee Ellmers (N.C.) appeared at an event that cost $13. The event Rep. Ben Quayle (Ariz.) showed up to cost $35 a head for a Q&A session and catered lunch.
This tactic may have helped some Republicans avoid protesters, but others weren't so lucky.
House Speaker John Boehner and Minnesota Rep. Erik Paulsen held a $10,000-a-person golf outing. (Lunch but no golf with both congressmen and Rep. Cravaack cost $1,000 a head.) Nearly 200 protesters showed up outside with signs accusing Republicans of protecting corporations over people, and a plane flew overhead with a banner that read, "Where's our piece of the pie? Jobs now."
WATCH the local Fox affiliate’s report on the protest:
WASHINGTON -- On Thursday, more than 200 protesters impeded traffic in Washington state as they gathered near the offices of GOP Rep. Dave Reichert, chanting, "We need jobs. Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!" This is the third protest targeting Reichert since the vote on the debt ceiling, Patch reported.
He's not the only House Republican getting an earful from his constituents during the August congressional recess. In town halls from New Hampshire to Minnesota, GOP members have been bombarded with complaints.
In New Mexico last week, a woman angry about Congress’ partisan squabbling over the debt ceiling cursed at Rep. Steve Pearce. In Alabama, several constituents blasted oil subsidies at an event hosted by Rep. Mo Brooks. More than 150 showed up in Pennsylvania to express their frustration to Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick about everything from student loans to Social Security.
Taxes have been a major theme at several town halls. In Illinois, when Rep. Randy Hultgren proposed making the U.S. tax code “flatter, fairer,” his constituents responded by demanding that he support more taxes on the rich.
In New Hampshire, Rep. Frank Guinta -- who serves on the committee on oversight and government reform and the committee on the budget -- faced criticism from hurting voters. "I need desperate help," said John Cochrane, an attendee at Guinta's town hall who has been out of work for more than three years, according to Seacoastonline. "I want to be a good American again. I don't want to be a second-class American."
At an Ohio event for Rep. Steve Chabot, protesters held signs that read "Chabot Shame" and "Hands off my Medicare." Chabot promised the roomful of senior citizens that Medicare changes would affect only those 55 and younger. But one attendee, Teresa Law, told the Cincinnati Enquirer that she was unhappy with his answers. “I want to understand what in the world is going on here. We’re just hearing more rhetoric and we’re sidestepping the issues. It’s maddening,” she said.
Some Republicans sought to lower the temperature by holding virtual town halls or only appearing at forums where attendees had to pay to attend. Rep. Chip Cravaack (Minn.) spoke at an event this week for which a business trade group set an admission price of $10. Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.) went to an event hosted by a local Rotary Club that cost attendees $15. Reps. Lou Barletta (Penn.) appeared at a $30-per-plate "CEO-to-CEO" event last week, and Rep. Renee Ellmers (N.C.) appeared at an event that cost $13. The event Rep. Ben Quayle (Ariz.) showed up to cost $35 a head for a Q&A session and catered lunch.
This tactic may have helped some Republicans avoid protesters, but others weren't so lucky.
House Speaker John Boehner and Minnesota Rep. Erik Paulsen held a $10,000-a-person golf outing. (Lunch but no golf with both congressmen and Rep. Cravaack cost $1,000 a head.) Nearly 200 protesters showed up outside with signs accusing Republicans of protecting corporations over people, and a plane flew overhead with a banner that read, "Where's our piece of the pie? Jobs now."
WATCH the local Fox affiliate’s report on the protest:
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Republican congressmen charged their constituents admission fees for town hall events. Many Republican congressmen spoke at events held by outside institutions where there was an admissions fee. This article also incorrectly stated that Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.) appeared at a $10,000-a-person golf outing with House Speaker John Boehner and fellow Minnesota Rep. Erik Paulsen. Cravaack does not play golf, according to his office, but he did show up to the luncheon after the game.
16 July 2011
7 Winning Issues for Democrats (If They Only Had the Guts to Fight) 15JUL11
IT isn't too late for the Democratic Party to reclaim these issues as their own, to return to the core principles of the party that made it a voice for the people. Is anyone at the DCCC and DSCC and OFA listening? From AlterNet....
Friday's jobless numbers also prompted several writers to note that Obama could well lose a reelection bid if unemployment remains at the same level into election season. John Nichols rightly pointed out that “Americans are not that into the debt-ceiling debate. Polling has suggested that less than a quarter of Americans are 'closely following' the fight.”
As the election comes closer, it won't be enough for Democrats to count on unpopular right-wing politicians to lose fights for them—they will need to find some winning issues to campaign on. And it's not actually that hard to do.
There are a few issues, after all, that are consistently popular in public-opinion polls, not to mention with that same Democratic base that was depressed in 2010 and is angry now at the idea of cuts to the social safety net. For Democrats to make gains in 2012, not just hold the White House and the seats they've already got, here are seven winning issues to fire up the base and convert swing voters. It won't be easy, but it would be real progress.
7. Get out of Afghanistan and Libya and oh yeah, all the way out of Iraq.
Obama positioned himself to the left of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton on the wars back in 2007 and 2008, proclaiming his opposition to the war in Iraq from the beginning and touting diplomacy, not violence, as the solution in the Middle East. His rhetoric at the time won him a Nobel Peace Prize.
But it's 2011, and not only are troops still in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan ongoing, but we've got a “kinetic military action” in Libya and drone strikes most recently in Somalia as well as Yemen and Pakistan.
And Americans aren't feeling it. A New York Times/CBS News poll released in June found that 58 percent of the public thinks we shouldn't be in Afghanistan and 59 percent think we shouldn't be in Libya. (It's worth noting that the poll didn't even ask about Iraq, lending fuel to the belief many have that the war there is “over.” It's not.)
Some Democrats have pushed for a real end to the war in Afghanistan. Most recently, a group of Democratic senators introduced a bill, coordinated with a push from Democracy for America, calling for “Safe and Responsible Redeployment of United States Combat Forces from Afghanistan.”
With the economy still the biggest issue on most Americans' minds, the wars are an unwanted expense and a huge force contributing to the deficit. Smart Democratic politicians will link these issues together on the campaign trail and call for an end to wars that are costing us too dearly in lives as well as dollars.
6. Push for a comprehensive employment non-discrimination act (ENDA).
Nearly three-fourths of voters believe that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people should be protected from discrimination in the workplace.
What's the problem, then?
This:
In the current economy, where every job opening yields far more qualified applicants than can possibly be hired, it's a tragedy.
Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic governor of New York, is basking in the glow of having passed a marriage equality bill that was extremely popular with his constituents. Progressive Democrats should be making the point that no, there is no federal workplace protection for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender workers—and then fighting like hell to pass one.
5. Pass comprehensive immigration reform.
Wait, immigration reform is a horribly contentious issue, isn't it?
Not, actually, as much as you'd think.
The numbers of immigrants from Mexico are down and states like Georgia that have passed draconian anti-immigrant laws are actually suffering from a lack of willing farm workers.
But while Jan Brewer and other right-wing governors have passed horrific immigration bills on the state level, a Daily Kos poll a few months ago showed 69 percent support for comprehensive immigration reform that included increased border security and a crackdown on employers who hire undocumented workers, as well as a path to citizenship for undocumented workers who apply for legal status, learn English and pay back taxes.
Jed Lewison at Kos noted:
4. Increase environmental protections.
The right wing loves to trash environmental laws as job-killers and claim that progressives and environmentalists are attacking private industry when they push for regulations. But despite years of that sort of rhetoric and a miserable economy, Americans still want their air, water and land clean. Seventy-one percent still want the Environmental Protection Agency funded, and as of last year, 56 percent chose protecting the environment over keeping energy prices low. Fifty-six percent also want the government to regulate private companies' energy output to control global warming.
Erik Loomis, environmental historian and blogger at Lawyers, Guns and Money, argues that environmental policies that put people first are winning issues. He says:
3. Fight for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
It's depressing that with a Democrat in the White House and Democrats in charge of at least one house of Congress, this should even be an issue.
However, these programs are consistently immensely popular—even when the public thinks they could be administered better, 88 percent think Medicare has been good for the country, followed by 87 percent for Social Security and even 77 percent for Medicaid, the program that provides health services for the poor. (And a new study confirms with research what public opinion already believes—that Medicaid provides concrete benefits for its recipients.)
So why is Barack Obama floating the idea of cuts—or of raising the eligibility age for Medicare?
As Joshua Holland wrote for AlterNet last week:
Which brings us to the next point...
2. Tax, tax, tax, tax, tax the rich.
It should be a no-brainer by now, right? One of Barack Obama's biggest applause lines on the campaign trail was the one about letting the Bush tax cuts expire for those who made over $250,000 a year—and he even won a majority of votes from that same income bracket. The grand compromise late last year to keep those cuts angered many and drove Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders to a fiery eight-and-a-half-hour speech on the Senate floor, where he concluded:
But it shouldn't matter. Democrats should take note instead of a poll that hit swing states Ohio, Missouri, Montana and Minnesota and asked voters about raising taxes on large incomes to reduce the deficit. The higher the income proposed for taxes, the more willing voters were to increase the tax burden. Sixty-six percent of Ohioans were willing to raise taxes on those who make over $150,000 a year, while 78 percent of them would tax millionaires more.
More importantly for Democrats looking for an issue for the campaign trail, 48 percent of Ohioans would be more likely to vote for Senator Sherrod Brown (who, it should be noted, joined Bernie Sanders in his Senate floor speech) if he led the fight in Congress for a millionaire's tax. Forty-seven percent of Minnesotans would be more likely to support their senator, Amy Klobuchar, and 42 percent of Montanans would be more likely to support Jon Tester.
Overall, some 72 percent of voters support higher taxes on those who make over $250,000 a year, including some 54 percent of Republicans. The rich are getting richer and the unemployed aren't getting any closer to employment. We've had years and years of tax cuts under the false claim that they create jobs. It's time for Democrats to point out that those wealthy job creators simply aren't creating jobs—and then raise their taxes and...
1. Create some jobs.
Right-wing columnist Michael Medved's worst nightmare goes something like this:
Medved wrote this in a plea to his fellow conservatives to wake up and do something about jobs. When even one of the nation's far-right voices sees the need for a jobs program—even if only to forestall the impact a real jobs program might have on the progressive vote—and the Democratic president is doing nothing, what's wrong?
Democrats need to get out in front of terrible jobs numbers and right-wing critique. They need to articulate a jobs program now. Thirty-nine percent of the population thinks that this recession isn't a recession—it's a permanent decline for the country and the state of all of our lives. Forty-seven percent think that unemployment benefits should be extended even if it means increasing the deficit (44 percent think they should not be) and 60 percent are either “somewhat” or “very” worried that someone in their household will soon be out of work.
Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton, called for a renewal of the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps on Friday when jobs numbers came out. Michael Medved desperately fears a bold move by the administration on job creation.
The conventional wisdom says that the president and the Democrats spent their political capital on the first stimulus bill, but now even former members of the administration's economic team are calling for more. It's time to put the conventional wisdom to rest. Jared Bernstein summed up the argument on Friday:
Progressives will have to organize and bring pressure like never before on Democratic politicians who count on votes, dollars and volunteer hours from them—but that's how we got the New Deal, isn't it?
The 2012 election is still a while away, but the horse race stories have already begun and new Republican candidates seem to be jumping into the fray every week.
Meanwhile, the debt ceiling debate is the political fight of the summer, and since President Obama floated the idea of Social Security cuts as part of the “grand bargain” he's seeking, the progressive base has been expressing its anger. Seventy-six percent of MoveOn's membership said they would not donate to or volunteer for Obama's reelection effort if he allowed cuts to Social Security benefits. And Jim Dean, of Howard Dean's Democracy for America, said “Cutting Social Security to reduce the national debt is like attacking Iraq to get Osama Bin Laden -- the two things are not related."Friday's jobless numbers also prompted several writers to note that Obama could well lose a reelection bid if unemployment remains at the same level into election season. John Nichols rightly pointed out that “Americans are not that into the debt-ceiling debate. Polling has suggested that less than a quarter of Americans are 'closely following' the fight.”
As the election comes closer, it won't be enough for Democrats to count on unpopular right-wing politicians to lose fights for them—they will need to find some winning issues to campaign on. And it's not actually that hard to do.
There are a few issues, after all, that are consistently popular in public-opinion polls, not to mention with that same Democratic base that was depressed in 2010 and is angry now at the idea of cuts to the social safety net. For Democrats to make gains in 2012, not just hold the White House and the seats they've already got, here are seven winning issues to fire up the base and convert swing voters. It won't be easy, but it would be real progress.
7. Get out of Afghanistan and Libya and oh yeah, all the way out of Iraq.
Obama positioned himself to the left of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton on the wars back in 2007 and 2008, proclaiming his opposition to the war in Iraq from the beginning and touting diplomacy, not violence, as the solution in the Middle East. His rhetoric at the time won him a Nobel Peace Prize.
But it's 2011, and not only are troops still in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan ongoing, but we've got a “kinetic military action” in Libya and drone strikes most recently in Somalia as well as Yemen and Pakistan.
And Americans aren't feeling it. A New York Times/CBS News poll released in June found that 58 percent of the public thinks we shouldn't be in Afghanistan and 59 percent think we shouldn't be in Libya. (It's worth noting that the poll didn't even ask about Iraq, lending fuel to the belief many have that the war there is “over.” It's not.)
Some Democrats have pushed for a real end to the war in Afghanistan. Most recently, a group of Democratic senators introduced a bill, coordinated with a push from Democracy for America, calling for “Safe and Responsible Redeployment of United States Combat Forces from Afghanistan.”
With the economy still the biggest issue on most Americans' minds, the wars are an unwanted expense and a huge force contributing to the deficit. Smart Democratic politicians will link these issues together on the campaign trail and call for an end to wars that are costing us too dearly in lives as well as dollars.
6. Push for a comprehensive employment non-discrimination act (ENDA).
Nearly three-fourths of voters believe that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people should be protected from discrimination in the workplace.
What's the problem, then?
This:
”The survey also found that 9 of out 10 voters erroneously think that a federal law is already in place protecting gay and transgender people from workplace discrimination. A similar number of voters also did not know whether their state had a gay and transgender workplace discrimination law. These numbers show the huge disconnect between voter perceptions about workplace protections and the realities that gay and transgender people face on the job.”How do we pass a law when the vast majority of the public thinks a law is already in existence? The Center for American Progress pointed out that anywhere from 15 to 43 percent of gay people have faced some form of discrimination or harassment on the job—and that figure is a staggering 90 percent for transgender workers. In a good economy, the fact that 44 percent of transgender people report being passed over for a job because of their gender identity or expression, and 26 percent report being fired, would be cause for alarm.
In the current economy, where every job opening yields far more qualified applicants than can possibly be hired, it's a tragedy.
Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic governor of New York, is basking in the glow of having passed a marriage equality bill that was extremely popular with his constituents. Progressive Democrats should be making the point that no, there is no federal workplace protection for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender workers—and then fighting like hell to pass one.
5. Pass comprehensive immigration reform.
Wait, immigration reform is a horribly contentious issue, isn't it?
Not, actually, as much as you'd think.
The numbers of immigrants from Mexico are down and states like Georgia that have passed draconian anti-immigrant laws are actually suffering from a lack of willing farm workers.
But while Jan Brewer and other right-wing governors have passed horrific immigration bills on the state level, a Daily Kos poll a few months ago showed 69 percent support for comprehensive immigration reform that included increased border security and a crackdown on employers who hire undocumented workers, as well as a path to citizenship for undocumented workers who apply for legal status, learn English and pay back taxes.
Jed Lewison at Kos noted:
”Those numbers are pretty emphatic, but what's even more remarkable is that every single demographic and ideological group in the survey would support immigration reform based on the principles outlined in the question. In fact, the right is more supportive of the approach than the left, presumably because it would require immigrants to pay back taxes and learn English before becoming eligible for citizenship.”If that's still too messy a fight (or concedes too much to the right), the DREAM Act also polls with majority support—54 percent are in favor of a law that would give legal status to those who attend college or join the military.
4. Increase environmental protections.
The right wing loves to trash environmental laws as job-killers and claim that progressives and environmentalists are attacking private industry when they push for regulations. But despite years of that sort of rhetoric and a miserable economy, Americans still want their air, water and land clean. Seventy-one percent still want the Environmental Protection Agency funded, and as of last year, 56 percent chose protecting the environment over keeping energy prices low. Fifty-six percent also want the government to regulate private companies' energy output to control global warming.
Erik Loomis, environmental historian and blogger at Lawyers, Guns and Money, argues that environmental policies that put people first are winning issues. He says:
“Go to Louisiana and talk about the BP oil spill, talk about how we need an oil industry that provides jobs and doesn't destroy our coastline. Go to Arkansas and talk about how we need energy, but we also need to make sure that the natural gas industry doesn't cause earthquakes underneath us. Go to rural New York now and argue the same thing since that's a big issue there. Go to West Virginia and talk about how we can create a coal industry that doesn't remove mountains and provides more jobs to people. Not to mention pushing green jobs and alternative energy projects that put people back to work.”Once again, with the economy the main concern for so many voters this election cycle, it's time for politicians to think smart about linking jobs to new and alternative energy technologies. Deeply unpopular conservative governors may be rejecting money for high-speed rail transit, and progressives running in their states (Florida and Ohio, for a start) can turn that anti-environmentalist job-killing argument right around on them.
3. Fight for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
It's depressing that with a Democrat in the White House and Democrats in charge of at least one house of Congress, this should even be an issue.
However, these programs are consistently immensely popular—even when the public thinks they could be administered better, 88 percent think Medicare has been good for the country, followed by 87 percent for Social Security and even 77 percent for Medicaid, the program that provides health services for the poor. (And a new study confirms with research what public opinion already believes—that Medicaid provides concrete benefits for its recipients.)
So why is Barack Obama floating the idea of cuts—or of raising the eligibility age for Medicare?
As Joshua Holland wrote for AlterNet last week:
This administration has certainly shown itself to be enthralled by the idea of scoring big, “bipartisan” legislative victories on what the chattering class considers the most pressing issues facing the country, and a Beltway consensus has (unfortunately) gelled around the idea that reducing the deficit in the near term, rather than getting people back to work, is a top priority.This simply doesn't gel with public opinion. Sixty percent at least want benefits to remain unchanged from these programs, and according to one poll, 22 percent would cut the defense budget first, and 42 percent would rather raise taxes on the rich than see cuts to Social Security.
Which brings us to the next point...
2. Tax, tax, tax, tax, tax the rich.
It should be a no-brainer by now, right? One of Barack Obama's biggest applause lines on the campaign trail was the one about letting the Bush tax cuts expire for those who made over $250,000 a year—and he even won a majority of votes from that same income bracket. The grand compromise late last year to keep those cuts angered many and drove Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders to a fiery eight-and-a-half-hour speech on the Senate floor, where he concluded:
"If the American people stand up and say, we can do better than this, that we don’t need to drive up the national debt by giving tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires, (if) the American people are prepared to stand – and we’re prepared to follow them – I think we can defeat this proposal.”The proposal passed, and even though Obama promised it would be for the last time, the GOP is determined not to raise taxes on its own base in any sort of debt deal.
But it shouldn't matter. Democrats should take note instead of a poll that hit swing states Ohio, Missouri, Montana and Minnesota and asked voters about raising taxes on large incomes to reduce the deficit. The higher the income proposed for taxes, the more willing voters were to increase the tax burden. Sixty-six percent of Ohioans were willing to raise taxes on those who make over $150,000 a year, while 78 percent of them would tax millionaires more.
More importantly for Democrats looking for an issue for the campaign trail, 48 percent of Ohioans would be more likely to vote for Senator Sherrod Brown (who, it should be noted, joined Bernie Sanders in his Senate floor speech) if he led the fight in Congress for a millionaire's tax. Forty-seven percent of Minnesotans would be more likely to support their senator, Amy Klobuchar, and 42 percent of Montanans would be more likely to support Jon Tester.
Overall, some 72 percent of voters support higher taxes on those who make over $250,000 a year, including some 54 percent of Republicans. The rich are getting richer and the unemployed aren't getting any closer to employment. We've had years and years of tax cuts under the false claim that they create jobs. It's time for Democrats to point out that those wealthy job creators simply aren't creating jobs—and then raise their taxes and...
1. Create some jobs.
Right-wing columnist Michael Medved's worst nightmare goes something like this:
”In the president’s rousing vision, the new jobs program, designated 'America Works,' would hire people immediately for desperately needed federal projects while simultaneously providing money from Washington for positions at the state and local level, as well as partially subsidizing new jobs in the private sector.It's funny how Republicans' worst nightmare looks like a progressive dream. Putting millions of Americans back to work? Subsidizing jobs by taxing the corporations that have so far failed to hire? Where do we sign up?
Warming to his message, Obama declared: 'Cynics will respond to this plan the way they always react to new ideas and fresh starts. They will say, “You can’t do that” or claim that “we can’t afford it.” But Americans know better. They know that we can’t afford not to act, or to protect a stale, shabby status quo at a time of national crisis.'
'How can we say we can’t afford to start hiring again, to do all the jobs that desperately need doing, when all around us we see accumulations of wealth unprecedented in human history?'”
Medved wrote this in a plea to his fellow conservatives to wake up and do something about jobs. When even one of the nation's far-right voices sees the need for a jobs program—even if only to forestall the impact a real jobs program might have on the progressive vote—and the Democratic president is doing nothing, what's wrong?
Democrats need to get out in front of terrible jobs numbers and right-wing critique. They need to articulate a jobs program now. Thirty-nine percent of the population thinks that this recession isn't a recession—it's a permanent decline for the country and the state of all of our lives. Forty-seven percent think that unemployment benefits should be extended even if it means increasing the deficit (44 percent think they should not be) and 60 percent are either “somewhat” or “very” worried that someone in their household will soon be out of work.
Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton, called for a renewal of the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps on Friday when jobs numbers came out. Michael Medved desperately fears a bold move by the administration on job creation.
The conventional wisdom says that the president and the Democrats spent their political capital on the first stimulus bill, but now even former members of the administration's economic team are calling for more. It's time to put the conventional wisdom to rest. Jared Bernstein summed up the argument on Friday:
”Washington needs to quickly and aggressively shift from its long-term debt obsession to the much more immediate jobs problem. To do otherwise at this point would be deeply irresponsible.”The problem, of course, with these seven issues is that almost all of them pit everyday Americans against corporate interests. With the Citizens United decision allowing open season for corporate cash in the upcoming campaign, politicians can kiss that money goodbye if they strike out too far against the will of big business.
Progressives will have to organize and bring pressure like never before on Democratic politicians who count on votes, dollars and volunteer hours from them—but that's how we got the New Deal, isn't it?
Sarah Jaffe is an associate editor at AlterNet, a rabblerouser and frequent Twitterer. You can follow her at @seasonothebitch.
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