BOLD Progressive news updates from PRACTICAL PROGRESS: The Agenda Project Action Fund's actually 'brief'
briefing on the most Important news from the Progressive Movement.
TOP WONKS: THE ENVIRONMENT LAUNCH -- Monday, the Agenda Project launched TOP WONKS: The Environment,
an on-line guide to the country's preeminent environmental policy
experts. The site features comprehensive profiles of each expert
including up to the minute writing, media appearances, analysis, and
tweets searchable
by dozens of issue areas. Environment Top Wonks are now featured
alongside the Economic Top Wonks and Democracy Top Wonks. Agenda Project
Erica Payne tells PP: "These leading thinkers will show the way to a better American future." CONTACT Top Wonks Managing Editor David Berman at dberman@agendaproject.org with recommendations for future experts.
READ: "The Road Ahead (And Some Bumps Along the Way)" by Sierra Club Executive Director and Top Wonk Michael Brune and "A Wink and a Nod Won't Save a Declining Species" by Defenders of Wildlife President and CEO and Top Wonk Jamie Rappaport Clark. Check out more recent works by the environmental wonks HERE.
ENDING THE INVISIBLE WAR -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is backing
Kirsten Gillibrand's (D-NY) Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA),
which would remove the oversight of sex crimes from the chain of
command. Reid joins Protect our Defenders, the Center for American
Progress (CAP), The National Women's Law Center, 19 our of the 20 female
members of the U.S. Senate, conservatives Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rand Paul
(R-KY) and countless others in supporting the bill.
HELP undecided senators make the right choice by TWEETING #passMJIA and CALLING 1-888-907-6886. Undecideds
include John Barrasso (R-WY), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Orrin Hatch (R-UT),
Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mike Lee (R-UT), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Jerry
Moran (R-KS), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Pat Toomey (R-PA), and Sheldon
Whitehouse (D-RI). Gillibrand says it best: "IT'S THE LEAST WE CAN DO."
READ: "The Gillibrand Amendment Will Root Out Rapists" and "Kirsten Gillibrand Won't Take No For An Answer."
THE HUNGER GAMES -- Over 110 people were arrested at 1,500
Black Friday protests when workers joined to demand a living wage from
Walmart, the country's largest private employer. The groups were led by
the union-backed group OUR Walmart. As Amy Traub, Demos Senior Policy Analyst and co-author of the new brief "A Higher Wage is Possible," states: "Walmart's low wage model winds up costing all of us."
The New York Times, The New Yorker, Huffington Post, AlterNet, and Salon covered the story.
VA RIGHTS RESTORATION -- Over 450,000 Virginians -- roughly
seven percent of the voting population -- have had their voting rights
revoked, according to Advancement Project's new infographic.
Advancement Project Co-Director Judith Browne Davis: "Virginia has an
alarmingly bloated corrections population that, coupled with having one
of the harshest felony disenfranchisement laws in the country, continues
to strip hundreds of thousands of people of their right to vote... This
is a statewide crises on which the next governor must act." WATCH Advancement Project's new video informing Virginians how to get back their vote HERE.
The Justice Policy Institute also released a new policy brief surveying the feeble state of Virginia's justice system. READ: "Virginia's Justice System: Expensive, Ineffective, Unfair."
DIGNITY DENIED -- The Center for American Progress (CAP) published a new report analyzing the treatment of LGBT immigrants in U.S. immigration facilities, finding that LGBT immigrants face an substantially increased risk of abuse in detention centers. READ: "Dignity Denied: LGBT Immigrants in U.S. Immigration Detention."
FROM THE WONK WIRE ...
... BLACK FRIDAY, CYBER MONDAY, OH MY!: Former Secretary of Labor and Top Wonk Robert Reich uncovers the hidden cost of online holiday deals.
... COMMON CENTS: Nobel Prize winner and Top Wonk Joseph Stiglitz bemoans the insanity of US food policies.
... POLITICAL PIÑATA: Demos Fellow and Top Wonk Robert Kuttner reveals how the ACA was an unexpected gift to the Republicans.
... SPRAWLMART -- Jared Bernstein and CEPR Co-Director and Top Wonk Dean Baker released Getting Back to Full Employment: A Better Bargain for Working People, a follow-up to The Benefits of Full Employment. READ the full book, available free for online download HERE.
Find out more at www.TopWonks.org.
Check out our Newsletter's site at PracticalProgress.org. Like it? Subscribe.
E-mail tips, news, and reactions to Hannah Hendler at hhendler@agendaproject.org.
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!!!!!!"
05 December 2013
Elizabeth Warren takes sides in Democratic feud (and challenges third way) 4DEZ13
HERE is more on third way, the "democratic" think tank promoting
sacrificing Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other vital social
safety net programs on the alter of federal budget negotiations to
satisfy the greedy corporate gods they serve and worship. They are
waging class warfare on the American 99%. Thank God for Sen Elizabeth
Warren D MA, who is not bound by party "loyalty" but is dedicated to
serving the people of Massachusetts who elected her as well as all
Americans. She has released a letter calling on third way to release
it's list of sponsors so the people can see who they are really
representing. Sen Warren has also called on Rep Allyson Schwartz D PA (possible Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania governor in 2014) to resign as honorary co-chair of third way. From Politico....
Elizabeth Warren takes sides in Democratic feud
As Elizabeth Warren waded in and a congresswoman running for
Pennsylvania governor distanced herself, an escalating feud Wednesday
between left-leaning groups highlighted a major fault line among
Democrats over entitlements.
It started with an op-ed in Monday’s Wall Street Journal. Two leaders of the center-left think tank, Third Way, wrote that “economic populism is a dead end for Democrats.” Jon Cowan and Jim Kessler argued that plans to increase Social Security benefits, put off Medicare reform and raise taxes on the rich espoused by liberals like Warren are irresponsible, substantively and politically.
Continue Reading
A liberal candidate running in a crowded Democratic primary, John Hanger, then joined these groups Wednesday morning in calling on Rep. Allyson Schwartz, the early Democratic frontrunner in the race to take on Pennsylvania Republican Gov. Tom Corbett next year, to resign as an honorary co-chair of Third Way.
By lunch time, Warren jumped into the fray. Her Senate office blasted out a letter (click link, it is a great letter) from the freshman firebrand senator to the CEOs of the country’s six largest financial institutions, prodding them to disclose money they provide to think tanks like Third Way.
“Just as there is transparency around your direct efforts to influence policymaking through lobbying,” Warren wrote, “the same transparency should exist for any indirect efforts you make to influence policymaking through financial contributions to think tanks.”
A few hours later, Schwartz condemned the piece for the Journal but declined to end her affiliation with the group.
(Also on POLITICO: Elizabeth Warren: ‘I’m not running for president’)
“She read the op-ed and thought it was outrageous and strongly disagreed, and she told Third Way that,” said spokesman Mark Bergman. “She has constantly fought to preserve and protect Medicare and Social Security.”
Each of the groups involved said the back-and-forth is an opening salvo in a debate among Democrats that will only become louder through 2014 and 2016. As much as is written about the divide between tea party and establishment Republicans, the Democratic Party has its own ideological breach that the episode has brought to the fore.
Third Way co-founder Matt Bennett explained that JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, one of the recipients of Warren’s letter, would see an increase in his Social Security benefits under a plan supported by Warren. Bennett said it is “magical thinking” to believe government can invest more in education and infrastructure while putting off long-term fixes to Medicare and simultaneously infusing more money into the Social Security system. Bennett added that his group is willing to take a short-term political hit to ensure the long-term political solvency of programs that seniors depend on.
“Our view as Democrats is that the entitlement crisis threatens the twin achievements of progressive politics in the 20th century, which is the safety net – the programs themselves – and the idea of government investment,” said Bennett. “Since we believe strongly both are vital, we’ve got to fix the problem.”
The victories of Warren and New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio have given liberals fresh confidence that their wing of the party is ascendent. Schwartz’s attempt to distance herself from Third Way emboldened the Progressive Change Campaign Committee to call on the centrist group’s other co-chairs to take public positions on the Journal op-ed.
“Third Way couldn’t have picked a less strategic fight than attacking two of the most popular things in the Democratic Party: Elizabeth Warren and Social Security,” said PCCC co-founder Adam Green. “It’s a huge blunder, and their credibility will take a big hit on Capitol Hill.”
The battle also previews something that could dog Hillary Clinton if she runs for president and draws a challenger from her left. Clintonism has long been synonymous with moderate, third-way-style politics. Leading moderates like Bennett are alums of Bill Clinton’s White House.
Warren’s willingness to take sides only boosts her standing as a darling of progressive activists. Green was ecstatic that she sent her letter after PCCC started circulating a petition to activists trying to get Third Way to fully disclose all their donors.
“In our minds, Elizabeth Warren is the north star to which the entire Democratic Party can look as they seek direction,” said Green. “The wind’s at our back, and Third Way’s kind of yelping from the sidelines.”
Third Way’s Bennett offered a more conciliatory tone. He noted the group’s support for the Dodd-Frank financial law, the Affordable Care Act and budget deals that have raised taxes on the wealthy.
“Our party is large and robust enough to have these kinds of policy disagreements,” he said, “and it’s important that no one try to drum anyone else out of the tent – the way Republicans do.”
It started with an op-ed in Monday’s Wall Street Journal. Two leaders of the center-left think tank, Third Way, wrote that “economic populism is a dead end for Democrats.” Jon Cowan and Jim Kessler argued that plans to increase Social Security benefits, put off Medicare reform and raise taxes on the rich espoused by liberals like Warren are irresponsible, substantively and politically.
Continue Reading
A chorus of groups aligned with the liberal wing of the
party – from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee to Howard Dean’s
Democracy for America and Russ Feingold’s Progressives United –
responded by attacking Third Way as a Wall Street-funded front group.
(QUIZ: Do you know Elizabeth Warren?)A liberal candidate running in a crowded Democratic primary, John Hanger, then joined these groups Wednesday morning in calling on Rep. Allyson Schwartz, the early Democratic frontrunner in the race to take on Pennsylvania Republican Gov. Tom Corbett next year, to resign as an honorary co-chair of Third Way.
By lunch time, Warren jumped into the fray. Her Senate office blasted out a letter (click link, it is a great letter) from the freshman firebrand senator to the CEOs of the country’s six largest financial institutions, prodding them to disclose money they provide to think tanks like Third Way.
“Just as there is transparency around your direct efforts to influence policymaking through lobbying,” Warren wrote, “the same transparency should exist for any indirect efforts you make to influence policymaking through financial contributions to think tanks.”
A few hours later, Schwartz condemned the piece for the Journal but declined to end her affiliation with the group.
(Also on POLITICO: Elizabeth Warren: ‘I’m not running for president’)
“She read the op-ed and thought it was outrageous and strongly disagreed, and she told Third Way that,” said spokesman Mark Bergman. “She has constantly fought to preserve and protect Medicare and Social Security.”
Each of the groups involved said the back-and-forth is an opening salvo in a debate among Democrats that will only become louder through 2014 and 2016. As much as is written about the divide between tea party and establishment Republicans, the Democratic Party has its own ideological breach that the episode has brought to the fore.
Third Way co-founder Matt Bennett explained that JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, one of the recipients of Warren’s letter, would see an increase in his Social Security benefits under a plan supported by Warren. Bennett said it is “magical thinking” to believe government can invest more in education and infrastructure while putting off long-term fixes to Medicare and simultaneously infusing more money into the Social Security system. Bennett added that his group is willing to take a short-term political hit to ensure the long-term political solvency of programs that seniors depend on.
“Our view as Democrats is that the entitlement crisis threatens the twin achievements of progressive politics in the 20th century, which is the safety net – the programs themselves – and the idea of government investment,” said Bennett. “Since we believe strongly both are vital, we’ve got to fix the problem.”
The victories of Warren and New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio have given liberals fresh confidence that their wing of the party is ascendent. Schwartz’s attempt to distance herself from Third Way emboldened the Progressive Change Campaign Committee to call on the centrist group’s other co-chairs to take public positions on the Journal op-ed.
“Third Way couldn’t have picked a less strategic fight than attacking two of the most popular things in the Democratic Party: Elizabeth Warren and Social Security,” said PCCC co-founder Adam Green. “It’s a huge blunder, and their credibility will take a big hit on Capitol Hill.”
The battle also previews something that could dog Hillary Clinton if she runs for president and draws a challenger from her left. Clintonism has long been synonymous with moderate, third-way-style politics. Leading moderates like Bennett are alums of Bill Clinton’s White House.
Warren’s willingness to take sides only boosts her standing as a darling of progressive activists. Green was ecstatic that she sent her letter after PCCC started circulating a petition to activists trying to get Third Way to fully disclose all their donors.
“In our minds, Elizabeth Warren is the north star to which the entire Democratic Party can look as they seek direction,” said Green. “The wind’s at our back, and Third Way’s kind of yelping from the sidelines.”
Third Way’s Bennett offered a more conciliatory tone. He noted the group’s support for the Dodd-Frank financial law, the Affordable Care Act and budget deals that have raised taxes on the wealthy.
“Our party is large and robust enough to have these kinds of policy disagreements,” he said, “and it’s important that no one try to drum anyone else out of the tent – the way Republicans do.”
Short URL:
http://politi.co/1g7BXJohttp://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/elizabeth-warren-democrats-feud-100678.html?ml=po_r
GIVE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON BUT CHECK OUT CHARITY NAVIGATOR'S NEWSLETTER FIRST 4DEZ13
TIS the season to be slammed with appeals for donations from every charity, cause and organization out there. Don't be played for a fool. Give if you can, what you can, BUT BEFORE YOU DO check out Charity Navigator's December Newsletter. Merry Christmas!!!!
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Corporate 'Dems': cutting Social Security is path to electoral victory & Elizabeth Warren takes sides in Democratic feud GRAND BARGAIN=GRAND BETRAYAL 3&4DEZ13
“That which can be destroyed by the truth should be." ― P.C. Hodgell, Seeker's Mask
SOCIAL SECURITY. I am 55 years old, and as long as I have been able to understand what has been going on in the political world I have been hearing the warnings that Social Security is doomed to fail, it was supposed to run out of money in the 80's, 90's and now by 2031. The solution, according to those who do not have the best interest of the tens of millions of Americans who depend on Social Security in mind, is to cut benefits and impose their chained cpi proposal to calculate yearly benefit increases, thus actually imposing further cuts to recipients. These people are furiously working behind the scenes to cut the program and so protect their wealth and power. Senators Bernie Saunders I VT and Elizabeth Warren D MA will have none of that and are fighting to protect Social Security and even expand the program to provide for those of us who need need it now and in the future. The obvious way to do this is to lift the cap on Social Security taxes so all income is subject to the tax. That is what has the rich and powerful, the 1%, in such a panic, and why corporate democrats and republicans are waging a propaganda campaign to deceive the American public about the dangers of Social Security going bankrupt and the need for all Americans (except the 1%) to tighten their fiscal belts and get used to doing with less. This is nothing less than class warfare and third way will only bring us closer to being a Third World plutocracy. Bold Progressives, mostly Democrats with some Republicans, are fighting back, but unless the American people stay actively involved in this battle we will loose. You need to let your Representative and Senators know you expect them to vote against any budget bill that includes cuts to Social Security and the chained-cpi proposal by contacting them by phone or e mail. Find your elected officials here CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE and CONTACT YOUR SENATORS . This from Daily Kos.....
Remember Third Way? They're the jokers who filled the void when the DLC
collapsed. But unlike the DLC, Third Way operates in the shadows,
lobbying Democrats behind the scenes and via travel junkets. So it's
always a pleasure when they emerge from the shadows, like this piece in the Wall Street Journal (what, National Review wasn't available?):
And let's not forget, Newt Gingrich employed Occupy "1 percent" rhetoric to win South Carolina's GOP primary in 2012, extending his party's nomination contest. Had he stuck with it, he might've even gone further. But his party's establishment shut that whole thing down. And of course, there was the marquee presidential race, where Mitt Romney went down despite every historical advantage (i.e. shitty economy) because of his close association with Wall Street.
Third Way still thinks it's 1994, that the electorate is dominated by "Reagan Democrats", and that people don't f'n hate Wall Street, its banks, and everyone associated with it. But it's an understandable blind spot. Look at their board. It is almost entirely dominated by Wall Street interests. Laughably so, in fact.
So consider Third Way a trade group, one lobbying to keep their taxes lower and the pitchforks at bay. That might make them greedy selfish assholes, but it sure doesn't make them Democrats.
SOCIAL SECURITY. I am 55 years old, and as long as I have been able to understand what has been going on in the political world I have been hearing the warnings that Social Security is doomed to fail, it was supposed to run out of money in the 80's, 90's and now by 2031. The solution, according to those who do not have the best interest of the tens of millions of Americans who depend on Social Security in mind, is to cut benefits and impose their chained cpi proposal to calculate yearly benefit increases, thus actually imposing further cuts to recipients. These people are furiously working behind the scenes to cut the program and so protect their wealth and power. Senators Bernie Saunders I VT and Elizabeth Warren D MA will have none of that and are fighting to protect Social Security and even expand the program to provide for those of us who need need it now and in the future. The obvious way to do this is to lift the cap on Social Security taxes so all income is subject to the tax. That is what has the rich and powerful, the 1%, in such a panic, and why corporate democrats and republicans are waging a propaganda campaign to deceive the American public about the dangers of Social Security going bankrupt and the need for all Americans (except the 1%) to tighten their fiscal belts and get used to doing with less. This is nothing less than class warfare and third way will only bring us closer to being a Third World plutocracy. Bold Progressives, mostly Democrats with some Republicans, are fighting back, but unless the American people stay actively involved in this battle we will loose. You need to let your Representative and Senators know you expect them to vote against any budget bill that includes cuts to Social Security and the chained-cpi proposal by contacting them by phone or e mail. Find your elected officials here CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE and CONTACT YOUR SENATORS . This from Daily Kos.....
Third Way leadership, Jon Cowan, Paul Volcker, John Vogelstein, aka "rich assholes pissed that we have Social Security"
If you talk to leading progressives these days, you'll be sure to hear this message: The Democratic Party should embrace the economic populism of New York Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Such economic populism, they argue, should be the guiding star for Democrats heading into 2016. Nothing would be more disastrous for Democrats [...]Translation: Wall Street is scared shitless of De Blasio and Warren. But we knew that already. Head below the fold to see just how scared they are, and what they really want. Hint: it's something to do with Social Security and Medicare and their taxes, and none of it is good.
The political problems of liberal populism are bad enough. Worse are the actual policies proposed by left-wing populists. The movement relies on a potent "we can have it all" fantasy that goes something like this: If we force the wealthy to pay higher taxes (there are 300,000 tax filers who earn more than $1 million), close a few corporate tax loopholes, and break up some big banks then—presto!—we can pay for, and even expand, existing entitlements. Meanwhile, we can invest more deeply in K-12 education, infrastructure, health research, clean energy and more.It's nice of these Third Way jokers to clarify, way at the top, that this is all really about protecting the banks and the assholes who run them.
Social Security is exhibit A of this populist political and economic fantasy.Surprise! They want to cut it. Nothing infuriates bankers more than a retirement program that they can't profit from. Although to their credit, they do point out that the program is fine until 2031, so ... PANIC NOW! To their discredit, they don't recommend simply raising the cap on payroll taxes.
Even more reckless is the populists' staunch refusal to address the coming Medicare crisis.Cut that, too!
On the same day that Bill de Blasio won in New York City, a referendum to raise taxes on high-income Coloradans to fund public education and universal pre-K failed in a landslide. This is the type of state that Democrats captured in 2008 to realign the national electoral map, and they did so through offering a vision of pragmatic progressive government, not fantasy-based blue-state populism. Before Democrats follow Sen. Warren and Mayor-elect de Blasio over the populist cliff, they should consider Colorado as the true 2013 Election Day harbinger of American liberalism.Cute. That Colorado referendum didn't just raise taxes on high-income Coloradans, it raised them on all Coloradans. Would that referendum have played any differently if it raised taxes on the wealthy but cut them for everyone else? Who knows. But that would've made it "populist" and relevant to this discussion. All we found out was that Colorado residents didn't want to pay more in taxes. 2012 was a triumph of populism. Sure, there was Warren in Indigo Blue Massachusetts (in a race that no other serious Democrat wanted to make because Scott Brown was seen as unbeatable). But there was also Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin. Chris Murphy kicked Third Way hero Joe Lieberman to the curb in Connecticut. Martin Heinrich in New Mexico, Jon Tester in Montana, and even Heidi Heitkamp in North freakin' Dakota won with the populist playbook. That's a Purple state, a Blue state, and two Red states, for those keeping score. Bob Kerrey, on the other hand, got crushed in Nebraska by running on cutting Social Security and austerity.
And let's not forget, Newt Gingrich employed Occupy "1 percent" rhetoric to win South Carolina's GOP primary in 2012, extending his party's nomination contest. Had he stuck with it, he might've even gone further. But his party's establishment shut that whole thing down. And of course, there was the marquee presidential race, where Mitt Romney went down despite every historical advantage (i.e. shitty economy) because of his close association with Wall Street.
Third Way still thinks it's 1994, that the electorate is dominated by "Reagan Democrats", and that people don't f'n hate Wall Street, its banks, and everyone associated with it. But it's an understandable blind spot. Look at their board. It is almost entirely dominated by Wall Street interests. Laughably so, in fact.
So consider Third Way a trade group, one lobbying to keep their taxes lower and the pitchforks at bay. That might make them greedy selfish assholes, but it sure doesn't make them Democrats.
Originally posted to Daily Kos on Tue Dec 03, 2013 at 09:00 AM PST.
Also republished by Pushing back at the Grand Bargain, Social Security Defenders, New York City, and Massachusetts Kosmopolitans.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/03/1259801/-Corporate-Dems-cutting-Social-Security-is-path-to-electoral-victory?detail=email
Elizabeth Warren takes sides in Democratic feud
As Elizabeth Warren waded in and a congresswoman running for
Pennsylvania governor distanced herself, an escalating feud Wednesday
between left-leaning groups highlighted a major fault line among
Democrats over entitlements.
It started with an op-ed in Monday’s Wall Street Journal. Two leaders of the center-left think tank, Third Way, wrote that “economic populism is a dead end for Democrats.” Jon Cowan and Jim Kessler argued that plans to increase Social Security benefits, put off Medicare reform and raise taxes on the rich espoused by liberals like Warren are irresponsible, substantively and politically.
Continue Reading
A liberal candidate running in a crowded Democratic primary, John Hanger, then joined these groups Wednesday morning in calling on Rep. Allyson Schwartz, the early Democratic frontrunner in the race to take on Pennsylvania Republican Gov. Tom Corbett next year, to resign as an honorary co-chair of Third Way.
By lunch time, Warren jumped into the fray. Her Senate office blasted out a letter from the freshman firebrand senator to the CEOs of the country’s six largest financial institutions, prodding them to disclose money they provide to think tanks like Third Way.
“Just as there is transparency around your direct efforts to influence policymaking through lobbying,” Warren wrote, “the same transparency should exist for any indirect efforts you make to influence policymaking through financial contributions to think tanks.”
A few hours later, Schwartz condemned the piece for the Journal but declined to end her affiliation with the group.
(Also on POLITICO: Elizabeth Warren: ‘I’m not running for president’)
“She read the op-ed and thought it was outrageous and strongly disagreed, and she told Third Way that,” said spokesman Mark Bergman. “She has constantly fought to preserve and protect Medicare and Social Security.”
Each of the groups involved said the back-and-forth is an opening salvo in a debate among Democrats that will only become louder through 2014 and 2016. As much as is written about the divide between tea party and establishment Republicans, the Democratic Party has its own ideological breach that the episode has brought to the fore.
Third Way co-founder Matt Bennett explained that JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, one of the recipients of Warren’s letter, would see an increase in his Social Security benefits under a plan supported by Warren. Bennett said it is “magical thinking” to believe government can invest more in education and infrastructure while putting off long-term fixes to Medicare and simultaneously infusing more money into the Social Security system. Bennett added that his group is willing to take a short-term political hit to ensure the long-term political solvency of programs that seniors depend on.
“Our view as Democrats is that the entitlement crisis threatens the twin achievements of progressive politics in the 20th century, which is the safety net – the programs themselves – and the idea of government investment,” said Bennett. “Since we believe strongly both are vital, we’ve got to fix the problem.”
The victories of Warren and New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio have given liberals fresh confidence that their wing of the party is ascendent. Schwartz’s attempt to distance herself from Third Way emboldened the Progressive Change Campaign Committee to call on the centrist group’s other co-chairs to take public positions on the Journal op-ed.
“Third Way couldn’t have picked a less strategic fight than attacking two of the most popular things in the Democratic Party: Elizabeth Warren and Social Security,” said PCCC co-founder Adam Green. “It’s a huge blunder, and their credibility will take a big hit on Capitol Hill.”
The battle also previews something that could dog Hillary Clinton if she runs for president and draws a challenger from her left. Clintonism has long been synonymous with moderate, third-way-style politics. Leading moderates like Bennett are alums of Bill Clinton’s White House.
Warren’s willingness to take sides only boosts her standing as a darling of progressive activists. Green was ecstatic that she sent her letter after PCCC started circulating a petition to activists trying to get Third Way to fully disclose all their donors.
“In our minds, Elizabeth Warren is the north star to which the entire Democratic Party can look as they seek direction,” said Green. “The wind’s at our back, and Third Way’s kind of yelping from the sidelines.”
Third Way’s Bennett offered a more conciliatory tone. He noted the group’s support for the Dodd-Frank financial law, the Affordable Care Act and budget deals that have raised taxes on the wealthy.
“Our party is large and robust enough to have these kinds of policy disagreements,” he said, “and it’s important that no one try to drum anyone else out of the tent – the way Republicans do.”
It started with an op-ed in Monday’s Wall Street Journal. Two leaders of the center-left think tank, Third Way, wrote that “economic populism is a dead end for Democrats.” Jon Cowan and Jim Kessler argued that plans to increase Social Security benefits, put off Medicare reform and raise taxes on the rich espoused by liberals like Warren are irresponsible, substantively and politically.
Continue Reading
A chorus of groups aligned with the liberal wing of the
party – from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee to Howard Dean’s
Democracy for America and Russ Feingold’s Progressives United –
responded by attacking Third Way as a Wall Street-funded front group.
(QUIZ: Do you know Elizabeth Warren?)A liberal candidate running in a crowded Democratic primary, John Hanger, then joined these groups Wednesday morning in calling on Rep. Allyson Schwartz, the early Democratic frontrunner in the race to take on Pennsylvania Republican Gov. Tom Corbett next year, to resign as an honorary co-chair of Third Way.
By lunch time, Warren jumped into the fray. Her Senate office blasted out a letter from the freshman firebrand senator to the CEOs of the country’s six largest financial institutions, prodding them to disclose money they provide to think tanks like Third Way.
“Just as there is transparency around your direct efforts to influence policymaking through lobbying,” Warren wrote, “the same transparency should exist for any indirect efforts you make to influence policymaking through financial contributions to think tanks.”
A few hours later, Schwartz condemned the piece for the Journal but declined to end her affiliation with the group.
(Also on POLITICO: Elizabeth Warren: ‘I’m not running for president’)
“She read the op-ed and thought it was outrageous and strongly disagreed, and she told Third Way that,” said spokesman Mark Bergman. “She has constantly fought to preserve and protect Medicare and Social Security.”
Each of the groups involved said the back-and-forth is an opening salvo in a debate among Democrats that will only become louder through 2014 and 2016. As much as is written about the divide between tea party and establishment Republicans, the Democratic Party has its own ideological breach that the episode has brought to the fore.
Third Way co-founder Matt Bennett explained that JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, one of the recipients of Warren’s letter, would see an increase in his Social Security benefits under a plan supported by Warren. Bennett said it is “magical thinking” to believe government can invest more in education and infrastructure while putting off long-term fixes to Medicare and simultaneously infusing more money into the Social Security system. Bennett added that his group is willing to take a short-term political hit to ensure the long-term political solvency of programs that seniors depend on.
“Our view as Democrats is that the entitlement crisis threatens the twin achievements of progressive politics in the 20th century, which is the safety net – the programs themselves – and the idea of government investment,” said Bennett. “Since we believe strongly both are vital, we’ve got to fix the problem.”
The victories of Warren and New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio have given liberals fresh confidence that their wing of the party is ascendent. Schwartz’s attempt to distance herself from Third Way emboldened the Progressive Change Campaign Committee to call on the centrist group’s other co-chairs to take public positions on the Journal op-ed.
“Third Way couldn’t have picked a less strategic fight than attacking two of the most popular things in the Democratic Party: Elizabeth Warren and Social Security,” said PCCC co-founder Adam Green. “It’s a huge blunder, and their credibility will take a big hit on Capitol Hill.”
The battle also previews something that could dog Hillary Clinton if she runs for president and draws a challenger from her left. Clintonism has long been synonymous with moderate, third-way-style politics. Leading moderates like Bennett are alums of Bill Clinton’s White House.
Warren’s willingness to take sides only boosts her standing as a darling of progressive activists. Green was ecstatic that she sent her letter after PCCC started circulating a petition to activists trying to get Third Way to fully disclose all their donors.
“In our minds, Elizabeth Warren is the north star to which the entire Democratic Party can look as they seek direction,” said Green. “The wind’s at our back, and Third Way’s kind of yelping from the sidelines.”
Third Way’s Bennett offered a more conciliatory tone. He noted the group’s support for the Dodd-Frank financial law, the Affordable Care Act and budget deals that have raised taxes on the wealthy.
“Our party is large and robust enough to have these kinds of policy disagreements,” he said, “and it’s important that no one try to drum anyone else out of the tent – the way Republicans do.”
Short URL:
http://politi.co/1g7BXJohttp://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/elizabeth-warren-democrats-feud-100678.html?ml=po_r
04 December 2013
JNF Honors Canadian PM Amidst Protests Against Bedouin Expulsion 3DEZ13
CANADA used to be the country I, and a lot of Americans, wished we could be more like. Their federal and provincial governments seemed to be guided by social justice and making sure the national social contract was maintained for the benefit of all Canadians. Yes, Canada has it's share of problems, but they have a history of admitting their mistakes and working together to overcome and correct a lot of them. But over the past few years the corporate greed that is turning America into a Third World plutocracy has been creeping North of the border, turning the Canadian dream into a nightmare. The election of stephen harper as Canadian Prime Minister has sped up the demise of the Canadian experience. He is a corporate, special interest lap dog, kow-towing to the whims and demands of those with money, disregarding the best interest of his nation for the profit margins of corporate masters and increased campaign contributions for their minions in local, provincial and federal government offices. Here is a report on his betrayal of Canadian foreign policy ethics from TNN, The Real News Network, covering PM harper's government's support of the nazi like tactics the jnf (jewish national fund) is using against Palestinians in the West Bank and Arab Israeli citizens in Israel proper. Just like the nazis sought to eliminate, to erase all evidence of Jews in Germany and occupied Europe the jnf is committed to eliminate and erase all evidence of Arab (both Christian and Muslim) history in Israel and the West Bank. harper has decided to align his government's foreign policy with fascism, a move that doesn't represent the Canada we used to know. Click the link to view the video.....
http://youtu.be/Tjuxcbd4fMA
LIA
TARACHANSKY, PRODUCER: On Sunday, December 1, hundreds protested in
Toronto, Canada. The demonstrators gathered in freezing weather outside
the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where thousands attended the JNF
honoring dinner for Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister.~~~PROTESTER:
We're here because we know that just behind these walls, Stephen Harper
is supporting Israeli policies. And what we want Stephen Harper to know
is that Palestine will be free! So Harper, Harper, you will see!
Palestine will be free! Harper, Harper, you will see!CROWD: Palestine will be free!~~~TARACHANSKY:
The mega fundraising event, organized by the Jewish National Fund,
attracted Canadian public officials and major donors to Israel and the
JNF. David Koschitzky, the chair of the Centre for Israel and the Jewish
Affairs, said this was an opportunity to thank the prime minister for
his steadfast friendship and support over the years. A recorded message by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was screened at the dinner.BENJAMIN
NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: You've chosen wisely. Stephen Harper
has proved to be a real leader. And a real leader doesn't follow the
herd. A real leader doesn't go by existing fashions. That's not to lead.
That's to follow. But Stephen leads. And he has stood up for Israel and
he's stood up for the truth time and time again.TARACHANSKY:
At the luxurious dinner, where tables cost as high as $100,000, the JNF
announced a bird sanctuary in northern Israel will be built and named
after Stephen Harper. In return, Harper performed his own surprise for the crowd.STEPHEN HARPER, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER (SINGING): Hey Jude, don't make it bad.TARACHANSKY:
Harper has been one of the most fervent supporters of Israel. Under his
leadership, military and financial ties with Israel tightened. His
administration stood behind Israel on all diplomatic fronts as well. In
the UN, Canada was one of only nine countries who stood against 138
others, when it refused to support the symbolic upgrade of the
Palestinian Authority to the status of an observer state. More recently,
Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird announced Canada will not lift its
sanctions on Iran, despite last week's Geneva agreements. The
Jewish National Fund, or the JNF, is a registered charity in Canada
known mostly for planting trees in Israel. While it positions itself as a
green organization, it was started over 100 years ago for the purpose
of purchasing land in historic Palestine for Jewish settlement. The JNF
has played a vital role in Israeli politics, in the distribution of land
after the state was created, and, as some claim, in the erasure of
Palestinian history from its landscape.NOGA KADMON,
HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR (SUBTITLED TRANSL.): The JNF has existed many
years, even before the state, and has a part in the erasing of the
[destroyed Palestinian] villages. It started, physically, when leaders
in the JNF supported and tried to convince the government to demolish
villages and erase their remains, and continued when the JNF planted
groves, also on those village ruins, to hide the remains that survived.TARACHANSKY: Noga Kadmon is a historian and the author of the renowned book Erased from Space and Consciousness,
where she carefully documents the first years of the Israeli state
following the 1948 War, during which two-thirds of the Palestinians were
made refugees.KADMON: Planting trees in Israel has many
ramifications beyond greening and creating shaded spots. And in each
place we must look at the history and what was there before and what the
grove covers up and what it prevents, such as development for the
people who live nearby or who owned the lands until [the destruction].
Of course, sometimes the JNF plants a grove and it benefits everyone,
but in many places JNF plants groves on destroyed Arab villages or next
to existing villages, thereby preventing their expansion.TARACHANSKY:
Protests against the JNF have led to a worldwide movement in recent
years. In Israel, activists in a group calling itself the New JNF handed
out flyers in central Tel Aviv last week. The group's name is a parody
and has no links to the actual organization. The activists claimed this
New JNF has learned its lesson, and even decided to change his position,
admitting its forests cover up some of the hundreds of villages
destroyed in '48.TEXT ON SCREEN: Look for us under the forests! The New JNF is online and on Facebook.MEMBER OF THE NEW JNF (SUBTITLED TRANSL.): We are the New JNF. That's our new logo. People
have never known the names. They know the new, Zionist names of these
forests, but not what's underneath them. So the New JNF is here to
educate people about them.TARACHANSKY: The fliers the
activists gave out in Tel Aviv include a link to a fake blog, where Rafi
Shtendel, claiming to be the chairperson of the New JNF, writes about
the role the company has played in the erasure and destruction of
Palestinian history. The author's name is but a slight alteration of the
JNF's actual chairperson, Efi Stenzler. On this fake blog, Rafi writes:
"Sixty-five years ago there was an entire culture here that we have
destroyed to establish a Jewish State, whose ruins are covered by KKL
[JNF] forests." In the blog, Rafi documents several places where through
signage and afforestation the JNF erased local Palestinian and Muslim
history. On the real JNF's website, a different kind of
letter, by its real chairperson, tells another story. Here Efi Stenzler
writes, "Over the years, we have developed thousands of projects that
have changed the face of the country. KKL-JNF forests are vital to
Israel's landscape and environment." In its mandate, the JNF writes
simply that its work is aimed at "the benefit of the Jewish people" and
not all the citizens of Israel. But receiving millions of dunams of
state lands give it the status of a semi-governmental body. Even
today, JNF forests are being used to dispossess the indigenous Bedouin
in the Negev Desert, as the The Real News has documented in recent
years. It is after this dispossession that the dinner in Toronto was
named. Despite The The Real News's repeated attempts to solicit a response, the JNF refused to comment. Speaking to The Jerusalem Post,
the organizers of Sunday's dinner called the protest an attempt to
delegitimize Israel, saying the JNF and its supporters all over the
world will continue to strengthen the state of Israel with all of its
strength and will act fearlessly to reinforce it. Simultaneously,
Stephen Harper announced he will visit Israel in January. For The Real News, I'm Lia Tarachansky in Tel Aviv.
http://youtu.be/Tjuxcbd4fMA
The Jewish National Fund has a long history of displacing Palestinians and Bedouins in Israel and erasing the remains of their destroyed villages.
Precis
On Sunday, December 1st, hundreds protested in Toronto, Canada. The demonstrators gathered in freezing weather outside the Metro Toronto Convention Center where thousands attended the JNF honoring dinner for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Harper has been one of the most fervent supporters of Israel. Under his leadership military and financial relations with Israel tightened. Meanwhile in Israel, a creative protest group created a parody of the Jewish National Fund, calling itself "The New JNF", which vowed to stop erasing Palestinian history and displacing Bedouins in the Negev Desert. The Real News' Lia Tarachansky spoke to Noga Kadmon, an Israeli historian and the author of the renown book Erased From Space And Consciousness.Transcript
LIA
TARACHANSKY, PRODUCER: On Sunday, December 1, hundreds protested in
Toronto, Canada. The demonstrators gathered in freezing weather outside
the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where thousands attended the JNF
honoring dinner for Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister.~~~PROTESTER:
We're here because we know that just behind these walls, Stephen Harper
is supporting Israeli policies. And what we want Stephen Harper to know
is that Palestine will be free! So Harper, Harper, you will see!
Palestine will be free! Harper, Harper, you will see!CROWD: Palestine will be free!~~~TARACHANSKY:
The mega fundraising event, organized by the Jewish National Fund,
attracted Canadian public officials and major donors to Israel and the
JNF. David Koschitzky, the chair of the Centre for Israel and the Jewish
Affairs, said this was an opportunity to thank the prime minister for
his steadfast friendship and support over the years. A recorded message by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was screened at the dinner.BENJAMIN
NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: You've chosen wisely. Stephen Harper
has proved to be a real leader. And a real leader doesn't follow the
herd. A real leader doesn't go by existing fashions. That's not to lead.
That's to follow. But Stephen leads. And he has stood up for Israel and
he's stood up for the truth time and time again.TARACHANSKY:
At the luxurious dinner, where tables cost as high as $100,000, the JNF
announced a bird sanctuary in northern Israel will be built and named
after Stephen Harper. In return, Harper performed his own surprise for the crowd.STEPHEN HARPER, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER (SINGING): Hey Jude, don't make it bad.TARACHANSKY:
Harper has been one of the most fervent supporters of Israel. Under his
leadership, military and financial ties with Israel tightened. His
administration stood behind Israel on all diplomatic fronts as well. In
the UN, Canada was one of only nine countries who stood against 138
others, when it refused to support the symbolic upgrade of the
Palestinian Authority to the status of an observer state. More recently,
Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird announced Canada will not lift its
sanctions on Iran, despite last week's Geneva agreements. The
Jewish National Fund, or the JNF, is a registered charity in Canada
known mostly for planting trees in Israel. While it positions itself as a
green organization, it was started over 100 years ago for the purpose
of purchasing land in historic Palestine for Jewish settlement. The JNF
has played a vital role in Israeli politics, in the distribution of land
after the state was created, and, as some claim, in the erasure of
Palestinian history from its landscape.NOGA KADMON,
HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR (SUBTITLED TRANSL.): The JNF has existed many
years, even before the state, and has a part in the erasing of the
[destroyed Palestinian] villages. It started, physically, when leaders
in the JNF supported and tried to convince the government to demolish
villages and erase their remains, and continued when the JNF planted
groves, also on those village ruins, to hide the remains that survived.TARACHANSKY: Noga Kadmon is a historian and the author of the renowned book Erased from Space and Consciousness,
where she carefully documents the first years of the Israeli state
following the 1948 War, during which two-thirds of the Palestinians were
made refugees.KADMON: Planting trees in Israel has many
ramifications beyond greening and creating shaded spots. And in each
place we must look at the history and what was there before and what the
grove covers up and what it prevents, such as development for the
people who live nearby or who owned the lands until [the destruction].
Of course, sometimes the JNF plants a grove and it benefits everyone,
but in many places JNF plants groves on destroyed Arab villages or next
to existing villages, thereby preventing their expansion.TARACHANSKY:
Protests against the JNF have led to a worldwide movement in recent
years. In Israel, activists in a group calling itself the New JNF handed
out flyers in central Tel Aviv last week. The group's name is a parody
and has no links to the actual organization. The activists claimed this
New JNF has learned its lesson, and even decided to change his position,
admitting its forests cover up some of the hundreds of villages
destroyed in '48.TEXT ON SCREEN: Look for us under the forests! The New JNF is online and on Facebook.MEMBER OF THE NEW JNF (SUBTITLED TRANSL.): We are the New JNF. That's our new logo. People
have never known the names. They know the new, Zionist names of these
forests, but not what's underneath them. So the New JNF is here to
educate people about them.TARACHANSKY: The fliers the
activists gave out in Tel Aviv include a link to a fake blog, where Rafi
Shtendel, claiming to be the chairperson of the New JNF, writes about
the role the company has played in the erasure and destruction of
Palestinian history. The author's name is but a slight alteration of the
JNF's actual chairperson, Efi Stenzler. On this fake blog, Rafi writes:
"Sixty-five years ago there was an entire culture here that we have
destroyed to establish a Jewish State, whose ruins are covered by KKL
[JNF] forests." In the blog, Rafi documents several places where through
signage and afforestation the JNF erased local Palestinian and Muslim
history. On the real JNF's website, a different kind of
letter, by its real chairperson, tells another story. Here Efi Stenzler
writes, "Over the years, we have developed thousands of projects that
have changed the face of the country. KKL-JNF forests are vital to
Israel's landscape and environment." In its mandate, the JNF writes
simply that its work is aimed at "the benefit of the Jewish people" and
not all the citizens of Israel. But receiving millions of dunams of
state lands give it the status of a semi-governmental body. Even
today, JNF forests are being used to dispossess the indigenous Bedouin
in the Negev Desert, as the The Real News has documented in recent
years. It is after this dispossession that the dinner in Toronto was
named. Despite The The Real News's repeated attempts to solicit a response, the JNF refused to comment. Speaking to The Jerusalem Post,
the organizers of Sunday's dinner called the protest an attempt to
delegitimize Israel, saying the JNF and its supporters all over the
world will continue to strengthen the state of Israel with all of its
strength and will act fearlessly to reinforce it. Simultaneously,
Stephen Harper announced he will visit Israel in January. For The Real News, I'm Lia Tarachansky in Tel Aviv.End
Bio
Lia Tarachanskyis an Israeli-Canadian journalist with The Real News Network reporting on Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Born in the Soviet Union, Tarachansky grew up in a settlement in the occupied West Bank. She is the director of Seven Deadly Myths, a documentary that tackles Israel's biggest taboo - what happened to the Palestinian 1948 when the state was created. Tarachansky previously worked as a Newsroom Producer in The Real News' Washington D.C. and Toronto Headquarters, and her work appeared on BBC, Al Jazeera, USA Today, Canadian Dimension Magazine and others.http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=11130
A Progressive Pope is Driving the Wingnuts Batty & Mormon Bishop Posing As Homeless Man Rebuffed by Congregation 28&29NOV13
I am Christian but not Catholic, but I have to say I love this Pope! Here is a man of God not afraid to preach the Good News to everyone, and to admonish the shortcomings of all of us in a spirit of love and compassion. I really do admire him for living his faith, for being a Pope for all the people of the Church. I hope God gives Pope Francis and long and vibrant reign, I think all will benefit if He does. The second story is about the Mormon Bishop who visited his church as a homeless person, and the reaction of his parishioners. God continue to bless you Pope Francis & Bishop Musselman!
Vyan
A bishop in a Mormon church outside Salt Lake City has shined a light on the hypocrisy and selfishness of members of his church by dressing as a homeless man and gauging their reactions to him.
David Musselman had a makeup artist transform his face and donned an
unkempt wig, fake beard, and glasses. He then entered the church last
Sunday and approached churchgoers to see what they would do. He found
many of them did not practice what he preached:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/29/1259046/-Mormon-Bishop-Posing-As-Homeless-Man-Rebuffed-by-Congregation?detail=email
Vyan
As Pope Francis comes more and more out of the Progressive Closet he
begins to gain more and more pushback from the Rightwing who have long
claimed that their Unrepentant Greed was Godly.
Unfortunately it isn't, and the Pope has been most clear on this.
She didn't apologize for TrooperGate. She didn't apologize for "Refudiate". She didn't apologize for quitting in the middle of her Term as Governor of Alaska. She didn't apologize for defending Dr. Laura's N-Word use with "Don't Retreat, Relaod! She didn't apologize for her BLOOD LIBEL accusations.
But she apologized to the Pope. I think something unique and different is going on here.
Unfortunately it isn't, and the Pope has been most clear on this.
“As long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world’s problems or, for that matter, to any problems,” the pope said in the 224-page document that essentially serves as his official platform.And the response has been truly amazing. For example Palin's overreaction to the Pope's statements on Twitter actually made her do something she seems to never done before. (Except for one other time to John McCain for possibly, maybe, making him LOSE!) Apologize.
She didn't apologize for TrooperGate. She didn't apologize for "Refudiate". She didn't apologize for quitting in the middle of her Term as Governor of Alaska. She didn't apologize for defending Dr. Laura's N-Word use with "Don't Retreat, Relaod! She didn't apologize for her BLOOD LIBEL accusations.
But she apologized to the Pope. I think something unique and different is going on here.
The Pope's comments apparently got deeply under the skin of Fox Business Host Stuart Varney.
http://www.rawstory.com/...
See how he tries to rewrite and redefine the Pope's words for him.
Heads Start to Explode.
And what better head is there to do a Scanners than the Big Fat Head of Rush Limbaugh.
http://www.rawstory.com/...
As described by the Guardian.
Certainly this is someting to consider as we all prepare to sit down and break bread with our Wingnut Relatives this Thanksgiving. Yes, Progressive Values actually are Godly Values, they are following in the footsteps of he who showed us the way, progressivism is following in the truth path of Jesus of Nazareth toward charity and forgiveness. Republicans, aren't on that path.
Pope Francis is telling the truth, and the Right just can't stop themselves from listening, even if they don't want to.
Vyan
http://www.rawstory.com/...
“Capitalism, in my opinion, is a liberator,” he said. “The free choice of millions of people is the essence of freedom. In my opinion, society benefits most when people are free to pursue their own self-interest. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but it is not. When individuals are free, we collectively are better off in every way, financially and spiritually.”It doesn't seem to matter to Varney that the Pope didn't criticize "People's Freedom or Self-Interest" - he criticized The Markets. He criticized the manipulation of those markets using financial speculation. It's not an accident that Varney gets this wrong, because he's a knave. A lapdog of the Markets. His job is to make sure that his True Religion - Unfeterred Greed - is never questioned, never criticized and if it is that persons veracity and character has to be Destroyed. It just becomes a little difficult when that person - Is the Holy Pontiff.
See how he tries to rewrite and redefine the Pope's words for him.
“I go to church to save my soul,” Varney said. “It’s got nothing to do with my vote. Pope Francis has linked the two. He has offered direct criticism of a specific political system. He has characterized negatively that system. I think he wants to influence my politics.”A political system? He criticized a Political System? No actually, he didn't. He criticized a Financial System, by putting that system into a Moral Context. A context in which it is sorely, severely lacking. Politics is about how people make choices in who their Political Leaders will be. In this case Varney is confusing Politics with Finances, and not hardly by accident. For years we've been hearing from the Right-wing how the U.S. is a "Christian Nation". How we should and must let our Christian Value guide how we vote, and how we govern. That such considerations are what drives the anti-Choice movement, and the Prayer-In-Schools movement and the Creationist/Anti-Science movement - yet when the Head of the Largest Christian Organization in the World says that our financial systems should have a moral component.
Heads Start to Explode.
And what better head is there to do a Scanners than the Big Fat Head of Rush Limbaugh.
http://www.rawstory.com/...
On his Wednesday radio show, Rush Limbaugh admitted being “befuddled” by the harsh words about “unfettered capitalism” released this week by Pope Francis.The Pope is speaking "Pure Marxism"? Somebody has "gotten to him"? Written it "For Him"? Why, because a Holy Man can't consider that Capitalism can be dangerous? Certainly he couldn't actually Mean what he says, let alone Know what it Means. He just has to be incompetent or lying, because if he's not -- well, that's too much even for Limbaugh to consider. All he's saying is that the Markets should be Regulated so that their tendency to cause massive financial harm is blunted, by things such as Glass-Steagal or to a lesser sense Dodd-Frank - but the bottom line is that the Pope, just as he was with his criticism of the obsession with anti-Gay and anti-Choice efforts - is SPOT ON Economically.
...
But the new pronouncement, the pope’s latest Evangelii Gadium, or Joy of the Gospel, was a surprisingly frontal attack on capitalism, with Francis calling it a form of tyranny.
That didn’t sit well with Limbaugh. “Somebody has either written this for him or gotten to him,” Rush said. “This is just pure Marxism coming out of the mouth of the pope.
As described by the Guardian.
The pope’s screed on “the economy of exclusion and inequality” will disappoint those who considers themselves free-market capitalists, but they would do well to listen to the message. Francis gives form to the emotion and injustice of post-financial-crisis outrage in a way that has been rare since Occupy Wall Street disbanded. There has been a growing chorus of financial insiders – from the late Merrill Lynch executive Herb Allison to organizations like Better Markets – it’s time for a change in how we approach capitalism. It’s not about discarding capitalism, or hating money or profit; it’s about pursuing profits ethically, and rejecting the premise that exploitation is at the center of profit. When 53% of financial executives say they can’t get ahead without some cheating, even though they want to work for ethical organizations, there’s a real problem.This Pope has begun to let the truth about the Worship of Money out of the bag. Yes, it is Idolatry, and it does need to be reined in. That is of course the last thing the Right-wing wants, because it would grant legitimacy of many progressive efforts to reduce income inequality and to improve the lot of the working class and the middle-class. This is not what the Conservative-Right cares about. They claim to, but they don't really, and the more Pope Francis talks about it - the more it makes them squirm.
Certainly this is someting to consider as we all prepare to sit down and break bread with our Wingnut Relatives this Thanksgiving. Yes, Progressive Values actually are Godly Values, they are following in the footsteps of he who showed us the way, progressivism is following in the truth path of Jesus of Nazareth toward charity and forgiveness. Republicans, aren't on that path.
Pope Francis is telling the truth, and the Right just can't stop themselves from listening, even if they don't want to.
Vyan
Originally posted to Vyan on Thu Nov 28, 2013 at 02:26 PM PST.
Also republished by ClassWarfare Newsletter: WallStreet VS Working Class Global Occupy movement and Street Prophets .
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/28/1258966/-A-Progressive-Pope-is-Driving-the-Wingnuts-Batty
Mormon Bishop Posing As Homeless Man Rebuffed by Congregation
Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
Proverbs 28:27
"Many actually went out of their way to purposefully ignore me, and they wouldn't even make eye contact. I'd approach them and say, 'Happy Thanksgiving.' Many of them I wouldn't ask for any food or any kind of money, and their inability to even acknowledge me being there was very surprising."Most of Musselman's church members ignored him, although five of them actually asked him to leave.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/29/1259046/-Mormon-Bishop-Posing-As-Homeless-Man-Rebuffed-by-Congregation?detail=email
03 December 2013
Hezbollah blames Saudi for embassy attack 3DEZ13
The most fascinating part of this article is that the Lebanese Army has
stepped in and actually arrested militia members in Tripoli. Since there
are no details about what factions these fighters are from, we can only
hope the Army is exercising it's authority without prejudice and
arresting those involved in the fighting. The regular people of Lebanon,
the vast majority of whom have to be tired of constant death and
destruction this mindless and meaningless fighting inflicts on them,
should be thankful for their Army's actions and support the government's
actions to bring law and order to their nation. It will not happen
overnight, but a democratic Lebanese government, supported by the
people, and an army that is committed to Lebanon and not any political
party or religion could start the process to restore Lebanon to the
vibrant and secure nation it once was. Most will scoff at this post, but
a peaceful Lebanon has so much to offer it's people and the region that
it is just wrong not to hope and pray for the nation to realize peace
within it's borders will benefit all. For a good read on the tragedy
that has been Lebanon check out 'From Beirut To Jerusalem' by Thomas L
Friedman. And yes, I know it was published in 1989, the unfortunate truth
is the situation in Lebanon has basically remained the same......
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/12/hezbollah-blames-saudi-embassy-attack-2013123232216638523.html
Hezbollah leader blames Saudi Arabia for last month's embassy attack that killed 23 people.
An al-Qaeda linked group claimed responsibility for the November 19 attack [EPA]
|
|
The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah has accused Saudi
Arabia of being behind last month's two suicide bombings that targeted
the Iranian Embassy in Beirut. Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah's comments on Tuesday mark the first time Hezbollah has openly accused the kingdom, and marks a sharp escalation in the Shia Muslim group's rhetoric. An al-Qaeda linked group has claimed responsibility for the November 19 attack that killed 23 people, saying it was in response to Hezbollah and Iran's involvement in Syria. Nasrallah said the claim was credible but accused Saudi intelligence of providing backing and support. He also said Saudi intelligence was behind daily attacks in Iraq. Nasrallah spoke in an interview Tuesday with Lebanon's private OTV network. Elsewhere in Lebanon, clashes resumed on Tuesday between Lebanese armed groups who back opposing sides of Syria's war and 21 fighters were arrested by the army as it pursued a six-month-long mandate to end bloodshed battering the city of Tripoli. The conflict between the majority Sunni Muslim Bab al-Tabbaneh district and the adjacent Alawite neighbourhood of Jebel Mohsen in Tripoli has killed more than 100 people this year. Repeated attacks But residents, fighters and a local politician told Reuters on Tuesday it was unlikely to end soon despite army efforts. Over the weekend, the relatives of the car bomb victims protested in a Tripoli square, demanding that leading Alawite political leaders be arrested and calling for Jebel Mohsen's electricity and water supplies to be cut off. The latest clashes started after repeated attacks on Alawite targets over the past week in which several people were wounded. Ten people were killed over the weekend. The army provided no details on the 21 men seized by soldiers. |
10 Things You Never Noticed About The Wizard of Oz 1DEZ13
THIS is just a fun piece on a great American classic, from HuffPost. Click the link to watch the video, it worth it.....
Nearly everyone loves The Wizard of Oz, and most of us
have seen it enough times to quote certain lines verbatim ("I'll get you
my pretty, and your little dog too!") or break into an a cappella
version of 'We're Off to See the Wizard" at a moment's notice. Since Oz
is about to celebrate its 75th anniversary next year, here's a fun peek
at a few details that may have escaped the attention of even the most
ardent Ozophiles.
1. Dorothy's Cruller. Just before singing "Over the Rainbow," Dorothy takes one of the "just fried" crullers Aunt Em offers the farmhands. She takes a small bite, tosses a piece to Toto and from there it seems to vanish. But watch closely, she's still holding it as she begins to sing and at the beginning of the second verse, she tosses the remainder into the barnyard (hopefully Toto saw it!).
2. Miss Gulch's Umbrella. As Miss Gulch pulls up to the Gale farmhouse, you can see an umbrella strapped to the front of her bicycle. This is an "insider" allusion to the water allergy of her Ozian alter ego, the Wicked Witch of the West. In the original L. Frank Baum book, the Witch carries an umbrella, not a broom.
3. Dorothy's Dresses. Here's a question sure to stump family and friends: How many dresses is Dorothy seen wearing? The answer is two, not one. When Dorothy meets Professor Marvel, he glances at a portrait of Dorothy and Aunt Em in their Sunday best -- both are wearing wardrobe only seen for this brief moment. (Look closely: the professor never returns the photo either!)
4. The Coroner's Death Certificate. When the Munchkin coroner pronounces the Wicked Witch of the East "really most sincerely dead," he displays the official death certificate which is dated May 6, 1938 -- exactly 19 years after L. Frank Baum, author of the original Wizard of Oz book, passed away.
5. Toto's Deleted Dance? When dance director Bobby Connolly was interviewed in 1939, he discussed the challenges of teaching the Munchkins how to dance in unison but he also mentioned that Toto's trainer was tone deaf, so Connolly had to give the trainer the music cue a couple beats ahead so the trainer could translate the signal to the dog. When "Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead" is reprised, Toto trips down the steps of the city hall and falls in line behind the Munchkin soldiers with no further explanation -- was this the "Toto Trot" to which Connolly was referring?
6. The Wooden Sawhorse. Another reference to the Oz book series may be the inclusion of a wooden sawhorse in the background of the Tin Man scenes. In Baum's The Land of Oz book, a similar sawhorse is brought magically to life and becomes a permanent resident of the Emerald City thereafter.
7. The Munchkin Suicide. The Wizard of Oz was never envisioned to play on a screen as small as a TV set, so confusion has arisen about the unusual motion in the background as Dorothy skips away with the Scarecrow and Tin Man. One silly urban legend says it is a Munchkin suicide-hanging caught on film. In actuality, the movement is that of a large stork reacting to the dancing by rising up and unfolding its wings defensively.
8. Dorothy's Giggles. When filming the scene where Dorothy slaps the Cowardly Lion, Judy Garland kept flubbing each take for laughing at Bert Lahr's ridiculous blubbering. Even in the final-version scene, she is composed until the Lion reaches for his airborne tail -- and misses -- at which Judy breaks character and cracks a small smile!
9. The Witch's Hourglass. Remember when time ran out and the Witch shattered her hourglass in a rage? The sand was made of pulverized red sequins (like those on the Ruby Slippers) to give it that Technicolor sparkle. And the hourglass the Witch throws had holes drilled into it so it could glide the length of a wire and hit the same mark for each take.
10. Dorothy's Time Warp. It seems as though The Wizard of Oz all takes place in the span of one day. Indeed at the conclusion, Dorothy's family and friends are all wearing the same clothes they had on at the beginning. But in the parallel universe of Oz, time functions differently. Listen carefully and you'll hear Dorothy say she tried to get home "for days and days."
For more Wizard of Oz fun facts and fascinating trivia, check out the new book The Wizard of Oz: The Official 75th Anniversary Companion.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-scarfone/10-things-you-never-noticed-about-wizard-of-oz_b_4350772.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
1. Dorothy's Cruller. Just before singing "Over the Rainbow," Dorothy takes one of the "just fried" crullers Aunt Em offers the farmhands. She takes a small bite, tosses a piece to Toto and from there it seems to vanish. But watch closely, she's still holding it as she begins to sing and at the beginning of the second verse, she tosses the remainder into the barnyard (hopefully Toto saw it!).
2. Miss Gulch's Umbrella. As Miss Gulch pulls up to the Gale farmhouse, you can see an umbrella strapped to the front of her bicycle. This is an "insider" allusion to the water allergy of her Ozian alter ego, the Wicked Witch of the West. In the original L. Frank Baum book, the Witch carries an umbrella, not a broom.
3. Dorothy's Dresses. Here's a question sure to stump family and friends: How many dresses is Dorothy seen wearing? The answer is two, not one. When Dorothy meets Professor Marvel, he glances at a portrait of Dorothy and Aunt Em in their Sunday best -- both are wearing wardrobe only seen for this brief moment. (Look closely: the professor never returns the photo either!)
4. The Coroner's Death Certificate. When the Munchkin coroner pronounces the Wicked Witch of the East "really most sincerely dead," he displays the official death certificate which is dated May 6, 1938 -- exactly 19 years after L. Frank Baum, author of the original Wizard of Oz book, passed away.
5. Toto's Deleted Dance? When dance director Bobby Connolly was interviewed in 1939, he discussed the challenges of teaching the Munchkins how to dance in unison but he also mentioned that Toto's trainer was tone deaf, so Connolly had to give the trainer the music cue a couple beats ahead so the trainer could translate the signal to the dog. When "Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead" is reprised, Toto trips down the steps of the city hall and falls in line behind the Munchkin soldiers with no further explanation -- was this the "Toto Trot" to which Connolly was referring?
6. The Wooden Sawhorse. Another reference to the Oz book series may be the inclusion of a wooden sawhorse in the background of the Tin Man scenes. In Baum's The Land of Oz book, a similar sawhorse is brought magically to life and becomes a permanent resident of the Emerald City thereafter.
7. The Munchkin Suicide. The Wizard of Oz was never envisioned to play on a screen as small as a TV set, so confusion has arisen about the unusual motion in the background as Dorothy skips away with the Scarecrow and Tin Man. One silly urban legend says it is a Munchkin suicide-hanging caught on film. In actuality, the movement is that of a large stork reacting to the dancing by rising up and unfolding its wings defensively.
8. Dorothy's Giggles. When filming the scene where Dorothy slaps the Cowardly Lion, Judy Garland kept flubbing each take for laughing at Bert Lahr's ridiculous blubbering. Even in the final-version scene, she is composed until the Lion reaches for his airborne tail -- and misses -- at which Judy breaks character and cracks a small smile!
9. The Witch's Hourglass. Remember when time ran out and the Witch shattered her hourglass in a rage? The sand was made of pulverized red sequins (like those on the Ruby Slippers) to give it that Technicolor sparkle. And the hourglass the Witch throws had holes drilled into it so it could glide the length of a wire and hit the same mark for each take.
10. Dorothy's Time Warp. It seems as though The Wizard of Oz all takes place in the span of one day. Indeed at the conclusion, Dorothy's family and friends are all wearing the same clothes they had on at the beginning. But in the parallel universe of Oz, time functions differently. Listen carefully and you'll hear Dorothy say she tried to get home "for days and days."
For more Wizard of Oz fun facts and fascinating trivia, check out the new book The Wizard of Oz: The Official 75th Anniversary Companion.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-scarfone/10-things-you-never-noticed-about-wizard-of-oz_b_4350772.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
01 December 2013
Thanksgiving 2013 recap....
I had a great Thanksgiving. I was at my sister's and stayed there my whole weekend (from Wednesday night till Saturday evening) with her husband Ted, kids Alex (home from the Army / Ft Benning, GA) and our Mom and Dad. Not only did we eat well on Thanksgiving Day, turkey and stuffing and all the good stuff that goes with it, but the time spent together. On Saturday it was small business Saturday so we went to Warrenton, VA and started with lunch at Molly's Irish Pub for lunch and then wandered the shops of the main street for some Christmas shopping and finished at Great Harvest Bread Co for coffee and scones! Best though was the time at Jen's & Ted's together, I don't know what I would do without my family!
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