Monday, June 27, 2011

Progressive? Not with a Wiener!

So, President Obama finally did it. I must give him credit, he waited at least a week. He looked at a progressive under duress, extended his hand, and help push Anthony Wiener under the bus.

Wow, I'm so glad we elected a progressive president.

Seriously though, I'm done even hoping Obama will come around. I'm a little disappointed in Nancy Pelosi, but all in all, the Democratic leadership have called for Wiener to step down. 

Because they suck.

And yes, I know they all hate taking questions about Wiener's wiener, but they should simply answer them with two words: Senator Vitter. Yes, Senator Vitter, who actually broke laws while sleeping with multiple prostitutes, apparently while wearing diapers at times. Republicans rallied around him, and gave him a standing O when he won reelection and returned to the Senate. Wiener should get the same chance. He would if we had progressive leadership.

By the way, his latest leaked photo is full frontal, apparently taken at the house gym. I haven't looked - congressional penises don't interest me - but I hear he's packin' heat. And I understand that this does shock, and even offend some people (although, unless you solicited the photo from the Congressman, you had to make an effort to see it - you had to at least google it). But Wiener only sent these dick pics to interested adults. I say OMG, what's the BFD?

The thing Wiener has done that does disappoint me is that he has checked himself into "treatment." Now he seems a little like Lindsey Lohan, and not a kielbasa-swingin' hell-raiser from the Big Apple. Don't seek treatment - use the dick-pic as your next campaign poster. Show your constituents what you bring to Congress every day, and that you're not afraid to use it. Fuck the prudes and fellow Democrats whose fake outrage stain the press reporting.

And speaking of the press, they suck. This story has been going on for two weeks now. Two fucking weeks. There is other news Americans need to know, like what the Dems are giving away in debt ceiling negotiations. I think this news cycle has lasted a lot longer than even Governor Terminator's love child.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the media coverage has been the commentary from the so-called left. Ed Shultz has called for Wiener to step down. No real surprise there, Shultz is kind of a knuckle-head. No surprise that Stephanie Miller and her gaggle of Obama zealots have also called for Wiener to go. I was a little surprised that this sentiment was echoed by her regular guest David Bender.

Bender has, in the past, given thoughtful political analysis. I don't always agree with him, but his commentary is generally well-reasoned. And if he is a little awash in the DC tide, he seems to be aware of his position. Not this time. He also said Wiener has to go. But his reasoning is that Wiener is "sucking all of the oxygen out of the room." The Democratic leaders can't effectively fight over the budget/debt ceiling because of Wiener. And candidates for office, he singled out Tim Kane in Pennsylvania, can't get their message out effectively because of all the Wiener dick questions, and it is hurting their chances in 2012.

Bender, please! The Democratic leadership is as effective in negotiations with Republicans as Bristol Palin is as an advocate for celibacy. They are so busy pushing their noses up Wall Street's collective asses that all they can imagine is budget cuts that will hurt working families, kill any chance of job growth and make it ball-bustingly hard for ANY Democrat to win in 2012. And Tim Kane? Jesus, is there a bigger fucking loser in the Democratic party? I doubt it. 

Remember Howard Dean, Chair of the Dems in 2006 and 2008, when he ripped Republicans' faces off in all 50 states and was a huge part of getting the first black president elected? Well, Rahm, Obama and the other corporate-blowing Dems jettisoned him in favor of Tim Kane, who proceeded to get his ass handed to him in 2010. Kane is a conservative, unimaginative corporate stooge who is steeped in the DC establishment. He is the antithesis of progressive - which is why he loses elections as a Democrat. He is going to lose to Macaca in Pennsylvania, that's how inept he is. Anthony Wiener's dick has NOTHING to do with Kane, who will lose handily on his own.

But Wiener's dick points to the progressive problem - there are no progressives representing us, at least not at the locus of national power. The Democrats that we do have, that David Bender championed in his Wiener review, are totally corrupted, right of Reagan Wall Street toadies. And we know this because the entire episode's coverage in all media missed the progressive point: digital citizenship.

If the term "progressive" relates to progress, to moving forward as a nation and a people, then apply that notion to Wiener's wiener. Sex, dicks, cheating, harrasment and related "junk" (pun intended) have been around forever. But the "kink" here is the mode - sexting. Wiener was using 21st century digital tools to spread his junk around. He was committing the kind of faux pax that parents of teens like me lecture my kids on about once a month or so - NEVER send ANYONE pictures of your body unless you want it to be on the internet within a month. Tech-aware parents have this conversation. Apparently many, many other people don't. By age 15, 50% of girls have been asked for a naked picture by someone contacting them digitally.

In the 21st century, we all have to be aware of our digital presence. If we don't maintain ours, someone else might create one for us, or coax one out of us that we don't want. Congressman Wiener's digital presence is "man-slut." For as smart as I think he is politically, and on most of his policy stances, he was and is a digital idiot. This is not a liberal, or even conservative take on the issue. It is a progressive one. One that moves the national dialog forward, towards progress. Smart politicians on the left would not only take the opportunity to dredge up David Diaper Vitter in this issue, but to use it as a national teaching moment. They would change the question from "should Wiener go?" to "how can we help our kids?" I mean c'mon...I'm a crank with a day job - how much skill can it take?

So I don't want to hear how Ed Shultz and Stephanie Miller; or Tim Kane and Barack Obama are progressives. They are Democrats with some socially liberal positions. Progressives move forward, and look for the solutions to the corruption and corporate dominance of our political system. They don't pile on a Wiener as a way to mollify pundits who never leave DC. 

So, eyes wide...and look for ways to move the nation forward. And primary the shit out of Tim Kane, President Obama...and Anthony Wiener. And his dick.

Aaargghh!!!

So, Republican leaders have just walked away from the negotiations over the debt ceiling. What children, what spoiled babies - what assholes!

Jim Demint said that the spending cuts were constructive, but that the Democrats seemed insistent on increasing taxes, and that was just a non-starter with him. Of course, that was the original condition of the negotiations - find cuts AND increases in revenue. So of course, they found cuts first, two TRILLION dollars worth, and then Republicans walked out when it came time to actually be grown ups.

Can I take a moment to emphasize, which I rarely do lately, what dickwads this makes the Republicans. No no, I trash the Democrats all the time for their weakness and corruption, but take it as given that Republicans are corporate zombie sex-addicts with dog-turds for hearts and rat-shit for brains. These fuckers are going to strip two trillion from OUR hides. They are making cuts in programs that will bring you and me pain, all so they can protect every nickel that resides in the vaults of the uber-wealthy. They are more than happy to bend 95% of us over their meat-counter for the pleasure of the corporate elite...and they tell us to our faces. It is impossible to get more loathsome than this current crop of Republicans.

You got to hand it to these Republicans, though. When they mean to fuck the American people, they come with a dick in each hand. They are currently stripping us of all social safety nets, women of all rights and Latinos of the right or desire to vote. They are letting the infrastructure crumble as they block all legislation that does not directly enrich corporate CEOs. They are completing the massive transfer of wealth that they began in the 1980s, and are doing it in hyper-drive. They are proposing to rob us of enormous sums of money - money we've already paid in to a system that used to work for us sometimes.

Look, you can't cut enough to fix the deficit or debt, and still have government! Many Republicans would say that that is fine with them, but it would be bullshit. They love big government. They want government all up in your ovaries, not to mention your bedroom. They want government to fondle your kids at airports and to listen to your phone calls. And big government has to be paid for...and guess who's going to pay? That's right, you and me.

All these tax cuts for the top 2%? We have to make up the difference. Say goodbye to your home mortgage deduction, say hello to new fees, and maybe even a national excise tax in the name of tax "fairness." Say goodbye to Medicare and Social Security as you know it. They have wanted to steal it for decades, and they are finally going to do it. They are going to do it right in front of your face, they are telling you right now. They are going to take tens of thousands of dollars right out of your pocket.

And Obama and the Democrats are going to help them.

Aaargghh!!!

This is where I keep getting drawn back in. This robbery is not possible without the help of the Democratic Party. Throughout the process, they have been complicit in this great robbery. Just look at what happened this week.

Joe Biden, our Vice President, has been taking the lead in negotiations with Republicans on the issue of the debt ceiling. Now, for clarity's sake, let's be clear. (That was maybe the worst sentence ever written, I'm just sayin'.) BOTH PARTIES ALREADY KNOW THEY WILL RAISE THE NATION'S DEBT LIMIT! This is not even a question. Wall Street has made it clear that A) they own both parties, and B) they want the debt ceiling raised. Furthermore, the national Shame-ber of Commerce, co-owner of the Republican party, has given orders not to fuck with the national line of credit. So there is NO QUESTION that the debt limit will be raised by September. So, armed with this knowledge, what has Biden done?

Already given TWO TRILLION in cuts!

And then the Republican leadership walked out of negotiations. Biden and the Dems laid down two trillion worth of pain for you and me and got NOTHING for it. Zip, zilch, squat, nada. And, since the Republicans walked out of negotiations, have you heard anything about the Dems pulling the two trillion back? Please...we know the answer: hell no!

Nobody can be this weak. No politician who has raised money and fought in a primary can be this bad at deal-making. No party LEADERSHIP can possibly think that this course of appeasement in any way serves their constituents. No...my final verdict is in, and hope is dashed...the Dems are throwing the game. They are helping the robbery and destruction of American working families. I held out some hope for a long time, but the hard evidence keeps hitting me in the forehead. The current Democratic Party is part and parcel of the gang of robbers.

Some pundits are claiming that the Administration's plan is to appear "bipartisan" and make the Republicans look "unreasonable." Bullshit! I've heard that for two years now. That strategy cost the Dems the House in 2010. Besides, NOBODY in America has called for bipartisanship as a major issue. They want JOBS goddammit! When polled, Americans clearly state their priorities as:

1. Jobs
2. Jobs
3. Jobs
4. Some other shit

And with these highly scientific poll results in mind, any politician of any party not working on a jobs bill is working for his/her own self. Period. They have ceased caring about the citizens in a democracy, and hence no longer care about governing. Neither party gives a shit about anyone who is not a CEO or a lobbyist.

And what's even worse is the disdain they have for us. Especially the Democrats. This display if ineptitude by VP Biden shocks the conscience. They think they can enact Republican policies and expect the support of Democratic voters. They think that we are incredibly stupid. It also didn't work in 2010 (and their pundits and spokespeople blame us...repeatedly!), yet they are doing it again. Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing twice but expecting different results the second time?

But they are not insane, they don't care. They serve their corporate masters, and will be well-rewarded. We will be fucked hard, but they have stopped concerning themselves with governance, as this debt negotiation shows. They are playing their kubuki theatre to a third-grade audience, and all the adults have checked out of the room, and are at a brew pub or a Starbucks - or are at their second or third job (I currently have two). The Democratic party has blown us off - all of us. They have sacrificed women, "progressives," Latinos, and the elderly (yes, Biden has but Medicare "on the table"). Even African Americans are becoming disaffected with the first black president. This is political malpractice on a massive scale. They don't care about you or me, and haven't for some time.

Aaargghh!!! The job before us is big. And, they've fucked us so hard that we will have to dig way deep to find the energy to do something about it. We have to primary the shit out of all the Dems, to make them fear the public again. They must know that if they don't balance their corruption with some governance, that the scales must be tipped in our direction. We thought we tipped the scales in 2008, but we didn't.

Primary hard, and take the Democratic party back.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Rant Gumbo

Just some shit I have to get off my chest...

Jobs? We talkin' jobs? 
The Senate Democrats recently put forth a 600 million dollar program to stimulate job growth. Now, this makes perfect sense because revised job figures show that the last few months that were looking good, were actually not so good.  And, last month was abysmal. Our unemployment figures hover around 9%, and have no prospect of changing any time soon - certainly not without government intervention. So what did the Obama White House say about this meagre stimulus attempt?

Too expensive. They want it cut by at least 200 million dollars. Man...nine percent! Nine fucking percent unemployment, and this president is planning to win reelection in a year. And 600 million? That's million, with an "m." What government program costs in the millions any more? But no...too much for the poor head of household who lost his job when the bankers crashed the economy. By the way, how many millions (nay, billions and trillions) did we give those bankers?

No, no, no...get ready for a new Republican administration. According to TYT, no president has won reelection with an unemployment rate above 7%. Not since Roosevelt. Cenk on TYT has been calling it for weeks now - he sees Obama as an underdog for winning reelection. And if Romney can make it past a bloodbath of a Republican primary, he can win handily. I've got to give myself credit - I've been saying this for months.

I've said that if Obama continues to validate the opposition's viewpoints, he will not be able to differentiate himself as anything but a lesser version of whatever lunatic Republican he runs against. Cenk makes it even clearer - if his policies don't create jobs, don't improve the economic outlook for the average American family, why would they waste a vote on him?

I called it six months ago, when Obama embraced supply-side economics. Now, it is obvious, as he embraces deficit reduction - the main Republican talking point - that Obama is in huge trouble. Am I saying there is no chance Obama can win in 2012? Of course not, the Republicans are lunatics. His best friend is his opposition - although he's polling worse than them right now on the economy.

And this all begs the question once again: is Obama actively part of the conservative agenda, or is he just a terrible politician? We assumed that he was a genius politician when he took down the Clinton machine. But perhaps in hindsight, that was all David Plouf and the netroots. Because he's in huge trouble right now, when he should be mopping the floor with an opposition that is rife with insurgency and whose policies are viewed as despicable by a majority of Americans.

I would love a progressive president, but we don't have one.  Not even close. But I'm not saying that Obama would have to be even semi-liberal to win. He just needs to convince, through policy, the majority of working Americans (the 94% of households that earn less than 100 K per year) that he's working to help them. He doesn't have to stop unnecessary wars, torture or even all of the rampant corruption - just enact policy that creates jobs. Without jobs, he's an underdog in 2012.

Not pedophiles?
So, this is old news, but it has been sticking in my craw for a while. The Catholic Church paid for a study of the rampant sexual abuse of children, and systematic cover-up by church hierarchy. Child rape and molestation charges rocked the church in the 2000s, and they have finally got to the bottom of it.

It was the 60's fault.

Yes, the 1960s, and its abandonment of traditional mores, and its sexual revolution - its vibe if you will - induced all of those priests to rape and molest the children of their parishioners. Not celibacy, not repressed homosexuality, not any cause that might tie to the actual institution. Nope - it was the sixties. Damn hippies!

C'mon, really? That's the best they could do? "Nope, not our fault at all - it was the rest of the world and the goddam 60's." Fuck you, Catholic church. Fuck your arrogance and your insensitivity to the legion of pain and humiliation you have inflicted throughout your history.

The crusades, pogroms, witch trials and inquisitions? Ancient history you might say. The wars fought over matters of doctrine (and, or course, the land involved), also part of the past. Well what about more recent history. Rowandan Catholic bishops were gas on the fire of the genocide in Rowanda in the 1990s, having a direct hand in the killing of many, many thousands. So again, fuck you and your blood-soaked institution.

And now, they deny their role in the rape and molestation of tens of thousands of children. They don't deny that priests did it, they just deny that the church bears any responsibility. The study also happened to omit any mention of the covering up of these crimes. In at least hundreds of cases, priests were moved from one parish to another when the church found them out, so they could escape prosecution. This means that bishops throughout the system, including our current pope, took part in abetting the rape of children. Not in this study.

Oh, and the study said that most of the priests were not pedophiles. Since the majority of victims were age 10 or over, it doesn't count as pedophelia. Really? There was a technical term in the study, one for raping adolescents that is different from pedophile, but they're fucking pedophiles.

And the study? It cost 1.2 million dollars. Shit, for 1.2 million dollars most people would create a study that says the Catholic Church is the best thing that ever happened to kids. Does anyone really take this study seriously? A study created by folks that got rich for conducting it, that flatters the institution that paid for it? And the nineteen fucking sixties?!?

The 1960s as a cause presumes that there was no sex abuse issues in the church before then. Please...are we really thought to be that stupid? The major rape and abuse charges in Ireland go back to at least the 1950s. The native schools in Canada, run by the church, cost the government huge settlement payments to families when their children were abused by priests, because the Canadian government sanctioned the church to run the schools around the turn of the 20th Century. No, no, no...this shit has been going on for centuries. It's just being reported now.

This study has more to do about this current pope than it does any soul-searching by the Church. Ratzinger (now Benedict) is a rabid conservative. He hates the Vatican II provisions to Church practice; you know, things like turning a blind eye to birth control. He is also a bit of a fucking loon, and probably does really blame the 1960s for a lot of things. He is trying to revert back to the pre-1960 version of Catholic doctrine and practice. Also, he's guilty of abetting some of this rape and abuse. Fucker.

Unless this study is two-ply, I wouldn't wipe my ass with it. It is a massive dodge by the Church. And by accepting it (and paying for it), the pope is not the vicar of Christ in Rome, but Pontious Pilot of Rome, washing his hands of the suffering of the children of his flock.

Okay, those were the long ones...

Obama, (and the Dem leadership) AGAIN!
Latest news on the debt celing? One trillion in cuts by the Administration proposed, nothing given by the Republicans. Nothing, nada, zip. The Republicans are demanding at least FOUR TRILLION in cuts from programs that help us. This means the Dems will give in to at least two trillion, and as a party, fight effectively for nothing. Fucking Democrats...

Newt's campaign for President...not!
Newt Gingrich just lost his main campaign staffers. They bailed. He took a Greek cruise with his wife during campaign season, and they all said "what the fuck?" and bailed. He was hugely unpopular with Americans, snide and arrogant, and generally a horrible person. A perfect Republican. But apparently even those he pays to put up with him can't stand him for another second. Stick a fork in another Republican 2012 hopeful. An aside - Newt seems like their Obama - he's supposed to be the smart one. He comes off as very intellectual, he was a college professor, he makes articulate speeches, and has a pretty solid grasp of policy. Yet he sucks at the politics. Loser.

Alabama longs for 1950
The state of Alabama is now a state of suspended time - a time when non-white folks were kept in check by state law. The southern redneck oasis has outdone Arizona with its new immigration law. This paper-check law includes the provision that makes it a crime to give a ride to anyone who may not be a citizen. That's right, you can go to jail for giving a ride to a fellow human being who doesn't have the means to prove citizenship on their person. Now, who do you suppose will be targeted by this law - illegal immigrants from Norway? Fuck no, this will target non-white citizens and non-citizens alike. It is a profiling law, and a segregation law. White folks, especially young white folks, the population in American most likely to mix racially, will be legally deterred from riding in cars with non-white friends. Fuck you Alabama, with a dry corn cob.

Finally...Fucking Democrats
With the last comment in mind, why aren't the Democrats beating the shit out of the Republicans? We know by now the roughly 30% of Americans who will ALWAYS vote Republican because of religious beliefs, deep-rooted racism or sick, homoerotic fetishes. We also know the 35% who will always vote Democratic because they have an education (and believe in it for others), are women who want control over their own bodies, or are working folks who expect government to work reasonably well to help them along a little bit. This leaves 35% of the nation up for grabs. And of this group, most are low hanging fruit for the Dems, just a little push and you've got them.

Like seniors - they vote, and they watch a lot of TV. They went Republican last time because they were scared of health care changes and, keep it real, a black guy in the Oval Office. But now the Republicans have come right out and threatened Medicare. They are largely in the bag for Dems UNLESS Democrats agree to cuts in Medicare. So of course, Joe Biden and other Dem leaders say "everything's on the table" in negotiations with Republicans over the debt limit. "Everything" includes Medicare. Man, this is a giant, hob-nailed club that you can beat the Republicans senseless with. So why aren't they?

Like the young - they don't vote, but they did in 2008. They were inspired by the message of "change" (TM Obamacorp), and by the first non-white president. But when they saw more of the same, more wars that mainly killed their demographic, more corruption and backroom deals with corporate CEOs. Higher education costs and less opportunity, they quickly checked out. In 2010 they stayed home. They saw nothing in it for them. And Dems can bitch about how they're not civic minded, and don't they care, and don't they see?... Blah, blah, blah. When you are young, the lesser of two evils is not appealing. Xbox, loud music and sex is appealing. And YOU need THEIR votes, not the other way around. And Democratic policies aren't helping them much, just not hurting them as bad as Republican ones would. Besides, you KNOW how to inspire them, you did it in 2008, but you'll have to piss of a few CEOs to do it (I know, God forbid) - you have to bring the "change." And not the chump change that we all see through.

Like Latino voters - the fastest growing demographic, went 70% for Obama in 2008. But they largely sat out 2010. They did not see any "change" on their key issue of immigration reform. When Obama and the Dems could not push the DREAM act through, and let it die quietly, the Latino vote died quietly too. This is a demographic that Dems could grab for a generation if they push the policy. This could get them Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida and maybe Georgia for the next 10 elections. Howard Dean would jump on this like David Vitter in Diapers on a hooker. This alone could doom Republicans to permanent minority status for at least a couple of decades. What the fuck are they waiting for?

Are they waiting for soccer moms - the prized swing demographic from the Clinton era? I've got news for Obama and the Dems, and apparently it's a shocker: it is not the fucking nineteen nineties any more! And this is truly the hardest demographic to get. This group is largely white, and feels all the entitlement of the dominant culture. When the economy hits this group hard, you are fucked if you are in power. And for Obama and the Dems, keep it real, there is some latent racism in this group to be overcome - fear of "the other" and that kind of shit. But this is also a group deeply concerned with education and employment, key Dem issues. This group has signaled that it is willing to shoulder more taxes if the future is better for their children. This group, though split on social issues expects the economy to work in its favor, and the party that brings back jobs will win this group over. Again, Mr. President, you will have to piss off some CEOs to do it. You will lose cash, but gain votes.

And this seems to be the issue with the Dems. They will sell out all of their principles to get that corporate cash. But corporate America is going to give Republicans more cash anyway. They have already said so, and Citizens United puts no restrictions on it. So, Democratic party leadership...are you the weakest, most inept politicians in American political history? Because with little effort on policy, just publicly fighting for it, not necessarily even winning the fight, you should be winning 70% of the country EVERY ELECTION. So are you that bad at politics? Or, are you part of a dog and pony show put on by corporate overlords who have already purchased our democracy, put it in the shredder and replaced it with a corporate oligarchy?

I honestly don't know, but I'm leaning towards the latter.

I guess that was a long one too. Primary the fuck out of everyone!

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

They Don't Work For Us

Just when you thought that the Democratic leadership could sink no lower, up steps Harry Reid.

Picture a government agency that nobody on Wall Street wants, and was created under pressure from pundits, economists, the Liberal Caucus and the majority of the American public. An agency that protects us all from the most egregious and rapacious practices of mortgage and credit card companies (read: big banks). Or, would protect us if it could get up and running with a strong director.

This would be the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and to get it up and running strong, it needs to be headed by Elizabeth Warren - its creator. Republicans will not confirm her nomination. In fact, they say, as a block, that they will not approve ANY nomination unless the Bureau is significantly weakened; in fact stripped of all regulatory powers.

The way around this, the constitutionally legitimate way, is to have President Obama appoint Warren during the Senate's pre-summer week off. A recess appointment - something presidents do when they are getting their nominees snubbed by the Senate. Gee, it's a good thing the President has a majority in the Senate...

...Oh wait...that majority is headed by Harry Reid - that spineless fucker who never fights for anything except his own seat.  Here's what CBS News' website says:

"Republican senators, led by Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Jim Demint (R-SC), wrote to House Speaker John Boehner asking him not to pass the Senate's adjournment resolution in the House in order to block any recess appointments by the administration.

In response, Reid agreed to schedule three "pro forma" sessions while the senators are gone, on May 27, May 31 and June 3. (The Senate must be out for four consecutive days for a recess appointment to be made.) Senators who live nearby will come in to open and close the session, but no business will be done."
So, Reid just killed the President's ability to nominate Warren, the person he supposedly wants to put at the head of this important protection for the American consumer. Why did he do this? Why did he fuck us all in favor of the most hated institutions in America these last few years, the big banks? Because they OWN him - or they don't yet but he wants them to.
An article in Alternet tells how Princeton professor Larry Bartels studied the voting habits of US Senators from the 1990s. This study wins the prestigious "No Shit" award for finding that Republicans' votes in the Senate favor the rich, and do not help middle-income Americans. But it also finds that Democratic Senate votes don't favor us either - "at all" (emphasis from the article!).  
So, Elizabeth Warren, who would fight for some regulation, who would make sure we just got fucked over by big banks, and not gang raped, beaten and then forced to make them sandwiches (fiscally, not literally...c'mon now) will NOT get a recess appointment because that would be too much for our Wall Street masters. And Harry Reid will say "it was those damned, dirty Republicans," and Obama will say "tsk, tsk...this is partisan politics, gosh-golly..." and then go on to say "Elizabeth, thanks for your service" as he appoints a Wall Street stooge to the post that Republicans block for a while and then approve. The Democrats will once again hide behind the veil of Republican obstructionism, and the corporate machine continues to grind us to make their bread.
Don't believe the hype.
Reid, Obama and the Democratic leadership are laughing at us. They don't give one and a half, much less two shits about us. It doesn't matter that House Republicans refuse to accept the Senate's adjournment (which they did). The President can recess-appoint with only four consecutive days of no business in the Senate. Reid made sure to have business days spread out so that there would be no ability to put Warren where she could do the most good.
Oh, and a good, strong head of the National Labor Relations Board? No, we won't get that either, because god forbid that a Democratic president should elect a pro-labor chairman to head the main labor advocacy group within the government. Dems have made it clear these past few years that they also don't give one and a half about unions. 
They don't work for us, not any more. They may have, in the past...but not now. The leadership of the Democratic Party actively works against the interests of the bottom 98% of Americans. They don't just fail to fight, they work to screw us. They know who their masters are, and they serve them well. 
Primary every one of these fuckers.