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Sneak Preview
Author: BobR    Date: 12/01/2010 03:41:10

It's been a month since the mid-term elections, and as the lame-duck Congress gets underway, we are getting a sneak preview of what we can expect for the next two years. There's been some talk of "bi-partisanship", but it's lip-service to a quaint notion in today's poisoned political atmosphere. Indignant outrage is the new black, and the Republicans (and some Democrats) are doing their best to be fashionable. Morass is on its way.

Before it gets here, though, the Dems are trying to get some stuff done, and there have been a few bright spots. The state of New York has implemented a moratorium on "fracking" (which is a method for extracting natural gas that destroys the water table around it). For those unfamiliar, look into the documentary "Gasland".

There was also an attempt to ban earmarks, a mission driven by Republicans under the false notion that it would reduce spending (see my previous blog on this topic). Although the measure was introduced by Republicans, it was also supported by Democrats (such as Claire McCaskill D-MO). However, it was defeated by both Democrats and Republicans in a bi-partisan show of taking care of their home states and not abdicating all spending power to the Executive branch.

The third bi-partisan effort is the bill passed by the Senate yesterday that puts teeth in the FDA, allowing them to enforce food safety. This is a much needed step back towards regulation and accountability that had been systematically dismantled by the Bush Administration. It was just that atmosphere of lax oversight that led to mining disasters and the Gulf oil spill (not to mention the specific food poisoning events that led to this bill). Glenn Beck hates the bill, so you know it has to be a good thing.

So kudos to those that put partisanship aside to do the right thing for the people.

On the other hand, there's all the other necessary things that aren't getting passed. Republicans couldn't see it in their hearts to extend unemployment benefits, supposedly since they weren't paid for. Yet they are still insisting on extending the Bush tax cuts to the richest Americans, even though those aren't paid for, and haven't been "paid for" since they were enacted.

It also seems like the "morality police" wing of the Republican party is resurgent. DADT is languishing even though the Pentagon is ready to dump it. The Smithsonian museum was pressured to remove exhibits that carried a gay/religious theme. John Boehner's Chief of Staff is taking meetings with Randall Terry (of Operation Rescue fame). I wrote in a previous blog how 78 GOP candidates are opposed to abortion, even in cases of incest, rape, or the mother's life being in danger. Watch this issue bubble to the surface over the next 2 years.

President Obama has tried on more than one occasion to meet with these folks and find some common ground, but he's whistling past the graveyard if he thinks that they are going to meet him halfway (he has a better chance of finding common ground with ex-President Bush). Here is exhibit "A" from the anti-Obama playbook:

http://rawreplaymedia.com/media/2010/1012/barton_patton_slide_101130b.jpg


This was put out by Senator Joe Barton (R-TX). Ol' Joe is the douche that apologized to BP Oil when they were rightly being dragged over the coals for their incompetence in the Gulf, and is currently vying for the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. This graphic is just a wink and a nudge away from a noose and a white hood (although it has also been interpreted as equating Democrats with Nazis) .

This is what the Democrats (and particularly President Obama) are going to have to deal with the next two years. Bi-partisanship? This isn't even in the same ZIP code. The Democrats better be ready to play hard ball, because this flick looks more like a revenge fantasy than a date movie.

 

26 comments (Latest Comment: 12/01/2010 21:24:30 by livingonli)
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Comments:

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Comment by wickedpam on 12/01/2010 14:30:56
Morning

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 14:32:42
Morning!



Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 14:47:14


Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 14:47:48
This guy is lying. No one got kicked out of the Army for telling a racist joke.

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 14:48:51
YES! Go Chris!!!!

Comment by TriSec on 12/01/2010 15:16:04
Bah. Humbug.



Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 15:27:56
Quote by TriSec:
Bah. Humbug.


Ruh Roh -- wassup scooby?

Comment by wickedpam on 12/01/2010 15:33:52
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Bah. Humbug.


Ruh Roh -- wassup scooby?



isn't this the about the normal time Tri get's his humbug on

Comment by TriSec on 12/01/2010 15:33:57
Oh nothing. December 1....it needed to be said.


<--- TriSec loves Christmas. Really.



Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 15:55:51
BTW -- the Debt commision FAiled:

And I would go so far to say that the PResident made Alan Simson look like as asshole.

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 16:19:25
I'm looking out the window, and yes, it's pretty stormy

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 16:20:04
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Bah. Humbug.


Ruh Roh -- wassup scooby?



isn't this the about the normal time Tri get's his humbug on
12/1 -- yes, you are correct!


Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 16:20:58
Quote by TriSec:
Oh nothing. December 1....it needed to be said.


<--- TriSec loves Christmas. Really.




Comment by wickedpam on 12/01/2010 16:22:40
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Oh nothing. December 1....it needed to be said.


<--- TriSec loves Christmas. Really.





trust me I get it - the meme in our house is "we're running out of time!"

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 16:26:22
Wow -- perhaps something Good has come about because of the Wikilaks?

In WikiLeaks wake, whistle-blower bill set to pass
"Until this law is passed, WikiLeaks will continue to be the safest option for whistle-blowers unwilling to engage in professional suicide," said Devine, who is coordinating support for the bill from a coalition of more than 60 public interest and advocacy groups.

The Senate is expected to approve the bill this week and send it to the House, where Democrats are planning to pass it quickly.

In an e-mailed statement, White House spokesman Josh Earnest called the bill "landmark legislation" that the Obama administration hopes "will be passed promptly."

The bill would not protect WikiLeaks or anyone who improperly reveals sensitive information. On Sunday, WikiLeaks, which uses the Internet to expose government secrets, released thousands of classified State Department documents, leaving federal officials fuming and scrambling to contain the damage.


Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 16:27:55
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Oh nothing. December 1....it needed to be said.


<--- TriSec loves Christmas. Really.





trust me I get it - the meme in our house is "we're running out of time!"
I remember last year -- it was near impossible to get together with you!

and then the winter hibernation ...:P

Don't forget that if you and Mom need a place to stay in bad weather, we are here for you!


Comment by wickedpam on 12/01/2010 16:47:58
Quote by Raine:

Quote by wickedpam:

Quote by Raine:

Quote by TriSec:

Oh nothing. December 1....it needed to be said.





<--- TriSec loves Christmas. Really.











trust me I get it - the meme in our house is "we're running out of time!"
I remember last year -- it was near impossible to get together with you!



and then the winter hibernation ...:P



Don't forget that if you and Mom need a place to stay in bad weather, we are here for you!







we'll the snow storm in Dec didn't help either - This weekend its Fair Oaks Mall on Sat and the Flower Gallery open house on Sun plus other places and trying to meet up with someone to give them some stuff for our association. December is the month of craziness!



Thanks hoping for no wacky snowstorms

Comment by livingonli on 12/01/2010 17:20:44
Good day everyone. It sucks when you work late and it still takes forever to fall asleep.

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 17:23:53
well I step away for a few moments, and buh by ed.


Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 17:30:30
I swear, Thom and Ed Ehultz sound like right wingers sometimes.

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 17:31:09
Quote by livingonli:
Good day everyone. It sucks when you work late and it still takes forever to fall asleep.
Hey Liv!


You think you will ever be able to change shifts?


Comment by Raine on 12/01/2010 17:56:58
Quote by Raine:
BTW -- the Debt commision FAiled:

And I would go so far to say that the PResident made Alan Simson look like as asshole.
Bumping this, since a certain HuffPo article is making the rounds.

It is important to remember that the debt commission needs the VOTES -- and they don;t have them.

Comment by TriSec on 12/01/2010 18:09:49
The way the holiday falls this year, I'm wondering when I'm going to find time to bake.

I've got a mountain of cookies to make, plus at least one ricotta pie, and then there's our annual Filipino cooking day for New Year's....which I might be working this year because it's a Saturday.

Nothing easy to make, either. It's all labour-intensive. There is a reason why I only make it once a year.



Comment by livingonli on 12/01/2010 18:18:42
Quote by Raine:
Quote by livingonli:
Good day everyone. It sucks when you work late and it still takes forever to fall asleep.
Hey Liv!


You think you will ever be able to change shifts?

Loss of channels and staff have squeezed staffing to the core. Unless someone quits or gets fired (and there hasn't been much of either lately), it's not likely that another shift will open up (especially the day shift).

Comment by BobR on 12/01/2010 21:22:26
Quote by livingonli:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by livingonli:
Good day everyone. It sucks when you work late and it still takes forever to fall asleep.
Hey Liv!
You think you will ever be able to change shifts?

Loss of channels and staff have squeezed staffing to the core. Unless someone quits or gets fired (and there hasn't been much of either lately), it's not likely that another shift will open up (especially the day shift).

Have you looked around at other companies?

Comment by livingonli on 12/01/2010 21:24:30
Quote by BobR:
Quote by livingonli:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by livingonli:
Good day everyone. It sucks when you work late and it still takes forever to fall asleep.
Hey Liv!
You think you will ever be able to change shifts?

Loss of channels and staff have squeezed staffing to the core. Unless someone quits or gets fired (and there hasn't been much of either lately), it's not likely that another shift will open up (especially the day shift).

Have you looked around at other companies?

Industry consolidation has done a number on jobs and if they are using credit scores to hire now it will be very had for me to get another job right now.