Howard Dean on Occupy Wall Street

Matt Taylor (TheNationalMemo):

"I've been waiting for something like this to happen," Howard Dean, former Democratic National Committee chair and governor of Vermont, told The National Memo. "Wall Street is an institution that is not serving the country well. Because of their financial practices, money's not getting invested in the long-term creation of jobs. They basically have turned Wall Street into a gambling casino. Credit default swaps, about 95 percent of that is speculation. So I'm glad to see all these young people on Wall Street."

He suggested the protesters were law-abiding citizens who deserved to be heard, and that we might see additional Democratic Party backing in the future.

"I think it depends on the tactics. This group of demonstrators is not interested in violence. But since no one knows exactly who they are, there's going to be some reticence. But the principle of standing up of for the 99 percent is a really important one."

The Wall Street protests speak to the massive and growing gap between rich and poor in this country, Dean argued, and the political class ought to take notice.

"I think this country's in a lot of trouble and I'm glad someone's finally standing up and talking about it. The danger of having a situation where the gap between the top and the bottom is so great is that people stop believing in the system. There are a lot of young people who I'm not sure believe in America anymore. That's a very dangerous place to be. This is about unfairness, about society becoming an unfair place."

He insisted this is a youth-based struggle for justice that defies traditional political typology, and is fundamentally concerned with fairness and equity.

"I don't consider it to be a political movement, which is why I think they have trouble articulating their demands. What they want is an America that's fair to everyone again, where there's really equal opportunity." MORE...

"Obama losing jobs argument with Congress — but winning it with the public"

Greg Sargent:

I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised by this. But even as it’s becoming official that Obama’s jobs bill in its current form is doomed in Congress, new polling shows that Obama is clearly winning the argument over it with the public. MORE...

Sam Seder: "Occupy Wall Street Doesn't NEED Demands!" (video)

SamSeder, with video (06:16):

Sam Seder goes off on the left, the right and everyone in between for criticizing #OccupyWallStreet for not having a clear list of "demands."

"Reagan--No Loopholes For Millionaires" (video)

thinkprogress.org with video (00:59):

When President Obama released his plan for “the Buffett rule,” which involves closing tax loopholes and ensuring that millionaires pay their fair share in taxes, he explained that “middle-class families shouldn’t be paying higher taxes than millionaires and billionaires.” “Warren Buffett’s secretary shouldn’t pay a higher tax rate than Warren Buffett,” he said.

Ever since, many Republicans have been attacking Obama for inciting “class warfare.” “It looks like the President wants to move down the class warfare path,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI). “I don’t think I would describe class warfare as leadership,” agreed Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH).

However, if calling for an end to millionaires having lower tax rates than their secretaries is class warfare, Obama is only the latest class warrior to occupy the Oval Office. In a June 6, 1985 speech at Northside High School in Atlanta, Georgia, then President Ronald Reagan explained that tax loopholes allowing a millionaire to pay lower taxes that a bus driver were “crazy,” because they allowed the “truly wealthy to avoid paying their fair share”: MORE...

Ed Schultz and Mike Papantonio on Hank Williams, Jr. (video)

GoLeft TV, with video (07:19):

Hank Williams, Jr. found himself in hot water this week when he compared President Obama to Hitler on Fox News. But as Mike Papantonio points out on The Ed Show, Williams represents what the Republican Tea Party now stands for.

Greg Sargent: "Obama framing 2012 election as a contest of values"

Greg Sargent:

With Obama’s push to sell the American Jobs Act intensifying yesterday — even as Democrats in Congress are now moving to change the bill — it’s becoming clearer that his aggressive new populism is part of a larger strategy: One that’s designed to frame the 2012 elections as a contest of values and moral visions.

As I noted the other day, there’s a connection between Obama’s call for tax hikes on the rich and his criticism of the crude conduct of some audience members (the “let him die” moment, the booing of the gay soldier) at GOP debates. Both are strands of argument in a larger case Obama is making about the broader, values-based choice voters will face next year. Obama continually rebuts the charge that his push for tax hikes on the rich is about class envy and division, instead arguing that “we’re all in this together,” an effort to frame the case for tax fairness as a referendum on national unity and the social contract.

This morning brings fresh signs that Obama’s jobs bill won’t pass as is, in particular over his push for tax fairness. But this is now about more than just the jobs bill and taxes, which is why Obama will continue this push. By linking his taxes-and-jobs argument to the crude outbursts at GOP debates, Obama is trying to build a larger contrast between the charitable, inclusive vision he’s fighting for and a fundamentally mean-spirited, exclusionary one he’s implicitly accusing the GOP of harboring.

Today David Nakamura and Paul Kane weigh in with a good piece fleshing this idea out in detail. They tally up the different ways Obama is making the “values” argument, in the context of his jobs push and other areas, and add this key nugget:

Senior administration officials said the president will continue his jobs tour through year’s end in a calculated effort to force Republicans to negotiate or be painted as a party unwilling to address the economic crisis.

Obviously, the Obama team hopes that the larger case about values will broaden the election beyond being a referendum on the economy, which remains extremely dangerous turf for him, by rendering the GOP candidate an unacceptable choice. And the economy and unemployment very well may trump all in the end. But this is the playbook Obama and his team have written, and they’re sticking with it at least through the end of the year.

Greg Sargent: "Obama’s political dilemma"

Greg Sargent:

Yesterday, Eric Cantor said that the American Jobs Act is dead on arrival in its current form. This isn’t a surprise; no one expected it to pass in its current form. Obama and his advisers have been urging Congress to pass the whole bill as is, but no one expected Congress to listen to him, perhaps least of all Obama himself. He will continue to prod Congress to pass the whole bill, in hopes of getting parts of it passed, and in hopes of persuading the public that he is trying to act on jobs, but Congress won’t let him.

A new CBS poll finds that nearly seven in 10 don’t think Obama has made real progress in fixing the economy. Today’s Post poll finds Obama’s approval at an all time low of 42 percent. Yet at the same time, multiple polls have shown that large majorities, including of independents and moderates, support the fiscal policies Obama is championing — and that Republicans oppose.

The political dilemma Obama faces is stark: Republicans benefit politically from blocking measures that majorities think would help unemployment. Even if Republicans hold lower approval numbers than the president — and even if Republicans are blocking job creation measures that the public supports — the plain fact is that as long as the economy struggles, Obama will continue to pay the largest political price for it. He runs the place.

The only conceivable way out of this trap is to either get something passed or to get the public to focus their anger and blame on Republicans for refusing to support his proposals. And that’s where the American Jobs Act — dead, or not — comes in. The White House will continue to campaign for it. For all their griping about it, Senate Democrats will take it up this month, and it remains to be seen how Democratic leaders will proceed.

But we do know that nothing will happen in the House. And Obama will have to hope that House Republicans will make a potent enough foil to enable Obama to break a political dynamic that, at present, seems unbreakable.

"Forget consensus politics – now it's Barack Obama the class warrior"

Michael Cohen (GuardianUK):

Obama is trying to activate one of the more pervasive and effective political stereotypes in American political history – one that Truman rode to victory in 1948: Republicans are for the haves, Democrats for the have-nots. To seasoned observers, this might seem discordant. But when your opponents are willing to resist even the slightest tax increase on the wealthiest and practically embody the most damaging political caricature of Republicans, only a fool would fail to use such an effective political weapon.
(SNIP)
Alas, the repairing of the nation's divisions that the president seeks so desperately appears to be far out of his grasp. If anything, the election of 2012 might end up being eerily reminiscent of Obama's other favoured campaign slogan from 2008 – more of the same. MORE...

Ari Melber: "Jonathan Franzen on Occupy Wall Street, Obama, Nixon, HBO Corrections Series and, yes, Oprah"

Ari Melber (The Nation):

Jonathan Franzen is for the Occupy Wall Street protests. In fact, the celebrated novelist is for just about any action that "revives a conversation about economic disparities, and how utterly shafted the middle class is." In a packed session at the New Yorker Festival on Saturday, Franzen elaborated on his politics, his meeting with President Obama, the accomplishments of Richard Nixon, and, of course, several more literary topics. MORE...

Howie P.S.: Ari says Franzen is one "of Obama's favorite novelists."

SLOG Reports from Occupy Wall Street

Andy Haynes (SLOG):

It felt good to recognize people when I showed up at the Occupy Wall Street protests on Friday—and, even better, to not recognize the thousands of new faces showing up everyday. MORE...

NY Times: "Wall Street Protesters Speak" (with video)

The Occupy Wall Street demonstration entered its 14th day on Friday. Most of the demonstrators are in their teens or 20s. Photo: Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times.

N. R. Kleinfield and Cara Buckley (NY Times) with video, (02:36):

The hodgepodge Lower Manhattan encampment known as Occupy Wall Street has no appointed leaders, no expiration date for its rabble-rousing stay and still-evolving goals and demands. Yet its two weeks of noisy occupation has lured a sturdily faithful and fervent constituency willing to express discontentment with what they feel is an inequitable financial system until, well, whenever. MORE...

Howie P.S.: The "Grey Lady" is true to form with its tardiness as well as a condescending tone. The Tea Party actions were given more credibility.

"#OccupySeattle First General Assembly" (video)

artistdogboy, with video (03:06):

Occupy Seattle In Solidarity With Occupy Wall Street hold Their First General Assembly.

Valerie Wilson with Olbermann on "a world free of nuclear weapons" (video)

Current, with video (07:16):

Keith and Valerie Plame Wilson, anti-nuclear weapons activist and former CIA officer, discuss President Obama's call for a world free of nuclear weapons during his speech last week at the United Nations. Wilson is now working with the Global Zero campaign, which seeks to eliminate nuclear weapons. Next month, she will be launching an ad campaign with actress Naomi Watts, who played her in the movie "Fair Game."

Howie P.S.: H/t to Darryl's always awesome "Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza!" Other highlights there this week are "Actually, Occupy Wall Street's Message Couldn't Be Any Clearer" (Sam Seder), "Rachel Maddow gives compelling argument for Occupy Wall Street protest," "LIVE at Occupy Wall Street: Interviewing the Occupiers" (Sam Seder), and "Markos Moulitsas on Roger Ailes' attempt at rebranding Fox."

Bernie Sanders on "Occupy Wall Street" (video)

MSNBC-Dylan Ratigan, video (07:15):

"Street protest the only recourse for disempowered Americans."

Howie P.S.: RAW STORY has "Protesters to launch “Occupy Wall Street Journal.”

NY Times: "Small Donors Are Slow to Return to the Obama Fold"

Edward Blair, says he is “bewildered” by the president.

Nicholas Confessore (NY Times):

They were once among President Obama’s most loyal supporters and a potent symbol of his political brand: voters of moderate means who dug deep for the candidate and his message of hope and change, sending him $10 or $25 or $50 every few weeks or months.

But in recent months, the frustration and disillusionment that have dragged down Mr. Obama’s approval ratings have crept into the ranks of his vaunted small-donor army, underscoring the challenges he faces as he seeks to rekindle grass-roots enthusiasm for his re-election bid.

In interviews with dozens of low-dollar contributors in the past two weeks, some said they were unhappy with what they viewed as Mr. Obama’s overly conciliatory approach to Congressional Republicans. Others cited what they saw as a lack of passion in the president, or said the sour economy had drained both their enthusiasm and their pocketbooks.

For still others, high hopes that Mr. Obama would deliver a new kind of politics in his first term have been dashed by the emergence of something that, to them, more resembles politics as usual. MORE...

"Ken Burns PROHIBITION Preview" (video)

Watch the full episode. See more Ken Burns.

KCTS, video (03:00).

"Ari Melber: Big Changes Don’t Happen on Their Own" (with video)

dylanratigan.com with video (03:50):

Dylan just launched his national program to Get Money Out of Politics. Like many idealistic reforms, the proposal for a Constitutional Amendment to change American elections has drawn a pretty typical response: “Great idea — but it will never happen.”

People are skeptical because they don’t expect politicians to legislate against their self interest. I get it. Just look at the the politicians in office right now. They won through a money-driven system, so they won’t want to change it. That’s true, as far as it goes. But if you consider the history here, the fact is that politicians have repeatedly been forced to pass tough reforms curbing money in politics. How? MORE...

"Matt Taibbi: ‘Occupy Wall Street’ can spark movement, motivate change" (with video)

RAW STORY with video (02:58) from Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

Author and Rolling Stone columnist Matt Taibbi appeared on Countdown with Keith Olbermann to discuss the “Occupy Wall Street” protests and their potential for motivating change.

The protest, as it stands, is mostly made up of young people who are feeling fed up and disaffected, but Taibbi sees the protests as a reflection of real anger on the part of the American people, anger that rises out of the sense that Wall Street controls too much of American political life. Activists whose work centers around these issues, he says, can point to the protests as a manifestation of genuine distress on the part of the public.

Keith poses the question as to whether a gathering of Tea Party protests would have garnered more media attention. At the end of the segment, he quips that maybe the “Occupy Wall Street” crowd needs more “funny hats.”

"Goldy's Guide to Being Political Without Being an Asshole"

David Goldstein:

So you wanna make a difference, huh? You're young, you're strong, you're entering your intellectual prime, and you're just itching to stand up to the arrogant gray-hairs of your parents' generation—who, admittedly, royally screwed things up—and set our nation right again. You want to end injustice, end poverty, end pollution, end the wars, and push the powers that be toward smarter, fairer, and more sustainable policies. In other words, like generations of politically conscious students before you, you want to change the world.

Well, here's a novel idea: You could fucking vote! MORE...

Howie P.S.: Here's the money quote:

According to data compiled by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University (yes, they stupidly felt the need to spell out the acronym CIRCLE), only 21.3 percent of eligible voters age 18 to 24 bothered to vote in the 2010 midterm election... you know, the election that filled Congress with racist, fascist, science-denying teabagging lunatics.

The Stranger goes to college, graduates and looks back

"Utopia-You Will Never Have It Better Than How You Have It in College" (Charles Mudede-The Stranger):

The university campus is the ideal society. Even more than that, it is the most human society possible. We are the learning animal. Our brains are huge and develop very slowly. Chimp children, for example, mature much faster than human children. After two or so years, the chimp stops asking questions. The chimp just wants to get on with life. We, on the other hand, can't stop learning, we extend childish wonder deep into adulthood, which transformed us into the book-reading, history-learning, formula-memorizing ape. MORE...

"Josh Potter's Guide to Dystopia---A Stranger Intern on Having Just Graduated College and Entering the Job Market Right Now" (Josh Potter-The Stranger):

Only six weeks into a job at a fancy deli on Queen Anne and eight weeks into living in Seattle, I'm calling my boss and quitting via voice mail. I've delved so far into the negatives of my bank account since graduating that, after a $450 paycheck, I'm still well below zero dollars. MORE...

"Countdown with Keith ...: Michael Moore on support of Occupy Wall Street" (video)

Current, with video (09:16):

Michael Moore, filmmaker, activist and author of "Here Comes Trouble," calls on people all over the country to bring the Occupy Wall Street movement to their communities. Later, Moore denounces the state of Georgia for executing Troy Davis.

"Obama and the art of managing expectations"

Senior campaign adviser David Axelrod. (AP Photo/Brian Kersey)

Chris Cillizza (WaPo):

Obama and Axelrod are clearly engaging in a bit of expectations-management here — for largely strategic reasons. Why?

First and foremost, the tale of Obama’s first three years (or so) in office is that of a failure to meet impossibly high expectations. MORE...

Howie P.S.: Here's how Cilliza finishes his piece:

Expectations, as the Obama team learned over the past few years, are a dangerous thing in politics. Too high and you can’t meet them. Too low and people start believing you can’t change things. Can Obama and his team find an expectations middle ground for 2012?

"Papantonio: At Last, Obama Fights Back" (video)

golefttv, video (07:11):

Mike Papantonio appears on MSNBC's The Ed Show to talk about how Obama has finally decided to push back against the GOP, after trying to be a great compromiser for 3 years.

NPI Advocate reports on Obama visit, Medina remarks

Andrew (NPI Advocate):

In his remarks to donors at the event (which took place in what was described to NPI as an “airy, vast rectangular space, like entering a wing at a contemporary art museum”, President Obama warned that America cannot afford to elect a Republican as president. Doing so would usher in “an approach to government that would fundamentally cripple America in meeting the challenges of the 21st Century,” he said. Obama pointed to the ongoing budget debate in Congress as part of “a constant ideological pushback” that he has had to deal with since his inauguration.

“It is not just a national crisis it is an international crisis that we’ve been managing for the last three years,” the President reflected. “Domestically, we still have a lot more to do to heal this economy and to deal with some of the structural problems that existed even before the financial crisis hit.”

“My hope when I came into office that was because we were in crisis that the other side would respond by saying now is the time for all of us to pull together,” he said. “That was not the decision they made so from the moment I took office what we’ve seen is a constant ideological pushback against any kind of sensible reforms that would make our economy work better and give people more opportunity.”

He added, “We’re seeing it even now. As we speak there’s a debate going on in Congress about whether disaster relief funding should be granted as part of the overall budget to keep the government open.”

“What makes it worse is that some of the Republicans who are opposing this disaster relief it’s their constituents who’ve been hit harder than anyone by these natural disasters.”

The President said his message to Republicans is simple: “I’m prepared to work with you but these games have to stop.”

He ended his remarks by talking about the upcoming presidential election. MORE...

LIVE from #OccupyWallStreet…take 2!" (audio)

MAJORITY REPORT RADIO-podcast (Sam Seder):

After being rained out last Friday, we’re heading down to #OccupyWallStreet today for a live broadcast from the scene of the protest…and this time it looks like the weather will hold off on the rain until we’re done with the broadcast.

Be sure to tune in!

BBC Speechless As Trader Tells Truth: "The Collapse Is Coming...And Goldman Rules The World" (video)

fal2grace, with video (03:29) from the BBC:

BBC News—Sept. 26, 2011—Just listen to this guy. Thanks to zerohedge for posting this story.

Hertzberg on Suskind on Obama

Hendrik Hertzberg (The New Yorker):

Obama took the oath of office determined to change the way things were done in Washington, by which he meant a turn toward civility, comity, coöperation, and mutual respect—honest debate and earnest, public-spirited compromise. He did not grasp how profoundly the transformation of the Republican Party into a disciplined, nearly monolithic agent of radical reaction and ruthless obstruction—a transformation that has only accelerated since that day—had changed things already. Perhaps he did not wish to grasp it. In recent weeks, though, he has surprised disdainful opponents and dispirited supporters alike with the passion and firmness of his drive for urgent job spending, responsible debt reduction, and equitable taxation. A President may learn more from the frustrations of power than from the wielding of it. But in this President’s case the learning has been perilously slow. MORE...

Howie P.S.: I am usually dazzled by Rick Hertzberg's writing, but sometimes his content is spot on, as well.

"Mr. President we need JOBS now" (video)

wastatelc, with video (02:26):

JOBS were the focus of nearly 1,000 people who gathered outside President Obama's fundraiser in Seattle on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011. Labor, community groups, seniors and everyday people rallied to support the President and to hold him accountable in his promise to protect the middle class, create jobs and not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Howie P.S.: Jay Inslee appears at the end of the video to express his support.

NY Times: "WikiLeaks’ Founder, in a Gilded British Cage"

Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who is fighting extradition to Sweden on accusations of sexual misconduct, outside Ellingham Hall in December 2010.

David Carr (NY Times):

The man in the rubber boots and a thick coat to protect against the evening chill walked purposefully about a farm here, scattering pheasants as he went. He could have been an English gentleman out for a bit of hunting, except he carried no gun.

In his current circumstance, the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is more hunted than hunter, fighting extradition to Sweden on accusations of sexual misconduct while struggling to maintain the influence of WikiLeaks even as he remains here at Ellingham Hall, the country manor house of Vaughan Smith, a former soldier and journalist who runs a restaurant and club for journalists in London.

Mr. Assange and a few WikiLeaks staff members who are staying at the farm joined some friends of Mr. Smith on Saturday for an outdoor lunch. I took the train up from London to get a first-hand look at Mr. Assange’s gilded, remote sanctuary. MORE...

"Whatever Happened to the American Left?"

May Day celebration in Union Square, New York City, 1934 (Associated Press).

Michael Kazin (NY Times op-ed):

...the left must realize that when progressives achieved success in the past, whether at organizing unions or fighting for equal rights, they seldom bet their future on politicians. They fashioned their own institutions — unions, women’s groups, community and immigrant centers and a witty, anti-authoritarian press — in which they spoke up for themselves and for the interests of wage-earning Americans. MORE...

"Chris Hedges speaks at Occupy Wall Street" (audio)

BlindBlannche, with audio (13:27):

Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hedges' discussion with livestream viewers at Liberty Plaza for Occupy Wall Street 9/25/11, protesting corruption in corporate ruled media, government, and life.

John Nichols: "Why Nader, Cornel West, Jonathan Kozol Seek Primary Challenges to Obama"

John Nichols (The Nation):

The volume on the ongoing discussion about whether President Obama should face a primary challenge for the 2012 Democratic nomination is constantly being adjusted. When the president compromises on basic premises of progressivism, when he talks of putting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cuts “on the table,” and sometimes when he simply seems unfocused and politically inept, the volume goes up. When the president stands strong, however, when he outlines plans for making the rich pay their fair share, when he promotes infrastructure and investment in he face of Republican intransigence, sometimes when he simply seems to “get” that there is a point where compromise becomes capitulation, the talk dies down.

After the president drew some lines in the sand last Monday, with a speech that laid out the case for genuine shared sacrifice by the wealthy and that seemed to reject the most extreme cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the “Primary Obama” volume dialed downward. As Michael Moore said on MSNBC the other day: “It doesn’t take much” to renew the “hope”—or, at least, the partisan fidelity—that made Obama the most politically potent Democratic presidential nominee since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

But if the “Primary Obama” volume is turned down for the moment, the knob is still within hands reach. And there are more than a few Democrats who are only one “Super Committee” bargain away from spinning it toward “10.” MORE...

"Obama arrives for quick Seattle fundraising trip"

Chris Grygiel (seatttlepi.com):

Obama was expected to bring in $4 million. Community and labor groups including the Washington State Labor Council and the Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans plan to gather at the theater. They say they’ll call on Obama to create jobs, protect Social Security and Medicare, and support immigration reform. MORE...

Howie P.S.: Detailed visit information here from KING 5 NEWS.

Welcome to Seattle President Obama! (photo)

(Updated) Obama in Seattle Today (the ticket)

UPDATE: "Obama – the cheap seats (price: $100)" (Joel Connelly-seattlepi.com):

The price list began at $1,000 for Sunday lunch at the Paramount with President Obama, but as the event nears the Obama reelection campaign has begun hawking cheap seats in the balcony for $100.

“A few seats remain in balcony seating at an affordable price: this is your chance to see the President, and show your support for all the values we share,” said an Obama campaign invite.

“Hear from him about how the Jobs Act can be passed, and learn more about what you can do to help. All from our Commander in Chief, in person.”

A hundred bucks is indeed more affordable. A “Medina Brunch with Barack” is priced at $35,800 a couple. Luncheon seating at the Paramount starts at $1,000, rises to $2,000 for “preferred seating” with a picture with the president costing $7,500. MORE...

"Occupy Wall Street" (live streaming video)

UPDATE: Chris Hedges (The Nation) is being interviewed there online, now.

global revolution (live streaming video).

"Where were you Barack Obama???" (video)

BronzeGoddess01, video (03:54):

Rip Troy Davis.

Howie P.S.: I find it hard to accept her defense of Obama's lack of action on Troy Davis.

"Here it comes! Amateur skywatchers across the world capture the moment Nasa satellite finally plummets to Earth in ball of fire"

UPDATE; I just discovered this sentence:

Its projections also put almost all of the U.S. in the clear — with Washington state the lone holdout.

"Junk yard in space: UARS is one of the thousands of objects in Earth orbit being tracked by Nasa, as shown by this computer graphic."

Mail Online (UK):

Purported sightings in Texas and California caught on video
Plunging satellite debris dropped somewhere over Africa or Canada
Exact time and location of satellite not yet confirmed
Debris fell to Earth some time between 11.23pm on Friday and 1.09am EDT today
Pieces of debris remain property of U.S. with people who find them ordered to hand them back. MORE...

"Barack,Troy, and a falling satellite."

"Barack,Troy, and a falling satellite" (the Field Negro):
Someone asked me today if I thought that the killing of Troy Davis will cost his O ness votes. Black folks are still mad that you could hear a pin drop in the White House during the days leading up to the state sanctioned killing of Davis.

Hey, what can I tell you? O is first and foremost a politician, and he did what politicians do when these types of "touchy" issues raise their ugly heads: He kept his mouth shut. Pro death penalty folks vote.

But back to the question: Will it cost him votes? Maybe. It's still too early to tell. I just don't think that blacks folks are going to be motivated to head to the polls this time around. MORE...

"Sam Seder: Occupy Wall Street Takes On Corporate Greed and Corruption" (with video)

golefttv, with video (14:20):

This week, thousands of protesters took to the streets in New York City to protest the greed and corruption of Wall Street. The groups were made up of people of all ages who are sick and tired of being taken advantage of and looked over by billionaires and millionaires who have taken our economy and jobs hostage.

"Join President Obama in Seattle" this Sunday

barackobama.com:

Obama in Seattle

We are kicking off a new campaign, and we want you with us from the start.

Please join President Obama at a lunch with supporters like you in Seattle.

What:

Obama Victory Fund 2012 - Lunch with President Obama

Where:

The Paramount Theatre
911 Pine Street
Seattle, Washington

When:

Sunday, September 25, 2011
11:30 AM

To attend, please use this form.

Howie P.S.: Be advised that the tickets being offered here are "$100.00 Gen44 Balcony Seats."

"Can a Movement Save the American Dream?"

Robert Borosage and Katrina vanden Heuvel (The Nation):

On October 3 activists from across the country will gather in Washington at the Take Back the American Dream conference, in the belief that only a citizens movement can save an American dream that grows ever more distant. In the face of a failed economy and a corrupted politics, the only hope for renewal is that citizens lead and politicians follow. MORE...

Howie P.S.: There's a local effort in Seattle: "Build the American Dream movement Sunday in Seattle."

John Nichols: "Note to GOP Candidates: Obama's No Socialist"

John Nichols (The Nation):

It is certainly true that Barack Obama is not an advocate for any “wild-eyed socialist position.” Nor is he an advocate for any sober and sound socialist position.

Obama’s explicit and frequent rejection of the word “socialist” parallels his rejection of the ideals and ideas associated with that word.

But distancing himself from socialist and social democratic ideals does not make Obama or his policies any more “American”—or any more in sync with the approaches of the country’s great presidents.

Quite the opposite. MORE...

WA: "Special session to deal with billion-dollar deficit to begin Nov. 28"

Chris Grygiel (SeattlePI.com):

Sens. Lisa Brown and Ed Murray, the Democratic majority leader and budget panel chairman, released a statement urged their colleagues not to “draw a line in the sand.”

“Over three years, we have reduced public service levels across the board, from support for kindergarten education to supervision of offenders in our communities. As we approach special session, we must recognize that more cuts – however necessary mathematically – will impact Washingtonians, their families and their communities. As legislators, we have many tools for balancing our budget – including giving the voters the option of approving new revenue to pay for the services they want. We strongly encourage our colleagues in both parties, in the House and Senate, to avoid drawing lines in the sand and instead to arrive in Olympia in November prepared to offer solutions and to be ready to discuss all the possibilities.” MORE...

Keith Olbermann: "Will Bunch, author of ‘The Backlash,’ on mainstream media’s failure to cover Wall Street protests" (with video)

Countdown (Current), with transcript and video (06:52):

Keith and author Will Bunch, senior writer, Philadelphia Daily News, call out the New York Times and other mainstream outlets for failing to cover the Wall Street protests that began on September 17. Comparing their social media strategy to that of the Arab Spring, Bunch hopes that the protesters — promoted on Twitter and by the magazine “Adbusters” and other alternative news sources — refine their goals to appeal to a broader audience.

Ed Schultz on Right-wing talkers: "Crybabies" (video)

MSNBC-ED Show, video (13:52).

Ari Melber on "Center-Right Leftism" (with video from MSNBC)

Ari Melber (The Nation) with video (04:28) from MSNBC (Dylan Ratigan Show):

We know one thing about President Obama's new plan to cut the deficit by taxing millionaires more. It's popular. Really, unusually popular. But not according to the Beltway press. MORE...

Greg Sargent: "what the 2012 elections will be all about."

Greg Sargent (linking to E.J. Dionne):

...the choice in 2012, clarified: E.J. Dionne, commenting on the success of Obama’s rescue of the auto companies, deftly ties it to the larger question of whether government can and should act to rectify the unemployment crisis and the damage done by the individual hand of capitalism:

We did not have to accept the collapse of our domestic auto companies, and we do not have to accept that the Federal Reserve is powerless to give the economy the boost it needs. There is no reason to believe that the federal government is incapable of investing more in schools, roads and other public goods to build for the future and get more money into the hands of consumers now. We do not have to rely on giving rich people tax cuts and then confine ourselves to offering fervent prayers that they might invest some of the money in creating jobs.

We can seek to control our fate, or we can turn the invisible hand into a God who commands us to be helpless.

That’s pretty much what the 2012 elections will be all about.

"Reporting from Georgia Death Row Vigil for Troy Davis" (live streaming video)

Watch live streaming video from democracynow at livestream.com

Democracy Now! Live streaming video

"Elizabeth Warren on Debt Crisis, Fair Taxation" (video)

LiveSmartVideos, video (02:06):

Elizabeth Warren discussing the debt crisis, fair taxation and other important issues as part of her talking tour.

Troy Davis and his mother (photo)

(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

Troy Davis and his mother.

David Horsey on USA Income Inequality (cartoon)

(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE.)

Seattlepi.com, cartoon.

Howie P.S.: That piece of middle class pie looks pretty good!

"Feingold says Obama shouldn’t be primaried"

Sam Stein (HuffPo), via John Aravosis:

"I strongly disagree with Ralph Nader. As I've said many times before, I believe that re-electing President Obama is an absolute imperative for our economy, our judicial system, for progressives and for our country," said former Sen. Russ Feingold, who announced recently that he was not running for Wisconsin's open Senate seat. MORE...

(Updated with video) Greg Sargent: "The moderate, centrist elite does not speak for moderate voters"

UPDATE: Rachel Maddow on The Today Show this morning (MEDIAite), with video (03:45):

Maddow continued to push back on the idea that the President has a problem with the base, and cited broad public support for his latest policy proposals.

Greg Sargent:

My pick for read of the morning is this piece by Politico’s Glenn Thrush, which gently skewers the caterwauling of the moderate elite (Mark Penn, David Brooks) about Obama’s new populist approach.

With the claim gaining currency that Obama’s jobs bill and push to hike high end taxes are all about appealing to the base, and are certain to further alienate independents and moderates, it’s worth reiterating that the use of terms like “moderate” and “centrist” by such opinionnmakers is entirely arbitrary. They have nothing to do with where the center of public opinion, if such a place even exists, actually lies.

As Thrush puts it, saying what must never be said in polite centrist company:

Polls show the major components of the plan, particularly the tax hikes on families earning $250,000 or more — and the “Buffett tax” on millionaires, polls well with all voters, including swing state independents.

This happens to be true. Key takeaway: Self-proclaimed centrist and moderate opinionmakers and pollster types do not speak for moderate voters. MORE from Sargent's The Morning Plum...

Greg Sargent: "Obama really has hit the "reset button" on his presidency"

Greg Sargent:

A changed landscape? On the morning after Obama vowed to veto any deficit deal that cuts entitlements without raising revenues, and accused Republicans of waging class warfare on behalf of the wealthy, the sense is unmistakable that a page has been turned, that the President is trying out an approach that’s fundamentally new. Commentators had constantly asked — in the awful Beltway cliche — how Obama would move to “hit the reset button” on his presidency. We now have our answer. The reset button has been pressed. MORE...

Howie P.S.: Ezra Klein (via AMERICAblog) wonders: Is the White House finally "manning up"?

Krugman: Austerity is "The Bleeding Cure" (with video from SNL)

Paul Krugman with video-"When's the last time you've had a leeching?"- (03:01):

Doctors used to believe that by draining a patient’s blood they could purge the evil “humors” that were thought to cause disease. In reality, of course, all their bloodletting did was make the patient weaker, and more likely to succumb.

Fortunately, physicians no longer believe that bleeding the sick will make them healthy. Unfortunately, many of the makers of economic policy still do. And economic bloodletting isn’t just inflicting vast pain; it’s starting to undermine our long-run growth prospects. MORE...

H/t to "TODAY’S MUST-READ" @ The Stand.

Frank Rich on the new Suskind book about the Obama White House

Frank Rich (via AMERICAblog):

"...could someone else have done better? Not the out-of-it McCain, not Hillary (an equivocator in her own right and one who would have embraced the same Clinton administration alumni and Wall Street crowd that Obama did). I still believe Obama was our best hope, and I still hope, however quixotically and self-deludedly, that he might learn from his mistakes." MORE...

Obama's opening supercommittee bid: "abandoning the strategy of pre-compromising"

Greg Sargent has a roundup of reactions and early reports of Obama's supercommittee strategy:

As a number of us have argued, Obama’s continuing demand that Republicans pass the whole American Jobs Act — and his willingness to take it straight to the American people — represents a new approach by the White House. Rather than signaling a willingness to give early ground on core liberal principles in the name of compromise as a desirable end in itself, Obama and his advisers laid down some hard lines at the outset in a manner designed to increase leverage in the battles ahead.

The initial reports about what Obama will propose as his opening bid today for the deficit “supercommittee” suggest that they are sticking with it.

The key details, per Zachary Goldfarb: MORE...

Howie P.S.: Robert Reich is curbing his enthusiasm:

Apparently Obama will propose that people earning more than $1 million a year pay at least the same tax rate as middle-class earners. That's aiming mighty low. MORE...

Senator Bernie Sanders on Poverty in America on The Bill Press Show (audio)

The Bill Press Show, audio (11:55).

Howie P.S.: Click on "Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on the Census poverty report" under the "SHOW HIGHLIGHTS" heading.

Bill Clinton on Obama: "when he’s got a real opponent ...we’ll be in a different world politically.” (with video)

MEDIAite with video (02:47)from CBS' Face the Nation:

Former president Bill Clinton argued on Face the Nation today that President Obama has, in essence, made himself his primary opponent leading up to the 2012 presidential election, and emphasized the role of compromise in contemporary politics.

Host Bob Schieffer asked Clinton if he agreed with James Carville (a former Clinton advisor) in saying that now is the time for President Obama’s team to panic and shake up their entire reelection strategy. Clinton did not take this view, but rather gave Obama credit for his jobs speech last week, which the former president thought was a good first step in taking care of the debt problem.

Clinton looked at President Obama’s struggle right now as a powerful political one. MORE...

Ezra Klein: "How much could a tax on millionaires raise?"

(Andrew Harrer - BLOOMBERG)

Ezra Klein (WaPo):

On Monday, the Obama administration will call for a new tax on income over $1,000,000. The details aren’t available yet, but various versions of of a millionaire’s tax have been floating around for some time now, so it’s possible to get a rough sense of what the tax could raise. MORE...

Tacoma teachers: "Video from the picket line – Strike day 4" (video)

"Striking Tacoma teachers walk the picket lines in front of Jason Lee Middle School in Tacoma on Wednesday, September 14, 2011." Jeremy Harrison/Staff photographer (Jeremy Harrison/The News Tribune)

Tacoma News Tribune, video (03:11).

Papantonio: "America's Income Disparity Explained" (with video)

golefttv, with video (10:09):

While 68.3 million Americans struggle to get enough food to eat and wages are declining for 90 percent of the population, US millionaire household wealth has reached an unprecedented level. According to an extensive study by auditing and financial advisory firm Deloitte, US millionaire households now have $38.6 trillion in wealth. On top of the $38.6 trillion, they have an estimated $6.3 trillion hidden in offshore accounts.

"The TALKERS Interview: A conversation with MSNBC and Dial Global progressive talk star Ed Schultz"

talkers.com:

Ed Schultz is one of the most-listened-to progressive radio talk show hosts on the air in America today and a burgeoning presence in the cable news/talk television scene. His daily radio show syndicated by Dial Global Radio Networks –– now in its eighth year –– broadcasts live weekdays from New York City 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm ET on more than 100 affiliates across the country. In addition, he hosts a prime time 10:00 pm ET weekday cable television program (Monday through Thursday) on MSNBC. The Talkers Interview with Ed Schultz was conducted by Michael Harrison. MORE...

"As Republicans Approach The Ropes On Jobs Bill, Democrats Reach For The Towel"

Tommy Christopher (MEDIAite):

The President has kept the pressure on Congress in a series of speeches, and it appears to be working, at least a little bit. House Republicans like Boehner, Eric Cantor, and even Paul Ryan have sent signals that some kind of deal might be possible, a sign that, even if they’re just stalling so they can regroup, the President’s push has them back on their heels somewhat.

The President can always count on members of his own party to go all weak in the knees whenever there’s a crucial fight, and this time is no different. Several Democrats are already signaling opposition to President Obama’s plan, which completely undercuts the best leverage the President has. MORE...

"Sustainable West Seattle takes on Tox-Ick!"

Cate White (Sustainable West Seattle):

Toxic runoff comes from many everyday sources, including soap, paint, fertilizers and herbicides, and even dog poop. According to the Department of Ecology, toxic runoff is the No. 1 threat to the health of Puget Sound. Each year, 14 million pounds of pollutants wash from our streets and driveways directly into our rivers and streams, and ultimately into the Sound. Sustainable West Seattle takes on Tox-Ick! “Most people I talk to think that polluted runoff from our streets and driveways go to facilities to remove contamination,” said Cate White, leader of Sustainable West Seattle’s toxic runoff outreach group. “However, that isn’t true. Most runoff is not treated. Our campaign helps people understand how they can reduce that flow of toxic runoff.” MORE...

Howie P.S.: This group is sponsoring a series of educational events in West Seattle starting September 11 and ending November 19 at various locations. The next one is Saturday, September 24th @ 10am @ the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.

Taibbi: "The $2 Billion UBS Incident: 'Rogue Trader' My Ass"

Matt Taibbi:

The U.S. missed its own chance for ringfencing when a proposal for a full repeal of Gramm-Leach-Bliley was routed during the Dodd-Frank negotiations.

That means we’re probably stuck here in the states with companies like Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup, giant commercial banks in charge of stewarding trillions in client bank accounts and consumer credit accounts who also behave like turbocharged gamblers via their investment banking arms.

Sooner or later, this is going to blow up in our faces, and it won't be one lower-level guy with a $2 billion loss we'll be swallowing. It'll be the CEO of another rogue firm like Lehman Brothers, and it'll cost us trillions, not billions. MORE...

"Papantonio: Soulless Republicans Will Never Sign Onto Jobs Bill" (video)

golefttv, with video (12:23):

Mike Papantonio and Ed Schultz talk about whether or not the GOP will ever support the President's jobs bill. They also take a look at some of the crazier moments from Right Wing talkers.

Ari Melber on "Washington's Revolving Door" (video)

MSNBC-Dylan Ratigan, video (03:37).

Elizabeth Warren: "My Announcement" (video)

ElizabethForMA, with video (01:35):

Elizabeth Warren announces her decision to run for U.S. Senate so she can fight for hard-working Massachusetts families.

Howie P.S.: Warren may have appeal as a candidate for national office, someday.

"Conservative Democrats Strike Again"

Jonathan Cohn (The New Republic);
If you’ve read this blog lately, you’ve read a lot of criticism of Republicans for talking economic nonsense, placing their political fortunes ahead of the country’s good, or some combination of the two. But sometimes Democrats, particularly conservative Democrats, do the same things. And now is one of those times.

Tom Carper, Mary Landrieu, and Jim Webb – I’m looking at you. MORE...

H/t to Greg Sargent.

Doonesbury on Palin (cartoon)

(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

Gary Trudeau:

SMALL BLUE ISLAND

Jim Davis | Atlanta, GA | September 13, 2011

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has also pulled the Palin strips. They've apparently given in to the fact that they're on a small blue island in a very large red sea. Ralph McGill must be up to 3600 RPM in his grave.

COPOUT

Jean Ray | Canton, GA | September 13, 2011

I was disappointed, but not surprised, to find that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is not running this week's strips, due to "stong political content..." What a copout! Keep up the good work.

MORE...

"Melody Barnes Speaks on the Administration's Accomplishments" (with video)

whitehouse, with video (02:28):

At the Interactive One Open for Questions event hosted at the White House, Domestic Policy Advisor to President Obama, Melody Barnes, talks about the administration's accomplishments since the President took office two and a
half years ago. September 13, 2011.

From 1-22-2010: "Combative Obama pushes job creation bill" (with video)

AP with video (02:48):

A combative President Barack Obama exhorted Congress Friday to pass a new job-creation bill, taking a populist appeal to America's recession-racked Rust Belt in an effort to recapture the excitement of his campaign.

Obama weaved us-against-them rhetoric into his appearances, telling a town hall audience that he "will never stop fighting" for an economy that works for the hard-working, not just those already well off. MORE...

Howie P.S.: I still can't believe this is from 1-22-10.

"Howard Dean: Obama’s America Jobs Act Is A ‘Brilliant Political Move’" (with video)

Zara Golden-MEDIAite, with video (04:03):

“I think the President’s team has been rather brilliant in putting this one together,” said former DNC chair Howard Dean, speaking on the American Jobs Act with Lawrence O’Donnell last night, sounding confident and convinced that the bill puts sufficient pressure on Republicans to get passed. “It would be hard to devise a better bill than this to put these guys on the griddle,” he said. “They’re in big trouble.” MORE...