I have been complaining for months that my Democratic Party needs to grow a spine and fight back against deceptive Republican misinformation. I so hope that this begins a trend.
Democrats’ House campaign committee is starting its first advertising blitz of the fall election cycle Tuesday with a TV spot hammering Wisconsin GOP candidate Sean Duffy, one of several Republicans who are threatening to wrest an open Democratic seat.
The ad charges that Duffy, running for the Republican nomination to succeed retiring Rep. David Obey, favors privatizing Social Security. It’s the first salvo in what promises to be a series of highly negative ads by Democrats as they fight an uphill battle to keep control of the House in a toxic political environment.
The party’s decision to air it before Labor Day reflects what strategists say privately is a calculated tactic in key districts: Blast Republican candidates early in attempts to disqualify them in voters’ eyes before they can make a case for themselves… [emphasis added]
The Republicans are always making a big deal about how they are the party of family values, but do they value your family? If not, whose families do they value?
For decades, social conservatives have had a lot to say about the decline of “family values” in the United States, and they have a long list of people they like to blame, including gays and lesbians, Hollywood, the adult entertainment industry, feminists, rappers, the ACLU and abortion providers. As the Christian Right sees it, a major cultural war has been taking place in the U.S. — and the American family is being attacked by everyone from Larry Flynt and Planned Parenthood to 50 Cent and proponents of gay marriage.
Social conservatives are right about one thing: the American family is under attack, but not from cultural liberals. The greatest threat to the American family is economic stress — and the modern-day Republicans and social conservatives who preach family values are the ones who have done the most to imperil the American family. From union-busting and the outsourcing of jobs to developing countries and opposing universal health care, social conservatives have not only endangered the American middle class — they have also made it increasingly hard to raise a "traditional" family.
Economic Hardship Makes People Delay Marriage and Childbearing
Many Americans are well aware of the economic pressures families are facing in the United States, influencing their attitudes toward marriage and childbearing. During the summer of 2009, the Guttmacher Institute surveyed 947 fertile women (18–34 years of age) with annual incomes under $75,000. Guttmacher reported that because of the economic downturn, 44 percent of the women surveyed wanted “to reduce or delay their childbearing” — and 64 percent agreed with the following statement: “With the economy the way it is, I can’t afford to have a baby right now.”That 64 percent increased to 77 percent among the women who had annual household incomes under $25,000.
Meanwhile, physicians all over the U.S. have been reporting a sharp increase in the number of men inquiring about permanent sterilization. In 2009, Planned Parenthood reported that requests for vasectomies had increased by more than 30 percent at some of their clinics in Southern California, while Dr. Marc Goldstein of the Cornell Institute for Reproductive Medicine in New York City estimated that he was seeing a 48 percent increase in consultations for vasectomies. The Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio has reported a 50 percent increase in the number of vasectomies performed in that facility… [emphasis added]
If I were a young man today, I wouldn’t want to bring children into this world, not only because the Republican Recession, which the author covered quite adequately, but also, because of the social threat that Republicans represent. Not only are we at risk for Republican terrorism, but also, Republicans have put us more at risk of attack by Al Qaeda, Islam’s version of the Tea Party, because they have made it so abundantly clear that they do not value Muslim families. Were I not already retired, I would fear losing my job, because Republicans do not value unemployed families. Were I not already receiving social security, I would fear that Republicans will privatize it, allowing Banksters to squander it, because Republicans do not value families they can no longer exploit. It is also clear the Republicans do not value black or latino families, veterans’ families, or poor families.
However, to be honest, I must admit that there are families that Republicans do value; the Astors, the Duponts, the Hiltons, the Rockefellers, the Bushes, the bin Ladens, the Sauds, and all the other multi-millionaires not listed.
Yesterday my errands took longer than I intended, our President wanted some changes made to the 7th Step brochure before it goes to the printer, and my COPD flared up, so in the best laid plans of mice and men, I never got back to reply to comments or return visits. I expect to catch up today.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 3:40. To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Alternet: Hewlett-Packard has agreed to pay 55 million dollars to settle claims the US computer giant defrauded the US government, the Justice Department announced Monday.
And the person responsible wants to be the next Senator from CA.
From Huffington Post: S&P just put our elected officials on notice: Submit to the proclamations of the Deficit Commission or we’ll downgrade our rating of government debt.
That’s blackmail, plain and simple. This threat comes from a privately-owned company whose rating process is riddled with conflicts, and which has gotten virtually every critical assessment of recent years spectacularly wrong.
This company is one of the ones responsible for the bogus top ratings for bundled mortgages that are not toxic assets.
From Crooks and Liars: In Tennessee, ten candidates file suit after discovering widespread voter disenfranchisement in the August 5th primary.
In Houston, 10,000 voting machines and associated data spontaneously combusts, incinerating the machines and tapes, and leaving a right-wing Republican’s allegations of voter fraud standing with nothing to prove or disprove them.
In South Carolina, ES&S voting machines are used to nominate an unknown and non-viable Democratic candidate to run against Jim DeMint.
In Alaska, tea party candidate Joe Miller alleges vote tampering by the Murkowski campaign.
In every state that uses electronic voting machines with no paper trail, and where Republicans control the vote counting, Republican candidates will receive a three to five point advantage.
Amid all the controversy about the Islamic Community Center near the former WTC, the theocratic Republican hate against a Muslim religious site in Murfreesboro, TN has been largely ignored. Is it authentic Christianity or just another manifestation of Republican Supply-side Jesus (not the real one)?
In Murfreesboro, first there was the fire:
A spokeswoman for an Islamic center whose proposed expansion has sparked vehement opposition says a fire that damaged construction equipment at the site has frightened Muslims in the Nashville suburb.
"Everyone in our community no longer feels safe," Camie Ayash told the Daily News Journal in Sunday’s edition. "To set a fire that could have blown up equipment and, God forbid, spread and caused damage to the neighbors there … When (officials) called me this morning, I started crying."
The fire early Saturday morning at the site of the proposed Islamic Center of Murfreesboro was being investigated by the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Sheriff’s department Lt. Randy Groce told the newspaper it was unclear "exactly what we’ve got here," and declined further comment.
The incident marks the latest twist in an increasingly volatile debate surrounding the efforts of the local Muslim community to build a much larger house of worship. The proposed center on 15 acres would include a mosque, a multi-purpose facility, sports facilities, a pavilion and a cemetery, and serve approximately 250 families…
Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a complaint about shots being fired Sunday afternoon near the construction site of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, Tenn.
The report came just hours after a fire of suspicious nature damaged construction equipment at the site.
A group of congregation members was at the site looking at the damage done to construction equipment by the fire overnight when they heard nine shots fired from two directions.
The incident occurred around 3:15 p.m. The congregation members reported hearing six shots coming from one direction, and about three minutes later they heard three more shots from another direction, said Saleh Sbenaty, a congregation member and university professor…
"I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol."
–Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin
If to be a Jew means to say with all one’s heart, mind and soul Shma` Yisrael, Adonai Elohenu Adonai Ahad; hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One, not only today I am a Jew, I have always been one, Mr. Pearl.
If to be a Christian is to love the Lord our God with all of my heart, mind and soul, and to love for my fellow human being what I love for myself, then not only am I a Christian, but I have always been one Mr. Pearl.
–Imam Rauf
This brings up an interesting question: who would you want building a house of worship in your neighborhood?…
Rauf is the Imam of the community center in Manhattan. Isn’t it ironic how much more Christian the Muslim is than the general?
Jesus never preached hatred. Therefore it’s evident on its face that the above hatred does not represent authentic Christianity, and does represent the pseudo-Christianity of Republican Supply-side Jesus. Republican Supply-side Jesus isn’t real. He is a human invention and serves to justify war, hatred, bigotry and greed.
So, as an authentic Christian, I ask myself, “What would Jesus do?” In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus honored a faith that was different from his own. Therefore, I believe the authentic Christian response is to honor the faith of authentic Muslims. We don’t have to agree with it, just like they don’t have to agree with ours. For that matter, you don’t have to agree with mine, and if you don’t, I honor your faith, including faith in nothing, as long as you don’t try to shove it down my throat.
And, as an authentic Christian, I ask myself, how should I deal with the followers of Supply-side Jesus? What would Jesus do? First, I defend their right to believe whatever they want, with the caveat that their beliefs end at the tip of my nose. In his day, Jesus dealt people just like the followers of Republican Supply-side Jesus. They were religious hypocrites who insisted that they were holier than everyone else, insisted that everyone believe exactly what they do, and controlled everyone’s behavior by enforcing piety codes. They were called Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus opposed them. So I oppose them too.
I’ve been hearing suggestions of late that progressive media outlets should ignore the propaganda stories from Fox. This morning I came across an excellent article by Randy Shaw who holds to that view. I disagree. We agree that the Republican party has driven the news cycle by circulating propaganda pieces through their captive media, Fox News and Right wing radio, keeping Democrats on the defensive instead of talking about their positive achievements and agenda.
Here is his introduction:
Since President Obama took office, the Republican Party’s agenda has dominated the public debate. Fox News and right-wing talk radio decide what’s news, and the traditional media either echoes the story or is criticized for not doing so, as occurred when the New York Times Public Editor chastised the paper for inadequately covering right-wing falsehoods about ACORN.
But progressive media has also allowed conservatives to set the terms of the debate. MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann regularly devotes considerable time to rebutting Fox News lies, as do many progressive bloggers. This reactive approach ensures that fake stories like the nonexistent Ground Zero mosque control the news cycle, while stories confirming progressive policy successes get ignored.
In The Activist’s Handbook, I describe the importance of moving pro-actively, rather than fighting battles on opponents’ terms. The party that frames the debate usually wins, but progressives too often get sidetracked by responding to their opponents’ agendas rather than promoting their own.
So while progressives enjoy lampooning Sarah Palin, it’s striking how much time MSNBC and progressive bloggers spend talking about her. She becomes a perfect foil for getting progressives off-track, with she and her right-wing allies getting the last laugh… [emphasis added]
To be fair, this is not his entire argument, so click through for several examples of what he means.
I agree that progressive media and blogs need to be pro-active, but being proactive without fighting back is a recipe for disaster.
I wish I could find a poll I once studied, but cannot because it’s buried within a mass of push-polls by Fox about Fox. So from memory (this may be a bit off, bit it’s close), about 25% of Americans (who watch TV news) get their TV news exclusively from Fox. About 20% get their TV News from sources that do not include Fox. The remaining 55% get their TV news from from sources including Fox. Therefore, approximately 80% of Americans who watch TV news hear the lies from the GOP Reichsministry of Propaganda. Even some of the remaining 20% are exposed, because the traditional media usually just repeat the lies, sometimes with opposing sound bites, but rarely, if ever, offer sound analysis debunking the lies. When people hear a lie often enough without challenge, they believe it. That’s why, according to Pew, only 34% of Americans believe Obama is a Christian.
Let’s go back to 2004. In one corner we had a Vietnam War hero. In the other we had a draft dodger, who was AWOL for a large part of his National Guard service. Out popped Fox and the swift boat campaign of lies. The Kerry campaign ignored the lies until it was too late. Bush got close enough to steal, with a little help from disenfranchising minorities and rigged voting machines, to steal the election and thousands of us felt the need to apologize to the rest of the world by posting pictures like the one above and to the right. Disaster.
Why does it have to be an either/or choice? Progressive media should debunk the lies, while being proactive about our own aganda.
Yesterday I managed to keep up to date with comments and returned all outstanding visits. It took over six hours. Today I have to go out to run a few errands, but expect that I can stay current.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 3:11. To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From LA Times: Joe Miller, the surprise leader in Alaska’s unresolved Republican Senate primary, said Sunday that the growing national debt requires a "belt tightening" that should include cutting back on federal dollars that his state receives.
Miller’s position, which he articulated throughout his campaign against incumbent GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski, comes despite Alaska’s historic reliance on federal resources.
I bet a dollar against a donut that, if this liar gets to DC, he will be a GOPig at the trough. We’re not done with this creep yet…
From Crooks and Liars: Unemployment benefits, Social Security and Medicare are not constitutional, according to the man likely to win the Republican Senate nomination in Alaska.
The one thing I do like about the Teabaggers like Miller is that at least they come out and say what they want. K-Street Republicans want the exact same thing, but they won’t tell the truth unless backed into a corner.
From Alternet: The United States on Sunday condemned as "deeply offensive" remarks by an influential Israeli rabbi who said he hoped Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas would "vanish from our world."
"These remarks are not only deeply offensive, but incitement such as this hurts the cause of peace."
It’s good that they condemn this hate speech, but I wish they would be so expressive about the hate speech coming from Republican Senators, Representatives, Governors and candidates for office.
I have not yet heard the entire text of Glen Beck’s speech yesterday. I’m still just to tired to clean the barf that would be soaking my keyboard if I had. However, from almost everything I have read and heard, it was a complete flop, except on Fox, of course. If Beck’s purpose was, as he has claimed, to restore the civil rights movement and reenergize America, he failed miserably. I don’t see Beck doing anything for any purpose other than promoting himself.
The official estimate of crowd size was 500,000, while most of the MSM are guessing at 100,000 to 120,000. I was in the same place in 1963, and helped organize several demonstrations in Washington from 1966 – 1968. The 500,000 claim is absurd. From the pictures I have seen, I would estimate the crowd at between 50,000 and 100,000.
This is a day that we can start the heart of America again,” Beck said. “It has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with God. Everything [with] turning our face back to the values and the principles that made us great.”
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was a featured speaker, invited not as a political leader, she told the crowd, but as the mother of a soldier who fought on behalf of the nation. Still, her remarks were peppered with references to how elected officials had led the nation astray.
“It is so humbling to get to be here with you today, patriots — you who are motivated and engaged and concerned, knowing to never retreat,” she said. “No, we must not fundamentally transform America as some would want; we must restore America and restore her honor.”… [emphasis added]
One of the most poignant observations I found comes from Mark Herman of Salon.com that there were only 27 African-Americans in the crowd, including the 3 on stage. Mark provided this video of his interviews of rally attendees:
Are those people clueless or what?
After the rally, the attendees seemed subdued:
The Glenn Beck fans on my subway car after today’s rally were a subdued bunch. They didn’t seem energized by having spent time with their idol and many thousands of fellow fans. Why not?
“It was kind of boring,” said one. “It wasn’t what I expected,” said another. “It was good,” one said with an unenthusiastic shrug. “He had some good speakers.” One recalled someone sitting near them grumbling, “I didn’t come all this way for an awards ceremony.”
Not the reaction you’re going for when you’ve declared your intention of fundamentally transforming the country and sparking a Great Awakening that will turn the country back to God.
It wouldn’t be surprising if a lot of attendees at today’s rally feel like victims of a bait and switch. Beck built a huge fan base with over-the-top attacks on President Obama – he hates white people, he’s a communist-socialist-Nazi – denunciations of “social justice” Christians, and hard-hitting appeals to the anti-government Tea Party brigades to save America from all the evil villains who are trying to destroy it from within. There are a lot of people in America who love Beck because they believe he is telling them these hard truths that nobody else has the guts to tell them. They were the folks with the “Don’t Tread on me” and “Taking our Country Back” T-shirts. But today Beck was preaching love and unity. We’re all Americans aren’t we?… [emphasis added]
Perhaps Beck is trying to recast himself as a saint, but he built his media following on a base of hatred, racism, intolerance and lies. The Republican base that follows him and his cohorts at Faux Noise won’t accept anything less that the vile tripe he has built his career spewing. They wanted blood, and he didn’t even have a scream.
Democrats’ House campaign committee is starting its first advertising blitz of the fall election cycle Tuesday with a TV spot hammering Wisconsin GOP candidate Sean Duffy, one of several Republicans who are threatening to wrest an open Democratic seat.
Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a complaint about shots being fired Sunday afternoon near the construction site of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, Tenn. 
"I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol." 
I wish I could find a poll I once studied, but cannot because it’s buried within a mass of push-polls by Fox about Fox. So from memory (this may be a bit off, bit it’s close), about 25% of Americans (who watch TV news) get their TV news exclusively from Fox. About 20% get their TV News from sources that do not include Fox. The remaining 55% get their TV news from from sources including Fox. Therefore, approximately 80% of Americans who watch TV news hear the lies from the GOP Reichsministry of Propaganda. Even some of the remaining 20% are exposed, because the traditional media usually just repeat the lies, sometimes with opposing sound bites, but rarely, if ever, offer sound analysis debunking the lies. When people hear a lie often enough without challenge, they believe it. That’s why, according to 
