Obama Must Dare To Be Revolutionary

[dreamdancer 0]

can he do it?

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Most of the great advances we remember involve reimagination and dreams, not merely tweaks and tinkers. The Wright Brothers’ plane wasn’t a newfangled horse and buggy, Einstein’s theories weren’t a simple update of old physics, and Edison’s creations didn’t aspire to make a brighter-burning wax candle. It’s been the same thing in politics. The Founding Fathers’ Constitution didn’t replicate monarchy, Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal wasn’t just tinkering with Hooverism, and Ronald Reagan’s revolution didn’t merely dismantle the welfare state.

All of these inventors envisaged machines, theories or societies that never before existed. And that’s why for all the positive, even admirable steps Obama’s America seems poised to take, the aspirations still seem too small, too unimaginative, too confined by old parameters and old conceptions of how things must work.

Consider the Wall Street bailouts. By simply giving banks trillions of dollars with no strings attached, our government theorizes that the problem is not the financial system, but a momentary cash drought that can be solved by temporary recapitalization. These bailouts do not aspire to change the whole industry into one dominated by many small institutions rather than a few big ones. They also don’t reach for “a tightly regulated banking system, which made finance a staid, even boring business,” as Paul Krugman said we once had -- they envision the same get-rich-quick casino that generated huge profits and huge losses.

On health care, even as the Obama administration pushes to create a public health care option for consumers to buy into, most of the proposals for universal health care being debated in Washington still imagine a health care system integrally involving private insurance companies. In fact, the one proposal that sees a new health care system without those companies -- a single-payer system -- has been shoved to the side by both parties as too radical.

Same thing, again, for efforts to address global warming. Bills compelling companies to cap their carbon pollution and then trade it for credits are positive steps. However, they still embrace an energy system that relies on fossil fuels -- and they don’t strive for a day when we power our economy primarily with clean renewable energy.

http://www.alternet.org/story/140804/obama_must_dare_to_be_revolutionary/

stay away from moving propellers - they bite
blue skies from thai sky adventures
good solid response-provoking keyboarding

[warpedskydiver 0]

I am beginning to wonder if you ever have any thoughts of your own.

Do you just live and breath alternet and believe everything they post?

[Rookie120 0]

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Do you just live and breath alternet and believe everything they post?

How dare you question Alter.net!

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[quade 4]

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I am beginning to wonder if you ever have any thoughts of your own.

Do you just live and breath alternet and believe everything they post?

I notice you don't complain about the constant copy/paste postings of JohnRich.

I'm not saying you have a double standard or anything, just an observation.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Rookie120 0]

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I notice you don't complain about the constant copy/paste postings of JohnRich.

Because John puts his own opinion behind an article. Not just a blank copy and paste like this guy does.


Just an observation!

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[quade 4]

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Because John puts his own opinion behind an article. Not just a blank copy and paste like this guy does.

Sometimes, yes. I personally have tried to goad him into conversations rather than just copy/paste postings. JR's latest tactic is to make a poll that is biased in its wording. While that's a step up, it's not much of one.

Personally don't like copy/paste in whole cloth coming from anyone and JR has even cut back on that by just quoting a relevant passage and linking to the rest.

That said, commentary about the post beyond stuff like "+1" or "I agree" is, I think always more helpful.

dreamdancer could take a lesson from JR's posts to be sure, but people also need to cut him some slack if they aren't going to complain about the propaganda flood of other posters.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[tkhayes 348]

the president is pretty much revolutionary. His ideals are lofty and his visions are high up there. Healthcare, global warming, bail-outs, everything you talk about- the President can only influence.

CONGRESS writes the laws and generally fucks it all up trying to be everything to everyone. we meet halfway on everything, meaning nothing get s changed in a revolutionary way.

If you want revolutionary, then elect revolutionary congressmen and senators.

[tkhayes 348]

and as a further note- i do actually write my senators and congressmen and women every week on these issues and tell them to get some balls and make some change.

I wonder if anyone else does.....

[billvon 3,009]

>Because John puts his own opinion behind an article.

Should JohnRich post more of his opinions?

[] Yes, JohnRich should continue to post his opinions in the form of carefully worded push-polls.

[] No, ban JohnRich.

[ErricoMalatesta 0]

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can he do it?

No.

[dreamdancer 0]

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can he do it?

No.

but he says he can
(and if he doesn't what next)

stay away from moving propellers - they bite
blue skies from thai sky adventures
good solid response-provoking keyboarding

[millertime24 8]

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but he says he can
(and if he doesn't what next)

Can is a question of ability.
(What do YOU think he's able to do?)

Muff #5048

[rickjump1 0]

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can he do it?

No.

but he says he can
(and if he doesn't what next)

According to NPR, even a neighborhood organizer full of ideas must realize he can't do everything all at once. He might have to settle for a little here and a little there. Of course BHO wants it all now. He knows timing is important before his mesmerised audience begans to wake up and ask questions.

Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

[nerdgirl 0]

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and as a further note- i do actually write my senators and congressmen and women every week on these issues and tell them to get some balls and make some change.

I wonder if anyone else does.....

Yes. Altho’ these days I'm more likely to talk/email with staffers from one of my Senator's offices or, more often, with committee staffers.

/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[rickjump1 0]

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and as a further note- i do actually write my senators and congressmen and women every week on these issues and tell them to get some balls and make some change.

I wonder if anyone else does.....

I have done so often; only to receive a canned response or a middle of the fence response. Senator Max Baucus from Montana is notorious for his canned responses and a reputation for only dealing with people of wealth like the health insurance and pharmaceutical industry.

Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

[lawrocket 3]

He says he can. There is a lot of stuff that he has said from which he is now backing off.

In this situation I am a reactionary. All these efforrts to do something "new" are merely methods of doing the old things to a far greater degree.

To an extent, political revolution is happening in California. This is a reactionary revolution (I know, a bit oxymoronic) that seeks to turn back the clock.
Spending? Slash it.
Budget? Balance it.
With tax increases? No way.

The governments have for too long been accountable to the tax recipient. What is revolutionary/reactionary now is that the taxpayers are demanding that government be accountable to them.

To many, this is shocking and abhorrent. Simply pouring money we don't have into problems is no longer the solution. Most of us believe that the goverment pouring money into things is a leading source of trouble.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[tkhayes 348]

absolutely right - I get a lot of canned responses as well. and of course you cannot 'reply' to them.

I sometimes cut and paste their response back into their email system thru congress.gov or whatever vehicle they use and then take apart their response with my added comments again.

Usually then I get a response from a staffer, instead of their canned response again.

squeaky wheel - and there is plenty to squeak about.....

[TomAiello 26]

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Senator Max Baucus from Montana is notorious for his canned responses and a reputation for only dealing with people of wealth like the health insurance and pharmaceutical industry.

I'm not saying it's not so, because I don't really know what's going on with each Senator, but are you sure? I remember when I was a 15 year old high school kid visiting DC, the only Senator who wasn't too busy to sit and have lunch and chat with us was Max Baucus. He seemed very approachable on that day 20 years ago.

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[kallend 2,032]

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Senator Max Baucus from Montana is notorious for his canned responses and a reputation for only dealing with people of wealth like the health insurance and pharmaceutical industry.

I'm not saying it's not so, because I don't really know what's going on with each Senator, but are you sure? I remember when I was a 15 year old high school kid visiting DC, the only Senator who wasn't too busy to sit and have lunch and chat with us was Max Baucus. He seemed very approachable on that day 20 years ago.

I got 15 minutes with Dick Durbin, some 4 years ago.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[rickjump1 0]

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absolutely right - I get a lot of canned responses as well. and of course you cannot 'reply' to them.

I sometimes cut and paste their response back into their email system thru congress.gov or whatever vehicle they use and then take apart their response with my added comments again.

Usually then I get a response from a staffer, instead of their canned response again.

squeaky wheel - and there is plenty to squeak about.....

I believe many of them manage to accumulate so much money, they only go through the motions of dealing with the public. Baucus sends staffers back home to test the waters. They like audiences of old, retired people, but even the oldies are asking tough questions. Funny thing, Baucus reversed his position on guns to stay in office (firearms are important here). Nevertheless, keep up the pressure. I think floods of snail mail, email, a French guillotine left on the steps of the capital (kidding) and a massive march on Washingtion might get them to listen.

Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

[rickjump1 0]

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Senator Max Baucus from Montana is notorious for his canned responses and a reputation for only dealing with people of wealth like the health insurance and pharmaceutical industry.

I'm not saying it's not so, because I don't really know what's going on with each Senator, but are you sure? I remember when I was a 15 year old high school kid visiting DC, the only Senator who wasn't too busy to sit and have lunch and chat with us was Max Baucus. He seemed very approachable on that day 20 years ago.

20 years ago, he was probably just what you said. Now he is one of the leading architects of healthcare reform, and people joke about the large amount of money he has collected. No doubt he has supporters, but there have been a lot of negative letters to the Missoulan claiming he sends out canned responses and will not listen.

Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

[kelpdiver 2]

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Most of the great advances we remember involve reimagination and dreams, not merely tweaks and tinkers. The Wright Brothers’ plane wasn’t a newfangled horse and buggy,

Ugh...horrible start to an opinion piece that could much more succinctly been put.

There were quite a few gliders before the Wright brothers became the first to put an engine with a sufficient power/weight ratio to achieve flight not derived entirely from gravity.

[rickjump1 0]

Civic classes and a photo shoot are good PR. If you walked into his office today, you might get ushered in.

Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

[dreamdancer 0]

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but he says he can
(and if he doesn't what next)

Can is a question of ability.
(What do YOU think he's able to do?)

i think there's a fair chance that he's going to fail in spectacular style - second great depression, use of mercenary forces, race/class riots, blah, blah, blah...

(or possibly not)

stay away from moving propellers - they bite
blue skies from thai sky adventures
good solid response-provoking keyboarding

[millertime24 8]

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but he says he can
(and if he doesn't what next)

Can is a question of ability.
(What do YOU think he's able to do?)

i think there's a fair chance that he's going to fail in spectacular style - second great depression, use of mercenary forces, race/class riots, blah, blah, blah...

(or possibly not)

Thats definately something that COULD happen.
(but what if he doesn't fail)

Muff #5048