The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    jollyroger's picture

    Hey, Prez! (you worthless punk) Four steps to a fifth face on Rushmore.

    By jollyroger on Thu, 11/08/2012 - 10:41pm |

    With fear and trembling we turn towards the second term agenda.

    Let's pretend that Obama has learned a thing or two besides how better to fake feisty.

    These are a few of the several crucial pivots off the recent election that will give some hope for a new House majority in 2014, failing which we will continue deadlocked and stymied.

    Prez, your mission should you choose to accept it: Lock in the components of your coalition, bring them directly to bear upon specific House repugnants rendered vulnerable by votes forced upon them over the next two years.

    We begin, of course, with the elimination of the filibuster, thus turning the Senate into a weapon of mass repugnant destruction.

    This strategic change accomplished, and constrained still by the. necessity to originate spending bills in the enemy's house, let Harry pass and send down poison wedge bills addressing the righteous needs of your supporters. Viz.

    Latinos: A full amnesty and path to citizenship for all currently undocumented residents.

    Labor: Card check. (You remember card check, don't ya Prez? It's filed under "2008 promises, broken")

    Women: Repeal the Hyde amendment by way of statute forbidding interference with the funding of any legal medical procedure.

    Students: Full forgiveness of college/trade school debt in exchange for five hours a week of community service for two years.

    Having thus kicked ass, proceed to take names. Invite the aggrieved members of the above groups to a revenge voting orgy come 2014.

    You know about voting as the best revenge, right?

    Comments

    I referred a little bit on these issues in my recent blog.

    We shall see.

    I am hopeful regarding these new election results.

    They say: THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!

    Yeah they have.

    Blacks and women and Hispanics have spoken.

    And the repubs are still attempting for the most part to spin this into a narrow election victory for the liberals; when we won the Presidency by 120 or so electoral votes and 3 million on the popular side of things.

    This was a big deal and a big election and a big loss for racist, misogynist pricks!

    Evolution, not revolution.

    The conservatives are worried!

    The conservatives are mad!

    But the conservatives are fearful.

    We shall see!


    by Richard Day on Fri, 11/09/2012 - 4:52pm

    We will get the " tell" when the Senate organizes. Anything short of total filibuster annihiliation means that its all been shuck and jive for the rubes. (us). The filibuster is a convenient cover to keep House members safe from voting.

    by jollyroger on Sat, 11/10/2012 - 7:27am

    Good to see you remain in perfect form!  I have been on haitus for some time but perhaps am back or so it appears.

    I am afraid he hasn't learned a thing.  First order of business: capitulate on the hoax known as "the fiscal cliff" by agreeing to cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in order to fund endless imperial wars and allow the richies to avoid their fair share in taxation.  As part of the bargain I predict he will also allow the tax cuts for the rich to stay in place.  Who will pay for it?  You.  Me. The elderly.  The poor.  The weak.


    by oleeb on Sun, 11/11/2012 - 3:00am

    oleeb!  Nice to see you again. smiley ... Shift+R improves the quality of this image. Shift+A improves the quality of all images on this page.


    by wabby on Sun, 11/11/2012 - 6:33am

    You too Flowerchild!


    by oleeb on Sun, 11/11/2012 - 9:37pm

    Thanks! I left out "stamp the damn platinum coin" and end this fiscal crisis charade. There is also no question that emergency exists (NY harbor dikes, anybody?) in our infrastructure justifying the nationalization of all state and city building and maintenance depts. Use the coin money to hire 10 million new workers.

    by jollyroger on Sun, 11/11/2012 - 3:38pm

    Agreed!

    The number one thing we need is a massive, direct government jobs program.  To Obama that is heresy.  To his funders it is even worse.


    by oleeb on Sun, 11/11/2012 - 9:38pm

    I rather suspect that even the WSJ Editorial page, personned as it is by Westchesterites seeking power restoral, would find reason to cheer a flying squad of federally paid linemen...

    by jollyroger on Sun, 11/11/2012 - 9:41pm

    Serendipitously, the NYT editorial page points out : no state of emergency needed, just call in the Corps of Engineers. Presto, the military budget bears the weight

    by jollyroger on Mon, 11/12/2012 - 1:33am

    Andrew Cuomo: Legislate the emergency We need 30 Billion Federal dollars.

    by jollyroger on Mon, 11/12/2012 - 2:31am

    Your link is bad; here's the NYT, I just read it:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/12/nyregion/cuomo-to-seek-30-billion-in-a...

    But yeah, legislate, not Presidential order, get it?

    NYT article says right here

    Mr. Cuomo’s plan, which is still being drafted by his aides, rests in part on persuading the federal government to make an emergency appropriation in the coming weeks during a lame-duck session of Congress that begins on Tuesday.

    Keep in mind that most of that money would go to tri-state area jobs, maybe not 'zactly the most popular thing across a country hunting for them, with lotsa state and local governments going bankrupt, laying off, etc. (Many foolishly believe that stimulus in the NYC area doesn't trickle down to the rest of the country, go figure.)

    I think you and oleeb are picking at the wrong target on this thread, unless you plan on extending the presidency's powers way beyond what they are now, thinking King Obama.

    This comment of oleeb's is ridiculous on that:

    The number one thing we need is a massive, direct government jobs program.  To Obama that is heresy.  To his funders it is even worse.

    As if Obama wouldn't sign a bill like that if it landed on his desk! And so are some of yours, because you know damn well that Obama would support any liberal legislation sent his way.

    It's especially  ridiculous because the argument used to be that he didn't believe in much of anything, and now it's that he's an ideologue? Which story is it?

    My story is that he's no LBJ or Bill Clinton in  talent at manipulating Congress, and I believe most of the beltway has publicly agreed for quite some time. He can't even bear to rub shoulders with them, much less twist arms and horse trade.That's what you got now, that's the reality. The people you should be yelling at are your representatives, he's not into pushing 'em where they don't want to go, and never was, it's not his belief about how the system works. Note that where he has the power, he's not shy about going it alone, see drones, Libya, etc.

    Your problem is with Congress, not the president. Lobbying him is a waste of time if he has no power to do it. If you can manage any liberal legislation out of Congress, I'd be willing to bet you he'd sign it, especially now that he's not looking to be re-elected.. He's no ideologue and furthermore, getting called a socialist by certain contingents doesn't seem to bother him a bit.


    by artappraiser on Mon, 11/12/2012 - 3:34am

    The link sure was-thanks for the help. Cuomo says legislate. I say declare a state of siege, send in FEMA, and wait for the Senate to acquit on the impeachment. Don't. blame me for Cuomo's failure of of imagination.

    by jollyroger on Mon, 11/12/2012 - 4:52am