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06.25.10 - 8:30 AM
"Do You Approve or Disapprove of the Way Congress is Handling It's Job?"
What to make of the latest Gallup poll showing that a mere 20% of Americans like the way Congress is doing its purported job? With a Democratic majority doing a piss-poor job of many things, this seems to tell the experts that, what, 80% want those other guys, the stupid evil self-serving ones? Maybe they're too tired and fed up to want anything but a job? And what about all of us malcontents who want a better option? Our blessed "democracy" disheartens, and hope falters.
"Mankind will never see an end of trouble until lovers of wisdom come to hold political power, or the holders of power become lovers of wisdom." - Plato
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55 Comments so far
Show AllIf you don't vote, the Democrats will use that as another rationalization for moving further to the right. They will say that they need to be further to the right to attract more voters.
We all need to vote for the most extreme leftist candidate on each ballot, socialist party, green party...inj all elections, not just Congressional elections.
The only way to shift congress left is to vote left.
The troubles are several:
1. As any election coverage shows, voting for a minor-party candidate - particularly write-ins, is in many cases treated as not voting at all.
2. Many states have very onerous ballot-access rules, that keep any other choices off the ballot,
3. When the leftist minority-party candidate can make a difference, the candidate's ballot petitions will be viciously attacked by the Democrats - often (illegally) with public funds.
Here in Pennsylvania, it really gets positively absurd - in the case of a senate race, the Republicans for Santorum cynically contributed to the Green candidate Romanelli's campaign, and even gathered ballot petition signatures for him.
Then, in 2004, state Rep. Veon used $1.9 million in public funds to employ campaign workers to comb the Green party ballot petitions - successfully kicking Nader off the ballot. The Republicans found out about this and started an investigation into what they called "Bonusgate." Throughout the whole investigation and trial, the motivations of Veon - attacking the Green Party, was never mentioned in the media - they instead framed it as "crooked democrat/crime-crusading Republican". Veon was convected and sentenced to 14 years. Victory for the Greens? No! Absolutely ALL the political benefits of the publicity and conviction accrued to the Republicans.
I have supported the Greens and will continue to do so. But I have no illusions that, in my state in particular, voting for the Green candidate and even signing their ballot petitions is, under the current syatem, supporting republican candidate.
I have signed petitions and may even gather signatures for Green Senate candidate, and good socialist acquaintance Mel Paker. But I have no illusion that a vote for Mel will be a vote for extreme-right candidate Pat Toomey against the Obamoid John Sestack.
A massive Republican majority is going to be swept into Harrisburg and DC this November.
The poor of Pittsburgh better start organizing Haitian-style Tap-Taps, because we are going to have no public transit to speak of in a few years.
We're fucked.
What if we just held our own "poll-taking" vote? What if, after voting, I just decided that Mr. Nader IS my president, and Mel Paker IS my senator, and the constitution IS MY constitution, and MY country & MY government are under occupation by an enemy, and I ask MY recognized leaders how to react/respond to this situation & starve the enemy of any legitimate recognition on my part? What if 10's of millions of americans did this, after voting on the computer for OUR legitimate gov't & only responded to the enemy occupiers after consulting with OUR leaders? Would it be an exercise in futility? Would the occupiers be affected psychologically? What would happen? What if OUR gov't established what, to me, would be official policy,as yet unable to act on it, as MY gov't is, for the time being, in "exile"? What if MY gov't reps met & signed treaties with foreign reps, acknowledging the current "exile" situation? I've wondered about this from time-to-time, over the past several years. It has the beauty of simply not acknowledging illegitimacy as being legitimate. Does that have any value, or real impact?
dup deleted
Inb,
I think you have just spoken the key, that will unlock the door to Liberty.
I motion that we start electing out own virtual congress, and not recognize those selected by restricted ballot or by computer-voting means like GWB.
This is what Samuel Adams did in the 1770's when the corrupt tory governor of Massachusetts disbanded the town council. They would put a red flag in the Liberty Tree and meet anyways, not recognizing the governor's authority to ban their meetings. The flag soon morphed into "The Sons of Liberty" and you probably remember what happened after that.
TJ
I like your idea!!! We could even set up separate peoples' polls on election days throughout the country and ask people who really want their vote to count to vote there instead of the governmental polls where you actually DON'T GET A REAL CHOICE!!! It's the only way we'll ever get a "PEOPLE'S GOVERNMENT RESULTING FROM REAL CHOICE!"
Oh, please. Recent Democratic presidents are able to inflcit much greater damage to middle class Americans, so I say bring on the Thug. As far as Congress goes, we're also better off when they're in the minority as an opposition force from the corporate rampage that lies beneath the surface of them all. So once again, I say bring on the Thugs. Let them win. I won't be at the polls that's for sure.
There's been nothing stopping what is formally known as Democrats, from doing what they promised. Still blaming Republicans is insulting at this point. Democrats have a big majority. They just prefer to move in and out of the 60 vote majority defense when they want a minimally populist piece of legislation to fail.
It's funny how Obama got the POS HCR passed without a 60 vote majority, eh?
It was a goddamn miracle to watch him transform himself into some horsetrading
maven when he saw his true corporate agenda was in trouble. Barry was all over it. So what if he sold out on women's reproductive care by Executive Order. Man, he sure can hustle when he wants to.
How bout them Blue Dogs? They to blame too? For one they aren't going anywhere and two Obama won't have it. He went to the mat for the anti labor, corporate whore Blanche Lincoln so that should tell you a lot.
And the Progressive Wing sure earned the "f__king retards" moniker of Evil Rahm.
They talk the talk, but fold like a house of cards when it's time to vote.
So I ask anyone to give me a shred of evidence that electing more Progressive Dems, better Dems, or the same bunch of traitors will make a whit of difference from the crap we get now. Not a chance.
The Democratic Party is kaput. Both parties are prostitutes for Wall St., period.
There's no more Congress, it's finished. No functioning government either.
Everything been contracted out to the private sector. No more representatives of the people. They want us to STFU, take what they're dishing out and like it. Obama's simply running intereference between Wall St and the American people.
So, don't be a sucker. Boycott their sick game of pretend elections. Corporations via the media pick all of them for us one way or another. They just let us think we made the choice. The days of electing a public servant who really works for the greater good of the people is history. People like that are run out of town, ignored, trashed, mocked, and whatever else is required to permanently banish them from disturbing the rule of empire. Don't vote anymore. It's entirely out of our control.
As they feverishly work to sink this nation, my one and only wish for them is making certain they go down with the ship.
I'm not sure if you were actually responding to my post or not. I am a supporter of the Greens, and the Democrats largely enable the Republicans by not moving forward with a real bold agenda, while they get called "socialists" anyway. But there are still real differences. For example, Democrats still, in principle, believe in public transportation, understand that it is as vital as water and sewer in cities like Philly and Pittsburgh, and seek funding for it. Republicans are ignorant, suburban, small-town and country people who consider public transportation to be "socialism" and will probably starve the transit authorities of funding for it.
I really wish USAns would get off this "middle-class" stuff. by definition the middle class is economically secure, and if not, they are no longer middle class, poor, so they should be called that instead. The operative phrase is "war on the poor" or "war on the worker" not "war on the middle class." But unfortunately, in the USA, "poor" brings all kinds of racist or bourgeois-classist imagery to the mind of a "middle class" person, so the politicians go on about the "middle class."
"Republicans are ignorant, suburban, small-town and country people "
That statement is why people from suburban small town country folks stay away from the left. Maybe if you started trying to reason with them and not call them names on a second grade school yard level, you may swing a vote or two.
I would suggest that you do not know Republicans very well. Most of them are urban, most of them have college educations, most of them are middle class. That they are stupid and willfully ignorant there is no question. That they are greedy materialistic elitist wannabes there is no question. But I wouldn't insult rural Americans by calling them all Republicans.
"But I wouldn't insult rural Americans by calling them all Republicans."
Well, that is overwhelmingly the case here in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania would be a hard-right Republican state if it weren't for Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. I believe it is a similar situation in the other states. And please don't interpret any classism in my remarks. In fact, rural people I meet are are rather well off landowners living in nice big houses. And who implied they are uneducated? i didn't. You are putting those words in my mouth.
And to the previous commenter, let's put it this way, when one of the landowners (the landing field) who we rely on for our hang gliding site, start complaining about the socialistic rail-trail through his property, and and the socialistic ban on it's use with motorized vehicles, and all the tree-hugging liberals from the city it is going to attract, I just nod in agreement. When the other landowner talked about how he once took his kids to Kennywood (a beautiful traditional amusement park) in Pittsburgh but wouldn't again because of the black people there (typically 10-15% of the attendance) I also just nod in agreement. He is a nice guy, who all on his own, keeps the launch and set-up area mowed for us. I'm not about to get him miffed about anything.
Many of us don't have the choice of even a moderately left candidate. I only wish we had the option to vote "None of the Above". Since I don't have that option either, I was thinking that I would go to the polls and take a ballot but not vote for anyone and put the ballot in the machine empty. Don't know if that would do any good or not. They would probably just disgard it, but if there were enough like that, maybe it would make a statement. I'm open to suggestions for alternatives.
There is a process of getting approved as a write-in all states, and there are always write-in candidates for various minor parties. There is no reason to vote for mickey mouse.
To a lot of people things just seem hopeless in American today. Hopelessness is an illusion strategically planted in our minds by fear mongers. Remember Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Luke and his small band of patriots/terrorists, against all odds, defeated the Evil Empire.
We all have a long list of what is wrong with this country. I won't recount mine here. I for one see change all around me. Not in Obama or the status quo in Washington but in reality. We are at a tipping point in time. Change is coming whether we like it or not. Be the change.
It won't be change in the right direction, that's for sure. In a few more decades, the US is going to resemble a gigantic Colombia.
Change comes from all directions and in many forms.
Riddle me this: How many Mexicans with one gallon cans of gasoline does it take to burn down Arizona? What's a right wing Governor to do?
Chavez just nationalized US owned oil rigs. Why have no gun boats shown up to take them back?
Would it be possible for some, say, drug lord with explosives to destroy oil rigs in the gulf and cause even more ecological damage? Maybe that's just James Bond stuff?
What if all the countries around the world decided en-masse to default on their debt. Just say no. We are not going to pay back our loans. Who you gonna call - Blackwater?
Putin claims his new T-50 will beat our F-22 Raptor and sell for one third the price. We are not the only players out there anymore. China is building a deep water fleet to defend their interests in Africa and SA.
With one in three home owners in California underwater, what if they all decided to just walk away? Capitalism itself is teetering as it is. Our national credit card is maxed out. There is nothing left to squeeze out of the "little people." The wealthy refuse to pay any taxes at all.
Look how much it cost the US to defeat Saddam. The Iraqi army was decimated in the first gulf war. Iraq had been under an arms embargo for ten years. There was a no fly zone. Iraq had no air force. We just sent a mult-billion dollar surge to Afghanistan to defeat 980 al-Qaeda.
It is easier to accumulate capital than it is to keep capital. The capital itself becomes its greatest weakness. Capital spread all over the world is indefensible when fear and threats are your only real weapons. This must be what is called "The Winds of Change." Change is in the air. Can't you just smell it?
Democracy is coming to the world!
Yes, I smell change - extreme reactionary change, just like economically distressed Germany in the 1930's. Come to think of it, a gradual descent to a third-world state for the US may be the best scenario.
That's just it. It's NOT for sure in the wrong direction. What IS for sure is the financiers' global, monetarist empire is dead & there are two different directions to go from here:(to use familiar terms) the use of government power in a fascistic way to FORCE cruel obedience to financier diktat, OR the use of government power in an "FDR" way to rescue the people, redress egergious grievances & solve global problems. Either way, "money power" is dead, government power is back in the saddle again. The WAR is still on-going. The outcome is not yet known (although is probably already determined)." May the good prevail" is the prayer of the day.
We need to say enough of this buying of the politicians. Plato was right. But it's easy to talk the talk, but the West and yes the East are notorious for talking the talk, but not walking the walk. Not even Athens ever did that. Democracy didn't come from Greece, it came from the heart of Africa about a one and a half million or more year ago. It lasted until hierarchies came in about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago for people regardless of race, color, ancestry, gender, and many other attributes. It's time to say 10,000 years of hierarchy is long enough and go back to traditional democratic values which lasted about one and half million years or longer in a real rule by the people.
AD
Tribal democracy lasted in the Americas in one form or another (except in the Mesoamerica civilizations) until the appearance of European. The cultivators of the soil and creators of hierarchy are a relatively new thing in human experience.
Tribal democracy began before Columbus? Prove it. Tribal elders held the power for the most part. There was no democracy. Women counted for nothing. Captives from other tribes counted for nothing. Come on...don't just accept this Avatar bullshit about the innocence and beauty of indigenous people. It's just a fable.
You don't know what you are talking about, drosera. Most tribal 'rule' was done by consensus. If the people in the tribe were not as satisfied as possible, the leaders were no longer leaders. Women had a large role in this process. The only reason elders were given 'power' was because they were considered wise with experience and self-awareness. If they proved otherwise, they were not listened to. Tribal systems were not perfect, but they sure beat the hell out of what we have.
To say the women counted for nothing is the stupidest remark I've ever heard about Native American Tribal society. What you believe is propaganda--that's even worse than fables.
So, women had power. Is that why chiefs would regularly marry them off to cement agreements with other tribes or even with white traders? And how can you speak for all tribes? Everyone knows tribal elders held much power. They were not women. Make you a deal: I'll do more research about tribal power relations and you do some more, too. May the truth win out!
Mark Twain gave that advice. It was good then, still good today.
How have Americans been brainwashed into believing that there are only two political parties? Just because the Democrats are numb nuts doesn't mean there isn't any choice except the Republican fascists. The United States has effectively been a one party system for decades now, if you only count the repugs and dems. The Soviets had more choice than we do. It's time we stopped buying brand X or brand Y and started really cleaning things up. Vote socialist, vote green, even vote libertarian, but don't vote for the same old 'choice' that will keep us slaves to wall street and it's owners. Don't be afraid to write in a candidate. If that's not possible, write in you decision not to vote across the ballot. If enough voters refused to abide by the absurd rules created to keep the two party system, there would be a lot of noise and perhaps even some change. What would probably happen is that the kid gloves would come off and the armed forces would be patrolling the streets.
In all practicality, there is probably no way to change our system but revolution. It may be too late. It is to late. We are living in a fascist system, ruled by elites, with the largest armed forces in the world ready to be used as a domestic police force if necessary. We have more prisons than any other country in the world. We are the largest force of terror in the world. We sell the most armaments. In just about every way, we ARE the enemy.
Plato was always too wordy. The short form is:
"Mankind will never see an end of trouble."
Yeah, but Gautama was concerned with the suffering that comes from constructing a certain mental image of yourself: young, vibrant, intelligent, sexy--and then watching things go to hell as you age and get sick. He didn't pay attention to the injustices the rich perpetrated on the poor, nor was he interested in rectifying those injustices. I don't think a movement came along to lessen the suffering of the poor until Marx started writing in the nineteenth century, thereby creating a vocabulary to describe the conflict: class warfare, proletariat, and so on. Of course, Jesus had something to say about the rich and poor, but his approach was to deny Heaven to those that exploited the poor. You can see how far that went.
Not sure Gautama would be casting blame on rich PSYCHOPATHS (sic) as you do. He would say suffering is an outcome of human life resulting from the desire of everyone to desire permanence in an impermanent world. No wonder a social movement did not arise in India at this time. If suffering depends upon a faulty perception of the world, then what is the point of struggling against those that oppress the people? I have been greatly influenced by Buddhism over the course of my life, but I see that it has its limitations. Social justice was never one of its aims (though Gautama did oppose caste and did allow women to participate in the religion in ways HIndus never permitted). I do give credit to Karl Marx for his take on economics. Wish I could graft his thinking onto the more profound philosophy of Gautama.
the integration you are thinking of has been done and a model created, by morihei ueshiba. the model is true (to oppose it to the typical practice that goes by that name) aikido...
Support a "none of the above" ballot choice, requiring a new election if no one wins a majority.
For instance, "None of these candidates. New election in one month" should do a better job of keeping the major party candidates honest than our so-called third parties do now.
It is painful for me to tell people not to vote...I really grew up believing in American style democracy, and one of the last thing I did before leaving for basic training when I was 18 was to stop at my town hall and register to vote. I felt like I was a real honest to god grown man on that day--participant and defender of the great American democracy. Then I got sent to defend the elite's oil fields...and the first democratic election I participated in, I helped elect the corporate DLC whore Clinton who destroyed my home state with NAFTA. But not voting, anyway? Even though it's a transparently worthless activity? It's still tough for me to think of doing that. That's how deeply they wired those myths into some of us.
Still, all this debate over "electoral strategies" and what not--who are we kidding with this? It's not only rigged from the point of view of candidate funding and corporate media manipulation. It's rigged at the very level of counting the votes. We're supposed to believe, for example, that Blanch Lincoln really won? Give me a break.
The only way to save democracy now is to start re-creating it at the local level. The corporations elite have gutted the country, destroyed the economy and the plutocrats of Washgington have abandoned us to "austerities" and chaos.
Briggs Seekins
briggsseekins.wordpress.com
There is far more to democracy than just voting. But, still, vote! Especially at local levels, which really affect your daily life a lot more.
...I look forward to the day when we are able to vote for our favorite Lobby...
Approval, disapproval. Does anyone have the commonsense and the balls to vote those members out when election time comes?
Did you ever see one of those shit eating politicians whom you would characterize as WISE?
OK maybe. But I could count them on one hand.
Polls don't matter. We have seen this poll under the Republicans in control of Congress and now it just so happens to be under the Democrats' watch. What will people do this time? My prediction is the majority will vote Republican to keep the status quo and then after 4 or 6 years, they'll vote Democrat back, and then after 4 or 6 years, you get the idea. How about giving the Green Party a chance to take control of Congress? Their approval rating in Congress will be much higher than either the Democrats or Republicans.
thanks for the Plato quote, which could also be considered as a paraphrasing of the teaching of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido...
This old Indian doesn't vote. I wouldn't waste a moment of my time upon Creator's earth concerning myself with the problems of your modern day Roman Babylon with your Roman Senate.
The Caesar's don't rule in the Kingdom of Heaven. There isn't any Roman Senate ruling in the Kingdom of Heaven.
I wonder, or almost wonder if Jesus said, Render Unto Caesar what is Caesar's, that while it may look like Caesar is building some really grand swell world all it will do is eventually turn into Hell on Earth.
Just another day of my journey through the European's modern day Roman Babylon closer to being completed. When I leave your world I will no longer need your god of green paper, nor have to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's in order to live my life.
Whether Jesus lets the Caesar's of Rome into the Kingdom is up to him. It's isn't my job to judge the human race. After all what do I know about anything except nothing.
I don't have any idea if your Nation or any Nation is here 1000-quad-trillion years from now?
Life is good. What an experience! It's always best to forgive.
I am surprised their numbers are that high
This ole redneck, nigger, and a hippie refuses to
vote in the good ole U.S. of A. again.
Shadow Dancer is right.....why give it any credibility
"Do You Approve or Disapprove of the Way Congress is Handling It's Job?"
ITS job. I disapprove. Congress and the Senate are a joke: it's not the people who are served, it's corporations and their lobbyists.
dup
Yeah Namaste,
And it's a foul nasty onion of despotism the more layers you peel back, isn't it? Great posts by you of late, btw.
Man I sure miss HTML. No way to use bold or italics with current wordpress settings.
Have you ever used vBulletin ver.368?
Configured properly, it allows the coolest pics and other html embedding. Each post can be like a private webpage and it allows direct links. It has little script buttons for the html challenged. Quotes are easier to read as they show up in a blue box with indentations. This wordpress white background is about making me blind. Safari can't be altered for some reason without a style sheet. But for some strange reason, I can't even make that work... grrrrrrrrr
Maybe we ought to start our own board: CD Dreamers or something. Here's how it could be:
http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/414936-afriqiyah-airbus-330-crash-4.html
TJ
All Gandhi, MLK, or Albert Einstein had was boring text.
Well,
I certainly agree with you guys, that's why I hang out here: The story coverage and the passion of the participation includes well-thought out complex view point, frequently.
TJ
Well,
I certainly agree with you guys, that's why I hang out here: The story coverage and the passion of the participation includes well-thought out complex view point, frequently.
TJ
Bring America Back !!!!
**Some good guidance from JFK was: Ask not what your country can do for you, ask rather what you can do for your country . !
**And from a famous Philosopher: "Those who do not
remember the Past, are condemned to repeat it" !
Read amd Heed.
Bring America Back !!!!
****A full 80 percent of Americans know and realize
the US Govt is broken, busted, and not representing
their best interests.
****So 80 percent of us are wise, expressing our wisdom, but for sure do not possess the political power to implement the change needed to correct it.
Ugh! Please remove the apostrophe from the word "It's" in the title of this piece.
the 20% who approves congress represents few rich people and clueless O'bots.
WE are doomed.