700 billion of your dollars are about to be appropriated by congress to buy the bad debts of a host of so called Wall Street Wizards.
The nations topmost wealth worshippers, have in the past week, hit rock bottom with a sickening wet smack and now must go hat in hand to their paid agent in the White House to whimper for a hand out.
HEY!
A.I.G. why doncha get a JOB you BUM!! Some of us have to work for what we have!!!!
These would be the same bums who used to send the market worshippers at the Cato Institute phat checks every year without fail.
These are the same bums who raised millions for Phi Gramm and John McCain so they could deregulate the nation's financial institutions into a state of self destructive ANARCHY!
These would be the same bums who drove the global economy off a cliff!
And now they want 700 billion dollars of our money.
So HELL YEAH Barack Obama should talk tough on regulating the financial sector, I hope he talks even tougher next week! FDR did, listen to his 1933 inaugural address if you don't believe me.
And HELL YEAH, Barney Frank should be fulminating against the malign practice of "golden parachutes". If the American people are buying 700 billions dollars worth of bad debt, then the jerks who created this catastrophe HAD BETTER NOT float safety with millions of fresh greenbacks in their kicks.
This is a golden opportunity for Barack Obama, John Kerry, Barney Frank and the whole of the democratic party to break the power of reactionary socialism in this country.
By that I mean the entire system of tax cut based kickbacks and corporate welfare that has fattened up the overclass in the USA for decades now.
If Wall Street wants a publicly funded bailout, it will have to play by vastly different rules going forward and accept much more stringent regulation of the financial sector.
Frankly it is my hope that Congressman Frank and the congressional democrats write draconian legislation of a kind anathema to the President and Wall Street.
Hey it is a free market they can walk away and take their chances on boostrapping themselves back up to the top.
Oh but wait mah frenz, in a few days politics will set in and you will actually read caustic editorials from the likes of Jeff Jacoby defending executive hypercompensation on grounds of the "sanctity of contracts" or some such twaddle like that.
Watch for it!
Well these dingbats are about to sign a contract with the American people so for the sake of the polity I hope their representatives in congress drive a hard bargain.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Sighted at Arlington's Town Day this morning...
the Town GOP Committee festooned it's booth with pictures of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King...my guess is, in defiance of the local democrat-bigot-bourbon's King must've registered Republican at some point early in his life. So today's race baiters like John McCain can now claim kinship without the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King without giving up the malevolent reaches of their agenda.
Funny how political symbology works.
Pardon me but I don't recall seeing Richard Nixon, Dwight Eisenhower, Henry Cabot Lodge OR McCain's political sire, Barry Goldwater introducing Dr. King at the Lincoln Memorial.
For that fact, wasn't McCain OPPOSED to making King's birthday a holiday before he was for it??
Sick
Demented
Typical
Funny how political symbology works.
Pardon me but I don't recall seeing Richard Nixon, Dwight Eisenhower, Henry Cabot Lodge OR McCain's political sire, Barry Goldwater introducing Dr. King at the Lincoln Memorial.
For that fact, wasn't McCain OPPOSED to making King's birthday a holiday before he was for it??
Sick
Demented
Typical
Friday, September 19, 2008
Caucus Schmaucus...
Long time Arlington democratic activist Terry Walsh has tossed her top-hat into the ring for the Middlesex County Register of Probate race. Since Buonomo won the primary despite having withdrawn last month, a caucus at a location in Waltham next week composed of all the municipal democratic committees will determine the nominee.
this is a rare occasion to say the least and a PRIME blogging opportunity, Humble Elias will move heaven and earth to be there!
I mean think about it, no campaign offices, no real fundraising, no volunteers no paid stuff, just barnstorm a caucus and you are the nominee of the party for an obscure but vital sinecure.
No wonder some thirty or so people are circling around the position...
Terry Walsh could be an interesting candidate, a lot of Hillary Clinton's core supporters sit on town and city democratic committees in this county, they just got double tucked back this summer between losing in Denver and having a Aunt Tom like Sarah Palin duct-taped to the GOP ticket...so a lot of that cohort may be out for some vengeance at the caucus. Terry could tap into that energy if she played her cards right. An argument could be made that Bob Antonelli's personal failings and John Buonomo's embarrassing chiseling make the office ripe for a woman's reforming zeal. Connect those Hillary-dots and you can be a nominee I guarantee it, lets not forget the Junior Senator from New York WON the Massachusetts primary in a cakewalk.
Walsh is making all the right noises mostly about restoring integrity and professionalism to the office she is also talking up the need to digitize some of the processes within the Register of Probate's office. All good ideas, she has a background as an elected official in Arlington (the Housing Authority) and is an attorney working for AG Martha Coakley, all stong datapoints on her resume.
Mostly though, it is about swinging an electorate of 600 behind you, anything can happen at this caucus though, it ought to be fascinating.
For more info on how these thing work click on the link waa-ay down below to .08 Acres, the redoubtable Sco has a whole run-down on how the mishaugas works.
this is a rare occasion to say the least and a PRIME blogging opportunity, Humble Elias will move heaven and earth to be there!
I mean think about it, no campaign offices, no real fundraising, no volunteers no paid stuff, just barnstorm a caucus and you are the nominee of the party for an obscure but vital sinecure.
No wonder some thirty or so people are circling around the position...
Terry Walsh could be an interesting candidate, a lot of Hillary Clinton's core supporters sit on town and city democratic committees in this county, they just got double tucked back this summer between losing in Denver and having a Aunt Tom like Sarah Palin duct-taped to the GOP ticket...so a lot of that cohort may be out for some vengeance at the caucus. Terry could tap into that energy if she played her cards right. An argument could be made that Bob Antonelli's personal failings and John Buonomo's embarrassing chiseling make the office ripe for a woman's reforming zeal. Connect those Hillary-dots and you can be a nominee I guarantee it, lets not forget the Junior Senator from New York WON the Massachusetts primary in a cakewalk.
Walsh is making all the right noises mostly about restoring integrity and professionalism to the office she is also talking up the need to digitize some of the processes within the Register of Probate's office. All good ideas, she has a background as an elected official in Arlington (the Housing Authority) and is an attorney working for AG Martha Coakley, all stong datapoints on her resume.
Mostly though, it is about swinging an electorate of 600 behind you, anything can happen at this caucus though, it ought to be fascinating.
For more info on how these thing work click on the link waa-ay down below to .08 Acres, the redoubtable Sco has a whole run-down on how the mishaugas works.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
It is strictly a cash bar at a glittering joint called democratic party unity....
So anyway I went down to the Democratic Unity Rally at the Sons of Italy in Arlington last night...there was good crowd though mostly it was composed of Donnelly supporters who missed Tuesday night's big victory do'.
Sean "I'm for everyone" Garballey was finally seen in public now that the rubble has settled from the state senate primary. It was a good strong activist crowd unfazed by the presidential campaign's ups and downs, most if not all know the drill. Most of the small talk in the room was about the upcoming county caucus to determine a democratic nominee for Register of Probate, somehow somewhere, Humble Elias will be in that hall!
Governor Patrick and state democratic chair Walsh both made effective speeches (Does the Governor ever turn in a bad job at the podium? I think not)and Jack Hurd, the main reason for this whole unity mishaugas spoke gracefully and endorsed Donnelly.
Given the fact that it was a pro-Donnelly room it took class for Jack to show up. Certainly very few of Jack's core supporters were in attendance, but Hurd himself did the right thing last night, he is a man of decency who deserves better.
Ken Donnelly simply "nationalized" an obscure state senate primary in Massachusetts, from Humble Elias' perspective there is no shame in such a loss.
One program note, kudos to the Sons of Italy, their cash bar certainly does not water down the Jack Daniels (unlike some of these other places y' go too)! I had two good slugs and staggered home home singing the Fenian version of "The Foggy Dew" in a fine untrained baritone....so the political season is off to a fine start as far as Humble Elias is concerned.
Sean "I'm for everyone" Garballey was finally seen in public now that the rubble has settled from the state senate primary. It was a good strong activist crowd unfazed by the presidential campaign's ups and downs, most if not all know the drill. Most of the small talk in the room was about the upcoming county caucus to determine a democratic nominee for Register of Probate, somehow somewhere, Humble Elias will be in that hall!
Governor Patrick and state democratic chair Walsh both made effective speeches (Does the Governor ever turn in a bad job at the podium? I think not)and Jack Hurd, the main reason for this whole unity mishaugas spoke gracefully and endorsed Donnelly.
Given the fact that it was a pro-Donnelly room it took class for Jack to show up. Certainly very few of Jack's core supporters were in attendance, but Hurd himself did the right thing last night, he is a man of decency who deserves better.
Ken Donnelly simply "nationalized" an obscure state senate primary in Massachusetts, from Humble Elias' perspective there is no shame in such a loss.
One program note, kudos to the Sons of Italy, their cash bar certainly does not water down the Jack Daniels (unlike some of these other places y' go too)! I had two good slugs and staggered home home singing the Fenian version of "The Foggy Dew" in a fine untrained baritone....so the political season is off to a fine start as far as Humble Elias is concerned.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The Firefighter Township or Money Doesn't Talk so much as it Shrieks
Well, as predicted, Ken Donnelly bludgeoned his way to victory last night in the 4th Middlesex democratic state senate primary.
And why?
Because 45,000 USD however carefully deployed and well intentioned can't beat 100,000 USD and a nigh limitless pool of off duty fireghter-volunteers.
Ken Donnelly debates poorly to indifferently but thanks to the above factors he runs hard on election day...and what the hell it worked.
Other factors played into last night's victory as well.
About 4,000 of Jim Marzilli's politically homeless base broke for Donnelly in the weary wicked end but only after a summer of the most abject beggary and wheedling from the Donnelly campaign.
The candidate and the rump of Jim Marzilli's high command simply did a better more effectively financed job of cajoling the state senator's core cohorts.
The studied "neutrality" of many local politicians also played a factor, Lexington Representative Jay Kaufman for example finally climbed down off the fence an hour after the polls closed to all but weep with joy when he introduced Donnelly at his victory last night.
Word on the street is, some of the public sector unions leaned on Rep. Kaufman to steer clear of the fight...but that is but a rumor my friends.
Of sturdier stuff is Arlington's own Representative Sean "I vote for Everyone" Garballey who was statesman-like in his absence from Donnelly's victory party last night. Word is, he was out celebrating his own primary victory over exactly no one at all.
The lessons learned from this primary aren't too complicated, some of them are strangely sad to be honest:
The sun has set on the fabled buzzcuts from Arlington, they've made two attempts to bust out of their redoubt in Town Hall and have been decisively rebuffed both times.
This is in part because they do not go into coalitions very easily. For example, popular Arlington selectperson Annie LaCourt's favor if not her endorsement might have been fetched by the Hurd campaign but for the buzzcut's insistence on challenging LaCourt's re-election last year.
Their base is also aging rapidly out of the game the term "old Arlington family" now refers to actual retirees in many cases.
Moreover if you want to win in the 4th Middlesex, you need professional campaign management, you might without it but you need the stones of a burglar, the stamina of a Jamaican donkey and throat of William Jennings Bryan.
You can see the problem easily if you are a popular selectman from Arlington with low name recognition outside of town and limited funds.
As for Ken Donnelly he has won and won convincingly but his long term prospects remain clouded.
He can fundraise like a sumbitch and summon fire-battalions of volunteers but he is still a dodgy script dependent public speaker. To win this fight he practically had to promise the liberals free hookers and the biblical seven phat years of prosperity...delivering on all of it is impossible, delivering on a little will be daunting enough.
Moreover he lost Arlington his home town by six hundred votes last night, he ran amok everywhere else but Arlington has the highest democratic turnout in the district...to do even that well he needed the help and support of the Mahon machine at Town Hall. This raises some long term electoral questions in the mind of humble Elias.
And as always, there are ruffled feathers on the other side, wise democrats should attend to this with some patience and sympathy.
Lord knows we all know what it is like to lose.
And why?
Because 45,000 USD however carefully deployed and well intentioned can't beat 100,000 USD and a nigh limitless pool of off duty fireghter-volunteers.
Ken Donnelly debates poorly to indifferently but thanks to the above factors he runs hard on election day...and what the hell it worked.
Other factors played into last night's victory as well.
About 4,000 of Jim Marzilli's politically homeless base broke for Donnelly in the weary wicked end but only after a summer of the most abject beggary and wheedling from the Donnelly campaign.
The candidate and the rump of Jim Marzilli's high command simply did a better more effectively financed job of cajoling the state senator's core cohorts.
The studied "neutrality" of many local politicians also played a factor, Lexington Representative Jay Kaufman for example finally climbed down off the fence an hour after the polls closed to all but weep with joy when he introduced Donnelly at his victory last night.
Word on the street is, some of the public sector unions leaned on Rep. Kaufman to steer clear of the fight...but that is but a rumor my friends.
Of sturdier stuff is Arlington's own Representative Sean "I vote for Everyone" Garballey who was statesman-like in his absence from Donnelly's victory party last night. Word is, he was out celebrating his own primary victory over exactly no one at all.
The lessons learned from this primary aren't too complicated, some of them are strangely sad to be honest:
The sun has set on the fabled buzzcuts from Arlington, they've made two attempts to bust out of their redoubt in Town Hall and have been decisively rebuffed both times.
This is in part because they do not go into coalitions very easily. For example, popular Arlington selectperson Annie LaCourt's favor if not her endorsement might have been fetched by the Hurd campaign but for the buzzcut's insistence on challenging LaCourt's re-election last year.
Their base is also aging rapidly out of the game the term "old Arlington family" now refers to actual retirees in many cases.
Moreover if you want to win in the 4th Middlesex, you need professional campaign management, you might without it but you need the stones of a burglar, the stamina of a Jamaican donkey and throat of William Jennings Bryan.
You can see the problem easily if you are a popular selectman from Arlington with low name recognition outside of town and limited funds.
As for Ken Donnelly he has won and won convincingly but his long term prospects remain clouded.
He can fundraise like a sumbitch and summon fire-battalions of volunteers but he is still a dodgy script dependent public speaker. To win this fight he practically had to promise the liberals free hookers and the biblical seven phat years of prosperity...delivering on all of it is impossible, delivering on a little will be daunting enough.
Moreover he lost Arlington his home town by six hundred votes last night, he ran amok everywhere else but Arlington has the highest democratic turnout in the district...to do even that well he needed the help and support of the Mahon machine at Town Hall. This raises some long term electoral questions in the mind of humble Elias.
And as always, there are ruffled feathers on the other side, wise democrats should attend to this with some patience and sympathy.
Lord knows we all know what it is like to lose.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
There will be a Democratic Party Unity event TONIGHT in Arlington
to bind up the wounds from tonight's 4th Middlesex state senate primary..and as democrats are wont to do, we need to start that binding up process early as we do cut deep.
It starts at 7pm at the fabled Sons of Italy Hall on Prentiss Street off Mass Ave (Party goods store on the corner). Governor Deval Patrick will be attendance, I think a big turn out from all factions and activists within the democratic party is very much in order.
It starts at 7pm at the fabled Sons of Italy Hall on Prentiss Street off Mass Ave (Party goods store on the corner). Governor Deval Patrick will be attendance, I think a big turn out from all factions and activists within the democratic party is very much in order.
There is a Bear in the Woods mah frenz...
And it eats republics and empires for breakfast sans demure.
Thriving nations descend into poverty and insignificance for a lot of different reasons. Pride, stupidity, willful primitivism a host of reasons really.
Many times the same elites, the same oligarchs the same leaders are continually returned to power to pursue the same policies on the patently insane expectation of a different outcome.
The Romans had this problem; they handed over the tatters of their republic to the twitchy descendents of Julius Caesar until at long last Nero decided he was the Goddess of Revelsm gowns and all, he brought down the army on himself and the House of Augustus.
We've got the same problem here in America right now, the same gang that got us into this mess are the same ones backing John McCain to the hilt. Somehow more tax cuts and less regulation and more lobbyists making the laws is supposed to bring prosperity back to the USA soonest. Well....in an objective sense we've already seen where that notion leads us, recession...therefore more of the same will lead to a depression doesn't that make common sense?
***
We can all start out in the middle class and still end up living in refridgerator boxes. All it takes is enough guys at the top with no sense of consequence and a great deal of greed.
Sick
Demented
Typical...
Thriving nations descend into poverty and insignificance for a lot of different reasons. Pride, stupidity, willful primitivism a host of reasons really.
Many times the same elites, the same oligarchs the same leaders are continually returned to power to pursue the same policies on the patently insane expectation of a different outcome.
The Romans had this problem; they handed over the tatters of their republic to the twitchy descendents of Julius Caesar until at long last Nero decided he was the Goddess of Revelsm gowns and all, he brought down the army on himself and the House of Augustus.
We've got the same problem here in America right now, the same gang that got us into this mess are the same ones backing John McCain to the hilt. Somehow more tax cuts and less regulation and more lobbyists making the laws is supposed to bring prosperity back to the USA soonest. Well....in an objective sense we've already seen where that notion leads us, recession...therefore more of the same will lead to a depression doesn't that make common sense?
***
We can all start out in the middle class and still end up living in refridgerator boxes. All it takes is enough guys at the top with no sense of consequence and a great deal of greed.
Sick
Demented
Typical...
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