I've been saying for days that the quirky little "anonymous aides" leak that came out last week was a chance for Harry Reid to redeem himself.  He's up next year while Obama has until 2012 to do some other popular stuff.  Very good strategery IMO.

I'm looking forward to Part 2.

Afghanistan.  With the pakistanis kicking butt and the illegitimate Afghan government, it might make better sense to funnel $$ and equipment to the Pakistanis.  We'll see.

GM recalled 2400 workers.  The auto industry is expecting a good year next year.  The dealers are slow right now because they have no inventory.  

Agreed that many jobs are gone forever.  We need to create new ones and they will come from small to medium sized businesses, not the big multi-nationals.

Yes, all the infrastructure jobs are important but that doesn't mean that getting people to the retail stores doesn't help too.  It's not one or the other.  Both are good.

The Senate Finance Committee bill was a failed attempt at bi-partisanship.  You seem to be claiming that this is the final bill.

I would like to hear from all the people on this thread who are whining that we aren't getting what we want.  I want to know how hard you personally have worked/are working to help pass a healthcare reform bill with a robust public option.  Letters, faxes, emails, letters to the editor, houseparties?

President Obama told us during his campaign that together WE could achieve our goals.  He never said "I" will do this or that, it was always "we".  If we aren't getting what we want, then we aren't working hard enough.

It could be a tax credit for home improvements that save energy (a big one, not the $200 I got last year).  Or a Cash for Appliances program to replace refrigerators with EnergyStar ones.

Things like that help the environment, help people get their energy bills down and put the middle class back to work.

I voted for Reagan the first time because his whole platform was based on reducing the national debt.  Needless to say, he lied (he didn't even try) and I didn't vote for him the second time.

No President is a good president if he doesn't even attempt to fulfill his campaign promises.  They are after all, the reason people voted for him.

Polls don't win elections.

The rightwing has been stirring the base up into a frenzy of anger, hate and fear.  The purpose is to get them to the polls in the midterms.  It will work.

We don't have the level of emotion riding on next year's elections that they do so we must all work very hard on our own GOTV efforts.  If we don't mobilize ourselves, the nutty minority will take away some of our seats next year.

Be prepared!

Best diary I've read in months.  I enjoyed every word.  Thanks from me too.

Shorter diary:  Some people are just selfish and greedy.  "I've got mine and I don't want any of my money helping anyone else to get any."

My argument for political ideologies in general applies to healthcare too.  All governments (administrations) tax people so it's really not a money issue.  The disagreement is over how the tax dollars will be spent.  

I would like them to be spent improving the lives of people in our country first and other countries second.

We need both.  The space program is good for the international psyche.  When we are looking outwards at the wonders of the universe we aren't squabbling with our neighbors over the property line.

But of course we need to give all children a fair chance to grow up and get an education.  Who knows, maybe one of those children saved will one day become an astronaut. :)

Grrr, you had to remind me of the days when liberals were being banned here and the rec list was full of rightwing troll diaries.  We did have some fun though.

Ronaldo, are you a birther?

Are you convinced that President Obama is a secret Muslim?

Did you staple some teabags to a hat and prance around in public somewhere waving a sign?

The reason I ask is those of us to the left of you find the statements and behavior of conservatives bizarre.  It seems like a tangled up mess of religious slogans, anarchy and racism.

If we turn our backs and pout or act the bully, the people in these countries do not sympathize with us and they elect leaders who are anti-American.  

However, if we act with diplomacy and try to find common ground to make peace, the people are more likely to elect leaders who are sympathetic to us.

I have no doubt the wingnuts believe what they say in their comments but it proves what I've always suspected. They are idiots.

Of course, in the Civil War and Jim Crow years, it was the Dems who wanted to keep slavery of Blacks. And the way 95 pct of Blacks vote Dem, shows the Blacks want back on the plantation.

Raise your hand if you are a Democrat and voted to keep slavery during the Civil War 150 years ago.  And those Democrats who fought against civil rights in the 1950's were the Dixiecrats who abandoned the Democratic party for the racist-friendly Republican party.

And this

Someone on FR observed that the republicans had been infiltrated by the democrats.

Raise your hand if you are a Democrat who thinks it's a swell idea to infiltrate an ever-shrinking political party that is unlikely to win a majority for a decade or two.

P.S. I love Colbert's take on how the Republicans can label the Democrats to tarnish their image.  He suggested instead of the Democrat Socialist Party they start calling them by the name of the least popular group in the country...the Republican Party.  :D