The Progressive - Latest Comments

Re: How to Push Obama

mikey — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:41:27 -0000

Obama is determined to run again in 2012; he can do this if his record allows him to keep the support of the independent voters. That means stay enough in the middle not to lose them while tinkering around the edges and avoiding the pitfalls of empowering the establishment of public topheavy bureaucracy as we have in education dinosaurs. He sends his kids to pricey private schools--doesn't that tell you anything about his core values? These are: hold on, don't lose power, alienate as few as possible, appear to listen to everyone who can affect his future electability,,etc. etc. He's no ideologue. If he had been Mayor Daley's machine would have dumped hi long ago.

Re: How to Push Obama

jack carlson — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:03:27 -0000

The real problem is that stopping the socialist train is not easy. Once the train builds up a head of steam, it requires a revolution or bloodshed to get it off the tracks. The train is leaving the station, or has already left, and the very first thing it does is stifle dissent and opposition. And then it begins to clear tracks ahead. The good guys trying to derail it, find it tough going.

Re: Barack Obama needs to carry out King’s vision

Stephanie — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:57:57 -0000

I enjoyed and applaud this piece. There is another part of King's vision that Obama would do well to carry out. It holds that the path to peace and security is through generosity and compassion, not through brute force and domination. It recognizes all people as our brothers and sisters. I think this is in large part the vision that many of us who voted for Obama hold and hope to see fulfilled.

Some may be interested to know about the Network of Spiritual Progressives, a project of Tikkun based in Berkeley, CA and co-founded by Rabbi Michael Lerner, Dr. Cornel West and Sister Joan Chittister. It seeks to fulfill the same kind of vision that Dr. King put forth so many decades ago. NSP's website is www.spiritualprogressives.org.

Best regards,

Stephanie Carrow
Rowayton, CT

Re: How to Push Obama

Dan H. — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:50:30 -0000

I've studied a bit of history and there is not a single instance of where socialist policies have improve the long-term outlook of an economy. It is inherently anti innovation, discourages risk taking and economic growth and wealth creation. In the end it can only redistribute the income and wealth drive out the productive private sector. The only prospect for socialism in succeeding is to strangle private enterprise worldwide.

Re: How to Push Obama

jack carlson — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:46:03 -0000

I will answer one of Nichols' questions. Why can't we have universal health care in this country with all the money that we are spending? Because......the Democrats WILL NOT DO the one (AND ONLY) thing that would bring down health care costs! That is, eliminate liability lawsuits against doctors, hospitals, medical equipment companies, and pharmaceuticals. It is the attorneys and the pervasive lottery mentality of the public that has created this insoluble mess, and the attorneys LIKE it!!!

The legal "profession" will do everything in its power (including bribery) to maintain the status quo. Health care costs in the USA are driven by legal costs and the bureaucracy they engender. Fix this simple problem (which could be done tomorrow with the stroke of a pen) and everyone could afford health care immediately. There is your answer.

It won't happen though, because the Dims are in the pockets of the trial lawyers.

Re: How to Push Obama

Daniel McGowan — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:19:02 -0000

Wow. Looks like some people got here from the RealClearPolitics page. Sorry guys. The days when a poitical argument could be won by the person who yells "Commie!" first and loudest have thankfully passed. If you want to win an argument based on policy, I'm afraid you're going to have to actually study policy before you're taken seriously.

Regarding "failed policies of socialism".... Don't socialists do things like nationalize banking? That one falls in your boy's lap. Obama isn't building a Worker's Paradise so much as he inherited one from Dubya.

Enjoy your time in the wilderness, Comrades.

Re: How to Push Obama

Arthur — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 11:45:00 -0000

Obama pimped the feminine left. Could ya'll imagine a "progressive" defense secretary?

Re: How to Push Obama

Arthur — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 11:35:39 -0000

I can't believe a man is writing this ochy cochy stuff, "universal health care", "make love not war". What kind of weaklings are these liberal, progressives? They never grow up.

Re: How to Push Obama

fred t — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 11:27:38 -0000

Let us all hope, for the sake of America that you are wrong and that Obama (blessed be his name) is actually, despite all appearences, a patriotic American who will reject the failed policies of Socialism.

Re: How to Push Obama

SomewhatConservative — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 11:23:09 -0000

Lets see, the Soviet Union was a smashing success. China values freedoms. Cuba is the epitome of fine living.

Given all these great success stories, one would think all libs would have long ago left for these paradises. Please vote w/ your feet.

Re: How to Push Obama

holman — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 11:19:10 -0000

California is lost. Fall back to one of the ring states or Texas, and retrench.

New York is self-immolating and is already suffering the effects of out-migration.

Michigan is on fire. Illinois is bent.

Unfunded Paternalism is on the march.

41 states and 1,500 cities are in the bail-out queue.

We have lost our rudder. We are unhinged. These are truly bizarre times.

It took 5 years and over five hundred thousand dead to correct the Dred Scott Decision.

It will be a long war.

Re: How to Push Obama

Richard Calderhead — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 11:01:04 -0000

Thank you. Some of us who believe in Progressive Ideals...have been made nervous
by Barack Obama's seeming Centrist "tendencies."

Your solid report calms ME down, at least.
I write about this 5 days a week...I will link to this story so my readers can see it.
Richard Calderhead http://itsez.org

Re: How to Push Obama

norgan — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 10:53:39 -0000

You want to push the MOST LIBERAL IDIOT that we've ever had, to the LEFT? You pukes won't be happy until we're all wearing those little green and RED jumpsuits that your buddy MAO used to pass out. Look at youselves. Look at your pathetic Democrat Party. A conglomerration of the FREAKS and LOSERS of the Species. Lifes' LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR. Pathetic.

Re: Bush Tarnishes Medal of Freedom by Bestowing It on Uribe

Paul Wolf — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:47:31 -0000

Colombians see things the opposite way. A recent survey showed that a majority of Colombians thought their President was disgraced by being awarded a medal by Bush. Bush is viewed as a war criminal by many Colombians, a people with a great deal of experience of being at war.

Uribe gets a lot of knee-jerking criticism by people who are not familiar with Colombia. He deserves a lot of credit for demobilizing the AUC, and for diffusing the FARC through the reinsertion program. His heated rhetoric is hard to justify, and his support for the Bush is not justifiable. The gringos are in no position to criticize Colombians on the issue of human rights.

Re: Barack Obama needs to carry out King’s vision

CHARLEE — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:01:56 -0000

Plunder America's taxpayer? Redistribute income? "...far left protege" Time, about four years time, will show you how mistaken you are .

Re: Critic of Israel Threatened Before Talk in NY

CHARLEE — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:43:53 -0000

The man is not content on destroying Israel. He is a human rights activist. His concern is with peace, understanding, an end to the violence that has destroyed the lives of far too many, on both sides.

Re: Bush Tarnishes Medal of Freedom by Bestowing It on Uribe

fred t — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:58:01 -0000

Of course - how dare a loyal and brave ally of the United States be recognized. Why do leftists hate America and our friends so much???

Re: FBI, Univ. California, Alameda Sheriffs Sued for Illegal Search of Social Justice Groups

fred t — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:40:08 -0000

This is hilarious - "They struck in the dead of day -when we were all asleep"- Most productive members of society are working in the "dead of day"- but these are not, of course, productive members of society. They are "Social Justice Groups" - a euphemism for far left wackos.

Re: Israel Is Losing This War

David B LONDON — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:18:50 -0000

Lets all enjoy the sight of dead arabs, Muslim scum are the crap of the world , They are and will always be the shit of the world , Liars, cowards, Rats of every city they infest, I think soon the world will have enough of this vile race and its mental cruel blinkered religion, What a bunch of ugly , twats

PS and they smell, I sat next to one in Uni a women in a Burka I swear I could smell Mutton and anchovy coming out her front brush, Yuck MUslim Scum

Re: Israel Is Losing This War

David B LONDON — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:13:39 -0000

The Arabs should do better in the olympics this year they have practiced well in the 100 Mtr run with child race , as long as you have a camara at the finish line,

Re: Bush Tarnishes Medal of Freedom by Bestowing It on Uribe

Bob Carter — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:02:57 -0000

The medal was further tarnished by GW Bush awarding it also to John Howard, former Prime Minister of Australia. Howard, whose party lost the Nov 2007 national election and who lost his place in Parliament as even his local constituents would not re-elect him, collaborated with Bush on the Iraq invasion, arrested and detained men, women and children asylum seekers (from Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of conflict), in contradiction of international conventions, detained them (children included) behind razor wire in the Australian desert for as long as 5 years, did everything possible to ignore and resist global moves for carbon reduction and implemented the severest restrictions of workers industrial rights in 100 years of Australian history.

... and the other one was Blair!

Bob Carter
Australia

Re: Critic of Israel Threatened Before Talk in NY

Melvin Little — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:01:11 -0000

The name of the game is for everyone to distance themselves from the nasty extremists on all sides. In America, the JDO are as much bullies as Hamas are in Gaza. To hell with both the JDO and Hamas. What needs to be focused on is the humanity which exist in the hearts of both the majority of the Jewish people and the Palestinian people. As I said in another thread concerning the situation in Gaza, Hamas is the problem over there at the end of the day. They intentionally provoked Israel and shielded themselves around innocents in Gaza to make it look like Israel is the aggressor when they aren't. Without apology, George W. Bush is really the blame. The mainstream and secular moderate leadership in the Palestinian Territory said that they weren't prepared for elections, and they were correct as it now stands. Hamas took over Gaza, and there is now instability. If and when Hamas is marginalized, there will be no peace. Same thing in Israel. If Likud comes back into power, more disaster awaits. Labor needs to come back to power in Israel, and Fetah needs to be in power in the Palestinian Territory. When secular moderates are in charge and crazies ON BOTH SIDES are marginalized, then peace could become more of a reality...

Re: Vilsack not the right choice for Ag Secretary

Ken Burch — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:40:04 -0000

Should've gone with Jim Hightower at Agriculture. There was no reason that job ever needed to go to not only a centrist "pro-business" hack, but a person who was utterly unable to attract any support for his OWN presidential candidacy.

Re: Gaza: Israel, Washington to blame

freeRADlad — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:23:21 -0000

It's articles like this that place not a single shred of blame on Palestinian Arabs who believe the murder of all Jews is the only and right way forward. Shame on you for such propaganda in a time of such hardship. Israel must defend its self against such hate and is forced to fight such people that believe their women and children are worth the sacrifice no matter what the truth is. Humans make choices every day to do right and wrong. It's time for Hamas to do the same. Erase the covenant to destroy Israel, and choose the path of peace not war.

Re: Obama’s Dinner with George Gives Me Indigestion

Harold — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:11:20 -0000

This piece has been featured at THEWEEK.com as Best Opinion - Great article!