Late Night: A Few Good Smackdowns
Posted: August 2, 2011 | Author: bostonboomer | Filed under: education, U.S. Economy, U.S. Politics | Tags: Afghanistan, Barney Frank, IRAQ, libertarians, Matt Damon, MBAs, medicare, Million Teacher March, Reason Magazine, Republicans, Save our Schools, Tea Party, teachers |20 CommentsBarney Frank explains to MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell why he couldn’t vote for the Obama-McConnell-Boehner bill. Barney comes on at about the 5:27 mark. The first five minutes are interesting too, but you can skip over them if you want to. I couldn’t find a video with just the Barney interview.
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Barney really lives up to his surname, doesn’t he? He just lays it all out with no bullsh&t. Iraq and Afghanistan exempted from budget cuts? No guarantee of equal cuts in Defense and Medicare/Medicaid? Medicare cuts will keep seniors from getting medical care and result in hospital jobs being lost. He also makes a good point about the possibility of invoking the 14th amendment. And there’s more. Please watch it.
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Another good guy, Bernie Sanders, angrily explains why he won’t vote for the “grotesque” bill either. Please, Bernie, run for President!
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Via Gawker, here’s a great video of Matt Damon, with his mom standing next to him, explaining to a libertarian “MBA type” from Reason Magazine that some people don’t work just to get money. Some people are actually dedicated to their work despite shitty salaries and long hours. Like teachers. Damon and his mom, who is a teacher, were participating in the Save Our Schools Million Teacher March this past weekend.
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Please discuss, or use this as an open thread.
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
grayslady
mablue2
NW Luna
peggysue22
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Bonus: Tom Harkin’s speech opposing the Obama-McConnell-Boehner bill.
I love the way Matt owned those Reason droogies.
It was great. Thanks for telling me about it.
He used the word “paternalistic,” too! His mom must be a good teacher.
And I love how that idiot manufactured the 10% number out of his butt (by the way, that would mean 90% of all teachers are good), In my experience of corporate America, where people are paid a LOT more than teachers, I’d say about 20% are good at their jobs and 80% SUCK.
So, it seems like money isn’t the only reason people are “incentivized” to do well at their jobs.
I loved it too. And as soon as that stupid 10% crap came up I wanted to shout, ‘That means 90% of them are good! Reward them!!!!!!’ I hope Damon went on to do just that 🙂
Poor Barney is all crumpled; tie twisted, Alfalfa hair, and rumpled shirt collars. He looks like he’s been sleeping in the office. He still is coherent and articulate, though.
He did look even more disheveled than usual, but at least he has managed to retain his humanity in that inhuman atmosphere he works in.
Perhaps he looks like many of us feel? Trying to stop a train wreck makes one a bit frantic. But the momentum behind that train wreck was set in motion.
Interesting to read the reactions of the former hard core 0bots — many are still hanging on and one or two are tossing out the race card. I’ve been reading the comments to posts — enlightening and discouraging. One hard core type claimed that this happened because we all just didn’t believe enough in his extreme holiness 0.
I’ve found some murder mysteries 12 seasons worth. Murder — investigation and they catch the bad ones at the end of 1 hour and 40 minutes.
I just love Barney. He supported Hillary in 2008, and he has never been afraid to speak up against Obama’s Republican policies.
On the Obots, I check out Dkos recently, and there are still people there making excuses for Obama. It’s hard to believe anyone still thinks he’s a Democrat, but there are some still defending him.
Anyone read this at FiredogLake: at the end of 2009, when Evan Bayh, Kent Conrad, Dianne Feinstein, Mark Warner and Joe Lieberman threatened to not increase the debt limit if they didn’t get in place a fiscal commission that would recommend spending and entitlement cuts. That’s right, Democrats started the hijacking of the debt limit. Barely anybody remembers this, but it set the stage for the deal being voted on today.
http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/08/01/the-hidden-history-of-the-debt-limit-hijack-democrats-started-it/
It seems like the Democrats got what they wanted. Bastards.
Those people you listed are very conservative. Joe Lieberman actually isn’t one even a Democrat. Evan Bayh and Mark Warner have favored privatization of SS for a long time. Kent Conrad was on the catfood commission. So yes, they got what they wanted, but not what most Dems wanted.
One of the points being made in that article was that this was this was the first time that the debt ceiling vote was held hostage. So this group of DINOs pulled this crap first. Lieberman is a sleaze ball and in the back pocket of Corporations who will benefit if entitlements are “controlled”.
The Constitution wasn’t written to include major political parties — and I think I agree with the founding fathers. Political parties are the evil villains.
Was it only a few days ago that the WH and congressional switchboards were overloaded to the point where they had to call “uncle”? Remember Obama urging us to make those calls? Remember?
Judging from the passage of this stupid, idiotic bill that guts most of the middle and lower income class, the callers must have been urging congress to pass this piece of crap and telling Obama to “cave” once again. Did I get that right?
Since most of the people polled are “madder than hell and not going to take anymore”, tell me the purpose of those phone calls?
Must have been Tea Party supporters and the Bachmann family cramming the switchboards because from where I sit most people are not in favor of having anymore cuts made in their names or off their backs.
Telling us to “call” was about as stupid as telling us to “go shopping” as the Twin Towers disintegrated before our eyes.
what I can’t stand at the moment is the narrative that the teaparty made them do it and they were helpless against it … they keep thinking Obama just hasn’t found his inner moxie … Obama has found his inner voice a long time ago and the only thing it said is do what ever makes you feel good about yourself
We know that the dems are lying — it was a joint effort.
Glad you posted this ….. here’s some mood music to go along with it
“We had no choice” was the same bullshit excuse they used in December when they wrapped another package of goodies addressed to the GOP and placed it under the tree.
This is typical of the ignorant mindsets we are up against:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/02/steve-king-free-birth-control_n_916519.html
As bad as Obama is these people are worse.
Anger, Deceit and a Billionaires’ Coup
By George Monbiot, Guardian UK
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/6861-focus-anger-deceit-and-a-billionaires-coup
What’s taking place in Congress right now is a kind of political coup. A handful of billionaires have shoved a spanner into the legislative process. Through the candidates they have bought and the movement that supports them, they are now breaking and reshaping the system to serve their interests. We knew this once, but now we’ve forgotten. What hope do we have of resisting a force we won’t even see?
dow down 122 points