What a mess we are in. If Obama had followed through on his campaign promises, he wouldn’t even need to campaign this time – he would win by about 85%. But he listened to the money, not the people, and he just may get thrown out of office.

Very very nicely stated. Not that Messina or any other Democrat in Leadership will hear you.

It is all one big money party. The second someone explained to me whom it was that Obama was putting into the top Treasury position (mid Dec 2008) I realized we had been played.

What to do about this all – I have no clue.

Polls say that some people who voted for Walker support Obama. Maybe Obama should have gone to Wisconsin and used that popularity to try and flip some of Walker’s support.

Earth to Jim: This is what happens when you act like “got your back” is about you.

Exactly.

Nah, that would be too partisan.

Succinct, brief and on the money.

(Oh, “on the money”, that was a totally unintentional pun.

Walker got tons of support and cash from the RNC and outside the state.

Barrett got a tweet at the last possible moment.

Oh and by the way – despite the fact hat many local Democrats have flipped over to an independent candidate or to the Green Party, Obama got himself primaried here in Lake County Calif.

A total of 5.6 percent of all Dem voters wrote in someone else’s name, rather than vote for the O man. (We have an honest Registrar of Voters here – so they knew their vote would be counted. Don’t try this in your home county unless you know your Registrar of Voters is a decent person – many of them are not!)

Dammit. Ever noticed that the best ideas always come just a little late.

Hey, we’ll get ‘em next time.

As they say (about the DNC and Obama), “With friends like that you don’t need enemies.”

I’ve been reading up on this. some people say that Wisconsinites are not necessariy anti-union, just anti-public employees unions. (CUshy salaries, bloated pensions)

Others feel that the money, the LOTS OF MONEY, simply bought the election.

What say yee my colleagues????

Maybe it’s because the President didn’t put on his comfortable shoes and walk the line like he SWORE to us he would do. He’s sold us and the country out for filthy money.

It’s all OBAMA”S fault for being a God Damn republican Jimmy and screwing us one too many times.

How many hours did our leader put into the fight on the ground? NONE ?

WTF is exactly what we want to know and it’s not about Winning The Future.

From what I have been reading time was a factor. The process took so long from the sit-ins to the election that people just got tired of it. IMO people only know what they are told about unions and that tale was told by the Kochs. Money was a huge factor – those repeated lies are absorbed even when people are not aware of it.

and he just may get thrown out of office.

As long as he’s not thrown in with the 99% again.
But he’s a 1%er for life and that’s all that matters to o.

What is the total “trickle down” for all the election money gathered and spent each cycle? I’ll guess most of it stays with the 1% and very little gets into the hands of the 99%. You give Obama or Rmoney $5 and most of it goes to madison ave. or wall street media moguls.

The “Walkering” shoes are in the back of Obama’s closet under an old pile of laundry. The undervote for Obama in New Mexico was around 10% statewide. Meaning 10% of all voters did not fill in the bubble next to his name.

I checked today and in Ca Obama got about 240,000 fewer votes than Feinstein. Interesting, I thought.

Oh I hear you. I really hear you. And so do other people. Registration is way up – sky high – for all the third parties, American Independent, The Green Party, The Justice Party, a newly formed but about to kick ass group of folks.

In yesterday’s election, here in Lake County Calif., only 80% of all voters voted Dem or Republican. And the number would be even lower except that Ron Paul (who is really an indie) was on the Republican ticket. Ron Paul got 18% of the Republican voters vote. And 5.6 Democratic voters wrote names in rather than pick Obama.

SO it is true – the O man even got primaried in my county!

Did you check for the percentage of that? I guess I can look it up, would be interesting to look state by state on this. I suppose they think 10% spoilage is tolerable. I based my rough estimate on the numbers in our US Senate race, for comparison.

Clinton said once 48% of voters are D’s and 48% are R’s and the fight is for the 4% in the middle. That is no longer true because the far left and far right are carving out their own candidates. Not choosing is a choice and if 250k Californians who are registered D’s wouldn’t pick a sitting Democratic President it says volumes about how the truth is coming out.

Onto a nice pile of money.

Wow. Of course, DiFi is a piece of work, as well.

Let’s consider it the other way around: maybe Obama didn’t go to WI for that reason.

We got ur back Obama.

Yep, we need to know the total number of voters, because of course people opt out of the vote all over the ballot. The best I could do with the data from our SoS last night was to look at the number of the US Senate race, which was the top state wide contested race, and the numbers from Bernalillo County (ABQ) and the state-wide numbers both had the same 10% anomaly.

i dont trust the media,political polling,or the vote counting. how do we really know we lost? the vote tabulation has proven to be hackable many different ways

How do we know we lost? Barrett conceded. Nothing else matters after that. The folks at the Capitol in Madison started chanting “Count the vote” after the word went out that Barrett conceded.

And, as I understand it, in Wisconsin there really is no good paper trail.

Progressives and Liberals got played for FOOLS last night!

A historic event happen last night!
Unicorn voters in Wisconsin voted for a Black Dem Candidate and Right Wing Nut case. 17% of the voters of Wisconsin voted for Obama and Walker

looking at american voting history no where in the records you will find a black dem candidate winning a state wide election along with a gop nut job

what the elites want you to think is conservatives will vote for a black dem candidate and right wing nut!

the politics of race tells us this is not possible!

George Orwell have one on me! :)

They are absorbed enough to confuse voters in the voting booth even when they know better in conversations with their friends.

Move on is also sending out e-mails requesting $5. I sent them back an Unsubscribe instead.

Not circling/selecting Obama in the New Mexico primary for me personally felt good, no it felt great! I know I will have to hold my nose and vote for Pres bait and switch in November. I dont really much care, IMHO the opportunity has passed and we are toast!
I really did not want a Bush third term but thats what we got!

Maybe Jim could help Obama find a pair of comfortable shoes. Or, failing that, buy him a pair – it’s not like the national Democrats spent any money there.

Oh, forgive me – Obama sent out a Tweet about it. I guess the revolution will be Tweeted.

Isnt that the truth!

Not surprising, though I didn’t vote for either.

Given how Obama has governed, maybe those that voted for Walker and appear to be ready to vote for Obama know something Democrats choose not to understand. Or perhaps they just hate teachers. Or maybe both. The Democratic Party continues to commit Public Service malpractice. Wisconsin is just the latest example of what they get for their efforts. I guess they can thank California and New York for buffeting their survival.

Jim Messina and Max Baucus make me ashamed to be from Montana.

Is there any organization outside Daily Kos that is more pathetic than Moo-ve On?

He was a corporate shill to begin with. He just managed to fool desperate people with his rhetoric(lies). You are correct. If his policies weren’t corporate friendly(understatement), all the money in the world wouldn’t be able to deny him a second term. He betrayed the 99%, not that he gives a shit.

I knew I was not the only one.

I agree?

however one who understands the politics of race better than most

tea nuts don’t vote for black dem candidates. PERIOD end of discussion

the MSM is busy spinning this obvious mistake by the elites trying to say the voters in WI are very Holy, they don’t like recalls. which is hilarious.

how many black gop governors are there? zero
how many black gor senators are there? zero

the Elites know they F Up last night, they know a lot of people who dwell on the Intelligent Left know it is not possible for a black dem candidate and right wing nut case too both win state wide elections by large margins

this is laughable!

Liberals and Progressives got played last night!

the USA voting system is an insult to Banana Republics

if the EU falls, and it probably will,
how are Americans going to like the idea of another USA bank bail out?
“USA banks already got 16 trillion from the Feds, and people think Public Unions get a lot of money? LOL”

how will OWS and progressives re-act to OBAMA bailing out his masters again?

USA banks have big investments in the EU, when the EU fall they are going to Fall

Everybody’s got their hands out these days. Maybe if they’d actually DONE something about the economy, we could have helped them.
Now, we’re probably going to be run by Salt Lake City and the Kocks,
Everybody is tired of the lame/same excuses

It seems to me since Obama tweeted his support of Bartlett at the last minute instead of going to Wisconsin, voters should tweet their vote to him in November instead of going to the polling place.

So you’re going to vote for Bush’s 4th term by supporting Obama in November.
Unfuckingbelievable!! It would be better not to vote than to endorse that corporate puppet. Will it make you feel better that a POS with a “D” next to his name is the one to destroy the remnants of the New Deal?

I don’t think Obama making a token appearance in WI or even the DNC sending more money would have mattered. Many Wisconsinites didn’t like the whole recall idea and they showed it. The sad thing is that had they not pursued the recall, nature may have taken its course and Mr. Walker’s unpopularity could have risen just due to his record and legal problems. Instead, the recall elevated his profile and embattled hero status even more.

I’m reminded of that line from Jurassic Park that sort of went “they were so busy wondering if they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” They may have assumed someone like Feingold would run, but he said early on he wasn’t interested. Then they have a primary party battle and labor is seemingly disgruntled with the results. The result is a rehash of the same race that occurred 18 months earlier. The May 8th primary date leaves less than a month to campaign before the recall, and all that occurs when many colleges were probably already out of session, thus losing a valuable organizing and voting block.

I just think all that time, money and energy would have been better spent on the November elections (which they’ll still have to do if they want to hold onto the State Senate). Now, it’s unclear if they’ll be too dispirited to even fight for what they did attain through the recalls.

Why would it be better? Are you one of those people who thinks that if things get worse people will eventually rise up and force fundamental changes?

Look at Occupy. No one even talks about it in the media anymore, and whenever they do, it’s usually negative. Better yet, look at what’s happening with the Arab Spring. Surely this isn’t what many Egyptians were hoping for when they ousted Mubarak. I think that type of revolution is easier said than done.

Yeah it really took the wind out of the old sails, didn’t it?
The DNC may have gotten exactly the outcome they wanted…..in fact that’s what I’m afraid of.
It has never seemed to me that Obama even wanted a second term. It’s just so sad that he took the whole party over the cliff with him.

I’ve always heard that he’s aloof and surrounds himself with “yes” people, so his magical universe is just fine.
This was SUCH a pivotal presidency to get stuck with such a disaster.
Don’t kid your self tho. Romney will be exactly what Norquist ( and the Mormon Church) wants; a living hand to sign fascist legislation from ALEC.

Esp with the drones here now and all

How come there was none of this revulsion with the Gray Davis California recall. This is a bullshit line.

This was SUCH a pivotal presidency to get stuck with such a disaster.

I’d like to argue that point. I’d REALLY like to argue that point. But I just can’t. I have nevere been so dissappointed in anything in my life. I’m 61 yrs. I’m voting Green Party. Here in Texas, a red state, it won’t matter. Hopefully it will show Obama and the DNC there are people unhappy with them. Lots of my friends are doing the same. I resigned my county democratic precinct chair over this.

The Democratic party has been bought for a long time, It was Bill Clinton who gave us Larry Summers and it was Clinton who planted the seeds for Enron and all of the other scandals. Check out my column on the real damage of Citizens United. http://www.ericnewsdaily.blogspot.com

> Succinct, brief and on the money.

I agree.

> (Oh, “on the money”, that was a totally unintentional pun.)

Well I’m certainly glad you didn’t use your original unintentional pun of “money shot.”

No. I just reject partisanship and refuse to vote for someone who has proven not to be the “lesser of two evils”. I can’t rationalize voting for someone who has betrayed every campaign promise except in.re. extending and financing war. Not voting for either corporate puppet is more valid than supporting the continuation of duopoly at the cost of the enslavement of the 99%. Do what you like, but voting for Obama won’t improve the lives of any but the oligarchs, as has already been the case.

Excellent idea!

> Are you one of those people who thinks that if things get worse
> people will eventually rise up and force fundamental changes?

Are you one of those people who thinks they won’t?

It’s rather liberating to finally reject the bullshit that is the hallmark of our one political party that portrays itself as two distinct entities. We should have paid better attention to the intellect of George Carlin when he exposed the scam.

I could swear I decided to come to FDL, but it seems to have devolved to DailyKos. My browser must have redirected me to Obamaland. The willful ignorance displayed on this site is approaching the point of being unbearable.

If you were registered as ‘non-partisan’(decline to state) you had a choice of ballots and the NP ballot didn’t have the prez primary voting on it; probably why the vote discrepancy.

It really has become less ‘radical’ since I started posting here several years ago; the blogroll is a joke.

(We have an honest Registrar of Voters here – so they knew their vote would be counted. Don’t try this in your home county unless you know your Registrar of Voters is a decent person – many of them are not!) ; very accurate.

Hey kak@45 ,I;ll take the bait on all counts You make it clear your only involvement with OWS is that of an observer who speaks of as not trendy anymore .OWS is working everyday to help foreclosure victims .the homeless and other collateral damage of Obama and the banksters who pimp him .Yes ,I also believe things must get worse before they get better ,yet my humble efforts are premised on proving I’m wrong .Finally ,forget what I believe ,what I know is lesser-evil dems have moved the center into social and economic fascism as evidenced with oligarchy and tea party empowerment .Personally ,I would never sacrifice my integrity pursuant to holding my nose to vote for a DLC stinkbird. My hope is for CU to destroy the two-party racket .

I agree. There should have been more outrage. But CA is a different place and people were very susceptible to the kick the bum out attitude in the midst of the Enron antics (which sadly few knew at that time were Enron antics)that were causing such huge rate hikes. Things may not be great in WI, but the whole state isn’t reeling the way CA was back then. Walker was targeted for recall because he lead the way on the collective bargaining issue. Davis was targeted because(among some other things) of his perceived mismanagement/lack of leadership in the energy crisis.

“I don’t think Obama making a token appearance in WI or even the DNC sending more money would have mattered”

Yet the Republicans at a national level took interest and poured in resources as well as having Romney come out to WI and they won. I don’t think Romney was just out there to waste his time and money was just being thrown away – the Democratic leadership threw the game. The Democratic leadership afterall is for austerity and wants more NAFTAs, so throwing this race is what they want just they can’t say that – instead they’ve got to act like they’re shocked and only came to some sort of realization after it was too late.

It was even slightly higher -over 13%
http://primaryresults.aesvote.com/county0.htm

I have no doubt defogger that OWS is working to help people. But in terms of a movement getting to the point where it can really influence policy, that’s what the tea party did. They had lots of help from powerful, rich interests and Fox News, but it’s still hard to deny its influence in this current congress. I just think people risk losing a lot more by going with the “let it get even worse” strategy. I know you don’t like voting the lesser of two evils, but if you go for the all or nothing approach, you obviously must be prepared to live with the lesser of those two options as well.

Yes, the GOP of course got involved because Walker represents their mission statement. He is part of a larger plan. It’s clear that Democrats saw the writing on the wall, and knew that even many union households actually supported Walker. So why go to the mat for a race where the majority of the state, at least per polling, didn’t seem to have a problem getting rid of collective bargaining? They’re not necessarily anti-union, but obviously they didn’t feel the governor deserved to be recalled over the issue.

They’ve got more NAFTAs. RIGHT after the election comes KORUS and we’ll get to watch all those auto jobs we saved get shipped over to S.Korea no matter who “wins”
Sorry, I just feel so bitter today. the same thing went on all thru Bush and now we’ve gotten 4 more years of it with Obama.
Cenk is feeling the same way tonight on Current

“he listened to the money, not the people, and he just may get thrown out of office.”

Boo Hoo

I don’t doubt people will rise up; but realizing the fundamental, systemic change they seek is much harder. See Syria.

Change originates from the outside, but it takes alliances on the inside to have it become structural. e.g. unless the laws are changed, gays in most places can’t legally marry. Supporters can hold rallies, they can get compelling spokespeople, they can boycott businesses that aren’t gay friendly or support those who are. But unless they get either legislators or judges who are willing to carry their cause or side with their case, all you’re left with is moral support. I’m just saying the insider doesn’t always have to be the enemy.

Bradblog explains that in Wisconsin they use mostly paper ballots that are counted optical scanners, which have been proven to be hackable. But there is a paper trail,they just don’t use it. There would have to be a recount request and an order from a judge to get them to.

Dear Jim Messina,

Fuck you. Collect from your corporate masters. You’re going to anyway.

Signed,
Former 36 year straight Democratic ticket voter.

Yes kak@64 .I agree i will have to live with the lesser,and I would give up my cozy lifestyle and forage dumpsters before I would ever vote for these pieces of shit who make it apparent that my choice is either indentured slavery via a slow boil or a hard boil .Those alliances to which you refer could come from OWS .You just seem as though you need to justify your fear-based inertia .We’re all afraid ,so is the tea party .but they are tough and willing to fight .I know power politics ,and what the tea party ,AIPAC and the NRA understand is that politicos are self-serving monkeys who respond to groups who will either help them or feel their wrath .They all use the word discipline .Only the chumps on the other side think voting and hoping is high-minded civics .It’s either a movement today or street and suite violence tomorrow .Austerity is making this class -war showdown imminent .

Thanks for that tidbit. I’d been wondering, as I’d found no data on the BO vote, but had seen DiFi and thought, we sure didn’t produce many voters.

Scarecrow. Thanks for your post.

OT: CA “final” proposed language for the Homeowner Bill of Rights is now in for a final vote on Monday. When we visited Sen. Steinberg’s and Speaker Perez’s office last week, begging/demanding immediate action before the issue became submerged before the state budget fights, we were told that there was a lot of work going on behind the scenes and while we might not get all we wanted, we’d get a whole lot. As I read the summary, I thought yes, that’s right, tho we may still try to get the rest; still, the banks won’t have won entirely. So, I guess I’ll go back to the capitol on Monday with the

guess I’ll go back to the capitol on Monday with PICO, ACCE AND OCCUPY FOLKS once more and join with OCCUPY on an immediate call for a foreclosure moratorium, preferably three years, to give all the parties time to work out
loan modifications. Weshall see.

Blessings,

THIS is why I love the internet – a tweet for a twit!

actually, calling 0bama a ‘twit’ is completely totally wrong – he’s fabulously successful selling us out, and, now his campaign and pump up the volume on

Cry Walker, and let slip the dogs of war.

rmm.

defogger. Somewhere I read/heard that the tea partiers are avid Saul Alinsky fans and have read and incorporated his book into their processes and tactics.

I’m involved in a church related federation of interfaith congregations and community assosiations, etc. who is using some Alinsky style forms of community organization to address a whole range of issues, tho my Lutheran group is especially concerned about foreclosure issues along with a broad range of bank accountablity issues

Blessings.

Algore advised him to concede sooner rather than later, so we can all start looking forward again.

Good for you! I keep hearing we need to “take over’ the Democratic Party starting at the local level. When even that is (apparently) futile, what is the option? Unregistered as a Democrat, for the first time in my long voting career, and re-registered as “unaffiliated” (I think that is the Nebraska option.)

Not planning on voting for anything national with a “D” after its name, including Bob Kerrey and the Peace Laureate. I will have to wait to see what might pop up on the Nebraska ballot, but there is always the write-in option. I am DONE with the Blue Dogs, the DLC, and the “one party-the party of wealth with 2 branches.”

I work in the mortgage servicing industry. Loan modifications are a cruel hoax. You need to be working for principal reductions, and restoring to bankruptcy judges the power to order same. Otherwise, more Kabuki.

> I don’t doubt people will rise up; but realizing the
> fundamental, systemic change they seek is much harder.
> See Syria. Change originates from the outside, but it
> takes alliances on the inside to have it become structural.

You’re not considering all the avenues and methods of change, some of which do not require a vote or assistance from insiders. If the pain inflicted by incompetent elites is too much, anything is possible.

Yes kairo,Alinsky’s tactical/strategic brilliance is easily adaptable to any movement .M y progressive beliefs were very much structured by Bernays ,Machiavelli ,M.Friedman and other unsavory voices .As shen@78 noted ,you are in shark-infested waters ,and I would add that many of the judges are owned by financial services .OWS is on top of it and can give you trustworthy guidance .Bless you and your mission .

I certainly agree storyofo ,and I’m down for any viable avenue ,but what we all need to fear are many strains of violence over which no one has control .When elites start having family members abducted and killed ,that won’t be done by anyone I know.,but we are at least as violent as Mexico.and we will have a far better understanding of who’s to blame for our immiseration .

Hey storyofo,are you unhinged ? I rescind my agreement .

Chump here. I’m not about fear. I’m about results. My only concern right now is how to overcome the power of money in an electorate that is clearly susceptible to a well-crafted message. The groups you cite aren’t just about discipline; they’re about money. The pols fear them because they fear what their money can do. Why do you think Grover Norquist is so powerful? Because every time someone wouldn’t sign his anti-tax pledge, he’d round up the money to bury that person in negative ads, and he was often successful in unseating them. That wasn’t done with his personality. It was done with money.

Not every change may require a vote, but if the change requires others to do or not do something, doesn’t that usually imply the need for a law and enforcement?

Hopefully it will show Obama and the DNC there are people unhappy with them.

This is why it’s important to vote third party rather than just not vote.

If you don’t vote at all, Obama, Messina et al. can surmise/spin that they couldn’t attract voters like you because Obama wasn’t conservative enough. Your vote in the social, Green, Working Families or whatever column shows that that’s just not true.

Do people say that Gore didn’t attract Nader voters because he “wasn’t conservative enough”? No. Whatever else they may say, they can’t pull out that ratshit argument.

Don’t give Obama et al. the opportunity to discount your discontent.

In 1992 we had the Perot Factor, in 2000 the Nader effect, and in 2012 the Disillusioned discount? When a Texan goes Green it scrambles my mind (in a good way). Power to the people.