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2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumTopics we truly need to be having a National dialog about
Republicans Debating Republicans: Social Welfare CutsWednesday, 19 December 2012 15:05
By Thom Hartmann and Sam Sacks, The Daily Take | Op-Ed
...President Obama should be putting progressive solutions on the table. Things like a financial transaction tax, which could reduce the debt by $1.8 trillion over the next decade.
Or, cutting off taxpayer subsidies to big oil, which total $40 billion over ten years.
Or, ending the massive "capital gains" loophole which sets income taxes on hedge fund managers and vulture capitalists like Mitt Romney at a maximum 15 percent, less than half of what working people can pay.
Or, common sense cuts to our bloated and wasteful Defense Budget.
Or, raising the minimum wage to stimulate the economy and, thus, over the long haul, reduce our debt.
Or, breaking up the big banks to prevent more costly, deficit-expanding bailouts in the future.
Or, creating a single-payer healthcare system to reduce deficit-inducing healthcare costs.
If all of these were on the table, then this would be a robust debate that reflects the political leanings of a center-left nation.
But, they're not, which shows not just of the weakness of President Obama, but also the weakness of the progressive movement when compared with the hard-right movement funded by cranky billionaires like the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson.
Or, cutting off taxpayer subsidies to big oil, which total $40 billion over ten years.
Or, ending the massive "capital gains" loophole which sets income taxes on hedge fund managers and vulture capitalists like Mitt Romney at a maximum 15 percent, less than half of what working people can pay.
Or, common sense cuts to our bloated and wasteful Defense Budget.
Or, raising the minimum wage to stimulate the economy and, thus, over the long haul, reduce our debt.
Or, breaking up the big banks to prevent more costly, deficit-expanding bailouts in the future.
Or, creating a single-payer healthcare system to reduce deficit-inducing healthcare costs.
If all of these were on the table, then this would be a robust debate that reflects the political leanings of a center-left nation.
But, they're not, which shows not just of the weakness of President Obama, but also the weakness of the progressive movement when compared with the hard-right movement funded by cranky billionaires like the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson.
http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/13438-fiscal-cliff-republicans-debating-republicans
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Topics we truly need to be having a National dialog about (Original Post)
SHRED
Jan 2013
OP
It's amazing how many great ideas just don't exist on the regular news channels.
limpyhobbler
Jan 2013
#4
how do we begin to lead the discussion when everyone seems content to watch corporate tv lead ?
Follow The Money
Jan 2013
#6
annabanana
(52,791 posts)1. Yes, yes and
YES!.
Thom Hartman is always very good about getting the framing right.
The fact that these ideas seem "revolutionary" is because there has been a CorpoMedia BLACKOUT for decades on these topics.
SHRED
(28,136 posts)3. It is very frustrating...
...that what Thom speaks of is rarely heard on the MSM.
limpyhobbler
(8,244 posts)5. I wish he had a show on MSNBC or something.
probably isn't going to happen though.
forestpath
(3,102 posts)2. Why should progressives be blamed when Obama doesn't act like a Democrat?
He shouldn't have to be pressured to put those things on the table. And when he is pressured, he lets it be known he is irritated.
So I don't believe Obama will ever talk about those topics. The obscenely rich bankers and corporations wouldn't like it.
limpyhobbler
(8,244 posts)4. It's amazing how many great ideas just don't exist on the regular news channels.
Follow The Money
(141 posts)6. how do we begin to lead the discussion when everyone seems content to watch corporate tv lead ?
corporate talking tv heads are incredibly stupid parrots, 'news' readers, not investigative reporters...who tells them what to say?
politicians are corrupt drunkards unable to think of anything new they continue to say the same stupid misleading things about the economy blaming the least among us for their policies...
someone smart needs to take the lead here, where are the leaders?
annabanana
(52,791 posts)7. kickers. . . .n/t
Follow The Money
(141 posts)8. thanks for posting