19 thoughts on “Here’s your post-Fourth of July open thread

  1. The fact that 10,000 people came out to see Bernie Sanders on a weeknight shows that there is a hunger for a strong ECONOMIC message for progressives, and all Dems should stand up and take notice.

    I also noticed that some have said that these people “kneecapped” Mary Burke and Tom Barrett when they ran for Governor, but I’m sorry, did Burke and Barrett even try to have a major rally like Bernie did? HELL NO, and the Dem Party leadership didn’t seem interested in having anything that wasn’t tightly controlled.

    By comparison, Obama and Baldwin had big, open rallies right before Election Day in 2012, and I think they did OK. Maybe there’s something to that.

    On a related note, read the 999 Joint Finance motions that gives away most Milw Co govt power to Chris Abele, and I think it’s long overdue to kick anyone that backs that corporatist, authoritarian bum to the curb, along with Richie Rich Abele in Spring 2016. It’s those sell outs, and not real progressives like Bernie, that cause Dems to lose, and they gotta go.

    There’s gotta be more to being a Dem than just supporting marriage equality and giving nice platitudes to people of other races.

    1. There should be plenty more to being a Democrat, other than what exceeds your last reference, which is out-republiconning the Republicons and which is why I’m not a joiner.

      As President I’ll-bombya attempted to rail against Walker a bit on right-to-work and union busting in La Crosse last week, it is curious how not one news station, newspaper or state blogger that I am aware of took notice of the hypocrite at the podium coming to Congressman Ron Kind’s district to thank him for fast-track authority support and giving him (Barry) the opportunity to possibly sell out the last remaining threads of anything resembling a democratic republic to the oligarchs and their corporate personhoods’.

      Open records restrictions are nothing compared to what Barry wants to do to all of us and Walker was a convenient momentary distraction from the hammer that is about to fall without our full and undivided attention focused on WI legislators in Washington DC, especially the Republicons like Kind, and the rest of the right-wing US delegation supporting the TPP.

      1.5M left leaning voters in the state (recall numbers iirc) and being directed by the corporatist Dems, less than 13K paid members? DPW chair Laning wanted to see the US sovereignty give-away, “deal,” otherwise referred to as a free trade treaty, before she’d decide anything about it. Pffttt! Before the DNC told her to support it and to sell it to us?

      1. OK Non. Let’s say all the major farmers in Wisconsin got together to form a food CoOp. Farmers in the North said, “Our land is suited only for beef, corn and maple syrup.” So we’ll trade our beef corn and syrup for vegetables in the south and fruit in the west. So the farmers in the West decided to concentrate on growing fruit and the Farmers in the South on growing vegetables. Thus all were able to produce more food at less cost and trade for what they needed. But the Farmer in the East said, “This is communism. I’m not going to participate. So which section of Wisconsin gets left out of better food at less cost?

        1. My comment referred to the hypocrisy of the Obombya’s comments about Walker’s anti-labor stance, considering the social and econimic damage Barry wants to wreck on the US with the TPP, and not about state-wide regional food production or communism. Get a clue about what the TPP is, which is not a free trade agreement at it’s core.

          If you have a question related to my comment I’ll consider it.

          1. I’m with you on Clinton’s NAFTA trade agreement and highly suspicious of the current “secret” one being considered, but lacking details, I’m keeping my powder dry or reserving judgement.

            Pardon me for asking, but do you have inside information or an authoritative source on unreleased or released details to support your absolute, unreserved, total condemnation “…of social and economic damage Barry wants to wreck on the US…”?

            I’m okay with hyperbole, but this sounds like like an unsupported overreach considering “Barry’s” ongoing economic recovery from the Bush recession.

            1. Parts of it were leaked and published last year and the pressure has been mounting ever since. I personally don’t think it moves out as many jobs as most manufacturing in the US as a whole has left and the remaining wages across most participating countries are similar, but it does mean our wages won’t rise. More dangerous is allowing multinationals to sue to get the least restrictive regulations of all member states which is a straight-up loss of sovereignty and the end of local control. Globalization/neo-liberalism promised increased living standards and wages for the whole. In practice, we gave away production, accepted perpetual low wages and high debt/increased trade deficits, agreed multinationals could rig the game and push out small or mid-sized business and start-up’s, and live with declining infrastructure, a degraded environment, poor services and declining education as the multinationals hold us hostage and force low taxes. But hey, no point in voting anyone else in or bothering to question our betters in either Party so long as we have the Packers, iPhones, fireworks and God.

              1. And I add my personal male selections of “women, wives, and mothers” to your list!

              2. Thanks EmmaR,

                Precisely on the loss of sovereignty issue, and as with the outrage over the attempted suppression of open records in WI, temproarily delayed (don’t think they’ll shelve that idea for very long) why all the secrecy? Think of a business like BP being able to sue a WI county government over something like a frack sand mining environmental rule protecting local water sources is all one has to do to picture and WI law, or US regulators have no jurisdiction over the matter any longer. The newly established “agreement,” has the corporate tribunal holding absolute authority on any ruling.

                No US legislator should have voted yes to fast track authority with the public having no ability to read or hear in public debate the entire language of the “agreement.” And every WI Congressional Repulicon including Ron Kind (who helped Obama whip this thing) voted for the POTUS to have fast track authority. Treason is the language this should be discussed under.

            2. Your comments on TPP reflect the thoughtful comments of DWP chairman, Martha Lanning, Duane12:

              I am supportive of Senator Elizabeth Warren and our own Senator Tammy Baldwin’s stance to stop the fast track of TPP and I have signed that petition. I did this because the pieces that have leaked, if true, are deeply concerning. I like most Americans, want to be sure that thoughtful consideration is being given to each and every part of the agreement and I feel we should have more transparency. I have heard concerns about the lack of financial oversight by our government on big corporate deals that could result in another financial crisis like we had in 2008, which is unacceptable. I have heard this bill would hurt jobs here in the US like NAFTA did, and that too is unacceptable. On the other hand, I respect President Obama and understand his desire to help shape the rules for world trade to prevent China from shaping them without us. Bottom line is that for me to have an opinion on TPP, I need the details of the bill. TPP has not been completed and submitted for a vote yet and therefore, most legislators and the public do not have access to the details of the bill, only leaks, and we don’t know the credibility of the leaks. Many legislators that I respect, like Senator Tammy Baldwin and Senator Elizabeth Warren, have expressed their deep concerns, but stop short of saying they would vote no, likely because the details are not available. Out of respect for the President of the United States, I express deep concerns about what I am hearing about TPP, but will reserve final judgment for when the document is made public and we clearly understand what is included.

              1. If I were trying to walk the line between populism and giving cover to one of the few Wisconsin Democrats in Washington, I might try the less evasive approach and instead encourage Wisconsin’s delegation to seek a model of trade and taxation that favored domestic production and wage growth over rentiers and multinationals. It’s unfathomable to me why Americans at every level are OK with being essentially Greece (dependent on imports/huge levels of debt) versus Germany (debt-free producer nation).

                1. A true dilemma, Emma. Until you consider that the U.S. Dollar is a de facto world currency, whereas the German mark is not even the de facto European currency.

                  1. And we aim to keep and protect this, de facto economic, “power,” by any means.

                  2. Well, our currency is pretty dependent on the Chinese not calling in our debts and continuing to accept payment for goods in dollars. Giving away our production was beyond stupid – but that’s what neo-lib’s have done with blithe disregard for our national and economic security.

                    1. Emma, any financial entity depends on investors to hold their paper for prolonged periods. China buys dollars so they can trade for raw materials. With their stock market having fallen 30% this year, they’re in no position–nor will they be for a while–to create havoc calling in their investments. What would they trade with? Few nations trust their currency, even when they were out producing the world.

                      Martha Laning is right. The President deserves respect. In my limited experience he has always been the smartest one in the room. That’s why his opponents look for ANY excuse to put him down. But we don’t always have to fall for it.

            1. It’s been near three years that I’ve had any reliable internet service to begin to comment somewhat frequently. And iirc I started using terms like, “fascist,” to describe Congress and the president. I also recall describing the similarities between what BarryO is doing TO the US, (the people he had as Dept heads for education, finance or defense, state, ambassadors like Nuland in the Ukraine provoking [with approval] war with Russia, and his stable of advisors, Rahm for one) and Scott Walker, in what Walker would love to be doing for his corporate masters, regardless of citizens, the environment or social responsibilty or the constitution.

              Dropping the, “bwamb,” by either of these treasonous characters is not what we should be about as a nation or as a member of any world community. No apologies for describing the leader who is OK with regularly scheduled extrajudicial murder in my name, which is also now widely viewed as exacerbating the problem the tactic, assassination, is supposed to be addressing and correcting, i.e. terrorism. Hearing that we successfully killed an radical leader in a strike last week in the ME and blew up a few tons of weapons we gave the same group a year earlier in Syria is not foreign policy.

              Sorry that an appropriate, truthful bastardization of a name describing the leader behind the policy is somewhat offensive to you or any other of your readers.

  2. Charles Krauthammer lambasted The President on he and Kerry’s attempt to secure a nuclear proleferation agreement with Iran as the worst foreign policy agreement ever attempted by America. For years the Krauthammer has been hammering away at Iran for being a “terrorist nation” and insisting on greater and greater economic sanctions to bring the nation “into line” much like they have done to the deprived and economically starved people of Palestine. Actually this is understandable if you know why Israel continues to stir the hornet’s nest of Islamic unrest in the Middle East. It is also understandable that Iran does not trust either Israel or the USA in negotiations.

    Understandabe when you realize that the conflicts in the Middle East are due to ancient sectarian disputes more than even national disputes. That is the Sunni tribes vs the Shiite tribes. Saudi Arabia is controlled by Sunni Royalty and is aligned with the US Bush clan and Israeli military leaders. Iran is Shiite controlled and currently supports the Shiite populace in Yemen that is rebelling against a Sunni controlled administration. Sunnis are not a majority in the middle east and attempt to maintain control by military power. Iran knows this; American people seem to be clueless. Iran is the only remaining power that can balance the Sunni controlled populaces in the region and are thus wary of unlimited military inspections insisted on by the current Nuclear demands of the west.

    Iran is afraid of the military power and nuclear ability of Israel, mainly because of what they contnue to do to the Palestinian population. President Obama understands this and is now in a difficult position as Iranian troops are <BLthe most effective against the growing Isis threat in the middle east and the world.

    President Obama changed history by getting elected and reforming healthcare in America, He is arguably the most capable politician this country has seen in many years. Let’s stand behind him and throw Zionists like Krauthammer back to Israel where they belong.

    1. I like Obama, but he along with his successor will be incapable of solving a problem which has roots of religious differences and hatred going back centuries. It would take the wisdom of a Solomon who suggested cutting an infant in half to resolve the claim of two mothers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judgment_of_Solomon. And that ain’t going to happen!

      Unless the rulers of Iran have an epiphany allowing adequate inspection of their nuclear facilities, there will be a large mushroom cloud(s) in the middle east within the next couple years.

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