On the entrenched power of telecom companies and their blatant attempts to obstruct any innovation that they cannot exploit financially, Fake Steve Jobs saidbest:
Honestly, this is why Google wants the FCC to free up the wireless spectrum and let customers put any phone on any network. Well, okay, that’s not really why Google wants that. But anyway. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Cell phone carriers suck. They’re orifices. They’re yet another example of an industry that thrives only by exploiting customers and treating them like shit. Lock-in, two-year contracts, screwing you on every little feature. Damn. Someday, I hope not too long from now, we are going to look back on this era of wireless telecom in horror, not believing we ever had to put up with such bullshit.
In a similar vein, but with respect to the music industry instead, Bob Lefsetz saidbest:
It’s like we’re living in a third world country, ruled by iron-fisted fascists, whose way of dealing with public unrest is through force and violence. Yup, a college student getting sued for file-trading faces violent upheaval in his life. But the copyright bullies don’t care. But those copyright bullies won’t continue to rule. How do I know? Because they’ve been cutting off their nose to spite their face.
I realized some number of years ago that our entire economic and political structure is predicated on protecting the status quo. Sure, the rich and powerful (republicans) talk a good game, droning on and on about the free market, competition, etc., but look beneath the surface: their power derives from an entrenched and incredibly powerful ‘big business’ constituency and their policies do everything possible to keep both of them in power. We need to realize that our continued silence makes us complicit in this charade.
With that in mind, I thought of a simple but potentially game-changing idea, something that cannot be reconciled with the policies republicans continue to advocate. It’s fundamental, foundational, memorable, and uniquely all our own: Profit from progress, not the past.
Progress by its very definition means“to move, go, or proceed forward; to advance; to improve; to become better or more complete.” That is what it means to be a progressive. Conserve by its very definition means to “save for later use; to protect an environment.” Let’s be clear here, the only thing conservatives wish to protect is their own power: just take a look at what they do and who they help with their power.
Republicans have masterfully manipulated America into permitting, but not supporting, their platform. America is begging for a change, but we must do more than just say “we’re not republicans.” We must articulate a much more promising future, a way out of the darkness of the past seven years of fear and outright failure.
A focus on progress suggests a true marketplace of ideas, where each and everyone of us has an equal opportunity to create and participate. We must continue to actively advocate for this world, it is perfect counterpoint to the George W. Bush era, and a much needed breath of fresh air in our national discourse.
On the subject of Bill O’Reilly and his thinly-veiled, ill-conceived attempts at demonizing the vibrant community at Daily Kos, Nightprowlkitty saidbest:
I hear posters sometimes say “we’re better than that” or “we’re better than them.” I don’t agree. I think our faults, our weaknesses, as human beings, are no different than the 29%’ers. We can be just as petty and small.
But our ideas and values, those are very different indeed. We believe in giving folks a hand up, not leaving them to fend for themselves. We believe government can work for everyone, and that the people of this country, given a fair voting system, will do the right thing in electing representatives that reflect that notion. We believe that working together we can solve the problems of our country, that no one should be left behind and no one is not worth helping.
…
And that is what the O’Reilly’s and Coulters and Roves and Cheneys are so afraid of, why they attack us personally and try to shift the debate to that level — because they know they will lose if that debate is about ideas rather than who’s more holy and pure and without sin.
I have followed Daily Kos for as long as I can remember, well over four years (largely due to Howard Dean in fact), and I still frequent this site more than ten times a day, if not more. I read just about everything that gets front-paged and/or pushed to the top of the recommended list, but in spite of that I have never seen that picture of Bush and Lieberman. Yes, it’s tacky and tasteless (and funny too), but it’s so far removed from the typically thoughtful tone of the vast majority of posts.
Chris Dodd effectively and courageously echoed some of the same thoughts as well:
He did not apologize for engaging the Daily Kos community and neither should we for believing in it. It’s well past time for us to recognize our growing clout in the political process, and to use our power to shift the debate. We are far from perfect, but thankfully perfection is not our goal. We simply seek the opportunity to pursue policies that benefit more than the wealthy few, that support and nourish those in need, and that give life to innovation and new opportunities for all.
Is that hateful? Is that un-American? I think not, and I believe the American people will agree if we can find a way to cut through this crap. It’s demagoguery pure and simple.
On the wisdom of impeaching Alberto Gonzales as a means to uncover much greater crimes committed by George W. Bush and his administration, Anonymous Liberal saidbest:
The focus on Gonzales’ perjury has already paid dividends by forcing the Bush Administration to leak additional important facts about the NSA program to various news outlets in an effort to defend Gonzales. This is how scandals unravel. You find a thread and you pull it. That’s what happened in Watergate.
Nothing happens unless you create leverage and use it to pry the truth out. Gonzales’ lies may pale in significance to the underlying conduct at issue here, but they are also something concrete, something that can be seized upon to put pressure on the White House. We’re never going to get to the underlying truth unless we have some means of forcing the issue.
Bush knows that he cannot afford to lose Gonzales, but he is quickly running out of room to maneuver. His administration is clearly in a panic, frantically trying to make this issue go away, yet each successive twist to the story only ratchets up the pressure. Democrats in the House are wise to move on impeachment now. They must force Bush to make another move he can ill afford…
To be fair, this is only the first of many battles to come, but it is an important one. We have the truth on our side, as well as the authority to demand it, but more importantly we have a clear and compelling emotional and moral story-line. Gonzales’ conduct is beyond indefensible, even for the most jaded Republicans in Congress, so we must continue to force Bush and Dick Cheney to publicly back him. They cannot win that game without destroying what little credibility they have left.
I knew it, and wished I would have said it then. Can someone, anyone, please tell me why we now must find the “facts” buried on the opinion pages, while innuendo and spin masquerade parade unchallenged by the truth?
Digby, as usual, cuts through the clutter and puts the entire Bush presidency into focus (my emphasis in bold):
We can impeach and maybe we will. And maybe we’ll remove Bush and Cheney and Gonzales and send a powerful message about the usurpation of the constitution. But no matter what, this is ultimately something the people have to rectify at the ballot box. All constitutional power derives from us. We are the ones who have to make a stand, not just 67 men and women in the Senate. We must vote them out. And we must keep them out until this radical conservative movement is so discredited that they can never again take the radical step of ruling this nation with one president and 34 obedient senators as if they were ordained by God instead of the people of this nation.
I would hope that everyone can see that presidential impeachment isn’t an end in itself. It’s a very serious intervention by the congress into the heart of our democratic system — it seeks to remove a duly elected president and it simply must be ratified by the people or we will have weakened the constitution even more by doing it. It is elections that are the foundation of democracy and what gives real legitimacy to the government. Surely if we believe it is the Democratic congress’ duty to impeach, we must also believe it is our duty to ensure that these people are repudiated by the citizens in no uncertain terms.
No matter what happens in the congress over the next year, I hope that everyone recognizes that the single most important thing that has to happen is that we kick the Republican party so far out of power they have to have a passport to get back in.
I am far from a student of history, but even I now realize that we must never rest when it comes to projecting our voices, protecting our rights, and protesting endlessly when either one is trampled.
This is not a Democratic issue, this is an American issue. They — meaning Bush, Cheney, Gonzales, and the entire Republican party — have so fundamentally perverted what it means to be an American. We cannot and must not let it stand. The truth must be told, the air must be cleared; then we must continue to tell the truth and keep the air clear, so that we are never again confronted with such a brazen attack on our way of life.
These men are not patriots, they are criminals. But they have not only wrapped themselves in the flag, they have justified their actions with God and the Bible. It will not be easy to break their spell on a good portion of America, but it must be done.
On the subject of the Democratic CNN/YouTube debate and the fact that Republicans are making a hasty retreat from doing one of their own, Josh Marshall saidbest:
I’m not sure whether the resistance is rooted is the profound feebleness of the current GOP field or the fact that the current Bush Republican party is so beholden to a worldview based on denial and suppression of evidence that exposure to unpredictable questions presents too great a danger. But if they can’t face Youtube how can they defeat the terrorists?
Oh the irony, Papa Bear Bill O’Reilly said the very same thing on his program tonight.
Brilliant. Well played, Josh.
On the audacity of Alberto Gonzales, and his willful and shameless shilling for George W. Bush, the man to whom he owes his place in life, Glenn Greenwald saidbest:
That is what Alberto Gonzales does. He lies to protect the President. And the President will never fire him. Gonzales isn’t keeping his job despite his willingness to lie to Congress, but because of it. Congress has no choice but to act meaningfully — impeachment of Gonzales and a Special Prosecutor — and if they do not, then, I suppose, one could say that Congress deserves to be lied to.
Honestly, how can you watch this clip and not be dumbfounded blown away by the gall of this man?
It no longer matters whether Alberto Gonzales is a woeful idiot or a pigheaded liar. This man has no business in our government, let alone at the head of Justice Department. If he won’t resign and Bush won’t fire him, then he must be impeached. Now.
On Rupert Murdoch’s expected purchase and likely dismantling of the Wall Street Journal, Umair Haque saidbest:
Rupert is gonna absolutely eviscerate the Journal, and spit out something like a cross between the Sun and the business section of your local free paper. Yes, it’s speculation - but it’s also what he’s done to every newspaper he’s ever owned.
Absolutely right. He’ll try to transfer the WSJ’s respect and relevance to FOX News, all the while tearing it apart from the inside out until it’s nothing more than a hollow shell. And we’ll lose yet another reasoned and rational (even it is representing the right-wing) voice in the great American debate.
On the subject of the Republican Party and the anti-choice movement, Digby saidbest:
So let’s not fool ourselves. It’s not about children. It’s about women. And that means it is simply more conservative resistance to the long march of progress this country has made toward equal rights for all its citizens. The same philosophy that fought tooth and nail against every advance made to ensure that this is truly a free country by denying equal rights to all its citizens also animates those who argue that the rights of the fetus are paramount. It’s just another way of ensuring that the rights of women aren’t.
And once you recognize that you realize that there is no way to fudge this or work around the edges. Every time you forget that you create the rhetorical space for the other side to make their argument more explicit —- which is now happening in all its full frontal glory on the Supreme Court of the United States. Women are either free citizens or they’re not.
I remember talking with Vernon Ferrier prior to the 2000 election, and being shocked at his insistence that George W. Bush would slowly but surely turn back the clock on women’s rights. I wrongly assumed that the law was settled, even we as a society were not. But after the past six plus years, it’s clear that is the goal of his policy. And because of that I now know there is no other way to see this battle: “Women are either free citizens or they’re not.”
I have always been interested in politics, and certainly Howard Dean was a big part of my recent fascination and engagement, however distant. These days, I’m consistently dumbfounded by the blatant disregard for honest discourse; seems the powers that be believe that thinly veiled lies, vague innuendo, and pre-packaged spoon-feedings pass for a meaningful exchange. I believe that things are about to change…
All too often we focus on what is being said, instead of what can be read from what is not being said. Convoluted, perhaps, but it is an important distinction. If all goes well this weekend, I’ll show you what I mean.
Coming soon: Take the time to think.
UPDATE: Yeah, one of these days…