Category Archives: Politics

‘Australia’ (Happy Boxing Day)

Posted on December 26, 2011 by oddmanout215

We’ll surf like they do in the USA We’ll fly down to Sydney for a holiday On sunny Christmas Day… I’m standing in line yesterday at a drugstore, one of those chain stores that turn wall-to-wall red a month before … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, economic collapse, Great Recession, humor, Obama, Philadelphia, Politics, pop music, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Joe Conason, meet Karl Rove

Posted on December 24, 2011 by oddmanout215

A resolution for 2012: Don’t read opinion pieces by knee-jerk Obama supporters who profess to be liberals. Their stuff is as propagandistic as the garbage that streams from the right in support of Newt and Mitt and the dimmer Republican … Continue reading →

Posted in mainstream media, Mitt Romney, Obama, Politics, Wall Street, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chase’s Jaime Dimon — too big to fail

Posted on December 23, 2011 by oddmanout215

Here’s Matt Taibbi shedding more light, in his inimitable way, on how Wall Street executives, with the help of the D.C. establishment, cheat and bribe their way to a level of wealth and privilege few of us can even imagine: … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, Goldman Sachs, Great Recession, mainstream media, New York Times, Obama, Politics, The New Depression, Wall Street | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

EPA to power plants: Stop poisoning people

Posted on December 22, 2011 by oddmanout215

David Roberts of Grist does a nice job of summing up the importance of the new EPA rule regarding the emission of mercury and other toxins from coal- and oil-fired power plants: … This one is a Big Deal. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in environmentalism, Obama, Politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

PA’s frackin’ Scrooge of the Year

Posted on December 21, 2011 by oddmanout215

James Carville noted years ago that, from the standpoint of political strategists, “Pennsylvania is Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and Alabama in between,” or words to that effect. He has been pilloried by critics on the left and right for his remark, … Continue reading →

Posted in environmentalism, Great Recession, history, mainstream media, Philadelphia, Politics, The New Depression | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

These days, a bad tooth can break you

Posted on December 20, 2011 by oddmanout215

How many people have realized that the presumption of belonging to a “middle class” is delusional and dangerous? Enough to toss the reactionaries out of Congress in 2012? Maybe, but wouldn’t the current crop be replaced by a new bunch … Continue reading →

Posted in campaign finance reform, Congress, economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, Occupy Wall Street, Politics, The New Depression, unemployment, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

The personal liberties lie

Posted on December 19, 2011 by oddmanout215

Columnist George Will is rarely at a loss for words, but he could only respond with cliches yesterday when Barney Frank asked him to square his alleged libertarian leanings with his authoritarian views on personal liberties. Another guest on the … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, mainstream media, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A semi-grudging salute to Hitchens

Posted on December 18, 2011 by oddmanout215

My respect for Christopher Hitchens’ talent never waned, even when he used it to defend the likes of George W. Bush. Hitchens often argued that his support for the Iraq war followed logically from his abhorrence of tyranny in all … Continue reading →

Posted in mainstream media, Politics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Oldie but goodie: Myth of liberal media

Posted on December 16, 2011 by oddmanout215

Noam Chomsky, Edward Herman and Justin Lewis discuss how elites use the big lie to disallow expressions of opinion that are outside what’s acceptable to the corporate media: Herman: The mainstream media really represent elite interests, and they serve those … Continue reading →

Posted in mainstream media, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Barack Obama, the human cave-in

Posted on December 16, 2011 by oddmanout215

I’m stumped. What does Barack Obama believe in? Is there any promise he wouldn’t break, any anti-progressive stand he wouldn’t take if he thought it might gain him some political advantage? Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth is convinced … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, Great Recession, history, mainstream media, Obama, Politics, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments