This picture says so much. Hat tip to Jan Flora. This is from the Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council. The party of NO! wants to blame Obama and the Democrats for the mess the country is in. They mock anyone’s explanation that 8 years of Bush-Cheney policies brought us to where we are today. Obama bears the burden of appointing corporate guard dogs to protect their interests like Timothy Geitner looking out for Wall Street, specifically Goldman Sachs. The Bush tax cuts that are set to expire contributed to this depression. The US was the FIRST country in the history of civilization to go to war AND CUT TAXES!
Bill Clinton and the Republican Congress deregulated Wall Street with the unprecedented Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999. That bill upended the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 that successfully protected Americans from depressions for 75 years. Gramm meddled again in the stability of US financial markets with the Commodities and Futures Modernization Act of 2000. Our own Ted Stevens had a hand in that as well. Remember $4 a gallon gas? That was because speculators driving up the per barrel price of oil. “Free-Market” cornerstones like DEMAND and SUPPLY no longer mattered. $4 gas had NOTHING to do with a short supply and everything to do with speculation. Obama’s role is in NOT pushing REAL financial reform.
Here are some disturbing unemployment graphs from CalculatedRiskBlog.com.
This graph shows the job losses from the start of the employment recession, in percentage terms – this time aligned at the bottom of the recession (Both the 1991 and 2001 recessions were flat at the bottom, so the choice was a little arbitrary).
The dotted line shows the impact of Census hiring. In July, there were 196,000 temporary 2010 Census workers on the payroll. The number of Census workers will continue to decline – and the gap between the solid and dashed red lines will be gone in a few months.
This chart is horrifying. This is the result of decades of jobs being shipped overseas under the cover and guise of “free-trade” agreements courtesy of Bush and Clinton and W. Bush. Each recession is more difficult to recover from because THERE ARE NO JOBS! And…the unemployment figures do NOT include discouraged workers-those workers have been unable to find work and are no longer looking.
SHANNYN MOORE: JUST A GIRL FROM HOMER 
Hmmm, I don’t think The Democrats or Obama get off the hook that easy. They blew it for us, while catering to the needs of the rich elites and the financiers. The cartoon is funny perhaps, but it’s not true unless you believe that The Democrats couldn’t do anything because of The Republicans. This is the same game Bill Clinton played after he gave Citibank a one year “free ride” after they purchased Travelers Insurance (can you say Rubin – didn’t he have something to do with Citi after he left Clinton?) and then he repealed The Glass-Steagall Act and Citi was in the clear. I’m sure you are aware of the effects that willful act by A DEMOCRAT has had on our economy of late. The simple fact of the matter is that The Democrats and The Republicans are basically peas in a pod at this point in time – in short they are “The Corprocrats” Most of the banter between Republicans and Democrats is for show to make us think that they are both working on our behalf.
Love your show – can’t wait to hear what kind of excuses Sen. Begich comes up with on Monday. FWIW, I hear his office is kinda a joke in DC – but that’s another matter.
By: CityKid on August 7, 2010
at 2:09 am
I don’t let Obama and the Ds off the hook!
Read below the cartoon. Obama has appointed one corporate guard dog after another. The latest being the unconscionable Kenneth Feinberg, charged with doling out BP’s $20 billion and then screwing fisherman and other plaintiffs in the Gulf of Mexico.
Thanks for listening!
By: shannynmoore on August 7, 2010
at 11:14 am
The Democrats and The Republicans are basically peas in a pod at this point in time – in short they are “The Corprocrats” Most of the banter between Republicans and Democrats is for show to make us think that they are both working on our behalf.
Oh yeah – and they want to make sure that they, Republicans and Democrats, don’t have to deal with a REAL 3rd party that might disrupt “Business AS USUAL” and serve the interest of the Commons rather than the Corporations.
By: CityKid on August 7, 2010
at 2:18 am
Something is missing for it to be complete..
There should be a number of rats labelled
Dems poking holes in the firehose..
By: shagal on August 7, 2010
at 4:45 am
Bush never did a thing for me.
Why should we continue to cater to the business owners?
They got everything under bush and clinton.
They sent the jobs overseas, they continue to get tax breaks.
The wealthy also thrived under bush.
They got the tax breaks They are sitting on their money, investing and getting richer.
By: Diane on August 7, 2010
at 5:12 am
wow. thanks for posting this cartoon – as well as your usual incisive commentary.
your columns and show make me feel like a drowning person suddenly having the rescue boat show up and haul me aboard.
By: Mo on August 7, 2010
at 6:56 am
I wish the government would start a project like the CCC camps they had during the great depression for all the young people who can’t find work. They fed them, educated them, watched out for them and kept many from getting exploited or in trouble. It would be a place young people who have run away from home due to bad circumstances could go to be safe too. A little bit of hope could go a long way towards keeping kids off drugs and out of trouble. We could get a lot of the work done in our parks and communities as well.
By: Celia Harrison on August 7, 2010
at 7:31 am
You’re so right, Shannyn. Both parties are culpable. I’ve been unemployed for 19 months (and counting). I want to work. But I was making $150k a year (after a 25 year career) and my industry is sucking wind. Do I blame President Obama? No. I do hold the Bush administration partially responsible, as they knew this was coming and did nothing until after the dam had broken. Not to mention the idiotic wars they started that only exacerbated our financial problems. Personally, I’ve given up.
By: scribe on August 7, 2010
at 4:30 pm
A third party will do no good for America……you think politicians are bucking the system now….
We need representatives working for Americans not their corporate sponsors….
Term Limitations is where we”ll find change. . . . lifer politicians get caught up in special interest groups throwing money to politicians to protect their special interests…..Bush protected buddies in the oil industry, banking, big corps. . . . .Bush was in office for his buddies
Change takes time, I’ve worked in govt agencies, change takes time. . . . .sometimes you gotta play the games to get to where things need to be. . . . .but it all takes time. . . .
* changing times means changing how we approach different aspects of our lives such as the economy, I always tell my kids have one thing you can do to earn money that is from self employment, even things like being able to take photographs, bake, cook, play an instrument can all earn you money to support yourself, I am self employed in a field where many are struggling, but my business is gang busters. . . . sometimes we need to be creative to survive in changing times.
A third party in this country is not the answer. . . .
Term Limitations in public office is where we’ll find change for Americans.
By: barracuda78 on August 7, 2010
at 8:26 pm
Tea Baggers for Term Limits. Thats the way I see it and its wrong. VOTE THEM OUT if you want them out. No more appointees should stay in, and the VOTE should show that. OPEN THE ELECTIONS after the counts as well. Loren Leeman refused! When i smelled a rat he refused to show the proof in the Alaska elections. What is up with that? Lisa’s time is way UP> Its about the vote. And convincing DECENT people to run– capping the amount anyone can spend on their election would also help!
By: Amy Christiansen on August 9, 2010
at 12:21 am
Tea Baggers are for Term Limits. Thats the way I see it and its wrong. VOTE THEM OUT if you want them out. No more appointees should stay in, and the VOTE should show that. OPEN THE ELECTIONS after the counts are done also. Loren Leeman refused! When I smelled a rat (and oh boy did it STINK!)- he refused to show the proof in the Alaska elections. Kept them CLOSED. What gives him the right? What is up with that?
Lisa’s time is way UP>
Its about the vote. And convincing DECENT people to run– capping the amount anyone can spend on their election would also help!
By: Amy Christiansen on August 9, 2010
at 12:23 am
Obama smack down (at least something works):
“Yes we can” 🙂
Court Rejects Warrantless GPS Tracking
August 6th, 2010
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today firmly rejected government claims that federal agents have an unfettered right to install Global Positioning System (GPS) location-tracking devices on anyone’s car without a search warrant.
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2010/08/06-0
Today, 00:03:22
By: CityKid on August 9, 2010
at 12:07 am
A third party will do no good for America……you think politicians are bucking the system now….
We need representatives working for Americans not their corporate sponsors….
Term Limitations is where we”ll find change. . . . lifer politicians get caught up in special interest groups throwing money to politicians to protect their special interests…..Bush protected buddies in the oil industry, banking, big corps. . . . .Bush was in office for his buddies
I disagree. Term limits are a smoke screen – campaign finance reform would be the real deal. Also, I do think we should have third, fourth and fifth parties. The more the merrier. I’d rather have chaos than what we have now.
By: CityKid on August 9, 2010
at 12:14 am