MUST SEE!!!!

**Facebook still cannot embed videos from imported sources so you will not be able to watch unless you go to youtube or my blog**

Republican House leadership invited President Obama to one of their annual "retreats" in Baltimore yesterday for a dialogue that proved to be some of the most intriguing political television I have ever seen. I literally could not take my eyes off the tv for the over 60 minutes of the impromptu Q&A. Whatever Obama lacks in tangible leadership ability, he more than made up for with this rare show of confident, intelligently precise evisceration of Republican questioning, each preluded by a talking-points, bumper sticker-esque attack on the President.

The entire time I'm watching this unbelievable political spectacle, I can't help but think how G. Dub. would have responded to such reciprocal questioning. It probably would have looked something like this:



During the 2008 presidential campaign, I had a Republican family member firmly state that he would rather have a relatively ignorant soccer mom in the White House over a Harvard-educated lawyer \any day. He would rather have had someone who had graduated from a state college with average grades after transferring three times due to academic probations, who had never travelled outside of the United States or had nothing more than a rudimentary understanding of economics and foreign policy and literally... LITERALLY zero understanding of science and the importance of research in societal progression and quality of life. (I'm of course talking about Sarah Palin as McCain probably would have died shortly after had he been elected in the ultimate finale of apocalyptic irony). Whereas Obama graduated top of his class in the number one law school in the world. (Law school rankings fluctuate annually.. or something). Someone please explain to me how this makes sense.


Where does this distrust, not only for intellect, but for experience come from? The simple and correct answer is that it stems from selecting and being confined to a role and more germanely, taking every piece of information at face-value that permeates from the respective politically philosophical collective. The worst part of all, momentum is built that terminally narrows perspective and creates an ideology where, for example, any aspect of socialism will inevitably lead to the disintegration of the United States and ultimately space-time as we know it, and where any aspect of capitalism is inherently corrupt and middle-class killing.

I read an article today from CrooksandLiars touching on this same idea.


"No matter what the topic, from health care reform to Wall Street, and no matter how many points we agreed on or how many facts I laid at their feet, someone would invariably turn to me and dismissively say "Yes, but you're so left wing that you..." or "This is a center-right country, and you're so far left that..." In each case I asked them to explain -- please give examples of what makes me, or anyone, "left wing." The only thing they could come up with was deficits! Pelosi and Reid! Beyond that, it was because I didn't hate people like Al Gore and Howard Dean and I watch Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, and EVERYBODY knows they are really "far left."

Head. Smash. Desk.

The irony of it all is that in the end, we agreed on about 90% of everything we talked about. Old habits die hard and they couldn't let go of the old targets they were trained to hate by the right wing media. In their minds, any policy or legislation that comes from Democrats with no support from the right is just far left and that can't be good. We ended up agreeing to disagree ... on all the issues we agreed on! I'm sure I'm not the only one who has suffered through these kinds of skull-numbing experiences so if you've found yourself in the same position, please feel free to use this post to vent. "


In the following video, President Obama eloquently touches on this transparent idea of Republican obstructionism and hypocrisy for the sake of politicization. Obviously this happens on both sides as it doesn't take a genius to identify when a liberal radio host attacks a conservative for 'X', but wouldn't touch a fellow liberal who did or said 'X' as well. However, there is nothing more relevantly disgusting as the current politicization against Obama, which he coherently destroyed at the Republican's expense (and at their invitation). Say what you will after you watch it, but when conservative news sources don't cover a historically epic event such as this, it is because the more people see it the more it hurts their agenda.


There were two points that Obama made which are unequivocally corroborated by non-partisan organizations and every objective observer that has an ounce of grey matter:


1) "Now, look, let's talk about the budget once again, because I'll go through it with you line by line. The fact of the matter is, is that when we came into office, the deficit was $1.3 trillion. -- $1.3 [trillion.] So when you say that suddenly I've got a monthly budget that is higher than the -- a monthly deficit that's higher than the annual deficit left by the Republicans, that's factually just not true, and you know it's not true.

And what is true is that we came in already with a $1.3 trillion deficit before I had passed any law. What is true is we came in with $8 trillion worth of debt over the next decade -- had nothing to do with anything that we had done. It had to do with the fact that in 2000 when there was a budget surplus of $200 billion, you had a Republican administration and a Republican Congress, and we had two tax cuts that weren't paid for.

You had a prescription drug plan -- the biggest entitlement plan, by the way, in several decades -- that was passed without it being paid for. You had two wars that were done through supplementals. And then you had $3 trillion projected because of the lost revenue of this recession. That's $8 trillion.

Now, we increased it by a trillion dollars because of the spending that we had to make on the stimulus. I am happy to have any independent fact-checker out there take a look at your presentation versus mine in terms of the accuracy of what I just said."


Republicans ALWAYS assert that all progressives want to do is create a larger more obtrusive (fascist) government which is run through perpetually irresponsible spending. Again, say what you will about Obama always blaming Bush, but the fact of the matter is what would you do if someone was trying to take the above truths and turning it against you? My question is, why the fuck should we allow the Republicans to govern again after the last 8 years, who not only took a budget surplus to a budget deficit, but took the budget deficit to a projected $8 Trillion over the next decade and pawned it off as a result of Obama's policy? Again, for the bazillionth time, between the Patriot Act, Medicare Part D, irresponsible defense spending ( ie F-22), and two police actions that were not paid for... holy shit people.. come on.. AND YOU ARE GIVING OBAMA SHIT?!?! THE HYPOCRISY IS PAINTED ON YOUR FUCKING SKULLS!!!!!!!!!!!!


2) "And so I'm thinking to myself, well, how is it that a plan that is pretty centrist -- no, look, I mean, I'm just saying, I know you guys disagree, but if you look at the facts of this bill, most independent observers would say this is actually what many Republicans -- is similar to what many Republicans proposed to Bill Clinton when he was doing his debate on health care.

So all I'm saying is, we've got to close the gap a little bit between the rhetoric and the reality. I'm not suggesting that we're going to agree on everything, whether it's on health care or energy or what have you, but if the way these issues are being presented by the Republicans is that this is some wild-eyed plot to impose huge government in every aspect of our lives, what happens is you guys then don't have a lot of room to negotiate with me.

I mean, the fact of the matter is, is that many of you, if you voted with the administration on something, are politically vulnerable in your own base, in your own party. You've given yourselves very little room to work in a bipartisan fashion because what you've been telling your constituents is, this guy is doing all kinds of crazy stuff that's going to destroy America."


Now, I hope you can identify my assertions at the beginning of the post and tie it in with what Obama was saying and ultimately why our current political system is ineffective in fixing any problems. Congressional Republicans tacitly understand that Obama's policies are not ideologically oppressive, socialist or fascist and are actually far more conservative than the policy that spewed out during the last 8 years of Republican control, but politically they have tried to and have successfully villainized him to their constituents for the purpose of politicization. Now, the absent-minded citizen will pick up on these hypocritical talking points, which perpetuates this intellectual tunnel vision. Now no matter what, Republicans cannot be seen compromising on anything or they run the very real danger of being seen as a socialist-fascist-babyeating-sociopath-ideologue by the monster they created.

Republican leadership had almost a decade of control and look what happened. Now progressives have been in power for one year and they are already bitching and refuse to participate.


FUCKING BABIES

Rebecca Sheets Ohhh Jacob!! HA!! I do love you more and more each day!! :) This absolutely made my day!!!

I now have 10 questions for you...

1. Are you going to Haiti?... See More

2. Do you really miss Bush?

3. What would you do, or wouldn't you do right now to be inside drinking HOT tea with my mom while ABBY AND I do all the work outside in the COLD?

4. Why did you shave?

5. Did you come up with the saying twenty-dime?...

6. Or...did Obama say that tonight and I am the only American that didn't watch the State of the Union because I was watching my DVR of Oprah about where my food "comes from"?

7. I hate Groundhogs Day!!!!!! You don't really like that movie, DO YOU?

8. Doesn't the Beast become a dashing young prince at the end? Or was that the Becca Sheets version?

9. What is your New Years resolution?

10. Do you miss me??

Hope to see you soon and get some answers young man!!!!

Hello to Sahar!!!!!

lol.. "oh jacob".. . becca when am i going to move to sb?!

1. It has come to my attention that there is a possibility.

2. I miss Bush's leadership skillz in the context of Obama's pussyfoot bob-and-weave. I kinda wish Obama had the ability to make a decision and push it down people's throats and truly believe it was the right thing to do no matter how many people dissented and how many innocent people died and how many constitutional amendments it broke (partly kidding).

3. OMG that would be awesome. I miss your parents. I could talk with pat, drink jack with your dad and play with your cats (ohhhh..) :S do you remember that pic of me trying to force feed a treat to one of them with my mouth?

4. I was using this cheap ass beard trimmer and it was going fine until I did my chin and it went all the way to my fucking skin and ruined my wonderful face full of pubic-like coarseness.

5. I did not come up with Twenty-Dime. I like it though. It brings me back to my Bloods and Crips days.

6. I should just stop talking to you right now.

7. Are you kidding?! Groundhog day is an excellent piece of cinematographic art. It's also a 96% on the TOMATOMETER. Duh.

8. Not in the Sahar version. She wants me to get chest and back hair extensions and wear a wig. I really think she has an unhealthy fetish.

9. I don't need an arbitrary holiday based on a calendar that was created and introduced by the most corrupt institution ever during the arguably most corrupt era ever in which scientists, objectivists and rationalist were persecuted, tortured and murdered for their free-thinking, amongst many many others.

10. Rebecca I miss you so much. I'm really hoping you move to Chicago to be close to your friends and family. Fix is also moving to Chicago.

postS. Sahar gives her painfully cheery, "oh tell her HI! and when do we get to see her again?!" I'm almost certain what she's really thinking is, "Look at my man the wrong way fish pants and I'll cut you..."

In Other News While I was spell-checking, I came across the word-of-the-day: DESCENT
A surgical procedure to remove the anal sacs, which are musk-producing glands on either side of the anal opening.

Can you use it in a sentence?

If Brain was descented *draumatic pause* our lives would be much happier.

God This Sucks

Things aren't great right now, relatively speaking of course. I mean things are far better than getting punched in the crotch or living in Haiti, but in my reality.... ho. hum. (Just as a quick aside, I found out there is an opportunity for me to go to Haiti and do some environmental work. More to come.) Here is a list of why things suck right now:

1) Coldest week of 2010.
2) Working outside during the coldest week of 2010.
3) Haven't worked out since Sunday since I have no energy due to working outside during the coldest week of 2010.
4) Feeling guilty that I use the coldest week of 2010 as an excuse to not get to the gym.
5) Suffering from PTSD. Post Traumatic Shave Disorder... I miss my beard and it misses me.
6) Ever since Sahar became an ENT Surgical PA, there has been a q-tip holocaust in our apartment. The other day it came to my attention that she used some q-tips and never told me. I don't even know who to trust anymore.
7) My 12-consecutive clean-sweeps ended yesterday. I was going to save the world with my paperless-poo's.
8) Obama continues to disappoint.. he's no worse than any other president that talked a big talk and didn't come through, except his talk was a giant talk and I believed him. Fool me once...



God I miss Bush.
Actually, in terms of PolitiFact's Obameter, which keeps track of the status of all of Obama's "hope-filled" campaign promises, we should reserve judgement. Regardless, there is something missing in Obama's persona. I want the fucking bold progressive leader we were promised, not a pussy-footing Ghandi. I hate to say this, but I wish he would adopt the Bush W. style of leadership and not care what anyone thinks, especially the minority party, regardless of how much of a stupid fucking moron he really is, which Obama is not. And frankly, I don't give a shit what he has to SAY at the State of the Union, we'll see what he DOES in Twenty-Dime.

9) Sahar saw one of those bookstore rolling ladders and said, "I wish I had one of those so I could be like Beauty and the Beast." Deductive reasoning: I'm the fucking beast.

10) I feel like I'm living with Bill Murray in Groundhog's Day. Not only is every day the same, but Sahar is just like Stu Price's wife in The Hangover. "Don't forget your fucking Rogaine!" she'll scream, "I can tell when you don't use it you bald shit dick." Or, "I'm not giving you another blow job until we get married." Which we all know is a trick because once a guy gets married fellatio relates inversely proportional to the amount of shows he has to watch on Lifetime or Bravo.

**Update*** Diver Bar COMPLETE!!

Come one come all and join us consumptionists in overcoming the existential vacuum.

High Life is on the house!

postS to last post

fix you are one of my best friends and i love you and i am anxiously awaiting your hopefully impending arrival to the greater chicago area this summer and remember the time we got drunk and you did the thing with the easy cheese?

Rebuttal to Illogic..

Too often in politics, partisan bias on both ends of the spectrum cloud judgement and completely destroys any attempt at objective analysis:

Jake:
*refer to previous blog post*

Fix:
Jake you should be happy...now all of your union friends will have even more say in getting their buddies elected than they did in the 2008 elections


Jake:
Fix.. you should be just as disillusioned as i am but instead you resort to a double logical fallacy with your sarcastic implications. it doesn't take a genius to identify this as a guised ad hominem attack, in which you attempt to tarnish my standing in our societal caste system, as well as my intellectual credibility and general character, with your veiled and factually inaccurate attempt to portray my so-called affinity toward unions which, are I guess, intrinsically evil. every time some type of progressive initiative is introduced, far too often do cons. bypass rational thought and introduce the slippery-slope argument to the painfully boring and redundant conclusion of fascism. you know hitler was never a fascist. he was the nihilist leader of a death cult. mussolini, now he was a fascist, augmenting his brutal ruling with a corporatist economic system. i don't give a fuck if it's ge, local pipe fitters #138 or news corp., no corporation should be allowed to thrust influence of a collective treasury to influence the body politic and drawn out the voice of the individual (even more so than they all already do). i get so much sand in my vagina every time i am the lone identifier of the terminal hypocrisy of conservatives with their default fascist argument with these now two, tragically overlooked FACTS:

1) it was a conservative republican administration who created the most AUTHORITARIAN and civil-rights divesting initiative ever with the aptly-named patriot act, which true conservatives recognize isn't really conservative at all. Yet, beacuase of partisan bias, they (you) refused to speak out about it (and still do). And since i am of higher intellectual enlightenment than most, i can see the hypocrisy of the current so-called progressive admin. continuing this horrific law.

2) it was a conservative supreme court that ignored centuries of precedent and allowed for the creation of the most CORPORATIST economy in the history of the u.s. conservatives are dead silent about this now because they know it is grotesquely wrong and/or know it might favor a republican agenda at the present time. i assure you this is not a victory for anyone.

do me a favor do some research on how AUTHORITARIAN and CORPORATIST relate to fascism.

Supreme Court decision strips the people of any remaining voice...

While I'm politically engaged, I rarely get a bunch of sand in my vagina over legislation or rulings; this is one of those rarities (I could have a beach party in my vestibule).

If this doesn't bother you - regardless of political affiliation - you are either an apathetic nihilist (redundant, I know, but trying to get my point across) or Ignorant.

From Crooks and Liars: "Here's the bottom line to today's 5-4 ruling: giant corporations can spend as much as they please on elections to advance their agendas. The right-wing Roberts court ruled that Exxon has the same free speech rights as you and me. In other words, Exxon is a person too."