Climate Change | U.S. EPA

Climate Change | U.S. EPA
On October 18th, this was the EPA's Global Warming website. On October 19th, it was the EPA's climate change website. Kind of reminds you of "augmentation" rather than "surge" rather than "escalation," eh?

The Unraveling of Dick Cheney

White House Briefing -- News on President George W Bush and the Bush Administration - washingtonpost.com:

"While Dick Cheney undoubtedly remains the most powerful vice president this nation has ever seen, it's becoming increasingly unclear whether anyone outside the White House believes a word he says.

Inside the West Wing, Cheney's influence remains considerable. In fact, nothing better explains Bush's perplexing plan to send more troops to Iraq than Cheney's neoconservative conviction that showing the world that we have the 'stomach for the fight' is the most important thing -- even if it isn't accomplishing the things we're supposed to be fighting for. Even if it's backfiring horribly."

Duh? I haven't believed a word he's said in more than six years!

Bush Directive Increases Sway on Regulation - New York Times

Bush Directive Increases Sway on Regulation - New York Times:

"WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 — President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.

In an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Mr. Bush said that each agency must have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee, to supervise the development of rules and documents providing guidance to regulated industries. The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency to analyze the costs and the benefits of new rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president’s priorities.

This strengthens the hand of the White House in shaping rules that have, in the past, often been generated by civil servants and scientific experts. It suggests that the administration still has ways to exert its power after the takeover of Congress by the Democrats."

Bush keeps trying, but it is the same ol' story...how will Congress respond? And will the laws of science be used only when convenient for the president to use and disregarded otherwise?

For America's Sake

For America's Sake

This from DL member Liz:

Moyers' speech (links to both video and text below) dovetails rather well with George Lakoff's book, Thinking Points, Communicating Our American Values and Vision. http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/thinkingpoints In a recent speech in New York sponsored by The Nation, Demos, the Brennan Center for Justice and the New Democracy Project, Bill Moyers argues that it's time our leaders recognize Americans hold a set of values that contradict the conservative agenda that has dominated politics for a generation. Read the whole text here.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070205/moyers_video

My favorite piece in the speech:

And that is not how freedom was understood when our country was founded. At the heart of our experience as a nation is the proposition that each one of us has a right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." As flawed in its reach as it was brilliant in its inspiration for times to come, that proposition carries an inherent imperative: "inasmuch as the members of a liberal society have a right to basic requirements of human
development such as education and a minimum standard of security, they have obligations to each other, mutually and through their government, to ensure that conditions exist enabling every person to have the opportunity for success in life."

The quote comes directly from Paul Starr, one of our most formidable public thinkers, whose forthcoming book, Freedom's Power: The True Force of Liberalism, is a profound and stirring call for liberals to reclaim the idea of America's greatness as their own. Starr's
book is one of three new books that in a just world would be on every desk in the House and Senate when Congress convenes again.

Government DOES have an obligation to help the most vulnerable, to help those who need help to have a better life. This is the obligation that those of us who are fortunate to have the basics--at least a home, a job, an education, and health insurance, to "pay it forward." It is a value that our society is losing. Isn't it ironic that many of those in power and are in positions of influence over the last six to 10 years call themselves "Christians", yet seem to advocate against those things that Christians are taught to seek?

Peregrinate: “President Bush is Insane”

Peregrinate: “President Bush is Insane”:

"So said Dwight Pelz, Washington State Democrats Chair, in a short speech this afternoon at the Heritage Park fountain, which followed a pretty successful (as far as success can be measured for these symbolic events) rally against the war along 4th Avenue today. Of course, his use of the word insane was based on the folk definition of insanity, which is doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting different results. Not a real diagnosis, nor even much of a rhetorical step above cliché, but it does make a good lead.

I went to the rally not because I it might bring about a change in policy (I’m not insane, by any definition), but because I thought it was time, once again, to stand out in public with others who think the same as I do as witnesses to our belief that the war is wrong, has always been wrong, and should be ended. Now."

My friend Mike said it well. If you weren't at the peace rally yesterday, you missed a good event. It felt good to be there. To take a stand. And many, many people who drove by us on the bridge greeted us with peace signs, honks and other signs of support.

The are numerous events in February and early March--I encourage you to participate in one or more.

Trading Lies

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall January 27, 2007 01:41 PM:

"I was just reading over a few of the articles about the Libby trial and Vice President Cheney's central role in orchestrating the attack on Joe Wilson in order to cover-up Cheney's complicity in and essential authorship of one of the central lies at the core of the Bush administration's case for war. The truth, though, is that we are not really examining the cover-up in this case so much as we are still living within it. Most of the key facts of this episode either remain entirely concealed or buried under a mass of government produced misinformation. The Senate intelligence committee report, authored by Republicans, but shamelessly and with great cowardice okayed by senate Democrats? I've been asked many times why the Democrats signed off on this fraudulent document. I think there are two basic reasons -- or two categories of reasons.

First, as hard as it is to say, shallow and poor staff work on the Democratic side, abetted, caused and hopelessly bound up with senators unwilling to get their noses dirty or their ribs bruised. Second, there was a more specific and complex error. In so many words, the Democrats agreed to let the Republican authors of the report lie and deceive as much as they wanted on the Niger/Uranium and Wilson/Plame fronts in exchange for allowing a semi-revealing look at other instances"

In other words, the Democrats forgot their role as the minority party. For far too long, they consistently turned the other cheek. We have some new folks in Congress, but for the most part they are the same people. How can we expect them make stands, set an agenda and really create a vision that people in this country can claim as their own?

For those few in Congress that took the high road, and tried to point out the fallacies and misdeeds of the administration, thank you. At least you tried.

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall January 24, 2007 11:57 PM

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall January 24, 2007 11:57 PM:

"So we've had a number of emails from TPM Readers asking about the post below on John Kerry and second chances. 'But in modern presidential politics (say, going back a hundred years almost) you don't get a second chance and probably shouldn't,' I wrote.

A number of you have pointed out that Richard Nixon lost the general election in 1960 and won it in 1968. Adlai Stevenson lost consecutively in 1952 and 1956, both times against President Eisenhower. And others note that many presidential aspirants have run and lost and run again and sometimes even won. Take Ronald Reagan for instance. And then finally there's the implicit question of Al Gore. Can he run again? In 2008 or after? Or is it over for him too?"

So what 's your opinion? Are there second chances in Politics? Or is it one strike and you are out? It seems to me that our country was founded on the principle of second chances. Unfortunately, in politics, as well as in many other areas of life, second chances are not an option. Too bad.

Democratic Response to State of the Union

Prescott Herald:
"Democratic response of Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., to President Bush ‘s State of the Union address Tuesday, as prepared for delivery and provided by his office:

I‘m Sen. Jim Webb, from Virginia, where this year we will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown — an event that marked the first step in the long journey that has made us the greatest and most prosperous nation on earth."

AlterNet: Minimum Wage Rises, Sky Does Not Fall

AlterNet: Minimum Wage Rises, Sky Does Not Fall:

"When I flew to Seattle last week, airport security gave me trouble over the four-pound ham I was carrying. Several TSA officials gathered to consider the question of whether ham is a 'gel,' to which I retorted: If ham is a gel, so am I. I suggested that they biopsy it for hidden box-cutters. I offered to divide it into 21 three-ounce chunks, each appropriately stowed in a Ziploc baggie. But no deal.

So I broke down and told them I was flying into what I had been
warned would be a food-free zone: Washington, with the highest minimum wage in the country ($7.63 an hour), could hardly be expected to have affordable restaurants or a functioning economy of any kind. Notable conservative economists have almost unanimously predicted that an increased minimum wage would result in wild price increases and mass unemployment, and I had a suitcase full of clippings to prove it."

Right....read on for a great article that makes the case FOR raising the national minimum wage. The author,Barbara Ehrenreich, has written a wonderful book on living in poverty, Nickel and Dimed: On (not) getting by in America, where she takes several minimum wage jobs across the country and tries to live on that wage...and that is just herself, no kids, no spouse. It's a life that unfortunately many people live, and a life that all too often does not allow one to "pull themselves up by the bootstraps." After an eight or more hour shift, a two hour bus ride, tending to children's needs, there often is not just enough hours in the day to do those things necessary (like go to school, look for a better job, etc.) that lead to paths out of poverty. When we are heading towards spending a 3/4 of a Trillion Dollars on an unjust war, but we can't afford --I take that back, we can afford to, but don't -- to help people find a way out of poverty, something is wrong.

Pizza Police

Pizza Police
DL Member Warren passed this along. It's a great little flash video of when things are way too inter-related! Great "food for thought" (pun intended!)

AlterNet: Drinking Liberally: A New Strategy for Progressive Politics

AlterNet: Drinking Liberally: A New Strategy for Progressive Politics:

"If you want to know what the future of the American Left looks like, the answer may be no further away than your local dive-bar.

Every week, in cities and towns all over the country, thousands of the nation's progressives are coming together to drink beer. But far from drowning their despair in drink, these progressives are building networks that could form the underpinning of a new renaissance for the American Left. What do they call this movement? Drinking Liberally, naturally."

Ever wondered how DL got started, and why its very simple format is popular with progressives nationwide? I think you will enjoy the article.

Unclaimed Territory - by Glenn Greenwald: Rod Dreher: "Hadn't the hippies tried to tell my generation this"?

Unclaimed Territory - by Glenn Greenwald: Rod Dreher: "Hadn't the hippies tried to tell my generation this"?:

"On 9/11, Dreher's first thought was : 'Thank God we have a Republican in the White House.' The rest of his essay:

As President Bush marched the country to war with Iraq, even some voices on the Right warned that this was a fool's errand. I dismissed them angrily. I thought them unpatriotic.

But almost four years later, I see that I was the fool."

The moral of the story: Be careful what you ask for (vote for). You just might get it.

Political Wire: Top Ten Bushisms

Political Wire: Top Ten Bushisms
But what about the smirk?

YouTube - Olberman- credibility

YouTube - Olberman- credibility
A great dialog from Keith Olberman on the failures of the Bush Iraq. Given on the day of Bush's "Surge Speech."

Gore Leaves Door Ajar for 2008 - washingtonpost.com

Gore Leaves Door Ajar for 2008 - washingtonpost.com:

"Will he or won't he?

As the Democratic field for 2008 takes shape, one big remaining question is whether former vice president Al Gore -- winner of the popular vote in 2000, an almost-candidate in 2004 and now the public face of the movement to address global warming -- will be in it."

Much to the chagrin of many of my progressive colleagues--and my progressive wife-- Al Gore is not saying a clear and definitive "no." In that case, it is still a muddled "yes," make that a "Maybe." I personally think he will be the strongest contender that the Dems can put out there. I believe we would see a campaign very different from his previous one. You see old dogs can learn NEW tricks!

Predictions 2007

Our lively Tuesday night meeting of Drinking Liberally resulted in numerous predictions for 2007. We covered the board on a variety of issues, some were positive, others took a more "been there-done that" approach.

Below are the predictions. You can bet that many of them generated discussion among our DL members!

But if you were not able to make the January 2nd meeting, please provide us yours as well in the comments section found at the bottom of this post. We will take them to the next DL meeting and review them--maybe laugh at them, maybe discuss them.

Warren
Democrats will cave to Bush on the issue of troop surge in Iraq.

Steve
Democrats in the US House of Reprentatives will "out-moderate" the right wing of the house.

Mark
(Congress) will get a minimum wage passed.

Steve
Minimum Wage will pass over a veto.

Bruce
Al Gore will be the leading democratic presidential candidate by the end of 2007.

Don L
Proposes a challenge: How does the DL Olympia group counter the illness that is gripping our political environment? Drinking Liberally will become a force in keeping progressives' feet to the fire in cleaning up this environment.

Don L
Bush will try to take us to war with Iran before his presidency ends

Group as a whole
There will be a Drinking Liberally Music Jam Night sometime this summer! (I LOVE this prediction!)

Steve
No Supreme Court Appointments barring death

Mark
Congress issues subpoenas. Investigations will reveal juicy material and Nancy Pelosi will have the balls to do something about it!!

Barry
Democrats will NOT do anything with gun control legislation

Mona
Bush will be impeached

Group as a whole
No tax increases

Our challenge to you!
What are your predictions? Please write a comment and let us know! We will discuss them at the next DL get together!