Motley Moose – Archive

Written by an American Expat who holds an M.B.A. degree living in the E.U.

My email address is: democratsramshield@yahoo(dot)com

Surely the death of the American working class dream is not news to the American 1 percent elites. The truth be known simply put they like it that way, as they surely are the architects of the GOP led class warfare against the American working class.

(The Statue of Liberty in the photo below is located in Paris, France and is believed to have become emblematic as the American dream now resides in Europe instead of America).

Le Monde quote: “From Near And Far, Bidding Farewell To The American Dream

By Claire Gatinois

LE MONDE/Worldcrunch

No matter what the frame of reference of the person examining it, its bottom line is unambiguous: the United States – not supposedly fusty Europe — rates lowest in terms of this relationship in the distribution of riches and social mobility. Yes, Paris Hilton’s America ranks way below the Scandinavian countries, but also below France, New Zealand, Japan, the United Kingdom, and others.”

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I rarely write anything about Israel. Nor do I get involved in I/P debates. That does not mean I have no interest in that part of the world-I simply spend most of my international focus elsewhere. But for many years I have followed the fate of Ethiopian Jews in Israel. So when I stumbled across a mention of Eritreans in Israel in a stray headline, I was curious, and followed up. One link led to another-almost all of them  either in The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, British or Canadian papers:

Racist Riots in Tel Aviv Show A New Level of Intolerance in Israel

Israelis attack African migrants during protest against refugees

Tel Aviv mobs attack black migrants

And let’s hope the adults follow these little children’s lead.  

With a hat tip to BooMan for alerting me to the story of Romney’s photo-op foray into West Phillie in search of education cred and “I like black folks, really I do, for Pete’s sake!” images; with a further hat tip to Bob Stanley down in the comments, who linked me to the hat-trick hat-tip Obama Diary, wherein Chipsticks compares and contrasts the sort of reaction kids have to the two contenders for the man who gets to decide for the next four years what their future’s going to look like.

I’m not saying that children have an inerrant BS detector, a spot-on radar for good guys and bad guys (that would be cats, of course), but the images below the fold tell their own story, doncha think?

Is the election of 2012 as simple as Obama the Human Capitalist vs Romney the Financial Capitalist? I caught a bit of the Martin Bashir show on MSNBC earlier this week. One of his guests was Jonathan Alter. I was not paying full attention, but something Alter said caught my attention and I rewound (thank FSM for Tivo) to hear it again. I liked what he had to say…the way he framed the contest between Obama and Romney. I liked it a lot.

Having now read his recent Bloomberg article (“Obama Versus Romney Offers a Clash of Capitalisms“), it is evident he was just touching upon the ideas presented there…but, imo, in a more succinct and clear manner. It has been running through my head now for days…so I figured I would put it out ‘here’ to hear your opinions on it.

Join me below to see/hear what caught my ear.

The “empowerment” of the Right since the election of President Obama has brought new relevance to old arguments for xenophobia, bigotry and prejudice.  In a few short years our public discourse has declined, one might say devolved, into a number of unbelievably petty and small issues which exercise our emotions more than our reason.  As much as this reinforces “end-of-empire” theorising it has to be wondered what legislative Republicans, among others, could possibly be thinking:

The right’s singularly intelligent strategy is, I guess, to drive all of us as mad as the right is – to embroil us all in the right’s juvenile distractions, its adolescent food fights, its infantile diversions from whatever is truly important. In time, or so the strategy goes, the civilized intelligentsia will walk away in resigned disgust, as will barely interested independent and moderate voters, leaving the political arena almost entirely to the right.

P M Carpenter – To Michelle Goldberg, I tip my hat 15 May 12

Is that it?  If so one fails to see the distinction from a drunken adolescent who threatens to burn down the house because they’re denied the keys to the family car.

Recently the infamous Heartland Institute, who commissioned billboards associating climate science with the Unabomber, decided to “spin off its insurance research project effective May 31.”  The reason?  Climate change scepticism makes impossible meaningful actuarial work on insurance.  Sheesh.  Brace yourselves for another summer of diligent hammering away at the ethical and social foundations of the Republic.

STRUM: Governor Romney, you argue that you know how to create jobs and that the source of jobs should be and must be the private sector.  If this is what you truly believe, and you believe that job creation is one of the most important challenges facing America, wouldn’t you be better positioned to serve this country from the private sector where you can put your prowess at job creation to work most effectively and beneficially?

MR: The problem we are facing is an administration that is in the way of job creation.  My administration will roll back the job killing regulations and inspire the confidence necessary for a true and robust recovery.

STRUM: By doing less?

MR: Yes.  By creating the conditions for recovery.

STRUM: But if what we need is a Government that does less so that those who know how to create jobs – and that is what you claim to be – can do so, shouldn’t we let someone else be the President who does less while people like you who claim to know how to create jobs put their expertise to work?

MR: Well, it’s not simply less, it’s which ways to do less.

STRUM: So you agree we need an active Government for job creation?

MR: Active in some ways and less active in others.

STRUM: So job creation depends upon Government?

MR: Job creation depends upon government policies that create the conditions where job creators can create jobs.

STRUM: Where their investments are assured of returns?

MR: Where they have incentive to take risks.

STRUM: So government should incentivize job creation?

MR: Yes, but by getting out of the way of the market, not by picking winners and losers, which government doesn’t know how to do and which is contrary to the American belief in freedom.

STRUM: Governor Romney, do you respect the US military?

MR: Well, of course.  It is the greatest fighting force in the history of the world.

STRUM: And it follows that you have great respect for the men and women who serve in our armed forces?

MR: Yes, of course.  We owe them everything.  

STRUM: And you agree that they put their lives at great risk and often sacrifice their lives?

MR: Yes indeed.  And we owe them an unpayable debt of gratitude.

STRUM: Why do you believe that they risk and sacrifice their lives?

MR: Because they believe in America.

STRUM: They are patriots?

MR: Yes.  Our finest patriots.

STRUM: And do they do so under optimal conditions?

MR: They do so often under the most difficult conditions.

STRUM: Even when the odds are against success?

MR: Especially then.  This is what is remarkable about them.

STRUM: So they are remarkable because they serve their nation patriotically even when the odds are difficult?

MR: Yes, of course.

STRUM: And do you think it a reasonable thing to hold them up as examples of patriotism that we should all strive to emulate.

MR: Well, that is setting the bar awfully high.

STRUM: Governor Romney, which is the greater risk, one’s life or one’s fortune.

MR: I think any decent person would value life above wealth.

STRUM: Governor Romney, do you consider yourself a patriot?

MR: I do.  I love this country.  That’s why I’m running for president.

STRUM: And this country needs jobs?

MR: Yes.

STRUM: And you know how to create them?

MR: If the conditions are right.

STRUM: Meaning if the conditions point to profitability of investment?

MR: Yes.  That’s how the market works.

STRUM: So this is what I’m trying to understand.  How many jobs have you created in the last 4 years?

MR: Well, I’ve been contributing in other ways.

STRUM: But haven’t you argued that job creation is your specialty and that right now our country needs jobs?

MR: Yes. But in the Obama economy, it’s very difficult to create jobs.

STRUM: Meaning that you believe the conditions for successful investment are difficult?

MR: Yes.

STRUM: So why not strive to be patriotic, though nowhere near approaching the level of those men and women risking their very lives, by trying to create jobs in the private sector even when the conditions are difficult?

MR: Because I believe I will have a greater effect by creating the conditions that will enable others to create jobs.

STRUM: But why haven’t you led by example?  Why should job creators be less patriotic than GIs who do so at infinitely greater risk for significantly lesser reward for themselves and for their families?

MR: The problem is that you don’t understand the way the economy works.

STRUM: And you do?

MR: Yes.

STRUM: And there are no ways you can create jobs in the current environment?

MR: Not on the scale we need.

STRUM: Have you tried?

MR: I’m trying by running for President.

STRUM: So if you lose, can we count on you to risk some of your fortune in the patriotic endeavor of job creation?

MR: I don’t intend on losing.

STRUM: But if you do?

MR: I’ll serve my country any way I can.

STRUM: By investing in job creating initiatives?

MR: If I think I can do it, I will.

STRUM: And why haven’t you been doing so now?

MR: I’m busy with the campaign, which will enable many others to come forward and create jobs.

STRUM: Without any risk to your own fortune, your Cayman Island holdings and Swiss Bank account?

MR:  See, this is the problem.  People like you want to penalize success.

STRUM: Thank you for your time.

MR: Thank you.

I really don[‘t care much for sports. Make that professional sports and the insanity that is college sports in the USA today. I won’t argue with anyone about this because I do not know enough about athletic penchants to even articulate why I disdain them so much. Perhaps it is simply the fact that it pisses me off that we spend so much time and attention on something I find almost utterly without value.

I am sure that this will garner me a lot of outrage and arguements but please spare me your indignation. I have enjoyed many high school basketball (my 6’7″ stepson played the entire 18 years his mother and I were together) and hockey games over the years. I love watching women’s basketball at my alma mater, the University of North Dakota and their consitant nemisis and equally talented “Lady” Bison’s. Ah hell, I remember wathching hockey all through my childhood at

I had wondered why I had so much difficulty listening to Willard “Mitt” Romney for more than 45 seconds without screaming my head off at the TV machine

What if republicans started calling looking forward is a slogan used by marxists in the fifties look this up

My TV host can beat up your pundit

I am not much for sports but I love a pugilistic bout between a really smart liberal and the best Republican pundit

Conversation between Martin Bashir and Crystal Ball and black dude from NY times  cnat remember hjis name “Romney see’s our best years nehind us and wonats to recleaimn some imaginary time in America that was a bastion for capitalism and independent conservative ifdeals that worked so well of  our country. When wass this? I havent got a clue as it would seem that hte very best days of this coutnry wree in the 40’s 50’s and even the 60’s…WHEN OUR FREAKING TAX RATE ON THE KINGS OF INDUSTRY WAS 70 TO 91 PERCENT!!!!!!!!

Then Martin and dude discussed Obama who seems to think our best days are yet to come

I must be stupid

can anyone please tell me how president obama has ruined our country over the past 3 years? please…no really, PLEASE?????

MOOOOOOSE!

Barack Obama has come out with a dynamite ad following up on the idea put forth by Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.  Namely that Mitt’s experience at Bain was that of a rapacious vulture capitalist.  I’m going to take it one step further and truly define Mitt Romney.  He’s Pauley.  Do the jump to see what I mean; the video is not safe for work.