October 18, 2011

"President Obama and the Democratic leadership are making a critical error in embracing the Occupy Wall Street movement..."

"... and it may cost them the 2012 election, "says pollster Douglas Schoen (in the Wall Street Journal).
The protesters have a distinct ideology and are bound by a deep commitment to radical left-wing policies. On Oct. 10 and 11, Arielle Alter Confino, a senior researcher at my polling firm, interviewed nearly 200 protesters in New York's Zuccotti Park. Our findings probably represent the first systematic random sample of Occupy Wall Street opinion.

Our research shows clearly that the movement doesn't represent unemployed America and is not ideologically diverse. Rather, it comprises an unrepresentative segment of the electorate that believes in radical redistribution of wealth, civil disobedience and, in some instances, violence. Half (52%) have participated in a political movement before, virtually all (98%) say they would support civil disobedience to achieve their goals, and nearly one-third (31%) would support violence to advance their agenda....

Sixty-five percent say that government has a moral responsibility to guarantee all citizens access to affordable health care, a college education, and a secure retirement—no matter the cost. By a large margin (77%-22%), they support raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans, but 58% oppose raising taxes for everybody, with only 36% in favor. And by a close margin, protesters are divided on whether the bank bailouts were necessary (49%) or unnecessary (51%).
It's obviously risky for Obama to identify too closely with these people, but there are also risks in distancing himself. If you look at the various statements by Obama and his advisers, I think you'll see that they have positioned themselves in the middle ground with the message: We understand the protests as an emotional expression about current economic conditions. There's no identification with the protesters' abstract ideology or policy proposals — which Schoen's polling may reveal, but which are not that apparent in the protests. So Obama may have the right strategy: Characterize the protests as inarticulate cries of pain about problems that are real and that affect all Americans.

Schoen cites the 1970 elections — the midterm of the Nixon administration — when Democrats should have gained ground but lost by "aligning too closely with the antiwar movement hurt Democrats [as] many middle-class and working-class Americans ended up supporting hawkish candidates who condemned student disruptions." The Democrats who won, Schoen says, were the ones who acted enthusiastic about law and order. So Schoen — who was a pollster for Bill Clinton — recommends that Democrats eschew the "huge new spending programs and tax increases" that the protesters would like and please moderates by "opposing bailouts and broad-based tax increases."

But let's examine the 1970 analogy. The antiwar protesters pushed a very specific policy: ending the Vietnam War. A politician couldn't characterize their noise as an inarticulate cry of pain. If you sided with them, you were opposed to the war.

So I'm not convinced that moderate voters will punish Obama for taking his "I feel your pain" approach to the protesters. The rest of America also feels that pain, and Obama is good at performing empathy. Make it all very general and emotional, and let that emotional fuzz further obscure the already vague policy notions in the mushy heads of the protesters.

True, moderate Americans dislike disorder, but how hard is that to deal with? Up to a point, merge it with the "expression of pain" interpretation. And if it goes too far and there is actual violence, you do what all the moderate folk do when there is violence: Deplore it.

412 comments:

1 – 200 of 412   Newer›   Newest»
DADvocate said...

Pay your fair share, so I can have me free share!!

Lucius said...

My recollection, from the Evans & Novak book on Nixon, was that the results weren't too thrilling for Republicans. Tho in hindsight it would seem Dems didn't take enough lessons for '72.

But let's waive that. Obama has always had a huge problem showing empathy, most likely because he has none.

Now in this case: Obama was a diffident, pot-addled (maybe coke too?) young 'intellectual' trying to read the canon backwards.

Here are the diffident youngsters of OWS, who have not yet to cash in on affirmative action, er, find their sugar daddies, to get them into law school (assuming law school still means something?).

So will Obama feel the pain of young people in his own prior shoes? Don't hold your breath.

avwh said...

"Obama is good at performing empathy"???

Althouse: you must have a different POTUS than the rest of us. Clinton was good at empathy; Zero is cold and clueless.

jamboree said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Steve M. Galbraith said...

Yes, he has to embrace them but at a distance. Air kisses but no full tongue.

Embrace their concerns - clearly the moderates share that economic anxiety - but not their solutions.

On the other hand, unless he supports some of their solutions they may become even more radicalized.

Things fall apart, the center does not hold...

Yeah, it's time for Yeats.

Balfegor said...

And by a close margin, protesters are divided on whether the bank bailouts were necessary (49%) or unnecessary (51%).

Wait what? I thought they were protesting Wall Street . . .

The Crack Emcee said...

Obama is good at performing empathy.

Bwa-ha-ha-ha-haha-haaaa-ha-ha-ha!

[pointing] You're still seeing what you want to see!

ROTFlMAO!!!

Lori said...

Obama is fully aligned with the "occupiers." Not all of us are so forgetful of the things Obama has said.

This is the moment he threatened in 2009 when he told bankers, "My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks."

He got his way then, but with things going so far downhill, he has dusted off his pitchfork strategy.

What exactly set off the "occupiers" regarding bailouts at this moment? Don't these things usually have a "spark?"

Absent said spark, these are planned-for pitchforks.

Lance said...

I agree the 1970 comparison doesn't work as well as Schoen thinks. However...

I visited the OWS campground in my city. Didn't talk to anyone, just looked around. I'm trying to avoid charged words, but the best I can describe the gathering was "seedy". If the other OWS camps look the same, I don't see how they're going to have much influence on their working countrymen.

The Dude said...

His teleprompter has been stolen, until it is found, Obama won't know what to say.

Shouting Thomas said...

One little problem, particularly in light of the phony racism charges that the press hurled at the Tea Party...

On Facebook and at the rally (which I have visited), you'll hear quite a few proponents of OWS carrying on about the Jew bankers.

I realize that lefty demonstrations have an automatic dispensation for this kind of crap.... but that might expire as the expressions of anti-semitism become more pronounced.

AllenS said...

Empathy = you're calling my bluff.

JoALT said...

The noise of occupiers are irritating, Obama’s identification with them is disturbing. He is supporting a force which seeks to topple what he has pledged to defend.

Tim said...

"So I'm not convinced that moderate voters will punish Obama for taking his "I feel your pain" approach to the protesters. The rest of America also feels that pain, and Obama is good at performing empathy. Make it all very general and emotional, and let that emotional fuzz further obscure the already vague policy notions in the mushy heads of the protesters."

This is exactly right. Obama's voters, too dumb to discount his otherwise nullifying lack of experience and profoundly liberal political ideology, are most likely unable or unwilling learn from their experience with this failed presidency. The cult-ish chant of "Oh-Bah-Muh, Oh-Bah-Muh" from '08 will have its narcotic effect, creating an emotional fuzz that further obscures the already vague policy notions in the mushy heads of Obama voters.

Shouting Thomas said...

I have an outright Nazi "friend" on Facebook. (I operate on the theory Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.)

She's in rapture over the OWS.

Finally, the international conspiracy of the Jew bankers has been revealed and the final reckoning is on the horizon!

The Tea Party was convicted by the press. Guilt by association. How about OWS?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

So I'm not convinced that moderate voters will punish Obama for taking his "I feel your pain" approach to the protesters.

As my Mother used to say: People judge you by the company you keep.

Obama and the Dems hanging with these losers, whining babies and professional anarchists are not going to gain any ground with moderate voters.

It is obvious and has been painfully obvious for quite some time that Obama WANTS to have chaos, class warfare and WANTS to have a destroyed economy. Obama doesn't give one shit about the moderates, the middle class, the fly over bitter clingers. All he wants is power.

Moderate voters are not going to be fooled by this "I feel your pain" crappola, because we see that he CAUSED the pain and is reveling in the pain.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

and nearly one-third (31%) would support violence to advance their agenda
Like this bunch of puling naïf’s could pull off “violence”…what they mean is that they would support SOMEONE ELSE committing violence in their name, just like they want someone else to pay their tuition/student loans….Smelly Hippies and Destructive Teenagers-that’s for you, Franglo.

Sal said...

By a large margin (77%-22%), they support raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans.

Actually, 44% didn't understand or care about the question (they're here for food, drugs, pussy, etc.) and gave a random yes/no answer, hence the 22%.

Scott M said...

Smelly Hippies and Destructive Teenagers-that’s for you, Franglo

This is the inevitable outcome if you keep giving the kids on both teams trophies for years and years and years.

Anonymous said...

I disagree. This Occupy phenomenon is the very embodiment of Hope and Change. There are no goals -- and the goofy people involved have even said so. What it amounts to is all that Obama ever amounted to: put us in charge and we will make things better, even though we have no plan whatsoever.

Occupy and Obama are two peas in a pod from the point of view of governing philosophy, and Obama's plunging, awful Q Score reflects this similarity. People are disappointed in Obama because they understand that Obama offers no solutions and no coherent plan, just like the Occupy people.

Obama would do well to get as far away from these people as possible. He won't, though. He can't. Because at the end of the day, both share the same philosophy of nothingness.

ricpic said...

The Occupiers are itching for a violent confrontation or better yet confrontations which will "force" their boy Obama to impose martial law and of course suspend elections and then, who knows? not let the crisis go to waste.

James said...

>>The rest of America also feels that pain, and Obama is good at performing empathy.<<

What evidence is there to support that assertion? On the contrary, the frequent criticism of Obama is that he's too dispassionate and unemotional.

Shouting Thomas said...

Don't be so sure that these kids are not capable of committing violence. Sure, they're mostly SWPL college kids.

So was Bill Ayers.

I saw a few potential inheritors of Ayers' karma at the OWS encampment.

And those kids are reading a constant litany from the leftist press and Facebook that goes like this...

Of course violence is regrettable. But, given the incredible frustration these kids are facing, and the intransigience of our institutions... you've got to understand that the most passionate among them might run out of patience and resort to violence. What can you expect? Their intentions are so good.

Cedarford said...

They are making an error if they bond with the leftwing losers that are at the rallies, but Republicans are making a big mistake if they tell a royally angry American public that the people of the banks and Wall Street are the "Hero Jobs Creators". And listen to ill-educated, ill-paid Tea Party yahoos claiming it is all "Big Gummint's " fault, not the noble rich John Galts...

Reasons:

1. Most people see a rising income inequality that is making the US more and more like a 3rd world nation in terms of concentration of power and wealth in the hands of a few.
2. They see jobs and industries sent overseas and the middle class gutted so a small Elite can gather up increased profits from free trade and substituting low cost 3rd World labor. The see the interests of those at the Top and the rest of America, no longer aligned.

3. Three years after the financial crisis, not a single top Wall Street executive or trader has been accountable for criminal actions that help cause the crash. While civil suits have turned up evidence that Wall Street firms knowingly deceived investors about the risks of mortgage-backed securities, Europe is pursuing charges against EU bankers in on the cons and frauds -- the U.S. Justice Department not pursued any criminal cases against these firms or the executives who ran them.

E Buzz said...

This is what Community Organizing really looks like...

So how is it that he isn't in support of them. He gets as animated as I've heard him, with passion, when he talks about injustice...

He is closely aligned with them, and honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he is in some way supporting this.

It is who he is. A is A.

Anonymous said...

MarkG said...
By a large margin (77%-22%), they support raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans.

Actually, 44% didn't understand or care about the question (they're here for food, drugs, pussy, etc.) and gave a random yes/no answer, hence
---------------------

There's an article in the NY Post about how some of the demonstator's property (Mac laptops, Iphone, etc.) and cash are being 'expropirated' by thieves in and among them. Some wag made a comment following the article that they are now learning what wealth redistribution really means.

Anonymous said...

Shouldn't these evil bankers be forced to wear yellow stars, Cedarford?

J said...

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." -- Thomas Jefferson ...no moderate .and not a pal of bankers either (got that JoeJoe Seditionist)
.

garage mahal said...

If the WSJ says Democrats should distance themselves you can bet embracing it is the best bet.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Because at the end of the day, both share the same philosophy of nothingness.

That is very astute.

Philosophy of chaos, nothingness, destruction, degradation, aimless wandering into the cold dark night. Selfish demanding of everyone to give and taking from others for their demands. Envious tearing down those who have succeeded.

Versus the philosophy of building, creating, orderly growing, purposeful progress towards a better future. Sharing the work, charitable giving and giving a hand up to those who want to succeed.

Almost Ayn Randian. I don't think I want to read to the end of this chapter.

X said...

Most people get that OWS and Obama are one in the same professor.

Scott M said...

I wouldn't be surprised if he is in some way supporting this.

Would it surprise you if the administration and the UN-IPCC were using non-official channels of communication in order to get around or avoid FOIA requirements?

J said...

Just STFU Nachos-hayseed. Stick to the chiltons' manual . no one's waving swastikas (except yr pals in the backrooms of TP rallies--Kochs are real nazis)

Anonymous said...

J. -- How is your trial going? Are you sad or happy that Rep. Giffords is still alive? Last I read, you didn't believe she was still alive, so I hope you have made progress there. You are, after all, part of the reality-based community.

Good luck!

James said...

BTW, I'm sure the hands of Organizing for America are pulling the strings with OWS just like they did with the Wisconsin protests. So Obama's own political arm is involved.

Anonymous said...

Look a little harder at that phrase "performing empathy", guys. La Althouse is being wickedly precise.

Scott M said...

Does the one-drop rule count for you, J, as it relates to the Jewishness of bankers?

Rose said...

Oh, please. Obama is right in the middle of this.

This is the equivalent of unsealing the private divorce records. He knows full well.

Multiple protests across the nation did not happen 'spontaneously.' It took a lot of hard work by "community organizers.'

And he is the Community Organizer In Chief. That's what he does with his days.

You are seeing the true face of Obama.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

Three years after the financial crisis, not a single top Wall Street executive or trader has been accountable for criminal actions that help cause the crash
What “criminal acts” were there C4?

Aaaaah. The Small Pathetic Voice pops up and posts something silly…SO, there needs to be bloodshed? Of course Jefferson, say unlike Madison, Hamilton, or WASHINGTON, never really saw any blood shed…he just wrote about it.

Jim said...

Schoen is a GOP partisan hack masquerading as a Democrat. That's been obvious for years. I put as much stock into his "analysis" as I do Michael Moore's.

The Dude said...

Garbage embraces smelly, filthy, disease-ridden hippies. Well, isn't that a surprise.

WV: binch - press.

traditionalguy said...

The situation analyzed is an election in November 2012.

Sure, the full court press to empower the young unemployed in mob actions egged on by Obama and his Party looks stupid.

But Obama is not stupid. So Obama sees this rebellion in the streets to intimidate voters or call off elections as a vital part of his successful campaign.

Anonymous said...

If Thomas Jefferson said that it's okay to kill Jewish bankers, that makes it okay.

Cedarford said...

Seven Machos said...
Shouldn't these evil bankers be forced to wear yellow stars, Cedarford?

=============
No, just a branding of people like you as collaborators and defenders of the betrayal of the middle class will suffice, 7 Machos.

Think it is heated now, wait until the massive Fed cuts tear up the safety net and the people (the bottom 95% or so) happen to notice that the portion of wealth now in the hands of the Top 1% exceeds the levels of the Robber Baron Era or right before the Great Depression. THEN it will hit the fan and even in your personal life - people around you will soon ask if you are with them or the richest few.

Run along, toady boy to the plutocrats!

J said...

DBQ--some freak you are./were. Ayn Rand--hah. Nixonian rat-ho. You were probably the chick sort of dressed as a hippie--wearing tie-dye, showing a lil tit maybe----while working for the p*gs as a narc and busting the 'heads for dope. Sad. You could use a little.......... discipline.

Anonymous said...

Schoen is a GOP partisan hack masquerading as a Democrat.

IT'S A CONSPIRACY! IT'S A CONSPIRACY I TELL YOU!

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

Three Does the one-drop rule count for you, J, as it relates to the Jewishness of bankers
EVERYONE KNOWS that 75% of urban/financiers are Jews, wiccansatanist…It’s been “proven” repeatedly. In some areas the number is greater than 75%...don’t make me mangle some Spanish on your @rse!

Paddy O said...

moderate Americans dislike disorder, but there isn't nearly enough disorder for most Americans to even realize there's some disorder going on in the occasional park.

That's one of the dangers of Twitter/online forum interactions. It gets to feel like there's this huge groundswell, that it's what everyone is talking about, and being in the middle of it is so full of energy. But the fraction of people involved is actually so small, that it hardly gets on the radar of most people.

Anonymous said...

people around you will soon ask if you are with them or the richest few

I am with the richest few.

Will there by bloodshed? Will there be gas chambers?

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

There is one element that wasn't present in the '70's. There's no way to tell how many people, intent on voting Obama out of office, will chicken out due to lingering White Guilt.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

Sad. You could use a little.......... discipline
Wow DBQ, you have a fan…you’ve been “naughty” and “J” wants to discipline, you…then you can reverse the roles and you can re-enact some J and mom shower scenes, were’ he’s been the “dirty boy.”

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

people around you will soon ask if you are with them or the richest few
Man, I’m going with the “richest few.” USUALLY they can afford more guns….and considering the Occupy (City) Posse’s manifest incompetence, I’d bet when push comes to shove, the Richest Few will be able to squash them like bugs, the ones they don’t buy off with new I-phone 5S’…..

J said...

Read the comment again Scott-tard .No swastikas out there, are they? Hardly stormtroopers--thats like yr TP rallies, or the Koch boy's pals, or Daryl Issa and Co. . In fact there were some NYU students out there who looked rather hebraic.

Besides, the few anti-zionist chants are not..."kill the J*ws now" , but like "down with zionist financiers". A bit harsh for mommy's boys like you--but protected by First Amendment rights.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Occupy Wall Street is a cumbersome phrase. We need to give the protestors a nickname that is catchy. I suggest the Gimmees cause they want to be given everything.

Anonymous said...

O/T: i got a kick out of Druge's picture of Michelle O, "getting back into the campaign mode"- with a picture of her painting a wall white (i.e. time to whitewash things)

J said...

Talking about yr whore mama again Joe Swine?Still live at home, Joe Dreck?--just another biz major loser. You were to STFU satanist perp, weren't you

Anonymous said...

Besides, the few anti-zionist chants are not..."kill the J*ws now" , but like "down with zionist financiers".

Well, then, that makes it okay. Totally not anti-Jewish. Besides, Thomas Jefferson says it's okay, so it's okay. God will absolve us because of Thomas Jefferson.

But, J.: haven't you shed enough blood already? You killed a nine-year-old girl in cold blood for God's sake. I guess the intense therapy and the drugs aren't helping.

Scott M said...

and considering the Occupy (City) Posse’s manifest incompetence, I’d bet when push comes to shove, the Richest Few will be able to squash them like bugs

It wouldn't take the richest few. A moderately well-off bunch could take them out at need. There was an article today detailing the fact that theft of cash and electronics is a HUGE problem at this thing in New York. A girl that worked with the kitchen was quoted saying she had her Mac stolen ($5500 she claimed) and $2000 in cash were taken.

If you're not competent enough to protect an expensive laptop when you KNOW you're going to be "living" on the street...

Anonymous said...

Obama is awesome!!! Anyone who opposes him is a RACIST!!

Scott M said...

Answer the question, J. You're the idiot who put forth the premise

the majority of bankers/financiers are jews--say 75%--in urban areas the # may be higher

and defended it twice. I'm just curious how Jewish one needs to be in order to be at fault in this scenario. One drop? A quart? Answer the question, editor.

KCFleming said...

I must admit it was brilliant to have the Democrats fuck the economy to hell, and then protest the clusterfucked results by blaming their co-conspirators and the people who voted against said fuck.

Plus, free snacks.
There must be snacks.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

You were to STFU satanist perp, weren't you
Was I? I really don’t pay that much attention to orders from the likes of you…but assuming you did “tell” me to STFU, beyond waving a picture of a “gat” at me or the like what can you really do? Funny you don’t seem to mind be threatening or insulting, but you sure do have a thin skin when it comes back to you!

As Seven says, so as long as Jefferson “OK’s” it, anti-Semitism is fine, then?

Christopher said...

I figured they'd start distancing themselves when it started winning the praises of Iran, China, and Venezuela (not to mention the support of communists and Nazis).

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

A girl that worked with the kitchen was quoted saying she had her Mac stolen ($5500 she claimed) and $2000 in cash were taken
I read that and thought that had to be a typo or insurance fraud…there IS a $5,500 lap top?

And then the fact that s/he was crushed that it was stolen was PRICELESS-consider me a big fan of Count Rugin-who brings an expensive lap top to a place with NO security and is surprised it’s stolen? Except clueless, smelly hippie chics?

Cedarford said...

Events since Carter's Presidency have helped drive the U.S. to its worst level of income inequality since the Great Depression, with the nation ranking more unequal than the Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, and Pakistan.
Since 1979, “the gaps in after-tax income between the richest 1 percent of Americans and the middle and poorest fifths of the country more than tripled.”

America’s recognition of the indisputable level of inequality is forcing Republicans to back away from their condescending treatment of the “Occupy” protesters. Once concerned about these “growing mobs,” House Majority Eric Cantor, on Fox News Sunday, told host Chris Wallace that the president and Republicans “agree that there is too much income disparity in this country.”

The mood in the country is both government and the rich are at fault. Cantor is smart enough to know that you cannot publicly defend the bankers and Wall Streeters the way 7Machos and Joe the Crypto Jew do anonymously.

While the demonstrators are fringe Lefties, the fact is even the so-called "conservative Tea Party" are hardly lovers of the richest few. The rallies are as much about companies betraying America, outsourcing, keeping illegal immigration going and huge bonuses going to the CEOs and financiers. When they scream "don't raise my taxes!" - it is incorrect to draw from that they really mean they want the very rich to make out even better at other's expense. The Tea Party is not synonymous with conservative ideologue corporatists licking the boots of plutocrats...not even necessarily Republican - just middle class and retired people that know their way of life is under assault and that government is at least one of the culprits that sold out their America.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

A girl that worked with the kitchen was quoted saying she had her Mac stolen ($5500 she claimed) and $2000 in cash were taken.

Awwwww.... such a sad story. (sarcasm) It needs to be spread all over.

I can't afford a $5500 Mac laptop. And even IF I had $2000 in cash, I'm not stupid enough to just carry it around with me.

Yeah. Middle America, you know that 53% of us that are working to support the OWS scum suckers are really going to 'feel her pain'. Not!

These protesters are so out of touch with reality.

Whining that there aren't any jobs when there are plenty of jobs. Just not the extra super special jobs that they have been promised because they are extra super special people....but jobs or rather WORK (in my best Maynard Krebs voice)

vw: jugulate ....yikes

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)


Well all I can say is “Hooray for the rich” C4…we have the most Progressive Income tax in the West and the Rich are STILL getting richer…but by all means let’s tax them more…

Brian Brown said...

1. Most people see a rising income inequality that is making the US more and more like a 3rd world nation in terms of concentration of power and wealth in the hands of a few.


Something you couldn't possibly prove. Why? Well, it is pretty hard to get all excited about "income inequality" when the average American has 2 cars and 3 tv's and such.

the U.S. Justice Department not pursued any criminal cases against these firms or the executives who ran them.


Maybe, just maybe, that is because there is no evidence of actual crimes?

Brian Brown said...

The mood in the country is both government and the rich are at fault

Actually, more people blame the goverment (mostly because the government is to blame) than "the rich"

You are a blathering idiot, by the way.

J said...

better Jefferson than Bloomberg, Nachos-tard, or finance scum like yr pal Joejoe Madoffswine here. But I doubt the protesters approve ofJeff. Not too Pc.Regardless he was opposed the Bank of England and Hamilton's finance schemes. AS did Paine.

For that matter, since you're getting religious--check say Aquinas on usury (or the New Testament).. con usura

Brian Brown said...

THEN it will hit the fan and even in your personal life - people around you will soon ask if you are with them or the richest few.


I love watching you dumb, poor people, make fools of yourselves on the Internet.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

The mood in the country is both government and the rich are at fault
I “blame” rich folk like Immelt or Buffett, for talking one way and then proceeding on another…But why am I supposed to “blame” the rich?

Michael said...

Garage. Douglas Schoen was Bill Clinton's pollster. His firm took the poll and wrote the article.

By the way, most smart people read the opposition press. In the process they often learn something and become smarter.

holdfast said...

I don't think even Apple builds a $5500 laptop. Maybe if you include the cost of software, but would you bring all the original discs to a protest?

With max specs I got this one up to $4,099

17-inch MacBook Pro, Configuration

-2.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
-8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
-512GB Solid State Drive
-SuperDrive 8x
-Hi-Resolution Antiglare Widescreen Display

J said...

Squattard...do the fact checking yrself, dyslexic hick --, that is once your tweek buzz is gone and you might be capable--probably not

Brian Brown said...

The mood in the country is both government and the rich are at fault


Laugh out loud funny.

When asked whom they blame more for the poor economy, 64% of Americans name the federal government and 30% say big financial institutions.


OOPS!

Ann Althouse said...

Crack: "You're still seeing what you want to see!"

So if I said Laurence Olivier was good at performing Hamlet, you'd laugh at me for seeing that, because... what? Olivier is actually not Hamlet.

Clue: Check your logic.

Michael said...

J. LIBOR is at 25 bps. What spread over constitutes usury?

Joe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

AS did Paine
So some permanently disgruntled crank, like Paine opposed Hamilton, beeeeeg deal…the man was permanently unhappy and ended up in the Bastille, IIRC, because even the French Revolution was not “good enough.” As to “usury” I’m sad to report that Aquinas isn’t the basis for Church policy, as it relates to usury. I believe usury is excessive interest, not interest on loans…and the weasel word “excessive” kind of negates much of the sting of usury.

Tell me Small Pathetic Voice what is “Usury?” is it interest or excessive interest?

Michael said...

The chick's laptop was not stolen it was liberated by someone who needed it. Or wanted it. What is her problem?

Scott M said...

@holdfast

So...what you're suggesting is that not only is she a clueless smellyhippie, but a liar as well? I agree...it must have been the cost of the software. But if she's buying expensive software, isn't she propping up the horrible corporations?

Brian Brown said...

said...
better Jefferson than Bloomberg, Nachos-tard, or finance scum like yr pal Joejoe Madoffswine here.


Is this English?

By the way, Tony Rezko supported a bunch of Democrats.

By the way, Raj Rajaratnam was a big Democratic donor.

By the way, you are a moron.

garage mahal said...

@Michael
Schoen is the same concern troll shitbird that said Obama should resign. He either gets paid to lie, or he really is clueless.

Ann Althouse said...

The question is not, to amplify my last point, whether Obama is a fraud. It's whether his approach to the protesters will help or hurt him in the next election, as people decide how to vote.

The fact that his empathy performance has worked in the past gives us some reason to think it will work again. And since Obama needs to chose a response to the protesters, the question is whether doing empathy in the abstract could work again.

I'm not saying he should run on pure abstraction and feeling, as he largely did in '08. But on this issue: the Occupy protesters, I suspect it's a good tactic.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I don't think even Apple builds a $5500 laptop.

It would probably be a high end gaming set up if it were that expensive.

And of course with a custom shell and expensive leather satchel.

:-)

Probably in the top 1% of laptops. I want one.

Brian Brown said...

A girl that worked with the kitchen was quoted saying she had her Mac stolen ($5500 she claimed) and $2000 in cash were taken


Why would she complain?

I mean, she supports a bunch of "free" stuff coming from the federal government, so why isn't it a great thing that her computer and cash ended up with someone else who needs it more than she does?

Scott M said...

I'm asking you directly, J, to explain a specific tenet of your premise. Not to show supporting data for your ridiculous claim.

If you say that 75% of the bankers/financiers are Jewish, I want to know what thresehold of Jewishness you're referring to. One drop?

You're playing very pedestrian chess today, bench-presser.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)


So now your homework, Small Pathetic Voice is:
1) Provide some evidence for an assertion you made in re: Jews and Urban Financiers; and
2) Please describe usury and how it should be combated.

Ann Althouse said...

"One little problem, particularly in light of the phony racism charges that the press hurled at the Tea Party... On Facebook and at the rally (which I have visited), you'll hear quite a few proponents of OWS carrying on about the Jew bankers."

I agree that the anti-Semitism problem is a reason to reject association with the group. Schoen didn't talk about that, but the strategy I'm approving of here would collapse if the anti-Semitism meme were to stick.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

It's whether his approach to the protesters will help or hurt him in the next election, as people decide how to vote.


Hurt.

The fact that his empathy performance has worked in the past gives us some reason to think it will work again.

Well, his empathy schtick worked on some people.....I guess you can get fooled again.

Michael said...

Garage. I have never heard of him. So he didnt poll the OWS people and made up the answers? And why did hewant Obama to resign? Because he was too centrist?

Jim said...

Seven,

I never said it was a conspiracy. I said Schoen is paid by WSJ/Fox to push a certain viewpoint from a supposed-Democratic perspective and he gives his employers what they want. I watch Fox pretty regularly, and I've seen him on quite a few of their shows. I can't remember one time this "Democrat" has uttered anything other than GOP talking points.

That's not a conspiracy, that's just a guy doing what he's paid to do.

J said...

DBQ the Snitch with more snatchgass, following orders from TeabagCo.

You really don't have a clue what this is about. There a few streetpeople--but mostly students and workers. There not say "give us work." They're saying... down with Wall street explotation, end financial predation, loansharking, outrageous executive salaries. That and carrying yr heroine AynRand's head on a pike.

MadisonMan said...

It would probably be a high end gaming set up if it were that expensive.

It might have some pricey software on it. That'll add to the cost.

Michael said...

LIBOR remains around 25 bps and spreads have widened but only by a bit. We will await J's view on whether 50bps over or 900 bps over represents usury. We wont even inquire whether the spreads reflect risk. J quite appropriately is a simple interest guy

Anonymous said...

All the goofy lectures who lamely, wrongly accuse me of watching FOX News...watch FOX News.

How very odd.

Paddy O said...

"it is pretty hard to get all excited about "income inequality" when the average American has 2 cars and 3 tv's and such."

This is exactly the issue at hand and why "income inequality" is such an utterly false moral issue, especially when folks attempt to religiousize it.

I could care less how much money a rich person has. I should be concerned how those around me are living, if they are in need. The parable of the Good Samaritan was about helping that person in need, not comparing relative amounts of wealth.

In a way it's a continuation of the constant consumerism of our present society. It's not about what I have or what makes life livable, but what I have in comparison with those people over there. It's unfair!!! But, for most of us, it's actually not that bad. While I'm in school full time (on a fellowship that pays for all tuition), my wife and I make combined about $40,000 a year. I'd prefer living elsewhere, but given the fact we're in Pasadena, a very expensive place to live, we have a pretty nice apartment. We even went to Europe in May.

So who are we comparing ourselves to? To the ultra wealthy? That might make me sad if I dwell on that. Or do I compare myself to an actual 3rd world inhabitant? In terms of real living, we have it amazingly well.

I get the impulse to agitate for the poor, but far too often this isn't about the poor at all but more about envy being actualized into protest. A healthy dose of perspective and thanksgiving would be much more useful to our society than clamoring about income inequality that has the extremely wealthy on one side and the merely comfortable on the other side.

There's nothing Christ-like in envy or coveting your neighbor's goods, wife, ox, or house. Even if it's couched in moral sounding language, it's still reflecting a deeply selfish core.

Michael said...

J. They are also out for free laptops and free pussy.

Stillmwaiting on your take on spreads/usury

Anonymous said...

J. -- if you ever get out of jail what will your new strategy be for protesting?

Paul said...

"So if I said Laurence Olivier was good at performing Hamlet, you'd laugh at me for seeing that, because... what? Olivier is actually not Hamlet."

Obama is NOT good at it though. Some people were fooled because they found it emotionally rewarding to believe him, but any objective observer could tell the man is a cold fish and as phony as a two dollar bill.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

There not say "give us work." They're saying... down with Wall street explotation, end financial predation, loansharking, outrageous executive salaries. That and carrying yr heroine AynRand's head on a pike
Oh you’re right “J” they aren’t saying “give us work” they don’t want WORK, they want Free School or Debt Forgiveness, not work….J loan sharking IS illegal…try to keep up. The rest is verbiage, with the weasel words, “predation” or “outrageous salaries”…please define them. Oh Ayn Rand is already dead….

J said...

--No, that's your homework ,Small Pathetic Kissinger.


--Reread the FirstAmendment Frau Althouse the hypocrite. Nearly all "hate speech", apart from direct threats, is protected (and really "down with zionist bankers' is not even hate speech...the average TP rally far more violent, not to say the Klan rallies some of yr regs attend))

Scott M said...

Obama is NOT good at it though. Some people were fooled because they found it emotionally rewarding to believe him

This. In spades.

Scott M said...

Why do you find it so difficult to back up your own arguments, Jolly? Could it be it's because you have no idea what the hell you're talking about?

J said...

Con usura...as Ezra Pound once said. That's nearly sufficient in itself--of course certain people, with no souls , no mind, no taste--ie like you JoeJoes!--won't ever get it. C'est le guerre

ndspinelli said...

Poor analysis, professor; or should I say your specialty, overanalysis. This is a Hail Mary pass. And, Obama is not afraid to flirt w/ these folks because he holds most of their beliefs. So he's throwing his Hail Mary pass to the receivers he trusts the most..the ones who can jump the highest.

ndspinelli said...

J aka: The Riddler, is in his manic phase.

MadisonMan said...

Some people were fooled because they found it emotionally rewarding to believe him, but any objective observer could tell the man is a cold fish and as phony as a two dollar bill.

This is true of just about any male politician. For female politicians, change 'him' to 'her' and 'man' to 'woman'.

Note: If you would like to get rid of all your phony two-dollar bills, I will forward you my address.

Sue D'Nhym said...

"There's no identification with the protesters' abstract ideology or policy proposals — which Schoen's polling may reveal, but which are not that apparent in the protests."

Bullspit. They are apparent in the protests, just not in the reporting of the protests.

AllenS said...

Anyone who can afford a $5500 Mac is getting awfully close to that 1%.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

Con usura...as Ezra Pound once said. That's nearly sufficient in itself--of course certain people, with no souls , no mind, no taste--ie like you JoeJoes!--won't ever get it
So NO definition of “usury” then? So, like most Occupy (City) folks you have no definition of the problems and no solutions, merely complaints.

edutcher said...

Like it or not, the face of this is the Occupy Wall Street crowd, acting like pigs.

Granted, GodZero, failed community organizer that he is, undoubtedly feels a kinship - not to mention the fact his money man, Dr Evil, is bankrolling this nonsense, but George Will is just remembering the history, as do many of us, and he, as is Schoen, is simply telling us how it's going to play out.

The Lefty trolls who talk about commonality between the Occupiers and the Tea Party only want to create the illusion of a populist movement, but the differences are what stand out - the Occupiers want somebody besides themselves to pay off their student loans, the Tea Partiers just wants to keep more of their own money.

Amartel said...

Yeah, what is this empathy you speak of? But some, a lot of, people really wanted to see empathy in 2008, so they did. They also saw precocious intelligence, moderation, humor, and good faith, among various other non-existent traits. What worked in the past will not work in the future, not on a wide scale, anyway. Obama admitted that people see in him what they want to see, that he's a cipher.
Clinton could fake it, Obama either can't or can't be bothered.

Pastafarian said...

I agree with Althouse: I think this might help Obama.

The press will show only attractive (or at least non-repulsive) young people who have "done everything they were supposed to have done", went to college, etc., and 60-year-old grammas who get all of their news from NBC Nightly News will nod their heads and say "Oh, that poor dear."

They won't show that dumb fat fuck with his stretched-out "I am the 99%" t-shirt. They won't show the stuttering antisemite shrieking about Zionist bankers. They won't point out the covetousness, greed, and sloth of these whining little bastards. They'll show some nicely dressed kid that reminds this gramma of her grandson.

Then they'll show dashingly handsome, nattily dressed and articulate President Obama empathizing with their plight. Oh, our hero.

His act is only transparent to those who already doubt his motives. 52% of the electorate were taken in by it last time.

The next election will be a fight for the mush-headed middle, the swing voter, capable of voting for Carter in one election and Reagan in the next. Never underestimate these people's ability to be taken in.

Hoosier Daddy said...

"... I figured they'd start distancing themselves when it started winning the praises of Iran, China, and Venezuela.."

Why think that? American liberals think those places are so much better than here anyway.

Pastafarian said...

ndspinelli: "This is a Hail Mary pass."

That's what the Miami players said when Flutie let it go. "Oh, don't worry, it's just a desperate Hail Mary."

J said...

you're the criminal here, Nachos-tweeker including your crime of making false accusations (bookmarked--got that Nachos perp?). The protests are safely within the FirstAmendment. Whereas the Althouse-Front is verging on terrorism (as the Feds know..)

Google itself yrself Mikey Chandala. Or just chant it..."con usura" Multo buono!

Original Mike said...

"Sixty-five percent say that government has a moral responsibility to guarantee all citizens access to affordable health care, a college education, and a secure retirement—no matter the cost."

There is no "government". There are only your fellow citizens.

sorepaw said...

So I'm not convinced that moderate voters will punish Obama for taking his "I feel your pain" approach to the protesters. The rest of America also feels that pain, and Obama is good at performing empathy.

We know that Obama, a textbook narcissist, doesn't feel a whole lot of empathy.

Is he all that good at performing it?

If he were, wouldn't his poll numbers be looking a little better these days?

I think Obama's best bet (assuming he isn't hoping for enough violence to serve as a pretext for postponing the next election or silencing expressions of opposition) is on the OWS thing slacking off soon.

If it continues, and it doesn't grow violent enough to serve as a pretext for suppressive measures against his opponents, it won't help him.

Amartel said...

Yeah, what is this empathy you speak of? But a lot of people really wanted to see empathy in 2008, so they did. They also saw precocious intelligence, moderation, humor, and good faith, among various other non-existent traits. Obama admitted that people see in him what they want to see, that he's a cipher. What worked in the past seems less likely to work in the future, not on a wide scale, anyway. People were willing to suspend disbelief in 2008 for various reasons. Not so much now that the shit is hitting the fan. Clinton could fake it convincingly, I think because he actually liked and understood individual people. Obama either can't or can't be bothered.

MadisonMan said...

The next election will be a fight for the mush-headed middle, the swing voter, capable of voting for Carter in one election and Reagan in the next. Never underestimate these people's ability to be taken in.

You are too kind. How did you know I voted for Carter in '84 and Reagan in '88?

garage mahal said...

I can totally see some Citi execs laughing and high fiving each other while doing lines of coke off some hooker's ass when they read posts by easily led rubes like Jay.

"Thanks, sucker!"

SecondComingOfBast said...

And no, this isn't going to help Obama under any kind of reasonable scenario. Granted, it might help him with Socialists, Marxists, Maoists, and Trotskyists, along with the Paultards and other Neonazis, as well as the relative handful of supporters of the Iranian regime, who have also come out in support of this trash, but that's about it. Real Americans will just continue to shake their heads in dismay and disgust.

Rubber bullets. They're made for a reason.

Pastafarian said...

Paul said: "Some people were fooled because they found it emotionally rewarding to believe him..."

Won't they still find it emotionally rewarding?

"...but any objective observer could tell..."

If only a majority of the electorate were composed of rational, intelligent, well-informed, objective observers. Were that to be true, I don't think we'd really have to sweat 2012, or any election, for that matter.

All I know is: In Ohio, issue 2 (preventing public employees from unionizing) is going to lose big, in a couple of weeks. That tells me that a majority of the electorate in this state are still big-government idiots and leeches. And Ohio is a battleground state, typically indicative of the mood of the country in general. I'm not as optimistic as many here.

Hoosier Daddy said...

CNN has a story on OWS and the headline picture shows a guy painting t shirts that say Eat the Rich.

These losers want nothing more than the Bolshevik Revolution part deux. I certainly hope Obama and the Democrats embrace these folks.

Scott M said...

and other Neonazis

What kind of neonazi worth his goosestep would vote for a black guy? Even a half-white guy? Especially a half-white guy?

Scott M said...

These losers want nothing more than the Bolshevik Revolution part deux.

Yeah, what the hell? They have a lot of grain to let rot in rail cars while people starve. What's taking the capitalists so long to give in?

Hoosier Daddy said...

"... Anyone who can afford a $5500 Mac is getting awfully close to that 1%...."

Indeed. When you're carrying around that kind of laptop while whining about how rich people suck, it just goes to show how completely self unaware they really are.

Then again they're liberals so what should we expect.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

The protests are safely within the FirstAmendment. Whereas the Althouse-Front is verging on terrorism
They are within the First Amendment because they haven’t been taken to court…they are in violation of reasonable time, place and manner restrictions. Who knew that “speech” even less inflammatory than Occupy (City) in a public space was “terrorism” though…

So I guess you can’t prove your claims about Jewish Financiers, and all you have for “”usury” is “con usura” which, if Bing hasn’t mis-translated, means “with usury?” So you lack much of anything approaching evidence or argument for your assertions…WOW, you ARE an OWS person, “J”!

DADvocate said...

When you're carrying around that kind of laptop while whining about how rich people suck, it just goes to show how completely self unaware they really are.

I know an amazingly large number of liberals who fall into that caegory.

Michael said...

J. X bps over libor = usury. Solve for X

Pastafarian said...

MadisonMan, you are certainly a fence-straddler.

But you're atypical. You're better informed and better educated than 99% of "independent" voters. (Oh noes, you're the 1%.) I can see you voting for Romney, or maybe even Cain, over Obama this time around. (Or for Obama, for that matter.) But I don't think you'll be swayed by Obama's feigned sympathy with OWS.

It's the less-well-informed vast majority of this major voting bloc that I'm worried about.

sorepaw said...

your crime of making false accusations (bookmarked--got that Nachos perp?)

Why shouldn't readers wonder whether J is really Jared Lee Loughner, getting Internet access when it really, really ought to be blocked?

He talks crazily enough, vents enough hatred, and keeps hinting at a connection with southern Arizona.

Again, J, are you stupid enough to think that you can file an anonymous lawsuit?

Scott M said...

So I guess you can’t prove your claims about Jewish Financiers

Yeah, I think we're going to have to call checkmate on this one. Really, J. Step up your game.

Brian Brown said...

garage mahal said...
I can totally see some Citi execs laughing and high fiving each other while doing lines of coke off some hooker's ass when they read posts by easily led rubes like Jay.


Yeah, because you can really demonstrate how I am a "rube" you barely literate jackass.

Michael said...

Garage. You choose Citi execs for your example? Dear God man, which galaxy do you inhabit?

Joe said...


Look Alt-tards stop obsessing about the Lap-Top OK? Sure, it might LOOK like the owner was “rich” but really remember, s/he was using it for a good and noble purpose, and so by DEFINTION s/he was NOT rich…and so it’s loss constitutes a tragedy for him/her….whereas if DBQ lost her $5,500 lap-top or had it stolen at a Occupy (City) Rally it would have been socially-justifiable appropriation and redistribution.

Brian Brown said...

I can totally see some Citi execs laughing and high fiving each other

While the party you vote for bails them out again?

I think you should go on bemoaning big banks while voting for Obama, who leads the party who authored TARP, again.

Really. You should. It speaks to your principles, clown.

sorepaw said...

Clinton could fake it convincingly, I think because he actually liked and understood individual people. Obama either can't or can't be bothered.

I don't think Bill Clinton was always faking it.

Clinton is a reminder that empathy doesn't always lead you to act in the best interests of the person with whom you empathize.

sorepaw said...

It speaks to your principles, clown.

Cheaply programmed bots have no principles.

Even a poor-quality principle simulation would vastly exceed the unit's programming budget.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

The protests are safely within the FirstAmendment.

Of course they are. It doesn't make the protesters intelligent, coherent or acceptable to the moderate voters.

Lots of things are legal.

Free speech is. Trespassing, vandalism, theft, assault, battery: are not.

Tarzan said...

"A healthy dose of perspective and thanksgiving would be much more useful to our society than clamoring about income inequality that has the extremely wealthy on one side and the merely comfortable on the other side."

Very, very nicely said. This is exactly what has always bothered me to bits about the whole Class War meme from day one.

Anonymous said...

Should Obama embrace it?

Why yes--after all, he gave birth to it

garage mahal said...

Yeah, because you can really demonstrate how I am a "rube"

You demonstrate it every time you post here. You think your interests and the interests of billionaires somehow are always magically aligned. Global finance, climate change, squashing labor, voting rights....somehow, you're on the same exact page as them as to what they want!

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

You demonstrate it every time you post here. You think your interests and the interests of billionaires somehow are always magically aligned. Global finance, climate change, squashing labor, voting rights....somehow, you're on the same exact page as them as to what they want
You mean requiring the same ID as required to buy beer to vote aligns me with Billionaires? *WOW* Billionaires seem much smarter than Garage-style liberals? Squashing labour rights, SO having to contribute to your own healthcare and pension plan is “squashing labour rights” now? Yeah, I’d go on but it’s pretty obvious you need to get on down to Occupy (Madison) and hang out…because you are about as goofy as those hippies.

Brian Brown said...

Reality intrudes into the lives of the sheltered children:

Occupy Wall Street protesters said yesterday that packs of brazen crooks within their ranks have been robbing their fellow demonstrators blind, making off with pricey cameras, phones and laptops -- and even a hefty bundle of donated cash and food.
“Stealing is our biggest problem at the moment,” said Nan Terrie, 18, a kitchen and legal-team volunteer from Fort Lauderdale.

“I had my Mac stolen -- that was like $5,500. Every night, something else is gone. Last night, our entire [kitchen] budget for the day was stolen, so the first thing I had to do was . . . get the message out to our supporters that we needed food!”

Crafty cat burglars sneaked into the makeshift kitchen at Zuccotti Park overnight and swiped as much as $2,500 in donated greenbacks from right under the noses of volunteers who’d fallen asleep after a long day whipping up meals for the hundreds of hungry protesters, the volunteers said.

“The worst thing is there’s people sleeping in the kitchen when they come, and they don’t even know about it! There are some really smart and sneaky thieves here,” Terrie said.

“I had umbrellas stolen, a fold-up bed I brought because my back is bad -- they took that, too!”


Hysterical.

SecondComingOfBast said...

The real reason Obama is embracing these, his fellow vermin, is because he knows his base among these hardcore leftists are disappointed in him. After three years he has failed to deliver, except for the Affordable Care Act, and even that turned out to be a huge disappointment to all these hardcore leftists who wanted single payer, or some kind of government subsidized health insurance. These hardcore leftists don't even see Obamacare as a step in the right direction, they think its a boondoggle for the big insurance providers, and they don't like it.

So Obama is trying to bring them all back to the Democrat reservation. He knows that's his only chance of being re-elected, that and coming up with a way to triangulate after the convention to make himself seem like a peacemaking centrist to most Americans while hold a wink, wink, nod, nod circle jerk with these radical scumbags.

Hopefully these chickens will come home to roost in November '12 and the Indpendents will turn against him, and these far left pieces of shit will fail to materialize at the poll. He might lose a good many centrist and conservative Democrats as well, some of whom might just stay home, some of whom might actually vote Republican. It wouldn't surprise me if some of these leftist asshats were to vote GOP as a protest.

You'd be surprised how many leftists favor electing a conservative Republican like Cain. They figure it would lead to the collapse of the capitalist system.

Steve M. Galbraith said...

Nice little explanation here by Walter Russell Mead (a popular name around here even if the spelling is off):

Liberals have the same relationship to Wall Street that Pakistan’s government has to the United States: They hate needing its help, but the money is so good. This is true of every class of the liberal establishment: Democratic politicians don’t just accept, they solicit campaign contributions from bankers, unions depend on brokers to maintain and grow their pension funds and university presidents sit on corporate boards and solicit endowment contributions.

I'm not sure they really hate needing it that much. But his point is still spot on.

Obama risks untangling a big knot (Gordo (Geeko) knot?) that's connected to lots of other knots if he goes to far.

Er, you get the point.

Brian Brown said...

garage mahal said...

You demonstrate it every time you post here. You think your interests and the interests of billionaires somehow are always magically aligned. Global finance, climate change, squashing labor, voting rights....somehow, you're on the same exact page as them as to what they want!


Laugh out loud funny.

Um, you didn't demonstrate anything, bozo. You simply made more assertions.

But then again, to stupid people like you, want you want to be true, is.

Idiot.

Paul said...

"I can totally see some Citi execs laughing and high fiving each other while doing lines of coke off some hooker's ass when they read posts by easily led rubes like Jay.'

Ah garbage is just jealous. All his trumped up righteous indignation is just the sublimation of his own frustrated greed. Like most lefties he just wishes he was rich and powerful and could snort coke of hookers asses instead of working a shit job, getting drunk on beer, and wacking off to porn. Probably gay porn too.

Original Mike said...

"Something you couldn't possibly prove. Why? Well, it is pretty hard to get all excited about "income inequality" when the average American has 2 cars and 3 tv's and such."

“You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are.” -
Adolphus Busch

Brian Brown said...

You think your interests and the interests of billionaires somehow are always magically aligned.

What is even more comical about this is that you are unable to understand that the interests of billionaires (note, there are only 400 such people in America) is just a silly slogan.

In your stupidity, it is impossible that I could agree with a "billionaire" on a policy issue as a citizen.

In other words, you have the logical capabilities of a 5th grader.

And you rush to the Internet each day to show off that logic.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

and wacking off to porn. Probably gay porn too
Obligatory: NTTATWWT

Oclarki said...

J lives in Kern county CA. He is one of those people who show up at city council meetings and rant about the mormans and wiccans controlling his thoughts from space. He is probably schizophrenic, and while he is somewhat entertaining to mess with, I find myself feeling sorry for him. It's got to be hard living with that kind of mental illness.

Brian Brown said...

Ah garbage is just jealous. All his trumped up righteous indignation is just the sublimation of his own frustrated greed. Like most lefties he just wishes he was rich and powerful and could snort coke of hookers asses instead of working a shit job, getting drunk on beer, and wacking off to porn. Probably gay porn too.


Oh, no you don't get it pal!

Garbage is well to do! He offers to post a copy of his W-2 and will guarantee he makes more money than you!!!

I

garage mahal said...

You mean requiring the same ID as required to buy beer to vote aligns me with Billionaires?

Rich and powerful money interests doesn't want everyone voting who could potentially get in the way of what they want.

Joe (The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew) doesn't want everyone voting either!

Wow, imagine that!

Scott M said...

It's got to be hard living with that kind of mental illness.

Excellent point. You don't even have to be with-it enough to enter a username and password. After your mom does that for you the first time, the browser will remember it.

Paul said...

"Garbage is well to do! He offers to post a copy of his W-2 and will guarantee he makes more money than you!!!"

Not enough to snort coke off hooker's asses though. Plus being fug-ugly he's doomed to porn and twisted fantasy. Just pure seething envy is all that animates him.

Chuck66 said...

This may have been posted here (we are over 150 posts), but it seems the OWS crowd doesn't like it when their wealth is being redistributed.

Scott M said...

Rich and powerful money interests doesn't want everyone voting who could potentially get in the way of what they want.

Weaksauce, GM. This is true for anyone wanting anything and hoping that those not wanting that thing don't show up at the polls.

Anonymous said...

The most interesting read of the day (no offense Althouse) comes from the non-political, humor blog cracked.com

A liberal decides to use his noodle for a minute to try to make sense of OWS.

He concludes "you're doin' it wrong".

The "tiger in the zoo" set off some very provocative analysis in the comments.

And, in the comments, you'll find as good an intellectually honest political debate there is on any political blog.

I'd say the author of this piece is a mere 3 or 4 steps away from freeing himself from his liberal indoctrination....

Jane the Actuary said...

So half the protesters supported the bailouts -- well, I guess that makes sense. Their rallying cry isn't "no bailouts" but just "where's my bailout"? Bailouts for everyone!

The $5K laptop doesn't surprise me -- she probably didn't pay for it but just put it on the credit card and didn't pay attention to the cost. The $2K in cash, though, makes no sense at all -- I can only think of one time in my life when I had that much cash on hand (used it to buy my first car, used and out of the classifieds).

Scott M said...

but it seems the OWS crowd doesn't like it when their wealth is being redistributed

Oh, I don't know. She seemed downright complimentary to the thieves who robbed the kitchen. Which begs the question, of course, just how many mic checks you have to participate in just to get breakfast?

ndspinelli said...

Pastafarian, I watched that entire game and Flutie's pass was memorable. But we forget the hundreds that simply fall in the endzone as the clock expires.

Jim said...

"All the goofy lectures who lamely, wrongly accuse me of watching FOX News...watch FOX News."

When did I "accuse" you of anything? I don't give a shit what you watch, especially since I probably watch a lot of teh same stuff. That's your imagined slight, not mine.

Twice now you've taken my very plainly-worded comments and turn them into funhouse-mirror fodder for your bizarre rantings. You might want to go back on your meds.

Brian Brown said...

Rich and powerful money interests doesn't want everyone voting who could potentially get in the way of what they want.


And neither do public sector unions.

You are an idiot.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

Rich and powerful money interests doesn't want everyone voting who could potentially get in the way of what they want
Is that why VOTE FRAUD is such a necessary part of the Progressive handbook Garage? “We KNOW the evilllll Rich suppressed the vote. Bob, go find some ballots in your trunk to even things out?” That’s what you got? I have to show a valid ID to buy beer, but to participate in election process NOTHING is required? Having to pony up some cash for my own retirement and healthcare is squashing labour rights? Making it harder for Union Bosses to recycle union dues to Democratic politicians is squashing labour rights? Garage, you HAVE lost it…Get on down to Occupy (Madison) you are perfect, in your lack of perspective and false sense of grievance and injustice!

garage mahal said...

Koch brothers hate public sector unions.

Jay hates unions!

Anonymous said...

Jim -- have fun watching Fox News dude. Don't forget to buy the products advertised too.

Roger J. said...

Hey--great J has showed up again--spittle flecked ranting and raving

Hows your workout going douchebag? Still benching 400 pounds? such a stud--and still playing checkers when death is playing chess--had many pieces crowned yet?

While its extraordinarly difficult you have lowered the bar on stupidity.

You insults have been hackned and stereotypical. Its sad when you become a characture. Do rave on--tee time is not until 5 so i get to rattle your chain for another couple of hours--Take your nappy, get your ritalin and hit the lithium

Joe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Scott M said...

Unable to sustain his own bullshit, Roger J, he's apparently limped away.

Cedarford said...

Jay said...
garage mahal said...

You demonstrate it every time you post here. You think your interests and the interests of billionaires somehow are always magically aligned. Global finance, climate change, squashing labor, voting rights....somehow, you're on the same exact page as them as to what they want!


Laugh out loud funny
========================
Won't be funny in a few years, Jay, unless this war by the rich against other Americans ends. Big sacrifices are coming, and more and more Americans are coming to believe that the interests of the 99% do not align with the 1%.

Snicker away now...but realize few are laughing about our predicament. 30% of Americans now live in economic fear, and an additional 42% in fear that their children will not have middle class, upper middle class lives as good as the ones they enjoyed.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)


Garage, now at this point you need to throw in some Spanglish and complain about “satanists” or “sock puppets” because obviously you are heading towards “J” Territory….losing it dood/doodette.

sorepaw said...

From the blog of Wolf Blitzer, not exactly a right-wing agitator, describing results from the latest CNN/ORC poll:

Among all voters, 59% think that President Obama’s policies will fail compared to only 36% who say they will succeed.

In 2010, 47% thought the president’s policies would fail. And back in 2009, only 32% thought the president’s policies would fail.

You see the trend, and it’s not good for the president’s re-election prospects.


If these kinds of numbers hold up, Barack Obama's skill at simulating empathy will be completely irrelevant to his re-election prospects.

Roger J. said...

damn: misspelled charicature--first mistake since 1947

Anonymous said...

CFudd is now predicting massive class warfare. Hilarious dude. Will Jewish intellectuals seize control of the means of production?

Please rant coherently dude.

sorepaw said...

You think your interests and the interests of billionaires somehow are always magically aligned. Global finance, climate change, squashing labor, voting rights....somehow, you're on the same exact page as them as to what they want!

Serious poverty in the programming department.

And the unit has had no new output to emit concerning "climate change" for quite some time.

The CACCistocrats obviously aren't paying for its programming.

Michael said...

Garage: "Rich and powerful money interests doesn't want everyone voting who could potentially get in the way of what they want."

How fucking funny is this? Garage, you slay me. you actually think the millionairesandbillionaires believe that the four or five people without means of getting identification are going to foil our plans to fuck you out of your birthright? You are out of your gourd, dude. The dumbest guy at the OWS is not that paranoid and ignorant.

Roger J. said...

Apologies to the rest of the serious commenters here, but I m going to devote the rest of my comments goading J: he or she is rather like the Muria bulls who charge at the muleta not knowing they will be BBQ at the end of the day.

sorepaw said...

Will Jewish intellectuals seize control of the means of production?

Cedarford dreams of heading off a "Jewish Bolshevik" coup by leading a coup of his own.

And we know what kind of coup that will be.

edutcher said...

sorepaw said...

Clinton could fake it convincingly, I think because he actually liked and understood individual people. Obama either can't or can't be bothered.

I don't think Bill Clinton was always faking it.

Clinton is a reminder that empathy doesn't always lead you to act in the best interests of the person with whom you empathize.


Remember, Willie is a classic sociopath; he becomes whomever he thinks you want him to be - not unlike GodZero.

The difference is Zero's narcissism gets in the way of his sociopathy.

WV "palinden" Where Miss Sarah and Todd gather with the kids.

Anonymous said...

J lives in Kern county CA.

J is making Althouse blog hard to read.

Too many other things to read; not worth coming to this blog to feel like you're reading comments on "other" blogs.

I know Althouse is big on free speech. I agree. However, I have yet to see Althouse call him out--like she does with others.

garage mahal said...

Joe
What I don't get is why you would prefer what's happened to our labor force the past 30 yrs? Why is that preferrable? We had the most expansive and robust middle class the world has ever seen. It's unsustainable where it's headed, and it won't be just some leftists in the streets, it will be Republicans and everyone else.

Roger J. said...

oops--I do have one more global point to posit: Mr Obama embracing the OWS movement seriously has no understanding where the American voter stands--he got away with his Huey Long bull shit and impressed the idiots like our hostess--but I think he seriously underestimates the Americans who will be voting next November--Time will tell

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

Snicker away now...but realize few are laughing about our predicament. 30% of Americans now live in economic fear, and an additional 42% in fear that their children will not have middle class, upper middle class lives as good as the ones they enjoyed
And so did their grand-parents and their great grand-parents…people “worry” about a lot of things, most of which don’t come to pass. There may be a problem, but Occupy (City) and/or National Socialism isn’t the answer to the problem, alternatively, “IF Cedarford is the answer, it must be a pretty stupid question.”.

Roger J. said...

Browndog: as long as you dont say Ni##er, you are cool. Its her hangup--that an an ancient version of feminism. But I do like her blog.

Michael said...

Garage: We had a great middle class at the time there was no Dept. of Education, no Environmental Protection Agency, no TSA, none of that shit that we now cannot do without. Is it possible that the loss of manufacturing jobs, the engine of that robust middle class, had anything to do with the growth of government? Conceivable?

Oclarki said...

Browndog -

Agreed, what's makes me think J is mentally ill, and not just a troll, is the he seems like he is actually incapable of engaging another person an a human level. The are red flags in his pattern of writing that are similar to what I've encountered among street people. There is something off about him.

Michael said...

Browndog: The professor does the right thing by permitting J and ignoring him. The rest of us are not as disciplined and see in j the possibility of immense entertainment.

I frankly feel bad about it some of the time. As Philo of Alexandria said; be kind for they too are engaged in a great struggle. Or something to that effect. Still, it is fun to fuck with him. And easy. Half an education is a terrible thing to observe.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

What I don't get is why you would prefer what's happened to our labor force the past 30 yrs? Why is that preferrable? We had the most expansive and robust middle class the world has ever seen. It's unsustainable where it's headed, and it won't be just some leftists in the streets, it will be Republicans and everyone else
Well dood/doodette what’s happened is that the US, to an extent, has ossified…and the rest of the world has developed. In 1945, 35% of the World’s GNP was in seven US states…now those states enacted as Walter Russell Meade calls it, the “Blue Social Model” of increasing regulations and taxation, driving up the cost of doing business, whilst the rest of the world recovered from the devastation of the Second World War. Now, Japan can produce a car cheaper than Detroit. In 1945 Japan couldn’t produce ANY cars…

What is UNSUSTAINABLE is the illusion that you can pay people $50/hour and have Wagner Labour rules…you can have $50/hour, and a lot of automation and a lot of labour flexibility OR you can have Wagner Act work rules, but low wages…but you caNOT sustain both…please make your choice, Garage. This “Golden Age” you see was a unique moment in US/World economic history…

We can only go back IF we destroy Europe, Asia and the Developing World in another World War…of curse the economic blow-back of THAT will be significant to the US work force, too.

Roger J. said...

Michael: well said, sir. On a slow tuesday, it is immensely entertaining to fuck with the commenter known as j, even if I have an only marginal IQ

DADvocate said...

Rich and powerful money interests doesn't want everyone voting who could potentially get in the way of what they want.

Liberals and Democrats don't want legitimate voters, i.e. actual citizens voting only one time each, casting enough votes to potentially get in the way of what they want.

Scott M said...

We can only go back IF we destroy Europe, Asia and the Developing World in another World War…of curse the economic blow-back of THAT will be significant to the US work force, too.

Not true. A zombie apocalypse would do wonders for the job market here.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)


Now you and Cedarford and the Occupy(City) folks don’t want to confront the fact that you can’t get a Madonna Studies Degree or just matriculate High School and cruise to a McMansion, a plasma screen TV, and 100% healthcare…and so rather than face that you and Cedarford and the Occupy(City) folks instead posit a “conspiracy” that prevents you from having all these things with a Madonna Studies Degree, it involves the rich billionaires, or Jewish/Zionist Financiers/Intellectuals or Wall Street Profiteers, somehow stealing your “good life.” The reality is you can only have that good life if you work really hard for it.

Hoosier Daddy said...

It's funny seeing garage use the world unsustainable.

Shrinking middle class? Tell me some garage, how many 18 year olds were walking around with a $5000 piece of equipment 30 years ago? How many middle class kids were going to college 30 years ago, or buying homes? How about you support your American union auto worker and buy a new fucking car for a change instead of some Krautmobile? Is it possible American manufacturing priced itself out of the market? Maybe we should just tax the shit out if imports cause that's worked so well in the past.

You guys seem to forget that we were a manufacturing powerhouse at a time when everyone else was still digging out if the rubble from the Eighth Air Force.

Roger J. said...

Joe (the uncredentialled Jew)

you have to have to have an enemy to explain your own failures

Its those damn zionists.

garage mahal said...

Is it possible that the loss of manufacturing jobs, the engine of that robust middle class, had anything to do with the growth of government? Conceivable?

Conceivable, but I highly doubt it. We lost 50,000 manufacturing plants the past 10 yrs. I don't know how you draw a straight line between that and "growth of government", whatever that means. Obama and a lot of Democrats don't get it either, they just signed three job killing trade deals. They know by their numbers it will kill X amount of jobs, and they fucking sign them anyway.

Oclarki said...

I'm sympathetic to Garage's concern for the plight of the middle class. I don't get some conservatives nostalgia on one hand for the prosperity and social mores of the 50's and present day middle America, to their seeming indifference to the fate of the middle class.

I'm pretty well off, and will probably be able to weather even an extended downturn. But I want my daughter to inherite a country with a robust middle class and all the benefits that entails.

Unfortunately as Joe points out, I can't change the fact that emerging market growth is going to radically change our standard of living and really we can't do anything about it.

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