genius

Found this on a once pro-Dem website (it’s now infested with Leftbaggers) … it was posted by ‘Writer’ …. love, love, love it:

Mr. President, just quit and become the labor movement leader some progressives want you to be

When progressives voted for you, they wanted to see real change. And that change was in the form of a complete evisceration of all forms of neo-liberal capitalism and neo-conservatism that has defined American economic and foreign policy for the last 30 years. They want that history overturned, like a penalty call on a football field. Snap! Just like that. They don’t want you to talk to Republicans. Heck they certainly don’t want you to have any discussions or dealings with Republicans at all, because that will mean that you might not dramatically overturn 30 or so years of political history. And they will settle for nothing less.

They want changes for the worker, and they believe corporations have no place in American capitalism. Some, I believe, would like to see corporations eliminated altogether, for they pose a mortal danger to communitarian ideals. And although they desperately need a public voice – a leader – to press for real social and economic change, instead of waiting for the right person, they expect a democratically elected president, working within a democratic system, to radicalize.

So seriously, Mr. President, why try to please progressives at all? Just quit. Just quit and pick up a bullhorn and become the labor leader that they seek. They need a voice, and no one else has stood up. The idea of an organic intellectual is lost to them – they want to go straight to the top. And that person is YOU.

west wing week: “sharp elbows”

lip gloss

White House, December 2

who me?! yeah you, joe!

White House, December 2

oooops, some folk won’t be happy….

** Data shows fresh signs of improving economy **

Reuters: Fresh signs the U.S. economy has broken out of its summer soft patch emerged on Thursday as data showed a gauge of jobless benefits hit a new two-year low last week and pending home sales unexpectedly rose in October.

The picture also brightened as retailers recorded their best sales gains in four years in November….the reports were the latest to suggest a pick-up in activity in the fourth quarter.

“There seems to be no doubt that the economy is improving and likely to continue to improve,” said Mark Vitner, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities in North Carolina.

Initial claims for state unemployment aid increased 26,000 but a four-week moving average – a better gauge of underlying labor trends – fell to its lowest level since the week ending Aug 2, 2008.

The claims data has little bearing on Friday’s employment report for November as it falls outside the survey period.

Anecdotal evidence points to a firming labor market and the government is expected to report that nonfarm payrolls rose 140,000 last month after increasing 151,000 in October.

More

happy hanukkah

President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden wave at Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan during a Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House, December 2

magnificent!!!!

Congress sends child nutrition bill to Obama

AP: More children will eat lunches and dinners at school under legislation passed Thursday by the House and sent to the president, part of first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to end childhood hunger and fight childhood obesity.

The $4.5 billion bill approved by the House 264-157 would also try to cut down on greasy foods and extra calories by giving the government power to decide what kinds of foods may be sold in vending machines and lunch lines….

The first lady said in a statement after the vote that she was “thrilled” about House passage. She called the bill “a groundbreaking piece of bipartisan legislation that will significantly improve the quality of meals that children receive at school.”

The Senate passed the legislation in August. Republicans attempted to send the bill back to the Senate on Wednesday — instead of straight to President Barack Obama — by using a procedural maneuver to try and amend it with language that would require background checks for child care workers.

Democrats said the amendment was an attempt to kill the bill in the last few weeks of the congressional session because there would be no time for the Senate to pass it again and send it back to the House. They avoided the Senate detour and gave members of their party political cover by passing the background checks in a separate bill Thursday.

More

Thank you for the GREAT news Donna

gop: “there’s no sign of a recovery!!!” oh.

Gallup: Unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, declined to 8.8% at the end of November — down from 9.2% in mid-November and 9.4% at the end of October, and a new low for the year. While the government’s unemployment report on Friday will include seasonal adjustments and is less timely than Gallup’s Daily monitoring, Gallup modeling suggests that it will also show a decline.

fox noise: tense obama & biden attend governors’ meeting

President Barack Obama talks with Vice President Joe Biden as they walk to the Blair House from the White House in Washington, Dec. 2, for a meeting with newly elected governors.

hello governors, i’m the president….remember that ;-)

President Barack Obama waves and winks to the news media after delivering remarks during a luncheon for newly elected governors at the Blair House in Washington, DC on December 2, 2010. UPI/Shawn Thew/Pool

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