Steve Benen: Seven months after raising the specter of Republicans trying to hurt the economy on purpose, I can’t help but notice the “sabotage” question appears to be picking up some steam.
Just this month, some high-profile, mainstream pundits have begun exploring the issue, and just this week, two of Congress’ most powerful Democrats broached the same subject.
Yesterday, Michael Tomasky went even further (see here), arguing that Democrats should start “saying openly what has been clear for months or even years now – that as long as economic recovery would work to the political benefit of Barack Obama, the Republicans have been, are, and will be in favor of sabotaging the economy.” Tomasky added this is “obvious.”
….one of the first debates of the Obama era began immediately after the president’s inauguration, when many prominent Republican voices agreed that they “hope Obama fails.” The main difference between then and now is that these same voices are in a position to ensure the president fails by blocking measures that would benefit the country – in many cases, measures Republicans supported until Obama said he agreed with them……
….It is, to be sure, an uncomfortable subject, but maybe it’s time for the political world to have the awkward conversation anyway.
Full post here
The Obama Diary 
I am waiting to see how wide spread this message becomes. The corporate controlled media and the multi nations have no interest in seeing this become viral on talk shows.
Unless it is actually Wall Street who is driving the message out of fear that they can no longer control the batshytcrazyrightwingbeast, they created. Their monster is on the lam …they have believe the messages unlike the drivers and now have the power to act on those wild ass completely insane ideas.
The financial markets are scared as heck of the very folks they funded. POTUS is their only hope and it is going to be interesting to watch this epic power struggle.
I made sure to post this on my facebook page alongside important and fact-checking articles on those lying President candidates so thank you Chip for everything 🙂
Saw this on my twitterstream & it seems to fit with “saying openly what has been clear for months or even years now”: Andrew MacGregor Marshall: Why I decided to jeopardise my career and publish secrets:
Thailand is sliding backwards into authoritarianism and repression. And one stark indication of this is that just saying it is illegal… Thailand’s domestic media cannot report any of this, and the international media has resorted to explicit self-censorship. Journalists resort to vague hints when covering Thailand. As Pravit Rojanaphruk, one of the country’s best correspondents, wrote this month: “The ‘invisible hand’, ‘special power’, ‘irresistible force’, all these words have been mentioned frequently lately by people, politicians and the mass media when discussing Thai politics, the upcoming general election and what may follow.” Three months ago I gained access to the “Cablegate” database of confidential US cables believed to have been downloaded by US soldier Bradley Manning in Iraq. There are more than 3,000 cables on Thailand. Unlike almost all reporting on the country, the cables do not mince words…
“Awkward conversation”? i guess that means a discussion about “hatred, bigotry, fear, and sense of entitlement.” It will be a lot easier to pull a logging chain from an elephants ass than to get anyone to that table. It is a non-existing problem to the “righties”.
Brave New Films has put together an excellent short primer on how the right wing gets its propaganda out into the ether using the current lies about Social Security as the example.
And they have Bernie Sanders doing the explaining, which is very niiiice.
this needs to go viral
That is a powerful video. Here’s another one that needs to go viral……..
Have you heard about the AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL (ALEC)?? Check out this video segment that Lawrence O’Donnell did on the organization. It is chilling. Lawrence O’Donnell was a former legislative aide to Daniel Patrick Moynihan and he was not aware of this group until recently.
AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL EVEN MORE INFLUENTIAL THAN KOCH BROTHERS:
Andrew Gillum, the national director of People For the American Way, explained the influence of the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) on U.S. policymaking during MSNBC’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell Tuesday. ALEC consists of about 300 corporate members, including Koch Industries, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Wal-Mart.
The organization was founded in the early 1970s to promote free market policies at the state level and has fought against restrictions on pollution, regulations of commerce and immigration reform.
http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/05/american-legislative-exchange-council-even-more-influential-than-koch-brothers/
Randi Rhodes has been talking about ALEC for about 2 weeks now. She’s had guests on her show and you can go to her homework page. Think Progress has alot of information also. It’s about time someone within the corporate media woke up.
Don’t expect to hear this from msnbc, CNN or fox! They are corporate.
Btw: comcast had msnbc in the pipeline, before it was approved, while Obama was president elect.
Since that time, they have been just like fox, in trying to swift boat him!
Me thinks, I just busted msnbc and their true motives from. Above!!! It’s comcast everyone!
Comcast and hate radio!
What’s ‘awkward’ about the truth …. as long as you are not the liar or the econo-terrorist.
This is THE topic I discuss with any person who wants to talk politics or criticize the President. It will be THE topic for the next ~ 500 days, as long as WE make sure it is.
Yes.We.Can. … DO.More.Together!
Steve Benen and Michael Tomasky are absolutely right. When the repubs won the house in 2010 Senator Mitch McConnell (R) Kentucky said that their one goal was to make President Obama a one term President. Not to write jobs bills or better the economy, but to make President Obama a one term President. They know that if the President’s policies continue to go into action the economy will pick up steam and he will be easily re-elected; so they want to make it as hard as possible. This is unpatriotic to the max. Who wishes and works so hard for a President to fail, knowing that it would bring the downturn of a nation. You’d have to be a mass of souless orgres. But as they say you can’t keep a good man down and sunshine always triumphs darkness everytime.
“.It is, to be sure, an uncomfortable subject, but maybe it’s time for the political world to have the awkward conversation anyway.” YES IT IS TIME!!! Thanks Chipsticks for posting this very important article.
This is why I am crazy, nuts for Steve Benen. Steve was one of the first bloggers I know to broach the subject of the Republican Party sabotaging the economic recovery. Basically, the government has become dysfunctional because of their obstruction. The damage they are doing is dangerous and unprecedented. It’s time we stop tiptoeing around what we all know is true. As Steve likes to say, this is no way to run a democracy in the 21st century.
I am so happy to see the sabotage question break through the media firewall. It was a long time coming, but finally we seem to be getting some traction. For anyone interested, here are the posts from Steve Benen on the question of sabotage. You will notice that there was a flurry in June 2011.
1) NONE DARE CALL IT SABOTAGE (November 20, 2010)
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_11/026737.php
2) GERSON MAKES HIS CASE (November 26, 2010)
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_11/026805.php
3) TAKING STOCK OF ‘BRUITE FACTS’ (June 13, 2011)
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_06/taking_stock_of_brute_facts030233.php
4) THE SABOTAGE QUESTION GOES MAINSTREAM (June 22, 2011)
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_06/the_sabotage_question_goes_mai030434.php
5) IS THE ANSWER TO THE SABOTAGE QUESTION OBVIOUS? (June 25, 2011)
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_06/is_the_answer_to_the_sabotage030503.php
“the political success of movement conservatism. It goes like this: thanks to their organization, the interlocking institutions that constitute the reality of the vast right-wing conspiracy, movement conservatives were able to take over the Republican Party, and move its domestic policies sharply to the right. In most of the country, this rightward shift alienated voters, who gradually moved toward the Democrats. But Republicans were nonetheless able to win presidential elections, and eventually gain control of Congress, because they were able to exploit the race issue to win political dominance of the South”
I’m sooo happy we are talking about this. We need to be focused and relentless on it. We need to coin phrases that bring the idea home quickly. One of the comments on Benen blog was nice, “Republican either will rule or ruin the country.” If their was a bumpersticker of that line, it would be on my car yesterday.
As a fairly simple minded person, and one challenged by those who choose to manipulate and coneive ……in all seriousness…..why can’t this topic be openly broached? If America is as exceptional as our Republican friends insist why would we fear an honest and open conversation, why would we choose denial?
I say bring it on? The Republicans don’t get to write the rules, we don’t have to play that game.. Truth to power, speak it.
Sue, I totally agree. The Democrats should not be afraid to broach the subject of sabotage. When you connect the dots and look at the Republican Party obstruction and intransigence since 1/20/09, the only logical conclusion is sabotage. These are elected government officials actively trying to impede any improvements in the economic recovery because of their hatred for PBO.
They are suddenly against policies and initiatives that they formerly championed themselves simply because President Obama supports them now. They are putting party before country and this is unforgivable. It is long past due for some serious fact checking and truth telling about their reckless behavior. The American people have a right to know
The way I know for sure it is sabotage is that if the roles were reversed there is no question that the Republicans would have no hesitation about using the “S”word. In addition, the words “Un-American” and Unpatriotic would be thrown around like confetti.
I do believe the Republicans are sabotaging the economy and I’m writing and asking CNN,ABC,CBS, NBC, MSNBC about this very subject.