The Right Wing Pushback to Occupy Wall Street

I came across this today on my Facebook page:



Only in America do minimum wagers fight for the rights of millionaires to keep their collective foot on the throats of the "have-nots."

A new website has cropped up called, "The 53%." This is a response to the Occupy Wall Street protesters, and according to their cute, little pictures with their signs, they seem perfectly happy working multiple jobs to make ends meet, pay for college and don't understand why the OWS protesters, "want something for nothing." (I put that in quotes because I've seen it on multiple signs.) Their failure to understand what the protests are about is painfully obvious.

This isn't about partisan politics. This isn't about Democrat vs. Republican, Liberal vs. Conservative. This isn't about getting something for nothing. This isn't about iPads or smart phones or new cars. This is about a matter of fairness.

These people are protesting the fact that Wall Street has the government's economic policy by the balls, with one party in their pocket while the other party plays along as well. Both parties collect plenty of coin for their campaign coffers from Wall Street.

As former, and hopefully future, Congressman Aman Grayson so elequently described in last Friday's Real Time with Bill Maher, and which I'll paraphrase here, the people standing on the streets day in and day out are there because Wall Street basically wrecked the economy three years ago and no one has been held responsible for it. No one's been indicted. No one's been convicted. Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme bilked people of $50 billion in investments and retirement savings and that made the front page headlines for months. But $50 billion is a fraction of what Wall Street's games cost the country - 20% OF OUR NATIONAL NET WORTH - you and I as taxpayers bailed them out so we wouldn't fall into a catastrophic collapse. And yet here we sit three years later and absolutely nothing has changed in terms of their practices to avoid flirting with the edge of the financial abyss again. In fact, they received multi-million dollar bonuses for their efforts. Does that seem fair to you? Even GOP candidate Buddy Roemer (yes, a Republican) agrees with and backs the OWS movement.

Does it seem fair that Bank of America has decided to earn an extra $3 BILLION a year simply by charging it's customers $5 a month to use their debit card for purchases? Does it seem fair that Citibank arbitrarily raised credit card interest rates to 29.99% for no reason other than to skim some more of our hard-earned money before credit card legislation stopped (or at least slowed down) their loan sharking ways?

This isn't about hating the rich. I don't have a grudge against rich people. For those who earned their way and clawed their way up the financial ladder, good for them and their fortunes. For those who were born into money, well who am I to moan about it? But if I'm paying 28-33% in federal taxes, they'd better pay the same goddamn rate. What's wrong with that? Why should they pay less? Reinvestment for job creation? Please. Enough with the "job creators" bullshit. How many stock brokers create jobs? Why should a hedge fund manager or a stock broker have a lower tax rate than a teacher or a carpenter or a sanitation worker or a research scientist?

If you think someone playing with other people's money should be entitled to a lesser tax rate than someone who works as hard as the misguided person holding this sign, then it's time to recalibrate your moral compass.

ADDING... Although I assert this is not about right versus left, the title of this post remains relevant as the something-for-nothing-get-a-job-hippies-welfare-queens attitude of the anti-OWS voices screams of right wing memes.

What Occupy Wall Street Is About

Here's Alan Grayson, former and hopefully future member of the House of Representatives explaining in simple terms what the Occupy Wall Street movement is all about.



PJ O'Roarke can act like the clown and try to divert attention and misdirect in response to the logic that Grayson is espousing, but that's just more proof of Grayson being a serious figure when it comes to important matters concerning the country while O'Roarke just comes across as an asshole.

Alan Grayson Fighting Back

A liberal pit bull AND a sense of humor! But seriously, there's something about supporting Grayson that's a little exciting knowing that the likes of Sarah Palin and the Michael Steele led RNC are gunning for him. Donate here.

Adding... Watching that video took me back to nightmares of the Bush years. I didn't remember how much of a revulsion I had to the former president to the point that even an impersonator brought it back.

I Loves Me Some Alan Grayson

Florida Congressman Alan Grayson was interviewed this morning by New York Daily News reporter and radio talk show host Errol Louis and revealed that an official tea party member is challenging him for his seat this November.

Sarah Palin had targeted Grayson in her recent appearance for America's first Tea Party candidate, Peg Dunmire, raising half a million dollars for her, but it didn't take long for Grayson to respond in kind.

...In response to Palin's attack on Rep Grayson, Grayson actually complimented Palin. Grayson praised Palin for having a hand large enough to fit Grayson's entire name on it. He thanked Palin for alleviating the growing shortage of platitudes in Central Florida. Grayson added that Palin deserved credit for getting through the entire hour-long program without quitting. Grayson also said that Palin really had mastered Palin's imitation of Tina Fey imitating Palin. Grayson observed that Palin is the most-intelligent leader that the Republican Party has produced since George W. Bush.

... "I look forward to an honest debate with Governor Palin on the issues, in the unlikely event that she ever learns anything about them," Grayson added...

Here's more from Grayson during an interview with Rick Sanchez.



Is Grayson over the top? Maybe. But you have to fight fire with fire, and I have to say, it's kind of fun to see a Democratic politician dish out as much as the Republicans shovel in. You can donate to Grayson's campaign here.

Must Reads

Mutant Poodle: Dennis Kucinich and the Agent’s Fallacy

Bob Cesca: The Tea Party Is All About Race, Part 2.  Read Part One here.

Linda Greenhouse: Clarence Thomas, Silent but Sure

Rep. Alan Grayson: HR 4789 and The Public Option: The Way Forward

Glenn Greenwald: The Democrats' Scam Becomes More Transparent

Mary Bottari: Progressive Senators Fight for Real Reform

Amitabh Pal: Elections Don’t Justify Iraq War

Singling Out ACORN Unconstitutional

Well, we all knew that was the case. And so did Rep. Alan Grayson when he dressed down Rep. Paul Broun on bills of attainder and the ACORN witch hunt.



Now the judicial system agrees with Grayson as well.

A federal judge today issued an injunction preventing the implementation of a congressional ban on funding for ACORN. Judge Nina Gershon concluded that the ban amounted to a “bill of attainder” that unfairly singled out ACORN.

“[The plaintiffs] have been singled out by Congress for punishment that directly and immediately affects their ability to continue to obtain federal funding, in the absence of any judicial, or even administrative, process of adjudicating guilt,” Gershon wrote in her decision.

Gershon said ACORN had demonstrated “irreperable harm” from the ban, while “the potential harm to the government, in granting the injunction, is less.”

The Thing About Alan Grayson

I've been thinking about the newest Democratic star and his tactics. It's pretty impressive for freshman Congressman Alan Grayson to have so much exposure so early in his time in office. He was a successful lawyer with previous background work in the Colorado Supreme Court as well as a successful businessman which has made him a multi-millionaire. Part of what makes him tick is that he's not worried about where his next donation is coming from, which is key.

Basically, Alan Grayson is one smart cookie. He realized early on that the Democratic party has been on the defensive for so long because of the time and effort it takes to keep swatting away the flies that are attracted to the shit that spews from GOP mouths on a daily basis. So instead of spending time debunking asinine statements that an eight year old can debunk, Grayson decided to beat them to The Crazy.

Alan Grayson is beating the wingnuts at their own game. And the more he pushes and slaps the Bullshit Bully around, the more he gets them off balance, sitting on their heels and reacting to his dart throwing instead of locking and loading their own cockamamie cartridges. As a result, they're less inclined they are to run against him in his home district.

He's crazy like a fox - he knows that he'll get media attention by using extreme measures just like the GOP nutballs, but instead of using that time to push conspiracy theories of FEMA concentration camps or agreeing with the Birthers, he uses it to shine a light on important things like the health insurance cartel. So maybe his new website, NamesOfTheDead.com can come across as a little harsh when you first hear of it. But it puts a name to the statistic. It makes that number human. And it's one of the only ways the mainstream media will pay attention and he knows it.

Grayson Wipes The Floor With Broun

In defense of ACORN, Rep. Alan Grayson embarrasses Rep. Paul Broun while discussing a bill to deny funds to one specifically named organization in a Science and Technology markup. "Bills of attainder" are unconstitutional.



I'd be surprised if Broun wasn't helped back to his office for not being able to see through the blood in his eyes. You can donate to Alan Grayson here.

Alan Grayson Rocks!

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Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

You can contribute to Grayson here.

Shuster Asks GOP Hypocrite Hasner To Denounce All Nazi/Holocast Rhetoric

I'm glad I found this video from yesterday's MSNBC broadcast. Florida State House Majority Rep. Adam Hasner was all ready to jump on the "We Hate Alan Grayson Because He Said Holocaust" bandwagon, but didn't expect to be questioned about other vitriolic statements from members of his own party or denounce Rush Limbaugh's constant use of "Nazi" phrases.

Obviously, Hasner chose not to for fear that he and his helmet hair would suffer the Limbaugh wrath.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Rep. Alan Grayson: GOP Nothing But "Knuckle Dragging Neanderthals"

I never thought I could run for elected office because, as evidenced by my blog, I can be crass, foul-mouthed and generally tend to cast any sense of decorum out the window. (I'm not smart enough either, but judging by the current crop of GOP elected officials, I don't think that's much of a hurdle anymore.)

Now I have new found hope! Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Florida) is my new hero. Not only did he turn the tables on the Republican party's use of "death panels" and "health care reform equals dead people" rhetoric, but he refused to apologize for saying that the GOP Health Care Plan is to "die quickly" if you get sick on the floor of the House. And to top it off, while being interviewed by Rachel Maddow, Grayson added that the Republican party is "utterly unscrupulous. These are foot dragging, knuckle dragging Neanderthals."

Crack open a beer, sit back and watch what I can only dream of doing.

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