Happy Holidays

by Todd Bennett

Will try to post more on Iowa after Christmas.

Real Tax Fairness

Here is an idea of what a John Edwards Presidency would bring in the way of tax fairness to the middle class with thanks to jamess on mydd.com :

The Steps to Strengthen the Middle Class
(A) Encourage Savings
(a) Establish a new Get Ahead tax credit to match up to $500 a year in retirement savings for families earning up to $75,000.
(b) Create new Work Bonds to offer extra savings incentives for low-income workers.
(B) Reward Work
(a) Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to reward low-wage workers by tripling the EITC for single adults and cutting the marriage penalty.
[ some key details from pdf-2: ]
- Edwards will expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to pay up to 50 percent of childcare expenses up to $5,000 and make it partially refundable to benefit low-income working families. He will also allow stay-at-home parents to get the credit to help pay for child care for newborn infants.
- Triple the EITC for 4 Million Adults without Children: A single worker at the poverty line pays more than $800 in federal income and payroll taxes. Edwards will offer more than $1,200 to poor single workers, tripling the current EITC, and it will give 4 million low-income workers an average tax cut of $750.
- Edwards believes that we must cut the EITC marriage penalty. His proposal will cut taxes for 3 million couples by about $400 a year.
(C) Support Families
(a) More than double the Child and Dependent Care Credit to up to $2,500 per child.

(2) Reward work, not just wealth, and Repeal the Bush tax breaks for the Wealthy
The Goals:
"It's time to stop promoting the wealth of the wealthy and start making sure that everyone has the chance to move up the economic ladder."
The Steps: to Repeal the Bush tax breaks
(A) Restore Fair Taxation of Wealth
(a) Restore the investment income tax rate to 28 percent for Americans making more than $250,000 a year so that wealthy investors don't pay a lower rate on investments than many regular Americans pay on wages.
[ some key details from pdf-2: ]
To ensure that the wealthiest Americans are paying their fair share of taxes and to reduce the economic distortions from tax shelters resulting from large capital gains preferences, Edwards will raise the top tax rate on long-term capital gains to 28 percent for the most fortunate taxpayers, the same rate signed into law by President Reagan. The 28 percent rate will ensure that high-income investors will pay taxes on their investment income at a similar rate to what regular families pay on their earned income.
(b) Repeal the Bush tax cuts for households earning more than $200,000 a year.
More than half of the Bush tax cuts - $132 billion - will go to the top 1 percent of taxpayers in 2010. Edwards will repeal the Bush tax cuts for the highest-income households. He will also eliminate estate taxes for the middle class, small business owners and family farmers, while keeping these taxes on the few families with large estates above $4 million in value.
(c) Keep the tax on very largest inheritances while protecting family businesses and family farms.
(B) Simplify Taxes
(a) Simplify taxes for up to 50 million families by giving them the option of letting the IRS complete a first draft of their forms for "five-minute filing."

A taste of what Edwards might have in store for us.

A Word About This War

by
Todd Bennett





A word about this war. There are those who say the soldiers died for nothing. That is wrong. For as long as there are men and women willing to die to support the cause of freedom, there are millions of Americans who are inspired to contribute more themselves. Though the interests of freedom have not been well served by this war, the interest of self-governance and political activism have been. Casey Sheehan's courage was indeed exploited, along with thousands of others. However, the great lie of this war is not able to overshadow the great truth of soldiers like Casey: That belief in and love for one's nation can never be in vain, for it is the purity of that love which cleanses our country of the tyranny of those who would undermine it. Our fight to end this war bears that point out. We have lost brave men and women in this war, but their sacrifice has bestowed upon us a great gift: We have our will back, and this administration was not planning on that.





Cross-posted at: http://www.mydd.com/

John Edwards: Like FDR, He's the Real Deal

by

Its Like Herding Cats of mydd.com /Postscript By Todd Bennett

This article first appeared in the November 26th issue of The Nation magazine, and is published jointly online in collaboration with Huffington Post and OffTheBus. This is one in a series of eight essays by leading progressive commentators making the affirmative case for each of the Democratic presidential contenders.
The recent news that SEIU's chapters in twelve states--representing more than a million workers--endorsed the candidacy of John Edwards is a loud wake-up call. The race for the Democratic nomination is still that: a real race. For my money, there is no other candidate who will work as hard as Edwards for the nation's low-income families, the working poor, struggling students and the 47 million Americans who desperately need health insurance. Organized labor sees him the same way, which is why he has garnered this seal of approval and the boots on the ground that it represents--even in the face of the Clinton juggernaut. They know that Edwards is the candidate who can actually win the general election, the one who is thinking about people like them.
They know because Edwards stood with them through every state-level campaign to raise the minimum wage long before he announced a run for the White House. They know because he was first out with a health insurance plan that actually provides universal coverage while acknowledging what we all know to be true: the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans will have to be rolled back to pay for it. And they know because he has been solidly, unambiguously in favor of withdrawing from Iraq, even as the Democratic Party has tacked back and forth on the issue, despite overwhelming public support for ending the war.

I first met Edwards at a gathering at the University of North Carolina's Center on Poverty, Work, and Opportunity. Hurricane Katrina had devastated the Gulf Coast only a few months before and exposed the "two Americas" of which Edwards had spoken throughout the 2004 campaign. He called the country's experts together--across party lines--to debate the causes, consequences and remedies for poverty in an era of unprecedented wage inequality. For two days we discussed what should be done to enhance the mobility of the working poor, how we should deal with the competition from low-wage countries like China and what the trends in out-of-wedlock births mean for single mothers below the poverty line.
Most politicians would have given their obligatory keynote address and retired to the comfort of their leather chairs. Edwards stayed the whole time, ran virtually all of the sessions, asked intelligent questions, probed for more practical answers and stuck around to talk with the presenters about how to cull from their academic research workable ideas that could form the basis of a campaign that has as its centerpiece the eradication of poverty in this wealthy nation.
My conversations with Edwards persuaded me that he is the genuine article. Some doubt his commitment because they think a wealthy trial lawyer is not a credible force on behalf of the dispossessed. The next time Nation readers are tempted to think this way, I suggest they take a ride up to Hyde Park and check out the sprawling Hudson River mansion FDR called home. No greater contribution to the welfare of the indigent, the elderly, the unemployed and the sick has ever been made than that which Roosevelt enshrined in the New Deal. Not­withstanding the New Deal's flaws (and there were many), the social policy triumphs of the 1930s stand as an exemplar of what can be done when the will is there. If those victories could be catalyzed by one of the richest men ever to occupy the White House, then it can be done again by a self-made millionaire who earned his fortune attacking negligent corporations in the courtroom.
But enough of the cheerleading based on background. What exactly does Edwards propose to do for the country's low- and moderate-income families? First, he tells us, we must raise the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2012 and put legislation in place to ensure that it does not fall behind again. Second, he pro­poses the creation of public employment opportunities for those who cannot find jobs because they live in rural areas, blight­ed neighborhoods or communities without transportation.
He stands with organized labor, even as it has taken body blows over the past forty years. Despite opinion polls showing that workers want union representation, the ranks of unions are dwindling. Why this disconnect? Edwards has part of the answer: the rules governing the organizing process were written to favor management. Edwards has endorsed the Employee Free Choice Act, which will give workers a chance to organize and use their clout to increase their wages and benefits. At a time when the gap between CEOs and the rank and file is at an all-time high, this is a critical first step toward returning to workers a fare share of what their extraordinarily high productivity has contributed to the bottom line.
And while we're at it, how about focusing some attention on the regulatory structure that ensures we have safe food, clean water and working conditions that do not expose employees to hazardous chemicals? The protective legislation we rely on is all but devoid of enforcement capacity as a result of budgetary strip mining. Inspectors are disappearing, fines are not levied or enforced and families have to worry about whether the spinach on the table is safe to eat. Edwards is the only candidate who has emphasized the importance of targeting abusive industries that sacrifice worker safety and public health.
Edwards has also made serious, imaginative proposals for improving public schools, protecting people from predatory lenders, increasing college access and extending the school system to incorporate the millions who have dropped out and need a second chance. These are not pie-in-the-sky ideas or handouts: they are sound investments in the fiscal health and educational well-being of the country.
There is every reason to expect that the Democrats will end up with solid majorities in the House and Senate in 2008. We need a President who will grab this brass ring. We should not squander the opportunity on tepid, middle-of-the-road, blow-with-the-wind candidates who will be too busy trying to paint themselves as tough on crime or hard-nosed on Iran to seize a chance that may not come again in our lifetime.
Katherine S. Newman is the co-author of The Missing Class: Portraits of the Near Poor in America.

Postscript from Todd: As we gather this day of thanks, let us remember those with less and resolve, nay, vow to improve their lives as part of our repayment to those who have done so much for us. John Edwards understands that the United States is a family-a large family, but one nonetheless, and we all suffer for the tragedy of poverty even if we have money, because sooner or later our indifference and divisions will doom us to irrelevance on the global stage. We must reclaim our place as an inspiration for the world by showing what we are capable of doing at home, my friends.

Keep Your Mouth Shut, Steny Hoyer! A Diatribe Not For Children-Rated R

Keep Your Mouth Shut, Steny Hoyer! A Diatribe Not For Children-Rated R

by Todd Bennett,

So now this asshat resorts to Reaganology in his efforts to get the ultra corporate Hillary elected? All of my efforts to be proper and friendly have temporarily paused, for those of you who love a good ole' cussfest, here it goes-Look at this garbage:

"I like Reagan's rule applied to his party: speak no ill of Republicans. I don't like it when our party, that agrees on 95 percent of the issues, so exacerbate the nuances of differences."
-- House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, in an interview to air later tonight on Bloomberg's Political Capital with Al Hunt, critical of the "mud slinging" during last night's Democratic debate.

Nuances? You stupid fool, you think the difference between warmongering and peace is nuance? Guess what, Asshat? Our candidates do not agree on 95 percent of the issues. In fact, we agree on very little, and your dumb ass should stay out of a business that is for professionals. The future of our party is at stake and I guess you are one of the "Feinsteinocrats" who think that endless triangulation and posturing is beneficial to progressives. Well I am here to tell you something, Mr. Asshat, I am a progressive first, Democrat second. Which means I am shopping Mr. Asshat. In fact, call me a "Feingoldocrat", which is latin for "more guts than the average Democrat".

I have fucking had it. This is not about the Senator from New York. She is but a symptom, not the disease. In fact, she might could be a good President if she has courage to break free from the weak, shiftless, ineffectual so called "leadership" that plagues my party. Until that point, what choice do I have but John Edwards? I am fed up. This party capitulates on trade, it capitulates habitually on Iraq, now fucking Iran, prescription drugs, Social Security, gay rights, oh and did I mention WAR, Asshat?
If you like Reaganolgy so fucking much, I suggest you join them, because unlike the groupthink of the enemy, us Progressives/Democrats have an opinion, and the courage to express it. If the rhetorical train of Progressivism threatens you get off of the tracks Asshat because it is coming through and you can either stay tied to the tracks or join us, and personally, I don't give a flying Monkeyfuck what you do-you can be replaced! Got it? This has been a diatribe brought to you by Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll will rejoin shortly. Thank You!

Cross-posted at: http://www.mydd.com/

Manipulated Again, Media Hands McCain Nomination

by
Todd Bennett

It is amazing how otherwise intelligent people have no clue about politics, especially when it is their job to. The fact is I have known for a while with plus 95 percent certainty that McCain would get the nomination. Now I am plus 99 percent sure.
For Rick Sanchez to talk about John McCain being finished is preposterous, and ignorant, beyond words. While I applaud his willingness to hold McCain's feet to the fire, he fails to realize that he is not only not harming him, he is effectively handing him the nomination.
There are two reasons for this: One, is the notion that John is feeding red meat to the base. He now has, as Todd Beeton cleverly points out, run into good fortune.
From the front page of mydd:

More on John McCain and the "B" Word by Todd Beeton, Thu Nov 15, 2007 at 09:40:02 AM EST
Since Tuesday, when the man David Brooks calls "among the finest men" allowed Hillary Clinton to be insulted in front of his face, the whole John McCain/Hillary Clinton situation has heated up. Talking Points Memo has been ably tracking the story.
First, as I wrote on Tuesday, John McCain stood by while a supporter of his referred to Senator Clinton as a "bitch" in a question to him demanding to know how Clinton can be defeated. McCain's response was notable for what it lacked, a refutation of the insult; in fact, on the contrary, he said:
That's an excellent question.
This led CNN anchor Rick Sanchez subsequently to ask.
Is John McCain done as a result of this?
And to post on the screen:
"An Excellent Question?"
John McCain and the B-Word
So what does the McCain team do? Not believing its luck that it now has both Clinton and the media to serve as the foil for, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis sent out an e-mail blast including the video of the now infamous exchange and a demand for an apology from CNN.
The CNN Network, affectionately known as the Clinton News Network, has stooped to an all-time low and is gratuitously attacking John McCain for not defending Hillary Clinton enough when a South Carolina voter used the 'B' word to describe her when John McCain stopped into a luncheon yesterday at the Trinity restaurant in Hilton Head, SC.
A voter used a word that I would not have used to describe Senator Hillary Clinton and asked the Senator how he was going to beat her. Senator McCain first responded by saying that he respected Senator Clinton, as he has said repeatedly throughout the campaign...

The effect of this is to make the Senator the "dragonslayer" of his party. Short of wrestling Osama Bin Laden to the ground on ESPN and FOX on live television, this ranks among the best turn of events possible for McCain.

Reason number two this is so helpful is the concept of "presumptive nominee" . We know elections really start when folks come together on Labor Day, have barbecues, and arguments get made. This creates the first true narrative in terms of poll position for a General Election. For a primary, that becomes Thanksgiving. So a week out from our beloved family holiday, John McCain becomes cast as the "Anti-Hillary". The effect of this is to bring the "just now paying attention Republicans" onto the stage thinking John McCain is their standard bearer. It is very likely Republicans will spend Thanksgiving proudly defending him, and I would guess he will surge in the polls by December.
This sucks, due to the fact that we were looking at the electoral gift of Giuliani as a possibility, and now it looks as though we will have to beat their most electable candidate. Which we can do, but still, instead of a blowout we will have to look for another tense election day.
You may be wondering why I was so sure about McCain in the first place, and what I can tell you is simple: For Republicans, South Carolina is their key state, and almost all of the Bush money folks are backing McCain there. When he takes South Carolina, he will be cast as a "comeback kid" and sweep the rest of the way. Easy, really. You can argue with me, and point out your credentials, but my instincts are good and to be honest, too many of you spend too much time looking at polls when you should be looking for other indicators. The dominoes that line up for a successful candidate have a little to do with polls, but the money and the machinery are more important. The big establishment machinery have been behind McCain all along, guys. Just like......Kerry!
And just like Kerry, he will lose in the General. He is the past. Who is the future? Not Hillary. Why not Hillary? Because our establishment is undergoing a takeover. We are going from Feinstein to Feingold. I say, good for us. Say hello to either President Edwards or Obama, depending upon Iowa.



Cross-posted at: http://mydd.com/

John Phenomenal at J-J Dinner

by

Todd Bennett

John Edwards was absolutely incredible at what some are inclined to say is the biggest event of the caucuses. Check this out: http://mydd.com/story/2007/11/10/234410/04