The Real News Network

[liveonearth]

Just discovered The Real News Network. WOW! It's a group of people doing intelligent reporting that is non-corporate and non-partisan. They're offering their reports on youtube for now, and begging for money so that they can get a television slot. I would LOVE to see this kind of news broadcast into homes across the US. I may actually send

Comments

[inibo]

I ran across TRNN about a year ago. I think it had just gotten started. I think they have their biases, just like everyone else, but they are definitely professional and they do the kind of deep coverage that most people miss. I listen to NPR for the same reason. I may disagree with what I would consider their editorial policy, but they quite regularly do 10 to 15 minute pieces that actually dig below the surface. Given enough information people can draw their own conclusions regardless of whatever bias the presenters hold.

I agree that Obama is far better of foreign policy that Bush was, but that's a pretty low bar. He should do what George Sr. and Bill Clinton failed to do after the end of the cold war: dismantle the US empire. There is no need thousands of troops in Korea, Japan, Germany and God knows how many other places in the world. At nearly a trillion dollars a year it's one of the reasons we are bankrupt.

I don't give Obama the same pass as you do on the economy. At this juncture it is the most important national issue. He is making all the wrong moves. It's not just that he is mistaken, presidents always make mistake, but he is on his way precipitating an economic collapse which could bring down our society as well.

If he gets that wrong, as he currently is, nothing else he does will matter.

[liveonearth]

You seem to think that we disagree a lot more often than we actually do.

When I say Obama's "grow the economy" statements give me chills, it's not a good thing. It's a sign that he is still in the pocket of corporte power, and can do nothing about it. I'm sure he would, if he could. Frankly, I think he's doing better than most could do at balancing the rival moochers on the federal dole, and saving face enough to avoid assasination. Think about the position he is in. If he decides to directly confront the makers of the rules, he'll be dead meat. He is playing a high stakes game and he's brilliant enough to know the truth--that Keynsian economics will not save us from the Depression that is coming, that corporations own us, and that the world despises us for our empire and our hypocrisy. In his shoes, none of us would do any better. Sure, we'd all like an immediate turnaround. We'd like to eliminate all favors to corporations, withdraw our military, dissolve the federal reserve, eliminate income tax, and plant fruit and nut trees everywhere. But this is going to take a revolution. No one charming smart guy will be able to fix it. Not even close.

[inibo]

I didn't think you were an Obamanomics fan. I was just sort of replying to "I still think Obama's pretty darn good, even though I disagree completely with the bailouts."

To me the emphasis is off, I can't say he's doing darn good if he's screwing up economically because that is the central issue right now. The rest all hangs or fails on that. I would give him more of a pass if he'd start pulling troops out because he would save so much money he wouldn't have to be going so far in debt to do his stimulus tricks.

[liveonearth]

I saw something on the real news network that gave me hope that the Obama administration has actually discussed, researched, priced and chosen the beginnings of a workable strategy in the middle east, which WILL allow us to get out of there without simply leaving a HUGE MESS that we contributed substantially to and a whole lot of people there FURIOUS at us for doing it. If we just pulled out troops, the blow back would be FAR worse than if we actually do some real reconstruction and help the government there truly get started... you get my point that Before, when Shrub was saying this stuff, it was empty, but with Obama saying it, it means something. He's not just sending money at Haliburton and other reaping corporations. Heck, he even expects a return on the "measley" $550 million that we send to Colombia every year.

Now I give you that the idea that we can spend our way out of this Depression is absolutely nutcakes. We can't. It's going to hit later, and harder, the more we print money to stave it off. We'd do well now to let banks and insurance companies go under, and just LET the economy contract, because it was inflated with hot air before. And Obama is certainly not doing what I would like to be done here. But get real, he was elected a DEMOCRAT and there's a huge amount of tradition and momentum that he is working for and against. Nobody could turn it on a dime. That's all I'm saying. I think he has good ideas and he's working from INSIDE the system to make change. If he gets as radical as you or I would like, the theory is that it would be political suicide. I'm not convinced, and I sure would like to see him try it, but maybe he's not quite so ready to gamble on political suicide.

I don't know the answers in the least, I just think that we all need to give him the benefit of the doubt for a good long while. At last we have someone in office who has the abilities it takes to make us proud of the office again. He's not going to be able to save us, or himself. He's going to get crucified. In the meantime I'm going to relish the fact that he is serious about doing the job he's been given.