| Robert Reich | The First Presidential Debate |
| Robert Reich, Op-Ed: In Wednesday night’s debate, Romney won on style while Obama won on substance. Romney sounded as if he had conviction, which means he’s either convinced himself that the lies he tells are true or he’s a fabulous actor. But what struck me most was how much Obama allowed Romney to get away with: Five times Romney accused Obama of raiding Medicare of $716 billion, which is a complete fabrication. Obama never mentioned the regressiveness of Romney’s budget plan — awarding the rich and hurting the middle class and the poor. |
| Whole Foods and GMO Labeling: The Whole Truth |
| Ronnie Cummins, News Analysis: After months of pressure from the organic community, including thousands of its customers, the leadership of Whole Foods Market on September 11 endorsed Proposition 37, the California Ballot Initiative to require mandatory labels on genetically engineered foods. But the endorsement came with “reservations” and inaccuracies. It also included the false claim that company policy precludes Whole Foods and its executives from providing much-needed financial support to Prop 37, a campaign that consumers – the very people who have made WFM and its executives wildly profitable – overwhelmingly support. |
| The New “Golden Age of Oil” That Wasn’t |
| Michael T. Klare, Op-Ed: Last winter, fossil-fuel enthusiasts began trumpeting the dawn of a new “golden age of oil” that would kick-start the American economy, generate millions of new jobs, and free this country from its dependence on imported petroleum. Ed Morse, head commodities analyst at Citibank, was typical. In the Wall Street Journal hecrowed, “The United States has become the fastest-growing oil and gas producer in the world, and is likely to remain so for the rest of this decade and into the 2020s.” |
| A Farm Bill Only Monsanto Could Love |
| Corey Hill, News Analysis: September 30 marked the expiration of the 2007 Farm Bill, and the 2012 replacement is now sitting in the House of Representatives. It is unlikely that Congress will vote on the bill until after the elections, so food-safety advocates are ramping up their outreach efforts around this issue in advance of any decision. What’s the big deal with the new bill? Most importantly, the House version of the 2012 Farm Bill contains three industry-friendly provisions, numbered 10011, 10013, and 10014. Collectively, they have come to be known as the “Monsanto Rider,” and the name is entirely appropriate. |
| Jim Hightower | Romney Passes The Torch to Taxpayers |
| Jim Hightower, Op-Ed: One of the mysteries of life in these curious times is that millions of Americans are enjoying the benefits of government — but are either unaware of it or in denial. A 2008 study found that 40 percent of Medicare recipients, 44 percent of Social Security beneficiaries, 53 percent of people with student loans, and 60 percent of homeowners with taxpayer-subsidized mortgages answered “no” when asked whether they were using a government social program. But whatever their confusion, at least they’re not running for president. Mitt Romney, on the other hand, is. |
| Greg Palast | What the Hell Happened? |
| Greg Palast, News Analysis: “When Romney says he defends small business, let me tell you, I have a small business. I don’t need a tax break – hell, like most small businesses, we don’t make money. We need health insurance. We need government loans. Mr. President, if you can’t explain why you are the Commander-in-Chief in this class war against the billionaire bandits attempting to seize our government, then get off the horse and let someone in the saddle who can ride.” |
| Unlimited Political Money = Christmas in Autumn |
| Jasper McChesney, Infographic: “As we head into autumn, and Thanksgiving, we should remember how lucky our presidential candidates really are: Every month, their ‘friends’ give them tens of millions of dollars in political money. Since our summer infographic, fundraising has only accelerated, giving the candidates record piles of loot—over 700 million dollars between them. For Obama and Romney, Christmas started this summer and will last half the year.” |
| The Real Incumbent In the Debate Is “The Plutocracy” |
| Richard (RJ) Eskow, Op-Ed: The conventional wisdom says that when a President runs for re-election the race becomes a referendum on the economy. Unemployment’s still at record highs, poverty has soared, and middle-class Americans are struggling to stay afloat. And yet the President has a commanding lead in the polls. Why? The polls hold some clues: Voters believe that billionaires and corporations have come to dominate our political process, and they think the President has very little ability to affect their economic future |
| At Last Night’s Debate: Romney Told 27 Myths In 38 Minutes |
| Igor Volsky, News Report: Pundits from both sides of the aisle have lauded Mitt Romney’s strong debate performance, praising his preparedness and ability to challenge President Obama’s policies and accomplishments. But Romney only accomplished this goal by repeatedly misleading viewers. He spoke for 38 minutes of the 90 minute debate and told at least 27 myths. Romney’s plan for “energy independence” actually relies heavily on a study that assumes the U.S. continues with fuel efficiency standards set by the Obama administration. |
| How Class Tunnel Vision Hurts Social Movements |
| George Lakey, Op-Ed: One of the saddest things to watch is dedicated people in education and human services burn themselves out for lack of a winning strategy. In the U.S. “playing defense” has dominated liberals and centrists since Ronald Reagan became President. Canadians started that disastrous policy more recently. This summer, I learned that in the United Kingdom the British have joined the defensive trend, along with too many places on the continent. |
| Why is Obama Winning? |
| Harold James, Op-Ed: James Carville, Bill Clinton’s chief campaign strategist in 1992, famously expressed a bit of established insider wisdom about winning elections: “It’s the economy, stupid.” Incumbents win if the economic outlook is rosy, and are vulnerable – as George H. W. Bush was – when times are hard. Indeed, throughout Europe – in France, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom – governments have been turned out of office in the face of a crisis that they have seemed unable to address. |
| Senate Report Says National Intelligence Fusion Centers Have Been Useless |
| R. Jeffrey Smith, News Report: An alarming report published by the Department of Homeland Security in March 2010 called attention to the theft of dozens of pounds of dangerous explosives from an airport storage bunker in Washington state. Like many such warnings, it drew on information gathered by one of the department’s “fusion centers” created to exchange data among state, local and federal officials, all at a cost to the federal government of hundreds of millions of dollars. |
| GMO Study Broadcast: Russian GMO Rat Experiment to be Broadcast 24/7 |
| Lisa Garber, News Report: “The National Association for Genetic Safety (NAGS) researchers in Russia have publicly condemned genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and have declared plans to conduct an experiment which members of the public can see, allowing the latter to formulate well-informed opinions about GMOs themselves. Researchers across the world have already provided ample evidence of GMO’s harmful effects, including weight gain, organ disruption, infertility, tumor development, and the development of resistant weeds and pests.” |
General post,
“After months of pressure from the organic community, including thousands of its customers, the leadership of Whole Foods Market on September 11 endorsed Proposition 37, the California Ballot Initiative to require mandatory labels on genetically engineered foods. But the endorsement came with “reservations” and inaccuracies.”
Oooo! A bunch of bad-asses are we not! Twisted their corporate arm, didn’t we? Uh-huh! Uh-huh! The force runs strong in my family. It runs strong in my brothers and in my sisters. I’ll bet you they curse the day they won Citizens United! Hah!
