Blue Mass Group

I’d like to see Elizabeth Warren win the Democratic primary. But it doesn’t make me happy to see the other candidates start to drop out. Bob Massie states that the race has changed such that he doesn’t think he can win, and perhaps he’s right. I don’t begrudge him this decision; campaigning is very hard work and if he thinks he doesn’t have a shot, dropping out is a very sane move. But it saddens me, coming on the heels of Setti Warren’s exit from the race, and makes me worry that we’ll soon see others drop out. I want to see Elizabeth Warren win the primary. I want to see her win a real, contested primary. I want to see televised debates between Democratic candidates. I want to see the press cover them all. I want people to register to vote in a primary that they can see really matters. I want to help the Warren campaign draw people out to vote for a primary they know will make a difference. I want us to be prepared for the general election, with the best candidate we can have, and a real primary is possibly the best tool we have [...]

Menino and the BRA deserve some huge credit for this. The latest addition to the channel is Atlantic Wharf . It is beautiful public space from what use to be a dump. Great planning by the city and vision by the developers.      

Over the past few decades, the income gap between rich and poor has grown considerably: the rich are getting richer; the poor are getting poorer.  This fact is often bemoaned by our politicians – who then go on to another issue.  IT SHOULD BE THE OVERT, LOUDLY-PROCLAIMED POLICY OF OUR GOVERNMENT – AT ALL LEVELS – TO REVERSE THIS TREND.  No other domestic issue – with the exception of climate change – is as important. Reversal of this trend requires both increasing the income of those at the bottom and middle, as well as decreasing the income of those at the top.  The latter is as essential as the former: most billionaires are not as altruistic as a Buffet or a Gates, but instead use their wealth to ensure that they and their descendants add to their power. To increase income of those at the bottom, government should: promote job creation, ensure that the minimum wage is truly a living wage, and minimize regressive taxes.  In addition, by reducing the need for personal expenditure on life’s necessities (education, health care, food, shelter, transportation), government can increase the de facto value of a relatively low income. Decreasing the income of the [...]

Her mocking coverage this week of the Occupy Wall Street protests does not mesh well with the “40-year low in America’s view of Wall Street” reported yesterday by her network. Worse, her glib clim that the US has “made money on the bank bailout” is either Scott Brown-esque in its clueless incompetence or deliberately deceptive. DailyBail: According to the U.S. Treasury’s own figures, available publicly to any reader, including pneumatic (we understand if you need a dictionary for that one, Erin) and arrogant CNN reporters, as of TODAY, taxpayers are still more than $95 BILLION IN THE RED on TARP.  And that’s including all interest and other income.  There is still $122 BILLION of TARP funds that have NOT yet been paid back. We understand that Burnett was excluding GM, but she somehow missed that AIG, alone, still owes over $50 BILLION. Perhaps her fiance, a Citigroup executive, led her astray. Glenn Greenwald wipes the floor with whatever is left of CNN and Burnett here. Money line: Would it ever occur to CNN that perhaps a former Wall Street banker at Goldman Sachs, currently engaged to a Citigroup executive, might not be the best person to cover those protests?  Of course not: [...]

Borowitz: Palin Decides Not to Run: ‘I Want to Go Straight to the Quitting Part:’ Decision Leaves Moron Vote Up for Grabs ANCHORAGE (The Borowitz Report) – Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin told reporters today that she would not run for President because “I want to go straight to the quitting part.” “If I launched a campaign, let’s face it, a couple of months from now I’d up and quit,” she said.  “This is a real step-saver for all concerned.” … The former Alaska Governor, who had originally scheduled a thirty-minute press conference to announce her decision, abruptly cut it short after fifteen minutes with no explanation. The Tea Party favorite’s announcement leaves the remaining Republican candidates scrambling for the moron vote, a key constituency in the 2012 GOP race. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was said to be considering new strategies to dispel the nagging impression that he is mentally competent, an attribute that has alienated millions of Tea Party voters. Mr. Romney was rumored to be weighing a number of options, such as barking like a dog or wearing a bunch of bananas on his head at the next televised debate. Onion: Last American Who Knew What The Fuck [...]