Final Blog Post

by Ben Hoffman

For the past few years, I’ve been promoting Democrats in this blog because I believe that their policies are the best for our country. I’ve been trying to inform people about the lies spread by Republicans and the damage they’ve done to our country. Our country is in decline due to Republican policies. We’re deep in debt due to the reckless tax cuts. We’ve been involved in two unnecessary wars and occupations at a cost of three trillion dollars due to Republican policies. Many of our good jobs have been outsourced to other countries due to conservative policies. And the Republicans have blocked all efforts to bring some of those jobs back.

The Democrats passed a stimulus bill that many economists believe kept us out of another depression. One third of that bill was tax cuts. The rest came to less than $200 billion a year for five years to improve our infrastructure, save the jobs of many teachers, and to provide loans to small businesses. The Democrats passed mild reform for the financial sector and the credit card industry.

Yet the Democrats haven’t touted their accomplishments at all. They actually ran from them. They haven’t done much to get the word out about the lies. They should have gained seats this past election, not lost them.

And so, why bother. This country is going to hell in a handbasket and blogging about it is a waste of time. I have better things to do. Maybe I’ll take it up again for the 2012 election.

Adios, amigos!

31 Comments to “Final Blog Post”

  1. Um, Ben, this is not acceptable. I get a lot of energy from you even if I’m not here chatting all the time.

    And further, you know as well as anyone, that this country is always a work in progress – we never reach a conclusive place where we can sit back and say,”well,okay, we’ve got it figured out at last! Let’s just stay right in this spot!”

    400,000,000 people will have their disagreements and the dialogue must be kept going.

    So I’m sorry – permission denied.

  2. Ben, I’m sure you’re very frustrated at the losses and for what you see as your guys running away from what they have done. But don’t quit now. This nation has survived far worse things than one political party doing too much or not doing enough.

    I disagree with almost everything here, but it can actually be a sharpening for all involved if we really want to improve our understanding of politics.

    You didn’t ask for my advice, but here it is…FWIW. Re-invent the blog around issues for real debate and discussion. If we all cut the sarcasm and personal attacks, it could actually be invigorating and fun.

    Either way, I hope you change your mind.

  3. No! You can’t do this! The only political blogs I read are yours and Moe’s…I can’t stand any others. I find them all too negative and distressing.

    Oh well…I support you in your decision, but I hope you’ll be back soon! In the meantime, you will definitely be missed!

    • Drat sleepy – he means it! I met some fine bloggers here.

      Aaahhh, Ben – just leave the site up in case you want to come back someday. You’ll be missed.

  4. Hey everybody –

    I’m glad you got some enjoyment out of my blog and I appreciate all of your comments over the years. We’ve had some good debates. It’s been fun, but it’s time to move on to other things. Following politics is kind of like following the worst football teams in the league. There are better ways to spend your time. 🙂

    Take care, everybody!
    Ben

  5. By the way Ben, before you go I must thank you for the gift of Alan Scott. Yikes.

  6. Thanks Ben for your insight and discussion. I understand, but hope you really don’t think that your voice was a waste of time. It wasn’t, and it will be missed.

  7. Thanks for hosting such lively and provocative discussions Ben. A progressive voice that advocates for what is right is often hard to find in the blogosphere.

    This country is going to hell in a handbasket and blogging about it is a waste of time.

    Caring about your country is never a waste of time, your pontifications and observations about the US political scene were both timely and insightful and to reiterate what TCL said, they will indeed be missed.

    Take care Ben, recharge and come back as soon as you can.

  8. Your Hero Gets Suspended for being a big mouthed hypocrite:
    In October, Olbermann had blasted political donations from Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch, slamming Fox as “a media outlet that has now put its money where everybody has known its mouth has always been.”

    Keith Olbermann is officially the Worst Hypocrite in the World. He rails about a ‘national cable news outlet’ that ‘starts to donate to partisan groups of one party,’ then does exactly that.

    But it begs a bigger questions: why did it take NBC so long? This man has been using his perch as a newsman at MSNBC to promote a radical left-wing and hate-filled agenda for years. And they fire him over three contributions? NBC needs to review its own policies.”

  9. Ben… I wanted to shut down Under The LobsterScope as well… I thought it was doing no good. Enough people informed me that it was valuable for me to keep going… and it is valuable for you to keep going, too.
    Please don’t end your blog.

    • What good does it do to fight for the Democrats when they refuse to fight? It’s a waste of time. Obama is already caving into the Republicans on tax cuts for the wealthy and the Republicans haven’t even taken office yet. Unbelievable.

      • We disapprove of Obama not fighting for what’s right – all the more reason why we should do it.

      • There has to be a more effective way than blogging. How do you get the word out to the low information voters who decide our elections?

      • Think of it this way Ben – you’re not fighting for the Democrats; you’re fighting for your country and the its future.

        I would agree that blogging – at our level anyway – is limited in its impact. It sure is fun, but the arguments get circular, which is a very good reason to keep reaching out to new bloggers – broaden the conversation.

        But when it ocmes down to it, we have to work on the ground. It’s ringing doorbells during campaigns, and taking a shift on the phones at HQ in the off times. It’s joining god awful committees and showing up to be part of the body count at rallies and speeches.

        Amost none of which I do! Except the occasional committee (deadly). What I DO do is pester the young people in my life – to be aware, to learn, to vote, to understand they are citizens. And as elections approach I really really pester them: registered yet? know who you’re voting for yet? and then: did you vote yet?

        It’s all we’ve got. Our emerging corpratist state is gaining strength with its dollars.

        And use stuff like facebook to point to articles etc. I’ve had some threads develop around that stuff. I don’t know if it has any effect, but anythng that awakens people to the fact of thier citizenry is useful.

      • I’ll tell you, I’m not voting for Obama in the primaries in 2012. Part of the reason so many Democrats lost was Tim Kaine didn’t do enough. Obama appointed a bluedog Democrat to head the DNC so the big loss was inevitable. Obama won two years ago because we had Howard Dean promoting the party, who is a real progressive.

      • Howard Dean indeed is the goods. He insisted on the 50 state strategy and it strengthened the party.

      • Part of the reason so many Democrats lost was Tim Kaine didn’t do enough. Obama appointed a bluedog Democrat to head the DNC so the big loss was inevitable.

        You’re insane.

        The Democrats lost because:

        A. Most of the frackin’ country resonates with conservative values.

        B. Obama is a moon bat Liberal.

        Be that as it may, you Democrats can’t even do what you say you’re NOT gonna do. You post that you’ve quit, which is truly the Liberal way, and then you can’t live up to THAT promise.

        Which, in this case–to be honest–is good. I enjoy reading you.

        If for no other reason that to provide myself a backstop against the insanity that’s out there 😉

      • I haven’t quit fighting. I’ve only quit posting my opinion in this blog, since it wasn’t doing any good. That’s the progressive way: if something doesn’t work, try something new. The conservative way is: if something doesn’t work, spin it to make it look like it did work (i.e. Reaganomics).

      • Touche, Ben. (let’s see if this falls into the right thread – I’ve been screwing that up lately. Getting old you know . . . )

    • So pino,

      A. Most of the frackin’ country resonates with conservative values (because the conservatives did such a bang up job)

      B. Obama is a moon bat Liberal (you mean Jerry Brown)

      [you’ve quit, which is truly the Liberal way]
      Sarah Palin?

      • (because the conservatives did such a bang up job)

        Yes. Most Republicans failed acting like conservatives. And they were appropriately voted out. We’ll see how this group does.

        (you mean Jerry Brown

        California is interesting. They continually elect the most liberal of Liberals. Their cities and the State itself is broken and broke. Yet, when faced with individual propositions, everything from gay marriage to dope, they always ALWAYS choose the conservative side of the issue.

        What does this tell me? It tells me that the Democrat “Tribe” is winning in California. However, even the Democrat “Tribe” is conservative.

      • [California is interesting. They continually elect the most liberal of Liberals.]

        They have a Republican governor, you idiot.

      • They have a Republican governor, you idiot.

        He’s Republican like Brett Favre is a Viking.

        And the ONLY reason they have elected Republican governors is because they were FIRST movie stars.

        Nothing like dumb ass Liberals in Hollywood.

      • [And the ONLY reason they have elected Republican governors is because they were FIRST movie stars.]

        Kind of like Reagan?

      • Kind of like Reagan?

        Exactly like Reagan. Notice the plural form in my statement:

        Governor[S]
        [THEY]
        Star[S]

  10. AARP’s endorsement helped secure passage of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Now the seniors’ lobby is telling its employees their insurance costs will rise partly as a result of the law.

    In an e-mail to employees, AARP says health care premiums will increase by 8 percent to 13 percent next year because of rapidly rising medical costs.

    And AARP adds that it’s changing copayments and deductibles to avoid a 40 percent tax on high-cost health plans that takes effect in 2018 under the law. Aerospace giant Boeing also has cited the tax in asking its workers to pay more. Shifting costs to employees lowers the value of a health care plan and acts like an escape hatch from the tax.

    “Most plan co-pays and deductibles have been modified,” Jennifer Hodges, AARP’s director of compensation and benefits, wrote employees in an Oct. 25 e-mail. “Plan value changes were necessary not only from a cost management standpoint but also to ensure that AARP’s plans fall below the threshold for high-cost group plans under health care reform.”

  11. With all do respect,

    1.) We’re not in deep debt because “reckless” tax cuts. We’re in debt because of reckless spending (i. e. the stimulus). Assuming your talking about the tax cuts for the wealthy, keep in mind they employed the people and can risk starting small businesses that your Democrat friends apparently loved.

    Coming from a middle class person, I believe the middle class should pay more taxes as they are the ones that use most government services.

    2.) Why is fighting against Al Qaeda unnecessary?

    I believe those responsible for 9/11 must be caught, even if it takes another ten years.

    3.) Conservative policies don’t outsource jobs. Speculation on what the Democrats will do to attack companies and reward the greedy union bosses do.

    Ever notice since Obama took office, the rate of job outsourcing has doubled? Also, jobs don’t “come back,” but new ones can be created. All anti-outsourcing bills again, benefit the unions, not the regular American who wants to work.

    Maybe the Democrats don’t tout their accomplishments because they were for them before they were against them. Now they’re for socialism.

  12. Great response. I feel changed.

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