Gingrich Calls on Obama to Repudiate the 99 Percent

Newt Gingrich

President Obama's commitment to working families was described by Republicans as "class warfare" in September.

In GOP Land, this is an unforgivable sin, like accepting science, recognizing evolution, global warming or criticizing anti-intellectualism.

Obama responded in September, and proudly took up the cause of the vast majority of Americans. It's likely we can expect more of the same, though for some reason Republicans like Gingrich and Scott Walker think they have found the winning political formula in attacking the middle class. Said Obama:

There’s a lot of people saying, 'this is class warfare.' Well, if saying that billionaires should pay the same share in taxes as a plumber or a teacher is class warfare, then you know what? I’m a warrior for the middle class. I will fight for the middle class.... But the only class warfare I’ve seen is the battle against the middle class.

Now, Newt Gingrich is joining the chorus of the one percenters. And he can expect the same response from the President.

By Pat Garofalo

2012 GOP presidential contender Newt Gingrich yesterday, during an event in South Carolina, said that he repudiates the very idea behind the Occupy Wall Street movement — that the economy should work for everyone, not just the richest 1 percent — and called on President Obama to do the same:

I repudiate, and I call on the President to repudiate, the concept of the 99 and the 1. It is un-American, it is divisive, it is historically false…You are not going to get job creation when you engage in class warfare because you have to attack the very people you hope will create jobs.

Watch it:

Gingrich may be spooked by the power of the narrative of the 99 percent, and is thus resorting to the tired charge of “class warfare” to deride anyone who points out the extent of income inequality in the U.S. But a recent NBC-Wall Street Journal poll found that “60 percent of respondents strongly agreed that America’s economic imbalance comes from policies that favor the rich over the rest of the country,” while 55 percent “said income inequality is a significant problem in the country.”

Army Vet and Muslim Sgt. Key to Saddam Capture Speaks Out on Islamophobia

Update: See also Did Task Force 20 Kill Osama Bin Laden
- U.S. Army Sergeant Ayman A. Ibrahim's intelligence directly led to the capture of Saddam Hussein. Ibrahim speaks out now as a Muslim for America, and against the rampant Islamophobia in America -

Exclusive to Michael Leon and Veterans Today


U.S. Army Sergeant Ayman A. Ibrahim (1985–2005 (ret.)) is a highly decorated military hero who despises this description.

Mr. Ibrahim's preference aside, the former paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s 82^nd Airborne (1985–1988) who received the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star (awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct) among other citations, was a key figure as the senior interpreter (and interrogator) attached to the Saddam-hunting, American Special Forces Task Force 121.

Task Force 20

Task Force 20 located and captured Saddam on December 13, 2003 on a farm near Tikrit in central Iraq.

Task Force 20 is an elite and shadowy multiservice Special Forces unit reportedly composed of Marine Force Recon, Navy Seals, Army Delta Force and Rangers, and Air Force Special Operations personnel.

Ibrahim's intelligence—derived by non-coercive interrogations and rapport-building—directly led to the capture of Saddam.

Informed personnel say American media reports and even books on Task Force 20 operations generally are rife with cover stories and misinformation, hence the often-used adjective “shadowy” by writers.

Currently working as a contractor supporting the U.S. mission, Ibrahim, now living in the Middle East, contacted Veterans Today to speak out against the Islamophobia gripping the United States as war clouds gather over Iran.

Ibrahim is an American Muslim who speaks fluent Arabic. After 9/11, working in California training mobilized National Guard troops and reserve units, Ibrahim saw his country under attack and badly wanted to work with a forward combat unit.

His sense of duty includes a heart-felt betrayal by those few calling themselves Muslim who attacked America.

“Ayman is a fiercely loyal guy who's not only a roll-up your sleeves workhorse type, but has extremely sharp intellect under pressure. I have known him since our teenage days back in the early 80s when we rolled the California mean streets. He's the kind of guy you want on your team; a man of integrity, principle-centered leadership, and mental toughness under extreme pressure that you absolutely need when you live in the trenches of warfare,” said John Allen, General Manager of the Veterans Today Network and long time friend, in an e-mail.

I spoke with Ibrahim, reached in Amman, Jordan, by phone on 9/11 last Saturday—the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States—for about an hour.

War and Task Force 20

Ibrahim, as I can perceive in a phone conversation, has an unusual intensity in his voice. He talks easily, tolerates frequent interruptions, but there appears fierce conviction behind his narratives and seemingly behind each spoken word, lending his vocalization a Carl Sagan-like quality.

“War is usually a failure. When we have war, diplomacy has failed. Something has failed. Someone has not done their jobs well. Say, the neocons and Richard Pearle, for example, they are either failing in preventing war or they are trying to start one,” said Ibrahim.

“The guys I worked with [Task Force 20] in Iraq, everyone has the idea of a Rambo, elite super soldiers [like those portrayed television series], but these guys are professionals. They don’t do things for kicks. They do their jobs, and treat human beings like human beings. If they have to go in hard, it’s because they are risking their lives. So some people who do not know what they are talking about give these guys a bad rap. But Task Force Special Operations Task Force 121 is composed of professional, dedicated and smart people, and yes, they are very tough, and yes they are the best on the world. They have character.”

Islamophobia

“These Islamophobes, Koran-burning, no Mosques or community centers. They betray America. I feel I have to speak out because this is not the America I know and love. They are not the Americans I believe in. I went through some events where after 9/11, security concerns were raised about me while I was a soldier because I am a Muslim. But my team, the people who I served with knocked that down right away,” said Ibrahim, referring to the post-9/11 days that sent him at his request to forward combat units, ultimately with Task Force 20.

“You get these people who say America is only this way. Only this belief. And if you don’t like it, ‘leave.’ That’s not America. You find your way in America, you pursue what you believe: That’s America and if you don’t like that, you can leave.”

This Mosque controversy in New York is so ridiculous. I'm willing to move the Islamic center to another location, but what is next; we need to identify what is the end game for these guys who are yelling hate. To equate all Muslims with terrorists is beyond foolish. Is Christianity a terrorist religion because of the KKK and the like? No. But I do not fear anti-Islamic bigotry. It’s nothing to me in the sense it is so foolish and so gutless that it presents no threat to me at all. But I speak against it now because I stand up against it as a proud American who has been challenged in other ways as a solider and a man.”

Ibrahim is a military man and his comments on the capture of Saddam Hussein are punctuated with references that are heavy on his belonging to a team.

But even now, seven years after the capture of Saddam, Ibrahim begs off precise details on Task Force 20 operations.

Ibrahim does say that one Iraqi walking away with a $25-million reward for the capture of the man who became known as the “Ace of Spades” are incorrect.

Warrior for Peace

“There is one instant in under fire where you can freeze or you can draw adrenalin from what is happening and in some ways love it, and crave it. I love it, and these Islamophobes are dangerous, but they are very weak and fearful people as individuals,” said Ibrahim with seeming contempt.

The vast majority of Muslims speak proudly of the tolerance of Islam that regards as prophets— Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

Listening to Ibrahim, I thought about the contradictions of being simultaneously religious and being an elite warrior for a state. But coming from Ibrahim, his words seem very convincing.

Ibrahim is a universalist. His commitments are social, concerned with the rights of his fellow human beings, raising in a listener the words of John Donne:

Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind ...

Ibrahim blows off specific questions about his present work in Amman, Jordan. Though he is undoubtedly intently focused on whatever he is doing, his words come back to the topic of America, Islamophobia and the growing scent of outright fascism.

So I ask Ibrahim speficially about Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Christian Zionists, and near-constant fear-mongering of the specter of a world Islamic mission of a presumably Sunni-Shia alliance imposing their will onto America.

Said Ibrahim, “I ask these haters who think they speak in the name of our beloved Prophet Jesus, please do as he preached and do not be a Bin Laden and interpret as you like to promote your own agenda of hate.”

America and Americans are better and deserve better than being labeled as haters and racist people. They should not follow those few preaching hate as their moment will go away. But world perception will last, we need to protect our country from all those hateful people inside and out.”

Gingrich Hits Gov Crats' Death Mandate, Praises Wisc Hospital

It's past time for President Obama to call a liar a liar.

The GOP is in full campaign mode with lots of money and lies. And Obama is playing this game like a 1/4-speed, sixth-grade football scrimmage.

Newt Gingrich's e-mail this morning continues the outrageous lies about proposed health care reform, and Gingrich ironically works in a plug for a Wisconsin hospital and patients' rights to make living, medical-care wills:

Emotions are high in the debate over the future of our health care, and for good reason. What we are discussing are deeply personal, often deeply emotional issues.

Americans are troubled by what we're hearing from Washington because we don't want government to dictate these deeply personal, deeply emotional decisions. Especially those decisions that come near the end of life.

Gingrich knows perfectly well that there no proposed death panels or mandates from Washington on how a person can end her life.

But now Gingrich is the new libertarian, death-with-dignity-and-compassion man.

It's a lie and Obama refuses to engage the lies and not surprisingly polls show support for health care reform plummeting.

Gingrich presents a Wisconsin hospital as a model for how one should be able to end her life vis a vis being told by outsiders what she must do. [That Terri Schaivo thing a few years ago never happened.] Writes Gingrich:

We had that kind of an experience at Gunderson Lutheran Hospital in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, where my father-in-law died.

At Gunderson - without any mandates from government - 92 percent of patients have advanced directives setting out what kind of care they want at the end of life.

Patients are treated with compassion, dignity and humanity. Families are engaged. Doctors are allowed to do what they think is best for patients, without fearing that the federal government is looking over their shoulders.

Obama is in a bubble expanding to Bush league proportions. Way past time to burst it.

Who is telling Obama not to take on the whacks and the liars? The same people who are letting the Party of Terri Schaivo become the Party of death with dignity and compassion.

This morning the New York Times quotes Rahm Emanuel: “The Republican leadership has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama’s health care proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance problems that Americans face every day.”

Good, nice observation, but health care should be owned by the Democratic Party as an issue and Obama seems content to play Mr. Nice Guy.

Mark Neumann for Gov. - Please Jesus, Yes!

Jim Klauser is a very smart GOP operative advocating that Mark Neumann throw his hat into the ring against Jim Doyle in 2010.

Writes Klauser in his open letter in WisPolitics:

Mark Neumann, a former Congressman who nearly defeated Russ Feingold [in 1998], is a potential candidate. Mark is a successful business man from Waukesha County (a growing county). He and his family are involved in choice and charter school reforms. He is involved in his community and church. While a Congressman, Mark worked with Speaker Newt Gingrich to develop a no tax increase alternative to Bill Clinton’s spend, spend, and spend. ... I have concluded that of the prospective candidates, Mark Neumann is best able to win and govern well. I encourage you to consider Mark Neumann for Governor.

Neumann is independently wealthy and did fight against Clinton and those huge budget deficits [oh, wait Clinton had giant budget surpluses, and was on a path to zero national debt]. Nevermind, Cheney proved facts don't matter and Wisconsin does not want Scott Walker getting killed in 20 months. And people in Wisconsin love Newt Gingrich.

The Knockdown

Neumann's problem is that he is a rabidly anti-gay, rightwing extremist with a long record of hateful ideological baggage that would make George W. Bush blush.

In a widely reported address to the La Crosse Christian Coalition in 1997, Neumann said that he would not hire a person who applied for a position in his legislative office after stating a gay or lesbian orientation.

“If somebody walks in to me and say, ‘I’m a gay person; I want a job in your office.’ I would say, ‘that’s inappropriate’ and they wouldn’t be hired because that would mean they are promoting their agenda. The gay and lesbian lifestyle (is) unacceptable, lest there be any question about that.”

In a March 9, 1997 address to the Madison Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) church [preaches no abortion even in cases of rape, women need to submit to men and gays are to spend eternity in hell], Neumann said his political advisers warned him not to mention his religion in his 1998 run for the Senate against Sen. Russ Feingold who is also up for reelection in 2010.

“When I first ran I had all kinds of consultants telling me not to mention religion. They told me to tone down any discussion we might have. … they did ask me to tone down the concept of religion or values that are taught in our churches and synagogues as being a part of what we were,” said Neumann.

I think Klauser is thinking that Scott Walker would wash out, and Neumann has lots of money and just might be crazy enough to run.

Open Brief Letter to Mark Neumann

Did you know that Jim Doyle has proposed a statewide domestic partner registry, is an elitist (went to Harvard Law School and was in the Peace Corp) and that he talks to gay people, like all the time.

Mr. Neumann, Jesus wants you to run. Just remember that Satan is closer than the shirt on your own body, to paraphrase Martin Luther’s admonition about the proximity of the Devil. And in Wisconsin politics this intimacy with the Devil emanates from another fallen man with five letters in his name: D-o-y-l-e.

And I think he's Catholic.

- via mal contends

It's D-Day, Shiller, Roubini, Stiglitz, Kuttner and Krugman Sound Alarm

Just saying.

- Roubini's Pissed-Off and Stiglitz Goes Ballistic

- Robert Shiller: Depression Lurks Unless There’s More Stimulus

- Krugman: Green Shoots and Glimmers

- Kuttner: Will Obama's Economic Team Lead Him Off a Cliff?

Politically, it's time for a for-us or against-us ultimatum to the GOP while people still recognize that Bush and his GOP brought us to this mess. The TEA Party was a joke, for now.

But the idea that we have to try the recovery program now and then try something else, more comprehensive, in the Fall ain't going to work while the economy continues its slide and the GOP continues trring to appropriate unfocused frustration and aggression.

Be bold and great forces of the American people will come to your aid. "Choo-choos," as some the Tea Set derogated the labor-intensive high-speed rail project should be just the beginning of a massive public works program. [I know we have some begun now.]

And everyone knows that the fare of Robert Gibbs' “you will see in a systematic and coordinated way the transparency of determining and showing to all involved some of the results of these stress tests” didn't play and appears emblematic of opacity.

This recovery needs to be framed as Obama against Newt, Rush, Sarah Palin and the GOP.

Spook them [the GOP] , scare them [the public], shake the markets.

I know this more confrontational political strategy is being considered; well now it's D-Day, and Gen. Patton-Obama ought to lead the landing this time and all operations thereafter.

A Vision for High Speed Rail

WhiteHouse.Gov: A True Resource

Want info on the budget, on the economic recovery plan, and on efforts to protect the middle class. WhiteHouse.Gov has a simple searchable application for this information.

This guy, Obama, actually cares about this stuff helping Americans. What a change.

And it scares the hell of out of Republicans who have praying for a financial Apocalypse and doing their worst to bring it about. Since Obama was elected, Human Events, the RNC, Newt, Rush, the whole bunch of them have been screaming bloody murder. Yesterday's TEA Party was more of the same bringing out the lunatic fringe and other useful fools.

Useful Idiots at the Capital

Update IV: MJS: Sign of anti-Obama protester reads "Keep your change. I'll keep freedoms. God bless the USA."

Update III: Time for TEA and a Fair Tax by Chuck Norris

Update II: Brian Beutler at Talking Points Memo has an insightful piece on the astroturf-nature of the the Tea Party event. In sum, no grassroots uprising, just a bunch of GOP activists [and locally with a few crazies from Fondy].

Update: Human Events magazine (of Newt, Dick Cheney, Rush, Ann Coulter renown) is promoting a "survival guide" warning that the Obama government is Preparing a Military Response to Coming Social Chaos. I swear these people are praying for a depression, a catastrophe, something disastrous. Was that a black helicopter that just flew over?
Does the GOP want a depression or are they just acting like it?

As Robert Shiller and other economists warn that absent “massive pump-priming” stimulus spending a depression looks increasingly possible, the GOP holds "tea parties," protesting stimulus spending, like today's at the state capitol building in Madison. [Paul Ryan is going to be there.]

The GOP says it's just looking out for the average taxpayer, without mentioning the Obama tax cuts for the vast majority of Americans and that little problem of a looming depression.

So watch the GOP hold their tea parties with Sean Hannity, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck cheering them on, while the country apparently can go eat cake.

Myself, I prefer the advice of the economists and the Obama administration who are trying to fix the mess.

From the Obama blog: "... in addition to the fundamental weaknesses of the economy, there is also a fundamental weakness in the political system that must be confronted."

That fundamental weakness in the political system is on display today as the GOP plays dress-up again, not as jet pilots like George W. Bush but as kamikazes.

What's Up

No one knows if the Dow's bottom is going to be at 6,500 as Nouriel Roubini, Dr. Doom, predicted a few months back. We're all hoping now that he was optimistic.

Two things are certain: The stimulus bill signed by Obama is woefully inadequate and Obama should make clear the comprehensive recovery program that he intends sooner rather than later.

Ask someone on the street what Obama is doing to address the economic crisis left by Bush and he couldn't tell you, but they would like to be inspired very soon.

Nothing catches the imaginations of unemployed American people like a massive jobs program, though the wrong people (Americans not contributing money to the GOP) would benefit, according to GOP nostrums.

By the way, what Obama has done so far is "exactly wrong," says Newt Gingrich. So, Obama is in the ballpark if Newt hates it, but Obama's message of recovery is not getting through yet.

The American people suspect vaguely that something the last eight years went very wrong; they need a clearer conception that Obama is employing the kitchen sink strategy right now to fix it.

Failing that, the connection that Obama enjoys now with the public as someone whom we are behind will disappear or get tentative and conditional very soon.

Always hated the idea of political leadership, seems antithetical in a democracy, but establishing the politcal psychology of a leader at the controls (though it be illusionary) of a complex machine that is the US-world economy is critical at this moment.

A line of credit for banks to lend? People hate the idea, now matter how necessary it is.

How about a direct line of credit to the American people that they can use to eat, pay rent, fend off foreclosure and raise families? Republicans will hate it, we love it.

via mal contends

On Newt

Matt Bai has a piece out on the resurgence of Newt Gingrich.

The fun part of watching the GOP these last few years has been watching Human Events, Rush and Gingrich struggle to present a politically coherent version of their assortment of bigotries and lies to sell to the American people.

No chance, Newt.