As related in this NPR story, a New Orleans federal district judge has ruled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers so poorly maintained a shipping channel at the mouth of the Mississippi that it basically caused flooding in New Orleans. Judge Stanwood Duval awarded $720,000 to four individuals and a business.

Cool, huh?

Have you ever seen such furious derrieres!!?!!

The night is young and I could be wrong. I'm writing this with only 18% of the vote from New Jersey counted and less from the Virginia governor's race and NY-23.

My guess is the Dems will lose big all around. And understandably so, when you think about it.

Not that the Republicans have lovable candidates or great ideas. Far from it. But those poor Republican voters actually were dumb enough to think something important was at stake in these races. And so they came to the polls and voted.

On the other hand, disillusioned Democrats and liberals of other stripes knew better than to get worked up over these elections. They stayed calm. They composed themselves and sat motionless in the Zen of it all. They sent a message to Washington without even the effort of breath passing over lips.

Ninja warriors. Sitting on their derrieres of fury.

Can you hear that giant sucking sound? That's the sound of your hopes and dreams going south.

List the issues where the Left has engaged and you'll arrive at about the number of issues where the Left has been powerless to achieve its goals: FISA. Torture accountability. Guantanamo detainees. Wall Street malpractice. Health care. Cap and trade. Afghanistan.

And that's just the short list of issues that Progressives (using this term interchangeably with "the Left") have failed to influence to any practical degree. It's enough to make us weep, bang our fists on tabletops and rant about outlandish fortune (or Obama's milquetoast treachery) in blog post after blog post. But we're overlooking the real culprits, and no, it's not the military-industrial-fundamentalist-CIA-GOP complex, either.

Why, oh why, are we losing fight after fight when it was our own mighty efforts that elected the nation's first black president and stemmed the tide of the Bush/Cheney era? Why aren't our voices being taken seriously? Why are we suddenly so impotent in securing the change we once believed in?

Why?

Three words. Incompetent grassroots leaders.

I've seen it time and time again, up close and personal, in a myriad of groups, ever since Obama's inauguration. The People Power unleashed last year has gone flaccid. It's lost that lovin' feeling.

There was the bus trip to Washington I took in July as part of the H-CAN rally. Gamaliel--the same organization that once trained Obama in community organizing-- had chartered the bus from Chicago to carry some participants. It arrived three hours late at our rendezvous point in Indianapolis because of problems with the air conditioning system, which broke down before the bus even left Chicago.

And then it broke down three more times in Washington and on the return trip.

With windows that would not open except if jettisoned completely in an emergency, the bus lumbered along with only brief periods of functional air conditioning. For hours at a time, its 59 passengers suffered and perspired like fountains, with one asthmatic woman laboring to breathe and one young man literally passing out from the oven-like heat on board our mobile summer sardine can. An elderly gentleman was so disoriented that he walked into the side of the bus during a rest stop and split his head open.

The cohort of Chicago clergy leading our group did nothing to stop the calamity. Not until two people left the bus to rent a car back home did they contact Gamaliel's home office to request the dispatch of a new bus. Instead, despite heated exchanges with disgruntled passengers, they forced everyone to risk--and in some cases, surrender--their health in the cause of ... wait for it ... health care reform.

"We has met the enemy and he is us," Pogo said. Or as Shakespeare put it centuries before: "The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars but in ourselves that we are underlings."

Here at TPMCafe, several bloggers (myself included) were drafted to go to Washington for a rally in August. Bloggers and readers (just like you!) ponied up over $1,200 to send me and another blogger to represent support for Single-Payer. We did that. Me and the other 300 or so people who attended the event. Yep, just 300 from all across the country. (Congressional-sized yawn.)

I don't fault our earnest TPM organizers, but the rally's sponsoring organization, HealthCare NOW!. Its leaders should have canceled the event, knowing that they expected less than 1,000 people to turn out (as I discovered the day before I left).

Today, I attended a meeting of a dozen zealots who are all energy and no discernible purpose. Tomorrow, they will stage a sit-in at the Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield headquarters with the intention of netting a few civil disobedience arrests for trespassing.

When I asked a few questions about their messaging and what their desired effect on health care reform was, they became aggressive and dismissive. "That's not important. We need to get back to the plan," I was told, as they busied themselves around a large drawing pad like Hogan's heroes.

They will be lucky to make 30 seconds on the local news, let alone any impact on health care legislation pending before Congress. In the end, I declined to attend.

But these are only small groups, you might say. Surely, larger groups like Organizing for America are led by competent leaders.

You might be right in your neck of the woods, but I doubt it. I spent two months trying to get an unpaid internship at Organizing for America. I received an email a couple weeks after I filled out the online application. It said that all local internship positions had been filled.

I pressed for an explanation with the local field director, who had encouraged me to apply. She finally got back to me three phone calls and a month later. I was scheduled in last week to meet her and discuss the internship. Oh, and could I do a little phone-banking until she arrived? Certainly, I said.

She never showed.

"I'll be there tomorrow night," she told me later. "For sure." I came in again the next night, just as she was leaving the office almost an hour early.

"If I'm going to drive 10 miles to come in, the trip and my gas costs should be worth it," I told her, "especially since I'm on SSI and it took me three days just to round up $9 to put in my tank."

"You can always call from home," she said. "I'll email you the link and a password" for OFA's online phone list. Two days later, with no email and no answer, I left a pointed resignation on her voice mail.

And then there's ACORN, and ... well, you get the idea.

Progressives are poorly led and poorly served by our grassroots leaders. The caliber of people recruited and put in charge of things just ain't what it used to be during the presidential campaign.

We are led by the flakes and the well-intentioned. Impassioned zealots rather than careful achievers. The rudely neglectful rather than the conscientiously respectful. Those who burn through volunteers like engine oil in an '87 Ford Escort.

No wonder the Left is impotent to effect its desired change. If our grassroots leadership reflects our best and brightest, then we truly have met ourselves in Pogo's epiphany of blame.

I haven't blogged much lately, so I'm just checking in to say "Hi," "Thank you" and a few expletives.

First: Hi, TPM Cafe dwellers. No, my name is not Paul, and yes, despite my unusual absence here of late, I'm still alive. As evidenced by this post.

Second: THANK YOU, FLOWERCHILD! I received your gift of a Logitech keyboard in good condition and plan to hook it up soon. However, because doing so will require re-mapping certain characters and functions to the new keyboard, I plan to finish my movie before I hook it up. Yes this will take extra time to complete with my current, sorry, busted-down, piece-of-shit keyboard, but it seems like a better plan than losing time if the keyboard re-mapping doesn't go well. In any case, flowerchild, your gift is appreciated and so are you. I will put this to use shortly.

Third, a few random yet coherent thoughts:

• Joe Lieberman is a murderer.

• The public option will prevail, somehow.

• Obama needs to push mortgage relief NOW. Too many people are losing their homes, their possessions, their marriages and the future for which they have worked their fingers to the bone.

• Republicans pretty much suck. That's all. No apologies, JEM (you're excluded from this characterization). It's just that Republicans pretty much suck. Hard on big ones.

• I like that NASA is testing a new rocket system and wants to take us places. I hope the space agency will soon set up a colony on the moon for all Republicans, so they can suck hard ones together and leave Earth for those of us who still care about this planet. Then, it's on to Mars and Alpha Centauri.

• Screw people who want Obama to make a fast decision on Afghanistan. Where was the outrage and urgency for the last eight years of stalemate and failure?

• Health Care in Black & White is progressing and will be completed soon. 'Nuff said.

• Did I mention that Republicans pretty much suck, Fox News is a whiny barker at the media sideshow and that Joe Lieberman is a child molester and pig fucker?

I get tired of working my ass off for zero recognition. I spent a month putting "Health Care in Black & White" together. And for what? No one gives a shit.

Yes, the recs pile up around my posts but not on them. I guess I should bitch about something or wish someone a happy anniversary.

Or maybe I should just ramble for three screens about what I could easily say in a sentence.

Forgive me. I care about health care.

I write. I rally. I lobby. I travel on wild goose chases at the behest of my fellow bloggers.

So why do I feel like Rodney Fucking Dangerfield?

If the clique would prefer I go, vote with your comments. If you want me to go and never finish the film, vote with your comments.

If you want me to stick around and finish the film, guess what? Vote with your comments.

But don't fucking ignore me after all the hard work I put in. I've done more than just blog. I've acted and put in the sweat of my brow to promote the America most of you want.

Keep blowing me off if you want. I'm on Medicaid. I already have government insurance.

Since only eight of the vaunted "millions" of TPM users rec'd the original post and no one (huh?) commented, I'm reposting this. Lots of people who saw the trailer said they wanted to see the movie and I don't know they did. This is for anyone who missed Part 1:

Don't press "Play" just yet.

Quick promises are the least fulfilled. In previous posts I declared that the premiere of my little movie would occur within x days, and that certainly seemed likely to me at the time. Forgive my wild optimism. As they say in show biz, the project was fraught with complications.

So here now is "Health Care in Black & White" Part 1. Yes, you read correctly. Part 1 only. But hey, it's nearly 10 minutes long. When the final two parts are complete, sometime in x days, the entire film should run about half an hour, far longer than anticipated when I began. But I'll explain later.

Part 1 of "Health Care in Black & White" introduces George Bailey as a man confronting a series of family health care crises. The succeeding two parts mix current events with old footage to build an exciting narrative relevant to our times and unflinching in its convictions. I dedicate it to all who strive for universal health care and a public option.

Be prepared to be impressed. Or not. What you will see in Part 1 sets up the film and is basically the first 30 minutes of Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" radically re-cut to under 9 minutes. There are reasons for this. But I'll explain later.

Okay, I'll explain now. At first, I had a few funny little scenes in mind. The raw material would be old films, current YouTube video and other easily obtainable footage: a mashup to end all mashups. Sort of a stream-of-consciousness enterprise, built on the rough idea of good vs evil and set against the background of the health care debate. For a number of reasons, that rudimentary concept changed along the way. I discovered I wanted to tell a real story, with characters that would require our sympathies and a plot that makes a point--a very pointed point, in point of fact.

Read more »

Don't press "Play" just yet.

Quick promises are the least fulfilled. In previous posts I declared that the premiere of my little movie would occur within x days, and that certainly seemed likely to me at the time. Forgive my wild optimism. As they say in show biz, the project was fraught with complications.

So here now is "Health Care in Black & White" Part 1. Yes, you read correctly. Part 1 only. But hey, it's nearly 10 minutes long. When the final two parts are complete, sometime in x days, the entire film should run about half an hour, far longer than anticipated when I began. But I'll explain later.

Part 1 of "Health Care in Black & White" introduces George Bailey as a man confronting a series of family health care crises. The succeeding two parts mix current events with old footage to build an exciting narrative relevant to our times and unflinching in its convictions. I dedicate it to all who strive for universal health care and a public option.

Be prepared to be impressed. Or not. What you will see in Part 1 sets up the film and is basically the first 30 minutes of Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" radically re-cut to under 9 minutes. There are reasons for this. But I'll explain later.

Okay, I'll explain now. At first, I had a few funny little scenes in mind. The raw material would be old films, current YouTube video and other easily obtainable footage: a mashup to end all mashups. Sort of a stream-of-consciousness enterprise, built on the rough idea of good vs evil and set against the background of the health care debate. For a number of reasons, that rudimentary concept changed along the way. I discovered I wanted to tell a real story, with characters that would require our sympathies and a plot that makes a point--a very pointed point, in point of fact.

Read more »

Just a quick note to anyone who might have been waiting for the premiere of "Health Care in Black & White." Yes, the film is on its way, but not today as promised. (Yeah, I know. So sue me. It's not like I'm running for office.)

Anyhoo, this thing is killing me. I've been at this more or less continuously for days now with little to no sleep. I must have sifted through 20 hours of movie and YouTube footage--probably 200 different videos all in all--just to obtain those rare and precious frames I'm cobbling into a masterpiece ... well, a masterpiece for me, at least.

But hey, that's how I roll, y'all. Because I care. And I want to make the finest short film you've ever seen. Yes, even you, Edmund Crankypants! You don't know how lucky you are about to be.

So use the bathroom again or get a sandwich, for Pete's sake! Don't loiter around my blog waiting for the box office to open. Sheesh! You'll see it when it's ready.

Sweet Mary's marmalade! my aching imagination ...

The scheduled premier of "Health Care in Black & White" has been delayed until Monday at noon. Please be patient. My computer's CPU is nearly in flames as it processes the video, sound and special effects required for the final cut. Monday, rain or shine.  Promise. 

A couple days ago, I posted a blog entry complaining of the too cozy a relationship between public radio and its for-profit business donors. While I still think there is undue influence, I'm happy to report that yesterday PRI's program "The World" clarified its description of the Lewin Group as a "non-partisan" health care consulting business.

Pointing out that United Healthcare owns the Lewin Group was only right and came after many listeners, this one included, pointed out to PRI that Lewin's vice-president was no one to interview for unbiased information on whether health care reform would cover illegal immigrants.

I guess there's still hope for public radio as long as we're vigilant. Now if NPR would let Mara Liasson and Juan Williams flee to Fox along with ABC News' John Stossel.

"Health Care in Black & White" will premiere here at 6 p.m. Eastern Saturday night, but the critics are already raving!

WHAT CRITICS ARE SAYING

✯✯✯✯✯ "... a taut sci-fi-drama-suspense-thriller-political-love story that will make you laugh out loud!"
-- Mipperc R. Cord, New York Postal

✯✯✯✯✯ "Two latex-gloved thumbs up!"
-- Ecrim o Rppcrd, At the Flickies

✯✯✯✯✯ "Jimmy Stewart and Peter Sellers enliven the screen as if they weren't dead!"
-- Crimp Redcrop, LA Old Times

✯✯✯✯✯ "... a high-contrast salvo in the battle for health care"
-- Cmdr Roc Peipr, Stars and Bars

✯✯✯✯✯ "... a lyrical, liberal vision of the past, present and future"
-- Doc Mcripprer, USA Yesterday

✯✯✯✯✯ "Filmmaker Ripper McCord is the new D. W. Griffith!"
-- McRipp Corder, TPM Bistro

✯✯✯✯✯ "'Health Care in Black & White' is a transfusion of fun!"
-- Gene Shalit, Today Show

✯ "Don't let your children see this!"
-- Michael Medved, Discovery Institute

Watch the trailer on Youtube now. (Hit the little HQ button below the vid for even more big-screen excitement!)

Just today, the nexus of public radio and private profits gave us NPR's national political corespondent and "Fox News Sunday" pundit Mara Liasson Liarsson defending Obama's critics like Joe Wilson as no more caustic or irrational than George Bush's critics. Then Katy Clark of PRI's "The World" twice introduced guest John Shiels as a consultant for "the non-partisan" Lewin Group to discuss the threat of the health care bill covering illegal residents.

Thanks, "public" radio, for giving us the Republican party line. Here's what Katy Clark didn't tell listeners:

Shiels is vice-president for Lewin, which supplied the most damaging (and thoroughly discredited) figure used by conservatives to bash the public option. The Lewin Group early this summer released its study claiming that a public option would draw more than 100 million people from private insurance. The report was cited by the GOP and its teabagging shock troops as proof that Congress was about to kill private insurance and institute a government takeover of health care.

Mara Liarsson I just give up on. Her persistently negative analysis of Democrats and Obama makes her a perfect fit for the "Fox News Sunday" echo chamber. Liarsson's mind is as alien to fair play as her other-worldly expression.

I'm sick of the BS I've been hearing on what are supposedly the radio networks of "the people." But I guess it will come as no surprise that PRI is greatly funded by the Medtronic Foundation. That's the PR arm of  Medtronic, Inc., the world's largest medical technology company.

Need an expensive fix for an organ gone sour? Medtronic has it. Need Medicare reimbursement for that new part? Medtronic can arrange it. Need to gloss over the fact that Medtronic and Lewin both have skin in reform? Well, that's the role of public radio.

I used to rely on public broadcasting for the truth, but when I contacted WGBH in Boston, where "The World" is produced, I got the usual run-around. My follow-up email got an autoresponder reply.

Public TV is better than public radio at getting it right. I don't think I'd hear such drivel on "The News Hour" and certainly not on Moyers' show. But the corporate interests have penetrated deep into NPR and PRI. "All hail the Baucus plan!" Shit.

It's been too long since I listened to that classic rock station halfway up the dial.

Actor and dancer Patrick Swayze died at the age of 57 today after a long, brave battle with pancreatic cancer, which is almost always fatal. Not that I was a big fan, but I did like him in "Roadhouse" and "Ghost" and I admired his cheerful perseverance. We could all use a little of that nowadays.

Note: This is a repost of an item that got pushed off the board by spam and long posts almost as soon as it appeared earlier today. I'd hate for you to miss the point: You may not even have until October to influence the health care bill.

Now it begins.

The Senate Finance Committee, the last of the five congressional committees with jurisdiction over health care reform, supposedly will finish its bill this month. The plan being engineered by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus through his bipartisan Gang of Six is so different in character from the bills already submitted by the other four committees that it is likely to reopen debate on the fundamental nature of health care reform.

The prospects are exceedingly dim that negotiations to hammer out final legislation for consideration in each chamber will produce a well-crafted plan that actually improves health care and controls rising costs for consumers and taxpayers. Yet it is a virtual certainty that some legislation will be sent to the floors of the House and Senate.

The ensuing free-for-alls there could result in total gridlock as Progressives try to rectify a watered-down plan that would generate hundreds of billions of dollars in new revenue for insurance companies, drug makers and hospitals while mandating that citizens carry expensive insurance coverage or face stiff fines.

As the AP reported today:

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., has promised a formal proposal within days and plans to convene a bill-drafting session the week of Sept. 21. The Baucus plan is important for two reasons: It's the only proposal that's been worked out in close consultation with Republicans, and it also seems to be headed in the general direction Obama wants to take.

"It's the logical starting point for negotiations," said Dan Mendelson, president of Avalere Health, an information company serving industry and government clients. An 18-page summary of an early version of the Baucus plan circulated last week.

His proposal is widely seen as making major concessions to industry. There's no government insurance plan to compete with private carriers, and no requirement on employers to provide coverage -- as legislation drafted by House Democrats would provide.

In another significant break with House Democrats, Baucus wouldn't raise taxes on upper-income earners to pay for health care. That should please tax-averse Republicans. Instead, he uses a series of "fees" on medical industries to help pay for his plan.

Needless to say, those fees the AP story mentions--as high as 35 percent--will eventually be passed on to consumers, exacerbating the inflationary spiral of health care costs. So much is wrong with the Baucus plan that I urge you to read the AP story in full.

So as I am prone to suggest: Phone, FAX and email your congressional delegation and flood the Washington office of Sen. Max Baucus before he creates a monster. One last thing, and this is important: If you are a member of another blog, repost this piece there.

The last battle for health care reform is upon us.

To Deep Brain Diarist, dickday and others who tend to write long, please use the extended tab so that more recent posts stay on the aggregate blog's front page longer. I wrote one about half an hour ago. It's already been pushed off the front page, in part because of a spam attack and in part because too few use the Extended tab when writing posts.

Thanks, fellas.