tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post8355124672350173379..comments2023-09-29T06:57:06.991-07:00Comments on Anglachel's Journal: Ponies, Cows and K StreetAnglachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110546252851760414noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-20963911151618706772008-05-19T11:44:00.000-07:002008-05-19T11:44:00.000-07:00what a pain these comment boxes are:http://www.cor...what a pain these comment boxes are:<BR/>http://www.correntewire.<BR/>com/creative_class_<BR/>vs_special_class<BR/><BR/>DD<BR/><BR/>http://opensecrets.<BR/>org/pres08/contrib.<BR/>php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638Greenconsciousnesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12972464004044369714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-22569829758392478602008-05-19T11:40:00.000-07:002008-05-19T11:40:00.000-07:00For a good post on the creative class go herehttp:...For a good post on the creative class go here<BR/>http://www.correntewire.com/creative_class_vs_special_class<BR/><BR/>Donna Darko was the first to speak about BO's big donors here;<BR/>http://opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638<BR/><BR/>and she said after she posted:<BR/>"When I posted the top 20 contributors to Obama, 17/20 of which are financial and insurance institutions, these institutions all the way from NY, Johannesburg, Geneva, London and NY were frantically on my blog for three days even though it's public information (opensecrets.org). They want to privatize social security."Greenconsciousnesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12972464004044369714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-42691437067824505082008-05-19T05:35:00.000-07:002008-05-19T05:35:00.000-07:00Thank you for the information about the origin amd...Thank you for the information about the origin amd meaning of "creative class."TLEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06159957249854557986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-68262648302361207922008-05-18T15:42:00.000-07:002008-05-18T15:42:00.000-07:00If you are concerned about where the money is comi...If you are concerned about where the money is coming from, the <A HREF="www.opensecrets.org" REL="nofollow">Center for Responsive Politics' Open Secrets website </A>(cited by the Guardian commentator in greenconsciousness's post) is a great resource.<BR/><BR/>In particular, with respect to the size of donations: http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/donordems.php?sortby=SAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-75628671430426602492008-05-18T15:18:00.000-07:002008-05-18T15:18:00.000-07:00I am not afraid of H or speech and here is just on...I am not afraid of H or speech and here is just one source = there is a lot more where this came from I can bring back other links to orgs that follow campaign financing.<BR/><BR/>Funded by a million small donors: April Fools <BR/>Taken from the comment section of the Guardian.<BR/><BR/>"Obama's presidential campaign has received nearly $5 million dollars from securities and investment firms and $866,000 from commercial banks through October of 2007. <BR/><BR/>Obama's top contributor so far is Goldman Sachs (provider of $369,078 to Obama), identified by Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) investigators as "a major proponent of privatizing Social Security as well as legislation that would essentially deregulate the investment banking/securities industry." <BR/><BR/>Eight of Obama's top twenty election investors are securities and investment firms: <BR/>Goldman Sachs, Lehman Bros. (number 2 at $229,090), J.P. Morgan Chase and Co. (# 4 at $216,759), Citadel Investment Group (#7 at 4166,608), UBS AG ($146,150), UBS-America ($106,680), Morgan Stanley ($104,421), and Credit Suisse Group ($92,300). The last two firms are also known to be leading privatization advocates (Center for Responsive Politics 2007a).<BR/><BR/>Meanwhile, Obama's presidential run has been "assisted" by more than $2 million from the health care sector and nearly $400,000 from the insurance industry through October of 2007 (Center for Responsive Politics 2007b). <BR/><BR/>Obama received $708,000 from medical and insurance interests between 2001 and 2006 (Center for Responsive Politics 2007c). <BR/><BR/>His wife Michelle, a fellow Harvard Law graduate, was until a recently a Vice President for Community and External Affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals, a position that paid her $273, 618 in 2006 (Sweet 2007).<BR/><BR/>And Obama's sixth largest contributor is Exelon, the proud Chicago-based owner and operator of more nuclear power plants than any entity on earth (Center for Responsive Politics 2007a).<BR/>Go figure.<BR/><BR/>As for his "lobbyist ban," last August the Los Angeles Times reported that Obama "raised more than $1 million in the first three months of his presidential campaign from law firms and companies that have major lobbying operations in the nation's capital." <BR/><BR/>Campaign finance expert Stephen Weissman observed that this raised troubling questions about the practical relevance of Obama's much-ballyhooed pledge to turn down donations from "federal lobbyists."<BR/><BR/>"Obama's rise to national prominence and presidential viability, Helman discovered, depended significantly on PAC and lobbyist money."<BR/><BR/>And we have not even mentioned Soros and the other billionaires supporting him. We have not mentioned the media, owned in significant Shares by Saudi princes."Greenconsciousnesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12972464004044369714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-54610226291154992532008-05-18T14:23:00.000-07:002008-05-18T14:23:00.000-07:00Sorry I must have messed up the coding. I had act...Sorry I must have messed up the coding. I had actually intended to link to his biography at the consulting group he runs: http://creativeclass.com/richard_florida/ <BR/><BR/>Florida's work has been widely criticized in urban planning circles for its intersection with neoliberal models of governance. <BR/><BR/>Anglachel, thank you for your grace. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-15070491570879779152008-05-18T13:24:00.000-07:002008-05-18T13:24:00.000-07:00missplsd's Richard Florida link seems to dead end....missplsd's Richard Florida link seems to dead end. I assume it was to somewhere <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Creative-Class-Transforming-Community/dp/0465024777/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211140941&sr=8-3" REL="nofollow">like this.</A><BR/><BR/>*****************<BR/><I>Florida, an academic whose field is regional economic development, explains the rise of a new social class that he labels the creative class. Members include scientists, engineers, architects, educators, writers, artists, and entertainers. He defines this class as those whose economic function is to create new ideas, new technology, and new creative content. In general this group shares common characteristics, such as creativity, individuality, diversity, and merit. The author estimates that this group has 38 million members, constitutes more than 30 percent of the U.S. workforce, and profoundly influences work and lifestyle issues. <BR/><BR/>The purpose of this book is to examine how and why we value creativity more highly than ever and cultivate it more intensely. He concludes that it is time for the creative class to grow up--boomers and Xers, liberals and conservatives, urbanites and suburbanites--and evolve from an amorphous group of self-directed while high-achieving individuals into a responsible, more cohesive group interested in the common good.</I><BR/>******************<BR/><BR/>Subsequently, he has been milking the cow with <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/Flight-Creative-Class-Global-Competition/dp/0060756918/ref=pd_bbs_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211140941&sr=8-4" REL="nofollow">The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent</A> and <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/Whos-Your-City-Creative-Important/dp/0307356965/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211140941&sr=8-1" REL="nofollow">Who's Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life.</A><BR/><BR/>Perhaps missplsd linked <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Florida" REL="nofollow">here.</A>CMikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13481861530761114492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-51388726642914447192008-05-18T09:14:00.000-07:002008-05-18T09:14:00.000-07:00missplcd - allowed. Thank you for the link.Anglach...missplcd - allowed. Thank you for the link.<BR/><BR/>AnglachelAnglachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01110546252851760414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-23022263919833117262008-05-18T09:09:00.000-07:002008-05-18T09:09:00.000-07:00TLE, the term was popularized by Richard Florida. ...TLE, the term was popularized by <A HREF="creativeclass.com" REL="nofollow"/>Richard Florida</A>. I'm not sure if he coined it.<BR/><BR/>(Anglachel, please don't delete this. I'm just trying to be helpful.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-86451414050791408672008-05-18T07:40:00.000-07:002008-05-18T07:40:00.000-07:00Hans' comments have been deleted for blog whoring ...Hans' comments have been deleted for blog whoring and general offensiveness. Anything he posts from here on out will be deleted when I see it, so regulars please don't respond to him.<BR/><BR/>AnglachelAnglachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01110546252851760414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-8430754103624613772008-05-18T07:24:00.000-07:002008-05-18T07:24:00.000-07:00Can someone here tell me the origin of the term "c...Can someone here tell me the origin of the term "creative class," and who it is meant to describe? When I first started coming across the phrase, I thought it applied to artists, writers, musicians and actors; but I find it difficult to believe that these people would form a large enough (and cohesive enough) group to be labeled as a political class unto themselves, and the majority of them already belong to an established economic class: the poor.<BR/><BR/>From the usage, it appears that the term is applied to that group of degreed wage slaves whose job descriptions are so vague that you can never remember what it was they told you they do for a living, but you know it involves attending a lot of meetings and sitting in front of a computer screen the rest of the time. However, there is certainly nothing creative about that, so I must be wrong.<BR/><BR/>I would appreciate any insight. I think I can get a good answer here, as the majority of the posters seem to be thoughtful and knowledgeable (with the obvious exception of the Unity Pony True Believers wandering amongst the filthy heathens, exhorting us the see the Light of the Precious before it is too late).<BR/><BR/>I have been reading here for several months, and really appreciate Anglachel's intelligence, insight and coherence.TLEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06159957249854557986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-54125861306888106842008-05-18T02:27:00.000-07:002008-05-18T02:27:00.000-07:00Wow, Herr Hans….that must have hit a nerve. A litt...Wow, Herr Hans….that must have hit a nerve. A little too close for comfort? Had a few of your illusions come crumbling down?<BR/><BR/>I suppose you get all your news from Jack Welch? And you trust all that, right? Or Punch Sulzberger? And you trust all that, right? I guess everything written in the Wall Street Journal these days is all lies, too? Right? <BR/><BR/>The American press in general, as we are all aware, is on the take. So (as with the run-up to the Iraq War) one must often reach beyond our borders for information.<BR/><BR/>Regardless of publisher, I do know that Fred Siegel knows his stuff. He obviously isn’t a Barry fan, or he wouldn’t have revealed all that he did. But he’s a history Professor at Cooper Union in NYC. And I’ve read his stuff in the Commonwealth and Atlantic Monthly (home of Obama fanboys Andy Sullivan and Big Media Matt Yglesias). And Prof. Siegel is a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, which while it could be deemed a Clinton-leaning think tank, isn’t exactly the source of tabloid fare.<BR/><BR/>If you can refute the evidence in the article then, by all means, do so. But don’t tell me it’s not fact because it was published in one of Rupert Murdoch’s 7 zillion newspapers. Larry Johnson’s been saying the exact same thing for months; just not as elegantly and authoritatively.<BR/><BR/>And please lay off the bold, will ya? Anglachel’s is a place with some class. If you got a point to make, no need to scream…just say it. <BR/><BR/>And BTW – Hillary’s got $21 million sitting in an account set aside for the general. Barry boy has $7 million. Ain’t it just like a woman to be thinkin’ ahead.makana44https://www.blogger.com/profile/15494079409952969155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-57969522619512606662008-05-18T01:03:00.000-07:002008-05-18T01:03:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Hanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09162148439115537345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-49744580709664841352008-05-18T00:54:00.000-07:002008-05-18T00:54:00.000-07:00Wow brilliant source there Makana44! did you ever...Wow brilliant source there Makana44! did you ever bother to check out who owned The Australian? Didn't think so...<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch" REL="nofollow">5th Paragraph, Start of Business Career</A> In 1964, <STRONG>[Rupert] Murdoch launched The Australian, Australia's first national daily newspaper...intended to give Murdoch a new respectability as a 'quality' newspaper publisher and greater political influence....the paper actually veered between tabloid sensationalism and intellectual tedium."</STRONG><BR/><BR/>Do I really need to go into who Rupert Murdock is? Ok, seeing the brain capacity is not too great here, he is the <STRONG>Owner of News Corp, which is the Owner of Fox Noise Channel,</STRONG> which brings you such greats as Hannity, O'Reilly & Snow.<BR/><BR/>even a three year old knows Murdock is from AustraliaHanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09162148439115537345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-56451294615472658282008-05-17T22:37:00.000-07:002008-05-17T22:37:00.000-07:00Fred Siegel's piece in The Australian that makana4...Fred Siegel's piece in The Australian that makana44 references is a must read. Here's a line I loved from his conclusion:<BR/>"Obama has, in a sense, represented a new version of the invisible man, a candidate whose colour obscures his failings."SezUhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16268897244531517086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-27506450640626296262008-05-17T21:32:00.000-07:002008-05-17T21:32:00.000-07:00You've quite brilliantly unveiled the source of th...You've quite brilliantly unveiled the source of the dis-ease I've been experiencing; and the nature of my personal dilemma. I've been an activist Democrat all my voting life (since 1968). If I vote for McCain I'm voting for 'four more years' and a nasty Supreme Court. If I vote for Obama (and he wins) I will lose ‘my’ party to a force that I don't like, trust, or belong with. And so, in fact, does the entire middle class - which will have no place to turn.<BR/><BR/>I reject this whole ‘creative class’ thing. Ain’t no one been more creative than I’ve been my whole life, and still am. They and their children are playing the video games that I created. And now they’re being as creative as a herd of sheep being shaved, placid and bleeping all the way. <BR/><BR/>I read an article (in an Australian newspaper of all places) that shed so much light on “The illusion that is Barack Obama.” It is fascinating, deep, and disturbing. It is what the NY Times “investigative report” last week should have been. Read it and weep if that is the future of our party and the next leader of our republic. Here’s the URL:<BR/><BR/>http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/<BR/>0,25197,23643866-5013948,00.html<BR/><BR/>Look out, it’s a Bush in Democratic clothing.<BR/><BR/>BTW – Thank you so much Anglachel. You have been a sword of truth.makana44https://www.blogger.com/profile/15494079409952969155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-43812472581542897952008-05-17T21:13:00.000-07:002008-05-17T21:13:00.000-07:00hans?-hans von spakovsky?dear hans,is that you?how...hans?-<BR/><BR/>hans von spakovsky?<BR/><BR/>dear hans,<BR/><BR/>is that you?<BR/><BR/>how delightful that you could join us.orionATLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18052116776071979616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-52108964702916016352008-05-17T20:30:00.000-07:002008-05-17T20:30:00.000-07:00Shorter Hans: "Mmmm...Kool-Aid" ;)Shorter Hans: "Mmmm...Kool-Aid" ;)Ivory Bill Woodpeckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01318699512583970467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-9382905883047347162008-05-17T18:51:00.000-07:002008-05-17T18:51:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Hanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09162148439115537345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-14415031677823773652008-05-17T18:11:00.000-07:002008-05-17T18:11:00.000-07:00ivory b -great line.wish i'd thought of it.ivory b -<BR/><BR/>great line.<BR/><BR/>wish i'd thought of it.orionATLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18052116776071979616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-75867803657816936322008-05-17T17:27:00.000-07:002008-05-17T17:27:00.000-07:00I saw over on one of the semi-assimilated blogs a ...I saw over on one of the semi-assimilated blogs a report of a bumper sticker that said:<BR/><BR/>"OBAMA: THIS TIME I WANT A SMART PRESIDENT"<BR/><BR/>Translation: "OBAMA: I WANT A SMARTER SOCIOPATH THIS TIME" ;)Ivory Bill Woodpeckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01318699512583970467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-39827903596136665222008-05-17T17:14:00.000-07:002008-05-17T17:14:00.000-07:00Well, either that Ivory or it's semi-smart if the ...Well, either that Ivory or it's semi-smart if the strategy is: "well, let me go to Hillary blogs and just try to get everything all muddled up so that Hillary supporters can't clearly articulate their anger and are thereby guilted into voting for the Messiah b/c they start to think their anger is irrational." <BR/><BR/>But if that's his strategy, it won't work here. Everybody who comments on this blog knows exactly what the fuck is going on.Chinaberry Turtlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08917878302338229102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-88600205705442366472008-05-17T15:59:00.000-07:002008-05-17T15:59:00.000-07:00Turtle--for a guy named "Gillette", he isn't very ...Turtle--for a guy named "Gillette", he isn't very sharp, is he? ;)Ivory Bill Woodpeckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01318699512583970467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-40249778431556649232008-05-17T14:52:00.000-07:002008-05-17T14:52:00.000-07:00"In other words, Clinton supporters demand loyalty..."<I>In other words, Clinton supporters demand loyalty too, or the money from them dries up.</I>"<BR/><BR/>No Hank, Clinton supporters demand that Obama not act like a sexist asshole towards women and a condescending prick towards working folk. He coulda had my vote if he was capable of doing those two simple things.<BR/><BR/><I>"How is that the least bit different from what you are accusing Obama of?"</I><BR/><BR/>Different in two respects: Because saying "i won't GIVE you money if you're a sexist and classist asshole" is different from "i won't allow you to participate in the party power unless you give all your political related money to me" in two important ways:<BR/><BR/>(1) In the first, the GIVERS of the money are putting conditions on their gift whereas in the second the RECIPIENT of the money is putting conditions an being able to play in the system;<BR/><BR/>and <BR/><BR/>(2) the condition in the Hillary supporter case is "don't be a sexist and classist asshole", whereas Obama's condition is "you must give all your love to me."<BR/><BR/>But nice try there Hank trying to muddle it all together.<BR/><BR/>And beyond all that Hank, we're just not gonna vote for your Messiah. He's gonna lose in the general election. This is a fact. You can rail against this fact while we look at you and talk among ourselves about how ineffective you are in helping your Messiah, or you can come to terms with this fact and realize you and your Messiah actually have to do stuff we like in order to get our votes.Chinaberry Turtlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08917878302338229102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4119943.post-15289071877035638412008-05-17T14:50:00.000-07:002008-05-17T14:50:00.000-07:00Who's REALLY funding the Obama ATM?Who's REALLY funding the Obama ATM?Ivory Bill Woodpeckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01318699512583970467noreply@blogger.com