When Will the President Stop Reading (American) Newspapers?

Much is going on amongst our British and Irish cousins.  Ireland is set to go officially broke unless the EU intervenes with a massive infusion of cash to prop up the banks, which the Irish government allowed to adopt their own version of casino capitalism real estate swindles based on the Wall Street Model.  Tens of thousands of Irish students are headed abroad, hoping to make lives elsewhere. 

In Britain, where a coalition of Tories and Lib-Dems rule as a pro-corporate coalition designed to further dismantle Britain's social welfare system, students last week departed from the usual and useless "peaceful march" script to actually take over and tear up Tory headquarters until they were finally expelled by police. 

Their next move will to to recall the lying-liar Lib-Dems who have broken their campaign pledges to not support the increase in student fees.  While the NYTimes ignored these stories, Time did have this:

Students are enraged by the government's plans to hike tuition fees in 2012, along with higher education funding being cut by 40%. Teaching grants are in danger of being all but wiped out, except for science and math.  "Education is a social good that we should be investing in -- we need free education for a better society," said Emily Whitby, a student from Manchester University in a statement to the press. "The government‘s plans to astronomically hike up tuition fees is a dangerous attack on social mobility and public services. This isn‘t a time for polite lobbying. This is a time for action."

The American corporate media, meanwhile, was focusing on spinning the mid-term American election as a defeat of the President's party because they went too far to the left, thus choosing to largely ignore the fact the mid-terms represented our own version of a Lib-Dem recall: 

 In 2008, 50 Democratic House members were elected in districts that President Obama failed to carry. This month, voters in only 12 of those districts returned Democrats to Congress.

The election of 2008 was about change from America, Inc., and what American voters have seen so far is Mr. Obama, America's version of Nick Clegg, turn his back on his campaign promises to become just another Blue Tick (a sucking insect, not a dog) dedicated to, or owned by, the Goldman Sachs agenda.  

 

Look across the Pond, Mr. President.  See what is happening.  You have this chance now to grow a backbone and stand up on an issue, damn it, that the American people support, just like the public option, except stronger.  The issue, of course, is continued Bush tax cuts for the rich.  And if you must read the American papers, sir, read today's column by Frank Rich--it is as American as apple pie.