The "Trump Effect" is negatively affecting employee morale and workplace cohesion, while also hurting productivity in corporate America.

Courtesy of NBC News:  

Donald Trump’s abrasive style isn’t just making it hard to run the White House — it’s handicapping corporate America, as well. 

HR and leadership experts say a “Trump effect” has made a new norm of bad behavior, from dropping f-bombs to fudging details on resumes to spreading false rumors about co-workers, all of which stifles teamwork, dampens morale, and hurts productivity.

“It violates all the norms and the niceties of how one should behave,” said Gary Namie, director and co-founder of the Workplace Bullying Institute. “What it’s exposing is the very, very dark side of our society.” 

Career coaches report an increased willingness to engage in unethical behavior, like lying about past experience or performance in a job interview, or making a promise with no intention of keeping it. 

“It’s allowing individuals who may be on the fence when it comes to a moral compass to engage in bad behavior. It allows them to justify that behavior, it gives them an excuse,” said Roy Cohen, a career counselor and executive coach. “We expect people to take the high ground… that’s where the reversal seems to be happening. Bad behavior is almost a badge of honor,” he said.

The acrimony is fracturing workplace cohesion. According to an April survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute, 46 percent of workers said their relationships with colleagues have deteriorated since the election last November.

Oh so it is not only the racists and xenophobes who came out of the woodwork during the campaign and after the election, now it is also sexists, liars, and vulgarians.

Well I'm certainly tired of all this winning, how about the rest of you?

Nine huge US companies pledge to go 100% renewable energy.

Courtesy of Reneweconomy: 

Fortune 500-listed companies Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, NIKE, Inc, Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, Steelcase, Voya Financial, and Walmart have pledged to source 100 per cent of their electricity from renewable energy. 

The pledges are part of the “RE100” global campaign by non-profit groups, The Climate Group and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which encourages companies to commit to 100 per cent renewable energy. 

CEO of The Climate Group, Mark Kenber, said: “Research shows that the most ambitious companies have seen a 27 per cent return on their low carbon investments – no wonder new names keep joining RE100. 

“Lowering risk, protecting against price rises, saving millions and boosting brand is what shaping a low carbon economy is all about,” Kenber said. 

“Today these companies are signalling loud and clear to COP21 negotiators that forward-thinking businesses back renewables and want to see a strong climate deal in Paris.” 

The private sector is key to reducing global carbon emissions as it accounts for more than half of the world’s electricity consumption.

Some of the companies have target dates as far out as 2050, but others are shooting for faster turnarounds at around 2020 or even 2015.

A company called Steelcase reached their goal last year.

All in all it indicates that if a corporation really wants to commit to becoming 100% fossil fuel free, they can do it.

And that is good news for the future of this planet. And you know, those of us living on it.

Elizabeth Warren's 11 Commandments for Progressives. Oh yeah!

Courtesy of Vox:

1.  "We believe that Wall Street needs stronger rules and tougher enforcement, and we're willing to fight for it." 
2. "We believe in science, and that means that we have a responsibility to protect this Earth." 
3. "We believe that the Internet shouldn't be rigged to benefit big corporations, and that means real net neutrality." 
4. "We believe that no one should work full-time and still live in poverty, and that means raising the minimum wage." 
5. "We believe that fast-food workers deserve a livable wage, and that means that when they take to the picket line, we are proud to fight alongside them." 
6. "We believe that students are entitled to get an education without being crushed by debt." 
7. "We believe that after a lifetime of work, people are entitled to retire with dignity, and that means protecting Social Security, Medicare, and pensions." 
8. "We believe—I can't believe I have to say this in 2014—we believe in equal pay for equal work." 
9. "We believe that equal means equal, and that's true in marriage, it's true in the workplace, it's true in all of America." 
10. "We believe that immigration has made this country strong and vibrant, and that means reform." 
11. "And we believe that corporations are not people, that women have a right to their bodies. We will overturn Hobby Lobby and we will fight for it. We will fight for it!"

You know after reading that I want Warren to be Hillary's running mate in 2016 do badly I can taste it.

Damn that's good stuff!

The obvious response to the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision.

You know if they could, they would.

A Brief History of Corporate Whining.

Believing that businesses are self regulating is like believing that criminals are self incarcerating.

Mitt Romney's economic plan: Good for America? Just ask Massachusetts.

This of course is a political ad, but it is also quite reflective of Romney's disdain for the public sector work force. And just WHO are these public sector workers?

See for yourself.

Educators, firemen, policemen, health workers, THOSE are the service providers whose contribution to our country Mitt Romney finds less reason to support than the contributions of corporations, who just so happen to be his biggest campaign contributors.

I guess in Romney's world contributions to political campaigns are worth more than contributions to the average American's education, safety, or health. 

"Corporations are people my friend." Oh, that's right. I forgot.

I have a question, how did we go from idolizing firemen, police officers, and emergency workers after 9-11, to suddenly vilifying them as a drain on our economy in just three and a half years? Are they not STILL providing those essential services?

I have to say that if the Republican's are seriously planning to adopt the Wisconsin model for controlling spending than I truly fear for our future.

Did you have a good weekend? Thank a liberal union member.

Lately there has been an unprecedented uptick in union bashing from the Republican side of the aisle. The most egregious is what we just watched unfold in Wisconsin, where the Democrats and their union partners were outspent 7-1.

This is constant barrage of negativism toward the unions is having a real effect, and American support for them has been waning.

 Perhaps it is time to remind ourselves of just how much good unions have done for this country. You know besides the eight hour days and five day work weeks mentioned above.

Chris Matthews slams corporations for sitting on their money to make the President look bad.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

As I have mentioned in the past I don't always watch Hardball, and often disagree with Matthews on a whole slew of issues, but watching him confront former Bush official Tony Fratto, and call out big business for helping to sabotage the economy to benefit the GOP was quite satisfying because I think most of us KNOW that's what's going on here.

The action starts around the 3:40 mark.

Dirty tricks abound in Wisconsin recall election. Shocking, I know. Update: Walker survives recall!

Courtesy of Salon:  

With both sides counting on dramatic turnout, Tom Barrett’s campaign is charging Scott Walker supporters with dirty tricks. In an e-mail sent to supporters last night, Barrett for Wisconsin Finance Director Mary Urbina-McCarthy wrote, “Reports coming into our call center have confirmed that Walker’s allies just launched a massive wave of voter suppression calls to recall petition signers.” According to Urbina-McCarthy, the message of the calls was: “If you signed the recall petition, your job is done and you don’t need to vote on Tuesday.” 

Last night I talked to a Wisconsin voter who says she received just such a robo-call. Carol Gibbons told me she picked up the phone and heard a male voice saying “thank you for taking this call,” and that “if you signed the recall petition, you did not have to vote because that would be your vote.” After hearing the vote-suppressing message, said Gibbons, “I wanted to take the phone and throw it in the middle of the road.” Gibbons is a retired public employee and a staunch Walker opponent. If he wins the recall, she warned, “He’s going to roll over us like pieces of dirt. He’s going to say, ‘They voted for me twice – I can do whatever I want.’”

As usual the Republicans cannot win an honest election and so they find themselves desperately resorting to the dirtiest tricks imaginable in order to hold onto power.

This has been described as possibly the second most important election of 2012, second only to President Obama's reelection, and I tend to agree.

Let's send all of our good wishes to Wisconsin today and hope for a tremendous Democratic voter turnout because it is time to send a message to the Koch brothers and their fellow corporate pals that democracy in America is NOT for sale to the highest bidder and that the people still matter and are, at least today, STILL in charge of their country.

P.S. You can all treat this as an open thread and to provide updates as they come in throughout the day, though yes I am well aware that we may NOT know the ultimate victor until later this week.

Update: Both MSNBC and Fox News are calling the election for Walker.

I am right now watching Palin on Greta's show taking her victory lap, and It is making me nauseous.

So now we know just how dramatically the Citizen's United decision will affect our democracy going forward, and it should send a shiver up the spine of EVERY American voter. If there is no legislation introduced that changes the disparity that now exists between the corporate masters financing the GOP and the everyday people sending their hard earned money to finance the Democrats, our democracy ends.

Right now I am not sure how much we can do, or how fast we can do it, but I guess here is as good of a place to start as any.

Ever wonder WHY Mitt Romney has long had the support of Right Wing radio? Follow the money.

Courtesy of (I can't believe I am citing these people) Infowars:

Well, it turns out that Bain Capital is one of the primary owners of Clear Channel. Yes, you read that correctly. The company that Mitt Romney ran for so long is one of the “big bosses” over virtually all conservative talk radio in America. 

Of course Mitt Romney is not running Bain Capital anymore. He is a “retired partner”, but he still has a huge financial stake in Bain Capital. We’re talking about millions upon millions of dollars. If you doubt this, just check out page 34 of this public financial disclosure report. So if you have been wondering why so many conservative talk show hosts are being so incredibly kind to Mitt Romney, this just might be the answer.

Okay just so you all know, Infowars is a website run by Alex Jones who is a conspiracy focused nutjob, and a huge Ron Paul supporter. So of coure you have to take most of what he says with a huge grain of salt.

However I did some checking and this time he has his facts in order. Clear Channel was indeed taken private by Bain Capital and their partners, and that fact was even admitted to on the air by Rush Limbaugh.

Now the Right Wing talking heads that work for Clear Channel will deny that this has ANYTHING to do with their gentle coverage of Mitt Romney and their rather aggressive defense of Bain Capital.  However as we all know, the first thing that good radical conservative radio talk show hosts learn is to NEVER piss off their corporate masters.

Besides, in the immortal words of Mitt Romney, "Corporations are people my friend."

OWS: One More Step.

November 17, 2011 saw record numbers of people taking to the streets in New York City and cities all over the U.S. and the world, in support of the Occupy Wall Street Movement on it's two month anniversary. A particularly moving moment was a live projection mic check on the Verizon bldg as thousands crossed the Brooklyn Bridge from downtown Manhattan. Another world is possible.

I thought this was a very beautiful video, and compelling message, from the Occupy protesters.

Their message is definitely beginning to resonate even with politicians as evidence by an amendment introduced by Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL).

Courtesy of Think Progress:

Deutch’s amendment, called the Outlawing Corporate Cash Undermining the Public Interest in our Elections and Democracy (OCCUPIED) Amendment, would overturn the Citizens United decision, re-establishing the right of Congress and the states to regulate campaign finance laws, and to effectively outlaw the ability of for-profit corporations to contribute to campaign spending. 

“No matter how long protesters camp out across America, big banks will continue to pour money into shadow groups promoting candidates more likely to slash Medicaid for poor children than help families facing foreclosure,” said Deutch in a statement provided to ThinkProgress. “No matter how strongly Ohio families fight for basic fairness for workers, the Koch Brothers will continue to pour millions into campaigns aimed at protecting the wealthiest 1%. No matter how fed up seniors in South Florida are with an agenda that puts oil subsidies ahead of Social Security and Medicare, corporations will continue to fund massive publicity campaigns and malicious attack ads against the public interest. Americans of all stripes agree that for far too long, corporations have occupied Washington and drowned out the voices of the people. I introduced the OCCUPIED Amendment because the days of corporate control of our democracy. It is time to return the nation’s capital and our democracy to the people.”

 I can't say  I have a great deal of hope in this amendment passing, but just having it introduced is in itself "one more step." And ultimately it will be these single steps forward which might finally give this country back to, those from whom it was stolen, the people.

Time to gird your loins my friends, the looming political battle will certainly prove to be the fiercest one yet!

Courtesy of The New York Times:

For the first time, this campaign will be dominated by political action committees that exist solely to promote specific candidates. While a candidate’s campaign is limited to $2,500 per election from each donor, the PACs can collect unlimited amounts, and they plan to. Mr. Perry’s super PAC, “Make Us Great Again,” plans to collect $55 million. Mitt Romney’s, “Restore Our Future,” already has $12.3 million. President Obama’s group of PACs, “Priorities USA,” hopes to raise more than $100 million. (Many of the PACs also have affiliates designed to collect secret contributions.) 

Since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision nearly two years ago, the campaign finance system has become polluted with ideological groups collecting unlimited donations from corporations, unions and wealthy individuals. Up to now, most of those groups have run attack ads or supported groups of party candidates, a major factor in the 2010 midterms. A PAC created solely for a single candidate had been seen as violating the federal law requiring that the PAC be independent from the candidate’s campaign. 

This year, thanks to inaction by the Federal Election Commission, even that legal nicety has been thrown out.

I am often asked why I choose to act as cheerleader for this President, and refuse to criticize even those policy decisions which run completely against my personal philosophies. And the reason is simple.

Because I have already chosen the side on which I plan to do battle.

When I look at the array of incompetent idiots, partisan terrorists, and evil corporate whores that make up the current crop of Republican Presidential hopefuls, there is not one ounce of doubt as to where my allegiances lie. However  I also know where the majority of the corporate money will be spent, and it WON'T be on Barack Obama.

In my estimation this political season could possibly be the nastiest, most underhanded partisan battle this country has seen in decades, and I believe that smaller news sites, and blogs like mine, will be on the front line in making sure that real information about the accomplishments of this administration, and the hope for the future, is disseminated to the public at large.

Do I agree with every decision this President has made? Not hardly.

Is there anybody out there that I think could do a better job? Absolutely not.

If you disagree with me, just take a moment to imagine Rick Perry as the next President. Or Newt Gingrich.  Or Mitt "What should my position be today?" Romney.  Or, heaven help us, Michele "Batshit crazy" Bachmann.

This is not just a matter of keeping the White House in the hands of the Democrats, this is about keeping it OUT of the hands of some of the craziest, most unhinged people in the country.

So yes, I am going to promote this President like my life, and the life of my child, depended on it.

Because you know, it just might.

Seems fair.

Al Gore calls "bullshit," quite literally, on climate change deniers.

(Adult language. Might not be safe for work, or to played around young children.)


Here is the link to Aspen Journalism who first reported on Gore's remarks:

"Former Vice President Al Gore spoke Thursday at a communications and society seminar at the Aspen Institute (FOCAS). 

He primarily addressed the subject of how citizens can exercise their democratic duties in the networked world, although he also gave a long overview of media and communications history. 

Gore spoke off-the-cuff for about an hour and then took questions from the seminar attendees. During the discussion, Gore addressed the issue of what happens when citizens are fed information that is meant to derail rational debate on complex issues."

Personally I do not blame Gore for expressing frustration at how the corporations have spent millions of dollars working to discredit him, and convincing the low hanging fruit that the evidence that they read about, or see out of their windows, every day is not reality.

It  is at times like this that I have to fight the urge to fantasize about how much different our country, and the world, would be if George Bush, the Supreme Court, and Fox News had not colluded to steal the 2000 election. Nothing to be gained by that kind of thinking, except to reignite that barely forgotten ember of anger that burned in the pit of my stomach and caused me so many sleepless nights lo those many years ago.

(H/T to Progressive Alaska.)

Senator Bernie Sanders exposes the Koch brothers.

This might be the most important video you watch today.

If you are as angered as I am by what these corporate assholes are doing to our country, and the lies they are telling Americans about Social Security, please help to spread this video spread as far and wide as possible.