Even with meticulous planning, it’s hard to believe a political party could self destruct this beautifully.

Barack Obama and Bill Clinton — Have they given Americans the good government they deserve?

The geniuses in the White House and the so-called economists are calling it “Structural Unemployment”. That’s their moniker for the record number of people (6.55 Million ) who have been unemployed for twenty-seven weeks or longer as of July, 2010,according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. And that number doesn’t even include the number of people (8.5 Million) who have been forced to work part-time because their hours were cut or they can’t find full-time employment.

I get asked repeatedly by clients and friends, “Pooper, when is the recovery going to happen?”

To which I answer, “Are you referring to the recession, or the actual beginning of the collapse of our economy?” I typically get blank stares.

Allow me to expound. What you are seeing in America today is not a recovery from anything; not from the “recession” (called so because we have to have a label for everything), not from jobs lost, not from jobs outsourced overseas…there has been no recovery and will be no recovery until we undo what Conservatives (and in some cases, Democrats) did to ruin the economy.

Tucked down deep in the language of the bill, the true globalist neo-NAFTA nature of this program can be found. Hidden in the fine print and the deliberately vague maps they used for their presentations is a very clear pattern of port to port transportation of goods and materials all designed to make us more “competitive” on the global market.

As the Congress limps toward the finish line on health-care reform, it would be wise of Democrats to consider the last three significant pieces of legislation signed into law by a Democratic president and their effects. The current Senate version of HCR is significantly flawed and unless the bill is improved Democrats will face enormous electoral challenges in the near future.

Very few of us made any attempt to really reach out and embrace these teabaggers on the issues that we share with them. Many of their concerns about the bailout, NAFTA-style trade deals and the general loss of trust in government are core progressive issues. We could lock arms with the teabaggers and form a powerful alliance, but, instead, we attack our potential allies because we do not take the time to engage them.

The Conventional Wisdom holds that the Democratic loss of Congress in 1994 was caused by pushing too far leftward: Raising taxes, trying to reform health care, yadda yadda yadda. This take on 1994 is being pushed very hard right now, particularly by those looking to kill meaningful health care reform and replace it with Co-Ops and Triggers.

This ignores a few key details, such as the role of NAFTA and other betrayals in demoralizing the Democratic base. And guess what? Rahm Emanuel — one of the people pushing the “we were too left in 1994″ theme — was the guy who gave us NAFTA.

Celebrated stories of early American pioneers, explorers, and immigrants typically center around men of fortitude and bravery. Depictions of modern-day migrants are still very male-centric, and this cultural lens is a default in most cases. But women play a central and overlooked role in today’s immigration story. Even when not directly highlighted, women often bear the weight of keeping families together and helping them grow stronger.

This week the pulse does a post mortem on swine flu. Was it all hype? Or a cheap lesson about the value of public health and emergency preparedness.