Now, I’ve stated before that I don’t like to pat myself on the back (OK, occasionally I do :o) but tonight I have to point out that I listened to two national TV “news” shows (are there really any “real” news shows anymore?) and read on op-ed in the NY Times arguing in favor of Harry Reid finally getting some backbone and forcing Republicans to actually filibuster as they obstruct the will of the voters in the US Senate. All I can say is IT’S ABOUT TIME! About a year ago I took the daring (for me) step of calling into the local “progressive” talk show as I was driving to work to suggest the same thing as the Democrats were allowing Republicans to manipulate every piece of legislation in the last two years of GW Bush – including the illegal war in Iraq which the voters expected to be concluded prior to the election of 2008 (and I’ll have a lot more to say for those of you who have actually bought the lie that the “surge” worked in the future). I was summarily “dismissed” as being unrealistic by Carl Wolfson and Thom Hartman who I have since heard espousing the same line. At the time they suggested that I was “very unrealistic.” And since then we have watched Democrats cave in one time after another, the last cave in being three Republicans holding the entire “stimulus” package hostage until they could gut it to the tune of, by most estimates, about 1 million potential jobs lost for an increas in tax cuts.

I think what is happening is that as the stock market gets closer to what I have predicted might be the bottom (5000 – one of my fellow workers today even said she has heard 4000) more and more Americans are getting tired of the political process preventing a “purer” attempt at stopping the slide. People are starting to realize that this really may be the “big one” and they’re taking more notice. And more and more people are going to realize that this is a political “war.” The Republicans, who by all accounts but their own have led us into this abiss are – at least the die hards – sticking to their guns. They continue to clamor for more tax cuts for the wealthy as the way out of the crisis. And some of them are really going into “panic mode.” Also tonight I watched on two different programs analysis of the Rush Limbaugh effect on the Republican party and what appeared to me a futile and ill informed attempt to understand it. The discussion centered on Rush’s claim that he hopes “Obama will fail” and an attempt to understand what that means and why he would be making such a stand in this time of crisis. One thing people involved in the discussion fully appeared to understand is what the consequences of Obama “failing” would be.

Without getting into that I would like to explain as briefly as I can why Limbaugh (and his troop of followers) want Obama to fail. The caveat here is that – based on my knowledge of several of his followers – many of Limbaugh’s “ditto heads” haven’t got a clue what they’re rooting for. They listen to him and take his word as the “gospel.” Even friends of mine who are Christians and should know better buy Limbaugh’s shpeel – “hook, line, and sinker.” And I will also add that I have put Limbaugh into the “traitor” category long ago – I’ll give the guy credit for being able to amass a large audience (although I believe it’s shrinking) and a huge fortune. But he is the epitome of the Americans who put self before country and I truly hope this ensuing debate which will take place over the next year or so puts Limbaugh and his followers (there is now a slew of right wing “talkers” who are trying to emulate him) into their proper place in this society. Limbaugh has proven himself to be a racist and sexist over and over again and he is driven by the very greed that has threatened to bring this nation to its knees.

The sad thing here is that we truly need vocal “compassionate conservatives” to be the counteracting force in the debate that re-directs this nation for the next century. Anyone who thinks that the Democrats have a monopoly on the ideas which will get us out of this mess, in my opinion, are just as wrong as those who thought the Republicans should have a “permanent majority” to run our government. The idea of checks and balances between the three branches of government was brilliant – devised by our founding fathers – and it is important that every American understand the significance of this because we are all in the minority at one time or other in our lives. Getting back to Limbaugh’s motives as to why he wants “Obama to fail.” I’ll give him one thing, at least for once in his life he is being honest. I really can no longer stand to listen to the guy for more than a few moments – he is one of the most phenomenal liars ever – in fact a couple weeks ago I attempted to listen to him again and lasted for less than a minute before I had to change the channel because whatever he was saying at the time was so venomous. But, Limbaugh really sincerely does hope that Obama fails.

Limbaugh and the other hard core right wingers who have orchestrated the mess we’re in FULLY UNDERSTAND that if Barrack Obama succeeds they will be “gone” for maybe generations to come. George W Bush is already being compared to Herbert Hoover on many fronts and I believe that the fallout from his government could exceed Hoover’s if Obama does fail (which as I’ve stated before I believe is more of a possibility as long as Obama keeps catering to the “right” and allowing them to water down badly needed legislation). What Limbaugh is doing is trying to create a propoganda campaign to put the blame for the next “Great Depression” on Obama. Personally, I will do everything within my power to prevent that from happening (if by some miracle you happen accross this site and agree at all with me – email the address to some of your friends – I’ve actually had up to 50 visitors on one day – and the only way that will increase is by word of mouth because if you haven’t figured out yet – I’m not really a blogger – just someone who feels better after writing about this mess we call politics in America). Anyone with half a brain has probably put two plus two together realizing that the “Republican revolution” of the past 30 years has finally caught up with, not only America, but the entire world. THIS IS BIG!!!

Limbaugh, The Bushes, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wofowitz, Delay, Reagan, Nixon, Armey, McConnell, and I could go on and on (these are the Republican names that come off the top of my head at the moment) – have been “railing” against the “New Deal” of FDR for as long as I can remember. They hate the unions that built this country into the greatest nation in the world, they hate the idea of what they call the “redistribution of wealth” where the people with the highest incomes pay the highest percentage of taxes, they despise the idea of the “many” helping the “few” who, for whatever reason, find themselves destitute (“it’s their own damned fault”), and most of all they hate government – Remember Reagan’s famous quote about the nine (or so) worst words in the English language – “I’m from the government and I’m here to help” – something along those lines. A better way to put their philosophy is “I’ve got mine – screw you!”

Well, make no mistake, as bad as this recession/depression gets it’s probably not going to do much damage to Rush Limbaugh’s financial standing. In fact, I imagine it will open huge doors for him and his buddies to make eye-popping profits as more and more people begin fire sales of their assets just to keep afloat. They fully understand that it will end at some point – for them I’m sure they’re hoping it is later rather than sooner. The farther things go down the better it is for them on two fronts – which is why Limbaugh is beginning already with the “push” to blame Obama for the economy’s failure. As things get more dire Limbaugh will make more money – that is front number one – and he fully understands that if the Republicans are going to see the White House or control of Congress in the next 40 to 50 years Obama had better fail. I guarantee you that Limbaugh and the people who think like him will be voting no on everything Obama proposes – and the Republican politicians in Washington seemed terrified of getting on Rush’s “bad side” – the guy even admitted recently that he has way too much power and influence in the Republican party as it is presently constituted (the party has no leader at present). What he’s failing to see, in my view, is that the “root” of the problem is that his philosophy is “bankrupt” and more and more Americans are realizing this.

So everyone involved in this debate need to take a deep breath and then start calling Rush’s position – and that of his Republican faithful – what it is – a push for the continuation of a fleecing of the American middle class by the 1% at the top of the economic spectrum. IT IS PURE GREED. I mean Rush supposedly is the 400 million dollar man – I presume that is what his ridiculous salary is. God forbid that he has to pay another 3% in taxes – I believe that what really rankles him is knowing that some of that money will go to help the “unfortunates” that he despises – because in his mind they can’t help themselves. And I have to admit that I don’t understand what happens to a person to get them on the corner holding a sign asking for help, but I do have to say that I’ve finally come to the point where I “get” that I don’t need to understand – I just need to be thankful that I’m not there doing the same thing – and when I have something to give them – give it to them without worry of what they might do with it.

Obama’s success, rightfully or wrongly, will be compared to that of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 30’s and 40’s. Many people are correctly pointing out that World War II is actually what brought us out of the Great Depression. They are saying that the “New Deal” wasn’t agressive enough in creating jobs. The last time in our history when the deficit spending of the government exceeded today was during the “War to end all wars.” There’s an old truism, “Those who ignore history are destined to repeat it.” Let’s not make the same mistake. Barrack Obama’s stimulus package was very likely too small, not too big. His budget which was announced last week is ambitious and progressive – the question is at this point whether the Democrats in Congress are going to stand tall and “quash” the Republican obstructors – HARRY REID, FORCE THEM TO FILIBUSTER UNTIL THEY CAN’T TALK ANYMORE – then pass the legislation as Obama wants it. Then and only then will we be able to congratulate him or blame him based on the results. The Limbaughs of this world, of course, want it both ways. They want to “water down” the legislation because they absolutely don’t want another “New Deal” to succeed (they care more about regaining power than restoring this nation to its former place as the leader of the free world) – hoping they can cause Obama to “fail” – and they want to be able to blame Obama for the plague they have put on this nation should his “recovery” program not succeed. Rush Limbaugh was honest in saying he wishes for President Obama to fail, Let’s be honest in examining Limbaugh’s motives!