I’m going to try to get tonight’s thoughts out without too much patting myself on the back – well, on further consideration, that’s not possible. I’m going to do some “patting.” I’ve been listening to this health care “debate” to the point it’s making me sick to my stomach. I’d just like to push the calendar ahead a few months, get whatever they’re going to come up with over, and move on. The problem is that this whole debate reminds me of the phrase, “be careful what you wish for.” The President let it be known that this was the “signature” legislation of his first term in office and wanted it passed by the August recess for Congress (we’re seeing the result of that not happening as I write). At the same time, he keeps on with this attempt at “bi-partisanship,” whatever that means in today’s America. It is becoming evident that what I’ve been saying (OK, I’m not the only one) is true. There will be no meaningful “bi-partisan” health care legislation. In fact, if the Republicans get their say in the bill, President Obama is going to lose a bunch of support from his “base” because what they want and what the Republicans want are NOT COMPATIBLE!

All along, since the first days of Obama’s Presidency, I’ve been asking “why would you want Republican input on any important legislation?” Didn’t the years 2001 through 2009 tell you anything? They want tax cuts – especially for the wealthiest Americans, they want no regulations on business (despite the FACT that deregulation of the financial industry came close to (and still could) destroy our economy), they hate “government” and are – and have been – trying to destroy it, and they have proven over and over again the saying – “If their lips are moving, THEY ARE LYING!” Why would anyone civil want to “negotiate” with someone who has that bent? I certainly don’t get it. I understand that President Obama wants to be the Democratic re-creation of Ronald Reagan as the “Great Communicator.” Honestly, I get that. However, let me remind anyone who might happen upon this site that there’s not been one Republican in my lifetime who was eager to be bi-partisan – including Reagan. Let’s just look at the last 8 years. Yes, the Democrats showed an alarming tendency to go along with Bush administration proposals, but it wasn’t on a true bi-partisan basis, it was at the threat of “agree with this or we’ll attack you as obstructionists.” What did that get us? Well, for one thing – as we now listen to Republicans complaining about the deficit – Bush took a 250 Billion dollar surplus and turned it into a 500 billion dollar/year deficit (which he managed to balloon to well over a trillion before leaving office) with a single stroke of his pen when he signed the so-called “Bush taxcuts” into law in his first year in office. Actually, some of the Democrats actually went along with him on that one – but, I don’t think he asked for their feedback (they’re just spineless).

We all know how he crammed the Iraq occupation down our throats – which wasn’t really “bi-partisan” because Bush/Cheney et al had no conscience in their lies and, again, with a bunch of spineless Democrats got a bill with some Democratic signatures on it, but you couldn’t call it “bi-partisan” unless you were a fool (or maybe better, because so many Democrats were fools). This happened over and over. The Patriot act started the assault on our civil liberties – again with a bunch of spineless Democrats who don’t have the nerve to stand up to these Republicans because they realize that the so-called “liberal media” is controlled by Conservatives – like GE, Rupert Murdoch, and the like. They all care more about their own re-election than what is in the best interests of this nation. There was the Military Commissions Act where, along with the spineless Democrats who were really “tag alongs” and not bi-partisan participants in the bill, the Bush administration attempted to (only to be stopped by the Courts) revoke the right of Habeas Corpus, a fundamental human right since the days of Jesus Christ. And, the warrantless wiretapping, do you think they gave a hoot what Democrats thought. Unfortunately, the Democrats did participate in the FISA legislation which enabled Verizon and ATT&T immunity from participating in the illegal wiretapping of American citizens – which, I firmly believe, continues to this day. The first red flag for me regarding President Obama, was when he voted for the FISA bill while still a Senator. Thinking back, I should have pulled all support for him the day he chose to do that. (I did write a letter to him, and got a “hollow” promise back that he intended to “fix” that bill once in office – obviously a lie)

So, now we have a President who is a “master communicator” out on the “stump” pushing for his health care bill. Believe me, that’s the perfect scenario for all the Republicans he’s trying to “work with.” Even if they somehow come up with some miracle package on this that actually benefits consumers the politics involved are so disgusting that the “aftertaste” of the whole thing is going to be sickening to many Americans. Let me give you a good example of why this all is so ugly. The other day you had President Obama doing a Town Hall somewhere in New Hampshire, trying to give the people a positive view of what is being proposed. Sticking to his “bi-partisan” theme he chose to single out Chuck Grassley, the senior senator from Iowa as a Republican deserving of praise. Now, before I get to how Grassley showed his appreciation for that, let me point out that Grassley’s on the Senate Finance committee chaired by Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, and between the two of them they’ve cashed enough campaign donation checks from the health care industry to start their own insurance company. I guarantee you, when either of those two are thrown out of office (and, as far as I’m concerned, THE SOONER THE BETTER) they will immediately accept multi-million dollar lobbyist jobs for the health care industry in Washington DC. OK, Obama’s just said what a great guy Grassley is and out comes the knife – you know, the one low-lifes stick in the backs of people who are unsuspecting and/or naive.

I suppose Obama will rationalize this as “Grassley’s just playing to his base” – which, if he does, just confirms how ugly and dirty politics is in this country – and that maybe the Republicans are correct when they suggest Obama is weak. The next day after Obama’s praise I heard Grassley speaking to a town hall in Iowa confirm to the audience that they have every reason to fear this healthcare proposal because it does contain a provision which will kill elderly people (I’m paraphrasing – he confirmed the “death squad” fear tactics of the right wing). Of course, that provision WHICH HE WAS LYING ABOUT, was in the bill his committee was considering – so the next day he claims he’s gotten the provision REMOVED from the bill! OK, so Grassley is trying to portray himself dishonestly as some kind of hero to the right wing fringe (I mean, how could HE get the provision removed? – how could he get anything removed? – he’s one of a small minority in the Senate – theoretically, his vote counts for NOTHING!). But, it gets worse. The second day after Obama complimented Grassley, Grassley is on tape as bragging that he was responsible for stalling the legislation so that it didn’t pass before the August recess (which may or may not be true) so that the “grass roots” (you know, the paid disrupters from Freedom Works – Dick Armey – and the other right wing mouthpieces for the health insurance industry) could disrupt all these town hall meetings. PRESIDENT OBAMA, WITH FRIENDS LIKE GRASSLEY, YOU DON’T NEED ANY ENEMIES!

So, here’s the deal – and the reason I’m patting myself on the back. I (along with millions of other Americans) voted for President Obama because I was certain we would get something different from what the Republicans have been jamming down our throats for the past 30 years. I recognized from day one that the Republicans weren’t going to support a thing the President did. It was my understanding that the Democrats “got” that was why everyone was trying so hard to get them a 60 vote caucus in the US Senate. With a 60 vote caucus WE DON’T NEED A SINGLE REPUBLICAN VOTE! Therefore, the question becomes, WHY THE HELL ARE WE TRYING TO GET REPUBLICAN VOTES? Bi-partisanship would be great if there was some kind of civil discourse out there. But these people ruined our economy, have come close to ruining our millitary, they’ve trampled on our constitutional rights, they’ve turned us into a nation of torturers (and we will be until the day that justice prevails over political expediency), and THEY LIE ABOUT EVERYTHING! When is it going to sink in with the Democrats? DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND SCREW THE REPUBLICANS! You watered down the stimulus bill for three unneeded votes. And, now you’re going to pass something that nobody likes in an attempt to be bi-partisan. DEMOCRATS, YOU’RE FALLING INTO THE TRAP THAT THE REPUBLICANS SET FOR YOU!

The sad truth is that the Republicans fully understand that their lack of conscience is a huge advantage over the Democrats. The rest of us out in the “heartland” and beyond are depending on the Democrats to “grow a pair!” President Obama, you are the leader, MAKE THE BREAK! Let everyone know that you’ve tried to get them “on board” but they just want to stand in the way of everything, so we’re (I guess that means you and the Democrats in Congress – but, at some point, you might consider those who voted for you) going on without them. YOU DON’T NEED THEM. Even if you can’t get all 60 in the Democratic Caucus to vote to end debate on the health care bill, PASS IT USING RECONCILIATION! That’s how Bush got through the obscene tax cuts which started the free fall of our economy and that’s how Clinton, before him, passed the economic package which led to the surplus that Bush bludgeoned. The Republicans are going to complain, they’re going to call you a socialist – and worse, they’re going to accuse you of ruining our system, NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO! Remember, a large percentage of the people complaining at these town hall meetings are there because you are Black – for no other reason! You won’t be able to get their support under any circumstances. SO, LET’S QUIT TALKING TO THEM AND GET THIS THING OVER WITH – and end up with a bill that is actually going to work for the American people.

I’ve said before that I believe it was a mistake to put so much “on the table” with this legislation. That gives the Republicans the opportunity they were looking for – which is to defeat President Obama. THIS IS NOT ABOUT HEALTH CARE – most of the people complaining at the town halls are conservative, elderly WHITE PEOPLE. Come on now, I don’t think our school system is so bad that people can’t add two plus two – these people are mostly happy with their government run healthcare – Medicare – they just can’t handle the idea of Obama as President. Can you imagine what would be said in our “liberal news media” if the shoe was on the other foot? The Democrats didn’t have the nerve to challenge Bush on any of the legislation which slowly brought this nation to it’s knees – but what if a bunch of Blacks would have been storming around the country shouting down Republicans everytime they were trying to have a dialogue? Can you imagine the result? Do you honestly think we’d be talking about “free speech” rights? I still remember a little old lady being arrested in front of a venue where President Bush was speaking because of the shirt she was wearing. Do you really think a group of Blacks complaining about his policies at a town hall meeting would have been tolerated? I’ll say this again, what should have happened from day one of the Obama administration is the actual “cleaning up” of the mess left behind by Bush and company (if you don’t undersand this – listen closely – well, read closely – the people causing all this angst are the remnants of Bush/Cheney and they feel empowered because no one’s doing anything about their tactics – both, Bush/Cheney’s during their administration, and those constantly disrupting afterward – and, TRUST ME, the place to start to “fix” this problem, is AT THE TOP). That wouldn’t include “looking forward” and it wouldn’t include putting the Presidency on the line with such poor foresight. I realize that no one is going to listen to me, but if Bush and Cheney were facing charges for being War Criminals right now, we could be having debates about health care that were centered on what’s best for the people of this great nation (the Republicans would be busy complaining about how waterboarding isn’t really tortrue – no matter what the Geneva Conventions say). By “looking forward” Barack Obama has empowered the constant lying by Republicans to go on unabated! It’s not too late to fix that, but what I’m seeing is a Democratic party that’s not quite ready for prime time, and a President who is trying too hard to be a unifier! If Obama fails, we could end up with another Bush in the White House – and, for me, if that happens, it won’t be a proud day for America!