Today I was talking to the new Principal of my school and she gave me the proper word for my Blog entries (I was trying to use words like personal diary entries to vent my frustrations) – she called them rants. And, upon further reflection, I believe she got it right on. I continually watch what is going on in American politics (I’ve been doing this since JFK was President) and it never ceases to amaze me what “We the People” allow our elected Representatives to get away with. And, it’s gotten to the point where I believe there really isn’t any “news” reporting out there (with the possible exception of PBS – but they’re not really out there reporting the down and dirty news stories). Take for example the present day situation where a bunch of people are swooping in on “Town Hall” meetings with the publicly stated position of “disrupting” those meetings in order to prevent ANY health care legislation from being passed. These people are being paid by the health care industry which is spending a reported 1.4 MILLION DOLLARS PER DAY – that’s right- PER DAY – to stop the health care legislation which they feel will cut into their profits (I hope they’re right – if they’re making enough to spend hundreds of millions in just three months to defeat reform – they’re MAKING TOO MUCH). Everyone (in the media) knows who’s bankrolling these smucks, but no one wants to call the culprits to task.

Have they no shame? Well, the answer to that is that this is the same type of strategy Republicans used when Tom DeLay and a bunch of his “minions” swooped in on the Florida Recount in an attempt to insure that GW Bush stole the 2000 election (obviously, they were successful). Here’s the part that probably bothers me more than the tactics of these Republicans. It’s the response of the Democrats. In 2000 the Democrats pretty much gave the fight to DeLay and the Republicans and allowed their buddies on the Supreme Court to overturn the “Will of the People.” Can you see the difference in the “fortitude” of the American people and the Iranian people? What have we evolved to? I know that most of us are so comfortable that we’re going to be OK no matter what happens in the elections, or in the “debates” in Congress. I’m sitting here healing from a major surgery which was pretty much covered by the health insurance I can afford to pay for. How obscene are these Republicans going to have to get before the pushback amounts to what Newton called the “equal and opposite reaction?” I think most “Progressives” just sit there shaking their heads and wondering what rock did these weirdos come out from under?

The problem is that the people who are behind the “birther” movement, the “tea party” movement, and the anti-healthcare movement are all affiliated with groups that are White Supremist and/or militia minded people. If you’ve been paying any kind of attention to what news we’ve gotten lately a lot of the “story” on Eric Prince and Blackwater is coming out. If you don’t know who/what Blackwater is (they now call themselves XE – pronounced ZEE) they are a mercenary Army the United States hired to “protect” American diplomats in Iraq to the tune of multi-billion dollar no-bid contracts. Prince is a radical right wing Christian who is very much anti-muslim. He has state of the art training facilities in North Carolina and other places, he has an army, an airforce, a huge cache of weapons, and an intelligence force – and probably more. During the Clinton Presidency it was reported that Prince and some of the leading evangelists in the country were considering a coup de tat on our government. Prince comes from the same ilk as Chuck Norris (formerly “Walker Texas Ranger) – it was Norris who recently claimed that there are thousands of “cells” around the country ready for insurrection and he was part of the succession movement in Texas.

In summary, the people behind all this are more than a bunch of nut bags (although that fits as well) – they have the will and THE WHEREWITHALL to cause the rest of us a LOT OF PROBLEMS. It has been reported that Prince has had people who were willing to testify against him in investigations of the many abuses of Blackwater (Remember in 2007 they murdered 17 Iraqis without cause – and five of their members are under indictment for that atrocity) murdered. This guy has built his mercenary Army by hiring some of the “baddest” rebels from places like Chile, Columbia, and other places where he can find hired killers for cheap prices. His intelligence division includes people who were high up in the Bush administration along with members of our CIA who were among the elite there. I listened to one person talking on TV tonight and he was asked “do you think Prince will be prosecuted?” It was his answer that really got me. The guy said something like “Well, I think it would probably be something to be looked into.” I mean, that’s what things have come to in this country. I’m not sure why our elected leaders are so AFRAID to enforce our laws. These Republicans are operating under the premise that the Democrats might not like what they’re doing, BUT THEY’LL NEVER HOLD THEM LEGALLY ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS – so “Katy barr the door!”

I’ve been RANTING (I want to thank my new Principal for the right word) for months about the importance of holding our leaders accountable when they break the law. In fact, I’ve pointed out many times that they TAKE AN OATH to uphold the constitution and enforce the laws of the land. Barack Obama, during his campaign promised me (and every other American) that NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW in America. We are a nation of laws and not men. So, now, it seems to me, that we’re painting ourselves into a corner. We’re letting all these people who have no respect whatever for the constitution go free (let me give you an example – calling for toppling the government – ie Chuck Norris – is called sedition – you think I’m nuts, well, here’s the definition of sedition: To write, print, utter or publish, or cause it to be done, or assist in it, any false, scandalous, and malicious writing against the government of the United States, or either House of Congress, or the President, with intent to defame, or bring either into contempt or disrepute, or to excite against either the hatred of the people of the United States, or to stir up sedition, or to excite unlawful combinations against the government, or to resist it, or to aid or encourage hostile designs of foreign nations. – would calling for the toppling of our government fit? What about Glenn Beck calling the President of the United States a Racist? Or falsely claiming he’s not a citizen? Or calling him a terrorist or someone who “pals around with terrorists?”).

How over the edge do these Republicans have to get before our Democratic leaders fight back using the tools at their disposal – OUR CONSTITUTION? I’ve mentioned over and over on this site that to begin cleaning up the mess left behind by the years we all had to endure Republican rule all our President and his Attorney General have to do is fulfill their oath to the Constitution. Start with Bush and Cheney and follow the path where ever it might go in thorough investigations. I REALLY DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS SO COMPLICATED AND WHY THEY WON’T DO THIS! They are harboring torturers – for starters. Now you have Eric Prince (who’s still receiving millions from our government – even though the Iraqi’s banned him and his company from their country) who’s close associates in depositions have alleged he has had witnesses KILLED to thwart investigations of his many alleged illegal activities. Tonight, it was reported that Prince illegally smuggled weapons into Iraq and that some of them ended up in the hands of the insurgency which, at the time, was killing Americans. Additionally, they introduced illegal weapons into Iraq – ammuntion which exploded on contact with the victim, totally blowing them to bits! UGHHHHHH!!!! While, I’m hoping for the best with all the ambitious plans of President Obama, I’m definitely worried that any health care legislation which gets passed will be a boon to the insurance companies instead of putting them “out to pasture,” because we want it to be “bi-partisan.” And, what good will health care reform do any of us if our legal system continues to be the laughing stock of the right wing? I’m praying that President Obama and Eric Holder will have the guts to face up to this, but, in all honesty, IT DOESN’T LOOK GOOD.

The last post I made ended with a statement that I believe it’s possible for, essentially, a conservative to be human. However, in my continuing observation of “what’s going on” in the world of American politics, it’s not happening imminently. The present leaders of the Republican party just don’t know when to quit. And, you’ve still got the remnants of the failed “Contract for (on) America” spewing their rath on the system they’ve been trying to destroy for the past 30 years. Dick Armey, the former House of Representatives “whip” under Tom Delay – a guy who’s about as mean spirited as they come and definitely a corporatist – is the head of a group called (of all things) “Freedom’s Watch” – don’t you like how these guys are so good at playing on words? – For example, if it says “Freedom’s Watch” it really means “Freedom’s Enemy.” This is the group which is gathering up “dirty tricksters” (I’m using the Nixonian term because these are the tactics that emerged during the Nixon era and led to Watergate – which I’m sure Republicans are still bitter about – all they did “back in the day” was break into a few offices and tap a few phone lines, what’s wrong with that?), putting them on buses, and sending them around to the town hall meetings on health care being held by Congressmen/women and Senators with the stated goal of disrupting the meetings in an attempt to stop the health care debate.

This is the kind of crap that began with the Nixon Presidency, continued throughout the 80’s and 90’s although it was much more subtle (robo calls, etc.), and then peaked again under GW Bush with the “master” Karl Rove. Actually, Karl Rove was mentored by Lee Atwater who was the master at winning elections at all costs. The sad reality is that the remnants of the Republican party are of the same ilk. They are in the habit of resorting to dirty tricks to get what they want, and, unfortunately, most of them are no more than puppets of the corporations who lavish money on them unabashedly – everyone knows they’re beholden to the corporate heads but they just seem to keep “marching on.” For some reason the national media, with a few exceptions chooses to look the other way regarding the effect of corporate money on our politics (I believe, last night, Keith Olberman was going to publicly list the Democrats who are taking money from the health care lobby and then failing to support the “public option” which 72% of the American public wants – I wasn’t able to watch it). By paying these disrupters who Armey is thrusting onto the scene during this August recess, clearly shows the Republicans have no shame. I often wonder, do they even think about the conseqences of doing nothing, which is what they are hoping for? (I believe the failure of our economy and our environment would be worth it to them as long as President Obama “fails” in the words of Rush Limbaugh – isn’t that kind of like being a traitor?)

Obviously, as just surmised, their strategy is the defeat of Barack Obama. The last thing they want to see is for Obama to succeed. I suppose they’re getting a little nervous as the economic news starts to brighten. I honestly feel they want the economy to go deeper into the abiss than Bush left it in January and/or they would love to see America attacked again. Based on that philosophy you would think, if they really think this health care proposal is so bad, that they would let it pass so that the horrible results would give them leverage in future campaigns. The reality is that they fully understand that Americans are paying twice what every other industrialized nation is paying for health care and getting worse results – add to this that the uninsured plus underinsured count is approaching one third of the nation – which is obscene in today’s world. How do these guys sleep at night? Well, I guess we know where their interests lie when we look at the FACT that the health care industry is spending 1.4 MILLION DOLLARS PER DAY in an attempt to defeat the reform legislation. While on the one hand they claim that the government can’t do anything efficiently, they seem to be insisting that the “public option” would put the for profit insurance companies out of business. Now, that doesn’t make sense to me. If the government is so inefficient what is there to worry?

Maybe what they’re worrying about is that their profits won’t allow for the 1.4 Million dollars per day given to politicians. If you haven’t heard of “K street” in Washington, it’s a bunch of Republican (former) politicians who have become lobbyists. They actually take jobs lobbying for firms they did business with in Congress once they leave. Now, I know what you’re thinking – and you’re right – the Dems are guilty as well, just not as organized as the Republicans. I mean, the other day, I heard that Tom Daschle – who was Obama’s original choice for Health and Human Services Secretary (thereby leading this fight) is actually lobbying against the “public option.” Why would this so-called good “liberal” side with the Republicans? Well, for the same reason Max Baucus of Montana and others in the Senate. THEY’RE TAKING TRUCKLOADS OF MONEY FROM HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES, BIG PHARMA, ETC. This is so obvious that it’s OBSCENE! When is the last time in America when we’ve had a true bi-partisan proposal? And by bi-partisan I mean, when 72% of the public are in favor of something. This support has to transcend party lines.

The problem with this support is that it’s on “Main Street.” We’ve already, in the past year, seen glaring evidence that our political leaders are focused on Wall Street not Main Street. Somehow, those of us on “Main Street” have to come together and make sure that we fix this problem. There’s been a lot of cleansing back in Washington, but obviously the work is only partially done. I know that we are all going to hold President Obama accountable for what happens here – and rightfully so. I’ve stated many times on this site where I believe he has come up short – but it’s not in his proposals. (If you haven’t read any of my previous posts, I’m no fan of the “reaching across the isle” attempts by President Obama and his refusal to hold the previous administration accountable for obvious criminal activity was pretty much a deal breaker for me – I don’t ascribe to the theory that our leaders are “above the law.”) The people who need to be held accountable here, in my view, are any Democrats who cave into the health lobby and vote against the clear will of the people. I could care less what their excuses are – they need to be voted out of office. EVEN IF DEMOCRATS ARE REPLACED BY REPUBLICANS. We voted out the Republicans because they were not responsive to the will of the people, WHY SHOULD DEMOCRATS GET ANY DIFFERENT TREATMENT?

Now, to me, the significance of this health care debate is symbolic. That is, I believe the long term damage of letting George W Bush, Dick Cheney, John Woo, David Addington, Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales, Karl Rove, and the rest of the thugs in Bush’s administration “walk” will outlive any fallout from the health care debate. Eventually, we’ll get health care reform – and, hopefully, sooner rather than later, we’ll have the single payer system with not for profit hospitals that everyone knows is in the best interest of the people and the economy of this nation. Based on where they’re coming from and their known constituency you would expect a fight from the Republicans on this because they’ve been on the side of corporate profits over the interests of the average working class American since the days of Ronald Reagan – probably before – but Reagan made no bones about it and the Republican party has considered him their guru ever since (even though I still believe that ultimately, when all the history books are written, Reagan will be considered one of the worst Presidents ever). The fact that we had a President (GW Bush) who authorized war crimes – AND EVERYONE KNOWS THIS – and a sitting President (Obama) chooses to “look forward instead of backward” still makes me sick to my stomach – despite the health care debate. If you’ve noticed, the health care debate has removed the “Bush Crime family” from the discussion.

The list of abuses from the Bush administration was off the charts. But, I guarantee you that by “looking forward” Obama will be instituting some of them into his administration and – before you know it – they are accepted as Presidential powers. The wiretapping? Well, for those of us my age (baby boomers), we’re leaving a horrible legacy for our children and grandchildren. When future Presidents choose to “look forward” these abuses will slowly grow – I can see the day when it’s totally accepted that the government is listening to our phone calls (if it’s not here already) – you know the line: “I don’t care, I’m not saying anything to worry about.” That kind of rationalization makes me crazy. So, the Republicans are continuing to outsmart the Democrats. Largely because of their total disregard for integrity. They have turned the health care debate into a debacle – they have no shame – I’ll say it again, $1.4 MILLION per day is UNBELIEVABLE TO ME. SOMEONE OUGHT TO NOTICE THAT, AND CONNECT THE DOTS. And, then you have Armey’s army of disruptors. They don’t even hide this. EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT THEY’RE DOING. It really is obscene, but I’m not even sure what it is exactly that they’re trying to get here. Their motives might be something entirely different from what seems obvious. They’ve certainly managed to succeed in getting the torture issue resolved. IT’S PRETTY MUCH OVER! (although, never say die person that I am, I’ll continue to hope that Eric Holder “grows a pair” in the near future). I’m just wondering when the Democrats are going to understand that THEY’RE AT WAR! And the war isn’t in Iraq, it’s WITH REPUBLICANS! Will Democrats ever figure out that it would be so easy to put the Republicans TOTALLY on the defensive? It seems like they are always one step behind. All they would have to do is start the investigations of Bush and company, and the debate would totally change – AND, I GUARANTEE YOU, THE REPUBLICANS WOULD BE ON THE DEFENSIVE! (and, we could have a true health care debate – actually about how to make a plan that works)

Yesterday I wrote a post about how “absurd” the discourse in this nation has become, largely as a result of the propoganda campaign launched by Republicans in the eighties during the reign of Ronald Reagan. Any semblance of telling the truth in the national debate went out the window as the politicians figured out how to use the new technologies which were evolving at the time. Remember, cable television was in its infancy – we still had people like the recently deceased Walter Cronkite repoting the news. There were standards that most Americans pretty much took for granted – like there was actually some semblance of respect for journalists in those days. As I stated last night, the Limbaugh phenomenon hit the airwaves and the so-called “talking points” were thrust on the unsuspecting public in a way that led to the “Contract for (I really call it “on”) America which brought in the likes of Newt Gingrich, Tom Delay, Dick Armey, Bob Livingstone, and a host of other Republicans who would eventually prove their entire message was based purely on hypocrisy (all of the above were removed from Congress in disgrace for violating the very principles they were claiming as their own). Combined with the fact that many in America (including myself) were outraged by the abortion issue and the seeds were planted for the disaster that has unfolded itself into today’s Republican party. And, I truly believe when all is said and done, these Republicans will hold a place of infamy in the history books of the United States of America.

I get a close-up look at where this Republican party is coming from. They feed on the fears of people who have the best intentions, but who either have no interest in politics or who are just ill-informed. Unfortunately, in America – where “we the people” determine the course of our government – there are many who are turned off by politics, have no interest in politics, or just assume that our leaders must be telling the truth when they speak. We’ve been inundated with subliminal messages since I can remember on how the United States is the “greatest nation on earth,” to the point where it is just not possible to believe anything else. We’ve all heard our leaders talk about how we are the world’s defenders of “human rights,” and all of our politicians pretty much have to be wearing the American flag when in public or they stand the possibility of someone accusing them of not being patriotic. On top of all of this – kind of combining it – we’ve become (and by we’ve, I’m talking about the working middle class which I feel I’m a part of) so busy trying to keep our heads “above water” that – unless we go out of our way to become informed – we depend on “sound bites” for information (“sitting ducks” for the talking points strategy).

Email has become a weapon for spreading information as more and more people rely on their computers for news and whatever else that “feeds” them – from an information point of view. I see it from both sides – I get email from Democratic sources (I donated some money in the last couple elections even though I’m not officially a Democrat) and my wife gets the right wing Republican email. Actually, she’s not at all interested in politics, but she got pulled into the Republican side of things because of the abortion issue. While I agree (mostly) with my wife on abortion, I figured out long ago that the Republicans were using this issue – just as then Senator Obama said, and was widely criticized, as a “wedge” issue – garnering votes from people who are often times voting against their own self interest because they have no idea what else these Republicans are up to (on top of this, I believe the Republicans have no desire for the abortion issue to be resolved in “their favor” – meaning their favor is for repeal of Roe v Wade – thereby, giving them a staunch “base” that pretty much cares about little else that has to do with politics). Additionally, I’ve always been curious listening to my middle class Republican friends touting the tax cuts for rich people (something them or I have no clue about – being rich that is) and then trying to blame the deficits that resulted from that “philosophy” on the “big spending” Democrats (I’m still seeing emails claiming that the way to solve this present economic crisis is MORE TAX CUTS). The argument is absurd on its face – but Republicans have been GETTING AWAY WITH IT Since Ronald Reagan promised to “reduce taxes and balance the budget.” I’m not claiming that the Democratic emails are without bias, but they are not TOXIC like the ones I see coming from the “Right Wing” (personally, I call it the wrong wing).

In an attempt to put all this into perspective, today I looked at a questionaire sent to my wife telling her that the answers to the questions will “underwrite our Party’s campaign to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in 2010.” It says, “be certain to answer each question carefully and honestly.” OK, I “get” the idea of trying to “poll” your supporters in order to guide your policies. BUT THIS QUESTIONAIRE IS SO ABSURD that it’s a backhanded attempt for “rubber stamping” the plans they already have on their agenda. I guess, the idea is to try to make people like my wife feel like they’re part of the process, while getting some meaningless data that supports what they’re going to do no matter what (they may be a bit surprised when they get this questionaire back). Oh yes, and one more thing – THEY’RE TRYING TO GET SOME MONEY. Now, I really get that too – I receive the mailers asking for money all the time. I did notice one thing that was different from the ones sent to me by Democrats (who I’m not sending money to either, but that’s a story for a different day) – while the Democratic mailers usually ask me for – starting out – maybe $25 or $35, this one starts out by asking for $500. Now, they do work their way down so that the “regular people” like us could donate $25 or $50 – but, they start at the higher number whereas the Dems that send fliers to me start at the lower number. I’m not sure what that means, but I thought it was interesting – I guess I think it means that the Republican fundraisers are used to dealing with donors with more money than public school teachers like myself and my wife.

I hear what you’re saying so I’ll get to the point: The questions on this questionaire – at least to me – assume people are idiots. They are framed to not only appear to be asking the reader for their “opinion” but they clearly are an extension of the dishonest propoganda scheme these guys have been expertly perpetrating for more than the past 20 years. I’ll give you some examples: “Should Republicans continue fighting congressional Democrats’ efforts to grant full unconditional amnesty to illegal immigrants?” (the question obviously doesn’t refer to the FACT that former President Bush wanted to do this – to some extent – although I’m not sure that anyone, Republican or Democrat, is promoting “full unconditional amnesty.” Here’s another one: “Do you agree with Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi’s efforts to impose massive tax hikes on the American people?” (The truth, of course, is that what has been proposed is that the top 1% of taxpayers revert to the same level of taxation they had under Clinton – remember, when the budget was in surplus? – and most Americans are now receiving a modest tax cut from the so-called stimulus bill WHICH HAD VIRTUALLY NO REPUBLICAN SUPPORT). Want more? OK: “Are you in favor of the federal government using tens of billions more of YOUR tax dollars in an effort to further bailout the U.S. auto industry?” (This one’s really cute, isn’t it? First, it was Bush/Paulsen who originally gave GM and Chrysler about $30 Billion in the last days of their tenure – WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED – that would be a “bailout” – Obama/Geithner forced accountability with the companies – actually firing GM’s CEO – and forcing them into a planned bankruptcy which will actually allow both companies – and, over a million workers – a strong chance to succeed – and give the taxpayers [when they say “your” tax dollars and they’re talking about billions – I know they’re not really talking to me or my wife] a good chance to recoup their money with interest – remember, Obama/Geithner gave GM and Chrysler loans NOT BAILOUTS, and us taxpayers own a large share of the companies until they get back on their feet).

I’m going to give a couple more examples, but my point is EVERYTHING THESE REPUBLICANS DO IS FRAMED IN DISHONESTY – it’s a way of life for them – PATHOLOGICAL LYING. But, it gets worse: “Do you support the Democrats’ efforts to create a massive new federal government bureaucracy that would be run by unionized government employees and would have complete control of your heathcare costs and choices?” (If you want more of an idea of how dishonest this one is, read my previous posts. The truth is that the Republican party [and unfortunately a few Dems as well] have been bought off by the special interests in the health care industry. A couple things here – Republicans hate unions – unions are on the side of the workers, which most of us are – and the “complete control” claim is SO DISHONEST I don’t know where to start. Personally, I wish it was true – I believe a single payer system is what we really need – but THE TRUTH IS what is being proposed is the OPTION to purchase a government insurance policy along with the OPTION to keep your private insurance. What the Democrats are proposing is a system that will reduce costs and make health insurance available to ALL AMERICANS! What is it that the Republicans don’t like about that?)

There’s a lot more and I’m going to limit myself to one other example, but my point here is that these people don’t even have the integrity to be honest with their own – everything they do seems to be an attempt to manipulate people into supporting positions that go against their own best interests. I’ll give the Republicans credit for one thing – THEY ARE GOOD AT THIS – even thought it’s despicable. Here’s the last example (believe me there were a lot of choices for me here): “Do you believe that American business and industry will be able to compete in the world economy if the Obama Administration bends to pressure from radical environmentalists and implements draconian regulations on emissions, energy consumption and transportation beyond what is required in other industrialized nations?” (I could go on and on here – I’ll try to keep it short – but note their choice of words – draconian means harsh or severe. I’m assuming they equate “radical environmentalists” with the overwhelming number of scientists who are telling us that if we don’t change our ways SOON we are in danger of catastrophic consequences from “global warming.” All I can say here is that every “expert” they have put forth which I’ve seen has been employed by one of the major oil companies – par for the course with Republican leaders, they’ve aligned themselves with the “bottom line” and not the interests of the people they serve. And, to suggest that we shouldn’t go beyond what is “required in other industrialized countries” means to me that we should base our response to the environment on the requirements of countries like China and Russia. Personally, I would hope we’d choose to be leaders, but that won’t happen if Republicans ever get back into office. The harsh (draconian) regulations on emissions and the other regulations they mentioned are part of Obama’s plan to get us away from our dependence on imported oil. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT?)

As I said, I could go on, there were 17 questions on this questionaire and at least 15 of them were ridiculous and either blatantly dishonest or at least disingenuous. What does it mean when you can’t even trust the people who support you with the truth? They are all about using people and manipulating. The challenge then, in my view, is to find conservatives who have the courage to be honest and stand on real principles – because we really do need a conservative option as voters. Personally, I believe in a fiscally conservative government. The problem, for me, is the only administrations in my lifetime that were at all fiscally responsible (you know the idea – PAY AS YOU GO) have been Democrats. Jimmy Carter reduced Nixon/Ford’s deficits in half – and was defeated by Ronald Reagan whose campaign slogan was “reduce taxes and balance the budget.” Well, if you know anything about recent U.S. history, you know how that worked out. Bill Clinton, for all his weaknesses, had the courage to “raise taxes” and actually balance the budget (in FACT, he left office with a projected surplus for the next 10 years). again, we all know what GW Bush’s tax cuts and war by credit card did to that. It remains to be seen if Obama can reduce the deficit even in half during his term in office, but the TRUTH is that he inherited a deficit of 1.7 TRILLION dollars and the WORSE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN since the Great Depression. For the Republicans to attempt to project the fallout from the mess left behind by GW Bush on Obama is obviously UNACCEPTABLE TO ME and the height of dishonesty. But, in my view, that doesn’t mean we don’t need a responsible Republican party.

Questionaires like the one my wife received in the mail the other day tell me it will be a long time until there’s a Republican with the guts to stand up and admit that their party is OFF BASE. I believe that we can have a combination of fiscal conservative government along with social compassion. I have a lot of Republican friends right now who are collecting unemployment benefits (there was a question in the questionaire that asked if you believed the “founding fathers intended for the federal government to provide unemployment assistance?”) and I’m sure they are grateful for the help – IT’S REALLY HARD TO FIND A JOB RIGHT NOW, ESPECIALLY FOR US OLDER FOLKS. Why would anyone vote against providing assistance to good hard working Americans who lose their jobs through no fault of their own? One of my friends had a back injury and no longer has health insurance so just “toughed it out” hoping that the injury would heal on it’s own given time. He was lucky, but what if he’d needed surgery so that he could go back to work once a job was available? Would it be fair for him and his wife to lose their home because it’s impossible for working class people to pay for insurance on their own, especially when unemployed? Somehow, I can’t buy that one, AND I DON’T THINK MOST REPUBLICANS WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF THAT IF THEY HAD THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON OUT THERE. I guess my point tonight, because I’ve been harping on the “lying Republicans” for some time now, has been to give concrete examples of one way Republicans go about their dishonest propoganda campaign. It’s all well thought out, and as I said, they are really good at it – but who wants to be good at something that goes against the very principles they claim to stand on? Let me end by saying, I believe it’s possible to be conservative AND to tell the truth AND believe in social justice! When someone comes along with those credentials, I’ll once again consider casting a vote for a Republican!