I’m beginning this post after writing a couple times regarding the Limbaugh’s, the Robertson’s, and the other “right” wing people of this nation who have made deplorable comments following the devastating earthquake in Haiti.  And, over the course of the year I’ve expressed my displeasure – on an entirely different level – regarding the decisions of Barack Obama in his first year in office.  But, tonight I want to say how thankful I am that he’s our president based on his actions toward the people of Haiti.  He has shown what a decent person he is in an office where he’s forced to deal with people who are predominantly motivated by money and pure greed.  The contrast between Rush Limbaugh (the defacto head of the republican party) and Barack Obama (the leader of the Democrats) can leave questions in NO ONE’S mind as to who is coming from the right place.

I have been saying from well before President Obama was elected that the only explanation for much of the opposition to him is due to the color of his skin.  In the past few days people like Limbaugh, Pat Robertson, and others in the republican party have only confirmed that suspision.  The republicans are feeling “energized” because the Democrats have done a very poor job of pushing through the MAMMOTH agenda Obama put on the table as he took office in the face of an UNBELIEVABLE MESS left behind by GW Bush and, really, 30+ years of “trickle down” economics.  In my mind, President Obama has made some significant mistakes along the way – not the least of which was the enabling of the criminal activity of the Bush administration and the incompetence of the Republicans in general – they should STILL be the story.

When I heard that our new president was enlisting the help of George W Bush to raise funds for Haiti, it reconfirmed two things to me.  First, he’s a very forgiving and honorable man.  Bush left him a nightmare to deal with – yet, he’s willing to look the other way in order to help the people of Haiti.  Second, the investigation of the Bush administration which I feel is SO NECESSARY for the long-term health of this nation I love – AINT GOING TO HAPPEN.  Somehow I’ve got to bring myself to let that hope go.  I really don’t think our president understands the ramifications of the decision.  I’ve been trying to tell him for over a year, but the reality is that my 100 – 200 visitors each night don’t hold a lot of sway in the White House.

The reality of what I’ve been predicting might possibly show up WAY SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.  There was a time not too long ago when I wouldn’t have even thought Massechusetts would be the state bringing down the health care legislation.  Well, the panic seems to be setting in with the White House and the Democratic party based on the emails I’ve received.  It’s at least VERY POSSIBLE that a republican – who posed nude for Cosmopolitan magazine at one time for God’s sake – might take Ted Kennedy’s seat in Massachusetts.  Whether that happens or not, lets hope the people surrounding Obama and those supporting him in the “field” (ie Randi Rhodes among others) get the message before it’s too late.  If Obama doesn’t stop taking the liberal base that voted him in for granted, things are going to get a lot worse than losing a senate seat in Kennedy’s home state.

People are SICK of “politics as usual” in Washington, and the health care bill looks too much like politics as usual.  Either the White House has done a TERRIBLE JOB of educating the American people as to what they want in the bill, or they’ve done a terrible job of managing the “battle.”  It appears to a lot more people than myself that even if Obama gets a bill to sign, it’s going to be a good deal for insurance companies and a bad deal for the American people.  When the government starts mandating people to buy insurance, when they start taxing the hard earned health benefits of working people (instead of taxing the wealthiest Americans as the House proposed), when the unemployed see the healthcare “fight” taking almost an entire session of congress while they can’t even get interviews for jobs, while the Wall Street bankers continue to lavish themselves with obscene bonuses at the expense of the people on “main street” – Obama’s “base” won’t vote for republicans – THEY JUST WON’T VOTE!  And, that’s almost as bad!

People would rather see our president fight for the “right” bill – which would include at a minimum the “option” for all Americans to “choose” a public medicare like option – not just the uninsured – and lose, than impose a HORRIBLE compromise that has been manipulated by people like Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson.  What is wrong with giving those two people the opportunity to ruin the “right” thing and allow the people to correct the mistake of sending them to Congress.  I believe the American people fully understood that the “change we can believe in” wouldn’t happen over night.  Obama made some terrible political miscalculations and it will all come home to roost if the Democrats lose Kennedy’s seat prior to the President signing the healthcare legislation – which is why the bill will probably not get “saved” at all by the House.  I believe the Democrats all now understand that they should have passed something before the election in Massachusetts just to make sure they’re not “sidetracked.” 

Personally, I hope the House progressive caucus holds their ground, but I don’t have a lot of hope.  Hearing a few nights past that Lieberman was asked into the negotiations made my stomach curl.  That means they’re checking with him to make sure he’s going to vote for whatever comes out of the conference.  Of course, that virtually guarantees that the final bill will be unacceptable to a WIDE RANGE of progressives – and millions of people beside me will be deflated as we accept the FACT that the “change we can believe in” still hasn’t arrived.  As stated above, President Obama is a HUGE upgrade from anything the republicans have to offer, but it’s still the same old same old partisan, lobbyist generated, bartered for votes, watered down, legislation which will come out of Washington.  By the time the Congress gets serious about addressing the MAJOR problem in America right now, UNEMPLOYMENT and UNDEREMPLOYMENT the Democrats will have blown an opportunity to make the republicans go the way of the dinosaurs.

Instead of raising money for the people of Haiti (although money needs to be raised for them – FOR SURE) President Bush should be raising money to defend himself for committing war crimes while representing me and every other American in the White House.  Due to the fact I’m a Christian (I call myself part of the Christian “left”) I’m around republicans ALL THE TIME.  The thing I’ve noticed is that EVEN THEY thought Bush/Cheney should have been held accountable.  It’s like the students in my classroom who act like they’re very mad when held accountable for inappropriate behavior and then end up calling me their “favorite teacher.”  People in this nation instinctively know where the lines should be drawn.  Here’s some places that are WIDELY accepted as “un American:” torture, war profiteering, lying to justify war, outing CIA agents (treason), unfair justice (politicizing the Justice Department), stealing from the “poor” (Wall Street gambling with the money of everyday citizens and then getting rewarded for it by the very people they stole from – the taxpayers – becuase of one of the worst offenders, Henry Paulsen[when he was CEO of Goldman Sachs]).

Everytime I talk to a republican about those issues, they either agree with me that Bush/Cheney should be held accountable or they don’t believe it’s true.  The ones who don’t believe it’s true, when asked what they would think if it was true, say the same things that every other person I talk to says.  THAT STUFF JUST ISN’T OK!  The people who listen to Fox “news” or Limbaugh – from what I can tell, it’s the same audience – and shrinking – have been battered by such unbelievable propoganda it REALLY causes me to wonder; how that can happen in America?  What happened that there is no “oversight” of our media?  Is free speech outright LYING?  Fox “news” is run by a republican operative – Roger Ailes.  That should tell the people who watch it something.  And, of course, Limbaugh has been “pushing” the republican “talking points” since their inception in the mid to late eighties.  These people are like a republican news outlet.  The other day when Limbaugh was encouraging his listening audience NOT TO DONATE TO HAITI I thought, “How could any decent American even listen to this thug?”  The reality is that President Obama has allowed all this to continue by preventing justice from happening regarding the misdeeds of the Bush administration.  And, yes, I’m thankful Obama is in the White House, but – I hope our President “gets” the message from Massechusetts – whether Coakley wins or loses!  The people didn’t vote for him to be “milktoast” with republicans who are trying to destroy this country as it existed after the New Deal.  Success to republicans is measured by corporate profits and, unfortunately, it seems too many democrats as well are buying into that theory!