Day after day I seem to be going about my business often times simply shaking my head (those around me, I’m sure, wondering what’s wrong with him today?) as I continue to ponder the general direction of this great nation that I love.  As a school teacher I see what’s being done to public education “up close and personal,” and as an involved and concerned citizen I’m seeing the result of 30+ years of the republican party’s plan for total dominance of our country teetering on either success of failure depending on what happens in the next few months.  After listening to John Boehner on the radio as I was driving around today, and listening to Sharron Angle the other day – she being one of the “new breed” of right wing extremist candidates the republicans are cramming down our collective throats (or, trying to cram down our throats) I have to tell myself that the people I know who would even consider voting republican have either lost their senses, or they’re TOTALLY not paying attention.

Boehner compared the financial meltdown of 2008 to an ANT and said, unbelievably, that financial reform was like killing the ANT with an ATOMIC BOMB!  Shortly after that – if you don’t know, Boehner is the republican’s leader in the House of Representatives – Richard Shelby, the republican’s ranking member on the banking committee where the regulations originated AGREED with Boehner!  Now, if you’ve been paying attention AT ALL, if you’ve done the slightest bit of research into what happened to these “TO BIG TO FAIL” banks, you’ve just got to agree that these people are NUTS!  Now, I’ve been very critical of Barack Obama – but, I can tell you this; he’s a HUGE move forward from this republican type of thinking.  Yes, Obama’s been too far to the “right” himself, and he’s spent too much time coddling republicans – all of which I understand – he’s trying to create an atmosphere of actual productive dialogue in Washington DC – it’s just not time yet for such a RADICAL idea – as working together to solve problems!  (actually, republicans I know think Obama’s a “socialist” and, despite his overtures to the contrary, they don’t even recognize his attempts at bipartisanship – which, it seems to me, is further evidence that “the time’s not right” for that just yet)  These republicans are bent on only ONE THING and that is Obama’s failure.  Should that destroy our nation – well, it’s OK with them – as long as they get voted back into office.  I’ll speak more to this point shortly, but let me just interject here – I really hope the American people come to their senses and reject this right wing corporate facism. (I wish I could think of a better term – but, I just can’t – and, if you think I’m “out there” do a little research on Germany of the pre-Nazi days)

First, let me mention this Angle lady who is running to unseat Harry Reid in Nevada.  Let me say again, I haven’t been a strong supporter of Reid’s (in fact, I’ve been a bit hard on the guy over the past three or four years) – but, Angle?  You’ve seriously got to be kidding me.  This lady is off the charts “way out there.”  Aside from privatizing Social Security and Medicare – which makes me mad everytime I hear one of these nimwits even suggest it – I’d go along with the feds keeping their hands out of the trust fund – and paying back what they owe, but that’s a post for another day, this woman was quoted the other day as saying she wouldn’t even support an abortion to save the life of the mother.  “If it’s in God’s plan that the mother die in childbirth, so be it” or words to that effect.  Not for rape, not for incest, not for ANY REASON!  Now, I’m not a supporter of abortion, however, I’m also not a woman and I would hate to have the government telling me what I could or couldn’t do with my body (mine’s a bit messed up).  I agree that life begins at conception, but how do we justify FORCING imporverished Moms to have babies and then abandon them once the baby is born.  I see the results of this all the time in school – kids that don’t have enough to eat, kids without medical care, kids without parents who know how to be parents.  I don’t know what the answer is – other than for the government to attempt to promote policies which reduce the demand for abortions – but, if my wife’s life depended on her having an abortion, or my daughter was raped, there would be not a bit of hesitation.  These “right wingers” want the government out of their business – except for the things where they want the government in EVERYONE else’s business.  Are these the type of people we want running this country?

And, I hope the general public doesn’t forget that ALMOST all of the major economic, military, and other problems this nation is suffering through are the result of the Supreme Court’s appointment of the Bush/Cheney administration – anothe incredible abuse of power by the “right wing.”  The economic collapse, the high levels of unemployment, the HUGE budget deficit, the TWO UNWINNABLE WARS, the beaten down regulatory agencies, the failing infrastructure, the media monopoly (done with a little help from Bill Clinton) – all these things are the result of 30+ years of republican policies which were accentuated by the Bush/Cheney regime (many of whom should be answering to a grand jury by now).  Let’s just look at a couple of those areas – the economy’s lack of jobs, and the unemployment problem – this will give you a good idea of what republicans are really like – especially people like Sharron Angle.  For starters, I heard Angle claim that the unemployment problem was caused by providing workers who lose their jobs with unemployment compensation.  Incredible? you might be thinking – but, it gets more interesting.  Sharron Angle was quoted as saying (actually, I heard a tape of this comment) that unemployment compensation prevents people from looking for jobs because they get more on unemployment than they could get on an entry level job!  Now, I could comment on that sentence from many directions – but just take a moment or so, to let what she said sink in – and, then just picture what this nation will be like if she manages to unseat Harry Reid.  What kind of people would even vote for someone that mean spirited?  Are the people of Nevada paying attention?  I sure hope so!

Sharron Angle isn’t the only republican who apparently feels this way.  Congress just adjourned for their July 4th vacation (there’s not much which could get in the way of their vacation plans) and they left apporximately 1.4 MILLION Americans who lost their jobs in the last year to two years “in the lurch.”  That is, they failed to appropriate the funds necessary to extend these unemployed workers  “DREADED” (from Sharron Angle’s point of view – and other republicans obviously) benefits which Angle thinks prevents them from finding work.  According to my friends in this situation, the benefits were keeping them from losing their homes.  So, the result of one more MEAN SPIRITED republican maneauver – designed to get these people angry with Obama – will be EVEN MORE homes on the foreclosure market, lower home values for everyone else, and an even bigger DRAG on our economy.  Evidently, Angle and the others don’t understand that every dollar which goes out in unemployment benefits generates something around a dollar and a half benefit to the economy.  So, in the name of “fighting” deficits we’ll have over a million people suffering – while EVERY ONE of these republicans will continue voting for unlimited SPENDING – all BORROWED – on both Afganistan and Iraq!  Again, why would any thoughtful American vote for any of these people – they vote in “lock-step” in Congress?

I get that the democratic party isn’t too complete an answer at this point.  However, there are some very good members of the democratic party that don’t seem to be bought off by the corporate interests as I’m writing this.  So, what can be done?  Well, Bill Halter almost unseated Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas – in fact, without the irregularities with the polling places I believe he might have pulled it off.  That, to me is the best way to go about what needs to be done.  Selectively replace the corporate democrats with new, progressive faces – but, in the mean time, how can anyone vote for today’s version of republicans?  (although, I have to add that if republicans would vote in some actual conservatives who were willing to work in concert with democrats to find “the middle ground,” we’d all be better off)  I don’t even see how the people in the south can continue to keep doing this (voting republican – for the most part).  For one thing, isn’t it about time for the anti-abortion crowd to “get” that the republicans are just using that issue to trick a “block” of voters who are disconnected from what else is actually happening out there to blindly vote for them?  Are republicans paying attention to governors like Haley Barbour or Bobby Jindall during the BP oil spill?  They’re doing everything they can to continue supporting BP as the oil slick is virtually destroying their way of life.  Seriously, are the people in the gulf going to continue to vote for these people?  Everytime I think about the BP disaster I get a picture in my mind of Sarah Palin yelling “Drill Baby Drill” at every campaign stop during the previous presidential campaign.  In fact, Palin is a great example of a good (by today’s standard) republican.  She’s ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!  Now, I don’t condemn her for taking advantage of John McCain’s incredible stupidity and cashing in on it – but, the more I see her in action I believe she’s actually starting to picture herself as the first woman president.  Oh my God!  Can you even imagine such a thing?  I’ve seen enough of her to realize one thing: she might be qualified to be mayor of Wasilla, but – republicans – don’t even go there as far as trying to get her finger on the trigger of our nuclear stockpile of weapons.  The last I heard of Sarah, she was suggesting we find a Dutch person to help with the BP disaster “because they’ve got experience plugging up dikes.” (I’m really not kidding – she said that on Bill O’reilly’s TV show)

When President Obama “pardoned” Bush/Cheney I said that was too much for me – a deal breaker – and, it may prove to be, I really don’t know if I’ll ever be able to vote for the man after that.  I’ve been terribly disappointed in the lack of “fight” – translated, in my thought process as LEADERSHIP – since day one of his administration.  However, it would be a cruel turn of events to saddle him with another republican congress.  I’m hoping that isn’t what it would take to get “progressives” fired up again.  I’ll “toot” my own horn here – I’ve done this a bit – I’ve been predicting that the actions of Obama’s administration was going to “turn off” a large portion of his “base” and the democrats would be facing an election cycle where lack of turnout would work in the republican’s favor.  Now, I really hope I’m wrong here – but, much of the info I’ve gathered lately TOTALLY supports this “theory.”  In fact, not only are the democrats looking at “progressives” not voting, but they’re also looking at a possible mass exodus of independents (like me).  Now, I would never vote for a republican based on the present day makeup of the party – but, I might not vote (actually, as I wrote those words I realized that I must be dreaming because I’ve voted in EVERY election since 1968 – including primaries and midterms – so, I’ll probably vote – but, there’s a lot who won’t) – so, Obama and the democrats need to kick it into “high gear” to impress the “base” that they are actually FIGHTING these republicans.  The reason Obama was elected was to reverse the misdeeds of the Bush/Cheney administration.  Much of that has not happened.

There’s still two wars going on.  Obama’s justice department has been seen in court numerous times defending Bush/Cheney abuses as if he’s (Obama) going to continue them – which would include the warrantless wiretapping program.  Eric Holder has defended the “State’s Secret” privilege that Bush/Cheney so adroitly abused – in court.  The transparency that candidate Barrack Obama promised has evolved into another secretive administration which is more concerned with leaks from within than to openness to his supporters.  And, to me, worst of all, former President Bush and Vice President Cheney are still going around BRAGGING about authorizing TORTURE as if to continually point out to the American public that President Obama doesn’t have the NERVE to do anything about the FACT our previous president and vice president were quite possibly WAR CRIMINALS, along with untold other members of their staffs.  This all being said, I still believe it’s not too late (almost, however) for our president to turn things around.  Take it to the republicans – and, not in such a nice way.  Yes, the speeches may be effective to specific groups here and there, but Mr. President, it’s time to get the entire nation’s attention.  Step one?  Take the harness off of your attorney general, and open the investigations into TORTURE.

One thing the American people don’t respect is the appearance of our leaders being timid.  We don’t need the brash arrogance of George W Bush and Dick Cheney, but we need forceful leadership that is rooted in the basic tenets of our constitution.  This is a nation of laws – or supposedly so – and not men.  Today I got involved in a discussion with a gentleman who is a bit older than me (a retired businessman) and who is one of the millions of Americans who watches Fox “news” and gets his information from them.  Everytime I run into someone of that “ilk” it’s like listening to a recording – because they’ve had the information they perceive to be true hammered into their heads OVER and OVER by one “pundit” or “talking head” after another.  That has been the republican strategy since the days of Ronald Reagan (in fact, this gentleman was a bit nostalgic for Reagan – as he was lamenting budget deficits – go figure) – the republicans send out their “troops” who are all programmed with the same “key words” and they just start saying them repeatedly on every venue where they can be “heard” until the general public assumes “this must be true.”  It’s a great propaganda scheme – especially, when our media – for whatever reason – doesn’t want to even discuss the strategy.  I often wonder, “How many of them are in cahoots?”  In fact, the other day, I heard several members of the “media” blasting the reporter who “outed” General Stanley McChrystal for his insubordinate behavior in Afganistan – as if this reporter had an obligation to keep a “lid” on the story for some unexplained moral journalistic reason.  My first thought:  “it’s all the other reporters – who’ve bought into the ‘old boy’s network’ who need to check their badges at the door.”  One of the main things missing in America today is “the fourth estate” – a media that is holding our government accountable – without being in concert with them.  And, this is where we need a STRONG LEADER right now.  Not someone trying to find “the common ground,” but someone who’s trying to GROUND this nation in the very principles which made America great in the first place.  I believe it’s President Obama’s lack of willingness for confrontation which is allowing the republicans to believe they can win in November.  The republican agenda is a loser – upon close inspection, the republicans are far more corrupt than the democrats – upon closer inspection, and almost all of our serious problems can be traced right back to Bush/Cheney – upon closer inspection!  So, why are the republicans so full of themselves right now?  The main problem, as I see it, is that President Obama is what is standing in the way of closer inspection of republican misdeeds, and the resulting lack of respect is bipartisan!  As long as Obama and the democrats are going to look away from republican legal infractions (I’m sure the dems feel with full investigations, some of them would also be vulnerable) – these infractions will continue.  In fact, they’ll get worse.  As I continue pondering the ills republicans would impose on America and the FACT the rest of us are depending on democrats to stop them, all I can do is keep shaking my head.