As I stated previously, there seems no end in sight to things to write about – especially considering that what motivated all this in the first place was my frustration with the direction of this nation during the Bush/Cheney administration.  I was clear at the inception of President Obama’s administration that I was not going to be a “rubber stamp” for his policies, a claim that I believe I’ve clearly lived up to.  I started pointing out the “deficiencies” as I saw them from day one of his first term in office.  Now, we’re approaching the dreaded midterms of any president’s first term and the republicans are beating the drums as if they will retake control of congress.  I have to say that I still have enough confidence in America’s voters to believe that is mostly “Fox” hype – but, just in case, I feel compelled to express myself about that possibility AGAIN!  That is, I’ve repeatedly pointed out how degenerate the republicans are – and the “tea partiers” are worse – and that we are in a battle for the soul of this nation.  This battle is the WAR of significance that America is engaged in and, unfortunately, I’m worried that the republicans have succeeded in getting the democrats to focus their attention toward the “wars” in Iraq and Afganistan.  Seriously, candidates such as Sharon Angle and Rand Paul shouldn’t be that difficult to defeat – unless you are the present day SPINELESS democratic party which doesn’t seem to understand the fight they’re engaged in.

Do you remember how Scott Brown “snuck up” on the democrats and took Ted Kennedy’s seat in Massachusetts which had been in democratic “hands” for over half a century?  In essence, the democrats took the voters in Massachusetts “for granted.”  They simply assumed they would win and they basically defeated themselves – doing untold damage to their party in the process.  Well, I’ve been pointing out the problems with the Obama administration and the democratic caucus in the senate taking the “progressives” for granted since before President Obama took his oath.  They have been turning good people off to the entire process.  If the democrats lose, it will be almost by default.  There is no way that people like Angle and Paul will garner majorities of the voters in their states – even Paul being in such a “red” state as Kentucky – if the democrats had not been so SPINELESS over the past two years there would be no way for these “whack jobs” as they are being called (sometimes even by republicans) to win public office.  If you’ve ever listened to this Angle lady she is the Nevada version of Sarah Palin.  Don’t get her anywhere near a live microphone because she’ll say something REALLY stupid!  It will be like having a neighborhood “soccer mom” who knows NOTHING about the real workings of our government – helping to run our government.

Many of the “tea partiers” are preaching for an end to social security, medicare, and other government programs which serve as “insurance” for MILLIONS of Americans who have been paying into the programs for years.  Angle was quoted (I actually heard her say this) as saying there should be no unemployment benefits for people out of work because it causes them to not look for work.  Obviously, she’s never been in that situation – I actually know nothing of her own circumstances – but, I’m guessing she’s in a pretty stable family situation financially.  Based on what I heard her say, she has no idea that unemployment benefits are INSURANCE benefits which are part of what the employers pay for their employees.  Is this woman advocating that employers shouldn’t have to pay any benefits for their employees?  That’s what it sounds like to me.  Eliminate social security, medicare, and unemployment benefits.  I also believe she would be opposed to public education (one of the main drivers that has made this nation what it is – in fact, I’m guessing it’s even possible she has received some of these benefits herself), health reform, and the reform of Wall Street.  I believe she was one of the people who referred to the money that President Obama got BP to put up for the benefit of all the people adversely affected by the deepwater horizon oil spill as a shakedown.  Both her and Rand Paul agreed, in regards to BP’s destroying of much of the Gulf’s fisheries, etc., that “accidents happen” as if our president was exceeding his authority by expecting BP to pay for their reckless behavior.

What is frustrating to many “progressives” is the UGLY possibility that the very people who created the HORRIBLE mess we find ourselves in will actually get back in “power” by taking control of congress (I suppose we’d find out real soon whether President Obama had the courage to stand up to them in that instance).  Yet, they are having a hard time getting behind the democrats who seem to be too much like business as usual – with a democratic “twist.”  That is, still all the backroom deals, still all the influence of lobbyists, still all the stomach wrenching “cave-ins” to the money people,  and still the taking for granted of the base.  As with Scott Brown in Massachusetts, I’ve believed for some time that the “base” is not willing to be taken for granted.  They are expecting the democrats to roll up their sleeves and take up the battle.  Does anyone else besides me feel as if the democrats wouldn’t notice they were about to be run over by a truck until the truck was right on top of them?  Makes me crazy – going back and forth between my realization that the PROBLEM is definitely the mean spirited, greedy republicans to seeing the PROBLEM as the SPINELESS democrats who are simply willing to do anything to make it look as if they’re getting stuff done – but, NEVER really making a principled stand!

How could it be so difficult to defeat a party which created MASSIVE debt in this country over the previous 30+ years? – this is documentable! Why is it so hard to defeat a party which is STILL trying to provide tax cuts for the WEALTHY who don’t need them AND is willing to hold tax cuts for the other 98% of Americans as hostage to their wishes?  Why is it so hard to defeat a party which still believes that TORTURE is acceptable and provides “actionable intelligence” when ALL reputable FACTS point in the opposite direction?  Why is it so hard to defeat a party which claims to be “resting” on the constitution yet so willingly defies it (again, PROVABLE)?  Why can’t democrats make a focused argument against a party which undermined the very fabric that holds this nation together which is our justice department?  How can democrats not defeat a party which condoned a CIA agent being “outed” for political retribution or encouraged members to defy subpoenas from congress (without consequence, I might add – see, Karl Rove and Harriet Myers)?  I could go on – but, all of these issues are UN-AMERICAN and they’re being PUSHED by people who aren’t American – Rupert Murdoch (Australian right winger) and his Saudi Sheik who’s funneled $3 BILLION into Murdoch’s “News Corp” – the parent company of Fox “news?” (If you’ve been under a rock for the past 10 years it was Saudi’s who attacked us on 9/11 – you would never know it because we are so addicted to their oil)

President Obama and the democrats need to take stock of what they’re doing – AND FAST!  There should be no way these republicans could get anywhere near a majority in Congress.   If the democrats don’t start exhibiting the willingness to take on the fight – this country, as we’ve known it for the last 50 years, is “at risk.”  I have no idea how much “Citizens United” will impact us in future years, but the time to overcome it is NOW and democrats appear to be running scared from it from my vantage point.  I’ll give you a quick senopsis on how you’ll know if they’re up for the battle.  If the dems give in on the tax cuts and President Obama goes along – we can “throw in the towel” for at least the next few years.  I still don’t think many Americans realize how dangerous that decision is to our future and our country as we know it (I’m talking about the Citizens United Supreme Court decision).  Unfortunately, by the time they realize it, it could be too late.

On my way home from work tonight I listened to “progressive talker” Randi Rhodes extolling the virtues of what President Obama has done along with the democrats – and, it’s definitely a darned sight better than what any republican might “offer.”  Yet, the progressives – er liberals (why can’t we say that word?) are LONGING for the day when our government is run differently – benefitting the people at the bottom more than the people at the top.  We voted Obama into office along with ALMOST a filibuster proof majority in Congress to END “TRICKLE DOWN” economics FOR GOOD!   They are better, but we still have 50,000 troops in Iraq (which Rhodes tonight admitted are going to be there indefinitely – like Korea) – that isn’t progressive leadership, that’s caving into the military industrial complex.  Rhodes NEVER talks about how Obama BLOCKED all investigations of Bush/Cheney – including investigations of WAR CRIMES as if we’re supposed to just be happy that he’s better than republicans.  That decision alone could come back to haunt us all over and over again in the future – I mean, republicans are still arguing the virtues of Bush and how all the “complaints” against his policies were unfounded – President Obama made those claims credible to millions of Americans.  President Obama chose Tim Geithner and Larry Summers as his top economic advisors and, as Joseph Stiglitz put it (and me and many others), we’ve been “muddling” through this recession ever since.

President Obama’s first “cave-in” to republicans was on the original “stimulus” package which (I argued this on the site before it was passed) was WAY TOO SMALL and had too many “middle class” tax cuts that could have been spent more wisely.  It’s almost as if Obama wanted amunition to beat the republicans at their own game (still claiming he cut taxes for 95% of Americans – which is true) instead of taking them on and PROVING to the American public that we have turned the corner from their “voodoo economics” for good.  As was predicted by many at the time, the jobs part of the stimulus needed to be much greater and we’re paying the price for that mistake today.  Rhodes (and Obama) point out (accurately) all the jobs which were saved – but, they don’t readily talk about how even Geithner predicted that this was going to be a “jobless” recovery in its first stages – which, to me, is an unacceptable approach to spurring our economy back to health.  As Stiglitz points out in his book “FreeFall” the Obama administration is attempting to restore us to the economy we had before the crash instead of making the changes necessary to move us forward in the future.  And, it does appear to me that the large Wall Street banks such as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are back to similar behavior as before the meltdown – only, now they’re working with virtually “free money” from the Fed – getting money @ 0% interest from taxpayers and then GAMBLING it in the different markets.  Chances are good, in my view, that they’re simply creating the next “bubble.”  Everyone should know by now that these “bubbles” eventually burst, and the result is devastating to many unsuspecting members of the middle class.  Wall Street walked away from the last disaster with BILLIONS in undeserved bonuses while MILLIONS of Americans saw their retirement accounts demolished – and, yet we’re back to business as usual.

My message to the president and to people like Rhodes who seem to be cheerleaders for anything he does is that “we the people” – at least the base that helped Obama win his present job – are not so stupid.  We’re not “f___ing retards” as we were so aptly annointed by none other than Rahm Emanuel – another of the problems dragging down President Obama – we had high expectations and being different than republicans really wasn’t it.  Rhodes tonight was again talking down to “progressives” who were trying to express their frustration with democrats – I think she feels that any negative talk simply helps the “right wing” in their attempt to regain control – but, she and the president need to understand that there are many more besides myself who are up for this fight – that is the fight to stop these republicans for good – but, we aren’t looking for republican-lite.  It was the New Deal which catapulted America to its position as leader of the free world and this 30 year republican assault on all that was good about it MUST BE reversed.  I still remember the audio of Franklin Roosevelt claiming that he “welcomed the hatred” of the right wing who were attacking him – I would love to hear something similar coming from Obama’s lips.

Of course, the solution to all these problems I have with our president and the democratic congress IS NOT to elect republicans – especially “tea partiers.”  I’m encouraging everyone I know to vote and vote against republicans.  The ideal solution would be to give the democrats a filibuster proof majority in the Senate and then there would be no more excuses.  But, since that is unlikely to happen, somehow we have to convince our president that we are expecting him to stop negotiating with these people and confront them – it’s just basic moral principle at stake.  Is our government going to be focused on “the least of these” in Jesus’ words, or are we going to continue to provide WELFARE for the corporate elite in so many different ways?  We know they are going to cry SOCIALIST at any attempt to cut off their flow of free money, but we have to cinch up our belts and band together for the fight.  The reality: there are many more workers – er middle class Americans – than elite corporate heads.  It might take a couple years to get this point across to the American people, but with Fox “news” on the air, it obviously won’t happen without a concerted focused effort by democrats being led by Barack Obama.  Social Security, Medicare, universal healthcare (still a dream), unemployment benefits, working wages, a green economy – all these things and more hang in the balance.