I’m beginning this post roughly 10 days prior to the date put forth by President Obama and Treasury Secretary Geithner (August 2, 2011) as the “due date” for the increase of the so-called “debt ceiling” which apparently would restrict the government’s ability to borrow money should it not be implemented, therefore causing a default on the “full faith and credit of the United States.”  I certainly am not one who fully understands what all is involved in this debt “crisis,” and I have to admit that it will be interesting to see what happens – whether the “doomsayers” are correct should the U.S. “default,” or whether the “tea partiers” are correct that it will be “no big deal.”  I tend to think those on the President’s side are correct, but at this point in time I don’t believe anything or anyone until I see “it.”  One thing that I am certain of is that President Obama has continually IGNORED the advice of people who think like me, people who were instrumentatl in his election, and now he’s been backed into a “corner” (that I predicted when he allowed the “Bush tax cuts” to be extended) that will be very difficult to get out of.  In fact, I was thinking today that the only way out for Obama is for the republicans to refuse to make ANY agreement, thereby preventing Obama from another “negotiation” or “compromise” or whatever you want to call it where the republicans extract ANOTHER “pound of flesh” from the middle class and working poor in America – the very people I believed Obama would be the champion for when I supported him in 2008.

We (liberals) have evolved to the place where we’re already talking about “holding noses” to vote for Obama in 2012 for reasons such as the Supreme Court nominations republicans would make that would extend their “reign of terror” for decades.  It’s almost as if that is what Obama is counting on – he is busy kissing up to what he considers the “independent voters” (I’ve got news for him – I’m an independent voter) and to hell with his so-called “base.”  What has been apparent to me since almost before Obama took the oath of office and is now well understood by the “pundits,” Obama’s “base” is not like the republican base.  They’re not going to simply “rubber stamp” whatever he decides to do.  I have to tell you that the FACT Obama WILLINGLY included issues such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and who knows what else into the “negotiation” for raising the debt limit on the debt MAINLY created by his republican foes is unbelievable to me.  President Obama is acting as if that is an act of courage because he’s “taking heat from my party.”  Do you remember Rahm Emmanuel calling people like me “f___ing retards?”  He was not reprimanded – in fact, since that inglorious time I’ve heard Obama himself extolling “liberals” as idealistic.  I believe, for many “liberals” such as myself, (and, by the way, in the 1970’s I was considered a “conservative”) what President Obama is doing is harder to stomach than what George W Bush was doing.  Obama was elected to FIX the abuses of the Bush administration and you don’t have to look very far to see that many of them are still ongoing – PLUS all the “compromises!” (should we call it “selling the farm?”)

Here’s another irony.  Have you seen much reporting about how President Obama is talking to democrats?  I’m sure it must be happening, but all I see is Obama and Boehner or Obama and the republicans “negotiating.”  And, it appears that President Obama actually expects the republicans to come to a sensible agreement to solve this debt problem on a long term basis.  Are you kidding me?  That would be good for the president and evidently he hasn’t been paying attention to the FACT the republicans HATE him and their NUMBER ONE goal is to destroy his presidency.  Does anyone seriously believe they will agree to a long term solution to the debt problem that would insure Obama’s re-election?  Does anyone besides me remember all the racist signs and rhetoric of the “tea party” during the 2010 election cycle?  I know that America’s “liberal media” (you know, the media that’s controlled by Rupert Murdoch) refuses to even discuss the reality racism plays in the republican OBSTINENCE, but you don’t have to be a psychologist to see that it’s there, and in SPADES! (no pun intended)

President Obama couldn’t have played into their hands better had they been allowed to script the political dialogue the day he was elected.  Whether “we the people” ever get the TRUTH about what’s really going on in Washington DC or not remains to be seen.  I’m starting to believe that even my acquaintences who’ve been BRAINWASHED by Murdoch and his Fox “news” (Republican TV) will soon start to realize what’s been happening.  That, of course, will require the Obama administration to suck up the courage to begin investigations of the scandal that has reached MAJOR proportions in Great Britain and UNDOUBTEDLY will do the same here unless President Obama pulls another “look forward instead of back” routine as he did in the face of MULTIPLE legal transgressions by the administration that proceeded him.  Personally, I have to admit that I have NO CONFIDENCE that Eric Holder will do what he SHOULD and FULLY investigate EVERY part of Rupert Murdoch’s “empire” that’s in America AND hold Murdoch accountable for the GANGSTER mentality that clearly permeates his organization.  American corporations BRIBING foreign officials is a CRIME, yet I have no confidence that Holder will even investigate (let alone prosecute) Murdoch, even though we know that “NewsCorp” officials have been busy bribing officials in Britain for some time now.

I honestly don’t like “beating a dead horse,” but President Obama’s first sign of weakness was when he CHEATED the American public out of learning about the crimes committed by Bush/Cheney et al when he blocked ALL investigations of their administration.  Since that time they have put numerous Justice Department lawyers to work investigating Julian Assange of WikiLeaks for printing the TRUTH about American diplomatic practices – because, contrary to what most of us think, some of America’s diplomacy is deplorable.  And, of course, as an “outgrowth” of that “justice” we’ve seen Private Bradley Manning being essentially TORTURED for the past year apparently in retrobution for ALLEGEDLY being the source of the material which was leaked.  (does that remind you of Bush/Cheney? – you know, indefinite imprisonment with no charges, inhumane treatment, etc.)  Holder’s Justice Department couldn’t muster the courage to investigate Bush/Cheney, but they’re right on the front lines of justice with a prosecution of John Edwards for mishandling campaign funds (I’m not justifying Edwards here, just making a point) and, the other day, I read where there were ONE HUNDRED Justice Department lawyers involved on the Roger Clements case (which was declared a mistrial) that was about whether Clements lied to Congress about the use of performance enhancing drugs in BASEBALL!  Are you serious, Mr. Holder?  Alberto Gonzales could sit in front of Congress for days LYING about the undermining of the very department you’re in charge of and instead of going after him you chose to send ONE HUNDRED lawyers after Clements!  Karl Rove and Harriet Miers refused to answer subpoenas before congress and that’s OK, but Clements is the target.  Just writing this makes me sick to my stomach!

There’s more that’s troubling to me.  I’ve read where one of the “solutions” to the debt ceiling “deal” is to eliminate the tax credit for mortgage interest and for employer provided health insurance benefits.  In other words, the interest I pay on my home mortgage would no longer be deductible (a tax increase for me of something over $1000 per year) and the benefit I receive for health insurance would become taxable income increasing my taxes another $1000 or so per year.  Of course, the “Bush tax cuts” would remain in force and probably, knowing Obama, be extended even further than the “last” extention.  This would raise, supposedly, the same amount as if the “Bush tax cuts” had been allowed to end AS THEY SHOULD HAVE!  The bottom line will be those of us in the middle class will AGAIN bear the brunt of the problem, and those at the “top” will continue the “tax holiday” they’ve been on since Ronald Reagan took the oath of office in January of 1981.  By the time President Obama is done with this next “compromise” he won’t need the republicans to vote him out of office.  Certainly, independents who think along what are presently defined as LIBERAL ways, will stay home from the election in greater numbers than they did in 2010.  And, I think I understand why (as one of them).  As I implied above, I would rather know it’s coming from the opposition – and put up a FIGHT to stop it – (and, here I’m referring to BAD legislation) than to be blindsided by someone whom I supported.

Had I even had an inkling that President Obama would utter the words that “Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are on the table” in 2008 I would have actively worked to stop his nomination instead of supporting him.  His willingness to buy into the “trickle down” philosophy of the republicans is difficult for me to even imagine.  I heard him say, out of his own mouth, after extending the HATED “Bush tax cuts” that this would lead to more jobs and would stimulate the economy.  Obviously, he’s spending too much time in meetings (and on the golf course) with republicans.  I believe all I have to say here is “where are the jobs?”  And, as I pointed out almost the SECOND I heard the bad news about Obama CAVING on the tax cut issue, “just wait until they turn the debt ceiling into an issue!”  At the time, I predicted their plan would be to go after Social Security and Medicare and I was concerned about Obama “caving” again.  To say I’m still concerned would be an understatement.

So, Is there a solution to this problem?  Well, as stated above, I feel that republicans in their zest to defeat Obama at the expense of the American economy, could solve the problem by refusing to do anything.  I believe the resulting chaos SHOULD be easy for the democrats to “pin” on the “tea partiers” in the House of Representatives – who are now in control of the republican agenda.  Should that not be the case, then “we the people” must rely on the democrats in Congress to stop any BAD deal from going through that includes cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.  When large corporate interests are sitting on TRILLIONS in cash, when the top ONE TENTH of one percent of Americans make over $300 BILLION per year and pay the lowest percentage of taxes in the history of modern America, and considering that Social Security and Medicare are NOT the problem and didn’t create the problem – they should NOT be part of the solution!  The reality is that it’s time for the democrats in congress to make a stand.  The reason a bunch of them were voted out in 2010 was because the American public HATES timid politicians.  These republicans will continue to push until the democrats decide to say “enough already.”  Just as in the “fight” for the “public option” in the health care debate, a large percentage of the population is AGAINST including Social Security and Medicare in this debate.  I can picture the 2012 election now, where republicans are blaming President Obama for “dismantling” Social Security and Medicare.  If President Obama can’t figure out how to do “the right thing,” then we’ve got to rely on the Democratic congress to do it for him!  This budget “crisis” should be “fixed” by the people who created it – the Wall Street bankers, the Wall Street elite, and the wealthy republican donors!