Here’s today’s “question of the day.”  How do you “kick the can down the road” when you’ve said you won’t “kick the can down the road?”  Well, you’ve got to be an American politician to pull this off.  William Shakespeare must be turning in his grave at the crass absurdity of America’s “political theatre.”  The republicans manufacture a “crisis” with the so-called debt ceiling, President Obama pretends to “one-up” them by asking for “significant cuts,” and the “tea partiers” claim there will be no deal if ANY taxes are raised and if there’s no (absurdly STUPID) balanced budget amendment included in the “package.”  What do they end up with?  Essentially with NOTHING other than a vague bill which will allow the two parties to argue over who got the best of the other until the next election.  And, I might add, a continuation of the feeling by the people who I come in contact with each and every day that “if only we could replace ALL OF THEM!”

Let’s start with President Obama, who’s the main person I heard saying “We’re not going to just kick the can down the road.”  For some strange reason our president still seems to believe that these republicans will negotiate with him “in good faith.”  I honestly don’t know what it will take for him to “get it,” but it’s really getting a bit “late in the game” for that to happen.  These “good faith negotiations” he continually seems to get cornered into continue to produce similar results – and, I can’t think of ONE time when the results were good.  This “debt crisis” example is the classic.  Just last December, President Obama gave “the farm” to the republicans when he refused to simply allow the “Bush tax cuts” to expire.  That action alone would have trimmed a significant portion off of the deficit which republicans have recently become so worried about.  And, as far as “increasing taxes in a recession” is concerned – does our president actually believe that these spending cuts (mostly aimed at the disadvantaged among us – as Jesus would say, “the least among us”) are going to have a stimulative effect on the economy?  If you remember, Obama himself said that extending the “Bush tax cuts” would lead to more job creation and would stimulate the economy.  When, I keep wondering, is reality going to set in with our president.

Unfortunately, I believe President Obama’s blunders have become almost too much to overcome.  If you’ve been following this debate you’ve heard many on the “left” say that the democrats have “lost the battle of the dialogue.”  That is, they’re arguing TOTALLY on republican “turf.”  What President Obama often portrays as a “success” is unthinkable to many people who believe as I do.  His debates with the republicans are so far to the right the question regarding the outcome is always “how bad is the result going to be.”  Some of my acquaintances are finally beginning to see why I’ve so adamantly been arguing about the folly of Obama allowing the Bush/Cheney administration a pardon for all the illegal activity EVERYONE knew they were committing.  That was where President Obama lost the “high ground” in the dialogue and that’s when the republicans figured they could run “rough shod” over him.

I’ve listened to Obama’s closest supporters suggest that he got what he wanted out of this debate – and, I might add, considering the circumstances I certainly hope they’re correct – for example, one of Obama’s staunchest supporters, Randi Rhodes (liberal “talker” on the radio) claims that should the republicans and the “super congress” (set up to recommend further “cuts”) try to extend the “Bush tax cuts” beyond 2012 they would have to include at least 4 TRILLION dollars in spending cuts of which half would come from defense and none would come from Social Security or Medicare.  She considered that a brilliant move on Obama’s part.  I guess from where I’m sitting I would have preferred to have allowed them to expire last December (actually, I thought Obama should have repealed them upon entering the White House, but that’s a story for another day) and therefore dispense with all the political “one-upsmanship” which has turned the political dialogue away from the real issues of this nation.

I’m assuming that President Obama has heard Mitch McConnell, Rush Limbaugh, and the rest of them on the “right” claim that their MAIN priority is for Obama to fail.  It has become painfully apparent (as the Stock Market is teetering on another “freefall”) that the republicans are TOTALLY willing to tank the ENTIRE American (and probably world) economy thinking America’s voters stupid enough to place the blame on Obama’s shoulders.  Now, I’ve been very critical of our president, but from the standpoint that he continues to attempt to “bargain in good faith” with these people who ONLY care about his demise.  It shouldn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out they are not going to agree to ANYTHING which would appear to show Obama in a good light.  Is it because he’s black? Or just because he’s a democrat and today’s republicans wont have anything to do with ANY democrat?  I don’t know the answer to that, but the solution is to VOTE the republicans OUT of office in as significant numbers as possible.

I have been an independent all my life, but these past 30+ years has made it extremely difficult to even consider voting for a republican.  And, since the inception of the “tea party” – well, just let me say that I fully believe there are many republicans out there who have no idea what’s going on with THEIR party.  I’ve been associating with some republicans this summer as I try to play a little “senior golf” during my vacation and it really grieves me to see the level of propaganda they’ve “bought” into “hook, line, and sinker.”  One of the guys (and he’s a college graduate) the other day, when talking about GW Bush said, “I think he’s a nice guy.”  I asked, “What makes you think that?”  And, he (incredulously to me) answered “I don’t know, I just think he is – that’s all.”  Honestly, I’m losing my patience with grown adults who “volunteer” to be “low information voters.”  These guys I golf with are “faithful” Fox “news” brethren – and, even when you give them “facts” they won’t look at them.

 For example, one guy the other day decided to attack Obama in my presence – thinking I would come to his aid.  Well, if you’ve read my blog, you know the answer to that – but, I decided to hold him accountable for the GARBAGE coming from his mouth.  He said, “When George Bush left office the national debt was $7 TRILLION.  OK, I’m sure if you’re reading this you know how absurd that is – but, I decided to go to the Treasury’s website and print out copies of the national debt since 1950.  Of course, when you look at the OFFICIAL statistics the widest gap between expenditures and revenues occurs during the presidencies of Nixon/Ford, Reagan, HW Bush, and W Bush/Cheney – with the last (two) more than doubling the debt in their eight years.  In FACT, the actual debt when President Obama took the  oath of office was well over 11 TRILLION and, like other republicans, my golfing friends refuse to accept the dire circumstances Obama inherited.

I’m writing this because I’ve seen so many people with the same brainwashed mentality of these retired men; good people who worked their entire lives, and who believe that those at Fox “news” are telling the truth.  The propaganda is flowing from all directions and MOST of it is coming from the direction of those behind the Fox travesty and the “think tanks” funded by the Kochs, Mellon Scaife, DaVoss, and other extremely wealthy right wing Americans.  About two weeks ago I even read an Op ed in the New York Times written by the one and only Grover Norquist making public his EXPECTATIONS of the “oath” apparently all republican members of congress took to REFUSE to raise ANY revenue in the attempt to “balance” the federal government’s “books.”  Remember, Norquist is the man who famously was quoted as saying he wanted to “starve” the government of taxes until it could be “drowned in a bathtub.”  Norquist and the people he represents have UNLIMITED amounts of money, they are greedy beyond belief, and they are ruthlessly threatening republicans that if ANY of them support a tax increase – OF ANY KIND – they will fund a primary opponent against them – in other words, unless you comply with “me and my people” (That’s my version of Norquist speaking) you will lose your next election!

So, the problem (technically) isn’t mainly Obama – it’s clearly the republicans who are leading us onto the edge of another Great Depression in their desire to MAKE SURE President Obama “fails.”  The question is – and, in my mind, has always been, how do you deal with this?  The 2012 election is still a year and a half away and there’s no guarantees that democrats and independents are going to figure this out by then.  Remember, I’ve been pointing out the problem with “Citizens United” since the day the Supreme Court decided the case.  That is a HUGE obstacle for democrats – we’re already seeing Karl Rove infusing MILLIONS into Wisconsin to stop the recall elections there (I really hope Rove fails!) – and there are something like 18 “tea party” like governors around the country who are passing voter suppresion laws aimed at Blacks and poor people (and students) with several more waiting in the wings (some reports estimate as many as 21 MILLION people could be turned away from the polls in 2012, enough to change the results)  – all receiving unlimited funding for their campaigns from people like the Koch’s, Rove, DaVoss, Norquist, and all the corporations funneling money into the elections through the above mentioned Citizens United decision which gave corporations (unbelievably) “free speech” rights as if they were individuals.  (Didn’t John Roberts rail against “legislating from the bench” in his confirmation hearings?)

While I’ve stated above the problem (technically) isn’t Obama’s – I believe with all my heart that there will be NO solution until we have a leader who will COMBAT these republicans.  Tonight, I was watching Keith Olberman on Current TV (If you haven’t checked it out, you really should – there’s one “pundit” who will criticize BOTH sides! – when appropriate) and one of his contributors is Jeffery Scahill of “The Nation” magazine (by far, the best liberal magazine in America).  Scahill wrote the book “Blackwater” which was one of – if not – the first to expose Eric Prince and his right wing militia for hire.  Scahill tonight was reporting on new evidence about the TORTURING that took place under the orders of George W Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld – Olberman showed video clips of EACH one of them ADMITTING to authorizing TORTURE (waterboarding) – in one clip, George W Bush tried to pin the responsibility on the “lawyers,” but, it’s clear that he HAD TO know that waterboarding is a BLATANT violation of the Geneva Conventions which the United States is a signatory to.  I was glad to hear Scahill point out the hypocrisy in President Obama’s FAILURE to allow investigations of the torturing that took place under Bush/Cheney while even going so far as to defend them in court – and, it was not clear to me that the practices have been totally abandoned since Obama took office.

Do you wonder why average people like myself and my friends who all seem to be republicans can agree on one thing – EVERYONE in Washington is corrupt (Well, I’d excuse a few – but, not many) and our Judicial System is rigged.  No one from Bush/Cheney et al has EVER been held accountable for their misdeeds, not ONE Wall Street banker has gone to jail over the 2008 meltdown (shouldn’t there have at least been some investigations), and it was pointed out tonight by Scahill that Obama’s administration is actually defending Donald Rumsfeld in court as he’s being sued by an American who was illegally imprisoned in Iraq for over 9 months with no charges ever filed – PLUS, during that nine months he was TORTURED!  The undeniable conclusion one must come to here is that what we’ve got is an endless case of “politics as usual.”  The democrats and republicans create a crisis, argue for a couple months, do virtually NOTHING, play golf together, and then hit the airwaves to convince the public “who won.”

The sad reality is that most people  in the general “public” know that “we the people” ALWAYS lose!  Therefore, getting back to my original point of the evening, it appears to me that “the can got kicked down the road.”  Maybe as Randi Rhodes claims there is some secret provision of the bill that will ultimately allow President Obama to “win,” although I believe there’s an equal chance of something overlooked by democrats which will allow republicans to “win.”  But, if you watched the Stock Market lose almost 5% today (over 500 points on the Dow Jones Industrial averages) it becomes clear that, while we’ll have to wait to fully find out who “won,” we’re already seeing who LOST!  I have friends who have 401 k’s and are on the verge of retirement – I believe they stand to lose (A LOT), I know people who are “long term” unemployed – not because they’re lazy as Michele Bachmann puts it, but because there’s NO WORK for them – while discussing this “crisis” I’ve heard NOTHING about creating jobs (in fact, I haven’t heard the word jobs mentioned since the republicans regained control of the House).  I took produce from my garden to a local homeless shelter just the other day and one of my former students greeted me there – I’m not going to list all the ways she’s losing from this diabolical political theatre – and, I could go on and on.  I guess the politicians involved feel the can wasn’t “kicked down the road” because when the “crisis” was “ended” they all had their re-election plans firmly established.  I can feel it already, the political propaganda is going to reach new heights in the next year and a half.  You just have to wonder, what will the human toll be on all of these politicians “winning?”