Note: I started this post several weeks ago, and – I guess – got a case of “why am I doing this?”  Kind of losing the motivation to keep writing.  However, as you read the post – the first part is the “THEN” and the final part (which I’m not sure what it’s going to be as I’m writing this) will be the “NOW.”  Let me preface whatever those remarks might be by saying that I’m a bit encouraged by the “push” from President Obama for the “Jobs Bill” and I’m hoping that he won’t “let up on the gas.”

I was in a bit of shock the other day when I saw the news that President Obama had “backed away” from EPA regulations that were intended to require America’s businesses to upgrade their facilities and reduce the amount of smog in America’s cities.  Just as He claimed that extending the “Bush Tax Cuts” last December would create jobs (it didn’t) he is now saying that enforcing these new standards – which are the result of many years of hard work by people concerned about our environment – would cost Americans jobs.  Honestly, it’s like President Obama is being advised by members of the republican “tea party” caucus.  I have no idea what this man is thinking, but he is clearly not up for the BATTLE that is necessary if this republican encroachment on our government is to be stopped.  I thought the “permanent republican majority” which has been the dream of republican operatives (behind the scenes operatives – like Karl Rove, Grover Norquist, Jack Abramoff, and Howard Phillips to name a few) since the days of Richard Nixon had been put to rest with the end of the “Bush era.”  I thought George W Bush had screwed things up so bad that no one would even look at republicans for years.  I just had no idea what Barack Obama was going to be doing as president.  And, this latest CAPITULATION is just further evidence that the democrats need to get another candidate for 2012 – AND FAST! (Hillary Clinton’s looking better all the time!)

What is so IRONIC and, to tell the truth, MADDENING about what is happening is that these republicans are attempting to destroy America’s government, while at the same time fleecing the taxpayers out of EVERY dime they can get.  This government they profess to HATE has such a pull to them that they are spending BILLIONS to gain TOTAL control of it.  Really, the question is becoming clearer to me every day;  Are the American people STUPID enough to allow this fleecing to continue?  The answer would be obvious to me if we had a leader in the White House who wasn’t continually trying to appease these thugs.  Why on earth he’d do another “back flop” I have no idea.  Extending the “Bush Tax Cuts” only led to the “debt crisis” – not more jobs.  Does he really think that allowing companies to continue polluting at the present rate (while climate change “EVIDENCE” mounts at a drastically frightening pace) will save jobs?  Is it his job he’s worried about saving?  Honestly, from my perspective, the more he tries to save his own job, the more likely he is to lose it in 2012.  I just have to wonder; who’s advising President Obama?  This is all getting a bit depressing!

President Obama and his advisers have to have read many of the books available to the general public.  Right now I’m reading “The Wrecking Crew” by Thomas Frank which should be, in my view, required reading for every person in America who wants to understand why our government is NOT working.  I’ve been pointing out the obvious for years now and trying to convince anyone who’s reading this “blog” or listening to my rants that we are in the middle of a WAR for the heart and soul of our nation.  The republicans who are “running things” on their side are clearly doing EVERYTHING they can to insure that our first Black president FAILS.  That’s the one thing they’ve been up front about from before Obama took the oath of office.  What I’ve been struggling with is the tepid response to their CLEAR racist attitudes by not only the media, but also the democratic party itself.  It’s like the democrats are incapable of understanding the stakes and what they need to do to counteract this disgusting “Juggernaut” which is PURPOSELY destroying our government.  When you read Frank’s book, it becomes clearer how serious this problem is.

I’ve known that republicans have been running up the national debt through their “Trickle down” fleecing of America’s taxpayers since the days of Reagan.  The statistics have clearly shown the shifting of America’s wealth in an UPWARD direction since Reagan took the oath of office.  Reagan started the public “assassination” of America’s union movement when he torpedoed the Air Traffic Controllers.  America’s union movement has been under increasingly intense attack since then and it’s been reported recently that, through “smoke and mirror” legislation the republicans are on the verge of dismantling the Post Office and one of America’s largest remaining unions.  We’ve seen the attacks by republican governors on organized labor in several states following the 2010 elections – action which was enabled by President Obama turning off his “base” to the point that they stayed away from the polls in the millions (that was stupid from the voter’s perspective, but I “get it”).  Now, I’ll be the first to admonish anyone for not voting – but, that result was predictable.  Obama has been making one decision after another that is like a body punch to his original supporters.  In the meantime, the republican “plan” marches on – and, the democrats aren’t fighting back in a way that makes me feel as if they “get it.”

In “The Wrecking Crew” Frank systematically documents one instance after another where republican presidents have installed “cronies” in positions of “leadership” in America’s bureaucracy with the obvious goal of destroying the very agency they have been charged to lead.  It’s happened in the EPA to the point that, as mentioned above, now even Obama is backing off on necessary regulations (evidently, to avoid yet another “fight” – do you remember that Obama’s most SEVERE blunder – pardoning Bush/Cheney/ Rumsfeld/ and the others because he didn’t want the “distraction?”) and showing no signs of attempting to repair the damage done by GW Bush, his Daddy, and the republicans before them.  The Justice Department has become almost a pathetic joke – they’ve got 100 lawyers prosecuting Roger Clements (a baseball player) who may have lied before Congress – and NONE prosecuting the Bush administration lawbreakers, Eric Cantor for violating the Logan Act in regard to comments made to Israel’s Prime Minister, both Bush and Cheney for admitting to authorizing TORTURE on national TV (and Cheney “outed” a CIA agent), and for refusing to use our legal system to prosecute the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks.  The republicans have undermined the FDA and other agencies and they’ve been placing political hacks in government offices for years while driving out the “career civil service workers” who knew what they were doing – so that their (republican) claims of government incompetency could become true.  In other words, the republicans have been INTENTIONALLY placing incompetent people in strategic places for the PURPOSE of destroying our government  for over 30 years.

The question comes to my mind as to whether or not the democrats have noticed?  I certainly haven’t felt that President Obama has made it a priority to fix this problem.  This is why there are millions of democrats who are disgusted with Obama’s performance.  They’re smart enough to understand the “do nothing” aspect of the republicans in congress – they’re just so disappointed that Obama has been more interested in “compromising” with these people who have their own self interest in mind – and need to be DEFEATED not compromised with.  Honestly, that’s what I was voting for when I heard the phrase “Change has come to America.”  What’s the change?  Just the other day President Obama introduced another “stimulus” “jobs” bill to both houses of Congress.  Republicans showed their true colors by some of them refusing to attend – I can’t remember that happening in my lifetime (although it may have) and, I’m certain they will not go along with the “plan.”  Here’s my take from what little I saw of the “plan.”  It looked to me that Obama’s “plan” was more intended to save his job than to create jobs for those who are so desperately looking for work that will pay their bills.  Over half of the “plan,” if I understood it correctly, was in the form of tax cuts.  Those tax cuts apparently will be aimed at people such as myself, but I’m convinced that government spending is MUCH more stimulative and creates MORE jobs!

The fact Obama made the proposal (which probably falls into the “too little and too late” category) is encouraging and if it is the “stimulus” to get him leading the FIGHT against republicans, then I will be behind it 100%.  It’s just that Obama’s history is that he’ll allow it to be watered down to the point where it is ineffective in order to get something passed – and, in my mind, at this point in time it’s more important to galvanize the American public to REJECT as many republicans as possible than to get some lessor version of this bill passed.  I would have loved to see a more ambitious bill with a plan to campaign against the “do nothing” congress – similarly to Harry Truman in 1948.  Give the American public something to vote for – instead of something to vote against.  Make a proposal the republicans will clearly block and make the election be determined on whether the American public wants a government which supports the “commons” or one which says we are best when it’s “every man/woman for themselves.”  Obama has a perception of being “weak” and Americans will not vote for someone who gives that impression – the only way for Obama to win in 2012 is to energize the base on the left who surged at the polls in 2008.  Simply put, there’s more of us than there are of them!

This is the “NOW:” In the weeks that have separated when I started writing this post and tonight I’ve given considerable thought to my disappointment with President Obama.  He’s certainly not what I had imagined, BUT – he’s so much BETTER than anything the republicans might offer (I still think Jeb Bush might end up as their candidate – ugh! can you even imagine another Bush in the White House?) and he is, in my opinion, the most WELL MEANING president in my lifetime with the possible exception of Jimmy Carter.  Unfortunately, Obama could end up labeled with similarly to Carter unless he becomes more aggressive in the WAR being waged by the republicans.  THIS IS SERIOUS business!

When I look at some of the accomplishments of President Obama it is apparent that his heart is in the right place – AND – if the republicans weren’t so THUGGISH I would probably admire his attempts to “bridge” the gaps between “conservatives” and “liberals.”  However, what I believe Obama, the democrats, and most observers are failing to come to grips with is the underlying motivation of the republicans.  Should they “pull off” their “plan” the United States will have taken a HUGE step backward in many ways from a social point of view AND the republicans will be ENABLED to create a stranglehold on our democracy (yes, it’s a republic) that will take MANY years to overcome.  First, and foremost, the control of the Supreme Court will become devastating for those of us who believe the United States is a “WE” nation and not a “ME” nation.  With FIVE votes they got the “Citizens United” decision enacted – which was the most disturbing court decision in my lifetime (well, maybe short of Bush v Gore).  If a republican wins the White House in 2012 within four years they’ll have potentially 7 seats on the court with a majority of them YOUNG (as justices go).

Republicans are attacking UNIONS at an alarming rate and with an alarming tenacity and they have initiated VOTER SUPPRESSION legislation in almost HALF of America’s states.  I’ve heard reports suggesting their target is to prevent as many as FIVE MILLION voters from voting in the next national election – and, if you can’t figure out which segments of the population they’re going after – well, I don’t know what to say.  Republican supporters have a stranglehold on America’s media (yes, that pesky “liberal media” they keep telling us about) and they’ve been using it to overwhelm the American public with their Goebbel’s (Nazi propaganda “chief”) like propaganda scheme.  Check my archives if you aren’t sure what I mean by that (or just watch a few different media programs on the same day and ask yourself if it’s a coincidence that ALL the republican “talking heads” on ALL the different programs are spewing the SAME “point” using the SAME keywords – ie “talking points”)

Obama’s “push” for his “Jobs Bill” is commendable, but there’s a lot more that could be done to energize the people who originally helped him get elected.  I’ve paid some attention to “Occupy Wall Street” and have been encouraged by the outcry of the protestors who are asking the EXACT correct question: Why are they being arrested for protesting and NO ONE has even been investigated for the Wall Street ABUSES which have torpedoed our national economy?  Why haven’t any of the “leaders” in America who have been BLATANTLY thumbing their noses at the very constitution they took the oath of office to protect been held accountable – like Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, Rove, and anyone else in their administration who lied to Congress (really, is it worse for a baseball player to lie about using steroids than an Attorney General to REPEATEDLY lie about undermining our Justice Department, or for the president’s top adviser to LIE about “outing” a CIA agent?), authorized TORTURE, LIED us into a WAR, and/or PROFITED from the WAR they lied us into?  And, speaking of the Wall Street bankers who got off “scott free” what about Hank Paulsen?  Why was there never an investigation into the so-called TARP bailout – which saved Paulsen’s former company, Goldman Sachs, who was at the forefront of causing the “meltdown.”  Did anyone besides me wonder how much money Paulsen saved for HIMSELF by instituting the BAILOUT?

So, what I’m saying is that it’s great that President Obama seems to be on the “offensive” over the jobs bill – but, the issues that need to be addressed are much greater than that.  He MUST keep the “pedal to the metal” on that bill, because there’s nothing more important to the American public right now than knowing that the government is going to intervene in this jobs CRISIS.  However, if the Obama administration would show some backbone in allowing investigations of all the wrongdoing that preceded their administration enthusiasm would be created on “Main Street” (probably not Wall Street).  However, this is a “class war” and, as of now, the “one percent” is winning – but, the 99 percent are seemingly beginning to awaken.  I believe the best campaign ad President Obama could produce would be Dick Cheney answering questions about torture and war profiteering in a court of law!