I’ve waited a few days after the election, which ended up following the general polling, to attempt to put my thoughts to paper. I have to say that the emotions I’m presently feeling in regards to American politics reminds me of the day Ronald Reagan was elected president back in 1980. In fact, I’m pretty much feeling as if the “force” that brought Reagan to power is not going away any time soon. I’m coming to the conclusion that it will take something along the lines of another Depression to wake up those Americans who’ve evidently “bought in” to “trickle down economics,” “climate denial,” and – maybe worst of all – denial of Dwight Eisenhower’s warning against the “military industrial complex.” I’ve written ad nauseum about the importance of “un-electing” the present day republicans, but this past election pointed out very clearly that the problem with that is the present day democrats! It’s as if the democrats are actually watching Fox “news” and scurrying around trying to figure out how to “outsmart” their pundits. OMG – this is all very depressing!
Just a little reminder: The republican goal is what Karl Rove calls the “permanent republican majority.” They thought they had achieved this with the election of GW Bush (I should say the appointment – by the [less than] Supreme Court) and Dick Cheney – but, Bush was such a bumbler that their plan was (temporarily) foiled. However, the forces behind Bush/Cheney weren’t going to allow two failed wars and a “Great Recession” to stop them. They have a stranglehold on the court system, now they have both houses of Congress, and if you’ve been paying any attention at all they’ve been focused on defeating Hillary Clinton (the supposed Democratic nominee for president in 2016) for at least two years now! (The sad reality, at least by my predictions for the past 4 years, is they will attempt to do this with another Bush! Yuck!) If they succeed again, the result is likely to be the same – although, for people my age (approaching 70) we may not be able to endure this long enough to see a return to true “bottom up” progressive government before we “check out” – because the list of republican presidential “hopefuls” is like a who’s who list of right wing wacko’s who could make GW Bush appear to be an intellectual. (which is exactly why I’ve been predicting another Bush) In addition to the three branches of government, they also have a stranglehold on the “message” that proliferates on our 24/7 Cable network empire – the so-called (and miss-named) “liberal media.”
And, it’s the control of the media’s message in combination with the Citizens United unleashing of corporate mega-spending on elections which gives the republicans a great chance to gain a stranglehold on the very government they claim to despise – for the foreseeable future. Let me give you a quick example of what “progressives” are up against. Supposedly, MSNBC is the “liberal counterweight” to Fox “news.” All I can think of is “with friends like this, who needs enemies.” I’ve written before several times about Chris Matthews, former speech writer for Jimmy Carter and the largest MOUTH on MSNBC (who should know better), and he, along with Chuck Todd (who’s now the moderator of “Meet the Press”), the political “head” of MSNBC, make me shudder at the thought that “we the people” are depending on people like this to make a fair representation of what’s going on in America. Now, Allison Lundergan Grimes probably was never going to unseat Mitch McConnell for Kentucky’s Senate seat that was up for election. However, because Ms. Grimes refused to disclose who she voted for in the previous two presidential elections Matthews attacked her credibility and Todd actually allowed himself to be part of a Mitch McConnell add where he claimed her refusal to do this “disqualified her.” I get angry every time I think of what these two nimwhits are doing!
Without getting into the absurdity of their position any more than to say that NO ONE should be asked who they voted for – Lundergan Grimes was absolutely correct – the vote SHOULD BE a private matter! However, compare her refusal to disclose she (probably) voted for President Obama with the deeds of Mitch McConnell. The man has shown himself to be a racist OVER AND OVER, he’s spent 6 YEARS putting the destruction of a sitting United States president ahead of the needs of “we the people,” he’s a puppet for large corporate donors, plus he was the driving force behind the Citizens United decision. And, he hasn’t been shy about any of this! Of course, it would be too much to expect from “experts” like Matthews and Todd to call McConnell’s actions “disqualifying.” Honestly, that’s a lot of what is so depressing about what “we the people” are facing. People like Matthews and Todd being put in places of supposed “expertise” and then allowing themselves to be used by the right wing puppeteers in an almost more disgusting way than the minions on Fox. At least on Fox, you don’t have to be very sophisticated to understand their message – they are GOP TV. The damage being done by people like Matthews and Todd is much more “under the radar.” I have no idea how many “progressive” Kentuckians saw the McConnell add with Todd (the liberal) claiming that Lundergan Grimes was “disqualified” and then either didn’t vote or voted against her – but, when supposed journalists are stooping to that level, we’ve got BIG PROBLEMS in America!
And, then there’s the democratic party itself. Now, I’ve stated on this site numerous times my objections with President Obama, but I’ve also said he’s so much BETTER than the alternative. And, the claim he’s some kind of socialist (I wish he was more-so) is absurd. (although you’ll never hear that unless you delve into the internet “news” sources) The democrats “ran away” from the leader of their party during this entire election – which was unbelievable to me. And, I’m guessing they’ll fall in line with the likes of Rush Limbaugh, McConnell, John Boehner, and the rest of the republicans in blaming the defeats on the president. Just writing this increases my level of political depression. I must have received THOUSANDS of emails asking for money during the election period – with virtually NONE representing anything positive – it was almost all “beware of the Koch brothers.” What ticked me off the most about that is when people like me were warning democrats to beware of the “Koch Brothers” and also warning about “Citizens United” the democrats weren’t listening. It’s almost as if situations have to be at the crisis stage before it gets their attention. There were MANY positive achievements for democrats to run on, but they chose to disassociate themselves from the president, and by extension, from their own actions. Truly, this is not my recommended way to succeed in the American political process.
The greatest irony of this election, to me, was watching the democrats abandon the first African American President and then find themselves PANDERING to the African American community in a last ditch effort to pull “victory from the jaws of defeat.” That, in itself, was so disgusting to me. Is it any wonder that the African American community in America must feel totally isolated. I’m talking about the people who live in places like Ferguson Missouri, where Michael Brown was brutally murdered by police, or Florida where the killer of Trayvon Martin was allowed to go free using an ALEC written “stand your ground” law as his excuse, or all the places in America where African American unemployment figures are depressingly elevated and they are profiled by police, and I could go on. Additionally, if it’s offending to me to see/hear/listen to continual racist “code” regarding President Obama – with little backlash from the White community – imagine how that must turn off African Americans from the political process. I can tell you this, democrats had better do more than TALK about the racial divide in this country if they want African Americans to continue to support them at the polls.
There’s no where to turn for those of us who would like to avoid the calamity that is assured (like in, “it’s just a matter of time”) with an extended dose of “republicanism,” “privatization,” and “trickle down” economics. It’s like, to me, the American people have already FORGOTTEN the Bush/Cheney fiasco’s of the “new millennium.” (As the theory goes: Those who ignore history are bound to repeat it!) And, on that note, I’m reading (another) book about the New Deal and the Great Depression. The time preceding the “crash” of 1929 and the general political environment of the years leading up to it is eerily similar to what we’re experiencing today. Corporate GREED brought America to its knees back then and it will do so again, if we allow it. (which appears probable at this point in time) I won’t belabor the point, but President Obama’s greatest failure was letting those who caused the “Great Recession” – including Bush/Cheney et al – to go “Scott free.” The lesson: evidently we’ll have to experience the “real deal” before the American public gets the idea that “trickle down” really means “trickle up.”
One thing I thought about the other day was that the “faces” I looked at as I watched many of the republican acceptance speeches looked as if the Reagan nightmare (they call it a revolution) is still alive and well in America. Many of the people standing with the candidates appeared to be what I would refer to as 40 somethings. These would be people who “came of age” during the Reagan years and have been enjoying the BENEFITS of the “New Deal” and the progressives who followed (Eisenhower, Kennedy, and LBJ), but have been brainwashed to believe (and I believe their belief is “real”) that government is the problem. They have been convinced that private business can do EVERYTHING better! So, now we have private prisons, they’re pushing for more private schools (with censored textbooks – as a retired teacher, I shudder), private armies (Blackwater – which had to relocate over seas to avoid legal ramifications to their misbehavior), and more plus a plan for elimination of government agencies which oversee private business and the environment.
I’ll end this by saying, what I’ve heard coming from the mouths of the victorious republicans is they are going to continue their efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and they are going to pass a bill allowing the Keystone XL Pipeline. I guess we’re going to see if there are any democrats with some spine – and, they had better figure out how to work with our Black President – or the republicans will have their way. Maybe with a little support from his own party President Obama will sharpen his “veto pen.” That is the last hope for those of us who wish to see this assault on our nation by the right wing of the republican party stopped. I stated this several years ago on this site – this is a WAR for the heart and soul of America – and, from my point of view, the democrats still haven’t figure this out. (The Keystone XL Pipeline could be a disaster that is difficult to overcome if it’s allowed to happen – and, if you don’t think it’s HIGH on the republican “to do” list – just keep in mind that the infamous Koch Brothers are major players in bringing this DIRTY Tar Sands oil to their refineries – they’ll get the profits, “we the people” will have to clean up the mess)
After posting this I saw a snippet from “The Daily Show” which puts my thoughts about the stupidity of the democrats MUCH better than I can – click here if you ‘d like to see it.