OK, if you’ve been around my rants in cyberspace much, you knew this was coming – kind of an “I told you so” moment.  And, yes, I’m talking about the “Christian terrorist” who MURDERED three people at a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs the day after Thanksgiving.  He killed a police officer (who, ironically, was also an assistant pastor at a local church from what I’ve read), an Iraq war vet, and a mother of two who was there supporting a friend.  I’m not sure what we will hear from the right wing “crazies” regarding this Murderer, I’m guessing most of the “hate mongers” will be declaring their own innocence regarding the DISTINCT possibility that their hate rhetoric motivated this MURDERER to kill these people while thinking he was some kind of “pro life” hero.  Honestly, as a Christian myself, I TOTALLY fail to understand the thinking of people like this and the ones “ginning up” the hate.

However, I have to point out that just a few days before this happened I wrote about the right wing – I believe I referred to them as “fear mongers” – who’ve been out in force since the terrorist attacks in Paris a couple of weeks ago.  I pointed out the hypocrisy of people like (most of) the candidates for the republican presidential nomination who are “broad brushing” Muslims because of the extreme antics of ISIL and attempting to block THOUSANDS of Syrian refugees from entering the United States – presumably because there’s a slight chance ISIL will manage to smuggle a terrorist past our border despite the18 month to 2 year vetting process each refugee must endure prior to being admitted (legally) to the the U.S.  Keep in mind, these refugees are fleeing unrest that is, to a large extent, the result of the Bush/Cheney invasion of Iraq in 2003.  Republicans have found creative ways to avoid that part of the discussion and our “liberal media” is very accommodating for them.

Jeb Bush had the gall to say that “If they are Christians, we should let them in.”  I’m guessing (and, I guessed in that previous post) that Mr. Bush was suggesting that only Muslims could be considered “terrorists.”  I’m wondering, REALLY I am, how Jeb would categorize the man who shot up the Planned Parenthood facility, killing the aforementioned three INNOCENT people, while holding scores of people hostage.  From the accounts I heard, there was random gunfire repeatedly at different times during the day.  Witnesses reported the man shooting at just about anything that moved.  He was apparently shooting through walls, doors, windows, and who knows what else – at this point.  I’m guessing his motive was to create TERROR!

I haven’t been much for watching the republican “debates” but I do recall one of the earlier ones focusing on Planned Parenthood and referencing a video, that has since been proven to be a hoax, to support the claim that Planned Parenthood is somehow selling “baby parts” after abortions.  Now, I have to say here that I’m not “pro abortion.”  My heart goes out to anyone who’s in the position to feel they need one.  And, in my mind, there is no question that once an egg and a sperm unite and you have an embryo that requires only food and oxygen to grow, it is a human life.  To me that is not even debatable, it’s just reality.  However, that being said, I have to add that I’m thankful to never have been in the position to have to make that choice.  Personally, except in rare incidences I’d choose “life.”  The reality though, to me, is that it’s not my decision, it’s legal, and it’s not my place to “judge” either the patient or the doctor in the case of abortion.  I could write another long post about this subject, but I’ll leave it for another day.  My point here though, is that crazy people like the guy who committed these MURDERS are affected by the rhetoric of “leaders” who profess to be Christians and who are constantly attacking – usually with “doctored” evidence – abortion providers. (and, ironically – here’s that word again – most of the people in the “pro life” movement – at least that I’ve observed – oppose early child education, government funded children’s health care, Medicaid, food stamps, maternity and paternity leave, raising the minimum wage, etc. – all areas of “debate” that affect people in poverty – and, the number’s growing not receding – I’m guessing financial considerations would be a leading motivator for women seeking abortions)

I strayed from my point, but I wanted to be clear that I’m not “pro abortion.”  (honestly, I don’t think many people are – there are, in my view, a plethora of reasons why unwanted pregnancies would be significant in our nation)  My point is that the guy who MURDERED the three people at the Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs has to be called a “home grown” Christian terrorist.  (And, none of the people he murdered were having abortions! – not that that would have made it OK, I’m just sayin….) Unfortunately, I see lots of similarities between the right wing Christians and the right wing Muslims.  The core beliefs might be different, but the “my way or the highway” philosophy seems to have a lot of similarities to me.  As a “liberal” Christian, that’s certainly not how I read the Bible.  One of the main things that drew me to believing in Jesus was “free will.”  The idea that we, as a nation (or government) can “legislate morality” to me is as absurd today as it was in my mind back in my formative years – the 60’s and 70’s.

As time rolls on while I’m often pondering why I’ve been motivated to read so many books and be, seemingly, constantly ranting in cyberspace, about the damage being done to the America I love by the republican party, it’s becoming more clear to me that what bugs me the most is that it’s the Christian community which is generally considered to be the “base” of that party.  Someone like Donald Trump, who is eerily reminding me of a certain person we’re not supposed to mention who arose to prominence back in the early thirties in Germany, says: “I’m religious.”  And, the republican brethren believe him and then cheer when he denigrates Mexicans and says he will locate millions of them and somehow deport them (and, believe it or NOT, Trump’s going to build a wall – I guess something along the lines of the Great Wall of China, between Mexico and the United States and Mexico will pay for it), or proposes rounding up Muslims and “registering them,” or, the last one I heard was when he suggested 80% of whites murdered in America are killed by Blacks!

Is it any wonder why America’s young people are fleeing from Christianity?  My understanding of the Gospels is that it’s a message of love.  That’s NOT what’s coming across from the right wing of the republican party – which is relying on Christians as their “base.”  Please people, wake up!  And, I’m not a big fan of the democrats – in fact, I heard today that a significant plurality of America’s voting public is now “independent.” (I’m in that category)  Makes me think Bernie Sanders actually does have a chance to succeed in the 2016 presidential election.

To me, there was great thought put forth by our founding fathers when they CLEARLY put forth a constitution calling for a SEPARATION of church and state.   However, since the days of Reagan (there’s that “bugaboo” again) republicans have “sucked in” Christians who are opposed to abortion (Read “Crazy For God” by Frank Schaeffer) as a way to push some very “Non-Christian” initiatives, with the end result being damage to both the government and to the church.  Now, more and more, we’re ending up with “Christians” committing murder and the people who “egg them on” in the media, after the fact, are nowhere to be found.  In Colorado we have THREE people, TOTALLY innocent people, DEAD – and, within a matter of days our “liberal media” was on to the next story.  In fact, the next story was another shooting, but this time it was perpetrated by Muslim MURDERERS – so it will likely be in the news for months and “we the people” will be encouraged by our media outlets along with the GOP candidates for president in 2016 to “be afraid.”  (And, the republicans will use it to blame President Obama for more of our ills!  Yikes!)

Note: I started this post a couple weeks ago and never got it finished or published.  In the meantime I met with a friend that I often have breakfast with on Saturday mornings.  After that meeting I started another post – kind of along the lines of this one – and, I thought I’d just add it here.  It’s pretty much self- explanatory. (and, for once, it’s short :o):

Often times, on Saturday mornings, I meet with a “conservative” friend of mine for breakfast and we do something our politicians seem to be immune from, we discuss issues that we see from almost completely different viewpoints in a way that encourages honesty and transparency.  I call it a dialogue.  We’re both Christians, I’m a “liberal” Christian and he comes from the “conservative” bent.  But we talk, and we respect each other’s viewpoint, and – in my view – we each grow a bit every time we meet.  Neither of us appreciates the level of division in our country and the FACT that we’ve stuck our children with politicians who can’t seem to perform even the basic functions of government.

Today, as I arrived, my friend was reading an article on his phone (we’re both old enough to be continually amazed that our phones are more powerful than the first computers we used) that referenced the president of Egypt making a pledge to rebuild structures of Christians in Egypt that have been destroyed by Muslim radicals in the previous couple of years.  We both thought, “That’s the kind of leadership we’d like to see from statesmen around the world.”  He suggested I post this article on this blog and I decided he was correct.  So, if you’d like to read a very interesting article that encourages peace and understanding (and tolerance), click HERE.

I’m finishing the book “The Power Game” by Hedrick Smith and towards the end of the book he brings up an interesting point in regards to the political power “scene” in Washington DC back in the 80’s which is, in my view, even more profound today.  He points out that beginning with JFK the American presidential elections are pretty much determined by candidates who are able to “sell” themselves on TV.  That is: The makeup on your face is more important than the makeup of your political positions. (this is my analogy)  What was transpiring then (the book was written during the last year of the Reagan administration) has become more acute in today’s world – especially, in my view, in congressional elections – and that is:  many of the people elected to office in today’s political “climate” do not understand how to govern.

The first example that came to my mind while I was reading this part of the book (other than the republican candidates which I’ll get to later) was what I witnessed during the last “episode” of the Benghazi hearings where the right wing republicans in the House were attempting to destroy Hillary Clinton.  I listened to about an hour and a half of the proceedings and was totally amazed that virtually EVERY one of the republicans on the committee demonstrated almost a COMPLETE lack of knowledge regarding how our government – and, in this instance, the State Department – works.  The reason for my interest in this inquisition was my support for Bernie Sanders for the democratic nomination for president in 2016 and how this hearing would affect Mrs. Clinton, who is obviously the main opposition to Mr. Sanders.  Well, “to make a long story short,” the next day I told one of my friends I think the Benghazi committee just elected Mrs. Clinton as president.  The republicans were embarrassingly ill-prepared and Mrs. Clinton was given the opportunity to demonstrate an incredible grasp of the workings of our government – well beyond just the State Department.  In a “nutshell,”  the republican “attack squad” was no match for Mrs. Clinton.  In essence they gave her free advertising!

As I’m reading Smith’s book I keep thinking back to these republican representatives on that committee and reminding myself of how our present Congress is making the “Do Nothing” Congress that Harry Truman vilified back in the late 40’s look like workaholics.  Not only are they continually exposing their lack of knowledge regarding the workings of our government (and, I’m not just talking about those on the Benghazi committee now), but they (republicans) seem to spend more time either blocking legislation initiated by those in Congress who do know how it’s “supposed” to work or actually NOT WORKING at all!  I saw a chart a while back on the number of days Congress has been in session since the republicans took over and it’s almost as if they work the number of days most people spend on vacation (OK, it’s not quite that bad – in 2014 I believe the House was in session something like 100 WHOLE days!)  Each year the republicans control the House they set a new record for the fewest pieces of legislation passed IN HISTORY!  Honestly, I think they repeal “Obamacare” (The Affordable Care Act – the legislation one of my good friends, a republican, has shared with me he’d be bankrupt without) more often each year than they pass legislation.

So, one has to wonder (at least I do) how did we get ourselves into such a MESS?  Well, there seem to be multiple explanations, but I have to believe Smith’s contention that the TV has totally turned our democracy upside down (again, my characterization) ranks right at the top.  First of all, it’s those behind the scenes of the political parties – and, as I’ve said many times on this site, that’s where the republicans put the democrats to shame –  the operatives who we never see along with the financiers with the bottomless pockets – who determine the candidates who actually run for office.  In the republican party, if you stray from the “pledge” by even one or two “votes” (in the case of an incumbent) you will get “primaried.”  This is no secret – although I’m amazed that more people in our “liberal media” don’t discuss the ramifications of what that (voting in “lock step”) does to our “democracy.”  Compromise, which is the backbone of a functioning democracy, is a “dirty word” to those behind our present day right wing republican party (which is why my main focus for the past few years is to encourage people to vote republicans out of office – en masse)

So this invisible “cabal” of the republican party has to find people who will be “acceptable” via the TV advertising which is necessary to win in today’s political climate AND they have to be willing to vote how they’re told to vote.  The idea that any of them are actually “voting their conscience” is laughable.  The representative in my own district (she’s a republican) was threatened with censure by the local republican party because she voted 5 times out of over 500 votes via her conscience.  It’s do what you’re instructed or the funds will be cut off and you’ll be “primaried.”  I’ve been using the F word (fascism) to describe the direction of the republican party for years.  Now, with people like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz leading in the polls for the republican nomination for president you’re hearing that term in more and more places.  When you have a group who openly profess “The end justifies the means” it’s time to “wake up” – that would be my message to “we the people.”

I’ve watched (as much as I can stomach of) the republican debates for the 2016 nomination for president and I haven’t heard much that relates to actual issues and how to solve America’s mounting problems.  What I’ve heard is “I’ll get rid of Obamacare.”  “When I’m elected we’ll get the Keystone XL pipeline.” “Planned Parenthood sells body parts.” “Obama is weak.”  “Issues” like that along with a plethora of comments that compete for the number of “Pinocchio’s on the fact checking websites.  I think I did hear Donald Trump claim that the minimum wage is too high and others say we should repeal the minimum wage.  I watched part of one democratic debate and felt that each of the candidates was speaking to specific issues.  While there were many generalities there as well (I guess that’s how it has to be) the candidates spent most of their time speaking toward issues and not blasting each other or their republican counterparts.  What stuck out to me was how the democratic candidates demonstrated an infinitely higher grasp on the functionality of government – and, I have to add, I’ve never understood the rationale behind electing people who HATE government to run it.  That, to me, makes no sense.

Back to my original point – our “system” has evolved to the point where the ability to attract voters via your TV personality far outweighs your knowledge of and ability to run government.  To me, that is a dangerous misnomer – and, it’s time that reality becomes part of the national dialogue.  Ronald Reagan was an actor who was completely at ease in front of the camera’s and he won one solid victory (over Carter and Anderson) and one landslide victory – despite the FACT that a majority of Americans (especially by his second term in office) disagreed with his political philosophy.  Reagan had no expertise on how the government functioned and mainly delegated responsibility to others – leading to some lasting damage to the foundation of our nation.  It was Reagan who claimed government to be the problem and not the solution.  It was Reagan who put the national debt on its course toward financial disaster – a course that got a substantial assist from GW Bush/Dick Cheney in 2002.  Reagan is the best example (I can think of) of a politician who’s expertise at winning elections via the TV allowed for his incompetence at governing to rule the day.

In today’s political “arena” you’ve got people like Charles and David Koch who are willing to spend HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of dollars to support candidates willing to take the “pledge” (the pledge is to vote lock step according to the directions of the party “leaders”) and they (the Koch’s and their brethren) are the masters at how to use the media for their advantage.  For years the republicans have been brainwashing America’s unsuspecting public as they’ve had a slow steady push toward what Karl Rove calls the “permanent republican ‘majority'” – quote marks are mine.  They’ve had people like Rush Limbaugh brainwashing his listeners – what’s really interesting to me about him is that Limbaugh actually refers to his listening audience as “ditto heads” – and, the listeners willingly adopt that slam, they’ve got Fox “news” which is the brainchild of Roger Ailes – a “dirty trickster” republican operative sans Richard Nixon – that openly follows the “Big Lie Theory” of Joseph Goebbels, the German Nazi propagandist, with little to no actual blow-back from the “liberal media,” and they’ve got a small “army” of right wing pundits that will flood the various cable “news” outlets – all, of course focused on being “fair and balanced,” – with, what I call, the “word of the day” – as they spread the right wing’s propaganda message to all who will listen.  Honestly, you can’t get away from this barrage of propaganda.  For example, they’ve even convinced liberals that our media is “liberal.”  And, as the commercials you see on TV regarding professional golfers state – “These guys are good.”

From the standpoint of those “pulling the strings,” I’m sure the FACT that so many of those going to congress as “Tea Party” “conservatives,” or simply “conservative” republicans have no idea how the government functions or how to create legislation is  TOTALLY irrelevant.  The only thing that matters is that they vote as they’re directed.  I’m sure over the course of time, many of these people actually start to believe they are competent at what they’re supposed to be doing, but all you have to do is watch something like the Benghazi hearings to realize – “Oh my gosh” these republicans are outlandishly bad!  I’m sure this is why, during the election cycles, the campaign managers attempt to keep their candidates away from impromptu sessions with anyone associated with the media in case they might say something off of the script.  If you remember GW Bush – he had difficulty putting one comprehend-able sentence together, let alone a whole paragraph!

All of this is why I’m starting to see Donald Trump as playing a very important part in the next few years of America’s unfolding history.  One thing you can say about Trump is that he’s not one of those candidates who’s going to say what he’s told by the republican insiders.  In fact, what I’m hearing is that the republican “establishment” is staying up late at night trying to figure out how to get rid of  Mr. Trump without encouraging him to run a third party campaign.  He’s not taking orders from them – in fact, I’m sure his plan is to give the orders!  These republican insiders loved the “Tea Party” while it was working to their advantage, but Trump is more than likely giving them second thoughts.  The latest “reporting” I’ve heard is that the republican “establishment” is planning a “brokered convention” in case Trump manages to stay viable all the way until the convention begins.  Their “Tea Party” strategy seems to be backfiring!  But, make no mistake, Trump is an expert at using the TV to further his ends – and he is a classic “The end justifies the means” type of person.  He’s referred to America’s voters as being “stupid” and, in my view, the ultimate success (or failure) of his campaign will go a long way in determining to what degree he’s accurate.

And, let’s look at the alternative to Trump.  At the present time it’s looking like Ted Cruz.  I’m sure it wasn’t too long ago that there was NO ONE in the republican party who thought any candidate would make Cruz look “inviting.”  The reality:  Cruz is not much different than Trump.  We’re still looking at Fascist comparisons should the republicans end up nominating Cruz.  He’s had enough “wacky” moments in his short Senate career to fill a large roll of film for the PAC’s that will be lining up to prevent him from winning the White House.  As I predicted about 5 years ago, the logical republican nominee – from what I could foresee – was Jeb Bush!  Yikes!!!  Right now, Bush is at around 3% in the polls – so, the “establishment” is going to need a “Houdini” trick to prop him up to a level where he’s got a shot at the nomination.  I wonder what they’re thinking – that the preferred alternative to Trump is another Bush?!  Is it any wonder that the republican party finds itself in disarray?  In truth, the republicans are all about POWER.  The so-called 1% has become almost unfathomably rich since the day Reagan was elected.  There seems to be no way to satisfy their GREED!  I find it ironic that “one of their own,” Donald Trump, could be their undoing.  Trump has the TV part of politics “down,” we’ll all have to wait and see if America’s voters are as stupid as he thinks they are.

The biggest irony in all of this, to me, is that it’s people like Trump who these “Tea Party” fanatics should be angry at.  It’s the Wall Street members of the so-called “1%” who’ve been ripping them (and America) off for the past 30 years – but, they (the Tea Party) have been convinced it’s the democrats (and, “liberals”) and the “government” that is the problem.  Bernie Sanders is correct when he asserts that a significant portion of the “angry” Trump supporters would have a much better chance of seeing change that positively would affect their lives by supporting him.  Reminds me of the saying, “Can’t see the forest because of the trees.”

Many people (including myself) have referred to the list of candidates for the 2016 republican nomination for president as the “clown car.”  Well, I was just reading an article about how two top staffers for Dr. Ben Carson had resigned and, in the article, it mentioned that in the last quarter of the year Dr. Carson has raised $23 MILLION all the while as his campaign is headed for the “dumps.” (That’s my characterization)  My first thought as I was reading this article was that Dr. Carson (and, I’m sure, most of the other members of the “Clown Car”) is/are “laughing all the way to the bank.”

Now, as a non-political candidate, I’m not sure what he will do with all this cash – what I am sure is that he’s not going to refund it to the supposed 600,000 donors out there who sent it to him.  It’s hard for me to get the amazement out of my head that there are apparently 600,000 Americans willing to send money to someone like Carson as he portrays himself as a qualified candidate for the office of the president.  I want to say, “Are you kidding me?”  Then I remember John McCain choosing Sarah Palin to be “a heartbeat from the presidency” – had he won and something happened to him – AND, a large percentage of the republican “base” hit a TEN on the excitement meter.  It’s hard for me to imagine how that many Americans can assume you can just pull someone out of a family dialogue (argument?) regarding politics and they would be qualified to hold the highest office in the land.  I guess Ronald Reagan has succeeded in convincing the American public that government “is the problem.”

The list of republican “leaders” who have a difficult time putting a complete sentence together is beginning to seem endless.  In Carson’s case, I’m sure he’s a renowned brain surgeon, but as I listened to him, I came to the conclusion he was no more qualified to be president than I am – and, honestly, that’s a scary thought!  I’m trying to force myself to listen to the members of the so-called “clown car” and it’s got beyond discouraging – it’s to the point of downright embarrassing!  (The thought of one of them actually winning is frightening) I’d love for the people of this nation who are encouraging this stuff to realize “the world is watching.”

I’m guessing that many of the supporters in the rallies for people like Carson are simply angry citizens who don’t understand why things have gone in such a “southward” direction in their lifetimes.  Many are probably in the 40 – 50 year old range and they became adults around the time Reagan got elected back in 1980.  I’ve written about the travesty of the “Reagan revolution,” but I’m thinking now it will have to be the historians to fully quantify the DAMAGE that has resulted from the “me first” thinking which was (and is still being) embedded in the minds of so many Americans.  I can’t tell you how many working class Americans I’ve talked to over the past 20 or so years who, on the one hand, vote for republicans and then, without any knowledge of how republicans have promoted anti-worker policies while enabling America’s elite to “rob” the taxpayers almost blind, blame democrats (and, for the past 7 years President Obama) for the failures of our government.  (I’ve written many times regarding the sophistication of the republican (brainwashing) propaganda scheme – taken right from the “playbook” of Joseph Goebbels, head of Nazi propaganda – why our “liberal media refuses to disclose this reality is beyond me)

I mean, for the most amazing example of how ridiculous things have become in this nation, all you have to do is look back to the Bush/Cheney regime.  (In essence, today’s “clown car” are promoting an identical philosophy)  GW Bush and Dick Cheney took a $250 BILLION surplus and turned it into a $500 BILLION deficit in the space of about 4 years. (That’s NOT my “opinion” – you can look it up)  And, that doesn’t even count the TRILLIONS they spent on two wars that they “charged” and never put “on the books.”  (One of the first things President Obama did was put the cost of the wars “on the books” and, of course, this led to republicans blaming him for the deficits he INHERITED)  Bush/Cheney essentially RUINED America’s standing in the world by authorizing (openly) TORTURE and by encouraging economic “freedoms” for Wall Street that led to the so-called “Great Recession” – causing the $700 BILLION TARP bailout (that “we the taxpayers” will probably NEVER know how much it really cost) – where Bush/Cheney and Henry Paulsen abandoned their “free market” philosophy just long enough to enrich their brethren on Wall Street – the very people who risked the world’s economy for the sake of some pretty fancy “profits.”  Of course, that fiasco (the Great Recession) affected the entire world because our financial “experts” were selling their financial garbage to any country’s financiers who could be convinced our rating agencies were actually operating under some kind of regulated honor bound system.  (If you don’t know this, republicans HATE regulations – regulations seem to get in the way of their ability to SCREW people)

And, of course, Bush/Cheney gave us the present political “tensions” with ISIL and the like via their unprovoked INVASION of a sovereign nation in Iraq, circa 2003.  Kind of makes you wonder where they get off criticizing Russia, for example, when Russia “invaded” Ukraine.  I can only imagine how people around the world react when they hear American politicians criticizing foreign governments for encroaching on the sovereign rights of others.  Evidently, it’s the old “do as I say, not as I do” philosophy.  I’m assuming there are still many in the American public who believe the people in other nations around the world are STUPID.  Ironically it was the present front-runner of the “clown car,” Donald Trump, who I’ve heard, more than once, refer to the America voting public as “stupid,” and I’m beginning to believe he’s got a point – especially for the republican base – which is supporting him (and others like Carson).  The reason I’m bringing up the Bush/Cheney regime again is because it only took two years and republican voters were acting as if Bush/Cheney caused no harm.  In 2010 we got a fresh “bunch” of republicans (the “Tea Partiers”) who were even more “out there” than Bush/Cheney.

Trying to get back to my point, it’s just hard for me to imagine what is going on with the republican party in America.  Honestly, you don’t have to be an expert on political science to understand that people like Ben Carson (and Sarah Palin and Donald Trump and, I could go on) are not qualified to be the president of the United States.  I mean, just think of Sarah Palin with the keys to the “box” or whatever it is that sets off the nuclear devices.  Yikes!!!  Or, Ben Carson??  Seriously, Donald Trump or Ted Cruz????  These people can’t have a “debate” on actual issues that matter to changing the direction of this nation because they don’t understand how the government functions – do we want them deciding whether or not it’s time for a cataclysmic war?  (Palin famously said, in reference to a question regarding her credentials in foreign policy, “I can see Russia from my porch.”)

Sadly, this push toward the “right” (which allows fringe candidates like Dr. Carson and Ms. Palin to become relevant) has dragged the entire debate to the “right.”  I’ve been pointing out for years that, in my view, the democratic party suffers from the inability to defend their own basic principles – sometimes I’ve used the terminology – spineless.  They’ve kind of just acquiesced in what many like me consider a battle for the heart and soul of our nation.  My email inbox is constantly flooded by requests for donations from democrats (many whom I have no idea who they are and how they got my email address) who tell me I should support them because they aren’t republicans – essentially.  Fear the republicans, or “fear the Koch brothers.” I can see that many Americans don’t find the alternative to republicans very palatable.  In the recent mid-term elections democrats around the country weren’t even able to defend their own policy decisions and basic platform.  It almost seemed to me that President Obama’s own party didn’t have the GUTS to FIGHT for the policies he was pushing and they were supposedly behind.  So, the problem here is twofold, and, unfortunately, “we the people” only have two practical choices when it comes to choosing our leaders.

The one person soliciting money from me who bases his requests on his own political philosophy and his proposals for solving problems is Bernie Sanders – and, from what I’m gathering, he’s considered a “left wing” fringe candidate.  I’ve been following politics in America for over 50 years and Bernie seems very grounded and practical to me.  I’m just pointing this out because, as I see it, there really is an alternative to all of this.  I’m guessing Bernie is an independent because he is unable to associate himself with a party whose leaders don’t have the conviction to fight for their own beliefs.  Again, I’m guessing, but I believe Bernie is running as a democrat for the very reason that he’s “practical.”  He doesn’t want to enable a right wing republican to win because of a “third party” campaign that would bludgeon the democratic “base.”  So, he will win or lose in the democratic primary season.  I appreciate and respect that.

I’m a “baby boomer” who graduated from high school about the time of the Gulf of Tonkin resolution circa Viet Nam.  Bernie Sanders, as I just stated, doesn’t seem “left wing” to me.  He seems practical and traditional based on the values that permeated America after the New Deal of FDR and the Great Society gains of Lyndon Johnson.  In between those two came 8 years of Dwight Eisenhower – a republican who would be considered a leftist by republicans today – who was responsible for his share of creating the great middle class in America that emerged after WW II,  “We the people” are the government that so many republicans complain about and our government is what we all depend on to maintain the traditions that made us great.  And, that government – from the 1930’s until Reagan’s election in 1980 was what I call a “we” government.  It took the “bottom up” approach to managing the economy and the people. Basically, the “platform” of Mr. Sanders.

Reagan’s election changed all that and has turned America into a “me first” society.  And, that’s the only way I can figure out that people like Ben Carson and Sarah Palin (and the others) have managed to “grab their fifteen minutes of fame.”  Reagan convinced a large segment of our population that government is the problem and,it seems, if you can just get a spot on the stage in the republican political world simply berating government and espousing cliche’s like “I want to take our country back” or I want to “make America great again”  you will get HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of donations, like in the case of Dr. Carson.

Anyone who knows anything about American politics has known right from the start that Dr. Carson has NO CHANCE to become the president of the United States.  However, when I saw the number of $23 MILLION in just the past 3 months, I have to think he’s more than a brilliant brain surgeon.  I’m guessing he’s going to make WAY more money running for president than when he was a practicing doctor.  What Sarah Palin did was take her turn from obscurity and turn it into TENS OF MILLIONS of dollars which I have to believe is the secret motivation of many of those on the “clown car.”  There seems to be a willing “host” for these people in the form of Fox “news” and, that’s another issue I could write about endlessly.  They (Fox) have succeeded in turning a significant portion of America’s population into “haters.”  As a father and grandfather, that is probably, to me, the worst part of all of this.  The “right wing” media – meaning Fox along with the radical “talkers” like Limbaugh, Beck, and all the wannabes like Lars Larsen who are willing to participate in this despicable propaganda scheme (obviously, they’re making a lot of money in the process) that is turning good Americans against each other by spewing lies and deceptive innuendo are the main culprits in destroying the foundation of this country.  People like Carson, Palin, etc. are simply, in my mind, the “water carriers.”

There are multiple forces who are attempting to actually turn the freedoms so many of us in America take for granted into the mechanism that turns us back to the days of the “Robber Barons.”  Unfortunately, in my view, many of those who’ve chosen to “believe” the propaganda coming from Fox, Limbaugh, and the others don’t even know what the “Robber Baron” era was.  They’ve been convinced that the very government that has given them so many privileges is the enemy of the people.  Obviously, there is plenty of room for improvement when it comes to the government, but I believe history will show that much of that need has been created since the day Reagan moved into the White House.

I find it discouraging to read the comment sections on blogs where “right wing” commenters are referring to “liberals” in stereotypical ways – often referring to liberals as “stupid.”  The one I read tonight was filled with hateful comments about “liberals” and equating them to the government as if they (and the government) are the enemy – and, noticeably, I have to add that the writing was so bad it was hard to read.  In fact, I’m pretty sure the fact that I’m a 6th grade teacher made it easier to decipher the meaning of many of the comments because it was obvious (from the invented spellings, etc.) that many calling “liberals” stupid should maybe take a look in the mirror.  I’m only pointing this out because it was apparent that many of the commenters were regurgitating information they were “fed” by the “right wing” propaganda machine but they were lacking in the ability to express their thoughts cogently. (And, unfortunately, the disparaging commenting seems to go both ways – it’s as if those whose philosophy is “divide and conquer” are winning)

From what I can tell, the members of the “clown car” – including Dr. Carson – are using this paranoia towards our government that has been “drilled” into the minds of so many working class people who don’t understand why their way of life is “crumbling” and encouraging them on where they can place the blame, as a means for Carson (and the others) to further their own personal wealth.  (the old “the end justifies the means” theory)  It will be interesting to see what happens as, one by one, the republican “aspirants” fall by the wayside – what they do with their “campaign chests,” and if anyone even checks.  It has been reported that Sarah Palin has “paved the way” as to how to turn a failed political campaign into massive personal wealth, and I have to believe Dr. Carson and many of these other republican “hopefuls” have the same intention.  Here’s the political reality in America since the days of Reagan; when republicans win the American people lose!  I have my issues with the democrats, but I look forward to the day when “we the people” wake up to the fact that the republicans and their benefactors are (and have been since the 80’s) pilfering the taxpayers of this nation for untold TRILLIONS of dollars! (all while they’ve got “we the people” arguing over insignificant “stuff” so we’ll continue failing to notice)  Maybe then “we the people” will correct the problem by voting them out of office en masse!  In the meantime, as I said earlier, the “players” in the “plan,” like Dr. Carson, are “laughing all the way to the bank.”