I guess I continue listening to MSNBC as I drive around (on my Sirious XM car radio) because I keep hoping that at some point there will be a journalistic push to actually “tell it like it is.”  Of course, I end up listening to Chris Matthews (I’ve written before about this frustration) and, while I don’t end up (most of the time) shutting it off like I have to do with the right wing “talkers,” the frustration is almost worse because I believe Matthews “knows better.”  People like Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity or, to a lessor degree, people like Lars Larsen are simply “pimping” for the “invisible” (not so much anymore with the “outing” of Charles and David Koch) “puppet masters” who dictate what they are going to say.  Matthews, on the other hand, in my mind is simply more focused on entertainment than real information – thereby playing into the hands of those on the “right” who will spend BILLIONS in 2016 to complete what Karl Rove calls the “permanent republican ‘majority.'”

Most people I know – even if they’re “ditto heads” have some idea of the motivation of Limbaugh and the other right wing “shock jocks.”  The effect of Matthews (and people like him – who are considered on the “left” by many) is much more surreptitious.  For example, today on my way home from whatever I was doing I tuned into “Hardball” – the MSNBC program that Matthews has which is right in prime time in the East.  Of course, the first thing he was ranting about (as he’s often to do) was ISIL and questioning why we can’t simply exterminate them.  (I always get the “hint” he thinks Obama should simply bomb them to “smithereens” as if that would be easy to do) Then, what really set me off today, was the ensuing discussion about the “front runners” for the 2016 republican presidential nomination.  According to Matthews that would be Jeb Bush and Scott Walker.  He may or may not be correct on that “front,” but what caught my attention – and, confirms things I’ve “alleged” about Matthews in the past – was his contention that he wants a “contested” presidential race in 2016.  I take that – and as I listen to him I believe he’ll work toward that end – as him wanting something that brings an audience to his program with little regard to the consequences of what happens to America if Rove’s “dream” comes true.  (I also gathered, by his lack of discussion regarding Walker, that his “pick” to make 2016 a “contest” is Jeb Bush – yikes!)

In the past, I’ve written about how Chuck Todd, another of the political “experts” on NBC/MSNBC, allows himself to be used by politicians – seemingly unknowingly.  In Todd’s case, what made it worse for me was his mega-blunder was a boon for Mitch McConnell.  To me, no one who thinks as a progressive should be doing anything but exposing McConnell for all the reasons he should be “disqualified” to be a U.S. Senator instead of helping him in his re-election bid.  So today, Matthews started talking about Jeb Bush – with, I’ll give him some credit for a few pointed “questions” Bush will face in the upcoming primary season and campaign should “we the people” be subjected to another Bush in the 2016 election, the hint he wants Bush to be the “man.”  What really bothered me was Matthews left me with the impression that he would be looking to find a strategy to present Bush in a way that would make the election “competitive” – because, that’s what “the people want.”

Well, I’ve got news for Mr. Matthews – I believe there is a growing number of Americans who DON’T want to see Rove’s dream come true.  And, even more who don’t want another Bush.  Let me give you a few reasons:  first, the Supreme Court (which deplorably anointed Jeb’s brother president in 2000) is already on a “collision course” with being the WORST court in American history – ie “Citizens United” (the decision which OVERTURNED 100 years of attempts to keep corporate influence out of politics) along with the McCutcheon decision which further opened the “floodgates” to rich people buying politicians (America’s Congress is ALREADY CORRUPT to the CORE) – plus the GUTTING of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (allowing numerous voter suppression antics by republicans seemingly within days of the decision) just to name a few of their decisions TAILORED for the so-called one percent.  Should republicans “finish the job” (that is control of the Courts, the Congress, the Presidency, and the media) – simply from the standpoint of the Supreme Court – the damage will last for at least another generation!

Then, when you take into consideration that the Koch’s have already PUBLICLY announced their intention to spend UPWARDS of a BILLION dollars to buy the next president, all you have to do is look at their “agenda” to get an idea of what to expect if they pull this off.  For starters, Koch Industries has a “track record” as one of the LARGEST POLLUTERS in America.  Instead of “cleaning up their act” their solution to the “problem” is to eliminate the EPA.  If you’re as old as I am you remember that the EPA came into existence during the term of Richard Nixon (one of the main reasons why “conservatives” hated him) and it has helped to “clean up” major portions of America.  Nixon would be a liberal compared to these people!  I still remember, as a child back in the late 1950’s, being driven across country by my parents and driving through a town in Indiana where there were signs next to a river which said “don’t throw burning material into the river, it will catch on fire.”  While we have a long way to go in cleaning up our environment, I believe it can be said we’ve come a long way since those days.  The Kochs want to “turn back the clock” and get rid of the EPA.

The Koch’s (and their supporters) are at the head of the list of “climate change” deniers – and, it won’t take many presidential terms with people following their lead to get us dangerously close to (or past) the “point of no return” in relation to our need to reduce the effect of fossil fuels on our atmosphere.  Read Naomi Klein’s “This Changes Everything” if you need a bit more input on this subject.

Then there is the New Deal – or, I should say, what is still left of it.  The Koch’s, and the people who they are affiliated with, HATE  the New Deal – they’ve been ranting against it since the days of FDR (well, now we’re talking about Charles and David’s Dad – and those who formed the John Birch Society back during the Eisenhower years – they actually referred to Eisenhower as a “communist sympathizer”).  They’ve managed to “chip away” at many of the breakthroughs of the New Deal and winning the White House in 2016 could very well “finish the job.”

These people are so far to the “right” that they managed only one percent of the vote when David Koch ran against Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election. (he ran as the VP candidate on the Libertarian “ticket”)  And, if you’ve been paying attention – their philosophy is that if they are supporting you (ie Senator or Representative in the House) you will vote with their interests EVERY time!  My representative is a young lady (who I pretty much disagree with, but I like and respect) who is a republican and she voted against the “flow” on either 5 or 6 votes (meaning she has a something resembling a conscience) out of over 500 votes and the local GOP is in the process of CENSURING her!  You read that correctly, 5 or 6 votes out of OVER 500 with democrats and she’ll probably get “primaried” in the next election come 2016.  (I was talking to a Christian friend of mine the other day and he looked a bit disbelieving when I mentioned the term fascism in relation to the Kochs and their agenda, but they act like tyrants!)

The Koch forces started off the new legislative session by showing their allegiance to Charles and David for all the money the two brothers have “invested” in our “tea party” run Congress.  This should be a HUGE “wake-up call” to all “progressive” Americans – but, with people like Matthews in position to be the voice – it more than likely “aint gonna happen!”  The republicans started the session by going after Social Security (trust me, they HATE Social Security) – and, they did it in the typical “MEAN SPIRITED” way republicans do things these days – with complete contempt for what Jesus Christ referred to as “the least of these.”  The republicans are attempting (and may succeed) to CUT the benefits of disabled recipients of Social Security benefits by 20% – and, in the process, apparently trying to pit disabled Americans against elderly Americans (the category I happen to fall into).  With the exception of actual Social Security support groups (Social Security Works, etc.) and the likes of LIBERAL Congressional members like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren (along with a few others) taking up the fight, you would hardly know this is happening.  People like Matthews are more interested in manipulating a “contest” for 2016 – than “fighting the good fight.”

Then there’s the Keystone XL pipeline – a pipeline that will cross America’s heartland, intersecting about 110 miles of the Ogalalla aquifer, and deliver MILLIONS of barrels of the DIRTIEST oil on the planet (the tar sands oil that originates in Alberta Canada) to refineries in Texas from which the oil will be shipped to China, India, and other countries around the world – but, with virtually none of the oil intended for America.  The Kochs stand to profit in excess of $100 MILLION from this pipeline and “we the people” will be left to clean up the mess – which is a byproduct that is apparently dirtier than the oil itself.  The enduring value of this pipeline in terms of permanent jobs (republicans are calling it a Jobs bill – of course, it’s the FIRST “jobs bill” since the Tea Party took over the House in 2010) will be around 35 to 40 PERMANENT jobs.  All this to create mountains of pollution around the Texas refineries and THREATEN the water supply of untold MILLIONS of Americans from South Dakota to Texas itself.  The very FACT this is one of the first bills of this Congress shows how deep the CORRUPTION of our Congress really is – yet, people like Matthews give us hardly a whimper on the subject.  It’s more important to him that we have a “contested” election two years from now – when the reality is that until this version of the republican party is put away into the history books America will continue the steady decline she’s been on since the Reagan Administration gave us “trickle down” economics and anti-government fervor.

Finally, Matthews was struggling to accept that the ISIL crisis that he so often rants about is a direct result of the Bush/Cheney administration.  While he kind of brought up the question of how will Jeb confront the issue of his brother he certainly didn’t take the same tact that his buddy Chuck Todd took with McConnell’s opponent in the Kentucky Senatorial election – declaring her “disqualified” because she didn’t want to disclose who she voted for (obviously, the McConnell forces were attempting to get a sound bite with her saying she voted for President Obama in a state where Obama is NOT popular).  I don’t expect to hear Matthews (or Todd for that matter) say that Jeb Bush is DISQUALIFIED because he was responsible for the election of his brother by suppressing an untold number of votes in Florida during the 2000 presidential election (by rigging voting machines, hanging chads, etc.) or giving an HONEST appraisal of the HORRIFIC consequences of the Iraq invasion (or the ineptitude of the invasion of Afghanistan) and Jeb’s role in the Project for a New American Century – the group which was lobbying for the invasion before Bush/Cheney took the oath of office.  That might minimize the chances of a “contest” in 2016, because even Matthews understands the rest of the republican “hopefuls” are kind of like a circus sideshow!

I could go on and on about my frustration with people like Chris Matthews (and other journalists who should “know better” – and, I realize maybe the problem is that I’m attempting [or hoping] people like Matthews would act as journalists) who seem to be OK with the republicans completing their goal of what would be generously called an oligarchy and could harshly be called a Mussolini type fascist government (that is – a corporate/government partnership) if it raises ratings for their shows.  Instead of acting like the “muck rakers” of the early 20th century – who were responsible for uncovering what was ostensibly a similar “partnership” as the Koch’s and their “ilk” are pursuing – we are stuck with people who want to see a “contest” with no regard to the potential consequences.  Fox “news” has succeeded in imbedding the “concept” of “fair and balanced” into the “mainstream” of what is transported across the airwaves (While, being the engine for the GOP propaganda “machine”) as “news” and, in the process, has turned the focus of American journalism away from speaking Truth.  In the process, in my view, we’ve ended up with people like Chris Matthews more focused on ratings than on reporting the TRUTH.  The Koch’s have BILLIONS to spend on manipulating the minds of unsuspecting Americans – which they’ll do with an unending barrage of TV adds that have NO relation to the truth – they don’t need people like Chris Matthews helping them succeed!

As I’ve mentioned before on previous posts I’m reading “The Bully Pulpit” by Doris Kearns Goodwin which is focused on the administrations (and lives) of Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.  I recommend the book (Goodwin also authored “A Team of Rivals” about the administration of Abraham Lincoln among others).  What’s probably the most interesting about this book are the parallels from the so-called “Gilded Age” or the age of the “Robber Barons” to today’s America.  A couple of my recent posts are focused on the now infamous “Koch Brothers” who seem to be cronies to the likes of JP Morgan and JD Rockefeller and there’s much more in this book that makes the reader think of today’s “current events.”

For example, (I’m getting toward the end of the book) at some point near the end of Roosevelt’s administration and the first year or two of Taft’s administration Congress passed the “Tillman Act” (this was in 1907 toward the end of Roosevelt’s terms in office) and the “Federal Corrupt Practices Act” (this was passed in 1910 during the 2nd year of Taft’s administration) with both pieces of legislation aimed at curbing the influence of corporate money in federal elections and creating limits and disclosure on contributions.  What is so interesting to me is, as I look back on American politics since the Supreme Court appointed GW Bush as president in 2000, watching the roll back of reforms (such as these two) by the right wing “machine” that has flourished since 9/11.  This movement initially gained serious momentum and has progressively evolved in America since the election of Ronald Reagan.  In essence, the Bush appointees to the Supreme Court – Chief Justice Roberts and Judge Samuel Alito – were the driving force behind “Citizens United” – the Supreme Court decision (debacle) which overturned the Roosevelt and Taft accomplishments (along with another 100 years of Congress trying to regulate money in politics).  Click HERE if you’d like to read more about these two laws (well, former laws :o(

The ultimate irony here is that these laws were designed to prevent EXACTLY what is presently transpiring in America – and, that is a corporate/government partnership.  (The definition, ultimately for this “partnership” – over time – becomes fascism)  If you’ve been paying any kind of attention to the past few election cycles in America you can see the incredible influence of the money now being thrown at political leaders by the “boatload.”  Just last week it was announced that the Kochs (and their brethren) are planning to spend $900 MILLION to buy (and “own”) the next President.  And, if you think I’m kidding, just look at the obvious evidence from the 2014 mid term elections.  Republicans gained control of both houses of Congress and, wouldn’t you know it, the FIRST item on their agenda was to repay the Koch’s by passing a bill authorizing the Keystone XL pipeline.  And, to the dismay of many “liberals” like me, our so-called “liberal media” didn’t seem to notice the obscene connection.  I mean, this is the MOST obvious form of political payback – BLATANT – that I can imagine.  I mentioned the other day that I wasn’t surprised to hear Joni Ernst – one of the “Tea Party” beneficiaries of mounds of Koch money which even she admitted made her candidacy possible – when giving the response (? – it didn’t seem like a “response” to me) to President Obama’s State of the Union Address making a pitch for the Keystone pipeline instead of talking about ALL the other issues facing Americans.  The Keystone pipeline will not benefit more than a few Americans, it is a MAJOR threat to our environment, and ALL the oil (and dirty byproducts) will be shipped abroad (everything goes overseas but the pollution associated with gathering and refining the tar sands).

These politicians who will follow the wishes of the “puppet masters” are, to me, nothing more than political prostitutes.  And, as I’ve mentioned before many times on this site, I feel the same way about a large percentage of people who come off implying to the American public that they are journalists.  I’m not talking about the radio talk hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, and lessor characters like Lars Larsen – because they’re more like entertainers.  However, they’re doing the same thing – they’re SAYING things they are told to say by the puppet masters, whoever they are, for the money.  They are part of the Goebbels like propaganda scheme that’s been republican policy for over 30 years (and, obviously, it’s working)  I’m really talking about people like the Sean Hannity’s and Bill O’Reilly’s who work for a network that calls itself a “news” network.  If you haven’t figured this out yet, Fox “news” should be called “GOP news.”  Unfortunately, I know way too many adults who actually believe they get “fair and balanced” information from Fox.  They are almost impossible to dialogue with because the false information has been DRILLED into their brains by this effective propaganda scheme –  a “scheme” that also seems to avoid the “eye” of others in the “mainstream” media.  This is what earlier politicians (FDR and JFK) were warning us about when they cautioned us about the “war” from within.  (Now that I’ve said this, I have to admit that I rarely watch any network “news” anymore – because, it almost always turns out to be “tainted” – no matter where it comes from –  although I do like Al Sharpton).

These “news” people, or pundits, or actors (like Hannity and O’Reilly) are allowing (I should probably say “helping”) the corporate assault on America that is threatening the very foundation of our republic.  They are all about the money.  And, they’re obviously valuable to their sources because they’re getting a lot of money!  I read somewhere a couple years ago that Limbaugh was making $400 MILLION per year – yikes!  That considering there’s a HUGE abandonment of his show by major sponsors due to his repeatedly making racist and/or misogynist comments, not to mention all the “pants on fire” lies he’s been held to account for over the years.  So, what does that tell us?  Well, to me it says that Limbaugh keeping his “ditto heads” in line is worth it to whomever is giving him access to so many major channels in America – so, they’ll pay the “freight” whether he’s got corporate sponsors or not.  He’s said stuff WAY MORE offensive than Don Imus did when Imus was essentially removed from the airwaves – but, Limbaugh is keeping a large audience in line – voting right wing republican no matter what those right wing policies do to his audience.  The audiences of Limbaugh and Fox “news” are reported to be the most misinformed Americans!

So, we’ve got corrupted politicians doing the bidding of their corporate benefactors and a media that is more interested in ratings than true investigative journalism and the result is people like Charles and David Koch are being very successful in their attempt to take us (America) back to the Gilded Age.  What’s the scariest to me in all of this is that the two “bastions” that “we the people” would want to be able to count on to give us a defense against this corporate overreach would be the Courts and the media.  Well, the Supreme Court has shown clearly where it stands with “Citizens United” and, more recently, the “McCutcheon” decision which helped to open the “spigot” of money wealthy Americans are willing to spend to buy our political leaders even wider.  Additionally, the Court GUTTED the 1965 Voting Rights Act – by some accounts enabling right wing governors (and Secretary’s of State) across the nation to impose voting suppression laws that will disenfranchise 5 MILLION plus voters – and, I’ll give you three guesses (and the first two don’t count) who most of those voters would be voting for. (or what color their skin is – a quick addendum here – I HIGHLY recommend the movie “Selma” if you’re interested in getting a better view of what the Court did in gutting section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act)  You can count on this court favoring corporate interests at the expense of “the least of these” (in the words of Jesus Christ) for the foreseeable future. (Roberts and Alito will be there for MANY years to come! ugh!!!)

In “The Bully Pulpit” the role of investigative reporting is made very clear.  Much of the “progressive” agenda that Roosevelt (and Taft) was able to enact was the result of the public being “informed” about the TRUE dealings with, what at the time was called, the “trusts.”  Others referred to the political powers as the “machine” – does that remind you of anything?  Today we’ve got the “too big to fail (or jail)” banks in Wall Street that control a massive amount of America’s wealth, less than 1% of the American public owning a HUGE majority of the nation’s assets, people (and groups) that are focused on their self-interest (like the Koch’s, the Walton’s, numerous multinational corporations, etc.) “investing” in our politicians, too many politicians willing to accept the “investment,” and a media that seems intent on “looking the other way.”  EVERYONE I know who has any interest in politics is sickened by the OBVIOUS level of CORRUPTION in our nation’s capital.  Yet “we the people” are feeling less and less able to do ANYTHING about this – explaining why 63% of Americans boycotted the last election.

When the “liberals” in the broadcast media are people like Chris Matthews and Chuck Todd – well, to me, it’s kind of depressing.  (I’m getting pretty old, I know things will turn at some point, I’m just hoping to be able to witness it when it happens)  Todd is the one who bothers me the most.  Over the times I’ve watched him he seems to come off as if he believes himself to be an expert political observer.  To me, Chuck Todd is the perfect “pigeon” for those on the “right” attempting to manipulate the media.  I focus on Todd because I thought he played a significant role in helping republicans gain control of the Senate in the 2014 election – even to the point where he allowed himself to be part of Mitch McConnell’s campaign attack on McConnell’s opponent.  Todd characterized McConnell’s opponent as “unqualified” because she wouldn’t share her vote in the previous Presidential election (you know, the vote that is supposed to be on a “secret ballot”) yet he FAILED to mention the MYRIAD reasons why it was ACTUALLY McConnell who should have been unqualified.  I don’t know if people like Todd are afraid of powerful “leaders” coming after them or simply LAZY in their reporting.  But, to me, his actions make him “unqualified” to be a “moderator” on national TV.

I’ve written a few posts about Matthews – who knows better – but, can’t seem to resist “lifting up” republican wacko’s with the idea that it will make for interesting “Hardball” episodes.  Not evidently understanding the damage this nation will endure if one happens to succeed with the help of the BILLIONS that will be spent convincing America that the republican “wacko” is “for the people” and reporters who fail to REPORT the TRUTH about his/her candidacy.  (for example, no one seemingly wants to use the term “racist” in regard to why republicans continue their HATE barrage against Barack Obama whose administration has led to massive income for many of their benefactors – like the Koch’s who’ve gained BILLIONS during Obama’s terms in office – these attacks seemingly being limitless and needing no factual basis)  I still remember one of Matthews’ “shoot from the hip” rants, essentially lambasting President Obama, at the beginning of the Ebola “crisis.”  Of course, as it turns out, our president was ahead of EVERYONE else. He made thoughtful, calculated decisions that have gone a long way in helping to curb the outbreak, and yet I haven’t heard ONE PERSON who attacked him, admit that they were wrong and he was right.  Unfortunately, that’s the way our system works!  And, Matthews ends up as a tool of the Obama “haters” every time he thoughtlessly makes a “gut reaction” to a “crisis.”  He did this during the VA “crisis” – insisting that someone be blamed (not mentioning – or researching – the culpability of a Congress which refuses to fund the VA) and essentially challenging Obama’s leadership – with the result being General Shinseki (a great friend of Veterans) being forced to resign and – still today – a crisis not resolved because the REAL problem (today as then) is a Congress that says with their mouths “support our troops” and then with the “purse string” says “FU” to our troops – by underfunding VA Hospitals and medical staffing.  Evidently, issues like this are only “interesting” to people like Matthews when Fox or their ilk feel as if they can use them to attack the President.

In my view, what we need is another Roosevelt type president – and, I don’t see one on the horizon without a change in our “fourth estate” – the media.  Theodore Roosevelt gained prominence with the help of media reporters who were willing to “uncover” the damage being done to the average Americans by the greedy corporate “masters” at the turn of the 19th Century into the 20th.  In 21st Century America we seem to be reliving a similar scenario, but this time, the “masters” have apparently studied HISTORY more thoroughly than the progressives – and, if “we the people” don’t get a wake up call before 2016’s election, the damage could last well into this century.  The America that we leave to our children and grandchildren won’t resemble what our parents and grandparents fought so hard to leave to us! (I’m speaking from the perspective of a “baby boomer”)

Presently, I’m reading “The Bully Pulpit” by Doris Kearns Goodwin about the emergence of Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the progressive journalism that led to the beginnings of progressive change in America circa 1900.  This is a very interesting and well written book which reinforces my thoughts of how eerily today’s politics mirror those of what is often referred to as the Gilded age or the age of the “Robber Barons.”  As I read about John D Rockefeller I can’t help but think of the most recent book I’ve read (“Sons of Wichita”) focused on the infamous “Koch Brothers” – and, especially Charles Koch.  The reality:  this period of greed and selfishness in the upper echelons of American society today is NOTHING NEW!

When Roosevelt assumed the presidency (President McKinley was assassinated) in 1901 there was a consolidated industrial situation in America where a few corporations (and their “bosses”) held almost unlimited power in America.  Additionally, the “Robber Barons” – ie the mirror image of today’s CEO’s – were “buying” the politicians in ways that perpetuated the struggle of the middle and lower classes of American citizens (sound familiar?).  What is really interesting (to me) is the parallel of the media then and now.  The “mainstream” media seemed to be too timid to TRUTHFULLY investigate the corruption that is inevitable when corporate interests are heavily “investing” in America’s politicians.  Once Roosevelt was in the White House (and, by the way, the “conservatives” in the republican party were doing everything they could to prevent him from getting there – that, ironically, is how he became the Vice President) it was a small group of TRULY investigative reporters who helped turn the tide of the nation’s “public opinion” in a way that allowed Roosevelt to push through some of his “progressive” agenda.

There was a magazine titled “McClure’s” which had a stable of reporters who were uncovering the misdeeds of the banks, the railroads, the steel industry, the meat packing industry, and other “conglomerates” who were ruthlessly profiting off the American public with little to no sense of responsibility to the public which supplied their “customers.”  Sound familiar???  Well, regarding the profiteering that is going on today – the true investigative reporting in 21st century America seems to be happening on the fringes of the so-called “liberal media.”  (for example, Greg Palast, whom I consider the BEST investigative reporter “out there” works via the BBC – despite the FACT he’s American thru and thru) The powerful “conservative” political strategists have learned much over the years as they are attempting to push America back in a way to repeal 100 years of progressive vision.  “We the people” are in desperate need of a “McClure’s” today that reaches a high percentage of middle class American voters.  (The “Nation” magazine is attempting to fill that void, but I don’t believe their circulation is enough to make a difference).

Take for example the Supreme Court decision called “Citizens United.”  I’ve been railing about this decision since the day it was enacted (thanks to Thom Hartman, a “liberal” talk radio host, who was explaining the ramifications of this decision long before it occurred) and it is both bothering and sobering to me that MOST of the people I know have never heard of “Citizens United.”  (and, most of these acquaintances of mine would be considered “educated” Americans) The problem with that is that, as I occasionally watch “news” on TV, it is a rare occasion when commentators “connect” the HUGE influx of money into American politics with Citizens United.  Not only are MOUNTAINS of this money coming from wealthy Americans, but an untold amount is coming from Foreigners with a vested interest in our politics.  (we’ll never know how much of the money is from foreigners, because it’s “secret” – ugh!)  I will always remember Sam Alito (one of the guilty judges on the “Roberts Court”) shaking his head as if to say “no, no” during President Obama’s State of the Union speech (I think it was in 2010) when he called the court out for this terrible judicial overreach – judicial activism at its “finest” – just what Alito and Chief Justice Roberts promised not to engage in during their confirmation hearings!  Now, “we the people” are forced to live with the results of their “overreach” until, God willing, the American people will support an amendment to the constitution to overturn their activism.  Example:  it’s now being reported that the “Koch Brothers” are committed to spending $900 MILLION in the 2016 presidential election to complete the process of what they (and Karl Rove) envision as a “permanent republican ‘majority.'”

Of course, the republicans don’t hold a “majority” in America – in fact, they have a “base” that consists of about 1/3 of the voting populace.  However, what they’re counting on, and they are presently proving works, is that when you control the media (the message) and you can afford to “buy” the politicians, it is very difficult for “we the people” to fight back.  Once they gain the White House, along with the courts, the Congress, and control of the media they will be able to convince much of America’s unsuspecting public that, for instance, repealing the minimum wage will “create jobs.”  Instead of making the Affordable Care Act better, they will attempt to repeal it.  They will make a direct assault on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and numerous other government programs they consider “socialism.”  They will work to either diminish the power of or defund government agencies that regulate business, food, the environment, and who knows what else?  The Koch brothers are libertarians who agree with the republican mantra to shrink government to the size where it can be flushed down the bathroom drain.

What else do the Koch brothers want?  Well, let me give you an example that clearly shows how this process of buying politicians works – this one is “right up front” – yet, you don’t see the media “up in arms” as they should be by such BLATANT political prostitution.  Yes, I’m talking about the Keystone XL pipeline.  This pipeline will move the Alberta tar sands “oil” from Canada to Texas so that it can be refined and the oil and its (incredibly dirty) byproducts can be shipped to places like China and India – NONE of the oil is going to American markets!  And, how do the Koch brothers fit in?  Well, they stand to profit to the tune of at least $100 MILLION once the pipeline is completed (my guess is that the $100 MILLION amount is quite conservative) and, if you’ve been paying attention, the politicians they’ve “bought” moved legislation for this pipeline “to the front of the line” in the just enacted Congressional session.  Before they did virtually ANYTHING else, they gave the Koch’s a message saying “thanks” for the HUNDREDS of MILLIONS already spent – and the “even more” on the horizon!  It’s really SICKENING to me to watch this happen, but, I haven’t seen much commentary pointing out to “we the people” the reality.  (you have to actively research, read books by actual investigative reporters or academics to get what I consider more accurate information – although, as I used to teach my students – check multiple sources!)

Did you watch Joni Ernst give the republican response to President Obama’s 2015 State of the Union speech?  Joni Ernst is a newly elected Senator from Iowa (shame on you if you live in Iowa and voted for this woman) and she is famous for bragging about castrating pigs as she launched her campaign for the US Senate.  Under most circumstances, a candidate such as Ernst would be on the fringe and would have no chance for success.  However, the “tea party” philosophy of the Koch’s is that they can “buy’ ANY seat in the House or the Senate with enough money.  Ernst herself is on record as giving thanks to the Koch brothers for funding her campaign and making her “win” possible.  How else did she give thanks?  Well, if you were listening to her “rebuttal” speech (it really wasn’t much of a rebuttal) almost the first word out of her mouth was Keystone XL pipeline (of course she – as with all republicans I’ve heard – won’t mention the Koch’s interest when “selling” the pipeline).  She pointed out this legislation was at the forefront of the republican “jobs” agenda.  And, of course, every other republican pushing this legislation is calling it a “jobs bill.”  (the legislation is now on a direct course for President Obama’s VETO pen)

What republicans (including Ernst) won’t tell you is that almost all the “jobs” created by this pipeline will be temporary (hopefully, the pipeline will NEVER be constructed – and the Canadians can process their own oil in Alberta) with only around 35 – 40 “permanent” jobs once it is completed.  They also won’t tell you the INCREDIBLE risk to America’s MAIN source of water that would be posed by this pipeline.  They’ve moved the course of the proposed pipeline so that it will “only” cross about 110 MILES of the Ogallala aquifer – the main source of water extending from South Dakota to West Texas.  The results of a pipeline spill (and, believe me, there’s MANY MORE pipeline spills from existing pipelines than “we the people” will ever know about – because, unless it’s local or HUGE – it’s not reported) could be catastrophic to untold MILLIONS of Americans living in the “heartland” of the nation.  Even those Midwest republicans who seem to blindly support “their” party would be affected by a spill.  “Worst case scenario” reports vary, but even accepting the most cautious report, a Keystone pipeline spill that would penetrate this Aquifer would lead to a national disaster of untold proportions.  So, my question to any republican would be, “Is this risk worth 40 permanent jobs?”  Of course as they would parse together some rebuttal you’d never hear them mention the Koch brothers and their money.

If you’re not familiar with Charles and David Koch you might wonder “how much money are we talking about?”  (and, keep in mind, both brothers are in their 70’s, one has terminal cancer, and both seem to be willing to unload some BILLIONS in order to achieve their John Birch Society, Libertarian dream of deconstructing the advances of the “progressives” of the Teddy Roosevelt years and the “New Deal” of the (hated) Franklin Roosevelt years, along with the similarly “hated” civil rights breakthrough’s of the LBJ years (if you haven’t seen the movie “Selma” I wholeheartedly recommend it!).  In fact these people thought Dwight Eisenhower was a communist sympathizer and Nixon even worst for the EPA and the breakthrough with China.  The Kochs are each “worth” a reported $50 BILLION (so, the $900 MILLION “investment” in our next president represents a “drop in the bucket”) and Koch Industries brings in a robust $115 BILLION in revenue each year (and counting).  In fact, ironically, their business has grown almost exponentially under President Obama – can you think of why they HATE him so?  The Keystone XL pipeline represents only a small part of the “Koch agenda” – it’s simply  the “receipt” proving republicans have been “bought.”  Should they succeed in buying the next president, we’ll then see the entire agenda – and, my prediction is that MOST Americans won’t like what they see!  The problem is that it will be most difficult to stop them once that has happened – the time to stop the Koch agenda is BEFORE 2016 – more and more people need to understand that if you’re not willing to FIGHT for something (like your rights) you will ultimately lose it/them!

Are the American people as stupid as the republican party assumes they are?  As much as I hate to answer that question in the affirmative, I don’t know what else to say. (Well, actually, I can conjure up another possibility which I will reveal below) Today, on my way home from church I did my “usual” as I purchased a Sunday paper for my wife.  And, knowing the local paper is controlled by a right wing family it didn’t surprise me to see the headline: “GOP focus: cut deficit and don’t do stupid stuff.”  Now, this would be comical if I wasn’t certain that most of the people who purchase this week’s Sunday paper won’t put much thought into that headline.  In fact, I believe most will be regurgitating the “inference” that republicans are focused on cutting the deficit and they will have no idea why the reference to “stupid stuff.”

This follows the line of the latest in the GOP propaganda scheme as they’ve switched gears from blaming the bad economy on President Obama’s “failed policy” to taking credit for what appears to be the success Timothy Geithner (and others in Obama’s administration) predicted when the original “stimulus” was passed in 2009.  They pointed out that the recovery would be slow and, especially, the jobless recovery would pick up gradually over the next 4 or 5 years (which would bring us to NOW).  Of course, anyone who’s paid any attention at all to American politics over the previous 6 years knows the republicans are HELL BENT on destroying the Obama administration – EVERYTHING he is for, they are against.  They will give him credit for NOTHING!  And, through all this President Obama seems to be moving on an “even keel” and he’s even progressed to the point where he’s showing some combativeness regarding this republican OBSTRUCTION.  (arguably, the worst obstruction in American history)

So, now their focus is on reducing the deficit?!  YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!  I’m sure there won’t be ANY acknowledgement that the deficit has been more than halved since Obama took office – despite all the republican opposition.  How convenient, to wait until the American people are actually beginning to realize that things are looking up to throw their arms into the air, start jumping up and down, and claiming:  “Look, we’ve reduced the deficit!” (and, I might add, that once they’ve assumed control of Congress – if things take a turn for the worst – I GUARANTEE you it will be Obama’s fault!) These are the same people who continue to run Dick Cheney onto GOP TV (Fox “news”) to defend TORTURE (claiming he would authorize it again) – the man who, as George W Bush’s Vice President (many say he was the most powerful Vice President in US history) claimed: “Ronald Reagan proved deficits don’t matter,” and, arguably, is as responsible as anyone for the ballooning deficits of the Bush/Cheney regime.  Evidently, deficits only matter when there’s a democrat in the White House.

Again, are “we the people” that stupid that we’re going to continue to listen to these people?  I get the newspaper’s headline.  Clearly, it’s time for the GOP to attempt to take credit for the reduced deficit (it’s been cut by something approaching $900 BILLION – from $1.4 TRILLION in Bush/Cheney’s last budget – the one inherited by President Obama to a projected $500 BILLION this year) because that’s how they do things.  They are not good at governing (just check the record of the Bush/Cheney years) but they are experts at OBSTRUCTING and OBFUSCATING.  The American people appear to be willing suckers for the republican schtick, it’s just that what they are REALLY “up to” is going to be EXTREMELY difficult to recover from once the general public “catches on.”

I just finished reading “Sons of Wichita” – a biography of the Koch family (ie the infamous “Koch Brothers”) and one of their great frustrations with the reality that they have to use the republican party as the “carriers” necessary to force their right wing (libertarian) agenda on the unsuspecting public has been all the “stupid stuff” (as referenced in my local paper’s headline) coming from republican surrogates.  Now, this shouldn’t be too surprising when you look at the reality that their “main men” (well, some women too) comprise people like Ted Cruz, Michelle Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Joni Ernst, Rick Perry, Louie Gohmert, and so many others in the so-called “Tea Party” movement.  People who have referenced things like “legitimate rape,” (Tod Aiken) and “even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen” (Rick Santorum and others) have made it more difficult for the Koch’s (and their network of “invisible” benefactors) to accomplish their goal of fulfilling Grover Norquist’s pledge to “reduce government to the size where it can be flushed down the bathroom drain.”

I’ve been suggesting for years there is an “invisible cabal” of wealthy people pushing the republican party farther and farther to the “right” and, over the previous 4 or 5 years the “Koch Brothers” have lost their anonymity – although, many of the benefactors in their network remain mostly “invisible.”  However, their agenda is “right out front” for all (who care) to see, and it really is a bit scary. (Unless, I suppose, you’re one of the benefactors – who appear to be people who are totally overcome by GREED!)  Take for example, the new republican congress which is soon to have total control of the legislative branch of the federal government (and, by the way, this “Koch empire” has meticulously and brilliantly – I hate to give them that – gained a foothold of control in a majority of state legislatures and governorships across America).  What will be their first activity?  Something designed to move “we the people” forward?  Something that would benefit a great majority of Americans?  If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge………….. (you know the rest)

The first actions of the new republican congress will be to pass a bill authorizing the Keystone XL Pipeline.  Now, for those of you that yawn and go, “ya what?”  Well, just take a moment to think about why this would be the republicans first action.  Before, I get to the “benefits” of this pipeline (which will be carrying the DIRTIEST form of petroleum) ponder this:  The Koch Brothers – the two guys most responsible for the FLOOD of “dark money” that has spurred the republicans into their new-found Senate majority – stand to profit by $100 MILLION (based on reports I’ve read) from this pipeline.  Republicans will claim it’s a “job creator.”  What they won’t tell you is that in the long run it will create about 50 (or less) permanent jobs.  Of the few thousand temporary jobs it will create – as it’s built – many are already there – meaning, people will simply be relocated while this pipeline is under construction.

Republicans will also claim, “we need the oil to push down oil prices.”  Well, that one should be a simple one to answer – shouldn’t it, based on the FACT that oil prices have dropped in half over the previous 6 months and are at their lowest level in almost 10 years.  Fuel efficient automobiles, solar power, wind generation, electric cars, etc. is what will (actually is) bring oil prices down.  Using less oil is the best solution to the oil crisis.  And, presently (and ironically) under President Obama’s “watch” America has become (again) the world’s largest oil producer helping to push prices down and supplies up.  Now, I “get” that President Obama probably had little to do with the present price of oil, but, if you’re going to blame the Bush/Cheney deficits on him – because it’s “under his watch” then you’ve got to give credit for what happens that’s positive “under his watch.”  I’m sure the republicans will figure a way to take credit for the drop in oil prices as well as the reduced deficit as mentioned above.

Finally, to “hammer” home my point – that I believe the republicans believe the American people are stupid – this Keystone XL Pipeline won’t even create oil that is sold in the American market.  What it will create is a toxic waste that “we the people” are left to deal with, dirty oil that is sold to places like China and India, and the potential to pollute the Ogallala aquifer in the heartland of America from which untold MILLIONS draw their water – including a significant number of farmers in the Midwest. (click HERE if you want to read more about the aquifer and the danger posed by the XL pipeline)  Obviously, republicans believe the American public won’t care about their push to create another $100 MILLION for the brothers Koch – I hope they’re wrong, but they did just “win” the midterm election.  (call me a cynic, but it does bother me that only 36% of America’s voters exercise their great privilege)

I’ll end by saying, the democratic party hasn’t given many of us “liberals” much to shout about in recent years.  I’ve personally been frustrated (over and over) by their apparent lack of courage to stand for their own convictions.  For example, in 2006 Democrats were voted into control of Congress because “we the people” wanted an end to the Iraq “war.”  Well, not only did the war not end, but a “surge” was the result.  The war profiteering was not investigated, the TORTURE was not investigated (until recently), and the CRIMES of Bush/Cheney et al were not investigated.  Jump ahead to 2015 and it will be the democrats those of us who oppose this “dirty oil” pipeline (the oil originates in Canada – why don’t they refine it and deal with the waste up there?) must depend on to stop the project and PROTECT the precious water supply of those in the Midwest.  Maybe the abuses of this “right wing” cabal haven’t gotten severe enough to “get people’s attention” – I just worry when the time comes that people realize what the Koch’s and their surrogates are up to the damage will be hard to reverse.  Personally, I don’t believe the American people are “stupid.”  I believe the American people are victims of a sophisticated propaganda/brainwashing scheme that is designed to return the USA to the Gilded Age.  (Read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “The Bully Pulpit”)

I just finished reading “Sons of Wichita” (How the Koch Brothers became America’s most powerful and private dynasty) by Daniel Schulman and hope this book becomes required reading for America’s voting public – whether you support their right wing agenda or, like me, feel as if they are the cause of a lot of what’s WRONG in our nation as I’m writing this post.  The book gives a thorough look into the Koch family and shows how people who control massive amounts of wealth can use that wealth in ways that are hard to comprehend for most of us who fall into the category of “we the people.”

I’ve been writing for years about what I call the “invisible cabal” of moneyed Americans who have been pushing both the republican party (and with it the democratic party) along with the political dialogue in America farther and farther to the right.  In my mind, this right leaning “tilt” began in earnest when Ronald Reagan managed to gain “admittance” to the White House in the election of 1980 vs. Jimmy Carter – and ironically, the libertarian party which featured David Koch as their Vice Presidential candidate.  Back then, the Libertarians managed something along the lines of 1% of the vote.  However, as becomes painfully (from my perspective) clear as you read this book, the Kochs have never allowed themselves to be discouraged by losing an election – evidence to that which is obvious as you consider their reaction to President Obama’s re-election in 2012.  That loss only temporarily discouraged them – instead of accepting that loss, they just ramped up their efforts to buy (and control) our nation’s government which led to the republicans winning control of the Senate in 2014.  (Evidence of the Koch’s success is the republican “PLEDGE” to start their new-found control of both houses of congress by passing the Keystone XL Pipeline bill – which equates to ANOTHER $100 MILLION for Koch Industries! yuk – people like me will be watching carefully at the democratic response to this action!)

What’s the most scary to me, as I’m gaining a better understanding of the “Koch empire” is they are practicing the very things they’ve railed against over the years – starting with their Father being a founding member of the John Birch Society and, along with his 2nd son Charles, railing publicly on many occasions a serious “anti-communist” rant.  Again, ironically, Charles’ and David’s father, Fred, who established the “empire” gained the foundation for their great wealth by taking his oil refining technology to Stalin’s Russia to help them “modernize” their oil refining abilities while profiting to the tune of millions.  He went to Russia because he was being sued in the States for, essentially, stealing this technology from a competitor.  Based on what I’ve read elsewhere and what is in this book, I believe it is fair to say that the Koch’s (as do many highly successful business executives) clearly fall into the RUTHLESS “whatever it takes” category.

And, I’m not one to “judge” any successful business person – especially when they are functioning according to the legal boundaries that are set up to protect “we the people” (which is highly questionable in regard to the Kochs) – I’m just not comfortable AT ALL with people in their position (who claim to be “for FREEDOM” – even though their “freedom” adversely affects the lives of MANY others) being able to buy our government.  Make no mistake about this, the “Koch Brothers,” as they’ve come to be known, are EXTREMELY wealthy, they are EXTREMELY sophisticated, and they have proved OVER and OVER again that there are no means they will not use to gain the “end” they’ve been pushing for over the past 50+ years.

In the previous election (the midterms of 2014) much of what the Kochs (along with others in the republican party) have been strategizing – really since the New Deal era of FDR – showed it’s  coming together and, in my view, by the time “we the people” figure out what has happened, it will be EXTREMELY difficult to reverse.  When Karl Rove (who I believe is not in total unity with the Kochs) postulates about the “permanent republican majority” he is pointing out the end goal of Charles Koch – who is USING the republican party as the surrogate to his LIBERTARIAN beliefs.  Unfortunately, I don’t think many Americans are even aware of the “Koch Brothers” – save for the few “progressive” activists who were (finally) warning progressives – er liberals – (who still chose NOT to vote in 2014) about the money the Koch network of wealthy Americans was funneling into the electoral process without any effort to educate what that means.  In the process, it appears to me the Kochs have their opposition kind of like a dog “chasing its own tail” in the BATTLE for political POWER in America.

Koch Industries – which is a huge conglomerate – is the record setter in environmental abuses that is evident through the hundreds of MILLIONS they’ve paid in fines for the damage done by various factions of their empire.  Untold numbers of people have died or been adversely affected by negligence and willful disregard for environmental laws but it seems as if there’s an unlimited budget to pay the fines and the two brothers have successfully insulated themselves from any criminal prosecution that has resulted in their GREEDY push for even more wealth. (In fact, much of their agenda is aimed at repealing the government regulations aimed at protecting the environment and “we the people” from predatory businesses and business people such as the Kochs) Their “empire” is generating well over $100 BILLION in revenue each year and each of the two brothers still involved with Koch Industries (Charles and David) are reported to be worth $50 BILLION (and counting) as I write.  It’s as if there is no amount of money to satisfy them – in fact, I believe their true motivation is creating a legacy of POWER – turning America into what they envision is a “free society” – which in reality will resemble something more approaching a Fascist Society.

For people I know who believe in the Ayn Rand wing of the Libertarian movement (and, I have to admit, I haven’t had the motivation to read “Atlas Shrugged” which seems to be the “bible” to some of my extreme right wing acquaintances) the Kochs are “right on.”  Most of these people that I know, have been more than willing to accept the benefits of what many call “The Commons” – meaning the roads, the post offices, the bridges, the military, the police, the fire department, the schools, etc. etc. – yet, don’t want to pay any taxes, they don’t want government regulating their lives in any way (accept on the occasion where they need something) and, kind of comically, several who are already on Social Security and Medicare oppose government involvement in health care by saying “keep your government hands off my Medicare.”  To me, this is kind of how the national debt most of these people rail against got out of control – beginning with Reagan – we want an endless amount of “stuff” (mostly military) we just don’t want to pay for it.  I’m sure there are some in this “camp” that simply believe that everyone should have a cache of weapons and “everyman for himself” and “the strong will survive.” One thing I feel certain about is most of the people who align themselves with the Koch Brothers don’t believe in giving a helping hand to those who are “down and out.”

Ostensibly, when you read “Sons of Wichita” and you take a look at the direction this nation has evolved since the days of Reagan, and more seriously, since the Citizens United Supreme Court decision which opened the “floodgates” to the “dark money” the Kochs and their surrogates are throwing around it is easy to see why we have apparently taken steps backward in the areas of racial justice, women’s rights, education, environmental protection (take a rational look at the necessity of the Keystone XL pipeline, for instance), and basic national morality – for example, the endless wars, the TORTURE (without accountability), the bank bailouts at the expense of ordinary American’s retirement accounts, etc. etc.  In my mind, the Koch brothers stand for everything that’s wrong in America, yet they’re “winning!”  Go figure!

I’m trying to process my frustration with “the way things are” and not allow myself to go back into intellectual hibernation because there appears to be no hope for America to “right the ship” at this time.  The biggest problem to me is the media.  It has been hijacked by some very sophisticated corporate interests and they’ve convinced, I believe, even the “journalists” who should know better that everything is the way it is because “both sides are equally to blame.”  I find that argument ludicrous and I find it very discouraging that the so-called “liberal” pundits are not able to fight back against the incredible PUSH to the right in our nation which began with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.  I’m not arguing that both political parties aren’t – well, disgusting – most people can agree on that – what I’m arguing is that the pandemic problems in America are the result of the republicans push to the right.  OK, then the question is what about the democrats?  And, to me, the answer to that one can be summed up in the old saying, “when you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one.”  In other words, the democrats don’t seem to be able to fight for their own fundamental values.  And, the beat goes on!

The other day I was listening to Thom Hartman, and he is a person who I often feel is “right on” and defending the “liberal” point of view.  He has a radio (and Free Speech TV – I recommend you give them your financial support – it’s listener supported media) program where he often interviews people with opposing viewpoints to his own.  The other day he was interviewing a right wing libertarian who had been a sheriff in Arizona some time back and who is evidently writing books at present.  I didn’t pick up all the details (or the guy’s name) – but, what caught my attention was this guy was the type who’s been using the infrastructure of America for his lifetime, but apparently wants to pay no taxes (well, he wants to abolish the IRS and the typical right wing proposal for some form of a flat tax – at least he used the word graduated) and he was basically espousing abolishment of much of our existing government.  As he made his argument (and the reason I’m mentioning it here) he claimed that the republicans and the democrats were equally responsible for a list of problems which seemed absurd to me and didn’t get the “blow-back” I expected to hear from Hartman.  For example, to me, it’s absurd to accuse democrats and republicans to be EQUALLY responsible for the national debt.  The statistics are clear – Reagan started the massive debt problem with the so-called “trickle down” economic philosophy, George HW Bush notched it up a level, and George W Bush put it on steroids!

Bill Clinton left “W” with a surplus of $250 BILLION annually that was projected to eliminate the deficit in 10 years (which is the Fed’s greatest nightmare – go figure) and George W Bush, with the help of Dick Cheney who famously said, “Reagan proved deficits don’t matter,” turned that surplus into a waterfall of debt by the time he left office.  And, this sheriff pointed out that “Obama created the bailout” or something of that effect (which convinced me his information came directly from Fox “news”) and I didn’t hear Hartman correct him that the TARP bailout was orchestrated by Hank Paulsen and George W Bush – Obama had little choice but to implement the final stages of it – which, to his credit, he used partly to save GM and Chrysler. (and thousands of middle class jobs!)  These things shouldn’t be debatable – the only reason they are is because republicans shout louder and democrats seem to lack the courage of their own convictions.

Bush/Cheney left President Obama with an economy teetering on depression with an annual deficit in excess of $1 TRILLION, a job market that was shedding jobs at the rate of a MILLION a month, and republicans in congress whose MAIN objective was to facilitate President Obama’s FAILURE!  Despite the incredible level of OBSTRUCTION during President Obama’s first 6 years in office, the economic circumstances in America have slowly improved, and the yearly deficits have been cut more than in half.  Had there been any level of cooperation in Washington DC during this period there could have been significantly greater achievement for those of us who would love to see the government operating with a surplus again.  Obviously, with the American people (well, actually, a small minority of the American people chose to vote in the last election) empowering, unbelievably to me, the republicans to be “back in charge” of both houses of Congress, we should be headed back to another economic crisis – I’m sure they hope it’s in the next two years so they can blame it on Obama.

Everyone who’s paying any amount of attention knows that if President Obama is for it, the republicans are automatically against it.  When you look at the FACTS, the deficit is MOSTLY the result of republican “trickle up” economics, the two wars (and, what now appears to be perpetual war – the so-called war on terror) are the result of Bush/Cheney BLUNDERS – Afghanistan should have been OVER in 6 – 9 months and we all know that Iraq should have NEVER happened, the economic collapse of 2007-2008 was the direct result of republican inspired deregulation of key parts of the New Deal (Glass-Steagall in particular), and it was Bush/Cheney who ruined America’s standing as the holder of the “moral high ground” when referring to Human Rights as they threw out the “rule book” on treatment of prisoners of war and authorized a massive amount of WAR CRIMES (part of their justification came via calling the detainees “enemy combatants” which means they aren’t actually “prisoners.” – this is what I call 21st century DOUBLESPEAK!)

I’ll say it again, this spiraling toward second tier status in America is largely the result of republican policy.  (and, yes you could add, a democratic party that has little to no FIGHT in it! – I believe they lost the last election because they abandoned their leader and failed to defend their own policies that were WORKING – it’s like the tail is wagging the dog)  Our media has been hoodwinked into adopting the Fox “news” mantra of “fair and balanced” evidently failing to realize the “scale” is tipped dangerously FAR to the right – reporting is NOT balanced at all!

No one wants to talk about the opposition to President Obama on the “news” channels – at least that I’ve heard.  I was telling a friend of mine the other day that I have plenty that I’m not happy about with our president (much of which you can find in the archives) but I don’t like to dwell on it because there’s so much coming at him from what I consider racist white people (or minions of Fox who actually believe they are a “news” channel) who want him to fail simply because they don’t want a Black person in the “White House.”  One of my good friends tends toward the Tea party and, for some reason, is unable to see the racist rhetoric (and signs and code) coming from those who are the majority of that faction.  He mentioned that he had watched the movie “42” the other day (about Jackie Robinson) and I told him I feel that Obama is facing circumstances that often remind me of that movie.  I really don’t see how anyone can miss the message when right wing republicans refer to Obama, for example, as “uppity.”  I’ve heard some republicans refer to our president as “elitist” evidently with no comprehension of the barriers he overcame in order to break the national political “color barrier.”

I would feel as if there was more “hope” in politics (for those who don’t understand my spiritual side, there is always “hope” in Jesus Christ – at least that’s my firm belief) if so many others besides Fox weren’t seemingly “feeding from the same trough.”  I have a tendency to listen (on my XM radio) to MSNBC when I’m driving around (or occasionally watching it at home when I can muster the will to watch TV “news”) and, as I’ve mentioned on this site numerous times, Chris Matthews and Chuck Todd – two to the political “heavyweights” on MSNBC – seem to me way too “full of themselves.”  They portray themselves as “experts” (Todd is now the narrator on “Meet the Press”) but come across to me as unwitting tools of the “invisible cabal” that is orchestrating America’s demise.  Most of us are now fully aware of David and Charles Koch (I really recommend you read “Sons of Wichita” – a very interesting biography of the Koch family) but I don’t think we’re at all aware of the size (or the danger) of the network of wealthy (and greedy) associates they’ve put together over the past 50 years since Charles Koch’s father helped found the John Birch Society.  For some reason our national media seems disinterested in educating “we the people” regarding the Kochs and their network of “supporters.”

We’re all witnessing the HUGE amounts of money being POURED into our electoral process, the likewise HUGE amounts of money LOBBYISTS are funneling to our Senators and Representatives that makes it clear our government is CORRUPTED to the core – yet, the media’s attention seems to ALWAYS be elsewhere.  I’ve come to the conclusion that the “invisible cabal” I often refer to is much more sophisticated than us everyday Americans can even imagine and, I believe they have their “tentacles” securely wrapped around our so-called “liberal media.”  Keith Olberman was trying to open eyes – he was fired (evidently, on top of his liberal views he’s hard to work with – at least that’s what makes it seem more tolerable that his voice was removed from the “airwaves”).  Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital owns “Clear Channel” which operates almost a monopoly of “talk” radio stations and after his defeat numerous “liberal talk” stations were “shuttered.”  In the case of the station in Portland, Oregon which was replaced by a Fox “sports” station – the ratings were something like EIGHT TIMES higher with the talk show than with its replacement – leaving at least me to believe it was shuttered for totally political reasons.  In Portland, a liberal city, you can get Rush Limbaugh from multiple locations, but I had to subscribe to XM to get anything resembling “liberal” talk radio.

All of this should BOTHER everyone – including conservatives – in my view, especially when you learn what kind of person Charles Koch is and what his core beliefs are.  Anyone who believes he’s spending what amounts to BILLIONS of dollars to cram his LIBERTARIAN views down our throats for “honorable” reasons is, in my view, either being foolish or not thinking at all.  People like Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and lessor minions like Lars Larsen have proven over and over they will say whatever they’re told if the money’s right.  Sometimes I believe they have become victims of the very propaganda scheme they’re being paid to promote (the Joseph Goebbels “Big Lie Theory).  They may actually have gotten to the point where they believe the lies they’re paid to promote (despite the FACTS saying otherwise) are true.  By definition, when you get to that point we’re talking about pathological liars!

If America is to return to the middle class ideals fought for and won during the New Deal and the Great Society (FDR, JFK, and LBJ) she will need a media that is actually educating “we the people” to the reality of this sophisticated PUSH to the right.  The Koch’s (Charles and David) Libertarian philosophy has morphed into something that is more in line with the philosophy of the Third Reich or Mussolini’s Italy.  As I read “Sons of Wichita” I can see glaring examples of the Kochs pushing in the very direction they (and their father) railed against as their “empire” was forming.  There is a group known as “The Family” that the Kochs are almost certainly part of (if you get the chance, read the book “The Family” by Jeff Sharlett and you’ll get a better picture of what I’m trying to say here) which makes me worry that the “invisible cabal” is much larger than even I can imagine.  This gets back to my point – AGAIN – If America’s “liberal media” doesn’t soon educate our people FACTUALLY about this push to the right, the damage could last a generation. (or more)

If you’ve been reading my posts for any length of time you know that I’ve been writing about my DISAPPOINTMENT that President Obama chose to “look forward instead of back” regarding TORTURE from the beginning days of his administration.  In fact, I’ve stated MANY times that I believe President Obama and his Attorney General, Eric Holder, were (are) LEGALLY required to have pushed for legal ACCOUNTABILITY regarding what transpired under the Bush/Cheney regime from 2002 until they left office (in disgrace) in early 2009.  Since leaving office BOTH George W Bush and Dick Cheney have ARROGANTLY acknowledged that they AUTHORIZED TORTURE (water boarding among other hideous acts) and would DO IT AGAIN!  That certainly doesn’t feel like regret or remorse to me – and, President Obama’s “pledge” that “we” (America) wont do it again borders on the absurd.  Obama will no longer be president as of the end of 2016 and what if the American people (who just voted in a republican Senate to go along with the republican House) should vote for someone like Ted Cruz or John Kasich or (God forbid) another BUSH (Jeb).

I stated (many times) in the early days of Obama’s administration that his decision to essentially PARDON those in the Bush administration who not only AUTHORIZED TORTURE but actually PUSHED the idea of “enhanced interrogation” was one of the WORST political decision in my lifetime.  While I’ve acknowledged that “Citizens United” conceivably could destroy our democratic republic from the inside out, I believed (and still believe) that President Obama’s decision to “look the other way” – in a different way – could end up being every bit as devastating.  The ramifications of that decision are certainly apparent to me virtually every day as I witness this nation I love spiraling toward second tier status in the eyes of the world.  And, for people like me who feel the “world” is teetering on DISASTER in so many ways – the idea that the United States of America has lost its “moral high ground” is one of the main reasons I see even more disaster on the world’s horizon.  Thanks to Bush/Cheney and the subsequent enabling they received from President Obama the rest of the world is no longer looking up to America.  This all is mind numbing bad in so many ways.

I’ll list some of the “ramifications” here – but, they certainly fall into the “I could go on and on” category – so, I’ll try to limit myself to something that ends up being readable in less than an entire evening.  First, the effect this decision (to look the other way) has had on the legal system itself.  I don’t believe there’s much doubt among those who are turned off by how our government is functioning that our legal system is RIGGED for those at the top.  Not only were the members of Bush/Cheney et al allowed to “skate” after publicly admitting to authorizing WAR CRIMES and/or carrying them (the crimes) out – but, at the same time this all came down, the Wall Street bankers were bludgeoning the retirement accounts of MILLIONS of working Americans and, to this day – six + years later – not a SINGLE Wall Street “bankster” has face accountability for their reckless actions.  In fact, the common perception is that it didn’t take Wall Street long to pass out the bailout money in the form of bonuses for the bad behavior – and, then start right back up again with “business as usual.”  It didn’t seem as if “we the people” even got a “slap on the wrist” in.  I’m bringing the Wall Street stuff up – because, the so-called “Tea Party” movement was spawned by this fiasco which led to the republican controlled House – controlled by some extreme “right wingers” and the relentless attacks that have followed – many seeming to me to be racist – at our sitting president.  (and, by the way, in the “category” of irony of ironies – this same Tea Party republican party is now responsible for RE-ENABLING the “too big to fail” banks, in the pending “omnibus spending bill” before the Senate as I’m writing this which would roll back the provision passed in the “Dodd-Frank” bill of the “Great Recession” that would prevent the government from bailing out the “banksters” when their gambling goes bad.  Unbelievable!  This move falls into the category of typical Washington DC political blackmail)

And (getting back to the TORTURE issue), where did this looking the other way get President Obama?  He stated he didn’t want the distraction of the investigations (and presumably the prosecutions) to get in the way of his proposed agenda. (which included the Affordable Care Act, Wall Street Reform (now being gutted as mentioned above), and a stimulus bill (among other first term goals).  To me, what was accomplished was the republicans took this reluctance to hold them accountable kind of like a shark takes to blood in the water.  It was like a HUGE “go” sign to them in the plan to disrupt and obstruct EVERYTHING the president was/is for!  As Rush Limbaugh said, “I want this president to FAIL!” – or as Mitch McConnell stated, “Our (republicans) number one goals is to make President Obama a one term president.”  What I’m saying is that I believe President Obama got WAY MORE distraction by failing to seek accountability for an administration that had OBVIOUSLY broken MANY laws!  Not only was it common knowledge that Bush/Cheney et al had committed WAR CRIMES, but anyone paying attention knew they had violated the FISA law, that someone (presumably Cheney) had outed a CIA agent, they had politicized the Justice Department and one of their surrogates had ILLEGALLY required “loyalty oaths” (to the republican party) for new hires there, several had LIED directly to Congress, agencies were being undermined from the inside leaving consumers and workers at risk, and I could go on and on.  When President Obama publicly demonstrated he did not have the WILL to address these illegal overreaches of the Bush/Cheney regime he invited what he’s been getting from republicans for the past 6 years.

Looking the other way sent the EXACT wrong message around the world.  In fact, the government of Spain, at one point, began their own investigation into the War Crimes of Bush/Cheney et al – presumably stopping at the behest of the Obama administration.  This indifference to the seriousness of these deplorable actions (the Torture) sent the absolute wrong message around the world.  Maybe the American people were brainwashed to believe that these actions were justified and “useful” (despite ALL the evidence showing that torture doesn’t produce “actionable intelligence”) but the people outside of the United States – around the world and especially in the Middle East – knew/know better!  Personally, I don’t excuse anyone in America for not knowing what was going on.  The Senate now has published a highly redacted “summary” of a 6000 page investigation into America’s TORTURE program – and, based on what I’ve heard it says that things were “worse than we thought” – but, we all saw the images from Abu Ghraib and we’ve all heard for years about the “enhanced interrogations,” Guantanamo, “extraordinary rendition,” and how Americans were transporting “enemy combatants” to countries around the world notorious for TORTURE.  None of this has been a secret and, from my own experience, I can attest to the FACT there have been MANY books written that detail the CRIMES committed by our CIA along with the “private contractors” they worked with based on authorization that came directly from the White House and the Secretary of Defense’s office.  Seriously, shame on us!

Here’s some examples of some of the TORTURE I was familiar with LONG before the Senate report was published.  For starters, early in the “war on terror” there were corroborated reports of Americans randomly picking up “enemy combatants” based on the “word” of personal enemies of the so-called combatants AND the Americans were PAYING the informants.  I’ll let you put 2 + 2 together on that one.  Subsequently, scores of “enemy combatants” were jammed into vans that had no ventilation and were “transported” to various “black holes” presumably to face the now infamous “enhanced interrogation” only to discover that many of the “combatants” died en route via suffocation.  I haven’t heard much reporting on this deplorable fact for several years.

We all were exposed to Abu Ghraib – and, the atrocious conditions and treatment prisoners received there (and, to make matters worst, this was where Saddam Hussein was torturing Iraqi’s).  I read a book that specifically was about Abu Ghraib (and, the information in that book was corroborated in other publications I read subsequently) and there is little doubt in my mind that the directions for the treatment of prisoners came directly from Donald Rumsfeld’s office of the Secretary of Defense (or higher).  The book clearly explained (in detail) how at least one prisoner was interrogated by some “specialist” and ended up DEAD.  There was an attempt to cover up this MURDER, but the bottom line with Abu Ghraib was that the “grunts” who were “in charge” – none of them trained even to be prison guards and all of them thinking they were following orders (well, I should say most of them) were sent to prison and the American public was led to believe these lower level Army personnel devised this terrible treatment on their own.  “Dirty Wars” by Jeremy Scahill was a book I read years after the Abu Ghraib book that really spelled out how disgusting our “war on terror” became!

There was another report that came out a few years ago regarding the “suicide” of three detainees in Guantanamo.  Our government classified the deaths as “suicide,” but there was never a public investigation and the guards, who were supposed to be watching the cells every 10 minutes or so, were never allowed to testify why the bodies had been hanging for two hours before being discovered.  Additionally, “we the people” are expected to believe that these were suicides despite the FACT all three were found hanging with sheets turned into nooses, each body had his hands tied behind his back, his feet were bound together, and each prisoner had a wad of cloth crammed so far down his throat it was difficult to get out after they were dead.  I’ve been puzzled since I heard this how a person could do all that.  It would be difficult enough to cram a wad of cloth down your own throat (to the point where breathing was impossible), but how does a person do that and then bind their feet, tie their hands behind their own back, and put a noose around their own neck?  I don’t get it.  If you would like to read another account, click here.

This topic is FINALLY back in the news because (miraculously, I thought it’d never happen) a summary (redacted) of a 6000 page Senate Intelligence committee investigation – the summary is reportedly about 600 pages – was published by Senate Democrats getting it out before the republicans take control of the Senate in January.  As you might imagine, had the democrats waited this report would have never seen the light of day.  The report is DAMNING and, supposedly, things were much worst than even someone like me (who’s read as much as I can find on this travesty) was led to understand.  For example, I’m still trying to understand what is “rectal feeding?”

All it should have required for these investigations to have been undertaken years ago, and publicly, was the admission (on national TV no less) by both GW Bush and Dick Cheney that they had authorized WAR CRIMES!  Even worse, to me, is that they both still maintain, despite the evidence saying otherwise, that they gained useful information and they both have said they’d “do it again.”  People around the world are now demanding accountability.  If I were George W Bush or Dick Cheney I would be careful about vacationing in Europe or other parts of the world.  This all violates our own laws and the international laws represented by the Geneva Conventions.  I believe it was Ronald Reagan who signed the international pledge that America would not commit TORTURE in 1988.   GW Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and others are allegedly guilty of WAR CRIMES.

As one would expect in today’s America the report on TORTURE has been met with partisan rancor – as is usual with just about any issue that comes to the fore these days.  I’ve listened to as much Fox “news” (I call it GOP TV) as I can stand, and the same minions that are always defending the “right” no matter the issue are lining up in support – mainly of Dick Cheney – I believe he’s refuting the report because he is now in SERIOUS legal jeopardy.  I’ve heard Sean Hannity throwing “softballs” Cheney’s way, Bill O’Reilly giving his usual “I’m a puppet for the ‘right'” response – and Fox giving Cheney every opportunity to continue his absurd arguments that TORTURE “kept us safe” after 9/11.  In Cheney’s case it’s called “CYA!”  In the case of the Fox “pundits” it’s called participating in the “Big Lie Theory” – pure propaganda!  And, unfortunately, there’s way too many Americans who believe Fox is actually a “news channel.”

The one republican who I’ve heard speaking out about this issue in a straight forward manner is John McCain.  Of course, as most Americans know, McCain was a victim of TORTURE as a POW in Viet Nam for 5 1/2 years.  I find it interesting (it tells all we need to know about the media in today’s America) that McCain (at least when I heard his comments) was on MSNBC.  Normally, I would expect to hear McCain speaking on Fox – I don’t know if he has on this subject, but I doubt they would allow his thoughts on their network.  I have heard Cheney, several times and his response to the report is nothing less than COMBATANT and ARROGANT!  He called the findings during one of the interviews I heard, “a bunch of crap.”  (his exact words) – of course, one of the methods he authorized was handcuffing prisoners to bars attached to the ceiling of their cells so that their arms were extended above their heads for entire days (and nights – like 22 hours at a time) with no clothing except a diaper and no ability to relieve themselves except into the diaper.  Do you think that’s why he called this report “a bunch of crap?”  I’m finding it hard to believe that Dick Cheney gets a “say” ANYTHING anywhere anymore.  As far as I’m concerned, the only “say” Dick Cheney should have regarding TORTURE, is defending himself before the Hague!

I really don’t know where to start.  Everyday I come up with ideas to write about, but I think it’s hard to actually sit down and do it because the reality of what is happening in America is so depressing.  I’m always reading and the present book is titled, “The New Deal” by Michael Hiltzik.  This book looks at the New Deal from a perspective I haven’t read before (I’ve read MANY books about this time period in American history) because Eleanor Roosevelt is barely mentioned.  Hiltzik gives a good account to those who opposed the New Deal right from the beginning and it is very prescient of what seems to be a “re-run” of the “Robber Baron” era in 21st Century America.

I’m constantly reminding those who end up reading my posts of the saying, “Those who choose to ignore history are bound to repeat it.”  This “reality” (that “we the people” are ignoring history) is what I believe makes American politics seems so depressing.  Nothing that is happening makes any sense for anyone like myself who grew up as beneficiaries of the New Deal and want to pass on the great traditions that were spawned in those troubling times to our children and grandchildren.  However, what looks to me to be “sitting on the horizon” is nothing to be proud to hand down to “future generations.”

The income inequality in America which is widening as I type this is reminiscent of the pre-depression years, America’s military is spinning out of control (as predicted by Dwight Eisenhower), and – in my view – there are FAR too many Americans willing to give up their rights in the name of “national security.”  (Of course, we’re not talking about gun owners – it’s like their right to bear arms is more important to them than their right to privacy)  Tens of millions of Americans are still without health insurance and republicans have “promised” to increase the amount by another ten million by repealing the Affordable Health Care law.  Millions of Americans are going to bed hungry at night, yet we’re cutting programs like food stamps.  Hiltzik’s book accurately portrays FDR’s reluctance to address the needs of the African American community, and, if you’re paying attention, things haven’t changed much.  African Americans are certainly better off today than they were back then, but the election of our first African American President (actually 1/2 African American), in my view, has helped to clarify there’s MUCH left to do in order to truly make America stand up to her ideals.  Honestly, to me, I believe the increase in overt racism since President Obama’s election is the most depressing part of the entire “reality” we the people are facing.

What’s interesting (and, to me, a bit confusing) about the most recent “mid-term” election which allowed republicans to gain control of both houses of Congress was the FACT that American voters were in favor of progressive policies in their “exit poll” interviews (raising the minimum wage, net neutrality, a woman’s “right to choose,” etc.) but voted in some incredibly right wing candidates to the senate (and probably the House as well, I just wasn’t able to follow those races as close).  People like Joni Ernst, who won Tom Harkin’s seat in Iowa, are so far to the right they are scary.  I actually saw her speaking where she claimed she has the right to use her hand gun on government employees if “they” don’t respect her “rights.”  She, at the time, was applying for a pretty significant government position (the Senate).  I’ve wondered since I heard that, does she give the same rights to someone who might disagree with her interpretation of their rights?  A majority of Iowans actually voted for this woman (in my mind, shame on Iowa) knowing that she was a byproduct of Koch Industries and the money that group was funneling into her “race.”  I’ll give her credit for transparency as she was one of the FEW “puppets” of the Koch “empire” willing to acknowledge her allegiance publicly.

What we’re apparently going to have as a Congress is a majority which believes in repealing the Affordable Care Act (with no alternative), privatizing Social Security, voucherizing Medicare and eliminating Medicaid, cutting programs like Food Stamps, unemployment “insurance,” the EPA, the Food and Drug administration, the CDC (they’ve already managed to cut it back significantly without a majority in the Senate), and INCREASE the funding of our MILITARY and the “complex” that BENEFITS from America’s plan (instituted so expertly by Bush/Cheney) for “perpetual WAR.”  I firmly believe many republicans vote for them while unknowingly supporting much of this agenda that they might otherwise oppose.  I’ll give one quick example:  Republicans used the Ebola crisis to successfully criticize President Obama (who didn’t get much support from his own party regarding his leadership in attempting to halt this epidemic while it’s still centered in West Africa), yet they were instrumental in cutting funds for the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and the NIH (National  Institutes of Health – where the fight against Ebola would logically be centered) with NO accountability for their actions.  Many let the republican claims about Obama and Ebola influence their vote (or non-vote) AGAINST democrats and NOW, that the election is past (and, President Obama’s reassurances have been realized – as opposed to the knee jerk reactions of politicians like Chris Christie) I haven’t heard more than a “whisper” about Ebola since the election.  (And, the crisis is continuing in West Africa – with some hope thanks in large part to the actions of our president).

Thinking about politics becomes depressing because despite our leaders (of both parties) constantly using cliches like “Hope and Change” – while continuing their connection to the corporate interests that fund their campaigns (and, if you’re not familiar what having a government which is based on a corporate/government alliance, Google it – the term is fascism) – there continues to be little hope for change.  It’s almost as if the behemoth of the military industrial complex Eisenhower warned us about (in the 1950’s!) has become too big to stop!  Sadly, “we the people” are being turned against each other by brilliant political strategists who understand how to manipulate public thought through the mass media and I’m constantly feeling (and amazed) that so many Americans are tricked into voting against their own best interests.  I’m an idealist who continues to hope (and pray) that CHANGE will eventually occur via the “ballot box” and not through the other, less appealing, alternatives.  (We’re seeing, as I write this, frustration boiling over in Ferguson Missouri from Black Americans who’ve “had enough” of what seems to be evolving into an oligarchy – or worse).  I continue to look for “alternatives” and ideas on how “we the people” might DEMAND our leaders behave differently.  And, often times, my ideas “sprout” from places I wouldn’t expect.

Each week I meet in a “small group” of awesome friends which originated in the Church I attend.  What’s really interesting to me is that this group is comprised of people who, politically, think much differently than me.  I would say (although I don’t talk about it with most of them) that they were originally drawn to be “republicans” by the abortion issue, many years ago.  We are connected by our belief in Christ and we study the Bible on a regular basis.  Obviously, if you’ve read many of my other posts you know that I’m not what you’d call a member of the “Christian Right” – although, I’ve been steadfast for years in not allowing what that group ostensibly stands for to cause me to waver in my belief that Jesus Christ was/is REAL!  That being said, the reason I point this out is that last night we were studying “Romans 12” –  a chapter in one of the great epistles of the New Testament.  My thought was, as we were reading it and studying it together, that it should be required reading for all Americans.  It’s full of what we call “Commands to obey” and, those commands are so relevant to what forms my own political beliefs.

Romans 12 concludes with the command: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him.  If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.”  I point this out because so many of those who I disagree with politically claim that America is a “Christian nation.”  I truly wish I could agree with that, but it appears to me that America has become a nation that bombs first and asks questions later.  Instead of working from the “bottom up” – that is, focusing on “The least of these” in the words of Christ – we have become a nation that has embraced the so-called “trickle down” (I always call it “trickle up”) philosophy that was thrust upon us by Ronald Reagan and the oligarchs who were behind his ascension to the presidency.  Sadly (in my view), many of the “brains” behind the “Reagan revolution” are still lurking in the shadows of our government mechanisms and pushing our nation farther and farther to the “right.” (wrong)  The idea that the republican party is going to spend the next two years disemboweling our government of as many remnants of the New Deal (that remain), the Great Society (SCOTUS has already gutted the Voting Rights Act), and the early successes of the Obama administration is nothing for me to look forward to.

I look at the “water carriers” of this agenda – like – Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Lars Larsen, etc., etc., almost as traitors.  It’s like give me your money and I will say (on the public airwaves) whatever you (I’m talking about the invisible cabal that supplies the BILLIONS of dollars to buy these “pundits” and the politicians who do their bidding) demand.  Clearly, I don’t have a lot of confidence that the Democratic members of Congress have the SPINE to stand up to these people – in fact, there’s little doubt that the democrats are “feeding from the same trough as the republicans.”  We are already experiencing private prisons – I can’t even believe I’m writing this – private prisons would be places where corporate interests PROFIT from keeping people IN JAIL!  We are being inundated with privatized “everything” – including military “companies” like the former Blackwater (the last I knew they were calling themselves ZE services), schools (that are censoring their curriculum), and I could go on.  I’ve written many times about what has happened to America’s health care system since hospital’s and health insurance companies became focused on PROFITS and shareholder value over the health of their customers.  Only 36% of Americans voted in the last election.  That sends the message to me that America’s voters don’t see hope in either party.  The democrats brought this on themselves, but the voters who stayed home and allowed republicans to control Congress are, in many instances, the people who will lose the most from this debacle.  Evidently, 2007 – 2008 wasn’t enough to convince America’s voting public of the motives of today’s republican party.  In fact, I believe it’s worse now than it was then.  Do we need another Depression to relearn that corporate greed and political prostitution is a bad idea?

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.

Well, today’s election day and if you’ve been reading many of my posts you already know that I will be disappointed if the republicans retake control of the Senate (albeit for just the next two years).  I consider myself an independent, but have grown to the point where I feel those who LEAD the republican party are like a reincarnation of the so-called “robber barons” of days gone by.  I spend a lot of time (probably too much) trying to understand why any working class American would vote for republicans like Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Scott Walker, and I could go on and on.  Obviously, there are many Americans who have no idea what these people REALLY stand for.  Yet, in my mind, the truth is that the republicans have figured out how to DOMINATE the discussion in American politics and they are almost completely driving the conversations.

Which brings me to the other alternative (we, like it or not, have a two party system) the democrats.  I’ve been saying for years that the democratic party needs to grow a spine – and, this midterm election is giving a good example of what I’ve been talking about.  I’ll try to clarify.

Just six years ago (that’s not very long) the American public was “given” the “Great Recession” by the Bush/Cheney regime that robbed many of the very people who are likely to be voting republican as I’m writing this a significant portion of their savings/retirement income.  In response President Obama and a large majority of Congress was voted in for the democrats.  There was a succession of significant blunders right from the start of the Obama administration that turned off the liberals (like me) and led to the success of the “Tea Party” movement which was funded by the right “wingers” in America who’ve been lurking “under the surface” of politics since the days of FDR.  I’ll rehash these a bit here, just for those who might need a history lesson.  President Obama chose Rahm Emmanuel as his “chief of staff.”  Emmanuel is a great example of a corporatist politician (exactly what people like me are/were sick of).  Then he chose Larry Summers as his chief economic adviser and Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary.  Those two choices made it clear to President Obama’s “base” that the corporate greed in Washington DC would proceed virtually unabated.  (It was Emmanuel who referred to “liberals” like me as f@#%ing retards – evidently for not “rubber stamping” our President’s initial decisions)

Then Eric Holder, another with ties to corporate interests on Wall Street, not only failed to prosecute a SINGLE case of financial fraud concerning behavior of the “too big to fail” (jail?) banks but he, along with President Obama, chose to “look the other way” concerning the CRIMES of the Bush/Cheney regime.  These actions accomplished two negative things from the perspective of the democratic party.  It FUELED the outrage that led to the “Tea Party” essentially gaining control of the House of Representatives in the 2010 midterms (because, as people like me predicted at the time, the “liberals” were TURNED OFF! and wouldn’t vote)  Of course, along with the blunders mentioned here, the democrats in Congress, themselves, couldn’t seem to get their act together.  The “Health Reform” bill was put together by Max Baucus, a corporatist democrat from Montana, with the help of over a BILLION dollars of lobbying money coming from, you guessed it, the health industry.  75% of Americans wanted the “public option” but the democrats couldn’t deliver on that and came up with something that could only be classified as “better than nothing.”  (They actually passed a bill that had it’s origination in the right wing Heritage Foundation – I could only surmise, at the time, the reason the republicans were against it was because President Obama was for it)

President Obama had to fight members of his own party, and eventually cave to a couple republicans, to get the financial stimulus bill passed – which was MUCH NEEDED – but it was TOO SMALL, and once he lost his large majority another “jobs bill” in the face of Mitch McConnell’s endless filibusters was impossible.  Brilliant economists like Paul Krugman, Joseph Stiglitz, and MANY Americans like me understood we needed a larger stimulus with a greater emphasis on job creation, but the democrats couldn’t deliver.  As people realized what was happening – Wall Street experiencing “business as usual,” Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld et al facing not even an investigation into their illegal activities (including lying us into war, war profiteering, authorizing TORTURE, lying to Congress, outing a CIA agent, politicizing the Justice Department, and more), and Health Care “reform” that favors the private health insurance companies – (and, by the way, it is better than nothing), and either unemployment or stagnant wages – the result of all this based on my experience (I’ve talked to a lot of “regular” people) is that many Americans don’t see “a lick of difference” between the two parties.

OK, so where am I going with all this (my history lesson)?  Well, as I read a report today stating that Chuck Todd (I’ve written about this guy before – if you don’t know, he’s the new moderator of “Meet the Press” and the so-called political “expert” of MSNBC – he has a very serious misconception of journalism – in my view – as he’s prone to infuse his opinion in where it wouldn’t belong if he was a serious journalist – but, in today’s world?  It’s what we get) is labeling the democratic party as “Clinton’s party” because, evidently, the Clinton’s are so active attempting to support democrats – mostly in the south – where President Obama is “unwanted” as a campaigner (Do I really have to explain why this is so to you?  Seems as if I need to explain it to Mr. Todd) .  All I will add here is that you CAN give information without throwing in your opinion.  I taught the sixth grade for 20 years and I tried to prepare my students for their impending responsibility to be active members of society (which includes voting).  Not ONCE in 20 years did I EVER tell them who I voted for in an election.  I simply told them that I ALWAYS vote!  Period!

My point here is that I want to give a little advice to the democratic party – only because that’s the alternative to the republican party.  The TOTAL reason you may lose control of the Senate today is embossed in Todd’s words.  Let me put it another way.  I’ve been saying this for many years – democrats are, by and large, spineless!  Since 9/11 republicans have suffocated America with negativity and the democrats have kind of just fallen in line.  One way I’ve said it before is that both republicans and democrats seem to be “feeding from the same trough.”  It’s just that when it comes to corporate money – republicans get more and when it comes to fear-mongering the republicans are far more sophisticated.  Republicans are spreading fear and democrats seem “fearful.”  Republicans are attempting to “connect” ISIL and Ebola to President Obama (which is so absurd that it just shows the level of sophistication [or lack there of] in today’s America) and democrats are busy reminding their supporters to FEAR the Koch brothers enough to get to the polls and vote.

As far as I can tell, neither party is talking about an agenda – more than the normal cliche’s that guarantees the politician will face no accountability should he/she be elected.  (this isn’t universal – I’ve given money to Allison Lundergun Grimes in Kentucky, Jeff Merkley in Oregon, Wendy Davis in Texas, Rick Weiland in South Dakota, and others around the country I can’t remember right now – like candidates supported by VoteVets.org – who are telling me what they’re for).  As you might imagine, my email inbox is FILLED every day with requests for money by democratic candidates who almost universally are telling me to FEAR the Koch brothers.  In reality, I was warning THEM about the Koch brothers years ago, and they didn’t listen.  People like me were warning them about Citizens United when they had the ability to do something about it, they (the democratic party) weren’t listening.  And, I could go on and on about them – the democrats.  However, the point driving this entire post gets back to Chuck Todd’s OPINION that the democratic party is the party of the Clinton’s now.  He may be correct – but, in my view, if the dems lose it’s for the very reason he makes his point.

Despite the FACT that President Obama has an approval rating in the mid forties the last time I checked (which, by the way, is far higher than republicans in Congress), it appears there are many democrats running for office who have rejected his help in their election.  Evidently, these democratic politicians watch Fox News and listen to people like Todd – instead of STANDING UP for their own policies.  Things are SO MUCH better today than when President Obama took office (and, I’ll say it again, I’ve got my share of disagreement with the President) but you wouldn’t know it listening to the 2014 political debate – again, to me it’s an exercise in fear mongering, on both sides.  Republicans have NOTHING to offer, and Democrats apparently are unwilling to defend their accomplishments of the past few years.  It’s as if the politicians are pandering to a combination of their wealthy donors and the so-called “liberal media.”  FDR famously said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” – did today’s politicians fail to study history?