As I shared in my previous post I recently finished reading “The Family” by Jeff Sharlet which was an “eye opening” book, to say the least.  Now, I’m well into “Washington Rules” by Andrew J. Bacevich which is popping my eyes even open WIDER!  Much of what has been bothering me since I started reading everything I could get my hands on regarding the “wars” in Iraq and Afganistan along with the other “doings” perpetrated by the government of the country I love is becoming a bit less foggy.  I’ve been railing against some “invisible force” which apparently lies behind the republican “talking heads,” the “tea party,” and – unfortunately, too many of the opposing democrats.  I noticed almost from the beginning of the Obama administration that the fundamentals of our government were changing very little if at all after his election.  I didn’t understand how “the change we can believe in” could be orchestrated by the very same individuals (or their compatriots) who had created what appeared to me to be the worst set of circumstances this country faced since the Great Depression (and considering the “occupations” of Iraq and Afganistan which have become out of favor with the public dialogue – maybe worse than the 1930’s – the jury is still out on that one).

This is not to say that I don’t believe President Obama means well – for me, the jury’s still out on that one.  I want to be totally naive and just assume he meant everything he said during the campaign, but the is obviously ………well, naive.  I mean, there have already been many HUGE issues which would tend to imply that our president was just very eloquently telling us on the “left” what we wanted to hear.  OK, I can live with that – that’s been American politics since before I started voting (my awareness of politics that is) and probably for a LOT longer.  However, the cynicism is continuing to rise among those I feel aligned with and it’s not as if we feel a sense of relief at this piont having Obama as president.  When George W Bush and Dick Cheney were president we knew pretty much what we were getting.  I watched (and listened) in disbelief as Bush/Cheney gutted America’s treasury for starters, then stretched America’s military to the breaking point (all on borrowed money – all the while asking the rest of us to “keep shopping”), and let our economy into an abiss that may take decades to recover from.  Both Bush and Cheney admitted on national TV to authorizing TORTURE, their underlings refused to honor congressional subpoenas, Cheney outed a CIA agent in retrobution for her husband telling the truth about Iraq, Bush/Cheney/Rove undermined the integrity of the Justice Department, and the Bush/Cheney regime authorized multiple (we don’t know how many because of the lack of investigation) violations of the FISA laws against warrantless wiretapping of American citizens.  Bush and Cheney used presidential signing statements and the “States Secret Privilege” to get around accountability for their arrogant disregard for the will of the congress and the American people.  All of it was astonishing, but none of it was surprising!

That all being said, I’ve gone off endlessly about how I fail to understand why the Obama administration took NO ACTION against Bush and company – not even from a “truth commission” standpoint to uncover all the wrongs committed during the eight years they controlled the White House.  Unfortunately, after reading these two books the “picture” is getting a bit clearer – by inference – because NOBODY even wants to talk about all this – and, in this case I’m talking about the Obama administration.  Remember, Rahm Emanuel’s response to people like me was to call us “f___ing retards.”  I remember at the time pointing out the day will come when people will realize who the “retard” really was.  I don’t think there’s any doubt that Emanuel left Washington DC with “his tail between his legs.”  So, then I’m hoping that President Obama realized he had “hitched his wagon” to a Washington insider who could be considered a “thug” almost as much as the republicans.  But, watching what has happened since the mid-term elections has me on “pause” again.  Is this president going to endlessly make a fool of himself kissing up to republicans?  When will he realize that the only way to deal with these people is through confrontation.  All of the “distractions” Obama was trying to avoid by pardoning Bush/Cheney are INEVITABLE!  Either our president puts up the “fight” virtually EVERYONE on the left is waiting for, or we all (those of us calling ourselves liberals, progressives, or whatever) lose.  (and, by lose, I mean we’ll have to regroup and plan for THE “fight” at another day with another leader – BECAUSE  unfortunately, you MUST have a leader to carry out the necessary “fight”)

So, then the question becomes; why is our president and the democratic party so reluctant to take on the republicans?  Have they all been bought and sold?  After reading “The Family” I’m inclined to believe that enough of them have been “bought and sold” that the answer to that last question is a resoundingly DISGUSTING yes!  You really need to read the book, but essentially an (originally) small group of fundamentalist Christians who were philosophically aligned with people like Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Mussolini, and other authoritarian figures began infiltrating the anti New Deal factions of our government and business community since the first days of Roosevelt’s era.  These people – although remaining in “secret” for most of the time since then – have a discoverable history of racism (some of their original foreign “connections” were refugees of Hitler’s Third Reich), anti union ism (big time), anti anything that propelled the American Middle Class to be the envy of the entire world.  They work behind the scenes and in small “cells” which are scattered all over America and the rest of the world.  In fact, as I shared in my previous post, one of there “recruits” was Suharno of Indonesia – with NO REGARD for the FACT he was a MASS MURDERER in his own country – with the blood of at least HALF A MILLION people on his hands.  They admired his authoritarian skill – to the point of actually inviting him to Washington to “hob nob” with their political connections.

There is also a discoverable association with the “Family” and the American CIA and the CIA’s involvement in the overthrow of democratically elected governments in South America and elsewhere.  Salvadore Allende was overthrown in Chile by a CIA backed coup resulting in the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet who was a murdering thug – killing untold thousands of his own people to retain power with the support of the United States and the “Family” which, by that time was thoroughly entrenched in encouraging America’s exploitation of one country after another in the name of “fighting communism.”  These people were undoubtedly involved in the overthrow of the democratically elected Mohammad Mossadegh in Iran for the dreaded Shah of Iran who was ultimately thrown out during Jimmy Carter’s presidency leading up to the hostage crisis leading to Carter’s undoing (and, unfortunately Reagan’s doings!).  They orchestrated a coup in Guatemala which, true to form, ousted a democratically elected government in favor of giving control of the government to a military junta which was more in “favor” with the US.  This crap has been going on since the inception of the CIA in the early fifties and the “Family” has been, secretly, right in the thick of it all along the way.

Why (and how) is all this happening (has it been happening)?  Well, the simple explanation to me is that the multi-national corporations which were overtly “controlled” with regulations after the first Great Depression (do you think I’m anticipating something?) were able to virtually ignore the regulations imposed after the 1929 “Crash” or “work around them” in their global search for MORE AND MORE profits!  It was oil in Iran, copper in Chile, and who knows what in all the other places where America’s secret “enforcers” were manipulating events in order to allow her corporate interests to rob  country after country of its national treasures.  Why else would we care who the Guatemalan’s or the Chilean’s would elect as governments?  Why were we unhappy with the FACT they were ELECTING governments?  Was there some unwritten code somewhere that they had to elect governments that we approved?  Well, unfortunately, I believe the answer to that question is another resounding YES! 

Prior to the “Great Depression” corporate greed and profit motives were out of control – very similarly to what is happening today.  I keep thinking about how, according to most accounts, Hank Paulsen “headed off” another Great Depression with the TARP bailout – how, people said we had learned from the last depression how to avoid the next one – which may or may not prove to be true.  But, the ironic part of that “theory” to me is that I believe the corporations learned how to head off the retaliatory regulating when their greed got so out of control that it “melted” the entire economy so that – instead of taking 50 years to reverse the effects of the next “New Deal” their plan, all along, was to undermine EVERYTHING Obama, or whoever was elected in 2008, attempted to do and therefore face only a four year struggle in which to regain power and continue their pillaging of the American Treasury.  This time (2008 as opposed to 1929), they have control of the media and the Supreme Court – a very nicely thought out plan – and, based on the midterm elections – it looks to me as if their plan may work (that, of course, is an admission that the American public is willingly uninformed).  Members of the “Family” have been calculating on a “Nazi-like” electorate voting in a democratically elected dictatorship for years(Rove’s “permanent republican majority”) – and, I believe that now they feel they can see the “light at the end of the tunnel.”

Back to our democrats who, for those of us who are seeing this disaster on the horizon, we are forced to depend on to change the direction of the “ship,” I ask myself again (and often each day) why are they allowing this to happen?  Well, the truth is that there are democrats living in the “C” street house (home of the “Family” members of congress – Ben Nelson of Nebraska is one I know about), there are an unknown (to me) number of democrats participating in the “Family’s” “prayer cells,” and it seems as if every politician who wishes the national stage MUST participate in the “national prayer breakfast” (whether innocently or not – they are then in “cahoots” with the “Family”).  The “Family” is connected to MANY MAJOR corporate heads who are funneling money to the politicians and their agenda is very republican like.  I’m just saying that the lack of will to “fight” the republican agenda on the part of democrats is UNBELIEVABLE to me.

As I’m writing this, there is a looming “showdown” on capital hill.  The republicans are willing to stop EVERYTHING – including an extension of unemployment benefits for the so-called “99ers” who’ve been out of work for over two years unless the democrats “cave” on their “Bush tax cuts for the rich.”  Meaning, the republicans don’t want the tax cuts for those making over $250,000 to revert to the same levels they were at under Bill Clinton (39% as opposed to 35%) – which means another $700 BILLION of debt over the next decade.  The republicans are balking on spending $18 BILLION for unemployed workers who are simply hanging on by their fingertips to their homes and what dignity they have left.  This is so UN AMERICAN to me that I can’t even believe it’s happening.  But, you have to keep in mind, the republicans are secretly supported and “pushed” by members of the “Family,” and these people opposed unemployment benefits in the 30’s when they were first proposed.  They opposed the formation of labor unions and have been trying to eliminate them ever since.  They are opposed to Social Security (in fact, they’re trying to get their grimy hands on the Social Security trust fund as I’m typing this – have been for years) and Medicare – their (the republicans with “Family” support) Medicare bill during the Bush/Cheney era was designed to ultimately “break” Medicare – they HATE all government run programs.  Hense, we have private contractors almost fighting our wars at this point – think about that one carefully!  Here’s my fear – Obama and the democrats are going to cave on the tax cuts – Obama thinking he will finally have bipartisanship will be writing his own political obituary should he do so.  We will be in for two years that will be worse than the last two years of Bush/Cheney.

I’m going to end this tirade by questioning, AGAIN, how I’m struggling to understand why President Obama is having such a difficult time processing all of this.  Every which way he turns he’s being undercut by republicans – yet, he continues “reaching out.”  I read “Obama’s Wars” by Bob Woodward and it’s very clear that even the top Generals in America’s Military are playing politics with out president.  They backed him into a corner on both Iraq and Afganistan – and, considering the weakness of the economy and the battle over health care reform, I believe Obama took the easy way out on these wars.  No American president has been willing to “take on” the “military industrial complex” in my lifetime, and I guess President Obama won’t be the first.  It’s like we are military JUNKIES and, as a nation, we’re willing to spend whatever it takes to make us feel as if we have enough fire power to incinerate the world many times over to express our “manhood.”  I honestly thought that, at the very least, when Obama took office the military decisions would be “out of the box” – but, as it turned out, the generals prevailed.  It would take a lot of courage to say no to someone like David Patreaus because he’s been cannonized by the likes of Fox “news” and other right wing media types – but, in reading Woodward’s book you can see him for the manipulating and ambitious person that he is (it wouldn’t surprise me to see him running for the republican nomination in 2012).  Endless wars benefit in a HUGE financial way the very people the “Family” are affiliated with, and those people send hundreds of MILLIONS to our congressional “leaders” in order to maintain the “status qu0.”  It will take “leaders” free of this financial indebtedness to the CEO’s and other wealthy business people and world leaders who fund the “Family” to reverse this right wing onslaught of our govenrment.  Two years ago I thought then President Elect Obama was the man for the job, but as we approach 2011 I have my serious doubts.  I can’t help but wonder whether or not the “Family” has infiltrated Obama’s White House and that’s why he’s constantly kissing up to republicans.  The “Family” has been “eating away” at the fundamental core of America since the days of the New Deal and, why democrats can’t see that is beyond me.  The right wing of the republican party (which includes “The Family”) is trying to create an “Us and them” society!  (And, for those of you over 65 out there who voted for “tea partiers” and republicans in the last election – just wait until these people get ahold of your Social Security trust fund! – that’s looming on the horizon)

 Word of the Week: “uncertainty”  – A classic example of the republicans Nazi – like propaganda machine.  I’ve heard at least half a dozen republican pundits spewing the EXACT same line regarding the “uncertainty” which is causing business to hold onto their TRILLIONS of profits instead of hiring new workers.  What is this “uncertainty” in regards to?  EXTENDING THE “BUSH TAX CUTS”

One More Thing:  Am I the only one who finds it interesting that Eric Holder, America’s Attorney General who reminds me of the lion in the Wizard of Oz, couldn’t manage the guts to investigate George W Bush and Dick Cheney (et al) – BOTH admittedly authorizing TORTURE – or Eric Cantor who PUBLICLY violated the Logan Act (an act of treason and a felony) when he assured the Prime Minister of Israel that “the republicans have his back” in any dispute with the Obama administration – yet, he’s publicly and openly “investigating” the “WIKI LEAKS” which simply tell the truth about what our government has been up to lately?

I’ve been writing about some mysterious group of “invisible” people pushing the republican agenda for several years now.  Recently I started reading a book by Jeff Sharlet called “The Family” which I’m feeling should be required reading for all American adults.  I remember Sharlet being interviewed on MSNBC right after the book came out, but he’s been notoriously silent since then.  I’m beginning to wonder if the very topic he’s writing about has an influence on why his findings are not more “in the news” (as the news exists these days).  Let me preface everything I write this evening with the FACT that I’m a Christian who feels a personal connection to God through Jesus Christ.  That said, it has bothered me more, I believe, because I am a Christian as I see one person after another justifying HORRIBLE actions of our government on their belief in Jesus.  And, when you read this book, you get an even scarier picture of how serious is the “clamp” a group of radical fundamentalist Christians have on the doings of America’s government.

I’ve read two of Frank Shaffer’s books which expose the hypocrisy of many on the so-called “Christian right.”  Shaffer was at the forefront of the time when the Evangelical Christian movement was suckered into joining forces with the republican party thinking this would be the end of “Roe v Wade.”  There’s been this “bond” between republicans and Christians (which I’ve struggled to understand) ever since.  Here’s another of the scary parts to this scenario.  John Dean wrote in his book “Conservatives without Conscience” (writing about republicans in the Bush/Cheney administration who were more abusive to America’s laws and traditions than Nixon – essentially committing unconscionable acts) that many of the people “following” them were “blindly” loyal.  That is, they were believing all the lies without the slightest thought regarding questioning information being broadcast in ways similar to some of the worst regimes in the World’s history.  That would be painfully obvious to someone like me who is watching in wonder as the “tea party” complains about government abuse, corporate abuse, and essentially an abuse of the constitution that has brought this great nation through well over 200 years of struggle as of this writing – then they join forces with the republican party – the main source of the abuses – in the previous election as a revolt against the “system” with a demand for “change.”  (Of course, from my perspective, why would you join forces with the people who are the catalyst for the very things you’re complaining about and think you would bring about change?)  America itself is looking STUPID right now!

Things are really messed up and it’s difficult to figure out why.  However, as I’m reading Sharlet’s book the picture is becoming much more clear.  The “Family” is a group of – as mentioned above – radical fundamentalist Christians who run a house occupied by conservative members of Congress called “C” street in Washington DC.  They also have other “outposts” around our nation’s capital to promote their BRAINWASHING of prospective “Family members,”  plus, they have “cells” all around the world which are occupied by some of the most powerful people in some of the less desirable locations – including some of the most powerful Americans.  I could give you the list, but it’s long, it’s sobering (almost depressing), and it includes people you wouldn’t imagine being part of this group (including Hillary Clinton – I’m guessing Clinton is a “fringe” participant and is unaware of some of the basics of this group – at least I’m hoping that’s the case).

Publicly, these people are all about prayer.  In fact, their main OVERT activity is the national day of prayer which seems to be a regular part of every American politician who wants to be seen on a national level.  Sharlet’s book is a couple years old, but it would not surprise me if Barack Obama wasn’t participating in their prayer breakfast during the national day of prayer.  This all sounds great to us Christians, until you start to look under the surface.  Then it gets REALLY ugly!  The group’s leader, Doug Coe, has been traveling worldwide making alliances with persons in power for something like 40 years now (he’s the second person to head this group which began prior to the Great Depression).  These people (the “Family”) have, on many occasions, expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and other authoritarian personalities throughout history as examples to base their philosophy on.  They are not working toward “saving” the “little people,” (like me) they’re focused on the power brokers.  They claim they’re not in it for the money, but when you take a close look at their property and their travel schedules, you realize this is a BIG MONEY operation.  And, it’s all done in secret, and I’m guessing it’s all done without any connection to the IRS – the “Family” is – I’m assuming – considered a “CHURCH” – and, those in Washington DC have to know what is going on there, and they seem to think it’s OK. (which is a scary thought in it’s own right – it’s almost as if the “Family” members are daring our government to try to stop them)

These people not only admire the Nazi’s, they have a direct connection to those members of the Nazi party who were “left behind” in Germany after World War II.  In fact, in one part of the book Sharlet points out how Coe’s mentor, the original “Family” member (referred to as “Abram”) was involved with helping Nazi’s avoid prosecution after the War – then bringing them into the “Family.”  Coe made a connection to Indonesia’s dictator Suharno in the 1970’s and despite Suharno committing HUNDRED’S OF THOUSHANDS of murders, Coe welcomed him into the group – evidently admiring his philosophy on “power.”  The “Family” has a history of being involved in several of the South American tragedies where American forces facilitated coups to overthrow democratically elected governments because they were too “leftist.”  They seem to look upon the MILLIONS murdered by right wing dictators they’ve welcomed into their midst as simply “collateral damage” – claiming many were “communists” so they deserved to be killed.  What are their plans for those of us on the left in America?  As I’m reading this book I can see the “Family” is an integral part of the “invisible” force which has been dragging America to the right for the past 30+ years. 

Actually, the “Family” has been “at it” since the days of FDR.  (I’ve just been paying attention since Ronald Reagan was elected – you can bet he was part of this conspiracy)  They are among the most avid “haters” of the New Deal.  If you’ve been wondering why so many republicans are dead set on reversing the New Deal, a big reason is because the “Family” has a tight grip on the republican party.  One of the main members of “C” Street is Jim DeMint, the unabashedly racist Senator from South Carolina.  Last year I saw him at a “tea party” rally, standing right in front of a person carrying a sign depicting President Obama as a monkey with a bone through his nose and another sign which read “Kenya has an African Lion, the White House has a lying African” – and DeMint called the people patriots!  (there were plenty more racists signs within clear eyesight of DeMint – his message was just as clear)  These people could care less what’s best for the average American, they are all about power.  DeMint will always be famous for “admitting” the republicans wanted to cause Obama’s “Waterloo” right on the Senate floor.  People like DeMint are supposed to be governing, not doing everything they can to cause government to “FAIL” – and, in this case, for obviously racial motives.

53% of the American people voted for President Obama and you would have thought that he would get an opportunity to put in place the issues he ran on.  However, he came under attack from the day he was elected by the same people who relentlessly were “on” President Bill Clinton for the eight years of his administration.  Personally, I thought Obama would understand what was coming but it appears he didn’t – I’ve posted about that many times prior to tonight and you can check the archives if you’re interested.  Obama is essentially doing everything the republicans (and the “Family”) anticipated when he was elected, making their job all the easier.  The truth is that the republican party – with the “blessing” of the “Family” (meant as a pun) – have their eyes set on creating an authoritarian regime – the permanent republican majority that Bush/Cheney screwed up – that is elected by the unsuspecting public.  As mentioned above, they have a voting block of “conservative Christians” who vote for them blindly – not even thinking of all the un-Christian things they’re doing – the republicans can count on about 35% of the public voting for them NO MATTER WHAT THEY STAND FOR.  (as Shaffer so eloquently points out, these Christians still believe the republicans are opposed to abortion)  I personally have aquaintences I can’t even talk to anymore because they have been so completely taken in by the propaganda – spread by the likes of Beck, Limbaugh, Palin, Hannity, O’Reilly and the many others who are part of this conspiracy to repeal the New Deal.

Again, these people don’t believe in democracy, they believe in authoritarian power.  It’s ironic how they accuse Obama and other democrats of being “fascists” or “communists” or “socialists” or others that they actually secretly admire for the manner in which they obtained and maintained power.  You might be wondering how pervasive is this group?  Well, that’s a hard one for me to quantify at this point in time.  However, I can say after reading most of Sharlet’s book and putting “two plus two” together, the conclusion is a bit alarming.  Sharlet talks about how the evidence he uncovered – and, I guess at this point I need to say that Sharlet was a “brother” at a place called “Ivanworld” which is one of the “Family’s” properties in Washington DC and he managed to get a good look into their archives – so his information comes right out of the written archives of the group itself – the evidence shows there are “cells” of prayer groups all over the world and they include corporate CEO’s, heads of state, governors, senators, congressmen/women, and other rich and famous people – the “Family” targets  successful people (and, not just Americans for those of you wondering if “foreigners” are participating in our electoral process via “Citizens United,” read this book and you’ll no longer have a single doubt) – kind of the “trickle down theory” without the trickle down.

What could all this mean?  (in particular, if the “left” figures this out and fights back)  Well, let me refresh your memory (and mine) about a few of my concerns over the previous 3 – 4 years of writing on this blog.  Do you remember Blackwater?  Well, there is no doubt in my mind that Eric Prince, the founder and (former, I think – I believe he’s moved his family to Abu Dhabi to “get a break from America” – maybe avoid investigations?) CEO of Blackwater is part of this group.  He’s not mentioned in the book to the point I’ve read, but I believe it’s true.  Prince, as I stated well over a year ago was involved in a “cell” with the likes of James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and a few others of the “conservative Christian” movement who were contemplating a “coup” in America during the Clinton presidency.  Probably unrealistic then, but less unrealistic now considering that Prince’s company – now called Xe services (to avoid the bad name Blackwater gained from murdering scores of Iraqi’s – and others) – is like a MAJOR private army.  They’ve got their own air force and navy.  They’ve managed to infiltrate the intelligence structure in America and – as I’ve been saying for some time – they are VERY dangerous!  Their mercenaries consist of some of the baddest soldiers for hire in the world – many coming from different countries in South America where they’ve been fighting guerilla warfare for generations.  I have no doubt that Blackwater and the “Family” are “connected at the hip.”

Then there’s people like Chuck Norris of “Walker Texas Ranger” fame – who was following Mike Huckabee around during the last election like a puppy dog.  If you don’t remember, Huckabee was the darling of the religious “right” until he made some comments that were so “off the wall” that his candidacy fell into the also ran category.  Huckabee seemed like an OK guy to me, but certainly not qualified to “right the ship” in America under the circumstances which existed during the last year of the Bush/Cheney nightmare.  Well, the reason I bring up Norris is because his racist nature came out full force once we had an African American in the “White House” and I will never forget listening to him claim that “if things get any worse” (he was apparently talking about the FACT America had elected a Black President) “there are thousands of armed cells around the country ready for a second American Revolution.”  He went on to suggest that Texas should suceed from the union and he was thinking of running for “president of Texas.”  OK, Norris proved himself to be just another of the thoughtless nutjobs out there fueling things like the “tea party” and other right wing fanatical organizations but he was promoting sedition and, like with many others in this “movement,” almost daring the government to stop them.  All of this being funded by the would be corporatocracy which leads us back to the Nazi references made in the Sharlet book toward the fundamental beliefs of those at the “helm” of the “Family.”

This is all very unnerving to me.  I keep hoping that I’m becoming just as much a “nutjob” as the people I’m concerned about.  However, the more I read about what’s going on under the surface in Washington DC, the more I’m reminded of the saying “Be afraid, be very afraid.”  Who am I afraid for?  As I’ve stated many times on this site, I’m afraid for my children and grandchildren.  I really don’t want to leave them a country that is a global poriah, a country that is under the control of a fascist corporatocracy, a country that is militaristically overextended beyond belief and seeking MORE, and a country that has abandoned the very beliefs which made it a great nation in the first place.  America is the target of the rich and powerful because of it’s great wealth and history.  The sad reality here is that America’s voting public is appearing to be amongst the most uninformed in the “free world.”  The “Family” and those they are associated with have been working on their scheme to overturn the New Deal since the 1930’s.  Their plan is gaining momentum, largely because of democrats who are either part of the problem or don’t “get it.”  I’m still trying to figure out which part of that puzzle President Obama fits into.  Certainly, I hope it’s the latter.  I hope he’s genuine in his desire for “bipartisanship” despite the sad reality that it is allowing the republicans to walk all over him.  If that’s the case, then there’s still time for a real “change we can believe in.”  And, that would be to lead the FIGHT against this force.  If it’s the former, then we are all in trouble.

Someone is going to have to be the “leader” here.  And, the fight is going to be difficult and it’s going to take several years.  The first step will be to work on changing the public’s perception of these right wing thugs who are stealing our treasury blind and threatening the very fabric of what made America great.  The New Deal was the driving force which created the greatest middle class in the history of the world.  It is under unbelievable assault – and, remember, FDR was fighting the SAME FIGHT and the same GREEDY corporatists we need to be FIGHTING today – except that this time those on the other side have gained control of the “mainstream” media and the Supreme Court.  They are controlling the message and the democrats are BADLY losing that battle.  I believe the American people ( a significant majority) are longing for someone to lead the charge to ACTUALLY change the climate in Washington.  Obviously, President Obama is not “getting” that.  A big part of the challenge will be people who have access to the public airwaves exposing groups like the “Family” and reporters “digging” into the “Family’s” past and present to let the American people know what they’re really up against.  I applaud Sharlet for his book, I suggest you read it if any of this post rings a “bell” with you.  How can the American voters support people who profess to be Christians but look up to Hitler and the Nazi’s when deciding how to guide their “Family?”  The “invisible” force behind the right wing extremism in the republican party could well be Doug Coe and the “Family.”  It’s time the “fourth estate” exposes them for what they really are.

I continue to wait for that LEADER to emerge from the “left” who has the guts to take on the establishment which is becoming even more entrenched as I write this piece.  Not only am I seeing more signs of democrats “caving” into republican whims, but I’m also seeing almost frightening signs of the democrats anxiety about holding republicans accountable for their misdeeds – which are probably felonies, but I guess we’ll never know because our policy since the election of Barack Obama is to “look forward instead of back.”  That policy led to Obama essentially pardoning the Bush/Cheney administrtation for illegal wiretapping, outing a CIA agent, politicizing the Justice Department, refusing to answer subpoenas to congress, initiating an illegal and unwarranted WAR, and authorizing TORTURE – just to mention the most noticeable transgressions.  So, I guess it will be no surprise when Eric Cantor is allowed to BLATANTLY violate the Logan Act by ASSURING the Prime Minister of Israel that he will make sure the republican congress sides with Israel AGAINST a sitting US President in American foreign policy.  His exact words were that the republcan congress would act as a “check” on the policies of the Obama administration.  Translated, that means Cantor is assuring Israel that the republicans will continue to do everything they can to undermine Obama and he’s assuring Netanyahu (Israel’s PM) they’ll support Israel in any dispute because ” the security of each nation is reliant upon the other.” (which is total Bull S#@% on it’s face – we would be just fine without Israel!)

Are these republicans going to continue DARING Obama to “man up” until he actually takes bold, firm action?  Are they indirectly trying to help him gather the courage necessary to do this job?  I’m not sure, but it’s WAY PAST the time to DRAW THE LINE!  Let me quote the website “Media with a Conscience” – “What Eric Cantor did on November 10th was illegal. He broke the law. The Law he boasted about violating is known as the Logan Act. This act makes it a felony for an American citizen ‘without authority of the United States’ to interact ‘with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof’ with the intent to influence that government’s behavior on any disputes with the United States.”  This is the same Eric Cantor who claimed Nancy Pelosi should be subject to the Logan Act in 2007 when she met with President Assad of Syria (with the full knowledge of and approval of the US State Department).  She made no offers to Assad regarding disputes with America – therefore OK – and Cantor’s visit with Netanyahu was without any official sanction whatsoever – therefore a felony!  Simply put, he was simply blowing off his mouth and making an already EXTREMELY difficult situation (which was made unbelievably difficult by the actions of the previous republican administration) even MORE difficult (which hardly seems possible).  I believe you could go so far as to call Cantor’s actions TREASONOUS!

Hillary Clinton and President Obama have been gallantly trying to rejuvenate the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.  What might the damage done by Cantor be – who knows?  But, just the idea that these republican leaders continue to brazenly try to undermine a sitting U.S. President is getting a bit too much for me.  Personally, I care too much for the future of my children and grandchildren to think that destroying this nation so we can be assured we won’t have another Black President anytime soon is an acceptable political strategy ….. obviously, those affiliated with Cantor, Beck, Limbaugh, etc. would disagree!  Come on now, I’m not at all that happy with a lot of what Obama is doing, but I still believe in the process and I believe we are “a nation of laws and not men.”  My deepest disappointment in Obama was his pardoning of Bush/Cheney.  Because of that we’ll never know much of the mischief they were up to.  We’ve already had a major mine disaster and major oil spill that trace right back to the lax regulatory policies of Bush/Cheney, our former president is selling his book by BRAGGING that he authorized WATERBOARDING and that it was legal because some hand picked lawyer told him so, and now we have Cantor assuring Israel that the republicans have their “backs” in any dispute with the president – the man they are going to make sure FAILS!  Is this all a bad dream?  Can this be happening in America?

Here’s what is likely to be continued frustration for the rest of the year.  Remember, until January the democrats STILL have a significant majority in congress.  There is a lot they could get done which would make up for some of the timid behavior of the past 4 years.  However, I honestly don’t think they have it in them.  I’m beginning to think that the demcrats in congress need to be replaced – and, as I stated in my previous post – if Obama “caves” on the “Bush Tax Cuts” which is seeming more and more possible each passing day – the democrats need to find another nominee in 2012.  What could they do you ask?  Well, for starters, they could MAKE SURE that the 99ers are taken care of.  The unemployment benefits for those unable to find work for the past two years is running out.  And, despite Sharron Angle’s claims to the contrary, most of these people aren’t NOT working because they’re lazy – the truth is they can’t find work.  They need support which would include extended benefits and retraining in many instances.

Then there’s the so-called “Bush Tax Cuts.”  As I’ve been stating since Obama took office, I believe they should have been repealed – ALL OF THEM!  I “get” why they don’t want to repeal the tax cuts which affect people like me – I spend the money, it puts money into the economy and due to our economy being consumer driven, it’s important that consumers have money to spend.  However, I’m really tired of the “right wingers” clamoring for more tax cuts and at the same time complaining about the deficit.  The Bush Tax Cuts were instrumental in creating the HUGE deficits of the past 10 years.  If you’re reading this I don’t have to remind you that Bush’s tax cuts took a 250 BILLION dollar surplus and almost instantaneously turned it into the largest annual budget deficits in the history of this nation!  To top it off, Bush/Cheney BORROWED every cent for the Iraq and Afganistan occupations and kept almost $200 BILLION off the books each year by using supplemental budget requests.  The reality was that Bush/Cheney STUCK Barack Obama with a $1.2 TRILLION annual deficit when he took office and an economy making deficit reduction nearly impossible without exacerbating the “Great Recession” Obama inherited.  The Bush Tax Cuts and the Wars in Iraq and Afganistan account for more than 50% of the record deficits and I, for one, would welcome the president eliminating all three albatrosses – although it is apparent he’s not going to do any of the “above” any time soon.  Therefore, the “progressive” hope has to be that he holds firm on eliminating the tax cuts “for the rich.”  (that is, those making in excess of $250,000 individually or $500,000 as a couple)  I’ve heard estimates as high as 80% of Americans favoring allowing the top tax rate to return to where they were under the Clinton administration, but, then, over 70% of America favored a PUBLIC OPTION in the healthcare reform debate, and Obama caved on that one.  The reality is that the republicans are going to FIGHT for those “tax cuts for the rich” even at the expense of eliminating the middle class Bush tax cuts – we’re fast approaching the moment of truth for Obama.  (The republicans have been proving for the past two years they can control Washington’s agenda whether in “power” or not)

Of course, the republicans will attempt to switch the debate to Obama RAISING TAXES on the middle class if he doesn’t cave – and they do have control of America’s “liberal media” – which is what I believe Obama and the democrats fear (that’s a topic for another post) – but, don’t you think it’s time the democrats start putting their collective heads together and figure out how to outsmart the repuclicans and all their shills?  I believe there’s a pent up anticipation for the day when the democrats FINALLY throw down the gauntlett and shout out “I’m mad as Hell and I’m not going to take this any more!”  The question then becomes, “what can they do?” to combat what will clearly be more republican obstructionism.  I say there’s a simple solution.  All funding issues begin in the House of Representatives which still has a significant democratic majority (until January) and ALL THEY HAVE TO DO is originate and pass a middle class tax cut in the House – which mirrors the so-called Bush tax cuts for those earning less than the above mentioned standard of $250,000 and send it to the senate.  Should the senate republicans choose to FILIBUSTER the bill, the democrats would have two options. 

First, (and the preferable one to me) would be to get out the cots and the TV cameras and force the republicans to do an old fashioned filibuster where they are forced to keep talking until they’re blue in the face – all the while in front of the American public which would be adversely affected if they would prevail (although, failure would considerably reduce the deficit) in stopping the “tax cuts for the middle class.”  And, the democrats would need to do a great job of framing the debate in exactly those words – the republicans blocking a tax cut for 98% of working Americans.  The second, and less favorable (to me) – but, probably more practical – option would be to pass the bill in the senate using reconciliation – EXACTLY how the republicans passed the initial Bush Tax Cuts in the first place.  Don’t even give them the option to vote on extending the tax cuts for those in the upper 2% of America’s workforce.  By taking this stand and forcing their will on this issue as a “parting shot” democrats could accomplish the most important success they need at this point in time.  They would be sending a message to their “base” that they are ready to do battle with the republicans and they “get” that the message from November 2nd isn’t for them to move even FARTHER to the “right” but, to begin the process of bringing America back toward the left where you’ll find her best years.  We need to strengthen America’s middle class before it’s too late.  For anyone who’s a baby boomer or older reading this – we’re fighting for our children’s and grandchildren’s futures.  We can’t allow this republican corporatocracy to return America to the days of the 1920’s when corporations and their elite feasted on the labor of America’s workers who were left with nothing but the scraps.  That situation is in NO ONE’S best interests – ultimately, even for the interests of the greedy corporate heads behind the repubican shills.

And this gets us back to republicans like Cantor who will do or say anything to gain “power” in their “cause.”  (whatever it might really be) These people have no scruples as to what comes out of their mouths – listen to a BUNCH of them on any particular day and you will hear the same CODE WORDS, designed to “catapult the propaganda” using the words of George W Bush, spewing from mulitiple mouths.  As if ten of them had the same crazy thought all at once.  They will push their agenda as far as the American public will allow, and listening to some of the “exit poll” data from November 2nd, they are effectively brainwashing America’s public.  It’s time for the battle to be “waged.”  The democrats really are looking like a bunch of whimps – and, as I’ve stated on this website many times – the one unforgivable trait for an American politician is showing “weakness.”  Bush/Cheney BLATANTLY violated one American law after another – confident the democrats didn’t have the guts to call them on it.  I thought Obama would surprise them – but, he surprised me and “looked forward.”  (in my mind, he looked the other way!)  Now, you’ve got a republican congressman committing what could arguably be called TREASON.  Here’s the reality as I see it, If Obama and the democrats allow Eric Cantor to BLATANTY violate the Logan Act without consequence we might as well look elsewhere for our leadership!  Nancy Pelosi took “impeachment off the table” when she took over as the Speaker of the House.  Do you really think the republicans will return the favor in kind?  The democrats “blinked” when investigations were warranted, now we’re about to get investigations on steroids in the republican controlled House exclusively aimed at undermining Obama’s Presidency.  Cantor’s actions, to me, are just one more example of republicans daring democrats to act like adults knowing ahead of time they don’t have what it takes to do so!

A few days ago I forced myself to watch a bit of Glenn Beck.  This was really hard for me.  It has become clear to me that he’s marching toward the head of the “pack” of the paid shills for whoever is behind this right wing corporate takeover that is continuing to gain steam in America.  I’ve long been writing about how it’s my belief it started (at least noticeably to me) during the days of Ronald Reagan.  I’m beginning to believe it started well before that, it’s just that Reagan was the perfect “actor” to take center stage in the White House to further “their” message – whoever “they” are.  Well, as irony would have it, there was Beck spewing out a theory – using puppets – that the “left wing conspiracy” was/is funded by George Soros (the main target of these projectionist nutjobs) – Soros supposedly acting behind the scenes and using different politicians and political commentators to further HIS message.  Soros, in the background, “pulling the strings” of these people on the front lines who are leading this country into some form of fascism (I couldn’t keep watching long enough to get all the details at this point – it was creepy)  This is CLASSIC on the part of Beck and his benefactors.  Accuse the opposition of EXACTLY what they, themselves, are doing in order to divert attention from their REAL goal – which is appearing more and more to be a fascist corporate takeover of our government.

Then, after thinking about what he was doing for a bit, it dawned on me that this is just another part of the right wing propaganda scheme that I’ve been railing about for years.  Essentially, Beck is saying the same thing I’ve been claiming – only he names the conspirator “behind the scenes.”  I have been unable to put a face to what is happening “behind the scenes” of the republican/right wing “conspiracy” – but, talk about your projection!  I keep wondering if Beck is just playing this devious game and he’s giving hints to the “left” as to what is REALLY happening to them – with some kind of huge bet somewhere as to if or when they are going to “get it.”  Beck has an arrogant confidence that by the time the “left” figures this out it will be too late.

The person I’ve heard with the best perspective on all of this is an auto mechanic, of all people, named Tom Dwyer in Portland, Oregon – who advertises on the local “progressive” radio station.  As I listen to him, I continually wonder – where are our leaders?  If auto mechanics and 6th grade teachers can figure out what’s going on, why can’t the democrats who are in leadership positions do the same?  I believe the answer to that question would be clear if we could simply “follow the money.”  Let me elaborate.  (I honestly believe there is a pent up desire in America to get behind whoever decides to stand tall against this “invisible” enemy – people, from “both sides of the isle,” feel “it” – it’s just hard to figure out what “it” is)

I will begin by reiterating what I’ve been saying for several years now.  We, in America, are at war.  And, the war which has the most profound influence on the future of this nation is not in Iraq or Afganistan, it’s right here at home.  It’s the WAR for the heart and soul of this nation.  I’ve gotten to the point where I’m almost obsessively consuming non-fiction books on how our government is functioning – I began reading about Iraq in 2004, then Afganistan, then the economy, and along the way several books opening my eyes to different inside aspects of how America is being governed.  I can tell you, the more I read, the more “chilling” it gets.  In fact, I’ve got to take a deep breath in an attempt to lay out a small portion of these thoughts in some kind of sequential order so that they make sense.  Let’s start with Barack Obama.

I got excited about a presidential candidate for the first time since RFK in the 2008 election.  I made a lot of assumptions as I supported Obama and, looking back, the “red flags” began prior to his election.  The first one was when he voted for immunity for the telecoms who were illegally wiretapping American citizens.  I was so upset about that one that I wrote a three page letter to Obama’s campaign staff.  I don’t remember if I got a direct response, but I do remember Obama promising to “fix” the “FISA” bill once in office.  One of many promises BROKEN!  To many on the “left” this didn’t appear to be too big a deal, but to me it was one of the first “hints” that Obama was more “republican-lite” than truly “progressive.” (can I use the word liberal here?)  later, as soon as I found out that President Obama was defending the Bush wiretapping in court, I knew this one was a lost cause – and, frankly, I was very surprised he didn’t get much “blowback” from the “left” for this.  Additionally, Obama was right in the thick of the TARP bailout – although, thankfully, that MUST be put on Bush and Paulsen.  I was OK with the government loaning GM and Chrysler money to save millions of blue collar jobs and an auto industry which was in danger, but allowing the Wall Street Banks to “get away” with risking this economy, and plundering TRILLIONS from America’s pension funds and taxpayers – with virtually NO accountability – was unthinkable to me.  Of course, we sent a message that not only are these Wall Street thugs “too big to fail” – but, they’re “too important to fail” and therefore the HUGE bonuses for ruining MILLIONS of Americans’ lives.  Remember, the CEO of GM was “canned” and the government took ownership subject to TARP money being paid back – not ONE Wall Street executive was fired from any of the “too big to fail” banks and the Obama administration clearly backed off “nationalizing” any of the banks.

I took Obama to be incredibly intelligent during the election (and, I still believe he is) but I had to wonder what he was thinking when he surrounded himself with Wall Street and Goldman Sachs alumni in his new administration.  I shuddered when it was announced Rahm Emanuel was to be his chief of staff and Obama kept in tact Bush’s “war machine” in the pentagon.  While I certainly prefer Secretary Gates over Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense – NEW BLOOD was needed.  How do you change a policy with the same people who created it?  This is the course President Obama chose for both the economy and the two UNWINNABLE wars he inherited.  Now, he – and the REST OF US – are paying a price for these (and some other curious) decisions.  The “tea party” has been energized and the – OK, I’m going to say it – liberals are TOTALLY turned of by our democratic president.  It was much easier for me to be disappointed with Bush/Cheney, because I didn’t expect any different.  However, the “change I could believe in” wasn’t republican-lite.

Obama and his supporters will point out all their “accomplishments” – which there are some notable examples – but, none of them have come without a significant “cost.”  Our president started by negotiating the “stimulus” package down to an amount that was sure to leave too many Americans unemployed in a futile attempt to get “bipartisanship.”  This created a lot of criticism from Obama’s own “base” because WE (I say “we” because I was pointing out the folly of a too small package before it was voted on myself) understood that the need was for more money aimed at creating jobs through rebuilding our infrastructure.  I honestly don’t understand how that couldn’t have been obvious to Obama and his advisors.  The president then gave away the ability to negotiate with “Big Pharma” before the health care legislation was even written – apparently, to avoid a fight – which didn’t end up being avoided.  It’s been one example of pandering to the “right” after another in his tenure in the White House – over and over to the dismay of LIBERALS (there, I said it) like me.  In fact, Emanuel – as I’ve pointed out here several times – referred to Obama’s liberal base as “f___ing retards.”

So, in an attempt to gain support among a bunch of republicans and racists who really do want someone “white” in the White House, President Obama has alienated much of his base.  And, now it’s being reported that Obama is willing to CAVE on the so-called “Bush taxcuts” because of this apparent republican “landslide” in the midterm election.  He still hasn’t figured out that there’s more of us than them – UNLESS we stay home on election day.  I’ve voted every election since 1968, but I’m really tiring of voting for the less of two “evils.”  President Obama is not convincing me – nor are a large protion of the democratic party – that if we truly “follow the money” from the corporate heads who want control of our government – that  much of the money won’t lead right back to the democratic party.  People are tired of what I call “half – legislation.”  That is, stuff that’s supposed to look good, but really is just more “business as usual.”

Before I lay back into the republicans, let me take the “health care reform” for example.  I’m trusting what I hear that there’s some good in the bill.  But, at this point, there’s NO CHANCE the “public option” will be part of the “reform” by the time everything “kicks in” (if it does kick in) – and, without that the problem is FAR FROM SOLVED!  It seems as if the people who recognize this reality the most are the potential supporters of the president.  Abandoning the public option, abandoning a sufficient stimulus package, abandoning strict Wall Street reform, refusing to hold anyone accountable for wrongdoing in the name of our government – all of this is DEFLATING Obama’s base.  And, he’d better figure this out before he does one more stupid thing.  The most recent rumor is that he’s going to cave on the “Bush tax cuts” and I’m predicting that if Obama signs a bill extending the tax cuts for the rich, he will be a one term president FOR SURE.  I will work to make sure he’s not nominated again if he does that.  My personal preference was for him to repeal all of the tax cuts (including those intended for me) once he took office.  Extending them will be political suicide for the president.

So, obviously, our president and the democrats are not without problems when we “follow the money.”  Their actions would indicate that they’ve bought the coolaid from the corporate heads as well – especially the “military industrial complex.”  But, they pale in the wake of what we just witnessed with the republicans and the “tea party.”  I’ve seen the figure $4 BILLION as the amount “invested” in the previous mid term election.  I presonally find that hard to believe.  And, I find it hard to believe that Americans of ALL political persuasions don’t care where the money came from.  The idea that BILLIONS are being spent from UNNAMED sources should get EVERYONE’S attention.  Do you really think that much of that money didn’t come from foreign “investors?”  I’m a little uneasy having Saudi Prince’s, Chinese business people, or business people from any country outside our borders “investing” in our politicians.  Is anyone here having trouble imagining why so many American manufacturing jobs are disappearing?  Does anyone besides me worry about our large corporations sharing their technology with countries like China and India – who don’t think twice about stealing the “secrets?”  Does anyone really believe that these people aren’t smart enough to take America’s trade secrets and turn them into future advantage?  It’s the same old make a dollar today at the expense of many dollars tomorrow approach to everything in America.

Getting back to Beck and his diabolical scheming to convince Americans that Obama is the fascist, he’s got unlimited funds coming from somewhere and people had better not continue looking the other way as he performs his duties.  This man is DANGEROUS!  He’s inciting unlimited numbers of Americians who believe he’s an honest commentator.  The divisiveness that is being driven by Beck, and some of the others such as Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh – which is fueling the “tea party” movement, is reminiscent of former times in America – most recently in the 1920’s leading up to the Great Depression.  The parallels of the rise in corporate power, the HUGE desparity in wealth between the “rich” and the “poor,” and the greedy policies coming from Wall Street are earily similar to the “big crash” of 1929.

What’s even more scary to me is some of the inferences you can make about the republican party (and, unfortunately, some of the democrats as well).  I’m presently reading a book which is titled “The Family” by Jeff Sharlet.  The book describes a group of American leaders – mostly congress people – who are bonded through a fundamental extremist view of Christianity and who’s group history dates back to the 1930’s.  They have been funded by and have been supporting America’s corporate elite in a FIGHT against the New Deal policies of the Roosevelt era which brought the U.S. out of the Great Depression since Roosevelt’s first days in office.  Today’s version of this group are the ones accusing President Obama of being a fascist, yet the group is founded on principles espoused by Adolph Hitler himself.  The groups founder is quoted in the book several times as admiring the fascist governments of Germany and Italy.  Additionally, these people are grounded in a history of racism.  They have reached full steam ahead in the “right’s” overt attempt to ensure that President Obama fails.  We’ve heard the words from Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Beck, and most recently Mitch McConnell – the republican leader in the senate – publicly stated that the republicans NUMBER ONE goal is to make sure Obama is a one term president.  I’ve been following politics for a long time and there has been many major political differences among the parties in my lifetime, but I’ve never seen such an attempt to undermine a sitting president.  The bottom line is that we all succeed if the president succeeds.  Disagreement is one thing, purposely blocking every initiative in an attempt to destroy him is quite another.  (of course, Obama seems to be playing into their hands with his constant pandering – which wouldn’t seem so bad if 20 MILLION Americans weren’t unemployed or underemployed)

I invite anyone to read “The Family,” or to read Robert Reich’s “Aftershock,” or Kevin Phillips’ “Bad Money” and you will get a good view of the parallels between the corporate power grab of the 20’s and what is happening today.  The American people are proving to be poor students of history which is likely to sentence us all to repeating it – hence, another Great Depression.  That is my biggest disappointment from the recent turn of events on November 2nd.  The “tea party” professes to be a grass roots “populist” movement – but, they’re funded by some of the largest corporations in America and they will be totally beholden to the lobbyists in Washington once they take their spots in the new congress.  (actually, it should be fun watching the republicans fighting amongst themselves) I mean, some of the people the republicans elected were LOBBYISTS and FORMER congresspeople – talk about your mixed message.  The bottom line here is that the people behind this movement have a history of racism and Nazi sympathy.  They’re quick to throw out the accusations toward Obama, but when you look beyond the surface you have to wonder what are the American voters thinking.  I’ll say this to President Obama, if you don’t start standing up for the people who elected you and FIGHT this republican corporate takeover of our nation, you will go down in history as one of the worst presidents in history.  The American public didn’t vote you into office to placate republicans.  They voted you in to CHANGE the course of our government.  I believe it’s not too late to reenergize the liberal base, but it won’t happen if the president caves on the Bush tax cuts!  And, if the left doesn’t demonstrate a willingness to fight people like Beck, Limbaugh, and Palin they will succeed in destroying what’s left of the New Deal.  It was the New Deal which created America’s great middle class and these right wing power brokers have been attempting to dismantle it for approximately 70 years.  Members of the “Family” believe in authoritarian government (theocracy) – and include many now at the head of the “tea party” movement and sitting members of congress.  For those on the left who think Beck, Palin, and the “tea party” are a joke, I suggest you take a deep breath and prepare for the fight of your life!  They are the  perfect shills for whoever is behind this movement!

I started writing about the consequences of President Obama’s futile attempt at “bipartisanship” from the beginning of his term in office.  I also pointed out the FOLLY of surrounding himself with Washington AND Wall Street INSIDERS as he began his historic administration.  I, along with MILLIONS of other LIBERALS (progressives – we seem to have given up that word “liberal” in the face of the republican propoganda machine), began pointing out the “mistakes” as they were unfolding only to be referred to as “f___ing liberals” by Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.  When Emanuel received no consequence for lashing out at the “base” I knew we were in BIG TROUBLE.  And, I wish I could put this differently, but I’m just now getting a grasp at how big the trouble is.  I’m feeling that President Obama and those surrounding him got EXACTLY the WRONG message from the recent midterm election.

Now that I’ve seen the president in action for almost two years I have to admit that I almost anticipated this.  He’s already reaching out to republicans in a way that I’m guessing will allow them to succeed in getting the “Bush tax cuts” extended.  Remember, if they’re extended for even two years the republicans will be chomping at the bit in 2012 to get them “permanently extended” then.  This will be another in what’s appearing like a long line of “deja vu’s all over agains.”  (OK, I “get” that was a bit awkwardly put)  And, if we haven’t reached depression stage with our economy by then, we’ll be even more on the “brink.”  I think I’ve already written this, but if Obama “caves” on this one, he won’t even get the democratic nomination for re-election.  What’s TOTALLY ironic to me is the so-called “tea partiers” railing against the deficit, yet supporting the tax cuts, the wars, and all the corporate welfarism that runs Washington DC.  It makes about as much sense as when Ronald Reagan first proposed the idea:  “I’ll cut taxes and balance the budget.”  Voodoo economics then, voodoo economics NOW!

President Obama has cringed when he’s been dubbed “republican-lite” by those of us who really want him to succeed and he, along with his supporters like Randi Rhodes, are quick to reel off a list of accomplishments that would separate him from republicans.  Yes, he’s headed in a different direction in the overt decisions of his administration, but when you look a little deeper, it’s a lot closer to “business as usual.”  That is what has the “liberals” upset and that is why they stayed home in November.  Personally, I voted in November, but I’m thinking this is maybe a necessary “correction” (I’m an optimist by nature) because most of the democrats who were “purged” from Congress (with a few notable exceptions – and, I have to add here that, in my mind, Alan Grayson of Florida is one of my favorite politicians.  Talk about your congressperson with the guts to speak the truth as he sees it – without fear of losing his seat – which he lost.  But we need more leaders willing to speak their minds without putting re-election ahead of their values) were the so-called “blue dogs.”  The democratic party is in need of a remolding to get it back to Main Street and away from Wall Street.  If Obama doesn’t figure out what’s really happening, and FAST, the struggle to save this nation from the suffocating grip of multinational corporations will become even more daunting.

“Grass roots” is a great notion, and it can be very powerful.  But, you need leaders to guide the “ship.”  Take the “tea party” for example.  They had a convention with something like 600 people attending.  Their movement has been inspired by corporate cronies with unlimited funds to spend on advertising, TV personalities with mammothly egotistical agendas, and Americans who – whether you want to believe this or not – just can’t handle someone who’s not “white” in the White House.  Unfortunately for those of us who are shaking our heads that this phenomenom could reach such “heights” in present day America, President Obama has taken the wrong turn at almost EVERY intersection when confronting this.  I’ve been listing these things for almost two years, but I’m going to do it again (relax, I’ll try to be a bit abbreviated :o) because if Obama doesn’t start fighting back, those on the left need to begin looking for a different leader – YOU HAVE TO HAVE A LEADER!  (That’s where I believe the “tea partiers” are going to fall short – I think their agenda is likely to conflict with the “republican” agenda, and the fallout could be very interesting to say the least – remember, their de facto leader is Sarah Palin)

I wrote about this to the point that I probably turned off some of the 300 or so of you reading these posts (I still find it hard to believe anyone found my spot in cyberspace) – but President Obama’s decision to BLOCK all investigations of the Bush/Cheney administration will go down in history as one of the major presidential BLUNDERS of all time.  That decision alone GAVE the debate back to the republicans.  It was like showing blood to a shark in the water.  It showed Obama to be indecisive and basically spineless – not up for a good fight.  He said at the time he wanted to “look forward instead of back” – which is absurd on its face – I’ve pointed out that using his logic (and he’s a constitutional lawyer) there would never be another crime committed in America – because you have to look back AFTER THE CRIME’S BEEN COMMITTED!  He also said he didn’t want the “distraction” of all the investigations (and, there would have probably been an endless stream of them because the fraud, abuse, and outright lawbreaking was routine in the Bush/Cheney White House).  Well, what Obama got were way more “distractions” anyway.  (not to mention the “distractions” Obama’s going to be facing with a republican chairing the House government oversight committee in the next congress)  He (and the rest of us) would have been much better off had the “distractions” been focused on what Bush/Cheney did illegally instead of on Obama caving in on one piece of legislation after another.

Let me refresh your memory.  Obama took office with two wars being mismanaged, the economy was on the precipice of disaster, the government itself had been essentially dismantled, jobs were being lost at a rate approaching 1 MILLION per MONTH, and the previous president was leaving town with his “tail between his legs.”  I’m dead serious when I say that in the last few months of his presidency George W Bush looked like a “deer in the headlights.”  I’m not even sure he realized the magnitude of destruction he had imposed on America and the rest of the world.  In fact, it was Bush’s Treasury Secretary Hank Paulsen – former head of Goldman Sachs who was intimately involved in the risk taking abuses which led to the “meltdown” – who created the TARP bailout that so angered MILLIONS of Americans.  It was forgivable for Obama to vote for the bailout as a senator, but it was unforgivable for him to then ally himself with Tim Geithner (also intimately involved in the process leading to the crash) and Larry Summers (another Goldman Sachs alum who was instrumental in the repeal of Glass Steagall which allowed the Wall Street banks to become “too big to fail”) and then BLOCK all investigations into the impropriety of what was being done in the name of (and to) the taxpayers.

By abandoning what should have been a process to uncover ALL the wrongdoings in an attempt to make certain they didn’t happen again, President Obama opened himself up for the absurd criticism which has led to, as of the mid term elections, upwards of HALF of American voters believing it was Obama who engineered the TARP bailouts.  I realize this is an indictment of what I call the “low information voters” in America (there’s your opening Lars), but the president is the LEADER!  The investigations would have made things clear.  Also, they possibly could have uncovered ahead of time the malfeasance which led to the mine disaster in West Virginia and the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  In both of those instances, culpibility goes right back to regulatory agencies “in bed” with corporate interests in such a way to save them money at the risk of their employees lives.  To me, that is ALL unacceptable!  Now we have energized republicans sans “tea partiers” clamoring for less taxes, less regulation, less government, and – oh yes – a balanced budget.  And, for good measure, they’re not only happy to be bumbling through TWO wars indefinitely, they want to increase instead of decrease our nuclear arsenal and many of them would love to invade Iran!

It gets worse.  I realize that the republicans could care less about how America is viewed by the rest of the world, but the reality is that it’s very important and we are in a state of accelerating decline.  It’s almost as if we’re shooting oursleves in the foot and we’re wondering how it happened.  For anyone reading this who is unaware of the economic realities of the day, much of America’s HUGE debt is held by foreign nations.  The dollar is tenuous, at best, in it’s role as the leading international currency.  And, America and it’s voting base seems to be oblivious to the potential of this impending disaster (and that would be the world turning away from the dollar).  We have become a nation of consumers and we’ve evolved to consumers who have to borrow to purchase goods.  2008 seems to have been the breaking point of our ability to continue borrowing so that we could keep consuming.  However, we’ve also – since the days of Reagan – been actually promoting American businesses to locate “over seas.”  Well, not only have the jobs been going over seas but so has our technology – which is the real prize in the eyes of the Chinese, the Indians, and others.  Keep in mind, once they build their own economies sufficiently, they have PLENTY of consumers.  Combine this with America’s imperialistic tendencies which are turning nation after nation off and I hope you can see the writing on the wall.  The cycle of greed that seems to have a grip on the corporate elite in America is choking the rest of us, it’s risking our position as the “leaders of the free world,” and – combined with “Citizens United” and the republican propoganda machine which controls our media – it’s threatening to leave our children with a nation in ruins.

Because of Obama’s decision to “look forward instead of back” we now have a bunch of extreme right wing “whackos” energized to bring our government to a halt.  They don’t want to “fix” the health care bill (which SHOULD have included a “PUBLIC OTPION” for ALL) they want to repeal it.  They don’t want to make sure the “too big to fail” banks don’t screw us again, they want to repeal regulations protecting us from them.  25% of the voters in the recent election were over 65 and now we’re looking at a scaling back or repeal of Social Security and Medicare.  They want to destroy public education, arguably the MAIN REASON America has reached such lofty heights.  (This hit “full steam ahead” with “No Child left Behind” and unfortunately is continuing to accelerate under Obama – we give schools mandates, we just don’t give them the resources necessary to carry the mandates out)  As someone approaching 65 I’m actually ashamed that these older Americans have been taking from this country for their entire lives and now are voting against the very programs which have benefitted them.  Of course, they don’t want to take away benefits now, just from their children and grandchildren.  I honestly don’t get it.  These people won’t believe in issues such as Climate Change until New York or Los Angeles is under water.

Worse than those “challenges” facing “progressives” in the coming two years, by “looking forward” President Obama has allowed George W Bush and Dick Cheney to travel this great nation essentially BRAGGING about authorizing TORTURE.  Again, in the eyes of the world now, we’re a nation that believes in TORTURE!  All the “human rights” posturing aside, I can’t believe we’ve evolved to this.  Does Obama really believe that by him saying we won’t TORTURE anymore that it makes it so?  Come on here!  TORTURE is a WAR CRIME!  It not only violates our own laws and international laws, it violates the Geneva Conventions which we were instrumental in setting up as the supporters of “human rights.”  The other day I was forced to listen again to George W Bush ADMITTING to authorizing WATERBOARDING and then claiming that by doing so he “saved lives.”  That is complete BULL S#*@!  EVERY professional interrogator I’ve heard interviewed or read has pointed out that waterboarding gets NO actionable intelligence.  Khalid Sheik Mohammed was providing actionable intelligence UNTIL he was waterboarded (183 TIMES!) after which he began trying to tell the interrogators anything to get them to stop.  Aside from that – waterboarding is a WAR CRIME!  If you do it, or if you authorize it, you have committed a WAR CRIME!  As far as I understand the legal system, it’s as simple as that.  Obama has created an environment where Bush is comfortable traveling from city to city bragging about this.  Again, UNBELIEVABLE to me.

So, we’re stuck with democratic leaders who are supporting Bush/Cheney illegal actions in court (warrantless wiretapping), supporting secrecy in government by defending the “State’s Secrets privilege” in court – something abused beyond belief by Bush/Cheney, who backed off of sufficient stimulus in the face of republican opposition at the beginning of Obama’s term, who willingly dropped the “Public Option” despite support from almost 75% of the public, and on and on.  The democrats have shown no willingness or capability to “take on” the republican propaganda machine.  Give the republicans credit – they are “out messaging” the democrats as if it’s men against boys.  The problem is that due to their lack of resolve during the past two years, they are going to need MORE resolve in the next two.  And, the initial indications I’m seeing since the mid terms is NOT good.  I’ve heard leading democrats already willing to throw in the towel on the tax cuts – I’ve pointed out here several times, just let them expire.  It’s time for Americans to start paying for the services we need – including TWO WARS!  The so-called “Deficit Commission” – who’s leaders made an initial report yesterday – have drunk the republican “coolaid” before any negotiations take place!  Republicans have somehow convinced the American public that taking care of the “rich” is the government’s main function.  It’s like we’re headed to 1929 ALL OVER AGAIN!  The battle against this impending corporatocracy will require courageous leadership.  It will require politicians who are not bought and paid for by the very interests who are undermining our nation.  It will require politicians far more courageous than those presently leading the democratic party.

I’m going to end with a couple thoughts – thoughts that will kind of lay out the prospects of what lies ahead for the next two years.  Within a couple weeks the so-called 99ers will lose their unemployment benefits.  Are the democrats going to make a stand in the lame duck session?  That alone will tell us a lot.  And, of course, with inaction the “Bush tax cuts” will expire.  I am in favor of letting them expire – I don’t believe the democrats have the guts to do so (that would raise mine and probably your taxes).  Short of that, they could propose IN THE HOUSE the extension of tax cuts for anyone making less than what seems to be the “in” cut off for “rich vs poor” – $250,000 – and send it to the senate – putting republicans in the senate on the spot to either vote for tax cuts for 98% of Americans or against it.  I seriously doubt that this president and this democratic congress has even the will to do something like that – which is arguably supported by 80% of the public – because they are cowering to the response by Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, and the other right wing “talkers” who would figure out a way to demonize leaving those at the top out of the picture.  Those two issues will pretty much define, in my view, what we – as progressives – face for the next two years. 

A couple of days ago I started reading “Obama’s War” by Bob Woodward and I’m finding the book intriguing to say the least.  I’ve been railing against republicans since President Bush tragically blundered this nation into the quagmire of Iraq – essentially destabilizing the entire world in the process.  Not only did Bush abandon the real fight against al Qaeda in Afganistan – in my view, he purposely allowed Osama bin Laden and his forces to escape certain defeat at Tora Bora in order to enable his real intention all along which was to find a way to invade Iraq.  Thusly, the United States of America has been mired in two unwinnable, poorly managed, extremely costly wars going on ten years now.  For those of us old enough to remember Viet Nam – it’s Deja Vu all over again.  Of course, not only did Bush/Cheney screw up our foreign policy, but they did a royal number on our economy at home as well.  They left Barack Obama arguably the WORST MESS any president in history has faced upon his first day in office.  Which brings me to my point for the evening – despite Obama needing to pull out some kind of miracle to resuscitate our economy he has two INCREDIBLY complex WARS to deal with that somehow have managed to get lost in the “tea party” headlines of the past year or so.

I’m just about a third of the way through this book, but as I read it I’m just getting more and more angry with the republican party, and unfortunately the large number of Americans who seem willing to turn the “reigns” back to them in congress.  When you start looking at the nuances of what these people are doing, it really is feeling traitorous to me.  Now, I’m not talking about the “man on the street” because most Americans don’t seem to have the time to look beyond the headlines.  And, the republicans have figured out that they can buy their way past the obvious hollow message that lies behind the so-called “talking points,” which is what we hear on Fox or the other media outlets who’ve bought into the “fair and balanced” nonsense.  America is STUCK in two wars – BOTH the work of incompetent republican policy decision making – and these people are doing everything they can to UNDERMINE a sitting American president.  I honestly can’t imagine this happening during a time of peace – yes, it’s OK to have disagreements and attempt to persuade the public that one position is preferable to another.  But, that’s completely different from CONSPIRING to cause an American president to FAIL.  And, that’s exactly what the republicans have been doing since day one of this administration.

I’ve often thought the main reason they’re doing this is because Obama is Black, although when I consider what they’d be doing had Hillary Clinton won the White House I don’t think it would be much different.  The bottom line with them is that the well being of this nation is secondary to their selfish, greedy desire to have POWER.  All you have to do is look at the amount of money being spent – SECRETLY – by large corporate donors and then think logically: “Why are these people willing to spend MILLIONS for a mid term election?”  The answer is disgusting – the republican party, in concert with who knows which large multinational corporations – are attempting to undermine the very foundation of our representative democracy through a concerted, well financed campaign of mis-information aimed at undercutting President Obama’s ability to change the direction of our nation from the Bush/Cheney/Reagan attempt to turn America into a corporatocracy.

President Eisenhower warned us all about the power of the “military industrial complex” back in the fifties – cautioning the American people to not allow this “behemoth” to get out of control.  Well, it’s out of control and it’s going to be very difficult to get it back under control – especially if the American people don’t rise up and demand an early end to the “Citizens United” era – which is coming at us like an out of control freight train.  I’ve been warning about this since the day the decision was announced.  Actually, I (and other listeners of Thom Hartman – “progressive” radio “talker”) heard about the pending possibility some weeks prior to the decision, but when it happened, and I took just a casual look at the implications, I reacted in almost horror.  My thoughts: “This can’t be happening in the America I’ve been living in for the past 60+ years!”  But, yes it can.

I can still see Samuel Alito sitting in the Supreme Court section of the congress during Obama’s State of the Union speech when Obama warned of the severity of this decision and the need to “fix” the problem.  The Supreme Court had essentially overturned 100 years of campaign finance laws – actually going way beyond the decision in front of them – yes, Lars if you’re reading this, your right wing judges are the most ACTIVIST judges I’ve seen in my lifetime – and, they opened the doors to FOREIGN corporations having a major influence on our elections.  (ANY influence they might have is TOO MUCH!)  As Obama was correctly pointing this out, there sat Alito shaking his head and mouthing the words “no way.”  Despite the unprofessionalism Alito displayed by doing so, the reality is that we have already been inundated by an indeterminable amount of foreign money in this, the first election cycle since the HORRIBLE decision.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Karl Rove (who’s controlling something approaching a half a billion dollars), and the other “Supre PACS” who don’t have to disclose where their money is coming from are undoubtedly receiving funds from foreign sources.  Hell, News Corp, run by Rupert Murdoch with its second leading investor ($3 BILLION) coming from a Saudi Arabian sheik have OPENLY funneled several MILLION dollars to various republican committees and right wing candidates.  Murdoch is an Australian and the Saudi sheik has ties to Osama bin Laden (that is, he’s helped finance bin Laden in the past) but this isn’t getting much play from our “liberal media.”  The sad truth is that we’ll probably never know where all the money’s coming from – but, $4 BILLION spent on a midterm election is obscene.

To make matters worse – and, if you’re paying any attention at all – Mitch McConnell, apparently in an attempt to stay lockstep with Rush Limbaugh, recently announced that the NUMBER ONE priority of the republicans is to assure that President Obama is a one term president.  Limbaugh, on numerous occasions, has publicly declared that the top priority of the republican party is the make sure that President Obama “FAILS.”  Are you kidding me?  Let me remind anyone who’s sensible out there, we’re still in TWO WARS!  When in American history has one political party been going out of their way to insure a president FAILS in the midst of two wars.  Let me be clear here, I believe that trying to insure that a president fails is bordering on treason – especially during wartime.  If the president fails, the people fail with him.  This is udder nonsense, yet, with all the money pouring in from special corporate interests thanks to “Citizens United” it is possible the republicans will retake control of one or both houses of congress (I really hope that doesn’t happen) meaning their OBSTRUCTIONISM will become even worse. (I started this post prior to the election night – we now know the republicans have a solid majority in the House)

Do you remember the endless “investigations” during the eight years of Bill Clinton’s presidency?  Well, that’s what is likely to happen.  The irony here is that had Obama followed my advice and allowed ALL the investigations which were warranted upon the departure of the Bush administration in 2009 we wouldn’t be having this discussion.  I hope the president has learned something here and I hope it’s not too late.  We are in THREE wars – and, in my view, the most important one is right here at home and it’s for the heart and soul of this nation.  I can’t even imagine a nation with Sarah Palin as a true national leader, but if the democrats don’t figure out what’s happening, we could all be in trouble.  I’m old enough to remember that Ronald Reagan was a marginal, at best, national candidate – but, with the help of the right wing manipulation machine and some short sighted democrats he managed to take the White House and this dreadful 30+ years of undermining our government at the expense of America’s middle class and FOR the benefit of the large corporations – just like in the 1920’s – was thrust upon us.  Honestly people, do we need another GREAT DEPRESSION to figure out what’s happening?  Does the American public have NO sense of HISTORY?  We’re repeating Viet Nam (twice) thanks to republcans and I’m wondering are we going to repeat the depression?  Ughhhhh!!!!

Back to Woodward’s book.  It is even more clear to me as I’m reading this that the republicans in the Bush White House conspired with the military leaders, prior to their anticipated defeat in 2008, to tie the hands of the incoming president.  Now, I believe Obama could have followed through with his plan to TOTALLY remove ALL American troops from Iraq by NOW – except that he would have had to renege on the withdrawal agreement Bush made with the Iraqi’s prior to the election.  In doing so, Obama would have created a major conflict with the military leaders such as General Patreaus who was part of a scheme to force Obama’s hand into keeping the troops there.  In fact, I’m convinced that when the end of 2011 comes around they (the military leaders) have a further scheme to keep the so-called “non-combat” troops there indefinitely.  I hope I’m wrong on this, but only time will tell.  At the same time, these military leaders were more than happy to have the troops being pulled out of Iraq funneled into Afganistan – where, I believe they would be willing to stay indefinitely as well.   You have to remember that many of America’s Generals are still stung at the thought of Viet Nam and America’s withdrawal without “victory.”  I guess they have a hard time accepting the FACT that in recent memory, our civilian leaders seem to have the propensity to put them in untennable circumstances.  However, I’m convinced they just don’t want to leave without being able to claim “victory,” whatever that might be.  Does anyone know what “victory” is in Iraq or Afganistan?  In Iraq, Moqtada al Sadr is ultimately going to be an integral part of that nation’s leadership and Iran and Iraq are going to be almost united.  This is TOTALLY due to Bush/Cheney’s decision to invade – but, the republicans will find a way to blame Obama.  The reality, as I see it, is there is no “victory” from the original goals of the U.S. in Iraq.  (and that’s not even with me putting in my cynical “two cents” about how I believe it was mostly about the oil)

Afganistan is called the “graveyard of empires” for a reason.  Somehow our leaders are convinced that we can do something that hasn’t happened in 4000 years.  This is where what I’m reading in Woodward’s book is making me even angrier about this war and the incompetent way it’s been prosecuted.  I’m convinced that the military is forcing decisions on Obama because they understand the political realities he’s facing as the first Black American president.  He’s young, and arguably “inexperienced” – although no more inexperienced than any of his immediate predecessors with the possible exception of George HW Bush.  He’s got an economy in virtual ruins and a near depression to deal with domestically, so having a major FIGHT over policy in Iraq or Afganistan would not be prudent.  And, if there’s anything obvious about Obama it’s that he’s prudent (sometimes frustrates me, but considering the alternative I find that character trait quite worthy).  As I’m getting into “Obama’s Wars” it’s becoming painfully obvious that the military leaders provided him with only options that were palatable to them.  That is, they PURPOSELY failed to give the president a wide range of options which would include withdrawal.  It’s like these people are suffering from major TUNNEL VISION when it comes to how to bring these “wars” (I really believe “occupations” is the correct term) to a conclusion.  They’re almost CHALLENGING Obama to take them on – Patreaus has done a masterful job of putting himself in a place where most Americans think he’s a military genius and he’s the reason for the reduction of violence in Iraq.  As I read this book, I’m seeing him more as a conniving, manipulator who will do whatever it takes to force a decision onto his superior that HE wants.  Patreus want to be the one calling the shots – and, he’s very sneaky in the way he goes about his “business.”

So, now Obama’s lost his large majority in Congress and the “you know what” is hitting the fan.  The next two years should be interesting – and, the “tenor” should be somewhat clear soon.  Are Obama and the democrats going to continue “caving” to the right wing – I mean it could look pretty bleak from their standpoint – or, are they going to show some spine?  People like me have been BEGGING for the spine to show up for almost two years now (actually, since 2006 with the democrats – yet, we’re still in both Iraq and Afganistan – and, the dems still don’t “get it”).  I realize they think they’ve done that (been courageous) – but, the reality is that Obama surrounded himself with a bunch of “business as usual” people at the beginning of his administration and any change has been superficial.  I said soon after he was in office, if he didn’t figure this out, quit pandering to republicans, and take an agressive progressive approach to the “problems of the day,” he was headed toward a one term presidency.  By now, maybe that looks good to him.  But, if he really wants to be the catalyst for the “change we can believe in” the intensity of the “fight” must be accelerated and SOON!  Obama and the democrats didn’t lose ground in this election because their policies were too bold (which is how the republicans will characterize this) – they took a good ole fashion “whippin” because their policies were too timid – they showed almost NO spine. 

 The stimulus package was too small – and, it shouldn’t come as a surprise now – because if I could figure this out at the time, then Obama’s team should have been able to do so.  Going along with the TARP bailout and supporting a resurgence of Wall Street was STUPID under the circumstances – and the re-regulation was too weak.  Abandoning the “public option” instead of strengthening it – in the face of nearly 75% public support (now, there’s bipartisanship with the public) was STUPID – if you can’t take a stand there, when can you?!  (the dems couldn’t even take a stand on tax cuts prior to the election – it was as if they were worried what a principled stand would do to their chances)  The backroom dealing that went into the health care legislation simply exposed the democrats as being republican-lite in their corrupt connection to the insurance industry and other corporate interests.  Also, Obama negotiated a similar deal to Bush’s Medicare Part D fiasco with the Pharmaceutical industry simply to buy their withdrawal from the “debate.”  That looked REALLY bad!  The opening up of offshore oil leases just in time for the Deep Horizon oil spill was a major blunder and, I could go on.  Tonight, I was watching Chris Matthews (not one of my favorites) on MSNBC giving analysis of the republican gains in the midterm election, and he said something that I started saying over a year ago.  “I’m tired of the rhetoric – I want to see action.”  I want to see leaders who will stand up – LITERALLY – for the rights of the middle class in America which has been under assault from the right wing since the Nixon years.  Until these democrats figure this out, I believe America continues to decline.  The greed of the republicans and their supporters seems to have no bounds.   

One final depressing note is that this is just the first “salvo” of the “Citizens United” era. If strong action isn’t taken soon to reverse that decision, we Americans could find ourselves in a situation that once seemed impossible.  Nothing scares me more than the successful “marriage” between large corporate interests and our federal government.  The “war” for the heart and soul of this nation hasn’t been lost, but people on the left had better wake up soon or the challenge could become more than daunting!  The republicans have shown they have no boundaries in their quest to regain control of our government and if they succeed again in 2012, with the help of Citizens United, I guarantee you they will pull out all the stops from that date onward to make their “majority” permanent!

I just finished a great read, “After Shock,” by Robert B Reich – former Labor Secretary under Bill Clinton. (remember, when the economy produced over 22 MILLION jobs in just 8 years?!)  I had the pleasure of receiving the book at a lecture (about the book) Reich gave in Portland, Oregon.  The man is VERY short in stature, BUT very LARGE in ideas – some of which I’m not sure I agree with, but his “take” on our economic struggles I found to be “right on.”  The crux of Reich’s argument is that what ails the economy is not a debt gone wild or jobs being shipped over seas or the list of other common complaints, but it’s the rise of wealth to the “top” at the expense of the middle class causing a terrible imbalance where those in the middle class (the bulk of America’s consumers) have lost the wherewithall to purchase what our economy is capable of producing.  Therefore, the idle factories, the gross levels of unemployment, etc. (I hope I paraphrased that well – without insulting Reich)

In the course of making his argument Reich provides similar statistics to books I’ve recently finished by Joseph Stiglitz and Kevin Phillips which parallel what’s going on in this republican assault on our economy to what took place in the early 1900’s as America’s greedy business leaders led us into the Great Depression.  They’re doing it all over again and this time they’ve figured out how to buy their way into the heart of our media, how to buy one congress person after another (mostly, but not entirely, republicans er “tea partiers”), and how to turn an absurd argument that almost guarantees a declining future for America’s middle class into what could possibly end up being more tax breaks for the rich, more right wing judges for our courts, less wages for America’s workforce, and a bunch of embarrassing “leaders” in congress.  Remember, it will take 6 years to purge people like Sharron Angle, Christine O’donnell, Rand Paul, Joe Miller, and the others from the senate if America’s voters are STUPID enough to send them there.

If the voters take a GIANT step backwards on November 2nd, the great ideas of people like Reich, Stiglitz, Paul Krugman, Phillips, and other moderate to progressive voices in the economic community will be even more silenced than they have been in the past 10 years.  I’m starting to get the feeling that Barack Obama is beginning to realize some of the political calculations made by his “team” in the past 20 months were a bit off base, to say the least.  He’s ginning up the “troops” at the last moment – and thankfully, because I hope they turn out in large numbers – at least large enough to preserve the democratic majorities in both houses of congress – and I hope Obama becomes more assertive in fighting for the true progressive agenda should the democrats hold onto their majorities.  The way I look at it, instead of kissing up to republicans for a few votes that won’t be forthcoming, the democrats should eliminate the filibuster in the senate and FORCE the republicans to say NO to legislation that the public favors. 

For example, I believe there is an even stronger MAJORITY of Americans today as opposed to when the legislation was passed who would back a move to open up Medicare to ALL Americans – including people like me who already have medical coverage (during the so-called health care reform debate something approaching 3 in 4 Americans supported the “public option”).  I read the other day that 81% of Americans are opposed to the “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision which will always identify the Roberts’ Court as part of the business lobby – the democrats need to pass legislation which, at the very least, prevents the foreign money and the secret money being infused into our election process.  Just the prospect that republicans would NEVER even think of doing that (remember, Mitch McConnell – the republican leader in the senate – was in the courtroom applauding the decision when it was made) should be enough for any THINKING American to vote against ALL REPUBLICANS.

Citizens United could be the “catalyst” these right wing thugs use to attempt to impose some form of fascist regime on the rest of us.  Make no mistake that these republicans are all about POWER and they’ll grab it by any means possible.  That’s not to say that there aren’t problems on the other side.  In fact, I believe if the “tea party” would have adopted a true grass roots progressive agenda, they’d be on the verge of taking over the congress.  The problem they can’t run from is that too many in their midst are OVERT RACISTS and their only agenda is defeating a sitting president (because his father was Black) plus, ironically, they are being funded by the very people they’re railing against – the large corporate interests which derailed this economy in the first place.  To me, that shows how intellectually devoid (OK Lars, there’s your opening) their movement is.  They are taking money from the corporations who’ve been ripping us (and them) off for years and somehow think they’ll get away with voting against these corporations once in Washington!  Talk about your naivete!

Reich very accurately points out that the middle class in America has been under assault for over 30 years.  The real period of prosperity was somthing like from 1947 until 1968 – that is, for most of that time “real wages” were rising in accordance with productivity and inflation.  Put another way, workers were not losing ground and were able to maintain their “standard of living.”  It was in the 60’s when American households started requiring two incomes to maintain that standard and women began to “work for pay” in increasing larger numbers.  Reich points out this was necessary for the family’s income to keep pace with its expenses.  When two jobs became an issue, people began working longer hours – in many instances two jobs – to make “ends meet.”  This was a phenomenom of the 80’s and early 90’s.

When people couldn’t work any more hours they started to BORROW money to keep up their standard of living.  Credit Cards became routine – I myself am still to this day getting two to three offers a day for 0% credit cards that I’m “pre-approved” for.  Plus, the Federal Reserve, which all these economists say has been throwing money at the problem for years – which is a large reason for the “boom and bust” cycles, lowered interest rates in the 2000’s to the point where homes became like debit cards – people (including me) kept refinancing their homes as interest rates continued to drop to the point where there was no equity left and now we’ver managed to get to the point where all these solutions to the problem that the middle class is not earning enough have “hit the fan.”  There are no more short term options like we’ve been using for the past three or four decades and it’s time to face up to the problem.

And, while I’m telling you DON’T VOTE REPUBLICAN, there is a lot of complicity in the democrats.  Should they manage somehow to turn away this republican “tide” I would recommend to President Obama a different approach to governing in the next two years.  (If the republicans wrest control of Congress, we’re going to be depending on Obama to have the courage to pen a lot of VETOES)  Let me go back to when Obama took office.  I’ve been complaining since day one about Rahm Emanuel, Tim Geithner, and Larry Summers as his close advisors.  Emanuel and Summers are now gone, but Geithner is still there.  The man was instrumental in the policies which led to the collapse of 2008 as the head of the New York Fed (he’s in the “in crowd” with Goldman Sachs) and he was heavily involved in orchestrating the TARP bailout which not only allowed the “too big to fail” banks not to FAIL, it allowed them to get even BIGGER!  Much of America’s outrage is aimed directly at that moment in time, and I’m simply surprised that Obama doesn’t recognize the image problems he creates by keeping Geithner around.  Please don’t try to convince me he’s the only person qualified to do this job.  If he would resign, they’d have a qualified replacement in a matter of weeks.

The level of corruption in Washington DC is almost beyond imagination.  In my last post I said that Karl Rove and his associates were going to be controlling something like 500 MILLION DOLLARS in this mid-term elections – most of it from unnamed sources.  What I’ve read since then is that the total spent on this MID TERM election will approach $4 BILLION.  Are you kidding me?  That’s a lot of obligations for our congressional leaders to keep track of.  Honestly, I’m going to assume there’s no one who might happen on this site who wouldn’t undertand that the people putting that kind of “dough” into the election expect a handsome return on their investment.  Do you think that might be why they want to remain anonymous?  This whole process is beginning to make me sick to my stomach as I’m watching it closely – but, then tonight I visited my grandchildren and remembered – sick to my stomach or not – I’ve got to keep writing, keep talking to people (I think I’ve convinced at least 5 or 6 FORMER republicans to vote against the thugs who are acting like wolves in sheeps clothing), and – most importantly – keep writing to Obama and the democrats to encourage them to actually take up an agressive fight against these right wing authoritarian obstructionists.

What I don’t think Obama fully understands is there is a large body of Americans who will stand strongly behind him if he “leads the charge.”  Trust me, no matter the results of this election, these people (republicans) won’t go away easily.  They have to be THOROUGHLY DEFEATED!  That is why I railed so about Obama’s pardoning of the Bush administration two years ago.  Their deeds need to be EXPOSED to the public so that the public knows exactly what’s been going on.  I keep wavering from thinking Obama has, unfortunately, bought into so much of what Bush was doing that he can’t allow investigations (because they would reflect poorly on him) to him not being combative enough.  Well, we need someone who’s combative – someone who thrives on the HATE that is inevitably going to be coming from the “right.”  In the 1930’s FDR said something like “I wear their hate with a badge of honor” (my paraphrasing) – The only way to FIGHT this corporate BEHEMOTH is to be agressive and force them to expose their selfish motivations to the general public.  Reich calls what emerged from the New Deal as the “Basic Bargain” for the middle class.  That is, wages would be sufficient for workers to buy what they could produce.  That bargain is badly broken and the main culprit is the policies of the tax cutting for the rich by the republicans – starting with Reagan.  Their claims that tax cuts for the rich stimulate the economy have NO basis in FACT.  During Bill Clinton’s eight years in office the economy made huge gains despite the FACT taxes were modestly increased on the “rich.”  The interesting irony of all that, even the rich, who were paying higher taxes, came out ahead of the alternative.  The way we’re going, not only is the American economy likely headed for stagnation at best and another true depression at worst, but these rich people who HATE taxes will be gaining less in the long run as well.

This is my second attempt at capturing my thoughts this evening – thanks to either my computer going haywire, or me pushing the wrong “button” (I’m getting up there in years, so I’ll let you figure out the probabilities here :o).  My concerns are centering on my frustration with the direction of this country I love (the United States of America) and the reality that it’s my generation (“baby boomers”) who are largely responsible for what is looking to me like an acceleration of the decline of America world wide.  And, the negative possibilities of this decline are very real and sobering, considering I have children and grandchildren who are among those who stand to inherit what we leave for them.  I’m beginning to feel that, as Americans, we are making some really STUPID decisions.

I just finished reading “Bad Money” by Kevin Phillips and he makes a very compelling argument that the transformation of America’s economy from one centered on manufacturing to one centered on finance as the “trigger” we will all look at years down the road to be the beginning of our downfall as the world’s leading “power.”  (that’s my summation of his argument – using my words – he compares America’s decline to the decline of previous “empires” which is the term he uses in reference to the U.S.)  Philliips’ argument makes total sense to me and it is consistent with other views of economists I’ve read making me wonder why our leaders aren’t getting the message.  My initial thoughts in response to that “wondering” is that our leaders are too busy grabbing as much money as they can while they still can.  This nation is in the grip of a small group of people who have an insatiable appetite for wealth – it’s like they can’t get enough – and, anyone who threatens their “money grab” is the enemy.  I’m talking about a small number of multinational corporations (and the people who run them), the financial industry – especially Wall Street, the hedge fund business, and the politicians who do their “bidding.”

These people have an enormous amount of power – due to their unbelievable wealth – but, the bottom line is the American voters, who have the ultimate power to thwart all of this, are either STUPID or are in a confused state from the effects of the 24 hour propaganda cycle known as cable news.  The “mess” that America is in right now is the result of over 30 years of greed and right wing economic policy which has been aimed at creating power at the head of corporations at the expense of government power.  Some of the leaders of this movement – which actually precedes Ronald Reagan, but which I believe history will put at Reagan’s “feet” – are not too subtle about their disdain for government.  Reagan himself proclaimed that government was the problem, not the solution.  Grover Norquist, a leading operative of Reagan’s and the republicans, was quoted as saying “My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.”  The “tea party” and hence the republican party which it is transforming to an even more extreme position, is STILL working to bring Norquist’s goal to reality.  George W Bush, from Norquist’s standpoint, did a good job of destroying government and, in the process, enhancing the greed of the aforementioned corporations – all this to the detriment of the VAST majority of Americans – especially what once was a vibrant middle class.

I was almost depressed when Reagan was elected in 1980 and the election of George W Bush with Dick Cheney as his running mate in 2000 was unthinkable to me (of course, history will have a never ending “field day” with the FACT Bush/Cheney were appointed by our right wing Supreme Court – and, when ultimately history looks at this long term republican conspiracy to TOTALLY control our government, the stacking of the Supreme Court will be one of the main “cogs” in that scheme).  That last thought brings up a topic I’ll discuss at further length on another day – which is the ability of the republicans to see farther into the future – that is “long term” than the democrats who seem to be more short sighted.  The dems seem to always be on the defensive – reactive instead of proactive in their approach to problem solving.  It was the election of Bush/Cheney and their subsequent misadventure into Iraq in combination with one demonstrable incompetent act after another which caused me to start writing in the first place.  While apparently many Americans have already forgotten the damage caused to America and the world by those two, I’ll go to my grave remembering what they’ve done to this great nation and to many other nations around the globe – which is actually what is prompting my thoughts of the evening (sorry for the wordiness).

Simply put, the United States position in the world is teetering on “thin ice.”  There are a plethora of reasons for this – but as “all roads lead to Rome” I believe you could say all reasons lead back to the greedy, selfish, arrogant attitude of those in power who are attempting to turn America into a corporatocracy.  And, let me remind anyone who’s not been reading my posts or others like it – the “melding” (my term) of corporations with government is the foundation of fascism.  Also, since it is the very people who are behind this movement (republicans) who are calling our present president a fascist – Google the term political projection – I’ve posted on this in the past and don’t have the space to do it again, but I’ll just leave it by saying, in my view, this is a serious issue.  What’s interesting about this push for unlimited corporate power in America is the voters have the ability to stop it in its tracks – and, a HUGE majority of voters have the self interest to do so.  These corporate “thugs” are doing everything they can to squeeze even more of America’s wealth up toward the top and they won’t be happy until ALL unions have been busted and America’s workforce is grovelling for whatever wages they can muster ON THEIR OWN.  One of their main objects of scorn (aside from Social Security and Medicare) is the minimum wage.  I’m finding that, of the people whom I actually talk to who consider themselves republicans, most have NO IDEA what “their” party is up to.  In fact, when I tell them, they don’t believe me – they believe that people like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck wouldn’t tell lies.

Again, as I’m thinking that we as Americans are STUPID I can’t help but wonder if anyone out there knows or cares that the rest of the world is moving toward a position of doing without the U.S.?  Do you think that’s really possible?  Well, that’s probably a bit over the edge – mainly because, for the forseeable future, the United States will continue to be a major exporter of FOOD.  And, yes – even the Chinese realize they are going to need a lot of food going forward – just as we are going to need a lot of OIL – if we continue to elect republicans who refuse to face up to some long term realities.  Of course, that last statement causes me to back track just a bit because I, just a few sentences ago, claimed the republicans are better at thinking “long term.”  What I meant in that statement was in their ability to formulate a plan to gain and KEEP power.  Quite naturally, one of the premises of my discontent with republicans is that from a positional point of view it would be hard to even call their positions “short term.”  As far as I can tell – THEY HAVE NO POSITIONS – other than manipulating voters in order to keep and maintain POWER and deplete America’s treasury – that’s what it’s ALL about for them – THAT’S WHY THEY’RE SO DANGEROUS!

People around the world wondered why we re-elected Bush/Cheney after they so bungled America’s foreign policy to TOTALLY destabilize the middle east while at the same time allow Osama bin Laden a free pass out of Afganistan and into Pakistan – a country with an arsenal of Nuclear weapons – deliverable weapons!  That, in and of itself, was MAJORLY STUPID!  Their incompetence in “prosecuting” their invasion of Iraq led to arguably hundreds of thousands of deaths which – from the world’s standpoint – didn’t seem to phase Americans enough to vote these people out of office.  The result is a MAJOR decline in America’s standing around the world – the consequences of which is what I am trying to get at – but, along the way there are so many thoughts springing into my head.  For example, how is the “world” going to view America if we now put these repubicans back in charge of our congress?  I honestly don’t believe there are many Americans who understand how dependent we’ve put ourselve with some of these countries who are on the verge of totally turning against us.

We are not only dependent on oil that comes from some places where leaders have nationalized the oil industry and would use it as a tool if necessary to express their disdain for our greedy and destructive policies (and these policies have been ongoing for decades) but we are becoming increasingly dependent economically on some countries which are losing patience with us and OWN BILLIONS of our dollars.  Countries such as China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Argentina, and I could go on are tiring of our history of exploiting them for their resources.  We’ve largely created a behemouth economy, which is now based on debt and living beyond our means, and if we can’t figure out how to turn this around, I believe these other countries will force us to do so in the not too distant future.

The American public voted for Barack Obama in 2008 to turn the tide away from this corruption and military incompetence.  And, without question, Obama is a MAJOR improvement from Bush – although, the discontent from “progressives” such as myself has been spreading since the first days of Obama’s term due to some quizzical decisions.  For me, the TERRIBLE act of PARDONING (for all intents and purposes) the Bush administration for what EVERYONE (including most of them) knew were legal transgressions (I’m trying to be polite here) was the first MAJOR blunder.  Abandoning the “Public Option” (and one that was actually an option for EVERYONE) was extremely disappointing to me – that was a place to draw the line with over 70% of America “on board.”  I could go on, but the point here is that despite the disappointments, turning away from Obama at this point is STUPID because it would be turning back to the Rove, Bush, Cheney, Limbaugh, Palin, McCain, Boehner, McConnell, Beck, O’Reilly, Angle (ughh!), Paul (double ughh!), O’donnell (triple ughh!), and the rest of the republican – now – tea party crew which are destroying America’s image in the world.  Picture how that looks to those in other parts of the world who are looking for the U.S. to regain it’s place at the top of the “food chain.”  Believe me, the people in China, Russia, the Middle East, Japan, India, South America, and other parts of the world with mega resources who are holding mega amounts of dollars are NOT stupid!  Are America’s voters going to push this to the point that all these countries abandon the dollar as the world’s leading currency?  Do America’s voters understand what that will mean? (I’m trying to understand and feel that I still don’t – but, based on my readings I believe it’s NOT GOOD!)

Over the past 30+ years the republican party has managed to push the United States of America so far to the right that I know consider myself a “flaming liberal” as one of the members of my church called me.  In the 70’s I thought I was a conservative.  I’ve been railing against government debt for almost 40 years – and, guess who’s created the public debt?  Almost ENTIRELY on “republican watch.”  Started with Nixon, Carter cut it in half.  Reagan and Bush 1 took it to unbelievable levels.  Bill Clinton brought sanity back to the budget process.  It didn’t take Bush 2 long to put what his father and Reagan did to the debt on steroids.  And, now it’s up to Obama to pull us back to something reasonable.  When Dick Cheney crowed (as he was pushing through the second of Bush/Cheney’s tax cuts that were UNFUNDED) that “Ronald Reagan proved deficits don’t matter,” I knew we were in for more trouble than I had originally imagined when they took office.  The irony is listening to all these republicans complaining about the debt now and blaming Obama for something they are almost TOTALLY responsible for.  I hope Obama and the democrats have the courage to let ALL the so-called Bush “tax cuts” expire in December – including the portion that affects me – but, I doubt they will have the courage to do so.  They’d have to say to the American people, it’s time to “tighten our belts.”  I realize that’s no way to get out of a recession, but I have ZERO confidence they can get the republicans to agree to extend only the cuts going to the middle class.  If Obama and the democrats cave in on the “tax cuts to the rich” I’ll be totally through with them.  But, that will happen after the election so we just have to hope they’re developing a backbone.

One way to guarantee issues like the tax cuts don’t go the republican’s way is to fight back in this election where I believe the totals when it’s all over will show that something like half a BILLION dollars will have been secretly infused, thanks to the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, almost all of it intended to turn Congress back to the republicans.  And, as I’ve stated many times on this website, once they gain control the problem becomes immense – for the same reason.  Citizen’s United will preclude democrats from fighting back due to the financial differences between “we the people” and the Multi-national corporations who benefit from republican control of our government.  Do you honestly think the politicians who are receiving “secret” support in the multi millions of dollars – sans Karl Rove or the Chamber of Commerce or any other of the so-called “Super PAC’s” – don’t know exactly where the money’s coming from and won’t be “beholding” to the sources of their election?  This is shaping up, in my opinion and despite my disappointment with the democrats, as the most important election in my lifetime.  It was important to stop the “Bush doctrine” in 2008, but these people are coming back like a bad dream and we MUST send a message to them.  I’m voting today – and, as an independent voter, I refuse to vote for a single republican until common sense returns – which won’t happen until the American public REPUDIATES this extremist right wing agenda they’re pushing.  I’m a Christian and I take Christian positions on issues that put me at odds with some democrats, but when Sharron Angle says the solution to a 12 year old girl becoming pregnant by her father is to “turn the lemon into lemonade” – meaning it should be illegal for her to terminate the pregnancy – this, to me, is one of MANY examples where these people are going way too far.  It shows that while they claim they want less government, what they’re really saying is they want less government in areas that benefit big business and MORE government in areas that will actually intrude on the lives of everyday Americans.  The time to stop the “tea party” – republican – agenda is November 2nd!

I’m presently reading “Bad Money” by Kevin Phillips who, in my mind, is one of the best republicans out there – although, I’m guessing he no longer chooses to be associated with the republican party.  The guy is brilliant, although his books are very tedious to me when I read them because they are so “heavy.”  This is the fourth or fifth book I’ve read on America’s economy and the meltdown of 2008 and it further convinces me that without drastic change this nation is headed for second class status in the not too distant future.  In fact, Phillips kind of parallels the decline of other “empires” to support the point that we, in America, are unknowingly repeating the history of the Dutch, the British, and other empires that have come before us.  I haven’t internalized the information in this book, and probably won’t, but his point about the decline of America seems even more real to me as I’m trudging through the pages.  I love this country and I wish I could say I thought he was “full of it,” but, I believe Phillps will be doing a lot of “I told you so-ing” somewhere down the road.  His reward for his brilliance?  I’m guessing he is persona non grata in the repubican circles where he once was a stalwart.

I wrote a bit about this in my last post – and, I’m not sure how much sense I made because all of this economic stuff is very hard for me to understand.  The collaterized debt obligations, the mortgage backed securities, the asset backed securities, the credit default swaps (and other “swaps”) all seem to go over my head.  All of these instruments (I believe it was Joseph Stiglitz who called them “weapons of mass deception”) played a significant role in the undermining of the American economy during the Bush administration – and, failure to better understand what they are and what they’ve done, in my view, would simply be stupid.  In fact, I believe many of our politicians aren’t reading the books available, because “Bad Money” originally came out prior to the 2008 meltdown (although the recession was “under way” despite the denials of Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke, and other economists leading the way during the last of the Bush “years”) and Phillips (along with people like Joseph Stiglitz – and others) were warning about the bursting of the housing “bubble” long before it happened.

It’s as if somewhere along the line Wall Street determined that instead of producing “things” America could base its economy on producing “wealth.”  And, from their perspective, I’m sure they believe they’ve done and are continuing to do a very good job of this.  The average working “stiff” who’s pension plan is in a shambles, or is out of work with no “light at the end of the tunnel” apparently is just collateral damage.  Of course, the American public was largely aware of what was happening which led to the election of Barack Obama and a significant majority of democrats to the congress in 2008.  To say the ANGER has ramped up because the democratic solution to the economic crisis was a half response is an understatement in my view.  Most of the public is aware of the “anger” on the “right” – hence the “tea party” – because there is a concerted effort on the part of the “liberal media” (for those of you who’ve not been to this site – some of my prior posts explain how somehow “conservatives” are controlling this “liberal” media) to put these whackos on the news or the front pages of the papers.  But, make no mistake about the fact that there is a SIGNIFICANT amount of ANGER on the left.  Anger at the republicans – to be sure – this has been gaining steam since GW Bush lied us into Iraq – but, also anger at the tepid response to the misdeeds of these republicans by the democrats elected to reverse the wrongs committed by Bush/Cheney et al.  So, the republicans “got off” for their illegal behavior thanks to democrats wanting to avoid the “distraction” of holding them accountable and Wall Street is continuing to operate as if creating wealth from wealth is productive – as I’ve pointed out here many times since Obama’s inauguration; Business as usual!

Well, why wouldn’t producing wealth from wealth be productive you might ask?  The stock market has recovered almost half of what it lost after the near collapse of the entire financial sector of our (and the world’s) economy.  Companies like Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, etc. are back to reporting BILLION dollar earnings – per QUARTER.  All should be well, right?  I guess the question I have, and I believe Phillips would have along with Stiglitz (and many other economists, I’m sure) is what is the next “bubble” and when is it going to burst?  How many “bubbles” have to burst before the people running this country decide it really is the time for “the change we can believe in?”

One of the things that has perturbed “progressives” (liberals if you must) has been Barack Obama’s proclivity for throwing in to republicans with hardly a whimper of a fight.  Recently, there have been signs that maybe Obama is “getting it” and realizing that we are in a fight for the very “heart” of this nation.  I believe it would have been so because of the obstructionist policies of republicans and the OBVIOUS FACT they have a problem with a Black person occupying the WHITE HOUSE! – But, the Citizens United Supreme Court decision only made it clear how important this fight is.  And, the reality is that for the democrats to win the fight President Obama has to be leading the “charge.”  There is NO WAY they will win by campaigning away from Obama.  And, there’s NO WAY the democrats win if they continue to be fragmented to the point that they can’t defend their own positions in public against the barrage of attacks coming from the corporate right.  So it was doubly disappointing to hear the other day that Obama is already planning his negotiations with republicans after the midterms – almost as if a republican sweep of the upcoming elections will be a good thing.  Sometimes I honestly have to wonder who’s giving advice to our president!

For anyone who might read this and who doesn’t understand;  the “melding” of corporate interests with government is the foundation of fascist governments.  When you have a republican party marching in “lock step” – that is, there isn’t ONE OF THEM that I’m aware of who has the courage to speak out against the racist, authoritarian positions being put forth by one republican leader after another – especially this crew that call themselves the “tea party,” you have to wonder where their accusations of fascist or communist aimed at Obama come from.  If you feel precluded to do so, look up the phase political projection – that should give you a good idea of what’s coming at us from the “right.”  

The other day I heard that Michelle Bachman was going to run for Speaker of the House if the republicans take over in November.  Can you even imagine that?  Do you know who that woman is?  What the hell is going on with our country?  In my heart I have to believe that the voters will speak in the election and put these people “out to pasture” where they belong – but, I’ve grown not to trust any aspect of the process anymore.  The voting machines?  Well, we know they could be rigged.  If you don’t believe me and the two election of GW Bush wasn’t enough to convince you, take the time to research the democratic primary in South Carolina this past spring.  The guy who won wasn’t even a viable candidate, didn’t campaign, didn’t have ANY money, and defeated a statewide known candidate who actually had a chance to compete against the republican in the general election.  One way to prevent the possibility that democrats retain their majority?  Rig the machines!  One democratic voter after another in South Carolina claimed, after the primary, that they tried to vote for the other candidate, but the machines wouldn’t let them.  Republican corporations own and operate the voting machines that are used around the country, and many of them leave absolutely NO “paper trail” – so that it is evidently impossible to prove the rigging of the machines – although, several groups have proved how easy it WOULD be to rig them.

Kevin Phillips points out very clearly that the United States is in decline and we apparently aren’t going to do anything about it until it’s too late.  What might happen you ask.  Well, I believe he’s trying to get our leaders to recognize how close we are to having the rest of the world abandon the dollar as the world’s main currency.  The world is watching us and they can’t believe what’s going on in America.  Bush/Cheney was too much for them as well as us.  But, if we vote in the same ilk again the saying “fool me once, shame on you – fool me twice, shame on me!” becomes totally relevant.  Countries who have resources we depend on are watching carefully at what our voters do.  If they decide to abandon the dollar, the US economy is in bigger trouble than it now seems.  Additionally, other world leaders are looking for America to assume it’s leadership role in many areas.  For example, if we elect a congress that believes global warming to be a hoax and refuses to address our HUGE outlay of fossil fuel emissions into the atmosphere, many of them will do more than just shake their heads.  Remember, this is a truly global issue.  If we continue to treat the Muslim world as if they are ALL terrorists, our future looks dim (we can’t kill them all, we can’t defeat everyone in the world who doesn’t like us).  If we continue living beyond our means and consuming WAY MORE than we produce, we will be facing even more serious problems.  If our bankers on Wall Street continue to plague investors around the world with bogus investment instruments they will spend their money elsewhere.  America’s corporate interests are ripping off anyone and anything they can, including the American public, international investors, and America’s political system.  These corporations have teamed up with their foreign shareholders and officers to instigate an assault on the American political process, which, if successful – according to people like Kevin Phillips – will lead this nation to second class status in the world.

I’ll conclude this rant by pointing out that the American politicians have for years been “cheating” or “cooking the books” to make things look better to the American public than reality would suport – all the while losing the respect and willingness to cooperate of the world leaders who now control “the money.”  Inflation reporting has been “tweaked” in order to save the government money and make it look as if they are doing a better job managing the economy than we all know is true.  The dollar has been kept artificially “low” in order to make our exports (and our trade deficit) look better.  Two wars were waged with ALL THE MONEY kept off the books to make our deficit look smaller – and, ON AND ON.  In the mean time, “third world” countries (like Venezuela, Brazil, the middle eastern countries, etc.) with the natural resources America got so used to exploiting have nationalized their oil companies (and other natural resources) and have created “soveriegn wealth funds” with all the dollars we’re now spending for their expensive oil and other commodities.  Foreign leaders are beginning to look at our Wall Street Bankers and Hedge fund managers as “locusts” – according to Phillips’ book – and, they are beginning to “look elsewhere” for their investments.  The American voters started this drive toward “decline” when they voted in Ronald Reagan in 1980.  They exacerbated the problem with the election of George W Bush in 2000 (don’t get me totally wrong here, Bill Clinton was no saint as far as stopping this trend), and if they now turn to the “tea party” …… well, I think you can see where I’m (and possibly America) is going with this.

I’ve been very up front with my disappointment in the Obama administration.  From the day of the announcement that Rahm Emanuel would be Chief of Staff to President Obama’s surrounding himself with Washington “insiders” – right from the start many of the decisions were not surprising – although disappointing to varying degrees.  I understand there are political realities that don’t get changed in one or two years, but some of the decisions were simply unacceptable.  And, the “fruit” of those decisions are coming home to “roost” as I’m writing this.  The democrats are in danger of losing their majority control of congress and will, most likely – at best, have much “thinner” majorities.  In the senate, anyone who’s been paying attention knows what that means for the next two years.  (in my heart, I honestly can’t believe there are enough Americans who would be fooled into voting for republicans to get them back into office –  but, nothing surprises me anymore.  Remember, no one’s talking about voting machines that could be rigged – just one of the many reasons I don’t trust republicans as far as I can throw them)

President Obama had the political “capital” when he took office to take on the republicans.  Essentially he “blew it” with his obsession with  reaching out to politicians who were OBVIOUSLY not going to agree to ANYTHING he wanted to accomplish.  In the process Obama allowed George W Bush and Dick Cheney to walk away from serious LAWBREAKING without even an investigation – a BLUNDER that will be creating problems for the American people for who knows how many years to come.  We need to, and SHOULD, know everything about the bank bailouts – and the connections of America’s leaders to the Wall Street firms bailed out, we need to know EVERYTHING about the illegal invasion of Iraq, the failures to enforce regulations, the TORTURE, the politicizing of the Justice Department, the illegal wiretapping, GITMO, why Osama bin Laden was allowed to escape Tora Bora – and, I could go on.  Our country is still REELING from the effects of Bush/Cheney and it could get a lot worse before it gets better (if it ever does!)

I’m beginning to think that the democrats themselves haven’t figured out the magnitude of the republican assault on our way of life – and the corporate “heads” behind it.  Essentially, that is what I’m wanting to “vent” about this evening – that is, the republican assault on America and Americans.  I have two grown daughters, a son entering his adult life, and two grandchildren (with more possibly on the way).  I’m very concerned with the country we’re leaving for them.  In fact, I’m starting to realize that those of us who value the America we grew up with in the 60’s through the end of the 20th century had better realize the fight it’s going to take to preserve anything close to “our country.”  People like Sarah Palin spouting “We want our country back” while participating in selfish, greedy, and racist groups don’t fool me one bit.  What she’s opposed to is a country where the middle class is vibrant, where people have good union jobs, and where there is a sense of community between the government and the governed.  But, unfortunately, with the help of our “liberal media” (which is controlled by right wing conservatives – if you need convincing I’ve got several posts in the archives with details) and a “right” wing Supreme Court there are many unsuspecting Americans who are buying the “Voodoo” Palin and others of her “ilk” (Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and the entire republican party sans “tea party) are selling.  The effects of these people combined with the “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision are fast becoming more than simply  a problem “on the horizon.”  America could find “herself” on the outside looking in as far as her relationship with the world community (which, I’m sure would be fine with Palin and the “I’ve got mine, screw you crowd”)

I started warning anyone who would listen about “Citizens United” almost from the day it was handed down by the Roberts’ Court.  President Obama warned of it in his State of the Union Speech..  Do you remember Samuel Alito shaking his head in disgust as Obama warned that foreign corporations would be influencing our elections?  Well, guess what – FOREIGN CORPORATIONS are doing everything they can to influence our election of 2010 – and, this is just the FIRST one since the decision.  People, this is going to get a LOT WORSE before it gets better (if it ever does).  Remember, it will take aggressive acts of congress to counteract the effect of this decision – and, would you expect that to happen once congress is filled with recipients of the secret donations of the corporations unleashed by this EVIL court ruling?  Even my sixth grade students could figure that one out.

Therefore, what we have here is a bunch of democrats who have been TERRIBLY disappointing since being given control of congress in 2006.  They are quick to point out why they can’t do anything before they try to do it.  Nancy Pelosi took “impeachment off the table,” presumably because she felt the senate wouldn’t convict if Bush/Cheney were impeached.  Little did it matter that they BOTH had clearly committed High Crimes and Misdemeanors.  For some reason it appears the democrats are afraid of confrontation with the republicans.  Despite this disappointment, the election of 2010 may be the most important election of my lifetime – I’ve been voting since 1968.  Why on earth would America reward the republicans for destroying our economy, ruining our military and our standing in the world, attempting to destroy the fabric of our very government, and standing in the way of EVERY piece of legislation proposed since the last election?  Now, I realize all the democrats had to do was to get rid of the filibuster – which would have taken a minimum of courage on their part – and they could have then passed legislation which would have gone a long way toward alleviating some of the more severe problems we face – but they didn’t do it.  President Obama COULD HAVE really brought the troops home from Iraq – we’d be TOTALLY out by now – but, he chose not to and instead chose to buy into the military “coolaid” – the same goes for Afganistan – very disappointing to say the least.  And, the list goes on – but, everytime I start going over this list in my head I think of the alternative – which is republicans.  The question keeps coming up – how could we possibly put them back in office?  Does the American public really want to make America a second rate nation?

If you think that’s just bloviating on my part, let me give you a few facts that could change your mind.  First, the reality that we live in a time of global economics is inescapable.  If you don’t understand that you might as well stop reading right here and go back to being brainwashed by Limbaugh and company.  Most of the damage we focus on from Bush/Cheney is that which is obvious – like the invasion of Iraq’s effect on our military, the economic meltdown from lack of oversight during their 8 years in office, the irresponsible tax breaks for the rich which ballooned our national debt, the TORTURE and the image that left on the rest of the world of America (the list goes on and that’s why the investigations were so important – undercovering all the “stuff”).

 Well, there’s some afteraffects which are still to come and with the American “way” of waiting till a problem is a crisis before we deal with it, most people aren’t even thinking of some of the problems created by Bush/Cheney let alone talking about them.  I’ll just give you one example: oil.  Of course, everyone knows that both Bush and Cheney were “oil men.”  There is enough evidence to make me a believer that Dick Cheney’s secret “energy task force,” once entering the White House, was largely focused on taking over Iraq’s oil wells upon the Bush administration’s figuring out a way to justify an invasion.  So, aside from all the problems that created which we’re all aware of, what are some that are maybe still flying under the radar?  Well, let’s start with the FACT that America’s invasion of Iraq turned country after country in the world AGAINST us – even if they couldn’t come out and say it at the time.  Bush/Cheney’s arrogant attitude – as if America “ruled the world” – sent “shockwaves” through most middle eastern countries, not to mention Asian countries, and even some of our staunchest allies.  Keep in mind that the US produces only about a third of the oil it consumes and is, therefore, dependent on the oil producing countries – like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Russia, Kuwait, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, etc – for the remainder of the needed oil supply.  To me, the logical solution to this problem would be to CHANGE the direction of our economy away from oil ASAP – but, do you really believe if republicans gain control of congress that will happen?

One way George W Bush propped up the American economy during his two terms in office was by allowing the dollar to weaken.  Combine that policy with America’s militaristic arrogance plus our dependence on foreign oil and now many of these oil producing countries are looking elsewhere for their customers.  In addition, while they’re waiting for the growth in China, India, and other developing nations (including the middle east nations as well) to catch up to their supply needs, these countries are accumulating American dollars by the TRILLIONS.  What does all this mean?

Well, without me trying to get everything I’m thinking out of my mind at once tonight, it means two really important things.  First, at some point down the “road” – and maybe nearer than anyone in Washington DC thinks – America could be facing a HUGE oil shortage.  Now, it’s hard to imagine that these countries holding all these dollars would purposefully sabotage the country where their dollars have the most value – but, what’s easy for me to imagine is these countries (who have created what they call “sovereign wealth funds” with the money) coming into America and converting dollars, which they’re worried about losing value, into ownership of “American” companies, real estate, and American politicians (I always think of Judge Alito shaking his head when I imagine that one).  These foreign governments HATE our leaders, but there’s still lots to like about America itself, so they will be BUYERS.  I’ll give you one example:  I’m writing this on an IBM laptop purchased a few years ago – maybe six or seven.  I recently purchased a newer version of the same laptop and it is now a LENOVO – IBM’s laptops are now owned by a Chinese company.

The Saudi’s have TRILLIONS of dollars – they have been, are, and will be investing in core American companies far beyond what the average person on the street will be aware.  News Corp – which is the parent company of Fox “news” and the Wall Street Journal – to name a couple of its holdings – is owned by an Australian right wing conservative with its second leading shareholder ($3 BILLION) a Saudi Sheik who is known to have supported Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda.  We are so dependent on these people’s money that there’s little we can do about this – at least right now.   Sometimes I think that if I had the time (and the energy) I could write a book on how the republican party has undermined this country, how they are enabling their secret supporters to siphon TRILLIONS from our taxpayers, how they are purposefully attempting to DESTROY our very government and the strong middle class formed by the New Deal of FDR, and how before they’re done, they will have sold what’s great about America to foreign interests.  They’ve been BRAINWASHING the American public since the days of Ronald Reagan – and, their plan is close to complete for the “permanent republican majority” that’s been their vision for the last 30+ years.  I had thought George W Bush was such a bumbling idiot that he ruined the plan in 2008.  But, they’ve hardly skipped a beat.

It’s hard for me to imagine how they could say NO to EVERYTHING and still have any chance to win the upcoming mid term elections.  However, the American public elected President Obama and the democratic congress to do away with the ways of the republicans – using whatever means it would take (even if you had to suspend the senate’s rules regarding the filibuster, Harry! – I’m imagining he’s reading this).  The democrats have come up terribly short.  Yes, they’ve worked hard to get some things passed (even if their bills passed were disappointing like the so-called health care reform) but their willingness to look the other way from republican abuses of power – including WAR CRIMES – and cave to their obstuctionism was (and continues to be) unacceptable to millions of Americans – which is why there is the fear many will stay home from the polls this November.  I “get” that.  However, I believe we (progressives – er, liberals) have no choice but to vote for democrats because the long term affects of republicans in charge of congress at this delicate point in time could be worse than a depression.  I believe the rest of the world is watching what the American voter does and if we re-elect republicans after what they did to us and people in countries all over the globe – country after country will start looking elsewhere for their “allies.” (remember, the financial meltdown of 2008 was global and it was caused by America’s Wall Street banks and their reckless behavior and it affected MANY other nations)  We need to vote for democrats one more time and somehow get the message across to them that “The change we can believe in” is NOT republican-lite!