Honestly, I’m not sure when (if ever during my remaining lifetime) the public is going to become so outraged over the BullCrap coming out of Washington DC, and mostly instigated by a republican party gone so far amuck that they are unrecognizable to someone my age who can genuinely remember the days of Eisenhower and the sixties.  I’ve been railing against “trickle down” economics since the day Ronald Reagan was elected.  It made no sense then, it’s made no sense in the years since, and it makes no sense going forward.  Yet, after another sound thrashing from the (national) polls, here we have the republican party continuing to prostitute themselves to the very wealthy and the corporate elite in America.  The “trickle down” theory was presented as an economic philosophy that would advance the “world” of the working class as the wealthy in America would “trickle down” the tax benefits they received from progressively larger tax breaks through the creation of better jobs and higher wages.  The reality is that this philosophy is really a “trickle up” economic plan that is SQUEEZING as much wealth out of the middle class into the bank accounts of America’s wealthy class and corporate executives as the foolish American public will continue to allow.

Today, in the republican leaders of Congress’s all out effort to prevent their benefactors (pimps) from losing tax breaks that are obscene when you look at them up close (like Oil Companies cashing in to the tune of tens of BILLIONS in breaks while making profits that seemingly break records quarter after quarter) you’ll hear the “water carriers” like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Lars Larsen, Bill O’Reilly (and the like – people who’ll say whatever the Koch’s and the others behind the scenes pushing our fossil fuel economy tell them to say – abusing their place on our public airwaves) tell us the $85 BILLION in across the board cuts triggered by the “sequester” are nothing more than a “drop in the bucket” compared to the size of our economy.  However, the only sure thing I can see about this is that those people won’t feel it at all – the people who will feel the effects of this STUPID form of governing are, again, mostly going to be people at the “bottom rungs” of our economy.  I’m certainly not opposed to cutbacks in our government, it’s just the RIDICULOUS way everything has to happen in Washington DC these days because the republicans are so adamant about holding on to a tax system that clearly favors the wealthiest among us.

I (and many others) have seen this coming for years.  It just keeps getting progressively worst.  The only time I can remember when there was a plethora of jobs being created and a healthy economy for the people in the middle class during the years since Reagan was elected was in the years of the Clinton administration.  However, when I look back on those years I can see the workings of this invisible group of RICH right wing, racist individuals at work chipping away at the foundation of our nation which emerged after World War II and the aftermath of the New Deal – which the Kochs and the others involved in this “attack” HATE with passion.  (I’m beginning to think the only thing they HATE more than the New Deal is having a Black President)  These people are smart, they’ve got UNLIMITED financial resources, and they’ve been at this for well over 30 years and they’re not “going away” until the American public WISES UP!

As successful as many progressive Americans view the Clinton years, two things happened which are compounding our problems almost exponentially as we evolve into the “21st Century.”  First, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has turned THOUSANDS of independent media outlets into a dangerously few corporate GIANTS who are suppressing information in an alarming manner.  Clinton went along with this STUPID law and now we’re all paying the price.  The second MAJOR BLUNDER was the repeal of the Glass Steagall act toward the end of Clinton’s second term.  This was the action that has allowed the so-called “Too Big to Fail” banks to emerge – again with seemingly endless supplies of financial resources which they’re using to manipulate the system and it also allowed much of the exotic trading and speculation that is fueling the financial markets and has turned Wall Street into a glorified GAMBLING Casino.  There is so much wealth on Wall Street now that any push back is met with MASSIVE financial resources aimed at destroying the careers of any politician who would dare to attempt to re-regulate their casinos.

These people have a stacked Supreme Court which burdened us all with the “Citizens United” decision that is the worst case of judicial overreach in my lifetime coming from the people who constantly complain about judicial activism.  The Robert’s Court overturned something like 100 years of congressional attempts to control campaign finance abuses by, essentially, opening the spigots of the bank accounts from people like Charles and David Koch who have BILLIONS to burn in order to protect their fossil fuel empire and other wealthy individuals and corporations who have a stake in manipulating our electoral process.  (Kind of the same theory as the NRA gun lobbyists claiming the way to stop gun violence is to produce MORE guns!)  Citizens United has empowered wealthy elites from outside the U.S. to be able to use their money (surreptitiously) to influence our future elections.  This is ABSURD, yet the “liberal media” (which is firmly in the control of about nine “conservative” corporations) says virtually NOTHING about it from the standpoint of informing the general public.  News Corp, which is run by a right wing Australian (who’s donating MILLIONS to republcan candidates for office around the country) owns the Wall Street Journal, Fox “News,” and many other “news” outlets which are going to broadcast or print a perspective that comes right out of the republican caucus.  Fox “News” is so blatantly ABSURD as a “news” outlet, that it’s embarrassing to me as an educator that the American people tune into that network AT ALL.  The head of Fox “News” – Roger Ailes – is nothing more than a republican operative.  The result of this situation (again, I believe it’s the result of the Telecommunications Act of 1996) is the divisive nature of our present political discourse where we’ve gotten to the point that virtually NOTHING of significance will be accomplished in the next two years.

The solution?  Well, the solution is clearly that one of the two parties needs to be TOTALLY defeated.  While I’ve never felt that “one party rule” is healthy – that is clearly the objective the republicans have been working for over these past 30+ years – as Karl Rove calls it – “The permanent republican majority.”  Well, hopefully, the American people haven’t lost sight of how disastrous that would be.  They fought off the latest attempt to pull this off by defeating Mitt Romney in 2012 despite something like 3 BILLION being spent by the wealthy elite of America to get the Black guy out of the White House.  Obviously, they’ve (the republicans) hardly slowed down since that election.  And, they’ve got the power to stop everything because of their control of the majority in the House of Representatives – hence, the sequester.  Those who want to pin the sequester on President Obama evidently forget that it’s the result of republicans blackmailing the president (and the nation) over the “debt ceiling” in 2012 which led to it.  (which will likely be the next big fiasco as the debt “crisis” comes to a “head” again in the next month or so)  So, as I’ve been saying for several years now, there’s only one solution for people like me who consider themselves “progressive” (OK, Liberal – as I’ve stated many times on this site, years ago I thought I was a conservative – it’s just that compared to these republicans I’m a “flaming” liberal) and that is the TOTAL defeat of the republican party at the ballot box.

That will, if you’ve been paying attention for the past few years, not be easy.  Even though there are a lot more people who identify with the democratic party (certainly with the traditional ideals of the democratic party going back to the days of FDR) the republicans have been VERY BUSY manipulating voting districts (gerrymandering) around the nation in a way where they’re planning to be able to win and keep control of congress and the White House with less than a majority of votes.  (As I write, they’re busy trying to change the rules in some key swing states to take advantage of their gerrymandering – vis a vi – electoral votes – to further strengthen their position in national elections with a minority of votes)  In fact, they actually pulled this off in 2012 in the House congressional elections.  Nation wide democratic House candidates received something approaching 2 MILLION more votes than republican candidates, yet the republicans continue to have a strong control of the “lower chamber” of congress.  I believe the solution is to start targeting the leaders – like Mitch McConnell who is the leading republican obstructionist in the senate.  He’s terribly UNPOPULAR in his home state and he’s due to come up for re-election in 2014.  I don’t have much money, but I’m prepared to start donating to the cause to defeat McConnell once a viable democratic candidate is on the scene.  Then there’s John Boehner, the Speaker of the House.  The guy’s shown signs of alcohol issues, he spends more time on the golf course than in the House Chamber and he comes from Ohio – where, I have to believe there’s someone there who could challenge his position.  There’s many like myself who would donate small amounts that might, in total, allow someone to unseat Boehner.   And, the guy in Wisconsin who ran along side Romney, Paul Ryan – certainly the good people of Wisconsin can come up with a challenge to get him out of office.  (I’ve donated more money to Wisconsin democrats than any place else because I consider the good people of Wisconsin who stood up to the Koch’s and Scott Walker to be ground zero in the fight to repeal this republican nightmare that has been destroying America since the day George W Bush was installed into the White House by the Supreme Court)

You would have thought that after GW Bush was out of the nation’s capital that the American people would have had enough – two unfunded, incompetently prosecuted wars along with an economy in meltdown should have been enough to give us a break from this tax breaks for the wealthy philosophy of government – actually, people who openly profess to HATE government wanting to “run it” so that they can destroy it from the inside.  It’s so crazy that, again, I’m embarrassed that enough American citizens can’t figure this out.  And, it’s true that this latest “crisis” – the sequester – will not directly affect many Americans ( at least in the near term) – the problem that I see is the a large percentage of those affected will be middle class Americans or Americans who are suffering in poverty.  From a cutting standpoint, in my mind, exactly the WRONG place to be cutting.  The only encouraging thing I can think about all of this is that I’m finally hearing rhetoric from the president which implies that maybe he’s now got his fighting shoes on.  This will eventually need to be brought to a “head” and, undoubtedly, the republicans in the House are going to “shut down” the government again – just as they did in the 1990’s when Newt Gingrich was the Speaker of the House.  The reward for all of this anti-government tea party crap needs to come at the ballot box in 2014 – and, my hope is that Boehner and company will inspire the vast majority of Americans who consider them incompetent to focus on removing as many republicans from congress as possible in 2014.  It will be an uphill battle due to the issues I’ve related above – the media controlled by right wing corporations, the gerrymandering of congressional districts, and probably most important the money that will be spent on behalf of the politicians willing to prostitute themselves to the republican sheep mentality due to the Citizens United decision.

Every year going forward that one Supreme Court decision will make it more difficult for “we the people” to actually control who our elected officials are.  I guarantee you, right now as I’m writing this, people like the Koch brothers are regrouping from the 2012 defeat and they’re planning on how to best use their BILLIONS to make it the democrats who are sent packing in 2014 and beyond.   I’ve said this many times on this site – and, somehow I hope President Obama and the democratic leaders in congress read my words:  This is WAR!  It’s a war for the heart and soul of this great nation I love.  (To the benefactors of the republican politicians, America is nothing more than a source for their great wealth!)

I just finished reading a book, given to me from one of my republican friends from church, written by Tony Evans and called “Kingdom Man.”  I almost didn’t read the book because right on the cover it says “Focus on the Family” which is the right wing enterprise of James Dobson.  I’ve been to Focus on the Family’s headquarters in Colorado and I’ve listened to Dobson on the radio many times and, as I’ve been attempting to educate myself to the REAL on-goings of our government since GW Bush invaded Iraq in 2003, Dobson keeps coming up in different books as one of the most divisive people who have a “national stage” in America.  Dobson is one of the leaders in the movement over the past 30+ years to turn the word “liberal” into a “dirty word.”  I’ve also read, in several instances (which I’m not going to go back to find so I can specifically point them out), about Dobson’s behind the scenes involvement in the right wing thrust of the republican party these past 35 years or so that has resulted in our nation crumbling from the effect of the so-called “Christian Right” providing republicans with a block of voters who vote their way without questioning their (the republicans) true agenda.  That all being said, I read the book because my friend agreed to read one book that I will provide him.  (We’ll see on that – I’m going to give him “The Family of Secrets” by Russ Baker – a thorough and provocative study of the “Bush dynasty” – by far the best I’ve read on the Bush family)

Tony Evans is an African American pastor of a Mega Church in Dallas Texas.  He’s the chaplain for both the Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Mavericks and his resume, to me, is impeccable from top to bottom.  Evans is a great example of what is possible in America – that anyone can come from humble (or less than humble) circumstances and achieve great success.  And, he’s clear in pointing out that success doesn’t mean achieving at the level he’s managed to achieve at, but being a “Kingdom Man” is a goal all men can (and should) strive for.  I’m not going to get too much into the details of the book other than to say that it is clearly Christian based and that, in my view, it points out some realities about America that are undeniable.  The thrust of the book focuses on the problems created in America by the failure of so many men to live up to the responsibility of being first, a husband and then a father, and it goes on to point out the other responsibilities necessary for men if America is going to actually “change” direction – as so many of us desire.  As I read this book, some thoughts I’ve been struggling with gained a bit of clarity.

At this point I need to add a little about my background.  I’m old enough to have a medicare card, I’m a school teacher nearing retirement, I’m a Christian and I look forward to my time in church each week.  However, that’s where the “rub” starts and, hopefully, where Evan’s book might bring me some clarity in my own thinking.  Ever since I accepted Christ into my life as my “Lord and savior” I’ve struggled with the reality that so many of my good friends from church are part of this “Christian Right” that I mentioned above.  I’ve been uncomfortable being around people who make derogatory comments about “liberals” evidently not knowing I’m a “liberal.”  (actually, I always considered myself a conservative for years, but the republicans have moved so far to the “right” that I guess I’m finally comfortable with the “liberal” tag)  I was offended in 2003 by the enthusiasm coming from my church ( and churches across America) as we invaded Iraq (and pretty much destabilized the entire world).  And, I’ve been discouraged in the years since as I’ve come to realize the large number of “Christians” who vote republican as a block without taking the time to find out the TRUTH about who and what they’re voting for.  This block of voters (I was tempted to use the term “sheep”) has enabled the republican party to chip away at the very foundation of America because very few question anything and the ones who do are quickly considered “Persona non Grata” inside the party.  It has also allowed the surreptitious power-grab by large corporate and wealthy interest groups to gain a stranglehold on the party continually pushing it farther to the “right.”  (Dobson is a part of that  “surreptitious” group – he runs a BILLION dollar plus enterprise)

Let me quickly add that in my “research” of what’s been going on – REALLY going on with our government – the abuses show up on “both sides of the isle.”  I just recently finished a post pointing out my frustration with HARRY REID and the democratic establishment that, to me, doesn’t have the spine to do what’s “right” to clean up Washington DC – so, please don’t respond to anything I say here by saying something along the lines of “But the democrats……..”  I’m really tired of that response to my complaint about what the republicans are doing to America.  It’s abundantly clear that the same “special interests” who have a stranglehold on the republican party have enough excess cash to succeed in buying off a sufficient number of democrats to further their selfish interests.  That’s not the point here.  In Evan’s book, he’s laying out a plan for how by simply calling the American adult males to “man up” so many of our problems could be addressed in a positive way.  And, the reality is that I agree with him.

I’ve been teaching the sixth grade for near 20 years in a high poverty school.  I’ve seen first hand, OVER and OVER, the damage done to young children when they are in fatherless homes, or homes with abusive fathers.  By the time young boys (and girls too, but I’m going to focus on the males here – that’s the focus of Evan’s book) get to the sixth grade the damage is often MAJOR.  As a teacher, I feel that for many of my students I’m fighting for their lives.  I’m often shocked (well, the truth is that not much shocks me any more – but, it used to) when sixth graders at the age of 11 demonstrate “street knowledge” I didn’t have when I was finishing high school.  It is not rare for me to have students who are essentially raising themselves.  My students regularly watch R rated movies I wouldn’t watch myself.  I’ve had 11 year olds bring alcohol into the classroom (and actually drink it there), they’re exposed to all kinds of drugs, and most have no idea what an education might do for them in the future.  In fact, when I ask them what their thoughts about the future are, most say “huh?”  And, then add, “I don’t have any thoughts about the future.”  (Well, there are the ones who are going to be NFL or NBA stars)  I totally agree with Evans that this is a national problem.  Most of these students of mine are in single parent families and education isn’t on their scale of priorities.

The result of this societal breakdown in our family structures – Evans has the statistics about marriage, divorce, etc. and they’re sobering to say the least – is not only undermining the fabric of our nation, it is causing HUGE expense to deal with the results of all these wayward children “down the road.”  Evans has the statistics for that as well, and the costs are in the HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS of dollars to our society.  All the men who end up incarcerated, all the teen pregnancies and unwanted pregnancies, all the members of society who are performing at a level well below their potential is costly to society.  Yet, it seems to me that we’re not only not doing anything about this problem (I believe you can make a case that it’s the most difficult and most important challenge facing our society – the breakdown of the family structure) it’s not even on the radar screen.  That’s where I got a little bit of a sense of clarity about my own thinking as I read Evan’s book.

I’ve been writing about how the republican party as it is presently constituted needs to be defeated, exiled,  I’m not sure what the correct word is, but it needs to be a thing of the past.  Not because I’m totally against the republican party – over the years of my voting life I’ve voted for many republicans – it’s just that once I started looking into the “inner workings” of the party after the Iraq invasion (keep in mind, I’m from the Viet Nam era – and, I was convinced in my mind that something like that could never again happen in America) I’ve discovered many unnerving things.  From books like “The Family” and “The Shock Doctrine” and “Blackwater” and “Fiasco” and “Crazy for God” and “Family of Secrets” and I could go on and on, you get a picture that’s – well, to me – un-American.  There’s a propaganda campaign going on that is right out of the annals of Joseph Goebbels from the Third Reich where republicans are following Goebbels’ “Big Lie theory” to a tee.  They’ve got a network of “talking heads” who use the same key terms and repeat them over and over until the unsuspecting public believes their lie is actually the truth.  You’ve got to turn to books such as I mentioned previously to get a perspective that isn’t molded in some secret place and spammed onto America’s airwaves in order to control an unsuspecting public – many of which are the members of the “Christian Right.”  I can’t tell you how many people I know who believe what comes out of Rush Limbaugh’s mouth, or Sean Hannity’s, or Bill O’Reilly’s, or Lars Larsen’s (the local, to me, “mouthpiece”), or what they see and hear on Fox News.  I’ve had friends, when I show them the information that refutes what they’ve heard on Fox, crumble the paper (without reading it), throw it on the ground, and say “That’s liberal garbage.”

For starters, it doesn’t take long to identify these aforementioned people as racists.  This, of course, has become painfully obvious since the election of Barrack Obama.  But, anyone who takes any kind of an open minded look at what comes from Limbaugh’s mouth can’t question whether he’s a racist or not.  He’s right up front with it.  That’s why he only lasted one night on “Monday Night Football.”  The racist rhetoric just flows freely from his mouth.  And, this has been clearly the motivation behind the so-called “Tea Party” movement, which pushed the republican party even farther toward total extremism once Obama was elected.  The reality is there’s a large segment of America which is not ready to face the reality that this nation is getting “less white” all the time and that our president is Black (disagree? Then, explain to me why republicans are so open about “If Obama’s for it, we’re against it!” – even when it’s their own idea).  That issue alone has caused me great concern with so many people I know being associated with the republican party.  I don’t see how you can profess to be a “Christian” and associate yourself with racist views – to me, that’s not the Christianity that I believe in.  So, I’m in this quandary of  agreeing with the premise that Evans presents in his well written book, but having the same struggle I’ve had for years – and that’s the association with this “Christian Right” that just continues to perpetuate republican obstruction and divisiveness.  I long ago determined that I’m not going to allow these people to cause me to give up my Christian beliefs – I’ve recognized that, if what I believe is true, then the “judgement” will take place (as to who’s correct) when I’m no longer able to write in this “blog.”

So, here’s what seems to be gaining clarity in my mind.  Evans talks about how the solution to our problems of the family structure and the role of men in our society is a “bottom up” solution and I agree.  But, I also feel it is a societal problem and until our society is willing to address it and to put resources towards a solution (by resources, I mean both financial and intellectual) the slide in the wrong direction will continue.  And, this is where Evans will probably think I’m really off base, I believe the first step is to somehow end this partnership with the “Christian Right” and the republican party.  I’m not in any way suggesting Christians should support the democratic party.  In fact, in my mind neither party as they’re constituted should be supported regardless.  Lately, I’ve been voting democratic, but mainly because I’m voting against the republican agenda.  I would like to see a situation where both parties (or others should they emerge) can’t count on blocks of people who will support them “blindly.”  Without the “Christian” block, I can guarantee you the republican party would have to be more willing to work toward solutions that represent the needs of the “people” over the needs of their corporate sponsors, and the same is true with the democratic party.

Additionally, I believe the “Christian Right’s” affiliation with the republican party has turned more people away from Christianity than most people imagine.  As I study American History, the reality is that many of the progressive programs that came together under the New Deal during FDR’s time originated from Christian sources.  If you read “Crazy for God” you get an idea how the republican party created this disingenuous partnership with Christians (led by Francis Shaeffer and his son Frank – who now regrets his actions) over the abortion issue.  This was their superficial strategy to lock in this huge voting block (the so-called “pro-life” movement – which I could do an entire post on that issue itself) and it has worked.  Most of my friends who blindly vote republican still base their vote on this one issue – with little knowledge of what else they’re voting for.  So, what I’m suggesting is the first step in creating an atmosphere where the vision of Tony Evans might be realized is to break up this unhealthy “partnership.”  If we could eliminate the divisiveness that has been the mantra of people like Dobson, Limbaugh, and so many others on the “right” maybe we could create a dialogue which would actually address the issue of the role of men in our society.

I’m one who was essentially raised without  a father (not totally, but certainly  my father was not a “kingdom man”) and, in my adult life, I’ve discovered some of the damage done during my childhood that has permeated into issues during my adult life.  This is not unusual, but I agree with Evans that the way to turn America around is first in the family structure, and the key to that is men who are righteous (I’ll leave the discussion of what that means to another day).  Children naturally want fathers and when they grow up without fathers there’s a huge “hole” in their life.  This is a huge problem in America and, in my view, it won’t get addressed – it won’t even be on the agenda – in our present climate.  And, I’m not suggesting that breaking up the republican party is the solution.  To me, it’s just the first step.  However, if we can get beyond the intransigence, the divisiveness, and the obstructionism maybe these problems will become part of the dialogue and people who think like Tony Evans will then have a platform that leads to a national discussion and attempts to find workable solutions to this problem.  I’ll end by saying, the sad reality is that this “Christian”/republican “partnership” is fueling the divisiveness in America which prevents solutions to most problems “Christians” should care about.

I have a son who I believe is becoming entrenched into what I see as a “permanent underclass” of disenchanted young Americans who are not able to process why things seem so hopeless.  He’s not the “cookie cutter” young person who’s going to find the socially acceptable “pathway” (which is way too narrow as it is) appealing at all and, despite my efforts to explain what’s “happening” as I see it, motivating him to participate in “society”  is extremely difficult.  He’s one of the MILLIONS of young people in today’s world who gain their satisfaction in the world of video games and obscenely provocative graphic presentations (movies, games, music, etc.) and shows no sign of wanting to join the “mainstream.”  Government, to him, is a misnomer.  It’s true he brings much of his dilemma upon himself, but as a parent, it’s frustrating to feel as if I’m climbing a steep uphill battle as I attempt to convince him he has a part in the future of this great nation.

In our latest conversation he commented that when he goes back to school (I really hope he does that) he wants to learn a foreign language so he can move to a different country.  I’m formulating in my mind how to address this (underneath it all, he’s a very gifted young man – someone who should be able to find a place in our society) when I get an email about how Jeff Merkley, the US Senator from Oregon – one of the few members of the Senate in Washington I feel my son might be able to look up to – got redressed by HARRY REID because of his (Merkley’s) aggressive push to get the senate rules regarding the filibuster changed.  That one was almost too much for me – not only was Merkley attacked (and probably disciplined) by the democratic leadership, but the filibuster essentially was NOT CHANGED!  This news is beyond discouraging, it’s DEPRESSING.

I’ve written piece after piece about the damage being done to our political system by the right wing republican party, but there’s always been the undertone of democrats who lack the spine to do anything about it.  And, now Reid has publicly told us all that if anyone else in the Democratic party wants to push for REAL progressive change, this is what they can expect.  The reality is that Reid is every bit the Washington insider who’s been bought and paid for by the corporate elite many times over.  Just as in 2008, for me, the election of 2012 is immediately being followed by a series of red flags suggesting that the democratic party is not “up to the task” of changing the environment in Washington.  When you think about it, why would they.  Democratic congresspersons are just as likely to hold lucrative lobbying positions once they’ve been “outed” as are republicans.  It just kind of gives all of us who are naive enough to think there might really be a change of direction in this nation a quick dose of REALITY.

Division and dysfunction are proving to be very profitable to everyone who’s got a place on the inside.  Think about it, in the last election media companies were the recipients of BILLIONS in spending on political advertisements – do you really think they want that to stop?  And, the dysfunction seems to be driving America’s wealthiest individuals and corporations to be willing to spend unlimited amounts to protect their interests (no matter whether their interests are in the interest of the rest of us).  Where is that money going?  Well, aside from the political advertising (which is a sufficient threat to people like Merkley because of the enormity of the potential “backlash” as punishment for being truly “progressive” – just ask Sherrod Brown who was hit by almost $50 MILLION in “attack ads” during his previous senatorial campaign as a “reward” for standing up against “big oil” and standing for “single payer” health care in America – the reality of the situation here is sick) which can work for or against different politicians depending on what kind of “stand” they’re willing to take it’s also going straight into the campaign “coffers” of those congresspersons who “cooperate.”  Republicans are very COVERT in their expectation that EVERYONE  in their caucus “toes the line,” (unless, of course, you want a “primary challenge”) but I don’t see the democrats as much better.  We’ll see how this plays out for Senator Merkley, but the clear message is – don’t challenge the party leadership – even if they’re clearly “stuck in the mud.”

Think about the 3+ BILLION spent on lobbying for the “Affordable Care Act.”  Where do you think that money went?  I can guarantee you that if you look closely at the “coffers” of the congress people in the center of that fiasco (republicans OR democrats)  A LOT OF MONEY went from corporate interests into the campaign treasure chests of the people voting up or down on the legislation.  Here’s the bigger rub:  We all KNOW what’s going on, many of us want this corrupt system CLEANED UP, yet this crap just keeps happening OVER AND OVER.  Now, not only do those of us who consider ourselves “liberal” feel we have no one to turn to (the republican response to Reid’s actions regarding the filibuster was: we’ve defeated the liberals again!), but we’ve got another two years of watching republicans block EVERY attempt to move America back toward the New Deal with one filibuster after another.  The word I used earlier is still appropriate:  DEPRESSING!  (here’s another part of this that just shows how sick our “system” is – as with the so-called “public option” element in the Affordable Care Act the repeal of the filibuster garners public support from about 3 out of every 4 American voters – yet. our congress doesn’t hesitate to thumb their noses at “we the people”)

I keep telling my son that this corporate raid on our government is nothing new.  It happened in the late 1800’s, the parallels with what’s going on in America today and what was happening in the 1920’s are startling, and I believe we will, as a society, evolve past this and end up in a better direction.  It’s just that we also have histories of “lost generations” and I’m trying to get him to understand he’s got to fight his way out of the depressing state where you feel as if you have no future.  I just can’t bring myself to believe America will ultimately choose the way of Ayn Rand over the way of Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln.  And, no, I haven’t read “Atlas Shrugged” beyond brief summaries, but I don’t see America as a “me” society.

In the 1980’s I could see this present dilemma  on the horizon.  Even though Ronald Reagan was far from what I guess you’d call a “Randian” he ushered in the “Young Republicans” who have evolved into today’s Karl Rove, Grover Norquist, Jack Abramoff, and others who seem willing to do or say anything provided it moves the selfish interests of their wealthy donors forward.  I remember thinking back then, “these people are all about ‘me’ and turned off by ‘we’ when they talk about the role government should play in a society. (One thing I’ve found very curious over the years is that – from what I’ve read – Ayn Rand was an atheist – yet, many of my acquaintances who seem to have leanings toward her thinking are Christians)  In fact, Rove and Norquist seem to be the leaders of the group that professes to hate government – yet, wants to control it.  The only thing I can take from that is they want to make sure they squeeze as much wealth out of the “system” as they can “while the gettin’s good.”

Here’s another part of the scenario that makes it seem depressing.  These republicans just lost another national election – they’ve lost 5 of the last 6 national elections (remember Bush v Gore – Gore won a substantial majority of the vote) – this despite a HUGE advantage from the money standpoint.  But, the people behind this movement have been losing elections for many many years (we’re talking now about the Koch Brothers and some of their peers).  They won’t even slow down to take a breath.  The amount of financial resources at their disposal is unending.  And, they’ve got sufficient control of the “liberal media” that it’s unlikely the general public will wise up to what they’re doing anytime soon. Additionally, they’ve become EXTREMELY sophisticated.   They’re not only making a play in the national scene, but they’ve got their fingerprints all the way down to local municipal governments.  The damage being done across the nation to unions from right wing governors who are working somewhat covertly from the nation’s attention (except for Wisconsin and Ohio) could be damaging for many years.  I even went to a “free” presentation on the economics of poverty – presented as professional development by my school district – designed for teachers to take back into the classroom – that was put on by one of the offshoots of the Koch’s Heritage Institute.  I was the only person in the room of about 35 teachers (mostly high school) who even questioned the reliability of the presentation – which came across to me as propaganda.  The Kochs (and others of their ilk) are finding very creative ways to get their message out on an unsuspecting public.  I would have had no problem with what they were doing had they only been willing to be up front with who they were representing (according to the presentation, there is essentially no poverty in America – because our “poor” are so much better off than, say, the poor in Africa).

As stated above, unfortunately, those of us who want this LIBERAL push-back to the previous right wing movement America has experienced in the past 30+ years have to depend on people like Harry Reid to make it happen – and, that’s not an encouraging thought.  It’s like everyone in Washington DC espouses “change” but they all seem terrified of it.  I’ll end this by saying:  Harry Reid’s reluctance to end the filibuster is just a symptom of the bigger problem.  And, the “bigger problem” is very complicated and will never get resolved with intransigence on one side and fear on the other.  The saddest part to me is watching so many gifted young Americans essentially saying screw it – there’s no place in this society for me.  Without a concerted effort to fight back from the “left” the Ayn Rand thinkers will continually get closer to their goal and there will be more “riff raff” thrown away along the road.  What I don’t think they realize is that eventually their philosophy will be in direct conflict with Marxism.  And, eventually, people like my son will be saying “there’s way more of us than there are of them” and the “lid” could “blow off.”  I hope it never gets to that but people like Harry Reid need to figure out who’s side they’re on.

I just posted another in my long line of rantings about how the republican party, in my view, is undermining this nation.  Those in the background of that party, the ones “pulling the strings,” have little interest in anything more than their own wealth.  This has been clear for years, but they have such a stranglehold on the “messaging” that takes place in America, that they’ve literally gotten away with “murder” over the years.  I’m saying that as I read “A Family of Secrets” for the second time, a book following the “Bush dynasty” as none other I’ve read, and while documenting the life of George HW (Poppy) Bush it sheds enormous light on the machinations of the American government’s “insiders” over the past 60+ years and leaves an alarming concern in my mind as to the “real” United States of America.  This book gives what appears to be a well thought out scenario of how the CIA, the oil industry, the eastern “elite,” and a group of right wing thugs have steered America in a direction that is almost opposite from what they’ve been able to foist on the public through the so-called “liberal media” and a Goebbels like propaganda campaign.

People like George HW Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, and others (many no longer with us) keep “popping up” and essentially making themselves wealthier and more powerful while spinning a sham on the rest of us that may never be totally uncovered.  The evidence, as I see it, is overwhelming that HW Bush spent the first half of his adult working life (after his Yale “Skull and Bones” years) as some type of agent for the CIA.  As opposed to Valerie Plame, it appears that “Poppy” Bush has managed to avoid being “outed” by the above mentioned “liberal media” that seems devoid of real investigative reporters.  As you read this book it’s hard not to come to the conclusion that both JFK and Richard Nixon were victims of our own CIA (which has been “connected at the hip” with the oil industry since its inception) – not to mention Martin Luther King, Jr. and RFK.  While it was hard for me to understand how they would “out” Nixon, the outing of JFK was not hard to understand.  In fact, the way that murder was “covered up” – officially with the anemic Warren Commission (which was stacked with Kennedy haters including, of all people, Allen Dulles who Kennedy had fired as CIA chief following the Bay of Pigs fiasco) shows that the problems with our investigative journalists goes way back farther than I had imagined.  When you see that Dulles (who was a certified Kennedy “hater”) was leading an investigation into an assassination that was probably pulled off by the CIA (which he had been in charge of) you can see why the murder is still “unsolved.”

The shocking part in all of this, to me, is the role that “Poppy” Bush seems to have played in this assassination.  And, more shocking is how he managed to cover his “tracks” to avoid scrutiny – and, as I think of the years following, how he has managed to avoid even investigations in subsequent untoward adventures that include CIA skullduggery.  I have to believe, for example, that Bush was right in the middle of undermining Nixon along with the Iran/Contra scandal of the Reagan years and hardly faced a question regarding his role in that illegal scandal.  This country has a history of allowing an elite group of people to operate outside the law for years, and I believe it continues to this day.  With the acquiescence of Bill Clinton and Barrack Obama I believe both Bush 41 and Bush 43 will never have to answer for their misdeeds – along with Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Karl Rove, David Addington, and I could go on and on – these are the “contemporary” members of this elite group of lawbreakers.  It’s like a government mafia (In fact, there’s ample evidence that this cabal – and their associates, many who are still probably totally covert – have many times enlisted the help of true mafia personnel to “handle” some of their more “unpleasant” duties – like assassinating foreign leaders such as Fidel Castro (obviously they failed on this one) and other “leftists” – with many “successes,” for example – Allende, Trujillo, Iran’s Mohammed Mosaddegh, and others  [click here for an alleged list of CIA atrocities] – beyond the shores of Cuba)

Another “must read” in my mind, Naomi Klein’s “Shock Doctrine,” gives a stunning accounting of the number of people who have disappeared as the result of alleged CIA actions and the methods of this “cabal” that is now operating on our own country.  Clearly, the CIA was set up to “fight fire with fire” in response to the KGB of the Soviet Union post World War II, but it has gotten so far out of control that we (Americans) have inherited the role of the Russians of the cold war – I guess in the name of national security.  Kind of the same mentality as what I heard today from the head of the NRA in response to the aftermath of the Connecticut massacre of small children by a person brandishing an easy to purchase assault weapon:  “The way to stop ‘bad people’ from killing with guns is with more ‘good people’ having guns.”  I’m not kidding you.  Also, it’s been suggested that teachers be armed and trained with guns.  I’m a teacher.  Are you kidding me???!  This, I believe, is the mentality that says that the CIA going around the world assassinating leaders who are “unfriendly” to the U.S. –  especially when they have natural resources that we want to usurp from them, or they have a business climate that doesn’t support American corporate interests – is acceptable. (not to mention mind altering experimentation of “expendable” people – what does this remind you of?)  The same mentality that says torture is OK in the name of “national security” – which, of course, has become the “stock” excuse of every U.S. administration in my lifetime for actions which they wish to keep from the public domain.

The CIA has become, almost since its inception, “aligned at the hip” with barons of the oil industry and the military industrial complex which Dwight Eisenhower so prophetically warned this nation about as he was leaving office.  The Bush family, led by George HW Bush, has been connected to the CIA since before its inception.  Prescott Bush, HW’s father, was affiliated with “intelligence” before it was officially a government bureaucracy and showed his willingness to put profit ahead of principle as he was selling armaments to the Nazi’s prior to our involvement in WW II.  In fact, the only thing that stopped him was a strong reprimand from FDR.  His grandson, George W Bush, showed us again that there are many in this “upper echelon” of the secret society who are more than willing to profit handsomely from war (people like Rumsfeld, Cheney, Feith, and others in the Bush/Cheney administration made HUNDREDS of millions from the Iraq fiasco – their “no bid” buddies like Halliburton and KBR made BILLIONS)  We’re talking here about the insiders who’ve gained a stranglehold on the republican party over the years and I can guarantee you they won’t “let up” until they’re forced out of “power” by the voters.  (They’re so incredibly rich at this point, that it will take years to make them go away – if that’s possible.  This recent display of “conservatism,” to me, is eerily similar to the late 19th century and early 20th century of the so-called “Robber Barons.”

The Bush “dynasty” represents only one of the elite “eastern establishment” families who seem to feel enabled to live above the law and believe the rest of us should be thankful for whatever “scraps” come our way.  In my mind, they confuse “The American Dream” with the possibility of getting rich as opposed to simply owning a home and being a functioning member of a strong middle class.  A perpetual society where families feel they’re part of a structure which gives their children an opportunity to do a little better than their parents – but, in the process, never losing their empathy for the less fortunate.  Being driven by a sense of empathy and thankfulness as opposed to greed.  Never losing track of the connection between whatever level of success they achieve to the society which makes it possible – and, in the case of extreme success, the obligation to give back to that society.

Many of these “rich” families, in my mind, have been more than willing to profit off of the great national infrastructure which was created post WW II, but seem to be unwilling to do their part to maintain that very infrastructure which, as I’m writing this, is crumbling in many parts of this great nation.  During the “Bush 43 years” the estimates I remember, to bring our infrastructure “up to code,” ranged in the 2 plus TRILLION range.  A daunting figure, yes, but also an opportunity to put so many unemployed Americans to work fixing the problem.  And, as I’ve seen in my lifetime, a sound infrastructure allows for a growing economy for all.  The special interests of the families (and people) mentioned above center on oil and defense spending.  And, as most people have come to realize, the American government is pretty much at the mercy of the lobbyists who are each fighting for the American taxpayer’s dollar (many while complaining about how much they despise the government – go figure) and busy buying off one politician after another.  This is why the struggle to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff” is so difficult – first, it won’t happen without republicans violating their “Grover Norquist” pledge and second, there’s always someone to argue against “cutting spending” because of the plethora of lobbyists who seem to determine the “bottom line” legislation coming out of Washington DC.

For some reason, the debate has turned to issues such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment, food stamps, etc. when the republicans are talking about spending.  How often do we feel obligated to put defense spending “off the table” when these people are talking about reduced spending and put the focus on the programs the help “the least of these?”  Yet, we’re a “Christian” nation, right?  The “fiscal cliff” debate will continue to “show its ugly face” in different forms as long as we allow the republican party to be run by these right wing, greedy corporate elitists who seemingly have no limits on how much wealth satisfies them.  When you consider that people like the Bush family have been pilfering our society for at least 3 generations with absolutely no consequences for their greed and misdeeds, and you look at the others at the “top” who are squeezing every last penny they can from America’s taxpayers – all the while claiming how bad government is – it’s hard to feel positive.  The sad reality is that those who are perpetrating this fraud on our nation won’t be deterred by a few election defeats.  We’ve (with the complicity of the Obama administration) allowed the Bush/Cheney administration to get away with torture, war profiteering, lying to congress, outing a CIA agent, undermining established government agencies after allowing the misdeeds of the Reagan administration.  The people behind this “movement” believe the “liberals” don’t have the “stones” (as Bill Clinton puts it) to hold them legally accountable, and I’m thinking they’re evidently correct.  JFK warned us that the only way this nation could be undermined was from “within,” and these right wing republicans are proving him prophetic.

In my post 2012 election thinking I can’t help but ponder the years of the “21st century” and think of how the United States is at a defining point in our history.  Obviously, there’s a significant portion of our electorate having a difficult time accepting the FACT that someone who’s not “white” belongs in the “White House.”  That’s the only way I can imagine how a man like Mitt Romney, someone who prior to managing to get the republican nomination for president, was somewhat an outcast from the viewpoint of those on the “right.”  I look back at the primary battles and wonder how the republicans were able to feel so confident going into the election.  However, the reality is that they almost pulled it off.  And, the “permanent republican majority” as envisioned by Karl Rove and others was “oh so close” to reality.  Again, their problem was a candidate who needed to be kept away from any impromptu discussions with the press or any REAL town hall type atmosphere because of what  would likely spew from his mouth.  Kind of a reenactment of the George W Bush years.

In Bush’s case, unfortunately, they – with the support of the Supreme Court – managed to swindle the 2000 election (I can still hear Donald Trump calling for revolution when he ignoramusly prophesied that President Obama was going to win with a plurality of the votes – of course, he said nothing when Bush not only trailed Gore by a similar margin as to what Obama ultimately tolled against Romney – but, it took the Supreme Court to participate in the Florida voter suppression which turned the tide in Bush’s favor) and, with the help of voter suppression in Ohio, circa 2004, unleashed the Bush/Cheney fiasco on America which was the first time republicans were oh so near their nirvana.  And, if I’m being too coy for you – that nirvana is control of the courts, the media, the congress, and the White House – which, along with the Citizens United Supreme Court decision would be the finishing touches on their plan to completely remove any vestiges of the “New Deal” from the American scene and make it, to them, part of America’s history they’d like to remove from the history books.  Here’s the rub – if anyone out there thinks they are done with this plan – think again.

The power brokers behind people like Rove, Grover Norquist, Rush Limbaugh, Fox “news,” and essentially EVERYONE in the republican “upper crust” have been trying to squelch the New Deal since before it was enacted.  They’ve been operating surreptitiously for many years and I believe they thought they had it “made” when Bush/Cheney managed to get control of the White House along with a republican congress – but, they had no idea what a buffoon George W Bush would turn out to be – and, Cheney is such a despicable person that by the time his term was FINALLY up, his “approval rating” was nearer to ZERO than to the previous all time low of any incumbent VP.  Yes, the policies that emanated from the “Project for the New American Century” were disastrous and the people insufferable, but their HUGE bankroll along with their cunning “stacking” of our court system, corrupting of the Justice Department, their control of our “liberal media,” the undermining of our traditional government agencies, and an incredible willingness to lie (even to the extent of lying us into a “war” which cost America TRILLIONS in dollars and untold treasures in lives – not to mention all the lives and destruction to Iraq) put them on the precipice of a complete stranglehold of America’s government. Hence, as Rove put it – “a permanent republican ‘majority.'”

Even my wife is unnerved by my anti republican passion as I’ve always been an independent (until Bush took us into Iraq and I started to read about things you don’t find in our “liberal media”).  However, I will not discontinue my small part in attempting to bring the real intentions of the republican party to as many people as possible until I see a purging of these puppets that publicly represent their party from the scene.  Even one of my friend’s son works for our local republican congressperson back in Washington DC and he’s a great kid.  His Dad is an educator and a republican.  As far as I can tell, it’s because their family have always been republicans.  So was mine (at least on my father’s side) back in my youth.  I would have to say that, from all I’ve read, next to FDR my favorite president would be General Eisenhower although I have my qualms about him as well.   He would not be welcome in today’s republican party.  All you have to do is look at the map of the “red states” from the last election and do a little research and it’s easy to see there’s a strong racist wing to this party and until they get beyond that they will become more irrelevant –  or, at least I hope so – as time moves on.  As I think these things with any certainty in my mind, I’m brought back to the thought that Mitt Romney got 48% of the vote and I’m reminded that they’ll spend 5 or 10 BILLION next time if they think it will accomplish this goal. (the goal, by the way, our founders – who republicans love to quote – went out of their way to make virtually impossible.  The greatest fear of the founders?  Exactly what the republicans are attempting to pull off – control of all parts of government, including “the fourth estate” – which would negate the “checks and balances” they worked so diligently to put into our constitution)

Speaking of the constitution, there’s bound to be an intense discussion about the 2nd amendment in the near future and there should be one about the 4th amendment.  In each case it will be intransigent republicans and innocuous democrats who will likely prevent much progress.  First, and an issue that should be on everyone’s mind is the 2nd amendment and “gun control.”  I’m a school teacher in a high poverty school and the tragedies that continue to happen in schools are alarming.  While I constantly wonder what would compel someone to shoot kids, it seems to be happening over and over again.  I can sum up why nothing will be done to reduce the availability of hand guns and assault weapons by just writing: NRA.  The NRA has a stranglehold on the republicans (OK, many democrats as well) and the money they’re getting will continue their mantra “guns don’t kill people, criminals kill people.”  This has made me sick for years, and the tragedy that happened just this past week in Connecticut brought tears to my eyes.  Primary students for God’s sake.  And teachers (I’ll wonder if the vilifying of teachers plays a part in this kind of tragedy) – this is over the edge stuff for me.  In my own community (I live close to Portland, Oregon) just a few days prior to the Connecticut massacre there was a shooting incident at a local mall with 10,000 people Christmas shopping.  In that one “only” two were killed – I can’t believe I’m writing that – but, this issue is one that is tearing at the fabric of our nation.  The 2nd amendment was not intended to arm people to the hilt with assault weapons.  And, it’s clearly not a problem for “criminals” to acquire weapons in our society – even little middle school kids are brandishing weapons.  Yuk!

Then there’s the fourth amendment.  Guaranteeing the right to privacy.  Well, ever since 9/11 our government has been chipping away at our right to privacy.  One of my most egregious disappointments in President Obama is (and has been) his lack of follow through on his promise to “fix” the FISA bill that he so unexpectedly supported in 2008 during his run for president (that bill enabled companies like AT&T and Verizon to continue providing access to their “data” in the name of national security).  At the time, I wrote to his campaign and was assured that he would “fix” this bill once in office.  I’m convinced that not only he hasn’t followed through on that promise, but almost the opposite.  I believe our government is continuing to collect “data” through the compliance of the telecommunication companies and our phone conversations and emails are subject to government infringement at all times – this, of course, in the name of fighting terrorism.  I’ve claimed since 9/11 that if we continue to give up our liberties because of 9/11 then Osama bin Laden accomplished exactly what he was intending.  In both of these cases the impetus for societal decline comes from republicans with, unfortunately, democratic acquiescence.

I recently had a conversation (via email) with an acquaintance who lives on the other side of the nation from myself who believes the second amendment should be abolished.  I “get” why he and many others might think this, but I believe a push to do that would be even more harmful to “liberals” than the present situation.  The sad reality of 21st century America is that the number one manufacturing business in this country is weapons related.  There is enough money at stake that the special interests (gun lobby) could pull off the same sham, in my view, in regard to recruiting republicans as happened in the late 70’s and 80’s when the “Christian right” was fooled into thinking that by voting for republicans as a block they would stop abortions.  Of course, the reality of that fight is that should Roe v Wade be repealed abortions will continue to happen, just as they were happening prior to that Supreme Court edict – so as President Obama has proposed, the challenge with that issue should be to reduce the demand for abortions.  I would hate to see the republicans pull off their “takeover” of our government (that they profess to hate) through a backlash from an attempt to repeal the 2nd amendment.  However, a national dialogue about how to remove the abundance of assault weaponry and hand guns from our streets and neighborhoods would be welcomed by millions of Americans.  If that doesn’t happen after the tragedy in Connecticut then I don’t know when it will happen. (and, I can guarantee you it will be republicans and gutless democrats who  block this dialogue from initiating legislation)

In our capital money talks.  That’s the sad reality.  I’m sure the lobbyists far outnumber the legislators – and, many of the lobbyists are the legislators who lost their last election – but, know first hand how to manipulate the system.  I believe in the constitution, but I’ve come to realize that the politicians and their benefactors have been secretly cheating the American public for many years.  The illegal eavesdropping which  was accelerated by the Bush/Cheney regime is at an alarming level and, obviously the gun issue is way out of control.  The republicans will continue to support the wrong side of both of these issues in lock step.  That is why they need to be soundly defeated as their party presently exists.  And, until the likes of Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh, Grover Norquist, anyone named Bush or Cheney, and I could go on – the present day leadership – are totally removed from ANY position of authority, you can’t believe one thing that comes from their mouths.  They’ve been hoisting a lie on the American people for so long that, I’m sure, in their own minds their lies amount to the truth.  (Read “Family of Secrets” if you want to get a good pulse on republican lying – I’m presently reading it for the second time and believe it should be required reading for any American who wants an idea on what the CIA, FBI, eastern aristocracy, oil lobby, and republican elite have been hiding for the past 50- years from the American people)

While the republicans are being purged, the democrats need to rid themselves of the members who don’t believe in the fundamental values of the New Deal – the era which turned America into a world leader.  The reality is that the wealth and power gained post WW II has been too much for most of our politicians since then.  But, the republicans since Ronald Reagan have seemed hell bent on turning this nation back to second class status (actually, this all started prior to Reagan, but he was the one who brought the “right wing” assault on America to the “mainstream”).  The truth is that this is a two party government (from a practical point of view) so those who think along similar lines to myself have only to hope that the democrats will get some “stones” (as Bill Clinton puts it) and quit patronizing this republican agenda.  Let the republicans take us over the so-called “fiscal cliff” and trust the American people to support the “right” response to whatever that might bring – which will hopefully be less republicans in Washington DC.  And, start the dialogue about the issue of criminals armed to the teeth and the absurd availability of assault weapons and hand guns.  The personal freedom that needs a “boost” is the American’s right to privacy (not the right to own assault weapons) which I don’t believe many understand how deeply this has been infringed on since 9/11.  As with all other progress that has been made in this nation’s history which has advantaged middle class Americans the push for all of this will have to come from “progressives.”  And, the way our system is working today, the only way to get progressive change is to continue defeating republicans at the polls.

As the 2012 election votes for president were counted I forced myself to watch Fox “news” to get their “take” on what was happening, although I was switching back and forth from them to MSNBC.  Before I get to my thoughts about what I saw on Fox, let me be clear that neither outlet for “news” is “fair and balanced.”  However, what I saw on Fox was the beginning of all the “Monday morning quarterbacking” which is certain to follow a defeat which was funded by BILLIONS of dollars from Wall Street and the Oil and Gas industry.  (If you’re a skeptic, read this article)  Some estimates I’ve read have put the number of “Super PAC” TV adds opposing Obama and democrats at over $3 BILLION – which is both unbelievable and depressing to me.  I knew “Citizens United” was a bad thing, I just didn’t know how bad.  And, this is unlikely to change based on what I heard as I listened to the Fox “reporters.”  What was interesting to me was that Karl Rove as a MAJOR republican operative,  in control of somewhere close to a BILLION (or more) of those dollars,  was sitting at their table as part of their “news” team.  Talk about your pot calling the kettle black!

The tone I got from listening to the Fox anchor person was that the House of Representatives remains firmly in republican control and “why would they want to do anything different from what they’ve been doing for the past two years?” (which, of course, is obstructing President Obama at every turn)  Republican “pundits” were suggesting the problem with Romney is that he isn’t a “true conservative.” (this was bound to come out should he lose) Charles Krauthammer suggested the solution to the republican problem with the Hispanic community would be solved by nominating Marco Rubio – not even suggesting their (the republicans) policy positions is what turned off most of the Hispanic voters.  To me, it’s that attitude which makes me feel that today’s republican party should become irrelevant. They can’t seem to bring themselves to accept the fact that “non white” and non male voters can think clearly before entering a voting booth.  Apparently their barrage of negative political advertising (propaganda) was more effective with the white voters than the non-white. I’ve been discouraged by the number of my peers (older white voters) who accepted the lies perpetrated by Rove, Romney, Ryan, Fox, etc. without “fact checking” the integrity of the individual claims.  In my previous post I linked to a website that documented most of Romney’s lies and it took two pages of the website.

As I watched President Obama’s acceptance speech I was reminded that I’ve come to look at his speeches as pure empty rhetoric – he proved in this election that he’s the consummate politician.  His organizational skills overcame the effects of Citizens United, but I can virtually guarantee you that the right wing republicans will continue their push for the so-called “permanent republican majority” Rove has so often referred to.  The obstruction will continue and the republicans are already blaming President Obama for it.  This right wing, monied, group that is in the background financing the republican “machine” MUST be defeated and we are depending on Obama to lead the way.  Mitt Romney’s gracious concession speech showed a side of him which was undetectable during this long campaign.  I believe that’s because he had to first get the republican nomination and then keep the “base” in line.  That’s the problem republicans face going forward – and Rubio won’t solve it – how do you keep the fringe element of the party happy and still get votes from the “middle.”  Believe me, there were many more “progressives” (liberals) besides myself who were disappointed in the direction chosen by Obama, but for me I was fired up to vote against Romney.  Had Romney been able to show himself during the campaign as he did as he conceded, that might have been different.  (of course, he mentioned the importance of honesty as he conceded, but didn’t follow his own advice as a candidate)

It’s clear to me that a significant majority of Americans want to preserve the ideals of the “New Deal” and are tired of the “I’m going to lower your taxes and balance the budget” mantra of the republican party – but, they also long for leaders who will fight for these principals.  Barrack Obama now has four years to lead this fight.  If he continues to pander for republican “bipartisan” support, his legacy will be forever tainted.  It just seems odd to me that so many of those of us out in the “heartland” can see this and Obama has not been able to do so.  I can tell you, from my perspective, I’m watching carefully those he chooses for his cabinet.  I’m assuming Tim Geithner will be replaced – I hope that it’s not another Wall Street insider as Secretary of the Treasury.  We’ve had Robert Rubin, Hank Paulsen, and Geithner in the past 12+ years and it’s been a “what’s good for Goldman Sachs” mentality at the Treasury department.  That has to end and it would be better if it was “sooner rather than later.”  I’m hoping Hillary Clinton remains as Secretary of State, but I’m guessing she’s about “worn out.”  Her replacement will be critical.

I have seen many signs that the “fight” is far from over.  Here where I live, within days of Obama’s victory, the local “progressive” talk radio station “changed its format.”  To Fox of all things (even though it’s sports).  We are now subjected (those of us who listen to this stuff) to right wing lying or nothing – yuk! Actually, I was surprised this didn’t happen sooner because the reality is that right wing corporations own 90+ percent of America’s airwaves and I’ve been surprised they “put up” with people like Ed Shultz, Thom Hartman, and Randi Rhodes – to name a few “liberal talkers.”  For me, I’m going to figure out how to get my satelite radio working in my car, but it’s clear to me the idea is to begin the “suppression of ideas” right away – they’re already thinking of 2016.  Keep in mind, this right wing cabal so many of us understand is “out there” but don’t know for sure who they are (the Koch brothers, the DeVoss family, the Coors family, the Walton family, etc.) have been fighting against the principles of the New Deal since World War II and they have BOATLOADS of money to spend in order to return things to “as they were.” (that is – before the uppity union workers managed to gain workers’ rights for MILLIONS of Americans, Social Security, Medicare, voting rights, health care, etc.)  They tried to suppress the vote in the 2012 election and that BACKFIRED, so now they’re going to try to suppress the available information available to progressives.  Prediction:  the internet is the next target.

I’m not trying to sound “doom and gloom,” I just want people to understand that these right wingers have been “pushing” this agenda since the days when maybe 10% of America would listen to them.  I believe the reality that a Black person could win the presidency has put them on “high alert” to the point where, as the idiot Donald Trump said, they believe it’s time for a revolution?????  Are you kidding me???  To point out how ridiculous Trump is – he was ranting about the electoral college and how President Obama was going to win that while losing the popular vote – when, at final tally Obama had over a 3 MILLION vote advantage when all was said and done.  What Trump probably doesn’t want to talk about is that George W Bush was the recipient of republican voter suppression tactics in Florida, circa 2000, and with the Supreme Court’s help won the White House with something around the “majority” Romney had over Obama with the popular vote.  These people will take any FACT and twist it to their purposes with NO REGARD for the TRUTH. (and, of course, that manipulation of our democracy lead to huge deficit spending, Iraq, torture, outing a CIA agent, lying to congress at will, undermining the very departments they were in charge of managing – ie FEMA and Huricane Katrina – I could go on)

Trump is still calling for Obama to release his college transcripts (did he do this with Bush? or Romney?) and suggesting that Hawaii was not part of the United States when Obama was born – or, maybe even still promoting the theory that he was born in Kenya.  Now, John McCain WAS born in Panama, but there was no outcry there – can you guess why?  It took less than 24 hours after Romney conceded and the Limbaugh’s and others like him were already spewing their racial hatred.  Can you just imagine how difficult it must be for them to realize that the “demographics,” as our population was referred to after the election, is only going to get worse for the republican party as it exists today.  If you look at the electoral map of the election, Romney won almost the entire south (I believe his choice of Paul Ryan cost him Florida where there are enough retired Americans to provide enough of a backlash to Medicare vouchers to defeat the voter suppression tactics of Florida’s right wing governor) and the Midwest as it stretches into Idaho – the land of the white supremists – a friend of mine sent me an email that showed that the top ten educated states (by number of college graduates over the age of 25) voted for Obama and the bottom ten (mostly in the south), with the exception of Nevada, voted for Romney.  Does that tell it all?  And, the sad reality is that the sections of the country voting for Romney show little or no signs of changing – in a way that would improve the lives of their own people.  Have you ever wondered why republicans are always promising to eliminate the department of education?

Here’s where progressives need to take a sober look.  Many are pointing out that people like Karl Rove, The Koch Brothers, Sheldon Adleson, the Wall Street bankers, the oil and gas industry, etc. WASTED BILLIONS trying to get what they perceived the proper puppet, Mitt Romney, elected.  Guess again!  They’ve got piles of money they haven’t even thought about.  People like me have a difficult time even imagining the fortunes of the richest elite in this nation.  Koch industries has annual revenue in excess of $100 BILLION!  The net worth of the two brothers is over $50 BILLION and growing – they can’t spend it fast enough on politics to hardly make a dent in their economic fortunes.  They’re not going away.  And, they’re already regrouping to figure out how to move FARTHER to the right and still brainwash America’s public into voting against the self interest of the middle class.  They won’t reduce the pressure on their congressional employees – that’s right, the tea party faction knows where their money is coming from – and the Kochs are only a small part of the wealthy elite in this nation who look upon us “little people” as exactly that.  The WAR for the heart and soul of America won’t end until the republican party, as it’s presently composed, becomes a distant memory.  And, they’re not going away easily.  Those of us on the “left” (I always thought of myself as a conservative on most issues until these modern republicans came along) had better take a deep breath and then brace for the next part of the fight.

My suggestion (as I stated before the election) is that we pressure President Obama to have the resolve to push back against the bullying tactics of the “tea partiers” in the House of Representatives.  Beyond that, the democratic party (unfortunately, that’s the only viable option available to those who oppose what the republicans are doing) needs to begin the process of finding strong candidates to challenge republicans at every step of the 2014 election.  To me, it was unthinkable that John Boehner had no opposition in 2012.  My family’s from Ohio originally, I know the people of Ohio don’t believe in Boehner’s agenda – it’s a true blue collar, “hard working folk” state.  The democratic party should make sure people like Boehner, Ryan in Wisconsin, Cantor in Virginia, and others have to defend their outrageous positions with the voters of their districts.  I believe in “life,” but this idea that Christians will vote republican because of the abortion issue is absurd to me (I’m a Christian).  In my mind, you aren’t “pro life” if you vote against pre-natal care for poor pregnant women, Medicaid (as a teacher in a high poverty school I see the benefit of health care for poor children all the time – their poverty is not their fault!), programs like child care assistance, food stamps, housing assistance,  Head Start (statistics say children do 75% of their learning by the age of 5), and national health care.  I’ve heard the republican positions characterized as “love the fetus, hate the child.”  Combining this with the republicans anti worker, anti union positions and their support of corporate welfare and lower and lower taxes and those who can afford the most – and, you can see their success will depend on a HUGE acceleration of their propaganda scheme.  Progressives didn’t gain much in 2012’s election, they just didn’t suffer the terrible potential of that “permanent republican majority” being imposed upon America.  The fight for the heart and soul of this great nation, therefore, continues!  President Obama’s legacy hangs in the balance – progressives need to push him toward greatness!

I started following politics closely in the late 1960’s as several of my high school classmates became victims of the Vietnam fiasco.  During the 30 or so years from the end of that terrible blunder until the Iraq blunder I found myself frustrated with the direction of American politics but pretty much silent about my feelings.  Additionally, during that time span I decided that Jesus Christ was a much better guide for my life than what I had managed on my own and I became a Christian.  So, I found myself often surrounded by people who were studying the same book as me but who had extremely different views on politics.  I didn’t (and still don’t) bring up the subject with most of them because, for whatever reason, most of them would fall into the “diehard” republican camp as far as their political preferences go.  Based on my observations over the years, that “partnership” is based on the “belief” by most of these Christians that the republicans are “pro life.”  I’ve gotten to the point where I get a queezy feeling in my stomach even as I write that.  I’m explaining this to preference my remarks (as they might find their way onto this post) as I’m pondering the state of this nation I so love – 4 days before what I feel is the most important election of my lifetime.

My red flags started waving in 1980 when the first “fringe” republican succeeded in winning national office with the election of Ronald Reagan (still seemingly considered a deity by most of today’s republicans).  I recognized that the political operatives who first came to light (at least to me) during the Nixon years were certainly mastering their trade (this included people like Roger Ailes who now plays a prominent role in the propaganda scheme which republicans seem to have mastered – the “big lie” theory of Joseph Goebbels of the third Reich – as Ailes is the head of Fox “news” – I always put “news” in quotes because you don’t have to look very hard to realize that they are anything but a news outlet).  The insiders in the republican “scheme” have become very adept at what they’re up to and their arrogance has amazed even me as I watch this 2012 election come to a close.  These people schemed to get Reagan elected in 1980 by backing “liberal” republican John Andersen’s third party bid (which took precious votes from Jimmy Carter) and by making a “deal with the devil” (Iran) to make sure the American hostages weren’t released until after the election.  In my mind, America’s “liberal media” still has not brought to light the significance of that action – let alone the other illegal actions of Reagan and his surrogates regarding Iran/Contra.  Republicans either own or have intimidated this “liberal media” to the point where none of their deception is “called out.”  In the years since Reagan’s time I’ve come to loathe the republican party as it has moved dangerously far to the “right” and has increased its willingness to follow the “end justifies the means” theory of politics – now to the extreme.

I believe this has been allowed to happen because their methods are so un-American that most of us can’t even get our minds around that they would have the “brass,” as Bill Clinton put it, to implement their present strategies.  The lying and unethical practices continue to grow and our aforementioned “liberal press” continues to lack the courage to call it what it is.  Fox “news” has succeeded in convincing way too many Americans that they are “fair and balanced” (again, do a little research and check out the “big lie theory” – it should be sobering for you) and they’ve turned the word “liberal” into something that seems almost like a “dirty” word to many.  I’ve even heard this word referred to in a derogatory manner by many of my Christian brethren despite the CLEAR evidence that Jesus Christ would be a “liberal” by the accepted definition of that term today.

With all this as background I’ll get to what inspired my thoughts for today.  I was driving to town and allowed myself to listen to an add from Mitt Romney.  I instantaneously reminded myself that he makes me as sick to my stomach as Rush Limbaugh – who I used to listen to when he first hit the airwaves in the 1980’s.  It took me a while to realize what Limbaugh was “up to” but it wasn’t hard for me to figure out that he often made racist comments.  That was what originally turned me away from even listening to him – but, occasionally I would give it another try and, as I began reading more to educate myself better on how our nation’s government was “really” working it would rarely take more than a few minutes before I’d be saying to myself (usually as I would be driving around) “That’s a lie” regarding one of his “assertions,” and “he’s a paid republican shill.”  Limbaugh’s lying prompted a couple books by Al Franken that called him on the lies and which should have reduced his audience – but, probably increased it instead (Franken, of course, is a liberal).  Then I thought, when Limbaugh only lasted one night on “Monday Night Football” because of his inability to hide his racist beliefs, certainly that would diminish his standing with Americans who I thought were moving away from racism – but, he’s continued to play to a huge audience.  Of course, with the 2008 election of Barrack Obama, Limbaugh has been on a mission since – to make sure that President Obama “fails.” To me his almost continuous OVERT racist comments are disgusting – and, it’s discouraging that his audience continues and his sponsors support him. (I’ve often thought that a good idea for a website would be one that identifies the sponsors of the political “talkers” on the airwaves – with a subsequent movement to support or boycott them based on the messaging of the “talker.”  Somehow, there’s got to be accountability for people like Limbaugh and the others who are part of this republican propaganda scheme)

Well, Romney seems to be cut from the same cloth.  Now, at times I’m sure Limbaugh was not a “fan” of Mitt Romney – but I have no doubts this is a “black and white” election for him.  However, Romney seems to have the same ability to lie without a second thought which must seem to be a strength for Limbaugh.  Today’s lie was him blaming the “gridlock” in Washington DC over the past four years on Obama.  I believe he’s suggesting that if Obama’s reelected that will continue because there’s no way the republican senate will stop their 24/7 filibuster strategy to make sure the president can’t pass anything he wants through congress (in fact, there was no mention of the record 380+ filibusters of the last four years in the senate – by republicans).  He’s now reportedly claiming that Chrysler, which was saved by Obama’s administration, is planning to move it’s operations to China (my first thought when I heard that was I wonder if that means Bain Capital is purchasing a controlling interest in the company?) – so far, I’ve heard two of Chrysler’s top executives openly refute that (one saying Romney’s “full of sh#t”) – but, he continues to say it to the unsuspecting voters of Ohio and Wisconsin.  Additionally, Romney has spewed out enough “code words” in this election cycle to make his racial attitude obvious – but, save for Chris Matthews of MSNBC I haven’t heard anyone who’s in a position to matter calling him and his surrogates on this.

The sad reality of this election is that it will be decided on where America stands on the race issue.  Unfortunately, this is an issue that many of us thought was FINALLY going to be headed toward the scrap heap of history – but, no matter how this election turns out, it’s obvious to me that race continues to be a major issue in this nation.  I’m presently reading “Bonhoeffer – Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy” by Eric Metaxas about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Christian pastor who led the German opposition to Adolph Hitler from the time he gained power in 1932 until Bonhoeffer’s death when he was executed for his part in an assassination attempt on Hitler himself.  I have to admit that it’s a rarity I would read a book recommended by Glenn Beck and Mike Huckabee, but this is, for me, an I can’t put it down book – and, I’m sure there must be something I’m missing in this book because Beck and Huckabee, to me, at least to the part I’ve finished so far, are part of what the book is warning about.  It was the Christian church in Germany that allowed itself to get tricked by the Nazi’s into helping them gain a stranglehold on Germany and turn the fledgling German democracy (the result of their defeat in WW I) into a dictatorship.  It’s exactly the government/church/corporate partnership that I see Bonhoeffer opposing – that could be on the horizon in America today (and the sad reality is that it’s the republicans who are claiming Obama would be the – you name it – socialist, Maoist, communist, fascist … fill in the blank – If you don’t understand their [republican’s] tactics – look up the meaning of ” political projection” by clicking here).  The republicans have virtually “enlisted” the so-called “Christian Right” as a voting block which allows them to do a plethora of “un Christian” things politically, and get away with it – because many “conservative” Christians seem to be willing to blindly believe the liars like Romney, Limbaugh, Rove, Hannity, etc.

I can’t even imagine the words “President Romney.”  (this man has 137 Cayman Islands tax shelters – not to mention his Swiss Bank accounts and tax shelters in Bermuda – that alone should make him unqualified to lead this nation – without even considering his racist attitudes – don’t believe me, click here to find out about racial code words in Romney’s strategy AND he’s the biggest liar to run for president in my lifetime!) I’m sick of the republicans in congress putting their selfish interests ahead of the interests of the nation.  And, I think the worst part of it all for me is that they couldn’t do anything without the blind support of the “Christian right.”  (personally, I call it the “Christian wrong.”)  If you read this between when I post it and election day and you agree with me, try to encourage someone who might not vote to go to the polls.  In my state, Washington, it’s been reported now that republican operatives are going door to door, in democratic leaning areas, “volunteering” to hand deliver ballots to the polls (two guesses where those ballots are ending up).  UNBELIEVABLE – yet, in Oregon republican operatives have managed to gain positions counting ballots and have been caught “red handed” filling in republican votes into places on ballots voters left blank.  The voter suppression tactics have been widely reported nationwide and recently it was revealed that the Romneys have a vested financial interest in one of the main voting machine companies.  The CRAP just continues to show it’s ugly face!  Republicans managed to get a Supreme Court which passed the Citizens United decision (millions of Americans are still unaware of the impact of that decision – despite the flood of anonymous adds hitting the airwaves this year) and, while a Romney victory won’t cause me to lose my own faith – history will show that America’s “conservative” Christians of 2012 could parallel the German Christians of 1932 if Romney wins! (The German leaders played off of hatred toward Jews while the American republican leaders are playing off of hatred toward Blacks)

I can’t bring myself to imagine that the American public could ever elect someone like Mitt Romney as president and it’s even harder to imagine, after what republicans did to this nation in the years of the Bush/Cheney regime, them gaining control of both houses of Congress – REALLY, can the American voting public actually be that stupid? (this morning, while driving around, I heard a tape of people being interviewed at a “tea party” rally – essentially, racism and uninformed ignorance at it’s highest and at it’s ugliest – and, I thought, “the sad reality is that it is possible”)  Well, I won’t allow myself to believe this is even potential reality until it actually happens, but the truth is the republicans have a BILLION (the estimate I heard this morning is over $3 BILLION) or more dollars to spend on fabricated advertising (remember, their mantra is the end justifies the means, and the lies are pouring out at a record pace – even for American politics) and they’ve got a “ground game” designed not to get out the vote, but to prevent as many “left leaning” voters as possible (by some estimates as high as 5 MILLION) from casting their ballots.  It really is a clever scheme and there’s not much “we the people” will be able to do about it should they “pull this off.”

The last few days I’ve been wondering how, with such a dearth of candidates on the republican side, President Obama could find himself in a position where this is even a possibility – and, remember the 2000 and 2004 elections – in both instances Bush/Cheney “winning” through skullduggery as opposed to the ballot box (and, yes, if there’s any republicans reading this post – I “get” that Bush got a majority of the votes in 2004, but the evidence STRONGLY suggests that he DIDN’T win Ohio – which would have given the election to Kerry via the electoral “map”)?  Well, the truth is that I’ve been writing since almost the day Obama took office about how many of his decisions were “turning off” the people who so actively supported him;  believing in “the change we can believe in” or “Change has come to America.”  Pardon me, but Tim Geithner wasn’t “change,” Larry Summers wasn’t “change,” and Rahm Emmanuel?  Are you kidding me – he’s the epitome of the “backroom politician” the “Washington insider.”  The lobbying industry wasn’t restricted – it has flourished.  And, I’ll disagree with Mike Pappentonio that Eric Holder is the worst Attorney General EVER, but only because he follows Alberto Gonzales – he of the two days of purgering himself in front of Congress on national TV – but Holder’s record has left many a liberal wondering if he doesn’t believe in the Nixon theory of justice?  If the president (or any other prominent politician or business person) does it, it MUST be legal!

Now we’ve got the republican candidate for president advocating a return into Iraq, I’m sure bombing Iran, and advancing the Bush/Cheney formula for destabilizing the Middle East (and the rest of the world) exponentially.  The words come flying out of Romney’s mouth, seemingly intended to fire up the neocons on the “right” in America – with little or no interest as to how they’re interpreted internationally.  Seriously, the guy is a buffoon, but he’s seemingly got a chance because so many on the “left” are so turned off by the whole process (and, as I’ve been saying for almost 4 years now – there’s a significant portion of America who just can’t handle a person of color in the “White House.”). I’m beginning to think that many liberals are thinking the fastest way to get to a point where we are actually addressing the pressing issues of the day is to elect Romney so we can get the impending disaster with the economy over with – hopefully, hastening the day when we are actually FORCED to deal with issues like Climate Change, Peak Oil, Water shortages (of course, a Romney victory virtually assures us that the large aquifer in middle America will become contaminated by the Keystone pipeline –  which will do NOTHING for America’s dependence on foreign oil, but will almost certainly continue the degradation of our environment), and income inequality – to name a few.

One of the scariest realities of this upcoming election for me, no matter who wins, is that our broadcast media has evolved to the point where it’s synonymous with prostitution.  Seriously, when you think about it, what motivation do the media outlets have to legitimately report on this campaign?  It’s in their TOTAL financial interest for this to be a “horse race” whether it is or not.  Do you really think all those “moneyed interests” would be funneling in dollars by the truckload – to people like Karl Rove or organizations like the Chamber of Commerce or “Freedom Works” – so that they can FLOOD the airwaves in “battleground states” with expensive advertising if this election was a runaway? In my own state (Washington) we have a Koch brothers funded Scott Walker clone running for governor and it was reported today that the largest newspaper in the state is running full page adds for this right wing anti-union candidate free gratis.  Honestly, I can’t believe what I’m seeing.  The republicans are apparently correct in believing that the voting public is totally ignorant as to what is happening.  It’s like a SUCKER PUNCH that could affect this nation for generations (I don’t see how, for example, Citizens United will get overturned with a republican victory in this election – that Supreme Court decision could go down in history as the turning point in America that allowed the undermining of our republic.

I’ve come to the place where I don’t trust the polls, I don’t trust the voting process in my own country.  It’s a known FACT that many of the voting machines (in strategic places) are owned by republican controlled corporations and they’re easily HACKED.  The number of reported instances where voters voted for one candidate and the machine tallied a vote for the opponent are too numerous for me.  In Ohio we KNOW that the shenanigans are continuing – fewer voting machines in urban (democratic) districts, restrictions on early voting, illegal and confusing directions for voter registration rules, misleading advertising with scare tactics aimed at suppressing the vote, and I could go on.  Let’s suffice it to say – AGAIN – the republican mantra is “the end justifies the means.”  Power any way possible.  And, should they pull this off, all people like me will be whiners and not “patriotic.”  (I still remember the 8 long years of Bush/Cheney).

So, what is the solution?  All I can do here is report on what I’m doing.  First and foremost, I’m encouraging everyone who wishes to discuss politics to reject the republican party OUTRIGHT until the moderates such as Colin Powell are back in the forefront.  There are a few republicans speaking out now about “their” party – which they recognize is no longer “their” party – and, I totally respect that.  There really was a day when both sides could work out solutions to problems in a bipartisan fashion.  I spent an hour and a half calling to support the democratic candidate for governor in Washington (being opposed by the aforementioned Koch brothers puppet) and I’m supporting the candidates for congress who I believe to be true progressives.  I don’t have much money, so it goes out in 20 to 25 dollar amounts to people like Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown, Allan Grayson, and organizations like Act Blue and Moveon.org.  And, then as I guess what you’d have to call a member of the Christian “left,” I’m praying that America rejects the candidacy of two men (Romney/Ryan) who are the best representatives of WHAT IS WRONG with America I’ve ever seen (in my lifetime) make it to the top of a national ticket.

While I was listening to the comments of the “tea partiers” who were ranting against Obama (mostly with racist innuendo) I realized that many of the speakers were part of the 47% who Romney railed against as he was attempting to get multimillionaires to unload parts of their fortunes into his campaign coffers.  It hit me once again that the racial bias of these people is stronger than their awareness of their own self interest.  Honestly, their racist attitudes makes me want Obama to be reelected EVEN MORE.  I want my grandchildren to grow up into a nation that is purging itself of the racial hatred that has plagued it for the past 200+ years.  And, it’s the rest of us who have to make this a reality, because just as Jackie Robinson had to “take it” as he broke the “color barrier” in sports during my early childhood years, Obama can’t come out “swinging” on this issue – because these very racists will accuse him of “playing the race card” if he calls them on their despicable behavior – from the outright slurs of the “tea party” to the “code words” bountied about by Romney, Ryan, and their closest supporters as they attempt to “feed” their “base.”  Believe me, they fully UNDERSTAND the sentiments of their supporters – even though they will never say so in public.

Finally, my intention, should Obama prevail and be reelected, is to continue to “push” him and our other leaders to have the courage to FIGHT for the progressive values that made this nation great in the first place.  It has NEVER been the right wing “conservative” forces who have moved America forward – it has ALWAYS been liberals (often times radicals) who have shed the blood and toil necessary to overcome the obstacle of fighting BIG MONEY and their selfish interests as you look back on our history.  The more I read, the more I feel that people like Romney, Rove, Norquist, Limbaugh, Hannity, McConnell, Boehner, and other “conservatives” are attempting to take us back to the “Gilded Age” when corporations had a free hand in regard to how they dealt with their workers, the environment, and their obligations to “the commons.”  People like the Koch brothers don’t want government giving them any “obligations.”

It’s true that the Koch’s provide support for charities – it’s just that they don’t want the federal government interfering in how they distribute ANY of their “income.”  The problem I have with their attitude is that it puts them in the category of those who want to “take” without giving their fair share back. The “commons” (ie roads, schools, police, firefighters, social workers, etc. etc.) benefits everyone and it is reasonable to “get” that they (Charles and David Koch) receive more benefit from the “commons” than us average “folk.”  Instead of trying to destroy government they should, in my view, be trying to work with the rest of us to make it better.  (Remember, the republican mantra is to bankrupt our government by reducing it to a size that can be “flushed down a bathtub drain” or something along those lines)  As I try to teach my sixth grade students that they should explore multiple viewpoints when drawing conclusions about what they believe, I look forward to the day when our government can function on that principle.  I just don’t think it’s possible under today’s republican leadership.  And, I fully realize my “hopes” that people like the Kochs would work to make government better are impossible under Obama, because the reality is they come from the John Birch Society crowd and are leading the charge of the racists “among us.”

I believe President Obama is smart enough to have realized by now where he went wrong in his first term (of course, I don’t expect him to agree with “liberals” on every issue) and I believe during his second term those of us who believe in the principals of FDR’s “New Deal” have an opportunity to PUSH Obama and the democratic leadership to restore some of the basic principles of America that have eroded since the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.  The areas I believe need to be addressed I think will be supported by a large majority of Americans – despite the republican opposition.  Single payer health care – seriously, why would we want a FOR PROFIT health system – that’s part of the Reagan legacy that’s undermining our country – republicans continue their push to privatize EVERYTHING.  Elimination – or strict controls – on lobbying in Washington DC (and elsewhere).  Break up the “too big to fail” banking conglomerates.  Close down the Cayman Island, Bermuda, Swiss Bank loopholes in our tax system and stop encouraging companies to move their factories overseas.  Cut the military budget and get out of Afghanistan – start spending money to help educate and feed people in need.  REPEAL CITIZENS UNITED.  Investigate those in our military or CIA who were/are committing torture – including those who authorized it (ie Bush/Cheney – better late than never).  Investigate Hank Paulsen/Goldman Sachs and the TARP bailout – with accountability to those who are recklessly GAMBLING with the money of our retirees.

I could go on and on – but, I don’t think you’d get much opposition to ANY of those proposals.  The American election of 2012 ultimately will decide the near term conflict between unbridled corporate power and the rights of “we the people!”  Seriously, it’s time to determine if people like the Koch brothers are going to set the agenda in this great nation.  How much do “we the people” value the privileges we’ve been enjoying since our parents and grandparents shed their blood to cement the social contract of the New Deal into the lifestyles of average Americans?

Republicans are like the itch that just won’t quit.  Really, I need some benedryll!  This “go round’s” puppets are Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, but those pulling the strings are the same thugs that forced the miserable years of the Bush/Cheney administration on the unsuspecting American public.  And, I say that with special emphasis on the Cheney part!  (In so many ways, GW Bush reminds me of Mitt Romney)  The big question for the upcoming election in my mind is that are we, the American voting public, as stupid as the republicans believe we are.  I mean, I think they should be embarrassed to put out two candidates with the issues of Romney and Ryan.  But, evidently, the Citizens United Supreme Court decision (and their control of the court – remember Bush v Gore 2000) allows them to feel as if the candidate is unimportant.  Those behind the scenes (such as Karl Rove, the Chamber of Commerce, the Koch’s, etc.) must believe their MOUNTAINS of money will be the deciding force in the upcoming election.

Here’s another way to look at this.  We’ve got two virtual KNOW NOTHINGS in the field of foreign policy now running around the country making stupid statements regarding President Obama, exactly at a time when the nation needs to show solidarity behind our president and those representing this country abroad, and seemingly trying to make matters worse.  The “Democracy” these republicans were so vociferous in supporting as they unseated Saddam Hussein and destabilized the middle east (and world for that matter) in their quest for more oil profits is showing its growing pains in the surrounding nations and, as with every other incident that has happened in the world since 2009 (except the positive ones) Romney, Ryan, and the rest of the republican party is BLAMING President Obama for all that goes awry!  Now, if you just take one moment to think about how absurd that is, then another moment to think about what that does to the U.S.’s image in the world (can you imagine how those in other places are wondering how people like Romney/Ryan/Boehner/McConnell etc. could possibly be “leaders” of the leader of the “free world?”), and then look back at the previous 3+ years and honestly consider the number of times the republicans have BLOCKED any progressive legislation from having a chance – you should be able to get the picture here.

Nothing the republicans do has anything to do with what’s best for the United States of America.  It’s ALL ABOUT what’s best for their “focus group” (the so-called 1%) AND regaining POWER.  It’s been less than 4 years since the republicans led the Wall Street elite’s plundering of our economy to the tune of several TRILLION dollars – and, they now expect “we the people” to put them back in charge by proposing the same OLD recipe for their GREED.  More tax breaks for millionaires and BILLIONAIRES – and, this time they’ll fix the tax code so that us “little people” can have more fairness (figure out what losing your mortgage deduction will do to your “bottom line”).  It’s just that Romney/Ryan are adding the caveat that they are pawns of the neocons behind the “Project for a New American Century”- ie, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Dick Armey, Richard Perle, and a host of other right wing war mongers – virtually none of which actually ever wore a uniform in the military service to the United States.  The “talking points” coming from Romney/Ryan are like a bad dream from a broken record.  We’ve heard them all before – whether it’s about plundering our tax base for American’s wealthy (in their estimation it’s allowing the rich to “keep their” money) or liberating some unfortunate country which hates Israel and – this is important – has HUGE reserves of oil.  Romney/Ryan’s “cross-hairs:”  Iran!  These people are nuts – AND – they’re bound and determined to PROVE they can overcome all the obstacles our founders put into the constitution to prevent FACTIONS such as theirs from EVER gaining a STRANGLEHOLD on our government.  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and the others were trying to save us from these neocons over 200 years ago.  Lets just hope and pray the original constitution’s intent holds up!

Romney’s recent “gaffe” – actually, for once telling the truth – where he commented on the now famous 47% of Americans who are evidently freeloaders living off the government dole – really tells it all.  It should, in reality, GUARANTEE that this man is UNFIT to lead America, but with all their Citizens United might – I have no doubt the republicans and Romney will march on with their arrogant lies aimed at suffocating the 47% (and the rest of the so-called 99%) with the right wing power grab which has been in the works since the days of Ronald Reagan.  I tried to watch the first presidential debate, but just as when I try to take in Fox “news,” or listen to the likes of Rush Limbaugh or Lars Larsen, I quickly get sick to my stomach hearing all the lies (republican “talking points” – right out of the Goebbels Nazi propaganda “playbook” – don’t believe me?  Just listen to several of the “talkers” on the same day – you’ll hear the same message with the same words coming out of their mouths – ie the big lie theory)  with no apparent mechanism (well, except for those of us who check out things on the “Internets” – one site, I think it was the Daily Kos, listed something like 27 lies coming from Romney’s mouth in 38 minutes of the debate) to rebut them.  I’ve always had a lot of respect for Jim Lehrer, and maybe how he moderated that debate was what he should have done, but in the parts I watched Mitt Romney was acting like a bully and Lehrer seemed defenseless.  I was able to IMMEDIATELY see holes in what he was saying and he was violating his “time” (I’m sure Obama probably did the same at other points in the debate) but, that’s not what caused me to almost “gag.”  For a man who’s been “promising” to “repeal Obamacare” as the first thing he does upon becoming president (I’m not sure he can even do that without the consent of congress) his defense of “his plan” which was implemented in Massachusetts while he was governor seemed to me a total contradiction (of course, that’s what Romney’s becoming famous for – all the contradictions – some people say there’s not an issue of which he hasn’t claimed to be on both sides)

To me, it’s just the height of arrogance that a man like Romney would be running for this office in the first place.  A recent report I read listed his “holdings” in the Cayman Islands at 137 different business investments.  You don’t have to do much research to figure out why any American would locate their business or their investments in places like the Caymans – and, keep in mind Romney’s got Swiss bank accounts and business investments located in Bermuda as well – and, probably elsewhere.  The MAIN reason businesses locate in these places is to avoid regulation and TAXES.  Now, I’m not suggesting any of what Romney’s doing is illegal (although I’ve read several books suggesting that the “rules” are “pushed” in almost all of these “setups” and the IRS just doesn’t have enough manpower to adequately police it – not to mention that many of the holders of these accounts are large donors to that great congress of ours which has been virtually bought and paid for by the 1% of which most of the rest of us are getting REALLY tired) – what I am suggesting is that it’s hard for me to understand why any working class American would vote for someone who doesn’t believe in this nation enough to invest their money right here at home!  I “get” how all this works, I just don’t “get” how “we the people” would want someone like Romney – a direct representative of the very people who almost destroyed our economy in 2008 to “run” this country – it makes NO SENSE at all to me.

I read the biography of Steve Jobs and I’ve had the pleasure of hosting teachers from China in a student exchange program over the past few years (both myself and my wife are school teachers).  The teachers come from one of the cities hosting the factory (I believe it’s called Fox Com) where Apple makes their iPhones and iPads.   Recently I read where Apple is hoarding something approaching 100 BILLION dollars over seas – unwilling to return this money to the United States until they can do so without paying taxes.  I’m pointing this out because I believe Apple’s mentality and Romney’s are quite similar.  And, to me, it’s totally outrageous.  Apple is ABUSING the Chinese workers (some of the stories are horrific) and making HUGE profits by assembling their products with what almost amounts to slave labor and then shipping their products to the United States and selling them.  The Chinese teachers and students were purchasing Apple products here because the products are cheaper here than in the very town where they are assembled!  After all this – and Apple has made obscene profits – they still want to avoid taxes on the money that should be reinvested in America (actually, they should have to treat their workers better in China first and foremost AND be willing to pay American taxes to support the country which allowed for their success in the first place).  I’m sure if we had the “TRUTH” about Romney’s Cayman Islands business accounts we would see some parallels – albeit a bit smaller – to Apple’s arrogant greed.  Again, not illegal – but, why would “we the people” want our leaders coming from this mindset?

I will end this by saying that I believe the very things that turn my stomach about Mitt Romney are what makes him valuable to the puppeteers of the republican party.  He will say whatever he’s told to say.  He will give any audience what they want to hear.  Last year I heard a quote from a leading republican insider, I believe it was Grover Norquist, when addressing republican donors concerned about what at the time was a dreadful group of candidates for the republican nomination for president, and he said “All we need is someone to sign the legislation we get through congress.”  Of course, the plan is to have control of both houses of congress, the White House, and the courts. (the secret part of the plan is that the so-called “liberal media” is controlled by right wing corporations – so, they’ve already got the “4th estate,”  they’ll NEVER tell us that)  That plan appears to be unraveling, but even in my state (Washington) – considered a “liberal” state, the Koch brothers recently “funneled in” over $4 MILLION in an attempt to get a “Scott Walker clone” into the governorship of the state of Washington.  Will it work?  Well, in our state, that’s a lot of money and it will allow the republicans to buy up most of the available advertisement time on the TV’s.  Nationally, people like Karl Rove, the Chamber of Commerce, and Dick Armey (with “Freedom Works”) are expected to spend upwards of a BILLION dollars on stealth advertising designed to get republicans elected by any means possible.  We’ve seen the repeated LYING by both Romney and Ryan at the top (OK, most will concede that the lying is bipartisan – it’s just that I’ve never seen it as blatant as with these republicans) and I don’t expect anything different from those down the “food chain.”  It really is time for “we the people” to put an end to this version of the republican party.  The way to do that is at the ballot box in November! Failure to do so could lead to a disaster which can best be described as a revisiting of the 1920’s!

I’ve written here and pointed out to as many people as who will listen to me how Mitt Romney represents ALL that is wrong with America, and yet – it appears he’s going to be running for President of the United States with an enormous MONEY BELT thanks to “Citizens United,” a voter suppression drive focused on two or three key states, and a national media that is too timid to actually do the work to “discover” the Romney “offshore empire.”  This is a man who would be president, yet is unwilling to invest in the country he longs to “run.”  Well, all that being said, Romney – to very few people’s surprise – chose a running mate who might “one up” him on ALL that is wrong with this great nation.  Not only is Paul Ryan a right wing, “tea party” type republican member of the most unpopular Congress (maybe) in America’s history (approval rating approaching single digits – right down there with Dick Cheney), but he’s apparently the “poster child” for the members of Congress who manage to become MULTI MILLIONAIRES while “taking care of” the “people’s business.”  The last report I heard was that Ryan’s most recent reporting in regards to his “net worth” put it somewhere approaching the TEN MILLION dollar territory.  Now, ask yourself, how does a US Congress person with a salary of something around $200 THOUSAND per year, get to the $10 MILLION mark in just 13 years?  The numbers really don’t add up – and, to all my right wing friends out there who’ve been railing against congressional “leaders” who’ve become millionaires while in office – I fully expect you to do the normal republican “thing” – like you’ve done with Romney – and “look the other way” now that Ryan’s been proposed for the national “ticket.”

This would be a bad joke, if it wasn’t so serious.  Now, I can’t imagine that the Romney/Ryan “ticket” can win in November – but, as I realistically look at how much MONEY is being funneled through our “liberal media” by Romney and his “Super PAC’s” I don’t think for a minute that anyone except those small time “players” on the internet, etc. will actually vet these two money grubbers – Romney and Ryan.  Romney’s got the Swiss Bank accounts (generally used to launder money – or avoid taxes), he’s got the corporate subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands and  Bermuda’s which are also “tax havens” for the rich who don’t want to “pay their fair share” – you know, the “I’ve got mine, screw you” crowd, and who knows what else.  Romney’s got a record of raising money when he was at Bain Capital from sources that evidently anyone running for President would not want the general public to know about.  As his wife was quoted as saying “you people have seen all the tax returns you’re going to see.”  Will we have to wait until AFTER the election to find out what he’s hiding?

Then there’s Ryan with the apparent “cashing in” on inside information while serving on the banking committees in Congress – the most egregious example was selling his banking stocks just a couple days prior to the announcement of the TARP bailout (which he, by the way, vigorously defended and voted for – again, this will be another example of the “tea partiers” selective “hate” regarding those who voted for the bailouts – with Ryan it will be OK because he says he’s a conservative) after secret meetings with Hank Paulsen and other Treasury officials.  Forgive me Lars Larsen for saying this – but Romney/Ryan TOTALLY support my “low information voter” claims that I’ve been making since the days of George W Bush.  Their actions stand almost 180 degrees from their rhetoric and the traditional values of the republican party.  They’re thieves, not politicians!  Yet, they’re not Obama, so republicans will support them!

And, just a little aside here – one other reason I believe they even have a chance is due to the Obama administration’s lack of will to hold these “upper crust” people (not just Romney/Ryan) accountable for their greedy, selfish, un-American  personal policies.  I’ve written ad nauseum about my disappointment in President Obama’s “looking forward instead of back” stance regarding Bush/Cheney and their illegal activity while draining this nation of it’s greatest resources for eight miserable years.  That turned more people than I believe many understand TOTALLY away from politics.  Additionally, I’m not aware of a single “financier” (like Romney) who’s been sent to jail for the abominable behaviors on Wall Street that led to the so-called TARP bailout of the nation’s “too big to fail” banks – behavior which is continuing as I type.  (for example, the architect of the “bailout,” Hank Paulsen, stepped in just in time to save his former company [have you ever wondered what kind of financial interest he had in doing this? – I have many times] Goldman Sachs – who were prime instigators of all the “derivatives” and “swaps”and all the other creative mechanisms designed to make them EXTREMELY rich without producing ANYTHING and with not the slightest regard to all the “fallout” when their schemes went awry)  This lack of action on Obama’s part, I believe, is potentially his biggest obstacle going into the 2012 election.  Statistics I’ve seen show that a HUGE number of “unlikely voters” favor Obama – it’s just that his response to the republican “NO” machine has turned people off.  There are many like me who feel that when the leaders of the nation can feel comfort as they violate our laws we are in SERIOUS trouble.  The “tea party” took over the House of Representatives because LIBERALS stayed home in 2010 – it was predictable – I hope they come to their senses prior to this coming November because, despite the shortcomings of Obama, this republican “machine” is something that should be worth getting off the couch to vote against.  That’s right, I’m suggesting that if you read this and you’re disappointed in President Obama VOTE AGAINST THE REPUBLICANS!

I’ve been an independent voter my entire voting life (over 45 years) and I REFUSE to vote for another republican until that party is purged of people like Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich, the Koch Brothers, Sheldon Adelson, Rush Limbaugh,  Mitch McConnell, Sean Hannity, John Boehner, Grover Norquist, and of course Romney/Ryan as their leaders.  Romney/Ryan are simply the mouthpieces of the moneyed interests who are spending the BILLION or so dollars to defeat President Obama – and, it doesn’t take a brain scientist to figure out there’s a “cost” to accepting all that corporate money.  But, lest I ask you to reread the beginning of this post, Romney/Ryan are part of the culture which is represented by the offshore accounts and subsidiaries in places outside the U.S.  What’s interesting to me is listening to voters complain about all the jobs being exported and then saying they’re going to vote for job exporters!  It’s comparable to the “tea party” haters who were so violently opposed to attempts to provide “universal healthcare” – because it was “socialist medicine” and then saying “don’t touch my medicare.”  And, now many of those same people apparently are planning to vote for two people (Romney/Ryan) who are dead set on “touching” their medicare.  All of this is so ridiculous that it only supports my contention that America is being run by “low information voters.”  (there are some estimates that the average intelligence of America’s voting public is 6th grade – I hope that’s wrong as I’m a sixth grade teacher and, at the minimum, I teach my students to get their information from AT LEAST two sources).

Begrudgingly, I have to give the republicans credit.  They’ve become experts at marketing and using their expertise along with a TOTAL willingness to LIE – plus they have a stranglehold on the medial outlets in America – this gives them a HUGE advantage in manipulating the voting public.  They leave no stones unturned – again, you have to give them credit – they’ve managed to get control of the Supreme Court, they’ve got the aforementioned voter suppression efforts going that by all the estimates I’ve seen should prevent upwards of 5 MILLION democrats from voting this year, PLUS they’ve got ownership in the corporations which provide the electronic voting machines that are used in WAY TOO MANY precincts across America and can be easily HACKED in a way that can swing an election illegally with no “paper trail.”  The republican creed and the Mormon creed go hand in hand – “The end justifies the means.”  Lying is OK, cheating is OK, if it gets you the desired result.  Republicans are attacking women, African Americans, Latinos, unions, public workers – well over half of America’s population, yet with all the lying and cheating they’ve got a reasonable chance to win.  The way that will happen, if it does, will be all the voters who would otherwise vote for Obama STAYING HOME on election day.  I truly hope I’m wrong on this one because, the consequences of Romney winning in November will be disastrous for America’s middle class  and finish the job of destroying the “New Deal” that was put into “high gear” in 1980 with the election of Ronald Reagan.  Worst yet, it will put a right wing stranglehold on the Supreme Court which will last for a generation – making it even harder to overcome the corporate/government partnership in the years to come!