For the past couple of years I’ve been kind of alternating my rants between my disdain for the republican leadership and their collusion with corporate interests (some of whom are finally being exposed – like the Koch brothers) which have little to NO concern for the “least among us” and the democrats who seem to be almost paralyzed in their role as the opposition party whom those of us calling ourselves LIBERALS (progressives when we’re cowering from the right wing spin machine) MUST depend on as we attempt to prevent republicans from achieving their “permanent republican majority.”  Wow, I’ve got to stop and take a breath – that was a mouthful!  I have no problem attacking the republican leaders for their BLATANT hypocrisy – which is above and beyond the arrogant stage – while feeling a bit reserved about going after democrats for their cowardice in the face of one of the most important times in America’s history – lest someone might read this “blog” and misinterpret my critcism of President Obama or the democratic party he leads.

The republicans seem to be an endless stream of “material” as far as writing about why they should NEVER be returned to a position of authority under their present make-up.  I’ve stated many times here that I’m a long time independent and there have been many occasions where I voted for republicans.  But, that won’t be happening again any time soon.  First of all, the memory of the Bush/Cheney administration – or should I say the nightmare of – hasn’t worn off.  It will probably NEVER wear off.  There’s NO WAY I could ever condone the tax cutting which cut a huge hole in our deficit, the illegal wars – and the lying that got us entrenched there – that, to me, is UNFORGIVABLE, the torture – which they actually BRAGGED about – as if it did any good at all (and for any “right” winger reading this site, don’t bother trying to convince me it did – I’ve read accounts of the official interrogators who have claimed over and over again that all “actionable” intelligence gained after 9/11 came from traditional methods – the torturing was counter productive – not to mention it was acts of WAR CRIMES), Dick Cheney “outing” an under cover CIA agent – in my mind, an act of treason (plus Cheney shot his friend in the face while DRUNK and hid from the cops for 24 hours until he sobered up), and for those of you with short memories – not only did the Bush administration bludgeon our economy and encourage the risky behavior of Wall Street which caused the “Great Recession” but they were the culprits who instigated the BAILOUTS for the bankers who ripped us off. 

That would seem to be enough to turn any good American away from republicans, but there’s more.  The Bush administration was the administration which pushed for deregulation on steroids, and where there wasn’t deregulation there was a purposeful IGNORING of what regulations remained (leading to the West Virginia mining disaster and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill).  Bush signed a record number of “signing statements” arrogantly demonstrating that he was “the decider.”  To hell with the rest of us.  Yes, there’s more.  Bush/Cheney/Rove/Ashcroft/Gonzales/Addington/Bybee/Yoo and others PURPOSEFULLY undermined our justice department – attempting to turn it into a partisan wing of the republican party – complete with loyalty oaths from prospective new hires when they were applying for jobs.  That should be enough to scare you away from these people – and, by the way, present day republicans are again preaching the “Bush doctrine” if you listen closely enough – they just leave his name out of the conversation.  (I predicted over a year ago that the republican nominee in 2012 could be Jeb Bush – and I’m not ready to “back down” just yet)  I haven’t even talked about the illegal wiretapping – which is a BLATANT intrusion of our 4th amendment right to privacy, the attempted hijacking of habeous corpus (if you don’t know what that means, you really should look it up – that’s a “biggee”), the indefinite “prison” at GITMO, Abu Ghraib, the refusals to answer subpoenas to congress, etc. etc. – I think (at least hope) you get my point.

That’s just the previous bunch.  The present bunch is WORSE!  God help John McCain for saddling the rest of us with Sarah Palin.  McCain has proven to be such an opportunistic nitwit that it wouldn’t surprise me if someone told me he’s on the Sarah Palin “bandwagon” – despite the FACT she RUINED his chances in the last election (although his lack of intellect played a large part in his defeat as well – remember “The fundamentals of our economy remain strong” – or his top economic advisor calling the American people “whiners” for complaining about the economy?)  Back to Palin – this woman is dangerous.  I suppose if I had the opportunity to cash in on my fame I would do the same thing as her regarding “getting rich,” but she’s shown herself to be the PERFECT Pawn for the POWERBROKERS behind this republican ASSAULT on the American public.

How could that be, you might ask?  Well, Palin is uninformed enough and ambitious enough to not only say whatever people like Murdoch or the Koch brothers or Armey or whoever is behind this “tea party” movement asks her to say but she is also dishonest enough to start believing the FACT that she said “it” must make it true.  Therefore, you get someone who is spouting vile rhetoric in a manner which appeals to the uninformed “populists” out there (OK, Lars – you can accuse me of being an “elitist” again if it makes you feel better).  The result is a thoughtless block of voters who are shouting things like “kill him” in reference to our President, or “death panels” in reference to health care reform (which didn’t go nearly far enough due to people like Palin), or even questioning if our President is even a U.S. Citizen – all the while waving an American flag, as if that means they are patriots.  These people have been purposefully attempting to bring down President Obama’s agenda – remember he garnered 53% of the vote in the last election – Palin and “crew” want to “take their country back” from the MAJORITY who voted for Obama in the first place – how does that make any sense at all.

If President Obama’s agenda was so bad, you would think the republicans would have backed away and let it be enacted so that the results would prove their point.  The reality: they’re scared to death that a BLACK president will succeed, opening the doors to more people of color and possibly women holding the office of president in the future.  They liked the ALL WHITE boys club that has been in effect since the inception of this nation, but as Bob Dylan once said, “The times, they are a changin.”  Not only has Palin shown her racist nature, but people like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, and I could go on and on with leading republicans – they’ve all shown little interest in being subtle about their racist attitudes.  And, then they hoist candidates on us like Rand Paul – who objects to the 14th amendment’s equal protection clause, evidently wanting to go back to the “separate but equal” days, Sharron Angle who wants to eliminate Social Security, Medicare, unemployment INSURANCE, and who knows what else – the lady is an IDIOT, there’s Joe Miller in Alaska who might be a topper to Angle, and then this lady in Delaware – Christine O’Donnell – who would impose her Christian values (hey, I’m OK with her having them – I’ve got my own Christian values – just don’t impose them on others) on the rest of us – including an interesting commentary on masturbation.  All I’ve got to say about that is once you’ve publicy put out your position on masturbation you should probably think about another profession besides politics.  Somehow, I have to believe the people of Delaware recognize the importance of this election enough to make sure this woman isn’t in Washington DC pushing anit-masturbation laws for the next 6 years.  I can hear all the jokes now, and I’m already sick of them.

I could go on and on about republicans, but lets get back to the democrats.  Considering the weird people the republicans have put in front of the voters you would think this is going to be a “cakewalk” for the democrats.  However, they have been so UNINSPIRING that there is a real possibility the voters who put Obama in office will stay home from the election.  All the polls suggest that republicans are by far the most “likely” of the voters.  This in a country where there is no risk to voting – such as in Afganistan where you could be killed or maimed if you voted at some of the polling places (and, sadly and interestingly, people still voted in possibly greater numbers than Americans will).  I’ve been writing on this blog since almost the day Obama took the oath of office that voter TURNOFF could be a HUGE problem in the mid term election.  They didn’t listen.  Rahm Emanuel, who’s thankfully QUITTING as President Obama’s chief of staff, called LIBERALS like me “f__king retards.”  At the time, I was disappointed that Obama didn’t FIRE him on the spot.  Emanuel’s attitude is EXACTLY what’s been wrong with Obama’s administration and the democrats in congress.  Combine Emanuel with Larry Summers and Tim Geithner and it wasn’t hard to predict “business as usual” from the earliest days of Obama’s 1st term (and, possibly last if he keeps these people around).  My disappointments with our President have been well chronicled on these pages – if interested view the archive (I can’t believe I’m almost up to 300 posts) – but the reality is that he’s MUCH PREFERABLE to republicans, and he’s actually shown signs of “coming around” of late – better late than never.

Of course, not only do we have to put up with the democrats in the Senate, but so did Obama.  However, I just can’t bring myself to approve rewarding republicans for OBSTRUCTING every part of Obama’s agenda by voting them back into the majority as the punishment to democrats for being too passive.  In fact, based on what’s happened over the past two years, republicans should be voted out of enough of a minority in the Senate to prevent them from being able to block ANYTHING.  However, that last comment not being likely, I’m hoping for a continued democratic majority in the Senate and then the democrats removing Harry Reid from his position as majority leader (should he defeat Angle – I can’t believe it’s even possible that she would be a U.S. Senator).  With Reid out, maybe the dems could gather the courage to change the rules and either modify the filibuster provision or eliminate it completely.  With the Citizens United decision hanging over their heads the democrats need to take decisive action or they may end up being the party that is an afterthought when, by all rights, that role should fall to the republicans. 

If you haven’t figured out yet that the republicans have gained control of both the media and the courts just think first of the Citizens United decision and then secondly, think about if you heard or read ANYTHING about the demonstration in Washington last weekend by “progressives” which drew arguably a comparable or greater audience to the Glenn Beck “tea” fest on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech on the Washington Mall?  When Beck’s crew was there and during the weeks before, that’s all we heard about.  I had to look around, but I found a picture of the crowd last weekend and it appeared to me to be every bit as large as Beck’s crowd – and, I only point this out for two reasons.  Again, almost NO ONE reported on it and secondly, for all the LIBERALS out there thinking about staying home because the dems are going to lose, MAKE SURE YOU VOTE.  And, I get the disappointment with Obama and the democrats (again, check my archives for the details) but, let me be clear; When I cast my democratic vote, I’ll be voting AGAINST republicans, not for democrats! 

If you are concerned about republicans taking over congress again and you’re reading this post – please tell someone else to make sure they vote.  And, if they’re disappointed in democrats, ask them to hold their noses and vote against the republicans like I’m going to do – trust that there’s a groundswell of people like me who are going to keep pushing for more progressive democrats – starting at the top with Obama.  If you don’t want to talk about it – email this post or something like it, to people who are on the fence and might not vote without a little prodding.  It really is time we “take back America,” and we need to take it back from the greedy corporate “heads” who are bankrolling these unsuspecting “tea partiers” so that their corporations can continue the pillaging of the American taxpayer in collusion with the republican party.

For years I’ve observed Americans (sometimes myself, I’m sure) casually commenting on how “ALL” of our politicians are LIARS.  Yet, up until recently, I’ve never given much thought to what that means – or what is the end result of our voters internalizing this “FACT” without hardly a second thought.  I guess what’s happening with me is I’m FINALLY having that “second thought.”  I’m even trying to make a distinction between “stretching” the truth and out and out BLATANT lying.  Those of us in America who’ve seemingly figured out how to solve all the problems seem convinced that whatever it is “we” think is “right” and what “they” think is wrong.  I’m saying this in the context that I’m as guilty as anyone from that perspective.  However, I TRY to draw the line with the out and out LYING as I continuously ponder my own perspective.

It’s hard not to be guilty of “stretching the truth” when one is giving one’s own opinions – everything is framed from the perspective of the experiences of the person expressing his/her thinking.  I mean, I often realize that with some of my opinions there seemingly is NO “truth.”  Like the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  We should be able to process each other’s opinions in a manner which increases everyone’s thinking.  That would be something in the neighborhood of the ideal.  Yet, in America at this time – at least in the political spectrum – it seems as if there is always a BATTLE going on for POWER – at any cost – with some individuals clearly ascribing to the “win at all costs” or “the ends justifies the means” approach to politics.

Unfortunately, in my view, this “environment” is mainly fostered by the republican party which has been “hijacked” by the so-called “tea party” and has been put under the “spell” of Rupert Murdoch (Australian right winger), Roger Ailes (Republican “hack”), Al Waleed bin Talal (Saudi sheik who funded bin Laden) and the other “lap dogs” (see there I go with my own “opinions”) of Fox “news.”  As someone who grew up in the 50’s and 60’s the idea of a “news” corporation being “home base” for a political party is UNTHINKABLE!  I keep wondering when Americans are going to come to their senses and solve that problem by tuning Fox OUT.  I mean, Murdoch is openly giving MILLIONS to republican political organizations and who knows how much he’ll spoon out secretively through “Citizens United.”  I can only stomach Fox “news” for short periods of time because the absurdity of what comes out of the mouths of people like Shaun Hannity, Glenn Beck, and Bill O’Reilly is shocking to me when I take the time to process what is really behind their lies. 

I’m getting impatient with adults I know who are unable to “get” what Fox is doing (along with Rush Limbaugh, Lars Larson, Michael Savage, and the rest of the right wing propaganda “machine”).  I mean, the last time I watched Hannity he was interviewing Sharron Angle, somehow the republican nominee for the senate in Nevada.  Talk about someone throwing their “guest” a bunch of “softballs.”  This was like SLOWPITCH softball and a paid advertisement for Angle.  They call themselves “news” people, but their “hidden” agenda IS NOT HIDDEN!  In this situation, it wasn’t long before Angle was “bragging” about how much money she raised by appearing on Hannity’s show and how that was the type of media exposure she was willing to submit to – spots where the interviewer would ask the “right” questions so that she could make her pitch for more campaign donations!  To me, this was UNBELIEVABLE – despite the fact I saw and heard it with my own eyes and ears.  I saw Sarah Paling on Hannity’s show once, and he was doing the same thing – it was almost as if he needed her approval prior to asking any questions.  In other words, Fox provides a service for the people they are promoting – NOT the audience. (keep in mind, there was a day when I would have voted for republicans – NO MORE!)

In fact, it’s sad what happens with the audience because I have personal acquaintences who actually believe this stuff (of course, almost everyone of them also believe Rush Limbaugh – I can’t even bring myself to listen to him at all anymore because the frequency of his LYING simply turns my stomach).  And, it turns unsuspecting people, who otherwise appear to be good hard working middle class Americans, into radical fanatics.  I’ll give you an example:  The other day I was driving home from work and there was a car in front of me with large letters all over the back (it was a van) which said, “Obama is not a Christian.  He approves the sins of abortion and homosexuality and he favors illegal immigration and the destruction of our county.”  Right under those words (in the kind of “stick on” letters you get at Home Depot for your mailbox) was a large sign that said “Jesus Saves” with a large cross between Jesus and Saves.  Next to “Jesus” was a Bush/Cheney bumber sticker and a “W” bumper sticker.  Now, that one really almost made me PUKE!

These people are not only hijacking the republican party, but they’re attempting to hijack Christianity – which, of course, is impossible.  It’s not impossible to get people such as the guy driving the van in front of me to buy into their CRAP, but it’s impossible to change a message of love into a message of hate – no matter how hard they try.  What is ironic to me would be the “Christians” – such as the guy driving in front of me – being so willing to PROCLAIM such an UNCHRISTIAN message!  At first, I was really angry at what I was reading on the guy’s car – but, when I calmed down I realized that maybe I should be praying for him – if I can somehow manage to keep from having my own faith hijacked.  What on earth is going on here?

People disagreeing with the President of the United States is nothing new.  I’ve been doing it for nearly half a century – and, it was part of America’s political environment long before I was a gleam in my father’s eye.  In fact, not much that is happening in America right now is new – except that we have a person of color as our President – and, anyone who believes that’s not an issue is, in my view, fooling themselves.  How could, for instance, the guy who was driving right in front of me believe all that stuff about Obama?  If he did a little research he would know that President Obama has been a Christian believer for over 20 years – say what you want about “The Reverend Wright” – if you’ve ever been in a Black church you know that we’re talking about some passionate believers.  And, to suggest that Obama believes in abortion is absurd.  Does he maybe have an issue with some people on how to best deal with the issue?  That would be a reasonable assumption.  But, the bottom line – at least as far as I can conclude based on my Christian faith – is that the person having the abortion is the one who ultimately will answer for the decision.  Obama’s desire to create an atmosphere where abortions are less in demand is a sensable approach in my mind to an issue that is just not realistically going to go away.

How does one explain going around with a “W” sticker on their car along side an out and out Bush/Cheney sticker and then criticize Obama for his stance on illegal immigration and gay rights.  Dick Cheney, who’s daughter is openly gay, is a proponent of gay rights and the Bush administration was pushing an immigration reform policy that was far more lenient than President Obama.  Do I have the answers?  Of course not – but, I’m convinced that people like this guy with the offensive stickers all over his car are reacting to what’s heard on the TV or radio.  I thought about following him just so I could interview him to find out where he got his “information” – but, decided that might be foolish.  However, I’d bet just about everything I have (not much) that the guy’s  a Fox viewer and listens to Limbaugh and/or Beck on the radio.  (possibly to the second rate “voices” such as Larson and Savage)

The end result is that people like this guy and many of our “fresh” politicians from the “tea party” are using the word “Jesus” to send a convoluted message to anyone stupid enough to listen to them.  Many people hear the word Jesus and automatically assume whoever’s using it must be telling the truth – without ANY FACT CHECKING!  Are you kidding me?  Does anyone out there really think Glenn Beck’s message is from Jesus?  Or is it more realistic that to Beck $35 MILLION isn’t enough – he wants to make more than Rush’s supposed $400 MILLION? 

I’m not totally sure what motivates these people.  Is it just to regain power?  Is it the money?  Or is there a deeper motive that involves some kind of authoritarian society that someone’s (somewhere) figured a way to achieve – by USING THE SYSTEM against itself?  Their plan? – since the days of Reagan was to apparently take over the air waves, control the courts, and then the legislative and executive branches of government.  I believe that “Citizens United” was the final “nail” in their plan – they’ve got the airwaves and the courts – that decision allows them to have a possibly insurmountable advantage on controlling congress and the White House in the future.  People like Beck, Limbaugh, Palin, Angle, and the others are very likely “pawns” in a scheme that may be extremely difficult to “undress” if the democrats lose their control of congress in November.  Even if they hold on, it will take a change in the democrats willingness to “fight” in order to turn back this corporate takeover of America.  The first step?  A willingness to be honest and transparent with the American people (one of Obama’s promises unkept – although, as of late I sense possibly a change for the better).  The goal?  Americans wouldn’t assume “ALL ” politicians are LIARS!

I’ve just finished reading Joseph Stiglitz’ “FreeFall” which is an excellent read about the “bursting” of the mortgage “bubble,” the response by both the Bush and Obama administrations, and America’s economy in general.  Let me preface anything I might say in this post with the disclaimer that I’m no economist and much of what I’ve been reading simply goes over my head.  I never finished “Bad Money” by Kevin Phillips – it was just too “heavy” for me – although what I remember about it is how inciteful Phillips was in his writing (actually, I’ve started re-reading it).  Essentially, pointing out how America’s reckless economic policies were headed for a fall – what Stiglitz refers to as the bursting of the bubble.  I did manage to get through Michael Lewis’ “The Big Short” which gave a great “snapshot” of the subprime abuses, the securitization of bad mortgages that were sold by the “too big to fail banks” by the TRILLIONS, the rating agencies who were virtually incompetent, the bankers motivated by GREED, and the small number of investors who got rich off of the backs of all the unsuspecting retirement accounts because they were smart enough to load up on “credit default swaps” – which I still don’t understand.

In my mind, economics should be simple.  It’s about the money supply in the nation.  The flow of money from one person’s hand to another’s in a manner which contributes to the well being of all.  The American economy is NOT healthy at this point in time.  I don’t care which president is trying to convince me otherwise, the evidence is overwhelmingly suggesting we have BIG – no HUGE – problems in America.  The “crash” which hit high gear in about September of 2008 – shortly after John McCain had proclaimed “the fundamentals of our economy remain strong” – OK, is anyone surprised at ANOTHER example of McCain being almost a comparable baffon to GW Bush? (God help him for unleashing Sarah Palin on the rest of us)is far from over.  The response of, first, the Bush administration and, then, the Obama administration suggest that we still have not elected leaders who truly believe in “the change we can believe in.”  Essentially, George W Bush abandoned EVERY economic principle his administration “touted” (we all know; not much of what they said meant what they said) by instituting the “TROUBLED ASSET RELIEF PROGRAM.”  This was an unimagineable “boon” to the banks who created the mess in the first place.  Essentially, telling these banks they were more important than EVERYONE else in America.  It still bothers me just to write this.  Then, along came President Obama and we got more of the same – debt relief for the Wall Street banks that not only got them off the hook for their cavalier behavior – but, allowed them to basically go right back to the same behavior – we taxpayers GAVE THEM BONUSES in the Billions for ruining our retirement accounts!  Unbelievable.

Compare this to Obama’s treatment of General Motors.  Not only was General Motors forced into a controlled bankruptcy where the stockholders lost EVERYTHING, but the CEO was CANNED!  The government essentially took over the largest car manufacturer in the WORLD!  Have you ever asked yourself why they didn’t take the same approach with Wall Street?  Have you wondered why all the shareholders of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and Citigroup came out with value in their shares?  These companies were BANKRUPT!  Traditionally, when banks become insolvent, the common  shareholders are wiped out (as in General Motors) and the preferred shareholders and bondholders fight over what’s left.  Why didn’t this happen with the Wall Street banks?  And, why were these executives who allowed this to happen not only still working but receiving bonuses in the MILLIONS?  Think about this – what kind of message did “we the people” through our gutless (or maybe shareholder?) leaders send to Wall Street.  I’m sure as I’m writing this they think they’re more important now than ever.  And, they may be right – because I believe the amount of America’s economy they control has increased significantly since this fiasco.

I’m going to attempt to process some of my many thoughts after finishing Stiglitz’ book – it is very intellectually stimulating – even for a non economics person as myself.   And, I’m going to try to focus on what was done after the “meltdown” because, for all intents and purposes, it no longer matters what happened prior to that.  Bush/Cheney are gone (certainly not forgotten, at least by me) and now President Obama and his “team” are “steering the ship.”  And, I “get” that you have to “steer the ship” gradually – you can’t “turn on a dime” – but, as I’ve been pointing out since prior to Obama’s inauguration (there I go, patting myself on the back again), his economic team left a lot to be desired.  In fact, you could make a significant argument that most of his economic advisors were “right in the middle” of the mess I would just love to leave at the feet of George W Bush.

Make no mistake, George W Bush and Dick Cheney were INSTRUMENTAL in creating the climate which led to the meltdown.  And, the TARP program conceived by Hank Paulsen was unforgivable in my mind.  That being said, when President Obama and his “team” entered the scene they pretty much took the same approach they took with Iraq – essentially a “Bush-lite” approach – that is, a continuance of the Bush policies with no noticeable changes.  The banks continued to receive government support – most people have no idea how much support they’ve been promised.  The Stiglitz book confirms what I had heard – and claimed on this site – that America’s taxpayers are potentially on the “hook” for TENS OF TRILLIONS in bad investments by these Wall Street behemoths.  Siglitz called the response to the crisis by both the Bush and Obama administrations as “muddling.”  Meaning, neither were willing to take dramatic steps to address a HUGE problem and then instituting policies which were INTENDED to return things to “the way the were” before the crash. (the sad truth: we’ve returned to the way we were before the crash)

Here’s the main problem with that approach.  Things were REALLY BAD prior to the “crash.”  When you look closer at the economic statistics for the previous 30 years the results are sobering.  When you combine that with the realities facing America’s society today, taking a “business as usual” approach to a problem like this is unacceptable.  (I want to say COWARDLY because so many of our politicians have been bought and sold by the large corporations who are attempting to hijack this nation – but, I’ll save that argument for another day)  Not only were the shareholders of many of America’s largest banks “bailed out” but there wasn’t ONE investigation of the whole mess that I’ve heard of – save for the one lawsuit brought against Goldman Sachs for essentially selling bundled securities with one hand while “betting” on their failure with the other!  I find that incredible in itself – and worthy of more than a casual investigation by the SEC – SOMEONE SHOULD BE IN JAIL for that one!

We’re listening to the Obama administration (with support from people like Paulsen, and Bernanke) claim that their actions in continuing the bank bailouts and the so-called stimulus package saved us from going into a “GREAT DEPRESSION.”  That may well be true, but for how long?  After reading “FreeFall” I can see a clear argument that we’re just putting off the inevitable.  (In fact, I’ve even heard people claim that we’re NOW in a depression) Yes, the banks are (and have been since early in Obama’s Presidency) back to their misbehavior – gambling with cheap money provided by “we the people.”  They have developed some VERY BAD habits – and it’s going to be HARD to get them to change without getting rid of many of the people controlling the institutions (they have millions to spend on politicians so they might remain secure in their jobs).  The time to do that (getting rid of the execs) was when the banks were insolvent!  These people are now working behind the scenes to bring republicans back to power so they can have further free reign on this economy.  They are skimming profits in the TRILLIONS and many Americans – including the tea partiers – are blindly getting ready to open the floodgates to the treasury AGAIN by voting republicans back into control of Congress!  What’s that saying about the meaning of the word INSANITY?

According to Stiglitz (and this is just a small “snapshot” of his book) the shareholders of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bear Stearns, etc. – the banks that were insolvent – should have been eliminated through an organized bankruptcy and the executives should have been fired.  Stiglitz also agreed with me (and many others) that the Obama “stimulus” package was too small, included tax cuts that were not “stimulative” enough, and – in effect – targeted too much money in the wrong direction.  This was an opportunity for America to address some of the glaring challenges that MUST be dealt with in the next few years.  For some reason, we Americans keep wanting to increase our already overblown living standards when we’re CLEARLY creating a NON-SUSTAINABLE economy and society.  How desperate are we going to have to get before the majority of Americans are going to be willing to face our REAL problems in a REAL way?

What I hadn’t thought about as I was clammoring for more money for infrastructure in Obama’s stimulus package was that if we simply rebuild what we have we are in essence planning to continue doing things the same way for the foreseable future.  For example, should we be funneling stimulus funds into rebuilding existing roads or into creating more MASS TRANSIT in our cities?  Rebuilding our existing roads simply encourages us to continue using fossil fuels at a rate that is unsustainable.  Maybe, after the “meltdown” that should have been a time for change.  Since the meltdown (this might be my inference and not part of the book) President Obama has opened up more “offshore drilling” leases when an emphasis on more wind power, solar power, and other forms of renewable energy would be money better spent with our children and grandchildren in mind.  Are we simply going to pass these problems on to them?

Stiglitz book was way to “much” for me to discuss in one post, but another point it clearly made was the contrast between the “market” economists and the Keynesian economists.  Essentially – no-regulation vs regulation.  He makes a compelling argument about the absurdity of the devotees of Milton Friedman – called the Chicago economists – their philosophy referred to by Natalie Klein as the “shock doctrine” – where they look for these catastrophic situations to cramm their greedy, self centered ideas on the “masses” with the resulting rush of money to the people at the “top.”  History and statistics both do not support what the “right wing” continue to claim is the answer to our “woes” – a “market” economy.  Since the days of Reagan – real wages in America for the middle class has gone DOWN!  We have experienced one bubble bursting after another in the past 30+ years and everytime this happens the “rich get richer” and the “poor get poorer.”  I’m just wondering when America is going to wake up to all this?

Republicans (with the help of some democrats) have been chipping away at the New Deal regulations which – while being enforced created a stable American economy – since Reagan moved into the White House.  Until the mid nineties these “too big to fail” banks like Goldman and Citigroup would have been impossible.  Robert Rubin (Clinton’s Treasury Secretary) and Larry Summers (Obama’s economic advisor) were instrumental, along with republicans like Phil Gramm, in repealing regulations such as Glass Seagull from the books allowing companies like Citibank to acquire insurance companies, securities firms and investment firms.  Rubin left Clinton’s administration to become CEO of Citigroup (the conglomerate he helped make possible), Hank Paulsen was the CEO of Goldman Sachs prior to creating the TARP bailout program, and Summers was a true Wall Street – Goldman type insider as well.  This has been an assault on the American taxpayers by people who believe they are more valuable and brighter than anyone else in the country – as Stiglitz calls them, “risk managers who are unable to manage risk.”  The people who support this type of policy (mainly republicans) are proposing more of the same.  And yet, we’re hearing in the news that America’s voters are going to put them back into office.

These people complain about the deficit (well, actually they weren’t complaining when Bush was in office) and then push for a continuance of Bush’s “tax cuts for the wealthy” – which is tax cuts for the top 1 – 2 percent – suddenly and apparently no longer worried about the deficit.  Personally, I hope the democrats allow all the tax cuts to expire – including the ones aimed at me – which would cut about 3.7 TRILLION from the projected deficit in the next 10 years.  At some point the American public is going to have to come to grips with the FACT that if you want something you should pay for it.  Arguing about what is wanted – that is, what republicans would want vs what I would want – if that was the choice – will be left for another day.  The point I’ve tried to make this evening is that of late – whoever’s steering the ship of America’s economy isn’t turning the rudder very far democrat or republican.  Until we stop cowering to the Wall Street bankers, America will continue to slip toward being a second rate nation!  While we’re all busy telling ourselves that “we’re the best” at everything – the rest of the world is passing us by – and wondering what’s gone wrong with the American people?  If we allow the “tea party” to influence our political process we could very well be headed toward isolationism – involuntarily!

I have to add at this point – the democrats in the senate are not even willing to have a “fight” with republicans over “tax cuts for the rich” – so the chances of “the change we can believe in” actually happening grow dimmer with each passing day.  This when their argument could simply be that during the Clinton years – before the taxcuts – the economy produced over 20 MILLION jobs while after the tax cuts it produced about 3 million – what the hell are the democrats afraid of???  If you haven’t read any of my previous posts, check the archive for what I’ve written about the failure of President Obama to allow investigations of the Bush/Cheney administration.  In my mind – one of the GREAT blunders of any American president.  Ultimately, if Obama’s term as president ends with failure, that will be the decision which paved the way for all the other shortcomings.  Feeling a need to depend on democrats to overcome this republican assault on America is DEPRESSING!

I believe John McCain managed, in 2008, to reduce his legacy to two words, “Sarah Palin.”  He unleashed this woman on America, a small percentage of Americans are “on board,” the democrats are almost acting as if they wish she would run for president, and my feelings are that as much as the woman turns me off – be careful of what you wish for.  While I do think her candidacy, if it managed to evolve into the republican nomination, would “wake up” the left – I’ve seen so many “dirty tricks” over the years by republicans that I think the democrats laugh off her prospects at their peril.  Remember Ronald Reagan – he was a fringe candidate until someone in the background figured out how to get him elected.  George W Bush – just Google some of his misstatements if you haven’t figured out what a bafoon he was – the republicans figured out how to get him into the White House despite the fact he LOST the election of 2000 and arguably the election of 2004 as well.  So, the more I hear democratic “pundits” scoffing at Palin and some of the outrageous things she’s doing and saying the more it makes me nervous that she could have a material effect on the upcoming elections.  (and, keep in mind – as stated here many times – the effects of “Citizens United” are still undetermined, but in my mind I feel confident in guaranteeing you the people who are in favor of that decision will also be in favor of Palin, SCARRY!)

I was reading the Washington Post today and there was an article about a Palin speech in IOWA (hint, hint – do you think she’s got her eye on 2012?) where she “hits Obama and GOP establishment.”  Regarding the “GOP establishment” she’s pushing for the republican “leaders” to get behind all these right wing “tea party” candidates, such as Sharron Angle in Nevada, Rand Paul in Kentucky, Christine O’Donnell in Delaware, Joe Miller in Alaska – who wants to end social security, medicare, and unemployment insurance, and others who HATE government.  They HATE government so much that they want to run it – presumably so they can eliminate as much of it as they can.  Of course, that’s what George W Bush and Dick Cheney were doing – or at least attempting to do.  They were eliminating regulations, but they couldn’t manage to avoid the temptation of using government to funnel as much of America’s tax dollars as possible to their “friends” – like Halliburton, Blackwater, KBR, Wall Street (Goldman Sachs, AIG, Morgan Stantley, et al), BP, and I could go on and on.  In fact, Alaska got a heaping share of America’s tax dollars while Palin was governor – remember the “bridge to nowhere” that she supported until it was necessary to come out against “earmarks” as the republican candidate for VP (as if republicans didn’t do earmarks)?  The regulations they eliminated are the ones put in place during the “New Deal” designed to protect “we the people” from things like the “Great Recession” which is happening as I write this.

Just as these right wing candidates should be easy targets in the upcoming election, Palin should be a “sitting duck” of a candidate should she choose to run.  Maybe she’s just cashing in on her “fame” and raking in as much money as she can – that is the republican way – if there’s money out there to grab – GRAB IT!  To hell with the FACT that ONE IN SEVEN Americans are stuck in poverty, we’ve lost ELEVEN MILLION jobs since the day George W Bush took office, and over 50 MILLION Americans (and counting) are without health insurance.  Government is not for them, it’s for the rich who will someday decide to trickle some of their cash down to the needy.  That’s what Palin calls government from the bottom up – as with most republicans, if they (republicans) say something, look in the opposite direction for the truth.

However, some of what she says should be looked at closely and someone, somewhere, should cause her to give a thorough explanation of her remarks.  For example, in her speech in Iowa Palin said, “It’s the voters who will stop these leftist policies, the voters will stop this fundamental transformation of America that’s not good for America. It’s the patriots who will restore America.”  Of course, she’s referring to the policies President Obama has been attempting to initiate – but, more often than not – prevented from doing so by a minority of 41 Senators and a spineless democratic group of senators.  (and, by the way, wasn’t it these same voters who put President Obama in office in the first place?  Or, do the people who voted for him not count as “patriots?”)  She goes on to say, “It is time for renewal and a restoration of constitutional principles, and it may take some renegades going rogue to get us there.”  What the hell does she mean by that?  When is someone going to call this woman on this inciteful rhetoric?  In the 2008 election she was inciting her crowds to the point where they were shouting “kill him” referring to then Senator Barack Obama.  Someone needs to get this woman under control!

Keep in mind that Chuck Norris – of “Walker Texas Ranger” fame – another of the whacko right wingers in this country, was quoted as saying there are thousands of “cells” of people ready to “act” when the time is right (again, presumably against Obama’s administration – what this “act” would be Norris left to our imagination).  Sharron Angle, the whacko candidate for the Senate in Nevada made referrence to “2nd amendment remedies” when talking about “progressive” policies of the democrats and Obama should people like her not be elected.  I’ll let you make the connection between what all these nut jobs are saying. 

Personally, I don’t think President Obama has gone nearly far enough to the “left.”  For me, and I believe many other people who would be considered his “base,” he’s way to moderate.  I don’t see any reason to even talk to these people on the “right” fringes – they are NUTS!  But, they’ve got a LOT OF MONEY, they’ve got their own private army (Blackwater – now called Xe services to minimize publicity from their murderous activities in Iraq and Afganistan), and they’ve been ginning up people who think that Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Fox “news” tell the truth.  Plus, Fox “news” and Rupert Murdoch are part of their “team.”  I’m honestly starting to look at these people as the “enemy” instead of people I disagree with.  Unfortunately, the democrats don’t appear to have much of a mechanism (besides “we the people”) to counter this right wing onslaught.

Remember also, both the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections were arguably won with the use of HACKED, or rigged, voting machines.  How far have we come since then.  Well, I can’t answer that any more than to say that the issue of rigged voting machines has certainly made its way to the back pages of the country’s dialogue.  Does that mean the problem’s been solved? Or, does that mean that we’re just going to get “hammered” again when we’re not looking and end up with another illegitimate president?  (re: George W Bush)  This is a WAR for America’s heart and soul – I know, if you’ve been reading many of my posts, I keep pointing this out – but, it’s the progressive leaders of our country who have to realize this.  Lately, I’ve been a bit encouraged by some of the “progressive” talkers on the radio who are framing the issue more along these lines.  Ed Schultz (and others) has a “march on Wahsington” scheduled for October 2nd and I’m hoping this type of rhetoric is used at that rally.  Somehow, despite the disappointment with some of President Obama’s decisions, the progressives (OK, I’m going to say it – LIBERALS!) in this nation need to wake up.  The way to get Obama’s attention isn’t to allow people like Angle, Paul, O’Donnell, Miller, and the others to invade our Senate for the next – what could conceivably be a miserable – 6 years.  Remember how bad it was enduring GW Bush and Dick Cheney?  Well, this could rival that.  We would then have a democratic president negotiating with these fanatical people with the hope of getting something done.  What’s the saying? “Don’t hold your breath.”

Do you find it interesting that many on the “left” are saying virtually the same thing as Palin in regards to her activities and the “religious right’s” attempt to take over our government?  For example, couldn’t “the voters will stop this fundamental transformation of America that’s not good for America. It’s the patriots who will restore America.” be coming from a liberal who wants to stop people like Palin?  Doesn’t their assault on the 1st, 4th, and 14th amendments of our constitution make you want to say “It is time for renewal and a restoration of constitutional principles?”  And, when she talks about the “will of the voters” is she forgetting that 70 MILLION voters voted President Obama into office instead of her and the shamed McCain?  When are the American people going to wake up to the fact that people like Sarah Palin and her ilk can’t stand having a person of color in the “White” house ?  None of her arguments make any sense, yet she continues to rake in the millions and is given credibility on the Aussie and Saudi run Fox “news” channel.  Give the woman credit for doing a great job of being greedy, but – as a leader – let’s hope not.  The fundamental values that made this nation great are the very ones that Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Fox “news,” and the other right wing whackos want to destroy!  Again, this is a WAR!

As I stated previously, there seems no end in sight to things to write about – especially considering that what motivated all this in the first place was my frustration with the direction of this nation during the Bush/Cheney administration.  I was clear at the inception of President Obama’s administration that I was not going to be a “rubber stamp” for his policies, a claim that I believe I’ve clearly lived up to.  I started pointing out the “deficiencies” as I saw them from day one of his first term in office.  Now, we’re approaching the dreaded midterms of any president’s first term and the republicans are beating the drums as if they will retake control of congress.  I have to say that I still have enough confidence in America’s voters to believe that is mostly “Fox” hype – but, just in case, I feel compelled to express myself about that possibility AGAIN!  That is, I’ve repeatedly pointed out how degenerate the republicans are – and the “tea partiers” are worse – and that we are in a battle for the soul of this nation.  This battle is the WAR of significance that America is engaged in and, unfortunately, I’m worried that the republicans have succeeded in getting the democrats to focus their attention toward the “wars” in Iraq and Afganistan.  Seriously, candidates such as Sharon Angle and Rand Paul shouldn’t be that difficult to defeat – unless you are the present day SPINELESS democratic party which doesn’t seem to understand the fight they’re engaged in.

Do you remember how Scott Brown “snuck up” on the democrats and took Ted Kennedy’s seat in Massachusetts which had been in democratic “hands” for over half a century?  In essence, the democrats took the voters in Massachusetts “for granted.”  They simply assumed they would win and they basically defeated themselves – doing untold damage to their party in the process.  Well, I’ve been pointing out the problems with the Obama administration and the democratic caucus in the senate taking the “progressives” for granted since before President Obama took his oath.  They have been turning good people off to the entire process.  If the democrats lose, it will be almost by default.  There is no way that people like Angle and Paul will garner majorities of the voters in their states – even Paul being in such a “red” state as Kentucky – if the democrats had not been so SPINELESS over the past two years there would be no way for these “whack jobs” as they are being called (sometimes even by republicans) to win public office.  If you’ve ever listened to this Angle lady she is the Nevada version of Sarah Palin.  Don’t get her anywhere near a live microphone because she’ll say something REALLY stupid!  It will be like having a neighborhood “soccer mom” who knows NOTHING about the real workings of our government – helping to run our government.

Many of the “tea partiers” are preaching for an end to social security, medicare, and other government programs which serve as “insurance” for MILLIONS of Americans who have been paying into the programs for years.  Angle was quoted (I actually heard her say this) as saying there should be no unemployment benefits for people out of work because it causes them to not look for work.  Obviously, she’s never been in that situation – I actually know nothing of her own circumstances – but, I’m guessing she’s in a pretty stable family situation financially.  Based on what I heard her say, she has no idea that unemployment benefits are INSURANCE benefits which are part of what the employers pay for their employees.  Is this woman advocating that employers shouldn’t have to pay any benefits for their employees?  That’s what it sounds like to me.  Eliminate social security, medicare, and unemployment benefits.  I also believe she would be opposed to public education (one of the main drivers that has made this nation what it is – in fact, I’m guessing it’s even possible she has received some of these benefits herself), health reform, and the reform of Wall Street.  I believe she was one of the people who referred to the money that President Obama got BP to put up for the benefit of all the people adversely affected by the deepwater horizon oil spill as a shakedown.  Both her and Rand Paul agreed, in regards to BP’s destroying of much of the Gulf’s fisheries, etc., that “accidents happen” as if our president was exceeding his authority by expecting BP to pay for their reckless behavior.

What is frustrating to many “progressives” is the UGLY possibility that the very people who created the HORRIBLE mess we find ourselves in will actually get back in “power” by taking control of congress (I suppose we’d find out real soon whether President Obama had the courage to stand up to them in that instance).  Yet, they are having a hard time getting behind the democrats who seem to be too much like business as usual – with a democratic “twist.”  That is, still all the backroom deals, still all the influence of lobbyists, still all the stomach wrenching “cave-ins” to the money people,  and still the taking for granted of the base.  As with Scott Brown in Massachusetts, I’ve believed for some time that the “base” is not willing to be taken for granted.  They are expecting the democrats to roll up their sleeves and take up the battle.  Does anyone else besides me feel as if the democrats wouldn’t notice they were about to be run over by a truck until the truck was right on top of them?  Makes me crazy – going back and forth between my realization that the PROBLEM is definitely the mean spirited, greedy republicans to seeing the PROBLEM as the SPINELESS democrats who are simply willing to do anything to make it look as if they’re getting stuff done – but, NEVER really making a principled stand!

How could it be so difficult to defeat a party which created MASSIVE debt in this country over the previous 30+ years? – this is documentable! Why is it so hard to defeat a party which is STILL trying to provide tax cuts for the WEALTHY who don’t need them AND is willing to hold tax cuts for the other 98% of Americans as hostage to their wishes?  Why is it so hard to defeat a party which still believes that TORTURE is acceptable and provides “actionable intelligence” when ALL reputable FACTS point in the opposite direction?  Why is it so hard to defeat a party which claims to be “resting” on the constitution yet so willingly defies it (again, PROVABLE)?  Why can’t democrats make a focused argument against a party which undermined the very fabric that holds this nation together which is our justice department?  How can democrats not defeat a party which condoned a CIA agent being “outed” for political retribution or encouraged members to defy subpoenas from congress (without consequence, I might add – see, Karl Rove and Harriet Myers)?  I could go on – but, all of these issues are UN-AMERICAN and they’re being PUSHED by people who aren’t American – Rupert Murdoch (Australian right winger) and his Saudi Sheik who’s funneled $3 BILLION into Murdoch’s “News Corp” – the parent company of Fox “news?” (If you’ve been under a rock for the past 10 years it was Saudi’s who attacked us on 9/11 – you would never know it because we are so addicted to their oil)

President Obama and the democrats need to take stock of what they’re doing – AND FAST!  There should be no way these republicans could get anywhere near a majority in Congress.   If the democrats don’t start exhibiting the willingness to take on the fight – this country, as we’ve known it for the last 50 years, is “at risk.”  I have no idea how much “Citizens United” will impact us in future years, but the time to overcome it is NOW and democrats appear to be running scared from it from my vantage point.  I’ll give you a quick senopsis on how you’ll know if they’re up for the battle.  If the dems give in on the tax cuts and President Obama goes along – we can “throw in the towel” for at least the next few years.  I still don’t think many Americans realize how dangerous that decision is to our future and our country as we know it (I’m talking about the Citizens United Supreme Court decision).  Unfortunately, by the time they realize it, it could be too late.

On my way home from work tonight I listened to “progressive talker” Randi Rhodes extolling the virtues of what President Obama has done along with the democrats – and, it’s definitely a darned sight better than what any republican might “offer.”  Yet, the progressives – er liberals (why can’t we say that word?) are LONGING for the day when our government is run differently – benefitting the people at the bottom more than the people at the top.  We voted Obama into office along with ALMOST a filibuster proof majority in Congress to END “TRICKLE DOWN” economics FOR GOOD!   They are better, but we still have 50,000 troops in Iraq (which Rhodes tonight admitted are going to be there indefinitely – like Korea) – that isn’t progressive leadership, that’s caving into the military industrial complex.  Rhodes NEVER talks about how Obama BLOCKED all investigations of Bush/Cheney – including investigations of WAR CRIMES as if we’re supposed to just be happy that he’s better than republicans.  That decision alone could come back to haunt us all over and over again in the future – I mean, republicans are still arguing the virtues of Bush and how all the “complaints” against his policies were unfounded – President Obama made those claims credible to millions of Americans.  President Obama chose Tim Geithner and Larry Summers as his top economic advisors and, as Joseph Stiglitz put it (and me and many others), we’ve been “muddling” through this recession ever since.

President Obama’s first “cave-in” to republicans was on the original “stimulus” package which (I argued this on the site before it was passed) was WAY TOO SMALL and had too many “middle class” tax cuts that could have been spent more wisely.  It’s almost as if Obama wanted amunition to beat the republicans at their own game (still claiming he cut taxes for 95% of Americans – which is true) instead of taking them on and PROVING to the American public that we have turned the corner from their “voodoo economics” for good.  As was predicted by many at the time, the jobs part of the stimulus needed to be much greater and we’re paying the price for that mistake today.  Rhodes (and Obama) point out (accurately) all the jobs which were saved – but, they don’t readily talk about how even Geithner predicted that this was going to be a “jobless” recovery in its first stages – which, to me, is an unacceptable approach to spurring our economy back to health.  As Stiglitz points out in his book “FreeFall” the Obama administration is attempting to restore us to the economy we had before the crash instead of making the changes necessary to move us forward in the future.  And, it does appear to me that the large Wall Street banks such as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are back to similar behavior as before the meltdown – only, now they’re working with virtually “free money” from the Fed – getting money @ 0% interest from taxpayers and then GAMBLING it in the different markets.  Chances are good, in my view, that they’re simply creating the next “bubble.”  Everyone should know by now that these “bubbles” eventually burst, and the result is devastating to many unsuspecting members of the middle class.  Wall Street walked away from the last disaster with BILLIONS in undeserved bonuses while MILLIONS of Americans saw their retirement accounts demolished – and, yet we’re back to business as usual.

My message to the president and to people like Rhodes who seem to be cheerleaders for anything he does is that “we the people” – at least the base that helped Obama win his present job – are not so stupid.  We’re not “f___ing retards” as we were so aptly annointed by none other than Rahm Emanuel – another of the problems dragging down President Obama – we had high expectations and being different than republicans really wasn’t it.  Rhodes tonight was again talking down to “progressives” who were trying to express their frustration with democrats – I think she feels that any negative talk simply helps the “right wing” in their attempt to regain control – but, she and the president need to understand that there are many more besides myself who are up for this fight – that is the fight to stop these republicans for good – but, we aren’t looking for republican-lite.  It was the New Deal which catapulted America to its position as leader of the free world and this 30 year republican assault on all that was good about it MUST BE reversed.  I still remember the audio of Franklin Roosevelt claiming that he “welcomed the hatred” of the right wing who were attacking him – I would love to hear something similar coming from Obama’s lips.

Of course, the solution to all these problems I have with our president and the democratic congress IS NOT to elect republicans – especially “tea partiers.”  I’m encouraging everyone I know to vote and vote against republicans.  The ideal solution would be to give the democrats a filibuster proof majority in the Senate and then there would be no more excuses.  But, since that is unlikely to happen, somehow we have to convince our president that we are expecting him to stop negotiating with these people and confront them – it’s just basic moral principle at stake.  Is our government going to be focused on “the least of these” in Jesus’ words, or are we going to continue to provide WELFARE for the corporate elite in so many different ways?  We know they are going to cry SOCIALIST at any attempt to cut off their flow of free money, but we have to cinch up our belts and band together for the fight.  The reality: there are many more workers – er middle class Americans – than elite corporate heads.  It might take a couple years to get this point across to the American people, but with Fox “news” on the air, it obviously won’t happen without a concerted focused effort by democrats being led by Barack Obama.  Social Security, Medicare, universal healthcare (still a dream), unemployment benefits, working wages, a green economy – all these things and more hang in the balance.

I keep looking at the number of posts I’ve made to this site thinking, “that’s enough.”  Then, I read the news, read another book, or in general just keep paying attention to “what’s going on” in this country that I love and another “thought” pops into my head.  Tonight I have so many thoughts that I’m not sure where I’m going with them.  I’m soon to complete “FreeFall” by Joseph Stiglitz which is a very intellectually stimulating book – all about our economy and the sorry state it’s in and the lack of direction it’s getting from “both sides of the isle.”  For sure I’ll be writing about that – if not tonight.  Then there’s the so-called “Mosque” two blocks from “ground zero” which is actually at least 4 blocks from ground zero, which isn’t a Mosque – but a “community center,” and which has been used by the republican party as their latest divisive tool for hate mongering and fear mongering.  The whack job in Florida who’s planning to burn the Korans – well, I wouldn’t even consider writing about him – the guy has a congregation of 50 people – but, the job the media has done to turn this guy into “major news” represents a lot of what is wrong with America right now – in my view – so, I could write about either him, or just write about that entire scenario.  I’ve written somewhat extensively already about “Citizens United,” the outrageous Supreme Court decision handed down by the Roberts Court which threatens to ruin this nation – and, I believe the reality of that decision is becoming clearer as each day passes and as republicans buy up TV time – in advance of the upcoming election – in an OVERT attempt to manipulate our electoral process.  That could be the most “needy” of the possible topics (I’m still finding almost all people – educated professional people – who I ask that DON’T even KNOW what Citizens United is!)  And, the list goes on (and on and on and on and……. I think you get my point)

Oh yes, it was reported today in the New York Times that a Federal Appeals Court ruled that detainees who had been tortured in CIA overseas prisons – such as Abu Ghraib, GITMO, Bagram, and some of the “extraordinary rendition” sites in places like Egypt and Morocco had no right for a “day in court.”  A three judge panel had found that detainees had the right to sue with “particular pieces of evidence” which were subject to the “states secrets” provision of legal precedence withheld (I don’t believe this, “state’s secrets,” is a law – it’s just an established “privilege” which American administrations have “pushed” to expand over the years with Bush/Cheney pushing the hardest – that is until Barack Obama apparently decided to “carry the torch” for them – ughhhh!) – that is, keeping information “secret” which could have an adverse effect on national security.  However, the Obama administration successfully argued that the entire case should be wiped out – essentially, these victims of TORTURE, have no legal redress against the VILLAINS who were TORTURING them!  I voted for Obama, I sent him money, the thought of republicans regaining power makes me sick to my stomach – BUT, his continuation of this CRAP – that is, following Bush policies in these despicable ways – just removes any enthusiasm I might have for his presidency.  I understood this deplorable, un-American stuff coming from an administration with Dick Cheney at the helm (for all practical purposes) – But, not from someone I so enthusiastically voted for.  I really do want my money back from Obama!  Barack Obama is doing everything he can to MAKE SURE there is NO ACCOUNTABILITY for the illegal activities of George W Bush and Dick Cheney.  The man who promised TRANSPARENCY is fighting for an expansion of the “states secret” privilege beyond anything we’ve seen in the past – UNBELIEVABLE!

Do you think that’s it?  Well, there’s more for all of you out there who got confused by President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize.  His administration has authorized the C.I.A. to try to kill a United States citizen suspected of terrorism ties, blocked efforts by detainees in Afghanistan to bring habeas corpus lawsuits challenging the basis for their imprisonment without trial, and continued the C.I.A.’s so-called extraordinary rendition programof prisoner transfers.  This is all carryover from the Bush/Cheney agenda – not what I personally would call “The change I can believe in.”  Think about Iraq – President Obama went on national TV to tell us all that the “combat mission” in Iraq is over – all the while 50,000 troops remain.  He also said those troops will be home by the end of next year -and, if you believe that I have a bridge I would like to sell you.  Some how, I get the feeling that President Obama was convinced that he should take the “If you can’t beat them, join them” approach to dealing with our national security.  For some reason he’s more concerned with appeasing the republican backlash he’d get if he truly deserved that Nobel Peace Prize – if he had the GUTS to actually have brought the troops home in the 16 months he promised and left the restoring of Iraq to the Iraqi’s where it belongs.  There is no shortage of information out there which depicts the pressure any US President faces from the “military industrial complex” which Dwight D Eisenhower warned would be the “enemy within” if left unchecked.  It appears President Obama has decided to leave the battle to “real in” our corporatocracy which is basically a “WAR MACHINE” for a future president.  We all know that won’t be a republican – so, what kind of “choices” are we left with for the foreseeable future.

Essentially, that dearth of choices is what is getting somewhat depressing to me.  Radio personalities Ed Schultz, Randi Rhodes, Thom Hartman – all on the progressive side – make a good point that expressing disappointment with the “failings” of Obama should be done in another way than voting in the same people who created this HORRIBLE MESS that we Americans find ourselves in – both economically and politically.  It HAS taken about 30+ years of this supply side economics (so well described by George HW Bush as “Voodoo Economics” back in 1980), and this “creeping” military takeover of our economy has been gaining steam for the last 10 years for sure – and, probably for another 30 before that – so, it stands to reason that cleansing ourselves of this UNACCEPTABLE government behavior will take more than a couple of years.  Idealy, we should be planning how to give President Obama a more “progressive friendly” congress – that is, getting rid of the Ben Nelson’s, Blanche Lincoln’s, Mary Landrieu’s, and the others who sided with republicans on health care and other critical issues Americans want addressed by our leaders.

I listened to President Obama’s recent press conference – and, he is a brilliant man who was very impressive to say the least.  I so want to jump back on the bandwagon.  Then stories like him and his Attorney General Eric Holder blocking the rights of people who’ve been brutally beaten and tortured by the Bush/Cheney people and I just shake my head in wonderment – thinking, WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY COUNTRY?  Give these people their day in court!  One of the plaintiffs was held for 7 long years in at least 3 different “black hole” prisons – run by the United States or our designates – and, brutally tortured before being released because he wasn’t even involved with terrorism at all (not to suggest that if he was it would be OK to slice open his penis and pour hot water on the wound in an attempt to get hime to “tell them what they want to hear”).  What are we afraid of?  I seriously doubt that any of the so-called secrets are any worse than what people all over the world are imagining happened based on all the information out there.  I mean, I read one book about Abu Ghraib where the “enhanced interrogators” came into the prison, took an Iraqi citizen into their “interrogation room,” and left him hanging DEAD on a hook on the wall – leaving his body for the poor saps who eventually took the rap for the whole fiasco – Lindy England and the others – to clean up.  And, NO INVESTIGATION!

Then there was the three Arabs found hanging DEAD in their cells at Guantanimo prison.  Somehow they had been dead for several hours before being discovered by guards who were walking the corridors of the prison every 15 minutes.  They had managed to tie their own feet together, then get up on a box, put the noose around their own necks, tie their own hands behind their backs, and, oh yes, also cram a wadded up cloth down their throat to the point where it had to be cut out after the bodies were found.  All three of them did this themselves, and all at the same time.  Oh yes, I forgot to mention, earlier all three had been taken to a separate “enhanced interrogation” facility off the GITMO (Guantanimo) grounds prior to their surprise discovery.  And, despite all this information – the Obama administration quashed any thought of an investigation – you know – that pesky “state’s secret privilege” where our government continually covers up it’s illegal behavior by claiming “national security” would be harmed by investigating.

You see, that’s not the “change” I voted for!  Many of the things that are bothering me and motivating me to write are differences of opinion.  Issues that I believe well meaning people should be able to debate in an attempt to find better solutions to major problems.  But, this turning our back on legal and moral issues which will have a LONG TERM negative effect on our entire country is really bothering me.  I’m honestly thinking that if Barack Obama doesn’t have the courage to stand up against this barrage of corporate power attempting to take control of this entire nation then I can’t bring myself to support him any longer.  I REALLY don’t understand the fear of investigating what our government has done wrong – when they’ve gone “over the line.”  Our CIA has a history of abuse and I realize that Obama’s trying to protect them – but, at what expense?  We are supposed to be a NATION OF LAWS and not men, but what kind of a legacy is Obama leaving if he continues with his present behavior.  His attempts to spur the economy on are “short term” policies – these decisions where he’s allowing this misbehavior to go unchallenged threaten to damage the credibility of this nation for generations.

In reading Stiglitz book, I believe Obama is showing the same tepid behavior with the economy he’s showing with the military.  Yes, he’s doing some things different and he’s changed the direction of the “ship” somewhat.  But, many of his decisions seem aimed at keeping us in the “business as usual” category.  The world is changing around us – other countries are looking to the US for leadership.  Many of the other nations in the world were as anxious for the end of Bush/Cheney as most Americans were.  But, they weren’t expecting a new administration which – in the areas of long term concern – would continue the policies of Bush/Cheney.  In many ways, I believe the Bushlite description is appropriate.  I will write more about that soon, as I’m close to finishing “Freefall” – which I highly recommend to anyone wishing to have a better understanding of where our economy’s been, where it’s headed, and where Joseph Stiglitz thinks it should be headed.  I’ll end tonight by saying that republicans are now in the process of turning the word “progressive” into a negative term via our media – if democrats want to defeat the “right wing” in America, they’ll need to “fight fire with fire.”  And, the battle HAS to start at the top.  President Obama won’t be able to lead the democrats to victory by defending illegal Bush/Cheney policies in court!

As an English teacher I guess I have to be impressed at how our politicians manage to creatively use the language.  And, this is one issue that I see as definitely “bipartisan.”  I could go on and on about what took place during the Bush/Cheney era or how if a republican says one thing – look in almost the opposite direction for the truth, but let’s just focus on today’s politicians and the pundits who so reverently follow them.  The one thing that’s BUGGING me the most tonight is the FACT that what I started predicting months ago (OK, there goes my ego again) is rearing its ugly head.  Believe me, I want to be wrong on this one – but just as the I can’t remember who said it said, I DON’T THINK SO! :o) 

The groundwork is being set as I’m writing this for the United State’s CONTINUED presence in Iraq for the INDEFINITE future.  Some who read this might believe that is a good thing.  I’ll try to explain why I believe it’s not – but, first lets get to the evidence that is beginning to show up already.  First, President Obama (remember, I’m doing everything I can to be on his side – and I DO hope he succeeds) has declared the war is over and our “Combat troops” have been ALL removed.  I call that disengenuous, you could call it Obama keeping his promise (even though he’s a few months late) to withdraw our troops within 16 months of taking office.  It really does sicken me as I watch them call the remaining 50,000 American troops (and who knows how many “contractors”) “Non-combat troops.”  I would really like a definition of a “non-combat troop.”  Is that a troop that hasn’t had combat training?  Are they not carrying weapons?  What are they supposed to do if they are attacked?  To me, these are all questions I hope Obama addresses as he explains why they are still there and how he can say he’s withdrawn the troops when they ARE still there.  Realistically, if you look at the history of this fiasco, Obama and his administration have done nothing more than manage the agreement negotiated by the Bush administration.  Seriously, and again I’m an Obama supporter, if he claims any credit for this it is a false claim in my mind.  What was the courageous leadership in just continuing with the Bush “doctrine?”

President Obama, I’m sure, will claim that the “non-combat” troops will be home by the end of next year.  Again, this is according to the “plan” negotiated by the Bush administration.  But, do you really believe that?  We have an embassy the size of the Vatican in Bagdad.  Do you really believe we’re bringing all the troops home?  Instead of “non-combat” troops are we going to be stuck with the “contractor” route to keep this fiasco going?  Check out what these contractors are making compared to our troops.  Read “The Gamble” by Thomas Ricks and you’ll see why I don’t believe for an instance that our troops are coming home.  How are we paying for this continued presence in Iraq?  Evidently with the money that should be going to the “99ers” here in America – those who haven’t been able to find work for the past 2+ years.  Or how about this TRUTH – the money we’ve ALREADY spent in Iraq is enough to fund a single payer health care system in the United States for EVERYONE for 10 years!  Where are our priorities?

Writing anything about President Obama that is “negative” makes me feel a bit uneasy – because the alternative is so starkly BAD!  I honestly can’t even imagine how the American public could consider putting the republicans, who are desperately trying to dismantle our government, back into power.  How can a single American worker who’s lost his/her job, is in danger of losing a job, or is struggling with the reduced wages from the job they need to be thankful for as they look around at all the unemployed workers even consider voting republican?  I’m to the point that I’m calling that STUPID!  But, as I listen to one after another of the “tea partiers,” or the good American workers who have gotten sucked in by the Beck’s, Limbaugh’s, Savage’s, Larson’s, Hannity’s and the other’s lies I realize there is a powerful propaganda machine working in this nation that should be getting EVERYONE’S attention.  Additionally, I often think the “tea partiers” – or at least many of them – are upset about the same things I am – they’ve just allowed themselves to be convinced that it’s all Obama’s fault – therefore enabling the obstructionist behavior of the republicans which is just making matters worse.

We might not be officially in a depression but I can attest that it is depressing having one party full of pathological liars and another party of “whimps” who are disengenuous at best about their intentions.  Many of us on the “progressive” side of the “ledger” thought we were voting in someone who REALLY believed in the “change we can believe in.”  He convinced us that “Yes we can” take on the corporations and the special interests who have MUCKED up the political process in America to the point where the “little guy” is becoming a huge group of unemployed, and talented, workers scrounging for the next day’s bills!  But what did we get?  (and, to people like Randi Rhodes who continue to be cheerleaders for President Obama – yes, he’s a darned sight better than anything the republicans have to offer – but as the saying goes, “that aint saying much.”)  We evidently elected a president who is very sensitive to offending the people on the right wing in America who HATE him simply because of the color of his skin.  That speech President Obama gave telling us that the “combat mission in Iraq is over” about made me gag!  And, unfortunately, as I’ve said on this site many times, there’s a lot more to be concerned about if you’re a “progressive” regarding our president and the democrats.

Before I go on, let me just add a couple thoughts about that speech on Iraq.  To listen to President Obama you would think that George W Bush was some kind of genuine, caring, person who simply had a “disagreement” over policy with our new president.  One of the main reasons I voted for President Obama was his clear opposition to the Iraq invasion, his PROMISE to get us OUT in 16 months or less, and his clear criticism of the Bush/Cheney regime.  Since taking office Obama has approached this subject with “kid gloves.”  He even went so far as to STOP all investigations of the Bush/Cheney fiasco.  Other than the public’s desperate “need to know” regarding what ACTUALLY transpired during those 6 years that Bush screwed up this occupation and invasion, Obama’s refusal to allow investigations almost certainly DOOMS the rest of us to another misadventure in the future.  As I’ve said, I never thought our leaders would make this type of MISTAKE again after Viet Nam, but Ohhhhhhh was I wrong on that one!  Some of the “things” we’re “doomed” to repeat (and, maybe already are repeating) are contractor abuses, torture or prisoner abuses, and abuses in the way we medically attend to our troops once they are out of the theatre of war.

There’s an old saying that goes something like: “if you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing NO one!”  That is the sense I get from our president.  His Oval Office speech seemed to be aimed right at the middle, certainly attempting to placate the “right.”  I mean, as stated many times on this site, Obama is simply following the path set forth by President Bush in Iraq.  And, you would think, after listening to his speech that the “surge” was some kind of successful policy.  In fact, I’m sick of hearing people claim the surge was successful.  I think John Boehner went so far as to make sure Obama wasn’t able to take any credit for the surge.  Who in their right mind would want it?  These people are still deluding themselves that there is some kind of “wonderful” solution on the horizon in Iraq.  The reality?  Not ONE of the political objectives – the MAIN OBJECTIVES of the surge when Bush laid it out – has been met.  NOT ONE!  On top of that, you NEVER hear people like Boehner talk about the additional 1500 AMERICAN TROOPS who have died while our political leaders are desperately trying to save face – remember Viet Nam, anyone?  And, in the mean time America has TOSSED AWAY about 400 – 500 BILLION dollars which is desparately needed at home.  It almost feels to me that our political leaders feel a stronger obligation to the people of Iraq than to the people of America – ie  the “99ers.”

This disengenuousness of the Obama administration goes way beyond Iraq.  I’ll just list a few examples – feel free to disagree or add other examples – let’s start with transparency.  Lately, it seems as if Obama has recognized the great hypocracy between his campaign pledge and the reality of his presidency when it came to transparency.  However, the “backroom” deals have been flowing as if Rahm Emanuel found Nirvana!  You remember Emanuel, he’s Obama’s chief of staff who referred to liberals as “f__king retards.”  I pointed out that he was a HUGE mistake from the day Obama appointed him.  The “chorus” of people agreeing with me is growing larger every day, and it will be interesting to see how “loud” President Obama allows this “chorus” to get before he takes a different coarse – and FIRES Emanuel.  To me, Rahm Emanuel is the epitome of the backroom politician – and, as the saying goes, “you get what you pay for.” So much for transparency!

Then there’s the economy.  I’m presently reading “FreeFall” by Joseph Stiglitz, I’ve read “Conscience of a Liberal” by Paul Krugman, and “The Big Short” by Michael Lewis – all of them referencing the meltdown of the economy which started in 2007.  Stiglitz is the least complimentary of President Obama due to Obama’s similar actions regarding the economy to those he followed in Iraq – that is, following what was laid out by Bush/Cheney.  Basically, Obama showed no courageous leadership here, either.  Now, I’m talking about the bailout of the Wall Street banks and not the stimulus package.  Although Stiglitz agrees with Krugman (and me – you can check out my “predictions” in the archive regarding the “puny” size of the “stimulus package”) that the stimulus package was WAY too small and not targeted enough toward actual “stimulus.”  Stiglitz also agrees with my contention that was being made prior to Obama taking the oath of office, that hiring Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary and Larry Summers as his “chief economic advisor” was a HORRIBLE decision.  (I don’t remember my exact words, but I do remember that I referred to it as a “business as usual” decision)  True to form, Obama was “advised” to continue the bailouts started by Hank Paulson which, according to Stiglitz, are leading to problems much more severe than than the alternatives had we “faced the music” right up front.  The shareholders of those “too big to fail” banks should not have been bailed out – and therefore the bankers themselves wouldn’t have been able to dish out the lavish bonuses – TO THEMSELVES – the memory of which is still threatening to create HUGE damage to this country.  On top of all that, we will never know the details of this meltdown, because Obama stepped in to block ALL investigations of the Bush administration.  I wonder, is there anyone out there besides me who would like to know how many shares of Goldman Sachs Hank Paulson was controlling when he stepped in to “save” them?  According to Stiglitz, Paulson even funneled BILLIONS through AIG in order that they could pay off “bets” made by Goldman – money that went straight through AIG to Goldman.

I could go on and on – Bush/Cheney BOTH admitted to authorizing WAR CRIMES on national TV – Obama stopped the investigations.  Karl Rove and Harriet Meyers (and others) refused to answer subpoenas to Congress – Obama blocked investigations.  Dick Cheney “outed” a CIA agent – Obama blocked investigations.  Alberto Gonzales lied REPEATEDLY before Congress – you guessed it, Obama blocked investigations (anyone besides me find it ironic that a baseball player has been charged with perjury for allegedly lying about steroids while Gonzales was lying about the very functioning of our justice department?) and then there’s the lying us into war, all the war profiteering, the out and out stealing of funds authorized for Iraq, the illegal wiretapping, and the tearing down of EVERY department of government the republicans could destroy – including the MMS (Minerals Management Service) which abdicated it’s oversight regarding the deepwater horizon disaster in the Gulf and the mine shaft disaster in West Virginia.  I will never understand what was gained by blocking the investigations of all these wrongs!

I think what President Obama and some of his supporters don’t understand is that people like me are disgusted with the PROCESS of government.  I actually want to see republicans and democrats speaking to each other civily and negotiating the best legislation they can in good faith with the average American family in mind as they do so.  This AINT gonna happen as long as “K street” runs rampant in Washington DC, corporations have unlimited access to our electoral process (Citizens United), and the cost of gaining political office is out of the reach of the average citizen.  There is a “war within” going on in America and those of us at the “bottom” are counting on the demcrats to carry the torch for us – we expect them to be the leaders.  Instead, it appears they are in collusion with some of the evil that is making everyone crazy.  The one who has to stand tall in all this is President Obama – and, the fight won’t be won until the present day leaders of the republican party have been “put out to pasture,” it’s that simple in my mind!

We now have people who have benefitted from the pro-corporate atmosphere attempting to buy their way into office.  For heaven’s sake, in California alone it is reported that Meg Whitman is spending more than $100 MILLION of her own “fortune” to gain the governors mansion and Carly Fiorina (the CEO of Hewlett Packard – where the employees played “Ding Dong The Witch is dead” from “The Wizard of Oz” in celebration in their factories on the day she was fired – after she sent 30,000 GREAT American jobs overseas to China and India and ruined the workplace atmosphere of that company) is reported spending over $50 MILLION of her personal “fortune” in an attempt to win Barbara Boxer’s senate seat in California.  All of this should be getting people’s attention, but the sad truth is – I believe, and I’ve been predicting this almost from day one of Obama’s administration – Obama’s placating of the “right” has turned off so many voters that it is now possible for a return to power of republicans in congress – this because so many democrats have returned to the state of apathy Obama temporarily woke them from in 2008 and republicans have the corporate backing due to the Citizens United decision.  In reminding you (and me) of all the times I’ve predicted what is going to happen, I’m really not trying to be arrogant – my point is that if I, as a sixth grade school teacher, could figure all this out – then why is Obama keeping “advisors” who’re calling people like me retards?  I believe that when all is said and done it will be Rahm Emanuel who’s considered the “retard.”  (any guesses to when he’s fired?)  The sooner President Obama realizes this, the better for us all.

Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.  I keep thinking of that famous saying as I’m pondering another big push by the republican party to shackle us with another “phase” of the “cut your taxes and balance the budget” voodoo economics made famous by Ronald Reagan.  The problem is there is no “fool me thrice” to the saying.  We’ve already been fooled twice – SHAME ON US!  But as George W Bush once famously said as he was butchering this saying (as he did with so many sayings) “we won’t get fooled again.”  Or will we?  Well, I certainly hope not.  But, if you listen to the pundits, the possibility exists that we could get “fooled” again.  And by what this time?  Glenn Beck? Rush Limbaugh? (OK, Rush has been around since the first “fooling”) Sarah Palin?  Rupert Murdoch?  I have friends who call themselves “conservatives.”  I wonder daily if ANY of them have checked out these people who are trying to “fool” them for the third time.

The real irony of it all, is that the people buying into the “conservative” lie are at the forefront of those clamoring about the lack of jobs in America, the national debt, the trade deficit, the jobs overseas, the immigration problem, and on and on.  What they seem to be unable to do is CONNECT the republican party with its responsibility in all those areas.  Let’s just focus on the debt here – as long as the “getting fooled again” topic is front and center.  Now, I’m just going on memory here and I’m getting up there in years (OK, I’m admitting to being a bit forgetful on occasion) but I still remember Jimmy Carter HALFING the budget deficits left behind by the Nixon/Ford administrations – mostly Nixon, of course.  If memory serves me correct, I believe Carter cut the deficit from about 75 BILLION to 35 BILLION in his four years in office.  (both numbers miniscule by today’s standards) Carter is still ridiculed by many politicians because he REALLY wasn’t a member of the BELTWAY crowd.  However, he did some great things and had Reagan not reversed his CAFE standards for the auto industry and his “example” for a “green” energy future this country would be a darned sight better off today than we are.  Republicans are still arguing against the foresight Carter showed in the 1970’s.  If you can’t figure out why, well Carter was not the friend of “Big Oil.”  (Compare that to Bush/Cheney, Bush Senior, or Reagan – that in itself should explain a few things to even the most casual of political observer)

Reagan not only reversed the CAFE standards (even going so far as to encourage Detriot to build more gas guzzlers) but ridiculed Carter as the solar panels were removed from the White House shortly after he took up residency – just one of the many examples that Reagan SHOULD be remembered for (another would be UNION BUSTING).  To this day I can’t understand how any working American can even consider Reagan anything but a piriah as far as presidents are concerned.  (there’s a plethora of reasons for that last statement, but let’s just focus on the economic ones tonight)  Reagan won the White House using the normal republican trickery (funding John Anderson, the disenchanted “liberal” republican who took many votes away from Carter) and promising to “balance the budget and cut taxes.”  Of course, Reagan’s tax cuts benefitted – MOSTLY – the wealthiest of Americans as we got “fooled” the first time with the “trickle down theory.”  Reagan proceeded to take the budget inherited from Carter which was a year or two away from surplus and turned it into a HUGE deficit somewhere in the neigborhood of $250 BILLION per year over the last 5 or 6 years Reagan was in office.  (an increase of more than 5 fold from what Carter left him)  And, of course, George Bush senior took those deficits up another sizeable notch in his term as president.

So, the American people had apparently had enough of this skullduggery and elected the unknown Bill Clinton in 1992.  Now, to be fair based on my John Anderson statement regarding Reagan, I don’t believe Clinton would have won without Ross Perot’s entry in the race as an independent.  I was always convinced Perot took more votes from Bush senior than Clinton, but I have to admit never researching this because it was always a “moot” point in my mind.  To me, Clinton was too conservative in that he went along with a lot of republican proposals – despite their obvious and OVERT disdain for him and his wife.  The number of investigations during the Clinton years was mind numbing.  Again, you would have thought it would have sent a message to the American people of exactly where these republicans were coming from.  However, once Clinton started fooling around with Monica Lewinsky, he lost all credibility with just about everyone.  Clinton did leave us with a budget surplus of $250 BILLION – but, he also signed NAFTA, GATT, the Telecommunications act of 1996 (possibly the largest blunder), and the Graham, Leach, Bliley Act of 1999 which repealed Glass Steagall – the depression era law which prevented banks from getting “too big to fail.”  I’m adding most of this to make sure anyone who reads this understands I have some real issues with Clinton.  The bottom line though is there were 20+ MILLION jobs created during his two terms in office and the United States was on course to repay the deficit in 10 years when he left office.  Remember – and this is important – it took about 5 – 6 years before the deficit was “turned around” under Clinton and he showed a lot more will to do so than I’m seeing from President Obama at this point in Obama’s first term.

Now, we come to “fool me twice, shame on me.”  I realize that George W Bush probably didn’t even win the presidency.  He was annointed by the Supreme Court at the expense of 200+  years of voters choosing our leaders in America.  The circumstances surrounding the Florida debacle are such that at some point in this nation’s history the TRUTH will need to come out.  I believe that someone, somewhere, actually did recount the votes and it’s a big secret because we don’t like to make “waves” in American politics.  Despite the FACT Bush STOLE the presidency (and, was the WORST president EVER!) we got another HUGE dose of “cut taxes and balance the budget.”  Of course, in Bush’s case, the budget was already projected to end the deficit in 10 years the day he took office – so he had to CREATE a new budget DEFICIT!  And, boy did he create one.  With the help of Dick Cheney, who famously was quoted as saying “Ronald Reagan proved deficits don’t matter,” Bush left Barack Obama with a deficit of 1.3 TRILLION dollars PER YEAR when he left office.  And, of course, on top of that he left with the country teetering on the brink of depression so Obama had little choice but to increase government spending – to mitigate the damage all the while as people like Limbaugh, Beck, Palin, and the others were laying the blame of BUSH’S deficit at Obama’s doorstep.  This was just plain LYING in it’s purest form.  Unfortunately, for various reasons – many of which I’ve shared on this site over the past two years – many Americans are choosing to believe these unconscienable liars.

So now, what are we faced with?  “Fool me thrice?”  I realize the saying doesn’t go that far – and, well it shouldn’t.  After two times, shouldn’t that be enough?  Do we start questioning whether we’re STUPID or not – if we go the “thrice” route?  Is there anyone out there who can explain to me why “cutting taxes” will “balance the budget” this time?  I actually heard on the radio the other day a very genuine person call into the Ed Schultz show who was a conservative and confessed to listening to Beck and Limbaugh (and the others on the “right”).   The guy said he makes around $50 grand per year and correctly placed himself in the “middle class.”  What was shocking to me was his attempt to justify cutting taxes “for the rich” so that they can produce jobs for people like him.  I hate to say what I’m thinking about the guy, because he sounded like a great example of the unsuspecting American who believes people like Beck, Limbaugh and the others (around where I live the local blow hard is Lars Larson – these people will say ANYTHING for money) are telling the truth.  He also sounded like an excellent family man, a hard worker, responsible, everything good – except he hasn’t bothered to FACT CHECK these people.  He referred to the government as “them” – as if the government is the enemy – this because people like Beck, Limbaugh, Palin, and the others are referencing it as such.

WE ARE THE GOVERNMENT!  And, we’ve done a great job of being the government over the past 200 + years.  I don’t know where these people come off trying to destroy the government – maybe the “tea partiers” really want an anarchist society.  But, as far as I’m concerned, NO THANKS!  I’ve been putting up with the arrogance of republicans for far too long and it is very bothersome that when a democrat gets into the White House the “gloves” come off with these people.  Never mind all the racist rhetoric, or the mean spirited divisive talk, these people are trying to ruin our government as we know it with unabashed LYING.  The large corporate “heads” are sitting in the background licking their chops as the rest of us turn America into one huge mindless argument over irrelevent stuff.  It really is UNBELIEVABLE to me that it’s all come down to this.  Somehow, the “progressives” need to take to the polls in the fall and put a stop to these republicans once and for all.  I’ve been saying almost since the day President Obama was inaugurated that his decisions were turning his “base” off in droves and the result would be a mid-term election where MILLIONS stayed home.  (Obama’s chief of staff referred to me as a “f__king retard”) That is now a REAL possibility – but, if you’re thinking like me (I’m not that inspired by Obama’s centrist positions – plus I HATE that he pardoned Bush/Cheney et al) it makes sense to think of the alternative – and, that is nauseating.  Seriously, do you really want John Boehner as the Speaker of the House?  Third in line to the Presidency?  Ughhhhh!  (and, what if their vision of the next president is Sarah Palin?)

I’m going to “bite my lip” and, once again, vote against EVERY republican.  I have yet to hear ONE OF THEM stand up and repudiate the racist, mean spirited, disengenuous rhetoric of their leaders.  If the democrats allow the “Bush tax cuts” to be extended, I may never vote again – I will be sick to my stomach!  And, then we’ll have to listen to who knows how many years of the republicans blaming Obama for the deficits.  Really, are WE – the American people – REALLY THAT STUPID?  The other day I tuned into the Glenn Beck fiasco on the Washington Mall for about 5 minutes.  I’m serious when I say that I thought I was listening to a lay preacher going off on how America will be saved when we turn back to God!  Now, as one who’s been turning to God for years, I was a bit confused.  Was he talking about Jesus?  Was he talking about the same God I worship?  Or is there a special God for republicans or Fox viewers?  It really was very confusing – I had to turn it off (the same reaction whenever I attempt to force myself to listen to Beck, Limbaugh, or any of the rest of them).  I will tell you this, when the right wing starts using the term “God” in their proselytizing, hold on to you hats!  They’re rounding up the “troops” for an all out assault on our electoral process where a huge block of well meaning Americans are going to be voting against their own best self interests – guaranteed.  (yes Lars, these people would fall into the “low information” voters)  I’d really like to know how many in Beck’s audience would benefit from an extension of the Bush Tax Cuts for the top 2%.

These people have something like $500 Million to spend on a mid term election thanks to “Citizens United.”  I’ve pointed out the danger of that Supreme Court decision many times on this site and challenged the democrats to do something about it while they can.  True to form, NOTHING is apparently going to happen – except that the corporate interests are going to be WELL REPRESENTED in November’s election.  The FACT Karl Rove has his hands on $300 MILLION should be enough to get the democrat’s attention.  I’m getting a lot of emails from dems asking for “grass roots” money right now, but what they should be doing is cramming some legislation through Congress that puts some limits and accountability on corporations who choose to attempt to influence our elections.  At the very least, “We the People” should know who’s doing what!  I really am wanting President Obama to succeed, but I’m not sure he understands the importance of these next couple of months.  It’s time for a showdown with the republicans.  BUSINESS AS USUAL will result in devestation for those of us who are committed to a return to prominence of America’s middle class – millions of which are jobless.  The depression in Black Communities across America is unacceptable – but, it will take our president and the democratic Congress to do something about it – and waiting until the next congress is too late (and probably too little).  The 99ers?  Waiting to help them out until the next congress is also too late.  In fact, I wouldn’t have allowed a vacation for a single congress person without dealing with the plight of the 99ers at the beginning of August.  There are millions of Americans suffering financial hardship right now.  It will take agressive action from President Obama and the democrats in Congress – while they still hold the majority – to take a stand for what Jesus would call “the least of these.”  America, please don’t allow the republicans to fool us a THIRD time!  And, it appears that this time people like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin are going to be claiming God is in favor of the Bush Tax Cuts.

The other day I almost had to gag when I saw John Boehner “agreeing” with me on the subject of the economic advisors to President Obama.  Boehner called for Obama to “fire” Tim Geithner and Larry Summers.  Now, I started with the “red flags” regarding both Geithner and Summers prior to Obama’s inauguration, and I have to say that I’m a bit more than uncomfortable having any position that even resembles Boehner’s.  Of course, Boehner made this “demand” while claiming to put forth a “new” republican economic policy letting all us unsuspecting citizens know what they’ll (republicans) be up to should they somehow TRICK America’s public into voting them back into office.  I’m certain that if you’re reading this blog you know before I point it out that Boehner’s miracle cure for the deepening recession is to extend the “Bush Tax Cuts,” which have saved the richest 1% of Americans something like a half a TRILLION dollars in the ten years since it was originally thrust upon us.

Republicans are campaigning against EVERYTHING while at the same time ginning up the darkest RACIST side of every possible American they can fool into thinking they actually have the “average” citizen’s best interests at heart.  Now, that claim – having the average citizen’s best interests at heart – in and of itself is so absurd that you would think it would be hard to find anything close to a majority of Americans who would support it.  I mean, how can you continually cut taxes for the rich accelerating our national deficit and claim to be supporting “Joe the Plumber?”  I’ll tell you how – by LYING – Pathologically LYING!  One thing that’s clear about the republican leadership is that they have no consciences.  The other thing that’s clear – and I’ve been pointing this out since the presidential campaign – the republican leaders are OVERT RACISTS!  I will never forget John McCain referring to Barack Obama as “that one” during one of the debates – and feeling a deep sense of shock and SADNESS that our media TOTALLY looked the other way.  Do they really think that no one noticed?  Do the republicans really believe that the minority groups in this country are just going to happily welcome them and their mean spirited, racist positions back into power if they can somehow pull off getting control of Congress?

We are witnessing something that should be frightening to all fair minded Americans – and that is a media conglomerate which is totally in “bed” with a political party.  Fox – as I stated the other night (and many other times) being run by an Australian right winger with the backing of BILLIONS from a Saudi “prince” who arguably has funded Osama bin Laden – is busy manipulating the minds of their many viewers into thinking things like President Obama was born in Kenya, or he’s a Muslim, or he was educated in a Madrassa (Harvard?), or – worse yet – that SARAH PALIN might be remotely qualified to hold national political office.  They are in the middle of a MASSIVE brainwashing campaign and, unfortunately, I’m still seeing an appropriate response from only a very few leaders who would associate with the word “progressive” or “liberal.”  The republicans did a masterful job of undermining our government during the 30 years since the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, but most specifically during the long, tedious, vicious years of Bush/Cheney.

Vicious to harsh a term you ask?  Well, do a little reading on Abu Ghraib, GITMO, Bagram, the history of our incursion into Iraq, what they did to virtually EVERY department in our government, the economy (I really don’t understand how a single American can fail to place this economic DISASTER we’re all enduring on Bush/Cheney’s doorstep? – Yes, I agree President Obama hasn’t made the best decisions – but, he inherited something approaching an impossible challenge – especially in the face of a Senate saying NO to EVERYTHING because of the filibuster rule and recalcitrant, obstructionist republicans), and how about our military?  Do you think we’re now prepared for an emergency should it arise?  The good men and women of our military have been going back and forth to Iraq and Afganistan for almost 10 years now.  It’s not unusual to hear of soldiers on their 6th or 7th – maybe more – deployment.  During the so-called “surge” they even lengthened the deployments to 15 months and reduced the amount of downtime soldiers were home in order to have enough troops to keep the “surge” going.  And, now – of course – I fully expect these troops to come home (should we actually start bringing them home – FOR REAL) to a public which ignores them and a military which short changes the medical needs they most certainly must have.  I’m guessing it SHOULD cost as much as prosecuting the occupations of Iraq and Afganistan to take care of the REAL medical needs of our troops once they’re home.  I’m already hearing “horror stories” about soldiers having to FIGHT just to get the medical benefits that should be “no brainers.”  The government is going to resist labling as many of the disabled soldiers as disabled as they can get away with – sound familiar to those around during Viet Nam?

We had something like 200,000 homeless Viet Nam Vets on the streets before Iraq happened.  That number – especially considering the after affects of the Bush/Cheney economic disaster – should grow exponentially when all the PTSD and maimed Iraq and Afganistan war veterans hit the streets.  Do you remember that at the height of the Iraq “war” Bush/Cheney attempted to cut wages and benefits for our troops?!  All the while telling me that I wasn’t “supporting the troops” in my quest to get them brought home.  Something’s terribly wrong here and now we, as a nation, are being asked to put these thugs back into power.  I say, NO WAY!!!!

You can go back and read some of my previous posts to see that I’m not a “rubber stamp” for Obama.  In fact, I have many issues with him (I’m presently reading a book called “FreeFall” by Joseph Stiglitz which is not at all complimentary to the economic decisions of the Obama “team” and supports my contention that Geithner and Summers were just a continuation of the Wall Street “business as usual” crowd that we thought we were voting out) but, the best strategy I can see is to attempt to get Obama to actually change his policies to reflect “progressive values” before it’s too late – and to do everything possible to VOTE AGAINST REPUBLICANS!  I’ve been an independent voter all my life, but in 2006 I started voting against ALL REPUBLICANS because of their stance on the war and the OVERT corruption of the Bush/Cheney “crime family” as it was so often referred to.  Despite what Obama and his supporters are touting, we are not out of Iraq yet – and, I believe the “doublespeak” will continue in an attempt to make us believe that all “non-combat” troops are REALLY home so that we can leave a bunch of them there for years to come.  In fact, the alternative to that might even be worse.  How would you like our interests in Iraq protected by Blackwater? (Now calling themselves Xe services)  If you’re not sure what that might entail read Jeffrey Skahill’s book titled “Blackwater.”  It’s a depressing “eye opener” to what’s going on behind the scenes in “conservative” America.

What I’m saying is that until we get some courageous “conservatives” to step up and condemn the racism that is running rampant among the leadership of the republican party the American public should simply REJECT ALL OF THEM!  As an independent, at this point in time, I wouldn’t even vote for an honorable one unless I was certain that person had the courage to vote his/her conscience on issues instead of this LOCK STEP BLOCK that is reminiscent of some kind of totalitarian minded society.  I really don’t understand why even conservatives can’t see that.  When in the history of the United States of America has one party simply done everything they can to STOP any ideas from one president from having a chance to take hold?  If Obama’s ideas are so bad the republicans should back off and let them pass so that they can fail in view of everyone.  Why do you think republicans don’t want anything to even have a chance to succeed?  OK, is it sinking in?  Rush Limbaugh has put it best for the republicans.  They simply CAN’T allow a BLACK president to succeed!  They MUST do everything in their power to insure that Obama FAILS!  Now, think about that if you’re an average American.  Are we just the collateral damage to their fear of a person of color having a chance to succeed?

Can’t you just see John Boehner and Mitch McConnell in leadership roles in our Congress?  Honestly, the thought going through my mind at that possibility is “Are Americans that stupid?”  Does that mean that it’s really possible for someone like Sarah Palin to get nominated by these people?  Is this just the “first wave” of the fallout from “Citizen’s United?”  It has been reported that Karl Rove has a corporate generated fund of $300 MILLION just for the purpose of returning republicans to control of the next congress.  Think about how much the BP’s, and Hewlett Packard’s, and Goldman Sachs’, and United Health’s, and I could go on and on – of this world will invest to help us “decide” who our leaders should be.  There are already reports of republican backed groups buying up ALL the air time right before the mid terms in strategic locations.  Think for a moment about the influence of these TV commercials on our busy society.   How many people do you know who are fact checking the claims from politicians (on both sides of the isle)?  I’m personally not finding many.

Getting back to Fox “news” – Rupert Murdoch is donating by the millions to the republican party as I’m writing this.  If that doesn’t get your attention I don’t know what will.  I have talks continually with my peer group (baby boomers) and people are either unsuspecting or turned off by the process.  In either case – setting up a situation where those of us in the age group most responsible for the calamity of the past 10 years will be leaving an America to our children that is fast becoming unrecognizable.  If we don’t stand up and stop these republicans we deserve what we get – the problem as I see it is that – OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN don’t!  I’m going to end by reminding anyone who’s reading this that the repblicans are proposing the same old “cut taxes and balance the budget” CRAP that they’ve been cramming down our throats for the past 30+ years.  If you agree with me, please say something to at least one other person about how ridiculous that is and remind them of what the stakes are here.  Send this page to someone – or just do something.  The republicans are counting on “progressives” standing aside and allowing them back in.  We can’t do that – once the election is over, maybe we can get President Obama to do the one thing I can agree with Boehner on – and that is get a new economic team in place!  Who knows, that could lead to the “change we can believe in!”

Sometimes I feel I’m just going around in circles writing about essentially the same thing from a plethora of different angles.  The United States of America is under attack and it’s coming from within – that’s basically my premise.  And, the scariest part of all this to me is that almost everyone I know has no idea what’s going on.  The other day I heard Bernie Sanders – referred to on the program he was a guest on as “America’s Senator” – put it well when he said the “right” wing of America is playing a “shell game” to distract the attention of the American voters in a brazen (my description) attempt to undermine the electoral process in the next election.  I couldn’t agree more!

What’s a “shell game?” you might ask.  Well, it’s when someone uses trickery to get you to believe you’re seeing one thing when you’re really seeing something entirely different.  I’m sure most people who would happen onto this site have seen the person with the three half walnut shells with the “prize” in one of them moving them around to the point where you can only guess which one actually holds the prize.  Even though the “moving” was done right before your eyes, most of the time people guess the wrong shell.  And, that’s exactly what the “right” wing (republicans) are attempting to do in the next election.  They are trying (and, apparently quite successfully) to get the attention of the American public off of the failures of the Bush/Cheney administration – with the help of 6 years of a republican congress – and onto things like an Arab “Mosque” – which really isn’t a Mosque – being built right next to “ground zero” – which really isn’t next to ground zero.  They (the republicans) are making a “convincing” argument that our government deficit is way to high and the solution is to extend the tax cuts for millionaires (commonly referred to as the “Bush Tax Cuts” – curiously, the same argument which got us into this mess in the first place and evidently there are still people “buying” it).  At the same time, they are arguing that we can’t afford to extend unemployment benefits for those LAZY Americans who’ve been out of work since the beginning of the “Great Recession,” or another “stimulus” bill designed to create jobs because it would “balloon” that horrible deficit created by Barack Obama.  In fact, the republicans have even torpedoed a bill designed to open up credit for small business owners in America presumably because it’s not “paid for.”  All of these decisions come on the heels of the one vote where republicans chose the path of bipartisanship and that was for the continued funding (with TOTALLY borrowed funds) of the occupations in Iraq and Afganistan.  (They’d also have us believe that “gay marriage” is a bigger threat to our nation than these arrogant occupations of foreign lands)

This stuff is all, at least in my mind, so BRAZENLY absurd, that I find it hard to fathom MY country could have degenerated to the point where these republican positions could even gain any traction at all in the media.  But, that of course would presuppose that the media wasn’t “in bed” with them.  While you could say that claiming the media is in bed with the republicans is a stretch, I believe it’s safe to say that Fox “news” has WAY MORE influence than they should for some unexplainable reason and who they’re “in bed” with politically is a secret only to the really ignorant voters.  The fact that Fox is now OPENLY pouring MILLIONS into republican campaign coffers (I can’t remember a time in my lifetime when something such as this would have been at all acceptable) while receiving BILLIONS from the Saudi Prince who is the NUMBER TWO shareholder in “Newscorp” after Rupert Murdoch – the Aussie who owns the place doesn’t seem to be an issue with many.  (remember, the 9/11 attacks were instigated MAINLY by Saudi’s and funded by Saudi “charities” including from the “prince” – allegedly – who is the Saudi shareholder in Fox)  And, the FACT that Roger Ailes – a republican political hack – is the head of the “news” portion of Fox doesn’t seem to turn too many heads in America these days either is also QUITE curious.  To me, that all speaks for itself as far as the “attack” I referred to in the initial paragraph of this post.  How they’re pulling off this “shell game” – when it should be so obvious what is happening – ought to go down in history as legendary in the area of successful political PROPAGANDA.  (I AM hearing more and more comparisons with 1930’s Germany and these republican tactics all the time – just not in the so-called “mainstream” – where investigative reporting seems to be a “thing of the past”)  I honestly believe there is a huge portion of America’s voting public who have no conception regarding the importance of the media as the “fourth estate” based on the constitutional design of our founders.

One of the worst parts of all of this, in my view, is the long term “after effects” of this political ginning up of HATE to gain votes in the short term.  Take for example the issue of the “Mosque” a few blocks away from “Ground Zero.”  It’s actually a “community center” with a couple floors (I believe there are 11 floors total in the building) set aside for prayer.  The building is an old abandoned Burlington Coat Factory which has sat vacant since 9/11 or thereabouts.  The person who is putting this all together is a well respected member of the New York community and one of the purposes of the “community center” is to bring people together.  Additionally, if you took a cab from Ground Zero you would have to travel something like four block to get there.  In the process you would pass a couple strip clubs which apparently are more acceptable to the memory of those who lost their lives on 9/11 than a community center – to republicans, anyway.  I mean the whole thing is beyond absurd on its face. 

But, here’s the rub.  This “Mosque” fiasco is getting worldwide media attention.  We still have troops in Iraq and Afganistan – and, despite President Obama’s claims to the contrary – the only decipherable purpose of our mission in Afganistan is “nation building.”  Over and over, in both situations, we hear that our troops are trying to win the hearts and minds of Muslims.  Yet, here in America, the very people who put us in that situation – the republicans – are ginning up HATE against Muslims.  Today, in the New York Times there were a couple of Op Eds which put it much better than I ever could.  The first – and one of the best articles I’ve read in some time, was by Frank Rich – if you haven’t read this guy’s stuff, you should.  Click here to read his article – it clearly points out the hypocrisy of republicans like Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and others seeking short term political gain at the expense of long term ill will toward America.  Nicholas Kristof has another interesting perspective on the topic which you can read by clicking here.  I’m pointing all of this out because there are compelling arguments that the postitions being put forward in public by the republican party are so detrimental to the best interests of this nation that you could call them unpatriotic.

Now, I realize that the Bush/Cheney administration was calling me “unpatriotic” as I campaigned against the occupations of Iraq and Afganistan for the past 7 or 8 years.  However, I believe these republicans are now doing what they actually – and absurdly – were accusing people like me of several years ago.  Yes, Osama bin Laden might have been opposed to what I was saying because one of his goals was to SUCK the United States into an endless war that would totally drain our economy – and, withdrawing the troops when I proposed doing so (actually, I opposed Iraq prior to any troops going in) would have TOTALLY foiled bin Laden’s plan.  The difference from people like me calling for the withdrawal of our troops and what the republicans of today are doing is that they are stereotyping Muslims in an attempt to spread HATE while I objected to an illegal war of choice – IN THE LONG RUN, based on this republican attack on the community center – we are going to have to answer for all the HATE mongering against Muslims – who are by a HUGE MAJORITY – a very honorable and peaceful people.  The American public needs to somehow be educated on why there are now so many young Muslims ready to commit suicide in order to attack the United States.  The republicans, from the day Bush/Cheney lied us into Iraq have been giving Muslims more and more reasons to HATE America, and now they’ve (republicans) actually increased the antagonism over this “community center!”  Let me put it another way, the republicans have been the best recruiting tool ever for bin Laden and Muslim terrorist orgnizations.  And, I haven’t even discussed what a terrible attack on our 1st amendment of the constitution this anti “Mosque” propaganda is, which seemingly is also going unnoticed in many “Fox” circles.

Here’s the reality of life in America right now – if you disband the shell game and focus on the “stuff” that really matters.  We are in the middle of the “Great Recession” which still could slide into the second ……… you know what (I don’t want to say it :o).  Our congress – both republican and democrat – should be instigating New Deal type job creation legislation to get the MILLIONS of Americans who want work to be going back to work – ASAP!  We have an energy crisis which was originally addressed by the president everyone seems to love to hate – Jimmy Carter – way back in the seventies.  He instigated CAFE standards which, if allowed to stand, would have gone a long way toward reducing our dependency on foreign (Saudi) oil by today.  He placed solar panels on the White House in an attempt to influence the country toward a “green” energy future – back in the SEVENTIES – and was ridiculed by Rongald Reagan who, soon after entering the White House, had the solar panels removed.  Instead of still listening to these obstructionist republicans, we should be focusing our national will on reducing our need for imported oil and creating a “green” energy policy which will lead to a rebirth of manufacturing jobs in America.

Reagan led the assault on our economy with his “Voodoo Economic” plan – which the republicans are still pushing to this day.  This “plan” jump started the HUGE deficits and set the stage for the “false economy” which we’ve been living on – bubble after bubble – in America since.  Reagan pioneered the era of union busting led by the republican party which has reduced the number of union jobs in America to less than 10% from something approaching 40% when he took office.  If you look at the “real wages” statistics since Reagan entered the White House, the blue collar, middle class workers in America have taken it on the “chin” for the past 30 years.  Republicans complain about democrats wanting to “redistribute” the wealth – but they’ve done exactly that over the 30 years since Reagan’s inauguration – only the money has “trickled” to the top one percent of the wage earners in this country instead of “down” as was promised.  CEO earnings have skyrocketed from 25 times that of their employees to something approaching 300 times that of their employees.  Everyone is aware of the OBSCENE bonuses Wall Street bankers earn by gambling money put in investment pools by everyday workers and showing not the slightest remorse when they’ve virtually ruined the retirment accouts of MILLIONS of hard working Americans – THEY STILL GIVE THEMSELVES THE BONUSES!  Instead of focusing on “Mosques” our national leadership – republicans and democrats – should be focusing on how to get more wealth into the hands of the hardworking middle class in this country – that is what will make this nation healthy again – at least economically.

Republicans are talking about Mosques or gay marriage while the two occupations they started continue to go on and on and on and …….. well, you get the point.  Let me be clear here.  First, despite President Obama’s pronouncements to the contrary, all of our “combat troops” are not home from Iraq.  Somehow, Obama and his advisors have found a way to describe the 50,000 troops still in Iraq as “non combat.” (Shame on them and shame on Randi Rhodes for buying into their propaganda – let’s call it republican-lite) What are they (the non-combat troops) doing there then?  Certainly, the Iraqi troops should be trained by now if they’re ever going to be trained – shouldn’t they?  This is what we – and our congress – should be talking about – and, that is getting ALL our troops HOME from these two failed fiascos!  Clearly, the “writing is on the wall” that Obama is trying to figure a way to keep our troops in Iraq while being able to say they’re not there.  Is anyone besides me seeing the “contractor” red flags going up BIG TIME?  And, I’m starting to think that maybe we’ll be out of Afganistan in my lifetime, if I live another 20 years!

America’s inner cities are falling apart at the seems.  The unemployment rate for Blacks in this country is depressing – something like 3 to 4 times worse than the national average of almost 10%.  Do we hear any kind of dialogue coming out of Washington DC over the plight of those in the Black community?  Hell no – we’re hearing a bunch of bunk over a COMMUNITY CENTER that should be totally non-controversial.  What is it going to take to get the attention of our president and the democratic congress on this one?  Are we going to wait for our inner cities to erupt again like in the 60’s and 70’s before we do something?  Why are the democrats allowing these republicans to control the debate?  When is someone going to stand tall and take these obstructionist republicans on straight up?  Unfortunately, I believe the person who has to do this is President Obama, and I’m not seeing any signs that he’s up to the task.

I just finished reading “Ghost Wars” by Steve Coll and I’ve started “Freefall” by Joseph Stiglitz and both books seem quite informative and neither book is an encouragement to me about the decisions of Barack Obama.  Yes, he’s a darned sight better than the present day republicans, but – in my mind – he’s also the reason we’re even having this debate.  I mean, how can it even be possible that the voting public would be considering putting the republicans who’ve been fleecing them for 30 years back into power?  Here’s how – as stated above, we’re (America) under attack from within – and, the attack is coming from the corporate elite which is represented by the republican party.  Unfortunately, “we the people” must rely on the democratic party to stem this “tide.”  And, I continue to wonder whether or not they even recognize the severity of the situation or are they in cahoots?  We know that the corporate money is going to BOTH parties – and the only conclusion I can come to at this point is that the democrats have taken too much of that corporate money to fight back – or, they just don’t have the guts for the battle.  John Dean nailed it when he called the republicans “conservatives without conscience!”  The democrats need to understand that when drawing the “battle lines” or the “war” is lost already!  (I’ve just started the Stiglitz book, but he agrees with me (indirectly) that President Obama’s refusal to investigate the Bush/Cheney administration was a BLUNDER of MAJOR magnitude – in my mind a “game changer.”)

One last thing – I never seem to include ideas about what can be done about all this if you agree with me.  Today, I’ve included links to a couple very good articles from the NY Times.  If you feel the urge, email the address to this page to others – the farther we can carry this discussion the better in my mind.  When I started this writing I never expected anyone to find the site.  That being said, it seems that there are a few hundred who have done just that.  If more people are speaking out and reaching more people – well, who knows what might happen?