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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I’ve waited a few days after the election, which ended up following the general polling, to attempt to put my thoughts to paper.  I have to say that the emotions I’m presently feeling in regards to American politics reminds me of the day Ronald Reagan was elected president back in 1980.  In fact, I’m pretty much feeling as if the “force” that brought Reagan to power is not going away any time soon.  I’m coming to the conclusion that it will take something along the lines of another Depression to wake up those Americans who’ve evidently “bought in” to “trickle down economics,” “climate denial,” and – maybe worst of all – denial of Dwight Eisenhower’s warning against the “military industrial complex.”  I’ve written ad nauseum about the importance of “un-electing” the present day republicans, but this past election pointed out very clearly that the problem with that is the present day democrats!  It’s as if the democrats are actually watching Fox “news” and scurrying around trying to figure out how to “outsmart” their pundits.  OMG – this is all very depressing!

Just a little reminder: The republican goal is what Karl Rove calls the “permanent republican majority.”  They thought they had achieved this with the election of GW Bush (I should say the appointment – by the [less than] Supreme Court) and Dick Cheney – but, Bush was such a bumbler that their plan was (temporarily) foiled.  However, the forces behind Bush/Cheney weren’t going to allow two failed wars and a “Great Recession” to stop them.  They have a stranglehold on the court system, now they have both houses of Congress, and if you’ve been paying any attention at all they’ve been focused on defeating Hillary Clinton (the supposed Democratic nominee for president in 2016) for at least two years now! (The sad reality, at least by my predictions for the past 4 years, is they will attempt to do this with another Bush! Yuck!)  If they succeed again, the result is likely to be the same – although, for people my age (approaching 70) we may not be able to endure this long enough to see a return to true “bottom up” progressive government before we “check out” – because the list of republican presidential “hopefuls” is like a who’s who list of right wing wacko’s who could make GW Bush appear to be an intellectual.  (which is exactly why I’ve been predicting another Bush)  In addition to the three branches of government, they also have a stranglehold on the “message” that proliferates on our 24/7 Cable network empire – the so-called (and miss-named) “liberal media.”

And, it’s the control of the media’s message in combination with the Citizens United unleashing of corporate mega-spending on elections which gives the republicans a great chance to gain a stranglehold on the very government they claim to despise – for the foreseeable future.  Let me give you a quick example of what “progressives” are up against.  Supposedly, MSNBC is the “liberal counterweight” to Fox “news.”  All I can think of is “with friends like this, who needs enemies.”  I’ve written before several times about Chris Matthews, former speech writer for Jimmy Carter and the largest MOUTH on MSNBC (who should know better), and he, along with Chuck Todd (who’s now the moderator of “Meet the Press”), the political “head” of MSNBC, make me shudder at the thought that “we the people” are depending on people like this to make a fair representation of what’s going on in America.  Now, Allison Lundergan Grimes probably was never going to unseat Mitch McConnell for Kentucky’s Senate seat that was up for election.  However, because Ms. Grimes refused to disclose who she voted for in the previous two presidential elections Matthews attacked her credibility and Todd actually allowed himself to be part of a Mitch McConnell add where he claimed her refusal to do this “disqualified her.”  I get angry every time I think of what these two nimwhits are doing!

Without getting into the absurdity of their position any more than to say that NO ONE should be asked who they voted for – Lundergan Grimes was absolutely correct – the vote SHOULD BE a private matter!  However, compare her refusal to disclose she (probably) voted for President Obama with the deeds of Mitch McConnell.  The man has shown himself to be a racist OVER AND OVER, he’s spent 6 YEARS putting the destruction of a sitting United States president ahead of the needs of “we the people,” he’s a puppet for large corporate donors, plus he was the driving force behind the Citizens United decision.  And, he hasn’t been shy about any of this! Of course, it would be too much to expect from “experts” like Matthews and Todd to call McConnell’s actions “disqualifying.”  Honestly, that’s a lot of what is so depressing about what “we the people” are facing.  People like Matthews and Todd being put in places of supposed “expertise” and then allowing themselves to be used by the right wing puppeteers in an almost more disgusting way than the minions on Fox.  At least on Fox, you don’t have to be very sophisticated to understand their message –  they are GOP TV.  The damage being done by people like Matthews and Todd is much more “under the radar.”  I have no idea how many “progressive” Kentuckians saw the McConnell add with Todd (the liberal) claiming that Lundergan Grimes was “disqualified” and then either didn’t vote or voted against her – but, when supposed journalists are stooping to that level, we’ve got BIG PROBLEMS in America!

And, then there’s the democratic party itself.  Now, I’ve stated on this site numerous times my objections with President Obama, but I’ve also said he’s so much BETTER than the alternative.  And, the claim he’s some kind of socialist (I wish he was more-so) is absurd.  (although you’ll never hear that unless you delve into the internet “news” sources)  The democrats “ran away” from the leader of their party during this entire election – which was unbelievable to me.  And, I’m guessing they’ll fall in line with the likes of Rush Limbaugh, McConnell, John Boehner, and the rest of the republicans in blaming the defeats on the president.  Just writing this increases my level of political depression. I must have received THOUSANDS of emails asking for money during the election period – with virtually NONE representing anything positive – it was almost all “beware of the Koch brothers.”  What ticked me off the most about that is when people like me were warning democrats to beware of the “Koch Brothers” and also warning about “Citizens United” the democrats weren’t listening.  It’s almost as if situations have to be at the crisis stage before it gets their attention.  There were MANY positive achievements for democrats to run on, but they chose to disassociate themselves from the president, and by extension, from their own actions.  Truly, this is not my recommended way to succeed in the American political process.

The greatest irony of this election, to me, was watching the democrats abandon the first African American President and then find themselves PANDERING to the African American community in a last ditch effort to pull “victory from the jaws of defeat.”  That, in itself, was so disgusting to me.  Is it any wonder that the African American community in America must feel totally isolated.  I’m talking about the people who live in places like Ferguson Missouri, where Michael Brown was brutally murdered by police, or Florida where the killer of Trayvon Martin was allowed to go free using an ALEC written “stand your ground” law as his excuse, or all the places in America where African American unemployment figures are depressingly elevated and they are profiled by police, and I could go on.  Additionally, if it’s offending to me to see/hear/listen to continual racist “code” regarding President Obama – with little backlash from the White community – imagine how that must turn off African Americans from the political process.  I can tell you this, democrats had better do more than TALK about the racial divide in this country if they want African Americans to continue to support them at the polls.

There’s no where to turn for those of us who would like to avoid the calamity that is assured (like in, “it’s just a matter of time”) with an extended dose of “republicanism,” “privatization,” and “trickle down” economics.  It’s like, to me, the American people have already FORGOTTEN the Bush/Cheney fiasco’s of the “new millennium.”  (As the theory goes:  Those who ignore history are bound to repeat it!)  And, on that note, I’m reading (another) book about the New Deal and the Great Depression.  The time preceding the “crash” of 1929 and the general political environment of the years leading up to it is eerily similar to what we’re experiencing today. Corporate GREED brought America to its knees back then and it will do so again, if we allow it.  (which appears probable at this point in time)  I won’t belabor the point, but President Obama’s greatest failure was letting those who caused the “Great Recession” – including Bush/Cheney et al – to go “Scott free.”  The lesson: evidently we’ll have to experience the “real deal” before the American public gets the idea that “trickle down” really means “trickle up.”

One thing I thought about the other day was that the “faces” I looked at as I watched many of the republican acceptance speeches looked as if the Reagan nightmare (they call it a revolution) is still alive and well in America.  Many of the people standing with the candidates appeared to be what I would refer to as 40 somethings.  These would be people who “came of age” during the Reagan years and have been enjoying the BENEFITS of the “New Deal” and the progressives who followed (Eisenhower, Kennedy, and LBJ), but have been brainwashed to believe (and I believe their belief is “real”) that government is the problem.  They have been convinced that private business can do EVERYTHING better!  So, now we have private prisons, they’re pushing for more private schools (with censored textbooks – as a retired teacher, I shudder), private armies (Blackwater – which had to relocate over seas to avoid legal ramifications to their misbehavior), and more plus a plan for elimination of government agencies which oversee private business and the environment.

I’ll end this by saying, what I’ve heard coming from the mouths of the victorious republicans is they are going to continue their efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and they are going to pass a bill allowing the Keystone XL Pipeline.  I guess we’re going to see if there are any democrats with some spine – and, they had better figure out how to work with our Black President – or the republicans will have their way.  Maybe with a little support from his own party President Obama will sharpen his “veto pen.”  That is the last hope for those of us who wish to see this assault on our nation by the right wing of the republican party stopped.  I stated this several years ago on this site – this is a WAR for the heart and soul of America – and, from my point of view, the democrats still haven’t figure this out.  (The Keystone XL Pipeline could be a disaster that is difficult to overcome if it’s allowed to happen – and, if you don’t think it’s HIGH on the republican “to do” list – just keep in mind that the infamous Koch Brothers are major players in bringing this DIRTY Tar Sands oil to their refineries – they’ll get the profits, “we the people” will have to clean up the mess)

After posting this I saw a snippet from “The Daily Show” which puts my thoughts about the stupidity of the democrats MUCH better than I can – click here if you ‘d like to see it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I recently finished “The Price of Inequality” by Joseph Stiglitz and was thinking of a way to write about it, it’s a great book (highly recommended), when I started “Bending Toward Justice, The Voting Rights Act and the Transformation of American Democracy” by Gary May.  I’m only about 40% finished with this book (I keep a stack of books next to my bed to read each evening) and it, too, falls into the highly recommended category.  In fact, based on news I’m reading and hearing the past few days, this is the book I need to refer to regarding my next post. (this one)

Reading about the reality of what Black Civil Rights leaders (and their supporters) went through to get the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and what voting was like prior to that makes me even ANGRIER when I think of what the Roberts Court (the United States Supreme Court – often times referred to as SCOTUS) is doing to America.  Fifty years from now it will be the Supreme Court that will be remembered as a key component of the assault on America’s foundation – whether the right wing republicans succeed in their “permanent republicnan ‘majority'” or not.

First they decided the Citizens United v Federal Election Commission in the favor of corporate interests while dissembling something on the nature of 100 years of campaign finance reform.  This from Justices Roberts and Alito who claimed they were adamantly opposed to “judicial activism” as they went through the confirmation process.  (Does that mean they’re liars?) In this case, notoriously referred to by Mitt Romney when he said “Corporations are people, my friend,” the court opened the floodgates to unlimited spending on America’s political campaigns – with the so-called “dark money” coming from “non-profit” “Super PACS” that can funnel unlimited funds into political races with no accountability (regarding where the funding originates) whatsoever!  We the people won’t even know how much FOREIGN money is used to buy our politicians.  (Alito – either foolishly or naively – shook his head as if to say “no” when President Obama breached the subject of the foreign money POURING into our elections during his the State of the Union address which followed this judicial travesty)

Largely as a result of this decision (and there’s been another almost as bad since, McCutcheon v Federal Elections Commission) we can expect a never ending blast of negative (and mostly fictitious) surreptitious TV adds during election campaigns.  We can expect never ending political campaigns (for example, this “mid term” election seems to have been ongoing since the last presidential election).  And, worst of all, we can expect even more corruption in our political process – if that is even possible.  These two decisions, in themselves, point out the EXTREME importance of NEVER again voting in a republican as president!  These judges are in for LIFE – that means my daughters may have to spend their entire adult lives living under the Roberts Court!  Right now, America’s “right wing” is represented by a 5 to 4 majority on the court and, if they get one more, the disaster could be worse.  These five judges will someday be remembered in the history books for the damage they are doing to our nation!

While the two aforementioned decisions are disasters, there’s another one that falls in the same category and could possibly end up being worse.  Last year (2013) the court “gutted” the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (passed in 1965 and extended by Congress several times since, the last time being in 2006, for 25 years) by eliminating section 4 and eviscerating section 5.  If interested in what that means, look it up – it’s real clear what their motivation is.  I’ll get into more of my thoughts on this shortly, but as I’m reading May’s book on the Voting Rights Act, it’s almost depressing to think what this court is doing to the country I love.  It’s as if the extreme fringe “right” that’s got control of the republican party is working in unison with the Supreme Court to (they say they want to “take our country back”) take this country back to the days of the Robber Barons!  And, the American public is passively allowing this to happen simply because most members of our society have no idea it is happening!  (a significant group of my peers – I’m a retired school teacher and have many friends who are “educated” – haven’t even heard of Citizens United – or if they have, they have no idea of what it is)  This last REALITY is further indictment on our so-called “liberal media.” (I’ve written extensively about that recently if you’re interested)

Thousands of American (mostly African Americans) were BRUTALLY beaten, abused, and with many of them giving their lives to the civil rights movement of the 1960’s – which included the final MAIN push for VOTING RIGHTS in Selma Alabama in 1965.  There were many members of the Black leadership community which most of us have never heard about who showed courage above and beyond what we see in this nation today.  Martin Luther King Jr. was the “point man” that most of us have learned about – and, I was aware of John Lewis (today a member of the House of Representatives) and Andrew Young (and some of the others mentioned in May’s book), but there were so many we’ll NEVER know about who stood up and risked (or gave) their lives to push this nation into giving the right of citizenship (voting) to EVERY American!  And, now – 50 years later – we have a Supreme Court which is very subtly “turning back the clock” so that MANY will be disenfranchised.

The arguments coming from the Court and their supporters kind of remind me of the support for the “high stakes” testing that resulted from the “No Child Left Behind” Act – during the first part of the GW Bush administration. (Ironically – or should I say coincidentally – it was GW who nominated [and managed to get confirmed] Alito and Roberts)  The argument was that the Latino (and other “minority”) students I was teaching (6th grade) should be able to pass the test written by WASP’s (White Angle Saxon Protestants) in order to be considered “proficient” in school.  Of course, the language in the tests was (is) totally unfamiliar to the students.  In other words, the tests aren’t set up to measure skills as much as measuring vocabulary, and they favor White Students from stable families.  From the day “No Child Left Behind” was enacted I believed the REAL purpose in the legislation was to enable privatizing of our school system.  The other thought occurring to me is that there are “leaders” in the republican party trying to create a permanent under class of citizens.

In the instance of the (now) gutted Voting Rights Act – the new voter ID laws – which the court is also endorsing – designed to prevent “voter fraud” according to their proponents (that’s the “rationale” behind them – and, I should have said “non-existent voter fraud, based on the published studies) – will disenfranchise MILLIONS of Americans (mostly poor, elderly, young, or minority voters).  And, if there is “voter fraud” it’s not something that “ID laws” would address anyway – making the Court’s motivation even more transparent.  (disenfranchising voters – most of whom would tend to vote democratic) The voter fraud which does occur is MOSTLY votes that are made through the mail.  The Court, in its decision, not only took away the protections granted in Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, but they made it more difficult to challenge the future attempts to disenfranchise voters (forcing challenges to be made via Section 2 which has been described as “costly and time consuming”)  So, in my view, the REAL reason behind this Court decision is to ENABLE the disenfranchisement that is the purpose of all the “Voter ID” laws that, curiously, sprang up within days of this terrible decision.  (Do you think it was coincidence that numerous republican secretaries of state were ready to file voter suppression laws almost the next day after this decision?  Me, I’m a bit suspicious!)

Unfortunately, this brings me back to the place I ALWAYS seem to end up.  When I try to understand why certain things are “happening” in America – that seem so WRONG – it always seems to return to what Karl Rove once termed “the permanent republican ‘majority.'”  These Court decisions make it clear that the SCOTUS is FIRMLY on board with Rove’s (and his associates) intentions.  And, the reality that MOST Americans have no idea what’s going on “behind the scenes” in their own country, tells me our “liberal media” is either consciously or unwittingly supporting the plan.  (I hope it’s the latter, I fear it’s the former)

I’ll spell it out ONE MORE TIME.  The right wing fringe of the republican party NOW has control of the Court(s) – not just the Supreme Court; there’s been a court “stacking” “plan” since the days of Ronald Reagan.  They have control of the House – with, thanks to a well thought out scheme to control “local politics,” congressional districts that have been “gerrymandered” to almost ensure republicans retain control of the House indefinitely (In the 2012 election well over 50% of Americans voted for democratic House candidates, while republicans won a significant majority of the seats – it doesn’t take a math genius to figure this one out).  Republicans are close to gaining a majority in the Senate (and, I for one, don’t believe the democrats have the “stones” to filibuster the republican agenda as the republicans have done during Obama’s 6 years to the democratic agenda) and our “liberal media” is controlled by something like 9 right wing corporations!  Are you getting the point?  If republicans can fool the American public into voting for a republican presidential candidate in 2016 the “nail” will be driven into the “coffin” of progressive Americans for the foreseeable future.  The Citizens United decision will allow unlimited funding of the propaganda “machine” that’s gotten us to this point and should Rove, the Koch’s, and their brethren succeed, it will be a tough “hill to climb” to reverse their course.

Of course, what republicans in control will lead to will very likely be another economic disaster along the lines of the “Great Recession” or Depression.  Maybe that’s what it’s going to take to “wake up” America’s working class public.  Honestly, how working Americans can vote for republicans who are so indebted to the so-called 1% is beyond me.  As flawed as the democrats are, they are WAY closer to an agenda that is aimed at the middle class of America.  This idea that funneling more wealth UPWARD to the elite “1%” is so absurd that you have to give the right wingers credit for managing to “snow-job” the American public for most of the past 35 years.  How can this happen?  Well, I just believe that “we the people” are simply no match for the sophistication of the corporate interests who are buying our politicians.

Is there hope?  Well, as of October 2014 there is still a bit of hope.  Maybe voters in America will fail to give the republicans part FOUR of their scam (the US Senate) in the 2014 mid-term elections – that, by all accounts at this point is very much “up in the air.”  And, it’s hard for me to imagine one of the possible republican candidates for president actually winning in 2016 – but, it appears that the democrats will be running another Clinton.  Wouldn’t that just “beat all” if the 2016 presidential race was Clinton v Bush?  If that wouldn’t let you know how utterly despondent this nation has become, I don’t know what would.  Of course, I believe what we need is a true STRONG LIBERAL as our president and a public willing to first – vote republicans out of congress and second – vote the corporate democrats out of congress – replacing them with people who believe in the “bottom up” approach to government which drove the “New Deal” of FDR, Eisenhower and the Interstate Hi-way “push,” LBJ and the “Great Society,” and built the greatest middle class in the history of the world.  It really is UP TO US – “we the people” – because expecting the present day politicians to “fix” our government is like expecting the fox to fix the hen house!  Unfortunately, due to the SCOTUS, stopping this republican onslaught will get progressively more difficult the longer we allow it to “hang around.”

I was talking to one of my republican friends yesterday and one thing we could agree on was that it appears the American public is ill informed.  (The word we used was more harsh but essentially means the same thing)  I chose to end the discussion right there because my friend, along with most of the others I know who believe in Christianity and vote for republicans, tend to get their “news” from Fox.  At this point, most will deny this, but when you listen to “conservatives” talk it’s obvious they’re either watching Fox or getting their “information” from some affiliate.  What I’ve learned over the years is that there must be some kind of central info center where ALL republican pundits are programmed for the day.  That’s why you can listen to a variety of pundits on a variety of outlets and hear the same key (code) words repeated OVER and OVER again.  For some reason, neither my friends, nor the so-called “liberal media” (if you’ve been on this site much, you know why I put quotes around “liberal media”) seem to be aware of the republican propaganda scheme.

A few years ago I read a book titled “The Family” by (I think) Jeff Sharlott which retells his experience gained from infiltrating the group known amongst themselves as the “Family” and who, at the time, I had heard referred to as the “C” Street politicians in our nation’s capital.  Of course, since then I’ve heard little about this group, but it’s clear to me that they are behind much of what is “happening” with the push to the “right” in American politics.  How does this relate to the republican propaganda scheme mentioned above?  Well, the “Family” adopted the philosophy of dictators and tyrants as they interpreted (actually I should say interpret – because, just because our media is ignoring them doesn’t mean they aren’t still involved – in fact, I’m sure the now infamous Koch brothers are part of this “network”) the Bible in a way that allows them to also be devotees of Ayn Rand.  That is, the powerful and wealthy should rule the rest of us.  Another term for (at least) some of those involved in this movement is “dominionists.”  As part of their political strategy to impose their beliefs on American society this group adopted strategies of the Third Reich.  Most notably, the “Big Lie Theory” of Joseph Goebbels, the chief Nazi propagandist.  I am continually amazed that our “liberal media” fails to acknowledge this.

The “Big Lie Theory” states that if you tell a lie over and over again people will begin to believe it’s true.  Again, I’ve written many times about this, but if you haven’t read any of those posts I think you still can get the “drift” here.  If not, just tune into several different sources of “right wing” “information” and you’ll quickly understand what I’m pointing out.  You’ll hear the SAME key words OVER and OVER again – their veracity is irrelevant.  Before the day President Obama was inaugurated for his first term as president the republicans were on record as saying they would BLOCK anything he attempted to accomplish – their plan was to make him a “one term president” in the words of Mich McConnell.  As Rush Limbaugh said, “I want the president to FAIL”  (If you’re from Kentucky and you vote for McConnell – shame on you!)

Unfortunately, the part of our media that’s not controlled by Fox (if that part exists) have either participated in this “strategy” (the stated objective is that Obama would “FAIL”) or have chosen to ignore it.  I’ve stated many times on this site that, despite the FACT I want president Obama to succeed there are many areas I have of disagreement with his decisions.  However, attempting to facilitate his failure is UN AMERICAN to me and why I’m trying to get as many people as I can to vote out ALL republicans.  Attempting to make sure the president fails is a strategy that is likely to lead to the “failure” of our nation – in fact, every day we’re seeing more evidence of that.  I really don’t see why more members of media outlets like MSNBC can’t see that.  Why aren’t they exposing the republicans using a Nazi propaganda scheme as their main strategy?  Why are they failing to remind the American public that one party is TOTALLY focused on our President’s failure instead of our country’s success? (this can be easily documented)  Why can’t they see that a significant portion of leading republicans are disgusted that there’s a Black family in the “White House?”

In my mind, it’s obvious that the republican strategy is working – and, not because it’s a good strategy – but, because there’s no one with a significant enough “platform” out there exposing the reality of what they’re doing.  Just yesterday I read the results of a Washington Post poll that focused on the president’s “approval ratings” and how Americans feel about other issues.  I won’t go into detail here, but what was obvious as I read the results of the poll was that the constant “BLAMING” President Obama for EVERYTHING and OPPOSING anything he is for is working for republicans – despite the poll implying that the issues Obama is fighting for have a significant majority of Americans favoring them while, at the same time, having an unfavorable opinion of the president.  For example, Obama had an unfavorable rating in his dealing with the economy, yet people have a more favorable trust in democrats regarding the economy (ie issues like “minimum wage” which Obama is “pushing” and most Americans support).  This one really points out how successful the republican propaganda scheme has been – the respondents to the poll feel more trust in republicans regarding the deficit than democrats – and Obama.  That, despite the reality that since the election of Ronald Reagan republicans have caused HUGE increases in the deficit and both Bill Clinton AND Barack Obama have seen significant reductions during their terms.  In fact, despite the FACT the deficit has come down SIGNIFICANTLY since Obama was elected – you wouldn’t know that to talk to my republican friends or listen to the media that’s controlled by right wing corporations.  (that’s our “liberal media”)  In a different poll I read, a significant majority of Americans favored “The Affordable Care Act” while – in the same poll – a majority opposed “Obamacare.”  If you don’t get the irony there – well, do a little research!

So, now all of this BASHING of our president and trying to make sure he FAILS is “coming home to roost.”  There’s the issue with ISIL and now the one that republicans have at the forefront of their FEAR (and propaganda) machine: Ebola.  Of course, the republican BLAME GAME is already in high gear and they will find all sorts of creative ways to BLAME President Obama for BOTH of these issues.  In fact, I’ll be surprised if Scott Brown (or another republican minion with a similar lack of character) doesn’t come up with an add blaming President Obama for members of ISIL infiltrating our borders while infected with Ebola and going around spitting on people!  Actually, Brown is capable of coming up with something even more outrageous than that – because, he’s firmly in the control of the Koch’s and Karl Rove.  (and, there’s a plethora of republican candidates who fall into the same category – a woman In Iowa [I can’t remember her name] running for the Senate comes to mind – she has actually personally thanked the Koch’s for making her campaign possible)  Despite all the venom that will be forthcoming, the REALITY is that the dysfunction in our nation which has been imposed on ALL of us by a republican congress willing to ruin our country in order to ruin our president is where the BLAME lies.

Let’s take Ebola for example.  That’s a health care emergency.  It’s a REAL emergency!  So, what should we expect from the republicans and the media that supports them?  I’m guessing, for starters, we’ll need to fire some people – maybe people at the CDC (Center for Disease Control) or the NIH (National Institutes of Health).  Calling for the firing of people in those places might, after all, take the focus off of the FACT that our Congress has been UNDERFUNDING both agencies for the past 10 YEARS! (at least)  I believe the underfunding of the NIH is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5+ BILLION dollars!  Actually, these are the CUTS that have been imposed!  We can’t cut our military and republicans (who gave us the deficit with the so-called Bush tax cuts and two wars put on a “credit card”) had to find a way to show they are “deficit hawks”  – so cutting from medical research and medical facilities must have seemed a good idea to them.  If you’re old enough to read this post you know that republicans fought “tooth and nail” to prevent the “Affordable Care Act” (ACA) and since its passage have voted in excess of FIFTY times to repeal it – so, you should be able to make the inference of why America is the ONLY “advanced” society in the world without national health care.  Republican opposition to this has been ongoing since I started paying attention – which was when Dwight Eisenhower (who favored national health insurance) was president.

I’m not sure if any in our “liberal media” will point out that President Obama, at the urging of those at the CDC, made a significant commitment to send American aid to Western Africa in an attempt to help the countries facing the Ebola crisis head on get the epidemic under control.  I KNOW they won’t report that David Vitter (republican senator from Louisiana – known for his rendezvous’ with prostitutes) was BLOCKING (they BLOCK everything, don’t they) the aid package supposedly because the aid was going to Africa!  I watched parts of Rachel Maddow’s show on MSNBC last night and she reported that there are a TOTAL of NINE beds in the ENTIRE United States that are set up to handle diseases such as Ebola! NINE! That’s it!  There were over 70 health care workers at the hospital in Dallas who were exposed to the Ebola patient who died in a setting where the precautions were less than ideal.  So far, two nurses have come down with symptoms of Ebola and officials are expecting more to show symptoms in the next couple of weeks.  (Personally, I’m praying that no more will become sick)  Here’s what I’m now wondering:  Is our republican led House of Representatives capable of taking a break from BLAMING President Obama for everything and actually coming back to Washington DC to appropriate the funding necessary to give the health care professionals the resources necessary to contain this epidemic?

One thing I’m certain they won’t fix is the issue with so many Americans’ without health insurance.  It’s long been the republican position that all Americans can have health care because Emergency rooms are required to provide care for anyone who shows up at their doors.  Of course, the reality is that many of those who don’t have health insurance won’t go to an emergency room until they are deathly sick because they can’t afford to pay the high costs.  (My last visit to an emergency room lasted 4 hours and the bill was $5300 – and, that was 10 years ago!)  For a person who has Ebola that is not only a death sentence for them, but likely the way this virus will become (if it does) an epidemic in America.  And, of course, should that happen we’ll have to listen to a plethora of right wing castigation of our president (and, who knows who else).  What we do know is that the republicans who’ve been preventing national heath insurance for all will not take any of the blame themselves.  They won’t look inward regarding the budget cuts to the CDC and NIH and, unfortunately, I believe our “liberal media” will let them get away with it.  (I’ve recently written a couple critical posts regarding Chris Matthews of MSNBC regarding his “knee jerk” reaction to “crises” with that instinct to immediately lay BLAME.  And, like his cohorts at Fox, he generally looks right at the Black Man in the White House.  He did this with the VA health issues and the Secret Service boo boos – I hope I’m wrong, but I expect the same here – and, he’s supposedly on the “liberal” cable outlet)

Just to give one more example of how preposterous American politics has become (and, how this is making us ALL “less safe”) I’ll give one more example:  A couple of days ago I saw snippets of the “debate” in the campaign for the US Senate in Kentucky between Mitch McConnell – the present minority “leader” in the Senate – the chief republican “blocker” and “blamer” – and his challenger, Allison Lundergan Grimes.  During this debate Grimes refused to divulge who she voted for president in the last two elections (obviously it was president Obama – but, she didn’t want to give her opponent a “sound bite” he could [would] twist into an negative add in a state where our president is unpopular).  Her opponent, McConnell, was asked about “Obamacare” – whether he would work to repeal it? (despite it’s success in Kentucky with 500,000 Kentuckians signed up on the “Kynect” website and now having health insurance)  His answer was classical absurd political BS – he would repeal “Obamacare” – but, keeping the website was “fine” with him.  (of course, the website wouldn’t be fine with the 500,000 Kentuckians that now have health insurance if “Obamacare” was repealed)  Honestly, I recently retired as a 6th grade teacher – I would expect a higher level of thought from my 6th grade students!  Relating this back to the Ebola epidemic – McConnell is OK with TEN MILLION + more Americans without health insurance (that’s what would happen if the ACA is repealed) which clearly would make the spread of viruses like Ebola more likely because there is NOTHING more important to him than President Obama’s “failure.”  Despite the reality that the concept behind the ACA originated in a “conservative” think tank – the Heritage Institute, evidently, the republicans fear the legacy the ACA will leave for the president will be positive.

Back to our “liberal media.”  I’ll bet you’ll never guess how the two examples of the McConnell/Grimes debate was interpreted by our “liberal media.”  I’m going to take the “accepted” definition here and agree that MSNBC is more “liberal” than Fox and all of its surrogates.  So, Chuck Todd – the top political “analyst” for NBC – I don’t watch it but I’ve heard he’s the new moderator of “Meet the Press” – which, to me would require a person to have some level of responsibility – Todd interpreted Grimes refusal to give her opponent a “sound bite” that would “connect” her to President Obama as “disqualifying.”  So, McConnell ended up with a much better “sound bite” because he simply took Todd’s remark, implied that Todd is an “expert,” (of course, I would disagree wholeheartedly with that assumption) and made the negative add Grimes was attempting to avoid giving him.  And, I have to admit that these media outlets are making me sick to my stomach to the point where I simply can’t bear to watch more than small amounts – but, I didn’t hear any remarks from Todd regarding McConnell’s ABSURD remark regarding being “fine with leaving up the website” but repealing the ACA as “disqualifying.”  Really, to me, there’s no comparison between the two and I just have to shake my head that someone in the position of Todd could come to the conclusion he did.  I honestly believe that Chuck Todd should be FIRED for being STUPID!  However, in America he’s a political “adviser.”  Go figure!

I started this post with a reference to a conversation I had with a “conservative” friend of mine yesterday.  Being more transparent, the agreement we had is that the American voting public is stupid – I’m sure he looks at this issue from a totally different perspective than I do.  But, the reality is that America’s voters are either going to vote back control of Congress to republicans or nearly do so.  That’s despite the FACT republicans have spent the past 6 years ATTACKING and OPPOSING everything our BLACK President does or proposes.  Many still believe he’s not a citizen and telling the truth means nothing to them – hence the strategy based on Goebbels’ big lie theory – “The end justifies the means” – so, we the people get constant rabble about Obama’s birth certificate, his name, and on and on and on.  We’re facing a serious health crisis with a CDC and NIH that have had their budgets severely cut by republicans in Congress who also are doing everything they can to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  (the Ebola Crisis started in a state that refused to participate in the ACA – which could conceivably make curbing the virus more difficult)  Additionally, republicans are unbelievably BLAMING President Obama for the ISIL crisis, when it was their “leaders” in 2002-2003 (Bush/Cheney et al) who created the mess in Iraq which spawned ISIL  in the first place and their present “leaders” (McCain and Graham) who urged the Saudi’s to fund ISIL in another misguided attempt to “control” (in this case Syria) the Middle East.  Here’s how it works:  They (republicans) create the mess, they blame it on President Obama, and they leave Obama to clean it up (all the while opposing everything he wants to do).  As they say, “Only in America.”  The worst part to me, is – thanks to our “liberal media” – the American public is on the verge of voting the very people who have created the mess we’re in back into power.  I really don’t get it!

Update: No sooner had I posted this message than I got into my car to run an errand and my XM radio was tuned to “The Ed Schultz Show” on MSNBC.  What did I hear?  But, Ed Schultz, a supposed liberal, blasting Allison Lundergan Grimes for, you guessed it, refusing to say who she voted for.  He implied that democrats pulled their support for her because of this.  All I can say is “how stupid is this going to get” – and, I’m not talking about Ms. Grimes.  I continually rant against republicans – but, obviously, the problem in America is that the other choice is the democrats!  Earth to Ed Schultz, Chuck Todd, and anyone else reading this – there’s a good reason why Ms. Grimes wanted to maintain her privacy (maybe that really is a major democratic issue) and, I don’t understand why you’re thoughtlessly attempting to help Mitch McConnell! He’s the poster boy of what’s wrong in America!   Seriously, get a clue!

I’m presently reading “The Price of Inequality” by Joseph Stiglitz which is a book aimed at explaining economic issues in a way that is understandable (to a large degree) by non-economists such as myself.  The book essentially reinforces much of the inferences I’ve made over the years since my disappointment that the American public was tricked into voting Ronald Reagan as president back in 1980.  I still remember the promise: “I’ll cut your taxes and balance the budget.”  Well, we all know Reagan not only didn’t balance the budget, but instead initiated policy that did exactly the opposite.  Of course, his supporters to this day will deny that reality and find a way to BLAME the ballooning deficits on Democratic congresses.  The “Reagan revolution” shows itself to be around the starting point of much of the FACTUAL data Stiglitz has put into this book focusing on the reality of America’s wealth “trickling up” (my words) due to “trickle down” economics.  What’s probably most frustrating about all this to me is the number of solid “middle class” Americans who still consider Reagan almost as a saint – and, STILL vote for republicans with little thought (or knowledge) of what they’re getting in return.

Of course, it doesn’t help to have a “liberal media” that is solely focused on (and owned by) the corporate interests that are gaining a stranglehold on America.  I’ve recently written about my frustration with Chris Matthews, the host of “Hardball” on MSNBC, supposedly “the place for politics.”  To me, in my attempt to find an antidote to the right wing corporate media I tend to end up on MSNBC on occasion.  (The actual place where I find information that doesn’t seem so tainted is on Free Speech TV, which I’m learning to turn to much more frequently)  Yesterday, I lasted only about 5 minutes on Matthews’ show before I had to turn it off in disgust.  As per usual, he started the show with an attempt to create another (non) crisis with President Obama – this time referring to “The White House” in his (not very) veiled attempt to (again) attack our sitting president.  I guess in today’s world it makes for good ratings.  This (non) crisis had to do with “anonymous” leaks coming from the Secret Service regarding allegations that some intern who was an advance person for the President’s visit to Central America brought a prostitute to his room and someone “in the White House” tried to cover it up.  Of course, this “story” won’t last long unless someone can turn it into another “Benghazi” fiasco.  The problem I have is that Matthews simply is falling in line with the Fox “news” crew who are attempting to find ways to criticize President Obama (evidently) in their sleep.

I don’t EVER hear about any of the successes of Obama’s administration (and, let me be clear here, I’m definitely one of the liberals who are not very happy with much of the direction his administration has taken – it’s just that I don’t want to get on the Fox, Matthews bandwagon – because it’s not all bad and it’s certainly BETTER than the alternative).  In fact, when you look at the economic situation today compared to what the republicans left Washington DC and America with back in 2009, things have gone directly upward.  (except for the deficit, which has gone in a downward direction – significantly)  I’m not going to claim that things are “great” because it should be obvious that they’re not – but, it would be nice to hear someone pointing out the reality of the difference.  We have an election coming up that is one of the most important in my lifetime and people like Matthews are FAILING to inform the American public about FACTS regarding accomplishments.  (like the economic comparison – because the republicans want to go back to the same policies that got us to the “crash” in 2008)

Or people like Matthews could be REMINDING people of the FACTS of what the republicans have done over the years.  I don’t remember anyone on a program such as “Hardball” showing graphs, for instance, that give a clear picture of what happens when republicans are “in charge” vs. democrats regarding, for example, the deficit – or job creation – or military spending – or investment in “green energy” – or commitment to education, and I could go on.  Most people I know have no idea of any of this – because they’re either too busy, too lazy, or too apathetic to find out.  Many of them rely on people like Matthews to keep them “informed.”  Everyone knows how Fox “news” does this (AKA GOP TV) which is what makes it so much more frustrating to me when people like Matthews are helping to “guide” America back to republican control of our Congress and more corporate domination of our nation.  The combination of a right wing Supreme Court, a right wing Congress, and a right wing “liberal media” could be the undoing of America as those of us who are called “baby boomers” knew it.  Reading books such as Stiglitz “The Price of Inequality” makes it real clear the significance of allowing these corporatists to continue usurping more and more POWER.

I’ve never heard more than a “peep,” for instance out of the so-called “liberal” media outlet MSNBC regarding “Citizens United” – the worst Supreme Court decision of my lifetime,  (followed closely by the “gutting” of the Voting Rights Act – which has allowed MULTIPLE Voter Suppression schemes of the republicans to become reality)  So, it’s no wonder to me that many of the “educated” adults I know have ZERO knowledge of what Citizens United, for example, is.  The younger college graduates I worked with before I retired from teaching didn’t grow up during the days of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement.  For me, it’s a tragedy that the Voting Rights Act could be “gutted” with little to NO outrage from our “liberal media.”  These two issues and their ramifications SHOULD be a focus of people like Matthews, but he (and others) act as if “it’s no big deal” – while the wealthy in America continue to buy a government that will work for the interests of Wall Street at the expense of “Main Street.”  This has been going on since Reagan took office and it’s now reaching the scary point – because, it’s now becoming clear the sophisticated strategy that people like the now infamous Koch brothers have been implementing since (actually before) Reagan’s election is in danger of becoming a reality.

The statistics are undeniable – since 1980 the wealth at the “top” has grown exponentially and the wealth in the “middle” and “bottom” has stagnated at best.  In fact, the number of Americans who now fall in the bottom – taking measures of poverty into account – is continually INCREASING.  The Citizens United decision almost GUARANTEES this discrepancy in where America’s wealth is “headed” will continue.  As stated above, I refer to the republican economic plan as “trickle up” economics – and, I believe the FACTUAL statistics would support that contention.

So, why are people like Chris Matthews focused on finding the next (non) crisis at the “White House?”  I do remember that during the Clinton administration there was nary a day when the republican congress wasn’t focused more on finding a “scandal” than on solving problems that faced “we the people.”  So, I guess that’s what “floats the boat” of Matthews and his associates.  It must make for better ratings.  However, I believe elections matter and if the republicans succeed in taking back the Senate in November (which, at this point, seems likely) there will be many more besides myself who just completely tune out from our government.  And, I have to add, this is NOT healthy.  It is exactly what the republicans have been working for over these past 35+ years.  (the idea behind the voter suppression campaign is, obviously, having less people – especially liberals – voting)

I’ve laid out their strategy many times on this site – I’ll try to do it again briefly as I end this rant.  “Big business” hated the New Deal from its inception.  This all started (at least from my perspective) with the tax cuts for the top earners (like Reagan himself) which was the headline of the “Reagan revolution.”  At the same time (and, by the way, Reagan instituted MANY tax increases on the “middle class”) there was MASSIVE increases in defense spending (I’m sure you’re familiar with the amount of $’s “invested” by the “military industrial complex” in our politicians) and the process of deregulation began along with the “theory” of privatization.  Reagan famously said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.'”  Thus was born things like private military’s (ie Blackwater), private prisons (where the incentive is anything but rehabilitation), and all kinds of “private” attempts to “cut government down to the size where it can be drained in the bathtub.”  Right wing Talk radio became part of the strategy during Reagan’s term – using the “big lie theory” of Joseph Goebbels to generate their propaganda – that’s when Rush Limbaugh (and lessor others) was “thrust” upon an unsuspecting public – and, he’s still doing his damage to this day.  Reagan led the assault on unions – despite the FACT he was once the head of the Screen Actors Guild.  And, for my purposes in this post, finally, Reagan demonstrated that presidents and their associates could disregard the law and expect no ramifications from it (Iran/Contra) – and, we’ve been seeing the “fruit” from that “reality” ever since.

While Reagan was “doing his part,” people like the Koch’s were “growing” like a bad virus.  They’ve been working behind the scenes since before Reagan was elected, but were considered “fringe” wacko’s back then.  In fact, David Koch ran for Vice President as a “libertarian” the year Reagan first won the presidency.  You guessed it, Reagan was too LIBERAL for the Koch’s!  They (the Koch brothers) have been busy since those days funneling money into “local” elections around the nation to surreptitiously increase their impact on American politics while no one was looking (and secretly merging into the republican party).  I learned about the Kochs several years ago by listening to Thom Hartman on “liberal talk radio” – which has been pretty much removed from the airwaves – unless you’re willing to invest in satellite radio.  Other than with people like Hartman, for years they managed to be “invisible.”  They (the Kochs) are behind the Heritage Institute, the Cato Institute (both right wing “think tanks”), they’re the funding source for the Tea Party, and more importantly (in my mind) ALEC (The American Legislative Exchange Council) which is a right wing political force that has influenced untold “local” legislation in state after state where legislators seem to need “help” in making laws.  They’ve funded efforts to gerrymander legislative districts to minimize the effects of “progressive” voters (especially minority voters), and they have supported legislation which has made it possible to use tax havens (such as the Cayman Islands) to create unsavory operations to make even MORE money outside of U.S. borders.  If you want more, click here.

The Koch’s come from the John Birch Society (which accused President Eisenhower of being a “communist” and in today’s politics is the “Tea Party”) and have (and are willing to) invest untold amounts of their BILLIONS on buying our Congress and legislatures and governorships all across the nation.  The Birch Society has a history of antisemitism and White Supremacists.  They (the JBS members) were rejected as too extreme by ultra conservative William F Buckley.  Their 35+ year crusade to gain control of our society is dangerously close to success.

Unfortunately, by the time they’ve succeeded, people like Matthews will be finding someone else to blame for the resulting disaster besides themselves – as people with access to the American airwaves who are indirectly (or, for that matter, it could be directly – that’s one of the features of our “Citizens United” society – we don’t know) doing the Koch’s bidding.  I’ve stomached enough of Chris Matthews to understand that he “knows better” – that is, he fully well knows what the right wing republicans are up to – I have to believe that it just wouldn’t be “good theater” for him to take his focus off of nit-picking at our president in a time of WAR, and get his attention on the REAL agenda of the right wing republicans who answer to people like Charles and David Koch? (like, why wasn’t Matthews going “after” Obama when he chose to “pardon” GW Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and all the others for committing WAR CRIMES?)

The republican “dream” of a “permanent republican ‘majority'” consists of control of the Courts, the Congress, the White House, and the MEDIA.  With the help of people like Chris Matthews they will soon be one step from achieving their “dream.”  And, with the help of “Citizens United” it will be extremely difficult to “turn things around” should they succeed.  I’m guessing Chris Matthews next heresy will be promoting a republican presidential candidate in an attempt to create “good ratings.”  On the surface, the available GOP candidates are almost laughable.  The other day I heard Matthews essentially encouraging another run by Mitt Romney.  Despite the FACT Romney represents all that is wrong right now in America (137 Cayman Island tax cheating “havens” for starters) I’m sure Matthews is thinking Romney would make it more of a contest than – say – Ted Cruz.   The only way republicans could possibly get their “message” to resonate with the American public, is with the help of people like Matthews and our”liberal media.”

If you are interested in getting a good idea of where this is all headed, read Stiglitz book mentioned above, “The Price of Inequality.”  Economists like Stiglitz and Paul Krugman, believers in Keynesian economics, have been calling it RIGHT since I started paying closer attention to the internal destruction of my country (ie, circa Bush/Cheney) – while the people on the “right” – such as those who support “trickle up” economics and what Stiglitz calls the Washington consensus – people like Paul Ryan and others who idolize Milton Friedman (and Friedman’s so-called “free market” economics) continue to get it WRONG (unless your viewing things from the perspective of someone in the 1% who can’t get enough money).  The statistics don’t lie.  People like Matthews and the others in similar positions are all part of the 1% – I don’t know about you, but that causes me to wonder what motivates them to ignore present realities in order to appear “fair and balanced?”  Think about it before you vote!  Mitch McConnell and the Koch brothers were a large part of the force behind the push for “Citizens United.”  Should the republicans take total control of Congress in 2014 we’ll see even MORE evidence exposing the gravity of this disastrous Supreme Court ruling!