I’m pretty sure that those who are sick of me harping on what a HUGE blunder President Obama made by PROHIBITING investigations of the Bush/Cheney administration consider it an act of retribution, reprisal, or even vengence.  I’m not going to go back and read my many posts on this subject, but I don’t believe I ever suggested prison or jail for the perpetrators (well, that might not include Cheney – I think I once suggested he be put in GITMO and waterboarded).  My concern has ALWAYS been, even if it hasn’t been apparent, the prevention of “reliving” history by ignoring it – and, probably MORE IMPORTANT, figuring out the places in our government that are in IMMEDIATE need of being fixed.  Take for example the “underpants bomber” (still makes me laugh thinking about it – although the potential was for something far from funny) who presumably burned up his “private parts” (using the vernacular of my granddaughter) in a failed attempt at blowing up an American plane approaching Detroit last Christmas.  What became apparent as the “evidence” filtered into our “liberal” media was that the intelligence community in America is still not communicating properly from agency to agency to the detriment of our nation. 

This SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED after 9/11 – because the terrorists who committed that CRIME were known to be in the U.S. for the entire year preceeding the attack.  The reason the perpetrators were roaming our land without being apprehended was due to the conflict, or whatever causes these agencies to be independent from each other (I’m speaking of the FBI, NSA, CIA, and other agencies affiliated with our counterterrorism program in America designed to prevent further attacks).  So, investigations of the previous administration could clarify what was done during the seven years prior to President Obama assuming office in early 2009.  How will we understand what decisions were made under Bush without thorough investigations of his administration.  When you look at the incompetence of our government’s prosecution of both the Iraq and Afganistan fiascos it’s easy to be concerned with the level of decisionmaking in other areas of our government.  In addition, the Bush/Cheney administration was very busy OUTSOURCING as much of what government does as possible on the ASSUMPTION that privat industry is more efficient.  You know, the theory that protecting large corporations such as Halliburton, KBR, or companies in the private health care industry – companies with CEO’s earning in excess of 10 – 20 MILLION dollars per year  – saves money because they are more efficient than our government.  Personally, I’d like to see more than republican speculation to let me know if that’s really true.

Take for example counterterrorism.  It has been rumored in articles and publications that I’ve personally read that virtual communities have been “spawned” in Washington for all the NEW companies bidding for the counterterrorism business.  This may or may not be effective.  But, shouldn’t there be an investigation to make sure we don’t have a huge “JUGGERNAUT” running wild and spending money as if that alone will prevent further attacks?  It didn’t seem to work in Iraq and Afganistan and it sure didn’t seem to be working last Christmas with Mr. Underpants.  Also, I know from several books I’ve read that Blackwater (now called Xe services) is still knee deep in our government intelligence business with a mini army capable of doing a lot of damage to someone or something if they wake up on the “wrong side of the bed.”  (Yes, that’s a strong “hint” regarding all this inflamatory rhetoric of a violent nature from the “right” which is what Blackwater is affiliated with)  Shouldn’t we be investigating how this group got so strong and if it’s really that great an idea to have them interconnected with our government – receiving BILLIONS in no-bid contracts?  That’s a main part of why I’m still calling for the investigations – because, I’m just not a fan of all this outsourcing of our government responsibility to corporations who answer to stockholders instead of the American public.

Not only the intelligence “business,” but what about departments in the government itself.  If you recall, for example, the U.S. Justice Department – to me, the department that holds everything in America together by keeping alive the hope (fantasy?) that we are truly a nation of laws – and that there is not a preference for the POWERFUL.  Most of us probably have our doubts about this – I’m guessing those doubts are “bipartisan” – so, wouldn’t a thorough and independent investigation of the Justice Department after all the politicization done during Bush/Cheney/Rove/Addington/Yoo/Gonzales et al make sense?  We don’t have to be putting people in jail here – although, it’s been a real curiosity to me how Alberto Gonzales was able to appear before committees of Congress LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH with virtually no consequence.  It almost seemed that our leaders decided that the ridicule he was subjected to as he left Washington was conseqence enough.  But, what damage does that do to the credibility of our Justice Department?  Also, the recent verdict against Bush/Cheney regarding illegal wiretapping.  Doesn’t that warrant further investigations?  I’m just not clear on the thinking that our leaders can violate the law without reprisal.

And, speaking of the wiretapping.  Really, shouldn’t that be further investigated just so we can continue to say that having our leaders uphold their oath to defend and protect the constitution is expected and is a sacred obligation?  In this case – in my view – it was a sacred obligation for Bush/Cheney to abide by the FISA law AND it’s just as sacred an obligation for the Obama administration to investigate what we now KNOW were violations of that law.  I’m guessing here that the violations haven’t stopped, thereby making it unlikely that the Obama administration will investigate – because, they’re probably still WIRETAPPING.  That being said, the FISA laws calls for penalties of 5 years in prison and humongous fines (well, humongous to me – like $10,000 per violation) for EACH VIOLATION!  Bush/Cheney allegedly violated this law THOUSANDS of times – once, now, proven.  Also, wiretapping American citizens without a warrant seems to me to violate the 4th amendment of the very constitution both Bush and Obama took an oath to defend.

Finally, the torture.  I’m sure you knew – if you’ve been around here at all – that I couldn’t leave that one alone.  I mean, it’s not even questionable whether or not laws were broken.  Both George W Bush and Dick Cheney (and others) have admitted on national TV to authorizing Waterboarding which directly violates our own laws, international laws, and the Geneva Conventions.  I’ve been confused from DAY ONE of the Obama administration as how they managed to justify letting this one go.  Aside from the FACT that both Bush and Cheney would possibly be found guilty of WAR CRIMES, there is so much to learn about what has been done by our government.  As it stands, our credibility with the rest of the world has taken a HUGE “hit,” and we all know that if a republican somehow finds his/her way into the White House anytime soon the torturing will continue (if it’s really stopped).  Regardless, I don’t understand what is wrong with the American public being given the TRUTH about what was done during an admittedly “dark” period in our history.  Remember, this saying is VERY TRUE:  “Those who ignore history are destined to repeat it.”  We’re seeing this in Iraq and Afganistan – Viet Nam, deja vu all over again – and, we’ll see it with torture thanks to Obama/Holter turning their backs on what really happened under Bush/Cheney.

That was going to be it.  However, as I was writing this post a coal mine in the state where I was conceived – West Virginia – had a HUGE explosion with the reported deaths of at leat 25 miners and probably closer to 30.  Now, I’m going to avoid making any assumptions here regarding the working conditions in this mine, but this just confirms the point I’ve been trying to make as I’ve been writing tonight.  Everyone knows that the Bush administration “gutted” one department of government after another.  I really have no idea to what extent that would cover the oversight of the mines in this nation.  However, over the years mining company after mining company have shown a tendency to put the profits of their mines ahead of the safety of their miners.  I’m not even suggesting (well, maybe I’m bringing up the possibility) that the mining company involved in this accident did this – working in coal mines is DANGEROUS – what I’m suggesting is that thorough investigations of what was done under Bush/Cheney are warranted in area after area.  They were not shy in stating that one of their goals was to gut government.  Hence their shifting obligations (like national intelligence) to private FOR PROFIT companies (companies which can make unlimited campaign donations now that “Citizen’s United” has been passed).  Isn’t it time the Bush administration’s policies were investigated, simply to make sure “we the people” know what damage they did to our government?  I wish I could get this thought out of my mind, but situation after situation continues to arise suggesting doing the investigations would be better for all Americans – all the speculation could stop and the FACTS would be KNOWN!

Final Note:  tonight I tuned into the last segment of the Keith Olberman show on MSNBC.  Olberman was discussing the comments of Tom Coburn, republican senator from Oklahoma at a recent town hall meeting with his constituents.  FOR ONCE a republican was quoted as saying something nice about democrats (in this case calling Nancy Pelosi a nice person – despite Coburn’s obvious political differences with her) and calling out Fox “news” for their campaign of MISINFORMATION.  While I don’t believe I have a lot of commonality with Senator Coburn politically, I GIVE HIM MAJOR KUDOS!  Maybe he’ll be a catalyst for other republicans who want to stem the tide of the radical discourse in this nation and actually try to put “heads together” to find manageable, workable solutions to the problems which are plaguing this nation at this time (instead of trying to destroy our president).  As I’ve said many times on this site – we need two viable, rational political parties – and, I’ve been wondering where the republican party that I grew up with (Goldwater, Rockefellor, Tom McCall, Bob Packwood, Eisenhower, Ford, ect.) has gone.

As I look back on my sixty plus years as an American citizen it becomes more apparent all the time how much propoganda I, and every other American, has been subjected to.  It seems to me that this propoganda accelerated to almost BRAINWASHING starting in the eighties as the republicans figured out how to gain a “stranglehold” on the White House and the media.  Republican operatives started their “dirty tricks” campaigns during the Nixon years, spawned by people like Donald Segretti and Lee Atwater, which led to the likes of Roger Ailes, and most recently Karl Rove.  The one thing we can be sure of is there are many more “dirty tricksters” who have managed to stay “under the radar” – and, more to come, thanks to “Citizen’s United” and our right wing Supreme Court – assuring us the republican philosophy of “the end justifies the means” will continue to be a part of America’s political process for the foreseeable future.  Corporate interests have managed to “trick” Americans into voting, or camaigning, against their own self interest over and over again during the previous 30+ years as the media has grown in power and been consolidated into a small conservative block of corporatations.     

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.  Let me preface these next comments by saying that I’m not a fan of the recent “health care reform,”  But that’s a good place to start for me to make my point.  During the debate over the health care legislation I’ve been hearing endless claims about how we have the “greatest health care system in the world” from one republican after another.  Of course, they’ve also been making claims that the bill would “bring the government between you and your doctor,” that there would be “death panels,” that health care reform will “cause an increase in premiums,” and other frivolous and/or ridiculous claims en masse.  All of these claims are easily refuted, but for the sake of brevity let’s concentrate on our own system of health care.  In reality, our system that the republicans are claiming is the “best in the world” ranks around 37th by most non-partisan standards.  In fact, our infant mortality rate ranks 42nd internationally, worse than nations like Slovenia, Cuba, and Hong Kong.  As far as life expectancy, the United States ranks 47th worldwide with a life expectancy of 78.14 years and DECLINING!  We are the only  wealthy, industrialized nation IN THE WORLD that does not have a universal health care system.  One statistic after another defies the claims of the republicans and supports the claims of those who believe our system is essentially broken.  I’m choosing to give the benefit of the doubt to President Obama and the democrats that the “reform” bill recently passed will be a step in the right direction.  However, the truth is that we still have NO UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM – even after the so-called reform.

Another of the GREAT REPUBLICAN LIES is that we have a “free market system.”  I guess, at this point in time, you could say that it’s a free market system because our biggest banks are getting BILLIONS (maybe trillions) of FREE MONEY from the fed.  Corporate heads and their supporters are on a continual campaign for “lower taxes,” as if all the benefits they take for granted are paid for by someone else.  Just this morning I heard a republican congressman inciting a group of what are becoming known as “low information voters” by shouting out at a rally opposing health care reform, “Who’s going to pay for it?”  Well, if you follow the actual actions of republicans when they’re in office, they think nobody should pay for anything – we should just borrow EVERYTHING.  Well, relating to health care, WE’RE (that is, “we the people” – including those in the audience of the congressman doing the inciting mentioned above – I believe it was John Boehner of Ohio) ALREADY PAYING FOR IT – if what he’s referring to is the cost of health care.  This is such a specious argument on the part of the republican party – it’s predicated on the audience being poorly informed – because, people are going to the hospital NOW whether they have health insurance or not.  I’ll give the example of a person I know who had to have gall bladder surgery without health insurance.  The reality is that the 30 plus THOUSAND DOLLAR bill that the hospital graciously credited to “charity” is part of the health insurance bill for those of us who are lucky enough to still be able to pay our premiums.  The reason my acquaintance was without insurance is because the premiums are so expensive he couldn’t afford it on a truck driver’s wages.  The end result was someone going without treatment for a condition which could have been avoided with preventive care before it got “out of hand” and his life was in jeopardy.  So, not only are we already PAYING FOR IT – those of us with insurance that is – but, the bills are much higher than they should be due to ALL the people avoiding doctors due to their lack of ability to pay for the services.

The truth is that everything ultimately gets paid for – one way or the other.  So, in our “free market system” – which, I might add, at present is virtually the result of 30+ years of “trickle down” economic theory “spun” by republicans – we’ve eliminated welfare for the poor (well, most of it) while increasing welfare for the corporations exponentially.  For example, our oil companies in the past few years are making profits that are approaching the 50 – 100 BILLION per year neighborhood, all the while doing this as they receive corporate WELFARE from the federal government also in the BILLIONS.  And, everyone seems to be up in arms about the TRILLIONS promised to the Wall Street banks preventing companies like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley Chase, Bank of America, etc. from collapsing by the weight of their own reckless “gambling” losses – but, the republicans are seemingly standing arm in arm to prevent the government from passing regulations aimed at preventing a recurrence (and, by the way, these companies are already back to the same GAMBLING that created the collapse in first place).  Our “free market” is set up to allow the large corporations to find cheaper places overseas to produce their products and then give them “free reign” on our markets without tariff one to sell the resultant products – because tariffs wouldn’t be “free market” policy.  The loss of jobs that has resulted from that “free market” thinking seems to be of no concern to the corporations, the republicans, and evidently to a lot of democrats as well.

There’s more.  (a lot more, but I’m limited in space and time :o)  How about the pharmaceutical industry.  The federal government provides grants to “big pharma” which allows for the research and development of what most of us “old” people understand to be much needed drugs.  Here’s the rub.  The government also protects these pharmaceutical behemoths to ensure them a huge profit “at the end of the day.”  While I’m not going to write anything about preventing anyone from making a profit – I’m at least smart enough to know that to stay in business you must make a profit – I don’t call what “big pharma” did when the medicare part “D” plan was negotiated during the now infamous Bush administration – you know, the defenders of the “free market” – “free market!”  The reality of that legislation was that the prescription drugs needed by our senior citizens are sold at prices through the medicare program that allow the recipients of these “benefits” to go into Canada, buy the same drugs on their open market, and return to the United States with, as the old McDonald’s adds used to say, “Change from their dollar.”  Doesn’t that seem ridiculous?  Does anyone besides me think that preventing medicare from NEGOTIATING a bulk price for the needed drugs is NOT “free market?”

Then there was the adventurous duo of George W Bush and Dick Cheney (with a lot of help from Don Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, and others – all supposedly “free market” proponents) getting us MIRED into two foreign occupations which could go on endlessly (or so it seems – Viet Nam, deja vu all over again?)  EVERY PENNY spent on both Afganistan and Iraq have been BORROWED – but that’s not the total RUB for me here.  How about all the NO BID contracts?  Contracts to the very firms that (at least) Cheney and Rumsfeld were the CEO’s of prior to their “service” for our nation – with both “earning” in excess of $100 MILLION dollars in their “estates” which were sequestered in some “innocent” trust account somewhere.  What’s “free market” about no-bid contracts?  Especially to your “own?”  I really don’t understand why no democrats have found this curious enough to investigate.  In fact, during the Iraq fiasco it was reported that $10 BILLION came up missing, and no one seemed too concerned about that.  Maybe that’s what they mean by “free market.”  I’m sure whoever ended up with the $10 BILLION is thinking along those lines.

While there are lots of examples of how the rhetoric doesn’t match the actions – hense, my interpretation that “we the people” are being BRAINWASHED – the final one I’ll bring up is the budget deficit.  This is a republican favorite.  Don’t you just love how they set the democrats up – and keep walking away with all the CASH?  (there’s that republican “free market” at work again)  During my lifetime (I started paying attention to politics in the mid sixties) it has been one republican president after another PILING up huge deficits – and then blaming the democrat who tries to “fix” the problem for the problem itself.  Nixon was the first.  I still remember him saying that it was silly for the government to own so much property and not have a debt.  He likened it to the mortgage that American homeowners have on their houses.  When he left office, as I remember it (well, actually Ford is the one who left office after finishing Nixon’s second term for him) the deficit was something like 75 BILLION per year – and that was SHOCKING to a lot of people like me.  Jimmy Carter came along and halved it – but, in the process turned off the left wing of the democratic party leading to Ronald Reagan.  Reagan, of course, was the president who instigated the “trickle down” theory of “free market” economics (the Milton Friedman diciples).  I can still remember Reagan promising to “cut taxes and balance the budget.”  Well, his eventual running mate George HW Bush gave that approach the appropriate name, “Voodoo Economics.”  However, the public fell for it (I suppose, looking back, it sounded really good) and by the time Reagan was done, and Bush the first who followed, our national debt had gone from something close to 700 BILLION (following Carter) to 5 TRILLION!  For those of you who don’t do math in your head, Reagan and Bush I increased the debt EIGHT times. 

For all that I didn’t like about Bill Clinton, one of the first things he did was attempt to reverse the deficit spending which was out of control when he took office.  The last year deficit of the Bush I was something approaching 400 BILLION DOLLARS.  Everyone knows (well, if you don’t you should) that by the time Clinton left office – despite the Lewinsky affair and other problems, including RELENTLESS attacks from republicans (this vitriol didn’t start with President Obama) – the budget was in surplus by about $250 BILLION with projections that we could wipe out our national debt in 10 years.  Well, the result of Clinton’s fooling around was another Bush (put into office by the Supreme Court) and a dose of “trickle down” economics on steroids.  George W Bush wasn’t satisfied with one huge tax cut to benefit the “upper crust” of our taxpayers, he managed to get TWO TAXCUTS through the republican congress – leading to an immediate reversal of the budget surplus into the greatest era of DEFICIT SPENDING in our nation’s history.  Combining Bush’s taxcuts with his warmongering on credit cards and deregulation of big business and he snuck out of Washington “with his tail between his legs” after virtually undermining the very fabric of our economy.  Bush’s damage was done with nary a whimper from the republican congress which controlled capital hill for most of his two terms in office.  He left our new president, Barack Obama, with a deficit of OVER A TRILLION dollars, a GREAT RECESSION, a Wall Street in turmoil, an auto industry crumbling toward bankruptcy, and the remnants of his republican congress who were blaming it all on Obama before he took the oath of office and pledging to vote NO on any reforms.

Actually, after all the damage the republicans caused under Bush you would have thought there would have been a bit of remorse for all the 401K’s which were decimated and a bit of a sense of obligation to help restore our economy to something that resembled what was once the greatest middle class the world had ever seen.  But NOOOOOOOO, that was not the case.  The propoganda didn’t just continue – it escalated – and is continuing to escalate every step of the way as President Obama attempts to “right the ship.”  In fact, as the health care legislation was in the final stages in the House of Representatives, the republicans showed their TRUE COLORS when they started throwing racial insults at Black members of the democratic party, homophobic insults at Barney Frank – an openly Gay member of the House, even spitting on one Black member of congress as he approached the House to cast his vote for the bill.  These are people who will no doubt benefit from the bill, but who have been BRAINWASHED by the likes of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Sarah Palin and others to believe that anything that comes out of this White House is going to RUIN our country.  It is these talking heads who are at the forefront of the propoganda machine.  I believe this was a political calculation back in the eighties (Rush Limbaugh and others with the so-called “talking points”) which has gotten WAY OUT OF CONTROL.  They have now stirred up a FRINGE element which is getting to the dangerous point.  I believe it’s just a matter of time until something tragic happens – something MAJOR – of course, that’s not to say the killings from the fringe “right” since Obama took office aren’t tragic – it’s just that I believe they are thinking BIGGER than what has happened so far.  These people remind me of the true meaning of the word TERRORIST – and, at some point in time our government is going to have to deal with them HARSHLY.  These republicans have GLEANED trillions from our taxpaying middle class in the past 30+ years, and they have an insatiable appetite for MORE!  Despite the fact our troops are STUCK in Iraq and Afganistan, the real WAR is right here at home – it’s a WAR WITHIN!  That is what John F Kennedy warned us about in the sixties.  If this great nation ever is destroyed, it will come from within.  And, it appears to me that the republican party is trying to destroy America from within.  Those of us who see this happening are depending on the democrats to win this WAR.  The outcome, it appears to me, is still undecided.  The “tea party” people are shouting “We want our country back” while people like me are wanting to shout the same thing.  They can’t handle a person of color in the White House, and people like me can’t handle a timid government that allows it’s leaders to function in a corrupt system that favors the wealthy.  I hope this somehow gets resolved without violence – but, it appears to me that the propogandists on the “right” will stop at nothing in an attempt to undermine Obama and regain their dream of a permanent republican majority!  (for those who think that’s not likely, read the Supreme Court’s “Citizen’s United” decision)

One final afterthought – a depressing one at that (sorry) – If you haven’t heard of Blackwater (now calling themselves Xe services) look them up.  They are FULLY ALIGNED with the right wing fringe which is getting out of control as I’m writing this piece.

It’s spring break.  I spent a couple days away from everything – the news that is – and, when I came home I openend up my online edition of the NY Times to see an article about President Obama titled: “Obama to open Offshore areas to Oil Drilling for the first time.”  Now, this was no big surprise to me.  If you’ve been reading my thoughts of the past couple of years you know that I’m not one of the people claiming our president is a socialist, or anything of that ilk.  In fact, I’ve been lamenting that President Obama is much farther to the “right” than I had anticipated when choosing to support his bid for the presidency in 2008.  To me “The change we can believe in” was far different from what Obama was actually delivering.  Despite my age (which would qualify me for early social security benefits) I still have something of a memory left.  So, I can vividly remember some of the “promises” made during the 2008 campaign.  Of course, I’ve been around long enough to know what promises made in political campaigns mean – usually just words – but, that kind of leads me to my point.  Part of the “Change I could believe in” was a hope that the promises made were actually true.  I don’t want to “lambast” Obama here, that is not my point for this post, I just need to frame my thoughts for the evening, however they might emerge here, (I never quite know what I’m going to write) by saying that I believe a lot of what we’re getting is “politics as usual” in America.  It would be stupid to suggest that Obama’s direction is not a “change” from GW Bush’s.  To me, that just went without discussion – any democrat would have been a significant change from Bush/Cheney.  Heck, even the republicans weren’t mentioning the names of Bush/Cheney during the previous election.  Personally, I was hoping for a fundamental change in the way we do politics in America.

That all being said, the intense rhetoric being thrown around after the passage of “health reform” pretty much supports a lot of what I’ve been claiming to be the problem with the republican side of the “isle” since before Obama took the oath of office.  If you listen too much to these people you would think that America is doomed as a nation.  They are throwing – with little apparent knowledge of the terms they’re using – words like “socialist,” “communist,” “fascist,” and even “racist” at President Obama in what appears to me to be a desperate attempt at preventing the American public from discovering the truth about the real damage caused by what I call the Great American Heist (I’d write a book with that title, but I’m not a writer of books and I’m sure someone would beat me to it anyway).  What is the “Great American Heist?”  Well, if you’ve not been paying attention (or listening to republican talking heads), it’s what has happened to the 12 trillion dollars the American taxpayers have lost above and beyond the services received for their tax payments over the previous 30+ years since Ronald Reagan was “thrust” on the scene.  It’s the blatant “filtering” UP of America’s great wealth to less than 1% of America’s population.  It’s the “bludgeoning” of America’s Great middle class which resulted from FDR’s “New Deal.”  It’s been no secret that Republicans hated the New Deal, they hate unions, they say they despise government – all the while as they’re using government to provide themselves with “corporate welfare” – while, ostensibly decrying “real” welfare (welfare intended for the poor, that is), they claimed social security was a communist plot, medicare was – according to Reagan – socialized medicine that would “curtail America’s freedom, and – of course – the civil rights movement has been a “raw spot” for republicans since the 60’s.  Astonishingly, republicans now HATE “health reform” that will bring health insurance benefits to over 30 million Americans in a way that is WAY TOO REPUBLICAN for me.  None of this makes too much sense to me.  If you listen to the “mainstream” media, however,  you would almost think the republican perspective has merit.

Let me try to clarify a point I’ve been making since Obama’s campaign for the presidency.  It became clear to me prior to Obama winning the democratic nomination that racism is MORE alive and well in America than, certainly, I had thought.  I teach 6th graders and one of the things that is encouraging to me about them is they seem to be pretty much “color blind.”  Now, there’s a lot of issues I don’t like that I’m seeing with the 11 – 12 year old children I teach – but, the fact they seem to predominantly judge each other based on something other than the color of their skin is a positive for me.  That’s still not the case, evidently, with MANY adults in this nation.  During Obama’s campaign against Hillary Clinton I was definitely surprised to see race to be as much of an issue as it seemed to be.  Foolishly, I guess, I had allowed myself to believe that ALL the racists were in the republican party.  Obviously, that was pretty naive (I was going to write stupid, but naive made me feel a bit better) on my part.  However, once the national campaign unfolded and it was Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin the contrast between the two parties became very apparent – I mean, if our media would do the research they’re paid to do, they would have connected Palin to the Alaska Successionist Party which is affiliated with the John Birch society so that some of her references to “taking back America,” or “real Americans” would have allowed them to make an accurate description of her position on race (maybe there would have been a reaction other than silence from Palin  as she stood quietly while her supporters shouted “kill him” in reference to Obama).  And, the issue of race has not gone away since Obama’s inauguration – as I’ve been saying for some time now, I don’t believe it will until there is a fundamental EXPOSURE of the leaders of the republican party.  The imperical evidence is EVERYWHERE, but, somehow, the “journalists” in this nation don’t seem to want to “go there.”  This so-called “health reform” is a great example to show the true motivation behind the “party of NO!”  In the sixth grade we teach our students the importance of “inferring” – so, bear with me because I’m going to assume if you’re reading this you understand that concept.

The reason you need to “infer” what’s really happening is due to the republican’s great willingness to LIE.  So, let’s look at this so-called “government takeover of health care,” or “socialized medicine” that they’re so “up in arms” about.  Aside from those two claims we’ve endured endless claims about “death panels,” about the government coming “between you and your doctor,” about government “funding abortions,” and on and on.  So, what is the reality that caused EVERY republican in both houses of congress to vote against giving 30+ million more Americans access to health care.  The bill doesn’t include the “public option” that progressives demanded, it gives tax breaks to small businesses to help them provide health care for their employees (that’s good isn’t it?), it closes the “doughnut hole” for seniors which was costing our senior citizens billions of dollars for medications, the bill preserves the private insurance companies (as stated – providing them MILLIONS of new customers), the bill prevents companies from excluding customers based on “pre-existing” conditions,  OVER 200 amendments in the bill were proposed by republicans (in fact, it’s being reported that the bill resembles the Massachusettes plan initiated by then republican governor Mitt Romney), the bill extends the life of Medicare for something like 10 years – giving more time to solve the medicare solvency problem, the bill requires insurance companies to pay out 85% of premiums in benefits (I suppose that’s not one of the republican amendments because it could cause a reduction in CEO pay – although I’m sure they’ll find a way around the requirement), and it has many provisions designed to reduce the need for expensive medical procedures.  The bill is a very CONSERVATIVE approach to the health care crisis in my opionion.  It provides needed benefits to untold MILLIONS of Americans – so why not a single republiccan vote for the bill?

This is where the inferencing comes in.  In fact, the republican response to the passage of this bill further lends “inferential” evidence to what I’ve been saying for well over a year now.  The republicans now are going to be betting everything on REPEAL of the legislation.  Bouyed by the Supreme Court’s decision in “Citizen’s United” – opening the “floodgates” of corporate money into the impending elections – it appears the republicans are going to make a strong “push” to gain enough seats in congress to REPEAL the bill.  (that seems foolish to me on two fronts – first, that’s a lot of seats and second, it further makes my point more obvious)  Instead of giving the bill a chance to work, they want to repeal it – and, I believe the reason for that is they think the bill will work!  It’s a very republican-like bill.  Now, if it was up to me, congress would simply have passed a “medicare for all” buyin with the necessary tweaks to insure the key proponents of this bill.  The American public would have then had the opportunity to “choose” between the existing insurance market and a buyin to medicare.  The simple argument could have been made to republicans that if government programs are so bad, the insurance companies would have nothing to worry about (in fact, at one time, I believe I heard President Obama himself make that EXACT argument)

Why then, if it’s a republican like bill, would the republicans be so united against it?  Well, the real truth is that the thought of a Black president succeeding is simply unacceptable to republicans.  I believe they are well aware that “whites” (I’m one of them) will soon be a minority in America – that is, compared to the combined total of all other members of our “melting pot.”  Evidently, they think the only people who should be “qualified” to be president are “white” people.  You know, like GW Bush, Dick Cheney, Mitt Romney, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton (well, Clinton’s a whole different story), and – GOD FORBID – Sarah Palin!  (hence the redundant claim from republicans; “We want our country back” – as if it’s gone somewhere)  The republicans are smart enough to understand the consequences of Barack Obama pulling this nation out of the crisis created by Bush/Cheney.  They weren’t smart enough – or courageous enough (keep in mind there wasn’t ONE republican COURAGEOUS enough to vote against their leadership on this republican – like bill) – to stand up to Bush/Cheney as the two of them were virtually destroying our economy and our standing in the world.  But, now they’re standing strong against President Obama in a united effort to prevent a person of color from “fixing” their BLUNDERS!

I mean there’s a plethora of evidence to support my contention based on Obama’s cautious approach to governing in a crisis that the only legitimate reason for their constant barrage of NO’S is the color of Obama’s skin.  I’m not the only “progressive” minded person out there who’s dissapointed in the decisions of our new president.  That’s why it’s so surprising that not one republican has “crossed the line” so far to support Obama’s PUSH for bipartisanship.  Let me give you a list of things I’m not too happy about, but the republicans should be:  First (and foremost in my mind), Obama essentially pardoned Bush/Cheney and a bunch of others once taking office (similarly to Nancy Pelosi taking “impeachment off the table” when it clearly should have been on the table).  I’ve been “harping” on this since day one of the Obama administration.  Not only did Obama let Bush off the hook, he’s been defending his illegal activity in court.  To make matters worse for Obama on this one, Judge Vaughn Walker ruled today that the Bush administration violated the FISA act (they did this many times – probably thousands) when they illegally wiretapped the Al-Haramain foundation after the 9/11 attacks.  Obama’s justice department was trying to carry on the claim that the “state’s secrets priviledge” essentially allows the government to hide it’s illegal activity by claiming we’re at war (you can see why Bush/Cheney wanted the never ending “war on terror”).  In my mind, President Obama has opened himself up to “own” a large part of the Bush fiasco, not only by continuing Bush policies, but by defending those policies – clearly illegal policies – in court (there are many more instances besides the illegal wiretapping).  So, how do you explain the republicans being upset with Obama for this? (of course, to me, a better question is why would Obama even do this?)  Could it be the color of Obama’s skin?  But, hold on, there’s a lot more evidence to support my contention.

Take Iraq and Afganistan for example.  If we were getting the “change I could believe in” we would be out of there by now.  Obama has been in office for almost 15 months now – so, actually – based on what I heard him PROMISE during the campaign – it would be another month until our troops would be out of Iraq – TOTALLY.  He did claim that he wanted to “finish the job” of getting Osama bin Laden in Afganistan – but, I didn’t interpret that as on OK for another Bush-like “surge” – only this time in Afganistan, with a seemingly endless occupation of two Arab countries.  Honestly, I believe the republicans, the generals, the military industrial complex in America should all be VERY HAPPY with Obama.  People like me – not so happy.  Obama has essentially CONTINUED the Bush policy in Iraq – with little or no modification.  The so-called withdrawal plan was negotiated by the Bush administration and, I believe, is not even a withdrawal plan.  I REALLY hope I’m wrong on this one, but I have the worst feeling that our “non combat” troops (now there’s a republican misnomer for you) are going to be in Iraq indefinitely.  And, we are apparently going to spend the next several years “nation building” in Afganistan while the Afgan government and people – who don’t want us there – glean what they can from our occupation of their country.  Hamad Karzai may have had some potential when he was first put in office in Afganistan, but that day has long since “expired.”  The seven years of the “real” Bush policies soured the Afgans on America, and we should just quit sending “good money after bad.”  Yes, we need to somehow deal with al Qaeda, but this is not the solution.  We have brilliant minds in our government who need to go back to the drawing board on finding and eradicating al Qaeda – but, not through these endless occupations of Arab nations which is just making the United States more vulnerable on several fronts.  We need leadership here instead of Obama trying to impress the “right” that he’s a “tough” commander in chief.  That all being said, based on Obama’s continuance of their policies, why are republicans so venemous toward him?

Then, today it’s the oil drilling off our coast.  Really, from the “progressive” perspective, it’s just one republican-like move after another.  What’s that old saying?  “If you try to please everyone, you please no one.”  Somehow, I’m forcing myself to believe that Obama’s smarter than that – but, it certainly seems like a relevent saying, doesn’t it?  I still remember Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, calling people like me fu__ing retards, evidently for our “idealistic” yearnings.  Of course, Obama hasn’t received a republican vote yet, although I saw an interview on TV last night where he said quite clearly that he will continue to reach out to republicans.  I guess maybe his strategy is to back them into a corner by giving them legislation that makes it even clearer where they’re coming from when they vote against it – or, maybe give them legislation that forces them to vote with him (and, all the while him assuming us progressives will just “be there” when he needs us).  The bottom line is that one decision after another coming from Obama’s White House is either centrist, or maybe even “right” leaning.  If there was a “moderate” republican left in Congress with any guts whatsoever, he/she would be right along side the president.  Given Obama’s intellect, I have to concede that he must have a plan that goes beyond my ability to imagine for defeating these thugs.  In the end, the result could be the same as would have happened had he followed my lead (now, there’s some arrogance for you) and that is the republican party – in its present form – in dissaray.  At this point I’m guessing they would vote no if Obama proposed extending the Bush tax cuts! The bottom line – I’ll quit mincing words – is there’s no logical explanation for all the NO votes, all the vitriol coming from the “right,” besides republicans feeling it’s more important for our government to fail than for a Black president to succeed!  OK, I’ll say it – the republican party is “infested” with of a bunch of racists.  Not all of them, mind you, but the ones who aren’t racists are not showing the courage necessary to stand tall – and SPEAK OUT against the Limbaugh’s, the Beck’s, the O’Reilly’s, the Boehner’s, the McConnell’s, the McCain’s, the Palin’s, the Grassley’s, and all the others who are lined up SOLIDLY against a president of the United States like nothing that’s ever happened in this nation before.  If Obama was doing what I wanted him to do, this vitriol would be more understandable – although, I believe the end results would be better legislation and a clear message to America and the world that the United States is a nation based on the rule of law – but, based on his pragmatic, conservative, and cautious approach to serious problems left behind by Bush/Cheney et al – the only reasonable explanation for the republican reaction of “Hell No you can’t” is OVERT racism!

I have mixed emotions as I begin this post.  First, it was VERY encouraging seeing President Obama in what appeared to be “attack mode” as he was responding to the republican response to their LOSS on the health care debate.  It is TOTALLY discouraging seeing a republican party that is beyond OUT OF CONTROL with leaders who are OVERT racists.  They’re having a much more difficult time holding their TRUE feelings inside as they watch what could be – and hopefully is – the total DEMISE of the republican party as it exists today (could it be their “Waterloo?”).  There have been many more Americans besides myself who have been disappointed (in my case, virtually turned off) by President Obama’s persistent “reaching out” to republicans in order to get “bipartisan” support for legislation which OBVIOUSLY was not there.  This bill could have been law a LONG TIME AGO had our president figured this out – and accepted it.  Hopefully now, he understands that there is an internal war going on for the very foundation of the United States of America.  The republicans have morphed into a bunch of surrogates to people like Roger Ailes (the head of Fox “news”), Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, and a bunch of other “talking heads,” but MOSTLY Rush Limbaugh.  I can’t imagine how any thoughtful adult in today’s America could want to allow that bunch to determine national policy.

This should have been way more OBVIOUS to democrats, and especially the president.  I mean, the republicans chose an overt RACIST to be John McCain’s running mate in the last election.  Sarah Palin started all this “revolutionary” rhetoric when she was claiming that Barack Obama “hangs out with terrorists,” emphasizing his middle name was “Hussein,” and using one code word after another to assure her audience that she was well aware that her opponent was BLACK.  And, of course, we had John McCain who is a much more covert racist, although he put up a good fight in years past to oppose a holiday for Martin Luther King.  McCain had the code words all right, they were just more subtle than Palin’s.  I’ll never forget the debate where McCain referred to Obama as “that one,” and – for all intents and purposes – got away with it.  There was barely a “whimper” from some in the media – but, just that comment alone should have been reason for much more SCRUTINY on McCain’s motives.  And, both McCain and Palin continued “inciting” the crowds as people in their audience shouted things like “kill him” while they were implying that Barack Obama was something less than “one of us,” or a “real American.”

So, now look where we are.  President Obama chose, once in office, to look the other way from OBVIOUS illegal activity coming straight out of the White House during the Bush/Cheney years – presumably to avoid flaming the racist fires even more as he took over the reigns of our government.  I’m sure he didn’t want the “distraction” it would have caused.  Well, notwithstanding all the reasons it was PARAMOUNT to show the world that we are a nation of laws and not men, WE STILL HAVE THE DISTRACTION.  And, I would claim that the distraction is far worse than it would have been had Obama done the RIGHT THING and allowed for the investigations.  Not only would we have been given insight into what our government had been up to, but ALL AMERICANS would have a clear vision of what the right wing of the republican party is pushing as official policy.  I shudder when I see all these working class Americans lined up as “tea party” protestors – TOTALLY being used by the repubulican leaders who could care less about them and as they are trying to create a nation of corporate GREED gone WILD!

This all being said, I have to admit that I’m feeling a bit encouraged by the fact the democrats – despite my deep reservations about the legislation – PASSED A HEALTH REFORM BILL.  It’s not that the bill is a be all end all, because most people agree that it’s not.  It’s just that they didn’t quit, and they actually did something that  resembles governing.  It looked to me as if Nancy Pelosi decided to make sure something was accomplished and I liked the way she (and the rest of the democrats) maneuvered the bill through once Scott Brown became the 41st NO vote in the Senate.  Of course, as I’ve been saying for almost a year, all they had to do – in reality – was to give ALL Americans the OPTION to buy into a medicare like plan that would pay a fair amount to doctors and hospitals with incentives for health providers to help people stay healthy.  Just the same, the democrats – better late than never – FINALLY did something.  And, I share the hope of many that this action will spur them on to “bigger and better” things prior to the next election.  Of course, that would be even more unusual because the recent history of our congress is that even LESS gets done during an election year.

Do you get the sense that the democratic members of congress are “getting” the reality of “Citizens United?”  Maybe they’re understanding the best way to fight the impending ONSLAUGHT of corporate money in the upcoming election is to actually accomplish some things that “we the people” want before then.  I mean, it was astonishing to me that the congress couldn’t put a “public option” in the health care legislation when over 70% of Americans wanted that.  Of course, those 70% didn’t include the pharmaceutical giants or the health insurance behemoths, and, evidently, they have more sway with our congressional leaders and the White House than the rest of us.  Now congress is faced with the “task” of re-regulating Wall Street.  The big banks are already funneling their HUGE amounts of campaign donations toward republicans in a shameless attempt to persuade the PARTY OF NO to attempt to block any restrictions on their gambling with taxpayer money (right now, they’re getting money from the Fed at 0% interest).  I think it must have been Wall Street that came up with the saying “Heads we win, tails you lose.”  It must be nice to be able to lose BILLIONS and still get a handsome bonus – not to mention the seven figure salary!  Do the republicans really DARE to side with Wall Street on this one?  Stay tuned, should be interesting to say the least.  (and, I guess I should add; are the democrats either stupid enough or spineless enough to fail to act on this OVERWHELMINGLY popular and NECESSARY issue?)

Most of all I’ve been encouraged by seeing President Obama acting much more agressively to the obstructionists.  I’ve stated before that the “looking forward and not back” regarding the misdeeds of Bush/Cheney was a “deal breaker” for me – but, I VERY MUCH WANT PRESIDENT OBAMA TO SUCCEED!  I believe if he’ll start pushing a progressive agenda without deference to the republicans who have proven that their “tax cuts solves everything” philosophy is a MAJOR LOSER and that their new philosophy of help our President to fail is only popular with the tea baggers and racists, then he’ll rise again in the polls.  I also believe that if Obama takes the republicans on STRAIGHT UP – democrats won’t necessarily have the disaster pundits are predicting for them in November’s congressional elections.  Wouldn’t it be a GREAT MESSAGE to send to republicans – to put them FURTHER in the minority?  Do you think that might wake them up that this radical authoritarian agenda they’re pushing has NO PLACE in America’s politics?  President Obama could push through the Wall Street regulation, a green energy bill, and an ADDITIONAL STIMULUS bill that would put people back to work, and he could gain solid backing by a LARGE MAJORITY of Americans.

I just can’t bring myself to believe that in 2010 there are enough Americans who will “buy” the TEA PARTY “soup” to effect the outcome of an election.  Obama’s placating of republicans has been turning off both independent voters (like myself) and his “liberal” base.  The ONLY way to reenergize these people is to take up the BATTLE against these republicans.  That’s why Obama was elected.  It’s not just me who had had enough of Bush and his cronies.  If President Obama wants to really be the LEADER of this nation, he will make it clear that what those people stand for has no place in American politics any more.  Some of this tea party CRAP really reminds me of some of the stuff we had to endure in the sixties when the civil rights movement was in full force.  It’s as if Bush/Cheney (both draft dodgers) missed serving in Viet Nam, but they didn’t hesitate to send hundred’s of thousands of America’s finest to Iraq for their own personal gain.  Neither Bush nor Cheney were noted for their racial sensitivity, and now we’re again seeing American heroes like John Lewis enduring racial epithets on the steps of congress with republican lawmakers urging the perpetrators on.  To me, all of this is like “Deja Vu all over again.”  I’m hoping Obama is in a position – and frame of mind – to continue to attack these guys.

What could possibly derail President Obama?  Well, I’m still not sure why he’s made some of the decisions he’s made – so, short of finding out that he’s still wiretapping, or that the secret prisons are still torturing prisoners, or some other foo pah – hopefully Obama is now on track to “take it to” the republicans.  I agree that we need republicans, it’s just that we don’t need republicans who are sucking up to people like Limbaugh, Beck, and Ailes.  The other day a former speech writer for Bush, David Frum, was fired from the conservative American Enterprise Institute for telling the truth about the republican’s refusal to negotiate with democrats on the health care legislation.  The bottom line: in today’s republican party you either “toe” the party line, or you’re “persona non grata.”  Does anyone besides me find it ironic that these same people are very loose in throwing terms like “fascist,” “communist,” “socialist” around at President Obama?  I heard a republican the other day claim that Obama’s creating a “totalitarian” nation!  These people really do need to be DEFEATED!  Hopefully President Obama has finally figured out that he’s the one who MUST lead the way in doing this.

There was a time in my lifetime when republicans actually acted as leaders.  People like Barry Goldwater, Everett Dirksen, Mark Hatfield, Bob Packwood, George Romney, Nelson Rockefeller, Dwight D Eisenhower, and even Richard Nixon could never exist in today’s republican party.  I’m no John McCain fan, but if you’ve followed his career you can see the stark difference between “then and now.”  He was once considered the “maverick,” because of his willingness to work “across the isle,” but, nowadays you see him spouting the “party line” in an attempt to show all the tea baggers that he’s worthy of their vote in a disgusting display of someone who doesn’t have the courage to stand up for what he believes.  Makes me sick even writing this.  I do believe, however, that totally DEFEATING these THUGS will lead to a restoration of a republican party that just might actually be “compassionate conservatives” which is what the voters thought they were getting when they elected George W Bush.  (OK, I “get” they didn’t elect him – he was appointed by the Supreme Court – but, just the same, the people who did vote for him thought he was compassionate and conservative.  0 for 2!)

 President Obama made all of this much more difficult than it should have been.  A friend of mine pointed out that Obama needed to “reach out” to republicans in order to show America what they are REALLY like.  I understand that line of thinking, but I just think that full investigations of Bush/Cheney et al would have done a much better and more thorough job of getting that done.  And, it would have allowed for this healthcare debate to have been over long ago (especially had they taken the medicare for all approach and gone right to reconciliation to pass it in the senate).  So, in the interest of helping Obama and the democrats further marginalize these republicans I’m suggesting they pass STRICT regulations of Wall Street – which would include a .0025 cents PER SHARE tax on all trades (that’s a QUARTER OF A CENT), they should also pass a SECOND stimulus bill – that is 100% aimed at job creation, and a “green energy” bill that ACTUALLY puts us on a course aimed at reducing our dependence on fossil fuels – SOONER RATHER THAN LATER!  If they have the courage and the brains to do that, I TOTALLY believe the people in this nation who are not infromation deprived will be ENERGIZED to send an even STRONGER message to the likes of John (hell no you can’t) Boehner, Mitch McConnell, John McCain, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and the rest of them.  If I could talk to President Obama (after I pointed out to him his folly in “pardoning” Bush/Cheney :o) I would tell him, an agressive progressive agenda for the rest of 2010 will guarantee the republicans to still be the party of “NO” in November!!!

In my last post I expressed my disappointment in the health care proposal which, last evening, was passed by the United States House of Representatives.  It was a “better than the status quo” solution to the health care crisis which is in the process of destroying the American economy (with, of course, a lot of help from eight years of GW Bush/Dick Cheney) – or, at least, that is what the democrats are promising and I, for one, hope they are correct.  I’ve also spent a lot of time on this site, which was originated because of my displeasure with the aforementioned Bush administration, pointing out what I believe are President Obama’s shortcomings since taking over at the White House.  However, last night as the debate played out its final moments in the House of Representatives – the outcome of which was pre-determined, the distinction between the democrats and republicans was STARK.  I was at school correcting papers from my sixth graders and had the opportunity to watch pretty much the entire process and I came away wondering how any decent minded, thoughtful, caring American could support the republicans and their RADICAL fearmongering that TOTALLY exposed their HYPOCRISY which seemed to be on steroids.

Now, I fully realize that virtually ALL OF US are hypocrits to some degree or another.  In fact, while not a “fundamentalist zealot,” I am a confirmed, devout, Christian (I guess you’d have to say I’m part of the “Christian Left”).  I agree that life begins at conception (I’ve seen actual evidence of this), I have always supported an economic policy aimed at a balanced budget, I believe in traditional American values (that’s pretty subjective though, isn’t it?), and I agree that the “disintegration” of the family is at the core of America’s present problems.  Does that sound conservative to you?  It has always felt conservative to me.  However, ALL my friends and acquaintances who listen to people like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Fox “news,” etc. consider me a flaming LIBERAL!  I can only surmise the reason for this is that I take the teachings of Jesus seriously.  The republican leaders of this nation actually remind me of the Pharisees.  Now, there’s no one out there who reminds me of Jesus (except Jesus himself), but these republican leaders seem to be doing everything they can to undermine what Jesus stood for, what he taught, and, of course, many of them use his name to do that.  I believe that is what bothers me the MOST about this debate over health care.  (other than the fact that my own apparent need to sit in “judgement” on republicans causes me to feel a sense of hypocricy over my own actions – I do understand the Bible says “Judge not, lest ye be judged” – quite the dilemma)

Listening to the republican side of the argument last night – despite, in my mind, that both sides were being disengenuous at best – the republicans made my stomach queasy.  And, after reading so many books detailing what they did during the “Bush years” – when they had the opportunity to address the health care crisis in America – was what made their every word seem like “HYPOCRISY” on steroids, as mentioned above.  Let’s just analyze their argument against this healthcare reform legislation against their own record of the past 10 years:

One argument: We can’t afford it – healthcare reform will cost “a trillion” dollars and lead to massive national debt.  Do I really need to elaborate to point out the hypocrisy of this one?  Where were their complaints about the national debt when they were passing tax cuts for the top 1% of this nation totalling over 2 TRILLION dollars with no mention of a way to pay for it?  Or, the championing of two ill conceived wars which have already cost this country over one TRILLION dollars and that has been paid for with 100% BORROWED FUNDS.  Where were their complaints about that?  Or where were their complaints about the Medicare “part D” program they themselves rammed through congress which added almost 400 BILLION to the debt and prevented senior citizens from having the ability to negotiate as a group for lower drug costs?  Why weren’t they complaining as George W Bush and Dick Cheney were saying “Ronald Reagan proved deficits don’t matter” as they DOUBLED the national debt in their eight years in the White House?  Were they saying nothing simply because Bush/Cheney were republicans?  Or did this concern over the national debt just strike them as important once President Obama took office?  And, of course, you won’t hear republican number one accepting the REAL RESPONSIBILITY for the present debt crisis as something they brought on by their over DEREGULATION during the years from Reagan to Bush II.

Here’s another one of their arguments from last evening: “This is a total government takeover of the health care system.”  Do these people live in their own absurd universe or something?  Now, I have to add here that what I’ve been proposing since day one is exactly what they’re complaining about here – well, sort of.  And, that would be the opportunity for ALL AMERICANS to be able to buy into a “government run health care system” if they would choose to do so.  The reason I’m unhappy with the democrats is because they had an easy solution to this health care problem and chose to take an ill conceived route that hopefully will someday end up in the correct place.  All the democrats had to do was to allow all Americans the opportunity to buy into Medicare – with a few modifications which would allow more favorable payments to doctors and hospitals.  That was it.  Anyone wanting to keep or buy private health insurance would still have that option.  And, based on the republicans CONSTANT rant that anything the government does is MUCH MORE INEFFECTIVE than the private sector, there shouldn’t have been much concern by the private companies that the government could effectively compete with them.  Of course, that wasn’t the case and the insurance lobby and the pharmaceutical lobby “invested” over a BILLION dollars to make sure there was no “government takeover of the healthcare system.”

In fact, what we’re ending up with from this “historic” bill is a plan that FORCES another 32+ million “customers” into the health insurance providers who’ve been supposedly fighting this bill all along.  You, as I did and am, might wonder why the insurance companies would fight against 32 MILLION new customers?  Well, I believe the answer to that question is that they weren’t fighting against it.  I’m guessing these companies got pretty much what they wanted out of this legislation.  They are still in tact, they’re waiting for a BUNCH of new customers who will be subsidized by the taxpayers, and I’m guessing there will be no sudden depletion of their bottom lines.  In fact, I believe the total risk here is on the government’s side.  I’m as certain as I can be that the insurance “board rooms” are already busy figuring out how they can “get around” anything in this legislation they don’t like.  The bottom line with this bill – contrary to what the republicans are HYPOCRITICALLY saying – is that it STRENGTHENS the “FOR PROFIT” healthcare system that is creating a huge DRAIN on our economy.  I’m hoping and praying that President Obama is correct that the bill will bring down costs and provide insurance for another 30+ million uninsured Americans.  But, what this bill AINT is government run health care (although the government is going to be right out there getting blamed for whatever “ills” show up as the legislation is implemented)

Still another argument against the legislation by republicans last night: “The American people are solidly against healthcare reform.”  I heard this one OVER AND OVER last night from almost every republican who spoke.  All I could think of as I listened to them was “here we go again” with another propoganda campaign designed to say something over and over again until people start thinking it must be true.  EVERY POLL I’ve seen on health care would suggest that if people are not solidly behind this legislation it is because it doesn’t go far enough.  When this process started almost 75% of Americans wanted a “robust public option.”  The general public understood that to be what I proposed many times and earlier in this post – something like a medicare buyin option for ALL Americans.  In fact, early on in this debate, about 56% of ALL RESPONDENTS wanted a single payer healthcare system!  So, as usual, the republicans are LYING again!  You know – when their lips are moving – THEY’RE LYING!  Now, it’s true that there are a few recent polls which can be manipulated in a way that would appear to suggest that there is not a strong majority in favor of healthcare reform – but, those figures ALWAYS represent the monstrosity of a bill the Senate ended up passing – which is technically what is law as I’m writing this post – waiting for the house “reconciliation” modifications to be acted on in the senate.  No matter what the democrats end up with it’s not going to be what the people wanted, and it’s CERTAINLY not going to be “healthcare for all” as they’re touting it.  The democrats aren’t being genuine here either, but their exaggerations PALE in the face of the republican “Lie machine.”

Finally, probably the most absurd argument:  “This is a soviet style reform, a communistic form of health care.”  This is the republicans attempting to appeal to the most ignorant and biased among us.  Now, I personally HATE this tactic – which is translated into the so-called “tea party” movement and ends up morphing into racist and homophobic attacks on members of congress who are supporting the bill.  This is the tactic espoused by the likes of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Michael Savage, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, John McCain, and seemingly ALL of today’s despicable republican party.  All I can say is it angered me to watch video of John Lewis and one of his Black colleagues being showered with racial epithets as he walked to the capital to cast his vote for this legislation.  This is a man who was almost beaten to death in the first Selma to Montgomery “March” almost 45 years ago to the day as he fought for civil rights alongside Martin Luther King – both TRUE AMERICAN HEROS – and these “tea baggers” are throwing “N bombs” at him because he’s in favor of national healthcare reform – probably reform which will benefit some of them.  Barney Frank received a rash of homophobic slurs, and they even blasted a Texas Congressman of Mexican decent with hispanic slurs.  Really, all of this tells me all I need to know about the “validity” of their “communist” claim – I had just hoped we had matured past this kind of CRAP in America!  Obviously, I was wrong.

This healthcare legislation, as far as I’m concerned, is MAJORLY flawed.  I’m not all together confident it’s going to work in the manner the democrats are anticipating.  For one thing, I believe there is still WAY TOO MUCH trust being given to the very insurance companies which are supposedly being “reformed.”  There is no “government run healthcare option” as part of the bill – which I understood President Obama to be “promising” as he ran for President.  Also, he promised there would be no “mandate” – if you remember – well, if I remember – that was a Hillary Clinton proposal.  And, the thought that I will be taxed on my health benefits which are used to pay for the insurance I purchase – which costs me an additional $600 per month above what my employer provides (I include my wife) simply makes me feel my health care costs will be rising instead of going down.  Hopefully, as I say about much of what Obama “accomplishes,” I hope I’m wrong.   But, getting back to the republicans – THERE ARE CLEAR LINES being drawn here.  The republican arguments MAKE NO SENSE!  The republicans made a conscious decision to oppose health care reform – not because it wasn’t in the interest of the American people – but, because they want President Obama to FAIL at all costs.  They would have us ALL FAIL in order to make sure that America is not led by a President of color.  I believe the one tradition republicans still hold true to is they want a “White Anglo Saxon Protestant” in the White House.  And, they’re willing to do or say ANYTHING in an attempt to make sure violation of that “principle” never happens again!

It appears that the painstakingly LONG debate over health insurance reform is coming to an end.  My gut instincts tell me that this bill will be a real “cop out” to what was possible, but I “hear” the democrats who are claiming it’s just a “start.”  Yes, there is historical precedence to suggest that, over the course of time, this bill can be improved.  I guess I’m just suffering from the disappointment in realizing that our Congress, and very possibly our White House, are already in the “pockets” of multi-national corporations – whether democrat or republican.  Otherwise, it’s hard for me to “get” why they didn’t just simply open up Medicare – with a few modifications (including the “improvements” of this bill – like “pre-existing conditions,” etc.) – to all Americans, with those presently buying insurance from the private market having the “option” to buy into the “government run healthcare system.”  Certainly, all those on the right who claim that the government can’t do anything right would simply have had the option to NOT buy in.  Those who would want to be a part of that should have had the “option” to purchase “government run healthcare” had they been so inclined.

Why would I be concerned about the corporate influence on this bill?  Well, putting two plus two together, I’m already thinking about the effects of the so-called “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision which has “opened the flood gates” of political finance to corporate interests – many of which won’t even be United States owned corporations.  If the BILLION or so dollars spent by the health care lobby could “mitigate” this legislation to “save” it for the FOR PROFIT health care industry, just think what lies in store in the years to come.  President Obama and the democrats are assuring us that the bill will be “strengthened” in the years ahead.  I’m just not so sure that they can guarantee that.  In fact, the members of the House are using a process called “deem and pass” to get this legislation from the House back to the Senate.  And, why would they use this parliamentary trickery for the ultimate vote on the bill?  Well, from everything I’ve heard, it’s because the members of the House ABSOLUTELY don’t trust the members of the Senate – AND FOR GOOD REASON, I might add.  I don’t think hardly anyone trusts the members of the Senate – on either side of the “isle” – at this point in America’s history.  I believe this “deem and pass” procedure guarantees the House that if the Senate doesn’t pass the bill as sent to them, there will be no bill.  In other words, the members of the House are stating that they will not take the chance that the Senate health care bill could possibly end up being law – without modification.

And, one member of the house after another seem to be saying that this bill is “better than the status quo,” and that’s the only reason they’re voting for it.  When you’ve got a super majority in Congress, that is not a ringing endorsement of the democrats ability to get legislation passed through Congress.  I will say this, since the first of the year I’ve seen a BIT more willingness on the part of democratic leaders to simply disregard the republican party as they should have from the day President Obama was elected.  I suppose the argument could be made that Obama needed to show the republicans “for what they are,” and it took all this “reaching out” to an unwilling constituency to do so, but, as I’ve been stating for over a year there was a much easier way to accomplish putting these republicans in their place.  For the sake of wanting to avoid beating the “dead horse” I’ve been beating for the past year on the need for investigations, I’ll leave it at just that hint of what the real solution was – read my earlier posts if you’re not sure what I mean by that.  But, while all this “negotiating” has taken place in the past year, I have to add that millions of Americans are without work, with no prospects for the immediate future because of the fight for this mediocre, at best, health care legislation.  I’m simply going on what trust I have left in the President that this legislation is going to help a lot of Americans.  But, if the democrats lose control of Congress, and ultimately Obama loses the White House over this – I’m very hopeful that won’t happen – the negative consequences could far outweigh the positive ones (whatever they might be – to me, very unclear at this point).  Honestly, it’s very hard for me to trust any American politician at this point in time.

We can expect the large corporate money to begin flowing almost as soon as this bill gets signed by the president.  I believe the first attempt will be to elect republicans who pledge to repeal it.  Of course, if Obama’s new found “spunk” which he’s shown in the last month or so is genuine, then they will have to beat him to get it repealed – even if they could somehow miraculously take back the Congress.  Realistically, I believe the worst that could happen for the democrats is to lose their TIGHT GRIP on congressional majorities – but, no one knows what effect unlimited corporate spending might do in the next election.  For example, if the pharmaceutical industry could afford to pay the man who negotiated the Medicare Part D fiasco under President Bush a bonus of over a BILLION dollars, think about how much they are going to spend to prevent congress from “fixing” this bill in the future.  For them, the “status quo” was much more preferable to the government suggesting there should be regulation on how they or the insurance companies operate.  I mean, do you honestly believe there was no public option because it wasn’t a good idea?  Combine the money of the insurance industry with that of the pharmaceutical industry and you have the ability to far outspend any candidate that is not “BEHOLDEN” to them.  Do you really think the members of congress committed to health care as a right, and the end of FOR PROFIT health care are going to have much of a chance against these corporate behemoths?

Add to this that the congresspersons who will be willing to suck up to these corporations will more than likely be just as willing to suck up to the oil lobby, the coal lobby, the NRA (probably already doing this – but, just picture the amount of money these lobbies can now spend to promote their interests), and anyone else out there who will offer them financial support.  This is why it was so important to take these people on STRAIGHT UP right NOW!  Passing the “option” for ALL AMERICANS to be able to buy into Medicare could have been done with 50 votes in the Senate, wouldn’t have required 2700 pages (or whatever the actual amount of the bill ends up being), wouldn’t have intruded on anyone who is happy with their private insurance, and MORE IMPORTANTLY would have allowed our government to spend the time that was needed on CREATING JOBS for the MILLIONS of Americans who are still anxious to go to work, with NO JOBS in sight.

With an “infrastructure” that was estimated to need something like TWO TRILLION dollars to bring it up to code, and over 10 MILLION men and women out of work – the combination for a “short cut” to solving this unemployment problem was right in front of our politicians eyes.  Yet, we had to spend over ONE YEAR arguing about a health care bill which will end up being almost TOTALLY diluted from the “ideal,” and we still have a treasury secretary saying that unemployment is going to go up further before it starts to come down consistently.  There is no doubt that Barack Obama is FAR BETTER than anything the republcans have (or had) to offer – but, there are a lot of “ifs” on the road ahead.  I for one have grown tired of the rhetoric.  I’ve been looking for action since he took office – and, yes, stuff has been accomplished – but, almost all of it is far less than what could have been had Obama taken a STRONG STANCE against the republican party from day one.  Just the other day, there he was on Fox – kissing up to Republcans again.  I’m going to hope that all of this works out for the better, but this is not the “change I can believe in.”  It feels like a cross between “Bush – lite” and “Clinton – lite.”  Not much seems different to me – even though there are a bunch of democrats who are going to be claiming they’ve passed a “historic” health care overhaul.  I think Dennis Kucinich put it about right on the other day when he announced he was dropping his opposition to the plan.  It’s not what he wanted, it’s not “real” health care reform, it’s more than likely a windfall to the big insurance companies which will make them even more difficult to legislate against in the future (that last part was my thoughts), but he didn’t want to stand in the way of the final bill – he was voting for it simply because President Obama convinced him it was better than the status quo.  Personally, I’m pretty disappointed that the main selling point of the health care bill is that it’s “better than the status quo.”  Is it possible that “Citizen’s United” has actually gotten the attention of democratic leaders?  I sure hope so.  It would be nice to see democrats spend the rest of this year fighting for jobs, Wall Street regulation, and a green economy – and, against republicans.  If they don’t make a significant impression on the electorate in the next few months, their political futures may well be determined by the very corporations they’ve been unwilling to “take on.”

If you’ve been on this site in the past you know that I’ve been lobbying ad nauseum for the investigations of the Bush/Cheney administration and all their alleged illegal activity.  That has been my MAJOR disappointment with President Obama (although there are others as well) and, my last post gave my position about the effect on our nation of all the lying that has become rampant on our airwaves.  Well, there’s further reasons why these investigations need to happen – and probably more, going back to at least the Reagan years (and, yes, if you’re a republican hack – I would include the Clinton years in this as well).  The reports of what has been done in the name of the United States of America – secretly – need to be made public before the internal healing that needs to take place in this nation is possible.  For example, if you read “Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein you will realize that torture by Americans wasn’t “invented” by Bush/Cheney (this FACT, in my view, does not make them innocent of what they authorized).  Now, I’m hearing reports that one “right wing” group is “rewriting” the Bible – to give it a “conservative” bent, I just read yesterday that someone in Texas is proposing rewriting history books to put “conservatives” in a “better light,” (I put conservatives in quotes because who knows what that word means anymore?), and you’ve got people like Karl Rove and Dick Cheney running around attempting to rewrite the history of their failed administration so that somehow the “history books” will consider the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq, the torture, and the failed economy (among other blunders) in a positive light.  I haven’t read Rove’s book, but I’m fairly confident that he’ll even find a way to claim that the Bush administration did “all it could” to help New Orleans during the Katrina hurricane, and to keep us safe by TORTURING “enemy combatants.”  The ONLY way to make sure this HOG WASH is stopped, is for a formal investigation of Bush/Cheney – and, like I said, it would be good to go all the way back to Reagan.  What is going on behind “closed doors” with our government?  Do we give these people some kind of sanctity when electing them to office?  I’m confused!

Why is this so important to me?  Well, have you ever heard the saying “Those who choose to ignore history are destined to repeat it?”  This isn’t my biggest fear, it’s a certainty – that by letting the Bushites “off the hook” President Obama has virtually guaranteed torturing by the United States of America is going to continue (in fact, I wonder if it’s not continuing as I write this – despite Obama’s claims to the contrary – why else would he block investigations of certain war crimes?).  The people of the United States have been under a barrage of propoganda for most of my adult life (I’m eligible of social security).  I started noticing it during the Reagan years with the advent of the right wing “talkers” on the radio – people like Rush Limbaugh – who were “spouting” what became known as “talking points” – where several people hit the airwaves saying EXACTLY the same thing OVER AND OVER again, until it was considered “truth” in the “mainstream media.”   The republicans figured this out, and they’ve become very good at it.  On occasion, it’s appeared to me that the democrats were trying to emulate them, but they’ve never managed to get into the same league as the republicans.  I’m not saying the democrats aren’t good at lying, but this is like men versus boys when we’re comparing the democrats’ lying ability to the republicans.  And, for some reason, our “liberal media” seems hell bent on ignoring all of this.

However, just the other day I was encouraged along these lines when I read an article in the Washington Post by Howell Raines that was a stinging rebuke of Fox “news” – which is owned by Rupert Murdoch (an Australian right winger) – with a strong minority interest from some sheik who resides in Saudi Arabia (where else?) – and which is run by Roger Ailes – who is nothing more than a republican hack.  Ailes was in the mold of Karl Rove back in the days of Richard Nixon and is now doing everything he can to undermine the President of the United States as an “arm” of the republican party masquerading as a “news” outlet.  While I have been ranting about Fox (and, I’m sure many other obscure people on the web), and they’ve been the “target” of Keith Olberman of MSNBC, for the most part Fox has gotten a “pass” on what is clearly BIASED partisan “reporting.”  Raines’ article is the FIRST thing I’ve read by someone who could be called part of the “main stream” media that has had the GUTS to call Murdoch and Ailes out for what they’re doing.  What has happened to unbiased reporters who are beholden to no one?  Does anyone else out there worry that there could be some kind of “conspiracy” to remove the “fourth” branch of our government – which is an unbiased, meddling, investigative media acting as “watchdog” for all of us?

Fox has given a platform to people like Dick Cheney (and his repulsive daughter Liz), Rove, Glenn Beck (another repulsive one), Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly (I guess repulsive is in vogue at Fox), and these people are using this “stage” to undermine the very government that we all depend on.  And, they must be considered quite powerful, because I almost get the feeling that the reason Obama and the democrats continue attempting to placate republicans is because they’re worried about how they will to be portrayed on Fox.  The end result of all this is we have two wars going on that the people seem to be powerless to stop – two wars which are bleeding our nation’s “coffers” while we’re debating as to whether we can afford to provide health care for our own people.  Again, I’m confused about how we have so much compassion for the Iraqi and the Afgan people, but so little for our own.  Doesn’t make ANY sense to me.

Just for the sake of argument, let me share a bit of “knowledge” I’ve gained recently in my bibliophilia (love of books).  Let’s start with 9/11 because recently I’ve heard both Karl Rove and Dick Cheney (among other former “Bushites”) continuing their “fairy tale” that they kept America “safe” during their 8 years in the White House.  They’re not even, at this point, acknowledging that 9/11 happened while they were in office – the usual “storyline” is to blame 9/11 on Bill Clinton.  (again, the fact we even have to listen to these liars is reason enough to hold the investigations as far as I’m concerned, but now Rove is doing this overseas!)  OK, if you’ve read many of my posts, you are aware that the NSA, the FBI, the CIA and the other intelligence branches were at odds with each other – kind of in a “turf war” during the “run up” to 9/11.  The NSA had a “bead” on the first two hijackers soon after they entered the country – phone numbers, addresses, etc.  In fact, there was no need to violate FISA to follow these two, because their whereabouts was no mystery.  And, the others would have been easy to follow had they followed the first two.  Part of the “angst” between the different “intelligence” branches was due to Donald Rumsfeld.  The guy could make a laughing hyena angry!  By the time Rumsfeld was in office a couple months all these agencies were at each other’s “throats.”  So, for starters, the reality is that the terrorists who flew the planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were in this country and “noticed” by th NSA soon after Bush took office.

Additionally, Bush and company were warned about al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden by the “transition team” of the Clinton administration.  They knew where he was and they knew what he had done.  In fact, they soon began “negotiating” with the Taliban to get the Taliban to “out” bin Laden in return for the US recognizing the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afganistan (I’ll tell you in a bit what Bush and company really wanted from the Taliban).  Now, what most people don’t know is that the Taliban were fully supported by our WONDERFUL “ally” Saudi Arabia – because their form of “Islam” mirrored the Saudi’s – an extremely fundamental interpretation of the Koran – Wahhabism.  Remember, 15 of the 19 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia – and, of course, the Taliban had no intention of “giving” us bin Laden.  Was our real motivation to get bin Laden?  Well, when you look a little farther, it makes you wonder.

The United States was in negotiations with the Taliban to get the rights to build a gas and oil pipline accross Afganistan to Pakistan so that we could get the oil and natural gas from Central Asia – and bypass Russia in the process.  (you can imagine how the Russians looked at this)  Keep in mind who was in the White House at the time.  Both George W Bush and, MORESO, Dick Cheney were emersed in the oil business prior to taking office.  Just think of what a “gold mine” it would have been for Cheney’s former company (remember he still had MILLIONS of shares of their stock in a “trust”) Halliburton if the United States could have pulled off getting this pipeline.  We’re talking about a multi-billion dollar deal – that was right up Halliburton’s “alley.”  Which do you think was more important to the US – getting the pipeline or getting bin Laden?  Additionally, Condoleeza Rice was a director for Chevron for the eight years prior to joining Bush/Cheney and they also had a significant interest in the US getting this pipeline.

Up to that point bin Laden’s attacks on the United States had come on foriegn soil.  Bush, Cheney, Rice, and all the others were warned ahead of time – MULTIPLE TIMES – that bin Laden was going to “strike” America – and, they ignored each warning!  In fact, do you remember how the Bush administration and all the cheering republicans were condemming the French because they wouldn’t go along with the invasion of Iraq when Bush/Cheney broke off the chase for bin Laden?  Well, about one month prior to 9/11 the French intelligence authorities gave the Bush administration intelligence on Zacarias Moussaoui, a Frenchman who was suspected of being the 20th hijacker, and who had been in flight training with the other hijackers.  This, like all the other clues, was not acted upon.  So, do you really think these guys should be going around now claiming they kept us safe?  I’m not claiming that it was a “slam dunk” to “connect the dots,” I’m just pointing out that Bush/Cheney/Rice and the others DIDN’T connect the dots, and SHOULDN’T be “bragging” about keeping America safe.  The worst attack in our history happened on their “watch.”  Again, investigations would eliminate all this speculation and Americans would KNOW the truth.

Well, there’s more.  Remember the Saudi’s?  Of course, virtually everyone knows that bin Laden is from one of the wealthiest families in Saudi Arabia.  Supposedly, he lost his citizenship in the mid nineties.  If so, how does he continue to fund a worldwide terrorist network?  How does the saying go? Three guesses and the first two don’t count.  I don’t think this will surprise you, but these Saudi’s are about as brazen as our republicans in their “underworldlike” dealings – so, is it any wonder that they’re such good “buddies” with Bush/Cheney?   How good? you might ask.  Well, the connection between the former president – I should say presidents – named Bush, is startling.  It’s like the Bush family is connected at the hip with the bin Laden family.  Both George HW Bush and George W Bush are, or have been, directors of an “American” investment company called the “Carlyle Group.”  This group includes former cabinet officials of the first Bush administration, and other prominent republicans from administrations past, and one of their prominent investors comes straight from the bin Laden family.  Additionally, George W Bush was a director of an energy company called Harken which encountered financial difficulty (everything Bush touched prior to being president, it seems, turned to “stone”) and was bailed out by a Saudi investor directly connected to Osama bin Laden (and recruited by GHW Bush).  Now, some might suggest that because there were about 50+ sons of Mohammed bin Laden who was the patriarch of the bin Laden fortune, and that they’ve “excommunicated” Osama bin Laden, that there’s no connection.  However, the truth is that these other brothers, in conjunction with other prominent Saudi’s have established banks, businesses, charities, and other fronts all over the world which have been, and still are, funneling Osama bin Laden all the money he needs to run his al Qaeda organization.  Essentially, the Saudi’s are saying to the United States, we’ve got the oil and the money, what are you going to do about it?  They do it very discreetly, but has anyone noticed that bin Laden is still alive and well despite supposedly being a target of the United States now for over 10 years? (even if bin Laden would be dead, as some suggest, al Qaeda is stronger now than when they pulled off 9/11)

Back to the investigations.  Am I the only one who wants to know the who and why of bin Laden being allowed to escape from Tora Bora?  This could lead to an entirely different discussion.  Like, how about Bush/Cheney switching “gears” and sending all of our “assets” into Iraq at a still untold expense that could conceivably TOTALLY bankrupt this nation – based on lies and cherry picked intelligence.  Did Bush’s connection to the bin Laden family have anything to do with this?  Why did the Saudi’s get a “free pass” when almost all of the hijackers and the mastermind of the attack come from their nation?  Does anyone out there really believe that the 9/11 attacks weren’t funded by the Saudi’s?  There’s a Saudi named Khalid bin Mahfouz who was helping to fund bin Laden for years before 9/11 and he had something like 50 banks, businesses, etc. all over the world which he used to launder money going to the terrorists (this info is based on a book by Jean-Charles Brisard and Guillaume Dasquie called “Forbidden Truth” – a couple French reporters who attempted to “connect the dots” from all these Saudi businesses to bin Laden’s terrorist activites) and bin Mahfouz was by no means the only Saudi supporting bin Laden.   I believe investigating all of this, RIGHT OUT IN THE OPEN, is a necessity for the survival of this nation. 

Are we going to continue pretending that we’re the “bright light” of the world, why our leaders are committing crimes against humanity behind our backs?  I don’t think most Americans understand that our standing in the world has been virtually destroyed by Bush/Cheney and, as long as we continue to believe the propoganda we’ve been “fed” for the past 30+ years, America will be moving toward second class status.  Just because our leaders keep hammering it into our heads that “we’re the best” doesn’t make it so.  Our nation is being destroyed from within by the corporate greed that is totally out of control, and people around the world hate us because of actions of our government that most people in America don’t even understand.  For some reason President Obama decided that knowing the truth wasn’t in the best interests of the American people.  I’m assuming he felt the “distraction” would sidetrack his agenda of health care and his attempts to “jump start” the economy.  To me, that is short sighted.  America became great through courageous leadership during World War II and the next couple of decades.  I don’t believe America can return to true world leadership until we prove that our leaders are not above the law!

Somehow I fooled myself into thinking that the frustration level would subside once Bush/Cheney were “out to pasture,” the republicans were in a HUGE minority, and the democrats had the opportunity to REVERSE the abuses of George W Bush and his co-conspirator Dick Cheney.  Well, the reality is setting in that my frustration level not only didn’t go away, it seems that it is on the rise.  First of all, the LYING republicans haven’t missed a beat.  Their CRAP continues to flow as if they had won the last election.  Their BRAZENOUS attitude has not changed one iota, they show absolutely NO REMORSE that this nation is crumbling at the seems due to their incompetent leadership during the past 30 years, and, in fact, as I forced myself to listen to some of them yesterday, they continue to blame President Obama for ALL the ills they themselves created.  Daily, I struggle with my frustration (bordering on anger) at what the republicans have done and what they still want to do AND the FACT the democrats either don’t understand what is happening, are incapable of stopping it, OR they are actually part of the overall problem.  If the latter is the case, “we the people” have a huge job in front of us – tea baggers and/or progressives – in purging Washington DC from all of them – democrats and republicans.

Here’s the rub for me.  I keep thinking that the lies can’t become more brazenous.  That’s on me – because, everyday it seems to get worse.  And, I should have seen this more clearly when republicans were blaming the recession on Obama before he was even inaugurated – and getting virtually NO BLOWBACK from the “liberal” media.  It’s like they huddle together in a little room somewhere and challenge each other with who can tell the biggest lie and get away with it.  In America, we no longer have a news media.  We have evolved to a nation with a bunch of actors giving their (or someone we don’t see on the screen) opinion about “what’s happening,” instead of just reporting the news.  In the past, REAL REPORTERS would FACT CHECK comments made by politicians and other people with a significant “presence” – such as the pundits – and, it would be reported when someone was lying, cheating, and or stealing.  That seems no longer to be the case – what we now have is one opionated blowhard (OK, I “get” that I could fall into that category, but at least I’m not in total denial – AND, I’m not a journalist) hammering the blowhards on the “other side of the isle” and vice versa.  You CAN find out about what’s really happening by finding books written by real reporters – like Sy Hersch, Frank Rich, Thomas Ricks, Naomi Klein, etc. – but, you can’t find the information unless you are willing to go look for it.  Unfortunately, and I work with college graduates who don’t generally even want to discuss this stuff, not many people are willing to go look for it.  They still believe they can turn on the “tube” and get unfiltered “news” through endless “soundbites.”

To give you an idea of how ridiculous that is, I’ll REPORT what I heard yesterday while driving around doing my errands – this is on the radio, but I hear the same CRAP when I turn on the TV.  For example, I like to – well, wait a minute, I’ve got to rephrase that, I force myself to – watch Fox “news” and listen to “right” (wrong) wing radio just to make sure my perspective is somewhat accurate.  So, yesterday I heard Sean Hannity going off on President Obama (no surprise there) claiming he is responsible for the “largest deficits in the history of this country.”  Just to listen to that causes me to think that these people in that small room I mentioned above assume that Americans are STUPID.  Well, maybe they’re correct, although I choose to believe that Americans are so caught up in trying to “get by” that they don’t have time to do anything more than listen to the sound bites – and, most of them have forgotten their lessons on FACT CHECKING that they learned in school.  Now, I know they learned this, because I’m a 6th grade teacher and I’m teaching my 6th grade students how to fact check things – which will get reinforced every year as they go all the way through high school.  It’s true that some of them don’t listen too well, but I choose to think that Americans, in general, aren’t stupid, they’re just the victims of this conspiracy to brainwash them that has been ongoing since the days of Ronald Reagan.

For anyone reading this site I’m sure you understand why Hannity’s comments are so ridiculous.  But, just in case you don’t, or if you’re a republican who’s been buying their CRAP hook, line, and sinker for the past many years, I’ll give you a quick lesson.  First, which is a minor part of the issue, but it’s TRUE, Obama’s first year budget is “handed” to him from the previous president George W Bush.  Now, EVERYONE should know this – the HUGE deficits are the result of the mismanagement of the economy by the Bush/Cheney adminsitration.  In fact, Dick Cheney – who ramrodded the second round of the “Bush Taxcuts” through – was quoted as saying “Reagan proved deficits don’t matter.”  Well, now that President Obama is in the White House, deficits – to these despicable republicans – all of a sudden seem to matter.  However, their PATHALOGICAL LYING nature won’t allow them to tell the truth about the deficits.  Not only are the deficits in the first year beyond Obama’s control, for all intents and purposes the next few years are beyond his control as well (OK, he can hopefully get them going in the “other” direction, but stopping them?  I know that I, for one, don’t want a total collapse of our economy – I’m willing to put up with this in order to get some of my friends and family back to work).  Considering the “state” of the economy when he took office, if Obama can get the deficits cut in half by the time he’s up for re-election, IT WILL BE A MIRACLE.  Of course, you’ll hear these republicans complaining that the deficit is still half a TRILLION dollars – STILL BLAMING IT ON OBAMA.  Makes me sick to my stomach as I write this.  Their HYPOCRICY is unbelievable (but, believe me you should believe it!  How’s that for a “play” on words).

Of course, President Obama is no longer HIDING the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afganistan from the American people and is including that cost in the budget.  Yes, that makes the deficit APPEAR  even worse if you’re like the LYING republicans who NEVER included the costs of  either misadventure in the deficit numbers despite EVERY PENNY being borrowed for both wars, and, additionally, including these numbers is honest which is against everything they stand for.   Consider for a moment how far these republicans will take this nonsense.  Just a week or so ago (I wrote about this) Jim Bunning – former great baseball pitcher, now a bumbling republican senator, blocked unemployment benefits for about a million Americans who are STRUGGLING to get past every day financially by a single objection to a unanimous consent request which would have extended the benefits (democrats “begged” him to relent, and his response to being reminded of the grief he was going to cause all these people was “tough sh_t”).  His objection to the benefit bill stopped hiway projects for people desperate for work, blocked satelite television to rural areas of America, and cut off COBRA benefits for people who have lost their jobs and need health insurance.  This was all a STAGED effort by republicans to complain about the deficit!  Bunning claimed we should pay for things “as we go.”  This from a man who had just voted AGAINST a “pay as you go” legislative proposal from President Obama (yes, you heard that correct), a man who had voted for BOTH of the “Bush taxcuts” that turned a 300 BILLION dollar surplus when Bush took office into a 1.2 TRILLION dollar deficit when he left.  Neither Bunning nor the rest of these deplorable republicans made the slightest PEEP about budget deficits while THEY were CREATING them – they even ALL voted to BORROW ALL the money for BOTH Afganistan and Iraq – and, for that matter, not enough money to actually keep our troops safe!  Now, their plan is to LIE, LIE, LIE to the American people until the people believe that the deficits are the fault of Barack Obama.  I’ve got to add here that anyone who has been on this site much knows that I’m not that happy with Obama, but THIS KIND OF LYING IS RIDICULOUS.  It is HYPOCRISY on steroids!

Then there’s the health care legislation.  Now, to be honest, I’m not at all pleased with what Obama and the democrats are proposing.  But, these republicans are ridiculous in their LYING on this one as well.  And, when I listen to the radio as people call in to express their feelings, their lying on this issue seems to have gathered a lot of traction.  For example, I’m almost sick to my stomach of listening to people who have “drank the republican coolaid” complaining about the impending “socialized medicine.”  Before I get into the strategy of lying their way to “victory” on this issue (and, like with all issues for republicans these days, victory is nothing more than Obama’s defeat – the welfare of the “people” has nothing to do with anything) Obama isn’t proposing anything close to something that could be called “socialized medicine.”  In fact, I wish he would do just that – the REAL SOLUTION to this medical insurance problem is simply to open up Medicare (with some modifications to payments for doctors) for everyone – as a choice.  However, what Obama and the democrats have proposed is far from that.  So, to work up the “troops” by calling it “socialized medicine” is nothing more than a continuation of the PATHALOGICAL LYING that seems to be required for republican leaders these days.  Their “death panels” propoganda lost its steam as the so-called “tea baggers” have become less relevent – so now it’s “socialized medicine.”

The truth is that President Obama is more conservative than the conservatives were in my formative years.  The idea of proposing a national health insurance plan that would force millions of Americans to buy insurance from the very companies that have priced them out of the market – in a system that is dying under the weight of its own need to keep stockholders happy and pay the exhorbitant salaries of its chief executives (salaries in the tens of millions – in fact, in some cases BILLIONS) – a system where the profit motive seems to outweigh the needs of the “sick,” doesn’t seem like a “liberal,” or “progressive” proposal to me.  So, you’ve got all these so-called “conservatives” trying to make a plan they should be cheering about LYING through their teeth in an attempt to make this reform Obama’s “waterloo,” and, you’ve got a president who, for some strange reason, continues to strive for the approval of the very people who want him to fail, and – either way – “we the people” are headed for disaster.  The part of this that is REALLY FRUSTRATING is that President Obama (and, presumably his advisors) don’t seem to understand what is happening.  And, the politics of it all have put the republicans right where they have been trying to get themselves with all the lies.  Obama can’t win – at this point – without a radical change of direction.

Let me explain.  If the bill passes, there will be a HUGE BLOWBACK once the American public figures out what is going to be shoved down their throats.  Obama and the democrats had a simple solution which would have forced no one into anything they didn’t want to do – but, I guess, that would have been too easy (all they had to do was simply give all Americans the “choice” of buying into medicare – at any age).  They could have done this with a requirement that working Americans be insured and included the subsidies to help low income Americans pay for it (right now, the insured pay for the uninsured) that are in the present legislation – plus, they could have done this through “reconciliation” without the need for the dreaded 60 votes in the senate.  Instead, the democrats decided to FORCE something like 35 – 40 MILLION Americans to buy insurance from these private companies which have helped to create the problem in the first place – and, to argue about it for the better part of a year – while millions of American workers are JOBLESS – this was STUPID!  So, Obama loses if the bill passes.  Unfortunately, Obama and the democrats have allowed the republicans to box them into a spot where they lose either way.  If the bill doesn’t pass, this congress has spent the year arguing over the bill, the democrats and the president have spent most of that time trying to get republicans who EVERYONE knows won’t cooperate – TO COOPERATE.  This looks like bumbling, incompetent leadership.  Especially to the people who are thriving off of soundbites from the “pundits.” And, to the people who are out of work and waiting for the government to actually intervene on their behalf (you know, with expenditures to fix the failing infrastructure of this nation that has been allowed to depreciate while big business has been robbing our treasury – thus, creating millions of jobs) this focus on an unacceptable health care “reform” looks ridiculous!

The worst part of all of this is that if Obama fails – which is seeming more likely every day (it’s something about being president – evidently one of the unwritten rules is that presidents can never admit mistakes – and, once presidents make up their mind about something they have to push it until it gets “through” congress – one way or the other) – on the other side of the horizon are – you guessed it – the republicans.  And, as I’ve stated many times on this site, I don’t believe they’ll “throw” Sarah Palin at us (at least I hope not)  or someone like Mitt Romney – I’m seeing in my nightmares another Bush – Jeb.  Most people might think I’m crazy, and I honestly hope they’re correct on this one, but I can’t see anyone else out there they can fall back on.  I don’t know if I can manage to live through another Bush in the White House, so I REALLY hope I’m wrong on this one.  Which gets me back to my main point, and that’s the pathological lying republicans who seem to have been ENABLED to just keep lying by our media and by the democrats (I did hear some tape the other day of Anthony Weiner, congressman from New York, calling republicans out on their lies on the House floor, but stuff like that doesn’t get a lot of traction in the “liberal” media).

Remember, the media is controlled by large corporations – in fact, a very few large corporations.  Thanks to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (yes, that was passed under Bill Clinton and signed into law by Clinton) competition in the media has been reduced to a whimper.  Does anyone besides me have a problem with an Australian right wing fanatic controlling a HUGE portion of America’s media?  Does anyone besides me worry about a republican operative (Roger Ailes) running a so-called “news” station on cable TV? (Fox “news”)  I know millions of Americans are concerned with the recent Supreme Court decision commonly referred to as “Citizens United” (another of those “catchy” but disengenuous republicans names) which is going to unleash UNLIMITED amounts of MONEY on the political process in the form of advertising on television in order to manipulate our elections.  Does ANYONE out there think the corporations controlling these “news” stations are going to turn down TENS (or hundreds) OF MILLIONS of dollars in advertising because it subverts our democracy (republic)?  Personally, I believe they’ll sound like President Bush when he said to the Muslim’s after the insurgency in Iraq  was in its infancy – “Bring em on!”  And, based on the accepted standards set today for our rhetoric, does anyone out there think the LYING is going to stop at that point in time?  Personally, I’m already bracing myself for the onslaught.  And, if there’s anyone reading this who believes that I think the democrats aren’t liars as well, you’re not hearing me.  They’re just not as blatant.  The only reason I keep up my hopes that the democrats will “carry the gauntlett” – is that I don’t know where else to turn.

This Citizen’s United decision is just part of a longstanding conspiracy by republicans to achieve their “permanent republican majority.”  Bush/Cheney were a screw-up, but republicans haven’t slowed down one bit – and, the democrats still haven’t figured out what’s at stake here.  Come November, it probably won’t be totally too late – at least I hope so.  But, there isn’t much time for the democrats to intercede in this republican plan.  If that doesn’t happen then the remedy will have to be something else.  At some point in time the American public is going to understand that the republican plan is for a total takeover of our system of government by the multi-national corporations who could care less about the foundation of this nation.  I could go into a seemingly endless list of lying – for example, people like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh spouting out “our founding fathers this” and our “founding fathers that” as they are supporting people and policies which are totally designed to undermine the very principles our founding fathers stood for.  And, the democrats and President Obama will argue about health care legislation right up to the day when it will be too late to put these bums in their place.

What can we do about this? you might ask.  Well, I’m getting weary trying to point it out.  It’s probably too late, but the “mother of all liars”  en masse were the members of George W Bush’s presidency.  Bush himself, Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzales (remember his STREAM of lies as he sat before congress? WITH NO CONSEQUENCE!), Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, Douglas Feith, Richard Perle, Scooter Libby, Karl Rove, David Addington, John Yoo, and I could go on – it was seemingly endless.  THEY COULD HAVE BEEN HELD ACCOUNTABLE!  The FACT they weren’t I blame FULLY on Barack Obama!  His pardoning of the Bush administration will go down in history as a worst decision than Gerald Ford pardoning Richard Nixon.  (In fact, I was OK with that one – I didn’t see any reason for Nixon to face criminal charges – even though he had committed criminal offenses – him being thrown out of office was enough for me – and, I’m not pushing for Bush/Cheney to be thrown in jail – well, OK, maybe Cheney – but, there should be some accountability for their LIES – MILLIONS are dead because of their lies! Plus, it’s IMPERATIVE the American people learn the TRUTH about what was done during the Bush/Cheney years in the White House.)  Because of the pardon, these offenses are going to HAPPEN AGAIN! And, that includes TORTURE! (which, I’m sure, is a far greater issue for America than many of us know – despite the information that somehow made it to the public “stage.”)  The bottom line here:  Do we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in a nation that allows BLATANT lying on its public airwaves?  Combine the acceptance of lying with the FACT the Supreme Court has unleashed these foreign corporations on our elections and I hope you’re as apprehensive about what lies ahead as I am!

Driving home from school today and listening to “progressive” talk radio I was reminded why I’ve been writing about the need for President Obama and his Attorney General, Eric Holder, to hold George W Bush and Dick Cheney accountable – LEGALLY – for the crimes committed under their “tutelage” during the first eight years of the 21st Century.  Of course, that didn’t happen, and many who supported “the change we can believe in,” are now shaking their collective heads wondering “who is this guy” who was elected to reverse the terrible “deeds” of Bush/Cheney?  I mean, there was an unbelievable amount of passion that went into the 2008 election and there are millions more besides me who are terribly disappointed in the results.  If you’ve been on this site much you know that I started to write out of frustration over the Bush NIGHTMARE in Iraq – which was a WAR OF CHOICE – for despicable reasons – all based on LIES!  I could go over those lies again, but if you’re reading this you likely already have a good grasp of the magnitude of Bush/Cheney’s dishonesty.  In a “nutshell” it was UNBELIEVABLE – no pun intended! :o)

Even before I realized that Obama was going to violate SEVERAL promises he made in the campaign – MAJOR promises from my standpoint – I had the “red flags” going up (if you don’t believe me – check out the posts I was writing prior to and just after the inauguration).  Just the FACT that President Obama chose one INSIDER after another for his cabinet posts drew my attention in a negative direction.  I mean, come on, Rahm Emanuel?  As chief of staff?  What kind of change did that imply?  Well, to me, it implied NO CHANGE – other than the normal drift between the traditional democratic vs republican BS that we’ve all had to endure for the past 30 – 40 years.  And, Larry Summers and Tim Geithner?  I certainly didn’t expect a break from the corporatist “Washington” approach to “business” with them at the economic “helm.”  Our government is still connected at the “core” to the very institutions which are destroying it.

One of the main reasons I wanted Bush/Cheney investigated FULLY, was to put the republican philosophy of destroying the government from within – and what it’s doing to the average “man/woman” on the street – right out on the front pages of every newspaper and television news broadcast until EVERYTHING had been put through the “ringer.”  Obama claimed that he didn’t want the “distraction” which, unfortunately, was EXACTLY WHAT HE NEEDED to get a strong “progressive” response to the damage done by Bush/Cheney through congress.  The republicans have been at this (destroying our own government) since the days of Ronald Reagan.  You can still hear their “mantra” as they are trying to take Obama down – which is that “big government” is the problem.  Many of the very people “carrying the water” for these republican corporatists depend on the “big government” they’re protesting against.  I mean, when you hear someone on medicare complain about a government “takeover” of the health care system you have to wonder what the person’s intellectual capacity is.  It would seem that they would HAVE to understand that Medicare is a government run health care system.  All I would tell them is that Medicare made the last 10 – 20 years of my parent’s lives MUCH BETTER.  Most of the people complaining about “government run health care” at, for example, the “tea party” conventions or demonstrations – would be very angry if Medicare was eliminated as many republicans would prefer.  And, the way these republicans – behind the scenes – are going about trying to defeat universal health care in America – is COMPLETELY DISHONEST!  That’s probably what bothers me the most about the present debate in America – is the dishonesty involved, especially from the republican side.  By essentially ENABLING the dishonesty of Bush/Cheney and their administration, the Obama administration has given the rest of the republican party the “green light” to throw an unlimited BARRAGE of lies at “we the people” – because, we no longer hold people accountable for telling the truth.

The republicans and the Bush/Cheney administration have been/were WRONG about everything except ONE ITEM.  They were wrong about Iraq – there were no weapons of mass destruction, there was no nuclear program, we weren’t greeted as “liberators,” “major combat operations” are still not completed and the “mission accomplished” sign is still inappropriate, things are not getting better in Iraq, and they won’t get better until we’re TOTALLY out of there.  Also, enabling Iran to become a “MAJOR PLAYER” in the region is an irreversible BLUNDER.  I could go on, but I’m sure you get the idea.  Bush/Cheney were wrong about the economy and the elimination of regulation after regulation on corporate interests in the United States.  The “MELTDOWN” of 2008 will be a HUGE “WEIGHT” on our economy for an as yet undetermined number of years.  Bush/Cheney were wrong about the effect of tax cuts for the wealthy (just as Reagan was wrong about that before them).  It not only didn’t create jobs, we lost jobs and the middle class went from stagnation for the first 7 years of their administration to what we find ourselves in now, which is a near (and still possible) depression.  Bush/Cheney were wrong to abandon the fight against Osama bin Laden in favor of their misadventure into Iraq – now, al Qaeda has been “rejuvenated” and is a MAJOR threat again.  The choice by Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Franks/ and whoever else was involved to abandon the search for bin Laden when they had him cornered at Tora Bora was, in my view, an act of CRIMINAL negligence.  Bin Laden, after all, was the “ring leader” behind the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  I’m convinced to this day that they allowed him to “get away” because capturing him would have taken away their argument to go into Iraq – an argument which was put together years before Bush was even nominated to the presidency, let alone elected.

So, what is the one thing the republicans are correct about?  Well, that one should be easy.  They have been claiming for years that the democrats are weak, or even worse yet – SPINELESS.  Well, my biggest hope – and, at the same time fear now that I think about it – was that Obama would prove them wrong on this.  Instead, President Obama and the rest of the democratic party (actually, I have to admit there are some really good progressive democrats out there, it’s just that this “huge majority” is a mirage) are PROVING THE REPUBLICANS CORRECT!  The first sign, Obama’s refusal to allow investigations of what was CLEARLY criminal behavior by Bush/Cheney and their surrogates.  What rips at my insides about this, even as I’m writing, was I can clearly remember then Senator Obama pledging that “no one is above the law,” “if there is evidence of a crime, there will be an investigation and prosecution where warranted,” “waterboarding is torture,” “In America, we don’t torture,” and of course, “torture is against the law.”  He said all of those things.  As soon as I heard him, after saying all that, essentially PARDON Bush/Cheney – who BOTH admitted authorizing waterboarding during national TV inverviews – I thought to myself, “here we go again.”  I’ve been paying attention (closely most of the time) to our government since the early 1960’s.  My bachelor degree from college was in political science, so I always knew I had somewhat of a frame of reference to tell whether our leaders were doing the “right thing.”  And, mind you, the “right thing” to me isn’t always agreeing with me, because that rarely happens, but it means honoring the pleged EVERY American politician takes to DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION and execute the laws of the land FAIRLY.  When Richard Nixon said, “When the President does it, it must be legal” our congress, at the time in a bipartisan manner, went to great lengths to PROVE HIM WRONG.  With a simple “look forward,” President Obama has essentially overturned the work of Sam Ervin, Frank Church, and all the senators who held Nixon to account for violating laws during his presidency.  From the standpoint of what he was “for,” there was a lot to like from my vantage point about Richard Nixon.  However, breaking the law is MORE unacceptable, in my view, if you’re the “top dog” in charge of enforcing it.  This (pardoning Bush/Cheney) was an UNFORGIVABLE sin, in my view, coming from Obama.

When you analyze that decision closer, you have to wonder what is the reasoning behind it?  The first thought that comes to my mind is that the President and his supporters are afraid to take the “battle” to the republicans.  And, if that’s the case, those of us who are longing for progressive solutions to America’s problems are in deep you know what.  Worse yet, along those lines, I’m seeing MANY more progressives getting FED UP with Obama’s seemingly endless “kissing up” to republicans – people whose only agenda is his defeat.  IT MAKES NO SENSE, whatsoever!  (I was “pretty ticked off” [if you’ve seen the movie “Let it Ride” you will understand the picture I have in my mind as I say that phrase] when I – and millions of other ‘liberals’ – were referred to as “fu__ing retards” by none other than Rahm Emanuel himself)  Just the other day, when President Obama was making the final push for the health care bill (that even progressives don’t support – the one that forces 30-40 million new customers into the coffers of the same insurance companies that are already ripping us off) the only thing new about the proposal was FOUR provisions that the republicans suggested at the so-called “summit” (and which they now opposed).  Even if they are good ideas (which I have to doubt) THAT IS BAD PUBLICITY!  When, if ever, is Obama going to stop trying to persuade republicans to support his proposals and, instead, try to fashion something that’s acceptable to the people who voted him into office?

I took Barack Obama to be a man of HIGH INTELLIGENCE when I chose to vote for him, so the only conclusions I can think of right now about why I feel so betrayed is either I was totally wrong, or he’s getting TERRIBLE ADVICE.  And, considering it’s Rahm Emanuel feeding him the advice (I guess I’m assuming this) these MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, kiss the butts of the people who are trying to destroy you policy shouldn’t surprise me.  But, what has been the end result of this direction Obama’s taken?

For starters, we have a HUGE unemployment problem in America which Geithner and other administration “experts” are saying is going to “linger” for years to come.  America was ready for and supportive of a “New” New Deal when Obama took office.  The first casualty of the “kissing up to republicans” approach to government was the so-called “stimulus bill.”  While Obama and his other supporters are still claiming that the bill was good (and, I don’t disagree) there are many (including me) who were calling for something much larger and more targeted to infrastructure jobs – RIGHT FROM THE START.  Keep in mind, the larger stimulus bill could have easily been passed through reconciliation (just as Bush bludgeoned the “Clinton surplus” through tax cuts) without a single republican vote.  Had the democrats not been able to get at least 50 of the 59 (at the time) in their caucus to support something closer to the 1.2 trillion dollars needed, w/out the tax cuts, there wouldn’t be any “grey area” as far as the need to vote them out of office as well as the republicans (third party? anyone).  Instead, we got a “watered down” bill in order to get three republicans to support it.  That was one of the first “consequences” of Obama’s flirtation with the republican party.

He almost immediately added 20,000 troops to Afganistan – in my view, attempting to prevent republicans from seeing him as “weak.”  And, of course, he has since added over 30,000 more – not including all the support personell that never get talked about.  The bottom line is that while we’re watching our congress fight over a health care proposal which will cost something approaching 1 TRILLION over 10 years, we’re seemingly willing to commit MUCH MORE THAN THAT to Iraq and Afganistan with nary a whimper from Congress – which USED to control the “purse strings” of government (Obama also “adopted” GW Bush’s “exit strategy” regarding Iraq, almost inusring we’ll be stuck there until we can elect a president with the “balls” to REALLY bring the troops home).  Does anyone besides me find it ironic that the more Obama tries to look “tough” to the republicans, the WEAKER he looks to me (and millions of other progressives)?  Just wait till he reverses himself on the trials of the terrorists and they are moved back into “military tribunals.”  I just wonder if placating the republicans on that one makes President Obama think the republicans will then think he’s “tough?”  This is all very curious to me.

What I’m beginning to suspicion is that the reason Obama “looked forward” and, essentially, managed to stop ALL INVESTIGATIONS of the Bush White House – including ones in Congress – is that he’s doing the SAME THINGS.  It has been reported that “extraordinary rendition” is still happening in Afganistan and (probably) Iraq.  The “black hole” prisons are still there and the prison at Bagram Air Base in Afganistan is still “alive and well” and “enemy combatants” are still being funneled there and held without charge and/or habeous corpus rights.  I’ve even heard reports that the “enhanced interrogation” is continuing – just “not as enhanced.”  Really, what the hell does that mean?  (if my students heard me talk like that they’d be shocked – but, I’m shocked – at my own government, that I’m trying to teach them [my students] to respect)  Of course, I haven’t even got to the illegal wiretapping.  I keep wondering, “Is Obama continuing the Bush wiretapping policy?”  I honestly think he is.  That would help explain why he doesn’t want investigations.  That would also explain why he (through Eric Holder) is defending the Bush wiretapping policies in court in the Al-Haramain case which would prove Bush/Cheney violated the FISA laws after 9/11 (laws that were probably violated before 9/11, as well, but for some reason Obama doesn’t want “us” to know the TRUTH about all of this).  Remember, it’s easier to GAIN power than to GIVE IT UP.

I guess because my hopes were so high, it has taken a lot to get me to understand that, despite my respect for President Obama as a person, husband, and father, he’s not the right man for me as president.  Now, the problem becomes, what to do about this?  The last thing I want, and I’m sure most “progressives,” is another republican.  I mean, can you (even if you’re a republican) imagine Sarah Palin in the White House?  Oh my gosh, the thought makes my stomach curdle.  How about Mitt Romney?  PPPPPPPPPPPlease!  Tim Pawlenty or Scott Brown?  Help!!!!  I’m still thinking that Jeb Bush is going to emerge from the “weeds” as the “savior” of the republican party – with another barrage of “compassionate conservative” lies.  And, Barack Obama is setting us all up for that.  Here’s the solution I’m starting to think about as a progressive.  Let these congressional leaders spin their wheels for another couple of years – doing little or nothing, and find a true progressive to challenge Obama in the primaries in 2012.  I can tell you, Dennis Kucinich looks better to me every day!  I suppose he doesn’t have the “sex appeal” necessary to gain the main stage in America these days, but he’s got the intellectual integrity and the “kahonas” to push for policies that would be beneficial to this nation’s middle class for generations to come. 

The attacks from the fallout of “Citizens United” – the Supreme Court decision which threatens this republic further – have already begun – making the thought of “fixing” this problem in 2012 much less likely .  I’m hearing smear campaigns on the radio that are surepticiously designed to sway public opinion against “we the people” and toward the interests of a corporate “state” – already.  The “liberal” or “progressive” candidates, as of NOW, know that they’re going to be under attack – and soon!  The money that Exxon will spend to stop the energy legislation, or Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to stop the Wall Street regulation, or the health care industry to stop reform , and on and on – is UNLIMITED.  (that money is also aimed at the legislators who support those reforms – and, NOT to reelect them!)  Right now, we need a president willing to lead, not someone looking to “compromise” with his (our) enemies.  The other day I heard Obama claim that he was going to “lead” to get this health care legislation through congress, “no matter what the political consequences,”  while, at the same time announcing the four republican “addons” to the bill.  This is a WAR for the very nation we all love and that kind of attitude WON’T “GET’R DONE.”  Many of these corporations who are going to be deciding our elections aren’t even American corporations!  Citizens Untited is part of the long term republican plan to destroy our government and it clearly points out where their interests lie.  Despite the chance I’m repeating myself, I’ll say this again and conclude with:  Earth to Obama, we need a LEADER committed to defeating republicans, not reaching out to them!

I think the thing that most astonishes me as I’m continually contemplating the direction of our government is its seemingly TOTAL disconnect from the very people it serves.  In fact, I even hesitate to use the term “it serves” because more and more it appears the so-called leaders of America have placed themselves on some kind of “pedestal” above the rest of us.  The United States Senate is becoming a bad joke to Americans in general, and a poor “ambassador” to the rest of the world which is looking to America for leadership in the fight for freedom and human rights.  This past week was a great example of what I’m talking about.  The actions of a couple of republicans, Jim Bunning and John Kyl, pretty much sum up the ridiculous situation we Americans find ourselves in.

Everyone knows that, under George W Bush and 6 years of a republican congress which couldn’t say no, the American economy was virtually ruined.  Of course, there wasn’t much the democrats could do to reverse this “tide” after winning the majority in congress following the 2006 “midterm” elections – especially, with the attitude of people like Nancy Pelosi saying “impeachment is off the table.”  We all knew our leaders were lying about almost EVERYTHING, they were committing WAR CRIMES, they were EAVESDROPPING on their own citizens without “probable cause,” and they were absconding with BILLIONS through tax cuts, no-bid contracts for their “buddies,” and corporate welfare (all this while spewing a “no welfare” policy for the “rest of us”).  One of the amazing things, in my view, as I ponder all of this; through their control of the “liberal media” and the incompetence or ignorance of the democrats (and the American people), the republicans have actually caused many in America to blame the democrats for all of this.

Well, this past week, with a nation facing double digit unemployment – many of the unemployed having been in that “spot” for over a year – John Kyl and Jim Bunning chose to “BLOCK” legislation in the senate which would have extended unemployment benefits to over a million Americans whose benefits are expiring as I write this post.  Additionally, and maybe worse, it will cause millions to lose their COBRA benefits which allows them to continue purchasing health insurance after losing their jobs.  Here’s the worst part of it – and, I’m guessing that Kyl finally backed down because, as I understand it Bunning was the one who ultimately prevented this legislation from going through at the “last minute.”  Kyl’s reason for STOPPING this legislation was an attempt to force through an amendment repealing the inheritance tax – which would benefit less than ONE HALF OF ONE PERCENT of the population and would add something like 250 BILLION to the national debt over 10 years – with no way or suggested way to pay for it. 

After Kyl evidently backed down Bunning stepped in.  I suppose the republicans will find a way to blame all this on democrats because they tried to get this legislation passed through “unanimous consent” after too many senators had left for the weekend to get an up or down vote on the issue.  But, the reporting I heard said that no one objected to extending these benefits besides Bunning, a republican who even the republicans don’t like (the guy was once revered as a great baseball player – but, before his senate career is over, no one will remember that).  His stated reason for stopping these benefits to EXTREMELY NEEDY people (including many in his home state of Kentucky) was that “someone needs to stand up for the fight against deficit spending.” (or something of that nature)  Honestly, do these republicans take us for being that stupid?  The sad thing, to me, is that somehow I believe it’s possible they’ll get away with this stunt.

 And, I’m not for one minute thinking that Bunning was doing this without some kind of support from other republicans – otherwise, they would have had someone there to talk sense to him.  Kyl was more than willing (and the republicans were right there with him) to take on 250 BILLION in more debt to repeal the inheritance tax – with NO WAY TO PAY FOR IT, but they allow Bunning to stop benefits to over a million out of work Americans which would cost something less than 10 BILLION dollars.  Am I the stupid one here?  You do the math, and If I’m missing something let me know.  The bottom line in all of this is that the republicans are more than willing to use people who are in dire straights as “pawns” in their attempt to further their tax cut for the rich agenda.  Again, they don’t consider the no-bid contracts that Dick Cheney so willingly gave to Halliburton for tens of BILLIONS of dollars with NO OVERSIGHT and no way to pay for it welfare, but blue collar working people who are out of work because of consequences of the republican’s economic failures can just fend for themselves.  To tell you the truth, I’m getting MORE SICK of these republicans every day.

This is why I keep writing, and this is why I wish the democrats and our new president would quit “kissing up” to these thugs and start governing without them.  The reason we voted Bush/Cheney and many of their supporters in congress out of office is because we were sick of their abuse of power.  What the democrats don’t seem to understand is this is an out and out WAR for the heart and soul of this nation.  The reality is that the republicans control the “liberal media” as they so willingly call it (like everything else they talk about, it’s just one big lie), they have a stranglehold – and possibly for years to come – on the Supreme Court (this could be REALLY BAD), and the repulbicans are already TOTALLY SOLD OUT to the corporations who have FREE REIGN on our future elections thanks to the likes of Samuel Alito, John Roberts, and the other right wing members of the court who allowed unlimited corporate intrusion (financially) on future elections with their recent decision essentially calling corporations “people” AND giving them “free speech” rights!

So, the democrats don’t have a lot of time to figure this out.  I’m already getting email alerts from members of congress who have figured out they will be “targets” of the corporate money which will be attempting to “stamp out” all “liberal” dissent against their total takeover of our system of government.  And, I’m sorry to say that I’m not totally convinced that Barack Obama is the anti-dote to this.  Today, he signed into law an extension of the so-called “Patriot Act” – which, not having read it, I’m concerned continues to allow our government to abuse the constitution’s guarantee against an invasion of our privacy without “probable cause.”  That’s just one of the major concerns I have about Obama.  So far, I’ve not heard one person actually ask him whether or not he’s continuing the Bush policy of wiretapping American citizens through what is called “data mining.”  He voted for the FISA legislation during the campaign which absolved the telecommunication companies of any wrongdoing during the Bush/Cheney years and, so far, hasn’t “fixed” that vote as promised.  Additionally, his justice departement has been defending the Bush policies in court – attempting to keep the evidence of what was done during Bush’s term in office secret – in violation of Obama’s promise of “TRANSPARENCY.” (everyone knows Bush violated the FISA legislation MANY TIMES)

This refusal of Obama and his attorney general Eric Holder to “look back” has been a sore point for me since the early days of Obama’s administration.  He continues to reach out to republicans in a way that is more and more curious to me as the evidence gets stronger and stronger that the republicans haven’t changed ONE IOTA since the defeat of Bush/Cheney and their repugnant policies.  What are “we the people” to do, if we elect a new adminstration which is promising “Change we can believe in” and we get “more of the same.”  THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING.  Now we have people like Kyl and Bunning getting in the way of benefits for millions of Americans who are in a terrible economic situation – AND DESERVE OUR SUPPORT!  It will be interesting to see how the democrats react to this.

I was unable to watch the “health care summit” last week, but everything I’ve heard about it was that it was a farce.  What I’ve seen in print hasn’t changed my thoughts one bit.  The republicans are going to continue to OBSTRUCT everything Obama and the democrats attempt to accomplish.  I don’t see why they can’t “get this,” but the republicans are going to continue doing everything they can to insure President Obama’s FAILURE.  I know most “pundits” don’t like to say this – they keep trying to find an nicer way to put it – but, and I’m totally certain of this, the republicans will do everything in their power to make sure a Black man cannot succeed as President of the United States.  Oh my gosh, think about it, if Obama succeeds there could be another Black President some day.  The republican party has been reduced to almost all WHITE people (Michael Steele included) and they would rather take this nation down than contribute to the success of a Black president – THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT IS!

Some of the solutions to problems aren’t nearly as complicated as the democrats are making them.  Take health care for example.  You’ve heard the republicans complain about a 2700 (well, the number varies depending on who’s complaining) page health care bill, and suggesting democrats start over.  Well, remember the old saying “be careful what you wish for?”  I’ve got a solution to the health care “fight” that’s easy, only takes 51 votes in the senate, solves ALL the problems they’re arguing about without ANY sweatheart deals, and it wouldn’t take very many pages.  Simply put, the democrats could incorporate a MEDICARE FOR ALL proposal as the so-called “public option,” pass it through “reconciliation” with 50 votes plus the vice president, include in the option all the “rules” they’re trying to impose on the insurance companies (like no one being refused due to pre-conditions), and MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO ALL AMERICANS.  Let us choose whether we want “government run health care” or not through our pocket books.  Nothing else would need to be done.  Let the insurance companies like Blue Cross and others continue increasing their rates at 39% or whatever they want – JUST GIVE AMERICANS THE CHOICE OF A SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM.  That would be the easy way to solve this problem and it would only take the aforementioned 51 votes.  The democrats only have until about November to get the “balls” to do something like this.

How about the national debt.  Well, Obama and the democrats should have recinded the “Bush taxcuts” the day they took over the White House.  That would have already saved BILLIONS of dollars the wealthy in this country can do without.  They had the oppportunity (as I explained at the time) to pass an increase in the gas tax when Obama took office – gas was under $2 per gallon at the time, and I pointed out the price was going up – and it would only go as high as what would withstand the ability of the people to pay – no matter if that tax was there or not.  The money raised from – say a 20 cent per gallon (I originally proposed 50 cents) tax could be used to create jobs rebuilding the infrastructure of this nation which has been used and virtually worn out – while being ignored by politicians who should have been maintaining it all along – for the past 30 plus years.  It’s like, since the days of Ronald Reagan, we’ve had this idea of entitlement in this nation to more and more of everything without having to pay for it.  Reagan instituted the menatlity of BORROW, BORROW, BORROW and let someone else worry about repaying that is still alive and well in America today.

One of the encouraging things, to me, about President Obama is that – through his rhetoric – it appears to me that he is determined to reduce the deficit, that he believes ultimately we should be paying for what we want.  Unfortunately, he inherited a deficit which won’t be easy to overcome.  When the deficit was over a TRILLION dollars, the unemployment rate was skyrocketing (jobs were being lost at the rate of about a MILLION per month at the end of Bush’s presidency), and the opposition party is/was more concerned for Obama’s demise than solving the problems left behind by THEM – solving the deficit problem is HUGE.  This gets me back to Senator Bunning and his obstinate choice (I’m sure supported by the republican leaders) to ruin the lives of over a million Americans to make a point – that on it’s face is nothing more than PURE HYPOCRISY!  (really, republicans worried about the deficit – GIVE ME A BREAK! – Bunning even had the nerve to complain that he was missing a Kentucky basketball game while he had to stay in the senate to continue objecting to the proposal because all the other republicans had gone home – and when the junior senator from Oregon, Jeff Merkley, pleaded with him to stop doing this, Bunning’s response: “tough s#it.”  I’m not kidding!)

My main wish since the election of Barack Obama was that the democrats would take the huge majority that “progressives” gave them and MAKE SURE that the criminal behavior of the republicans under Bush/Cheney would NEVER happen again in America.  I’m ashamed that my country used torture – against everything we’ve ever stood for, I’m ashamed that Bush/Cheney were allowed to lie us into a WAR OF CHOICE and keep us entrenched there going on 8 years (with, potentially no end in sight – don’t believe me, read my previous post), I’m ashamed that Bush/Cheney willingly wiretapped our citizens without retribution from our justice department, I’m ashamed that Dick Cheney “outed a CIA agent” – an act of treason – without ANY ACCOUNTABILITY from democrats in congress, I’m ashamed that members of the Bush/Cheney administration both lied repeatedly to Congress and/or refused to answer subpeonas with, again, NO ACCOUNTABILITY from the democratic congress, I’m ashamed that the democrats seem to be afraid to take these republicans on STRAIGHT UP and call them what the really are, and now I’m ashamed that over ONE MILLION Americans will be without deserved unemployment benefits because of the insensitive republican party.  If the democrats don’t hold Senator Bunning and the republicans accountable for blocking extended unemployment benefits, I’ll be further ashamed of my government!  Honestly, when is all of this going to stop?