Jim Stillman
NevarAngry, frustrated and generally pissed?
October 27th 2010 20:09
The other site for which I write has, for reasons a non-techie as I am, will never fully understand, has decided to disappear! I am, at present, hospitalized for another week and will re-post a few articles here.
OK, I get it; you’re angry, frustrated and royally pissed!
That doesn’t mean you have to have to follow Glenn Beck or go to a Tea Party. It should mean that you are aware of how we got to this state of affairs and it means that you should understand enough American history to see through Mr. Beck’s idiocy. It means that you cannot forget what was happening two or three years ago and it is a call to progressives to get behind their president and stop bickering.
We have a terrible memory. Quick: What did you eat for dinner last Thursday?
We have allowed the Republicans to adopt what David Rosman calls the “the repugnant mindless dribble that is the propaganda of the right.” President Clinton left office with a budget surplus of about $127 Billion; President Bush left office with a deficit of about $1.2 Trillion! How? Two wars and totally unfunded ones at that. Tax cuts for the richest one or two percent of the population. A Medicare drug program that also was unfunded. A fiscal policy that allowed the rape of the middle class by their friends on Wall Street and the top insurance company executives.
Yet Republicans “”warn” Americans that a continuation of the progressive programs would result in financial disaster and unbridled deficit. Everyone agrees that, all things being equal and no economy in the dumps, further growth in the Federal budget deficit is a bad idea. But things are not in that place and government spending, not frugality, is the way to recovery.
The Bush (the Younger) administration, along with a GOP-controlled Congress had no problem, with Federal spending that created massive deficit. The very candidates who decry stimulus (but accepted the money to save state-run services) spending because of a poor economy are the people who wholeheartedly supported the very spending that created the mess! I would suggest the reason is part memory loss along with a large dollop of hypocrisy.
There is a House race in the 8th Congressional District that suggests the reality of the issues facing Florida and the United States as a whole and, if Democrats want to limit the inevitable losses to the incumbent party that happen in nearly every mid tem election, these issues have to shouted from the tops! This House election demonstrates the “culture” and “values” war that is being fought in the trenches. The race is between Alan Grayson, a self styled left-wing Jewish Democrat, against Daniel Webster, a right-wing Christian Republican in a swing district where middle-class, suburban evangelicals are ubiquitous. Grayson has, constantly opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as “a foreign occupation") and supported abortion rights, gay marriage, bilingual programs, unions, middle-class tax cuts and comprehensive, single-payer health care.
His opponent, Mr. Webster, on the other hand, is a longtime advocate of home schooling and "covenant marriage," and has been endorsed by a former National Rifle Association president and Jeb Bush, the state's popular ex-governor. Taking the opposite side from Grayson on virtually every issue, Webster has pledged to roll back Congress's "runaway spending" and stop the "bailouts, buyouts and payoffs." He has criticized health care reform as a "redistribution of wealth plan" and, more depressing, adopted the mantra of the Tea Party: "You know what? It's our country, not theirs. So let's take it back."
Take it back from whom? Who are “they”? Have we allowed our political process to become so polarized that we have forgotten we are all Americans?
During the past two years, President Obama repeatedly reached out to the opposition in a search, and hope, for bi-partisan accomplishment in enacting important legislation and even reforms that had been supported, if not introduced by the few moderate Republicans that then existed. This was in the tradition of political opponents working together. Examples: Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill; Orrin Hatch and Ted Kennedy; John McCain and Russ Feingold. The President’s efforts were rebuffed by a party whose motive was to destroy the Obama Administration regardless of consequences. Remember the threatened filibuster and recess delaying unemployment benefits to millions of Americans?
What does the GOP have in store for us the next four years? Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) proudly stated he intends to summarily block any Senate legislation that he finds personally objectionable, regardless of which party introduced the offending bill. This also goes for non-controversial legislation that would have normally blasted through the cooling saucer with unanimous consent. This is simply inexcusable, and it serves to illustrate the lengths to which the Republicans will go to obstruct the Obama agenda and, more importantly, to sabotage this slow growth economic recovery
.
Bob Cesca, writing in The Huffington Post
[Republicans] are simply not ashamed to be the political equivalent of grade school recess spoil-sports. Hurling the kickball into the picker bushes instead of sacking up and playing the game. No more deference to compromise -- even heated partisan debate that eventually leads to compromise. The Republicans of 2010 are all about childish breath-holding and ear-plugged "Lalalala! Can't hear you!" loud noises.
There aren't any grown-ups on that side of aisle anymore.
. .
OK, I get it; you’re angry, frustrated and royally pissed!
That doesn’t mean you have to have to follow Glenn Beck or go to a Tea Party. It should mean that you are aware of how we got to this state of affairs and it means that you should understand enough American history to see through Mr. Beck’s idiocy. It means that you cannot forget what was happening two or three years ago and it is a call to progressives to get behind their president and stop bickering.
We have a terrible memory. Quick: What did you eat for dinner last Thursday?
We have allowed the Republicans to adopt what David Rosman calls the “the repugnant mindless dribble that is the propaganda of the right.” President Clinton left office with a budget surplus of about $127 Billion; President Bush left office with a deficit of about $1.2 Trillion! How? Two wars and totally unfunded ones at that. Tax cuts for the richest one or two percent of the population. A Medicare drug program that also was unfunded. A fiscal policy that allowed the rape of the middle class by their friends on Wall Street and the top insurance company executives.
Yet Republicans “”warn” Americans that a continuation of the progressive programs would result in financial disaster and unbridled deficit. Everyone agrees that, all things being equal and no economy in the dumps, further growth in the Federal budget deficit is a bad idea. But things are not in that place and government spending, not frugality, is the way to recovery.
The Bush (the Younger) administration, along with a GOP-controlled Congress had no problem, with Federal spending that created massive deficit. The very candidates who decry stimulus (but accepted the money to save state-run services) spending because of a poor economy are the people who wholeheartedly supported the very spending that created the mess! I would suggest the reason is part memory loss along with a large dollop of hypocrisy.
There is a House race in the 8th Congressional District that suggests the reality of the issues facing Florida and the United States as a whole and, if Democrats want to limit the inevitable losses to the incumbent party that happen in nearly every mid tem election, these issues have to shouted from the tops! This House election demonstrates the “culture” and “values” war that is being fought in the trenches. The race is between Alan Grayson, a self styled left-wing Jewish Democrat, against Daniel Webster, a right-wing Christian Republican in a swing district where middle-class, suburban evangelicals are ubiquitous. Grayson has, constantly opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as “a foreign occupation") and supported abortion rights, gay marriage, bilingual programs, unions, middle-class tax cuts and comprehensive, single-payer health care.
His opponent, Mr. Webster, on the other hand, is a longtime advocate of home schooling and "covenant marriage," and has been endorsed by a former National Rifle Association president and Jeb Bush, the state's popular ex-governor. Taking the opposite side from Grayson on virtually every issue, Webster has pledged to roll back Congress's "runaway spending" and stop the "bailouts, buyouts and payoffs." He has criticized health care reform as a "redistribution of wealth plan" and, more depressing, adopted the mantra of the Tea Party: "You know what? It's our country, not theirs. So let's take it back."
Take it back from whom? Who are “they”? Have we allowed our political process to become so polarized that we have forgotten we are all Americans?
During the past two years, President Obama repeatedly reached out to the opposition in a search, and hope, for bi-partisan accomplishment in enacting important legislation and even reforms that had been supported, if not introduced by the few moderate Republicans that then existed. This was in the tradition of political opponents working together. Examples: Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill; Orrin Hatch and Ted Kennedy; John McCain and Russ Feingold. The President’s efforts were rebuffed by a party whose motive was to destroy the Obama Administration regardless of consequences. Remember the threatened filibuster and recess delaying unemployment benefits to millions of Americans?
What does the GOP have in store for us the next four years? Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) proudly stated he intends to summarily block any Senate legislation that he finds personally objectionable, regardless of which party introduced the offending bill. This also goes for non-controversial legislation that would have normally blasted through the cooling saucer with unanimous consent. This is simply inexcusable, and it serves to illustrate the lengths to which the Republicans will go to obstruct the Obama agenda and, more importantly, to sabotage this slow growth economic recovery
.
Bob Cesca, writing in The Huffington Post
[Republicans] are simply not ashamed to be the political equivalent of grade school recess spoil-sports. Hurling the kickball into the picker bushes instead of sacking up and playing the game. No more deference to compromise -- even heated partisan debate that eventually leads to compromise. The Republicans of 2010 are all about childish breath-holding and ear-plugged "Lalalala! Can't hear you!" loud noises.
There aren't any grown-ups on that side of aisle anymore.
. .
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Comment by Lester Caudill
Round Politics
What ever happened to that hope and change we all heard about. Obama is worse than all the other presidents put together, he has use the race card so many times. He was suppose to bring this country together, but his racist speeches he has undone years of progress.
I have to say I was doing much better under Bush than I am now under Obama. The democratic party have been in control since 2007. Nancy, and Harry have done nothing but drag us down, it got worse when Obama came in.
Jim I hope you get better soon, I just got out of the hospital last week. While you are there ask them to give you something to cure that liberalism problem. LOL God Bless Jim
Comment by RickB_GA
"There are not any grownups IN WASHINGTON ANYMORE!”
But thank God for anyone who continues to resist the statist goals of the progressive liberals! Hopefully they will hold the ground until the real grownups do show up and this country can proceed with reason and cooperation to achieve progress within the limits of the constitution and the abilities of the actual tax paying citizens. Come 11/3 I am looking forward to a lot of new attitudes heading for Washington and maybe the arrogance, impunity and racism of the current administration will accept the slap in the face coming 11/2. It is time to get down to the business of running this country for all of its citizens and stop the taxpayer funded gallivanting about and power grabbing efforts of an unqualified President still campaigning for office because he does not know how to do the job he was elected to do. He can learn to cooperate across the aisle or continue to be stifled if his one way attitude does not change. Frankly I do not think HE is grown up enough to do it.
A note to those far right conservatives though ... time to belly up to the bar ... leave the hard lining at home. The country at large does not want what you guys are offering either. Regardless of the loathing I feel for the current Administration and Congress they did get some much needed things in motion. Face it guys we need true health reform, we need monitoring of big business and financial influence, we do have a right to know who is putting the money into political campaigns, including the sitting President’s 2008 campaign; we just do not need Washington trying to micro-manage everything with bureaucratic inefficiency and we do not need Washington fiefdoms that too much time in office tend to generate.
We also need to accept the fact that government cannot do everything ... we must accept personal responsibility for our own actions. Affairs of the womb, the bedroom and religious preference are not freedoms to be legislated beyond being guaranteed. I do not want government regulation of those things in my personal responsibility box.