Darkness in Light of a Better Word

Darkness in Light of a Better Word


Shock & Aw-kward:
How ironic! As of late, it appears that Obama may be going down in the history books as one of the most successful war presidents this country has ever had when it comes to taking out enemy leaders. The irony of it all, is that he prefers peaceful routes and to preside over diplomatic means rather than militarily. For the conservative war hawks though, it is indeed a very awkward moment to have a labeled ‘liberal’ to be quite the war Commander-in-Chief.

Once entering office, Obama has upped the ante more than five times over Bush, with a total of 235 drone strikes thus far. He got right to work in stepping up drone attacks but yet, even though the number of remote guided drone missile firings escalated, the number of civilian casualties plummeted.

From the Bush years of 2004-2008, non militant deaths from drone attacks were forty-two. Even though U.S. drone attacks have escalated under Obama, while the civilian death rate under the Bush years were trending towards 20%, in 2010 under Obama’s watch, innocent civilian death rates dropped to 5% with 2011 presently hovering at 6.25 %. This states that commensurate with increased drone attacks, more attention to detail and precision has been added.

This information is from the politically independent ‘New America Foundation’s counterterrorism strategy initiative analysis of U.S. drone strikes.

Let’s see, for conservative Republican’s viewing pleasure, I’ll list some of Obama’s Commander-in-Chief accomplishments. They are:

(2004-2008) Ordering 42 drone strikes, Bush had killed 14 militant leaders.

(2009) Under Obama 10 militant leaders are killed: these include in April, Abu Salayman al Jazairi, whom American intelligence officials say planned and trained operatives for attacks in Europe and the U.S.; in August, Baitalluh Mehsud a top Taliban leader; in September, Nazimuddin Zalalov alias Yahyo who was a chief lieutenant to Osama bin Laden.

(2010) 15 militant leaders are killed: these include in January, Hakimullah Mehsud who had close links and ties to al-Qaeda; in February, Mohammad Qari Zafar a Taliban commander responsible for the 2006 Karachi consulate bombing; in November, the Afghani Taliban commanders, Sabir Mehsud & Mullah Abdul Agyoum.

(2011) This year has proven to be a great year in terms of Obama being Commander-in-Chief in directing the ousting of high value targets. Starting in February, the financial manager of al-Qaeda’s affairs in Pakistan is struck dead by a drone delivered missile; in May under Obama’s directed guidance of the plan, special forces killed Osama bin Laden; in June, Ilyas Kashmiri, Pakistan’s top al-Qaeda commander is killed by a drone attack; in September, the Yemeni-American born extremist cleric, Anwar Al Awlaki who orchestrated the underwear bombing and the Fort Hood massacre was killed by airstrike in Yemen; in October, the senior Haqqani commander, Janbaz Zadran was killed by a drone strike and lastly this October, Muammar Gadaffi was injured by a NATO airstrike, then killed by revolutionary Libyan rebels.

Of course, all the conservative Republicans have been whining by trying to belittle Obama’s involvement and trying to neutralize the glory with attempts to steal credit for the accomplishments. They have to be very careful on how hard a footstep they tread here to not look so unpatriotic at a time that has stirred a little patriotism in us all. But hey, they had to do something to take the wind out of the sails.

On how Obama approached Libya and Gadhafi, Republicans chided him on every decision on how to conduct and tackle the Libyan uprising. First they claimed Obama needs to get involved. Once he does, they then complained how he did it. They complained as it was being conducted that we weren’t leading the resistance and solely for this, the revolution would turn into failure.

Of course now we know the results and they occurred without putting one American soldier’s boots on the ground. Listening before though to Republicans, American troops should have been our option of choice even though we were tempered in two existing wars and as they claim, the U.S. treasury is broke. Obama, in deciding simply to be background support after the initial American airstrikes, proved very fruitful, for it got other allies fully engaged up front. 

After bin Laden was killed, all conservatives tried in vain to issue all the credit to the special navy seal team 6 forces, whom indeed deserves a full portion of the credit, since they were the ones who actually conducted the raid. Obama though, picked and directed the special operation all the way down to the wire when other top officials were having second thoughts and preferred airstrikes.
Then they try to shift credit over to the Bush administration…

The conservative media rushes out to ensure Bush era credit:

Sean Hannity: "There Was No Way This Would Have Happened, But For The Policies Of George W. Bush." [Fox News, Hannity, 5/4/11]

Karl Rove: "Important Policy Decisions Made Under Bush" Made Bin Laden's Death Possible.[Fox News, Hannity, 5/3/11]

Washington Times' Brett Decker: "Bin Laden's Death Is More Mr. Bush's Victory Than Mr. Obama's." [The Washington Times, 05/02/11]

Fox's Bolling: "Thank GWB For This Not BHO!" From a May 2 post on Fox Business host Eric Bolling's Twitter feed

Dick Cheney after initially stating Obama deserves credit comes out of hiding and later states in May on ‘Fox News Sunday’ that the Bush era enhanced interrogation (torture techniques) produced vital information in the whereabouts of Osama.

Totally wrong, Cheney was just trying to steal thunder, as there is no proof whatsoever that torture, in particular waterboarding, produced viable information for any reliable intelligence gathering much less than for bin Laden’s final demise.

George W. Bush, after first saying it was “a victory for America,” remains silent for a few months, then comes out to grab a bit of the glory for himself, when he stated in a September USA Today interview that it was his intelligence that got the ball rolling in putting the pieces of the puzzle together so that he should receive some credit.

Well, I suppose he should, but along with that, Bush should also recognize it was his failure to capture or kill bin Laden in Tora Bora of 2001. The American troops that had him and the city surrounded, Bush had immediately withdrawn, deploying them out to Kuwait to await the Iraqi invasion. This is failed action. It dragged the bin Laden search out for another ten years.

Of course back then in 2002, Bush stated, “I really just don’t spend that much time on him, to be honest with you. I am deeply concerned about Iraq.”   

The thing is, if the bin Laden raid had been a failure, Republicans would have taken that all the way to the rich banks they protect and doom the Obama administration, so at least in turn they should at the bare minimum recognize his success in the foregone successful conclusion.

Irregardless of the deserving credit, perhaps these two statements sum it up best:

“We will kill bin Laden. We will crush al Qaeda. That has to be our biggest national security priority,” Obama spoke these words during the presidential debate on October 7. [CNN.com, 11/12/08].

Again to quote Bush in 2002 in reference to bin Laden, “I truly am not concerned about him.” From a March 14, 2002 Reuter’s article titled, “Bin Laden not a concern: Bush.”       

As the modern and I suppose revisionist conservatives are trying to allude to in insinuating, ‘when Bush killed bin Laden,’ it kind of sounds more like a falsified alternate story ending of hopeless illusions, now doesn’t it…

Megaphone Phrasing:
You’ve pretty much heard them by now. Like a broken record, Republican politicians and conservative talk show hosts are all out there over and over decrying that Obama and the Democrats “are pitting Americans against Americans” in “class warfare.” It’s as if they had all gathered and huddled up in some dark closet with all taking a pledge to repeat these ever so disparaging events at every opportune chance that developed.

I guess this phrase first started off back in June with Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell. When complaining about and criticizing Obama, as he always does, as McConnell was orchestrating the obstruction of the debt ceiling, he stated that Obama has “retreated behind the poll-tested rhetoric of class warfare.”

Representative Paul Ryan on ‘Fox News Sunday’ this September blurts out, “Class warfare…may make for really good politics, but it makes for rotten economics.”

At the Las Vegas Republican primary debates just this past October 18th, Newt Gingrich boasts that, “When I am president, we’re going to replace class warfare with cooperation.”
   
This past September, Speaker of the House, John Boehner in responding to Obama’s job creation plan forewarned us all in crying, “Pitting one group of Americans against another is not leadership.”

One of the more notorious for spreading the Republican gossip is the nefarious little squirt, Majority House Leader, Eric Cantor (R-VA). In the first part of this month, Cantor addressed a gathering of religious conservatives in Washington D.C. and stated in reference to his perceived notion of collusion between Wall Street protesters and Democrats, “And believe it or not, some in this town have actually condoned the pitting of Americans against Americans.”

Representative Paul Ryan mouthed the “Americans against Americans” phrase off numerous times, but as exampled on his interview with Dick Gregory on ‘Meet the Press’ October 9, 2011, upped the phrase a notch where he said,

“Sewing class envy and social unrest is not what we do in America… I think the president is doing that. I think he’s preying on the emotions of fear, envy and anger, and that is not constructive to unifying America. I think he’s broken his promise as a uniter and now he’s dividing people; and to me that’s very unproductive.”

Actually, in my opinion anyway, sewing unrest in America comes directly from the Republican’s playbook; what with all the screaming of bogus death panel scares concerning the new healthcare plan, along with it being government ran taking away people’s right to choose. Pillaging out phony accusations that the government is broke scared a few people. The false references of Obama being a socialist, fascist, Moslem, non-American birth and unpatriotic, also still stirs people’s beliefs.  

But what can one expect from Ryan. In response to making his constituents pay to see him during this past August town hall meetings, some have been demonstrating in front of his office. Instead of meeting and talking to them, he and his office calls the police to have them arrested and charged for trespassing.

In one protest incident this past September, a protester began complaining about projected cuts in Medicare. The police were on hand to slam him to the floor and arrest him. He gave no resistance, for the protester was a seventy-one year old retired plumber; for crying out loud, no need to be slammed to the floor. After the commotion, Ryan, while addressing a Rotary Club audience makes a snide pun in saying, “I hope he’s taking his blood pressure medication.” And I say to the Ryan pud, “I’m sure he will…as long as you don’t take Medicare from him…”

Ryan said on that same ‘Meet the Press’ to Gregory, “I don’t disparage anybody who protests their government, for better government no matter what perspective they come from.” How convenient that his own words do not apply to his own actions…

Most of this phraseology rhetoric is in retaliation to the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement. Republicans want to blame Obama and the Democrats for it in hopes that it will instill fear and resentment. I got to tell ya, their path of deceit isn’t working, for the Dems had nothing to do with its formation. It simply started with everyday Americans from all walks of life that feel disenfranchised from the current American way and are fed up with the unnecessary suffering, struggling burden and neglect that have been placed upon them. This movement wants to know why Wall Street profiteers are profiting even more, while they…the protesters, as the everyday American remain inflicted in economic strife.

Ya know, in counting, since September I’ve seen or read Republicans stating these phrases thirteen times thus far. This all is a bit befuddling as Republicans always claim that there is no class distinction in America…we must all be middleclass right?

This Republican demeanor is enough to shake the beak off a buzzard. It seems to them that there is never class warfare or American versus American until the lower classes finally rise up to protest the class discrepancies and stand up to fight back.

A Mile Wide But an Inch Deep:
In obstructing job growth and economic remedies to portray Obama as ineffective, it appears that conflict is the Republican’s authored narrow-minded route. They only speak of bipartisanship when it is their turn to promote an agenda as displayed during the debt ceiling negotiations, no matter how much the country suffered from it.

Republican obstructionism to critical economic and unemployment issues prompted the S&P to downgrade the U.S. AAA rating and caught the ire and embarrassment of many CEOs, such as Thomas Wilson of Allstate, James Gorman of Morgan Stanley and Howard Schultz of Starbucks.

Republicans holding hostage the national debt ceiling, FEMA funding for tornado, wildfire devastation and hurricane national relief and FAA funding that axed 90,000 jobs is not in the best interests of the country.

Withholding the country’s lawmaking legislation and holding these entities hostage while pressing hard and pushing for passage of mundane goofiness caricatured as so pertinent to the well-being of the country is such bombastic insolence. Republican defunding of National Public Radio (NPR), axing the ‘Planned Parenthood’ budget, busting unions, protecting the Bush tax cuts, slashing education & job programs, defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and repeal of the new healthcare law is of the mentality below that of a spoiled ten-year-old brat. How Republicans can perceive these venues as so urgently important to ignore and actually add to the average American’s suffering and plight during these dire economic times is beyond my realm of thinking? They do this at the expense of the country only in vain attempts to get what they always bawl about, while casting the resultant’s blame Obama’s way. Forget the country in all this Republican hooplah…

Three times they pushed our country to the brink of ineffectiveness in their push for social budget cuts and rich tax break agendas. Dragging the country through the toxic muss with manufactured crises during a time of economic crisis, is tantamount to very unsavory principles and that’s all there is to it.

As Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) so eloquently put it this month on CNNs ‘State of the Union,’ “You want to talk about sitting on the sidelines? They’re [Republicans] the ones that have just been crossing their arms and hoping for failure.”

Now, with public protest mounting and the buildup of the Occupy Wall Street movement, due to these Republican power strategies and inactions to the ailing middleclass, Republicans are beginning to sweat.     

Tender Egos:
Poor Rick Santorum, the one you never hear about in the Republican debates. When Saturday Night Live (SNL) did a sketch on the Republican debates, they portrayed him as stuck in a gay bar. The sketch was funny, but for forlorn Santorum, it hurt his wee-tenderfoot feelings. He said they were bullying him.

Never mind how he bullies gays and lesbians in comparing them to having sex with dogs, or stating that he wished single women, in particular single moms would marry a man so that it would change their voting tendencies to Republicans. Yeah, we all know that the schoolyard bully only expects to do the bullying, for when the role is reversed and done to him, he gets his feelings hurt and seeks the nearest refuge corner.

Last April of this year, Obama gave a budget speech. He gave Paul Ryan a special invitation to attend, even reserved for him a front row seat. During the speech, Obama promptly castrated Ryan’s own budget plan and diplomatically picked it apart one by one on its inaccuracies and failures. Later, after the speech, Republican boohooing commenced in leaps and bounds.

Probably figuring in their own twisted minds, since the president gave Ryan a seat in the front row that Obama would praise their upcoming Republican star and give a bullet point analysis on how grand his budget scheme was. Instead, it got the tongue lashing that it deserves and Obama spanked it good.

Immediately Republicans went out onto the airwaves calling Obama “uncivil” and that he should “call Ryan to the White House and apologize” to him in person for hurting the poor Representative’s feelings. Wah-wah-wah all the way home…

Has anyone ever heard a positive comment come from a Republican concerning Obama. I certainly haven’t for it is always negative. But when Obama charges back, how dare he…

Because of what President Obama said and did not say this past summer by keeping a negotiation line open, then daring Republicans to side with the interests of corporations, the big oil industry, hedge fund managers and the extremely wealthy against elderly fixed income grandmas, schoolchildren and the middleclass in general, it hurt their feelings. GOP pundit and commentator, Mark Halperin even called Obama a “dick” for doing this. But so be it, it may have hurt the child-like Republican congressmen’s feelings, but by pulling a goat’s whiskers, the response is not an excuse to be absolved of responsibilities in performing the country’s duties.

Due to hurt feelings, Rick Perry is now currently relying on wife support. Recently this month, Anita Perry addressed in South Carolina an audience at Greenville University. Before bursting out into tears she questioned why everyone was being so brutal to her husband; even GOP candidates she said over religious matters. Ya know, the same sweet man that mercilessly and without predication called our Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Ben Bernanke a traitor.

Her exact quote was, “We are being brutalized by our opponents and by our party. So much of that is I think they look at him because of his faith,” Continuing, Mrs. Perry said, “He is the only true conservative. Well, there are some other conservatives, and they are there for good reasons. And they may feel like God called them too. But I truly feel that we are here for that purpose.”

Now guess what she did on the next leg of her speech immediately after pining about the criticisms of her husband. She goes right on the attack and does her own criticizing of Obama and Herman Cain, along with any other person that might disagree with her husband’s choices.

I just surmise here that criticizing and demeaning is simply a Republican addiction, as long as they’re the one doing the poking.

Apparently this is so, but Perry took it to a higher ecclesiastical level by blaming God on the BP oil spill acquitting the greed of BP officials in cutting corners. In defending BP, speaking to the Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. in May of 2010, Perry, instead of blaming man’s actions, blamed God in stating, “I hope we don’t see a knee-jerk reaction across this country that says we’re going to shut down drilling in the Gulf of Mexico... From time to time there are going to be things that occur that are acts of God that cannot be prevented.” 
    
The biggest of all Republican whines though occurred three years ago during the $700 billion bail-out debate.

For the initial failed bail-out House vote in September of 2008, Republicans in the US House of Representatives blamed it squarely on the former Democrat House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi’s speech. No, it couldn’t have been due simply from their own actions, conduct and voting.

GOP House Leader at the time, John Boehner said, “I do believe that we could have gotten there today had it not been for this partisan speech that the speaker gave on the floor of the House.” Boehner continues, “I mean, we were, we were…we put everything we had into getting the votes to get there today. But the speaker had to give a partisan voice that poisoned our conference; caused a number of members (who we thought we could get) to go south.”

What Pelosi said was nothing against House Republicans, but simply a truthful account that it was Bush economic policies that got the country into this mess. But according to Boehner, simply because this little grandma scolded Bush policy, it was enough to hurt the feelings of these big brave congressmen, so they voted no. Aw, to get yore feelings hurt from a speech then respond by sending the country’s financial being down the tubes, must take a real man…  

Be Very Afraid:
The success and rapid growth of the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement, which is now occupying America, apparently has some Republican officials ducking for cover.

At that same Washington D. C. meeting mentioned earlier, Eric Cantor also said, “This administrations failed policies have resulted in an assault on many of our nations bedrock principles. If you read the newspapers today, I, for one, am increasingly concerned about the growing mobs occupying Wall Street and the other cities across the country.”

Rush Limbaugh in his demented demeanor has had a lot to say about OWS, such as…calling them stupid; that he was more self-sufficient at age 10 than “this parade of human debris calling itself Occupy Wall Street;” that the protesters are “perpetually spoiled rotten 99% white kids;” that they are “pure genuine parasites” and are “bored trust fund kids.” However ironic that may be, Rushs latest is a deranged theory of his he’s propping up that the movement is anti-Semitic and that Obama started it while under the cover organizing it. Sounds a lot like the OWS has really got the fat boy roiling in fearfulness and he is freaking.

Maybe we shouldn’t forget Glenn Beck. On his (10/10/2011) Monday radio show Beck heeded this dire warning, “Capitalists, if you think that you can play footsies with these people, youre wrong. They will come for you and drag you into the streets and kill you...theyre Marxist radicals.”  

Then he becomes theatrically dark when he prophesizes that the only way to control the mass of protesters is a forceful crushing from “the top.” He finalizes this with, “It will be the Knight of the Long Knives. It will be a purging of this country.” The Knight of the Long Knives is in direct reference to the purge Nazis and Hitler carried out in exterminating liberals and moderates. Nice parallel Beck.

Oh, and let’s not forget Boehner. He hasn’t said anything publicly that I’m aware of but I bet he’s had a lot to say privately and under his breath. Boehner has been nailed at two golf outings by protesters post and prior the OWS start-up.

Boehner attended a golf outing at a private golf course in Wayzata, Minnesota this past August where attendees paid $10,000.00 a piece to have the privilege of playing a round with him and a few other Republican politicians. Once play started, a few hundred protesters had sneaked in along with an airplane circling overhead flying a banner protesting budget cuts and lack of job creation. The protesters were tired of the inaccessibility for constituents to Republican politicians.

The other Occupy Golf Course protest that disturbed Boehner’s golf outing occurred just this month at the private Pelican Hill Golf Club in New Port Beach, California. Playing in the Orange County Republican’s Party’s Reagan Cup Tournament, again Boehner was raising money for the Republican Party.

The fifty or so protesters with bullhorns were similarly protesting as had the Minnesota protest and that is if millions can be raised for the Republican Party, why not also invest some in job creation.      

The OWS is not an unruly mob or representing any one entity as Republicans and some media outlets suggest. You will find the whole cross section of America involved from janitors to professionals, from the unemployed to the well-off, to the young and elderly.

It is not unruly and overall has been quite civil. It is simply average Americans tired of being overlooked. Yes, pretty much, there is no real base of organization, but that is the beauty and strength of it…it functions on its own accord.
               
The likes of Cantor may call them mobs without rule, but he feels intimidated even though he praised the Tea Party uprising, heralding them as “fighting on the fighting lines of what we know is a battle for our democracy.”

But of course, when the Tea Party people were angrily disrupting Democrat town hall meetings, spitting into congressmen’s faces, vandalizing Democrat offices and sending out death threats; for Republican politicians that was merely patriotism at work…nothing to be afraid of.

But for politicians rebuking OWS as merely an unruly mob, then yes…be afraid, be very afraid. They don’t much go for our kind.

When you have time, watch the Jon Stewart video below to get a better idea of what the OWS is and is up against while getting a laugh or two as well.
Putting Pennies Over People:
To operate under the veil of deceit and lies, especially in positions of power and influence once was as anti-American as eating black pudding. Without doubt though that is now the Republican and modern conservative’s current approach.

Republicans are well aware they have a weak field in presidential candidates and have been courting others extensively to join the fold. Let’s see, first there were Jeb Bush, Mitch Daniels and Chris Christie. Bush and Daniels gave an emphatic no. Then there was Paul Ryan and Chris Christie. Ryan gave an emphatic no. Then there was Donald Trump and Chris Christie. Trump said yes only for the limelight, then folded up the tent and exited. Then there was Rick Perry and Chris Christie. Perry said yes, but turned out to be a dud.

Oh and did I mention Chris Christie? Finally, he gives his last emphatic “No” and gives up the ghost. Christie knew all along he wasn’t going to run, but all the limelight was good for his ego and was just plain ol’ good for business. He’s smart enough to know he’s physically and perhaps mentally not ready to hold the presidential office for a potential eight years. That would be eight years of grueling 18 hour a day scheduling. For a big ol’ Boy, that could be devastating.

The Republican National committee is a bit sly. To ensure they have a chance at winning the next presidential election, after looking over their candidates, have decided the candidates themselves won’t do it. So, I gather that is the reason for the big push in Republican states to redisctrict under a shroud of secrecy.

Republicans have been working on redistricting maps for months in their favor across the states. This is routine for any party that is currently in power, and in fact every state is constitutionally required to undergo redistricting based on new decennial population results, but what’s different this time around is that Democrats and the general public see these new Republican mappings for the first time usually within a week or two before lawmakers are expected to approve them. It hardly gives time to counter.

Also on ethical grounds, the ruling party normally reaches out to opponent parties, ethnic caucuses and any other outside group or entity, such as citizen commissions for their input. Not this time, Republicans are using their own knives in carving out the new districts. When you have nothing but Republicans behind closed doors in states like Wisconsin, Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas drawing up the new districting, you don’t have to ponder much about the outcome.

Speaking of Wisconsin, if you may recall, Governor Scott Walker fought long and hard to take bargaining rights and benefits from state employees to fund his tax deductions for wealthy Wisconsinites and subsidies for corporations like industries owned by the shady Koch Brothers. Well, with his Republican backed state legislation and some questionable moves, he finally succeeded.

The deal is, although he ensured public workers are to pay more for their pensions as he insisted that was the only fair thing, he also said if elected he would in turn pay his fair share. Indeed to show fairness, back in June of 2010 when he was on the campaign trail canvassing for the governorship, he made a promise.

In June 2010, “As governor, Ill pay my share toward my retirement because everyone should pay their own way, including me,” Walker said during the campaign.

To lead by example, he promised immediately to pay the full cost of his state pension if elected. Well, he did get elected and took the governor’s seat this past January. Apparently though, he has a short term memory. As of this date he has not paid a penny of it. Funny how he can make it a priority as the first item on his list to force state employees to pay higher costs, but when it comes to a forgotten promise, he still gets his pension for free.

As promised, pay up sir, your workers certainly have to now, you made a point of that…

The Vindictiveness of it All:
During these times of economic crisis and low job growth, Republicans have been taking full advantage of citizen angst and are casting out the lies.

First off, when you have every Republican in office not giving credence to any form of legislation that might spur job creation in hopes of making it appear Obama as ineffectual is ineffectual governance in itself. To have the Republican leader, Mitch McConnell demanding that his fellow Republican senators pledge to say no to anything Obama wants legislated, then of course the country is going to remain in gridlocked economic pain.

Every policy the President has proposed to create jobs, reform Wall Street, and preserve Social Security and Medicare has been opposed by Republicans. They offer no alternate proposals except regurgitated solutions that miserably failed during the Bush years and are the fingerprints that lead and put us into this economic time of woe. With three wealthy Bush tax cuts and eight years of the trickle down method, where are we now?

But to lie in taking advantage of the dire situation is a tad sorry. I’ll not mention any names here, for it pretty much is the GOP stance in general and they have spread these lies over and over enough that hypnotically they are seared into the psyche of most Americans.

GOP Lie #1: Obama has failed to create jobs.
Not true. Obama’s administration created more private sector jobs during his first eighteen months in office than Bush did his entire eight years in office. Obama’s first two years in office saw ~865,000 private sector jobs created per year according to a September 2010 Wall Street Journal report. This is more than double the job per year performance during the Bush years and might you remember, Bush had much better conditions to operate under in what he inherited form Clinton as opposed to what Obama inherited.

GOP Lie #2: The stimulus bill failed.
Not true, but it may not have been as effective as it could’ve been, for it was strung out under legislation and ultimately left hanging without follow-up. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act filled the ranks of the employed by 3.3 million. Anyone as president under the conditions the country was in at the time would have initiated some form of stimulus package.

GOP Lie #3: Obama and the Democrats want to tax everybody.
Not true. Every time a Republican mentions the Bush tax cuts in defending them, he/she always says “taxing the people,” “more taxes,” “no more taxes” or “taxing Americans.” They never say what it is in taxing only 2% of the wealthiest population that could certainly afford it. Even though we know this, Republicans want us to subliminally think of these as a general tax affecting us all. Obama has never proposed taxing the middleclass; in fact he’s issued out tax forgiveness for the middleclass and is trying to extend the payroll tax deduction that Republican’s are actually fighting him on. Also, small businesses are not under any additional taxation as proposed by Obama as Republicans try to make us think when they say tax increases will hurt small businesses time-in and time-out.

GOP Lie #4: Deficits are growing under Obama.
Not true. They are not no matter how you look at it, either in actual dollars or as a percentage of GDP. Remember the trending direction defines deficit. Since taking office after Bush, in which the upward trend was catastrophic, Obama’s time in office, though just slightly has reversed the trend’s direction in sending it downwards.

GOP Lie #5: The GOP is the party of fiscal discipline.
This is so not true and especially during modern times. The national debt tripled under Reagan, almost doubled under the first George Bush, found sanctity under the Clinton years, then doubled banefully higher under George W. Bush. Republicans indeed do spend and in excess. It’s just that the Republican image in defunding programs for average citizenry appears that they are cutting back. But, with the monetary funding they take from social and public programs for everyday Americans, they don’t put it into savings, oh no, they spend it and more in their under the table programs and policies that aren’t so publicly exposed.  

So much for the phrase, ‘The truth shall set you free.’

It’s the meanness and lack of any consideration for others more trodden that really makes me disdain Republican mentalities. This Republican mental package is nicely wrapped into one monetary and power excess and that is…greed. To win at all and any costs…

Republicans sending out bogus voting letters to Democrat leaning constituents for the Wisconsin state legislature recall elections and the West Virginia governorship had a specified return mail back date two to three days after the election was over. Henceforth, canceling or nullifying a voter’s vote is deviant behavior.

Republican strategists feel they can’t win unless they cripple voter registration. In at least fifteen states, new Republican photo ID voting laws have been passed to discourage the elderly, the poor and students from voting since they traditionally vote Democrat. In Texas, a student photo ID is not accepted to cast a vote, but a member of the National Rifle Association membership card is. Seems that in a democratic country voting would be encouraged, not discouraged.

Just last week, Republican senators kept their record of filibustering every bill Obama has put forth in tact by filibustering the president’s legislation to put 400,000 educators and policemen back to work. Again, getting people back to work is not the Republican’s priority; only in seeing Obama fail is their goal.

The National Republican Congressional Committee’s (NRCC) TV attack ads are only going to increase since the conservative side of the Supreme Court’s decision to allow corporations to anonymously donate unlimited sums to political candidates.

The one they aired in Nevada against Democrat Kate Marshall, who was running for congress was so blatantly bogus that it was pulled off the air by the TV stations.

In it, the NRCC claimed Kate Marshall, as state treasurer during the financial crisis is responsible for Nevada’s high unemployment and high mortgage foreclosures, when in fact she had nothing to do with what went on in Wall Street and Washington D.C. Later after the ad was pulled, Tyler Q. Houlton, a NRCC spokesman, in defending the ad said, The fact remains that, during Kate Marshalls tenure as Nevada's treasurer, the economy suffered the largest increase in unemployment and home foreclosure rates in the nation.

Oh really, well how inexcusable of Mrs. Marshall for living at the time of the national and international financial crisis.

Another Republican deceptive ad was pulled from the airwaves in Ohio this month covering the state’s Issue 2. This legislation, though passed by the Republican governor, John Kasich and legislators was brought forth by petition to be voted on by the citizenry concerning cutting pensions and bargaining rights of public employees. Opponents of the legislative bill aired an ad that had a grandmother praising public employees and how firemen and emergency medics had saved her grandchild. She was a big hit in the TV ad. So much so that Republicans decided to use her in their ad by splicing her image into it and having a voiceover appear to say that she was for Issue 2. All this was done without her knowledge.

How they thought that they could get away with this is beyond anyone with normal comprehension. Kasich states that he actually supports the ad, although adds that he had nothing to do with it. Maybe not, but his chief of staff, Beth Hansen who’s making a sweet $170,000.00 per year took a leave of absence to coordinate the Republican group who later came out with the deceptive advertisement.

Targeting key states such as Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the Republican National Congress (RNC) is beginning to air attacks on Obama labeling him as a failure and highlighting deceptive Republican candor accusing him solely of the high unemployment, raising taxes on Americans and the one responsible for all the mortgage foreclosures and financial crisis. Obama must be one powerful dude, far more than what the title president offers.

For him to have twisted the arms of financial institutions, mortgage brokers, and bankers to conduct all those predatory derivative transactions, credit default swaps and shadow banking systems, while forcing corporations to sit on trillions of dollars and don’t dare spend it on hiring and development; wow, that is one almighty powerful sway he’s got there.

One cannot expect much more from the NRC though, for its chairman is Gregory B. Jaczko, one of numerous Republicans who say “it wouldn’t have been the end of the world” if America ever defaults on its debt. Surely a twerp like this can reassure us all with a few deceptive attack ads.

A GOP attack ad started airing this past September in Montana, showing Democrat senator, Jon Tester embracing and shaking hands with Obama. The ad was put out by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and shows all five fingers on Tester’s left hand. The ad is obviously being displayed to show how cozy Tester is with Obama to a conservative audience in a red leaning state. The only problem is… Tester has had three fingers missing from his left hand ever since a childhood farming accident.

The made-up photo is being defended by the NRSC in stating that when they edited out people in the background, they accidentally left a man’s hand in the final cut. Very strange though how that hand accidentally made it right onto the left wrist of Tester.    

To take the cake though, has to come from New Jersey. Three Tea Party Republican candidates, Fernando Alonso, John Driscoll and Richard Goldberg in running for state legislator positions, pulled together and ran an ad against their three respective Democrat opponents. Now, ya might want to be sitting down before reading any further, because it is I promise ya, that goofy in stretching the bounds of reality much less the stretch in lying. They contended that the entire global collapse of the economy was caused due to the direct and secret collusion of their Democrat rivals with then Senator Obama.

I can’t even imagine my six-year-old kid coming up with something that bizarre with her active imagination, much less adults running for public office that would be held responsible for the welfare of their constituents.

Even the governor of that state, Republican Chris Christie had to concur that these three Republican nitwits were grasping with straws in airing this incredible negative campaign. Amazing grace…

Diagnosis vs. Remedy:
After reading the above, a chuckle or two had to cross your lips, but as funny as they might be, they occur on a common basis and are an indication of how ailing our political system (that originates the laws of the land) is becoming.

Without doubt I behaved in this article, a bit on what I was complaining about with my slandering. Hopefully, as to the best of my knowledge, when I slandered it was warranted. Whether that makes it justifiable or not, I’m asking you to be the judge.

I’m well aware that my bashing of Republican noggins through words is not the best way to win over converts. But eyes have to be jolted open first from lethargy to absorb, then assimilate the exposed actions of devious behavior that we have become accustomed to and perhaps even have accepted. But no matter our party platform tag, we have to realize the truth and with that serving as the base, go on from there.

We have learned a lot about current Republican mentalities from just the GOP primary debates; the audience booing a soldier based in Iraq because he’s gay.

After a question was raised by the moderator Wolf Blitzer, should a man be allowed to die who has a life threatening condition unless treated, but has no insurance, an audience member who shouted out, “Let him die,” erupted the audience into cheers and clapping.

In both these cases, the GOP candidates all stood there in silence and did not offer one bit of a defense for the soldier or hypothetically sick man.

When Perry the good Christian that he is, but no less has most likely issued the execution of an innocent man in Texas, pronounces in defiant tones he is for capital punishment, again the crowd breaks out into raucous roars and cheers.

A bumper sticker always comes to mind when I think of the moral majority, women’s rights and the death penalty…Fundamental Christians only like you as a fetus.

Is this coherent or incoherent behavior? Is it the trend we really want to go down into? When times are tough, is it fair to pick scapegoats such as immigrants, the poor, gays and lesbians to vent anger and blame out on?

Do you truly believe our current economic condition along with the extreme weather in tornadoes, fires and hurricanes is God’s actions in punishing us for our sins, as Michelle Bachmann alludes to?

Consumer spending is down because consumers have no confidence due to unemployment, under employment or no employ to offer whatsoever to the middleclass. With Republican politicians doing nothing to relieve middleclass pangs and actually taking programs away that relieved economic woes, only adds to the misery. How can one expect consumers to embrace confidence?

Upward mobility is becoming rapidly, a thing of the past.

The lowest unemployment in a hundred years was under the start of Republican Dwight Eisenhower’s presidential term at 2.5% in 1953. But also, as no coincidence, the highest corporate tax rates were in existence too.

With these high tax rates of up to 92%, corporations and industry didn’t pay that full tax amount if they used that profit liquidity to reinvest in technology and new hiring.  

When today’s Republicans tell you that 35% corporate tax rates are too high and that is why businesses don’t hire, don’t for one second believe them. First off, hardly any corporation pays that amount while many don’t pay one dime in taxes. The corporate subsidies, tax loopholes and tax breaks take care of that. But with no incentive to reinvest that profit as back in the ‘50s, CEOs just ensure the money is pocketed and sits in their coffers. The GOP politician is working for his/her donor, not you.

This hurts the country twofold. Companies have no incentive to hire, which hurts the economy and the lack of reinvesting back into R&D and technology, pushes American companies into the back of the pack in coming up with newer concepts and product to meet current challenges. American companies are losing their competitive edge.

In protecting the wealthiest from a stipend of any tax increase, Republicans neglect that 1% own 40% of the wealth, while the bottom 40% who spend, own only 1% of the wealth. In a democratic society that kind of reversed lopsidedness will destroy an open consumer market; the money needs to be spread out more evenly.

Banging down the doors of Social Security and Medicare do not lessen the deficit as Republicans would like us to believe and are two of the most efficient programs this country and its government have ever produced and conducted.

Medicare is far more effective and honest than any policy a private insurer has to offer. Before Social Security, a little over 50% of America’s elderly lived in poverty. Today, due primarily to Social Security that rate has dropped to 10%. We should all be fighting tooth and nail for these two government entities to remain intact and whole.    

I am eternally and internally an optimist, for nothing is impossible; it is just that certain things are a little more possible than others. That’s all…


Reporting as Referendum,
                  BJA                      

10/26/2011


A P.S. News Flash: A new hopeful has just announced his candidacy for the U.S. presidency and has tossed his name into the GOP candidate ring. It is none other than Terry Jones that Quran burning pastor from Florida. His platform is based on a seven point plan, one of which is to immediately deport all illegal immigrants and remains anti-Islam. He’s calling his campaign ‘Stand Up America Now’ and does have financial backing from a few conservative and religious principles along with a couple of right-wing groups.


It just seems that the Republican candidates, instead of climbing the incline, increasingly keep rolling downhill. I dare say the Republican Party is disintegrating from their own means and devices. Good luck on that...  

5 comments:

  1. Testing..if this 'comment thing' works, I will read the article, although I don't think I like the beginning.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anomymous, the 'comment thing' indeed works, go ahead and read and let me hear back from ya...

    Whether you concur or not, look forward much in hearing back from ya on the basis of facts or belief.

    Regards,
    BJA

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi BJ,
    Nice perspective on all of these issues. I'm nodding in agreement the whole way through. The poisoned rhetoric espoused by today's GOP is pretty frightening. Election season is going to be a mess this year...not looking forward to it.

    Your pal,
    ghenry

    ReplyDelete
  4. Alas, m'little Buddy Gar Henry, perhaps a bit perplexing, even some disappointment to filter in, but no matter the proceeding rhetoric or outcome of the elections don't be fearful. Stand tall and be firm on where ya stand and with that you can remain proud...

    Only your word can you give or give away, they can take nothing else.

    Pals Always,
    BJA

    ReplyDelete
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