True To Form

Well the Republicans are off and running to restore jobs and return fiscal responsibility to the country. I watched Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Meet the Press this morning continue to talk out of both sides of his mouth, while once again giving no details on how to address all current problems facing the nation. He basically claimed he'll compromise with the President if he does what Republicans want. Last I checked that doesn't fit the definition of compromise in my book. Before the Senate came back in session he issued a manifesto to make Barack Obama a one term President, then the first he does when the session starts, is put together a letter signed by 42 Republican Senators that refuses to move on anything unless they keep tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. All while unemployment expires for 2 million people in the heart of the holiday season. They proved true to their word by shooting down tax breaks for people under $250,000 and then again for those under $1,000,000. Well people ask and you shall receive.



This also raises a question for me? When the tax legislation passed the House 20 Democrats voted against it, and then in the Senate 5 Democrats voted against it. Why is it the Republican party can walk lock step with their leadership and the Democrats cannot? I guess I shouldn't complain at least they brought the issue to the floor to get the Republicans on record. So now that the political theatre is over the Democrats will now, like always, cave like a house of cards and give Republicans what they want. It makes me ill to think about it. The rich will get their tax breaks and once more the middle class will get the shaft.



So now Republicans will stall to pass as little as possible until they fill the trenches of the House come January. The tax issue will be a labored drawn out affair, and things like "Don't Ask Don't Tell" will get thrown on the back burner to be shot down later next year. The START Treaty might see daylight, but it does not hold a high position on the Republican to do list. All these stances totally true to form, and a direct result of the American electorate.



All I can say AGAIN, is that President Obama better hang tough against these clown on the right. If they capture the agenda this country follows over the next two years, he will be a one term President. He is suppose to be leader of the country and quite frankly I don't see it, do you? The economy is still foundering and we need Presidential leadership more than ever, here's to hoping we get some and soon.



Happy Holidays!

Some Advice For Democrats

Now that the mid-term election has passed, I have a few observations I'd like to share with regard to the Democrats come 2011. This week current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she is throwing her hat in the ring to stay on as minority leader in the House. Personally, I don't like Nancy Pelosi, I never have, as some of you know. She is curt, gives the impression her shit smells sweeter than most, and has an air about her I simply can't put my finger on. I take nothing away from her leadership abilities, especially when it came to passing Health Care reform. However, she and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), share the same problem, they are poor communicators. Nancy Pelosi walks the walk, but doesn't talk the talk. Now to be sure lining up your ducks to pass legislation is no easy task for the Democratic Party, but when you hold a 40 seat majority in the House, 60 seats in the Senate (for most of the last 2 years) and the White House, it would seem much easier to do. She turned this electoral gift into a problem, and became just another major Democratic leader to loose control of the conversation, and allow Republicans to weave their fictions at will. Now I won't lay all the blame at Speaker Pelosi's feet, but her demeanor and leadership style allowed Republicans to do what they did, not just on Health Care, but any Democratic initiative. Therefore, I think it would be a bad idea to keep her as Minority Leader. She has also been so vilified across the country, to keep her would undermine her effectiveness, not to mention paint a picture to the nation that the Democrats still don't get it.

In the Senate, Harry Reid won a very hard fought race to retain his seat and his new Senate Minority Leader title. Personally, I don't like Harry Reid either, as many of you know. He is soft spoken, wishy-washy, has the charisma of a dish rag, and fails to command the presence of a leader in the majority or minority position. However we are stuck with him since he was re-elected. As glad as I am that he beat Sharon Angle, a part of me wishes he lost. We need a new face in the Senate as well, but we are stuck with Reid for the moment, so lets hope that spine donor comes in soon.

Now we come to the President who has been introspective of late on what he should have done better, where do I start. In the last 2 years it has become apparent to me that Barack Obama is not a great communicator. He sat back confident in the process, without taking into effect how politics makes the process work. He sat back and let others morph his ideas into something the public eventually lost understanding of. He sat back and let others guide "HIS" policies while he let the process drift aimlessly without his leadership or vision of how "HIS" policy should be. I think the President accomplished some great things in his first 2 years, it's a shame nobody knows what they are. There is no doubt in my mind the President has had a disconnect from the people and his policies. Now the Republicans have the House. This in itself is not a bad thing, if anything they will be forced to engage. Yet the major question remains, when you had total control you failed to capitalize on a great many advantages, now that power is shared what will you do?

I think in a nutshell this is what has to happen. President Obama is our leader, LEAD! Take back control of the conversation whatever it may be. Be bold, get off the sidelines, take a more active role in seeing your agenda put forward. Be equally bold by not letting Republicans always have their way. Start calling them out on some of the fictional talking points they preach ad-nauseum, and use the facts. The Republicans hate facts, that's why they don't like to use them. For Republicans facts are inconvenient truths that get in the way of their message of fear. The only person who can change all this is Barack Obama. If he steps up to the plate and stands behind his achievements moving forward he has an excellent chance in 2012, but if he continues to sit back and let others take the lead, he most likely will be a one term President.

Republicans Take The House... Now What Happens?

Well as we all know by now, the Republicans made sweeping gains in last weeks election. However, despite their cries that this is a mandate for their party, I wouldn't go that far. First, they needed 39 seats to take control of the House, 49 seats were held by Democrats swept in on Obama's coat tails in 2008, and took districts that were actually carried by John McCain. So given the political atmosphere Republican control was pretty much assured. My latest information has them taking 70 seats total, the minority of those were so called "Blue Dog" Democrats who ran from their party and their President, and lost anyway. To them I say a hearty "Goodbye" as they were Democrats in name only. In the Senate, it was to bad Mary Landrieu(D-LA) and Ben Nelson(D-NE) were not running, and while Blanche Lincoln(D-AR) got the ax, she was replaced by Joe Manchin(D-WV) who in my view is worse. However, that being said, what will the new congress look like? In the Senate 51(D), 45(R), and 3(I). When you factor who the Independents caucus with its 53(D) to 46(R).

When Congress has a 11% approval rating and dislike for Republicans and Democrats is equal at 53% I'm not sure how you interpret that as a mandate, but Republicans will do their best. The House now looks like this: 186(D) to 239(R) with 10 seats still undecided. Now of those 239 Republicans almost half, 113 affiliate themselves with the Tea Party. Which raises the question which of the Republicans two new faces will dominate policy. If I was a betting man, my money would go to the Tea Party faction. They are louder, unfazed by regular Republican attempts to rein them in, and almost have that "Mission from God" mentality that doesn't make much room for compromise on their core issues. However, lets not fool ourselves here, compromise has been a dirty word for Republicans the last 2 years, why should they change now? Especially with more radical elements now legitimately part of the political process.

What do they want now that they have "taken back" the government? Well they want to cut spending, but won't say where? Reform entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, but won't put them on the table? This is a good one, cut discretionary spending? This is a kind of all encompassing catch phrase which is meant to make you believe cuts to make government leaner across the board. Then they preface it with except for Defense, Entitlements, and the Bush tax cuts. So what's left? Education, Energy, Homeland Security is that where they want to cut spending?

The cruel reality is this, the biggest thing they are hitting at the moment is the repeal of Health Care Reform. They can pass all the bills about this in the House they want, but they will never see light on the floor of the U.S. Senate and they know it. It is an exercise in futility that will only waste time on meaningless legislation so they can appease their base and say "we tried". On the other hand, all these deficit reducing spending cutters have 2 big problems to confront, one in the not so distant future, and one right up front. Up front we have the Bush tax cuts slated to expire the end of this year. They have been asked a million times where the 700 billion dollars will come from to pay for these, but they have yet to give an answer? So do they add 700 billion dollars to the deficit as their first act in fiscal responsibility, or will they magically, finally, find a way to fund these cuts? I can't wait to see how this plays out. The second fiscal quandary is the raising of the Federal Government's debt ceiling, currently at 15.3 trillion dollars. Depending on the economy this little problem may be on the radar as early as February. Can Republicans cut spending that quickly as to avoid this problem? Not as chance. So do you let the Federal Government go into default on its loans causing a world wide crisis? or raise the debt ceiling, once again disappointing all those fiscal conservatives screaming for less government.

Republicans should be careful what they wish for? You can't just sit on your hands now and watch the Democrats implode, you have to get off your asses and get in the game. You have a leadership position now, and millions of conservative voters that went to the polls last week to appease, hey good luck with that.

Change Is Coming, But Not For The Better

Well, with just one week to go before the mid-terms do you want the good news, or the bad news? Let's start with the good news shall we? Races are tightening nationwide and Democrats will hold the U.S. Senate, bank on it. The lunatic fringe Tea Party Candidates have done just enough damage to make this a sure thing. There will be losses, but not enough to take control of the Senate.

Ah, and now to the bad news. If you listen closely to the political winds, as November 2nd rapidly approaches, you will hear that familiar music as the fat lady sings. Despite my hopes to the contrary, it looks very likely now that the Republicans will take the House of Representatives next week. Even as Democrats have begun to surge in some areas, it is to little, to late. Given the current state of the economy, poor job growth, sustained unemployment at 9.6 %, the obstacles are to great, in spite of the fact Republicans have no specific plans to tackle these problems. Which leads me to reason #1 why the Democrats will loose the house.

The Fear Factor: People trust their government now, about as much as they did during the height of the Watergate scandal. Anti-incumbent fever is rampant in the electorate, because they see the accomplishments in health care and finance reform as boon doggles, and necessary deficit spending to stabilize the economy and wasteful and ineffective. (more on this later) People are out of work, and loosing their homes, some are in the street, some are barely holding on. The fact that wall street only owes the government $29 Billion dollars down from the $787Billion lent, doesn't mean shit to the guy who's unemployment runs out next week. The people need to see improvement in the economy, especially job creation, everything else is secondary. Which brings me to #2.

Short Term Memory Loss: Because the middle class is in a full stage panic right now, they forget who's policies and economic formulas put them in this situation. It is a well known fact by now that most rational economists agree cutting taxes for the rich, and deregulation of corporations at the expense of the public welfare, does not work to stimulate the economy. In fact, it creates deficit spending while spurring little if any economic growth. So what new economic policies do Republicans offer us? Zip, Zero, Nada, just the same old crap that put us here in the first place. It's because the "Fear Factor" is so pervasive, people just want change for the sake of change, and its party neutral. Unfortunately the Democrats are in power so they get the bulls eyes on their backs more than Republicans. This is the same electorate that swept the Republicans out of Congress in 2006, and finished the job in 2008. Have things changed that much in 2 years? Which brings me to #3.

Taking Credit For Your Accomplishments: In the first 2 years of the Obama administration. He passed a $700 Billion stimulus package that helped stabilize the economy and keep it from falling off a cliff. He passed sweeping Health Care Reform that put people before profit. He passed Financial Reform that takes a step toward preventing a future economic meltdown. Yet instead of touting these reforms and how much they will help people, they run from them like an illegitimate child. Once again allowing Republicans to hijack the conversation and flood the airways with fictions about what these reforms will REALLY do, which feeds the "Fear factor" which always plays into the hands of, you guessed it Republicans. Which takes me to my 4th and final point.

"Citizens United": Don't know what that is? I'm sure most of you do, but for those not familiar that was the name of the landmark Supreme Court Case that passed early this year. It allows millions of outside interest money, even foreign money, to pour into political campaigns without having to disclose where the money comes from, sounds like Democracy in its purest form does it not? This ruling was championed by Republicans because they knew that they would be the ones to benefit from it, and they have, to a tune of almost 3 to 1 versus their Democratic counterparts.

So there it is, Republicans have a nation gripped with fear, stung with short-term memory loss, bombarded with misinformation created by an ocean of money no one can track. Sounds like the perfect witches brew for a political victory on the right, only I'm not sure which is scarier, the formula, or the result?

Change For The Sake Of Change May Not Be A Good Thing

Well, with 31 days to go before the election where do we find ourselves? First and foremost the American electorate is furious at Washington. Washington business as usual is no longer acceptable to the American people. It doesn't matter if your jersey is red or blue, if your an incumbent your in trouble. This is a shift from anti-Obama rhetoric, to anti-establishment tones. However, it still poses a problem for Democrats because as logic would dictate, they are in power and have more seats to loose. The people are tired of being ignored by both parties. The result being many of the candidates currently holding their party standards, mostly the tea party folks, are change for the sake of change. Many are not qualified to hold a flying kite, let alone a state house, or seat in Congress, yet there they are? They hold no policy fixes, no new ideas, no populist mandate, simply put they are not incumbents. No matter how out there they are, they have won primary after primary on "change for the sake of change", but is this the answer? Unfortunately these were the choices, and they fit the bill, but when the nation wakes up on November 3rd this country may have the biggest collective political hangover in history! "OMG I voted for who, what was I thinking?!" People have to look at these choices NOW, not LATER.

Recent polling has both Republicans and Democrats equally unpopular with people, as well as, even on who should control Congress. A deadlock created by unpopular political posturing by both sides. A toll paid currently by mainstream Republicans, and potentially incumbent Democrats. One poll puts 75% of people wanting an end to outside political influence in public policy. I wholeheartedly agree, but not at the expense of a Congress filled with right wing Tea Party nut jobs. Everyone wants lobbyists out of the policy picture, except for the lobbyists themselves, and the politicians who take their money. So how high a price are you willing to pay for that? First of all the question is moot, graft and special interest money has greased the wheels of Capitalist Democracy since the early Greeks, it's not going anywhere. It makes for great speeches, but talk is cheap and if it was a problem we COULD fix, do you think it will come at the hands of the Tea Party crowd and Republicans?

I am still not convinced the Republicans will take the House of Representatives. As the election draws near people tend to settle down and examine the candidates a little closer. Simply watching some of these Tea Party wing nuts in a debate, should be just the smelling salts we need to help stop the electorate from making that terrible mistake of actually voting for these loons. I will concede the Democrats will face losses, but the jury is still out as to whether they will be big enough to loose the majority. So keep those fingers crossed and hope a little reality sinks into the American people, on the other hand keep some alka-seltzer ready, November 3rd is fast approaching.

Two More Tea Party Torpedos Sink Mainstream Republicans

On the last night for Primaries until the November 2nd mid-terms, two more Republicans have fallen to the radical right elements of the Tea Party. In New York, Carl Paladino snatched the Republican nomination for Governor away from Rick Lazio the GOP's preferred pick. In Delaware, a shocker has unfolded with Christine O'Donnell coming out of nowhere to beat long time Delaware political fixture Mike Castle for a chance at the U.S. Senate. In New Hampshire things at this hour stand to close to call, with mainstream Republican Kelly Ayotte holding a slim 1000 vote lead over Tea Party favorite Ovide Lamontagne.

So what does this all mean? Well The Tea party has nominated candidates that won't win in November. Rand in Kentucky, Angle in Nevada, Lee in Utah, Buck in Colorado, Miller in Alaska, and now Christine O'Donnell in Delaware, with Ovide Lamontagne waiting in the wings in New Hampshire. The only exception being Lee in Utah, who is considered a shoo-in in Utah. All the rest have turned Republican locks into competitive races. The best example here being O'Donnell's upset in Delaware.

Before the Delaware Primary Mike Castle was projected to have a 97% chance of taking that Senate seat. In early polling Christine O'Donnell starts her run with a 26 point deficit against Democratic challenger Chris Coons. 31% of people in Delaware say she is not fit for office. The insurgent Tea party is ecstatic, "...no more business as usual in Washington." and no sure thing come November.

I have said this before, but it bares repeating. For the sake of ideological purity, and the mass expulsion of moderates from Republican ranks. The conservative electorate is putting forward people who do not appeal to the 40% of Independent voters out there. It's comical, because they're tickled pink and going nowhere fast. It is mass delusion on a grand scale, and Democrats should be jumping for joy.

It is this same prospect that I hoped would save the House of Representatives for the Democrats, but local politics has many masters, and in the districts that are not gerrymandered to one party or the other, is where the battle will be joined.
There is a fight brewing on the hill about the Bush tax cuts. Republicans have once again entrenched themselves in total opposition unless the rich continue to get their breaks. VOTE ON THIS! Get the Republicans on record before November supporting tax cuts for the rich, at the expense of relief for the middle class. Democrats have to get energized, this could do the trick. Get fired up, vote, get your friends to vote. We still have a chance if we mobilize, but time is running out so get cracking.

Note: Mainstream Republican Kelly Ayotte has been declared the winner in New Hampshire's Republican Primary for the U.S. Senate seat there. She won a close victory over Tea Party Challenger Ovide Lamontagne.

Winds Of Fortune Blowing Toward Republicans

Well people, a little over a month ago I put my butt on the line saying Democrats would hold the House. I'm going to slowly step back from that by saying they can still hold the House, but they may also now loose it. As the mid-term election gets closer, polls all around are moving heavily toward the GOP. The latest CNN Poll puts the generic question "Who will you vote for, the Republican or Democrat?" Gave Republicans 52% to 47%, up from 3 points last month. A number of other polls say the same thing, giving Republicans from 5% to 10% over their Democratic challengers. This scares me for one major reason. The thought of John Boehner becoming House Speaker makes my skin crawl. He is the most fallacious, unreasonable, and uncharismatic boob to ever grace the halls of Congress.

The economy is stuck with 9.6% unemployment, anemic job growth, and just to many people are hurting. Thus as the election nears, and improvement no where to be seen, people are beginning to move toward the minority party. This baffles me because they are the same group of people who created the mess we're trying to get out of, It boggles the imagination? The GOP hasn't had a new idea in 30 years, yet they continue to beat the old mantra of supply side economics, Tax cuts for the rich, hands off government, blah, blah, blah.

I find it particularly amusing that when put on the spot for specifics, not a single Republican can tell you what they will do. The latest moment of silence came when asked what they would cut to keep the 70 billion dollar Bush tax cuts in place? You could hear crickets! As I've said several times before they have no answers, but people are scared, and the fear factor always works to the Republican advantage. They have polished fear to an art form to rally their base, and intimidate independents. No plan, no policy, no program, no initiative of any kind, just no Obama. They slither though debates dodging questions that offer specifics of any kind. "We're going to take a look at that...?" You've had 4 years to LOOK? When does the rhetoric stop and policy making begin? I'll take some bets with all their talk, will they roll back health care reform? NO. Will they repeal financial reform? NO. Can there outdated borrowed money recovery equation fix this economy? NO. Does putting the country back in the hands of the people who screwed it up make sense? NO. Will the people put these morons back in power? We shall see.

Afghanistan: Time To Go.

This coming October 7th will mark the 9 year anniversary of the U.S. War in Afghanistan. Sounds like a long time doesn't it? It is. From the British, to the Soviets, to the United States, Afghanistan has been nothing but one big fat international greased pig, that no one can get their hands on, let alone hold. The Countries history is full of a tradition of kicking the shit out of invaders, going all the way back to the 5th Century.

As a historian, the old saying goes: "If you fail to learn from history, you are doomed to repeat it." Ring any bells here? To cut to the chase, Afghanistan is a rat hole. It has an unquenchable desire for men, material, and most of all money. For 9 years we have tended this hole pouring Billions of dollars, as well as, sacrificing our young men and women in a war that is going nowhere.

As combat troops finally leave Iraq, some to be sent to Afghanistan, where is the light at the end of the tunnel? By 2002 the Taliban insurgency was defeated and on the run. Up until George W. Bush's ill conceived plan to invade Iraq in 2003, the Taliban was finished. Then the bulk of our effort and resources went into Iraq, and for 6 1/2 years Afghanistan foundered, and the Taliban came back stronger than ever. So today we find ourselves bogged down with a replenished resurgency from the Taliban, and the daunting, if not impossible job of nation building. A strong centralized government runs contrary to generations of Afghans, who see us as just as big a problem as the Taliban?

The surprise here is that President Obama has not only bought into this war, he's raised the stakes by counting on a surge strategy that had some success in Iraq. However, Afghanistan isn't Iraq, and after being asleep at the wheel for so long, how do you regain popular support that was limited to begin with? The other consideration is the current Afghan National Government under Hamid Karzi which lacks not only legitimacy, but is corrupt as the day is long. As the steward of Billions in U.S. aid flowing through his office one wonders what are we thinking?

It is time to leave Afghanistan. The mission is untenable and too costly. As the economy here at home still falters, the money being poured into the Afghan rat hole sure would come in handy. I say go back to the limited covert operations that yielded our initial successes, and pull the bulk of U.S. combat forces out. Let strike teams take over for the infantry, and drones take over for the bombers. After 2 wars in almost 9 years approx. 5800 dead 50,000 maimed and wounded, what have we got to show for it? In my book, not much.

Big Talk, Lots Of Whining, And Still No Answers.

Time and time again Republicans these days are asking, "where are the jobs"? A legitimate question, as the economy's snail like progress continues to plague Democrats nationwide. Some continue to believe because of this, Republicans stand to make big gains in the House this November. So despite unemployment steady at 9.5%, and anemic job growth, what our the Republican alternatives? Now for those of you with short term memory loss, which is common among Republicans, lets take a hard look at what they have to offer. From 1980 to 2008 The Republicans held the White House for 20 years compared to 8 years for the Democrats. During that time there were 3 Republican administrations and 1 Democratic. Each Republican administration ended with a deficit. The Democratic administration ended with a surplus.

Now over the course of the last 2 weeks, I have watched time and time again Republicans get put on the spot while they struggle to answer the tough questions. Yet they continue to essentially hold tight to the mantra of supply side economics. This basically boils down to 2 elements, strong defense spending, and tax cuts for the rich, that will eventually trickle down to help the rest of us. Now all the while espousing fiscal restraint, and limited regulation. This all began in 1980 with the GOP's patron saint of politics Ronald Reagan. He cut taxes for the rich, expanded the defense budget to new highs, and the result was recovery on borrowed money, and a record deficit. Before George H.W. Bush became Reagan's V.P. he called this "Voodoo Economics" a fitting title that still applies today. Then when George H.W. Bush got his shot at the White House with "Read my lips no new taxes"! But 8 years of deficit spending caught up with him, and he did, despite his promise, raise taxes. The result despite the success in the first Gulf War, he lost his job to Bill Clinton. Clinton administrated one of the greatest periods of economic growth in American History, and left office with a budget surplus. Then George W. Bush took the wheel. Household income actually shrank under him. Over 610,000 jobs were lost over his tenure, and he left the Obama administration one of the worst economies since the Great Depression. Lets not forget 2 wars, a medicare prescription drug plan, and 2 big tax cuts for the rich that were not paid for and added 1.2 trillion dollars to the national debt. So much for the party of fiscal responsibility.

Now they stand up and say "stop all this spending"! The people are screaming at the top of their lungs stop the spending!? Where were all these fiscally responsible Republicans when George W. Bush went on his deficit spending rampage? So for the last 4 years they have simply dug in and become the party of "NO". They try to block, filibuster, slow, obstruct, anything and everything the Obama administration puts forward. To say "NO" is not leadership, it's just a hell of alot easier than offering your own ideas. Republican Party leadership across the board will not give us any answers. What programs will you cut to support your tax cuts? Silence. Alan Greenspan former chairman of the Federal Reserve said last week "...tax cuts on borrowed money are unsustainable." Then, "Will you repeal health care reform and financial reform"? Silence. Maintaining a strong defense, the military budget of the United States right now equals the next 10 countries military budgets combined, COMBINED. So will Republicans cut defense? not likely.

So where are the jobs? How do you create them? How will you pay for them? If you repeal health care and financial reform, what will you replace it with? How will you pay for all this? Cut taxes? Really? Knock Knock reality calling, Supply Side Economics doesn't work. You've been pushing it for 30 years and it doesn't work! Get a clue, better yet get some new ideas. You want answers to all these questions? Don't ask a Republican they're not talking. You want to know where the jobs are? Ask George W. Bush, John Boehner, Mike Pence, John McCain, Michael Steele, Eric Cantor, and Tom Price. They're the ones who lost them, now they're going to get them back the same way they lost them? Just one more reason I think we hold the House in November. Big talk, lots of whining, and still no answers.

The Right Talks A Good Game, But Has No Answers

I am increasingly bewildered that only 26% of the electorate in this country thinks the Republicans should be controlling Congress, yet Republicans edge Democrats come time for the election in November. Can anyone tell me what their alternative is? I just watched Meet The Press on NBC. Host David Gregory spent the entire program grilling the House and Senate election leaders on both sides about November. I never saw two Republicans tap dance so fast in my life. National Republican Senatorial Committee leader Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and National Republican Congressional Committee leader Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)talked for almost an hour, and didn't say a Goddamn thing. They attacked President Obama, they attacked the Democrats, they attacked the NAACP, they kissed the Tea Party's ass, but didn't give one solution to any of the problems they raised, not one!

They want to repeal Health Care Reform, repeal Financial Reform, Try to keep Bushes tax cuts for the rich alive by using them as a bargaining chip to extend Unemployment Benefits for the middle class. So in the mean time 3.2 million(+) people in this country are loosing benefits, so they can prop up the rich? Am I the only one who sees this? Is it just me? They are shouting from the rooftops support for Big Oil, Insurance Companies, Wall Street Lobbyists, and any other consumer screwing corporation they can find, and they are the preferred choice? Every idea Anti-Obama at its core conception. I'm not going to ask the begging question, "Can the American people be that stupid?" because we all know the answer is yes, the question we need to ask is this, "Will 2010 be another 2006 or 1994 type election?" Where a dramatic shift in Party control takes place? As a political analyst right now today, I say NO. The formula is not there, the issues are not there, and the alternatives are not there. Yes, the economy is bad. Right now the only thing people can see is 9.5% Unemployment, and it is a powerful and compelling motivator that hurts the Democrats, but that alone will not produce the Republican tidal wave people are predicting. "Why?" you ask. I'll tell you, three words "The-Tea-Party" These folks have captured and will capture office nominations that mainstream America will not support, economy be damned. If the asylum is on fire, you don't release the inmates to help put out the fire. Republicans are scrambling to court these people, and the result will end in their demise. Barring some major catastrophic gaffs by the Democrats, they will hold both the House and Senate in November. Placing my ass in the breeze here, but believe this will hold.

One other point that needs mention here. Even the casual political observer has come to realize that President Obama has revealed himself a political novice, lacking the political savy of say, President Clinton. Despite his tremendous accomplishments, it is clear he doesn't like to get his hands dirty, and in a town often referred to as a swamp; you have to do that from time to time. Even now, after the awful ordeal with Health Care Reform, he is still trying to play peacemaker. That may make you a son of God in some circles, but in Washington D.C. it will more likely make you a son of a bitch, and falling approval ratings bare this out. When you have the hot iron STRIKE! If you put out your hand, and it gets slapped away, don't keep putting it out STRIKE! You are the President, be in control, and when you have the House and Senate under your power USE IT! OR YOU WILL LOOSE IT. I assure you if the circumstances were reversed, the Republicans would have no calms about it. This is a teachable moment, so lets hope President Obama has learned his lesson and will be able to practice it after November.

With The Economy In The Tank, Can Republicans Make Gains?

First, apologies for my long absence. I had some difficult family issues keep me away, but I'm back now and ready to roll, enough said.

To the question at hand as to whether Republicans can make gains come this November? The obvious answer is yes. The Presidents approval rating is at its lowest since he took office. The economy is has one hand on the ledge trying to pull itself out of depression. The disaster in the Gulf has been poorly handled by the Obama administration. His address to the nation on the subject a few weeks back was anemic at best. In general the American electorate is in a very foul state of mind. There is anti-incumbent feelings nation wide, however that rarely produces the exodus it portends. The other guy should go, not my guy, that sort of thing.

So one would think the Republicans are sitting pretty should the current trend continue, or are they? The increasing influence, and attempt by the GOP, to pander to the Tea Party crowd has painted them into an ideological corner. They are putting forward less qualified, ideologically pure candidates, at the great risk of alienating the center. Who can be the most Conservative? Now this may fire up the Tea Party people, as well as, the Republican base, but can they win this way?
A perfect example is Rand Paul, Tea Party Candidate for the Senate in Kentucky. He touted "He's come to take our government back." No doubt from the black man in the White House, but regardless he whipped up Kentucky's ultra conservative base, and is now their man come November. Then he started talking and revealing his unorthodox ideals, and has turned a 30 point lead into a dead heat. A Democrat winning Kentucky, is as earth shattering as a Republican winning Massachusetts.

You could say the same thing about Sharron Angle running for Senate in Nevada against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Now she pandered to the Tea Party crowd made all manner of outlandish promises, got the nomination, and has thrown all those promises to the wind. As a result her current stand on most any issue is in question. Yesterday, she called the 20 million dollar fund President Obama got from BP to help those effected in the gulf, a "Slush Fund" and that BP should not have been forced to put up that money by the government. Then, not even 24 hours later she back-tracked saying the fund was necessary, and a good thing.

Then we have the pride of Wasilla, who makes things up as she goes along. I'm talking about Sarah Palin of course. She travels the country telling disgruntled conservative wing nuts what they want to hear, and boy can she pack em in. She throws around words like, socialized medicine, tyranny, restore the Constitution, and she keeps her empty head bobbling in the spotlight at every opportunity. Anyone who thinks this political bimbo isn't running for President in 2012 isn't paying attention. Then again if she was to run, and win the nomination, it would be the greatest gift the Republicans could give the Democrats since Goldwater.

So if the current situation remains unchanged come November, Democrats will see losses. However, if they continue to pick candidates from the lunatic fringe, like in Kentucky and Nevada, those losses might not be as bad as projected. On the other hand President Obama needs to get off his ass. He needs to get back to the gulf. He needs to start calling out Republicans for blocking unemployment benefits, those members who have come out in support of BP, and in general get out of the White House and take control. He was looking for asses to kick, time to start kicking.

Republicans Vow To Repeal & Replace Healthcare

Yes it's true. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell(R-KY) coined the phrase a few days after the historic health care bill passed the House. Republicans and Tea Party looney tunes are jumping on board in droves, and I couldn't be happier. This is a gigantic risk the Right is taking, but like sharks in a feeding frenzy they just can't stop. They have whipped up their base to the point, if they wanted to re-enter any reasonable legislative discussion they couldn't. Their total motivation at this point holds only one course, to continue feeding the fear, the misinformation, the fallacious rhetoric that has come to define them since 2006. Sen. John McCain(R-AZ) recently stated he would no longer compromise, or work with, the other side of the aisle, he's taking his toys and going home. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said in essence, he hasn't done much on that front anyway, so no major loss there.

Lets take a realistic look at the Republican repeal strategy. They would have to take 113 seats in the House and Senate to have a veto proof majority that could repeal the bill. I think that reality alone would make them step back from all their inane posturing, but once again the base beckons, so they must follow through and keep fear alive. The people don't want this bill they cry. Why not? Because for most of the last year Republicans hijacked the health care debate, and with a storm of lies and misinformation, they did what they do best, scare the American people to death. "If this bill passes it will be Armageddon!" "Death Panels are coming for Grandma!" "This is a government take over of health care by our socialist President!" ...all alot of crap. Sadly there are millions of people out there who buy this non-sense, and my money says they don't even know what socialism is. Now for a reality check. Once this new bill begins to help people, and start improving health care in America, the repeal idea will slowly loose momentum. All those Independents who so recently ran from the Democrats will come home, and all those who voted against health care will be under the heat lamp. Who voted against health care reform? Easy, Republicans not a ONE. This is a fantastic scenario and could in fact become reality, but it is predicated on one thing... the economy. If the economy doesn't show some palpable improvements the people can see by November, we will have losses. However, even if the economy is still struggling, I don't think we will loose the House or the Senate.

Now, who is the Republican base? Well if you watch alot of news programs you would think them half the country 50%, this is not the case. They are roughly 30% of the electorate, including the Tea Party people. They are in general white, uneducated, racist, gun toting, hypocritical evangelical lemmings, moving toward their cliff with each passing day. My only explanation for why the media gives them more attention than they deserve, is simply the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Plus what's more intriguing than a mass of rednecks in a field, waving flags, talking to reporters with 5th grade reading skills, holding posters of President Obama as Hitler. WHERE DO I SIGN UP! Remember people, loud doesn't mean right, ignorance is no replacement for reason, and stupid is as stupid does.

Republican's On The Outside Looking In, As Healhcare Reform Passes

I just watched President Barack Obama sign into law sweeping health care reform that will allow the millions of Americans who need it, better, more affordable health care. This historic reform is a tribute to the President, the Democratic leadership, and all the people who fought so hard to make these reforms a reality. The vote in the House was 219 For, 212 Against. Among all those votes, not one Republican voted for this bill, not ONE. I must say this does not surprise me, but speaks volumes about the current state of the Republican Party. A new Louis Harris poll released today revealed some sobering numbers about what Republicans think:

67% Think President Obama is a Socialist.
57% Think President Obama is Muslim.
45% Think President Obama was not born in this country.
38% Think President Obama "is doing many of the things Hitler did."
24% Think President Obama may be the Anti Christ.

People this isn't just sobering it's frightening. 19th-century educator Horace Mann once too-loftily said: "Ignorance breeds monsters to fill up the vacancies of the soul that are unoccupied by the verities of knowledge." The Republican party has whipped itself, and it's base, into such a frenzy that even the courtesy of civil debate and discourse has become impossible for them.

The landmark passage of health care reform, and the vile and hostile manner in which the Republicans fought this legislation, only proves how they continue to detach from reality for the sake of ideological purity. The sands of time will bury the Republican party if it continues down this path. Since the election of Barack Obama the Republicans and their mini-me Teabag supporters, who are nothing more than, ignorant rednecks, have crossed the line at every opportunity. Rep. Joe Wilson (SC) yells "you Lie" at President Obama during the State of the Union, unheard of. Rep. Randy Neugebauer (TX) called Rep. Bart Stupak (MI) a "baby killer" on the house floor. During the final house debate Republican Representative's pumping up Teabag protesters outside from the veranda at the Capitol with signs. It looked like a high school pep rally. Teabag protesters spitting on Congressman, calling them "nigger" and "faggot", but their not racist, just angry. Just take a look at a good example of what we're dealing with here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_PX5L_v_7I

There is a seismic shift taking place in this country, and Republicans and their Teabag allies are resisting it tooth and nail. At some point, much like an earthquake, the Republicans may not survive. Political parties have gone down before in American history, it is not a new situation. They claim they will repeal this bill, that is pure fantasy. They said as South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint so aptly put it, they wanted to make health care "Obama's Waterloo", the "Waterloo" may be theirs. This is a tremendous victory for President Obama, and an equally tremendous defeat for Republicans. Yet they continue fighting, twisting in the wind, kicking and clawing against progress and the future. Entrenched and desperate to hold on to the past. They would be well served to let go and live to fight another day. However, should they refuse that might be the only place you will find them in the future... in the past.

The Final Countdown For Healthcare

My apologies the the tens of readers that enjoy my rants. I have not been moved enough to take keyboard in hand, but have some thoughts on the current health care debate I think worthy of noting. At the beginning of this week President Obama said the health care debate is over, everything that needed to be said, has been said, and now it's time for an up or down vote on health care. He is correct. He is also about a year too late for that announcement. I will not rehash the arguments on why, you can refresh yourself by looking at my previous blogs. A couple weeks ago President Obama had a health care summit. I'm sure many of you got to see the various soundbites selected my the media for their high drama content. If you were like me, and I doubt you were, and watched to the entire 7 hour debate, you would have realized in the first 15 minutes this was political theater at its finest. However, I give President Obama points for forcing Republicans to debate the issue in a civil forum, and with the exceptions of House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who made complete asses out of themselves, the President faired pretty well. It was a noble attempt to undermine some of the mis-information that consistently flows from the right, but in the end, I doubt it changed anybodies mind.

So now we have a new bill with some additional Republican ideas, (not that the 157 amendments they already had in the bill were enough), the removal of the sweetheart deals to purchase the votes for passage. The Republicans have come up with names for all of these: The Cornhusker Kickback, Gator Aid, and the Louisiana Purchase, and while these are now gone, this morning Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell continued to insist they are in fact still part of the current bill, all part of the classic right wing fear factor they continue to present, truth be damned.
Then he had the balls to accuse the Obama administration of adding to the deficit at a time when we can least afford it. At least Obama's plan pays for itself. When George W. Bush passed Medicare D Prescription coverage in 2005, not only was it not paid for, it was one of the biggest entitlement programs since Medicare itself. Where were all these fiscally responsible Republicans then? They controlled congress,adding to Medicare when Medicare is broke? Leaving this massive entitlement for our children, and our children's children? Argument sound familiar? Once again those right wing selective memories prevail.

However, we finally have a deadline approaching, and despite the incredible amount of mis-information, lies and hypocrisy, that have come to define the right in this country, the success or failure of health care does not lie with them. They may have hijacked the discussion, but ultimately this boils down to a test on whether the Democratic majority can govern? ... and from what I have seen thus far, I am not encouraged. In the first year and a half of Obama's term he has put all his chips on this one issue, and if he can't deliver, Democrats will pay dearly in November. Can the President put together a coalition of his own party and get this done for all those Americans who so desperately need it. I look at it this way, if they had the votes tomorrow they would vote on it tomorrow. They don't have the votes, and the medical insurance special interests have just enough leverage with those undecideds to
stop this in its tracks, I also think Speaker Nancy Pelosi is not up to the task of rallying the Democrats together. I hope I'm wrong, but I give health care reform 1 in 3 odds at passage, but we shall see.

We Are Way Beyond Gridlock In Congress

Those of you kind enough to follow my rants on this blog, know me to be a liberal, progressive, Democrat. There is little, if any, love in my heart for the Republican Party. Working within the two party system this country has created leaves little room for people to maneuver. You are either a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent, and one of these, Independent, is a false choice. Now as things stand in the American Electorate today, more people declare themselves as Independents because they live under the illusion that sitting the fence gives them power. Now many may argue that this is true, I however see it as a sign.

More and more of our citizens are flocking to the banner of Independence, because more and more people are tired of what the two parties have to offer. On the left, you have an overwhelming majority crippled by impotence of will, and an anemic leadership that couldn't pass legislation if their lives depended on it. They are spineless, wishy-washy, and ineffective. On the right, you have angry, white, ignorant, evangelical, gun toting, wing nuts who pine for the 1950s when women, blacks, homosexuals, and any other minority knew their place. They are so entrenched in this ideological "Back to the Future" mentality, that they can't see the forest for the trees. They are people who know no limit to there own hypocrisy, and have deteriorated to point where all they can do is dig in and oppose anything and everything the left has to offer. Even if means voting against legislation they themselves sponsored, in order to tow the line.

Over the years Washington has always seen its share of partisan politics and gridlock, but not like we see it today. The system has broken down, and with only two choices, they have us by the balls. Congress has become to old, to beholden to special interests, totally unwilling to compromise, and entrenched in ideological arguments that offer nothing to the people they are suppose to be helping. The nation is politically bankrupt. The constant stare from the two faces of Congress has become a blur of greed, frustration, fear, and hopelessness. Despite the good will of our President, even he cannot move this pile.

Therefore, I would suggest to you that as a citizen of this great nation, you exercise the one true power you have left. No matter your affiliation Republican, Democrat, or Independent, we need to send Washington a message, that the current state of affairs is unacceptable. We the people need to take back our government and vote out every current member of congress, either by Primary or General election voting. We need to be first, not last in the minds of our legislators. We need to clean house, and once done dismantle the culture of corruption, the influence of special interests, and make Congress work for the people for a change. Do you think me naive? Do you think what is done cannot be undone? There is only one way to find out, and it starts with the power of one.

Sarah Palin And The Tea Party

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has been making alot of waves lately by criss-crossing the country for various events. Most notably her book signings, and recent attendance at the Tea Party Convention in Nashville TN., as keynote speaker, and a Republican fundraiser for Texas Governor Rick Perry. If you watched her keynote address to the Tea Party Convention, I'm sure you would find it as a painful forty minutes of pandering to the Tea Party crowd. A speech filled with personal observations, and vague generalities almost entirely with basis in fact. It also contained several harsh and calculated shots at President Obama, Notably:

1) After a year all those hopey changey folks that endorsed this President, how's that working out for ya?
2) What we need is a commander in chief, not a law professor in the White House.
3) We need more than a charismatic guy with a teleprompter.

Really?... I think it is amazing that when it comes to Palin, as long as she is addressing her lunatic fringe base, it has become perfectly acceptable for her to manipulate the truth, bold face lie, or make up facts that simply don't exist. I would ask the media why is that? Outlets like FOX feast on these speeches like honey dripped from the mouth of a profit, and most of it is factually bogus. However, FOX has never had a pension for the truth anyway, so why should we think they would start now?

Now who are the people that are consuming this dung heap of inaccuracies and untruths? The Tea Party movement, a conservative collective of outraged citizenry bent on returning our Government to the letter of the Constitution. They hold signs that compare Obama to Hitler, they wear hand guns on their belts at rallies, and they want to stop tax increases and excessive Government spending. My guess would also be that most have compounds somewhere out west fully stocked for when the government falls and the new world order emerges. Is it me? Do these nut jobs not sound like militia people, that a decade ago would be dismissed out of hand? The Tea Party, has a nice ring to it, stirs pictures of the American Revolution, taxation without representation. You will often see the yellow colonial standard that bares a snake with the words "Don't Tread On Me" at their marches.

Who are these people... really? They are bigots, and homophobics, people who march with the mantra of "Return to the Constitution", these people wouldn't know what's in the United States Constitution if it jumped up and bit them in the ass! Many wear T-Shirts or hold signs with a quote from Thomas Jefferson which says "The tree of Liberty must occasionally be watered with the blood of tyrants." Really white bread? Your party gets swept out of power, and your reply is government overthrow? All the while there is Sarah Palin pumping them up, feeding them a steady diet of red meat, truth be damned.

In a nutshell the Tea Party people are tools. This is defined by Websters as: one that is used or manipulated by another. They think they have something new to offer, and they are trying to present it as an alternative to the current Government. The fact is they offer nothing new, it's the same old tired ideas pushed by conservatives, and they think if they get angry, people will see these ideas as something different. Who will benefit from these "new" ideas, Republicans, who else.
The radical right wing conservative core has been boiled down to its essence, and they call it the Tea Party... a rose by any other name is still a rose.

As for Sarah Palin, someone who likes to repeatedly eviscerate the Presidents use of a teleprompter, I think she's got some nerve. At that recent fund raiser for Rick Perry I mentioned earlier, she wrote the core ideas she wanted to remember on her hand... HER HAND! This is the women they want to be President? Who got cheers of "Run Sarah Run!" while she looked at her hand so she could remember what to say next?! ...are you kidding me? ...and not only that, she had one thing crossed off?! You can't even get your 8th grade crib sheet right as you put it in black pen on your HAND! This women leads the current field of Republican candidates at 16%, and she can't remember in her head what her core issues are? Is this the bright future the Republicans have to offer us? As a Democrat all I can say is "Run Sarah Run!"

Blood In The Water, Or Wishful Thinking?

There has been alot of chatter lately by the political talking heads that the Democrats are in a free fall, and the party needs to brace for some devastating losses. Republicans are smelling blood in the water, disaster is imminent. No doubt the Republican win in Massachusetts is still rippling across the nation, carrying with it the impending prophecies of doom. Granted as I've said before, the loss in Massachusetts was a big deal, but whether Mr. Brown can sustain his independent appeal and get re-elected in 2012 is highly questionable. Massachusetts Democrats learned a hard lesson a few weeks ago and I'm sure they won't forget it in 2012. Massachusetts is dark blue, and it was a wave of frustration in Washington that got Brown elected. Once he is brought into step with his Republican masters on one or two vital issues and his epitaph will be written.

Now 2009 is what in popular speak I would call "a teachable moment" mistakes were made and I think learned from, so now it is time to move forward. President Obama has turned up the heat a bit in the State of the Union, his addressing, and fielding questions from the Republican Caucus, and some current speeches, have all tried to set a new tone. He is attempting to spur Democrats to get tough and start acting like the majority party. Mitch McConnell (R) Kentucky and Senate Minority Leader said something last weekend that sums it up in one sentence. He said, and I'm paraphrasing here, look we're the minority we can't do anything, the Democrats have the house, the Senate, and the White House it's not our fault they can't govern. Now it is uncertain if the Democrats will pick up this standard? In all honesty I don't know if they are capable of doing so. Look there is no question the Democratic Party needs to find a spine donor, and quickly. I hope President Obamas tough talk continues.

There are nine months before the mid-term elections, and all the right wing rhetoric predicting disaster doesn't make it so. One thing is certain if the economy remains stagnant, and job losses continue the Democrats will be in trouble. However, alot can happen in nine months, so don't look for the shark fins just yet. Should Democrats go down in November, they should go down swinging. So all you Democrats in Congress should pull your tails from between your legs and try to get something done for the American people that gave you and unprecedented majority in 2008.

P.S. : In case you were somehow confused by the election in Massachusetts WE STILL HAVE THE MAJORITY!

State of the Union... As I See It

Americans today, right now, are confused, angry, frustrated, and scared to death. The President tried to address these feelings last night in his State of the Union. It was a good speech, but I honestly don't think it made many people feel better. The reason being there has been a gigantic failure on the part of the President and the Democratically controlled Congress.

It starts with health care reform. For the last year this has been the brass ring that President Obama was going to snatch, where other Presidents had failed. He learned, and continues to learn, why they failed. 1) President Obama should have developed the health care reform bill himself and not just said he wanted one, and leave it up to the Congress to hammer out. 2)During the process of developing a bill in Congress he offered no leadership in pushing it forward. 3)By leaving the details to Congress, the effort became labored, altered by special interests, and so convoluted the American people didn't understand it, and ultimately ran away from it. 4)Desperate for passage Senator Ben Nelson (D) Nebraska gets Medicaid paid for in his State forever in order to garnish his vote. This was the back breaker. This is what made people say "what the hell is in this reform, and why do we have to give sweetheart deals to get it passed?" This didn't make the need for reform any less vital, but it totally changed the focus of the legislation. Now people turned away from health care reform, and looked toward government reform. All this feeding into the ongoing lack of faith in the Federal Government.

A recent NBC/WSJ Poll registered three very telling statistics. 70% of the people polled said the Federal Government is NOT WORKING WELL, another 82% say there is TOO MUCH OUTSIDE INFLUENCE IN GOV'T, while finally 93% of people say THERE IS TOO MUCH PARTISAN BICKERING IN WASHINGTON. The American people are fed up with the ongoing gridlock that has come to define Washington D.C., and I am one of them.

So now we have a health care bill that has passed both houses of congress, and the more time that goes by the less likely it will cross the finish line. All because the President and the Democrats in Congress dicked around and squandered a boat load of political capital on what now has a very uncertain future. An 18 member lead in the House, 60 Votes in the Senate, and the White House. The question that rises is, with this kind of a majority how can you NOT get your legislation passed? It is obscene in the extreme that given this situation, you can become paralyzed by the minority party when you don't even need them! The cry now "We've lost one Senate seat in Massachusetts, all is lost"! Are you kidding me?! ...and the real crime here is that while we pandered for bi-partisanship, and delayed, and offered olive branches to the opposition, they just dug in, sat on their hands, and watched as the President and Democrats imploded.

Is it any wonder people feel the way they do? I'm currently reading a book about the American Revolution, and I have to tell you, that musket above the fireplace is looking pretty good these days. Our government is broken, bought, ripe for the highest bidder. Our economy is hurting, our people are hurting, and no one from the government is here to help. So with a spineless majority, and a minority unwilling to give up its ideals for action, I'd say the State of the Union is pretty bad.

Welcome to the Corporate States of America

This week The United States Supreme Court in a 5 to 4 decision championed by the usual suspects conservative judges Roberts, Thomas, Alito, Scalia, and Kennedy, dismantled 103 years of standing election and campaign law in a sweeping decision that may well begin the undermining of American democracy as we know it. In this decision it is now legal for corporations to spend as much money as they please to support the candidates of their choice. Forget 527 Organizations, Labor Unions, and general public opinion, they will no longer be able to compete with the sleeping giant that has been awakened in the deep pockets of Corporate America.

Lets put a little perspective on this? Last year in their 1st quarter, Exxon/Mobile made a record breaking profit of 25 BILLION dollars. In 3 months they (alone by themselves) acquired the power to buy and sell the candidates of their choice from President of the United States all the way down to city dog catcher. That is just one company associated with Big Oil. Now add to that mix The Insurance Industry, The Pharmaceutical Industry, The Banking Industry, to name a few. The American Government has been put up for sale to the highest bidder, and what functional remnants of our already faltering democracy remain may have just been dismantled. Make no mistake this is a landmark decision with earth shattering implications. It is entirely possible that in 10 short years there will be no regulation, or regulatory body, capable to stem the tide of corporate greed and the profits that dictate their bottom lines.

Republicans embrace this decision. As the party of Big Business, why wouldn't they? but the irony is while Republicans and Conservatives open the floods gates to embrace this influx of unmeasurable cash that they think will help them , the truth is once Corporate America uses them as the tools they are, they too will suffer under the weight of corporate greed and be escorted to the curb. No longer will we need political parties, there will be no Democrats, no Republicans, it will be the representative from AETNA, EXXON, ELI LILLY, BANK OF AMERICA, (How's that for irony) We as a nation have just been sold down the river, and if the congress doesn't act to somehow curb this, NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO STOP IT.

The Snowballs Are Flying In Hell

Yesterday Republican Scott Brown defeated Democrat Martha Coakley to capture the vacant Senate seat held by the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy. In the bluest of blue states, in the heart of New England, a Republican has found a home for the next 2 years. I must tell you that in my opinion, this is a catasrophic loss for the Democratic Party. I am quite sure that the unyeilding champion of universal healthcare for the last 40 years is spinning in his grave as we speak. Then to add insult to injury, the people of Massachusetts elect the one man who may very well torpedo healthcare reform seconds before it crosses the finish line.

The loss of the State Houses in New Jersey and Virginia last year are nothing compared to this. Now there will be a lot of finger pointing at who is to blame here. There seems to be no doubt that Coakley took this seat for granted, and ran a very poor campaign daring Republicans to spend money trying to take the seat away. They answered by doing just that, and the talking heads on television will discuss the ramifications ad nauseum.

So what has actually happened here? Is this a referendum on President Obama? I don't think so. Polling suggests 75% of people still like the President personally. However, while the Democrats have fiddled Washington is burning. It appears that President Obama's Healthcare overhaul, which is needed, remains illconceved, confusing, and unitelligable to the general public. This, in combination with an economic meltdown, high unemployment, and rampant fears about the national debt.
The Democrats have an 18 member lead in the House and 60 Senators, and for a year healthcare was morphed and mutated to the point of incomprehension.

It was further exaserbated by all manner of right wing nutjobs, tea baggers, 9/12 organizations, birthers, as well as, the ongoing assault by right wing television and radio. I do also lay some of this burden on the mainstream media as well, for giving ear to any lunatic that gets close enough to a microphone. I realize the absurdity of any counter arguement by the right ups ratings, but what does it do to the electorate as a whole?

One immediate result we can see after only one year in office, is that Independents are running, not walking, away from President Obama and the Democartic Party. This key demographic was crucial to the Democratic victory in November of 2008. Independents are now more popular than either political party and they are fleeing the Democratic Party on droves. Why? Let me tell you.

The push for healthcare, which I agree is much needed, was put forward during a time of extreme econimic dispair. What makes matters worse is that no one understands what the final result of healh care will be if it passed. The people simply don't understand what it entails, and this can be laid directly at the feet of the President and the Democratically controlled Congress. The process became so contrived and convoluted that the people became afraid of what the final product would be. It is suppose to help me, but will it hurt me? When added to 10.2% unemployment, bailed out banks that won't loan money, an economic stimulus package, and record debt, most people are running for cover. Screw healthcare I need a job! ...and who has been screaming this battle cry from the beginning... Republicans.

Regardless of what now happens to healthcare, the Democrats need to shift gears and concentrate on the economy. People vote their pocketbooks, and when things are bad the incumbants get thrown out. There is a big lesson to be learned here, it is not the end of the world. However, the President and Congress need to start listening to what the people want addressed, and if they don't, many Democrats my find themselves added to the list of the unemployed come November.