When I open my passport, the words "United States of America" greet my eyes. When I flip through its pages, an assortment of state seals guide me through our great nation. I see the words "US Passport Agency" and other such harmless and generic terms. What I don't see are republicans and Democrats. Not present are the hysterical tea-parties, neo-fascist anti-health-care protests and other partisan aspects of our, once again, great nation.
An Award to Be Proud of...you'd think
And yet, a little less than a year after we, the America people, demonstrated to the world that two of our greatests assets as a nation still exist, the ability to peacefully elect a president and our system of balances, that mass of hysterical and anti-America idiots scoof and snort and mock when our president receives one of the most prestigious awards that exist. The conservatives, again, demonstrate their true hatred for our great nation.
I must comment on our system of balances. Peacefully electing a president is being done by more and more nations each year: great but less unique than it used to be. The world has learned from us well. What still seperates us, however, from so many is our amazing system of three branches of government: the Legislature, the Judical Branch and the Executive one. Under W and Mr. Potter, the Executive Branch gained inordinate amounts of power at the expense of the other two--many will say (including me) that an abuse of the Judicial Branch is what gave us W in the first place.
After 8 years of no leadership, corruption the likes only seen before under Reagan and Nixon, and sheer and complete incompetence--even, an obvious reluctance to govern by W (he was sitting in front of the Ranger games by 6 PM each evening and clearing brush by the months each summer at his ranch), Americans and even many of the most reactionary and the loudest in the current "I hate America" GOPCON Party were ready and willing to see W head off into that January sky on Marine Two. A sigh of relief was heard for many even feared that Mr. Potter might try to pull a military coup that January day not too long ago, such were the abuses of power by W and his coterie of flying monkeys.
Shocked and dismayed at our own seeming hatred for the values that made our nation one of the greatest in world history, foreign governments waited and hoped that our system of balances would once again prove effective. And, it did.
Since that day that Obama assumed the presidency, beyond all that he has done on a 24/7 time-clock to help our nation survive the irresponsible policies of 30 years of republican incompetence--"no government, no regulation, power to the states (sounding very similar to "power to the soviets")--President Obama has made it one of his top priorities to reinvigorate "brand America." And we, as a declining world power whose greatest weapon always was the strength of our soft culture and the lure of an America with streets paved in gold, cannot, should not underestimate the resource that "brand America" is for us.
It Earns us money and it saves lives
Everytime one of these psuedo-wealthy big-mouthes open their traps and criticize Obama, my skins crawls. If they were citing facts and real figures, it would be one thing. However, arguments like 1) he was not born in America; 2) he is a Muslim terrorist; 3) he is a communist/socialist; 4) he is expanding goverment so as take over our lives are simply ridiculus claims fed by the idiocy of Fox-TV and drug-addicts like Rush Limbaugh. Sadly, many in America get their political opinions from these entertainment outlets and confuse it for truth.
Yet, if we were to set aside the issues that divide us and look at the one thing we should all want and hope for, a strong and stable America, then the receipt of the Nobel Price for Peace by President Obama, our president, should be something to make us not just proud but safer and happier.
President Obama has not done one act which you could put your finger on and say, "ah, this is why he got it." No, but he has changed the mood in the world. If W's policies had permitted the patients (Russia's abuse of their gas diplomacy, North Korea's and Iran's nuke programs, a melting Pakistan, etc.) to take over the mental hospital--Obama's reaching out to the world has made diplomacy once again a valid tool and served as sedative to the nuts in the world.
And, if we can spare the lives of over 4000 young men and women serving in our armed forces (and tens of thousands of innocent civilians) from making the ultimate sacrifice caused by to hubris and greed of the neo-con right as they were led by W and others, then I say, President Obama: GREAT JOB! He deserves any award he can get for the sake of us and a better world.
President Obama has changed the mood in the world and being an American who lives in the "world" and has traveled to 12 nations just in the past 8 months, I can tell you this: people are thrilled by this man and the mood is one of change, of hope, of possibilities.
As a result of this feeling in the world, America's stock is going up. Despite our ailing economy, not caused by Obama, the world likes having a sane and rational America once again at the helm. Yes, the world also feels burned and slightly embarassed because of their attempts to deal with W and Mr. Potter as adults only to be spurned and even mocked by those two. President Obama must demonstrate that he can rule regardless of the destructive and obstructionist right. The world waits and it has hope, though. Hope was something they did not have under W.
Congratulations America
Our national brand equity is increasing in value thanks to President Obama and his policies, his beliefs. The Nobel Peace Prize further increases brand America's value. This is something we should not pooh-pooh, this is something we should not doubt, this is something we should not hestitate to take silent pride in.
There used to be a saying in America, before the right became so openly hostile to our nation's future, domestically it is acceptable to disagree and argue with the President; but, internationally, he is the man and we should at least respect him and hope he does well internationally for our own good.
President Obama's award is our award and the world is better for it but sadly, not even that fact is enough to snap those anti-America conservatives out their hateful, obstructionist stupor.
Shame on them all.
Showing posts with label Bye-bye GOP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bye-bye GOP. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
They Boggle the Mind
As the dust settled on lower Manhattan and the nation shook off the effects of the worst attack in our history, the democrats in Congress, having appreciated that the moment called for unity and not politics, joined their president in finding a response.
After our failure in Afghanistan, and despite it, the democrats, still fearing that any disagreement with the president would be contrued as heresy, despite reservations by some, supported this same president as he led us into the tragedy that has become Iraq.
Over time, we would learn that he had lied to us. He used lies, fear-mongering and propaganda in the most sacred of speeches, the State of the Union Address, to again make it political suicide should any democrat not agree with him. We invaded and America lost its innocence in what would become the worst quagmire since Vietnam: torture, abuse of presidental powers, obstruction of justice, lying under oath, dispersing state secrets to punish the disloyal and more.
Having won a majority in Congress, the democrats, for the sake of reuniting our worn and weary nation, chose NOT to seek the impeachment of George W. Bush. They chose not to pursue the vice president. And for the same reason that motivated Gerald Ford, in what historians still consider to be one of the most faithful and loyal acts by a public servant when he pardoned Richard Nixon (and absolute political suicide), the democrats knew that a long, drawn-out impeachment proceeding would do more harm for our nation then the short-term polical gains it would give them.
Democrats and Republicans are different. Let's forget about their differences like so-called spending versus fiscal conservatism; abortion versus anti-abortion, etc.; let's just look at what the Republicans have made their most effective and more heinous strategy for maintaining power for power's sake: they always attack and never put the good of the nation first if they feel that the democrats will reap any of the benefits of that so-called "good".
In 1994, when the Republicans backed by the pharmaceutical lobby and AMA fought tooth and nail to destroy the Clinton healtcare initiative, we paid 11.8% of GDP for health care. 15 years later, we are paying 15.2% of GDP (expected to increase to nearly 20% by 2015).
Had the Clinton healthcare initiative been passed (an internal memo then sent by Newt Gingrich laid it out very simply "if Clinton passes this thing, we lose seats at the mid-term elections so we must unite to defeat it"), we would today be paying around 9% of GDP for health care and all Americans would be covered!
The Republicans, however, decided that their interest lie not in the health of Americans, not in the strengthening of the economy in the long-term but rather in their ability to obtain and maintain power. At the end of the day, our economy today would be sounder if universal healthcare had been passed in 1994. No economist, who is not a hack to the GOP, would dare say that this is not so.
What they also felt was of the utmost of importance at the time (and somehow in the interest of the nation) was to relentlessly attack President Clinton. They ran non-stop indepedent councils until eventually they caught in him a lie (which happened to be under oath) about whether or not he had cheated on his wife. Any sane man would lie about an infidelity.
Was Clinton stupid and reckless? Yes! But, was his crime worthy of destroying a president and thereby politically tainting one of the tools available to the Congress that can punish a president who abuses his power? Not in a million years! However, the republicans again felt that for the sake of retaining and maintaining power, something as trivial as the office of the presidency and abuse of a little thing called the powers to impeach were much more aligned with their interests and the interests of the nation.
So, here we are again, gleeful over the big, fat zero they gave President Obama and "his stim", Republicans again chose inaction; they put the failed policies like tax-cutting ahead of the interests of America. Our nation today is in more danger than it was on September 12, 2001, and all they can think about is lying (they were shouting about $50 million that would be spent on protecting mice in California--this just didn't exist in the Stimulus Plan put to them!); obstructing the process of making our nation sound again.
They again prefer to pander to the big money men who will end up financing their re-election campaigns. They know that Joe, who has lost his job as a result of the economic crisis, cannot give them donations anymore. So, guess what, if Joe cannot keep them in power, then they don't need Joe and they don't give a "mice's" ass about Joe's woes!
Our nation has been humbled by the arrogance and mismanagement of a Republican president and a Republican Congress. Barack Obama and the democrats are trying to make our nation whole again.
And, while they govern and while Obama leads like we have not been led in nearly a decade, the republicans will continue to proudly vote "no" to anything he does to make us better. When does the rest of American realize that republicans just don't give a damn about America? Honestly, and this is not rhetoric, the modern-day powers that be in the GOP are simply corrupt, anti-American and fascist in the way of Hitler.
Enough (basta)! I just hope that the effects of unemployment will motivate the inbred bible-thumpers from the Southern states who think that all that is republican is America, to wake up soon and turn their back on the ignorance that ruins our nation.
Sadly, I don't think this will happen. So, I guess now we have only one choice and that is to get used to their obstructionist and anti-American ways.
America, with them, without them and despite them!
After our failure in Afghanistan, and despite it, the democrats, still fearing that any disagreement with the president would be contrued as heresy, despite reservations by some, supported this same president as he led us into the tragedy that has become Iraq.
Over time, we would learn that he had lied to us. He used lies, fear-mongering and propaganda in the most sacred of speeches, the State of the Union Address, to again make it political suicide should any democrat not agree with him. We invaded and America lost its innocence in what would become the worst quagmire since Vietnam: torture, abuse of presidental powers, obstruction of justice, lying under oath, dispersing state secrets to punish the disloyal and more.
Having won a majority in Congress, the democrats, for the sake of reuniting our worn and weary nation, chose NOT to seek the impeachment of George W. Bush. They chose not to pursue the vice president. And for the same reason that motivated Gerald Ford, in what historians still consider to be one of the most faithful and loyal acts by a public servant when he pardoned Richard Nixon (and absolute political suicide), the democrats knew that a long, drawn-out impeachment proceeding would do more harm for our nation then the short-term polical gains it would give them.
Democrats and Republicans are different. Let's forget about their differences like so-called spending versus fiscal conservatism; abortion versus anti-abortion, etc.; let's just look at what the Republicans have made their most effective and more heinous strategy for maintaining power for power's sake: they always attack and never put the good of the nation first if they feel that the democrats will reap any of the benefits of that so-called "good".
In 1994, when the Republicans backed by the pharmaceutical lobby and AMA fought tooth and nail to destroy the Clinton healtcare initiative, we paid 11.8% of GDP for health care. 15 years later, we are paying 15.2% of GDP (expected to increase to nearly 20% by 2015).
Had the Clinton healthcare initiative been passed (an internal memo then sent by Newt Gingrich laid it out very simply "if Clinton passes this thing, we lose seats at the mid-term elections so we must unite to defeat it"), we would today be paying around 9% of GDP for health care and all Americans would be covered!
The Republicans, however, decided that their interest lie not in the health of Americans, not in the strengthening of the economy in the long-term but rather in their ability to obtain and maintain power. At the end of the day, our economy today would be sounder if universal healthcare had been passed in 1994. No economist, who is not a hack to the GOP, would dare say that this is not so.
What they also felt was of the utmost of importance at the time (and somehow in the interest of the nation) was to relentlessly attack President Clinton. They ran non-stop indepedent councils until eventually they caught in him a lie (which happened to be under oath) about whether or not he had cheated on his wife. Any sane man would lie about an infidelity.
Was Clinton stupid and reckless? Yes! But, was his crime worthy of destroying a president and thereby politically tainting one of the tools available to the Congress that can punish a president who abuses his power? Not in a million years! However, the republicans again felt that for the sake of retaining and maintaining power, something as trivial as the office of the presidency and abuse of a little thing called the powers to impeach were much more aligned with their interests and the interests of the nation.
So, here we are again, gleeful over the big, fat zero they gave President Obama and "his stim", Republicans again chose inaction; they put the failed policies like tax-cutting ahead of the interests of America. Our nation today is in more danger than it was on September 12, 2001, and all they can think about is lying (they were shouting about $50 million that would be spent on protecting mice in California--this just didn't exist in the Stimulus Plan put to them!); obstructing the process of making our nation sound again.
They again prefer to pander to the big money men who will end up financing their re-election campaigns. They know that Joe, who has lost his job as a result of the economic crisis, cannot give them donations anymore. So, guess what, if Joe cannot keep them in power, then they don't need Joe and they don't give a "mice's" ass about Joe's woes!
Our nation has been humbled by the arrogance and mismanagement of a Republican president and a Republican Congress. Barack Obama and the democrats are trying to make our nation whole again.
And, while they govern and while Obama leads like we have not been led in nearly a decade, the republicans will continue to proudly vote "no" to anything he does to make us better. When does the rest of American realize that republicans just don't give a damn about America? Honestly, and this is not rhetoric, the modern-day powers that be in the GOP are simply corrupt, anti-American and fascist in the way of Hitler.
Enough (basta)! I just hope that the effects of unemployment will motivate the inbred bible-thumpers from the Southern states who think that all that is republican is America, to wake up soon and turn their back on the ignorance that ruins our nation.
Sadly, I don't think this will happen. So, I guess now we have only one choice and that is to get used to their obstructionist and anti-American ways.
America, with them, without them and despite them!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Gloves Off 2--The Developing Irrelevance of the GOP
"Our stimulus plan would have cost two times less and we would have created twice as many jobs." These were the words of some idiot republican on CNN today, 13 February 2009. My initial thought was, "ok, if you are such a pro at governing and doing things that are great for the nation, where the hell were you 5 months (let alone 8 years) ago when this crisis melted our economy and turned it into a puddle in the driveway where just yesterday 2 feet of snow stood?"
But, then again, when I saw the "republican" descriptor beneath his name, I realized that those words were empty, meaningless, party-created, anti-frontal lobe, he didn't believe what he was saying himself, etc., etc., etc.
My poor, ball-less dems, they try so hard to fight for what is right for America; they try to be civil and to keep emotions out of the battles; and, really they usually succeed at doing just that: debate remains on a sane and rational level. What they fail to ever understand is that the repigs NEVER use facts or rational argument to win a debate. They abuse emotion, hearsay and just plain lie so as to obfuscate, obstruct and obliterate our nation's chances for recovery, for greatness.
So, rule number one for dems, in order to even give yourself a chance, you must learn to lie. Just blantantly, out and out lie to anyone and everyone about everything. You like coffee, tell people tomorrow you hate coffee; but, when you tell them you hate it, be really, really passionate about it! At the same time, and this is the beauty of being a repig, you can order a coffee! Get yourself a big 20-ounce from Dunkin Donuts--heck, get the Babe Ruth 3-D cup--and pour some half and half in their whilst ranting about the wonders of tea!
Let's go to the repig playbook; in this case, the coffee is a tax-cut and tea is being fiscally conservative; and, at the same time, that they are wailing about being fiscally conservative--in other words, hating coffee--they are screaming for and pushing through Congress massive tax-cuts!!
Now, what is a tax-cut? Some, the repigs, will say it is money not taken from the business owner or the consumer, usually a wealthy person who doesn't really consume as much as the average Joe (hard to phatom, well, not really, Joe buys local and Rich Bob buys not local and quite often internationally); the idea, as simple and genius as flying a kite with a key in a lightning storm to power a city or rubbing two sticks together to heat the house, is that Rich Bob will take this windfall of money and invest it into his business; he will buy more machines so as to make more widgets.
Well, first of all, we stopped making widget years ago because Bob, realizing he could make more by producing in China, moved his production facility off-shore (to China). Secondly, with increased savings from producing in China, because he is paying them $1 an hour, he takes that money and buys real estate in other countries, fancy boats, planes, baseball teams, etc. Guess what, though, he isn't investing that money in anything that is in the long-term interests of America. How much trickled down? Some tips here and there are distributed to the white guys holding open the doors to hotels he is paying $15,000 a night for--where he is probably staying with some call-girl running around $10,000 a night (yes, true trickle down, supply side economics).
A tax-cut is lost revenue. A tax-cut for a lack of any better word is SPENDING! It is welfare for the rich!
Then, the repigs, John McCain, so stupidly called the economic stimulus package a "spending bill"--and our very astute President (it is so nice have a president who speaks fluent English) says "um, what do you think a stimulus bill is [what he left out was "you stupid, tired, old, walking-corpse!]?
McCain goes onto the call the stimulus "generational theft." 8 years of Bush and Republican control has financially broken our nation's back. Our position in the world is more tenuous than it has been since just prior to the start of the Industrial Revolution; our military is so over-stretched that we are probably more vulnerable today than we were 8 years ago. Yet, the repigs have what the dems lack, and they are made of brass and real big, and so they just pretend that none of that was real. You know, this is the one area where they have something in common with the rest of American for there are probably 200 million Americans wishing that the last 8 years weren't real!
McCain made yet another completely mind-boggling accusation, he said that the president should be ashamed for having so blantantly lied to the American people about his desires for working with the republicans. McCain said the blatant partisan approach by Obama was simply crass and should be condemned. He offered to sit with the president today and truly work-out a new plan that is more bipartisan.
Did old-sack-of-dust's "clap-on" not work resulting in him lying on the floor of his office suffering the effects from a massive concussion while Obama was bending over backwards to appease the repigs? 12% of the stimulus plan is lost to tax-cuts! Yes, that is generational theft, I agree!
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky railed that the "taxpayers of today and tomorrow will be left to clean up the mess" of the stimulus plan. Unreal. And, what is his solution for making the stimulus better? What do you think? More corporate welfare, more tax-cuts. They truly have simply lost sight of what works and what obviously does not work. 8 years of supremely failed policies, based on the bogus economic formula of their king and the belief that his tax-cuts made us so strong so more of the same would make us stronger, have left us empty, struggling and simply frozen in the headlights of fundamental, across-the-board, economic turmoil--and this is only the beginning.
If tax-cuts are so good at creating strong economies, why did this crisis tumble us like a house of cards? Yes, mistakes were made along the way by both dems and repubs but, to admit any wrongdoing by a dem, assumes that we are talking with level-headed, educated republicans who too can admit that a) no Reagan was not a king and a genius and his bankrupting of the federal government has come back to bite us in the ass big time; b) that W. and republican abuse of our Constitution and destruction of balance of powers has left us weaker than we have ever been; c) that FDR did lay the ground work for a sound and dynamic economic foundation (to be completed by LBJ); and, d) finally, that Janet Reno could whoop Condoleeza Rice in a fight!
Anyway, thank you Republican party for making it so easy to see you guys fade away into the sunset of redunancy. You attacked FDR for his New Deal and by 1935, there were 17 Republican senators left in Congress; keep up the good work in attacking President Obama while Americans keep losing their jobs, soon there will be 100 dems in the Senate!
But, then again, when I saw the "republican" descriptor beneath his name, I realized that those words were empty, meaningless, party-created, anti-frontal lobe, he didn't believe what he was saying himself, etc., etc., etc.
My poor, ball-less dems, they try so hard to fight for what is right for America; they try to be civil and to keep emotions out of the battles; and, really they usually succeed at doing just that: debate remains on a sane and rational level. What they fail to ever understand is that the repigs NEVER use facts or rational argument to win a debate. They abuse emotion, hearsay and just plain lie so as to obfuscate, obstruct and obliterate our nation's chances for recovery, for greatness.
So, rule number one for dems, in order to even give yourself a chance, you must learn to lie. Just blantantly, out and out lie to anyone and everyone about everything. You like coffee, tell people tomorrow you hate coffee; but, when you tell them you hate it, be really, really passionate about it! At the same time, and this is the beauty of being a repig, you can order a coffee! Get yourself a big 20-ounce from Dunkin Donuts--heck, get the Babe Ruth 3-D cup--and pour some half and half in their whilst ranting about the wonders of tea!
Let's go to the repig playbook; in this case, the coffee is a tax-cut and tea is being fiscally conservative; and, at the same time, that they are wailing about being fiscally conservative--in other words, hating coffee--they are screaming for and pushing through Congress massive tax-cuts!!
Now, what is a tax-cut? Some, the repigs, will say it is money not taken from the business owner or the consumer, usually a wealthy person who doesn't really consume as much as the average Joe (hard to phatom, well, not really, Joe buys local and Rich Bob buys not local and quite often internationally); the idea, as simple and genius as flying a kite with a key in a lightning storm to power a city or rubbing two sticks together to heat the house, is that Rich Bob will take this windfall of money and invest it into his business; he will buy more machines so as to make more widgets.
Well, first of all, we stopped making widget years ago because Bob, realizing he could make more by producing in China, moved his production facility off-shore (to China). Secondly, with increased savings from producing in China, because he is paying them $1 an hour, he takes that money and buys real estate in other countries, fancy boats, planes, baseball teams, etc. Guess what, though, he isn't investing that money in anything that is in the long-term interests of America. How much trickled down? Some tips here and there are distributed to the white guys holding open the doors to hotels he is paying $15,000 a night for--where he is probably staying with some call-girl running around $10,000 a night (yes, true trickle down, supply side economics).
A tax-cut is lost revenue. A tax-cut for a lack of any better word is SPENDING! It is welfare for the rich!
Then, the repigs, John McCain, so stupidly called the economic stimulus package a "spending bill"--and our very astute President (it is so nice have a president who speaks fluent English) says "um, what do you think a stimulus bill is [what he left out was "you stupid, tired, old, walking-corpse!]?
McCain goes onto the call the stimulus "generational theft." 8 years of Bush and Republican control has financially broken our nation's back. Our position in the world is more tenuous than it has been since just prior to the start of the Industrial Revolution; our military is so over-stretched that we are probably more vulnerable today than we were 8 years ago. Yet, the repigs have what the dems lack, and they are made of brass and real big, and so they just pretend that none of that was real. You know, this is the one area where they have something in common with the rest of American for there are probably 200 million Americans wishing that the last 8 years weren't real!
McCain made yet another completely mind-boggling accusation, he said that the president should be ashamed for having so blantantly lied to the American people about his desires for working with the republicans. McCain said the blatant partisan approach by Obama was simply crass and should be condemned. He offered to sit with the president today and truly work-out a new plan that is more bipartisan.
Did old-sack-of-dust's "clap-on" not work resulting in him lying on the floor of his office suffering the effects from a massive concussion while Obama was bending over backwards to appease the repigs? 12% of the stimulus plan is lost to tax-cuts! Yes, that is generational theft, I agree!
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky railed that the "taxpayers of today and tomorrow will be left to clean up the mess" of the stimulus plan. Unreal. And, what is his solution for making the stimulus better? What do you think? More corporate welfare, more tax-cuts. They truly have simply lost sight of what works and what obviously does not work. 8 years of supremely failed policies, based on the bogus economic formula of their king and the belief that his tax-cuts made us so strong so more of the same would make us stronger, have left us empty, struggling and simply frozen in the headlights of fundamental, across-the-board, economic turmoil--and this is only the beginning.
If tax-cuts are so good at creating strong economies, why did this crisis tumble us like a house of cards? Yes, mistakes were made along the way by both dems and repubs but, to admit any wrongdoing by a dem, assumes that we are talking with level-headed, educated republicans who too can admit that a) no Reagan was not a king and a genius and his bankrupting of the federal government has come back to bite us in the ass big time; b) that W. and republican abuse of our Constitution and destruction of balance of powers has left us weaker than we have ever been; c) that FDR did lay the ground work for a sound and dynamic economic foundation (to be completed by LBJ); and, d) finally, that Janet Reno could whoop Condoleeza Rice in a fight!
Anyway, thank you Republican party for making it so easy to see you guys fade away into the sunset of redunancy. You attacked FDR for his New Deal and by 1935, there were 17 Republican senators left in Congress; keep up the good work in attacking President Obama while Americans keep losing their jobs, soon there will be 100 dems in the Senate!
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