Monday, October 25, 2010

Will the Real 'Citizens United' Please Stand Up?

I feel as if I've wandered with Alice down the rabbit hole and into the midst of "Wonderland". I am heartsick to think that the prognosticators who predict a Republican't sweep on 2 November could be correct.

As Nancy Pelosi has pointed out, this election is about saving our Democracy from the rabid Republican't-Tea Party-ers who want to return us to the nineteenth century. The right is totally energized, the Democrats largely silent. Sadly, the Democrats continue to behave as if they were the victims of spousal abuse, trying to minimize themselves so that they won't incur the verbal attacks inflicted upon them by the vituperative, cynical, hypocritical, obstructionist Republican'ts.

How many of us know that we received a tax cut from the Obama administration? Not many because Obama did what was policy-right - not what was politically expedient and crass (like W did). Obama chose to NOT send out a check to everyone as Bush did - a check that gratuitously stated "From President GW Bush". Instead, Obama's tax cut put money into people's paychecks so that they immediately had more money in their own hands. Bad re-election politics, good economic policy.

Did you know that numerous Republican't governors and Republican't members of Congress publicly rail against Obama's stimulus money while privately imploring the Federal government to give them some of the stimulus money for their states, acknowledging in their letters of request that the effect of the stimulus monies Obama managed to push through Congress (without bipartisan support) are necessary and helpful for their states?

Did you know that most, if not all, of America's largest corporations paid NO taxes whatsoever last year, but the Republican'ts continue to hammer Democrats with being anti-corporations and pro-taxes, and constantly tell us that corporations in America are over-taxed and need relief. How do you give relief to large corporations who pay exactly NOTHING in federal taxes? Note that there is no comment in the MSM to point out that these ads are NOT TRUE.

Nancy Pelosi made a significant statement Friday night on Keith Olbermann's show which needs to be shouted from the rooftops: In the first eight months of 2010, more jobs were created under the Obama administration than were created during all of Bush's eight years in office!

Even more frightening is the fact that members of the Republican't party are so certain they will be in control of Congress once again, that they are openly appealing to white voters using racist and fear-mongering scare tactics, blaming minorities for the country's economic woes, and are openly planning to challenge and intimidate minority voters who attempt to vote in various swing districts and states, and most egregiously, in some states running ads urging minority voters NOT to VOTE. They are publicly declaring their intent to launch impeachment proceedings against Obama (as a way of rendering him politically impotent) and are gearing up to begin holding hearings immediately in 2011, while also promising to return the country to their failed policies which created the economic mess in which we are still mired.

What angers me the most is that after obstructing Obama at every opportunity, and offering NO solutions of their own, is the frighteningly real danger that the very people responsible for all the financial carnage bequeathed to Obama, the lying, hypocritical, Republican't nay-sayers will be rewarded with control of Congress so they can finish the demolition of our Constitution and our democracy begun under Reagan and almost completed under Bush II, unless we get Democrats to understand the extreme urgency of voting on Tuesday, 2 November 2010.

Please don't let that happen. Vote to save our Democracy. Vote Democratic on Tuesday 2 November 2010.

7 comments:

  1. You what I don’t get about American electorate, Emily??

    Two things came to me as my Doberwoman was puching me, gently, out of be this morning for her morning 45-minute constitutional?

    I get that a 3rd of the voting public are either fooking rich or fooking stupid enough to be hood-winked by the rich into voting Republicant. I get that.

    What I don’t get is about a different 3rd of the electorate:

    (1) How come they can become totally forgetful about what Republicant government looks like.
    (2) How can anyone register Independent?

    In other words, how come so-called independents (small i) be so feckless to be undecided?

    The biggest problem at all levels of American government is that there are too many Republicants in positions of responsibility.

    How in Gawd’s name can any so-called Independent be indifferent or ambivalent or amnesiac on that score?

    I value my vote. You can send me my absentee ballots for the next 10 years: I’m ready to mark them now and send them back.

    I want my votes to be recorded before democracy ends in America.

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  2. Excellent points all, Emily. With help from the absolute worst Supreme Court decision in the history of the Republic, the far-right, authoritarian, corporate stooge Tea Party and ultra-conservative GOP plutocrats are buying and bullying their way into total control of all branches of our government. I echo Vigilante's very real concern for our democracy. Each day I find myself becoming more and more of an American Dissident!

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  3. Wow!

    I am awestruck by the stunning level of pessimism here in both Emily's plea and Vigilante's response.

    The world is not coming to an end. Republican's will control absolutely nothing in terms of laws being passed. Gridlock is the "worst case scenario."

    The public will quickly tire of the gridlock and the bickering and the failure to pass legislation to genuinely help the people. Barack Obama will handily will re-election (probably running against Sarah Palin instead of the more formidable and more competent Mitt Romney). Democrats will regain control of the House.

    My only heartache is that Predsident Obama lacked the courage and wisdom to pass a real health care reform bill instead of this bureaucratic Frankenstein Monster designed by Nancy Pelosi and a committee of snake charmers and thieves including the drug companies.

    As always I love Emily's great writing skill and passion. But, also as usual, I am considerably more optimistic!

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  4. May I come back now...? Vig, at least the Brown-Boxer races are looking good. I'll let you know November 3rd.

    Wizard, I'm not really sure about the Republicans controling absolutely nothing. The far right is getting really scary. I'm 100% with you about the health care bill. Here's an example of President Obama capitulating to suggestions from the GOP, then none of them voted for the bill. The blame is on the GOP and big pharma, and not Nancy Pelosi, She and Harry Reid both wanted to get some form of national health care in place. They are both to be lauded for ramming it through the House, flawed as the legislation is.

    I am a dissident, too, Jack. But a cautious dissident. Maybe we should have followed the advice of Thomas Jefferson and changed the democracy every 20 years to keep us on our feet.

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  5. Emily, So far it's turning out exactly as I predicted. Republicans will make their first real mistake when they elect Boehner to the Speaker of the House position. What a terrible mistake to let him be the visible face of the party. That alone will probably cost them the next election.

    There is really nothing to fear....... except, California might be a casuality in the dogmatic war. Bankruptct looms large and there is no Federal Bailout in sight = Republicans in the House will block it.

    Bob

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  6. Well, Cantor just declared against Orangeman so they probably won't allow that to happen.

    Republicans will make their first real mistake when they elect Boehner to the Speaker of the House position. What a terrible mistake to let him be the visible face of the party.

    I've noticed no one here has questioned the Diebold electronic voting results. Why not? These machines malfunctioned in several locations in NC that I know of.

    Wisconsin just had a man "voted in" to replace the brilliant Feingold who couldn't articulate any of his answers in their outings together, and had no jobs plan.

    In Greensboro, NC, police searched all cars approaching the major polling place in the largest black neighborhood all day yesterday, searching every car for "drugs."

    And Elaine Marshall who was neck and neck with Burr-under-our-saddle for the Senate seat up to the week before lost by 10 points.

    Right.

    Fair and free elections?

    How about a little more skepticism?

    S

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  7. Cantor is running for Majority Leader, not Speaker. Cantor's game plan for the House (as reported by POLITICO) is excellent: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44641.html

    Sadly, that leave Boehner as Speaker.... just two heartbeats from the President. Sigh.....

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