So, Boehner is lying, manipulating, scum. Just wanted to get that off of my chest.
Here are some things that Boehner said which so thoroughly pissed me off:
First, he said that the House passed the cut, cap, and balance bill with bipartisan support - sure, if you count FIVE democrats voting for it and NINE republicans voting against it as bipartisan. Every other Democrat voted against it and every other Republican voted for it! It should have been developed in a bipartisan way and then a lot more representatives might have supported it (in a REAL bipartisan way).
Next, he said that he has been trying to work with President Obama since January on "something that will boost confidence in our economy, renew a measure of faith in our government, and help small businesses get back on track." Well, I am pretty sure that if you had really tried then we would not be sitting here at the last moment with the Republicans taking America's credit rating hostage! How much confidence and faith do you think you have restored by deciding to play politics with our financial future at the last minute Mr. Boehner? You have waited until this moment so you could use this as leverage and not have to give up anything! That's what happens when you invent a crisis - you force others to avoid the crisis and get what you want.
Of the cut, cap, balance plan, he said: "It CUTS and CAPS government spending and paves the way for a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, which we believe is the best way to stop Washington from spending money it doesn't have. Before we even passed the bill in the House, the President said he would veto it." I guess you forgot to talk to the SENATE because they sure as shit didn't pass it! Maybe, if the House had developed the legislation in a bipartisan way, the president would have signed it - just like he was willing to do with a grand deal or the gang of six plan! The President established the Bowles-Simpson commission to solve our debt program in 2010, before the tea partiers even got to congress!
Next he said: "The president has often said we need a 'balanced' approach -- which in Washington means: we spend more, you pay more." This is political maneuvering, not to mention flat out lying! Let me say this again: THE PRESIDENT HAS AGREED TO MAKE DRASTIC CUTS, but to make it a balanced plan he has requested REVENUE INCREASES! That's what it means when the President says a "balanced approach."
His next piece of wisdom: "You see, there is no stalemate in Congress." BULLSHIT, Boehner obviously needs to go back to 9th grade government class and learn that there are TWO houses of congress - the House and the Senate! The Senate isn't passing anything that the House is sending because it is too radical. The House is the mob rule body, and the Senate is the deliberative and compromising body. There IS a stalemate in congress.
And finally he said: "If the President signs it, the 'crisis' atmosphere he has created will simply disappear." Huh? What is this you say? Why do I feel like a vein is about to burst in my forehead? Before the Republicans got a hold on the nation's credit card in 2001 we were on track to pay off our debt by this year! We would have been able to use even more government spending to stimulate the economy and still be relatively safe! Also, I do not believe that the President is the one who turned a regular process into a hostage situation. I also do not believe the President is one of the Representatives who have declared that they will not vote to raise the debt ceiling under any circumstances.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Saving a Dying Party
One of my professors used to always say that "economic prosperity breeds idealism." Well, there is a flip side to that as well. There is a reason that the French, Germans, Russians, Chinese, Italians, Japanese, and Americans have all turned nationalistic, xenophobic, and militaristic during times of economic recession or hardship. So, if "economic prosperity breeds idealism" then I would feel safe in saying that "economic hardships breed fear, hatred, and divisive political rhetoric."
That brings me to my point today. The GOP should not be thriving whatsoever right now, and is only doing so because it is the medium through which middle class Americans are venting their frustrations. I had hope for America when the GOP was run out of the White House and both houses of congress, unfortunately the economic recession bred a new anger which the GOP has been completely effective in harnessing. People aren't (or atleast shouldn't be) voting for Republicans because economic policies of the GOP have been proven to be more effective, neither has the GOP been successful at stopping the last 50 years of social progress. So, why then is the GOP still around in its current form? Why has the party not moved towards a more libertarian platform? Once again I would posit that it is because of American anger - anger which should be directed at the GOP. Republicans, backed by wealthy corporate interests, have gotten out and given populist stump speeches - presenting a rather reactionary anti-government message. In other words they have given the people an institution at which to direct their anger.
The success of Republicans in the past two years has come from their attempts to block any kind of progress by inventing crises as well as stoking the flames of fear. To prove this point one only needs to think about the way in which the President of the United States has been painted as a Muslim, anti-colonialist, Kenyan or simply remember the claims of death panels in legislation. The only tool the GOP had to maintain the status quo was fear mongering and procedural rules. For example, the use of the filibuster (or extended debate) spiked when Democrats gained control of the Senate and has continued to be excessively used ever since.
Since the elections of 2008, the Republicans have been running scared. They were beginning to be hated by their base for having run the country into the ground, thus the rise of the tea party. The Tea Party takeover of the Republican party seems to have breathed some life into the GOP by making it seem that the party had reformed itself, but we know that it really hasn't. It has simply been pulled to the right by primary contests and threatened contests. Some might say that I am contradicting myself and that the tea party take over is a libertarian take over of the Republican party - to that I say hahahaha - good joke. The first bills that were voted on in the house included the wording "repeal the job-killing health care bill," legislation which was rated by the CBO to be a deficit reducer, it has also been said that it will probably create jobs in the medical field because of increased demand for health services. Defunding planned parenthood has been on the Republican agenda all year. Unions and the right of women to choose has been under assault all year long in state legislatures. Essentially, Republican voters have elected the same ideological group into power which ran this country into the ground - the same tax cutting, deficit creating party which has been the Republican party for the past 30 years.
There is much more to this, such as the prominent role that Faux News plays as the mouthpiece of American reactionary politicians as well as the inflammatory rhetoric which they call news, and if anyone wants to learn more about their role I would direct you to mediamatters.org, factcheck.org, dropfox.com, outfoxed.org, and politifact.org to see how they have served the Republican party so loyally.
I would like to be clear in saying that I do not desire a single-party system. I enjoy the fact that each party is restrained by the other, but I do wish the Republican party was being run by intelligent and objective people who were either willing to, or capable of, compromise. It will be a good day when the Republicans can use something other than fear mongering and procedure to gain support for their cause - because that will be the day that we can begin to move forward in this country.
That brings me to my point today. The GOP should not be thriving whatsoever right now, and is only doing so because it is the medium through which middle class Americans are venting their frustrations. I had hope for America when the GOP was run out of the White House and both houses of congress, unfortunately the economic recession bred a new anger which the GOP has been completely effective in harnessing. People aren't (or atleast shouldn't be) voting for Republicans because economic policies of the GOP have been proven to be more effective, neither has the GOP been successful at stopping the last 50 years of social progress. So, why then is the GOP still around in its current form? Why has the party not moved towards a more libertarian platform? Once again I would posit that it is because of American anger - anger which should be directed at the GOP. Republicans, backed by wealthy corporate interests, have gotten out and given populist stump speeches - presenting a rather reactionary anti-government message. In other words they have given the people an institution at which to direct their anger.
The success of Republicans in the past two years has come from their attempts to block any kind of progress by inventing crises as well as stoking the flames of fear. To prove this point one only needs to think about the way in which the President of the United States has been painted as a Muslim, anti-colonialist, Kenyan or simply remember the claims of death panels in legislation. The only tool the GOP had to maintain the status quo was fear mongering and procedural rules. For example, the use of the filibuster (or extended debate) spiked when Democrats gained control of the Senate and has continued to be excessively used ever since.
Since the elections of 2008, the Republicans have been running scared. They were beginning to be hated by their base for having run the country into the ground, thus the rise of the tea party. The Tea Party takeover of the Republican party seems to have breathed some life into the GOP by making it seem that the party had reformed itself, but we know that it really hasn't. It has simply been pulled to the right by primary contests and threatened contests. Some might say that I am contradicting myself and that the tea party take over is a libertarian take over of the Republican party - to that I say hahahaha - good joke. The first bills that were voted on in the house included the wording "repeal the job-killing health care bill," legislation which was rated by the CBO to be a deficit reducer, it has also been said that it will probably create jobs in the medical field because of increased demand for health services. Defunding planned parenthood has been on the Republican agenda all year. Unions and the right of women to choose has been under assault all year long in state legislatures. Essentially, Republican voters have elected the same ideological group into power which ran this country into the ground - the same tax cutting, deficit creating party which has been the Republican party for the past 30 years.
There is much more to this, such as the prominent role that Faux News plays as the mouthpiece of American reactionary politicians as well as the inflammatory rhetoric which they call news, and if anyone wants to learn more about their role I would direct you to mediamatters.org, factcheck.org, dropfox.com, outfoxed.org, and politifact.org to see how they have served the Republican party so loyally.
I would like to be clear in saying that I do not desire a single-party system. I enjoy the fact that each party is restrained by the other, but I do wish the Republican party was being run by intelligent and objective people who were either willing to, or capable of, compromise. It will be a good day when the Republicans can use something other than fear mongering and procedure to gain support for their cause - because that will be the day that we can begin to move forward in this country.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
The Un-American Birther Issue.
There are 3 Branches of the U.S. Government and birthers reject all three. Birthers reject the rulings of the courts; the same courts which have ruled against or refused to hear the birther cases of Orly Taitz. Orly Taitz has even been fined by a Georgia Court for bringing frivolous cases. The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected her attempts to present the case before it. Birthers reject the executive, claiming that he isn't "their president," as if they actually have a choice to reject a democratically elected U.S. official. Finally, birthers are against the legislative branch of the U.S. government; not because the legislative branch has legislated anything concerning the birther issue, but because the leadership of both parties have denounced the birther issue as nonsense.
So, what we have here is a movement as dangerous as the sovereign citizen movement. We have people who are not doing anything illegal yet, but who reject the American government as legitimate. Homegrown terrorism is often based on believing that the government is illegitimate - this is not a trifling matter and Americans should be wise enough not to cling to such nonsense. But the even more dangerous thing is that we have a party (the GOP) which is showing an inadequate amount of leadership on the issue. The Republican leadership has said that they believe Obama is the legitimate president, but even John Boehner, after stating that he believed Obama was a legitimate citizen, thought it was necessary to state that it was not his job to tell his constituents what to believe. So, is he or is he not a leader in America? Leadership is a prerequisite for being a leader, that means that you have to be willing to unequivocally reject a popular idea which is wrong and possibly harmful to the United States.
And now we have Donald Trump, who has managed to catch the attention of the birthers in his potential bid for the presidency. The simple fact that the birther issue is still a viable issue in American politics shows what a dangerous issue this is. Even though nearly ever sensible American has rejected the idea, there are nuts out there who really believe. And it may be this issue, not the budget deficit or any other substantive issue, that helps decide the 2012 election. I'm not saying that a birther will win an election, but it is going to affect the general conversation within American politics throughout the campaigns. The 2012 elections are still far off, so potential candidates are still willing to spew extreme garbage. If this issue persists then it is dangerous to democracy in America. If this is the focus in the last few months of the presidential campaigns - then I will be really scared for this country.
Oh, and I forgot to say - ignorant popular political rhetoric is un-American.
So, what we have here is a movement as dangerous as the sovereign citizen movement. We have people who are not doing anything illegal yet, but who reject the American government as legitimate. Homegrown terrorism is often based on believing that the government is illegitimate - this is not a trifling matter and Americans should be wise enough not to cling to such nonsense. But the even more dangerous thing is that we have a party (the GOP) which is showing an inadequate amount of leadership on the issue. The Republican leadership has said that they believe Obama is the legitimate president, but even John Boehner, after stating that he believed Obama was a legitimate citizen, thought it was necessary to state that it was not his job to tell his constituents what to believe. So, is he or is he not a leader in America? Leadership is a prerequisite for being a leader, that means that you have to be willing to unequivocally reject a popular idea which is wrong and possibly harmful to the United States.
And now we have Donald Trump, who has managed to catch the attention of the birthers in his potential bid for the presidency. The simple fact that the birther issue is still a viable issue in American politics shows what a dangerous issue this is. Even though nearly ever sensible American has rejected the idea, there are nuts out there who really believe. And it may be this issue, not the budget deficit or any other substantive issue, that helps decide the 2012 election. I'm not saying that a birther will win an election, but it is going to affect the general conversation within American politics throughout the campaigns. The 2012 elections are still far off, so potential candidates are still willing to spew extreme garbage. If this issue persists then it is dangerous to democracy in America. If this is the focus in the last few months of the presidential campaigns - then I will be really scared for this country.
Oh, and I forgot to say - ignorant popular political rhetoric is un-American.
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