Month: July 2011

Barack Obama After 30 Months In Office: A Man Of Courage Facing Innumerable Challenges!

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Today, July 20, marks 30 months, or two and a half years in office for President Barack Obama.

Obama has gone from one challenge to another nonstop in the past 30 months, having faced more issues and problems than any President since Franklin D. Roosevelt!

Obama has not done everything right or best, but he has shown courage and principle in facing multiple crises, often in the same time frame! He has proved the Presidency is not a job for a lightweight intellectually, and no one in their right mind can imagine John McCain doing anywhere near as well as Obama has performed!

Obama has had more grief from the opposition party than any President should have to face, but he has clearly made the American people understand he is on their side, not the side of the rich and the corporations! He has made many enemies, but his popularity has remained high. There is much frustration over the economy, but it is clear that the country at large does not see the Republican opposition as a better choice!

Obama may have alienated some who voted for him, but he has shown that he will make the tough choices no matter what effect it might have on his fortunes, and anyone at this point who really believes a Republican Party, with such a pathetic group of potential nominees to challenge Obama next year, is somehow going to beat Obama, needs to have his or her head examined!

Campaign contributions make it clear that Obama will win re-election, even if the unemployment rate is the highest since 1936, because just as much now as then, the American people at large are realizing that the Democrats offer the only hope in the long term, as the Republicans have painted themselves in a corner, catering to the FAR RIGHT social and Tea Party conservatives, and the country will not be crazy enough to put them into total control, no matter how much the corporations might spend, due to the Citizens United case of the Supreme Court in 2010!

Barack Obama will win re-election handily, and make the Republicans and the conservatives grin and bear it, as he is the champion of the majority of Americans who go to work every day and just want a fair shake from their government!

Michele Bachmann: Mentally Unfit And Mentally Unstable To Be President!

Ronald 1 Comment

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann may be surging in the polls, as compared to all other GOP Presidential candidates, but she has proved herself mentally unfit, as well as mentally unstable, to be President of the United States!

With her reckless use of myths and falsehoods and invocation of God telling her what to do in her life and career, she has demonstrated that she is loony and nutty enough to be a danger in the Oval Office, with the power and authority to unleash nuclear weapons!

With her insensitivity and narrow mindedness toward those she portrays as having the wrong views about social issues such as abortion, gay marriage, racial relations, and immigration reform, she has disqualified herself from being able to unite the country around a common unity!

A President Bachmann would cause even further division and turmoil than we have right now, and would lead us to a right wing fascist mentality toward those who don’t agree with the narrow view of evangelical Christianity that separates “them” from “us”!

Also, the pushing of ABC News correspondent Brian Ross by aides of Bachmann, when Ross tried to purse an answer to a question, is totally unacceptable behavior, and reminds one of Huey Long “goons” during the early to mid 1930s in Louisiana! The nation will not tolerate a President who permits such mishandling of media as Bachmann seems to have no problem accepting!

Finally, the issue that Brian Ross was trying to bring up is crucial as well: the confirmed report that Bachmann has suffered for 15 years from migraine headaches that are extremely intense and required medical treatment many times, with indications, denied by Bachmann, but confirmed, that these migraines incapacitated her for periods of time and required lots and all kinds of pills! To top it off, Bachmann claims the migraines are caused by high heels, even though there is no correlation ever noted by any medical doctor between high heels and migraines!

Sounds as if Bachmann is at it again, with loony and nutty explanations, that just add to the image that she is, more than ever, mentally unfit and mentally unstable to be Commander in Chief!

Iowa: Rapidly Becoming Insignificant In The Presidential Nominating Contest!

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The state of Iowa has the first vote in the Presidential contest of 2012, as it is the host of the first caucuses on February 6, 2012. Tons of publicity and media coverage are being given to that state, but it is hard to believe that what happens in Iowa will have any real impact long term on the Election of 2012.

Since the caucuses began in 1972, only two Presidential winners running in a non-incumbent year have won Iowa–George W. Bush in 2000 and Barack Obama in 2008. Ronald Reagan ended up second in 1980 and George H. W. Bush was third in 1988. Jimmy Carter ended up second in 1976 and Bil Clinton fourth in 1992.

The problem with all caucuses, which about one third of the states use instead of primaries, is that only activists are involved, rather than the masses of the population, and they tend to be more extreme–with the Republicans being more to the RIght of center, and the Democrats to the Left of center.

So when it seems that Michele Bachmann is in the lead in Iowa, but that Rick Perry, if he enters, would compete for the evangelical Christian vote, and that Tim Pawlenty will be left “in the dust”, and Herman Cain has some support because of his statements about Muslims and Mormons, and that Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman are not seen as serious candidates–all this should tell us that once Iowa has done its part in the nominating process, we are very likely to look back and say Iowa AGAIN had little impact on the ultimate nominee of the Republican Party in the Presidential Election of 2012!

Herman Cain Vs Muslims, Mormons, And Latinos!

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Herman Cain is one of the lesser GOP candidates for President, and has hardly been mentioned by the author because of the belief that he was going nowhere, having had NO political experience, and whose major accomplishment in life has been as the CEO of Godfather Pizza, and a conservative talk show host on radio.

But Cain, who is African American, and therefore, should be more sensitive than most about prejudice, has now become embroiled in controversies over religion and nationality, and is coming across as whacky and loony as a result!

Cain has opposed building of a mosque in Tennessee, claiming it would lead to the adoption of Sharia Law, even though only 25 percent in a poll in Tennessee are against its construction. There is no justification for preventing the building of ANY religious building anywhere in America!

Also, Cain has come out against the Mormon faith, saying Mitt Romney cannot be elected President because many Southerners don’t like the Mormon church!

The fact is that it should not matter if ANYONE likes or dislikes someone for being Muslim, or Mormon, or Catholic, or Jewish, or even African American, or any other religion or ethnicity! Does Cain really believe, for instance, that many Southerners would have no problem with him, an African American, becoming President, when so many, as it is, have been shown to be against Barack Obama, to a great extent because he is African American?

We do NOT decide who should hold public office, or whether a religious house of worship should be constructed, based on bias or prejudice or narrow mindedness!

And while we are at it, Herman Cain should also be criticized for telling Latinos that he favors building of a 20 foot “Berlin Wall” along the Mexican border, with electrification and moats that would contain alligators!

How can anyone take such a whacko seriously as a Presidential candidate? Cain sounds just as whacky and loony as Congressman Allen West of Florida and South Carolina Congressman Tim Scott, both also African American and conservative, but just as outrageous in their assertions and beliefs!

Republicans Declare War On The New Consumer Financial Protection Bureau!

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The Republicans in the US Senate have declared war on the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which passed into law last year, and has finally found a person to lead it, as President Obama has chosen former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to head the new agency.

Cordray was chosen, instead of Harvard Professor Elizabeth Warren, who really led the effort to create the new agency, but in so doing, alienated Republicans and the banking community, neither of whom wants any regulations that help consumers, when it comes to credit cards, car loans, and home mortgages. So, Obama, in trying to be more cautious, selected Cordray, who has been active with Warren in support of the agency’s creation, but has not caused the personal animosity that Warren has apparently brought about, just by advocating for the agency.

It seems doubtful that Cordray will be able to be confirmed, as the Republicans can insist on a 60 vote majority just to vote on the nomination, and have no problem with showing themselves to be anti consumer! It is just another example of the outrage that the GOP has become, refusing to cooperate with Obama on ANYTHING, while Obama has made many concessions!

The irony of it all is that Elizabeth Warren may now go back to Massachusetts and challenge Senator Scott Brown for his Senate seat in 2012, so imagine if she does do so, and wins, she will be a colleague of these Republican colleagues who have always wished her ill, because she cares about the average American consumer!

What a sad and tragic state of affairs this country is in at this difficult moment in American history!

Six Months Of Rick Scott As Governor Of Florida: What Hath The Voters Wrought?

Ronald 1 Comment

It has now been six months for Rick Scott as Governor of Florida, and he stands at a low point in public opinion polls, recently 29 percent, but now down to 27 percent, the lowest of all Governors of the 50 states!

Scott, who came from a corrupt background of Medicare fraud into politics, and spent over $70 million of his own fortune to win the Governorship by about 50,000 votes statewide and less than a majority of all votes cast, has set a horrific record as Governor, but is arrogant enough to claim he does not care about his public opinion ratings!

As a recent Miami Times article outlined, Rick Scott has been responsible for the following tragic developments in the Sunshine state:

1. Mandated drug testing for state workers and welfare recipients, although there are law suits in process against these tests, and he seems to have backed off on state workers taking such tests.

2. Enacted Jim Crow style voting laws, creating new restrictions on voting, and undermining the Voting Rights Act of 1965, while bringing back memories of the voting restrictions that existed before that federal law went into effect under Lyndon B. Johnson’s Presidency.

3. Fought a Prescription Drug Database, even though Florida is the state with the most drug abuse, but finally backed away after a lot of pressure was brought, even by his own Attorney General.

4. Privatized Medicaid, causing confusion and loss of services and funding for severely disabled Florida citizens, with cases now in court against this, and appeals by individual families in process.

5. Outsourced prisons to his political supporters, who want to privatize them, despite fact that Florida already has more prisoners than any other state except Texas, and has made no prison reforms which are badly needed, so instead prisons are being made a profit industry.

6. Cut jobless benefits to 23 weeks in a state with one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation.

7. Gave tax breaks to large corporations while not being concerned about the survival of unemployed people.

8. Slashed public education funding dramatically in a state which ranks among the worst in educational standards, but at same time took away tenure from teachers, and required ALL public workers to pay three percent of their income for their pension plans, a pay cut in difficult times, and undermining morale.

9. Worked aggressively against environmental protection programs statewide, ignoring the significance of the Everglades and other environmentally sensitive lands, instead promoting development. by private corporations.

10. Rejected high speed rail development funds from the federal government for expansion in the high traffic area of Central Florida.

11.Refused to be interviewed by the news media, comments only in Twitter style, and set up signing of bills to include only friends and supporters of what he is doing.

Governor Scott has shown the height of arrogance and insensitivity to groups that are being victimized by his policies, and Florida must, somehow, bear three and a half more years of this, unless Scott can be found to have done something illegal, leading to impeachment, or IF a recall movement can be brought about, but unlikely since it is not provided for in the state constitution.

This is the result of citizens NOT paying attention, and either not voting, or not understanding the issues when they do vote!

It is a good lesson in the importance of citizens paying attention to politics and public issues in the future, so as to avoid the nightmare Florida is going through right now!

Religion And Same Sex Marriage: Not Uniform In Opposition!

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The general impression that most Americans have is that all organized religious groups condemn the idea of same sex marriage, but nothing is farther from the truth!

Certainly, in a broad sense, the following groups DO oppose gay marriage with great vehemence: Evangelical Christians, the Catholic Church, Mormons, Orthodox Jews, African American Protestants, and Hispanic Pentecostals.

However, at the same time, the following groups often support the concept of gay marriage as legitimate: Mainline Protestant groups, including Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Methodist, United Church of Christ, and Lutherans, although all have splits on the issue; some rebel Catholic groups; and Reform Judaism.

It is clear that clergy were intimately involved in the passage of gay marriage in the New York State legislature, convincing a few Republicans to switch over to support, which would make the difference between victory and defeat.

Religious groups are divided on the subject, so one cannot say that those who speak for God are uniformly opposed, and progress has been made over the past decade in changing many religious groups to have an open mind and a tolerant view of promoting commitment and love outside the mainstream!

IntraState Discontent: Suggestions To Break Up States Growing, But Unlikely To Occur!

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A movement to break up states, and therefore create more Senate seats and overcome the influence of urban areas on rural and suburban populations, is starting to grow.

The suggestion has been made to create a new state of Southern California, consisting of 13 million people and 13 counties, but not including Los Angeles.

California is not the only state which has experienced this kind of movement. It is actually very common, at least in people’s imaginations.

Florida has seen the debate over creating a separate Southern Florida state. Upstate New York and downstate Illinois have long wished for separation from New York City and Chicago.

Northern Virginia has thought of itself as separate from the rest of Virginia, with the influence of Washington, DC over the area. And western Pennsylvania has wished to be separate from Philadelphia influences over state affairs.

Northern Ohio with Cleveland has long seen itself as different from Southern Ohio and Cincinnati, and Michigan is often seen as Detroit and a separate western Michigan.

And of course, the giant state of Texas has often been seen as multiple states, with the rivalry of Houston vs. Dallas-Forth Worth; the influence of Austin and San Antonio as the most liberal part of the state; and the Panhandle of Lubbock and other communities as totally different from the others.

So in theory, if all the wishes expressed for separation were to occur, we would not have 50 states, but more likely, at least SIXTY-ONE states!

But is this going to happen at any point in the future? Don’t put betting money on it!

A Celebratory Day In The Cable Media World: MSNBC 15th Anniversary And Fox News Channel-Rupert Murdoch Crisis!

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Today, 15 years ago, MSNBC went online as the competitor of CNN, which had begun June 1, 1980. Within a few months, on October 7, Fox News Channel came along as a third competitor in the 24 hour news channel industry!

MSNBC has gone through rough times over its 15 years, but now it is thriving by having emerged as the strong progressive news channel, compared to the moderate approach of CNN and the right wing conservative views of Fox News Channel.

MSNBC has become a station with outstanding talk show hosts, including Chris Matthews, Lawrence O’Donnell, Rachel Maddow, and Ed Schultz, as well as outstanding coverage during the day by other anchor people.

It is a source of much what the author writes about, and it gives us a progressive view of events, which is sorely needed, so Happy 15th to MSNBC!

At the same time, Fox News Channel has misled, lied, deceived, propagandized, and become a Republican propaganda channel, including hiring many of the Republican Presidential field at some point of time.

Fox News Channel has NEVER been willing to cover the news fairly, and has made life miserable for Barack Obama, and has convinced an ignorant portion of the population to believe their myths, half truths, and distortions!

Its talk show hosts are disgraceful, having included Glenn Beck in the recent past, and still including Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, along with a whole group of unsavory characters who have questionable ethics, but end up on Fox News Channel!

Their employer, Rupert Murdoch, known world wide as one of the most despicable people in the news business, has now become involved in a hacking scandal that threatens to bring him and his news corporation to their knees, symbolically!

Nothing would be more contributing to the future of journalism than to have the downfall of Rupert Murdoch and Fox News Channel, but in reality, that is not likely! That channel is refusing to report the scandal in detail, part of their “managed” and distorted news coverage, figuring that their audience might remain unaware because they lean so much on the manipulated manner of news reporting on their channel!

Even if Fox News Channel survives, seeing Rupert Murdoch and the channel squirm is victory in itself!

The Debt Ceiling Issue: A “Waterloo” For Both Republicans And Democrats In Office?

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The Debt Ceiling Crisis is rapidly becoming a potential “Waterloo” for both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.

For the Republicans, their split on strategy, and the possibility that the Mitch McConnell plan to drop the issue of spending for now and give the President veto power three times in the next 18 months to avoid default , but allow the raising of the national debt, has bitterly divided the party, with the Tea Party people up in arms against the Establishment Republicans represented by McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner.

On the other hand, if the McConnell plan ends up as the temporary solution to the crisis, it will force Democrats to vote THREE times on raising the national debt, and that will be used by Republicans against Democrats in the congressional campaigns of 2012, and is seen as likely to cause the defeat of many Democrats, something that Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, a traditional moderate swing state, was screaming about to high heaven to reporters!

The whole issue could neutralize the political combat, but what would seem likely is that INCUMBENTS of both parties could suffer in the upcoming election, while Barack Obama could benefit in a major way!

So it could seem to many that the President might be in good shape, but with his party possibly lying in tatters, alongside fellow Republican officeholders.

We could end up with a more rebellious Congress of critics of the handling of the whole issue, and make compromise between President Obama or even a President Romney having a literal nightmare dealing with the legislative branch! And we could end up with only a few votes margin in both Houses, making progress on ANYTHING extremely difficult!