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Theodore Roosevelt’s 154th Birthday: He Would Mourn What His Republican Party Has Become!

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Today is the 154th Anniversary of President Theodore Roosevelt’s birth.

TR is one of the most acclaimed Presidents, often listed as high as 4th all time, just below Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George Washington.

TR is certainly regarded as the second greatest Republican President of all time, behind only Lincoln, unless one chooses to believe the lunacy of conservative propagandist Glenn Beck, who constantly denounces TR, and would put Ronald Reagan higher than TR, and who also has reservations about Lincoln, because correspondence between Lincoln and Karl Marx has been uncovered, which makes some right wing nuts think Lincoln “might” have been a “Socialist”, or a “Communist”, or even the word “Progressive”, which is considered the same thing by Beck, Florida Congressman Allen West, and other right wing lunatics!

TR was a “Progressive” who promoted conservation and the environment; promoted the advance of labor rights; believed in regulation of big business; created the Food and Drug Administration to monitor safety of what Americans consume; and believed later in his life, when he ran as the Progressive Party nominee for President in 1912 that there was a need for health care and labor laws and other aspects of a social safety net. This made TR the forerunner of Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama in advocating more government, more regulation, more social safety net, and concern about the environment.

None of the above is now believed by the Republican Party of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, who wish to repeal everything TR and his successors of both parties believed in!

So it is clear that TR, certainly not perfect but still exceptional in so many ways, would NOT be a Republican today!

But then Abraham Lincoln would not be a Republican today.

Neither would Dwight D. Eisenhower or even Richard Nixon or Gerald Ford, who were condemning the religious extremism of their party in their later years.

And right now, former Florida Governor Charlie Crist, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee, and former South Dakota Senator Larry Pressler have endorsed President Barack Obama.

And under the surface, not willing to speak up, but clearly uncomfortable with the GOP of 2012, are many other former Republican Governors, Senators, and Congressmen who feel that their party has been “hijacked” by an evil, selfish, greedy, nasty group of weirdos who wish to take away rights from women, labor, minorities, the disabled, the poor, and the middle class, and are refusing to come out openly and endorse Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.

The party of Theodore Roosevelt and his “progressivism” and reform is long gone, and sadly, may never return!

If Obama Loses, We Lose MUCH More Than He Loses!

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President Obama has made the statement that were he to lose the Presidential Election Of 2012, he and Michelle would do just fine, and that is certainly true.

After all, he has been President, will go down in history as a President who had some positive effects on the nation, and will be able to spend the rest of his life with great earnings potential, and rising popularity over time, and would be mourned when he dies, with a state funeral, and always be part of the story of American history.

Being a one term President, he would be likely to have a lower ranking in the list of Presidents, as Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush have had, along with William Howard Taft, Herbert Hoover, and Gerald Ford, the five Presidents of the 20th century who lost reelection.

Obama has had a record deserving of being listed higher, but he needs a second term to reach the ranks of the more outstanding Presidents.

But, ultimately, the biggest loser if Obama is not reelected, are:

Women–who will see their movement toward equality and dignity stalled or reversed in massive ways.

Gay men and women–who will likely lose the advancements on gay rights and gay marriage, and true equality in all ways.

Hispanics and Latinos–who will see more anti immigrant backlash, and will lose the advancements for young Immigrants under the proposed DREAM Act.

African Americans—who will see greater racism and discrimination, and setbacks in the promotion of equality and fairness of treatment.

Labor–who will see more attacks on workers rights, favoritism toward corporate employers, loss of collective bargaining rights, and setbacks in the lives of ordinary, struggling Americans who have no union representation.

Environmentalists–who will see more oil drilling, air pollution, refusal to understand the dangers of climate change, and allow economic development that endangers the health of millions of Americans, all for the motivation of profit over health concerns.

The poor–who have rough lives, will see a lack of concern or action to deal with the reality of child poverty, homelessness, hunger, the lives of single mothers, and further condemnation of the poor, reminding us of the Gilded Age and Social Darwinism.

The Middle Class–who will suffer further degradation, loss of opportunity to advance, and the potential for their children to succeed being lessened dramatically.

Young People–who will have fewer opportunities to advance in education and work, and will be embittered and disillusioned about the American Dream, which will be unfulfilled for millions.

Senior Citizens–who will have to live in fear of dangers to Social Security and Medicare, and will lose the sense of security and contentment in their older years.

The Disabled—whether young, middle aged, or old, who will see a loss of concern and support, as through Medicaid and other government programs.

Civil Libertarians–who will see further erosion of the Bill of Rights, and the promotion of narrow minded views of Muslims and Hispanics-Latinos by government policy.

The Peace activists–who will see America engaged in more wars, because of the power of Neoconservatives who will promote further foreign adventures.

Military Personnel and Veterans–who will see more soldiers killed in the future, and more ignoring of the needs of veterans who are fortunate enough to come home alive.

Educators and Intellectuals–who will be less appreciated and admired, and will be labeled “Communists, Socialists, Terrorists” by people in the Republican Party, who will do everything they can to attack education and freedom of thought, and call critics “unpatriotic”.

So Barack Obama will do just fine if he loses, but we, the American people, will lose so much, and it will transform our lives in so many negative ways that most people cannot conceptualize or imagine!

Joe Biden Shows “Cajones”, And Right Wing Goes Nuts: Sore Losers!

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Vice President Joe Biden showed last night that he had “cajones”, in his debate with Paul Ryan, and the right wing is going nuts, demonstrating that they are sore losers!

Fox News Channel and other right wing spokesmen are furious because Biden laughed, smirked, gestured, ridiculed, and interrupted Paul Ryan, due to the fact that Ryan was making ridiculous statements, full of lies and deceptions!

Biden was supposedly disrespectful, rude and condescending, according to these right wingers, but if one looks back at the past four years, there have been innumerable such displays visited upon President Obama and Democrats in general, and now FINALLY, the gutsy, courageous Vice President decided to give the Republicans a dose of their own medicine!

The right wing only likes it when they can go on the attack, but cannot take the same attack when it is visited against them! They are crybabies and wimps, and a pitiful example of what the conservative movement has become in America! All it is interested in is rhetorical assassination of the character and principles of our President and Vice President, because they have no alternative case that does anything other than to continue to help the super rich at the expense of the middle class and the poor!

The answer is for Barack Obama to adopt similar tactics to those of Joe Biden, and no longer be turning the other cheek. No more MR NICE GUY, because sadly, but in truth, NICE GUYS FINISH LAST!

It is time to go on the offense, and dish out what Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have been doing all along. There is no need to apologize for supporting what is best for the vast majority of the American people.

It is time to say to Mitt Romney’s face, in the next two debates, that he is a liar and a deceiver, and to make clear that the President is taking off the gloves, and is ready to fight for what he believes in, and to defend his record in office without shame!

This is a winning strategy, and the right wing knows it, which is why they are so furious at Joe Biden!

Scott Brown Vs. Elizabeth Warren: The Key Senate Race Above All Others!

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Massachusetts Republican Senator Scott Brown is engaged in the most combative Senate race of all against Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren for the Senate seat held for nearly 47 years by Ted Kennedy.

Brown won a surprising victory in the special election in 2010 to succeed Kennedy for the rest of his term, and is the only Republican to represent the state of Massachusetts, which has an all Democratic House delegation, a Democratic Governor, and a dominant Democratic majority in the state legislature.

Brown has had a difficult course to follow, and has tried to come across as moderate, like Maine Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, but he has voted over 90 percent of the time with his party, and has refused to back President Obama on almost anything he asked for, including jobs legislation, and is now acting very aggressively against his opponent, who worked with Obama, and helped to start the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, although GOP Senate opposition prevented her from running this new agency, so she decided to run for the Senate. Brown has come across as in bed with Wall Street, gaining a lot of financial support from top banking and corporate interests.

Elizabeth Warren is an inspiring candidate, who clearly is for the middle class and the poor, and comes across as a hero of progressives, who supports the DREAM Act, which Brown is against, and is clearly a strong Obama supporter who would fight for progressive causes in the manner that Ted Kennedy did for so long!

Their second debate last night in Massachusetts demonstrated that Brown is ready to use rhetoric in a way that is divisive, including his derision of Warren as being a professor who may control her students but not him; saying she is not native American because of her appearance despite her assertions that she is; allowing his staff to make fun of native Americans publicly; and making clear that he considers her a left wing extremist not in the mainstream, as he claims he is. When he said that Antonin Scalia was his favorite Supreme Court Justice, then swung to Anthony Kennedy, John Roberts, and finally Sonia Sotomayor, the audience seemed to turn against him.

The debate brought up the issue that if Brown is reelected, he could decide a Republican majority in the Senate, and would have a dramatic effect on Supreme Court appointments of the next President, and would certainly NOT, based on his record and his rhetoric, be following in the tradition of Ted Kennedy!

This race is crucial to the future of the Obama Presidency in so many ways, and with Obama certain to win the state of Massachusetts, the hope is that he will have adequate coat tails to carry Warren into the Senate as his champion, and have Warren join Bernie Sanders and others in promoting the progressive agenda over the next four years!

Mitt Romney Condemns “Entitlement” Society, Which He Claims Is 47 % Of American Society!

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A secret audio tape taken of Mitt Romney talking to wealthy donors, after he clinched the GOP Presidential nomination, demonstrates what he really feels about the American people who are not wealthy, and are struggling daily to get by.

He condemned what he called the “entitlement” society, which he said was 47 percent, who expect handouts, and will never vote for him.

He also said these people expect health care, food, and housing from government, an attack on so many different groups, when one thinks about it in detail.

If someone said he is promoting an attack on those who are welfare recipients, realize that they are not 47 percent of the population.

If he is referring to African Americans, a normal viewpoint of conservatives, they are not 47 percent of the population.

If he is referring to Hispanics and Latinos, they are not 47 percent of the population.

If he is referring to senior citizens who receive Social Security and Medicare, which are seen as “entitlements”, they are not 47 percent of the popuation.

If he is referring to people on Medicaid, including those who are disabled or elderly poor, they are not 47 percent of the population.

Who makes up the 47 percent?

Whites, who are a majority of those who are poor, who receive food stamps and housing assistance

African Americans, a minority of who are poor, who receive food stamps and housing assistance

Hispanics and Latinos, a minority of who are poor, who receive food stamps and housing assistance

Single Mothers, a majority who are white of that category who receive support for their children

African Americans and Hispanics and Latinos single mothers, a minority who receive support for their children
Senior Citizens, mostly white, who receive Social Security and Medicare

Disabled and Poor who receive Medicaid

College students who receive Pell Grants to allow them to seek higher education

So the majority who receive an “entitlement” are white, are children, are senior citizens, are disabled people, are single mothers–but of course the implication is made that the majority are minorities—whether African Americans or Hispanics and Latinos!

And the vast majority who have “entitlements” receive Medicare and Social Security, which they have paid for all their working lives!

And to show, as Romney has in this audio, that he looks down on those who need food stamps, housing assistance, and medical care–basic human needs that all of us need, and those who receive it are certainly NOT happy that they are in such circumstances—shows a callousness and lack of concern for fellow human beings that is astounding, considering that he claims to be a “religious” man, who should, if he is truly “religious”, never forget the following:

“There but for the grace of God, go I!”

This man has lost all credibility to be a President of the United States, when he demonstrates, as he has in this audio tape, that he does not give a damn what happens to poor people, disabled people, the elderly, children, single mothers, and those down on their luck who need government help!

Victories For Right To Vote Mounting In Republican Controlled States That Tried To Limit Voting

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After a year or more of attempts to limit the right to vote for senior citizens, college students, minorities, and the poor, the forces battling for the right to vote are winning victories, due to court action by the federal government, and decisions of federal judges in favor of the whole basis of democracy—voting!

Florida, Texas, and Ohio are among the states where the tide has turned, and Pennsylvania is awaiting a six member state Supreme Court decision that is thought to be ready to throw out the limits on voting set up by the Republican legislature and governor, with the three Republican members of the Court showing skepticism about the limit on voting rights.

This trend makes the likelihood of Barack Obama winning all of the above states, except Texas, more realistic, and it is a stain on the GOP that the party that expanded the right to vote to include African Americans in 1870, and supported civil rights at its founding, now has become the image of the Southern Democrats of the 1870s to the 1960s, who took away the right to vote and promoted Jim Crow segregation!

This is a time for mourning for the Republican Party of the past, which was principled and on the side of voting rights, and now has been captured by extreme right wing elements that are against basic democracy, what people in all nations around the world fight and die for—the right to express their view of who should govern them!

The Republicans And The Economy: A Losing Issue, Ultimately!

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The Republican Party, and their Presidential team of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, love to say that we are NOT better off than we were four years ago, without pointing out that they have prevented any legislation to create jobs, and have done everything possible in their states of control to cut the number of teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public employees, therefore keeping the unemployment rate above 8 percent.

The fact that 4.5 million jobs have been created under Barack Obama, more than under eight years of George W. Bush, is ignored!

The fact that the stock market has reached an all time high, and doubled from its low point in 2009, is ignored!

The fact that the inflation rate is very low is ignored!

The fact that the corporations are doing well, and sitting on trillions of dollars of available capital for investments, as a ploy to defeat Barack Obama for wanting to regulate, and tax them at a higher rate as they were in the past, is ignored!

Public opinion polls make clear that while the American people are not happy with the economy, they trust Barack Obama to care more about them and their future, than they do Mitt Romney, the guy who actually laid off people at Bain Capital, and accumulated vast wealth at the expense of the American economy, and thinks that middle class people make $200,000-$250,000 a year, demonstrating that he has no clue as to the life of the average American!

And even worse, he and Paul Ryan do not give a damn about the average American–whether senior citizen, college student, African American, Hispanic-Latino, women, the poor, or working class white!

The Republican Party is flailing, and no intelligent person is listening to their arguments on the economy!

A New Type Of Republican: The “Drawbridge” Republicans (Wealthy And Wishing To Deny Others Becoming Wealthy)!

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Columnist Matt Miller came up with a new term yesterday in the Washington Post for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan—two wealthy men who wish to “raise the drawbridge” so that others have no chance to become wealthy and be successful as they have been!

Their goal is to help the wealthy, and do everything to impoverish the middle class and the poor, by withdrawing the social safety net, and even raising taxes on those classes below the wealthy while creating the greatest maldistribution of wealth in the entire history of the United States, and NOT be embarrassed or upset about that reality!

As Miller says, both Romney and Ryan lack empathy, and do not seem to care how badly they appear. So Romney defiantly refuses to release more information about his taxes, despite the tradition of multiple years being released by all other Presidential candidates. And Ryan “forgets’ to include a great inheritance in his vetting materials required under government rules about Congressional income, and for Romney, when considering him for Vice President. He acts as if being worth $7 million through inheritances is something to be kept secret, while calling for cuts in Pell Grants and Food Stamps for our children, whether of college age or of younger age and needing nutrition!

These “Drawbridge” Republicans are the most selfish, greedy, heartless Presidential team in living memory, as John McCain showed concern for illegal immigrants, and George W. Bush promoted a prescription drug plan for the elderly, and made attempts at improving education.

Romney and Ryan offer no such programs or concerns, except for themselves and their class, an absolutely disgraceful situation!

Oh, and by the way, the news is out: Paul Ryan provided NO BUMP for Romney after ten days, and even Sarah Palin four years ago provided a temporary bump for John McCain! So there is a disaster in the making for the Republican Presidential ticket in November!

Republican Party Platform So Far To The Right Politically That It Cannot Appeal To Moderates And Independents!

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The Republican Party is formulating its platform a week before the Republican National Convention in Tampa next week, and it is so far to the Right politically, that it will have the effect of alienating to moderates and Independents!

The platform denies any abortions, no matter whether due to rape, incest, or life of the mother.

The platform takes a harsh stand on immigration, in line with the Arizona and Alabama laws now being sued in federal court by the Justice Department.

The platform supports strict ID voters laws, designed to suppress the votes of the young, the elderly, the poor, and minorities.

The platform supports the Ryan budget, including the privatization of Medicare and the massive tax cuts for the wealthy, while cutting Food Stamps, Pell Grants, and other programs for the middle class and the poor.

The platform refuses to accept gay rights, including gay marriage, but also rejects any recognition of civil unions, keeping gay Americans second class citizens!

These are just some of the outrageous planks in the GOP platform, and it is impossible to imagine that sane people will wish to support such a vindictive, extremist platform that would be designed to undermine the rights, freedoms, and privileges of millions of Americans!

Moderate Republicans will flee from a party they no longer recognize, and Independents will, by large margins, swing over to the Democrats, because there will be no alternative choice that is rational and reasonable!

Medicare Will Decide The Election: IF Obama Wins Florida AND New Hampshire Of “Battleground” States, He Wins The Presidency!

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Chuck Todd of NBC’s Meet The Press just demonstrated how close Barack Obama is to a victory for the White House.

Showing an electoral vote map with 237 electoral votes in Obama’s camp and 191 in Mitt Romney’s camp, Todd demonstrates that there are NINE true “battleground” or “swing” states, and if Obama wins Florida and New Hampshire, he has the second term he wants in the White House! And the issue of Medicare, brought to central focus by Paul Ryan and his budget plans on that program, will be the center of the victory of Obama for the Presidency!

Even if Romney wins the other seven contestable states—Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, and Nevada—he would lose the Electoral College 270-268, due to Florida’s 29 electoral votes and New Hampshire’s 4 electoral votes!

But, to assume that Obama would really lose all seven of those states is also delusional, as it is certain that he will win some, and probably, most of them!

This author has been saying this for a long time, and has found some readers of this blog, conservative and Republican friends and associates, and people on Fox News Channel and talk radio, act as if only the public opinion polls, which often show a close race in many states and nationally, should be paid attention to, but that is NOT the case!

The election is decided by the Electoral College, NOT the popular vote nationally,and do not forget that George W. Bush LOST the popular vote in 2000, but was declared the winner of the Electoral College! The same happened to Benjamin Harrison, Rutherford Hayes, and John Quincy Adams in the past!

But to conclude that, somehow, Barack Obama will lose the national popular vote, with the Republican alienation of Hispanics-Latinos, African Americans, women, young voters, the middle class, senior citizens, gays and lesbians, the poor, labor, educators, consumer advocates, environmentalists, and secular voters—in each case, the majority, not all of any group, of course—indicates that those believing what they do are indeed delusional, and cannot be helped by ordinary medical intervention!