Republicans

The Republican Hypocrisy: Is It Not An Embarrassment?

Ronald Leave a comment

The Republican party in Congress is showing itself to be totally hypocritical to the extreme!

The GOP refused to support the economic stimulus bill, but is now taking credit for any projects that are taking place in their districts.

The Republicans in the Senate, at least some of them including John McCain, supported originally the idea of a deficit commission to deal with the national debt, and then voted against their own proposal!

The Republicans in both houses complained that they were not being consulted by President Obama on the health care bill, and they insisted that such negotiations must be televised on C Span. Now they seem to be trying to avoid the upcoming White House conference on health care, and feel that televising it will be promoting political theater!

These are among the many examples of total Republican hypocrisy, even by such senators, besides John McCain, as Kay Bailey Hutchison, Olympia Snowe, and Susan Collins. A lot of it is due to pure politics, to win races such as Hutchison for Governor in Texas and McCain for Senator in Arizona.

What is more important than anything apparently is politics and winning races or keeping their seats, than principle and doing what is best for the country.

It is ironic that the Tea Party people seem more angry at Democrats than Republicans, even though Democrats are attempting to bring change and reform to the nation, while Republicans, who messed up the economy when they controlled Congress, are still demonstrating no interest in doing anything to cooperate in the midst of an economic crisis.

Senator Evan Bayh Leaving Congress, Condemning Its Paralysis

Ronald Leave a comment

It was a sad moment today when Indiana Democratic Senator Evan Bayh, a moderate liberal, announced he would not seek re-election after twelve years in the Senate, out of frustration and anger at the intransigence and paralysis that Congress has developed into during the past few years, and its basic inability to get anything done for the country.

Bayh may yet run for Governor again in Indiana, as he was in that office in the 1990s before going to the Senate. He indicated his desire to do public service for the people, but sees the legislative branch as in total disarray and gridlock, which disgusts him.

While claiming that the extreme left and the extreme right were both responsible for the disaster that Congress has become, Bayh did make clear that the final straw was when seven members (Republicans), who had agreed to work toward creation of a commission to deal with deficit spending and the national debt, ended up voting against the legislation they had co-sponsored!

This forced President Obama’s hand, making him create such a commission by executive order.

It is therefore clear that it is the far right, and really the Republican party, which has destroyed any camaraderie in the Senate, as they prefer the failure of the Obama Presidency over what is good for the country.

When a party wins control, they are entitled to operate the government by their ideas, but with the occasional cooperation and support of opposition party members, but that is not the case now, and the Senate filibuster has become totally destructive, with more use or threat of use of the filibuster in the past 14 months than in any past period, including the civil rights era of the 1950s and 1960s.

So we are losing top people like Evan Bayh, and one has to wonder will we be fortunate enough to have new senators on the level of quality that Bayh represented.

This is a low moment in Senate history, with good people deciding to bow out, and mediocrity reigning supreme! 🙁

The Growing Number Of Independent Voters: Not A Smart Move!

Ronald 11 Comments

Disillusionment with the economic conditions of America have led growing numbers of Americans to abandon their party loyalty and registration in the Democratic and Republican parties, and to register instead as Independents.

This is supposed to be a good thing, as it indicates separation from the two major parties. But in actuality, it is NOT a good thing, as it decreases a voter’s opportunity to affect political change.

This concept going around that an “Independent” or third party can somehow win over enough support and revolutionize the party system we have had since 1854, when the Republican party was created, is a fallacy, as our political system has never allowed for such a concept, certainly not for the White House, and only very rarely for a seat in Congress or a Governorship.

One can count on the fingers of both hands the number of independent candidates for office that have been elected. We can think of Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent Socialist who managed to be elected to the House of Representatives and the Senate as a true independent.

We can think of Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who most recently beat out a Democrat and Republican to retain his seat.

We can remember Governors Angus King of Maine, Lowell Weicker of Connecticut, and Jesse Ventura of Minnesota, but all were actually party members who broke with the party and won a three way race.

There are a handful of other people who at some point were elected on an independent or third party line, but after being identified as a Republican or a Democrat in earlier elections. These include three senators who were part of the group that I wrote about in my book TWILIGHT OF PROGRESSIVISM: Senators George Norris of Nebraska, Robert La Follette, Jr. of Wisconsin, and Henrik Shipstead of Minnesota–all during the New Deal era of the 1930s.

As far as the White House, the closest any third party or independent candidate has gone is Theodore Roosevelt, former Republican President running as a Progressive in the 1912 election, winning six states, 88 electoral votes, and 27.5 percent of the vote.

So the thought that an “Independent” party or candidate is the future of American politics is just a dream. It will not happen, and by people abandoning the major parties in their registration, they actually are cutting down their voting power by half, as in most states, they cannot vote on Primary Day, and therefore only can vote for the choices made by Democrats and Republicans who have stayed with the party and tried to bring change from within.

So, truthfully, the move toward independent voters is actually based on ignorance of the realities of our political system. How it will play itself out on Election Day 2010 and 2012 is anyone’s guess!

Democrats’ New Strategy: Force Votes That Will Show Republican Support Or Intransigence

Ronald Leave a comment

The Obama Administration and the Democratic leadership in Congress are adopting a strategy to force the opposition Republicans to make a decision: support legislation on various matters, or be recorded as against the legislation and make it a case against the party in the upcoming Fall elections.

While there is hope that bipartisanship will occur, particularly at the scheduled White House summit on health care on February 25, the plan is to promote legislation on some aspects of health care, a job creation bill, legislation to lift the anti trust exemption for insurance companies, action to help small businesses and extend unemployment compensation, and a measure to levy fees on Wall Street banks that received bailout money.

There are hints that some GOP senators might join the Democrats on some legislation, including Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, and Utah Senator Orrin Hatch.

At the same time, the Democrats in the House of Representatives face the fact that there are now two vacancies of members who supported the health care bill, when it passed 220-215 last fall. Robert Wexler left in January and John Murtha died last week, and neither seat will be filled until the spring. And Joseph Cao, the one Republican who voted for the health care bill, now indicates he will not support the bill on later passage if it comes up for a vote, so the House probably does not have a majority for the bill at this point.

So the Democrats are trying to figure out a strategy to gain action in both houses, but the road ahead is still very complex and difficult. It is hard to see any great prospect for action anytime soon! 🙁

Republican Hypocrisy On Medicare: Time For the President And His Party To Act!

Ronald Leave a comment

As Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman declares yesterday in the NY Times, the Republican party is extremely hypocritical on Medicare.

After spreading distortions on the Obama Health Care plan, including the concept of “death panels” and the idea of the plan cutting Medicare funding dramatically, it turns out that the budget plan released by Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, often seen as a leader of the future in the Republican party, calls for even bigger Medicare cuts over the next decade, if the GOP ever gains control of Congress in the next few years.

The Ryan proposal would end Medicare for those under 55, creating privatization, and would cut future coverage benefits for those about to go on Medicare or already on Medicare.

The American people fail to study history or have a collective memory. The GOP opposed Medicare in 1965, and the party worked to undermine Medicare under Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1995, but was stopped by the opposition of President Bill Clinton.

These realities should be enough for the Democrats to move ahead on their health care reform plan and use “reconciliation” to accomplish it. Better to push through a program under a web of controversy than to do nothing at all, which will convince the American people that the Democrats are unable or unwilling with a nearly 60 percent majority in both houses to accomplish their major goal.

A failure to take action on health care will doom the American people, including those on Medicare, to a future of Republican efforts to dismantle federal programs on Medicare, a crime against humanity at a time when health insurance companies are jacking up rates on health insurance faster than ever.

The health care crisis will only grow if the Democrats allow the Republicans to have a victory. The planned health care summit at the White House should be the last attempt at bipartisanship, extremely unlikely to work. Then, it is time for Barack Obama and the Democrats to act like a combination of “Give Them Hell Harry” (Truman) and “Wheeler Dealer” (Lyndon Johnson) to get things done!

The Crisis In Health Insurance Costs: A Moral Issue!

Ronald Leave a comment

While the Republicans refuse to negotiate on health care legislation, and the Democrats are unable to unite to accomplish necessary reform, the health care costs of the American people are skyrocketing! 🙁

Health care is already 17 percent of the total national budget for all Americans, and is expected to rise to 20 percent in the next decade if nothing is done to contain costs. And this does not even include the millions of Americans who have no health care.

Many health insurance companies are raising their health care premiums in an obscene way, some as much as 35-40 percent. There is no motivation by these companies to promote cost containment to their customers, and this will continue, unfortunately. In other industrial nations, where everyone is covered, the percentage spent on health care is dramatically lower, as in Great Britain, where the cost is seven percent of the total budgetary expenses, as compared to our seventeen percent.

The longer we take to deal with this issue on a national basis, the more we will have millions of Americans thrown off health care by skyrocketing costs, and lives will be lost, as already we know that 45,000 per year are lost due to lack of health insurance coverage.

This is a moral issue, if nothing else, but it is more, as so many lives depend on it, and decent health care costs are essential as the population increases, and more Americans are going without health care coverage.

Time To Reform The Filibuster As It Is Out Of Control! :(

Ronald Leave a comment

It is time for Senate rules to be changed and the filibuster to be reformed, if not, ended!

President Obama made the assertion, in a meeting with Senate Democrats today, that the Republicans had abused the filibuster, and the need for a cloture vote of 60 senators to end a filibuster had gotten out of hand.

He is totally right, as CNN proved! From 1949-1970, records show that a total of 30 cloture votes were needed, with no more than seven in any session.

Starting in the 1970s, with cloture possible with 60 votes, rather than 67, the tactic was used more often, with the 110th Congress in 2007-2008 using it 112 times, a record.

So far, in the 111th Congress, it has been used 41 times, with 39 last year and two this year so far.

Obama’s statement is that the present Congress had used it more than all the Congresses in the 1950s and 1960s combined, and he is totally correct! Remember, the number is 30 over twenty two years from 1949-1970, and now 41 in a year and a month.!

This tactic must be fought against, as it blocks progress and allows a minority to abuse its position. The minority has the right to its views; it does NOT have the right to deny the majority its rights to pass legislation, as a simple majority in the House is enough to pass a bill.

This is not democracy in action; it is obstructionism, pure deception and truculence, and it is time it ended! The majority should have the power, not the minority! Enough of this dirty tactic which has never contributed to anything good, as for years it prevented civil rights laws! Now it is negating the results of the Presidential election of 2008! The people voted, and their will should be obeyed and respected! 🙁

Obama Plan For $30 Billion Investment To Community Banks For Small Business Growth And Senator Judd Gregg

Ronald Leave a comment

Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, who at one point considered becoming Secretary of Commerce in the Obama Administration, has turned totally against the President, now being critical of the President’s plan to invest $30 billion of Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds in community banks, rather than the large banks, to help promote small business loans that would lead to creation of jobs and the revival of the American economy.

Since small business employs about half of all workers in the nation, and since we have a severe jobs crisis, it makes sense to invest in small business loans through local and community banks.

And yet, Judd Gregg, who used to be seen as moderate and sensible, decides to issue a cheap political attack to promote the Republican cause, forgetting that it was the Republicans who put us in this economic mess!

I say everyone should condemn Judd Gregg and call upon him to stop his ridiculous attacks on President Obama, and work with him to solve the economic crisis!

New Gallup Poll On Party Affiliation Good News For Democrats Despite Slippage

Ronald Leave a comment

A new Gallup poll indicates that the Democrats have lost some of their edge in party affiliation across the country, but still show great advantage on a lesser level.

In 2008, the Democrats had a party affiliation edge of 18 points, while now it is down to ten points. 39 states have shown shrinkage in Democratic support, but yet 33 states show a Democratic edge of at least five points, as compared to just 5 states showing a GOP edge. 12 states show a swing state (less than five point edge) status.

23 states were strongly Democratic (more than 10 points) and ten states were Democratic leaning (five to ten point edge). Four states were strongly Republicans (Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Alaska), and one state was leaning Republican (Alabama).

Eight states showed substantial loss of Democratic support, including Ohio (8); Hawaii, Louisiana and Montana (7); and Iowa, Maine, Vermont, and Wisconsin (6). The drop in Democratic support in Ohio and Wisconsin, the largest of these eight states, is most worrisome.

Overall, the Democrats are still in good shape, but while they still have the clear edge for the Presidential election of 2012, there are danger signs with the withering economy that could complicate the campaign of Barack Obama for a second term.

President Obama And The Deficit Reduction Commission

Ronald Leave a comment

President Obama has signed an executive order creating a bipartisan commission to address the issue of deficit reduction.

This is a major initiative at a difficult time, when the country is in the midst of the Great Recession, and the budget is out of balance by an estimate of $1.6 Trillion dollars for the coming fiscal year.

We cannot forget that this deficit mess was caused by the Bush Administration fighting two wars and initiating a Medicare Part D prescription plan while lowering taxes for the upper class and failing to make the country realize that we must all make a commitment to our security and pay more taxes.

The irresponsible policies of George W. Bush have pushed us into this emergency, including the lack of regulation of corporations, banks, and insurance companies, and now we are faced with a major crisis in the midst of hard times.

But the President is smart to assert himself on this issue, as the Senate, after earlier indications that there would be a bipartisan effort, refused to overcome the filibuster with 60 votes, only gaining a few Republican votes and a total of 53 votes in total.

If the Senate is unable to be responsible, then the President is proper in intervening and overruling the Senate, which is becoming more and more an obstruction of major embarrassment!