US Congress

Our Congress Becoming So Wealthy They Can No Longer Represent Us: A Crisis For America!

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Congress is supposed to represent “us” and be the “voice” of the people, but there is a disturbing trend regarding acquisition of wealth that should trouble all Americans.

It used to be that “average” Americans, meaning people NOT millionaires, could be elected to Congress, and that they would “serve” the nation without expectations of becoming rich from their service.

Now, nearly half of all members of Congress are millionaires, and their assets have increased by two and a half times from what it was twenty five years ago, while the average assets of Americans have remained stagnant.

The average net worth of members of Congress in 1984 was $280,000, while now it is $725,000. Meanwhile the average net worth of Americans remains at $20,000! These figures do not include home equity, but even that is way down for average Americans after the real estate crash beginning in 2006!

If the American people believe that Congress is only there for the wealthy and powerful, it will cause fewer to vote, which is exactly what the wealthy and powerful want!

This situation is a danger to American democracy, a crisis for our long term future!

Barack Obama And The American People Given A Christmas Gift By The Caving Of The House Republicans And Speaker John Boehner!

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The House Republicans, led by Speaker of the House John Boehner, caved in this afternoon, under pressure from the Wall Street Journal, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Karl Rove, and numerous Senate Republicans including a new convert, Senator John McCain of Arizona, and agreed to the two month temporary extension of the payroll tax cut, unemployment compensation, and delay in Medicare cuts to doctors.

The House Republicans were pushed into a corner, and this is a major victory for the American people, the Democrats, and President Barack Obama, who finally took a no negotiation stand and forced the hand of Boehner, Eric Cantor, and the Tea Party radicals.

The effect of this victory is that Boehner has been weakened as Speaker; the Tea Party radicals have been shown to be destructive to the nation at large; Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy, the chief deputies to Boehner, have been shown for the deceit they practiced on Boehner in their mad rush to seize power from him; and this event has likely assured a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress!

The Republicans have, symbolically, shot themselves in the foot, and will have trouble convincing the American people that they care about the middle class, and that they are not beholden to the corporations and the top one percent wealthy in this country!

Barack Obama looks a lot stronger and more assertive as a result of this confrontation, and with Ron Paul rising in Iowa, and being exposed for his racist and anti Semitic past, and with the GOP in total disarray, the odds of Obama winning reelection have improved tremendously!

The Republican Attack On The Constitution: A Threat To American Democracy!

Ronald 5 Comments

The Republican Party loves to assert that the Democrats, and progressives in particular, are attacking the Constitution, and that they are the experts on the Constitution.

So therefore, in this Presidential primary season, and in the party membership in Congress, there are statements constantly attacking the court system, anytime that a federal judge or court issues a decision against the conservative view of the Constitution. There are condemnations and calls to change the court system on a regular basis.

One would think that the Democrats and their progressive friends have dominated the courts in recent decades, which, of course, is the exact opposite of the truth!

One forgets that from 1969-2011, there have been only 15 years of Democratic control of the Presidency, as compared to 28 years of Republican control.

The vast majority of federal judges have been Republican appointments, as a result, and Republican Presidents have made a total of 13 Supreme Court appointments over those years, and Democrats have made only 4, two by Bill Clinton and two by Barack Obama!

But now,. Newt Gingrich calls for judges to be required to testify before partisan Congressional committees, a violation of the separation of powers, and a danger to an independent judiciary!

What it comes down to is that Newt Gingrich and all of the Republican opponents, with maybe the exception of Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, wish to create a court system that would move away from the path breaking changes that the Supreme Court brought about during the years of the Warren Court, Burger Court, and Rehnquist Court including:

Brown V. Board Of Education
Miranda V Arizona
Roe V Wade
University Of California V. Bakke
Lawrence V Texas

As it is, there are threats presented by the Republican growth of dominance on the federal courts to all of these issues–racial integration, rights of criminal suspects, abortion rights, affirmative action, and gay rights.

The Republicans will not be contented until there are reversals on all of these issues, and a return to the “good old days”, when minorities “knew their place”; police had unlimited rights over those they questioned or arrested; women had no control over their reproductive rights; minorities and women had disadvantages, as compared to white males, on educational and job opportunities; and gays were forced to remain “in the closet” and face open discrimination and hate without recourse!

So when the Republicans claim to understand what the Founding Fathers meant at the Constitutional Convention, they are forgetting that those esteemed leaders put into the Constitution the “Elastic Clause” to allow for expansion of the Constitution beyond the original document, in order to make the Constitution a “living document” adaptable to changing times.

The real threat is not what the federal courts have done in the past sixty years! It is the attempt of conservatives and the Republican Party to negate the great progress brought about the Supreme Court and lower courts in the past sixty years, and revert back to the years after World War II, when all of these great changes started slowly to evolve through courageous judges and Supreme Court Justices, including Earl Warren, William Brennan, Hugo Black, William O. Douglas, Thurgood Marshall, Harry Blackmun, John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O’Connor, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer.

“None Of The Above” Best Choice In Iowa Republican Caucuses!

Ronald 1 Comment

After a Fox News Channel debate last night, preceded by the ABC News debate earlier this week, and both debates conducted in Iowa, it is clear that the best choice for Republican Caucus voters is to vote “None Of The Above”, as it is obvious that none of the candidates are truly worthy of their support!

The only candidate worth considering is Jon Huntsman, who did not participate in the ABC News debate, although he did in the Fox News debate. But he is not making a major effort in Iowa, anyway, focusing his attention in New Hampshire, where he has experienced a surge to third place, as disillusionment with Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney is mounting.

Mitt Romney did better in last night’s debate than the one earlier this week, while Newt Gingrich showed his weaknesses and shortcomings yesterday, particularly his patronizing attitude toward Michele Bachmann, who actually has had some good points to make in these past two debates, against both Romney and Gingrich, who she has labeled as “Newt Romney”!

Rick Perry has only managed to propose a “part time Congress”, similar to what Texas has, which explains why Texas is so poorly governed! The fact is that Congress needs to spend MORE TIME, not less, in dealing with the problems of the country! Gingrich wanted to change our Constitution also, like Perry, by calling for federal judges to be subjected to congressional challenge face to face, a whacky and dangerous idea for the “separation of powers” doctrine.

Ron Paul may be the one to benefit from all this, as it seems more likely that the vote in Iowa caucuses may be very evenly divided, with a narrow win by Paul being possible!

So it might be that “None Of The Above” is the best answer, ultimately, in the Iowa Caucuses!

Newt Gingrich, If Elected, Would Be A Disaster For America In More Ways Than One!

Ronald 2 Comments

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, soaring in the public opinion polls, has demonstrated in the past his super confidence, his narcissism, his cockiness, his egotism, his instability, his mercurial nature, his reckless statements and behavior, his lack of ethics, his ability to antagonize fellow Republicans, his total lack of “family values”, and his hypocrisy to the extreme!

Many Republicans see him as a total disaster in the White House, were he by some magic to reach the Oval Office. They are terrified at how he would act autocratically with Congress and the media, and get involved in ethical scandals, and with his bluster and his cowboy attitude, might get us involved in new foreign adventures. He would be, very likely, worse than either Richard Nixon or George W. Bush, or both of them combined!

And also, the lingering thought must be present among many people opposed to Newt Gingrich, that were he to occupy the Oval Office, he would be certain to become involved in a sex scandal, just like Bill Clinton wasted a year of our time, and undermined his own Presidency’s effectiveness in its last three years, due to his dalliances!

After all, Gingrich has been married THREE times, and only Ronald Reagan was married TWICE, and no one ever accused Reagan of sexual hijinks!

With Gingrich having power, there would be the great temptation for Newt to cheat on Callista, his third wife, because he cheated on the first wife with the future second, and on the second wife with Callista. Why, with his ego infused with power, would he not pursue the same actions, and in so doing, embarrass himself and the nation, and possibly endanger the security of the nation, because of his inability to control his own sexual appetite?

An impeachment possibility would arise from abuse of power and sexual hijinks, and it would add to the tragedy of the Presidency, that we were stupid enough to select a man who has no concept of how to unify and unite a nation desperate for common ground and compromise!

The Trump Debate Collapses: What It Means For 2012!

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The smack in the face and ego of Donald Trump, as his NewsMax debate has collapsed, with only two out of seven candidates agreeing to participate, is going to reverberate in American politics in 2012.

It can be certain that Trump is furious and humiliated by the series of events, and it is also clear that he will endorse Newt Gingrich after the two way debate with Rick Santorum.

And, assuming that the mainstream conservative wing of the party is able to stop Gingrich from being the nominee, it is certain that Donald Trump will run as an Independent candidate out of pique, and desire for constant attention, and his own extreme narcissism.

Such a move against the Republican Party will only help President Barack Obama, and lead to victories for the Democrats in Congress as well, certainly more than if Trump did not run!

And with Ron Paul likely to run as a Libertarian candidate as well, we are likely to have a four way race, all to the benefit of President Obama!

American Unemployment At Two And A Half Year Low: The Tide Is Finally Turning, But Could Be Reversed By Republican Obstructionism In Congress!

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Finally, real progress is being made on unemployment, with the rate last month dropping to 8.6 percent, the lowest since March 2009, when everything was collapsing economically, due to the Bush administration disaster financially, just as Barack Obama took over the Presidency!

There is a long way to go, and no one is saying a miracle will occur in the next eleven months, but what can be detrimental would be for Congress to refuse to keep the payroll tax cut, which put $1000 into the pockets of the average taxpayer, and a continuation of the unemployment compensation benefit to the long term unemployed, who are rapidly become homeless, as well as jobless, in the worst economy in 75 years!

But those two actions required before the end of the year seem to be moving toward failure, due to obstructionism by the Republicans in Congress, who seem ready to see taxes go UP for the middle and working classes, while refusing to raise one cent in the taxes on the top two percent! And the long term unemployed are being depicted as lazy and shiftless, a total disgrace to depict them as such!

So the Republicans could be working toward trying to undermine the economic recovery, because after all, Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky made it clear that the major goal of the GOP was the defeat of a second term for President Barack Obama.

The American people, and particularly those in economic distress, are being abandoned, being thrown into the sea without a life preserver, with any conscience by the Republican Party, which only concerns itself with the wealthy and the corporations and unbridled capitalism!

The bright spot in all this is the belief that the Republican stand will harm them in the Congressional Elections Of 2012! But meanwhile, there will be millions of victims, as a result!

An Embarrassment How Low Congress Is Rated!

Ronald 2 Comments

The United States Congress has become highly unpopular this year, with its inability to get ANYTHING done, including the Debt Ceiling debacle, and now the failure of the Super Committee of Twelve to bring about a budget deal by today.

A poll issued this week demonstrates the embarrassment that the 112th Congress faces, often considered now the worst Congress in American history!

This comes after the 111th Congress was the most productive since the 89th Congress of 1965-1966.

Congress rates at 9 percent popularity, but more than that figure is the reality of what else is unpopular in the poll, and the numbers involved.

The Internal Revenue Service has a popularity rating of 40 percent; the Airline Industry is at 29 percent; Lawyers also at 29 percent; Richard Nixon during Watergate at 24 percent; Banks at 23 percent; the OIl and Gas Industry at 20 percent; British Petroleum during the Oil Spill last year at 16 percent; Paris Hilton at 15 percent; if the United States were to go Communist at 11 percent; Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez at the same 9 percent as Congress; and Fidel Castro at 5 percent!

This is bound to have some effect on the Congressional elections in 2012, and since the House of Representatives majority are Republicans, and the entire chamber faces election, it seems likely that the GOP will lose seats, and probably, control of the majority, while the US Senate only has one third of its seats up in 2012, and so the Democrats might actually keep control of their thin majority in that chamber, and maybe even gain a few seats.

The Conservative Assault On Mitt Romney Grows: George Will And Erick Erickson

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As the conservatives in the Republican Party move from one candidate to another in their search for the ideal conservative nominee for President, Mitt Romney keeps on chugging along with about one fourth of the vote in every national and state poll.

There is absolutely no inspiration or excitement among conservatives for Mitt Romney, with the feeling that he has no principles that he will not abandon in his quest for the Presidency, if it will gain support for his candidacy.

This is a real weakness that Mitt Romney would have to face if he ends up as the GOP Presidential nominee, and more conservatives daily are indicating they would be unable to accept him.

It is also clear that a Romney Presidency would face major hurdles, as if he gains a dominantly conservative GOP majority in Congress, he will have troubles dealing with them, similar to Barack Obama’s troubles.

The irony is that Romney would probably have more support at times from Democrats, although they also would not be willing to give him too many victories, so as to defeat him for reelection.

But first things first, as now in the past ten days,. well respected conservative George Will, and today, conservative blogger Erick Erickson have made it very clear they cannot accept Romney, and think he would lose to Barack Obama in the Presidential Election of 2012, and would take the conservative movement with him down the drain, and that they cannot tolerate.

So one wonders if a third party effort would develop, or if conservatives would just stay home, unenthusiastic and unwilling to vote for Romney, therefore giving Obama the victory.

So with one year to go to the election, and with growing dissatisfaction with front runner Mitt Romney, the odds in favor of Barack Obama seem to be improving!

Presidential Styles: Interpersonal Relationships Important In Level Of Success!

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The American Presidency is a complex institution, with 43 men so far having occupied that office, and the personalities of the Presidents have a great deal to do with the level of success they achieve.

Many have been shy or withdrawn in dealings with others, including the public, the Congress, and the news media, which may surprise the average person, wondering how they were able to win election. Among this group would be included Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and George H. W. Bush.

Others had great capabilities as communicators, but somehow could not translate it into warm relationships with Congress, including Woodrow Wilson, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and now clearly, Barack Obama.

Then, there were those who knew how to get what they wanted, including Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Ronald Reagan, keeping close in touch with Congressional leaders, charming them with White House meetings, including the opposition party!

And then there are those Presidents who don’t quite fit any of the above descriptions, including Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, and George W. Bush. All were unique in their skills and abilities, having some successes and some failures in office.

A recent Washington Post opinion piece called Obama a “loner” President who finds it difficult to make Congressional relationships, even with his own party, and not particularly liking people as individuals, and much better speaking to the nation as a whole. This could be seen as a shortcoming, which could undermine Obama’s attempt to win re-election!

But then, Obama’s Republican challengers, particularly Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum and Herman Cain do not exactly engender a sense of warmth in dealing with others!