April 12, 2008


IMPEACH BUSH


IMPEACH CHENEY


THE THINGS THAT DISTRACT US


They're called "wedge" issues. In another context they might be called "divide and conquer." They're the issues that politicians use to distract us from the really important things. Republicans have been skilled at using wedge issues. Richard Nixon used the "Southern strategy" to stir up anger among Southern whites about integration. Since then, Republicans have used issues like abortion, school prayer, flag burning, and anti-immigration rhetoric to distract people from the issues that affect their lives the most. Barack Obama had the temerity to say that out loud in a campaign appearance in San Francisco. This commentary by Catherine Crier is at www.huffingtonpost.com:

Inartful. That is the only fair criticism of this analysis. Let's ask the voters in Pennsylvania these questions. If the 'distracting' issues of guns, gay marriage and abortion were all resolved to their liking, would their economic lives change? How about immigration? If all illegal aliens were to disappear, would those rust belt jobs return? For so many years, such issues have been used to corral blue collar workers into a party and political philosophy that serves the elites in this country. When someone speaks the truth and acknowledges that this sector of our society has been royally deceived, that issues they rally around have little to do with their ultimate welfare, it is time to banish such a person from the campaign trail.

Heaven forbid we should suggest that bitterness might exist in this country of such optimism or that this emotion might be an appropriate and effective reaction to current circumstances. Hillary Clinton countered with this statement. "Well, that is not my experience," she said. "As I travel around Pennsylvania I meet people who are resilient, optimistic, positive...If we start acting like Americans," she said, "and role up our sleeves, we can make sure that America's best years are ahead of us." McCain's spokesman chimed in. "It shows an elitism and condescension towards hardworking Americans that is nothing short of breathtaking...It is hard to imagine someone running for president who is more out of touch with average Americans."

RECLAIMING DEMOCRATIC IDEALS

Somewhere along the way the Democratic party abandoned its ideals and tried to emulate Republicans. We see the horrendous results of Republican policies now, and now is the time for the Democratic party to return to the ideals of FDR and JFK. We need a party that represents the majority of us, not the wealthy elites and corporations. This column by Robert Borosage is at ourfuture.org:

Let me offer a simple set of propositions.

1. Conservatism has failed—and conservatives, while they cannot admit it, understand that. You’ve heard this before, but it is important to repeat it. The failure is not simply that of clueless George. Conservatism failed not because the Bush administration was incompetent, although incompetence has been its hallmark. It failed not because Bush and the DeLay Congress were corrupt, although corruption has been pervasive. Conservatism failed because it is wrong. Wrong about the world. Wrong about the economy. Wrong about the society.

Its imperial and military fantasies led directly to Iraq, surely the worst foreign policy debacle since Vietnam. Its market fundamentalism generated Gilded Age inequality, a Depression-era financial crisis, stagnant wages and rising insecurity, and left America the world’s largest debtor, dependent on the kindness of strangers. Their celebration of deregulation and scorn for government ended up poisoning our kids, with uninspected toxic toys and diseased lunch-room foods.

2. We are headed into not simply a change election, but an election that has the potential to mark a sea change, the end of the conservative era that Reagan launched in 1980 and the beginning of a new era of progressive reform. The election will take place in the midst of an unpopular war and a recession, with over three-fourths of the country looking for a dramatic change in course. Democrats will surely pick up seats in both the House and the Senate.

Democrats know how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. But the potential is there for an election that changes our course.