Posted by John Publius Jr. on October 18th, 2010 — in Republican Party, Democratic Party, Issues/Policy, Barack Obama, Talk Radio, Blog
The 2010 midterm elections take place on November 2nd, 2010. Voters must choose a direction: affirm the 2008 election of Barack Obama and the Democratic Party OR return to Republican Party policies.
Throughout the 2008 presidential campaign, we learned about Obama’s policy positions, agenda, style, and campaign promises. I think it is clear that Obama’s presidency has fulfilled any reasonable expectations.
By the time Obama won the election on November 4th, 2008, the United States faced one overwhelming priority: prevent another Great Depression. The Obama administration worked with Congress to enact critically important legislation that stabilized the economy. Economists generally agree that the “stimulus package” of 2009 and other measures saved the U.S. from a much more severe recession or even a depression. Virtually every Republican in Congress opposed this, and in doing so, Republicans emerged as “the Party of No”. “No” has been the Republican Party strategy since Obama took office.
Obviously, the right thing to do is for all Americans to work together to find practical solutions to our many serious problems. Instead we are mired in power politics. I am for progress. The Republicans have no interest in solving any problems.
“He who controls the past, controls the future.” - from 1984 by George Orwell
For many years, Fox News, right-wing talk radio, and assorted other right-wing media have built up a sophisticated American mythology to replace reality. This mythology is like “Lord of the Rings” or “Star Wars” in that it creates a detailed alternative reality with its own heroes and villains, fictional history, plots and subplots, typography, and language. Right-wing media perpetuate their mythology 24 hours a day, every day, year after year.
The Tea Party Movement celebrates this mythology and has pushed the Republican Party toward an extreme and reactionary agenda. The Tea Party movement unites two key factions of ultra conservatives: Sarah Palin “Christian Nation” dittoheads allied with Ron Paul libertarians. The Palin faction is larger. The two factions unite in their belief in America’s #1 Myth: “the U.S. Government taxes me and takes my money just to give it to lazy people”. These two factions have serious disagreements about foreign policy and social issues, but this #1 Myth is especially popular lately. Some people find comfort in this myth.
For many years, U.S. Federal tax rates have been quite low historically speaking, and Obama’s 2009 tax cuts made tax rates even lower. There are many reasons the “great recession” of 2008 happened, but no serious economist suggests “taxes too high” as a reason.
Reality #1 is that the “free market” on its own cannot result in a workable national economy. People who believe otherwise need to study the U.S. economy and history of the 1890’s. No one in their right mind would want to return to that misery. Through decades of progressive legislation, basic government interventions eventually helped lift the U.S. population to a higher standard of living and a more decent life. These government interventions included: child labor laws, legalizing labor unions, allowing women to vote, civil rights, worker safety regulation, environmental protection, minimum wage, public education, food and product safety standards, public transportation, investment in infrastructure, assistance for the elderly, a safety net for disabled people, unemployment insurance.
Any country that does NOT have this basic government involvement is called a hellhole.
Tea Party mentality decries even minimal government involvement as “socialism”. A scary word if you do not know what it means. Obama is not a socialist. Franklin Roosevelt saved capitalism. Historians will likely say Obama also saved the U.S. capitalist economy at one of its most critically unstable times. The U.S. economy is still in very bad shape. We need to address many structural problems. Healthcare reform is a step in the right direction, but again the popularity of right-wing mythology attempts to thwart every effort to move us toward stability and prosperity. The right-wing believes we all need to suffer just to make sure that no lazy people benefit.
The Tea Party Movement says it is rooted in the tradition of the Founding Fathers and the U.S. Constitution. Actually, they have much more in common with the “Know Nothings” and other reactionary movements that promoted hatred of immigrants and any one else who was somehow different than themselves. Sarah Palin and her followers believe that they are “the real America” and the rest of us somehow are something else. The historian Richard Hofstadter described this as “The Paranoid Style in American Politics”. Fear, paranoia, tribalism, and hatred are the exact opposite of the traits our Founding Fathers tried to instill into our nation.
The U.S. Constitution makes it clear that the Federal Government must “promote the general welfare”. This is in the first sentence of the constitution and is really part of the “mission statement” for our government. The Republican Tea Party ignores this fundamental duty. Instead of the “general welfare”, they think everyone should be on their own in a “survival of the fittest”. In their vision, working together to help us all is “socialism” and must be opposed. Protecting the wealth of the rich is their top priority.
Most people are unhappy that the economy remains in poor shape. The wealthiest always seem to do fine. I think it is sad that some people have lost faith in the Obama Administration. Some progressives feel the administration has not done enough. Some of the moderate independents who voted for Obama in 2008 have moved toward the Republicans.
Voters made the right choice in 2008 in electing Obama and by giving Democrats the chance to run both houses of Congress. January 20th, 2008 (Obama’s inauguration) until now is simply not enough time to solve the most severe economic crisis since the 1930’s. Giving Republicans more power now will only slow us down further and prevent us from solving the many problems we face. The United States needs to invest in the future, including educating the next generation. The choice between the two parties is very clear.
I hope voters wake up to reality and avoid the mythology of the right-wing. I find it amazing that many people simply will not vote. Voting is a quick and easy thing to do. Yes, presidential elections are a big deal, but so are the midterm elections. Spending maybe an hour every two years is the least all of us can do to ensure we have a decent country.
President Obama cannot change America on his own. He needs the support of Congress and intelligent voters who pay attention to the news and vote every two years. It would be very easy for us to keep the momentum of 2008 simply by getting people out to vote for the Democrats. Yes we can, and maybe we will.
Sphere: Related Content
No Comments »
Posted by John Publius Jr. on January 11th, 2009 — in Democratic Party, Blog
The Rod Blagojevich political sideshow spawned a new spin-off series: Mr. Burris Goes To Washington. These sideshows are interesting topics, up to a point. The economy and foreign policy issues are much more urgent and important.
Just about everyone was happy that the Illinois House of Representatives voted 114-1 to impeach Governor Blagojevich. Now the Illinois Senate must hold hearings and vote on whether to remove Blagojevich from office. Soon, please.
I don’t mind Blago’s appointment of Roland Burris to the United States Senate. Burris is a fine choice, it’s only a shame that it was Blago who appointed him. Good political theater by Blago, and even better by Burris. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid looked a bit silly refusing to acknowledge any Blago appointment. He probably didn’t even realize he was playing political chess with Blagojevich until checkmate was inevitable.
We are learning about arcane Senate rules and traditions, and it’s possible that Roland Burris would take his case to court to decide what the rules really are. More likely, the Democrats will end their counter-productive stall tactics soon and give Roland Burris his seat in the United States Senate.
Roland Burris has one of the best resumes if you search the Illinois Democratic Party talent pool database. It’s somewhat unfortunate that racial politics came into play. The upside is that it reminded us that the U.S. Senate currently does not have a single African-American. We have moved forward in racial understanding, but the U.S. Senate should be more representative of the diversity of America.
As an Illinois voter, I mainly want to see us move forward. We need a new Governor and two Senators as soon as possible. I want clean government and I want politicians to do everything they can to improve the economy quickly.
Sphere: Related Content
No Comments »
Posted by John Publius Jr. on December 11th, 2008 — in Democratic Party, Barack Obama, Blog
Latest News - Reference: Chicago Tribune’s comprehensive Blagojevich Arrest Coverage.
Blagojevich should resign immediately, but don’t count on it. You can contact the Governor’s office directly online:
http://www.illinois.gov/gov/contactthegovernor.cfm, or, maybe give him a call, I’m sure he would love to hear from you: 217-782-0244 or 312-814-2121.
I would like the Illinois State Legislature to immediately impeach Blagojevich and remove him from office. This is likely, except not “immediately”. I have heard that this process may take weeks, which is very disappointing. This is a crisis of confidence. Illinois elected officials need to move as quickly as possible.
I also hope Illinois holds a special election to fill Barack Obama’s seat as junior Senator of Illinois. Some Democrats worry that a special election will open the doors to allow a Republican to gain the seat. I’m tired of what happens behind the closed doors - let the voters decide and hopefully this time they will make a good choice. It’s also a good idea to amend the Illinois constitution to mandate special elections in the case of vacant seats. In any case, Illinois needs to fill this U.S. Senate seat soon. We also need a new Governor soon. In the interim we will be in good hands with the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois Pat Quinn, who has a reputation as a reformer opposed to corruption. Quinn and “Blago” have a strained relationship, although this could be said about almost anyone and Blagojevich. Right now we are in limbo because Blago is still the Governor.
As an Illinois voter, I have been outraged by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s corruption since this was first publicized several years ago. Everyone in Illinois has known that Blagojevich is corrupt and that he has been under investigation by the U.S Federal Justice Department for quite a while. For at least the last year, Illinois politicians have distanced themselves from Blago. Blagojevich was first elected governor in 2002 and used his first days in office to alienate both houses of the Illinois legislature with his arrogance and obstinance. He had few political friends or even allies. I was disappointed that the voters re-elected him in 2006. His re-election was largely due to his ability to amass a substantial “war chest” of campaign contributions, and now we are all painfully aware of how he accumulated his massive funding.
In 2005 Blagojevich achieved perhaps his only positive major accomplishment for Illinois. This was an attempt to provide universal healthcare for children in Illinois, and the program is named “All Kids”. The “All Kids” program has received mixed reviews, but is not widely known by name to all voters in Illinois. In Blagojevich’s 2006 re-election campaign, he ran against the forthright and very capable former State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka (Republican). Topinka opposed the “All Kids” program, and there was widespread legitimate debate over the effectiveness of this program. During the campaign, Blagojevich ran the most cynical campaign commercials I have ever seen. One campaign slogan was “Judy Baar Topinka is against All Kids”. The Blagojevich campaign also cynically used the popular and sleazy “guilt by association” tactic to falsely link Topinka to former Illinois Governor George Ryan, who is currently in prison, convicted on government corruption charges.
Implications for Barack Obama and others
President-elect Barack Obama is not caught up in the Blagojevich mess. Being from Chicago, Illinois does not mean you are corrupt. I hear the right-wing guilt-by-association demagogues trying to link Obama to Blago’s corruption. These people know nothing about Chicago politics and do not understand the real dynamics here. Yes, Chicago (and other parts of Illinois) deserve a bad reputation for corrupt politics from both the Democratic and Republican parties. Chicago’s corrupt tradition goes hand-in-hand with a tradition of politicians getting caught and serving prison sentences. We also have a reform tradition, albeit much less famous or understood. Although now, everyone should understand this reform tradition because this is Barack Obama’s tradition. Obama has opposed “machine politics” and risen above it.
Obama and his transition team have known that Blagojevich is corrupt and under investigation. Everyone knew this, so it difficult to believe that anyone would be stupid enough to get tangled in Blago’s corrupt dealings. Obama has much more to gain by being clean and has no incentive for corruption. Obama team members from Chicago - David Axelod, Rahm Emmanuel, and Valerie Jarrett - are included in the discussion of Blago’s corruption. Why would anyone on Obama’s team make a deal with Blagojevich? It doesn’t make sense to me, but the right-wing “guilt-by-association” game rarely is logical.
A number of other Chicago politicians are also discussed: U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., U.S. Rep. Jan Shakowski, President of the Illinois Senate Emil Jones, and others. It is likely that some additional people will be indicted, but the public has no evidence that any of the people being discussed were involved whatsoever in corruption. Many people have much faith in the work of U.S. Attorney Peter Fitzgerald. It’s best to let the truth come out before jumping to wild conclusions. We need to strengthen Chicago’s reform tradition, so it would be most unfortunate to damage the reputations of reform-minded politicians.
Quick Background on Chicago Politics
Richard J. Daley was mayor of Chicago from 1955 until his death in 1976. He built the infamous Chicago political machine, including a massive “patronage army”. The city was corrupt even on the most mundane grassroots level. Mike Royko’s book Boss is one of the few “must read” books about politics. Boss describes how, in Chicago, bribery and sleazy deal-making were the “normal” ways of doing business, paying traffic tickets, getting out the vote, constructing a building, getting a job, and getting anything done.
The election of Chicago Mayor Harold Washington in 1983 changed Chicago politics fundamentally by challenging Richard J. Daley’s old political machine. The “old guard” fought Washington and his allies every step of the way. The corrupt tradition was led by aldermen “Fast” Eddie Vrdolyak and Richard Mell. Richard Mell is Mrs. Blago’s father. Of course, the Blagos and Mells don’t get along anymore because, remember, no one gets along with Blago. Also, Blagojevich started his career by working for Vrdolyak. Obama’s base of support in Chicago is from the Harold Washington reform tradition.
Daley’s son Richard M. Daley has been mayor of Chicago since his first election in 1989. A number of people from his office have faced corruption charges. Actually, people from all traditions have been convicted, including those scooped up in Operation Silver Shovel. It’s especially disheartening to see so-called reformers involved in corruption. Chicago and Illinois have different overlapping power-bases, unlike the old days when there was one all-powerful Daley “machine”.
We are not unique - politics and corruption have been intertwined throughout time and geography. We must hold our elected officials to the highest standards and expect justice when corruption occurs. “Guilt-by-association” politics is a frustrating distraction and does a disservice to all of us.
Sphere: Related Content
3 Comments »
Loading ...