Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Obama Leads While Congress Stumbles

Obama Leads While Congress Stumbles

President Obama again decisively demonstrated skilled diplomacy as he and Hillary deftly garnered the international support for intervention in protecting thousands of people from a mad dictator. There should be a nonpartisan effort to stand with the world and face down Muammar Gaddafi. Instead, Republicans are criticizing Obama for – get this – lack of leadership? I guess when you have nothing to offer, attack someone else for your own failure to lead. Even Dennis Kucinich, a Democrat, criticized the President for not getting approval from Congress.

So where was the House? At recess…
Congress could not even muster enough interest to meet to address the humanitarian crisis in Libya. Republican Hose Speaker Boehner could have called the House back into session, but he failed to act at this critical moment. Hypocrisy is such a Republican mainstay now the world rightfully asks, “Was Boehner on a corporate sponsored golf junket?”

America is playing this one perfectly. We are gathering real support from nations around the world to deal with rogue regime intent on massacring it’s own citizens.

Contrast this with the dark years of the Bush administration fabricating intelligence reports, scaring the country with nonexistent WMDs, and forcing Colin Powell to lie before the UN holding a baggie of white powder. That is just one of the images from that era that shamed America.

But America has turned a corner since then. The genius of Obama’s actions in this situation re-inspire the American people and the world to once again have confidence in the United States government to identify and address real crises. The US once again serves as a role model to the rest of the world when the President leads the American people in living up to it’s ideals.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

As Republicans Lurch Right, Moderates & Independents are Left Behind.

As the Republicans lurch ever further to the right, moderates and Independents are left behind.

The divide between Republicans and the rest of the country is growing ever wider, and moderates and liberals are slowly realizing they actually have a great deal in common.

Even some Republicans who have managed to unplug from FOX have realized that they, too, have a lot more in common with those who support working Americans than they previously thought.

The birther-muslim-kenyan etc. craze has served as a lightning rod for Republicans to draw attention away from their radical pro-rich agenda. The daily shriek is just a smokescreen designed to make what Republicans are really up to seem less extreme in comparison.

Everyone except the most extreme Republicans have come to realize that what is good for the richest 1% is not good for the remaining 99% of Americans. We are all starting to realize that America is made up of more than multi-national corporations; America is made up of people.

Moderates and independents join the liberals in a collective "WTF?" when Republicans vote to keep giving oil companies tens of Billions of dollars in welfare payments. No Republican "talking point" can overpower the fact that oil companies are the most profitable in the history of the world and should not be getting subsidies from the taxpayers.

Independents and moderates are no more immune to rising gasoline prices at the pump than anyone else. So as Wall street speculators drive up the price of oil, Independents, moderates and liberals are coming to the same conclusion: There is something wrong with Republican "business as usual".

So as the almost continuous campaigns heat up, we all know what to expect. The Republicans will trot out all of their tired tactics designed to divide people on social issues in hopes of driving Americans with common economic interests apart. They are playing to an ever shrinking, ever more radical conservative base, leaving most of America behind.

Independents and moderates are not fooled by these distractions. As much as the Republicans have attempted to demonize everything they disagree with as "liberal", it turns out that liberal values are American values. A majority of Americans don't want to change Social Security and, despite the inaccurate reports in the media, Social Security is not "broke". Americans believe it's unfair when people are thrown off their health insurance when they become sick. We realize that tax cuts for the rich only benefit the rich, and the rest of us (and our children) are left paying the bill for it.