As the likelihood of an Obama and Democratic landslide moves from possibility to inevitability and as more and more Republicans jump on the Obama bandwagon, wailing Republicans are sounding off as if this were a sign of Armageddon. One Forbes columnist even questioned whether an Obama victory would result in the end of capitalism itself - as if the Republicans have been great stewards of the economy or Democrats have never held power before.
Coupled with comments by Governor Palin, Representative Bachmann and others dividing the country into "real Americans" (i.e., Republicans) and "American haters" (i.e., Democrats), this fear-mongering may only further prove how out of touch the Republican Party has become with mainstream Americans (or even history itself) as the electorate is becoming increasingly aware of how disastrous Republican policies have been over the past three decades.
Since 1980, the Republicans had one response to every problem -- tax cuts; as John McCain demonstrated when he called for a cut in capital gains taxes in response to the stock market crash (in which very few investors actually had gains). Voters went along with this "borrow from Peter to pay Paul" economics thinking they were (or soon would be) Paul, but now most of them realize that they were Peter all along.
Republicans transferred trillions of dollars to the wealthiest Americans, creating the greatest income disparity since the Depression and increasing the national debt by $8.2 trillion (or nearly $75,000 per household). For nearly thirty years, Republicans have chosen to invest in the rich, but not in America and we are witnessing a "quiet collapse in prosperity" as a result. For example, the current United States' rankings on life expectancy, water quality and infant mortality are 24th, 39th and 41st respectively falling behind countries such as Bosnia, Cuba, Panama, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
We have lived off the sacrifices of others and let our roads, bridges, water systems and other infrastructure decline to second world levels such that it would cost $1.6 trillion to merely get our current infrastructure to a functional level. But as former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker stressed last week, we need to begin "the physical rebuilding of our nation now."
We also have failed to invest in the infrastructure needed for our future economic growth. Our broadband penetration rank has fallen from 4th to 15th in five years (the reality is much worse since the U.S. measure relies on a methodology that overstates broadband penetration). Future economic growth also will require alternative energy sources, but Republicans have cut funding for alternative energy programs by two-thirds.
Today we have the highest level of income inequality, poverty and deaths due to lack of access to health care and the lowest level of social mobility among leading developed nations; but the Republicans' answer is to give tax cuts to the richest few Americans. We are spending $720 million each day in Iraq; but the Republicans want to stay indefinitely and cut taxes.
Our economy is in peril, but Republicans merely parrot the same lines they have since 1980. Amazingly, as Rome burns, these Deacons of Disaster and Division have the audacity to claim that only they are suited to run this country even when their policies would only feed the flames. The more Republicans claim that the sky will fall when Obama takes office in January, the more they demonstrate how tone deaf they have become.
Despite their sense of entitlement to power, in this country the power comes from the people. It comes from middle class Americans who have been ignored for years (and who pay the price for Republican's sabotaging a potential deal on the Clinton health plan after Bill Kristol warned it would give Democrats an electoral advantage). It comes from aging baby boomers who see a looming crisis with the Medicare and Social Security trust funds that the Republicans refuse to address. It comes from the many young voters whose future has been mortgaged by the Republican's reckless economic policy.
On Election Day, while Republicans desperately cling to their dogma of the past, a tidal wave of voters from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire and all the way to the curvaceous slopes of California will embrace the future. As darkness descends on the "Reagan Revolution," Republicans will discover that what they saw as signs that the sky would fall was simply the dawn of a new horizon.
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McCain could NOT say "Middle Class" in the debates as it appeared to CHOCK him, so he adopted "Joe the Plumber" as a surrogate for the Middle Class. McCain uses "TRICK MIRRORS" to portray "Joe of Wall Street" who wears a suit and tie and makes $350,000+ net income per year to look like "Joe the Plumber" who earns less than $45,000 net per year and wears a T-Shirt.
McCain knows "Joe of Wall Street" appears "Corrupt" in the minds of Middle Class voters! But McCain thinks "Joe the Plumber" is acceptable to the Middle Class! This lets "McCain SERVE the RICH" with TAX CUTS but make it look like he is "Serving the Middle Class."
Today we have the highest level of income inequality, poverty and deaths due to lack of access to health care and the lowest level of social mobility among leading developed nations; but the Republicans' answer is to give tax cuts to the richest few Americans. We are spending $720 million each day in Iraq; but the Republicans want to stay indefinitely and cut taxes."
Thanks for posting these comments -- what amazes me is how actual facts don't resound, but rather only empty rhetoric for the right. Why is it the 'conservatives' aren't concerned with conserving the gold standard by which America has stood apart for the last century?
Holding dear the aspirations of our founding fathers should mean promoting the general welfare -- and that is what the Republicans are trying to spin into 'socialism' -- amazing.
Why hey, if I can take on debt (just like Bush and Greedspan have) to make my bottom line look like we're making a profit--not just churning owed monies--I could make any business look viable. But it ain't, and the proof is in the next recession BushI inherited from Reagans voo doo economics, and this one engineered by his son using the same discredited notions.
Anyone who still believes Reagan or Bush are economic heroes needs to remember that, "United States' rankings on life expectancy, water quality and infant mortality are 24th, 39th and 41st respectively falling behind countries such as Bosnia, Cuba, Panama, Sri Lanka and Vietnam."
It is clear you are grasping at straws when you argue that it is okay that we have a lower standard than Vietnam et al since they are smaller countries -- when the data is on a per capita basis.
We dug our current hole for 30 years not 8. This really is Ronald Reagan's America.
And the only thing to "trickle down" in the last 30 years is the culture of debt. Plus a lot of yellow liquid down the necks of the "Joe the Plumbers."
It's a wonder that so many people still think that it is just rain flowing down their backs.
Its very hard to compare the 70's to any other period because of its own unique economic catalysts -an overheated economy due to Johnson's guns and butter decision, the end of price controls and two oil shocks (not to mention the pernicious effect of disco) - and it is also unfair to pin them solely on Carter.
To his credit, however, Carter appointed a strong Fed chairman (Paul Volcker) who under both Carter and Reagan beat inflation into submission; began reducing the deficit (despite beginning the post-Vietnam military buildup), and oddly enough had the highest average monthly job growth rate of any post-Watergate president
The recovery from the '82 recession was a classic Keynesian recovery. Reagan's policies only filtered into the deficit.
You gloss over the infrastructure issue - but it is a fact that we are spending only 1/3 of what we once did. You cite roads and water treatment plants but the City of Atlanta loses approx. 20 percent of its water to leaks and how steep a tax do we all pay for the delays and damage due to decaying roads?
The events of the last few months only reminded us that not only is the bill going to come due soon but it is much steeper than we ever imagine. And John Q Public is asking what he has to show for all the money he has paid out to Richie Rich (and is it greater than $75K per household).
Disco was our nation's strongest antidote to Nixonmania.
Apologists for Reagan are to be expected. What we hear from "the party of memory" is always the same--we were right! do it our way! do what we told you to do in 1930! Herbert Hoover was right! Reagan was right! Bush was right! The disasters are the fault of others!
Many right-wing wackos are blaming Democrats for "liberal spending" and for meddling in the free-market system and for the decline of America.
Don't just lie down and take it folks. Take the fight to them! Join me and other Progressive Americans and go to: http://TownHall.com
The Right Wing Bunker of Republican lies and misinformation.
Topics there for you to disabuse Republicans of include:
*The Christian Case Against Obama
*If Obama Can't Win He'll Steal
*Top Ten Reasons to vote for McCain/Palin
*The Great Temptation
*Do The Rich Owe Us?
*Freedom Matters
While its great to hang out and publish here. Help correct the right wingers of their myopia at TownHall.
Too many voters have been willing accomplices to the greatest heist in history. They helped wage class warfare against themselves.
"It's 'we, the people', stupid."
Free will and personal responsibility followed by accountability.
Onward!