It's a familiar joke: A man falls off a forty-story building; as he passes the twentieth floor, a friend yells out the window, "How's it going?" and the faller screams, "So far, so good!" Now it's become the Republican campaign theme.
The United States is in free fall. The economy is stagnant and shedding good jobs. We've lost our edge in the global marketplace. The middle class is getting squeezed out, as the rich get richer and the poor poorer. We're stuck in an endless war in Afghanistan. Horrific problems, such as global climate change, are ignored. Millions of voters believe the good ship America has lost her way.
Meanwhile Republicans play blame games. Stoke the fires of polarization. Chant: "So far, so good. Let's shut down the government."
As the US heads into a critical midterm election, the US electorate is more polarized than at any time since the Vietnam War. And Republicans view this as an accomplishment rather than as a problem.
Attitudes about health care reform typify our political division. The latest Kaiser Foundation Tracking Poll indicates that while support for the bill is increasing -- 49 percent of respondents now have a favorable opinion of it versus 40 percent unfavorable -- the opposition has become more entrenched. 26 per cent feel the bill should be repealed "as soon as possible." (A Fox News poll shows that 44 percent favor repealing.)
There's a hardcore conservative minority that opposes everything the Obama Administration proposes: economic stimulus, action to spur employment, tax increases for billionaires, campaign finance reform, repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," cap and trade legislation to limit emissions, and on and on. They don't have any substantive counter proposals; they're united by hatred of Barack Obama.
Recently, the GOP released their Pledge to America. If these were not such serious times, the document might be dismissed as political humor, a parody of 1994's Republican Contract with America. Pledge is best understood as a baroque overture to the Tea Party movement that has its own Contract from America.
These conservative manifestos share three components: First, the belief that power has to be returned to the states, that much of what goes on in Washington is unconstitutional. (Conservatives believe that, because of the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, many Federal laws are unconstitutional because they usurp power from states -- the so-called Tenther movement.) The second component is the desire to reign in government spending and cut taxes - although there are few serious proposals on how to do this other than defunding health care. And finally, conservatives propose to solve the energy crisis by removing all barriers to exploration of domestic reserves and operation of US power plants -- regardless of the environmental consequences or the fact that this won't solve the problem.
Neither the Pledge to America nor the Contract from America consider the United States' most pressing problems, how to: guarantee good jobs for working Americans, end the war in Afghanistan, ameliorate global climate change, and reduce the role of moneyed interests in American politics. These are "So far, so good" plans that ignore America's real problems and instead appeal to nativism.
Given that the conservative manifestos are not solutions oriented -- they're rants -- why are polarization politics working? Why does the enthusiasm gap favor conservatives?
An obvious answer is that it's easier to be against something rather than for it, particularly in the middle of a depression. Rank-and-file conservatives who were outraged by the election of Barack Obama have seized upon difficult economic times as an excuse to rail against all things Democratic.
But there are two other culprits. Every problem is someone's opportunity. And America's problems have presented conservative media with a terrific opportunity to expand their base. As Barack Obama's numbers have fallen, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh's have risen.
But let's not forget the free-market capitalists, the power elite who were the real base of the George W. Bush era. Conservative powerbrokers like the Koch brothers have seized on inchoate populist anger, molded it into the Tea Party movement, and harnessed it for their avaricious purposes.
There are unusually high stakes in the November 2nd midterm election. It's about more than which Party will control the Senate and the House of Representatives, which Party will be seen as having momentum going into the 2012 Presidential election.
Conservatives want to shut down the Federal Government. Republican Senator Jim DeMint brags that his objective is paralyze the Senate in "complete gridlock."
Their plan seems to be working. The United States is in free fall and the radical Republican response is, "So far, so good. We want the government to crash."
This is NOT the time for compromisers. This is not the time for bailing out billionaires "for the greater good".
This is a time to end pretty much every policy of the past 30 years: NAFTA, free trade with slave labor China. H-1b, open borders, US involvement in state building around the world. It all has to end.
Obama is advancing the corporatist agenda against the wishes of Democrats... offshore and onshore drilling expanded, taxpayer dollars for nuclear, no accountability for war contractors, Wall Street or conservative Supreme Court activism... continued subsidies for oil and gas that dwarf his "green" spending... Social Security under attack by "experts" Obama coddles despite ideological hostility... entrenching corporate interests in health care... wars continue while claiming to end them... targeted assasinations with innocents being killed... economic warfare against Iran for exercising legal rights we agreed to... tolerating war crimes by an ally... continued rights and privacy intrusion... and on and on.
Sorry, but this left/right post is based on a faulty premise just as divorced from reality as the GOP.
I get the motivation to advance party politics, but...
I think another reason why we are in free fall, in addition to finding it easier to be against than for, is the compelling attraction to fear. And the fear is everywhere--the extreme right-wing AM Radio programs, the Becks, Hannity's, and O'Reilly's, the tea-party
rebel-rouser's like Palin, and the cowardice, misinformation, corporate-protecting rhetoric from them all and from those in office and those running for.
I believe that is why Fox and AM Stations have such high ratings, and why these candidates are drawing crowds and votes; people are drawn to fear. It is the emotion and adrenalin of it, I believe. Like turning out to watch a train wreck. They are being told where to lay blame for their troubles. The lies and misinform gives people a target. All they have to hear is where to point the finger of blame and "we will fix it," and they are drawn into a psychological euphoria of hope. It is a type of mass hysteria.
The problem is, they are not checking their sources. As you say, the voters are going the easy route. Unfortunately, they are being deceived and they are voting away their rights.
It IS a well-deserved accomplishment.
There is a misnomer that only Democrats tax and spend. The FFACT is that Republicans borrow and spend equally as bad. Think about this FFACT: There are NO fiscal conservatives in the Democratic party. There are very few fiscal conservatives in the Republican party. That means that both parties tax, borrow, and spend our children’s money at will.
This also means words that are used to imply some sort of “middle ground†between Republicans and Democrats like â€bipartisanâ€, “moderateâ€, “middleâ€, “centristâ€, or â€independentâ€, are more accurately describing the different degrees of “willingness to move towards Socialismâ€. In other words, if you find “middle ground†it never means a step towards conservatism.
This use of these terms also presents itself when liberals use words like “obstructionistâ€, “gridlock†and phrases like â€we need to come together†to imply that conservatives are taking an objectionable stand. They use these terms knowing that the “compromise†or “common ground†will ultimately be a conservative capitulation resulting in a liberal resolution that moves our country closer to Socialism.
Children should watch for these terms knowing that when used, a liberal is demanding that a conservative move his position towards socialism. Get the FFACTS about spending our children's money at http://theffacts.com/.
And if there are "NO fiscal conservatives in the Democratic party" how do you explain Clinton's record of reducing the size of government, reducing discretionary spending and operating from and turning over a budget surplus?
And why is doing nothing except spending money for unneeded wars and going deeper in debt for tax breaks for the wealthy a "well-deserved accomplishment".
Just wondering.
2. Clinton was definitely a fiscal-liberal but also a populist in that he discarded his big-government plans to insure his re-election. He reluctantly compromised with conservatives, in selling his political soul, and that slowed the move towards socialism.
3. Wars are never “unneededâ€. Wars can be fought with stupidity, costing way too much money, but they always serve a purpose. That is, people around the world hate the United States, and envy its rich people, just the way you do. However, unlike you, the people around the world that hate us are very dangerous and must be stopped. They can’t be reasoned with, they must be stopped. So, I agree with you that the war has been way too costly, especially in human life, but let’s be clear that freedom is never free.
Regarding tax breaks for the wealthy, who is this wealthy and what do they do with their money? Unless they stick it in their pillow they are spending or investing it which means more jobs. You just think that the government taking this money is the right penalty for someone who succeeds. You miss the crucial fact that wealth creates wealth. That is, for every rich person there is hundreds if not thousands of other wealthy people because of the rich person’s efforts.
Class envy not good: http://theffacts.com/2010/09/10/ffact-class-envy-gives-liberalisim-the-perfect-villain/
Simple analagy - the republicans (bush, republican Senate and House) drove the economic bus down the mountain ($600 billion drug bill to protect big pharmaceuticals, $1.4 trillion tax cuts primarily benefitting the wealthy, $1 trillion unfunded unnecessay war in Iraq) to the edge of a cliff. Quickly they (bush) threw a life line (TARP) to the drivers (Wall St. & wealthy) and hauled them to safety. They left the bus and passengers (main street middle class) hanging on the side of the cliff. Obama sent a small tow truck (stimulus) to hold the bus from falling further down the cliff - but, it was too small to pull the bus back up the mountain. What was needed was a large crane to move the bus. What the now safe drivers (republicans) are asking for is to cut the ropes to the tow truck, take the money spent for the tow truck and give it to the drivers (retain the bush tax cuts) and then they can buy a new bus and can start driving it again.
Incredible!
Ask a "conservative" (republican) if they stand for smaller government, less deficit spending and increased personal liberty and they will undoubtedly scream "Of Course"! Yet, of the last five administrations, only Clinton's actually reduced the size of government (by both numbers of employees and discretionary spending). Of the last twelve administrations, only three (Reagan, Bush 1 and Bush 2) increased deficit spending and the national debt as a % of GDP. And from warrantless wiretaps to "gay marriage", suspension of habeus corpus to requiring immigration papers of anyone appearing Hispanic and wanting to amend the Constitution, or (god forbid) building a (shudder) Mosque - Liberty has become "freedom to be just like me", period!
Likewise, "liberals" (democrats) don't see the hypocrisy of appointing a tax dodger to be Secretary of the Treasury, don't get promises of transparency given way to secret meetings to gut major health care and financial reform bills, or continuing the unnecessary Iraq war, rendition, Guantanamo, expanding Afghanistan, and on and on.
Whatever the elections bring, this country is in deep trouble.
A more sick group of bastards have not been assembled on this earth since the days of Rome (just before the fall of Rome).... come to think f it, I believe I hear Nero playing again!
I did figure out how to save billions of our tax dollars... and cut out 90% of all pork from the budget. Just disband the entire GOP... send the party of NO home forever. Just tell them No thanks, we don't need you or want you any further... Your dis-service is no longer needed!
The Conservatives consider their neighbors to be people that they try not to hit driving to work in the morning. Oh, unless that person gets raped. Then they care a lot about what happens to that person and her body. Oh, and unless that person wants to marry someone of their own gender. Or unless a person happens to be gay and wants to become a teacher. The list is endless.
Basically, as I can surmise from their policies, Conservatives want to be isolated from their fellow Americans unless those fellow Americans are different from them. Then they want complete control over their fellow citizens.
Fanned & fanned!