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Election Day is coming soon. Before it's too late lets look at some facts.
Forget the past; lets look at the future under the Republicans if they gain control again. First, be prepared to be lied to when black will be white and up will be down. Demagoguery will be rampant and they will try to make you afraid; very afraid. Reality will disappear and ideology will replace common sense.
You think I exaggerate? Please listen to Keith Olbernamm as he tells you who those small businessmen really are. You know, they're the ones who will be hurt if the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% are cut according to John Boehner and his brethren.
Do you know the definition of 'small businessmen'? I didn't either until Keith explained it. Here is part of the explanation:
Firms like the billionaire Koch Brothers who are backers of the Tea Party are small businessmen. You think I am kidding? No way would I mislead you. Do you know the reason they are classified as small businessmen? Because their company operates as either an S Corporation, sole proprietorship, partnership or a limited liability company. The companies pass the profits directly to the owners who pay taxes on the profits. They are, by definition, classified as small businesses because the owners are small in number. In the case of S corporations the number of owners can be 100. The term small business has nothing at all to do with the size of the business or the profit it makes. These so called 'small businesses' earn millions and sometimes billions each year. Poor babies, they really need that tax cut.
And those, my friend, are the small businesses that the Republicans want to save the tax breaks for. A lie, by any other name, still smells as bad.
Now if you didn't have to hold your nose after reading the explanation of a small business here is a list of what the Republicans will try to do if they gain control of our government again. After reading them, if you agree with me that this is a disaster waiting to happen, please help get out the vote. This could be the most important vote anyone makes. Tell your friends that those small businesses are spending billions trying to defeat the Democrats and we need to stir up the base again.
As an aside, the Republican deep pocket is paying for an ad against my wonderful Representative, Gabrielle Giffords, and it is repeated endlessly on all of the channels while I have only seen one of her ads. Her opponent, a real whacko named Kelly, sponsored by the Tea Party, wants to privatize Social Security and Medicare for starters. He must not be elected.
Now on to an abbreviated list taken from the Alter Net and written by Devona Walker.
- 1. Shut down the government to stop the Health Care bill. They have a plan to not fund it. Senator Coburn and Rep. Mike Pence have already made it clear that this is the plan.
- 2. Attempt to privatize Social Security and Medicare. For those of us on Social Security, this would have been a total disaster when the stock market lost 40% of its value during the financial crisis.
- 3. Spend every walking hour investigating the Obama administration. Michelle Bachmann is proposing issuing subpoena after subpoena and have one hearing after another. Is this what you want your government to spend their time on? Remember when nothing got done while they impeached Clinton for a sex act that should have been nobodies business other than Hillary's. (Before some righteous individual rises up in anger at the statement I will remind the person that one of the leaders in promoting the impeachment is a thrice married man who asked his hospitalized wife for a divorce while she was in treatment for cancer so he could marry his mistress.) Oh yeah, I mean the loud mouthed Newt Gingrich.
- 4. Repeal the 14th amendment - divest immigrants' children of citizenship.
- 5. Forget Cap and Trade. Those small business men, the Koch Bros., have already donated 1 million to suspend the Global Warming legislation in California. They are oil men, after all.
- 6. Return to the disastrous economic policies that got us in the financial crisis in the first place. Rep. Darrell Issa wants finance reform repealed.
- 7. Kill or drastically slash the Food Stamp Program. Let them eat cake I guess.
- 8. Roll back and repeal equal rights for gays. The party platform has not changed and the Montana GOP platform now calls for making homosexuality illegal.
- 9. Abandon the unemployed. During one week 2 million unemployed lost their benefits while the Republicans filibustered the extension of unemployment benefits.
- 10. Paralyze one branch of our government. The Republicans will continue to obstruct anything the Democrats do because that is the way they hope to take back the White House.
I wrote this yesterday and today's NYT had the following editorial which is a very good read on this subject. Please click on the link. (You may have to click a second time. When I tested it an ad came up the first time)
37 comments:
Absolutely fantastic post, Darlene. Of course I agree with every single word of it.
AP just released a poll saying most Americans do not like the HC Reform because it doesn't go far enough.
Great Post!
I actually figure the Republicans will spend the next two years just trying to find ways to impeach Obama and drag his staff in front of House Committees...
Darlene - wonderful and informative post for this One Woman. Thank You.
Darlene, I've been wanting to write you for a while and tell you how much I admire your ability to talk about political and human rights issues. Your mind is amazing and I'm so glad we have the internet so that you can share your deep wisdom and insight with the rest of us.
I agree too, of course. Unfortunately, there are many, many people who don't think like we do - and they can be led by idiots to do stupid things. I hope they don't make headway this time.
*tnlib - Thank you. I hope that poll is correct.
*TAO - Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you will return.
Since the Repubs. don't have anything new to offer I am sure you are right.
*One Woman's Journey - You're welcome and thank you right back.
*marcia mayo - So nice of you to drop in. I thank you for your kind words, although I am sure I do not deserve them.
*kenju - Sad to say, but you are right. I hope there are still more people in American left with a brain than those sheep led astray by false prophets.
Am I mixing up my metaphors? ;-)
Thanks for putting this all together. It's been made pretty clear in pblic by the REpublicans themselves. I can only hope our "base" will be as energized by theirs.
*ellen - How nice of you to visit. I hope you will come back.
Yes, that's what I am hoping for.
Thanks for the link to the Times editorial; I'll include it in Citizen K. tomorrow. Sadly, reason is not exactly preeminent right now.
It's unreal to me that the R's are still pushing privatization of Social Security after the near-crash of the stock market. Moreover, Social Security is pretty much self-funding; cutting it to achieve other savings so that they can justify an extension of the Bush tax cuts is downright criminal.
On the other, maybe Michelle Bachman should head up some hearings. It might be useful for the American people to get a better at the inmates in charge of the Republican looney bin.
A great, big virtual hug and kiss! You, my Lady, are awesome.
Amen!!!!!!
The reason I haven't been posting is that I'm working my old butt off on my Congressman's campaign among other things. He's in a race against a tea bagger who's a millionaire who's been sued countless times for assorted things including the death of one of the patients in a nursing home he owns/owned.
Nail on the head, Darlene! This message needs to rocket around the blogosphere, clog up the emails, and fry Facebook from now to November. If we don't do it, do we really think anyone else will?
Barry sent me and I am glad he did. I did not know that about small business. This post needs to make the rounds like the hate mail does in my inbox.
I do believe we out number them and could out vote them, we just have to do it.
Thank you for some clarity. I'll pass this post on.
*K - I'm afraid if Michelle did head up hearings the public would never see her. They will be too busy watching faux reality shows. Apathy is another ill that needs to be addressed.
*Barry - You are so good for my ego. Thank you and here's virtual hug right back. A big thanks for sending Arkansas Patti my way.
*Kay - I am so proud of you. We need more activists like you. Keep up the good work.
*Nance - Maybe the voters are waiting for the tooth fairy to bail them out. ;-)
*Arkansas Patti - Thank you for stopping by. I hope it won't be the last time. I appreciate your sending it on.
It must be tough being a progressive or a liberal in your state. Arizona isn't exactly blue, either, and I share your pain. Thank goodness for the 'delete' button when the hate mail enters our in-box.
Brilliant post! And so illuminatng. Thanks, Darlene....you are a reliable source!! :)
*Xtreme English - I hope I'm reliable. I try to be.
Wonderful post. Clear, concise, informative and honest. You are so right. It will be a disaster if the tea baggers take over.
*20th Century Woman - Lets hope for a miracle instead of another disaster.
I completely agree with you Darlene...thanks for this wonderful and informative post.
Lots of great information and arguments here. Hope it reaches many voters.
*Joy Des Jardins - You're welcome.
*Joared - I'm just preaching to the choir. I don't think it reaches beyond that.
Another excellent post, Darlene. As you see here, many of us admire your writing and your spunk. Though we often feel we're just talking to one another, I want progressives to stand up tall. We feel beaten down because the media likes to focus on looniness and ignore those who are not outrageous. It's so important to know we are not alone...thank you for bringing us together.
I am worried about this election. I hope people really speak out that not voting is not right. If it's true that Democrats aren't inspired then it's to the shame of Democrats. We may not be thrilled with all that they have done (some of this isn't their fault but the system's) but the alternative is clearly disastrous for anyone concerned for the poor, for health care, for controlling the big spending corporations, for education. I am amazed that Republicans have been able to so rehabilitate their image as to even have this be possible. Money talks.
*Naomi Dagen Bloom - I know I am preaching to the choir. I appreciate your kind words very much.
*Rain - I guess we have to chalk the resurgence of the Republicans to a simple fact; never underestimate the ignorance of the American voter.
Rain, the American voter has the memory of a stone. There is no rational reason to vote Republican this fall: They got us into the mess we're in, the party is hostage to its fruitcake wing, and they've all but promised to shut down the govt.
The American left, to its shame, has played a significant role in holding down turnout. Between Ralph Nader and this fall, the left has shown an ability to shoot everyone in the foot, but that's about it.
*K - I totally agree with your analysis.
Well said!!!! I am campaigning for my congressman like mad because his opponent is everything I DON'T believe in and even made Crooks and Liars this morning.
*Kay Dennison - Good for you. My Senator has an opponent who wants to privatize S.S. and Medicare. He is for the bad AZ law on immigration. They are all over.
Darlene, one more point....what bothers me is how CONFUSING it is. and yes, I am confuse-able, but who exactly are the bad guys in this election? the tea party candidates, the regular GOP incumbents, or the dipsh*t democratic party incumbents (and yes, there are some)??
The bad guys are the nativist right wingers who want to return this country to the bad old days of states' rights. I'm no fan of Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), for example, but at least she doesn't want that.
If you vote R, that's what you're voting because that's where the power in the Republican party lies, no matter what the politics of an individual Republican. Look at how so-called moderates Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe have rolled over for the right-wingers in their party. Maine is now represented by a couple of political bagwomen for a reactionary senator from South Carolina.
An excellent summary of the future under a Republican-controlled Congress. A nightmare. I try to figure out how I will bear it--and quickly have to turn my mind back to the present, where there is still hope. Even in SC, we MUST VOTE!
*Xtreme English - I think the real bad guys are the 'behind the scenes' players like the Koch Brothers and Rupert Murdoch and a few other billionaires who are financing the shills.
*K - Read Paul Krugman's editorial in this morning's NYT and you will find that he concurs.
*Nance - I'm trying to remain optimistic, but it's getting harder.
We don't really have the money to donate right now but we found some anyway. Money is a lot of this as the corporate masters are pouring it in; and surprising though it is to me, those ads work. Don't even ask me what that means for who Americans are but any study they do to look at it finds most are ignorant of the basics of their country or they are misinformed and prefer to believe the lie.
No matter how you might be frustrated by Democrats, and I have been, any look at what the Republicans would do give you no choice if you value education, health care or don't want Obama investigated over and over for silly things to avoid facing real things. With the Republicans winning the House will go all the committee chair positions to people like Issa in California.
If Democrats lose, it'll be because Democrats didn't get out and vote!
*Rain - We need the Independents, too. I am so fearful for our country right now that I really urge all like minded people to vote.
Very well done, Darlene! You have given any undecided voter great food for thought. Republican control will destroy this country, and you have laid out exactly how and why. VOTE, DEMOCRATS!
*Jack Jodell - Thank you.
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