So Mitt Romney has finally prevailed over the other
repugnant
Republican challengers for the party's presidential nomination. This
was largely due to copious amounts of negative advertising, aimed
particularly against Rick Santorum. Now it will be time to "pivot", or
moderate his hard right positions, while the radical reactionaries
suspiciously scrutinize. If he does or doesn't reach Independents, one
thing will be clear: he and fellow Republicans will count on befuddling
our ignorant and foolish electorate like never before.
Let's take some issues. Polls show that by overwhelming majorities
Americans want the "Buffett rule" (a 30% tax on million dollar incomes)
enacted, they want oil subsidies repealed, a Public Option, diminished
defense spending, passage of a jobs bill and affordable education.
Republicans, having shorn all moderates, all stand against all of these
measures. Romney and fellow Republicans not only want to do away with
women's reproductive choices but want to do away with access to their
affordable health care too. Remember that Romney has stated that he
supports the life at conception legislation which would outlaw the
common forms of birth control--but he is not against contraception.
Then there is the credibility factor (at this point Romney has
virtually none) and the character and likability traits as well as the
"values" consideration. In all these areas, Romney trails. Yet,
according to a mid April CBS poll, Romney and Barack Obama are about
tied in the presidential race. Blaming President Obama for the sagging
economy, while subverting everything he has tried to do to spur
recovery, seems to be working for the Tea Party confederates.
And it isn't like Obama has gone all left wing on us. His insurance
mandate, cap and trade, Patriot Act etc. support (eliminating rights
and freedoms), lack of transparency, increased oil drilling and silence
on gun proliferation abetted by the "stand your ground" laws all are,
or originally were, Republican positions. As he reminds voters of this
he is actually declaring that he is a Republican in disguise.
So the Plutocratic party has to sell voters on the idea that cutting
taxes for the rich and essential programs for the dependent is the way
to general prosperity while reducing the national debt. Romney supports
the Rep. Ryan plan which would accomplish all but the last part. It is
estimated that about half of our population already is in or near
poverty status. The right wing wants to eliminate the "near". It is
apparently counting on the majority to support engorging the rich as
the fools think they will be rich some day in the land of minimal
upward mobility. Everyone will win the jackpot lottery soon. Right.
Another ploy is the feigned "victimization" as demonstrated in the
Hilary Rosen comment about working moms. Everyone knows that she meant
"outside the home" but Republicans tried to make it seem that Obama was
criticizing stay at home mothers. In citing the "dignity of [outside]
work" for welfare mothers Romney never mentioned his wife's lack of
such dignity. Yet Obama ran for cover rather than setting the record
straight.
Aside from such distortions, expect to hear more outright lies (e.g.
the rich create jobs so cut their taxes) from the right.* Republican
lies are so commonplace now that we have come to accept them as our new
norm. And aside from the distortions there is the bellicose fear
mongering which scarcely hides the racism. Right wing atrocious
behavior has sunk to new lows.
However, there is one contrast between the candidates that overrides
other considerations. If given the chance, Romney will nominate a hard
right, corporatist judge for the Supreme Court while Obama will offer a
moderate, when what we need is a true, adamant liberal/progressive. The
Romney Justice would hasten America's demise considerably just as the
Bush appointees have.
Any sensible voter would eliminate every Republican candidate possible
at the voting booth. The fact that races are even close is a damning
indictment of the capability of our electorate to manage a healthy
republic. It is substantial evidence that this country is in
irreversible decline.
* [Keep in mind that absent deindustrialization and choking off
globalization, no president is going to return us to the relatively
low, pre-recession unemployment rate. The recession was a tipping
point. Absent demand, businesses lowered costs by investing in
technological replacements for workers. Developing countries have or
will acquire sufficient infrastructure to offer cheaper and/or better
workers to the world markets. We have job openings here but an
inadequate training infrastructure to provide competent employees for
the technical work--and we are making advanced education increasingly
unaffordable.
Economic growth does not equate with general prosperity, i.e. a
stronger, working middle class and less poverty. We have seen how
"growth" has only benefitted the financial houses, bigcorps and their
owners and executives. And the structural impediments to significant
U.S. job growth are imbedded in the current housing, credit card and
educational debt hole which weakens the consumer spending that propped
up the economy before the recession. Even then, higher taxes used to
invest in rebuilding and enhancing our infrastructure would have
facilitated new business (if the economy recovered) but we didn't do
that largely thanks to Republican resistance. Add in the now chronic
European debt insecurity and the sclerotic political scene in
Washington and the return to 5% unemployment looks highly dubious. Any
promises to the contrary, absent some kind of sound, accompanying
stimulus plan, should be considered outright lies.]
April 25, 2012
JBM
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