Republican Debt Perception

Good Morning Bloggers! Since I seem to have drifted into my summer season, which is more about playing outside than writing about politics, I'll still do my best to get angry about something. Let's see, how about what I like to call the most recent Republican Brainwashing Initiative (RBI 2.0). Let's face it, the majority of them (non-tea-party-folk) have been relatively silent for a while. I think that seems to be changing.

I think our Republican friends are beginning to stir a little more these days. It seems they've been listening to FOX "News" (RBI central) long enough now [since their election losses] for some of their more heinous brainwashing to take full effect. At least in my world, they've begun to share. They're beginning their usual blame game, and unfortunately facts have little to do with how they assess or assign blame.

The lies have begun to flow like girly-poop in a man-sized Texas toilet. In the same way Ronald Reagan's fake legacy blossomed after a a few years (I guess they forget faster these days - must be the drugs in our water), George W. Bush is beginning to emerge as a competent president who ran a highly successful foreign policy and economy. The signs are there that he is destined for honor and glory within the party. I must admit, you have to admire them for their ability to turn anybody, even the biggest loser, into a hero.

Unfortunately, and equally perplexing, President Obama is now the one responsible for everything bad that's happening in the world - especially the bad bits they're mostly responsible for.

I could ramble on (as I usually do - to get the facts right) with a laundry list of BS they're beginning to buy into again, but that would be exhausting for all of us, and I want to go play outside. So, let's focus. What are the far-right screw-ups - the ones who drink their own Kool-Aid - really annoying me most about these days? What propaganda pisses me off the most?

I know! It's that latest false factoid being spewed on FOX "News" day and night these days - not to menation the lesser media minions. Hannity, O'Reilly, Cavuto and the rest are all talking about it ad nausea. They even have their creepy-crawlies Coulter and Matlin carrying the water on other networks. I guess it must be an edict from the top, wherever that top is these days.

What is it? It's their claim - which my friends and family now believe - that Barack Obama has now contributed more to the federal debt than any president before him. It's BS, but they keep saying it.

The claim is outrageous. It has no bases in fact. The federal debt remains the responsibility of the Republican Party, since their leadership created over 90% of it. Barack Obama has contributed to less than 1% of the federal debt so far, and his annual budget deficit is still overwhelmingly the product of George W. Bush.

A matter of fact, George W. Bush is reponsible for contributing the most to the federal debt. Now that's a fact you can take to the bank.

Of course, the far-right will ignore the obvious facts. A matter of fact (sorry, it's a fun word), I'm pretty sure we'll have somebody crapping those very same Republican BS-talking points in response to this very post.

As always, the Republicans are lying to the American people and to themselves. As you can see by the chart above, George W. created the largest annual deficits in American history. Incredibly, those annual deficits would be even higher if war borrowing had been included on the federal books. Barack Obama has included those negatives since taking office, which has increased the debt

I know it had to be done, but I wonder if the Republicans will get away with painting us with their own stink of irresponsibility. Unfortunately, our own honesty may become a liability in 2012.

In my humble opinion, because of these and other lies, the Republicans have no honor. They are liars, plain and simple. The Republican leadership/elite will do or say anything to regain their power, and that includes massive doses of propaganda. We can only hope the American people will not fall for it again. "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." Let's hope that shame remains a distant memory.

Just to be clear, the facts about the federal debt are simple. I have reviewed them on this blog numerous times. The overwhelming majority (over 90%) of today's federal/foreign debt was created during the leadership of the Republicans. They borrowed to lower taxes. It was done mostly under Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and George W. Bush. Bill Clinton lowered the debt. Those are the facts (see the chart below).

Like most Democrats, I can't stand the way President Obama is forced to spend to salvage today's broken economy, but to blame him for the debt is tantamount to blaming the Democrats for starting the Iraq War. They may have been involved to some degree, but the blame lies clearly at the feet of the Republican Party.

I will probably be writing about some of the other bits and pieces of propaganda the Republicans are pushing these days, but let's leave those for another time. Today it's all about the way they're lying about the money.

What do we ordinary American citizens do? We do what's right, and tell the truth. Please, keep talking to your friends and family about the facts. Tell the truth about the lies. I don't care how many times we have to say it, it's important to get our message out. WE ALL NEED TO TELL THE TRUTH!

WE MUST NOT allow those at FOX "News," or similar-slimy-corrupt-propaganda-fake-news-outlets, to poison the minds of the American people. We need to keep reminding our friends and family the truth about what really happened, and most important, about what really went wrong.

Thursday's Political Rant - Michael

PS - I know most have to work, but I'm taking a break at noon to join a group of protesters in front of Dianne Feinstein's office on Santa Monica Boulevard at noon this afternoon. If you're in LA, please consider joining us to call on her to support a strong public option as part of health care reform. If not, please think about contacting your representatives. It's the only way to prevent the private-sector from robbing us of affordable health care. Thanks - MB

Too Weird for Words

Good Morning Bloggers! I hope you all had a great Independence Day! I loved my vacation! Northern California is now one of my favorite parts of the country - I think I'll be visiting more often. I even think I could live there one day.

In addition to a great time in San Francisco, I loved Sonoma, the Russian River Valley, Green Valley, Bodega Bay (all the Coastal towns pretty much), and especially Tomales Bay and Point Reyes. They were all amazing!

Anyway, the only thing I would like to say today is that I think Sarah Palin is one FREAKY WACKO! That press conference announcing her resignation made the one by Mark Sanford look sane. I especially loved the quacking ducks in the background while she complained about being a lame duck. What an idiot!

What the hell is happening to the now laughable GOP leadership? Are they all on drugs? If not, they sure are acting like it. My guess is Crystal Meth. I hear it's popular in the red states.

The idea that she's trying to claim persecution by the press and the opposition is unbelievable. Doesn't she realize the press only mocks what it doesn't understand? Doesn't she realize that she's only "persecuted" because nobody understands what the hell she's doing or talking about most of the time? I'm sorry, but it's NOT because she's a woman. She/he/it is getting exactly what it deserves.

The woman is an embarrassment by all measures. The idea that some Republicans will continue to support this freak, or defend her actions, is crazy. She is hurting the party. You Republicans need to jettison her. Unless she gets a brain transplant - highly unlikely - it's clear she's going nowhere. I think she could hurt the GOP for years to come.

She is obviously an opportunist who's leveraging her I'm-the-victim-here-like fame to acquire even more fame and power. To me, she's clearly a narcissistic, ego-maniacal, crazy woman!

She's also confusing, strange, and (especially after he resignation) undeserving of anybodies political support. For me, she's too weird for words - so I'll just give up now. I welcome your own comments, but that's my gut reaction for now.

Monday's Political Rant - Michael

The Republican Spectacle of 2009

Good Morning Bloggers! I must say it's extraordinary to watch the Republicans these days. It's the talk of the political world, so let's add our voices to the gossip flying around about the GOP's current campaign of shock and awe.

We all know it's easier to herd cats than to get Democrats to agree, but I always thought the Republicans were the disciplined party. They always seemed willing to sacrifice individual expression for party unity.

Well, I guess not during a serious power struggle, like the GOP of 2009. It's incredible to watch, but there's no doubt they are deep in battle, with no end in sight. They are all busy forming strange alliances among elected officials, party loyalists and special interest groups. Unlike past Democratic power struggles, to me the GOP equivalent seems brutal, almost Roman-like in spectacle!

The GOP elite are all jockeying for favor among a small group of fantatical die-hards. This donation-friendly fringe of Republican radicals seem to hold all the power, and they seem to be enjoying the blood sport - at least for now. People like Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich are all on a feeding frenzy, all benefiting from the party's perceived lust for senseless change. Don't forget the "Tea Baggers?"

Interestingly, the GOP's current power struggle doesn't seem to be about new ideas. Instead, it seems to be about power and control.

They do have one thing in common. They're all driven by an absurd belief that President Obama is a radical socialist - or worse, a fascist. There's no doubt they're all singing that idiotic tune to their messianic masses. Painting Obama as "Tyrant and Chief" has become the equivalent of the GOP spiking the public punch - they see it as harmless, but it could come back to bite them.

The battle for party power is now primarily among and between the former disgraced House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the former corrupt Vice President Dick Cheney, the current "Moron and Chief" Sarah Palin, and the "Mormon Mannequin" Mitt Romney. The lesser crazies like Huckabee, Paul, Palwenty and Jindal are all waiting in the wings. The spectacle is quite entertaining. I can't wait to see what happens prior to the next election.

Their spectacle has started to make the Democratic power struggles of the past 10 years look like a walk in the park.

Their latest embarrassment unfolded this week when Sarah Palin was told that she would not be allowed to speak at a major GOP fundraiser. There are plenty of rumors flying about as to why Palin was snubbed, but the best is that Newt Gingrich (and his influential Capitol Hill supporters) wanted her for fundraising purposes only. God forbid they allow her to speak! Now that is funny!

The fur is now flying between Gingrich, Palin and a whole group of Republicans, all competing for loyalties - it's getting downright tribal. The far right rank-and-file seem to love Sarah Palin, while party leaders like McCain and Steele see her only as useful blank check. It's fun to watch them all use each other. The whole thing is downright hilarious!

While all this is going on the party continues to shrink. Loyalties are splintering throughout the party, and it's certain party moderates are beginning to question going solo, or independent.

Party moderates seem to be hoping for a savior - like a modern Ronald Reagan - yet few are holding their breath. Most are fighting to hold back scandal like the one that knocked out Arlen Specter, a victim of the far right's Club for Growth. It's wild, but unless something changes soon, the GOP will most likely lose badly in the upcoming 2012 elections.

Finally, the most shocking part of their spectacle seems to be a distinct lack of new ideas. They are beating the same old ant-government, anti-tax drums they've been beating since Ronald Reagan. They seem to think it will work, but it's pretty clear to the rest of us they need to learn from their mistakes and move on.

Instead of fighting to please their radical base, acting like stuck-in-the-mud lunatics, an honest Republican needs to emerge with good ideas to help average Americans. That individual needs to drop the fear mongering and hate speech, tell the truth, and focus on solving real problems for real people - not just the rich. Unless somebody like that emerges, the GOP may simply fade away.

Tuesday's Political Rave - Michael

PS - Feel free to check out this post and the heated debate with it going on over at Papamoka Straight Talk. There are over 40 comments so far.

GOP to Swift Boat Health Care Reform

Good Morning Bloggers! I need to point out a new GOP scumbag who is leading the charge against health care for all Americans. His name is Rick Scott, and he recently founded a group called Conservatives for Patients' Rights. Like all GOP organizations, the name has nothing to do with the mission.

Let's just say he's one more greedy asshole that has decided to go to war against the best interest of millions of Americans - not unlike the GOP when you think about it. All kidding aside, the man is human excrement in the way he seeks to destroy an initiative being developed by multiple concerned groups to solve a very important national crisis.

Opposition is one thing, but propaganda is completely different, and that's what they intend to create. It's true, Scott and his GOP operatives intend to "swift boat" health care reform. They are supposedly receiving millions in donations from those who currently profit from America's broken health care system. It's disgusting!

The Washington Post reports that he is working with CRC Public Relations, which is the illustrious group that masterminded the "swift boat" attacks against 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry. They also created the "Harry and Louise" propaganda ads that helped torpedo health-care reform during the Clinton administration.

Scott is a multimillionaire investor and former hospital executive, who has made millions profiting from an industry that can no longer afford to pay him. Unfortunately, greedy bastards like Scott do not go quietly into the night. They fight tooth and nail to hold on to their dirty money, seeking to pig out at the trough for as long as possible. People's lives be damned!

Most industry analysts will tell you that people like Scott - who make millions/billions from health care - profit at the expense of both patients and actual health care.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the "it's just business" attitude that so many Americans cling to. We need to call out people like Scott and brand them for maintaining a cold and uncaring health care system. Their quest for profits leads to millions of unnecessary deaths - only the disingenuous and coldest of hearts would deny it.

Scott is the only notable so far spending as much as $5 million of his own money and - according to The Washington Post - as much as $15 million in donations to create a resistance to any government-run program. You know, the kind of program designed to help those Americans who can't afford private health insurance, or who have pre-existing conditions. The ones the GOP wants to ignore, allow to suffer, or even allow to die.

This charming group of heartless Republicans need to be isolated and attacked for their deceitful opposition to a reasonable, industry-wide solution. The latest GOP "swift boat" initiative needs to be isolated and mocked before it can burrow it's way into the brains of America's uninformed electorate. In other words, I hope somebody does something to "swift boat" them before they do too much damage.

Let's face it people, greedy bastards like Scott want to profit from your losses. In almost every instance, they seek to maintain broken systems that earn them billions in profits, at the expense of a better system that would give most Americans a better quality of life.

The GOP is trying to kill something that most Americans want, in addition to most businesses. America's health care costs - resulting mainly from private company profits - are out-of-control. We need President Obama and the Democrats to succeed. I will be writing more about this over the months ahead, but for now I think it's important to simply point out who the scoundrels are who seek to deny us something that we need very badly - it could mean life and death.

Monday's Political Rant - Michael

PS - If you wish to view their propaganda, or just complain to them the way I did, feel free to visit their website. Please consider the source before you believe their spin.

PSS - There are some excellent comments where I posted this on my brother blog Papamoka Straight Talk. They're very interesting, so I recommend you check them out.

Who or What is Today's GOP?

Good Morning Readers! I want to talk about the strange goings-on in the GOP today, using Senator Arlen Specter and Rush Limbaugh as tools for our discussion. Let's just assume Specter is really a Republican. :)

I think they are very good examples of two very different, yet equally retarded, approaches to an evolving GOP electorate. Both represent a certain inertia within the party - neither seems to understand how to handle the changes going on around them.

Let's start with Rush Limbaugh, who we all know is known for his rude, insane remarks. It seems poignant he was caught this week being particularly insane while speaking to the Heritage Foundation. He joined the GOP leadership - and Justice Clarence Thomas - to JOKE about the recession. He spoke about how there is no recession if you want to work and make money - like him. He was more insensitive and insane than ever.

Incredibly, Limbaugh joked about the recession despite knowing that his fat paycheck is a big reason why his distribution partner Clear Channel - who pays almost all of his $400 million plus contract - had to layoff over 12% of its workforce. That's about 12,000 ditto-fed Americans. Most of the people in that audience knew it too, yet they still laughed and applauded. This type of GOP arrogance is outrageous! Limbaugh and his Heritage Foundation audience deserve scorn from the American people. Let's be honest, they are SCUM!

So, I want to use Limbaugh to represent one large segment of today's GOP. To me, he represents today's DEAF and DUMB Republicans. They may be numerous and vocal, but they are deaf and dumb by and large. They ignore the problems of today. They disregard claims that Americans are suffering. Take for example how Congressman Eric Cantor had to rename his "listening tour" this week a "teaching tour" after Limbaugh demanded it. Despite years of damage in their wake, this group of Republicans look to teach, or propagandize, not listen.

They also have many eccentricities. This is the crazy right that picks and chooses scientific evidence the way they pick and choose morality from the bible. This is part that says America is center-right, when all evidence suggests America is center-left. This is the part that sees tea-bagging as a movement, Sarah Palin as intelligent, hate speech as tough speech, dogs as cats and up as down. There's another way to describe this group, and that is the ends always justify the means. They are DEAF and DUMB, and capable of great damage. Oh yea, and Rush Limbaugh is their leader.

Now on to Arlen Specter. This week proves the man is a Republican. He may now be a Democrat, but he's still a Republican. So, what group does Specter represent? To me, they are the GREEDY SHEEP. They stay silent and avoid morality fights, while quietly fighting for power and wealth. George Bush disguised himself as a DEAF and DUMB Republican, but in reality he was a GREEDY SHEEP - or maybe a weird mixture.

They're the low-tax, leave-me-alone Republicans. They only want money and power, and morality is just a tool to manipulate the masses. In truth, this group doesn't give a rat's ass about the American people, or America. Gays, abortion, flag lapel pins and the like are nothing but wedge issues, to be used as blunt instruments to create division. They play chess with their power, and the American people are simply pawns in their game.

Interestingly, I think Barack Obama understands this group, and may beat them at their own game, but we'll have to wait and see.

They are "sheep" because they enjoy following a strong leader, or despot, as long as he or she leads them to money and power. As long as the Party waves the flag, keeps taxes low and projects power they're happy. Arlen Specter fits perfectly in this mode. His principles are all about money and power. He's a great example of a fiscally conservative, non-empathetic Republican. They're the your-on-your-own Republicans. Individualism and power at ALL COST!

The GREEDY SHEEP are also having trouble adapting to the changing electorate. I think Specter underestimated the importance of change in America today. I think the voters of Pennsylvania are more interested in new ideas and solutions than one old greedy sheep dog. Arlen Specter-like Republicans may be adapting slightly faster than Rush Limbaugh-like Republicans, but it's hard to see the difference. You might as well watch the grass grow.

Thursday's Political Rant - Michael

Political Rant: Barney Frank's Honorable, Tough Stand Against GOP Propaganda

Good Morning Bloggers - I hate to beat the proverbial dead horse as they say, but I just had to post another article about how the Republicans are using race to explain away their own mistakes related to predatory lending and the credit crisis.

One of my favorite Congressman, Barney Frank, the man who recently suffered the obnoxious slings and arrows of that Fox "News" moron, Bill O'Reilly, supported my assertions yesterday that Republican criticism of Democrats over the nation's housing crisis is a veiled attack on the poor that is racially motivated.

According to the AP's Glen Johnson reporting from Boston yesterday, the Massachusetts Democrat and Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said the GOP is "appealing to its base by blaming the country's mortgage foreclosure problem on efforts to expand affordable housing through the Community Reinvestment Act."

He said the blame "is misplaced, because those loans are issued by regulated institutions, while far more foreclosures were triggered by high-cost loans made by unregulated entities." As my regular bloggers know that is a point that I've been banging away at for over a month now.

The Republicans refuse to acknowledge that regulatory protections were in place to insure against fraud and credit problems. They act like the Community Reinvestment Act and other legislation left lenders unprotected and vulnerable like sheep ready for a slaughter. To anybody who has read the legislation and the accompanying regulations (see my earlier posts) the assertions are wrong - or lies if you will.

Do you Republicans even listen to yourselves? The whole idea is crazy. It was caused primarily by a lack of oversight by the Bush Administration over the past eight years. Other causes involved Republican-led deregulation signed by Clinton in 1999 (he was wrong too), a housing bubble (caused by the lack of oversight and subsequent, over-confident market forces), and ultimate mismanagement and greed.

After a lot of homework, including a review of recent congressional testimonies, I would say the causes are pretty much in that order. The poor people who took the loans are the least guilty, unless they lied - also the fault of the predatory lenders in my opinion. Aren't there ways to find out if people are lying?

Frank said Republicans controlled Congress for 12 years and passed no regulation, while Democrats passed a Bush administration Fannie and Freddie regulation package since gaining control of the House and Senate in January 1997. Frank is rightly accusing the Republicans of race baiting their constituents. "They get to take things out on poor people," Frank said at a mortgage foreclosure symposium in Boston. "Let's be honest: The fact that some of the poor people are black doesn't hurt them either, from their standpoint. This is an effort, I believe, to appeal to a kind of anger in people."

Frank dismissed charges the Democrats failed on their own or blocked Republican efforts to rein in the mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I agree with him. I researched and discovered that both parties attempted Fannie and Freddie reform legislation from their own party perspectives, and both failed over the years due to a lack of compromise. Much of it was caused by the Bush Administration and its demands for massive structural changes designed to help Wall Street, and less industry regulation that Democrats felt threatened a system that has worked well for decades. Despite the congressional conflict, the crisis still grew out of a lack of Bush oversight.

House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio called Frank's remarks "a lame, desperate attempt to divert Americans' attention away from the Democratic party's obstruction of reforms that would have reined in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and helped our nation avoid this economic crisis."

Mr. Boehner, the only lame and desperate things here are you and your party. You guys are willing to lie, cheat and steal to get your way. You are lying to the American people about the cause of this crisis, and you are attacking an honest man like Barney Frank to beat him in November and back up your absurd, deceitful, conspiracy theory that poor people brought down Wall Street.

Barney Frank did not cause this crisis. More than twelve horrible years of Republican "leadership" caused this crisis. The same leadership that brought us war, tragedy, and corruption on a massive scale. It is time the Republicans stop blaming others for what they caused, and take responsibility for their failures.

Rovian tactics like "muddying the waters" to make everybody look bad in this situation will not work. It was Bush and the Republicans. I hope you take the time to learn what I've learned, and vote them out of power in November.

Tuesday's Political Rant #1 - Michael

Political Opinion: Dumbing Down the GOP

Hello Bloggers - I saw this piece on Salon.com and just had to share it. If you read my work then you'll agree that it fits a pattern. I often ask the question, "WHY are Republicans so willing to nominate unqualified people to run the country?" It makes no sense to many of us observing from the other side. I challenge Republicans to make the same claim, and if you say Obama then I say you're comparing apples to oranges - the man is brilliant! Even your smartest, most obnoxious Republican pundits agree with me on that one.

Excerpts from "The dumbing down of the GOP"

"Why aren't more conservatives disgusted that their party nominated a person devoid of qualifications for the vice presidency (again)?"

"Sarah Palin's debate performance should signal the beginning of the end of her fad. But for the moment it is worth looking at the meaning of her nomination, without the protective varnish of what conservatives usually dismiss as political correctness."

"Why should we pretend not to notice when Gov. Palin's ideas make no sense? Having said last week that "it doesn't matter" whether human activity is the cause of climate change, she said in debate that she "doesn't want to argue" about the causes. It doesn't occur to her that we have to know the causes in order to address the problem. (She was very fortunate that moderator Gwen Ifill didn't ask her whether she truly believes that human beings and dinosaurs inhabited this planet simultaneously only 6,000 years ago.)"

"Why should we ignore her inability to string together a series of coherent thoughts? As a foe of Wall Street greed and a late convert to the gospel of government regulation, along with John McCain, Palin promised to clean up and reform business. But when her programmed talking points about "getting government out of the way" and protecting "freedom" conflicted with that promise, she didn't notice."

"Why should we give her a pass on the most important issues of the day? Supposedly sharing the fears and concerns of the average families who face the burdens of mortgages, healthcare and economic insecurity, Palin simply refused to discuss changes in bankruptcy law and proved that she didn't know the provisions of McCain's healthcare plan."

"There was a time when conservatives lamented the dumbing down of American culture. Preservation of basic standards in schools and workplaces compelled them -- or so they said -- to resist affirmative action for women and minorities. Qualifications mattered; merit mattered; and demagogic appeals for leveling were to be left to the Democrats."

"Not anymore."

"The ultimate irony of Palin's rise is that it has occurred at a moment when Americans may finally have grown weary of pseudo-populism -- when intelligence, judgment, diligence and seriousness are once again valued, simply because we are in such deep trouble. We got into this mess because we elected a man who professed to despise elitism, which he detected in everyone whose opinions differed from his prejudices. That was George W. Bush, of course. Biden was too polite and restrained to say it, but the dumbing down is more of the same, too."

(Read the whole story at http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2008/10/04/dumb/)

I agree with the author completely. I hope you consider what you're doing to the country, not just your party.

Saturday's Political Opinion #1 - Michael