The Republican's Rose Tinted Glass

Good Morning Bloggers! Did you hear the latest Republican gem? Dick Cheney has inked a book deal. The book is expected for the Spring of 2011 by Threshold Editions of Simon & Schuster. It's that charming division led by editor-in-chief Mary Matalin, a good friend and close aide to Cheney. Perhaps they should rename it to be more accurate. I would suggest the Propaganda Division. Once again, the Republicans demonstrate how close ties can help them create their own reality.

The really interesting thing is that Cheney's book comes out only a few months after President Bush's new book. I don't know about you, but something smells fishy. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wonders whether we have "dueling books" here competing for history's attention. That's my best guess.

Wow, both books should be shining examples of Republican historic revisionism, not to mention full of goodness and light. LOL! You know, they're very good at historic revisionism - that's what they call it, while the rest of us call it propaganda.

Did you guys know that Ronald Reagan single-handily pulled down the Berlin Wall? I hear that's why they named so many ships and freeways after him. That and for his famous ability to fly and use heat vision. There are also rumors that he helped George Washington cut down that famous cherry tree - you know, the GOP says he never told a lie. LOL!

The "Best of Cheney" (fine, kidding) is expected to be all about his long career in government, from chief of staff under President Gerald Ford to vice president under Bush. I wonder if that will make Bush feel less potent somehow. I doubt it. If he writes about his years at Skull and Bones and the subsequent drug years, his book should be a much bigger seller. Hollywood may even want to make a movie out of it. LOL!

What I find really hilarious is the way DICK told the AP "I want my grand kids, 20 or 30 years from now, to be able to read it and understand what I did, and why I did it." To achieve that noble idea, he needed $2 million dollars from Simon & Schuster. I guess Dick Cheney would need that kind of money to do a good deed for anybody - his grand kids or the nation. I hope he lies a lot in it, or his grand kids may get the wrong idea. LOL!

I swear, the man is a caricature of today's Republican. They make up their own facts, their own history, and their own reality. They always miss the irony. It's kind of sad really.

When they finally come out both books will be considered history by Republicans and complete works of fiction by Democrats and the rest of the civilized world. It's strange, but Republicans see themselves as the principled party of strong families, strong defense and strong economies - history and reality do little to cloud that perception. It's incredible, but they soak up their own revised history like a sponge in crude oil - slowly but surely.

In the end, they believe all of it. That's when they start fighting to name things after their great leaders, and their "achievements." It usually requires about a decade to pass before things calm down enough, thus allowing their propaganda to work. The funny part is they think we don't notice or remember. Unfortunately for them, we do. We remember Watergate, Iran-Contra, and the years of turmoil under George W. We also remember the Republican debt, no matter how many tea parties they try to hold. Despite their best efforts, they're getting a reputation.

While they pine away for guts and glory, and marvel at aircraft carriers named after themselves (I'm sure that's how they see it - don't you know they're all heroes), we Democrats sit down and work hard to find solutions to the problems of everyday Americans. While we try to draft solutions to health care, energy, finance and immigration, the Republicans bitch and moan about the workload and how we Democrats are changing America too much. All the while they never realize that America is always changing, and they are always trying to catch-up.

In the end it all works. Real history is about Republicans getting big ships named after them, while Democrats quietly enjoy a small and simple plague on a remote bridge - one that might have fallen down and killed somebody if we Democrats didn't fight to spend the money to rebuild it. Republicans love to see themselves as the world's "freedom fighters," yet real history suggests they ignore problems here at home to pay for those adventures - those frequent, very expensive adventures.

No matter what Cheney and Bush write about, we Democrats - and all Americans - will know the truth. Their spin won't be strong enough to hide their disasters. Their spin won't be fast enough to prevent history itself from praising all the successes and improvements since their departure. In the end, they will be left with a small group of fans. A group that will mean little to the rest of us.

History will shine brightest on those Americans who fight to improve the country. History will be kindest to those with truth and justice on their side. History will ultimately credit the Democrats with helping Americans cope in this challenging and difficult world. In the end, Americans will know truth from fiction.

Wednesday's Political Laugh Rave - Michael

The Bush Museum of GOP Lies and Elitism

Hello Readers! While the rest of America reels from dishonest war and one of the greatest economic catastrophes since the Great Depression, super rich Republicans have been showing their disgusting affection for George W. Bush by helping him raise over $100 million in just over 100 days for that abomination of a library he plans at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

It would appear that he and his team are continuing in their quest to sell lies to gullible historians who may one day attempt to repackage his presidency, and the library will be the cornerstone of that sales pitch.

It also appears the richest of the rich, who tended to do very well under Bush at the expense of the rest of us, have come to his aid. The financial backers of the 43rd president have honored the "Don of Dallas" with enough money to provide a decent home for his criminal papers and presidential keep-sakes.

As usual GOP hypocrisy is ripe. Republicans have been screaming bloody murder ever since President Clinton opened his library using confidential donations. The Bush fundraising effort has even more suspicious origins. Time Magazine reports how many unnamed donors were nervous and uncomfortable giving, and demanded privacy. What does that sound like to you? To me, it sounds like "dirty money," extortion, or even blackmail! I have heard it's a Bush family specialty.

Presidential libraries are very scary things. Ex-presidents, unburdened by campaign finance regulations, phone their old cronies to tap them for thousands if not millions of dollars - it's payback time assholes! That must be a fun phone call to get. It's a disgusting modern American spectacle. Billion dollar campaigns aren't enough anymore, so now we have cranky old presidents calling in their chips from all over the WORLD! The rotten libraries are nothing but museums of spin, built on the dirty money using suspicious IOUs.

Bush's 100 co-chairs from every state represent a veritable who's who of American greed. They are his oldest and richest financial backers - a mafia-like inner circle of greed first, country second if you ask me. They may try to look patriotic, but the bulk of them would sell us all for a nickle if given the chance. Oh yes, they had a chance, and did just that over the past eight years or so. They are most likely the core constituency of those who destroyed the middle-class economy, while their supporters waved American flags and trusted in their BS!

The final $300 million project will represent the largest private propaganda institute since Carnegie set about trying to refashion his image. The bad news is that, just like with Carnegie, money talks - and often obscures the truth. The good news is that there are always true historians who print the facts.

Carnegie is still thought by many to be a financial tyrant and murderer - there is plenty of evidence, if you consider the way he put labor at risk and hired thugs to enforce his rules. History was not white washed, despite the libraries and music halls. So, there's hope that no matter what the Bush family does, the Bush library and propaganda will have little effect. Hopefully, despite all efforts, Bush will be remembered for the horrible and despicable things he did.

Groundbreaking for the library is set for November of next year, and the organizers hope to dedicate and open the doors in early 2013. I'm not so naive as to think that Bush will be denied his library, but I do hope it becomes a huge white elephant, a boondoggle, or even a national joke. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Let's hope it will embarrass the GOP, Texans (I know, unlikely), and those who support the Bush crime family.

Let's all hope it becomes one more Bush failure!

Monday's Political Rant - Michael

Republican Sloth: An American Disability

Good Morning! It's Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and a good time to give up something. Let's purify the soul. If you start with the seven deadly sins as a guide, perhaps we Democrats should let go of some pride. President Obama is causing an overload lately. Let's give it a shot.

Let's see, how about Republicans? I have a suggestion for our Republican friends. How about giving up sloth? Sloth is one of the sins articulated so well by medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas.

Think about it, it's the perfect sin to describe today's modern American Republican. Yes, SLOTH!

According to the Catholic Church, sloth is the "sluggishness of the mind which neglects ... sloth is evil in its effect, if it so oppresses." Wow, I don't know about you, but for me that is the nail that hits the proverbial Republican head. It's PERFECT!

The Church was referring to the idea that life requires work, and that work leads to salvation. You can interpret "work" any way you wish, but before I'm inundated with Republicans accusing Democrats of lacking a work ethic due to their desire for government leadership, allow me to say the work I find lacking involves Republican laziness related to FACT FINDING! Besides, I totally disagree with you Republicans that Democrats are lazy. American workers are the most productive on earth.

As many of you know I audit many of their news sources, and let me tell you their leaders, radio talk shows and various psychotic FOX "News" programs have been swamped lately with even more propaganda than usual. I call them the propaganda "elitists," to borrow a word the Republicans like to use on us. Well, the elitists are out-of-control and off the scale!

I've referred to Recovery.gov as a fact checker numerous times, and I am shocked by the amount of Republican BS that's being repeated ad nausea in some kind of retarded GOP-to-media-to-constituent daisy chain, or merry-go-round when they talk to each other. They are out of control and they don't even realize it most of the time. To be blunt, it seems like some kind of sick sociological experiment, to discover just how wrong politics, parties and their constituents can get when guided by unprincipled, desperate people.

The last few weeks have been the worst ever tainted by their lies, which has spurred them to be the least cooperative opposition during a crisis in American history. Their unwillingness to acknowledge the will of the American people after the last election is striking. They seem determined to stick to their broken ideas and stunted schemes. Their leaders have been despicable, doing whatever they can to stop a true economic recovery for their own political purposes. Their only concern is the next election and power, not the American people.

You see, there is only one set of facts. We Americans can debate them all we want - as to whether we feel they will help or hurt - but the fact remains there's still only one set of them.

I have a few questions for those Republicans who love to think they're politically smart these days, but in reality parrot the hyperbole of a few fanatic media dogs. Do you ever listen to yourselves? Do you ever think how absurd you sound when you try to debate politics using today's corrupt and discredited Republican resources? Do you ever get tired of ignoring factual responses, while resting on a crutch of media ignorance? Do you ever LISTEN?

Why don't you look up just a few key facts, which just might encourage you to cut President Obama and the Democrats a little slack? Try these first:

Why don't more Republicans make an effort to learn about how Republican presidents and congressional leaders ran up WELL OVER 90% of today's post World War II government debt, which now tops off near $11 trillion? George W. Bush himself ran up over a TRILLION in the past fiscal year alone. If it's true, which it is, doesn't it stand to reason that Democrats should be allowed an opportunity to spend government money based on their own needs and policies? It's only fair.

Why don't more Republicans make an effort to learn about what generates actual wealth in a nation? Republican leaders, the media, and my Republican friends keep talking about how World War II spending was the real reason why America pulled itself out of the depression. They like to say that Roosevelt's policies helped the poor, but in reality they prolonged the depression. That is a LIE!

Economists know that war spending does very little to create the economic conditions for domestic growth, since most of the money is wasted on products and services that are ultimately destroyed. Economies grow based on investments that are both renewable and long-lasting. Infrastructure investment, education investment, and good government policies are what most economists and academics credit with pulling America out of the depression. The fact is Roosevelt is responsible for those conditions. The Republican talking points to the contrary are deceitful, disingenuous and ignorant.

Why don't more Republicans make an effort to learn about why tax cuts are not enough to spur an economy, especially one mired deep in a recession or a depression? Most economists believe tax cuts spur an economy, which is why President Obama included $288 billion in tax cuts in the stimulus, HOWEVER, most economists ALSO believe that government spending and smart policies can play a vital role in stimulating an economy in crisis. The Republican talking points that criticize government efforts have no basis in reality. They are LIES! It is a fact: government has helped in the past and it can help again. The Republicans are playing politics!

Why don't more Republicans make an effort to learn about how they themselves used the same tools of government intervention in the past to help the economy? There are many examples throughout history when Republican administrations and congressional delegations used government to help fix the economy. I'm not going to name them all, but suffice to say that Ronald Reagan (Savings & Loan Crisis - $160.1 billion, about $124.6 billion of which was directly paid for by the U.S. taxpayer) and George W. Bush (federal bailouts and guarantees totalling over $5 TRILLION) were the two most recent examples. Feel free to list your own. They used LOTS of government money to tweak the economy. If Republicans wish to be fair, they'll allow us the same tool box. Unfortunately, I suspect fairness means little to them.

Why didn't more Republicans worry about creating debt when they were in power? Don't they see their own hypocrisy and double-standard today? I guess not.

Why didn't more Republicans care about smart regulations and enforcement when they were in power? Why are they fighting it now? Don't they acknowledge the role their leaders played at creating this crisis? Why doesn't it matter to them? Why don't they question their leaders' competence more?

Why do Republicans keep saying the Democrats were responsible for our problems because they controlled congress during the last two Bush years? Are they stupid? Think about the time scale! Are they even aware how their party filibustered every significant piece of reform legislation over those two years?

Why do Republicans always believe - without question - that Democrats spend while Republicans save? The exact OPPOSITE IS TRUE! The Republicans have consistently outspent the Democrats while in power, and by their love of tax cuts are guilty of lowering their own taxes at the expense of future generations. IT'S A FACT!

Do Republicans understand how BIG the deficit could get if we don't stimulate the economy, and HOW LONG the recession/depression could last? There are plenty of historic examples where governments did nothing, and nothing happened. Republicans love to use the Japanese stimulus packages of the nineties and their subsequent slow growth as arguments for nonintervention, but they always fail to mention that Japan's economy is driven by exports, and how stimulating that market is difficult. I say get all the facts, or don't bother.

The Republicans like to call us Democrats socialists. The facts suggest otherwise. Republicans lie to their constituents, create myths about who they are, and lie about what they did moments after doing it. They are the CON ARTIST party. A good example is their passion for the "FREE MARKET." Sure they love it, when it benefits them. Republicans are famous for PRIVATIZING THE PROFITS and SOCIALIZING THE RISK. Democrats simply acknowledge that government has a role to play. We tell the truth. We do not try to con the American people.

The list of questions goes on an on. I might even add a few over the next few days. Feel free to suggest your own. The bottom line is that most Republicans are ignoring the facts these days, while believing lies from multiple, illegitimate sources. It's time for Republicans to step up, smell the coffee, unhook the old ball and chain, and free themselves of whatever is causing them to be so brain dead these days.

I have had numerous debates with Republican friends and family recently, and they all seem to be parroting the same lies. It's getting very tiring and annoying. As I said on this blog, modern American political discourse is being steered by political and media elites, who are often LYING! I'm begging average Americans, especially Republicans, to do their research, read more, and discover what really happened in the past, and what is really happening today.

PLEASE DON'T TRUST TODAY'S POLITICAL AND MEDIA ELITE! Get up, get active, and get better informed!

Wednesday's Political Rant #1 - Michael

PS - You might want to check out how the Las Vegas Sun reacted to Gov. Jindal's Republican response slamming Las Vegas and the stimulus. The governor's pathetic response was only a small part of today's Republican propaganda machine.

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish

Good Morning Bloggers - I was an early Obama supporter, having donated to his campaign nearly three years ago. I made an early choice that I liked his positions, and that we needed new blood in politics, and more diversity.

After months of volunteering and financial support, I am very proud to be witnessing his inauguration. I too want to celebrate this historical event, and extend my best wishes to African-Americans and others who are standing a little taller today.

It is also wonderful to celebrate Obama's ascent close to the day we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It's amazing when you think about it; only four decades ago the haters were openly killing people because of their skin color. We've come a long way. I guess dreams can come true, even in politics.

I acknowledge the historic nature of this inauguration, but I also want to acknowledge the defeat of everything we've been fighting against over the past eight years. George Bush and Dick Cheney are leaving the White House in disgrace today. They are leaving as the most unpopular president and vice-president in American history.

Despite what their supporters say, newspapers at home and around the world are celebrating their departure. We may not have impeached them, thanks to Pelosi and the Democrats, or thrown them in jail yet, but we will be free of them. Their actual exit, which was considered questionable by many, is a victory to be celebrated.

So, let's celebrate Barack Obama as the next President of the United States, but it's just as important to celebrate the departure of the WORST dynamic duo to ever occupy the White House. The criminals are being forced out, and there's nothing they, or their supporters, can do about it.

Our nation will hopefully once again be lead by individuals who believe in the rule of law, and the concept that nobody, no matter how powerful, is above that law. We'll continue to fight to bring them to justice, but in the meantime it's enough to know they are leaving. The nightmare is finally over. Thank you God.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
Monday's Political Rave #1 - Michael