Archive for Republicans

Resist and Remove

January 30, 2017 Politics, Republicans No comments

Here’s the message and the plan for resisting and removing Trump.

Trump is a proven liar. Nothing he or anyone in his administration says can be believed. It is safer to assume that what they say is a lie, a misinterpretation, delusional or slanted. The Trump Administration has zero credibility. Any media attempt to say that Trump is “normal” must be called out and resisted. Every single person in the media who interviews a Trump spokesperson or apologist should be required to ask at some point during the exchange, “Why should I believe you?”

Anyone who justifies his policies is supporting a liar and should be discounted as someone who supports lies.

Trump has promised to help the poor, white working class. He was lying. He is a corrupt conman whose policies especially hurt those who supported him (whether they realize it or not).

The fact that Democrats are losing to Republicans shows the degree to which people are scared and afraid and being manipulated by those fears.

The core Democratic/progressive message (to Trump voters) must be:

  1. Trump is a proven liar who doesn’t care about the poor or middle class.
  2. Democrats and progressives made a mistake by not acknowledging your fears and offering solutions—namely jobs.
  3. Our jobs solution is real and based on high technology, green technology, infrastructure refurbishment, a living wage and free college.
  4. Trump is destroying America. He and the Republicans are going to take healthcare coverage away, reduce social security, reduce Medicare, reduce Medicaid, put our troops in danger, and discriminate against people of color and Latinos. And Trump and his family will make a personal fortune as they destroy America.
  5. The theme of the 2018 elections is: Elect Democrats, Impeach Trump, Save Our Country

Trump must go. We must mobilize to make this happen. We should not be afraid to leverage the legitimate fear that Trump is a dangerous, corrupt, delusional fascist, whose governance is driven by personal insecurities and narcissism.

Strategically, that means that every Republican who does not disown Trump by pledging to impeach him must be targeted for defeat.

We must repeat over and over: Trump is a liar. Trump is a crook. Trump is taking advantage of his base. Elect Democrats. Impeach Trump.

To campaign for the defeat of all Republican officeholders, progressives must hold large peaceful rallies all through the Red States. The theme of these rallies is “We love you.” We must kill red state voters with kindness, attention and respect. We must explain why they will be much better off rising up with love than being dragged down by hate.

These rallies will feature not only progressive political personalities, but also artists of all stripes and standings. The rallies will be progressive tent revival shows. The messages will be delivered through music, comedy and the careful pulling of universal human heartstrings.

They will be designed to evoke a red state version of “peace, love, and understanding” (and music). This will not be a redo of the 60’s counter-culture. Rather than openly supporting urban, sophisticated cultural tastes, the appeal must be to validate the red state cultural milieu, including evangelical religiosity, with an extra helping of respect and understanding. It’s about starting a dialog and reaching out, not about hitting them over the head. Condescension will not work.

This is difficult, as it is hard not to notice that much of what Trump supporters espouse is based on sometimes willful racism and ignorance. But just as we accept that the self-destructive behavior of many black urban youth is caused by the lack of resources, opportunity and lingering prejudice, we must accept that much of the ignorance of the Trump supporters is also caused by their historical circumstance.

Human to human contact is the goal of the rallies. Whether minds are changed or not, the rallies will make it clear that progressives are no longer talking only about “minorities,” and their concerns are being given due respect.

TRUMP. WTF

January 22, 2017 Media, Politics, Republicans No comments

President Trump. WTF. This flamboyant, amoral, narcissistic, ethically-challenged real estate developer came to national political prominence by promoting an obvious lie about Obama’s birth certificate. This cynical, strategic lie was done to get support from people who are uncomfortable with all of the recent demographic shifts toward diversity. (These people are commonly characterized as racists. But it’s more complicated.)

Somehow, Trump positioned himself as a man of the people who was going to fix all the inequities affecting a broad swatch of blue-collar voters. He blamed Muslims, Mexicans and other immigrants. He promised impossible things.

It worked. His voters saw him as a man who had achieved the American dream and whose success and celebrity meant that he knew how to bring their jobs back. So desperate to change the direction of their fortunes, they voted for a self-announced womanizer who didn’t always honor his business agreements.

During his inauguration, and in the two days since, he and his team have shown that they will do battle with the press to establish a “biased press” narrative to provide cover for their lies. (On today’s Meet the Press Kellyanne Conway called Press Secretary Spicer’s lies about the size of the inaugural crowd “alternative facts.”) The way the Trump Administration speaks reminds me of the description of the authoritarian leaders in the books I was assigned in high school: George Orwell’s Animal Farm and Aldous Huxley’s 1994.

But most glaringly, Trump’s rhetoric about helping the people hurt most by current economic trends doesn’t match the policy prescriptions of his newly appointed cabinet or the Republican Congress. Does no one realize that what Trump voters want, except for the crack down on immigrants, is the opposite of what the Trump Administration and the Republican Congress plan to deliver? Cuts to their health insurance, Social Security and Medicare are not what his supporters voted for.

As a progressive, I believe the way forward is to communicate why our values are better for Trump voters (minus the racists). We need to make sure that we don’t demonize Trump voters, but rather find ways to reach them with better ideas. One of the reasons they voted for Trump is that he addressed them directly and gave them respect. Yes, he spoke to their fears and anger, but he paid attention to them. Hillary did not successfully communicate that she cared about them.

Trump and the Republicans will do most of the work for us in causing Trump voters to pay attention to our message. It will become clear very early on that the White House and Congress are both incompetent and incapable of producing the promised results. So let’s keep pointing out Trump’s lies, even though they will be pretty obvious. But more importantly, let’s reach out with respect to Trump voters and help them recognize the value to their lives of what we propose for the future.

The 2014 Midterm Elections

November 10, 2014 Congress, Economics, Politics, Republicans, Values, Wealth No comments

The thing I hear most in relationship to this recent election is that voters “want something to get done.” The main issue seems to be entrenched dysfunction and non-cooperation between the parties. And certainly, it would be nice if both parties worked together to solve problems for the vast majority of the population.

But talking about the ability to “get things done” is ridiculous when not connected to what it is that should get done. The Republicans have obstructed pretty much everything Obama and the Dems put forward, including a lot of appointments, whether they have policy objections or not. The point, as McConnell articulated early on, was to oppose Obama at every turn. The good of the majority of Americans was beside the point. So I guess it’s natural that they ran on an “Obama bad; Washington is broken; we’ll get things done” platform. But what they really want to do—block the minimum wage, cut government benefits except to the wealthy, and return control of healthcare to insurance companies—is very unpopular and unhelpful to most and will continue to widen the dangerous disparity of wealth.

Here is my point: it’s not simply about “getting things done.” It’s about getting the right things done. That being the case, I have become a fan of gridlock, because the Republican-controlled House and Senate are unlikely to “do” anything beneficial.

I Don’t Want to Pay for Them

June 30, 2014 Economics, Politics, Republicans, Values, Wealth No comments

A couple of days ago I went into the drug store to pick up a prescription. As I walked through the aisle on my way to the pharmacy I overheard a woman, who I could not see, say: “It’s tough nowadays. I’m glad I have a job, but I hate that I have to pay for those who are too lazy to work.”

I interpreted this to mean: “My taxes are too high because of all the lazy people that they have to support.” Then I thought, “what a clear expression of a conservative or Republican point of view.”

To me, it says everything you need to know about what’s at the heart of a conservative belief system: selfishness and greed. Here are some variations on the how the belief system can be stated:
I’ve got mine, you get you own.
If you don’t have a job, you’re lazy.
Why should I help you?
It’s a dog eat dog world.
If you’re poor, it’s your own fault.
Government handouts make people lazy.
Why work when the government will pay you not to work?
Why punish the people who are successful?
I don’t want to pay for them.

The philosophy is based on fear—fear of them—the bad ones, the ones who don’t belong here, the lazy ones, the takers. It’s based on judging them to be less worthy, on making them underserving of compassion or kindness. Conservatism—with its emphasis on judging each person’s individual worthiness, its unwillingness to share, its lack of empathy and its fundamental disregard for the humanity of others—equals greed. Conservatism is a philosophy that justifies greed, sees wealth as virtuous, believes using wealth to gain power is just, and thinks government assistance promotes weakness.

This philosophy is not in the best interest of anybody, even the wealthy, because it inevitably leads to a society with unsustainable levels of wealth disparity—cancerous wealth—that has historically led to social unrest and violence.

Having said all of that, conservatives also have some beliefs that are good for society. Individual self-reliance and personal responsibility, which does not mean refusing assistance and support—benefits not only the individual but also the society as a whole, but only if these virtues are exercised in a positive, contributory way.

Competition by Itself Is Out of Balance

June 25, 2012 Economics, Evolution, Politics, Republicans, Values, Wealth One comment

The odds against human beings existing in the universe are astronomically large. An unbelievable number of factors had to remain in balance in order for humans to have evolved. The planet had to be in exactly the right position around the exact right size star. The right chemicals had to come together in the exact right amounts, at the exact right temperature to start the process of life.

The point is that there is a very narrow zone of equilibrium where all of the necessary forces and chemicals and sources of energy are balanced. Balance and equilibrium are key to the development of life and the continuance of ecological systems. Humans have evolved not just by outcompeting other species, but by cooperating with each other. Competition and cooperation need to be balanced.

This analogy also holds true for societies and politics. Currently, the Republicans represent a value system cannot produce the equilibrium required for societal stability and growth. They, along with free-market libertarians, believe that competition is sufficient; that each individual selfishly pursuing his or her own self-interest will produce a balanced and fair society. They seem to believe that wealth is synonymous with merit and that those who do not have a job or enough money to feed themselves, educate their children or pay for healthcare have only themselves to blame.

This sort of belief system is based a model of reality that acknowledges competition but doesn’t acknowledge the need for us all to cooperate. Therefore cutting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and programs that aid the poor is just because the cost of these losers is being borne by the meritorious winners. Why should they share? They work hard, they deserve. The poor do not.

That is why government should be small. Those that drive the economy don’t need the government. Just let these hard workers compete and let the winners win. The winners will employ others to help them. This is how society works—how the winners produce value for everyone. We need to compete to keep the wealthy corporations happy—giving them incentives to hire people in this state or that state. This is the expressed belief system of conservatives and it’s out of balance. Competition is all that is required.

But it is clear that competition by itself does not produce good results for society. It has led to very few very big winners and huge multitudes of losers. That is what the facts on the ground prove.

In this election we have one candidate who believes that the winners need more incentives to win and that the benefits the non-winners currently receive are a drag on the economy. We can’t afford cooperation and compassion. Cutting benefits for the non-winners will balance the budget and a balanced budget will free up capital up so winners will be able to compete even more successfully. This has not and will not work because it is profoundly out of balance. It will only create more wealth disparity. Romney must be defeated.

I suggest this simple slogan for Obama. Romney is only for the rich. I’m for everybody.

The 99

October 8, 2011 Economics, Emotional Energy, Energy, Media, Politics, Republicans, Values, Wealth No comments

I am very hopeful that the folks occupying Wall Street and the Build the American Dream movement are getting some traction. George Carlin had it right. It would be great if he were still around during these crazy political times.  In the clip, he gives us the reason why the other 99% are starting to make noise: it’s the behavior of “the owners” and those who work to keep them in power.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acLW1vFO-2Q&feature=player_embedded

But the owners are only doing what we define as success in this society. As long as success is about amassing a personal fortune and controlling everything to protect and increase that fortune and not about the explicit contribution that was made to the greater good–reducing poverty, subjugation, war and the destruction of the environment–we will continue to worship and want to be like the rich.

Now the right wing in this country will say that by following your dream and becoming wealthy your are helping everyone. You are bringing value to the world and creating jobs. And this is not untrue.  But it is only one side of the coin. Like electrical regulators that control the flow of electricity so that power stays within a narrow bandwidth that is usable by all, the human energy and power that flows to and is stored by the wealthy needs to be regulated. Because when too much of the economic energy that drives society is tied up in too few hands a different sort of energy builds.

The stored energy of anger and frustration is finally being targeted at the real source of our increasing economic hardship, the disproportionate amount of economic energy currently being sequestered for the exclusive use of the top 1% .

The current flow of energy is unstable. Hopefully the new energy being generated by the other 99 will result in a more equitable distribution of power.

Thanks to my Facebook friends for finding the clip.

George Orwell Was Off by 27 Years

July 19, 2011 Economics, Media, Politics, Republicans, Values, Wealth No comments

I am truly frightened by the debate on the debt ceiling. Today, every single Republican I saw on television said “Where is the President’s plan? He has no plan.” That was obviously a message directive from the Republican Ministry of Truth. (In Orwell’s 1984, the Ministry of Truth was anything but.) The goal of the “talking point” is to lay blame for the economic catastrophe they have already caused and the one they are flirting with now at Obama’s feet. The fact that Obama didn’t issue a specific document entitled The President’s Plan to Cut the Deficit doesn’t mean he wasn’t working diligently to promote a plan. What do they call the weeks of negotiations headed by Joe Biden to cut a deal that the Republicans walked away from?

Our dismal news media, which is unable to separate rationality from idiocy, would have us believe that uncompromising tea party politicians have coherent economic principles. They do not. Since they speak only about “unnecessary spending” and protecting so-called job creators, it is obvious to me that they are completely willing to precipitate a new economic catastrophe in order to blame Obama and gain the presidency in 2012.

That’s why I am afraid and why I am considering taking my savings out of the bank and keeping it in cash in case there is a run on the banks. Bad things are possible when those who control the fate of others are completely detached from reality. Whether out of cunning or an irrational ideology, many Republicans see it as in their interest to oppose everything Obama does, no matter how reasonable.

In the media, we routinely have to put up with the conventional wisdom that voters will blame Obama if the jobs’ picture doesn’t improve. Republicans crashed the economy due to run-away, unregulated financial speculation and yet it’s Obama’s fault there are no jobs. Taxes are at the lowest level in years, were lowered under Bush, and still the economy tanked and fails to recover. But the Republican answer is still lower taxes and the media treats this as a rational idea.

There was a Republican on with Chuck Todd (MSNBC) this morning. I didn’t catch his name but he said something like this: “When businesses are in trouble they lay people off and close divisions. After the cuts investors see that the company took the right action and is ready to grow again. This is what we need to do in our economy.” This statement shows that Republicans can’t tell the difference between a business, whose purpose is profits, and the government. They believe some citizens must suffer so the books can be balanced and the economy can start to grow again. But cutting jobs in the overall economy does not produce a more profitable economy in the same way that cutting jobs increases corporate profits. It produces greater unemployment and a longer, deeper economic downturn.

For more on the Republican use of Orwellian opposite-speak, see: http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2011072815/ignorance-index-iv-job-killing-de-regulation.

The Government is Not a Business

June 27, 2011 Economics, Media, Politics, Republicans, Values, Wealth No comments

Have we forgotten whose policies caused the plunge?

In the graphic above, lifted from ABC’s “This Week” with Christiane Amanpour, the yellow line shows how much deeper the current recession is than all previous recessions, at least since 1980. So because the economy is not healing fast enough, we should turn its management back to the people whose policies caused the crash in the first place? Look doctor, my loved one isn’t getting better as fast as I would like. So I think I’m going to go back to the doctor who administered the poison. You know, because whatever you’re trying to do isn’t working. Maybe that other doctor will be good this time.

This reasoning seems to be treated as perfectly logical in the lame stream media. That’s right, I’m using Sarah Palin’s phrase, but for the complete opposite reason. The lame stream media seems to accept the Republican spin that reducing the deficit is the most important step we can take to create jobs. Why? It’s clearly bullshit. Yes we need to cut the deficit, but to even pretend that this will somehow revive the economy is ludicrous. Cutting is cutting. You can’t cut programs without cutting jobs.

What does a CEO do when he needs to get the company back on solid footing? He cuts jobs. He lays people off. He reduces spending to improve the bottom line and get profits back up. Fine. This restoration of the company’s fiscal health doesn’t create jobs, it costs jobs.

The policies the Republicans are trying to put through are not about jobs. They are about deficit reduction, which is essentially restoring the country to a fiscal balance. They seem to view government as a big corporation that is not in good fiscal health and themselves as CEOs who will cut spending and restore the company to the black. They clearly care more about fiscal responsibility, i.e. profits, than they do about the well-being people. This is about the ideology, or rather mythology, of personal freedom. When people are free from government regulations and programs that take money from the worthy workers and wealthy job-creators and give it to the undeserving lazy poor then everything will be in balance and a growing economy will be magically restored.

Not only is this ideology totally wrong, with no possible way of creating growth, it will exacerbate the destabilizing disparity of more money going to fewer and fewer super rich overlords. This is fascism and it’s where Republican policies have been and will continue taking us.

At this moment in time, as the Republicans petulantly refuse to consider any discussion of closing loopholes on their large corporate puppet masters, it seems as if many of these zealots truly believe in the righteousness of their cause and are willing to crash the global economy in the name of fiscal balance. This is shear madness. And yet the “free press” pretends that it’s a legitimate approach. How can one not be pessimistic when clear stupidity passes for a valid economic option and when people are so deluded and mislead that they will seriously consider returning the patient to the care of the poisoner?

Fear

January 6, 2011 Congress, Consciousness, Economics, Politics, Republicans, Values, Wealth One comment

Now that the new Republican Congress is off and running, I’m becoming more fearful about the planet’s future prospects. As arguably the world’s most dominant economic power, the policies our Congress enacts affect the whole world. The faulty, incoherent, non-rational belief system of the new Republican majority cannot possibly lead to positive results. Only the wealthy will benefit from their policies. The rest of the world’s population will suffer.

So how do progressives—who believe in a more balanced, rational, caring application of our collective knowledge to reduce human suffering—counter this onslaught of self-righteous lunacy? I wish I had an easy answer. But I know the solution involves the reframing of our politics to a more empathetic, HumansTogether attitude that focuses on what we have in common and not on how we disagree. That is the mission of this site.

Fortunately, I believe that there is an increasing awareness that we need this refocusing. Many of the people in my social circle understand that a system based on creating wealth for the few and hardship for the masses is not sustainable. I believe there is a yearning a new kind of idealism and a revaluing of what is important in life away from the purely materialistic.

I also believe that once people start paying attention to the way this Congress behaves, many will recognize their transparent hypocrisy, irrationality and incompetence. But politics is now being driven by entrenched emotions, enflamed by a mass media that makes more money when there is conflict.

The ideal antidote to would be a new sixties movement—a massive rejection of the current value which favors wealth over well-being. This would be a movement based on consciousness raisin; a movement based on peace, love and understanding. What’s so funny about that?