We are heading into election season. Steel yourselves for an ugly ride. As if the political horizon, in response to President Obama’s election and tenure, has not been partisan, obstructive or destructive enough, the rhetorical venom is now being kicked into yet a higher gear. The result will be less attention to proactive legislation and policy and instead, incessant emphasis on personal ambition. It is almost impossible to believe that the tenor of political discourse can get any dirtier than it has been.
the primary weapon. There will be a rise of racism and prejudice. Such is the debate over the building of a mosque two blocks from ground zero. Yes —- the proposed mosque is NOT at ground zero, but a number of streets away from it. Also, Mayor Bloomberg and President Obama have got it right: to disallow this mosque is the most fundamental abuse of our first amendment. Sure, the members of this mosque can be accused of a lack of sensitivity to the disaster that struck on 9/11. I do not fall for that argument either. The attacks on 9/11 were planned and carried out by an extremist arm of the Muslim religion. The founding principles of Islam and the Koran do not embrace such evil tenets. It is ironic and equally destructive for non-Muslims to react in such a prejudicial manner to that small sect within the Muslim religion:
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Likewise, the intent of some politicians to repeal the fourteenth amendment, thereby erasing the citizenship rights of native-born children of non-citizens, is a prime example of injecting fear into the hearts and minds of Americans. Yes, we have lost a ton of jobs that probably are not coming back and yes, we have irresponsibly allowed millions of illegals to enter our country, as we have ignored the federal immigration rules already on the books. But to deny those inalienable rights guaranteed by our Constitution is the coward’s way out. It is a pathetic tack for those politicians who are frustrated because the government they are supposedly running has not done its job. Actually, by supporting the revocation of the fourteenth amendment, such "leaders" as Mitch McConnell are admitting their own incompetent handling of running this country, their own neglect in fulfilling their job descriptions.
Today in the Washington Post, there is an article on Utah’s intent to handle the immigration problem:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Sanely and quite unexpected from such a conservative state, Utah will try to integrate those aliens already here illegally while making an effort to prevent new illegals from entering their state. The millions of illegal immigrants already here must be dealt with in a humane fashion. The hard-nosed tactics should be applied to enforcing those laws that we already have to stop the flood of new illegals from crossing our borders. But to punish those people who have been a critical part of our economy for years, a force of workers that make our economy work, and take away the legal status of their American-born children, is a travesty. Once again, the reflection is on these fear-mongering politicos who want to keep their lucrative jobs that they have used to avoid their real responsibilities in governing.
Additionally, this upcoming election season will be rife with both ends of the political spectrum pushing for their own narrow agendas in lieu of real progress for the American people. On the GOP side, the demise of the middle class is paramount to maintaining their stance on less government:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
The only problem is that they use that "less government" principle to veil their greedy goals. The Republicans care not about a social and economic safety net for the majority of Americans; they just want to allow the top two percent of earners to pocket as much dinero as possible.
Similarly, the progressive left of the Democratic party is equally adamant in attaining their goals, to the detriment of the greater good. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs this week created quite a brouhaha by chastising the "professional left" for their constant criticism and dissatisfaction over the administration’s supposed legislative shortcomings. Then Gibbs apologized, and then, he took back his apology. It is enough to make you crazy but Yo Mama can afford to be impolitic because I am not in any elective position.
So I stand with Gibbs’ first statement and have been writing for over a year that some Democrats are their party’s own worst enemy. Besides such non-Democrat Democrats as Ben Nelson, a substantial number of Democrats constantly voice their displeasure with our President because they believe that he is not liberal enough. Sure, we did not get a public option with the health care legislation. Sure, we did not get enough regulation as part of the financial reform package. But honestly, Rome wasn’t built in a day and real change starts slowly and takes years. This approach is the reality not only because our form of government dictates it, but also because people need time to absorb the great social change. The process of the acceptance of and "coming around" to fair policies cannot happen overnight. President Obama has made crucial inroads towards attaining change. Remember the battles for civil rights, social security and Medicare? How many decades did that take to finally morph into viable legislation? And then, how many more decades passed before the American people embraced those changes?
So hang on to your hats. The midterm elections are almost upon us. Be very selective and cautious about how you interpret what you hear. Personally, I do not think these elections will have a momentous outcome either way, no matter who wins. Our government and the people who are part of it are way too dysfunctional already. Can you imagine that with 60 Democratic senators and an overwhelming majority in the House, President Obama’s agenda has not sailed through? As long as we have such turmoil in our halls of government, with so much personal ambition and greed thrown in, the make-up of our Congress is not as important as the personal make-up of its members, which has been greatly lacking on both sides of the aisle. That is the rub, and that is exactly what the voters will be reacting to on Election Day.
Perhaps the epitome of all of this narcissistic politicking is the declaration of Levi Johnston to run for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. Not once has he voiced the desire to better the lives of his constituents. Instead, every article has stated that his motive for seeking elective office is the fact that a reality show will follow the course of his campaign. Come on folks, life is so much more than a reality show.
So get ready for the most low-down, basest behavior to rear its ugly head in this silly season. Take what you will from it, and then go vote responsibly and sanely. Don’t allow the desperate fears of those running to catch you off-guard or to steer you in their direction. Do not stoop to their level.***** Dig deep and look for sanity in the upcoming proceedings. Sometimes it will be hard to find, but above all, VOTE like you have never voted before. Face these fearmongers, just as Anthony Weiner confronted his gutless Republican colleagues on the issue of health benefits for those that selflessly helped at the 9/11 World Trade site:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...
Under no circumstances let the fear and loathing deter you from your mission.
****** Please remind me to tell you about a run-in about President Obama that I had with a man at our local general store in Maine. It was totally unsolicited on my part. Nevertheless, I did not handle it well and perhaps you could learn from my mistakes.