Keith Olbermann properly nailed Jon Stewart's indictment of all cable news in Stewart's closing speech at Stewart's rally to restore sanity. Stewart should also have been nailed for saying nothing get's done in the capital and saying that drivers merge properly. A whole lot was done by congress and signed into law by President Obama. Somehow Jon Stewart missed that the last two years were among the two most productive years for congress and a president in the nation's history.
I got news for you Jon Stewart. The insane have taken over the House of Representatives and have made gains in the Senate. Yes, the insane have taken over. In the next two years the insane are going to Fuck Up "the nation" Beyond All Recognition. In two years The Daily Show and The Colbert Report will no longer be relevant. Why? The answer is simple, the country will be so fucked up that no one will think that the stupidity in the news is funny.
I and others here have been saying for a very long time It's the economy, stupid. Yes, President Obama and the Democratic Congress have accomplished more than any other president/congress in my memory and I am sixty-two. Unfortunately, I remember President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who accomplished a great deal only to destroy himself and his accomplishments through his stupid belief that the US could win the Vietnam War. Forget for a moment the Vietnam War. As much as President Johnson accomplished, President Obama has accomplished more.
But, now because of ass holes at Fox "News" as well as some ass holes on the Supreme Court, some ass holes in the media, and finally the biggest ass holes of all in Republican Party, we are going to have a House of Representatives run by the Republican Party that is going to royally screw us all. How? Simple, by cutting federal government spending. All federal spending bills start in the House of Representatives. (Article I Section 7 of the US Constitution state All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; which is interpreted to mean all spending bills must originate in the House of Representatives.)
The Republicans in the House of Representatives have vowed to cut spending. Cutting spending will destroy the economy. You think unemployment is high now then just wait until there are spending cuts. Unemployment will go through the roof perhaps reaching 30% or higher. The first serious test will be raising the debt ceiling this spring. Failure to raise the debt ceiling will result in government shutdown. Forget Social Security, forget Medicare, forget mail delivery, forget government pensions, forget passports, forget defense or war; the government will simply shutdown. Will Republicans in the House force this? I don't know. But the mere fact that there is talk of this by Republicans, scares the shit out of me.
What will President Obama concede to avoid shutdown or a long shutdown? I have no idea. Aside from that Republicans have vowed to not fund all of the new laws passed and signed. Forget consumer protection, it will not be funded. Forget the new health care law, the enforcement of the law will not be funded. Forget the Department of Education, Republicans will just stop funding the department. As for Pell grants, forget them too. Forget environmental protection, no more funding. Republicans have vowed to cut Medicare funding in half. As for putting the unemployed back to work, well Republicans have already stopped bills aimed to do that. Forget them all. As for states needing more revenue, you can forget that too.
And then we get to taxes. Republicans will pass bills to eliminate inheritance tax and to reduce taxes for the ultra rich. If you think the deficit is large now, just wait. With fewer tax payers due to unemployment going through the roof and the ultra wealthy paying less in taxes the deficit will sky rocket. Since there will be so few employed and they will be scared shit-less, consumer spending will plummet, resulting in more layoffs. And guess what? China will replace the US as an economic super power before it is ready. Whether you like it or not in due time China will replace the US as an economic super power, but if this happens before China is ready, then all hell will break loose.
This is why in two years the US will be Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition. Is there anything we can do? I am sorry to say, not a damned thing. Is there anything President Obama can do? Sadly I cannot think of a damned thing. We are going down. We are all going down.