Republicans Shrugged

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Thursday, March 12. 2009

Watching the news and taking in the talking heads arguing about the various projects the president has taken on, from the economy to health care, education and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, I get the subtle impression the president is pulling his punches.

Obama’s approval rating is 68%. Over 50% believe the president is doing the right thing with the economy; he could steamroll his agenda through Congress with most, if not all of his fellow Democrats and a three Republicans in the Senate and they would have nothing to say except whine about not being a part of the process, like they’re doing now.

Then, the president could go in front of the cameras and excoriate the Republican Party for being obstructionists and call them on their hypocrisy — but he doesn’t. What he does is go in front of the cameras and point out their inconsistencies. Calling it ironic that many of those yelping the loudest about earmarks, which make up a massive 1% of the omnibus bill the president just signed, have the most earmark money in the omnibus bill.

Especially Senator David Vitter of Louisiana, who has solo or co-sponsored over $250 million in earmarks. But, Vitter’s 16 solo earmarks (A total of $4 million dollars) pale in comparison to some of his colleagues who, like Vitter, voted against the omnibus bill. Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas has a total of 35 solo earmarks for $10 million. Not to be outdone by a girl, Kentucky senator Mitch McConnell has 36 earmarks for a total of $51 million. Those are by far the two worst hypocrites in the Senate.

One Democrat with earmarks voted against the bill, Evan Bayh of Indiana. He had four earmarks for … less than $2 million? Jeez, what a piker!

Senator John McCain, trying to live up to his legend as a maverick, got up in the well of the Senate, angry, raising his voice in indignation, decrying the nearly 9,000 earmarks in the omnibus bill, blaming the president for the bill, that was written before the November elections by Congress, and condemning the president for not using the veto pen. He even pointed out one earmark from his friend, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham!

It was quite theatrical, the end of McCain’s tirade diminishing into the voice of the lone hero, trudging through the hostile woods, a solitary champion of the people, dejected by the dishonesty of the president who didn’t live up to his campaign promise. Or did he?

During the campaign McCain did promise to veto any spending bills if they contained any earmarks, but President Obama didn’t. Obama said he would help reform the system that ballooned under Republican control of the Legislative and Executive branches of government.

And what did McCain’s oratorical extravaganza net? Thirty-four other senators to vote “nay” on the spending bill, all of whom had earmarks in the bill.

All this for less than $4.5 billion in a $450 billion dollar spending bill. Ya gotta love the hypocrisy!

This is pretty funny: the Republicans have been hysterically proclaiming President Obama has declared war on the rich! How did Michelle Malkin put it? War on the wealth producers. Someone said it and it sounded so good it made the rounds on Fox News and was even uttered on MSNBC and CNN.

The Republicans have claimed the Obama Administration and Democratic Congress have turned against people of accomplishment, talent and energy, punishing them for being successful. Yeah right.

So, how did the president declare this war on the wealth producers? He’s letting the Bush tax cuts expire next year. Taxes on the wealthiest 2% of Americans will go back to the levels they were at during the Clinton years when, by the way, the U.S. was experiencing one of its best periods of growth and prosperity.

This is the funny part: in 1993 President Clinton was able to get his budget passed, the Republicans kicking and screaming the entire way. From the point on the economy began to grow. Wow, what a coincidence.

So, in essence, President Obama had to channel President Clinton to start this war on the wealth producers. Wouldn’t you know it? But it doesn’t end there. The funniest bit from the Republicans, other than their running battle with Rush Limbaugh — and the subsequent ass-kissing when he spanks them on the radio — is that now they are claiming this was all foretold in the book, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

Okay, I saw this on MSNBC, but it seemed too incredible to be true. But it is. Republicans and Conservatives are threatening to “Go Galt,” in reference to the protagonist of the novel who leaves American Society to live on a hill and all the best and most talented people follow to inhabit “Galt’s Gulch.”

In college I had to read the novel and it was a horrible experience. The book is too long and ends with about a 40-page soliloquy by Galt decrying the Socialism that has taken over America and promoting the “me first and me only” philosophy that is now the true cornerstone of the Republican/Conservative movement. And people who are neither accomplished nor rich are buying into it as if they have some knowledge of Ayn Rand and her novel, convinced it must be true because they’ve heard it now from so many different politicians and pundits.

But, like every other plot the Republicans have trotted out since Obama’s inauguration, this little charade will fall by the wayside as they realize it isn’t working—the public is still behind the president and his party by over-whelming numbers.

Next time try and use a novel more people have read, or at least heard of, to whip up the electorate.

And lastly, Bristol Palin is back on the market! She broke up with the father of her baby so if you guys in Alaska are looking to hook up, give her a call! To think, all this time we thought their love was pure.

Okay, one more thing: Wednesday on Hardball, Chris Matthews got into a heated argument with Ari Fleischer, President Bush’s first Press Secretary who was on to defend the record of Bush. In the heat of the argument, when the attack of 9/11 and the war in Iraq were the topic, Fleischer defended Bush’s war in Iraq by claiming it was started to prevent Saddam Hussein from attacking us again.

To this day there are still those from the Bush Administration who insist Saddam Hussein was behind the attacks of 9/11. Makes your head swim.

Still, I’m wondering, would Bristol go for an older man? I’m incorrigible.

Posted by Tim Forkes in NEWS and POLITICS at 06:01 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

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