The only Republican debater that made any attempt to appeal to our intellect the other evening was Ron Paul. The others used the same old fear tactics (and that’s exactly what they are) to appeal to their base.  No one in the debate even attempted to ask Mitt Romney to correct his statement about weapons inspectors not being allowed into Iraq, which is a totally untrue statement. Wolf Blitzer let the statement go as well, although he did cite Romney for not answering the question he asked. Since this was the first question asked during the evening it is clear that everyone involved was going to support a lie and it was downhill from there. They really must think we’re stupid. Add Fred Thompson into this mix and that’s a sure prescription for failure as a society. The only way we can save our republic is to completely reject the idea that these prevaricators and charlatans can run the country; they can’t, and over the last six years they’ve proven it. All of these men are part of the Republican sweep of the nineties that helped elect the Bush Administration and they tacitly watched the systematic destruction of our society while vociferously supporting Bush without the slightest bit of criticism. If one of them (other than Paul) had an original thought it would completely screw up their programming. The truth is that none of these guys deserve to hold any elective office. These guys are deluded enough to think that they can continue to spew out the same tired, unfounded and debunked rhetoric constantly. If they repeat their lies enough they think people will buy it. The country was gullible enough until the 06 elections. Fool me once shame on you-fool me twice shame on me. Are we gullible? To a point we all are. We all want to believe in our government, whether or not we always agree with its policies. What this current administration has done to our country’s stature and credibility will take the better part of a generation to remedy no matter who wins the election. We certainly can’t afford to be gullible or stupid now. There’s no way you can trust a Republican, even Ron Paul, to bring us back properly, protect our rights, give the middle class back its place in our society and respect the rule of law. The fact that these men condoned the actions of Scooter Libby and refused to even recognize his deceptions proves that there is no morality in the GOP.  I’m not giving the Democrats a pass on this. The war funding vote still sticks in my craw. As much as I like Joe Biden I cannot support him in the primary nor can I support Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The freshman congresswoman was not elected to cave in to GWB. Her excuse was that she could not leave our soldiers unprotected. I heard her explaining her vote on a morning radio show and then thought to myself “she bought the lie”. She certainly is not stupid, so she must, as a freshman legislator, be extremely gullible. No fewer soldiers will die or be maimed because of the war funding. All she did was prolong the agony. The opportunity to break the President’s power and turn the tide was there and our Democratic leadership blew it. Maybe they think we’re a little less stupid than the GOP. I refuse to be gullible any more. Note to Debbie Wasserman Schultz: you’re first responsibility is to your constituency, not to the military. If you want the war to end then it’s your responsibility to either stop this commander-in-chief from pursuing a failed policy or fire him. That’s a vote I can support. Stop thinking we’re stupid. Do what you were elected to do-ruthlessly! Then I can feel comfortable voting for you.

In 2000 I was telling everybody that “this is the most important election since 1932” for a variety of reasons, not the least being that presidents appoint federal and Supreme Court judges and there was no way that we could allow George Bush to appoint any judges. In 2004 I felt that this is the most important election ever and we were lucky that he had not appointed any Supremes. The Iraq War, the dismal economy, the deficit, were all things that, while important, would work themselves out through the political process. Judgeships, however, can last a lifetime. Bush has  done his damage, so now we’re coming into 2008 (albeit a little early) and I am now saying that this is the most important election since The Civil War. We were lucky back then-the good guys won.  In the 140 plus years since, our society has undergone radical changes, however, our legal system still plods along in the 19^th century. 

Last week the Supremes by a 5 to 4 (thanks to GWB) decision slapped the collective faces of American women and let them know that they are second class citizens in the job marketplace. Where’s the outrage?  I would think that even Republican women would be outraged at this decision. Well, perhaps there is so much going on in government right now that this is an issue that will have to wait its turn. I think that this should be a presidential election issue. Hillary Clinton has already indicated that she would take action to remedy this, but I haven’t heard from any other Democrat on the issue. The Democrats must make this a platform issue whether or not Hillary is the candidate, and they must fly it in the face of the Republican candidate at all times. It’s too early for me to pick a candidate to endorse, but it’s not too early to put together a winning strategy, and win over all the undecided women as well as some dissatisfied Republican women.  I can’t understand why any smart, self-respecting woman would want to be a Republican. Maybe something like this can be the tipping point

Yesterday in my last post I urged everyone to withhold contributions to democratic legislators who voted for the supplemental war funding, as well as vote for whoever their Democratic opponent is in the next primary election. I never thought I would be faced with this problem. Well, I am. My congressperson, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz voted for the war funding. 

Here’s my problem; she’s a fantastic legislator and a rising star in the House. She’s smart, erudite, and is on top of the issues. She’s everything I want my legislator to be…..except for this one issue. I contacted her today and informed her that I would not support her financially, nor would I vote for her in the primary. It broke my heart to do this, but this is too important an issue to let pass. 

The Democratic leadership could have withheld any legislation, thereby forcing GWB’s hand. If they don’t show that kind of initiative they’ll never gain any respect. The funding was the only legislation that mattered. Everything else was window dressing and could have been attended to any time. Frankly, nothing else really matters until we resolve
Iraq. 

Solution: Run for office, or find someone to run for office. Seriously, that’s how things can change. Any person from any walk of life can run. The two most powerful men in the House last term were Tom DeLay and Dennis Hastert. Think about it-an exterminator and a wrestling coach shaping the lives of all of us. If they can do it so can you.

What is it about the November elections that made us think that things would change overnight? Well, for one thing the elections proved that the system can work. They didn’t prove that it does work. We were all expecting that this congress would automatically reverse all the terrible things that the previous congress and the current administration have allowed to happen almost overnight. We forget that it’s been 12 years since the Gingrich revolution, and 26 years since the Reagan administration started to systematically tear this country apart(more about that in a future post), and there is no miracle cure to reverse things overnight. 

Let’s remember that the Democrats do not have a real majority in the Senate. They do not have the brute strength to bully legislation through the opposition, and Harry Reid needs to form certain alliances with a few Republicans to get anything worthwhile passed. If they did have that clout George Bush would not be posturing and standing so fast on his positions. If he knew that his veto could be overridden, you would see a remarkable change in his attitude.  As the primaries get closer there are certain Republican senators who are going to be vulnerable, and they will start to distance themselves from Bush and his policies. Since the Democrats can’t afford to be seen as weak, they allowed the current war funding bill to go forward.  What a pity. 

Where is our leadership when we most need it? They’re jockeying for position for the next time. Maybe that will work; however, they had absolutely nothing to lose by standing up to GWB on the funding. In boxing terms they had him on the ropes, but they failed to deliver the KO punch. Why?  DOJ is falling apart. The congressional investigations are revealing massive corruption and incompetence, all in the pursuit of the unitary executive, plus, the only issue that defines this administration is
Iraq and that can be taken away from him instantly, by not funding it. The KO punch was there and wasn’t delivered. I can only surmise that that it wasn’t the right round or the price was too short. Without the killer instinct the Democrats are doomed. 

I listen to the progressive radio jocks like Thom Hartmann, Ed Schultz, Randi Rhodes, Stephanie Miller et al whenever possible. They have their opinions and most of the time I am in agreement with them. They are voicing the same frustrations with our congress as I am. I wrote Howard Dean an e-letter telling him that I would no longer contribute to the party, and that if I could find an alternative to the party I would pursue it.  I also told him to contact me only after the party developed a new set of balls Here’s the body of my e-mail letter which was sent prior to the vote: 

“Sorry, Howard: Today the Democrats probably lost the 08 election with their fully funding Bush’s war and no real controls on him. I most likely am going to leave the party and work in other areas to bring about change. I can no longer trust the Democrats in congress and there is no way I’m going to vote for any candidate who will vote positively on this. When you guys decide to get a set of balls then I might change my mind” 

As long as we allow our elected Democrats to be wimps they will be. I understand that they need to keep their wits about them and use them as needed, but the elections of 2000 and 2004 showed no respect for wits, nuance or erudition. Joe Sixpack doesn’t understand the finer points of debate. He does, however, understand the impact of a baseball bat. We need Joe Sixpack to be on our side, and he will never respect us unless or until we wield that bat. Once we have him on our side we can wean him away from simplicity.  Remember the timeless words of Frank Loesser, “Marry the man today and change his ways tomorrow”. 

This post will always be about solutions and how to implement them. Get involved with your local political club. Call and write your senator and congressperson and give them a piece of your mind. Let your incumbent legislators know that you will vote for their opponents in the primary and that you will withhold funds from the party. Tell them that you will only donate to the candidate of your choice. It’s up to us to change them.  Remember-if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem

In Tennessee Williams’s play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Big Daddy lectures his son Brick on mendacity and how it affects their everyday lives. Not the big blatant lie, but the little white ones that are used to mask the truth or hide the intent of the protagonist.

Newt Gingrich is a master of this art of deception. He has been a professor of history, so he well knows how to practice revisionism to suit his particular agenda needs. Yesterday he gave the commencement speech at Liberty University where he blatantly endorsed the racist and homophobic policies of the late Jerry Falwell, telling the graduates to ignore separation of church and state in public schools. More on Falwell in another column.

Since Gingrich is a totally amoral man I find it loathsome that he wraps himself in the cloak of morality. It is, in fact, how he got to power in the House. Let’s not underestimate him. He is a brilliant ideologue and tactician. He knows how to twist words so that they seem true. He needs to be monitored by a truth squad at all times, and that won’t come from the press. No one in the media will call him on his lies because they fear that their future access will dry up. Therefore, it’s up to you and me to call him on his lies and to embarass the media at the same time.

Here’s an example of how Gingrich manipulates the discussion. This morning on Meet the Press he was debating Sen.  Dodd on Iraq. Somehow he was able to introduce the analogy of WWII into the debate stating “We won WWII in 4 years” as though it were gospel. He mentioned it more than once. He also knows that the statement is misleading (mendacious). It is to begin with a comparison of apples and oranges. He deliberatley omits why WWII was fought, or how it started, or what efforts it took by a host of allied governments to bring the war to a successful end. These are inconvenient truths to a revisionist historian. So are the Marshall Plan and Nato. Most people alive here today don’t even remember the war because they are either too young or were not born yet.

That’s just one example. there are scores more. Every time he opens his mouth he should be called on his misstatements. It’s up to us to do it. The mainstream media wont.

In order to accomplish this we must become more active. When an article by or about him appears in your local paper, you should write letters to the editor debunking him. If he is on one of the cable or network news shows you should contact them about his lies. If he is on CSPAN you should call him and challenge him.

The Republicans have been doing this for years and getting away with it. They need to take a dose of their own medicine.  Who knows? If we can marginalize the entire slate of their candidates we may actually be able to take our country back with plenty of votes to spare.

Remember-if you’re not part of the solution, you’re a BIG part of the problem.

It’s taken several hours for me to put my thoughts into writing. I felt it was going to be easy as I’ve been writing all my life-either business plans or articles for trade publications, or more recently grants and editorials for the programs of my shows. It’s not easy. The kind of writing just described has a narrow focus with specific goals in mind.

This time it’s different. I’m not sure what the subject will be or where I’m going to go with it. Most likely it will be political in nature, however, since I have a background in both business and the arts you can be sure that those subjects will also be covered.  I am also now involved in education so you can be sure that there will be posts about that. At the age of 65 I have no intention of either slowing down or retiring.

So, why am I doing this? Good question-I don’t know if I can adequately answer it in a short statement.  I grew up during the Cold War. Eisenhower was President when I graduated high school. It was a completely different world. One would think that in the ensuing forty seven years things would have progressed to the point that we would have become a more enlightened society. Sadly, we are morally and intellectually behind where we were in 1960. I want to examine why we’re going backwards, and what we can do about it as an enlightened society. I want to examine the conditions that allowed George Bush to become President. Make no mistake about it-he’s a tremendous problem, but he’s more the symptom than the root cause. The same can be said about the ten locker room jock pretenders that debated (if that’s what you want to call it) the other evening. We’ve got to tear that weed off at it roots.

Two weeks ago I became a grandfather, and in July my younger daughter  will present me with another grandchild. I want their world to be a better one than the one I live in. I have no idea how much time we’ll spend together or how well we’ll get to know each other, so perhaps this blog will give them some insights into their grandpa other than the old guy who comes to visit now and then. I also want them (and my kids) to know that “You’ve got a voice-use it. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem”.