INSIGHT Weekly commentary
October 27 , 2006
Responding to Recklessness:
10 Reasons to Send a Message to the White House on November 7
1. The War. This is easy and two-thirds of America gets it. The war has been a catastrophe, and one that will live on for decades. Every objective assessment clearly states that more damage is being done every day. 600,000 Iraqis are dead as a result of the Republican invasion; 3,000 Americans are dead and 40,000 injured. $2 trillion being spent. More and more "terrorists" being recruited for this civil war. The Bush administration and their mindless followers supported a lie and persist today. Bad judgment, waste and fraud, colossal costs. Isn't that enough?
2. The Unfair Economy. The economy is growing, the stock market is soaring. This mantra is misleading. The economy's gradual expansion is based on deficit spending--anyone can look rich by overspending their means, and this administration is doing this in spades, taking a balanced budget from Clinton and turning the treasury into a cesspool of red ink. All the new spending goes to the military, and we can see what a good idea that is. Income for middle class and even upper middle class families has stagnated, in some cases declined. The trade deficit is monstrous. Tax cuts for the very wealthy. Nothing for health care. A smoke-and-mirrors operation from the get-go.
3. The Attack on the Ecosystem. By insisting on a petroleum economy, the U.S. pours more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than any other country, in fact, double any other country, while dissing all attempts to bring this recklessness under control. Regulations on mining, timbering, pesticides, wetlands, et cetera, out the window. Bought and paid for, the Republicans have plundered the environmental heritage of this country.
4. The End of the Constitution. Civil liberties embedded in the Western political tradition for 800 years and in the U.S. Constitution are quickly and decisively being eroded in the name of presidential power. Goodbye to the need for evidence (habeus corpus) or trial-by-jury. "Signing statements" by Bush on legislation permits him to interpret any law, or ignore any law, as he sees fit. This is conservatism?
5. The Resurgence of Racism. I'm the last to obsess about racism, as the process of social change is slow. But the Republican use of racial stereotypes for political gain is outrageous. Not only is the scandalous commercial about Harold Ford in Tennessee iron-clad evidence, but a leading GOP White House hopeful, George Allen, has been exposed as an old-fashioned Southern racist of a type we have not seen (overtly) for some years. The immigration scare, in which a non-issue was raised to national prominence by appealing to people's fears of Mexicans stealing jobs, is built on pure prejudice. The entire crusade against Muslims in this country (read any right-wing blog) and abroad is soaked with racism. It is deeply saddening to see the party in power basing its political fortunes on this noxious ideology.
6. The Phony Immigration Peril. Whenever the nation is stressed about its economy and security, immigrants are the first to be battered. The spike in the anti-immigration frenzy was an attempt by Fox News and others to distract from Bush's other failures, especially Iraq. There is no illegal immigrant problem. They are a net plus for the economy. Building fences and hunting them down won't stop them from coming. We need a policy that helps Mexico make better jobs, not NAFTA-led sweat shops, and helps border communities with health and education overloads, and possibly a guest worker program.
7. The War on Terrorism. The big scare tactic got Bush elected in 2004 and they try every day to scare the bejesus out of everyone, when in fact al Qaeda is now a weak and minor threat. And Bush has actually been weak in devising systems to protect America, instead relying on shameful detentions in Guatanamo and the like. The principal way to ensure safety is to act more responsibly in the Muslim world and reduce radically our petroleum dependency. Fat chance with Bush.
8. The Assault on Science. Stem cells, global warming, creationism, voodoo economics--the list of Republican flat-earth attacks on science is breathtaking. Not only is it done for political expediency and corporate profits, but it hurts our children's education. That, in Republican reckoning, is a trifecta.
9. Corruption. Tom Delay. Jack Abramoff. Bob Ney. Ken Lay. Scooter. Santorum. Weldon. The list is very long. And is this a surprise, given the ethos of militarism, profiteering, favoring the rich, and imperial arrogrance?
10. The Decline of Political Discourse. The combination of extreme partisanship, wrapping Republicans in the flag, and diverting attention to terrorism above all else has drained our political system of actual, fact-based discussions about political issues. It's all about attack and with-us-or-against-us. We're all the poorer as a result.
Ten excellent reasons to pull the "D" lever on November 7. Not a panacea, but a start toward a return to sanity.
-- John Tirman
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