No doubt to many I may seem a partisan hack. That's what the leftists at Firedoglake or Naked Capitalism think as does Sumner and his Market Monetarists on the Right. I'm an Obama man and for the most part I'm not interested in going after him. I don't think he's above criticism but I mostly feel like this is such a toxic environment that even legitimate criticisms of him have to be put in context. He faces such a determined and unprincipled opposition that I just feel like for the most part even legitimate criticisms mostly just serve the ends of this unprincipled opposition rather than ideally, some constructive criticism of Obama. I guess I see most of it as destructive even if the specific criticism has merit.
For just how destructive the GOP opposition is check out the New New Deal by Micheal Grunwald. I wrote about his great book yesterday. This book also makes the point against Obama's vociferous leftist critiques that in point of fact his American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) actually is by far the largest fiscal stimulus designed for that purpose-as opposed to WWII-in our Nation's history.
I know, it does seem like FDR did a lot between the CCC and the PWA, etc. However, as a total percentage of GDP the net of what he did didn't come to the level of pure fiscal stimulus of the ARRA. In fact, FDR was no Keynesian and had actually run under an austerity plaform-balancing the budget. He actually took his campaign promsies much less seriously than Obama-thankfully-as once in office he did spend money when the economy clearly needed it. Even so, he believed that any spending should be paid for in higher taxes at some point-he was opposed to deficit spending.
As to Obama's Right wing opponents they have no shame-as opposed to his Left wing opponents who merely have no perspective.
The GOP celebrated after the stimulus was passed too-why? Because not a single GOPer voted for it. From pgs. 246-57
"For Republicans, the main political lesson the Recovery Act was the upside of resistance to Obama. For the first time in ages, their base was fired up. And independent voters seemed to be responding to the politics of austerity."
"Once we voted no, we started hearing cheers, and we were like, 'Hey, this is great! Life just got better!'" Tom Cole says. "We didn't have a convincing message yet. We were just against Obama. But we stood up, and we didn't get overrun."
Pg. 241 Arlen Specter:
"A lot of Republicans thought the stimulus was necessary," Specter says:"They just wanted it to pass without their fingerprints.I was all so partisan. You had the sentiment: 'We're going to break Obama.' "
http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2013/06/nihilist-gop-still-looking-for-agenda.html
Of course, even worse than the unprincipled nature of their opposition-Obama had the opposite attitude. His premise was that what's good for the country and the at the time cratering economy would be good electorally at least in the long run-are their actual GOP principles. The GOP War on Women is very real and far from ending or slowing down is intensifying across the country. Each GOP run state is in competition to see who can come up with the most mean spiritedly draconian anti abortion measures.
North Dakota GOP Governor,Jack Darlymple would seem to be in the lead here.
"Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed legislation Tuesday that that would make North Dakota the nation’s most restrictive state on abortion rights, banning the procedure if a fetal heartbeat can be detected – something that can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy."
"The Wisconsin State Senate passed a controversial abortion measure this morning after Republican leaders abruptly called for and forced a vote after only two Senators had a chance to speak their minds on the issue."
For just how destructive the GOP opposition is check out the New New Deal by Micheal Grunwald. I wrote about his great book yesterday. This book also makes the point against Obama's vociferous leftist critiques that in point of fact his American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) actually is by far the largest fiscal stimulus designed for that purpose-as opposed to WWII-in our Nation's history.
I know, it does seem like FDR did a lot between the CCC and the PWA, etc. However, as a total percentage of GDP the net of what he did didn't come to the level of pure fiscal stimulus of the ARRA. In fact, FDR was no Keynesian and had actually run under an austerity plaform-balancing the budget. He actually took his campaign promsies much less seriously than Obama-thankfully-as once in office he did spend money when the economy clearly needed it. Even so, he believed that any spending should be paid for in higher taxes at some point-he was opposed to deficit spending.
As to Obama's Right wing opponents they have no shame-as opposed to his Left wing opponents who merely have no perspective.
The GOP celebrated after the stimulus was passed too-why? Because not a single GOPer voted for it. From pgs. 246-57
"For Republicans, the main political lesson the Recovery Act was the upside of resistance to Obama. For the first time in ages, their base was fired up. And independent voters seemed to be responding to the politics of austerity."
"Once we voted no, we started hearing cheers, and we were like, 'Hey, this is great! Life just got better!'" Tom Cole says. "We didn't have a convincing message yet. We were just against Obama. But we stood up, and we didn't get overrun."
Pg. 241 Arlen Specter:
"A lot of Republicans thought the stimulus was necessary," Specter says:"They just wanted it to pass without their fingerprints.I was all so partisan. You had the sentiment: 'We're going to break Obama.' "
http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2013/06/nihilist-gop-still-looking-for-agenda.html
Of course, even worse than the unprincipled nature of their opposition-Obama had the opposite attitude. His premise was that what's good for the country and the at the time cratering economy would be good electorally at least in the long run-are their actual GOP principles. The GOP War on Women is very real and far from ending or slowing down is intensifying across the country. Each GOP run state is in competition to see who can come up with the most mean spiritedly draconian anti abortion measures.
North Dakota GOP Governor,Jack Darlymple would seem to be in the lead here.
"Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed legislation Tuesday that that would make North Dakota the nation’s most restrictive state on abortion rights, banning the procedure if a fetal heartbeat can be detected – something that can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy."
"The Republican governor also signed into law another measure that would makes North Dakota the first to ban abortions based on genetic defects such as Down syndrome, and a measure that requires a doctor who performs abortions to be a physician with hospital-admitting privileges.
http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2013/06/on-front-lines-of-gop-war-on-women.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DiaryOfARepublicanHater+%28Diary+of+a+Republican+Hater%29
Now you might ask aren't these measures illegal-what about Roe v. Wade? Well in many states the GOPers have passed laws that aren't legal. Darlymple understands that what he did is legally questionable:
"North Dakota's governor positioned the oil-rich state Tuesday as a primary battleground in the decades-old fight over abortion rights, signing into law the nation's toughest restriction on the procedure and urging lawmakers to set aside cash for an inevitable legal challenge."
"Minutes after Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed three anti-abortion measures – one banning them when a heartbeat can be detected, which is as early as six weeks into a pregnancy – unsolicited donations began pouring into the state's lone abortion clinic to help opponents prove the new laws are unconstitutional."
"Although the likelihood of this measure surviving a court challenge remains in question, this bill is nevertheless a legitimate attempt by a state legislature to discover the boundaries of Roe v. Wade," Dalrymple said in a statement, referring to the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion up to until a fetus is considered viable – usually at 22 to 24 weeks
There's tax dollars at work, Women in North Dakota are not only having their basic civil liberties violated but are paying for the legal defense of this violation. This from the same party that threw a party for voting against ARRA in 2009.
For those of you who are scandalized by me saying that I hate Republicans,, why don't you open up your objections right here? Tell me why I shouldn't hate people who do things like this? You sing their praises only after you acknowledge what they believe in. Like I said that the party is entirely unprincipled is bad enough. However, the principles of this party are the worst of it.
However, Darlymple may not even win out among the most violently reactionary GOPer in the country. In Iowa the Governor there wants women to get his personal permission to have any abortion procedure. However, the Who's the Most Reactionary of Them All prize may go to the Wisconsin GOP.
Yesterday they passed a GOP favorite-the forced ultrasound. However, the violence with which they cut off debate yesterday suggests the violence of their assault on the women of their state an the GOP's assault on the women of America.
"The Wisconsin State Senate passed a controversial abortion measure this morning after Republican leaders abruptly called for and forced a vote after only two Senators had a chance to speak their minds on the issue."
"Yesterday Senate Democrats blocked a final vote on SB 206 by objecting to suspending the rules to permit the third reading of the bill. By Senate rules that meant the vote had to be taken the next day. Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) called the lawmakers back in session at 8 o’clock this morning."
"Over the loud objections of Democratic senators standing to be recognized, Senate President Mike Ellis (R-Neenah) pounded his gavel over and over and screamed at them to sit down and not interrupt the roll call vote."
"Sen. Fred Risser (D-Madison), the longest-serving state legislator in the nation, called this morning’s actions by the Republicans the worst abuse of power he has experienced in his more than 50 years as a legislator."
And remember how they rammed through the anti collective bargaining law in 2011!
“The Republican majority is afraid.” Risser said. “They were afraid that they would lose some of their own members who were less than enthusiastic about the measure. They were afraid that they were losing the debate publicly so they had to ram the bill though so the public wouldn’t find out what they are really up to and who they are beholden to. They’re afraid of what’s going to happen in the next election, and they should be afraid.”
"After the vote this morning, a friend who I shall refer to as Princess School Dropout posed the question, "Who swappedThe Handmaid's Tale for Atlas Shrugged in the Republicans' playbook?" Indeed, it seems the Wisconsin GOP's ideological wires have been crossed, shorting out the libertarian strand in favor of the authoritarian."
That's a good point by Princess School Dropout. Here's my theory: there is no tension between the allegedly 'libertarian' and 'authoritarian' sides. They are both two sides of the same authoritarian coin.
Ohio, however may have Wisconsin beat as they not only force women to have unnecessary medical procedures but to pay for them.
This brings us to the reason to oppose Gabriel Gomez against Ed Markey. We can debate the various positions of the candidates. The fact that Gomez is Hispanic and has an inspiring personal story may make him seem more attractive for some Mass liberals who buy the argument that we don't want one party rule.
When you look at Mr. Gomez's positions he's not so different than other GOPers. However, it's not even about his personal positions. He's a Republican. That's enough cause to vote against him. He's part of this GOP machine in Washington that will help Mitch McConnell intensify his filibuster everything 'agenda.' Tom Cole admitted they had no convincing message back in 2009. Things sure have changed...
So I oppose Gomez as if he's Jack Darlymple or Mitch McConnell; what I decidedly do not do, is consider him individually. Some polls suggest it's less close than others do. Lets hope 'some polls' are right.
If you want to in any way slow down this assault on women's reproductive rights-and their health; state GOPers are shutting down health clinics that offer abortion as just one among many health services-you have to vote against GOPers, period. Beating up Obama over NSA sure snit going to help with this.
This is why I do largely say My President right or wrong. My party right or wrong. Or as Thaddeus Stevens put it: Principles indeed! Betray your principles and stand with your party!
Put another way, there are two basic reasons I won't vote even for a 'reasonable Republican.'
1). There aren't any
2). Even if they were any, a vote for them is not for them but for forced ultrasounds and taxpayer money going to lawsuits defending the right of the government to take away women's civil liberties and civil rights. Also it's a vote for Mitch McConnell's filibuster.
No comments:
Post a Comment