Month: January 2010

Obama Calls For End Of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” In Military: Great Step Forward!

Ronald Leave a comment

President Obama tonight finally followed through on his pledge to the gay community to move toward the abolition of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the military, which has forced the explusion of highly trained and talented people in the military because of their sexual preference.

It was good to see Defense Secretary Robert Gates applaud the President’s statement. The question is whether conservatives and Republicans will attempt to stop this reform by use of the filibuster tactic that is constantly threatened on so many issues, a tactic that Obama criticized in his State of the Union address.

Obama must work actively with both houses of Congress and make appeals to public opinion to counteract any attempt to foil his plan to do what many European countries have already done–open up military service to men and women despite their sexuality. Sexual preference has nothing to do with being a good soldier, and this step will help promote gay rights in other areas as well, a step long overdue!

Likely Turning Point For Republican Future This Weekend

Ronald 1 Comment

A crucial moment in the Republican Party’s future takes place this weekend in Hawaii, where the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting is being convened.

A resolution to promote a “purity test”, a conservative litmus test, and require it of all Republican candidates for public office, will be coming up for review and possibhle adoption. It would require that every candidate adhere to at least eight of ten points of the document to gain GOP backing.

This, however, would eliminate moderate candidates who don’t wish to follow such a document obediently. The debate will develop within the national committee whether it is a good idea or a disastrous idea to mandate such a loyalty test.

It is clear to observers who understand the American political system that IF the conservative litmus test is adopted, the strong likelihood is that it will kill the chances of the GOP to gain independent backing and win back control of the Congress and state offices, as the country is a centrist nation that does not respond well to ideological purity tests!

Barack Obama Chides Republican Opposition In Senate On Filibuster Tactic

Ronald Leave a comment

The first thing that stands out about Barack Obama’s State of the Union address tonight is his chiding of Senate Republicans on their refusal to cooperate, and instead working to prevent any action unless there are 60 votes, by constantly using or threatening the use of the filibuster.

The tactic of the filibuster has certainly been overused and too often threatened, and another practice has been one or two senators claiming, often without being identified, that action be held up on a nomination or a piece of legislation without being specific as to the reason. This legislative privilege has become an abuse that Obama declared must be stopped.

He joked and smiled as he chastised the Republicans, and of course they sat on their hands with glum looks on their faces. But Obama stated that the American people wanted cooperation between the political parties, not only in the Senate, but also in the House of Representatives, to do the country’s business. He said both parties have a responsibility to the people to move beyond petty differences and political one upsmanship.

Whether any change will come in this regard is doubtful, but at least the President took a stand, showing courage and conviction, but with a touch of humor designed to disarm critics. Certainly, he made a great impression in his approach to this issue, so let’s hope through some miracle it succeeds!

Bill O’Reilly’s Sense Of Humor: Sick And Despicable!

Ronald 3 Comments

Fox News Channel talk show host Bill O’Reilly has a sick sense of humor, and that is being charitable!

O’Reilly has suggested that it might be a good idea to “kidnap” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

He also joked that maybe it would be good to “waterboard” Nancy Pelosi, making light of this horrible torture tactic utiilized by the Bush Administration, and still endorsed by conservative talk show hosts and former Vice President Dick Cheney.

O’Reilly is not being funny in reality; he is being outrageous and obscene, and needs to cease and desist in such rhetoric. But then again, has any conservative talk show host,or spokesperson, including O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Michael Savage, Laura Ingraham, Michelle Malkin, etc EVER apologized or changed their behavior? NO, as their purpose is to divide, promote hate and dissension, and enrich themselves while manipulating their gullible audiences! 🙁

The Stimulus Bill: The Truth Be Told!

Ronald Leave a comment

A year after the economic stimulus bill, we are hearing lies from the opposition that nothing has been accomplished by the Obama Administration.

Nothing could be further from the truth. A lot of the stimulus is scheduled to occur this year and next, as no recovery plan can be expected to work immediately. There is always a time delay between what government legislates and the actual delivery of the services.

Having said that, what has the stimulus accomplished so far?
1. It has saved thousands of public jobs, affecting communities all over the country. This includes teachers, fire fighters and police officers. Many states, counties and city governments have benefited.

2. It has met the needs of many poor and disabled people on Medicaid. It has improved their quality of life.

3. It has set up over 11,500 transportation projects across the country, shovel ready and employing people.

4. 95 percent of the population received a tax cut, which is giving many people a lower tax bill in April if they had proper withholding.

Of course, there is a need to do much more, to say the least. But to claim that nothing has been accomplished and that the whole concept of economic stimulus was a waste of public dollars is a total lie, promoted by conservatives and Republicans who have no interest in helping right the economy, but rather just to obstruct and prevent success for political reasons!

The Tea Party Convention And Sarah Palin: A Sham!

Ronald 1 Comment

The Tea Party Convention, scheduled for Nashville, Tennessee, in February, is designed to unify those Americans who are disgusted with the two party system, the Congress, the President, big government, and health care reform.

But this movement is already showing itself to be a sham, as they have decided to charge any participant an entrance fee of $549–a tremendous amount for a populist movement which claims to speak for and represent the “average” American who is disgusted with their government.

Not only that, but Sarah Palin has become the big name draw for the convention, and seems to have a lot of support from the organizers of the Tea Party Movement. But she has demanded a speaking fee of $100,000 to appear, which is absolutely astounding if she claims to be a supporter of the “common” people!

It seems, rather, that everything Sarah Palin does is simply to enrich her own pockets, because she knows she is quite a draw! She is actually, clearly, exploiting her celebrity to her own advantage, and it makes one wonder whether the Tea Party activists who are not in leadership of the group might not reconsider whether this movement, with its high entrance fee to participate, and its insistence on paying such a high speaking fee to Sarah Palin, really is a sham, rather than a principled movement!

Obama’s Target Groups To Work On For Support: Independents, Senior Citizens, Suburbanites

Ronald Leave a comment

Recent polls make it clear that Barack Obama has three major target groups he will need to work on, as they are becoming more disillusioned with him, when compared to their support for him in 2008.

These groups are Independents, senior citizens, and suburbanites. Independents are unhappy that the Congress has been unable to accomplish very much, while seniors worry about how their health care might be affected by a national health care reform, and suburbanites are suffering through heavy job losses and foreclosures.

Ironically, many people in these target groups seem to think a Republican Congress working with Obama would be better, comparing it to cooperation at times that developed between Bill Clinton and the GOP Congress after 1994. Actually, this concept of divided government as better really is not to be preferred, as much more than not, it causes fireworks and gridlock. The memory of the American people about a split government being preferred is based on false premises and a clouded image of reality! The same Congress that at times worked with Bill Clinton also impeached him and caused tremendous fireworks that impeded the ability to deal with many problems of the 1990s.

The way to regain support of these target groups for the President is to have the Congress accomplish the goal of health care reform, and aggressively bring about a jobs program and a foreclosure initiative that makes average Americans feel that their government is concerned about them, not just Wall Street and the banks!

New Poll On Who Is To Blame For Stalemate In Government: The Republicans In Congress!

Ronald Leave a comment

A new NBC-Wall Street Journal poll assesses who is responsible for lack of progress on legislation during the Great Recession we are in, including health care reform and economic revival.

A surprise to some, I suppose, is that the Republicans in Congress are assigned the greatest blame (48 percent), followed by the Democrats in Congress (41 percent) and President Obama (27 percent).

71 percent feel Obama cannot be blamed and his public opinion rating remains positive at 50 percent, with an unfavorability rating of 44 percent.

So despite the Republican victories in New Jersey and Virginia in November and in Massachusetts last week, Obama still retains a reservoir of good will, and remains personally popular, as most Americans like him on a personal level and do not blame him for the lack of action by the government this past year.

So the news today that the Democrats in Congress seem ready to scale back the health care reform is disturbing, as the lack of action by the Democrats is seen as more likely to cause a backlash by Democrats who might very well stay home on Election Day in November because of their feeling that the Democrats promise and then don’t carry through.

As Barack Obama has said, although many Americans are afraid of the health care bill’s complexity, the belief is once it would pass, the majority would realize it was all for the good, and the Democrats would be in better shape for public support than if they sit on their hands and kill the legislation.

So with this new poll evidence, it is essential that President Obama come out fighting during the State of the Union speech for what he believes in, and show the courage of his convictions. He can offer a bridge to the recalcitrant Republicans, but make it clear he will not tolerate their obstructionism, and will do what must be done to make life better for the American people!

The Wrong Public Perception Of Barack Obama

Ronald Leave a comment

A new poll indicates a deficit of 65 points in the view of Barack Obama after one year in office, when comparing Democrats (88 percent support) and Republicans (23 percent support). This is an all time high for any modern President, more than for Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush.

Another poll shows that two thirds of the American people feel that Obama has given too much attention to the banks and Wall Street as compared to the one third who feel that the middle class has been given proper attention.

So if you go by these polls and the perception that is created, Barack Obama after one year is more polarizing than Bill Clinton or George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan ever was. But this is based on a wrong public perception and ignorance on the part of the American people.

What they don’t understand is that if Obama had not given attention to the banks and Wall Street, as unpopular as that might be, we would be in a Great Depression Number 2 instead of a Great Recession. Few seem to appreciate what that means, but if we had done nothing as a nation to help the elite, then the effect on us, the masses, would have been far worse.

None of the Presidents mentioned above, and none really since Franklin D. Roosevelt, have faced an economic crisis quite on the level of Barack Obama. He IS trying to deal with the middle class problems, as well as the poor, but the basic foundation of the economy must first be dealt with before anything done for the masses will work.

A better job of educating the American people is needed, and also, the gap in the two political parties’ feelings about any President needs to move beyond partisanship, as there is no excuse for such a small percentage of Republicans being supportive. What about the idea of patriotism and willingness to sacrifice an element of partisanship to back the President, whoever he is, in facing hard times, but unfortunately, the GOP today is willing to just play politics rather than do what is right for the American people! It is not flattering to have an opposition party so unwilling to do their part to promote economic recovery and what is important for the middle class.

We are involved in a war on the economic recession, and it should promote support as much as the fact that we are involved in a war against terrorism!

Senator Charles Mathias, Liberal Republican Giant, Dies

Ronald Leave a comment

One of the greatest of Republican Senators in the 1970s and 1980s, Senator Charles Mathias of Maryland, passed away yesterday, leaving behind a legacy of great contributions!

Mathias, a liberal Republican when there were many outstanding such individuals in the Republican party, served in the Senate from 1969-1987 after eight years in the House of Representatives. He was one of a band of liberals, including Charles Percy of Massachusetts, Mark Hatfield of Oregon, Lowell Weicker of Connecticut, Jacob Javits of New York, Clifford Case of New Jersey, and Edward Brooke of Massachusetts who were major contributors to American politics and were willing to cross the political aisle and promote major reforms.

Mathias promoted progressive ideals including racial reconciliation, campaign finance reform, opposition to the war in Vietnam, promotion of the Equal Rights Amendment, advocacy of environmental reforms, and prohibition of warrantless wiretaps to preserve the guarantees of the Bill of Rights. He opposed President Nixon on many issues, condemned his involvement in the Watergate scandal, and distanced himself from President Reagan in the 1980 Presidential election.

Mathias was above all a man of principle and great courage, and the fact that he was a leader of the fight for limiting the influence of money in politics is ironic just as the Supreme Court has destroyed a century of campaign finance reform, including the McCain-Feingold legislation of this past decade, in its destructive decision of a week ago. Are we to go backwards and turn people off to voting, or to go forward toward responsible campaign finance control? This is the legacy that Charles Mathias leaves us, to fight for what he believed in and what anyone who believes in fairness would want: No corporate control over political campaigns!