Be Careful What You Wish For...

Republicans Got What They Wanted;
Now Who's Going to Clean Up the Mess?

One of the goals of the Republican Party has always been to gain control of the presidency. And to use that as a springboard to control Congress. If those goals were achieved, the Republicans would be able to leave their indelible stamp on every law, every piece of legislation that came off the Hill; they would also be in a position to influence government for years to come!

Well, as a friend of mine once said, be careful of what you wish for.

Our Republican friends have achieved both of their wishes by hook or crook. They have captured the presidency and they managed to gain control Congress. And for the first time, all three branches of government are either Republican or are leaning that way…

It is remarkable but the vision of Newt Gingrich’s Contract With America has been realized.

So, in the final analysis, what do we have?

We have gone to War for reasons unproven. We have a floundering economy. We have a stock market that looks moribund. We have decent paying jobs that have scooted off to shores unknown with strange sounding names! We have gone from a Democratic budget surplus of a trillion dollars to a level of debt never before seen in this country; yet we still give tax-breaks to the wealthy and see nothing wrong in that. The FDA looks like a rubber stamp for industry interests leaving people wondering whether to eat or pay their pharmaceutical bills. We continue to plunder the environment;yet oil prices are through the roof. Our position in the world has weakened perilously. National disasters have revealed that disorganization runs supreme at the highest levels of government no matter how many trips the president makes to stricken areas. And it doesn’t seem to get any better over time.

And as if that weren’t enough, for the first time in history, the majority leader of the Senate is under investigation for insider dealing; the majority leader of the House is under indictment for money laundering and illegal activities and the top advisors to the president and vice president are being considered for indictment for releasing the name of a top CIA operative. A top level appointed lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, is indicted for misappropriation of funds and a senior official in the Department of the Budget is implicated in lying to Federal investigators about Abramoff’s involvement.. The president’s top appointment for the Supreme Court is rejected and her name must be withdrawn from running and the president’s standing in the polls is lower than it’s ever been.

According to the surveys, confidence in the economy is plummeting, and is now lower than it has been in decades. And most people are worried about the future as the number of dead in Iraq top 2,000 and the Secretary of State hedges over whether we could still find ourselves there ten years from today.

This should be instructive, since most surveys show that more than 50% of the population now believes that the country would be better served by Democrats.

In the midst of upcoming mid-term elections, the Republicans may need to evaluate the costs of allowing the extreme right to call the shots or suffer even more unimaginable consequences.

In looking back, N. Gingrich has had his way. He got a big advance and his book published after opening the door for Murdoch to increase his control of more media outlets in what was clearly a violation of FCC regulation. And yet despite advantage after advantage, the Republicans through their incredibly narrow perspective have managed to squander our surplus, give away any change of rebuilding the economy with their short term ‘what’s in it for the rich? Attitudes, have made it possible for the private sector to relocate jobs anywhere they could hype profits and, through their blind lust for power and money, made us indentured servants to Saudi Arabia, Japan and China. And they have done so through lies, misdirection and deceit. Not bad for five years in power.

Some of us are already wondering whether there will be a world left for democrats when it comes time for the next election or will we simply inhabit a world with surging tides that will guide us into the next Ice Age…

Les Aaron
The Hubmaster

See the Blue Blog: http://lesaaron.blogspot.com