Category Archives: Politics

GOP Strategy: Lie, Cheat, Steal, Suppress And Spend.

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Think I’m exaggerating?  Consider this:  For months, we’ve been bombarded with commercials from Republicans and their SuperPACS based on pants-on-fire lies, such as Romney’s latest gem that Chrysler is planning on moving the production of Jeeps to China.  Never mind that the Chrysler CEO immediately denounced the commercial as a blatant lie.  Mitt the Twit has continued to air it.

Mitt has also continued to air commercials stating that President Obama has cut $716 billion from Medicare (he hasn’t); that President Obama began his first term with an “apology tour” of the the Middle East (he didn’t); and that Mitt recommended the same steps to save the US auto industry as President Obama (he didn’t).

In the primaries, Mitt ran as a “severe conservative,” stating that he would sign a bill to end legal abortion; that he believed all abortions should be outlawed even if the pregnancies were the result of rape or incest; that he would dismantle the EPA and the Dept. of Education; that he would cut taxes for everyone, including the wealthy; and that he would spend billions on our military that the Pentagon hasn’t even requested.  Despite all of this, he claimed that he would somehow pay down the national debt.

But when it came to the first debate, he denied almost all of those statements.  He has now portrayed himself as a centrist.  As a result, we don’t know where he stands on any issue.  We don’t know his economic plan, assuming he actually has one.  What we do know is that he is a serial liar.  And despite his slogan “Believe in America,” we know that, instead of investing his millions in the US, Mitt has dodged taxes by stashing his money offshore in Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and Luxembourg.

As for Mitt’s party, we know that it has spent the past four years blocking virtually every bill and presidential nomination.  Republicans have used the filibuster hundreds of times – not just for big items, but for ordinary business, in hopes of making President Obama a one-term president.

Instead of trying to sell their plutocratic vision of America, Republicans and their billionaire supporters have spent billions attacking President Obama and other Democratic opponents.  They have also looked for new ways to suppress the vote of those who might disagree with them.  We’ve already seen the impact of their efforts in Ohio and Florida where early voting has been limited forcing people to stand in line for hours.  Of course, this has been especially true in counties with large minority populations.

Election day is almost certain to be worse.

Let’s hope that a majority of the electorate has recognized the Republican strategy and makes them pay.

Proof That Tax Breaks For The Rich Do Not Create Jobs.

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For years, economists have scoffed at the notion that tax breaks for the wealthy benefit the rest of society.  The policy failed in the early 1900s when it was known as Horse and Sparrow economics.  And it failed in the 1980s when it was called Trickle Down economics. Indeed, even the architects of Reagan’s economic policy now admit the policy is a failure.

The notion was further debunked in the 1990s when President Clinton raised taxes on the wealthy resulting in millions of new jobs.

But evidence has never stopped Teapublicans from claiming that the only way to create jobs is to cut taxes for the wealthy and multi-national corporations.  They continue to claim that tax cuts are the only incentives for the so-called “job creators.”  Of course, this year’s crop of Teapublican candidates is pursuing the same policy.  They’re counting on voters who are frustrated by the slow recovery from the enormous economic crisis they created to buy into the same old malarkey again.

Teapublicans deny that they are responsible for the crisis and that their obstructionism is responsible for the slow recovery.  They say, “Trust us.  Tax cuts will work this time.” 

Unfortunately for Teapublicans, the non-partisan Congressional Research Service created a report that, once again, found that lower marginal tax rates for the wealthy have no effect on economic growth and job creation.   So what did the Teapublican leadership do with this information?  Did it sway their opinions?  Did they modify their policy?

Certainly not.

According to a story in The New York Times, Senate Teapublicans led by Mitch McConnell persuaded the Congressional Research Service to withdraw the report.  After all, they wouldn’t want the voting public to know the truth!

Race And Politics In America.

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When Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States in a veritable landslide, many Americans believed it signified a post-racist US.  But instead of marking the end of racism, Obama’s election revealed it.

Look at what’s happened over the past four years.

Even before the election results were counted, white right-wingers questioned Obama’s citizenship and, thus, his right to be president.  They claimed that the election was stolen through voter fraud by minorities with the help of ACORN. The Southern Law Poverty Center, Homeland Security and the FBI noted a spike in the number of racist domestic terrorism groups.  Gun sales soared on baseless fears that our first black president would take away our guns.  And an all white group of Republican politicians made it their priority to block every Obama-backed bill and nomination in order to make him a one-term president.

And that was only the beginning.  The racist assault on this president was carried out in many other ways.

For example, during the 2009 State of the Union speech, a white congressman broke protocol to shout “you lie.”  White parents and politicians tried to block the president’s address to schoolchildren for fear their kids would be “indoctrinated.”

When President Obama authorized loans to US automakers, an almost entirely white group of angry citizens demonstrated with undeniably racist signs portraying our president as the Joker, calling him a communist, a socialist, a fascist and even a racist.  The focus of their wrath allegedly was that they were overtaxed, despite the fact that their taxes were the lowest in 60 years.  They called themselves the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party and threatened to “exercise their Second Amendment” rights.  They called themselves “patriots” and the President a “Kenyan.”

Backed by the billionaire Koch brothers, the Tea Party verbally assaulted President Obama’s healthcare plan (a plan originated by Republicans and signed into law by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney).  Much of the anger was directed against non-existent “death panels” and fear that illegal immigrants might be helped by the plan.

In the 2010 mid-term elections, many Tea Party members were elected to Congress, mostly from southern states that once had been part of the Confederacy.  Undeniably, race played a very large part in their elections.  Tea Party candidates won by creating fear of our “illegitimate, un-American” president and of anyone who looks like a Latino immigrant.

There have been videos of racists, including some cops, taking target practice with photos of President Obama as the target.  Racists have regularly flown the Confederate battle flag from the back of their pickups to show their hatred of our president.  There have been a host of racist bumper stickers and T-shirts attacking our president.  Republicans even ridiculed First Lady Michelle Obama’s efforts to improve the health of children through exercise and better nutrition.  Not because it’s a bad idea, but likely because she’s not white.

Leading up to November 6, race continues to play a large role in the 2012 elections.  Republicans have passed voter ID laws in order to suppress Democratic votes in minority-dominated areas.  There have been attempts to intimidate and mislead minority voters.  Republicans have tried to limit poll hours to make it more difficult for working minorities to vote.  At the same time, Republicans have resurrected anti-gay marriage propositions in states in order to excite their most highly-prejudiced base.

Throughout many parts of the nation, yard signs and campaign materials for President Obama’s re-election have been stolen or vandalized with increasing frequency.  Opponents shout racist threats and obscenities at those who display their support for the president.  A racist was admitted to a rally for Mitt Romney with a T-shirt reading “Put the White back in the White House.”  And, in the most telling example of racism, Colin Powell’s thoughtful endorsement of President Obama was ridiculed merely because they’re both of African-American heritage.

Think about that.  Should we then dismiss any Romney endorsements made by white people?

What Lessons Will Be Learned From This Election?

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If Romney and the Teapublicans win this election, it will have been demonstrated that you don’t have to offer better ideas to become president.  You can merely lie, cheat and buy your way into the White House.

If Romney wins, it will have been shown that the road to the White House begins with questioning your opponent’s citizenship and patriotism.

Future candidates will be encouraged to lie about the incumbent’s every intention and motivation.  They will see the value of encouraging their party to block every proposal the incumbent puts forward, even if their own party recommended it; to block the majority of his nominations and appointments; to blame the president for their own party’s failures; to provide few details about their plans to govern; to constantly change positions to match the audience; to use every means possible to suppress votes; and to use unregulated SuperPACs to buy the election.

Of course, there are two other lessons to be learned; that what you have said and done in the past don’t really matter; and that you can hide your money offshore without consequences.  Some people will even call you a patriot for evading taxes.

Ask yourself:  Is this what our Founding Fathers intended?  Are these the lessons you want to teach your children and grandchildren?

The Difference Between Democrats And Teapublicans.

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There are distinct differences between members of our two political parties.

Democrats believe in women’s rights, racial equality, Medicare, Social Security, healthcare, progressive tax policies, labor unions, education, veteran’s rights, appropriate military spending, the environment, clean energy, global warming, common sense gun control, responsible immigration policies, and regulations for Wall Street and multi-national corporations.

Teapublicans, on the other hand, simply believe Democrats have no right to exist.

That’s why Teapublicans feel free to inject politics into virtually every conversation, and to assume that everyone agrees with them.  When people disagree, Teapublicans call them names and threaten them.  They resort to political dirty tricks.

Teapublicans even ignore our First Amendment rights to free speech and our Constitutional right to vote.  They then pat themselves on the back and call themselves “patriots.”

You see, politics is all about “freedom” for Teapublicans.  Their freedom to do whatever they wish; to lie, bully, intimidate and to destroy anyone who gets in their way.

US Politics Mirror Problems In The Middle East.

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For decades, western nations meddled in Middle East politics.  Despite our “commitment” to democracy, the US and UK used their power to replace democratically-elected leaders with dictators who had promised fealty to our national interests (aka big oil).

We supported Saddam Hussein, the Shah of Iran, and Hosni Mubarak, to name just a few despotic dictators.  During the George W. Bush administration, we even made nice with Muammar Gaddafi, a man responsible for the deaths of many US citizens.

Understandably, our willingness to place oil over the rights of human beings has not exactly endeared our nation to the locals. Arab citizens suffered through years of misinformation and lies, exploitation and repression, divisiveness, high unemployment, and inequality with regard to economic opportunities and education.

It was the frustration caused by these issues that led to the so-called Arab Spring.

Thankfully, President Obama has shown that the US is finally on the side of the people; that we are willing to encourage and support true democracies in these countries.  Of course, this approach has not exactly been popular with neo-cons.  They want to portray the president as weak.  And Romney continues to refer to President Obama’s meetings with Middle Eastern leaders as an “apology tour,” despite the fact that factcheckers such as Politifact.com have rated Romney’s attacks as a “Pants on Fire” lie.

More troubling is that the issues which have led to so much unrest in the Middle East are now taking hold in the US.

Teapublican fiscal policies have led to great disparity in wealth and the offshoring of high-paying jobs.  Like dictators, Teapublicans and their media megaphones spread misinformation and lies.  Teapublicans are crushing unions and trying to end benefits such as Social Security and Medicare.  They are even defunding public education.

The result is to create classes of the haves and the have nots.  And, as happened in the Middle East, if these policies are allowed to continue long enough, they will almost certainly lead to violent unrest in the US.

The Cultural Pendulum.

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During my 40+ years in advertising, I learned that our culture is like a pendulum.  It swings far in one direction then back an equal distance in the other direction.  However, it’s on a 360 degree axis, so it never comes back to quite the same place twice.

You can see this pendulum effect play out in many ways, including politics.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, wealthy men such as J.P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and John D. Rockefeller wielded most of the political power.  These industrialists made billions off the backs of others.  They controlled their employees with an iron fist.  They controlled government the same way.

It was an age when workers, including children, were forced to labor in deplorable conditions.  They were paid little for back-breaking work in mines, in sweatshops, in factories and on railroads.  There were no safety and environmental regulations.  No labor unions.  No salary negotiations. No retirement safety nets.

Following the labor strikes of the early 1900s and following the Great Depression, things began to change.  People realized that they had been abandoned by the powerful and the wealthy.  The need for collective action became apparent.

Sadly, the pendulum is swinging back in the direction of the plutocrats; the so-called “job creators.”  We’ve been through decades of union busting.  Middle class jobs have been exported to other countries in search of ever lower labor costs.  Financial, environmental and safety regulations are under attack.  The top one percent has enjoyed an ever-increasing share of the national wealth while the wages of the poor and the middle class have declined.

More disturbingly, there is evidence that the pendulum is accelerating toward the right.  The wealthy and powerful have been emboldened.  The mere fact that a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination felt comfortable promoting the exploitation of child labor during the Republican debates should send a chill down everyone’s spine.  Now business owners and corporate executives are even demanding that their employees vote for Mitt Romney or be fired.

If the Republicans take control of the White House and Congress, our nation will swing even further toward the Horse and Sparrow economy; an economy based on the notion that if you feed enough oats to the horse (the wealthy and the multi-national corporations), some will pass through and end up on the road for the sparrows (you and me).

Romney Won The 2nd Debate After All.

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While most polls and political pundits gave the advantage to the President in the second debate, Mitt Romney did win on two accounts: Disrespect and Lies.

Despite having agreed to a long list of rules for the Town Hall Debate, which included an agreement that neither candidate directly address the other or venture into the other’s space, Mitt Romney literally got in the face of the President.  He also directed a barrage of questions at the President rather than go through the moderator.  The effect was to seem unnecessarily confrontive and even disrespectful of the President.

Romney may not respect President Obama, but he should at least be respectful of the office. Moreover, Romney’s bossy attitude demonstrated that he lacks the temperment to negotiate with world leaders.

As for the ability to stretch the truth and tell lies to support his arguments, Romney was, once again, the overwhelming winner.

He was not only caught telling a lie about the President’s address on Benghazi.  He lied about the number of women who lost jobs in the past 4 years.  He misstated his opposition to the Lilly Ledbetter Act.  He didn’t tell the truth about his position on contraception.  He lied about his recommendation to let Detroit go bankrupt and, therefore, fail.  He lied about his tax proposals.  He was wrong about the increase in healthcare insurance over the past two years.  He lied about his proposal to limit Pell Grants.  And he lied about the President’s energy policies, including the delay of the XL Pipeline.

In other words, Romney demonstrated that he is not qualified to be Commander-in-Chief.  But he definitely demonstrated that he is qualified to be Liar-in-Chief.

For more Romney-Ryan lies, read The Teapublican Book of Lies available at Amazon.com and other on-line bookstores.

“Fraudulent,” “Fantasy,” “Con Game,” “Mathematically Impossible.”

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These are the words used to describe the Romney-Ryan budget plan by economists, The Washington Post, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center and Bloomberg News.

Mitt says his plan will cut taxes for all Americans, increase defense spending and still cut the deficit.  And, get this; he claims that his plan will be “revenue neutral.” He says that the costs will be offset by the elimination of tax deductions.  Yet he steadfastly refuses to provide details.  The only cuts he’s mentioned are funding for Public Broadcasting and Planned Parenthood.

In fact, after more than a year of campaigning for the office of President of the United States, Mitt has not provided any numbers for his plan…until tonight.

During the second debate with President Obama, Mitt announced the number five…in reference to his 5-point plan for the economy.  But don’t expect Mitt to provide any details for that plan, especially with regard to his budget figures.

He either can’t, or won’t.

Romney can’t explain his budget plan.  Liein’ Ryan can’t explain it.  And one of the campaign’s top surrogates can’t explain it.  When Sen. Marco Rubio was asked by Lawrence O’Donnell to name the tax deductions that would be eliminated, he admitted he couldn’t name a single one.

Instead of offering details about his plan, all Mitt says is “trust me.”  Now, tell me, Mitt, why would we do that?  You say one thing today. Then a day or two later, you say something else.  You’ve had at least four answers to every question.  Indeed, you’ve had more positions than the Kama Sutra.

When it comes to your economic plan, Mitt, I’ll trust the opinions of President Obama, President Clinton, most independent media, and non-partisan economists.

Racism By Design?

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Since 2009, a certain percentage of Americans have been outraged that our president is black.  In Arizona, knuckledraggers drive around with Confederate flags in the back of their pickups in protest of President Obama. And, throughout the country, Tea Party rallies have been dominated by racist posters and threats.

Therefore, it’s not surprising that someone recently attended a Romney event wearing a t-shirt that read:  “Put the white back in the White House.”

Of course, Romney’s campaign later distanced itself from the message and apologized for the shirt.

Nevertheless, that shirt made me think:  Why did the Romney campaign choose white yard signs to advertise their candidates?  Is it a subtle reminder that Romney’s opponent is black?  Now, I realize that may seem like a stretch, but I’ve spent most of my adult life as an advertising creative director.  The decision to choose a design for campaign signs is an important one.  Every detail is thoroughly considered and debated.  Nothing would be taken lightly.

Just sayin’.