Once again it should be plainly clear to even the most skeptical of observers: the political debate in this country is driven by a corporately controlled media that shapes the coverage of the news by determining how much emphasis is placed on individuals and events enacted by political and economic circumstances will be covered.
A political election is held in 2006 and the Republicans lose control of the Congress. Two years later, the Republicans lose more seats in the Congress and they also lose the presidency by a fairly large margin.
The people have spoken with their power of the ballot. 'Turn out the Republicans and provide the Democrats with a workable majority n Congress and a Democratic president who wants to change the short term as well as the long term direction of the nation, with the government playing a more responsible role in this process of change
Out with the policies of the past that have torn down our country for the past several decades and in with new policies that give the American people hope for a better future.
So what has happened?
Instead of getting off to a unified start to fix and repair all the damage that had been done over the last decade; we act as if it's 1980 again and witness Republican after Republican in the main stream media news go on and on about how the Democrats are too liberal and want to -- can you believe this -- spend America out of its ever expanding caste of unemployed workers and recession entrenched economy!
Why it's as if the Democrats have desecrated the final resting place of Ronald Reagan. They've dug him up and unceremoniously attempted to disintegrate what remains of his corpse and claim he never existed. It's as if a group of Russian hooligans had smashed the glass that covers Lenin's tomb!
To further add to this sudden incoherence of the main stream media to grasp and explain our dire economic predicament that grows worse with each passing day. They do what they are best at:they report the dire conditions and then put a Republican or a Republican and a Democrat on together 'to discuss' what the country should do! Even though everyone knows we have a horrible problem that is only getting worst, the media feels its best to give 'both' sides a chance to give their 'opinions' on how to fix America.
We act as if this problem just suddenly occurred and we have plenty of time to think through till we find a solution. That means the Republicans get plenty of airtime and ink to belittle government spending as pork and how tax cuts are the only answer! All the while the Democrats act dumbfounded and even defensive since they are the ones' trying to spend the people's money.
And then we get shame theatrics from Senators like Mr. Thune who stand at the Senate podium with a chart and one day says if we stacked $100 bills one on top of another in the amount of the money Democrats want for the stimulus it'll be over 39 miles high! Who cares! Its a third grade stunt! The media care that's who, because Thune's sound bite and short video made all the network and cable news outlets hundreds of times over several days!
The next trick for Thune was to use those same $100 bills and circle the earth with them 39 times! Incredible! The main stream media gave that sterling observations the same extensive and extended coverage that the 39 mile high stack of money received,
Earlier in the week The main stream media was enraptured with the 'biblical' note that if we were to stack a dollar day since Jesus was born, equal to the money in the stimulus needs for funding we'd still be stacking! Again the main stream media ate it up and broadcast it as if it had some sort of relevance to averting a depression that Bush and his Republican cronies caused.
All the while this GOP side show is going on the stimulus is suffering from a thousand pin pricks that are letting the air out of a once large balloon and turning it into a limp reflection of itself.
The Republicans will continue to nit and pick and slowly strangle the stimulus unless the Democrats get tough and push their plan harder to the Congress and to the American people.
It's really a simple message that needs to be repeated every time a Republican squawks or whines. Put the blame where it belongs; on Bush and the Republicans.
This is not time for the Democrats to lose their will. Play hardball; because thats what the Republicans are doing with all their complaining and calls for tax cuts.
If the Democrats let the Republicans emasculate the stimulus they lose; if the Democrats fail to make the bill larger than it is now; they'll lose because they won't have the money necessary to succeed. This is the time for the Democrats to act like leaders and PUSH their bill through by forgetting partisanship and getting the legislation they need through. And if Republican arms need to be twisted to the braking point so be it. Obama has the political capital and the people behind him no matter what that drug Addict Limbaugh or any other Republican has to say.
The Democrats control the government; this is not the time to get rolled over by the GOP and its talking heads; humiliate recalcitrant Republicans in public if that's what it takes; but get the job done! Let America grow again and stick to the Constitution when you're dealing with threats to our nation.
Finally, all Republicans want to do is not to save the country, but to save their party by obfuscating, lying, and dragging their feet on the stimulus. The best thing that could happen for them is to create a deflationary trap that has been set by Bush's overuse of the Federal Reserve's ability to support the economy by cutting interest rates. We stand right now practically at zero and still the economy is uncontrollably falling into the abyss.
The Republicans intend to create such an economic slump that it will rival the Great Depression and more importantly give the GOP something to bludgeon Obama over the head with so they can return to power.
Because once deflation starts it starts to feed on itself it could easily consume the four years of Obama's presidency; even eight years if the Republicans come up with another dud of a candidate. But it need not get that far.
It's time for Obama to go on a take no prisoners offensive. There are a lot of Republicans already retiring in 2010 and there's scores of Republicans who come from districts and states Obama just won a few weeks ago. Go after the GOP where they are weakest; go after them where Obama won.
It's now or never. Don't let the Republicans push America into it's deflationary trap! Because once the trap is sprung the main stream media in tandem with newly energized Republicans will turn Obama into a caretaker president. Obama's got to get tough; because less than a month into his first term in office he's fighting for his, and his party's survival!
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