Political Detritus

After the Jobs speech, 9-11 commemoration and the Republican debate, our national dialogue hasn't improved much. The Tan Man appears to have reneged on his budget deal from the debt ceiling fiasco. The Republicans are complaining that the socialist President Obama wants to cut the deficit more than they want. And the President has taken his show on the road, hinting at a campaign like "Give 'em Hell, Harry" in 1948. Little Ricky Cantor has sent word out to House Republicans to keep the tone down about the jobs bill and the President because the President is using their language on the stump. One House member said,"We have him on the ropes, so why should we help him now."

Obama has packaged the Jobs plan as a sandwich of job creation ideas, which are supported by the American people, paid for by tax increases on those families earning over $250,000 and cutting corporate loopholes, also supported by the American people. Republicans are not saying it is dead on arrival but will be picking and choosing what they like. What they like are the Free Trade Treaties and some of the tax cuts but not the payroll tax cuts. What they don't like is the infrastructure spending because socialists like Dwight Eisenhower liked those things.

The infrastructure argument to me has always been a no-brainer whether we are in a Depression or in Boom times. Thousands of bridges in the United States are structurally unsound. Thousands of schools are decrepit. We have spent almost a generation since we modernized our infrastructure. And, no, it will not result in the jobs like the Conservation Corps during the Depression because of the efficiency of work and the technology. But it has to be done.

President Obama actually believes that generating public pressure on the House GOP will produce results. Congress now stands at a 13% approval rating , the worst in the history of polling. And 60 Republicans will be running in districts won by Obama last election. The GOP can lose the House, even with their gerrymandering. But, do I believe they will pass something. No. I believe the GOP is now totally subservient to ideology and lacks any identification with national interest. They believe they have done mortal damage to President Obama through their obstructionism and have planted the seeds for the total rejection of government by the population.

While the most recent polls still show President Obama beating the Republican field, the seeds have been laid by the GOP for his defeat. The voter ID laws being enacted in dozens of states by GOP governor is deliberately aimed at suppressing all the constituencies that have no say in Washington. The voter suppression may make the difference in key swing states. Then, we have the overt attempt by the Pennsylvania GOP to deprive Obama of a victory in the electoral college. They are now contemplating dividing their electoral votes up according to proportion. That means that the winner of the state would have about 11 less electoral votes. Then we have Nebraska rescinding its electoral division because Obama won 1 of its votes. Without any votes cast, Obama will be 12 electoral votes less than last time.

This is the slow motion school of rigging an election. It can't be as dramatic or shocking as 2000. So our Washington punditry will say it was "The economy which killed the beast."

Washington still believes that it will be Romney as the Republican nominee. He had his best debate in his career and yet his approval ratings in the GOP polls only rose a smidgin. No one is tuned into him.

The good news is that it looks like the GOP fight for the nomination will be protracted. And I think we have not seen the last of the new candidates. There might be one more seemingly establishment type and ,I believe, Sarah Palin will enter the fray because she seems to have turned against Perry. All eyes now are on the Florida primary, believing that no one will have delivered the knockout blow in the first three primaries and caucus.

The report that poverty has risen to a greater degree than in the last 75 years really hasn't affected anyone in Washington. Rand Paul and other teabaggers argue the poor never had it so good. Besides the GOP plans to pick up the white poor with wedge issues like gay marriage,abortion and gun rights. They figure they never have voted their economic interest and they won't now.

Newt has opened an office in Iowa and believes he still is a candidate. Newt feels that charities should pick up the slack with health care for the uninsured. This was Ron Paul's line in the last debate. Evangelical Christians, who are supposed to tithe, only give 3.75% to charities. Sorry, it won't make up the difference.

There was some buzz about the death of Ron Paul's campaign manager from the 2008 elections. His campaign manager was not insured by Ron Paul and died leaving his family with $400,000 in medical bills. I'm sure the charities will pick that up.

Jon Huntsman has picked up the endorsement of Nirvana's bassist for his mention of Kurt Cobain in the debate. It seems Huntsman is a fan of the rock immortal, the one and only Captain Beefheart. Who knew Mormons liked such things? The libertarians should counter Huntsman with the last great libertarian candidate, Frank Zappa. But they have been eating too many Burnt Weenie Sandwiches to even remember.

Speaking of which, will Rick Perry lose the New Apostolic Reformation vote when they learn he had a vasectomy? Doesn't that disturb the "elements" as much as adultery and homosexuality? To have your bulls neutered is not conducive to breeding and may "bring a curse on the land."

What will they say at Liberty University when Rick Perry speaks? Maybe he can promise to reverse it to be more in line with nature.

A Pennsylvania judge appointed by W has ruled the indivdual mandate as well as the provision prohibiting the discrimination by health companies on people with prior conditions unconstitutional. What I don't get is why the Heritage Foundation doesn't appeal? The great socialist medical idea of the Affordable Healthcare Act was first made public by the conservative think-tank. The reasoning was that it was a conservative idea to have citizens take responsibilty for their own health. Well, that was then.

We are heading to a major diplomatic disaster that President Obama warned about when Bibi Netanyahu was in Washington. Obama wanted Bibi and Abbas to get back to the negotiating table. Obama reiterated American policy since time immemorium, prior to Rev. Hagee, that Israel must return to its 1967 boundaries with modfications. Little Ricky Cantor pledged his allegiance--it is on tape to Bibi--and we had that congressional orgy at Bibi's speech. On Obama's trip to Europe, European leaders supported Obama on this and said that the Palestinians would go to the UN for recognition and even Tony Blair said that Obama's efforts with Netanyahu were meant to forestall this.

Now we are rapidly approaching that day at the United Nations. The Israeli Ambassador wired home that only a handful of countries will vote against recognizing Palestine. Meanwhile our House has vowed to cut off all UN funding if the General Assembly proceeds. Now President Obama has sent a team of envoys to try and persuade the Palestinians not to go through with this. The likelihood is that this effort will fail.

Now the United States has actively supported the Arab Spring--a phenomenon that has vastly undercut Al Qaeda and the radical Islamists--all that goodwill will dissipate. Our NATO ally, Turkey, is now touring the region strengthening its relationship with the new Arab states and condemning Israel. The United States will publically veto the recognition of the Palestinians State. Russia, China and many of our European allies will vote for the Palestianians. In one fell swoop, the goodwill restored by our support for the Arab Spring will disappear and ,most importantly, our perception as an honest broker between Israel and the Palestinians will too.

Virtually no Republicans care a wit about this but if I were the head of Mossad I would be terrified. In other words, you ask your only ally in the world to openly veto and destroy its credibility as the moderator of the dispute. This leaves you further alone and Israel now has virtually no allies in the Arab world. Egypt, Jordan and Turkey are gone. On top of this, about a half a million Israelis are marching in the streets demanding a more equitable economic system and better housing.

What a way to run a railroad. And Americans will avoid any self-reflection.