Some say Republicans are deliberately driving us into debt with tax cuts. Their ultimate goal is to reduce government services and the size of government. If that is true, there could be serious consequences, such as Far East countries now hold so much U.S. debt that they have leverage over our foreign policy and domestic economy. The strategy of reducing the size of government could be suicidal should the monumental debt and huge annual interest it incurs lead to a fiscal catastrophe. Inheriting a record-high debt and reduced revenues, the new Obama administration now has the painful job of making deep and unpopular spending cuts and possibly raising taxes.
Undermining the Obama Administration
Far-right Republicans are still reeling from their defeat at the hands of the Obama presidential campaign and their answer is to work toward defeating him instead of correcting past failures and replacing their congressional leaders.
Their leadership in Congress insists that all their members oppose President Obama's policy initiatives regardless of their merit. One House member didn't follow orders (on health care) and quickly lost a fundraiser for his reelection campaign.
The far right has set a new record for
filibustering legislation and has created a Senate logjam on much of the
legislation passed by the House. As one columnist put it, "If Republicans think something might be good for the president, they're against it whether or not it's good for America." For example, the far right cheered when, despite efforts of the
President, America lost the 2016 Olympics. They united to defeat
legislation creating a deficit commission, although a number of Republicans had co-sponsored the bill.
As to the economic crisis inherited by the Obama administration, the President undertook (almost overnight) far-reaching government intervention to prevent a panic. Otherwise, we could very well be in the throes of a worst recession or great depression. The Republican alternatives were to further reduce taxes for the wealthy, to rely on the market place (as President Hoover did) and to allow businesses, vital to our economy, to fail.
Only far-right Republicans would leave a new President with a huge rising debt and a disastrous economy and then complain bitterly about his attempts to fix their problems. If they had the right answers, they should have used them when they were in power. They complain repeatedly about bailouts, but the loans are being repaid with interest. Only far-right Republicans would go to such extremes as wanting a new president to fail and seriously damage our country in the process.
Several hundred million people are affected one way or another by our health-care system, a system which is very costly and unaffordable to many. More than half of all Americans have no insurance, or have inferior coverage, or are faced with exorbitant premium rates. The far right jumped ship early when the President's health-care reforms were still a work in progress. They realized that a major legislative victory for him on health care would mean an almost certain second term. Since they jumped ship, much of their efforts have been devoted to killing the legislation. For example, they have scared seniors about death panels and decreased Medicare benefits. At health-care town hall meetings, attendees were told to:
(1) Spread out, be up front and artificially inflate your resistance.(2) Disrupt early and often. Yell out and challenge early.
(3) Try to rattle the congressional representative and get him off his agenda.
(4) Stand up and shout.
(5) Do not allow intelligent debate.
The attendees followed orders well. They were ill mannered, displayed despicable signs, shouted down others who wanted to speak, claimed the President is not an American citizen, alleged he is a Muslim in league with terrorists, compared him to Hitler and carried loaded guns near the President's public meetings. While many of those present consider themselves members of a new Tea Party, that Party is closely aligned with the ultra right, funded and directed by the GOP and its lobbyists and influenced by Fox News' extremists and hate groups. The weakened Republican Party identifies closely with the Tea Party, but the reverse is not necessarily true.
The far right has a well-oiled and disciplined propaganda machine and, if that machine were the deciding factor, they would be the dominant political force in America. Goebbels, who handled Hitler's propaganda machine, would be in awe of the Republican machine as well as the widespread use of "talking points" to keep everyone on message. None of the talking points bear much resemblance to what is in the health-care legislation. Two favorite bits of propaganda are -- the President's reforms are a massive government takeover of our health care system, and most of the American people are against the legislation. They figure that, if they repeat these expressions often enough, the American people will begin to believe them. Apparently, some have.
However, the doctor and patient remain fully in charge and there is no bureaucrat between them except those of insurance companies. The insurance bureaucrats will be more constrained under the new reforms and unable to reject the sick. There will be opportunities to improve medical practices and reduce costs. But, these changes will be guided by medical professionals, not dictated by the government. A New York Times editorial of March 8, 2010 ("If Reform Fails") corrects other misrepresentations.
Despite all the far-right distortions, key elements of the legislation remain popular with the American people (70% and higher). A Gallup poll of March 5, 2010 reveals that the American people have 49% confidence in reform recommendations of the President as compared to 32% for Republicans -- a 17-point difference.
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