By Rawlein G. Soberano, Ph.D.
(October 16, 2010) – This is supposed to be the year of the Republican comeback – demonizing President Obama for the mess they gave us after eight years of Bush-Cheney tax cuts for the rich, and the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, borrowing foreign money for their nation-building.
Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan were just a side distraction. If I were an Iraqi or an Afghan, I would have done everything to drive the invaders off my land, as I know any American would do if any piece of our land is invaded by a foreign army. That’s the basic nature and standard profile of love for country and defense from invaders. In the end, the invaders will lose. We saw it in Vietnam. Alas, we have such short memory and never learned our lesson.
The unfortunate thing about wars is the appearance of “armchair warriors.” We have many of them, besides the Neocons, working for Fox News. The former Navy Seal and former Gov. of Minnesota Jesse Ventura called them out and labeled them descriptively (Three Stooges) for who they are – “Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck” who never served in the military but who talk big about American military might and indestructible power. They are the prophets of doom and messengers of xenophobia who would like to see a continuous war in the Middle East against Muslims as long as it doesn’t involve their sons or kin. This is the definition of a coward, and you are looking at all three. They are quick on the draw with their mouth and use their base to peddle something for personal gain.
A majority of Americans (Gallup Poll of Sept. 23-26) believe Republicans will recapture the House in the midterm elections, but are split on whether it will be for the good of the country or whether it will make no difference. I hope they do, so that the country can see what they do in the next two years regarding the problems facing this country that began during their watch. It is always easier to criticize but difficult to govern.
What they did not anticipate in this equation was the intrusion of Tea Part candidates. Only 36 percent said the country will be better off under the Republicans while 24 percent said it will be worse off, and 32 percent said it won’t make any difference at all. Even 21 percent of Republicans concur with this assessment.
Many of the votes cast for a candidate (new or incumbent) do not necessarily reflect what they think of him/her; they just do not like the opponent, e.g., Sharron Angle (too way out) vs. Harry Reid (lackluster devil they know). The real test is on 11/02 as to whether the general electorate will go with these loonies.
The Republican Party is supposed to be the party of family values, moral values but has become the Party of Hypocrites instead. The very proponents of family values, e.g. David Vitter of LA, John Ensign of NV, et al are criminal adulterers, bribers and liars still clinging to the taxpayer dole in their destructive political posturing and grid-locking of the Democrats.
These outrageous hypocrites who wanted to impeach Bill Clinton for things they or their colleagues were doing are worse, e.g., New Gingrich. What is shocking is that their constituents have not shown them the door yet! Either they are blind, or stupid, or plainly don’t care. Fornication or adultery is not the issue. It is the hypocritical use of someone else’s peccadilloes to gain political advantage that is.
If you are a general or unaffiliated or independent voter, would you vote for a candidate from a party whose platform includes the following: Abolish the minimum wage; Abolish public education; Abolish Social Security and Medicare; Abolish healthcare reform; Abolish unemployment benefits, food stamps, women’s choice; Abolish Dept. of Education, Dept. of Commerce and Environmental Protection Agency; Export more jobs overseas; Eliminate the 12th Amendment (regarding children born of illegal aliens); Eliminate bank regulations; (they can do it better themselves); Promote home schooling or school vouchers (to undermine public education); Make tax cuts permanent (regardless of deeper deficit they create); Solicit corporate money from foreign companies; (sell this country to foreigners); No pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants; (arrest and deport them.
Their other major liability is the caliber of candidates they have fielded in this year’s elections, who have no idea what public service is all about. They include Christine O’Donnell of DE, Sharron Angle of NV, Rand Paul of KY, Carl Paladino of NY, Joe Miller of AK, Marco Rubio of FL, Ron Johnson of WI, Paul LePage of ME, Susana Martinez, Steve Pearce, Tim Mullins & Tom Barela of NM, Mike Lee of UT, Ken Buck of CO, John Raese of WV, et al.
What a collection of weirdos – with crazy platforms like doing away with Social Security to phasing out food stamps as unconstitutional to denial of climate change as a conspiracy to destroy our economy to the elimination of minimum wage. Remember that Republicans are not for the little people. You vote for them at your own peril.
2001-2008 have shown that they are incompetent when it comes to management. Are you going back to them after only 2 years? Had they won in 2008, it would have been the Great Depression all over again! The only thing they can think of is bailout from the government when they are in trouble they are responsible for and of course, tax cuts!
Another good measuring stick on the Democrats’ election or re-election is the political prognosis in favor of Republican candidates by Pat Buchanan and Bill Kristol. The two are almost always wrong on their prognostication of the likely winners, e.g., Sharron Angle in Nevada and Christine O’Donnell in Delaware in this election? Give me a break!
Watch out for their candidates in this election in November. They just don’t know how to gauge the choice of the American voters.
The other bearer of the “kiss of death” when it comes to electing candidates is Sarah Palin. Her judgment is flawed that she was even rejected by her choice for the US Senate in Alaska.
Joe Miller was just honest and candid about her eligibility to run for the highest office of the land, much to the dismay and anger of her family. Her announced stop and outreach in California to campaign for Republican and Tea Party candidates was also rejected by the two women (Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina) running for Governor and the US Senate respectively in the state.
With America’s short memory of the mess created by the Bush/Cheney administration (2001-2008), Republicans lose if they fail to take/retake 39 seats in the House. Campaign records in September showed that Democrats had a cash advantage in 32 of them (before the outpouring of corporate funds for GOP candidates), aggravated by the contempt the public holds Republicans for their shenanigans.
It will be a bad night for them if they fail, in spite of being awash in corporate contributions, thanks to their allies in the Supreme Court, with the US Chamber of Commerce posting a “For Sale” of America to foreign buyers to generate unlimited money for them. With the projection of 35 wins on the part of Tea Party candidates, what will this do to the projected takeover by Republicans of the House?
As projected (not by Buchanan or Kristol), the four independents who will win in the Senate will caucus with Democrats (Republicans are too nutty for them to go with) for 59 seats to 41 seats in favor of the Democrats. No change there!
Eight out of every nine contributions, domestic and foreign, go to Republicans; 80 percent of political ads that do not show a candidate endorsing it, e.g., “My name is and I approve this message,” is false. The tsunami for GOP and TP candidates in corporate funding from “unknown” devious interest groups which are motivated solely by personal or corporate enrichment at the expense of the national good is meeting its match.
If President Obama and the Democrats succeed in getting blacks and young voters to the polls, Republicans lose again. If Hispanics join them, it will be icing on the cake. The biggest loser will be John Boehner who counted his chicken before the eggs are hatched.
In the end, the Democrats’ chances of keeping the House and the Senate look good.
Rawlein G. Soberano, Ph.D. is president of the Asian American Business Roundtable.
