Affordable Health Care

Ok, so AHC has passed.  Known as "Obama Care" is constitutional.   I'm as happy as when I saw that Obama became president.   What is more fun to me is watching the Right imploding and calling Chief Justice Roberts out.  Glenn Beck is selling t-shirs with the picture of Roberts and the words:  "Coward" on them.  The fact is these shirts are $30.  Ah, thus is the American free enterprise and 1st Amendment system working so well.

Rush Limbaugh is livid.  I actually listened to him, today (as long I could).   He thought that this opens to door to more taxes (a blatant lie), using this to scare the beejeezies out of fellow conservatives.  He was visibly upset.  I cheered.

Michael Savage said that Roberts has epilepsy and he was probably momentarily cognitively stymied by an attack.  So, that gives him an excuse.  Too funny.

After months and months of negative, nasty, put downs, the President now can stick his middle finger into the air at the Right, but he's got too much class to do that.    Let's face it, they deserve it!

Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey stepped all over himself yesterday on "Meet the Press" when he stated that Bain Capital, Mitt Romney's old company, should not be blamed for a job that the country has supported through other companies.  He stressed that even he had to let employees go to balance the city's budget.  I have to say my mouth dropped open when I listened to him.  He continued saying he was "nauseated"to hear that President Obama's campaign is using the Bain debacle with Romney and that it was dirty pool (my words, not his).  Again, here you have a so-called surrogate to the Obama campaign and fellow Democrat throwing his candidate under the bus.

Cory Booker is a terrific mayor, in my opinion.  Someone who has a future in national politics.  He's done many audacious and progressive things in which he is known.   Unlike the Republicans, who mass together for a candidate, the Democrats tend to make it more difficult for their candidates as seen with Booker.  Where is Booker's loyalty and why haven't other Democrats come forward to support the president?

There's nothing wrong with having an opinion but when you are a national figure and a supporter of the Obama team you don't go on TV and show anything but loyalty.  The question remains if his loyalty was directed more toward corporations such as Bain and less directed at his own candidate.   Oh yes, Mayor Booker takes corporation funds from companies such as Bain.   Shame on you, Mayor!

Tuesday Primaries

I am going to bet on Mitt Romney to be the GOP frontrunner. Tonight he won Michigan and Arizona. The question is whether he'll be able to take President Obama on. On the surface, Mitt doesn't seem to have a snowball's chance in hell. His faux pas have been incredibly cubic. Starting with the dog on the roof of his car to his boast that he was not a fan of Nascar but knew several owners of cars in the race shows a classic rich guy who hasn't a clue.

Yet, many Americans are angry and disappointed with the economy, and President Obama will have a difficult time once the Repubs. unite under one leader, albeit a weak leader.

President Obama has the slow economy and rising gas prices as an enemy toward his re-election. Some say he should've been more aggressive toward union rights (as rights being taken by Republican legislatures and governors) early on. Now, he is 100% behind unions and that will be a unifying factor.

The rising gas prices have been horrendous. The president needs to move toward stopping the flood of price rises. He'll have to pull something out of his magic bag of tricks.

I can't imagine a President Romney. It doesn't trip off the tongue for a progressive Dem. like myself. I'll be watching this closely. In the meantime, it's been great fun watching the GOP evaporate with their Right wing ideas. Crazy, man, crazy!

Again, it's been months that have gotten away from me. I do think, though, that much of the news remains the same more or less in degrees.

Cain's left the presidential race and Newty's ahead. I welcome him against Prez. Obama. If Romney gets the nod from the GOP I think it'll be slightly more difficult for Obama. Romney's frequent flips and flops, however do not ingratiate himself to the party. Either way, with either candidate, I still predict Obama will wipe the floor with them.

Unemployment is at 8.6% signaling a slight upswing in jobs. The media interprets that in a sundry different ways. I prefer to enjoy the small victories. If Black Friday is any indication of the economy coming back I don't know what is. Though it is sad that so many situations were dangerous from some shoppers. It shows that we are maybe too materialistic.

Occupy Wall Street continues to be in the news finding itself a voice and a purpose. Too many are angry and too many are jobless and depressed. This is what happens when people are out of work and the chasms exist between the very few rich and the majority of middle and poor people. It's a reason for revolution. Very dangerous that many in the GOP dismiss the 99%.

As a Liberal and a union supporter, I'm excited watching Wisconsin's attempt to recall Gov. Walker. Now, there's arrogance if I've ever seen it. Walker is typical of some of the GOP who see their rise to power and a mandate of the people. Walker never said he'd cut collective bargaining and union busting. Now, he's in for it!

It's a very dangerous time throughout the world. The Middle East is rising into democracies and God knows what else, and in the U.S. the 99% remind the lawmakers to do something about inequities, and jobs, and punishment of the banks that brought us to this point. It's dangerous what's happening in the streets from the police in several cities, yet the only means to bring about change is to protest, in some situations. This is a time for it!

Haven't written for quite awhile since everything, politically, seems to have bugged me. I am enjoying the frequent Republican debates and I realize how much I don't share their views. I suppose, though, they do have some thoroughly American views such as love of country but the way they verbalize it is to gut the government. I don't agree with that philosophy and I daresay, the majority of Americans continue to want a moderate hand in passing bills. Unfortunately, we get divisiveness.

I am enjoying the new Obama...the one I voted for. He is lighting the fire under his base as he realizes he could lose them. I have always been supportive of the president but I do admit I was disappointed in his centrist views of the last year. The view that he needed to bring the Republicans, and create a compromise is nobel but not practical. The Republicans are more eager to get Obama out of office in any way they can. In the meantime, they have degraded the president, calling him names and created a disrespectful approach. There is a basic fear, on their part, that somehow President Obama is not worthy or not legitimate in the office he runs. In all fairness, however, I do believe that much of that negativeness comes from "Tea Party" types, neo-conservatives and racists. Yet, where are the Republicans from the moderate mode? When are they going to stand up to the ignorance in their party.

I am making a prediction right here right now. President Obama will win a second term because the Republicans have been helpful in bringing him the election with their negative, divisive politics. There is more to winning the election than jobs yet the only one who seems to be trying to create jobs has been the president. He's faced such negative opposition, with three attempts to shut down the government, by the Republicans; constant bickering between the Congress; much of which is the continual attempt to bring down the Obama presidency. Through it all, Obama fights it.

This is why I think Obama will win again.

Mindful Musings #28

The last few weeks have been horrendous in our country's history: angst among the parties, Congress' hostage taking, deaths of over 30 special forces in Afghanistan, stalled economy, and the stock market plunges have created a mallais to the body politick of the U.S.

I have tried to remember, in my own lifetime, what events have punched a gut-level blow to our citizens' well-being and the events that come to mind are the JFK assassination, the civil unrest and riots during the 70s, and last but not least, 9/11. I'm sure other events come to mind as well, but for shear sadness as a nation, the majority of people who lived in 1963, were completely devastated at the loss of our young president. Granted, it was a different time, but the memory remains in many of us who were around back then.

This debacle over the last few years of debt, the loss of jobs, and the crushing economic recession we are experiencing makes it possible for our president to govern from the center of the political spectrum. He not only has to deal with that but a basic hatred by many of himself, personally. Some are racists, while others doubt his legitimacy in spite of the fact that he was elected fair and square. People were yearning for a break and a renewal after the 8 years of the George W. administration and Obama became a savior for them. Yet, 2 1/2 years later he is being depicted as weak, impotent, and caving into demands from the other side. As a liberal, I am disappointed in his stance but I'm also a realist and have a deep respect for President Obama, not because I voted for him, but because he deserves his full four year term and another to enact programs he feels will help the country. The amount of second-guessing this president is unbelievable. He's been called every name imaginable and he continues to keep his cool and speaks mostly in positive terms. He is trying to maintain and lead the government in every way possible, under clearly negative resistance.

I wish, as I have stated in the past, that President Obama would become more liberal/progressive but maybe what he is doing is correct for a nation, such as ours, in such turmoil financially and socially. He is dealing with the Tea Party, which as petulant children, refuse to meet him half-way. His own party often disses him and the wall street bunch are not enthralled with our president.

There is no doubt we are in dire straits but there is also no doubt that this president is handling the country with fairness and strength. His idea of strength is not to muscle in and make demands but to listen to all sides and come up with a conclusion. For this thoughtful introspectiveness he is criticized as being too slow, or leading from the rear. His style is not shoot, then ask questions as was the Bush administration. I have no doubt that we would not be in Iraq, today had Obama been president. There is also no doubt that President Obama has made mistakes in his governing but all presidents do. I'll give him a pass on some events and lack of completion of what he promised during his campaign. I believe if given another term in office, Obama will be able to expand his programs and bring the country on a level footing. It is time for the voters to elect more cooperative candidates unlike the Tea Party types who are only positive in their philosophy of saying "NO".

Mindful Musings #27

I'm going to have to stay away from political talk shows on T.V., editorials and blogs. It's turning me into a cynic and driving me into the arms of doubt and despair. O.K. So I exaggerate somewhat, but the fact is there is so much negative discussion and so much injustice created by some of our government officials that it is depressing.

Anything President Obama greets with enthusiasm is immediately shot down by the Republicans in Congress. Voting not to increase the debt ceiling is their current tactic. Yet, in the past they have always increased the debt ceiling. The consequences of not raising it will be catastrophic to the world and would create defaults in our own accounts and credit obligations. Chances are they will pass it before the August deadline, however, the angst and discord within the country, in anticipation of the event, creates deep depression (the psychological kind). Anticipation creates stress, and doomsday scenarios predicted by the media. None of which create stability in the job market.

Some economists predict widespread damage to everyone if the Congress refuses to increase the debt-ceiling. Other economists talk of letting it happen as a lesson to the government to not spend more than it can make. This all or nothing attitude, especially from the new Teapot bumble heads is what is destroying the Republican party. There are no moderates who can see the disaster looming. In the meantime, the Democrats continue to drag their feet and the President, who is left-leaning but more centrist and sometimes talks about jobs and ignores the Republican members of Congress. His Bully Pulpit remains silent when many citizens want to hear him push on the Republicans. I continue to think that a kick in the butt and some tough action by the President and the Democrats in Congress will move some members of Congress forward to end this anticipated debt ceiling debate.

Some would argue that debate is part of the American democracy and should be encouraged. I firmly believe healthy debate is good, with both sides speaking in respectful, issued thoughts. Wouldn't it be refreshing to hear the end to ad hominem criticism for a change?

Again, it boils down to the November elections this year and next. Voting the end of this barrier type of governance is the only way to go.