Says Dole, in her pitch: "If Democrats take control of the Senate in '06, they will cancel the Bush tax cuts, allow liberal activist judges to run our courts and undermine all Republican efforts to win the War on Terror. Even worse ..." Now, here you know it's got to be bad. Even I got a little worried and considered sending in some money since losing the War on Terror for America would already be a pretty bad thing for the Democrats to do. But ... well, let's rejoin Dole in mid-moonbat. "Even worse, they will call for endless congressional investigations and possibly call for the impeachment of President Bush!"So let's parse that a little.
First, someone will have to increase taxes soon in order to either keep the U.S. from the form of bankruptcy that Argentina went through in the late 90's or to recover afterwards. Sen. Dole doesn't want the repairs to start.
Why? The Republicans demonstrated their basic goals right after Bush was sworn in the second time. They have opposed Social Security since it began, and Bush went after it with everything he had. He was out to destroy it - and he failed. So their fall-back is the Norquist idea. Slash taxes and put the government into so much debt that the Social programs (Social Security first) must be cut back and if possible, eliminated.
The tax cuts do double duty. They reward the best money sources for the Republicans and they simultaneously "Starve the Beast." They want the beast so starved that it can no longer help the population reduce the risks of retirement or death or disability of a primary wage earner.
Second, she also does not want the judiciary to actually enforce the Constitution and apply stare decisis in the manner that it has done since the constitution was adopted two centuries ago. She wants Justices Roberts, Alito, Thomas and Scalio to subvert American democracy even further than the then conservative majority did when it elected Bush in 2000. There is too much democracy in America. With the judiciary out of the picture and no longer enforcing the nasty little democratic parts of the Constitution, then America becomes a plutocracy run by the wealthy.
Third, the Democrats would actually begin the war on terrorists. Something that the republicans don't want, because catching bin Laden at Tora Bora, for example, would have lowered the fear that they use to induce voters to vote for them. Effective procedures that worked to fight and prevent terrorism will lower the level of fear felt by voters so that voters will begin to vote their personal issues, not just react to the latest piece of fear propaganda or jacked up threat level.
This will have two negative effects on Republican politicians. Voters disapprove of almost every position they have taken, and so are not as likely to vote for them. The Second effect is that showing that government can work effectively to reduce the risks of terrorism will run counter to their efforts to eliminate most government.
The Republicans specifically do not want effective government. They can't steal as much from an effective government that does honest procurement and audits the vendors as they can currently. Effective government will also prevent government from handing out single source contracts to politically favored firms. Effective government will also make it a lot more difficult to bribe a Congressman or Senator to place an earmark that gives the briber some contract.
Finally, investigate the Bush administration? Shake the trees? They don't even want someone to sneeze near the trees for fear that the many illegal and unconstitutional actions they have done will start falling out of the now overloaded trees and be exposed.
So what if Congress does start investigating? Bush has clearly stated in signing documents 750 times that he is not bound by laws passed by Congress. Beyond such statements, he has clearly performed actions which violate laws limiting what the President is allowed to do. Investigations will expose the Constitutional crisis that is at the heart of the Bush administration.
The various financial thefts, frauds and malfeasances which the Republicans have conducted and been able to keep from being investigated are so obvious that everyone now knows about them in a general way, and they also need to be investigated. But the Constitutional crisis of a President who considers himself above the law and above the Constitution will be the major thing the Democrats have to go after. If this isn't done soon, the two century dream that has been America will be over.
What better source than Sen. Dole?
The issues we will see in the media will be for the most part bullshit issues designed to mobilize various groups to get out and vote, or to repress the votes of others. Those issues have nothing to do with governing this country, or as the Republicans wish to be allowed to continue doing, stealing it blind. Libby Dole has laid out the real issues this election will be about.
Then Kevin Drum reports on an economic study the purports to show that reducing taxes and running a deficit causes more use of government, not less. "Starving the Beast" has the perverse effect of increasing the size and functions of government, not reducing them.
It's an interesting idea, and the juxtaposition with my post above is irresistible. Not sure I buy the study conclusion, though. Still, if short term group political thinking controls government activity and size and excludes longer term considerations, it might actually be true. At least to some extent.
As I say. It's an interesting idea.
No comments:
Post a Comment