Six (More) Years?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

Look, the way I see things, Bush/GOP had six years SIX YEARS where they controlled the WH and Congress to do things their way almost entirely free from Democratic or "liberal" obstruction at either the Executive and/or Legislative level (and even somewhat at the Judicial level too). The fact that it not only didn't radically improve the lives or livelihoods of 99% of the American population, as well as the fact that the Bush (P)residency ended in a catastrophic economic DISASTER should IMHO flatly put to rest any "only if we had been able to do things our way, things would be better" arguments that the Republicans are making as they seek to unseat President Obama this year. They had their chance from 2001-2007 and they failed.......miserably. They'll somehow say that the Democrats and Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi wrecked things in the final 2 years of the Bush (mis-)administration and THEY are to blame for all of the bad loans and bad behavior in the financial sector but whatever.........They are so totally delusional and utterly divorced from reality and we know it.

They have really nothing else to *offer* us now other than hate, fear, and division.......basically NOTHING positive whatsoever (and they call President Obama's re-election "negative"?). The Republicans have NO positive vision or goals for 99% of Americans. They see things as basically not getting any better and they'll be damned before they even TRY to make things better for 99% of Americans. They just want the rest of us to start just getting used to working harder for the "job creators" and expecting less and less while they demand more and more and take more and more for the 1%. They feign concern about the debt and deficit and pontificate that we can no longer afford Medicare in its present form so we must now privatize it while at the same time cutting taxes more on the wealthy, and send more money to the pentagon for............? Of course, in order to accomplish this, they'll still need to raise the debt ceiling several more times over the course of the next few years but they won't play "hostage-taker" with the debt ceiling with Romney in the WH, of course.

Our revered "job creators" may eventually decide to give us more "jobs" but they'll primarily be "McJobs" with low wages, almost no benefits, no job security, and few (if any) protections (except the ones that they will give us out of the kindness of their own hearts). Meanwhile, they'll keep us divided with endless (and pointless) debates over illegal immigration, abortion, birth control, and gay marriage, which will keep a sizable portion of public upset and voting Republican over these "evils" while ignoring or missing the REAL evils that are continuing to be perpetrated by the GOP in service to their 1% masters.

Mitt Romney says he wants us to go back to Bush economics........except that he wants it on steroids. Some would say that we haven't actually left Bush economics far enough behind. After all, his tax cuts are still in place as a result of last minute GOP-led "hostage crisis" in 2010 over unemployment benefits. Republicans demanded the inclusion of more tax cuts in President Obama's stimulus plan in 2009 and then all but three GOP Senators voted against it and used it to foment the rise of the Tea Party, the worst virus the right has inflicted upon this country in modern times. All too predictably, the Republicans are demanding another extension of Bush's *sacred* tax cuts despite the fact that they've been in effect for 9-11 years (depending on which tax cuts you're referring to) and have done virtually NOTHING for the economy other then ensure that millionaires and billionaires can hoard even more cash for more yachts and car elevators. The CBO is even telling us that we're headed for a "fiscal cliff" if we don't extend them (among other things). How can their expiration hurt the economy so much though the tax cuts themselves help it so little?

All I can really say at the end of the day is this: Anybody whom votes Republican (or just stays home while all of this is heading our way) this year, whom votes for another 2-4-6-8 years of Bush economics (on steroids)/Paul Ryan "austerity-for-thee-not-for-me" budget is.................just........

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Remember when Simpson-Bowles recommendations were unthinkable?

Now they are embraced mightily by Democrats. Except for the non-insane provisions, like Medicare-for-all. But hyper austerity is cool.

Anyway, that's what the 99% get to suck on no matter who's in office unless something very, very big happens to derail this leech train.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. S-B being rejected almost unanimously by Congress

and not even making it out of their committee doesnt sound like much of an embrace IMHO.

[ThomThom]

3. there is a lot at stake

we can't let them steal this election

[BBGC]

4. I am amazed at how well the divide and conquer strategy is working

So many people are scapegoating whatever group they don't like.... and the republicans are feeding off of it. I haven't seen the country like this in years.