Where's the Public Option?

The failure of the Obama administration to include the public option in the healthcare reform bill is simply not acceptable. It’s unbelievable that President Obama is prepared to waste all this time and political capital to wind up with a bill that fails to satisfy the most basic needs for reform and will ultimately result in his being a one term presidency. No subsequent action will mitigate having failed the American people on the healthcare issue.

Of course, the president has had the option to push this legislation through by standing by his own words on the campaign trail and by not wasting precious time seeking bipartisanship that was never going to be. Instead, he and other Democrats have capitulated on issue after issue because it has never been their intent to upset the insurance, hospital and pharmaceutical industries by passing meaningful reform. And if that is the end result of the fiasco we have been witnessing since January then those of us who worked so hard to put this administration into power must be just as prepared to replace it.

Listening to the crap being passed off as analysis of the surrender of the public option is enough to sicken the heartiest of souls. An endless hoard of talking heads and pundits, supposedly from both ends of the political spectrum, chatter on about how Democrats would be crazy to not pass a bill just because the public option is being dropped. How Liberals need to see this as a success because something is being done to address healthcare. These are words of appeasement by those who never had the stomach for the fight and who don't have to worry about healthcare.

Just what is the president thinking? Each day more psychopathic assholes show up at his town hall meetings packing heat and spewing hatred, any one of them capable of doing physical harm to the him or his family. Does he believe that whimpiness and capitulation on his part elevates their opinion of him? Do the Democrats in Congress think this? Of course not.

What we are witnessing is a tightrope act being performed by President Obama, his cabinet and Democratic members of Congress to make it appear that they are conscientiously working on our behalf for healthcare reform while making sure not to piss off the lobbyists and healthcare executives that fill their coffers with campaign contributions and other bennies. At the same time we are seeing the Republicans teeing off on Democrats with lies, mis-information, orchestrated protests and as much noise and misdirection as they can generate. The whole time the Republicans are secure in the knowledge that the lobbyists and healthcare executives would prefer them back in power because they are more completely owned and subject to their control.

What would be refreshing is for President Obama to demonstrate his depth of understanding of the Constitution by conducting his actions and those of his administration in accordance with that document. It would be exceptional to see the re-emergence of Constitutional government be the legacy of the first African American president. It would be historic for this president to lead this country back from the reactionary abyss by standing against the forces that are doing everything in their power to ensure his failure. It would be awe inspiring to have a president who understands all of this and chooses not to concede to the corporate thugs seeking absolute power, but opts to steer his ship of state away from the radicalism and hate driven stupidity coming from the Right. The country is in as bad of a state now as it was when FDR stood against the same cabal of power hungry tyrants and put the country back on the path of justice, morality and constitutionality. If ever there was a time for a great leader to emerge, this is it, but as each day goes by and each new capitulation takes place, as each new promise of change is rescinded, as each pledge of correcting the errors of the past administration is ignored, the American people are realizing that we have seen this movie before and we didn't like it any better the first time.

It is now time to prepare contingencies for the inevitable collapse of the Democrats to the pressures of the healthcare industry lobbyists. The idea has been put forward to push for a referendum that would allow individual voters to determine whether members of Congress should enjoy healthcare and retirement benefits when they will not support similar benefits for the people paying for theirs. This approach holds much promise because it would appeal to the Conservative haters of big government and taxes.

A second idea is to Outsource our healthcare requirements to countries that offer better care to their citizens at a much better price. OK, at first glance this may seem implausible, but consider how major corporations got away with it when they shifted American manufacturing jobs to under-developed nations to avoid labor costs and union protections. Certainly, we have as good of a reason for doing so and I’m sure when it was first conceived in some corporate board room many thought it to be too radical and un-American to succeed. Yet, they did succeed and our country’s economy has suffered greatly as a result.

So, why not open negotiations with Canada, England, France, the Nordic countries and other nations with greater respect for the citizens than our Congress has for us? Why not issue Requests For Proposals (RFP) to these nations and get cost estimates for them to integrate interested American citizens into their healthcare system by diverting some of our taxes to whichever country makes the best offer, then have them recruit medical professionals and facilities within our borders to comply with their policies.

Many will say this is not feasible and too many obstacles threaten to kill the idea. I say that we should know by now that Everything is negotiable just like the integrity of our elected officials

Enough is Enough

Recent revelations including the Pentagon’s use of retired military officers as spokesmen for the war that they personally profited from, the Congressional report that the administration absolutely lied to the American people and to Congress to push us into war with Iraq, the new book by former Press Secretary Scott McClellen which documents the fact that Bush himself had a hand in the outing of a covert agent of the CIA and now the report “Broken Laws, Broken Lives” on medical evidence of torture by the US conclusively proving that the United States government used torture on detainees, have fused to form an unassailable case for impeaching both Bush and Cheney. The only thing preventing impeachment and continuing to protect the President and Vice President is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

There are others in Congress who were elected by Democratic majorities in their home states who now represent the Republican agenda through the miracle of corporate munificence. These Blue Dog “Democrats” are so in name only and are ruinous to the Progressive core of our Party, but this treacherous faction of Democrats are merely cheerleaders for the Speaker and her refusal to do her job. Pelosi alone holds the key to success or failure for any legislation regarding impeachment and she has long ago stated that the option was off the table. By itself that statement should be grounds for her removal from office, if only we had that option, but together with her knowledge and approval of Bush’s torture program it makes her an accomplice to his crime.

The citizens of this country can no longer wait for action by its elected officials and have begun to initiate necessary actions on their own. The Massachusetts School of Law is planning the necessary steps to pursue the guilty members of the Bush administration for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Individual across the nation have taken steps to force local governments to acknowledge Bush and Cheney as criminals and even seek to arrest them if found within their jurisdiction. Internationally, Bush administration officials, CIA officers and others connected to this administration past and present, are being sought to answer for crimes conducted against their citizens and against humanity.

It is no longer permissible for Speaker Pelosi to run interference for Bush and company without herself being held criminally complicit. She has no legal foundation for not beginning the process of impeachment by sponsoring and prioritizing Rep. Kucinich’s articles of impeachment. It is similarly imperative that the United States government get out in front on the prosecution of this administration that is sure to take the spot light on the world stage once Bush leaves office and the US rejoins the International Criminal Court Treaty.

Uprising

An uprising is exactly what this country needs if this war is ever to end. David Sirota's new book does a great job in outlining what an uprising is, how it applies in our current situation and the mentality and attitude required of the participants. Specifically, the unapologetic demands required by the grass roots movement to convince incumbents of the need for their compliance with the citizen majority instead of their usual capitulation to the corporate special interests that rule their worlds.

Here in Connecticut there is a particular sensitivity and lingering blemish on the souls of Democratic voters who have been bitterly disappointed by the junior Senator, Joe Lieberman. His deception of his loyal supporters, alliance with Karl Rove and other extremists on the Right, embrace of Republican cross-over voters, and total relinquishment of his integrity in support of George Bush's Iraq war, have culminated in a tangible hatred of the once trusted official. Lieberman exudes indifference towards his (former) supporters while displaying an attitude of incontestable rectitude about his worldview which includes continued and continuing war in the Middle East. Couple this with his shameless and transparent support and constant companionship to the only surviving war advocate candidate and Connecticut voters have every right to distrust and despise the Senator.

In spite of this, Senator Lieberman Chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committees at the pleasure of Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid. Chairmanship posts are highly regarded positions normally awarded to respected Party members with seniority status. Of course, Lieberman renounced his Party membership when the Connecticut Democratic Party elected Ned Lamont in the Primaries in 2006, so Lieberman ran on the CFL (Connecticut For Lieberman) Party ticket and lost his seniority and position within the Democratic Party. Why has Harry Reid passed over loyal current Party members to award the Committee Chairmanship to a defector?

As much as we have focused attention on repugnant Republicans and their scandalous actions in this administration, as well as the last, we need to also recognize those Democrats who have shamed themselves and our Party and make them uncomfortably aware of our displeasure. This includes the votes by Connecticut Representatives to condemn MoveOn.org for expressing a Constitutionally protected opinion, which was both fair and correct, regarding the report by General Petraeus to Congress. Most of these individuals accepted campaign donations of thousands of dollars and other support from MoveOn, yet they voted to condemn a statement questioning the accuracy of the report to Congress by an unapologetic partisan of the administration which, frankly, paled in comparison to much of the rhetoric heard from the Republicans both in venom and dishonesty. Where is the apology due to MoveOn by Murphy, DeLauro, Larson and Courtney?

If an Uprising is at hand, let's get our own house in order before we take on the world.

Lieberman's Dilemma

As disappointing as John McCain’s behavior seems to be we can at least take heart in the knowledge that his most outspoken supporter, the moral and ethical Joseph Lieberman, will no longer be promoting his candidacy. Joe’s strong moral fiber and sense of justice will obviously prevent him from allowing the elevation to the highest office a man whose “infidelity must be viewed as immoral, disgraceful and damaging to the country”. At least that is how Lieberman described the conduct of one William Jefferson Clinton in exactly the same situation McCain now finds himself, and Clinton was a member of his own Party at the time.

With such unshakable principles and solid moral values it is unimaginable that our once Democratic Senator will possibly continue to support his new friend, John McCain. His willingness to break ranks with his own Party over Clinton’s sexual exploits demonstrates Lieberman’s integrity, wholesomeness and advanced sense of decency that he applies to himself and others.

So, if Joe is morally prevented from supporting McCain, who will he throw his support to that can meet his high ethical standards? Don’t forget, Joe has a war to win and defense contracts to fulfill and the entire Middle East to conquer, but he must accomplish this while only supporting sexually moral individuals. Who can he find that will order more American forces to their deaths and the continued carnage and murder of innocent Iraqis while remaining faithful to their spouse? Who, in any political Party shares Joe’s pious view that unceasing butchery, slaughter, bloodshed and atrocities pale in comparison to sexual infidelity?

Somewhere out in the political landscape there must exist a paragon of Old Testament virtues with whom Joe can enter into a sacred covenant of warfare and faithfulness. Party affiliation is not an impediment for Lieberman. He proved that when he defied his own Party in the 06 mid-term elections, accepting Karl Rove’s assistance that got him re-elected by Connecticut Republicans (and some dim-witted Democrats). The only matter of any importance to Lieberman is the perpetuation of armed conflicts in the Middle East relentlessly prosecuted by a Commander in Chief that can be relied upon to keep his dick in his trousers when not with his wife.

Who won the Debate, the Candidates or the Media?

Last night’s debate began by focusing on the dust up between Clinton and Obama, leaving Edwards on the sidelines where the Main Stream Media has wanted him throughout this campaign. His only participation in that early discussion was framed by NBC so that viewers would see him as the “establishment white male” against the new and progressive ethnic and female candidates.

As for the racial controversy spurred on by both Clinton and Obama staffers, thankfully they seem to have checked the rhetoric and focused on issues instead of each other.

Edwards, for his part, sincerely praised the Democratic Party for being the Party of diversity and said he was proud to be in a Party that has offered an African American and a female as serious presidential candidates. He did not express any disappointment or resentment for being in what some consider a disadvantaged position, rather he displayed gratitude for the opportunity to openly discuss his views for people to compare with the other candidates.

The most important issue that came out of last night’s debate for me was the evidence of the media’s usurpation of the electoral process. The day of the debate saw one of the originally invited participants uninvited followed by a court battle that resulted in a ruling that NBC must include Congressman Kucinich or the court would block the debate. The judgment was appealed and since no appellate decision was made by the time of the debate NBC had effectively overturned the decision of the first court and inflicted their judgment of which candidates are viable on the American public.

The debate was hosted by NBC and moderated by Brian Williams and Tim Russert. Williams has said he feels it is his duty to listen daily to Rush Limbaugh, one of the most egregious of the Right wing broadcasters. Russert’s show, Meet the Press, was identified by Vice President Dick Cheney’s press secretary as the one place they go to when Cheney needs to go on air and they can “control the message”. Russert has also publicly stated that he considers all conversations with politicians “off the record” unless agreed to in advance, which is the antithesis of good journalism.

The networks and cable news channels all want to host their own debate and the candidates have cooperated with the exception of the Democrats refusing to debate on the Fox News Channel because they are viewed as completely partisan and all but an official outlet of the White House. By hosting the debates the media channels have been enabled to frame the issues to their own perception which has greatly favored Republicans.

Finally, the campaign season itself is much longer than it has been in the past and the direct beneficiaries are not candidates or the public, but the media who has gained far greater influence, even control over the process. As a result of that influence the majority of Americans, who had been prepared to remove Bush and the Republican Party from office and give the Democrats an opportunity, are being subjected to more debates and more analysis which allows the media to structure the arguments and then interpret for the viewers what was said. This has had the effect of trying to legitimize Republican chances in the election and artificially improve their odds against the Democratic candidate.

The Business Of Politics

Some of the most egregious corporate mergers, those most damaging to consumers, were perpetrated under the Clinton Administration. NAFTA was a Clinton creation and has been the most successful unemployment act in America beside the Great Depression. I mention this not to attack Bill Clinton, but to demonstrate where Hilary’s campaign war chest comes from and the vested interests corporations have in her election to the presidency. As Bill famously pointed out, when you elect him you get Hilary as well, a two for one package. It would be difficult for anyone to deny her intimate involvement in her husband’s administration, especially since she is now campaigning on her experience gained form that period.

Of course, there are myriad examples of similar and even more flagrant acts of graft within the Republican Party. I am not defending that or attempting to mitigate Republican misconduct by comparing them to the Clintons. In fact it is the opposite that should be acknowledged, evident similarities that virtually eliminate perceived differences. This lack of distinction was perfectly articulated by John Edwards when he asked during the last debate “What is the difference of replacing a bunch of corporate Republicans with a bunch of corporate Democrats”.

Within that question is an elemental truth which most politicians avoid, evade, ignore or deny. That truth is the extent to which corporations are involved in our political system. To varying degrees we have all acknowledged at least the presence, if not the effect of corporations in politics. And that presence has different effects on each of us often depending on our personal circumstances, in particular our employment status and our dependence on corporations for our livelihoods. As it is true for each of us it is also true for those campaigning for the highest elected office in the nation. For Presidential candidates, who by the very act of running for the office demonstrate advanced levels of personal motivation, competitiveness and self importance, the dependency is on the advantage of an influential corporate sponsorship. It is this dependency at all levels that makes it difficult to achieve a consensus among the electorate to act against corporate monopolization of the political process and its pro-business / anti-consumer impact upon government.

Our elected officials have demonstrated an unwillingness to relinquish the corporate teat they have suckled at for so long and corporations are going to ever greater lengths to ensure their continued dependency. So how, you ask, can we correct a problem that has so infiltrated all levels of government and has so much money and influence behind it? The answer is as simple as accomplishing it will be difficult. The answer is that we, you and I, are the government. Corporations have not corrupted the government, they have corrupted the people we entrusted to run it. To rectify this we must elect new people to replace the corrupt leaders. This is the primary weapon at our disposal but, it is a powerful one because we are the only ones that can elect a person to office. Corporations have no vote and therefore can not elect anyone.

To engage in this type of struggle we must demand honest representation by the people we elect and establish our determination by getting rid of them if they fail us. We have not shown our mettle when it comes to this in the past and because of that many elected officials blatantly represent their own interests over ours. Unless and until we demonstrate our resolve by throwing them out of office for such transgressions, they will continue to smugly do as they please while offering mere lip service to our concerns.

A contemporary example is the actions of the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. She is attempting to defeat the ability of the American citizenry to expel elected officials which enables us to influence government and have a voice in how the business of government is conducted. It is the very fundamentals of Democracy that empowers individual citizens to act in the best interest of our nation when those within the government do not. Nonetheless, it is this Constitutional principal that has been denied to all Americans by Nancy Pelosi’s selfish determination to shield the Bush administration from any repercussions for their corrupt governance. She has steadfastly opposed any suggestion from members of her Party to hold Bush and Cheney accountable for their transgressions.

Accordingly, she should be vilified for attempting to deny our rights. We should work to remove her from office in the most expedient fashion, first as Speaker, then from the House of Representatives entirely. She should be the object of our scorn and revulsion, the recipient of our most loathsome commentary, the icon of our collective distrust, and the effigy of our disrespect.

Pelosi and Congress - One Year On

Over a year has past since Americans went to the polls to unseat Republicans and replace them with Democrats who had promised to change things in Washington, D.C. In that year’s time, the electorate that gave Congress the mandate it needed to take action against the Bush administration has seen absolutely nothing accomplished. In fact, Republican initiatives have moved forward at a greater pace than when they were in the majority.

If this seems implausible just recall that the person elected to the position of Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi stated absolutely that impeachment was off the table as part of the Democratic agenda. We should have realized at that time that the newly elected Democratic majority had no intention whatever of interfering with the Republicans.

The stated reasons for not pursuing impeachment all have to do with focusing on correcting Bush administration issues such as the war in Iraq, the economy, illegal wire tapping, etc. none of which have been corrected by Congress.

One must ask, what are the accomplishments of the 110th Congress?

Have they stopped or even slowed the deaths of American soldiers and Iraqi innocents?
Have they attempted to restore our suspended democracy by closing Gitmo & CIA prisons?
Have they revoked the USA Patriot Act?
Have they restored the Writ of Habeas Corpus?
Have they held to account those who revealed the identity a covert CIA agent?
Have they prevented the corruption of government by blocking detrimental nominations?
Have they provided universal healthcare for all citizens like all other major countries have?
Have they halted the illegal No-Bid contracts to profiteers in Iraq?
Have they de-funded the war?
Have they stood strong against the administration’s rush to war with Iran?
Have they mandated stipulations for the money they approved for Iraq?
Have they forced the administration to follow the law?
Have they even addressed Bush’s illegal “signing statements”?
Have they prevented Bush from further destabilizing the Dollar?
Have they improved the world’s confidence in the US economy?
Have they brought the price of oil back to a reasonable and affordable level?
Have they done anything to benefit anyone except the corporations that fund their campaigns?
Have they disciplined or in any way held accountable those Democrats who continually enable the Bush administration as Feinstein and Schumer did by voting for Mukasey and the Dirty Dozen Democrats that voted to UNCONSTITUTIONALLY suspend Habeas Corpus?

Now we learn that Scott McClellan, former Bush Press Secretary, is releasing a book in which he confirms what we have all known since the beginning. He reveals that Bush, Cheney, Libby, Card and Rove all knew about the outing of CIA operative Vallerie Plame Wilson and, in fact were involved in it. McClellan claims not to have known that he was lying for these individuals and thus was innocent of any wrong-doing himself. However, his accusations put the very top tier people of our government on the wrong side of the law.

The disclosure of this information compels Congress, as the primary mission of their sworn Constitutional obligations, to hold accountable anyone found to have had involvement in this act of treason. In doing so, it conflicts directly with Speaker Pelosi’s determination to shield the Bush administration through her commitment to keep impeachment “off the table”.

I have been critical of Pelosi in the past while allowing that her actions were most likely to avoid the appearance of mounting a coup against the President and Vice President. Such an act could result in her ascendance to the Oval office and would certainly be seen by Republicans as an illegal end run around the Constitution.

McClellan’s accusations force the impeachment issue back onto the table regardless of any previous commitments. His tell-all tome alone is not the silver bullet that will bring down this administration. We have had a number of those, but no bullet, silver or otherwise, can have any effect if no one has the balls to pull the trigger! And that sums up the problem we see in Congress today.

It would be unfortunate for the nation and especially for the women of the nation if our first female Speaker of the House is seen as a failure. Her incompetence would make it harder for women to advance to and above her level in the future because the opposition will surely target her ineffectiveness and complacency as inherent female attributes to be avoided and she herself as a cause celebre of failure. However, it would be even more devastating if her lack of accomplishment is the result of complicity. As much as you may hope this isn’t the case it must be considered because of the self-serving defections from the Party Platform by the likes of Diane Feinstein, whose Defense Contractor husband profits by her anti-democratic votes in the Senate, Joseph Lieberman, a wholly owned subsidiary of AIPAC, Chuck Schumer, administrative enabler and face time whore for Fox News, and other Blue Dog Democrats who are nothing less than Republican plants within the Democratic Party.

Both of these scenarios can be put to rest through positive action and patriotic mettle on the part of the Speaker and Congressional Democrats. Neither has been in evidence since the 06 elections and many are beginning to believe this group of Democrats is not capable of either. For Pelosi to salvage any credibility and prevent here tenure as Speaker from symbolizing the greatest Republican accomplishment of our generation she has to get serious about doing her job. That job is her sworn protection of the Constitution of this country. She needs to recognize and acknowledge the plethora of crimes committed over the past 7 years, then take appropriate actions to stop them and deal with the criminals.