Donnachaidh
December 30th, 2006, 10:53 PM
Author: Thomas H. Naylor
It’s hard to imagine the possibility of a mid-term election attracting as much media hype as did the 2006 election. Not only was President Bush’s military strategy in Iraq soundly rejected, but the Democrats took control of both the House and the Senate, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld resigned.
Elated by the news that Nancy Pelosi would be the new Speaker of the House, one of my former Duke University colleagues wrote, “I burst into uncontrollable tears, not realizing how deeply grateful I feel that the American public actually seems to be coming to its senses.” Continuing she added, “It indicates a real revolution in this country.” But is it really so?
“The upshot for me is a strong feeling of hope and reconnection to my countrymen and women. While I might have been inclined to join your secession movement before the election, I am now absolutely committed to this process and long for the day that Barack Obama is president.”
Will the election make any difference whatsoever? Or was it simply much ado about nothing?
The problem is that the U.S. Congress is still owned, operated, and controlled by Corporate America. It is corrupt to the core. We have a single political party, the Republican Party, disguised as a two-party system. It does not make one whit of difference which party is in power. The results will be the same.
Take Congressman John P. Murtha, for example, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s choice for House Majority Leader. Praised by liberals for this opposition to the war in Iraq, Murtha is one of the sleaziest members of the House, best known for his cozy relationship with defense contractors. Murtha was defeated by Congressman Steny Hoyer, a Democratic Party hack and close friend of Nancy Pelosi.
The Democrats are clueless as to how to deal with either the moribund Social Security System, the kaput health care system, the imploding pension system, the ballooning federal deficit, the staggering trade deficit, or the cheap oil endgame.
While the Democrats do appear to be committed to ending the war in Iraq, their strategy for doing so is vague and unclear. Not unlike that of the Republicans, Democratic support for Israel is unconditional and knows no limits. The plight of the Palestinians is fundamentally irrelevant. As for Iran, the Democrats march in lock step with the Israeli Lobby which portrays President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the Great Satan. Nancy Pelosi is no exception to the rule.
Defense Secretary nominee Robert Gates is a former head of the C.I.A. and a hard line cold warrior. Although more diplomatic than Rumsfeld, he is equally tough.
Although the Democrats’ take on the underling cause of terrorism is not quite as simplistic as George W. Bush’s, “They hate freedom,” they have shown little inclination to delve very deeply into terrorism’s root causes which include our one-sided support of Israel, American arrogance and decadence, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and our attempt to establish hegemonic control of Middle East oil. They have also shown little interest in challenging the conclusions of the 9/11 Commission.
Like the Republicans, the Democrats have no geopolitical strategy for confronting either the peak oil problem or the problem of global warming.
None of the aspiring Democratic presidential candidates are very impressive. At the top of the list is front-runner Hillary Clinton, the Republican hawk disguised as a liberal Democrat. Behind her are spineless Al Gore, lame brained John Kerry, and smiling John Edwards. Who could ever forget mean-spirited, tough-talking screaming Howard Dean? And now we have smooth talking, articulate, charismatic Barack Obama, the rising star of the Democratic Party. But there is only one problem with the African-American, Harvard Law graduate. He has very little experience and his positions on most political issues are squishy at best.
Although a political ideologue he is not, Senator Obama embraces many of the centralist positions of former President Bill Clinton. He is pro-military, pro-globalization, pro-tort reform, and pro-business. A political pragmatist, Obama decries income inequality but hedges on income tax reform and immigration.
Two inescapable facts remain. First, our government has lost its moral authority. Second, our nation is unsustainable, ungovernable, and, therefore, unfixable. The only thing that has changed on Capitol Hill is the name of the party in power. Otherwise, it’s business as usual, and there is nothing new under the sun.
Rebél
Thomas H. Naylor
December 12006
It’s hard to imagine the possibility of a mid-term election attracting as much media hype as did the 2006 election. Not only was President Bush’s military strategy in Iraq soundly rejected, but the Democrats took control of both the House and the Senate, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld resigned.
Elated by the news that Nancy Pelosi would be the new Speaker of the House, one of my former Duke University colleagues wrote, “I burst into uncontrollable tears, not realizing how deeply grateful I feel that the American public actually seems to be coming to its senses.” Continuing she added, “It indicates a real revolution in this country.” But is it really so?
“The upshot for me is a strong feeling of hope and reconnection to my countrymen and women. While I might have been inclined to join your secession movement before the election, I am now absolutely committed to this process and long for the day that Barack Obama is president.”
Will the election make any difference whatsoever? Or was it simply much ado about nothing?
The problem is that the U.S. Congress is still owned, operated, and controlled by Corporate America. It is corrupt to the core. We have a single political party, the Republican Party, disguised as a two-party system. It does not make one whit of difference which party is in power. The results will be the same.
Take Congressman John P. Murtha, for example, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s choice for House Majority Leader. Praised by liberals for this opposition to the war in Iraq, Murtha is one of the sleaziest members of the House, best known for his cozy relationship with defense contractors. Murtha was defeated by Congressman Steny Hoyer, a Democratic Party hack and close friend of Nancy Pelosi.
The Democrats are clueless as to how to deal with either the moribund Social Security System, the kaput health care system, the imploding pension system, the ballooning federal deficit, the staggering trade deficit, or the cheap oil endgame.
While the Democrats do appear to be committed to ending the war in Iraq, their strategy for doing so is vague and unclear. Not unlike that of the Republicans, Democratic support for Israel is unconditional and knows no limits. The plight of the Palestinians is fundamentally irrelevant. As for Iran, the Democrats march in lock step with the Israeli Lobby which portrays President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the Great Satan. Nancy Pelosi is no exception to the rule.
Defense Secretary nominee Robert Gates is a former head of the C.I.A. and a hard line cold warrior. Although more diplomatic than Rumsfeld, he is equally tough.
Although the Democrats’ take on the underling cause of terrorism is not quite as simplistic as George W. Bush’s, “They hate freedom,” they have shown little inclination to delve very deeply into terrorism’s root causes which include our one-sided support of Israel, American arrogance and decadence, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and our attempt to establish hegemonic control of Middle East oil. They have also shown little interest in challenging the conclusions of the 9/11 Commission.
Like the Republicans, the Democrats have no geopolitical strategy for confronting either the peak oil problem or the problem of global warming.
None of the aspiring Democratic presidential candidates are very impressive. At the top of the list is front-runner Hillary Clinton, the Republican hawk disguised as a liberal Democrat. Behind her are spineless Al Gore, lame brained John Kerry, and smiling John Edwards. Who could ever forget mean-spirited, tough-talking screaming Howard Dean? And now we have smooth talking, articulate, charismatic Barack Obama, the rising star of the Democratic Party. But there is only one problem with the African-American, Harvard Law graduate. He has very little experience and his positions on most political issues are squishy at best.
Although a political ideologue he is not, Senator Obama embraces many of the centralist positions of former President Bill Clinton. He is pro-military, pro-globalization, pro-tort reform, and pro-business. A political pragmatist, Obama decries income inequality but hedges on income tax reform and immigration.
Two inescapable facts remain. First, our government has lost its moral authority. Second, our nation is unsustainable, ungovernable, and, therefore, unfixable. The only thing that has changed on Capitol Hill is the name of the party in power. Otherwise, it’s business as usual, and there is nothing new under the sun.
Rebél
Thomas H. Naylor
December 12006