Something is happening in America that is dividing us in a way that has never come close to anything we've experienced before. It begins with a meme that is being sold to anyone susceptible to hating our government, convincing everyone that it is broken, (as if we didn't know) but the blame is placed on the most vulnerable of us and the meme is "I'm rich, I'm tired of carrying you, and you're not going to benefit from what is due me anymore." There is one notable exception--if we need your vote.
The thing is, that in a Democracy, free speech is to allow everyone to have their say.
But there must be a standard above that for public media that recognizes it's duty to cull from actual news as it happens that which is most important, decide which story lines to pursue to their end, and deliver, as best it can, the information we base our most critical choices upon as individuals, as government and as legal entities in society.
A free society will not remain free for very long, if it has no idea what is and is not trustworthy, in the information that is disseminated through traditional news sources.
At a minimum it should point to what is most critical overall and not elevate the mundane, even silly to the level of hard news, and lower hard news to opinion, or soundbite.
Worse, it is allowing for a growing theme among republicans that, not only have they proven they are right in claiming no responsibility for the past eight years, but they are laying the blame for everything on President Obama who has been in office for just over a year. In addition, over the protestations of every decent economist, they are forecasting a future of debt that portends a horrific future for young people. It's a lie.
First Democrats have always been able to reduce the horrible deficits left us by the republicans. The republicans have been so skillful at selling the lie that Clinton was responsible for this mess, that I had a Democrat argue with me about it for an hour, that we brought this on ourselves and that both parties are evil. I have two things to say on that now... there is one man's name that is all over every piece of legislation that put us in peril from both banking and housing and that name is republican and he now lives in Switerland. My next diary is about this lie.
And there's something I've been afraid to write about here, for fear of being blasted all day. I come from a long line of Democrats. When I began working with the party here, (I live in a very large city) I met many CEO's of large corporations who are desperate to find a way to stop what they see as the end of Democracy. The wife of a retired (about 5 years) CEO spearheaded the fight, about 7 years ago, to keep creationism out of our schools.
Over the years that it happened she was front and center in the battle. First she got death threats, then her husband got them at work, they tore up her front yard and spray painted her house. Finally they threatened her children. She had to stop. She got no sleep and was terrified. I asked her why she didn't send her children to private schools and she said that in America everyone should have the same opportunity and it would have done no good. She would still have carried on the fight, right up until that last threat. I'm not wealthy, I work hard for the cause, and I'm accepted for my beliefs and not my pocketbook. I know exactly how these wealthy Democrats feel... a little beaten and bruised right now.
She is one of many in her circle of wealthy friends that I met, all Democrats, all from several states, who are fighting every day to keep us free. One of the husbands, taking an idea from his wife, started a program 15 years ago to recruit, hire and promote gay people. He did this by offering the same benefits to partners as to employees and many other perks specific to gay people. The program won awards and received requests from companies world wide to share the specifics.
Another, with locations all over America will match any employee contribution, up to $2000 for a local charity that helps the poor, homeless and out of work. They have not bragged about it, they are just quietly working to help. Democrats are wealthy too, and they believe in America as the light for the world. Think of the Kennedy's. For all their faults, they are human beings who see their first duty to those less fortunate. These Democrats run corporations all over America. I know exactly how these wealthy Democrats feel... a little beaten and bruised right now, they think progressives HATE them, and still they fight quietly on.
For us to act like every corporate CEO is evil, is the same as republicans saying that all deficits are due to the freeloaders and Godless Democrats and liberals. We have powerful people on our side. We can work together, or we can let freedom die while we live under a wealthy few as virtual serfs.
I no longer believe that any corporation should be big enough to bring America and the world to it's knees. But right now these people are fighting almost alone. They feel that their own base has deserted them and they are not alone. President Obama must have many days when he feels the same way. Yes he is pragmatic, yes he was determined to include republicans in the process, but now he has about had it with them, I think.
We need a public option, but without our support, without keeping most of Congress, he will get one term, and the public option will die before it's off the ground. We need to get out the word that every insurance company is raising rates up to 40% now. We need to prove in video and print that they plan to give vouchers for Medicare. By the time they get the vouchers they won't cover the increase, much less the insurance.
This is about to happen to every American NOW. And if they put Social Security in the market, it will crash and they'll walk away with every dollar we paid in.
I have thought and read thousands on thousands of pieces on what has happened and I would like to cull it to this for now. I end up talking to a lot of republicans. Most, but not all, are not wealthy. They are the new breed of young republican that is learning exactly the party line. One looked me straight in the face and said that God did not mean for everyone to survive. There are people more "fit" to make decisions about America than others. For years, he said, these "others" have been gaming the system, stealing our tax dollars through welfare, and have brought us to this mess. This is not the first time I have heard this, in fact it may be the hundredth time.
While this is not about religion, it does give us an insight to the "entitlement" these new young republicans feel. There was a very important article years ago about how the evangelical church used a persons weakness to recruit them. They would get them to tell their worst experiences, life's hardest trials, usually ones that convinced the "new recruit" that he was worthless. Then they would convince the person that not only were they not worthless, but rather they were "Gods chosen." They ran for office, they gave them the courage to take over some of our largest companies.
Over the years this has morphed into many forms and today includes "churches" who resemble more a rock and roll concert, a sensual experience and pure fun, than a house of worship. This new "chosen" group has been told that there is an apocalypse is coming, that it will mean heaven for them including a redistribution of wealth from the evil wealthy of America to them. I have made it a point to talk to as many of these fundamentalists as I can. Their answer to everything comes down to God is coming for them carrying their pot of gold. You cannot debate it, you cannot reach them, and they are the hard line "servants" that a few very wealthy mega preachers con artists get to carry their water.
In fact the most angry of these groups may be the religious faithful, promised much but now out of work and forced to depend on the kindness of a President who sees extending unemployment as a way to create demand and keep children fed, and in their homes. This reminds me of a conversation I had with a republican that said there will be nothing done, no jobs, no homes refinanced by any republican, nothing to benefit America until republicans were back in power. If there is another economic crash, and there will be if they are back both the Presidency and control Congress, we will not recover. We will be completely vulnerable to a takeover.
The first time I heard the word "Oath Keepers" was on Rachel Maddow last night. I looked them up. These are former police, national guard, and military who have a covenant that they will disobey any order that is given by someone they believe is against upholding the Constitution. They seem to be followers of Glenn Beck and they are going to let him decide who they should and should not obey? Already in our military there are men who are indoctrinated into the belief that God is their true Commander in Chief and their ultimate loyalty is to him. Remember when the President gave the speech at West Point and Rush Limbaugh kept saying "just take him right there." Does he really think he has that power? Does he control the minds of that many people?
Two days ago I watched the evening news to see what would be said about the capture of the apparent leader of the Taliban in Pakistan. During the Bush years it would have been on the news 24/7 for at least a few weeks. That night they did not carry it. Instead there was some general news ending with a silly bit about something Palin did or said. This was on one of the top two network news stations in America. I knew because I read about it. The NY Times carried it in it's "Asia" section? What?
And where is Cheney congratulating President Obama on capturing more leaders in a year than Cheney/Bush did in eight?
There is a republican culture, that is growing rapidly, whose goal is to make everyone hate America and everything we stand for. And pieces of anger are growing out of the other media that feed into this. There was more coverage of Evan Bayh bashing Democrats (with his little nod to republican obstructionism) than there was of the fact that Pakistan cooperated with the U.S. to capture three top Taliban leaders. Evan Bayh WAS the obstructionism in the Senate. The republicans didn't have to bother.
This is partly a consequence of having a media monopoly of people literally of fox world (fox itself, Wall Street Journal, clear channel, and a vast network of "Christian radio). Partly a consequence of a traditional media that tells the news of the day but ignores completely the real news of the day (CBS, NBC, ABC) and a new overreaching sound bite/entertainment media (CNN, USA Today), who reduce everything to the point that there is no continuity, and context, and is therefore meaningless.
What I cannot understand, I have read and read, I have thought for hours, is this...
once Democracy is gone it is gone for everyone. I can understand the wealthy few who think they will rule. But the guy whose father is out of work, living (thanks to my tax dollars) and his extended unemployment, both thinking God is still waiting to hand Pat "Haiti deserves it" Robertson's pot of gold over to them? I don't begrudge them my tax dollars, I'm a liberal after all. I do begrudge them when they talk about hating the government who is giving them my tax dollars. They need to spend a few days in Haiti, unable to get US aid, and see what their new government could look like.