Only one side is responsible
by Peter Johnson
One really has to marvel at the ability of Republicans to influence public thinking by relying heavily on focus groups and poll testing to determine which will be the most effective. They really have caused far too many Americans to believe their bizarre spins concerning some pretty plain political fare needing only simple explanations. What I am talking about is the obvious fact that Republicans initiated this partisan showdown, by threatening to use the government shutdown which is currently pinching us economically and morally.
Let’s just make it clear that Obama has no intentions of passing the buck, nor does he need to do so over this shutdown in an attempt to gain political points: there’s no buck to pass. In fact, he has made no attempts to use his influence to do anything of the sort.
His primary role has been to warn the Congress and the public about how dangerous a shutdown can be—especially if allowed to go on unabated. And, contrary to claims from Republican Congressmen, he has held out the olive branch of compromise for quite a while now. But in an attempt to cover up what was, and is, an absurd and unfair attempt by Tea Party Congressmen to avoid blame, the GOP has now been offering accusations that the President is guilty for not allowing them to open the government in a piecemeal fashion — in order to exonerate themselves from the well deserved onus they should receive as a result of this latest political treachery completely initiated by them.
The GOP continues to make false claims that the president (not them) has refused to negotiate on many of the issues that concern all Americans. But the fact is that Republicans have repeatedly refused generous offers from Democrats to introduce budgets that involve compromises concerning Social security, as well as reforming corporate taxes. Unlike the President, who has indicated a willingness to make changes to the Democratic sacred cow of Social Security, Republicans have consistently refused to negotiate further on taxes, after allowing a 600 billion increase in tax revenues over ten years as the only way out of their stupid refusal to prevent the fiscal cliff from having disastrous effects on the economy.
Democrats offered a sequester proposal as a solution that would temporarily solve our budget problems. And, the agreement to accept a sequester proposal, was itself, the result of successful negotiations on the part of Democrats. In fact, Democrats offered budget proposals six month ago, involving different levels of spending and investments, but, for the past six months Republican Senators have repeatedly used filibusters in order to reject every effort to negotiate and settle budget differences. Even though recently, Democrats decided to accept the house spending levels in order to prevent a shutdown — Republicans in the House then voted against their own budget in order to introduce legislation threatening to shutdown the Government unless Democrats agree to defund or delay Obamacare.
So, why have those nasty uncooperative Democrats, resisted this attempt at legislative coercion?
Obviously, because if they give in to a single demand to restrict Obamacare, this would create a precedent that would continuously threaten Democrats with one attempt after another to extort their cooperation — blatantly attempting to deny and dismember a Congressionally approved law, that has also been validated by the Supreme Court. In addition Obama has already agreed to accept Republican input about ways to improve the ACA — but, of course, not by being held for ransom by a small minority of rogue Congressmen!
Would Republicans think any differently if the situation were reversed? I.e: Suppose a Republican President vetoed a Democratic bill designed to pass some extremely progressive legislation, and, in spite of Democrats lacking the necessary votes to override his veto, they instead, used their (hypothetical) collective power to eliminate the legitimate use of a presidential veto?—demanding that the bill be accepted by Republicans, or else all government funding would be denied! And, what if a terrorist took hostages in order to extort cooperation from the authorities in order to provide himself with a suitcase full of $100 dollar bills, (budget cuts) and a helicopter (government shutdown) to take him over the border? Suppose the police resisted this effort and actively opposed his ransom demands.
If the terrorist actually kills a hostage as a result of not getting what he wants, would he or she, or anyone, then have the right to blame that hostage’s death on the police merely because they refused to go along with his or her demands? Similarly, the President is being asked to scuttle the new Health Care law or open the door to delays that might then, provide Republicans with more time and more opportunities to defund or destroy a legitimate Law — namely Obamacare.
Once again, Can any Republicans honestly say that they would approve of this option if the situation was reversed, and, a cherished and established law resulting from their hard work and dedication was threatened with complete destruction?
However, Republicans continue to use pretzel logic in order to create the impression that they are misunderstood heroes and/or revolutionaries that are acting only out of a pure desire to keep the nation from fiscal ruin — while apparently being willing to bring down our entire fragile but improving, economic situation—thereby effectively destroying our credit rating and quite possibly bringing on another serious recession. And, if that’s the way Republicans care about the well-being of the middle class, then the middle class would be far better off without them.
The common sense reasoning behind the Democrats’refusal to endorse the piecemeal funding offered by Republicans, can best be explained by the cliché, “You made your bed, now sleep in it!” Republicans knew full well what the consequences of their actions would bring. So, if they still continue to use the foolish idea of a government shutdown to pressure Democrats, then why should they be able decide whether any government department or service should be funded or not!—presumably without even passing a budget that could easily cover all of them?
The Tea Party’s own legislative aggression clearly caused this fight, and because they could immediately bring the shutdown to an end—funding the entire government simply by allowing a clean resolution (to restore funds for the entire government) to be voted on, shouldn’t they be virtuous enough to care about the well being of the many American who will lose jobs and pay over their stubborn refusal to be reasonable? If they really do care, why then, don’t they demonstrate that care by immediately allowing the Government to do what it is intended to do?
Obviously they are balking because their self admitted priority is still the malevolent deiire to completely bring down Obamacare by way of any fanatical twist or turn needed to make certain that special interests in the Insurance and medical industries, keep earning as much as they damn well please! Democrats didn’t create this crisis and they are not the ones who should end it—especially if ending it also jeopardizes Obamacare,
When Republicans self-righteously claim that they are only responding to the “will of the people,” one needs to ask, just WHICH people they are referring to—the lower and middle class people who will finally be able to acquire affordable and life saving medical care? Or the people with pre-existing conditions who will finally be able to have adequate insurance? Or perhaps the people with chronic health conditions who will now face no benefit caps waiting to bankrupt them—just when desperately needing adequate care to treat their conditions?
The truth is, that, Insurance companies will continue to set premiums and deductibles, as high or as low, as they can—but now, they will have to accept some well needed regulations and compete with other companies in their health exchanges—therefore responding to free-enterprise competition to keep the quality of their care high, and its costs at a minimum.
What Republicans are really against is the taxation of the upper two percent of income earners, who earn more than $200,000 per year individually or more than $250,000 as a family. They also cannot bear the fact that many positive ways to regulate private insurance companies will now provide added benefits to Obamacare customers while limiting the ability of insurance companies to earn massive incomes, without limiting any juicy profits they damn well want!
It’s natural for anyone to try and hold on to the money they earn, but not to bring down the entire government just because they may get to keep a little less. And, anyway, the ACA will undoubtedly bring millions of additional customers into insurance markets, and, this increase in the volume of customers will likely provide companies in State exchanges with additional profits, which, of course, will benefit those insurance companies,
Instead of conceding to reality and admitting to their mistakes, we lately hear the artful attempts of Tea Party controlled Republican senators, and House members, who use clever spins to accuse Democrats of being the culprits who caused the shutdown. And, when Republicans try to lull the public into believing that they are some sort of misunderstood and virtuous revolutionary heroes, who only want to “reform” the health care law despite the incredible antics of Senator Ted Cruz’s 21 hour filibuster speech—intended primarily to oppose the existence of any reasonable attitudes concerning a Constitutionally passed LAW, and one which has already been sanctioned by the Supreme Court.
Republicans, who claim objectivity when implying that this issue is merely about cordial and reasonable compromise, are still asking us to believe that, all of their massive efforts are NOT intended to dismember and/or kill a specific piece of genuine legislation which is the very reason for this government shutdown.
Personally, I think that Citizens United is completely unjust and is directly promoting corruption in our political process. However, I am hopeful that a two thirds majority of States that vote to repeal it will eventually end the obvious corruption it causes—simply because that is one of the sanctioned legal avenues we use in orders to get rid of such laws. Also (being from Wisconsin) I had hoped that Governor Scott Walker would not politically survive the recall elections. Well, he did and my side lost. However, that doesn’t mean I want to hold the State legislature politically hostage until he is forced to resign.
Our system of checks and balances is set up to provide us with routes we can legally pursue in order to repeal laws that we don’t like. So, it’s long overdue that Republicans should quit trying to portray coercive actions that are essentially treasonous, as being noble attempts to save our country. Obama has already agreed to many real cuts and compromises and has long ago informed Republicans that he will welcome their input about ways to make the ACA better, and fairer.
Anyone can criticize and/or offer suggestions to improve the health care law, and, any kind of debates in that regard should involve using established government procedures and appropriate legislative channels. However, if Obama shows a willingness to needlessly compromise, in any way which will defund, delay or eliminate Obamacare, he will only be establishing a precedent which will eventually undermine any powers and protocols already established by our founders and by Congress for either party! So, what good are rules if they can easily be ignored to fit anyone’s whim?
In regards to the basic essence of the GOP’s constant attempts to decry their opponents while projecting their own faults onto them, and by using the absurd argument that Democrats aren’t interested in negotiating over budget and government shutdown issues, the situation is just about the same as one of those wacky and humorous occasions from childhood when one child (usually the stronger one) grabs his brother’s (or sister’s ) hand and repeatedly slaps them in them in the face with it, while saying, “Why are you slapping yourself? Why are you slapping yourself?” That’s just how ridiculous this Republican attempt to turn the tables really is.
Please, you Tea Partiers, and Republicans, who rationalize and project your own worst qualities — all the while blaming others — would you really be in favor of a reverse situation, in which Democrats might succeed in blocking legislation favored by you, while totally ignoring the fact that such legislation has already become a legitimate law?
C’mon! Man! Wake up and accept reality, You’re running out of feet to shoot yourselves in!
Peter Johnson is a senior citizen who has become much more interested in what is happening in America and the world, than he was as a young man. He’s interested in poetry and expository writing, and has had letters to the editor published in Time magazine, Newsweek and Playboy magazine. He is concerned about ignorance and indifference that has been circulated concerning the significance of man made global warming and is dismayed dismayed by the way political lies and corruption are being used to influence the public (apparently free from any penalties or adequate culpability). He frequently writes letters of opinion to the editors of his local newspapers.