Monday, July 30, 2007
BUSH IS A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT
Bush is a republican president. That should be obvious, but apparently not to those now bent upon electing republicans in 2008. These republicans do not want to accept responsibility for the presidency of George W. Bush. They would like the American people not to hold them responsible for their president. They want us to forget.
Some decades ago during a democrat presidency, perhaps it was Truman, there was a popular bumper sticker which said, “HAVEN’T YOU HAD ENOUGH?” There were also billboards sponsored by rich republican conservatives, placed alongside major highways, with that same question, “HAVEN’T YOU HAD ENOUGH? VOTE REPUBLICAN!” These were negative mid-term propaganda ads.
Since that time there have been those mid-term bumper stickers on pick-up trucks which said, “Don’t blame me! I voted Republican.” Well, that dog won’t hunt any more.
Maybe it is time to bring out similar bumper stickers and billboards again, but this time to remind the American people just who is responsible for this unpopular presidency that has mired the nation in red ink and a quagmire in Iraq. The republicans nominated Mr. Bush as their candidate, and they got him into office twice by what some might call “hook or crook.” Therefore, he is their president.
This presidency has been a republican administration, aided and abetted by republicans in congress. Those persons serving in this administration, competent, incompetent, or corrupt, are republicans. Those who have conspired to lie and mislead have been republicans. Those who failed to plan or to execute the war they started in Iraq were republicans. Those who have run up the national debt and trade deficits and exported jobs were republicans. Those who enacted tax cuts for the rich were republicans. War profiteer corporations are managed by friends of republican politicians.
Those who have loudly professed purity and sanctity while violating moral decency, ethics, and laws against corruption in government have been almost all republicans. These are appropriately called hypocrites.
Those who have been active in undermining the Constitution and the freedoms of American citizens have been republicans. Miscreants continue to be shielded from accountability by the republican members of congress and the republican president. Those who illegally conspired to expose the critic’s wife in the CIA were republicans. The sentence of the convicted republican was commuted by the president, preventing exposure of other guilty persons. Those who corrupted the justice department for political purposes were republicans, now dodging subpoenas to testify under oath about misconduct.
Recently the republican members of congress from Oklahoma voted against the farm bill which is favored by organizations of farmers. They did so because it eliminated an off-shore tax loophole for oil companies and spent the money collected on food stamps and nutrition programs for the poor. Just whom do these congresspersons represent?
Republican members of congress block the democrat majority from ending loss of Americans in Iraq. Republicans block efforts to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. At every point they use their votes as a bloc to protect their republican administration from accountability, sustain its vetoes, and protect donors and lobbyists. They protect the White House from exposure and accountability to the public.
The point of all this is that this presidency and the actions of a congress dominated by republicans for 12 years go together. The republicans cannot escape responsibility for what they have done, nor what they are now doing, by putting a new face on it. The republican members have been in charge, and they are now obstructionists. There should be party accountability.
The American people should hold every republican running for office responsible for their party’s record. Republicans everywhere are deathly afraid that an informed public will do just that.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
Some decades ago during a democrat presidency, perhaps it was Truman, there was a popular bumper sticker which said, “HAVEN’T YOU HAD ENOUGH?” There were also billboards sponsored by rich republican conservatives, placed alongside major highways, with that same question, “HAVEN’T YOU HAD ENOUGH? VOTE REPUBLICAN!” These were negative mid-term propaganda ads.
Since that time there have been those mid-term bumper stickers on pick-up trucks which said, “Don’t blame me! I voted Republican.” Well, that dog won’t hunt any more.
Maybe it is time to bring out similar bumper stickers and billboards again, but this time to remind the American people just who is responsible for this unpopular presidency that has mired the nation in red ink and a quagmire in Iraq. The republicans nominated Mr. Bush as their candidate, and they got him into office twice by what some might call “hook or crook.” Therefore, he is their president.
This presidency has been a republican administration, aided and abetted by republicans in congress. Those persons serving in this administration, competent, incompetent, or corrupt, are republicans. Those who have conspired to lie and mislead have been republicans. Those who failed to plan or to execute the war they started in Iraq were republicans. Those who have run up the national debt and trade deficits and exported jobs were republicans. Those who enacted tax cuts for the rich were republicans. War profiteer corporations are managed by friends of republican politicians.
Those who have loudly professed purity and sanctity while violating moral decency, ethics, and laws against corruption in government have been almost all republicans. These are appropriately called hypocrites.
Those who have been active in undermining the Constitution and the freedoms of American citizens have been republicans. Miscreants continue to be shielded from accountability by the republican members of congress and the republican president. Those who illegally conspired to expose the critic’s wife in the CIA were republicans. The sentence of the convicted republican was commuted by the president, preventing exposure of other guilty persons. Those who corrupted the justice department for political purposes were republicans, now dodging subpoenas to testify under oath about misconduct.
Recently the republican members of congress from Oklahoma voted against the farm bill which is favored by organizations of farmers. They did so because it eliminated an off-shore tax loophole for oil companies and spent the money collected on food stamps and nutrition programs for the poor. Just whom do these congresspersons represent?
Republican members of congress block the democrat majority from ending loss of Americans in Iraq. Republicans block efforts to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. At every point they use their votes as a bloc to protect their republican administration from accountability, sustain its vetoes, and protect donors and lobbyists. They protect the White House from exposure and accountability to the public.
The point of all this is that this presidency and the actions of a congress dominated by republicans for 12 years go together. The republicans cannot escape responsibility for what they have done, nor what they are now doing, by putting a new face on it. The republican members have been in charge, and they are now obstructionists. There should be party accountability.
The American people should hold every republican running for office responsible for their party’s record. Republicans everywhere are deathly afraid that an informed public will do just that.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
