Outlandish American Fascists Making The World Safe For Obama's Conservatism

I missed the Republican debate in Iowa. I hear I didn't miss much. Instead I was at a gathering of future progressive leaders (Young People For). It was very inspiring to meet some of these idealistic young men and women who were taking part in a week-long training conducted by People For the American Way but to hear the inspiration of the organization's founding generation-- talks by Norman Lear and Dolores Huerta-- being handed down to future leaders. Meanwhile all I needed to know about the Iowa debate was, oddly enough, on the Fox website in the form of a post by Juan Williams, Debate Shows GOP Is Out of Step With Realities of Today's America.

Last night's debate put on display a Republican Party that still looks like a 1950s Oldsmobile as they prepare to run against one of the hip, new hybrids coming out the multi-national car companies that now run Detroit.

Despite his troubles, President Obama looks sleek, fast and so very hip as compared the Republicans on view in Iowa. The President remains the mixed-race, son-of-an immigrant, in touch with the under 30 crowd that makes up about half of 2011 America.

It was not just the absence of dynamic people of color and women at the GOP debate that rankle young Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Blacks, working women, and immigrants. The answers coming from the candidates felt like the voice of your grandfather's GOP.

It is hearing the only woman on the stage talking about being "submissive," and "obedient."

One of the most astounding parts of the debate for me was when the moderators polled the candidates and asked if they would oppose a deficit reduction package that included government spending cuts to tax increases by a ratio of 10:1. Every single candidate on the stage raised their hand in opposition. No tax increases under any circumstances.

This puts the candidates out of step with the realities of America today, and American public opinion. As a CBS/New York Times poll from last week showed, a majority of Americans - in both political parties-- want to see tax increases on the wealthiest Americans in addition to spending cuts. By taking the no-new-taxes-pledge the candidates are even in disagreement majority of the Republicans-- the very people who will choose the nominee. 

A review of the GOP ideas debated last night for improving on President Obama's disappointing first term reveals a patchwork of proposals that led to economic problems, antagonism towards immigrants, especially Hispanics, and indifference to the poor and seniors.

On immigration reform the candidates offered only knee-jerk, talk radio sound bites about building even bigger walls, complete with electrified barb wire-- oh, that was supposed to be a joke. Do these candidates think only the most hateful, anti-immigrant bullies are listening?

Where are serious proposals about how to deal with 12 million illegal immigrants who add economic vitality, youthful energy, and transformative culture to America? What about the oppressive laws passed in Arizona to allow harassment of people who look Hispanic? How about the talented people who can’t get into this country because the immigration system is broken? Not one serious answer from the Republicans on stage last night.

These "Back to the Future" Republicans also called for supporting privatization of Medicare and Social Security. They support banning abortion and-- with the exception of Ron Paul-- doing nothing to reduce spending on the military-industrial complex.

One of the few substantive contributions of the evening came from former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich who declared, to wild applause: "Congress should come back Monday. They should repeal the Dodd-Frank bill. They should repeal Sarbanes Oxley."

Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes-Oxley were arguably the two most important pieces of legislation in recent years to regulate Wall Street and punish the kind of mass fraud that tanked the world economy in 2008.

A Harris Interactive Poll from earlier this summer showed an overwhelming majority of Americans-- 83% to 14% - believe recent events have shown "Wall Street should be subject to tougher regulation." The same poll found 64% of adults do not believe that what is good for Wall Street is good for the country. 31% take the opposite view.

Hours before the debate, GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney was heckled by left-wing protesters at a rally in Iowa. He was tripped up over the question about taxing corporations and he shot back at the questioner: "Corporations are people, my friend."

I cannot believe the GOP wants to be seen as the reactionary party whose devotion to the failed economic theories of the past benefit the wealthy, at the expense of everyone else.

In 2012, 2016 and beyond, the electorate will be younger, more racially diverse and increasingly supportive of higher taxes on the wealthy-- and tougher regulation of Wall Street.

While it is still early and there are other potential entrants to the race, I do not see how any Republican candidate pushback against the Democrats and President Obama while solely dedicated to bringing back an America that is half a century in the past.

Ah, yes, "other potential entrants to the race." That would refer to Rove's pick to knock Bachmann out of the race so the superficially mainstreamish candidate, the weird Mitt Romney, has a clear shot at Obama without the GOP baggage of being a party essentially even right of the kind of fascism America mobilized to defeat 7 decades ago-- Rick Perry, the Texas governor who makes George W. Bush seem almost coherent and bright. In Perry-world everything post-Civil War is unconstitutional-- from clean air laws to public education and, now, Social Security and Medicare, which he calls a "Ponzi scheme," something the far right has been yelling since the 1930's when most Americans were fighting fascism but the GOP was actively helping Hitler as the standard-bearer for the kind of world they have always wanted.

I challenge anybody to stand up and defend the Social Security program that we have today-- and particularly defend it to a 27-year-old young man who’s just gotten married and is trying to get his life headed in the right direction economically. I happen to think that the Progressive movement was the beginning of the deterioration of our Constitution from the standpoint of it being abused and misused to do things that Congress wanted to do, and/or the Supreme Court wanted to implement. The New Deal was the launching pad for the Washington largesse as we know it today. And I think we should have a legitimate, honest, national discussion about Washington’s continuing to spend money we don’t have on programs that we don’t need. 

...I don’t think our founding fathers when they were putting the term “general welfare” in there were thinking about a federally operated program of pensions nor a federally operated program of health care. What they clearly said was that those were issues that the states need to address. Not the federal government. I stand very clear on that. From my perspective, the states could substantially better operate those programs if that’s what those states decided to do.

People are very disappointed with what Obama has been able to accomplish. Many of us have come to see that he's not a liberal or a progressive but a mainstream conservative in a world where the GOP has moved the conversation so far to the right, by transforming themselves into a reactionary or even fascist party, that Obama seems, as Williams put it for Fox above, "sleek, fast and so very hip as compared the Republicans." This morning he delivered his Saturday address to the nation about new ideas, creativity and innovation, while the Republicans argue among themselves about Bronze Age fairy tales and long bankrupt Gilded Age ideology. Obama:

On Thursday, I visited a new, high-tech factory in Michigan where workers are helping America lead the way in a growing clean energy industry. 
 
They were proud of their work, and they should be. They’re not just showing us a path out of the worst recession in generations-- they’re proving that this is still a country where we make things; where new ideas take root and grow; where the best universities, most creative entrepreneurs, and most dynamic businesses in the world call home. They’re proving that even in difficult times, there’s not a country on Earth that wouldn’t trade places with us. 
 
That doesn’t mean we don’t face some very tough economic challenges. Many Americans are hurting badly right now. Many have been unemployed for too long. Putting these men and women back to work, and growing wages for everyone, has got to be our top priority.
 
But lately, the response from Washington has been partisanship and gridlock that’s only undermined public confidence and hindered our efforts to grow the economy.
 
So while there’s nothing wrong with our country, there is something wrong with our politics, and that’s what we’ve got to fix. Because we know there are things Congress can do, right now, to get more money back in your pockets, get this economy growing faster, and get our friends and neighbors back to work. 
 
The payroll tax cut that put $1,000 back in the average family’s pocket this year? Let’s extend it.  Construction workers who’ve been jobless since the housing boom went bust? Let’s put them back to work rebuilding America. Let’s cut red tape in the patent process so entrepreneurs can get good ideas to market more quickly. Let’s finish trade deals so we can sell more American-made goods around the world. Let’s connect the hundreds of thousands of brave Americans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan to businesses that need their incredible skills and talents.
 
These are all things we can do right now. So let’s do them. And over the coming weeks, I’ll put forward more proposals to help our businesses hire and create jobs, and won’t stop until every American who wants a job can find one.
 
But we can no longer let partisan brinksmanship get in our way-- the idea that making it through the next election is more important than making things right. That’s what’s holding us back-- the fact that some in Congress would rather see their opponents lose than see America win.
 
So you’ve got a right to be frustrated. I am. Because you deserve better. And I don’t think it’s too much for you to expect that the people you send to this town start delivering.
 
Members of Congress are at home in their districts right now.  And if you agree with me – whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican or not much of a fan of either-- let them know.
 
If you’ve had it with gridlock, and you want them to pass stalled bills that will help our economy right now-- let them know. 
 
If you refuse to settle for a politics where scoring points is more important than solving problems; if you believe it’s time to put country before party and the interests of our children before our own – let them know. 
 
And maybe they’ll get back to Washington ready to compromise, ready to create jobs, ready to get our fiscal house in order-- ready to do what you sent them to do.
 
Yes, we’ve still got a long way to go to get to where we need to be. We didn’t get into this mess overnight, and it’s going to take time to get out of it. That’s a hard truth-- but it’s no excuse for inaction. After all, America voted for divided government, not dysfunctional government, and we’ve got work to do. And when we come together and find common ground, there’s no stopping this country. There’s no stopping our people. There’s no holding us back. And there is every reason to believe we’ll get through this storm to a brighter day.

See why Rove and Fox are worried?