My last post was in early July when the debt ceiling debate was raging with mind numbing fury and the certain knowledge that it wouldn't end well. We expect mindless idiocy from the Republicans, it's in their DNA and they really can't help it. We expect, although I doubt anymore, something a little better than mindless idiocy from the media.
The issue was simple. Increase the debt ceiling for money already spent or a host of really horrible things could happen. A sufficient number of Republicans in Congress, showing a complete lack of understanding basic reality thought that Bill Clinton sticking cigars where they don't belong or the President trying to fix our broken health care system were more horrible to the power of twenty took it to the brink before marginally saner heads prevailed.
Raising the deficit has always been a pro-forma vote. We've raised it 106 times since 1940. Reagan raised it 18 times while Bush Jnr. raised it 7 times with nary a peep. The most recent episode was political theater of the worst kind, playing politics, and incoherent politics at that. The media instead decided to report it as a death cage match between two lumbering masses of brawn without bothering to let the audience get an inkling of its history.
It ended with S&P downgrading the U.S debt. Never mind the absurdity that S&P now officially considered the worthiness of the U.S. debt to be less than the mortgage backed derivatives designed to fail that they happily rated as AAA just so Goldman Sachs could offload them on unsuspecting suckers.
The kindergarten sandbox argument even spooked the financial markets. I was too pissed off, too disillusioned and personally weary from all of this.
An expanding workload and burnout caused me to stop blogging. I didn't even bother to check my blog to see if anyone was still clicking on it...until today. Rather surprisingly people are still checking in daily, hopefully to see if my blog was ever going to be resurrected.
It has, and is.
Things have changed since early July. We've seen the clown car cavalcade of the Republican nominees ans their endless weekly reality show "America's Best Candidate" AKA the Primary debates or the "Anyone but Mitt" show. Call off the election and bring in some new faces to humiliate themselves. I'm sure the show will be renewed for another season.
If it weren't for a fickle and sometimes dim electorate common sense says it should be Obama, who has rediscovered some of his mojo, in a canter. There are some promising signs. Gov. Kasich had his ass handed to him in Ohio in the elections a few weeks ago, the Occupy Wall Street movement, for all its negative press has shown extreme resilience and the issues it raises have become part of the national conversation. Polls show steady support for raising taxes on the rich averaging well into the 60% range, even touching 70%.
It's not going to be easy running on a pro 1% ticket, especially for Mitt Romney who is the complete embodiment of privilege. What has surprised even jaded old me is the weakness and vapidity of the republican field. We always knew Michelle Bachman was somewhat crazy and a dim bulb to boot. It's taken the spotlight of the debates to show she isn't 'somewhat crazy' but a complete loon as well as a blithering idiot. That she sits on the Intelligence Committee in the House is a cruel joke on the idea of rational government. Rick Perry; 'oops' says it all and Herman Cain makes Perry look marginally intelligent. It says a lot about corporate America hat such a doofus can be CEO of a large corporation even if they only make crappy pizza.
Newtie has more baggage than the Vanderbilts packing to winter n Florida and that only leaves Romney who seems to be more hated by his own party than by the Democrats. Even the vast sums of money that corporate America will throw at the election can't save this lot.
America has far more often than not, shown it has the capacity to correct itself relatively peaceful when the pendulum swings to far. It won't be easy with the Republicans completely wedded to economic policies that want to take the nation back to the days of the robber barons and enough Democrats who still believe in compromising with people who should be in padded cells.
We're a little less than a year away from what is one of the most important elections in American history. It's going to be quite a ride. I will be here to document it, hopefully with some insight, some wit, a lot of snark and a fair amount of bemusement. I hope you all keep coming back.\, oh and click on an ad once in a while so I can at least get paid a pittance for my efforts.
Lastly a thanks to Amber of Occupy the San Fernando Valley who I met at the Studio City farmer's market yesterday. We chatted for a while and I mentioned my dormant blog. After telling her I had taken a longer than expected or desired hiatus from blogging she insisted that I resume.
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2 comments:
America doesn't have a healthcare "system". It is a collection of hospitals and other institutions. Healthcare reforms have been about paying for care and access. That is only half the issue.
You're right, calling it a 'system' is giving it too much credit. We can pass all the reforms possible and it won't help unless we start bending the curve on costs. That the 2006 Medicare drug plan forbids the Federal Govt. from negotiating with drug companies is nothing less than daylight robbery from the taxpayer ad a huge gift to the industry.
Who says corporations aren't investing money. They're investing in politicians of all colors and in lobbyists and the return on those investments pays far better tna investing in the real world.
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