G.O.P. Should Look in the Mirror

I am disappointed with the Republican Party. The Party has allowed fringe groups to take control and that is the reason they are at a loss to explain their situation.

They decry the beliefs of Islamic extremists and then offer extremists as candidates to congress and the presidency. CNN reported that women voted 55% for Obama to 45% for Romney.

Why? You might ask. Romney refused to confirm the Lilly Ledbetter (equal pay) Act and instead launched into “binders of women” he used to add women to his governor’s staff in Massachusetts. His running mate’s desire to stop all abortions and declare conceived unborn children as human beings only added to the distrust by women. Then there was Richard “Mourdock [in Indiana] saying that God meant for rape victims to bear the resulting children “and [Todd] Akin [in Missouri] saying that women only needed to hold Aspirin between their legs to prevent pregnancy.

So is it any wonder that a majority of women voted for President Obama? My question is; why would any woman vote for Romney?

This nation has changing demographics that make 1950s views of the world ancient. If the Republican Party wants to remain relevant they will have to accept the changing world. If they want to remain loyal to all of their beliefs they will have to accept a minority position in our government. As to the Tea Party (the largest group within the GOP), that group helped REDUCE the number of Republicans in the Senate. There are so many issues to address that this little blog cannot discuss them all in one posting. My list includes:

-Immigration
-Jobs
-Medicare/Medicaid
-Social Security
-Global Warming
-Infrastructure
-Education

Many GOP ideas are worthwhile. Unfortunately they face vocal fringe groups and people that are not acceptable to the majority of Americans.

Obama Wins in a Divided Nation

“Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;

The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,

And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;

But there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out.”

It appears that Barack Obama has won a second term as president of the United States. While the final counts have not been recorded the popular vote is very close. Barack Obama may have won the electoral count by a large majority the POTUS does not have a mandate to do anything. In the popular vote count he won by a nose in a country of 311 million people. It tells me how divided our nation is on so many issues.

Even as I write this post Mitt Romney has not agreed to concede defeat. Perhaps his staff is looking for irregularities in the vote counts that could change the outcome. Then again he came so close he may be having a difficult time accepting defeat. It’s got to hurt.

So assuming the networks are correct the question remains; where will the president take this country in the next four years?

These are Some of the people in Ohio supporting Mitt Romney

This interview by Alex Halperin was posted on Salon.com

If All Else Fails Use Fear

Sorry Mitt, the electoral map shows it’s all over but the shouting. I hope!

I find this truly depressing. Mitt Romney has resorted to fear to obtain a win. It’s not a new idea.

The NRA has successfully used fear to promote a high level of gun sales during the past four years. That organization has warned its members that Obama has plans to stop all gun sales and confiscate your guns. The reality is there has not been any gun legislation suggested by the administration. No new controls were suggested after the Gabrielle Giffords shooting nor any other shooting.

The Huffington Post reported “Mitt Romney’s campaign, in a last-minute robocall, warns voters that “President Barack Obama is hostile to the Christian faith.”

If that isn’t enough AP reports tonight “Mitt Romney warned Friday that re-electing his Democratic opponent would threaten another government shutdown and national default.” This was part of his presentation in front of more than 18,000 people in suburban Cincinnati.

So my question is if elected president will he use fear to obtain congressional support for the things he wants? You know, things like war with Iran, an extra $2 trillion dollars for the defense budget, the tax cuts he wants, and the reason we should not give any attention to global warming.

I guess I won’t have to hold my nose. Romney has made it easier for me to cast my ballot for Barack Obama.

Joseph Stiglitz: “Romney’s plan is based on magic”

Joseph Stiglitz has a decent résumé. He won the Nobel Prize in economics and served as chairman of Bill Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers before being named chief economist of the World Bank.

Since the election of Barack Obama, Stiglitz has also been something of a thorn in the side of the current administration, consistently critiquing the White House for falling short.

Stiglitz gave an interview to salon.com on his appraisal of the Romney economic plan. Here is a summary of that interview. It’s somewhat long but worth your time.

What’s at stake in this election for the U.S. economy?

Quite a lot. First, there’s what we call the macro-economy. The budget cuts that Romney/Ryan propose will certainly slow growth. If the European downturn continues that could tip us into a recession. The cuts certainly won’t provide the kind of stimulus that Obama’s jobs bill, for instance, pushes. Romney’s plan is based on magic: Just because he gets elected, the economy is supposed to take off. There is no evidence that anything like that would happen. Quite the contrary — I think the opposite would happen. The business community would see the cutbacks coming and that would itself cause a slowdown in the economy.

You’ve made the negative case for how the economy will suffer if Romney is elected. Is there a positive case to be made for Obama? You’ve been one of the people on the left most critical of Obama’s efforts on the economy. Why should progressives vote for him now?

I think the main reason, quite honestly, to vote for him is that if he loses there could be a major step backward in every aspect. Not the least important of which is the importance of the Supreme Court, which would affect inequality of political power, as with the Citizens United case. The Court will also rule on basic human rights, gender rights, discrimination, things I think progressives should care a lot about.

But in terms of the economy, while I’ve been critical, there still has been progress in an awful lot of areas. Less progress than there should have been, less progress than was promised, but progress all the same.

Where do you see that progress?

Healthcare. Access to healthcare for everybody is an important step.

I was about to ask, what have been your biggest disappointments?

Housing policy has been a big disappointment. But compared to Bush, who didn’t do anything, and the Republicans, who haven’t proposed anything — Romney has been totally silent on the issue — at least Obama did something. So I am disappointed …

Looking ahead, are there things Obama could do that would represent a real step forward, rather than just consolidate what has already been achieved, or simply prevent going backward?

There aren’t many magic bullets, but let me talk about a couple things. Obviously, more progressive taxation — getting rid of the distortionary provisions in corporate welfare, special treatment of capital gains, carried interest — would make our economy more efficient and less unequal.

One of the biggest areas of progressive disappointment with respect to Obama has to do with banking policy. Do you see any chance of improvement there?

We face a choice between someone who is viewed as being too close to the financial industry and somebody who is in the financial industry. Of the two I’d rather have someone who is close but not init. So to me, there’s just not much choice.

Republican Party Opposes All Abortions

As time passes more and more Republican politicians oppose all abortions no matter how the woman became pregnant. Rape, incest or a woman’s health are no longer reasons to permit an abortion. It is an idea pulled from another century along time ago.

I am mystified by the idea that any woman would vote to elect Mitt Romney for president. The GOP Party platform includes these words: “We call on the government to permanently ban all federal funding and subsidies for abortion and healthcare plans that include abortion coverage.”

Three candidates for U.S. Senator or U.S. Congressman have spoken against the idea of abortion even in the case of rape. Todd Akin in Missouri, Richard Mourdock in Indiana, and now John Koster in Washington. Romney running mate, Paul Ryan, holds the same view.

Free access to birth control could prevent up to two thirds of U.S. abortions. This was the results of a research study conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine. However this is useless information to people who do not want to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

Mitt Romney is now trying to convince women that he does not subscribe to the idea that life begins at conception. Then why is this thought part of the GOP platform? Why did he select Paul Ryan as his running mate?

A Mitt Romney presidency will take this nation back to the middle ages. The Taliban couldn’t be happier.

G.O.P. Wants to Control Women

Muslims are known for their mis-treatment of women. They are treated as second class citizens. If you have never seen the movie “Not Without My Daughter” you should watch it. It tells of the treatment of women in a Muslim country. Most of us in America are shocked by the depictions of life in Iran. And yet, many Americans want to treat their wives and daughters as if they have no right to make decisions for themselves.

The orthodox of most religions in the United States still want to tell the women in their lives what to do and when to do it. The men can have sex but the women can not. If they get pregnant they must bare the child no matter how it was conceived. Both Tod Akin, Republican candidate for the Senate in Missouri and Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock have taken the position that women have natural protection against rape or if they were rapped the child must be born.

Is this the view of the Republican Party? Read their platform. Buried in the writing are these gems that lead to the same conclusions as Akin and Mourdock have made.

This is enough for me to oppose Republicans for office.

Through Obamacare, the current Administration has promoted the notion of abortion as healthcare. We, however, affirm the dignity of women by protecting the sanctity of human life. Numerous studies have shown that abortion endangers the health and well-being of women, and we stand firmly against it.

We call on the government to permanently ban all federal funding and subsidies for abortion and healthcare plans that include abortion coverage.

We likewise support the right of parents to consent to medical treatment for their children, including mental health treatment, drug treatment, and treatment involving pregnancy, contraceptives and abortion. We urge enactment of pending legislation that would require parental consent to transport girls across state lines for abortions.

We oppose school-based clinics that provide referrals, counseling, and related services for abortion and contraception. We support keeping federal funds from being used in mandatory or universal mental health, psychiatric, or socio- emotional screening programs.

“I Love Big Bird”

The economy is in terrible condition but there is more to the presidency than the economy.

When Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney declared early on in the first presidential debate “I love Big Bird,” you knew that his next words were not going to be something you want to hear. Basically Mr. Romney wants to dismantle the social safety net that helps the poor, the unemployed, and the retired. You see, he simply believes everyone is on his own and the government should not provide any social services. The Republican Party has never favored any of the programs that help the poorest among us. It’s a philosophy told well by Charles Dickens in his tale, A Christmas Carol.

Ayn Rand, the author and philosopher who believed that the unfortunate are victims of their own stupidity and laziness, became an idol of many in the Republican Party. Both Paul Ryan and Congress Woman Michele Bachmann have voiced their admiration for Rand. It has been retold numerous times that Alan Greenspan was a disciple of Rand and met with her in her home. If only she hadn’t been an atheist.

The reality is that Mr. Romney has changed his views on every major issue over the past 20 years. He has changed his opinion multiple times. He favored and opposed abortion rights for women multiple times. The “severe conservative” opposed all abortions while running in the primaries but now he says he knows of no legislation he would support that would change abortion law. The tough talking Romney wanted to send help rebels in Syria but now says he supports the Obama approach. Illegal aliens? He wanted them to all “self deport” but now says that he will support the Obama program giving children brought here illegally to have the right to obtain a job. The list goes on and on.

In the second debate Romney was asked his view on equal pay for women. His answer was his efforts to find more women to staff his administration in Massachusetts. Did he tell us if he supports equal pay? No!

If you want a conservative nation that denies rights to women, the poor, minorities, and the elderly vote for Mitt Romney.

Another Tied Debate

Both Democrats and Republicans will come away from tonight’s debate saying their man won. The president’s knowledge of the finite details of foreign policy and the military capabilities of our nation gave him a leg up. But Mr. Romney looked presidential. I did notice one mannerism of Mr. Romney’s that was apparent in all three debates. He talks like the boss in a staff meeting (I know because I have been a participant in such meetings).

Some have said that the president was combative or defensive in his presentation. Let’s be clear. He has four years to defend. He did a good job in his defense.

Obama’s reference to underwater ships was definitely sarcastic.

It is unlikely that anything said tonight will change anyone’s vote. The last two weeks of this campaign will probably be very nasty. Each side will paint the other as the worst things that can happen to the country. Negative campaigning works. Since I live in California I won’t be hearing any of it. Now if us Californians can just decide which initiatives are worthy of a yes vote.