Blog

It is with deep regret that I retroactively declare the death of the Republican Party on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, after the Party contracted an infectious and fatal disease called Tea Party Obstruction Mania.  On this appalling and gloomy day heavily influenced by the Koch Brothers financial empire, this extremely radical Tea Party movement captured seventeen (17) of the 63 House seats gained by the Republican Party in the 2010 election.  Unfortunately, however, this highly contagious disease transmitted by the Tea Party infected the Republican Party to such a degree that the Party has been unable to recover.  Further prohibiting recovery from this disease was the Tea Party’s influence over 29 of the 50 State Governorships as well as 25 state legislatures.

As a result, the Republicans have virtually cleansed themselves of moderates and are poised to further move the country sharply to the right if they win the 2012 election.  The source of the party’s demise is a mysterious illness that may be the single most important contemporary political development that resulted in the termination of the moderate Republican in national politics.

Left to mourn the anticipated death of the Party is the legacy of Ronald Reagan.  When Ronald Regan was President elected in 1980, the Republican Party included a significant number of moderate Republicans in Congress who limited how far right the party could move. For example, Reagan at first wanted to turn the Medicaid program into a “block grant” to the states eliminating the right to health care provided to the poor under federal law, but thanks to an alliance of Democrats and moderate Republicans, Congress refused and during the 1980s, began expanding the program to cover more low-income children and pregnant women. Rather than trying to privatize Medicare and Social Security, Reagan ended up stabilizing both programs through measures that enjoyed bipartisan support.

By the 1994 election, the Republican Party had moved further to the right but even in the mid-1990s, influential Republican moderates in Congress such as Senators John Chafee, Arlen Specter, Jim Jeffords, Nancy Kassebaum, and William Cohen, continued to serve as a stop-gap on conservative policy and as partners with a Democratic administration. Without the support of those moderate Republicans, Congress would never have enacted the State Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997.

With the Tea Party influence in the 2010 election, American politics entered a new segment and the number of moderate Republicans in Congress began to die.  Consequently, bipartisan cooperation became extremely scarce, and if Republicans take control of both Congress and the presidency starting in 2013, national policy will undoubtedly swing even more sharply to the right thus preventing any hope of a cure.

The Tea Party disease continued to spread with the Paul Ryan budget that was approved by the Republican House. It was no surprise that Republicans wanted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) without replacing it with any meaningful option or them wanting to turn Medicaid into a block grant that would result in more low-income people losing health coverage.  It was surprising, however, that in addition to reducing the tax rates for the rich to levels not seen since 1931, they also voted to eliminate Medicare and replace it with a voucher program that would fall far short of providing the coverage that Medicare beneficiaries now have.

The Republican Party thought it could exploit the energy of the Tea Party, but these undeclared racists and radical anti-abortionists whose hate for President Obama were just too much for the Party to overcome and they finally succumbed.  Beneficiaries include Papers Please Laws, Anti-Abortion Legislation, Legislation Banning Sharia Law, Anti-Union Laws, Voter Suppression Laws and Laws Prohibiting Women’s Health Rights.  

Celebrations of delight will be provided by right-wing radical talk show host and racist, Rush Limbaugh, Fox and Friends, Birther Donald Trump, Tea Party flake Michelle Bachmann, Spineless Speaker John Boehner, and former short-term Governor Sarah Palin.  Presidential Candidate Willard “Flip Flop” Romney will offer congratulatory remarks along with his commitment to staying the Tea Party course.  Final burial will take place retroactively in the House Chamber.

Epilogue by Nonny Mouse:  “The Republican Party was once a champion of civil rights, personal responsibility and a regulated government, and engendered people like Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. Today, Mitt Romney’s father would not recognize the Republican Party his son would like to head, Ronald Reagan’s son says his father would be furious with what the Republican party has become – a party utterly dominated by the rich, the religious fanatic, the psychotic, and the jingoistic bigot. The last remnants of the decent, honorable Old Time Republican party are either senile or dead, what’s left is vitriolic, mean-spirited and downright stupid.  There is no Republican Party any longer. It has the name, but it long ago lost its mind before it lost its soul. And I, for one, truly do mourn its passing.”

 GET YOUR FREE CUSTOM WEBSITE

BEST FOR ANTI AGING

BEST BUY HEALTH PRODUCTS

BEST RATED DIET PRODUCTS

MY KIDS’ STORE

ROB’S BLOG

In a 5 to 4 decision announced on Thursday, June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court said that Obamacare was Constitutional.  What makes this decision stunning is that Conservative Chief Judge, John Roberts, wrote the majority decision joining the four open-minded judges.  A huge win for the American people but the Republican Party along with its right-wing radical component has gone bananas.  Willard Mitt Romney has declared that if elected President, his first order of business is to initiate repeal of Obamacare but he apparently has no replacement plan.  In addition, the Republican leadership has decided to take another vote on July 11, 2012, to repeal this law.  You may recall that the House conducted a similar vote several months ago that died in the Senate as this vote will.

Romney’s campaign and other Republicans will focus on “bad mouthing” Obamacare by continuing to lie about this remarkable piece of legislation that provides healthcare to over 33 million people.  No matter what lies the Republicans and right-wing radicals tell about Obamacare, please get the facts for yourself as I have.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, Romney repeated his lie that the health care bill cuts Medicare by $500 billion.  However, that amount is actually a reduction in the future growth of spending over 10 years, not a slashing of Medicare.  The health care law calls for a reduction in the currently projected growth of federal outlays of about 7 percent over the decade.  However, claims that these cuts will “hurt the quality of our care” as represented by Republicans completely ignore the fact that the law adds benefits to Medicare such as free preventive care and more prescription drug coverage.  The law also states that guaranteed Medicare benefits cannot be reduced.

Republicans including Romney continue their lies by claiming that under the law “costs will go up” or families will see “higher insurance premiums.”  However, for most Americans with health insurance, premiums are expected to stay the same or decrease compared to what would have happened to costs without Obamacare.  According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, those in the large group market would see between no change and a 3 percent decrease in their average premium in 2016. The small group market would see between a 1 percent increase and a 2 percent drop in the average premium. Again, that’s in comparison to what premiums would do without the health care law.  For those who buy insurance on their own, the average premium would increase by between 10 percent and 13 percent because the benefits in this non-group market would improve.  In addition, 57 percent of those in this market would get federal subsidies; thus, the extra money would entice them to buy more expensive plans than they normally would, says CBO.  The overall cost of health care is projected to increase by less than 1 percent in overall health spending over the next decade:

Republicans continue to call Obamacare a “government takeover” which is another lie. Obamacare is modeled after the Massachusetts health reform enacted in 2006 by then Governor Willard Mitt Romney.  It builds on the existing private insurance structure but adds requirements and incentives to ensure that most people have some form of health insurance. Under Obamacare, there is no government alternative to the private system but the number of people who qualify for the existing federal-state Medicaid program for the poor will be expanded.  States will run “exchanges” in which private insurers will sell insurance to individuals and small businesses.  This means that more people will get private insurance. Tax credits will also be offered to people who have trouble buying private insurance.  What Willard Mitt Romney and Republicans are not telling us is that repealing Obamacare will increase the deficit, not decrease it, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Here are a few of the benefits of Obamacare affecting you:

1. Insurance companies cannot cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women more than men.
2. You will never again be denied care or charged more due to a pre-existing condition, like cancer or even asthma.  In other words, 129 million people with pre-existing conditions and millions of middle class families have the security of affordable health coverage.
3. Preventive care is covered free of charge by insurance companies including mammograms for women and wellness visits for seniors.
4. By August 2012, millions of Americans will receive a rebate check before their insurance company spent too much of their premium on administrative costs or CEO bonuses.
5. 5.3 million Seniors save $600 a year on their prescription drugs.
6. 6.6 million young people can stay on their parents insurance until they are age 26.

Willard Mitt Romney and other Republicans continue to falsely claim, without any evidence, that Obamacare will restrict employers hiring.  The Urban Institute conducted a study on the economic impact of the Romney Massachusetts health care reforms which was a model for Obamacare.  The Institute concluded that Massachusetts achieved its goal of universal health care with no indication of negative job consequences.  Although both laws are not identical, they share so much in common that researchers concluded, based on their findings in Massachusetts that “national health reform will not lead to job loss or stymied economic growth.” 

Having health insurance is a choice. If you can’t afford health insurance or you’re a small business that wants to provide affordable insurance to your employees, you will get tax credits that make coverage affordable. But if you can afford insurance and you choose not to purchase it, the taxpayers will no longer subsidize your care for free.  In other words, you will pay a fee although there is no enforcement provision in the law if you didn’t pay that fee.  Romney and other Republicans call this fee a “tax” and technically, it is.

Romney’s campaign claims that it has taken in over $200,000 in online donations since the Supreme Court’s announcement.  I suspect that much of these donations are from uninformed or poorly informed people who believe anything coming from Fox News.  Once the announcement was made however, Fox News claimed initially that the court through out the mandate, but they got it wrong.  Whether you support President Obama or not, the new health care law will benefit you especially if you are part of the 33 million Americans without health care, but also if you are one of the 200 million people who already have coverage because it stabilizes your premiums.  Keep in mind that Republican Members of Congress already have many of the health benefits that they don’t want you to have.  Doesn’t make sense to me, but that’s just my take.

 GET YOUR FREE CUSTOM WEBSITE

BEST FOR ANTI AGING

BEST BUY HEALTH PRODUCTS

BEST RATED DIET PRODUCTS

MY KIDS’ STORE

ROB’S BLOG

Despite the Republican rhetoric on immigration reform, on Friday, June 15, 2012, the President announced new actions that his administration will take to repair our nation’s immigration policy, to make it more fair, more efficient, and more just — specifically for certain young people sometimes called “Dreamers.”  “These are young people who study in our schools, they play in our neighborhoods, they’re friends with our kids, they pledge allegiance to our flag.  They are Americans in their heart, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper. They were brought to this country by their parents — sometimes even as infants — and often have no idea that they’re undocumented until they apply for a job or a driver’s license, or a college scholarship,” the President said.

That’s what gave rise to the DREAM Act, the President said. “It says that if your parents brought you here as a child, if you’ve been here for five years, and you’re willing to go to college or serve in our military, you can one day earn your citizenship. And I have said time and time and time again to Congress that, send me the DREAM Act, put it on my desk, and I will sign it right away.”

In the absence of any immigration action from Congress to fix the broken immigration system, the President announced that effective immediately, “the Department of Homeland Security is taking steps to lift the shadow of deportation from these young people.  Over the next few months, eligible individuals who do not present a risk to national security or public safety will be able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization.”  You may recall that before the President had completed his statement, right-wing Daily Caller Neil Munro, in a most “disrespectful tone”, interrupted the President by asking a question even though the press was forewarned there would be no questions taken.  Here is another example of a complete lack of respect by a member of the right-wing radical group of the Republican Party towards the Office of the President primarily because our President is African American.

Since the President’s immigration announcement, the Republican Party has gone berserk saying, among other things, that it is an outrage that the President would not work with the Congress.  Recently on CNN, former Republican presidential candidate, Tim Pawlenty, said that even though the President had a democratic congress, he didn’t pass immigration reform and now at the 11^th hour, “he comes up with this Executive Order.”  (Actually, the President did not issue an Executive Order.)

House Speaker Boehner said that there “was no attempt to work with the Congress.” Sen. Marco Rubio said that President Obama showed he was only “interested in a talking point” by not consulting congressional Republicans on a directive halting the deportations of some young people brought to the United States illegally by their parents. Rubio told ABC News’ David Muir that, “If they were serious about a real solution to this problem, why not reach out to people?”  House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, a leading opponent of immigration liberalization, called the move “a breach of faith with the American people.” He said the new policy could hurt unemployed Americans looking for work and “violates President Obama’s oath to uphold the laws of this land.”  Representative Peter King, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, criticized the administration for “overstepping its authority” and implementing policies that could “jeopardize border security.”  Rush Limbaugh, the chief spokesperson for the right-wing conservative radical group, says that the next two things the Obama administration will put into effect without Congress’ approval are:  1) forgiving student loans “if they have to in this campaign,” and 2) perhaps even forgiving mortgage debt.  This is yet another one of Limbaugh’s completely asinine comments for many of his paranoid listeners.

Speaking after a campaign event in Milford, NH, Willard Mitt Romney criticized the President’s policy change saying it would make it more difficult “to reach a long-term solution” for dealing with the fate of young people who are in the United States “through no fault of their own.”  Speaker Boehner, Senator Rubio and others claim that the President did not work with Congress on an immigration policy.  These folks are “big liars” and are trying to convince the American people to believe the lies.  Here are the facts:

Prior to the 2010 elections when the Democrats controlled the House, they passed the “Dream Act.”  Eight Republicans voted for the Act; the rest of the House Republicans voted “no.”  In the Senate, the Bill received 55 votes for with 41votes against but because of a Republican “filibuster” the Bill failed to pass.  Republican Senator Lindsay Graham actually co-sponsored the Bill but apparently too intimidated to cast a vote.

The President’s Immigration Policy has put Republican presidential candidate, Willard Mitt Romney, in a “tail spin” and he is horrified to take a position on whether or not he would repeal the President’s action if elected President.  If he said that he supported the President’s action, he alienates his base; if said that he does not support the policy, he alienates the Latino community, a constituency he sorely needs.  Romney appeared on Face the Nation and skirted the issue four times when asked by Host Bob Schieffer about his position.  Romney recently spoke at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and did what he could to avoid taking a position on the President’s policy.  Of course, Speaker Boehner and Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, are so confused that they just deferred to Willard Mitt Romney.  So much for Republican leadership.

During the swearing-in ceremony of President Obama in January 2009, Republican leaders met in a private dining room at an expensive steakhouse in Washington, DC, to plot and scheme the demise of an Obama second term..  This “secret meeting” included Republican congressmen and senators along with Republican pollster Frank Luntz, right-wing journalist Fred Barnes, and former speaker and presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich, who resigned from Congress in disgrace.  Gingrich gave the opening remarks and provided the tactical advice throughout the meeting including an idea that Republicans target the tax problems of New York Democrat Charlie Rangel.  At the end of the meeting, Gingrich declared, “You will remember this day. You’ll remember this as the day the seeds of 2012 were sown.” 

It is no surprise that this “secret meeting” took place.  Ever since President Obama was elected, there has been a deliberate, orchestrated and devious effort to “take him down.” I recall that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the “single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”  In spite of that secret meeting, McConnell’s comment, Republican obstruction, and the consistent right-wing radical attack on the President, he has been able to accomplish a number of significant initiatives.  We know of the hatred that the right-wing, radical fringe has for President Obama because he is African American, will the American people buy into the consistent lies that leaders and mouth pieces of the Republican Party attempt to sell us?

Many voters fell for the Republican lies that influenced the 2010 elections and the results have been devastating.  Republican Governors are busting unions, suppressing voter rights, cutting funds for children and seniors’ programs, violating women’s’ rights, just to name a few.  With the heavy influence of the Tea Party, House Republicans have concentrated most of their legislative efforts on restricting women’s rights, holding the country hostage on the debt ceiling, passing the Ryan budget plan that eliminates or drastically changes programs such as food stamps, Medicare, Social Security and seniors’ programs while proposing large tax increases for the wealthy.  If the Republican Party was really interested in resolving our economic crisis and putting people back to work, why haven’t they even brought to a vote any of the job bills that President Obama has proposed?  Remember, their job since the inauguration is to prevent President Obama from a second term.  Like Satan, they are doing their job well.  However, I don’t believe that savvy American voters will fall for the 2010 lies and hypocrisy as we approach the November elections.   I certainly won’t.

 GET YOUR FREE CUSTOM WEBSITE

BEST FOR ANTI AGING

BEST BUY HEALTH PRODUCTS

BEST RATED DIET PRODUCTS

MY KIDS’ STORE

ROB’S BLOG