Today we are going to continue to explore some political ideas that have taken on the aura of conventional wisdom. Many of these so called truths seem either incomplete or less than valid.
THE RECENT PRIMARY ELECTIONS REPRESENT A MAJOR TEA PARTY TRIUMPH
The media has covered the recent primary election Tea Party victories as if they represent a seismic shift in the election politics in this country. Make no mistake, the victories are important and significant and deserve to be treated as a meaningful phenomenon. They may yet turn out to be decisive and indicate dramatic changes for years to come. At the moment, however, they tell us little about what will happen in November. A number of Tea Party candidates have been able to defeat Republican regulars in some primary campaigns in which turnout has been extremely low. This feat is really not as difficult as it may sound. The Tea Party base is unquestionably highly motivated and is turning out in large numbers. They have been able to unseat some veteran party candidates. We just don't know what this will mean in November. They have probably already received as much support as is available to them. November is an entirely different ball game and if they do not win in Delaware, Nevada, and elesewhere the Tea Party may turn out to be a lot less than advertised. We just don't know at this time, but general election demographics and turnout are very different from primary elections. It is yet to be seen if these primary victories represent a sea change in Republican and national electoral politics. Stay tuned.
THE BEST WAY TO WIN AN ELECTION IS TO SAY NOTHING
Well we don't yet know if this will turn out to be true or not. We won't know until Novemeber. What's interesting however, is how many candidates are trying this approach. It says something about how far out of the mainstream a number of these candidates are that their handlers have to tell them not to talk to the press, to stick to a very narrow script, not to debate, and not to go anywhere that might force them to answer meaningful questions. Consider candidates in Nevada, Kentucky, Delaware, Virginia and others. Voters need to ask themselves if this is a tactic that is appropriate in a democracy.
ALL POLITICAL STATEMENTS ARE DESERVING OF EQUAL WEIGHT
In an effort to be even handed the "mainstream media" will take the most outlandish statements and compare them to statements of the opposing candidate which reinforces the notion that 'they all do it'. One strategy that seems to be working well is when criticized or attacked, immediately criticize the attack. One example is when the NAACP recently suggested that there were racist elements in the Tea Party, and went on to provide evidence of the truth of their statement. Immediately they were called racist for calling the Tea Party racist which they had not done. The main stream media however, approaches such stories by putting both positions on an equal footing so that the public once again perceives all politicians as the same. It is possible to distinguish extreme positions from those that are reasonable, or outright lies from slight exaggerations. The media is too lazy or fearful however, to make that effort and as a result the public suffers.
WALL STREET DISAGREES WITH OBAMA TAX POLICIES SO HIS POLICIES MUST BE WRONG
Somehow, Wall Street folks have been endowed with a wisdom that hardly seems warranted. Consider that it was their failures that brought us to the brink of economic collapse. Consider that they will always choose low taxes or no taxes, because it will always be in their interest to do so. Consider how many jobs they have shipped overseas because it was in their interest to do so. Consider how willing they have been to pay themselves enormous sums of money even as the economy was crumbling. Where is their credibility to indicate that they put the interest of their country over personal or corporate interests. I don't even believe they would try to make that case.
While it is certainly true that probably no one including the administration, economists, or the Federal Reserve know all the answers to reviving the economy, it has to be said that the President and his team have no other goal than improving the economy in this country. It is in their interest to have a strong economy even from a political perspective. They have no profit motive, and are therefore interested in making things better for all the people, and not just corporate interests. That does not guarantee that all their decisions will be correct, but it does suggest that when business puts its ideas forward they should be greeted with a great deal of skepticism.
UNCERTAINTY IN FINANCIAL REGULATIONS AND TAXES PREVENT THE ECONOMY FROM MOVING AHEAD
This statement, repeated ad nauseam on CNBC, essentially serves as a code for saying that once the Republicans win the November elections the economy will move ahead. I suspect that is probably exactly what will happen. We are also told that more than a trillion dollars is sitting on the sidelines that could be invested by business. Certainly there is anxiety about the future that causes businesses to hesitate when it comes to hiring and spending. Yet I thought one of the characteristics of business and making money involved a willingness to take risks. Business wants no government spending to stimulate the economy. They are in a position to prime the pump themselves with huge profits they have made in the past year or so. Yet, they sit on those profits. They could create a growth surge in this economy and improve the employment picture by spending and hiring. What are they waiting for? Can it be they may be waiting for that hoped for Republican landslide in November?
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Conventional Wisdom
Fox News and other right wing media outlets have coopted the message for this election cycle, and their mantras have become commonplace even in the so called liberal mainstream media. Let's take a look at some of the more or less accepted truths of the current election cycle.
THE STIMULUS FAILED
Consider cash for clunkers, and the first time home buyers credit. These programs worked so well that when they ended everyone could see the difference in a reduction in sales of cars and homes. The only real question was whether these programs should have been extended. Also, one of the biggest problems has been the serious difficulties that states were having balancing their budgets. The stimulus saved the jobs of thousands of state employees and helped states survive the fiscal crisis. We saw so many politicians publicly attack the money sent to their states but then privately make use of every federal dollar they could get their hands on.
GOVERNMENT HAS NEVER CREATED A JOB
Consider policemen, firemen, teachers, and the military just to start. Think about how many people you know who receive government payroll checks. Consider that government is one of the largest if not the largest employer in the country. Its hard to even understand what that statement is supposed to mean, yet you hear it from Wall Street folks constantly.
THE DEFICIT MUST BE TACKLED IMMEDIATELY
Roosevelt listened to the deficit hawks and watched as the country began to fall back into depresion early in his second term. Are the deficit cutters seeking that kind of result today? Have we learned nothing from history? The deficit is a serious concern but it can be tackled once the economy is on more sure footing. Who better to tackle the deficit at that time than Democrats? Historically it is Republicans who have increased the deficit and Democrats who have cut it. Remember the one trillion dollar surplus not that long ago under President Bill Clinton? Have we forgotten what happened to that surplus and who was in power at the time?
THE HEALTH CARE BILL THAT PASSED IS A GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM AND IS ALSO SOCIALIST
The health care bill that passed is almost the same as that proposed by Republicans when the health care bill failed in the early 90's. The bill is filled with Republican ideas and it includes no government run health plans - the public option was not passed. All health plans in the health care reform bill are run by private insurance companies, not the government
THE HEALTH CARE PLAN WILL HARM MEDICARE
First of all we need to remind everyone who loves their medicare that medicare, unlike the new health care reform program, is a government run program. Yet, no one I know is calling the Medicare program a dangerous socialist program that needs to be dismantled. Also, the health reform bill actually extends the solvency of the medicare prgram for several years. No medicare recipient will lose benefits because of the new health care reform package.
ALL POLITICIANS ARE THE SAME - CORRUPT, NOT TRUTHFUL, ETC.
While this is not necessarily a right wing notion it is one that pervades the average American's view of politics. In the 50's and early 60's we had much more positive feelings toward government and politicians. Many events have conspired over the intervening years to severely weaken our faith in government. We are not naive nor should we be. Yet we still need good people in politics, and we need to work harder at distinguishing the demagogue and charlatan from someone who is actually trying to make things better for all of us. Politicians are not perfect people any more than the rest of us, and often devolve into unhelpful partisan rhetoric and actions. Yet, good politicians care most about their country. They will come together for the common good rather than try to gain partisan advantage even when it may cause harm to the country. We see this happen when politicians come together as they did a number of years ago to solve the social security crisis. We saw it when President George H. W. Bush raised taxes when it was necessary even though it cost him at the polls. We saw it when George W. Bush with treasury secretary Henry Paulson did what was necessary to keep the economy from complete collapse, even though the demagogues raised their voices against it.
We need to look for true leaders today. We need leaders who are willing to reach across the aisles to get things done. We have many challenges in our country that require that everyone work together for the common good. Instead we find hostility and divisiveness, and politicians who encourage that troublesome climate. Come November, those who only want to rail against government should not get our vote. It is easy to tell us what is wrong in our country today, but we need to search for candidates who approach issues seriously. We need people who are not interested in sound bites or jumping on a bandwagon. We need folks who have thoughtful solutions to contemporary issues and are not driven by ideology or the flavor of the month. We can do better. We must.
THE STIMULUS FAILED
Consider cash for clunkers, and the first time home buyers credit. These programs worked so well that when they ended everyone could see the difference in a reduction in sales of cars and homes. The only real question was whether these programs should have been extended. Also, one of the biggest problems has been the serious difficulties that states were having balancing their budgets. The stimulus saved the jobs of thousands of state employees and helped states survive the fiscal crisis. We saw so many politicians publicly attack the money sent to their states but then privately make use of every federal dollar they could get their hands on.
GOVERNMENT HAS NEVER CREATED A JOB
Consider policemen, firemen, teachers, and the military just to start. Think about how many people you know who receive government payroll checks. Consider that government is one of the largest if not the largest employer in the country. Its hard to even understand what that statement is supposed to mean, yet you hear it from Wall Street folks constantly.
THE DEFICIT MUST BE TACKLED IMMEDIATELY
Roosevelt listened to the deficit hawks and watched as the country began to fall back into depresion early in his second term. Are the deficit cutters seeking that kind of result today? Have we learned nothing from history? The deficit is a serious concern but it can be tackled once the economy is on more sure footing. Who better to tackle the deficit at that time than Democrats? Historically it is Republicans who have increased the deficit and Democrats who have cut it. Remember the one trillion dollar surplus not that long ago under President Bill Clinton? Have we forgotten what happened to that surplus and who was in power at the time?
THE HEALTH CARE BILL THAT PASSED IS A GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM AND IS ALSO SOCIALIST
The health care bill that passed is almost the same as that proposed by Republicans when the health care bill failed in the early 90's. The bill is filled with Republican ideas and it includes no government run health plans - the public option was not passed. All health plans in the health care reform bill are run by private insurance companies, not the government
THE HEALTH CARE PLAN WILL HARM MEDICARE
First of all we need to remind everyone who loves their medicare that medicare, unlike the new health care reform program, is a government run program. Yet, no one I know is calling the Medicare program a dangerous socialist program that needs to be dismantled. Also, the health reform bill actually extends the solvency of the medicare prgram for several years. No medicare recipient will lose benefits because of the new health care reform package.
ALL POLITICIANS ARE THE SAME - CORRUPT, NOT TRUTHFUL, ETC.
While this is not necessarily a right wing notion it is one that pervades the average American's view of politics. In the 50's and early 60's we had much more positive feelings toward government and politicians. Many events have conspired over the intervening years to severely weaken our faith in government. We are not naive nor should we be. Yet we still need good people in politics, and we need to work harder at distinguishing the demagogue and charlatan from someone who is actually trying to make things better for all of us. Politicians are not perfect people any more than the rest of us, and often devolve into unhelpful partisan rhetoric and actions. Yet, good politicians care most about their country. They will come together for the common good rather than try to gain partisan advantage even when it may cause harm to the country. We see this happen when politicians come together as they did a number of years ago to solve the social security crisis. We saw it when President George H. W. Bush raised taxes when it was necessary even though it cost him at the polls. We saw it when George W. Bush with treasury secretary Henry Paulson did what was necessary to keep the economy from complete collapse, even though the demagogues raised their voices against it.
We need to look for true leaders today. We need leaders who are willing to reach across the aisles to get things done. We have many challenges in our country that require that everyone work together for the common good. Instead we find hostility and divisiveness, and politicians who encourage that troublesome climate. Come November, those who only want to rail against government should not get our vote. It is easy to tell us what is wrong in our country today, but we need to search for candidates who approach issues seriously. We need people who are not interested in sound bites or jumping on a bandwagon. We need folks who have thoughtful solutions to contemporary issues and are not driven by ideology or the flavor of the month. We can do better. We must.
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