Be a Lame Duck

It's been a short time since my last post and frankly, it has not been unintentional.

This particular post is not about some great social injustice, some administrative hooplah, some corporate scandal, or some spiritual awakening. It's about being a lame duck.

The coming legislative session is sure to be rife with, well nothing. Much will happen in the news in the way of punditry, commentary, empty threats, and faux ultimatums as the Republicans take their new seats and Democrats check theirs for mousetraps. However, at the end of the day, most of these recently ousted men and women will do what most of us do when we know of our impending termination: nothing.

The question is, what do we do? Politics is a daily event, an unavoidable component of our lives. While the collective legislative mechanism of our country sits on its ass and politiks about nothing in particular, how are we affected?

Well, from my perspective, the lame duck session is an important one. We now have the opportunity to do what we please, recharge, collect our thoughts and prepare for the ensuing fight. What's sure to follow the lame duck session is a tidal wave of distracting fights, frivolous arguments, and misdirection from the issues that really affect our world. It will be tense, it will be constant, and it will be taxing.

So I'm not telling you to sit out. I'm barely telling you to sit down. But instead, stand up, hit the books, relax and catch your breath, but remain on your toes. If you care about anything, know that any fight is worth the work, so do the work while your plate is empty.

Be a lame duck, just this once.

In the Wake of a Shellacking

A "shellacking" is what President Obama decided to call it.

He may have been right.

As the economy continues to creep along without jobs, social issues like gay marriage and immigration continue to remain unsolved, and reasonable American concerns remain unanswered, the "informed citizenry" decided to vote for the party of no; the party that has obstructed the conversation for two years, the party that puts petty holds on trivial nominees, the party that refuses to acknowledge the need for conversation and compromise in a discussion that needs resolution before our country can move forward.

Next thing you know we'll be drinking Brawndo. It does have what plants crave after all.

What makes the situation even more maddening is the complete ignorance of the intentional plutocracy that allowed these road cones (John Boehner) and turtles (Mitch McConnell) to assume the mantle of power (which they do not see as a call to action, but instead as a mandate for uncompromising partisanship). The Reagan era theory of trickle down economics, the Bush era doctrine of deregulation, and the myth of the unmoderated free market have exploded the social division in this country, demolishing the middle class and (coupled with key Supreme Court decisions) organized political power firmly in the hands of the elite.

The bottom line is this: on a day when Americans had the opportunity to vote against partisan gridlock, ideological tomfoolery, and money fueled campaigns dictated by those who would sooner milk us for our paycheck than give our children a good education, Americans voted against their own best interest.

The Democrats may have lost the seats, but it was the American people who received the "shellacking".

Moving forward, we have a lot of work to do. Here in Iowa, Governor Branstad and the newly politicized judiciary will be pushing a reversal of the decision that allowed gay marriage to become a reality (they have a long road ahead, but the intention is clear). In Washington, Boehner and McConnell have made no qualms about their intention to steamroll as many time-wasting hearings and inquisitions as possible through the legislature. Regardless of how Democrats and even moderate Conservatives feel, GOP leadership now sees the Tea Party anger as their guiding compass.

The patients run the asylum today, but we cannot give up hope. With a simple majority in the Senate and a competent, reasonable president in the White House, life will continue. Let's just hope the Democrats have learned their lessons: progress does not speak for itself, even good ideas can be spun as bad ones, and the American people are as impressionable as the elite believe them to be.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try and keep progress un-shellacked.

Fight on.

Stand and Be Heard

"When we amplify everything we hear nothing."

Jon Stewart is a smart man.

This message came from the lips of one of the most underestimated political commenters of our time. In a few words, Stewart offered the most concise diagnosis of our political discourse to date. We live in an age of muted conversation, confounding roadblocks, and stifled progress born of a discussion overwhelmed by the volume of a minority of participants.

Today, however, I'd like to take this discussion one step further. The overwhelming din isn't simply a problem endemic of election season or even caused by the Tea Party. Frankly at this point progressives are joining in the chorus, adding their own tune to the disharmony. Yelling, anger, and the unwillingness to compromise, even for the sake of progress, are symptoms of something deeper than television commercials.

At this point I am certainly primed for a rant, aren't I? I could launch into a discussion about corporate spending. I could raise hell about "beltway politics". Frankly, I could even concoct some kind of "state sponsored drug war/chemtrail" scandal that would magically assume the appropriate piece to my puzzle.

However, these stories feel more like cop-outs than explanations. The truth is, most societal problems are the conglomeration of bad behavior sparked by some flaw in human psychology that reaches critical mass due to enabling sociopolitical and economic circumstances.

So the question then becomes, what mental disease, born of our American environment has so crippled our national immune system as to prevent us from even voting in our own best interest? The answer: purity.

Deliberation is dirtied by the purification of contending ideologies. The unwillingness to even consider that your opponent may possess a grain of truth (especially in politics) prevents the bridging of gaps of any kind.

This purity, born of anger and confusion, fear and frustration, has poisoned the conversation entirely, preventing us from tackling even our most basic problems. The Tea Party is the epitome of polictical zealotry, and even  some Progressives hint a move in a similar direciton, thinking it the most effective counterattack to the madness.

I assure you, it is not.

So now we know the problem. Discussing it any further risks running the issue straight into the ground. What people really want are action. But what action is best?

Well friends, despite the smothering wave of attack ads and phone calls, the very season that accentuates our condition presents an opportunity, nay, the opportunity for its cure. You see, voting is the very essence of our fight. Pens replace swords, voices replace violence, and at this time we can be united in a single purpose, fighting not against each other, but against our common demons.

Question your vote. Leave no doubt in your mind that you cast the right vote when you leave your polling place. Will you vote for purity? Will you further the stalemate of contending zealots? Or will you consider pragmatism, the reasonable conglomeration of humble ideas, as your candidate?

Vote not A vs. B, but instead vote C. Vote for progress. Understand what progress means and demand it of the most qualified candidate. Ignore the rhetoric and consider your future, your circumstances, your dreams, and your country. Ultimately, do not perpetuate the stalemate, but instead liberate yourself from it.

Vote and take charge. And when you enter that polling place, consider just once that despite your colors, we all believe in the same thing: progress.

Vote.

Welcome Back to the Politik

Politics is a fickle beast. One minute it has you reveling in the possibilities of collective human action, then next it has you furious at its capability for corruption. The beltway can burn mainstreet as the mainstream media trumpets the charge while half-way across the country a group gathers in a garage and founds an organization that changes the very landscape of our discussion.

Needless to say, with such ups and downs, it becomes difficult at times to stay in the fight. Even as a spectator, I find myself occasionally needing a break from the head-spin. However, I, and our conversation, are back.

It's been a long sabatical, but it hasn't been without toil. One cannot simply unplug from the Tea Party, the debate blunders, the hidden and not-so-hidden racism of mainstream white fear, the rise and fall of Democratic hopes, the constant mistrust, misunderstanding, and mystery of our enigmatic president, and the ever tilting Earth on which we stand. Thanks to a constant ear to the ground and one eye prised firmly open at the 24 hour news cycle, I have gleaned, and gleaned, and gleaned.

What have we learned over the past however-long-its-been? We've learned that money can indeed bring "grassroots" organizations to the polls. We've learned that Democrats do in fact learn their lessons. We've learned that NPR, much like the Progressive ideology, is equally susceptible to the ignorant vilification of a movement clinging to life. And, most importantly, we've learned that Christine O'Donnell has never actually read the Constitution.

This year has revealed the character of our country and our politics and if one could write a thesis describing the findings it would be this: we need serious work. Our opinions are exposed to the winds of change and our values maleable if not thoughtfully defined. Evidence is a nebulous concept in a world of FOX news special reports and our sensibilities are equally as nebulous when fear is our compass.

Ultimately, it is because of this very thesis that, despite nearly nixing this blog on three seperate occasions due to perceived low readership and a personal insecurity in my ability to preserve it, I feel as though this is not my project to abandon. The symphony of our Democracy requires not one conductor, but many skilled instrumentalists guided by their passion for beauty and enlightenment. Should one instrument be silenced, the entire ensemble suffers. Should our goal fade in importance, the beauty of our music is cheapened.

So, without further ado, it is with great enthusiasm that I invite you to gather your art, be it conversation, speaking, thinking, writing, doing, or leading, and raise it to your lips with me. We have a lot of work to do, but together, we too can will our melody above the din of hate and suffering, and brighten the lives of our fellow man.

Welcome back to the politik.

Life is Obnoxiously Unpredictable.

Good evening everybody (or at least those of you who still check the blog after an extended period of no updates)!

Alright, here's the news. I got a job! That's right, after completing my minor in unemployment I am back to work making sandwiches for the good customers of Panera. It isn't glorious, but it is money.

With that in mind, things have gotten a little chaotic. I'm hoping that in the ensuing weeks things will start to slow down (or at least develop into a routine) and I'll be back to read the news and post more. In the mean time however, I'd like to take the opportunity to talk to you guys.

My question is simple: what do you want to see on the blog? I tend to comment on trending topics (and I've missed several good ones in the past couple weeks) but I'm wondering what's important to you? What issues would you prefer to see? Would you rather see links to posts from other sites or unique editorial from myself?

Like I said when I formed the site and invited all of you, this place is yours. That's why it's called "The Polis". Let me know what it is you want to see in your community and I guarantee we can make this place a daily oasis of thought and conversation.

So! Leave your suggestions, interests, dreams in the comments section while you're here and let's keep this train rolling!

Good News on a Friday (An Ascent From Pundit Purgatory)

It's been sneaking in again. That crushing feeling of helplessness that accompanies spending several hours a day on news blogs and political commentary sites. If you listen to the Right, we're going to hell in a handbasket. If you listen to the Left, Obama is a do-nothing, accomplish-nothing corporate puppet.

Needless to say, when no one's happy and it's sometimes difficult to disagree with the enthusiastic logic of some of those on the left, reality becomes a bit nebulous. For example, I've found myself wondering why Obama hasn't already fixed illegal immigration, gay marriage, special interest influence in politics, and solved world hunger in his first two years as president. I've wondered how the man I voted for could so quickly bow to Republicans in order to shoe-horn a half-complete health insurance reform bill through. I've wondered why he hasn't railroaded climate legislation through with his Congressional super-majority.

I'll stop there. You can see where this is headed.

The Ascent

I've been frustrated that none of the pragmatic policies I once believed in have resonated with the public and therefore compromises have been made and progress has been slow. According to those news blogs I mentioned, America hates Obama, all demographics have gone off their rocker into one fringe corner of the political spectrum or the other, crippling progressive legislation in the process.

Then I spent some time on the Huffington Post.

If one take's the country's political temperature there, then one finds many people still support the Obama administration, regularly recognizing the mountain of achievements he's already piled up. What resonated with me most of all though was the temperate, intelligent expectations these same people have regarding the slow progress of progressive legislation and the necessarily slow undoing of the political culture in Washington.

And The Good News

Shortly after rediscovering this message (which I recognized as my own more rational stance before it was blown about by the wild winds of internet political blogging), and consequently rediscovering my optimism, I also happened upon this information:

Deficits and Economic Recovery

View more webinars from ourfuture.

It's a study by a group called the Campaign for America's Future and it possesses some rather telling facts about the state of the midterm electorate. Some highlights include:

"68 percent said they would oppose making major spending cuts in Social Security and Medicare to reduce the deficit, while 28 percent said they would favor cutting those programs. That included 61 percent of Republicans and 56 percent of independents.

"Strong majorities also oppose common conservative proposals for addressing the budget deficit: 65 percent oppose raising the Social Security retirement age to 70; 65 percent oppose replacing Medicare with a private sector voucher; 62 percent oppose a 3 percent federal sales tax; 60 percent oppose raising the Medicare age from 65 to 67.

"60 percent of those surveyed responded positively to an economic message that said that “we have a budget deficit, but … we also have a massive public investment deficit” that requires us to “rebuild the infrastructure that is vital to our economy” and to the economic growth that will “generate revenues to help pay down the budget deficit.” This message tests better than any other progressive message on investment as well as more conservative messages focused on spending cuts."

In summary, this study too finds that the American public is not as irrational as the media and GOP would have us believe. A resounding majority understands that cuts to social programs in order to trim the deficit are undesirable and that public investment should be a priority before deficit reduction, therefore heading off the "strangle the beast" tactic of the Right before it finds a foothold. In other words, the Democratic message of public investment, continued support of social services, and a long-term strategy of economic development bolstered by short-term deficits is quite popular with likely voters.


Going Forward


The truth remains that Democrats will likely lose seats in the coming midterms, but I personally find peace with this now. After discovering that not only is the American public not as crazy as advertised but that the Democratic message is still a popular one, I can confidently remove my hands from my eyes knowing that progress isn't as unlikely as perceived. 


The moral of this story, if any, is that you should form your opinions for yourself. Use facts, but be sure to identify what information from what sources qualify as facts. Obama approval ratings by Rasmussen are not facts, CBO estimates are. Huffington Post editorials are not facts, and neither is anything Fox News puts on the air.


Finally, shut off the computer and walk away for a while. Perspective is a powerful thing and so is optimism. If one begets the other, then it's easy to see how a trip down the political rabbit hole can stifle both simultaneously.


Have a good Friday folks. I certainly will.

Globalization and the GOP's "Response"

Glenn Beck, John Boehnert, Mitch McConnell, Bill O'Reilly, Texas, Tennessee, and the Teabaggers are arguably some of the most influential entities in the Republican party as they gear up for the coming midterm elections. They tout the same message: limited government, less taxes, privatized social services, and a decreased deficit. However, one message rises above all the others in terms of its repetitive, frequently out of context, boiler plate usage: “states’ rights”.

But why this message now?

Conservatives, by definition, are champions of the status quo, yet one can hardly argue that states have had reign over political decisions in the past few years. The largest expansion of the Federal government in history came under George W. Bush after all.

Furthermore, simply making themselves the anti-Obama (and inherently anti-liberal government) party doesn’t seem like a marketable platform to me. Despite the obvious benefit of the message for conservatives, the “states’ rights” message still has to resonate with the Republican demographic in order to gain any traction (even in the face of a massive media manipulation).

Liberal/Progressive misgivings to their policies help clarify the picture. The most poignant complaints are that Republican policies ignore the little guy, take advantage of the defenseless, ignore the collective well-being of society for the betterment of a few privileged nobles, and impose niche "morality" and religion on all people without exception. What it boils down to is this: “states’ rights”, limited government, less taxes, and privatized social services all point in one obvious direction.

Leave me alone.

So the question is where does this come from? What external force evinces this fingers-in-ears reaction that so pervades the GOP these days? Furthermore, what is the basis of liberal/progressive concerns with conservative policies?

If we read between the lines, the answer becomes clear. The Internet has allowed ideas to cross borders, forums have allowed the masses to critique these ideas, pushing some to the fringe and others to the forefront, and 24 hour news networks and blogs have shed light on atrocities previously unseen and unnoticed by the public. In addition, the globalization of business has raised the question: what are the borders of esoteric, religiously defined morality? Where do religious mandates end and legal protections begin?

The shuffle is as prominent as it is pervasive. Old ideas, once hidden in the shadows, are being thrust onto the examination table: racism, working conditions, religion, environmentalism, welfare, and the boundaries of responsibility are no longer confined to geographic borders, but are instead being redefined as we analyze them as a global community. Old, hackneyed ideas are under duress as European multiculturalism and social responsibility rise above the fray.

In other words, the Right’s southern, racist fringe, aloof elite, religiously petulant, and overall ignorant carefree are falling, kicking and screaming, in the face of redefined global standards for humanity. In response, the Left's, more compassionate, more collective, and more human concept of the state gains traction with Liberal/Progressive voters.

So, in fact, nothing has changed about the Conservative movement. They’re still vehemently defending the status quo. The problem, for them at least, is that the status quo no longer defends them. States’ rights, as it turns out, is the only possible Conservative message.

So the obvious question then is what happens next? Can a party, fighting against the forces of globalization of business and culture possibly survive? How long before the Republican party is forced to morph into a Progressive party with alternative solutions to our country’s obvious issues? When will the old guard die enough to allow the greater majority of the Republican party to make their own decisions? come to their senses? Stop obstructing the inevitable?

I'll be in Germany when it does.

A Beautiful (If Fleeting) Decision

I would be remiss if I did not blog after last night's California court ruling on the infamous Proposition 8.

For those of you not aware of Prop 8, as it is more commonly called, here is a little history: Prop 8 was an amendment to the California constitution banning gay marriage. From what I understand, this measure was largely a reaction to a previous act that allowed gays the right to marry in the state. The lead up to the vote was marred by controversy and the measure ultimately won out, garnering 52% of the vote.

What this amounts to is that a majority of citizens were able to take rights away from a minority. If that sounds bad, that's because one of the pillars of this country is protection for the minority from persecution by the majority; an especially important consideration in a system where decisions are made by majority vote. Needless to say, this was seen as discriminatory and a handful of gay couples (who had been married under the previous act) took the measure to court.

The court case was heated and featured star lawyers, including Theodore Olson, a conservative and former US solicitor general, and David Boies, who represented Al Gore during the infamous 2000 election dispute. Both sides argued their cases and, yesterday evening, George H.W. Bush installed Chief Justice Vaughn R. Walker found Prop 8 unconstitutional on the grounds that it, "unconstitutionally burdens the exercise of the fundamental right to marry and creates and irrational classification on the basis of sexual orientation." (source)


This is an important victory for LGBT marriage, especially in a state with a prominent LGBT community. Frankly I am floored that the decision came through the way it did. Congratulations brothers and sisters, may this add fuel to our fire as we strive for the equality you so justly deserve.


Additional insight and analysis below:

• truthout: Federal Judge Rules California Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional
• MediaMatters: Right-wingers falsely portray judge in Prop 8 trial as out of mainstream
• AlterNet: Judge Rules Against Prop 8: Huge Win Against Bigotry, But the Fight Is Far From Over
• Salon.com: Proposition 8 ruling: Don't pick the caterer just yet
• Salon.com: The anti-gay right responds to the Prop 8 ruling

As with most political victories, this is more of a call-to-arms than a cathartic signal to lay them down, but there's nothing wrong with basking in the afterglow for a few beautiful moments.

Cheers!

P.S. I hope everyone likes the new layout! I felt that the old-new setup didn't exactly capture the spirit of the blog. I think the new layout is both easier to digest and more representative of the intellectual nature of our dialogue.

In the Name of Pure Nepotism

Good (late) evening everybody!

I'm proud to announce the newest addition to the "Just for Funsies" section of the links: "All Hopped Up", a fantastic beer blog manned by my close friend Brian Fox.

Brian's newest project is sincerely top-notch, with topics ranging from tastings to gear to brewing. His recent attempts at beer ice cream in particular have left me wondering if, perhaps, like the far reaches of outer space, sugary concoctions based on malted grain beverages will ever be reachable. Needless to say, whenever I need a break from the rough-and-tumble of politics, AHU is a great escape. If you too enjoy beer as much as I do, feel free to take a look (frankly we could both probably use the site traffic...)

In addition, I'm a guest blogger! That's right, despite Brian's actually having read my writing, he decided to invite me to author some pieces on home brewing. My intro to homebrew was up this week and, should it lead to violent hate mail and death threats, don't say I didn't tell you so Brian.

Happy hunting everybody.

Sometimes the Moment Arises

Press conferences and ribbon cuttings are designed to trick us into thinking that something monumental has happened. When a corporation opens a new hotel, we are made to believe that it is something really special, which it is not. We are made to believe that such an "event" is an event in the purest form of the word: a spontaneous intersection of events that results in the manifestation of real action.

Late Thursday afternoon, however, the House of Representatives witnessed something of a true event.

According to the Huffington Post article, House Republicans managed to summon enough votes to halt a $7.4 billion dollar bill that would've provided free medical care to those sickened by the events of 9/11. What Republicans took argument with was a procedural maneuver by Democrats that prevented the addition of amendments to the bill. This was appropriate, considering that Democrats were concerned that Republicans would tack on overly partisan amendments to a widely popular bill in order to sneak the measure in.

When the measure finally fell, Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY) did what I believe Democrats should have been doing for quite some time. Video follows:




The remarks of observing procedural order were directed at Republican Representatives attempting to interject in the middle of Rep. Weiner's time (which is a violation of parliamentary procedure).

My 2 cents: while the GOP consistently touts "political correctness run amok" when discussing Democratic opposition to discriminatory legislation, I believe that the true meaning of the term has already reared its ugly head. The continued politeness and kowtowing to blatant, petulant, destructive, and Machiavellian obstructionism has done a great deal of damage to financial reform, health insurance reform, and public progress in general.

For my money, Anthony Weiner's speech was the first motivating thing the Democratic party has done in the past several months. Thank goodness C-SPAN's cameras were running when a true political event arose.

The Root of the Problem

I stumbled across an article from Crooks and Liars on Current.com this morning that I found very poignant.

What's fact got to do with it?

Go ahead, read up.

Okay, if you decided not to read then I'll give you the bullet points (in a bulleted list of course):

• In the age of information, one could reasonably believe that information and fact should undo erroneous beliefs
• However, new studies show that instead of undoing such beliefs, it actually strengthens them
• Furthermore, scientific studies show that fear and the perception of threat also prevents people from accepting fact as, well, fact
• C&L's solution then is to bring the hammer down on news corporations, since the bias that fuels this phenomenon is built into our psychology
• Another solution they present is to tap into findings showing that those with higher self-esteem are more comfortable changing their minds

I think they did a fantastic job of articulating a subject that I've always sort of merely circled. Day-to-day I find myself more frustrated than inspired that people consistently believe in lies. Sarah Palin has found fame in it, Republican attacks against health insurance reform relied on it, and the 2010 midterm elections will likely be affected by it.

My problem, though, is with their proposed solutions. There really is no public accountability for news organizations, since any attempt to regulate them finds one lambasted in "1st amendment" arguments, there really is no natural, commercial way to regulate them, since the sensationalist, fear based reporting is what brings in the big bucks, and there is no natural psychological way to moderate them since, as C&L mentioned, the bias is built into us.

So I'm asking you guys, what can we do? As intelligent individuals, its not as difficult for us to question and re-shape our beliefs when presented with legitimate facts contrary to our already-held beliefs. But what about those mired a little deeper in the information quagmire with less tools to escape? Frankly, I think that improving self-esteem has already failed miserably, since it has created the most narcissistic generation of all time (extreme narcissists are even less likely to accept facts that contradict their subjective reality).

For my money, I think a cultural shift is required. The "information age" was supposed to bring about this utopia of enlightened minds but it has instead brought people's attention spans to their knees. According to recent studies (mentioned here for example) our attention span has actually regressed to the point that it resembles that of our primitive ancestors; analyzing every rustle and movement in search for predators. In order to counter-act the fast-paced news cycle, scanning of information, and deleterious effects of shallow conversation and thought, our culture must shift back from a rapid-fire information fueled one to a more pensive, more thoughtful, more deliberate one. That way people might instead analyze information more thoroughly as it comes to them, perhaps diffusing the hegemony of errant opinions based on flimsy facts in the first place.

Unfortunately, this one could be pretty hard to legislate.

But hell, what do you think? I believe we have enough intelligent people reading this blog to come up with a real solution. Just put your fingers on the keys and fire away.

Oh Hey Guys!

Ladies and Gentlemen, after a brief hiatus from the blogging game I am proud to announce that I am back, like an employee opening the door to his office after a long vacation only to find an avalanche of papers and assignments.

In the time that I took off, I missed the Kagan confirmation, the Shirley Sherrod story, the progression of Financial Reform, the erection of a billboard in northern Iowa comparing Obama to Stalin and Hitler, and a gaffe by Jim Cornyn and Jeff Sessions revealing the RNC's intentions to maintain Bush era policies if Republicans find themselves in power within the next four to five years.

Like I said, stack of papers.

But my "vacation" wasn't without cause. To be quite honest, after several weeks of burying my face in political coverage and philosophy, I found myself disenchanted with the political game. My outlook was bleak, my expectations were low, and personally I had become quite depressed. Blogging, discussing, and reading about politics no longer summoned the enthusiasm it once had and I thought it was time to step back and gain some persepective.

So, I dedicated myself to more creative work, starting with music and film, eventually discovering a passion for photography and graphic design, and culminating in a willing return to politics. The fruits of my labor you ask?

1. The discovery of probably a dozen incredible albums (listed here)
2. The addition of several new sites (under "Just for Funsies" on the homepage)
3. The aforementioned discovery of photography (Flickr)
4. The viewing of several Rifftrax (makers of Mystery Science Theater 3000)
5. The viewing of Wim Wenders "Alice in den Städten" (I do not get film noir...)
6. The realization that without a computer, I am an absolutely hopeless mess

 All in all it was an extremely productive break and I'm chomping at the bit to get some work done here. As always, keep the comments coming and let me know if you'd like to write a piece yourself! I'd love to have some guest writing done and it's a really easy way for you to get published in a public forum.

Hope everyone is having a great summer and I look forward to seeing most of you very soon.

A Hiatus (On Purpose This Time)

Good morning patient readers!

I write this morning to inform you that, like the Daily Show and Colbert Report, I am going on a two week hiatus, effectively putting my talent and social status on par with Jon Stewart.

After a month and a half or so of polarizing political reading (as reflected by some of my recent "Marxism" posts...) I've decided to step outside the news blogs and gain some perspective. The world can seem like a pretty bleak place when you face this stuff head-on, day after day so I'm using material such as the following to regain my optimism and enthusiasm:




If you want to follow my journey, feel free to follow my music listenings at last.fm and posts on facebook (which have recently been overtaken by Farmville and Café World). I won't be incommunicado, simply a-political.

Stay classy everybody and, when the world appears on the brink of Armageddon, step outside for a sec. It's already done me a lot of good.

The Progressive Realist

Hey everybody!

I added a new link to the sidebar for a "meta-blog" called The Progressive Realist. The site is an up-to-date aggregation of news and insight on American foreign policy, the brain child of Robert Wright. I selected the blog after sharing one of his articles, The Myth of Modern Jihad, which expressed a refreshing degree of insight and perspective regarding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Check it out, let me know what you think, and leave some comments while you're here!

UPDATE

Recently added the poignant contemporary literary critique "Anthropomorpheyes" to "Just for Funsies". The title of this list should in no way detract from the inventive commentary and creative stylings of the author's hard work and dedication to plastic eyeballs.

I Think They Doth Protest

...too much.

As Elena Kagan sits before a Congressional hearing for the next few days, defending her choices against constant Republican insinuations that she will "politicize" the high court, no one seems to be doing anything about one of the most prolific court-politicizers, Samuel Alito.

Salon.com: Sam Alito: The Tea Party justice

Salon brings to light what is just a one instance in a long chain of instances of Alito's conservative bend. My question is (already knowing the answer): how can Jeff Sessions and Lindsey Graham constantly harass Obama-n judicial nominees while overlooking the Bush administration's rampant judicial "reform"?
 
The truth is, one cannot simply overlook the practice of purposely tilting courts in one political direction or another. The saving grace of Democracy is the notion that the people may respond to injustice within the bounds of the law. If the law decides to rewrite the definition of "injustice", then the political power of the people wanes.

The Marxian Progression

This morning I woke up, went for a walk, came home, grabbed a shower and some water and sat down to check out the days news. Hoping to find some solace after the US national team lost in the World Cup, I went to one of my favorite user-driven news sites, Current, and found this story.

It didn't help.



This graph, constructed by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) using Congressional Budget Office (CBO) data tells a startling tale. I know that all of us here can intelligently consider the implications of this data, but I'd like to lay it out in plain terms just to drive home the point.

1. While the wealthiest fifth have (successfully) thrown their money behind anti-taxation messages they've also successfully secured enormous gains in income (aided in the Bush presidency, no doubt, by deregulation and financial speculation).
2. At the same time, they've managed to consistently squash the idea of "class warfare" (when brought up in the context of poor vs. rich) without the general public questioning where the topic even came from.
3. Finally, they've managed to provide 80% of Americans enough token economic benefit to keep them satiate, leaving them ignorant to their continually diminishing piece of a much larger pie.

Well and truly, the Marxian system is bearing itself out.  The emergence of a Bourgeoisie and a Proletariat through means of state and economic control is being realized. 

As a young American trying to break into the world, I've noted on several occasions just how difficult it is to obtain property, prosperity, and means of production. While Kristen and I struggle to keep food on the table, millionaires (and beyond) have seen a 51% increase in their income! It is as if they need not make any attempt to hide the iniquity because the collective distraction of the American public is enough to hide the truth.

Call it a conspiracy. Criticize me for evoking Communist rhetoric. If you do, ask yourself: is it really so far-fetched to consider that, in a country that conveniently covers up all flaws under makeup, lights, and grandeur, that what appears to be casually may not be so under the surface?

Glenn Beck's Blessing from the Vatican...Is Pure Bullsh*t

In this case, Stephen Colbert does all the talking needed.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Prophet Glenn Beck - Father Guido Sarducci
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

Probably one of the best pieces on the Colbert so far.

Fake Wife, Fake Life, Real Consequences

It's June, Gay Pride month, and in honor of gay pride month, infoMania's Bryan Safi gives politicians a crisis plan in case they find themselves in a "sticky" situation (think about it...).



While hilarious, Safi evokes an important facet of America's roadblock on the way to progress: hubris.

I'm currently reading "Living in the End Times" by Slavoj Žižek (had to break out the character map for that one); the book is his treatise against Capitalism, detailing the downfall of the liberal government (read: totalitarian, detached, self-serving, not as in Democrats), and arguing that such a downfall allows us to find a new beginning through the failure.  To open the discussion, he argues that admitting to one's own identity in all it's glory and tragedy is the first step to finding this new beginning.

Legislators facing such a "gay crisis" as Safi describes need take note of this.  It would appear that they've gone so far down the path of hatred and discrimination that they deny what they are.  It can largely be argued that they hate because they are unable to come to terms with who they are.

This hubris, this denial of what is right for the advancement of what you've constructed, affects more than just gay/bisexual/transgender legislators and legislation: this same kind of hubris has stalled health care legislation, climate change legislation, gay rights legislation, immigration reform, foreign policy, and the dreams of ordinary citizens in the process.  The truth is, if legislators are to represent our wishes, they cannot do so if they are so cornered by fear as to prevent them from taking action at all.

Let this be a lesson to all of us.  Be who you are and admit it to yourself, or start shipping Dawn to the Gulf.

UPDATE:


This story gives an example of the same activity in the church.  It's nothing new, but it is still very important to acknowledge the toll this backwards discrimination takes, not only on the subjects of such prejudice, but on those who tout it.

infoMania: An Oasis in a Media Desert

If being employed has taught me one thing above all others, it's that being broke sucks ass.  If being unemployed has taught me another thing above all others (but below the ass sucking) it's that television sucks.  I mean really sucks.  The news, the sports analysis (how many times can you talk about one birdie putt?), the dramas, all of it sucks.  It's indicative of a growing trend in the information age: that's that we generally do not need all this information.  We deal with an onslaught of communication and entertainment in video, text, and sound and are we really any better for it?


That's where infoMania comes in.  infoMania is a show parodying or highlighting the ridiculous onslaught of media and its effects on our society. It's young and hip, frequently using The Internet and you can even contribute content.  If you have Current TV it's on Thursdays at 9 PM central.


And for those of you too lazy to check the thing for yourself, here's an episode.  Enjoy!

"Gather Your Armies"

Daily I wake up and watch the news and daily I am by the depths to which "politicians" will stoop.  On my facebook page I posted this video.



It was simply incredible to me that anyone could express this level of hubris, confusion, and anger simultaneously.  The ideas that 1. Rick Barber would lead the founding fathers, 2. the American Revolution was simply over a tax on tea, and 3. that the IRS should be violently overthrown are simply incredible.  With recent results showing the Tea Party in a sticky spot, however, I don't expect we'll have to worry about Barber's "armies" staging a military coup any time soon.

But the implications of the Tea Party's message and impending failure are far deeper.  Let's examine the Tea Party message.

The idea behind the Tea Party is that the Constitution, and Bill of Rights especially, should be held as sacred.  No law should violate the boundaries that these documents set on government and special care should be taken to keep government out of the economy, allowing free market principles to have their say.  In this way, they attempt to protect the little guy, the grass-roots citizen, from tyranny.

Rick Barber's message exposes Tea Party confusion on two levels.  The first is that he speaks with the founding fathers, painting them as the protectors of individual liberty.  This completely ignores the classic American hypocrisy: the Founders installed Democracy while completely ignoring blacks, Native Americans, women, renters, farmers, and craftspeople.  The qualification of property for voting and the economic gains the Founders stood to make from the installation of the new government should immediately call into question the intentions of their actions.

The second is the interpretation sanctification  of the Constitution.  The Bill of Rights was added to quell citizens fears of tyranny in order to achieve ratification.  This is clear since, after passage, the government continued to violate these "laws" over and over again; the Espionage Act of WWI and the detention of Japanese Americans during WWII are just a couple of examples.  Furthermore, the people holding the strings during the drafting and amending of the Constitution were all wealthy land-owners, not Joe the Plumbers.  It is clear through history that the Constitution was not entirely created to protect people, but instead (at least partially) to set formal boundaries that would satiate the public while the powerful largely did as they pleased.

So it's clear now that the grass-roots organization most prominent in politics is favoring the powerful.  Not by design, but by rhetorical steering from the likes of Glenn Beck, Fox News, and all business interests that fill their coffers.  This lies in stark contrast to the labor revolutions of the late 19th century, where true grass-roots organizations rose up against labor tyranny in order to shackle industry from harming the real "little guy.  Frankly, the implication here is that grass-roots, or at least grass-roots prominent and well funded enough to make it in the news are completely betraying the historical definition.

Despite this, however, the largest consequence arise from the Tea Party's failure. Not only are grass-roots now, effectively, "corporate grass-roots", but their failure is observed as if the Tea Party really is a people's movement.  The danger is that when they fail, the community of politicians, corporate firms, and active-but-uninformed voters could write off the power of a people's movement altogether.  I don't imagine this set back would be permanent, but it would certainly be damning in the short-term.

I have faith that, as is historically true, the true power of people will fight back even if they don't win.  Simply consider, however, that when the bell tolls on the Tea Party, it tolls for us as well.

New Design!

Hello everybody!

As you can see, I've made a few cosmetic changes to the design of the website.  I thought that the original design was a little too copy-paste Washington stereotypical.  I feel like the new design reflects the casual nature of our conversation and the grass-roots (an overused word, I'm aware) nature of our thoughts.

Please, enjoy the new design and comment on upcoming stories.  We'll have a lot to talk about here real soon.

The Importance of Spin

And after a move to Pennsylvania, hello again!

Now to get down to business.  The dance of politics involves several parties: representatives, constituents, courts, and, now-a-days more than ever, media.  In a world of myriad complex issues with sometimes complicated subject matter, the general public has little ability (without great effort) to discern for themselves what is fact, what is fiction, and what to vote for.

So obviously, in this climate, integrity in reporting is important.

Furthermore, because of modern advertising know-how, politicians understand that band-wagon support is as vital as vast sums of money when it comes to gathering political capital.  Whether or not one lies on the "right" side of an issue is largely tracked by the "public"'s majority acceptance of a particular position.

So how do you lie and tilt things in your favor at the same time?  By featuring a biased statistics firm of course!

John B dropped me this link with a brief Daily Kos discussion of just such a house.  A group called Rasmussen features statistics that consistently lay in the Republican favor.  In such a sensitive time, where public opinion can so easily sway the midterms at a crucial period in the Obama administration's legislative agenda, lying about statistics of all things becomes one of the most egregious acts of dishonesty possible.

Quite an audit on the state of things in this country when you need to ask where the numbers are coming from.

How do you fight something like this and what can we do to help?

A Hiatus Poorly Timed and Political Correctness Run Amok

Progressives passed Health Insurance Reform and I missed the celebration.  Obama ran a victory lap with quips rivaling Mark Twain and I missed the laughter.  The Tea Party's rhetoric became more vitriolic than ever during the debate and I missed the window for discussion.

However, I'm back.  I apologize for the delay (though no delay was present if you've followed my Iowa State Daily works) and I promise to bring you more content as my scholarly duties melt into the ether.  Thank God for the cap and gown.

The content of this post comes exclusively from John B.  Thanks again for digging me out of the blogging hole.

Today, Slate mirrors a recent piece of mine decrying the misuse of terms like "tyranny" by the Tea Party.  The underlying idea is identical to the motivation I used when I began writing for the Iowa State Daily: you cannot simply laugh off hateful ignorance.  Even if it's in everyday conversation, allowing people to convince others that Obama is a "socialist-communist-fascist" or bring "facts" against social programs that help the needy is a step backwards for our country.  The more people that get away with stuff like this, facts unchecked, the harder it is to move forward in a progressive manner.

John B astutely asks then when someone will finally ask these people, "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" this being the famous question that brought down McCarthyism in the '50s.  Honestly, how much longer can people continue to share such a blindingly hateful and errant doctrine before someone finally says enough?  Tolerance of this, my friends, is political correctness run amok.

Disagree, but don't hate.  Respect and debate for the good of all mankind.  Do not "save" humanity by losing your humanity.

It's good to be back.

Health Insurance Reform: The Final Push Day 1

Good evening everybody!

I received an email in my inbox today from the Oranizing for America chief David Plouffe.  The message talked about the final push to the health care bill and what we could do to help so, in the interest of moving (what I view to be) progressive legislation forward, I'm participating.

And you are my victims.

The following links are as they are titled, please feel free to ingest and digest.  Let's help get the truth out and this bill through!

The President's Proposal

The plan

The Cost of Inaction

The status quo

What Reform Means for You

The effect

The Truth About Reform

The facts

Poster (feel free to post these!)

Canvasing

Here's to the future.

Authority

What is the one factor that confounds the dream of an informed citizenry more than any other?  I'll give you a hint: it's news organizations with an agenda masquerading as harbingers of truth.

Think about it, if you knew no better, you could turn on Fox News, listen to their insistent tone and seemingly authoritative factual backing and, with no questions, follow them into the mouth of hell itself, offense intended.  Psychologically speaking, without the blessing of foreknowledge, one is powerless to the pulls of an authoritative demeanor, which leads to a daily conflation of fact and fiction at the whims of whoever is pulling the corporate strings.

Did I jump into that too early?  Well no turning back now: what is it that leads a "news" organization down the road to journalistic perdition?  Sensationalism aside, news agencies have little to make off of the public by spouting biased political facts.  Well, thanks to John B, we may finally have an answer:

The Media-Lobbying Complex
by Sebastian Jones

 I refuse to spoil this one.  It's simply too good a read.

Please, ingest and comment.  How is it that this sort of thing goes so unnoticed or so un-cared-about?

Language and Terrorism

Morning everybody!

I posted this on Facebook but I figured everybody would find this one interesting.

Terrorism: the most meaningless and manipulated word
by Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com

The fact is that flying a plane into a building to advance a political agenda through violence is terrorism, just not with a capital T according to Fox News.  While the cost of lives between this and 9/11 are not even comparable, what Joseph Stack did was terrorism, cut and dry.

I've been harangued by commenters at the Daily claiming that not being racist is political correctness at its worst.  Tell me how not calling this man a terrorist is not political correctness run amok.  Not saying that I subscribe to the college of "stop being so polite and call a spade a spade" in order to promote racism, but it shows the hypocrisy in the message if you ask me, which none of you did.

Enjoy your day, and learn something.

My Opinions are in a Newspaper (And Other Tragedies)

Good morning everybody.

First, the obligatory apology for my absence the past week.  I'm sorry, can we move on?

No but seriously, I recently received a position at the Iowa State Daily as an Opinion columnist.  A lot of my content on this blog will stem from my pieces there. 

The theme in the coming few weeks will be an attempt to paint an accurate picture of the American nobility pulling the strings of our democracy.  If you have any pieces you would like to submit or discussions you would like to see on the topic, feel free to email me or leave a comment in the cleverly named "comments" section.

Several of you saw my first piece, but I'm posting it here again to immortalize myself the way that only the internet can.  All the best, sorry it's so long.


Ian J Barker
Senior in Chemical Engineering

The health insurance reform (HCR) bill waits for sentencing, but regardless of what happens, one thing is clear: Americans have had little say in how they feel about reform. In the face of errant misrepresentations, public opinion for this cost-cutting legislation has soured. Well-funded special interest groups, in their unique position to create and shape public perception, have played a large role in the faltering public opinion of HCR.

The moderating force behind representative democracy is that citizens perceive the actions of their representatives through felt consequences and, in the following election cycle, repay the favor by ousting miscreant legislators. The problem with this model in contemporary society is that the most prevalent forum of public discourse is now television; a one-way conversation monopolized by the wealthiest of economic elites.  The cost of entry is simply too high; a 30-second television commercial, run in 1999, cost an average of $343,000 according to the New York Times.

The editorials that you write, the conversation that you have in class, the consequences that you feel from your government’s actions; little of it so much as ripples the ocean of national opinion any longer.  The public’s capacity for leveraging its own political power to affect change relies on discussion, which rarely occurs when television dominates the conversation.

Special interests, with their massive financial coffers and unique position to put messages out in the open for public consumption has hijacked our system of government – in this case, health insurance reform - and threatens to cripple the republic as our founders envisioned it: with unfettered public discourse contributed to by all members.

Once these well-funded groups have secured television time, they report perception as fact in a way that serves their agenda, regardless of their authority.  For example, on September 11th, 2010, the group Conservatives for Patients’ Rights (CPR) ran an advertisement during peak television hours that contradicted each of President Obama’s talking points in his speech the night before. The group stated each of their points without reproach, citing no facts or passages of the bill, yet many Americans accepted them as an authority, swinging public opinion polls against reform by playing to public fears of a government takeover.  The strategy was well calculated, since 51% of Americans fear government above health insurance according to a Rasmussen poll.  However, CPR's credibility comes seriously into question when one examines the Justice Department's account of Rick Scott - CPR CEO - and his 14 felony allegations for Medicare fraud at a for-profit hospital chain.

There is no doubt to anyone that health insurance reform poses a real threat to the record-breaking profits of health insurance and pharmaceutical companies. The most profound tragedy in the current discussion is that Americans, despite this conflict of interest, remain unconvinced that the opposition to health insurance reform stems from elite economic interests.

From “death panels” to “socialized medicine”, each counter-attack claims to come from some unknown corner of H.R. 3200. The problem is that an alarming number of these attacks have been misrepresentations of the real bill.  If one reads H.R. 3200, one wonders how Section 123's Health Benefits Advisory Committee, for example, headed by the surgeon general who quote, "recommend[s] covered benefits," became an example of a "government's takeover of health care". Certainly a representative, Democrat or Republican, could accurately interpret this language, but instead citizens have to dig into the bill themselves in order to determine the truth.

Americans trust their representatives to make the best decisions for them. Our reliance on representative democracy has streamlined the process of legislating. However, it has also, via one-way political dialogue, removed citizens from the legislative process to a degree that prevents all but the most informed and educated from comprehending what our representatives perpetrate.

So, in an effort to establish a connection between the economic interests involved and the message of the bill’s opposition, I present the following facts. Humana, one of the largest health insurance firms in the country, saw their stock hit a yearlong high the day of Scott P. Brown’s election in Massachusetts according to Google Finance records.  Pfizer pharmaceuticals saw a year-high close on the exact same day. In fact, the entire sector of stocks under the classification of "health care" saw a year-high (since January 2009) spike in closing stock prices the day of Brown’s election. Scott Brown ran on a platform promising to be the filibuster-breaking vote in the Senate debate on health care.

The fact is that the savings of the proposed legislation are passed down to us; those of us on this campus who will soon take up the burden of skyrocketing health insurance costs and the astronomical price of prescription drugs. Despite this vested interest, our needs are not being heard while Humana’s are.

If you wish to get involved, there are opportunities to make your voice heard. Call your representatives, write in to your local newspaper, call in to radio programs, and saturate the local media with your opinions. It is only through the last bastions of public discourse that we can begin to make our voices heard.

HCR: A Cynical Point of View

I decided to respond to one of Organizing for America's calls to action by writing an editorial piece about the state of health insurance reform.  I sent it off to the Ames Tribune, Daily, DM Register, and NY Times so if any of them know what's good for them, they'll all reject it.

For when they do, I"ve decided to immortalize my opinions (because I can) here on my blog.  Let me know what you think.

by Ian J Barker
We find ourselves at a crossroads in the health care debate.  The clash of Dems vs. Reps has reached a fever pitch and now that the fate of the legislation is uncertain, I cannot say I am surprised.  The rise of special interest groups in this country and the demonstrated effectiveness of well-funded campaigns that threaten to jeopardize our democracy sit poised to – predictably – claim another innocent victim: health insurance reform.

Without going into too much background, allow me to lay out the groundwork for my cynicism.  Public officials run for office in order to influence policy decisions and represent their constituents.  By the basic mechanics of democracy, any public official who fails to represent his/her people would be voted out in the next electoral cycle through conclusions reached in open discussion of felt consequences from representative’s decisions. 

Fundamentally, a representative’s desire is to be re-elected.  It is illogical to argue that politicians seek election for the paycheck when one considers that jobs in a myriad of other sectors are far more lucrative even at the most basic levels.  Therefore, we can accept two things: that public officials wish to be re-elected, and that, if democracy is allowed to function by its most basic principles, the best way to achieve re-election is to govern with the interest of one’s constituents in mind.

Now, the founding fathers established these governing mechanics with the assumption that ideas, both complaints and hurrahs, would flow freely through the marketplace of ideas made possible by the printed word.  This idea held clout largely because, at the time, most people had access to the printing press, which meant that virtually anyone could present their ideas to the reasoned vetting of public discourse.

The problem is that, in our day, a new medium of public discourse has replaced that original marketplace of the printed word.  What was once a two-way conversation has become a one-way barrage of special interest advertisements and factually unchecked political campaigns via the mass distribution of television.  Furthermore, with no built in system of accountability, entities with sufficient funds can reproduce outright lies seven days a week, three-hundred and sixty five days a year for the unquestioning digestion of the American people.  What was once a lively public forum of discussion has become a View-Master of sensationally presented “facts” with no response permitted from the ones whose opinions shape the republic: the people.
In the wake of this development, we have been force-fed talking points ranging from the sketchy to the outright false.  From “death panels” to the dreaded “socialized medicine” – whose absence still does not prevent Republicans from touting the bill as a government takeover – each “threat to our freedom” has received the backing of some wealthy and targeted interest group.  The “Center for Patients’ Rights”, for example, aired an ad the day after President Obama’s speech directly contradicting each of his talking points. 

Now of course it is natural to argue that, despite the prevalence of political ads, surely the strength of the public’s collective reason could weed out the facts from the falsehoods.  Unfortunately history has proven to the contrary.  Declining popularity for the current legislation would suggest that the CPR claimed victory over reason, thanks to the absence of any accountability.  Furthermore, the CPR ad is just one in an army of ads that subvert the truth for niche gains at the expense of broader progress.

The machine continues its march onward, consuming fact and claiming victims as quickly as it identifies the next set of truths to derail at the behest of those wealthy enough to hold the reigns.

The worst of it is that our representatives enable it.  The quest for re-election has one demonstrated path these days: a well-funded campaign.  Since few single citizens possess the wealth necessary to fund these campaigns, the main sources of funding are limited to the special interests who dominate the public discourse.  The desire for re-election, the need for funds, and the possession of funds by interest groups boils down to one, all too prevalent truth in our politics: elected officials must vote in ways advantageous to special interests or risk falling in subsequent elections, a prospect they cannot bear.

Our legislation has been hijacked across the board and it appears that the next victim is health care reform.  As a perfect example of the state of our discourse, health care reform actually started and continues to be health insurance reform, however it now bears only the label that advertisements and sound bites have allowed it to carry.

Despite my cynicism, I still recognize my vested interest in the proposed legislation.  So, all history aside I ask that if my congressmen and women cannot hear my daily frustration that they read in my words here:

As a student, ready to accept the burden of my own health insurance, reading the federal study that health care costs continue to skyrocket, and pleading for a breakthrough in the progress of the American republic, I compel you to listen to the needs of the American people for a step, no matter how large or small, toward containing the corporate monstrosity of health insurance and pharmaceuticals.

America has never been so close to relieving the burden of rising costs and broken promises whose sole responsibility rests on the shoulders of unethical and inhumane money-mongering business practices perpetrated by the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries.  Trumpeting concern for national debt while obstructing progress on progressive, cost cutting legislation serves no one while perpetuating the special interest strangle hold on the men and women we trust to make the best decisions for us.

So now that the back-and-forth discussion of politics has all but evaporated, to what do representatives turn for substantiation when claims are raised that they have abandoned the republic they served?  The new “populism”, which rises from faux grass-roots, manufactured outrage sparked by television advertisements and radio pundits.  But my question is, with even populism shanghaied by the media, how is one to get their concerns enacted in policy?  With true populism based in fact and human experience?

Well then, if you want true populism, here it is: listen to the cries of those whose family members have died under the yoke of health care costs and pre-existing conditions, listen to the concerns here written, and listen to the numbers that demonstrate the crisis we face.  If the millions of families losing their well-being to unethical business practices do not constitute a great enough number of citizens to receive the mantle of populism, to demand the attention of our legislators, then I fear that our republic has lost the fight, both for our reforms and for the preservation of our government as it was conceived.

Swiftboating the Deficit

Burgeoning social programs, massive injections of funds into work programs, and nationalist calls for a rallying around a common purpose: rebuilding America.  These three components highlight the recovery of 2009-10 in much the same manner that they did in the New Deal, the extensive reconstruction of the American economy after the Great Depression.

John B has expressed on several occasions the ways in which President Obama's programs mirror the New Deal in both aim and execution, but suddenly there's trouble afoot.  The same ideals that crowned the policies of FDR now threaten to nurture the greatest threat to our Democracy since the election of the president himself: the deficit.

You cannot turn on the news anymore without hearing some talking head comment about the ballooning deficit. In their defense, the prospect seems attractive: ballooning debts and deficits are no way to run a business so why should America be exempt from the rules of the market?  When are lenders just going to quit lending, sensing that there is no end in sight?  Surely large swaths of the global community will see us as a joke and our national identity will suffer, right?

The problem is that, according to an article by Paul Krugman in the NY Times, the deficit and national debt are far less serious problems then we are being lead to believe.  I admit, even I was concerned with the concept until I read Krugman's outlook (he likens current tactics to the kind of fear-mongering that lead us into Iraq).

Now, it's not my job to sit here and point out where the right fails like a glorified (?) watchdog.  Shoring up national debts and relinquishing ourselves from the grasp of the Chinese economy sounds like a perfectly respectable thing to do.  However, the constantly repeated talking points and misinformation of the political right in this country is clearly in full swing on this matter, convincing average Americans that the goal posts of health insurance (!) reform and job creation are not nearly as important as "fiscal responsibility", now a concrete pillar of the Republican line.

Yet we do not challenge it.  The deficit was never in question when President Bush manufactured consent for two wars, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, and tax cuts to the wealthiest 2% but when Obama's well-vetted programs (whose recommendation come from the godfather John Maynard Keynes himself) threaten to temporarily increase government spending en route to a reduction in the national debt, it's time to rally that Tea Party "populism".

Some of you may think that you can't make a difference on the matter, but when "experts" are out there claiming that a necessary run of deficit spending is endangering our standing as a nation, it is time to put out what word we can and convince whoever may read our words that they are being lied to.  This stands to become a big issue in the coming election, which means its our time to be citizens.

Write as you see fit, agree or disagree, and remember that America was founded on the open forum, the polis, of the printed word.