The Fear Factor

Science Has Recently Explained the odd behavior of the United States under the administration of former president George W. Bush.

It Seems That Conservative People are generally more fearful than liberal people.

Apparently This Is Scientific Fact. (Let’s ignore for the moment what conservative Americans think about “science” and its “facts.”)

It Was Conservative Fear that got us to invade Iraq, in order to protect ourselves here at home. It was conservative fear that tried to give us a no-cost war, ignoring the economic reality that you have to pay for what you get. Now the nation has to pay for the years of Republican terror, ideologically driven tax cuts, and reckless spending.

Now Conservative Fear of the Costs of Their Mismanagement—from 1980 to the present, and entirely from 2001 to 2007—has them terrified. Meanwhile, all American taxpayers must pay the price.

Like Deer in Headlights

It Is Not that Republicans Want to Block the Hand on the Nation’s Tiller. It’s just that they are so terrified of what may happen during the restoration process—with the huge increase in debt that was already at historic levels—that they don’t know what else to do.

Republican Leaders in Congress, and the legion of media pundits who enable them, are frozen like deer in the headlights of Keynesian economics.

“The Land of the Safe and the Home of the Cowardly” are not the way we describe ourselves in “The Star Spangled Banner.” But these terms describe the practice of the Bush administration, following the attacks of September 11, 2001. The Conservatives shifted into fear mode.

And This Is the Cowardice that We Witness Today. According to science, conservatives cannot help themselves.

It Is No Accident That the Bush Administration’s effort to restore the country following September 11th was called the “War on Terror.” Because “terror” is what conservatives feel, on a physiological basis.

They Can’t Help It. It’s in their genes.

Even Now, Our Former Vice-President is out on the media trail, trying to pin the blame on President Obama for Dick Cheney’s cowardice. One can see the terror in the poor man’s eyes.

And So Now While We All Worry Our Way Forward, out of this mess caused by “trickle-down economics” and a selfishly fickle dedication to our own interests abroad, the Republicans can’t help dragging against what America needs to do to get back on course.

When Things Get Scary, Every Family Has a Few Timid Members who cower in the corner during a crisis. It is up to the rest of us, under the Obama/Biden leadership, to take the real risks.

We Will Likely Not Get Any Apology from the Republicans for what they have done. But we Americans are one nation, indivisible. The Republicans, useless as they show themselves to be in the current challenge, are part of America.

Let Them Continue to Whine and to Moan. We will all somehow get through this together.

“Home of Brave” Overcomes “Politics of Fear”

While So Many Jubilant Americans Have Been Busy celebrating the final end of the era of second-class citizenship for some Americans and the renewal of an American comity of hope, many Conservatives have been quick to jump on the “My God! I Can’t Believe He’s Doing That!” Express.

In the Case of the Pundits, this knee-jerk negativity likely comes from the need to talk about something. But for the rest of America, it’s the proverbial “sad commentary on the times.”

Those of Us Who See in Barack Obama what we want to see (those of us who are “Channeling Barack Obama™,” as it were) may be completely wrong, completely blinded, totally hoodwinked about the kind of person he is and the kind of president that he will be. However, so far no evidence has come out that indicates any weaknesses or ideological biases on the part of President-elect Obama. Other than a bias toward America, and the people for whom she stands.


On One Hand, How Many Cynics Among Us have already begun to tear down this newly elected leader?

On the Other Hand, How Many Former Cynics here see a quality of person higher than we have ever seen before?

The Failed Campaign of John McCain must have disappointed many outside the actual McCain campaign tent itself. But Senator McCain’s public words and actions lacked any genuine enthusiasm for the future of the people that he wished to serve.

One Needed to Have Faith in an Authentic John McCain, hiding behind the campaign mask, in order to make a positive Republican vote.

In the Alternative, Fear Must Have Governed You in order to vote for the hapless, previously known quantity, rather than for the compellingly steady new guy who seems, even after his first appointments and press conference, almost too-good to be true.

Is Barack Obama the Real Thing? Or would we have been better off with the man who kept telling us of his good qualities and leadership promises, and made a couple of pretty bad decisions during the campaign, while Barack Obama showed us so much more?

Time Will Tell.

But as for the Prospects of Living in an America Governed by Fear, we have had more than a quarter of a century of that. And look where it has gotten us:

Much of the World Fears Our Feckless Military Power, seeing America no longer as a beacon of liberty in a darkening, intolerant world

Our Economy Borders on Collapse, threatening to take the rest of the world with it.

Some Vocal McCain-Palin Supporters Fearing to Vote for the Democratic candidate because he might be of Middle Eastern descent or he might actually associate with terrorists.

And a Generation of America’s Children Keeping No Faith—having grown up under the Bush administration's yoke of “terror” in this new century—no faith in the ability of politics or government to do anything constructive for the American constituency.


The Politics of the Right have been the “politics of the fearful.” On Tuesday, November 11, 2008, the majority of Americans voted to conquer their fear and to try something new, something hopeful that looks pretty good so far.

America Is “The Home of the Brave” Once Again. We have shaken off the debilitating Conservative yoke of terror.

Who but the American Liberal Would Have Believed?

Who Played Joe the Plumber and Ed the Electrician for Suckers in the Free-Market Economy?

The Key Element Missing from Discussions of Free-Market Theory has been the relationship between the heads of free-market enterprises and the “bodies” of those enterprises. While the beneficiaries of “free-market,” “trickle-down” theory hold their talks, the American worker has been too busy at work to join in.

“Labor Is a Commodity.”

That’s the Conservative View, as Noted Columnist George F. Will talked about in his article recently cited in these pages.*

This Secret Has Been Hidden Inside Republican Politics since President Richard Nixon brought it into play back in 1972, when he labeled the labor portion of America, “the Silent Majority.” These free-market Republicans can't really afford to think about the individual workers like Joe the Plumber and Ed the Electrician and Joe Sixpack. After all, somebody has to pay for the real cost of government....


Three Messages Have Dominated the Republican Agenda for at least the past forty years:

The Implicit Conservative Message:

“Sure, you ain’t rich yet, but when you get there, do you want the Democrats and the Socialists to take all your money and spread it around to all the people that don’t even pay taxes, let alone work for a living?”

The Stated Message:

“Republicans seek to lower taxes. Republicans don’t believe in ‘Spread the Wealth.’ Always vote against those ‘Tax-and-Spend’ Democrats.”

But the Real Message Is This:

“We ‘Defer-and-Spend’ Republicans believe we can just keep pushing off the costs of government. Why should we pay for anything? We can push these costs on down the road to the next generation, and to the next generations to come. Onto Joe the Plumber, Jr., and Ed the Electrician's kids.”

No Matter What They Say, the “Defer-and-Spend” Republicans do not actually oppose taxes. They just don't want to have to pay any taxes themselves. Whether this is dishonesty or ignorance, Republicans just consider it a good idea to defer taxes and let someone else to pay.

“Pro-Americans” Would Be Furious about this Practice. If they knew about it....

But “Joe the Plumber” Is Too Busy Working. He's got bills to pay. Who’s got time to question the ability or the integrity of free-market theory and its purveyors?

And “Joe Sixpack” Probably Hasn't Heard the News Yet, that Alan Greenspan has been in “a state of shocked disbelief,” admitting that he was mistaken. About these “free-market” theories...

Meanwhile, John McCain and Sarah Palin and the Conservative Pundits continue to reinforce the Pro-American’s trust in the confident Republican rhetoric.

The Rhetoric That Even Alan Greenspan Now Says Is Wrong.....

Yep, It’s “Joe the Plumber” and His “Fellow Americans” Paying the Price. To the tune of the $700,000,000,000 Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. It “taxes” each and every “Pro-American” citizen more than $2,000 in extra taxes apiece.

“Joe the Plumber” and “Ed the Electrician” Better Get Back to Work Soon. They’ve got some big deferred-tax bills to pay.

Meanwhile, the Noticeably Silent Fortune 500 CEOs glide gently to Earth on golden parachutes....

....Landing Once More on the Backs of George F. Will’s “commodity.” Joe Sixpack. Joe the Plumber. Ed the Electrician. The stalwart Republican voter for John McCain and Sarah Palin. Everyman, the American tax-payer.

_____________
* Previous post: Channeling Barack Obama, “It Seemed Like Sort of a Good Idea at the Time....” (Channeling Barack Obama™, 10/09/2008). Original source material: George F. Will, “The Right Minimum Wage” (The Washington Post, 01/04/2007, p. A17)

Bridging the American Divide (Part III)

The Tide Will Turn Yet Again

The Tide Will Turn Yet Again. The nation will change course. This transition from Right to Left and back again has already occurred a number of times in our nation’s history, and it will almost certainly happen again.

Sooner or Later, Depending on How Long it Takes Us to Get out of the Current Set of Messes. That is, depending on how long it takes us to reach the next “cave.”

In the Mean Time, Wouldn’t It Be Great if we could somehow lower our shields on this divide and work together? Wouldn’t it be great to put the best tools of the Right together with the best tools of the Left.

Wouldn’t We All like to Stay in the Same “Cave” One More Season, while improving it suit all of us better?

How Do Those Content to Stay and Fearful of Leaving convince the others that staying put is the best course, that it is not just cowardice and selfishness?

How Do Those Boldly Eager to Leave and Fearful of Staying convince the others that moving on is what is needed, and that it is not just some foolhardy willingness to risk everything for some bright future that may not exist?

How Can We Do That? What Would it Take? What would it take for Americans on both sides of the political and cultural divide to see the other side’s point of view, and to pick the best options from both sides, and to go boldly forward, while not risking everything that we already have to lose?

STILL AHEAD: How We Can Actually Work Together

Bridging the American Divide (Part II)

How We Got Here This Time

Back in the Late 1970s, the generally liberal thrust of government from FDR through LBJ to Jimmy Carter had essentially kept us on the move—as if looking for the new “cave” that would solve society’s ills—for too long. After the tumult of the Sixties, the majority of Americans were ready to settle down in one spot, in one “cave.” Ready to get the spending and the taxing under control. Ready to let the constant changes to our morality or immorality settle down.

Thus, Ronald Reagan Was Elected President, and the Nation began its twenty-eight-year tilt to the Right.

Now, Though, We Seem to Have Reached the Limits of the Conservative view. The overall argument of small government and lower taxes has somehow, inexplicably, led us to where we are. Essentially, we sit in a cave that is too small for us. The roof is caving in. It is time for us to move in a different direction. Find a new “cave.”

Back in the 1980s, Liberals insisted that the things that we’d been trying just hadn’t been given enough of a chance, and that we had more things to try.

“We Stop Here,” said Conservatives under Ronald Reagan. That old “Liberal agenda” didn't matter any more. The majority of the nation were fed up. Ronald Reagan cut programs and cut taxes. Then he outspent the Soviet Union to get those "wolves" from the door.

It All Seemed to Work Well-Enough for a While (though there were always many people unhappy—and there always will be). But then, over the past eight years, so many things went wrong. Enron, and September 11, and Katrina, and Iraq, and Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, and more hurricanes, and the price of oil skyrocketing, and the collapse of the housing market, and—

“We Have to Move Now.” Suddenly the weight of the Conservative/Liberal argument seems to have switched to the other side of the scales. (Sure, there are plenty of people who still prefer the arguments of lowering taxes and cutting regulations—and there always will be). But the recent rescues, from Iraq and Katrina, all the way through to the current bailouts, make the arguments for lowering taxes look unrealistic.

STILL AHEAD: The Tide Will Turn Yet Again and How We Can Actually Work Together

Bridging the American Divide (Part I)

The Parable of the American “Cave”

The Choice We Humans Always Face concerns whether to spend the harsh winter in the small, leaky cave that we know—or to strike out before winter reaches us, to seek a new, dry cave, large-enough to hold the whole clan.

If We Get Caught out in the Cold During the Winter, we will starve or be eaten by wolves. That’s a powerful argument for Staying Where We Are.

If We Stay in the Familiar Cave While the Roof Is about to Cave in on Us, and while our enemies march toward us to lay siege, we will be crushed by the rock or starved to death by the siege. That’s a powerful argument for Looking For a New Place Now.

This, in a Nutshell, Describes the Difference between the Conservative and the Liberal view. Either “We need to stay put!” or “Let’s move!”

Neither Side Represents “Evil” nor “Good.” Neither Liberal nor Conservative is inherently better or worse than the other. But both provide different value under different circumstances.

STILL AHEAD: How We Got Here This Time and The Tide Will Turn Yet Again

Conservatives Have Been Rushed Too Often

We Americans Have Been Rushed in the Wrong Direction Too Many Times by the current presidential administration, and the current situation looks like more of the same: a proposal which somehow protects Wall Street and its CEOs, while putting the rest of America at greater risk.

Genuine Conservative Americans have been at a loss in the current political circumstance. But the choice of feckless Republicans has not been the answer. Our sad, recent history shows this.

It Is Time to Refine Our Ideologies. With the factual evidence of the past eight years, we now know that regulation, always imperfect, is also always necessary. Laws and regulations mitigate unfettered greed and recklessness. Conservatives must find a better way.

No One Likes to Be Regulated or Taxed. But a government without controls--or without income--is a crippled government going over the falls. And a Congress which rushes always to the aid of the ship, while consistently ignoring the passengers, will eventually founder.

Fortunately for America, Congress Is Not Cowed This Time. The bipartisan cooperation currently rises to meet the high expectations of the American public. Those expectations shall not be disappointed. In times of dire crisis—when it really matters—the United States Congress comes through.

The Success of the Barack Obama Campaign to date, meanwhile, shows that the presidential candidate knows how to manage. Against formidable opponents along the way, he has demonstrated an agile ability to learn as he goes along. The Nation currently rushes toward a Niagara Falls of economic distress. At the helm, we want a clear head, undistracted by ideology, with a pragmatism that represents the finest spirit of the American people.

My Name Is Not Barack Obama, and Barack Obama does not even know about this message.


Thank You for Your Support

It's 3:00 A.M. in America

It's 3:00 A.M. and You're a Candidate for the job of President of the United States. The Red Phone Rings. Do you answer it?

Or Do You Let Your Answer Machine Take the Call, while you postpone it? After all, you're busy right now with other things. Such as a debate with a political opponent. And a financial bailout package, the result of failed anti-regulation, free-market policies, is up for negotiation in Congress. Then there's the issue of your vice-president, whose feelings have been hurt yet again by the vicious partisanship of the media.

Do You Answer the Phone? Do you take the call? Do you carry on with the debate? Do you work on the bailout with Congress? Do you calm your vice-president (or arrest all of the partisan media)?

Or Do You Turn Over and Go Back to Sleep?

It's 3:00 A.M. in America. Mr. President, what are you going to do now?

A Man Rushes Out of a Burning Building.....

.....Carrying a Five-Gallon Can of Gasoline and a Lighted Match. He screams to the gathering crowd, “Quick! Quick! The barn is on fire! Everybody, quick! Give me all of your money so that I can go buy some water to put it out!”

Somebody Steps Forward and Asks, “But it's a fireproof barn. How can this be happening?”

The Man Shouts Backs, “Will nobody listen to reason? There's no time to waste! Hurry! Hurry! We've no time for mistakes!”

Someone Else Asks, “How about if we all bring our hoses and buckets out and put out the fire ourselves?”

“No, No, No!” Screams the Man. “I want to buy all your hoses and buckets. Then everybody turn around, and I'll put out the fire. But hurry! There's no time to waste!”

“But Why Should We Give You All Our Money, to buy our hoses and our buckets from us, so that you can go put out the fire......that you just started?”

Don't You Wish That All Analogies Were Better Than This One? The details don't match the current economic crisis facing the United States. And certainly neither Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson nor Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke created this "barn fire."

It Was “Free-Market” Ideology that failed in this situation. According to Republican testimony, the only way that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae could get mortgages to poor people was to get rid of regulations that governed mortgages, and then sell to poor people mortgages that they could not afford.

Plenty of Ways Exist to Make Mortgages Available to low-income borrowers. But we took advantage of ignorance and greed, and put the entire American economy at risk.

As Chairman Bernanke Himself Has Not Said, “The American barn is on fire.” And we know who lit the match.

So Now What Do We Do?

What If We Guaranteed Troubled Mortgages by taking a shared equity position and extending the mortgage payments to compensate the Treasury's contribution? What could be simpler, and fairer both to the troubled homeowner and the underwriting American taxpayers?

Meanwhile, Back at the Burning Barn, government representatives of the folks that set the thing on fire are still out there, shouting:

“Hurry, Hurry, Hurry, Before the Barn Burns to the Ground, and There Is Nothing Left for Us to Sell.”

Treasury Testimony Baffles the Nation

In Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson's testimony before the Senate Banking Committee yesterday, he directly contradicted his “simple proposal”:

Secretary's Testimony Before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday:
“We gave you a simple, three-page legislative outline and I thought it would have been presumptuous for us on that outline to come up with an oversight mechanism.”

Secretary Paulson, Again in Yesterday's Testimony:
“If any of you [Senate Banking Committee members] felt that I didn’t believe that we needed oversight, I believe we need oversight. We need protection. We need transparency. I want it. We all want it.”

BUT:
Secretary Paulson’s Text of the Three-page Bailout Bill Presented on Friday, Just Four Days Earlier:

“Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency...”

No Wonder So Many Americans Are Confused. What do we make of such contradictory statements? We don't like to believe that people lie, and yet such contradictory statements as Secretary Paulson made within a few days of each other represent either:

Lies or Senility or Merely Incompetence

How Can This Man Be Trusted? Whether the Secretary is senile or dishonest or merely incompetent, the contents of the United States Treasury should not be put at his disposal. We must not place our trust in this self-discrediting man.

Better Thinking Must Prevail. In terms of additional "bailouts" or other solutions to the current economic crisis, clearer thinking and more-responsible options must be examined—by more creditable people—and then pursued.

Congress Must Not Rushed Into Foolhardiness Yet Another Time.

As President Bush Himself Once Put It So Well, “Fool me once; shame on you. Fool me twice.....and you won't fool me again.”