When Republicans Rule: A Horror Story
First the wing-nuts took back Virginia and now they are aiming at America. When Republican's are in power

 

Last month, the newly elected Republican governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell reversed an executive order banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Recently I read that Virginia Attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli, sent a letter to state universities and colleges advising them to amend their non-discrimination policies to reflect Virginia state law.

In other words, he told the schools to stop protecting their LGBT students and faculty from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.

This rolling back of rights in Virginia should be a wake up call to progressives all over this country that we MUST fight to retain control of Congress and the White House or we risk losing what little we have achieved in recent years.

Oh yes, progressives LOVE to beat up on Obama and the Democrats for NOT doing enough (are you listening Jane Hamsher?) or for compromising too much.

But can’t we agree that things are a just a little bit better – although not perfect -- when the folks in charge are NOT Republicans????

Seems to me that the progressive community – like the main stream media – are suffering from memory loss. 

Don’t you remember what it was like for progressive ideas and policies when Bush and Cheney were in the White House?  When Denny Hastert was the House Majority leader and Bill Frist the Senate Majority leader?  Do you recall the Terri Schiavo fiasco? The leering criminal Tom “Dancing with the Stars” Delay? A federal government that could care less about the well-being of American citizens during Katrina?  A culture of torture and degradation exemplified by Gitmo and Abu Ghraib?  The common practice of deception and “fixing the facts to fit [the Iraq war] policy”? 

The constant calls for a Constitutional Amendment to ban same-sex marriage? 

Well, I do remember these and many other affronts to civil rights and liberties. 

And anyone who believes things are not better now that Obama and the Democrats are in power is simply not paying attention, or worse!

The Republican’s and Tea Partiers are happy to beat up on Obama.  And they are thrilled when progressives join them in the pile-on. 

 But stop to think what we will get out of it when the dust is settled and voters re-elect Republican’s to “fix” the mess “created” by Obama and the Democrats???

Wouldn’t our time be better spent touting Obama’s accomplishments in the face of the lies and purposeful attempts to re-write history?

Here are some successes to toss out next time you hear someone whining that Obama and the Democrats have not kept every promise they made on the campaign trail:  

  1. LGBT rights -- Obama endorsed a UN statement urging world leaders to decriminalize homosexuality and he ordered the military to drop its Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. Obama supports giving gay couples the same rights as married heterosexual couples. Here is a more comprehensive list. 

  2. Women's rights -- Obama and most Democrats support a woman's right to choose, a Democratic Congress passed and Obama signed an Equal Pay for Equal Work bill. Obama rescinded the global gag rule (a rule that denied funding to family planning groups in other nations if they also provided abortions or related services) and Obama lifted the ban on stem-cell research. Here is a more comprehensive list. 

  3. Foreign policy - Obama ended the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive war and started to mend America's image in the world. Here is a more comprehensive list. 

  4. The Environment - Obama believes climate change is real and wants to do something about it. He called for the EPA to issue stricter greenhouse gas emission controls, he has asked Congress to pass a cap and trade bill, asked the EPA to let states set their own emission standards if they are lower that national standards, has initiated a policy for stricter fuel efficiency standards in American automobiles. Here is a more comprehensive list. 

  5. Animal Rights - Obama authorized reviews of policies that may harm endangered animals and wildlife and ordered a withdrawal of oil and gas leases on public land. Here is a more comprehensive information.

  6. Labor Rights - he signed 3 executive orders to make it easier for unions to organize—and, again, he signed the Equal Pay for Equal Work bill. Here is a more comprehensive information.

And there are lots of other examples that I could list if it were not for time and space constraints.

I recently read a comment on Facebook lamenting the fact that Obama and not Hillary Clinton became president. The writer apparently believes Hillary would be more progressive. Well, there is no way to know for sure about something that didn't actually happen, and considering Hillary's Senate voting record and her husband's presidency, I think we can all say she may have been AS progressive as Obama but certainly not MORE so. 

And, you need serious therapy if you think the right-wing attack machine would be kinder to Hillary.

So, I have a plan.  Rather than lamenting what might have been or climbing on the "let's bash Obama because he is not doing enough" bandwagon, why don't we do everything in our power to make sure this country does not revert back to those who brought us to the brink in the first place?

We still have time to save the Democratic majority – but not much: 

 

  • National debates on ending the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, granting marriage equality, passing comprehensive health care reform, sound environmental policy, and so on has fanned the flames of fear of progressivism!

 

  • Spending bills aimed at fending off another depression, creating jobs, fixing our broken infrastructure -- all of this has resulted in dire warnings about deficits and socialism.

 

  • The health care reform debate has devolved into false claims of "government control of health care" and "death panels."

 

  • The mainstream media is doing exactly what they did in the run up to the Iraq war... rather than researching facts and pointing out when statements are incorrect, they pit two or more people together to scream it out. 

 

  • Conservatives and Tea Partiers are once again promoting gay bashing, race baiting and anti-government rhetoric as a "legitimate" political strategy.  And it is working!

 

  • Right-wing-nuts like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Michele Bachman, are using the same tactics used by al-Qaeda and the Taliban – they incite violent anger toward "the enemy." 

 

Al-Qaeda hates "Western values” by which they mean “progressivism.”  Right wing-nuts can’t hate Western values because they are a part of Western culture.  So, instead, they hate "progressive values."  What’s the difference?

It is true; right wing-nuts do not necessarily use explosives to destroy America. But, when they are in power they fulfill their own prophecy that “government is the problem” by making sure that government does not work!

Republican Presidents, including Reagan and both Bush’s consistently appoint other anti-government wing-nuts to head governmental agencies (i.e. the Environmental Protection Agency, National Labor Relations Board, and so on) who then work from the inside to destroy the agency they are supposed to be working  for.  

Now that Obama and the Democrats are in power, Republicans are quaking in their boots.  Why?  They are frightened out of their minds that the dreaded health care reform bill will pass and that American’s will like it! 

We progressives know the Senate bill falls far short of what could have been… but, still, if the plan is so awful, WHY are Republican’s trying so hard to defeat it? 

 Come on progressives!  We’ve barely had a chance to change the rightward direction of public policy.  Give Obama a chance for crying out loud!  If Republicans win-back the majority in Congress once again, Obama will not be able to do anything at all -- EVER.

 Can’t we just get it together enough to see what’s happening?

If we are able to maintain a democratic majority – over time -- we can systematically weed out the conserva-dems and replace them with more progressive candidates.  This will only happen when people realize the government is NOT the enemy of the people but rather IS the people.

To do this, we need to get and/or stay involved.  We need to get out the vote, work on campaigns and get just as riled up as we did in ’08.

It took Republican's over 40 years to convince an entire generation that the government is evil and private industry is good. 

It may take another 40 to undo the damage.  Let’s take a vow, here and now to stop ragging on the PRO-gressive party and instead start fighting the RE-gressive party.

Let’s get as riled up about it as the tea partiers.  Otherwise we will find ourselves back in the dark ages where progress gets buried under a big pile of fear.