Sunday, October 28, 2012

The Mind of Mitt Romney

Doublethink, a word coined by George Orwell in his novel Nineteen Eighty-four, explains the act of simultaneously holding two mutually exclusive beliefs as the truth. The notion is related to, but distinct from hypocrisy and neutrality.

Romney- over the course of his campaign- often has forgotten what he has previously said and done; and then remembered it again when it was needed, as in the case of Obamacare. In the interim, he has advocated positions that are utterly contradictory. When Romney tells rich Americans that he doesn't care about working Americans, and then tells working Americans that he does care about them, the two contradictory beliefs create no conflict in his mind.

He appears to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies. His performance in the debates, his statements in the Republican primary, his actions at Bain Capital, and his policies as Governor of Massachusetts, essentially cancel themselves out- that is, the conflicting statements, advocations, and policies. He knows they are contradictory positions and statements, yet he believes in them all.

Romney believes that democracy is undesirable. Right wing media has called it "mob rule" and Republicans, on the state levels, have made a concerted effort to suppress voting rights. At the same time, through the Tea Party and the same radical media, he believes that he is the guardian of democracy.

In my lifetime, never has there been a candidate for president who is so frighteningly contrary to the principals this country was founded upon. And what makes it especially disconcerting, by using Karl Rove's number one campaign tactic, the right wing accuses the Obama administration of behaving in this manner, though I seriously doubt they understand it. I feel especially sad for the majority of the supporters of the Romney/Ryan ticket who are victims of doublethink.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

What do the Taliban and the Republican Party Have in Common?

Well, let's see.

The members of the Taliban wear robes and turbans.
The Republican Party officials wear suits. Hmm.....

The Taliban hates gays, lesbians, and Jews.
The Republican Party hates gays and lesbians, and many secretly hate Jews.

The Taliban hates American soldiers.
The Republican Party views American soldiers as dupes and freeloaders witnessed by their filibusterer of legislation designed to help them and their overall failure to serve.

The Taliban hates America and the freedoms given to the people.
The Republican Party dismisses half the American population and seeks to eradicate the rights and freedoms they are entitled to under the Constitution.

The Taliban believes that women are not equal to men and are not entitled to the same rights.
The Republican Party believes that women are second class citizens witnessed by their legislation and stance on issues such as fair pay and women's reproductive rights.

Both the Taliban and the Republican Party are right wing religious fundamentalists and they are both a threat to democracy and the American way.

If there is anyone who still believes that a Romney/Ryan administration will create well-paying jobs and strengthen what's left of the American middle class, just look at what's going on in Freeport, Illinois right now. Bain Capital is outsourcing the manufacturing jobs of Sensata Technologies to China. Sensata had it's most profitable year, ever, last year. Bain's contempt for the middle class is indisputable because the outsourced workers are required to train their Chinese counterparts. 

Decades ago when I was looking for my first job, ads in the classified section of newspapers asked applicants to, not only forward a resume and references, but also salary requirements. Those days are long gone. And if Romney is elected, they most assuredly will never return.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Repeal and Replace

Repeal and replace is a central theme to Romney's and the Republicans' mantra. And they refuse to give any details about what they will replace the laws and regulations they repeal, with. They talk about the free market. Ryan talks about Ayn Rand. Despite the fact that both Romney and especially Ryan concede that their family and businesses were recipients of much government assistance, they now want to let the rich and powerful, and especially the banks, run wild; and relegate the role of government to the protection of the feudal lords and the waging of wars.  This is not free market economics. A great Republican President Teddy Roosevelt fully understood this. And he busted up banks which were small by today's standards. At best, what Romney/Ryan advocate is despotic or feudal capitalism. As Romney pointed out in his 47% statement which essential assumed that half the population of this country has no value, their vision for our country assumes that half of all Americans are not entitled to have the ability to obtain food, shelter, or healthcare, despite the fact that these are basic needs. Romney believes that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are for the chosen few. I guess Romney and Ryan would have the rest of Americans fight to get the basic needs in the arena. Instead of reading Ayn Rand, perhaps Ryan should read Abraham Maslow and examine how we humans operate. Then perhaps he wouldn't pontificate and advocate such crap. Then again, maybe he would.

The 2008 crash provides irrefutable evidence that Republican thinking and policies allowed banks and other institutions to gut and suck the life's earnings, and life blood, out of every single man, woman, and child, save the top 2% that benefited from the disaster. Republicans seek to end, through social engineering, the one thing that made America so great, its people. America cannot and will not survive a repeat of 2008.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

"I Read the News Today, Oh Boy..."

I truly believe that if Hillary had defeated Barrack in the Democratic primary, the recovery in American would be a lot farther along. And this assumption has absolutely nothing to do with an assessment of the competence or character of President Obama. I think that it is nothing short of miraculous what President Obama has accomplished given what he was faced with, and what the Republican Tea Party and the top 2% have done to thwart his every move. I cannot and will not believe that the cognitive level of the average American has descended to the level of Honey Bo Bo (of The Learning Channel fame), or that fraud and mendacity are acceptable behaviors.  I, now believe that it is purely racial. See Post: "Blazing Saddles".

According to the Founding Fathers, one role of government is to protect the rights of the people. They did not want the rights of individuals to be decided by individual states. By allowing this to happen, individual states would be able to throw off the balance and this would allow some states to be more powerful than other states and essentially undermine our democracy. The Republicans are attempting, to a certain degree, to do this now.

The vast majority of Americans believe that the government should intervene in the economy during times of economic crisis. The Republicans certainly believe this notion as they are criticizing President Obama, as Clinton pointed out, for not fixing the mess they created fast enough. And Wall Street is doing better than ever. Perhaps Progressive policymakers should squeeze the top 2%, like one squeezes an orange, so that the "recovery" trickles down more quickly to Main Street.

Finally, I have an acquaintance that has decided to vote for Mitt Romney. She is the recipient of much government assistance. She is also of Hispanic descent. When I asked her why she thought Romney would make a good president, she replied that Obama wasn't that bad but she had heard that Romney had some Mexican blood in him. Oh, boy.