Letters to the Editor
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Next step
The next question is whether the Democratic Party can let go of its own neo-liberal/neo-conservative tendency and offer fresh, clear, attractive proposals to the entire country in this election cycle on the issues of healthcare, energy, affordable higher education, the environment and opportunity for all. The Dems can't run just on gay rights, abortion rights, and "saving Social Security." That's never worked as well for the Dems as "God, guns and gays" has worked for the Repubicans. And attacking the Iraq War is not enough either, because when the war is over, then what?
In a strange way, I'm almost glad that Kerry didn't win in 2004. Then the right-wing attack machine could have carried on in its merry, vicious way, tearing Kerry apart like a poolful of piranha, coming up with bogus issue after bogus issue (that the "legitimate" media would have lazily sopped up), forcing him to fail while mobilizing their troops to return to the golden days of their hegemony. Instead, the Republicans have been given all the power they wanted, and the American people have seen exactly how they use it. The American people as a whole may not be that smart, but they are not blind. And the establishment media is -- -- being shamed into seeing its own complicity.
I hope the Democrats get back the House and Senate. But if they don't, I won't cry -- because by next year it will be so enormously obvious that the GOP can't govern, and that it is a minority party that has hijacked the majority with dirty tricks, a huge majority of Americans will be itching to kick them out and keep them out for at least a generation. Meanwhile, progressives will continue to organize, organize, organize, fermenting ideas and clarifying their viewpoints for the inevitable moment when they will be the majority.
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Bush, God and Mexico
Am I the only one who thinks Bush deploying the National Guard to the border betwen the US and Mexico is, at the very least, a pretty hostile move? Like, doesn't it basically mean that now we have big guns pointed across the border, like the old split Germany or Israel and Palestine?
So, retired Generals start speaking out against their Commander In Chief (which only happens when wars turn bad) so we sort of declare war on Mexico?
Is this maybe that "God Speaks Through Me" Bush is getting the rug pulled out from under him by the Original Prankster God, by saying, "Hey, Dubyabag, I have been patient.... Since you "won" your election by barely 1%, and the hispanic vote has largely been republican, and comes out to about 6% of the total voters of the US, let's see if your predecessor can lose by 5% vote by alienating your favorite margin..."
And now you can get high in Mexico? On anything? What tourist incentives that will spell... Amsterdam with Lime and Salt! I have no desire to return to Laredo, but Del Rio is a neat little town! Go down, get some good food, buy some tax free tequila, fill my scrips, get some free dental work and maybe shoot some smack. Taxi!
Did anyone see the Family Guy where Mayor Adam West dedicated a statue to "The Troops," and the statue was of Twinkie The Kid? I almost fell out of the chair! on FOX? The sacred holy troops that everyone wears ribbons over? Twinkie The Kid? Is there any louder a message that everyone is sick of this war (which usually requires two armies) to the point that "I support our troops!" is making us choke on our bloody loogie of shame?
I hope so...
Johnny
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Huh?
The House has approved a bill that would make it a felony to hire or even help undocumented workers. On the right, this is considered a condition for the eventual deportation of the more than 11 million such workers, and anything short of this solution is branded a treasonous "amnesty."
Exactly what is wrong with making it a felony to hire undocumented workers? I'm not saying the 12 million illegals should be deported, but we wouldn't have an illegal immigration problem if we just cracked down on employers who knowingly hire illegals. And people on the left need to stop making this about race or class. If a company were hiring an undocumented rich white guy from Europe, everyone would be criticizing that company and calling for penalties. But somehow it's OK if they hire an undocumented poor Mexican.
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Agree with Huh?
Sydney, I love 90% of your articles, but I don't feel that a general amnesty should be allowed for illegal immigrants. Let's face it, the consolidated major agricultural companies want cheap virtual slave labour - that's why the borders are so poorly guarded in the first place. I'll tell you what - if we provide amnesty for the 20 million illegals in the country now (and that is what Bush just gave them) let's force a minimum wage for these new migrant workers in the $20 and hour range - with benefits. Then watch what happens - the agriculture lobby will tell the Feds to put a 1 million man army on the Rio Grande.
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RE: Bush, God and Mexico
To johnny neill:
<<Am I the only one who thinks Bush deploying the National Guard to the border betwen the US and Mexico is, at the very least, a pretty hostile move?>>
Hostile? No. Desperate? Yes. Bush never dealt with domestic issues in his first term unless they could be called national security issues. Now that all the domestic issues are boiling over/blowing up/melting down (so many metaphors!) with a congressional election coming up, and now that his lifetime babysitter Karl Rove is out of town, Bush is fumbling to act on any first thought to come to mind.
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Conservative Politics for Dummies
The GOP has more twists than Hamlet. It's hard to tell who is giving whom a knife in the ribs. Under pressure from Congressional Republicans like Duncan Hunter, Bush authorized Chertoff to build the border fence. That deal was done last year. Congressional Republicans in places like Southern California, have learned to fear the backlash of left leaning illegals who pour across our borders to vote for Democratic candidates like Loretta Sanchez, former Republican who switched. She outed B1 Bob Dornan in traditionally Conservative Orange County, and sent shock waves through the local GOP. Is all this hyperbole to be believed? Do you know who Eva Morales is?
The Bush speech was an interior monologue, Bush explaining Bush to himself. I'm a compassionate man. That's it in a nutshell. The tide of shifting demographics is flowing against a number of House members. Its tough to be the party of the rich, and watch all these poor people immigrating into the country, legally and otherwise. A whole new generation will have to be taught to vote against their own self interest. The fault lies not with the stars of the GOP, but those petty self interested Congressmen.