Parasitic Oscillation from the Right

The vicissitudes of the language have their parallel in the vicissitudes of political behavior. In the sale of equipment for relaxing entertainment in bomb shelters, in the television show of competing candidates for national leadership, the juncture between politics, business, and fun is complete. But the juncture is fraudulent and fatally premature – business and fun are still the politics of domination. This is not the satire-play after the tragedy; it is not finis tragoediae – the tragedy may just begin. And again, it will not be the hero but the people who will be the ritual victims. - Hebert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man

Apparently I’m still so naïve.  Must I discuss this again?  I will do so only briefly as I don't feel well and as a consequence I assume a certain level of intelligence on the part of the reader.  Anyway I’ve always thought that in times of national crisis political differences are put aside and leaders do what is needed for the country.  

Now that belief is in doubt.  I have never seen the President of the United States treated with such lack of respect as President Obama is being treated by Republicans.  The worse examples of this are being generated by those who are vying for the dubious distinction of becoming the nominee of the Republican party in the 2012 presidential election. 

To say that no sane person would want this and behave as the current group of potential candidates are behaving validates the point. That is to say, these people are not sane. Sometimes one can’t distinguish the cops from the robbers, but this isn’t one of them.  What the robbers are doing is quite obvious.  They want to kidnap the United States.   They are doing it for the rewards they hope to gain for those they represent: the wingnuts, the wealthy, and the political interests of the extreme right. 

How did it get so messed up?  Well I ask myself that question a lot.  I can’t say there were no prior indications.  One can look at the run-up to the 2008 election and its aftermath.  Take any issue.  Budget deficit for example.  The problem may be understood through arithmetic.  It goes like this:

2001 – Budget surplus.    

Subtract sustained tax cuts for the most wealthy.      

Subtract two wars, one clearly a war of choice that was totally unnecessary, incredibly mismanaged and based on fraudulent intelligence.  It turned into one of the most disastrous events in the country’s history.   

Subtract corporate bailouts to ostensibly rescue blundered economic institutions: investment banks, financial corporations, mortgage lenders.  Certainly you haven’t forgotten?    

Anemic job growth, virtually no growth in the economy and the redistribution of wealth and income from the working class/middle class to those at the top of the existing system of economic stratification.    

Increasing costs of health care.    

It continues until...    

Early 2009 – Budget deficit measured in trillions of USD and a major ongoing economic recession that began in early 2008.   Do you remember the guy who was president then?  His party was the Republican, have you noticed the people representing the Republican party now, fall 2011?   Good night and good luck.     

Following all of this was political partisan gridlock resulting in not a lot being done to remedy the mess.  So don’t confuse the issue, from 2009 to the present, things haven’t gotten much better but they were already horrific in January 2009. And it was at this point in time when the ideology of the extreme right found a willing host.  It isn't necessary to mention their self-applied name.

A quick take on what we are on the verge of now:    

It’s very hard for me to believe the Republicans, which, after all, is the party of business, is going to allow this to happen, even the Tea Party people, because their corporate minders are going to get hurt very badly in this. It’s hard for me to believe their campaign donors are not going to start knocking very hard on their doors and say, "You’ve got to come to some agreement." And it’s not Obama who is holding them up. It’s not Obama who doesn’t have a plan. It’s the very right wing of the Republican Party, and that’s very clear.    

One must remember they don’t care about their reelection as long as they can destroy the country first.    

I haven’t been too specific regarding the immediate crisis.  It would be quite entertaining if it were only fiction.  It’s called the debt ceiling.  You can figure this out on your own.  It may be crazy but it is relatively easy to comprehend.   The key point to understand is that very bad things are going to happen to the world’s economy unless sanity returns to the U.S. Congress before August 2, 2011.  As Paul Krugman notes:    

Here’s the point: those within the G.O.P. who had misgivings about the embrace of tax-cut fanaticism might have made a stronger stand if there had been any indication that such fanaticism came with a price, if outsiders had been willing to condemn those who took irresponsible positions. But there has been no such price. Mr. Bush squandered the surplus of the late Clinton years, yet prominent pundits pretend that the two parties share equal blame for our debt problems. Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, proposed a supposed deficit-reduction plan that included huge tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, then received an award for fiscal responsibility. So there has been no pressure on the G.O.P. to show any kind of responsibility, or even rationality — and sure enough, it has gone off the deep end. If you’re surprised, that means that you were part of the problem.    

You must understand that these Republicans are too stupid to recognize when they are being insulted.    

Anyway bad things could happen and it is beginning to look like they are going to occur.  The immediate target that is being attacked here is the overwhelmingly popular programs designed to help working class/middle class people have some remotely decent life chances.  Those under imminent threat are Social Security, Medicare and what is known as Health Care Reform.  This is another blunder on the part of Republicans because Health Care Reform circa 2010 will bring millions and millions of new customers to the monopolistic Health Care Insurance corporations that hold life or death authority over everyone who hasn’t been a member of the U.S. Congress or part of The Already Wealthy.      

In any event, I’ve discussed much of this elsewhere, if you don’t comprehend any of what I’m saying I would recommend starting with The Already Wealthy.  From there, just keep reading and eventually you will understand what all of it is about.  

This isn't an abstraction, this is real and generations of innocent people may be harmed as a result of what happens over the next few weeks.  It should be obvious who cares for them and who doesn't.