U.S. politics in 2008 is reviewed. The issue of conservatism vs. liberalism is the political issue of our time and the major background issue probably for the remaining U.S. elections of this decade.
The election of 2004 was among the most important elections in the history of the United States. It became a fight between conservatives and liberals for control of the country. It was one of the most publicized showdowns since the showdown at the O.K. Corral.
The showdown became a disaster for the liberals (Democrats) as the conservatives (Republicans) won fairly easy.
The election of 2004 continued the conservative winning streak in the US. The midterm election of 2006 put a temporary stop to the conservative winning streak.
However, rest assured, it is apparent that the conservative - liberal fight will continue in the election of 2008. Only the early rounds are over!
Another round of the conservatism - liberalism political struggle took place in the midterm elections of 2006.
The midterm congressional election of 2006 are over and the Democrats captured the U.S. House of Representatives and, also the U.S. Senate. They also captured a majority of the Governor's seats contested in the election.
Have the conservatives lost their edge? Or was the midterm election just a refutation of President Bush who has become increasingly unpopular because of the Iraq War and New Orleans/Katrina debacle.
The major political issues in the election of 2004 and the election of 2006 - at least the political issues receiving all the media attention - were:
1. Iraq War,
2. War on Terror,
3. Tax cuts and their fairness,
However, the most important issue in the two elections was not one of the issues listed above, but a background issue, i.e., conservatism vs. liberalism. Political Issues, 2008 has more on the publicized issues of the election but Conservatism vs. Liberalism has a detailed discussion on this most important background political issue, conservatism vs. liberalism.
The same issues discussed herein will likely dominate U .S. Politics in 2008. (Although the issues of illegal immigration and of the economic slowdown are moving up to challenge those political issues.)
The debate on the conservatism vs. liberalism issues has reached a fever pitch among Republicans and Democrats. There seems to be no middle ground anymore. If this continues, it could tear the country apart. Can the country save itself and return to the politics of moderation?
I look at the moderate ex-senator of my state of Louisiana, Senator John Breaux, and the moderate senator of Arizona, Senator McCain and I thank God we had them. Where are moderates to replace them going to come from?
Even the Supreme Court has become split between the liberals and the conservatives. The elections of 2004 and 2006 did not resolve the question of whether we will continue to be a house divided against itself. Long after the elections are over, the nation appears to be as divided as before the elections.
We are now bombarded by conservative talk radio hosts from early in the morning until late at night. The local radio stations love conservative talk radio.
Down here in New Orleans, the conservative talk radio shows start at 7:00 am and continue, with one or two hours off for lunch, until 5:00 pm. They pretend to debate issues but there is no real political debate. The various radio talk hosts tell countless jokes about Bill and Hillary Clinton and Al Gore but no jokes on President Bush or Vice-President Cheney (OK, occasionally they will slip in a Cheney "sheep" joke). A call-in listener expressing anything other than the conservative viewpoint is given a rough time by the talk radio hosts.
There is no indication of any great commercial value to the programs particularly the Rush Limbaugh Show which is on for hours and hours, and if you count the reruns of sister stations, Limbaugh is on for most of the day. The few advertisers are usually outlaws that really have little or no constituency. The talk shows are selling few physical products. In reality, the right wing talk radio shows appear to be, in many cases, largely, if not completely, financed by right wing political organizations.
If the talk shows are paid political programs, shouldn't they have to identify themselves as such?
The surprising thing to me has been how effective these conservative talk radio shows were in turning the American people to the right. These same right-wingers apparently have captured the heart and soul of President Bush and we are seeing the effect of this control.
Prior to the midterm elections of 2006 (at least in the deep South (Louisiana) where I live, and also in the West), conservatism was moral and acceptable; liberalism was immoral (to call someone a liberal was to smear him) and unacceptable; moderation was rare and anyone who practices political moderation was said to be just too chicken to say how they really feel.
Then came the midterm elections of 2006. The Democrats won but, more than that, the conservatives lost. The election was a strong refutation of George Bush and his conservative agenda. The goofy antics of Rush Limbaugh also probably played a role in the election defeat of the conservatives. After all, he is their mouthpiece!
Early in the 2004 presidential election campaign, Democrats should have realized that they needed to get someone on Rush Limbaugh. Instead, the Democrats pretended that Limbaugh didn't exist....or that he had limited influence.
What a mistake - 20 or 30 million people listen to Limbaugh's every word! To the Rush Limbaugh ditto-heads, Rush Limbaugh is Mr. Conservative.
In 2006, the Democrats appeared to have finally caught on - to a certain extent - to how effective and dangerous Rush Limbaugh can be and they partially countered his ranting. They had the nerve to actually attack Limbaugh by name!
Talk Radio and Hurricane Katrina. When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the political talk shows disappeared from the New Orleans radio scene....even the Rush Limbaugh show. TV was out of service for awhile so radio was the only media and did a great job with round-the-clock reporting on Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Katrina immediate aftermath. However, the Rush Limbaugh talk show has now been brought back to New Orleans radio stations. His comments about the hurricane, e.g., the hurricane flood "flushing the liberals out of New Orleans", etc., did not set well with some local people and there was some resistance to his return at the time. However, he has many listeners in the area and he is back.
Both Rush Limbaugh and certain national TV networks had a field day in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina spreading outrageous rumors. They gleefully reported that looting was rampant, that folks were being murdered in the Superdome (the Superdome acted as a shelter), and that babies were being raped!
99.9% of the rumors were pure bullshit. The real bad actors after Katrina were President Bush and FEMA ("Brownie, you are doing a heck of a job!").
Louisiana politicians Governor Blanco and Senators Landrieu and Vitter also deserve some blame for the disaster failures since they must have broken the world record for kissing a president's butt while he did virtually nothing for the victims. It was a disgusting sight!
Politics at its worse!
Fox News Network. It should be noted that talk radio is not the only medium to be controlled by right wing politics. Increasingly, TV, e.g. Fox Network, is controlled by the conservatives and is moving toward presenting only the conservative viewpoint. Indeed, during the 2004 election campaign, it was common to see Fox Network newscasters openly insult Senator Kerry on TV. (On one newscast I witnessed, the lady news announcer said Senator Kerry looked like Frankenstein. Her sidekicks laughed in agreement with the remark!)
No, this is not America's finest media generation!
Internet and its Effect on Politics of 2008. Only on the Internet is the liberal political viewpoint still dominant, and here, the liberals are in control. According to Joe Trippi, Internet guru and Governor Howard Dean's campaign manager, the Internet will eventually win out. (I am not so sure, Mr. Trippi. I see signs that the right wingers are jumping onto the Internet, also! Better get ready to rumble!)
I use both the Internet and local newspapers as much as possible to fight back at the extreme right-wing elements that have taken over Louisiana and much of the country.
Liberal Talk Radio and its Effect on Politics of 2006. And now, the liberals, seeing how effective Rush Limbaugh and associates have been with radio, are desperately trying to get into the act and set up their own liberal radio stations. They see the damage that Limbaugh and certain other right wing hosts have done to the liberal and moderate causes. Like me, they don't laugh at Limbaugh any more.
During the past two years, the liberals appear to be having some luck getting progressive radio stations, e.g, Air America, up and running (such a station was actually running in New Orleans until it was abruptly cancelled the day after the conservative debacle in the 2006 midterm elections.....the corporation that owned the progressive station was controlled by right-wingers).
The net effect of the above radio talk show debates is that the conservatives and liberals draw ever further apart in their separately networked world. Is this sharp division good for the country?
Are we setting things up for a continuing war between conservatives and liberals? A fight to the finish between liberals (Democrats) and conservatives (Republicans) A fight between good and evil, as some think. Yes, I think so!
Was the election of 2004 and the election of 2006 two of the early rounds of this fight? Yes, I think so!
This marked division of the country on political issues can't be good. I recall that, in my younger years, both political parties had liberal and conservative wings. However, things never got totally out of hand. There were too many counterbalancing forces. Those were the years that moderates of the two parties ruled and the country was peaceful and economically progressing even though we were fighting the cold war. Now the fanatics are in charge and the United States is moving downhill.
The fate of our nation could conceivably be at stake. I know you have heard that before and nothing happened, but it conceivably could happen this time. Back in 1934, the German people faced a similar situation and they were as gullible as the American people are today. Nazis extremism was growing but Hitler was still stoppable then.
After the 'Night of the Long Knives', when the Nazis got rid of the remaining German leaders who opposed them, or who were a "possible" threat to them, or who they just didn't like, the German people had no further opportunity - all the advantages had moved to Hitler's side. The German people were Hitler's bitches from that point on.
For information on how Nazism was successful in Germany and how it can occur here, see the web site: Germany in World War 2.
Night of the Long Knives in the United States? Will the United States, at some point, have a similar 'Night of the Long Knives' to terrorize non-conservatives into submission? I would like to say that we have got to get our citizens educated to prevent such an occurrence . But then I look at the German people and see they were a very well educated citizenry and, yet, they stood around and let the Nazis take over.
And I look at the predominance of conservative fanatics among my fellow professional engineers and I have to say "These people are well-educated also".
Of course, many people jumping on the conservative bandwagon just want to be on the side that's winning and they perceive that the conservatives are winning. (The German people just wanted to be on the side that was winning, also!)
American Holocaust. Hopefully, we aren’t laying the groundwork for some sort of a holocaust in this country with right wingers leading the assault on any person who disagrees with them.
I would have laughed at such a nightmare scenario a few years ago, but not anymore. I shudder at the changes I see in the American people over the past several years. Bit by bit, they seem to be closing off their consciences to assure they are one of the "crowd," i.e., the conservative crowd.
They accepted Bush's "torture" policies as if they were a dictum from God!
The victory of the Democrats in the midterm 2006 election probably forestalled any Holocaust movement in this country but we must be ever alert.
This is not America's finest generation!
Some of the above discussion may have emphasized the pessimistic side for the Democrats. However, the Democrats have one great advantage if they will use it:
The advantage the Democrats have is flexibility. The conservatives, being essentially followers, have to sit around waiting for orders from the administration as these orders are passed down through Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and other conservative propaganda leaders. Only then can they move in lockstep to carry out their orders which they do very well.
The Democrats, on the other hand, are far more independent by nature and tend to be leaders (in political affairs) rather than followers. They can be nimble and flexible while the Republicans can only stare at them while they (Republicans) are frozen, awaiting orders from the administration and Rush Limbaugh, etc. This flexibility will be a big advantage if the Democrats ever learn how to use it. (The flexibility can be a disadvantage, also, since the Democrats tend to fight among themselves. There is always a debate going on in the Democratic Party....you seldom have that in the Republican Party.)
The advantage the Democrats have in regards to flexibility is similar to the advantage the German Army had at the beginning of World War 2. The Germans were masters of the Blitzkrieg, a type of warfare that featured flexibility while the French and others sought to fight using World War 1 tactics: immobile trench warfare.
Guess who won the early battles?
A sign of the Democrat's flexibility was their action in naming Governor Howard Dean to be chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Instead of a middle-of-the-road Senator Joe Lieberman-type Democrat they chose Governor Dean who, as he puts it, is "from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party."
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2. Democratic Politics & Strategy. The Democrats were tough in 2006 and are playing some strong politics in 2008.
3. Global Warming & Alternative Energy Sources (Blog). Global warming is here; Peak Oil is just around the corner. Anyone ready for alternative energy?
4. Oil Company Stocks. Someone is going to make money on the growing oil crisis. It could be you if you can pick the right oil company stocks.
5. Large Oil Company Stocks. The large (major) oil companies are the most stable of the oil companies. With the increase in oil prices, many of them are making enormous profits. Time to buy large oil company stocks?
The struggle between the conservatives and liberals in the United States continues. The election of 2004 featured a Democratic presidential candidate facing off against a Republican presidential candidate but, behind the scenes, it was really a conservative candidate facing off against a liberal candidate. Politics in the 2008 election will continue to feature the conservatism vs. liberalism struggle.
E-mail me at vanc13@cox.net
Last Updated: 04/03/08
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