By Mary MacElveen
February 13, 2009
Lost to all as Senator Judd Gregg backed down smiting the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama to be his Commerce Secretary was this most important story I read in today’s Washington Post: Financial Crisis Called Top Security Threat to U.S.. Which I will get to in a few moments.
Upon hearing this breaking news that Gregg took his name out of consideration as Commerce Secretary was, how dare he embarrass this new president whose polling numbers are stronger than those within the Republican congress. How dare he make this move the day before the Stimulus Bill is to be voted on where hopefully the tools contained within it can turn around this dire economy. Real people’s lives are being affected who are not even a part of this political process and the games played in Washington, D.C. by senators like Gregg is paramount to all of us. With Gregg out of the nomination for that seat, it is not the president’s loss, our loss and that is what we must take away from this. Be gone, Gregg is all that I will say.
With Republicans so concerned with the price tag of this stimulus package and not seeking any bipartisanship, exactly where were they when it came to the billions upon billions spent during the Bush presidency. Instead of reaching across the aisle to seek this elusive bipartisanship, they grabbed across the aisle demanding all get in line with former President Bush or be tagged as being unpatriotic.
We are facing unprecedented times and those Republicans who rebuke this president should be shamed instead of honored for standing on principle as Gregg tried to do yesterday. The American people need all of our elected leaders help and so does the rest of the world as we face down a new and real threat called the global economic meltdown which is affecting this planet in its entirety. The citizens of this country and the citizens from each and every country do need strong leadership and not gotcha games as displayed by the Republican Party.
In listening to President Barack Obama speak at the dinner in honor of the late President Abraham Lincoln who is the father of the Republican Party: I wonder, I wonder what this late president would think of the actions of those within this new Republican Party. Not much I would say.
Now back to the original focus of this piece is the security threat due to this global economic meltdown, the Washington Post wrote, “Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair told Congress yesterday that instability in countries around the world caused by the current global economic crisis, rather than terrorism, is the primary near-term security threat to the United States.”
As we deal with this economic crisis that is endangering our national security, I invite all of my readers to read the original piece I wrote back in May of 2003 titled, President Bush, you do not defend America with a lie or a series of lies. Within it, I wrote which is pertinent to our present day circumstances, “A strong country means a country that is economically solvent, instead of insolvent. We have basically allowed a lie to put us in the red.” Little did I realize just how prophetic those words were.
Isn’t the security of this country paramount instead of playing partisan games as the Republicans are doing? They prided themselves as the party of security during the Bush years and now they decide to drop the ball? Then again, by leaving President Barack Obama with a budget deficit of over $1 trillion dollars, in that act, the ball was thrown off of the basketball court. Thankfully, we have a president who knows a thing or two or three of how to handle a ball both on and off the courts.
Let this be an ominous warning coming from Blair to these Republicans, bank executives who helped cause this crisis and to blowhards like Rush Limbaugh, where Blair stated, "Roughly a quarter of the countries in the world have already experienced low-level instability such as government changes because of the current slowdown," This economic crisis is far more dangerous than Al Qaeda and yet those who refuse to help stem this tide who think, who think the economy will be able to turn around without any intervention are the threat to our security as well.
Tax cuts, tax cuts and tax cuts cannot be the only tool used to stare down this new threat which is a clear and present danger.
Yes, elected leaders like Senator Gregg, Senator McConnell and Congressman Boehner are security threats not only to this nation but the world as a whole. Those who shout out from the sidelines like Limbaugh and Coulter as well as other notables like former Vice President Cheney are the threat and we should treat them as such.
As many within the Republican ranks stood against Immigration reform citing security reasons, I want to point out this observation made and written in this WP article, "He [Blair] also saw the prospect of possible refugee flows from the Caribbean to the United States and a questioning of American economic and financial leadership in the world." What say you, Congressman Peter King, Congressman Brian Bilbray and others such Lou Dobbs now? Will this economic firestorm cause an invasion by said refugees? These are dangerous times and I cannot stress that enough and yet folks who rebuke this popular president who has extended his hand across the aisle are playing petty politics and this is where we as Americans must rebuke them back.
What truly freaked out this columnist was this portion cited in that WP article that, "high levels of violent extremism" in the turmoil of the 1920s and 1930s along with "regime-threatening instability" if the economic crisis persists over a one-to-two-year period." Someone had better send an SOS out to those who would vote against the stimulus that it is urgent in nature that we as a nation pull together and get our house in order. Should those who fail to hear this SOS or just vote no on said principle or smite a president, they are putting self above country. Now what would the late President Abraham Lincoln say to that?
I will leave you the reader to read this ominous column published in the Washington Post in its entirety. It is about time we as a nation start paying attention to what is truly important and relevant to us all for the sake and security of this nation instead of stories dealing with celebs. Paying attention to celeb stories should and must be left behind similar to the way we should and must put the former administration behind us. Get that through your noggin, former Vice President Cheney.
In closing, those like McConnell, Boehner, Limbaugh, Coulter and any within the mainstream media who are talking down this stimulus package and President Barack Obama’s presidency itself, you are all a threat to our national security. Even those who smite President Obama such as Senator Gregg did the day before the Stimulus Bill is to be voted on are as well.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
Showing posts with label Republican Party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Republican Party. Show all posts
Friday, February 13, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Republicans failed at listening to the personal and shame on them!
By Mary MacElveen
January 29, 2009
In his Inauguration Speech, President Barack Obama directed these very words to the Muslim world, “To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.” As far as I am concerned, this statement equally applies to the Republican Party since not one of their House members voted yes to the stimulus bill which passed by the Democratic majority.
To his credit, President Barack Obama kept his promise to reach across the aisle to the Republicans and what did they do, they slapped his hand. Some would rather kiss the ring of Rush Limbaugh than do what is right for the citizens of this country.
Some Republican members threw a hissy-fit as they came before the cameras yesterday citing they wanted their voices heard. Not remembering that for a majority of the Bush years, they had their say and what was the end result? Millions of jobs lost where tens of thousands were lost this past week.
In reading an op-ed column in today’s Newsday, Carolyn Gusoff formerly of WNBC news in New York relayed her story to those willing to read it of her new-found-status in a growing club of sorts called the unemployed.
As we all know, with work comes a sense of dignity and pride in what we as Americans do. It is where one is able to have a conversation with another of what we do for a living. So, I was struck when she had this to say, “I am unemployed.” She goes onto say, “There - I said it… It sounds embarrassing - something you wouldn't want to shout out in a crowd. And it's something, after two decades of quite gainful employment, that I never imagined would happen to me.”
We often think those in the media are not representative of we the people, but here a former news reporter and a good one at that chronicled her feelings and I do suspect, many do see themselves in her shoes.
The reason for her job loss is at the hands of the Internet where people do not want to wait for the news and the advertising base is being lost to these local news departments. As with print news, the local news is one that I rely upon to see what is happening in my world. It is getting harder and harder to know what is happening within one’s own community.
In fact, I did touch upon this subject in a column, Cable News: I long for the days of “We now resume normal broadcasting”
Getting back to Guoff’s powerful commentary, somehow this one item written by her stood out and I do suspect that the millions who have lost their jobs could easily identify with "And what do you do?" leaves me at a loss. "I am, I was, I ... um ... and what do you do?" As I said, with a job comes a person's identity and how we show ourselves to the world, how we move within it and for millions, it is lost. Yet, these Republicans who failed at voting for this one bill simply do not get it.
In a prior piece, I wrote a similarity between the world we inherited after 9/11 to these stark and dark economic times. Directly after 9/11 both parties did come together to show a sign of strength not only to the American people, but the world in the name of patriotism. Gusoff's words spoke to the very heart of it as she listened to President Obama's speech in which she wrote, "As I watched him usher in a season of change across the nation, I hung on every word. Because for me, like so many other Americans right now, hoping he succeeds is not just patriotic, it's personal." In these bleak economic times, the Republicans by not supporting this one bill are failing the American people.
As the Republican members gathered in a mob-mentality to show themselves flexing their political muscle, what they failed to do was to listen to the individual voices of those who have lost their jobs. They failed at listening to the personal and for that, I say, shame on them!
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
January 29, 2009
In his Inauguration Speech, President Barack Obama directed these very words to the Muslim world, “To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.” As far as I am concerned, this statement equally applies to the Republican Party since not one of their House members voted yes to the stimulus bill which passed by the Democratic majority.
To his credit, President Barack Obama kept his promise to reach across the aisle to the Republicans and what did they do, they slapped his hand. Some would rather kiss the ring of Rush Limbaugh than do what is right for the citizens of this country.
Some Republican members threw a hissy-fit as they came before the cameras yesterday citing they wanted their voices heard. Not remembering that for a majority of the Bush years, they had their say and what was the end result? Millions of jobs lost where tens of thousands were lost this past week.
In reading an op-ed column in today’s Newsday, Carolyn Gusoff formerly of WNBC news in New York relayed her story to those willing to read it of her new-found-status in a growing club of sorts called the unemployed.
As we all know, with work comes a sense of dignity and pride in what we as Americans do. It is where one is able to have a conversation with another of what we do for a living. So, I was struck when she had this to say, “I am unemployed.” She goes onto say, “There - I said it… It sounds embarrassing - something you wouldn't want to shout out in a crowd. And it's something, after two decades of quite gainful employment, that I never imagined would happen to me.”
We often think those in the media are not representative of we the people, but here a former news reporter and a good one at that chronicled her feelings and I do suspect, many do see themselves in her shoes.
The reason for her job loss is at the hands of the Internet where people do not want to wait for the news and the advertising base is being lost to these local news departments. As with print news, the local news is one that I rely upon to see what is happening in my world. It is getting harder and harder to know what is happening within one’s own community.
In fact, I did touch upon this subject in a column, Cable News: I long for the days of “We now resume normal broadcasting”
Getting back to Guoff’s powerful commentary, somehow this one item written by her stood out and I do suspect that the millions who have lost their jobs could easily identify with "And what do you do?" leaves me at a loss. "I am, I was, I ... um ... and what do you do?" As I said, with a job comes a person's identity and how we show ourselves to the world, how we move within it and for millions, it is lost. Yet, these Republicans who failed at voting for this one bill simply do not get it.
In a prior piece, I wrote a similarity between the world we inherited after 9/11 to these stark and dark economic times. Directly after 9/11 both parties did come together to show a sign of strength not only to the American people, but the world in the name of patriotism. Gusoff's words spoke to the very heart of it as she listened to President Obama's speech in which she wrote, "As I watched him usher in a season of change across the nation, I hung on every word. Because for me, like so many other Americans right now, hoping he succeeds is not just patriotic, it's personal." In these bleak economic times, the Republicans by not supporting this one bill are failing the American people.
As the Republican members gathered in a mob-mentality to show themselves flexing their political muscle, what they failed to do was to listen to the individual voices of those who have lost their jobs. They failed at listening to the personal and for that, I say, shame on them!
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
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