Republican Failure: Let's Review

This coming week is the end of a true nightmare era for America. The Bush era will be remembered as one of America's worst. From the stolen 2000 election on it was one disaster after another. Bush has left America weaker, poorer, and more demoralized than at any other time in my lifetime.

But it wasn't just Bush. What ruined America wasn't just Bush's complete lack of intelligence or compassion. It was the unrestrained Republican extremist ideology that ruined America. And I think it is best to review just WHY the extremist Republican ideology is bad for America.

First off, let us remember that the extremist Republicans believe in a "Drown America in a Bathtub" approach to government. This approach DELIBERATELY mismanages and neglects government, leaving our levees unable to deal with hurricanes in New Orleans or floods in the Midwest, and leaving our roads and bridges decaying. The Katrina disaster, the Midwest floods and bridge collapses, and many other crises in America were not only predictable, but were PREDICTED, and yet those warnings were ignored by Bush and the extremist Republicans. The result was Americans died needlessly. Let me emphsize this: Deliberate Republican mismanagement led directly to Americans dying.

And let us also remember another warning ignored by Bush and the Republicans: al-Qaeda. Remember we KNEW al-Qaeda's plans which they carried out almost exactly on 9/11. Clinton and his administration knew and tried to stop bin Laden. The Republicans refused to back Clinton's attempts to stop al-Qaeda and accused him of trying to distract American from the Monica Lewinsky "scandal." If only America HAD been distracted, maybe we could have prevented 9/11. Then Clinton and his administration warned Bush that he needed to face al-Qaeda. Bush ignored the warning. Bush was warned by intelligence reports tha al-Qaeda was determined to attack. Bush ignored the warning. So, because Bush and the Republicans refused to listen to Clinton and intelligence reports, America was attacked and Americans died.

Then there were the deliberate, cynical Republican lies that got us into the Iraq Quagmire. Plus they bungled the invasion! Our troops were ill equipped, poorly treated by the Republican administration, and there was, and still isn't, any exit strategy. (You can read just a tiny sampling of examples of this bungling here). Let's face facts. The Democrats were weak and too easily collaborated with the invasion. But let's never forget that it was Bush, Cheney, Colin Powell (and, THEN Democrat Joe Lieberman, though we finally kicked him out of the party) who concocted and told the actual lies that got us into the quagmire. Democrats, just like the American people, may have been foold, but it was engineered by the Republicans. And in engineering this invasion based on lies, Bush and the Republicans made a conscious decision to virtually abandon the war against al-Qaeda, allowing bin Laden to continue to operate 7 years after the attacks. Seven years after Pearl Harbor we had won WW II, become the dominant force in the world and helped Europe and Asia rebuild.

But perhaps worse than the bungling of Iraq is the gross war profiteering that Republicans have indulged in, including deliberate neglect of problems that have led to soldiers needlessly dying. AND they lied to cover it up. A lot of this is only coming out because since the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives, investigations by Democratic Congressmen have been initiated and allowed to go forward. A little late for some soldiers, but better than the cover ups, lies and war profiteering of the Republicans.

Then, let us remember that the the Republican faith that the business model is the be all and end all of ideology may work for some things, but is a complete failure when it comes to healthcare and education. A model that is based on a certain level of failure so that others succeed is NOT appropriate for healthcare (where failure means death and morbidity) or education (where failure means children left behind, increased drug use, poverty and crime). This is why healthcare and education are in such dire straits after so much extremist mismanagement.

Then there is a level of corruption that this nation may never have seen before...at least not since the Harding Administration. Yes, there is occasional Democratic corruption (like a certain Illinois Governor and a certain Louisiana Conrgessman, both of whom have now been rejected by the Democratic Party), but a simple breakdown of indictments, convictions and investigations shows clearly that Republican corruption is far, far, far greater, more damaging, and more widespread. And while many Democrats fight corruption within their own party, Republicans have consistently circled the wagons and stood by even their most corrupt members, leaving it to voters to oust them. In fact, John McCain actually CHOSE Sarah Palin for VP even though she is part of the extremely corrupt Alaska Republican Party and is herself actively under investigation. I will give some credit, though. SOME prominent Republicans have switched parties because of Republican corruption. This includes people like Pete McCloskey and Clint Curtis.

Worse perhaps than the run of the mill Republican corruption is a highly disturbing trend where far right wing Republican extremists who always go on and on about other people's morality turn out to be pedophiles themselves. There also is even some blatent Republican treason out there.

And then there is the deliberate election fraud perpetrated by Republicans in several states since even BEFORE the 2000 election. We now have even Republican whistleblowers talking about this fraud. We know it has happened and we know the Republican Party, including Karl Rove, were involved.

Americans have died because of Republican corruption and incompentence. America's enemies have thrived because of Republican corruption and incompentence. American freedoms have been lost because of Republican corruption and incompentence.

All of that ends this week. America is ready for a change and I have no doubt that Obama represents the change we need.