Mole's Progressive Democrat: Progressive Democrat Newsletter Issue 282

I have been getting a lot of feedback from readers regarding the current actions of President Obama in particular and Democrats in general. I will deal more with those comments, many negative, next time. This time I want to once more emphasize that even though at times the differences between Republicans and Democrats may seem blurred, that even in conservative states, the true spirit of the Democratic Party is still remembered and is still a sharp contrast to the modern, extremist Republican Party. I hear people's criticisms and intend to process and address them, but for now, REMEMBER, that the difference between the parties is not trivial and we, as progressive Democrats, have a job to remind both Democrats and America in general, what true progressive values are and just how kick ass they are.

Here is a great FDR quote, thanks to the Spotsylvania, VA Democratic Party:

"One great difference which has characterized this division (between liberal and conservative parties) has been that the liberal party - no matter what its particular name was at the time - believed in the wisdom and efficacy of the will of the great majority of the people, as distinguished from the judgement of a small minority . . . The other great difference between the two parties has been this: The liberal party is a party which believes that, as new conditions and problems arise beyond the power of men and women to meet as individuals, it becomes the duty of the Government itself to find new remedies with which to meet them. The liberal party insists that the Government has the definite duty to use all its power and resources to meet new social problems with new social controls - to insure to the average person the right to his own economic and political life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." (President Franklin D. Roosevelt,1941)

I also have been using a quote from President Eisenhower every issue to remind people of how far the modern Republican Party and their Teabaggers have strayed from their honest roots, but it occurs to me I should put this quote into conext. Here is the quote, context follows:

"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are...a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 11/8/54

President Eisenhower represented a very moderate branch of the Republican Party, one that believed in Social Security, unemployment benefits, labor laws and farm programs, unlike today's greedy and corrupt George Bush/Newt Gingrich/Teabagger Republican Party [NOTE: Again I remind my readers that it was the Teabaggers themselves who first used that term for themselves]. But Eisenhower was opposed by another branch of the Republican Party, one that was very much like our modern Greedy Oil Party and which, just like today's George Bush/Newt Gingrich/Teabagger Republican Party, wanted to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs. This branch of the Republican Party was led by the former President Herbert Hoover as well as by the likes of Charles Lindbergh and Douglas MacArthur. The Hoover/Lindbergh branch of the Republican Party hated Eisenhower and wanted Lindbergh as Preseident. They were heavily tied to big banking interests and their policies were dominated by those interests. Before WW II, partly because of banking ties, these anti-Eisenhower Republicans wanted America to side with Germany and Japan and opposed FDR's pro-Allies stands. After WW II these anti-Eisenhower Republicans, in exchange for sweet business deals for themselves and their cronies, helped get German and Japanese war criminals off the hook and quickly back in positions of power. A good book that covers a lot of the close ties between the these anti-Eisenhower Republicans and Imperialist Japan is the Yamato Dynasty, by Sterling and Peggy Seagrave.

It was towards this branch of the Republican Party that was so much like the modern right wing in America today, that Eisenhower aimed his comment. Eisenhower was warning the elements within the Republican Party that preferred bankers and oil millionaires over working class and middle class Americans that they mess with the FDR safety net programs at their own peril.

And today we have a Republican Party DOMINATED by those who prefer wealthy bankers and oil billionaires (whether from Texas or Saudi Arabia) to working class and middle class Americans and who are doing everything they can to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs.

It is clear that Eisenhower would NOT like the modern Republican Party and they would br branding him socialist because he believed in social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs...and he also instituted one of America's biggest and most ambitious infrastructure programs. There was far more in common between Eisenhower and FDR than there would be between Eisenhower and Sarah Palin, Rand Paul, George Bush, Dick Cheney or Carl Paladino.

Let me illustrate the difference. The Greedy Oil Party wants to continue George Bush's tax cuts for the richest Ameicans (which, mind you, is one of the largest contibutors to the deficit other than the wars), but votes against tax cuts for the middle class.

Here is Vice President Biden arguing against the Greedy Oil Party/Teabagger pro-wealthy agenda:

And here is Senator Chuck Schumer debunking Republican trickle-down Voodoo Economics on the Senate floor:

Mr. Schumer: If you care about deficit reduction, the two should be treated equally. A dollar of tax break for millionaire and a dollar of increased unemployment benefits increases the deficit the same amount. However, every economist -- I saw we had a chart up about economists before -- will tell you that a dollar into unemployment benefits stimulates the economy about four times as much as a dollar into tax decreases for millionaires. That's pretty universal. Mark Zandy, John McCain's economic advisor during his campaign, said that a dollar of tax breaks for millionaires stimulates the economy about 30 cents worth. A dollar of tax -- a dollar of unemployment benefits increases the economy by about $1.62.

So tax breaks for the rich barely trickle down at all but massively add to the deficit. Unemployment benefits feed far more into the economy than then add to the deficit. Looked at from the point of view of investing in America, uemployment benefits is the BETTER investment and gives a BETTER return than the Greedy Oil Party's tax breaks for the millionaires.

And the always blunt, brutally truthful Congressman Alan Grayson in top form NAILS the Republicans on their anti-working class and and anti-middle class positions:

It is hard to ignore the sharp contrast between the pro-wealthy Greedy Oil Party and their Teabaggers and the pro-middle class and pro-working class Democrats like Alan Grayson. Too bad some Blue Dog Dems also take the pro-wealthy right wing stand. But the vast majority of the Democratic Party stands with blue collar Americans, the middle class, our teachers and Veterans, our firefighters and cops and want the wealthy to pay their fair share.

President Obama has, to a large degree, landed on the wrong side of this debate. But his excuse, probably true, is that he wants to ease the help to the middle and the working class by giving the Republicans their trickle-down tax break to the very rich. He preferred focusing on the middle class and working class but was willing to include the Bush tax breaks to the very rich. I flatly disagree with him. But it doesn't change the fact that as a whole Democrats STILL favor helping the middle and working classes while Republicans STILL favor helping ONLY the very rich. Even Obama is not buying the full trickle down nonsense even if he is willing to let the Republicans have it.

And here is another contrast that I have been hammering away at for a few weeks now. The Greedy Oil Party supported the bank bailout but opposed the auto industry bail out. Democrats fought hard for the auto industry bailout and won against Teabagger opposition. The result?

Auto Industry Bailout Saved 1.4 Million Jobs

And I will keep remind me readers FACTS on job creation in America...Democrats ALWAYS are better at creating jobs than Republicans:

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Saturday, December 11, 2010

Progressive Democrat Newsletter Issue 282

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