Sobering election results in Va.

Virginia is a strange state. Folks here in the commonwealth elected one of the first black governors (Douglas Wilder) years ago, when it wasn't a popular thing to do elsewhere. It also elected Tea Party darling, Eric Cantor. It has a bunch of famous, intellectual presidents buried in its red-clay soil. Many universities are named after them and other home-grown leaders. Virginia is also the home of some of the least progressive thinkers in U.S. history. It has a warm-and-fuzzy, long-lasting marketing slogan to help boost tourism. And, until recently, it allowed people to smoke in restaurants. You can still carry a gun almost anywhere in the state, and also get one of the best educations available in the world.


Voters are fickle here, too. There seems to be no logic to how or when they vote, or what values they support from year to year. It's a big state with demographics that vary wildly. It's often unpredictable in its politics and legislation. It's local economies are uneven.


Loudoun County, in an area of Northern Virginia that traditionally leans left, now has an entirely Republican Board of Supervisors and a new Republican sheriff. And with the results of one election still pending, Richmond is on the verge of being ruled entirely by Republicans.

Yesterday's election results are disheartening to me, an on-and-off resident of Virginia for over 20 years. I want the state to be more progressive, or at least politically and socially balanced. I am embarrassed by the tobacco industry ruling Richmond for decades. Yet, I admire much of the history and beauty that can be seen throughout the state. It's a great thing to be able to go to a University of Virginia football game in Charlottesville and realize you're on the campus that Thomas Jefferson founded. Head over to Colonial Williamsburg or Yorktown in the Tidewater region and you will likely experience something uniquely Virginian.


But there are no more Jeffersons left in Virginia, only smaller and smaller minds encased in the skulls of leaders who want to make this a state where everyone only looks out for themselves. Our state and local leaders now speak to the wealthy and prey on the emotions of the uninformed. They don't warn of the dangers of greedy corporations, as Jefferson did. They romance big business and call for oil rigs to be constructed off of Virginia Beach. Virginia isn't for lovers anymore. It's for BP, factory farming and big-time lobbyists.


While some of the national results from Election Day are modestly encouraging, I am not feeling so good  about Virginia. It's beginning to feel like a part of the country that is buying into all the Tea Party garbage and "Obama's a socialist" crap. Even Northern Virginia seems to be turning as red as the soil in the southern part of the state, which for an area as diverse as this, is quite alarming.


Over two-thirds of the registered voters did not vote yesterday. If that happens again in 2012, Obama will lose Virginia and empower conservatives in Richmond even more. It probably won't be long before Virginians are smoking up a storm in restaurants again, as the "Don't Tread on Me" slogan replaces the "Virginia is for Lovers" motto.

• GOP declares victory in Virginia Senate

A voice from the 1 percent

"Many of the 53% crowd seem quite proud of their Christian faith.  I am not religious myself, but I am reasonably certain that Jesus would not respond to the poor and unemployed with shouts of "Get a job!"  I vividly remember what it was like to be poor. To be concise, it sucked, and my heartfelt sympathies automatically go out to anyone who has to experience it, especially children who are blameless for their circumstances. Whenever I meet someone who has not been as lucky as I have been, I recognize how easily our roles could have been reversed by the random forces of fate. And despite my lack of religion, I instinctively think "There but for the grace of God go I."


The above paragraph was written by someone in the 1 percent. Not a mega-wealthy person, but someone who makes enough money to be economically excluded from the 99 percent. Click here to read the entire text.


Not everyone in the 1 percent is evil or greedy. Many in the top percent want to pay their fair share of taxes in order to create a better society. Some want to hire people and expand their businesses. And few might even see that it is the Republican Party and certain corporate forces that are preventing a more fair and equitable system that would eventually improve the overall economy. I hope more 1 percenters speak out and support the movement to clean up a corrupt system that they have benefitted from but know is morally wrong.


To counter the 99 percent movement and prop up the Tea Party, a new group is forming on the right. They consider themselves in the 53 percent -- which I am still not certain what that number represents or if it's even accurate. Much that comes from the right never checks out factually, but I think their point is that they are employed, tax-paying citizens who want to put themselves above the protesters. To me, it seems the only purpose of this group is to place blame on the unemployed rather than the system that has led to mass layoffs over the last three years. These 53 percent live in an imaginary country based on a world that hasn't existed for decades. To them, everything is just fine. Opportunities for all still exist. All you have to do is work hard and pursue your dreams. Gosh, what a naive view.


Those who followed the rules -- worked hard and were loyal -- found out the system was rigged. Many of them lost their jobs. They are denied re-entry into the workplace because of the lack of openings, age discrimination or skills that are no longer needed. Those who are working are hit with furloughs so that massive bonuses can be paid out to top-level executives. Meanwhile, the people most responsible for the collapse of the economy remain free from prosecution and continue to profit from their unethical practices. 


This doesn't feel like class warfare. This feels like class surrender. Yet, maybe the surrender was premature. There is an awakening in America -- one that hopefully can't be stopped by Wall Street dollars, political liars like Eric Cantor and John Boehner, or even police brutality. It's sadly ironic that police, who have been hit hard by layoffs and flat wages, are turning against the very people protesting to help them get back on track. I wonder if police officers will eventually realize that they are a part of the 99 percent -- part of the population screwed over by some in the 1 percent -- and join the protesters? Imagine how Wall Street and extreme right-wing conservatives will tremble at the site of the blue marching with demonstrators?


I don't think the 53 percent will get much traction, but then again, I never thought the Tea Party would actually sway elections in 2010 and create a Republican field of presidential candidates that is so scary, so intellectually inferior to any presidential field I've ever seen in my lifetime, that it makes me wonder if we are indeed done as a country.


The Occupy Wall Street folks are exposing some ugly truths about America and are ruffling the feathers of those in power who will use groups like the 53 percent and Tea Party to create smoke screens. But the OWS demonstrators have the truth and numbers on their side. They have the data and the facts that show how the political system in this country has catered to the elite at the expense of everyone else. Bad policies drove us into the recession and mass unemployment -- policies created by and for the 1 percent. No amount of b.s. or high-paid lobbying from the far right will be able to extinguish what most of us know to be true intellectually and what we feel in our hearts every single day.


The chart below shows the problem. Since about the Reagan-era, the top one percent (red line) has seen their income skyrocket. Everyone else has been relatively flat. What this chart doesn't show is the timeline of public policies that created the gross advantages for the one percent while everyone else was losing their jobs or not getting raises. That, in a nutshell, is what needs to change and why people are protesting.

Class warfare vs. class surrender. Watch YouTube video

For what it's worth

I was listening to as much conservative talk radio as I could stomach today. The Wall Street protesters were being criticized by all the usual suspects on the right. It reminded me of the days when Vietnam War protesters were taking the heat from a similar-minded establishment crowd who thought there was absolutely nothing wrong with America.

Ultimately, the anti-war movement proved to be a just cause, similar to the environmental and civil rights movements born in the same era. I suspect history will one day credit the corporate greed demonstrators with helping to change the system for the better. I am grateful that so many Americans are beginning to voice their opinions again. Staying silent usually solves nothing in life, and there is too much wrong with this country for the masses to remain inactive.

An appreciation for history isn't a strength of modern-day conservatives. They still blame "socialist hippie" protesters for our losing the war. Heck, they probably still think Vietnam, like every war, was a noble way for us to sacrifice American lives and spend taxpayer money. In right-wing land, what's good for corporate America is also good for waging war and winning elections.

This new generation of hawks and greed monsters must be called out for their bad behavior over the last several years. Invading countries, using our money for bailouts to bolster executive bonuses, threatening our Social Security and busting unions just can't continue. If government is going to side with Wall Street and not Main Street, then I expect these protests will spread. If corporations are going to turn their backs on the unemployed, then they will also hear from us.

Sadly, righties like presidential candidate Herman Cain think unemployed people are to blame for not having jobs. Yup, that's what he said in a recent interview. That's how out of touch he and the Republican Party have become. And by the way, Mr. Cain, your pizza is as terrible as your politics.

I hope Americans grow weary of sacrificing their sons and daughters, their paychecks and their homes to a political ideology that has done nothing but provide advantages to people who don't need help. Granted, not every social or economic policy from the left works, but at least the intent is usually good. Can you really say the same for those who are protecting oil companies?

It seems to me that all great ideas -- great music, art, innovation and righteous causes -- of the last 40 years, did not come from hard-line, close-minded conservatives protecting the status quo. The iconic moments, movements and inventions in recent history have almost always been sparked by those with a more inclusive, liberal, out-of-the-box approach to life in general. People with empathy who can relate to the struggles of the poor or the decline middle class. They see a need and try to fill it. People daring to make a difference, like a Steve Jobs, who grew up among the hippies and embraced many liberal principles. And while those progressive principles were being formed and ignited, there was always a group on the other side of the room, stuck in wanting to protect themselves from change while remaining on top of the economic and social ladders. This left-brain, right-brain battle has probably been going on since the beginning of time, but it has now reached a boiling again because the do-nothings won't even provide us with a ladder to climb anymore.


Companies can't continue to grow massive profits while driving their employees into the ground and claiming they don't have the cash to hire some help. They used the recession and layoffs to expand profit margins and, I guess, thought no one would notice the accumulating pile of cash sitting in the corner office. Well, we've finally noticed.

Corporate America, you should resume hiring. You can provide help to your employees who are stretched thin and, at the same time, put some unemployed Americans back to work. You only have to do one thing to accomplish this: Reduce your greed. You don't have to wait for the recession to end or for the 2012 elections. You don't have to necessarily have more customers. Your profits are at a record rate now. Burning out your employees and not getting more money into the economy by expanding your workforce might help your quarterly reports for the short term, but it won't do much for your business in the long run.

I remember a scene from the Godfather II film where a young and upcoming Michael Corleone is meeting with other mafia bosses on a balcony overlooking Havana in the 1950s. He mentions that he saw some rebels while traveling to the hotel. The other established, older mob bosses told Corleone not to worry about the silly rebels. They were no threat to the powerful government of Cuba, which was in bed with the mafia. Still, Corleone felt that people willing to demonstrate, get arrested and even die for a cause were not people to be overlooked. Within days of that conversation at the hotel, the revolutionaries overthrew the government and the wealthy mobsters had to grab their riches and flee the country. Maybe one day Rush Limbaugh will be forced to vacate his Florida compound the way the mobsters had to leave Cuba.

We are at a crossroads where one group of people sees the folly and injustice of continuing to do the same abusive thing over and over (giving tax cuts to the rich and protect Wall Street), while the other side holds on tightly to its accountants, lobbyists and country club memberships. One side is seeking the truth. The other side is trying to cover it up, even when the truth spills all over the Gulf of Mexico or steals the jobs of once hard-working citizens so that outrageous bonuses can be paid to executives whose main value is in their willingness to eliminate jobs.

One side is trying to educate us, the other is selling us something that simply doesn't work for most people, much the way PCs didn't operate as well as Macs, yet PCs were shoved down our throats by big business their marketing branches.

Even the wealthy are divided. The rich on one side want to be taxed in order to help solve our problems, while the rich on the other side never offer an extra dime of their money for anything that doesn't involve them getting even wealthier.

Both sides claim to be for the middle class, but is there anything in the record on the far right that indicates we really matter to the top 1 percent? Put aside the flag-waving, country music festivals and Tea Party nonsense and what do you really have on the right that is of any use to those of us trying to build or maintain middle class life? I am not interested in false patriotism that is based on emotions more than facts. I am interested in truth and solutions.

As these protests continue, people are going to feel compelled to support or reject the demonstrations. I hope folks will base that decision on the message and not on the interpretation of the message from those on the right with a hidden agenda. The Eric Cantors of the political world are not your friends. They are not on your side. Don't help them support the 1 percent. Help yourselves by uniting with those who are fighting for you.

While the mobsters thought that an increasingly corrupt Cuba was safe for their criminal enterprises to continue forever, people with nothing left to lose often have a very different opinion. Whether you're a college student worried about finding a job or a mid-career victim of layoffs, you intimately know something that some Americans still don't realize. The deck is stacked against us. No matter how hard we work or how well educated or trained we become, we can't claim our fair share of the pie if the pie is taken off the table by the 1 percent of elitists and antiquated tricksters in Washington. That needs to change. That is what these protests are about.


Unemployed from variety of backgrounds join protest.

1 percent should not rule 99 percent

I think most of us agree that government is broken. At some point, probably a couple decades ago, politicians began caring more about themselves than us. And we, the voters, allowed it because life was generally OK for most of us for many years, particularly following the end of the Vietnam War and military draft. The civil rights protests went away. More and more kids were going to college. Retirees were enjoying their pensions.

But now a massive vortex has formed as the country has reached a point of division and dysfunction that we might not ever recover from. We're spinning out of control. There are no more pensions. Even Social Security is at risk.

We're at a juncture where individuals most hurt by the shenanigans of Constitution Avenue and Wall Street have exhausted all options to remain afloat, let alone thrive. Unless we unify, mobilize and get into the faces of bankers, senators and others who make up the approximately one percent of those getting rich on our pain, the lives of 99 percent of Americans will continue to spiral downward -- some slowly, some quickly depending on where you're at in the social-economic order.

While the one percent holds the power and privilege in this county, the 99 percent possess the numbers. However, if the majority continues to sit back and do nothing, or dilute and divide itself into mindless red and blue camps, then the one percent will continue to flourish at our expense.

We don't need a Tea Party, we need an informed Unity Party. We need for people to rally around groups like Occupy Together in order to send a message to those who have abused their powers that we aren't going to take it anymore. Regardless of political leanings, we as Americans should have one cause in common, and that is to stop being abused by those in power. We want our jobs back. We want a more level playing field. We don't want to make anymore sacrifices so that corporate titans can profit while we struggle to put food on the table. That isn't a political philosophy -- it's common decency. And everyone except the 1 percent should be for that.

It is the 99 percent that gives the 1 percent their power. We can also take it away if we stop allowing ourselves to be manipulated by various powerful factions that intentionally try to divide us.

Three years of unemployment and underemployment are taking an irreversible toll on the country as a whole. Roads are crumbling, families are splintering, stores are closing, tax rolls are dwindling. Eventually, the bridges that carry the trucks that bring products to market will collapse. And what will CEOs do then? Layoff more people? Is that how we're going to continue to handle this crisis, by firing capable workers? Is that really the best Corporate America and government can do to address a complex problem that they helped create?

Layoffs just make things worse for society, which in turn eats away at the economy and our national security. Yes, corporate profits have risen, but for how long and through what means? Eventually the recession will catch up to these job killers, who may then realize that gutting the workforce and sitting on their wealth might not have been such a good strategy. In fact, that tactic has fueled a dark super cell -- a storm on the horizon that is so ominous that it may threaten our way of life, our freedom.

There seems to be only one way out of this. We and our elected officials need to start working together. I mean really work together, not just give lip service about it. We need to put aside our philosophical differences, reject the lobbyists/special interests groups and hit the voting booths harder than ever in order to get rid of any politician who seems unwilling to compromise or unable to think outside of the box.

We need to work for and do business with responsible employers who protect and create jobs here in America. When a lawmaker trumpets a claim, they need to back it out with facts not partisan theory and manipulation. We need to verify that tax cuts for the wealthy help create jobs. If that claim can't be supported with hard data, then politicians need to let go of it and move on. And we, the voters, need to punish any politician who clings to any false statements or perpetuates economic myths. Those falsities are a distraction. They are delaying our finding real solutions for the 99 percent of us who don't have a pile of gold stashed away or more time to waste.

The cost of not working together is our destruction. Plain and simple. If you want to cling to your bumper sticker, red and blue mentality, do so at your own peril. But if you want to force our leaders to do something for us rather than against us, you have to abandon your preconceived notions about our two political parties. You must educate yourselves and realize that most politicians do not have our best interests at heart. You must join protesters marching in New York and form your own protests at your State Houses and corporate headquarters of the most offensive companies. You must write and call your representatives. Elect governors who can govern for the people and not just take money from special interest groups. Reject anyone and everyone who doesn't stand up for workers' rights, whether those workers are unionized or not.

At this stage, the 99 percent being passive or uninformed will only make the 1 percent stronger. The 1 percent doesn't need either political party helping them. You must be willing to reinvent yourself, your views on politics and government, and not fall for the same tricks that have done nothing but weaken the 99 percent for a generation or two while right-wingers and centrists have ineffectively ruled the country. If that means swallowing a little pride and admitting your party is overrun by folks who say they are for the middle class but aren't, then open your eyes and vote them out. But at the same time, be cautious with who you're voting in. Make sure they are qualified, honest, sincere and intelligent. Examine their records and make sure they understand history. Don't elect anyone based on your emotions or their empty promises.

Look around your neighborhoods, your offices and see who is doing well and who isn't. Dig beneath the surface and don't just assume that someone who lost their job or house must have done something wrong. If you do that, you're sealing your own faith. Your pink slip will come.

Statistics show that if you're a white male over 50 years old, and get laid off, there is an increasing chance that you will never work again regardless of your credentials. Age discrimination is running rampant, which is another thing the system is supposed to prevent but doesn't because we don't do a damn thing to make sure employers aren't operating outside of the law. Apathy is killing us.

I am outraged whenever I hear politicians talking about raising the retirement age. Who exactly is going to hire or keep a 70-year-old employee these days? It sounds fine to say we're living longer than ever and need to save money on Social Security by delaying benefits, but does anyone ever think about enforcing age discrimination laws so that we can work into our senior years? Simply raising the retirement age without putting some teeth into discrimination laws is a recipe for disaster in a job market that openly excludes experienced workers. I've read a lot of job ads in the last three years, and it always astonishes me how employers aren't shy about their not wanting to give anyone over 50 a chance to even apply, let alone interview. It's a tragedy for mid-career professionals and for less experienced workers who could learn from the seasoned pros. In addition, current job seekers do not need a whole new wave of people to compete with.

Recently, I've heard some Republicans want to make job training mandatory for anyone who receives unemployment benefits. Sounds good on the surface, but surface solutions are often flawed. The real agenda of these Republicans has more to do with throwing the vulnerable overboard than it does guiding them back into employment.

Unemployment benefits are just that -- benefits earned by once-employed people. You don't qualify for them if you didn't work. So the premise that unemployment is some sort of handout is completely wrong in most instances, particularly during this recession. In addition to that, many people who get laid off have years of experience and a wide range of skills. A few months of additional training aren't going to make them anymore employable. It's another illusion promoted by intellectually challenged morons who want to place the blame on the victims of this horrible economy rather than on the culprits. Heck, in many cases it was their vast experience (and larger paychecks) that got good people canned in the first place -- usually older workers.

I resent any statement that implies that all unemployed or underemployed people must have a shortage of skills. In fact, in certain cases, unemployed people from certain professions probably have more skills, education and ethics than those who remain employed. Companies throughout this recession have been letting go of the wrong people for the wrong reasons.

While adding tools to one's toolbox isn't a bad idea in a struggling job market, it should not be mandated as a condition to receive what laid-off workers are rightfully owed. In a day and age where companies don't even have the decency to provide severance, unemployment benefits must be paid as long as those receiving the benefits can prove they are searching for work. Unemployment benefits not only help individuals, but they have been proven to boost the economy.

Why have we all -- outside of those current protesters in New York and previously Wisconsin -- become so apathetic about blatant injustice? Social, economic and institutional injustice is reaching epidemic levels. Have we somehow collectively accepted that we can't fight city hall anymore? Are we willing to voluntarily march off a cliff, clinging to our stale political beliefs right until the end, while the one percent gathers more riches and power? We should be outraged by the one percent who are picking our bones clean, practically robbing our gold fillings from our graves. Where are these people acquiring their nerve and authority to make up the rules as they go?

If you're fresh out of college, and unable to find a job, it's going to be impossible to pay back your school loans, let alone begin your quest for the "American Dream." We have always sold that dream in order to create peace and tranquility among the masses and to drive the economy. It's worked for a long time because people were able to climb the social ladder, buy a car, put food on the table and pay into the system through taxation. That just isn't the case anymore. There is no ladder to climb anymore. Young adults are getting out of college and moving in with their parents nowadays. If you don't work, you can't pay taxes, which in turn causes more economic and societal woes for everyone.

Some are seeing a connection between our disillusioned young, educated people and the youths in Egypt who recently became so disenchanted with a government that wasn't working for them that they took to the streets in full revolutionary mode.

Can that happen here?

I don't see why not. Maybe it has already started.

Chronic institutional unfairness alters social norms regardless of nationality. You want to see class warfare, wait another few years. You won't be able to go the ATM without getting mugged by someone who once paid taxes and lived a three-room rambler with a white picket fence, but is now starving on the streets because politicians couldn't put aside their differences in order to address a national crisis. Wait a few more years and things could be considerably worse. At that point, who do we blame? The politicians or the people who elected them without doing their homework?

Close-minded voters who rely only on talk radio to help them decide on a which candidate to cast a ballot for are worse than people who don't vote at all. Recent Republican primaries are driven by some of the most ill-informed people on the planet and are taking away our options in general elections. I'd like to get back to having two viable candidates to choose from in a general election. I'd like to return to the days when Corporate American didn't control our politicians and where crazies didn't make it beyond their local homeowner association boards in the political world.

We have reached the point where if we don't compromise and find lasting solutions, we will fall and fall hard. The despair, the poverty, the lack of hope will eat at the inner core of America and reduce us to a nation of have and have-nots, with the have-nots eventually rising up to create chaos that even the rich won't be able to shelter themselves from. Perhaps this is why some wealthy folks are finally coming out and pleading to have their taxes raised. Yes, raised. They can and want to help the economy, realizing that if they don't take on a fairer share of the load, they might end up with nothing, like the 50somethings, who were once vibrant, middle-class contributors to society but who are now living in their cars all across this nation. Yet, there are some leaders in Washington who ignore the pleas of the moral rich in favor of the still-greedy rich. They won't raise taxes.

It is time to shut out the extremists and the selfish and work together. The media can play a role in this by not giving any airtime to all the usual suspects who do nothing but promote themselves. We need smart, sincere people on the front pages of our newspapers. People willing and able to make a difference, not manipulators of media who flirt with their short-sighted followers through bus tours and book signings. These people are a cancer. They are not patriots. At best, they are distractions. And we can't afford anymore distractions. Time is running out.

For some victims of the last three years, it's already too late. But there are millions more who could be saved from a very bad ending if politicians, business owners and others can simply redirect their energy to rebuilding the middle class rather than tearing it down though obstructionism and partisan inaction. Politicians can't create jobs, but they can create an environment more conducive to combating joblessness. In that regard, both Republicans and Democrats have failed us miserably.

Jobs, not "Obamacare" or debt reduction or anything else, must be the central focus of Washington. Every time I hear a smoke-and-mirrors politician utter the word "Obamacare," I know they aren't serious about job creation and I won't vote for them. If you're unemployed or want to remain employable for the next decade or two, I would recommend you do the same -- vote out anyone who seems distracted by lesser issues or who doesn't back up their jobs rhetoric with action. Real action. Not speeches, not phony bills that are dead on arrival. I want to see a look of authenticity and truthfulness on the faces of our leaders in Congress. I want to feel a sense of getting along with the opposing party. Please, no more posturing.

I would like to see entire debates dedicated to one subject -- job creation. I don't need to hear anything more about fences along borders, in-state tuition for the children of illegal aliens or English as an official language. I don't need for politicians to sneak in their pet projects or warped values in the name of job creation. I want to see members of both political parties roll up their sleeves and get back to the job of getting us to work.

Everything depends on employment. Everything, including our health, the environment and our defense. We can't protect whales or feed starving children if there is no money going to organizations that do good works. This is not the time for Democrats and Republicans to come out of White House meetings with nasty comments about the other guy or to drone on about why they don't believe in science.. This is a time for unity and a sense of urgency. We have no time left to listen to Tea Party fantasies or to cater to a do-nothing establishment. We must stand together in our demand for jobs. We must turn up the volume in a variety of ways if we want to be a democracy and create a fair and optimistic nation.

Read more about the 99 percent.

Rescue America from Wall Street.

New Yorkers' send wrong message

Republican Bob Turner's special election win in Anthony Weiner's old Congressional district in New York is about as stunning an upset as it gets in modern politics.

This is a Brooklyn/Queens district that has voted Democratic since the 1920s.

This is a district that, according to poll numbers just a few months ago, did not want Weiner to resign over the Twitter scandal.

This is New York City.

I understand as well as anyone that people are upset about a number of things in this country. The unemployment situation is getting worse and remains the overwhelming top concern for anyone who isn't in Congress.

While the data shows joblessness leveling out at around a dismal 9 percent in the past year, there are very few people left who don't think that number is at least double that when you factor in the folks who gave up looking for work or are severely underemployed. In some parts of the country and in some demographics, the unemployment rate is estimated to be over 30 percent. And the layoffs keep coming, as seen in a recent announcement by Bank of America.

In order to maintain some faith in voters, I have to believe the upset in New York isn't about Democrats or Republicans. It's about rejecting whomever is or has been in power. Of course, that isn't how Republicans will take it, which in turn will empower them to become even worse obstructionists in the coming months.

New Yorkers sent the wrong message by electing Turner. They decided to bite their nose to spite their face.

It appears the tailspin we've be in since Republicans have adopted Tea Party negotiating principles just got worse. Barring a sudden shift to reason and cooperation in Washington, 2012 isn't likely to bring any hope to an increasingly pessimistic society or the millions of people trying to survive as they look for work.

OMG moment at GOP debate

Texas. Gov. Rick Perry criticized a border fence as being unrealistic during Monday night's GOP debate. Instead of a fence or wall, he suggested more boots on the ground and high-tech solutions to reduce illegal immigration.

And here's a shocker. I basically agree with him.

"The idea that you're going to build a wall from Brownsville to El Paso and go left for another 800 miles to Tijuana is just not reality," said Perry.

He's right. A border fence is nothing more than an emotional response to illegal immigration. It's red meat for Tea Party people and other far right-wing fanatics. It's not a real solution.

Fences make some people feel better but rarely do they work. A ladder or tunnel would easily defeat the purpose of a costly and unguarded fence. In addition, a massive fence along the entire border with Mexico is an environmental nightmare for animals needing to migrate.

Even more border police and aerial patrols aren't enough to address the illegal immigration problem, but they are a start. Preventing undocumented people from entering the U.S., regardless of whether they are coming from the south or flying into JFK, requires smarter immigration policies and some societal changes. That's another blog item for another day.

Perry also talked about how providing in-state tuition for illegal aliens who want to better themselves by going to college was something he supported in Texas. He said the alternatives, which may include illegal immigrants not contributing to society, was far worse.

Again, I concur, although this too is a complex issue with no single solution.

Of course, through all of this, Michelle Bachmann's head nearly exploded, which in my view elevated Perry. Bachmann, the Tea Party favorite, was giving the audience what they wanted. And what they wanted was what they always want -- mean-spirited, shallow remarks that show zero vision and would set us back 200 years if implemented. Remember, these are the same people who applauded the number of executions in Texas at the last debate.

For one night, and probably one night only, Perry had moments of sounding rational. I guess that's not hard to do when Bachmann is sharing the stage.

Still, this group of Republicans is awful. Patti Davis, the daughter of Ronald Reagan, is going around to different media outlets blasting these GOP candidates for aligning themselves with her father. She points to what she saw as compassion in her father and says there is no evidence that modern-day Republicans possess an ounce of empathy for anyone. That perception is once again looking like reality as the GOP is lined up to shoot down President Obama's jobs bill, mostly because the bill raises money by eliminating certain deductions for the extremely wealthy -- the people they insist are job creators, even though there is no data to support that.

The lack of compassion and patriotism in these Republicans should disqualify them from ever aligning themselves with any past Republican president because the GOP has simply decayed into something that is so unsavory that even Reagan would condemn them. If Perry was trying to distance himself from that perception on Monday night, well, he has a long way to go, but I am not holding my breath.

A voice of reason on the right

“I’d love to get everybody to take a pledge to take no more pledges.”

- Jon Huntsman, GOP candidate for president.

That was the best line of the GOP debate this week. Unfortunately, it way too reasonable for Tea Party reactionaries and other fringe right wingers, many who reside in the current Congress.

If more Republicans felt like Huntsman, we would have avoided the entire debt ceiling debacle. We'd also have more intelligent and productive debates on other pressing issues that require compromise and adult conversations.

No-tax pledges taken by most Republicans, which is what Huntsman was referring to, are simply idiotic. And any politician who handcuffs themselves by taking similar pledges isn't doing his or her job. We pay these politicians to analyze and vote on each issue independently. To use their own minds and to listen to our needs. We don't pay them to limit their abilities to negotiate by taking parochial pledges, the kind of pledge one takes in order to gain membership into a tree house club at 8 years old or to get into fanatical, narrow-minded cults as adults.

Extraordinarily difficult times demand that we move away from pledges made to people and organizations who no one elected. That's right, I am not even going to mention G.N. or his group by name because I don't one one single hit on my blog to come from anyone searching those names. He already gets way too much media attention. I don't want to be part of the problem.

Political feud sinks to a new low

Politicians in Washington are now arguing about when the President of the United States can address Congress.

Unbelievable.

Not only does the Republican Speaker of the House, John Boehner, continue to disrespect Barack Obama the man, he is now disrespecting the office, and one could even argue he's trashing the country with his latest obstructionist behavior.

Democrats hated George W. Bush, but they didn't try to tear down the entire executive branch. For the good of the country, certain traditions were respected despite major political differences, even while Bush was attacking countries that didn't attack us and neglecting an economy that was in a free fall. For some reason, Republicans haven't been able to show that same respect for this president. Wonder why?

Despite the garbage spun by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Tea Party lunatics, Obama isn't a particularly radical president as far as presidents go. He's actually fairly moderate -- much more so than liberals wanted. In some ways, he's more Republican than Ronald Reagan was. So why the hate from the right? Hate that has made Republicans so insanely petty that one has to wonder what's in the filtered water at their country clubs.

The president wanted to give an address about jobs on Sept. 7 -- something we've been waiting three years to hear. However, Republicans didn't want their candidates' debate (scheduled for the same night) to be overshadowed by something as "trivial" as a major jobs address from the leader of the free world. The debate is one of many and will be filled with nothing but idiotic rhetoric from a field of candidates so weak that they make most fair-minded, thinking human beings cringe just to hear the nonsense that flows from their mouths.

Sure, Obama's jobs speech is way overdue and could turn into a campaign moment, but that's the privilege we give to sitting presidents. We give them the benefit of the doubt in hopes that what they are proposing is a real solution to what ails us. Or at least that was the perk given to every president prior to this one.

Well, Obama relented and moved his speech to Sept. 8. Again, this is just stunning that a president has to back down from a handful of fringe nuts in Congress over something as routine as scheduling a talk to the nation about our No. 1 problem.

Given a choice between listening to Michelle Bachmann drone on about subjects she knows nothing about or listening to whatever glimmer of hope the president might offer to the unemployed, I will tune into the latter, probably like most Americans. The Republicans knew that and successfully blocked it in an unprecedented and disrespectful manner, similar to the debt ceiling fiasco that they created and that led to our credit rating being downgraded for the first time in our history.

Despite pleas from the public for politicians to work together, it seems the GOP refuses to listen and is picking fights over the silliest issues that are leading us into total paralysis and worse. These are fights that were never fights before. Fights that only bring me to one conclusion about these renegade, unpatriotic Republicans. Destroying a black president is more important than saving a country. That's not playing the race card, it's just calling a duck a duck.

Smirk is worth a thousand words

Today's jobs numbers are disappointing and yesterday's passing of the debt-ceiling/deficit bill will, by all accounts, make things worse. Reports of mass layoffs and businesses closing are beginning to trickle in again, as they did in 2008, and Wall Street seems unimpressed by the legislative actions in Washington this week. The news is quite dire and confidence in government is about as low as it can get.

Yet, there was Republican Speaker of the House, John Boehner, smirking on television on Tuesday, expressing how happy he was that he and the GOP got "98 percent" of what they wanted in the debt-ceiling deal. Within hours of Boehner's bragging, objective economists were lined up warning us that the pulling of billions of dollars out of the economy at this fragile point could send us into a second recession. As the GOP-owned bill was examined, it became clearer that the economy was about to take another hit.

Many experts believe that whatever improvements we saw in the economy in the last year were undone by bickering politicians in recent weeks. The debate, of course, was caused by Republicans bent on ruining a presidency that was beginning to be bolstered by improving economic numbers, not to mention the killing of the architect of the 9/11 attacks and the plans for a drawdown in two wars.

Things were looking up, but Republicans couldn't allow that modest trend to continue. They knew that the one way to beat President Obama in 2012 was for the economy to tank. The way to do that, without bringing America totally to its knees, was to prolong a debate about the debt ceiling that never should have taken more than a few minutes of anyone's time, and to pass a bill that removes just enough money and jobs from the economy to spark more voter fear but avoids a catastrophic depression. It was a brilliant ploy by a Republican Party that has completely lost its soul.

When the recession returns and job numbers continue to fall, who will voters blame? Will they look at the facts and remember how Boehner and his right-wing posse forced a positive momentum-killing bill upon us (and smirked about it on national TV), or will they just continue to believe the mindless, self-centered talking points that Republicans have taken to new lows in this current, Tea Party-driven Congress? Will voters remember how the Republicans said jobs were priority No. 1 after the 2010 election, then proceeded to talk about everything except jobs once elected?

This bill, job growth and the economy from here until the 2012 election is on the Republicans. Period.

Tea Party to blame for bad deal

"The budget deficit is not the biggest obstacle to our prosperity. Lack of jobs and growth is. And the largest threat to our democracy is the emergence of a radical right capable of getting most of the ransom it demands."

– Robert Reich (Click here to read his entire blog posting)

I can't say it any better than Robert Reich stated in his blog today. We went from one crisis – the debt ceiling debate – to another much more disturbing and potentially prolonged reality. Without smart investments, a fair tax code and visionaries instead of obstructionists in Washington, I don't see how America will move forward culturally, economically or educationally. The Tea Party, and those who back it, are blinded by a single issue in which they see no gray areas or alternative solutions. And, for now, they have won.

The Tea Party pridefully doesn't listen to experts like Mr. Reich. They cling to the idea of there being simple answers to complex problems. In fact, any kind of facts, scientific proof or sense of economic reality totally escapes these extremists on the right, who truly seem averse to educating themselves about subjects that require an open mind and a little bit of studying. (See Sarah Palin's dumbest quotes.) They took a nugget of truth – Washington needs to manage its money better – and turned it into a movement that honors some of the least-capable politicians to have ever been elected to state or national offices. These people, with the help of ratings-hungry conservative talk-show hosts, fueled this current, self-inflicted crisis and drove somewhat responsible politicians to a "solution" that does little or nothing to inspire true growth and confidence in America. The only positive thing this deal does is to avoid a sure overnight catastrophe.

Whether the debt ceiling/deficit reducing deal passes the House and Senate is almost moot now. Jobs aren't going to come back as a result of this pending deal, which is exactly what Republicans wanted in order to insure that Obama does not get re-elected in 2012. Remember, the main goal stated by these current Republicans isn't jobs or the economy. It is making Obama a one-term president. No one who goes into a voting booth should ever lose sight of the fact that when the country was down, and people were out of work, the Republicans chose to prolong the agony of many Americans in favor of playing politics. That is a fact – stated on the record in 2010 by top-ranking Republicans – not my opinion.

There is no compromise or country-first angle in this debt ceiling deal. This is a Tea Party-driven pact with budget cuts that will surely hurt the most vulnerable Americans. When it fails, and jobs don't return, voters need to remember whose deal this really was and put the blame where it has belonged for the last 10 years -- on the far right, the right that continues to protect the wealthiest individuals and corporations on the planet while asking the rest of us to sacrifice everything from our paychecks to clean water.

Protesting the lack of protests

I am starting off today's post with a video from Woodstock. This performance of Volunteers by Jefferson Airplane raises two questions in my mind.

First, what happened to being cool? I don't mean pretending to be cool by buying pre-torn jeans at the mall or obsessing over a costly hairstyle that is meant to look messy but really isn't. I mean making due with what you have to form your own individual style. Everything, including music, is so packaged and overproduced these days that nothing feels authentic or original.

Of course, if you didn't live in non-conformist times, you probably don't realize what is missing in today's culture. Heck, even many of the people who are now in their 50s and 60s have forgotten what it means to be cool, to not accept certain societal norms, to speak up when blatant wrongs arise. Maybe that's just a result of getting older. One gets tired fighting the man. Conformity and acceptance become the easier path, I suppose.

Additionally, where have all the protest songs gone? If there was ever a time for musicians to rally around big causes, it's now. We have two wars that have lasted longer and cost more than any war in our history. Even proponents of the war can't define victory.

So why aren't today's musicians writing songs that address wars, oil spills, corporate greed, political corruption and so forth? I don't have an answer, I just know that creative people jumped all over stuff like this in the 1960s and 70s, and it led to some of the best songs ever written. Songs with something important to say that changed America for the better.

Maybe the Vietnam War hit closer to home because we had a military draft. Perhaps if kids today were forced to fight in ill-conceived wars more people would pay attention to what is going on in the news. Maybe a draft, in an odd sense, was a good thing. As the war in southeast Asia dragged on, parents of sons reaching draft age began to question why we were in Vietnam. I can recall my father suggesting that I bolt for Canada if I was drafted. My father was not a liberal-minded person, so this was an interesting stance for him to take. Luckily, the war ended long before I turned 18.

Yes, groups like Jefferson Airplane probably did too many drugs and Woodstock wasn't quite as peaceful or productive as some like to remember. I am not glorifying everything from that era. But at least there was some awareness of issues like pollution, war and discrimination that felt more embedded into the culture than they do now. It was as if everyone had a stake in what was happening in the world, not just in their little corner of it, but across the country and even the globe. Sometimes that led to conflicts and rioting, but it also meant people were engaged. They read newspapers and watched the evening news. They were armed with righteous opinions and music that backed them up. Politicians in Washington had to respect that. Eventually, that cultural movement ended a war.

Voters speak again: The system is broken

Tea Party people and conservative radio talk-show hosts are claiming victories this morning after yesterday's primaries. They believe that their particular version of Tea Party principles is what is turning the tide.

What they fail to accept is that their rhetoric about President Obama being a socialist and Sarah Palin being a savior isn't the driving force behind recent election results. Tea Party rallies and talk show hosts might have something to do with getting certain candidates elected, but that's just part of the story.

I believe middle class Americans are fed up with incumbents in both political parties. Why? Well, it's not so much about health-care reform or the rising deficit. It's more about an underlying feeling that the system does not work for the average American anymore -- the guy who wants a fair crack at a decent job or the woman who has to tighten the family budget while empty suits from bailed-out businesses continue to collect hefty bonuses.

I don't think Obama is a socialist but I do think he wants to level the playing field -- a horrible notion to those who are rolling in cash. I believe some of the Tea Party messages are skewed by silly tactics and transparent slogans. Those messages are further manipulated and distorted by those with not-so-hidden or honorable agendas. This is why I separate myself from movements like this.

I am not sure why Tea Party people, who oppose corporate bailouts, are so supportive of certain politicians who would surely be more prone to give greater perks to big businesses. We've tried tax cuts for corporations and we've deregulated ourselves right into a massive oil spill and housing crisis. Those policies did nothing but drive us into the ground and widened the gap between what the guy in the corner office earns versus what people on the production line make. How is that liberty? Fact is, we need certain regulations to prevent abuses of power so that the average Joe doesn't get trampled by the suits from BP or the guys on Wall Street. Here's another fact: We should tax the rich more. In my mind, these aren't socialist concepts.

It appears that things are so bad in this country that voters want to strike out against anyone who is part of the system. Change for the sake of change. Maybe that's not a bad idea, but I would still like to give Obama a bit more time to fix things. Time and support. He's made mistakes, like dedicating nearly his entire first year in office to health care and foreign relations. But he's a smart man. We elected him for four years and hopefully he will correct his missteps and stop getting derailed by issues that aren't of much concern to average Americans.

As I have said in previous posts, if Obama and other incumbents don't focus on restoring hope, jobs and the economy, they will be voted out in future elections. Party affiliation will become less important to voters. I believe that's a good thing, as I have never understood why anyone would be anything other than independent.

Americans want to feel they have a fair shot and that this isn't just a country for those in the most powerful positions. The backlash from the middle class will continue until people have opportunities and reasons -- not just labor department statistics -- for sustained optimism again.

I don't think the Tea Party represents the entire middle class, but it is tapping into something that Americans are feeling. A rebellion against a broken system. Politicians need to pay attention to that underlying vibe and begin to fix things, not just because it will help them get elected, but because it's the right thing to do for the country.

Read more about yesterday's primaries and the movement against incumbents here.