Tea Party bullshit

In response to my brother’s rhetorical question asking where all the Tea Party deficit hawks had gone, I offer this reply:

For all their bluster about being against Darwin and for Jesus, the fundies on the Tea Party fringe are actually pushing for an agenda that’s their dogma’s exact antithesis: a dog-eat-dog, survival of the fittest society where the gap between rich and poor widens every day and a persons value to society is judged solely on the basis of how rich he is. In the Tea Party Utopia, feudalism is the way of the world; corporations and co-opted governments conspire to perpetuate the status quo; and the Golden Rule is replaced by an amoral policy of treating your neighbor as a potential obstacle to success.

Tax cuts for the rich exacerbate the growing income disparity, forfeiting much needed investments in the country’s future just to line the pockets of those who already have more than they need. As Matt Miller rightly pointed out in his Washington Post editorial yesterday, it is particularly galling that the Republicans and their wealthy benefactors are unwilling to make the slightest sacrifice, even during a time of war and appalling deficits.

When the far Right succeeds, it does so because its fiercest adherents are so adept at doublethink that their followers, incensed into a self-righteous and xenophobic fury, do not notice—or ignore—the hypocrisy.

Juan Williams and FOX News deserve each other

Juan Williams was fired from NPR for stating that seeing Muslim people on an airplane made him nervous. His comment surely resonated with many Americans, an erstwhile diverse and freedom-minded bunch of people, who have nonetheless fallen victim in recent years to a propaganda campaign of fear. Americans these days can be a twitchy folk, easily made nervous by people who are different. If many Americans are made nervous by Muslims, then the neocons at FOX News are to blame for spreading fear rather than understanding.

A reporter’s duty is to report facts, not to stoke fears. At best, Williams’ comment and his unapologetic defense since then show an insensitivity toward Muslim Americans; at worst, they expose a deliberate and self-serving ploy to improve his salary by moving to FOX. That’s where all the other fear mongers are, after all.

The fear mongers have always found a group of others, to stoke fears and control public opinion. It was not too many years ago that the average American would have been nervous upon meeting a black person on the street. If Mr. Williams is aware of the irony of his position, he has hidden it well.

An open letter to President Obama

This morning, I received an email from President Obama (sent by way of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee). In the email, the president asked me to make a monetary donation to the DCCC to help Democratic candidates campaign for the upcoming mid-term elections.

In the past, I have answered these emails with a donation; but not today. Below, in full, is my response to the president.

Dear President Obama:

My patience is running thin.

Many times in the past, I have been there when you or the Democratic party needed help, because I believed you would bring fundamental change to our government. However, several of your decisions have diminished my enthusiasm:

1. The bank bail-out helped Wall Street, but did almost nothing for the average American. By propping up the value of toxic assets, you perpetuated the lie of these assets’ outrageously overstated values, merely pushing the problem further down the road. It’s also theft. The government has taken trillions of dollars from future generations of Americans and used the money to prop up the net worth of a bunch of capricious thieves who gambled with other people’s money. Private gains & public losses—an old tune I’m getting tired of.

2. The financial reform measures put in place were watered down so much that they do almost nothing to prevent a repeat of the crisis. Banks will continue to gamble with investor’s money, and to lend out many times what they possess in liquid assets. This is a giveaway to banks, and promotes growth at the expense of stability. The new rules have the appearance of having been written by the banks. This does nothing to allay the impression that some on your financial team are serving their former employers first and the American people second.

3. By failing to put a moratorium on foreclosures, and failing to give judges the authority to adjust the terms of mortgages (reducing the principal and not just the interest), you have turned a blind eye to the plight of millions of families whose home values are now much lower than what they owe on the loans. For these families, it now makes more sense to walk away from their homes than to stay. Foreclosures also have the effect of blighting neighborhoods, further depressing home values and making the problem even harder to solve later.

4. You have not properly acknowledged the human causes of the tragedy in New Orleans. Each time you refer to Katrina as the cause, you repeat a lie. Improperly designed levees and flood-walls led to this catastrophe. It was not a natural disaster. Sure, it’s easier to lay the blame on mother nature than on human incompetence and bureaucratic obstinacy; but it’s wrong. Failure to admit the true causes of this tragedy is a great sin because we also risk a recurrence of the problem if the Army Corps of Engineers is not held responsible for their past mistakes. Even today, the Corps is the body entrusted with evaluating its own performance. This is like letting the fox guard the henhouse.

5. Lastly, I know you are facing problems that you didn’t anticipate. But instead of proposing solutions that had the scale necessary to deal with the problems (the stimulus packages, financial reform, and health care to name just three), you instead brought forth lame compromises and half-measures. Instead of using your bully pulpit to stand up for what's right and shame the opposition into silence, you gave even the most intransigent obstructionists a seat at the table, interminably delaying much needed reforms.

I am gratified to see that you have begun to publicly challenge the opposition to propose better (and workable) solutions. But I wonder if it's not too little, too late. I am also pleased to see that Summers is finally on his way out; on financial matters, you would do well to listen more to the likes of Paul Krugman in the future.

I cannot at present convince myself that a donation to the DCCC would be money well spent. I still have hope for the future. But if you want my financial support, you will have to earn it.

Sincere Regards,

Michael A. Lowry

I know I am not the only one who feels this way. I hope the president gets the message.

Jesus would support health care reform

A small minority on the extreme right of political spectrum have recently been resorting to fear-mongering of the most vile and dishonest kind, in a desperate attempt to stand in the way of meaningful health care reform in the United States. What disappoints me most about this fear-mongering is how blind many otherwise thoughtful people have been to the blatant hypocrisy of these obstructionists.

Many of those protesting the most vehemently against health care reform are people who consider themselves Christians. These so-called Christians treat their religion like a glee club and spiritual self-help program, but ignore the social mission message of Jesus.

Jesus of Nazareth told his disciples to care for the sick, to feed the hungry, and to visit those in prison. He had strong words for those who did not do so. For just one of many examples of Jesus commandment to care for those in need, see Matthew 23:31-46.

I believe the Democrats and like-minded Republicans and Independents need to reclaim the moral high ground, and shove the obstructionist protestors’ bibles back in their faces. “How can you call yourselves Christians?” they should demand. Obama should eschew for now the conciliatory tones of bipartisanship, and use his bully pulpit to shame the hypocrites, and to inspire us all toward a higher calling: social justice.

In short, we need to put these fair-weather friends of Jesus in their place—on the defensive.

Lift every voice and sing!

Wonder, joy and hope!

I just watched John McCain concede defeat to Barack Obama. I’ve spent the past seven hours watching the election returns along with a few hundred other people here in Zürich: Americans, Swiss, and folks of many other nationalities.

In a few short months, Barak Obama will become the forty-fourth president of the United States of America. President Obama will be the leader of all Americans. The nation and world face tremendous challenges; here’s hoping that the supporters of John McCain will heed his call for unity.

Election party in Zürich

I’m with a group of Americans and others interested in the American election. We’re all gathered at a sort of community center that seems like the sort of place typically rented out for parties, conferences, and similar gatherings. It’s not too far from my new home in Zollikon, so I can walk home if I decide not to wait for the first tram around 5 o’clock. I think I will stick it out. In addition to a bar, there are two big screen TVs showing non-stop news of the election, in both English and German. There’s food, drink, company, and the most exciting political event in a generation. Fun!

Don’t vote

This is why Barak Obama is the right man for the job

If you haven't already heard it, I encourage you to listen to Barak Obama's speech about race relations in America, delivered yesterday in Philadelphia and entitled “A More Perfect Union.” In the speech, Obama tackles head-on the controversy of recent days, and does so with humility and eloquence. The speech was brave, forthright, and timely. I cannot imagine Hillary Clinton ever delivering a speech like this. If you agree with me that Obama represents the best hope for the United States and the world, please consider making a contribution to his campaign.

Time to come together

One month ago, I announced my support for Barak Obama. I believe he is the best suited to run the country in the coming years, and to undo the horrible mistakes of the Bush administration. However, last night’s results show that many Americans remain unconvinced. For this reason, I have given another $100 to the Obama campaign to help Barak get his message out.

I would like to ask for your support too. I have set up a personal fundraising page with the goal of raising $1000 for the campaign. Please join me in supporting Barak Obama.

I’m voting for Obama

Today I decided to cast my vote for Barack Obama.

In addition, I donated 100 USD to his campaign — the first time I’ve ever made contribution to a political campaign.

Senator Obama is the first presidential candidate from any party who has inspired me. He has intelligence, compassion, humility, and eloquence. These are qualities that have been sorely lacking in the White House in the past seven years. We also need a leader who is capable of inspiring the nation. I believe Obama has this capability.

I respect and admire Senator Hillary Clinton, but I decided not to vote for her for two simple reasons:

1. I find the Clinton style of campaigning distasteful — changing position based on the latest polls, making untrue insinuations about opponents, and conveying a sense of entitlement — all these things simply turn me off; and
2. I just think Obama stands a better chance of beating Senator John McCain in the general election. A new TIME poll supports this intuition.

Barack Obama has managed to reach young people in a way no presidential candidate in recent history has. The Obama website shows how in-tune his campaign is with the younger generation. It’s reminiscent of a social networking site like Facebook. You can create your own profile (mine is here), meet fellow Obama supporters, invite others to the cause, and even get help with grass-roots organizing and fundraising. I obtained the logo above from the campaign website’s resource library.

The Democratic presidential primary election in Texas will be on 4 March, and because I will be back home in Stockholm by then, I will cast my ballot by mail. I encourage anyone who has not already done so to visit Senator Obama’s web site and learn more about him.

Editorial by 1972 Democratic Presidential candidate George McGovern

My dad sent me a link to this excellent editorial by George McGovern, in which he responds to recent remarks by Vice Predident Cheny comparing current congressional Democrats to the ”McGovern Democrats” of 1972.

More doubletalk from Bush

I just listened to a speech by U.S. president George W. Bush. The president entreated the congress to continue to fund his disatrous war in Iraq. The president's speech was full of the same sort of distortion and fearmongering to which the world has come accustomed. But even by his abysmal standards, this speech set a new low.

The president claimed that if the congress failed to pass a generous funding bill, this would actually result in U.S. troops staying longer in Iraq, and in more troops being sent back to the front lines. He seems to want the public to believe that the U.S. congress has no real power, and that the best Congress can do is delay the inevitable continuance of his costly war:

The bottom line is that Congress's failure to fund our troops will mean that some of our military families could wait longer for their loved ones to return from the front lines. And others could see their loved ones headed back to war sooner than they need to. That is unacceptable to me, and I believe it is unacceptable to the American people.

If you buy the president's line, it's the Democrats in congress who are preventing the fighting men and women from returning safely to their families.

This is bullshit.

The legislators want the troops to come home sooner, not later. The only power Congress has over the war is over funding. Therefore making funding contingent on conditions that ensure the troops are removed from danger is the only way the Democratic-controlled congress can rein in the presidents war.

U.S. toops are surely better off safely at home than in the middle of a foreign civil war.

Congress has the power to control the legislation that funds the president's war. If Bush follows through on his threat to veto any bill not compatibile with his political ends, this action will be what puts U.S. troops in danger.

I can't wait for 2008.