During President Obama’s jobs and stimulus speech to Congress, as I watched the unhappy, grimacing, tortured faces of some of the Republicans, I couldn’t help but remember one of Harry S. Truman’s most famous one liners. When Truman was asked; “If he was going to give Congress hell”, he replied; “No I’m just going to tell them the truth, but it will feel like hell”.
The new T-GOP probably felt it was hell every time the President said “they should pass legislation now”; which he said often during the speech. Each time he said that it poked at the core of the Republican strategy of not cooperating with the President on anything that might help the American people and in turn President Obama’s re-election prospects. “Making Obama a one term President” is the top priority of the T-GOP, as oft stated by the T-Republican leadership and wanna-be leadership.
But when looked at without the knee jerk GOP negative reaction, is the President’s jobs/stimulus proposal in reality “hellish”? And if it is; what parts and for whom? Surely the extension of the payroll tax reduction won’t be making the T-Pubs hot under the collar, it’s their stated goal; less tax being paid by both the all important job creators and ordinary workers. The not so loyal GOP opposition shouldn’t be getting overheated by the part of the plan that puts money into job creation by repairing the nation’s much in need of repair highway and bridges; some of which are in very red states. The T-Reps can’t be sweating over all the costs of the plan being paid for; that’s T-Party sin qua non which is being adhered to.
So what is it about the President’s plan that feels like hell to the T-Pubs? First of all; it comes from Obama. That is enough to get a great big fat NO from anyone who wants to pander to or thinks they are part of the rightest wing part of the GOP. They, along with almost all other Reps, don’t want Obama being allowed to do anything that could earn him even the slightest credit with the American people.
Then there is the fact that not all the benefits of the plan are going to the rich and other “deserving” groups according to the T-Folk. Some of the infrastructure spending in the plan will be directed to school rehabilitation. The fact is that most schools that are in very desperate need of repair or replacement aren’t in middle class suburban neighborhoods; but in inner city, mainly minority, poor neighborhoods. And that’s seen as a problem in any Obama administration plan; it’s giving money to poor minority people. The truth is that from the time of segregation through the Brown v. Board of Ed. Decision and the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960’s, until the present, despite the legislation and all the words; the schools of the inner city and some rural poor neighborhoods, with or without a mostly minority enrollment, have been badly neglected for almost a century. Both “liberal” Democratic and “conservative” Republican administrations on all levels haven’t ponied up the needed money to fix broken school buildings. All the NCLB and Race to the Top plans don’t do as much or show as much commitment as a clean, healthy, safe environment in which our children can learn.
There are other benefits in the President’s plan that rubs some of the T-People the wrong way. Such as ; continued unemployment benefits for the “lazy” out of work; money to states to help retain greedy union workers like teachers, firefighters and cops; funding increased tax benefits for hiring military veterans; and anything else doesn’t help them or the wealthy directly. If it doesn’t fit with “trickle down no increase in taxes or cutting of loopholes” theory; it just ain’t no good.
I sure hope that when Obama hits the bricks he’ll be showing the electorate just how GOP Senator so in so or Representative what’s her name is blocking fixing of the bridge in his or district, by blocking the President’s plan. He should also make sure to make the case that fixing the very much in need of fixing education infrastructure, no matter where it is, is necessary for America to have a literate competent work force to compete in the high tech future; and so is necessary and beneficial for all future Americans. Failing to show how providing better and cheaper medical services for the poorest Americans in his Health Care Plan was an important and good thing for all Americans, which it is, was what allowed the T-Reps to gin up all the anger about “Obamacare” as just a another give away to the minority poor, which it is not.
The feeling of being in hell because some progressive political policies are put in place, is an illusion of hell that those in control of right wing politics in this country create and use for their own benefit. Progressive policies are of benefit to about 98% of Americans. The money behind most of the right wing “outrage” comes from the other 2% who know; sooner rather than later, not only will the Democrats be calling for a fairer re-do of the tax code, but most rank and file members of the T-Party movement will also see the blind mantra of “No Taxes-Not Ever-Not For Nothing” only really helps that top 2% and hurts all the rest of us Americans.
When that soon to happen day occurs and the top 2% are made to pay their fair share of the total US Tax burden; they will really get to know what it means to being given “hell” – it means having to pay up what they rightfully owe to our country.