...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Thursday, April 24, 2003
      ( 10:17 AM )
 
Rare Kudos to Republican Senator

I would like to give kudos to Senator George Voinovich of Ohio. Attack-Dog Rove has sent Bush to pound the moderate Republican Voinovich for holding out against the Bush Tax Cut Plan ("of course giving rich people breaks will help the economy!"). Again, here is another example of BushCo not thinking ahead. Do they have ANY people with a broader vision than just today's headlines? Here are some issues I would think they might have wanted to address before sending the Pres out to pound Senators in his own party:

1. Remember Jim Jeffords? He was a moderate Republican who was usually faithful to the party. But when he didn't go along with Bush's education "reform," he was attacked so bitterly by Rove's dogs that he went independent, taking the power out of the Republicans' hands in the Senate. You would think BushCo might have learned from that. Being cruel and punishing Voinovich and Olympia Snowe (quoted as saying that she is "very comfortable" with her position) will only push them further away from the neocon power base in the Senate. Do they really want two more independents?

2. Promoting a $500 billion tax cut for the wealthy and corporations in a ball-bearing plant in Ohio? Now, I get the Ohio part since he's out to punish Voinovich, but a plant where the workers are probably barely scraping by and most assuredly not getting the kind of pay and benefits they deserve? He actually thinks that the blue collar workers of this country believe him when he says this tax cut will help us? What planet are he and his advisors on? I'm waiting to hear how giving money back to the richest in this country will boost consumer spending. How does that work, exactly, Mr. President?

3. Does he really think that traveling the country selling the "War on Terrorism" as the cause of the recession is actually going to be bought? It boggles the mind that BushCo truly believe that this argument will wash. Is he going to explain how he asked Congress for $80 billion in starting costs for the War on Iraq (this is separate from the War on Terrorism), when his administration has already granted contracts to Bechtel and Halliburton in excess of $20 billion, he's already spent $30 billion just to keep the troops there, and the bills aren't even in from the contractors? Is he going to explain how despite the fact that jobs are being lost in the hundreds of thousands every month, he prefers to keep calling up Reservists and National Guard to fight his wars and occupy his colonies while their families at home have to go on food stamps?

4. Is anyone paying attention anyway? After all, it's WAR that sells on cable news. Boring old issues like the failing economy really don't draw the ratings numbers. I'm just waiting for the inevitable "what we need to kick start this economy is a really good WAR."

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