It's Bleak

the future that is. Actually most everything looks bleak today, the weather is overcast, cold and windy as it has been for days, the garden goes undeveloped because it’s constantly wet, unemployment has risen again, the next five months will continue to be entirely wasted because our “leaders” are not interested in leading or in solving any of the serious problems that confront us, preferring instead to continue their negative attacks on each other, Europe is in even more trouble than we are, killing and torture continue, along with seemingly endless “wars,” and most everything looks pretty grim. It’s a pity as what needs to be done is fairly obvious but those that would rather see Obama defeated than help the country recover appear to be perhaps getting their way. They just go on hoping unemployment will continue, and from their point of view, even get worse, and also continue to block all positive attempts to improve things, knowing their only possibility of regaining power is to destroy Obama, as they are themselves destitute of any new or positive plan of action.

And so it is once again we are confronted with another Morton’s Fork, having to pick between two almost equally terrible choices. It seems to me there is only one possibility that holds out any hope at all for our immediate future, the re-election of President Obama. I do not say this because I think Obama necessarily deserves to be re-elected, or because I believe he is a great choice, but because he is the only realistic choice we have available to us under the circumstances.

I take it as given that if Mitt (The Lying Mormon) Romney should somehow manage to get elected the “little people” (to use Leona Helmsley’s unpleasant phrase) can certainly kiss their hope for the future goodby. There is no doubt where Romney and his supporters stand when it comes for more tax breaks for the wealthy and the corporations, as well as where they stand on anything and everything else that might benefit anyone but themselves. As someone (Bill Clinton, I think) said, it would be a continuation of the Bush approach, but on steroids.

If, however, Obama is re-elected, there may be some hope for improvements going forward. First, being in his second term and not having to worry about re-election he would have more freedom to act, more power and influence to do something for the middle class and the poor (probably not enough but at least something, possibly even a lot). Similarly, and perhaps just as important, the Republicans, having failed in their attempt to cripple him and his administration, would have not so much incentive to continue their completely negative tactics. They might well find it to their advantage to begin to cooperate and help turn around the damage they have done. It seems to me doubtful their continuing to refuse to help govern would gain them any advantage for the 2016 election. I could of course be wrong about this, I often am, but I cannot see any other scenario that seems possible at all. Of course it would be helpful indeed if Democrats could keep control of the Senate and win back the House, but it seems unlikely the billionaires in charge, if confronted with the inevitability of four more years of Obama, would allow that to happen (Obama himself would probably be tolerable as he has not done badly by them).

I cannot say I look forward to the next five months. The differences between the two parties are by now very clear, as are the personalities of the main contenders, I do not need to hear them presented over and over and over from now until the election, nor do I need to hear any more negative ads. If we are to have any future at all it lies for the moment in the hands of Obama, requires a reversal of Citizens United, and ultimately is in the hands of the people, forcing them to acknowledge they have to become serious about the governing of their nation. President Obama should address the Republicans as Lincoln addressed the South prior to the Civil War:

“You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend it."

Abraham Lincoln