The need for direct democracy in America has never been more apparent than it is right now. We - the populace - are left impotent as the politicians whom we elected to office as representatives neglect to embody in their advocacies the will and interests that we - the American Public - possess, whose demands for a withdrawal from Iraq; whose oppositions to the advancing diminution of civil liberties; whose sentiments concerning illegal immigration; are all falling upon the unreceptive ears of the Congress and the White House.

It has become clear following the Democratic procurement of power in the two Congressional bodies that the people of America do not have a voice in the affairs of their government. Despite the lofty declarations of intent enunciated by the Democratic leadership during the campaigns leading to the expulsion of Republicans from Congress, the Democrats have delivered nothing.

For example, the marginal increase in the minimum wage successfully installed by the Democrats is absolutely meaningless, since most States have already passed legislation rasing their own minimum wages to levels that exceed the hike enacted by the Democrats in the House and in the Senate. Furthermore, the additional sum specified in the legislation fails to amount to anything approximating a living wage. Therefore, what is the point? since those unfortunate enough to be working for minimum wage will continue to need assistance from government services, and - despite the hours and frenetic intensities at which they toil at their occupations - they will fail to accumulate the resources necessary to reinvest in themselves - through education or entrepreneurial ventures - so that they might ascend to a higher stratum within the American socio-economic stratifications.

Another instance of Democratic ineptitude involved the abundance of time that was wasted in the legislator-deal-making charade of representative democracy, which only resulted in a stunning failure to pass immigration reform. This demonstration of astoundingly acute incompetences on the parts of the Democratic and Republican leadership in the Senate will always have a place in the recesses of my memory due to the gaspingly condescending and equally idiotic speech given by Harry Reid, where he quoted Dr. Sues at length in an ill conceived rhetorical ploy to make his enormously convoluted, internally contradicting, and substantively hollow piece of legislation appear to be a pending bill that even a child could recognize as meritorious legislation in need of passing by Congress.

Reid’s lengthy quotation from a children’s book even outdid his previous remarks in support of legalizing illegal immigration, where he alluded to the need of casinos in his own State of Nevada not to lose their workforce of Latino maids. Although I certainly have sympathy for the Latino migrants who are exploited by the Las Vegas gambling industry, I cannot imagine a sector in the United States economy for which I could possibly possess less concern.

It is a wonder how this self-righteous idiot - the Senate Majority Leader - not only obtained his seat in the Senate, but came to control the Democratic caucus in this esteemed deliberative body.

To push on beyond Reid, we can cite the Democratic concessions to the White House with respect to the funding of the Iraq War. In defiance of the campaign promises that propelled the Democrats into power in the Congress, the Democrats in the House and Senate have given the Bush Administration exactly what it has insisted upon in form of the supplemental funding bills needed to persist in the financing of this black hole that has formed in what was previously the sovereign state of Iraq.

And finally, to top things off, the Democrats have passed a bill that was advertised as the modernization of FISA, which, in actuality, had nothing to do with revamping FISA in order for it to adequately address new technologies; rather, the legislation merely dismantled and discarded with significant aspects of the oversight that was previously performed by FISA. In short, going over and beyond even what was requested by the Imperial Presidency, the Democrats gave powers to the Executive Branch to monitor the activities of citizens without any oversight or check by the Judicial Branch of Government.

It has become clear that the Democratic Party presents no alternative venue of political representation for those of us who had, heretofore, perceived the Republican Party as the real threat to American civil liberties and economic prosperity. I think, at this point, we should feel compelled to accept what has become ostensible: America is not a democracy in any sense of the word. Remember, the Soviet Empire had elections, as well. However, similarly to the condition of American politics, the mere casting of a vote in an election had little or no consequence because, ultimately, government and its administration of public policies would be entirely the same no matter who came to be elected in the various branches of polity.

Russell Cole

Tags: bush, congress, democracy, Democrats, direct democracy, economics, government, labor, political parties, politics, Russell Coles Blog
Categories: Commentary, Economics, Democracy, government, Russell Cole's Blog, Politics, Congress, Labor, Direct Democracy
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An assessment of the political landscape following the Midterm Elections, which analyzes the opportunities and the best course of actions for the new Democratic Majorities…An Article by Dave, who forgot to provide us with his last name. However, we have an address to a Weblog that is published by Dave at the following URI:

URI: http://le-enfant-terrible.blogspot.com/

On November 7th I voted.

Many may see this statement as surprising–either because they assumed anyone with left-of-center politics will naturally be very excited about the elections or because they know me and assumed that I wouldn’t. In general I don’t put much faith in voting. It is essentially a chance every several years to legitimize the broader set of relations within society. To the extent it allows us to actually choose among leaders it is often a choice of imperialisms, a choice of capitalisms etc.

This year I felt differently. This election was widely viewed as a referendum on the Iraq war and the aggressive nationalism of the Bush administration. The stunning rebuke to the Republican party is an important tool for re-orienting the political climate, for establishing that the country as a whole is unhappy with the Iraq war and government corruption. It has heightened the sense of cost that politicians feel in supporting the Iraq war (Ned Lamont’s primary victory was also absolutely crucial in this) and in forcing elites towards consideration of an exit strategy sooner rather than later. As opposition to the Vietnam war created the “Vietnam Syndrome” and a reluctance to commit American military forces worldwide, we can only hope that we are creating an “Iraq Syndrome” that will help prevent future pre-emptive wars and aggressive militarism. By giving Democrats subpoena powers we put in motion a process that will surely reveal facts about the preparation/execution of the war that will further increase popular outrage. I also felt that splitting the power of government between parties would help curb a range of excesses that have resulted in vastly increased government surveillance power. Finally, the proposition in my state would have banned not only marriage (which I think should be a purely religious affair, untouched by government) but also any form of legal arrangement that was similar to marriage such as civil unions or domestic partnerships.

We should be careful, however, in hailing the new balance of power. In terms of the Democratic agenda there are some issues. During the election the Democrats were careful to avoid a specific platform, but since the election they have been promoting their “Six in ‘06″–six goals to accomplish after coming into power. The items are:

-increase the minimum wage
-negotiate for lower prescription drug prices
-restore 12.5 billion dollars in cuts for higher education
-use $15 billion in oil subsidies and use it for “energy independence”
-reinstitute “Pay-Go” rules (any new tax cut or spending must be offset elsewhere)
-vote on the 9/11 Commission recommendations

Now, some of these I have no issue with. Increasing the minimum wage is good (although it will likely not be by very much and they will probably still fail to index it to inflation so it automatically increases with the cost of living). Negotiating for lower drug prices is good, but its main effect is to just decrease the cost of existing healthcare programs (will those savings be used to cover the tens of millions without insurance? or increase the quality of healthcare?). $12.5 billion to help people with college costs is good (but is nothing within an over $2 trillion federal budget, and will these funds actually help break class barriers to college, or will it only help defray the cost to the upper-middle class?). Ending tax cuts for oil companies is good (but “energy independence” has been picked up as a catch-all phrase including tax breaks to oil companies for domestic drilling and investment in technologies that are already economically viable on their own). The Pay-Go rules are perhaps the biggest issue but they come too late to stop the massive GOP tax giveaways and commit the Democrats to fiscal straitjacket in the future. The one I have the least concern about is the 9/11 recommendations implementation. I have not seen the full list, and there may be objectionable changes, but instituting measures that don’t compromise civil liberties and that actually reduce terrorism (i.e. not racial profiling, not massive data mining) is a good thing.

You will likely notice that nowhere is there anything about Iraq. The Democrats would prefer to have this off the table at the moment. Iraq makes for a good election issue, but they are now stuck between advocating some form of withdrawal (which they are unwilling to do) and advocating some other strategy to control the country for America’s benefit (which means they have to tone down the rhetoric and agree with many statements the right is making). Some Democrats are willing to actively engage, but their plans often revolve around maximizing US leverage in Iraq. The event that may alter this political hesitancy and incoherence is the release of the James Baker III/Iraq Study Group report. The report will give massive political cover for politicians to support a bipartisan re-alignment of American foreign policy along Realist lines (crack down on Shia regional power, shift back towards American backing of dictatorships to enhance regional stability).

We should remember that the left need not be simply a Democratic interest group, it can be a powerful social force. Conservatives may now be for the moment wedded to the GOP, but they grew powerful as a social movement in the 1950s & 1960s through local campaigns, awareness raising and building a mass base around people’s grievances. The height of the American labor movement’s power was in the 1930s & 1940s as it waged a relentless struggle to increase wages and expand social programs. The New Social Movements that coalesced in the 1960s & 1970s achieved the most social change when they were vibrant, active movements that challenged existing social relations. The Civil Rights and Black Power movements completely upended the existing power structure of the country by mobilizing African Americans to collectively and directly challenge racist institutions, racist practices and unequal systems of wealth.

Sometimes social change requires legislation. Occasionally you need to play the inside game of electoral strategies and lobbyists to achieve a particular objective. Too many people on the left, however, are at risk of being caught up in the game of the big non-profits and politicians whose business it is to talk a good game. We should remember that between Nixon and Clinton, Nixon was by far the more liberal president. When the Democrats finally captured the presidency the result was NAFTA, GATT, welfare “reform” and more. Earlier in his term, when Clinton attempted to lift the ban on gays in the military and expand health coverage both failed because the conservative movement had achieved so much in terms of reworking the political landscape and the terms of debate. The Democrats will say to the left: “Settle down, we’re doing what we can while staying in office.” The reality is that this is true; that’s why the left cannot make its agenda putting Democrats in office.

Tags: congress, democracy, Democrats, Elections, left, legislation, National, politics, war
Categories: Commentary, National, Democracy, Politics, Legislation, Congress
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An Article by:

Thomas Melaccio

Well today the Associated Press released an article, which was featured on page 13a of the St. Petersburg Times here in Florida. One would have thought it warranted front-page play but then again in my opinion many people only read the front page, sports and the comics. In my opinion what better place to put this article so not many will see it. Yes, the newly “elected” president of Mexico pledged to work hard for immigration reform with our congress so his citizens can work in the United States. Rhetorically, one wonders why our President doesn’t work hard with somebody to protect our interests here at home? Mr. Calderon is a member of [I don’t think you will believe this] a “pro business action party, which his predecessor also belonged to. Rhetorically, does one think there really may have been a problem with this election?

Now he says that he needs to work hard for the youth of his nation to find work because of a lack of alternatives in his nation. Rhetorically, do you think he should be focused on his own nation and keep his hands off of ours? We already have an abundance of companies like our auto industry [who say buy American but do much of their business south of the border and in other nations]. Just the other day they bragged about the increase in Hispanics in college. Yes, on scholarships and grants and all kinds of financial aide. What do you get? You got it- the student loan our president pledged to keep the rates from going up but just had to increase.

Well truthfully, where are our youth? Oh I know they are competing for jobs at major retailers with the illegal workers or those with false I.D. Yes, they are working for $6.00 and less and [this is the good news] as much as $9.00 and hour and trying to support their families. Our youth have no health care, retirement or pension [that’s a laugh who is going to have the money to bail these out- certainly not the government] and cannot afford to buy, much less support, a home.

Yes, something is errantly wrong in Mud Ville? I would ask you to look at my other articles concerning immigration. As Joe Friday on Dragnet used to say, “Just the facts” and that is what I try to present. Perhaps 2010 An American Paradigm is becoming 2008 and American Paradigm?

Well if you want to sit and do nothing and continue to keep these same representatives of ours in Congress, these same Democrats or Republicans with the same ideologies, you are approving it for you and yours for years to come. Just sit home and do nothing, or vote for them because, as you know in your heart your one of the ones doing great and are one of that 20% who are doing well. But if you’re an average American and love your nation it just may be time for you to wake up! Your answer will be given on Election Day. If you vote these incumbents from both parties in, regardless of what they profess, in my opinion you deserve “How Did We Get Here”.

If you vote for those they endorse you deserve the same.

Now I certainly desire to be wrong. It is just an opinion, however have you heard the truth from them? I’ll ask again, have you heard truth from this entire bunch and when? Tell me the truth about Iraq? Tell me the president didn’t say, “ I won’t raise the rates on student loans”. Tell me the past of many in Congress is not questionable? Tell me they are not biased toward big business? Tell me they have your interest in mind?

One could go on and on but you know something, in my opinion and based on what is transpiring right before our eyes, we average Americans are not considered capable of much. Give us a tailgate, a beer and a paycheck and we don’t give a damn about anything until it impacts us.

They had those famous sayings to excite people into action like “Remember the Maine”, “Remember The Alamo” [the Mexicans certainly do] and “Nuts” but the new slogan for Americans in these times is “Why”? Boot them all out and that will send a message for years to come! “Remember the People” should be the new battle cry!

If you enjoyed this pass it along and don’t forget you have a chance, it is called election day!

Robert T. Melaccio Sr. Copyright ©2006 Robert Melaccio

Tags: congress, democracy, Democrats, Elections, Florida, foreign policy, government, Mexico, politics, Republicans
Categories: Commentary, Democracy, government, Politics, Foreign Policy
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The following is provided by Citizens For A Better Veterans Home; an organization founded in 1998, working to ensure veterans receive the social services promised to them… AMERICAN ANTI IMPERIALISM, 1898 STYLE

“There was a broad based, centrist, moderate, reformist United States anti-war effort right before 1900. This Original Populist Era organization was run under similar structure to 21st Century Populist movement’s cooperative involvement in the 2000s Anti Iraqi Occupation ground swell.

The American Anti-Imperialist League that organized over nine decades before George H. W. Bush invaded Iraqi occupied Kuwait was broad based.

Political groups outside of the two party duolopoly spoke up in opposition to the proposed illegal annexation of the Spanish Philippine Islands at the ‘other’ turn of the century. This group of Non Republicans and Non Democrats was formed over a century before the current American occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq.

First meeting on June 15, 1898, in San Francisco, California. Its members included Andrew Carnegie, THE Billionaire Steel Magnet and Philanthropists; Mark Twain (Samuel Longhorn Clements); William James, Philosopher, Writer, Educator; David Starr Jordan; and Samuel Gompers, Union Legend.

George S. Boutwell, former secretary of the treasury and Massachusetts U. S. senator, served as first and only president of the League.

On December 21, 1898, United States President William “Big Bill” McKinley issued his Benevolent Assimilation Proclamation, unilaterally and quite illegally ceding the Philippines to the United States. He also was secretly instructing the American occupying service members to use force, as necessary, to impose American sovereignty over the Philippine Islands. This second criminal act was informal and unlawful. It was issued even before the nation obtained formal Senate ratification of the (’Paris’) peace treaty with the global Spanish “Iberian” Empire.

As we fulfill our lives in this 21st Century doesn’t it seem that the more things ‘change’ the more they seem to ‘re-invent’ themselves. Like Ho Chi Min City and Baghdad, Americans were originally hailed as liberators in Manila! These same United States troops were later fired upon and then bombed with make shift materials by local patriots. To add injury to insult, the Imperial Japanese Empire mimicked the United States of America by ‘liberating’ Manila from it’s second group of light skinned European based over lords on December 7th, 1941. The Philippines were FINALLY an independent, unoccupied territory in 1946, almost half a century after the American Anti- Imperialism League.

Citizens For A Better Veterans Home, not just more lethal, politicized, uncaring programs that create hack patronage jobs, spend taxes in constituent communities, while doing little or nothing for real veterans, their real families, with their real problems……

Tags: anti imperialism, centrist, Democrats, empire, history, imperialism, populist, power, Republicans, resistance
Categories: Commentary, Power, Empire, History
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An article by Joseph Murtagh, originally published in the Muckracker Report For the last six years, there’s been this assumption about George W. Bush that has occupied roughly the same place in people’s minds as the second law of thermal dynamics, or the existence of the moon, and which goes something like this: while the president might not be so strong on domestic issues, he’s very good at Protecting The Country From Terrorism.

Well, according to a story that came out recently, and which was mostly drowned out by the elections, the federal government’s record on fighting terrorism may not be as impressive as you think.

Researchers at Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) recently discovered that in the first nine months of fiscal year 2006 federal prosecutors rejected 87% of the international terrorism cases brought by the FBI, and the rejections have been increasing steadily since 2001.

The White House responded to the report the way they’ve always responded to empirical facts: by calling it “faulty” and “inaccurate,” and deriding its findings as “intellectually dishonest.”

Judging from last week’s election, though, I think the nation has already made up its mind about who’s being intellectually dishonest, and it’s definitely not the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. On the contrary, it’s the same bunch of yo-yos who cooked up false intelligence to dupe us into going to war with Iraq. Who held closed door meetings in Washington the day before 9/11 with a Pakistani general who a few weeks earlier had sent a $100,000 check to hijacker Mohammad Atta. Who granted no-bid contracts to a bunch of oil-rich mafia goons who were willing to sell our troops poisoned drinking water to save a buck.

And speaking of intellectual dishonesty, how about exploiting religious conservatives for political gains and then laughing about them behind their backs? Or cheating black people in Florida and Ohio out of their vote? Or leaking the name of a CIA officer to settle a political score? Or refusing to declassify important documents about 9/11? Or torturing innocent people and then lying about it? Or pretending to fight a phony war on terrorism while stealing our liberties from behind our backs?

In fact, the only honest moment in George W. Bush’s entire presidency came recently on the campaign trail when he finally admitted to voters in Nebraska the real reason why we’re in Iraq. “You can imagine a world,” he said, “in which these extremists and radicals got control of energy resources and then you can imagine them saying, ‘we’re going to pull a bunch of oil off the market to run your price of oil up unless you do the following.’”

No wonder the Republicans lost. I think Keith Olbermann said it best on Countdown: “Having frightened us, having bullied us, having lied to us, having ignored and rewritten the Constitution under our noses, having stayed the course, having denied you’ve stayed the course, having belittled us about ‘timelines’ but instead extolled ‘benchmarks,’ you’ve now resorted, sir, to this? We must stay in Iraq to save the $2 gallon of gas?”

If you spend time with the sorts of people I spend time with, you’ll probably have cynics in your life trying to persuade you from feeling overwhelmingly joyful at the results of this election, but for the moment at least, I think you should ignore them. We’ve witnessed an extraordinary thing in this country: the checking of a powerful totalitarian movement by the will of the people, just when a lot of us were beginning to fear that the system was beyond repair. There’s nothing phony or indoctrinated about the message Americans sent to Washington on Tuesday, and when you consider that it happened in spite of one of the most vicious propaganda campaigns in modern history, Americans have all the more reason to feel proud.

But this election hasn’t changed the fact that there are still people in the world who are being tortured and maimed and killed at the hands of this administration, and it’s for their sake that we must make Bush and the rest of them pay for their crimes. Read the following to find out what you can do to make that happen:

Subpoena Power, Congressional Hearings, and Special Counsel

But in the meantime, take faith that the America of Geronimo, Jefferson, and Muhammad Ali is live and kicking.

Tags: bush, Democrats, Elections, Global, homeland security, legislation, power, Republicans, society, Terrorism
Categories: Commentary, Global, Society, Power, Legislation, Homeland Security, Terrorism
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