Much as I’d like to, it’s difficult to gloat over the latest poll showing that Bush’s popularity with Americans in plummeting in every way. It really just makes me ill.
This decline is only hapenning because people are finally waking up to the corruption and totalitarianism that have ruled this White House from day one. Why couldn’t people see this a year before Bush’s re-election instead of a year after? And for that matter, why are they still only paying attention to the very tip of the iceberg?
It will take generations to undo the damage the Republicans have done to public schools, civil rights, the environment, the economy, civil liberties, and democracy itself. Some of it might never be fully restored.
It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee folks. I’m talking to you, congress. I’m talking to you, mainstream media. You worked to stifle dissent in the last 5 years, when in fact it’s a fundamental part of your duty in a democratic society as journalists and policy-makers to encourage fair and factual discussion. You fell down on the job and now your credibility is almost as low as the President’s.
I expected this kind of crap from Bush, but I thought an informed electorate would reject his corporate cronyism. Many of us (especially bloggers) saw through him from the start, and we saw the media regurgitating White House talking points without criticism or even your hallowed “balance.” You are part of the problem.
But should you rediscover journalistic ethics, you could be part of the solution. Tell us the truth about what goes on in Washington and in Bagdad. If you all do it, the White House can’t single you out for punishment. Take some risks. Do your damn job! Or hang up your typewriter and let bloggers do it for you.
You are right to blame the media. They are a critical part of a functioning democracy, but for the last 10 years, they have not functioned properly. That is a large part of what has led to this nightmare. But the Democrats have been complicit in the economic scourge that afflicts us and will for generations to come. Read “Perfectly Legal” by David Cay Johnston to get a picture of how tax laws enacted in the last 30 years have squeezed the middle class and enriched the wealthy. Conservatives have always had the goal of ending what they perceive as liberal institutions: public schools, social security, helpful government programs. They want a pay-or-you-don’t-get-it system. What they have done via these tax laws is divert so much money to the very few rich that there is little money left for government programs. Local and state governments are increasingly squeezed and now its happening on the federal level (witness the talk of cutting medicaid and medicare — but little or no talk of repealing tax cuts). The other thing conservatives have successfully done is divert the argument about taxes. They’ve managed to convince much of the middle class that we pay too much in taxes and that government money is going to the wrong places/people (using coded words playing up racial divisions is a key component of this). The fact is, we pay low taxes in this country, but the other reality is rich people are not paying their fair share. We basically have a flat tax in America — around 25%. Whereas the wealthy used to pay taxes around 45%, they now pay 25%, just like you — and of course much of their wealth is not taxed because its not income. This is an insane system — but Dems have been onboard with this for 30 years. Until the tax laws are reformed and the middle class (which has not seen any income growth for most of those 30 years) is restored to some semblance of strength, American will continue on the path to a very, very stratified society of a few haves and a whole bunch of have-nots. And the only way to control all those have-nots (from the perspective of the haves) is a police state.
Both the congress and main stream media work at the whim of the dollar. They are owned by corporations through campaign donations, debts to home state constituents, jobs they provide, tax dollars to local, state, and federal government. The citizens of the US won’t ever really wake up untill their physical suffering is greater than their greed.
Brian, you’re right. We can only hope the suffering, which many already feel, will kick in soon. I laughed out loud at the radio yesterday hearing Greenspan say everything is alright. Bullshit! Its a disaster, with large numbers of middle class people being underemployed and frequently unemployed.
I also want to say that blogs have begun to do the job abdicated by the media. Nature abhors a vacuum and blogs have rushed in to fill the vaccum created by the media shirking its obligation to democracy. Unfortunately, blogs do not have the reach of the media, so obtaining truthful information is still a major problem for most Americans.