Rambling Prose...

Rambling Prose...
.Let's take a walk together.....

Saturday, November 10, 2012

POST ELECTION THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS....

Now that November 6th has come and gone...some thoughts and feelings about this past Presidential Election.

The results I liked; the process of getting there I did not like!  I've been voting since about 1960, and in that year I voted for JFK over Richard Nixon.  In 1964, my vote went for LBJ, even though I held my nose because of his stance on the Viet Nam War.  In 1968 & 1972, I voted against Nixon, and lost those elections when Humphrey and McGovern were "creamed!"  

Carter was my one-term choice in 1976.  Reagan came along in 1980 and 1984. and I voted for him in both elections.  In 1988 I voted for Bush I as Dukakis was a poor choice.   (This was the era when I thought I might be a Republican..). 

In '92 and '96, I voted for Bill Clinton, my all-time favorite for President...so far.

The infamous election of 2000 between George Bush and Al Gore was my first political mistake in all of my life (wink)....I voted for Bush because I didn't care for Gore.  Gore should have been declared President, but the Supreme Court (a Right-Wing surrogate for the Republicans) chose George.  Can you imagine how different our history would have been with President Al Gore?  (We wouldn't have gotten mired in 2 Middle Eastern Wars; thousands of American soldiers would be alive; and our economy would have been a hellava lot better!)

In 2004, we had another disastrous 4 years with "W"; I voted for Kerry.

In 2008 and again this year my vote went to Barak Obama.  Both McCain and Romney were wiped out!

Pardon my "Rambling" down history lane, but I did that for several  reasons.   Mainly, to prove my creditable pedigree as an Independent voter...and secondly, to buttress my claim that Presidential elections have become significantly more contentious over the years.  (Shouldn't get much of an argument over that statement.) 

 Especially since Obama was elected in 2008, the Radical Right, and to a lessor extent the Left, have engaged in more hate, mudslinging, racism, and lies, than I can recall in all my 52 years of voting.   Movements such as the Tea Party, Religious Right,  and militant- hate groups, have taken over the Republican Party, and are trying to impose their social and political agendas  not only on "the Grand Ole Party," but the United States of America.  
They have declared war on women's rights, the gay and lesbian communities, students, minority groups, Social Security & Medicare folks, and just about anyone else who doesn't agree with their radical views.  They have an obsession to reduce the debt by the wholesale cutting of vital social programs such as health care for women, Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid, Planned Parenthood, student aid...just to name a few...on the backs of the 99% in America.  They plan to give the 1% more tax breaks and thus more money!

Since the "Great Recession" the Big Banks and Wall Street have realized a wonderful recovery; the Middle Class and poor have gotten the shaft!  Thousands have lost their jobs, their homes, and their retirement savings. Students have dropped out of college due to lack of funds.  There are no jobs of any consequence for them, and many experienced workers have been laid off and can't find new employment.  Companies continue to be closed and their operations shifted overseas.  Just about all efforts to improve the economy have been blocked by Republicans in Congress.  

It is my fervent hope that President Obama and his administration will be able to go Forward and make progress in improving the economy.  "Obamacare" is the law of the land; he has the backing of large percentages of Latino, Blacks, women, and students; and really does have a "mandate" from the American people to go forward with his plans for the future.  

This is not the time to try to "compromise" with the Republicans.  I hope the President has learned that difficult lesson.  He needs to hold his position on not extending tax breaks for the rich, insist on more revenues to grow the economy, proceed with criminal charges against certain Banks and Wall Street crooks, take real action on dealing with the problem of Climate Change, move to change our broken Election system, bring the troops home from Afghanistan now, push a Immigration bill through Congress, revise the tax code, employee the unemployed in rebuilding America's infrastructure...just to name a few priorities.  













So...that's a few of my thoughts, feelings and Ramblings for what they are worth.  (Comments are encouraged...good or bad.)

Larry..

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