| Republicans won the argument that "taxes are evil and the government is your enemy" through a well-planned and executed rhetorical and political war started by Ronald Reagan. That's why, even as he wouldn't be admitted into today's Republican Party, he is their lonely hero. Almost everyone, including so-called Liberal Democrats, believe this in their hearts or are completely petrified in trying to argue otherwise - even though they know better. The few inside the I-95 beltway that don't believe it can be named on a single hand: Tom Harkin, Bernie Sanders, the House Progressive Caucus (except for Third Way co-chair, God help us! He should resign from the Progressive Caucus, Jared Polis), and some others.
The rhetorical/political state has led us to a point where Republicans like Doug Lamborn can beg for aid for the Waldo Canyon fire, then turn around and vote against disaster aid for North-easterners hit by Hurricane Sandy. Democrats, for their part, not wanting to be criticized for being pro-fair-taxation and, most likely, not wanting to alienate their Big Money donors, are fearful of even criticizing a chump like Lamborn and his monumental hypocrisy. This is how Mark Udall evaded the question:
Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, a Democrat who said he'll support the legislation when it moves to the Senate, resisted the opportunity to criticize Lamborn in an interview with FOX31, saying only that it's customary for lawmakers to support federal aid for other states.
"I've worked with Congressman Lamborn on a number of important initiatives for his district, but I haven't had a chance to talk to him about his vote," Udall said.
So if he talked to him he would learn there is a good reason to deny disaster aid to a region so hard-hit? A region that pays more than its fair share in taxes that are often sent to red states? Udall would learn a reason for Lamborn's vicious hypocrisy?
Doubtful.
But the Coward Udall can't bring himself to criticize the Hypocrite Lamborn who says in public that he's a Christian!
So that's where we are: Republicans aiming for full on Austerity while protecting Millionaires and Billionaires, and Democrats cowing from even a minor criticism, let alone a full on condemnation or the kind of single-minded attempt to fix policy that Republicans exert all the time in breaking it.
Which is why Austerity is still the primary solution of almost everyone in DC, even though it's being shown to fail and harm economies everywhere:
The actual cost of severe austerity can't be calculated-the number of lives lost or dreams killed because of families free-falling into poverty isn't an easy number to add up. Now, a new report from the International Monetary Fund has at least quantified the economic damage of austerity ... and it's a number that will shock you.
First, some background. Back in October 2012, this is what the IMF reported:
Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund made a striking admission in its new World Economic Outlook. The IMF's chief economist, Olivier Blanchard, explained that recent efforts among wealthy countries to shrink their deficits - through tax hikes and spending cuts - have been causing far more economic damage than experts had assumed.
Report after report is concluding the same thing.
But momentum is a powerful force in Washington, DC, and the wheels have been inexorably crushing opposition to austerity with brute force and unlimited funds of mostly Billionaire Republicans who hate the Middle Class and have wanted to destroy the social safety net since before it was enacted.
Can austerity, and the undeniable harm it will cause to the elderly, the sick, the working poor and the Middle Class, be stopped by that tiny majority with the guts to hold to the principles the truly made America exceptional?
Doubtful. Not with Democrats like Mark Udall, Jared Polis, and Michael Bennet representing Coloradans. |
