June 6, 2006
COMMENTARY: Landslide for the Democrats This November
By Tom Proebsting
Special to HNN
Fellow Democrats, let not your hearts be troubled. I believe the party of
John F. Kennedy, Harry S. Truman, and Franklin D. Roosevelt will gain a
majority of the seats in the Senate and House after the elections this
November. Am I jumping the gun? I think not.
There are several reasons I believe a Democratic upset will happen this
fall. First, Number Two rolls downhill. The latest polls put President
George W. Bush at his lowest level since he took office in early 2001, in
the lower 30 percentile range. This unpopularity will filter down to his
fellow Republicans who are up for election. The president is dragging the
conservative politicians down.
Now for the reasons our president’s popularity is slipping: Where do I
start? How about the war in Iraq? More and more Americans are becoming
impatient and disheartened with the coming civil war in the former
Mesopotamian region. Daily killings are not going down in spite of Vice
President Dick Cheney’s affirmation last year when he stated the insurgency
was “in the last throes.” More and more Americans want change and realize
that the US cannot be the Policeman of the World. A “Cut & Run” strategy
would be most welcome.
The new Medicare plan is nothing but confusion for senior citizens who
should be looking forward to a relaxing retirement. Instead, they have to
pore over reams of government writing to try and figure out the best plan
for their own situation. Many of them throw up their hands in frustration,
letting their medical futures fall into the hands of fate. How many of our
retired folks now have a jaded view of the Bush-style of Republicanism?
The fright of President Bush’s failed plans to privatize Social Security was
enough to give most American citizens a heart attack-whether young or old.
We are eternally grateful those plans were shelved, but there is still a bad
taste in our mouths over it. Our Social Security is an institution which is
better left alone.
Last month the House passed a $2.7 trillion federal budget bill increasing
military spending, but cutting spending on domestic programs such as
education, energy, and national parks. Entitlement programs such as Medicaid
and farm subsidies will be heavily trimmed-to the tune of $6.8 billion. The
Senate passed their version of a budget last March. The two versions are
very different, so the final bill is yet to be passed and signed by the
president. However, it appears inevitable that essential services are likely
to be cut whatever the final outcome. Voters with special interests will
remember Congress’ decision this November.
Americans have further suffered the indignities of the National Security
Agency listening in on our private phone conversations. This was done
without the benefit of a warrant. In addition, various phone companies may
have given private monthly tabs of our calls to the NSA. Now US citizens
know what victims of Peeping Toms feel like.
The prisoner abuses, murders, and lack of legal rights at Guantanamo Base,
Abu Ghraib and various secretive CIA-run prisons throughout Europe are not a
plot from a B-rated movie. They are real horrors instigated during the watch
of President George W. Bush. Add to this the “Collateral Damage” (Read
“Murder of Iraqi and Afghan Citizens”) since the two wars started and you
may experience a numbing of the collective psyches of most Americans. The US
should be the light and beacon for the rest of the world, not the beast in
the pit.
Who can forget the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina last
year? The Bush Administration reacted with the speed of molasses flowing in
January. Bodies are still being found in New Orleans and the rest of the
Gulf Coast. Complete rebuilding may never take place. Compare this to the
President’s swift response to last year’s hurricane in Florida. The Gulf
Coast voters will remember this fall.
Add to these the cases of super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, former Majority
Speaker Tom DeLay, former Senate Majority leader Trent Lott, “Scooter”
Libby, and trigger-happy VP Dick Cheney and you have enough scandals to
rival Watergate. Also, the rest of the civilized world is frightened and
aghast at America and her unique foreign policy goals. They’re wondering
which third-world nation will be the next “Pre-Emptive Strike” victim. Will
it be Iran, Syria, Sudan, Venezuela, North Korea or someone else?
Fellow Democrats and liberals, rest easy. I see a superlative victory this
November. I believe the Democrats will gain back the majority of seats in
both the House and Senate. To borrow a term from Patrick Buchanan, we will
“take back our country.”
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Tom Proebsting is a writer and blogger in Missouri. Tom Proebsting, 823 N.
Ault St. Moberly, MO 65270
e-mail: truthprobe777@yahoo.com
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