The Perils of Ignoring Your Political Base

For the second time in as many days, it seems I'm forced to agree with Rush Limbaugh about something.  He was singing my song today on his program.  He says that it's utterly absurd for every election cycle for both the Democratic and Republican campaigns to target that twenty percent of "independent voters" in the middle and ignore all the rest as though they don't count.  Rush correctly points out that many a campaign has been won or lost because a Candidate took their base for granted and figured they weren't important, and they stayed away from the polls on election day.  It's my oppinion that this has happened lately a lot more with the democrats than the Republicans.  Since the summer of 2009 when the tea party was really let loose on town halls throughout the nation- - they have provided a pretty solid vote, to the extent that national policy has been dictated by this vocal contingent of voters.  But this has not been so with the democrats.  President Obama is the best friend Big Corporitistss have ever had and they have prospered under this President like they have with no other.  Of course the whole Affordable Care Act was tailor made for the Health Care lobby out there.  For once I side with the right wing.  I'm not being inconsistent in the least.  If they will rise up to oppose this gigantic drug and insurance lobby- - it is they who are agreeing with me rather than me agreeing with them.  21 states at least, have already opted out of Obama Care.  It's problematic in my mind how a system can even work properly if 21 states or almost half of the Union, opt out of the major provisions of the program.  And by the way only 29% of these "Independent voters" even support the Affordable Care Act.  It can't be stated too often that by this one act of gargantuine folly, Obama doomed his entire presidency- - all eight years of it- - to Failure.  Rather than be down in the mouth about it the way Rush was today, whose actions I find very puzzling,  Rush Limbaugh should be crowing like a Rooster because virtually everything is breaking his way- - both in the Congress and in the Courts- - not to mention the all important Fourth Estate- - the news media out there.

But it's become clear that it's more than just "the base" that needs to get politically active.  It's all of us, perhaps even me.  Of course if I have changed since I moved into this facility, it's certainly given me a lot more in depth and close up understanding of "The Poor" than I ever had before- - considering the fact that I'm now one of them.  Some like Judy might say "You're only turning left wing because you ARE one of "them" not and therefore you do their bidding".  But suppose my family shared their vast wealth with me.  I would still feel compelled to say what I believe is right.  Only they I'd be accused of either ingratitude or hypocracy because then they would say "Look you aren't hurting- - but you're making a pretence as though you identify with the poor".   There are a lot of "poor people' out there who work at minimum wage jobs, and working at a job that pays a mere $7.50 an hour is a nightmare if you expect to support yourself and your family on that.  Randy Rhodes correctly says that money indeed IS important when you don't have any at all.  It's like oil in a mechanical device.  You need some oil for the thing to opporate correctly, but after a while when everything is humming along fine, additional oil becomes superfelus.  Likewise people need enough money to keep body and soul together and keep a roof over their head and their kids in new shoes that aren't worn through.  It's not that money is the ultimate goal- - for most of us it's a MEANS to a goal, of a happier family life.  It's been pointed out by radio hosts more times than I care to count that so much Divorce comes about through money conflicts- either the loss of a job or a medical crisis that wiped them out.  There was a thing on the Rush Limbaugh channel that talked about how lovers of Liberty are against the idea of "spreading the wealth around" as though it were some heretical and dangerous idea.  But I have tried (unsuccessfully and many times) to point out that it's we Liberals who have the Puritan work ethic and that we believe in an honest day's pay for an honest day's work, and that hard work and creative ingenuity ought to be rewarded.  All the International Corporatists and Big Money care about is pushing paper around.  Even Switzerland has industries, believe it or not.  It's not all gold bars in vaults.  President Obama spoke at some Republican gathering on the economy.  They taped him because they were looking for something to use against them.  But it's as though they knew they were being "Zimmermaned" because after a while they realized that all that was happening was that President Obama was able to get HIS message out in a way he'd never been able to before.  So after twenty minutes of an hour and a half gathering, they turned off the tape machine.  Clearly the rich are paid too much.  One CEO goe 53 Million for eighteen month's work.  I don't see why Stock Holders would vote these CEO's such gigantic salaries since that money comes straight out of dividends that would otherwise go to them.  Who approved these salaries.  Who approved of the idea of saying that "Big Box" stores such as Target and Wall Mart don't have to pay Sales Tax?  I was flabberghasted when I learned that.  And they don't pay the City any property taxes either.  This of course contributes to the fiscal woes of some cities.  But then again- - how many speeches has President Obama made saying that Detroit should be bailed out by the Federal Government.  Don't tell me this President does not have a position on that.  Or is President Obama so in love with big money that he genuinely doesn't CARE?  We know one of the first political promises this Candidate made was that he would accept matching funds and run his Campaign of 2008 on that.  But then he "opted out' of his own political position and promise.  This was truely a herald of things to come- - for those with eyes to see.  And one thing that is much clearer to me now than fifteen years ago is that we HAVE to take the money out of Politics.  It should be a felony to solicit money in Lobbying.  The constitution said nothing- I think deliberately- - about any money changing hands in "petetioning the government for a redress of grievences".  Indeed, it is we, the Poor who need to have our grievences "redressed".  But the law only works for some people, apparently.  The system is Broken.  I have said this many times.  And I don't know what to do about it.

Rush Limbaugh apparently will be running for two whole hours on FOX television.  That's amazing since supposedly "They virtually never give any guest that much time".  Someone said that Rush is in the twilight of his carrier and that he'll be gone soon.  Bones (from the other side) told me this morning that if the Congressional election goes the Democrat's way next year- - Rush Limbaugh could be very well just a fading memory and off the air virtually everywhere- within a period of two years.  He sounded confident.  Just as Cayla Brady sounded confident that Officer Bernardi's death wasn't caused by Samantha's gunshot.  Of course in part I see why Rush Limbaugh appears to be in a blue funk lately.  He has no facts at all on his side.  The economic statistics continued to be Revised Upward, and now they say that the economy for all of last year expanded at a rate of 2.8% - which way more than I ever thought.  But now it's only expanding at the rate of 1.7% thanks to the Sequester.  Rush has been on the air a whole 25 years nation wise as of tomorrow.  But he might not have many years left.  And apparently he's just on FOX news to show that he still "has it" (for now), which is the ability to attract a crowd when he gives a speech.  Bones says, "Just give it about five or six years- - and then we'll see what he can do".

One more paragraph is coming but I have to go right now.  Let's talk about Days of our Lives.  You know the staff could hire on George Zimmerman and they'd get a more believable story line.  You have the two gay lovers and a mother and a baby living together.  One of the lovers wants to go on a hiking trip to Bryce Canyon.  Sounds like a nice experiance, with a former gay friend of his.  People forget that these two are not married.  There is nothing preventing Sonny from taking off any time he wants to - -and never coming back, for that matter.  You have Raphael Hernandez's diatribe against Nick Fallon.  Even if everything he said was true (and virtually none of it was a bit true) it's old news anyhow- - based on a picture of about three months ago of a situation that Never Was to begin with.  If I were Nick I'd say something like, "I don't know why you are saying all this or ever hope to accomplish.  I know you're in physical pain and probably on drugs.  But when I leave here today I'm not going to give you or your family or the Bradys another thought."  I don't know whether Raphael is mad at Nick because he stayed with his sister too long in the marriage- - he didn't Vacate fast enough - - or that he "abandoned her", which I doubt.  I mean she even deleted all the photos of them together.  He's given her a tailor made annulment - - what else does Raphael want???  If Raphael wants to get mad at somebody get mad at the bi-sexual who knocked up his little sister in the first place and instead of marrying her like a responsible person would- - drove her to the abortion clinic.  Then we have Stephano.  Kate told Chad that "She's never witnessed Stephano Di Mire violate his word after he gave it?  I think they've both been smoking something really strange.  Every other word out of Stephano's mouth is a lie.  That's what he eats lives and breaths.  This whole idea of this omnipotently Evil man living in their midst with few if any friends- - and yet the Law can't pin so much as one crime on him in over thirty years.  It defies the imagination.  I don't see how in this current murder Samantha is involved in- - how after the whole thing gets solved, as it invariably does (because the writers are too lazy to actually put on a Court Trial) that Stephano won't be fingered personally and that will be the end of him right there.  He'll go up the river for conspiracy to first degree murder.  And I think murder to silence a witness- - would definitely be an aggravating factor to lengthen his sentence.