Kaleidoscope
By Perry Diaz
MItt Romney and Paul Ryan
Last June 8, 2012, Republican presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney made a major gaffe that would hound him until the general elections on November 6. During a campaign rally in Iowa that day, Romney criticized President Barack Obama’s efforts to expand government. “He says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers,” Romney said. “Did he not get the message of Wisconsin? The American people did. It’s time for us to cut back on government and help the American people.” Oops! Too late!
His remarks went viral. The Obama campaign immediately went on the attack, releasing a video criticizing Romney for suggesting to cut public sector jobs and being out of touch with the Americans’ needs.
When Fox News interviewed Romney a few days later, he tried to get out of the sinkhole by saying, “That’s a very strange accusation. Of course, teachers and firemen and policemen are hired at the local level and also by states,” Romney said. “The federal government doesn’t pay for teachers, firefighters or policemen. So obviously that’s completely absurd.” Wrong! The Federal government provides funds in education programs like the “Leave No Child Behind Act.” In law enforcement, the Community Oriented Policing Services Office (COPS) is a Federal grant to help police departments in hiring more community policing officers. And for fire departments, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) provides grants and financial assistance under the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP).
Paul Ryan showing his radical budget plan
Ryan’s radical budget plan
Evidently, Romney was clueless about the involvement of the Federal government in the hiring of teachers, policemen, and firefighters in local communities. But even if he were aware of these Federal grants to local governments, his endorsement and adoption of Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget plan, “A Roadmap for America’s Future,” is indicative of what a Romney presidency would look like. Scary!
Romney, in trying to defend the Ryan budget plan, commented during a Wisconsin radio show that the budget plan “does not balance the budget on the backs of the poor and the elderly. It instead preserves Medicare and Social Security.” But as one pundit said, “Paul Ryan’s budget plan is simply brutal towards the poor and working families. Romney doesn’t have to like it, but he really shouldn’t lie about it.” Yes, it’s so brutal that Ryan would take at least $3.3 trillion — or 62% — of $5.3 trillion in non-defense budget cuts over 10 years from programs for the poor.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the $3.3 trillion includes the following four categories of cuts:
- $2.4 trillion in reductions from Medicaid and other health care for people with low or moderate incomes.
- $134 billion in cuts to SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program.
- At least $463 billion in cuts in mandatory programs serving low-income Americans (other than Medicaid and SNAP).
- At least $291 billion in cuts in low-income discretionary programs.
In addition, Ryan’s budget plan would also cause tens of millions to lose their health insurance. It would also make it harder for low-income students to get a college education. It would also make cuts to transportation infrastructure, which is sorely needed to rehabilitate or repair thousands of old freeways and bridges.
But what he did would not touch defense spending. Considering that American combat forces are scheduled to leave Afghanistan in 2014, the budget for defense should pare down. And lest I forget, Ryan’s “tax reform” would cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires while shifting the tax burden to the middle class.
And what Romney didn’t tell the people is that “preserving” Medicare is not really preserving it in the true meaning of the word. What Ryan had planned for was to turn Medicare into a voucher program without the guaranteed benefits. It would also bring back Medicare’s Part D prescription drug “donut-hole,” which would hurt the elderly who subsist on their Social Security checks.
Wisconsin recall
In adopting Ryan’s budget plan and sold to the way Gov. Scott Walker was running Wisconsin by giving tax cuts to the rich and stripping hundreds of thousands of working-class Wisconsinites of their voice on the job, by all indications, Romney’s program of government would definitely be pro-rich and anti-poor. But what angered the 900,000 Wisconsinites who signed a recall petition was when the majority Republicans railroaded the union-busting bill in the “dead of night.”
Walker survived the recall election last June 5 by a large margin. Political pundits said that he won because of the massive influx of campaign money from out of state. Walker raised a whopping $32 million while the Democratic candidate, Tom Barrett, raised only $4.6 million.
In the end, the election was won by who had the bigger war chest. Walker’s contributors were seven Super PACs controlled by the Koch brothers, Karl Rove, Citizens United, and big corporate donors. As one recall leader said, “We lost it to Karl Rove and the Koch brothers. In 2012, we did not lose the Wisconsin recall to Gov. Walker, we lost it to an 8-to-1 spending differential, most from out of the state.”
Makes one to wonder if Wisconsin is a microcosm of what would happen to America should Romney win the elections. And with Ryan’s “Roadmap for America’s Future” as his blueprint, Romney would Wisconsinize America if he won the presidential elections. And with the kind of moolah that is pouring into his campaign, he just might defeat Obama.
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Super PACs
The other day, Las Vegas casino mogul, Sheldon Adelson, promised to spend “limitless” amount of money – as much as $100 million — to defeat Obama. The Koch brothers are expected to contribute $400 million and Karl Rove’s Super PACs will give another $300 million. It is estimated that Republican Super PACs will donate a total of $1 billion. With Romney expected to raise $800 million, he could inundate the television networks and radio stations with attack ads against Obama.
There is no doubt that Obama could defeat Romney on a person-to-person basis. But could he defeat the Super PACs behind Romney? Obama is keeping his cards close to his chest, just like when he took out Osama bin Laden last year, the American people didn’t know about it until he announced it. This was after the SEAL Team Six commandos returned safely to their base in Afghanistan with Bin Laden in a bag.
Obama might just surprise everybody again when the polls close on November 6.
(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)
What Wisconsin recall election shows us was that money can bought voters.That show also how the big money of Karl Rove,Koch brothers,Sheldon Adelson,Donald Trump and the Republican Super Pac will play to make Mitt Romney win in the November election this is economic catastrophe to USA the 1% super rich will become more richer and the 99% middle income and poor Americans will be reap- off by paying more taxes and the social security and health care benefits they are supposed to get will be removed.
Here we are back again to Bush Administration using the”small government” tactics of the Republican Party.
Hi Fernando,
The American people are being hoodwinked into believing the “gospel of lies” of the Republican Party. If elected, Romney would be owned by the Koch brothers, Donald Trump, Karl Rove, Sheldon Adelson, and Wall Street. It’s going to be the demise of democracy as we see it today.
Perry
RGL, Obama promised the American people HOPE and CHANGE. Right now millions of Americans are still HOPING that the CHANGE that Obama was referring to are not the ones that are making those clinking noise in their pockets.
Thanks for sharing Perry,
that was a good one regarding Romney – putting his foot in his mouth adding, inconsistent statements to cover the hole/mistake on what he had said.
Best wishes,
Jaime Calero
(Sent by email)
RGL and Perry you two are great!
How I wish myself to be both of you in explaining the US political issues of today.
I ENVY YOU TWO.
Your vast knowledge of information on what is going on in USA and the political scenarios you explained gave us an insight on how exciting the upcoming debate between Obama and Romney will be.
Anyway, congratulations to both of you whom I considered BOTH WINNERS on your written exchanges.
Wonderful! Very educational exchanges, indeed.
And, we say – AWAT NA because we are ALL friends.
To RGL and Apollodr, just a word of caution, if you keep up this kind of dialogue with Perry, you might just find yourselves not being able to post any of your comments anymore.
Well, Perry, I’ve been called a “bogok” and all kinds of nasty names on your website. And it was printed. And when I wrote a story defending myself in a civil way from those uncalled-for curses, threats and insults in my Kapeng Barako column, you CENSORED that story. You didn’t give me a chance to be heard by your readers. So, what do you say about that, gayem?
Jesse
Hi Jesse,
No, I didn’t censor your piece, gayem. I just didn’t have a space for it due to a self-imposed limit of eight articles per day. Since your article was just a compilation of readers’ comments — some from Global Balita and some are from other blog sites — I can’t give it a priority. As you know I select eight articles to be posted each day. Some are from contributors to Global Balita like yourself and others are well-known writers and columnists from other publications. I give preference to original articles as opposed to compilations of comments like the one that you recently submitted, which you claimed I censored.
Now, if your intent is to defend yourself from readers who criticized you, then the best way to respond is to post your comments in the space provided for readers’ responses in Global Balita. However, I’d rather that you respond only to Global Balita readers and not to readers in other blog sites. As a professional practice and courtesy, Global Balita doesn’t want to get involved or react to commentaries entered in other blog sites. We don’t want to be dragged into a “war” outside our domain.
I hope you understand my position.
Thanks,
Perry
Thanks for the great article Perry.
You have touched all the bases here, and I hope President Obama has the Super Pac power to defeat Romney. As sad as it is, money is the name of the game in campaigning. Maybe some day we will advance as a culture and get rid of vested interests and concentrate on the issues.
Dava Castillo
(From ALLVOICES)
Like Perry I was conservative until I joined the Education Sector and found out more about the truth in knowing how conservative powers forgot the working class including the educators who are really the nation builders. I do not believe in Unions but I do believe in supporting our next generations who will lead us in the future. Without the real help from the government towards Education sector where will our nation go. Please be practical and logical. Any Party or President reducing support to the Education Sector must not be supported. Whatever party you are in please do support our teachers who are helping our children build this nation. Thank you for this great discussions. Let us all vote for the President who takes care of our children’s future. Kindly support our Teachers.
Hi Den,
Education is an important part of American society. It’s one of the pillars that made our nation the greatest in the world. If there’s one legacy that George W. Bush left it’s the “Leave No Child Behind Act.” It would be a grave mistake to eliminate it.
Perry
Perry, as we say in Louisiana, you’re doin’ good! Talking about scared because of their interest in the GOP platform, you just knocked out RGL and MrApollo who are defending the absurd and indefensible. RGL doesn’t even pactice what he preaches about civility by calling you a lapdog for Obama. Now, who is really the lapdog for whom? I, too, am a Republican who have turned away from this current crop of Republican rogues and goons who want something for nothing.
Hi Rawley,
You and I saw it slowly coming in the Republican Party since 2004 after Bush was reelected. The Republican Party isn’t what it used to be during the Reagan and Bush Sr years. You served under Regan and I served under Bush Sr. They’re both pragmatic and worked with the Democrats to achieve the best for Americans. Today, the Republican Party is controlled by Grover Norquist and the Tea Party right-wing radicals who do not compromise at all. Their all-or-nothing philosophy has caused the economy to stagnate. They rejected the Jobs bill of Obama and filibustered the DREAM Act in 2010. Now,they’re yelling “foul” because Obama issued an executive order stopping the deportation of young adults only because they’re the children of undocumented immigrants. It looks like Obama has finally taken the center stage in the immigration debate. Without the Latino vote, Romney is doomed to defeat in November.
Perry
Sal, I would like to give you a scenario how hard line liberals think. Do you remember when Clinton lied to the American people about his affair with Monica Lewinski? All of his supporters said that what he did is not an impeachable offense because it’s only about sex and some even said that oral sex was not even really sex. He’s the scenario, a father got an important call from his wife telling him that his daughter was raped. The father then asked who the rapist was. She said if was President Clinton. After hearing the news that it was Clinton who raped his daughter, he told his wife to hang up and that he will call her back. His wife thinking that her husband might do something crazy, so she called him back immediately and asked him what he was going to do? He said, oh I’m just telling my friends that it’s really not that big of a deal that Clinton raped our daughter. After all, the economy is good, the country’s doing okay and he’ll probably just lie about it anyway.