We All Have a Choice in the 2012 Election

[Joan Ruaiz]

YES, WE DO!

My choice come November 6, 2012 will not be a surprise, as I will vote to re-elect the incumbent President, Barack Obama.

The reasons why I will work hard to re-elect the President and try to give him an overwhelming congressional majority in both the House and the Senate are very clear to me, and self-serving as they are, I believe my actions will also benefit a majority of Americans; even those who don't quite know it yet.  By reading the rest of my commentary,  the reasons for my stubborn partisan stance will be made clear,  and as the election cycle progresses, I shall often make myself clearer still.

What I'd like folks to envision in the meantime is what would happen if progressives woke up the morning of November 7th, and reality hit that the President-elect is not Barack Obama?

Sure,  some on the Left would feel vindicated to witness Barack Obama defeated, believing that they had won the battle of "principles" they'd waged for four years to show President Obama their disappointment in him.  They would inevitably blame him for their choice not to donate, not to work, and/or simply not to have voted.

I believe, however, for those progressives willing to be intellectually honest, and who understand the concrete reality of political consequences (see Election 2010), we must also be willing to ask ourselves hard questions before the election, as opposed to after the fact.

You see, these questions will be answered regardless, either now, or for four long years (or eight even longer years) following November 6th.

Again, if the worse-case scenario were to occur  and we end up with a President other than Barack Obama (which is not out of the realm of possibility, as there are powerful forces working hard on this as we speak), what will happen then?

Some will say that my questions are nothing more than my cynical attempt to use fear, but I strongly disagree.  I am only asking you to picture what could very well happen.  If it is something to fear, you should duly note it.

I respectfully suggest that some of the questions we should all ask ourselves, especially those who haven't already done so, are as follows:

How will you feel when the new President nominates partisan cabinet members like Phil Gramm for Treasury, Jeb Bush for the Justice Department, John Kasich for the Office of Management and Budget, Scott Walker for Labor Secretary, Paul Ryan for Health and Human Services, Rudy Giuliani as Secretary of State, John McCain as Secretary of Defense, and Newt Gingrich as UN Ambassador?  Sure, it may not be those particular ideologues in those exact positions; in fact, it could be worse still.  Keep that in mind.

How will you feel when the new President gets a chance to replace Justice Kennedy, or worse yet, Justices Breyer and Ginsberg?  What about all of the other judicial nominees that the new President will get to choose?

How will you feel when the new President gets to sign into law the privatization of Social Security?

How will you feel when the new President gets to sign the the age increase for Medicare eligibility,  and the cutting of benefits for seniors?

How will you feel when the new President decides to nominate folks over at the FCC who would vote against Net Neutrality?  How mad would you be if the Internet became less of a factor for free speech, and more of a factor for message manipulation and propaganda?

How will you feel when the new President eliminates the mortgage modification partnership it has with banks, and you are back to being underwater, left to drown… on your own?

How will you feel when the new President re-instates the reproductive gag order on Third-World countries?

How will you feel when the new President dismantles the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau?

How will you fee when the new President pushes to reverse the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act?

How will you feel when the new President works to reverse Dodd-Frank?

How will you feel when the new President rescinds benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees?

How will you feel when the new President reduces or eliminates the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (aka Food Stamps)?

How will you feel when the new President doesn't extend unemployment insurance for the unemployed, and won't compromise on the issue whatsoever?

How will you feel when the new President reverses policy advances made in our relations with Cuba?

How will you feel when the new President signs the bill repealing the Affordable Care Act, and thereby nullifies the ability for patients who have pre-existing conditions to be covered by insurance companies?

How will you feel when the new President re-establishes a middleman for student loans?

How will you feel when the new President refuses to hold any discussion with labor, or to have anything to do with them?

How will you feel when the new President ignores the United Nations, and becomes their nemesis?

How will you feel when the new President decides that the Afghanistan timetable for bringing our troops home shouldn't be followed?

How will you feel when the new President reverses the ban on torture?

How will you feel when the new President resumes the Star Wars program?

How will you feel when the new President cuts federal education spending, and pushes vouchers?

How will you feel when the new President declines to identify who comes to the White House?

How will you feel when the new President pushes to reverse the FDA tobacco disclosure rules?

How will you feel when the new President advocates to deny national funding to NPR and Planned Parenthood, and the National Endowment for the Arts?

How will you feel when the new President increases taxes on the working poor, and decreases taxes on corporations, capital gains and the estate tax?

How will you feel when the new President pushes to abolish the EPA, the Department of Education, and the FAA?

How will you feel when the new President denies climate change?

How will you feel when the new President sells federal lands to pay down the deficit?

How will you feel when the new President advocates for corporations' right to accelerate mountain-top removal, and assures oil companies that they have nothing to fear in reference to their subsidies?

How will you feel when the new President decides to push for a DOMA-style Constitutional  amendment?

How will you feel when you have to look at this new President on the television. a President who talks in bumper sticker slogans, while being divisive. ideologically driven, and grossly arrogant, and who governs with regard to his own base and not all Americans?

As importantly, how will you feel that you didn't do everything possible to assist in the 2012 re-election campaign because you rationalized that there was nothing good you could say about President Barack Obama, or you conveniently convinced yourself that someone else would handle your share (or so you assumed)? How will you justify protest then, or even be angry knowing that you always had a choice and yet you chose to do less than you could do?

Will you be glad you stuck to your principles, or appalled at the avalanche of radical changes proposed by the new administration? And what will you do about it at that time, that couldn't have been done before?

Yes, there is a very clear choice, even if you really would rather not think about it right at the moment. I, on the other hand, have been thinking about it all along,  and  I'm sure there are even worse things that would come down the pike, unimaginable to me at this time.

But you know what? Perhaps this is the kind of reality-based exercise that we really need, especially those who claim to care about our future.  Perhaps now is the time to start  getting FIRED UP AND READY TO GO, because waiting until we are in an unthinkable position will be, for sure, way too late.

[Cha]

Excellent, Joan! I just posted a link to a list of 111 Accomplishments of the Obama Admin in GP that were installed in the first two years when the President had a Congress and Senate to work with.

http://democratsforprogress.com/forum/sh...6#pid56896

It goes along with your research quite nicely, I think.

[Joan Ruaiz]

(09-03-2011 09:23 PM)Cha Wrote:  Excellent, Joan! I just posted a link to a list of 111 Accomplishments of the Obama Admin in GP that were installed in the first two years when the President had a Congress and Senate to work with.

http://democratsforprogress.com/forum/sh...6#pid56896

It goes along with your research quite nicely, I think.

I saw that Cha, and posted it to my FB group (takebackcongress2012) that I belong to, but I used the link from the original site......just to give proper credit!

[Cha]

(09-03-2011 09:30 PM)Joan Ruaiz Wrote:  

(09-03-2011 09:23 PM)Cha Wrote:  Excellent, Joan! I just posted a link to a list of 111 Accomplishments of the Obama Admin in GP that were installed in the first two years when the President had a Congress and Senate to work with.

http://democratsforprogress.com/forum/sh...6#pid56896

It goes along with your research quite nicely, I think.

I saw that Cha, and posted it to my FB group (takebackcongress2012) that I belong to, but I used the link from the original site......just to give proper credit!

Yeah, I figured you would..the original site is awesome!

[jaxx]

Joan, how any Democrat, or independent, could answer those questions without deciding to vote for President Obama is beyond me. Thank you for a reminder that no one should want to face the things noted. The republicans would do all of that and more in order to take 'their country back'.

Thank you again!

[Joan Ruaiz]

(09-03-2011 09:24 PM)jaxx Wrote:  Thank you for a reminder that no one should want to face the things noted. The republicans would do all of that and more in order to take 'their country back'.

If you think you hear non stop whining now, you should see Devastating flooding from torrent of crying rivers come January 2012 that will last till the Internet is turned off!

[jaxx]

It makes me feel like crawling in a hole sometimes, but I won't!

[Joan Ruaiz]

(09-03-2011 09:40 PM)jaxx Wrote:  It makes me feel like crawling in a hole sometimes, but I won't!

Don't do it! We need you! In fact, we need everyone.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

EXCELLENT ARTICLE!!!! Needs to be posted and re-posted everywhere the PL might see it and think about it! The Republicans are NOT going to nominate a more *sensible* Republican like Jon Huntsman and maybe not even Mitt Romney who will not be in our country's best interests (no Republican pol is IMHO) but won't be as destructive a force as a Rick Perry or Michele Bachmann or some as-yet-announced far-right Republican candidate (i.e. Jeb Bush). I predict that the GOP will end up with a Perry or a Bachmann for a candidate. The Tea Party may be waning a bit in terms of overall popularity but they still seem to have enough clout that the nominee will simply HAVE to be batshit insane for them to be excited/worked up enough to vote, so the PL argument that "both parties are essentially the same" will come off as simply delusional- but that doesn't mean that some people still won't buy into the idea.

[SeattleGirl]

Great piece, Joan, though I think it's gonna give me nightmares!

And I just posted it on my facebook page!

[Joan Ruaiz]

(09-03-2011 10:19 PM)SeattleGirl Wrote:  Great piece, Joan, though I think it's gonna give me nightmares!

And I just posted it on my facebook page!

Thanks SeattleGirl! Nightmares is exactly what we will be living every day, day after day. And those who want to believe that Romney or Huntsman will be a wee bit better...well, I don't believe that. They are Republicans after all, and big business will have their way with them, period.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

(09-03-2011 10:27 PM)Joan Ruaiz Wrote:  Thanks SeattleGirl! Nightmares is exactly what we will be living every day, day after day. And those who want to believe that Romney or Huntsman will be a wee bit better...well, I don't believe that. They are Republicans after all, and big business will have their way with them, period.

I'm in no way nonchalant about the possibility of Romney, Huntsman, or, frankly, any Republican winning the nomination and/or GE nor am I naive enough to believe that big business wouldn't have their way with whoever wins the GOP primary (or god forbid, the GE!) but they don't seem to have the true "teabagger spirit" within them, which is why I think that either of them winning the nomination seems to be increasingly unlikely next year, particularly in the case of Huntsman.
I think that the GOP is going to nominate a Tea Party favorite and if not, the Tea Party may revolt and possibly find somebody to run a "scorched earth" third party campaign (or just won't show up to vote in disgust). In any event, hopefully the 2012 election is such a big disaster for the GOP that by 2013 the Tea Party will be discredited and refudiated by most in the GOP and we can finally return to some semblance of sanity in our political system- either because the GOP drops them like a hot potato or is so damaged that they basically become irrelevant (which is likely to happen in the not-so-distant future anyway). Hey, we can hope, right?

[nofurylike]

outstanding!!

thank you so much for doing the work of that, and for posting it for us, Joan!!

[Andy823]

An "EXCELLENT" thread Joan.

All those things you listed that would happen with a republican president should make any "real" democrat, progressive, and event the PL stop and think about what it would be like if they get people to stay home and not vote. Their agenda may not have been met by president Obama yet, but it will NEVER be met with a republican in office!

Far to many people can't seem to understand that a president is supposed to be the leader of "ALL" the people, not just their own party, or the fringes of their party. President Obama is trying to be the leader of this whole country, and his next 4 years will be even better than his first 3. Now if a republican gets elected, that will not be the case. They will NOT be the leader of the whole country, only their corporate contributors will have their ear, and it won't be those rich contributors that will be suffering come 2013, it will be those who can least afford it who will suffer.

Once again this was one great thread!

[Solara]

Wow.. this is a fantastic article. May I post it on my FB page? This needs to be seen and read by as many people as possible

I am looking forward to when you "make yourself clearer still"!

[Joan Ruaiz]

(09-04-2011 12:08 PM)Solara Wrote:  Wow.. this is a fantastic article. May I post it on my FB page?

I'd be honored if you would share it!

[OptimistesMaddie]

Joan, well done. This is the reality and for those of us that are not stuck in a narrow ideology we understand the danger. Those that don't will scream and beat their chests and cry "woe is me", how could this happen? Just as they did in 2010 and just as the response to the 2010 debacle they will not look at themselves...they will not take any responsibility for what they helped to come into reality.

[Solara]

I just did.. thank you again. This needs to be read by everyone! I can't wait to read more!

You honor everyone with your honesty and bravery

[stingo10]

This is too frightening to ignore. Thx.

[Cha]

Hey Joan, I just followed a link here from ABL~

http://www.angryblacklady.com/2011/09/04...ment-18041

[Joan Ruaiz]

(09-04-2011 11:32 PM)Cha Wrote:  Hey Joan, I just followed a link here from ABL~

http://www.angryblacklady.com/2011/09/04...ment-18041

Cool!

Thanks for letting me know, Cha!

[Cha]

(09-04-2011 11:40 PM)Joan Ruaiz Wrote:  

(09-04-2011 11:32 PM)Cha Wrote:  Hey Joan, I just followed a link here from ABL~

http://www.angryblacklady.com/2011/09/04...ment-18041

Cool!

Thanks for letting me know, Cha!

Anytime~ I love these interlocking pragprog sites..sharing valuable information and creative posts.

[Joan Ruaiz]

(09-05-2011 02:53 PM)Cha Wrote:  Anytime~ I love these interlocking pragprog sites..sharing valuable information and creative posts.

Looks like Extreme Liberal also put out a link to it, at the very end of his article in reference to some in the PL's reactions to the Chait NTY article!

http://liberalvaluesblog.com/2011/09/05/...-extremes/
He kicking Stoller ass, tell you that!

[Cha]

(09-05-2011 03:47 PM)Joan Ruaiz Wrote:  

(09-05-2011 02:53 PM)Cha Wrote:  Anytime~ I love these interlocking pragprog sites..sharing valuable information and creative posts.

Looks like Extreme Liberal also put out a link to it, at the very end of his article in reference to some in the PL's reactions to the Chait NTY article!

http://liberalvaluesblog.com/2011/09/05/...-extremes/
He kicking Stoller ass, tell you that!

Alright! I'll check that out now. I'm also spreading that link around(for Benen's blog right now) that you provided to Cass Sunstein's letter to Lisa P. Jackson at EPA. Very valuable..thanks again, Joan!

[Joan Ruaiz]

(09-05-2011 04:41 PM)Cha Wrote:  [quote='Joan Ruaiz' pid='57219' dateline='1315259236']

Looks like Extreme Liberal also put out a link to it, at the very end of his article in reference to some in the PL's reactions to the Chait NTY article!

http://liberalvaluesblog.com/2011/09/05/...-extremes/

Oh...liberavaluesblog and Extreme Liberal aren't the same thing. Scuse me!

[Joan Ruaiz]

But What is cool....is that I'm finding this opinion piece or links to it elsewhere on the Internet....a couple, which I found by accident!

This one has a link back to this thread....
Obama's Achievements Center

and here.... http://greenethoughts.blogspot.com/2011/...ction.html

That's pretty cool! Me Likee!

[jaxx]

It is a good piece and I'm glad to see it going around. Excellent links, thoughtfully written....it deserves to be widely read. Kudos and keep up the good work!!

[Joan Ruaiz]

(09-13-2011 10:58 PM)jaxx Wrote:  It is a good piece and I'm glad to see it going around. Excellent links, thoughtfully written....it deserves to be widely read. Kudos and keep up the good work!!

Thank you for the supporting words, Jaxx! That is also very encouraging to hear, and makes me want to write that much more!

[Ikonoklast]

THIS is the reality.

The entire country could fall, and like angry children who don't get their way, petulant single-issue voters will delight in everyone else suffering from their actions.

The Left attacked LBJ and gave us Nixon, the Left attacked Carter and gave us Reagan, and now want to repeat those 'successes'.