Class Warrior Under Attack

Former candidate for the Presidency John Edwards has been charged with using campaign funds to shield his mistress from public few. The charges seem bogus to me. As Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has written,

The government’s entire case rests on finding that the payments made by Bunny Mellon and Fred Baron to Andrew Young to support Rielle Hunter were in fact campaign contributions. But no court has ever interpreted the definition of campaign contribution this broadly.

That makes wonder why Edwards is being prosecuted.

I don't know if John Edwards would have wanted to be called a "class warrior" when he was running for president. The American media don't use that term as a compliment and it might not have been well-received by a political campaign which, as we're finding-out, must be concerned with the candidate's image. Nevertheless, even though he, himself, is wealthy, I think of John Edwards as a class warrior for the rest of us.

During his campaign, Edwards talked about two Americas and he was right. America is divided by wealth into two Americas, the wealthy and everyone else. Republicans know it and have been waging a class war for years to make sure the wealthy stay in control. Edwards knew it and was ready to fight the battle for the rest of us. Maybe that's what this prosecution is all about. Edwards had the temerity to go to war for the common man.

Whatever his indiscretions, John Edwards was America's best chance to restore American prosperity and the dignity of the American middle-class. It's a shame we lost him to this peripheral and irrelevant issue and the American passion for elevating trivialities to what they think are substantive issues.

Giant Inflatable Rats

Perhaps I've led a sheltered life but I've never heard of this practice just recently approved by the National Labor Relations Board.

The labor movement's giant inflatable rat is legal, even at demonstrations in front of secondary employers, ruled the National Labor Relations Board May 26.

In a case involving Sheet Metal Workers Local 15 and Brandon Regional Medical Center - which hired below-wage non-union temps to build its addition years ago - the board voted 3-1 that using the rat on a flatbed truck parked in public more than 100 feet from the hospital entrances, is kosher, along with the leafleting of passing patients.

Labor's use of giant rat deemed legal

This victory for Labor, small though it is, can be of great benefit to Americans. I can think of no better way to describe non-union contractors; they are a danger to public welfare. Let the public be warned, when rats are in the area, they have reason to be concerned.

It's the spin not the substance.

Republican reaction to the upset in the New York 26 special election for Congress is starting to come-in. Democrat Kathy Hochul's victory over Republican Jane Corwin has been attributed to the Paul Ryan plan to convert Medicare to a voucher program. According to Democrats, seniors see it as a threat to their health care and are scared. Democrats think that reaction is good for their election chances in 2012. Republicans, at least publicly, say that's not so. They say all they have to do is explain themselves:

"If we’ll just stay with our argument and do a better job developing it, we’ll be fine," said Rep. Tom Cole (Okla.)

In other words, don't be concerned with the substance, just the spin.

Those words should sober-up the Democrats. Republicans are very good at demagoguery and distortion. They very well may be able make their plan to gut Medicare look like a plan to make health care for seniors more affordable. Democrats should pay attention and be forewarned. They are going to face a storm of Republican lies and distortions which will make the usual Republican lies and distortions look like a gentle breeze of logic and truth.

Deficit Advice to President Obama

As we get closer and closer to next general election, President Obama is going to be getting more and more advice about how to win the election if the face of the budget deficit. Brit Hume offered him some on “Fox News Sunday” online “Panel Plus” segment on Sunday. Hume said "Obama (should) get on board with at least one of the current proposals put forth to address the federal debt. But he also noted the opposition he would face from his own party if he did so.

You're darn right, Brit.

Democrats didn't cause the deficit problem. Republicans did. Whatever Obama does about the deficit has to be at their expense. The Bush tax cuts, the Bush wars and the Bush Recession caused it. Obama has to keep the voters focused on that.

Class Solidarity

Form what we've seen of the Republicans' legislative agenda so far this year, their intent should be clear. The Republicans are attempting to use envy to turn workers against each. The assault on public employee unions and the push for "right to work" laws shows us that. Each is an attempt to turn those not protected by unions against those who are. Unless American workers develop a sense of class solidarity, they will fall victim to the scheme. Every worker benefits when one worker improves himself. When he wins the battle, the next battle becomes easier and victory more likely.

Will the Democrats win the 2012 general elections in a landslide?

When the results of the 2010 elections came-in, pundits might easily have predicted the end of the Democratic Party. Republicans were elected from coast to coast to a variety of offices both minor and major. The Republican Party was on top of American politics and looked like they were there to stay.

Then they actually had to govern.

Now things look different. Republicans have begun implementation of
their ideas and America is recoiling in horror. Ending collective
bargaining, repealing child labor laws, gutting Social Security and
replacing Medicare with inadequate vouchers aren't playing well with
American public. Even on overly cautious observer might be beginning to
get the idea the Republicans are in for a beating in 2012 which will make
2010 look like a clever Democratic scheme to let the Republicans hang
themsleves.

It couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch.

"Cut and Grow" Already a Failure

Eric Cantor hardly had had time to move into his new office as majority leader before he declared his majority to be a "cut and grow" majority. He laid-out his plan to "grow" the economy by cutting everything - jobs, spending, benefits. Everything.

He should have waited.

A few months ago, the Conservative majority in Britain tried the same thing. They promised to cut this and cut that and promised growth but guess what happened. As Labor predicted, the economy shrank.

Let that be a lesson to you, Mr. Cantor. Keep your mouth shut. Better yet, resign. You'll be doing everyone a favor.