The Great Bailout Rip-off (Blue Collar Bias Included)

As our economy continues its slow death spiral towards insolvency, one would think that there would be a sense of urgency for unity in Congress to see our way out of this mess. Unfortunately, the Republican Party has taken this calamitous event and has turned into yet another classic case of talking point politics.

 

Here are the facts as I see it:

We have haphazardly pumped hundreds of billions dollars into the financial sector in the hope of creating financial stability. Though there have been some objections to this action, it has been generally accepted that this is necessary for our survival. The original intent of the bailout was to prop up these institutions against the failing sub-prime mortgage market.  Once in place, the bailout morphed into a blanket re-capitalization of the banking industry. Citigroup has benefited to the tune of $55 billion dollars and a generous government guarantee to cover 90% of their future losses. This is an outrage! This is not a bailout… this is a blind salvage operation (corporate giveaway) largely funded by borrowing money from the Chinese. The relative ease in which Citigroup has gotten these funds, with little transparency and even less national debate is alarming at best, nefarious at worst.

 

 

In the midst of this rescue operation, the big three automakers has requested a $25 billion dollar loan from Congress. The big three have been struggling and operating capital is at its lowest point in years. Their products are not as desirable in this country as they once were. Their survival, they contend, is dependent on this loan approval. Yet, Republicans in the Senate and in the House have turned this into a union bashing party. Citing statistics that UAW members make up to $75 dollars an hour (talking point), Congress has shifted the blame of the failing industry onto union workers in much the same way that the Bush administration blamed the common folk for the sub-prime meltdown.

 

We all know that the money we are pouring into the financial sector will never be seen again. Granted, we have gotten a stake in these banks but I seriously doubt that we taxpayers will ever see any real benefit from this bailout other than saving these banks outright. Yet, it is important to note, that in 1980, the US government loaned the Chrysler Corporation $1 billion dollars. Many at the time opposed the move. What is seldom discussed is that Chrysler repaid the loan in full by 1983 and the US treasury made $350 million dollars in the process.

 

 

It is obvious that there is a blue collar bias in this whole scenario. Even in an age where the gap between rich and poor has widened like never before, it remains the well-to-do who will benefit the most from this financial crisis.

    

The financial crisis this nation faces is catastrophic. To think any less of this would be foolish. This Thanksgiving, while sitting at the table, do not forget to thank your children, for it is they who will be shouldering this humongous debt. And while you’re at it, say a silent “Toa chie” to our new Chinese masters.  

                                                    Chinese President Hu Jintao

Iranian Blogger Hossein Derakhshan Arrested and Charged with Espionage

It has been widely reported that Iranian-Canadian blogger Hossein Derakhshan  has been arrested in Tehran and charged with espionage. Mr. Derakhshan was in Iran visiting friends when he was arrested.

 

 Mr. Derakhshan is known for his favorable blog pieces about the Iranian regime, which makes his case somewhat mysterious. His bilingual blogs (English/Farsi) are extremely popular as he is known as the “Godfather of Iranian Bloggers”. In 2006, Hoder, as he is also known, visited Israel and blogged about Israeli life. This may be the reason he was charged with spying on behalf of the Israeli state. There is great concern regarding his safety. On November 17th, the Iranian government executed Ali Ashtari, 45, an electronics salesman, after trying and convicting him of spying for Israel.

I urge all my readers and friends to join the Free Hossein Derakhshan Facebook group at:          http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=37459792838&ref=ts

As a show of support, I am also asking that you link his blog (Editor: Myself) to your own blog if you have one: http://www.hoder.com/weblog/

The Last Person Left strongly condemns the Iranian government’s action and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

Requiem for the Puerto Rican Independence Movement

Thoughts from a disappointed nationalist…

The results of the 2008 election in Puerto Rico may have officially signaled the demise of the Puerto Rican independence movement. The Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) garnered a mere 2.0% of the vote. It was the worst showing ever for Puerto Rico’s major independence party. In the 13 general elections and 3 political status plebiscites held since 1960, the independence movement has never surpassed the 6% mark and has averaged a pitiful 3.3% in the three elections held this century.

It is obvious that leaders within the independence movement have failed to articulate a coherent, all inclusive message. Too often, the movement remained stagnant and too closely associated with fringe elements of extremism. The 1960’s notion of revolution became dependent on the idea that a modern independence uprising, like the 1868 “Grito de Lares” would materialize. It never did. Attempts to create a national awakening of sorts never took hold. We never came close to a Polish-style Solidarność,  a Czech Velvet revolution, nor a Filipino People Power movement.  Lolita Lebron never quite achieved Mandela-esque stature. The 1978 police entrapment and murder of two independence activists on El Cerro Maravilla galvanized the movement. Tragically, even their  martyrdom failed to become a catalyst for collective action. Only the dispute with the US Navy over the island of Vieques received world wide attention but failed to evolve into a much broader issue of national sovereignty. The “struggle for liberation”  became passé and with little momentum, became more a nostalgic novelty than an actual cause.

 

Sadly, it appears that Puerto Rican independence has become an irrelevant consumer choice; victim of mismanagement, misdirected advertising, and poor marketing strategies. The PIP is not entirely to blame for the current state of the movement. The pro-statehood party (PNP) and pro-commonwealth party (PPD) masterfully instilled unfounded fears about the dire consequences of independence upon the general electorate. For decades, the independence movement failed to counter these tactics. The recent emergence of a “Green Party” on the island may have sealed the fate of the independence movement. Green politics is the new form of expressing electoral non-conformity. The Green Party (PPR) received nearly 14,000 (.8%) more votes than the PIP in 2008.

It may be time to finally realize that Puerto Rican independence may be nothing more than a melancholic dream of years past. After nearly a century and half of efforts against Spain and the United States, it may be time to just simply cede to the inevitable, pack up our things and sadly go home. The question is; Where exactly is home now?

Feel differently? Leave a comment and let’s discuss it!

The George W. Bush Legacy Part III: FUBAR

How President Bush will be remembered: III of III 

 

Valerie Plame

In the run up to the Iraq invasion, the Bush administration went to great lengths to concoct lies to justify military action against Iraq. One infamous lie was that Iraq was trying to procure uranium yellow cake from the country of Niger. Former ambassador Joe Wilson went to Niger and found no evidence of Iraq trying to purchase this material. In an Op-Ed piece he debunked this story. In retaliation, the administration leaked the name of his wife, Valerie Plame, to the press, thus blowing her CIA cover. The administration endangered our national security in its petty vindictiveness. Scooter Libby, VP Dick Cheney’s Chief of Staff was tried and convicted for lying to investigators about the leak. His sentence was commuted by the President.

 

Valerie Plame & Joe Wilson

 Prescription Drug Rip-off

In 2003, the administration and the Republican controlled Congress enacted the Medicare prescription drug plan. Coming into affect in 2006, it allowed for privatized plans to offer a prescription drug benefit administered by Medicare. The only problem was that Medicare was prohibited by law from negotiating with the pharmaceutical companies for the best price for the drugs. Interestingly, it was later noted that the law was written in fact by pharmaceutical company lobbyists. Equally despised by Democrats and conservative Republicans, this was a monster giveaway to Big Pharma!

Estimated cost of the plan (2006-2015): $858 billion dollars.

 US Attorney Scandal

All US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president. As is customary, the president has the power to appoint whom he feels best represents the ideals of justice to these posts. The Department of Justice has historically been a non-partisan, apolitical arm of government. That is, until the Bush administration turned the DOJ into a “Bushie breeding ground”. Between 2005-2006, a total of 11 US attorneys were dismissed for not being loyal enough to Bush causes. Reasons cited for their dismissal range from failing to prosecute dubious voter fraud cases to failing to prosecute Democratic politicians. The person in charge of flushing out those who did not blindly adhere to Bush’s Christian neoconservative view of jurisprudence was Monica Goodling, a relatively inexperienced lawyer (graduated 1999). The scandal led to the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and many others.

Total resignations of high ranking DOJ/Administration officials: 10

Total number of prosecutions: 0

 

 

The Economic melt-down

There is no telling how bad or how long the economic meltdown will be. This is one aspect of the Bush administration that the right wing of the party cannot blame on the Clinton administration. Conservative estimates put the 2009 at over $500 billion dollars! What is even more shocking is that the cost of the war in Iraq is technically “off the books” and is not counted in the budget accounting process. Compare that to President Clinton leaving the GWB with a $236 billion dollar SURPLUS after inheriting a $290 billion dollar deficit from Bush the Elder. The fraudulent nature of this administration’s claim of having been fiscally conservative is simply laughable.

 

 

 

The War on English

Never before in the history of this nation has the president declared war on the English language. Mr. Bush made malapropisms the norm. His greatest hits include:

“I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family.” – 1/2000

“Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?” – 1/2000

“There’s an old saying in Tennessee – I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on – shame on you. Fool me – you can’t get fooled again.”- 9/2002

“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” – 8/2004

“Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat.” – 9/2004

“Americans should be prudent in their use of energy during the course of the next few weeks. Don’t buy gas if you don’t need it.” – 9/2005 

 

The George W. Bush Legacy Part II – FUBAR

Part II of III

Hurricane Katrina

Costing the lives of nearly 2,000 residents and over $80,000,000 in damage, Hurricane Katrina provoked the most incompetent response to a national disaster ever seen in this country. Bush flew over the stricken area while aboard Air Force one the following day. While people were dying in the aftermath, Bush took the time to laud then FEMA Director Michael Brown with the infamous, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”   Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not feel compelled to interrupt her R&R trip to New York City. She was booed by the crowd at a Broadway show. The Bush response: “No one could have predicted the levees being breached”. The problem with that is that the administration was warned that the levees could in fact be breached! This ugly episode was nothing short of being criminally negligent.

  

No Child Left Behind

While campaigning for the presidency in 2000, Bush vowed to become the “Education President” if elected. After being elected, he got the No Child Left Behind Act enacted. Basically, school boards around the country had to institute rigorous testing as an indicator of student success and faculty effectiveness. Like most Bush initiatives, this was and continues to be a national disaster. Six years after becoming law, the NCLB act has proven to be failure.

 

 

 

Guantanamo/Renditions/Habeas Corpus

As a result of the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as, covert action in many more countries, the Bush administration chose to set up a prison system at a military base in Guantanamo, Cuba and other secret prisons around the world. By doing so, prisoners could be held there beyond the reach of American courts. Other enemy combatants were carted off to secret prisons where they were interrogated and presumably tortured. For the first time in our nation’s history we acknowledged that torture was an accepted form of interrogation. In addition, the Bush administration held that anyone could be held as suspected enemy combatants, even American citizens, with total disregard to Habeas Corpus.

Since its inception in 10/2001, total number of detainees: 775

 As of 11/2008, total detainees convicted of crimes: 1

 

 

Illegal Wiretaps

As part of the administration’s Global War on Terror, Bush signed an executive order in 2001 allowing for the interception of phone, email, text messages and internet activity without the approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Contrary to his public pronouncement, that surveillance would not be conduct without a warrant, the NSA continues to conduct illegal surveillance of communication both in and out of the United States. American citizens are not exempt from this highly illegal and unconstitutional activity. When first reported by the New York Times in late 2005, the administration countered that the act pf domestic spying was not illegal but the public exposure of the act was! In 2008, it was reported that eavesdropping was conducted on military personnel, American Aid workers and journalist calling the US from overseas. Of the terrorist related conversations recorded were numerous “phone sex” sessions.

Terrorist plots deterred as a result of the illegal wiretaps: Undetermined

Number of orgasms recorded by illegal wiretaps: Undetermined

 

 

To be continued…

Feel differently? Leave a comment and let’s discuss it!

 

The George W. Bush Legacy: FUBAR

Part I of III

 

On this day, 35 years ago, then President Richard Nixon, uttered the now infamous statement that defined his legacy. Amid the Watergate scandal Nixon told the Associated Press, “I am not a crook”. As it turned out, he actually was and the scandal brought down the presidency as well as stained his legacy.

 

Fast forward to 2008 and finally, the Bush presidency (and family dynasty) is coming to a much anticipated end. There have been many that have wished he were impeached but fortunately, like a death row inmate who gets his sentence commuted to life without the possibility of parole at a supermax prison, Mr. Bush’s legacy will be his ultimate punishment. There is a sense of poetic justice in this. Leaving office with the lowest approval ratings in the HISTORY of the American presidency, should linger in his psyche like an ill placed, misspelled tattoo for the ret of his life.

 

I remember distinctively a conversation that I had with a colleague at school during the uncertain time in November 2000, when the nation awaited the courts to decide the Bush v. Gore travesty. I commented to her, “In a way, I hope Bush wins… he is such an idiot that he will give us something to laugh at on a weekly basis”. I stopped laughing less than a year later and have cursed the day I uttered those words for the following seven.

 

Fittingly, George W. Bush will be remembered for:

 

Stealing the 2000 Elections

After weeks of waiting, the Supreme Court stepped in and stopped the recount of ballots in several Florida counties, thus handing the presidency to Bush. His margin of victory in Florida: 537 votes.

 

 

  

9/11

While America was under attack, Bush was in a Florida classroom reading the book, “My Pet Goat” to second graders. (And who says he does not read?) Failing to pay attention to an August 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Brief titled, “Bin Laden Determined to Attack in U.S.” We were caught by surprise by the masterfully executed terrorist attack. Hijackers commandeered four commercial jets and wreaked havoc within the US. Confusion reigned in the skies above the nation. In the aftermath, all air traffic was prohibited. Well not all flights were cancelled. An exception was granted to the Bin-Laden family to fly out of the country. There are some that proudly point out that there has not been another attack on American soil since 9/11, painting the absurd picture of Bush as the great protector. That’s like giving credit to the captain of the Titanic for raising awareness of the dangers of icebergs. Let’s face it, the 9/11 disaster occurred during the Bush presidency and he should bear full responsibility for our lack of preparedness.

 

 

 

 

Iraq War

After lying to the world, Bush got his wish and invaded Iraq. What was an action to rid Iraq of WMD’s, soon turned into a war for regime change, and then it became a fight against Al-Qaeda. Soon thereafter, the war was being conducted to “spread democracy”. There was an absolute belief by the administration with its neoconservative philosophy that the invasion and conflict would be a “cake walk”. It quickly became apparent that the invasion was conducted with too few troops and a fundamental lack of understanding regarding Iraq itself. Other memorable low points: Abu Ghraib prison, $9 billion in cash missing, Jessica Lynch stage managed rescue, rejected new Iraqi flag, Rumsfeld’s “known unknowns and unknown unknowns”, lack of armored vehicles, no-bid contracts, the war will be paid be Iraqi oil revenues, the insurgency is in their last throes, greeted as liberators, looting, Blackwater mercenaries, electrocuted soldiers in showers, Cindy Sheehan, the list is endless.

Number of American Deaths in Iraq to date: 4201.

Number of funerals attended by Bush: 0

Estimated costs: $2,000,000,000,000 (That’s in trillions!)

 

 

To be continued.

 

Feel differently? Leave a comment and let’s discuss it.

Where is My Bailout? An Open Letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson

Though this letter is written as a tongue-in-cheek response to the financial crisis, the facts stated in the open letter to the Treasury Secretary are sadly true.

                                        

Dear Treasury Secretary Paulson,

     Being that the Treasury Department has been very generous in assisting this nation’s banks, financial institutions and automobile manufacturers, I am writing this letter to you in the hope that I personally could be included in the Trouble Asset Relief Program (TARP). As my detailed financial information will illustrate, I am of the opinion that I qualify for the federal aid package that is being offered to the financial and auto industries.

     Allow me to elaborate.

     Firstly, let me unequivocally state that I am not one of those individuals who have been accused of over extending themselves in assuming a mortgage that was beyond my means. I never had enough money for a down payment on a home and never have contemplated participating in the quintessential American dream. I had always considered myself a middle-class guy, a sort of “Joe the Plumber” with a graduate degree. I paid my bills on time just like most Americans. I paid my taxes and contributed positively to my community as an educator.

    Then last year, a near fatal illness threw me into a 2 month coma. Needless to say, I lost my job, apartment, car and medical insurance in the process. My family was forced to sell most of my possessions in order to make my funeral arrangements. Thankfully, I survived and walked away from this episode literally with only the clothes in my closet. I was forced to move in with relatives.

Since my discharge from the hospital in December 2007, I have been denied social security disability benefits and Medicaid. I am grateful though for the one-time payment of $350 dollars in food stamps in March of 2008. All the food I purchased with those funds is gone now. I have nearly exhausted my administrative appeals for disability benefits and have been forced to seek employment in my field despite my progressively failing eye sight and other health complications. I owe the hospital that saved my life nearly $900,000. I have been trying to establish a payment plan with the hospital. I have calculated that if I pay $100.00 a month, I will satisfy my medical debt in January of the year 2759. I am not too sure that I will live that long, hence, my sense of urgency on this matter.

     Not having the expected revenue coming in has had a deleterious affect on my family. With mounting child support payments in arrears, I am coming perilously close to running afoul with the State of Florida’s Department of Revenue. Should my bailout request be denied, I am at risk of having my driver’s license revoked, my (non-existent) wages garnished, or worse, face imprisonment for payment non-compliance. In the past, I gladly applied my income tax return refunds to pay any arrears in my child support. But, since the law has changed regarding student loan repayment, the Department of Education now gets first dibs at my refund check. In essence, the tax refund checks that would have been spent on economic stimulating purchases such as food and clothing was instead appropriated by the government itself. As a result of these circumstances and potential consequences, I am asking that my request be put on a “fast track” for approval.

     I cannot file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. As you well are aware, the changes in the bankruptcy law by the Bush administration, limits my options for bankruptcy filing. The bankruptcy requirements now force me to file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, meaning that I would have to repay all my debts within 5 years. That would make my yearly payments approximately $200,000 per year. Again, another clear justification for the expeditious approval of my bailout.

     Once approved, I am asking you to extend my repayment schedule much in the same way that you have allowed AIG to extend their loan repayment from 2 to 5 years. In addition, since the Treasury has conceded to AIG a reduction in the interest rate on their loan from 11% to 3%, I humbly request a similar reduction on my interest rate on my defaulted credit cards from 20% to somewhere in the 15-16% range as part of my bailout. I am cognizant that as a member of the middle class, I must be responsible and pay my fair share. Lastly, I will pledge that any and all funds provided to me will be strictly used to satisfy creditors and will not be used to provide myself a bonus for succeeding in surviving this crisis.

     I must admit that I, like the financial institutions, have engaged in unecessary risks. While the banks and others participated in the unpredictable practice of credit swaps and other forms of arbitrage, I have been known to buy a lotto ticket or two on occasion in the hope of a one time windfall. I realize that over the past 3 quarters this has lead to an unnecessary loss of about $50.00 dollars but I can assure you that I will refrain from this risky practice once my bailout is approved.  

     I know that Congress has taken exception to the Department giving out these funds without disclosing who exactly is receiving this assistance. Rest assured Mr. Secretary, in the interest of transparency, I hereby authorize you to tell anyone that I received bailout money.

     I would also like to be included in the automobile industry’s bailout plan. Since the Department is poised to give them $50 billion dollars on top of the $25 billion they have already received in September, I am requesting an automobile bailout of $25,000 so I can purchase an automobile. The amount of my bailout request constitutes a mere .000033% of the total bailout given to the automakers. Should this request be approved, I promise to purchase my car from a US automaker making this a win-win for both myself and the auto industry. I will do my best to stimulate the economy by buying gasoline, now that it is somewhat affordable.

     I do understand that you have to maintain fiduciary responsibility in all your decisions. And considering this request should be no exception. For this reason, I have taken the liberty of providing you and the Department a complete breakdown for my bail out request and how my request will financially impact the total Trouble Asset Relief Program.

 

Total amount requested:

Medical Bills Bailout:      $900,000 or 0001285% of the total bailout.

Child Support Bailout:      $50,000 or 0000071% of the total bailout.

Credit Card Debt Bailout: $25,000 or 0000035% of the total bailout.

Automobile Bailout:          $25,000 or 000033%  of the the total auto bailout.    

 

     In closing, I want to reassure you that I am fully aware that we live in a free market capitalist society. We are not a socialist nation. It is not the government’s job to infuse capital into businesses thus nationalizing the industries where these investments are made. But, since you are going to do it anyway, I would be grateful should I become a beneficiary of this new practice.

  

Sincerely,

 

 

LastPersonLeft

 

 

 

 

Mama Africa is Silent: Miriam Makeba (1932-2008)

Miriam Makeba, a true giant in world music and long time political activist in her native South Africa has died. Known fondly by all as Mama Africa, she died of an apparent heart attack in the early hours of November 10^th, shortly after performing at a benefit concert in Italy.

Ms. Makeba first started performing in the early 1950’s and toured South Africa with the. In 1954, she recorded her first international hit, “Pata Pata”. See it below:

 

 In 1959, Makeba starred in an anti-apartheid film, “Come Back, Africa”. This act pushed the South African government to strip her of her citizenship and forced her into a nearly 30 year exile. In the early 1960’s she met Harry Belafonte and recorded An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba earning her a coveted Grammy award. After a few failed marriages she married famed Black Panther, Stokely Carmichael. This had an adverse effect on her musical career. Concerts were cancelled and her music was boycotted. As a result of this new hostility in the US, she moved to Guinea. While in Guinea she championed the anti-apartheid cause, as an ambassador for Guinea to the UN.

In 1987, she toured with Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo as part of the Graceland World Tour.  She returned to South Africa in 1991 at the invitation of Nelson Mandela. Mama Africa served as a goodwill ambassador and was active in many causes including HIV-AIDS.

Ms. Makeba was one of the truly great voices of the world. Her place in the pantheon of great female vocalists with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Umm Kultum is undeniable. The voice may have been silenced but the rhythm of her spirit will live forever.

Sarah Palin: What Else Does She Not Know?

With the recent revelations of Sarah Palin’s unbelievable lack of knowledge regarding civics and geography, I was intrugued to think about what other things she may not know. I have blogged about Palin’s ignorance for a while now. This will be my last Palin pile on.

 Maverick
Palin described herself incessantly as a maverick.
According to Webster’s dictionary, the term maverick is a ranching term describing an animal yet to be branded especially a motherless calf.

 NAFTA
It was stated that Palin had no idea what countries made up NAFTA.
Obviously, the North American Free Trade Agreement signatories are Canada, the United States and Mexico. Yes, Mexico is indeed a country in North America. Speaking of Mexico… Its capital, Mexico City, is the most populous city in North America and if you count its suburbs it’s the most populous urban area in the western hemisphere with 26 million inhabitants or roughly 38 times more populous than the entire state of Alaska. Scholarly research would have revealed that the countries of Central America, Caribbean, Bermuda and Greenland are considered geographically part of the North American continent.

Africa
Reports indicate that the almost-VP thought that Africa was a country and not a continent.
Had she done her homework, Ms. Palin would have known that Africa is made up of 53 countries and 7 dependencies. Knowing that Barack Obama’s father was from Kenya, she should have figured out that Kenya is a country in Africa. Being a woman, she should have known that the last female to win the Nobel Peace Prize was Wangari Maathai (2004). The Kenyan born environmentalist is one of the leading global voices for women’s rights.

South Africa
Most surprising, Fox news reported that Palin believed that the Republic of South Africa was part of the country of Africa and not a country within the continent.
Sarah Palin should have known that the Republic of South Africa is the wealthiest country (total GDP) on the entire continent. A little research would have taught her that Nelson Mandela was the first democratically elected president of the nation. She probably should have known that Mandela spent 28 years in prison for anti-apartheid activities and was released from prison on February 11, 1990. Then again, maybe not, she was probably too busy celebrating her 26th birthday on that day.

Feel differently? Leave a comment and let’s discuss it!

Obamanism: A Swinging Pendulum?

The elections are over and the people have spoken. So now the big question is what happens now? The stark reality is that after the celebrations have waned and we have finally gotten over the astounding uniqueness of the historical implications of these elections, the country must still be governed.

There is one certainty that this nation must come to grips with in the upcoming months as the Obama administration takes power. After months of the opposition preaching trepidation of “Obamanism”, there will not be a drastic political move to the left. Surely, there will be a shift from the present ideology but those who believe that President-elect Obama’s administration represents the political equivalent of shock therapy will be greatly disappointed. The idea that an Obama win will open the flood gates to a new ultra-liberalism is incorrect. President-elect Obama will be very much aware of the dangers of an ideologically driven administration and its potential to divide the nation. The neoconservative philosophy of the Bush administration, with all its patriotic virtue, has done more to divide this country than unite it. Obama will be remiss to institute a new paleoliberalism as the administration’s agenda. Shifting seismically to the left would be disastrous and Obama knows that. Governments that have a well defined center of gravity succeed in this day in age. Extremist policies result in unintended side effects.

The most ironic thing about the campaign was the assertion by the Republicans that an Obama administration would ruin the country because of his ultra-left liberal philosophy. I am sure that many in the Republican Party were looking in the rear view mirror and must have seen the wreckage left behind by the ultra-conservative ideology of the outgoing administration.

President-elect Obama has promised to institute a bipartisan administration. Anyone believing that the “Age of Obama” means the beginning of a new American collective is as ignorant as they are misinformed. The Obama administration will not be left of center but rather left of right, placing it pretty much at the center.

Feel differently? Leave comment and let’s discuss it!