The Art of the Blindside

The Art of the Blindside

Today we read that the “New Start” arms contol treaty with Russia has been stopped by Senator Kyl (one person can do this in our “democracy Senate”). The White House evidently was “outraged” by the blindside. Evidently, Obama believed that Kyl was going to work with the administration to have the Senate ratify this treaty.

The treaty would have curbed an expensive arms race with Russia, at the same time America’s economy is reeling from massive deficits. This is also at the same time that America is still fighting two wars, with trillions of dollars in costs. So, the New Start treaty had the potential to allow America to turn its attention to unemployment and building what amounts to a new economy. Senator Kyl effectively stopped this.

Let’s pursue this a bit further. It is accepted political/economic history that the main reason the Soviet Union failed was the withering arms race with the United States over a forty year period. This culminated with the disasterous Afghanistan invasion, which essentially pushed the corrupt and broke Soviet regime over the edge. President Reagan was deified by the conservatives for this, but not given additional credit for the economic damage the arms race did to America.

America sits at exactly the same crossroads today. We are embroiled in two wars that continue to contribute billions to the national debt because the last President decided to have a massive tax cut while fighting two wars. The damage in ruined lives, emotionally crippled veterans, and other unforseen impacts in incalculable. For example, after the Vietnam War America endured almost a decade of run away inflation. Later, Vietnam Vets strained Veteran Hospitals with PTSD, drug addiction; etc. And, the Vietnam veteran still haunts our politics, distrusting government, lashing out at those who disagree with them, and hoarding guns. (I am not painting all Vietnam veterans this way, but the impact of war’s destruction to the human psych is just now becoming a topic for scientific study).

The veterans of the Civil War affected United States history for decades, including building an isolationistic movement that delayed our entry into World War I and II that nearly lost both wars.

In short, warfare, and the preparation for warfare (arms races) distort politics, society and the entire human condition. Mostly these distortions are not good for the regime in power; for example, the Weimar Republic in Germany from 1920 to 1932. Democracy barely had a chance because of the massive debt Germany was forced to pay off, essentially paying for World War I for all of Europe. The depression and inflation of the 1920s gave way to the political disaster of Hitler, and eventually cost over 50 million lives in the conflageration of World War II.

So, there is massive historical evidence that arms races and the conflicts they lead to, ultimately destabilize and destroy social, economic and political human organizations.

Enter Senator Kyl, a veteran Republican Senator from Arizona. There is not any doubt why he switched and now opposes the New Start Treaty, effectively killing it. It plays into the Republican play book to oppose everything President Obama tries to accomplish, no matter what the cost, to win the ultimate prize of Republican control of all branches of government in 2012. Republicans have shown they have absolutely no concern for the millions of unemployed and poor in this country, nor do they worry about the depression era economic conditions that are getting worse, they just want to beat Obama.

A similar time was President Wilson’s second term, when the President, in failing health, tried to get the Senate to ratify the Treaty of Versailles and later the League of Nations. Both were bitterly opposed by Republicans, whose real motives were to destroy the Democratic President. They succeeded, ushering in over a decade of Republican governmental control that lead the nation into the Great Depression. Again, no concern for suffering, no concern for the lead in to World War II.

If there ever was a better example to President Obama why he should stop trying to compromise with the Republicans I can’t think of it! He should follow President Roosevelt’s lead, who during his second term actually invited Republican scorn and hate, and spoke continually to the American people about what really concerned them. Roosevelt was elected four times because he gave the Republicans back what they gave, no compromise, and standing for what served the people the best.

Truman did the same thing. Wilson did not, or could not, and was destroyed.

Kyl lied to the President. He promised he would give the New Start Treaty a fair chance and then double crossed the administration. He did that because he is following the Republican play book, beat Obama at any cost. An arms race that saps the remaining economic strength of America is exactly what the Republicans want. The ends justify the means.

And why aren’t they concerned with the pain this causes for a vast majority of Americans? Look at the statistics that reflect who is really suffering through this economic downturn. The middle class and the poor are getting destroyed. The upper class, Wall Street not main street, and doing just fine. In fact, their real incomes are actually increasing! These are the Republicans’ benefactors. If you look at the incomes of Republican Senators and Congressmen, you see quickly that their class is not feeling the recession at all.

I tell my conservative friends when I argue about this neglect of the poor and middle class (including them by the way) is that the rich simply DO NOT CARE if children starve and people lose their homes. They are protected in their gated communities.

So, not ratifying an arms control treaty fits into the plan. The Republican Senators who voted down the treaty ending World War I, did not care if it started another war. They were typical aristocrats, standing above the commoners, and DID NOT CARE what the consequences would be.

President Obama needs to read Harry Truman and Franklin Roosevelt’s biographies and adopt their aggressive and non-compromising stance with the Republicans. You cannot compromise with people who are bent on destroying you. You cannot. The American people do not support wimps.

So, allow the Bush tax cuts to expire or veto any bill that tries to continue them. Veto every Republican sponsered bill that gets to you (most won’t). Then campaign on the “do nothing” Congress and the patricians that occupy the Republican Party from this day on. And don’t worry that by doing so people will ge harmed. The only people who might lose just a little, are the rich, who are insulated anyway. The tax cuts they currently enjoy, they don’t need, and didn’t use to stimulate the economy (the past eight years prove that).

That is our country’s only chance. Otherwise, we are looking at another catastrophe that will make World War II look like a picnic!