ANALYSIS
The Great Republican Victory

by D.C. Conroy

To call this past election debacle a great day for Republicans, or even a great day for this country, is worth looking into.

A long time ago, there was a decision to set up checks and balances in the government; for the next two years, there will be no limit on the power of this government and, more importantly for me, no limit to the power of this President.

We will find ourselves getting into more debt / deficit situations and also into numerous wars and skirmishes over the next two years. The days of surpluses and rate hikes to slow growth are over. We are now in a period where we will spend to "support freedom and fight terrorism." That translates into increased military spending and de-emphasis of the problems we have domestically.

To say that the election was a "decisive win for the President" is what I have heard many times. In fact, his tactics did lead to this victory. His tactics could be questioned, not for the time he spent campaigning, but in the way he went about parading his authority and in his use of "patriotism" as a means of getting the people he needed into office. The timing of so many things in this administration is interesting and should be examined.

Iraq was important for a few months of campaigning, but why did it go away over the last month of the campaign? Some would say the public is not really interested; others would say there are negotiations taking place and work to be done prior to moving ahead.

I would argue that the timing was such as to take emphasis away from the following:

· The spiraling economy
· Deficit patterns and increased spending
· A trillion dollar tax cut that was ill-advised
· A war on terrorism that has not accomplished its goals
· A rising tide of hatred and bitterness toward the United States throughout religions and countries of the world

George Bush, Karl Rove, and Ari Fleischer successfully used the war, 9/11, and Homeland Security as a way to say that if you do not support increased funding for the military, terrorism insurance, and billions for Northop Grumman, then you are not supporting the war on terrorism, the war on Iraq, and the President.

We are supposed to be a democracy where opposing views are welcomed and should be criticized. But this administration again used the "wars" to force people to decide between either supporting a bill that is a joke or being "unpatriotic."

The bottom line is that the lingering effects of 9/11 and the new risk now inherent in criticizing the President have worked. This is a sad day for freedom, democracy, and world peace. I hope people are happy about the trillions of $$$ that will be spent, and the billions of $$$ taken from education, Medicare, and environmental programs. Millions will lose their Social Security (us!!), and hundreds of thousands will die from wars all over the globe as a result of the power that this President desired.

What a sad day for this country. God bless, America.

From Wilshire Gazette (December 2002)

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