Throughout our history, we Americans have generally been an optimistic lot. For example, we fully expect a better future for ourselves and for our children, and when we notice a problem we roll up our sleeves and get right to work fixing it. As a realtor, I see this brand of American optimism every day in my clients, no matter what their age, background, or income, as I help them pursue the American Dream of home ownership.
Something's Not Right in America
Despite this optimism, however, I have increasingly been sensing an unease among many people that things are not quite as they should be in this country, that the ground is shifting under their feet, that there is a subliminal tsunami coming at them that they (optimistically) try to ignore.
The reason for this unease becomes more obvious the further you get from the political spinmeisters of Washington, DC. As you step away and take a cold, hard look at the facts, the smoke and mirrors of political press releases begin to clear, and you being to See.
For example, statistics show that since March 2001, the U.S. economy has added a negligible 62,000 jobs, while private-sector employment has actually fallen by 703,000 jobs. Meanwhile, wages have failed to keep up with inflation. From 1973 to 2000, the average real income of the bottom 90%, which means almost all of us, fell 7%. This is economic prosperity? Maybe it is for the top 10%, but what about the rest of us?
The Rich Get Richer, the Poor Get Poorer
Another problem in America today is growing income inequality. Essentially, the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the middle class is getting squeezed. At present, the top 20% of Americans makes 75 times what the bottom 20% makes; this is more than double the income disparity ratio of 34 we faced back in 1960. Today, in contrast, CEO?s give themselves obscene salaries and bonuses while downsizing workers, outsourcing them to China, or turning them into minimum-wage part-timers without benefits.
The Best of all Possible Worlds?
The Republicans would have us believe that all of this is merely an inevitable adjustment to the "New Economy" and to "globalization." According to their Panglossian value system, we should simply adjust (e.g., "get over it"), since in the long run, everything will all work out for the best in the "best of all possible worlds." Of course, just whose ?best? is conveniently never explained.
Another thing that is never explained is that the pain we're experiencing is the direct result of Republican policies. I'm talking about policies that have decimated the American industrial base and the power of labor, bankrupted the country with foolish tax cuts and wars of choice, and deliberately shredded consumer and worker protections. In this distorted right wing value system, nothing for the bottom 90% (aka, "ordinary wage earners") ever seems to be affordable, yet the wherewithal is easily found for huge giveaways to mega-corporations and the super rich.
Republican Tactics
Republicans can pretend that this is a return to the rugged individualism that made America great, but don't believe them for a minute. It's a lie, plain and simple. A clever one, though, I've got to admit, as it taps into a widely believed myth. It's also very clever in the way it pushes a radical, right wing agenda while convincing people that it's actually the other side (e.g., Democrats) who are the radicals, while they're the true "conservatives." Amazing. Part of their method, of course, is to incessantly invoke the "War on Terror," which they then use to justify their assault on the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, separation of church and state, etc.
Two Americas
The result of all this is a growing disconnect between the polticians and the people, between the priviliged 5%-10% that make up John Edwards' "One America," and the 90%-95% that make up the "Other America." In addition, there is a growing cynicism and distrust among ordinary people that the leaders of this country really care about them. And, since the Big Guys aren?t going to listen and the system is rigged anyway, why even bother trying to change it? Of course, this simply allows the Big Guys to take more power and more money - a vicious cycle.
Meanwhile, whenever uppity populists, aka Democrats, have the nerve to question this situation, the right wing trots out a sideshow of red herring emotional issues to distract us from the truth. That?s one of the reasons we frequently find ourselves inundated by sanctimonious talk of "moral values," right-wing style. Issues like prayer in schools, flag burning, gay marriage, and Terry Schiavo suddenly move to the front burner, ahead of "minor" matters like, oh, war, jobs and the economy. In many ways, the "moral" issues are used by the right wing as the modern equivalent of ancient Rome's famous "bread and circuses," by which the ruling elite bribed and distracted the plebes. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of this.
Smash Mouth Politics
Another tool the right wing uses to distract us from real issues is an old favorite of theirs: relentless and vicious character assassination of their political opponents. We see it right here in Virginia this election year. Thus, as much as Jerry Kilgore's national Republican handlers have attempted to market him as a good ol? country boy, they are unable to run a positive campaign like true Virginia gentlemen would. Most likely, this is because their candidate is so pitifully weak. It's also worth noting that most of Kilgore's advisors are not, for the most part, Virginians.
Jerry Kilgore's Lies...
The sad result is a campaign filled with unoriginal, ideologically rigid, fiscally irresponsible, unworkable programs. Instead of putting forth real solutions to real problems, the Jerry Kilgores of the world encourage fear not hope, division not unity, budgetary borrowing not restraint. As if all that isn't bad enough, the Jerry Kilgores of the world resort time and again to dishonesty, malicious character attacks, and outright falsehoods -- all repeated ad nauseum in the hope that repetition will convince folks that lies are truth.
A perfect example of this is the Kilgore campaigns' repeated attempts to paint Tim Kaine as a gun hating, tax raising, immoral liberal. Repeatedly, the Kilgore campaign has asserted that Tim Kaine ?raised taxes while mayor of Richmond.? The fact is, Kaine so improved the quality of life during his stint as mayor that property values rose rapidly, even faster than Kaine could lower the tax rate. Most Richmond residents, of course, were delighted that their real estate nest eggs grew, that their neighborhoods and schools improved. But you'd never know this from the right-wing, Scott Howell attack ads on Tim Kaine. What, did Republicans want Richmond to fall apart instead of improve? Unbelievable.
...and Sneak Attacks
Then there are the sneak attacks on Kaine, carried out in such a way as to provide Kilgore with plausible deniability. Attacks, for instance, implying that Kaine is flip flopping on the death penalty, gun control, gay rights, or abortion, simply out of political ambition or expediency. In carrying out this strategy, the Kilgore campaign repeatedly employs divisive rhetoric, twisted innuendo, and coded appeals to special interests and one-issue voters. These are the right wing's time-honored tactics, both on the national level and right here in Virginia.
Sadly, what we've witnessed so far in Kaine vs. Kilgore is only the beginning. That is, if past Republican campaigns are any indication. Given the smarmy political operatives who have been brought in to beef up Jerry Kilgore?s campaign, unfortunately, we are likely to see hundreds of television hours of Scott Howell's contrived smears against Tim Kaine in coming months.
The Politics of Anger
Ironically, top Bush advisor Karl Rove spoke recently at a Virginia GOP fund raiser and accused Democrats of ?the politics of anger, name-calling and slurs.? Is this the pot calling the kettle black or what? Given that Republicans frequently accuse their opponents of doing exactly what they themselves intend to do, it is obvious that Rove was telegraphing Jerry Kilgore's campaign strategy - to use the aforementioned ?politics of anger, name-calling and slurs? as distractions from a serious discussion of where Virginia is going. That's unfortunate, because this is a discussion we badly need and which the voters are hoping for.
The end result of the "smoke and mirrors" is that we fail to discuss what's going on beneath the surface. We fail to discuss the right wing assault on our values, the threats to our nation's economic and political well being, or the ground shifting under our feet. We fail to discuss how we are forced to run faster and faster just to stay in the same place. And we fail to discuss the fact that we?re dancing on the edge of a cliff.
Back Away from the Cliff
In the end, if we want to back away from the cliff, we're going to have to change things. But how? The short answer is that we need to fight the right-wing extremists and "moral values" hypocrites wherever they may be. We can not trust them for one minute; we need to vote against them at every opportunity.
Finally, if you're an Independent or a moderate Republican, you need to know that it?s okay to vote for a Democrat, especially a leader like Tim Kaine. You need to know that, in fact, it?s the only way to avoid dancing right off the cliff.
We had a mild recession. Probably one of the mildest recessions in the history of our nation. It's over now and the economy seems to be doing fine.
We're transitioning from an industrial economy towards a professional class/service sector based economy. Big whoop. The unemployment rate is very low.