We are All in this Together

Dear Mr. Rich:

That was certainly an excellent article (NYT-OpED-Feb.1 09) For far too long Republicans have been allowed to languish in the bowel of the bully-pit; consistently demanding of others what they refuse to demand or offer of themselves.

But like any other abusive partner who needs help but refuses to acknowledge their own cowardice, weaknesses and ineptitude to deal with their dysfunction, they choose to spiral downward into the abyss of delusion; most often taking innocent bystanders with them.

The Republicans should be called not the Grand Old Party, but the PABS – Party of All Being Stuck. The decision to make a decision that derides an intelligent decision just is not an informed decision. Did that make any sense? Neither does the House Republicans decision to reject the Stimulus package before the President and it arrived. What better example of digging in one’s heels “just because” could this ever be?

As has been noted, no one expects the Republicans to agree on everything that the Democrats bring to the table – because we all know that the Dems too have some dysfunctional issues and we know that to keep it real, there should always be intelligent dissent – that’s intelligent dissent. However, it seems as if the Republicans cannot move beyond their ego-driven pettiness and their need to kiss the ring of Rush.

Who besides the President and some of the more intelligent Op-Ed columnists such as yourself really care about changing how the “inside” of Washington works. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, there were about 53% of Americans who voted for some of that change. Maybe the Republicans (the new dying party) can choose to stop insulting Americans intelligence by posturing and choosing those individuals for leadership roles for whom just a year ago they would never have chosen; Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin and now former lieutenant governor of Maryland, African American Michael Steele, as the new RNC chair. Is he supposed to be their Republican answer to President Barack Obama?

Somehow the real leadership (whoever that is) of the Republican Party has not learned from their mistakes. Placing Steele in that role does not mean that African Americans are now going to flock to the party of Lincoln. Too much else has to change and that “change” begins with the Republicans moving from group think and party line responses to sincerely addressing those issues that mean the most to Americans – like “How am I going to feed my family and where are we going to live?”

But I digress. Mr. Rich, your analysis and articulation of the Republican Party and where we all stand is both profound and prescient. Our country is in a crisis. I know this from an empirical standpoint inasmuch as I am awaiting my unemployment extension to begin, (I still have not found a job).

I am literally on the verge of being evicted from an apartment that I have lived in for the past twelve years and I am now forced to relocate away from my family (grandchildren) and friends in order to survive. I so appreciate your tenacity and due-diligence in keeping this very salient fact front and center, regarding how the Republicans refuse to at least come up with a real idea as to what we can do to turnaround our economy’s downward spiral. It is disingenuous for them to stand on the only premise that they have forever touted as the panacea of our economy’s ills – tax cuts for the rich and for corporations. It is incumbent upon them to role up their sleeves and sincerely explores all of the other vital essentials involved in stimulating our country’s economy.

We are all in this together. We’ll either all rise up in success together or wither away and shrink into failure – together; it’s up to us all.