Sanity Restored,Fear Still Alive Stewart,Colbert's Big Poll Win
by Dan Ehrlich


So, the John Stewart-Stephen Colbert Rally in D.C. last week was fairly close to the mark...America's fence sitting swing voters have swung out loads of House Democrats in favor of Republicans, and whittled down the Blue Senate majority to five all in their idea of restoring sanity through fear.

Immediately afterward, Democrat Party officials began looking for scapegoats on which to pin the loss, as if it really mattered given the shape of the economy. Their first target was the recently departed Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, claiming he jumped ship when the President needed him most.

Then the new House Republican leader John Boehner criticized President Obama, saying the president and other Democrats are in "denial" about Tuesday's midterm elections.

In an interview with ABC's "World News," the Speaker-in-waiting said he believes "there seems to be some denial on the part of the president and other Democratic leaders of the message that was sent by the American people." Boehner told Diane Sawyer that "when you have the most historic election in over 60, 70 years, you would think the other party would understand that the American people have clearly repudiated the policies they've put forward in the last few years."

Boehner makes a good point. Our past national affluence and present high tech profile has served to isolate politicians and their policies from the electorate. So, while the people may think and desire one thing our political leaders may have their own ideas of what we want. If these don't work out, look out...someone going to lose an election.

Such things are especially difficult for liberal idealists to handle. Unlike conservatives who want to rebuild or restore some past fantasy or even a reality of better times, liberals seek an ideal world. Yet, this has never been achieved, and may never be. So, when their bubbles are burst, they have trouble comprehending it was the voters who let them down, not Rahm Emanuel or their inability to convey their message.

This applies to politicians of all parties:If they want to regain the respect of the voters, aside from feeling their pain, they will have to level with them. This idea that recovery is just around endless corners is about as worn out as the 10th season of Happy Days. Yet, all politicians abide by the one truism of their calling: You don't get elected by telling people bad news, even if its the truth.

Boehner was smart enough not to immediately declare how many jobs he would try to create from House sponsored bills. Instead he attacked the much maligned Obama health care plan, saying the GOP would work to repeal it and replace it with something better. What that may be is a big mystery. But you can bet some more people will be getting a lot wealthier.

President Obama campaigned on a promise to create jobs through massive public works programs, similar to the Depression Era WPA projects. These so far haven't happened. What has been announced is a $500 million embassy enlargement project in Afghanistan. So far this administration has been spending more money on this endless war than it has on the American public with new programs.

The auto industry bailout was partially to preserve jobs. But, the first thing the car makers did was cut back on their models and lay off thousands of workers.

Now, I don't think that President Obama is trying to BS the public or in any way shape or form rivals GW as a dishonorable occupant of the White House. He was left with a terrible mess. But, so far the voters don't feel he has been effective in cleaning it up and offering some new hope.

Again, as I have said in the past, the sad fact of life is there will be no long-term recovery as long as we are competing on the same playing field with dollar a day economies. Our mean living standard and wages will have to decline enough to be competitive with Asian economies whose wages will be rising. When this happens, the Chinese, as the Japanese before them, will move some of their manufacturing plants to our shores.

But, before that, unemployment will remain very high as we creep backwards in time, which should be heaven to the right-wingers...the good old days revisited. Except they won't be so good this time.

What voters should now be demanding is for Obama to make good on his massive public works promise. For starters he might order a study on building a canal or aqueduct from the Mississippi's mouth to the drought plagued southwest, This plus road and rail projects would employ thousands of workers and use the services of related firms nationwide.

It would also gain cross party support and possibly restore sanity to the country...at least for awhile.