Lest we ever forget Sarah Palin’s mantra of “Drill, baby, drill!” Remember how she had become the darling of Right-wing conservatives? We now know after the horrendous impact of the Gulf oil spill that off-shore drilling is not a viable option. How quickly the tide turns when the truth of the ecological dangers  in off-shore drilling are actually seen.  Millions of people will be impacted by this oil spill for many years to come, but even the plankton that feeds our oceanic life is now endangered. Some of the chemical dispersants which are already banned in the UK are toxins, the effects of which will be seen in staggering terms as this oil gushes on. Watch unemployment rates go up, not to mention gas prices.  The life of people who live in the Gulf region will be changed in many ways forever. Sarah Palin, why are you now so quiet?

—cher

The overwhelmingly negative response of the American public to Rush Limbaugh’s interest in purchasing an equity stake in the Saint Louis Rams football franchise is just one indication of the growing enmity between the conservative, right-wing fringe and mainstream America.  Limbaugh and his Fox news cohorts, Hannity, Beck and O’Reilley have taken every opportunity to attack the Obama Administration and the Congressional Democrats, while offering almost no viable alternatives to the complex problems that face Americans.

The problems of race relations in America have been re-kindled and fueled by Limbaugh’s belittling comments toward African-Americans (also toward Hispanics and women), and by his indifference toward the plight of minorities who face unemployment rates that are  twice the national average.  His answers to unemployment within the African-American community are to cut back on social services programs and government seed money, and to lower taxes on the wealthy and the business owners.  The right-wing conservatives have done absolutely to improve the plight of minorities and the poor, and unashamedly offer no solutions other than the same old Republican trickle-down economics. Is it any wonder the “Party of No” is held in such low regard?

The problems of providing affordable health care for all Americans have finally been tackled by the Obama Administration and the Congressional Democrats, only to be stone-walled at every turn by the right-wing conservatives.  Rather than offering viable solutions to the problem of insuring 17 million Americans with no health coverage, the Republicans  have chosen to side with the interests of the drug companies, the insurance companies and the mammoth health care providers.  Of course, the right-wing conservatives will tell us that the answer to universal health care coverage is to cut back on those pesky social services programs, and to lower the taxes on the wealthy.  Is it any wonder the “Party of No” is held in such low regard?

Almost every day we hear Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck ranting and railing about how Republicans must maintain their conservative purity and traditional beliefs in order to oust the Democrats from power.  They urge their followers to fight tooth and nail against any and all proposals coming from the Obama Administration.  They justify their aberrant behavior by saying that compromise and bipartisanship are no longer acceptable political strategies.  The conservative principles of decreasing social services and lowering the taxes on the wealthy must never be abandoned at any cost.  Is it any wonder that the “Party of No” is held in such  low regard?

Both the White House and the Congressional Democrats have gone out of their way time and time again to bring an air of bipartisanship to the political process, only to be stymied by Republicans who are more interested in “ideological purity” than in moving America forward.  The only hope for the Republican Party is to find a new “center” that is more in touch with the American people.

—Rich