Where Have All The Good Guys Gone?

It has been eye opening to watch the Republicans as the stimulus package moved through the two houses of Congress.

I was a Republican for many years. It was a good match because I am fiscally conservative; I’m a strong believer in family values – the real values like honesty, fairness, loving your neighbor, and doing unto others (not just those values associated with sex that now receive all the emphasis); I support the rule of law: I have a fierce love for my country, warts and all. Sadly, the Republican Party no longer represents these things.

Instead Republicans in positions of power and leadership set an example of twisting the truth and in some cases downright dishonesty, lack of fairness and good faith in what they say and do, disregard for their most vulnerable neighbors, and treating others in ways they howl loudly about when they are on the receiving end.

Examples of this less than honorable behavior abound but one that was obvious and undeniable was the repeated claim that the bill is not a stimulus bill.

The twisted version offered by Republicans:

A January 28 Rush Limbaugh broadcast allowed Eric Cantor (R-VA) to falsely claim of the bill: "Even the Congressional Budget Office, controlled by the Democrats now, says it is not a stimulative bill.

A February 1 AP article reported an assertion by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell that the recovery bill would not stimulate the economy but failed to note that the CBO disagreed.

On the February 2 Fox News broadcast host Sean Hannity repeated this claim asserting that the CBO "say[s] it's not a stimulus bill."

On his February 3 interview with President Obama, Charlie Gibson repeated this assertion claiming that “a lot of people in the public” and “a lot of members of Congress” think the plan is “pork-stuffed and that it really doesn't stimulate” again without noting the CBO disagreement with this claim.

The true version offered by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

The CBO, in analyzing both the House and Senate versions of the bill stated that it expects both measures to “have a noticeable impact on economic growth and employment in the next few years.”

The CBO director, in written testimony before the House Budget Committee said the bill would “provide massive fiscal stimulus that includes a combination of government spending increases and revenue reductions”

How then could these media figures and political leaders dare make or be complicit in such blatant misstatements? It is called manipulation.

You take a tiny kernel of truth, dress it up with lots of accessories, twist it upside down, plaster a self-righteous expression on your face, and then repeat it over and over. Say it often enough and you may begin to believe it yourself.

The kernel of truth: Early on, when the bill was still being drafted, the CBO took one small section of what had been written, ran it through some formulaic analysis and determined that it would not act as a stimulus. Now remember, this was done with a draft version that later underwent major changes, it was only one small section of the plan, it was not a thorough analysis and no report was issued by the CBO on this informal process.

The manipulation: These stalwart leaders of public information and governance grabbed on to this, early CBO process, claimed, falsely, it was a CBO report, treated it, falsely again, as an analysis of the entire and finished version of the bill, and ran with it. Even when the CBO stated clearly that they had issued no such report and contradicted what was being said, the repetitions continued.

So what has become of honesty and fairness in the Republican Party? How is it that those who are supposed to represent Christians and others of goodwill have sunk so low that truth takes a back seat to achieving their ends?

Frank Schaeffer, a former Republican from a strongly evangelical/fundamentalist background, wrote an open letter to President Obama. He sheds light on the unbelievable behavior of the “new” Republicans. What many of us from the outside-looking-in have suspected has now been confirmed by someone from inside who knows. Schaeffer said:

“…the Republican Party is controlled by two ideological groups. First, is the Religious Right. Second, are the neoconservatives. Both groups share one thing in common: they are driven by fear and paranoia. Between them there is no Republican "center" for you to appeal to, just two versions of hate-filled extremes...

The Democratic Party won for a reason: the Republicans failed and have taken us all down with them! You're doing your presidency and America no favor by extending an open hand to the perpetually knotted fist of what has become the embittered lunatic fringe of our country. They would rather go down in flames than "compromise" their ideology."

It would seem that no matter how often President Obama extends himself, he will be rebuffed. But I hope and believe that he will continue to reach out. Becoming what you are fighting is never the answer. So what is the answer?

We are! It is up to the people to be sure that our President is able to lead our country back to some kind of equilibrium. It means we will have to continually voice our support for what he is doing through calls, emails and letters. It will take strong and ongoing public support for Obama as well as a continuous outcry against obstructionists.

That outcry could foster the bottom up movement it will take if the Republican Party is ever to be restored to what it once was and only then will people of goodwill be able to rejoin them.