Republican meltdown: Terminology and semantics replace reality — prophesizing doomsday; the O’Reilley, Ingle, Hannity, Beck, et al, factor!

 Some of the Republican pundits, those who act as unofficial but pragmatic voices of the Republican party, like to use the following words for replacing reality: Capitalism, liberalism, socialism (that include government give-aways,)  communism, fascism, etc., those pundits; the words deal with a black-and-white world, in spite of the fact that everything in our world is really gray, there are no actual black-and-whites in our universe.   prophecising

The most current political issue, the upcoming legislation dealing with a stimulus package, was criticized by Republicans for being a spending rather than a stimulation effort.  President Obama took that issue away from the Republicans by suggesting on his own that that stimulus is synanomous with spending regarding the present situation.

Sean Hannity, a loud conservative voice, but usually without much meat, would like to have the stimulus package be called a give-away package and based on that terminology identify it is socialism. Hannitymaintainsthat for people who do not pay taxes now, to receive Federal help is socialistic give-away.  Hannity simply leaves out the fact that most of those who do not pay taxes, paid taxes at one time or another throughout their lives. Hannity leaves out the retired elderly who paid a significant amount of tax, or those who were recently laid-off because of the eight years George W. Bush pure capitalistic policies.

These Republican pundits, as well as many of others, have a serious issue with Liberalism. Without exception these Conservatives voices insist that anything that can be labelled liberal is bad; they do not seem to realize what the term means.

Before getting into the true meaning of liberalism and how it plays in the American political environment, let me deal with a review of the United States system, and the level of it [historical] success.

The United States is a two hundred and some thirty year old (or rather YOUNG) Capitalistic Representative Democracy; there are no other examples that it can learn from, as it is a pioneer that must learn from its own mistakes and successes. Recent days economic experiences including two very alarming examples, situations under the two least effective presidents of the United States, Jimmy Carter, and George W. Bush. A quick overview these two examples suggest that failing economy is not the domain of either the two leading parties of the United States.

Those who complain about present approaches because “past history” suggests that these approaches would not “do the job,” do not have enough historical samples on which to build a valid case. Those who use terms such as socialism, communism, and capitalism, to determine the level of success any given system is likely to have. The main reason for none of these terms to serve is measuring sticks has to do with the fact that each ans every one of them is not a pure system; they are all hybrids borrowing elements from one another.

Some of the fear tactics that Republican pundits are using verge on the ridiculous. For example, Glenn Back speaking to Laura Inglesif the Federal government takes ownership of private institutions, such as banks it could end up like Nazi Germany because, as Glenn Beck aptly put it, Nazi Germany referred to itself as National Socialism — innocent and quite simple terminology turned into an alarming signal the the Obama Democratic Administration is leading towars socialism, which could lead to Nazism.

Since there are not any democratic systems in the world with ehough history to use as examples of a political system with some, any, kind of an economic syatem. Some samples of similar situation, such as Great Britains, a capitalistic system that has a great number of socialistic elements, such as health care. Israel, another capitalistic democracy that has socialistic health system, and has a very dominent labor union, a significant socialistic part of the whole system.

Republican spokes persons should look at individual cases, not confuse political with economic systems, and stay away from sensationalism unless they have sound foundation for alarm.  For example, even the United States capitalism is utilizing socialistic element, while even the purest socialistic systems, such as Cuba, and Russia have capitalistic elements.  The terms that apply to political systems should also be avoided ubless one realize that none are pure as are the terms. The term democracy, for example, must be qualifies. The United States, for example, has a representative (Jeffersonian) democracy, a system in which people vote for others to represent them and vote finally for office holdewrs. There are popular democracies where each vote counts towards the election of officials, and therre are demoncratic-republics, etc.

 Obama’s stimulus package is not perfect, but it should serve to make up for some of George W. Bush Administration’s with its ill concievedtaxcuts, unregulated (and greedy) financial system, and generally an economic system that allowed for uncontrolled acesses. The Obama package will not cause the United States to become socialistic sociaty, it will not bring about a revolution, even though Thomas Jefferson thought that it would be good to have a revolution every few years, and it will not cause the United States to move towards Nazism. 

The stimulus package may be liberal, the rallying cry of radical Republicans such as O’Reilly, Hannity, and others. Hannity keeps waving a sign Li-er-al when making refernces to statements someone of whom he (Hannity), does not approve. These Republic pundits may help their cause by taking the time to truly understand what the term liberal stands for. A liberal is someone who is receptive to change, it is someone with an open mind.  And after the terrible eight years of George W. Bush, who does not believe that a change is in order?

The Republicans keep using Reagan economy as a sample of one wants to follow. These Republicans have a very convenient memory, they don’t seem to remember that towards the end ofc Reagan’s administration the economy was failing and even David Stockman, the architect of Reagan’s tricke-down economics that it was failing.

Waked up [Republican] pundits, the conservative, tax-cutting economics of George W> Bush put the United States in the second worse economic  position in its history; why don’t you admit that it is time to beliberal and accept the fact the change, a drastic change, is need.  You are allowed, actually, you are welcomed, to be critical, be the loyal opposition, if you will, but don’t criticize elements of governing because they fit your terminology of the unacceptable; accept the fact that your terminology is not precise, it is not gospel!

In closing, this is not to suggest that the stimulus bill is a good bill, or that Republican legislator should not voice opposition, and perhaps try to change some of the bill content; this article is simply designed to suggest that those pundits who sit on the sidelines should get away from rhetoric’s, from theoretical truth; and let those in the legislator do their jobs.