By Peter D. Miller
LIES
I’m aware that “lying politician” is almost redundant. All politicians stretch the truth, to a greater or lesser extent. But the non-partisan Center for Media and Public Affairs recently demonstrated that contemporary Republicans make untrue statements significantly more frequently that Democrats.[i]
What are the lies about? The Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called “Obamacare,” is a favorite target. So are the economy, and the national debt. These range from the ridiculous (Sarah Palin’s ‘death panels’) to the sublime (the ACA will cost jobs).
More insidious are the lies about President Obama personally. We are all familiar with the claim that he is not a natural-born citizen, as well as the allegations that he is Muslim (as though it would matter), a socialist, a communist, and a fascist. In recent weeks, some have even stooped to dragging Shasha and Malia Obama into the arena, claiming that they were not born to Michelle and Barack Obama.
Is there a common thread? Perhaps. My observation is that the lies center on hatred and fear. Fear of economic ruin, unemployment, governmental intrusion … Hatred for a president who doesn’t look like other presidents (hint: He’s black).
MISDIRECTION
The Republicans of old – Eisenhower, Goldwater, Teddy Roosevelt – were fiscal conservatives. The focus of the Tea Party, which has somehow taken effective control of the Republican Party, seems to be on social issues. They are particularly shrill when talking about abortion and gay marriage.
This is where we begin hearing all about religion – what the Bible says about homosexuality, and how God holds life sacred. Those who believe in equality for marriage, and/or a woman’s right to choose, are characterized as evil and godless. This is where religion spills into politics more now, than at any time in my memory.
Here’s the thing. It’s a sham.
Marriage equality and abortion rights will ultimately rest with the courts. There is some potential impact in legislation. And of course the makeup of the Supreme Court could be affected by the Senate, if a vacancy occurs. But on the whole, the election results will not have a substantial impact on these matters. Not enough to base such a large portion of the national policy debate on them.
So why are we hearing so much about them from the conservatives? It is a lot like President Lyndon Johnson said many years ago: “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”
And that’s what I think is happening here. The Tea Party is offering up gays, and women with unwanted pregnancies, to its base: “See? Someone you can look down on!”
What is our attention being diverted from? The real issues – bread-and-butter stuff. First, there’s the economy. Spoiler alert: it’s a lot better now, than it was six years ago. The stock market has doubled, and the deficit has been cut in half. Unemployment has gone below six percent (6%).
What’s missing is the equitable distribution of the economy’s expansion. Real income for the middle class is flat, at best.
Much has been said about the 99% and the 1%. From 1970 through 2012, the average annual income of 99% of Americans has increased seven percent (7%!) to an average of $44,000. In the same period, average annual income of the top 1% has increased 213%, to $1.3 million. The average for the top 0.1% of Americans has increased 413%, to $6.4 million.[ii]
Think about that, the next time you try to stretch your budget to buy the kids new shoes. Six-point-four million dollars. Annually.
What does this have to do with politics? A lot. The federal minimum wage for most workers has not been increased in over five years. For tipped workers, it has not increased in 22 years. Republicans in the U.S. Senate filibustered a bill to raise the minimum wage.
In theory, the best way to improve your income potential is through education. The obvious problem with that is the cost. And it is getting worse. The average cost of a college education increased 538% from 1985 to 2013, more than four times the rate of increase in CPI (121%) in the same period.[iii]
As a result, those who choose to better themselves through education face staggering debt. In 2012, the average student-loan debt for college seniors reached $29,400.[iv] In 2014, Senator Warren proposed legislation that would have allowed borrowers of both federal and private loans to refinance their debt at the interest rate currently offered to new federal borrowers. Republicans blocked the bill.[v]
So the Republicans don’t want to discuss the economy. It’s better. And they block any effort for the middle class to share in the economic upturn in any meaningful way. Minimum wage must remain below the poverty line. Measures that could make it less burdensome to improve one’s lot, through education, won’t be allowed.
The conversation is, instead, directed toward gay marriage and abortion. “Hey! Look over here! These gay guys want to get married! Women want to make decisions about their own bodies!”
OBSTRUCTION
Before examining the record, let’s ponder why Republicans would want to obstruct the business of Congress. It all goes back to what Rush Limbaugh said in January of 2009: “I hope Obama fails.”
Obstruct, they have. Here is a partial list of the legislation Republicans have blocked during the Obama administration:
- Infrastructure bill for building and repairing roads and bridges
- Bipartisan transportation and housing bill
- Bill to rehire 400,000 teachers, firefighters, paramedics, and police officers
- Creating American Jobs and Ending Offshoring Act
- Bill to stop tax breaks for moving jobs out of the country
- Extension of long-term unemployment
- Bill to enhance healthcare and employment for veterans
- ‘Buffet rule’ – to unsure that millionaires pay tax rate comparable to that of middle class
- Equal pay for women
- Increase minimum wage
- Student loan reform
And of course, we can’t forget the government shut-down.
The point is to make the government ineffective. The theory is that a large number of people will not take the trouble to see who is to blame. They will simply conclude that “Both sides are at fault.”
Unfortunately, this is working to a certain extent. A recent Washington Post poll[vi] found that only 19% of the public is confident that Republicans in Congress will make the right decisions. However, Democrats in Congress also received a low number – 27%. While this is significantly better than confidence in Republicans, it shows how the ‘blame them all’ philosophy has worked.
VOTER SUPPRESSION
In June of 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a portion of the Voting Rights Act, which had required prior approval of changes to voting laws. New legislation has been introduced or passed in 30 states, directed at making it more difficult to vote.[vii] These laws disproportionately impede low-income and minority voters.[viii] Some Republicans have made it clear that they do not want minority voters to cast votes.[ix]
The given justification is to cure and/or prevent voter fraud. However, every single study done on voter fraud in the last several years has come to the same conclusion: Voter fraud is miniscule, practically non-existent. One of the most comprehensive studies found 31 credible incidents, out of one billion votes cast.[x]
CONCLUSION
So what does all of this mean? It’s simple. The party of ‘family values’ doesn’t trust the public with the truth. It does not want members of the middle class to share in the economic recovery equally, or to have a reasonable means by which to improve their lot.
It chooses not to run on the issues that affect Americans’ everyday lives, and it doesn’t want poor people or minorities to vote. In short, today’s Republican Party values winning a lot more than it values honesty.
[i] http://www.cmpa.com/study-media-fact-checker-says-republicans-lie-more/
[ii] http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-i-think-the-top-01-are-looting-the-economy-2014-02-21?page=1
[iii] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-26/college-costs-surge-500-in-u-s-since-1985-chart-of-the-day.html
[iv] http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/04/pf/college/student-loan-debt/
[v] https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/06/12/senate-republicans-block-student-loan-reform-legislation
[vi] http://www.washingtonpost.com/page/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2014/01/26/National-Politics/Polling/release_289.xml
[vii] http://www.fairelectionsnetwork.com/spreading-suppression-restrictive-voting-laws-across-united-states
[viii] https://www.evernote.com/shard/s4/sh/3cb91ef2-08a5-4de7-817f-7070c00c4c00/5bde347f5c02fb5b92b2dfa334d4044c/res/31259a9c-3c84-4c1f-908b-021435a178ea/_PPS_PPS11_04_S1537592713002843a.pdf
[ix] http://www.liberalamerica.org/2014/09/12/heres-your-proof-that-voter-id-laws-deliberately-target-minorities/
[x] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/08/06/a-comprehensive-investigation-of-voter-impersonation-finds-31-credible-incidents-out-of-one-billion-ballots-cast/