patriot majority

Not an April Fool’s Joke

It sounds like a sick April Fool's joke -- except it isn't.

President walks into the White House, talks tough, calls everybody else weak, and then proceeds to oversee a rapid and unprecedented decline in America's economy, military readiness and energy independence.

Same president watches as gas prices go through the roof, dollar-exchange rates go down the toilet and good-paying jobs leave the country.

Very same President stands by as America outsources the manufacturing of key weapons and military equipment to foreign countries.

And then, same President and his Congressional allies blame everyone else for America's troubles and even attack the patriotism of those who warn that America is off in the wrong direction. 

Insane.  Crazy.  And true.

It's the longest April Fool's joke in history - and America is in worse shape because of it.

Imagine what conservative policy makers would be saying if a "liberal" President and his Congressional allies had messed up military readiness and otherwise weakened the United States at home and abroad.  The rightwing blogs would be ablaze and talk radio would be burning up the dial.  You can just hear Rush Limbaugh, "The American left will do anything, anything, to weaken our country.  Blah blah blah."

Except the shoe is on the other foot.  It's President Bush and his allies who weakened the military, the economy, the dollar and just about everything else. 

Where have you gone rightwing radio?  America turns its lonely ears to you... 

Silence.

Last week, AP reported that U.S. military leaders told President Bush that U.S. forces are being worn thin, compromising the Pentagon's ability to handle crises elsewhere in the world.

Should have been a big story.  But it wasn't. 

This is where Patriot Majority Today comes in.

Patriot Majority Today provides news and information for Americans who want our country to move in a new direction - now, not in the next 100 years.

The launch of our web site focuses on "32 Things Bush & McCain Don't Want You to Know About the Decline of U. S. Military Readiness."  We also focus on good things that are happening in the country, including states and governors - in the absence of federal leadership - taking the lead on energy independence.

This is our fundamental premise:  A strong America is indeed about military readiness, but it's also about the economy, education, health care and other domestic policies.  And in all those areas, bar none, Bush-Cheney and their allies have failed to protect the country.

Anyone who's been to a gas station recently knows that oil and gas prices are out of control.  The mortgage crisis and its billion-dollar fallouts affect national security. The budget deficits and record federal debt of the Bush years put the United States at risk.  The skyrocketing costs of health care squeeze hard working families and the American economy.  And No Child Left Behind, at best, is a botched experiment that has failed to positively transform American schools -- and at worst, a tragic shortfall that is not preparing American students for the challenges of the 21st Century. 

Instead of a serious discussion about our future, we get bait-and-switch distractions.

Karl Rove, the former senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to President Bush, recently declared that the President's political opponents "increasingly appear out of touch with reality," live in a "warped world" and are weak on national security. 

Rightwing commentators echo this Rovian nonsense.  Rush Limbaugh impugns the patriotism of Senator Barack Obama by ridiculing his middle name, and National Review's Jonah Goldberg says that "liberals" cannot "credibly talk of love for country." 

It's all a bunch of hooey.

Our mission at Patriot Majority Today is to tell it as it is, including the good and the bad, and help force a vigorous discussion of real issues -- not just this year, but over the next several years.   

Get ready for the challenge.  And think big, America.  It's up to all of us to make this discussion real and get America back on track.

-Craig Varoga, PMSA President