I wrote and published the following November 20, 2009. Much of what I penned has turned out to be true. I do imply that Obama will lead us out of Afghanistan and instead he increased our troop level in that “lost” country. He may yet change his mind and I will stick with my first view.
I say the Democrats will pick up four Senate seats. Originally written with tongue slightly in cheek I am now more optimistic. At least three and probably four seats will be added to the blue column.
Who am I? Just another of the umpteen billion bloggers now plodding their dubious trade. I have remarkably few readers but remain “Still Liberal at 83”.
I suspect “Just Say No” is a truly wonderful Republican error. God bless them!
As you may have noted we gained 162,000 jobs last month and Health Care Reform is the Law of the Land.
On the negative side there has been a 4,282% increase in the Nuts, Dopes, Birthers and TeaBagGasBags of the country.
Life is still imperfect.
Written and published November 20, 2009. https://warrenlanger.wordpress.com
Will the Democrats lose in 2010?
No.
Well that takes care of That.
If things stand as they are today – now – they (the Democrats) will lose. The Republicans could elect Alf Landon right now.
In case your memory is short he was the Kansas Governor supposed to beat FDR 46 states to 2. The Literary Digest had polled the country and that was what the people told them.
The Literary Digest of 1936 was the Newsweek of that era or maybe the US News & World Report. Time was also being published but the Literary Digest was very big time.
Anyway that was their answer and it was based on solid, scientific research.
They still held the election for old times’ sake and lo and behold FDR won 46 states to 2.
How about that!
The Literary Digest pollsters made a slight mistake. Hey we all make mistakes.
They did their polling by phone.
In today’s iPod, cell phone world that might work.
But in 1936 only them rich people had phones.
And them rich people were 99.44% Republican.
But that was Then, Now is Now (maybe) and 2010 is still a year away.
Could anything happen between now and then to change the mood of the electorate?
Well yes.
Step One. Let’s say that Obama does something gutsy and says “no more troops” to Afghanistan. The Republicans will yell and scream (they’re very good at this) but we really can’t win in Afghanistan.
It’s a corrupt country. It’s a warlord country. It’s a “poppy” country. They don’t like us. They have been in wars like this for 500 years. They threw out the British. They threw out the Russians. They don’t allow women to pursue an education or hold more than menial jobs.
Did I mention that they don’t like us?
Also it’s not like Kansas or California or Florida or New York. A more inhospitable war environment would be hard to find.
So we say goodbye, adios, au revoir and good night forever and we all think about it and realize, a bit later, this is a very smart decision and Obama was right to take a while to get it right.
His stock jumps 10%.
Step Two. Health Care Reform is passed. Suddenly a lot more of us have health insurance and like the idea. (And they don’t like the idea that the Republicans have been 100% against it.)
Suddenly just saying “No” isn’t as smart as advertised.
The reasons they “Just Say No” are quite unreasonable. At least Limbaugh was honest (well fairly honest). He simply wanted the president (There, I’ve said it) to fail.
The other clowns wanted their power back and if the country had to fail – sorry about that – the ends just justify the means sort of stuff.
They don’t like him because:
He’s half black.
He’s half white.
He went to Harvard and they didn’t.
He’s not really an American. Real Americans are white and from Alaska.
He thinks and talks English, a somewhat foreign language to our last president.
Face it the Republicans were against Health Care Reform because they were against the Democrats. They didn’t have a plan of their own so they thought saying NO was brilliant.
It wasn’t.
Step Three. Sarah Palin. She’s attractive, reasonably well spoken if speaking very fast implies brilliance, attractive and can tell you what’s wrong with anybody who is ever so slightly against her. We used to call that kind of attitude being thin skinned.
Also she’s very attractive.
On the other hand she can’t shut up and can say enough really dumb things to leave the electorate somewhat uneasy about her and her chances of becoming president.
Still she’s very attractive. Very.
She also doesn’t pay the slightest attention to what she is saying. Thus she will contradict herself every five minutes. This may be charming in Wasilla but won’t fly in the lower forty-eight.
Maybe I just can’t get over hearing her talk about Freedom while in the background turkeys were being beheaded.
She also reads “everything” per her talk with Ms. Couric and won’t have time for the rest of us.
How much “It’s their fault” can we take?
Listen I’m a great believer in both basketball and education but five colleges?
And if She wrote That book in three months I’m Leo Tolstoy.
Just for the record I’m also not Calvin Trillin, Dave Barry or even the prolific author of See Spot, See Spot Run.
Step Four. Jobs. The Republicans are upset because we are in a recession.
This is true and they have plotted – damned if I know how – to blame it on Obama.
So far they have managed to get away with getting us into this mess, selling the country to the Saudis and Chinese and saying they had nothing to do with it.
Their luck will run out. Ultimately the public will hear, over and over again, how they (the Republicans) mortgaged the country for two wars they didn’t pay for. And one, Iraq, they lied us into.
They will also hear – repeatedly – how Bush and Cheney approved of torture, something we’ve been famous for NOT DOING.
Just because the Republicans say they had nothing to do with our problems really doesn’t mean they had nothing to do with our problems.
Their luck will run out because the people they have representing them just won’t do.
All this talk of bipartisanship when you’re scuttling every vote on anything and everything – well people will ultimately (and slowly) notice.
The Republicans believe the rest of the country is dumb.
The Republicans believe the rest of the country will believe them because the Republicans are really believable?
Please.
You’d have to look long and hard to find a bigger bunch of blowhards, crooks and rascals.
Prediction: The Democrats will pick up 4 Senate seats in 2010 and hold their present majority in the House of Representatives.
I would really like to hear your views on everything or anything I’ve written. I can be contacted at:
Warren Langer
https://warrenlanger.wordpress.com
Still Liberal at 83.
Still liberal at 84 
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