American Politics Journal -- Yanking the Chains



Home • Latest • Archive • Search

Letters to the Editor
Hot Topics: Dick Cheney -- and Tommy Thompson

From: Jim Sagle
Date: July 27, 2000

The appointment of Dick Cheney by George Dubya Bush as his running mate is just one more volley in the one-sided class war we've been losing since 1971, when the Bretton Woods agreements were repudiated and currency trading began its intended work of subordinating politics to finance.

As the middle class shrinks and the underclass grows and the prison population mushrooms, we are told we never had it so good.

And our politics becomes ever more disconnected from any real concerns and opinions. This is also intentional, as it increases our feelings of powerlessness.

That was the lesson of Hairgate, Travelgate, Whitewatergate, Cattlegate, and above all, Monicagate -- that our views don't count and that our democratic system WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to work.

Just imagine: we elect a new President and he doesn't even have the right to pick his own Travel Office staff.

Clinton was never truly permitted to exercise full executive power. In that sense, a coup has already been completed. The precedent, established under Carter, that Democrats have no rights, was upheld and cemented under (or over) Clinton.

And what does this have to do with Cheney? Simply that the arrogance of near-absolute power is what led Dubya to dare to make this choice in the first place.

It's up to Al Gore, and up to us, to stand up to this treasonous cabal and send them packing.

From: Marty Heldt
Date: July 27, 2000

Forget the "gravitas" and "grown-ups," George W Bush just told the world that he has the hots for the wild-eyed right.

The romance began in the steamy days leading up to the Iowa Straw Poll last August.

Pat Buchanan was causing a stir with his latest Hitler apologia. Liberals, moderates and most conservatives were outraged. Well-known conservatives such as William Safire commented on Buchanan's past anti-Semitism. Staunch conservative Bill Bennet said Pat had the hints “Of fascism” about him. Buchanan had finally gone too far.

It became obvious to many Republicans that their faithful servant should leave the GOP before he brought the big top down. Missing from that consensus was George W Bush, who made a direct appeal for party unity and for the need for Pat to stay. Bush even posed for a photo with Pat at the Iowa straw poll, shaking his hand and asking him to stay.

I knew then that Bush had made a mistake. At the time it was a minor one, one he could have easily recovered from. Just a little concession to the wide-eyed right in the hope of not offending Pat’s brigades down the road. It was nothing that would seriously hurt Bush from his line of being the “compassionate conservative,” the moderate, easy going Republican.

Bush then moved on to the primary in South Carolina, where McCain's gathering momentum forced Bush to reject any pretense of "compassionate conservatism." He became an old-time Deep South conservative draped in the flag-the stars and bars- and speaking to all white crowds.

This tactic worked disgracefully well. So well, in fact, that G W Bush embraced the Bob Jones religious extremists, bigots and the homophobes and tossed them to the floor where he consummated a wild weeklong orgy of savage conservative love.

G W Bush has spent most of the recent months trying to whitewash that stench off, once again adopting the cloak of the compassionate conservative.

And it was working.

Now Bush has chosen as running mate a man with a record of extremist votes in congress, a record that paints him into a corner with Jesse Helms and Strom Thurmond.

Some might call this a shotgun marriage arranged by his father, some may say it is a marriage of convenience....But that isn't how I see it, its been love at first sight ever since Bush first rolled in the hay with that wild-eyed girl on the right.

Now that they are married maybe the myopic press will notice the distended belly of pregnant extremism in G W's pasty faced blushing bride.

From: Rick
Date: July 28, 2000
Re: Comments from Behind the Cheddar Curtain

So Tommy Thompson is made chair of the republican platform committee.

Expect to get scam language in the platform and really watch out for what isn't said. It is possible to read between the lines with Tommy Thompson but only after you realize what he is.

Tommy -- who, while guv of Wisconsin, destroyed what was a model-of-fairness Workers Compensation system -- wants to present the compassionate, almost moderate side of the party. Workers Comp in this state is now run by the employers and their insurance company reps. If a working person is seriously injured in Wisconsin now they will find their medical care blocked until hopefully they get Social Security Disability and then Medicare two years later. When they know that your medical care is fully blocked they then discontinue your benefits because you stopped getting better because you couldn't get medical care. I know this because I am living in the hell they created. My co-worker injured in the same mishap had Social Security refused and is now homeless and like me still suffering.

Tommy also gave away so many tax breaks to business that homeowners now pick up virtually all property taxes. He went so far in his power crazed drunken whore stupor that he seriously sought to exempt CEO's from income tax.

He talks a good game about protecting the environment but yet a campaign contributor is able to get a special consideration in the state budget allowing him to fill in pristine wetlands even though he could have built his factory addition less than 100 yards away on the opposite side of the plant.

He ended social welfare only to spend that money on companies that terminate the welfare to the recipients after doing a bogus determination of the individuals abilities. Meanwhile corporate welfare has skyrocketed. Chrysler Corporation had a series of expansions scheduled since the early 90's for the Kenosha, Wisconsin plant. When they announced in 1999 that the third phase was starting, Tommy went running over to give them a million bucks that they didn't ask for and certainly didn't need.

As for family values in Wisconsin, the insurance companies have had so many beneficial bills passed for them that a widow or widower has to hire an attorney in order to collect on a life insurance policy now. The real gall at the convention will come when if Tommy has his way, the same attorneys that helped the surviving spouses are attacked for taking the cases. Expect to see civil liability reform as one agenda. In Wisconsin, Tommy and his klansmen limited what had to be paid out for medical malpractice to a paltry amount. This quickly changed when the relative of one of Tommies comrades had the wrong leg amputated.

So when you hear the Republicans platform remember that the chair for that platform committee was nothing more than a moronic whore that happens to have the charisma of a good time Charley at the local bar.

Tommy has the moral emptiness to smile and talk buddy buddy while stabbing a Bowie knife into your guts.

The Tommy Thompson secret code follows:

Family Values = bills that the " family of insurance companies" want so they can legally screw their customers

Fairer Taxes = people that can afford to donate at least $100,000 should not pay any taxes

Tax Cuts = tax deductions to those that can only donate $25,000-$99,999

Concern for the Environment = concern over too much concern for the environment

Pride in our Natural Resources = proud to have wetlands and other protected habitats for sale at a cheap price

Now as for the republican candidate: it will be interesting to see how the American Legion and V.F.W. leadership react to Bush. After years of calling Bill Clinton a draft dodging pot head, are they going to suggest to their membership that they vote for an A.W.O.L. cokehead and his draft dodging running mate?