{"id":58806,"date":"2012-06-30T06:10:48","date_gmt":"2012-06-30T10:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/?p=58806"},"modified":"2012-06-30T08:11:24","modified_gmt":"2012-06-30T12:11:24","slug":"counting-our-chickens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/by-judith-gayle-2\/counting-our-chickens\/","title":{"rendered":"Counting Our Chickens"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Judith Gayle | Political Waves<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

It was 108 in St. Louis on Thursday. It was projected to be 106 in Nashville on Friday. The forecasters thought it pertinent to mention that neither of those cities are located in the deserts of Nevada or Arizona, subject to extreme heat, and that both of them were suffering under hotter skies than even Florida. <\/p>\n

\"Political<\/p>\n

It turns out that this has been the warmest spring on the books, breaking some 18,000 recorded highs, and summer is setting out to do the same. This is the kind of thing that makes us anxious; it’s hard on young and old alike, especially in an economy that leaves millions struggling to put food on the table, let alone affording to turn on the air. Last year was record-breaking in Europe; this year, we’re already ahead of the competition.<\/p>\n

Heat in the Midwest is vastly different from that of either coast, where climate has its own rules. The random very hot or very cold season aside, we abide as best we can, mid-country. There’s seldom any change to the time-proven ways of dealing with seasons. We don’t even irrigate crops around here, depending on rain to fill ponds to pull from in emergencies, or to water critters in a drought. We’ve had years of warning that the weather was getting more extreme, that we would eventually see the results of ignoring climate change, but — damn it! — we’re still not ready. <\/p>\n

Is anybody ever really ready for change? Can’t we just wish it away? Pretend it isn’t there? Well, the answer is, yes, we can, and at least half of the nation has become quite artful at doing so.<\/p>\n

I heard earlier this week, for instance, that since everyone knew the Supremes were going to find Obama’s Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, robbing him of his signature legislation and proving him a weak and ineffectual president, Romney’s personal cachet was growing among the undecided. Indeed, without the dreaded tyranny of Obamacare to weigh down the aspirations of the right, the freely-spent assets of the anti-Obama Billionaires’ Club and ongoing efforts at voter suppression were all that was needed to deliver a new Republican era.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Apparently, when the right sniffs the political air to get a sense of things, they can’t get past their own over-amped testosterone. It’s a little early yet for a Mission Accomplished banner, but those of us watching know it’s a tried and true Republican tactic to wave one furiously in an attempt to demoralize the opposition. Now, given the way the right is behaving, it seems a good many of them counted those chickens before they hatched.<\/p>\n

If you’re really listening to the universe, you can sometimes get a heads up on these things. Way back at the beginning of the century — just after the Supremes made one of those life-changing decisions of theirs — I got the blinking yellow light. Over the course of a lifetime, I’ve developed an early warning system in my solar plexus: unattended when all is well, it activates when there is danger, flashing an aura distortion that is impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n

In the first days of George W.’s reign, for instance, it went off like a fire alarm as I paged through a scant collection of political websites, dumbfounded by GOP hubris and hypocrisy, alarmed at the gutting of standing policy. “How are we going to stop this (expletive deleted) from unleashing an avalanche of damage on the Great Society?” I wrote friends. “Is anybody recording all this so we’ll be able to restore what’s being lost?” I fretted, I stewed, always mindful that I had the High Court, gone politically rogue, to thank.<\/p>\n

Twelve years later, the Supremes are still changing the world. The Supreme Court of the United States is one-third of the governing body of the nation, the judicial branch that exists along with the legislative and executive. It has neither the power of the purse, as does the House of Representatives, nor of the sword, as does the Senate, but recent history gives us an illustration of its power to change the course of the nation. It exists as the arbiter of law as it relates to the United States Constitution, and the justices invariably represent opposing camps: the Federalists, protecting states from Federal overreach, and the liberal wing which assumes the Constitution to be a living document, flexible to the needs of a changing culture. SCOTUS has traditionally sought to remain above the fray of sordid politics, cloistered amid its legal briefs and honors, depending upon the respect and acceptance of the American public, and yet historically, it has seldom succeeded. Progressive change brings out its worst. FDR went to war with his SCOTUS; LBJ had his own battles.<\/p>\n

Whenever there is a Democratic president in power you will hear the other party cry and whine about the nomination of activist judges who would “legislate from the bench,” i.e., usurp the power of Congress to make law. Both parties play politics, but no one beats the level of projection that the GOP has made into an art form, accusing the other side of what it is either doing itself or planning to do. Even now, after almost an entire term, a sizable number of Obama’s judicial nominations remain unconfirmed due to GOP obstruction of their potential “activism.” This has made life difficult for courts — and citizens — all across the nation, but nothing will sway the radical right from denying Obama a win.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Roberts court has turned itself into a branch of government the public now sees as both activist and corporate-friendly. Indeed, just this week they had opportunity to revisit their Citizens United<\/em> ruling, but instead doubled-down, leaving us with the harsh truth that unless Congress intervenes, big money will remain a ‘person’ with a very loud voice. In fact, these days it’s screaming.<\/p>\n

Let’s get back to that happy world that the Pubs live in, unfettered by reality. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker isn’t going to enforce ACA until November, sure that the wind will change by then. Ditto on Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal. Jindal, by the way, made a slip of the tongue the other day, calling ACA “Obamneycare.” That will quickly be forgotten by his own, who have also forgotten that Romney himself embraced the insurance reform that we’ve cloned, relying heavily on the mandate to make it affordable. Ruth Bader Ginsburg cited the Massachusetts program in her brief this week, making it obvious that no matter how much Mitt squirms, he’s not going to wiggle away from his culpability in health care reform.<\/p>\n

Like the call on immigration last week, the decision on the Affordable Care Act is a double-edged sword, cutting both ways. In immigration, both sides declared victory. With ACA, both sides SHOULD be declaring victory but I’m not sure the Pub base — devoted to theocratic ideology as well as simplistic rhetoric \u00e0 la Tea Party — is aware of the major corporate players pulling the GOP strings. They’ve been given a gift and I wonder if they see it.<\/p>\n

Rather than ruling ACA viable according to provisions of interstate commerce, Roberts has decided it can go forward as a function of the tax code. That’s a Tea Party battle cry, is it not? Might as well paint his face blue and show us his bum! Michele Bachmann has already swallowed her tongue twice, declaring that now the government can force us all to buy IKEA(?!). If the demoralized GOP base — unimpressed by their Mormon candidate, whom approximately 20% of Americans will NOT vote for because of religious concerns — can’t get a collective Come To Jesus moment now, it never will!<\/p>\n

The radicals have already gone semi-hysterical, calling Roberts a traitor, yelping that he has betrayed Federalism and those who had granted him their unyielding support. But it seems to me that Roberts has served his party well, giving the insurance industry what it wanted: a mandated clientele and cash cow. He’s also given the radical right a B12 booster, while taking the heat off his court, approval for which had dropped to an impressively dismal 44 percent. Judge Roberts has done his corporate best.<\/p>\n

Still and all, this is Obama’s victory, even if imperfect. He keeps his legislation, and the American people are without question the winners, solidifying the gains they’ve made in insurance coverage and oversight. And there is no question that should Obama win the election, the benefits that will become available in the next two years will quickly become too popular with the public to overturn. That is a progressive platform to build on, throwing fuel on Obama’s campaign and providing the base what Mike Moore calls a “mandate to act.” Mike’s got a point. We can build on this momentum, bring the populist message into sharper focus, promote the progressive agenda. Nobody is suggesting that we didn’t need this win badly, except …<\/p>\n

Except that when I thought about the ramifications of this decision over the last few weeks, there had been no flashing yellow. I pretty much depend on that to ratchet up into a battle stance. On Thursday, I woke up without the out-of-synch feeling that puts me on alert. Considering the amount of coverage on this pending decision, it seemed probable that there would be a storm of some kind, but it wasn’t showing up in my body. I thought maybe my light was out; maybe my alert system had been overridden by the heat, which was set to hit double-digits and make breathing and movement an uneasy exercise.<\/p>\n

That morning, Fishin’ Jim and I drove into the big city to visit a friend in the critical care unit at the hospital. Mid-morning, I went to the ICU waiting room to see if the decision had been announced. Family members of one of the patients had put out mattresses on one side of the room, crashing from what had obviously been a long night, so people were tip-toeing, and the television was turned off. I didn’t turn it on. On our way out, no one mentioned politics — busy with matters of life and death — and when we got in the truck, finding news on the radio proved problematic. Lots of oldies, lots of country — no news. I took it upon myself to provide a thorough search, moving by small increments until I heard a voice.<\/p>\n

A droning, sonorous voice I recognized, but couldn’t place. It called on the Almighty for protection against inequity, it pleaded for help in hard and dangerous times. It referenced itself in peculiar and egocentric ways, and as it raised itself in condemnation of that vile betrayer, Justice John Roberts, I recognized who was speaking. I take it as a sign that I learned about Obama’s SCOTUS victory listening to Glenn Beck hold forth, calling for heaven to smite the socialist horde, of which I am a member (and in good standing, I might add.) I smiled all the way home,but I’m not counting my chickens.<\/p>\n

Roberts decision to approve ACA as an exercise in taxation bypassed the Federalist issue of compelling commerce, which without approval serves as rebuff. If his party was less reactive and more nuanced, they’d recognize his intent and praise his cleverness. Make no mistake, this issue isn’t over. We will face more suits challenging other portions of ACA. The Pubs mean to deal ACA death by a thousand cuts, and they’re good at it.<\/p>\n

The only thing that can stop such an assault is an awakening public, and in that regard, R.J. Eskow wrote a good piece about what we must do to capitalize on this win. He’s got a nice section called 10 Lessons for the Battles to Come<\/a>, and trust me, they’re coming. Probable challenges to voting rights law, affirmative action and perhaps even Roe are all in the hopper in the near future. But for whatever reason, I’m not flashing alarm, I’m not preparing for battle.<\/p>\n

And I think that’s about more than the heat. I think it’s the new energies flooding in, changing the way people look at these things, and some of them are breathtaking. News of the day tells us that the big money of corporate sponsors can’t be matched by Obama and his followers, for instance. It’s not going to happen, even as the party clamors for their supporters to send more and more, but somehow that feels like an old paradigm concern. This kind of financial overkill is what my great-grandpa would call “too big for their britches.” Perhaps just staring down the monolith of that kind of financial prowess will have a boomerang effect on a nation that still believes in democratic process.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the inequity of such irresponsible power, speculation about an election bought and paid for, will put a bitter taste in the mouth of the voting public. Four years ago, people didn’t know what they were up against. Now they’re politicized, and unhappily, but no longer unaware of what they face. And while I’m not counting my chickens, it’s good to remember that this is only the beginning of the Pluto\/Uranus energy, set to give us other shocks and surprises. I can be completely confident in suggesting that, as when it shifted the vision of the nation in the ’60s, everything — even money and what it will buy — will look different on the other side.<\/p>\n

If you attend some Fourth of July function this weekend, be safe, and remember: liberty and justice for all is STILL an American dream beloved by the world, well worth defending. When we’re looking at what counts, that’s the sum of it. And that’s a real green light for me this year, the first at-ease moment I’ve felt in quite a while. This is the year that makes a difference. May God\/dess bless America and those of our brothers and sisters yearning to be free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Judith Gayle | Political Waves It was 108 in St. Louis on Thursday. It was projected to be 106 in Nashville on Friday. The forecasters thought it pertinent to mention that neither of those cities are located in the deserts of Nevada or Arizona, subject to extreme heat, and that both of them were … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":""},"categories":[1744],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58806"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58806\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}