GOP Tries To Divert Voters Away From The Real Issues

(The cartoon above is by Bill Day at cagle.com.)

The Republicans don't want to talk about their plan to lower taxes even further for the rich and the corporations -- because a huge majority of Americans oppose that.

The Republicans don't want to talk about their plan to eliminate the Medicare program (and throw elderly Americans to the mercy of giant private insurance companies) -- because a luge majority of Americans oppose that.

The Republicans don't want to talk about their blocking a raise of the minimum wage (and desire to eliminate it altogether) -- because a huge majority of Americans want it raised.

The Republicans don't want to talk about their plans to cut Social Security benefits and raise the age to qualify for those benefits (or privatize the whole program) -- because a huge majority of Americans oppose that.

The Republicans don't want to talk about their repeated obstruction of job creation programs in Congress -- because a huge majority of Americans want Congress to do more to create jobs.

The Republicans don't want to talk about their efforts to cut EPA funding and block the EPAs' efforts to stop pollution -- because a huge majority of Americans want cleaner air and water.

The Republicans don't want to talk about the huge cuts they have proposed to the SNAP (food stamp) program -- because a huge majority of Americans don't want that.

The Republicans don't want to talk about their efforts to cut education funding (and eliminate the Department of Education) -- because most Americans know that our future rests in providing all young people with an adequate education.

Those are the real issues -- the issues that we should be talking about for the coming election. But the Republicans don't want that debate because they know they are on the wrong side of those issues. If those issues are what the voters are thinking about in November, then the Republicans will suffer a crushing defeat. So, what are the Republicans to do?

They originally thought they could ride a dislike of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) to victory in November, but that is turning out to be little more than wishful thinking. Obamacare has been a raging success -- lowering the number of Americans without insurance by millions, lowering premium prices for nearly everyone, and forcing insurance companies to issue better policies that cover more and don't have a cap on payouts. And poll after poll has shown the majority of Americans don't want Obamacare repealed -- they want it improved.

So what does the GOP do? They bring back a false issue -- a "dead horse" they have already beaten far too much -- Benghazi. House Speaker Boehner has given in to the teabagger right-wing of his party, and announced the formation of a House select committee to investigate Benghazi. They know this issue has already been thoroughly investigated. They know they are the ones primarily responsible for the Benghazi disaster (because they cut $300 million from embassy security funds to give their rich friends more tax cuts). And they know that far more embassies and consulates were attacked (and people killed) under the Bush administration than under the Obama administration.

But the congressional Republicans aren't interested in facts and realities. They are trying to create a scandal, or at least fool enough voters into thinking there is a scandal. And they are trying to do that for the most selfish and venal of reasons -- their own re-election. They are hoping if they can whine loudly enough about Benghazi, they will divert voter attention away from the real issues (because they know they can't win with their terrible positions on those issues).

I think the Democrats should refuse to participate in this new select committee, exposing it for the underhanded political maneuver that it is -- and instead put their focus on the real issues.