GOP as Organized Crime

Provocative post title isn't it? 

Well I came to the realization this morning that it is most likely pretty accurate.  Let me explain. 

Back in the 1940s just after the war the mob, aka Mafia ran most of the gambling in Cuba.  Under the Batista government gambling was a major source of income for the island and Batista took a healthy cut of the profits.  In effect the mob controlled some if not all of what the government did in Cuba.  They played the long game, slowly gaining more and more influence until they could operate without fear and run casinos and narcotics as they pleased.

Today, corporations have made significant inroads into our government.  They write laws under the guise of the American Legislative Exchange Council or ALEC.  The GOP has been known to take ALEC documents almost word for word and create laws. 

Corporations now have "personhood", a gift bestowed on them by GOP justices on the Supreme Court.  A "long game" tactic from the Bush era.  The Citizens United ruling allows corporations to slush as much money into political campaigns as they want.  Super Pacs are another result of GOP strategy that was set in place by the corporate controlled Supreme Court in 2010. 

The GOP once seen as favorable to big business is now completely controlled by big business and is no longer a political party but a policy arm of large corporations.  Don't believe me?  Can you name a law recently that did not benefit big business directly or indirectly?  If you say the Affordable Care Act, you are wrong, it is favorable to insurance companies and in my opinion should have been a federally supervised healthcare insurance program instead.

Meanwhile Mitt Romney, a candidate no GOP pollster wanted is the party's standard bearer.  He is a multimillionaire businessman who is not just controlled by big business, he IS big business.

See my point? 

I have no problem with corporations, heck I even was on the board of one.  But my problem is when these businesses start infiltrating our government to run it for their benefit, not just influence it, but RUN IT!

This has to be stopped, and for now we have the ballot box.  You can vote for a corporate takeover of our country or against it.  What will you decide?

"Romney=Liar" Keep it Simple!

As a liberal, I am often tempted to try to persuade people with facts and figures.  I make the assumption that most liberals and progressives do that "knowledge=enlightenment=voting". 

This equation is flawed, fatally.  This is a fact that the right-wing found years ago and have abandoned facts for "gut-level" messaging that tugs at peoples hearts and instincts.  Truth may or may not be part of it, but all that matters is results.

How do you fight that kind of strategy without succumbing to the same "win at any cost" mentality?  You don't.  You modify the strategy and use it to your benefit.

We need to keep our messages as simple as possible.  Here is a great example.

Romney held a press conference to express his opinion about the Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act, something the right-wing has successfully dubbed "Obamacare". 

(First rule, never use their framing or you have already lost the argument.  So, from here on out I will refer to the law by it's name, the ACA or Affordable Care Act.  Whenever you hear someone call it Obamacare, correct them.  Simple and direct. Can this make a difference?  Sure it can, but wait there's more.)

In that press conference he began by spouting 6 big lies.  You can read the details of them here in Lee Saunders column in the Huffington Post.

Now, once you have armed yourself with those facts, and there are many.  stash them away and just remember the main point of the whole thing, Romney lies.

Let me make that a simple equation:  Romney=Lies.

If you need to back it up with facts, you now have them, but don't start with the facts, start with the premis, Romney=Lies.  Once people hear that they will not listen to too much else anyway, and when you start going into details you will loose them completely.

Are people stupid?  No, they are not, but they are not used to digging into a detailed analysis of statements by politicians.  They don't have time or energy since most folks have real jobs and lives that require most of their attention and energy.  That is why sound-bites are so effective.  So, keep it simple.

Romney lies.  About the ACA, about his job-killing outsourcing, about pretty much everything in order to get elected.  Now what do you remember about this blog entry?

Romney lies.