For those of you out there who are not billionaires, millionaires, or at the very least a One Percenter, it is high time that you pay attention and wise up.  Big money has recently been the benefactor and subsequently the beneficiary of a major Supreme Court decision (i.e. Citizens United) and is systematically working to eliminate its competition, which is organized labor.

Unions have slowly but surely been losing members and ground under the relentless attack of corporations and other big money interest.  Although big banks and other corporations have come back strong and thrived since The Great Recession, wages have remained virtually stagnant and in some cases even fallen.

With the Citizens United ruling allowing for unparalleled amounts of dark money to be pumped into elections the only major players capable of operating in that arena have been big money and the labor unions.  Now, a major effort to wipe out unions is underway in many states around the country.  This effort is being led by lawmakers and most of the states involved in this effort are red states.  The majority of the legislatures in these states are either heavily controlled by Republicans or completely controlled by them.

The Republican agenda and that of big money are the same and they are working together to totally eliminate the middle class – whether by accident, as a result of collateral damage, or on purpose just as long as they can assure an increase in the bottom line for corporate interest.  It matters not whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent; if you are not among the rich, this agenda will have a negative impact on you.

It is not a coincidence that lawmakers, at the behest of big money, are working so hard to get rid of unions.  Unions have long been the major check and balance against all large corporations and other forms of big money.  We have become accustom to having a livable wage, worthwhile worker benefits and weekends off but we have forgotten why we have all of those things.  It is because of the unions.  Large companies certainly did not grant workers these things out of the goodness of their hearts!

Large corporations and other big money interest are for the greatest part supported by the Republican Party.  After the 2010 midterm elections Republicans said that they would build a larger and more inclusive tent.  So far, that effort has failed.  So instead of focusing on a continuation to build that larger and more inclusive tent, they decided to focus on making it harder for eligible voters to vote.  The obvious assumption is that by reducing the number of those voting they would reduce the ability of those who are opposed to their agenda to have an impact on it.

Republicans and Independent voters who fall into the middle class need to step back and take a serious look at what Republicans in Washington and in many of the red states around the country are doing.  No matter how staunch a Republican or Independent you might be you would likely agree that the middle class is the backbone of America and must not be destroyed.  You would probably also agree that if the middle class is allowed to be destroyed that although there might not be an immediate impact on America the impact will come; and it will be negative.

Even if irreparable damage is not done and the middle class is able to be restored, restoration will likely be a long and hard road to travel and our country will be worse for having allowed this tragedy to occur.  Boilerplate statements like the one RNC spokesman Michael Short made recently about 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton are meaningless when it comes to standing up for the middle class.

Based on an article in the Associated Press by Julie Pace – entitled ‘AP sources: Middle-class economics a focus of Clinton’s bid’, Mr. Short said “All Hillary Clinton is offering is a continuation of the same big government ideas that have grown Washington instead of the middle class.  That’s why voters want fresh leadership and a new direction, not four more years of Obama failed policies.”

Apparently the only support that Republican Senators and Representatives in Washington are willing to offer middle-class Americans is worn-out talking points and lip service.  And one can only hope that the fresh leadership that RNC spokesman Michael Short alluded to is not the kind that these leaders have exemplified since they became the majority governing Party in congress and that the new direction is not that which they are currently flaunting to the world based on how we are handling the Israel, Iran and Cuba situation.

Under the circumstances, responsible middle class Democrats, Republicans and Independents must band together and step up to defeat this irresponsible act by corporations and big money and any of those who stand with them.  What our Republican leaders in Washington are doing right now in openly fostering partisan bickering in congress by purposely attacking the integrity of the Obama administration and trying to destroy this President is doing much more to hurt America than it is to help her.

While it is not understandable to me that they are so eager and willing to take this approach, if it is something that they feel that they must do to save this country from a President whom they obviously deem unworthy to hold the office, then they must find a way or at least make a reasonable effort to do it without tarnishing the Office and the country.  I believe that there are many One Percenters and many in congress who agree with me.  If that is indeed the case then they should use their influence in an effort to help stop this sideshow that we are presenting and the world is currently witnessing.

Eulus Dennis

Once again an unarmed Black man has died at the hands of a White police officer.  This time the shooting took place in North Charleston, South Carolina after a routine traffic stop.  The unfortunate victim was 50-year-old Walter Scott and the policeman who shot him was 33-year-old Officer Michael Thomas Slager.

Officer Slager fired eight bullets at Mr. Scott as he fled hitting him in the back and killing him.  To make matters worse, Officer Slager – after handcuffing Mr. Scott as he lay dying on the ground, jogged back to the spot where Mr. Scott first broke free of him and picked up an item which he then took and dropped beside Mr. Scott’s body.

At the time, Officer Slager told Dispatch that Mr. Scott grabbed his taser and he shot him.  He later reported that he feared for his life and that is why he shot Mr. Scott.  Those in authority accepted Officer Slager’s version of what occurred as the truth and dealt with the community and press accordingly.  What Officer Slager did not realize was that someone had videotaped the entire incident as it occurred after he chased and caught up with Mr. Scott.

When the video surfaced and revealed that Officer Slager had not told the truth about this encounter, to their credit, the Mayor and Chief of Police withdrew their support of Officer Slager, fired him, charged him with murder and he was arrested.  If convicted he could be sentenced to 30 years – life in prison.  This was a tragedy that left at least two families deeply hurt and grieving for a loved one.

Although for the greatest part African-American males have been the victims of this overly aggressive policing, for the purpose that this article is seeking to accomplish, I encourage the readers not to take sides or get involved in a debate as to which family is hurting the most or make our main focus the fact that it was a White police officer that killed an unarmed Black man.  Those things are obvious.

What we need to do, and can do, without marginalizing the fact that a life was lost and that that lost life – Mr. Walter Scott, was not faceless and nameless and that it left behind a grieving mother along with other family members, is focus on equal justice under the law for all people.

The point of this article is to encourage all of us to do all that we can to begin to restore the trust between the police and the communities that they serve and protect across this entire country.  The police have a lot to do in order to restore that trust but as members of our various communities, so do we.  Clean cops must stop protecting dirty cops due to misguided loyalty or the fear of being left without backup by their fellow officers when they need it because they have been labeled as unworthy because they have violated the ‘blue code’.

This is a tough choice but it is one that the police must make if they are to regain the communities’ trust.  There are many more clean cops than dirty cops and that ‘many’ must determine that they will not continue to be bullied by the few.

As for those of us who live in these communities that police officers risk their lives each day to serve and protect, we must allow them room to use whatever amount of force is truly required to serve and protect us.  We must also realize and accept the fact that the amount of force required to subdue a subject may sometimes involve injury to that person or even death.

This does not preclude the fact that we must always be vigilant and when necessary, scrutinize and question the circumstances surrounding any situation where police attempt to arrest someone and that attempt involves injury or death.  Such scrutiny should not need to be motivated by color but by the desire to assure that there is equal justice under the law for all.  If community members allow police officers the previously mentioned room to exercise their professional judgment and scrutinize and question only those encounters that truly warrant it, this should begin to restore police officers’ trust in communities.

Finally, as a result of what just happened in North Charleston, South Carolina, many have reflected on other situations involving excessive force by police officers throughout the country and asked in the North Charleston situation; what if there was no video?  As I reflect on the many questionable occurrences where a police officer’s version of what happened has outweighed that of the alleged perpetrator along with that of witnesses, it gives me pause.

Police officers have a tremendous amount of power over our lives and can instantly determine whether we live or die.  Yet their word is readily taken almost without question when they make a decision that requires injuring someone or killing them.  This is difficult enough to accept even if police officers throughout America had a stellar record when it comes to truthfulness, which they do not.

Usually when those who are either criminals or have been accused of a crime are judged in a court of law, their past record is taken into consideration in an effort to determine their truthfulness, guilt or innocence and, possibly, even the amount of time they must serve if they are found guilty.  If they have a past criminal record and have been proven to be liars in the past, this would have a major impact on a judge and jury’s decision.  Why shouldn’t this same standard apply to policemen and police departments?

Since too often some police officers have been found to either distort the truth or completely lie and some police departments are subject to look the other way in order to protect the department’s reputation, isn’t it past time to stop automatically giving a police officer’s version of a situation an extraordinary amount of weight versus that of others who either witnessed it or were involved in it?

And isn’t it past time to stop allowing police departments to police themselves in light of the vested interest that they have in protecting the police department?  At least until police departments and their police officers can come to grips with the ‘blue code’ and how to effectively deal with it, our society needs to find a way to better verify and substantiate statements given by police officers involved in arrests; especially those that involve injury or death.

Eulus Dennis

There is a lot of hoopla going on right now about the potential nuclear agreement deal that President Barack Obama has negotiated with Iran via Secretary of State John Kerry.  Congressional Republicans are pretending to be concerned about the details of the agreement and the need to review them before they can decide whether or not to endorse it.

What a joke.  It is obvious that they have already made up their minds.  Have these Republicans no shame?  Flashback; Republicans tried to torpedo the negotiations before they were even completed!  Remember House Speaker John Boehner’s invitation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to a joint session of Congress without notifying congressional Democrats or the White House?  Remember the open letter that was sent to the Iranian leaders – which was signed by 47 Senators including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an effort to undermine President Obama’s efforts to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran?

How can Republicans now pretend with a straight face that they want to review the details of the deal with Iran to determine whether or not they can support it?  They can’t!  Based on what they did, with the support of House Speaker Boehner, in bypassing congressional Democrats and the White House in inviting Prime Minister Netanyahu to speak to a joint session of congress and what they did, with the support of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in sending an open letter to Iranian leaders in an effort to undermine their own President, any effort at pretention has already been unmasked and, therefore, rendered ineffective.

To add insult to injury, both Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have traveled to Israel and stood beside Prime Minister Netanyahu and in essence stood with him in denouncing President Obama’s foreign policy initiatives.  According to Israel’s Arutz Sheva, Senator McConnell told Prime Minister Netanyahu that “We’re by Israel’s side.”  There is nothing wrong with this statement except that, under the circumstances, it implies that Senator McConnell and those that he is speaking for are by Israel’s side and against President Obama.

Democrats are not totally without blame.  There are some of them that must be held to account as well.  They can claim that they are simply representing their constituents but the majority of the American people do not want another war.  Though many politicians may be without a heart they are not without a brain.  We did not elect our politicians to function just as robots, instead, we expect them to use all of the information available to them – some of which we may not be privy to – to make their decisions.

It is not hard to understand Prime Minister Netanyahu’s position because, not only is he the Prime Minister of Israel but he is also a politician.  Without a doubt he is working to gain support for his position of the majority of Israeli citizens.  What is hard to understand is why Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell – who obviously are Americans, would look to Prime Minister Netanyahu as if he were their leader and openly support him instead of their own President?  At the very least they could support the Prime Minister without purposely seeking out a way to embarrass the President of the United States of America!

There is no excuse for what Speaker Boehner and Senate Majority Leader McConnell have done.  There are those who advocate for Speaker Boehner and say that despite what he has done he still believes that there is only one person who sets foreign policy for the United States of America.  If that is true, he must believe that that one person is himself.  If Speaker Boehner wants to be that person then he should run for President of the United States of America.  With a record like his as Speaker of the House, I am sure that there are an untold number of Americans who would like to see him as President.  After all, he has proven to be such a strong and forceful leader in his position as Speaker of the House when compared to all of those who have gone before him.

My point is that when we look at the things that Republican led legislatures are doing in places like Indiana and Arkansas and consider the things that they have done with respect to their support to gut the Voting Rights Act, their efforts to make voting harder for eligible voters rather than easier and their lack of effort to make their Party inclusive rather than exclusive, it should give us pause.  The leadership of the Republican Party is so focused on bringing down President Obama that they have forgotten about everything else.

Congressional Republicans are so focused on depriving President Obama of a meaningful legacy that they literally cannot see anything beyond that.  Even if the deal with Iran is an unprecedented deal, which future administrations would find to be a daunting task to even aspire to, Republicans are so blinded that they will be unable to comprehend its relevance and place in history.

Republicans will either have to stop pretending to be interested in the details of the potential nuclear deal with Iran and consider it on its true merit or continue to pretend that they are interested and never really comprehend its true potential value.  I suggest that they stop playing politics and consider its true merit because the only other realistic alternative would be war.

I think that too often those who are rich and powerful are too quick and too eager to go to war.  In most cases, it is not their children who are sent off to foreign lands to fight and die for America’s way of life simply by virtue of the fact that they are rich and powerful and can shield their loved ones from this cruel and heartbreaking consequence.  Diplomacy should and must be given a chance for the sake of those who are not rich and powerful.

None of us who have never been there can even begin to imagine what war is truly like; alone in some foreign land: cold and lonely in the darkness in some jungle or in some village not knowing who is friend and who is foe.  So to the rich and powerful who decide on war and peace I say, just imagine if it were your child who was being sent off to fight and possible die in a foreign land.  Would you still be so quick to shun peace and espouse war?  Think about it… Really think about it.

Eulus Dennis

You are absolutely right, Senator Warren; stand by your principles and do not allow these big banks to bully you around by using threats to withhold their money from the Democratic Party!  They are feeling stronger and bolder since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United Ruling and even more assured that their money – along with that of other billionaires and millionaires, can buy them Congress and possibly even the Presidency.  They have quickly forgotten that it was the American taxpayers who saved them from complete collapse.

It is up to us, the American citizens, to support you and show big banks and those billionaire and millionaire cohorts that support them that they do not determine how this country should be run but American voters do.  That is why it is so important that no matter our political affiliation we must successfully navigate all roadblocks that are placed in our path to prevent us from voting and always vote!  There are Democrats, Republicans and Independents who want their voices to be heard and who do not want this country to be run by big banks and big money.

There are many people in America who are rich and wealthy who may like what big banks are able to do for them who do not want these entities to run our country.  They want them to be able to have their say about how it should be run and have their fair share of influence on who will be elected to run it but they do not want them to hold the position of ultimate kingmaker.  How dare these banks to be upset with Senator Warren for defending those who have for so long had no voice in Washington and, as a result, threaten to withhold contributions from the Democrats!

They need to step back from the situation and take a look at what they were allowed to do to consumers for years with respect to credit card interest rates and late fee charges among other things.  Big banks and the rich and wealthy have a right to make a reasonable profit for the risks that they take when financing American citizens personal and business ventures and those business interest of foreign countries; but they also have a responsibility to carry their fair share of the load when it comes to America’s fiscal responsibilities.

American greed has become so prevalent that we sorely need Senator Warren’s help to get our voices heard by those in Washington who are supposedly there to represent us and our interest.  Right now; however, again primarily because of the Citizens United ruling, big banks and big money have become emboldened and even more aggressive about demanding that they have their way when it comes to how America will be run and the direction that she will be taken in.  It appears that they are insisting that their voice be the only one that is heard and if this demand is not voluntarily accepted then they will bully America into accepting it.

We need to let Senator Warren know that we support her and appreciate her efforts to stand up for the average American.  We can do this by forcing our politicians to foster election reform that will – to the greatest extent possible, take money out of the election process.  The way that we can do this is by getting registered and voting; not just in presidential elections but in all elections.

In the meantime, until election reform legislation is passed, we have to be focused like a laser beam on the ballot box.  Since there are those who are focused on making it harder rather than easier for all eligible voters to vote and are determined to place as many roadblocks as possible in their paths, we must be even more determined to do whatever it takes within the legal limits of the law to successfully navigate them and vote.  If we find that we must break the law to achieve our purpose, let us always remain committed to do so in a non-violent way.

Click on the link to read the full article in International Business Times on how US big banks are trying to bully Senator Warren.

Eulus Dennis

For all of you voters who constantly and willingly give away your power by not voting, maybe you should take a look at the budget that House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are supporting.  If you are a Billionaire, multimillionaire or even just a millionaire you will probably love it but if you are an average everyday hard-working American, you might find it to be somewhat discouraging.

This is a budget that the Republicans managed to get through the House and the Senate has espoused a similar version of the House budget.  According to an article by Alan Fram in the Associated Press, “Both budgets embody a conservative vision of shrinking projected federal deficits by more than $5 trillion over the coming decade, mostly by cutting health care and other benefit programs and without raising taxes.”

The article also says that “Over the decade, Obama would raise $2 trillion in higher taxes from the wealthy, corporations and smokers while granting tax breaks to low-income and middle-class families.  He would boost spending on domestic programs including road construction, preschools and community colleges and veterans.”

Finally, the article states that “The Senate budget would cut $4.3 trillion from benefit programs over the next 10 years, including annulling Obama’s health care law.”

I don’t know if those Democrats who voted in favor of this budget realize that it provides another avenue for Republicans to continue to try to repeal the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) but it does.  According to an article by Scott Wong in The Hill, “Marring the House blueprint with the Senate’s budget would allow Republicans to use a rare procedural tool to either repeal Obamacare, pass tax reform or raise the debt ceiling with 51 votes rather than the usual 60.

I have said time and time again that whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent you should always vote!  We must always remember that many people suffered severely and some even died so that all people could have this right.  It is too precious to just cast aside as if it is something that has no value.

I have also said that no matter how many hurdles are placed in your path or how convoluted they might be; you must overcome them and vote.  Especially since the U.S. Supreme Court passed Citizens United, voting is the only way that the average American will be able to overcome the power of lobbyist and big money.  If we fail to vote and make our voices heard then billionaires and millionaires will always be able to buy and own the Congress and, in essence, the country will be run by them.

I don’t believe that most Americans would agree with the budget that the Republicans have proposed.  In addition, it has already been shown in poll after poll that most Americans – Democrats, Republicans and Independents – approve of Obamacare and are being helped by it.  Notwithstanding, the Republicans continue in their effort to repeal it even though they have been unsuccessful for the past five years.

The best way and possibly the only way to get any politician to stop ignoring us and favoring big money and corporations is to use the power of our vote.  Then, no matter how much money is spent by those entities to influence them, if we don’t vote for them their money will be spent in vain.  Once that happens, the spigot will be shut off because those entities are always all about the bottom line.

The 2016 Presidential elections is fast approaching so it is important that all eligible voters start now to assure that we will be able to make our voices heard through our vote.  In order to be able to vote we must be registered and that means that prior to that time, we must have successfully navigated any obstacles that were placed in our path.  I must do this and you must do this because you should always remember that your vote is the most important one of all… unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis

Did Senator John McCain really reprimand President Obama by telling him to get over his temper tantrum with Israel?  Maybe he would be better served if he looked inside his own Party and told them to get over their obsession with trying to ruin President Obama and his legacy.  They have been trying to do that for more than six years now without success.  During that same period, they have not been able to get beyond their own temper tantrum so they have zero room to advise the President as regards how to get beyond the one that he is allegedly having.

For the past five years, the Republicans have also been voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) without success as well.  Despite the fact that their predictions that it has death panels, would be a jobs killer, would cause healthcare costs to skyrocket and on and on has proven to be untrue and instead created jobs and lowered healthcare costs, they continue to work to repeal it.

Recently, in announcing that he will run for President in 2016, Senator Ted Cruise once again vowed to totally repeal Obamacare.  Given these circumstances, Senator McCain should be focusing on his party’s actual 6-year temper tantrum rather than the imaginary one he says that President Obama is having.  But rather than working toward getting the Republican Party back to focusing on sound conservative governance, he has bought into the Party’s politics as usual strategy.

Perhaps before he called President Obama’s reaction to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s actions prior to and during the Israel election a temper tantrum, Senator McCain should have seriously considered the open letter to the Iranian leaders that he signed, along with 46 other Republican Senators.  And he should also have considered the Republicans’ underhanded invitation to Prime Minister Netanyahu to speak to a joint session of Congress knowing that the sole purpose of his speech was to undermine the president.  Maybe that would have prevented him from making such an incongruous claim.

Even if President Obama is not seriously concerned about the recent actions taken by this majority governing body Republican Party he should be and has every right to be.  What leader in any capacity, let alone a world leader, could be comfortable in leading when those who are supposed to be advising him and working together with him to establish and implement policy and laws are openly working with other leaders to sabotage them?

Do congressional Republicans really believe that President Obama is having a temper tantrum or is this just politics as usual?  Do they believe that he has legitimate concerns about how Prime Minister Netanyahu comported himself leading up to and during the Israel election yet even with their own record, accuse him of having a temper tantrum and purport to chastise him for it as a ploy?

Are they doing this just to distract the media from covering the real issue?  After all, they did play a significant role in placing America into the tough situation that she has fallen into: do our allies still have full confidence in us and our ability to lead; do our enemies perceive that there is a crack in our armor that they can take advantage of?

I think that the Republican Party needs to get onboard with governing this country and keeping it safe without first insisting on tearing it down back to 2008 and starting all over because they hate this president.  To tear it down and start over risk shaking the confidence that our allies have in us to lead and creating openings for our enemies to try to exploit.

It seems that the previously mentioned Republican Party antics have already helped to further sour the relationship between President Obama and Prime Minster Netanyahu.  Recently they have been more openly hostile to one another in public while masking their dislike for one another with only the minimum amount of obligatory diplomacy.  It has the potential of making Israel a partisan issue and becoming a wedge issue for both Republicans and Democrats alike.

If the Republican Party is bound and determined to be rid of the direction that President Obama is taking the country in then they need to find legitimate and fair ways to accomplish their purpose.  They should not attempt to do it by any means necessary, which right now includes putting the financial credibility of the United States in jeopardy and actively working with foreign leaders to sabotage the policy of their own president.  There has to be a better way for them to achieve their purpose.

Eulus Dennis

President Barack Obama is the president of the United States of America.  President Barack Obama is my president.  President Barack Obama is the president of all Americans…  And that is why what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did by agreeing to speak to a joint session of Congress at Speaker John Boehner’s invitation without President Obama’s mutual agreement to that invitation amounts to brazen arrogance on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s part.

To make matters worse, when Prime Minister Netanyahu found himself in a tight race during the Israel election this month, he backtracked on what he had led Israelis and America to believe was his commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: he said that there would not be two states under his watch.  This position is totally opposed to that of the United States and what Prime Minister Netanyahu has, at least, pretended to support in the past.

In this case, the Prime Minister’s political will to survive trumped his statesmanship and willingness to stand by his word.  He decided to play politics and do his personal version of the Washington two-step.  In other words, if he needed to say that there would absolutely not be a two-state solution under his watch in order to garner more votes and remain in power that was okay with him.  He could always walk back this statement after the election was over…and he did.

The United States is and will remain Israel’s most important and closest ally despite the fact that the Prime Minister looked all Americans directly in the eye and insulted us before friend and foe.  Prime Minister Netanyahu knows that Americans hold him in high esteem and that we deeply value our relationship with Israel but yet he was willing to completely disregard that and mortgage the future of Israel so that he could remain in power.  He knows that the American people are not stupid and many were insulted by his actions.  Nevertheless, he is gambling that his popularity and our strong support for Israel will override that and any insult will eventually fade from our memory.

This is not to say that Prime Minister Netanyahu was not overwhelmed with concern about the safety of Israel with respect to Iran and whether or not Iran would gain a path to building a nuclear weapon so felt compelled to appeal to all Americans to discourage President Obama from agreeing to a nuclear deal with Iran.  His great concern is understandable.  Naturally he has a great love for Israel and wants to keep her safe.  The problem is not that he felt that President Obama was pursuing a bad deal; instead, it is how he went about trying to prevent him from making that deal.

When Democrats asked to speak as a caucus to the Prime Minister regarding Speaker Boehner’s invitation to him, he refused to speak with them because he said that he did not want to bring partisan politics into the situation.  This on its face is disingenuous because he had already arranged through Speaker Boehner to speak to the joint session of Congress without the knowledge of congressional Democrats and the White House.  Even if he did not know initially that these groups had not been informed, when he found out that they had not been and that President Obama was against it, he declined to cancel his speech.

During the recent Israel election Prime Minister Netanyahu seems to have taken a page directly out of the Republican Party playbook.  He said some things that were somewhat ambiguous that he could easily explain away as having been misconstrued but yet there was no ambiguity as regards the fact that they were divisive.

During an interview with Andrea Mitchell after the election, he said that he wants to be fair to all Israeli citizens.  Republicans in Congress say this same thing about American citizens yet they persist in using scare tactics as an excuse to continue to make it harder for eligible people to vote.  They use these same scare tactics to continue to resist making it easier for them to vote.

President Obama is the President of the United States and no leader of a foreign government should be welcomed with open arms to come into our country in an effort to undermine him.  That leader should especially not be welcomed by our elected officials to stroll down the very isle that our President tread, be treated like royalty and speak from the very rostrum and from behind the very lectern from which our President spoke during his State of the Union Addresses, while giving Americans and the rest of the world a foreign policy message that directly opposes the message that our President has conveyed and is still continuing to push.

This should not happen no matter how highly esteemed and popular this foreign leader is with the Congress and the American people.  That person is still a foreign leader and it is not appropriate: they are not our leader; president Obama is!  I cannot say too many times that President Obama is the President of the United States of America and, until a new president takes office, he is my president and he is your president whether we like it or not.  As for me, I am proud and privileged to call him my president.

Eulus Dennis

With all of the things that the Republican Party has done – from causing the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating to continuously manufacturing one self-made crisis after another, since the election of President Obama; the latest two irresponsible dirty tricks go beyond the pale.  The first one was when Speaker John Boehner invited Prime Minister Netanyahu to speak to a joint session of Congress without notifying the White House and Congressional Democrats.  He did this despite knowing that the Prime Minister would be there to tell Congress and all who would view his speech not to support President Obama in his negotiations with Iran.

The second one was, as if to avoid being outdone, the Senate sent an open letter to the Iranians in an effort to undermine President Obama’s efforts to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran.  This letter was signed by 47 Republican Senators one of which was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.  To make matters worse, after the news media, public and their fellow lawmakers began to lambast them for what they did, rather than take responsibility and admit that they made a mistake, they began to manufacture and promulgate a lot of flimsy excuses.

Even Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif – who, by the way, is US-educated and received a PhD in International law and policy from the University of Denver, criticized them in their effort to educate Iranians on the United States Constitution.  According to an article by Max Fisher in Vox.com, Zarif viewed the letter as a “propaganda ploy” and wrote as a part of his response to it; “it seems that the authors not only do not understand international law, but are not fully cognizant of the nuances of their own Constitution when it comes to presidential powers in the conduct of foreign policy.”  Ouch; I’ll bet that hurt!

All of the Senators who signed that letter are really taking a beating; and rightfully so.  They deserve it!  It is hard to imagine, even as I witness it happening, that this once highly respected and revered body has sunk to such a low.  One critic, in an effort to illustrate how low they had fallen, even said that – and I paraphrase here – they signed the letter with all of the seriousness of the consideration given to posting a blog.

I am a blogger and I resent that comparison.  What these Senators did should not be elevated to that level of comparison.  What they did was more like what a baby does in their diaper: the expression on their face shows surprise but pleasure at the initial warmth of what just happened.  But when the reality of what happened sets in and the itching and burning starts, they begin to cry.  That is their way of demanding to have their diaper changed; their way of demanding a fresh start, so to speak.

We expect babies to conduct themselves in the way that babies do and we accept their facial expressions, true surprise and signs of pleasure followed by crying upon the realization that the ultimate result of what they did brings pain.  We don’t expect this sort of thing from members of a lofty body like the Senate.  There is no doubt that these Senators will find that their child-like excuses to avoid accountability by pointing the finger at someone else and saying ‘they made me do it’ is unacceptable.

After the 2014 midterm elections and shortly after the Republicans officially took control of both houses of Congress, newly-elected Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made a profound statement.  According to an article by Alex Griswold in the Daily Caller Senate Majority Leader McConnell said; ‘”I don’t want the American people to think that if they add a Republican president to a Republican Congress, that’s going to be a scary outcome,” McConnell said in the interview, which took place before Christmas, but was released Sunday.  “I want the American people to be comfortable with the fact that the Republican House and Senate is a responsible, right-of-center, governing majority.”‘

“‘There would be nothing frightening about adding a Republican president to that governing majority,” McConnell continued.”‘  Newsflash, Majority Leader McConnell, the Republican Party is very frightening!  They despise President Obama so much it seems that they are willing to do anything to shame him and damage his legacy: that includes severely damaging the United States and ruining its credibility in the eyes of both our allies and enemies.

This does not mean that the Republican Party cannot be a cerebral and fair governing majority.  They have been in the past and they can be again.  But right now, based on their past track record and record since they gained control of Congress, they are not ready to do this now and the signs that they will be ready in the future are not encouraging.  At this point, it appears that they want to put America into reverse and floor it!

There is no doubt that there are responsible members of the Republican Party who have great conservative ideas that they would like to see debated and, where possible, implemented.  The problem is that those politicians are too afraid to speak up because they fear that they will offend their base.  They continue to be pulled further and further to the right of center.

Unfortunately – depending on your point of view, the center that used to be, has already been pulled so far to the right that it is no longer in reality ‘the center’ and it, thereby, automatically excludes many conservatives who are laden with worthwhile and workable ideas that would be good for America.  It can remind one so much of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’  Oh if they only had the ‘courage’, ‘heart’, ‘brain’ to speak up.

Until this happens, the Republican Party will remain unready to lead and fairly govern all Americans and the unreadiness by its intimidated statesmen will cause the Party to stagnate and force America to languish in reverse.  There was a time when Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was one of these true statesmen.  He was and remains a hard-nosed conservative but then he was willing to compromise and he was fair.  Now; however, he has become so obsessed with bringing down President Obama that he has lost his way.

Things do not have to be and should not be this way; oh, if I only had the ‘courage.’  True conservative elected officials and voters can demand and force change; oh, if I only had the ‘heart.’  In order to bring about the change that is needed to get the Republican Party back on its feet and empower it so that it can once again soar, true conservatives must be willing to challenge their base.  This will probably offend some of them but it will be worth it in the long run; oh, if I only had a ‘brain’… that I would not allow to be trumped by ‘politics as usual.’

Eventually, if ever we are to get back to productive politics that involve meaningful dialogue and debate, America’s elected officials will have to refocus.  They will have to somehow find the courage and heart to do the job that they were elected to do, which is to govern, and stop allowing their brain to be trumped by politics as usual.  Now would be a good time to do that.

Oh, if only…

Eulus Dennis

Forty-seven Republicans – led by freshman Republican Senator of Arkansas, Tom Cotton, signed and sent an open letter to the Iranian leaders in what appears to be an effort to torpedo the efforts of the Obama Administration to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran.  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was one of the signatories on the letter.

These political antics are unprecedented and demonstrate how much these Senators despise President Obama.  They are willing to totally disrespect the Office of the President, all but consort with the enemy, and take our government apart at the seams just to shame him.  I thought that I had a reasonable idea of how politics work but, if this is an acceptable tactic, it appears that I was wrong.

What these 47 Senators have done might help them to reach their objective to ruin the negotiations and bring about its failure but it could also destroy all confidence that our allies have in us.  If the negotiations fail this could lead to a war with Iran, which appears to be what Republicans want, but it could also impact on our ability to recruit allies and lead in influencing world affairs for decades to come.

This is not how our political leaders should conduct themselves no matter how much they might hate President Obama.  This president is a visionary who is focused on working toward a more perfect union by getting all Americans to look beyond our own personal bias.

He has demonstrated this by remaining focused and continuing to press forward despite all of the vitriol that has been heaped upon him by the overall public and by his fellow elected colleagues: his fellow elected colleagues; this is disgusting and shameful.  Have politicians no shame!  If they do not, then this is also among the things that I must yet learn.  I have long known that many politicians will willingly wallow in the mud in order to advance their careers but I thought that they had limits; this has to be a new low.

President Obama’s adversaries may not be embarrassed but I am certainly embarrassed for them.  If they must employ these kind of methods; methods that embarrass the United States before both our allies and enemies and have the potential to herald the decline of America’s world status, then they are not worthy adversaries but instead a mere laughingstock and poor examples of true American statesmen.  I may have much to learn but if what they are doing is simply politics then the definition of politics is in dire need of an update.

Americans who are not politicians that have a sworn duty to lead our country and do what is in her best interest can afford to get angry and react based on their emotions.  But our elected officials control the levers of power and are duty-bound to keep Americans safe.

They have the ability to impact – negatively or positively – on the path that America takes.  They collectively decide whether it will be a path to a more perfect union and one that will command the respect of America’s allies and enemies or if it will lead to our decline both at home and abroad: they cannot afford to operate based on emotions.

What these Senators did by sending this letter to Iranian leaders neither inspires Americans to aspire to achieve a more perfect union nor does it garner the respect of our allies and enemies.  Instead, it spawns doubt in the minds of our allies and emboldens our enemies.  It is doubtful that they will pay any monetary price or be imprisoned but they should definitely pay a high political price.  I hope that voters will assure that they do.

What American citizens want and what America needs are great partisan ideas and debates, reasonable bipartisan dialogue and outstanding leadership.  Of course we will still complain and disagree with some of the decisions that our elected officials make no matter our political affiliation but that is a part of who we are as Americans.  But we should always come together as a family when it comes to keeping America strong and respected in the eyes of our allies and enemies and keeping her citizens safe.  Our congressmen must know this; how can they not know it?

America should not be subjected to what Speaker John Boehner did when he invited Prime Minister Netanyahu to speak at a joint session of Congress without informing Democrats or the White House.  Neither should America be subjected to what Senate Majority Leader McConnell condoned and is an intricate of in sending an open letter to a foreign government in what appears to be an effort to undermine the United States President.

Mitch McConnell is the Senate Majority Leader and what he should do is lead.  Tom Cotton is a freshman Senator who has only been in the Senate for a few months: Majority leader McConnell is a seasoned and savvy politician who has been a Senator for decades.  Had he not wanted Senator Cotton out front and leading on this letter, he likely would not have been out there.

If the Senators who signed on to this letter do ultimately pay a political price, Majority Leader McConnell should pay double.  After all, he is the Majority Leader and he was also a signatory on the letter.

Eulus Dennis