My response to a right-wing email that blamed Democrats for the country's ills.

(My response - tried to be polite because I hit reply all and don't know these people. Might be able to educate.)

This economic crisis has been years in coming and everyone knows that. Sorry, but this email is full of specious reasoning. Correlation does not imply causation. In contrast, this economic downturn was not only predictable; it was predicted. Going back to the 80’s and 90’s. Many writers and politicians said after Phil Gramm - McCain’s economic adviser - pushed through the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and repealed the Glass Steagall Act, that a housing crisis is inevitable. Now, making a prediction, that because of certain actions, x will happen; then x does happen– well, that is science.


There are some Democrats that helped this along, some because of greed, some because they’re cowards, but for decades the entire Republican economic philosophy has been liaise-faire. The same philosophy that caused the depression in the 30’s. And even though congress controls the purse, they gave up all their power years ago along with their oversight responsibilities. So, Bush was able to accelerate the downturn by doubling the debt, borrowing trillions from other countries, increasing world tensions with an aggressive war. (Hell, I don’t have time for a book - his screw-ups are endless.)


Lets not forget, propagandists like Limbaugh and Elders were twisting statistics to show how great the economy was just three weeks ago. They were doing that because a bad economy can be rightly traced back to the Republicans and Bush.


So, what we have now are the people who caused this mess saying things like “don’t look back, that’s the past,” or they’re trying to blame others. Great.

(And here's the email I was responding to.)


TO20ALL MY FRIENDS....LIBERAL OR CONSERVATIVE........FYI only-food for thought.

George Bush has been in office for 7 1/2 years. The first six years the
Economy was fine.

A little over one year ago:
1) Consumer confidence stood at=2 0a 2 1/2 year high;
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon;
3) the unemployment rate was 4.5%.
4) the DOW JONES hit a record high--14,000 +
5) American's were buying new cars, taking cruises, vacations
Overseas, living large!...

But American's wanted 'CHANGE'! So, in 2006 they voted in a
Democratic Congress and yes--we got 'CHANGE' all right. In the PAST
YEAR:
1) Consumer confidence has plummeted;
2) Gasoline is now almost $4 a gallon & climbing daily;
3) Unemployment is up t o 5.5% (a 10% increase);
4) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $12 TRILLION
DOLLARS and prices still dropping;
5) 1.5% of American homes are in foreclosure.
6) THE DOW is probing another low ~~
$2.5 TRILLION DOLLARS HAS EVAPORATED FROM THEIR STOCKS, BONDS & MUTUAL
FUNDS INVESTMENT PORTFOLIOS!

YES, IN 2006 AMERICA VOTED FOR CHANGE...AND WE SURE GOT IT! ....

REMEMBER THE PRESIDENT HAS NO CONTROL OVER ANY OF THESE ISSUES,
ONLY CONGRESS.

AND WHAT HAS CONGRESS DONE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

NOW THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT CLAIMS HE IS GOING TO REALLY GIVE US
CHANGE ALONG WITH A DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS!!!!

JUST HOW MUCH MORE 'CHANGE' DO YOU THINK YOU CAN STAND?

All the moreso because you didn't allow another one of those shitty emails to be the last word.

I hate to find myself actually quoting that foul stench ann coulter, but she said one thing that stands out as important and significant when it comes to trying to understand some of these beasts she's in bed with on that side of sanity. When the "Jersey Girls" - the four 9/11 widows - were making news (one of the times, anyway), coultergeist went on the air to whine that it was so unfair of them to make the assertions they did and generate the coverage they got, because of who they were (sympathetic souls and some truly sad and credible victims of 9/11 - you look like shit when you question them). She mewled in phony outrage: "we can't respond! We can't respond!"

Responding is EXTREMELY important when it comes to winning the political games, especially the nastiest ones. You do indeed have to respond. You can't let something sit out there and fester and have a change to implant and grow roots. You just can't. You HAVE to respond. Not responding leads you to debacles like the swiftboating of John Kerry four years ago, and thankfully, Barack Obama seems to understand this.

Responding is good, and essential, especially when WE do it. And it's all the more important when we're in the situation we're in - where we don't have massive numbers of media mouths and ball/water carriers on the radio to push the messages and responses and memes for us. For the most part, we have to do the heavy lifting ourselves. Yes, we have the Air America and Nova M radio and Jones radio people and the Young Turks and Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow. But that's still a trifling compared to the media machinery the bad guys have built.

But yes, it is VITAL that these things, and these schmucks, and those mindless pathetics who enable them, NOT be allowed to stand, or have the last word. Like the other night, for example, it was a GREAT good fortune that Joe Biden got the last word - in the closing-statement portion of the VP debate. HIS was the last message you heard, and what you took away in the mind most easily. Automatic points scored.

And damned good edit!

if Democrats did nothing in Congress the last 2 years, than it stands to reason that the policies that stood (enacted prior to 2006)are what caused the problem...

Needed to prioritize. But, like I said, thanks!

Even without the notorious signing statements, it can take months or years for new laws to even begin to be implemented. They often require new regulations be drafted and then approved by a multiple levels of government. As an example, the GOP change to the look back period to establish eligibility for Medicaid care (from 3 years to 6 years) required each state to draw up regulations interpreting the new law.

The regs had to be drawn up by state agencies and then approved by state legislatures. This took 2 or more years in several states which I followed on this issue. I suspect the state agencies delayed putting these new regs together because they would mean an immediate loss of federal funds for state residents, putting more pressure on the states to provide for their poor and elderly residents.

Then the regulations have to be enforced - and we know how loosely the GOP dominated federal agencies charged with oversight and regulation enforcement are under Bush. Given the delay in implementation and absent strict enforcement of strict regulations, there has not been time for ANY measurable impact from the Dems' control of Congress for the past two years.

I would like all of these types of emails debunked and replied to all that received the email.