Nobody that I can think of would want Mitt Romney as president, but there’s a possibly seductive argument for electing him. It’s the hope that the Republicans and their allies might let up on their sabotage of the economy for a while. That’s the hidden message in the Republican campaign. What they’ve done is to take the American economy hostage, demanding control of the country as their ransom payment.
In a situation like this, American voters face the dilemma that governments must deal with in any hostage taking incident. If you give in to the hostage takers’ demands you encourage them to do it again, but if you don’t, the consequences could be tragic.
Sometimes negotiation is an option in hostage taking situations, but the Republicans have made it clear they will not negotiate.
The right thing to do is clear: Tell the hostage takers to go to hell.
But that could mean more sabotage – and more misery for millions.
Republicans have made it clear that they don’t care what happens to the country, to the sick, the old and the poor, or to the Americans who can’t find jobs. They have been relentless in pursuing a policy of economic sabotage designed to do one thing: bring down President Obama.
Jeff Spross of Think Progress details these destructive policies in an article distributed by Reader Supported News today. He lists these attacks on the president’s economic program: filibustering the American Jobs Act, stonewalling monetary stimulus, threatening a debt default, and cutting discretionary spending in the debt ceiling deal and the budget deal.
As for me, I refuse to give in to the hostage takers’ demands. I am voting for the president.
And I’m voting for a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate. I’m also going to vote against the Republicans in state and local elections.
As I see it, that’s the only way to foil the hostage takers.
By giving the Democrats control of Congress and the state legislatures, we will pull the Republicans’ teeth. They will no longer have the power to undermine the country’s economic recovery.
It looks like a long shot, I know.
But it’s the only shot we the people have.
If we give in to the hostage takers’ demands, we might get a brief respite in the economic blight they have inflicted. The politicians might end their ruthless blockade and their corporate allies might start hiring and investing again. But we would be ceding control of the American economy to global corporations and other selfish profiteers that would subvert the interests of the country and its citizens.
We would also be subjecting ourselves to relentless bullying by the religious zealots, racists and domineering ideologues recruited by the Republicans in their diabolical scheme to divide and rule.
This is no time to cave in to hostage takers’ demands. There is only one valid option: stand fast.
