Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio ?

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio,
Our nation turns it's lonely eyes to you.
What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson.
Jolting Joe has left and gone away,
Hey hey hey.

Simon and Garfunkel provided the song "Mrs. Robinson" for the 1967 movie The Graduate. Both the movie and the song were immediate hits then and remain popular today. Supposedly Joe DiMaggio was somewhat displeased by his name being included in the lyrics ;but after it was explained that it was not an insult but a compliment, he was satisfied. I think of the song's lyrics today because as I view our current cast of presidential hopefuls, elected congress men and women, senators and various Obama staffers and appointees I too wonder where have all the Joe DiMaggio's gone?

When one considers that the office of President was once held by men like Franklin D. Roosevelt for four terms as he kept this county together during World War II, it is unbelievable to realize that Gov. Rick Perry is a serious candidate. Harry Truman followed Roosevelt and then came Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was the supreme allied commander of WWII, and now we have the likes of Newt the grump & Mitt the flip flopper. John Kennedy may have had his personal flaws but at least he surrounded himself with the best and the brightest this country had to offer. Barrack Obama having promised  and offered so much hope has surrounded himself with far too many that caused our current problems or have done little to solve the problems. What has Atty. General Eric Holder done since becoming Atty. General? Why do we have the likes of Timothy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury? One of the best and the brightest in the Obama camp was Elizabeth Warren and she was given walking papers at the behest of Geithner.

We have a year to go and our national government is in a state of grid lock. We are still wasting lives and money in the Bush/Cheney/ Rumsfeld mid-east wars. The GOP is protecting their elite job creators who have created jobs overseas at the expense of American workers. Main Street has been ignored because Wall Street and the Big Banks were too big to fail. Unemployment is still too high, foreclosures continue and our national debt is on auto pilot. With so many Republicans having pledged allegiance to Grover Norquist and having turned their backs on doing what is good for the country it is going to be a difficult 2012.  

  

It seems at this time that Joltin' Joe has truly left and gone away. Joe DiMaggio was described by many as a man of grace, pride, dignity and having class. A classy person would probably be discreet, honest and reliable. We would also expect a classy person to be sincere, respectful and trustworthy. No doubt President Obama is a person of class as he displays many of these qualities. Unfortunately for many Republicans it is difficult for them to accept a multi-racial, intelligent Democrat as President even if he displays these qualities. Their stated goal since Obama took office is to see that Obama is a one term president regardless of the collateral damage done to this country and its citizens.

If you happen to watch any of the remaining Republican debates think of Joe DiMaggio as you watch and listen to these Republican hopefuls. Like Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy who were all men of grace, pride, dignity and class try to fit the GOP candidates into this mold. Collectively they are a losing team and individually most lack the qualities one would hope to see in a president. It is remarkable that Michele Bachman sits on the Congressional Intelligence Committee. Yes, you read that correctly. She is a member of the Intelligence Committee. The long serving Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, doesn't know the voting age is eighteen.

If Obama wasn't seeking a second term I don't know who the Democrats would put forth. It seems that rather than raising the  qualifications bar for presidential candidates we have lowered it. We deserve better, we should expect better and we most definitely are in need of better candidates.

THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT

It has been a most interesting month watching and listening to the Republican hopefuls. One has to wonder whom these candidates actually represent and whom they attract. There was Michele Bachmann at Graceland exhorting the crowd to wish Elvis a Happy Birthday. Apparently her staff failed to tell her it was not his birthday but the anniversary of his death. What the hell ... just a small detail. Then there was Mitt Romney telling the crowd that "corporations are people too". Wow, were they ever impressed. To this dysfunctional duo we add Texas Governor Rick Perry who in quick order wants to lynch the Federal Reserve Chairman, questioned our military's level of respect for President Obama, doesn't believe in climate change, is proud of the fact that Texas teaches both evolution and creationism and has previously suggested that Texas secede from the union.  Now that is quite a campaign platform! Apparently Republican movers and shakers are concerned and alarmed at Perry's cowboy approach to campaigning.

While the Republicans talk and debate the Democrats are resting after rolling over and giving into Tea Party inspired demands to raise the debt ceiling with spending cuts but no increase or adjustment in revenue. The job creators (wealthiest Americans) must be protected.  Leading Democrats have been conspicuously silent with the exception of the President who continues speaking to Americans as if he were in a Harvard lecture hall.  In my opinion the most politically forceful thing he has done of late was putting Donald Trump in his place at a press club dinner. President Obama was on the attack then and "The Donald" was visibly annoyed. If Obama soon doesn't begin to act like Truman, lead like FDR and put more Republicans in their place he may not have a second term.

Hopefully when everyone returns to Washington the President and the Democrats will understand and accept the fact that the new radicalized Republicans are not interested in negotiating or compromising. Bipartisanship and balance is not part of their current philosophy. Their main goal is to destroy Obama  at all costs and if that means taking the country down to accomplish this goal then so be it. To the Republicans and their Tea Party radicals the end justifies the means. Understanding that the Republican Party of today is not the GOP of the past may clear the air for those Democrats who still think that the two sides can work together. Remember most Republicans, in spite of their oath of office, have signed Grover Norquist's pledge not to raise taxes. Their minds cannot be confused with facts as they have already made up their minds.

The other night I caught the tail end of the movie The American President  with Michael Douglas. You can see a clip of the speech he gave towards the end of the movie or read the script at this site: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechtheamericanpresident.html . Anyway, it is the kind of speech I wish President Obama would give. I have taken the liberty to edit and rewrite the movie speech to reflect how I would like our President to deliver it. 

MY REWRITE

Since I took office the Republicans have suggested that it would be best if I were a one term President. And although I've not been willing to engage in their attacks on me, I have been here three years, and I can tell you without hesitation that I intend to be President for a second term.
I've known Republicans for years. And I've been operating under the assumption that the reason the GOP devotes so much time and energy to shouting at the rain was that they simply didn't get it. Well, I was wrong. the GOP's problem isn't that they don't get it. The Republican's problem is that they can't sell it! The GOP has been radicalized by the simplistic ideology of the so called Tea Party and they now view debate, negotiation and compromise as counterproductive. It is their way or the highway.
We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you the Tea Party is not the least bit interested in solving it. They are interested in two things, and two things only: making you afraid of it, and telling you who's to blame for it ... and that would be me. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections. You gather a group of middle age, middle class, middle income voters who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about family, and American values and character, and you scream about taxes, spending, the Federal debt and jobs. You tell them the government is to blame for their lot in life. And you go on television and you point the finger of blame at federal and state workers, social security recipients and those on Medicare.
The Middle Class is not the problem. They have done nothing but put their children through school, work hard and pay their taxes, and expected more from their government and elected representatives than they now receive. For years they have endured the burden of an unfair tax system. Many have lost their jobs and many more have lost their homes. It is no longer the America of their parents and they do not want this America for their children.
Next month the White House is sending a bill to Congress for its consideration. It's a Jobs and Employment bill structured to reduce unemployment by 50%  over the next four years. It is by far the most aggressive stride ever taken in the fight to reverse the effects of our current economic situation. The other piece of legislation is a budget proposal that would restructure the tax code to eliminate credits and loop holes for companies who earn billions and currently pay no federal taxes at all. It would also create tax levels more in line with the times and more balanced in their application. The wealthy will begin to pay their fair share.
We've got serious problems, and we need serious people. And if you want to talk about solutions, then the Republicans  better come at me with more than Tea Party slogans and empty promises and false statements. If you want to talk about taxes, spending, the Federal debt and jobs, fine. Just tell me where and when, and I'll show up. This a time for serious people,  and the Tea Party's time is up. My name is Barack Obama and I am the President !