Nightmare for the right wing!

Seven of them, actually.

Alternet has an article entitled, "7 Nightmare Scenarios for Right-Wingers If Obama Wins a Second Term".  In it, the author, Steven Rosenfeld, sets up seven different scenarios which he says the right wing sees as a nightmare, should Obama be re-elected.

1. Drastically Reduce U.S. Nuclear Weapons
2. Reorient the Military Toward Global Solutions
3. Move U.S. To Single-Payer Healthcare
4. Resurrect New Deal Programs That Actually Create Jobs
5. Make It Easier To Join Unions
6. Grant Immigration Amnesty
7. Break the Fossil Fuel Addiction

Oh, the horrors!

Wait a minute...these are nightmares for Republicans?  Since when?

Reagan tried to do # 1, he was the first President to do that - and in a small way, succeeded.

Bush was forced by circumstances to begin the process of # 2, because our military was, as of 9/11, oriented towards repelling a Soviet-style invasion or conflict in Europe and was poorly equipped and prepared to fight the kind of war we found ourselves involved in once we took Iraq.   Iraq will be, trust me, the last large scale military action the US military will be asked to perform moving forward.  All of our future opponents will be small scale enemies without regular military components.

The US is the only First World industrial power without a socialized medical system.  We spend more per capita on health care, with a worse outcome than some of our allies in Europe.  Need I say more?

I'm on the fence about #4.  I'm not convinced the Federal government needs to directly provide jobs at this point, but the States and local governments DO.

Joining unions?  Why not?  I think the last couple of years, showing how a lack of union strength has allowed the corporate powers to flex their financial strength is perfectly illustrative of the good sense of this, from a national security standpoint!

We don't just need amnesty, we need the creation of at least two new guest worker programs - one for local entry for daily workers living on one side of the border and working on our side - and one for all the other folks, allowing them to work here for five to ten years.  Doing both of these would virtually eliminate the problem of illegal immigrants, because people could then come here legally and work - monitored by the government - and paying taxes.  They would also be documented as legal residents, but as non-citizens, who could not then vote.  Again, this is a national security issue, and it is always better to prevent the law from being broken than to have to react to criminal activity after the fact.   A law so massively ignored that 20 million people are living here ignoring it is not an indication of massive criminal activity or poor enforcement, it is an indication of poorly written law.

As for # 7 - that statement stands alone and on its own.  This is not only necessary, it is vital.

So, why is this country - and any middle class or working class American - supporting a Party which finds these things to be even uncomfortable, much less a nightmare?  These are things which should define this country, according to the values I grew up learning in Texas, of all places.

One doesn't need a nuclear military in order to be safe, which is what having a military is all about, and realigning that military to be prepared for future issues it may be called upon to deal with is also how you have a strong military!

Having a strong and flexible healthcare system that ensures that all Americans have an equal chance to stay healthy is what being a compassionate country is also about, whether you are a christian or not - but being christian should make it even more important!  Not less.

Same with the others.  These things illustrate American values - a strong immigration system to welcome the next generation of American immigrants has always been a part of this country and its reasons for being successful, as has a strong union presence.

As for breaking the fossil fuel addiction - hasn't the US always been about new technology?  What's wrong with new clean technology?

 The only people with nightmares about that would be energy companies who have money to lose by moving away from those fuels, and if you can show me ONE such company which hasn't begun to invest in clean tech, I'll show you one which deserves to go bankrupt!

If these are Republican nightmares, then the Republican Party deserves to go bankrupt, too.