Via Nation of Change: A Grim Scenario: If America Ends Up With a Republican President and a GOP-Controlled Congress
It’s entirely possible that in the upcoming presidential
election the Republican candidate could win and become the next U.S.
president and, at the same time, the GOP would retain control of the
Congress. If that happens then this country and society would undergo a
drastic change, one that is almost unimaginable.
That grim prediction and the points presented in the
following discussion are not based on supposition or unsupported
speculation but, rather, on explicit, documented statements and actions
of the Republican Party and its members. They have clearly stated their
positions on the major issues and problems facing this country and what
they intend to do if they are given the opportunity, i.e., when they
have assumed total control of this government.
In this new America, there is no question but that
Corporate America will reign supreme, and its current power and control
over this government and the direction of this country will be greatly
magnified. Profits above all else will be the guiding principle shaping
its agenda.
The Affordable Care Act, aka, Obamacare, would be
singled out for immediate repeal; appropriate legislation would swiftly
pass the House and the Senate and be signed by the president. The GOP
representation in the Congress has, in the last few years, attempted to
repeal the ACA legislation over 50 times, and each time President Obama
has vetoed it. The vetoes were never overridden because of substantial
Democratic opposition.
But this time, there would be no presidential veto, that
program would be phased out, and it’s anyone’s guess what would follow.
Since the Republicans have never presented any plan to replace it with a
more effective health care system we can only surmise that they would
just dismantle the program and turn it over to the insurance companies.
The bad news is that millions of Americans would lose
their ACA membership and benefits that guarantee coverage for
pre-existing conditions and would have to try to qualify for other
coverage. Even if successful, they would see their premiums skyrocket as
the insurance companies would, once again, be in full control.
Medicare: what would happen to this critically
important program? It’s quite likely that the Medicare system would
remain intact for those already enrolled but other Americans seeking new
coverage would have to obtain it from the corporations of the insurance
industry. As we know, turning over government programs to the private,
profit-making sector is one of the key objectives of the GOP.
Inequality in America: the current huge gap between
the wealthiest Americans and the rest of the people in this country
would widen as all gains in national income would continue to flow to
the top. America would become a full-blown oligarchy inhabited by haves
and have nots.
Job creation: would continue to languish on the
back burner. The Republicans have no intention of doing anything to
create jobs for American workers; and neither do the U.S. corporations
since they have access to an infinite number of low-wage workers in
overseas countries. The fact the middle class and the American workforce
are both shrinking because of this job outsourcing is of no concern to
either the Republican Party or Corporate America.
Medicaid, which has, in the past, been rejected by
many Republican-controlled states, would more than likely disappear as a
functioning program, and the individual states that currently have this
program would have to take care of their citizens’ medical needs some
other way, which involves a lot more very costly emergency room visits.
Social Security: this highly successful, very
important government program has, for many decades, provided retirement
income for countless millions of Americans; it has been very effective
even though the government has “borrowed” (some would say “absconded
with”) about $2.5 trillion from the SS trust fund and has no intention
of ever repaying it.
Republicans would probably adopt the former G.W. Bush
proposal which called for a combination of a government-funded program
for current retirees, together with personal retirement accounts
invested in Wall Street for future entrants. The attempt to privatize a
large portion of this program by turning much of it over to the
unpredictable gyrations of Wall Street failed in 2004. But that won’t
stop a Republican-controlled government from resurrecting that misguided
idea once again; and then, look out America!
Planned Parenthood: it would be swiftly defunded and go out of existence.
The Military: the neocon war hawks would return en
masse, with a vengeance, and not hesitate to use the most powerful
military in world history to solidify the Pentagon’s agenda of perpetual
war. It wouldn’t be long before Congress would kill the recently
concluded nuclear agreement with Iran.
The potential for war with Iran would escalate, largely
because Republicans would strongly embrace the doctrine of Israel’s
Prime Minister Netanyahu which is based on his distrust and hatred of
Iran.
The chances of Israel attacking Iran with the full support of the
GOP-controlled government would be greatly increased. John McCain might
see his wish to “Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran” finally fulfilled. Ted Cruz
would continue to pursue his proposed idea of carpet bombing ISIS; too
bad if thousands of civilians would be incinerated in the process.
There would be no letup in the funding of the military
empire while the plethora of America’s domestic needs would continue to
remain unaddressed.
Climate Change: Republicans who think this threat
to the planet and mankind is a pure hoax would not pursue any specific
actions to deal with it and the dangers it represents.
Federal Air and Water Regulations: legislation
would be initiated that would either significantly water down or even
eliminate clean air and water regulations. The EPA, the Environmental
Agency, could face elimination because, in many cases, it stands in the
way of corporate America and its primary objective of increasing
profits.
Confrontations with Russia and China: These two
countries represent a very potent combination of military and economic
power and they will not be intimidated by the U.S. Even so, the war
hawks in Washington, while fully knowing this, will not back off their
aggressive militaristic agenda aimed at both of these countries, a
colossal misjudgment and mistake.
The Supreme Court: a Republican-controlled
government would pack this court with more radicals when sitting
justices were replaced. The reversal of the Citizens United decision
would never be addressed, and the many interests of Corporate America
would be advanced in many ways.
Roe V. Wade and a woman’s right to choose would
become a thing of the past. But it would not end the practice of
abortions which would then go completely underground.
American Muslims: their everyday actions would come
under constant surveillance. They would become second class citizens at
best and objects of hatred and derisiveness.
Immigration: especially if Trump became president,
the deportation of millions of Hispanics who are not citizens would be
rapidly escalated. There would be no more calls for various forms of
amnesty and ways to eventually allow these illegal immigrants to become
U.S. citizens.
GOP War on Women: it would continue and magnify as
the voices of those who want to control the women of America and their
bodies will intensify. Here are a few quotes from those
ultra-conservative individuals who possess that control syndrome:
Mike Huckabee: “Women don’t need to depend on government for birth control. All they have to do is learn to control their burning desires.” He further said, “Wives Also should ‘graciously submit’ to their husbands.”
GOP Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock said that a
pregnancy resulting from rape is God’s intention. Rush Limbaugh insulted
women when he stated: “Feminism was established so as to allow
unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society.”
Now we know the true meaning of the word “control freak.”
We have seen that Republicans are perfectly willing to
water down or eliminate successful government programs that people
really need but they neither have the inclination nor the capacity to
replace them with something more effective. They don’t seem to
understand that one of the primary responsibilities of this government
is to provide for the “safety and security” of the American people; and
that includes appropriate government programs.
In the past, the Democratic Party has had difficulty
getting out the vote and they have lost the control of Congress as a
result. What it must do now is to organize a great effort to motivate
and energize a massive number of their supporters to vote in November.
If they do just that then the Democratic candidate will win handily.
But if far too many supporters of the Democratic agenda
stay home and don’t vote and the majority of actual voters decide to
cast their ballots for a candidate whose positions on critical issues
match those outlined above, then the grim, nightmarish scenario
presented above will become reality.
Talk about the American people arriving at a critical
crossroads. So when we decide whether to vote or not, and for whom we
will cast that ballot, we better think very deeply about the America in
which we want to live going into the future.
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