In several hours, the season will be over.
We could not have fathomed the degree of hypocrisy this campaign season produced. Nearly everything has been said by the Romney/Ryan team to win the election.
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Dr. Samad, right, in KJLH radio debate with Republican Kevin (Boss) Ross
You have to be careful about someone who will say anything to what he or she wants. Both Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have reversed positions on several oft-stated, well-documented positions that would do serious damage to the American economy and national morale.
We would have a pure, unadulterated capitalist running the country and a draconian young ideologue one heartbeat away from running the country. You can't trust what either says, but you can predict what they will do. They have shown us their character.
The Meaning of Character
Character is not what you say you are. It's what others say you are. Character is not what you say you do. Character is what you do, whether you say it or not.
There are no more lambasted members of the Republican Party than Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. Neither is really respected in the party. They represent totally different factions. Neither is in sync with the majority of Americans.
The GOP is just playing the game at this point. They know who Romney and Ryan are. They benefit from their message, so they tolerate them.
We know who they are, too. The question is, will America admit to knowing who they are tonight. Do they even care.
Do they really want get rid of President Obama so bad that they will ruin the recovery for ideas that they proven ruinous to the country. Is America's character in sync with that of Romney/Ryan? Or does America believe its on the right track with President Obama? Tonight will be a true character test for the whole nation.
President Obama is a good man who has done a decent job, given the challenges he faced coming into office. Four years ago, nobody expected that the nation had to be turned around in four years.
Nobody knew how bad it really was. Nor did they know how long it would take to fix.
The American people just knew it had to be fixed . They chose a man they thought had the character to make the most earnest effort to fix it.
Look at His Record
Barack Obama has kept nearly every promise he made the American people. The promises that weren't kept were because Congress refused to even consider them. More importantly, President Obama's administration has represented progress in a way that really can't be denied.
The recovery is what it is because the circumstances were like they were. You can't rush what takes time. It's like trying to make someone give birth in four months instead of nine. The gestation period is what it is.
The nation's economic recovery was predicated on the nation implementing pragmatic principles. Yes, the nation had to tighten its belt. Obama did that, slowing the rate of government spending beyond what any recent American President has done.
Recovery was predicated on the nation creating new sources of revenues to pay for “the sins of the past.” The anti-taxation movement has brought this country to near ruin. The generation of Americans must pay their way as every other generation has.
In a nation that allows earning beyond measure, taxation for unlimited wealth accumulation is the price of greed.
A Taxing Solution
If you don't want to pay unreasonable tax bills, don't make unreasonable sums of money. The problem here is that the one percent don't even want to pay reasonable tax rates. They want to pay no taxes, but expect everybody else to pay their way through society.
In an egalitarian society, a society of equals, we all pay our way. That's all the President ever asked, and they wouldn't give it to him. Instead, they gave him years of obstruction.
This Congress is the lowest ranked in ratings history. Their approval rating dropped as low as 7 percent and never rose above 20 in the last two years. No one can accomplish much when those who are supposed to be your partners in governing pull against you.
It didn't take much see what was going on. After , all the games that have been played, newspapers around the country, even those that weren't fans of the administration, showed journalistic integrity in endorsing Obama's re-election. They provided sound rationalization for their choice.
Some of these papers have cloudy character on fair journalism. But they passed the character test on advocating what is best for the country. Isn't that what we all are supposed to be doing? Or is it what's best for an oligarchic segment of the country?
The choice is clear, but we have elected anti-intellectual oligarchs before. It cannot be taken for granted we won't do it again. The difference is that the office was open in 2000. Bill Clinton couldn't run for re-election (and would have won if he could have). This time, the nation has a good man, a smart man, a pragmatic man, running for re-election. Will it do the right thing?
I wholeheartedly endorse President Obama's re-election, and I encourage you to tell everybody you know to do the same.
I also wholeheartedly endorse the following;
Atty. Jackie Lacey, Los Angeles County District Attorney.
Congresswoman Laura Richardson, Congress District 44.
Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Assembly District 59.
Chris Holden, Assembly District 41.
Yes on Prop. 30
No on Prop. 32
Yes on Prop. 33
No on Prop. 34
No on Prop. 36
No on Prop. 37
Yes on Prop. 39 (last-minute change).
No on Measure J.
It is time to see what America's national character is really about. We will test our own community character in the process.
It's not always about what the “other man” does. We have to be true to ourselves also to make a difference in our local communities. That way we show our character if we're being true to what's in the best interest of all.
That's where character really counts.
Dr. Samad, community leader, teacher, writer, may be contacted at aasamad@aol.com
