Obama's Failed Budget Proposal

Back in February, Obama released his proposed budget.  The Washington Post, as well as other media dutifully reported on this proposed budget. Ezra Klein prophetically wrote "Like the 2012 budget, it has no chance of being adopted by Congress. The big ideas in it are DOA in the House." Fox News reported on March 28, 2012 that "House easily rejects Obama budget in tactical vote" by a vote of 414-0.

What is of concern is that the media has apparently not delved into this "defeat" and has simply gone on to the new sound byte of lambasting Paul Ryan's proposed budget, which will be DOA when presented to the Senate. But this post is not about Ryan's proposed budget, it is about the fact that not one member of the House or Representatives bothered to vote for Obama's budget; even as a meaningless gratuitous gesture. Come-on now - not one vote?

My CasualObservation is that the "failed" budget proposal was never meant to be implemented, it was simply tossed-out to barely meet the constitutional requirement for a budget proposal. As such this implies that Obama does not take leadership seriously. Other highly visible examples of politics over the national interest include Solyndra, temporarily stopping the Keystone Pipeline and then claiming to "fast tract" another segment in Oklahoma as a grand empty gesture, and finally the whole divisive debate over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (Better known as Obamacare.) Words are cheap, rhetoric can be lofty, but leadership demands performance. We, as a Nation, are being sold snake oil. There is no leadership. It is all about promoting corrupt partisan politics. "Bread and Circuses".

Eve of Destruction

Time to resurrect the 1967 protest song "Eve of Destruction"  by Barry McGuire. "The eastern world it is explodin', violence flarin', bullets loadin', you're old enough to kill but not for votin', you don't believe in war, what's that gun you're totin', and even the Jordan river has bodies floatin', but you tell me over and over and over again my friend, ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction." Once again the news coming out of the Middle East is not good.

McCain wants to initiate airstrikes in Syria. Obama initiated airstrikes in Libya, sent troops to Uganda, does not want to support Israel, and Afghanistan is not going that well. Romney wants the US be the strongest military nation in the world and initiate aggressive action against China. To fight this or that "war",  I foresee a continued diminution of our civil liberties which brings to mind the 1967 protest song For What It's Worth by the Buffalo Springfield. Lyrics here. "You step out of line, the man come and take you away."  Time to crank-up singing the old protest songs!

Update (3/6/2012): Since I posted, the Washington Post ran "AIPAC beats the drums of war" by Dan Milbank.  Others commenting on that article suggested two additional songs. "Monster" by Steppenwolf and "Masters of War" by Bob Dylan.  Smokey provided me with the inspiration to post the two videos below.