Lonzie Cox – 2/11/09

This page was last updated on February 16, 2009.

Obama went too easy on the GOP; Lonzie Cox, Jr.; Beaver County Times; February 11, 2009. I am not related to Mr. Cox.

Most of Mr. Cox’s 35+ letters since 2004 are tinged with race, though this one is an exception (mostly).

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Barack Obama won. Great.

“But by rushing into compromise meetings with John McCain, George Will, Lindsay Graham and other right-wing Republican cranks, the young president took two-party cooperation too far and too soon.

[RWC] If Mr. Cox really believes “John McCain, George Will, [and] Lindsay Graham” are “right-wing Republican cranks,” this tells us how far left and/or how partisan Mr. Cox really is. That said, we already knew that from Mr. Cox’s letter-writing body of work.

“We, the people who defeated McCain and Palin, never had the chance to bask in the sunlight of victory. So now with Obama having not kicked Republicans hard enough when they were down, he finds them recovered and emboldened, with McCain leading the charge.”

[RWC] Mr. Cox “never had the chance to bask in the sunlight of victory?” What did Mr. Cox want to do?

What did Mr. Cox want Mr. Obama to do? Round up Republicans and throw them in jail? Oops, I may just have given Mr. Cox an idea. <g>

“Republicans conspired to destroy the president’s effort to pass an economic stimulus bill. Following the lead of Rush Limbaugh, 100 percent of House Republicans voted against it. The president should now ignore them. That’s why we, the voters, gave him the big majority.”

[RWC] “Conspired?” Republicans were pretty upfront about their opposition to Mr. Obama’s $1 trillion (with interest) spending bill. I wonder if Mr. Cox considered it to be a conspiracy when Democrats didn’t vote for bills favored by President Bush. In any case, how could “Republicans conspire to destroy the president’s effort to pass an economic stimulus bill?” The last I checked, Democrats hold the majority in both houses of Congress and don’t need one Republican vote. Why are lefties like Mr. Cox upset Republicans aren’t buying in? If the stuff in the spending bill will guarantee slam-dunk success, shouldn’t Democrats be glad they wouldn’t have to share credit for success? Instead, folks like Mr. Cox fret most Republicans aren’t joining him on the Titanic.

Does Mr. Cox really believe Republican representatives “follow the lead of Rush Limbaugh?” What about the eight Democrats (seven “nay,” one “present”), Mr. Cox? Mr. Cox may be too far to the left (or too partisan) to notice, but Mr. Limbaugh tends to be a lot more conservative than most elected Republicans. The fact is, as we learned more and more about what is in the spending bill, more and more people opposed it.

“The president should now ignore them?” Mr. Cox, “100 percent of House Republicans voted against” Mr. Obama’s spending bill because Mr. Obama and House Democrat leaders already ignored House Republicans (and eight Democrats).

“Many consider the Obama electoral landslide as the start of the de-Reaganization of America. De-Reaganization will expose Ronald Reagan, the right-wing hero/icon, as being an even worse president than George W. Bush.”

[RWC] Winning 52.9% of the vote is an “electoral landslide?” Based on his “big majority” comment in the previous paragraph, it appears Mr. Cox is trying to convince himself of something. FYI, that evil Ronald Reagan was reelected with 58.8% (49 states vs. Mr. Obama’s 28) of the vote. Does anyone want to bet Mr. Cox didn’t consider that to be an “electoral landslide” or a “big majority?”

Who are “many?”

Mr. Cox can’t seem to decide who was worse, Mr. Bush or Mr. Reagan. Over the last several years, Mr. Cox has declared both men to be the worst President. It looks like Mr. Cox has both Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS) and its Reagan variant.

“Worse because the economic mess we’re in now came directly from Reagan’s conservative embrace of supply side/trickle-down economics, mindless tax cuts, stupid military waste, union busting and increased domestic racial antagonism.”

[RWC] Ah, nothing like a list of drive-by talking points. You’ll note Mr. Cox makes no attempt to substantiate them.

It’s funny how Mr. Cox fails to note the Democrat policy of encouraging mortgages for people who could not afford them, isn’t it?

Regarding “mindless tax cuts,” I never cease to get a kick out of lefties complaining we don’t pay enough taxes. FYI, the peak tax rate of 33.6% (federal, local, & state) was in 2000. The rate in 2008 was 30.8%. Mr. Cox also seems to forget Democrats held a substantial majority in the House during the entire Reagan administration and could easily have killed the “mindless tax cuts.” In the Senate, though Republicans held a slim majority, they had nowhere near a filibuster proof majority. Again, Senate Democrats could easily have killed the “mindless tax cuts.” Why didn’t they?

Regarding “increased domestic racial antagonism,” it really isn’t a Lonzie Cox letter without some comment about race. Given that we just elected a half-black/half-white President, that “increased domestic racial antagonism” must really have been bad. <g>

“Future generations must be told the truth about the past in order for them to grasp the present and future. We owe them that, starting with the de-Reaganization of America.”

[RWC] How much do you want to bet Mr. Cox doesn’t want “future generations” to be told the truth about FDR and his inability to end the Great Depression even after nine years? For example, does anyone believe Mr. Cox wants anyone to know the following quote from Henry Morgenthau, FDR’s Treasury Secretary during the Great Depression? Testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee in May 1939, Sec. Morgenthau said, “We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work. And I have just one interest, and if I am wrong … somebody else can have my job. I want to see this country prosperous. I want to see people get a job. I want to see people get enough to eat. We have never made good on our promises … I say after eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started … And an enormous debt to boot.” Further, unemployment never got below 9.9% before the U.S. entered World War II.

Finally, did you notice Mr. Cox is still simply bashing Republicans? Why couldn’t Mr. Cox tell us of all the wonderful things Mr. Obama and the Democrat-majority Congress have done and/or are doing?