A REFERENDUM ON THE REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS

          The Republicans talk about this election as a referendum on the failed policies of the Obama administration. I don’t know why the Democrats let them get away with that. If this election is a referendum, it should be on the Republicans in Congress who have blocked every proposal from the White House, like the American Jobs Act, which would have produced two million jobs in the first year.
          And they’re trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, as more and more of its provisions are beginning to take effect. The Democrats need to do a much better job of helping the American people to understand who’s to blame for our economic ills.
          The polls indicate that the forthcoming election will be close. That’s exasperating to me, given President Obama’s thoughtful, intelligent, logical,  factual, yes and presidential style, compared to Mitt Romney’s non-specific, non-factual, frothy platitudes. Because of his experience at Bain Capital Romney claims to be more qualified to be President of the United States than the man who has been President for going on four years!
          The thought of Mitt Romney’s  being President is frightening. How can so many people not see him for what he is? How can they trust a consummate liar who refuses to reveal his income tax returns? What is he hiding?
          The “birthers,” the conspiracy fanatics, and other  right-wing hate mongers, despise President Obama. Why? He hasn’t done anything to deserve the kind of hatred and disrespect that so many people have for him. In my view it is racist through and through, although the perpetrators deny that.
          But their rhetoric betrays them. They absolutely refuse to give the President any credit for all the good things he has accomplished. They impugn his motives, malign his integrity, question his faith, deny his patriotism. Never in my lifetime have I seen a President of the United States treated with such disrespect and contempt.
For all these reasons I hope Mr. Obama wins the forthcoming elections by a substantial majority and that the margin of victory will send a loud and clear message that America does not tolerate the kind of bigotry we are seeing from the far right.