Truman's Conscience Rebooted Mission Statement

As of this inaugural post, it has been sixty-seven years, three months, three weeks, six days and three hours since Harry S. Truman’s official term of office expired. As each decade passes since that moment it only serves to underline the flourishing legacy he left behind that is still with us today. With the exception of Abraham Lincoln, it is doubtful a better representative of the common man with an evolving progressive mind could be found. At first, our 33rd President came out of Missouri with a parochial outlook couched in the southern prejudices of the time. With a progressive mind and a conscience that always strived for fairness one can only marvel at the evolving ideals and a sense of justice he would harness as the arc of his ascension in public life spiraled upward growing beyond his humble origins.

His biographer, David McCullough, called him, “….a man of uncommon vitality and strength of character.” As the embodiment of one being faced with a world that had evolved beyond his capacity to view it with the sensibilities of a time long past he became much more than that. Our greatest President, Abraham Lincoln once profoundly observed, “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present….we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.” Only a progressive mind such as that of Harry Truman could understand the meaning of Lincoln’s profound sense of what is needed to face a world that seemed at the time to be so fraught with unmeetable challenges and peril. His strength of character and profound sense of self-awareness eventually enabled him to reach beyond himself and those around him in order to harness the ideas and energy that would allow him to, “….think anew, and act anew,” as Lincoln prescribed.

Now we find ourselves being led by a conservative mindset that has produced an individual so lost in a world devoid of ideas, lost humanity and score settling grievances he has turned global American leadership upside down in a post cold war world conflicted with ambiguity and contradictions about our place and where we fit into it. As he lurches and reaches backward for tired old prescriptions of division and prejudices of the past that only serve to undermine the American ideal our burden is added to as he strives to serve and soothe the closed mind of raw emotions driven by those that are easily angered and quick to judge. Progressive ideas are marginalized and ridiculed by a conservative mindset that prefers the simple solutions of yesterday and quick fix answers serving a consumer driven public massaged by the commercial blandness of mass consumption and the low expectations of a status quo society.

Now more than ever we need new voices that call for us to, “…..think anew, and act anew.” We need new voices that ring with the clarion call for change to wash away the “dogmas of the quiet past that are inadequate to the stormy present.” This blog is a humble attempt, in a very small way, to join that chorus and harmonize with those that feel that sense of urgency before it is too late to save the progressive ideals we fought so hard for and achieved. We need new voices that are driven by the conscience of Harry Truman and the sense of justice and fairness it embodied. As his legacy has driven me toward this small effort to continue that fight this blog will focus on two main objectives: first, to make all of our elected officials accountable to their constituencies, their country and to the American people they serve, and second, to promote the causes and principles of the liberal/progressive view.  From 1941 to 1944, then Senator Harry S. Truman, before he was chosen to be F.D.R.'s running mate, was legendary for his chairmanship of the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program. It even came to be called "The Truman Committee" for short as it became legendary for its tenacity and crusade against war profiteering. That legacy included going after those that violated the rules and spirit of defense and government contract spending. If Democratic party members were found to be included in those violations he made sure even they were equally held accountable and suffered the same consequences.

Alas, it is in that same spirit that my first objective will be to hold all elected officials accountable on both sides of the aisle no matter the party or ideological standing. It is especially critical that our Democratic party elected officials are held to an even higher standard making them even more accountable to ensure the principles and causes of liberal and progressive values are upheld.

So welcome to Truman’s conscience. My name is Michael and I’m the custodian of this small effort to harmonize with the voices of change and the call for justice in a political climate driven by fear and moral certainty. Come and join in on occasion and let us sing together.

Truman's conscience will be here.

The Conservative Manifesto

I love cowboys. Actually, to be more precise I love the Hollywood caricature of the plains cowboy of the old West. You know the one. The rugged, wind burned individual bred from hardy white western European stock sandwiched between a 10 gallon hat and trail worn cowboy boots. He was the traveling loner with a body adorned and wrapped in leather chaps and matching leather vests. He rode atop a loyal Mustang (or Palomino – YMMV regarding the choice of horse) with his meager belongings tucked inside a saddle bag along with a blanket roll, tobacco bag & rolling papers, the requisite Colt .45 strapped to his leg and the Winchester slung inside a saddle sling as he wandered across the great open plains between the Mississippi valley and the Rocky mountains. Riding tall and erect he was accountable to no one but himself. But even more important, he was not one to rely on anyone but himself to get through life and take it in at a pace of his own choosing and without interference from anyone. Though he blends in with an ever changing seasonal environment he’s convinced himself the environment is a product of his own freewill. In other words it was his world and everything and everyone else just lived in it. For those grounded in the pop culture of the 1960’s and ‘70’s he was the Marlboro Man on steroids and he was armed.

The main problem in today’s body politic that defines our modern governments is this persistent Hollywood characterization of cowboys in the old west. And that problem is this: every Republican white male over the age of 45 actually see themselves as this Hollywood caricature. All one needs to do is listen to every speech ever given on the house and senate floor by the white right wing conservative male and you hear an oration peppered with veiled references to every characteristic I’ve described above. And to go even further, not only do they perceive themselves as this old west loner who just needs the community (i.e. today’s urban center or city, state or nation) to stay out of his way along with its pesky rules and regulations that go with it, he just doesn’t understand why everyone else doesn’t feel the same way. Welcome to the conservative Republican mindset.

To further complicate matters the Hollywood caricature described above has never existed in the pure form it envisioned. In real life cowboys, as defined by the actual historical name, does take on some of those Hollywood characteristics described above, but in the real three dimensional world of reality they were also a product of their environment. As people migrated west armed with nothing more than a few belongings, a plow and a Bible they competed to convert the open plains into proto urban centers of the future. Upon their arrival they also had with them their complicated notions of interpersonal relationships. Those interpersonal relationships were the basis of a loose social network couched in a sense of community. The real old west cowboy had to navigate that sense with a modicum of cooperation and the constraints it placed on his existence. Soon there followed a period of rapid expansion where these communities became more numerous, wide-spread and complex. As this expansion moved west the maverick characteristics that defined the old west cowboy became diluted. In a word the future was about community and the responsibilities that came with it if you decided to take advantage of some of the services a community or city offered.

This brings us to the modern conservative manifesto. The Hollywood cowboy caricature described above could almost act as a template overlay for the edict or declaration of principles that make up today’s white male conservative Republican. In reality these dogmatic annunciations of tenants and creeds in the real world is nothing more than a smoke screen that can take on a life of its own as it describes the raison d’etra of a conservative’s essence of being : one who is a devoted to family; one who believes in fiscal responsibility; small government; low, low, low taxes; one that believes in an unfettered, free, and unrestrained environment for private capital to flourish; a Christian devoted to faith and all the trappings of the religious community; and finally, one who devoutly believes in personal responsibility and accountability for one’s own actions. I think that about covers it. But let’s not kid ourselves. That rhetoric is for media and political consumption only.

Let’s strip away the rhetorical cloak and see what lies underneath where it sits hidden and only accessible by way of veiled dog whistle references. It’s the one principle that drives every fiber of their being in the rush to consturct a world where it’s the only thing that matters. It’s the main clause of their conservative manifesto: the community opt-out clause. This clause defines who they are. It’s the right to not invest in that community. It’s the right to take advantage of the services of that community without having to pay into it. It’s the right to let corporations and individuals of a certain tax bracket to come into your community and use its infrastructure without investing in it like tax exemption initiatives to attract private corporate benevolence. It’s the right to send money that corporations make out of the community never to me seen again in reinvestment. It’s the right to use the fire department, police department, city services and offices without investing in it. It’s the right to exist in that community and take advantage of what it offers while hardworking individuals of that community invest in it through property taxes, taxes on small businesses and volunteer services. That’s the one principle that makes them rage on in the Congressional forum for their so called conservative principles.

It’s the Hollywood cowboy who’s convinced himself the environment is a product of his freewill at the expense of everyone else while he navigates his way through it without even a by your leave. The essense of this principle is one they consider a natural right and brings a clarity only a conservative mind can appreciate.

Tea anyone?

John Boehner Concedes Ideological Dissonance

You've got to hand it to the minority house leader, John Boehner, who yesterday made an interesting concession on Meet The Press even though I don't think he meant to. In essence he conceded the U.S. electorate in 2008 wanted a liberal agenda so they chose the "most liberal Senator" in the United States Senate:

"The president is -- well, he was the most liberal member of the United States Senate. You don't get there by accident. And if you look at the policies that we've seen over the course of this year from the administration and his Democratic colleagues in Congress, they're all these leftist proposals."

These "leftist" proposals he's refering to is exactly what Mr. Obama ran on: health care reform, job initiative legislation, reinvestment in our infrasctructure, and etc. These programs requires government spending. Then he goes on with yet another point undercutting his own position:

"Leadership is about standing on your principle and, and opposing those policies that, that we believe are bad for the country. But leadership is also standing up and offering what we think is a better solution."

Exactly. That's what Barack Obama did: he ran on principle and opposed policies he thought were bad for the country in 2008 and the country chose his ideas. As for President Obama being the most liberal Senator in the U.S. Senate I think Al Franken, Russ Feingold, and the late Ted Kennedy (who was alive when the President was running) would out flank the President on that matter.

The point here is that Boehner in a typical talking head Sunday whine wanted to claim that the opposition is trying to implement a "liberal agenda." Well if he believes his own rhetoric then the voting public wanted just that over what he and his colleagues were offering. That debate is over Mr. Minority leader. Continuing to say "no" to every initiative from the opposing party only makes you look even further out of touch with the country.

The GOP: the "Party of Life" - With A Price

One of the infuriating things about being a liberal is how we are continuously told we are bleeding hearts in the pejorative as though it is something awful or terrible to be. Imagine being called compassionate and then being pilloried for it. Especially from individuals who feel the Judeo-Christian ethic is sacred. Yes, I know its always used to condemn at the expense of victims in a law enforcement argument but still we are being condemned for soft heartedness and the fact we care for the less advantaged. As an unapologetic liberal let me go ahead and plead guilty as charged. I am a bleeding heart. I feel compassion for my fellow man no matter the circumstances.

This is what makes the health care reform debate even more infuriating. Forget the argument that along with South Africa we were the only two nations left in the world without a national/universal health care system. Now that South Africa finally threw the towel in on that one we’re all that’s left standing. Forget that entire line of argument for it means nothing to the conservative mind. According to the “Party of Life” or the “Party of Family Values” the only good ideas in the world come only from the conservative American mind. So the idea that the rest of the world is on to something isn’t open for discussion. The thing that continues to leave me open mouthed in amazement though is why the GOP or rabid conservative proponent isn’t called for what they are if you take the logic of their argument to its logical conclusion: they are the “Party of Life / Family Values”…with a price. For some reason liberals or progressive will not call them on this with the exception of a lone elected official or two who is immediately labeled as a loon or extreme. Rep. Alan Grayson comes to mind.

If their argument is health care is a privilege and not a right then what they are saying is your life has a monetary price or value affixed. The longevity of your life is based on weather or not you get sick or ill and have the means to pay for care. Otherwise, you are expendable to the community at large. The comical thing about this is the Darwinian view of natural selection based on good health and the means to pay for health care they have in a party that doesn’t believe in evolution. If one would like to connect this to their “pro-life” frame in context of the argument of being anti abortion then it becomes even more insane. Have the baby. Then the Darwinian view of natural selection will kick in. You can live as long as you can afford it medically. In other words your life is a commodity like something you find on a shelf in a mall. That’s some “Party of Life” value they have there.

I’m still trying to reconcile 43 million Americans being without health care and untold millions that have health care coverage that is inadequate and based on a pre-existing condition trapping them in a job that may not pay as well as a job they could be getting putting more money into an economy based on consumer spending. The logic here is insane. Not only that with this many uninsured Americans and people trapped in a catch 22 situation with regards to the flawed coverage they do have how is it the body electorate isn’t feeling the pressure to do something about universal health care. Will it take a larger crisis and a more bankrupt system to move it toward fruition? My only conclusion is yes. But my final question is how many people will have to die unnecessarily before that happens? Apparently, a lot.

Liberals and progressives will continue to try to find candidates to run for office that believe otherwise. Then maybe, just maybe, they will have the wherewithal to finger and label the GOP for what they are: the party that puts a price on human life. Meanwhile us “bleeding heart” liberals will continue to look at human life for what it is value wise: priceless.