By Jim Hoover

There is a surety in the American political scene, promoted by the deceit that is Republican, but conveyed, perhaps surreptitious, perhaps coded, but conveyed all the same, by a pliable, for-profit mainstream media. For example, a few months ago, CBS Face the Nation, allowed false statements about killing Medicare, coming from Eric Cantor.

Accordingly, distortions come from the forked tongues of Republican candidates for President, and from Republican party leaders. Anything that Obama and the Democrats do is wrong, even evil.

The six-month’s resistance by Libya rebels that appears to be culminating in Kadafi’s defeat, greatly aided by Obama-led NATO air attacks and American intelligence, was a failure according to hypocrites, Republican Senators McCain and Graham.  “Americans can be proud of the role our country has played in helping to defeat Kadafi, but we regret that this success was so long in coming due to the failure of the US to employ the full weight of our airpower,” they said. Their weasel-words went on to express pessimism about the political order after Kadafi.

In fact, for the Republican political effort, the whole history of the Obama administration – a lot like the Clinton administration before it – is based on deceit, hypocrisy, disruption of government achievement, lies, and Orwellian language.

Of course, the Obama administration has anticipated the smear and obstruction ploys of the Republicans, using the tactics against Clinton before them: taking Republican ideas and pushing them through an unfriendly Congress. With Obama, it is not working so well, considering that Republicans have had success with stifling anything Obama tries without voter repercussions – witness the Republican success in 2010.

Then too, the Obama administration has severe unemployment to deal with and a president perceived as wimpish, something the Clinton administration didn’t have, which put a large hole through the unenlightened strategy of Obama political planners.

At any rate, we could list Republican-advocated programs that Obama has proposed that are now declared evil by Republicans: cap and trade to reduce greenhouse emissions, health care reform with an individual mandate, McCain’s immigration plan, the Dream Act, Predator drones on the border, and increased deportations. These are just some of the more important programs that Republicans now malign because they are coming from Obama.

It seems that the 2010 election of so many Republicans in Congress and various states have emboldened Republicans everywhere, thinking that a more open war against the middle class will work – anti-union legislation in Republican-controlled states, Paul Ryan’s bill to virtually kill Medicare, Republican rejection of unemployment benefits extensions, Republican refusal to allow any tax increases on the rich, the Republican war against EPA regulations, killing Wall Street regulation, and the list goes on.

Because of the economic downturn and unemployment, for which Republican policy was mainly responsible, voters – in fear, anger, and frustration – still vote for their enemies, Republicans.

Don’t get me wrong. Political wars have occurred in the past, and the people had tools to help them to win – a balanced government, an independent media, impartial courts, and feisty middle-class activists.

With institutional and cultural changes that favor the rich and their money, can the people win today?