Coussoule: ‘We get  the government we deserve’

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2:06 PM Tuesday, November 30, 2010

In light of Nov. 2 election results, instead of reaching out to Republicans like a browbeaten puppy, the president needs to find a backbone (quickly) and follow a page from the Republican playbook: Affirmatively place responsibility for fixing our economic mess solely on Republicans; obstruct Republican efforts to do so at every opportunity; and constantly attack Republicans and their ideas, regardless of merit.

Sound childish and destructive? It’s exactly what the Republicans did relentlessly to Democrats for the past two years in order to get back into power; make (Barack) Obama fail; win at all costs; scorch and burn, to hell with the American people. And it worked.

The Republicans played on voter anger and systematically lied to the people over and over: Obama created the deficit (two unfunded Bush wars and two unfunded Bush tax giveaways did that); Obama grew government (he’s shrunk it); Obama nationalized health care (not even close); Obama raised taxes (he hasn’t), Obama wrecked our economy (GDP has grown, the stock market has recovered, the recession ended).

As a result of these endlessly repeated Republican lies, voters overwhelmingly elected retreads, like John Kasich, and power-obsessed hyper-partisans with no new ideas, like John Boehner. (They are) The very same Republican politicians who dismantled our economy and decimated the middle class. They are bought and paid for by corporations and the super-rich, and they gladly do their bidding: Off-shore jobs, deregulate Wall Street, make insurance companies richer, defund education, and their anti-middle class agenda goes on and on.

We get the government we deserve. This January, Ohioans and the rest of America are going to get exactly what we deserve. I’m just not sure how much more of it we can take.

Justin Coussoule

Liberty Twp.

Editor’s note: The letter writer was the Democratic candidate in Ohio’s 8th Congressional District race on Nov. 2. House Speaker-elect John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., won the contest.

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