Palin and Gingrich Are Fiddling While America Burns

By Broadside Opinion Writer John Koblan

These are the facts. “Over the last 13 months, our economy has lost a total of 3.6 million jobs—and continuing job losses in the next few months are predicted. By comparison, we lost a total of 1.6 million jobs in the 1990-1991 recession, before the economy began turning around and jobs began increasing. We lost a total of 2.7 million jobs in the 2001 recession, before the economy began turning around and jobs began increasing.” President Barack Obama’s recent town-hall at Fort Meyers, Florida illustrated these statistics. Henrietta Hughes, a former Lehigh Acres resident, has been struggling since her son lost his job in 2003. Then they lost their house.

“I have an urgent need,” Hughes told the president. "We need something more than the vehicle and parks to go to. We need our own kitchen and our own bathroom, please help."

“Listen, what's your name?” asked the president. “It's Henrietta Hughes,” she said. Obama was so moved he got off the stage and went to her.

"We're going to do everything we can," the president told her. Florida Representative Nick Thompson (R-73rd) compassionately offered the woman a three bedroom, two bathroom home his wife used to own. He said she is free to stay there, rent free, as long as she needs.

Obama also said “when the town is burning, we don’t check party labels. Everyone needs to grab a hose.” Thompson was someone who put humanity before bipartisanism. He should be applauded for his compassionate act.

However, not everyone is joining the president to put out the inferno. “Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says House Republicans are ‘very, very pumped’ that they stood united to oppose the $819 billion economic stimulus plan that swept through the Democratic controlled House last week without a single Republican vote.”

“I agree with the decision of Senator [Lisa] Murkowski and Congressman [Don] Young to vote NO on the package,” Governor Sarah Palin said in a written statement. Palin also e-mailed a letter to SarahPAC supporters around the country Wednesday, promising to speak out and propose new policies to “ensure that America's best days are ahead of us.”

A Gallup poll was released showing that Palin, Gingrich and their supporters are detached from reality. Sixty-seven percent of Americans support Obama’s efforts to pass an economic stimulus bill. The Congressional Democrats got a 48 percent approval rating. The Republicans got a 58 percent dissaproval rating.

There is a reason Obama got a standing ovation when he said the bill passed the Senate. Americans on both sides of the party line are pulling for him to succeed.
Doesn’t Palin want to lower her state’s 7.5 percent unemployment rate? The White House estimates the stimulus would "create or save" 8,700 jobs in Alaska over the next two years. It estimates about 220,000 workers and their families would be eligible for a tax cut of up to $1,000. Or is Palin thinking about 2012 with her PAC? “If Sarah Palin seeks out sophisticated policy advisers and takes sophisticated positions, she will be very formidable,” Gingrich said. “Gov. Palin has an advantage in Iowa (where the 2012 presidential campaign may officially begin) because she is popular with the fundamentalist wing of the party.”

In this economic crisis, we need more leaders like U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) who braved the Rush Limbaugh call-in audience and put their country first.

We need fewer leaders like Gingrich, who makes remarks about our national downward spiral and Palin, who makes hints at a 2012 presidential run.

These two remind me of a modern day Nero, fiddling away while Rome burns. Hopefully you, the voter, will remember who tried to put out the fire to save the country while others played to the fundamentalist wing of their party for selfish political gain at the expense of the people they supposedly represent.