ONE MORE TIME.

OK, Obama's back in the saddle again, and Republicans, still raw from losing from what they thought was a sure win, are talking about working with the president this time around. The party of "NO!" is now the party of "Maybe." Because you can't trust them to actually buckle down and think outside the conservative box. They can't do it. They're conservatives. They're the prisoners of their own politics. The Democrats are just as adamant. They want the social services to continue unhampered. Social Services have had a gradual evolution. It's interesting to note that during the major depression of the 1870's charity workers believed that direct relief would lead to the moral demise of the poor by encouraging dependency. Sound familiar? Yeah, the Republicans are a hoary bunch. By the 1890's there was a slight shift, but it wasn't until Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal that social services truly blossomed. The 1940's were devoured by World War II, and the 50's found conservatism putting the brakes on any further services. Then came the social  idealism of Kennedy's New Frontier, which didn't accomplish much until it segued into Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society and War on Poverty. Notice it's Democrats advancing these programs, the Republicans are grinding their teeth in the background. Then came Reagan and the New Right. Which is now the Old Right but espousing the same thing: Change is the responsibility of individuals and businesses.  And that's been the Republican mantra ever since.

When Reagan was president, Cheney, his vice president, said, "Reagan proved deficits don't matter." He did? Somehow Republicans didn't get the memo. They're now horrified by the deficit and must reduce it at all costs, even though they helped cause it. You have to admire how Republicans take their failures and turn them into new issues. Wait, it's no longer an issue, it's a cause! It's like the murderer coming in to solve the case. He can't tell you who did it, duh, but he can tell you how to stop it from happening again. Uh huh. The real reason Republicans are focusing on the deficit is that it gives them the excuse to reduce, destroy, or corrupt, the social services they've always hated. It's that simple. They still believe that these programs lead to the moral demise of the poor by encouraging dependency. Mitt Romney said as much. We can't let Republicans lead. They have their heads on backwards. Obama has to lead us in the direction he promised-Forward. This isn't about the deficit, it's about continuing to evolve towards a country that helps its people to prosper during the good times, but also, survive during the bad. Democrats have to win this battle.  The Republicans can't envision the future, they're still wallowing in the past. Let's leave them behind, where they belong.