Now, as we enter the second Bush term, we are once again being badgered by trumped up charges of danger in order to ensure a policy, like Iraq, fraught with enormously problematic consequences. Like a card shark taking your money with a three card monte, using distraction and deception to keep you from guessing where the ace is hiding, Bush is focusing our attention on a bogus Social Security crisis while distracting us from his ideologically-inspired attempts to destroy New Deal social welfare policy, as well as from two imminent and potentially disastrous tsunamis that are about to hit our shores.
The first impending cyclone stems from our grotesquely out-of-balance fiscal situation. The multi-billion dollar US trade deficit has grown at an alarming rate due to the fact that we borrow huge sums from foreign nations – most notably from the Asian countries led by China - so that we may continue to purchase their products. Meanwhile, as our deficit swells to gargantuan proportion, the dollar’s value is eroding. And plummeting with it is the world’s once unshakable faith in the dependability and strength of the greenback. With a growing trickle that could easily become a torrent, international investors are moving their money out of dollars and into the newly strong and stable euro. A significant increase in US interest rates may be the only way to attract foreign investment and stem this hemorrhaging of capital. But a sharp rise in interest rates would weaken our already tepid economic growth and thereby decrease government revenue, deeply aggravating the other aspect of the current fiscal crisis, the rapidly growing domestic deficit. Moreover, Bush’s new Social Security proposal, if enacted, will add yet another $2 trillion to this already enormous unfunded government outflow of money. Ultimately, this huge and growing internal deficit will lead to a massive level of inflation and a further weakening of the dollar, completing the cycle by feeding into the fear of international investors and further increasing the outflow of capital. The Democrats should be screaming about this dangerous and precarious situation, as well as Bush’s dishonest attempt at covering it up with false budget numbers. Let the Democrats boldly point precisely to the one intervention that would increase investor faith in the dollar and decrease the deficit: significantly pruning back Bush’s signature tax cuts for the rich, something our Ostrich-in-Chief, with his head in the sand, has declared anathema. As for the Social Security boondoggle, it should be immediately exorcised from anyone’s agenda for adding even one penny, let alone $2 trillion, to this fiscal sinkhole.
The second impending disaster about which the Bush administration and its toadies in the media are in complete denial is global warming. With very few exceptions, the entire scientific community and most of the world’s leaders are deeply concerned about the dangerous climate changes that are already taking place on our planet. With every international meeting of experts on the subject, a more urgent warning emerges. In short, if we don’t energetically pursue a drastic reduction in greenhouse gases by decreasing the use of fossil fuels, we will be inundated with major environmental disasters, including flooding of low-lying areas, droughts, famines, wild weather conditions, etc., by mid-century or sooner.
What is called for here is leadership with vision, able to educate the American people of the dangers, creatively support the use of alternative fuel sources, and rally the nation to do what must be done, including a certain amount of lifestyle change, in order to wean us away from our gluttonous oil addiction. Ironically, such a campaign would also go a long way in soothing the waters in the War on Terror by removing our obsessively controlling need to keep a firm grasp on the oil-rich Middle East. But, as Tom Engelhardt recently described:
… while the native peoples of the north plead for their future; while polar bears starve and coral reefs whiten; while Europeans struggle to take modest steps toward controlling global-warming minus the United States; while even the Bush administration's chosen man for the chairmanship of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, tells an international conference that "very deep" cuts in greenhouse-gas pollution must happen fast or "we are risking the ability of the human race to survive"; while the Chinese and Indian economies are on a fossil-fuel based upward trajectory; while under-funded scientists and environmentalists look for alternative, non-fossil fuel methods or wonder whether, caught in the Scylla and Charybdis of planning for a catastrophe, even nuclear power might be a better path than our present one; while political leaders elsewhere, including Bush ally Tony Blair of Britain, worry about how much warming is already "built into the system" and unavoidable given what's gone into the atmosphere in the past three decades; the fossil-fuel-besotted Bush administration ignores the whole matter or does its best, which is pretty good, to slow down or undermine any multinational planning or progress whatsoever on global warming; our media acts as if it's largely a problem of distant climes; and most Americans simply chug on with their lives, buy their SUVs, and go about their business.
In the words of Carl Jung: Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering. This concept is amply demonstrated by the modern Republican Party, led by George W. Bush, which breaks out in hives at the mere thought of a progressive increase in taxes to pay for the necessities of the nation. As with all neurotic avoidance, extraordinary contortions are used to dodge the one obvious, though painful, thing that needs to be faced. Although he is the supposed Caretaker of the Nation (sic), Bush wants to slash food stamps, public housing, and health and education projects while compulsively shunning any increase in taxes on the wealthy. It is a bit like spending all your money on jewelry while not having enough left over for food and rent.
Regarding global warming, the denial is total: for Bush, it doesn’t even exist. To admit to it would mean significant regulation of the polluting industries (his biggest donors) and forcing them to clean up their toxic waste products. Like tax cuts, regulation is another thing that is pathologically anathema to Republicans, even when the need is excruciatingly obvious. In addition, admitting to the existence of global warming would necessitate that Bush rethink his entire geopolitical world view which is based on feeding our fossil fuel addiction. This, of course, includes the need for all those defense-industry-jackpot military bases in the oil-saturated Middle East, as well as the avoidance of the serious development of cheap, non-polluting alternative fuels. For someone with such a rigid thought structure and such good and generous corporate friends, it seems easier to just pretend the whole thing doesn’t exist. But that doesn’t mean it is not a terrific issue for Democrats to pound away at. There is a complete and total leadership vacuum on this issue. While the rocks from an avalanche are beginning to fall all around us, we are squabbling like children on a grassy hillside about not enough hot dogs at the picnic.
Marching into this bizarre state of affairs, with alarm bells sounding but little being done to respond, is Howard Dean, in his new role as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Governor Dean is known for his quick wit and his courage to speak the truth, usually in catchy memorable phrases. He is likely to bring boldness and focus to the Democratic Party and help mold a coherent and potent message. To be fair, the Democrats in Congress have shown an increasing amount of determination and valor of late by taking a daring stand against numerous significant issues: during the Rice confirmation hearings, against the administration’s dishonesty about Iraq; during the Gonzales confirmation hearings, against the administration’s torture policy; and, more recently, against the administration’s misbegotten fiscal policies revealed in both Bush’s budget and his Social Security demagoguery. United with Howard Dean at the DNC, our legislators are likely to manifest increasing clarity and forcefulness in the coming months and years. Perhaps the Democrats have finally learned that if you bend over for a bully, you will only get stepped on and kicked…or worse.
Astrologically, Howard Dean’s chart shows this to be a momentous and highly successful period for him. With progressed Venus conjunct natal Jupiter through September 2005, he is in a period of increasing popularity and success. This extremely beneficial progression has been greatly intensified during late January and February with progressed Moon opposite natal Jupiter (exact 2/10/05) and tertiary progressed Sun opposite natal Jupiter (exact 2/20/05). Due to the continuing Venus/Jupiter progression, the first nine months of 2005 is likely to bring a time of accomplishment, optimism, and high regard, during which Dean will expand the Democratic base, raise money, and create new alliances.
Another indication of Howard Dean’s high energy and determination this year is the transit of Pluto conjunct his natal Mars, which began in late December 2004 and will continue through November 2005. Interestingly, this partly overlaps and then is followed by progressed MC square progressed Pluto (9/05 – 9/06) and then progressed MC square natal Pluto (5/06 – 5/07). All of these aspects, running from late December 2004 through mid-2007, suggest a strong, focused, and relentless push by Dean to make his mark upon the world despite significant power struggles attempting to thwart him along the way.
Particularly interesting will be the period from April 22 through July 7, 2005, when Uranus will square Dean’s Moon, the ruler of his chart, for the first time. This transit will be overlapped in part by the retrograde crossing of Pluto to Dean’s Mars (4/26 – 6/10). He will be moving at a fast pace, with unexpected and upsetting events unfolding rapidly around him, while he aggressively tackles numerous issues. With Jupiter stationary square his Ascendant (5/4 – 6/13), he is likely to be successful at getting his message across during much of this period.
Moreover, it is not unlikely that these events will be related to the agitated developments that will be impacting the administration during late March through mid-August 2005. Dean’s Moon is 10Gemini34; Bush’s Mars is 9Virgo18; the Inaugural Moon is 9Gemini20; and the US Uranus is 8Gemini55. Transiting Uranus will make its station at 10Pisces45 before it turns retrograde, thus making “hard” (difficult, stressful and highly energized) aspects to all of these positions during roughly the same 5-month period. We can expect some high drama swirling around Washington and in the country at this time, with Dean likely to be relentlessly snapping at the administration’s heels, and perhaps being snapped at himself, as things unfold.
The general tenor of Dean’s term as DNC Chairman looks quite positive. The chart (2/12/05, 11:11 AM, in Washington, DC) suggests great effectiveness (Sun exactly sextile both Node and Pluto), tremendous idealism (Venus/Neptune trine Jupiter), and success and optimism (Jupiter trine 4-planet stellium in Aquarius). Saturn in the third house of communication, similar to its position in Dean’s natal chart, suggests that Dean will have some tense moments due to speaking out more directly than people can easily handle and some difficult moments with the press. The Saturn station in March 2005, semisquare his natal Saturn, may bring about some such moments. But on the whole, this issue will not be overly problematic given the abundance of positive and harmonious energy in the Chairmanship chart.
Given the current trending of economic and international events, it seems likely that George W. Bush will go down in history as having led America into a self-destructive spiral of decreasing power, wealth, and prestige in the world. His policies are reckless, irresponsible, and belligerent, and are likely to lead to untold misery if left unchecked. But the Bush Brigade has the ball and continues to play a rigorous, vicious, and relentless offence, while Democrats have been relegated to an increasingly weak defensive position. With Howard Dean as the new linebacker, there is some hope that the team can coalesce into a leaner, meaner fighting force. Whether they can intercept the ball and change the outcome of the game remains to be seen. The stakes are enormous.
