Beyond Belief

Recently on Meet The Press, John McCain made a comment about Presidents raising taxes during a recession. McCain and Brokaw went back and forth about Ronald Reagan and whether he increased taxes during or just after a recession. It got me started thinking about Bill Clinton's first budget, which raised taxes during a recession.
At the time not one Republic voted for it and their leaders claimed it was a job killer and would drive our economy into a ditch. They were wrong. What resulted was arguably the most equitable expansion of the 20th century.
The neo-conservatives then told us that they were the daddy in the room, who understood the world and how it worked and knew how to use our singular super-power status to forge a new Pan-American world order.They were wrong. We now find ourselves in two armed conflicts, thousands our our youth dead and millions scared with the demons of war.
After 9/11 the Republicans told us they could keep us safe in a scary world where even your neighbor could be a threat and The Dixie Chicks just might be unpatriotic. They were wrong. Instead we see a constitution under assault from a war president. A warrantless wiretapping system being used for voyeuristic phone sex, extraordinary rendition of Innocent people and torture is seen as an enhancement.
The conservative majority preached to us the gospel of unregulated capitalism. That the unshackling of markets from government interference would lead to a greater good. They were wrong. We are now looking into an economic abyss of uncertainty with millions losing jobs and homes and a few spreading the wealth with state sponsored bonuses.
They now tell us that Barak Obama is a socialist, maybe even a communist. His plans will kill America's jobs and lead our country from a recession into a depression.
How can it be that anyone can take the Republicans claims or predictions seriously? How many times can you be wrong and still have people listen and believe that you have the answers to our problems? How can John McCain stand before the American people and speak of his "shared philosophy" with the conservative movement and expect us to take him seriously?