Some Of My Best Friends Are Republicans

Look at these candidates and understand why you shouldn’t get engaged on the first date!

Between work and home news is a nearly constant companion. I watch and read too much news! That’s especially true pre-Iowa when I’m watching the dance for the Republican presidential nomination. Look at these candidates and understand why you shouldn’t get engaged on the first date!

Tucker Carlson, a man with whom I share virtually no opinions put his finger on it yesterday while referencing Tea Party influence on Republicans.

I think it’s had a huge effect, and its biggest effect that almost no one ever mentions is that the Tea Party destroyed the Republican establishment.

Yes, Tucker. Though you’re still a weasel.

Look who’s running? There have been brief love affairs with Bachman, Trump, Perry, Cain and now Newt (forgive me–I love that I can call a man Newt). Each is dogmatically pure, but carries more baggage than a luggage store!

Gingrich has mostly been given a pass from the press. He’s now viable. He will now be scrutinized.

It will be interesting to see if Republicans agree he was hired post-Congress because he was a valuable historian.

Why would a sane person with middle-of-the-road or even slightly right-of-center leanings try for this nomination? You have to be ant-science, anti-tax, anti-compromise and the right kind of Christian. You have to pander to groups which hold much power at this stage of the process, but only a fraction in the general election.

It’s not that the Republican Party hasn’t had good ideas. They just can’t be brought out now because they won’t appeal to conservative Iowans and the farthest right.

The part of this primary process that boggles my mind is how many of the party’s most faithful are working against their own best interests. It’s tough to see how they benefit from the policies that are championing.

I am decidedly liberal progressive. I admit that. This isn’t about my desire for Republicans to adopt my philosophy. It’s just my wonderment why they aren’t trying to maximize their chances of winning?

John Huntsman scares me the most as the president’s opponent. He could be attractive to mainstream independent voters. He’s got no traction with Republicans.

It’s all very curious. Is having a philosophically pure candidate who can’t win in November the goal?

In many ways (manny, many ways) I have been disappointed by President Obama, but he doesn’t scare me. Some of these candidates do.

We’ve Been Screwed

As we’ve learned with terrorism there isn’t much you can do when your nemesis is willing to take himself down while taking you down.

I have avoided writing about what’s just happened in Congress concerning the federal debt ceiling. Actually, I’ve done more than that. I’ve avoided reading about it or watching programs about it on TV.

I feel I’ve we’ve been screwed. It hurts a lot.

As we’ve learned with terrorism there isn’t much you can do when your nemesis is willing to take himself down while taking you down. That’s what went on. The deal was shaped by partisans willing to act as suicide bombers!

The right wing of the Republican Party threatened to blow-up our economy if they didn’t get what they wanted. Everyone was scared because we knew they would!

Worse still the president and Democrats in Congress caved without a real fight. They control one house of Congress and the Executive Branch and they came away with bubkis.

This agreement might appease the bond rating agencies and help our nation’s balance sheet in the short term, but it guarantees the pain felt by the middle and lower class will persist and probably get worse. This deal won’t spawn jobs. The gulf between haves and have-nots will grow. The President and Democrats in Congress ought to be ashamed.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t cut back government spending. We should. There are loads of wasteful military programs and subsidies which produce the opposite of their intended result. At the same time we should put money into rebuilding our crumbling national infrastructure. We can should raise revenues by asking wealthy people and corporations to pay more.

There is little in this agreement I like or support. The intransigence shown by the Tea Party is a nightmare for all of us and now they that they feel empowered that will only get worse!

It’s worth saying again: We’ve been screwed.

(This is seems a good time to remind you these are my opinions alone. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of my family, friends or employer.)