Friday, October 13, 2006
Those rascally Republicans
So, Mark Foley likes to push his penis into the rectal cavities of men. Not really a big deal in a world where anal invasion is considered somewhat tame. What is interesting is that he is a Republican who was soliciting anal amore from an underage page. Somehow, clever marketing engineers convinced the proletariat that Republicans represent honesty, integrity, and good, old-fashioned, American values. Intelligent people realize just how heavily laden such images are with bullshit, but it seems that most Americans are willing to buy a polished turd, so long as the salesman is a heterosexual, Christian, male. Step outside of that demographic, and you're playing with your political life.
It will be interesting to see what effect this has on other, openly gay Republicans. There has to be some backlash, as Repubs have been tapping the evangelical machine in middle America for over a decade, using their network of Church and civil associations to line up a legion of "vote how you're told" supporters. Without them, Bush very likely loses the race for the Republican nomination in 2000...how different things could have been with John McCain, we'll never know, but I think most intelligent humans long for the lost possibilities. Now we enter the most important period of this year's political season with a Republican controversy in Congress, a controversial, lame duck administration in office, huge national debt, massive trade deficits with China, healthcare concerns that continue to loom, a slow economy, and a slowing housing market. For reasons no one seems able to explain rationally, we have cheaper gas, but OPEC is looking at a production cut, so even that bit of good news will be drying up in the near future.
So one has to wonder, will the Repubs maintain their Congressional majority for much longer? Do the Dems have enough courage and integrity to take a possible majority and do something worthwhile with it? My best guess, which is admittedly less informed than it once may have been, is that the answers to those questions are no and no. I think the Repubs will lose their majority, if not in this election, then two years from now. The Dems, being the directionless cowards that they are, will falter and squander an opportunity to make real change. If Hillary Clinton runs for President in 2008, chances are good that they will fail to retake the White House, meaning a divided government and a deepening of the ineffectiveness that has turned the US government into a travesty throughout the past 30 years.
If Repubs can hang on to the evangelical vote, they might hang on to their position of dominance, but I think it is pretty clear that the Republican Revolution (seems like a sick joke, in hindsight) is over. The party of values really has none, which should surprise no one with an IQ over 85. I found it amusing that Condi Rice recently referred to the mother of a gay official's partner as the man's mother-in-law, despite speaking out against gay marriage. Hypocrisy is a way of life for these people, but then they are not unlike most of the evangelicals and Americans voting them into office.
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Sometimes Erik, we need to look at the bigger picture. It's not always just Democrats and Republicans but who is right for the job regardless of their party? Just because there is a "bad" Republican out there doesn't mean you won't find a Democrat who will do just as distasteful and morally wrong things. I think we can all recall what President Clinton did during his time in office!!!
I think the real problem is the Democrats have gone so extremely far to the left and the Republicans have gone so extremely far to the right. I am definitely more of a Republican than Democrat, but that doesn't mean there aren't things about the Republican Party that I disagree with. I instead vote based on the individual who is running, not the party as a whole. I think we need to be more open-minded rather than disregarding someone based solely on the party they are affiliated with.
I do think the democrats will take office again, but I'm not convinced that is the best thing. I can only hope that who they choose to run is a stronger candidate than who they had for the last election. I am grateful everyday that my husband's Commander and Chief is not John Kerry. Do I support everything Bush has done and stands for, NO, but I do think at the last election he was the better candidate.
No matter what your beliefs are, you will find bad, distasteful people of all kinds and cannot disregard an entire group for one person’s actions.
Well, I think the Democrats "far left" movement is exaggerated a bit, but I will agree that things like socialized medicine, and an their on again, off again, pacifist position cause some serious concerns for me as well. You know I'm not a Dem, but I can't claim to be a Repub. I live my life in the conservative fashion that these people claim to. The Dems are hypocrites, but their bad behavior is expected, given their obligatory "open-mindedness", but the Repubs preach, and preach, and preach, and continually come up short.
As for wanted Bush over Kerry...that's too hot an item to get into with the woman who's carrying my two nieces. I don't want you stressing those babies out! ;)