How sad and fitting that the two leading exponents and contenders for standard bearer for the GOP are a corporate elitist who made millions liquidating companies and eliminating jobs to secure shareholder profits, and an unabashed racist who spouts platitudes about the virtues of "free markets" while simultaneously working to preserve corporate subsidies and privileges that prevent market entry and survival by smaller companies and businesses. Romney and Santorum appear to be the best that the GOP has to offer to defeat Obama. These candidates, based upon their campaign statements, could not be more out of step with what the country needs. Yet they do probably represent the sentiments of the GOP "base." The term base is really a misnomer because it goes not reflect the majority of probable GOP voters but rather fringe and extremist elements who control a lot of campaign money and use it to force candidates to pander to extremist views. [If that is hard to grasp, just think of how the Ayatollahs in Iran dictate what Ahmadinejad says and does.]
Of course, one has to consider the source as well. In Iowa, there were even prospective GOP caucus attendees who still think that Bachmann is a viable candidate. Their mentality obviously is that ANY white candidate is preferable to a non-white in the White House. So we will have to wait for other primaries to see if there is some consensus.
How ironic that Newt Gingrich now becomes the champion of "true conservatism" ethics, the one to brandish shibboleth and sword in battle against the "moderate" Romney. Gingrich is agile with rhetoric and the turn of a phrase, even if he is unpredictable and what he says has neither truth nor substance. But he is a worthy verbal champion to send out to slay the dragons of moderation, compromise and reason. It is a little like asking Al Capone take on the role of the primary crime fighter to clean up politics, isn't it?
After all, Newt has applauded the universal mandate in health care reform - but of course now opposes it. Newt is in favor of "honesty" and candor for Romney, but is a confessed adulterer and betrayer of his family, spouse and his oath sworn before whatever religious doctrine he happened to "believe in" at the time. And of course it is difficult to trust Newt's public proclamations, as he was committing adultery at the same time he was publicly persecuting Clinton for sexual indiscretions. Hypocrisy does not seem to be in Newt's vocabulary despite his erudition. And for a History professor, he has a remarkably short term memory.
Again, it all seems so sad because the country is facing serious challenges and really needs two serious candidates with intelligence, integrity and vision to face off in the 2012 election. Above all, what is needed is a contest between two candidates that actually care about and are interested in serving ALL the citizens of the nation and finding strategies to cooperate and work together for the common good. The polarization we are now experiencing is the path of doom. Without someone actually willing and able to do something to bring unity instead of just lip service [like the pronouncements by Romney that talk about unity in one sentence, and follow in the next sentence by blaming all the ills on Obama] we will just see the same kind of obstruction and stalemate that characterize Congress over the past 3 years. After all, based upon pure logic and not substantive merit, if the GOP captured the White House, why would the Democrats not use the same strategy that McConnell and the GOP have used to preclude virtually every policy initiative by a GOP president in order to produce a record of "failure" for the administration? It would be no more foolish that what we have seen from Boehner and McConnell. And unless the GOP moderates its current proposals to impose such drastic cuts in the budget that would push the nation into a serious depression, there is a plausible reason to oppose their initiatives. If Obama is re-elected we can expect another round of GOP intransigence, obstruction and extremism. If the GOP candidate wins the White House we will see continued stalemates and inaction. [After winning by a majority of 50.6% the GOP will doubtless claim some phony "mandate" for draconian and muddled policies.] All the while, the middle class is dying and the GOP has used the procedural tactics in Congress to block any attempt to create jobs while blaming the lack of job growth on the Administration.
Only some miracle that pulls the Congress out of the throes of corporate dictated campaign policies and restores some semblance of democratic voice for the middle class can hope to improve the situation. There has to be a change of mind and change of heart. If people are confused about what OWS is all about, this failure of government to govern lies at the heart of their complaints. Different segments point to different manifestations of the failures, but the theme is consistent and constant. "Public servants" [political leaders and representatives] no longer feel obliged to serve the public.
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