Now that Mitt Romney is gonna be The Elephant's Man -- short of a disgruntled bolide or suchlike, at least -- I'm seein' a lot of the GOP faithful wringing a change on Barry Goldwater's campaign slogan to come up with, "In our hearts, we hope he's Right."
Hope real hard; if the polls show that'd work for him, I'm sure he will be....just as long as it gets him what he wants.
Meanwhile, across the aisle and several rows closer to the Statist core, Christopher Hayes is sullyin' the 40-Acre Wood with an Empty Man Theory: Presidents are wholly at the mercy of their Party's chessmasters. He even offered bipartisan examples -- the most recent President Bush calling for America, as the last superpower, to be "humble" prior to declaring War On Terror and candidate (as opposed to President) Obama sneering down the idea of a "health insurance mandate." So by his notion, no matter how much triangulating Mr. Romney might do, it is trumped by Eeeeeevil Republican Leaders, who will inevitably do horribly "regressive" things.
...Mind you, he's happy enough seeing Presidents as puppets of the Inner Party, just so long as it's the right Party; which tells me everything I need to know about him.
And possibly as much as I need to know about Mr. Romney, too.
I'm still votin' for Ron Paul in the primary. That smoke-free-room cabal running his party keeps puttin' up guys I don't even want picking up my trash, let alone trying to manage the Executive Branch, and bedamned if I'll reward them.
Sure, everyone splutters about the Supreme Court, and how much less crap is in the crap sandwich on the Right-side plate as opposed to the one on the Left, but just as long as you continue to accept a choice between two different kinds of crap, do you know what you're gonna keep getting?
--I don't think you do; even if you do, a lot of voters seem to think it will magically turn into pumpkin pie once they pick. No. It's still crap. It's always going to be a choice of crap unless we start refusing it.
There are other parties out there. The GOP keeps going for mediocrity and the Dems are pushing class warfare. Are those really the options you want?
Update: over at Reason, I read, "Libertarians need to stop going along with a feckless GOP that takes limited-government partisans for granted," in an article about primary challenges to Senate fixture Orrin Hatch. Honest, we didn't compare notes before class.
RX, thank you.....for providing clarity. In the words of Tommy, "Because they know all they sold ya was a guaranteed piece of $#!+. That's all it is, isn't it? Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I've got spare time." I appreciate your bluntness.
ReplyDeleteWell, considering that about half the American Citizenry won't put down the Remote to call the local Board of Elections to even Register, let alone call in later to get an Absentee Ballot Hand Delivered to their Front Door, I'm guessing those people LOVE Manure.
ReplyDeleteAs for those who DO Vote, why, Class Warfare is just what about half wish would happen. Too bad they're too Stupid to realize that if it Occurs, even if they Win, they'll be on the Bottom while their Fearless Leaders enjoy the Fruits of their Labors. After all, "to each according to their Needs" forgets to mention that the Fearless Leaders have a LOT of Needs, way too many to Redistribute the Wealth.
As for the Rest, there's been a lot of Party's out there to go to. But if they were more Attractive than the Repubs or the Dems (Prohibition Party, Socialist Workers, Green, etc), then they'd HAVE the Power. But at best, they seem to act as Spoilers, like Perot Spoiled Bush the Elder, or Nader Spoiled Algore.
If you want to change the System, then you have to take it over and make it your own.
But keep in mind, you'd be taking on people who LOVE to Have Political Power, and some of them will fight you Tooth and Nail to keep it. Remember , NYC's Sullivan Act wasn't designed to reduce Crime. It was designed so that Tamney Hall Cronies could Disarm their Political Opponents, then they'd be safe from being shot at.
Lord, just look at all the Crap in the State Capitals last summer when "Mob Rule" was tried to keep the Privileges flowing. Do you think the "Good Ol Boys" in the GOP won't try every dirty little trick in the book to keep what they have? Hell, if they obeyed the Law, then you guys wouldn't have Lugar around.
Bottom Line: I'm going to Vote for the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Romney, but only because of the odds. And I know it's a Shit Sandwich. But it's BEEN a Shit Sandwich before you and I were Born, and to change it will take a Full-Blown Revolution with Blood Spilled and Children Dying and all the Horror of War. And I'm not ready to "Man the Barricades" just yet.
But just in case it does break down into Civil War, I think I'm good to go, at least on Defense.
One Final Screed: Did you ever stop and think that everything Obama has done to date has just been Practice?
Beautiful wordplay in that first paragraph.
ReplyDeleteCan I get mustard on mine?
ReplyDeleteWith no Churchill in sight, those interested in an America that is not a cheap copy of Stalin's Russia really do not have much choice other than mediocrity.
ReplyDeleteThe people who might be able to jump start America are so afraid of the mung-smearing media that we are not likely to have a competent volunteer leader until the New York Times and Washington Post fold. About an election and a half from now.
Stranger
As someone who wrote an elaborate screed on why voting for Romney in the general election is a Less Bad Thing; I'm voting for Our Pal Ron in the primary...
ReplyDeleteObama isn't on the Republican Primary ballot, so I don't have to vote against him there. To be honest, I don't like any of the choices this cycle. But by not voting I can't send a message.
Obomney or Mittama?
ReplyDeleteThe one who needs to make voters happy to put him in office in 4 years.
ReplyDeleteIt's been said before, but the Libertarian Party is dysfunctional on a national level. They need to read their own press clippings and start winning smaller (lower level) government elections to give the voters they hope to sway for the big races practical examples of what an L Congress and Presidency might look like.
ReplyDeleteAt that level the energy they can bring can outweigh raw dollars, which is a national-level handicap, and will provide a counter-point to the media's wookie-ideas reporting.
Til then I'm holding my nose and taking the shit sandwich with not quite so much rat in it in the general election. Even if all of us like me voted our concience, we would still only accomplish a vote split resulting in an "Evil Party" victory, and Stupid is still preferable to that.
I'll vote like I've voted the last two times--for whomever the LP actually puts on the ballot.
ReplyDeleteNot because I'm all that enthused with the LP, but because I want to register a vote against the two Big Parties, and I'm not going to vote for the [Put Christ Back In The] Constitution [Even Though He Was Never In It In The First Place] Party, not being a Christian myself.
Although, having been raised a Democrat and voted as such until 2000, I tend to reverse the roles of "Evil" and "Stupid" Party. It is, after all, not the Democrats who promise small government and then give us big government.
Ah, "Evil," "Stupid," both have plenty of each; I don't call 'em the Boots On Your Neck Party for nothing: there's a right one and a left one but it's a boot all the same.
ReplyDeleteLeather burns heal, hobnails leave permanent scars.
ReplyDeleteIf "right" ever does win out, its easier to rouse the crowd to undo corporate welfare than to overturn bread and circuses.
"I'll vote like I've voted the last two times--for whomever the LP actually puts on the ballot."
ReplyDeleteHuh. Well, it takes all kinds.
Me, I'm voting against the one who is on record as wanting Vladimir Putin to give him a little space. The LP has from now until the election to convince me that they can crowd that guy out of office.
Mike James