The Impending Political Season

[Amskeptic]

I have been watching the Republican side of this nascent presidential campaign and it is a painful reflection of the state of our national dialogue. It is baffling.

The meteoric rise and equally meteoric fall of candidate after candidate, does it not give pause to anyone in the Republican Party, does it not suggest that everybody step back and let the bandwagon just go by?

What appalls me, is to see this parade of lightweights throw potshots at Obama while they immolate themselves. I am not speaking as a Democrat or as an Obama supporter, I am speaking as an American who is *embarrassed* by this nitwit brigade, most recently headed by a megalomaniacal narcissist masquerading as an "intellectual" "historian", Newt Gringrich, whose intra-party advice to "demonize" the Democrats in the '96 election cycle, is one of the great causes of the current paralyzing disporia. It is dispiriting to look at this motley collection of shrill mindless egos, and to watch them excoriate the President is an insult upon the injury to our Republic.
Colin

[Velokid1]

Totally agree. We have serious problems.

[RSorak 71Westy]

I'd mostly say the Repubs have serious problems.....The Democrats to my eyes have been being reasonable and rational by comparison. Why the Repubs can't find a single credible canditate I find amazing. Its like they want Obama to get relelected. I myself have no prob with this. I like Obama.

[Velokid1]

My feeling is more that modern humans have the serious problem. While I think it's fucking retarded to blame reality TV, I do think it's fair to postulate that the reason reality TV is so popular is because we are already just about entirely disengaged from our true nature- from Nature itself. We are "playing" at being alive without truly being alive in the sense that we were for millions of years. We just sit and watch the political show, for instance, content to toss a few angry words out now and then like an armchair quarterback screaming at his TV... We are content with that because we want no more living than that. We are fat and safe and completely fuckin clocked out. It's all just a big TV show, just entertainment to tide us over til the day we really start living again.

[Velokid1]

How many times have we all seen someone with terminal cancer actually become happier and more at peace and more alive in their final months? Why is that? I think it's because they find it invigorating and life affirming to be facing off with genuine death... And thus genuine life. I think many people secretly crave it. They want to LIVE again.

[RussellK]

How many times have we all seen someone with terminal cancer actually become happier and more at peace and more alive in their final months?

Umm. Never.

[Velokid1]

I find that hard to believe given that I've watched that very phenomenon in four close friends and family members over the past 9 years.

Thoughtful contribution to the discussion though Russell.

[RussellK]

I find that hard to believe given that I've watched that very phenomenon in four close friends and family members over the past 9 years.

Thoughtful contribution to the discussion though Russell.

You asked how many and I answered your question. Never. Not the answer you wanted? Still doesn't change the answer. I've never seen anyone dying look invigorated or report being invigorated by the experience. My BIL died last year. It was slow, painful and ugly. He wasn't happier for the experience. My neighbor is dealing with it right now. He's not looking so well either. My reply seems appropriate enough.

Back on topic. Danforth was quoted this morning as saying this Republican party is not the party he knew. That Newt Gingrich and his altered reality can be a serious contender for the nomination is for me just astounding. But then again altered reality might just be part of the Republican candidate job description.

[ruckman101]

Reality has transcended to satire. Very black satire. When will they start eating their own? They've been eating their young for quite a spell now.


neal

[Bleyseng]

I think the GOP is faced with the fact they have no good plan or program (look at the Tea Party) to run the country and get elected on Merit. The only way to get votes (attention) left is Mud Slinging.....

[BellePlaine]

Instead of debating the issues, I've read that it was Newt's strategy to purposely go after Obama in order to do better in the polls. Personally, I think that it's only effective in the short term. Newt might be peaking at a better time than the others but I'm pretty sure that he will flame-out before Iowa. His cozying up with The Donald is going to be a catalyst for that.

There are two good conservatives in the field and neither of them will be on the Presidential Apprentice nor have they spent their time bashing the President.

[dtrumbo]

Today's Paul Krugman column speaks to this topic.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/o ... man06.html

[BellePlaine]

Today's Paul Krugman column speaks to this topic.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/o ... man06.html

What a suprise, Krugman went negative bashing the obvious nut jobs without mentioning a word about Paul (who is now second in the new Des Moines Registar poll) or Huntsman; neither of which fit Krugman's definition of a viable Republican candidate.

You have to denounce Big Government and high taxes without alienating the older voters who were the key to GOP victories last year — and who, even as they declare their hatred of government, will balk at any hint of cuts to Social Security and Medicare (death panels!).

And you also have to denounce President Barack Obama, who enacted a Republican-designed health reform and killed Osama bin Laden, as a radical socialist who is undermining U.S. security.

So what kind of politician can meet these basic GOP requirements? There are only two ways to make the cut: to be totally cynical or to be totally clueless.

Garbage like this sells papers though I suppose.

[JLT]

Garbage like this sells papers though I suppose.

And books.

I've had the feeling all along that the reason that Cain (and Palin and a few others) went into the Republican spotlight was to increase their visibility and make millions on book sales, without much interest in actually performing the duties of the office. Their campaign expenses, such as they were, were investments in literary careers.

[ruckman101]

Illiterate literary stars? Hmmm, and what of the demographics of the target audience/consumer?

Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?



neal