The GOP -- Not Bottom Yet, But Getting There

I said quite some time ago that one of the reasons McCain needs to lose is that this is the only way there is a chance of the Republican Party returning to its roots of real conservatism instead of neo-con warmongering and religious social activism. Not that I was the first to say this, of course, but I do see more of the same theme appearing as McCain's campaign continues to flounder and to mire itself in the ugly much of divisiveness and hate.

The water carriers of the Right--particularly Fox News, bloggers on townhall.com, and the dozens of talk radio hosts who call themselves Conservative--have always been biased. But as McCain has fallen farther behind in the polls their shows and blogs have become cesspools of hatred, anger, lies, distortion and vitriol which are liberally spewed on Democrats, Obama, and anyone who would vote for either.

In their passionate determination to vilify Obama and the Left, they have ignored the fact that the most devastating critiques of McCain and Palin have come from their own ranks. Conservatives and Republicans such as Charles Krauthammer, David Brooks, Kathleen Parker, George Will, and Christopher Buckley have all expressed their disgust with McCain's selection of Palin, his gutter campaign tactics, and his lack of the temperament, judgment, and ability to be president.

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This is not just about politics or an election. This has become a Holy War with these guys. My longtime friend Dennis Prager told me last year that unless I had learned to loathe the Left, then I had learned nothing from him in the 20 years I have regarded him as a teacher. He recently wrote a column on townhall.com in which he explains the difference between people on the Left and people on the Right. Apparently being a pluralist or an independent--trying to learn from all people--is no longer an option.

This latest descent completes the utter destruction of the Republican party as a force for good in this country. Until eight years ago, Republicans had a deserved reputation for being more socially and fiscally conservative and responsible. When the party culture became infected with the Bush/Rove/Cheney virus, it began to morph into a divisive force that possessed none of those qualities.

Now the mass exodus is underway. Anyone who is fiscally conservative can't call himself a Republican anymore. Anyone who is a religious Christian can't honestly be part of this since Jesus preached about caring for the sick and the poor--not about eliminating reproductive choice or issues related to same-sex marriage. There's nothing Christian about the agenda of the Religious Right--it's a totally political movement focused on issues that Jesus never mentioned and they ignore the issues about which Jesus preached constantly.

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I hope the recent meltdown will set the stage for a revival of something we all need now more than ever--a viable intelligent alternative to complete control by the Democrats. As much as I like Obama, the thought of either party having that much power still scares me. Reed and Pelosi scare me much more than Obama does. I think Obama is smart, presidential, and will surround himself with smart, good people.

It's time for a change.

Can't say it better than that. We need two good parties to choose from.

Overt Racism from the Republican Party Begins

Look for yourself.

I'm really going to enjoy watching these scumbags crash and burn. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch.

Republicans: It Wasn't Pelosi's Fault After All

A bigger bunch of lying incompetents I can't imagine.

Huckabee: McCain Debate Ploy "Huge Mistake"

No wonder Huckabee lost the primary -- he's too honest for what the GOP has become these days:

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Thursday that Sen. John McCain made a “huge mistake” by even discussing canceling the presidential debate with Sen. Barack Obama.

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Huckabee said Thursday in Mobile that the people need to hear both candidates. He said that’s “far better than heading to Washington” to huddle with senators.

He said the candidates should level with the people about the financial crisis and say the “heart of this is greed.”

Huckabee said he still backs McCain’s candidacy, but said the Arizona senator should not have put his campaign on hold to deal with the financial crisis on Wall Street. He said a president must be prepared to “deal with the unexpected.”

“You can’t just say, ‘World stop for a moment. I’m going to cancel everything,”‘ Huckabee said.

I don't agree with Huckabee's views and positions but at least he seems like a decent and honorable human being. (Of course, so did McCain until this election.)

Did McCain Go Back to Work on the Bailout Deal or Kill It?

He's already with the Palin pick that he puts his campaign ahead of the country, so this is always a possibility.

Does nobody in the GOP have the balls to stand up and stop this madness?

The GOP Leads a "Socialist" Bailout

Funny how the Republicans love to label Democrats as "socialists" but have no problem being even worse in that regard when necessary to save their corporate masters:

"I'm always for less regulation," John McCain, March 3, 2008

"Casual oversight by regulatory agencies in Washington" is responsible for the crisis, John McCain, Sept. 17, 2008

Which is it, Sen. McCain: regulation or deregulation?

If a liberal Democratic administration had put hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer money at risk by bailing out Bear Stearns and nationalizing American International Group (AIG), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, wouldn't conservatives accuse Democrats of "socialism"? Can Mr. McCain now square a circle by calling himself a conservative while favoring increased regulation?

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Now I know what former Sen. Gary Hart meant when he told an audience of wealthy Republican businessmen during his 1984 presidential campaign, "I know why you are conservatives -- you favor private enterprise for the poor and socialism for the rich."

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Mr. Obama will trigger the great liberal versus conservative debate so long needed in this campaign. Is government our friend or enemy? Can the private market always be trusted? What is the best mix of regulation and private enterprise? Who pays? Who wins? Who loses?

That debate is long overdue. If it occurs, the American people will be the winners, whoever wins the election.

What Happened to 'Country First'?

My friend "J" is confused about what's transpired in the presidential election over the last month. She's not the only one:

To put it mildly, I've watched the McCain campaign with growing concern. I watched as he was nominated almost by default and got a lukewarm reception by everyone but Cindy. The Republicans were going to lose anyway, so who cared? I watched with half an eye as he bumbled his way along the campaign trail, but I mostly watched the other side's exciting primary battles culminating in the electrifying Obama speech in Denver.

When the main players were in place, the match was on, but I didnt really expect too much electricity. Silly me. I didnt want 'four more years' so my mind was pretty much made up, and figured there were enough sane people who could see the obvious damage of the Bush administration and felt the way I did. It was a no-brainer after all. When I watched parts of the Republican Convention, I didnt expect too much....

Then I watched as McCain cynically selected Palin to be 'one step away' to temporarily boost interest in his sagging candidacy. The next couple weeks I watched in horror as her interesting but shallow persona caught on and made the political choice I thought obvious into something that was too close to call - or worse. What the heck had just happened?

What happened to 'country first'? I've watched McCain/Palin ignore issues, make mistakes, continually lie, and hide from the press. They are making a mockery out of the selection process for the highest offices in the land. I've watched this past week as daily it's became increasingly clear that McCain/Palin simply are not fit in any significant way to lead the country in such a perilous time.

I dont blame McCain for not putting country first. When things get tough, he's always put himself first. From insisting on being a pilot when he kept crashing planes, to dumping his first wife for a rich, pretty young thing. And of course when he was a POW he survived by doing whatever he had to do. He is merely doing that again.

I dont blame Palin either. She is merely a clueless, opportunistic pawn.

So who do I blame for not putting country first? The Republicans. Not only millions of Republican voters who cant see though this sham, but moreso higher level Republicans in the know who obviously realize McCain/Palin are not fit for the job. We see a handful of columnists being critical, and an occasional politician or talking head, but far too few of the many others who must know and who must also be as afraid as I am.

Instead of quietly whispering that McCain doesnt have 'the right temperment', or simply not helping the campaign much, why are they not stepping to the front of the line to shout what they really must also believe? Why are they not putting country first? Is winning more important than country?

Since Republicans have wrapped themselves deep in the folds of 'patriotism', why are they more faithful to being a Republican than being an American?

Wish I could answer these very valid questions, but I can't -- I keep asking them myself.

Chris Matthews Goes After GOP Hack: "Republicans Trying to Claim They're Not Republicans"

Watch Chris Matthews verbally dismember the sneering, dishonest GOP hack Eric Cantor, showing a rare glimpse of the real "hardball" that his show is supposed to represent. Excerpts:

MATTHEWS: The way we keep score in American politics is the party that`s in power for eight years and runs the White House and three quarters of the time ran the Congress and the White House takes the heat when things go bad. Congressman Cantor, you`re trying to change the rules now and saying, Oh, if we take off our uniforms and don`t say we`re Republicans this week, the people will be fooled.

CANTOR: Absolutely not.

MATTHEWS: I`ve never heard of that happening in politics!

CANTOR: Absolutely not, Chris. What...

MATTHEWS: You`re taking off your uniforms!

CANTOR: Absolutely not, Chris.

MATTHEWS: You`re saying you`re not Republicans!

CANTOR: Chris, absolutely now. What I tell you is there is a...

MATTHEWS: Are you a Republican?

CANTOR: Absolutely.

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MATTHEWS: Congressman Cantor, we`re in a national crisis right now. I`m looking at the market every day, and it`s scary. And we have a president of the United States who`s still in office, he still lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The normal president at this time of a crisis would be on national television at 9:00 o`clock at night talking to the American people about the problems we face.

Do you still take -- have confidence in this president you`ve elected? You voted for Bush the last time. You supported him. Does your party still support President Bush and the way he`s leading this country economically? Do you like the job he`s doing?

CANTOR: Listen, no one...

MATTHEWS: Do you like the job that Bush is doing?

CANTOR: Chris -- Chris, no one likes an economic crisis. We have, as I said before...

MATTHEWS: Do you like the job the president is doing leading this country?

CANTOR: We have a crisis of confidence. What this president has done through his secretary of the treasury has reached out and tried to make a situation right itself so that...

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MATTHEWS: The problem you have is that your colleague from Virginia, Tom Davis, who once ran your campaign committee, said if the Republican Party was a dog food, they`d take it off the shelves. And you haven`t used the word Republican tonight. Your party didn`t use it in the acceptance speech. John McCain never said the word Republican. He never said the word Bush. You`re trying to take off your uniforms and run from the field of political battle and claim you`re not Republicans.

You`re claiming you`re running against this administration, and I`m not going to let anybody get away with that kind of foolery! You have...

CANTOR: Absolutely not.

MATTHEWS: ... to take responsibility, sir, for the policies of this administration that has gotten us into this mess. You can`t walk away and say, Oh, we had nothing to do with it. Can you? Say it if you want to.

CANTOR: No. Listen...

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MATTHEWS: I have never in my life seen a party run from its own record like the Republicans have. Sir, I like the way John McCain the other day said the fundamentals are strong because at least he was playing defense honestly. He was admitting that he had to play defense. You, sir, say you don`t have to defend the status quo. You can simply run for office, back Bush for two terms in a row, when he blows it, then you can run somebody else and claim, Oh, he was wearing a different uniform. You got to defend your party, sir, don`t you?

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MATTHEWS: I know Harry Truman`s one of your heroes, sir, because he`s a hero of every Republican. And he said, "The buck stops here." I`m just asking you, where`s the president of the United States tonight? You had Paulson out there. Where`s the president? He`s pulling one of these Katrinas again! Where is he? The country`s worried like hell. When you lose this amount of value in the wealth of this country in a matter of days, you`d think the president would come on television to explain the situation to the American people. I`m just asking where he is.

People have had enough GOPBS. Oh, and good job "declaring war" on the media, Senator McCain.

Romney: "What's the Heart and the Soul of the Republican Party Going to Be Going Forward?"

Edit: Seems this video is actually from the primaries, it is not recent. Which makes sense since Romney is too much of a Slick Willie to take that sort of principled stance during an election...

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The backlash continues, as conservatives and Republicans continue to repudiate the sick joke that has become the McCain/Palin campaign.

Looks like ol' Mitt is already running for 2012.