My name is Steve and I'm a political junkie. Hi, Steve.
Oh, I watched some of the football, too. But, with my Washington Redskins on the sidelines -- yet again, I might add -- the games don't have the emotional impact they would otherwise carry. It's hard for me to get excited watching Cincinnati play Houston.
The debates, on the other hand, continue to entertain. While it's seeming more and more inevitable that Mitt Romney will eventually capture the Republican nomination, watching the race evolve has been fascinating.
You've got Newt Gingrich, the virtual father of modern divisive politics, who applauded the Citizens United Supreme Court decision allowing Super PAC advertising, taking umbrage at ads -- paid for by those same Super PACs -- bringing his tawdry litany of past transgressions to light. When they're aimed at him, and when he can't raise enough money to respond in a similar fashion, those ads are apparently unfair.
On policy differences with the President, Gingrich's multiple views on Libya reveal much about his thinking. When the Libya uprising started, Gingrich said we should institute a no-fly zone. President Obama worked with our NATO and Arab allies and instituted a no-fly zone that limited risk to Americans and had the others shoulder much of the burden. Gingrich promptly criticized that action, saying he wouldn't have set up a no-fly zone. This weekend, Gingrich said we should have gone into the Libya conflict more forcefully -- perhaps with our own troops on the ground? Two points: 1) Actual presidents cannot be so flippant about issues of deadly impact; 2) Why is it the ones who have never served in the armed forces are always the first to jump into sending Americans into war?
Then there's Rick Santorum, devout Catholic and famous defender of the unborn. He'd ban abortion in every situation, including the traditional "safe" exceptions of rape, incest, and health of the mother. In fact, he'd like to see contraception outlawed. But when it came to his wife's health and safety, when a difficult pregnancy and a terrible infection could have killed his wife, he gave doctors the go ahead to induce labor, knowing it would mean the loss of the unborn child she carried.
By the way, Santorum also wants to start pulling Social Security protection from current recipients. Seriously. It's one thing, and probably a reasonable thing, to look into changes in long-term funding and benefits of the Social Security system. There are certain economic realities we have to face as a country, but pulling aid from those who entered into a social compact with the country 50+ years ago when they need that aid to survive is beyond cruel. It's crazy. And politically stupid.
Rick Perry? Last night, he said he would immediately return U.S. troops to Iraq in force. I could smell the burning toast all the way down here in Virginia.
Ron Paul is an interesting case. A certain percentage of what he says -- maybe 30% -- appeals to my liberal-libertarian side. The rest, the other 70%, is just nuts. While I support his approach to individual liberties regarding privacy and could support his idea to decriminalize marijuana, his comments about established civil rights law are, to say the least, outrageous.
Questioned about 1960s-era civil rights legislation ending segregation in public places, Paul clearly feels that property rights -- in this case, the right of restaurant owners to ban African-Americans from their establishments -- trumps the public's right to free access to public places. He clearly sees no practical difference between the bedroom and the public's right to be free and unfettered in that space (which I completely support), and a public facility's supposed right to discriminate on a racial basis however the owner sees fit.
Jon Huntsman seems like a decent enough fellow, and he rides motorcycles, which is always a good thing. In this field, he comes across as a moderate conservative. He served as ambassador to China under President Obama, which the other Republicans seem to feel is a betrayal of the highest order. Huntsman has proudly stated that, as an American, he was serving his country. For that, I can applaud him. Unfortunately, that likely means he has almost no chance of lasting more than a few more primaries before his inevitable withdrawal. Republicans these days do not value or reward bipartisanship.
Which leaves us with Romney. Or should I say Romneys. Over the years, it's been hard to know which Romney is running. Is it the one who vowed support for gay rights when he was running against Ted Kennedy? Is it the one who proudly signed into law a health care program he crowed should be a model for the nation, and which was a model for the federal health care act. You know, the same health care act he now promises to "repeal on day one"?
That's old news, of course. Nearly every commentary has spoken of Romney's flip flops, his 180° changes in policy ideas, his apparent total lack of conviction to anything other than his own self-interest. And making money, lots of money. I find especially amusing his claims to be a "private sector" guy who is merely answering his country's call to service. He slams others for their long years in public office, when the only reason he isn't in the same boat is because he kept losing elections.
This is all very entertaining but, if hypocrisy was sugar, we'd be awash in diabetes right about now. This should be serious business. Observing the horse race is fun for political junkies, but America is facing difficult times and these guys (and women, if you include the now-withdrawn Michelle Bachmann) are falling well short of what is needed.
Granted, I'm supporting President Obama in his re-election effort, but I'd like to see some spirited debate and exchange of ideas. No single person has all the answers and, if we're going to solve our problems any time soon, we'll need contributions and compromise from every side. I don't want to see this election devolve into the mud, as I'm afraid it will. In today's debate, Rick Perry proclaimed for all to hear that the President is a socialist. If I thought he even knew what a socialist was, I might be surprised, but Perry is a candidate who is currently irrelevant and on his way to oblivion.
Is it any wonder that most Americans ignore all this? With all the mud, the hyperbole, the lies, and the posturing, it's easy to see why so many feel politicians are unworthy of trust. Perhaps we should be amazed that about half the country actually does vote.
Hey, look at that. The playoffs are on again...
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