Primaries, Caucuses, and the GOP...

As many of you know, I am in working to get a well on line for our farm in Tlacolula, Oaxaca. I got here in mid-January and will not return to the states until well after the Nevada Caucus dates. That means I will not be getting a chance to participate in, or read all of the breathless blather that will try and tell folks that anyone else other than Mitt Romney has a shot at the Republican nomination. Folks, here is what the GOP needs to understand. The nomination is going to Mitt Romney barring an 11th hour move by the party big-wigs to choose a different type of candidate. No matter what their supporters think, the reality is that Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul have absolutely no chance to actually capture the nomination. Santorum has no money and is too far to the right on social issues for the average GOP voter. Paul is too old and not enough of a military hawk to appeal to the military industrial wing of the party. And Gingrich, well he’s Newt. In spite of all of the money Las Vegas zillionaire Sheldon Adelson is pumping into his campaign, Newt can’t out run the facts... he makes Bill Clinton look like a paragon of moral virtue. And so that leaves Mitt. And a bunch of questions as we move achingly slow to the Republican Convention in Tampa later this year. Why are these folks still in the race? In 2008, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama battled all the way through June. Why? Because there was a conceivable path to victory for both of them. Not a single partisan supporter of the three GOP losers can give a reasonable explanation of how their candidate will get the nomination. So I ask again, why are they still in the race? It must be because while they believe Mitt will be wrong for America if he wins and that he cannot beat President Obama, they are hoping to get something out of staying. Is it a nice book deal? Is it the Vice Presidency? Is it a cabinet spot? Or is it front runner status in the 2016 presidential elections after Obama wins reelection this year? There has got to be reason, or maybe these guys are all just folks with oversized egos who can’t understand that they have already lost the election to a man named Mitt. You tell me. PS... the postcard is in honor of Dmarks, a big post card guy and another blogger who occasionally checks in here at the mission...

Where are the GOP Leaders? Is What we are Seeing the Fringe, or the Mainstream?

You be the judge. Last night before some friends arrived, I was watching the GOP Debate from Florida. Most of you know I tend to lean more to the left politically than many of my friends. However, you also know I am not reflexively anti-GOP, have worked on Republican campaigns in the past, and on occasion, when I believe it is the best option, will vote Republican. But last night, I was stunned. After hearing GOP partisans cheer the death penalty a few weeks ago, I was taken aback. After hearing people say "Yeah, let him die" if someone does not have health insurance, I wondered how far the GOP might go. Last night I got my answer. The crowd in attendance booed a US Serviceman serving in Iraq, simply because he said he was gay and was in support of the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. If you don't believe it, follow this link to Andrew Sullivan's commentary where he has posted the video. And just like in previous debates, not one candidate for President from the GOP said that type of response was wrong. We have watched over the years as many conservative pundits and politicians have tarred and feathered Muslims for their faith. We have been told that in the absence of any public rebuke of extremist Muslim views, that we can safely view the entire religion as extremist. We have been told that at least 10% of the Muslim people are terrorists. And we have been told that we, as Americans, have a right to look suspect on an entire people group. Why? For two reasons. One, a relatively small number of the followers of Islam have gone off the deep end and believe in terrorism. And two, the apparent lack of Muslim leaders who will publicly say that the actions of that relatively small number of terrorists are wrong and have no place in civilized societies. It is time that those that advocate this type of stance, step forward and accept their due. Unless and until we see national leaders from the Republican Party stand up and disavow the words and attitudes of people like Mr. Santorum and the crowds that cheered the death penalty, said "yeah, let him die" and then booed a gay serviceman, it is safe to assume that these views are representative of the entire party. Where are the national GOP leaders that will say these people do not represent our party? Where is one elected GOP congressional leader who will publicly state that what we have been watching the last three weeks is wrong? Republicans, this is your dancing in the streets Palestinian moment. Your masses are booing US Servicemen, celebrating the death penalty, and saying let 'em die to your fellow citizens. In the absence of any leaders stepping forward, why should we not tar your entire party with the same brush you have used for years to tar Muslims?