Election Issues Today

The GOP failed to support the President’s economic stimulus package.

Because the GOP consistently FAILS to support the interests of the MAJORITY of American voters, they will ALWAYS be the minority party.

Because the GOP has AGAIN put party loyalty and party line ahead of basic human needs, the GOP will again lose seats in Congress in 2010.

President Obama may have wanted to enjoy some semblance of bipartisanship, but there never was much chance that his Party would be able to bring many of the GOP stalwarts over to the other side of the aisle…not even to vote for a package that represents our “best” chance, yes, perhaps our ONLY chance to bring about economic recovery during the next two years.

And–two years from now, all those GOP Congressmen who voted against the stimulus package will have to answer to their constituents.  Why do the Republican members of Congress shoot themselves in the foot?  Over and Over again.

Did they not notice the election results?  They LOST!   American voters REJECTED their philosophies and did so overwhelmingly!

Well, thankfully, the party in power doesn’t have to depend upon bipartisanship to GET THINGS DONE.

Not everything in the stimulus package is perfect; not everything will work as touted; not everyone who wants a job will get one; not everyone will get a tax break the next two years;

BUT…AND THIS IS IMPORTANT:  the MAJORITY will.

I am hard-pressed to recall any presidential term ending on such a low….and “low” is about the most polite term I can conjure up…but there are plenty more.

I think the transfer of power from Lyndon B. Johnson to Richard M. Nixon was pretty frosty…but that was a personal thing.   The turnover from Bush to Obama will be quite friendly between the two principals because they are both realists and understand with what importance the images from America are perceived around the World.

The end of the LBJ term on January 20, 1969 was also a low for the USA.  Not only was the country deeply entrenched in the Vietnam War, but the populace had resorted to electing Nixon, a person that nobody trusted!!

George W. Bush is leaving at the nadir of his Administration.  What a way to go out…at the rock bottom.  There is not a lot of regret around the country.  Not a lot of respect for this man around the world either.  No love.

Here is a quote from Caledonian Jim , self-described master of the world-weary, cynical cheap shot, in his blog, Caledonian Comment:

“But, determined as he was in his last stand, it wouldn’t have been a Bush press conference without a few classic quotes - such as his defiant statement to the reporters assembled before him: ‘Sometimes you mis-underestimated me’. No George - we never mis-underestimated you - you were always a cretinous prat. After 8 disastrous years, good riddance.”

The blog, Urban Swirl commented upon the Bush exit interview with Charles Gibson:

“To sum it up - Bush is clueless! A mindless blowhard! And may history fashion him as such!
Most of what he thinks and believes is what was fed to him - Bush is an empty vessel, a puppet that people like Karl Rove and Dick Cheney used for their own purpose.  As he departs the presidency, Bush is unquestionably a FAILURE!“ 

And from the political blogger, First Door on the Left : “One week left. We have only to make it through one more week.  One. More. Week.”

For my part, although the President is taking the brunt of the blame, I think there is plenty of blame to be spread amongst hundreds of our “leaders”:  The president’s cabinet, his top aides and advisors, members of congress, wall street financiers, bankers, real estate lenders, the auto industry CEOs, and many more.  They were all getting their returns and bonuses, etc, and while they knew things were going downhill, and were “gonna get pretty bad,” they were not able or willing to act with decisiveness.  Today, everyone sees what “could have been done” but it’s too late now.  No forgiveness.

Who Will Lead the GOP?

It’s a Great Job with lots of potential and nobody seems eager to take on the challenge.

Hello?  Anybody want the job?

The next GOP presidential candidate will probably be someone who is not currently perceived as part of the “GOP leadership.”  A recent remark by a Republican Party insider admitted that the GOP is currently perceived as a party of old men.  And pretty much old white men, at that.

The Republican Party needs a leader.  Someone who can prove himself or herself on the stump. Someone who can prove himself or herself as a fund raiser.  Someone who will not bring along the baggage of the far-right, fundamentalist Christian faction.  Someone who will not be associated with single-issue factions like anti-abortion, anti-immigration, anti-ANYTHING.   Being “ANTI” will not win the next Presidential election.

Someone MUST emerge in the next two years, and who will be ready and willing to play a prominent role during the mid-term elections in 2010.

Following Barry Goldwater’s loss to LBJ in 1964, the GOP looked to be on the ropes and was predicted to remain there for a couple of decades.  The Vietnam War and LBJ’s abdication of a run for another term left the way open for the GOP to regain the Presidency in 1968.  The candidate? Richard M. Nixon, who ran a close, but unsuccessful race against John F. Kennedy in 1960.  Nixon had run for California governor in 1962 and lost badly, but in 1966, during the mid-term elections, Nixon was all over the place.  He campaigned and he raised money for Republican Party candidates throughout the country.   He built up a lot of good will and political obligations that were called upon in 1968 in order to gain the nomination, and eventually the Presidency.

Sarah Palin?  Oh no.  The GOP found out she brought out the crazies and more negatives than positives. She had very little in common with female voter interests of either party.  She has had her moment in the spotlight, but I doubt that the GOP can afford to keep her in the forefront for 2012.

Right now I have no predictions.  Let’s hope that there is an intelligent, compassionate, good-looking (yes, good-looking), positive politician SOMEWHERE in the Republican Party who is not afraid to get his or her feet wet, down in the trenches.