Let The Healing Begin - Please

One is cautioned to be careful about for which you wish.  I have for some time now wished Gingrich and Santorum would exit the Presidential primary.  Newt essentially did so over the week end.  Santorum did so today.  But oh, the damage done!

I wish I could be optimistic because of the news, but frankly, it was Mr. Romney's PACs that inflicted most of the damage.  I wonder if they can be as successful when pitted against the Obama machine.  My instinct is that we haven't seen anything yet.

I always wonder to what end all the negativity serves.  It tears down good people.  It does nothing to raise up those inflicting it.  Yet we are supposed to blithely accept that it's nothing more than politics and suddenly turn the resentment into support for the last man standing.

One thing nags, however.  Most of the negatives are based on at least a glimmer of truth.  Sorting out just what that glimmer is versus the whole is difficult at best.  So we hold our breath and hope for the best.

Let's face it. The Republicans have to get their act together and decide what exactly they represent.  Obviously the conservatism of the religious right differs from fiscal conservatism and they lost.  Romney can preach about how conservative he is to his heart's content and it won't make it true.  Plus he will now move more to the center to try to make up lost ground with the independents.  Me thinks he won't have to move much to find his comfort zone.

Two things I'll be watching.  The first will be whether or not Gingrich and Santorum will rally behind Romney or not.  There's a lot of bitterness to overcome.  The second and most important is whether or not Romney will find his voice and a message.  The general election should be a comparison of totally diverse philosophies of what this country should be and how to get it there.  Obama has a foot up.  He has made it abundantly clear where he wants us to go.  I for one want no part of it.

Romney has so far done little other than tout his business background and there is so much more that needs addressed.  It's more than just jobs and the economy.  It's energy policy, foreign policy, military strength and our country's place in the world.  Russia and China are nipping at our heels.  Israel is suspicious.  The Islamic countries are thumbing their noses at us. Others have dismissed us as irrelevant - a country whose time has passed.

Regaining our status will be a huge undertaking.  I know I'll get a ton of disagreement about this from many of my readers, but there is only one candidate who can make those changes.  The other has no intention of trying what's more doing so.

The Race Is All But Over ~ Now What?

With his youngest daughter in the hospital for the second time since he declared his candidacy,  perhaps this is the opportune time for Rick Santorum to bow out of the race.  Gracefully.  No one would blame him.

He has hung on longer than he should with prospects dimming. Newt has faded away yet Santorum hasn't been able to capitalize by getting the would be Gingrich voters to give him a victory.  To drag it out even longer serves no good purpose and makes a weak front runner even weaker.

The Republican ticket as a whole is going to be less than inspiring mostly because nothing has been articulated to inspire us.  The only potential Vice Presidential candidate that hasn't given a flat "no" is Marco Rubio, the first term whiz from Florida.  We have one of those in the Presidency now and it hasn't borne too well for the country.  Granted the number two spot isn't the same but there is always the possibility of the unthinkable.

I'll be watching the next few weeks with intense interest as the speculation begins to build.  Why?  Because the VP slot is all that's left to give die hard Republicans any hope.  Unless America Elects comes up with a dynamite ticket.

The Presidency has never been won on the strength of the Vice Presidential nominee but it has been lost the weakness of one.  Take McCain's choice of Sarah Palin.  She came across as a flighty, if spunky, lightweight.  That paired with a promise of hope and change moved many who wouldn't ordinarily  have gone there to the Obama camp.

I'm trying hard not to fall into the same trap twice.  This time I know what he represents and his abilities and come away thinking we must do better.  Romney would not have been my choice to be the opposition but he is going to be never-the-less.  So now what?

Putting aside his wealth and the "gaffes" he makes when talking about his life, I'll be listening to how he returns to the middle, which he will.  The general election always brings out the more moderate stances of the candidates.  There aren't enough extremists on either side of the political spectrum to get one elected.

I now understand what Obama's agenda is.  I know he's waiting to get the election behind him so he can let loose with nothing more to lose.  I have no idea exactly what Romney has in mind.  I'm not sure he does either.  I'm not sure which is more worrisome since I'm not an ideologue.

By standing aside at this point Santorum would be doing the Republicans a favor.  He'd be giving them more time to figure out just what negative advertising has bought as a candidate.  We voters sorely need that opportunity and Santorum isn't going to get the nomination under any circumstance anyway.

Maybe when all is said and done,  the parties will come to their senses and cut the primary season down to a reasonable length so the candidates and the public aren't exhausted and tuned out by the time of the general election campaign.

Maybe too, with disaster looming, those who are considered the most able will step up to the plate instead of running for cover.  One last hope that is highly unlikely, maybe the media will become responsible once again.

It's Easter in the Christian world.  A time of rising from the dead.  In my version I'd like it to be my country and those who aspire to govern it rising, being reborn as all the good that has come before.  I fear however, I'm falling down the rabbit hole!

The Making Of A President And A Country

As the Mega Millions drama has played itself out, I've found myself wondering just why Mitt Romney's wealth is such an issue.  He's not like "us" we're told.  He doesn't understand ordinary people.  How many people are building an elevator for their cars on their estates?  How many wives have one Cadillac, much less two?

What does it matter?  Especially when so many of us took a chance or two this past week to be just like him?  Six hundred fifty one million, nine hundred fifteen thousand, nine hundred and forty chances actually.  What does matter is that the man is financially astute.

That he has acquired wealth and lives the life he does isn't reason to disqualify him as a Presidential candidate.  Consider how we elevated Warren Buffet to near sainthood as he calls for more taxes on the rich yet hides his wealth in ways that makes his "taxable" income minuscule compared to his actual income.  Semantics?  Or a tax code the government created?

We're told Romney is a flip flopper.  Yep.  He has been.  But then there isn't a candidate currently running who hasn't been.  Is it because he isn't a great speaker, doesn't articulate his ideas well?  Take away Obama's teleprompters and his speech becomes full of hesitations and ums and ahs.  Hillary is a terrible public speaker.  So, should that count?

Sometimes I think we come down on our candidates for all the wrong reasons.  They are all going to tell us what their advisers tell them we want to hear.  Some advisers are better than others.

Picking good people has gotten to be nearly impossible.  I don't like self-piety any more than I like self-aggrandizement.  I do admire accomplishment and competence. We assumed it of Obama.  Assumptions are dangerous because they are often wrong.  Especially that one.

The more I see how the current office holder continues to avoid the responsibilities of his job when it comes to leadership, the more I worry the Koreas and the Middle East are going to become the bane of our existence.  Along with the Russians and the Chinese.  "More flexibility after the election" as told to Mr. Medvedev, should be a red flag to all of us.

Trying to intimidate the Supreme Court before a decision has even been announced on the health care mandate is arrogance beyond words.  Suggesting that to vote against his legislation is judicial activism is beyond intimidation.  He should know though, he has put two such justices on that court.

The most important aspect of the upcoming election is in what direction the country will be taken.  Do we want what we've had by virtue of staying true to our Constitution or do we want to have Chevy Volts and algae forced upon us before the technology is anywhere near ready?

Just look at those acres and acres of wind turbines covering the countryside along with the scores of dead birds at their bases and ask yourselves if we're really moving ahead or have we only been intimidated into thinking so. 

Brain Damage

What news I got while away was on the car radio when we could get a station.  The first  news I heard was non-political of sorts.  It was of the NFL hammering the managing forces of the New Orleans Saints for the practice of offering bonuses to players who would maim opposing players to varying degrees of disablement.

Oh, the hue and cry!  Someone was actually  being held accountable for blatantly unsportsmanlike conduct,  not to mention the potential of being  life threatening.

I found the excuses offered by the Saints infantile. "Everyone does it." This after league officials ordered the practice of offering and paying bounties be stopped.  Not suggested, mind you, but stopped.  As with so much in privileged segments of our population,  like professional sports,  I guess the Saints figured the NFL was just being politic, not really meaning it.

How could they think this with all the recent focus on the number of debilitating concussions players are suffering?  How could they even think it?

While the Saints whine about the severity of their punishment, and it hasn't even hit the players yet, a group of former players are suing the NFL for not sharing with the players the information they feel the league has had over the years regarding concussions and the possible debilitating consequences if not treated properly.  Big names.  Super Bowl quarterbacks among others.  The type of player for which the bounties were paid if  knocked out of the game.

The results of concussions don't necessarily appear right away.  One local high school, Washington State and NFL star talks of having to record conversations to remember what he has said.  He's morphed into a depression ridden, irritable version of his former mellow self.

As word gets out about the pending suit more and more former players are joining in.  They have no idea if they have a chance of winning or if their supposition that information was withheld is true.  I would suspect it is considering the emphasis on winning at all costs.

What they do hope to gain is recognition of how wide spread the problem has become, how many have really been damaged by inadequate protection or unnecessarily rough hits.  To make it know to coaches and parents involved with youth sports and high school and college level players.  If it starts at that level it's no wonder their brains are scrambled by the end of a pro career.

So to Coach Peyton and the others involved in New Orleans and those yet to be found out, one has to wonder who really is suffering brain damage.  It's too late for players past but not for those yet to come.  Unless the non-players who are directing the action are also brain damaged.  No, they'd have to be brain dead.

Now there is the perfect segue to my usual political commentary.  Brain dead indeed!

Me, Myself And I

This will be my last post until after the first of April.  It's time to recharge before spring gets here in full force.

I thought I'd just sum up my feelings about the candidates knowing full well an awful lot can happen in  a couple of weeks.

A quick look at Obama.  He's doing everything in his power to enhance his ratings. Things that go against his grain, things he doesn't want but knows the voters do.  So he's ever so grudgingly doing what he must to keep those ratings from falling further.  Of course if he really cared about the country he'd have been doing these things over the past three years in the first place.

But it isn't all about Obama wanting his way is it?  It's about what all the candidates want versus what we want.  Paul is easiest to deal with.  He's just out there doing his thing what ever that may be.  The press has declared him inconsequential so we hear nothing.

Next comes Newt.  He isn't used to rejection and isn't taking it well.  He doesn't seem to understand that he's not going to get the nomination under any circumstance.  Being able to out debate Obama isn't the way to get there. Besides, debating ability doesn't equate with the ability to govern and too many who know him well and have worked with him agree. If he cared for the country more than he hates Mitt Romney, he'd drop out.  Whether he'll be able to live off the land after Sheldon Adelson, his PAC's super benefactor, quits dropping $5million chunks into it remains to be seen.  My guess is Callista won't let him bankrupt them.  If FOX quits giving him air time he's done.

Rick Santorum.  It hasn't yet dawned on him that there are a lot of Republicans who don't necessarily want a "real conservative" for President.  A moderate Republican would be just fine.  Unlike Gingrich and Romney he's not a wealthy man plus he has a large family with special needs.  The lack of money flowing into his campaign is one sign that the necessary support just isn't there.  Ditto for Gingrich.

The fact that neither of these men has been able to put together an efficient campaign organization nor stockpile money makes me question their leadership ability. Some conservatives, oh what an illusive term, are beginning to grumble about Santorum been too conservative for their taste,  after all we're not electing the Pope.

In some respects Santorum is as guilty as the Democrats when it comes to promoting how he thinks we all should live our lives.  I expect he'll win in Louisiana but maybe not by the margins he expects.  People are tired of the name calling and whining and party in fighting. As Romney said in his victory speech last night for an entirely different reason, "Enough!"

Romney just keeps rolling along.  Mr. Excitement he isn't.  He still needs to learn how to articulate a vision for the country with some passion.  Never-the-less, doubters are beginning to lean his way because he's the most likely to get the nomination anyway.  I'd hope he'd be a better President than he is a campaigner.

I don't know if the Republicans could have mucked up this primary season more than they already have or not. It's hard to imagine.  They've already nearly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory!

I'd like to think the intrigue will be over by the time I return, but with the April primaries looming I doubt that will be the case.  For now I'll just wait to see if my analysis pans out and that sanity and unselfishness will prevail.

Right. And that's why I'm taking some time off!