Tea Party Conservatives Are The Bane Of The Republican Party

Anyone who thinks Republicans and Tea Party Republicans are one and the same, think again.  Isn't it time for both to move on?  They're definitely not compatible.

Go back to 2010 with the likes of Tea Party favorites Christine O'Donnell and Sharron Angle.  These Tea Party favorites cost the Republicans two seats and essentially the Senate.  Today's favorites are Ted Cruz who cost the Republicans dearly with his Quixotic stand on ACA defunding.  Marco Rubio has turned tail on immigration reform and Rand Paul is now attacking Chris Christie to deflect his own problems with plagiarism.

Then came Virgina. Yes, Terry McAuliffe's Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. It was the Tea Party Republicans.  He didn't win the race as much as they gave it to him.  They changed the rules to select their nominee for governor from an all inclusive primary to a convention where self interest rules.

They bypassed a very popular Lieutenant Governor, Bill Bolling, for a social conservative who was far less popular but met their social criteria. Those who read me know I don't think social issues should dominate politics the way they do.  Apparently other Republicans and Independents agree so they now have the less than squeaky clean and very liberal Terry McAuliffe.

For a long time I gave the Tea Party a lot of slack for lack of experience and political savvy.  It is no longer just that.  It has become the vehicle for social conservatives.  All you have to do is listen to the likes of Limbaugh and Hannity, if you can stomach it, to realize this is true.

Social conservatives are all wrong when they label moderates RINOs.  Republicans In Name Only.  They've been around a lot longer and personify what the Grand Old Party used to be.  It's the social conservatives who are out of step with the party, not the other way around.

That being said, the Republicans still need a voice.  Their figurehead is now Chris Christy who has shown he can work with Democrats and more importantly is willing to do so. He can also win!  Too bad he has a state to run because that will keep him busy.  No one in the House or Senate seems to be willing or, more likely, able to take the bull by the horns and do what needs to be done. In one way or another it falls to Christy, at least for awhile.

2014 will be here before we know it and then the action will shift to 2016.  Essentially two years to pull it together.  One hopes they don't wait until the last minute like they usually do.  They may not have an "Obamacare" to bail them out is it almost did for Cuccinelli. Almost.

If the Republicans in Congress won't clamp down on the social conservatives, then what?  So far they aren't strong enough to push their agenda through on their own so they really need the Republicans who have a misguided idea that they have to stick together.  On the other hand the Republicnas really don't need the obstructionist social conservatives.

Perhaps it's time for that third party. Democrats.  Republicans. Social Conservatives.  That gives the independants and libertarians another choice, a better choice.  And the Republicans might actually win something. 

The Republican Civil War And Syria

In listening to the news about the continuing Syrian civil war, it occurred to me the one within the Republican Party isn't very different.  No, no one here is getting killed, but in another sense what had been the traditional Republican Party is being massacred by the Tea Partiers.

When life became impossible Syrian civilians formed a rag tag army to fight an oppressive regime. Without aid they faltered and outside groups, sensing weakness, began infiltrating their ranks.  The fight then became a three way conflict with the former civilians on the losing end.  How it will play out in the end remains to be seen.

In an imperfect analogy, the oppressive government would be the current Democratic administration. The Republicans take the part of the frustrated opposition.  Being unorganized in their resistance the Tea Party sensed weakness. Now it's a three way conflict with the traditional Republicans taking it on the chin.

This does not bode well.  If the Tea Party had stuck to it's original purpose of promoting less intrusive government and fiscal responsibility all would be relatively well.  Slow as molasses to be sure, but never-the-less flowing along.  Then those with ambitions of their own, their chance to be on TV or 15 minutes of fame, began exercising their new found power.

The problem is they got caught up in the power surge without the skill to use it.  They threatened those who didn't agree with them and began backing candidates who lacked the experience and knowledge to be good representatives in either house. A few won unseating good people who understood the process and how to best use it.  Enough lost to have left the Senate in Democratic hands.  It didn't have to be.

They recently took a beating on the defund Obamacare stunt yet they continue onward.  They either are too bull headed to admit their strategy didn't have a chance to work or too dumb.  Take your pick. Yet they threaten more of the same.

The leadership of the majority hasn't found their voice and the longer it takes them to say enough is enough, the more clout the Tea Party, with their irrational and unworkable methods, will gain.  I hope it's a temporary phenomenon.

Of one thing I am certain, the Republicans have an opportunity, purely by happenstance, to regain some support as the ACA continues to flounder.  If, however, the RINOs as the Tea Party love to call them,  aren't themselves willing to work with the Democrats who are also willing, they might as well begin their own party and start again.  The Tea Party doesn't want another party.  They aren't plentiful enough to accomplish anything on their own.  That's why they hijacked the weak Republicans.

In Syria, our inaction paired with the astute and well armed insurgents, has assurred the Syrian regime of keeping Assad at the helm.  In the Republican civil war, if the mainstream can't beat back the inssurgent Tea Party, they will guarentee the American people that the next President will be an extension of the administration now in power.  They will elect Hillary Clinton.

Should that be the case, America will never regain the status  and power for good it once had.  It's not in the Progressives vocabulary nor mind set and it will be a very sad day indeed.

Is Nothing Sacred?

Tired of the redundancy of the news I was leafing through the Wall Street Journal looking for something more upbeat about which to write.  A picture of Norman Rockwell caught my eye so I immediately folded the paper to the page.

I wish I hadn't.

The headline read "The Darker Side of Norman Rockwell" .  What?  Okay, you youngsters who may have stumbled across this can move on.  This is for those of my generation who grew up with Norman Rockwell, The Saturday Evening Post and the covers he illustrated for the iconic magazine.  Iconic artist.  Iconic cover paintings.  Yes, there were such things in the old days.  And they meant a lot.

But this!   A review of a biography of Rockwell would have him be a man with 'repressed sexuality, fear of women and fascination of manhood.' The author, Deborah Solomon, spent more than a decade coming to these conclusions.

She points out that his paintings featured mostly boys and men and seemed to find sexual connotations in many of his paintings including Rosie the Riveter suggesting what the riveting gun might represent along with the 'pulsating red waves' in the background.  Please!

I do not for the life of me understand why anyone would write a book like this. If anyone has a penchant for repressed  sexuality I'd suggest it might be the author. I'll borrow from Hillary Clinton and ask what difference does it make now?  The man himself is long gone though his work will forever remain embedded in memory.  Why demean him or it with twisted interpretation?

He no doubt had his personal demons during his long and productive life. Haven't we all?  To speculate just what they were and than to publish this speculations seems to me to be in the poorest of taste and of no necessity.

Sensationalism sells.  Especially this day and age. But I'll tell you something about Norman Rockwell.  He didn't need sensationalism to sell his work.   The patriotism of it, the warmth and humor of it and the truth of it is what sold.

Why tear down a man who to many of us portrayed the epitome of what was best about our country? What pleasure could there possibly be in doing so?  I think perhaps the author is more in need of some psychiatric help than Rockwell ever was if his work was indeed a refection of the inner man.

It is said seeing is believing.  I'll take Rockwell's work at face value of what I see rather than seeking out meaning that isn't obvious, if even present.

Republicans - Blowing In The Wind Like Autumn Leaves

I've been watching the emerging voices of the Republican Party for a while now.  What I'm seeing is a disconnect from one another.  If they can overcome that I think they have a pretty good chance of overcoming some of their negatives.

For instance.  Ted Cruz stood as the voice of defunding Obamacare.
While misguided by embracing the defunding tack rather than a delay or fix, he did bring himself to a level of prominence.  Come election time 2016 will he be remembered for his blunder or remembered as a passionate voice against the ACA?  My bet is the latter.

Marco Rubio was a leader in the comprehensive immigration reform movement.  He has since seen the error of trying a comprehensive fix and has changed his position.  Will he be remembered for favoring the comprehensive approach or as a passionate advocate of immigration reform in a sensible, doable way?

Rand Paul stood against a multitude of injustices against the people perpetrated by Congress.

In the House you have Jason Chaffetz and Trey Gowdy as articulate and passionate speakers.

My question about all of them is where are those that stand with them?  You see Mike Lee with Ted Cruz but John Barrasso seems to stand alone. As do many others.

There too there are the governors who are just "out" there.  Bobby Jindal, Chris Christie. Can they combine voices on national issues?

What isn't there is all of them all the time for all the causes for which they stand.  Maybe it's the fault of those who book the talk shows or the reporters who do the pre and post session interviews or the members themselves wanting to go it alone for their own ambitions.

I don't think that strategy will work.  What the Republicans don't have is a visible, articulate voice.  If they have a multilayered agenda they want to move forward, the need to do it en masse. To be politic about it, they need their spokesman to be one with charisma.  Mr. Boehner and Mr. McConnell may be politically savvy but neither one inspires - especially to those of us on the outside looking in.

You might say neither do Reid or Pelosi.  That's the point.  Contrast.  A positive outlook rather than the animosity laden rhetoric which is now the norm.

So don't just float around, Republicans.  Rake yourselves into one huge pile, put a voice to yourselves    and tell those who would bag you to remember the alternative.  Winter.  Snow.  Shoveling.  Look what you have to offer.  The beauty of autumn, the crisp air, the  brilliant blue skies, the wonderful scents.  And that the alternative is winter.  Snow.  Shoveling.  Cold.  Bitter howling wind.

Unfortunately in nature we get both just like we do in politics.  Sometimes, though, we get an Indian summer which is a lovely extension of autumn.  Are we due for one or for one more year is it too late?

Maybe for 2013.  It doesn't have to be true for 2014 and it's a more important year anyway when it comes to electoral politics.

Immigration Reform - How Can They Even Think It?

When the President gets into an untenable situation he likes to do an abrupt about face in order to hide the mayhem.  That is exactly what is happening with his sudden refocus on immigration reform.

It is indicative of a floundering administration.  The ACA web site isn't close to being fixed.  In fact the ACA isn't even the bill that was passed and then declared constitutional by the Supreme Court.  I question whether all the turmoil is worth it because I wonder if what passes for that bill is itself constitutional  but then there are all those "the Secretary shall" rights.

You'd think the unintended consequences would be a teaching moment but it apparently hasn't been. Too much power has been given to said Secretary to dictate what she and she alone thinks our insurance coverage should be.  That she was once insurance commissioner of Kansas is distressing but then such commissioners rarely have experience in the field nor know all the ins and outs of the products they are charged with overseeing.

In other words a rank amateur has designed a government program which affects every single one of us and our Congress passed it without even reading it.  Now it's collapsing as well it should.

To divert our attention the President has retreated to another favorite boondoggle.  Comprehensive immigration reform. Don't go there.  Please.  The last thing we need is another government monstrosity that's doomed to fail before it even gets off the ground.

Those who call for incremental steps should listened to. It's much easier to fix a small dust up than one the size of Obamacare.

The Republicans have nearly destroyed their own party by coming to that realization.  The move from defunding Obamacare to delaying it is a huge difference and they're still not there.  By their own hand I might add.  Had they asked for delay first, forgotten about the shutdown and defunding they still might not be there but it's looking more and more like it will get there in spite of all that has come before.  With some some critical thinking and leadership all the damage could have been avoided.

Now on to immigration.  Leave it alone until this mess is cleaned up or we'll be going through the same agonies again.  Then take it piece by piece.  Those here illegally rate no special consideration unless it's to actually enforce the laws already on the books and treat them for what they are.  Illegal. Congress can only hold so many hearings.  Consider the IRS mess and Benghazi among others have yet to be resolved. The government has trouble functioning in the best of times, it doesn't function at all with an overload it now bears.

Then get smart.  Democrats - get rid of Reid and Pelosi as your leadership in favor of those who would work for the country.  Republicans - find a voice.  You all do a lot of talking but apparently at, not to, each other, and not at all to us.

And to the voters.  Forget about the cults of personality.  We've been there and done that too often and it hasn't worked out too well.  It's time to get back to basics - if we even remember what they are. Please tell me it's not a generational phenomenon.