What happened is this: Last week, the number two guy on the Romney ticket gave a speech before the AARP in New Orleans. Paulie took his mom with him (the secret weapon) and proceeded to give his speech as written and instructed by the Romney campaign gurus. When Rockin' Ryan started talking about repealing Obamacare, the crowd of elderly grandparents turned on him. He got heckled and boo'ed...in front of his mom. I almost feel sorry for him. Almost...Well this didn't sit too well with the rock star of the Romney ticket. Roger Simon of Politico.com reports that Ryan is so fed up with this state of affairs he's taken to calling Mittens by a brand new nickname...The Stench. This fine new moniker hales from a quote in The New York Times, by Craig Robinson, who is a former political director of the Republican Party in Iowa, who said, "...if Ryan wants to run for national office again he'll probably have to wash the stench of Romney off of him." Pretty potent words from a dude from Iowa (even a Republican)!
So now we have Ryan storming around his posh political bus referring to Big R as The Stench. (Quoted as saying, If Stench calls tell him I'll call him later.") Ladies and Gentlemen, we're watching a campaign implode before our very eyes. Which, from a democrat's point of view is just delicious and I'll have it with a side of fries, please. It's just desserts for a party who has non-stop vilified our president for the last four years. It is a big slice of karma pie for the party who has offered nothing but obstructionism to the detriment of the country, vowing that their number one priority was to insure that Obama was a one term president. The Republican's inability to put up a viable candidate is a beautiful thing for those of us who long to see progress made.
The long term is another matter. The success of our national discourse depends on a vibrant and thriving debate between at least two parties; a good argument can be made for even more voices being heard and with that, I cannot disagree. What we're seeing here with Paul Ryan's melt down and subsequent turn on his running mate is a breakdown of not just a presidential ticket, but an entire political party. What will be left of the Republicans after the ballots are cast and Romney jets off to the Caymens to visit his bank accounts and reflect on what can only be considered a shaming in front of the nation?
No matter what side of the aisle you sit on, there is no doubt that this Republican party is not your father's GOP. It is a house divided between tea-party extremists and more moderate conservatives. It serves us well to remember that the tea-party was and is not a grass-roots movement, as it's founders would have us believe. It is more aptly described as astro-turf--a movement created by the wealthy in order to dupe ordinary Americans into voting against their own best interests. It has succeeded beyond it's wildest dreams hiding its more sinister motives behind God, Uncle Sam and the notion that a government that asks anything of it's citizens or tries to help any of its living, breathing citizens (not the corporate ones) is nothing more than a bunch of Socialist, Commie Pinko-bastards. Never mind that the statement makes no sense. Neither do the protest signs from the tea faction, with their misspellings and deplorable grammar, crying for the abolition of the Big Government Department of Education.
So, pop some popcorn and watch the wheels of the Romney Campaign wagon come off (or if you will, watch the windows of the campaign plane fly open, more appropriately). Have a good laugh at Paul Ryan's incremental realization that Romney stench is a lot like skunk, and it's likely going to take a long time to fade. But take pause to contemplate what's next for our political system, and what's the best way to move forward after this election is part of the history books. Then pop off an e-mail to your representatives in Congress and tell them what you think, share your ideas with them--because it matters.
My biggest fear is that the now down trodden Presidential ticket will have the big money donors pull out and start pouring their money into the House and Senate races. Seeing this as their opportunity to have control of something.
ReplyDeleteThere is a huge amount of money already being poured into these races and I hope that if more is poured in there will be no benefit. Airways are already being clogged by "Stench" and his donors. But if that money is poured into local campaigns I hope the voters realize that it is what it is a corporation trying to buy a candidate.
The only advantage "We the people" have ever had over the rich and powerful is the strength in numbers. There are a lot more of us than there are of them. We must vote in overwhelming numbers. The Republicans are prepared for that and are doing everything they can to suppress the vote by any means necessary.
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