After failing even to enter the Florida primary, among others, George (Maybe if he were the only one running.... Maybe) Pataki left the presidential race today.
The only pro-choice candidate, Pataki never garnered any real support, and was at the 'kid's table' in every debate. His defeat was inevitable, but as a New Yorker who had the distinct privilege of voting against old George when he ran against Mario Cuomo, I'm almost sad that I will never again have another opportunity to vote against him .
Almost sad.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Monday, December 21, 2015
Baker's Dozen
Today, Senator Lindsey Graham ended his presidential campaign.
A victim of the Republican Party's lurch to extremism, he did rack up a few noteworthy moments during his run. He, correctly, noted that Donald Fucking Trump is an 'idiot' and 'jack-ass' and responded to Trump's giving away Graham's cell-phone number with a cuttingly funny video about methods of phone destruction. Satire is an effective and classy tool to deal with the likes of the evil clown that is Donald Trump. Graham also repudiated Trump's anti-muslim rants on the floor of the Senate, which may have been one of his finest moments.
I said that Graham was a victim of right-wing extremism; he was also a perpetrator. Graham fully participated in the 'Party of No' strategy to deny Obama any political victories. That he failed in that strategy is a matter of fact. That he failed to realize, until too late, what was being nurtured under his nose, is a matter of integrity.
There are now thirteen candidates running for the nomination of the Republican Party. Thirteen. A perfect number to fill a clown-car.
March 16, 2020. Note to readers, if any: I noted above that Graham's calling-out of Trump was one of his finest moments. Anyone reading today (At least one person? Please?) knows that it was his last fine moment, as Lindsey Graham has taken up residence on a shit-front lot in Trump's anal canal.
A victim of the Republican Party's lurch to extremism, he did rack up a few noteworthy moments during his run. He, correctly, noted that Donald Fucking Trump is an 'idiot' and 'jack-ass' and responded to Trump's giving away Graham's cell-phone number with a cuttingly funny video about methods of phone destruction. Satire is an effective and classy tool to deal with the likes of the evil clown that is Donald Trump. Graham also repudiated Trump's anti-muslim rants on the floor of the Senate, which may have been one of his finest moments.
I said that Graham was a victim of right-wing extremism; he was also a perpetrator. Graham fully participated in the 'Party of No' strategy to deny Obama any political victories. That he failed in that strategy is a matter of fact. That he failed to realize, until too late, what was being nurtured under his nose, is a matter of integrity.
There are now thirteen candidates running for the nomination of the Republican Party. Thirteen. A perfect number to fill a clown-car.
March 16, 2020. Note to readers, if any: I noted above that Graham's calling-out of Trump was one of his finest moments. Anyone reading today (At least one person? Please?) knows that it was his last fine moment, as Lindsey Graham has taken up residence on a shit-front lot in Trump's anal canal.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
As Ye Sow....
Since 1980, when Ronald Reagan said that "Government is the problem", nearly two generations of conservatives have been indoctrinated with that cynical, corrupt philosophy which the GOP gladly embraced.
Today, the Republican front-runner is a political neophyte running on a hate-based platform of demagoguery. The speaker of the house recently resigned from both the speakership and congress, apparently in order to prevent further chaos in his party by the extremists. And the Republican base is so distrustful of the party leadership that when they began to, rightly, call Donald Fucking Trump out as a fascist, his poll numbers actually increased.
Although Trump's candidacy may ultimately fizzle out, the divisions within the party will not. If Trump does find that he's gone too far for the party to tolerate and makes an independent run, as he's threatened, no one will be able to put Humpty back together again.
For all of Trump's immense and unjustified ego, he is no politician and has no chance to be president, and he doesn't have the inclination to build any real movement among his supporters. He will gladly leave the smoking remains of the party to return to business.
Ted Cruz, though, is angling for leadership of the extremists. His refusal to attack Trump, and the fact that he is currently number two in the polls, suggests that he is waiting for Trump to self-immolate so he can step in as the true leader of the extreme right.
Cruz may or may not realize that he is too extreme to be elected president, but if he's playing a long game for control of a party of his very own, he couldn't be better placed.
I have no sympathy for the Republican Party or its leadership. They gladly embraced the extremists in order to win elections. The tea party, birthers, racists, science-deniers, and right-wing scum of all pathologies have found a home in the GOP that they could never have had in moderate America.
The fact is that the Republican Party, in terms that they might possibly understand, has sown the wind. Harvest time is near.
Today, the Republican front-runner is a political neophyte running on a hate-based platform of demagoguery. The speaker of the house recently resigned from both the speakership and congress, apparently in order to prevent further chaos in his party by the extremists. And the Republican base is so distrustful of the party leadership that when they began to, rightly, call Donald Fucking Trump out as a fascist, his poll numbers actually increased.
Although Trump's candidacy may ultimately fizzle out, the divisions within the party will not. If Trump does find that he's gone too far for the party to tolerate and makes an independent run, as he's threatened, no one will be able to put Humpty back together again.
For all of Trump's immense and unjustified ego, he is no politician and has no chance to be president, and he doesn't have the inclination to build any real movement among his supporters. He will gladly leave the smoking remains of the party to return to business.
Ted Cruz, though, is angling for leadership of the extremists. His refusal to attack Trump, and the fact that he is currently number two in the polls, suggests that he is waiting for Trump to self-immolate so he can step in as the true leader of the extreme right.
Cruz may or may not realize that he is too extreme to be elected president, but if he's playing a long game for control of a party of his very own, he couldn't be better placed.
I have no sympathy for the Republican Party or its leadership. They gladly embraced the extremists in order to win elections. The tea party, birthers, racists, science-deniers, and right-wing scum of all pathologies have found a home in the GOP that they could never have had in moderate America.
The fact is that the Republican Party, in terms that they might possibly understand, has sown the wind. Harvest time is near.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
A Milestone
This is the sixtieth anniversary of Rosa Parks saying no to the injustice of inequality.
Let us remember that she was an activist who achieved great things.
Let us also remember that the fight is far from over.
Let us remember that she was an activist who achieved great things.
Let us also remember that the fight is far from over.
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