Politics

Or How the Politics of Governors Will Destroy Republican Chances in 2010

“We don't want no new filthy stinking taxes sullying our pristine reputations?” “We are so absolute about maintaining the smallest level of taxation on the wealthy in the world that we have lost all political sense?” Or maybe just, “We think most of you are just as mean spirited as we are and that benefits us politically, too bad if you're broke.”

Or Why Participatory Democracy Matters More Than Capitalism

Our government is not based on Capitalism! We did not pick Capitalism when we bought into Democracy and a Republic. That choice is a not necessarily a natural outgrowth of the meaning we derive from our faith in this system of government. It is sometimes useful economically but not nearly as important as the Democratic Republic itself.

Or How the Right Have Finally Found Their Principles

Peel back the layers of the onion and when you get to the heart of Republican Principles, a word and phrase we have heard ad nauseum, they are soft and squishy. While peeling an onion that had sat in the drawer too long that analogy attacked me and held me down until I agreed to put it on paper. Now that poor pathetic rotten onion is being blamed in my analogy; blamed for all of the hate and bitterness, calumny and meanness of spirit the voices of the right are heaping on the rest of us.

 Or How the State of the Onion Makes Even the Right Cry a Bit

In the few days since President Obama took office the Republican response took a left turn. Or at least the Governor of Louisiana in his response hit the populist button regularly in his response speech. His most common phrase was, “The American People Can Do Anything!” Well Bobby, “Yes We Can.” We can discern jingoism disguised as patriotism in a New York Second. We can also tell real political acuity from silly partisan rhetoric.

Or How an Unpopular Republican Governator Could Succeed and a Popular President Fail -- Part 2

The Governator is the other half of this story. Arnold is a great big doofussy guy with huge pecs and a wife tougher than any of the characters he has played in movies. Civilizing Arnold was obviously impossible, possibly he played too many pagan warrior types in the movies. He started out as a popular politician because he sold himself as the answer to governing the ungovernable. The man he replaced had none of his glamor, he never wore armor or charged into battle. Of course we in California picked Arnold over the Gray man in the flannel suit.

Or How an Unpopular Republican Governator Could Succeed and a Popular President Fail -- Part 1

Proposing a test for officeholders that holds them to their obligation to the people has become uncommonly ignored by the public. No one can argue that we are running a government dictated by the whims of the proletariat in this nation. After years of a Presidency run by men who massacred the meaning and purpose of our constitution in spite of oaths to the contrary we are used to politicians running amok.

Or Does Governing Require Fear as its Primary Emotion

Having lived through the Bush cycle of fear are we now to be treated to a new focus for our dread? Is the economic disaster worse than 911 and the threat of a nuclear weapon in the hands of terrorists? Maybe we ought to look at this from a different emotional context. No one has total control over their emotions, so lets just all tranquilize ourselves into acceptance.  

Or How Spin Makes Liars Out of the Best and Worst Alike

It is sometimes fun to watch the pundits and politicos spin. These modern Dervishes are, after all, there for our entertainment; not to expose us to the truth. The strange Gods they worship have only one side, a right or a left, and little breadth and depth. Parody is almost always more fun than reality but it seldom serves as a sound basis for policy. This is especially evident in the outcry about the Stimulus Bill coming up for a vote today in both houses of Congress.

Or Now That We Have A Leader Can We Learn How to Follow?

Watching Obama play with the ideas that summon up a press corpse in these fractious times is fun. Never mind that journalism is dying as the newspapers gasp for money and advertising. Never mind that even the mindlessness of the Super Bowl was not quite the commercial success for the TV producers involved this year. Just enjoy the fact that just for one shining moment someone answered questions for serious people who really want to hear answers. And one hell of a lot of us watched him do it.