The GOP Continues To Amaze

For a political party that has so many serious issues with the American electorate, you would think they would at least try to tone down the divisive policies and campaign blunders. Fortunately for Democrats they just can't help themselves. In the ongoing Stalinist purge of moderates from the party, the latest Senator on that hit list is Richard Lugar (R-IN). Fueled by Tea Party radicals who think Lugar is to close to the center, his challenger Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock currently holds a 10 point lead over the incumbent 48% to 38%. One more example of a Republican party that continues careening to the hard right.

In the ongoing "war on women" that Republicans call a "fantasy", here are two more current examples of that fantasy at work. A battle is raging in Congress to keep student loan interest rates from doubling. The current rate of 3.4% would go to 6.8%. Student loan debt recently surpassed credit card debt as the largest burden on our current and future work force. Democrats want to get the money from payroll taxes and by slashing tax breaks for oil and gas drilling. Republicans want to take the money out of a fund in Obama's health care law that funds cancer screening for women.

In Arizona, Governor Jan Brewer just signed into law the Whole Woman's Health Funding Priority Act.  The act cuts off funding for family planning and health services delivered by Planned Parenthood clinics and other organizations offering abortions. "By signing this measure into law I stand with the majority of Americans who oppose the use of taxpayer funds for abortion," Brewer said in a statement. However, Arizona does not provide tax dollars for abortion, but backers said the law is needed to make sure that no indirect monies are funneled to organizations like Planned Parenthood that provide abortion and other health services. Officials at Planned Parenthood Arizona, the state's largest abortion provider, said the law means that thousands of women in the state may now go without life-saving cancer screenings, birth control and basic health care. Arizona joins six other Republican controlled states who have enacted similar legislation. Three of them Kansas, Indiana, and North Carolina are facing legal challenges.

As for Republican Nominee Mitt Romney, Richard Grenell is resigning from Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign less than two weeks after being hired as a foriegn policy consultant. Grenell’s reputation as a quick-witted and sometimes confrontational spokesman, was hoping to bring a different component to the Romney operation. So why the quick departure? Grenell is openly gay. He took so much heat from the ever increasingly intolerant Right, he was forced to resign. He said that while his sexuality “was a non-issue” for Romney’s team, he struggled in the face of a ”hyperpartisan discussion of personal issues.” tactful if not a load of crap! Here are some of those "discussions".

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, took issue with Grenell over his criticism of the Bush administration’s failure to sign a December 2008 U.N. resolution that called for decriminalizing homosexuality across the globe. “It’s concerning that you would have somebody tapped to be potentially in an administration that would continue the policies that we’re seeing in the Obama administration,” Perkins said. Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association shared his disappointment with the Grenell pick on Twitter: “Romney picks out & loud gay as a spokesman. If personnel is policy, his message to the pro-family community: drop dead.” “We are disappointed that Ric decided to resign from the campaign for his own personal reasons,” said Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades. “We wanted him to stay because he had superior qualifications for the position he was hired to fill.”

In a nutshell, no room in that massive Republican tent for an openly gay man. The man was forced out by hard line conservative wingnuts, and if Romney really wanted Grenell to stay, he would have had the balls to stand up and say " I'm sorry some people feel that way, but Richard Genell is the man I want for the job." However, Romney is being killed in so many demographics right now, he can't affords to piss off the few groups that are with him. Which is a poor commentary on his character as someone who will not stand behind the people he picks, but rather the people he bows to. On a lighter note, what gay people in America see in the Republican party is beyond me? It's like Jews for Hitler, whatever people in the gay community see there, just boggles the imagination?

Renewing Our Lease In Afghanistan

For years the Republican party has claimed the mantle as masters of foreign policy and defense, well not any more. Increased counter terrorist efforts, coupled with a major rise in predator drone strikes, have most of the al Qaeda leadership looking over their shoulders, while trying to operate a very diminished organization.. The war in Iraq is over, and 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden is dead. This week, on the one year anniversary of Bin Laden's death, President Obama went to Afghanistan to sign an agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The agreement was a blueprint for the long-term U.S. role in Afghanistan, including aid and advisers. The deal provides Afghans with reassurances that they will not be abandoned when most NATO combat troops leave in 2014. For Obama, it was an opportunity to draw a line under an unpopular war that was started by his predecessor.

I have been critical of the war in Afghanistan. For its years of lacking a strategy, for its financial cost, and the most importantly, the cost in lives that have been sacrificed and to what end? The President reaffirmed that conventional U.S. combat forces would still leave the country at the end of 2014. No permanent bases would be installed, and the U.S. role would continue with the training of Afghan troops, as well as, special forces contingents to be used for counter insurgency. The agreement leaves an American military footprint in Afghanistan for 10 more years after regular forces are pulled out. We will remain in country until 2024.

I have mixed feelings about this move. First, I applaud the fact that conventional combat troops are still coming out. I further agree that special forces, and drone strikes need to be the primary counter-terrorist tools. In fact I have always said this. As for renewing our lease in the country for 10 more years, I am a bit skeptical. This continues the financial drain of billions in aide, and military intelligence, to an Afghan government that is corrupt, and often unbalanced. Hamid Karzai has been proven to be mentally unstable on several occasions, not to mention the man is a crook. To continue to see billions of are taxpayer dollars flow down the rat hole of corruption that is the Karzai government, is disturbing at best.

However, it is clear the main motivation behind this move is Afghanistan's position on the map. The country sits right between two of the most troubled nations in Asia, Iran and Pakistan. Just like other countries before them, Afghanistan is going to try and become a deterrent to its neighbors of doing or attempting. The question then becomes is it worth it? After signing the agreement President Karzai said, "By signing this document, we close the last 10 years and open a new season of equal relations." Equal for who? I understand the reasoning for the strategy, but 11 years of war leaves a bad taste in your mouth. The billions we have already spent, doesn't help either. Then of course you have the thousands who have been killed or wounded in the conflict, that for a lot of years, took a back seat to the debacle in Iraq. Now we've signed up for 10 more years? I understand it, but I don't have to like it. As for the money we will continue to pour over there... I just think it would be better served at home. It's like paying robbers to stay away from your house, while it's being eaten by termites.

One Good Speech Does Not A President Make

In my last post I pointed out the above average effort delivered last week by former Governor Mitt Romney. In a speech he called "A Better America Begins Tonight". It was a departure from the usual discomfort you get from a Romney speech. However, after the dust settles the fact is he can say what he thinks people want to hear, but he can't run from his record, or that of the political party he stands to represent.

He and his friends on the Right would have you believe there is no assault on women and women's health, but the over 1000 pieces of legislation put forward by Republicans on the state and federal level speaks for itself. They can call it fabricated, a distraction from the real issues, a way to divide America, but that doesn't change the facts. If you follow me, you know what they are, if not, check my previous blogs about women's issues. They say the election is about jobs and the economy. Ok, lets run with that, Romney consistently says the stimulus was a failure, and the current recovery to slow. This was answered brilliantly this morning by White House campaign aide Robert Gibbs on NBC's Meet The Press, when he observed the Romney campaign is basically complaining that President Obama didn't clean up George W. Bush's mess fast enough.

There are so many obstacles Romney has to overcome. So even if his new message resonates with some people, the facts weigh like an anchor around his neck.  He has double digit shortfalls with women, young people, independents, and Latinos. Yet, you will see a lot of polls out there that say this contest is a dead heat. Well they said the same thing in 2008 and President Obama won with 364 electoral votes, over double what John McCain received. In the popular vote he won with 53%, which in today's electorate is big.

The major difference is Obama's appeal in the big money states, places where Mitt Romney is struggling. Remember the political pundits want to keep you on the edge of your seat, tuning in tomorrow for the latest poll numbers, and yes the popular vote is probably going to be decided by 2 or 3 percentage points. Regardless, the election is going to be settled by that handful of swing states, and Romney is weak in most if not all of them. His own party leaders endorse him like some kind of political leper. "He won the process", or "he is the peoples choice", how's that for high praise. There are even some people like former Governor Rick Perry who says he wants to run for President again in 2016, which presumes Romney doesn't have a prayer in 2012, way to rally the troops Rick!

What it boils down to is this. In a recent poll of Republican voters 2 people were voting against Obama vs, the 1 that were voting for Romney. This speaks volumes about their presumptive nominee. If the man can't connect with his own political party, how is he going to connect with the American people? That my friends is his biggest hurdle of all, and right now he doesn't have a poll long enough to get over it.