The infighting in the GOP on all levels reminds me of that great ego, Ralph Nader, and his tearing down of the Democratic party some years ago. Of course that led us to the reign of bush/cheney and the rest is history.
Except in the case of the GOP today their travails will lead to some years of competent and qualified leadership whether you like Clinton or not. The machinations of Cruz and Kascish against the Donald is almost slapstick. Third rate political intrigue rolled out for the media and twitter. It is stranger than fiction.
And then there is the fight over the post for GOP National Committeeman in New Mexico. The GOP's anti Martinez/McClesky cabal will attempt to remove Pat Rodgers from that post. Oil Mogul Harvey Yates Jr., a guy I have always enjoyed gouging on this blog, will try and take over Rodger's job. I hope he does. As much as I have criticized Yates for his bankrolling oil friendly GOP candidates, I know him to be a reasonable person on a few issues. Taking down the extreme right wing of this party would be a good thing. And in doing so, maybe some hint of bipartisanship can be returned.
During the current GOP era, it seems that New Mexico is on the top of every list for bad news, and on the bottom of every list for good news. Our latest bad news list is being in the top three for having children with parents in prison.
Except in the case of the GOP today their travails will lead to some years of competent and qualified leadership whether you like Clinton or not. The machinations of Cruz and Kascish against the Donald is almost slapstick. Third rate political intrigue rolled out for the media and twitter. It is stranger than fiction.
And then there is the fight over the post for GOP National Committeeman in New Mexico. The GOP's anti Martinez/McClesky cabal will attempt to remove Pat Rodgers from that post. Oil Mogul Harvey Yates Jr., a guy I have always enjoyed gouging on this blog, will try and take over Rodger's job. I hope he does. As much as I have criticized Yates for his bankrolling oil friendly GOP candidates, I know him to be a reasonable person on a few issues. Taking down the extreme right wing of this party would be a good thing. And in doing so, maybe some hint of bipartisanship can be returned.
During the current GOP era, it seems that New Mexico is on the top of every list for bad news, and on the bottom of every list for good news. Our latest bad news list is being in the top three for having children with parents in prison.
4 comments:
Interesting about Ralph Nader and third party candidates. Before I saw your post I posted something on that topic.
Ralph Nader has an ego, but he didn't cast all those votes. People dissatisfied with the Democratic Party nominee did. The lesson of that could also be that if you don't want more Bush/Cheney regimes then stop putting up conservative Democrats who don't represent the interests of the working class, which means anyone who works for a paycheck. The same debate is going now in the contest between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and it won't be settled when Clinton is the nominee.
I personally don't think it's worthwhile to vote for third party protest candidates and that if people don't like the candidates Democrats put up they should work to reform the Democratic Party, but that would also entail some contention, maybe a lot of it.
Another way of looking at it is this: you and I have the living standards we have because in the first half of the 20th century American workers organized and did things like go out on strike, knowing that they would suffer without paychecks in the short term. If they had used the lesser of two evils logic we'd still be sleeping by our machines, as workers did then, and all making less than minimum wage. US workers' living standards are on the way down now and if we keep voting for people who take $225,000 from Goldman Sachs for 20 minute speeches simply because they aren't as bad as Ted Cruz or somebody our living standards will continue to decline.
Sometimes the lesser of two evils is best. It would have been a democrat but critical thinking skills abandoned the Nader supporters.
Maybe they can have the GOP convention at Jackson Winklejohn gym and let Harvey and Pat beat the hell out of each other. Winner gets to be the Republican National Committeeman and spar with your buddy Jon Jones. Afterwards, Darren White can roll a big fat joint so that everyone can ease the pain. Susana can bring the pizza.
Forty two percent of Americans now consider themselves Independent, compared to 31 percent who call themselves Democrats.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/166763/record-high-americans-identify-independents.aspx
Even fewer are Republicans than Democrats, according to Gallup, but it looks to me like Donald Trump is bringing those people back into the Republican Party, whereas the candidates the Democratic Party establishment pushes are still driving people out of the party. I saw a long thread recently of Sanders Democrats who intend to switch to Independent after they vote in their states' primaries. I doubt that 42 percent figure will go down with Hillary and her 45 percent disapproval rating.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/10/upshot/hillary-clinton-is-more-vulnerable-in-2016-than-you-think.html
You see those defectors as mentally challenged, as does the party establishment, and the feeling is mutual. You might say the party is out of touch with the people, and the people are out of touch with the party.
The solution that occurs to me is for more typical Americans to be involved in the party, so that its candidates and their policies reflect the interests of typical Americans instead of corporations and wealthy donors.
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