President Bush’s approval rating tied his all time low in a poll released by the Associated Press - Ispos on Thursday. Sunday morning Colon Powel in an interview on Meet the Press said “Guantanamo has become a major, major problem ... in the way the world perceives America and if it were up to me I would close Guantanamo not tomorrow but this afternoon ... and I would not let any of those people go. I would simply move them to the United States and put them into our federal legal system,” In an article in Newsweek by Howard Fineman, he was describing how silent Republicans were when Newt Gingrich slammed the current administration as incompetent and hopeless. Not even Rove spoke up about the slams. Of the ten Republican candidates, not one came to the president’s defense. Rick Tyler, Gingrich’s press aid said that some Republicans privately called Gingrich to thank him for speaking up. Rich Galen, a Republican analyst who has worked for both Bush’s and Gingrich said "People are tired of defending him." Invites from top GOP figures in Red states are few and far in between, and their Republican counterparts in Blue states are shunning him openly.
Every indication you look at reveals a political party in collapse and the blame can be directly attributed to George W. Bush. Unfortunately, that party’s habit of toeing the party line and devotion to undying loyalty has left them vulnerable to this very kind of take over. I remember Reagan saying he would not speak evil about a fellow Republican or something like that. What a stupid idea, it’s un-American and self defeating. I always hear GOP’s going on about how Democrats have too many voices, too many varying ideas, and no consensus on just what is their party line. Well, thank God for that. I would not want to belong to such a party. And what is happening to the Republican Party today is a direct result of having too few voices, too few varying ideas, and too strict a party line.
As a Democrat I truly fear this development because where would we be without the Republican Party. This may sound bizarre, but I am horrified by the idea the Democratic Party might gain a super majority in congress with a Democratic President in the White House. But if the REAL Republican’s won’t stand up to this guy they obviously disagree with, like Gingrich predicted, their losses in 2008 could be disastrous.
So who can save the Grand Old Party? Giuliani, McCain, Romney, or maybe Thompson. I don’t think so, none of them are heating up the Republican electorate. In fact, Republican’s seem lethargic and defeated. And this correspondent believes it’s because, other than Ron Paul, there is no Republican willing to stand up and say this war in Iraq was wrong and that we should never have gone in the first place and that we need to get out NOW! If a Giuliani, or McCain were to do that, there might be a chance. But I’m afraid there is little chance of that happening.
********************************
Devin Barber, Politics Correspondent
Devin’s column, “Left Of The Right” published twice weekly or more to Gather Essentials: Politics is a Blue Collar Democrats take on current political news.
Devin was raised by proud Roosevelt Democrats. Being the son of parents counted among the throng of Americans displaced by the Great Depression has given Devin a deep rooted passion for causes dealing with the poor and the working class.
You can find all of Devin’s columns at http://gather.com/leftoftheright
You can keep up with Devin’s postings and his Gather activity by joining his Gather network. Just click here: http://kiwina58.gather.com and then select the orange “Connect” button on the left-hand side of the page.You can find Devin and other Political Correspondents, plus celebrity content and plenty of other politics experts at Politics.gather.com.
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Comments: 59
<----- *grinning and placing tongue in cheek*
I believe the answers might be found in the Unity08 movement. It's an attempt to create a unified ticket with the best of both parties (and or independents). Audacious? Yes.
Y'all stop by unity08.gather.com and see the group we've just started about the movement. And learn more at the actual Unity08 site - www.Unity08.com
Oh and Devin, I liked your article, but I hope you'll join me in never again referring to the Republican party as the GOP. They are in no way "Grand," and the Democratic party is much older.
How come it seems you always have to come down
on the right or the left of idea, like there's no middle ground?
There are too many conformists in this country who
think that you have to have this black-and-white mentality.
It must be great for them to live in their black and white fantasy world,
it's just like Pleasantville.
Cheers, and a great article,
Some folks, in order to heal themselves, go into a near-death state. Some even die, and then some time after they've been pronounced dead, sit right up and say Howdy.
The whole USA government needs some kind of major transformative LIGHT experience, eh? One party isn't all right & the other all wrong.
As far as I'm able to tell, we've got wayyyyy too many patriots (guardians of the "small-hold" - property, and property law) and nowhere near enough matriots (stewards of the "great-hold" - the planet and all beings).
So I'm holding space for an increase in MATRIOT consciousness, and an increase, worldwide, in women of all political stripes elected to higher office, so they can balance-out the male energy (which tends toward rogueism when not balanced by the feminine.)
The women can be patriots and the men, matriots. I don't care! I just want there to be a rough 50-50 masculine/feminine balance in the lawmaking department!
I do fear my own Party achieving too much power, because that could result in a rubber stamp government like the one we had up until the election of 2006. Despite being a confessed Liberal Democrat, I still believe our government works best when we work together in that elusive place we call compromise. It's when one side or the other has too much power that we have to endure disasters like the one we're in now.
Carol: Thanks for the comments. I do agree with you.
Greg: The notion that moderates don't have any principles is simply a neocon talking point. Moderate does not mean that they don't take a stand on anything, but rather that they are capable of seeing that the vast majority of important issues are neither black now white as extremists would have us believe. Moderate simply means that there is a middle ground on an issue that will be fair (or try anyway) to everyone.
I'll give you an example. A right wing neocon views abortion as wrong, every time, even to save the life of the mother and in cases of rape and incest. They carry this belief to extremes, even viewing stem cells from fertility clinics as special new life. Well, ok, that's not true. Those fertilized eggs can be flushed (and are) but they cannot be used to save lives.
The other side of the fence, the extreme liberals, want absolutely open abortions for anyone who wants them right up to the last day and wants them offered free.
A moderate would probably come down on the side of personal privacy, and offer increasing restrictions after the end of the first trimester other than when needed to save the life of the mother or for other very specific reasons. That moderate doesn't have any less strong beliefs; rather his beliefs are tempered with reality. If you talk to him, he will feel just as passionately about this as you do for your position.
It's a really funny neocon talking point that tries to denigrate moderates by pretending not to understand what the term moderate really means, which is a balance between extremes. Also, as with any thinking person, a person can be a moderate on some issues, a conservative on others, and a liberal on still others.
And I couldn't be happier. I used to be a Republican. But the way the current republic party has demeaned that entity into a bigotted, big-government, KGB-esque, spend, spend, spend with no fiscal responsibility at all - I couldn't vote for any of them again ever.
The Democrats in Congress right now seem to be making it easier for the GOP to bounce back from 2006.
Dan: Rhetoric, generalizations, and unsubstantiated facts. The tools of the neocon trade. (I won't say conservative because neocons are no more conservative than I am the easter bunny.)
I apologize for painting all liberals with that brush. I guess we all hear the loudest voices from both sides.
Polls are a pretty good measure of the mood of the voting public. However, the polls you seem to want to ignore are the ones that ask which party are you most likely to vote for in the next presidential election. Those polls show registered voters favoring Democrats over Republicans 35% to 25%. Even seasoned Republicans like Newt Gingrich are conceding there is little chance the Republicans can pull out a victory in 2008. And if you truly believe the American people are against Democratic ideas, go check the polls again my friend. The only reason Republicans ever get elected is by inspiring fear among their base. The more afraid Republicans are, the more they are likely to vote. Unfortunately, this time around, they don't have anybody they want to vote for.
The Republican Party is the Party of fear.
Would you care to eleborate where you are getting your statistics
on the things you listed, such as taxes, security, etc... ?
So it is just your opinion that Republicans
are favored by most people in the country.
I don't agree that Republicans are the party of smaller government.
Under the Bush Administration, spending and big government
has ballooned.
At the start of Bush Jr.'s Administration, there was a budget surplus.
Now there is a huge deficit, with most of the debt being held by
China and Mexico.
Which greatly affects our leveraging power with those countries,
but I won't get into that now.
Lower taxes? Yes, mostly for those who make the most money
and need lower taxes the least.
Tougher on military and defense, issues. Overseas, perhaps, while neglecting security at home.
Tougher on immigration. Well, they haven't been able to stop the flood of illegals, have they? In fact, they want to hire more of them for cheap labor.
So, any speculation that most of the country wants Republican ideals is simply personal opinion.
Opinion without numbers to back it up isn't much.
\\\\The problem with "moderates", however, is that generally they are not driven by any kind of core principle(s) or belief(s). Thus, a consistent thought process from "moderates" is not impossible, but I think we would all agree certainly somewhat rare. ////
I'm going to have to call you on that one my friend. And that's just after hearing a conversation yesterday between Levine and a caller in which Levine said the same thing!
I am a moderate, voting both ways as I see it to be in the best interests of the people of this country and state! That does not mean I have no basic values or principles. My basic values are about the same as most of the people of Idaho, probably including you! I don't believe in excessive government and I don't believe in rape, murder, theft, vandalism, etc. I believe in good education for our children. I believe in good jobs for those who want them. I believe in securing our borders! I believe in having a strong military. And I certainly believe the second amendment gives every law abiding citizen the right, not privilege, to keep and bear arms and has nothing to do with hunting! I certainly believe in national security!
However, I don't believe that the current excursion into Iraq advances our security and was a tragic mistake! I don't believe that taxes should do more than cover current expenses plus enough to make regular payments on our outstanding debts! Just like a home agenda! Tax cuts when we aren't doing that are not responsible money management! I also happen to believe that we should eliminate the Department of Education from the national scene! I don't believe that Patriot Act is patriotic or constitutional! I also don't believe it was necessary!
I don't believe that the federal government is acting properly forcing the states to do what the federal government cannot do! Carter and Regan were both guilty of this, Carter with the 55 MPH speed and Regan with seat belt requirements enforced by withholding funds! I don't believe it is proper for the federals to try to "roll back" the enacted laws of states except in very general, well defined situations such as freeing the slaves, and certainly not as in conducting a "sting" in California to nullify their medical marijuana law or Oregon's assisted suicide law! This is micro managing at it's worst!
Mine are hard held convictions and not very easily changed. Theses are a few of my "values" and "principles." And many f them are absolutes or mighty close to being so! But I still judge each issue separately and make a judgment from the information I've got available and not because the GOP or the Democrats say this is what you must think! I refuse to relinquish my brain, puny though it is, to any established creed or order. But don't accuse me of being unprincipled because I'm a moderate! I'll put my standards of ethics up against anyone's and my living those standards as well. There may be someone with higher standards as I'm not perfect by any means but I was pleased, in a conversation with my oldest son a couple of years ago, we were discussing ethics and he said "dad, I've always though you had the highest ethics of anyone I know!" He is a highly ethical person so I took that as a high compliment!
I would agree, to an ideologue from either side, I would lack in consistency because no ideology is consistent and is driven from the top.
The one thing that really bugs me is people who misrepresent themselves. You'll recall Steve Symms I imagine. I said when he was first elected that he was a phony and nothing more. He didn't want to "take a bite out of government" because the size of government was what got him elected! He just wanted to keep it the same and appear to be "trying." And he was extremely "trying!" In all his years the only piece of legislation he was successful in passing was the raise in speed limit from Carter's 55 MPH! Now he is a lobbyist for the great nations of Lybia and North Korea as well as some of the drug lords!
Actually, I am an independent but consider that to be moderate. I've used up a lot of words but I hope you get my drift!
Like it or not, the Republicans have been defined by the Bush Administration
for the past 7 years.
I'll believe a Republican is serving the people when I heard him say that he
will no longer take money from any corporations or wealthy private individuals.
There may be Republicans (I call them Goldwater Republicans) who really want
budget restraint and fiscal responsibility, but they are in the minority.
Perhaps Ron Paul falls in this category since he doesn't seem to be going along
with what the others are saying.
You can dream that most of America is leaning conservative, but I think the truth
of the matter is that most of America is in the middle.
And they are sick and tired of Republican rule, which is why they voted more Democrats into office in the last congressional and senate races.
And some of those people who voted for Democrats were Republicans.
can save itself.
By finally rejecting the old neocon philosophies
and stop pandering to big corporate interests
and the fundamentalists.
It would take a maverick who stand for fairness
and equality.
It would take an honest man
(and there are very few of those in the Republican Party).
Unfortunately, the Republican Party has run
out of fresh ideas.
They are too interested in the past,
in turning back the clock.
That's why they'll lose the
presidency in 2008 because
people want a change,
not the same old tired,
fossilized ideas.
While I don't know much about the man yet, I plan on finding out more.
Particularly how he stands on the issues vis-a-vis the other Republican candidates.
The constitution gets interpreted in sooo many different ways
and politicians interpret it to mean what works best for them.
I'm down with that.
I am a technology worker sho has struggled financially after being laid off from a company which I worked for many years. When I tried to find new work, I found that this work was taken by H1B visa workers who corporations imported from India and other countries. Other technology jobs were outsourced and shipped overseas.
I survived by adapting and working contract and non-technology jobs. But it set me back and it took me a long time to get back on track.
There is no ethical responsibility for corporations to keep jobs in the United States anymore. I believe it hurts our economy when factories and workers are shipped overseas.
It's time to hold corporations accountable for their irresponsible actions which hurt America.
He's full of contradictions as well. The Religious Right would have a problem with him.
But you're right. Money and influence becomes everything in politics. So the early campaigns become a money and influence-grabbing fest.
Something called Democracy gets ignored and left in the dust.
One thing those experiences have taught me: Don't trust Republicans, because they are only in it for themselves and those who elect them.
I never thought the presidency would become like organized crime, but that's where it is today. Those people have absolutely no shame or humility, and they no longer serve the public good.
I usd to think as you do when I was in my early twenties. But as time has gone by and now 20 years later I have history to go on. My observations have been that under Republicans, wealthy people do well, and under Democrats working people do well. I happen to believe that it's far more important for working people to de well than the wealthy. Why, well because wealthy people always do well no matter who is in charge, unless of course they do something stupid enought to lose their wealth. The other observation I've made in my 30 years as a registered voter is that Republicans are incompetent. Under Reagan, and now under Bush, their economic ideology of tax cuts always ends in detrimental budget deficits. Over three trillion this time around. Just remember Sam, it's yours and your peers future they are using to finance these huge tax cuts for the wealthy. I was your age when Reagan did it and untill Bill Clinton took office, my financial situation was in the toilet. Under Clinton things improved for me so much, I was able to buy a house, took my kids to Disney Land, my wife and I went to Hawaii, and we always had a few extra bucks in the bank. No more, under Bush I'm right back where I was when Reagan was president.