Tin Foil Hat Reflections -- The Republican Presidential Debate

So, I put on my tin foil hat and sat down to watch the Republican debate.

dot - dot - dot

Now that it's over, I'll sit here and keyboard some of the thoughts sparking around.

My Winners are... Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee.

(not that it matters)

Romney and McCain are the front-runners.

That fact tunes in perfectly clear.

This could only change if Huckabee or Paul win Super-Super Big on Super Tuesday.

From under my tin foil hat, McCain and Romney do not fill me with confidence.

I think if I actually met John McCain I'd like him.

He makes some good points. He has a record to stand on. He really seems to be one of the best of the Republicans.

McCain is starting to take up the banners of health care programs and green technology. This blends him in a bit with certain crowds from twenty- to sixty-something. He's exercising the fact that Republicans aren't always against government stimulating certain industry circles.

Also, John McCain is a rightly honored veteran.

That means something to me.

I paused the TV, looked deep into McCain's eyes (with a magnifying glass), and took a sense of his soul.

From the personal demeanor I saw lurking under his public faces, there's a good personality with driven intent.

The only concern the tin foil hat makes clear is that Republicans tend to fall in line.

For my blood, McCain and Romney were too often caught up in sniping at each other in the debate. My brain began tuning both of them out whenever they started hackeling. Their actions seemed very similar to what this voter saw between Hillary and Barack during the last Democratic debate.

(blah-blah-smear)

(blah-blah-deflect)

(blah-blah-smear back)

(blah-blah-deflect)

(etc, etc)

Which reminds that another similarity between the past Dem and this Repub debate, was that Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee seemed to get the cold shoulder of the media during, in much the same fashion that Edwards and Kucinich had been heel-cooled.

The unfair price to talent of being assigned to second chairs.

Under my tin foil hat, Mitt Romney continues to come across as a business man turned politico.

His aura is that of a CEO who wants to take over the reins of the country and turn that puppy's profit around; a stance historically known for cutting and gutting the working classes.

This, of course, strikes hard on a specific nerve in the middle and lower earning classes; would you vote in the guy who would likely lay you off in order to better the company's position?

The question thrums in the air.

Romney seems to say a lot, but he doesn't tune clear on any plans and ideas. He reflects lots of confidence, but fails totally to instill it.

America is not a company where you can lay off a bunch of the middle class to any overall benefit. When the government does that they are only increasing the lower classes; which as we are so often being told by the conservatives are the biggest drain on the economy we have.

(BAM !!)

a MAJOR tin foil spark -- how could you possibly better the economy by increasing that which you, yourself say is the biggest drag and drain upon it?

Now, something else that caught some interest during the debate; Romney and McCain interestingly seemed to share the same looks on their faces whenever Rob Paul was talking.

R & M would either roll their eyes in quaint amusement, gaze smugly tolerant, or stare condescendingly aghast while Dr. Paul made his stands that American government should adhere to The Constitution, be smaller, less intrusive and stop taxing.

It is to Romney and McCain's detriment, that their impressions can see a feeling they don't perceive The Constitution as a relevant principled document on the methods of governance for America because of today's geopolitical landscapes.

The people find great security in believing that the government is still guided by the things we were taught in our history classes. Even the lowest graded students of our public education systems come away with the notion that our country is ALL about freedom of speech and thought and pursuit of happiness within the confines of just and fair laws.

Without these Constitutional principles being noticeably safeguarded by our government, the people enter a realm where they fear their government is no longer their champion, but likely their tyranny; meaning that our leaders see us only as tools to be used and discarded at will or whim.

And this is the rock that Ron Paul stand on; He stands on what the bulk of Americans believe are the core values of what makes America the wonderfully unique home that we love and would die for; and the most powerful nation in the world.

The concepts we were all mostly taught were contained, outlined and proscribed by the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The ideals on which our country, and its government, were founded upon.

Dr. Paul points out that the standard of living is down because our government is caught up in the headaches and expenses of nation and empire building.

Ron Paul says that downsizing the government, abolishing all manner of bureaucracy and imposing less restrictions and requirements on private sectors are the keys to getting America great and strong; again.

He continually make his stand that American government should adhere to The Constitution.

People like this message, they have a hard time believing in it, but they sure do want to.

Ron Paul is a winner under this hat's eyes.

He's a straight shootin' talker who seems genuinely disgusted by the wrangling of his fellow representatives in pinching the people for personal gain.

He's about Independence.


Okay, now Huckabee.

Mike Huckabee, to his credit, was an active listener while Paul was speaking. Mike didn't "seem" to be listening, it was obvious that he "was" listening; and thinking.

Huckabee rarely looks to the hat as if he is wearing a feigned face.

Overall, in the debate, Huckabee made intelligent discussion right along real folk lines.

He spoke caringly about middle class struggling.

Huckabee talked frankly about the state of the economy as felt by the working middle and lower earners.

His candor and charm served his wielding well.

In an interesting move, Mike opened himself up as a panderer by admitting that recent discussion of expanding the I-95 corridor had been used to appeal to East coast voters, and that he would probably pitch work on the I-5 corridor while stumping in California.

There were some laughs.

Then he laid a new campaign card down, a working class ace, by stating that he favored civil works projects across the nation to help fill struggling laborers demands, and boost the economy by doing so.

He well pointed out that dollars from construction jobs went both further and farther than lower paying service worker job dollars.

Home Run

Huckabee's a Winner !!

.. and so is Ron Paul !!


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31 January 2008

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Bill's Spirit is honored to have been selected as a member of Gather's "Election 2008 People's Press Corps"

Bill's Spirit is an Artist, Writer, Poet, Philosopher currently wordsmithing from a humble digital forge in small town Ohio.

The works of the man behind Bill's Spirit have been published in small alternative and amateur presses since 1986. Before that, they just filled notebooks, decorated walls and gathered dust in piles and boxes.

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