Tag Archives: primary

Poor Mitt…

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Terry| Leave a comment
Sad Romney

Poor Mitt. His campaign is really looking kind of bipolar right now. Cocky and "inevitable" one week, getting his butt kicked by Rick Santorum (of all folks!) the next.

Holy crap!  Rick Santorum SWEEPS Missouri, Colorado, and Minnesota yesterday?  So much for the inevitability of a Romney nomination.  It still seems unlikely that someone other than Romney wins, but with the Iowa recount results, Santorum shockingly now has 4 states in the bag.  Not bad for a guy who was a complete afterthought until about a week before the Iowa caucuses.

What it mainly shows is just how incredibly weak the GOP field is, and the general distaste the GOP seems to have for even their own candidates.  Turnout was low in all three states yesterday.  There’s a LOT of hate directed towards Obama from the right.  Nothing new there, since the GOP conservative base seems to have based their entire political strategy on hate (thanks for that, Rush).   But they’ve shockingly been unable to focus their dislike of Obama in this race.   GOP voters just aren’t happy with the field, they aren’t motivated to come out and vote, they aren’t currently motivated to rally around the GOP flag and come up with a coherent theme or strategy for the fall election. 

The big loser…obviously Mitt.  When it comes right down to it, it seems like Romney’s biggest issue is that people just don’t like him.  His wealth, his bungling answers when talking about the poor, about his taxes and wealth, etc., certainly haven’t done him any favors, not in an economy where so many working class folks are struggling.   Fair or not, there’s also seemingly been some air of cockiness about Romney.  But as the GOP race has shown, it seems every time Romney establishes his “inevitability” as the GOP candidate, voters in the next state knock him back down to earth.

Again the real winner in all of this is Obama.  Romney is the only candidate who really has a chance against Obama.  Santorum was booted out of his own state in a landslide in his last election, and he certainly has a lot of political ghosts in the closet.   While a campaign theme of “I’m the most extreme conservative” may have some success in the GOP primaries, it’s not going to fly in the general election against Obama.  

It seems like the Republicans were banking on only 2 issues for the fall election…1) the ‘We Hate Obama’ theme, and 2) the ‘Our Economy Sucks’ theme.   As the economy continues to improve, as unemployment continues to drop, Republicans are losing point #2 as a rallying cry. Point #1?  Given the apparent lack of excitement and participation in the primary and caucuses yesterday, even the right’s hatred of Obama right now doesn’t seem to be enough to rally the troops.   Poor Mitt.  Poor GOP.  The stars all seemed lined up for an Obama defeat this fall, until the last couple of months.  But the GOP has nobody to blame but themselves, for fielding quite possibly the worst slate of presidential candidates that any party race has ever seen.

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Trust in Women – South Carolina Exit Polls

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Terry| 1 Comment
Marianne and Newt Gingrich

Which of these two people do you trust? Marianne Gingrich, who was cheated on, and then dumped right after she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis? Or Newt, he of three marriages, countless affairs, and countless lies? Simple! For most Americans, the answer seems to be to trust the one with the penis!!

I just happened to be born a man.   I also happened to be born white.  I also happened to be born in America.  In other words, I’ve been pretty fortunate in terms of where I started in life, because if any of those three things wouldn’t have happened, there’s a very good chance I wouldn’t be where I am today.  Your sex, your race, and your country of origin obviously (and unfortunately) play a huge role in setting the stage for your life.

Let’s just talk about one of those attributes…your sex.  As stated by Richard H. Robbins in his book “Global problems and the nature of capitalism”:

Women do two-thirds of the world’s work, receive 10 percent of the world’s income, and own 1 percent of the means of production.

Even in industrialized, “progressive” countries, there are obviously issues with unequal treatment.  So, with that lead-in, what’s my reason for talking about this today?  Again…the South Carolina primary, and the breakdown of why voters (stupidly) voted the way they did.

Astoundingly, Newt Gingrich received a far greater proportion of the “evangelical” vote than the other candidates, despite his marital issues.  “Open marriage”?  No problem for supposed “Evangelicals” (hah!!).   One reason evangelicals gave for ignoring scummy Newt’s personal life?  In exit polls from yesterday…they simply didn’t believe Marianne Gingrich and her shocking revelations on life with Newt.

WHAT…THE…HELL…is it with people and their refusal to believe women who come forward with stories such as Marianne Gingrich’s story?  WHY would you choose to trust a scum like Newt, and not believe Marianne Gingrich?  It’s not like this is an isolated incident.  There are few things more disconcerting to me than when a woman comes forward to report a sexual assault, physical violence, or other crime, and suddenly, it seems that SHE is the one portrayed in a negative light. 

Is Marianne Gingrich’s story just going to be swept under the rug, completely discounted by “social conservatives” (HAH!!)?  Will people even remember a few months from now?  Or even WORSE…Will Marianne Gingrich suffer Anita Hill’s fate, where somehow, the man she accused of being a disgusting pig is now a Supreme Court Justice, while HER reputation has somehow gone down the tubes? 

There are tangible issues for women’s rights in the U.S., with pay inequality being the one that is most often discussed.  There are also less tangible issues that show the problem runs FAR deeper than just how much women are paid.  The exit polls in South Carolina, the COUNTLESS cases where women victims simply aren’t “believed”, are rather depressing reminders as to the underlying social underpinnings to issues of women’s rights. 

It’s a man’s world.  It’s a WHITE man’s world.  And as a white man, I find that fact to be quite depressing.

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Republican “Values” Revealed by Gingrich Win

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Terry| 1 Comment
Obama

You can disagree with Obama's politics. But he's a honorable, Christian man with NO personal skeletons in his closet. Supposedly, those are things that Republicans value...good ol' "Conservative values". The GOP race is showing what Republicans REALLY value, however.

As the title of my blog hints at…I’m about as cynical as they come.  There’s a good reason for that.  I’m a scientist…I look at the empirical evidence, and base my opinions on the actual evidence.  There is already AMPLE evidence as to how incredibly selfish, short-sighted, ignorant, and greedy people are.   It’s not as if my cynical views really NEED daily affirmation, but…the Republican presidential race certainly provides me plenty of fodder for reinforcing my views. 

Really, South Carolina?  Really, GOP?  Newt Gingrich is who you consider to be the best and the brightest the GOP has to offer?   The man is exposed as a complete scumbag…and the GOP response is to give the man standing ovations for it?  For him to actually SKYROCKET in the polls, and win the state primary?  My god, Republicans are even stupider than I thought.  It also exposes Republicans as being complete frauds…and reinforces my cynacism.

The hypocrisy of Republicans is just incredible.   How incredibly hateful has the GOP been to Bill Clinton over the years?  How much of Rush Limbaugh’s radio show time over the years was devoted to bashing Clinton’s behavior while in office?  How much of NEWT GINGRICH’s time back then was spent bashing Clinton’s behavior?  This, despite the fact that Gingrich was having an affair with a Congressional aide at the very same time he was trying to impeach Clinton…for his affair. 

Republican hypocrisy is NOT just an issue with politicians like Gingrich, or talking-heads like Limbaugh.   No, the hypocrisy extends ALL the way through the Republican voting base.  How many Republicans call themselves “social conservatives”, and supposedly base their vote on those views?  The complete OUTRAGE over Clinton’s affairs?  Justified!  Even to me!  Clinton WAS a womanizer who NEEDED to be called on his behavior.  And GOP politicians, talking heads, and the electorate ALL very vociferously and publicly called him out on his behavior.  But then, when Bush was elected, the GOP electorate forgave Bush’s past indiscretions, and embraced him as a ‘Christian’, a man with “Republican values”.

Then along came Barack Obama.  A life-long Christian.  A man who has had ZERO personal skeletons in his closet.  An honest man who has had ZERO personal scandals while holding the office of president.  You can disagree with his politics, but Obama is a fine human being, one that we can be sure won’t embarrass us while in office.  But, for Republicans, that’s not enough.  They had to try to MAKE UP personal issues in his past…saying he’s really a Muslim (as if that would matter?!??!)…saying he’s not an American citizen.  The biggest “sin” Obama has ever made was being born black, but obviously that’s not something (most) Republicans can come right out and SAY is their biggest personal issue with him. 

What this GOP race is showing is that what cynical folks like myself have known all along.  MORALITY, HONOR, conservative “VALUES“??   THEY…DO…NOT…MEAN…ANYTHING to most of the GOP.  It all SOUNDS good.  Republicans talk a good talk.  But as I’ve said before, and what is PAINFULLY obvious from this GOP race…it’s all just talk. 

Republicans don’t care about any of that.  When it comes right down to it, they just care about their own personal self-interest, about their own greedy desires, their own personal biases and demons…just like seemingly 90% of the human race.  Voting for Newt Gingrich?  A man with SO many personal AND political skeletons in his closet that from a personal perspective, he’s better identified as a what Republicans would call a “godless liberal” than a “conservative Christian”?    Nobody should really be surprised.  As I started this post with, it’s just more fodder to stoke my cynicism.

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“Conservative” Gingrich and “Open Marriage”

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Terry| 2 Comments
Sad Gingricdh

Poor Newt. It's believed this picture was taken right after former wife Marianne refused Newt's request for an "open marriage". Newt gets grumpy when he doesn't get his nooky-nooky from...well...from whatever warm, female life form happens to be near him at the time (other than his wives).

OK, it’s official.  Newt Gingrich is officially the scummiest politician in the U.S.  That’s one HELL of a title to have, because you REALLY have to work at it to put yourself head-and-shoulders above the rest of the scummy U.S. politicians, since approximately 99.4% of U.S. politicians qualify.  I think I would have already put Gingrich up towards the top of the scummy list, but with the upcoming interview with (ONE of) his ex-wife, he’s surpassed all expectations on just what IS a scummy, and hypocritical, U.S. politician. 

Marianne Gingrich (wife #2?  #1?  #3?…it’s hard to keep track) has an interview airing later today, where she’s expected to talk about her marriage to Newt.  Among the creepy items…Newt going to her, and saying he wanted an “open marriage” so he could have both a wife, AND a mistress.  This “request” was just AFTER scumbag Newt admitted to having a 6-year affair with a Congressional aide.  WAY…TO…GO…NEWT (Slow clap inserted here).  I gotta hand it to you, bud, you have taken “scummy” to some new, stratospheric level. 

Good timing by Rick Perry today, dropping out of the race, and endorsing Newt, right before this bombshell drops.  While I’m handing out titles, I think I’ll also bestow a title on Rick Perry…WORST…PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN…EVER.  My god…could Perry have run a worse campaign?  It’s hard to overcome your own mental shortcomings, but besides his catastrophic debate performances, his entire campaign seemed beset by missteps and horrible timing.  Add this to the list…he can’t even drop out of the race without screwing up.  Is Newt Gingrich REALLY the person you want to endorse as representing the “Conservative Values” that Perry supposedly represented?

Speaking of which…why is it the Republicans so self-identify with the supposedly “conservative” trait of morality?  And why is it that when push comes to shove, they tend to IGNORE minor little indiscretions like your GOP hero banging a Congressional aide?   For all the high-road talk from conservatives, for all the attempts to self-identify with social conservatives, the actual ACTIONS of the GOP shows that morality doesn’t matter worth a hill of beans.  No, what REALLY matters to the GOP is 1) the next election (true of the Dems too), and 2) Short-term economic gain (to hell with future generations). 

Morality be damned!  We’ll see how this plays in South Carolina, where the social conservatives supposedly will play a key role in how things turn out.  Will they do what Repubs have TRADITIONALLY done…talked a good talk, but in action, show that morality just doesn’t matter worth a hill of beans?  Or, will Perry dropping out, coupled with the Marianne Gingrich interview, make South Carolina the primary that seals things for Romney?

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