Category: GOP USA

takeaways from the American election …

On By Rick McIn bad news, economics, GOP USA, government, things getting worse1 Comment

After this, I’ll try to shut up.

• President Thomas Jefferson coined the phrase — Separation of church and state

Republicans need embrace the concept.

• U.S. Republicans can learn from Canada’s Conservatives

Neither American party is fiscally conservative. I truly believe Romney would have run up an even bigger debt than will Obama.

• Donald Trump is an ass

• Michael Moore‘s heart is in the right place, but he’s as dangerous a left wing zealot as right wing extremists like Trump. I disagree with more than half of what he says.

• Romney’s a good guy. But was forced to associate with Evangelic extremists, bigots, billionaires, bankers and other unsavory characters. Pray for his sold soul.

Mitt’s quite the chameleon. Has any other politician flip-flopped so many times and almost gotten away with it?

I’ll be entertained by the many books with titles like: Why Romney Lost

His math-illiterate, vague platform was an insult to any thinking voter. The only possible reason to vote for him was … ABO (anybody but Obama)

• “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt” was not the title of the editorial he wrote for the NY Times. Whomever penned that catchy headline — Obama owes him a drink

• the worst decision of the Supreme Court in a long, long time was Citizens United. Corporations are not people. Campaign spending should be limited, difficult as that is to do.

• men talking about rape is a very, very bad idea

In fact, a good rule of thumb for men — DON”T talk about women’s bodies on the campaign trail.

• I loved how Chris Christie blew off partisan politics when his own people were in crisis. He’ll never be the Republican candidate.

• the trend is towards approve Gay marriage. Get used to it.

• the trend is to a more diverse population. Politicians anti-immigrant, racist and those surrounded by white advisers will lose. Expect Asian and Hispanic Americans to get more vocal.

• John McCain’s daughter, Meghan, calls for the GOP to #evolve

More than a few dinosaurs need go extinct

• most Tea Party and Occupy proponents simply protest — they don’t have much to offer as politicians. I hope both movements fizzle over the next 4yrs. The Tea Party has done more damage than good.

• young people are most influenced politically by two TV programs on the Comedy Network: Daily Show & Colbert. Both are left wing. (Colbert is my favourite show, so I must be young at heart.)

Republicans need a candidate who can handle youth culture and social media —  McCain and Romney? … Not so good.

• voters watching Fox News and MSNBC know less about government than those who watched any other news source. Or none. Folks who watch NPR and the Daily Show know most.

The right wing pundits at FOX really seem to believe their talking points. That’s surprising. O’Reilly is not a fool.

• Read my lips: Republicans need stop signing Grover Norquist’s NO TAX Pledge. It hamstrings.

• the trend is towards legalized marijuana. Colorado & Washington have legalized recreational use. It’s inevitable that ganja will be as restricted as alcohol.

Personally, I think the USA is doomed. I can’t see any way out for their polarized government. The debt and deficit will continue to balloon.

The trillions in debt will grow. I can’t see any way they can repay with both parties refusing to raise revenue.

Where are new trillion dollar industries going to come from?

Potential for American growth is limited to small business.

America could do better than Barack Obama; sadly, Mitt Romney does not fit the bill

future

• there’s some chance Obama will end the expensive, ineffective war on drugs

• accelerate troop withdrawals. QUIT putting boots on the ground in other nations. Bring the troops home and have them work on infrastructure.

• some day, hopefully within my lifetime, women will take over politics. And I trust women more than I trust men. In 2012 Americans elected a record 19% women to the Senate.

19% !! — WOW … That’s something to celebrate 😦

Tammy Baldwin made history when she became Wisconsin’s first female senator and America’s first openly gay senator. (VIDEO) … Homophobe Paul Ryan’s neighbour.

Next President?

Best would be a bilingual (Spanish & English) woman. Fiscal conservative. Advocating a very minimum social safety net. Requiring individuals who live or work in the USA to pay taxes. Requiring corporations earning money in the USA to pay taxes. Advocating a major reduction in the military. Focused on improving the American infrastructure: roads, rapid transit, sewage, etc.

Increasing regulations of banks.

… In the meantime, this guy’s got problems.

I wish him well.

Sincere thanks to everyone who engaged in the issues of the American election. I learned a lot.

Thanks also to the gluttons for punishment who decided not to HIDE me on Facebook.

Note the very, very few in 2012 who are willing to voice political support online for either Democrats or Republicans. It’s very divisive.

There truly are two Americas. If you could wave a magic wand, something like this wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Folks would have to MOVE. Like they moved between Pakistans and India when that nation broke up.

Committee member on U.S. Science, Space and Technology says Earth Is 9,000 Years Old

On By Rick McIn education, GOP USA, government, things getting worseLeave a comment

The earth is about 9,000 years old, according to U.S. House Representative Paul Broun, who is also a physician and member of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology of the House of Representatives.

“There are a lot of scientific data that I’ve found out as a scientist that actually show that this is really a young earth, ” Broun said in a videotape of the Sportsmen’s Banquet held on September 27 at Liberty Baptist Church in Hartwell, Georgia. “I don’t believe that the earth is but about 9,000 years old. I believe it was created in six days as we know them.”

via Scientific American

Paul Collins Broun, Jr. (born May 14, 1946) is the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 10th congressional district, serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party Caucus. …

Broun has been married four times. He has a son with his fourth wife, Nikki, and two daughters from previous marriages …

Seems to me a guy married 4 times is doomed to the “Pit of Hell”.

Young Earth creationism (YEC) is the religious belief that the Universe, Earth, and all life on Earth were created by direct acts of the Abrahamic God during a relatively short period, sometime between 5,700 and 10,000 years ago. Its primary adherents are those Christians and Jews who believe that God created the Earth in six 24-hour days, using a literal interpretation of the Genesis creation narrative as a basis.

The scientific consensus, supported by a 2006 statement by 68 national and international science academies, is that it is evidence-based fact derived from observations and experiments in multiple scientific disciplines that the universe has existed for around 13 billion years, that the Earth was formed about 4.5 billion years ago with life first appearing at least 2.5 billion years ago. …

I stand with the vast majority of scientists. It makes no sense to me that an eternal God would have created the world with millions of years of fossil records.

You can see evolution with your own eyes at the Burgess Shale in the Rockies.

Of course, Scientific American magazine considers Young Earth creationism nonsense.

That’s the same magazine that reports uncomfortable truths like this: Free Birth Control Access Can Reduce Abortion Rate By More than Half

I respect Paul Broun’s right to his own opinion. But how did he get on Science, Space and Technology?

Who’s fault was that?

Occupy Capitalism

On By Rick McIn economics, GOP USA, government, photos5 Comments

I’m naturally sympathetic to popular uprisings … the Tea Party and Occupy _______, for example.

Nothing ever improves unless people get passionate.

On the other hand, both those movements have been mostly irrational and incoherent. Especially Occupy.

Occupy what?

Here’s the first list of complaints I can understand:

• a failure to price public goods (clean air, water, etc.) effectively
• high levels of inequality
• “the provision and distribution of medical care”
• undervaluing of “the welfare of unborn generations”
• financial crises

Those are from Economist Kenneth Rogoff.

Rogoff, not surprisingly, feels that free market Capitalism is the best solution for each:

… I am often asked if the recent global financial crisis marks the beginning of the end of modern capitalism. It is a curious question, because it seems to presume that there is a viable replacement waiting in the wings. The truth of the matter is that, for now at least, the only serious alternatives to today’s dominant Anglo-American paradigm are other forms of capitalism. …

Is Modern Capitalism Sustainable?

Government regulatory reform is needed, not any experiment with Communism.

Why are the USA, Iceland, Ireland, Greece and Italy — to name a few — so much worse off than their economic neighbours?

That’s the question.

(via Freakonomics)

When Did the GOP Lose Touch With Reality?

On By Rick McIn ethics, GOP USA, governmentLeave a comment

OK, lets say you’re like this guy:

… I’ve been a Republican all my adult life. I have worked on the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal, at Forbes magazine, at the Manhattan and American Enterprise Institutes, as a speechwriter in the George W. Bush administration. I believe in free markets, low taxes, reasonable regulation, and limited government. I voted for John ­McCain in 2008, and I have strongly criticized the major policy decisions of the Obama administration. …

I can respect that.

I’m a fiscal conservative myself. Unfortunately the USA has no Party that’s proven itself fiscally conservative.

But what the Republicans have done since the rise of the Tea Party movement is simply wrong. And terribly wrong for the USA.

Historians will look back on this era as one of the low points of American history, especially if Obama wins again and they get another 4 years.

When this lying, evil scumbag is the voice of moderation in the field of candidates, you haven’t got much to choose from.

It’s worth reading David Frum … before you go on FOX TV and call him a closet Liberal.

NY Magazine – When Did the GOP Lose Touch With Reality?

Thanks Tom for the link.

Rick Perry – born again Republican

On By Rick McIn GOP USA, government, humourLeave a comment

I’m thinking Rick Perry could beat Obama in the next election, despite his looks … He looks like a made-for-TV-movie American President. Phoney.

Perry spent his first six years in politics as a Democrat, in a somewhat forgotten history that is sure to be revived and scrutinized by Republican opponents if he decides to run for president. …

Rick Perry: The Democrat Years

When I checked on that damning history on Wikipedia, I found that it was not included. Some Republican editing, I assume.

Next problem for Rick Perry – I’m not sure the Tea Party crowd is going to approve of his Corndog eating lifestyle.

Current:

Campaigning outside Pittsburgh today, GOP frontrunner Rick Perry attended a picnic at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Oil City where he enjoyed a foot long corndog while touring the fabulous reproduction of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.

There’s an old truism that politicians should never eat hotdogs. These photos will show you why.

meet President Michele Bachmann

On By Rick McIn GOP USA, government2 Comments

Now that Republicans have finally realized Sarah Palin is nothing more than a kook, the latest star on the horizon is Congress Woman Michele Bachmann from Minnesota.

Bachmann is a supporter of the Tea Party movement and is founder of the House Tea Party Caucus. …

more photos of President Bachmann

She’s not yet filed with the FEC to form an official exploratory committee, the first step in a run for the Republican nomination.

Mitch Daniels stills seems the best opponent for Obama, to me.

Gingrich, the worst. … Unless you count Jeb Bush.

WARN the Egyptians about Democracy … and Montana

On By Rick McIn GOP USA, government3 Comments

I’m shocked to see what’s happening in the Middle East.

Do they know what they are getting themselves into?

For your reading pleasure, here are some of the major pieces of legislation that have been put forward by the Tea Party Republicans who are now in control of the legislature. This is not a joke. These are real bills, and they are currently taking priority in the Montana legislature.

1. Legalize hunting with hand-thrown spear (Senate Bill 112)

2. Create fully-armed militia in every town (House Bill 278)

3. Allow legislators to carry weapons in the Capitol (Senate Bill 279)

4. Create an 11 person panel with authority to nullify all federal laws (House Bill 382)

5 Allow guns in schools (House Bill 558)

6. Eliminate educational requirements for persons seeking job of State Superintendent of Schools (HB 154)

7. Lift nuclear ban for purpose of building a nuclear reactor in the Flathead Valley (House Bill 326)

8. Withdraw the United States of America from the United Nations (Senate Joint Resolution 2)

9. Eliminate all state incentives for developing wind power (House Bill 244)

10. Omit Barak Obama’s name from the 2012, ballot because his father was born outside of America (House Bill 205)(this guy was on CNN this week)

11. Compulsory marriage counseling for people seeking a divorce (House Bill 438)

12. Give sheriffs authority over the federal government in terror investigations (Senate Bill 114)

13. Legalize hunting with silencers (House Bill 174)

14. Lift the prohibition on carrying concealed weapons in bars, churches and banks (House Bill 384)

15. Eliminate law that requires landlords to install carbon monoxide detectors (House Bill 354)

16. Require the federal government to prove in court that the National Parks were lawfully aquired. (House Bill 506)

17. Officially designate the “Code of the West” as the “Code of Montana” (Senate Bill 216)

UPDATE: 18. Declare that global warming is good. (House Bill 549)

Nutjob Bills in the Montana Legislature

I was OK with the Tea Party defying conventional politics. They are an entertaining protest movement. … But this is moronic.

The Tea Party obviously cannot govern.

No doubt the President will again want my advice for 2012. His prospects for reelection are looking up.

related – my friend Tom Chandler on Montana Bill (SB 306) – intended to revive highly toxic cyanide leach mining in the state.

Sarah Palin CHEATS on interview – pitiful

On By Rick McIn GOP USA, government1 Comment

Sarah Palin was lobbed a softball question at the right wing Tea Party Convention Q&A session, February 6, 2010.

Just to make sure she could remember all 3 talking points, Sarah double-checked the notes scrawled on her hand.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Even a co-worker on her employer’s network, FOX news, poked fun at Palin’s palm notes.

Republicans, you’re going to let this creampuff debate Obama?

Find a better candidate.