Sunday, November 16, 2008

Why I stay in the Democratic Party

Why does a conservative stay in the Democratic Party?

Because Republicans can't decide whether Stevens should be kicked out.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/773542.html

Because Republicans steal (I'm sorry, misappropriate) campaign funds.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/773519.html

And, because they just don't get it.

McCain lost because of (1) Republican corruption (2) Republican incompetence and (3) Obama's fundraising mega machine.

So, what do Republicans do about corruption? They tolerate the Foleys and the Craigs and the Stevenses. Can anyone honestly say they never heard advance rumors about the proclivities of these 'gentlemen' vis a vis young boys and public sex and 'gifts'? I heard the whispers about all three for years. And, there still not sure what to do about Stevens?

What do Republicans do about competence? After planning two simultaneous wars without considering the downside risk, and after limiting their post invasion war planning to deciding which "fine public square" in Baghdad they would rename for W, and after dithering while Katrina drowned New Orleans, they oversee the worst economic meltdown since the depression. And, then turn to socialist solutions.

And what do Republicans do with their campaign finances? Managing in spite of themselves to hold Obama to 3% in Florida, they waste valuable campaign funds on baseball tickets and private planes. Funds they might have used to take the state.

I stay a Democrat because Republicans are losers.

3 comments:

Eric said...

I consider myself a conservative before all else; allegiance to the Republican party has never been a priority. Nevertheless, I feel obliged to stick up for them, in a round about way.

I have to object to your line of reasoning: corrupt Republicans aren't that way because they're Republicans but because they're politicians.

Corruption and incompetence are not the sole provinces of Republicans. Barney Frank is a good example of what happens when malformed personal ethics and gross incompetence are rolled into one indivdual. He's paraded Forrest Gump-like through sexual misadventure to a position of influence on the Financial Services Committee, expanding the mandate of Fannie and Freddie along the way, thereby poisoning global financial markets with bad debt. Frank's story is typical of what happens when a politician lacking scruple accrues significant power; no matter how wrong or ill-informed he might be, he does whatever he can to maintain his influence.

Let's not forget that Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson made out like bandits by essentially doing what Frank and Maxine Waters insisted they do: buy up more risky mortgages. They cooked the books to obscure the GSE's risk exposure and spun golden parachutes that would be the envy of some Wall Street execs. Light was shone on this cavalcade of greed by regulators, John McCain and President Bush, to no avail. Frank, Waters et al made a calculation: it was better for the maintenance of their political power to support Raines than to insist he follow the rules like everyone else. They got what they wanted, and Republicans, being the "party of greed" took the fall.

What prime mover covered for Frank and Waters? Their fingerprints are at the scene, the veritable nexus of the financial whirlwind. They put in motion something they had neither the intellect or inclination to control, and successfully shifted the lion's share of the blame for the crisis to Wall Street. Why are they still slinking around the corridors of power?

jana said...

What Eric said...

I consider myself a Conservative before a Republican. And, on paper at least, the Republican party is closer to my beliefs than the Democrats.

The Republican party right now is a disaster. Reagan was a Republican. I believe in Reagan's beliefs.

Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, Eric Cantor, and a whole slew of other "young guns" will bring respectibility back to the party.

Republicans became politicians. Therein lies the problem.

JamesR said...

What Eric and Speakdog said applies 100% to me also, Barry. I too am a conservative, and am only a registered Republican, because of the lack of alternatives.

It is easy to take potshots at one party or the other. To add to Eric's, the Dem party also has the man who knowingly allowed a girl to suffocate in his car - her face pressed up against the back windshield sucking the last gulp of air before she died; while he was off planning his "spin" and cover story with his advisors....and he's the venerated and beloved "Grand Old Lion" of the Senate in your party. But that's okay - the Official Narrative of 1960-1963 written by the fawning media and fawning liberals in academia who write the history texts, was that his older brother's time was the Golden Age of Camelot. Instead of a shockingly amoral guy who ran with the mob, in between doing his various mistresses in the White House. Who was followed by LBJ - quite possibly the most dishonest and corrupt politician ever to occupy the white house

[We now see the same circumspection from the media on any possible "dirty laundry" when it comes to The Messiah. It's 1960 all over again. Lucky us!].

And would the Republicans be able to get away with having an unrepentant and unapologetic former KKK Grand Dragon as one its grand old lions of the house - who is also the "king of pork"?

And what's the name of that congressman who had $90,000 in cash, stuffed in his freezer, last year?

Campaign finance problems? Hell, Obama and his team are NEVER going to be called to account for the intentional turning off of their credit card ID programs, thus allowing unlimited (and illegal) contributions to come flowing in. And if Al Franken manages to steal his election, by a few hundred votes, it will be because of massive voter fraud, and ballot corruption. But your "fair and balanced" (snort) Miami-Herald will NEVER run any sort of article detailing any of that.

Let's not forget the good old double standard either. One example - Bob Packwood sexually harasses? He gets run out of the Senate. Your hero, who has the morals of an alley cat - gosh the silence from NOW on his schenanigans sure was deafening, wasn't it. And he would be the Grand Old Man and official Voice of the Party, but for that Chicago Machine Politician who came out of nowhere in 2008, who kicked him to the curb.

Sure there are PLENTY of scumbags and total losers in the Republican party. WAY too many. And they should be thrown out. My only point is, for every Tit there is a Tat. Neither party is exactly weighed down with honest Saints.

So why do I retain my Republican voter registration?

There are several secondary issues (e.g., 2nd amendment rights to name one), but primarily my reason is because I believe that Nanny State Euro-style Socialism is bad for America; and our system of regulated capitalism is why we have remained the envy of the world and the No.1 most desired destination for immigrants from EVERY sort of culture, for the past 250 years.

The Repub party has loads of individual big government socialists - but there is at least a CHANCE they can be converted or purged. But you can't exactly get rid of the socialists from the official Socialist Party of America, now can you.

And the HUMONGO sized federal government, centralized bureacratric control, heavy regulations, heavy corporate taxes philosophy people are FULLY and COMPLETELY in control of your party. And with the help from their allies in the MSM, (along with the big government ear-mark loving "moderates" on the other side of the aisle) they have convinced the American people that 7% unemployment justifies the same sort of heavy-handed government action that was implemented when we had 25% unemployment in the early 1930's. This economic crisis is, in my cynical opinion, not causing the slightest bit of actual concern, among the majority party. It is a cause for glee. It is a golden opportunity to consolidate even MORE power in to the incompetant and inefficient hands of our ruling class overlords (from both parties) in Washington DC.