One Progressive’s View: What is the Conservative’s Mindset-Part II (1/24/2012)
My brother and I were speaking about politics the other day and he said that Newt Gingrich is underestimated and will sail on to the GOP nomination and the Presidency, next year. He said all this even though he is not a Republican. I watched the debates both from South Carolina and Florida. I told my brother, that I wish that the GOP would select Newt as its standard bearer in the fall but it was not likely to happen. Although he pointed to Newt’s success in South Carolina, I believed that was an aberration rather than the rule. The model found in New Hampshire and most probably Florida is the better picture of how the GOP electorate would vote nationwide. Romney has too many advantages to be defeated easily, in spite of glaring flaws.
If the GOP wanted a true conservative, Santorum is the more consistent choice. Let’s face it, Romney does not inspire the social conservative evangelical base of the party that is predominant in South Carolinian politics. That is not likely to play well outside of the “South”. I do not consider Florida as part of the Southern voting block. The South Carolina vote was a protest vote and they were looking for a scrap with Barack Obama and wanted someone who would give voice to that frustration. It always bugged me about conservatives that this ‘anyone but Obama’ position would allow them to consider for the nomination someone that would contradict so many of their time honored values.
This guy with the lame excuse as to lack of fidelity to his former spouses says that he was caught up in the job of governing and that he sought and acquired forgiveness from “the Father” in that regard. The rightwing ministers all flock to the Newt saying that “he has seen the light”. There is a reason that the gathering of evangelicals in Texas put their support behind Santorum. I wonder why they cannot give Obama a fraction of the credit for have a solid nuclear family that has remained intact? Since the GOP says that they are the party of family values, I am going to measure them by the standard that they put forth. I think that that is fair.
What about the talk about eliminating capital gains taxes? Even Romney was smart enough not to admit to the entire world that the wealthy should not have to pay any taxes on this, which can well be the predominant source of their income. You know why, because Gingrich says that they are the ‘job creators” and as such should reap a reward for this risk. What jobs? This is a “let them eat cake” sort of bloated plutocrat, trying to sell us all on a bill of goods.
As for all his professed brilliance, removing union labor by having middle school children cleaning bathrooms for example, he is just a legend in his own mind. He reminds me much more of the Steve Martin character in the 1979 comedy, “The Jerk”. Instead of the master debater, he is the master equivocator. A lunar colony and 13K population is sufficient for their applying for statehood after 2020? The man is a lunatic. With the shuttle retired and no launch vehicle currently available, a permanent presence on the moon is ambitious and will take much longer than 8 years to accomplish. Believe me, he is no JFK! From where does he come up with this stuff?
So now the moon is our 51st state? He takes a fact here and there drenching them in the gravy of lie and distortions. This is the equivalent to liberally scenting bull s*** with Chanel No. 5. There isn’t a person more qualified to toss red meat into the anxious crowds. I wish the GOP would bring him to the contest against the President next fall. But alas, even the right-winger is probably smart enough to avoid it.
But on the other hand, Romney is not off of the hook, either. He was rather tepid when asked about his tax returns. We should demand that he provide them on not just over the past year, but a few more. What do you have to hide? If I were the GOP, I would be concern that their nominee be thoroughly vetted prior to being coronated. Romney wants folks to wait until April as a delaying tactic, but it will not work. Let’s see how much of an aristocrat and out of touch he is, while telling people of far more modest means that he can fix the economy. Did he thwart the tax code with his off shore depositories of wealth? That will remain to be seen. Can’t have a president that circumvents the law, doesn’t set a very good example, now does it?
I have traveled across most over 47 of 50 states within my lifetime and I take a little pride in knowing a little about the American people. I expect Romney to win in Florida, while my brother says that Newt will continue to surprise us all. With the exception of the Florida panhandle, the voters are different. Many of the transplants from northern climes are more interested in the economy and don’t need to have newt-tron bombs exploding all about. Well, I told my brother to leave politics and politicians to the experts and expect to have to eat a copious amount of crow without the benefit of any seasoning the very minute of the results of the Florida contest is in. So, what do you think?
