Newt Gingrich is not even running for anything, but he's out there trying to find a parade to jump in front of. His latest attention-seeker was to declare that we should have attacked Iran and North Korea. We're letting down Bush's brave beginning, when he named the Axis of Evil Three. And, despite the Bush Doctrine, pace Palin, we have only taken out one of them. Tsk tsk. I guess Newt wants us to be fighting four wars; two just aren't enough. So, Newtie, surely you'll be advocating bringing back the draft and raising taxes to pay for it, no?
Rush Limbaugh isn't running either, but he's trying to keep the birther movement going. It's lost steam lately, with all the hysteria focused on illegal immigrants. But Rush blared forth this morning, remarking that today is Obama's birthday -- "not that we've seen any proof of that."
Oh, yes, immigration. There's Arizona and all the me-too gubernatorial candidates from other states, who promise similar laws. Here in GA, both Republicans in the run-off would, while Democrat Roy Barnes says he wouldn't.
Arizona still simmers with near hysteria whomped up about the violence caused by the illegals, and how, if the feds won't arrest 'em, by god their sherrif can do the job. (Never mind that the crime rates have actually gone down significantly in the past few years in Arizona, even in the border counties.)
But forget such small change as state laws, which the feds can sue you for. Now they want to take it deeper: repeal part of the 14th amendment to the Constitution -- yes, the amendment that abolished slavery. It also contains a clause that guarantees citizenship to any child born in the United States, regardless of the citizenship of the parents. They want to get rid of that, so they can get rid of all those babies the illegal immigrants make. Gov. Bobby Jindal is one of those babies, having been born of in this country of Indian parents in just such a situation.
GOP leaders like Mitch McConnell and John McCain haven't quite joined those demanding that the 14th be changed, but they both are calling for "hearings" to explore the issue. What a perfect position to take in the heat of a campaign. Flirt with an extremist position, so you can appeal to that crowd, but stop short of endorsing it; just call for hearings, so you seem more calmly reasonable to the few not unhinged members of their party.
And then there's Sharron Angle, trying to beat Harry Reid in the Nevada senate primary. Nuttier than Sarah Palin, and not nearly as pretty, she's claiming the Democrats are violating the "First Commandment." Right, not amendment but commandment. You need to read her own words from an interview on a Christian radio station:
"I know people are very frightened about what's going on in this country. And these programs that you mentioned -- that Obama has going with Reid and Pelosi pushing them forward -- are all entitlement programs built to make government our God. And that's really what's happening in this country is a violation of the First Commandment [Thou shall make no other gods before me.] We have become a country entrenched in idolatry, and that idolatry is the dependency upon our government. We're supposed to depend upon God for our protection and our provision and for our daily bread, not for our government. And you've just identified the real crux of the problem."Fine, Sharron. Except that God isn't doing very well taking care of the unemployed and uninsured, even though the Republican senators you want to join are doing their dead-level best to prevent the government from doing its job -- I guess, from what you say, so God would have a chance. Is that it? But if God is so powerful, why doesn't he just take over the country and do it right? Show those awful Democrats how a country should be run.
Boy, this one presents a dilemma, just like Palin for President. Nominate the ditsy dame so she will be easier to beat by the Dems in the general election. But, what if the unthinkable should happen?
Ralph
OK, here's another one. Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes is trying to scare folks about the Democratic candidate, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooer. Seems they have a bicycle-sharing program in downtown Denver. You know, a rack of bikes, you borrow one and return it when you've done your errands -- it keeps lot of cars off the road, burning gas and polluting the air, and making us dependent on foreign oil.
ReplyDeleteBecause this idea is promoted by an international sustainability movement, Maes sees a nefarious plot to turn American into a "United Nations community." To the paranoid fringe, that's a bad thing, see. It deprives people of their freedom, and things like that.
Oh, for the simple days when the threat was a communist under every bed or in the State Department. At least we know who the enemy was.