Count the ways . . .

Let's count the ways in which the Republican presidential candidates are way out of step with the American people:

1. 75% agree with Obama's decision to withdraw all U. S. troops from Iraq by the end of the year (96% of Democrats, 77% of Independents, and even 43% of Republicans). Yet, I believe, all of the candidates except Ron Paul disagree, saying either that Obama is doing it for political gain or because he fumbled the negotiations with the Iraqis. He should have forced them to let us stay longer, they say. They ignore the fact that this is the established, legal timetable in the Status of Forces Agreement that George W. Bush signed as an international treaty with Iraq before Obama was even elected.

2. By a 2:1 margin (66% to 32%), Americans favor raising taxes on the wealthy. And by an even great margin (76% to 26%) they want to eliminate some of the deductions that let corporations pay little, or even no, taxes.

3. A Pew Research poll in September showed 43% of Americans picking the job situation as the most pressing issue, as opposed to 22% who said the federal deficit.

4. In November 2010, a CNN/Opinion Research poll found 72% of American who favor letting gays and lesbian serve openly in the military, while only 23% opposed.

5. Full legal recognition of same-sex marriage is now favored by a slight majority, 51% to 47%. A similar 51% oppose DOMA, while only 34% support it and 54% oppose the House stepping in to defend it in court after the Dept. of Justice declined to defend it any longer.

All of these poll results speak clearly about where the American people are. But where are the Republican candidates? Pandering to the lowest common denominator, as usual, in their loud opposition to every one of these positions favored in polls.

(1) They excoriate Obama for pulling out troops our of Iraq; (2) they adamantly oppose raising taxes on the wealthy or on corporations; (3) they dug in to fight against every job-creating measure in preference to raising the debt ceiling; (4) some of them vow to reinstate DADT if elected; and (5) John Boehner's House is spending $1 million in tax dollars to mount a defense of DOMA.

So why is there a risk that they might win even more power in 2012? Why wouldn't they be resoundingly defeated?

Because Republicans know how to deceive voters and entice them to vote against their own interests and their beliefs; and they are aided in this by Fox News and other right wing tv and radio talk show hosts who amplify and expand all their lies and distortions.

Democrats have a huge job of public remedial education to do. My fear is that with all the hoop-la going on among the GOP primary campaigns, those lies will stick in people's minds and be hard to dislodge when the general election campaign get into full swing.

Ralph