In my family and circle of friends, I’ve always been considered something of an expert on politics. Given that I hold degrees (yes, plural) in the subject, this should come as no surprise. When questions arise, I’m the resource of choice for my loved ones (bite me, Google!) Recently, one of my closest friends came to me with a question: “Pauly, who the hell is Michele Bachmann?” That’s a great question, but not one that I could really answer in great detail (as is customary for me.)
The reason for my short file on Bachmann is pretty simple: there isn’t much to know. Bachmann is known more for her gaffes and “bat-sh*t crazy” reputation than anything else. At 54, she has served about five years in the U.S. House without much distinction other than having been a co-founder of the chamber’s Tea Party caucus. The Tea Partiers seem to love her, leaving everyone with an IQ above 75 to ask why. Bachmann recently found herself in the primary battleground state of New Hampshire, where she twice said the Revolutionary War started in the state (it started in Massachusetts, folks!) While it is true that the two states both have cities named Lexington and Concord, it is Palin-esque for anyone who fancies themselves a Presidential contender to make such a flub.
The ironic part is that Bachmann is not Palin, O’Donnell, or Sharron Angle. Bachmann actually holds two law degrees (the second from the prestigious William and Mary College of Law,) and once worked for the Internal Revenue Service. Were she any of the other three of the Tea Party’s pillars of female brilliance (in other words, were she lucky to have an undergraduate degree from a middling school,) then we could understand … but Bachmann is actually (among the four,) considered to be "The Smart One"!
To be sure, Tea Party voters are not known for their detailed, brilliant platforms and positions. Most of their (ahem) “positions” are based on their collective comfort with ignorance. It’s a virtue and they espouse it (check out the signs at one of their rallies some time.) The Tea Party reminds me a lot of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who willingly referred to themselves as “idiots.” The difference is that the Sox had talent and the Tea Party has real idiots.
Bachmann is best known for voting against any kind of progressive legislation and for writing the occasional cuckoo bill. She recently proposed a bill that would bar the American dollar from ever being replaced as the national currency (which would be illegal and unconstitutional, anyway.) Her finest bit of legislative craftsmanship is arguably the Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act, which hasn’t, as yet, passed and probably won’t get past the Democratically-controlled Senate. Bachmann has brought the bill up twice now.
Bachmann was not born into a Republican family. On the contrary, she was a Democrat until he Senior Year in college. That year, she read Burr, Gore Vidal's novel (that is a work of FICTION) about the late Vice President and accused traitor. Bachmann felt Vidal “was kind of mocking the Founding Fathers” in the book and decided “I don't think I am a Democrat. I must be a Republican.”
To sum up: five distinction free years in the lower chamber of Congress, a decent fund-raising record, a failed light bulb law, and a failed run at a lower-rung House leadership position is all that is on Bachmann’s rap sheet. She is popular with the Tea Partiers (which is a bit like being the kid in summer school that almost passed that remedial math class,) and was selected to give their response to Obama’s State of the Union address this year. That and five dollars will buy her a caramel mocha latté, but won’t get near the White House. I say we all thank God and move on!
Showing posts with label Tea Party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tea Party. Show all posts
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The pursuit of the Presidency is a topic that has always been near and dear to my little liberal heart. I’ve been watching with fervent interest since I was a little kid. I am thirty-five years old and have intently watched and followed every Presidential race since the age of four (1980.) I’ll be the first to admit that’s kind of an anomaly among children, but I never said I was a normal child – ask anyone that knew me back then and they’ll respond similarly.
To a young me, the most interesting part of the Presidential races was the “weeding out” process. It’s kind of like watching American Idol ®: almost anyone can come to the auditions, but they are usually laughed at and ejected from the building (George W. Bush was the extreme exception.) The Constitution is fairly vague about who can be President, so nearly anyone with money and some name recognition can give it a whirl. That makes our democracy great – and makes the process amusing.
History is littered with Presidential wannabes, especially since the primaries began in earnest in 1960. Primaries mean anything can happen! Governors and Senators usually make the best candidates, but that’s not a requirement. Members of the House are free to try their hand, but always fail because a House seat doesn’t give you enough exposure to the national media. A House seat is a nice stepping stone to a Senate seat or a Governor’s mansion, but not to running the country (just ask Dick Gephardt and Ron Paul.)
In Texas Hold ‘Em ®, when dealt some great cards that can lead to one of the best possible hands, it is said that player has the “nuts” to a great combination. Becoming a President nominee is a lot like that. To be a competitive candidate for President of the United States, you need a few criteria to be working in your favor: money, credentials, educational background, name recognition, contacts, timing, a clear schedule (which helped give Jack Kennedy the 1960 Democratic nod over then Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson,) and intangibles. Intangibles are attributes like charisma, energy, speaking skills, a good staff, organizational skills, and political adeptness. Being telegenic really helps, as well. One need not possess all of these qualities, but it really does help; and, of course, having much of one can paper over not having so much of another.
Another, lesser noted factor is if you’ve tried before. This builds contacts, fund-raising networks, and name recognition (the importance of which cannot be understated – we are all far more likely to vote for a candidate with whom we are at least somewhat familiar.) Many eventual nominees succeeded only after having previously lost. Al Gore won in 2000 only after having failed in 1988; Bob Dole won in 1996 after having lost in 1980 and 1988; Reagan won in 1980 after losing in 1976 and having been a fringe candidate in 1968; and George H.W. Bush won in 1988 after having failed in 1980.
Another factor is age. Although the Constitution doesn’t specify what is “too old,” there is what I call a “soft age limit” (recently somewhat adjusted.) The “energy” factor comes into play here as older people have lower energy levels that do their younger counterparts and running for the Presidency is grueling. It takes two or so years of night and day activity to mount a successful campaign. This makes national-level politics a relatively young person’s game.
Anyone that does not currently occupy the White House who is much past seventy probably won’t win a major party nomination unless the choices are just not all that appealing. Ronald Reagan’s age caused a bit of a stir in 1980 as he was just about seventy; but Reagan was a very hardy seventy and didn’t look it. John McCain and Bob Dole were both seventy-two when nominated and neither man came particularly close.
A last factor that many candidates of late seem to ignore is what I call the “window” factor (named after a Space Shuttle’s launch window, which is the time frame for a successful launch. Once it’s gone, so are your chances of making it into space successfully.) There is a finite time period for politicians to make the jump to the big time. They are difficult to predict and once they’re over, so usually are the candidate’s chances. Many candidates wait until too long past their primes to run.
A great example of the window factor is former Sen. Bill Bradley. Bradley was a Princeton grad and an NBA Hall of Fame player. Nearly straight out of the NBA, he leveraged his contacts and name recognition into a seat in the U.S. Senate. He was a media darling and, while he was winning in landslides, was considered a contender for the biggest prize. But, thanks to Christie Todd Whitman and an auto tax issue (over which he, as a U.S. Senator, had zero power,) he had a close scrape in 1990 that left him gun shy and out of the wide-open 1992 nomination fight. Bradley retired from the Senate after 1996 and didn’t mount his only shot until 2000, when Al Gore was all but handed the crown.
The window factor is a phenomenon with which Mr. Gingrich is about to become intimately familiar. I’m not saying it can’t be done, I’m saying it is unlikely; and even if the candidate wins the nomination, they’re even more unlikely to be elected unless the other party simply pits a terrible nominee against them. There was a time and a place that Newt Gingrich might have had the gravitas to be considered a serious candidate; that time was 1996 and it’s gone!
Ronald Reagan was well past his prime in 1980, but he was running against Jimmy Carter in a terrible economy – so the voters gave him a pass and elected him anyway. Bob Dole circa 1996 was well past his expiration date, as well, and the people didn’t bite. Dole’s best shot was 1980 or even 1988 and he managed to be an also-ran both times. John McCain’s best chance would’ve been 2000, but he came up against a well-funded and organized George W. Bush and fell by the wayside.
The window factor is big reason why people who start and win statewide races while young have a better shot later. Al Gore, Jr. was twenty-eight when he was first elected to the House and was thirty-six upon going to the Senate. He was at just forty the first time he sought the Presidency and set himself up nicely for a near-miss (victory, really) at fifty-two. Bill Clinton was just thirty-two when he was elected Governor of Arkansas the first time and that set him up nicely to become President at just forty-six. President Obama was a bit older (forty-three) when he was elected to the Senate for the first time, but he’s the closest thing electoral politics has to Superman.
Lastly, the window factor is a big reason why I personally feel that Hillary Rodham Clinton will never be President of the United States. Mrs. Clinton was a relative late-comer to politics, as she was fifty-three when she was first elected to the Senate (this isn’t her fault since she was First Lady for the preceding eight years and couldn’t, in all conscience, run for anything.) Hillary had her shot in 2008, but ran up against the Obama juggernaut (and her own severe lack of charisma and retail political skills.) She’ll be approaching seventy years old by the time she gets ready to give it another go, and, Secretary of State or not, she probably won’t be anymore successful next time. This highlights why it is so difficult to become President: even if you have the skill set, can raise the money, are young enough with enough experience, and hit your window perfectly, there is still the competition. You have to be good and lucky! Hillary, unfortunately, was not and likely realized this, which is why she held on so long to her 2008 campaign. Props to Mrs. Clinton for realizing this, but 2016 will be a time for younger guns to give it their best.
2012
I’ve already written on the GOP’s still growing stable of 2012 candidates. They are not impressive and there just isn’t that much in the pipeline. There are more current and former members of the House in it this time (there’s usually at least one that ignores reality and spends other people’s money in vain.) Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, former House Speaker Gingrich, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, and Rep. Hunter Pence of Indiana (who recently all but ruled out a run) are all in the mix. Past that, we have the holdovers: twin former Governors and runner-ups from 2008 are Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. Some other former Governors include Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Buddy Roemer of Louisiana. Strangely enough, no sitting members of the Senate seem to be interested, as the GOP’s best hope there is Sen. Jon Thune of South Dakota and he’s already ruled it out. As usual, the loser’s running mate is giving it a look: that would be former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.
Palin is a strange figure, as she may well have helped cost McCain the crown last time and resigned her Governorship of the nation’s least populous state midway through her first term. Beyond that, her rap sheet includes time as a small town mayor and a seat on the state pipeline commission. Mrs. Palin lacks any real qualifications outside of being attractive, fund-raising prowess, and the ability to give decent speeches as long as there is no question-and-answer period. Her disapproval ratings are in the sixty percent range (!!!) and she is better suited to a reality show than the White House.
Roemer is a blast from the past: a former one-term Governor, a party-switcher, and a man best remembered for having been lucky to have been elected in the first place. Gingrich is a serial adulterer who recently blamed his multiple affairs on his love for country (good luck selling that one, Newt.) As stated, Mr. Gingrich had a time and place and it’s where it belongs: in the history books. Although Gingrich is a brilliant man, he’ll be lucky if the GOP lets him speak at next year’s convention. Ron Paul is this year’s John Anderson and probably should bow out early and clear the airwaves for his prodigal son (and somehow now Senator from Tennessee,) Rand. Hunter Pence is fooling himself as, luckily for the rest of us, is Ms. Bachmann.
At this point, the battle for the GOP’s 2012 nod looks to be a contest between former Governors Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. Huckabee is a failed preacher whose only real virtue is a relatively scandal-free political and home life. “Huck” may play well with the tractor-as-a-motor-vehicle crowd, but the mainstream electorate will not be anointing the cum laude graduate of Ouchita Baptist University to run their lives unless President Obama is caught on camera committing bestiality.
Mr. Romney has problems, too, chief among them the fact that the evangelicals that will love Huckabee will cast a weary eye toward his religion (Mormonism.) Now, that isn’t fair, but neither is Presidential politics. Despite sterling academic credentials (Harvard undergrad and a joint Law Degree/MBA,) money (he’s worth around $200 million,) pedigree (his father was Governor of Michigan and Nixon’s Secretary of HUD,) Romney lacks any real political experience outside of his one term as Governor of a deep blue state (Massachusetts,) where his biggest accomplishment was signing into law (gasp) universal health care coverage.
The GOP field is still wide open and anyone could, and probably will, mount a bid. Pretty much anyone can give it a try. Heck, we live in a country where men like Howard Dean and Pete du Pont have gotten their dance cards punched! Even Alexander Haig, who never did hold an elected office, ran once. Why not? Who cares, it isn’t their money anyway!
In closing, the one person on the GOP side who bears close watching for the next year or so (but has tepidly ruled it out until the big wigs can talk him into it,) is none other than my least favorite former Governor of my home state of Florida, John E. “Jeb” Bush. His name recognition is off the charts; he’s also got nothing else to do. He’s said to be content planning for his son’s political future, but that could change tomorrow. The money would be there and who knows, maybe the electorate will forget exactly how stupid his brother is. Jeb is only fifty-eight and, although he lacks real academic credentials, so did Lyndon Johnson and he won in the greatest landslide ever in 1964. Bush is also still popular enough in Florida to all but guarantee himself the swing state and is much shrewder than either of the two former Presidents in his family, so he bears watching.
To a young me, the most interesting part of the Presidential races was the “weeding out” process. It’s kind of like watching American Idol ®: almost anyone can come to the auditions, but they are usually laughed at and ejected from the building (George W. Bush was the extreme exception.) The Constitution is fairly vague about who can be President, so nearly anyone with money and some name recognition can give it a whirl. That makes our democracy great – and makes the process amusing.
History is littered with Presidential wannabes, especially since the primaries began in earnest in 1960. Primaries mean anything can happen! Governors and Senators usually make the best candidates, but that’s not a requirement. Members of the House are free to try their hand, but always fail because a House seat doesn’t give you enough exposure to the national media. A House seat is a nice stepping stone to a Senate seat or a Governor’s mansion, but not to running the country (just ask Dick Gephardt and Ron Paul.)
In Texas Hold ‘Em ®, when dealt some great cards that can lead to one of the best possible hands, it is said that player has the “nuts” to a great combination. Becoming a President nominee is a lot like that. To be a competitive candidate for President of the United States, you need a few criteria to be working in your favor: money, credentials, educational background, name recognition, contacts, timing, a clear schedule (which helped give Jack Kennedy the 1960 Democratic nod over then Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson,) and intangibles. Intangibles are attributes like charisma, energy, speaking skills, a good staff, organizational skills, and political adeptness. Being telegenic really helps, as well. One need not possess all of these qualities, but it really does help; and, of course, having much of one can paper over not having so much of another.
Another, lesser noted factor is if you’ve tried before. This builds contacts, fund-raising networks, and name recognition (the importance of which cannot be understated – we are all far more likely to vote for a candidate with whom we are at least somewhat familiar.) Many eventual nominees succeeded only after having previously lost. Al Gore won in 2000 only after having failed in 1988; Bob Dole won in 1996 after having lost in 1980 and 1988; Reagan won in 1980 after losing in 1976 and having been a fringe candidate in 1968; and George H.W. Bush won in 1988 after having failed in 1980.
Another factor is age. Although the Constitution doesn’t specify what is “too old,” there is what I call a “soft age limit” (recently somewhat adjusted.) The “energy” factor comes into play here as older people have lower energy levels that do their younger counterparts and running for the Presidency is grueling. It takes two or so years of night and day activity to mount a successful campaign. This makes national-level politics a relatively young person’s game.
Anyone that does not currently occupy the White House who is much past seventy probably won’t win a major party nomination unless the choices are just not all that appealing. Ronald Reagan’s age caused a bit of a stir in 1980 as he was just about seventy; but Reagan was a very hardy seventy and didn’t look it. John McCain and Bob Dole were both seventy-two when nominated and neither man came particularly close.
A last factor that many candidates of late seem to ignore is what I call the “window” factor (named after a Space Shuttle’s launch window, which is the time frame for a successful launch. Once it’s gone, so are your chances of making it into space successfully.) There is a finite time period for politicians to make the jump to the big time. They are difficult to predict and once they’re over, so usually are the candidate’s chances. Many candidates wait until too long past their primes to run.
A great example of the window factor is former Sen. Bill Bradley. Bradley was a Princeton grad and an NBA Hall of Fame player. Nearly straight out of the NBA, he leveraged his contacts and name recognition into a seat in the U.S. Senate. He was a media darling and, while he was winning in landslides, was considered a contender for the biggest prize. But, thanks to Christie Todd Whitman and an auto tax issue (over which he, as a U.S. Senator, had zero power,) he had a close scrape in 1990 that left him gun shy and out of the wide-open 1992 nomination fight. Bradley retired from the Senate after 1996 and didn’t mount his only shot until 2000, when Al Gore was all but handed the crown.
The window factor is a phenomenon with which Mr. Gingrich is about to become intimately familiar. I’m not saying it can’t be done, I’m saying it is unlikely; and even if the candidate wins the nomination, they’re even more unlikely to be elected unless the other party simply pits a terrible nominee against them. There was a time and a place that Newt Gingrich might have had the gravitas to be considered a serious candidate; that time was 1996 and it’s gone!
Ronald Reagan was well past his prime in 1980, but he was running against Jimmy Carter in a terrible economy – so the voters gave him a pass and elected him anyway. Bob Dole circa 1996 was well past his expiration date, as well, and the people didn’t bite. Dole’s best shot was 1980 or even 1988 and he managed to be an also-ran both times. John McCain’s best chance would’ve been 2000, but he came up against a well-funded and organized George W. Bush and fell by the wayside.
The window factor is big reason why people who start and win statewide races while young have a better shot later. Al Gore, Jr. was twenty-eight when he was first elected to the House and was thirty-six upon going to the Senate. He was at just forty the first time he sought the Presidency and set himself up nicely for a near-miss (victory, really) at fifty-two. Bill Clinton was just thirty-two when he was elected Governor of Arkansas the first time and that set him up nicely to become President at just forty-six. President Obama was a bit older (forty-three) when he was elected to the Senate for the first time, but he’s the closest thing electoral politics has to Superman.
Lastly, the window factor is a big reason why I personally feel that Hillary Rodham Clinton will never be President of the United States. Mrs. Clinton was a relative late-comer to politics, as she was fifty-three when she was first elected to the Senate (this isn’t her fault since she was First Lady for the preceding eight years and couldn’t, in all conscience, run for anything.) Hillary had her shot in 2008, but ran up against the Obama juggernaut (and her own severe lack of charisma and retail political skills.) She’ll be approaching seventy years old by the time she gets ready to give it another go, and, Secretary of State or not, she probably won’t be anymore successful next time. This highlights why it is so difficult to become President: even if you have the skill set, can raise the money, are young enough with enough experience, and hit your window perfectly, there is still the competition. You have to be good and lucky! Hillary, unfortunately, was not and likely realized this, which is why she held on so long to her 2008 campaign. Props to Mrs. Clinton for realizing this, but 2016 will be a time for younger guns to give it their best.
I’ve already written on the GOP’s still growing stable of 2012 candidates. They are not impressive and there just isn’t that much in the pipeline. There are more current and former members of the House in it this time (there’s usually at least one that ignores reality and spends other people’s money in vain.) Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, former House Speaker Gingrich, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, and Rep. Hunter Pence of Indiana (who recently all but ruled out a run) are all in the mix. Past that, we have the holdovers: twin former Governors and runner-ups from 2008 are Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. Some other former Governors include Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Buddy Roemer of Louisiana. Strangely enough, no sitting members of the Senate seem to be interested, as the GOP’s best hope there is Sen. Jon Thune of South Dakota and he’s already ruled it out. As usual, the loser’s running mate is giving it a look: that would be former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.
Palin is a strange figure, as she may well have helped cost McCain the crown last time and resigned her Governorship of the nation’s least populous state midway through her first term. Beyond that, her rap sheet includes time as a small town mayor and a seat on the state pipeline commission. Mrs. Palin lacks any real qualifications outside of being attractive, fund-raising prowess, and the ability to give decent speeches as long as there is no question-and-answer period. Her disapproval ratings are in the sixty percent range (!!!) and she is better suited to a reality show than the White House.
Roemer is a blast from the past: a former one-term Governor, a party-switcher, and a man best remembered for having been lucky to have been elected in the first place. Gingrich is a serial adulterer who recently blamed his multiple affairs on his love for country (good luck selling that one, Newt.) As stated, Mr. Gingrich had a time and place and it’s where it belongs: in the history books. Although Gingrich is a brilliant man, he’ll be lucky if the GOP lets him speak at next year’s convention. Ron Paul is this year’s John Anderson and probably should bow out early and clear the airwaves for his prodigal son (and somehow now Senator from Tennessee,) Rand. Hunter Pence is fooling himself as, luckily for the rest of us, is Ms. Bachmann.
At this point, the battle for the GOP’s 2012 nod looks to be a contest between former Governors Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. Huckabee is a failed preacher whose only real virtue is a relatively scandal-free political and home life. “Huck” may play well with the tractor-as-a-motor-vehicle crowd, but the mainstream electorate will not be anointing the cum laude graduate of Ouchita Baptist University to run their lives unless President Obama is caught on camera committing bestiality.
Mr. Romney has problems, too, chief among them the fact that the evangelicals that will love Huckabee will cast a weary eye toward his religion (Mormonism.) Now, that isn’t fair, but neither is Presidential politics. Despite sterling academic credentials (Harvard undergrad and a joint Law Degree/MBA,) money (he’s worth around $200 million,) pedigree (his father was Governor of Michigan and Nixon’s Secretary of HUD,) Romney lacks any real political experience outside of his one term as Governor of a deep blue state (Massachusetts,) where his biggest accomplishment was signing into law (gasp) universal health care coverage.
The GOP field is still wide open and anyone could, and probably will, mount a bid. Pretty much anyone can give it a try. Heck, we live in a country where men like Howard Dean and Pete du Pont have gotten their dance cards punched! Even Alexander Haig, who never did hold an elected office, ran once. Why not? Who cares, it isn’t their money anyway!
In closing, the one person on the GOP side who bears close watching for the next year or so (but has tepidly ruled it out until the big wigs can talk him into it,) is none other than my least favorite former Governor of my home state of Florida, John E. “Jeb” Bush. His name recognition is off the charts; he’s also got nothing else to do. He’s said to be content planning for his son’s political future, but that could change tomorrow. The money would be there and who knows, maybe the electorate will forget exactly how stupid his brother is. Jeb is only fifty-eight and, although he lacks real academic credentials, so did Lyndon Johnson and he won in the greatest landslide ever in 1964. Bush is also still popular enough in Florida to all but guarantee himself the swing state and is much shrewder than either of the two former Presidents in his family, so he bears watching.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
As a long-time political observer and activist, I have seen a great many actions by the GOP that I thought foolhardy, at best. I literally could fill an entire blog post with “why did they do that” questions, and perhaps one day I shall, but not today. Today’s question is really quite simple: Has the Republican Party lost it’s collective mind or are they simply so arrogant, based simply on something as fickle and troublesome as polling data, that they feel they cannot lose this year? The GOP voters have made some decisions this year that defy all logic. So much so that it has led me to excoriate them for their own stupidity. This blog entry is about the two biggest debacles that the GOP has perpetuated upon itself this year.
Florida
In Florida, my home for thirty years, the GOP primary voters had what seemed like a very simple choice, Attorney General Bill McCollum or “entrepreneur” Rick Scott, as their party’s nominee for Governor. The voters picked Mr. Scott, 46% - 43%, after a nasty, expensive campaign. Bill McCollum is not a name that excites people; he is a banal, tedious, mild politician with little charisma - this guy’s speeches couldn’t excite a crowd of ADHD kids pre-loaded with Milky Way bars. Nevertheless, he has been a steady, if unspectacular, Attorney General and served the people of Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives for twenty years (1981 – 2001.) McCollum’s only big problem was that he has run three statewide campaigns, and only come out on top once (in 2006, when he was elected Attorney General.) He twice sought a seat in the U.S. Senate, losing the 2000 general election in a squeaker to a somehow reincarnated Bill Nelson and the 2004 GOP nomination to Bush buddy Mel Martinez.
Prior to the launch of a late, self-financed campaign, Rick Scott was not well known to most Floridians. Facing a better opponent, such as former Gov. Jeb Bush or current Gov. Charlie Crist, Scott’s candidacy would have been taken seriously only because of his immense personal wealth. Scott, a former CEO of what was once the nation’s largest chain of private hospitals, Columbia/HCA, narrowly escaped indictment in the largest Medicare fraud ever perpetuated. After throwing Scott out in 1997, Columbia/HCA agreed to a plea bargain “allowing” them to avoid criminal charges in exchange for what would ultimately become a $1.7 billion settlement. By asserting his 5th Amendment rights more than fifteen (!!!) times during his depositions, Scott was able to avoid being charged with a crime. The aforementioned depositions are still sealed and cannot be obtained without permission from Scott, whom has steadfastly declined to shed light on his malfeasance.
Bill McCollum may be the unluckiest Republican politician in recent Florida history. After all, in the past forty years Florida has elected some real crowd-pleasers to statewide office. We’re talking about a state that elected odorless, colorless, tasteless, charm-less former Tampa Mayor Bob Martinez as Governor in 1986 and the brain-less Paula Hawkins to the U.S. Senate in 1980.(1) The hapless, aforementioned Mel Martinez (no relation to the former Governor,) is yet another example of this phenomenon. Also amusingly clueless are former Secretary of State Katharine Harris (the GOP nominee for Senate against Nelson in 2006,) and former one-term Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr.
As a stalwart member of the opposing party, it is a rare occasion, indeed, that I feel the need to thank Republicans. But, I do. I thank you folks for nominating a de facto criminal to run the state at such a crucial juncture in its history. You see, Floridians pay no income tax and the state has a difficult time balancing its books (as its’ Constitution mandates,) every year. Most political observers will agree that a Governorship is not an entry-level position. The U.S. Congress, where members usually spend a few years learning their way around before wading into deeper waters, is such a place – a Governor needs to be able to lead from Day One.
The Democratic nominee, state CFO Alex Sink, also is a former business executive with a nice personal fortune, a big fund-raising network, and a résumé that does not have the word “fraud” all over it. Ms. Sink is not charismatic, either, and she may not excite anyone, but she should easily best Mr. Scott on November 2nd. So, I thank you, Republicans, and I laugh at your stupidity, blindness, and arrogance under my breath as I walk away.
Delaware
The mention of Delaware always brings me back to my childhood. In my teenage years, I lived next door to a family of Delawareans that can only be described as some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. They were kind, gracious, industrious, and inclusive – the kind of people everyone should have living next door. I was invited to dine or play video games at their home many times and have great memories that will last forever. You couldn’t dislike these people if you tried! Husband and wife were former childhood sweethearts, successful in their respective fields (both worked for government,) well-educated at state schools, and their son was a great student, Boy Scout, athlete, and a nice kid. Nearly every day, father and son would practice baseball in the neighborhood and invite me to play whenever they saw me. I can’t remember husband and wife ever arguing or even using blue language. The strongest epithet the wife ever used was “ding-bat.” The husband’s strongest was “idiot,” and that was typically reserved for a football player that made a mistake on the field.
The family was the very embodiment of what is the American dream. They were Republicans, but they were my kind of Republicans. Not extremist, not wing-nutty, but good, old-fashioned decent Republicans who were hard to argue with because they were, in fact, right about a lot of things. They were not frothing-at-the-mouth, angry extremists that got dressed in purblind costumes and bother people, but the kind that come to opinions, practice them daily in their own lives, and only shared said opinions when queried. They worked hard, kept a perfectly orderly home, had a very well-behaved son, went to church regularly, and were a pleasure to have around in any situation. They are the kind of Republican that is fast disappearing and being replaced by Sarah Palin fanatics – a shame of the first order!!
Silly me, I assumed that most people from the great state of Delaware were just like them. Christine O’Donnell has proven me wrong on that score. Delaware is a very moderate state, neither liberal nor conservative. There is, however, a nice-sized patch of pragmatic conservatism in the southern part of the state. Republicans that are elected from Delaware are usually fairly moderate, in the Bill Roth/Pierre duPont mold. Delaware usually recycles its’ politicians, electing them in turn (though not necessarily in order) as Governor, U.S. Representative (they have just one,) and/or to the Senate. Current U.S. Senator Tom Carper is a perfect example of this trifecta, and current U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle, a former Governor, was attempting to follow in his footsteps.
Castle, who would have been a shoo-in against relatively unknown Democratic nominee Chris Coons, somehow lost this year’s primary against a political neophyte/lightweight named Christine O’Donnell, whom has never held elected office and now has a long trail of lies on her résumé to explain. O’Donnell is a sometime, self-described PR consultant and television commentator whom inexplicably earned just $5,800 last year. How Ms. O’Donnell managed to survive on such a meager sum is anyone’s guess; perhaps this explains why her home was foreclosed on by her lender and why her former campaign manager has accused her of (illegally) living off campaign donations. Furthermore, she did not officially become a college graduate until earlier this year when she finally completed her coursework at Farleigh Dickinson University. In 1994, the school sued her over $4,823 in unpaid fees, which she re-paid nine years later.
O’Donnell’s prior political experience comes in the form of having worked for right-wing groups (The RNC, Enough is Enough, and Concerned Women for America,) for short periods and having twice run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in Delaware. O’Donnell placed third in the 2006 GOP Primary and won the party’s 2008 nomination, but was defeated by Joe Biden by thirty points despite the fact that Biden did not campaign, having been tapped as his party’s Vice Presidential nominee.
O’Donnell won the primary handily (54% - 46%,) despite facing a powerful, well-known challenger, current U.S. Rep. Mike Castle. Castle is a former two-term Governor, and a nine-term veteran of Congress. O’Donnell is now down to Coons in nearly every poll, thanks to Sarah Palin’s endorsement of her doppelgänger. The so-called Tea Party’s misguided attempt at nominating one of their own has horribly backfired.
In closing, I say thank you to the GOP. As I said, it is not often that I thank them – but I think it is apropos here. Every major political rating group has changed the Delaware race from “Likely Republican” to “Likely Democrat.” Thank you, Mrs. Palin, to you and your flock (that’s right, I said it,) of followers whom are so hell bent on destroying yourselves that you nominated a would-be criminal and a ditz in two crucial races. When the Tea Party recedes into history, and it will, you folks will be especially remembered for these two deeds. Good show!
(Update - 11/06/2010)
Well, we Democrats lost the House. In fact, we lost at least 60 seats - a rout worse than 1994, 1980, and 1966!! Of course, in '66 we lost nearly 50 and still kept the House! Ah, the old days (not that I was alive.) My last remaining political hero, Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, went down in a final blaze of glory against GOPlastic Magnate Ron Johnson. No Teddy, No Russ, no Joe Biden ... the Senate is just not as much observe as it once was. We managed to salvage Bobby Byrd's old seat, but also lost our sitting President's seat in a squeaker. Patty Murray pulled it out in Washington while Barbara Boxer held on in California. Jerry Brown won the Governorship of California, going from Gov. Moonbeam to Gov. Gray Beard (he'll now have the interesting distinction of being both the youngest and oldest man to ever lead our nation's largest state.)
(1) To be fair, the 1980 election of Hawkins was largely the result of Ronald Reagan’s coat-tails that year instead of her own viability. (Ms. Hawkins was later handily defeated for reelection by popular outgoing Gov. Bob Graham.) Bob Martinez’s election was at least somewhat a function of the Democratic Party having nominated the also less-than-exciting Steve Pajcic. He, too, met an ignominious end in 1990 at the hands of a rejuvenated Lawton Chiles.
In Florida, my home for thirty years, the GOP primary voters had what seemed like a very simple choice, Attorney General Bill McCollum or “entrepreneur” Rick Scott, as their party’s nominee for Governor. The voters picked Mr. Scott, 46% - 43%, after a nasty, expensive campaign. Bill McCollum is not a name that excites people; he is a banal, tedious, mild politician with little charisma - this guy’s speeches couldn’t excite a crowd of ADHD kids pre-loaded with Milky Way bars. Nevertheless, he has been a steady, if unspectacular, Attorney General and served the people of Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives for twenty years (1981 – 2001.) McCollum’s only big problem was that he has run three statewide campaigns, and only come out on top once (in 2006, when he was elected Attorney General.) He twice sought a seat in the U.S. Senate, losing the 2000 general election in a squeaker to a somehow reincarnated Bill Nelson and the 2004 GOP nomination to Bush buddy Mel Martinez.
Prior to the launch of a late, self-financed campaign, Rick Scott was not well known to most Floridians. Facing a better opponent, such as former Gov. Jeb Bush or current Gov. Charlie Crist, Scott’s candidacy would have been taken seriously only because of his immense personal wealth. Scott, a former CEO of what was once the nation’s largest chain of private hospitals, Columbia/HCA, narrowly escaped indictment in the largest Medicare fraud ever perpetuated. After throwing Scott out in 1997, Columbia/HCA agreed to a plea bargain “allowing” them to avoid criminal charges in exchange for what would ultimately become a $1.7 billion settlement. By asserting his 5th Amendment rights more than fifteen (!!!) times during his depositions, Scott was able to avoid being charged with a crime. The aforementioned depositions are still sealed and cannot be obtained without permission from Scott, whom has steadfastly declined to shed light on his malfeasance.
Bill McCollum may be the unluckiest Republican politician in recent Florida history. After all, in the past forty years Florida has elected some real crowd-pleasers to statewide office. We’re talking about a state that elected odorless, colorless, tasteless, charm-less former Tampa Mayor Bob Martinez as Governor in 1986 and the brain-less Paula Hawkins to the U.S. Senate in 1980.(1) The hapless, aforementioned Mel Martinez (no relation to the former Governor,) is yet another example of this phenomenon. Also amusingly clueless are former Secretary of State Katharine Harris (the GOP nominee for Senate against Nelson in 2006,) and former one-term Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr.
As a stalwart member of the opposing party, it is a rare occasion, indeed, that I feel the need to thank Republicans. But, I do. I thank you folks for nominating a de facto criminal to run the state at such a crucial juncture in its history. You see, Floridians pay no income tax and the state has a difficult time balancing its books (as its’ Constitution mandates,) every year. Most political observers will agree that a Governorship is not an entry-level position. The U.S. Congress, where members usually spend a few years learning their way around before wading into deeper waters, is such a place – a Governor needs to be able to lead from Day One.
The Democratic nominee, state CFO Alex Sink, also is a former business executive with a nice personal fortune, a big fund-raising network, and a résumé that does not have the word “fraud” all over it. Ms. Sink is not charismatic, either, and she may not excite anyone, but she should easily best Mr. Scott on November 2nd. So, I thank you, Republicans, and I laugh at your stupidity, blindness, and arrogance under my breath as I walk away.
The mention of Delaware always brings me back to my childhood. In my teenage years, I lived next door to a family of Delawareans that can only be described as some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. They were kind, gracious, industrious, and inclusive – the kind of people everyone should have living next door. I was invited to dine or play video games at their home many times and have great memories that will last forever. You couldn’t dislike these people if you tried! Husband and wife were former childhood sweethearts, successful in their respective fields (both worked for government,) well-educated at state schools, and their son was a great student, Boy Scout, athlete, and a nice kid. Nearly every day, father and son would practice baseball in the neighborhood and invite me to play whenever they saw me. I can’t remember husband and wife ever arguing or even using blue language. The strongest epithet the wife ever used was “ding-bat.” The husband’s strongest was “idiot,” and that was typically reserved for a football player that made a mistake on the field.
The family was the very embodiment of what is the American dream. They were Republicans, but they were my kind of Republicans. Not extremist, not wing-nutty, but good, old-fashioned decent Republicans who were hard to argue with because they were, in fact, right about a lot of things. They were not frothing-at-the-mouth, angry extremists that got dressed in purblind costumes and bother people, but the kind that come to opinions, practice them daily in their own lives, and only shared said opinions when queried. They worked hard, kept a perfectly orderly home, had a very well-behaved son, went to church regularly, and were a pleasure to have around in any situation. They are the kind of Republican that is fast disappearing and being replaced by Sarah Palin fanatics – a shame of the first order!!
Silly me, I assumed that most people from the great state of Delaware were just like them. Christine O’Donnell has proven me wrong on that score. Delaware is a very moderate state, neither liberal nor conservative. There is, however, a nice-sized patch of pragmatic conservatism in the southern part of the state. Republicans that are elected from Delaware are usually fairly moderate, in the Bill Roth/Pierre duPont mold. Delaware usually recycles its’ politicians, electing them in turn (though not necessarily in order) as Governor, U.S. Representative (they have just one,) and/or to the Senate. Current U.S. Senator Tom Carper is a perfect example of this trifecta, and current U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle, a former Governor, was attempting to follow in his footsteps.
Castle, who would have been a shoo-in against relatively unknown Democratic nominee Chris Coons, somehow lost this year’s primary against a political neophyte/lightweight named Christine O’Donnell, whom has never held elected office and now has a long trail of lies on her résumé to explain. O’Donnell is a sometime, self-described PR consultant and television commentator whom inexplicably earned just $5,800 last year. How Ms. O’Donnell managed to survive on such a meager sum is anyone’s guess; perhaps this explains why her home was foreclosed on by her lender and why her former campaign manager has accused her of (illegally) living off campaign donations. Furthermore, she did not officially become a college graduate until earlier this year when she finally completed her coursework at Farleigh Dickinson University. In 1994, the school sued her over $4,823 in unpaid fees, which she re-paid nine years later.
O’Donnell’s prior political experience comes in the form of having worked for right-wing groups (The RNC, Enough is Enough, and Concerned Women for America,) for short periods and having twice run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in Delaware. O’Donnell placed third in the 2006 GOP Primary and won the party’s 2008 nomination, but was defeated by Joe Biden by thirty points despite the fact that Biden did not campaign, having been tapped as his party’s Vice Presidential nominee.
O’Donnell won the primary handily (54% - 46%,) despite facing a powerful, well-known challenger, current U.S. Rep. Mike Castle. Castle is a former two-term Governor, and a nine-term veteran of Congress. O’Donnell is now down to Coons in nearly every poll, thanks to Sarah Palin’s endorsement of her doppelgänger. The so-called Tea Party’s misguided attempt at nominating one of their own has horribly backfired.
In closing, I say thank you to the GOP. As I said, it is not often that I thank them – but I think it is apropos here. Every major political rating group has changed the Delaware race from “Likely Republican” to “Likely Democrat.” Thank you, Mrs. Palin, to you and your flock (that’s right, I said it,) of followers whom are so hell bent on destroying yourselves that you nominated a would-be criminal and a ditz in two crucial races. When the Tea Party recedes into history, and it will, you folks will be especially remembered for these two deeds. Good show!
Well, we Democrats lost the House. In fact, we lost at least 60 seats - a rout worse than 1994, 1980, and 1966!! Of course, in '66 we lost nearly 50 and still kept the House! Ah, the old days (not that I was alive.) My last remaining political hero, Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, went down in a final blaze of glory against GOPlastic Magnate Ron Johnson. No Teddy, No Russ, no Joe Biden ... the Senate is just not as much observe as it once was. We managed to salvage Bobby Byrd's old seat, but also lost our sitting President's seat in a squeaker. Patty Murray pulled it out in Washington while Barbara Boxer held on in California. Jerry Brown won the Governorship of California, going from Gov. Moonbeam to Gov. Gray Beard (he'll now have the interesting distinction of being both the youngest and oldest man to ever lead our nation's largest state.)
(1) To be fair, the 1980 election of Hawkins was largely the result of Ronald Reagan’s coat-tails that year instead of her own viability. (Ms. Hawkins was later handily defeated for reelection by popular outgoing Gov. Bob Graham.) Bob Martinez’s election was at least somewhat a function of the Democratic Party having nominated the also less-than-exciting Steve Pajcic. He, too, met an ignominious end in 1990 at the hands of a rejuvenated Lawton Chiles.
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