The Primaries: Narrow-Minded Republicans
Huge obstacles still loom before the American economy, in spite of the small improvements seen over the past five months. Ditto for its foreign policy. So what do the candidates for the Republican nomination do? They have catfights over the fundamentals of religion; that is, when they're not ripping each other to shreds over social issues.
After the 22 caucuses and primaries to date, Mitt Romney has gathered 415 delegates, far outstripping Rick Santorum's 176. The ex-Massachusetts governor's lead is mostly due to the financial resources at his command that he has used against his concomitants. A small part, though, is because he successfully shifted positions back at the beginning of this marathon race.
The scrutiny of the South Carolina primary, which Newt Gingrich won hands-down, dragged Romney through the dust, so the former head of the Bain Capital private equity firm decided to remodel his debate style and entire strategy to be in line with that primary's victor. In a phrase, he opted for a smear campaign, demonizing his fellow enemies.
This approach, along with its consequences, has had such a corrosive effect on the debates that people are swearing up and down that never in the history of the modern Republican party has there been such a degrading, below-the-belt campaign. They have sown seeds of intolerance with their ad campaigns and sound bites, much to the chagrin of some old-guard Republicans who think the rural circuit of primaries will actually benefit Barack Obama. At the same turn, some of the head-honcho Democrats cannot contain their glee at the ever-lengthening list of incidents from the opposing party.
Take Santorum, for example. A mad fundamentalist Catholic, strictly adhering to Opus Dei teachings, he does little to hide the hatred he feels for secularists, particularly John F. Kennedy, whose speech on the separation of church and state “made [him] want to throw up.” He also hates homosexuals and every single form of contraception. In fact, he can barely contain his hatred for anyone who doesn’t share his religious convictions. Saying that Santorum is a bigot is overstating the obvious.
This extreme slant has colored Romney’s discussions on more than one occasion. He is now following Santorum’s and Gingrich’s examples, honing his own intolerant views. Oil costs are rising? It has nothing to do with the Arab Spring, or the increasing demands of China and other emerging powers; neither of these has any effect on the black gold. So, who is responsible? None other than Obama and his environmental politics.
As for the economy, Romney thinks he’s an absolute ace because of his prior financial experience. He’s presented a program which, to borrow from the New York Times, basically boils down to a menu dreamed up in a "country club." So what if the country felt death throes as it sank into the worst economic crisis since the 1930s, mostly because of Bush Jr.'s policies? Romney wants them reinstated. He wants to extend tax cuts for the rich. He wants across-the-board deregulations, and he'll pound it into our heads that Obama's strides in this area are worthless.
By reducing the debates to the lowest common denominator of blind eyes and intolerance, Romney and his consorts have achieved a wondrous feat. A study by the Pew Research Center shows that 30 percent of voters think the Republican Party has shriveled away to almost nothing, and that's just the start. The popularity of the White House's current tenant has been steadily climbing ever since this cockfighting started. And that's not all: Independent voters, who are hugely important because of their ability to sway the results of general elections, have already given their numbers to the Democrats. Basically, if things continue more or less as they are, Obama's administration will retain control of the White House in November, and will probably also win back some seats in Congress. One can hope.
After the 22 caucuses and primaries to date, Mitt Romney has gathered 415 delegates, far outstripping Rick Santorum's 176. The ex-Massachusetts governor's lead is mostly due to the financial resources at his command that he has used against his concomitants. A small part, though, is because he successfully shifted positions back at the beginning of this marathon race.
The scrutiny of the South Carolina primary, which Newt Gingrich won hands-down, dragged Romney through the dust, so the former head of the Bain Capital private equity firm decided to remodel his debate style and entire strategy to be in line with that primary's victor. In a phrase, he opted for a smear campaign, demonizing his fellow enemies.
This approach, along with its consequences, has had such a corrosive effect on the debates that people are swearing up and down that never in the history of the modern Republican party has there been such a degrading, below-the-belt campaign. They have sown seeds of intolerance with their ad campaigns and sound bites, much to the chagrin of some old-guard Republicans who think the rural circuit of primaries will actually benefit Barack Obama. At the same turn, some of the head-honcho Democrats cannot contain their glee at the ever-lengthening list of incidents from the opposing party.
Take Santorum, for example. A mad fundamentalist Catholic, strictly adhering to Opus Dei teachings, he does little to hide the hatred he feels for secularists, particularly John F. Kennedy, whose speech on the separation of church and state “made [him] want to throw up.” He also hates homosexuals and every single form of contraception. In fact, he can barely contain his hatred for anyone who doesn’t share his religious convictions. Saying that Santorum is a bigot is overstating the obvious.
This extreme slant has colored Romney’s discussions on more than one occasion. He is now following Santorum’s and Gingrich’s examples, honing his own intolerant views. Oil costs are rising? It has nothing to do with the Arab Spring, or the increasing demands of China and other emerging powers; neither of these has any effect on the black gold. So, who is responsible? None other than Obama and his environmental politics.
As for the economy, Romney thinks he’s an absolute ace because of his prior financial experience. He’s presented a program which, to borrow from the New York Times, basically boils down to a menu dreamed up in a "country club." So what if the country felt death throes as it sank into the worst economic crisis since the 1930s, mostly because of Bush Jr.'s policies? Romney wants them reinstated. He wants to extend tax cuts for the rich. He wants across-the-board deregulations, and he'll pound it into our heads that Obama's strides in this area are worthless.
By reducing the debates to the lowest common denominator of blind eyes and intolerance, Romney and his consorts have achieved a wondrous feat. A study by the Pew Research Center shows that 30 percent of voters think the Republican Party has shriveled away to almost nothing, and that's just the start. The popularity of the White House's current tenant has been steadily climbing ever since this cockfighting started. And that's not all: Independent voters, who are hugely important because of their ability to sway the results of general elections, have already given their numbers to the Democrats. Basically, if things continue more or less as they are, Obama's administration will retain control of the White House in November, and will probably also win back some seats in Congress. One can hope.