I’ve been asked why I couldn’t vote Republican, well – if the election were held today – here are my reasons why I couldn’t vote for the current crop of Republican Tea Party (GOTP) presidential candidates:
Michele Bachmann – why would I vote for an uber-conservative evangelical candidate who is certifiable and who makes wild claims and then denies she made them? She hasn’t said one thing I agree with or could ever agree with.
Hermann Cain – won’t vote for a racist, and yes his views on Islam are racist.
Newt Gingrich – He’s a typical “family values” conservative; had an affair while persecuting President Clinton for having an affair; told his wife he was divorcing her to marry his mistress while she was undergoing chemo therapy for cancer; claimed he had his affairs because he loved America too much.
Jon Huntsman – Wants to end Obamacare; wants to cuts taxes to corporations and the wealthiest 2%. Millions of Americans now have health care but Huntsman wants to eliminate that; can’t support that, much less supporting tax cuts to the wealthiest 2%; it’s time for the wealthy to pay their share, if not some back interest as well.
Ron Paul – He’s a kook; says he would do away with FEMA, enough said …
Rick Perry – no one who ever said secession was a viable answer for a state should be president. We don’t need a red neck deciding our country’s domestic and foreign policy. His desire to repeal the 16th and 17th Amendments are two more reasons not to mention his wild idea that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme …
Mitt Romney – Flip flops every other day; changes his mind depending who he’s talking too; he has a used car salesman feel; claims to be a job creator, but while governor of Massachusetts his state ranked 47th out of 50; he bought American businesses and chopped them up and sold them to the highest bidder – he took away people’s jobs while adding millions to his private fortune; runs from his faith … Corporations are not people Mitt …
Rick Santorum – Another uber-right wing candidate who makes wild statements and in particular his stern view on abortion, and homosexuality. Ricky claims, “Its murder, no matter what the circumstances. Doesn’t matter if it’s incest, or rape, doesn’t matter if the victim is eleven years-old.”
The Republican Tea Party, and its policies, has become something I can’t support, and quite frankly can’t conceive of any situation where I would ever do so.
These candidates don’t represent what’s best in America, they represent what’s worse.
They represent an America Ronald Reagan wouldn’t recognize, and a party where the Gipper wouldn’t be welcome; Reagan would be a Democrat today.
They represent racism, lying, hurtful aspects of America …
They represent an America where people applaud and cheer wildly when 234 people have been executed in Texas …
They don’t worry about facts they just make stuff up- they lie …
They represent a far-right form of Christianity that doesn’t recognize the Christ …
They represent the wealthiest among us while grinding down the poorest ..
While record numbers of Americans are out of work Republican Tea Partista (GOTP) presidential candidates are selling campaign merchandise made outside of the United States, according to ABC News.
ABC News reportedly investigated all eight Republican candidates as well as the president’s re-election campaign and discovered that campaign T-shirts for Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and Herman Cain were all made outside the United States.
According to ABC News, at a Gingrich campaign stop one of its producers was given a T-shirt made in El Salvador. When Gingrich was shown the shirt and asked for an explanation, he deflected responsibility.
“I didn’t order it. I didn’t do it,” he said. “I have to ask the folks that ordered this.”
Later, a spokesman for Gingrich’s campaign told ABC News that the shirts were a rush order mistake and that it’s the campaign’s preference to buy American.
Yeah it’s the campaign’s preference, meaning it buys from the lowest bidder; like buying t-shirts probably made by child labor in some squalid sweat shop in El Salvador. No doubt it was Newter’s “love for America” which drove him to buy foreign made over American made; just like it was his “love for America” which drove him into having multiple extra-marital affairs.
Hermann (Pizza Man) Cain was also questioned by ABC News when it was discovered his campaign t-shirts were also made overseas, but the Pizza Man, like the Newt, claimed ignorance.
“No, I wasn’t aware it was made in Honduras,” Cain said. “I was just aware it was Fruit of the Loom … which is an American company.”
That’s right Pizza Man, an American company taking advantage of low wages, horrible working conditions and tax loop holes to move jobs that used to be here overseas. These are the so-called “job creators” you and your fellow Tea Partistas are supporting.
When confronted by ABC News on their campaign’s using foreign producers both Santorum and Paul used the opportunity to make political statements.
“It’s tragic that so many products in this country are made outside of this country,” said Santorum. “You probably can find a T-shirt occasionally made here in the United States … but it’s harder and harder to do.”
And no doubt Ricky is going to get right on finding companies right here the good old US of A to make his shirts in the future. Yeah, OK, and he also has a bridge he wants to sell …
“If this senator doesn’t know how to find shirts, pick up the phone and call me. I’ll sell you the shirts,” said Abdul Rashid, COO of Bayside, referring to Santorum’s comment.
“We are creating jobs, and that’s what America is about—creating jobs,” said Rashid. “There are less companies in the United States making goods made in America, but all you have to do is go online and search. … If you do your searching, you will find us.”
The company reportedly says if all the candidates bought Bayside, it could hire another 500 workers.
In the 1970s there were more than 2.4 million textile workers in the U.S. Today, there are fewer than 400,000; two million jobs have been shipped overseas due to the relaxing of regulations largely done during the Bush/Cheney years, and supported then and now by conservatives who rabidly defend the free market before a free America.
Typical of the current crop of GOTP candidates and politicians, these four talk out of both sides of their pie holes. They claim to love America, and to support the American worker while buying from foreign producers, and supporting companies which have moved out of the U.S. to take advantage of juicy tax breaks and loop holes – the very same ones the Tea Partistas are fighting to keep in place.
According to the Huffington Post, Republican Tea Party (GOTP) presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman were all invited to attend and address the annual conference of National Council of La Raza, the largest Latino organization in the nation.
All five GOTP candidates chose not attend. Wow, really? Conservatives chose to blow off the largest Hispanic organization in the country?
“To me, that sets a signal that we’re not a priority,” said National Council of La Raza President Janet Murguia. “And quite frankly, when you look at the actions that have been occurring by the leaders of the Republican Party, it is, I think, alarming for us in the Latino community.”
Point is, it’s about race and Hispanics are the wrong race. Prove me wrong. Oh wait, you can’t. Conservative presidential candidates won’t attend La Raza because they’re afraid voters on the right will be put off. They’re afraid uber-conservative voters will see attending the conference as being weak on illegal immigration. That’s why. They – the uber-conservatives – don’t like Hispanics, to some they should all go home, even though many more of them have lived here a lot longer than the Palins, Romneys, Bachmanns, Pawlentys, Gingrichs, Perrys and Huntsmans.
The smart thing would have been for Jon Huntsman, who doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance of winning the GOTP nomination, to accept the invitation and to attend and speak and come across as the smart new Republican. Someone on his staff should have said, “Governor, this will make you look good; you’ll be the only conservative there, and you’ll be the only Mormon candidate there. It’s a political coup.” But, unfortunately there appear to be no smart staffers working for the candidates just frightened little children cowering from the shadow of the big bad Tea Party.
Here’s the latest information on this week’s polling on the 2012 Presidential election.
First – from a Public Policy Polling poll conducted from 14 – 17 July 2011 – let’s look at who would be the Republican/Tea Party (GOTP) nominee if it all ended today:
Romney 20; Bachmann 16; Palin 12; Perry 11; Cain 10; Paul 9; Gingrich 6; Santorum 3 and Pawlenty and Huntsman both bringing up the rear of the pack with a whopping 2%
Romney (aka Flopsy Mopsy) is narrowly holding on to his lead, while Bachmann (aka Krazy) is steadily moving up still followed by the two candidates who haven’t announced they’re running, Palin (aka the Ice Queen), and Perry (Pres of the 2nd Republic of Texas). Bringing up the rear are Herman Cain (aka the Pizza Man, who has never met a Muslim he hasn’t disliked) followed by Paul, Gingrich, Pawlenty, Huntsman and Santorum.
Still wondering how long the guys in the back are going continue deluding themselves that they’re viable candidates? One would think you’d actually do some polling before you jumped into the ring, but I guess not.
With the first major GOTP contest being the Iowa Caucus; if it was held today (according to Mason-Dixon polling: Krazy 32; Flopsy 29; and the rest of pack are still running only in single digits so far back it doesn’t really matter.
So, how does the GOTP pack stack up against President Obama?
If the election was held today, according to NBC/WSJ (which only asked about Bachmann and Romney) and previous polls for the others:
President Obama 48/Romney 41
President Obama 50/Bachmann 35
President Obama 48/Pawlenty 39
President Obama 52/Gingrich 39
President Obama 53/Palin 37
President Obama 48/Cain 36
President Obama 54/Paul 36
President Obama 52/Huntsman 34
If the GOTP nomination circus – and the general election – had both ended this week Flopsy would be the GOTP candidate, and he would still have lost to the President.
Two years I quoted several conservative talking heads who were making noise about how President Obama hadn’t been wearing a flag lapel pin during the 2008 campaign, Sean Hannity said, “Why do we wear pins? Because our country was under attack…And to politicize once again the war to this extent. Well, who cares about the war? Are you proud of your country? Do you believe in America? Do you believe that America has been, continues to be the greatest force for good in this world?”
“I think it’s, you know, the greatest gift God gave us and continues to be a force for good.”
Bill O’Reilly also chimed in on this “controversy”, saying about Candidate Obama, “I didn’t take Obama’s lack of the lapel pin as anything other than he’s either too lazy … to put it on, or he doesn’t want to put it on.”
Not to be left wanting, Neal Boortz said, “I think that maybe the reason he doesn’t wear a U.S. flag on his lapel is because the U.S. flag — regardless of what he thinks — the flag of this country irritates a lot of Democrat [sic] voters.”
So, based on these conservative pundits’ views of the sacred lapel pin, what does it say about four of the Republican Tea Party (GOTP) presidential hopefuls during the last presidential debate who chose not to wear a flag?
Do they not believe in America?
Are they too lazy?
Don’t they want to wear a flag?
Did they choose not to wear a pin because they didn’t want to – in Neal Boortz’s limited opinion – “irritate a lot of Democratic [sic] voters”?
Or does the lack of a flag lapel pin only apply to someone if they’re a Democrat?
The ship shuddered as another compartment filled with the icy water of the north Atlantic, Jack grabbed Rose’s hand and they ran down the corridor, turning the corner they saw the rats running – escaping the sinking ship.
Sounds like the ending of Titanic? Or maybe it’s the entire top echelon of Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign resigning en masse! That’s what happened today, the Newt’s most trusted minions fled quicker than Orcs taking flight from Mordor.
“I am committed to running the substantive, solutions-oriented campaign I set out to run earlier this spring,” the Gingrich said in a posting to his Facebook page shortly after the 16 aides resigned. “The campaign begins anew Sunday in Los Angeles.”
Yeah, and the Black Knight only suffered a flesh wound.
Rick Tyler, Gingrich’s spokesman, campaign manager Rob Johnson and senior strategists all quit, along with aides in the early primary and caucus states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. The fleeing aides broke the news to Newt during a meeting at his headquarters in Washington, citing differences over the direction of the campaign.
“We had a different vision for victory,” Tyler told The Associated Press. “And since we couldn’t resolve that difference, I didn’t feel I could be useful in serving him.”
Scott Rials, a longtime aide who joined the departure, said, “I think the world of him, but at the end of the day we just could not see a clear path to win, and there was a question of commitment.”
Wow, so basically his top aides, the people closest to Newt, have determined he isn’t serious about the campaign, and that he lacks commitment? Yeah, he’s done. Of course, he never had much of a chance of winning the nomination much less the White House. Let’s face it, Newt’s as tainted as German tomatoes. In a recent FOX PAC poll he was 19 points behind the President. He’s done. He never started. He’s been a has-been ever since he resigned from Congress.
And so it begins. Those seeking the GOTP presidential nod have begun officially bowing before the alter of the far-right conservative Bible thumping, fire breathing “Christians” of the party hoping that they will receive the groups seal of approval.
The Washington D.C. two-day conference of the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s proved to be just too much of a temptation for the GOTP hopefuls who decided they needed to “render unto” the theocratic right what is there’s playing it as though it was also what is God’s. Never mind the fact at least three of the candidates don’t stand a prayer – or a snow ball’s chance – of ever gaining the group’s “blessing”. Those three of course would be Romney and Huntsman – both Mormon – and Cain, who besides the fact his name will offend some of the group, bears “the mark” of that name and will be snubbed because of it by large numbers of these so-called “religious” folks. Yes, they won’t nominate him because he’s Black.
Ever since their favorite son, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee decided not to run – not wanting to be this election cycle’s Bob Dole – the far-right religious crowd has been looking for someone new to embrace, and all they had to do was hold a convention and off the GOTP candidates run to pander, and to promise, and to sell themselves.
As the selling of political souls began, the candidates set the nation’s most fearful moral concerns as federal debt and health care policies, while still playing up to the sizably overinflated egos of the religious conservatives.
According to the Associated Press, one of the two dreaded Mormon candidates, former Utah Governor – and Obama Administration appointed Ambassador to China – Jon Huntsman bypassed a large scrum of journalists but did give an interview to the Christian-oriented CBN network.
During his address to the “faithful” – after citing numerous anti-abortion laws he signed as governor of Utah – Huntsman declared, “I do not believe the Republican Party should focus solely on our economic life to the neglect of our human life”.
Strangely, neither Huntsman nor Romney mentioned their own religious faith while addressing this very religiously “inclusive” audience.
Others jockeying for the pharisaic endorsement included former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, Representative Michele Bachmann, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who strangely declined an invitation to the conference; now why would Newt turn down an invitation? Maybe the whole being caught in the act of adultery thing is just too much for the sensitivities of these modern day “Christians”?
Pawlenty, a Catholic-turned-Protestant evangelical (basically someone who this group would therefore count as having been “saved”) opened and closed his remarks with biblical quotes. During his sermon, he declared his four top “commonsense principles” – if elected – would be for the nation are to turn toward God, protect the unborn, support traditional marriage and keep Americans secure. Translation being he would oppose anything produced in Hollywood, and would never support the building of any Muslim houses of worship anywhere close to the “hallowed” Ground Zero; he would take away a woman’s right to abortion; he would make sure only “his type” of people could get married, and he would declare crusades against the evil spread of Islam throughout the world, to include bombing Iran, maintaining the war on terror in both Iraq and Afghanistan and wholeheartedly support the torturing of prisoners.
The crazy woman from Minnesota, Michelle Bachmann, told of her home-schooling of her five children and how she had served as foster mother to 23 other children. She told the crowd – of a few hundred – that “marriage is under siege” in America, and then – as the self appointed priestess-in-chief of the GOTP – she ended with a prayer asking a blessing for President Barack Obama, the same Barack Obama she had just finished sharply criticizing moments earlier.
Romney – aka Flopsy Mopsy – who as a Republican Senate candidate and one-term governor in Massachusetts, supported legalized abortion, gay rights and gun control, but who has since “seen the light” and reversed his stands on those positions. His change of heart is not an easy sell when he so fervently defended each during an October 1994 debate against Senator Edward Kennedy
Flopsy spoke of “our belief in the sanctity of human life,” and said marriage should apply to “one man and one woman.” He said the nation’s high unemployment rate was President Obama’s fault and said job losses can push marriages to the breaking point, calling it – unemployment – “a moral crisis.”
It’s interesting that during his tenure as Governor of Massachusetts his state ranked 47 of 50 for job creation, and that he never spoke of this “moral crisis” while his buddies Bush and Cheney were throwing the economy to the wolves of Wall Street.
And last, but not least, the always entertaining Ron Paul of Texas mixed quotes from the Bible’s first book of Samuel with his familiar libertarian proposals, such as returning to the gold standard, appealing to the two things the crowd held most sacred; quoting scripture and personal acquisition of lucre.
But while the economy is a concern for almost everyone else in the country some religious conservatives are not happy with the heavy emphasis on economic matters these days, and the congregation sat stone faced when Boss Barbour spoke of how the sheep must blindly follow whichever shepherd won the nomination despite the absolute certainty they will disagree with that person on some issues – unless of course they pushed for and got someone like Palin or Bachmann.
Boos Barbour declared, “Purity is the enemy of victory.”
Yeah, I’m fairly certain that line isn’t going to become a bumper sticker throughout the Bible belt anytime soon.
I really hate to say it, but perhaps the “smart” candidates were the ones who didn’t go running to the church in the wildwood, and who didn’t promise things they know full well they can’t deliver on. Anyone who promises to overturn Roe v. Wade (i.e., “protecting the rights of the unborn”) is one of three things; a liar, a lunatic, or both. It is established federal law and no President is ever going to be able to overturn it. They are lying every time they speak as though they can.
How truly sad that anyone seeking his party’s nomination for the office of the President of the United States must go hat in hand to any religious group asking its blessing. It is even sadder they pander to the group which screams about Islamic Sharia Law being enforced in America – when it isn’t – while having absolutely no regrets of shoving its brand of “Christianity” down everyone else’s throats.
Perhaps Newt and Palin – gulp – were the smart ones.
The very thought Newt Gingrich is seriously considering a run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012 can make one positively giddy. I can’t wait to see the circus created with Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich both running. YES! Saturday Night Live is saved!
Gingrich is obviously hoping Americans, especially Republicans, will not remember that by the end of his second year serving as House Speaker more than 58 percent of people polled believed he should be replaced as Speaker because he wasn’t considered either honest or trustworthy enough to continue in his office.
No doubt, he’s also hoping voters won’t remember that he was forced to resign, not only as Speaker, but also from his Seat amidst a brewing ethics scandal and following the GOP loss of House seats in the 1998 elections.
Finally, I’m certain he’s hoping voter’s will forget his somewhat tainted personal life, replete with extra marital affairs, and asking one of his wives for a divorce – because he now loved his mistress – while she was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.
Yep, he’s just the guy the GOP needs as its champion for “family values”.
The Liberty Tree 
