“A nation divided against itself can not stand” — Abraham Lincoln
Wow. The Republican Party is falling apart. Actually, the insane wing of the Republican Party is falling apart. They presently have a candidate running who is doing better than they expected, and yet he is their candidate. When is doing better than expected a bad thing? The other candidates, that the party wants to win, can’t seem to get any footing at all. So, if the party’s candidate wins, the party loses? Is that right?
At the same time, the party’s senators, who hold the most power in the senate, by virtue of their numbers, refuse to do the job they were elected to do. They are getting grief for that because they are in an untenable situation. The President can make them look like fools by offering them what they want (for instance, a Republican governor on the Supreme Court) and they can’t do it. So, the party with the most power can’t use it. Why? They are committed to not being reasonable. The press is harassing them, the White House is giving them fits, but they maintain their irrationality.
Now here’s where it gets really interesting. The reason that they are not going to let Obama choose a justice is because they want “the next President” to pick the justice. At this point it looks like the three possible candidates are: 1) Donald Trump from their party, who they don’t like; 2) Hillary Clinton, who they have not liked for years, and 3) Bernie Sanders, who — if elected — their going to really hate on political grounds. So they are saving a seat from someone who might not embarrass them, to give it one of three people who already do. Why? Because they are standing on principles.
Which principle is that, you might ask? The principle of people in power not governing. Why would they elect someone to government to not govern? That is the Million Dollar Question. Republican people are fed up with government, so they go to the polls to vote for someone who will kill Washington from the inside. Those people elected obstruct everything because that’s what they were elected to do. This leads to a government that doesn’t work, which makes people hate their leaders even more. All of this leads to many disgruntled people voting for a man that the party wants to distance itself from. Anyone see the absurdity yet?
Voters who put the Tea Party into office wanted government to work for them, just not anyone else. But governing isn’t multiple choice. You either do it or you don’t. Being “good at the job” shouldn’t mean destroying the very job you got elected to do. In essence, they sent haters in to do a job that requires people who love their country. The only other way to not serve the country is by quitting the job you were elected to, thereby not governing. Sarah Palin has done that, and she’s still roaming the country but her time will come to.
The entire system is now doing exactly what it is designed to: implode. Being the “Party of No” paints people into a corner as people who can’t govern. Being rigid and uncompromising about being against all ideas might not work. People who are good at destroying things aren’t particularly good at building things — amazingly enough, that includes their own party.
From two very different generations:
“Haters gonna hate, hate, hate” — Taylor Swift
“If you want money for people with minds that hate/ All I can tell you is brother, you have to wait” — The Beatles
It’s going to be an ugly election season. May we all find some…
Peace,
John
Because It Matters 