Random thoughts on the GOP and the next election...

Random thoughts on the GOP and the next election...


I voted for George Bush twice. 


I voted for George Bush twice. 


I voted for George Bush twice.


I wasn't wild about him, but at the time, I felt it was the best choice available to me. Sort of which bowl of shit smelled less offensive. Hindsight being 20/20, its easy to look back and find fault. There's a lot he did during his eight years that's really bothered me. The obvious stuff, the lies about weapons of mass destruction, the Iraq war, a lack of leadership on foreign policy and how, I felt, he hurt our reputation around the world. Other things. I have less issues on his homeland security actions after 9/11 than many liberals do. It was a time like no other in our history and I think he was erring on the side of caution. I don't think people were wrong to suggest that he had trampled on our liberties, I just don't agree with them. As much as I disagree with his policies and decisions, I never thought he was the devil, Hitler or out to ruin America.


He's probably more "normal" than a lot of people would suggest. I think he was a guy who was never the smartest guy in the room, but did the best he could and loves his Country. I think, like most Presidents, a lot of people did him favors on his way to the White House, and like most Presidents, he was compelled to pay a few of them back. Like the guy before him did and the guy after him. 


I think I was ready for a conservative approach back then. I was tired of Clinton and tried to listen to what the GOP had to offer. It wasn't anything new. All I can say is when I listened to and looked at Al Gore or John Kerry, I didn't like what I heard. Or saw. It just didn't resonate. In my mind, I felt, "...well, Clinton's been around for eight years, probably time for something different." 


So, in my mind we'd probably see a little more professionalism in the White House, and probably a little less compassion. The White House sways back and forth in a two party system and that's ok with me. 


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In the last two weeks, I've sat back and watched things unfold. Listened to the chatter coming out of the Super committee charged with finding a substantial amount of budget cuts in the next few months. Threatened walkouts already and we're barely underway. Listened to the current GOP leadership denounce (again) the latest plan for jobs from President Obama. Read about the House voting against (in spirit) the debt ceiling agreement from a month ago. (It meant nothing, it was purely symbolic.) Listened to two debates of the eight conservatives who would like to be the Republican nomination for President in 2012. In one, I heard a hearty round of applause for the Governor of Texas when the audience was reminded his State, under his leadership had executed more people than any other State. I heard a few folks (not everyone in the theater or the party or the country as some liberal goofballs have suggested,) that a 30 year old man who chose not to buy health insurance and got very sick be allowed to die. Listened to a well known, republican preacher/televangelist say its ok to divorce your spouse if he or she has Alzheimer's disease. Toss in Bachmann's gaffe on relaying a woman's comment about a vaccine causing mental retardation. Get the idea?


I understand politics. You want your side to win. The other guy wants his side to win, too. That's the game. 


What I'm having a hard time understanding is the strategy being used in a broad sense by Conservatives. If we can agree, with regard to the next Presidential election that all hard core Conservatives are going to vote against Barack Obama. Likewise, all hard core progressives are going to vote for Obama. I think that's obvious. That leaves a lot of people, perhaps 50% of the voting public up for grabs. If the 50% of the voters who are in the middle because they reject both hard core positions, it begs the number one question in the Country today: How do we get them to vote for our guy?


I don't think its by saying no, no, no to everything Obama wants or even worse, any batshit crazy things for all to hear. This notion that bipartisanship is weak or bad for the Country is wrong minded. Previous Republican Presidents have found common ground, like Ronald Reagan did with Tip O'Neill in the 80's, to a common good. It needs to happen again. 


If I'm a Conservative, I'm getting a little worried about how things may play out. I'm not sure how the constant anti-Obama stance plays out across all available voters. Some will jump on board, but a lot won't. The Obama team is already painting the opposition as too caught up in politics, more worried about their jobs than the American peoples, etc. The GOP is making that a pretty easy argument to make. I say it doesn't resonate with a lot of voters and to continue in this fashion is to do so at your own peril. 


If the GOP gave in to Obama on this Jobs Act, it would be Obama's problem in 2012. No one thinks, not even the Obama Administration, that unemployment is going to drop very far very fast. At least the GOP could say, "hey, we gave him what he wanted...don't blame us..." If they continue to block this president, and offer up weird/off-putting comments along the way, I think that's Obama's ticket to re-election. 


This week a GOP staffer said "Why would we give Obama a win on this? He's on the ropes." Which reminded me of the Healthcare being Obama's waterloo. Remember? Bad, bad idea...


The Country doesn't seem to like any politicians very much these days. 


The President's unfavorables are getting worse week by week. Trouble is, the Country apparently likes the Congress even less than they do the POTUS. 


The GOP should take one big step towards Obama and give him what he wants for the next few months. If they do that and present themselves as reasonable, fair minded, Country first, they take back the White House. If they don't, and they keep playing to their base, I put my money on Obama getting re-elected. Are you afraid of losing your base vote? Really?