Pity The Poor Republicans

As is keeping with my policies, I never post a new blog entry unless I feel I have something worthwhile to say. Posting daily or even weekly is not something for which I have ambition.

I did not post a new entry during the final months of the presidential campaign, as news articles and blog posts were in an over needed abundance. However, now that the results are in and President Obama has been re-elected, there is much to be said about the Republicans and their own post election in-fighting, whining and gnashing of teeth.

The Republican party is made up of many different factions, some conservative, some V-E-R-Y conservative, and some moderate. Perhaps the title of this blog entry should have read, "Pity The Poor Moderate Conservatives", as that wing of the Republican Party has been silenced almost completely by the in-your-face hard line conservatives. And where exactly did this Tea Party/Religious Right stand put the Republican Party? As Mr. Rogers might say, "Can you say on the outside looking in?" Mitt Romney lost big time by over one hundred electoral college votes, and the Tea Party, which was originally formed to help elect conservative candidates, had just the opposite effect.

The Republicans pinned their election strategy on the white male voter and true to their predictions they won that vote. I'm a white male voter who did not vote their way, but the majority did. The rest of the very diversified American public, however, did not see it that way, feeling the Republicans, in both actions and intent did not represent their best interests.

The white male is no longer the dominant element in our society, and that is what progress is all about. We are a stronger nation because of our diversity. The old guard Republicans don't like that fact, but not liking it and clinging to outdated precepts won't change it. The Republicans were yesterday's news in today's election.

The Tea Party wants to return the country to the good ole' days, when in fact, the good ole' days weren't all that good or fair to a large segment of the population. Women, blacks, gays, and other minorities were persona non grata in those days which the Tea Party wants to throw us all back into.

Added to this right wing folly are reports that some far right Tea Party (that may be a redundant phrase) types are circulating petitions to formally request that their states secede from the United States. Of course, these efforts are futile as even most right wing Republicans, not to mention Democrats, will see that these feeble efforts are quashed.  Still, it does show the warped mentality of some of the more super fringe elements of the Republican/Conservative movement.

And we shouldn't forget the 3,000 pound elephant in the room that no one in the Republican party will mention, and that is racism. There are many rednecks (and also some white necks) in our nation who are bigots and the thought of a black man being president sends them into a frothy mouth frenzy of panic.  I have absolutely no sympathy for these buffoons, as their prejudiced opinions have no relevance in modern times. They are a living example of a square peg in a round hole.

Finally, Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's running mate, is not very adept at hiding his agenda, which wants to get rid of Social Security and Medicare. He sees both programs as socialism, instead of a fair government taking care of its senior citizens, both financially and health wise. Sadly, many Republicans agree with him. Meanwhile, the Tea Party arm of the party wants to roll back much of the social progress our nation has made over the past decades. This in spite of the fact that, in this past election, four states approved gay marriage, and two approved the recreational use of marijuana. Times change, attitudes change, demographics change, but the Republican powers stick to their same old tired line of protecting the super wealthy and big business at the cost of everything else, including the rank and file citizen. The mind boggling fact with all this is that the Republican leaders are still scratching their collective head and wondering why they didn't win, which is sort of like the guys at the slaughter house wondering why the steers didn't vote for them.

As a Democrat, I probably should be applauding the fact that the Republicans, even after their stinging defeat, still do not have a clue. Trouble is, I don't. We need two functioning political parties, if for nothing else to keep each other in balance. Instead, we have the party of "NO" trying to put roadblocks, at every turn, in front of a president and party who are trying to make things better for our citizens. It's disgusting.

I have no advice for the Republicans, as they are much like the alcoholic or chronic over eater, in that only they can fix the problem. While there is no danger of my becoming a Republican, I would feel much more kindly towards them if they would right their ship, try to understand the changing mood and makeup of our nation, join the rest of us in the twenty first century, and work towards the betterment of our country. If they want to be taken seriously in a future general election, they need to tell the Tea Party/Religious Right/Wealthy fat cats to stuff it. As the old saying goes, "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is a strong sign of stupidity."

Amen to that, brother!

We will now pass the collection plate and take up a collection to aid our poor misguided Republicans.  I'll contribute a penny. Perhaps the likeness of Abe Lincoln will be a start in showing them where they went so terribly wrong!