WHICH PLANET IS SPEAKING TO ROMNEY AND GINGRICH ABOUT THE MIDDLE CLASS?

Romney has finally gone over the top!  When he states his opinion that President Obama knows nothing about the middle class 9but that he, Romney, does) is not only Romney's fabrication but probably a projection because he is clueless about them.  Most of us learn a lot about the times from our children as they are a generation behind our own life cycle, but his sons seem to all have over 100 million in their trust funds. That hardly qualifies them to identify with the poor.

Romney claimed that the Republicans are for the Middle Class.  Check this article at the Fact Checker for more detail.

Nancy Pelosi opined that Gingrich will never be president, sharing  that she knew something without explaining what that is..  Speculations can run rampant.  My guess is that it has to do with his claim that he was a historian, not a lobbyist, for Freddie Mack..Somehow it has to be tied in with his ethics violations which cost him the Speakership.  If we all wait patiently and live long enough, answers often come forward.

REPUBLICANS TRUMPED AGAIN

While Karl Rove has never been an idol of mine, it is odd to see Donald Trump trying to replace him and seemingly succeeding as manipulating the elections..  Today's Republican race betrays the flimsiness of criteria the majority of voters use to select their candidates.  The election process is currently being compared to a circus, not unjustly.  Nevertheless there is no denial that Rove has been evilly successful in running politics for too many years.

Now it seems that Donald Trump is trying to take over.  Trump and he plan to go to an inner city school and take 10 kids as 'apprenti'....is the new Republican jobs program. This is not to suggest that any of his actions of staying front and center in public view  is for personal gain or to promote his show or book.

I have decided that (in my own simplistic way) there is little choice to be made in 2012.  Question #1 to be asked is:  Would McCain have made a better President than Obama?.  The answer is unquestionably a resounding NO.  McCain has been a tired old man who seems dissatisfied with even his own party.  Question #2 is:  Would any of the current candidates be better equipped to be President than Obama?  Once again, whether you think Obama has done a good job or not, he is brighter, better trained and fulfills more requirements for handling the country (especially after four years of on-the-job-training) than any of the current Republican candidates. 

INNER DEBATE: WATCH THE REPUBLICANS LIE OR THE HOCKEY PLAYOFFS?

Normally I am not a sports fan.  Normally I will watch any political debate.  Why then do I draw an inner 'ho hum' when I choose hockey over the opportunity to evaluate the Republican presidential candidates.  After thinking about it for a while, I realize we are in the Internet age and all it provides media for coverage.  There is little I haven't heard about the candidates, picked apart from every bias and other perspective possible.

It seemed to me in hearing as much of the debate I could stand until the danger of retching took over, I realized that if we voted any one of them into office, we were in danger of turning back the clock socially and morally to at least fifty years.

Mitt Romney has changed his tune so many times he is hardly worth watching.  He will say whatever he 'thinks' the New Hampshire electorate wants to hear.  He did it with a smooth smile that didn't change throughout the debate..
Tim Pawlenty, one of the least charismatic candidate around.  He is against the4 new Healthcare plan and will only argue that it is "Obamneycare"  That tells the public nothing about he might best serve them in the White House.  He is with the established Republicans.
Michele Bachmann was the scariest.  She believes that life is a God creation at the point of conception until natural death.  That means no abortion or death with dignity on her watch.  She has no background for history, foreign affairs, and little else that it would take to lead this country.  She has some naive, limited ideas that support the Teaparty but comes out with a firm conviction mostly on moral issues.
Newt Gingrich has run a ridiculous campaign that has in many ways thumbed his nose at the system   Word is out that he is led by his wife.  That is enough among the Republican leaders to count him out.
Herman Cain, articulate and a good salesman but who has said some very unpopular things such as he 'wouldn't be comfortable having a Muslim in his cabinet.
Rick Santorum, also an  ultra-conservative claims to listen to everyone's issues but neglects to say that it will be with a deaf ear.. 
Lastly, Ron Paul who makes some sense when he isn't being provocative,  may not be far enough right for those who would be his base.

 All of them were in favor of having the States handle the issues they felt the government was not taking in to control such as immigration, protecting against abortions, welfare, education, budgets; in other words, they are talking about working to roll back the laws we have lived with for years that they don't like and giving the states more freedom on the basis that the government hasn't done the right job.

Most of their time was spent ranting against Obama.  I did not hear anything constructive they have to offer other than running our lives with more religion as a foundation.  Admittedly, I did not follow every moment.  I heard nothing about raising income for running the government nor getting more jobs or helping the middle class raise its standard of living.

To read BBC's take, click here.  

Despite the fact that this should be a good debate for laughs, I think sticking with the Hockey game offered a more stimulating evening.. The Bruins even won the game as added attraction.

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY SEEMS TO BE IMPLODING

• McCain calls Santorum dumb after hearing him say that McCain doesn't understand enhanced methods of torture.
• Gingrich denies Ryan's fiscal plan and comments critically about the Right Wing's Social Engineering
• It is discovered that there are many more than just the two Koch brothers.  In fact there has been a group, probably more than 300 in it) who have been planning and executing plans that circumvent elected governmental officials in charge.  Further discovered is that lobbyists have been writing legislation for some time now.  They are more effective than Karl Rove.
• The above 'group' is behind the mid-West Republican governors  strange actions so in conflict with the wishes of their constituents.
• Paul Ryan, Newt Gingrich, Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee, join others who have shot themselves in the political foot, so to speak.
• TeaPartiers sneak as Republicans when they really see themselves as a fourth party, adding themselves to Democrats, Republicans, Independents and no TeaPartiers.
• Rating awards for their 'Family Values'  (actually now the lack of family values) along with Vitter, Ensign, Edwards, Sanford, Spitzer, and, oh so many others, Schwartenegger adds himself to receive an award for hypocrisy.
• Saki Knafo writes a brief summary of the long history of horny politicos.
• While the sex scandals offer a minor diversion, the real problems facing us are 'Just who is running our country?'

HOW TO RECOGNIZE WHICH FRIENDS REALLY FOLLOW POLITICS

Trump

The friend who a month ago told me the best Republican ticket would be Trump for President and Newt Gingrich for V.P. obviously did not pay attention.  Trump has run before but quits before he has to disclose his finances, just as he did this time.

Mitt Romney

Respect for candidates is lost when they change their positions for political rather than personally held beliefs or voting as their electorate wishes.  Romney used to be Pro-Choice when he ran for Gov of Massachusetts and is now Pro-Life.  He thought his Health Care program in MA (actually written by someone from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology which is why it is so similar to the current Health Care that Obama had passed) was terrific until recently when it is not fashionable to Republicans who used to be for it as well.

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich, however, has to win the blue ribbon for being the most inconsistent   He has been known to change his position within the same speech.  Devonia Smith writes:  "Brit Hume, senior Fox political analyst, this evening, brutally  described Newt Gingrich as a man who is a "provocative thinker but a promiscuous talker" who may have set himself, involuntarily, to go  the way of Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee -  out of the race for President of the United States. Gingrich's charge that the Ryan budget plan was  "Radical right wing social engineering" was "politically inexplicable" says Hume and an example of a man cannibalizing his own party that will be difficult, if not impossible to undo.  Brit Hume on  Gingrich says he may go next (after Trump and Huckabee)  Gingrich's charge that the Ryan budget plan was  "Radical right wing social engineering" was "politically inexplicable" says Hume and an example of a man cannibalizing his own party that will be difficult, if not impossible to undo. 

Do none of these people remember that everything they say is kept on video archive and easily brought back to haunt them,

FOSTERING REVOLUTION: FOX NEWS?

Since I am neither a lawyer nor Constitutional scholar, I naively believed if you went public with pleas to start a revolution that it was considered tyranny and was not rewarded kindly. I guess I was wrong. Whatever happened to patriotism, supporting the President who has been duly elected, saluting the flag, standing up and holding your hand over your heart as the Star Spangled Banner is being played? When we forgot to pass out the Handbook for Illegal Aliens to Pretend to be American, we should have made more copies to go to all Republicans, as well. They seem to have forgotten about Unity, graciously losing, and patience. My guess is they are bored after the exciting last twelve years. With Clinton they had pornographic Congressional sessions. With Bush, eight years of trying to guess what the truth really was that they were expected to support in lock step.

While I am quick to criticize whatever I believe to be wrong, dangerous, and almost everything Bush 43's administration did, I never advocated Revolution. I just impatiently waited for the years to pass so that we could elect a President who was actually fit for the job. Now that we have one, too many people expect him to part the ocean of differences between political factions. While President Obama has made many efforts to pull Republicans with particular expertise into his Administration, too many have made themselves look politically rigid, like Judd Gregg did.

My fantasy is that there is a man behind the Republican curtain, acting like a Wizard of OZ, calling the Republican shots. Who might that be? Limbaugh, Gingrich?...probably not, because the curtain has not yet parted to reveal the 'Reverend Jones' who is busily mixing Republican Kool-Aid. There is absurdity in the tea-bagging, supposed purpose (too much taxation). Taxes have gone down for 95% of the country with representation. I also wonder if the people we see on camera are paid 'extras' as the ad makers against the changes in laws for same-sex marriage found.

L.A. Progressive believes it is Rush Limbaugh. Actually, the published comments are the most fun to read, as one wrote: "Flush Dimbulb and his sycophantic minions, are a scary group. He is a legend in his own mind, the Pied Piper of the bitter, and ignorant." It would appear the tea-baggers want the government overthrown. When last I looked, I thought plans to overthrow the government were rewarded with more than a slap on the wrist. I also wonder if we, the overtaxed citizens, are expected to clean up the mess from the million tea bags planned to be thrown in Washington? If so, I firmly object to their demonstration. We have freedom of speech, which dumping teabags does not represent. What do they not understand about the difference between speech and action?

TAX THE RICH IS NOT THE ONLY REVENUE SOLUTION

It is distressing that panels of 'experts' are media people and not the people who actually do the jobs. On George Stephanoloulos today, the panel was made up of David Gurgen,
Donna Brazile, George Will, Tom Friedman, and Newt Gingrich. Listening to them talk today made clear they seemed limited to thinking the only way to raise revenue was to tax people. They felt that additionally to taxing the rich, all people should be taxed and could not see that taxing the poor is not necessary. There are so many other ways to augment the monies coming into the national coffers. It is beyond my comprehension that these discussions are limited to funds coming, seemingly, only from taxing 'the rich' as they hear Obama's plan. While we have so many of our companies with 'offshore' offices, we are losing taxes from people who essentially have American businesses and are escaping tax payments while this Administration has been taking those monies from the lives of the poor and middle class.

If talk shows were really thinking of the information they share, why would they not think to have people already in government and working on economics, already in the salt mines, or economists like Krugman (recent Novel prize winner), Ben Bernanke, discussing those issues? We have sales tax, fuel tax, phone tax, utility tax, luxury tax, and the list is interminable. It is possible to reduce the needs for income by a more efficient government crew and workers. Let ALL government workers do their jobs after they have proven they are equipped for them.

There seems to have been a certain blindness in this administration for not seeing that revenue was lost with every business that failed in the US, while encouraging many companies to leave the US and move their tax responsibilities away from the USA. We need more creativity and fairness in government. We need appointments made for only qualified people, not by political favor, nor nepotism.

Lastly, the whole taxing system needs to be rewritten and rethought. The Apocalypse will get to us before that is done, I believe. though it would seem someone might see the necessity as if has been spoken of for years..