DemoCRITs and RepubliCANTs

Our national political parties are peculiar organizations.  They attract money like a magnet in a pile of metal shavings; they spend that money to acquire and maintain political power and influence; and they simultaneously employ some of the brightest people in America while enabling some of the biggest idiots in our nation.  They constitute the two pillars upon which our government is based and in spite of an endless opportunity to create a nation that would make the world envious; they instead spend most of their time trying to hoodoo each other and gain political leverage.

The frustration that citizens possess concerning the behavior of our two political parties has led to an increase in those (like me) who have chosen to register as an Independent.   It is a fair criticism that Independents choose the easy path by selecting no path; deigning to remain in the middle and supporting the candidate that makes the most sense to them.  You might even suggest that the old adage “if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything” might apply to Independents because they have no allegiance to either national party and yet fail to put up legitimate candidates for themselves. 

I choose to see it differently.  To me, national party registration signifies a pledge of support to the overall agenda promoted by the party leadership.  While acknowledging that it is not reasonable to expect a political party to reflect all of your personal views all of the time; if you are going to be a card-carrying member of that organization, then you are rather obligated to pledge allegiance to the general principles and policies that they espouse.  I was raised as a conservative Republican; but the patently irresponsible fiscal policies of that party led me years ago to take my leave from their organization.  It goes without saying that based on my fiscal concerns; the Democrat Party was not a feasible alternative.

It is my belief that far too many American voters have little to no knowledge of what their party stands for.  They either remain with a party in which they were raised, cling to an idealized and outdated image of what they think their party represents, or worst of all…maintain membership in a particular party because of social concerns and political correctness.  They want to be in tune with the other people that inhabit the immediate world around them.  I know many people in my rural community that are loyal Democrats and have personal beliefs that run perfectly counter to the principles upon which the current national Democrat Party is built.  By the same token; I also know many Republicans who habitually vote a straight ticket and hold personal convictions far different than any conservative agenda could support. 

I suppose what I am trying to say is that our national parties are led by people who have no substantive concern for what their members think; they are consumed with what they think and how they might foist that philosophy on others.  The parties’ leadership has abandoned their members.  And at the same time, the party members have stopped tracking the philosophy of their party’s leadership.  There are no blue dog democrats anymore.  A fair assessment of the Democrat Party agenda leaves no room for any type of moderate Democrat who might tend towards a conservative compromise.  Democratic Senators Joe Manchin (WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) might come close to that model in their rhetoric; but their voting record belies their words.  Under Donald Trump’s tutelage, the Republican Party has left little if any room for anyone who might consider liberal principles in legislative negotiations.  Republican Susan Collins (ME) and Mitt Romney (UT) are not labeled as RINOs in an affectionate way.  We have become a nation of radically different national parties that essentially have little, if any, tolerance for moderates and co-exist with a monstrous ideological chasm between them.

Our 2020 national election was decided by a group of voters who voted against something.  Apparently, many voters chose Biden not because they were for him; but because they did not like Trump’s persona and were against him.  Does anyone really believe that Biden got many votes that represented an enthusiastic endorsement of his candidacy?  The reality is that a significant percentage of Biden votes were simply anti-Trump votes.  It is entirely possible that any number of alternative Republican candidates would have easily defeated Joe Biden.  In fact, had Trump been removed as the Republican nominee when he contracted the cornonavirus and been replaced by Mike Pence; we would likely be anticipating a President Pence come January.  Ask yourself: Is this how we should decide presidential elections?

 

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The hypocritical nature of the Democratic Party is breath-taking.  They advocate for a peaceful transition to a Biden Administration after spending four years undermining the Trump Administration.  Pelosi scolds the Republicans for being unfeeling in regards to a coronavirus legislative aid package; but sabotages any Republican or bi-partisan House effort to pass such legislation.  Democrats repeatedly call for free and fair elections; but then take every opportunity to limit transparency and push to expedite results at every turn.  Their occasional cautionary note about the ballooning federal budget deficit while spending trillions (that’s with a “T”, Nancy) on their pet projects is shallow beyond description.  And most outrageous of all, they constantly preach about tolerance while exhibiting the most blatant form of intolerance for those who do not subscribe to their ideology.  They are not DemoCRATs; they are DemoCRITs.

And what have the Republicans come to?  While espousing reasonably sound reasons why many of the lunatic liberal policies should never see the light of day; they rarely put forth viable alternatives to these policies.  They have become masters of not what can be done; but rather what can’t be done.  They have preached for over ten years that Obamacare cannot work; but when holding in their very hands a united government and the opportunity to replace Obamacare with something else, they foundered.  They cling to the so-called policy of fiscal restraint that the conservative Republicans love to hear; but they exhibit absolutely no compunction to spending money like drunken sailors as long as it is for their policies.  Senate Republicans moan and groan about four years of adventurous House investigations into all things Trump; but they somehow can’t find the time to investigate the worst political scandal in American history executed under the auspices of the One during his eight years of governmental political weaponization and in alliance with his deep state holdover lackeys.   While the Democrats somehow manage to exhibit consistent party discipline in critical legislative votes; the Republicans persist in trying to coax their moderates into maintaining party allegiance.  When it gets down to the critical head-counting exercise; it always seems to be crisis time in the Republican camp.  They are not RepubliCANs; they are RepubliCANTs.

I have many friends, family members, and neighbors who are Republicans and are sick and tired of their party leaders bringing their short knives to national party gunfights.  I have many friends, family members, and neighbors who are Democrats and are abhorred by the lunatic policies spouted by Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, AOC, her Squad, and others from the fringe left wing of their party.

The pragmatic, binary choice that we as citizens now have between the Republican Party and the Democrat Party is pathetic.  Shouldn’t we as Americans be motivated by something more inspiring than pragmatism?  Our national political parties are both consumed with the quest for power and influence, wealth and prestige, and an insatiable hunger for dominance over each other.  I am not advocating that the rise of a vibrant Third Party is the solution to our gridlocked government.  It is not likely that an additional division in our political world will lead to any improvement in the existing division.  But the good Lord knows that our national parties need to do a better job of selecting candidates up and down the ticket and we, as voters, need to be more discriminating in who we support.  An infusion of some intelligent Independent legislators into the process might not be such a bad idea.

And if this infusion is going to be possible, there must be some thoughtful campaign reforms implemented that will level the political playing field and remove the astronomical costs of running for office.  I am not advocating for public campaign financing; I am advocating for some form of a simpler, more coordinated, more transparent, more inclusive, more succinct and expedited campaign process.  If they would simply swallow their pride, find some humility, and focus on our government’s welfare; then the CRITs and the CANTs could achieve this.  Of course, it would also necessitate that they give up a bit of their territory to the new kid on the block and that notion likely dooms the entire idea to failure.

What we clearly need is a return to a status where each Party has a core set of clearly-stated principles upon which they stand.  They need to become advocates for their own principles rather than assassins of their opponent’s principles.  They need to be for something rather than always against something.  They need to find the humility and statesmanship necessary to once again stand firm on their principles, while reasonably compromising on their practices.

The dismal and depressing reality is that while they are smarting from the last four years of unending Resist Trump efforts; Republicans are going to be in no mood to sit around the campfire with Biden and his cronies and share the s’mores.   The real question that bears examination today is not what we can expect over the next four years.  That’s an easy one; just flip the coin over and reverse the roles.  The DemoCRITs are in and the RepubliCANTs are out; Donald Jr. morphs into Hunter Biden.  The more essential question is where we will be standing three years from now.  Will our national political parties find it within themselves to select and present quality candidates for presidential consideration in 2024?  Unless there is a sea change in the attitudes of the CRITS and the CANTS, there is not much reason for optimism on that front.

BTW and FWIW…there is some interesting information coming out regarding Dominion Voting Systems and their role in the past election.  Here is one such article: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/dominion-backs-out-pa-hearing-hours-after-trump-attorney-accuses-them .  I’m not saying there is any fire in the middle of this smoke; but Sidney Powell is one sharp cookie and there is no good reason NOT to take a clear-eyed, hard look at these accusations.  After all, we’re only talking about the future leadership of our nation and the free world.  The dog that hasn’t yet barked is the fact that Dominion is playing hide the ball and not publicly and vehemently disputing these accusations.  You would think that innocent people would be rather indignant…no?  Get it done; but get it done quickly.  It is time to move on.

One thing is indisputably true; we must be more open-minded about the scope of possible government and corporate corruption than we have ever been.  The last twelve years have demonstrated to anyone paying attention that we have put, and will continue to place, some terribly flawed individuals in positions of authority not only in our government; but also in charge and control of our largest international corporations.  That power, oftentimes unbridled and unseen, is an irresistible elixir for most of us and it leads a person to deeds of corruption that were heretofore unheard of.  We place our unqualified trust in government and the corporate universe at our own risk.