Pride and runaway egos can cause people to do stupid, destructive things. Just look at the Republican candidates trashing frontrunner Mitt Romney for being a heartless corporate raider who allegedly squeezed every dollar out of companies, firing thousands of employees and leaving but a carcass in his wake.
They're referrig to Romney's position as head of Bain Capital in the early 1980s. And they're sounding like typical Democrats who thrive on class warfare. These candidates are giving President Obama's re-election campaign plenty of footage and sound bites for his upcoming barrage of negative ads (all $1 billion worth).
Look, politics is a dirty game. It ain't pretty, and it ain't for the faint of heart. But there's also a saying that politics is "the art of the possible." Opponents do not have to be bitterly opposed, to the point of cutting each other's hearts out. Maybe I am naive, but I believe the need to get Obama out of office is so compelling, so critical, that the also-rans in the Republican contest for the nomination ought to, if not stand down, at least curb the harsh comments.
But then again, I worked in politics for five years. I personally observed some enmities between state lawmakers of the same political party (the GOP) that were far more intense than any hostilities between Republicans and Democrats. It was not just destructive and stupid, it was also rather pathetic. And that's the feeling I get when I keep hearing the desperate name calling and mud slinging of Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman toward Romney. Gingrich, in particular, seems obsessed with taking Romney down because Romney's political action committee smeared him viciously in Iowa, and Gingrich did not have the money or resources to fight back.
Perhaps the GOP contenders can ream Romney all they want, and if Romney wins the nomination, he will still defeat Obama just because Obama has been such a catastrophe that tens of millions of people want him gone no matter what. But then again, it is more likely that by trying to build themselves up by tearing down Romney, the other GOP candidates are weakening the likely nominee and ensuring four more years of the incompetent and destructive Obama.
You would think their concern for their country might temper their words and actions. But as I said, pride and ego can and do trump common sense and prudence. Too bad for our nation.
I think your mistake is believing that the current crop of Republican candidates would ever put the interests of their country before their own. Romney and Paul are the only ones not using it as a fundraising opportunity or book tour, and of those two only one has a record of good managment, while the other believes in the gold standard.
The fact is that there is no "true mother" willing to stand down instead of allowing your country to be split by deadlock. Republican obstructionism, for the last four years, has been far more harmful to your country than Democratic policy. It's strange that you would blame Obama for policies that have been largely blocked by a Republican-controlled legislature.
Face it, the Republicans would rather burn down the house than let the Democrats leave the lights on. Presumably so they can collect the insurance...
Posted by: Nurglitch | January 25, 2012 at 02:42 PM
I hate to intrude upon your delightful fantasy, but in fact the Democrats possessed super-majorities for two years - 2009-2011. This represented a time of political power unseen since the 1930s.
What did they do with this sweeping control of the state? Implement multi-thousand page laws that they openly admitted they did not read; vote unprecedented power to unelected and unaccountable administrators; defy public will and utterly ignore any limit on government power.
President Obama has now arrogated to himself the authority to make war without Congressional consent (Libya) and may detain or kill American citizens anywhere in the world without even publicly issuing charges.
We could use quite a bit more "obstructionism" if you ask me.
Posted by: K.N. McBride | February 02, 2012 at 06:59 PM