Broken Thumb Blog - Politics

The God of Tony Perkins is a Wuss!

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:43:30 -0400

How meager and weak and puny is the god worshipped by Tony Perkins! Surely his is not the god of Israel which turned the Nile to blood and flooded the whole of Earth. Surely his is not the god that plagued Job with boils and death to prove a faithfulness that was never in question. Surely his is not the god which punished the regrets of Lot's wife by making her a pillar of salt. Tony Perkins's god is no god to be reckoned with. For what god, awesome in might and intolerant of sin, would need a mortal man like Tony Perkins to smite the wicked and punish his enemies?

I suppose that Tony Perkins, were he asked, would proclaim himself a tool in the hands of "the one true God." I believe he would tell me that the world has become so corrupt by Satan's temptations and the wiles of sinful man that his god needs an army of mortals clad in spititual armor. I trust he would tell me that this letter is an arrow in the quiver of his god's army, that it is a weapon in the defense of virtue, and that his god's power on Earth depends on it.

If that is true, then Tony Perkins is no instrument in the hand of his god. Tony Perkins is the master, and his god a mere tool. His god is an instrument used to exploit the weakness of those who believe that to punish the "unrighteous" will make them "righteous" to an equal degree. He calls on the wrath of people who should leave it to their god to judge sin and punish the wicked. He is building an army of donors. And with their luchre he lowers his god into the pit of human politics. He makes his god a beggar, a supplicant for the votes of men who are no greater than Job or the Pharoahs of Egypt.

In the end Tony's god will lose this fight. Tony's god could never win, because he is a god who needs a man to save him.

360 Days Later

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:31:40 -0500

It's been 12 months, or very close thereto, since I last wrote in here. Anyone whose been watching -- which is safe to guess includes everyone -- knows that this past year has been a rough one for the President.

Apparently no one told him that it's really, really, really hard to change things when people don't really want more than superficial adjustments. But, blinded by a conviction of his own good intentions and lusty for the power to make them real, Obama embarked down this path.

I am recently exploring the meme of homeostasis. The French have a lovely way of putting it which the English doesn't capture. "Le plus ça change, le plus c'est le même chose." No matter what changes we attempt, the norms prevail and find a way to triumph. Which is interesting, because the norms are defined by the vast masses in the middle. The average will always find itself and impose its mediocrity despite our best intentions.

On a micro level, that's fine in so much as you are below average. However, the truth is that to expand the range of the normal requires a shrinking of both the left and right side of a given distribution. Trouble occurs when the range of the normal is expanded and limits the side which is above average.

In this country, everyone wants to believe they can be above average. And when confronted with the impossibility of that fact they enter a state of denial. They are each of them convinced they will beat the odds.

As a society this is healthy. It shifts the normal a little more towards the positive. But in moving the normal in that direction the condition of those below average is become relatively worse. To include more of those below average within the range of the normal would require undermining those above average.

In this country those people will first exercise their political muscle. And if that fails they will leave. Under such a scenario, Obama would be able to achieve his objectives. But the end result is akin to cutting off the nation's nose.

People are jealous of what they have. Those in the middle who are convinced they are above average won't abandon their hopes for the sake of Obama's vision. When they elected him they thought he would help them. Now they know they were never the intended beneficiaries, and they have begun to quit their support.

He's not going to get it back.

The Media are Lazy

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:25:02 -0500

Stories like this are fast becoming trite.

Even though casual observers often compare Florida to its big-state peers (TX, NY, CA), I would argue that it is unique in the Union. On the surface the political issues appear to be the same - sizable ethnic immigrant communities; distinct geographic regions; a blend of urban, suburban, and rural populations; disparities of wealth; etc. But after living in each of these states, I would argue that such a construct is overly simplistic (a topic for another day).

As for the political commentary related to the 2010 U.S. Senate race in Florida, these articles all rely on the following assumptions:

1) Because it's a swing state, Florida is also a bellweather
2) Politics in Florida operate in a manner consistent with politics everywhere else
3) The split within the Republican Party is between two main factions, namely "Moderates" and "Conservatives"
4) The battle between distinct Republican philosophies will be settled in any one electoral contest

I think most of these assumptions are overblown. Good, on-the-ground reporting would investigate the way in which the Republican Party is evolving based on the shifting relevance and priority of certain issues.

Inauguration

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:22:12 -0500

Inauguration Day is among the most important aspects of our political life as Americans. It reminds us that the presidency is an office which is occupied by citizens. When the time comes, and at the discretion of the voters, they enter. In like manner the time always come when, in their discretion, the voters show them the exit.

For those dismayed by the election of Barack Obama, remember that the time will come when he too must leave the office. For those cheered by the departure of George W. Bush, remember that the time will come when a Republican once again occupies the Oval Office.

Power did not transition today. It resides perpetually with the people. Today, the world witnessed the awesome power of the Republic to renew itself. What is duly done is duly begun, but the virtue of the Republic endures. Long live the Republic!

The Course of Human Events Finds China...Finally

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:41:24 -0500

A group of Chinese has published what amounts to a declaration of rights. It is called Charter 08 and I pulled it from the web this morning. I am posting here for a couple of reasons. First, people need to know about it. Second, it represents the most contagious idea in human history. People have a right to self-determination, and when they assert it we should all support them.

Join the chorus. Download Charter 08. Disseminate it. Help the Chinese people free themselves from the tyranny of authoritarian, one-party rule.Charter08.doc

Very Funny, John...Now, Seriously, Who's It Gonna Be?

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:34:39 -0400

I gotta blog this. I gotta blog this. I gotta seriously, seriously blog this.

John McCain, in his first act of dementia, has chosen a former beauty queen to be his running mate.

Now, lest I seem completely indifferent to this woman's executive experience, let me say that I feel she is eminently qualified to govern one of the few places in the U.S. less populous than her own state, including ND (pop. 640K), VT (pop. 621K), DC (pop. 590K) or WY. (pop. 522K) Likewise, she would be a capable mayor of one of the following U.S. Cities: Baltimore (637K) ranks 20th, Charlotte (pop. 672K) ranks 19th, Memphis (pop. 674K) ranks 18th, or Fort Worth (pop. 681K) ranks 17th.

Hypothetically speaking, since a brisk 3 a.m. run to the toilet could render President McCain a rather stately corpse I wonder how much more or less comfortable I would be with the mayor of Indianapolis negotiating the removal of troops from Iraq. Since Governor Palin's resume also includes multiple terms as a mayor (Wasilla AK) prior to becoming governor I'm sure she will do as well as the mayor of Indianapolis. However, it is worth noting that being the mayor of Wasilla (pop. 9,800) requires winning the support of as many people as it might take to get elected to the Student Assembly of Cornell University.

Admittedly, my Party's talking points have some validity. It is the quality, not necessarily the quantity, of her experience which matters. But it must be mentioned that for the fiscal year 2006-2007 the budget of the State of Alaska was $6.7 billion. By comparison, one would have to go all the way to Number 362 on the list of Fortune 1000 Companies to find an organization with the same level of revenue. So--hypothetically speaking--should President McCain have a brain aneurism while fulminating over legislation passed by Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi, it's good to know that Sarah Palin will have experience with budgets larger than those of Bed, Bath & Beyond or Whole Foods.

I also concede that as governor she does make some life-and-death decisions as head of the Alaska Army National Guard. Wikipedia tells me there are 70 armories and 1850 guardsmen in the state. That means in the event of a call-up Gov. Palin would have authority over as many lives as the junior and senior classes of West Point. Certainly then she is at least half as qualified as the Commandant of the USMA.

So while I trust that John McCain fully believes Gov. Palin to be qualified to assume the Presidency should he be unable to complete his term of office, I think the decision proves his judgment to be suspect.

I am a lifelong Republican. I support my Party. I think Gov. Palin would make an interesting candidate to see in a primary battle someday. However, since she was obviously chosen to bring novelty to the ticket I think that John McCain no longer appears to take this election seriously. As more and more people contemplate this, they will recognize that he himself is not the better candidate for President and will elect Barck Obama.

Congratulations Senator McCain. As you so delight in doing, your maverick actions have once again betrayed the interests of your party. We will not only lose this election, but we may have to spend as many as eight years suffering the effects of your misguided choice.

Words Matter, Especially "Casuist"

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:21:39 -0400

The Reverend Jeremiah Wright has caused a political problem for Barack Obama that is surprisingly not centered on race, radical religiosity, or strident anti-Americanism. Nor is the problem their 20-year relationship or the possibility that Senator Obama secretly harbors the same politics as his pastor.

A preacher's profession is defined by words. Through his sermons he argues a specific morality, advocating a better life for his congregants through the precepts he promotes . His words, being the only tools of his trade, truly matter.

Politicians, like preachers, are defined by what they say. They reach for the right language to make moral and civic precepts acceptable to their audiences. Using words, they reason, promise and persuade. Failing to win support for their positions by those means alone, they cajole, intimidate, and threaten. If they are really good they need only inspire and uplift.

Having made the point that words matter in politics, Senator Obama cannot now tell us that what he says is of consequence while what his preacher says is not. When the man is the message and the message is the man, there is no difference between the preacher and the politician.

That is the problem Reverend Wright poses for Senator Obama.

Comic Books and the Three Emails They Didn't Erase

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:31:20 -0500

The funniest thing came through my radio the other day. It shouldn't have been funny; every President since Truman has done it, and I should have expected it. Nonetheless I laughed indeed when I heard mention of the "George W. Bush Presidential Library."

Immediately I had a vision of Derek Zoolander and his Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good. Given all the materials that the GWB people will call "classified files which must be hidden to preserve the people of this good nation and to keep them safe from the evildoers," I wondered what small sample of memoribilia and documentation will researchers and guests find in the Bush Presidential Library.

Below are a scant few of the small number of items I expect to be on display or otherwise available to the public.

Captain America, published by Marvel Comics, issues 1-current (bet that Steve Rogers would've found Osama by now)
Flight Suit and Banner with "Mission Accomplished."
Handwritten Letter from GWB to Mike Brown, Dir. of FEMA, dated August 3, 2005. "My Dearest Brownie,..."
The Texas Chainsaw used to massacre Crawford brush.

While it is this man's personal prerogative to establish the library, I wonder how much about the Bush Presidency we will learn that we don't already know. Given that the administration has hidden and deleted as much as possible during his tenure in the Oval Office, we probably already know as much as we ever will. What we do know is probably not worth enshrining and re-visiting. I suspect the whole thing will amount to little more than a sanitized retrospective of a legacy unworthy of commemoration.

I recognize that as a Republican I am supposed to fawn over the man, this great "Compassionate Conservative." However, I am one of those pesky--but true--Conservatives who cannot stand the way GWB expanded the scope and size of the federal government, waged an unnecessary foreign war at great cost in blood and treasure, and willfully circumvented Constitutional limits meant to constrain the elected agents of a tyranny of the majority.

At least I can laugh at the irony.

Raucus Caucus

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 01:52:49 -0500

Bruce Chapman of Seattle's Discovery Institute has penned a nice overview of the primary process (both Democratic and Republican) in Washington State. I recommend it for all of you who may be interested in what's going on here.

As for the Potomac Primary tomorrow, I foresee a Huckabee win in Virginia (the sizeable military vote for McCain notwithstanding) and more than a few of the proportional delegates from Maryland going his way. DC belongs to Senator McCain't-Yet-Close-the-Deal.

You can retain me, Governor Huckabee

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 01:11:53 -0500

It seems that Gov. Huckabee, failing to major in math, also skipped pre-law. The Washington State caucus rules are located on the website for King County here.

Did the State GOP make a stupid mistake in calling the winner here? I don't know enough about what exactly happened. Perhaps Luke Esser got ahead of himself and announced McCain won (which was not appropriate given the close tally so far reported). I doubt that the Washington State GOP would have committed such a blatantly stupid "manipulation" of the results in plain view of the whole country during this highly energized election cycle. At least, I hope not.

Aspiration vs. Inspiration

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:56:57 -0500

Seeking a candidate who merely inspires us is dangerous. It leaves us to susceptible to the emotional manipulations of a candidate with empty charisma or an aptitude for fear-mongering. It exploits the lack of a self-defined political persona, and in a democracy it leads to choices which have enduring consequences.

Blah, Blah, Blah...Less Spending. Blah, Blah, Blah...Judges.

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:03:30 -0500

Seriously, I'm supposed to support John McCain? Really? What exactly do I owe him?

The Senator pays lip service to the areas where we agree. He promises to toe the line on judges and taxes, but he has consistently demonstrated an eagerness to stick it to the party's base whenever it suits him. The only promise I expect him to keep as President is staying in Iraq forever and ever. And I suppose that if he feels the need to raise taxes in support of unending war spending, he will do it.

The strength of the Republican Party is derived from its conservative base. Moderates represent many branches of the Party, but they all draw their sustenance from the roots. One can cut a branch from the tree and survive. But to cut out a root weakens the whole tree.

I am not going to fall in line and cast a vote for John McCain. I am not going to move to the middle in support of his positions simply because the Democratic candidate presents a "worse" alternative.

The Senator from Arizona tells me he's going to unify the party and win the Presidency. He says it as though it's the natural order of things. He seems to think that the political realities of the day favor his ultimate ascendancy. He is wrong because he mistakes my firm political loyalties for his malleable ones.

Here's some straight talk for the Senator. My vote does not belong to him simply because he is the default candidate. It does not belong to him any more than it belonged to Bob Dole in 1996 or to George H. W. Bush in 1992. He has never earned my vote. And his speech at CPAC did not earn it today.

Regarding Romney

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 01:32:00 -0500

The following is the letter I sent to friends and family after McCain's win in Florida.

Dearfriendsandfamily.doc

Please Senator may we (not) have some more?

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:30:23 -0500

When facing the prospect of war, I prefer that the President of the United States and the Senate choose such a course only after much consideration, deliberation, and soul-searching. I would prefer the cost in national blood and treasure be weighed against the dire consequences of all possible outcomes. I would likewise prefer that all alternatives be subjected to equal degrees of due diligence.

George W. Bush was obviously not capable of these things. He decided on war, groped about for a justification, and ignored any possible outcome which did not involve laurel wreaths and rose petals.

Now Senator McCain has declared that there will be other wars. It was a guarantee he euphemistically passed on as more of his signature "straight talk."

Until now, I have only viewed McCain as simply a nuisance within the GOP--buzzing about, interjecting his self-righteous opposition on issue after issue, and pursuing a self-serving "bi-partishanship." But now, I recognize that he is a dangerous little war-monger. So eager is he to avenge the hurts of Vietnam--to the nation and its veterans--that he is incapable of evaluating the future course in Iraq (and the our future course in the world) with a judicious eye. He is inclined to pursue national security threats, no matter how remote, with a vigor that will make W look Fonda-esque.

Add to that his self-professed ignorance on the economy and you end up with a much WORSE version of Bush. How exactly does he intend to balance the budget, provide tax cuts, and wage wars without end? There will be guns, but no butter.

I very much intend to vote for anyone but McCain, and that includes Hillary Clinton, in November should this bellicose little man become the Republican nominee.

Keep it up, Bill. Keep it up.

nospam@example.com (Brian Gaither) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:26:26 -0500

I never thought I'd find myself so happy to hear Bill Clinton prattle on. However, during this last week his big mouth has obviously begun to hurt the Democratic Party. He's quickly undoing all the goodwill he built during his eight years in the White House and in the eight years since he left. It's ironic that by turning the "identity politics" of his party against itself in support of his wife Bill is very likely ruining the party they'll need to mobilize against the GOP. One could almost say he's burning the village it takes to raise the candidate.

By employing a Southern Strategy all his own he's undermining his wife's ability to rely on the magic of the Clinton legacy. Any successes Hillary could otherwise claim as the hallmark of the Clinton Administration will be forced into stark contrast with the blatant way she and Bill waged their dirty fight to win the nomination.

Interestingly, the same sort of thing was happening in the Democratic Party about the time that Bill and Hillary became politically aware and active. In 1968, the candidacy of George Wallace destroyed the hopes of Hubert Humphrey and led to the Nixon presidency. Those who are interested in that bit of history should start with the Wikipedia article on Wallace.

I'm fairly certain Hillary sill is more favored for the nomination than is Barack, but she will be the standard-bearer of a ragtag bunch of demoralized Democrats. Her nomination itself will highlight that the party of the left is just as rife with establishmentarian overhang as is the Republican Party, and it will show that the all-consuming lust for power is the most bi-partisan force in American politics.

This is just fine with me. A hamstrung Hillary will have even more difficulty trouncing any Republican nominee in the Fall. A hamstrung Democratic Party will have difficulty claiming a grand mandate in Congressional races and may not gain the super majority it hopes for.

On a final note, my last post (lo those many months ago) was off the mark. I'm a little surprised that the Obama candidacy continues to have legs. I do however stand by my even earlier post on the nature of his candidacy. I still think it's sound and fury.