Thursday, November 15, 2012

Why Mitt Romney Lost

Romney recently released a statement  that essentially 'parroted' the sentiments of right wing media on why he lost the presidential election. He stated that the citizens who voted for President Obama want stuff and that Obama gave, or promised to give them, "gifts". Yes, all Americans,  all human beings for that matter, ipso facto, want things. Yes, Mitt, Americans want to receive a living wage so they can feed and shelter their families. They want affordable healthcare for themselves and their families when they become sick. They want protection and remedy from from the excesses of global corporations and the super rich. That is, they want fairness and just laws. They want their civil rights to be upheld. And they want to keep intact the access to upward mobility in our society; the same access that was available to many that now say we can't afford to do it! They just can't help it. It is part of the human condition.

The supporters of Mitt Romney, and those that voted for him, also want things. They want stuff. The oil companies want to continue to make obscene profits and continue to be subsidized by those voters that elected President Obama. The Super PAC contributors, who are a little pissed at Mitt right now, and the lobbyists also want stuff. They want the government to eliminate regulations, laws and fairness; and taxes so their appropriation of wealth can continue exponentially and they can continue on their merry way. And they want the government to send contracts and taxpayer monies their way; and grant more subsides, entitlements, favorable legislation, and tax breaks.

Mitt just can't get it. He is cognitively out of touch, not only with the America of today, but also with the political philosophy that was brought forth by our Founding Fathers. This election truly was a battle between the financial aristocracy and populous democracy.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Sanity Prevails in 2012

I am an old white guy and I am also a human being. I don't like rap music. I don't particularly like basketball. Though on some human level it irritated me when Barrack and Michelle Obama lapsed back into  mannerisms that I was not completely comfortable with, I have complete confidence in the demonstrated intellect, competence, and ability of President Barrack Obama to keep our country going in the right direction. Substance and performance trump style every time. And Mitt Romney had little of either.

What was most disconcerting for this old white guy, was the lack of compatibility of Conservative policy positions. The Conservative platform advocated positions that could not work together logically. And their positions, for the most part, assumed a world view and distorted reality that has long passed our country by.

We now have a global economy that must be considered. The Bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, and China is a reality. And this new reality impacts oil prices, the cost of groceries, and all things with little elasticity of demand. The micro approach to many of our problems, unless you're a corporate raider, is simply idiotic. And the good things that came out of the 60's and 70's, the social issues, though they may have been dormant, are alive again.

Finally, for anyone that doesn't appreciate how much this election demonstrated the restoration of sanity in America, just know that if the vote occurred prior to the gerrymandering by Republican state officials after the 2010 election, the Republicans would only have a scant lead in the House of Representatives. Boo-ya.