The Liberty Line
Saturday, December 06, 2008
New Blog Location
With due respect to blogger.com, I have found that creating my own blog is a lot easier to manage and keep up to date. It also keeps the consistent theme of the Libertas website, which makes it look more professional and user friendly. Its also RSS compatible. So for these reasons, Libertas Blog has a new home. Come check it out!
http://jason.burkins.net/Site/Libertas_Blog/Libertas_Blog.html ¶ 8:02 AM 0 comments
http://jason.burkins.net/Site/Libertas_Blog/Libertas_Blog.html ¶ 8:02 AM 0 comments
Friday, October 17, 2008
The Party Has Left Me...
This is going to get me removed as chairman of the Republican groups, but it had to be said.
The Party Has Left Me
by Jason Burkins
Chairman, Republican Liberty Caucus of Massachusetts
Chairman, Ward 5, Somerville Republican Committee
As a Massachusetts Republican, it has always been understood that I am not
the prototypical Republican one thinks of when considering the national
party’s platform and philosophies. Though I have always disagreed with
the party on various issues, I have always been able to find more common
ground with my fellow GOP brethren than with the Democrat Party. Since the
election of George W. Bush as president, over the past eight years, that
common ground has slipped and dwindled. I have stood with the party even
while opposing the massive assault on civil liberties cloaked as necessary
for our national defense, the questionable decision to invade Iraq and even
more questionable decisions about troop levels and war strategy. I have
hung in there in the face of mounting budget deficits, dangerous diplomatic
policies and a seeming unwillingness to address the energy crisis and
global climate change. I have watched as the evangelical wing of the party
has taken control, focusing less on efficient, un-obstructive government
and more on issues such as banning gay marriage, teaching creationism and
spying on America’s citizenry.
Having said all this, I have not given up hope that the Republican Party
will return to the principles of its founder, Abraham Lincoln. The
principles of fiscal responsibility, equality, free enterprise, individual
rights and the belief that the U.S. Constitution is the driving document
that keeps America strong.
Which brings me to the current election for the Presidency of the United
States. Republicans have only ourselves to blame if John McCain loses this
election. Many Republicans looking to explain it away will point to the
campaign and say we should have nominated Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee or
God knows who else, but the fact is we were right to nominate the maverick
Senator McCain for the presidency.
We were right to nominate a man with the foreign policy experience needed
to lead the nation and the free world in times of global crisis and unrest.
We were correct in handing the mantel to a man who knows too well that the
use of the military is not something you do carelessly.
We did not fail by supporting McCain as the man who would be in charge of
the budget, the financial pursestrings of our nation.
We were right to pick a candidate with the true willingness and ability to
reach across the aisle and do the right thing for the country, whether or
not it is the right thing for his party.
We were not mistaken by putting our faith in a man who would rather do the
right thing, even if it meant he would lose an election.
The only problem is, we were eight years too late in doing so.
Republicans had the opportunity to nominate McCain in 2000, but instead we
picked George W. Bush. There is no doubt in my mind that had McCain been
the nominee of the GOP in 2000 and had he defeated Al Gore in the general
election, that this country would not be as bitterly partisan and divided
as it is today. The tone of American politics would not be as nasty and the
health of our electoral process would not be in as much doubt as it is
today. Our nation would not be in an economic crisis of this magnitude.
Foreign countries would still respect us. We would never have been mired in
a quagmire in Iraq. We may still have gone, but we would not have waited so
incredibly long to alter a failing strategy. We would have captured or
killed Bin Laden and taken the steps necessary to dismantle Al Qaeda. We
would not have seen such a drastic attack on the civil liberties of
American citizens in the wake of 9/11 nor be faced with the security
theater we are subjected to at the airport or the constant nagging feeling
that the government is listening to and reading everything we say or write.
Republicans failed in 2000. We nominated a man who has spent the last eight
years doing serious damage to the country's economic and diplomatic health.
The party has allowed the evangelicals to take over and toss aside the
values that made the Republican Party so strong. Conservative principles of
economic freedom, sound money policy, small government, low taxes, less
government, balanced budgets, prudent and effective use of diplomacy and
military operations. The Republican Party has become too corrupt, too
fixated on keeping its power to actually do what is right for the country.
And because of this, the Republican Party is dying a slow and painful death
right in front of our eyes.
McCain is not absolved from part of the blame here either. He is 72 years
old and needed to nominate someone who the voters could feel comfortable
with as president if he were to no longer be able to function in office.
Instead, in an effort to pander to the female vote and the religious right,
he picked a vice presidential candidate with little experience and baffling
views on the role of government in the lives of its citizens, the role of
religion in education and the role of mankind in the global climate
situation. There is something seriously wrong when the evangelicals are
excited by a candidate that to everyone else has become a punch line.
In a way I feel sorry for McCain. He's eight years older now and not as
sharp as he was back in 2000. But he mystified me many times over that time
by taking a back seat and keeping his mouth shut while Bush ran this
country into the ground. He spoke out on a number of occasions, but still
had to work with both sides in order to get anything done. That in itself
means McCain has been negatively effected by the shift to the right and is
not the same man he was eight years ago. This country would have been much
better off if the Republicans had made the right choice in 2000. Now they
are left with the right guy at the wrong time.
I am afraid it may just take the loss of this election for the Republicans
to wake up and begin to return to the principles that drove people like me
to the party in the first place. It will take a long time for the
Republican Party to heal. It won't happen over night and it won't happen at
all unless the party comes back toward the mainstream of American political
thought. It cannot sustain itself from the corner it has stuffed itself
into with the religious right. It needs to open the tent and grow or else
it is going wilt and die and be replaced by a new political movement that
is more libertarian/conservative. As voters drift further and further away
from associating themselves with either party, the rise of a centrist or
libertarian party could be on its way.
So as this brutal campaign of 2008 enters its final chapter and the
Republicans start to splinter and point their crooked fingers of blame at
everyone but themselves, I think back to February of 2000, when I cast my
vote proudly for John S. McCain in the Republican Presidential primaries
and lament at the opportunity missed for the party and for the United
States of America.
It may seem like the rats are jumping off a sinking ship, but this has been
coming for me for a long time. It has just become the right time to admit
it. Unfortunately I cannot sit back any longer and support a party that has
left me behind. As much as I admire and respect John McCain and believe he
should have been president already, I do not believe he is the right man to
lead this nation out of the current crisis.
I disagree with Barack Obama a whole lot, most notably his insistence on
putting a time table on victory in Iraq and his class warfare tax policy.
However I believe he has a better grasp of the economic crisis and what it
will take to recover and heal our economy. I believe he will put a
screaming halt to the systematic assaults on our civil liberty and he will
be much more effective at working toward a balanced budget. He also will
get the opportunity to nominate at least one Supreme Court justice, and I
have been extremely disappointed with the last several Republican nominees
for the highest court.
I want it to be clear that I am not voting against John McCain, I am voting
against those who have hijacked the Republican Party, to whom McCain has
had to pander. I have to believe defeat is the best thing possible for the
Republican Party moving forward. It is for these reasons that I am
endorsing Barack Obama for President of the United States of America.
Sincerely;
Jason A. Burkins ¶ 12:11 PM 0 comments
The Party Has Left Me
by Jason Burkins
Chairman, Republican Liberty Caucus of Massachusetts
Chairman, Ward 5, Somerville Republican Committee
As a Massachusetts Republican, it has always been understood that I am not
the prototypical Republican one thinks of when considering the national
party’s platform and philosophies. Though I have always disagreed with
the party on various issues, I have always been able to find more common
ground with my fellow GOP brethren than with the Democrat Party. Since the
election of George W. Bush as president, over the past eight years, that
common ground has slipped and dwindled. I have stood with the party even
while opposing the massive assault on civil liberties cloaked as necessary
for our national defense, the questionable decision to invade Iraq and even
more questionable decisions about troop levels and war strategy. I have
hung in there in the face of mounting budget deficits, dangerous diplomatic
policies and a seeming unwillingness to address the energy crisis and
global climate change. I have watched as the evangelical wing of the party
has taken control, focusing less on efficient, un-obstructive government
and more on issues such as banning gay marriage, teaching creationism and
spying on America’s citizenry.
Having said all this, I have not given up hope that the Republican Party
will return to the principles of its founder, Abraham Lincoln. The
principles of fiscal responsibility, equality, free enterprise, individual
rights and the belief that the U.S. Constitution is the driving document
that keeps America strong.
Which brings me to the current election for the Presidency of the United
States. Republicans have only ourselves to blame if John McCain loses this
election. Many Republicans looking to explain it away will point to the
campaign and say we should have nominated Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee or
God knows who else, but the fact is we were right to nominate the maverick
Senator McCain for the presidency.
We were right to nominate a man with the foreign policy experience needed
to lead the nation and the free world in times of global crisis and unrest.
We were correct in handing the mantel to a man who knows too well that the
use of the military is not something you do carelessly.
We did not fail by supporting McCain as the man who would be in charge of
the budget, the financial pursestrings of our nation.
We were right to pick a candidate with the true willingness and ability to
reach across the aisle and do the right thing for the country, whether or
not it is the right thing for his party.
We were not mistaken by putting our faith in a man who would rather do the
right thing, even if it meant he would lose an election.
The only problem is, we were eight years too late in doing so.
Republicans had the opportunity to nominate McCain in 2000, but instead we
picked George W. Bush. There is no doubt in my mind that had McCain been
the nominee of the GOP in 2000 and had he defeated Al Gore in the general
election, that this country would not be as bitterly partisan and divided
as it is today. The tone of American politics would not be as nasty and the
health of our electoral process would not be in as much doubt as it is
today. Our nation would not be in an economic crisis of this magnitude.
Foreign countries would still respect us. We would never have been mired in
a quagmire in Iraq. We may still have gone, but we would not have waited so
incredibly long to alter a failing strategy. We would have captured or
killed Bin Laden and taken the steps necessary to dismantle Al Qaeda. We
would not have seen such a drastic attack on the civil liberties of
American citizens in the wake of 9/11 nor be faced with the security
theater we are subjected to at the airport or the constant nagging feeling
that the government is listening to and reading everything we say or write.
Republicans failed in 2000. We nominated a man who has spent the last eight
years doing serious damage to the country's economic and diplomatic health.
The party has allowed the evangelicals to take over and toss aside the
values that made the Republican Party so strong. Conservative principles of
economic freedom, sound money policy, small government, low taxes, less
government, balanced budgets, prudent and effective use of diplomacy and
military operations. The Republican Party has become too corrupt, too
fixated on keeping its power to actually do what is right for the country.
And because of this, the Republican Party is dying a slow and painful death
right in front of our eyes.
McCain is not absolved from part of the blame here either. He is 72 years
old and needed to nominate someone who the voters could feel comfortable
with as president if he were to no longer be able to function in office.
Instead, in an effort to pander to the female vote and the religious right,
he picked a vice presidential candidate with little experience and baffling
views on the role of government in the lives of its citizens, the role of
religion in education and the role of mankind in the global climate
situation. There is something seriously wrong when the evangelicals are
excited by a candidate that to everyone else has become a punch line.
In a way I feel sorry for McCain. He's eight years older now and not as
sharp as he was back in 2000. But he mystified me many times over that time
by taking a back seat and keeping his mouth shut while Bush ran this
country into the ground. He spoke out on a number of occasions, but still
had to work with both sides in order to get anything done. That in itself
means McCain has been negatively effected by the shift to the right and is
not the same man he was eight years ago. This country would have been much
better off if the Republicans had made the right choice in 2000. Now they
are left with the right guy at the wrong time.
I am afraid it may just take the loss of this election for the Republicans
to wake up and begin to return to the principles that drove people like me
to the party in the first place. It will take a long time for the
Republican Party to heal. It won't happen over night and it won't happen at
all unless the party comes back toward the mainstream of American political
thought. It cannot sustain itself from the corner it has stuffed itself
into with the religious right. It needs to open the tent and grow or else
it is going wilt and die and be replaced by a new political movement that
is more libertarian/conservative. As voters drift further and further away
from associating themselves with either party, the rise of a centrist or
libertarian party could be on its way.
So as this brutal campaign of 2008 enters its final chapter and the
Republicans start to splinter and point their crooked fingers of blame at
everyone but themselves, I think back to February of 2000, when I cast my
vote proudly for John S. McCain in the Republican Presidential primaries
and lament at the opportunity missed for the party and for the United
States of America.
It may seem like the rats are jumping off a sinking ship, but this has been
coming for me for a long time. It has just become the right time to admit
it. Unfortunately I cannot sit back any longer and support a party that has
left me behind. As much as I admire and respect John McCain and believe he
should have been president already, I do not believe he is the right man to
lead this nation out of the current crisis.
I disagree with Barack Obama a whole lot, most notably his insistence on
putting a time table on victory in Iraq and his class warfare tax policy.
However I believe he has a better grasp of the economic crisis and what it
will take to recover and heal our economy. I believe he will put a
screaming halt to the systematic assaults on our civil liberty and he will
be much more effective at working toward a balanced budget. He also will
get the opportunity to nominate at least one Supreme Court justice, and I
have been extremely disappointed with the last several Republican nominees
for the highest court.
I want it to be clear that I am not voting against John McCain, I am voting
against those who have hijacked the Republican Party, to whom McCain has
had to pander. I have to believe defeat is the best thing possible for the
Republican Party moving forward. It is for these reasons that I am
endorsing Barack Obama for President of the United States of America.
Sincerely;
Jason A. Burkins ¶ 12:11 PM 0 comments
Monday, June 30, 2008
Left Not Too Swift Attacking McCain on Military Record
This post is in reference to the story from politico.com linked above:
Barack Obama's attack kittens are testing the armor of Senator John McCain, throwing whatever they can at him to see what sticks. I am sure there are some legitimate criticisms to the senator that will resonate. Some already have, others will follow. For example, the question of his advanced age and well known temper.
However if there was ever a thornier bush to walk into in terms of criticism of a candidate, it would be to challenge McCain's status as a war hero. The left is calling into question the man's loyalty, actually accusing him of being a collaborator, after having been tortured and held hostage for as long as he endured, simply because as part of the treatment and torture imposed upon him was forcing him to participate in a propaganda film.
I detect a lot of bitterness lingers as a result of how the last Vietnam veteran presidential candidate's war record was scrutinized and harpooned by the right. This seems to be an attempt at payback at the same game. Unfortunately, unlike Kerry's record, which he has only himself to blame for causing such scrutiny, McCain's record holds up when the light shines upon it. He is untouchable on this issue. Democrats who continue to try to bring the senator down by attacking his commitment to this country, do so at their own peril.
JAB
Barack Obama's attack kittens are testing the armor of Senator John McCain, throwing whatever they can at him to see what sticks. I am sure there are some legitimate criticisms to the senator that will resonate. Some already have, others will follow. For example, the question of his advanced age and well known temper.
However if there was ever a thornier bush to walk into in terms of criticism of a candidate, it would be to challenge McCain's status as a war hero. The left is calling into question the man's loyalty, actually accusing him of being a collaborator, after having been tortured and held hostage for as long as he endured, simply because as part of the treatment and torture imposed upon him was forcing him to participate in a propaganda film.
I detect a lot of bitterness lingers as a result of how the last Vietnam veteran presidential candidate's war record was scrutinized and harpooned by the right. This seems to be an attempt at payback at the same game. Unfortunately, unlike Kerry's record, which he has only himself to blame for causing such scrutiny, McCain's record holds up when the light shines upon it. He is untouchable on this issue. Democrats who continue to try to bring the senator down by attacking his commitment to this country, do so at their own peril.
JAB
Labels: Kerry, McCain, Military Record, Swift Boat
¶ 6:00 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Beware Non Specific Candidates
I have posted on here about my attraction to Barack Obama's campaign of "hope." I think on a basic level we all want to believe in the kind of hope and vision that is reflected in the passionate and inspiring orations from Obama. If somehow the world worked that way, somehow a promise of hope and inspiration could solve the dilemmas we face domestically and internationally. Somehow non-specific plans for obtaining the correct results would bring about the fruition of that promise of hope. Yet relying on words and inspiring rhetoric, while indeed attractive, it is also extremely dangerous.
The knock on George W. Bush back when he was first beginning his run for the White House was that he would give speeches about hope and prosperity but wouldn't allow himself to be pinned down on specific issues and plans for the country. The candidates with specific campaign stances, like Steve Forbes and his famous flat tax plan and John McCain's long winded issues oriented stump speeches were no match for the plain spoken, likable Texan who everyone assumed was going to lead as a president, like his father. The elder Bush was big on building coalitions and mostly governed from the center. His son was expected to be more of the same and yet we really didn't know much about his position on issues, his specific plans to fix what was broken or deal with the challenges the nation faced. Certainly Al Gore, his Democrat opponent was much more issues driven. Yet Bush largely managed to avoid engaging in policy minutia and managed to become president mostly on personal popularity and the fact that he wasn't named Clinton or connected to the Clinton Administration.
Haven't we yet learned not to trust the big, grand, non-specific ideas of hope over the candidates who tell us what their agendas will be and how they will accomplish them? I am certainly not saying Obama's message doesn't make me want to get behind the man and pray he can deliver us to the promised land. But haven't we, the people, been fooled by that scheme enough in the past to realize that we are being charmed more than we are being saved? Would that a simple well delivered presidential message about hope could bring us to social and economic nirvana. But that only happens in fairy tales and the movie "Dave".
We are at a critical juncture of the life of our nation when we need to make a decision whether to continue more of the same kind of bitter, nasty, divisive political mud wrestling that has dominated the Clinton and Bush Administrations or whether we are going to hand over the keys to an inspirational leader with little specifics and even less experience or whether we will choose a president who will work with both parties, show proper respect and restraint with our military and diplomatic might and put an end to the downward cycle of bitterness that is ruining our faith and belief in the government's ability to function. Only one candidate remains with the ability to heal this nation both emotionally and through sound public policy. If we've learned anything in the last 8 years, it is that voters must beware of non-specific candidates with a friendly smile or an inspiring style. There has to be substance to the wizard behind the curtain or else we are doomed to repeat mistakes of history, again and again.
JAB ¶ 8:38 PM 1 comments
The knock on George W. Bush back when he was first beginning his run for the White House was that he would give speeches about hope and prosperity but wouldn't allow himself to be pinned down on specific issues and plans for the country. The candidates with specific campaign stances, like Steve Forbes and his famous flat tax plan and John McCain's long winded issues oriented stump speeches were no match for the plain spoken, likable Texan who everyone assumed was going to lead as a president, like his father. The elder Bush was big on building coalitions and mostly governed from the center. His son was expected to be more of the same and yet we really didn't know much about his position on issues, his specific plans to fix what was broken or deal with the challenges the nation faced. Certainly Al Gore, his Democrat opponent was much more issues driven. Yet Bush largely managed to avoid engaging in policy minutia and managed to become president mostly on personal popularity and the fact that he wasn't named Clinton or connected to the Clinton Administration.
Haven't we yet learned not to trust the big, grand, non-specific ideas of hope over the candidates who tell us what their agendas will be and how they will accomplish them? I am certainly not saying Obama's message doesn't make me want to get behind the man and pray he can deliver us to the promised land. But haven't we, the people, been fooled by that scheme enough in the past to realize that we are being charmed more than we are being saved? Would that a simple well delivered presidential message about hope could bring us to social and economic nirvana. But that only happens in fairy tales and the movie "Dave".
We are at a critical juncture of the life of our nation when we need to make a decision whether to continue more of the same kind of bitter, nasty, divisive political mud wrestling that has dominated the Clinton and Bush Administrations or whether we are going to hand over the keys to an inspirational leader with little specifics and even less experience or whether we will choose a president who will work with both parties, show proper respect and restraint with our military and diplomatic might and put an end to the downward cycle of bitterness that is ruining our faith and belief in the government's ability to function. Only one candidate remains with the ability to heal this nation both emotionally and through sound public policy. If we've learned anything in the last 8 years, it is that voters must beware of non-specific candidates with a friendly smile or an inspiring style. There has to be substance to the wizard behind the curtain or else we are doomed to repeat mistakes of history, again and again.
JAB ¶ 8:38 PM 1 comments
Sunday, February 17, 2008
New Digs...
Due to the logistics of life, Libertas Consulting has expanded its territory to include eastern Massachusetts. Now based in Somerville, we are welcoming clients from the Boston area and remain available to clients in Western Mass as well.
Yesterday we had a housewarming party for the new apartment in Porter Square and had a nice crowd of friends over, ate well and had some great conversation. In planning the party and shopping and cooking, I realized that I had only really ever moved once before in my living memory. It was the time in 2000 when I moved out of my parents house in Wilbraham, Mass to our first apartment 20 minutes away in Holyoke. As anyone who has moved can probably relate, it is an exciting, sometimes stressful process.
Building a small business and getting it off the ground is an even more exciting, stressful process. As I attempt to network and introduce myself to potential customers, I am realizing more and more how difficult it can be to convince people to take a risk on an investment in the world of politics. Why should someone give a financial donation to a long shot candidate in a state representative race? Why should someone vote for someone from another town, another color or another political party? How do we as political consultants help our clients answer these questions? Being able to read the voters is a gift, but it also takes a lot of hard work and time to develop the ability to interpret the reactions and devise a strategy to maximize the resources of a candidate. We aren't always correct. But having analyzed the data and the factors and instituted a strategy successfully, when the vote tallies are in and the excitement and stress subside, the consultant can sit back and know that he did right by his client, win or lose. Some races cannot be won under the best of circumstances. Others can be won or lost on a single, seemingly unimportant decision. Such is the life of a political consultant.
JAB ¶ 6:10 PM 1 comments
Yesterday we had a housewarming party for the new apartment in Porter Square and had a nice crowd of friends over, ate well and had some great conversation. In planning the party and shopping and cooking, I realized that I had only really ever moved once before in my living memory. It was the time in 2000 when I moved out of my parents house in Wilbraham, Mass to our first apartment 20 minutes away in Holyoke. As anyone who has moved can probably relate, it is an exciting, sometimes stressful process.
Building a small business and getting it off the ground is an even more exciting, stressful process. As I attempt to network and introduce myself to potential customers, I am realizing more and more how difficult it can be to convince people to take a risk on an investment in the world of politics. Why should someone give a financial donation to a long shot candidate in a state representative race? Why should someone vote for someone from another town, another color or another political party? How do we as political consultants help our clients answer these questions? Being able to read the voters is a gift, but it also takes a lot of hard work and time to develop the ability to interpret the reactions and devise a strategy to maximize the resources of a candidate. We aren't always correct. But having analyzed the data and the factors and instituted a strategy successfully, when the vote tallies are in and the excitement and stress subside, the consultant can sit back and know that he did right by his client, win or lose. Some races cannot be won under the best of circumstances. Others can be won or lost on a single, seemingly unimportant decision. Such is the life of a political consultant.
JAB ¶ 6:10 PM 1 comments
Friday, February 08, 2008
Where Do We Go From Here?
I was exchanging emails with my brother who is a Democrat activist in Vermont and I offered up this response to his analysis of the results of Super Tuesday this week:
I wrote, "Although after Rudy got out, I was left believing that McCain was the best choice remaining. Obama is my second choice and I am absolutely jubilant that Romney is done! That guy is so slick and polished and two faced, its amazing how many people were charmed.
When I was studying poli sci, my first professor in the subject defined politics as the art of compromise. The two parties in this country have developed such a hatred and distrust in each other that the system simply isn't working right and the art of compromise is dead. The country is too divided and too divisive right now. Frankly I blame the cynical, calculated Clinton and Bush approaches to politics as the major reason it has gotten this bitter. Republicans got bitter when Clinton weaseled his way out of every single self created problem he faced. They developed such a hatred for Clinton that it got in the way of good government and proper politics. Then came the 2000 election debacle and the Iraq War. Which has further polarized the country and has made most liberals as bitter toward W as the Republicans were toward Clinton. So its time to slam on the brakes and stop electing these people! In order for the country to heal, we need to make a clean break and elect someone who isn't named Bush or Clinton.
We need someone who can rebuild some semblance of a spirit of cooperation for the greater good that has been missing for at least a decade now. I believe McCain has proven (whether you have agreed with the results or not) that he can reach across the divide and get things done. I am hopeful that Obama has it within him to deliver the same type of leadership. My problem is, we just don't know if he does and I for one don't think now is the time for on the job training. I do though have to admit that while I am supporting McCain, I am very curious about an Obama presidency. We know so little about how he would lead, but he is inspirational for sure and I want to believe his vision and energy would transcend political spin and rhetoric. I'd almost like to see how it works out, though as I said, I am afraid this may just be the wrong time to experiment with unproven leadership."
JAB ¶ 9:46 PM 0 comments
I wrote, "Although after Rudy got out, I was left believing that McCain was the best choice remaining. Obama is my second choice and I am absolutely jubilant that Romney is done! That guy is so slick and polished and two faced, its amazing how many people were charmed.
When I was studying poli sci, my first professor in the subject defined politics as the art of compromise. The two parties in this country have developed such a hatred and distrust in each other that the system simply isn't working right and the art of compromise is dead. The country is too divided and too divisive right now. Frankly I blame the cynical, calculated Clinton and Bush approaches to politics as the major reason it has gotten this bitter. Republicans got bitter when Clinton weaseled his way out of every single self created problem he faced. They developed such a hatred for Clinton that it got in the way of good government and proper politics. Then came the 2000 election debacle and the Iraq War. Which has further polarized the country and has made most liberals as bitter toward W as the Republicans were toward Clinton. So its time to slam on the brakes and stop electing these people! In order for the country to heal, we need to make a clean break and elect someone who isn't named Bush or Clinton.
We need someone who can rebuild some semblance of a spirit of cooperation for the greater good that has been missing for at least a decade now. I believe McCain has proven (whether you have agreed with the results or not) that he can reach across the divide and get things done. I am hopeful that Obama has it within him to deliver the same type of leadership. My problem is, we just don't know if he does and I for one don't think now is the time for on the job training. I do though have to admit that while I am supporting McCain, I am very curious about an Obama presidency. We know so little about how he would lead, but he is inspirational for sure and I want to believe his vision and energy would transcend political spin and rhetoric. I'd almost like to see how it works out, though as I said, I am afraid this may just be the wrong time to experiment with unproven leadership."
JAB ¶ 9:46 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Super Duper
I was a 15 years old and a die hard Patriots fan back in 1990, in the days of Rod Rust, Marc Wilson and Zeke Mowatt. That team went 1-15 and I suffered through every game. We are three Super Bowl wins and 18 years later and I simply cannot allow myself to feel sorry for myself when a cocky, self absorbed, undefeated team gets their cumupance by a hungry, "nothing to lose" wild card team. Even if that undefeated team is my New England Patriots. Hell it even reminded me of a certain upstart team back in 2001 against the goliath that was the St. Louis Rams. In a way, it was the right result. No team deserves the kind of arrogance that comes with never having tasted defeat. You lose the hunger and forget what it feels like to be second best. That's no fun. So we turn the page, learn from our mistakes and eagerly await spring training and the chance to watch our beloved Red Sox defend the World Series title!
Way to go John McCain and Barack Obama! Massachusetts voters of course voted for Romney and Clinton, once again showing they are collectively brain dead and unwilling to take a risk. Its ok, it won't be too long before the road ends for Romney and one can hope the Democrats wake up and send HRC back to Chappaqua to cry in her stolen White House coffee mug.
JAB ¶ 8:56 AM 0 comments
Way to go John McCain and Barack Obama! Massachusetts voters of course voted for Romney and Clinton, once again showing they are collectively brain dead and unwilling to take a risk. Its ok, it won't be too long before the road ends for Romney and one can hope the Democrats wake up and send HRC back to Chappaqua to cry in her stolen White House coffee mug.
JAB ¶ 8:56 AM 0 comments
