When you look at the overall field of Republican candidates and politicians, you get the sense that the right-leaning voters consistently have low political standards. This is reflected in the party’s leaders, John Boehner and Eric Cantor, and down to current senatorial candidates Christine O’Donnell, Sharon Angle and locally Diane Black. Even the adopted cheerleaders for the Republican Party—Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck—are second-rate commentators that are ridiculously bad on so many levels that they would be comical if so many people didn’t take them seriously.
For all the flack that liberals get from people like Bill O’Reilly for being lazy slackers, they sure do demand much more of their politicians than those on the right. The Republican Party lives and dies by Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” Liberal Democrats do not share in this philosophy. If there is a single perceived misstep by a left-leaning politician or candidate, you can rest assure that there will be as much peppering from the left as there is from the right.
If President Obama didn’t know this before taking office then he’s well aware of it now. His Presidential “to do” list when running for office in 2008 was a laundry list of objectives that were so broad that it would be nearly impossible to please all interested parties. The St. Petersburg Times website politifact.com has what they refer to as an Obameter keeping track of President Obama’s campaign promises. When all of his promises are set on a grading scale, we can see that he’s actually been fairly consistent and effective, especially if you consider that he’s been up against a party that refuses to compromise on nearly anything.
But you wouldn’t know this by watching liberal supporters. Keith Olbermann blasted Obama’s handling of the oil spill and his unwillingness to ramp up the battle against Republicans. President Obama can’t even get a pass on The Daily Show where Jon Stewart criticized Obama for bringing in many old names into the White House like Larry Summer, who was the Secretary of Treasury under Bill Clinton, to help with the current economic mess. And this is the way that it should be. Politicians shouldn’t get a pass. The Democratic tent is large, and unlike Republican Party supporters, they want elite politicians behind the wheel and they want results.
Voters on the right want the politicians they support handled with kid gloves, and they want the same politicians to talk to them like children. This can be seen in the way Diane Black campaigns. She sends out mailers with images of her shooting guns, and she makes bold promises that she’ll stop the evil government from taking over your healthcare and your business. Apparently, she’s even going to put an end to abortion. Why else would she release an ad proclaiming her stance against it, even though the office she’s running for can’t overturn a Supreme Court Ruling? She’s the exact type of politician that appeals to voters on the right. She is the average Republican candidate and the average Republican candidate is a wading pool. They offer very little depth and aren’t much comfort unless you’re a child.
Shame on you for such a waste of words. Apparently, you think that nearly 70% of the 6th district voters are not much smarter than a child.
For the record, state Senator Black ran for Congress. She is now the Congressman elect for this district and wasn’t running for the Senate as you referred to in paragraph 1.
Apparently you slept through the primary battle for 6th district nomination. We republicans battled it out and when the dust settled, we nominated a very strong candidate, in Mrs. Black, to represent us in the general election.
I wanted a candidate who is pro-life as this is a very basic freedom. Allow me to remind you of the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’
Diane Black has great credentials and the voters overwhelmingly approved of her. Those, sir, are the facts.
Comment November 3, 2010 @ 10:19 pm
Michael,
I am aware that Dianne Black was not a Senatorial candidate. I was referring to Christine O’Donnell and Sharon Angle, and that was just bad wording on my part.
The main debate within the Republican Party is the same old question of whose more conservative. I’m fine if you want to consider that “battling it out,” but the further right the party goes the more shallow it becomes.
Diane Black might be a great candidate compared to Lou Ann Zelenik, but that’s not exactly a high bar of comparison.
People vote with their hearts, not their minds. You support Diane Black because of her stance on abortion, which is fine. But she has zero authority on the issue and will have no impact upon it. You probably already know this, but she knows how pull on those heart strings.
Congratulations on your candidate getting the victory and I truly hope she proves me wrong (Bob Corker almost has). I hope she has great ideas and doesn’t just rely on populism.
Thanks for reading,
Jason
Comment November 4, 2010 @ 12:10 pm