Primary Election Results Show Divergent Paths for Dems & Repubs.

Some interesting results from yesterday's primaries where the most active/interested party members participate. Granted the turnout is usually low for such elections, but it's an indicator of the base's direction and mood.

The Dems defeated party switcher Arlen Specter who's been a senator from PA for the last 30 years. Specter had been endorsed by the Dem establishment and president Obama. There's a runoff election in Louisiana where the incumbent conservative Dem Blanch Lincoln will have to face a more progressive Dem for the nomination. Both of these events are good.

The two parties spent millions of dollars to win Murtha's seat in PA (he died recently) in a very conservative district. The Dem won but the two partisans will face off again in November. We got a Blue Dog DINO here, but his opponent is far worse.

Another interesting development in KY where an extreme Teabagger won the Repub nomination. The Democrats may have a better change of winning the Senate seat in a conservative state in November, hopefully--if Kentuckians have any sense left.

Not a Mainstream Party Anymore?

As I've said before, the Republican party has moved far to the right because of the pressure it has from wingnuts. But, the Republican leadership (and its mouthpiece FOX) is responsible for promoting such lunacy. Unfortunately for them, that political base is rather small, especially nation-wide, and it's not getting bigger.  But, it seems that in order to get the GOP nomination, the path goes through the crazy land.

John McCain, back in 2000, understood this and he decided to become a much more conservative politician since he wanted to get the presidential nomination. He did and he picked Sarah Palin as the cherry on a stinking old pie.  Now, Newt Gingrich--the disgraced former Speaker of the House--is seriously thinking of running for president.


"The secular-socialist machine represents as great a threat to America as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union once did"

Asked whether such remarks [from his book and public statements] are a over the top, Gingirch  responded, "No, not if by America you mean the historic contract we’ve had which says your rights come from your creator, they’re unalienable, you’re allowed to pursue happiness." Gingrich should know the history of our country. Our constitution begins with, "WE THE PEOPLE". The rights and political system we established here came from human authors. Nowhere in the constitution the word "god" is mentioned nor that the rights come from divinity. Happiness, by the way, is pursued only if there are appropriate conditions that allow it. Equality of opportunity is a fundamental principle of our polity but it's easily forgotten by the conservatives and those who want to maintain a system that works best for the small upper class.

Guess what? He's jumped on the loony wagon too. Obviously, if that's what some people want to hear, that's what they want their leaders to say, but it is very disturbing to have this kind of political discourse in the 21st century USA.