30 | August | 2012 | Existential Ennui

Tags

Bain, Condi Rice, economy, Election 2012, foreign policy, GOP, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, racism

Condi may not want the Veep prize, if such it could be considered, but she sure seems to want the political limelight still.

Recently the rather controversial chief foreign affairs adviser to Dubya, had these kinds of things to say about the present administration:

“Where does America stand?”

“When our friends and our foes, alike, do not know the answer to that question,” she told the Republican National Convention, “the world is a chaotic and dangerous place.”

Really?

REAL “e”?

Um, did ya kinda forget your time in the White House Condi? Did you bother to read any polls about how much the world thought of your esteemed former boss, the Cowboy with the brain freeze? Iraq ring a bell? Memo about flying planes into buildings set off any alarms for ya?

What do the following statistics suggest to you?

According to a recent survey by the Poll Research Center, 53 percent of British citizens had a favorable view of the United States in 2008, the last year of Bush’s presidency. Today the figure is 60 percent. In France, the figure rose from 42 percent to 69 percent; the Czech Republic, from 45 to 54 percent; Germany, from 31 to 52 percent; Japan, from 50 to 72 percent; Mexico, from 47 to 56 percent. Only in the Arab countries (Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan) has the rating declined (and do the Republicans really care much about that?).

Another Pew Poll, released just this week, about global attitudes toward President Obama as a leader makes Rice’s concerns seem ridiculous. As summarized by CNN, 87 percent of the Germans, 86 percent of the French, 80 percent of the British, and 74 percent of the Japanese have confidence in Obama–in each case, more confidence than they have in their own leaders. More striking still, 92 percent of the French, 89 percent of the Germans, 73 percent of the British, and 66 percent of the Japanese want Obama re-elected.

I mean really Condi, we all know the GOP has become the party of the convenient lie, but you too? I thought you had a bit more dignity and personal principles than that girl.

I confess, I cannot tolerate listening to the bobble heads that pass for the GOP at the convention. I freely admit that I did not watch Paulie last night. It is annoying to others to scream out “you lie” every 20 seconds and so the better part of valour is to depart the field of battle and fight another day. That day is now, the place is here. Just telling you the truth after all.

So if you want a good analysis of Paulie’s goings-on last night, please go read what Squatlo Rant wrote. You can be sure it’s factual.

I for one believe that the Willard Group is actively and deliberately playing the race card. I think they, with malice aforethought use racial code words in an effort to continue to gin up their base as well as anger more apathetic working class white folks. They are just that determined to win at any cost.

Read this article by Ron Fornier in the National Journal and see if you don’t agree that this is the group they are pandering too.

The welfare ad run by the GOP is false by every standard. And the GOP has stated it isn’t going to be dictated to by fact-checkers, meaning truth is irrelevant. Here is why:

First, internal GOP polling and focus groups offer convincing evidence that the welfare ad is hurting Obama. Second, the welfare issue, generally speaking, triggers anger in white blue-collar voters that is easily directed toward Democrats. This information comes from senior GOP strategists who have worked both for President Bush and Romney. They spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid retribution.

That’s why they do it. So much for your Christian set of ethics huh?

I swear there are times that one almost wishes one were dead so one could roll over in their grave. I mean really. The gall of the Willard is once again so big and so all-encompassing as to defy one’s sense of reality.

This is the guy who said that a federal bailout of GM was wrong, that we should just let them file bankruptcy. You remember?

Well, the freedom of information act is a wonderful thing. And Rolling Stone obtained Bain documents that prove that once upon a time, one Willard Romney “saved” Bain from falling apart. And you want to know how?

HE GOT A FEDERAL BAILOUT FOR THE COMPANY. And then he turned around, and screwed the FDIC out of about 10 billion in repayments, and did the usual thing which is pay huge bonuses to the rest of the team there at Bain who had failed so miserably in the first place.

Good grief. Go read it, but secure a barf bag alongside because you surely will need it.

Bear with me as I search for a new theme. You know me, I’m always redecorating here. This is not the one I want. I just don’t know what I do want. . . .Hey it keeps me off the streets!