Even a cursory glance of the speaker lineup at this year's Republican National Convention shows a virtual "who's who" of extreme politicians: Santorum, Huckabee, and McDonnell... Oh my!
It's a telling lineup for a party trying desperately to sell the talking point that they are all about "jobs, jobs, jobs." Highlighting these truly radical speakers and elevating once fringe figures with extreme views highlights what the Republican Party of 2012 has truly become -- a party taken over by far-right zealots who distract with tax and deficit talk as they seek to legislate their own narrow definition of "morality."
And therein lies one of the most important, and underreported, problems of a Mitt Romney candidacy. Romney doesn't lead as much as follow the loudest voices in his party.
The danger of a malleable Mitt Romney has been a common theme this election cycle. And for good reason:
Romney has proven that whatever his core values are, they aren't strong enough to buck the rightward trend of his party. The mercurial, malleable Mitt would be a rubber stamp for dangerous, regressive policies put forward by a Republican party that wants to drive America back generations and erase hard won rights for many in our country.
Those regressive policies are on full display in this year's Republican Party Platform, which literally had the sections on social issues written by Tony Perkins, leader of the hate group the Family Research Council. Like the featured speakers at the convention, this anti-LGBT, anti-woman, anti-immigrant manifesto shows a party that has handed it's moral compass over to the most divisive and extreme voices once thought too be too far out of the mainstream. Those are the voices that will be calling the shots on the Republican governing policies and controlling an easily swayed President Romney, something we have already seen in the campaign as Romney continuously capitulated to social conservatives to shake off the "moderate Mitt" attack from opponents.
Even Romney's choice of a running mate, Paul Ryan, should give sane and educated voters pause. Paul Ryan is the perfect face of today's extreme GOP, seeking to hide extreme social conservatism under talk of supposed conservative fiscal views. His record echoes that of the Republican legislators in power in Congress and states across this country and that of the party's 2012 platform. They claim to be all about the economy and jobs, yet their actions and legislative records speak of a different agenda to push our country's social progress back decades by attacking women's rights, LGBT people, and the social safety net that are part of the very fabric of our country.
And anyone who thinks a strong willed Vice-President and vocal party can't shape a malleable President need only look back three short years to the influence of Dick Cheney on George W. Bush. Sometimes, a VP isn't even a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
So as the Republican party marches forward speakers at their carefully orchestrated convention, look at the message they are sending. Listen to the loudest voices in their party that are given a national platform, from Governor Bob " Forced Ultrasound" McDonnell to Mike "Chick-Fil-A Appreciation" Huckabee to Rick "Man on Dog" Santorum. These are the voices calling the shots for the current party and shaping the agenda of a Romney presidency.
Follow Waymon Hudson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WaymonHudson
 |
 |
|
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
Either way, letting this man into the White House would be a disaster waiting to happen for LGBT people, since he's changed his tune from 1994 and now is against giving us the same rights as other Americans. This much is clear.
Pres. Washington and others of that time warned of the dangers of the party system and it's corrosive effects on polarization and existing solely to support the party's needs for power.
The only good, if you can call it that, is that it brilliantly illuminates exactly who the opposition to acceptance is.
When he gets into politics, though, he's got a political windsock where most people have a soul.
I don't care that his life as a wealthy guy is different from mine -- although his choices kind of freak me out. I worry about the fact that he doesn't understand that some of us don't have the same resources he has.
If you want to start a business, borrow money from your parents? Please. I'll put it in terms he might understand -- until you've seen my parents' tax returns, and can assess what Medicare does and does not pay for, don't tell me to borrow money from my parents.
For me, going that deep into somebody's character is a place I'd only go if I had to, and in his case, I don't. His policies are all over the map, as a gay guy I know he's flip flopped on my civil rights at least twice, his attitudes about women's rights and reproductive health are determined by focus groups of people whose votes he needs at the moment, and substantively, he’s bad at math.
Your diagnosis of sociopathy may be true -- I've heard more than a few people suggest that it's Asperger's -- but the bottom line is he doesn't get people like me, so he's an inappropriate choice to act as my representative in anything.
I hope you understand -- I don't need to delve any more deeply into his personality to know that I just could not vote for him. I'm about as bipartisan as it's possible to get. I'm a gay liberal Democrat who worked for Bill Clinton, worked for George Bush (on transportation issues), and campaigned for Barack Obama last time, and am doing so this time. My opposition to Gov. Romney comes after giving him a genuine chance to convince me. He didn't even come close. I gave him a fair shake – he would never do the same for me.