The Christian States Of America

Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Rudolph Giuliani...will one of these Christian or Mormon religious bigots be our next president? If so that will mean that our country will become a Christian religious state. This is not what the Founders wanted.

Here's what Andrew Sullivan believes we are becoming:

"Theodemocracy: the blending of government with a universally Christian
populace in which faith is the prerequisite of public office. This is the vision of America that Romney is proposing. He has behind him the power brokers of the Protestant right, the theocons of the Catholic right, the Mormon church and the vested interests of a Republican party elite that, in the wake of George W Bush, wants to extend the theodemocratic principles of an antisecular movement.

Now, add to that the detestable Huckabee, who stands by his determination to quarantine people with AIDS, and Rudolph Giuliani, who said yesterday that gays are not sinful but their actions are.

What has happened to America?

PHOTO: At Liberty Place in downtown Philadelphia, daily holiday concerts.

Jim

Saint Ronald Reagan: Not!

I lived through the two terms that Mr. Reagan served in the White House. He was horrible. His tax cuts favoring the rich were obscene, especially when combined with his equally obscene military spending increases. He refused to acknowledge the AIDS epidemic while thousands contracted the disease and died. He is given credit for the collapse of the Soviet Union, but he did nothing tangible to bring that about. It would have happened without him. He was good at Republican bullshit - thus his moniker as "the great communicator." That's about the best thing I can say about him. Republicans revere him today. I'm glad he's gone.

In today's New York Times, Paul Krugman points out how Reagan used the so-called "Southern Strategy" to effectively polarize the country along racial lines and to help get himself elected. This is the same strategy that is still in place today. That's why none of the front runners for the Republican nomination showed up at the debate in front of an African American audience. The Republicans are despicable.

From Krugman:

Ronald Reagan was among the “some” who tried to benefit from racial
polarization. True, he never used explicit racial rhetoric. Neither did
Richard Nixon. As Thomas and Mary Edsall put it in their classic 1991 book, “Chain
Reaction: The impact of race, rights and taxes on American politics,” “Reagan
paralleled Nixon’s success in constructing a politics and a strategy of
governing that attacked policies targeted toward blacks and other minorities
without reference to race — a conservative politics that had the effect of
polarizing the electorate along racial lines.”

Nothing has changed. Giuliani and company are still doing the same thing today!

PHOTO: The roof grid of the indoor mall at Liberty Place in Philadelphia. I often go to this delightful indoor space to window shop or have lunch.

Jim

Who Would The Democrats Most Prefer To Run Against?

This is an interesting question that was posed this morning on one of the network political talk shows. The answer: Mitt Romney. There are at least three good reasons for this: 1. Romney has a reputation as a flip-flopper on issues; 2. Giuliani would be more formidable as a candidate generally; 3. Romney's Mormon religion is tough for the Republican right wing fundamentalist rank and file to swallow. The third of these reasons is the most interesting. There is even talk of Romney giving a John Kennedy-like speech stating that he is an American first and that he would not let religion interfere in the way he governed if elected president. In some respects, I am sympathetic to Romney's plight in this. I don't think a person's religion, or lack of it, should make a difference when it comes to whether or not they deserve your vote. Religion is far too pervasive of an influence in American politics, thanks in large measure to the Christian Evangelicals and their Republican lackeys. Dubbya, of course, is the prime example of the negative influence of right wing religious nut cases on our politics and government.

Jim

Republican Top Guns Snub Black Debate!

What are these Republicans thinking? Romney, Giuliani, McCain and now Thompson are not planning to participate in the GOP presidential debate focusing on issues important to people of color. They are truly delusional, and they are wrong, and they will lose not only the black and Hispanic vote, but they will lose the election big time. As brother Cornel West puts it over at the Huffington Post:

At this moment in American history, it is clear that either the Republican Party
wisely embraces people of color, or it chooses to be a losing political party in
the future.

Well, the Bush-era Republicans have been real losers character-wise for a long time!

Jim

Steve Forbes On The Presidential Race

Publisher and one time presidential candidate Steve "flat tax" Forbes is predicting a three way race for president in 2008. From Yahoo News:

"I think you will have Mr Giuliani, Mrs Clinton and then there is a third
candidate and the current mayor of New York... a man named Michael Bloomberg," Forbes
said.

Well, Forbes may well be right about Rudy and Hillary. Bloomberg is a big question mark. He has the money to run (his own,) and he has positioned himself to run, but he is denying that he's interested. We'll see. I sure would enjoy a tough three way race between those three.

PHOTO: A Colorful structure in the harbor at Rio De Janiero

Jim

Dissappointing: Rudy Giuliani

One of the prettiest plants on our deck this year is this Mandevilla. It likes plenty of sun and lots of water, and rewards extra care with multiple blossoms. This is the first year I've tried this plant in a pot on the deck. Since this specimen has done so well, I'll definitely try one again next year in the same location.

In the news: Rudolph Giuliani continues to backtrack from his support for anything approaching gay marriage or civil unions. The latest comment from Giuliani was in reference to New Hampshire's civil unions law, which he now says is "to close to gay marriage." It's sad that Giuliani feels that he has to distance himself from the gay civil rights struggle in order to secure the Republican Party presidential nomination. But who is going to believe him or trust him when it's so clear that he is pandering. Everyone knows or will know his history as mayor of New York City during which tenure he was gay friendly. He isn't fooling anyone including the right wing Republican "base" that he is so obviously interested in courting. He's just another sorry excuse as a leader who has proven that his most important principle is what good for Rudy. He is NOT presidential material.

Jim

It looks Like Hillary Vs. Rudy

The two of them, our "children," are often seen together. Nikko will often show affection to Bradley by rubbing his head against the dog, while Bradley will often playfully chase or nip at the cat. Here they are sharing a restful moment on the back deck under the stairway to the roof deck.

Polls out this morning show Hillary Clinton and Rudolph Giuliani pulling away from the other candidates and opening up big leads. Ho, hum. Americans settle for, in fact seemingly want so very little in a candidate in terms of character.

Jim

The Hillary And Obama Show

Another great picture by Bob Russell. Bob is Dan's brother Bill's partner. This is Nikko, our 15 year old Burmese beauty.

Is Obama's strategy of touting himself as the "change" candidate going to work? Some analysts think it's a smart move. Portray Hillary as "Bush Lite" while presenting himself as the real force for change. It will appeal to the Democratic base that is virulently anti-war. However, in the general election some of the Obama soundbites like "I'll talk to Chavez, etc." may hurt him. Andrew Sullivan has some new Gallup poll data on his blog today that shows Hillary losing to Giuliani but Obama beating both Giuliani and Thompson if the election were held today. Hillary's negatives are sky high. Sullivan wonders why any Democrat would prefer Hillary over Obama. It's an interesting question. Because she's a woman?

Jim

NGLTF Report: Presidential Candidates On Gay Issues

Click on the title of this blog entry above to view the full report. Here are a few interesting excerpts:




“Marriage has got historic, religious, and moral content that goes back to the beginning of time, and I think a marriage is as a marriage has always been: between a man and a woman.” - Hillary Clinton





“If a couple of lesbians or gay men want to get married, and they love each other, they should have the right to do that and enjoy all the legalities in our society that go along with that. I have no problem with that at all.” “I think that people who create these problems of homophobia and the likes of that do us a disservice,” Gravel continues. “We are all human beings
and one of the things that should motivate us, most of all, is love.” - Senator Mike Gravel



“Rudy Giuliani believes marriage is between a man and a woman. He does not - and has never - supported gay marriage.”


“I support the right of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons to have the full protections and rights afforded under civil law including the right to marry the person of their choice.” - Dennis Kucinich

Photo: I'm interested in Ikebana, the art of Japanese floral arrangements. This is one of my recent creations

Jim

Mainstream Political Leadership

The Republican candidates for president had a debate last night in New Hampshire. At one point they were all asked to raise their hand if they thought that gays and lesbians should be able to serve openly in the military. No one raised their hand, including Rudy. Nice.

Dennis Kucinich on gay marriage:

Regrettably, the America of which I dream and to which I and the many who
stand with me have committed ourselves, is not the same America that the
Republican Administration or the Democratic Party are campaigning to realize.
The Republican Administration is promoting a Constitutional Amendment that would
deny Americans the rights that the state of Massachusetts has granted. The
leadership of the Democratic Party is content to advocate a state-by-state
approach to the issue of same-sex marriages, cloaking its lack of resolve with
the words "civil unions." On this issue, as on every other, the mainstream
political leadership of our nation finds political expediency and political
popularity preferable to political courage.

Yes, the mainstream political leadership sucks, Dennis.

Jim

U.S. "Taliban" Leader Falwell Dead

7:30 AM: Most of what I would like to write about the death of Rev. Falwell has either already been written or is not fit to print. He was a despicable person, but the blame for the damage he did over the years must also be shared by politicians and the media, who continue to embrace or give forums to intolerant, fundamentalist religious bigots. The fundamentalist extreme religious right are nothing less that our own home grown Taliban. Why are their spokesmen invited on national TV programs like "Meet The Press" to spew their hate? Why do politicians get a pass for speaking engagements at Bob Jones University, a bastion of hate and intolerance. Until it's no longer acceptable to embrace or give forums to these intolerant extremists, the death of a Falwell or a Robertson will not make much difference.

The Republican candidates for president had another debate last evening, their second. This time there was a little more heat on the stage with some of them taking shots at each other. Giuliani took some flak for his pro-choice position, and Romney was criticized for his flip-flops. Andrew Sullivan notes that the three Republican front runners cover the complete spectrum on abortion with McCain being anti-choice, Giuliani pro-choice, and Romney willing to say whatever he has to in order to pander to whomever he is talking to at the moment. The bottom line for Republicans is that they really don't have a candidate at the moment who can win the election against a generic Democrat. The Democrats will have to lose the election on their own, which they might do, especially if they nominate Ms. Clinton, who is a polarizing figure. Look for more Republican late entries into the race, including Newt Gingrich and Fred Thompson, and maybe even Michael Bloomberg. It will be fun to watch the Republicans try to figure out how to win the presidency post "Dubbuya."

Photo: red fox comes out from under the walkway near the "Sunken Forest" on Fire Island

Jim