Even When I Can See It, I Don't Get It.

And in saying that, I mean, I really do not get what rank and file republicans see in republican politicians.

Let's start with the first one I have actual memories of (or at least memories of memories); Tricky Dick. Now I was a minor child during the Nixon years, and very influenced by my parents' politics. Nevertheless, the man was very unattractive, and I am not talking about looks. His was an unattractive personality. It was no surprise to me, when it was clearly shown years later, that he really was a paranoid, sociopathic crazy person, and a rather ruthless asshole, even on his best days.

No one should have been surprised when all that came out in the books about him, after he left office in well-deserved (as he brought it down on himself) disgrace.

Next we have Ford. He lost his only run for the White House. He, perhaps not oddly enough, was not a ruthless asshole.

Then we get to the man who is the cause of so much that is wrong with the nation if not world; Ronnie Reagan. And I say that because that rat bastard undid all that Jimmy Carter did to start moving the nation away from excessive use of and reliance on Oil (bad thing, that), and furthermore, made The Taliban and Bin Laden the powerful enemies of the West that they are, by building them up during the Soviet Invasion and Operations in Afghanistan (perhaps worse.)

Now all by himself, Ronnie was not a ruthless asshole. But he was a weak-minded shallow man, who surrounded himself with ruthless assholes. And that is bad.

Then we get Bush the First. He was a much smarter man, a deeper thinking man, than Ronnie Reagan. He had the ability to reason, and forecast. So it is no surprise that he saw that the war against Iraq for it's invasion of Kuwait was a doable thing, but cut short of the "You broke it, now you own it," sort of debacle that Junior got himself into. Yes, there were a good number of ruthless assholes in his White House and Cabinet, no doubt, but at least Bush the First had the intellectual capacity to think on his own. And he only lasted the one term.

Then we had Bob Dole, who unsurprisingly failed to capture the White House. Last job he seems to have had was as a spokesperson for erection pills. That is very ironic, considering his limp campaign.

Then we get Junior Bush. He was yet another weak-minded shallow man, who surrounded himself with ruthless assholes. And that is bad. I have spent enough time over the years talking about him, but I will just recall my last mention; Notorious Mass Murderer.

Then we get McCain. Even if his cynical and contemptuous choice of Sociopathic Succubus Sarah may (may every force and energy of the universe make sure it works out this way) never get elected even to Congress, leave alone ends up as anything at all in the Executive Branch, the mere fact he endangered the future of the nation with that abomination leaves him as the most dangerous of them all. Well, not really, since Junior is a Notorious Mass Murderer. We can not exaggerate here. We can not accurately say that Sociopathic Succubus Sarah would end up closer to Number One on the Mass Murderer list, if given the chance, so we have to say that McCain is only the second most dangerous one on this list, next in line after Junior, the notirious Mass Murderer.

And Sociopathic Succubus Sarah? I hope the pundits are right in saying that her time on the national stage is fading, shrinking. Honestly, I am not going to breath a sigh of relief until I see her indicted and convicted for felonious offenses.

And why do I persist in thinking that should be in the realm of possible futures? Did you see either of the Greta suck up fest, or the Matt Laurer interviews? What did you think of the Palin house? That place is a freaking palace (particularly for Everything-But-Ice-Costs-More-Here, Alaska.) I find it easy to believe the story about how building supplies for the infamous Wassillia Rec. Center ended up as part of Chez Palin. I really hope some enterprising investigator or lawyer follows these leads, as the State of Connecticut recently got rid of (as in sent to jail, the damn crook) a felonious republican for likely less corrupt work done on his house. And that was not out and out theft, but was taking services as bribes.

Anyway, I got away from where I started, but again, I don't see what they see in their "leaders."

Ok. I will at least grant that Ronnie had some raw charisma, as he did come across as a somewhat nice enough grandpa, when he wasn't cracking jokes about starting WWIII.

Now when I read/hear people talk about Sociopathic Succubus Sarah having charisma, I just think that there is something very weird about republicans, in that they seem to admire assholes (and she is every bit as much an asshole as Nixon was.)

And I do not get that.

Oh. That reminds me. Now not precisely in these terms, but I read some essay, recently, that almost answers the age old question:

Are people republicans because they are assholes, or are they assholes because of being republicans?

I think the article comes down on the side of the former, not the latter:


"Republicans continue to push the idea that this is a center-right country and that Americans have swooned for GOP anti-government posturing all these years, but the real electoral bait has been anger, recrimination and scapegoating. That's why John McCain kept describing Barack Obama as some sort of alien and why Palin, taking a page right out of the McCarthy playbook, kept pushing Obama's relationship with onetime radical William Ayers.

And that is also why the Republican Party, despite the recent failure of McCarthyism, is likely to keep moving rightward, appeasing its more extreme elements and stoking their grievances for some time to come. There may be assorted intellectuals and ideologues in the party, maybe even a few centrists, but there is no longer an intellectual or even ideological wing. The party belongs to McCarthy and his heirs -- Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Palin. It's in the genes."

The GOP's Asshole Gene, Opps, I meant McCarthy Gene.

Admittedly, the essay does not use the world "asshole." But since it started off on the subject of that most notorious asshole, Joe McCarthy, the asshole factor is rather self-evident. I mean, how much clearer evidence of the republicans being the party of assholes is needed, other than the shopping list of slimy, divisive ass holey tricks?

I repeat them:

anger, recrimination and scapegoating.

Not only are all straight out of the Joe McCarthy playbook, but they are first and foremost, straight out of the asshole playbook.

Again, and not to say I am such a saint that I have never ever acted like an asshole. But I do not respect myself or others for being that way.

So again, I say I don't get it.