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Blog No. 14 John Boehner: Waist Deep in the Big Muddy

Watching John Boehner’s interview with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday’s This Week program brought back sad and uncomfortable memories of Pete Seeger’s stinging ballad of 1967. For younger followers of this site, Waist Deep in the Big Muddy told the story of a platoon led into a treacherous stream by a stubborn Captain who does not survive the effort. (“We were — knee deep in the Big Muddy / But the big fool said to push on.”) It was widely understood at the time to be a metaphor for Lyndon Johnson and the Vietnam War.Read More »Blog No. 14 John Boehner: Waist Deep in the Big Muddy

Blog No. 13 Ted Cruz, the Oozlums and the Electorate: Wealthbusters Confront the Silent Majority

Ted Cruz and the Oozlums have worked their will and the government has shutdown, at least in substantial part. (Newcomers to RINOcracy.com see Blog No. 12 for a definition of Oozlums.)  Ironically, owing to the structure of appropriations laws, and arcane interpretations of the Anti-Deficiency Act, one part of the government that will not shutdown is…Obamacare. But elsewhere pain aplenty there will be.

Blog No 12 pointed out that a neither a shutdown, nor a default precipitated by a failure to raise the debt ceiling, are likely to escape punishment by the financial markets. Evidence of that result has already begun to accumulate. The losses in the stock market have thus far been manageable, but if the shutdown continues very long, or as the specter of default draws closer, the financial consequences will inevitably become more severe. At that point, Senator Cruz and the Oozlums will be widely recognized for their accomplishments as Wealthbusters.Read More »Blog No. 13 Ted Cruz, the Oozlums and the Electorate: Wealthbusters Confront the Silent Majority

Blog No. 12 Shutdown or Default? A Call to Action: RINOs to the Barricades!

It is difficult to describe the radical Republicans in Congress without resort to metaphors. As followers of this space know, the term favored here is Oozlums—referring to the legendary bird that flies in ever-decreasing concentric circles until it flies up into itself. That is indeed the flight path the radical “conservatives” have prescribed for the Republican Party. The current crusade of the Oozlums to attempt to defund Obamacare at all costs has earned them another fitting term. On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal, surely not a watering hole for RINOs, described the frenzied crusaders as the Kamikaze wing of the party: “Republicans must threaten to crash their Zeros into the aircraft carrier of Obamacare…. Kamikaze missions rarely turn out well, least of all for the pilots.”

charging rhino cartoonRead More »Blog No. 12 Shutdown or Default? A Call to Action: RINOs to the Barricades!

Blog No. 11 Syria: The Putin Lifeline and the Continuing Dilemma

Despite the continuing indignities of airline transportation, modern travel abroad does offer one compensation. It is no longer necessary to scurry about looking for an International Herald Tribune in order to learn what’s going on back home and around the world. Wi-Fi is ubiquitous and even American televised news is available in the better hotels. So it was not difficult from afar to follow the apparent train wreck of our government’s ever-changing positions as to Syria. And it was interesting to do so while traveling in territory – from Istanbul to Athens – that had been the scene of endless conflicts, and the rise and fall of various civilizations, for over three millenia. Those surroundings were a sad reminder that improvements in technology, including the technology of killing, have far outstripped improvements in the human skill of conflict resolution.

 

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Image by gerarddirect.com

Read More »Blog No. 11 Syria: The Putin Lifeline and the Continuing Dilemma

Blog No. 10 The Republican Autopsy: Premature or Not?

After the debacle of the 2012 Presidential election, The Republican National Committee undertook to assess the party’s condition and chart a way forward. The attempt took the form of a “Growth and Opportunity Project,” (handy acronym GOP), which produced a 97 page Report in March. The Report was quickly dubbed “The Republican Autopsy.” The RNC may echo Mark Twain in claiming that reports of its death are exaggerated, but the Report presents convincing evidence that without strong medicine the present condition of the party might indeed be terminal.

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Read More »Blog No. 10 The Republican Autopsy: Premature or Not?

Blog No. 9 Why Iowa?

A talk show last Sunday included a fairly lengthy interview with…Donald Trump, speaking from the Iowa State Fair. Trump had just given a speech in which he had asserted that passing immigration reform would be a “death wish” for the Republican Party and indicated that he might run for President in 2016. ABC’s Jonathan Karl prefaced the interview with the mildly snarky observation that the possibility of a Trump candidacy caused some to raise their eyebrows and others just to roll their eyes. Warming to the subject, Karl asked Trump what he would say to persons who would term his candidacy a joke. For his part,Trump made it clear that he was not at the State Fair just to sample its celebrated deep-fried butter: he, at least, takes his possible candidacy quite seriously, describing his qualification as being “smart” and assuring Karl that if he became a candidate, he would be prepared to spend any portion of his (self) estimated fortune of $ ten billion might that be needed in the effort.

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Illustration by DonkeyHotey/flickr.com/photos/donkeyhotey

Read More »Blog No. 9 Why Iowa?

Blog No. 8 Another Government Shutdown? The Oozlums Are Circling.

For several months, we have been spared the drama of a manufactured fiscal crisis. That period of relative calm has allowed the stock market to reach new highs and the broader economy to show signs of improvement. So favorable an environment, however, may soon be coming to an end: there are two fiscal deadlines this fall that could precipitate a crisis brought on by an imminent or actual government shutdown. Those deadlines arise from the need for a continuing resolution to continue funding the government after September 30, and the need to raise the debt ceiling. If either deadline should in fact precipitate a crisis, the precise consequences are impossible to predict, but it is certain they will not be pleasant—for the country or for Republicans.

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Drawing by PixelMecha

Read More »Blog No. 8 Another Government Shutdown? The Oozlums Are Circling.

Blog No. 7 Immigration Reform: Opportunity or Trap?

Immigration reform is one of the more conspicuously divisive issues with which the Republican Party must grapple. It divides the party internally and it threatens to divide the party from a majority of all voters – and not merely those of Hispanic origin.

The immigration reform bill that passed the Senate did so with bipartisan support. It was drafted and negotiated by the “Gang of Eight,” which included Republicans John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Jeff Flake and Marco Rubio, and 14 Republican Senators voted for it. In the House of Representatives, however, support for the bill among Republicans appears lukewarm while the opposition is fierce. After a well-publicized caucus, Republicans indicated that while they would introduce individual bills on the subject of immigration, they would refuse to pass anything that would draw them into consideration of the Senate bill, even in conference. While circumstances may change, it seems clear at the moment that prospects of passing a final bill, acceptable to both House and Senate, are exceedingly dim.Read More »Blog No. 7 Immigration Reform: Opportunity or Trap?

Blog No. 6 The Supreme Court, Republicans and Race. PART II, The Voting Rights Act and the Challenge Before Congress

The acquittal of George Zimmerman occurred at a point when issues of race were already very much alive in the public consciousness. The Fisher case, discussed in Part I, had sparked differing appraisals from liberals and conservatives concerning the issue of considering race in college admissions. Following on the heels of Fisher, the responses provoked by Shelby County v. Holder with respect to the Voting Rights Act reflected even sharper conflicts. Liberals expressed dismay and outrage at the decision, while conservatives tended to celebrate it, sometimes almost exuberantly. Thoughtful RINOs (and friends of RINOs) may find both sets of reactions to be overstated, but will want to consider what comes next.Read More »Blog No. 6 The Supreme Court, Republicans and Race. PART II, The Voting Rights Act and the Challenge Before Congress

Special Bulletin: “I’d rather be a RINO than a ROC” 7/13/13

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It was a banner week for ROCs in the House of Representatives. On Wednesday they announced that they would simply refuse to consider the immigration bill passed by the Senate—or draft a comprehensive bill of their own. If immigration reform is dead for the foreseeable future, as it may well be, responsibility for the execution will be clearly theirs. Moving from one triumph to another, the following day the ROCs passed a Farm Bill providing largess for agribusiness while stripping out any authorization for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, aka Food Stamps.

So the ROCs are in full flight. You may think that “ROC” is a reference to the mythical bird of prey. There is, however, another avian myth that is even more fitting: the Oozlum. The Oozlum bird is concisely described in Wikipedia:Read More »Special Bulletin: “I’d rather be a RINO than a ROC” 7/13/13