Icy slush is thick on the streets and parking lots in Oklahoma City right now. It is a wet cold mess out there, rather like the current condition of the republican party.
A USA Today/Pew Research Center poll shows the American public, while not particularly happy with any politician, are squarely siding with Barak H. Obama on the most important issues of the day. On the federal deficit 45% agree with the president and 38% agree with republicans. In fact even most republicans have told pollsters they agree that the only way to reduce the deficit is to not only cut spending, but raise taxes. It gets worse. 45% agree with the president on gun control while 39% don't. Despite an astute and sophisticated P.R. campaign helmed by Ted Nugent and Wayne LaPierre, a Quinnipiac poll released earlier this month found 92% of Americans agree there needs to be a buyer background check run before a gun can be sold to anyone, anywhere, at anytime.
47% of those polled side with the president on climate change policies as opposed to 26% in opposition. When it comes to the automatic massive federal government cuts scheduled to hit March 1, 49% said they will blame the republican house for not reaching an agreement on the deficit, as opposed to 31% who say they will blame the president. If the cuts kick in an estimated 16,000 civilian Department of Defense employees will be furloughed in Oklahoma alone and $129.3 million in payroll dollars will be lost to the local economy. Nationwide the number of those furloughed could reach 800,000.
Then we come to the greatest republican killer of them all, immigration reform. 50% of Americans agree with the president and 33% side with a deeply divided GOP. Despite the arrival of Marco Rubio and some right wing media fantasies that involve Hispanics moving in vast numbers toward the republican party, the president's approval rating among that demographic, according to this poll, is 73%.
Can anyone with a functioning brain blame them? John McCain recently held a town hall meeting in Sun Lakes, Arizona. Among other bon mots expressed by some of his angry white conservative constituents were these: "Undocumented aliens should never be allowed to become citizens, or vote."-- "Illegals are all illiterate invaders who want free government benefits."--"If we cut off their welfare they'll go home."-- And finally, my personal favorite, "Only guns will discourage illegal immigration." Yes, if I was Hispanic I would certainly feel comfortable and at home hanging out with those xenophobic rubes. In the face of all that rage McCain said something about us being a Judeo-Christian nation. He was roundly booed. Don't for a moment think that sort of thing is confined to Arizona either. Senator Tom Coburn could face the same sort of crowd here in a suburb of Oklahoma City.
One can almost hear GOP strategists screaming at those assholes in Sun Lakes to, "Shut up, for God's sake! You're killing us.!" Indeed, as the old saying goes, loose lips sink ships.
The fact is the republican party appears to be in the throes of the most extended act of suicide ever witnessed. They couldn't win last November because their base wasn't broad enough, but they can't expand their base because their current base won't allow it. I know, it makes no sense, but it is what is happening, unless, of course, you believe Herman Cain. Cain, the pizza maker and part time sexual deviant appeared on Bill O'Reilly's FOX News show the other day and said the reason Barak Obama is popular is because 51% of us are dumb.
In an obvious and sincere appeal to the hearts and minds of those who voted for the president last November, Mr. Cain opined that, "We have a severe ignorance problem." He said he believes that the majority of voters last year were misled. Even O'Reilly seemed incredulous. "I mean how dumb are we?" he asked. Cain's response was, "Yes, Bill we are that dumb."
Well you have to blame it all on something don't you.
The poll numbers look grim on nearly every front for the GOP. They don't even have the false comfort of Rove/Morris hallucinations any more.
And worst of all they just keep opening their mouths and spewing forth the most awful bullshit imaginable.
It is simply a matter of time before the more clever among them strap on parachutes and hit the silk, because quite honestly it really does look like the plane is going down in flames.
Ol' Abe Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt are turning in their graves as I type.
2-21-13
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