Day: September 9, 2010

The Tea Party, Sarah Palin, And The Delaware GOP Senatorial Primary: Suicidal Tendencies Grow! :(

Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Movement seem out to prevent any moderate Republicans from being elected to the US Senate, thus giving the Republicans a more extremist image, which is likely to lead to defeat, but even if it does not, marginalizes the long term future of the party! ๐Ÿ™

Alaska’s Senate primary saw moderate Lisa Murkowski defeated by Joe Miller, an extremist Tea Party favorite, which at least makes that state a more competitive one for Democrats! Sarah Palin used her influence to help defeat the Murkowski family again, as she had when she defeated the father who was Governor in 2006!

Now Delaware, a state sure to elect a moderate Republican with a 20 year record in the US House, Mike Castle, suddenly has the possibility, due to Sarah Palin and the Tea Party extremists, of electing a completely unqualified woman, Christine O’Donnell, who happens to be attractive as her only virtue, as the Senate nominee next Tuesday, September 14!

The odds of O’Donnell defeating Democrat Chris Coons are seen as unlikely, but the desire to move the GOP to the far right seems to outweigh the reality that the GOP cannot survive intact as an extremist right wing party long term! ๐Ÿ™

We already have right wingers named Sharron Angle, Rand Paul, Joe Miller, Ken Buck and Mike Lee, who make a bad image for the party, and hopefully most will be defeated, an advantage to the Democrats!

But if they win, and Christine O’Donnell wins, the Republican party is killing its long term future, as to govern the country we require a mainstream centrist set of parties, and the GOP is fast losing any possibility of being perceived as such!

A Sad September 11 In America, And Particularly In Gainesville, Florida! :(

Saturday is the 9th Anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and it should be a day of reflection and remembrance!

What it should not be is a day marred by burning of Korans or any other religious books or documents of any faith! ๐Ÿ™

What it should not be is a day that we all have to worry about violence against our troops overseas in the war zone or anywhere else on earth! ๐Ÿ™

What it should not be is a day that American civilians traveling and living all over the world have to be concerned about becoming victims of violence! ๐Ÿ™

What it should not be is a day that Americans have to worry that the small cell of radical Muslims that is present in this country will be emboldened to strike back at innocent people, because of their anger at the provocative burning of the Koran by a Christian zealot who represents the same type of radicalism and extremism that he professes to despise! ๐Ÿ™

What it should not be is a day that a great university town, the home of the University of Florida, one of the most outstanding universities in America both for sports and for academics, has its reputation besmirched because of the actions of a person who should be prevented from doing the dastardly deed that he plans to do, with no consideration of the effect on the community, the state of Florida, the nation at large, and American foreign and military interests! ๐Ÿ™

September 11 is indeed a sad day for America, but not just for the past tragedy, but for the future tragedy that is unfolding as we sit idly by and seem unwilling to do anything to prevent! ๐Ÿ™

The Governorships And State Legislatures: A Crucial Year For Both Political Parties!

The elections in 37 states this November for the office of Governor, as well as the state legislative battles raging across the country, will have a very powerful effect on the fortunes of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party for the next decade, as this is the year of the census figures, and reapportionment of seats for the House of Representatives and the state legislatures will be determined over the next two years by the election results!

The party that controls the state legislature can use the practice of gerrymandering to set district lines to favor their party for the next decade! In a sense, redistricting allows leaders to choose their voters, instead of voters choosing their leaders! ๐Ÿ™

The Republican Party is seen as favored to gain more by likely control of more state legislatures, with an estimate of gaining at least ten chambers this fall, which could give them the power to redraw up to 25 congressional districts!

At this point, the Democrats have the advantage, controlling 27 states to 14 for the GOP, with eight states having divided legislatures! But the momentum is against them in this round of such crucial elections!

However, the governorships are also a factor, as a governor can veto redistricting plans of the state legislature, and force the issue into extended court suits, if the Governor is of the party opposite of the legislative majorities!

So although there are 50 states, the larger states with more Congressional members have a greater role, and in those states, the Governorship races are therefore more crucial for both parties to win! Certainly, the most important states would thus include California, Texas, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Georgia, the top nine states, and all of these are battlegrounds, except possibly New York, where Andrew Cuomo is a heavy favorite to overcome either of his Republican opponents!

So the state races, both for the Governorship and the legislative balance, matter greatly, even more this year than usual!