jgardn's Journal: Recent Politics

Recent politics are revealing that once again, Rush is right.

Rush predicted that as the liberals lose power, they will start behaving like lunatics. This is true.

Observe the California recall election. Observe what a liberal -- Governor Gray Davis -- is doing as he watches his power slip through his fingers.

He starts off first pretending that the people of California wants him as governor. I'm sorry, that's just not true. The people of California want him removed from office.

He then pretends that the recall effort was the result of rich, right-wing Republicans putting their minds together in a conspiracy. Governor, 30% - 40% of the 1.6 million people who signed the recall initiative were registered Democrats. They only needed something like 800,000 signatures to succeed, so a Democrat could've pushed this thing through with only a little help from the Republicans. As far as rich Republicans, the funding for the recall effort was mostly provided by hundreds of middle-class families who spared a couple of bucks to put the state government back on track. You'll note that most super-rich people are actually Democrats, not Republicans, so the myth of the "rich Republican" is mostly that -- a myth.

Then he pretends that somehow a citizen-led initiative is un-democratic. Maybe it is anti-republic, because it does not work through the duly elected representatives, but it is certainly not un-democratic. How can you call something where every legal resident of California is allowed one vote un-democratic? Only if you are a liar and a cheat.

He then claims that Republicans have been trying to steal elections because they cannot win. First off, Republicans are winning the elections. For the first time in most people's lifetimes, the Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the White House. Similar victories are recorded in record numbers throughout the state governments. If there is one thing the Republicans can't seem to be doing, it is losing elections.

But what about the effort to "steal" elections? He cites the impeachment of the rapist Bill Clinton, the disenfranchisement of the Florida voters, and the current effort to recall the governor of California. First, the impeachment was over the crime of perjury, AKA "lying", not sex. The courts found Bill Clinton in contempt of court, and revoked his lawyering license. It was the duty of the House to impeach him, because he committed a crime in a high place, or in other words "high crime". It was the duty of the Senate to remove him from office. However, this can hardly be considered an effort to "steal" an election. Should the Senate've removed the president, Al Gore would've been the new president. He is hardly a Republican.

And the Florida fiasco. Every recount revealed that Bush won the state. After significant investigation, a civil rights commission discovered that in fact, no one's right to vote had been infringed. The people who did have their ballots discarded were hundreds of deployed soldiers, and those who were responsible for it were the Democrats. So in reality, it was the Democrats who disenfranchised, and the Democrats who attempted to steal the electiong from Bush, who won both counts.

But the lies don't stop their. Blaming the Republicans, and in particular Bush, for the energy crisis was the frosting on the cake. What governor appoints a lobbyist on his council, despite the obvious conflict of interest? Why, Gray Davis. And then when the appointed lobbyist spends the state money by directing it to his employer, who is to blame for that? If you believe the lies of Davis, it would be Bush's fault.

But what about the Bush-Enron connection. If Enron made so much money from California, and Bush helped Enron, then it is Bush's fault, right? Unfortunately, the only relation between Bush and Enron is that they come from the same state. The truth is that many of the board members and leadership of Enron were staunch Gore supporters, and received help from time to time from the Clinton administration. Sure, they donated a few bucks to the Bush campaign, but they donated far more to the Gore campaign. And this somehow makes Enron a Bush company? I don't think so.

If only conservatives were allowed to make unsubstantiated claims like liberals can. Unfortunately, the double standard means that conservatives must be saint-like, or fear their name being spread across every headline. Take the case of the Republican member of congress that was speeding when he hit and killed the motorcyclist. That seems to be pasted all over the headlines. But mention "Ted Kennedy" and "Drunk Driving", and the cameras turn off and the ink dries up.

We don't have to lie to provide our ammunition. We can only cite the facts and still have more than enough to fight back.

- The Democratic Party has always stood in the way of civil rights for the minorities, while the Republican Party was founded on the principle of equality for all.

- It was democrats who charged a poll tax, predicated the right to vote on literacy, and shot minorities who attempted to vote anyway. The republicans sent federal troops to the South to protect the minorities and prevent the democrats from raping their women and murdering their children.

- It was democrats who got the state of California in the fiscal mess. Uncontrolled spending with the raising of taxes and increased regulations had two effects: A giant deficit, and a dead economy. The republicans were not in office, and had little to no control over the budget. However, during the Reagan years, there were surpluses, thanks to limited spending, decreased taxes, and reduced regulation. The effects of the Reagan governership was prosperity and a budget surplus.

- It was democrats who lie, cheat, and steal their way to get elected. Al Gore sued so that a third, fourth, and fifth recound should be performed. It was Al Gore who sued to desenfranchise the military voters of Florida. It was Al Gore who pushed the case all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled that the laws of Florida are the laws of Florida, and there can only be one recount.

So this election cycle, be sure to elect strong, conservative republicans to positions of power. Democrats are racist, evil, and are trying to usurp power while destroying government.