Before the Debate

I know this space has been about photographs and stories but I have been known to go off on topics that fire me up. Today’s politics certainly do that and this interminable election season just throws gasoline on that fire. Politics interests me. I appreciate government but it’s hard to like politicians. It’s a shame because public service is so important. Anyway, lacking pictures I have taken of our fine pols doing stupid things, there are always comics that say it better.

Dilbert by Scott Adams

Some personal perspective here. I used to be a card-carrying conservative, literally. When I first became eligible to vote, I registered with the Conservative Party in New York. In the 45 years since I moved away, I have been a staunch independent. I explained why in the Election Day rant last November.

At this time, the opinion polls are separating the clown bus of Republican candidates. With every gaffe and insult, The Donald adds points to his favorability rating. Doctor Ben Carson has surged to second place and former exec Carly Fiorina has moved high into the first tier. What they have in common is that none of them are life-long politicians.

Dilbert by Scott Adams

The GOP has been catering to the lowest common denominator for so long, all semblance of rational governing is off the table. Hell, all semblance of governing seems secondary. They are reaping what they have sown. We now have a primary where all the leaders are anti-establishment outsiders, none of whom have ever run (or participated in) a government.

These Republicans and their shills at Fox absolutely depend on ignorant voters to support them. They stand for things like birther nonsense and death panels and the black guy coming to take your guns away and the War on Christmas and the threat of Sharia law in America.

Tom Toles, Washington Post. Published 9/14/15

Now the ignorant are rising up, afraid of things that will not happen, gullibly believing hokum and supporting candidates that promise things they can’t deliver. The more these fools spout anti-government blather, the more the base falls in behind them. Then the chicken-bleep wanna-be’s who lack the nerve to speak the truth remain silent for fear of losing the support of the all-important base. Speaking of chickens, it looks like they are coming home to roost. Please…vote for the most conservative, God-Guns-and-Gays, shut-down-the-government candidate. It will be the best gift you could give to the Democrats. And you will have another postmortem report that again recommends you stop being the ‘party of stupid’.

Tonight’s debate will be in the Reagan Presidential Library and I bet every one of the candidates will invoke the name of Saint Ronald and what he did to elevate conservative government. Of course they won’t mention that he raised taxes, expanded government, called for amnesty for immigrants who have put down roots here, accepted gay people and compromised with Democrats (Gasp!) to get things done. They just depend on the base to forget all that. Can’t let the facts get in the way of a good story.

Doonesbury by Gary Trudeau

It amazes me that being against government is so popular. Why do we vote for people who don’t like government to run the government? What do we expect them to do when they’re in power? Like that picture that was in the news recently…a homeowner dressed in an anti-tax, anti-government t-shirt was thanking the fire fighters who saved his home. Sure, pal. You don’t believe in government except when you need help to put out a fire or a cop or an ambulance or a road or a sewer or water to drink.

Really?

I do not relish another four years of inept Democrat leadership but (at this time) choosing between anyone in the clown bus and whoever they run against is no contest.

Finally, I had to look it up. Among Webster’s definitions of ‘BASE’ – having little honor, courage or decency; mean; ignoble; contemptible; degrading; inferior in quality. They don’t call it ‘the base’ for nothing.

Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis