Indiana votes to give itself the chaff

My home state of Indiana continues to confound me. Incumbent U.S. Senator Richard Lugar was defeated yesterday in the Republican primary. While I am in no way a Republican and do not agree with him on many issues, I respect and admire Richard Lugar. Why, you might ask?

Because he is a good person and has his heart generally in the right place most of the time. Unlike hollow Tea Party and neo-conservative politicians whose only goal is self-serving, vain, uncompromising rigidness, Mr. Lugar was willing to cross the aisle to find common ground. That is an admirable quality that should be respected and revered not chastised and ridiculed. It is what civics and civility are all about, folks!

I will tell you another reason I admire Richard Lugar. When he was Mayor of Indianapolis, I was in high school. He was kind enough to meet with me in his office on a Saturday morning for several hours to answer questions for my Government class term paper. Not every politician is so gracious and kind. That is what sets him apart from the chaff.

A leader seeks solutions and will resolve disputes through discussion and compromise. A coward imposes their uncompromising will on others because their arguments are too weak to be convincing. Where Richard Lugar was the wheat, I am afraid what voters in Indiana did yesterday was to give themselves the chaff.

Read Full Post »

Write in “none of the above” in the GOP primary

Tomorrow is primary day in Michigan. To this progressive, all of the GOP candidates are a very sorry lot. Mitt turned his back on his home state two years ago and needs to be resoundingly reminded of that fact. Santorum is just plain scary. If I were a woman, I would emigrate to Canada and fast, if he is elected. Newt is….well, Newt. He is way too full of himself and his smile always reminds me of the sneaky and snotty Cheshire cat from “Alice in Wonderland.” Lastly, Ron Paul. I simply cannot agree with (or comprehend) his ultra-libertarianism.

So, my biased suggestion would be to skip the primary altogether or write-in “none of the above.” Perhaps, if enough people do that, the GOP might wake up from its 19th century delusion. Yes, I know that is wishful thinking, but someone’s got to do it.

Q: How many GOP candidates does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

A: None, for they are still stuck in the Dark Ages.

Read Full Post »