Posts published in “Day: December 21, 2021”

Who’s a God-loving, down-to-earth-responsible, thinking conservative Republican and how many of you are out there?

The answer to that query is one - maybe two - elections away. I can think of no other way to find a realistic answer. And, we need to know that answer to figure out where we go from here.

It appears there’s more than one Republican Party.

The easiest to identify are the Trumpers within the GOP. They just put it right out there! Shirts, hats, flags. No masks. Yep, we don’t need an election to figure out that bunch.

It’s the rest of the folks - the silent ones - that keep a low profile, don’t talk much about their political leanings and don’t get dressed up like a bunch of junior high kids. Those are the ones we need to find. And count. Because they, more than the Trumpers, will determine what becomes of the Grand Old Party in the long run. We need to know who they are and in what numbers.

It’s no overstatement - to our shame - to call our current Congress broken, rife with childish in-fighting and dangerously ineffective. (There are other adjectives but this is a family publication.)

We know who most of the most “insane” incumbents are because of the media’s continued over-the-top coverage of Boebert, Taylor-Greene, Gaetz et al. They, and their childlike - but dangerous - rhetoric are breathlessly relayed to the rest of us daily. Whether we care or not.

But, if you’re not a political wonk, don’t follow the “inside-baseball” political columnists and don’t live in the Washington D.C. metro area, most folks don’t know who the other wingnuts are. And there’s a bunch of ‘em. About two-thirds of the Texas delegation qualify.

They clog up hearings with ridiculous speeches and rants. They abuse witnesses who must sit quietly while the know-nothings carry on. Many, literally, have no idea what their job descriptions are. And none - NONE - could pass a high school exam on the Constitution.

You don’t know these names because their nutcase carrying-ons are expected, they do so daily, and they don’t have any material things to say on nearly any topic.

Exhibit “A,” at the moment, is the dustup between Ted Cruz and Dr. Anthony Fauci. Cruz has called Fauci “unqualified” and “totally uninformed” about COVID-19 and its dangers. Fauci, (a physician-epidemiologist by training) to his credit, has sat silently in several hearings as Cruz ran off at the mouth. But, it appears some Senators and others may have encouraged Fauci to speak up. And, to his credit, he recently has. But, humiliation and embarrassment are still palpable.

At numerous hearings and other official actions of the Congress, there are always the know-nothings, loud and ignorant present and very anxious to show off their unfamiliarity with facts or knowledge of the subject at hand.

These uninformed and unknowing folks have been largely responsible for the current Capitol Hill mess. Oh, there are other, “wiser” people in leadership of both Houses who’ve exhibited their tendency to gum up the works i.e. McConnell and McCarthy. They, too, have to be replaced.

These examples are why we need to know who the responsible ones are in the Republican Party. We need to figure out their numbers and where they need help in reorganizing and getting rid of the garbage.

Maybe Dems have to cross over into some Republican primaries in many states to help “weed-out” the bad guys. And the bad women. Maybe a few well-placed Dem dollars will help. Maybe Dems - some, anyway - will need to keep their GOP registration for the general election if their own candidates are “safe.”

I don’t have the answer. Nobody does. That’s why the 2022 primary election is so damned important. Maybe we’ll know a little more about the size of the knowledgeable and concerned Republicans by their vote and what the rest of us can do to help. Democrats. Independents. Whatever help is needed to wrest back control of the Republican Party. We need a functioning two-party system. Gotta have it!

We’ve got some dangerous incumbents in Arizona. Gosar. Biggs. Lesko. They’ve got qualified primary opponents that definitely need some Dems to show support in 2022. We’re workin’ on it.

Maybe your state does, too. Maybe Dems and Indy’s in your backyard need to take a close look at the competency of your folks in Congress . Can’t hurt. And, you’ll be a better-informed voter.

God, I hope so. We need a lot more of ‘em!