RUDY'S THE ONE!Yup, the ole wacky, corrupt, 2000 pound leg pressing, proSTEALizer has endorsed Rudy Giuliani. So I guess that Pat's become a little pragmatic in his later years as he hustles a way to get a Republican in the White House. Odd,though to see this televangelist endorse the gay rights, pro-choice republican from New York City.
Wow, what's next, Grover Norquist coming out for Dennis Kucinich?
It's seems like the ridiculous wing of the religious right, facing some competition from reality based Christians like Rick Warren and some pushback from Enviro-friendly Christian (stewards of the Earth), Christians with an interest in social justice issues and wait for it, progressive Christians, have decided to become more practical. With Huckabee, authentically Baptist and even a minister still in the running, the founder of the distorted Moral Majority has put his stamp on the cross dressing Manhattenite.
His fear, is that his own organization become irrelevant for endorsing a somewhat viable Huckabee (at least early) or a really kooky Alan Keyes. So he hitches himself to the candidate that is most opposite to the views of the general religious right, to regain some relevance, to slowly move Rudy to the right on some social issues, providing cover through Iowa and South Carolina.
MISSING IN ACTIONIt's been a while since I posted, Thanksgiving, my sister coming back from Germany, etc. Busy times. But today I was somewhat inspired by learning that Trent Lott would resign by the end of the year. Now I'm not one to throw epithets around, but thank God the cracker is finally done.
Representing a state that is 37% African American, somehow Trent was re-elected after suggesting old friend, segragationist, and America's favorite miscegenist Strom Thurmond would have been able to solve America's problems if he had been elected President. I'm sorry it's nice to tell an old man nice things, but you represent all the people of your state. It's been time for lotsa of Republicans to start jumping ship, seeing the corruption of the private/public sector to be much more lucrative than the troublesome ethics rules and red tape that gets in the way of some real old school public corruption.
THE NOT SO ANGRY MIDDLEIf I had my druthers and was independently wealthy I'd probably do mostly the same things, the scotch would be better and I wouldn't work, I could pay for my baby daughter to get into an Ivy League school instead of her actually having to do work and I could truly chase my dream of being the Ed Anger of moderate political blogging.
Like most self-proclaimed moderates, I lean a particular way politically, mostly left in my case and libertarian and fiscally conservative in others. Mike Bloomberg is somewhat the same way. He ran as a Republican for mayor of New York in only the way a nice Jewish boy Red Sox fan from Medford could do so, tongue in cheek, I'm a billionaire so I have to be a Republican. No one can be elected the mayor of the capital of the world without some cosmopolitan sensibilities that many around the country would define as "liberal".
Mike Bloomberg continues to be an interesting third party candidate. He says he doesn't desire the job, but is this the year, a year without any breakaway candidates, no Eisenhower, Reagan, Kennedy or even William Jefferson Clinton coming out of the woodwork that an independent may be able to make a move? By truly independent in Bloomberg's case, I of course mean that this is a man that would not be beholden to anyone. No special interest, bundler, Hillraiser or ranger would be able to match even a fraction of Mike's tremendous wealth. Hell, as a patriot, shouldn't he get in the race, with his own coin to drive the discussion towards things that really matter, health care, real immigration reform, real homeland security that the fractious nature of political finance in a two party system don't allow us to address outside of soundbites or well manicured press releases produced by the very special interests that should be under the microscope.
The potential for Bloomberg's run is supported by a recent puff piece in Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/id/68113 The media would applaud anything that breaks the monotony of the banality of this race towards mediocrity. Imagine an independent Bloomberg, even if he was frozen out of the debate process being able to buy all the media he wanted. Imagine a Bloomberg as part of the Unity '08 ticket partnered with a running mate such as Colin Powell or another leader with national security/defense/foreign affairs credibility and a willingness to declare a potential cabinet long before he hits the polls.
