By exurbanDoug on 2/21/2012 8:30 PM

I think gay politicians should just come out of the closet.

This is especially true for gay Republicans.

As HillBuzz points out, our open-minded and tolerant counterparts in the Democrat party have dossiers on gay Republicans that are keep ready for the right occaision.  In the case of Sheriff Paul Babeu, his lifestyle got revealed to discredit his positions regarding border security, immigration, and the Fast and Furious investigation.  Right now, Paul Babeu has very little credibility or sympathy with potential voters, his effectiveness as a politician is virtually nil.

Greg over at Espresso Pundit has some clear-headed analysis of the fallout over this episode.  Its proably best that this happened now, even if Babeu's political future is a dead end for the forseeable future.  He won't be subject to blackmail (by our very tolerant, open-minded friends who respect people's personal lives) as a Congressman.  Its time for the Sheriff to concentrate on law enforcement and leave it to others to represent CD-4.

I'm with Vox on this issue, I don't care if Sheriff Babeu is gay or not.  What disturbs me are his bad decisions and judgements when the allegations came to light.  If you are asking voters to send you to Washington to represent them, don't take pictures of your mostly naked body along with cruising gay dating sites looking for hookups.  There is enough sleaze is DC already and Republican voters (especially primary voters) won't be in a hurry to send you there.

If you are a Democrat though, the rules are different.  This is unfair but so is life.

My thoughts on all this are simple, but not easy.  If you are a gay Republican and are in the closet, come out.  Its easy for me to say this as a heterosexual male who isn't a public figure but in the long run its a better course of action to take.  As HillBuzz points out, our tolerant and open-minded liberal/leftist/progressive opponents already have the goods on these politicians.  That information will be used to blackmail and manipulate gay GOP politicians, just like it has been for decades.  Take that weapon out of their hands and come out of the closet!

In addition, most people care less about your sexual orientation than they do about your truthfullness.  If you are gay, lesbian, or bisexual then tell the voters.  They deserve to know the truth, even if they don't approve of your lifestyle choice.  Competence, effectiveness, and thoughtfullness go a long way in establishing yourself as a person worthy of elected office.  Don't squander it by lying, obfuscating, and evading questions about who you are.

Oh, and stop taking pictures of your (mostly naked) bodies!

By exurbanDoug on 1/17/2012 8:18 AM

NPR's favorite Republican candidate is no longer in the hunt for the nomination.

Think about that one for a moment...

Ace blogged about it the other day and concludes that Huntsman made two fundamental mistakes.  One was not emphasising his conservative record as Utah's Governor and the executive experience that came with it.  The GOP tends to have better success with governors (Reagan, GWB, and probably Romney) than Senators (Goldwater, Dole, and McCain) as Presidential candidates.  He had a record that would appeal to voters interested in fiscal restraint.

Another area where Huntsman went wrong was actively insulting/attacking the Republican electorate.  This was odd since he was running for the GOP nomination.  Captain Ed opines that his campaign advisors told him to take that approach...and the results showed this was not effective.  C'mon, appearing in Vogue and appealing to the NPR demographic is not the way to win over Republican voters, especially in the primaries.

His withdrawl leaves a smaller field but it looks like Governor Romney has the momentum that will carry him through to the nomination.  I'd be surprised if any of the remaining candidates can sustain their campaigns and garner enough support to take the nomination.

Governor Huntsman may have been a good candidate...circa 2008.  As we have seen over the last few years, the political mood of the country has changed considerably.  Much of this is due to the progressive/liberal overreach that took place after Obama won the Presidency.  Some of it can also be attributed to the cyclical nature of American politics that is trending conservative/traditional.  Huntsman failed to understand both the times he lived in as well as the mood of the Republican electorate he was courting.  In the end, his campaign failed to resonate outside of a very small niche and became a historical footnote.

By exurbanDoug on 12/21/2011 8:47 AM

Who ranks himself as the Forth Best President of all Time?

Like you had to guess.

In the full interview, Barack Hussein Obama said:

The issue here is not going be a list of accomplishments. As you said yourself, Steve, you know, I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president — with the possible exceptions of Johnson, F.D.R., and Lincoln — just in terms of what we’ve gotten done in modern history. But, you know, but when it comes to the economy, we’ve got a lot more work to do.

Of course, that part was cut from the interview (I'm shocked, shocked...) because the media doesn't want this laughable quote from Hussein the Wise getting out to Middle America.  Gotta keep up appearances of being competent and serious, past performances notwithstanding.

Well, at least he thinks highly of himself...

By exurbanDoug on 12/20/2011 10:15 AM

There is more to the Occupy __________ "movement" than garbage, rape, drugs, robbery, public defecation, arson, inane slogans, Guy Fawkes masks, and general incoherence.

As the cleanup (funded by taxpayers) continues, so does the analysis.  NRO has a very interesting post on this subject, starting with in-depth analysis of the movement of Frontier Labs.  Distilled down to its essence, that most occupoopers are socially isolated people who want to be a part of something larger than themselves.

What did Frontier Lab discover? First, that many of the rank-and-file occupiers feel isolated in their lives, and appear to lack basic community ties such as are provided by participation in clubs, churches, and strong families.

Despite social media tools, the internet, pervasive media, and ubiquitous data connectivity;  these kiddos lack real social interaction with others.  This isolation from reality shows itself in how these protesters were easily manipulated by the organizers and leaders of this "spontaneous" movement.  Go back in the archives or visit YouTube for examples of how clueless these children are.

They have have education, technology, electronic connectivity, media, and capital (shhh, keep that on the down low!) but are not grounded in the reality the actual 99% of us live in.

It goes to show that Astroturf® campaigns like this lack the soul and conviction that genuine mass political movements have.  That's why Occupy __________ will be remembered as a dirty farce rather than a serious force.

By exurbanDoug on 12/19/2011 11:48 AM

George F. Will does a takedown of Robert Reich on ABC News, watch for yourself.

The key point that Will brings to light is that government is using the tax code to transfer wealth from largely young and productive people to largely old and retired/non-working people.  The power of the state is being used in this endeavor and its crushing economic growth.  This is similar to what is going on in Western Europe and Japan, the result is anemic economic growth.

Those on the Left will argue that government needs to get more involved in people's lives to address the "inequality" and "unfairness" that currently exists.  However, the current situation we find our country in is largely because government at all levels is excessively involved in people's affairs.  As George Will points out, those who have the money (the old and wealthy) will use their economic power to perpetuate their position.  They vote and they don't want the gravy train to stop.

We find ourselves indebted and stuck in economic neutral because all the interference and solutions of the Progressive Era make problems worse.  More government involvement leads to higher barriers to innovation and competition in the marketplace, where resources can be most efficiently allocated.  The solutions and thinking that Robert Reich offers have been the default behavior of the last eighty years, look at where it has taken us.

The good news is that the message being sent by Will is resonating with more people as these truths become evident.  Big Government is a problem and its limits are being reached.  This will result in a lot of pain and a great deal of anguish amongst liberal pundits as their ideas are shown to be as bankrupt as the economy.  The opportunity to recalibrate the relationship between government and the citizens is coming and I for one look forward to it.

By exurbanDoug on 12/18/2011 10:26 AM

Before most of us were born, before the Fall of Communism, before this year's Arab Spring there was the Prague Spring.

In 1968, there was a brief period of reform behind the Iron Curtain.  First Secretary (CPC) Alexander Dubcek brought about some minor reforms within Czechoslovakia during the early days of his administration.  They were promptly crushed that fall by the Soviet Union when they invaded the country and removed Dubcek from office.

The events of that year inspired a group of musicians and writers to resist the tyrannical rule of communism in their country.  One of them was Vaclav Havel, who died today.

He tireless wrote and spoke out against the crushing boot of oppression by the USSR.  As a result, he was imprisoned and placed under house arrest for a close to two decades.  However, he eventually helped lead the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1989 allowed that country to become free again.  It came at great cost to him but he never wavered in his struggle to see his country free.

Most people have short memories of those days in the late 80's when freedom took hold in Eastern Europe.  I remember seeing Havel speak from a balcony on a cold night in 1989 and thought "Communism is finished, we really are going to win!"  The fact that freedom is now considered normal in Eastern Europe is a tribute to his struggle and sacrifice.

While it is sad to hear of his passing, there is no doubt the Havel was a man of significance who made a lasting impression on the world we live in today.  He used words to convey ideas that are stronger than any weapons that could be brought to bear on him.  Radical ideas of freedom, representative government, and the right to dissent made him a true hero in his country and all liberty-loving people worldwide.

Vaclav Havel could never be accused of simply voting "Present".

By exurbanDoug on 12/15/2011 12:22 PM

Although I would describe myself as a Conservative/Libertarian (akin to Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan) my party registration is Republican.  My guess is that many other readers like you share this viewpoint.  Despite what the Democrat Party/Academia/Legacy Media say, we actually aren't evil.

Witness...

Bill Whittle sums it up pretty well in less than eight minutes.

HT to Hillbuzz for posting this.

By exurbanDoug on 12/1/2011 9:17 AM

Would Mother Gaia approve of leaving behind 30 tons(!) of trash?

That's not the kind of legacy I would want to leave behind.  Trash, poop, disease, rape, robbery, and drug use will be what most people will remember this bowel movement by.  If the Occupy __________ participants think they will elicit much sympathy for their actions, they are sadly mistaken.

Its one thing to protest and utter meaningless platitudes, but what really matters is action where it counts.  The two places where anybody can make a difference is through the marketplace and at the ballot box.  That is where change takes place and where the voice of the polis is heard.

We'll see how loud the voice of the 0.00000099% is at the ballot box next year.

By exurbanDoug on 11/29/2011 1:22 PM

Tina Korbe over at Hotair has a great post about the two competing worldviews that are fighting for supremacy.  For most people, the struggle between classical liberalism and modern progressivism has been a shadow war.  It was largely fought in the background by academics in universities and think tanks.  This has gone one for decades and has served as intellectual fodder for decades.

Not any more, you now have two mass movements that represent each belief system.  This video illustrates the foundations of each movement and its historical antecedents.

Thomas Sowell wrote about this in A Conflict of Visions and other writers in recent times have also broached this subject.  The fact is there are two vastly different visions of mankind, both of which are incompatible.  This has been marked by conflict for decades, what we see now is a renewed vigor as the struggle enters a new phase.

As I see it, the postwar liberal consensus is breaking down under fiscal and social strain.  The modern progressives will fight with all their strength to preserve it because its failure will cause their worldview to be discredited.  The rise of the Tea Party and growing dissatisfaction with government-imposed "solutions" is another sign that an important point has been reached in this ongoing struggle.  Things are going to continue to get interesting as the fight continues.

By exurbanDoug on 11/26/2011 4:54 PM

When a bowel movement is not properly disposed of, it created sickness and disease.

When a whole movement's bowel movements aren't disposed of, you have a s***** situation.  In one case, 200 pounds(!) of human feces was discovered near one building in Santa Cruz, CA.  Imagine how much poop has been deposited on sidewalks and parks all across North America (we can't forget the occupoopers in the Great White North after all) over the past several weeks.

By folks like this...

Just remember that somebody has to pick all that up, paid for by taxpayers.

When you have a moment, hop on over to Verum Serum for a more complete listing of the mayhem/incoherence/foolishness surrounding Occupy __________.

HT to Hillbuzz for the OWS Waste sign.