The Radical Centrist™

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Archives for August 2016

Supreme Court: Second thoughts?

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Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is showing signs of cracking. The nomination of Merrick Garland is still in limbo. Grassley, the Republicans, and Grassley’s Senate Judiciary Committee have thus far held fast at stalling Garland’s nomination. Some recent comments from Grassley are interesting. But, as usual with politics and politicians, one has to read between the lines. Per a recent article, it was reported…

“…in a town hall meeting Monday in Cherokee, Iowa, Grassley indicated he could be persuaded by a large number of senators to take action in a “lame duck” session between the Nov. 8 election and the inauguration of the new president in January.

“If we have the election, and there was a majority of the Senate changed their mind about doing it in the lame duck, as opposed to January 20, I don’t feel that I could stand in the way of that.”

Check the phrasing… and especially the timing… carefully.  Between the election and January 20, when the next President will be sworn in.  We’re going to make this short because it is so glaringly obvious.  Let me translate what he said and meant…

We’ll rush to confirm Garland if Hillary wins the election.

It really is that simple.

 

Justice Department says it will end use of private prisons

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This is a big deal.  Finally, we seem to be making some headway back into rational thinking.  Or… are we?

I’m not so sure.  Granted, I’m naturally very skeptical, but I feel that I have reason to be.  How many times has our government said it was going to do something, then just put some window dressing on it to make it appear different, when in reality nothing substantial changed at all?  More times than I can count.

It’s outlined in this article from the Washington Post.  Consider these quotes from the linked article:

Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates announced the decision on Thursday in a memo that instructs officials to either decline to renew the contracts for private prison operators when they expire or “substantially reduce” the contracts’ scope. The goal, Yates wrote, is “reducing — and ultimately ending — our use of privately operated prisons.”

…and this…

Pablo Paez, a spokesman for GEO Group, said in a statement: “While our company was disappointed by today’s DOJ announcement, the impact of this decision on GEO is not imminent. As acknowledged in the announcement, the BOP will continue, on a case-by-case basis, to determine whether to extend contracts at the end of their contract period.”

Then there’s this quote which was in a previous version of this article, but seems to have been removed when they updated it (the article seems to change constantly, I’ve seen at least three updates so far, for whatever that’s worth)…

“The privately run facilities will not close overnight. Yates said the Justice Department would not terminate existing contracts but instead review those that come up for renewal. She said all the contracts would come up for renewal over the next five years.”

These loopholes are HUGE. Granted, there is something in there about one contract already having been declined to be renewed, but I need to see a more definitive commitment.  It’s precisely the contracts that worry me. We may not enter into brand new contracts, but this leaves the door open to still renewing existing contracts, which is exactly what I believe will happen in the vast majority of the cases. The corporations are not going to give up their revenue without a fight, and Congress will have something to say about it, and these corporations lobby Congress heavily.

I would love to see this actually happen, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

Taking a Stand!

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What causes people to take a stand?  How does one decide where “the line” is?  I first posted this in another forum in early March, and my mind is subject to change before November, for any reason, but this is how I still feel right now, today.

As a dedicated Centrist I no longer have loyalty to any party, but I do tend to lean a bit to the conservative side.  And let’s be honest, Hillary Clinton is no prize.  However, having said that, the Reps and the Rep Party are driving me away. In a recent post I talked about voting straight ticket, and I never have, purposely.  I have also NEVER voted for a Dem for President.  Ever.  I have always voted either Rep or Libertarian. I have voted Dem for state Governor and Senator before, albeit not often. Yet, if the general election were held today I would vote a straight Dem ticket.

Why, you ask?

As much as I detest The Donald, he alone would not be enough to drive me away from the entire party completely.  I would still be open to voting for a Rep depending on the office and the scenario.  I would not vote straight Dem as a matter of preferred strategy.  What IS enough to drive me away completely is the stated position that the Senate Judiciary Committee will not even consider (hold confirmation hearings, etc.) if President Obama nominates a Supreme Court justice to replace Scalia, and Merrick Garland’s name has been submitted and been in limbo for a few months now.  I’m looking straight at you, Senator Grassley.  And Garland’s a relative moderate, not some screaming partisan liberal.  President Obama actually threw them a huge bone with this one.  Garland is much better then anything President Hillary will throw their way.

Each side can point to some instance in the past to supposedly justify their position.  Let me be very clear:  I.. do… not… care… one whit the hypocrisies of the past. I also understand there is no legal obligation for the Senate to hold hearings, but there is plenty of time, and it is the President’s and the Senate’s ethical responsibilities to keep a full bench. Period.

I’m sorry that Scalia had the bad manners to die at an inconvenient time, but to not hold hearings at all… just because… would be a slap in the face to the citizens and the height of arrogance and irresponsibility.  They could even hold hearing and vote to deny the appointment.  I certainly don’t expect a confirmation of just anybody.  I just expect a responsible process and an honest effort.

If they follow through on their threat, I will vote straight Dem. It ain’t much, but it’s all I got. And I will hope a Dem beats their candidate so they can get this appointment and two more as I’m sure at least two of the older justices will retire or die during the next administration.

What’s it going to take to get the Republican Party back on track?

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OB-JO765_0814hi_G_20100814162559You know how Facebook has been doing this “Your Memories” thing lately where they showcase something you posted from the past?  I got one last week where I said in 2010… six years ago!!!… that the Republican Party was doing its best to make me a Democrat.  I had to laugh.  I hadn’t realized that my dissatisfaction with the Republican Party had been going on for so long.

Now, as I have long been a dedicated Centrist (and reformed Republican), and purposely avoid both major parties, my comment about becoming a Democrat was clearly in jest, but the core sentiment was valid… and is even more so today.  The Republican Party is making it incredibly difficult to take them seriously, let alone vote for them.  The fact that they have chosen Donald Trump as their preferred candidate just means that the inmates have taken over the asylum.

Every major party undergoes a major transitional inner reform every 40 to 50 years, and that’s what I believe the Republican Party is doing right now.  I predict that the Republican Party you see in 10 years will look nothing like the Republican Party of the last 10 years.  What will it look like?  That’s beyond the powers of my crystal ball, but it won’t be all Tea Party-ish, and the actual “true conservatives” will come back.  (Oh, and don’t worry, the Democrats have done it before, too, and will have their turn again.)

What’s it going to take to get the Republican Party back on track?

What I want to see, and I want to see it now, as in this election, is a complete break-down crash-and-burn no-survivors wrecking and humiliating loss at all major levels.  I want them to lose the White House.  I want them to lose the Senate.  I want them to lose the House.  I want them to lose state Governorships.  I don’t just want them to lose, I want them to lose so badly that pretty much all the party leadership is discredited and tossed aside for new and (hopefully) better leadership.  (This will probably give Hillary 3 Supreme Court Justices, but so be it.)

Anything short of utter destruction will only prolong the agony.  Just do it and get it over with, so we can start rebuilding and present the people with something that at least gives the illusion of a viable option.

Random thoughts…

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Trump supporters:  Dear Donald Trump supporters: If, when Trump says something moronic, and gets called on it, and the best you can do is, “But but but… HILLARY!!!”… then you lost the intellectual argument before you even began.

Filming everything with your smart phone:  I often wonder how many people go back and actually watch the videos they take. I used to religiously record the World Series, then stopped when I realized I never ever went back and re-watched a game.

Bill Clinton’s sincerity:  It is kind of hard to fall for Bill’s love story when he’s been a serial cheater for most of their married life.

Trump’s identity: I should probably stop referring to Mr Trump as an idiot. He’s actually pretty intelligent. He can play suckers like it’s nobody’s business. So, no, he’s not an idiot.

Moron. Yeah, that’s better.

Bernie Sanders and fairness:  I’m not really feeling sympathy for Bernie Sanders’ complaining about the DNC not playing fair. Granted, it’s not cool, but this is a guy who for years and years distanced himself from them, insisted on being an Independent with no party affiliation, and only joined them when it became convenient for him.

What must be the worst job in the world: Why would anyone WANT to be President?

Pay is garbage (direct pay, anyway.), considering the level of responsibility. Half the country hates your guts, no matter what you do. Half the world hates your guts, no matter what you do. Some of your decisions costs lives. People say the meanest vilest things about you. Chances are you’re not going to make a difference, because as big as you are, you’re not that big.

What’s the attraction?

Political maneuvering:  Sometimes it’s interesting what gets a person worked up and what doesn’t. Many people are saying that Bernie Sanders is a hypocrite for endorsing Hillary Clinton even though she does not truly support much of anything he stands for.

I’m sorry, but I’m having a hard time getting worked up over it.

For all of my conscious political life, candidates have ripped each other to shreds and called them the nastiest of names in the primaries, then act as if it never happened and that they’ve always been best buds in the general election.

I’ve never liked this, and I’ve always found it dishonest, but maybe I’m desensitized to it, because it now seems to me as part of the moronic game. It just is. Vote accordingly.