As I'm sure you can tell, I've thought a great deal about next year's presidential election. At the age of 41, I've had 23 years as an adult to follow politics, vote, and watch the impact that each president has had on the United States. I learned that presidents with the last name of Bush tend to be overly concerned with foreign policy and completely ignorant in the area of domestic policy. In other words, they care about every other country but ours. Both Bush presidencies began with war and ended with a great deal of debt. Not for them, of course, only for the people who depended on them to make the U.S. a better, stronger country. While I'm sure many people will disagree with me, I consider both Bush presidencies to be complete and utter failures.
After the 1992 election, I learned that while Bill Clinton had his problems with keeping his weenie in his pants, he and his First Lady cared a great deal about the plight of the average American. The GOP tried to convince us that President Clinton's lies over his sex life would have a direct impact on the well-being of our country. As it turned out, the Clinton years were the best years that I can remember. Jobs were easy to come by and the neediest people had a reason to hope. Welfare mothers had opportunities for education; college students had easy access to student loans and grants, and working Americans were able to take time off for family emergencies without fear of losing their jobs. For the first time in a long time, we had a budget surplus. It wasn't necessarily all President Clinton's doing, but under his leadership, our country improved. How did the House of Representatives thank President Clinton for turning things around? By impeaching him, of course! (It's a common misconception that impeachment means kicking a president out of office. It isn't. Impeachment is the act of putting a president on trial for the purpose of deciding if he should be removed from office) Not one Democrat placed a guilty vote against him, but several Republicans kept him in office by voting not guilty. Apparently, they also enjoyed the Clinton years.
The dream ended with the questionable election of the second Bush. Once again, we were back to war, a failing economy and a president who couldn't care less about what we call the 99%. Was he impeached for the destruction of our economy? Of course not.
I was excited and hopeful when Hilary Clinton announced her intention to run for president. She had the experience and strength to stand up to the greedy GOP and to remind all elected officials that their job is to serve the People and not the other way around. Needless to say, I was devastated when she lost to Barack Obama. I had and have nothing against him; in better times he would make a great president. In times of hardship, a tough and experienced leader is required. I knew that the Republicans would forget about the eight years George W spent ruining our economy and blame the entire mess on President Obama. That's the way they operate -- they prefer placing blame to taking responsibility and making positive changes. They consider any attempt to help the less fortunate a move towards socialism and any unemployed adults to be lazy.
Our country is once again in a tough situation. President Obama hasn't been able to convince the Democrats and Republicans in office to work together to make improvements. At this point, everyone is to blame. We don't have a Senate or a House of Representatives. What we have is an ongoing pissing contest and no one is winning. The stench of urine, however, is overwhelming. In spite of the fact that he hasn't been a successful president, President Obama is running for a second term. I would like to see him step down and allow a stronger candidate to take hold of the reigns. Unfortunately, Hilary Clinton has announced that she won't run again. A great opportunity lost, in my opinion. The Democratic party could take matters into their own hands and hold a primary, but that's not going to happen. We have two choices: an ineffectual Democrat or a greedy, scary Republican.
Staying on top of the 2012 election news is not an easy task. A candidate who seems to be a shoo-in on Monday might be old news by Tuesday while another who appears to be a long shot is suddenly in the lead. The bottom line is that it's too soon to make any predictions. It isn't, however, too soon to be worried about what might happen if certain candidates were to win the election. Enjoy the sounds of Extreme's "When I'm President" as you continue to read...
According to RealClearPolitics, Mitt Romney and Herman Cain are tied for the lead right now, followed by Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum. There's a slight discrepancy between whether Perry or Gingrich is ahead, but given that we have just over a year until the election, anything can change. Just two months ago, Bachmann was in second behind Romney and four months ago, Perry had only Huntsman and Santorum behind him.
What will our country look like if these candidates successfully become president and shape the United States into the country they want? Using OnTheIssues and the candidates' own websites, I'm going to draw a picture for you.
"It's Time to Renew America" under Herman Cain:
Herman Cain's claim-to-fame, of course, is the 9-9-9 Plan. This plan requires that businesses and individuals, regardless of size or wealth, all pay a 9% flat tax and everyone pays a 9% sales tax nationwide. Sounds fair, right? At least until we get to the "Empowerment Zones". Anyone who lives or has a business in one of these impoverished areas will get a tax break. So it's a "9-9-9 unless you're willing to live and work in the ghetto-ghetto-ghetto" plan. Not exactly flat. However, I love the idea of everyone paying the same tax rate. A raise doesn't feel like a raise when it moves one into a higher tax bracket, now does it?When it comes to national security, Cain's website claims, "Because we are such a free and prosperous people, we are the envy of the world." I assumed other countries hated us because we refuse to stay out of their business. In regard to spending, he offers us this gem: "The massive debt caused by liberal policies will be passed onto our children and grandchildren if we do not stop it." Liberal policies? Somehow, I remember a budget surplus when Clinton was in office and a budget deficit after Bush took over. How is that the fault of the "Liberals"? President Obama didn't create the debt; I suppose if he borrowed money to go to war, that would have been acceptable. Borrowing money for the welfare of the country is deplorable in Cain's opinion.
In short, if Cain were to run the country the way he wishes, big corporations would win and small businesses would lose. The rich would stay rich; the poor would stay poor and worker's unions would go by the wayside so that business can abuse their workers without interference. The separation of church and state would become smaller and smaller until it no longer exists -- starting with abortion and continuing with the outlawing of gay marriage. Medical malpractice would be capped in order to protect doctors and health care would continue to remain unattainable for most of the population. As for the environment, de-regulation will make it easier for big corporations to take what they want from the earth without leaving anything behind for the next generation.
Mitt Romney's "Believe In America":
Romney's plan is much like Cain's, except less specific. His website offers buzzwords and catchphrases regarding his plans to boost the economy, create jobs and improve the availability of healthcare. He wants to push abstinence education in schools and get rid of those pesky teacher's unions. Apparently, class size reduction doesn't matter to anyone but the unions. Already, Romney needs to be educated about education. He should spend one day in an overcrowded classroom and then insist that class size doesn't matter.The economy is President Obama's fault and he would love to get rid of all unions as well. Those lazy welfare recipients need to get back to work.
His reputation as a "flip-flopper" is well deserved. He's gone back and forth on abortion, whether or not his religion would inform his presidency, and how and when we should pull out of Afghanistan. In short, Romney has no clear ideology or plans. If he does, he's keeping it very quiet. In spite of that, he's a contender for president. Now that's scary.
Some fun Romney Quotes:
"I'm happy to learn that after I speak you're going to hear from Ann Coulter. That's a good thing. I think it's important to get the views of moderates." --right before Coulter called John Edwards a "faggot"
"I saw my father march with Martin Luther King." (Romney's campaign later admitted that they didn't march on the same day, or in the same city)
Rick Perry says "It's Time To Get America Working Again"
Rick Perry claims victory for the massive job creation in Texas. He's right -- jobs are plentiful in that state and have been for a long time. Unfortunately, it's unclear exactly who should take the credit for it. Perry didn't invent the oil or chemical industries and the jobs that can be traced back to him often have dubious ties to his campaign donations. He recognizes the contributions of small businesses with tax cuts...and his state has the highest number of minimum-wage workers. I suppose that not having to pay a state income tax makes up for that. Maybe. Like the aforementioned candidates, Perry wants tax cuts for corporations, fewer regulations and the rape of the environment in order to make a profit.When it comes to immigration, he believes that as long as immigrant kids are present in the state, we have a responsibility to educate them. However, he wants strong borders and no fence -- this is an opportunity to create jobs by having people man the borders. Just when I thought I might like this guy, I discovered that he thinks homeless people are responsible for their own situations, evolution shouldn't be taught in school, and sponsored public prayer is not a violation of church and state. He will not be able to separate his religion from his job if he becomes president. He believes there is no such thing as a right to privacy and that women seeking abortions should be required to undergo a sonogram first. He does recognize that women who are raped, victims of incest or in danger of dying should have access to abortions. As for the rest of the women in the U.S., abortion should be illegal for them and gays should not be able to marry.
Some fun Perryisms:
"Even if an alcoholic is powerless over alcohol once it enters his body, he still makes a choice to drink. And, even if someone is attracted to a person of the same sex, he or she still makes a choice to engage in sexual activity with someone of the same gender."
"From time to time there are going to be things that occur that are acts of God that cannot be prevented." —Rick Perry, on the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, in 2010
"George W. Bush did a incredible job in the presidency, defending us from freedom."
Next.
Newt Gingrich's "21st Century Contract With America"
"There is no liberty without religious liberty" In other words, Gingrich would like to see the separation of church and state disappear while he forces his religious ideas on the American people through legislation. I'm not sure what part of his religion encourages adultery and divorce, but Gingrich is an expert on it, having been married three times and finding his subsequent spouses through affairs.
“The problem isn’t too little money in political campaigns, but not enough.”
If the Soviet empire still existed, I'd be terrified. The fact is, we can afford a fairly ignorant presidency now.
Next.
"Restore America Now" with Ron Paul
If Ron Paul were to win the election, he would be 80 years old at the end of his first term. 80 years old! There comes a time when one should retire. Ron Paul's time has come and gone and he's still fighting it.
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"The Founding Fathers envisioned a robustly Christian yet religiously tolerant America, with churches serving as vital institutions that would eclipse the state in importance." (according to what, exactly?)
If we are only free to make good decisions, we are not really free."(then why the ban on abortion?)
Next.
Michele "American Jobs, Right Now" Bachmann
Bachmann loves to refer to herself as a job creator, but she can't seem to remember what these jobs were or where they were created. I guess we just have to take her word for it. She's against regulations and supports screwing over the environment for a profit. While she loves to talk about the horrors of big government, she wants our government to be small enough to fit -- yes, once again -- into my uterus. She's not only anti-choice, but she wants women seeking abortions to be forced to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound (that's an internal ultrasound -- use your imagination). The sanctity of life applies to the fetus but not to the mother; if a pregnant woman is in distress, the fetus should take priority over the mother.
If you're homosexual, you ought to leave the country if she gets elected. No gay marriage, no punishment for homosexually-related hate crimes. Her husband runs a "pray away the gay" clinic, which is appropriate considering that Bachmann wants to force her religious views into our laws and our lives. Her popularity decreases with every stupid statement that comes out of her mouth. Such as:
''Carbon dioxide is portrayed as harmful. But there isn't even one study that can be produced that shows that carbon dioxide is a harmful gas.''
“But we also know that the very founders that wrote those documents worked tirelessly until slavery was no more in the United States.”
"Not all cultures are equal.''
''There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design.''
By primary time, she'll be a distant memory...or someone's running mate. Be scared. Be very scared.
I'm still waiting for Ralph Nader to declare. Ralph, oh Ralph? Where for art thou, Ralph?
Waiting For Ralph,
D
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