PoliticsUSA: Political Parties: Republican party structures in crisis — why?

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Notes from a Byzantine Rite Calvinist (December 2m 2k11)
by Prof. David Koyzis, Political Science, Redeemer University College
— Reposted here by Politicarp
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US party reform needed

David Frum, former speech writer for George W. Bush, wonders aloud: When Did the GOP Lose Touch With Reality? The German weekly Der Spiegel carries this article in its English-language edition: A Club of Liars, Demagogues and Ignoramuses. Even if this is rhetorical overkill, the Republican Party's range of would-be presidential nominees is rather less than impressive. Those who were sceptical of Obama's deliberate cultivation of messianic expectations in 2008 hoped he would face a credible opponent in 2012. But thus far the GOP has yet to deliver and shows no signs of doing so any time soon.

Read more ... click the time-stamp below ...

PoliticsUSA: Presidential campaign: Gingrich closes the gap between himself and Obama

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Christian Science Monitor (December9,2k11)
— Reposted here by Politicarp

refWrite comment:  I found this article by Linda Feldman in regard to current polling numbers rather astounding, largely due to the fact that Republican and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, hasn't yet won anything — except by very inexact imputations to the effect that he had won such and such a debate among the array of want-to-be candidates for that party's nomination to the h+est political office of the USA.

Notice:  no mention thru-out the article of Ron Paul, some of whose very vocal followers have been spue-ing out anti-Newt polemic, focusing upon Newt's personal foibles (sins) along the course of his professional and more personal life (the line is that he is unforgivable).  And around his role as a "war-monger," especially his support of Israel against the Palestinians (Paul feeds this line of polemic himself as he did in a recent YouTube video).

Where Gingrich's conservatism is seen as too pragmatic, Paul is seen as a rigid libertarian and isolationist.  The polls indicate that Gingrich is regarded more h+ly by most Republican voters, while Paul is often credited with having the "most intense" supporters, albeit in smaller numbers.  I have yet to see any article that poses Congressman Ron Paul vs President Obama, asking which of the two will win were they, respectively, the final Republican and Democratic candidates.

As for me, I said long ago that, in my humble opinion, Gingrich, Donald Trump, Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee, etc, were all too fat to run for the office and do well in it.  Their personal bodily-health standard is just not up to the strains of that office. How woud each (be able to) respond in the most unwelcome case of a physical attack?  The answer affects my personal estimate.  Undoubtedly, Prez Obama has raised the standard of Presidential physical health and fitness.  But the Republicans, so far anyway, are selecting a candidate out of a partisan voter demographic known for its older-age and its pot-bellies.

— Politicarp
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A Gingrich-Obama matchup? 

It's getting tighter, polls show

Newt Gingrich looks increasingly competitive against President Obama in three key battleground states, new polls show. And registered Republicans in those states prefer him to Mitt Romney.

By Linda Feldmann, Staff writer / December 8, 2011

Maybe Newt Gingrich isn’t so unelectable after all. New Quinnipiac polls of general election voters in three key battleground states released Thursday show the former House speaker increasingly competitive against President Obama next November, if Mr. Gingrich wins the Republican nomination.

In Florida, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romneybeats Mr. Obama 45 percent to 42 percent, but Gingrich isn’t too far off the mark. He trails Obama with 44 percent of the Florida vote, compared with 46 percent for Obama, within the margin of error, according to the Quinnipiac University Poll, based in Hamden, Conn.

In Ohio, Romney and Gingrich pull down the exact same numbers against Obama. Each Republican gets 43 percent versus 42 for Obama.

Pennsylvania is Obama’s strongest state of the three, narrowly beating Romney 46 percent to 43 percent, and beating Gingrich handily, 48 percent to 40 percent.

Election 101: Ten questions about Newt Gingrich as a presidential candidate

Those three states, all rich in electoral votes, comprise the trifecta of modern presidential politics. Since 1960, no one has won the White House without winning at least two of them.

In those three states, Gingrich beats Romney handily for the GOP nomination, though only Florida holds its primary early in the nominating calendar. Florida Republicans vote on Jan. 31, after Iowa (Jan. 3), New Hampshire (Jan. 10), and South Carolina (Jan. 21). In Florida, Gingrich beats Romney 35 percent to 22 percent. In Ohio, Gingrich beats him 36 to 18 percent. And in Pennsylvania, the former speaker is up 31-17. No other candidate scores in double digits.

Read more of Linda Feldmann's Christian Science Monitor article here.

PoliticsWisconsinUSA: State Senate: Bypass of absentee Dem Senators shielding bandit govt-employee unons

WaPo (Mar9,2k11)

Washington Post's journo Michael Fletcher reports on the earthquake moment of an intense political fracas that has engulfed the USA state of Wisconsin in regard to how public-employee unions there have long acted the bandits and contributed to the hapless near-bankruptcy that taxpayers had long dutifully financed both in direct taxes and in payments on the vast public debt. Wisconsin is not the only state so effectively bankrupted.


The state had been rigged by Democrats who were dependent on unions (including public employee unions) who contributed to the campaigns of Dems in both legislative chambers of the state and supplied 'vounteer' campaign workers to get these Dems elected.  Then the elected Dems woud vote for hikes to public-employee pay and to increased benefits that the state coudn't afford.  Thereby the state Dem's woud put the state further into debt, requiring hier interest payments on the debt.  Until now, until the election of a Republican conservative as Governor and Republican majorities in the two chambers.  Something had to give.  And, yesterday it did.


refWrite supports unionization of workers, but in a pluralism of workers representation that affords maximal freedom of choice.  Granting collective bargaining to unions otherwise structured as in closed shop arrangements, and to public-employee unions nevertheless has proven to be seriously flawed. For one thing, there is no freedom of choice in regard to the union that represents a given worker, only one union represents all, no matter what the life-convictions of the worker and the world- and work-view of the union.  There is no representation by workers who woud select the Christian Labor Association USA (founded in 1932 and certified by the National Labor Relations Board) to represent them in plural alternative structuration of workers representation in each bargaining unit.


-- Politicarp

Republican Wisconsin 

senators bypass 

Democrats in vote 

on collective bargaining

by Michael A. Fletcher

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 9, 2011; 10:54 PM

Senate Republicans abruptly passed Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's plan to sharply curtail collective-bargaining rights for public employees Wednesday night, using a legislative maneuver to approve the measure without 14 Democratic senators who fled the state in an effort to block it.

GALLERY

Wisconsin budget battle: Protesters rally against anti-union bil

PoliticsUSA: Republicans open the gate: 2012 presidential race prospects

Inaugral rankings and characterizations by Daily Caller   ( jan17.2k11)

1. Chris Christie, “The Dream”

2. Mitt Romney, “Mr. Manufactured”

3. Sarah Palin, “The Superstar”

4. Mitch Daniels, “Mr. Competent”

5. Mike Huckabee, “The Talker”

6. John Thune, “The Unknown”

8. Tim Pawlenty, “Mr. Nice Guy”

9. Mike Pence, “The Purist”

10. (Tie)  John Bolton, “The Wrecking Ball”

10. (Tie) Donald Trump, “The Donald”

The Rest of the pack

Haley Barbour, “The Insider”

Herman Cain, “The Outsider”

Bobby Jindal, “The Boy Wonder”

Gary Johnson, “The Joker and the Toker”

Ron Paul, “The Aging Revolutionary”

Rick Santorum, “The Social Conservative”

-- Owlb

PoliticsUSA: Midterm Elections: Polling shifts, pointing to massive Republican gains at least in Representatives -- whatever happened to PropRep?

Reporting in Washington Post, Jon Cohen and Dan Baltz in "Voter unrest echoes that of 1994, poll shows" (Oct31,2k10) tell us that a "sour mood threatens the Democrat congressional majorities" becawz "seven in 10 voters see the country as off course." The very ruff balance sheet of pollsters assign opinion as s+ding with Republicans 49%, while Democrats get 45%.

 If true and if the ratio holds, that doesn't mean the shift of actual seats will reflect the actual voting numbers. Rather, since the USA has a winner-takes-all anti-proportionality voting system, the Repubs will take far more seats, I woud think, than the actual total votes presently indicate. Even were proportionality instituted state-by-state, still there woud remain an increment favoring the Big Parties. I coud go for that version of Proportional Representation in the USA, but at present I woudn't venture to suggest precisely how PropRep shoud be figured and formulated into law...

I just think the present system is unworthy of the Great Republic in the 21st Century, since the changes from the Founders' world when the Fed Constitution was effectuated or no longer just. Of course, the earlier provisions whereby state legislatures or state senates elected each states' two Senators, has long been attenuated. In other respects also, the earlier provisions have been updated. It's time for another update, state by state, I believe.

-- Politicarp

PoliticsUSA: Primary Elections: Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Wisconsin

Democrats who won their primaries in previous races are rarely these days pursuing ad campaigns that mention Obama not at all, distancing themselves from even the troika (Pelosi, Reid, Obama) healthcare legislation passed in the last Congress and signed by the President.  In the primaries yesterday, there weren't many Dem candidates wearing the mantle of ram-the-bill-thru-&-don't-waste-time-reading-it.

Republicans, contesting with one another the chance to represent their political party in the November general elections, were enshrouded in the new problems posed by the anti-incumbent wave that pits the throw-the-bums-out approach against that of the stand-pat incumbents like Sen John McCain (Arizona), the Republican establishment in several cases (including Karl Rove who blasted anti-incumbent Christine O'Donnell among last n+t's winners in Delaware), and rank-and-file members who rank party unity as the prime political virtue (unlike Fox News commentator, Sean Hannity, a conservative die-hard who ton+t harrassed a party-unity conservative, Dana Perino).

Were I a Republican, I woud not want to throw out moderates and liberals who persist in the party; were I a Democrat, I woud distinguish my loyalty to the party's leader from approval of the law-ramming illiteracy that pervades the overly legalistic legislation just passed, unreadable due to its sheer length as well as its head-spinning legalese.  There's something to be said for reporters, whether in mainstream media or bloggers / iPhoners, who don't join a party and try to keep an irenic spirit in the face of the seemingly-everlasting, special-pleading political warfare that saturates almost every corner of our society.

Tomorrow evening, I hope to review some of the contests and winners of primaries.  I've already seen most of the results, but I want a bit of time to assimilate the patterns that have emerged.

-- Politicarp

dictionary:

special pleadingnounargument in which the speaker deliberately ignores aspects that are unfavorable to his/her point of view• appeals to give a particular interest group special treatment :
    we heard his special pleading for his aging constituency.

PoliticsUSA: Repulcn Prty South: A remarkable conservative aspires to represent South Carolina's 1st Congrssnl district

Tim Scott adds drama to the candidates contesting in election primaries in the deep-South's 1st Congressional District, USA House of Representatives, South Carolina.  If Mr. Scott wins the Republican primary, he will become the official candidate, thus qualifying to go up against whoever emerges as the candidate of the Democratic Party presently in its own parallel primary.  Actually, we shoud call the Republican contender already "Representative," because he's been serving already in South Carolina's state House of Representatives.  He has experience.  Rep. Tim Rice.

See and hear about Tim Rice's dramatic campaign on the video, and read David Weigel's Right Now column in Washington Post,  Right Now - South Carolina: The rise of Tim Scott (June 21,2k3) Both are h+ly recommended by Yours Truly.

-- Politicarp

Politics: USA: Republican & Democrat candidates' list and events constantly updated

For the present, refWrite frontpage is updating regularly its original list of the candidates seeking the nomination of either major American political party. We are seeking to keep track of campaigin events, comparisons of candidates, dropouts, polls. We will be adding some details on 3rd party candidates, nominees, and events as well. Click up our already much-updated Feb15,2k7 blog-entry.