Barack Obama has nominated Hispanic Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the US Supreme Court and some of the Repugs have gone berserk, such as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and big mouth Rush Limbaugh. They are calling the judge a racist. This is truly the pot calling the kettle black. Limbaugh is also upset that Obama is succeeding. What is wrong with these guys? Not only are they making fools of themselves, but they are also hurting the Republican Party. Bye bye Latin American vote for Repugs. This is making some member of the Congress very nervous but Limbaugh and Gingrich are not fazed at all as they continue their hyperbole. Smart move on the part of Obama as he has turned on the Repugs' self-destruct switch.
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I'm not too happy with the American Republicans, and I don't want to see them succeed - IN THEIR CURRENT FORM. What I sincerely hope happens is that these Republicans get back to their core beliefs. And I think many disenchanted Republicans feel that way too, so I there's hope for them yet.
ReplyDeleteI see parallels happening here in Canada with the Conservatives, and their base asking what's going on. I believe in questioning authority and holding them accountable to my expectations (and myself to my own expectations). Conservatives talk about accountability, yet have little to show for it, because they're all about talks and elections. And now their base are coming to understand that, and are rightly disappointed.
As a Liberal I have very different views from them, so why would I want Republicans and Conservatives to 'get their act together'?
Because I don't want to see a complete implosion resulting in a de facto one-party system in either country. Even given recent troubles, I prefer minority governments and strong yet principled oppositions.
If minority governments don't work, then we must find a way to make them work, even if that means reforming the system. Simply electing a majority government avoids that problem, but I don't feel any better that way.
And for those who promote various electoral reforms such as proportional representation, won't those encourage more minority governments? If so, then there's even more reason to make minority governments work, by whatever means. Simply changing the electoral mechanism to elect more minority governments has little to do with making them work.
The Rational Number, thank you for your comment. You make many valid points and I agree with your reasoning. Minority governments can achieve a lot through consensus if there is a will and lot of good will.
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