Ninety percent of the time here in the south, you don’t have to be the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree to get elected to anything. What you do have to be is a white male, who speaks loudly and often about your opposition to abortion, loves guns and god and hates gays.
That’s it. In fact, I’ve been involved in campaigns where not one substantive issue was ever discussed. As the Republican bombarded his Democratic opponent with "Protect Marriage", "Protect the Unborn", "Protect America" – depending upon on what hot button issue polled the best. The D was always on defense.
It was and still is an unholy alliance. Where the "church" decided that instead of trusting in God they were going to trust in politics and the Republican Party to further their work.
So, from the pulpits of 10’s of 1000’s of Churches across the south the Republican candidate by hook or crook was "endorsed" and those middle and lower class southern voters who have been trying for decades to etch out a living and move up the economic ladder, cast a vote against their very own self interests, in the name of God.
I’ve watched extremely qualified candidates lose to damn near droolers. Men who have headed to state houses and Washington who’ve never seen let alone read a bill, or understand the process. Who have no historical perspective and know nothing about current events and how they affect their jobs. They simply show up victorious and do what they are told. I could spend the rest of the night listing some of these guys – Inofe, Vitter, DeMint, Sessions they’re all the same. The talking points are repeated like a choir in a Church.
And these guys get meaner and meaner. Because it doesn’t matter how many points you beat your D opponent or how bright your staff is, when it’s just you in front of a camera, microphone or in the well, you can’t hide stupid. And when you get called on being stupid, you get meaner and vengeful it’s human nature.
The good news, things are changing. If and that’s a big IF – a pubic option with real HCR is passed, it’ll doom the Republican Party in the South. They know it, and that’s what the real fight is about. The polling confirms it ...it’s hard to sit in Sunday church without a job, the prospects of losing or lost your house and your family is uninsured, it gets harder and harder to trust a Republican and the Pastor’s talking points. I hear it, see it and feel it everyday.
What this means is that we'll start winning more elections in the south and the quality and IQ of our leadership may go up a few points ...and we sure could use some more thinkers instead of a bunch of Charlie McCarthy’s. It'll also finish the Republican Party as we know it and it'll take decades to rebrand itself.
Lastly, vhave you asked yourself, where is the church in the HCR debate? As a Christian nation a humane nation isn't this the perfect issue for the church to champion. After all aren't men, women and children dying - cause of death "no health insurance"? Where is the Church?
As a disclaimer, there are lots of these R's elected for the same reason across the county, we just have an abundance here in the south.
Just one man’s opinion.