The rage of Gustav clearly mimics the confusion in the land regarding the Republican Party. For years, the loyal opposition has at least maintained the appearance of organization which, if not lock-step, seemed at best smooth as a baby's cheek. Well, they seem to be breaking up like (sorry to mix metaphors) the feed from Geraldo Rivera's camera in the hurricane. What gives?
What exactly are we to take from the last three days of Republican Party behavior? First, we have an interruption of a convention because it's just too serious when we have a hurricane coming. For McCain, he definitely wants to highlight the hurricane, which is a good development for the Republicans. On the surface, it seems that they want to emphasize their social conscience. This, after months of Senator Obama's blasting them on an absence of a social conscience, means that they are learning. This writer took some modest comfort, in fact, that what appeared to be a concerned Senator McCain came on television and stressed that the convention, while important, would have to wait out the storm.
Or so it seems.
What in fact may have happened here is that while the Republicans seemed to have sprouted a social conscience just in time to demonstrate concern and activism toward the potential victims of Gustav, the convention may have been delayed for other reasons.
Through the tempestuous warnings, Presidential conferences, news reports and videos of Hurricane Gustav, droplets of information about the Vice Presidential running mate of Sen. McCain have begun to drip, drip, drip in a steady leak, running into a wider and wider stream, and now it seems, a waterfall of amazing information.
It would appear that the Governor of Alaska, in addition to being a creation science proponent, is also an extremely strong right-to-lifer.
We took this in stride, noting that this meant that the evangelicals would be pleased and brought into the big Republican tent along with all the other factions.
Then we learn that, not only is she a right-to-lifer, but what we, as "liberals" or "Democrats" or just Americans who are pro-choice, see as a down-side of the pro-life movement, namely out-of-wedlock pregnancies, is not important enough for the Republicans to mention as they promote the biography of this Governor.
This is where the canker gnaws. If Governor Sarah Palin thinks that it's just OK to espouse pro-life ideology and wants to be seen as one who would be on the offense against Roe vs. Wade, why not say with pride of purpose at the outset, that her daughter, although five months pregnant and unmarried, is going to be married to the father of her child, FROM THE OUTSET OF THE INTRODUCTION? Why hide it at worst, or at best, wait a week after the announcement of her joining the ticket?
Logic would dictate that, if you espouse a political, social, medical or other position, and you our your family has an experience resulting from that position, you would proudly proclaim it to one and all.
But that's not what happened here. The story was leaked ironically at almost the exact same moment as the story of the breach of the levee in New Orleans.
The gush of suspicion, concerns out tricky Republican tactics and cover-ups just can't be stopped. It's inevitable.
The inevitability of the fountain of suspicion and, yes, concern and distrust of the Republican party by thoughtful Americans is just going to happen, and how could you blame us?
If you are going to introduce your candidate, be truthful, thorough, direct and open.
Don't hide your skeletons behind a natural disaster, news coverage, or other event.
Be honest and have integrity. You like to look like you are honest, and Senator McCain gave a good impression of genuine concern when he made his announcement that REpublicans would delay their convention.
As it turned out, many prominent Republicans were not going to come to the covention anyway. What are we to think, but that there are just too many blunders, too many gushing gaffes and weaknesses in the walls of the Republican Party, for it to hold any semblance of integrity to those of us in the ordinary American crowd out here.
It's a shame. But we have an excellent ticket of our own, thank goodness, and we will proudly exhibit our great potential first families who have that integrity, and hopefully will prevail as the Republicans will hopefully take this time to regroup, rethink their positions, and give us some really good issue-oriented debates in the future.