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Post-Santorum Musings: Are We Really That Polarized?

We now have a presidential race. No crazies and a chance at a real choice for America. We have two candidates that have the ability to govern through compromise.

Candidate Rick Santorum faced reality yesterday and dropped out of the race for the Republican Party nomination. He did the math and, facing a defeat in his home state, he realized that dropping out was the best thing. So, now all the far right wing crazies have dropped out. Well, I guess Newt is still in, but he just loves the attention too much to do the reasonable thing.

As a liberal I had several things I expected from President Obama. Single payer universal health care, cap and trade, high speed trains, a dollar tax on each gallon of gas and total withdrawal from war were all on my extremist list of liberal wants. Pretty early in this first term for President Obama it became clear that not all of my wish list would come to be reality. It is just too extreme. I get that.

The Republican right wing Tea Party needs to get it, too. Compromise is not evil and the radical position that says compromise is evil is starting to lose its grip. That favorite son of the crazy right is faltering. He is losing advertisers and he is now losing affiliates. Rush L. has been spewing his form of sophomoric, parent testing form of hyperbole for a very long time. He also has been on a campaign to stop any compromise all along the way. Glenn B. is ....where is he....haven't heard. He to is gone because all that scary stuff that came from his mouth that just would not pass the fact checkers. Both of these shock jocks play so loose with the facts and always take the extreme view while saying that compromise is some kind of bad thing.

You can have a government that has no compromise because its been done before. Let's see, that would be those famous for no compromise. Look under Hitler, Stalin, Caesar, Henry VIII, Mao... All of these guys were ultimate failures for the people they were supposed to be serving.

Maybe this primary system really does work after all. The GOP will have a candidate that has demonstrated an ability to work out some compromises and craft laws in one of the most liberal states... ever. (Only state McGovern carried, and yes I voted for him, too). Romney got plenty of good laws passed in Massachusetts, and it could not have been easy.

By running Romney, the GOP is moving to the middle just like Obama did when we ended up with the It's not as satisfying as getting everything you want, but it's real. Remember: "You Can't Always Get What You Want....You Get What You Need."

Grant April 11, 2012 at 05:37 pm
You're probably right David,
Extremists like Santorum are usually too blinded by their own ego and too deafened by the screeching voices in their heads to realize that the vast majority dont share their views and would dream of giving them more power than Potato Salad Judge at the church picnic. Santorum lost his last election by nearly 20 points as an incumbent , yet the voices in his head and his huge ego (and according to him , God) told him to go out and take an epic beating on the national stage . I truly hope his ailing daughter recovers and I find it shameful & disgusting that he USED her as an excuse to drop out instead of simply citing the obvious .
Grant April 11, 2012 at 06:40 pm
You're probably right David,
Extremists like Santorum are usually too blinded by their own ego and too deafened by the screeching voices in their heads to realize that the vast majority dont share their views and would dream of giving them more power than Potato Salad Judge at the church picnic. Santorum lost his last election by nearly 20 points as an incumbent , yet the voices in his head and his huge ego (and according to him , God) told him to go out and take an epic beating on the national stage . I truly hope his ailing daughter recovers and I find it shameful & disgusting that he USED her as an excuse to drop out instead of simply citing the obvious .
RL April 11, 2012 at 06:54 pm
So Wes, all the right wing crazies have dropped out. Maybe all the left wing crazies will drop out also, especially Obama. Funny how the right never compromises. I don't see the leftist radicals doing too much compromise. Single payer is not the answer. Cap & trade is ridiculous. You might just want to finish off the private sector with that one. Sure, high speed trains if someone can make a profit with it in the private sector. Not a responsibility of the taxpayer. Amtrak should be taken outside and shot. Another dollar on top of gas. Go to Europe and ride your bike around. Withdraw our troops - no problem here. Tired of watching Americans die for people that hate us. Have to give you credit, at least you are not afraid to admit you are a liberal. What happens in the liberal mind to think government (i.e. - the producing taxpayers) is the answer? Do you have any thoughts that don't involve the mean, uncaring republicans?
The Dude April 11, 2012 at 08:27 pm
He is an idiot, glad that's one less fool running for President
Mike Hipp April 11, 2012 at 11:35 pm
I can't believe he was ever taken seriously, much less able to win 11 states. It shows how much religion has taken over. We're going to be worse off for it.
David Leader April 12, 2012 at 11:53 am
I don't think ANY candidates are truly "unintelligent"; though I do think his religious views were a little, ahem, extreme. He seemed a genuinely good man though; honest and thoughtful... while his anti-gay agenda and overwhelming religious outtake were comical, most of the rest of what he said was sound, and he had a good understanding of what we needed to do with our taxes.
Even being reasonably liberal myself, I had no desire for most of the things listed. We need higher taxes and nothing in return, to drive down the deficit. Sad but true; but nobody wants to face that reality.
Grant April 12, 2012 at 12:19 pm
David , you're probably right
Delusional egomaniacs like Santorum are rarely able to understand the clear writing in the wall . He lost an election as an incumbent in Pennsylvania by nearly 20 points! It's no surprise that the states he won rank among the lowest in education and literacy and while I hope his daughter recovers from her illness I find it disgusting that he used her as an excuse for his failure. Hopefully Newt will follow suit
Karsten Torch April 12, 2012 at 03:12 pm
Mike, religion's always been a big part of people running. It's always been a big part of this country. To say we're going to be worse off for it means that you're just not paying attention. I personally believe that the lack of religion and the 'anti-religious' in this country is what's dragging us through the gutter.
Compromise is what got us here, not adhering to conservative principles put this country so far in debt, that most at this point don't see a way out. We can't tax our way to prosperity, the numbers prove that. With our level of spending, we could tax everybody that makes over $250,000 a year at 100% and still not fund the government for a year. So no, compromise isn't the answer - we need to cut spending. We need to cut it painfully, and get rid of a lot of programs. You want compromise? Let's agree to put them back as we can afford them and things turn around. But right now, we're on a sinking ship. And rather than plug the leak, some want to just throw stuff overboard thinking that less weight will keep the ship from sinking. It won't...it'll just prolong the inevitable. And Wes - Cap and tax, and raising the price of gasoline? How would this help anything? We're already seeing price increases and people having problems paying for things, and you want to raise prices some more?
RL April 12, 2012 at 03:35 pm
It is incredible to me that you would want a more onerous tax burden. I pay a lot in taxes since I am one of the evil business owners. When is it too much? This government does not need higher taxes. This government needs to drastically cut spending, including entitlements and stop being a detriment to people trying to build their businesses, CREATE JOBs and move our country forward. It is an old cliche - "you cannot tax yourself to prosperity". Why are all of you so afraid of economic and personal freedom?
Jeffrey Allen April 12, 2012 at 03:44 pm
David...that's a pretty spot on assessment. I wish GIngrich would've bowed out first, sparing us his last-ditch attempts to lure Santorum supporters. That would have played out better had the opposite occured. Santorum had some serious "church/state" seperation issues, but Gingrich is a scandal waiting to happen...Not that he has a snowball's chance at this point, but it would be nice to get past the playoffs and focus on the world series...
And Grant...would that be "non-judgemental" disgust? I'm glad he bowed out too, but I'm not sure staying home to take care of the kids is "disgusting". I'm pretty sure he made a "personal choice" and aren't you going on and on all the time about that being a good thing? Why are you judging the man on his personal choices about his family? Or does that only apply when the issue involving one's children is more...lethal?
David Leader April 12, 2012 at 04:08 pm
I'm for cutting spending as well; but it's not enough. We need a "worst of both worlds" scenario at this point; the Democrats need to accept that a lot of money needs to be cut, especially in Medicare, and that now is not the time to push for Medical reform. The republicans need to accept that we need higher taxes; and that lowering income tax does NOT mean more money, especially in this global economy. Times have changed, if you raise sales tax and lower income tax, everyone starts to shop online for everything.
David Leader April 12, 2012 at 04:13 pm
And the TRUE best would be to leave taxes where they are; but remove ALL loopholes for saving money. Rather than have an April 15th, have everyone taxed (20, 25, 30%) depending on their income, and allow deductions only for children, primary home (up to a certain level), and education. If all of the loopholes were closed and people had to pay their full income, those of us that are already honest and pay the "full" income tax wouldn't have to pay extra and the government would make a lot of money. Further, there would be no processing; it could all just come out of your check (it's easy to verify you have the number of kids you claim).
Grant April 12, 2012 at 04:40 pm
Do you not read well Jeff,
I'm judging the idiot because instead of being honest and realizing there was no way to win he played his sick kid as an excuse Since you missed it I'll quote it again for you "while I hope his daughter recovers from her illness I find it disgusting that he used her as an excuse for his failure. " Try mouthing the words as you read them ..
Sharon Swanepoel (Editor) April 12, 2012 at 04:45 pm
Now, now boys. We seem to have just fixed the moderation bug (holding my breath here and keeping my fingers crossed), but we don't want to actually have to use it. :)
Grant April 12, 2012 at 04:50 pm
Sorry Sharon ....Where exactly is the issue?
Karsten < I wholeheartedly disagre with your belief that more religion would be any sort of improvement in this country . Religion has become a disease in America, and those infected constantly seek to infect every part of our society including our supposedly secular government. I'd agree with Mr Leader that "entitlements" should be abolished ESPECIALLY those illegally and unconstitutionally handed to "religious" organizations .
Karsten Torch April 12, 2012 at 05:27 pm
Yeah, I don't blame you. Because belief in a higher power and some sense of accountability is kind of a pain in the butt. I find it interesting that those that DON'T believe in religion are pushing so hard to get it completely out of our lives, and at the same time those people are surprised that the religious folks are pushing to have it more involved. I'm with you that I don't like it pushed on me, but it's a part of this country's history, and to want people to run that aren't religious just really isn't going to happen.
But I will also say that I'm not really sure why churches get tax-free status. I could understand some tax breaks because of the work they do, but would think that should be itemized to show where those deductions would come from.
Grant April 12, 2012 at 05:33 pm
Karsten
I believe in a "higher power" and I take no issue with others that do regardless of what they perceive that higher power to look like. I believe belief in that higher power to be between the believer and whatever invisible sky wizard or sentient complex carbohydrate one prefers. Certanly our leaders arent exempt from having these beliefs as well as a matter of personal faith . The issues arise when these beliefs are foisted upon all of us via government . IN simple terms I dont want religious chocolate in the government peanut butter
David Leader April 12, 2012 at 05:50 pm
What Grant says. There's a difference between "believing in a higher power" and "being a total nutcase". Believing in a higher power and wanting to push those ideas out to politics is NOT a smart idea; especially when you are an extremist like Rick. And lying about your endorsement of specific higher powers in an attempt to appeal to the conservative masses (a la Newt) is just dispicable.
Sharon Swanepoel (Editor) April 12, 2012 at 06:07 pm
Grant, we got a fix to try and make life easier for us where it gave us the ability to set our blogs or articles to moderate them if we chose to. It, however, was supposed to default to the status quo unless we chose otherwise. Somehow the "default" backfired on some sites (mine for one) has forced everything goes through a moderation and when we change it, it just defaults back. Engineering are working around the clock with us nipping at their heels constantly, to put us back to where we were not having to monitor every single action that goes on. Hopefully, this will be fixed soon. Some poor person who just commented, "What a beautiful painting" had to sit in a moderation cue for someone to decide whether that was too offensive or not! Ugh! I believe enough in free speech to prefer to allow people to speak their mind unless it reverts to personal attacks or slanderous comments that could get us all in trouble. If I see something going down that road, I just keep an eye on that particular topic.
RL April 12, 2012 at 08:50 pm
Hi Sharon
Why is my post from yesterday still "pending approval". It is not offensive or irrational. Thanks
Sharon Swanepoel (Editor) April 12, 2012 at 10:22 pm
RL, read the post above. I am so sorry - we've had a commenting nightmare these last two days. Can you email me a screen shot of what you see - send it to sharon.swanepoel@patch.com. What Patch were you on when you posted the comment since this is actually cross posted to more than one Patch and I'll see if I can find it in cyberspace and find a landing spot. Again, to everybody, sorry about the problems. The bad news is, if it stays out in cyberspace for too long before we locate it, they send it back to you with a note that it has been..... wait for it. 'REJECTED.' Please be assured that is not the case - it is just a big bug, our engineers are trying to find and exterminate!
Jeffrey Allen April 12, 2012 at 11:01 pm
Weaksauce....Doesn't matter why you're judging him...you are judging him.
And for the record, I really don't care. But if you're gonna get all frothy about when people post things you percive as "judgemental", well, far too much glass in your house to those them particular stones, chief...
Jeffrey Allen April 12, 2012 at 11:08 pm
I agree with that. Not sure God plays sides in human politics, I know when somebody says that "God told me to run" It sets my red flag up. Opposing abortion is one thing, but banning birth control? cummon...
Santorum had serious seperation issues. Differences of what "Church/State" seperation means vary widely, but i happen to think of the church and government as ice cream and chili. I like Ice cream and I like chili...just not mixed together. Yuck.
Gail Moore April 12, 2012 at 11:10 pm
Wow. This moderation "fix" just isn't working, is it?
Mike Hipp April 13, 2012 at 11:43 pm
I would like to know if RL is amiable to cutting the military's budget in his plan to drastically cut government spending? If so, by how much?
Mike Hipp April 13, 2012 at 11:53 pm
Karsten. You're wrong. I accept the fact that you're entitled to your opinion; but it's incorrect.
Mr. Santorum is a perfect example of my point. Here we had a fundamentalist who went around the country, stoking hate for minorities and social democratic principals.... using gays as a wedge issue and women as his piss pot. Religion is a charade and religious leaders are charlatans that lead the weak minded and the vulnerable to vote hate and discrimination into the state and federal laws of the land in a plea to religious freedom and moral correctness. Spare me your righteousness. This country was founded by enlightened men who ... were probably atheists ... but called themselves agnostic because they would have been burned at the stake for speaking their truth. Religion has no place in politics; America would do good to be rid of it completely. We can support each other without some sky king to look up to. Wake up.
Karsten Torch April 14, 2012 at 01:50 pm
Yep. Because I'm the one sleeping. You don't realize that people legislate based on their beliefs. You're right, we should just leave our personal feelings out of it. Like you've done such a good job of doing. Give me a break. All politicians do things based on their beliefs, be it religion, socialism, conservatism, whatever. And when most of this country believes in a higher power, you somehow assume we're going to leave religion out of it. Santorum believes in what he says. So now you'd rather have him keep it all inside and not admit to any of it? Maybe get into office and start pushing legislation based on his beliefs so we can all be surprised? You haven't had enough of that lately?
And yes, you're probably right. They were really satan-loving atheists. They just interjected God into about every document they got their hands on because they were trying to fool the public. Why didn't I think of this? I also never said that I thought we should govern based on religion. I said we already do to an extent. And that religion, to an extent, is not a bad thing. But I personally believe that some laws that are obviously religious in nature are dumb. No alcohol on Sundays, prostitution laws, etc. To me, if you're not bothering anybody else, there probably shouldn't be a law against it. Victimless crimes shouldn't exist. But maybe that's a discussion for another post.....
R April 14, 2012 at 07:57 pm
Grant your statements above are correct if you classify “secularism” itself as a religion as well.
Grant April 16, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Karesten writes
"Victimless crimes shouldn't exist." Ummm, that might have started a long time ago. See Onan. And yes Jeff.. I am judging him, he's a wanna be p[olitician, it's our job as citizens to judge him , besides I'm not bound by some magic spell or ancient campfire story that would preclude me passing judgement on Frothboy and those moronic enough to believe that a guy like that is qualified to lead this country . ,
Jeffrey Allen April 17, 2012 at 12:55 am
Whatever, man. Judge, insult, spew your own special kind of froth all over the internet, don't care... Just spare us all the vulgar indignation next time you don't like an opinion that doesn't mirror your own, OK?

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