The Manchester 7

Just a thought about the CNN republican "Trash Obama debate" last night.  In its irrelevance, only a few things came to mind. I couldn't help but look at Santorum and, in spite of whatever rhetoric he was spewing, realize that he hates gay people. That's Santorum - the consummate gay-basher; I can't get past that especially in light of the Tracy Morgan threat to kill his son if the kid even talked gay. We simply don't need 'outed' homophobes in the White House.

George Romney opined that all the power should be evacuated from Washington where he desperately wants to be President with no apparent power if he gets his way. That power should go to the states - or, better yet - the private sector. Calls to mind his executive days at Bain Capital, a private-equity firm where Romney specialized in sending American manufacturing overseas, destroying American jobs, directing American companies to offshore tax-avoidance havens while cozying up to hedge funds and raking in millions in fees. Fellow Mormans must be proud. 

In a country already deep in indentured servitude to huge "private sector" corporations and filthy rich tax cheats, we're even listening to Mitt Romney???  Of course, Pizza guy, Herman Cain, not to be outdone, proposes eliminating the already modest capital gains tax altogether. Stimulates job growth, don't you know. Of course no credible study has ever supported that oft-repeated lie.

 Tell you what repubicans. Why don't we just empty our bank accounts, reach under our mattresses, hammer open our piggy banks, throw all our money in a bag and carry that bag to a huge (not under 50,000 square feet) rich guy's house, where the nation's awesomely greedy top 1% of the wealthiest have gathered and just hand them our money. That way we cut out the inconvenience of republican middle-men and women.

Finally, there's Michelle Bachmann who insists that our rights are given to us by God and not the government. Which God, Michelle?  Romney's corporate God??? Santorum's homosexual rights denier God?  Or the God that drives candidate Gingrich to serve divorce papers on a hospitalized wife just returning from cancer surgery?  And, while I'm at it...which rights?  The right to allow poor people to die?  The right to deny health care and preventive care to those most in need? The right to ship our jobs overseas? The right to give a handful of people all the money and power - the right to...well, I think you get my drift.

So those are the current republican crop of presidential aspirants. Add ancient (in his thinking) Ron Paul and Mr. Charisma, Tim Pawlenty and you've got the Manchester 7, hoarding two meaningless hours of wasted air time (I  think it was Pawlenty who prefers Coke over Pepsi). Republicans will wait for Huntsman, Perry and (coy denials aside) Christie and quite possibly the highly vetted and redacted email queen Palin and, dare it be too early for Jeb, before truly listening - and that's a few months down the road.

Hopefully, another republican presidency is a few generations down the road.