Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Romney vs. Gingrich?

I keep getting asked if Mitt Romney was a horrible Governor for Massachusetts. My answer is, basically? Yes. He was not progressive, nor was he "middle of the road." He fought marriage equality tooth and nail. He drained rainy day funds and cut school budgets. He left our state in serious debt. It was pretty clear all he wanted to do was run for President.

But, people say, is he as bad as Gingrich?

I must admit, the mere thought of Gingrich being taken seriously, let alone actually winning any political contest ever, anywhere, is terrifying to me. I can make fun of his moon colony, or the repeated adultery, or his flat out lies about his own Washington insider life.

Please explain how someone who was THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE can call themselves an outsider? That's like Jake telling me he didn't finish the cake with a fork in one hand and the chocolate smeared plate in the other.

It's not funny, though, that so many Americans actually think the man is an option. People! Do you want this man in charge of the nuclear arsenal? Let alone Supreme Court appointments, job creation (heck, they can go to the moon and build!), social security, relationships with other countries... The man changed the very definition of civility in the House of Representatives during his tenure of Speaker.

In 1997, "the House ethics committee recommended last night that House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) face an unprecedented reprimand from his colleagues and pay $300,000 in additional sanctions after concluding that his use of tax-deductible money for political purposes and inaccurate information supplied to investigators represented "intentional or . . . reckless" disregard of House rules."

I must admit, Romney looks like a cupcake in comparison. Sure, he will continue the policies of George Bush that have led to our miserable economy, massive debt and free passes for the rich. But I don't see him telling North Korea to go f-themselves and drop a bomb.

That is not an endorsement. I don't want any of the Republican candidates. The only Huntsman seemed like a rational human being, and he's out of the race. People that know me well, know that deep down, I have a Republican heart. I believe in fiscal responsibility, State rights and government having no business in people's personal lives. I believe private businesses should give back to the community because it is good business practice. Want good employees? Support schools. Want low crime? Support the Police.

As Zachary would say, Duh.

When I was growing up, that's what Republicans stood for- nothing remotely being discussed today in the GOP debates. What the hell is a social conservative? Is that a fancy way to say bigot? misogynist? homophobic?

Was Romney that bad? Yes. As bad as Gingrich? No. Forget the question. Ask yourself instead, what the heck are people thinking? Stop looking at the candidates and start looking at the reasons why people are drawn to this. It's not about who is the lessor evil. It's about the appeal of either.