25 May 2010

Rand Paul + John Cornyn = More Republican Lunacy

Texas (R) Senator John Cornyn presents a picture perfect image for a recruiting poster targeting well-healed, well-connected,  middle-aged, white-guys born with senses of entitlement to run things and an incipient outrage that somewhere, someone less worthy than they is getting an even break in life..  You have to grant him one thing, he makes absolutely no pretense of compassion, empathy or understanding for, and of, older people, working families and anyone not belonging to an exclusive country club.  To that extent he is true to something,  Never mind that the something is the continual exploitation of "the people" at the behest of corporate boardrooms..

But, that's the thing about "Crony" Cornyn, he is what he is, utterly and apologetically.  And all that would be fine except for the fact that he eschews his obligation to look our for and protect the interests of his constituents other than cattle and ranching barons, oil company oligarchs, and the thieves and liars of the insurance, banking and finance industries.

But, truly, none of that is news.  What is news is his nakedly open ambition to exceed his minimal ability and find a spot on the national stage.  After all, he must be thinking, if Sarah Palin can do it, then any damned fool can.  Right John, you do meet that basic requirement.  We in Texas have been watching him at this endeavor for sometime now and smirkingly tell each other that "this old boy would for sure squat on his spurs" if given a chance to Go Western.

In his eagerness to grab some national media he has come to the defense of Kentucky (R/Libertarian/Tea-Bag) senatorial candidate, Rand Paul, who over the weekend opened his mouth and allowed the vanilla pudding that takes the place of his brains to spew out as he tried to dodge a question about the Civil Right Act.

Defending Paul, Cornyn said, according to Politico (5/20), "I think it was sort of a gotcha question.  If I'm walking down the street minding my own business and somebody sticks a microphone under my nose about a law that was passed 40 years ago, without more detail--I think it probably caught him by surprise."

Later, he enlarged on this foolishness with, "Rand Paul, like every new candidate, is going to get better...Candidates make mistakes and they misspeak," according to Bloomberg (5/21).

A "gotcha" question?  Errr, Senator? Isn't that the nature of the business?  And when, at anytime in the last fifty years has a senatorial candidate just walked down the street "minding their own business"?  I've known a few, and all have had handlers, schedules, appearances and so forth---and never have I seen one just walking down the street, etc, etc.

But, beyond this uber-silliness, the issue really is the cavalier and dismissive attitude of both men toward the Civil Rights Act.  It is not merely some law passed four decades ago.  It was a hard fought (people died) landmark legislation that has made America a better place.  And even if one does not agree with that, someone running for the senate ought to be able to speak with some intelligence about such a law of transcendent transformation.

Rand Paul is really the first so called "Tea Party" candidate to capture a slot on a major party ticket and as the representative of the standing 35 percent of "nutters" who support tax breaks for the wealthy, two wars fought on a credit card, and all the anti-Constitutional excesses of that dry-drunk sociopath, George W. Bush, he probably cannot be expected to have a working knowledge of much of anything.  But, that is Kentucky's problem.

Our problem in Texas is that we already have a certain gaggle of congressional representatives who look like refugees from clown alley and a senator who is the very icon of establishment anti-union, anti-working class, anti-older persons who is doing his best to find a national platform.

Personally, I think we deserve better!

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