House ethics

I've gotten pretty jaded in regards to political behavior in both our major parties. Yet the lengths that DeLay will go to in order to increase power I would imagine are stunning to most observers, but at least are the actions of one man. While it's patently hypocritical for the Republicans to invalidate rules regarding party leadership they instituted themselves in order to protect their own leadership it's not particularly surprising. What's surprising is that they made their prior to any indictment of Delay. Does that mean there's no chance he won't be indicted? In other words that's a lot of egg to take on the face should no indictment actually come forth.

I suppose the saddest part in all this is that while I have no love of Trent Lott, the fact he lost his leadership position over a what I would assume a spontaneous (though never the less odious) verbal slip Tom DeLay will remain in power despite rather reprehensible behavior.

So verbal slip -- loss your leadership position. Rebuked by ethics committee and possible indictment -- we just may let that slide.

If I was Trent Lott I'd be as mad as a hornet.

Purple America Electoral Map

The south rises again!

That's a theme I've been thinking about for the past serveral days since the election but wasn't motivated to post about until I saw a map comparing the slave states and territories vs the free states and territories up against this year's electoral map.

I guess it's time for all those hold out with "The south will rise again" t-shirts, flags, and bumper stickers to rejoice for their time has come. Congradulations.

And thought the battle lines remain the same the balance of power has shifted as jobs and population continue to shift towards the south. The next census will see northern industral states continuing to bleed electoral votes to the south and the sparsely populated mid-west will largely remain unchanged despite their similarly declining populations. After after all Wyoming, Montana, North and South Dakota are already have them minimum three votes.

So this question remains. As the south absorbs more and more former northerners will they change the politics of the south or will they be assimilated into southern culture? If the pervasive sentiment down here of "We don't care how you do it up north!" is any indication, then to borrow as well worn phrase, resistance is futile.

Post election 20/20

So the big question I'm trying to figure out right now is which of the following has happened?

1. Has America left the demographic party
2. Has the democratic party left America
3. Did the republicans just deliver their message more effectively

One thing I am sure of is that strategy of appealing to your base and not to the swing voters has proven beyond a doubt to be a winning strategy. At the same time I while it may be a winning strategy it's a strategy which ultimately is damaging to America. The old adage of "majority rules, minority rights" is being replaced with "largest minority rules, screw the other minorities".

It is pretty clear to me that the president was more successful at delivering his message than Kerry, this despite a clear media preference for Kerry and pretty even spending from either side.

So what do I think could have swung the election the other way. It's hard to tell but I think a much more focused attack from the democrats may have done the trick and not on the president's weaknesses-- on his perceived strengths. Pointing out at every opportunity that the president wasn't doing enough to fight terrorism and also questioning his moral superiority by pointing out the many amoral actions and decisions executed by the administration.

Being right 100% of the time

The president continually talks about how we have to be right 100% of the time and the terrorists only have to be right once. Every time a road side bomb goes off I am left to wonder where the explosives came from and whether having enough troops on the ground from the outset would have kept those explosives out of the hands of our enemies. I wonder how many more of our soldiers would be alive today if Bush had sent in the number of troops the military originally requested. This administration talks big about having secured billions on tons of munitions. Regardless of how many tons of munitions you've secured if over 300 tons of explosives slip through you haven't been right 100% of the time.