Assessing the Field (such as it is) Part II

This is the second installment of our series entitles Assessing the Field. This time, we look at the “2nd tier “ Republican candidates. But first, Democratic Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico today ended his bid for the White House. Bill Richardson is a decent enough fellow and an immensely talented negotiator. I for one would entertain the thought of him as Secretary of State in the future. It would be a nice change to actually have a Statesman in that position. Now, on to the Republicans!

“Heading” the remaining Republican hopefuls is one Rudolph Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City and Partner in, among other enterprises, Bracewell and Giuliani, a lobbying and law firm based in Houston. In fact, given all his business ventures, a list of Giuliani’s conflict of interest issues would be longer than John Gotti’s Rap Sheet and only slightly less damaging to society as a whole. Never mind the pre-9/11 Rudy, you know, the one that criminalized homelessness in the largest city in our land and called it an “act of love” or the Rudy that left office with a $3 million book deal and has since gotten enormously rich living off the memories and emotion of that fateful day. Giuliani defines “smarmy”.

Ron Paul is somewhat of a cult sensation and might be the Libertarian Party’s Presidential candidate again if his insurgent Republican candidacy fails. Like most of his stripe, Paul actually makes sense roughly 50% of the time, especially where it relates to Civil Liberties. Where he and other like minded and well meaning folks fail is in the social part of Society tending to believe we owe little or nothing to one another as part of the greater good, nationally or internationally. He advocates eliminating the IRS (not a bad idea on the surface but...), Department of Education and eliminating most social programs. Additionally, Congressman Paul (TX) has called for the United States to withdraw from the United Nations, a move that would certainly doom the institution. Perhaps Ron hasn’t studied history. It was the United States and Great Britain who, in large part, wrote the UN Charter and made the rules under which it is governed. Mr. Paul and others of his ilk want, apparently to “take their ball and go home” even though the rest of the world plays by the rules that the US wrote (at least as it relates in the halls of the UN). When they don’t or, in some cases when the United States decides they haven’t, the UN as a society of societies decides what action, if any, to take. It was, in a very real sense, the weakness and collapse of the League of Nations that allowed the rise of the Third Reich, the Congressman evidently remember his high school history lessons very well.

This all brings us to the final Republican Presidential candidate for 2008 (so far), one Fred Thompson, actor, former Senator and genuine right wing nut-job. A sampling of his voting record reveals just how anti-environment, anti-minority and the poor and what a mouthpiece for Corporate America he is. Fortunately, unlike another bad actor and worse human, Ronald Reagan, Fred will never occupy the Oval Office.

There they are folks, the repugnant Republicans in all their glory. None of these rich, white men have mentioned much of anything in their stump about ending the war in Iraq, addressing global climate change or restoring the Nation’s credibility and status on the world stage. What could we expect from any of these? More of the same, or worse. But, what about the Democrats? We'll get to them next.