Obama's First Week and the Crying GOP

What a great week is had been. It's like a giant albatross has been lifted from the collective citizenry of America.

The failed policies and philosophies of Bush are falling like dominoes, along with the foolish neocons that supported at promoted them. From the National media to the local Delco Times, the conservatives are pouting and whining like school children, unable to comprehend the fundamental change and awakening taking place around them.
At the national level, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Bill Kristol and others are delusional in their claims of success in Iraq and of conservative ideas in general, despite their overwhelming rejection in November, and current approval of their dismantling by Obama. Rush "American Last" Limbaugh is openly clamoring for Obama's failure.

At the local level, clueless fools like Gil Spencer and his ragtag bunch of ignorant followers are grasping at straws, misinformation, distortions and childishness in feeble attempts to knock Obama.
Some examples:
- pretending like there is no safe place to house Gitmo detainees (despite all the thousands of more dangerous prisoners already housed in US Federal prisons).
- criticizing Obama's missile strike in Pakistan as a continuation of Bush's policy (when in fact Bush was following the policy Obama put forth on the campaign trail)
- Claiming that that water boarding has never been considered a war crime (and this assertion was from a Spencer fanboy that claims to be a Delco lawyer). Spencer refused to post any counter-proof to this ridiculous position, which is easily found: Waterboarding Used to be a War Crime
Of course, such minimal research would be expected from an actual journalist, rather than a tired hack of a columnist like Gil.
- quoting Dick Morris on nonsense like Obama is going to bring about socialism (nothing like a defrocked political consultant that got caught with a toe-sucking prostitute to give your arguments credibility, even though he's right less often than a stopped clock).
- claiming that Dick Cheney is the most pro-gay VP in history (is it because he sodomized Uncle Sam?)
- racist postings about whether Obama cares about de-ghetto-ing the urban communities (ie blacks and their hip-hop culture are bad and does Obama want to make them less black)
Quote: "An African American columnist asks if Barack Obama can change the hip-hop culture that infects and ghetto-izes poor urban communities today.
We don't know. Does he really want to?

This is the level to which Gil and his ilk have stooped. Gil is an old white guy in the mold of Archie Bunker (but without the charm or conscience) who is rebelling against the multi-cultural blend that makes America truly great. Gil is happy to kick Muslims, Arabs, etc. off of planes if they pray or exhibit any behaviors of their culture because some ignorant, xenophobic or racist passengers feel discomforted. He's fine with torture, US run secret prisons, and holding people without trail. He's quick to trot out the sexual orientation of gay Dem Congressmen when he disagrees with their political choices, as though the two are related and gays are ill-suited for public service.

Gil's an arm-chair warrior that happily cheers on as young men (and innocent civilians) are killed in a war based on lies that was managed incompetently.

Why single out Gil? Because he is shill for the local GOP and represents them and their views as the lead opinion columnist for the county's main local paper.

This year, there will be an election for two of the five Delco County Council seats. All of the current all GOP members and any likely GOP candidates were all-in when McCain and Palin visited the Delco courthouse and acted like Palin was the Second-coming. Now, Alaska may be bigger than Texas, but the population is about the size of Delco's but with less infrastructure (not even public sewer system). A local Delco Council members is probably more qualified to run the country, and a local ward commission has MORE responsibility than Palin had as mayor. Yet, Gil and he local GOP considered her "Presidential" quality and likes her "ideas". What does that say about Delco?

Delaware County voters rejected McCain/Palin and picked Obama/Biden 60%-40%. Yet, somehow the Delco Times promotes Gil Spencer as he shills for the local out-of-touch GOP and plays to a diminishing audience of local rednecks and bigots.

In this era of newspapers going under, it's long past time that the Delco Times got a lead columnist that represents the view of the Delco majority and the future, instead of a horse's ass like Gil Spencer that should be on his way to the glue factory.

Sexton's Man, Reilly's Girl and Daddy's Little Boy

The Delco GOP Candidates (aka The Three Stooges) represent the weakest field of GOP candidates in recent memory. They have no message other than to pretend things are fine and to carry on business as usual. What little change they do mention is merely hollow rhetoric about increasing openness in government.

With Andrew Reilly running the campaign, the GOP machine hopes to extend its time on life-support and hold onto the cash-cow that monopoly rule as brought to the GOP, its patrons and its cronies (at the expense of the voters).

Weak Candidates:
The GOP candidates are suffering from a lack of broad support.
Tom McGarrigle is from Springfield (power base of Charlie "County Prison Board Deal" Sexton), and his campaign appears to have little appeal or funding outside of Springfield. Christine Cannon is Reilly's protege and represents what the voters want to change. Andy Lewis peaked when he became a Ward Commissioner in Haverford. Without "Daddy's name and/or money", he wouldn't even be in the race.

The Delco GOP machine is suffering some major breakdowns. This latest set of spare parts might as well have been made in China.

No Message, No Fiscal Responsibility:
More of the same is not a message. It is the absence of a message. From their campaign site: The candidates are committed to the same common sense approach to county government that has resulted in no tax increases for three straight years. The REAL REASON for no tax increases is that we are already taxed over 50% more than neighboring Montgomery County. See my previous Blog Post for details and a budget comparison.

Hollow Rhetoric:
On their site, the GOP candidate claim to want to increase transparency and openness in government through continued investment in new technologies.
New technologies? Since when does holding well-publicized public meetings at a convenient times require "new technology"? They can already publish a budget online, but making it clear where the money goes is another matter.
Besides, Andy Reilly is running their campaigns and already controls the council. If the GOP was really interested in open government or transparency we would already have it.

It's Unanimous: GOP Council Shares a Single Brain

At a recent press conference with the three Democratic County Council Candidates, David Landau pointed out the following:

"Since 2003, there have been 2,012 votes cast in council. Every single one was voted for unanimously," said Landau. "Every spending bill approved, every ordinance approved. Not once was a dissenting vote cast."

Has anyone ever heard of FIVE politicians that agreed on 2,012 votes in a row? I certainly haven't.

Since scientists haven't perfected brain-cloning, the most likely explanation is that someone else is calling the shots and that all five council members are little more than puppets doing as they are told. What is the point of having a 5 member council when 4 could leave and nothing would be any different?

Unless you've been a coma for the past 30 years, this scenario will not shock you.

In attempting to clarify why Council has voted unanimously in every vote since 2003, County Executive Director and GOP Spokeswoman, Marianne Grace, informed voters "It's not like council members are debating something that would require the partisan give-and-take found at higher and lower levels of government." Grace cited the War in Iraq and rubbish disposal contracts as two issues which were substantive enough to warrant debate.

"Amazingly Partisan" Grace seems to believe that all issues between "rubbish disposal" and the War in Iraq are not really topics for debate by GOP Council members. Well, it seems to me that this kind of thinking is the kind of rubbish we need to remove from County Council

If multiple contractors are competing for work, wouldn't you expect that at least once a member of Council might disagree with the other four? Oh, wait, I forgot. This is Delaware County where no-bid contracts are the rule, not the exception.

This lack of debate and fresh ideas is symptomatic of the stagnation in Delaware County and the aging GOP political machine that has mismanaged it.

And what of the new crop of GOP hopefuls hopeless hapless? Well, council boss Andy Reilly is running their campaigns (translation: attaching the strings for the next generation of puppets).

Ann O'Keefe, John Innelli and David Landau are diverse individuals, but unified by a real desire for truly open government:

• end No-Bid contracts
  
• disallow members or employees of pension boards to accept any gifts from money managers,
  
• call for a swifter process for making county records available,
  
• broadcast all council meetings on television, and
  
• require the text of all proposed ordinances to be made public before the council considers them for final passage.

Instead of paying FIVE GOP Council people for ONE set of weak ideas, voters can finally get their money's worth.

This November, Voters can end this cycle of monolithic incompetence and vote for change (for a change).