A party divided

     The republican nomination now hangs in the balance. There hasn't been a candidate for the republican ticket that can hold everyone's attention. The candidates put before us disappear from the public eye as quickly as they appeared. Michelle Bachmann has now dropped out, and before her was Herman Cain. Now there only seems to be three popular choices for the ticket, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul. This is surprising considering all three seemed to be long shot candidates not too long ago. Especially Ron Paul, whose radical views on Israel and the Federal Reserve has drawn the ire of the media on numerous occasions in the past.

     The road that led to this situation we have before us is paved with bricks of incompetence. I don't think that there was anything that stopped Herman Cain and Michelle Bachmann from gaining the candidacy besides lack of experience to take on the task of being the head of what has come to be known as the most powerful office in the free world. The comparison has probably been made before, but a Hollywood comedy writer would be hard pressed to write some of the political antics performed by Herman Cain better. His spectacular announcement that he was backing out of the race included a quote from the Pokemon movie. Yes that's correct, a quote from the Pokemon movie. Not to mention it was done in front of a crowd of supporters who had just opened him a new campaign office. 

      What a let down. Not to mention again the entire time he was running on his credentials of having owned a chain of mediocre pizza restaurants. It's like a movie where a down on his luck businessman tries to change the world by running for president, except hopefully the movie wouldn't end with allegations of sexual misconduct. And Michelle Bachmann's political career seemed to closely model Sarah Palin's career. Gain their trust with a flashy smile, and then secretly freak everyone out with your fire and brimstone politics. Also, be laughably unqualified.

Not to say that there isn't enough fire and brimstone coming from the other candidates who are still in the race. So now we are left with Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul. Mitt Romney has had a spotted political past, and has been under many forms of scrutiny. Many people were made uneasy by his connections to the Mormon Church, which many people see as a cult of polygamous zealots.

      Ron Paul has been sidelined because of his unpopular views on the War on Drugs, and is often seen as being supported by gun-toting, dope smoking ex-hippie survivalist libertarians. And last but certainly but not least there is Rick Santorum whose quotes and stumbling contradictions are easy material for political pundits. According to the Iowa caucus, the field is split three ways between these three controversial candidates.

       What does this mean for Obama in the election coming up this year? It certainly means he is going up against a party that is divided against it's self. Each of the candidates hold views that alienates some voters and attracts others. Obama has a much more reliable base of voters who seek to elect him back into office. However, by signing the NDA act, Obama may have shot himself in the foot. All the military talk and wording in the NDA makes the American people nervous, but who is there to vote for? The American people are being made to choose between politicians who only have their own interests in mind. What a surprise, huh? I don't care how many hands they kiss or how many babies they shake, none of the candidates could convince me that they have all Americans in mind.

     These candidates only think of the people who paid their way. If there's one thing that is still true in American politics, and that is that "Mon- ey talks, bullshit walks." There is no motivation anymore for politicians to appeal to the American people, as long as they keep their financers and lobbyists happy, the money will keep flowing. Bullshitting didn't work for Herman or Michelle, and they had to take a walk. Now we are back to choosing between rich white men, what a breath of fresh air. Are we deluded to the point that we believe it is possible for us to have a benevolent leader? Have we ever had one?

      The American two party system has failed again, leaving the people out to dry. When politics are this divided, nobody wins.

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