Friday, November 02, 2012

Will Republicans in Florida send a stiff message to their own party: it is time for a purge ... by gimleteye

Florida Republicans can help the nation next week: vote for Obama or don't vote the presidential race. 

There are many Republicans who are deeply unsettled by the surrender of the GOP to radical extremists. There is nothing to restrain them beyond a reassessment that would accompany an Obama victory.

The satire publication, The Onion, takes acid to the realization -- reinforced by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's endorsement of President Obama -- that climate change is here, now.

I was reminded of a conversation overheard at the 2004 American Enterprise Institute election wrap-up in Washington, DC. One lobbyist said to another, "Climate change? No one will care until New York City is under water." Check, that. There, but for the grace of God goes Florida.

(Click 'read more', for The Onion's take on dawning public awareness in America.)


Nation Suddenly Realizes This Just Going To Be A Thing That Happens From Now On
OCTOBER 31, 2012 | ISSUE 48•44 | MORE NEWS


This, all of this, is just going to be a part of life from here on out, the entire nation now understands.

Following Hurricane Sandy’s destructive tear through the Northeast this week, the nation’s 300 million citizens looked upon the trail of devastation and fully realized, for the first time, that this is just going to be something that happens from now on.

Gradually comprehending that this sort of thing is now just a fact of life, citizens all across America stared blankly at images of destroyed homes, major cities paralyzed by flooding, and ravaged communities covered in debris, and finally acknowledged that this, apparently, is now a regular part of the human experience.

“Oh, I see—this is just going to be how it is from here on out,” said New York City resident Brian Marcello, coming to terms with the fact that an immense storm that cripples mass transit systems and knocks out power for millions in the nation’s largest metropolitan area can no longer be regarded as an isolated, freak incident, and will henceforth be just a normal thing that happens. “Hugely destructive weather events are going to keep happening, and they are going to get worse and worse, and living through them is something that will be a part of all our lives from now on, whether we like it or not.”

“I get it now,” Marcello added.

Faced with the prospect of long months before any of the widespread damage is truly repaired, the millions who reside along the Eastern Seaboard told reporters today they fully understood, for the first time, that natural disasters killing scores of Americans and costing billions of dollars are going to be routine events, not just in the immediate foreseeable future, but permanently.

Sources added that by early Wednesday morning, it abruptly occurred to millions more citizens that the news stories they’ve been seeing that feature displaced families, photos of debris, shut-down businesses, and government relief efforts have already started to feel “extremely familiar,” because these are things that happen now.

“I was just watching a CNN news story about how much damage Sandy has caused in comparison to Katrina, Ike, or last year’s storm that ravaged the Northeast, and it dawned on me: ‘Ah, okay, being a human being on Planet Earth, pretty much no matter where you are, now involves the threat of one day having your home, city, or country decimated in a matter of hours by a severe weather event,’” Detroit resident Stacy Hillman said. “Looking at images of cities—actual American fucking cities—flooded with water is no longer an incredibly weird, unprecedented thing to see. It has happened before, it happened this week, and it will continue to happen again and again in the future, and to an even greater extent.”

“So, then, I guess that what it means to be a member of human civilization has changed forever, pretty much,” Hillman added. “And that this is the new world we live in.”

A Reuters poll conducted earlier this week found that 43 percent of Americans reported finally accepting the fact that a potentially endless number of increasingly lethal natural disasters would likely occur throughout the coming decades, while as many as 18 percent of respondents said they were “almost relieved” knowing that the possibility of their entire life being washed away in an instant now existed.

“Right now, Americans all across the country are watching the aftermath of this storm and at long last recognizing that this is what life is like now,” said Dr. Richard Morales, a climatologist at the University of Pennsylvania. “Admittedly, it could take a little while for some to fully acknowledge it, but at the end of the day, people will be much happier once they accept that they and their loved ones will likely suffer the consequences of an even stronger, more deadly hurricane at some point very soon. It’s going to happen.”

“I went through something very similar a few years ago when I finally came to terms with the fact that no one would ever listen to anything I said about global warming,” Morales added. “And that it is entirely too late to do anything about it.”

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Only Republicans can fix the Republican Party. But who can afford to stand up to the Jeb Bush wing of the GOP?

Anonymous said...

Don't look to the GOP leadership for any help. They are also intimidated by the Rove Death Machine, even though they know Rove is wrong and a danger to the party. Are GOP voters smart enough to know they have to take matters into their own hands? So far not so good.

Chauncey said...

The party that needs self-examination is the Democratic Party. Obama has taken the Democratic Party so far to the socialist left, the party will once again be out of the Presidency and both houses of Congress.

If Democrats don't bring their party to the center, they will face obscurity and go the way of the Whig Party.

Anonymous said...

That is such crap. But good try.

Anonymous said...

Truth be told, President Obama has been very much a moderate. Don't believe all that you read on those obscure, rightie, racist blogs and "news" outlets.

And yes, only Repubs can fix Repubs. The party is so far away from their principle values.

Palau said...

This is shaping up to be the biggest Republican election in history. Why would anyone want to tamper with success?

Anonymous said...

President Obama is right when he says that the Republicans want to return America to policies that were tried and failed. 8 years of W. was enough, if anyone has a memory.

Anonymous said...

the only people who want republicans to change course are democrats. that means the republicans are on the right track.

Gimleteye said...

I know plenty of Republicans who are dismayed at the direction of the party. They don't know how to express themselves, especially since the Tea Party turned out to be a proxy for the radical extremists. Especially in South Florida: Republicans should look at who is in the Florida legislature. What kind of leadership is that?

Anonymous said...

I sent an email to a local and a state Democratic leader. I stated that the D party must re-invent as the party of the people. How do they do that? Simple.

Gun Control: Despite NRA claims to the contrary, the Obama Presidency has not restricted gun rights. Play on that. Take it a step further.

Social Programs: Continue to fund social programs BUT put a limit on them. Nobody wants to see their neighbor suffer. Everybody wants their neighbor to be prosperous. Fund programs that are beneficial. Require work for aid.

Personal Freedom: Repeal much of the Patriot Act. Despite the fact that the Repubs are the supposed party of personal freedom, those freedoms seem to only apply to white, male gun owners.

State/Local Rights: The Repubs have moved away from this basic tenet of their foundation so much so that it is laughable, both at the federal level and here in our state. The Dems should focus on establishing their agenda on a local level.

Farm/Ag Subsidies: There was a time when these subsidies truly aided family-owned farms and encouraged responsible agrarian methods. Not so much these days. Subsidies often fail to provide assistance to those who need them most. While it's often perceived subsidies keep the family farm in business, most farmers and ranchers do not benefit from federal farm programs.

There are many way in which the Dems could re-define themselves as the party of the people.

Anonymous said...

Gimlet, good point on the FL Leg. They are nothing but a bunch of shills looking for the next big office.