Clown Car Politics

The 999 plan isn't a jobs plan, it is a tax plan. ...when you take the 9-9-9 plan and turn it upside down, I think the devil's in the details."

- Michele Bachmann’s response to Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 tax plan in an Oct 11, 2011 Republican Debate

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/65704.html#ixzz1ivdGLdQF

Many people took Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-Minn) comment about Herman Cain’s tax plan as a joke. However, if you review quotes Bachmann made throughout her career you begin to think she was serious.

But, then again how seriously can you take a tax plan proposed by business mogul Herman Cain, that is the default tax policy in the popular “Sims” computer game?

The big saviour from Republican silliness and craziness was supposed to be Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. The moment he got in the race he was anointed the man who could take out Mitt Romney (R-Mass). That is until the big “OOPS” which lead to the Herman Cain surge.

After Cain “suspended” his campaign, front-runner status briefly fell on former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s (R-Ga) ample shoulders. Gingrich, running more of a book tour than a campaign, seemed surprised that anyone was taking him seriously, and immediately frittered away his standing with intemperate comments and general blow-hardedness.

Politics and the election became too absurd and as a result, I decided to take a little time off from writing. The only comment one could really make was “How many more clowns can possibly pop out of that little car?” But, now that Iowa and New Hampshire are over, it is time to return.

Going into South Carolina, Mitt Romney, is the one left standing holding the tattered rags of the nomination with Rick Santorum (R-Pen), Ron Paul (R-Tex) and Newt Gingrich all jumping up and snapping at his hands. Romney does have the nomination unless something really surprising happens in South Carolina.

But at what price.

The only qualified candidates, Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn) and Gov. Jon Huntsman (R-UT), were shoved aside, to be replaced by the ridiculous campaigns of Bachmann, Cain, Perry, Paul and Gingrich. In a normal year they would not have been taken seriously. Like Mike Gravel (D-Alsk) in 2008, they may have gotten a courtesy invite to a debate or two and then been quietly dropped. However, in the Presidential year of 2012 they became the face of an extreme Republican party that can’t be taken seriously.

This will damage the Republican brand like the Democrats were damaged in 1972. Now, when you think Republicans you don’t think Eisenhower, Lodge or Reagan. You think Bachmann, Gingrich or Cain.

But the damage the Republicans are doing to themselves started in 2010.

Since taking over the House, and their steadfast refusal to participate in any meaningful actions in the Senate, people began to see the the Republicans as a party of hard heartedness, with no real solutions, bent on keeping the system rigged to protect the “haves” against the “have-nots.”

Congressional approval for the Republican run congress is down to 12%. For the first time since 2010 the Democrats lead the Republicans in generic congressional polls. Obama consistently out polls any potential Republican opponent even though he has an approval rating of less than 50% - which still makes him the most popular politician on the national stage.

Gov. Jon Huntsman said in a recent debate the most dangerous deficit the country faces is a trust deficit between the people and the government. They do not believe they are in control of their own government or that either party represents their interest.

He is right.

The strongholds of both parties are deserting them. Voters are changing their registrations to Independent in record numbers. Each party is loosing more registrations in their base regions than their rival. Democrats are loosing registrations to Independents at higher a rate than Republicans in the Northeast and the rust belt. Republicans are loosing registrations to Independents at a higher rate than Democrats in the South and Southwest.

When they are not “voting with their feet” by dropping their party membership, voters have been voting with their feet through the Occupy and Tea Party movements.

Both groups like to believe they are not at all related. But, they both spring from the same anger and frustration. Whether it is the Tea Party’s fear of a government they perceive as overzealous and overbearing or the Occupy movement’s rage against a system they feel is corrupt, both groups share an anger and lack of trust for the Government and structures that they feel stack system against them.

The one topic that has not been debated is how to quell that anger and win that trust back. Without that trust all the 999 tax plans and budget cuts won’t solve anything. Unless American voters believe the government is dealing fairly and honestly with them, they will not follow their leaders.

Until then everyone in power will look like so many clowns in big red shoes.