Early this morning Saturday August 11th 2012, Mitt Romney picked Paul Ryan to be his vice presidential running mate. I came in on KNX radeio during live coverage a little before six thirty. I heard MItt Romney in the middle of some big speech, which is unusual for him to make more than a political one-liner at a time. He introduced contraversial Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate and then Ryan spoke. Ryan complained that some out there have come to accept high unemployment, increased debt, and falling incomes nation wide as the New Normal, and adds "and this should not Be". It was a good speech saying all the right things, so I won't fault him for that. However then I went out and talked to Joe Drisco about it. Joe is one of those rare birds - "Bomb Iran back to the stone age" people, who is also a Bob Dylan fan. Joe doesn't like the idea that our SSI checks may well be cut or eliminated by the Ryan budget, or that my Medi Cal may be cut or eliminate and I be without medical coverage, which just won't do in this place. Joe sarcastically referred to it as a "Dynamite selection" if you are talking about "blowing up the safety net". Of all the people Romney could have picked- - - Paul Ryan is the most hated political target of any of them. As you know there has been talk it would be either Timothy Pwelente or Rob Portman of Ohio, or Jendell down in Louisiana. There has been more talk lately about getting a well known moderate in the slot. Paul Ryan is a Catholic and not a born again Protestent like Pawlente, which will make the Romney ticket more attackable on religious grounds. I remarked to Joe that in 1964 the Goldwater folks wanted Johnson to pick Hubert Humphrey because he was the most attackable liberal. Sometimes the message is everything and when Humphrey ran as President in 1968 it was Nixon who made the beautiful speeches about having a secret plan to end the Viet Nam war and 'lowering our voices" and his slogan of "Bring us Together". It was a lovely sentament. But most of us now agree that the nation would have been better off with Humphrey, just as we would have been a whole lot better off with Al Gore in 2012. Sometimes, some of your biggest problems can be eliminated ahead of time simply by not voting for their man. You know many people use the phrase 'IF ONLY" after the fact. Others like Neil of KFI will say that the "What if" or "If Only" statements should never be used hypothetically. Neil Savedra hates "hypothetical". But I say the time TO use the "What IF" statement is Before the Fact, so that you actually have a say in Preventing the adverse situation from occurring in the first place. And this is the case with Mittens Romney and Paul Ryan.
President Obama gave his Saturday morning speech at 7:06 on KNX on the idea of dealing with the adverse heat wave and drought, which so adversely affects our farmers, and the President undertook numerous measures to help with their situation. Paul Ryan is dealing in the never-never world of the abstract. Meanwhile President Obama is dealing with the here and now, just as he did with the immigration issue. Then at 8:06 we were treated to one of these 'Crying in their beer" speeches by a tea party Republican. You see the budget deal last year WAS a success. We issued an iron-clad rule that as a stop gap measure if all else failed, there would be an accross the board cut of ten percent in all Federal Budget items. This would including the military, as well as everything else. The President was already planning to cut the military to make it more streamline and efficient, and also because we have ended one war, and are winding down another and hopefully will lead less expenditure on defense. But don't tell the Republican's that. When they hear budget cuts they think of one thing and one thing only, and that is cutting out programs for the very poor, such as homeless and the starving and those badly in need of medical care. These people who are the most helpless and dependant among us are always the first targets among the tea party right. I don't think Mitt Romney will do one thing to ease the federal deficet when he assumes power next January. I think even Romney will see the political stupidity of axing such vital programs. It's the tea party who has become part of the problem rather than part of the solution. President Obama has done everything he can. In those areas well under his control such as foreign affairs, we have done admerably these past four years. But in areas where getting needed legislation passed is like pulling teeth- the President has been unable to enact his plans. Indeed even now the Republicans will NOT enact the President's jobs plans, and pretty soon it's all going to fall on their Watch, and no longer ours. Still doing the nomination today was a good day for MItt Romney to goose up his sagging poll numbers.
After this speech I went out and talked with Joe Drisco, who is kind of a Dick Chaney defense hawk, who also likes Bob Dylan, particularly the early stuff- - so go figure. Maybe it's all the LSD he took in his youth. It would seem that many people who have run against Mitt Romney have a particular disgust tword him as being an"empty suit" and "without a moral core" and Mike Huckibee is one of these complainers. Paul Ryan will no doubt provide a lot of ammunition for all the comedians out there, as he has in the past. His measures were so extreme and draconian even his own Republicans were hesitant to embrace his plan. But Newt Gingrich was diplomatic in his description of how he felt about Mitt Romney now. He also noted that Paul Ryan would be an excellent choice, should that occur. I know for a fact all you have to do sometimes is to deliver the right knock-it-out-of-the-park speech to score really Big with your own constuincy. Stewart Sutcliffe, the "dead Beatle" appeared and he said "I know you're discouraged, but just remember. You were right a minute ago when you told Joe that "It's all in God's hands". Then he said "The stars don't lie." I kind of nodded. He then said. "Why dispute a fact with faulty investigation that you have already proved the Truth of with refutable logical deduction?" He also said, "It all a case of Achem's Razor, you know. It's Geometric logic when you come down to it." I wasn't entirely certain what he meant. Except that Stewart was more certain than ever that the country would go Democratic come November.
This posting will remain the lead one for a number of weeks, most likely in excess of two months. You people really need to read my material dating back at least the past year and a half, and if you can't manage that just hit the ones done in the past seven months. These are pure gold. Dr. Levy is assembling a book of our writings and poetry and art from here and from Founders. I get the feeling from what he says and shares, that those people in general are more prolific poetry artists than we are. Dr. Levy suggested I sever relations with A T & T and he could get me a bang-up bargain cell-phone deal. Dr. Levy was prudent enough not to bring up politics this week. There is a gradual shift here among the residents I have talked to and more and more of them are turning tword voting for President Obama.
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