Electoral Fortune 7/22/2010

By Mr. Lucky

One of the more disturbing things that I have had a chance to read about in the news recently is the GOP’s strange opposition to the new START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty). Nuclear nonproliferation is not an issue to take lightly or to oppose just because it is politically helpful to the republicans to give President Obama a defeat as often as they can. Of course the same could be said about Health Insurance Reform, Climate change legislation, immigration reform, and so on, all of which used to be supported in some form by a number of republicans, but unfortunately the moderate allies of those initiatives have all lost their interest.

The Absurdity and political opportunism demonstrated by the GOP here on the new START is much worse than any of the other issues that they have flip flopped on recently. The last START was negotiated by President Reagan, signed by the first President Bush and confirmed by the senate with more than 90 members supporting it. At some point since that time republicans apparently decided that they no longer supported restricting the spread and amount of nuclear weapons. This is possibly the most blatant example of republicans forming positions based on politics only. At least in the past there was some misguided justification for conservative voting, and while democrats might disagree, both parties had the intention of help the country.

Now the only guiding principle behind republicans seems to be gaining and preserving their own power and nothing more. I would hate to imagine what it would be like if they regained power and we had people running this country who have demonstrated a strong lack of interest in it’s well being.