Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney probably has the best credentials in the field for president against Barack Obama. But, what, really, would an America under Romney look like?
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney probably has the best credentials in the field for president against Barack Obama. But, what, really, would an America under Romney look like?
First, look for more of the same as what we experienced under the last governor who held the job -- George Bush. It is simply unbelievable that we have forgotten so quickly what conservatives do when they're in charge. They tortured people and denied them their rights. They endorsed secret prisons where even harsher techniques were used. They allowed a terror attack on U.S. soil.
As the Constitution doesn't allow for holding suspects without charge, they simply went offshore and created a wartime nightmare at Guantanamo Bay that has yet to be resolved. They fed us on a diet of fear. "You're either with us, or you're with the terrorists," President Bush said shortly after the attacks.
Meanwhile, they directed the NSA to tap our cellphones, first denying it, then when they could deny no longer, saying they didn't need a warrant as the Fourth Amendment demands because, after all, we're at war with those "others." Barack Obama's NSA also eavesdrops on domestic calls, against the Constitution, which is one reason why many of us on the left are gravely disappointed in his moral lack on that and other fronts.
If ever there were a court case that undermined the greatness of this great republic, it's George Bush's Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts. What most people don't realize about the Citizens United case is that the court undid a century of precedent. SuperPacs can now collect unlimited, anonymous donations ... and spend their way into office.
Despite our disagreements with Newt Gingrich, he is the first official casualty of the dreadful decision. It is probably the single biggest body blow to the little guy and his "one man, one vote" policy the country has ever seen.
America was right to go into Afghanistan and eradicate the Taliban, but the Iraq war is a prosecutable offense. Yet, Vice President Dick Cheney walks today a free man.
Did I mention that our nation was on firm fiscal footing while Democrat Bill Clinton was in office? By the way, if tax cuts are so important to creating prosperity, why are we in the worst mess since the Great Depression? People whose answer is to cut more taxes are like medieval doctors who added leaches to the dying patient until they expired. Yet, the Republican Congress talks about lowering taxes and cutting back on regulation.
And that reminds me of a billboard near Charleston. It says the EPA and Obama are killing jobs. We all need to negotiate the regulatory environment, but not at the expense of our wonderful state. Another view is that the EPA is trying to keep robber baron coal and gas interests from ruining West Virginia, fouling the water, and polluting the air. And these are the unfair regulations you want rid of?
We should be proud of the Republican Party for doing what it thinks is right. And we should welcome the ballot box battle in 2012. But, if we disagree, we should fight back, first in the newspaper and second with our votes. I don't want anything to do with another Republican in the White House or the U.S. Senate.
Swindell is a journalism professor. He can be reached at chris--swind...@hotmail.com.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney probably has the best credentials in the field for president against Barack Obama. But, what, really, would an America under Romney look like?
First, look for more of the same as what we experienced under the last governor who held the job -- George Bush. It is simply unbelievable that we have forgotten so quickly what conservatives do when they're in charge. They tortured people and denied them their rights. They endorsed secret prisons where even harsher techniques were used. They allowed a terror attack on U.S. soil.
As the Constitution doesn't allow for holding suspects without charge, they simply went offshore and created a wartime nightmare at Guantanamo Bay that has yet to be resolved. They fed us on a diet of fear. "You're either with us, or you're with the terrorists," President Bush said shortly after the attacks.
Meanwhile, they directed the NSA to tap our cellphones, first denying it, then when they could deny no longer, saying they didn't need a warrant as the Fourth Amendment demands because, after all, we're at war with those "others." Barack Obama's NSA also eavesdrops on domestic calls, against the Constitution, which is one reason why many of us on the left are gravely disappointed in his moral lack on that and other fronts.
If ever there were a court case that undermined the greatness of this great republic, it's George Bush's Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts. What most people don't realize about the Citizens United case is that the court undid a century of precedent. SuperPacs can now collect unlimited, anonymous donations ... and spend their way into office.
Despite our disagreements with Newt Gingrich, he is the first official casualty of the dreadful decision. It is probably the single biggest body blow to the little guy and his "one man, one vote" policy the country has ever seen.
America was right to go into Afghanistan and eradicate the Taliban, but the Iraq war is a prosecutable offense. Yet, Vice President Dick Cheney walks today a free man.
Did I mention that our nation was on firm fiscal footing while Democrat Bill Clinton was in office? By the way, if tax cuts are so important to creating prosperity, why are we in the worst mess since the Great Depression? People whose answer is to cut more taxes are like medieval doctors who added leaches to the dying patient until they expired. Yet, the Republican Congress talks about lowering taxes and cutting back on regulation.
And that reminds me of a billboard near Charleston. It says the EPA and Obama are killing jobs. We all need to negotiate the regulatory environment, but not at the expense of our wonderful state. Another view is that the EPA is trying to keep robber baron coal and gas interests from ruining West Virginia, fouling the water, and polluting the air. And these are the unfair regulations you want rid of?
We should be proud of the Republican Party for doing what it thinks is right. And we should welcome the ballot box battle in 2012. But, if we disagree, we should fight back, first in the newspaper and second with our votes. I don't want anything to do with another Republican in the White House or the U.S. Senate.
Swindell is a journalism professor. He can be reached at chris--swind...@hotmail.com.
