Radical Politics

Paul Ryan and Sarah Palin have something in common: they're a lot more fun and interesting--and more dangerous--than the men at the top who selected them.  Paul Ryan is now electrifying the campaign of his wooden boss in the same way that Sarah Palin did four years ago. 

It's a curious contradiction: while Republicans seem to want some kind of steadfast predictability, as seen in their selections of Mitt Romney and John McCain, they're drawn at the same time to the risky proposals of the Tea Party--but not enough to put forward such candidates for president.  It's as if they're marrying the sure and steady guy and flirting with the unreliable one.

And yet, curiouser still, is the fact that Mitt Romney in some ways hasn't been a sure and steady guy.  He gives off the appearance of a soothing "Father Knows Best" figure but without a consistent record to show what he believes.  Paul Ryan as his choice for vice president, on the other hand, has such a long record of specific policies that we know exactly what he believes.  And what he believes is a problem for women, for the elderly, for students, for workers, and for pretty much all of us--except the wealthy.

In the end, though, his presence on the ticket is a problem for Mitt Romney and the Republicans, for he highlights the party's internal conflicts and its attraction for "radical social engineering," as Newt Gingrich so aptly put it.  The wheel has turned once again: Republicans have replaced Democrats as the party of radical politics.

The Messiah

The tributes to Steve Jobs were amazing. Flowers, candles, and apples--his company's store fronts became for a few days shrines where pilgrims could honor his spirit. This outpouring of affection for a brilliant, arrogant businessman struck me as odd. Are people really that attached to their iPads?

Perhaps. But I wonder if something else isn't going on.

We've been searching for a secular messiah in our country for some time now. I count myself among those who saw in Barack Obama the promise of a leader who would deliver us out of our mess. The Republican party, as it lurches from one presidential candidate to the next, is trying to find its messiah as well: Mitch Daniels, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Chris Christie, Sarah Palin, won't someone (other than Mitt Romney) ride in on a big, white horse?

Enter Steve Jobs, an American genius and entrepreneur whose products sell all over the world. Think the United States is in decline? Well, think again. Steve Jobs kicked butt, developing one new design after another. Take that, China.

The trouble is, Steve Jobs isn't and never was going to solve our massive problems for us. No one is, and the sooner we realize that no messiah is coming the better off we'll be. Which makes the Wall Street Occupiers all the more compelling. Inherent in their demonstration is the realization that no such messiah exists.

It's "we the people," stupid; this is the mantra we must tack on our walls.

Responsible Republicans

When Sarah Palin chose to state her case before the country on the same day as President Obama spoke in Tucson last week, she cast herself as the de facto head of the Republican party. It was a stunning move and, from accounts across the political spectrum, it was a stunning failure. Fortunately.

As I listened to her speech that morning, I was struck by the defensive, angry tone that others have noted, and I was struck by her lack of gravitas, her lack of reflection, and her inability to move beyond herself.

Is this the Republican party at its best? I wondered. Where is the reasonable, dignified leadership that we need from this party? It's a leadership that fails to condemn the extremist wing of its own party, allowing violent rhetoric to fill the airwaves. Almost no one speaks up against the vicious lies circulated about President Obama and the anti-government hatred spewed daily.

The only incident I can recall when any Republican pushed back against the vitriol occurred in the 2008 presidential campaign. A supporter of candidate John McCain derided Barack Obama as "an Arab," to which McCain responded, "No ma'am, he's not, he's a decent family man--a citizen." (Well, sure, many Arabs are decent family men, too, but McCain at least sought to dispel the myth of Obama's citizenship.)

We need more censoring like this from our Republican leadership. Even those of us who are ardent Democrats lose out when the opposing party fails repeatedly to show wisdom and restraint. We need thoughtful, educated people at the top, proposing solutions to real, serious problems, not people who spout slogans and tout tax relief.

I hope that Sarah Palin's shallow presentation last week wakes up the sleeping giant--or rather, the sleeping elephant--of responsible Republican leadership. God knows we need it. As long as Sarah Palin and her ilk constitute the face of the Republican party, we'll remain stuck in hatred and recrimination.