There’s an old line that has been heard in bars since time immemorial – “It gets late early”. The presidential election is still five months away but too many Democrats seem to think that they can take their time supporting President Obama. Incredibly, the Ku Klux Klan has applied to adopt a highway in the state of Georgia and that just sounds like a punch line waiting to happen. And finally, in a typically self-serving moment, Mitt Romney contends that one of the qualifications for president should be experience in the running a business. Inquiring minds might want to ask what about other worthy occupations, like fireman, cowboy and astronaut?

It Gets Late Early

Ever since Barack Obama became president criticism and insults have been hurled at him on a daily basis. It is true that calumny comes with the territory, but being called a liar from the floor of the Congress while giving a speech or being interrupted by a reporter during the middle of a presentation is pretty unique stuff.

President Obama has soldiered on through racial slurs, doubts about his citizenship and demeaning comments about his wife and children. Too many Teapublicans lap this stuff up, salivating at the mere thought of the next Fox News broadcast. The more reasonable minority of Teapublicans (the definition of an oxymoron) claim that remarks are being taken out of context or that President Obama and his supporters are “thin skinned”.

In the midst of this rhetorical melee one wonders when the president’s supporters will find their collective voices and put on their Big Boy and Big Girl pants and join the battle. President Obama really shouldn’t have to respond in kind to these tidal waves of scurrilous attacks but there is nothing to stop leading Democrats and progressives from pitching in.

It seems that too many people feel that engaging in this kind of battle is demeaning and unnecessary. But the fact is that lies that are unanswered become the truth. As long as the right wing of the right wing continues to articulate the prevailing narrative regarding President Obama we run the risk of that narrative becoming reality for too many voters.

And, as the saying goes, it can get late early.

KKK Trashkeepers

Some stories are too stupid to be anything but the truth. Last week the Ku Klux Klan (yes, THAT Ku Klux Klan) made an application to the state of Georgia to adopt a highway in order to keep it clean.

One can presume that as its first step in keeping trash off the highway will remove themselves.

The World According to Mitt

Now that he is the presumptive Teapublican Party nominee Mitt Romney seems to be getting a little full of himself. At a recent speech he contended that he thought that a career in business should be a qualification for being president. This is a qualification which neatly fits his personal narrative (while all President Obama did after law school is try to rebuild communities and help people).

Why this country has fallen in love with the concept of businessmen as governmental leaders is a mystery. Dwight Eisenhower presided over one of the major economic growth periods in American history and he was certainly not a businessman. Bill Clinton presided over one of the major economic growth periods in American history and he was certainly not a businessman.

Aside from the snide, self serving convenience of Mitt Romney’s proposition, taken to its logical extreme it is absurd. In Mitt World the president should have had experience as a soldier, doctor, community leader, teacher and homemaker in order to be qualified.

Perhaps Mr. Romney should take a moment to explain how his experience at buying companies, stripping them to bare bones, firing their employees and then selling the parts at a huge profit qualifies him to be anything other than a miserable (although rich) human being.

Have a great weekend!