Aug 1^st

We now begin the week that was! This is the week of the first debate among the Republican hopefuls, and the week we bid farewell to Jon Stewart. We can be really thankful for the ability to tape A while watching B.

The Republican Party is bifurcating before our eyes.  The majority are as nasty as ever; see Ted Cruz who completely agrees with Donald Trump about the awful Latino immigrants, Mike Huckabee who compares President Obama to Adolf Hitler. Then there are the columnists and other hangers on who routinely find any kindness to anyone just despicably liberal. Here we have Queen Bee, Ann Coulter, and various elderly white princes: Cal Thomas; Charles Krauthammer; Bouncy Bouncy Limbaugh and others. In contrast to the ultra-nasties there are the semi-nasties, Jeb Bush whose Latina wife and fluent Spanish humanize him, albeit barely. And there is Ohio Governor Kasich whose policies seem ultra-modern by comparison with, say, the union smasher Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who is the Koch Brothers’  very favorite person.

This weekend The Koch Kids are having a do called “Freedom Partners.” Only certain selected Koch favorites have been invited. These are: Bush, Fiorina, Walker, Cruz and Rubio. Rand Paul was invited but had made other plans (?). The Koch’s’ rationale was to gather together serious people interested in discussing the issues of the election. This certainly did not include Donald Trump. Let’s face it Trump is a billionaire who had the effrontery to actually run for office himself instead of doing the gentlemanly thing and buying several professional office holders. Trump’s other problem from the Koch Bros.’ position is that Trump may be the only right winger who can’t be bought.

Freedom Partners party didn’t include Governor Kasich either. Kasich is on the Koch Bros.’ “bad boys” list because he crossed them up by getting Ohio involved with expanded Medicaid. At one Koch sponsored function Kasich was asked about that by a potential donor and said that when he met his maker he wanted to declare he had done something that benefitted the poor people in his state. His defense of Medicaid led 20 people to walk out of the Koch sponsored event and ruined Kasich’s shot at any future Koch support. The folks attending such events expect much more compliant politicians. Hey, if you want to get paid learn the required dance or go home. Keep in mind that Kasich for the most part hues to the conservative party line. Among other things he is quoted as believing that the separation of church and state is “goofy.” On most other issues he follows the orthodox party line.