It's election season again, which invariably means you have to grit your teeth and not explode in a verbal meltdown at the nearest television or radio. While I am indeed a conservative Republican, it sometimes seems my party is bent on looking as ridiculous as possible. There seem to be many lost and confused sheep out there this time of year. That's why I'm bringing you the Top 5 worst moves by politicians, statesmen (supposedly also of a conservative persuasion), and federal agencies.
1. The top spot has to go to Ramaswamy and his tone-deaf and arguably unethical campaign commercial featuring the mentally unbalanced parent of his opponent: the parent who lost custody because of child rape by the other "parent" decades ago. It's hard to know where to begin with something like this, except that I sincerely hope that Amy Acton beats him. Perhaps, because of his terrible judgment and lack of empathy, as shown in his choice of commercials, she will succeed.
2. US special envoy Steve Witkoff told a smiling Putin that he was indeed a humanitarian. If a humanitarian is defined as someone concerned with, or seeking to promote, human welfare, one is left wondering about Ukraine and Kyiv in particular. Perhaps Witcoff would like to tour some of those obliterated apartment buildings? Oh, I am sure they must have been military targets, right? Of course, there is also the whole business of Putin having been a KGB Agent, and they are not known to be particularly humanitarian chaps, are they? No, and this is also a fellow known for his knack for making his political enemies around the world suddenly die from mysterious causes. Wonder if Witkoff has ever read Solzhenitsyn, the writer of novels like the warm and cheerful Gulag.
3. President Trump, while I applaud much of what he has accomplished, seems intent this political cycle on snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in the upcoming primary. Case in point: renaming New Mexico New America. If he could just pause the renaming proposals and the attacks on Canada, France, and the Pope for a month or so, that would be... hot dog terrific! In fact, could we generally stop attacking our allies in the press? It's just a thought.
4. Hegseth's televised firing squad plans for the Fort Hood mass shooter have got to be included here too. Talk about lacking class and misunderstanding the whole idea of martyrdom, which this could have cemented in the minds of many misguided individuals. Do we really need to give Al Jazeera news material? More importantly, though, is this the kind of USA we want to create for ourselves and our children? We are better than this, folks.
5. Homeland Security is getting a tad careless. This is being said by a guy who actually moved to Texas with his family decades ago because he had been told by US Border Patrol that he should make preparations for federal law enforcement boot camp. Thankfully, perhaps, the job fell through in the end. Still, the impression from the outside today, at least, is that there are too many cases of US citizens getting arrested (and injured) by Homeland Security. I am all for border enforcement, but I also don't see where it is cost-effective (or particularly ethical) to tear away law-abiding citizens (okay, maybe not immigration law) from their families. We don't seem to be going after the worst of the worst anymore. I suggest we're moving too far in the opposite direction from the Biden Administration, and the next administration will likely just play the pendulum game and swing too far the other way again. What's needed is a little more moderation and much better, clearer, and tailored communication with the American people about what you're doing and why.
