State of the States

Seen on a sign in a New Hampshire cafe's window: "NO POLITICIANS; NO EXCEPTIONS". When asked for comment, a lady said: "We're not Iowa. We don't need them in our face; we can make up our own mind." OUCH

And coming from a Newt-friendly SuperPAC's commercial: Mitt Romney is a "predatory capitalist". REALLY

Let's stay on that second quote for a bit. Why are Newt and the Republicans trying to be, well, chameleons? Some in the GOP field have tried to seem anti-war while others struggled to be compassionate on immigration. Now they are against capitalism? As the prophet John Cleese said: "You're not fooling anyone, you know."

Mike Murphy had the correct take on this tactic, now airing in S.C., when he said that "predatory capitalist" line wouldn't work there. He's right; it won't. I haven't lived in Iowa nor New Hampshire so I have to take the lady's word about them both. But I was born and raised in the Palmetto State and believe me, it is not a place for "populist ravings". Most folks there prefer "the establishment candidate" as Joe Scarborough put it. That's why they're so good at picking winners. And while it is true that there is certainly one of everything everywhere, as a group, you won't find "populists" congregating anywhere from the Upstate to the Low Country. Again we consult the prophet Cleese: "The Judean People's Front? That's him, over there."

I wish our Republican friends would answer one question: What exactly is conservative about wanting to get rid of something, be it a government agency, a Constitutional right, or an industry? When this whole movement began in earnest, "conservative" meant not blowing all the dough. Now they want it to mean killing that with which we do not agree, and there's no "conserving" in that.

Maybe we should start a new movement: The Pres, or neo-Pres if that has a better ring to it. We would be the "preservationists" attempting to intelligently pare down excess while also asking some to contribute more. We would "preserve" what matters to the most of us albeit in, perhaps, a new form. But then again, we'd be called the "preservatives" and everyone knows that preservatives are bad for you.

Speaking of food, I wonder what they serve in that New Hampshire cafe? You think they have "Womensa" rooms and "Mensa" rooms in the back? No doubt their bar, if they have one, is very high. I am sure of one thing though, they serve no humble pie!