The "Perfect Storm"

Those that read this blog know that I am a Conservative Republican and all that goes with that philosophy - small government, less regulation of our lives, low taxes, and free enterprise.

But it appears that we are in for a big change. The party in charge always takes blame for existing conditions and this period in time has turned out politically to be the "perfect storm" for Democrats. Here are some reasons why:

1/ People are "war weary". Whether you were for or against the IRAQ war, it has turned out to be a mess and poorly managed. I was against the war - for financial reasons, and after being the parent of a son involved in the first Gulf war I did not think it necessary to risk American lives going after this maniac when we could have kept him under control with bombs. Saddam had thumbed his nose at thirteen UN resolutions, and I am sure he would have reconstructed his nuclear and chemical warfare programs given the chance. But I believed spending $300 billion on this "tin pot" dictator was ridiculous. As it turns out, the Iraq war will probably cost a trillion dollars before we are through...a "trillion" we don't have.

2/ The Republicans had full control of the government during the beginning of the Bush presidency and blew it. They spent money like they were Democrats, increasing the national debt to the largest in history and as a result lost the House and Senate. Now they do not have a leg to stand on when talking about fiscal restraint and "small government".

3/ The recent crash in the stock market is a phenomenon that even I have not seen in my lifetime. Much of the blame for this debacle goes to the Democrats and the Clinton administration. Allowing Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to promote ridiculous mortgages to people who simply could not afford them; trying to push poor people into the American dream - home ownership. Bush claims that the Republicans raised concerns several years ago about Fanny and Freddie's dangerous lending policies. If that is the case he could have stopped it, even if he had to shut down the government to make his point. So the blame falls at his feet. As Harry Truman once said, "The buck stops here".

4/ And finally, the Republicans have fielded a weak candidate this year and although Sarah Palin has added some "fire" to the campaign, she has been unable to overcome John McCain's lack of fire. He would probably be a competent President, but his performance in the last debate was not good, and Barack Obama seems content with just "stalling the game" until the election. If McCain says "my friends" one more time I will choke.

If John McCain can somehow pull out this election, I will be the first to applaud him as a miracle man, and applaud the American public for being smarter that anyone thinks. An Obama presidency along with a Nancy Pelosi House and Harry Reid Senate would be the most left leaning government this country has ever seen. But as of now it looks like the Democrats have the "perfect storm" working for them.

If they win it all, I predict the American electorate will look into the mirror in a few years and say "What have we done?"