Bad Week for GOP Logic

Regular readers know that I prize consistency in logical thought.  Certain things are simply sacrosanct as bedrocks of political philosophy.  Belief in democratic practice and a market economy and freedom for individual decision making are a cornerstone.  I also happen to believe in a modern post industrial safety net, but also recognize that it has to be affordable and have proper incentives within it to motivate people to do the right thing.

Motivating people to do the right thing is after all the original basis for religion.

Why was it a bad week for GOP logic?

Well, it was not too long ago that we had the following quotes from prominent members of the GOP when Putin invaded Crimea.

Mike Rogers (GOP House Intelligent Committee Chairman):  "Well I think Putin is playing chess and we are playing with marbles."

Sarah Palin:  "People are looking at Putin as one who wrestles with bears and drills for oil.  People look at our President as one who wears Mom jeans and equivocates."

Rudy Giuliani:  "Putin is what you call a leader."

Now, the West's sanctions and large new sources of energy, combined with some reduced demand for oil because of economic softness and increases use of alternative energy have created economic stress within Russia.  Now Russia would not be so sensitive to simply the price of oil if Putin had not focused his entire economic policy around oil and gas exports and the enhancement of his oligarchs at the expense of a more diverse economic model.

I have chortled here that I am happy that Putin is suffering, but he has yet to really suffer in his popularity with his people.  They still love him for the most part, even though Russia is capable of so much more in terms of creating economic growth that helps every Russian, and competes effectively in the world economy, without taking over their neighbor's territory that is guaranteed by a treaty signed by Russia and The Ukraine.  I am sad for the Russian people.  They deserve better leadership, as does the GOP which needs to get over its Putin envy.

Meanwhile, GOP logic also failed in its general response to Obama's change on Cuba policy.  The argument that we should wait for Cuba to not be communist or authoritarian would have some merit if we followed similar policies with China, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.  But no GOP leader is advocating trade embargoes against those countries as those countries participation in the global economy has helped our own economic growth and those countries have proven useful in geopolitical issues.

And as for the Castro's torturing political prisoners, just who exactly is leading the charge on preventing Obama from closing Guantanamo and ending our policy of keeping over 100 political prisoners in isolation.  If they are criminals, they belong in jail.  If not, they should be freed.  But the GOP does not allow that to happen and since Guantanamo is in Cuba, who has a front row seat on what America practices, as opposed to what we preach.

I hate spin and I wish the Democrats had campaigned on stuff like this.  But they didn't and they deserve what they got.   Meanwhile, for the record, Cuomo's relying on the Director of Public Health to make the final decision on fracking is absolutely ridiculous.  Public Health is an issue that needs to be examined, but it cannot be the deciding factor.  Cuomo has showed himself to be feckless on this issue and once again as a conservative democrat, liberal republican I feel unrepresented in this world.