So Sick of Politics

Bill Frist, Republican from Tennessee and the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate who, you may recall, said upon the Senator floor that, Terri Schiavo was"...not somebody in persistent vegetative state..." and later recanted those words by telling folks (via the media) that he agreed with the autopsy conclusion that the Florida woman had suffered severe, irreversible brain damage and that he would, "... never, never, on the floor of the Senate, [make] a diagnosis, nor would I ever do that." However, Frist's remarks on the Senate floor with regard to the Schiavo case were made with the caveat that he, Frist was commenting on Schiavo's highly publicized case "more as a physician than as a United States senator." You may recall that Frist went on to say in that speech that, he had reviewed videotapes of Schiavo and noted that her brother "said that she responds to her parents and to him. That is not somebody in persistent vegetative state. . . . There just seems to be insufficient information to conclude that Terri Schiavo is [in a] persistent vegetative state."

Suffice it to say, Frist was playing to his constituency and pressing one of the neocon, fundamentalistic Christian hot buttons most often shouted from the steeple as: Pro Life.

Are the rest of us Anti Life?

I guess it's important to note that Frist also advocates the teaching of Intelligent Design in the nation's public schools.

Now, of course (why we couldn't expect less of the gentleman from Tennessee, now could we!) Frist will reintroduce the Defense of Marriage Act before the United State Senate some time in June of this year. Hot buttons. Hot buttons. Hot buttons. That's the key; that's the secret; that's the great trump card the right latched onto through their lean years: press those hot buttons and your constituency will respond...in droves.

What have the Democrats learned during their lean times? Nada. Nothing. Reactive impotence, maybe. I don't know.

Now, the recently concluded Republican Leadership Conference in, where else, Tennessee gave Frist the number one slot in their straw pole for the Republican nominee for President in '08. Mitt Romney, Governor of Massachusetts got the second place nod.

Now, let me just expose my bias, my prejudice here. Both these guys, Frist and Romney turn my stomach. They are, in my opinion, condescending, effete, privileged consummate politicians whose only passion is the fulfillment of their own egoism.

Okay, that said, a little something about Romney.

Romney, in this story from 365gay.com, (and I quote in full):

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has announced plans to file a bill exempting religious organizations from the state's nondiscrimination law in the wake of Friday's decision by the Catholic church to get out of the adoption business.

Catholic Charities said it would stop placing children for adoption rather than adhere to state law that bars discrimination on the basis of sexuality. (story)
Romney said his bill would include institutions run by all religious denominations and said it was a matter of 'religious freedom".

Although he was not specific on details of the legislation he indicated it also would extend to church run hospitals, agencies that help the needy and other faith based groups tied to churches, and not just to adoption agencies.

The proposal was dismissed by Democrats who control the State House but was immediately hailed by Republicans eying a future after George W. Bush.

Romney, like most other GOP presidential hopefuls, is attending the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in Memphis, Tenn.

His tough stance for an amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution to ban same-sex marriage and his faith based human rights exemption plan for churches catapulted him to the number two spot in a weekend straw poll of potential candidates.

The number one spot went to Tennessee Senator Bill Frist, a sponsor of the proposed federal amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Frist, as a southerner and a Tennessean had the "home team advantage" since the Conference is meeting in his home state.
Romney's bill is not likely to get far at home however.

A spokesperson for Senate President Robert E. Travaglini (D) said the bill had little chance of passing.

''Given the antidiscrimination laws and the history of gay adoption, there's been nothing to suggest that there's been a problem with these adoptions," Ann Dufresne told the Boston Globe.
House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi (D) said there is little support.

In a statement DiMasi said that the state must ''ensure that discrimination is not tolerated in this vital publicly-supported function."

As he presses forward with plans to seek the GOP presidential nomination Romney is not seeking re-election as governor.

Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, who is seeking the Republican nomination to succeed Romney last week, saying sheÂ’s opposed to exempting the church from the anti-discrimination laws.

Other Massachusetts Republicans also distanced themselves from Romney's plan.

Okay, so Romney wants to create a "special class" of people, institutions who can legally discriminate against gay folk. You conservatives out there should evaluate this in light of your oft-voiced objections, on the basis of "special class" creation, to gay marriage and/or domestic partner rights legislation.

Anyway, I'm really getting sick of politics in this country. Maybe it's that I'm really getting sick of the two-party system.

Maybe it's just that I'm of that generation whose minds, souls were captured by the promise of Camelot, by a New Frontier that, sadly, died in Dallas on November 22nd, 1963.