Last night’s Republican presidential debate plodded through its paces with less verve than the thousandth performance of the umteenth bus and truck tour of The King and I The only lively moment was the implosion of Rick Perry’s brain when he couldn’t name one of the government agencies he is vowing to get rid of. “Education, Commerce, and er, um...,” and turned to Ron Paul, unable to dredge up Energy. The CBS News Political Hot Sheet, said it was “like watching a car crash live on television.” It was more like watching a leak in the tire of an illegally parked jalopy. Rick Perry is unfit to be a summons server.
Sponsored by the Michigan Republican Party and Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, it took place in the state described as worst hit by the economic slump, and was supposed to have been about the U.S. economy. It was a chance to float ideas, except that there wasn’t one among the pooled brains of all
eight candidates who only intoned the tired litany about protecting billionaires by lowering taxes and letting middle classes foot the bill by slashing government programs. I kept the TV set on,, but honestly, my brain tuned out.
The universal Republican response to the economic disaster they caused is, do nothing and hope the market will straighten itself out, a handy rationale for the rapacious rich with roots in the novelistic harangue of Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum (aka Ayn Rand), which extolls selfishness and greed.
Many one-percenters seize this spurious rationale to justify their own venality, aided and abetted by such as jailed lobbyist, Jack Abramoff (to be played by Kevin Spacey in the film, Casino Jack). Abramoff is out of jail now and hawking his book: "Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington
Corruption From America's Most Notorious Lobbyist." It will be a best seller, and proof that “Crime Doesn’t Pay,” is as big a lie as the spurious economic theory blurted by every Republican candidate.
The party-faithful at Oakland responded with the same mechanical laugh-track gusto heard during George W’s campaign speeches, whose audiences were screened for loyalty and the ability to greet every banality with hysterical screams of approval.
One creepy exception were boos following the question to Herman Cain about his male-chauvinist-pig problem. His knee-jerk denial was seconded by Mitt Romney, who could afford to, knowing that this story is still in high orbit, and when it hits the atmosphere, will burn Cain’s Nine, Nine, Nine campaign like space junk on its way down, down, down.