If you are like me you have probably wondered at the calibre of candidates that typically run for President of the United States…especially those in the GOP race this election year. Out of all the possibilities in the entire USA – THIS is the best that they can do? What can they be thinking?
GROVER NORQUIST
Grover Norquist, the most important Republican NEVER elected, had this to say at the 2012 CPAC Convention and suddenly everything became clear:
‘…We are not auditioning for fearless leader. We don’t need a president to tell us in what direction to go. We know what direction to go. We want the Ryan budget. … We just need a president to sign this stuff. We don’t need someone to think it up or design it. The leadership now for the modern conservative movement for the next 20 years will be coming out of the House and the Senate’. ‘Pick a Republican with enough working digits to handle a pen to become president of the United States. This is a change for Republicans: the House and Senate doing the work with the president signing bills. His job is to be captain of the team, to sign the legislation that has already been prepared’. They just need someone to hold the pen…
ALEC
When Grover says ‘prepared’, he means by ALEC. For those who don’t know, ALEC stands for the American Legislative Exchange Council, a secretive collaboration between Big Business and Conservative politicians. Behind closed doors they “ghostwrite” model bills to be introduced in state capitols across the nation. State by state, they are gaining control from the ground up…pretty clever when you think about it and something the Democrats need to think about – a grassroots effort that will support local candidates and not just focus on the national elections. All politics are local.
This ALEC ‘legislation’ affects major tax loopholes for corporations and the super rich; proposals to outsource US jobs and gut minimum wage; weaken health care laws and environment protections. And more and more they are focused on religion based ideology to replace civil rights, or at least set it back about 50 years. They are also responsible for pushing voter ID suppression laws and gun laws like the infamous “stand your ground” that figured so prominently in the Trayvon Martin murder in Florida. But NEVER gun control! If you haven’t guessed by now, the NRA is a big ALEC supporter…
A GLIMPSE INSIDE
This is happening all across America, right now, in YOUR state. Just like in mine. Recently, an Atlanta TV station offered a glimpse into the world of the American Legislative Exchange Council, at a corporate-funded ‘seminar’ held at a fancy Savannah resort. The Georgia GOP Legislators who attended will leave with ready to pass, prepared bills, that only need signing. In many cases, the bills will be submitted ‘verbatim’.
Neither ALEC nor the Georgia legislature would say who was in attendance, where the money comes from for these retreats, or who the money goes to. But I think we all know anyway…
Just watch this eye-opening expose:
CHANGING THE GAME
These bills, and the big corporations behind them, are changing the rules and undermining democracy across the nation at the state level. Now, they want the Presidency. All they need is a presentable, but malleable, candidate as a front man while ‘they’ (Koch Brothers & the like) run the show from behind the scenes (think GW Bush and his puppet masters – Cheney and Rumsfeld). A weak and passive patsy (like Scott Walker) who will concede leadership to congressional conservatives. To use Norquist’s’ terminology – Someone to be the “team captain” with a Republican led Congress as the “coach”. Of course the “booster club” will be big business and the über wealthy who hold the “bottomless” purse strings.
Thanks to Citizens United, we have already seen the power that money can wield in a political campaign, and many are left wondering if the American Dream is still alive; or is it just a fantasy like George Carlin says because “you have to be asleep to believe it”?
The American Dream…
With ALEC doing all the work and passing it ‘ready to go’ to our legislators one might wonder why we need the legislators at all? Just glorified ‘middle men’ collecting a fat salary with benefits while screwing their constituents.
But they’re just what ALEC wants because as State Legislators, they know just who can ‘hold a pen’.
While you were sleeping 
I can’t understand why anyone with any sense would vote for these Republicans. It’s sad for all of us.
It is a mystery to me too Molly – especially the women who vote Republican!
The entire right wing is organized crime syndicate. It’s time we start applying all these insane laws undermining the constitution directly to themselves. Sedition is sedition is sedition.
Yay for George Carlin!!
Le Clown
Carlin was spot on and way before his time…
Obama is still an idiot!
I love it..first time here..brb!! JGH AKA Clazyrady
Thanks clazyrady – I hope you will be back.