Political writing, journalism, and commentary are a
relatively new calling for me, yet as a hobby I have been sharing my opinions since,
forever. For years I have been writing to the local press on local, state, and
national issues. I found myself particularly drawn to blogging and political
writing with Election 2012, which would lead to my first national foray into
writing, focused on Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, the smallest state
with the longest name, and the most Democratic representation. Like Karl Rove and Howard Dean before him, I
recognized the need for a fifty-state strategy to revive, restore, and promote
conservative Republican chance for 2014 and beyond. Patch, Go Local Prov, local internet blog sites,
and
recently the Providence Journal has
published my work.
My journalistic happenstance is now paying off. For
the first time in national history, a Rhode Island native son is running for
President: Lincoln Chafee. “Stumbling” is more accurate, since shortly after
declaring an exploratory committee, he fumbled into making himself a
full-fledged candidate, and all the campaign finance hoopla which accompanies
it. A one-term Republican US Senator, then one-term Independent Governor,
Chafee entered Presidential Election 2016 as a Democrat. Confused? Cable news program
Common Sense openly derided his ambitions: “Are you kidding me?” MSNBC
took his campaign seriously enough, asked him serious questions, and Chafee
already looked like a deer in headlights. Joining the repeal of Glass-Steagall
then, and the Housing Crisis that followed, Chafee now admits that he voted for
something he didn’t read.
Lincoln Chafee, Presidential Candidate |
Washington Post columnist George
Will gave him a back-handed boost (he
had summarily diminished the Independent In Name Only Bernie Sanders). As
the most left-leaning of Republican US Senators, Chafee voted against the Iraq
War and a Constitutional Amendment to ban flag burning. Incidentally, he voted
against George W. Bush more than Senator Hillary Clinton, before losing to “greenhouse
guru” Rhode Island attorney general
Sheldon Whitehouse in 2006.
Today, Chafee rightly calls Clinton “a war hawk” and
holds her responsible for the chaotic cauldron of multiple Islamic extremist
movements which threaten Israel and the Middle East. Then again, his dubious dalliances
with Cuban
dictator Fidel Castro, and his appeasements efforts with for with deceased
Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez, will also invite penetrating and embarrassing
questions. His simplistic idealism, and his plainspoken honesty (read, naivety)
would merit approval if not for his fatuous praise of President Obama and his
moribund, myopic foreign policy. Chafee
suggested: “Make more friends and fewer enemies.” Not much better than “Don’t
do stupid stuff!” or “What difference does it make?” Chafee’s domestic policy
will be more of Obama drama, plus the adoption
of the metric system. With one foot (or meter) in his mouth, Chafee
advocated to bring Edward Snowden home without punishment.
Rhode Islanders have likened the former governor to an
empty-headed deer in headlights. Others have mocked him as “Governor Gump.” Too
bad he cannot compare to Ocean state Founder Roger Williams, who bucked the
impure Pharisaical Puritans, then established a colony based on religious
toleration. Chafee embraced a secular, progressive agenda. The capital city,
Providence, has the morally bankrupt distinction of “least Biblically
literate”, plus the fiscal bankruptcy soon to hit. He
even christened May First “Reason Day”. His reason? To placate atheists. He
made war on Christmas by renaming the state Christmas tree a holiday tree, the
attempted to justifying this decision on Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin Zone. Roger Williams paid the native inhabitants for
their land, Chafee has transformed Rhode Island into a Sanctuary State, not for
religious and political dissidents, but illegal aliens, welfare recipients, and
public sector unions.
Rhode Island was the first colony to break away from
the British Crown, the last to adopt the US Constitution, and site for the
American Industrial Revolution. Under Chafee, Rhode Island has turned into a
launch pad subsidiary for federal take-over, government overreach, and
unconstitutional governance. Industry and manpower are fleeing, too.
I have mentioned Rhode Island’s unique history.
Littly Rhody has interesting cuisine, too. From pizza strips and Johnny cakes,
to Del’s Lemonade and clam bakes. The more I read, the more I want to visit. In
sharp contrast, the more one reads Chafee’s record (if once can call it that),
the less one would want him to pursue Presidential aspirations.
One Rhode Island delicacy best symbolizes Chafee’s
bad bid: The Awful-Awful.
SoRhodeIsland
descibes this sweet treat:
Not
quite a milkshake, definitely not a frappe, this creamy creation has delighted
Rhode Island kids and adults for decades. When Newport Creamery opened its
initial location in Middletown in 1940, they used this name for their drinkable
ice cream treat, but it wasn’t until the ‘70s that they officially owned the
“Awful Awful” brand. Whatever your flavor preference (vanilla, chocolate,
coffee, mocha, strawberry, chocolate mint, cookies and cream), it’s going to be
“awful big, awful good.”
Chafee’s lamentably liberal views belong in the
1970s, along with the economic and foreign policy malaise of Jimmy Carter. Like
a different flavor of the month, from his Republican US Senate days, to his
liberal Independent status as governor, then his Presidential aspirations as a
Democrat, Chafee is not quite a milkshake or a frappe. Nothing solid or
certain, tasty to left-wing progressives, Chafee is the light and airy after
meal treat, but will not feed the American need for real leadership looking to right
a ship sinking under heavy regulations, economic job growth, and diminished
prestige on the global stage. He
can’t even raise money, and has polling
so low in Democratic Presidential polling, he could sit in a room with his family,
and ask: “Who’s against me?”
Big Blue Bug drinking an Awful Awful (Annie Babineau) |
To sum up Chafee’s Presidential bid and election chances:
“Awful bad; awful sad.”
For this California
Conservative writing on Rhode Island and national politics, I am awful
glad. Chafee’s campaign (along with the rest of the slapstick Democratic bench)
is a not-so-guilty pleasure, allowing conservatives to expose to a still
unaware nation how extreme, and extremely disturbing yet unserious, the
Democratic Party has become.
Schaper, What did Lincoln Chafee ever do to you? Why do you have so much hate. I don't understand why people feel so motivated to write poor things about Mr. Chafee. He , and his family have dedicated their lives to public service. Which is not an easy job for their family to be in the spot light, but they continue to do it in a humble fashion. He is not running to boost his ego, he is running because he loves this country. I know its the internet, and you are just a blogger, but have some class Mr. Schaper. You know "so much" about RI yet you have no respect for the Chafee's and what they have done for this State and Country.
ReplyDelete