Dr. Bill Roy: "Republican debates, eternal hope."

Republican debates, Eternal Hope

by

Dr. Bill Roy,

lawyer, physician, congressman

(Ks., 2nd Dist., '70 - '74)

I have watched about half the presidential debates so far, and I like them. After these debates and the head to head debates following the nominations, no American can legitimately mumble, “I didn’t vote; I just didn’t know enough about the candidates.”

If you have limited your TV watching to Soprano re-runs, don‘t fret. The second portion of the Democrats’ 19 debates and the Republicans’ 18 debates are still to come. They wind up the last two days of January in California, just before Super-Saturday when enough big states vote to decide the major party candidates.

I have watched the Republican debates carefully and with the eternal hope that they produce someone who can be a great president because we need one. And I am aware 7 of the last 10 presidential elections have been won by Republicans.

I have thought since 2000 we could live with a President John McCain. He has taken (nearly unspoken) right-wing social positions, but has never pushed them, perhaps aware they are minority positions outside GOP primaries.

And, he did enter politics after the modern Republican party was found either at the August, 1974 Right to Life meeting in Hays, Kansas, or when the Supreme Court handed down Roe v. Wade in January, 1973 Take your choice..

McCain passed the litmus test of opposing abortions earlier than other Republicans. But, if you missed the first debates, you may have missed most speeches on abortion because they have pretty well exhausted that subject with total orthodoxy and unanimity, minus one.

McCain has been right on the Iraq War. Either you fight the damn thing, or you don’t. The one thing you don’t do is feed kids into a sausage grinder of death one by one. And, McCain has had reasonable and courageous positions (for a Republican) on immigration and election reform.

But McCain is not going to be the nominee. He’s too old. His chance to be president went up in the flames of racial prejudice when Bush-Rove put on the telephone campaign in South Carolina claiming he is father of a black, illegitimate child

That leaves Giuliani and Romney.

Giuliani supports gun control, abortion rights and gay rights. And he is from Queens. Let’s face it, for many traditional Republicans, New York City is Gomorrah. Once-Democrat Rudy Giuliani would make a good Democratic candidate, which is why he will not be the Republican nominee.

I keep seeing Mitt Romney as the next president. Only he and Bill Clinton are perfect for the television age.

And, while Clinton parsed his words, “It depends on what your definition of “is” is, Romney is either politics’ greatest flip-flopper, or he possesses the most evolving (or, is it revolving, or even revolting?) political positions in modern American politics.

He takes opposing positions with the greatest of ease; he flies through the truth with the greatest of ease--just like the man on the flying trapeze in the song of yore.

Either Republican primary voters will be there to catch him as he comes out of his triple somersault with three full twists smiling, or, they will have tired of his dishonesty and let him fall. I’m betting on the former.

Every time I think of Romney and his handsome family, I immediately envision his presentation to the convention before his acceptance speech.

He and his wife Anne have five very masculine sons--also right out of central casting--ages 26-37. And, while, not unlike other children of privilege, none has been in the military service (Dad says they are doing their patriotic duty by helping him become president), they would look magnificent in military uniforms--something dad, grandpa and great grandpa Romney have not worn.

I see a Romney sons’ military tableau honoring all Americans who have served in our country‘s wars. From left to right, the five Romney’s are in dress uniforms--the Coast Guard. Marines, Army, Navy and Air Force--with flags waving, proper choreography and deafening band music. Wow!

War-like Republicans will go into patriotic frenzy when Mitt’s boys march onto stage. Hillary will never lead in the polls again. Finis.

Dr. Roy may be reached at wirroy@aol.com