The Grand Old Party

Started the day out with a good belly laugh when I read the Alaska Dispatch article on this weekend's Alaska Republican Party state convention.  It seems that the Ron Paul faction of the party has taken control from the Establishment (read Big Oil) types in a coup of sorts.  In anticipation of the outcome, the party stalwarts transferred all the boodle in their treasury to the local Juneau Republican Party which, I presume, is still run by the old timers.  What a hoot.

Alaska's GOP has the hots for Ron!  Old White Guys of a different sort...

Indeed, it's been a bad couple of weeks for the Republican Establishment here.  Governor Parnell's call for a special session to provide Big Oil with a massive tax cut was so poorly thought-out that he actually pulled-it from the agenda after one embarrassing hearing. 

What the change of leadership in the GOP really means is hard to tell.  The best bet is that the libertarian types who will soon be in charge will find that there's not much they can really do to affect change - that incumbent Republican office-holders will simply raise their own funds and/or benefit from independent political action committee expenditures (read Big Oil again).  

On the other hand, state law does give political parties both at the state and district level some independent authorities.  The Party's role in redistricting and filling vacant legislative seats comes immediately to mind.

In any event, it could be quite entertaining...

Meanwhile, on the national level, the Mittster is now in pirouette and pivot mode as he attempts to reposition himself for the general election.  This, too, will be quite entertaining for those of us with memories longer than a hamster.  The Empty Suit has a lot of explainin' to do to women, latinos, and other demographic groups critical to the outcome of the fall election.   And of course he still needs to keep the Baptist Mullahs, Tea Baggers and other assorted whack-jobs on the right of his own party REASONABLY content. 

With enough cash - and cash will not be a problem for Mitt - it is certainly possible that a New and Improved Mitt Romney persona can be successfully created in the public mind.  Fortunately, from my perspective anyway, Mr. Romney shows no indication that he is backing away from his previous positions on the economy.  His vision of an American dystopia - a society that resembles most Latin American countries in the 1960's where the obscenely rich get more obscenely rich and the rest of us take the hindmost - seems to remain his stated goal.

But more on this later...

In other news, I hauled Alison and Dougie to the airport the other day and they, along with Alison's mom, Thelma, are now enjoying the pleasures of Kona, Hawaii.  Just got a text from Alison and it seems that several other Juneau persons of our acquaintance (you know who you are Julia, Jane, and Terry) are also on a vacay to the Big Island.  A reunion supper of sorts is planned for this evening.  Damn I wish I could be there!

Perhaps my internet machine will somehow provide me with some pics to post from the event (hint, hint).

Later gang!