Another one bites the dust

So Gov. Mark Sanford fled the country for a liaison with his mistress and then lied about what he was doing until the press found out the truth. And this was supposed to be the Republican up and coming star who was going to take on Obama in 2012?

If you google 2012 Republican presidential candidates you begin to realize the complete dearth of leaders within the party. From Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney to Sarah Palin and Haley Barbor, the list is a mix of has beens and nobodies. That's why Republicans were so anxious to promote Sanford to the top of the list. This despite the fact that nobody outside of South Carolina either knew or cared about him just over a year ago. His rise and fall is similar to Sen. George Allen who was supposed to be the conservative choice in 2008. Too bad he couldn't even win re-election in his home state.

This desperate yearning for a presidential candidate is a sign of how misguided our party has become. It won't matter who leads us as long as the party's only answer to every question is less taxes and a ban on gay marriage. Whether you agree with those issues or not, they still don't address the main concerns of most Americans.

Rather than constantly jumping from one supposed hot candidate to another who will hopefully lead us out of the wilderness we would be better off to do some soul searching and rediscover what the Republican message should be in the future. A message that addresses concerns over rising health care costs, sustainably managing our natural resources and rebuilding the nation's infrastructure. No one candidate is going to do that for us; even the ones who haven't cheated on their spouse.

Too Much Michael

It was quite unexpected to learn that Michael Jackson died earlier this week. He was definitely a tragic and fascinating person who seems to have spent the last 40 years of his life trying to reclaim his first 10 years of childhood. However, after the initial shock wore off, I am ready to move on. Unfortunately, The 24 hour cable/entertainment industry simply can't turn off the Jackson spigot. And while I am mostly just bored with the story, I am becoming increasingly frustrated by the over exuberant praise that is being heaped upon the self proclaimed king of pop. Yes, he was a great musician, creative artist and innovative dancer but he hasn't been musically relevant since the mid 90's. But not only is the news coverage heavily focused on the 1980's version of Michael Jackson but it is almost completely lacking any attention to the child abuse allegations. Regardless of the court case dismissing the charges, I remain convinced that he molested several children and I wonder how those kids and their families feel watching the coverage this week. Too bad nobody in the TV business seems to care.