By Jack Hoffman

My physical therapist could hardly wait to get me on my back when he asked me, “Jack, what did you think of the debates?” I didn’t want to upset him with my progressive politics for fear I would only get a few seconds of a massage and the remaining time might be too much for me to handle.

But my big mouth wouldn’t shut up. “David they are boring and inclined to get me in an apolitical mood,” I told him. The truth is I find all these presidential debates a total joke. It’s like watching some adult versionof Community Auditions. How so many of these clowns have the chutzpa to think they can win a presidential race – let alone lead the greatest country on earth – amazes me. I was ready to nod off one during of those side shows when Rick Santorum, the wonder of Pennsylvania, who lost a rematch for governor by 20%, trotted out his wife along with some of his seven kids. He began telling the story how they took their newly born preemie home. Since his wife had preemie experience in the hospital she worked (she was a prenatal nurse), she got to take it home. How she ever got permission to take the baby home that barely had two hours of life within is still a mystery to me.

The Santorum’s excuse was they wanted their other kids to see what mommy was carrying and they could even play with the dead baby. And they have the audacity to criticize anyone who crosses their meaning of morality. I hardly finished telling my physical therapist the story when another therapist came up to me to tell me there was a thirteen year old listening to me- – Boo hoo – and can I cesnor myself.

Did I cross some line telling the story that millions of people were hearing on their TVs? And yet all these presidential candidates stand there criticizing President Obama for just about everything he has said and done, calling them “socialist ideas.” Especially Santorum. As previously mentioned, he can be a real beauty.

Another doozy from Santorum, who is the Republican front runner at this point, was homosexuality. He equated homosexuality with bestiality and pedophilia. When they mention some of Obama’s failings they are talking specifically about Social Security and Medicare and of course Obamacare – whose outlines were derived from the Mitt Romney’s healthcare program here in the Bay State. They don’t dare mention specifically a reduction in Social Security and Medicare for fear of losing the over 65 crowd. They will say President Obama has no foreign policy and will hesitate to point out all the news about the demise of Al Queda.

More than afew years ago we were talking about potential nominees. Even though the 2008 elections were barely over. Now we can hardly wait until the winning nominee appoints a certain somebody to be the vice presidential nominee.

Don’t hold your breath. Did you see how the media picked up on a story that the White House was thinking Secretary of State Hilary Clinton might want a go at it. Boy, are they winners, those in the media who are starting to seep to the level of a supermarket check out line tabloid magazine.

So now comes this new popular phenomenon to politics when something doesn’t click with the media the immediate response is “it was taken out of context.” Or the media is “elititist.” Mitt comes up with this winner by saying he enjoys firing people. Now I understand Mitt. What it must be like being trailed by so many of the media and sometimes you don’t realize what you say. His later response to the firing was it was taken out of context. He goes on to say that it was “insurance companies should be fired.”

Wait a minute – how do you get to insurance companies from firing people? Well it’s good old Mitt at it again with a 2 1/2 flip flop. We should call him the man with the golden flip. Don’t you just love this crap?

Now what about Mitt wanting this country to return to the soul it once was? Now he has me started. What does that mean Mittso? I know what soul means, but what period are you talking about? Anyone want to argue this? I wonder how much soul all these gentlemen have? Before we get into the Political Super Bowl, better still it should be the Stinky Bowl next November. Lets clear one lie up — When congress passed the $800 billion bail out bill, 30% of it went for tax relief to small business and the public. Another 30% went to infrastructure.

The balance remains in what is called the government pipeline. Waiting for commitments from the states. Fact # 1 the Congressional Budget Committee that sees where money is spent has concluded a survey with this particular program – its findings as far as jobs were that 300,000 jobs have been created from this program. So shut up about that falsehood of wasted expenditures.

I see this presidential race as a bunch of egomaniacs who see themselves as saviors – willing to say anything, willing to trash the environment, let millionaires off the tax hook. Running on a treadmill going nowhere.

Maybe voters have seen through this veil of hypocrisy and now understand when we talk about the loss of democracy.

How about returning this country to the people. Let’s have a rebirth of our democracy. That will never happen unless the moneyed folk who control the switches take a break and find something else to spend their money on. Obama has said his campaign will need over $1 billion to run a good campaign. What a waste — So don’t think for a second the democrats are so innocent.

The Supreme Court re: Citizens United has said in so many words that when it comes to corporations contributing money they are like people. Not in those words, but certainly close to it. They did say
the sky’s the limit when it comes to campaign contributions. And anyone can give as much $$$ as they want. Sheldon Adelson the billionaire casino operator just gave Newt more miliions. That’s after it’s become apparent Newt might have little or no chance of winning the nomination.

We are just beginning to see the real big money begin to flow. Who knows when the sky is the limit and the moneyed movers and and shakers have some of the deepest pockets in the world. They won’t give their power up.

Don’t worry – we will all pay for it next January.