GOP: Running the government is humiliating to us.

Want to know how far right the GOP has gone and how little they want a federal government? If you listen to them today, the fact that they are having to vote to simply run the government for 90 days at the budget numbers they want, not at the level Democrats want, is a humiliation. Really, GOP, this is what it has gotten down for you? You hate the government so much that simply doing what you're suppose to do and keep the government open, your basic job description and duty of the office, is a step down for you? What are you doing in politics then? Your basic belief is that the 50 states should run themselves, right? Then say it! Don't beat around the bush and say that there's things you like, and then try and shut everything down. If you're right and the country agrees with you, then stop trying to gerrymander districts and stop people from voting. If you think it's humiliating to run the government, imagine how the country feels about how you're leading us. Or, actually, not leading us.      

Today, I'm ashamed to be a veteran.

This afternoon, there was a protest in Washington billed as a million veteran march, and from what I've seen, read, and heard, this is a day I'm actually ashamed to be associated with vets.

The march today didn't show the full scale of what all veterans feel or think, but the fact that any vet would be part of a march where confederate flags would be flown is simply appalling to me. So vets, what part of the old confederacy do you want, the racism, the slavery, or the desire to secede from America, and which do you find appealing and want to have happen? If this is the way you feel, why did you fight for this country? Yes, there were vets from before the military became all-voluntary, many in fact. But why are you proud that you served a country that you don't believe in. Want to march without your veteran's hat and/or gear on, fine. I'll disagree with you, but it's your right. But stand up as a member of the military, even retired or just vet, and you must reflect the country. Letting people yell to a christian President to "Go home and read your Koran" is simply letting the haters and the racist win the day. Did you do that when you were in the military? Not like you did today, I'm sure.

Today, I was ashamed to be a veteran. Actually, I wasn't ashamed that I am a veteran, I was ashamed of all the veterans today that decided to show people that they hate America, and how I'm now painted with their broad brush. It was a sad day, both for vets and those who look to the military for a light on how people should treat each other. It's too bad that vets reflect America, the good and the bad. But the good wasn't on display today, only the bad.      

Let's give Boehner some credit.

While I have ripped the GOP no end, I actually do have to give Speaker John Boehner credit for one thing: He has seen that the GOP is now a far-right party, and as leader of the party, has moved to the right so he could keep his leadership position in the party. After all, it's tough to lead a group when they won't follow you. It's damn near impossible when they aren't even on the same path that you're on.

While those in Washington and on Wall Street have just came to realization that there's a schism in the GOP, Speaker Boehner came to the realization that there is no schism in the GOP any more, and moved to where the power in the party is now. He sees that while some think that there the GOP is trying to decide which way it wants to go in the future, in truth, the far-right fridge of the GOP in the mid 2000s is now the middle of the party and where the power is in the GOP. Like it or not, he's seen the way the wind is blowing in the GOP and moved to where the wind is now.

Some people believe that the Speaker of the House should work for the country, and in truth, the Speaker and all members of Congress should work for the good of the majority of Americans. But Speaker Boehner knows that he is the ranking member of the GOP, the one with the most governmental power, and he now has moved to reflect the belief that the majority of his party has now. It's not his fault that the GOP doesn't want to be a national party or govern anymore. He has just moved with the party, and for that Speaker Boehner has to be given some credit.    

Even in a crisis, GOP has to lie.

The GOP just can't help but lie, can they? Texas Senator John Cornyn got on national TV today and said that voting for a "clean" CR and a "clean" debt limit increase would be giving the President a "blank check." Senator, do you even know what a blank check is? Approving a CR would keep the government open, but it would have an over-all limit, and each department would also have a limit on what they could spend. A debt limit increase would have an amount they government could go into debt, but could go no farther. Is that really a blank check, Senator? No, of course not. A blank check says "Spend what you want, and you have no limit." Neither the CR or a debt limit increase says that. Really, Senator Cornyn, even in a time of crisis like this, do you and the rest of the GOP have to lie?

So what do you really want, Speaker?

Two months ago, Speaker Boehner said that there would be no reason for the government to shut down or not approve a new debt ceiling. Two weeks ago, he stated that the government might have to shut down so that the Affordable Care Act could be stopped, but that there was no reason not to increase the debt limit. A week ago, the Speaker told reporters that it was true that, in fact, the Affordable Care Act actually couldn't be stopped, and that the shutdown was actually about the growing federal budget. It didn't matter that in the 2014 budget, the Democrats went 90% of the way to the GOP number, and both sides agreed to that number. Then yesterday, the Speaker said that he refused to put to a vote either a clean CR or a clean debt increase bill. So Speaker, this really isn't about the Affordable Care Act, and it can'r be about the budget, since both Democrats and majority of the GOP agree on the size of the budget for next year. Now, would you please tell the American people what you and the GOP really want? Tell the American people what the actually end game of all this really is for the GOP. It's to get rid of the federal government, isn't it? Come on, Speaker, tell us the truth about what you really want.        

Does the GOP want to be a regional party?

As the government shutdown continues, there are a few in the GOP in the House that are saying enough is enough. Over a dozen GOP House members have said that they'll vote for a clean CR if it came up for a vote. Less than a dozen more, and the clean CR would come up for a vote. But why would a few Congressmen go against their party? Simply, these Congressmen are mainly from the northeast, although some are from the west and the mid-west, and they know that every day they agree to keep the government shutdown, they lose thousands voters. And these voters won't just not vote for them, but they won't vote for any GOP candidate for years. So, to them, the question is, do you stay with our party now and ensure the GOP becomes a regional party, or do they do what their constituents wants and stay relevant in politics?    

Every day the GOP keeps the government stays shutdown, the GOP is losing voters in the northeast, the west, and the mid-west, and Congressmen there can see it. So, is the GOP trying to be a regional party that can't win national elections, or is that just a bi-product of their stupidity?    

The GOP has their beer goggles on.

Listening to the GOP today, I swear they are just like a man late at night after a few drinks in a bar-- The GOP has their beer goggles on. To listen the GOP, they are fighting for those that elected them in 2010, the entire country agrees with them, and no one who disagrees with them knows anything about facts and figures, and feel the other side is ethically wrong and morally bankrupt. The Tea Party simply can't see the truth: The ACA was the central issue of the 2012 election, and they lost. They lost the Presidency, lost seats in the Senate, and although they held the house, 1.5 million more people voted for the Democrats than for the GOP. Also, so far, everything that the GOP has railed against in the ACA has been proven false. Insurance rates are going to be less for 98% of Americans under the ACA than they were before the law was enacted. There are no "Death Panels". And instead of blowing a whole in the budget, the ACA will actually save money. Finally, those that don't see the world as the same way as the Tea Party do simply see the world differently. There is no hole automatically in their heads, hearts, or souls.

Just like a man in a bar late at night after a few drinks, the GOP can't see the truth right in front of them, and can only see things the way they wish they were. The GOP has their beer goggles on. Too bad they'll still have them on in the morning.