What's really wrong with politics?

There was a news item in CNN's Cafferty's blog that got me to thinking about what's really wrong with political parties. Briefly, the item noted that there was something of a controversy involving assertions by Mr Obama's White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel who calls Limbaugh the “voice and intellectual force and energy” behind the GOP and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says he’s “a national spokesperson for conservative views.” This after the radio host recently repeated his claim that he wants President Obama to fail. Moving right along, RNC chairman Michael Steele first said that Mr. Limbaugh was an "entertainer" whose comments are "ugly." Mr Limbaugh, as is his wont and right, made an issue in his radio show and accused Mr Steele of supporting President Obama and Nancy Pelosi and suggested that Steele was being used by the "liberal media." After which, Mr Steele promptly backpedaled and apologized.

It's hard to know where to begin with this bit of nonsense.

Just for fun, lets start with Mr. Limbaugh. You remember him. He wants Mr. Obama to fail while the country is in the worst economic crisis since the Depression. Mr Limbaugh's notion of being a stand up American and mine are rather different. Of course Mr Limbauch still has a job. I'm looking for one as is my oldest son, nevermind my daughter who is woried about here job. Now none of us are Republicans or Democrats. We are, however, keenly interested in seeing the US economy moving again and hopefully recovering the 60% losses to our retirement funds and don't much care what the underlying politics are. Mr Limbaugh, on the other hand, seems to have drunk way to much of his own coolaid (true believers are a lot like that) and thinks politics transcends what's good for the country.

Moving right along there's Mr. Obama's White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel who sees in Mr Limbaugh the "intelectual" center of the Republican party. This is another well balanced view and clearly represents "change" - NOT. Now, Mr Emanuel is plenty smart enough to realize that while Mr Limbaugh may well represent the extreme right wing of the Republican party, he doesn't speak for the party as a whole. The card Mr Emanuel plays is from that deck the country elected Mr. Obama to dispose of - the politics of division and name calling.

While I'm inclined to think that Mr Emanuel isn't nearly as crazy as Mr Limbaugh, I'm also inclined to think that his offense is worse. While Mr Limbaugh gets paid to generate ratings from a far right radio audiance Mr Emanuel is actually charged with helping to govern the country in a time of serious crisis. Shame on you Mr Emanuel!

So here's a thought, Mr Emanuel. We no longer need the politics of division and extremes. Rather we need the politics of the center where people of good will work to help resolve the countries very serious problems and people like Mr Limbaugh, or for that matter Nancy Pelosi (a bastion of reasonableness - NOT) are ignored into the oblivion they so rightly deserve.

Oh, and Mr Limbaugh, why don't you and Al Sharpton find something to do that actually contributes to the solution. Failing that, just go away.