When I was young, it was pretty clear what the two major parties stood for. The Democrats stood for change, and the Republicans stood for the status quo. The Republicans were also supposed to be the party of fiscal discipline. That latter aspect was tossed out the window when Reagan took office and drove up deficits through accelerated military spending. When Bush took office in 2000, he (and congressional Republicans) trashed the rest of their legacy with actions both regressive and radical, trampling on Constitutional rights. What does the party stand for these days? It's impossible to tell - it seems they are only against things.

They are against anything the Democrats support, and against President Obama in particular. Nearly every legislative initiative put forth by the Democrats has been voted against en masse by the Republicans, even those that were originally Republican ideals, and supported strongly by them:

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A poll released on Sunday shows that voters who identify themselves as Republicans have some pretty crazy ideas:

• Should Barack Obama be impeached, or not? 39% said yes. For what?, I have to ask...


• Do you believe Barack Obama was born in the United States, or not? 36% said no, with another 22% unsure.


• Do you believe Barack Obama wants the terrorists to win? 24% said yes, with another 33% unsure.


• Do you believe Sarah Palin is more qualified to be President than Barack Obama? only 14% said no.

But that's just the voters that believe these crazy things, right?... No, even the elected officials - besides condemning legislation that supports their goals just because the Dems are writing it - believe some of the craziness. The Lt. Governor of TN isn't sure if President Obama is a U.S. citizen. He's running to be the governor of one of the 50 states and he's a "birther"??

A House Rep - Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) - has a great idea to help balance the budget: Cut Social Security benefits for those under 55 years old. That should go over well with the electorate.

Finally, we address the issue of the trials for terrorism suspects. When Bush did it, they crowed about what a success it was. Yet now that it's President Obama doing the same thing, suddenly it's the worst idea ever. In fact, they are trying to force the issue via legislation. Would they be doing this if it was a Republican president? Of course not.

I can't believe the voters are happy with this sort of "I'm against it" nay-saying to whatever the Democrats are supporting, to the point where their coming out against their own policies. We'll see later this year whether they are rewarded or punished at the polls for their bizarre behavior.