MLK had a dream. Newt is a nightmare.

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything about a Republican presidential debate.  Since then, I’ve been amused (Rick Perry’s oops)….I’ve been amazed (Mitt Romney isn’t always a robot)…and I’ve been appalled (many times).

But I haven’t felt compelled to write anything.  Until now.  Until Newt.  Until South Carolina and an audience of racists.  On Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Oh my God.  OHMYGODOHMYGODOHYMYGOD.

A white candidate versus a black moderator.  The candidate being cheered.  The moderator being booed.  My stomach being turned.

Let’s set the stage.  It started innocently enough.  Juan Williams questioning Newt Gingrich about his controversial comments that poor kids in low-income neighborhoods work as janitors in schools.  When Williams asked if Newt could see how that was insulting, especially to African Americans, Newt said no.  The crowd cheered.  Williams asked if Newt intended to belittle the poor and racial minorities.  The crowd booed.  Newt dug into his greatest hits, and replayed his “Barack Obama is the food stamp president” attack.  The crowd cheered again.  Louder.  Longer.  A standing ovation.  It was a redneck red meat moment for the ages.

So think about it.  A white, largely conservative audience in the deep south cheered racism and child labor on the day we honor the greatest civil rights leader of our time.

Look, I understand Newt’s strategy.  His poll numbers are down, he has no chance of winning the Republican nomination, and he certainly has no chance of being Mitt Romney’s running mate.  So he doesn’t have to worry about trying to appeal to moderates, or anyone who isn’t a member of the KKK.  He’s catering to the base.  The really, really, really extreme wing of the base.  And South Carolina is the perfect place to do it. 

This week’s primary is Newt’s last chance.

He’s going down swinging.

And in the end, he’ll sell more books, he’ll make more money on the lecture tour, he’ll make more money as a consultant, and he’ll continue to be a very rich man.

It’s not the first time the audience at one of these debates has gotten as much attention as the candidates.  Remember when they booed a gay soldier?  Or cheered for people dying?  But what  happened last night took things to a whole new level.  Hopefully, one that won’t be reached again….or, God forbid, topped at a future debate.  Unfortunately, I’m not that hopeful.

Big stick, big anniversary

 You know that “bully pulpit” that we hear so much about?  We heard it just last week when President Obama gave his jobs speech.

You know who coined the phrase?  That’s right, the president known for saying “bully” when he thought something was great.  Teddy Roosevelt.

Who became president 110 years ago today.

Right here in Buffalo.

Yep, September 14, 1901 was quite a day in American history, and the history of Buffalo.  You remember your history, don’t you?  Back then, Buffalo was the 8^th-largest city in the country.  And that year, the city went all out.  It played host to the Pan-American Exposition….kind of like a world’s fair, only bigger.  It was huge.  Spectacular buildings were built for the event.  Lit up at night….they called it the “City of Lights”.  Many visitors were seeing electricity for the first time.

And in September, the president of the United States came to town.  William McKinley.  Unfortunately, so did an anarchist named Leon Czolgosz.  Who…on September 6^th, as the president greeted the public at the Exposition’s Temple of Music…..fired two shots at McKinley.  One just grazed him, but the other went through his stomach, pancreas, and kidney.  At first, doctors thought the president would survive….but on September 12^th he took a turn for the worse.

Roosevelt, who was vice president, was rushed to Buffalo.  But in those days, rushing didn’t mean quite what it does today.  McKinley died at 2:15 am on the 14^th.  Roosevelt arrived about 12 hours later, and was sworn in that afternoon.

At the age of 42, he was the youngest president in history.  He may have been young…he may not have been elected….but that didn’t stop him from becoming one of our greatest presidents.

Siena College, which periodically surveys presidential scholars to rank all US presidents, had Teddy number two on its last list, behind the other Roosevelt, FDR.  Teddy has been in the top five on that list every time.

I’ve always been a big TR fan.  Not just because of the Buffalo connection, and not because of the Teddy Bear thing.  Because he was an interesting president.

He helped settle a United Mine Workers strike, with the workers getting more pay for fewer hours.  He believed in regulation….passing the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act to protect Americans from unsafe food.  He believed the government should regulate interstate corporations.  He believed in conservation.  He believed in the “Square Deal”…a fair shake for everyone.  In other words, he was a progressive.  Oh, did I mention he was also a Republican?  Imagine what he would think of his party today.

And imagine what he would think of the presidency today.  Remember, Teddy was known for the phrase “speak softly and carry a big stick”.   When was the last time a president did that?

Imagine Teddy Roosevelt dealing with John Boehner and Eric Cantor and Mitch McConnell.  Compromise?  Bipartisanship?  He’d give them a rough ride.

Back to Buffalo for a minute.  There are those who say the McKinley assassination was the beginning of the city’s downturn.  A lot of bad things have happened to Buffalo since then.  Who knows….maybe if McKinley had lived, the Bills might have won one of those Super Bowls.

And who knows…maybe President Obama can channel a little Teddy.  Maybe he can find that big stick. 

So happy anniversary TR.  Bully!

Republicans: We see dead people

Hey, I think we finally found those death panels Sarah Palin was talking about.  They’re attending the Republican Presidential debates!

Have you heard the crowds at the last two debates?  For a party filled with people who call themselves “Right to Lifers”, they certainly like the prospect of people dying. 

At last night's Tea Party debate, when Wolf Blitzer was asking Ron Paul a health care question….a hypothetical case involving a 30 year old uninsured man with six months to live….and when he asked if the man should just be left to die, the audience answered for him. “Yeah!”

But this was pretty tame compared to last week’s debate at the Reagan Library. I’m sure you’ve seen this clip. Brian Williams wasn’t even finished asking Rick Perry a death penalty question….but when he said Texas has executed more death row inmates than any other state, the audience cheered. Louder than they did for Nancy Reagan.

So I’ve come to three conclusions.

First, if Sarah Palin liked to shoot people from airplanes instead of wolves, she wouldn’t just be the frontrunner….she’d be the Republican nominee by now.

Second, when Dick Cheney shot his hunting buddy in the face, IT WAS NO ACCIDENT!

And finally, speaking of vice presidents shooting people, maybe Aaron Burr had the right idea. Maybe the Republicans should scrap all the remaining debates, and all the primaries, and begin a series of duels to the death. You think Bachmann is gunning for Perry now? Wouldn’t people cheer at that? It would be just like “Spartacus” without the sex & nudity.