FLAIT

As I've shown in this blog, most recently in this post, Republicans aren't just always wrong, but couldn't be more wrong. But it's much worse than that. The GOP presidential candidates don't even know enough about policy to respond to the issues in an intellectual manner (not that we didn't know that anyway).

For instance, from the February 25 Republican presidential debate, Gov. John Kasich on the war in Syria:

First of all, we should have been supporting the rebels long ago. They could have taken Assad out, and because we did nothing, the Russians are in, and they’re sitting in the catbird seat.

As if it's that simple, and the war would have ended years ago with all sides shaking hands and breaking bread. Yea, right. But the problem is that the rebels he's talking about is group called Jabhat al-Nusra, which is an al-Qaeda affiliate. And we are, indirectly through the Saudi's, training and equipping them.

Wait. What? We're arming al-Qaeda?

Yep. And that's the crime here. And had John Kasich known that - and you'd think someone running for president would - he could have attacked Obama legitimately for "being on al-Qaeda's side...giving them weapons...Why does Obama hate America?..."

But since GOP politics is a contest among exponentially ignorant Republicans to determine who can attack and despise Obama more than the previous guy, they just spew whatever lies and exaggerations pop into their heads.

But it goes to show that even when Republicans could be right, they're still wrong! And Kasich was wrong anyway because we are arming the rebels! And the war continues (and arming al-Qaeda sooner wouldn't have made a difference).

Then there's Sen. Marco Rubio. He took credit for getting rid of the "bailout fund" within Obamacare (it was only delayed because of a lawsuit). This fund, actually called "risk corridors" was...

paid into by insurers and supplemented by taxpayers to spread the risk for insurers taking on all newcomers, including sick people with pre-existing conditions who would be expensive.

Also, the idea behind this fund was to keep small insurance companies in business. But with the fund now delayed because of the lawsuit, some have been forced to close and that means less competition (which Republicans are always screaming for as the answer to health insurance). And by not being able to tap into this fund, it forced insurance companies to raise premiums (which is the GOP's goal so they can attack Obamacare for "exploding costs" which they never gave a hoot about before). Great going, Senator.

So Kasich and Rubio are either making stuff up just to, as I said above, attack Obama so they can score political points with mindless and gullible Republican voters, or they're extremely, extremely ignorant on policy matters.

Which one is it? Both. Obviously.

But it doesn't matter. Attacking Obama and the Democrats trumps everything this "party" does (so to speak). Heck, mature, intelligent policy discussions don't crack the GOP's top 10 100 500 1000 list of priorities.

Always being wrong is bad enough. But GOP presidential candidates don't care about policy and are ignorant of policy; not that anyone notices, of course. And that's sad, it really is (both that Republicans don't care about policy and are ignorant about policy and that no one notices). And I didn't even mention that Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz are advocating war crimes.

Makes you proud to be an American, doesn't it?

But wait, there's more (with Republicans, there always is)! In the embarrassing March 3 Republican debate ....spectacle, or whatever that was, here's Juan Cole who knows a thing or two about the Mid-East:

I count 4 wars they are promising us, with US troops on the ground in each. They have some imaginary Sunni military coalition in mind, which doesn’t exist and won’t. And, Trump promised more torture and murder of innocents and no one else on the stage even demurred, except for (moderator) Mr. Baier (who won’t be making those decisions).

Makes you even more proud to be an American, doesn't it?

Just once, I wish Republicans were challenged to show maturity, responsibility and intellect (insert laughter here) by asking them to offer a substantive policy proposal or idea, or just something constructive (insert more laughter here), without attacking, blaming or - and this is the important part - using the phrases "tax cuts" and "less government" (because that's their "solution" to everything, and neither is a real solution) (insert even more laughter here). And to make it easier, they could choose any topic or issue they want.

They won't be able to do it.

Donald Trump isn't the first Republican to know nothing, offer nothing and care about nothing, except lying, attacking, bullying and hard-core partisan politics. Heck, as this blog has proven, lying, attacking, bullying and hard-core partisan politics is all Republicans have.

So it's more than just being wrong all the time. A lot more. And it's more than being exponentially ignorant about policy. It's about not bothering to care about policy. Ever. And that's not embarrassing, that's scary. Very scary.

I present your Republican "Party."