I'm a "fringe Leftist" RINO. Apparently.

So..... It's officially started. Republicans are starting to hate me again.

It's cool, I've been through this before. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. As the landscape of American politics flip-flops again, and I steadfastly stand my ground where I always have before, Republicans are starting to find out that I'm not really on their team.

And I'm completely shocked (shocked, I tell you!) to find out that most of them aren't really interested in liberty, or rational thought.

Gosh am I ever surprised by this.

I was a tiny bit surprised, however, to find out on Facebook last night that I'm a RINO, and that perhaps I'm also a "fringe Leftist" Obama sycophant. I sure am surprised. To be a RINO, wouldn't I first have to be a Republican "in Name"? Whoops.

There's one thing about American politics that drives me utterly insane, and I'm about to endure the 2011-2012 version of it right in the epicenter of the idiot-storm. I'm not entirely ready for that, but I do think it will remain an interesting experience.

Consider.

When George W. Bush invaded Iraq & Afghanistan, the "left" came out in droves to protest unilateral military action. Simultaneously, much of the "right" claimed that Bush's actions were heroic, regardless of their constitutional merit.

Then, like manna from heaven, January 20th, 2009 dawns and Barack Obama is crowned King of America inaugurated as US President and by god, we were going to get renewed "hope" and oh-so-much "change". Barack was not a unilateral war-monger like Bush! He wasn't going to bankrupt our country and disrupt our national security with costly, reckless warfare. Oh no. He was the savior!

Cut to 2011.

Where have all the Democrat anti-war protesters gone? Why, now they're out defending Obama's (way more unconstitutional) decision to expand our involvement in Afghanistan - which has only gotten more violent and dangerous in the last 2 years, by the way - and positively celebrating Obama's choice to commit tens of billions of dollars worth of US military resources into Libya, without so much as even talking with Congress about it or, for the first several days, really even making a public statement.

Of course, Republicans, still trying to justify their opposition to Obama, continue to criticize his foreign policy decisions as being anything from confusing to unconstitutional.

Can't exactly argue with them there, but it's pretty funny to hear the critiques coming from a lot of them (most of the new guys get a pass, though).

It goes on like this on issue after issue... Democrats who were utterly horrified by Bush's illegal and frankly, Orwellian, spying on American citizens have absolutely nothing to say about President Obama who has managed to continue every one of Bush's programs and add to them with the prosecution (and inhumane mistreatment but totally "legal" according to the administration) of alleged Wikileaks whistleblower, Bradley Manning, and the attempted assassination of American citizens abroad without even the pretense of Constitutionally protected Due Process.

Oh, and by the way... The latest drone strike intended to kill American-Yemeni citizen/Al Qaeda "suspect", Anwar Awlaqi, missed... don't worry though, there's no way any civilians were killed. Our bombs are "smart".

Republicans who lauded Bush's "cowboy diplomacy" mock and criticize Obama for... Umm... Exacerbating Bush-era "defense" policies! No irony detected. Democrats also seem to see no irony in Barack Obama walking away with a Nobel Peace Prize.

Fail.

Up until the recent killing of Osama bin Laden (which many Republicans & Democrats have come together to wildly celebrate), many Republicans were still firmly disputing Obama's foreign policy as anything like their own, in spite of the completely obvious fact to people who play for either team that Obama's foreign policy was (like his economic policy), Bush on steroids.

*Facepalm*

And while we're at it... Let's talk about economic policy, shall we?


Finally there is a tiny contingent of Republicans, many associated with the Tea Party movement around the US, who are starting to grasp that endless deficits and increasing national debt is not healthy for America. Of course, the strongest of these voices, like Congressman Paul Ryan, offer "solutions" which barely scratch the surface. Ryan's plan to "balance the budget" astoundingly still manages to recommend  increasing government spending substantially over the next decade, just at a slower rate than anybody else's ridiculous plans.

Of course, they spend tons of time criticizing Obama for bad economic policy (as they should), but few among their ranks understand anything beyond "cut taxes!".

Now that Republican primary debates have started up again, I've once again been forced to turn my ever-critical eye on standard Republican nonsense... most of which is, I'm sorry to inform everyone, not all that much different than the standard Democrat nonsense.

Even the minor differences in rhetoric cannot make up for the absurd similarities in substance.

So here I am... Briefly described as a scourge of liberals... A "right winger", a Fox News-watching, Rush Limbaugh-listening "dittohead", spouting Republican lies about the economy and about whatever else I was supposed to have been doing. But now that a few of the people who excitedly added me on Facebook when I blasted Obama's policies are starting to realize I'm not going to be supporting their favorite neo-con in 2012, I have suddenly been labeled an "America-hating", MSNBC-watching, fringe Leftist, socialist, commie Democrat and clear supporter of Obama... Like a chump.

Part of me thinks it's pretty hilarious to be incorrectly stuffed into a box by some idiot who fails to understand that political philosophy extends beyond Team Red and Team Blue, and then get ejected from that box by the same person a few months later as if I'm supposed to think it's a bad thing... But then... Mostly...


...Sigh...