The country has become bloated on the red meat of Republican leadership and politics.  In desperation the voters are running to the secrecy of their voting booth to purge the atrocities.

We live in Punkin Center, Missouri.  We are in the 6th Congressional District.  The three term Republican Congressman Sam Graves, a gentleman farmer, is popular in the rural area.  He is being challenged by the Democrat Kay Barnes, the past Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri.  Congressman Graves is known very well as a brutal, down in the mud, campaigner.  He is living up to his reputation.  Kay Barnes is very popular, living in North Kansas City (the Sixth District) and raised in St. Joe, Mo.  Barnes is a second cousin or something to Walter Cronkite – her maiden name was Cronkite.  Walter was born in St. Joe.

The thing we have noticed in this election is the participation by the National Parties in our local race.  We have been watching the local advertisements and every other one is sponsored by either the RNC or the DNC.  This suggests to us that Conservative Sam is in trouble – and the national folks know it.  We hear on the talking head programs that the RNC has stopped spending money on the McCain campaign and are focusing their resources on the down ballot folks.

We follow the national news and we see that many of the Republican stalwarts are in trouble.  Mitch McConnell and Elizabeth Dole have dropped in the polls.  They are in the ‘danger zone’ of defeat.

This purging of the conservative Republicans is not without merit or justification.  The Republicans who ran Congress from 2000 to 2006 abdicated their responsibility of balancing the powers of the federal government.  And nothing less than a balance of powers is on the line for America.  There are three branches – and they will all change dramatically because of the pivotal election of 2008.

We cannot put all of this on George W. Bush – just most of it.  But the Republicans like Sam Graves who towed the party line with consistent ‘yes’ votes own their role.  Some of those down ballot folks have been mindless, preaching words handed to them by their Party Leaders.

The American people are looking at a bloated and sick bureaucracy.  These folks abandoned the morals and values of the Reagan Revolution – they were captivated with their unbridled power.  And they abused their power.

The purging has begun.