This political season cannot end too soon. I know that some of you are voting early and that means we are nearing the finish line of this tediously ignoble presidential campaign. It has been said by a few commentators that this will be the most important election in our lifetime. Statements that grandiose tend to be nothing more than hype and hyperbole, but for once I think it may be accurate. I say that because, from my perspective as an independent, it seems that the Republican Party has become so out of kilter with reality that, should they seize the White House, we as a country are in for a rough sled ride.

The progressive intellectual diarrhea of the Republican right wing has caused a stink to rise from Congress and much of it has settled on Romney in his headlong quest for the presidency. What we have been treated to in this election cycle from Romney and his backers has been nothing more nor less than a labyrinth of oversimplifications aimed at filling their lummox followers with sufficient reason to vote their fears and prejudices, while keeping them from recognizing what they should truly be afraid of, namely, the characterless flip-flopping of Romney’s run for high office.

The Republican presidential candidate is hopelessly entangled in his spectacularly shameless reversals of position on key issues. All the while, that party’s politicians continue to spew a cent’s worth of information wrapped in a web of high-sounding malarkey. Romney himself is so desperate to get into the White House, he may yet don a dress and black face makeup and try to pretend he’s Michelle Obama.

Aren’t we all “up to here” with what H. L. Mencken would call “a compilation of balderdash”? And the farrago of baloney coming from Paul Ryan makes one blink in amazement at how these two guys seem joined at the hip. Any retired person who votes for Romney/Ryan must be well into dementia, given their plan for Medicare.

What we need is less posturing and politics and more cooperative effort at focusing upon and solving the problems we face. More and more, the word Republican does not appear to be a viable participant in that process.