- Gingrich - Ready
- Romney - Waiting
- Perry - Late
- Huntsman - Frivolous
- Paul - Cracked
- Bachmann - Romney Veep
- Santorum - Gingrich Veep
Friday, December 16, 2011
Primary Candidate - Debate Word Association
Day of Wreckoning
Ron Paul is unelectable.
I first came across Ron Paul when he ran in 2007. I saw a side-by-side comparison of the Republican primary candidates on all the main issues and for me, a veteran, it all fell apart on his foreign policy.
Since then I've seen him in these debates.
I've heard it said that Newt Gingrich never had an idea he didn't verbalize.
Ron Paul has never had a rambling, off topic, bring it back to the Fed and American Isolationism (anti-war), stream of consciousness monologue he didn't verbalize during the debate.
He's a verbal, ideological and intellectual train wreck and his anti-establishment, Libertarian groupies, the Ronulans need to stay home on primary day so we can get down to the serious business of picking a nominee to beat Obama.
I first came across Ron Paul when he ran in 2007. I saw a side-by-side comparison of the Republican primary candidates on all the main issues and for me, a veteran, it all fell apart on his foreign policy.
Since then I've seen him in these debates.
I've heard it said that Newt Gingrich never had an idea he didn't verbalize.
Ron Paul has never had a rambling, off topic, bring it back to the Fed and American Isolationism (anti-war), stream of consciousness monologue he didn't verbalize during the debate.
He's a verbal, ideological and intellectual train wreck and his anti-establishment, Libertarian groupies, the Ronulans need to stay home on primary day so we can get down to the serious business of picking a nominee to beat Obama.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
The Romney-Bachmann Ticket
It would appear that primary voters have come to grips with the simple reality that Herman Cain is not going to somehow neutralize the race factor from the Presidential election nor provide African Americans a conservative alternative to Barrack Obama. That fatuous infatuation appears at an end.
I believed all along that his inexperience in foreign politics would be his greatest liability. That was my issue from the get-go. The fact that he allowed himself to be so easily race-baited by the Obama campaign while still vying for primary voters or that he is still the only "Republican" on the campaign trail who is first and foremost stumping for new taxes are my other legitimate concerns; far outweighing anything to do with the allegations of a Clinton-esque sexual harassment scandal.
So Gingrich has popped up into that coveted ARBR spot. (Any Republican But Romney). And he has weathered some of the obvious early criticism and continued to excel in his arena, the debates.
What strikes me is that Bachmann has come after Gingrich most vociferously out of all the other candidates. But to what end? I guess she could be trying to brand herself as the true conservative but in that regard so could Rick Santorum.
This is just my theory but Bachman appears to be a second tier (polling in single digits) candidate who is acting as Romney's attack dog, allowing Mitt to stay consistent in his strategy of staying above the fray.
I called the first Republican debate "The Vice Presidential Debate" for good reason. There was no Romney, Gingrich or Perry in attendance. Straw poll winner Bachmann appears to be operating at that VP wavelength, still saying the same three or four things about herself, harkening back to my criticism of Santorum that night. She continues to sound a little too much like someone interviewing for a job and comes off as not very Presidential.
And maybe she still is . . . trying to impress a future boss.
I believed all along that his inexperience in foreign politics would be his greatest liability. That was my issue from the get-go. The fact that he allowed himself to be so easily race-baited by the Obama campaign while still vying for primary voters or that he is still the only "Republican" on the campaign trail who is first and foremost stumping for new taxes are my other legitimate concerns; far outweighing anything to do with the allegations of a Clinton-esque sexual harassment scandal.
So Gingrich has popped up into that coveted ARBR spot. (Any Republican But Romney). And he has weathered some of the obvious early criticism and continued to excel in his arena, the debates.
What strikes me is that Bachmann has come after Gingrich most vociferously out of all the other candidates. But to what end? I guess she could be trying to brand herself as the true conservative but in that regard so could Rick Santorum.
This is just my theory but Bachman appears to be a second tier (polling in single digits) candidate who is acting as Romney's attack dog, allowing Mitt to stay consistent in his strategy of staying above the fray.
I called the first Republican debate "The Vice Presidential Debate" for good reason. There was no Romney, Gingrich or Perry in attendance. Straw poll winner Bachmann appears to be operating at that VP wavelength, still saying the same three or four things about herself, harkening back to my criticism of Santorum that night. She continues to sound a little too much like someone interviewing for a job and comes off as not very Presidential.
And maybe she still is . . . trying to impress a future boss.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
The New Cain's-eyenism: 9-9-9 = No, No, No
I suspect that all you Cain-eyaks are in for a lot of disappointment in the coming months because plain taking and simple to understand is going to be easily attacked by both sides for lacking in experience and too simplistic to provide a real fix for the issues we are facing.
9% Corporate Tax, depending on how it's actually written will either unfairly reward companies with very few employees or provide further incentive to off-shore jobs. And perhaps a corporate flat tax will not in and of itself cause downward pressure but it will fail to fix the real issues of regulatory burdens and the ever-increasing cost on employers to fund their portion of entitlement programs (Obamacare). GE is paying Zero Corporate Tax this year, is off-shoring its workforce in the tens of thousands and the per share price is 1/3 of where it was less than 5 years ago. At least Rick Santorum's proposal to zero out manufacturer's tax addresses one of the issues behind joblessness and trade deficits directly by taking on a specific symptom head-on. I also like it because it is small and specific.
Cain may not realize that his 9-9-9 proposal is still big government, runs the risk of many unintended consequences and just peanut butter spreads the pain. In the end be mindful of the fact that you, the consumer will be paying this 9%. Corporations don't pay tax. They incorporate taxes into the cost of goods sold, passing that cost on to you and/or look for ways to save in the other line items of their business, ultimately spending less on tangible assets, quality materials and labor. This is why 9-9-9 really adds up to 24-27% Federal Tax (not including Social Security and Medicare) on middle-class, middle aged income earners who are spending the majority of their paychecks to make ends meet right now and who are the fuel in the engine of economic growth. That's a tax that is still too high and the economic tide will not rise if this downward pressure remains that high.
9% Income Tax is a non-starter. It raises tax on a bunch of people who currently pay little or nothing of "their fair share" while simultaneously lowering the taxes on "millionaires and billionaires" which is to say it will lower it on the many "thousandaires" who are really the ones in the crosshairs of this despicable liberal rhetoric. So short of a super-majority and probably even with a super-majority, this will never pass. Democrats will never vote to raise taxes on their core constituency: the Dependency Class. Republicans are too cowardly to face the likely attacks of cronyism and racism for lowering taxes on their core constituency of wealth earners and job creators while simultaneously increasing the burden on so-called minorities. So although I would personally benefit by seeing my Federal income tax go down, it is the least likely of the three to get any traction in tax reform legislation. But even before Cain get's that far let's review the fate of the last Republican who favored tax increases ("Read my lips"). Obama will demonize Cain into unelectability.
9% Federal Sales Tax is the worst of the three. Let me count the ways. 1) The last thing we want to do in the current climate is give the Federal government more control over our lives and add an entirely new method of raising taxes. This is the camels nose under the tent. 9% becomes 9.5 or 9.9% very quickly when the Federal government finds itself in a bind to pay for something that was under-budgeted and overspent. And just because the Pizza Tycoon is in the White House don't think that all too common problem goes away. It's in the DNA of government to do such things. Bad fiscal practice is not a recessive gene in the Federal government. Until that species of politician and bureaucrat is extinct, that very real risk remains. 2) I feel that there is even greater risk that the tax will not merely go up but that the structure will change to a European style VAT. Argue for VAT as you may I personally want to emulate Europe less not more and VAT equals big government on steroids. If I ran a business the first thing I'd do to keep my VAT burden in check would be to buy less and build less. Over time this equals a lack of surplus in all things and I can't think of anything more anti-Capitalist except maybe Obama himself. 3) Regardless of whether you give credence to #1 and 2. the rule that still applies is: If you want less of something, have government tax it. I already pay a 9% State Sales tax which is only acceptable because I (just like every other Texan) pay Zero State Income Tax. At the point where I am having to pay roughly 20 cents on top of every dollar spent . . . let's just say that my family will be getting even more creative in our ways to exist and have fun without unholstering the wallet.
As much as the Tax Code needs reform, the proposals in the Primary and General Election seasons need much more thoughtful branding. The Tea Party wants to hear how you are going to starve the beast of Big Government, not how you are going to change it's diet yet keep on feeding it a rich source of our tax dollars.
So it starts striking me as a little naive that Pizza Man and Head of the National Restaurant Association would propose a tax structure that would certainly lead to a whole lot fewer of us eating out. Just think what happens to that $6 burger when it shrinks by anywhere from 9-27% due to all these taxes. You and I will surely be saying, "where's the beef?"
9% Corporate Tax, depending on how it's actually written will either unfairly reward companies with very few employees or provide further incentive to off-shore jobs. And perhaps a corporate flat tax will not in and of itself cause downward pressure but it will fail to fix the real issues of regulatory burdens and the ever-increasing cost on employers to fund their portion of entitlement programs (Obamacare). GE is paying Zero Corporate Tax this year, is off-shoring its workforce in the tens of thousands and the per share price is 1/3 of where it was less than 5 years ago. At least Rick Santorum's proposal to zero out manufacturer's tax addresses one of the issues behind joblessness and trade deficits directly by taking on a specific symptom head-on. I also like it because it is small and specific.
Cain may not realize that his 9-9-9 proposal is still big government, runs the risk of many unintended consequences and just peanut butter spreads the pain. In the end be mindful of the fact that you, the consumer will be paying this 9%. Corporations don't pay tax. They incorporate taxes into the cost of goods sold, passing that cost on to you and/or look for ways to save in the other line items of their business, ultimately spending less on tangible assets, quality materials and labor. This is why 9-9-9 really adds up to 24-27% Federal Tax (not including Social Security and Medicare) on middle-class, middle aged income earners who are spending the majority of their paychecks to make ends meet right now and who are the fuel in the engine of economic growth. That's a tax that is still too high and the economic tide will not rise if this downward pressure remains that high.
9% Income Tax is a non-starter. It raises tax on a bunch of people who currently pay little or nothing of "their fair share" while simultaneously lowering the taxes on "millionaires and billionaires" which is to say it will lower it on the many "thousandaires" who are really the ones in the crosshairs of this despicable liberal rhetoric. So short of a super-majority and probably even with a super-majority, this will never pass. Democrats will never vote to raise taxes on their core constituency: the Dependency Class. Republicans are too cowardly to face the likely attacks of cronyism and racism for lowering taxes on their core constituency of wealth earners and job creators while simultaneously increasing the burden on so-called minorities. So although I would personally benefit by seeing my Federal income tax go down, it is the least likely of the three to get any traction in tax reform legislation. But even before Cain get's that far let's review the fate of the last Republican who favored tax increases ("Read my lips"). Obama will demonize Cain into unelectability.
9% Federal Sales Tax is the worst of the three. Let me count the ways. 1) The last thing we want to do in the current climate is give the Federal government more control over our lives and add an entirely new method of raising taxes. This is the camels nose under the tent. 9% becomes 9.5 or 9.9% very quickly when the Federal government finds itself in a bind to pay for something that was under-budgeted and overspent. And just because the Pizza Tycoon is in the White House don't think that all too common problem goes away. It's in the DNA of government to do such things. Bad fiscal practice is not a recessive gene in the Federal government. Until that species of politician and bureaucrat is extinct, that very real risk remains. 2) I feel that there is even greater risk that the tax will not merely go up but that the structure will change to a European style VAT. Argue for VAT as you may I personally want to emulate Europe less not more and VAT equals big government on steroids. If I ran a business the first thing I'd do to keep my VAT burden in check would be to buy less and build less. Over time this equals a lack of surplus in all things and I can't think of anything more anti-Capitalist except maybe Obama himself. 3) Regardless of whether you give credence to #1 and 2. the rule that still applies is: If you want less of something, have government tax it. I already pay a 9% State Sales tax which is only acceptable because I (just like every other Texan) pay Zero State Income Tax. At the point where I am having to pay roughly 20 cents on top of every dollar spent . . . let's just say that my family will be getting even more creative in our ways to exist and have fun without unholstering the wallet.
As much as the Tax Code needs reform, the proposals in the Primary and General Election seasons need much more thoughtful branding. The Tea Party wants to hear how you are going to starve the beast of Big Government, not how you are going to change it's diet yet keep on feeding it a rich source of our tax dollars.
So it starts striking me as a little naive that Pizza Man and Head of the National Restaurant Association would propose a tax structure that would certainly lead to a whole lot fewer of us eating out. Just think what happens to that $6 burger when it shrinks by anywhere from 9-27% due to all these taxes. You and I will surely be saying, "where's the beef?"
Sunday, October 2, 2011
MSM Trash the GOP Candidates Bingo
This article (good quick read)
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/09/30/new-luddites/
reminded me not only that John Holdren is Obama's (psuedo)-science Czar (read more here)* but also reminded me of the likelihood that the Main Stream Media will predictably use this attack-line. You are bound to see this one once the primary race tightens up a bit and these shills for Obama start launching a whole array of "new" editorial memes.
Feel free to add this one to your Bingo Board:
*
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/09/30/new-luddites/
reminded me not only that John Holdren is Obama's (psuedo)-science Czar (read more here)* but also reminded me of the likelihood that the Main Stream Media will predictably use this attack-line. You are bound to see this one once the primary race tightens up a bit and these shills for Obama start launching a whole array of "new" editorial memes.
Feel free to add this one to your Bingo Board:
*
| science czar | Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy | Holdren, John[126] | 2009–present | President nominated, Senate confirmed | Barack Obama | ✓ |
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
How Was The Debate Last Night?
People are saying that the Republican Primary is now at a whole new level and proof of that to me is what we saw during the debate Thursday night. Ron Paul's sputtering and muttering captured some attention and a few positive lines of press in the South Carolina debate earlier this year but Thursday night he just looked small and continued to shrink every time he spoke.
I know there are Paul-iaks/Paulistas/Ronulins out there (used to work with one of them) that are holding out hope that this is the year for their guy to win the Republican primary. First and foremost, Ron Paul is not a Republican. He is a Libertarian and that is a zebra of a different stripe.
Set aside the fact that most of his answers are far too wonky for most voters to get excited about them. In U.S. elections over the last two centuries the winners are able to encapsulate their platforms in a few pithy campaign slogans. Any idea coming from Ron Paul requires a college degree, a 15-page thesis and a liberal dose of footnotes and other reference material to really understand.
Set aside the fact that he's about as eloquent as a Mister Magoo on Novacaine. A recipe for abject failure in a debate against Obama.
Set aside the fact that he says things like "bad scene" which makes him sound like he time-traveled out of the 70's (from his first Congressional term - ironic for a guy proposing term limits). Set aside that his "thin silver dime" reference to illustrate some point about monetary policy made him sound like a homeless loon, off his meds accosting someone at a bus stop.
Set all that aside and then look down at the incredible shrinking man; the man who looks less and less presidential, the only one on stage on Thursday who was taking the NBC bait and going after his fellow Republicans without hesitation and with a little too much zeal; take a look down at that isolationist Lilliputian and ask him how he'd run the country and it would sound an awful lot like we'd be living in log cabins wearing tri-corner hats and carrying muskets to hunt for food in the vast absence of supermarkets.
So all of the Ronulins need to go back to their Revolutionary War reenactments and stop flash mobbing the non-scientific polls with your overenthusiastic votes for Paul, thinking you are going to attract enough Republicans to your cause. The longer Paul stands on stage, the taller he makes the rest of the real candidates appear. Eventually this sideshow distraction must go because he doesn't appear to be embodying the one absolute fact of this primary so eloquently articulated by Newt Gingrich when he said,
"I for one, and I hope all of my friends up here, are going to repudiate every effort of the news media to get Republicans to fight each other to protect Barack Obama who deserves to be defeated. And all of us are committed as a team, whoever the nominee is, we are all for defeating Barack Obama."
***
***
Sunday, August 21, 2011
MSM GOP Primary Whole Card BINGO
It's hard watching the Main Stream Media report on anything purely political. The bias is so extreme that it is predictable. But it's useful to know what these idiots are saying because it is likely to come up in cocktail conversation with your "moderate" or "apolitical" friends and family who actually really on this as a source of news.
So to make it interesting and even entertaining I've concocted a game.
Play with me. Watch carefully for all these tired tropes by the liberal attack dogs.
Shout out BINGO!!! when you can cover the whole card. Now that the Iowa Straw Poll is over and we are entering the true Primary Season, the media that has been bridling against the clock to come in and start swinging, . . . well, it appears to be in full swing.
Click the picture for the whole card.
So to make it interesting and even entertaining I've concocted a game.
Play with me. Watch carefully for all these tired tropes by the liberal attack dogs.
Shout out BINGO!!! when you can cover the whole card. Now that the Iowa Straw Poll is over and we are entering the true Primary Season, the media that has been bridling against the clock to come in and start swinging, . . . well, it appears to be in full swing.
Click the picture for the whole card.
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