Plus 5

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Are there any candidates so far this cycle who have went on the record and supported McConnell for Senate Majority/Minority Leader for the next congress?

BTW Erick, I agree with you on not supporting any candidate who openly supports McConnell.

McConnell is a Socialist !! Wake UP!!!

Jim Demint was “senior ranking senator” for the post on the finance committee. McConnell makes the appointments and did everything he could to screw Demint.

Mitch McConnell almost had a heart attach when Rand Paul blew past his “picked canidate Grayson”.

McConnell is a Socialist in my opinion.

Where is Rand Paul on McConnell’s Plan B? He’s been very quiet…not liek him. What’s goign on?

Jim DeMint for Leader!

As I commented earlier, he’s one of the very few GOPers that I support primarying at this point.

The go along to get along type. I think getting invited to those exclusive Washington DC parties trumps any allegiance he may have to the people or the country.

I think the man has lost whatever it was that made him want to be a Republican senator. I think he has gotten so used to losing that he never considers anything else, and doesn’t even try seriously to oppose the Democrats. All he does is put on a show before figuring some way that he can credibly cave.

Time to replace him with someone who isn’t tired, worn out and RINO.

Any Republican legislator who is weighing the equities of supporting the McConnell proposal should ask themselves one question: what happened to the troops who General Burnside ordered into battle under a plan that made no sense? They followed orders blindly, and they got slaughtered.

A weak, ineffectual loser.

Is there a list yet of those Republican Senators and Republican House members who have already gone on record as either supporting the Reid-Pelosi-McConnell plan, even as a last resort? John McCain, not surprisingly, just said on Hannity he will vote for it. But we need a list so we can begin contacting them. Anyone keeping track?

Why do conservatives turn their guns at themselves.

In 2008, the far right (including members of my extended family) argued that McCain was too liberal (I agreed), and so they voted 3rd party (I did not agree). Not that it made the difference, but McCain would have been better than Obama was.

Elections do not come down to the 20% of the population that is conservative against the 20% that is liberal.

To win, candidates need to get support from conservative voters, conservative leaning voters, and moderates. 50% is generally required to win an election.

The far right of the GOP (which is where I sit on many issues) is a minority. We can NEVER win any election if we do not keep open a tent large enough for conservatives and moderates.

Pointing guns at McConnell, who is a conservative, does not help.

Let’s look at the GOP members in the Senate: Our 2 GOP senators from ME, our Senator from Mass, are clearly moderate to liberal. Frankly, it is not possible to elect a conservative Senator from either of those states. However, they are part of our GOP MINORITY in the Senate.

Where do we get 50 votes in the Senate without getting them on board, and getting on board some Democrats? Can’t happen.

To extend the bush tax cuts past 2012 requires 50 senators to vote for it, the House to vote for it, and a president to sign it.

The GOP needs to win FL, OH, VA, NC, and other states that it lost in 2008 in order to extend the Bush tax cuts.

On August 3rd; when social security checks do not go out, the GOP loses FL. Period, end of discussion. Game over: we lose. Default is not a realistic option. Period. Anything that can’t get Obama’s support and pass the Senate is not an option. Period. Can’t happen.

Bottom line is that on August 3rd, the President will be the only person holding the cards.

It is importaint for us to understand what the real situation is. The bottom line is that the GOP will face the blame if there is a shut down. Year after year when Bush was president, the debt ceiling was raise with nothing in return. Why? President Bush always could say that Congress was denying funding for the troops. The Dems always knew they could never win that fight. Now Obama is president, and he knows that he can’t lose this fight. The worst he gets out of this is a clean debt ceilining increase, or one like McConnell is proposing. He doesn’t have to negotiate, because he, the GOP, and everyone who is involved KNOWS Obama has all the cards.

Obama does have some limits; but those limits are to his left. He has no need to do anything but pretend to work with the GOP.

McConnell’s plan tries to allow the GOP to save face and puts pressure on Obama. It punts the issue until 2012; which is the earliest anything can be done right — namely, a GOP president and GOP senate are needed to make any real cuts.

McConnell is far more conservative than our Senators from ME, Mass, and some others. He is not a liberal. He is not a moderate. He is a conservative. He may not be the most hard-line conservative, but non-the-less he is more conservative than the average person in the US.

5 trillion, over 10 years, is about how much the economic downturn has cost the government in lost revenues. Doing nothing will get us almost 50% of where we need to be. Another 1 trillion over 10 years we get just from following the always planned course of leaving Afghanistan and Iraq according to schedule. So, we are at 6 trillion; or now at the 50% mark. This requires doing nothing.

Unfortunatly, that still leaves us with like a 600B a year is shortfall. We could, realistically, cut about 100B from defense. There isn’t really savings left in other discretionary spending; so the remaining 500B to cut would need to come from revenue increases or cuts to entitlements.

Now, an easy tax to increase is to end the 2% social security tax cut. In the last stimulius, it was agreed to cut social security taxes by 2% for one year. To let that expire would be one potential source of tax increase. It would raise taxes back to what they were before Obama was elected. Of course, that is a tax increase, and would inrease revenue.

Another easy fix, but also a tax increase, is to lower corporate taxes to less than 35%. Again, lowering these taxes — and cutting loopholes– would probably require corporations like GE to eventually have to pay something in taxes. Again, even though it would cut the rate of taxation, it would get rid of the corporate welfare/pork/special interest give away money that some highly-political corporations are used to. Although it would be consistant with the ideals of the GOP, of free markets, and of capitalism….cutting the corporate tax rates is not revenue neutral and thus may be off the table.

Yet another option is to increase the size of the IRS (yes more spending) to catch more tax cheats. the IRS takes in far more money than it costs to run. Against, this would possibily not pass because — for some reason — making everyone follow the same rules is not popular. It would, again, not be revenue neutral and thus may be a hard sell.

Those tax increase, together, would get over 100B in new revenue a year; or over 1 trillion in 10 years.

The remaining challenge is entitlements. I am now confident that these can be revised based after 2012. After 2012, there are a number of reasonable steps that can be taken that can result in huge savings:

1. for social security, change the cost-of-living index used. This will cut the rate of increase in money going out. In addition, legislation should be passed to ensure general revenue does not support social security. If money isn’t there for it, benefits either need to be cut or taxes raised. No general fund money should be moved over. No borrowing should be allowed for social security costs.

2. For medicare & medicaid- This is best fixed by initiatiting a few cuts. First, new drugs are very expensive and come out every year. After a few years, generics are made and they cost much less. Medicare should stop buying new drugs, and only approve of generics in most cases. The only approval of new, non-genaric drugs, should be when it is a matter of life or death for the patient. So, no more brand-name viagra. Second, medicare should not fully cover conditions that are the fault of the patient (caused by smoking, drinking, obesity); these should be covered only at 50%; or the person should be required to pay an increased premium. Third, medicare and medicaid need to be fully funded by the taxes reserved for them. No funding from the base budget. This means if there isn’t money, either services need to be cut, premiiums risen, or taxes increase. No borrowing should be allowed for these costs.

There you go; a framework that balances the budget. By taking social security, medicare, and medicaid and putting them off-budget; and NOT allowing borrowing for them; these benefits can not overwhelm the budget.

We do have a budget problem, but the bigger problem is a population problem. Abortion really messed up our economy. As a result, our social security, medicare, and medicaid programs are messed up. That is what happens when you kill the people who would normally be their to pay for your retirement.

There is no serious budget debate that can take place that does not address entitlements, and the only way to address entitlements is to talk about population growth. there are only 2 ways to increase this population growth. Make more people, or import more people. I guess, there is a 3rd way of doing both. However, we need to realize that unless we increase the people paying in, there is less money for people getting it.

Finally, we need to be sane about cuts. When we make cuts to the IRS, to IGs, to GAO, and to other agencies/organization who more than pay for themselves in the savings/revenues they find, we do ourselves a disservice. Why in the worlds would we want to cut agencies who — for their full time job — look around at government and propose cuts? The IGs were started by Reagan, and GAO at world war one. They both far more than pay for themselves in the savings they find. In the faud, waste, and abuse they report and eliminate. Although I know people don’t like the IRS, it don’t see why it is fair for some people to pay taxes according to the law and others to not. An easy source of revenue is to make people pay what they owe. Cutting the IRS COSTS money, and we can’t afford to not take in the revenues we are owed. As someone who pays taxes, I don’t want mine increased while someone else doesn’t pay his fair share.

…we are destined for this type of betrayal. McCain (as Dole) got the Republican nomination because it was “their turn.” Same with McConnell and same with Boehner. Doesn’t seem to matter if they are the best person for the job. The only qualification seems to be that in order to be the candidate or the House or Senate leader all you have to be is an older-than-dirt old fart. An entitlement program by any other name is still an entitlement program.

…and he lost me with McConnell is not a Socialist.

A good hour must have been wasted with that post,.

I agree, the GOP LOSERship needs to go. There’s a reason the GOP lost the Senate — the LOSERship. They are more about procedure and protocol than promoting leadership thru conservative principles.

Worse, the same LOSERship is still in charge in the Senate. Sadly, the GOP LOSERship covers about half the GOP in the Senate.

So yes, I’m in favor of not supporting the LOSERship and it’s offshoots. I like the label of LOSERship instead of leadership. Gets the point across with who they are…

John McCain is supporting McConnell. I’m not really surprised, but I nearly drove off the road when I heard his reasoning for it. McCain fears a government shutdown will hurt republicans. If I lived in AZ or KY I’d be on the phone non-stop and sending emails left and right to these sellouts.

After hearing the spineless John McCain speak on Hannity today I am sorry I voted for the man.

This whole debate over raising the debt ceiling has gone a bit off the rails, at least in my humble opinion.

Let’s use a World War Two analogy. It’s Januaryl 1942, one month after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the US declared war on Japan and Nazi Germany declared war on the United States.

Some American military planners advocate that the US military should land on the beaches of France in June 1942.

Other military advisers oppose this idea. They say, “Let’s wait until we have built up our military and we are more prepared. If we are going to open up a Front against the Nazis in Western Europe, we must be better prepared.”

As we know, D-Day was in June 1944, not June 1942.

Now, one could have a legitimate debate about whether the US and its allies should have invaded Nazi occupied France in 1942 o 1944.

But it would be a mistake to say that those who preferred to wait until 1944 were pro-Hitler or pro-Nazi.

They might have been wrong. Maybe invading in 1942 instead of waiting in 1944 would have given the war effort a better result. Or maybe not. Maybe the US, Great Britain and Canada would have suffered a serious defeat at the hands of the Germans had they invaded in 1942.

Now let’s take a look at the decision that Boehner and McConnell and other members of the GOP leadership have to make today.

We can have a honest disagreement as to whether now is the time for the GOP to draw a line in the sand on raising the debt limit and governmnt spending or if it would be better to take these issues (along with the sluggish economy) to the voters in 2012.

McConnell believes that it is a better strategy to take these issues to the voters in 2012, elect a GOP President and the GOP Senate and then get about the business of turning our economy around and turning our fiscal mess around.

You might disagree with McConnell on this conclusion. But that does not mean that McConnell is a socialist.

He might even turn out to be right. I think, in fact, that McConnell is correct in his assesment of the political terrain.

Is it legitimate to consider other options for Republican Senate Leader at the next available opportunity? Sure. And leadership battles, like primary battles, are legitimate, even healthy most of the time.

But let’s understand that leaders have to make decisions as to when the troops are going to be sent into battle and when they are going to wait until better conditions arise.

Again. I think McConnell has it right. I think McConnell and Boehner, both of whom were in Congress when Gingrich and Dole made a hash of the Clinton budget conflicts, have learned a lot about when to hold ‘em and when wait for a stronger hand.

Mitch doesnt drive me insane, he is acting exactly like we would assume he is acting. It is what it is, and he is who is is. On the flip side, I dont see this as Erick turning the gun on ourselves. He is simply stating that as a redstate policy, if you want to run for senate and want redstate support, you must desire new senante leadership. Thats perfectly understandable and within his realm of control and its not the same thing as turning on the party itself.

Anyone who calls themself a Conservative must not continue to support McConnell. He is a prime example of all that is wrong in Washington today.

I remember years ago when I was parliamentarian for a state level student organization, I remember reading about a “Vote of No Confidence” in an officers leadership. I know the Senate doesn’t follow Robert’s Rules, but their procedures are based on those rules. It seems to me that the republicans in the senate should be able to oust McConnell from leadership.

But then again it seems like common sense to me that the people should be able to recall one of these yahoo’s at anytime for not doing what they promised.

Still if there is such a thing, it is time for someone to show Mitch that page in the book with a very pointed reference to his leadership. Better yet, lets do it his way, just have 3 people slide photo copies of that page under his office door for the next 14 days or so. Yea, I like that.

Mike

The more battles he loses, the gaudier his uniform and title seems to get. I sure wish the guy would go with the graceful retirement and that he would suddenly get that burning urge to “spend more time with his family” (end quote), but unfortunately we’re going to have to give him that extra push out the door. Can I recommend that anyone who supports DeMint as Minority/Majority Leader get preference?

his actions as majority leader have served to further the Democrats goals and agenda. He’s helped them far more than he has ever helped the GOP.

SO Mitch, Are you a Democrat Plant? HMM???

…so lets just do the Right Thing and to h*ll with what the Media thinks and portrays about us. We know it’s going to be in the worst possible slant they can manage in any way, shape or form. So let’s give them something worth writing about. They’ve pretty much broken their teeth on Sarah Palin. And President Obama isn’t getting the adoring attention he used to from the populace. And was it a vile rumor or something closer to the truth that CNN was actually trying to work it’s way back to REAL newsworthy status?

…say, a Marco Rubio type or a Ted Cruz type, who we would crawl over broken glass to vote for, and would love to death, but supports McConnell staying on as leader is nonetheless anathema?

Sorry. This sounds like the same petulant whining that cost us seats we could have won in 2010. McConnell’s plan is a travesty, to be sure, but to draw the line in the sand here smacks of desperation.

If you spent half the time attacking Democrats as you do eating our own, Erick, we’d be a lot better off.

I want to most my thoughts on this matter.

1) McConnell is a conservative, people lose sight of that in this mess.

2) Erick makes a striking case as to how McConnell is not serving the interest of our nation or the GOP, let alone conservatism on several key fights.

3) I did not sign on to black list people, especially in the heat of battle. Sorry folks. When I said this is an issue that is worth going to the mattress and Sen Lee got right I meant it. However I didnt mean for us to throw our other wise friends and families under the buss to make a point.

Black listing a candidate solely based on who they support for leadership is just not smart and completely does way with their work of body while in Congress.

4) Feel free to primary as many people as you like and burn through what little resources we have while trying to “give the finger” to leadership. It will only serve Democrat and Obama purposes.

That said, there are people who do need to be primaried. Lugar of IN should be number one.

It should be noted that people should be primaried because they have failed on an epic portion to represent their constituency and or could put a (D) behind the name with little changing in their vote tally. (in other words we should look at their body of work)

5) McConnells plan is a complete epic failure. So is being bull headed and screaming “no compromise.”

We are discussing a deficit reduction plan, not theology or God’s plan for salvation. Guess what, that means there is always room to compromise or bang out a deal.

In fact the very act of raising the debt ceiling IS the compromise. Raising taxes, et al, is all academic and a media built straw man.

6) We should be expending our resources and energy on Democrats and Obama, not our selves. I can only wonder how hard Reid, Pelosi and Obama were laughing after reading this post and muttering”we couldnt hope for a better result.”

DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR is my new catch phrase. One dollar in (immediate) spending cuts for every dollar in the debt ceiling increase. It only takes one piece of paper to write that bill. McConnell can take his bill and shove it.

I’m all in for this. He’s been totally ineffectual as a leader. He needs to be retired.

I think it’s time for change to the Republican Party.
This change started for the election yr 2010 and should continue.
Last time we got rid of the RHINO’S AND OTHER LOSSERS in the
House.

This time, Yr 2012 we should concentrate on lossers like McConnell, Hatch, Graham and other such Liberal GOP members.

It’s possible when they first got to Wash D.C. they meant well and did good for the country.

Now they just “Get-a-Long” and are helping the Democratics and
Obama destroy the country.

IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE.
RED STATES NON-SUPPORT BANNER IS A GREAT
IDEA. LET’S GO FORWARD.!!!!!!!!!!!

can Dick Lugar be Obumber’s favorite Republican with Mitch McConnell around?

So many RINO’s so little time!

McConnell’s strategy (and that of the weenies that support him (Ann Coulter, how COULD you?) is based upon the idea that if they allow Obama the ability to add $2.4 TRILLION to the debt without anyone else’s help, he will well and truely ‘OWN the debt’. This would be a viable strategy, if we could make Obama and the Democrats PAY the debt or default out of their own pockets or on their own names, but unfortunately, that debt will belong to the American People regardless of WHO authorizes it, or for what reason. This brings me to my point. Playing these political games with our children’s and grandchildren’s future assumed they will HAVE a future. I doubt it has even OCCURRED to Mr. McConnell that we may well ‘cross the Rubicon’ and pass the point from which there IS no recovery. Does he really want the GOP to be the party that oversaw the liquidation of the US? Will it make him feel GOOD to say, “well it was the Democrats fault”? If we fail as a nation, it will be at LEAST as much the fault of the Republicans who failed to take a stand and FIGHT. The Republicans who see this as some political game of strategery, that has no real and lasting consequences. And those are the kind of Republican we need to be well rid of, and never let back in the GOP again! Maybe the next GOP platform needs a plank that provides for a way to EJECT the RINOs! If we can’t get the people in Main to ditch the Olypia Snowes, maybe we can just kick them out so they knoow there will be no National Committee money to help them, ever again!

I was in DC 11/15/10, the 1st day of the session AFTER the huge victories by Republicans. The fear that day was that McConnell would NOT join the rest of the R’s in pledging ‘No new Earmarks”; everyone else got it that this was what the American people wanted; except Mitch McConnell.
I commend the GA delegation of Americans for Prosperity who went up to DC that day-some of them sat in McConnell’s office ‘splaining’ the issue ALL DAY until his staff understood what he had to do.
McConnell finally agreed at 5pm that day.

THIS SHOULD NOT BE NECESSARY. MCCONNELL IS A DISGRACE TO CONSERVATIVES. PERIOD.

“That does not preclude them from voting for McConnell once they get there if there are no better options.” Why does Erick bother to mention a caveat? Of course there are better options! There are even some Democrat senators who would make a better GOP Minority Leader than McConnell. The other day I walked past a chiropractor’s office and saw a model human spine in the window – I almost went inside to buy it, so I could send it to McConnell, who never evolved one on his own.

as Minority leader. Can’t think of a better choice who is serious about working for the people and cutting spending.

Who ever challenges McConnell shall receive campaign funding from me. I’ve criticized everything from corn based ethanol subsidies to big oil subsidies to Campaign Finance reform that Obama also benefits from, all of which McConnell supports.

Time to vote the bum out. VTBO

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell is proposing a plan that would give Barack Hussein Obama the power to arbitrarily raise the debt limit abdicating their proper role of Congress in determining our spending to him. What aggravates me about proposals like this is its political gamesmanship and passes the buck and does not solve the problem. Senator McConnell is the Minority LEADER in the Senate, but it seems he does not want to LEAD. He should be proposing solutions that are beneficial to the American people. Earlier in the year McConnell proposed the Streamlining Government Bill, which would streamline the process making it easier for Obama’s appointees to be confirmed. Apparently, McConnell forgot about the results of the 2010 elections. That election was a referendum on Obama and his policies to TRANSFORM America, which the people do not want. The Republicans need to stand firm against this BULLY Barack Hussein Obama.