The Sunday Morning Talk Shows - The Review
Hillary has lost her marbles. All of them.
By Mark Kilmer Posted in Special Features — Comments (38) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Sunday, January 13, 2008
On FNC, Republican Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani is still confident that he can win the nomination starting with Florida: "It's real important to win Florida."
On TW, John Kerry (remember him?) reported for duty spouting insubstantial praise for Democrat Presidential hopeful Barry Obama, but he refused to talk about the time John Edwards creeped him out.
Next on TW, Newt Gingrich declared the "end of the Reagan era, proclaiming that "we're about to redefine the Republican Party based on what people need." He smiled.
On MTP, Hillary got the whole hour to inject race and sex into the campaign while pontificating about herself, including this gem: "I am very other-directed. I don't like to talk about myself."
On FTN, Mitt Romney promised to stay in the race "through February," and he proposed a federal program investing taxpayers' money in science and technology to bring jobs back to Michigan. At host Bob Schieffer's insistence, he attacked Mike Huckabee for raising taxes in Arkansas.
On FTN, Mike Huckabee talked about the Commerce Department to incentivize companies to return to Michigan. He said that Romney would have criticized Ronald Reagan's record on taxation in California and pointed out that Romney had raised fees in Massachusetts to the tune of half a billion dollars in just one term as governor.
On LE, Romney said that global warming is a "high priority" for him, but that all solutions should be global in scope, not America-centered. He pledged not to rest until Michigan's economy was on the right track.
Next on LE, Tom Daschle (remember him?) filed out to talk about Obama. He said that Barry wanted to talk about the issues while the Clintons were involved in sniping. Wolf played a clip of Hillary on MTP attacking Barry on Iraq. Responded Daschle: "To borrow a line: 'There you go again.'"
Sheila Jackson Lee, speaking for Hillary's campaign, was next on LE. She promised that Bill Clinton was not a racist and that is possibly derogatory remarks about Obama had been "skewed."
On LE, Fred Thompson spent some time zapping Mike Huckabee for his various stances on issues. Wolf asked him about Huckabee's claim that Fred had been a "registered foreign agent" of the Libyan government. Fred explained that a law firm for which he once worked did some lobbying for Libya and for Haiti, but that he had no direct involvement. He further said that he had never been a "registered foreign agent."
Read On (for the show-by-show review)….
RUDY ON FNC On FOX News Sunday, host Chris Wallace's guest was Republican Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani. Rudy's fine with the Florida strategy.
Wallace pointed out that Rudy had been the GOP frontrunner for most of 2007 but was now third in the RCP national average, and a new poll had him trailing John McCain in Florida. Rudy responded that he has a "good, long campaign here in Florida," well-organized. There sit his marbles, much like Romney in Iowa and New Hampshire, sink or swim.
Rudy had to make his stand somewhere and determined that "Florida was the best place to do it." Early voting there begins next week as Rudy embarks on a three-day bus tour of Florida
Wallace asked him if he has to win Florida, and Rudy made a point of answering only that "it's real important to win Florida." Wallace pointed out that his campaign will be broke after Florida, with no money with which to compete in the March 5 States. Rudy quipped that everyone else will be broke as well, and after he does well in Florida, his fundraising will pick up.
Wallace asked Rudy what he would do about the predicted recession, just around the corner. Rudy suggested tax cuts, proposing a bunch and seeing which ones will pass. He talked of strategic tax cuts, like cutting the corporate tax rates; he spoke of making the Bush tax cuts permanent. He wants to reduce government spending and to accelerate a review of burdensome regulation.
No complains from this corner, but how will it play in Florida?
JOHN KERRY ON TW. Host George Stephanopoulos of ABC's This Week had two guests this week, and the first was the forgettable John Kerry ("reporting for duty"). He was on to plug someone I assume he desperately would like to be a disciple: Democratic Presidential hopeful Barry Obama.
"This city [Washington, DC] is worse," Kerry proclaimed, "than I've ever seen it in all my years here."
Cue Barry the balm. He has, saith Kerry, the "ability to inspire, [the] ability to create a movement." This movement, Kerry claimed, would be much like the first Earth Day in 1970, which he, John Kerry, attended. It was this even, Kerry offered, which forced President Nixon to sign the act creating the E.P.A.
Steph asked Kerry about Hillary seeming to play up President Johnson's contributions to the civil rights movements while downplaying Martin Luther King, jr's. Kerry thundered that it was the people sitting in buses in Selma, going on Freedom Marches, getting bloodied, etc. which forced the politicians to act. He noted that Barry could be both a freedom marcher and a politician who acts.
Kerry told Steph that no Democrat would ever again "fall for Swift boating." He argued that his campaign in 2004 had made the mistake of believing that they had adequately refuted all the "lies." Now, the Dems are ready for something like this, and it will "never, ever happen again."
Kerry said that there is no question but that Obama has opposed the war from the beginning, and he excused his own vote for the war by asserting that President Bush duped him. Kerry asserted that Obama has more legislative experience that does Hillary, if you include his years in the Illinois State senate.
Steph began to ask Kerry about this passage in Bob Shrum's latest book [from TIME mag]:
Edwards had told Kerry he was going to share a story with him that he'd never told anyone else—that after his son Wade had been killed, he climbed onto the slab at the funeral home, laid there and hugged his body, and promised that he'd do all he could to make life better for people, to live up to Wade's ideals of service. Kerry was stunned, not moved, because, as he told me later, Edwards had recounted the same exact story to him, almost in the exact same words, a year or two before—and with the same preface, that he'd never shared the memory with anyone else. Kerry said he found it chilling, and he decided he couldn't pick Edwards unless he met with him again.
The story was that Edwards had creeped Kerry out, only Kerry would not let Steph read any of the story. Kerry refused to talk about it, saying that it was irrelevant, old news, "ridiculous waste of time." He would not confirm the story, of course, but indicated that it was not this which caused him to support Obama over Edwards.
"This is a different time," Kerry gave as a reason for his change of support.
NEWT GINGRICH ON TW. Next up for Steph was Newt. Sounding a now-familiar political them, Newt declared that "there are dramatic changes we need in the country." He spoke of the "artificial, one-State recession" in Michigan caused by a Dem government which taxes too high, spend too much, and overburdens with regulation
Newt: "Nothing is more killing in politics than boredom."
Steph asked him about the possibility of a brokered convention from which he would emerge as the nominee, and Newt said that the choice would be someone who is already running.
Newt declared that we had reached the "end of the Reagan era." This means, he said, that "we're about to redefine the Republican Party based on what people need." A little Romney, a dash of Huckabee.
HILLARY ON MTP. On NBC's Meet the Press, host Tim Russert devoted his full hour to Democratic Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton. Russert opened by asking her about the allegations of "racist remarks," citing an article in South Carolina's The State paper. And also a Bob Herbert column in the New York Times.
Hillary said she does not know what any of it is about because "there's not one shred of truth in what you've just read." She pointed out that Martin Luther King did a lot more than give speeches. She expressed as a proven fact that the Obama campaign was "deliberately distorting this."
Hillary injected race and gender into the campaign by declaring that this was the "most exciting" Presidential race in a long time because it involves and African American running for President and a woman seeking to "break the highest and hardest glass ceiling." She added, "I don't think either of us wants to inject race or gender into this campaign." Too late, Hill.
Russert let her drone on and on.
Hillary argued that Barry had based his entire campaign on a 2002 speech he had made opposing the Iraq war. She said that Barry had taken the speech off his web site by 2003 and publically stated his agreement with the President's handling of the war in 2004. From 2005-2007, Obama was funding the troops.
Hillary said that she is "very other-directed. I don't like to talk about myself."
Later, she added: "Much of what I've gone through in my entire life is, I believe, preparation for being able to go into that Oval Office. Clearly, I bring the experiences of woman: as a daughter, as a mother, as a wife, a sister. That's who I am!" (She has just injected "gender" (sex) into the campaign, while talking about herself in a very me-directed manner.)
"I don't think this campaign is about gender, and I sure hope it's not about race!"
That's all I can take. I do not know whether Mrs. Clinton is a megalomaniacal deviant or just a confused bat.
MITT ROMNEY ON FTN. On CBS' Face the Nation, host Bob Schieffer's first guest was Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. Romney said that he won Wyoming, has the most votes and delegates, and would win Michigan if Democrats could not vote in the Republican Party. Either way, though, he promised to stay in the race "through February."
Schieffer pointed out that McCain had said that the manufacturing jobs which left Michigan aren't coming back, while Mitt argues otherwise. Schieff asked Mitt how he would bring them back. Mitt said that McCain was being pessimistic and would cost Michigan more jobs. He said that though it would be difficult to bring back the automotive industry, government could invest in "basic science and research": fuel technology, automotive technology. With the money of the taxpayers. "We, frankly, are lagging behind," proclaimed Mitt, and government is the solution.
Romney wants the "federal government to be part of the solution" to our fuel efficiency problem, not handing down unfunded mandates. If the federal government does not help Michigan, Romney said, it will "bleed out into other industries."
Mitt said he's the only one who was born and raised in Michigan, and that he has "the automobile industry running in my blood veins." Romney said that he is the only one who "understands how America works," while others understand how Washington works.
Schieffer brought up a Huckabee remark, that Mitt's business would buy businesses and people would lose their jobs. Mitt claimed that he rebuilt businesses, protecting "as many jobs as humanly possible." Schieffer offered Romney Mike Huckabee's new commercial declaring that he cut taxes in Arkansas. Romney said that Huckabee raised taxes more than he cut.
Romney is "planning on winning Tuesday." He thinks that the Dems who vote in the Republican primary will vote for McCain and Huckabee except for the few who remember "my dad as governor." So he has a ready-made excuse for defeat. ("Gee, Crazy Carl, I think I'll skip this Hillary vs. Obama stuff and go vote in the Republican primary!")
MIKE HUCKABEE ON FTN. Schieffer asked Huckabee where he stands on bringing the manufacturing jobs back to Michigan. Huckabee talked of the importance of manufacturing, the backbone of the middle class and the ability to build our own weapons.
Huckabee explained that our tax system was part of the problem: "It penalizes productivity." His FAIR tax, he said, does not penalize productivity. Schieffer didn't want to hear about something off in the future distance; he wanted his cookies now. Huckabee would not raise taxes and he would use the Commerce Department to incentivize businesses. He would enforce, he said, both sides of our trade agreements.
Schieffer asked Huckabee about Romney's claims, re: taxes. Huckabee replied that Romney raised fees as governor more than half a billion dollars. He said that he, Huckabee, rebuilt roads and schools, and left Arkansas with a surplus. Huckabee said that he raised taxes to fund schools by a court order. Huckabee pointed out that Romney would be criticizing Ronald Reagan today for his taxes as governor of California, just as he criticized Reagan ten-years-ago when he said he wanted nothing to do with Reagan-Bush. Huckabee argued that he was right with the Reagan-Bush thing.
Huckabee said that he would be satisfied with "being in the mix" in Michigan "If we can recapture the heart of the Republican Party, we can recapture the heart of America."
ROMNEY ON LATE EDITION. Wolf Blitzer opened CNN's Late Edition with Romney. To thwart a recession, Romney said he would propose letting people who make less that $200,000/year to save their money tax free.
Wolf played a clip of John McCain saying that he'd be ashamed to lie to people in Michigan by telling them that their jobs were coming back. Romney said that McCain had never been in the business sector and that he can so bring them back. He's going to fight for the jobs which are still in Michigan.
Mitt said that global warming "is a high priority for me," but that any measure to combat it should be "global in its sweep," not directed at America-only.
Wolf played a clip of a Huckabee commercial – "remind them of the guy they worked with, not the guy who laid them off." Romney chastised Huckabee for criticizing the guy who gives people their paychecks.
Wolf quoted Mike McConnell, the Director of National Intelligence, as stating the waterboarding is torture and this is why the U.S. now longer uses it. Romney said that if the U.S. listed waterboarding as torture, then we would never be able to use it, even in a situation where what was wrong becomes right (situational ethics).
Blitzer showed a chart of money spent in Michigan, with Mitt's expenditures dwarfing the rest. How important is Michigan? It's important, said Mitt, but he's in it through February. He promised also that he would not rest until Michigan's economy was okay. "I will act."
TOM DASCHLE ON LE. Yeah, Tom Daschle backs Barry. Wolf told Daschle that Hillary was complaining that people were distorting the Clinton Years™. Daschle said that Barack wanted to move on, not participate in such "who said what in the last round of give-and-take with the candidates."
Daschle said that Barry wants to "focus on the issues" about which Americans care. Wolf accused him of sounding like those loons who met Dave Boren in Oklahoma recently. Daschle said that it was Barry urging change and issues, etc.
Wolf played a clip of Hillary on MTP this morning, spewing that Barry was equivocating on Iraq. Daschle replied, "To borrow a line: 'There you go again.'"
Wolf played vid of Bill Clinton calling Barry's position on Iraq, "a fairytale." Daschle said that Bill would like to take those words back, distortions out of context.
SHEILA JACKSON LEE ON LE. Texas Congressperson Sheila Jackson Lee was up next on Late Edition. She's Hillary's national co-chair, and Wolf asked her if Bill Clinton's remarks ("kid," "fairytale") were racist. Sheila said that both Bill and Hillary embrace Martin Luther King and that for which he stood. Not racist. Wolf played Donna Brazile stating that Bill Clinton's statements were "depressing." Sheila accuse Donna of "skewing" Bill's words, which were really about Iraq.
FRED THOMPSON ON LE. Next up for Wolf was Republican Presidential hopeful Fred Thompson. Wolf asked him about the impending recession, and Fred said that there was not much a politician could do, but he suggested a stimulus package. Wolf listed Presdient Bush's proposal to decreases taxes paid by and spend more money on the middle class. Thompson said that this carried the risk of park barrel spending. He suggested a "stimulus package and targeted rebates."
Wolf quoted Huckabee blasting Thompson for being a "registered foreign agent… for a law firm that did lobbying work for Libya." Fred admitted that he worked for a firm which did lobbying for Libya, but he had nothing to do with that. He was never a "registered foreign agent."
Fred said he would sooner talk about Huckabee calling our foreign policy "arrogant" and wanting to close down Gitmo.
Wolf played a clip of Huckabee claiming that Thompson did nothing in eight years as Senator. Thompson talked about Huckabee's "blame America first" and his "so-called 'populism.'" Thompson said that he does not believe that the old Reagan coalition is dead. Fred said he's talking about issues concerning this country and Huckabee is going through personal trash.
Asked for a difference with McCain, Thompson said that he's disagreed with him on immigrations and tax cuts, etc. He disagrees with Rudy on sanctuary cities and with Mitt on his "changes of view on various issues." Huckabee, he said, is taking it personally.
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Have at it.
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Too bad he seems to be using Al Gore as his role model.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
He's got the "to each according to their need" part. Now all he needs is "From each according to their ability" and he'll be a full-fledged stalinist. Wonderful.
How far the mighty have fallen. I'm disgusted.
It seems his campaign position for Michigan is that he will toss them a giant set of earmarks if elected. If this is to be done shouldn't it at least target all 50 states. Is he running for president or governor of MI ? A bit of a disclaimer I am a little queasy at government saving industries with taxpayer money.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
That makes perfect sense to me. Maybe you could enlighten me on how investing in technology that would help our auto industry is a bad thing.
"Go ahead, make your jokes, Mr. Jokey... Joke-maker. But let me hit you with some knowledge. Quit now". -White Goodman
Federal aid to Michigan helps Michigan. Michigan's problems are directly related to a democrat controlled state government, that comes up with plans like giving students Ipods and raising taxes to do it. Federal aid to help industries particular to Michigan does not prompt them to reform their indulgent policies that cause the problems.
The state needs to lower its tax burden, reduce regulation on business, and take some steps to improve its labor force.
Let me ask you this just what percentage of Michigan's high school grads could run a statistical process control system ? You want the reason manufacturing is in trouble in MI ? There it is. There is no longer any place in the world where you can get a middle class life with no marketable skills and an entry level job. Michigan needs to wake up and realize this.
This is the other consequence of Federalism. Some states are to serve as beacons on the correct path, others serve as warning signs. Michigan has become a warning sign.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
but none of them refute that Washington shouldn't invest in technology that helps the auto industry and Michigan's manufacturing ability. Germany does just fine and uses the auto industry to their advantage. We can and should do the same. It is not "federal aid to Michigan" but investment in technology, which would help everyone.
"Go ahead, make your jokes, Mr. Jokey... Joke-maker. But let me hit you with some knowledge. Quit now". -White Goodman
that earnings be confiscated from Americans via taxation and spent for such research as would be funded private (by the companies themselves) in a capitalist society.
My position is the opposite. I propose that the federal government decrease the level of taxation for corporations so that they can do their own research. They will have the profit incentive to uncover what science needs to be discovered, as opposed to the Romney plan, which would have taxpayers' money flowing non-stop with no financial incentive.
I do not want to emulate Germany; rather, I wish to emulate the United States at her free market best.
Tomorrow, Romney gives his speech on how to save the auto industry. I fear he's going to go down a path from which their is no return.
Is that keeping our manufacturing abilities in tip top shape, investing in new energy efficient technology, and gaining back a lions share of the world manufacturing market all play into a stronger America and stronger national defense. Investing in technology that helps manufacturing in Michigan helps manufacturing elsewhere, and manufacturing is important for more than making money. I actually got this idea from crazy man Savage in one of his rants about how the last 16 years have seen our nation rapped of its wealth. Factories, manufacturing jobs, all kinds of related labor have been stripped from America. There are many competitive reasons for this being so, and if a man of Romney mettle is saying that it can be reversed and that he will work tirelessly to do so, than I applaud.
"Go ahead, make your jokes, Mr. Jokey... Joke-maker. But let me hit you with some knowledge. Quit now". -White Goodman
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
I am shooting off the cuff here. Intuitively I'd say that our auto makers can't compete because of their inability to produce high quality cars with price tags that match their foreign competitors. High taxes, labor costs, and government mandates all probably play a part. If I am correct, than I do think that this can be turned around. Not only with corporate tax decreases, but also by developing advanced technologies that out class other countries. Hey, like it was stated up this thread, Romney will lay out his plan tomorrow and he knows all this better than I. I was simply approaching this abstractly as a "How can the government intermingle in industry" sort of thing. I obviously think that this has the potential to be one of those areas where it would be prudent.
"Go ahead, make your jokes, Mr. Jokey... Joke-maker. But let me hit you with some knowledge. Quit now". -White Goodman
If you form an LLC and have production off shore. You have effectively protected yourself from judgments.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
I've written about this subject any number of times, and there is a litany of conventional-wisdom answers that everyone always parrots. Most of them even have a grain of truth, or did have at some point in time. (Cruddy products, terrible marketing, poor quality, overpriced health benefits, too many retirees, meddlesome regulations, incompetent top management, you pick it.)
Whatever the steps that have led us to where we are today, the bottom line is this: the US automakers have no access to capital.
Look at the market capitalization of the world's leading automakers in Japan. They're all off their highs, mostly because Japan is expecting a recession in the US. (And Toyota in particular has had some nasty quality-control problems this past year that have damaged its value.)
Even with all that, the Japanese companies are an order of magnitude better capitalized than Detroit's Big Two.
And Chrysler LLC is working off about $10 billion in leveraged capital that is almost certainly inadequate. (Translation: Chrysler will not survive 2008 in its current form.)
The lifeblood of the auto industry is great marketing and great products. Detroit is every bit as good at those things as anyone else, and their build quality is also totally world class.
But you just can't make needed investments in product and marketing when you're as capital-starved as our companies are. And that means that with each passing year, they fall farther and farther behind. They're in quicksand.
There's not a blessed thing the government can do about this.
Expanding outward from the auto industry to your earlier points about manufacturing in general: keep in mind that manufacturing in the US is only about 15% of our economy. There really isn't any way to revitalize manufacturing in a cost-effective way. The US transitioned away from manufacturing toward services decades ago, for some very good reasons.
If owning a factory weren't a reverse lottery ticket wouldn't hurt. In either access to capitol or revitalizing manufacturing.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Either there are grammatical errors in both sentences, or I need more scotch. :-)
By "access to capitol," do you mean lobbying in Washington, or did you misspell "capital"?
Misspelled, be gentle its a homophone.
Manufacturing enterprises on the US mainland are timebombs waiting for the wrong lawsuit to pop up, the wrong regulation to be passed in a legislature, or just the wrong set of pressure groups to come up.
I know you know this, but if you are going to make a sizeable investment you need to have some confidence that the enterprise can indeed survive until you recoup one way or another.
Taking the automotive sector as an example, why would you want to invest in the makers here ? They have the UAW crawling up their anus and out their mouths. Washington likes to come up with regulations that seem tailored to hurt them, and now the states have gotten into insane lawsuits and regulation. (California and zero emission vehicles ?). Finally you wind up with double taxation on the investment.
Its just not a business friendly environment. It gets even worse for small businesses. They have all the problems none of the advantages and the problems of being small and or new.
You want to see manufacturing revitalize in this country ?
1. Tort reform. Get the lawyers out of factory owners lives.
2. Tax reform. Double taxation whats the point ?
3. Regulatory reform. There is no reason that the whole universe should be able to involve its in a businesses business.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
But the problems we read about are, understandably, from their North American operations.
Even those have improved greatly. The product quality is much better, there are fascinating new products in the pipeline and some of the cars are just more interesting than Japanese models.
Alas, they are still paying for a string of poor business decisions and with our economy being in the precarious state it is in, that's just not a good place to play catchup.
...just not in blue states. I am originally from the South (Alabama) and I was stunned when I recently returned for a visit to see all of the manufacturing facilities appearing where there was just farmland 10 years ago. There are auto plants springing up all over the south. The Japanese, Germans and Koreans have somehow found a way to make money building cars in America, but apparently it cannot be done in states run by Democrats!
I oppose government intervention in the private sector, taxation as confiscation, and all socialist and quasi-socialist principles. If you were a conservative not blindly defending whatever nonsense Mitt Romney offers at a given time, you would agree.
Free the automotive industry. Let them take care of themselves. The industry did not lead the world because of government. The industry fell behind because of our government.
thing to me is that so many of our candidates believe in the global warming myth
Along with government bailouts. Sheeesh. Did he sleep over with the Huckster last night and get lib. lessons?
to belief in AGW. I believe the globe is warming. I believe we can do a little to reduce the effects. I also believe the little we can do is overwhelmed by the vast amount the sun, volcanoes, and the ocean are doing.
The left likes to equate disbelief in AGW with a disbelief in global warming. Let's not fall into their trap.
I saw a bit of the She-beast on MTP - specifically the part where russert asked her about the clinton pardons. She flatly denied knowing ANYTHING about ANY of it, especially her families payoffs. Russert then asked if she would take a pledge not to pardon anyone her family asked her to. During the question she just kept repeating 'ABSOLUTLEY!, ABSOLUTELY!'.
I have seen that type of repsonse before. It happens when a cop gives you a warning when you're caught speeding, and you keep repeating, Yes Sir, I won't speed anymore!
She is a viscious corrupt liar who will do anything to get power. Woe unto us if she wins.
After reading the transcript, that's the only conclusion that makes sense. I have some interesting questions for Hillary.
What was that little clear plastic hose running into Clinton's right ear? When she paused and looked down and to the right, was she looking at a crib sheet or was somebody feeding her lines through a radio in her ear?
Drink Good Coffee. You can sleep when you're dead.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
That's because he's Maxwell Smart.
What we need in a leader is to tell us not what we want to hear, but what we need to hear.
Fred Thompson 2008
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"I do not know whether Mrs. Clinton is a megalomaniacal deviant or just a confused bat."
Are the two necessarily mutually exclusive? I'll vote "C", all of the above.
none of the candidates inspire much in real conservatives. Newt is right. Big Govt "conservatism" has won out (thanks W!), which means, more Republicans trying out-spend, out-regulate and out-tax the Dems (which they never will).
Goodbye freedom. Welcome back 1970's.
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Halls of Justice Painted Green, Money Talking.
Power Wolves Beset Your Door, Hear Them Stalking.
But, Romney is likely out after Michigan (too many Dems/Indies voting is bad), Fred is very likely out after South Carolina (too little, too late) and Rudy will be out after Floria (even if he wins, he'll be broke.). That'll leave McCain v. Huck. Neither is an economic conservative, both are Global Warming kool-aid drinkers, and neither is a limited gov't type one bit, so there will not be a candidate for economic conservatives (judicial conservatives won't have much to be happy about, either).
Even, if the nominee beats the Dem candidate, there won't be much to support after inauguration, though McCain is clearly superior to Huck on foreign policy.
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Halls of Justice Painted Green, Money Talking.
Power Wolves Beset Your Door, Hear Them Stalking.
Huckabee is suicidal on foreign policy. The only question is who is worse, Him or Hillary and its a toss up.
If you need evidence look at the various responses to Bhutto's assassination.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
but part of me thinks that it'd be better just to have her get elected, just to get it over with and then hopefully limit her to just one term. She can't do that much damage, especially if she governs like Bill did in the 90's where not much happened because of his penchant for being afraid of negative polls.
I know that's not the best attitude, but at the same time, I don't want a GOP president who does even more damage to the conservative movement the way W and his big government brand of conservatism has.
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Halls of Justice Painted Green, Money Talking.
Power Wolves Beset Your Door, Hear Them Stalking.
We were at peace, the worlds only superpower and a booming economy. They also had a Republican congress after the first term midterm.
Now we are at war on multiple fronts, there is a new emerging superpower, and the economy is a bit shaky.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Whether it's Thompson or Romney there will be some anointed "conservative" alternative to McCain and Huckabee all the way through this. There's just too much demand for it.
And because, if there weren't, huge portions of the GOP coalition would be sitting at home in November (I'd be one of them, esp. if Huck were the nominee), and I think enough "powerbrokers" in the party realize that a Huck-McCain showdown would be disastrous for the party.
So someone will be around through June. I just don't know yet if it'll be Thompson or Romney...
Thanks again. I had to work this morning and so missed them, but I think they replay at night. I like to see the Romney interviews live.
Change seems to be a popular theme, but what in the world is Newt doing jumping on the "change the Republican Party" bandwagon? Is he drinking Huckabee's "Jesus juice"? If he keeps this up I will lose all respect for the man.
"Go ahead, make your jokes, Mr. Jokey... Joke-maker. But let me hit you with some knowledge. Quit now". -White Goodman