Republican Primaries

[meltzerboy]

The problem with the term “living wage” is if there is no definition of it. It is totally subjective and is used to demonize business owners, like myself, regardless
of how much you pay your employees. One thing you will find out if you are and employer is nobody thinks they are being properly compensated.

The result of pressure to try to replace the “minimum wage” with a "living wage’ has been to push teenage unemployment, especially among African-Americans, to astronomical heights The idea of getting a summer job so that one can learn a work ethic and earn some spending money has been destroyed. I know about this problem firsthand. Back in early 80s I used to hire high school students to work in my office during the summer. Quite frankly, they weren’t even worth what the minimum wage was in those days. But, as with many business owners, I did so at the behest of the local high school in an attempt to help high school students gain a worth ethic and learn about office demeanor. No way I would even consider doing that today-the cost is simply too high. In fact none of my small business clients do this anymore. Rather than look at the left-wing policies that have destroyed these kinds of programs the left instead wants to criticize employers being greedy and heartless.

The idea that we need labor unions protect the wages specious. The truth is the labor unions have destroyed jobs in this country by making the cost of business so high it is actually cheaper to manufacture goods overseas, ship them halfway around the world that it is to make them at home. If one wants to see the damage caused by unfettered unions. they need only look at the financial crisis of most this that municipalities and state governments were union representative among state employees is high.

You make some valid points. Please understand that I’m not saying all business owners are greedy or even make a lot of money. I am well aware there are expenses in running a business, and business owners, just like their employees, have to survive. And I also agree with you about instilling the work ethic in teenagers who have summer jobs. I’m actually not talking about that demographic. I’m talking about middle-age employees who are either working part-time (sometimes taking on two jobs), who also may be the sole support of their family, and are not working primarily for extra cash as a supplemental income. Many of these part-time and full-time employees have been working for several years and still make barely enough money to survive. Living in New York City, I see this all the time, including at the University where I teach. Part-time Adjunct Professors get very low pay (and that’s not subjective!) even though they do as much teaching or more than full-timers. The only thing they don’t have to do is committee work or publishing, which is required in research universities, but not teaching universities. I’ve also seen this first-hand when I worked at Barnes and Noble as a bookseller years ago. I was working there for supplemental income, which I didn’t need for survival. There were also college students who were employed for the summer. However, in addition to these groups, there were several older employees, some of them working full-time and getting very little compensation. I realize budgets are tight, but Barnes and Noble bookstores, as well as the larger Universities, are not in the same category as small business owners. I believe they take advantage of cheap labor, especially in the case of the university system, in which at least half the faculty are part-time because they can be paid less than full-time faculty, and in private colleges do not receive any medical coverage. Systems such as these are shamefully exploitive of skilled, professional labor and bring down the quality of higher education for everyone. Without union backing, such part-time employees would have even less than they currently do. I don’t mean only salary but also a semblance of job security in terms of a yearly contract, so that they don’t have to wonder each semester whether they will be re-hired.

 

[ishii]

Perhaps Romney as the Presidential candidate and Perry for Vice-President? Texas is a big state; of course, it would go for the GOP regardless, certainly not for Obama. What about Huntsman? He’s still unknown to most people but perhaps too close to Obama for comfort. I think, though, if Palin enters the race, all bets are off insofar as the nomination is concerned. She’s probably too far right for the general election, however. Romney and Perry it is.

Hopefully Romney/Perry it isn’t. The GOP is going to win Texas regardless of who they put on the ticket. Hard to imagine Perry playing second fiddle to anyone - for possibly eight years and attending all of those funerals - to be in place for the 2020 election? I don’t think so. The GOP needs to look at Marco Rubio. His life story and ethnicity would appeal to hispanics in a time when the GOP really can’t afford to not get hispanic support. Also, Rubio would help win Florida imo. The cons? Rubio has only been a senator since winning the 2010 election so there might be a question about his experience. On the other hand, the Dems would have a harder time making that an issue considering who is in the white house now. Another choice might be Pawlenty/Jindal. The new governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley might be a good choice as long as she doesn’t turn out to be another Palin - maybe in 2016 when she’s had more experience. The GOP needs to get away from perception of them as the party of stuffy white guys. There are many capable, smart, ambitious new leaders in the party who could help them appeal to a different bloc of voters.

Ishii

 

[ishii]

It's always hard to speculate who Ron Paul would run with.   From the general pool:

Jesse Ventura, but he says he won’t do it if Ron’s a Republican, so no.

So yeah, I don’t know.
.

If Paul picked Jesse Ventura they might get the all important nut-job conspiracy theorist vote. Ventura would be fun to watch on the debates. Maybe Paul already has a lock on the nut vote though.

Ishii

 

[ExLibris]

If Paul picked Jesse Ventura they might get the all important nut-job conspiracy theorist vote. Ventura would be fun to watch on the debates. Maybe Paul already has a lock on the nut vote though.

Ishii

Personally, I wouldn’t like Ventura as a running mate. I would consider dropping Paul over it.

 

[meltzerboy]

Hopefully Romney/Perry it isn’t. The GOP is going to win Texas regardless of who they put on the ticket. Hard to imagine Perry playing second fiddle to anyone - for possibly eight years and attending all of those funerals - to be in place for the 2020 election? I don’t think so. The GOP needs to look at Marco Rubio. His life story and ethnicity would appeal to hispanics in a time when the GOP really can’t afford to not get hispanic support. Also, Rubio would help win Florida imo. The cons? Rubio has only been a senator since winning the 2010 election so there might be a question about his experience. On the other hand, the Dems would have a harder time making that an issue considering who is in the white house now. Another choice might be Pawlenty/Jindal. The new governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley might be a good choice as long as she doesn’t turn out to be another Palin - maybe in 2016 when she’s had more experience. The GOP needs to get away from perception of them as the party of stuffy white guys. There are many capable, smart, ambitious new leaders in the party who could help them appeal to a different bloc of voters.

Ishii

Marco Rubio would be a great choice, although I have no idea what he stands for. I mean politically though, to lock up Florida and the Hispanic vote in that battleground state (although Cuban voters are more Republican anyway than other Latino voters) and elsewhere. Florida is only a toss-up because of South Florida and the large elderly, mainly Jewish population there, who have high voter turnout. I’m not familiar with Nikki Haley, but I like her name: such gravitas. The GOP will only get away from the “stuffy white guy” image when they have to in order to win, and, with shifting demographics in many states, that day has just about arrived.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

You make some valid points. Please understand that I’m not saying all business owners are greedy or even make a lot of money. I am well aware there are expenses in running a business, and business owners, just like their employees, have to survive. And I also agree with you about instilling the work ethic in teenagers who have summer jobs. I’m actually not talking about that demographic. I’m talking about middle-age employees who are either working part-time (sometimes taking on two jobs), who also may be the sole support of their family, and are not working primarily for extra cash as a supplemental income. Many of these part-time and full-time employees have been working for several years and still make barely enough money to survive. Living in New York City, I see this all the time, including at the University where I teach. Part-time Adjunct Professors get very low pay (and that’s not subjective!) even though they do as much teaching or more than full-timers. The only thing they don’t have to do is committee work or publishing, which is required in research universities, but not teaching universities. I’ve also seen this first-hand when I worked at Barnes and Noble as a bookseller years ago. I was working there for supplemental income, which I didn’t need for survival. There were also college students who were employed for the summer. However, in addition to these groups, there were several older employees, some of them working full-time and getting very little compensation. I realize budgets are tight, but Barnes and Noble bookstores, as well as the larger Universities, are not in the same category as small business owners. I believe they take advantage of cheap labor, especially in the case of the university system, in which at least half the faculty are part-time because they can be paid less than full-time faculty, and in private colleges do not receive any medical coverage. Systems such as these are shamefully exploitive of skilled, professional labor and bring down the quality of higher education for everyone. Without union backing, such part-time employees would have even less than they currently do. I don’t mean only salary but also a semblance of job security in terms of a yearly contract, so that they don’t have to wonder each semester whether they will be re-hired.

Despite their large size, the two biggie book store chains are on the verge of going out of business.

Running a business is far more difficult than anyone can imagine unless he or she is actually running one.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

Hopefully Romney/Perry it isn’t. The GOP is going to win Texas regardless of who they put on the ticket. Hard to imagine Perry playing second fiddle to anyone - for possibly eight years and attending all of those funerals - to be in place for the 2020 election? I don’t think so. The GOP needs to look at Marco Rubio. His life story and ethnicity would appeal to hispanics in a time when the GOP really can’t afford to not get hispanic support. Also, Rubio would help win Florida imo. The cons? Rubio has only been a senator since winning the 2010 election so there might be a question about his experience. On the other hand, the Dems would have a harder time making that an issue considering who is in the white house now. Another choice might be Pawlenty/Jindal. The new governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley might be a good choice as long as she doesn’t turn out to be another Palin - maybe in 2016 when she’s had more experience. The GOP needs to get away from perception of them as the party of stuffy white guys. There are many capable, smart, ambitious new leaders in the party who could help them appeal to a different bloc of voters.

Ishii

As presidential candidates, governors always do better than senators or representatives, because they have actual hands-on management experience of large government entities.

And governors get put on the spot a hundred times a day. Supporters call them up and demand special favors and they have to be able to make nice while saying “no”.

Listen to Governor Chris Christie in his daily verbal and political combat in New Jersey. Senators don’t have to deal with that level of stress on an hourly basis.

Look at the awful job McCain did. And Bob Dole. These guys are too genteel. “My esteemed colleague” and that kind of stuff while going up against someone who wants to eviscerate him. Dole actually called something “a wedge issue” … [what the heck is that?] … and at a time when everyone wanted to know “where’s the beef” … Dole was actually appearing in commercials for Viagara. I mean, Clara Pell, who did the “where’s the beef” commercials, would have made a better candidate than Dole. And McCain would not even say anything about Obama’s lack of experience or his way left voting record.

So you don’t want anyone who could remotely be called a RINO.

Versus the “pit bull with lipstick!” comment from Palin or the speech that Governor Reagan made against President Carter when Reagan tore Carter to pieces.

So, if you want winners, you are looking at a combo such as Perry/Palin.

You can tell who the most viable candidates are by the amount of vitriol generated by the left. They HATE Palin with a passion. Whereas they positively LOVE Huntsman, who has stated how much he admires Obama … Huntsman is just a McCain “lite”.

 

[Rich_Olszewski]

You can tell who the most viable candidates are by the amount of vitriol generated by the left. They HATE Palin with a passion.

And, rightly so, but she doesn’t seem to be part of the game any more. Bachmann is the intelligent conservative woman who is, if a woman will be on the ticket, the expected candidate.

 

[Stjudeprayforus]

And, rightly so, but she doesn’t seem to be part of the game any more. Bachmann is the intelligent conservative woman who is, if a woman will be on the ticket, the expected candidate.

Ah… the ‘Palin is the stupid one’ side swipe comment, how unexpected from the left.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

As presidential candidates, governors always do better than senators or representatives, because they have actual hands-on management experience of large government entities.

And governors get put on the spot a hundred times a day. Supporters call them up and demand special favors and they have to be able to make nice while saying “no”.

Listen to Governor Chris Christie in his daily verbal and political combat in New Jersey. Senators don’t have to deal with that level of stress on an hourly basis.

Look at the awful job McCain did. And Bob Dole. These guys are too genteel. “My esteemed colleague” and that kind of stuff while going up against someone who wants to eviscerate him. Dole actually called something “a wedge issue” … [what the heck is that?] … and at a time when everyone wanted to know “where’s the beef” … Dole was actually appearing in commercials for Viagara. I mean, Clara Pell, who did the “where’s the beef” commercials, would have made a better candidate than Dole. And McCain would not even say anything about Obama’s lack of experience or his way left voting record.

So you don’t want anyone who could remotely be called a RINO.

Versus the “pit bull with lipstick!” comment from Palin or the speech that Governor Reagan made against President Carter when Reagan tore Carter to pieces.

So, if you want winners, you are looking at a combo such as Perry/Palin.

You can tell who the most viable candidates are by the amount of vitriol generated by the left. They HATE Palin with a passion. Whereas they positively LOVE Huntsman, who has stated how much he admires Obama … Huntsman is just a McCain “lite”.

Ronald Reagan. September 1st, 1980, Liberty State Park behind the Statue of Liberty kicking off his general election campaign.

REAGAN: The Carter record is a litany of despair, of broken promises, of sacred trusts abandoned and forgotten. His answer to all this misery? He tries to tell us that we’re only in a recession, not a depression – as if definitions – words – relieve our suffering. Let it show on the record that when the American people cried out for economic help, Jimmy Carter took refuge behind a dictionary. Well, if it’s a definition he wants, I’ll give him one: A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his!

I have talked with unemployed workers all across this country. I’ve heard their views on what Jimmy Carter has done to them and their families. Let Mr. Carter go to their homes, look their children in the eyes, and argue with them that it’s only a recession that put dad or mom out of work. Let him go to the unemployment lines and lecture those workers who have been betrayed on what is the proper definition for their widespread economic misery. Human tragedy, human misery, the crushing of the human spirit. They do not need defining; they need action.

Call this human tragedy whatever you want. Whatever it is, it’s Jimmy Carter’s. He caused it, he tolerates it, and he’s going to appearance to the American people for it.

I’m looking forward to meeting Mr. Carter in debate, confronting him with the whole sorry record of his administration – the record he prefers not to mention. If he ever finally agrees to the kind of first debate the American people want, which I’m beginning to doubt, he’ll answer to them and to me.

This country needs a new administration with a renewed dedication to the dream of America, an administration that will give that dream new life and make America great again.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

deseretnews.com/top/103/875/Ronald-Reagans-10-best-quotes-My-opponents-youth-and-inexperience.html

8 - My opponent’s youth and inexperience​

“I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”

October 21, 1984: In the second presidential debate with candidate Walter Mondale, Reagan was grilled over his age by Henry “Hank” Trewhitt of the Baltimore Sun. “You already are the oldest President in history, and some of your staff say you were tired after your most recent encounter with Mr. Mondale. I recall, yes, that President Kennedy, who had to go for days on end with very little sleep during the Cuba missile crisis. Is there any doubt in your mind that you would be able to function in such circumstances?” Reagan replied, “Not at all, Mr. Trewhitt and I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” Trewhitt responded, “Mr. President, I’d like to head for the fence and try to catch that one before it goes over.”

Mondale lost.

 

[Rich_Olszewski]

Ah… the ‘Palin is the stupid one’ side swipe comment, how unexpected from the left.

Study some English grammar, please. “Bachmann is the intelligent conservative woman who is, if a woman will be on the ticket, the expected candidate.” describes her as intelligent, as conservative, as a woman, and as the woman most likely to be on the ticket. It doesn’t say that other women aren’t intelligent or conservative.

But, read into anything whatever you want to read into read.

 

[anp1215]

Ron Paul all the way! Happy to see how much he’s leading in this poll.

 

[meltzerboy]

Despite their large size, the two biggie book store chains are on the verge of going out of business.

Running a business is far more difficult than anyone can imagine unless he or she is actually running one.

And why are Barnes and Noble and, I think, Borders going out of business? Due to technology and online books. Even the mom-and-pop book stores cannot survive anymore. The same has already happened in the music business: virtually no more CD music chains and hardly any old record shops. As the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz exclaimed while dying: “What a world! What a world!”

 

[estesbob]

Ron Paul all the way! Happy to see how much he’s leading in this poll.

And why are Barnes and Noble and, I think, Borders going out of business? Due to technology and online books. Even the mom-and-pop book stores can hardly survive anymore. The same has already happened in the music business: virtually no more CD music stores and hardly anymore old record shops. As the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz declared while dying: “What a world! What a world!”

And higher education is heading the same way my brother teaches for several universities all from the comfort of his home

 

[meltzerboy]

Ron Paul all the way! Happy to see how much he’s leading in this poll.

I hate to disillusion you, and I like Ron Paul, but I think this is the ONLY poll he’s leading in.

 

[meltzerboy]

And higher education is heading the same way my brother teaches for several universities all from the comfort of his home

It sure is. I’d give on-campus education no more than 50 years, if that long.

 

[anp1215]

I hate to disillusion you, and I like Ron Paul, but I think this is the ONLY poll he’s leading in.

No worries. No disillusionment here!

 

[Stjudeprayforus]

Study some English grammar, please. “Bachmann is the intelligent conservative woman who is, if a woman will be on the ticket, the expected candidate.” describes her as intelligent, as conservative, as a woman, and as the woman most likely to be on the ticket. It doesn’t say that other women aren’t intelligent or conservative.

But, read into anything whatever you want to read into read.

I dont need to study anything.

 

[gilliam]

It is still early. But Real Clear Politics has Romney up by 9.8%
realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/us/republican_presidential_nomination-1452.html