Republican Primaries

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Ishii:
Why is dead the operative word? (You have probably noticed that I only post on nights I don’t fall asleep first. So don’t feel ignored if I don’t respond timely.) Two reasons.
Allow me a round about, two fold, response.
In 2012, the house will probably remain GOP; and the senate will probably also go to the GOP. Those senators up for re-election are the class of 2006, when the Democrats made major gains (in GOP areas) based on dissatisfaction with President Bush (and ACORN, indicted and convicted in about 3 dozen states for election fraud). That is why, ceteris paribus, the senate will most likely go to the GOP. Also, Obama, and the Democrats, are losing their shine.
But defeating Obama in 2012 is not foregone. The GOP must nominate someone who will prevail. No mean trick as the GOP is split, nearly equally, between people who would be most comfortable in the Constitution Party and “Democrat lite”. Let me use Tim Pawlenty as an example.
Governor Pawlenty was elected to clean up the mess made by a pro-wrestler. He did. He was very pragmatic, and made hard decisions no on else wanted to make (after the election). He was a Republican; elected in a very, radical, Democratic state. His record is not pure; his statements in the last few years are not pure. This may help to sell him as “middle of the road”, but it also alienates the Tea Party sorts.
To defeat Obama, we need to get out the marginal voters, those who don’t really care about this country all that much. We also need to bring in the votes of the couch potatos, who can’t be bothered to turn their attention from their TV shows long enough to see what is going on. And we need the activists. Most presidential elections are decided by people who don’t care.
I remember doing phone surveys in the 1976 campaign (for the party). So many I called thought that Richard Nixon was still the president. The election will be decided by people who don’t know and don’t care; or by activists, who really care.
We need a candidate who can turn out enough “real believers” to contact people; AND GET THEM TO THE POLLS (how George W. Bush won re-election).

Assume that the GOP takes the White House in 2012; then what? Again, going with Tim Pawlenty; what will he do? If he does not address the major problems, then it is just a slowing down of the downward slide. Not much of a change. We need to elect someone who will reverse the slide. I chose Tim Pawlenty because we don’t know what he would do; once elected, he did take on things best not talked about during the election (if one wanted to get elected).
I don’t see anyone running who has even a semblence of Ron Paul’s track record; we know what he will do; or his grass roots support; i.e. “true belivers”. Ron Paul, if elected, would be able to turn this country around. Two fold statement. 1. He would do it. 2. He knows how to do it.
That said, I’d rather the nominee were not Ron Paul. He holds both office AND senority. Best to elect a ticket that is not in office, so those that are can give better support.
We need to elect a GOP president; but if he is just “Democrat lite”, then there is no point. It only means that this country will go down the drain a few months later, rather than sooner.
 
Gingrich was on some news show and he was EXCELLENT … kept his responses to under 1000 words.

Seriously, his grasp of the issues and of what has worked … going back to the 1980’s … and his articulation … were superb.

So, I’m back in the Newt Gingrich camp.

But for VP, …

Need a governor for President …

The combination that would get the left totally crazed would be Palin/Gingrich.

The pitbull and the Contract With America.
Gingrich would do better than any of the candidates in a debate with Obama. But I think we can cross both Gingrich and Palin off the slate. Neither one of them will be on the final ticket.
 
Listening to the libertarians here I am learning more about what they stand for and their views. One thing I would like to understand better is why they think that any governmental affairs should be done at the State level rather then at the Federal level. Why is that? What makes the State better to manage the affairs of the people rather than at the federal level??
 
Listening to the libertarians here I am learning more about what they stand for and their views. One thing I would like to understand better is why they think that any governmental affairs should be done at the State level rather then at the Federal level. Why is that? What makes the State better to manage the affairs of the people rather than at the federal level??
Much like the private sector, the more states compete the better. Why do you think people are flocking to Texas? They just reported on the local radio, I think it was Irving, has added more construction jobs than any other city in the country.

When federal government assumes power over something and creates a new bureaucracy to manage it. It, as we can see now, has no reason to do so responsibly. There was a report last year that over 1000 laptops were missing…

And we want to give them more to do?

If federal government was an employee working for me alone, not only would they have been fired long ago. But probably prosecuted and sitting in jail.
 
Listening to the libertarians here I am learning more about what they stand for and their views. One thing I would like to understand better is why they think that any governmental affairs should be done at the State level rather then at the Federal level. Why is that? What makes the State better to manage the affairs of the people rather than at the federal level??
Because at the federal level it is a one-size-fits-all approach that is incredibly expensive compared to the benefit delivered. The state is “closer to the problem”, so it can contour programs that fit the need, and the culture of the people in that state. For example, it is ludicrous to think that what works in California will work in Maine. The culture of the people is very, very different. Maine politicians know what works with Maine residents. This also conforms to the Catholic political idael fo subsidiarity. Basically, the federal government’s main reason to exist is to protect the rights and liberties of all Americans, not to provide craddle to grave entitlements. The States can do that, if they wish. And if someone from Maine can no longer bear the burden of providing for craddle to grave entitlements through taxes, then he can move his family to a state that is more economically friendly to his wants, say like Texas. That is why each state is different, to act as a laboratory of freedom and liberty. As states experiment with small segments of society, when they find something that works, then other states can model it if they want. Our society, and our government was built in stark contrast to Europe. We are a “ground up” society and culture. Power resides in the people, who temporarily lend it to politicians to take care of problems that they cannot take care of themselves. Traditionally, Europe, with its long line of monarchs and emperors, is a “top down” governmental society, with hereditary kings and queens ruling from on high, dictating to the citizenry. Trying to impose an overly strong, overly controlling, overly ambitious central government changes us to a European “top down” government, where we are ruled rather than governed.
 
It also explains why New York State is losing two seats in the House of Representatives and Texas is gaining several additional representatives.

NYS is simply not user friendly.

Texas IS user friendly.
 
I grew up in the 50s and was in high school in the 60s. If we had waited for the states to fix their civil rights laws we would still be waiting for Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Arizona and a number of other states. In some cases, like civil rights, slavery, etc. The Federal Government had to step in to make things right. It may not be strictly constitutional, but it was the right thing to do. Ron Paul is simply wrong on this point.
Don’t forget Texas. I would still have to dig ditches for a living and eat at the back door with the dogs.
 
9.4 billion in surplus.
#1 in job growth
no state taxes
most fortune 1000 companies in the nation.
You’re a budgetary cycle behind. Texas has a $28 billion shortfall. The legislature has been in emergency session to solve the problem and Perry is threatening to call a second one here at the end of June. This si why he is delaying announcing and filing the necessary paperwork. He kind of painted himself in to a corner by saying he wouldn’t do anything while the Leg was in session. I think he can easily flip on that statement. Not very damaging and there is concern among Republican heavy hitters ($$) that it’s getting late in the game to raise enough money to run a national campaign and get organized especially in Caucus states where organization is a premium. And, in case it matters, he created that surplus by taking stimulus money on the same day he made a big speech denouncing the federal stimulus program.
 
It also explains why New York State is losing two seats in the House of Representatives and Texas is gaining several additional representatives.

NYS is simply not user friendly.

Texas IS user friendly.
Many states are indeed owe much of their growing populations and thriving (or, less damaged) economies to their lenienc corporate laws. This is not necessarily a good thing, as it ma y just as easily lead to, say, Maryland benefitting in jobs, tax revenue, and production at the expense all those detrimentally effected by corporations allowed to operate unregulated throughout the country, just because they legally exist in Maryland. A good example of this is with insurance companies. An insurance company in Maryland counld screw over customers in California or Oklahoma and not have to worry about it because it was beyond those states’ jurisdiction, and Maryland was ok with it because it was getting a cut, and no federal regulatory body existed that could deal with it. Hence why state regulation is sometimes insufficient and federal intervention is sometimes necessary.
 
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.
Perry would never accept the VP. Never. Anyway, he’s going to be the Nominee in 2012.
 
I voted for him-first time around
Interesting, but not really. First post-Nixon Resignation Election. ford was doomed after pardoning Nixon which was probably the right thing to at that time. Hindsight is always 20-20 don’t ya know. People forget that Jimmy was the first evangelical President and had a pretty good record as Governor of GA. His strategy for winning the nomination is incredible and verges on genuius. It was a foregone conlcusion that he woud win the Presidency once nominated. As for me, I was too young to vote.
 
Interesting, but not really. First post-Nixon Resignation Election. ford was doomed after pardoning Nixon which was probably the right thing to at that time. Hindsight is always 20-20 don’t ya know. People forget that Jimmy was the first evangelical President and had a pretty good record as Governor of GA. His strategy for winning the nomination is incredible and verges on genuius. It was a foregone conlcusion that he woud win the Presidency once nominated. As for me, I was too young to vote.
I voted for McGovern also. As the saying goes " Those who are not liberal when they are young have no heart, those who remain Liberal as they mature have no mind"
 
You’re a budgetary cycle behind. Texas has a $28 billion shortfall. The legislature has been in emergency session to solve the problem and Perry is threatening to call a second one here at the end of June. This si why he is delaying announcing and filing the necessary paperwork. He kind of painted himself in to a corner by saying he wouldn’t do anything while the Leg was in session. I think he can easily flip on that statement. Not very damaging and there is concern among Republican heavy hitters ($$) that it’s getting late in the game to raise enough money to run a national campaign and get organized especially in Caucus states where organization is a premium. And, in case it matters, he created that surplus by taking stimulus money on the same day he made a big speech denouncing the federal stimulus program.
Texas has a balanced budget amendment… dont they? So that means… they have to cut spending if revenue falls.
Which… find me a state where revenue has not fallen.
 
Interesting, but not really. First post-Nixon Resignation Election. ford was doomed after pardoning Nixon which was probably the right thing to at that time. Hindsight is always 20-20 don’t ya know. People forget that Jimmy was the first evangelical President and had a pretty good record as Governor of GA. His strategy for winning the nomination is incredible and verges on genuius. It was a foregone conlcusion that he woud win the Presidency once nominated. As for me, I was too young to vote.
That’s not quite how I remember it. Ford was actually gaining on Carter up toward the end and lost momentum after the debate in which he claimed that eastern Europe wasn’t under the control of the Soviet Union (which it was) and the resulting coverage of the gaffe probably sealed his defeat. But Carter saw a 33 point lead over Ford in the summer reduced to single digits by the fall. And the election was quite close. Ford surged toward the end but it was too little too late. But it wasn’t a forgone conclusion by any means that Carter would win once he got the nomination.

Ishii
 
The press loved Carter. They looked at him as another Kennedy. This was before the rise of the religious right and the press being suspicious of any Evangelical Christian.
 
The press loved Carter. They looked at him as another Kennedy. This was before the rise of the religious right and the press being suspicious of any Evangelical Christian.
Yes. I remember that Carter chose to walk down Pennsylvania avenue in a post-watergate, “man of the people” type of display. Carter was the last Democrat before the social issues took front stage in politics - abortion, gay rights, etc. He was one of the last Democrat politicians to receive significant support from the evangelical community. It was also before the rise of guys like Jerry Falwell, Paul Weyrick, Richard Vigurie, etc. The move toward social liberalism of the Democrat party sealed the defection of evangelical Christians and large numbers of blue collar Catholics who were socially conservative. They helped Reagan win in 1980 and 84.

Ishii
 
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