Weinergate? Really?

From BigGovernment.com

Why the hell are we (conservatives) paying any attention to this. Sure he needs to resign. Sure he's a total douche. But this seems like a gargantuan waste of time. Democrats won't censure the idiot. The media won't focus on the issue. They'd rather follow Sarah Palin and complain of having to pee on the side of the road than acknowledge Anthony Weiners' stupidity. The media would rather talk about Andrew Brietbart and his vendetta rather than address the issue of Weiner's inane lies. Drop the issue and move on to the bigger issues at hand. Lets see more pressure on the President over his failed jobs plan. Lets see more pressure on the GOP candidates so that we have the best nominee this next fall. Lets focus people. Weiner is aptly named (or perhaps not so aptly named) and deserves to be lampooned in the late-night shows but he certainly shouldn't be taking our eye off the prize. The GOP win in 2012 is not going to hinge on this story. It is a flash in the pan. It may paint the Democrats poorly but it doesn't break Obama's grip on the reigns of this country running off the edge of a cliff. Let this blog post be the end of this particular news cycle.

GOP Cage match Round 1: Palin vs. Romney

Recently there's an unstated rivalry in the GOP primary race. This was brought to my attention today because of a couple of articles I saw. (here and here) This combined with my previous post breaking down the GOP candidates gave me the idea for one on one cage match analysis of two candidates per week. Each week I will give my readers a chance to express their opinions on the match up for the week and select the winner. The winner of each week will face off a winner from a previous week. This should take all summer long since there are so many announced and rumored candidates. Theoretically we'll have enough response from my readers to have a good idea of who the candidate should be at the end of the primaries. Of course we could find that my readers are lop sided, idealistic, or just plain wrong and then we'll just have been entertained for several weeks.

So the cage match for this week is arguably the battle of the heavy weights and I'd wager good money that one of these two will be the front runner by years end...of course I could be completely wrong too. I pit them against each other so soon in the process because they've already gone one-on-one this week and since only one of them is a candidate it seems fair to put them both in the ring as candidates to see who comes out. 

*cue Michael Buffer voice over*

In the Blue Corner standing at 6' 2" at an undisclosed weight and packing the baggage of mandatory healthcare coverage and a pair of flip-flops courtesy of the pro-choice Massachusetts political environment.  

We have the Massachusetts Mormon, the Brother from Boston, runner up in 2008 and a favorite of the middle -of-the-road-Republicans....Miiiiittttt Romneeeey!

In the Pink Corner standing 5'5" and weighing *slap* never mind...a girl never shares that. Carrying Tina Fey, a Governorship-cut-short, and a lip-stick wearing pig the Airhead from Alaska, the Tea-Party Pretty, the Patriotic Princess and the favorite of the hater-media and crazy-conservatives....Saraaaaah Paaaaaalin!

Round 1: Sarah opens the round by calling Romney to the carpet on RomneyCare on the very day he announces his "formal" campaign. Romney counters by proving he won't stoop to cheap theatrics. Palin pulls out the big guns and denies Romney coverage by having a clambake in the same state as Romney. Romney, on his heels, pulls up a giant wad of cash and slams it right into the retro-chic glasses of Palin. 

Round 2: Both candidates are looking strong. Palin skates around the ring on roller blades like any skilled hockey mom. Romney shuffles lightly in his patent leather loafers and un-buttoned long sleeve shirt. Romney starts the round with a sold hit with his big-business cred. Palin absorbs the blow by using folksy rhetoric. Getting into it now they both reach into their historical candidacy as the first Mormon and the first Woman Presidents if they win. This round is a draw.

Round 3: The candidates are showing signs of fatigue. Mitt has a single hair out of place and Sarah has some mascara running. Romney seems ready to end this with big name endorsements in the business sector. Palin reaches to her grass roots populist cred and paid gig on Fox News. This is gonna be a close one.
*ding ding*

Both candidates are standing tall. This is going to the score card.

Please leave your comments below and help me decide who moves on in the Summer GOP Cage Match. 

Paul Ryan has a plan...now what?

Image via Wikipedia

Looks Presidential to me. You?

Do Paul Ryan has been an inspiration as a Freshman Senator from Wisconsin. He has been a leader and a voice of principle since the day he was sworn in. His most recent efforts for America have been astounding. The $6.2 Trillion budget cuts over the next 10 years are incredible. Everyone knew we had that much available to cut but so far not one person was willing to propose such cuts. The President has sat in his Oval Office and has proposed more spending and taxes and done mathematical gymnastics to show a $1.1 Trillion reduction over the same period. Ryan has proposed cuts that are as close to the bone as one would dare make in such a heated political atmosphere. He has no sacred cows and has cut from the military and reformed Medicare and Medicaid spending to make it more lean. He has avoided the elephant in the room, the aging dynamite that no one in their right mind would touch and that's Social Security. But in general he's gone through the books just like any other household and made the cuts needed to get America's balance sheet in the black. 

So all this effort (I know...he managed to put this together in a matter of months and we still haven't got anything meaningful done for last years budget) in getting our collective crap together and what does it all mean? Does it stand a chance once the bleeding hearts and the pork hungry get hold of it and start the debate? In a word, No.
Paul Ryan may be the man that saved America from the grip of economic ruin and his efforts are doomed from the moment he puts this in front of establishment politicians of every stripe. He speaks fluently the politics of personal responsibility and small government. The problem is that America hasn't got the collective will to stand behind him and force their political parties to come to terms on this budget. Too many people like being taken care of, too many people are happy being dependent. Paul Ryan and the committee he worked with to create this budget are heroes that will never see their day in the sun. To a person like me, that is the most tragic part of this whole story. Seeing light in our future just to come to the realization that it was not in fact a lantern on the horizon but rather a star in a distant galaxy and perpetually beyond grasp.
What do you think...does this budget stand a chance? If it does or doesn't do you think it should be passed?

$5 a gallon gas...or more.

So the last time we had a run on oil and the price per barrel was about $140 it was because people were greedy and the economy was strong(ish). Today the run on oil is a result of something even more powerful. Fear.
World events are on the brink of worse than chaos. Revolution in countries that the world economy relies on for its life-blood is anything but good. Libya generates a relatively small amount of the world supply of oil but the instability there and elsewhere in the area has given rise to speculation that Saudi Arabia could experience a revolution ala-Libya and Egypt. If that happens (and this is where the fear comes) all hell breaks loose. Between the fear of things that may or may not happen and the fear of things that are actually happening the price of oil is going to keep going up. Combine this with increased demand as a result of marginal improvements in the world economy (not so much in the USA...but elsewhere) and we have a real chance of things getting out of control. I recently saw an article saying we could see $15 a gallon gas. While I'm not sure about the idea of "peak oil" I do believe that the markets respond to world events.
So the next question...is this still Bush's fault?

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GOP Cost cutting deep

The GOP recently revealed their plan to cut $2.7Trillion in spending over 10 years (Yes that is a T). Does this mean we're on our way out of our national financial problems? Not if the Democrats have anything to say about it and they will have something to say. Without a majority in the Senate the GOP efforts to bring fiscal sanity back to the country are symbolic. What that really means is they already know this and they are going as dramatic as they can to try and build public support. The problem is that it's almost as likely to backfire as it is to help them. Of course the staunchest Republicans are going to support them in any and all of the cuts they've detailed. The problem is that while the independents got them into office on the promise of fixing the economy and bringing down the debt the reality is that they are just as likely to balk at some of the cuts that have been proposed. The GOP knows this and proposed them anyway forcing the dialog with the Democrats and if the Republicans are careful they can show "compromise" and still win...if they're not careful they'll stick to their guns and fail miserably and be accused of being "too partisan". This is an opportunity for our country to get back on track and perhaps dig out from the holes that were dug over the last 6 years. If the Republicans can navigate this tricky political maneuver and bring up a legitimate Presidential candidate they have a decent shot at saving us from the whims of China and our other creditors. Don't hold your breath though.

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"itty bitty" political affiliations

I was reading a recent article on the Boston Herald (linked from Drudgereport.com) about Senator Brown in a Martin Luther King Jr. address and found it to be quite interesting in its implications. First of all the reason it was on Drudge is because it would raise eyebrows within the furthest Right of the Republican party. Many of them would be concerned that he diminishes his party affiliation and gives the impression that he is someone who could be a target of the Democrats in close votes. This is a valid concern since he has been one of the more malleable Republicans since taking his position in a shocker election last January. While many would see this treating his party as an after thought as a problem I see his speech in the larger context.
He was promoting the seating for the State of the Union address coming soon. Seating that forces Democrats and Republicans to sit next to each other is a great political symbol. The voters in general are fed-up with division and partisanship and even a relatively pointless symbolic gesture like this is going to speak to the populace. A strictly adversarial attitude as both parties have demonstrated lately is not going to get the public the results they expect. Republicans are in control (for now) because they offered hope that the spending, Obamcare, and deficit would be addressed and the sooner that Democrats embrace that the sooner bipartisanship can begin. Senator Scott Brown is trying to demonstrate to Republicans that the most important thing that they have to bring to the table is themselves and not their party affiliation. The "itty bitty" R or D that tells us the "team" they're on is not something that should exist because they're all on the same team America's team. It's about time they demonstrated it less in rhetoric and symbolic gestures and more in actions that benefit the country.

Hiding behind the news of the day.

The tragic shootings in Tucson this last weekend have the political world in an uproar.  Talk radio is on the rage because the liberals are blaming them or at least implicating them morally.  The politicians are either trying to upstage each other in their condolences to the families or their efforts to "find a solution" to this type of problem.  Has anyone thought about the real problems?  Not to make the tragic loss of life and senseless act of violence less important...it's very important to the people who are directly involved...but much less so to the country as a whole.  By making this tragedy a national issue they are taking off the table the real national issues.  China is testing a stealth fighter, getting ready to trade their currency in the US, and generally assuming the role that America once held unquestionably.  National unemployment is sickeningly high and there are no economic indicators that it will change any time soon.  The national debt (most of it held by China) is getting close to making our nation bankrupt.  Our borders are a no-man zone running wild with criminals trafficking guns, drugs, and people.  Our education system is losing ground to almost every developed country and most developing countries.  This list isn't short and it's only getting longer as long as our politicians continue to make national issues out of isolated incidents.  The news cycle on this apparently needs to make it long enough in the national story line for American Idol to start its new season.  Then we'll be talking about Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez and the next William Hung and this national crisis will still be played out on capital hill because "something must be done" and with have a dozen proposals and bills waiting to be debated this is the perfect thing to "do" instead of the things that really matter.

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Illegal Immigration Mexico Style.

Image by Pacoy69 via Flickr

May Day is perhaps the most politically charged "holiday" on the calendar.   This year, as in years past, it was used to protest immigration issues, more specifically the Arizona law.  All of the outrage, from the criminals defiantly walking the streets protesting a law that they are choosing to ignore, is a little disturbing considering several facts.  I was recently made aware of the immigration laws of Mexico. (Thanks Tiffany)  In fact Mexico is particularly brutal in enforcing this law on their Southern borders.

Under the Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony, punishable by up to two years in prison. Immigrants who are deported and attempt to re-enter can be imprisoned for 10 years. Visa violators can be sentenced to six-year terms. Mexicans who help illegal immigrants are considered criminals.

The law also says Mexico can deport foreigners who are deemed detrimental to "economic or national interests," violate Mexican law, are not "physically or mentally healthy" or lack the "necessary funds for their sustenance" and for their dependents.

 Now lets compare this to the Arizona law.  First of all you have to be committing a crime that would get you pulled over by a cop and then if you were suspected of being an illegal immigrant you would be asked for your papers.  After producing, or not, your documents, you would be cited for the crime you were pulled over for and then deported.  Now lets look at the Mexico law.   If you enter the country lacking the means to provide for yourself you are eligible for deportation.  In Arizona there is no such clause.  Now who sounds more fascist, a country that can deport you for being physically or mentally ill, or a country who will allow you access to our hospitals and then deport you?  If you enter America and are a drain on the "economic or national interests" we welcome you anyway.  Arizona is simply suggesting that you do it legally.

Again, does anyone see the problem with a President of the United States standing on the side of criminals over the side of the law he swore to execute?  There are some serious problems with the current state of affairs and the fact that a majority of American's support Arizona's movement makes for a very interesting summer as we prepare for the fall elections.  Obama and other Democratic leaders have already said they would not be addressing immigration this year because of the election.  The more outrage by the left over this issue, however, may result in it becoming a major plank on the platform of people running this fall.

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They Vote then Vault

Can you say AWESOME!?  I of course mean that in the most sarcastic way possible. Bart Stupak the infamous congressman that "almost" blocked the Healthcare Reform Bill before actually passing the bill. His leaving office puts the Democrats in an awkward position to try and fill his position, a position with a pretty conservative core already.  This is the type of thing that the Democrats are going to have a hard time with in a lot of the races this year.  Of course the other issue at hand is that the Republicans also need to convince Tea-Party folk that they are worthy of their vote.  Not an easy task for incumbent Republican's that helped Bush spend us into a debt that could have been managed much better.  I have nothing in particular against Stupak.  In fact I sort of admire his hard headed style over the run-up to the healthcare vote.  His stance on abortion has been consistent until now and given the pressure to pass from Nancy Pelosi and others it was impressive for him to last as long as he has.  This may be a sign of things to come as polls indicate the hard battles associated with the mid-term elections.  Republican's, if they are smart, will put people on the ballot with zero association with the big spending of the last administration and people that are ready to get America out of debt.  Of course getting people to understand that the only way for that to happen is to cut programs completely.  If you can put a candidate that can communicate the strength of the individual and negate the need of government to provide for them and get people excited about it then you'll have the ideal candidate.  This is the time for "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" rhetoric.  That is what the Healthcare issue is really about.  The candidate that emphasizes personal responsibility and challenges his constituents to be personally responsible for their own lives and not dependent on others is the candidate that will win the Tea Party and very likely the election.

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Temperance and Vengeance

So lately there has been some really heated political rhetoric and even some violence from both sides of the political rainbow.  I want to express my feelings on the way that this has been covered and also on how it has been executed.  There is no question that the political climate is as divided as it has ever been in any living person's memory.  There are talks by some groups of a complete government coup and others are silently trying to marginalize populist movements in hopes that they can continue a coup of their own.  Here's the deal.  Neither of these groups is right.  It seems to me we have two choices when it comes to our political activism.  We can either choose temperance or vengeance.  Temperance will bring everyone closer.  It will give those, who don't have anything to do with the process because of the insanity of both sides, a chance to feel like the can get involved without feeling like they're part of the insanity.  The country was built on temperance.  I know, some of you will point out that it took a violent revolution to create this country.  The premise of this country is built on temperance.  The founders foresaw what could (would) happen if we allowed the political process to be defined by the margins.  They created a Constitution that is at once simple and complex enough to embody the basic tenets of free society.  The process that was used to develop this document was rife with political posturing and grandstanding and philosophical debate.  The end result was that all of the vastness of opinion were distilled and, dare I say it, tempered, into a document that has founded the greatest nation of civilization.  The type of give a little take a little temperance that created this country is the very thing that we are in need of now.  The problem is that one party has took while another party gave for nearly a century now.  Progressivism has given America some very important things namely woman's rights, Civil Rights, and Environmental Protections.  The problem with Progressivism is that it also created things that are not fundamental rights like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, and Education.  These things were seen as for the good of the country and, indeed, it can successfully be argued that some of these contributed to our success as a country (ie Education).  I have a different opinion of some of the entitlements and what they have done to our country.  I see entitlements as being explicitly against the Constitution or at the very least explicitly against the Founder's intent to create a country that enabled liberty and the pursuit of happiness but did not guarantee happiness or anything else for that matter.  We are free to govern ourselves and the government guarantees that freedom by preventing invasion and in all else they should have no power.  By starting entitlements the Progressive movement has created an environment whereby they can subtly change the culture of America.  The heat of the current debate hinges on this very notion.  Many of the most virulent right-wingers view the left as bringing about a socialist/communist/Marxist government that is heavy handed and oppressive just as Stalin, Lenin, Castro, Mao and others have been.  They may have a point.  The problem is that they are so lost in the heat of their passionate distaste that they fail to think and just strait to action, or what I am terming vengeance.  This is no different than those from the left that did similar acts in the 60's.  The difference should be that we temper our resolve to act according to our beliefs and not to our passions.  This is how America should work and how it can work if we choose temperance over vengeance.