We have seen candidates skyrocket to the top of the polls and then fall off the cliff. What is going on. It seems the one that keeps getting knocked out of the top position has friends in dark boiler rooms manufacturing attack adds on the newest leader and money pouring into focus groups to find the weakest point at which to hit. It may seem a little sadistic at first to see our political players slicing and dicing each other in front of people we figure will take the dirtiest of attacks and replay them when it comes to the final race. But if the candidate achieves the leadership, wins the nomination, it will be because he has overcome the attacks and learned how to spin the negatives in a positive way. That will be a good thing.
As I see it here, Mitt Romney has achieved a monumental hurdle. Having won the first two state challenges, can he keep that ball rolling? We will see.
My take on Mitt's record. He is a business person, who has been successful in many ways in many industries. He has been successful in handling the business of a state government. He may have done some things that we don't care for... being that BO has taken the form of one of his successes and bastardized it into something totally communistic. For example: the health care initiative Mitt put together provided funds to help those who couldn't afford to purchase health care. Yes it said they must buy health care, but that is what everyone wanted. Ok. So a state tried it and we see now what will happen with the nationalization of this plan by looking at the trouble that state is having. Most people thought by opening the state up to all companies and creating an environment of competition, it would keep the cost down. It didn't because of the stipulation there could be no exemptions for prior conditions. So.... Mitt should just own up to the fact that it didn't turn out as they had hoped... and because he tried it and knows it won't work... the president should have been willing to relinquish his dream of making it a national mandate. But, NO, he went ahead and put forth a plan to do something that would be a failure before it even got put on paper and sell it as something good even though it stank like a pile of you know what.
Mitt is also has put together a following of political machines though he can not direct them... they are his supporters and will annihilate anyone who gets in his way. That is a good thing. We want someone who can take out OWE-BOMB-a in a big way. *He said the other day that he actually liked being able to fire someone. It was in the context of a company offering a service... (insurance I think), isn't that what we need in Washington? Someone to do some house cleaning? Someone willing to get rid of the excess baggage and wasteful overhead? No wonder it is making everyone within the gov. paranoid of him. Just think what would happen if the government were run like an efficient business, no production, no pay. A progressive talk show host was saying the other day that the OWE-BOMB has only increased the size of the government by 13. He must have meant the Czars. The figure I heard from a little more reliable source was something like 250,000. Remember... we just added another agency to the list of regulatory enforcers. In reality... we may never know exactly how many are there and what they are paid because we have no budget put forth by the White House as a guideline to understand their direction and desires.
On to another successful candidate. Rick Santorum... He has a political style like none other. He is a ground man. Getting out there and talking, meeting, eating with, pressing the flesh with everyone. I like his record. He has been consistent in his dealings with the political machine and getting things done. He knows how to put the pressure on and hold it wearing down the opposition. However, I don't feel he would be able to expand this style of campaign into a successful national race and win. So far he has made some good progress and produced some surprises. Lets see if he can continue and build on that.
Mr. Newt has been in Washington for many years and has been successful in many things while there. As Speaker he accomplished the balancing of the budget, usually that credit goes to Mr. Clinton, but all budgets come from the House. Also he accomplished the movement to gain control of the house after 40 years being controlled by the Democrats. In my mind that accomplishment may eclipse most of his other accomplishments. I don't have a list of them all... but in the debates they have come out different ways and I usually end up standing in awe of them. Just a couple of the things his detractors bring to the table that I always bring up when someone starts talking about how much baggage this man has... his divorce from his wife on her deathbed. Well... it could hardly have been her deathbed if she is still living. Also the real story is that she ask him for the divorce. Ok, so then they bring up the distrusting someone who has had an affair. Well... to some that matters a lot... but I am sorry, how does that change his accomplishments in his political career. Sometimes our private life isn't always like we would like it to be. When that happens in business... people move on and change jobs. It isn't such a big deal. So to me it just is what it is. I will look at what qualifies the man for the job he is looking at doing and the rest is as it is.
*As I have watched and listened to this attack Newt has perpetrated on capitalism... I am starting to realize there is a larger issue here that isn't being though of. Newt is parroting the leftist talking points and that is a problem. To use an invalid mindset and talking points based on an invalid assumption that it is bad to lay a person off or fire a person, is a reaction based on desperation not on intellectually sound principles. If this is all he can come up with to differentiate himself from Mitt, then he has a very shallow minded approach to his primary campaign which is a reflection on his ability to stand before the OWE - BOMB and beat his scathing hatred of America. I am simply disappointed with his ability to keep this process a positive spotlight on the principle based vision the founders had for this country. So we go to the South Carolina debate... and Newt has his best performance yet. My opinion changed more from his last few minutes of the debate than from the standing ovation he got with his denouncing the racist attack and child labor accusation from his endorsement of letting the children work.
Rick Perry is also very successful. Ok, some say he was handed success and he didn't do anything for it. Well, he hasn't messed it up. He has learned what works by watching it. Look at the White House. That man has taken success and dissolved it and created the largest mess in the history of the world, bar none. Rick oversees the largest government and economy besides California. California and Texas have the same problems with the boarder and Texas is handling the problem much better than CA. Texas doesn't have an Income Tax. Can you believe that? Their legislatures only come into the capital to do business once every other year. They go into session for 140 days to lay out and approve a budget for two years. These people understand what it means to keep things simple. Rick inspires them to keep it that way... balanced budget is mandated in TX so they have no choice but to take care of business... cutting when the money isn't there. Wouldn't you like to have a man in the White House that knows how to keep the budget balanced? Kick the legislatures out of town and tell them to get a real job? He might not get the job done right away... but I think he would keep the possibility out there in front of everyone till they warmed up to it and decided to make some serious changes.
Another man that knows an understands simplicity in government is Ron Paul. He also comes from Texas. Ron has a lot of good ideas. He understands the roll of the Federal Government and the difference between what the states are suppose to do and what the federal responsibilities are. This difference needs to be more clear in everyone's mind. There is a significant difference. However; Ron Paul has a world view that isn't really possible. It is more than a view that says we are in a couple of wars that should not be... he thinks we brought 9-11 on ourselves by being spread around the world. Well I guess that is one way to look at it. There are countries out there that want us dead. Their philosophy is that we are evil and their god has instructed them to purify the earth. They can't mingle or interact with us, they have to kill us. Yes these people are radicals and not all people within the countries where these people reside hold that belief. But they are there and they will rise up every chance they get and they will kill us. That will happen around the world, not just here in the United States. We, as the strongest and wealthiest nation in the world, have a responsibility to governments who don't have the ability to protect themselves from this kind of advance, to keep them safe by having a presence in their country or close to it. We have forces strategically placed for maximum coverage and protection for all who need it. Without those forces where they are, the world would deteriorate into chaos and it would effect our economy in a devastating way. *This man must really hate America almost as much as the OWE-BOMB to be so vocal about his hatred of what the military does around the world.
Most of Ron's support is from the young and the old hippie crowd who want drugs legalized, and could care less about the rest of the world. They really are many, can and do band together in a heart beat to provide a lot of verbal support but I am not sure how much financial support there is available for him. That being said, there is a huge wealthy crowd that would love to enjoy things not available legally so they indulge illegally. That could provide a base of support beyond our wildest dreams if they actually thought he had a chance.
Just some of my thoughts on what we have currently. Things will change and I have other things that don't come to mind at this time... so will continue to add them as they are remembered.
The President
*edit added 1.15.12
*edit added 1.18.12
No comments:
Post a Comment