We get treated to this T.V. show every 4 years, and just like a train wreck, we are unable to take our eyes from the truly agonizing and painful to watch play that is taking place. We started with 9 contestants in this season’s lineup, and on queue, each of them when prompted claimed the mantle of Ronald Reagan and told us each in turn how they, and not the other 8 posers was the true conservative.
This year’s reality show is no different. I have come to certain epiphanies though, when considering Republican Party politics. Epiphany number one, the party establishment does not want to govern as conservatives. Limiting government scope and authority would after all take power and money from their pockets just as certainly as it would from their Democrat counterparts. Those who wield power seldom relinquish it voluntarily. Epiphany number two, they want our vote and not our voice. While it is true that our primary system, as it stands today necessitates that whoever becomes the nominee must garner a considerable number of rank and file votes, it is also true that the considerable organizing resources of the party apparatchiks serve as an invaluable tool. Money, volunteers, paid political operatives are mobilized far in advance and with far more power than those who choose to fight against the party insider’s choice. Romney was chosen at the conclusion of the 2008 general election. He is being sold to conservatives in the party, who make up a majority of the party’s voting block, but a minority of its representation, as the true conservative. Every time that a real conservative emerges as a threat to the chosen candidate, a shameless array of crap is spread far and wide about that threat. The latest example is what happened to Newt Gingrich, on the front page of Drudge, by Romney’s super pac, by pundits at HotAir, Ann Coulter, Charles Krauthammer, TownHall, every major news outlet, and most of all, members of congress and political operatives.
The Romney as a conservative meme is silly. I do not need to delve 20 years or more into his past to support this assertion. (Yes that was a barb at the Newt is not a true conservative crowd.) We need only look at the past 7 days. Yesterday, Governor Romney postulated that it would be a grand idea to legislate into law a minimum wage with mandatory increases to keep pace with the CPI index. Never mind the fact that this kind of economic malfeasance is nothing more than pandering, it is also a dangerous economic weapon and ends up hurting the very people it is supposedly there to help. Anyone who has ever had a semester of basic economics knows this, and therefore, I consider any who proposes such a thing as the worst kind of evil. This is not a conservative ideal, and Mitt Romney has not only proposed it, but put this piece of chicanery on steroids. What those of us who are conservative dislike most about the politicians supposedly on our side is this. They will not stand up and argue our side of the debate. They capitulate, and stand around agreeing that something must be done to help the poor, and then they vote for a measure that will hurt the poor terribly in the name of bipartisan compromise.
The concept that the Romneycare Law in Massachusetts is any more palatable for all of America simply because it would be implemented on a state by state level, and not be a federal program is an insult to my intelligence. I actually agreed with his argument that since he only did it in Massachusetts, that the states are 50 separate laboratories from which we can learn. He has promised to repeal the Obamacare law, and that would have been a fine place to stop. He however has taken it to the next level of stupidity by announcing that he will press for a federal mandate for each state to pass state specific socialized schemes, thereby removing his theory from consideration as anything a true conservative would have come up with. The argument that it is somehow in keeping with the spirit of our constitution that the federal government somehow has the right to mandate commerce amongst the various states based on the clause that says they had authority to regulate it is preposterous. Yes the federal government has forced the various states to adopt laws before, but those instances were taken to prevent the various states from impinging upon the constitutional rights of their citizenry, specifically when they sought to violate Article 6 of the Constitution. The thought that since it is for our own good, gives the President and Congress authority to force 50 individual states to implement any law is no less silly then the concept that the commerce clause would give authority to force individual transactions on a national level. What do we do when the President gets the idea that we all in fact need a Cuisinart in order to make our own vegetable drinks? Before you get that incredulous tone of that’s just plain silly, the Obamacare law as it is currently written gives that authority to the Secretary of HHS, should she choose to exercise it. Nothing in Mitt Romney’s proposal leads me to believe that it would be any different on a state by state level. He only proposes that California could enact this silliness, while Colorado would be able to avoid it.
I owe a special note to Ann Coulter here. I have read your columns for years and have indeed enjoyed a good many of them. You have, until now been a stalwart defender of conservatism, and an eloquent spokes person for our side of the debate. Your support of the Romneycare argument this past week forces me to give you this message. I wish you the best of luck in your drug rehabilitation. My thoughts and prayers are with you, and I hope that you are able to remain sober for many years to come.
The bottom line is that all of the candidates to date have their own warts. Each of us is capable of looking past those warts of our own choice, while less so than the choice of others. If you agree with a candidate’s stands on issues then fine, vote your conscious. Just don’t try to tell me that Mitt is a true Conservative, he is not. Don’t try to tell me that Newt is a conservative poser, he is not. For the Paulbats, yes your man is a conservative on fiscal issues, but his foreign policy beliefs are straight out of the pot filled rooms infested by the hippies of yesteryear. I can not back your man, no matter how much you scream and shout about him being the only true conservative on the planet alive today.
What it comes down to for me is this. Newt is a conservative at his core, and he has been guilty of pandering to the moderates in order to garner support from the middle. I do not agree with it, but I can forgive it. Mitt is a liberal at his core, and he is guilty of pandering to conservatives in order to garner their support. I can forgive him for this as well, but I will not support him politically. For those who will undoubtedly disagree with me, and do so vehemently, I have this to say. Newt formed the Conservative Opportunity Society in the House. That society at first consisted of Newt alone, giving speeches in the well of the House after hours. Those speeches were the core beliefs of the conservative movement, which he in fact led, by himself, since he was its only member for the first few years. Newt’s great sin, and the great secret of the establishment by the way, is that he is the only one running today who has actually succeeded at cutting the size and scope of our federal government. Those people who lost a bit of the power that they wielded, Democrat and Republican alike, have always hated him for it.
Cross Posted at Musing of a Mad Conservative.
Whose dick is Ann Coulter sucking now? George Soros’? Bill Maher’s (again)?
The Cash of Romney
—apologies to “The Bells of Rhymney” by Pete Seeger
I should be the nominee,
Says the cash of Romney.
Stick a fork in, I’m done,
Trails poor Rick Santorum.
There should be no Fed at all,
Perennially shrills Ron Paul,
And who knows me? No-one,
Mourns the campaign of Johnson.
Why am I an also-ran?
Wonders clueless Bachmann.
Under my tax plan we’ll gain,
Still insists Herman Cain.
Of me do not be chary,
Pleads the stumbling Rick Perry
And I should be the nominee,
Says the cash of Romney.
I’m just the spare Mormon,
Says the bland Jon Huntsman.
My experience I’ll tout,
Self-promotes Speaker Newt.
The choices do not please me,
Grumbles the Tea Party,
And I should be the nominee,
Says the cash of Romney.
Donald Trump has endorsed Mitt Romney for President. There are reports today that Trump’s hair will be endorsing Newt Gingrich.
I wish that Romney would just say that RomneyCare
is a failed experiment, instead of defending it.
Massachsetts now has the highest costs in the nation.
It is estimated that we have about twelve million uninsured
without access to medicaid or an employer sponsored
plan.
Address that population & don’t destroy the system.
@ RIX:
THAT is the sole reason why I don’t like Яомиеу. He won’t repudiate Яомиеуcare in its entirety.
Notice he says he’ll grant a 50-state Waiver via Executive Order, leaving Обамаcare on the books…until Congress decides to repeal it. That is…IF they decide to repeal it. This is why it’s so damn important to elect as many conservatives as possible to both houses of Congress, so that if Яомиеу is elected, they will make him govern to the right!
@ Macker:
In agree with that. Romney would help himself if he
just admits that RomneyCare was a mistake & that he has
learned from it.
RIX wrote:
i hear that MA has a 40+ day average to get an appt to see yer doc…
RIX wrote:
He will never admit he has made a mistake, which is part of the reason why he is a bad candidate and a bad man.
This election season is an overwhelming temptation to the sin of despair.
I don’t see how life with either Romney or Obama as president would be worth living, and I am being serious.
ever wonder why us econ guys cannot stand ‘finance’ guys:
crap like that right there.
@ coldwarrior:
Wow! That’s in our future if the Bill is not overturned.
Sarah Palin was not wrong about “Death Panels”
They are referred to as Committees in the Bill.
@ 1389AD:
Then Mitt has that in common with Obama, neither will
admit a mistake.
RIX wrote:
they are bleeding doctors and professional staff to the point that soon there will be no one left to care for the patients.
RIX wrote:
you will see hip and knee replacement surgeries disallowed for those over X-age. Those will receive a wheel chair and opioids. The family will have to return the wheelchair after the person dies from immobility related illness.
@ RIX:
@ coldwarrior:
Wasn’t a separate bill passed that included “efficiency committees”, so they could hide its creation from the obamacare bill in response to the bru-ha-ha surrounding Shara Palin’s observation about death panels?
@ coldwarrior:
We will be flooded with foreign doctors, many with dubious
credentials. A lot will be from Islamic countries.
citizen_q wrote:
yep, and what will happen is that the very young and the elderly will be squeezed out of health care
RIX wrote:
i have been banging that drum for two years now…just look at what is happening in england.
citizen_q wrote:
I haven’t heard that, but it sounds right.
One thing that people don’t know is that the Committees
won’t work weekends. So if you have an outlier dianosis
on the weekend, “We will get back to you Monday.”
@ coldwarrior:
Yeah , coming soon to Infidels in the Homeland, Inshallah.
coldwarrior wrote:
That is my take as well, and I am extremely concerned and angry about it.
My in-laws are very supportive of social justice and obama care. They are elderly and in failing health. I am not one kick someone when they are down, but it is hard not to point out the procedures and care they are receiving now that I expect will be rationed out of my reach when I need them under obamacare. So I bite my tongue.
For example, my father in-law has a serious prostate issue that sent him to the ER recently. He needs surgery, and has the complication of being an excessive bleeder. I did not point out the predilection of palliative care in country’s like the UK to treat prostate issues and much much higher death rate for prostate problems that result.
So, looks like this should be done if it is not already going on.
Web site or some other way to help Brian Terry’s family with lawyer/court/other cost of going after Holder/Obama/ATF/FBI/DEA.
But for the grace of God go any one of U.S. or one of our loved ones.
Act together.
@ RIX:
My understanding is that the “committees” will not be so much involved in individual decisions at that level, but will develop general guidelines of who qualifies for what type of care. For example say in the case of hip replacements they might say it is not an approved procedure for those over 70. If you need one and you are over 70, tough.
I am waiting for real vindictiveness to appear in laws preventing medical tourism.
@ citizen_q:
Your in-laws unfortunately are missing the big picture.
In the ObamaCare Bill, they are referred to as “Units”.
There are formulas that help the ‘Committee” determine
if future social worth justifies treatment at the end
of life.
Pain pills all around.
@ citizen_q:
Yes, there are formulas, but if I have this right they
will also act as Efficacy Panels in appeals etc.
THIS JUST IN: Jack Sparrow pepper sprayed by Catwoman; Willy Wonka corroborates Catwoman’s story that Jack was harassing her.
@ coldwarrior:
Speaking as a, “Finance Guy,” that hurts a little. Not all of us are evil. As with most, only the pricks become famous. Part of the problem is that people themselves are more than just a little flippant as to what they are willing to sacrifice in order to establish the public good, and the other side of that coin is our unyielding ability to rationalize things to fit our narrative. As a teen I went to Washington D.C. on a school trip. Once there we watched Congress from the gallery. I watched one elected moron after another stand up and give an impassioned speech about our crippling national debt and that the only way to solve the problem was to vote more funding for the people of his or her district. The grand compromise of course was that everyone got a slice of pie, with more slices being proffered than actual pie in existence. This was followed by a definition of special interests, which of course means what ever anybody but myself wants money spent on.
Romney was blindly pandering for votes with this evil statement. What scares me more is the knowledge and belief that he will actually do it if elected President. In any debate about character, I would much prefer someone who has trouble keeping his pants zipped and screws singular women other than his wife, rather than the entire country.
RIX wrote:
I did not know that. I will have to keep an eye out for it.
citizen_q wrote:
I think that’s correct, which is why their unavailability
on weekends is a big deal.
BOOM!
Bumr50 wrote:
This is an unprecedented Obama Recovery, unprecedented!
Flyovercountry wrote:
that was my good chuckle of the day.
when i say finance guys i generally dont mean the investment planning side of that house because you guys have to explain to the client why the finance guy who actually had their money just threw away their retirement. just as economist have to try to explain stupid damn comments like romney’s ‘dont care about the poor’ and ‘peg minimum wage to the cpi’ crap to people. sometimes a little macro-econ can be very dangerous to the minds that work in micro-econ (finance guys)
Bumr50 wrote:
BOOOM!!!!!!!!!
this has to go to headline
@ RIX:
The whole prospect is frightening.
I’d rather face someone in stand-up combat (I am not a fighter, and will go out of my way to avoid trouble), than have to face some Star-Chamber weakened by a medical condition, to plead for a procedure if not to immediately save my life, make it tolerable.
Can’t understand why this issue is not more widely decried, it is literally life and death.
Flyovercountry wrote:
he will govern like nixon…price controls, hands on crap.
get ready for the return of WIN buttons
citizen_q wrote:
I absolutely agree with you. This is actually not a bill
in the traditional sense. It is a 2,000 page mish mash that
was hastily submitted because of the Senate election in
MA. They had to go while they still had 60 votes.
The thing is a monster.
@ coldwarrior:
Don’t you like the Obama Win The Future buttons?
WTF?
taxfreekiller wrote:
I found this website: Remember Brian Terry. I’ve emailed them to ask how to contribute funds for the lawsuit.
Fox is reporting that Komen caved and is reinstating Planned Parenthood funding.
The Susan G Komen Foundation just reversed course,
& will continue to fund Planned Parenthood.
coldwarrior wrote:
I’ve got news for you, those WIN buttons are already on the way. The QE I and II saw to that. The Obama Presidency has seen a sharp increase in the volume of currency, about 13.4% so far. Not bad for 3 years of work, and by the bye, that includes only printed currency, and not the extra bits pumped in by buying their own treasuries up at auction. We are looking at a Carter type of misery index here.
Obama just said that, ‘We don’t want government to stand
in the way of recovery.”
Shouldn’t his next words should have been, “Therefore I resign.”
@ Flyovercountry:
then we will need paul volcker back at fed in about 6 years to kill inflation again.
@ Bumr50:
@ RIX:
I just signed the petition to thank Komen for defunding Planned Parenthood. If they cave to the libs I’m gonna demand my petition back.
thanks,
$ sent@ huckfunn:
Obama just said, “We are going to double down on Green Energy”
Idiot!
@ huckfunn:
Their donations spiked after they did that.
People should demand their money back, loudly and publicly.
more glabal warming
Snow falls in Rome for the first time in 26 YEARS as -36c temperatures across eastern Europe send death toll to 150
Capital of Italy usually has moderate temperatures but Colosseum is closed over ice fears
Military on alert in the UK as temperatures drop and heavy snow fall is predicted
Over 11,000 villagers in Serbia remain trapped by heavy snow and blizzards
Temperatures across eastern Europe plummet to -30c amid fears of more deaths
Death toll in Ukraine now stands at 101, with 38 people being killed by cold last night
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2095509/Eastern-European-death-toll-hits-150-big-freeze-continues-continent.html#ixzz1lL02sA00
See ya
citizen_q wrote:
Ya want me to kick them for ya?
doriangrey wrote:
Nah, thanks for the offer, they are good if naive misguided people.
Bumr50 wrote:
Absolutely. I was all set to add them to my list of worthy charitables, but not now.
@ huckfunn:
It’s a shame this happened. As a charity, they should’ve never touched this with a ten foot pole if they weren’t prepared for one severe shitstorm, IMHO.
The federal government probably played a role in this reversal on some level.
@ Bumr50:
This has been a lesson for me. I do most of my charitble giving at the end of the year. With the help of Charity Navigator, I’m doing better with my research. Added to my criteria: I will not contribute to any outfit that in anyway funds or supports abortion.
citizen_q wrote:
Most liberals are exactly that, good but naively misguided people. Most liberals need a really good mugging by reality before they wake up.
@ huckfunn:
i ONLY give to MY church. that way i can track exactly where the $ goes.
@ doriangrey:
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. They may consider themselves good, but their goals and means are evil. Does this not objectively make them evil?
Iron Fist wrote:
I would argue that while they are guided by evil forces, they aren’t inherently evil individuals until they knowingly embrace the true ends to which those forces work and either ignore or embrace them.
Until then, they’re just idiots.
Iron Fist wrote:
No, their goals aren’t even evil, they just can’t seem to grasp the concept of unintended consequences. In the liberal mind the concept that “for every action their is an equal and opposite reaction” is at most a quaint old phrase with no actual meaning behind it.
No it does not make them evil, but it sure does make them a dangerous pain in the ass. Remember, a grisly bear isn’t actually evil just because he is trying to eat you, but he damned sure is dangerous and annoying.
@ doriangrey:
Oh, I would also remind you that you yourself are pretty damned dangerous, but that doesn’t automatically make you evil.
coldwarrior wrote:
Good point. Unfortunately, I don’t make it to church very often. I need to work on that.
Iron Fist wrote:
Hell yeah!