Thomas Sowell attempts to make the case that Republican presidential candidates should let their conservative flag fly, rather than tacking to the center or “trying to be all things to all people”.
I think Obama is widely disliked enough at this point that a candidate like Reagan (Sowell’s sole example of a successful Republican candidate who ran as a conservative) could unseat him, but who would that be, exactly? The column’s primary purpose appears to be to persuade Republican primary voters not to vote for Romney, but which of the conservative candidates are going to appeal to mainstream voters?
Cain is an unserious loose cannon who gets accused of sexual misconduct on a daily or weekly basis. Bachmann is batshit crazy-eyes insane. Rick Perry is dumb as rocks and will give people Dubya flashbacks. And Gingrich is a pompous unlikable family values hypocrite. Unpopular as Obama is, it would be a gamble at best to assume that a majority of voters would flock to any of those alternatives.
Reagan was a conservative, yes, but he was also a very charismatic and skilled politician, running against an unpopular failed incumbent. The 2012 GOP field has the second element going for them, but not the first.
Two people were killed in Cairo and Alexandria this weekend as Egyptian activists took the streets to protest the military’s attempts to maintain its grip on power. And guess how the state is justifying its deadly crackdown.
“We saw the firm stance the US took against OWS people & the German govt against green protesters to secure the state,” an Egyptian state television anchor said yesterday (as translated by the indispensable Sultan Sooud al Qassemi; bold ours).
Memo to Union Leader: 20 minutes is actually plenty of time if the candidate doesn’t have the depth of knowledge to answer policy questions with more than a sentence or two.
“Mr. Cain, can you explain the benefits of your 9-9-9 tax plan?”
“Certainly, I’m glad you asked. It will raise revenue while stimulating the economy, creating jobs, and providing clean, inexpensive energy for everyone in the United States.”
“And how will it do that, exactly?”
“I’m afraid we don’t have enough time to get into all the boring details. Next question, please.”
Outside of the “severe labor shortages” (but not to worry, they’re only at farms and poultry plants), it sounds like the good citizens of Alabama don’t really enjoy the government treating them like they look Mexican.
Once again, I am so far behind that these are actually from last year…
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1 commentNovember 16th, 2011 at 11:24amPosted by Eli
That’s it for La Jolla and San Diego. Second pic is actually from the San Diego airport.
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Whenever a firm lays off workers, the Bureau [of Labor Statistics] asks executives the biggest reason for the job cuts.
In 2010, 0.3 percent of the people who lost their jobs in layoffs were let go because of “government regulations/intervention.” By comparison, 25 percent were laid off because of a drop in business demand.
So if Republicans (and Democrats, for that matter) really want to do something about jobs, they should start putting some money in the hands of the people who are most likely to spend it (hint: not the rich).
Sadly, it also suggests that the leading cause of unemployment is… unemployment.
I have been to La Jolla so many times now that it’s hard to find anything new to shoot. I probably only have one or two more posts’ worth after this one.
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This week’s quote is from the unexpectedly hilarious Mystery Team:
Sorry I’m late, everybody. My science teacher says my thesis needs to prove something… but I think listing all the dinosaurs proves there was a lot of dinosaurs.
And, of course, there’ll be other people’s kittens…
I’m so far behind, these are actually from last year’s visit…
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Yes, the story of the 2011 elections is definitely one of resounding defeat for Republicans, with the author of Arizona’s despicable anti-immigrant SB-1070 getting recalled, and state laws or referendums to restrict collective bargaining rights, eliminate same-day voter registration, and declare fertilized eggs to be people all going down in flames, but here’s a caveat for Obama and triumphant Democrats to consider:
Aside from the Iowa state senate special election, none of these victories were by Democratic candidates. They were repudiations of anti-progressive, anti-democratic Republican policies. It’s one thing for voters to say that they don’t want to unconditionally ban all abortions, but another thing entirely for them to vote for Democrats who have shown themselves to be ineffectual losers at best, and willing corporate tools at worst.
If Democrats want to take advantage of the opposition to unpopular conservative policies, then they need to show that they really do oppose them. America is a 99% nation, not a Tea Party nation, and Obama and the Democrats would do well to start remembering that.
April 1st is almost five months away, so I have to assume that James Rosen was dead serious when writing his ridiculous column about how George W. Bush deserves credit for “inspiring” the Arab Spring because he single-handedly created the idea that Arab countries can have democracy too. Seriously, I’m not kidding.
The idea that Dubya’s Soaring Democracy Talk “inspired” Middle Eastern Muslims to do anything other than join al Qaeda is laughable and pathetic. It’s like me taking credit for the Giants winning yesterday because I told them they just had to beat the Patriots.
Chicago Board Of Trade showers Occupy Chicago protesters with McDonald’s job applications.
Todd Remis sues mom & pop photo business for $50,000 to bring back everyone from his wedding to recreate the photographs from 8 years ago… and 3 years after his divorce. Oh, and he doesn’t know where his ex-wife is. Gee, I can’t imagine why that marriage didn’t last…
Shorter John Stossel: Step 1: Buy everything cheap from overseas. Step 2: ???? Step 3: JOBS!
So let’s see… a member of the 1% (or close to it) recklessly or willfully causes harm to members of the 99%, and the cops just let him go without any consequences? Wow, sounds pretty much like the last 3-4 years in a nutshell, doesn’t it? Maybe he’ll end up paying a $20 fine or something.
