Posts Tagged ‘election 2012’

Last week I had a meeting with a pol who will remain nameless. We talked for a while on a lot of subjects and election 2012 came up.

He is an unabashed backer of Mitt Romney, called him one of the smartest guys he ever met, said he understood economics like few others, and said that during a crisis or an emergency he is at his best. Fantastic at solving problems.

I’ve talked about my meeting with Romney and how unimpressed I was, but this is a fellow whose opinion I respect so I resolved to give Mitt a second look.

My primary objection to Mitt is that he is not a leader and this simply reinforces that impression:

Thus did Mitt cover his ass ahead of the 2011 primaries, where support for the new porkier tax cuts compromise will no doubt be a litmus test for grassroots righties.

and of Course Allahpundit ever ready to hit Palin is forced to make this concession:

I know our resident Palinistas can’t wait to point out that she was leading on this issue while Mitt was holding back until the very day of the Senate vote, so go on. Gloat. You know you wanna.

It’s not a question of “wanna” its a question of fact.

As far as his actual piece it’s here and he does make some good points:

In many cases, lowering taxes can actually increase government revenues. If new businesses, new investments and new hiring are spurred by the prospects of better after-tax returns, the taxes paid by these new or growing businesses and employees can more than make up for the lower rates of taxation. But once again, because the tax deal is temporary, a large portion of this beneficent effect is missing. What some are calling a grand compromise is not grand at all, except in its price tag. The total package will cost nearly $1 trillion, resulting in substantial new borrowing at a time when we are already drowning in red ink.

Part of the tax deal is a temporary reduction in payroll taxes. The president was insistent, however, that only the employee’s payroll taxes be reduced — the portion paid by the employer is to remain the same. Again, the president is looking to get more money into the hands of the consumer to boost near-term spending. But by refusing to lower the cost of hiring a new employee, he fails to encourage what the American people want even more than lower taxes — more good jobs. Like the income tax deal, the payroll tax deal will add to the deficit.

It’s a fair point but with the new congress this can be addressed, I suggest reading it. His points are certainly legit and one can come to that conclusion without being phony but again it is very interesting that he makes his point at the moment when it involves the least risk for him, Palin and Limbaugh have come out against, and there are already senate republicans against but not enough to stop the bill.

Assuming the gentlemen I talked to is correct I suspect Mitt is being over managed. If that is the case I have this advice for the Governor. BE YOURSELF Lead! Get away from your handlers and make your case. You are a man of faith, trust your faith and your God and don’t worry about the occasional mistake, everyone makes them.

There is every possibility that Governor Romney will be the next president, (I’d prefer comer’s or treasury sec) if that is the case then learn to be the best leader you can be.

Tom Harkin on 2012:

Sen. Tom Harkin (D., Iowa) tells NRO that if President Obama caves on tax cuts, and agrees to extend the Bush-era tax rates for those making over $250,000, then he “better hope and pray that Sarah Palin runs” in 2012.

Mike Murphy would agree with this and said that if Palin is nominated Republicans will get destroyed.

Meanwhile Bobby Jindal said this to Politico:

Palin is “absolutely” electable, Jindal said in a weekend interview with Bloomberg Television responding to Joe Scarborough’s call in POLITICO for the GOP to stand up to Palin and tell her to get out of the race.

Politico being politico they of course lead this quote by saying:

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is one Republican who isn’t going to “man up” and tell Sarah Palin not to run for president.

So Politico immediately paints Jindal as unmanly for not hitting Palin, a cheap shop from a suppository “non-partisan” site.

Ok we’ve heard from pols, and we’ve heard from possible candidates, and from political insiders but it takes Mike Potema to find a piece of reality

I am convinced that the question is not, “How can she win the GOP nomination?” but “How can she not win it?” When you have anywhere between five and fifteen GOP candidates, all expressing basically the same conservative views, how can anyone other than the only one with the passionate fan base possibly win?

And as for the Pols who are terrified of both hitting her and her winning the nomination he educates them thus:

The most basic underpinning for this view is the notion that she can’t beat Obama, and I think this is a profoundly mistaken assumption. It is based on a too-abstract understanding of the qualifications for the presidency: It holds Palin up against an ideal presidential résumé, and finds her inadequate — which is true enough, but neither fair nor quite relevant. It’s important to remember that in a 2012 general election, she would be confronting not an ideal presidential profile, but an all-too-human flesh-and-blood opponent. The choice between Palin and Obama, phrased in the least flattering (to Palin) possible way, is a choice between a woman who may turn out to be seriously inadequate to the job and, therefore, become a failed president; and a man who has already convincingly demonstrated that he is seriously inadequate to the job and, therefore, already is a failed president. This rather changes the “electability” issue, doesn’t it?

And remember that is the least flattering interpretation.

This is plain as day yet nobody is seeing it, nobody is talking about it, why? Because the media wants her to lose, the GOP establishment want her to lose, the feminist establishment want her to lose and the various groups sucking at the government teat REALLY wants her to lose.

Keep those facts in mind when you see the media talk about Sarah Palin and you will get it. Remember the left will tell you who they fear.

Question: How much does the media, particularly MSNBC hate Sarah Palin?

Norah O’Donnell makes a good point that President Bush’s book has a broader historical appeal but you are having the Morning Joe table talk up Jeb Bush and the Bush family in order to favorably compare them to Sarah Palin.

I am an unabashed fan of George W. Bush and will likely get his book sometime next year along with Palin’s 2nd book as my situation improves but to see this kind of stuff on MSNBC speaks volumes, I know president Obama’s performance has really boosted President Bush number in comparison but this is a turnaround of epic proportions.

I really thought it would take a generation for attitudes about George W. to change but nothing speeds up a time-line like Palin Derangement syndrome. It is much stronger than Bush Derangement Syndrome ever was.

Today on Way too early with Willie Geist we found out the state of the Mitt Romney campaign.

Willie brought up Mitt visit to Leno yesterday and what did he talk about? Romney care, why he should be president, nope the quote that talked was: What does Mitt think of his competition from Wasilla?

Then again considering this story from Hotair maybe it’s better if he just talk about Sarah Palin because if he talks about Romneycare he’s toast.

If there was no Sarah Palin would Way too Early or anyone else care about Romney on Leno? The question answers itself.