Mitch Daniels the last, best hope for GOP sanity
Joe Klein speaks for many, I suspect:
This is my 10th presidential campaign, Lord help me. I have never before seen such a bunch of vile, desperate-to-please, shameless, embarrassing losers coagulated under a single party’s banner. They are the most compelling argument I’ve seen against American exceptionalism. Even Tim Pawlenty, a decent governor, can’t let a day go by without some bilious nonsense escaping his lizard brain. And, as Greg Sargent makes clear, Mitt Romney has wandered a long way from courage. There are those who say, cynically, if this is the dim-witted freak show the Republicans want to present in 2012, so be it. I disagree. One of them could get elected. You never know. Mick Huckabee, the front-runner if you can believe it, might have to negotiate a trade agreement, or a defense treaty, with the Indonesian president some day. Newt might have to discuss very delicate matters of national security with the president of Pakistan. And so I plead, as an unflinching American patriot — please Mitch Daniels, please Jeb Bush, please run. I may not agree with you on most things, but I respect you. And you seem to respect yourselves enough not to behave like public clowns.
Personally, I’d be shocked if Jeb Bush runs, because he’s smart enough to know that Bush fatigue is a major obstacle and because he has made no noises to date about a candidacy.
I also won’t be shocked if Mitch Daniels declines. The cast of characters that Klein describes as “a bunch of vile, desperate-to-please, shameless, embarrassing losers” hasn’t assembled itself accidentally. They have materialized because that’s what the GOP base demands at the moment. This is an electorate motivated for the most part by resentment, fear and paranoia, and it’s looking for candidates willing to tell them that their resentment, fear and paranoia are fully justified. At this point, whoever does that best will probably be the nominee.
I doubt Daniels can play that game very well. That’s not who he is, and unlike Mitt Romney, he doesn’t seem willing to pretend otherwise. In weighing whether to run, Daniels has to decide whether a very different, more sober message has a chance to be heard in this environment.
If he decides the answer is no, there’s no market for what he has to sell, it will say more about the state of the modern Republican Party than anything from Joe Klein or other pundits.
– Jay Bookman
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450 comments Add your comment
Rational
March 30th, 2011
3:04 pm
It is the only THING that makes sense, not thin. Sorry.
Joe Mama
March 30th, 2011
3:04 pm
Mike: “So, what kind of “terrorism” have you seen personally from the “Tea Party”??”
http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/funnypictures/ig/Teabagging-Pictures/Unarmed-Protester.0zVz.htm
Just to be clear, my parents taught me not to joke about firearms when they taught me how to shoot. Maybe this guy didn’t have the benefit of that sort of upbringing.
Robert
March 30th, 2011
3:06 pm
MIKE @ 2:59pm
The “tea party” fits the definition of a terrorist group. Check your dictionary or google terrorist, terrorism, etc., on the internet. ” the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal “
WOODSTOCK MIKE
March 30th, 2011
3:10 pm
@Robert
So all racist people are terrorists, correct? Are black racists also terrorists??
WOODSTOCK MIKE
March 30th, 2011
3:11 pm
@Robert
What “violent” acts do you speak of?? You are so off base, it makes your comments truly irrelevant…
WOODSTOCK MIKE
March 30th, 2011
3:12 pm
@Robert
So based on your logic the govt workers who are protesting in Wisconsin are terrorists, correct?
WOODSTOCK MIKE
March 30th, 2011
3:14 pm
@Robert
Gotta run, but comparing members of the “Tea Party” to terrorists that have one goal in life, to kill people that will not conform to their beliefs, is like saying Obama and Bush think alike politically…
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
3:15 pm
Jay’s piece is just the start of a concerted effort by the media to denigrate all the Repub candidates together. They do this every election cycle. Try to make them collectively look stupid or unqualified or lacking leadership or boring or incompetent or whatever- just try to denigrate them however it can be done.
The reality is that if you look at all of the candidates Jay mentioned notta one of them is not more qualified than what Obama was when he ran for president.
Clearly Obama was the least qualified man to have ever attained the presidency. That is indisputable and anyone with an objective mind would be hard pressed to find a repub candidate above who wouldn’t do better than what this fool has done to the country.
I would vote for Forrest Gump over Obama. Seriously? What in the hell has this man done? He has a foreign policy that no one understands what in the hell the man is doing.
His economic results well over 2 years in are nothing short of absymal- record shattering unemployment in Georgia and nearly 5 trillion in new debt. For Pete’s sake his own administration has forecasted huge budget deficits through 2020. His own dang administration! This man is singlehandedly bankrupting this great nation.
He was elected partly to repudiate Bush’s foreign policy. Let’s see. Instead of a 2 front war we are now mired in a 3rd front, he followed all of Bush’s policies regarding Gitmo, the Patriot act, Iraq, and Afgh.
Can anyone name one serious accomplishment of this fool? And don’t tell me the health law. That is a disaster waiting to happen. There is a reason why the full implementation won’t be till well after the 2012 election. Its because of sticker shock and the obvious future failure of this monstrosity of a law.
This is what you get when you elect a fool whose only previous experience before his only senate term was working as a community organizer and president of his college newspaper. God help us from this idiot.
WOODSTOCK MIKE
March 30th, 2011
3:15 pm
@Joe Mama
So you just showed me a sign and that is “terrorism”? Thanks for making my point for me…
Joe Mama
March 30th, 2011
3:17 pm
Mike — “So based on your logic the govt workers who are protesting in Wisconsin are terrorists, correct?”
The Madison, WI police chief was quite emphatic in saying that the protestors had behaved themselves and hadn’t been at all violent or destructive. I’d say the police chief who was dealing directly with the protests is probably a good go-to person for an opinion on whether or not those protestors are “terrorists” or not.
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
3:18 pm
The tea party has engaged in “violent acts.” Where does this moron get this loony idea? Please provide a list of all the bombings and terrorist acts committed by the tea party you abject fool of a blitering idiot.
Just saying..
March 30th, 2011
3:19 pm
Sad but true. Where is the proud party of Bob Taft?
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
3:20 pm
Joe Mama,
The police chief is also a public employee just like the teachers and firefighters and hence is likely to have a sympathetic view of the protests. From what I saw the protesters made the tea party look like a little ole lady sewing club. Much louder, much more aggressive. I do not recall tea party activists taking over any govt buildings.
Joe Mama
March 30th, 2011
3:21 pm
Mike — “So you just showed me a sign and that is “terrorism”? Thanks for making my point for me…”
If you think that joking about shooting people or raging about “second amendment solutions” is something that can be dismissed out of hand, then we are farther apart than I thought.
Being conservative used to mean being honest and facing up to shortcomings — and coming up with common-sense means to overcome those shortcomings. It didn’t mean browbeating and threats and intimidation if we didn’t get our way.
To paraphrase President Reagan, I didn’t leave the Republican Party. The Republican Party left me.
Joe Mama
March 30th, 2011
3:25 pm
Doom — “The police chief is also a public employee just like the teachers and firefighters and hence is likely to have a sympathetic view of the protests.”
Except that police and firefighters were *exempted* from the more draconian provisions of Gov. Walker’s bill. They got to *keep* their collective bargaining rights. Maybe you weren’t aware of that.
So where’s your solidarity now?
“From what I saw the protesters made the tea party look like a little ole lady sewing club.”
Then we must not have seen the same film footage. Tell me, did you see the footage that had the palm trees in it?
“Much louder, much more aggressive.”
And much less armed. And no raging about “second amendment solutions.”
“I do not recall tea party activists taking over any govt buildings.
You may be unaware that the public is permitted access to the WI statehouse. They were *allowed* to be there.
kayaker 71
March 30th, 2011
3:33 pm
Assad’s speech in Syria was not too encouraging to the Syrian people. Same ol’, same ol’. First Tunis, then Egypt, then Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and now Syria. Whodathunkit. Do any of you think that these things would be happening if not for a free Iraq? We will have to see who we are supporting before we rise up and cheer. However, on the positive side, it appears that the conflict in Iraq has emboldened a few people to speak up. If so, Bush might just be seen in a different light. Time will tell.
WillieRae
March 30th, 2011
3:37 pm
If my party had run up trillion and a half dollar deficits as far as the beancounters can see, I would not be questioning the other party’s sanity. I wold be putting a bag on my head out of shame for the abject failure of my approaches and the insanity of continuing to spend, spend spend.
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
3:55 pm
Joe Mama,
Nice to see you back again my newly found sparring partner. I’ll see your left hook with a right jab- to the cojones of course.
My point still remains though that the chief of police is going to have a sympathetic view of the protests simply by virtue of also being a public employee.
The palm trees in the footage? I’ll concede that but as far as media distortion I’ll throw in a 2 in the hand is better than one in the bush. Remember the media pics of one Tea Party member who had a rifle at a rally. The dubbed out his arms and face which showed him to be a black man. Seems black men wanting to protect their 2nd amendment rights doesn’t fit in their storyline of white racists in the tea party. And btw I only ever saw 2 people with firearms at these tea party rallies and they were well within their rights to carry arms. In my opinion they were simply making statements about their 2nd amendment rights- not threatening or menacing anyone.
Public access is indeed permitted in the WI. statehouse. Doesn’t mean you should be allowed to completely take over like a bunch of drum beating hooligans.
Anyway good to see ya back.
Joe Mama
March 30th, 2011
3:56 pm
WillieRae –
Perhaps Messrs. Cheney and Bush will be putting bags on their heads, too.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_52/b3914021_mz007.htm
“Deficits don’t matter” — Vice President Dick Cheney
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
3:58 pm
WillieRae,
Which is worse? Bush running up 1 1/2 trillion in 8 years or Obama running up almost 5 trillion in 3 years with enormous projected deficits through 2020- well after he will leave office in 2012?
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
4:01 pm
kayaker71,
As Americans we tend to be very short term thinking- immediate gratification. History may well vindicate Bush. If in 20 years Iraq is a stable democracy and a force for democracy throughout the middle east then it will all have been worth it.
And as you point out it is not unnoticed throughout the middle east that they now have democracy in the middle east because of Iraq. For obvious reasons the liberal media hasn’t really pointed this out.
Joe Mama
March 30th, 2011
4:08 pm
Doom —
Right back atcha, my friend.
“My point still remains though that the chief of police is going to have a sympathetic view of the protests simply by virtue of also being a public employee.”
Maybe. But maybe not. Do you have anything to support this notion, or are we just supposin’ at this point? Just because something sounds like it might be true, that doesn’t mean that it necessarily *is* true.
“The palm trees in the footage? I’ll concede that but as far as media distortion I’ll throw in a 2 in the hand is better than one in the bush. Remember the media pics of one Tea Party member who had a rifle at a rally. The dubbed out his arms and face which showed him to be a black man. Seems black men wanting to protect their 2nd amendment rights doesn’t fit in their storyline of white racists in the tea party.”
Can you provide links to both the doctored and undoctored photos? And to go further, can you provide some support for your claim of why it was done? I’d be very interested in reading that.
“And btw I only ever saw 2 people with firearms at these tea party rallies and they were well within their rights to carry arms.”
If I may be so bold, there’s been a lot of talk since 9/11 about the “responsible” exercise of our rights, mostly coming from the right. If that’s going to be something that conservatives want to push for, then IMO conservatives need to walk the walk, too.
To take it even farther, I’d have a lot more respect for your position with respect to the WI protestors and the responsible exercise of their rights if you’d concede that the armed teabaggers could have exercised *their* rights more responsibly. I hope you don’t take that as some sort of rebuke or attack — I simply think that there’s not a lot of comparison between an armed rally and an unarmed hippie protest. Heck, most of the hippies don’t even know how to throw a punch.
“In my opinion they were simply making statements about their 2nd amendment rights- not threatening or menacing anyone.”
Respectfully, I don’t believe that for a minute. I have no doubt that you do, and I’m certainly not calling your honesty into question — I’m just saying that your opinion and mine are miles apart on that point.
“Public access is indeed permitted in the WI. statehouse. Doesn’t mean you should be allowed to completely take over like a bunch of drum beating hooligans.”
Huh. So openly carrying firearms at a political rally is okay with you, but not unarmed people protesting in the state capitol.
It would seem that you want the responsible exercise of rights with respect to the WI capitol building, but not necessarily the responsible exercise of rights with respect to tea partiers openly carrying during one of their rallies. Respectfully, I think you’ve got a bit of a double standard.
“Anyway good to see ya back.”
You too, buddy.
Joe Mama
March 30th, 2011
4:16 pm
Doom — “Which is worse? Bush running up 1 1/2 trillion in 8 years”
IIRC, President Bush ran up ~5T during his administration.
Not including the off-budget items like the emergency supplemental appropriations for the war (as if we weren’t expecting to have to pay for it?)
Also not including the Clinton surpluses that would have been realized.
Respectfully, President Bush did a LOT more than 1.5T in deficit spending.
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
4:20 pm
Joe Mama,
Police chief sympathetic? Just my opinion but its a reasonable one based on common sense.
As for the one armed protester at a tea party rally I saw the video myself. It as dubbed out on other media outlets and of course on Fox news they showed the dubbed and undubbed portions of the video. You can’t make up stuff like that.
In reference to the armed parties at the tea party rallies puhhh-leeeze. Have some perspective. You’re talking about 2 people at different rallies out of the hundreds of thousands of people who attended rallies all over the country. 2 people does not make an entire movement. I believe that some scale and perspective needs to be shown. You can’t talk about 2 people out of hundreds of thousands of people and say that is representative of a whole movement.
And as I pointed out while you and I may not agree with the tone of carrying a dang rifle to a political rally these 2 men were certainly within their constitutional rights to do so.
Old Dawg
March 30th, 2011
4:22 pm
Vultures, vultures, vultures. Vultures everywhere. Be very careful of the vultures.
Both major parties are led by vultures, so I don’t fully support either one.
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
4:24 pm
Joe Mama,
I’m just going by WillieRae’s stats. He said Bush ran up 1.5 trillion. But supposin you’re right and he ran up 5 trillion in 8 years. Obama has run up roughly the same in 3 years and has enormous deficits projected years out from his own administration. And that is before the monstrous costs of the health care bill factor in. And let’s be honest.You and I both know darn well it will cost significantly more than they are forecasting. Govt programs always do and if you don’t believe that then look at what Medicare and Mediaid now consume relative to what they first consumed of the federal budget. Which is worse 5 trillion in 3 years with much worse to come or 5 trillion in 8 years?
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
4:26 pm
Clinton’s projected surpluses were based on unrealistically rosy economic assumptions. The dot com bust and ensuing recession which Bush inherited were legacies of Clinton.
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
4:27 pm
Joe Mama,
I forgot. I was going to challenge you to a contest of rochambeaux? Do you know what that is?
Joe Mama
March 30th, 2011
4:32 pm
Doom — “Police chief sympathetic? Just my opinion but its a reasonable one based on common sense.”
Shrug. We shall have to agree to disagree. I’m glad we can do that.
“As for the one armed protester at a tea party rally I saw the video myself. It as dubbed out on other media outlets and of course on Fox news they showed the dubbed and undubbed portions of the video. You can’t make up stuff like that.”
Again, if you can hunt that up on the web, I’d be really interested in seeing it. My wife probably would be, too.
“In reference to the armed parties at the tea party rallies puhhh-leeeze. Have some perspective. You’re talking about 2 people at different rallies out of the hundreds of thousands of people who attended rallies all over the country. 2 people does not make an entire movement. I believe that some scale and perspective needs to be shown. You can’t talk about 2 people out of hundreds of thousands of people and say that is representative of a whole movement.”
There were a *lot* more than two armed people at tea party rallies over the last couple of years. We’re not talking about *two people,* sir.
We’re also talking about people at these rallies saying things like “second amendment solutions” and ‘going to bullets when ballots don’t get the job done.’ This is a lot more than just a couple of people with open carry permits showing up.
“And as I pointed out while you and I may not agree with the tone of carrying a dang rifle to a political rally these 2 men were certainly within their constitutional rights to do so.”
Agreed. Just like the hippies were within *theirs.*
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
4:39 pm
On Tuesday, MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer fretted over health care reform protesters legally carrying guns: “A man at a pro-health care reform rally…wore a semiautomatic assault rifle on his shoulder and a pistol on his hip….there are questions about whether this has racial overtones….white people showing up with guns.” Brewer failed to mention the man she described was black.
Following Brewer’s report, which occurred on the Morning Meeting program, host Dylan Ratigan and MSNBC pop culture analyst Toure discussed the supposed racism involved in the protests. Toure argued: “…there is tremendous anger in this country about government, the way government seems to be taking over the country, anger about a black person being president….we see these hate groups rising up and this is definitely part of that.” Ratigan agreed: “…then they get the variable of a black president on top of all these other things and that’s the move – the cherry on top, if you will, to the accumulated frustration for folks.”
Not only did Brewer, Ratigan, and Toure fail to point out the fact that the gun-toting protester that sparked the discussion was black, but the video footage shown of that protester was so edited, that it was impossible to see that he was black. The man appeared at a health care rally outside of President Obama’s speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Phoenix, Arizona.
Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2009/08/18/msnbc-no-mention-black-gun-owner-among-racist-protesters#ixzz1I7LEsK9v
Joe Mama
March 30th, 2011
4:39 pm
Doom — “And let’s be honest. You and I both know darn well it will cost significantly more than they are forecasting. Govt programs always do and if you don’t believe that then look at what Medicare and Mediaid now consume relative to what they first consumed of the federal budget. Which is worse 5 trillion in 3 years with much worse to come or 5 trillion in 8 years?”
As I said, that’s $5T in Bush deficit spending exclusive of the wars and the foregone surplus. I’d have to check the figures (which I don’t have time to do just now), but I think the war funding (which is notoriously hard to figure, given that it’s spread all over the place and mostly off-budget) was at least another $6-8T during the Bush administration.
Frankly, if we’re going to have deficit spending of that size, I’d rather we spend it on ourselves for things like health care, social spending, small business loans and infrastructure improvement as opposed to spending it on a couple of wars, one of which we didn’t even need to fight in the first place.
“Clinton’s projected surpluses were based on unrealistically rosy economic assumptions.”
I disagree.
“The dot com bust and ensuing recession which Bush inherited were legacies of Clinton.”
You seem to forget that President Clinton inherited a recession of his own, yet *he* managed to leave office with a surplus. And quite frankly, I blame Alan Greenspan *much* more for economic bubbles and recessions than I do either President Bush or President Clinton.
Joe Mama
March 30th, 2011
4:40 pm
Doom — “I forgot. I was going to challenge you to a contest of rochambeaux? Do you know what that is?”
Is that when you give each other wedgies or when you kick each other in theh netz?
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
4:46 pm
Joe Mama,
Personally I’ve only ever seen video footage of 2 protesters armed and one of them was black. But for the sake of argument you’re right and that footage is out there of 5 or more people with arms. We’re right back to my point that these people have the right to bear arms peacefully-its called the 2nd amendment. I’m certain you are familiar with it. Yes- I’m being a smart aleck. Its what I do!
“We’re also talking about people at these rallies saying things like “second amendment solutions” and ‘going to bullets when ballots don’t get the job done.’”- I’ve never seen any footage of that- not saying it never happened but I do question if it really did for one reason. They also said black congressman were spit on and called the N word when they walked through a tea party crowd to the capitol. Total BS. Out of hundreds of mics, videos, and tv cameras notta one detected the N word and notta one showed anyone being spit upon. That was nothing more than a bald faced lie that people believe to this day.
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
4:47 pm
Rochambeaux?
Yep. Its a ballkicking contest and as challenger I get to go first!
Joe Mama
March 30th, 2011
4:49 pm
Doom — “Not only did Brewer, Ratigan, and Toure fail to point out the fact that the gun-toting protester that sparked the discussion was black, but the video footage shown of that protester was so edited, that it was impossible to see that he was black.”
Mr. Doom, thank you for providing that. I’m going to look for more discussion of it tonight.
I would like to point out that there’s a *claim* made that the video was edited to obscure the fact that the man was black, but no support offered for that claim. I’d like to know who shot it; if some bystander took it on a camera phone, then I don’t see how that’d be MSNBC’s fault.
FWIW, the Arizona Republic didn’t seem to have a problem showing that the guy was black.
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
4:54 pm
You seem to forget that President Clinton inherited a recession of his own, yet *he* managed to leave office with a surplus- Joe Mama
Nope. I didn’t forget but its also an economic fact that the recession Clinton inherited from Bush was an extremely light recession involving only 2 qtrs and of the 2 qtrs of contracted growth 1 qtr was actually flat or just barely negative. I’m a firm believer that the business cycle has more to do with recessions and especially light recessions than anything else.
Its what you do during a recession that counts and in that regard Obama’s policies extended and worsened the recession he inherited dramatically. His performance has been and continues to be absymal. Not only is unemployment still sky high but food and gas prices are rising quickly and this is devastating to poor and middle class income people.
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
4:56 pm
Joe Mama,
Good talking to ya. Another spirited debate but I gotta get going. And don’t forget that I get to go first in our rochambeaux contest.
Joe Mama
March 30th, 2011
4:57 pm
Doom — “We’re right back to my point that these people have the right to bear arms peacefully-its called the 2nd amendment. I’m certain you are familiar with it. Yes- I’m being a smart aleck. Its what I do!”
Then let me one-up you. Protesting in the WI capitol falls under “the right of the people to peaceably assemble” and “to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” That’s called the First Amendment. (wink)
“We’re also talking about people at these rallies saying things like “second amendment solutions” and ‘going to bullets when ballots don’t get the job done.’”- I’ve never seen any footage of that”
Not a problem:
The first was on the radio, but there’s a link to audio:
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/sharron-angles-solution-broken-congress-arm
I don’t know what you think she means when she says “take Harry Reid out,” but I don’t think she means ‘and buy him a hot fudge sundae.’
And here’s the bullets v. ballots one, with video.
http://www.examiner.com/hillsborough-county-elections-2010-in-tampa-bay/if-ballots-don-t-work-bullets-will-joyce-kaufman-florida-tea-party-video
Plenty more where this came from.
Joe Mama
March 30th, 2011
4:59 pm
Doom — “Yep. Its a ballkicking contest and as challenger I get to go first!”
Can’t do it. Remember that “disabled” thing? Let’s just say there’s a good chance I’d end up in the emergency room, even if you didn’t kick very hard.
How about pool? Or bowling?
Joe Mama
March 30th, 2011
5:03 pm
Doom — “Its what you do during a recession that counts and in that regard Obama’s policies extended and worsened the recession he inherited dramatically. His performance has been and continues to be absymal. Not only is unemployment still sky high but food and gas prices are rising quickly and this is devastating to poor and middle class income people.”
We’re going to have to disagree on that. The Bush jobless recovery has come home to roost, and with the purchasing power of the middle and lower class so greatly eroded, there’s little choice but for government to become the purchaser of last resort for goods and services.
Without someone or something putting money into the economy and stimulating economic activity, there’s no realistic hope of recovery. President Reagan knew this, and that’s why he did the same thing (remember “priming the pump?”) in the early years of his administration.
If it was good enough for The Gipper, it’s good enough for Mr. Obama.
Thulsa Doom
March 30th, 2011
5:03 pm
Joe Mama,
I’m out but its a no go on the bowling and pool. I just like kicking people in the nuts more! Roger out.
DawgDad
March 30th, 2011
5:24 pm
Rest assured I DO NOT look to Joe Klein for advice on anything, let alone politics. I have a suspicion the vast majority of Georgians either feel likewise, are totally ambivalent, or don’t have a clue who the guy is.
Tom Middleton
March 30th, 2011
5:37 pm
You nailed it again, Jay. And with the Dems wisely going moderate (hopefully for good), that leaves the Republicans the only extremist, big-lie party in the arena.
Add to this that President Obama has proven beyond doubt that he is not the socialist they tried to portray him during the last two years and never was…well, how can we lose?
Messaging, you say? Yeah, it would be our old enemy messaging – the only reason we ever lose. For instance, if the House elections were held today instead of last November, it would probably be kept in Dem hands.
Jay, why can’t we tell the truth about the Republicans during an election and have folks willing to believe it until it’s too late? I hope you will write about this one day!
mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack the Liar Obama - BEND OVER, Here comes the CHANGE!
March 30th, 2011
6:26 pm
I thought you meant NObama….that’s the party of SHAME. And did you mean Charlie Daniels because he’s the MAN!
oldguy
March 30th, 2011
7:47 pm
Joe Cline ….boy there is the voice of moderation!!!
Who is your next “Impartial observer” Jay?
Joe Stalin??
What a load!!
I know it...You know it...The American People know it.
March 30th, 2011
9:12 pm
The 2012 election will be my 14th presidential campaign and and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that trashing another party’s potential candidate(s) and belittling their electability, particularly so far in advance of the election, often doesn’t work out so well. In 1991 the Dems actually had a hard time getting anyone to run against what looked like an invincible, un-beatable post-Gulf War George H.W. Bush. They rolled the dice with an unknown Governor from Arkansas known locally as “Slick Willie” and the rest is history. In 1968 Nixon had what appeared to be an insurmountable lead but Humphrey closed so fast in the last few days that most pundits believed that with another week to work there would have been a different outcome. The only time such belittling seemed to work was in 1988 when it drove Dukakis to don a “Snoopy” hat and ride around in a tank to show how strong he was on National Defense. Priceless.
My point is that one should be careful in writing off all of these GOP candidates as “shameless, embarrrasing losers” as 50% or more of the electorate could end up disagreeing with you.
Z
March 30th, 2011
10:00 pm
Republican extremist that is all that is running congress in Washington. There isn’t a one of them with a lick of sense. They are all self serving, and yes vile hypocrites in the first order. They care nothing for the people of this country, only themselves. Not only are these republican extremist in Washington but also in Georgia, as well as, other states, legislator’s. The Georgia legislators are trying underhandedly to raise the Taxes on the middle class by passing this sneaky Tax bill now before them. They can’t win an election without lies, they can’t pass a bill without lying, they are nothing but lying narcissistic, so called human beings, although I doubt that last part.
This Independent, will not be voting for any slimy republican in the foreseeable future. In 2012 I will be voting for the smart one again..he is doing a fine job with what he was left with on top of all the other crises that has befallen this country and others.
The clowns the Extremist Republican will put forth in the 2012 election are nothing but hypocrite wannabes, can you imagine any of these fruitcakes in the highest office this country has. You would have to be a total loony to vote for any of these slimy Republican politicians. This whole group of republicans nation wide need to be totally washed out of the system before we can start turning this country around. This also includes any Democrats, Tea Party, with the same tendency’s. If you don’t want to work for the people of this country then don’t bother running for office because the people are sick and tired of Politicians lining their own pockets and their corporate brethren instead of looking out for the people of this country. When you vote, vote with your own lively hood in mind.
buck@gon
April 2nd, 2011
2:18 pm
“Even Tim Pawlenty, a decent governor, can’t let a day go by without some bilious nonsense escaping his lizard brain. ”
Hmm.
Obama doesn’t have to worry about name-calling because narry a day goes by when Joe Klein and Jay Bookman don’t publish their bilious nonsense and do it for him. Republicans are running for President now, but Klein and Bookman have been doing their schtick for years. Who’s more demanding of bilious nonsense?
buck@gon
April 2nd, 2011
2:19 pm
With Obama firmly emplanted as the Dem nominee, Republicans can take heart. There is no last best hope for Democrat sanity.
AmVet
April 4th, 2011
9:52 am
Enter your comments hereThere is no parsing it, GWB will never, ever crawl out of the bottom of the rankings.
USA Today/Gallup poll 2006 Result↓ George W. Bush↓ Bill Clinton↓ George H.W. Bush↓ Ronald Reagan↓ Jimmy Carter↓ Gerald Ford↓
1. outstanding 4% 12% 5% 24% 11% 6%
2. above average 15% 33% 27% 40% 27% 17%
3. average 27% 29% 50% 26% 38% 60%
4. below average 25% 15% 10% 6% 13% 9%
5. poor 29% 10% 8% 4% 9% 3%
unsure - - - 1% 3% 5%