2012 Tuesday: A real deficit hawk endorses . . .
David M. Walker has been touring America talking about the need to face facts about our federal debt. Walker, who was U.S. comptroller general under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush, came to Atlanta with former Clinton staffer Alice Rivlin and other members of the bipartisan Fiscal Solutions Tour last March: Here’s what I wrote about it at the time (quoting Rivlin but not Walker). He has even been mentioned as a possible independent presidential candidate in the near future; the New York Times’ Thomas Friedman actually wrote a column suggesting that Walker run this year.
So when Walker says he’s endorsing one of the two men who are major-party candidates for president this year, it’s worth listening. Here’s what he wrote in an op-ed in Sunday’s Washington Times:
From a fiscal perspective, I am convinced that both major presidential candidates want to achieve a “grand bargain,” although they clearly differ on how to get there. Unfortunately, while I would prefer to make a decision based on a candidate’s reform plans, neither of the major presidential candidates has outlined a comprehensive and specific fiscal reform plan that meets the six reform criteria that I have advocated. This plan must be pro-growth, socially equitable, culturally acceptable, mathematically accurate, politically feasible, and have meaningful bipartisan support. Therefore, I am basing my decision on who to support as president and other federal offices on the following criteria:
* The person’s breadth and depth of experience.
* The person’s demonstrated leadership ability.
* The person’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and real transformation of government.
* The person’s commitment to working on a bipartisan basis to achieve real results.
Applying these criteria has led me to decide to vote for both Republicans and Democrats in the upcoming federal election races in my home state of Connecticut. Clearly the most important decision is my vote for president, our nation’s CEO.
Based on the above principles, I believe that Gov. Mitt Romney is the clear choice for president.
He has more to say about Romney at the link. But, given the pressing issue of the federal deficits and debt, and the way the Obama campaign has assailed Romney’s tax-reform plan, Walker’s endorsement of Romney instead of Obama is interesting and should carry a lot of weight with his fellow independents.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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142 comments Add your comment
Aynie Sue
October 30th, 2012
3:34 pm
There’s just one nagging little problem with the “deficit hawk” notions. Deficit spending creates and sustains millions of jobs, so eliminating the deficit will plunge the nation into economic depression.
The choice is economic recovery vs. deficit reduction. You can’t have both. The best course of action is economic recovery now, deficit reduction later. Consumer demand must first recover to a level that encourages profitable investment opportunities for private capital.
The deficit hawk Walker is also a bad judge of character. Romney’s commitment to this and that is just drivel about non-existent “plans” and numbers snatched out of thin air. What kind of leader agrees with all sides of every issue, and makes up lies to cover his consistently bad positions on past issues?
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
October 30th, 2012
3:35 pm
Sorry folks but Romney isn’t going to win Ohio. No way – not when he is spreading lies about Jeep to the very people who work in those plants.
What an IDIOT! Go sell that crap in Iowa or Nevada but not to the very people who make a living at it.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
October 30th, 2012
3:36 pm
Aynie Sue is spot on.
Kyle Wingfield
October 30th, 2012
3:39 pm
JDW @ 3:21: If they are contracted to provide management services, who else would you expect to hire the teachers?
Dusty
October 30th, 2012
3:40 pm
Would someone please tell JDW to take off his scary Halloween outfit and stop talking about charter schools?
Boo! It’s the deficit, honey. The OBAMA deficit! Move on..
Bruno
October 30th, 2012
3:40 pm
Bruno, hope your family made it through Sandy with no drama.
My brother in Cape May lost power but everyone is ok.
TBG–Thanks for asking. I didn’t call yesterday in the middle of the maelstrom, will call tonight. Fortunately, my sisters both live inland a while, so flooding shouldn’t be a problem.
Looks like Gov Christie is doing his part:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/n-j-gov-chris-christie-lauded-for-storm-efforts/
Democrats Patronize Women and Blacks
October 30th, 2012
3:52 pm
If Obama has such a stellar track record, why is he running like the challenger. Other than the fact he killed OBL, he hasn’t done much bragging this campaign. Interesting that the vast majority of Obama’s accomplishments from Finn are all Liberal centric successesss. ACA,DADT and Dodd-Frank are some of the exact reasons I am voting against Obama. And as for improving our image abroad….the Terrorists don’t seem to love us anymore than under Bush and he is trying to cede some of our sovereignty to the UN. Epic Fail on that particular point. Never had Finn figured for a Kool-Aid drinker.
Dusty
October 30th, 2012
3:57 pm
Bruno
Glad to hear your NJ family is away from the stormy coast. .
So Christie is being lauded for storm efforts. Those Republican governors know how to get things done!! You can tell a lot about a man who has had a good experience running a state. It is one every president needs.
Liberal Pariah
October 30th, 2012
3:58 pm
Can’t wait to see how Aynie Sue connects the dots to government spending and increased long term consumer demand.
Must understand Voodoo Economics
Del
October 30th, 2012
3:59 pm
More bad news for the Obummer
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/10/30/new-polls-give-gop-enthusiasm-edge/
joe
October 30th, 2012
4:00 pm
Everyone in American should heed Walker’s endorsement and follow suit by voting for Romney. Not only is he the only candidate who can actually create jobs, but he is also the only candidate who will not spend us into Greece.
The future of the USA depends on Romney winning. Think about your children and what you will burden them with by voting for Obama.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
October 30th, 2012
4:06 pm
as for improving our image abroad
This has less to do with how our enemies see us and more to do with how our friends and accomplices think they can work with us.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
October 30th, 2012
4:12 pm
he is also the only candidate who will not spend us into Greece.
Spending isn’t Greece’s problem. Greece’s problem is the systemic tax avoidance where even doctors claim they only make 2,000 drachma’s (or whatever it is) a year so they don’t have to pay taxes. They have a revenue problem.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
October 30th, 2012
4:17 pm
more on Greece
http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2012/09/tax-evasion-greece
md
October 30th, 2012
4:20 pm
“Deficit spending creates and sustains millions of jobs, so eliminating the deficit will plunge the nation into economic depression. ”
I do believe the operative word missing from your analysis is ‘may”……..may create jobs or may sustain jobs. There is no certainty that it will do either…….what is certain though is that it WILL add to the debt.
Japan has been trying to stimulate their economy for several decade now and currently have a debt to gdp ratio of 200%…….
Greece………will we all know how their gamble paid off…….
Georgia
October 30th, 2012
4:21 pm
The outlay vs budget data is interesting. I put a template of the Mayan Calendar over the table of actual outlays, (and not budget figures), and I came to the same conclusion. Tilt Romney. Actually, the table predicts a Romney war and hyper-inflation. Think of the stock market. Buy Gold. Support the Troops. God Bless America. After all, we Americans are the beloved 5%, using unproportional amounts of the resources also available to the despised 95% just so that we can make war on them.
I don’t see a problem. Vote Romney.
It’s comforting to know that the Mayans fashioned tin too. 122112
md
October 30th, 2012
4:27 pm
“Sorry folks but Romney isn’t going to win Ohio. No way – not when he is spreading lies about Jeep to the very people who work in those plants.”
The scary part are the folks like you Finn that hear the lies of the President, the VP AND Bill Clinton and do not challenge them……..
“Fiat is in “very detailed conversations” with its Chinese partner, Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. (2238), about making Jeeps in the world’s largest auto market, said Mike Manley, chief operating officer of Fiat and Chrysler in Asia. Chrysler hasn’t built Jeeps there since before Fiat took control in 2009.
“The volume opportunity for us is very significant,” Manley, who is also president of the Jeep brand, said in an interview at Chrysler’s Auburn Hills, Michigan, headquarters. “We’re reviewing the opportunities within existing capacity” as well as “should we be localizing the entire Jeep portfolio or some of the Jeep portfolio.” ”
So Finn……who exactly is doing the lying??
MarkV
October 30th, 2012
4:30 pm
Dusty @3:33 pm
“It’s BUSH here, BUSH there and BUSH everywhere.”
Why Dusty,
I would have thought you would be happy to hear so much about your favorite President.
Some people are stupid
October 30th, 2012
4:31 pm
Liberal Pariah
Can’t wait to see how Aynie Sue connects the dots to government spending and increased long term consumer demand.
She can’t because that’s not what she said.
We measure growth in GDP. If consumption is down, and we cut spending, then you have no growth.
GDP = private consumption + gross investment + government spending + (exports − imports)
Some people are stupid
October 30th, 2012
4:34 pm
md-
according to politifact, it would be Romney
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/oct/30/mitt-romney/mitt-romney-obama-chrysler-sold-italians-china-ame/
Some people are stupid
October 30th, 2012
4:35 pm
MD-
Apparently they are building Jeeps in China, to sell in China because they don’t have the capacity
md
October 30th, 2012
4:45 pm
Notice one does not see the quote I just posted from Mike Manley on Politifact……seems they must have missed that wee bit of fact.
And the meat of the quote is “should we be localizing the entire Jeep portfolio or some of the Jeep portfolio.”
Last I checked, “entire” meant all of it………and it isn’t my quote, it came from the horses mouth.
And no, the 3 I mentioned above are the other end of the horse……….
MANGLER
October 30th, 2012
4:54 pm
I’ll cede to your point about managing vs. owning, but you’ll have to admit that in such a situation, the private companies “didn’t build that” – but are profiting from those who did.
Some people are stupid
October 30th, 2012
4:59 pm
MD-
you mean this article:
Chrysler is strongly denying a report the company was considering moving all of its Jeep production to China.
The company has not been shy about wanting to build Jeeps in China, but Chrysler says it won’t quit building them in the United States.
“Jeep has no intention of shifting production of its Jeep models out of North America to China,” Gualberto Ranieri, the company’s senior vice president for corporate communications, wrote Thursday in a blog posted on Chrysler’s Web site.
“It is simply reviewing the opportunities to return Jeep output to China for the world’s largest auto market.”
Bloomberg reported earlier this week that Fiat SpA, the majority owner of Chrysler Group LLC, was in talks with its Chinese partner, Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., about making Jeeps in China. Jeeps were built in China from 1983-2009.
Bloomberg quoted Mike Manley, who is president and CEO of the Jeep brand as well as the chief operating officer of Fiat and Chrysler in Asia.
“The volume opportunity for us [in China] is very significant,” Mr. Manley was quoted as saying.
“We’re reviewing the opportunities within existing capacity” as well as “should we be localizing the entire Jeep portfolio or some of the Jeep portfolio.”
They clearly say” we are not quitting production in the United States.
tiredofIT
October 30th, 2012
5:02 pm
Expectations need to be set. We as a country need to decide just what kind of society we want for America. And, we need public campaign financing with a campaigning “time-frame”.
Some people are stupid
October 30th, 2012
5:03 pm
MD-
From the same Bloomber Article:
Chrysler currently builds all Jeep SUV models at plants in Michigan, Illinois and Ohio. Manley referred to adding Jeep production sites rather than shifting output from North America to China.
WTF!!!
MarkV
October 30th, 2012
5:03 pm
Dusty @3:33 pm
“I look forward to happy days without all the scares in Washington, the foot in mouth, the forgotten Libya security, the soaring deficit, and the fancy vacations.”
Fancy vacations, in the same sentence with the soaring deficit and Libya security … But of course, we remember Obama’s India trip costing the taxpayers $200 million a day – according to Michele Bachmann…
Just Saying..
October 30th, 2012
5:11 pm
Well, anyone good enough for Thomas Friedman…
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
October 30th, 2012
5:11 pm
If the federal flood insurance program were run like Obozocare, tens of thousands of storm victims would be out buying policies today to cover yesterday’s losses.
Obozo and his receptacles: Idiots.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
October 30th, 2012
5:16 pm
Obama’s India trip costing the taxpayers $200 million a day – according to Michele Bachmann
—————————-
And Joe Biden claimed Paul Ryan voted for a $500 trillion tax cut.
Oh, but that’s different.
tiredofIT
October 30th, 2012
5:16 pm
Lil’ Barry Bailout – Vote American:
So you support those that don’t take personal responsibility for their actions and need assistants. Sounds socialistic to me.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
October 30th, 2012
5:17 pm
tiredofIT: So you support those that don’t take personal responsibility for their actions and need assistants
————————
You’ll have to show me where I said that, since it doesn’t sound at all familiar.
Didn’t think so.
md
October 30th, 2012
5:19 pm
spas,
ok, and I have some land I’ll sell you in the Okefenokee when you need it.
If one thinks an Italian run company building Jeeps in the US AND China continues to build most of their product in the country that costs the most to produce it then I’ll reserve that land for you…….
Corps need to make profits to survive, where do you think they’ll be able to do that on a long term basis??
And if they start selling them to other countries in the world, where do you think they ramp up production??
Mr Manley let the cat out of the bag, of course they aren’t going to tell Detroit what they plan to do long term, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the cost difference………shoot, it’s made Apple into the most profitable company on the planet, you really think other corps haven’t taken notice??
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
October 30th, 2012
5:32 pm
“I think Charles is a little too hard on Obama. Frankly, it’s huge progress that he didn’t blame this hurricane on a video,” Jonah Goldberg, fellow “Special Report” panelist, joked.
“Or on George Bush,” Krauthammer shot back.
They’re probably formulating that strategy now, you know how slow dummycrats are.
tiredofIT
October 30th, 2012
5:38 pm
Lil’ Barry Bailout – Vote American
October 30th, 2012
5:17 pm
tiredofIT: So you support those that don’t take personal responsibility for their actions and need assistants
————————
You’ll have to show me where I said that, since it doesn’t sound at all familiar.
Didn’t think so.
++
Obamacare requires everyone to contribute. Sounded like you where against this, therefore willing to support those with no skin in the game.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
October 30th, 2012
5:39 pm
Obozocare allows people to buy insurance after they get sick. That was the point.
md
October 30th, 2012
6:07 pm
“Obamacare requires everyone to contribute.”
No it doesn’t, where in the world did you get that idea? It expands medicaid by the millions to be paid for by the rest of us that will be forced to pay for it………
Lil' Barry Bailout -Vote American
October 30th, 2012
6:12 pm
If you’re a liberal, David Walker is smarter than you and he’s endorsing Romney.
@@
October 30th, 2012
6:48 pm
Applying these criteria has led me to decide to vote for both Republicans and Democrats in the upcoming federal election races in my home state of Connecticut.
Did the same thing today in Clayton County. Tossing in the locals running, I voted an equal split D&R. It’s all Democrats all the time down here in Clayton County.
My first write-in for SHERIFF Garland Watkins. Here’s hopin’…..!!!!!!!!!!!!
Based on the above principles, I believe that Gov. Mitt Romney is the clear choice for president.
Me too, Mr. Walker…me too! It was the choice between a serious adult candidate and an immature wannabe (no racial slur intended). Obama needs to grow up.
Puck
October 30th, 2012
11:16 pm
Deficit chicken hawk is more appropriate …
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
October 31st, 2012
8:31 am
Libtards loved them some David Walker back when he was scolding Our President Bush for His relatively microscopic $300 billion deficits.
Ablazia
November 2nd, 2012
3:54 pm
So, the GOP Congressional and totally political tactics of blocking EVERYTHING that could have put more people back to work already should be rewarded by giving them a Republican to work with??? OH PLEASE! Reward ugly, petulant behavior? That sends a great message! How could anyone want to go backward to the Bush/Cheney policies (that will be on steroids with Romney) that destroyed the economy in the first place? Walker must have investments with Bain, just like a lot of the other people who support Romney and are chomping at the bit for the big tax returns they will ALL get and We, the people (the 99%), will pay for! As Grover Norquist has stated, “All we need for a President is someone with enough digits to sign ALL the Republican bills.” God help us all if Norquist gets what he wants……the marionette named Mitt!