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Alan O’Day, R.I.P.
May 20, 2013 | 3 comments
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Elijah Harper, R.I.P.
May 18, 2013 | 1 comment
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That’s a Lot of Caca in Caracas
May 16, 2013 | 7 comments
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Canadian PM: Keystone XL Pipeline “Absolutely Needs To Go Ahead.”
May 16, 2013 | 2 comments
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Has Obama Done Sufficient Damage Control With The IRS?
May 15, 2013 | 8 comments
The Spectacle Blog
Here are my final thoughts concerning tonight’s GOP debate on the economy at Dartmouth College which was sponsored by Bloomberg, The Washington Post and WBIN-TV in Derry, New Hampshire.
Jon Huntsman - He caught a bad case of the snarks when he questioned Mitt Romney. Otherwise he was non-descript.
Michele Bachmann - I thought she was quite good at the beginning of the debate when talking about Dodd-Frank. Her “devil in the details” quip about turning Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 upside down was cute but nothing more.
Rick Perry - He spent a great deal of time talking about energy and his energy seemed to improve as the debate went along. Perry didn’t hurt himself in this debate but I’m not sure he helped himself either.
Herman Cain - Naturally, with his surging poll numbers, he found himself under increased scrutiny and more than held his own under the fire from both his fellow candidates and the media.
Rick Santorum - As I noted earlier in the evening, snarky doesn’t sell. He did nothing to help his cause tonight.
Newt Gingrich - He turned in yet another fine performance and probably resonated with a relatively subdued audience more than any other candidate. Yet I’m not sure if Republicans are prepared to give him a second look.
Ron Paul - He’s afraid of Herman Cain. Very afraid.
Mitt Romney - He’s still the man to beat and did nothing to alter that perception.
But a week in politics is a lifetime and one week from today, the Republican candidates will convene for a debate in Las Vegas which will be covered by CNN.
greg| 10.11.11 @ 10:37PM
goldstein...lol hmmm
Clint| 10.11.11 @ 11:17PM
Romney Is A RINO-CINO, Who Was For TARP & ObamaCare Is Modeled After His RomneyCare & He Apologizes For Neither.
Jack in Wi.| 10.11.11 @ 10:38PM
Nobody is afraid of Herman Cain after tonight. His 999 plan was shredded. His support for Alan Grenspan was laughable. His upport for Tarp was attacked by Santoum. Herman is a media flash in the pan. That will never hold up to real scruitiny. He might make a good county sheriff down in Georgia, but that is about it.
NowIsTheTime| 10.11.11 @ 10:52PM
What debate were you watching? There's a good reason that everyone was trying to pile on Cain, and it's that whether you like it or not he's the challenger. He's the only thing making it a two-man race at this point.
However ... I seriously don't know what AG was thinking when he wrote that Paul is afraid of Cain. Paul isn't afraid of anyone on that stage. He's hardly even aware of them. It's like some old guy sitting on a porch with his hearing aid turned off and when he hears something that sounds like "fed" he launches off into rant that everyone's heard a hundred times. Just nod politely and eventually he'll stop talking.
Jack in Wi.| 10.12.11 @ 1:08AM
Michelle Bachman, Newt Gingrich and Santorum didn't seem to be afraid of Cain either. They really shredded him and his tax plans, TARP and the FED.
Ron Paul has Cain's number| 10.11.11 @ 10:41PM
I could say 'and it is 999' but really, it is zero. He flips week to week, not year to year like Romney, and delivers his flip with panache, but it is still a lie.
Ron Paul has old school manners which didn't serve him well in face time, but he didn't look like the idiots some of the others who opened their mouths and removed all doubt looked like.
Sean| 10.11.11 @ 11:17PM
Cain lied tonight. He has written in his book that anyone asking about an audit of the Federal Reserve is a stupid question.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....r_embedded
Clint| 10.11.11 @ 10:42PM
Herman Cain Supported TARP, Opposed Auditing The Fed, Has A Former FED Crony Economic Advisor & TARP Recipient Wells Fargo Division Crony Rich Lowery ,Who Is His 9-9-9 Guru, Which Is DOA.
Jack in Wi.| 10.11.11 @ 11:06PM
Herman lied his head off when he said he was for auditing the FED. His 999 plan is a joke gimmic. He really sealed his fate when he said Alan Greenspan was his ideal FED chairman. I would love to see his business dealings put under real scruitiny. Stick a fork in him he is done.
Clint| 10.11.11 @ 11:15PM
Cain's FED problems,TARP Problem, 9-9-9 problems are exposing him.
NowIsTheTime| 10.11.11 @ 10:45PM
Perry gave the impression that the last 3x5 prep card he looked at was about energy, and that was all he could remember. Everyone largely ignored him, and that more than his performance confirms his place as a flash in the pan.
I thought the most impressive thing about Cain was that he did a surprisingly good job of defending some really atrocious ideas like the 999 plan. The main take-away regarding Cain was that everyone treated him like the only real challenger to Romney. He didn't do anything to change that perception.
I never thought Romney's rope-a-dope strategy would work out for him as well as it has, and I keep thinking that one of these days the floor is going to fall out from under him. But yet again he turns in a performance that keeps him in there as the de facto frontrunner.
Sean| 10.11.11 @ 11:19PM
Perry came out and said we shouldn't be talking about policies. Maybe all that big talk about multiple policies was confusing him.
Clint| 10.11.11 @ 10:48PM
That FED & Wells Fargo Guy's Name Is Spelled Rich Lowrie.
Garet | 10.11.11 @ 11:52PM
You Paulbots astound me. Alan Greenspan actually knew Ayn Rand personally- a die hard objectivist and laisse faire free marketer, he is among the most libertarian of libertarians- which is why Reagan appointed him. Fact is, Ron Paul's criticism of the Fed is conspiratorial and misplaced. Herman Cain correctly diagnosed that it is the mission of the Fed- the dual mandate- and the lack of stringent congressional oversight, that has encouraged it's profligacy. The Fed doesn't need to be ended it needs to be leashed.
9-9-9 is also very libertarian. A broad based, out in the open taxation system that ends the hidden crony capitalism of the current tax code, removes scores of revenue streams and makes the taxation system efficient for funding the legitimate functions of government instead of social engineering and Marxist economic justice. We already have a VAT in essence, it's the all the hidden taxes passed down to consumers in the price of the goods and services we pay for. 9-9-9 is libertarian, free market economic thinking in distilled form applied to taxation, but Paulbots will attack it because... Well they don't know why... Gold! End the Fed!
Clint| 10.12.11 @ 12:34AM
Do Your Homework.
Q: Libertarians advocate the politics you advocate. So why are you opposed to the Libertarian Party? [FHF: “Egalitarianism and Inflation,” 1974]
Ayn Rand:They are not defenders of capitalism. They’re a group of publicity seekers who rush into politics prematurely, because they allegedly want to educate people through a political campaign, which can’t be done. Further, their leadership consists of men of every of persuasion, from religious conservatives to anarchists. Moreover, most of them are my enemies: they spend their time denouncing me, while plagiarizing my ideas. Now, I think it’s a bad beginning for an allegedly pro-capitalist party to start by stealing ideas."
Garet | 10.12.11 @ 4:15AM
Sounds to me like she's talking about someone like Ron Paul who has built an enterprise out of his never ending presidential candidacy; certainly she's not referring to her personal friend and part of her inner circle, Alan Greenspan, whom she stood next too when he was sworn in as Chair of the Counicl of economic advisors. Sure his action as Fed Chair in the early 2000a only added fuel to the fire- but tell me, woul you prefer the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank issuing our currency?
Clint| 10.12.11 @ 10:01AM
Do Your Homework .
" Although Greenspan was once recognized as a proponent of laissez-faire capitalism, some Objectivists find his support for a gold standard somewhat incongruous or dubious, given the Federal Reserve's role in America's fiat money system and endogenous inflation. He has come under criticism from Harry Binswanger, who believes his actions while at work for the Federal Reserve and his publicly expressed opinions on other issues show abandonment of Objectivist and free market principles. However, when questioned in relation to this, he has said that in a democratic society individuals have to make compromises with each other over conflicting ideas of how money should be handled. He said he himself had to make such compromises, because he believes that "we did extremely well" without a central bank and with a gold standard"
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here.
Clint| 10.12.11 @ 12:40AM
Cain's Guru FED Buddy Rich Lowrie's 9-9-9 Is A Non-Starter.
Conservatives will not allow Big Government to have A National Sales Tax & An Income Tax.
Garet | 10.12.11 @ 4:21AM
We will if every other tax on the individual is eliminated forever, and raising the tax on EVERYONE (as opposed to pitting tax brackets against eachother) requires a 2/3 majority. 9-9-9 is phase 1, phase 2 is the Fair Tax. You really should read Herman Cain's plan, instead of relying on Ron Paul campaign e-mails for your information.
Clint| 10.12.11 @ 10:09AM
What "We" Garet ?
I've Read Cain's 9-9-9 Plan. It's A Non-Starter.
Conservatives Will Not Allow Big Government To Have Both A National Sales Tax & An Income Tax.
" Curtis Dubay of the Heritage Foundation says many conservatives would not feel comfortable with a national sales tax unless the 16th Amendment, which established the income tax, was repealed, to totally cut off that vein of revenue.
Dubay also said he would be concerned about allowing a new stream of revenue with the current entitlement structure in place, given that officials in both parties have said that programs like Medicare and Medicaid need to be restructured. "
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here.
Dai Alanye | 10.12.11 @ 12:04AM
I don't know whether Ron Paul is afraid of Herman Cain, but one thing is clear: the Paul supporters on this thread seem VERY afraid of Herman Cain.
Clint| 10.12.11 @ 12:37AM
You RINO-CINO's Are Scared Of The Tea Party & Our Co-Favorite Presidential Candidate Dr. Ron Paul.
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here.
Waltdo| 10.12.11 @ 12:57AM
Why would anyone be afraid of Ron Paul?? For the most part he's not taking votes away from any of the other candidates, and when he loses the same way he lost in 2008 his supporters for the most part won't support the Republican nominee.
Clint| 10.12.11 @ 10:12AM
You're Afraid Of The Tea Party & Our Co-Favorite Presidential Candidate Dr. Ron Paul.
The Tea Party Wasn't Around In The 2008 Election.
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here.
Ken (Old Texican)| 10.12.11 @ 8:29AM
My favorite,
(Perry), understands the crucial importance of energy production to ANY serious economic growth.
Folks it is an outright crime that we export dozens of billions of dollars for Saudi oil every year when we (oIL AND gAS FOLKS), have proven that we can become a net energy exporter in four to five years.
The problem that Perry is facing is that he wants to talk grown up talk...and not blast competitors on childish issues.
I watched his expressions quite carefully last night. He continually shook his head (and smiled), in sad amusement at the antics on the stage ...and among the interviewers.
Obviously, Governor Perry has stepped back from being baited.
Ladies and gentlemen,
if our next nominee and president is chosen due to these lame excuses for a "debate", I have little hope for our country to rebound in our lifetime.
Please don't forget. Governor Perry has quietly guided Texas to the "top of the mountain" vis a vis the entire country.
He hasn't used gimmicks (9-9-9), but merely a successful recipe for success.
Mr. Romney will sail with the wind. Mr. Cain is a nice man who will run ideas up the flag-pole and get clobbered once in office.
Conversely, Mr. Perry can GOVERN PROFITABLY FOR ALL.
He has proven it.
Frankly, I wouldn't blame Perry if he washed his hands of all the chicken-shit. He has offered himself honestly, but the children would rather taunt than to grow up and be serious.
Steve A| 10.12.11 @ 10:02AM
Yeah, when the going gets tough, Perry should wash his hands & take his marbles back to Texas. Perry is a good guy & I would vote for him all day over Obama but I'm sorry, it ain't there.
Ken (Old Texican)| 10.12.11 @ 11:32AM
Well, Steve,
If America comes apart at the seams as Obama seems to want...We in Texas can grow it back, and Perry can and will do that.
God bless you poor fools in piddly wink States.
Hell, we don't have to secede! All we have to do is weep as the rest of the country crashes and burns.
Margie| 10.12.11 @ 9:28PM
I hope Rick Perry isn't as condescending and haughty as you are.
Yuck.
ys| 10.25.11 @ 1:45AM
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1AmericanVoice| 12.3.11 @ 12:16PM
Now the Right Wing is Mad
After The 8 Years Of The Bush/Cheney Disaster, Now You Get Mad?
You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.
You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate Energy policy and push us to invade Iraq.
You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.
You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.
You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.
You didn't get mad when we spent over 800 billion (and counting) on said illegal war.
You didn't get mad when Bush borrowed more money from foreign sources than the previous 42 Presidents combined.
You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars in cash just disappeared in Iraq.
You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.
You didn't get mad when Bush embraced trade and outsourcing policies that shipped 6 million American jobs out of the country.
You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.
You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.
You didn't get mad when Bush rang up 10 trillion dollars in combined budget and current account deficits.
You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.
You didn't get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.
You didn't get mad when we gave people who had more money than they could spend, the filthy rich, over a trillion dollars in tax breaks.
You didn't get mad with the worst 8 years of job creations in several decades.
You didn't get mad when over 200,000 US Citizens lost their lives because they had no health insurance.
You didn't get mad when lack of oversight and regulations from the Bush Administration caused US Citizens to lose 12 trillion dollars in investments, retirement, and home values.
You didn't get mad when 4000+ and counting Men & Women along with the thousands upon thousands of maimed and disfigured Military have been killed in an illegal war.
You finally got mad when a black man was elected President and decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, job losses by the millions, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, and the worst economic disaster since 1929 are all okay with you, but helping fellow Americans who are sick...Oh, Hell No!!