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SEQUESTER: The Horror!
March 1, 2013 | 4 comments
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SOTU Preview: Human Props, Budget Fights, and Wedge Issues
February 12, 2013 | 0 comments
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Hello, I Must Be Going
August 14, 2012 | 18 comments
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Weekend Political Wrap-Up, Paul Ryan Edition
August 12, 2012 | 16 comments
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Esquire Blogger Sees Paul Ryan, Shreds His Safety Net
August 11, 2012 | 13 comments
The Spectacle Blog
This was by far the best debate for Rick Santorum and Ron Paul. They both made effective use of the squabbling between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Gingrich seemed tired, unprepared, and off his game tonight — bad timing for the former House speaker. Romney had some clunkers — he got caught redhanded on the anti-Newt attack ad, the line about not making his own investments could come back to haunt him, and he denied being politically involved during a time period that included a Senate campaign — but he had the better showing overall. I’m seeing many people argue that Gingrich has sharpened Romney as a candidate.
Gingrich uncharacteristically shied away from attacks on Romney and didn’t confront Wolf Blitzer as well as John King or Juan Williams. Santorum did the best job going after Romneycare, but he also went after Gingrich’s space program spending. Paul had some good laugh lines, especially on the age question and on sending politicians to the moon. Romney got the better of Gingrich in their immigration exchange, with the speaker making his criticism of the “Obama-level fantasy” of deportation a distinction without a meaningful difference.
This has been the most volatile race yet, with Romney looking like he had Florida in the bag, followed by Gingrich’s post-South Carolina surge, and now Romney retaking the lead in many polls. It will be interesting to see if this debate, the last for some time, moves the polls at all.
View all comments (28) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/01/26/debate-wrap
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Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 1.26.12 @ 10:30PM
Santorum begin to get old and quick. He made some untrue statements about Romneycare and began to sound like a petulant child repeating the same points over and over. Ron Paul looked like a buffoon.
The CNN wrap up was the typical liberal slam of the contestants with left handed compliments.
Sean| 1.26.12 @ 10:34PM
The only buffoon is you so I am sure you love Romneycare.
Jack in Wi.| 1.26.12 @ 10:48PM
The best part of this debate were all the times the other guys said. " I agree with Ron Paul. " Obama is never going to be beaten by people who want endless war and endless bailouts, for the rich. Romney and Gingrich are the 2 candidates for those ideas. The debate was fairly civil which is a good thing. The only possible way this party can be united is for there to be civil and intelligent debates. This was a start in the right direction. But frankly the party is so divded that I don't believe it can be reunited to defeat Obama.
Bob Grant| 1.26.12 @ 10:55PM
"..But frankly the party is so divded that I don't believe it can be reunited to defeat Obama..." --------
Then tell your people to vote for our candidate, whomever it will be. Quit hoping for a third party.
JJ| 1.26.12 @ 10:56PM
It won't unite. The GOP has no soul.
Clint| 1.27.12 @ 6:16AM
Apparently, We Already Got A Third Party, The RINO-CINO Mittens Party.
The Tea Party Rebellion Steps On Mittens' Kitten's Tail.
Defeat Romney Defeat Obama| 1.26.12 @ 11:27PM
Romney is a RINO at best, a crony capitalist at worst. He is unfit to be the GOP nominee. He is not for free enterprise, which is what America needs.
Romney has a long history of being about Romney, by Romney, for Romney, and screw everyone else. Accumulation of wealth is good, but not the through taxpayer funded corporate welfare, tax subsidies which shift the tax burden to others (crony capitalism), and not by being an LBO pirate. Romney exemplifies all of this.
Zerohedge succintly exposed him:
Zerohedge
On Mitt Romney's Defense of Bain Capital and the Private Equity Industry - Here Are Some Facts
"Lately Bain founder and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has found himself in a spirited defense of the private equity industry, doing all he can to spin decades of data which confirm, without failure, that PE Leveraged Buy Outs are nothing but "efficiency maximizing" transactions whose only goal is the maximization of EBITDA in the pursuit of dividend recap deals, IPO's or outright sales, while loading up the company with untenable amounts of leverage. All this with a 3-5 year investment horizon which ignores the long-term viability of a company and seeks to streamline (read fire as many as possible) operations as quickly as possible in the goal of maximizing short-term returns... "
More at:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/.....some-facts
Bostonglobe
Bain Often Couldn't Lose With Buyouts
"Mitt Romney has long called himself a venture capitalist, experience he says helps him understand the economy better than other candidates for president. But he spent much of his career in leveraged buyouts than in the investments in start-up companies known as venture capital..."
Dirtdiggersdigest
Romney Bites the Government Hand That Has Fed His Fortune
"Companies acquired and managed by Bain during Romney's tenure showed no hesitation in taking taxpayer handouts in the form of state and local economic subsidies..."
More at:
http://dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/2702
Just a few of many articles that all show that Romney is not a true free enterpriser, and free-enterprise is what America needs. Romney is an LBO pirate, who also likes to stuff his pockets with taxpayer-funded corporate welfare and seeks taxpayer funded subsidies
Dai Alanye | 1.27.12 @ 12:01AM
Santorum's best debate, and the analysts on both CNN and MSNBC tended to recognize him as the strongest man tonight. Gingrich and Romney were both happy to agree with him when possible.
Newt gave one of his weakest performances, folding when Wolf Blitzer refused to be bullied.
WL| 1.26.12 @ 10:36PM
I am voting for Newt if he makes it to my state with a chance.
While I think Newt did seem a little beaten down, it is because in the last 2 days the Establishment Machine of the Republican party has launched all fire on him from every corner and every Republican Roach has crawled out from every rock on the earth to hit him. That taxes someone.
However, in the big picture, I am very heartened that our voters are just starting to get a fuzzy picture of the situation we have in the republican party and how we all get duped by their lies.
The good fight may or may not take us a few more years, but we WILL throw off the yoke of their directives...one day.
If you are enjoying the frenzy launched by the machine (who has picked Mitt), I would just implore you to stop and think about how you feel when the BIG machine (the dems) wage war against any of our candidates, and recognize that it is the same thing you are cheering now...
However, if the Voters of Florida give us a surprise on Monday...and send Romney to the losers tent again (as in S. Carolina)...
Then all bets are off.
Bob Grant| 1.26.12 @ 10:36PM
I believe people will soon tire of Newt's grandiosity and games. People are tired with Ron Paul's message, with which 75 percent I'm in agreement, as people realize he will never be president. A 55 year old version of him maybe, but not him. Plus, his foreign policy is simply too naive for any responsible republican to take him seriously.
If only Santorum had more money behind him and caught wind in the fall, he might very well be THE true contender to Romney.
Romney, I must admit, has been the most consistent candidate throughout the debates. He's got the organization and better positioned to wage a campaign against obama in the general. People will sense this and he will surge to win the nomination.
Look at it this way. For what it's worth, he's a much better candidate than McCain, Bush, Dole, or Bush 43. As to how he would govern, he has no choice but to govern right of his reputation. I'm betting on this.
JJ| 1.26.12 @ 10:59PM
He lost to Mc Cain. How can he possibly beat Obama.
Bob Grant| 1.26.12 @ 11:02PM
By focusing on obama's disastrous record. It's that simple.
JmsA| 1.26.12 @ 11:08PM
Mr. Grant, logic doesn't work with the delusionally obsessed with the second coming of Neville Chamberlain, who'd be the perfect candidate were the U.S. the only country on the planet.
W| 1.26.12 @ 11:01PM
I agree. Given his record of attacking Gingrich he will attack Obama agressively. He wants to win, unlike McCain or Dole.
Mitt had a good debate, as did Santorum.
Sean| 1.26.12 @ 11:02PM
Why would any responsible republican support someone that signed the forerunner of Obamacare, supported cap and trade, and supported TARP?
JmsA| 1.26.12 @ 11:18PM
Because the One in charge right now is a runaway train wreck.
Bob Grant| 1.27.12 @ 8:41AM
Ask Marco Rubio.
Sean| 1.27.12 @ 8:56AM
Marco Rubio and Scott Brown. Rubio is towards the bottom of the tea party senators elected in the last go around. I would rather ask Mike Lee or Rand Paul.
Dai Alanye | 1.27.12 @ 12:04AM
Anyone but Obama must be our mantra, but we'd all be well advised to send Santorum a donation right quick.
Clint| 1.27.12 @ 6:20AM
Yeah, That's How McCain Beat Obama.
What, He Didn't ?
Never Mind.
PCP Smoker| 1.27.12 @ 7:44AM
"Romney, I must admit, has been the most consistent candidate throughout the debates. He's got the organization and better positioned to wage a campaign against obama in the general. People will sense this and he will surge to win the nomination."
Find it interesting that a voter, not a political analyst, would vote for someone because of their organization and consistency during debates. Perhaps you might want to look at Governor Romney's record as a self described "moderate with progressive values" before predicting some "surge" for a guy barely scrapping 35% of the vote.
Mike 3/505| 1.26.12 @ 10:54PM
Newt tried to go the "bad press" well one too many times. I'm no Blitzer fan, but Wolf did handle it/Newt well. Newt did not get his expected "out of the park" moment from that...which he needed.
JJ| 1.26.12 @ 10:55PM
if I am not politically involved I don't vote. If Romney is not politically he runs for the Senate. Nice, when you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Don't have to work your way up or prove yourself.
beebop2| 1.27.12 @ 5:58AM
I think you have come down with a slight case of class envy. While not a huge Mitt fan (I will vote for him or whoever is the ultimate candidate), to discount his record is just out of touch.
Clint| 1.27.12 @ 6:25AM
We,The Great Unwashed Have Forgotten Our Place In Life.
The Tea Party Rebellion Steps On Mitten's Tail.
martin j smith| 1.27.12 @ 7:27AM
So Antle, is Romney ( your favorite ) wins the nomination --then how will he run a campaign? Will he run against Newt or Obama ?
JimH| 1.27.12 @ 8:25AM
Let’s be clear about Newt’s space program. From what I see it consists of removing the regulatory difficulties which exist today for private space development, possibly sharing government facilities with private developers and offering prizes for various accomplishments in space; the cost of which would be far less than is wasted on earmarks today. Newt knows that it is important for American greatness in the future we must have a significant presence in space and we ought not to be relying on Russian boosters to get us there. It is important commercially and militarily to occupy the strategic high ground. Even Dr. Paul, who would bring all our troops home from all over the world, recognized last night that our presence in space is necessary to our defense. Americans should have big dreams and as long as the taxpayer is not asked to foot the bill, I’m all for them.
TycheSD| 1.27.12 @ 1:24PM
It's obvious to me that Romney will win the GOP nomination. He will be the most effective against Obama in November, although I believe President Obama will win a second term. Newt has too much baggage and doesn't have the right temperament. Santorum is too conservative on social issues and too hawkish on foreign policy to appeal to independents.
Ron Paul is my guy. I just don't see him winning the nomination. I get his relativism argument on "how would we feel if such and such country occupied Texas," and I think that it's a valuable element to bring to the public's awareness. He probably needs to emphasize how U.S. foreign policy over the past 40 years or so has affected U.S. deficits and debt. He definitely would offer the most contrast to Obama. And, he's the most likable of all the candidates running.
I agree with others that hearing the other candidates say they agree with Ron Paul is the best part of these debates - and it's happening more and more all the time. I think his views are rubbing off on them. Ron Paul takes several viewings to finally have his message make sense.