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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
A few thoughts on the passing scene:
1. Now that Mitt Romney won the CPAC straw poll, I guess it counts again.
2. Rick Santorum is accusing Romney (and Ron Paul in years past) of “rigging” the straw poll, the standard complaint of candidates who lose such contests. It’s impressive when someone can do as well as Santorum did at CPAC without spending much money. But the ability of a campaign organization to identify supporters and turn them out to vote is precisely what large straw polls measure. Romney beat Santorum fair and square.
3. Romney’s performance in Maine is less impressive. He barely eked out a win in a low-turnout New England state where he took 52 percent of the vote four years ago. His main opponent there exploded from 18 percent to 36 percent. If Romney hadn’t made a late push, he may well have lost Maine. He got the W, but concerns about his candidacy remain well founded,.
4. Paul supporters are undoubtedly disappointed to come up short in their best opportunity for a first-place finish since Iowa, but he did well enough to validate his campaign’s decision to bypass CPAC (which awards no delegates) in favor of Maine. The narrow loss does reinforce what I have deemed a flaw in their caucus strategy: Paul’s best states are states where Romney can be expected to do well too and Romney, unlike Hillary Clinton in 2008, is contesting most of the caucuses.
5. On the Sunday talk shows, the White House is pushing the line that Senate Democrats haven’t passed a budget in eons because they fear a Republican filibuster. There is just one problem: the budget can’t be filibustered and needs only a straight majority vote to pass. White House chief of staff Jack Lew is a former head of the Office of Management and Budget, so he surely knows this.
View all comments (29) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/02/12/weekend-political-wrap-up
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Bill| 2.12.12 @ 12:46PM
The battle between Romney ans Santorum will lead to a bloodbath, and that will ensure Gingrich clinch the nod by Super Tuesday, even though he's behind in delegate count.
Romney's problem: ROMNEYCARE
and
Santorum's problems:
1. voted for raising debt ceiling 8 times, $3 trillion debt increase because PA is a blue state
2. voted against Right-to-Work law because he's from PA
3. lost his senate bid by 18 points to a "silly" liberal Bob Casey in 2006
wanna be the President? You wish!
Doug| 2.12.12 @ 12:59PM
How many times did Newt vote for debt ceiling increases?
How many other Rs lost in 2006? Especially in "blue" (your definition) states?
Bill| 2.12.12 @ 1:08PM
I don't like Romney because of his Romneycare, and Santorum is a pro-union moderate, and very often in the debate, he gets angry causing a verbal outburst with his rivals, that will help Obama if Santorum gets the nod. Gingrich is a "natural" debater and can shred Obama.
Garfield| 2.12.12 @ 1:45PM
Gingrich scares the career politicians, that's another mark in his favor.
I mean seriously, we need someone in there that honestly believes in the American people, and Newt for all his flaws is that person.
Dai Alanye | 2.12.12 @ 3:27PM
It's rather sad how Bill and certain others keep cheering on the losers. Newt's campaign collapsed -- and will collapse again -- because Newt has no self-discipline. A tour in the Marine corps would have done him a world of good.
Bill| 2.12.12 @ 4:35PM
41 states to go,buddy!
Clint| 2.12.12 @ 12:59PM
Obamacare, Obamney, RomneyCare, Mormoney Care. More Money Care.
The Tea Party Rebellion Heads To A Brokered Convention.
spike59| 2.14.12 @ 6:46AM
...where DrRonPaul will be appropriately and totally IGNORED as the GOP's version of Pat Paulsen
martin j smith| 2.12.12 @ 1:18PM
So who has the guts to tell the truth that the Socialists are LIARS? Will Romney ?
Garfield| 2.12.12 @ 1:42PM
We all know Gingrich is more than willing to call Socialists Liars...
He's called Obama a Saul Alinski radical, the Food Stamp President, and when the media tried to get him to walk it back, he made them look like morons.
If nothing else, Gingrich has the courage to say what a lot of us have wanted someone in Washington to say publicly for the last 3 years.
spike59| 2.14.12 @ 6:47AM
...and he's willing to call a slut 'mrs gingrich'...
PattyMor| 2.12.12 @ 2:32PM
I'll put my money (and have) on Gingrich because he has the stature (Speaker of the House) and guts to throw the mud right back in those liberals' faces. He can distill the philosphical essence down to a sound bite: The Food Stamp President. Direct and punchy. He's been pounded by Mitt's millions and its had an effect. But, he's still there and he's not going away. The real test is Super Tuesday, so if you like Newt, contribute to his campaign now. And, he relishes fights with the Marxist Media.
Trampass| 2.12.12 @ 2:36PM
Not sure how anyone can see a path for Gingrich. Santorum has all the momentum. Newt won 1 state,a state that borders his own. He was not competitive in IA,NH,MN,CO,ME,or Nevada. Now that his gambling buddy has shut down the funding where does he go? If Gingrich had honor,he'd drop out and release his delegates to Santorum.
Dai Alanye | 2.12.12 @ 3:33PM
"Romney beat Santorum fair and square."
True, but it's a little like saying Donald Trump won Marla Maples because of his personality. Without big bucks neither man would have had a hope.
And by the way, the head of Maine's GOP stated when announcing the results that the caucuses were merely a "beauty contest," and would award no delegates.
Whats more, how do Mitt's few votes compare with the forty times as many Santorum received in the Missouti beauty contest? Romney's showing is pathetic.
W. James Antle III | 2.12.12 @ 3:58PM
The Maine straw poll vote itself isn't binding, but delegates were selected as part of the caucus process. The vote gives us some insight into how the delegates will be allocated, but only a limited amount of insight (the Paul campaign still expects to get more delegates out of Maine than Romney, for instance).
Eddie Willers| 2.12.12 @ 4:37PM
Santorum/Rubio is the ticket. Less baggage, two essential states. More executive experience would be nice, but you can't have everything. The notion that the long primary campaign hurts the party is just hot air. Did the long primary campaign hurt the President in 2008? Hardly.
Garfield| 2.12.12 @ 4:45PM
Santorum can't rally people all that well and has no executive experience.
Despite claims to the countrary, Gingrich has executive experience in spades. Dealing with congressmen is probably like herding cats.
Occam's Tool| 2.13.12 @ 12:07AM
Santorum did an excellent job being point man for welfare reform in the Senate.
Hey, I've got my ranking of the guys I'd vote for: Rick, Newt, Mitt. Paul is a loser, and fortunately just keeps losing.
Ward Bond| 2.13.12 @ 1:12AM
Hey Occam, you've got the right order.
Clint| 2.13.12 @ 6:43AM
Tool Job's Fantasy Rankings:
Bibi
Golda
Judas
Bill| 2.12.12 @ 5:24PM
Santorum's problems:
1. voted for raising debt ceiling 8 times, $3 trillion debt increase because PA is a blue state
2. voted against Right-to-Work law because he's from PA
3. lost his senate bid by 18 points to a "silly" liberal Bob Casey in 2006
wanna be the President? You wish!
Dai Alanye | 2.13.12 @ 2:55PM
Gingrich's problems:
1. Folded on the first budget fight in 1995, thus helping Clinton to be re-elected.
2. Self-destructed when Speaker.
3. Self-destructed when leading in Iowa.
4. Won South Carolina only with assists from Juan Williams and John King.
5. Self-destructed in Florida.
6. Flopped in Nevada and every subsequent state.
7. Keeps claiming to be the guiding light of the Reagan Revolution, and further claiming to be a historian not a lobbyist.
8. Can be expected to again self-destruct in the future.
spike59| 2.14.12 @ 6:48AM
Gingrisch's problems:
1-willing to say anything or do anything to advance the cause of...Newt
2-the GOP version of Bill Clinton
aware| 2.12.12 @ 5:34PM
Notice the usual tactics of the Republican machine covering all bases. Contest caucuses to thwart the only real outsider from repeating takedown of the Hildebeast. Carpet bomb everybody else with unmatchable money(some of them making big fat targets begging to be bombed). And don't forget "organization".
That's how you get Romney in Nov. Anybody already thinking the free spending bubble years are just on the other side of this election will be in for a very rude awakening.
linda| 2.12.12 @ 9:27PM
no. CPAC's straw poll still doesn't matter even though they went out of their way to make it easier for people to vote.
Come to think of it, Maine doesn't matter, either. It does make Romney look bad but it also makes Paul look bad. He spent a ton of time there all by his lonely and still couldn't pull it off.
Bill| 2.12.12 @ 11:01PM
Watching the Grammy:
Lady Gaga's biggest threat: Adelle
FeFe| 2.12.12 @ 11:25PM
So let me get this straight, the bionic Romney campaign needed actual resource allocation to bring in CPAC straw poll voters to win over Santorum? Furthermore, Mitt Romney is being herded by Ron Paul's R3volution?
O beautiful for spacious skies,
-----Hello, hello, hello, how low?
For amber waves of grain,
-----With the lights out, it's less dangerous
For purple mountain majesties
-----Here we are now, entertain us
Above the fruited plain!
-----I feel stupid and contagious
America! America!
-----Here we are now, entertain us
What's Romney got for an encore? A little soft shoe number?
Casey Abell| 2.13.12 @ 9:16AM
"Now that Mitt Romney won the CPAC straw poll, I guess it counts again."
Oh yeah, I just bet the Spectator will say that the CPAC straw poll counts a lot now.
Does Antle read his own website? Around here, any Romney will counts for zilch. Or maybe less than zilch.
Casey Abell| 2.13.12 @ 9:18AM
Oops, should be "any Romney win."