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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
1. Last week, Barack Obama’s reelection team released a “Life of Julia” slideshow which was supposed to undermine Mitt Romney’s support among women by documenting the cradle-to-grave goodies for the fairer sex that Ryan/Romney Republicans would supposedly undo. Whatever Julia’s long-term impact, in the short term the propaganda piece was widely ridiculed: “An e-mail from the Republican National Committee urged conservatives to use the Twitter hashtag #Julia to mock the timeline. And mock they did. Throughout the day, Twitter was filled with sarcastic messages that described “Julia” as a ward of the government.”
It was widely ridiculed precisely because it was ridiculous. Ross Douthat summarizes its underlying assumptions: “It offers a more sweeping vision of government’s place in society, in which the individual depends on the state at every stage of life, and no decision — personal, educational, entrepreneurial, sexual — can be contemplated without the promise that it will be somehow subsidized by Washington.”
2. The “Party of Julia” may be in the White House, but this was overall a pretty libertarian weekend. In Nevada, Ron Paul supporters ousted two Romney backers from the Republican National Committee and captured a majority of the state’s delegates to the national convention. The RNC had warned against the latter move, but the Nevada delegation should be fine as long as those bound to Romney vote for him on the first ballot.
When evaluating Paul’s delegate accumulation strategy, the key question is this: How many people are going to Tampa as first-ballot Ron Paul delegates and how many are Paul supporters who are legally bound to Romney and other candidates? This matters since the vote is unlikely to proceed beyond the first ballot. Either way, a strong Paul presence could make itself felt in the same way that it does at gatherings like CPAC.
3. Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson won the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination with over 70 percent of the vote at their national convention in Las Vegas. (Where else?) Judge Jim Gray was nominated for vice president. Johnson joined the LP after he failed to gain any traction — or major debate invitations — running for president as a Republican. I had wondered if Johnson would face any blowback from his recent Republican history, especially in light of the Bob Barr experience in 2008. Johnson took that issue head on:
Somewhere between 2000 and 2008, Bob Barr fell out of bed, hit his head, and became a libertarian. I’m glad it happened.
This is not 2008. I don’t have any of that baggage hanging in back of me.
Johnson also zinged Romney about the resignation of gay foreign policy adviser Richard Grenell: “I believe the majority of Americans could care less about whether or not there is a gay individual working in the Romney campaign.”
4. Grenell’s departure from the Romney campaign was a hotly contested issue in Washington. Many Romney critics seized on a report by Romney supporter Jennifer Rubin that Grenell was “hounded from Romney campaign by anti-gay conservatives.” Sources close to the campaign counter they were merely waiting for a controversy over Grenell’s tweets — pushed mainly by the left, not the right — to blow over before pushing him front and center again but he resigned on his own against their wishes. Whomever you believe, Gary Johnson probably has this right: a majority of Americans could care less.
5. Never count your chickens before they’re hatched or count your votes before they’re cast. But the noise emanating from Indiana doesn’t sound good for longtime Sen. Richard Lugar. He faces a Tea Party primary challenge from state Treasurer Richard Mourdock. State polling can be unreliable, but Lugar is behaving like he believes his Senate seat is at risk. The Indianapolis Star portrays him as pleading for crossover votes.
6. Newt Gingrich ended his Republican presidential campaign last week. Gingrich fought hard in the era of Bob Michel Republicanism to ascend from the backbenches to the House leadership. He was instrumental in the GOP congressional takeover of 1994 and thus deserves substantial credit for the Republican majority’s real policy accomplishments between 1995 and 1997. But once he got House Republicans to the top of the mountain, he did not seem equal to the task of delivering on his revolutionary promises. His personal weaknesses helped ease him out of the speakership.
Gingrich’s presidential run went much the same way. He did more with less than most candidates and fought back from the political dead at least twice to look like he had a legitimate shot at the GOP nomination. Undisciplined and disorganized, he was no match for the fine-tuned Romney machine and a news cycle that is even faster and less forgiving than it was in the '90s.
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More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/05/06/weekend-political-wrap-up
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Clip of the Day
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Clint| 5.6.12 @ 4:31PM
" Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, dominated the Louisiana Republican caucuses . The results guarantee he will have a strong presence in the state's delegation to the Republican National Convention in August.
As a result, under party rules, Paul is guaranteed at least 17 of the 46 delegates to the convention ..."
" TAMPA, April 7, 2012 – GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney continues to win primaries and Ron Paul still won’t go away.
Part of the reason is that the Paul campaign understands the primary process and knows a little history. Romney’s support is lukewarm, while Paul’s actual delegate total is dramatically understated.
As Robert Wenzel points out, Paul is a lot like Warren Harding. Harding went into the brokered 1920 convention with only 6% of the delegates, but emerged as the party’s nominee. Harding won the general election in a landslide and took a very non-interventionist approach to the Depression of 1921.
Free market economists cite Harding’s refusal to intervene in that crisis for the quick recovery that followed. "
spike59| 5.7.12 @ 5:49AM
it's OVER, Widdle Cwint-2012, just like 2008, sees another stinging defeat for the Tifoil Hat Tinhorn, DrRonEarmark, and his whackadoodle band of Birchers, 9/11 Truthers, Klansmen, bongheads, and StormFront troopers
Clint| 5.7.12 @ 6:17AM
Wow !
Bibi's Israel Firster Smear Bund Goebbels Propaganda Nazi, Spicey 69 Attempts To Play His Dog Eared Racist Nazi Druggie Crazy Card On Dr.Ron Paul And His Supporters.
Spicey & The Israel Firster Smear Bund Are Scared Of Dr.Ron Paul And The Tea Party Patriots.
We're Gonna Take Away Their Big Government Rice Bowls.
We Are Being Set Up By These Israel Firster RINO-CINO Agendists For The Ruling Elites' Frontman Mittens Romney.
These Are The Israel Firster RINO-CINO Who Gave Us The Serial Traitor To Conservatism, John McCain Of McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy,McCain-Lieberman,Gang Of 14, Opposing Bush Tax Cuts Of 2001 & 2003,TARP.
Now They Are Trying To Give Us RomneyCare,TARP, Cynical Flip-Flops On Abortion, Gays, Refuses to Sign Pro-Life Pledge, Illegal Immigrants, "Little Chain Saw Al" At Bain, Crony Capitalism Campaign Money Trail.....
RJ| 5.6.12 @ 6:55PM
My optimism for the 2012 (outside of California) is growing. No doubt, it will be hard fought, but if voter fraud can be held down, Obama should be out of office in January.
I recently had an opportunity to meet Ted Cruz, a Texan running in the GOP Senate primary, and was very impressed with his knowledge, experience and dedication for individual liberty and limited government. The people of Texas are lucky to have such a great candidate to vote for. If elected, I am sure he will be a truly outstanding Senator.
beebop2| 5.6.12 @ 8:09PM
Senator Rubio had an amazing outing on Fox News Sunday. I was very impressed. Joe Biden looks even loonier by comparison! Whether it is too early for Rubio or not, I am not qualified to say, but he clearly is very comfortable in his own skin and doesn't need to change his positions to defend previously stated policies ... that must happen in your second term?
Occam's Tool| 5.7.12 @ 2:54AM
Cruz would make a great Senator.
Paul is a non-entity, period.
Mitt Romney will be in the Oval Office in the 3rd week of january 2013, and I will have a Steak at Ruth's Chris.
Clint| 5.7.12 @ 6:20AM
Tell It To Newt Gingrich And His Supporters, Screwball Maniac Mittens' Kitten Israel Firster Smear Bund BibibBot,
"Look, the conservative movement is not going to sit by and let a Massachusetts liberal, who's pro-abortion, pro-gun control, pro-tax increase, pro-gay rights, whose Romneycare in two articles in the last 24 hours were described as the equivalent of Obamacare and who George Soros says is just fine. He'd be happy with either Obama or Romney [be]cause they are both the establishment -- that's just George Soros,"
"Now, the conservative movement isn't going to sit back and say 'Oh yes, let's let Wall Street, and Goldman Sachs and Mitt Romney buy the election. So you're going to see a real grass roots fight. It will be people power vs. Goldman Sachs and Mitt Romney,"
Judge For Yourself| 5.7.12 @ 10:57AM
Mr. Antle, you forgot this:
http://youtu.be/3lBUVr4eBvM
Bill| 5.7.12 @ 12:26PM
Speaking of Newt's departure from the GOP race, he won SC and lost the nod. Amazing race!
KB| 5.7.12 @ 2:22PM
Mr. Antle:
One minor edit on your otherwise excellent post:
Whomever you believe, Gary Johnson probably has this right: a majority of Americans could [not] care less.
MorrowRosanna| 5.7.12 @ 7:00PM
like Albert implied I am dazzled that some people can make $5031 in a few weeks on the internet. have you seen this link makecash16.cøm