Cain's Parting Shot...Pokemon

The Herman Cain Circus Train pulled into the station for the final time this past weekend.  The recent frontrunner for the Republican nomination announced that he was suspending his campaign; citing the impact that the unsubstantiated accusations of infidelity were having on his family, his campaign and his supporters.  Appropriately, a defiant Cain ended his bizarre run for the White House by quoting lyrics from the theme song of a Pokémon movie. 

The benefactor of Mr. Cain’s withdrawal is Newt Gingrich.  Cain supporters are already flocking toward the Gingrich camp and Cain himself has endorsed Newt for the nomination.  Gingrich, who only a few weeks ago was considered dead in the water, is now the frontrunner and finds himself holding the inside track in three of the first four primary elections.  Apparently the party of conservative family values is willing to overlook Newt’s infidelities, hefty Tiffany’s line of credit and cozy relationship with the reviled Fannie and Freddie.   

Many conservatives who worked with Newt during his days as speaker are openly criticizing his management style and questioning his conservative bona fides.  Conservative columnist George Will, Republican Senator Tom Coburn and popular conservative talk show host and former congressman Joe Scarborough have all weighed in with scathing commentary.  Nevertheless Newt is riding the wave; and with just four weeks until the first primary he is likely to hold that position until the actual voting begins.

As we view the ebb and flow of this process we are given to wonder…is this a testament to our democracy that anyone…regardless of their qualifications or flaws…can aspire to be President of the United States?  Or is this further proof that our political process is truly broken?     

Gingrich Out Of Touch

“Really poor children in really poor neighborhoods have no habits of working and have nobody around them who work.  So they literally have no habit of showing up on Monday.  They have no habit of staying all day.  They have no habit of…I do this and you give me cash…unless it’s illegal”

These offensive, ignorant words were uttered just yesterday by Newton Leroy Gingrich; the former Speaker of the House and current front runner for the Republican Party’s nomination for the office of President of the United States. 

Mr. Gingrich’s comments demonstrate his insensitivity and complete lack of awareness of the plight of roughly one third of the country he seeks to lead.  He does a disservice to the millions of single parent mothers and fathers who go to work every day, working two and three jobs at minimum wage so their children can have a better life.  Apparently Mr. Gingrich believes that everyone who lives in a poor neighborhood is either a drug runner, gang banger or crack head.  He fails to realize that in fact most are hard working people with strong family values, a sense of responsibility and dreams of a better life. 

Mr. Gingrich, like many of the people who make their living in Washington, is out of touch with the American people.  He views the country from an elitist perch, painting a large swath of the populace  with the broad brush of stereotypical ignorance and bias.

Since Mr. Gingrich has chosen to make a broad generalization about the poor perhaps he won’t mind if we make a generalization of our own.

By uttering the words quoted at the top of this piece Mr. Gingrich has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is not qualified to hold the office of President of the United States.   

            

It Feels Like 1979

Over the past several weeks the media has focused on the three ring circus that is the race for the Republican nomination.  And why not!   The Republican candidates have provided more grist for the media mill than any pundit could ever want. 

In the past twenty four hours alone we have witnessed some of the most bizarre behavior ever displayed on the political scene. 

The Cain Train got knocked off the rails by accusations of a thirteen year extra marital affair.  Cain naturally denied the allegations.  But when five women accuse you of some type of inappropriate sexual behavior it is time to reassess your candidacy.  Cain said he was going to reassess.  Then he said he wasn’t.  When pressed to clarify he responded with: “9-9-9, we're fine.”   Bizarre!

Meanwhile the Newtster continues to take aim at his own foot.  Denying allegations that he acted as a lobbyist for Freddie and Fannie; Newt said that the proof that he never, ever acted as a lobbyist  lies in the simple fact that he didn’t need the money.  He says he was charging $60,000 for a speech and the “number of speeches we were selling was on the rise.”  Nothing endears a candidate with the voters like bragging that you make more money for a 30 minute speech than the average elementary school teacher makes in a year.

Rick Perry (remember him?) while addressing a youth group urged all those “who reach the age of 21 by the November 12^th election day to get out and vote.”  Apparently Governor Perry does not realize that the voting age in this country has been 18 years of age since 1971…or that the 2012 election will be held on November 6.  Maybe it’s different in Texas!

While Democrats are no doubt giddy watching the Republican circus spin out of control, there is cause for concern.

The Gallup Daily Tracking Poll released today shows the President’s approval rating at a historic low of 43%.  That is the lowest rating recorded for a President during this time in his first term in modern history; dropping the President below the previous low marks given to Jimmy Carter in 1979.  Obama’s approval rating among independent voters is even worse; an alarming 30%.

 In 1979 the country was on very unsure footing economically.  The Middle East was in turmoil and the US Embassy in Iran had been seized.  The race for the Republican nomination was a muddled mess with a B grade actor named Reagan in the thick of things.  Jimmy Carter held the White House.  But the electorate saw Carter as a technocratic President who thought he was the smartest guy in the room.  They saw him as being too aloof, too isolated and too self absorbed to master the little things necessary to get things done in Washington.  Carter’s historically low approval ratings soon proved to be prophetic.

It’s beginning to feel an awful lot like 1979.

        

Jon Huntsman...The Invisible Man

What is the deal with Republicans and Jon Huntsman?  Why is the guy who is by far the most qualified of all the Republican hopefuls polling at 8% of the vote?  Why is Jon Huntsman seemingly invisible to the Republican electorate?

Let’s examine his record and his position on the issues.

Huntsman is the former governor of Utah…so he knows how to run a big political organization and work within budgetary constraints.  During his term as governor Utah ranked #1 in job creation.

Huntsman is the former ambassador to China…our largest economic competitor.  His knowledge of the Chinese culture and his foreign policy bona fides are vastly superior to all the other candidates.

He is strong on the NRA and a strong advocate of pro-life.

His economic plan is the most comprehensive proposal proffered by any of the candidates and is endorsed by the Wall street Journal.  Yesterday Huntsman provided one of the most salient moments in the campaign when he spoke about his plans to end too big to fail. His plan includes a cap on the size banks would be allowed to grow as well as caps on the amount they would be allowed to leverage.  He would shut down Fannie and Freddie and he would repeal Dodd-Frank.  He is the only candidate who has shown the courage to address this issue.

And last but not least…Huntsman believes that capitalism means that the function of government is to create an environment that encourages business development but allows those that are unable to compete to fail.

He is educated, well spoken, and photogenic; and as far as we know maintains a skeleton free closet.

In short, Jon huntsman is the only true conservative running for the Republican nomination; and he is the only candidate qualified to hold the office of President of the United States.

It’s too bad the Republican Party cannot see this.  While they continue to parade one flawed candidate after another before the blinding lights of public scrutiny; the only candidate currently running who has a chance to beat Obama remains invisible.       

Needed: 1.) Brokered Convention

Newt Gingrich garnered a huge feather in his cap Sunday when the New Hampshire Union Leader announced that it was supporting Gingrich for the Republican nomination.  The Union Leader is the state’s largest and most influential newspaper; and its endorsement carries substantial weight on both the local and national stage.

As a long time proponent of conservative values one would assume that the Union Leader is endorsing Newt as a champion of their cause.  Therefore it is curious how they are able to square their conservative values with Newt’s not so conservative past. 

Perhaps they didn’t realize that Newt supported the $7 trillion dollar Medicare Prescription Drug Plan; one of the largest social welfare programs in our nation’s history.  Perhaps they didn’t realize that Newt supported Ted Kennedy’s immigration policy for amnesty for illegal immigrants.  Maybe they didn’t know that Newt supported ethanol subsidies or the individual mandate.  Or maybe they just forgot they he called Paul Ryan’s deficit reduction plan “right wing social engineering.”

 Maybe they just didn’t realize that Newt flip flops more than Willard Mitt Romney.

The fact is this endorsement isn’t about Newt…it’s about Romney.  The traditional conservatives hate Mitt so much so that even Newt looks good to them.   Even the endorsement itself is telling; calling Newt: “the best candidate who is running.”

The Republican nominating process is a mess.  Romney is the leader but 75% of conservatives do not like nor trust him.  Gingrich is a shill.  And the only true conservative of substance is Huntsman…who can’t stop acting like a diplomat long enough to actually campaign like he wants the job.

So here is a little tip for the Republican Party.

If Republicans really want to beat Obama their only true path to victory is through a brokered convention.  It would be ugly and messy and lot of political blood would be spilled.  But only through a brokered convention could a candidate like Jeb Bush, Paul Ryan, Mitch Daniels or Chris Christie emerge.  Any of these four would give Obama a run. 

Otherwise it’s all about Mitt…and Democrats would like nothing better.   

Paving The Way For A Third Party Candidate

It is looking more and more likely that the Super Committee is a super dud.  The committee,  established as a last ditch effort  to reach  a compromise on cutting the deficit, shows no sign of progress as the November 23^rd deadline looms ever closer.

 For the past six months they have worked toward the goal of cutting the $15 trillion dollar deficit by a paltry $1.2 trillion dollars. The committee itself was stacked by both parties with partisan representatives, specifically chosen because they would never waiver from their ideology. The idea that the committee would be able to set ideology aside in order to craft a meaningful solution was never in the cards.  “What’s next?” is a question no one in Washington can answer.

There is growing evidence that the American people are fed up with the ideological disease that has infected Washington.  The Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street movements are the most visible examples of this unrest.  One hates government…the other hates big business.  Both are dissatisfied with the lack of leadership emanating from the Hill.  Both want change.

The Congressional approval rate stands at 9%.  How bad is that?  11% of the population would like to see the country go Communist.  40% of the population approves of the IRS.  BP had a 16% approval rating during the gulf oil spill.   

So what if anything does this mean?  It means that the country is becoming more open to a third political party.  The groundwork is being laid for someone who speaks in complete pragmatic sentences instead of ideological sound bites; someone willing to buck the traditional cronyism that pervades Washington.  It won’t happen during this election cycle.  But if the current gridlock continues it would not surprise us to see third party candidates emerge in 2016.       

As Republicans and Democrats alike continue to put party and politics over pragmatism and common sense they open the door for an alternative.  We believe that this time it could really happen.          

Newt Soars Then Stumbles

On Monday we referred to Newt Gingrich as the latest flavor of the month in the “Anybody but Romney” campaign for the Republican nomination.

We may have spoken bit too soon.  Newt’s lead may not last the week.

Caught in another lie, Newt struggled to explain his relationship with Freddie Mac; an institution that you won’t find listed on any conservative “A” list.

It seems Newt did some work with Freddie Mac in 2006 for which he says he was paid $300,000.  During the CNBC debate Newt said that he “offered them advice on precisely what they didn’t do” and warned them that their lending practices were “insane.”  He said that he advised the troubled firm as a “historian” and that he did not act as a lobbyist.

Bloomberg reports that former Freddie Mac executives familiar with Newt’s work in 2006 seem to disagree.  They say that Newt was paid between $1.6 and $1.8 million to “build bridges to Capitol Hill Republicans and develop an arrangement on behalf of the company’s public-private structure that would resonate with conservatives seeking to dismantle it”.  Apparently this does not constitute “lobbying” in the World of Newt.

But then Newt is a very unique, complex and cerebral individual; and it is difficult for us mere mortals to comprehend the depth of his knowledge or the intricate inner workings of his activities.  As he told CNN: “Because I am much like Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, I am such an unconventional political figure that you really need to design a unique campaign that fits the way I operate and what I’m trying to do.”

Newt’s unique campaign, masquerading as a book tour, has taken him to the top of the polls.  But Newt had best tread lightly.  In this Republican campaign, maintaining flavor of the month status is tenuous at best.  Whether you are a “historian” or a “lobbyist” aiding and abetting the enemy for a cool $1.6 million will get you knocked off your perch.