Michelle Bachmann, a current darling of the right who recently announced that she's running for President, has come up with a way to help reduce the deficit: tax the poor. She cites the oft-quoted stat that about half of people with incomes do not pay Federal income taxes, and that they should indeed shoulder some of the burden. Article is here: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/07/21/bachmann-everybody-should-pay-taxes/
I keep hoping for a good candidate to challenge President Obama, but Congresswoman Bachmann reminds me of Clint Eastwood's sneering line to a Marine platoon in Heartbreak Ridge, where Gunnery Sergeant Highway rasps, "The Marines are looking for a few good men. You guys ain't it." Her remarks re the poor paying more taxes remind me of a stunt Rush Limbaugh perpetrated in the 90s when he was worth listening to.
Limbaugh suggested that the way to solve our budget problems was to tax the poor. He went on for a while about this, scorning and scolding the poor, and insisting that the poor should pay more taxes. It was a fiery and masterful presentation. His switchboard lit up as the Perennially Indignant called in to savage Limbaugh's gleeful screener.
Fiery and masterful it was, but it was also April 01. April Fools! He changed course. "You people are so ready to let someone push your hot button!" he scolded. "THE POOR HAVE NO MONEY!"
I am sad to note that what was a gag pulled by a then-talented radio personality is now a campaign plank for a rising Republican star. Alas, Rush is now a jaded (and unlistened-to in this quarter) and falling ratings star, but Bachmann is a rising Republican star. So, we have a community organizer in the White House who believes we can borrow and unionize our way to prosperity as the Left's contribution to the body politic, and a rising star on the Right who wants to tax folks who have no money. Out of 310MM Americans is this the best we can do?
I changed my registration to Unaffiliated in January. It's real easy to do. You don't have to leave your computer. Finding real leaders is a bit more difficult. Diogenes, where are you when we need you?
For the record, I quit listening to Limbaugh about 15 years ago. My skull did not revert to mush.
The problem isn't that there are no relatively sane Republicans who are potential presidential candidates. I can list quite a few off the top of my head:
ReplyDeleteChristie Todd Whitman, George Pataki, William Weld, Jon Huntsman Jr., Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Scott Brown, Lincoln Chafee, Jim Jeffords, Colin Powell, maybe even Condoleeza Rice.
The problem is that they are looking at three important indicators in the national polls:
1. President Obama's approval rating, still hovering in the mid-to-high 40s despite the horrible mess our economy is in.
2. Congress's approval rating, which is near an all time low, below 20%. Even in the worst days of the health care debate, that rating hovered near 30%, so the current rating is seen as a measure of the new "tea party" Congress, thus a strong negative for Republicans.
3. The fact that nationwide, the number one self identified political party is no party at all, i.e. INDEPENDENTS.
These and other factors, including the fact that the 2012 Obama campaign has been in high gear for weeks now while the GOP has no clear leader, almost ensure an Obama victory in 2012.
Therefore the "sane" group are not about to commit political suicide. Most of them are young enough that they can afford to bide their time until 2016. Even then, they will have to find a way to reduce the noise level coming from their fruitcake fringe of evangelical christians and just plain nutcases like Bachmann and Palin.
Just in case some do not get the point, let me post a link to a recent column by David Brooks, no friend to the Obama crowd. One of my most "conservative" friends sent this to me earlier this week with the tag "I honestly have to admit that I agree with every word. We have shot ourselves in one foot and are desperately trying to steady our aim on the other one." The next few words cannot be posted on this family friendly forum.
ReplyDeleteThe column has now made it to the Journal site:
http://www2.journalnow.com/news/opinion/2011/jul/21/wsopin02-the-road-not-taken-ar-1224818/
O. T., I read the article. Brooks is dead-on.
ReplyDeleteYour 9:17 analysis is interesting. I think it may be about as likely that we end up with Dems back in control of both Houses (or swapping control), but surrendering the WH. I see this as particularly likely if things have improved only marginally 2 Novembers from now.
Your list of "sane Republicans" interests as well, though I don't know much about most of these pols. I once hoped that Condoleeza Rice would run, but she showed sanity by returning to what she loves. I also preferred Powell, a true leader, IMO, but Alma Powell wasn't keen on his running, especially as a Republican, so it has been reported.
I may have mentioned this the other day, but a pol who talks a good game is Senator Bennet from CO. Alas, he is a Dem, so not running in 2012, and I don't know his stance on issues like card check and coerced unionization, which are deal breakers for me.