Florida: What A Revoltin' Development This Is
I really thought (hoped) the pollsters had blown it again and that Romney would not just edge out McCain but notch a solid win. It wasn't that I was anxious for a Romney victory (I'd prefer Giuliani), but I didn't want McCain.
I've always felt that McCain is rather unique among candidates in that he's perhaps the only one ever who can win the election but cannot get the nomination.
Now I'm less sure about the nomination part, and I don't like it. I'd certainly want a McCain Presidency rather than a Democrat scumbag or lightweight and possibly closet scumbag, but McCain is dangerously close to that label himself, although his would be for political rather than for both political and criminal reasons as is the case with the Clintons.
I'm also quite amused in that I know conservatives who will be driven insane by a McCain candidacy which almost makes it worth it.
But not quite.
The problem is that Romney doesn't really impress. He merely seems to be an adequate alternative to a real conservative. Coincidentally, that's the same reason, I think, that McCain gets the support he does. With him people feel they have a known entity, much of which they don't like, while with Romney, it's an unknown entity despite and because of his record of governing, and people are concerned that what they may get may be worse than the the Senator from Arizona.
Blame Bush for that. He certainly didn't turn out to be a pleasant surprise, despite the fact that 68% of Republicans still approve of the job he's done. And that's another reason for the unexpectedly strong support for McCain - with him, there's no discernible difference from the current President, at least not so you'd notice.
Now I don't think McCain has the nomination locked up by any means, since the Super Tuesday states won't have the oldsters and the Cubans who supported McCain in Florida, but the fact is, Romney has not been able to light anyone's fire.
And I don't think he will, which doesn't bode well for November should Romney succeed in stalling McCain's momentum and capturing the nomination. He speaks fluidly, but not with conviction. He seems rote, he seems as well rehearsed as he does well groomed - like a funeral director.
Giuliani is now expected to endorse McCain, further complicating Romney's prospects, and possibly giving Rudy the VP slot opposite Mr. Straight-Talk. All in all, that seems like a potentially winning ticket, even if the one I'd like would be the reverse. By contrast, no one has emerged as a an exciting running mate for Romney
So it's starting to look as if no matter who wins in November, the big winners will be Mexicans.
The big losers will, once again, be conservatives who haven't won in almost a quarter of a century. Of course conservatives are only getting what they deserve. And it could be worse... we could be libertarians.
Look for Hannity, Coulter, et al to kick it up a notch.
Comments
Conservatism was buried with Ronald Reagan. The Bush aristocracy, Bush 41 distanced himself from Reagan immediately when he took office. The 91 budget deal, which increased the marginal tax rates, lower rates which was part of the 86 tax bill - when we lost most deductions. Now we have higher tax rates with out the deductions we once had. If only we could get rid of the income tax and replace it with a sales tax. The Republican Party has lost its soul.
I wish I could give that comment a double good just for the pun. And it IS interesting that the masses aren't following the script. It could be that conservative commentators aren't as persuasive as they used to be, but I think it's more likely that the masses are just ill-informed.
You won't believe this, but as I was writing this reply, I was watching a tape of Millionaire, and as I put the cursor on "post," this question came up:
Which one of these is a Republican
A) Joe Biden
B) Mitt Romney
C) Dennis Kucinich
D) Bill Richardson.
The first words out of the contestant's mouth were, "Um, I think I know this, but I'd like to ask the audience."
Zak,
Completely agree with your assessment, and would like the consumption tax myself, but there are complications with it that make it all but impossible, such as the fact that older people will end up paying taxes twice in that they already paid in income tax, and now they'll pay the consumption tax. It's not insurmountable, but it's certainly not as straight-forward as it seems.
No, the income tax is the modern equivalent of slavery, it's an affront to human dignity and an abomination. The consumption tax is as fair as a tax can be in that no one goes to jail or has his property confiscated for not paying. I have been demanding a consumption tax for two decades...
until recently...
And for several reasons...
The first is the one you mentioned. The rebate idea is a crime waiting to happen. It's a way government can still control you, and it begs to be exploited by cheats of all colors.
The second is that a tax of the size these idiots are talking about is, itself, an abomination. The idea is to cut government, not continue to fund and expand the waste. And with state and local tax approaching thirty percent, the black market would be huge.
But the worst is how it double taxes people, and the older you are, the worse it is. They would need to give tax discounts according to age and possibly other factors for it to be fair, and that would be an absolute mess and likely an unfair distribution itself.
So while I was once willing to pay more taxes to be free of the tyranny, I am no longer willing to do so. My most complicated and time consuming tax returns are behind me, and I'm no longer willing to pay more than I do in income tax, and when the boomers understood what a conversion would do to them, I think it's a non-starter.
"I'd certainly want a McCain Presidency rather than a Democrat scumbag or lightweight and possibly closet scumbag"
~ if only he wasn't for the illegals.....Ok, McCain does have other issues as well, but please NO Hillary!