Day: June 10, 2011

Rick Santorum, Social Security Privatization, And Denial Of Climate Change

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Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, in announcing his Presidential candidacy this past week, demonstrated how far right he really is, and how he is basically a lunatic fringe candidate!

In the midst of the outrage over Congressman Paul Ryan’s budget plan to privatize Medicare over ten years, Santorum reminded all of us that he had supported and promoted George W. Bush’s privatization plan for Social Security in 2005, and still believed in it now, despite the total collapse of the stock market in 2008, and at a time when the stock market again is presently in a slide.

He also declared that there is no climate change or global warming, and that it is just a plot of liberals and progressives to make national government bigger, and allow the government to intrude more in our lives.

But at the same time, Rick Santorum has shown great willingness to work against abortion rights of women, and to become the Republican candidate most opposed by gay Americans because of his total condemnation of everything gay, as he promotes “family values” which would deny any human rights to those of homosexual orientation.

Santorum was soundly defeated for re-election in 2006, and is seen as a fringe candidate, but he will add entertainment and comedy to the race, much like Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, and Newt Gingrich. Comic relief is needed in a tough economic time such as this!

Donald Trump: The Phony Presidential Candidate Opens Up On The Republican Party!

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Donald Trump was a phony presidential possibility for the Republican Party, someone that anyone who was really paying attention well realized.

But now that Trump has bowed out, he has come clean on his views on the GOP!

Now he criticizes the Paul Ryan budget plan, including Medicare privatization, something that caused grief for Newt Gingrich!

He also attacked House Majority Leader Eric Cantor for putting conditions on aid to tornado and flood victims in the South and Midwest, requiring spending cuts to offer such aid.

As horrible and outrageous as Trump is, he at least is ringing some basic truth about the GOP: It is a heartless, anti government party which wishes to govern only for the elite and the powerful, and does not give a damn about ordinary citizens, whether seniors, the young, the poor, single mothers, the disabled, or minorities!

The Contradictions And Blunders Of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor!

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House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia has really been, symbolically, shooting himself in the foot lately!

Calling for spending cuts, if there was a desire to provide relief to flood and tornado victims in the South and Midwest, made him look totally hardhearted and uncaring!

Calling upon New York Congressman Anthony Weiner to resign because of his sex scandal was hypocritical, since Cantor did not say the same thing about Senator David Vitter of Louisiana, Senator John Ensign of Nevada, Senator Larry Craig of Idaho, or Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina, among others.

His lack of consistency and compassion is a major negative, plus the image created that he is an overly ambitious man who wishes to undermine House Speaker John Boehner due to his own ambitions to take over that position!

Eric Cantor does not exactly come across in a positive way for someone who wishes to become a national leader with consistent views and principles! Instead, he gives the impression of willingness to do or say anything to advance himself!

Tim Pawlenty: Another George W. Bush On Tax Policy?

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Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has been considered a serious, if dark horse, Presidential nominee. Many people have seen him as having fewer faults, and as avoiding ridiculous or outrageous statements or actions, and therefore as having a good shot at the nomination, even though he tends to be quite boring and uninspiring!

But even if he is seen as better than Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Sarah Palin, and Michele Bachmann, and put into the short list with Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, Pawlenty this week destroyed any illusion that he could be President, by demonstrating total irresponsibility on the tax and spending issue!

Pawlenty sounds like a second George W. Bush, who cut taxes, put us into two wars not paid for in Iraq and Afghanistan, and started a Medicare Prescription plan unpaid for by tax increases. Bush doubled our national debt, and there had been a $3 trillion surplus when Bill Clinton left the Presidency!

On the tenth anniversary of the first Bush tax cuts, which made the rich richer and the poor poorer and the middle class disintegrate, Pawlenty came up with an economic plan strangely reminiscent of Bush.

He argues for further tax cuts and further spending cuts, and claimed there would be a five percent economic growth rate annually under his plan, because cuts in taxes on corporations and the wealthy would create new economic activity!

The problem is that this policy of Bush did exactly the opposite, and with lack of regulation, led to the Great Recession, which is still existing in many ways, if not officially.

So Pawlenty has learned nothing, and shown himself to be totally reckless and delusional, all to gain support of the right wing of the GOP, but not the way to win the nation, which is suffering still today from the failed Bush policies.

So, just like that, Pawlenty’s likelihood of success is lessened, and leaves rational thinkers to feel that only Mitt Romney or Jon Huntsman makes any sense, assuming the Republican Party regains its senses!

The Newt Gingrich Implosion: Unprecedented Event!

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Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has just witnessed the total implosion of his Presidential campaign!

Having already caused an uproar when he criticized Congressman Paul Ryan’s budget plan, including privatization of Medicare, and then backing off and apologizing, he then proceeded to take a two week vacation with his wife, an odd thing for a Presidential candidate to do.

And his staff became totally disillusioned, and en masse, they resigned this week, an unheard of action so early in a Presidential campaign!

So Gingrich, who was rated, anyway, as having very little opportunity to be the nominee, can now be considered someone to forget, even though he seemed unperturbed by what has happened, and claimed he will fight on to victory.

This collapse and mutiny is unprecedented, and Gingrich is delusional, much like Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum, and Michele Bachmann, as none of them can seen as serious candidates for the Presidency.

We are witnessing lots of entertainment, but no substance, from many of the GOP candidates, or potential ones. So even in the midst of bad economic times, can anyone in their sane mind, believe that the Republicans can win the Presidency?