Rick Santorum

The Conservative Political Action Conference 2013 Roster Of Speakers

The Conservative Political Action Conference will be held in mid March in Maryland near Washington, DC, a city that most conservatives hate, because it represents “Big” government.

Among the “distinguished” speakers at CPAC will be the following Republican “luminaries”:

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
Former Florida Congressman Allen West
National Rifle Association Vice President Wayne La Pierre
Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan
House Majority Leader, Congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia
Florida Senator Marco Rubio
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker

And the person who will close the conference is newly minted Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

Realize that this incomplete list above includes a multitude of potential Presidential candidates, including all but Palin, West, La Pierre, and Cantor. And even Palin and West are delusional enough, that who can say they will not be announced candidates for President?

It should be an entertaining conference!

Age Vs Youth: Will The Republicans And Democrats Be Switching On Their Presidential Nominees In 2016?

When one analyzes the two major political parties in the past forty years, it has been a general reality that the Republican Party has run Presidential candidates who tend to be much older than the Democratic Party nominees for President.

Witness Richard Nixon, nine years older than George McGovern in 1972; Gerald Ford eleven years older than Jimmy Carter in 1976; Ronald Reagan thirteen years older than Jimmy Carter in 1980; Reagan seventeen years older than Walter Mondale in 1984; George H. W. Bush eight years older than Michael Dukakis in 1988; Bush twenty two years older than Bill Clinton in 1992; Bob Dole twenty three years older than Clinton in 1996; John McCain twenty five years older than Barack Obama in 2008; and Mitt Romney fourteen years older than Obama in 2012. Only in 2000 and 2004 did we see George W. Bush older than Al Gore by only two years and in 2004 actually younger than John Kerry by three years.

This phenomenon is maybe just a coincidence, but it has often been said that the Democrats go for youth and the Republicans for experience in their Presidential nominees.

Well, if that is the case, it is about to be switched dramatically in 2016 if one assumes that either Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden are the likely front runners for the Democratic Presidential nomination, as Hillary will be 69 in 2016, and Joe will be 74 in 2016. Clinton would be the second oldest first time nominee, behind Ronald Reagan, and Biden would be the oldest first time nominee.

The Republicans are certain to nominate a candidate decades younger, such as Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, Nikki Haley, Bobby Jindal, or Ted Cruz, all born in the early 1970s, being therefore mid 40s in 2016. If you consider Chris Christie, Scott Walker, or John Thune, they were born in the 1960s, so would be in the mid 50s. Jeb Bush, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann all were born in the 1950s, so would be in their late 50s or in the 60s. There is no candidate born in the 1940s seriously mentioned, unless one expects Newt Gingrich to try again for the Presidency, being just a year younger than Joe Biden and four years older than Hillary Clinton.

The Democrats have alternative possible candidates in Martin O’Malley and Amy Klobuchar born in the early 1960s, so either would be mid 50s in 2016, but Andrew Cuomo and Mark Warner, born in the mid 1950s would be nearing or at the age of 60 when running in 2016, and Elizabeth Warren, born in 1949, would be 67 in 2016, only about two years younger than Hillary Clinton.

So we are seeing a likely switch from an older to younger Republican nominee, and a younger to an older Democratic nominee, and the difference in years could be massive, as it was in the past forty years in most Presidential elections.

A final thought: In the nine elections between 1972 and 2012 when the GOP nominee was always older than the Democratic nominee, the Republicans won the election four times, and the Democrats five times, so basically, trying to determine whether age or youth are an advantage is clearly a pure guessing game!

Gay Marriage And Republicans: The Rapid Deterioration Of Opposition

Every day, someone prominent in the Republican Party and the conservative movement is making clear that it is time for Republicans to stop resisting gay marriage, to accept it, and move on, as it is a losing battle.

So just in the past few days, we have seen loony talk show host Glenn Beck, Dick Cheney and Bush adviser Mary Matalin, and conservative intellectual George Will speak up on the issue, and this comes after many others are speaking out and advocating acceptance.

Of course, there are still many opponents, particularly the evangelical Christian right wing wing nuts, and they are furious as to the complete collapse of their hateful rhetoric, but that is one of the best aspects of what is happening. And certainly, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum will not stop his bitter opposition, but he is fast becoming superfluous, and will not be a serious candidate for President in 2016.

So there is real good cheer among gay marriage advocates, and the decision of the Supreme Court to accept two cases on the subject for final decision by next June portends a decision favorable to gay marriage, which will prevent states and religious groups from stopping the inevitable result, that gays and lesbians will be able to marry and have the financial benefits and commitments of marriage!

Forget It: Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, Bob McDonnell, Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Scott Walker, Rick Perry, Ted Cruz, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee! The White House Is NOT Your Future!

Many Republican officeholders are hinting that they may seek the Presidency, but for a whole bunch of them, the best advice is to simply FORGET IT! There is no chance in the world that any of the following will be the next President of the United States:

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey
Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin
Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia
Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana
Former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania
Governor John Kasich of Ohio
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky
Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin
Governor Rick Perry of Texas
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee

In reality, any Republican nominee will have a great deal of trouble being elected President in 2016.

However, the following have some chance to be the nominee and to compete for the Presidency:

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida
Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman
Senator John Thune of South Dakota

Good luck, Gentleman, but the Democrats have a tremendous demographic edge for the long term future in the Presidency!

Marco Rubio Revives His Future, Admitting Earth Is 4.5 Billion Years Old

Florida Senator Marco Rubio has successfully revived his political career by correcting himself on his ridiculous comment last week about the age of the earth.

Rubio, trying not to antagonize the Christian Evangelical Right, which often contends the earth is 6000-9000 years old, stated that he was not a scientist, and did not know the age of the earth.

Yesterday, in an interview, he admitted that he accepted the earth as being 4.5 billion years old, while stating that theology experts disagree on the matter, but that he acknowledges the age of the earthy as being accurate.

This was a rapid recovery from what had made people look at Rubio as a moron, and his political skills have shown themselves to be brilliant, as everyone is entitled to a mistake, as long as a person does not double down on such moronic viewpoints, so Marco Rubio has a future, as long as he can control his tongue in the future, and avoid future flubs and gaffes that make him look like Rick Santorum, former Pennsylvania Senator, who makes himself look dumber and more idiotic every time he opens up his mouth, and yet thinks of himself as a serious Presidential candidate in 2016, because he was the “runner up” to Mitt Romney in the primary battles of 2012!

UN Disabled Treaty Rejected By US Senate: The Shame Of The Senate!

A United Nations Disabled Treaty, to promote human rights and security for the disabled world wide, negotiated and agreed to by the George W. Bush Administration; reaffirmed by the Barack Obama Administration; backed by disabled Republican Senators and Presidential nominees John McCain and Bob Dole and many other reasonable Republicans in and out of government—sadly was defeated today in the US Senate by a vote of 61 in favor, 38 against, with a two thirds vote (or 66 out of 99 votes) required.

This is to the shame of the Senate, as only eight Republicans joined all of the Democrats and two Independents, to support the treaty.

Blame for the defeat goes heavily to wingnut former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, the so called “runner up” to Mitt Romney in the 2012 Presidential nomination battle, who organized opposition from outside, but had willing participants from sitting Senators of his party, who did not care to insult McCain and Dole and all disabled citizens.

The crazy argument of Santorum and others was that the treaty would take away power from parents over home schooling and medical care, when nothing could be further from the truth!

If this lunatic and wingnut is allowed to be the Presidential nominee of his party in 2016 by so called “inheritance”, it will be the final demise of the Republican Party as we knew it, and a new party will arise in its ashes!

Meanwhile, the human rights of the disabled have been harmed by the short sightedness and religious extremism of a determined minority which does not promote the true beliefs or teachings of Jesus Christ, but instead distort them, and promote hate and division!

Jon Huntsman: Still A RARE Sane Voice In The Republican Party, And A “Might Have Been” President In 2013!

Former Utah Governor and Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, seen rightfully by the Obama campaign as a real potential threat to a second term, is still, in the aftermath of the Republican defeat, coming across as a rare sane voice in the Republican Party!

Huntsman accepts that taxes must go up on the wealthy: that we need immigration reform: that science must win out over religion regarding global warming and climate change; that neoconservatives wishing to invade everywhere must be ignored; and that gay rights and other social issues should not be the center of party debate.

This is all very reasonable and rational, and if the GOP is to have a future, they must turn to intelligent, knowledgeable leaders such as Jon Huntsman.

But don’t bet on it, as more likely, it will be KNOW NOTHINGS such as Rick Santorum; ideologues such as Paul Ryan; loony libertarians such as Rand Paul; or other right wing extremists, who will most likely continue to dominate the party leadership, to their detriment!

Bobby Jindal Tells Republicans To Stop Being “Stupid” Party! But Is That Possible?

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has declared that the Republican Party has to stop acting “stupid”, and must stop backing no increase in taxes on the wealthy, and insulting the intelligence of voters by crazy statements and viewpoints.

This all sounds very good in theory, but is what Jindal suggests really possible?

The answer is NO, as the following evidence demonstrates:

1, The Republican Party insulted their own history by having loony, nutty, whacky candidates in the race for the Presidency, including Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, and Rick Santorum. And Santorum made it clear that the Republican Party would never get the backing of intelligent, educated, smart people, which is absolutely the case right now

2. The Republicans settled on Mitt Romney, who looked reasonable in 2011, but in order to win the nomination of his party, totally transformed himself into a mean, nasty, hard hearted candidate who was willing to lie, to deceive, to change his views daily, deny his whole political heritage, and came across ultimately as totally insincere and untrustworthy. Many people found Mitt Romney obnoxious, feeling privileged and entitled, extremely phony to the core, and just wanting the campaign to end so that they no longer had to see his face and hear his voice!

3. Mitt Romney proceeded to pick an absolutely horrible Vice Presidential running mate, Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, who came across as totally ideological, and alienated senior citizens and others with his call for privatizing Medicare and Social Security, and his extreme right wing agenda to cut the budget ruthlessly, without ever raising any taxes on the wealthy, who have had a ten year break from reasonable taxation, because of the Bush tax cuts. Ryan helped Romney to lose the “battleground” states, and his appointment showed poor judgment by Romney.

4. The Republican Party declared “war” on women, Hispanics and Latinos, young people wanting to get an education, senior citizens concerned about Social Security and Medicare, the disabled concerned about Medicaid, those who cared about the environment and consumer rights, those who support labor rights, African Americans who saw racism in the GOP message, and many others who were totally turned off to the party message.

5. The conservative media are like poison to the Republican Party, as are the social conservatives who want to interfere with people’s private lives based on promoting theocracy in America, and the Grover Norquist promotion of never, under any circumstances, raising taxes—all of this makes the Republican Party totally toxic to most voters. And of course, the decision to repudiate science in favor of religion shows how backward the party has become.

6. To believe that the Republican Party will change under these circumstances is to be naive, and any change would seem to be phony and just looking for votes, not a sincere reform or conversion.

“Smart People”: Economists And Scientists, Overwhelmingly, Support Obama! Should We Ignore Them At Our Detriment?

An overwhelming number of economists and scientists have made public declarations, as groups and individuals, endorsing Barack Obama for a second term, as the better path to the future in both areas of their concern.

Should we ignore their advice, because after all, as former Senator Rick Santorum said, “smart, educated” people will never support the Republicans, a statement that says a lot about both Santorum and his right wing party, way out of the mainstream?

Should we be resentful because many of these economists and scientists have gone to the “best” universities, and have the highest degrees in their fields, and most Americans do not have these advantages?

Or should we be resentful, instead, that many Americans instead look up to those who cheat in sports, cheat in business, cheat in human relations, and are only concerned about the almighty dollar over human needs and the facts about economics and science, and allow religion and worship of business to overtake their sense of morality and ethics?

The author is not a graduate of a “prestigious” university, and is not an honored figure, as these economists and scientists are, but he is also not resentful of their brilliance and intelligence, and respects their judgment much more than someone promoting religious hypocrisy and dog-eat-dog business tactics as the goal to teach our children, and feels that these elements should not be promoted for the future of American democracy!

The Parallel Universe Of Republicans And Conservatives On America’s Presidents Since Theodore Roosevelt

The modern Republican Party and the conservative movement are working in tandem to distort American history, particularly regarding our Presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to Barack Obama, and in the process, are promoting the Big Lie technique, that if you repeat a falsehood enough times, people who are gullible and poorly informed and educated, will come to believe it!

So let’s survey the thoughts of these “mind control” advocates on our Presidents in the past century. Realize that what is said below is myth and propaganda, not to be believed and accepted as factual, which it MOST certainly is NOT!

Theodore Roosevelt was a so called Republican, but he created a monster, the beginning of a powerful, assertive Presidency. He interfered in labor negotiations in the coal industry; started interference in business through lawsuits and federal regulatory laws; and started the modern environmental movement, and in so doing created the nightmare of land being taken away from economic development and private ownership. He also utilized the word “progressive”, the beginning of modern socialism and communism in America! (Really whacko viewpoint of TR)!

William Howard Taft, often called a conservative, was no such thing, as he advocated the direct election of US Senators (17th Amendment), the hated “progressive” federal income tax (16th Amendment), and promoted anti trust laws suits on a greater scale than TR, and also more effective regulation of the railroads! (Not conservative enough for today’s Republicans)!

Woodrow Wilson was a further expander of progressivism, with the hated Federal Reserve Banking system, the Clayton Anti Trust Act, and the Federal Trade Commission; along with labor regulation on the national level for the first time. He also created “Big Government” bureaucracies during the First World War! (An overly one sided view of Wilson)!

Warren G. Harding has been criticized unfairly, as he was the President who worked to limit federal government, and has, therefore, been mistreated by historians, to be the worst President of the century, an unfair assessment. (Of course, in reality, totally false)!

Calvin Coolidge was the “best” President of the century, as he worked to continue Harding’s lessening of Presidential power, and prosperity reached its peak under him, and he has been unfairly blamed for the Great Depression, which began months after he left the White House. (Also totally false in reality)!

Herbert Hoover abandoned conservatism, raised taxes, moved toward deficit spending, and was the forerunner of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. His policies made things worse for Americans, and ushered in similar policies by FDR! (A distortion of the truth, in reality)!

Franklin D. Roosevelt was a Socialist, a Marxist, a Communist, a Fascist, and a Nazi all at the same time, creating an all powerful Presidency , making the Great Depression much worse and longer, creating programs and policies called the New Deal, which were the undermining of America, and remains part of our existence today, but which conservatives and Republicans are determined to eliminate in the future! He also promoted the expansion of the Soviet Union by his corrupt deals in World War II! (A great distortion of the truth by conservative haters)!

Harry Truman continued and expanded the New Deal with his Fair Deal, and refused to fight Communism adequately in the Korean War! He also interfered with states rights by his decision to promote civil rights in the military and in Washington, DC, and also promoted labor rights against the attempt of Republicans to undermine labor unions. (A distortion of the truth again)!

Dwight D. Eisenhower became part of the great Progressive “conspiracy” by accepting the New Deal, expanding federal government intervention, and having the “nerve” to intervene in the civil rights crusade on the side of “extremists”, and undermining the South and its tradition, still held a century after the Civil War, in states rights! ( A view not taken seriously by any reputable expert on Ike)!

John F. Kennedy worked to expand the welfare state set up by FDR, Truman and Eisenhower, and further intervened in the South on the civil rights issue, using the National Guard as Eisenhower had done. Kennedy refused to confront the Soviet Union adequately, instead negotiating an agreement with the enemy, rather than start a nuclear war! (Part of the great distortion of JFK by conservative critics)!

Lyndon B. Johnson further expanded the New Deal with his Great Society, making Socialism, Marxism, Communism, and Fascism advance further, and taking away freedom by civil rights legislation, the war on poverty, and the “terrible” Medicare and Medicaid programs, two more welfare programs, similar to FDR’s Social Security. He also failed to win the war in Vietnam, caving in to the Communist enemy! (Part of the bitter attack on LBJ by the far Right)!

Richard Nixon made deals with the hated Soviet Union and People’s Republic of China, and failed to win the war in Vietnam, which could have been won. He also became a traitor by promoting “progressive” programs such as Affirmative Action, the Environmental Protection Agency, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Occupational Safety and Healthy Administration, and the greatest advocate for the environment among American Presidents since Teddy Roosevelt! (Forget his real faults with Watergate, as these are more important, according to conservative critics)!

Gerald Ford was too moderate and accommodating, and his wife Betty Ford, was a radical feminist as First Lady! Ford stopped the advancement of conservatism by defeating Ronald Reagan for the Presidential nomination in 1976, and had Nelson Rockefeller, the hated “liberal” as his Vice President!(Oh, and Ford was too centrist, and for social moderation)!

Jimmy Carter was a terrible President with no redeeming values,and is “rightfully”attacked on a regular basis by Republicans and conservatives. He undermined the nation’s foreign and domestic policies! He had no worthwhile accomplishments at all! (A total distortion of reality!)

Ronald Reagan was a “great” President, with no shortcomings or faults, and we need a President of his insights and courage in the future. Those who claim Reagan was other than perfect are to be ignored! (A total interference with reality and truth!)

George H. W. Bush was a moderate who compromised with Democrats, raised taxes which undermined the country, and failed to overcome Iraq’s leader in the Persian Gulf War, because he worked with the United Nations on the war effort! (An unfair assessment, trivializing him)!

Bill Clinton had many faults and shortcomings, but despite his being impeached, and the vicious attacks on him, now is the time to talk about how much better he was than Barack Obama, because he made some deals with Republicans, after first resisting them in the battle over shutting down the government in 1995. (An amazing rewriting of history, unbelievable)!

George W. Bush cannot be blamed for September 11 and the War on Terror, but he was too willing to bust the budget, and his spending was too much out of control. (An attempt to write Bush out of blame for much of what America has to deal with today)!

But, of course, the fact that we are in an economy which is the worst since the Great Depression is not due to Bush or Republicans or conservative philosophy, but because we have in office now a black guy named Barack Obama, who was actually born in Kenya, and is a Socialist, Communist, Marxist, Fascist and Nazi, and is the greatest threat to American freedom since—well—-TR, Wilson, FDR, Truman, JFK, LBJ, Carter and to some extent, Clinton—-and all those Republicans Presidents who actually were “progressives” in some way—Taft, Hoover, Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, and both Bushes!

If only we could eliminate all these Presidents except Harding Coolidge, and Reagan–this nation would be in fantastic shape! Right?

This is the deluded, nutty beliefs of many Republicans and conservatives–a great conspiracy by both Democratic and Republican Presidents against freedom and liberty and the best interests of the American people!

This is the “Know Nothingism”, the ignorance, the stupidity that intelligent people must fight against!

As Rick Santorum, the former Republican Senator from Pennsylvania, and Presidential candidate, said recently—the smart, the intelligent people will not support the Republican Party–and FOR GOOD REASON!