Quote of the Day
God could not be everywhere,
so he created mothers.
Jewish proverb
Political Potpourri
I had written yesterday's banner headline about Romney's debate victory last night within 15 minutes; at one point I thought I would publish the commentary as a one-off.
It was the first time I've been on FNC in weeks; I initially didn't recognize Megyn Kelly (hair style?) anchoring the coverage (instead of Wallace, Baeir or Hume? Thumbs DOWN!) It turned out CSPAN wasn't covering it. I wasn't checking social media or forums to check if others concurred (not saying they would otherwise agree with my analysis) but when I heard FNC personalities quote leftist comedian Bill Maher suggesting Obama was having an off night, I knew others saw the same thing. I stayed tuned for Hannity whom had a Frank Luntz focus group in key swing state Colorado. An overwhelming number of the focus group, including former Obama voters, felt Romney won convincingly and the performance was enough to switch their vote leaning. Luntz said this sort of shift was unprecedented.
CNN said 2 out of 3 mostly non-GOP viewers polled thought Romney won the debate the strongest showing of any candidate since they started tracking in 1984. Investment newsletter writer/Austrian School Economist Mark Skousen cites polls putting a 46-22 Romney edge. I've seen all sorts of emails go by today. I'll return to Skousen's contention that Big Government really won in a moment, but I've also heard that the Obama campaign is shaking up its debate preparation, but given Obama lost the debate on job #1 the economy, it's too little, too late. In one fell sloop, Romney eviscerated the negative campaign: Romney came across as Presidential, knowledgeable about the economy and policy, he stressed the fact as Massachusetts governor he had to work with an 87% Dem legislature, he's not a dupe for the upper 1% (same share of burden) and he's not a radical deregulator. So he was trying to reassure voters he's not this image the Obama campaign has been portraying him to be. Skousen fails to get this practical point--Romney, just like any businessman, tries to understand the customer, in this context the voter. It's bad enough Dems are trying to buy elections with unsustainable government freebies out of the pockets of others. In a tough economy, Draconian cuts will exacerbate economic uncertainty, and lobbyists and special-interest groups will come out of the woodwork. Romney has indicated he doesn't want to get tied down too much because even if the GOP wins control of Congress: the Dems will have the filibuster. Romney correctly noted his guiding principles in deficit reduction--that there will be resistance to change is a given.
Yes, Skousen., if I had been Romney, I would have beaten The (Spendthrift) One Barack "Just Call me Ponzi--get my red leather jacket" Obama silly with the facts that Dems' crown jewels of senior entitlements are over $44T unfunded. Yes, I know that Social Security has been running in the red earlier than expected for 2 years running, in part due to the payroll tax cut. (I will point out Romney talked about Reagan and O'Neill compromising on social security and other things.) The fact that Obama is blatantly lying to the American people about social security, over $20T unfunded, being only in need of minor tweaks, should not be surprising: Dems have been putting up the same crap talking point since at least 2005 when the Dems sabotaged Bush's attempted reform.
I also got annoyed with Romney talking about Big Bird. I think he used it as a teaching device: most people know about limited public financing of TV broadcasting. of course, government should not be funding PBS: it's morally indefensible. But in the context of a $1.3T Obama deficit, this kind of savings is barely a sprig of parsley on the plate. What I would say to Skousen is to pay attention to what Romney does, not what he says; he knows re engineering the government is easier said than done.
Paul Ryan will easily trounce Biden next week. The next Romney-Obama debate is a town hall format that both candidates are used to.
US Healthcare vs World: Abused Statistics, Apples/Oranges
He's Got the Smirk
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
Alan Parsons Project, " (The System Of) Dr. Tarr And Professor Fether". it was rare for me back then to buy an album not a greatest hits LP. I did just to get this single, IMHO one of the best of the 70's; the rest of the album is worthy, too; I thought the works of Poe made for a great concept album. Who doesn't want to channel his inner rock star and belt out that final chorus?
