1 Daniels is proposing the Federal Government have a strong role in people's retirement and health care. The Feds should never do any such thing. He is stuck in the past.

2 What? We've all been informed that since he's one of those snaggle-toothed inbreeders from the nation's interior, where you only live if you're stupid and worthless, there's no point even letting him speak.

Our coastal betters have spoken.

3 Ron Paul!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4 He be the sober, serious adult all he wants.  The MBM will still heap praise on the man-child offering free shit to everyone, and people will lap it up. *sigh*

5 Pawlenty's speech left the greatest impression with me, possibly because I've heard Romney in person before--he was good, too.  I guess I just answered your question.

6  In a word.....NO. Just check out the comments about him on Tepid Air. As much as we hate to admit it, the country has been weaned on MTV and vote as such. We're boned. I'm taking a course on Drinking For Dummies. Be right back...

7 2  Yes, we need those on the parentheses to tell us who to elect.

8 "...complete scraping of the current entitlement system and replacing it with something entirely different." Yes, please do so, President Daniels, replace it with nothing.

9

federal government should balance its books the same way a family does but what that means in practice is a radical departure from how business has been done for generations.

 

Just because it has been done so long, doesn't make it right. Any coin Uncle Fed pulls from the populous is a coin we cannot invest either through the market or the grocery store.

10

What does the Moron Nation think of Haley "Boss Hogg" Barbour?

 

11

"...complete scraping of the current entitlement system and replacing it with something entirely different."

A sign at every boarded up Welfare Office that reads:

" Free Soup, Tomorrow"

12 Daniels wants to fix America using better, smarter government. Ninja, please. America needs smaller, weaker government.

13 Ok, so put these words in the mouth of someone that women want to listen to. Because most women are stupid (usual disclaimers about moronettes, etc.) they won't listen to the short bald guy. More women vote than men and they rarely hear an issue that they understand. Too bad we can't take Daniel's stance, put it in Scott Brown's body, and make the resulting cyborg from a state that doesn't make southerns grab their squirrel rifle.

14 Daniels is an immense relief from Hopenchange!!  We have all seen the effect of incompetent charisma, as the last election demonstrated except in the coastal asylums.  I believe this man can do it.  Well educated, experienced in government and the private sector, and with a sense of humor.

15 More women vote than men and they rarely hear an issue that they understand.

Wow. 

16 So, he wants to build a lockbox. Lots of them, in fact. He must do this, you know, because we are too lazy and stupid and grasshopper-like to do it ourselves.

17

 Too bad we can't take Daniel's stance, put it in Scott Brown's body, and make the resulting cyborg from a state that doesn't make southerns grab their squirrel rifle.

I can have something like that ready for 2016...

18 Why should Republicans talk about social issues? I don't get it. Why does that influence social cons? How can the President have any effect on such issues, other than eliminating programs that subsidize bad behavior and nominating strict constructionists to the Supreme Court? SocialCon voters are motivated by style over substance.

19

Daniels wants to fix America using better, smarter government.

Ninja, please.

America needs smaller, weaker government.

Well if he came out and defined "Smarter Gov." as "Smaller Gov." he might have a chance.

But then he would also have to define VAT as "Vajay-jay, Ass and Titties".

Ladies and Gentleman - President Mitch Daniels!

20 I read his speech and agreed with a substantial portion of what he had to say, policy-wise. The problem is that I actually had to go back and read the speech AFTER trying to watch him speak live and spending the entire 30 minutes fighting off the snooze monster. That's a serious issue. Look, I think we all know that Captain Charisma isn't exactly working out for us as it is right now. And I don't want to get too hung up on the superficial stuff because, as current circumstances show us, it's the policies that matter the most. Last time around I was a Fredhead to the bitter end because IMO he had the best ideas. I read every white paper and sat through videos of every single stump speech. So if Daniels has a hard time literally keeping me awake- and I consider myself a bit wonkish- he's not going to inspire the rest of the country to follow him down the path of fiscal sanity.

21 MANDY

22 I like Daniels so far.  "Serious and sober adult" is what we desperately need right now.

And hell, I just like the idea of a Hoosier president. 

23

What does the Moron Nation think of Haley "Boss Hogg" Barbour?

Posted by: Roadking
------------
You mean Foghorn Leghorn?

24 I like Haley B. I have even had dinner with him.
Mr. Daniels has some good ideas. As for the social safety net, I am usually for anything that keeps the elderly from dying in gutters on Opera opening night. Otherwise it reminds me too much of San Francisco.

25 Entitlement programs ensure that people can waste their lives eating fast food, going on vacation, and gambling the house away. What's wrong wit dat?

26

What does the Moron Nation think of Haley "Boss Hogg" Barbour?

Well, they can't all be Sarah Palin™, but I like him too.

27 Posted by: Mandy P. at February 12, 2011 03:06 PM (vGmv/) So, you're recommending an orange mohawk and speeches made surrounded by Japanese supermodels?

28
...the serious, sober adult who will roll up his sleeves and work with anyone to get the nation's fiscal house back in order.

Say no more! You had me at anyone.

29 I know older people who go to the Dr 3 times a week - all free.  One 80+ yr old is getting a $8,000 hearing aid.  For "free."  How long can we keep this up? 

I am not for death panels, but do people have to gorge themselves on "free" Dr. visits and prescriptions when perhaps a box of Kleenex and a bowl of chicken soup would do?

We tend to think its the illegals and those in poverty breaking this country.  It's not.

It's the millions of retired people, most of whom are pretty well off financially. 

I say this as an older person who will be retiring in the next few years.

30 Great Beige Hope or Radical Revolutionary?

Given Ron Paul in the field, what's revolutionary let alone radical about Daniels? Is that to be his selling point? Heh, CPAC likely to straw poll for Ron Paul, so in the spirit of united alliance, join forces for the ticket, Daniels/Paul.

But the Hoosier said he has been heartened by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's blunt approach to his stateÂ’s fiscal difficulties and argued that such a take-your-medicine brand of governing shows that voters are further ahead of the political class in the difficult decisions theyÂ’ll swallow.

So long as the conservative campaign viciously attacks the status quo, exposing them as the snake oil salesmen that they are, there's massive momentum in America to vote out the corrupt thugs. That they've pose as compassionate conservatives or as compassionate liberal socialists only makes their incestuous rape of America that much more galling.  Look at the suffering, rot and ruin that has resulted from such FALSE COMPASSION. GIVE US A BREAK!

Get the federal abusers of authority off our backs and out of the way for our Constitutional Renaissance to flourish through US citizens' productive pursuit of happiness.

31 I lol'd at the "my letterhead will blow your mind" thing. Is he going to print his correspondence on sheets of blotter acid?

32 Posted by: eman:The People's Front of Logprof at February 12, 2011 03:10 PM (gZVTR) Well, that would definitely get some attention.

33 Here's my question...can a rather uninspiring, mild-mannered candidate who is running on competence really lead this kind of revolution?
------------
The answer is no.. not because he has no charisma, or that his ideas do not have some merit.  It is because the revolution is dead on arrival.

There will be no Entitlements 2.0.  Ever.  The current systems need to be fixed in place.. and that can be done with minor tweaking, especially in the case of Medicare.  SS might need more drastic reworking for 20 somethings just coming into the system.

So, talk of abolishing this crap is stupid and counterproductive.. and.. guarantees Captain Zero another 4 years of golfing at our expense.

34

^{Posted by: eman:The People's Front of Logprof at February 12, 2011 03:10 PM (gZVTR)}

Snap into a Smaller Centralized Government!!!

35

SocialCon voters are motivated by style over substance.

Many don't know the difference or don't know they don't know the difference. I've seen them go after black republican mayoral candidates and demand to know to know their stance on abortion on the condition of their vote. They want to hear that the candidate is LIKE THEM.

Really, every candidate is a projection of one's self onto the stage. You vote for who most closely resembles you. If YOU grasp that the financial situation is more important than gay marriage or DADT then you vote for that candidate who thinks the same thing. HOWEVER, there are a lot of differnt interest groups who want their candidate to identify with whatever their main issue is and it could be anything. I'd normally never vote for a democrat but if one came out insisting on school vouchers and made that his main running platform, I would consider crossing over. It would save me lots and lots of money and wouldn't hurt the state.

36

And hell, I just like the idea of a Hoosier president.

Yeah we really got kind of screwed with W.H. Harrison, didn't we?!

37 Poll after poll show that the only program most Americans want cut is foreign aid, so outright elimination of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc, is a fantasy, until the collapse anyway.

38
1. Daniels was Bush's budget director. That's not as much of a blemish as, say, Paul Krugman being an adviser to Enron, but it doesn't add to his bona fides as a fiscal conservative, either.

2. As you say, Drew, he's laser-focused on fiscal matters and he'll work with anyone. Can he not do the job alone? Why does he need partners, and why does he need bipartisan partners?

I want a candidate who's a godammed leader, not a collaborator. Christie can do it without help. And I want a nominee who's priority is to defeat the Democrats and advance conservatism.

Is that too much to ask?


 

39 I know older people who go to the Dr 3 times a week - all free.  One 80+ yr old is getting a $8,000 hearing aid.  For "free."  How long can we keep this up? 

I need to tell mom. She pays for hers and we can't figure a way around it. We can deduct it but not get it for free and she's still covered by the military if she wants to use them.

40

Yeah we really got kind of screwed with W.H. Harrison, didn't we?!

Well, we did get his grandson for a full four years, but still, we can do better than that. 

41 It's the millions of retired people, most of whom are pretty well off financially. 

I say this as an older person who will be retiring in the next few years.
Posted by: lan sing
--------
You are absolutely correct.  And it is those types of reforms that can make Medicare work well for decades.

We need to put limits on numbers of visits per quarter or higher co-pays kick in.

ER visits must have much higher co-pays.. a lot of retirees use the ER like a primary care doctor's office.. at least as bad as the illegals.

We need to curtail end-of-life care that is pointless.  Medicare won't pay for home hospice care, which most dying elderly want.  They simply want to die at home, but we force them to die in expensive hospitals.

A little common sense would go a long way... as well as cost-sharing.

42 There will be no Entitlements 2.0. Ever. The current systems need to be fixed in place.. and that can be done with minor tweaking, especially in the case of Medicare. SS might need more drastic reworking for 20 somethings just coming into the system. So, talk of abolishing this crap is stupid and counterproductive.. and.. guarantees Captain Zero another 4 years of golfing at our expense. Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at February 12, 2011 03:15 PM (Do52 Yes, let's fix the Ponzi scheme with minor tweaking.

43 If y'all can't give the country enough credit to get past the whole "charazzma" thing, I'm not sure you ought to be even talking about getting the country past the "free goodies" mentality anyway.  In which case, why bother discussing the election at all?

Just let Obama run unopposed, wait for the final and complete collapse, and then we can build a whole new world together ... shiny and new.

44 37 Poll after poll show that the only program most Americans want cut is foreign aid, so outright elimination of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc, is a fantasy, until the collapse anyway. Posted by: Dr Spank at February 12, 2011 03:17 PM (1fB+3) You're right and that's really the biggest problem we face. We've got to get the average Joe and Jane out there to understand that this stuff isn't going to magically be solvent if we trim a little from the few programs they don't like. And Mr. Sandman isn't likely to be the one able to do that kind of convincing.

45
Am I the only who doesn't choose their candidates based on how *others* will perceive them?

I don't give a shit what other people think. I choose who I like the most.

46 Yes, let's fix the Ponzi scheme with minor tweaking. Posted by: eman:The People's Front of Logprof
---------
More like embezzlement than a Ponzi scheme.

We pay in, our Congress uses the money to buy missiles and give welfare and gives us an IOU in return.

47 Haley Barbour?

No old, fat, rich, white, Southern guy is going to be President any time soon

48
Barbour is a great example of what I mean.

Here's a guy who agrees with me and most of you on just about everything and is a great guy and good executive. But we can't nominate him because *others* won't like him.

Fuck that.

49

None of the other candidates are talking about fixing broken programs.  and to me THAT is business as usual.

Romney sounds like a retread version of McCain 'My friends".

 

 

50 No old, fat, rich, white, Southern guy is going to be President any time soon

Word.

51 I bet most folks think their SS taxes go into some sort of account, just for them.

52
Then Pawlenty comes along, weak on a few conservative issues, and some of you will get semi-erect because he might pull in some independents and Democrats.

53 It's already too late to die young and leave a good-looking corpse. So at age 80, helmetless and shirtless, I intend to ram my motorcycle into a bridge abutement at 110 mph. That's my current plan.

54 this guy has no chance...

55

I would be fine to limit useless end of life care but I'm not convinced that the government can decide what that is. Whoops! You're 82, no antibiotics or kidney stent for you! Your parents had good quality of life till 98? Sorry 75 year old, WE don't want to pay for chemo.

Most "well off" elderly carry not only medigap insurance but also long term care insurance. They are not getting top care for free. And medicare will not pay for repeated visits to a doctor unless that doctor is good at the scam. I've beaten up plenty a few who pad the visit and make it obviously too expensive. The real criminals are there--doctors who prey on the elderly.

56 51 I bet most folks think their SS taxes go into some sort of account, just for them. Posted by: eman:The People's Front of Logprof at February 12, 2011 03:28 PM (gZVTR) My grandparents and aunts and uncles do. They think the government was saving it just for them. The mere suggestion otherwise prompts quite the reaction. My parents, thank the Lord, have gotten over that particular illusion. But they're at the point of being pissed off that they're not going to get what was promised to them after being robbed of their money all these years.

57 "Here's my question...can a rather uninspiring, mild-mannered candidate who is running on competence" Well 52% went for the clean, articulate guy with so called charisma and look where we are? I'd rather have mild-mannered and competent than an empty suit who looks good. And by looks good, I mean, when he's not on a bike wearing a helmet like a mama's boy.

58 A hearing aid for someone who is 80 and probably has very little mobility and perhaps very limited vision seems like a necessity to me.  My elderly aunt lives for her phone calls. 

59 If a candidate figures he'll be just a tad squishy to entice some Independents, the MFM will say "Not good enough!" and the Independents will agree. So, after several iterations the candidate eventually turns the squish dial to 11. And loses to the Democrat. Stick to your principles and persuade others to vote for you. If you can't do it that way, please just go away.

60 Barbour is a great example of what I mean.

Here's a guy who agrees with me and most of you on just about everything and is a great guy and good executive. But we can't nominate him because *others* won't like him.

Like the Palin haters, after the media got finished painting him as Jim Crow Boss Hog, the right would run away screaming: "I never liked him, he's stupid or has stupid kids or quit something or doesn't eat enough arugala."

61 Because most women are stupid (usual disclaimers about moronettes, etc.) they won't listen to the short bald guy [or facially disadvantaged dude].

Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman
Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett
Christie Brinkley and Billy Joel

If it was sex appeal that enabled Obama's electoral success, consider that Barry's fucking America in gang style rape-rape¹⁰  and most people (including women) don't like getting it that way, certainly not perpetually that way from one potus to the next.

62 37 Poll after poll show that the only program most Americans want cut is foreign aid, so outright elimination of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc, is a fantasy, until the collapse anyway.
Posted by: Dr Spank at February 12, 2011 03:17 PM (1fB+3)

We need somebody to calmly explain to our fellow citizens that it doesn't fucking matter whether they want cuts or not, because THERE IS NO MORE FUCKING MONEY AND WE'RE 12 TRILLION FUCKING DOLLARS IN DEBT, and that a large portion of that debt is owed to China, who can start dumping it which will collapse the dollar if there are any military incidents or trade issues.

63
eman raises a good point.

McCain's candidacy shit the bed because after the convention all he did was chase the elusive "media" vote. He was always seeking the media's approval and stopped giving a shit about the base.

64 I'm very nervous about the ability of any leader to fix the deficit, when I see how unwilling so many people are to "give a little" on social security. I'm getting closer to social security, and the fact is that if people can't accept such mild reforms as, waiting a few more years before collecting social security, and not getting automatic COLA's, there's not much hope for us. We've reached the point where many of us have the emotional development of 8 year olds in a candy store.

65 A hearing aid for someone who is 80 and probably has very little mobility and perhaps very limited vision seems like a necessity to me.  My elderly aunt lives for her phone calls. 
Posted by: Y-not
----------
Hearing aids are not the problem.  One fourth of all Medicare payments go to cover end-of-life treatments in the last year of life of the Medicare recipient.  Some attention to how that is done, in a humane way that is as respectful of life as it can be, would be a good place to start looking at cutting Medicare outlays.

66
Some attention to how that is done, in a humane way that is as respectful of life as it can be, would be a good place to start looking at cutting Medicare outlays.

ahh, you mean like Soylent Green? It will subsidize the food stamp program, too.

67 If there wasn't so much fraud and waste in Medicare and especially Medicaid and SS disability and if the money hadn't been looted by the politicians for so many years, the money would be there.

68

Devito, Lovett, Joel=rich. They would get free stuff for putting out for shorty.

They may have seen through Barry and his giving sex to them in an uncomfortable way but presented with the media's version of Mr. Tall and Cool and Wonderful they are still going to pull the trigger for bad anal sex guy. The media will paint the short white guy as completely impotent and they do a great job of making women think, "Do you really want to be seen with THAT guy??? Really?? Aren't you going to be embarassed at your reunion??"

It's crap but we're talking about a demographic that watches TV reality shows, reads Glamour, and listens to FM radio.

69 Damn sock.

70 A few points:

Daniels IS PROPOSING that we radically shrink the federal government.  If you actually look at his record in Indiana, he is the ONLY candidate in the race who has ACTUALLY SHRUNK the size of government. 

He moved about 70% of the state's employees into HSA's.  That's smaller government.

He privatized a variety of state services.  That's smaller government. 

He cut thousands of state jobs while at the same time improving services. 

He sold off toll roads, took the profits, and used them to fund infrastructure projects with NO FEDERAL STRINGS ATTACHED. 

His state has the lowest property taxes in America.  His state has been running fiscal surpluses while other states around the country have been begging the feds for survival funds.

He is proposing to make Indiana the first state to move toward a state-wide voucher program that allows parents to use funds for either a public, charter, or private schools.

All of those changes are incredibly conservative.  I defy you to name a single Republican in the country with a better record on enacting conservative change. 

71 In the early 60's when the Dems were pushing for Medicare Republicans warned it would end up being a fiscal nightmare. The Dems, as usual, said no, no it will be tiny and cheap and help little old ladies. Republicans hate little old ladies. Well, here we are. The madness must end. It can't be fixed, tweaked, massaged, or folded into something good.

72

Why is there not one decent looking actual conservative who is at least 5'10? WTF.

The democrat machine must find them first and destroy them early.

73
Unfortunately he microchip implanted in Gov Sanford's head implanted by the Democrats was activated in 2009.

Who's next?

74

We're worried about putting up a candidate that may be too.....

[ insert vapid reason here]

And yet the Dems have no problem putting up a woman that is in rehab not even speaking anything more than monosyllabic words for the US Senate.

Funny, that.

 

75 I'm voting for the one with the rack. She seems to be just tall enough, too.

76 Why is there not one decent looking actual conservative who is at least 5'10? WTF. The democrat machine must find them first and destroy them early. Posted by: dagny: Free Logprof damnit! at February 12, 2011 03:46 PM (l3g1A) Tom Selleck chickened out.

77 I'm voting for the one with the rack. She seems to be just tall enough, too. Posted by: SurferDoc at February 12, 2011 03:49 PM (KzKTg) A nice rack can cancel out a lot of negatives.

78

As a former Indianapolis resident, I saw first hand the changes Daniels made there.  He actually lowered taxes AND ran a budget with a surplus even during the economic downturn.   If he runs, he has my vote and my active support.

79
For those worried about a bald guy, or Haley Barbour, or whoever...

Just remember this: Only 7 years after 9/11, the Democrats won the White House with a neophyte nobody with the middle name 'Hussein' and with close ties to anti-American terrorists.

80 You're trying to steal my social security!!!  I earned it through years of hard-work and profligate spending.  Besides, I was so busy buying new houses and what not that I didn't have time to save anything. 

You OWE ME!!!   Now, go and find a second or third job so you can afford to scrape by. 

P.S.   Tell the grandkids they won't be getting shit for their birthdays.  Grandma and Grandpa are taking a trip to Barbados. 

81

Why should Republicans talk about social issues? I don't get it. Why does that influence social cons? How can the President have any effect on such issues, other than eliminating programs that subsidize bad behavior and nominating strict constructionists to the Supreme Court? SocialCon voters are motivated by style over substance.

Posted by: Spike at February 12, 2011 03:06 PM (WLxeI)

Hola!

82 Posted by: Lemon Kitten @ 03:27

Romney witnessed how McCain got re-elected, studying the rhetoric for how things work or fail, which heart strings to pull.

I abhor revisionism. It fabricates and markets whole cloth deception as if the lie is a legitimate evolutionary experience readily seen from open and available public records that can be authenticated by scholarly research for content consistency and integrity in "meaning". Romney and Obama share too much alike for any conservative to support either politically. McCain is a particularly sad excuse for a senator who has used up whatever honor he deserved when he chose to be on the "winning side" with the authoritarians who have conspired to ignore the Constitution and sabotage America.

83

We need to curtail end-of-life care that is pointless. 

Finally!  Some sanity from the wingnuts!

84 77 I'm voting for the one with the rack. She seems to be just tall enough, too.
Posted by: SurferDoc at February 12, 2011 03:49 PM (KzKTg)

A nice rack can cancel out a lot of negatives.

Posted by: eman:The People's Front of Logprof



A nice pair of legs cancels out any left over negatives.

85 stickety 03:52 PM (FUDwf)

You fail to note that Social Security is coerced withheld earnings taken by the Feds to be returned to the person whose earnings were forcibly withheld.

That some people have had their wages withheld throughout their life want to see their withheld earnings returned shouldn't offend a capitalist or a conservative.

Not all baby boomers are as you describe, btw.

86 The "neophyte nobody with the middle name 'Hussein' and with close ties to anti-American terrorists" had the DNC and BLM cheering him on and the GOP taking a convenient dive.  Which is what we will have to face next time too.

87 No. He can't.

88 You fail to note that Social Security is coerced withheld earnings taken by the Feds to be returned to the person whose earnings were forcibly withheld. That some people have had their wages withheld throughout their life want to see their withheld earnings returned shouldn't offend a capitalist or a conservative. Not all baby boomers are as you describe, btw. Posted by: Plateau Plato at February 12, 2011 04:02 PM (H+LJc) They are not returned. They are gone, paid to others while the new retiree was working. The money "returned" to him is money taken from a present worker. It is a scheme, a lie, theft, welfare in disguise. Get rid of it.

89 That some people have had their wages withheld throughout their life want to see their withheld earnings returned shouldn't offend a capitalist or a conservative.

Not all baby boomers are as you describe, btw.

Posted by: Plateau Plato at February 12, 2011 04:02 PM (H+LJc)

 

Good comment. I was going to comment myself. Some of these ranters should look into what the deal is before they rant. I'm as right-wing as any right-winger can be, not a troll. I'm one year too old to be considered a baby boomer. I'm on SS and Medicare. They take $110.00 a month out of your SS for Medicare. I pay another $156.00 a month for a Medicare Advantage plan. I haven't used any of it yet. So in the last year I paid over $3,000. It ain't free.

90 And yet the Dems have no problem putting up a woman that is in rehab not even speaking anything more than monosyllabic words for the US Senate.

STAH THAH.  IH AMEHIHCAH ANEHWUH CAH OVEHCOHM A HAHNICAH TO BECOH WHAHEVEH THEH WAH TO BEH.

91 They also elected as VP a plagarist liar who has had multiple brain surgeries. But the MFM is on their side.

92 They are not returned. They are gone, paid to others while the new retiree was working. The money "returned" to him is money taken from a present worker.

It is a scheme, a lie, theft, welfare in disguise.

Get rid of it. Posted by: eman:
--------
eman, you're an idiot.  As PoconoJoe mentioned, try learning WTF it is you are ranting about.  Come back when you get some facts.

93 know people dismiss talk off charisma and style but the fact is politics is about building coalitions, building pressure from one set of groups against another to make things happens. happens....Heh...snicker

94 When I started paying in to SS, JFK was breathing.  In those days it was sold, repeatedly, as a savings account type thing . IIRC they had already stolen the money once for the Korean war.  In the 70's they were getting read to steal it again and NH Congressman Louis Wyman screamed bloody murder and wouldn't shut up until they got him out of office.  It was after that the narrative changed away from the savings account to an entitlement/tax program as it is today.  I may have a few of those details a little off but that is the truth of it.

95 eman, you're an idiot. As PoconoJoe mentioned, try learning WTF it is you are ranting about. Come back when you get some facts. Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at February 12, 2011 04:17 PM (Do52 *sigh* There's no need to be rude. None of the money you pay in SS taxes is used for you. It is paid to others. Then others pay for your retirement. People should pay for their own retirement.

96 You have an SS number because you had an "account" you were going to pay into and draw from later.  That is the way it was sold to the public, as God is my witness.

97 The media will paint the short white guy as completely impotent and they do a great job of making women think, "Do you really want to be seen with THAT guy??? Really?? Aren't you going to be embarassed at your reunion??"

Daniels needs a 2-part strategy. 
1) Project an air of calm, mature, intelligent competence. 
2) Hair club for men and lifts. 

98 SS, Medicare are designed to make people dependent on government programs. This in turn makes them vote for Democrats. It is criminal activity disguised as doing good.

99 The creation of new Social Security and Medicare compacts with the young people who will pay for their elders and who deserve to have a backstop available to them in their own retirement.

Oh, that'll work - getting rid of the dinosaurs and then cloning them.

100 OT

Ohio State basketball team just took a lesson from their football team.  When you find yourself in a tough game, let the other team set the tempo.

Ugh.

They were so much fun to watch for about 4 minutes into the second half.

101 Ohio State basketball team just took a lesson from their football team.  When you find yourself in a tough game, let the other team set the tempo.

Ugh.

They were so much fun to watch for about 4 minutes into the second half.

Posted by: momma at February 12, 2011 04:29 PM (penCf)

And sports "journalists" all across America are masturbating furiously and writing up their column about the Wisconsin Hex or whatever the fuck they're gonna call it.

102 BTW Daniels is being puffed by Time and The Atlantic magazines as part of the MSM early campaign to pick the Republican candidate. That alone should probably disqualify him. On the pro side the NYT is already making fun of his height.

103

And sports "journalists" all across America are masturbating furiously and writing up their column about the Wisconsin Hex or whatever the fuck they're gonna call it.

Posted by: ErikW at February 12, 2011 04:33 PM (lXI/m)

No doubt.  Hope they mention the asshole that guarded Sullinger today.  Didn't know we were playing 'elbow lock'.

104 "When I started paying in to SS, JFK was breathing. In those days it was sold, repeatedly, as a savings account type thing . IIRC they had already stolen the money once for the Korean war. In the 70's they were getting read to steal it again and NH Congressman Louis Wyman screamed bloody murder and wouldn't shut up until they got him out of office. It was after that the narrative changed away from the savings account to an entitlement/tax program as it is today. I may have a few of those details a little off but that is the truth of it.' I remember my Dad cursing because my first job at 13 required me to get a SS# and he had to fill out the paperwork. He blamed JFK.

105 Come to think of it....I should be rich by now.

106

eman's telling the truth, there isn't any question about it.

I love these threads, where I get to read just how deluded and spoiled some of our own folks are.

Your money is gone. I suggest Friskies, though some of the house brand pet products are nearly as good.

107 Do you have any idea what friskies™ cost now?

108 O/T

BareNakedIslam:

- Despite a recent constitutional amendment in Oklahoma that bans courts from considering Sharia in court rulings, courts have appeared to ignore the ban and are actually increasing the use of Islamic law in their interpretations and decisions.

“Before the ban, we’d see maybe 10-15 rulings a month that used Sharia law,” said one Oklahoma constitutional law scholar. “Just last week, however, I counted 25 rulings in just five days. It’s gone nuts.”

109 ....the time is nearly here my brothers. They'll soon have no money to feed us......

110 For You Morons:

Printable Zombie Valentines!

111

  Don't care about SS, it doesn't factor into our retirement. We won our personal war on poverty a while ago, we aren't rich, just nice and comfortable.  WE (wife and I) saw to retirement on our own.  I was assigned, as was she, an SS # without any consultation on our parts, and money was extorted from us for years.

  I really would like a refund of JUST my portion of that tax extorted--the matching amount is of no concern to me. When that amount is reached, then leave me the hell out of the system.  Oh, and the assholes who insist I withdraw a portion of MY FUCKING MONEY under threat of a penalty can go somewhere far away and dark.

112

Oh, and the assholes who insist I withdraw a portion of MY FUCKING MONEY under threat of a penalty can go somewhere far away and dark.

Posted by: irongrampa at February 12, 2011 04:54 PM (ud5dN)

You can't spend your whole life worrying about your mistakes! You fucked up... you trusted us! Hey, make the best of it!

113 Means testing sucks. I saved my money for retirement while the guy down the street blew his on cool stuff and vacations...so he gets SSI and I don't? Fuck that shit.

114 Oh, the horror!

115 115Oh, the horror!

Posted by: RushBabe at February 12, 2011 04:59 PM (urYpw)

Ha Ha. Oh what a picture. Yeah she's a real credible candidate.

116

Ha Ha. Oh what a picture. Yeah she's a real credible candidate.

Posted by: PoconoJoe at February 12, 2011 05:02 PM (ySSbr)

What's even more terrifying is the position she has now...

117 I went looking for a livestream of Allen West's CPAC speech, which was supposed to be at 4:30.  Now I see CNN livestream is going to have it at 5:30.

118

What's even more terrifying is the position she has now...

Posted by: RushBabe at February 12, 2011 05:04 PM (urYpw)

 

No shit, it's beyond comprehension.

119 Guess who won the CPAC poll?

That's right, the only man who can save America-- Ron Paul!!1!!11!!!!!

120 38
1. Daniels was Bush's budget director. That's not as much of a blemish as, say, Paul Krugman being an adviser to Enron, but it doesn't add to his bona fides as a fiscal conservative, either.

2. As you say, Drew, he's laser-focused on fiscal matters and he'll work with anyone. Can he not do the job alone? Why does he need partners, and why does he need bipartisan partners?

I want a candidate who's a godammed leader, not a collaborator. Christie can do it without help. And I want a nominee who's priority is to defeat the Democrats and advance conservatism.

Is that too much to ask?

Posted by: Egyptian people at February 12, 2011 03:17 PM (uFokq)

You, obviously, have not seen Daniels record. 

Seriously.. look at Indiana before Daniels and now.  Its very eye opening.

And he did it without a majority in the Indiana house. He has it now in both chambers...Thank God.

Indiana has the LOWEST property taxes in the nation.  He made the Indiana government local. Wanna raise taxes here?  It has to be voted on town by town.

Indiana is building a major highway half the length of the state.. with NO tax increases. No help from the fed either. A task NO other Governor in our history could do.

Daniels is the best Governor in the country. His record is impressive. 

He has my vote.  If he can do half as much for the nation as he has done here.. we will be just fine.

121 Posted by: Timbo at February 12, 2011 05:29 PM (ph9vn) He does sound like a good choice. I just wish he was a radical nutcase like me. Then I could relax.

122 I defy you to name a single Republican in the country with a better record on enacting conservative change. 

Posted by: stickety at February 12, 2011 03:45 PM (FUDwf)

Amen.  He is the greatest Governor in America.  Best conservative in America. Hands down.

123 120 Guess who won the CPAC poll?

That's right, the only man who can save America-- Ron Paul!!1!!11!!!!!

Posted by: Miss'80sBaby at February 12, 2011 05:14 PM (iMgAa)

You realize they're going to be back here, right?  It's not a question of if but when.

There's nothing we can do.

You still don't get it, do you?

They'll find us! That's what they do! It's ALL they do! You can't stop them! They'll wade through these threads and spam every single poll on the internet! They'll reach down our ears until the only thing you can remember is the Federal Reserve and fiat currency!!!!eleventy!

124 what's wrong with The Stache for Prez? is there some baggage out there?

Am I missing something?

1%?

faaaaack

it's time from grown ups and he's only adult in the room.

125
He does sound like a good choice. I just wish he was a radical nutcase like me. Then I could relax.

Posted by: eman:The People's Front of Logprof at February 12, 2011 05:35 PM (gZVTR)

ahaha.  

126 Mitch Daniels, from his December interview:

Q: The Tea Party is taking aim at the man you first started in politics with, Sen. Richard Lugar. What do you think of that and would you discourage State Treasurer Richard Mourdock or State Sen. Mike Delph from running against him?

A: I've never made it my business to try to tell anybody not to run for office. But I'll be voting for Dick Lugar a year from May.

Q: What do you say to those who say he is not a conservative?

A: I don't think that's a fair reading at all of his record.



Sums it up, right there.  Daniels is the lost Bush brother.

127

You have to sell the American people on the kind of change that will restore America to greatness.  Some pain may be involved, but look at the pain we are facing now?

 

 

128 Daniels is also pro-tax, pro-tariff and even freaking pro-VAT. Not the way to go, folks.....

129 Ron Paul emerged victorious in the Conservative Political Action Conference's annual presidential straw poll, the second straight year that the libertarian-leaning Texas Congressman has won the vote.

Paul took 30 percent while former Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.) placed second with 23 percent. No other candidate received double digit support.

A total of 3,742 people -- roughly a third of total CPAC attendees -- cast votes.



Paul/Romney 2012:  We Won't Even Win Texas

130 128

You have to sell the American people on the kind of change that will restore America to greatness.  Some pain may be involved, but look at the pain we are facing now? 

Posted by: Lemon Kitten at February 12, 2011 05:50 PM (0fzsA)

 

And isn't it funny how you can trace it all back to too much liberalism, BIG Government.

131 129 Daniels is also pro-tax, pro-tariff and even freaking pro-VAT. Not the way to go, folks.....

Posted by: Laurie David's Cervix at February 12, 2011 05:52 PM (b9iP+)

Pro tax?  Dude... Indiana has the LOWEST property taxes in the country.

He is right now, with his new majority.. lowering business taxes.

again... LOOK at his record. To say he is pro tax is ridiculous.

132 Posted by: lowandslow



A man who considers Richard Lugar to be a conservative isn't one himself.

133

Laurie - Paul will not even win a single state primary. I would be shocked if he gets even double digits in any state.

CPAC attendees are not prevented from voting multiple times. Don't know about this year but last year I had attendees tell me that Paul had people there voting and then going to the end of the line and voting again basically all day.

The straw poll is meant for entertainment and not particularly good entertainment. Only Ron Paul and his myrmmidons would take it seriously.

134 To say he is pro tax is ridiculous.
Posted by: Timbo


Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels opened the door Thursday to supporting both a value added tax and a tariff on imported oil, bold proposals that could cause trouble for him with conservatives as he flirts with a long-shot bid for the presidency.

Daniels also suggested support for increasing gasoline taxes.

These comments come on the heels of a September profile in Newsweek, in which Daniels said tax increases might be necessary to tackle the federal deficit. "At some stage, there could well be a tax increase", Daniels told the magazine. "They say we can't have grown-up conversations. I think we can."

Politico

135 Boy I'll stir the pot. I still like Jim DeMint.

136 If Daniels can do on a federal level what he has done in IN, I'll follow him anywhere.

SS seems the least evil of the entitlements to me. You pay a tax, you get a check. Millions of bureaucrats picking winners and losers not needed, as in Medicare. So Give us a voucher if not privatize it. To think that we can roll back this huge system, tho, IMHO, is a pipe dream. It will implode first.

Also, we all talk about how AFDC has ruined the black family. Don't SS and Medicare divide families too? The elders don't move in with kids anymore--the guvmint takes over.

137 From the BLS seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for December, 2010:

Alaska: 8.1%, trending down
Indiana: 9.5%, trending up
National: 9.0% trending down

Just data points. 

138 If they would just leave me alone, that would be nice, but they are unable to do that because I am part of the collective with no individual free will or responsibility for my personal well-being.
Having said that, SS deductions have been extorted from me and my employers for decades, and I think I am at least due the return of that extortion (preferably with interest). If the return stopped after that, I could accept that.  But I worked my butt off to get a few dollars stashed away, and now the welfare generation, the illegals, the unions, and the chronically unemployed are working to steal that as well.  On top of that a corrupt kleptocratic ruling class (of Rs and Ds) is bailing out big corporations that should have gone bankrupt, changing established black-letter contract law, deliberately devaluing our dollar, and letting bankers and financiers steal from, lie to, and flat out cheat their customers in contradiction of SEC rules (with no criminal penalties even though they are clearly defined in the laws we no longer follow).
By the way, for those of us that worked and contributed to the "system", Medicare is means tested and believe me it ain't free, although the death panels will probably earn their keep.

139 By the way, for those of us that worked and contributed to the "system", Medicare is means tested and believe me it ain't free, although the death panels will probably earn their keep.

Posted by: Hrothgar-bankrupt and on the dole at February 12, 2011 06:31 PM (DCpHZ)

 

Did you see what I posted at  89 ?

140 You know what? I literally don't think I can read any more whining.

I may not be back later today. I love this place, but when ANYONE on the right gets a chance to backstab or take an untenable position, it will happen and instantly turn into a grenade party, and when that happens y'all don't behave any better than democrats - everyone gets their own set of facts.

141 I wonder if the Paul-bots are going to have new yard signs and bumper stickers this time around, or if I can just reuse my shit from four years ago that my ex-roommate left when he moved out.

The GOP nominee is going to be whoever the MSM tells us it's going to be, and 48 percent of the population will play along. 97 percent of the black community will come out in the Indonesian Imbecile's hour of need, and the evangelicals and libertarians will stay home.

Fuck this shit.

142

 

Did you see what I posted at  89 ?

Posted by: PoconoJoe at February 12, 2011 06:44 PM (ySSbr)

Sorry that I did not reference your post as the starting point for my rant.  H

143 The best platoon commander I ever had was 5'5, bald and only 38 (enlisted MSgt)  The second best Platoon commander I had was even shorter, bright red hair, even with a high and tight, and scrawny as a stick.   I don't remember any of us giving either of them lip, even though the Marines tends to attract rather large people (I don't think anyone in any of my platoons with a penis was under 5'8 other than our commanders)

My best boss in the "real world" was about 5'8, a little less than average, with a soft voice, but he got results.

Charisma works for the fools, competence works for those who want to get shit done.  I think after 8 years of "charisma" under Obama (he was being pushed on the stage from 2004, don't lie, he was) people wouldn't mind a ross perot type standing there talking good sense (minus the crazy)

Not to mention Daniels has a proven record, knows the machinations of Washington and though he doesn't present a powerful image, he presents a clear cut competence.  If imagery were so important, IKE would never have been president.

144 Yeah we really got kind of screwed with W.H. Harrison, didn't we?!

BEST PRESIDENT EVER!!!

What exactly did he screw up?  Tell me that?  That makes him AWESOME!

145 Look at Daniels' record in Indiana.  The guy has governed as an extreme tightwad and is trying to pass a constitutional amendment that returns any over collection of taxes directly to the taxpayer (before the government can waste it). 

Based on some of the comments I've read over the past few days, I'm starting to wonder what the hell type of candidate some people expect to get.  Daniels has been 100% pro-life his entire career.  He's opposed to gay marriage.  He is sure as hell going to appoint strict constructionist judges.

Plus, he has the most conservative fiscal record of any candidate the GOP might possibly put forward.

Still, I've read dozens of comments on Hot Air and here that insinuate that Daniels is some sort of RINO..

Who's more conservative than him:  Palin?  Mittens?  The Huckster?  Newt?  Pawlenty?  Haley Barbour? 

146 I'd still like to hear more about Jim DeMint. He's been bucking the RINOS in D.C. pretty well. He's pissed some of them off too. That says something to me. Sorry, I might change my mind but right now I like him.

147 Wow, on Tammy Bruce's website she's announced that she's resigned from the board of GOProud.  I'm sure she'll talk about it on her Monday show but it's hard to imagine it being unrelated to the CPAC stuff.  She's had the guy that heads it on her show before and he agreed with her about there being far bigger issues in the country currently than gay marriage and DADT and that bringing them up as primary issues is counterproductive.  At the time I was wondering if she was being misled and figured if she ever got that idea, Hell hath no fury....

148

"SS, Medicare are designed to make people dependent on government programs..."

This is incorrect. Liberals and fauxConservatives don't design fuck-all. They think like dogs and decode/sniff one moment to another.

149
A man who considers Richard Lugar to be a conservative isn't one himself.

Posted by: Laurie David's Cervix at February 12, 2011 06:01 PM (b9iP+)

Lugar has been so popular here the Democrats dont even run anyone against him. Its only the last few years he has raised eyebrows. Lugar has been a conservative.. but, he has become arrogant in the last few years.

Daniels worked for him when he was in his 20's. 

150 140 From the BLS seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for December, 2010:

Alaska: 8.1%, trending down
Indiana: 9.5%, trending up
National: 9.0% trending down

Just data points. 

Posted by: VADM (Red) Cuthbert Collingwood, RN at February 12, 2011 06:28 PM (UL/HQ)

Indianapolis has more people than the entire state of Alaska.

National unemployment trending down?  Uh.. I dont believe that at all.

151

Posted by: Timbo at February 12, 2011 07:34 PM (ph9vn)

Lugar and Hatch have been among the only few mildly Conservative pols in D.C. Over the years they have mellowed too much and have been there too long. 

152

in electing a President we are electing the leader of the free world, as the recent events in Egypt so amply demonstrated, you might not wish to deal with foreign issues or domestic social issues but they do have a habit of intruding and demanding your attention.

mitch danials is a small biege man who will be perfectly happy running some nameless department in the vast federal bureaucracy, nothing more.

153

"Here's my question..."

Not so much.  I consider myself a centrist, a borderline egghead, raised in mainline churches, schooled at quasi-elite and state colleges and Mitch doesn't connect with me.

Yeah, I understand his lingo but its like "go out and do the work and give me a centerpiece job". 

Not feeling him.

154 118 I went looking for a livestream of Allen West's CPAC speech, which was supposed to be at 4:30.  Now I see CNN livestream is going to have it at 5:30.

Posted by: RushBabe

 

Allan West is probably the first Republican I have seen in years that speaks with the voice of Ronald Reagan.  He has a lot of TR in him, too.  He needs some more time on the political stage before he should consider running for President, though.  But I would walkover broken glass for him.

Mitch Daniels could be an effective President.  He understands the task at hand probably better than anyone else running.  Mitch Daniels = Calvin Coolidge

Mitt Romney = Wendell Wilkie.  He can't win

Donald Trump  = Donald Duck.  Much sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Sarah Palin = Peter Pan.  I really don't think that she will ever grow up.

Ron Paul = Jerry Lewis.  The French thought Jerry was a comedic genius.  The Paul loyalists think Ron is.......

155 Here's an idea.  Why not have an election to decide who the
GOP nominee will be.  Wait ... how about an election in each state. 
We could call them primaries.   Then, whoever wins the most elections can be the nominee. 

Just a thought.  Probably not the best idea.  Would probably be better if it were left to bloggers.  After all, they know everything and are never wrong. 

I blog, therefore I know.  

156 Despite each "constituency's" louder-mouths' claims to the contrary, the political "right" isn't, and never will be, a monoculture. We only get a "left" and a "right" in this country (because too many folks think that's all there is). Thus each side has to build a coalition in order to win.

No coalition, no reins of power. It's tough math, but it's unavoidable.

Any putative candidate has to lead an effort to build a winning coalition. The three main constituencies of the right are still the SoCons, the Fiscal Hawks, and the National Security Hawks. Use your own names if you want. The good news is that those same interest groups have "members" who are Democrats. You peel off some of those folks, and you can win elections. The proven way to do that is to follow the Reagan example: be strong in all three areas, without being a dick about it.

The hardcore Ronulans and the more Paleo SoCons don't get that last bit at all. Their obnoxiousness is self-limiting. The socially-soft fiscal hawks don't get it either. They appear too squishy. You have to be strong in all three areas.

Daniels is trying to get in front of the Fiscal Hawk parade, and hope the larger parade is fooled into thinking it's theirs, too. It's the same exact mistake Romney made in 2008, so he's got that goin' for him.

It's also the mistake the Republicans made in 2008, by letting the media choose their candidates for them, and so they ended up with one-of-each:
1st National Bank of Romney, The Huckster, and McCain 'o War as the thee "viable" candidates. Clearly the Reagan example was lost on all of the above.

The candidate that appeals broadly to all three of those interest groups, without (overtly) tossing other, smaller groups under the bus, or alienating the regular working guy is the one that wins.

A Republican that can't get coal miners to vote against their union leadership ain't goin' nowhere.

157

"Beige" is much too bold of a descriptor for Mitch Daniels. This guy doesn't even approach Vanilla.

158

Ya gotta love those Sarah Palin supporters. In recognizing that she doesn't have any positives which they can promote, they viciously trash her competition with sleazy lies and innuendo, trying to bring her competition down to her level, instead of elevating her.

Reason #163 why she doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning a primary - decent people don't want to be associated with her sleazy supporters, the white trash wing of the Republican Party.. 

159 This guy has "country club" written all over him.   I don't trust him.  He's supposed to be the adult, yet he's running around in flannel shirts riding motorcycles.  Sounds more like mid-life crisis to me.   Who are his enemies?  He doesn't seem to have any.  That alone tells me something is not right there.  Is he willing to not run for reelection if necessary?  Is he willing to step down if necessary?  Is he going to resign as governor to run for president?

Something tells me he's been running for president since 2004.  What has he ever done that put his political standing at risk?   Didn't the Indiana house kill his tax increase proposals? 

A couple of years at Eli Lilly and he's a multi millionaire - how is that possible?  Are they offering him another multi million $$ no show job if he does right by them in the future?    How are we supposed to trust anything he says about Medicare or health care reform?  How much government money do you think is spent on Eli Lilly products? 

Daniels spent his whole life as a political operative.  Yet, right out of the blue, with no previous business experience, Eli Lilly makes him President of North American Operations and then Senior VP for Corporate Strategy and Policy?  You gotta love that: corporate strategy and policy.  For those of you in Kokomo, that means chief lobbyist. 

This is exactly how politicians get bribed.  Multi million $$ no show jobs and the "remember who your friends are / you'll always have a home here" wink and nod when they go back through the revolving door to government.     

He told Politico that he would have no trouble raising the kind of money needed to run for president.  WTF?  How exactly?  From who?  He says the "thought leaders" all want him to run.  WTF?   Aren't these the same bright guys that got us into this mess in the first place?   

Up until a year ago, Palin lived off her governor's salary (which she refused to increase), her husband's wages as an oil field worker, and the family fishing business.  All her wealth has come from selling books no one was obliged to buy and giving speeches no one was obliged to listen to.   She doesn't wear flannel shirts and ride expensive Harleys so us plebians think she's a "real" person. 

I trust her.  Why should I trust Daniels?  When has he willingly surrendered power?  He looks to me like another GOP suit telling me to get in line because he knows what's best.   

Why is the GOP Establishment so afraid of Gov. Palin?  Why are they running around with their hair on fire trying to find somebody, anybody, to take her on?  If she is the loser they say she is, why are they so afraid of her? 

Never entrust power to anyone not willing to surrender it. 

160 Did Bitchin Mitch elaborate on his swell ideas for a VAT? Or has he decided to low key that one, for now?

12 Daniels wants to fix America using better, smarter government.

Yup.  Smarter socialism. In this regard he mirrors the GOP establishment. He and Romney are nearly interchangeable.

161 Conservatives4Palin links an old article Jay Carney wrote for Time about the early Bush years spending. That was when Mitch Daniels was Bush’s budget director and was quoted saying, “a balanced budget is a high priority for this administration; it is not the top or the only priority.”

That's a far cry from his CPAC speech where the debt is suddenly the "Red Menace" and an iceberg and a shark! In a hypothetical Daniels campaign, any mention of the debt will bring a litany of fingers pointing back at Daniels for his own part in setting the current spending trend and financial catastrophe we find ourselves in today. Just like during the healthcare bill debate when critics called it "socialism," Democrats yelled, "Medicare D!!eleventy!!" Which was enacted during the tail end of Mitch Daniels' tenure. Interesting timing, given Daniels' work with Eli Lilly, then PHARMA's one of the biggest budget-busting beneficiaries the GOP's Medicare Part D bailout of an industry that needed no bailing out.

Mitch Daniels says too many things that set off my bullshit meter. First, his dumb "truce" comment. Then his support for a VAT. Finally, his supporting Medicare-subsidized end-of-life counseling. He is as bad as Romney.

162 I would never vote for a short balding man.  They can be short.  They can be balding.  But combine short and balding and you've got every man who ever gave me a hard time over the last thirty years.  They're not as bad as women, but they're close.  It depends on how small their dick is.

163 Mitch Daniels is toast, after the comments he made to the WSJ how we had to reexamine whether we could afford to care for the elderly's end of life care he will have zero chance of election. He is in with the Obamacare death panels. This is the United States of America, and I believe we are better than the rest of the world. The American people will not stand for this. The government wanted all these programs and they were warned they would become very expensive but again they forged ahead. Now the chickens have come home to roost. Any politician that thinks he will survive after telling people they can't save their Mother or Father or Grandparents or baby with birth defects because it is too expensive will soon disappear from the political scene. We send billions to foreign countries that aren't even pur friends. We bail out inefficient businesses with billions of tax dollars, but we can't afford to save our loved one's lives?

164 Mitch Daniels is an excellent governor. (I live in Indiana.)  All of the positive things posted here are true.  He has absolutely brought Indiana back from the Graveyard of Forgotten States.

I would vote for him in a minute. The question is,  will OTHERS do so?

 I said several months ago that what we needed in Congress were warriors.  I think the same thing is true for the presidential candidate.

It has to be someone with the heart of a warrior.  Someone who will fight the media,  the democrats,  and various and sundry special interest groups.  And someone who inspires people to follow him.

It disheartens me that the only person who fits this template is Allen West,  who will be deemed to have little experience compared to someone like Romney.

Dang it,  I want a warrior!

165 Allen West,  who will be deemed to have little experience compared to someone like Romney.

Allen West rode a Republican wave into a House seat after losing an earlier election. He is not nearly ready for a presidential campaign.

166

As a citizen of the State of Indiana, I can assure you Governor Daniels is a fiscal conservative and has done some great things for the State in that area.  Indiana has no budget deficit.  Compare this to Illinois, who's state troopers can't buy gas on a state credit card, or Michigan, which is so much of a train wreck.  Indiana citizens pay a 3.4% marginal tax rate with 7% income tax. 

Governor Daniels has privatized just about everything he can get through over the howls of the unions.  Indiana was one of the first state's to privatize the State toll road system giving the State billions of dollars to dedicate to improvement of infrastucture.  There have also been several new car factories built in the State because of he and Lieutenant Governor Skillman's personal efforts at working with local officials concerning incentives.  Indiana is still actractive to new business because of the low tax rates.  How many new car plants have been built in Michigan in the past eight years?  He has also rooted out the corruption that existed in the Family and Social Services Administration during the Bayh Administration.

That all being said, his proposed moritorium on social issues is absolute BS.  The liberals in Congress use moritoriums to steam roll things like gay marriage, abortion, healthcare, environmentalism, and everything else under the sun.  If the Governor truely believes in this moritorium, he's kidding himself or he's using it for political spin to look like a moderate.

Would Governor Daniels be good for the country as far a fiscal policy? Definitely.  Of course, he would still have to do business with a committee of 535 people who have their own agendas.  Would he be good for domestic policy? a beige candidate would be better than the red we have now.  The jury is still out.

He's not a very charismatic person like Romney, but he did run the entire North American operations for Eli Lilly and Company.  He's no slouch on the business front.  If you had a chance to speak to him one on one, you would find him to be a very likeable person.  Don't count him out.

167

So what will be his campaign slogan on his swell letterhead;

VAT and Death Panels - Perfect Together?

168 I don't think there is anyone who would not consider Lugar a RINO.
Posted by: Vic


Mitch Daniels, from his December interview:

Q: The Tea Party is taking aim at the man you first started in politics with, Sen. Richard Lugar. What do you think of that and would you discourage State Treasurer Richard Mourdock or State Sen. Mike Delph from running against him?

A: I've never made it my business to try to tell anybody not to run for office. But I'll be voting for Dick Lugar a year from May.

Q: What do you say to those who say he is not a conservative?

A: I don't think that's a fair reading at all of his record.