So Who Would We Vote Off The Island?

Looking through the comments of the Republican debate thread, I would say that although he obviously has supporters all over the net, Ron Paul did not win the JOM primary.  However, Huntsman may have found even less support.  And who is his target audience, anyway - people who really, really want to vote for a Mormon but think Romney is insufficiently squishy and moderate?  Huntsman and his strategists are overestimating the value of a NY Times endorsement in a Republican primary.

I may be projecting here, but folks seem to be braced for a Romney-Perry brawl to settle it all, with the rest of the contenders in supporting roles.  Let's see:

Santorum - This is the year for jobs, jobs, jobs, not social conservatives.  But maybe Rick can be VP to Romney and excite the religious right.  (Perry needs no help there, obvi.)  And can Santorum help swing PA?

Bachmann - again, jobs.  And does the party need another evangelical woman with limited experience running for VP?  OTOH, maybe she can be Romney's base-exciter.

Gingrich - he could pretend to be Mr. Inside and help either Romney or Perry play the Washington game as VP.  Of course, unlike Biden, everyone in Washington hates Newt.  But he sure is fun to have at these debates.

Cain - I don't know where he thinks this is going.  Cain could provide private sector cred to Perry.  And his skin tone would set the media spinning like tops, as they tried to explain the difference between authentic and inauthentic black Americans.  I'll say this - I would put his biography and resume against Obama's quicker than Ron Paul can say "gold standard".

Huntsman and Paul - they can't get booed off fast enough to suit me.

NOW WHO'S THE SQUISH?  Byron York explains that on both Social Security and immigration Rick Perry is in "grave danger".  (Is there any other kind?)

Comments

[BR]

Obama.

[BR]

Ha, I've discovered a new 5-letter swear word!

[MarkO]

Off? Huntsman (and those who want to vote for a Mormon likely wouldn't choose him as a Mormon since he says he isn't one); Paul (and I have no gratuitous religious affiliation to titillate the troops); Bachman (for all her fine qualities, she's not keeping up and won't catch up). Moreover, I would do a tic-tock, game is locked on that beautiful tease Palin.

[Cecil Turner]

Bachmann warps the result more than the others. Between her and Palin, they appear to be holding about 20% of the vote that would presumably go to Perry (unless they're bitterly clinging because they can't abide him).

But in any event, it appears to be Perry's to lose, and that by a large margin.

[Ignatz]

--And can Santorum help swing PA?--

I love the guy, but he couldn't even swing PA for himself.

[Appalled]

Social conservatives need to take a holiday from the ticket, TM. The muddle that decides elections is not interested in the social conflict they cause, and will flinch from the revelation of their views on some social issue or other. Plus, the media enjoys tearing apart people who carry evangelical religiosity as part of their political persona in a way that you do not see with other GOP candidates.

If Bachmann gets on the ticket, the whole gay rights thing becomes a big deal because of her husband's therapy practice. Santorum...well, he couldn't carry Pennsylvania for himself. Gingrich...good heavens, the baggage that guy carries couldn't fit on a Carnival cruise ship. Cain -- if you can't see him as President, why do you want him as Veep?

I do wonder why Huntsman thinks it is a vaible strategy to run as the guy most willing to insult his party's base? I mean, even McCain ran as something the base could support -- a good old fashoned populist...

As for Ron Paul -- well, maybe I would support him for President against Woodrow Wilson in 1916...

[Janet]

Perry wins me when he calls Obama an abject liar & when he says anyone that kills one of our children gets the ultimate justice...no apology.
I also liked this from earlier - "Perry calls global warming “all one contrived phony mess that is falling apart under its own weight.”

[DebinNC]

Larry Sabato's crystal ball might be helpful in picking who goes. He thinks 7 states are pivotal:
CO, FL, IA, NV, NH, OH, VA

Will Perry's "SS ponzi scheme" lose FL? Will Perry's immigration views win CO and FL? Will middle-of-the-road Romney will more of the 7 than Perry?

[Clarice]

BR, "Trotsky caper"?

If Obama plays this a lot he may not have to rekill Osama:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=RobtKraft#p/u/1/Z_7nUNiWWvc

[Clarice]

Will anything Sabato says matter to me as much as what Cost and Barone say? NAH

[bgates]

Question for "electability" aficionados:

If Mitt lost to McCain (and it wasn't close) and McCain lost to Obama (and it wasn't close), why isn't anyone asking if Mitt is electable?

[centralcal]

Good morning. Watched the debate last night before going to dinner. Right out of the box, I have to say Williams and Harris were just appalling. Is John Harris not the creepiest debate moderator ever? Good grief.

Thought Perry and Romney both did well - though Perry did fade toward the end. I assume he was just getting his "sea legs" with the crappy debate format led by two of the lousiest moderators ever. Thank God for Newt to bitch slap them and I thought the audience did their share via their applause moments.

Sadly, I think Bachmann is DONE and I thought she herself looked over-done appearance-wise. Anyway that is my 2 cents. I vote Paul, Huntsman, Santorum and Cain off the island - they are not going to pick up any steam for their campaigns and it is obvious. Huntsman and Paul tie for the worst candidate.

[Sue]

Governor Good Hair needs to schedule a meeting or two with some scientists that are skeptical about man-made global warming. He is going to be asked that question over and over again and he needs a better response. He needs names, he needs their reasons for skepticism, he needs to better articulate what he believes without them being able to just claim he is anti-science.

[narciso]

He has McCain's old team, Appalled, what is it about your experience in Atlanta, that leads you to this conclusion, about social
conservatives, who did you vote for again?

[Captain Hate]

even McCain ran as something the base could support -- a good old fashoned populist...

Well he started to do this until "his friends" in the MFM started blasting him and then returned to doing what he does best, attacking the base, to try to curry favor with them again.

[bgates]

Since there have been a couple comments on global warming, here's a poser:

You couldn't get the NIH to write a check so your lab could investigate whether tuberculosis was caused by some kind of tiny organism too small to be visible to the eye, and you couldn't get the NSF to fund an effort to determine whether the planets rotated about the earth in a set of concentric circles, because in those cases, the science is settled.

Why is climate change the only inquiry into the natural world for which "the science is settled" does not mean "turn off the grant money"?

[BR]

You remember, Clarice, back in college, when you vanished them :)

[Chubby]

((The muddle that decides elections is not interested in the social conflict they cause, and will flinch from the revelation of their views on some social issue or other.))

ah, yes, the rock on which the house of peecee stands like the House of the Rising Sun.

Well, I got one foot on the platform
The other foot on the train
I'm goin' back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain

[Jim Ryan]

It's going to be Perry-Cain or Perry-McDonnell.

[Porchlight]

Social conservatives need to take a holiday from the ticket, TM. The muddle that decides elections is not interested in the social conflict they cause, and will flinch from the revelation of their views on some social issue or other.

Find two fiscal conservatives who are not also social conservatives who have a snowball's chance of running and winning (don't forget about that little thing called the GOP primary) and we'll get back to you on this.

[Rick Ballard]

Clarice,

It's sort of fun to watch Sabato run a steam calliope through the catacombs. He, as well as Cook and Rothenberg, can be relied upon to provide optimistic scenarios for the Dems, even while the beach is becoming exposed farther from shore than ever seen in the lifetime of all but about 1% of the population. They're all using prog reality models and they're all going to be using 'unexpectedly' in their blather in the last month before the '12 tsunami hits.

[Appalled]

narcisco:

Well, my experience in Atlanta is that all the gay people I know are Republicans, but obviously unenthusiastic about candidates who make it a point to comment about how they live. I would not draw conclusions about Georgia from my part of the Atl. I live in a neighborhood full of college professors, aclu sorts, and the urban upwardly mobile. I am the right wing of my neighborhood.

[Porchlight]

He is going to be asked that question over and over again and he needs a better response.

I would say this goes for other issues besides global warming. A Perry perennial problem is that he takes good positions but isn't particularly adept at defending them. This will lead to missed opportunities if not outright weak responses.

Not sure any of the other candidates are any better on AGW, though, and Romney is much worse.

[Dave (in MA)]

OT: The FBI has conducted a raid on Solyndra.

[Danube of Thought]

why isn't anyone asking if Mitt is electable?

Keep in mind that when he lost to McCain he was dealing with a different set of voters than the ones McCain dealt with against Obama.

Reagan lost to Ford, Ford lost to Carter...

[Melinda Romanoff]

DoT-

Reagan lost to Bush AND Ford, I seem to recall.

[Porchlight]

They're all using prog reality models and they're all going to be using 'unexpectedly' in their blather in the last month before the '12 tsunami hits.

That's why I'm not worried about which candidate does better in which swing states. I think that 4 of those 7 states on Sabato's list are lost to Obama no matter who the nominee turns out to be, and possibly more will flip by Nov '12.

Although I am curious why NH, NM and NC don't make the list.

[Appalled]

Porchlight:

Every GOP candidate has a certain degree of social conservatism as a part of their platform. But, I think you'd agree that in the case of Santorum and Bachmann, its a more significant part of their persona.

Romney and Perry are both social conservatives, but its not the way they are choosing to present themselves, in the main. Perry seems to favor federalism over having the feds make social policy, for example. I don't recall Romney ever saying much on the issue, and his abortion bon fides have been called into question.

[Porchlight]

Reagan lost to Ford, Ford lost to Carter...

But Ford was the incumbent - so that's a little different situation, no?

[DebinNC]

An unsung hero imo, Director Meuller has been in charge of the FBI since September 4, 2001.

[Janet]

This is the year for jobs, jobs, jobs, not social conservatives.

Social conservatives need to take a holiday from the ticket, TM.

Immoral, Godless, greedy, & corrupt leaders have brought us to this place. How can morality not be a part of us choosing our next President? Why was the Restoring Honor rally such a big draw?
The left sure seems to think it is important...they are fighting against morality all the time.

[Porchlight]

But, I think you'd agree that in the case of Santorum and Bachmann, its a more significant part of their persona.

Romney and Perry are both social conservatives, but its not the way they are choosing to present themselves, in the main.

I'd agree with both of those statements (although it's somewhat debatable that Romney is a genuine social conservative). But you didn't make those qualifications in your original comment. You just said that socons should stay off the ticket.

[Danube of Thought]

When did he lose to Bush?

[Sue]

and his abortion bon fides have been called into question.

Well that right there is enough to get the clueless muddle to vote for him. ::eyeroll::

Perry is a state's rights kind of guy. If state's rights aren't your cup of tea, then he isn't the man for you. If he had anything to do with it, Texas would not abide by Roe v Wade.

[DebinNC]

Drat! It's Robert Mueller.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Bush was a primary challenger in '76 as well.

[DebinNC]

Porchlight, the Dem guv who squeaked in on Obama's coattails in NC is now toxic and, hopefully, an albatross around his neck for '12. Having the Dem convention in Charlotte might make the loss even greater.

[Danube of Thought]

1976 GOP primaries:

Nominee Gerald Ford Ronald Reagan

States carried 27 23

Popular vote 5,529,899 4,760,222

Percentage 53.29% 45.88%

(Sorry it doesn't format very well.) I don't think Bush ran at all that year.

[Porchlight]

Thanks, DebinNC. I've thought for some time that NC was probably a goner for Obama.

[Chubby]

((The FBI has conducted a raid on Solyndra.))

very, very interesting

Democrats sure have a special talent for blowing huge amounts of money in record time, with nothing to show for it

[Danube of Thought]

Strictly speaking, SS isn't a Ponzi scheme, in that there is and will be a continuing stream of new contributors. But it resembles a Ponzi scheme in that current receipts are used to pay off earlier "investors." Perry needs to polish this one, as well as global warming. I don't think immigration will hurt him at all in the general election.

[sbw]

"Find two fiscal conservatives who are not also social conservatives"

"Immoral, Godless, greedy, & corrupt leaders have brought us to this place. How can morality not be a part of us choosing our next President?"

Ah, but what part? I am as opposed to having conservatives legislate my bedroom as I am opposed to Moochelle legislating my lunch pail.

Lead by example. Lead by what you say. But do not presume that your church should guide my government through legislation.

[BR]

Dave, Deb and Chubby, yaayyyy! Perfect timing.

[Pat d]

Yeah, but the Arctic Fox is running, under the radar, but in the headlines. Which GOP candidate got national overage of a campaign speech in Iowa at no cost to their campaign? Or a speech two days later in New Hampshire? She is running already, for free. When she announces, she will get millions from her 3.2 million FB fans and that is just for starters. Run, Sarah, Run, but only when Sarah feels it is time to pull the trigger. (sorry, non-PC metaphor, NOT).

She already has the best answer on entitlement reform.

"See, the reality is we will have entitlement reform; it’s just a matter of how we’re going to get there. We either do it ourselves or the world’s capital markets are going to shove it down our throats, and we’ll have no choice but to reform our entitlement programs."

Check her whole speech in Iowa on 9/3 and then tell me she doesn't have a well-thought out platform, a rip-snorting stump speech, and some great ideas.

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/transcript-sarah-palins-iowa-speech

[sbw]

"Strictly speaking, SS isn't a Ponzi scheme, in that there is and will be a continuing stream of new contributors."

Ponzi schemes can have new contributors... until the scheme collapses. If you use what new contributors pay to reward old contributors, and if the new contributors will never achieve the degree of reward the old contributors receive, that has Ponzi written all over it.

[boris]

"opposed to Moochelle legislating my lunch"

At least that's a rational thing to fret about.

I am neither moderate nor social conservative but have noticed that cons criticizing RINOs is usually based on what they do (usually at the worst possible time) but criticism of socons is usually based on who they are and what they believe or don't believe.

Saying you can't trust them not to intrude into your bedroom just seems sorta like prejudice to me.

[Neo]

FBI agents armed with search warrants descended this morning on bankrupt solar company Solynrda this morning.

The investigation comes after a request by the Department of Energy's inspector general, FBI spokesman Peter Lee told NBC Bay Area News.

Just in time to "close the barn door."

[Danube of Thought]

A tip: During tonight's campaign speech, the NFL pregame extravaganza can be seen on Versus and the NFL Network, among others. "Check your local listings."

[Clarice]

I can;t think of a single thing Sarah has ever said which is not right on the mark, Pat d.

Ah, BR, now I get it.

From Michelle Obama's mirror, more words of wisdom:

I’m sure Big Guy is glad he moved his big speech to this evening, because he wouldn’t have wanted to miss the R-word debate at the Reagan Library last night. The bad news for the Big White coming out of the debate is that every one of the R-word candidates were deemed to be winners. The only losers on deck last night appear to have been Brian Williams and John F. Harris.

They both seem to have forgotten their briefing books and as result were left to shuck and jive instead. Although that may just be a new progressive strategy they’re trying out.

They managed to get through the debate, butt forgot to ask some of the questions that R-word viewers might have liked to see the candidates respond to, like anything regarding the nation’s precarious fiscal situation.It must have slipped their minds. Butt they did manage to inquire about Rick Perry’s sleep habits.

It’s still a bit perplexing why the R-words continue to let the enemy camp define the who-what-why-and-how of their debates. Sheeze! I thought the hawkish R-words studied the Art of War.

[lyle]

Huntsman = McCain with better hair

[Jane]

I think it is going to be Perry - Rubio.

[Porchlight]

Ah, but what part? I am as opposed to having conservatives legislate my bedroom as I am opposed to Moochelle legislating my lunch pail.

Lead by example. Lead by what you say. But do not presume that your church should guide my government through legislation.

I am rather tired of this strawman. Michelle Obama has actively campaigned for food-related "reforms" with real money and laws attached. What exactly are conservatives doing to "legislate your bedroom?" Actual examples of actual legislation proposed by actual conservatives guided by an actual church, please, not imaginings about "what they might do if given the chance."

[Sue]

Why Porch, they might repeal Roe v Wade or actually enforce Roe v Wade. ::sacre bleu::

[Sue]

If socons were willing to wait it out, science will do for them what nothing else could have done. It's hard to argue that what you are aborting is a clump of cells when that clump of cells can be seen waving at you from the womb with perfectly formed hands.

[bgates]

Social conservatives need to take a holiday from the ticket

First, your choice for leader of the free world has demonstrated there's no conflict between being in office and taking a holiday.

Second, you'd convince more people if you used neutral language like "day off" instead of pro-theocracy dog whistles like "holiday", you Christianist.

[boris]

"SS isn't a Ponzi scheme"

Which makes about as much sense as ... "playing the lottery isn't gambling as long as it's run by the government".

[Neo]

Appeals Court Dismisses Virginia's Challenge to ObamaCare

A federal appeals court on Thursday rejected Virginia's challenge to President Obama's health care law, saying in a ruling the state doesn't have standing to bring a lawsuit.

[Melinda Romanoff]

DoT-

Definitely primaried Ford. I remember a graduation speech, in the summer of '76, while he was running. I barely got around security to hear it and watch the graduation. The girl I was dating at the time, Khaki Bush was a classmate of hers.

[Sue]

Having said that, there will always be abortions. There have always been abortions. I think that as long as people have sex there will be abortions. As long as they are legal, the mindset has to return to the days when women quietly obtained one and didn't wear a t-shirt proudly proclaiming she aborted her baby.

[lyle]

"what they might do if given the chance."

Exactly, Porch. We've certainly seen what the totalitarian left will do when they have theirs. Their biggest disappointment with Zero is that he hasn't gone far enough to control every last aspect of our lives.

[Sue]

Rush doesn't think SS is a true ponzi scheme because in a true ponzi scheme you don't have to play, SS you do.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Formally known as Dorothy, BTW.

[Comanche Voter]

You're right that Perry could stand some polishing on the anthropogenic global warming issue and on Social Security. He's like a guy who has the right answer to a problem but needs help in articulating it.

I'm reminded of Al Gore's bloviating in the 2000 debates about the "Social Security Lock Box". A bigger load of manure has never been foisted on the American public. Congress and Washington DC has been raiding the Social Security cooky jar for decades now. You can call it a Ponzi scheme or you can call it writing checks that your bank won't cash because of NSF--but Social Security needs help now. Yes it needs to be "fixed" as Romney would put it. But Perry is standing up and telling the weasels in Washington that the time to do it is now. Damned few people have had the cojones to make that proposition stick. I don't know if Perry can do it, but he looks like he's willing to call a spade a bloody shovel.

As for AGW: the bleaters in the MSM say that the "overwhelming consensus" is that global warming is caused by man, and beat up anybody who disagrees. Same thing happened to Galileo who denied that the Earth was the center of the universe. The thought had occured to me a few weeks ago. Somehow today's Wall Street Journal got Perry's statement turned around to indicate that he was one of the Galileo bashers.

Science is not about "overwhelming consenus". Science is about being right. Perry needs to pick up a few citations to support his view--and stick to his guns.

[Porchlight]

Hey, remember the Obama bus tour and the IL farmer who asked about dust regulations and Obama told him to contact USDA and Politico wrote a story about getting the runaround trying to learn about the regs?

He's been invited by Boehner to attend the speech tonight along with the Gibson CEO and a bunch of other business folks.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Greece markets melting again.

[Sue]

Okay, I'm lost. Which case is the Virginia case that Neo is talking about in his 12:40 PM post? I can't keep up with them.

[Frau Steingehirn]

Drawl + Pithiness
LBJ = good
Perry = bad

I like a bad cop,good cop Perry/Romney combo. Let Rubio gather experience a bit and maybe run for governor of Florida. By that time, Allen West will be ready to run with him. That would be my dream team.

btw I kept thinking last night that Huntsman must be a Chinese pod person.

[Threadkiller]

I hope you are not making that up, Porch.

[Jim Ryan]

I think Rubio will turn down the VP offer, Jane, because he'll think it's too soon to break away from his new post as senator.

Choosing McDonnell has a possible side benefit of GOTV for George Allen (the presumed nominee) who will be running against Tim Kaine for the Senate spot. There are already LOADS of Tim Kaine bumper stickers here in Charlottesville, many more than Obama '12 stickers (which tells you right there that the local lefties are depressed about Zero, btw.) This Senate race will be a nail biter of a cliff hanger of a contest.

[Porchlight]

TK, sorry not to have linked - here it is!

http://www.speaker.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=258776

[narciso]

Malkin, has it, from a link to a local paper.

[Frau Weltall]

Hear, hear, Comanche.

Jobs? Via Insty, comes Rick Tumlinson's " Decision Time for American's Future in Space."

"Let’s invest in the orbital infrastructure needed to support an American frontier exploration effort and an economic industrial boom in low Earth orbit. Let’s turn NASA’s brilliant thinkers, engineers and facilities loose right now to support space-based enterprises such as commercial laboratories, propellant depots and new energy sources. Let’s start a U.S.-led technology and engineering revolution here on Earth spurred on by new incentives, prizes and research to support our private sector as it advances upwards, much as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics did for aerospace."

[Melinda Romanoff]

TK-

Here's the link, the make up of the bench, you ask?

Why, two were Obama appointees and the other was also a Dem appointee. Ergo, outcome not surprising.

[sbw]

Mario Cuomo, understood the necessity to keep separate that he was a Catholic and a governor. Despite the official doctrine against birth control, as state chief executive, he did not let the church position interfere with his civil responsibilities.

All I ask for social conservatives who run for office is that they acknowledge the importance of that distinction.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Heh. Nikki Haley rules out Huntsman endorsement.

[Neo]

VIRGINIA v SEBELIUS

Before MOTZ, DAVIS, and WYNN, Circuit Judges.
Vacated and remanded by published opinion.

Judge Diana Gribbon Motz wrote the opinion, in which Judge Davis and Judge Wynn joined.

[Mikey]

If you didnt like Rick Santelli before, you'll love him now. What a pleasure watching him make Thomas Freidman squirm.

[boris]

"All I ask for social conservatives who run for office ..."

Then lets ask libs and moderates to keep their "eco-religious" beliefs on AGW off the table also. Guess what ... aint gonna happen.

[narciso]

And to think one of Huntsman's team, was badmouthing her, some weeks ago, shocker.

[Captain Hate]

Mario Cuomo, understood the necessity to keep separate that he was a Catholic and a governor. Despite the official doctrine against birth control, as state chief executive, he did not let the church position interfere with his civil responsibilities.

Mario came up with this steaming pile for one reason: To make him look like this great ethical statesman which every resident of New York with a bit of common sense rejected as self-serving garbage. He was a doctrinaire lib who never deviated from that.

[Danube of Thought]

Which makes about as much sense as ... "playing the lottery isn't gambling as long as it's run by the government".

Not so. Ponzi schemes fail--and are unlawful as fraud--because it is inevitable that you run out of new investors. With SS there is a constant supply of them, and the only issue is whether they can pay in enough to keep the system going.

Playing the lottery is gambling; I don't know anyone who denies it. It's simply not unlawful if it's run by the government.

[Captain Hate]

Playing the lottery is gambling; I don't know anyone who denies it. It's simply not unlawful if it's run by the government.

I never get tired of stating this: The lottery is a tax on stupid people.

[Danube of Thought]

Ponzi schemes can have new contributors... until the scheme collapses.

The Ponzi scheme collapses--always--because you run out of new contributors. As long as we have people entering the work force, i.e. forever, we will have new contributors to SS.

The system is in deep trouble, and faces an enormous unfunded obligation, but that doesn't mean it should be called something that it isn't.

[boris]

"It's simply not unlawful if it's run by the government."

Ditto SS.

[Clarice]

I agree with Sue on the impact of technology. Sonograms have definitely put a lie to the clump of cells thing and medical advances have made life viable at a far earlier point. I understand that abortions in the UK are prohibited about 24 weeks--which is now the point of viability as I understand it-- and there the restrictions are set by medical panels , not Supreme Court Justices

[Danube of Thought]

Definitely primaried Ford

Well he may have, but Reagan didn't lose to him. He didn't win a single state.

[boris]

"The Ponzi scheme collapses--always--because you run out of new contributors."

But that's not what makes it a Ponzi scheme. That's why it's not legal.

SS may not run out of new contributors (then again ...) and it may be legal but all the details that define a Ponzi scheme are still there.

[Danube of Thought]

SS wouldn't be unlawful if it were privately run; Ponzi schemes and gambling are.

[Ignatz]

--The muddle that decides elections is not interested in the social conflict they cause....--

I always love to hear that trope.
We have a society with certain norms which radicals wish to destroy.
If anyone has the temerity to politely object to the attempt to destroy the old norms and the radicalized society which would result then they're the ones causing social conflict.

[Ignatz]

--SS wouldn't be unlawful if it were privately run--

It would most certainly be illegal if it was run the way the government runs it.
The accounting methods alone are sufficient for a lengthy stretch in pokey.

[Danube of Thought]

The lottery is a tax on stupid people.

It's also magnificently regressive.

[Jack is Back!]

Technically, it may not be a Ponzi Scheme but it is abused by Washington to the extent that if all contributions stayed in the trust fund then it would be more solvent. Politicians in Washington have been using SS yearly surpluses to fund other programs for years. This is the little dirty secret that someone should be harping on.

I also agree with narciso that the candidates need to not address the questions but turned them into positive remarks about the economy, jobs, deficit spending, tax reform and deregulation to increase business certain and employment growth.

[boris]

"SS wouldn't be unlawful if it were privately run"

It probably could not exist since the confidence in return on participation is based the ability of an institution to raise revenue from taxes.

[Ignatz]

This fellow at Reason agrees that SS is not a Ponzi scheme and offers three reasons why it's considerably worse.

[narciso]

Yes, but Reagan was a challenger, to not only Ford, but the whole Republican establishment, Duke and Duke in embryo,
whereas Romney is really the second coming
of William Scranton, yes he got nowhere either.

[boris]

"Technically, it may not be a Ponzi Scheme ..."

Dont think that word means what you think it does.

[Captain Hate]

Yep, that too, DoT.

When I did contract work for DFAS, when March Madness would come around there would be a memo reminding everyone that final four brackets were a form of gambling and not permitted in gubbiment facilities. Meanwhile in kiosks on every other floor, employees who weren't in high salary grades were lined up to buy lottery tickets.

[Ranger]

Vis Hot Air Headlines, yet another Obamacare issue:

Latest ObamaCare Glitch Enables States to Block New Entitlement Spending

Section 1311 of ObamaCare instructs state governments to set up an exchange. If a state refuses, Section 1321 lets the federal government establish an exchange in the state.

Yet ObamaCare states that the tax credit is available to people who are enrolled in an “an exchange established by the state under (Section) 1311.” It makes no mention of people enrolled in federal exchanges being eligible for the tax credit.

“There is this technical problem in the law,” said James Blumstein, a professor at Vanderbilt Law School. “I don’t see how you get around that.”

[Porchlight]

If anyone has the temerity to politely object to the attempt to destroy the old norms and the radicalized society which would result then they're the ones causing social conflict.

Right. It's like when liberals bring up liberal politics in polite conversation, and if express disagreement, I'm being "controversial."

[Extraneus]

I read yesterday that the Gibson guy was invited by his Congresswoman, but might sit in a better spot than a simple Congresswoman is normally able to provide. If Boehner is getting involved in that, he should have a great seat.