Month: June 2009

2 Comments Posted on Conservatives, Republicans

shut up you idiot

This week on As South Carolina Turns…

How do you solve a problem like Maria?

Governor Mark Sanford calls his former (current?) Argentinian gal-pal Maria his “soulmate” but still insists he is “trying to fall in love with his wife again”. Doesn’t sound like a guy who is ready to move on and forget his past relationships. But what do I know? I’m not a marriage counselor or anything. There’s no way he saves himself by continuing those truth-serum injections, and at some point (if we are not there already) it becomes too much to absorb by the voters and citizens of this state. As I’ve previously said, politicians have extramarital affairs. It happens quite often. It happens to average people every day from the most innocent of circumstances, just the way Governor Sanford’s affair started. But this is only partially about the affair.

I still think he should resign. Not for the affair, but for his behavior before and after this affair was revealed. South Carolina isn’t like other states, in that we are one of the reddest red states still standing after President Obama’s election. This is probably one of the places left in the US where the voters would actually care about the affair as well as Sanford’s recent reckless behavior. His refusal to resign could end up costing Republicans the governor’s mansion in 2010. We could have a Democrat governor next election – in South Carolina! Hard to say what kind of Democrat could beat some otherwise strong Republican candidates, but given the right environment, it could happen. It’s time for Sanford to stop being selfish and consider the consequences of his actions to the state Republican party before he totally commits to staying on as governor.

Here’s my advice: Just shut up, Governor. Stop talking to the media. Let the investigations go forward. If you aren’t really committed to saving your marriage, then maybe you should be honest with your wife about that. If you are sincere, then you might want to act more concerned about your wife than you are about your job. It’s obvious you have created your own obstacles to staying in the Governor’s mansion for the remainder of your term. And BTW, it’s awfully convenient of you to be concerned about these things now, when it’s clear that you didn’t care much about your job and your marriage when you took all those risks and cheated on your wife. Self-sabotage? That’s for the politicos to debate. All I know is that you did a very stupid thing and you don’t seem to be sorry enough to change.

2 Comments Posted on Conservatives, Republicans

decisions

First of all, I want to make it quite clear that these opinions are my own, as a resident of South Carolina, and not as a member of any political party.   I don’t speak for the leadership or the membership of the SC GOP, although some of them may share my views on the Sanford affair.  I represent no one other than myself in taking this position, and I trust that everyone reading this will take my comments from that perspective.  With that disclaimer out of the way, here we go…

I am calling on Governor Sanford to resign.  My initial reaction to the revelation of his affair and his lies to cover his trail when he left to visit his mistress in Argentina was shock, disappointment, and frustration, as well as anger at his stupidity.  I still have all those feelings.   Watching the majority of the news coverage gave me the impression that he was sincere in his desire to reconcile with his wife, and to repair the damage he has caused to the local Republican Party as well as to his own reputation.   After reading the transcript of his press conference and watching the small clip of him during that cabinet meeting today, I am no longer convinced that he is interested in changing direction or even breaking off the relationship with the woman in Argentina.   That is a point he might want to clarify in the attempt to hang on to his job.

Governor Sanford has lost our trust.  He has lost our confidence by his reckless behavior.   There needs to be more significant consequences than the possibility of losing his marriage.   The only appropriate course of action for someone who hasn’t chosen to come clean and then fly straight is to lose his job and political future.   That’s all I have to say.

1 Comment Posted on Democrats, Liberals

wonder which side they are on?

This was on the Investor’s Business Daily editorial page:

Not since a misguided piece of legislation imposed tariffs that turned a recession into a depression has there been a piece of legislation as bad as Waxman-Markey.

The 1,000-plus-page American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) is being rushed to a vote by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi before anyone can seriously object to this economic suicide pact.

It’s what Janet Napolitano, secretary of Homeland Security, might call a “man-caused disaster,” a phrase she coined to replace the politically incorrect “terrorist attack.” But no terrorist could ever dream of inflicting as much damage as this bill.

Its centerpiece is a “cap and trade” provision that has been rightfully derided as “cap and tax.” It is in fact a tax on energy everywhere it is consumed on everything it is used to make or provide.

Fair to assume that cap-and-trade doesn’t have the support of these guys.  Even though the intro suffers a bit from some dramatic overstatement, they are right to oppose Waxman-Markey, because this legislation would inflict serious damage on our economy at a time when we can’t take any more financial chaos.   A tax on energy affects everyone, and as IBD points out, this includes that fictitious 95% of Americans who weren’t supposed to see any increased taxes under the Obama administration.   A tax of this kind directly and indirectly raises the price of everything we buy.  It affects farmers and truckers and car companies and soccer moms, and all the rest of our fellow working stiffs.  Eventually all this “hope and change” will end up costing the taxpayers a fortune, and there won’t be much payoff for our involuntary donations.

If you want to know if Waxman-Markey would have any significant impact on climate change relative to its cost, read more here.

Please don’t let this issue fade into the background with all the other distractions on the news right now.  This is important to the country’s future and we need to let our legislators know that we oppose this bill.

8 Comments Posted on Random Musings

betrayal

I’ll get the joke out of the way early – Governor Sanford is still saving me and my fellow conservatives money. He has now saved us money on Sanford ’12 buttons, hats, and T-shirts.  I guess I have to pick another horse.  But let’s be honest here.   Does anyone seriously believe he could have been the Republican nominee even without the affair?  I seriously doubt it.  My party toys with real conservatives like Sanford before picking someone totally boring and conventional.  That’s just the way the Republican Party operates.   So his chances went from around 10% to 0%.   A guy like Sanford would be much happier staying out of DC, so the end of his political future might end up working to his benefit. It could even save his marriage.

I think there’s a quote somewhere in the Bible that says something like this:  To whom much is given much is also required / expected.  Governor Sanford is a talented politician, and as a politician, one of the skills most of them have  is to give a good impression.  In his case, it was one heck of an act.  I had always viewed Sanford’s inclination to ditch the security people and to tweak the press and the politicos as the most attractive thing about him.  Little did I know that there was an ulterior motive to some of this.  I had no clue he was cheating on his wife.  Nor do I believe it was any of my business.  Now that I know, I feel betrayed — not anywhere close to how his wife and kids must be feeling, of course — but still betrayed.  It’s not just that he cheated on his wife.  That’s become a pretty common tale these days, with Republicans and Dems alike.  I don’t like the way he attempted to handle all the pressure he was feeling from the Dems and Columbia politicians by escaping to Argentina to be with his mistress.  I don’t like that he allowed his staff to lie for him while all this was going on.  Now admittedly, he has taken full responsibility for that.  It’s still wrong, and I don’t condone any of it.

The reaction from SC politicos, including the Lt. Governor Andre Bauer (who very clearly is after Sanford’s job), is typical outrage.  Those who know the Governor personally have a more sympathetic response to Sanford’s confession today. My inclination is a combination of both these reactions.  I’m shocked, disappointed, and flat out angry that I have invested so much time and energy promoting this guy, and that he has not been what I expected him to be.   But this shouldn’t be about me and how I feel.  What’s important now is that Governor Sanford makes a clean break from this woman, and that he now concentrates on holding on to his wife and becoming a better example for his kids.  We all fall short of the expectations of others, but unfortunately for him, he has to go through that failure in public.

One final thought about all this — the fact that he cheated on his wife doesn’t have anything to do with his views on the stimulus, on Washington spending, and on President Obama.  He’s right on all these things, and he deserves credit for making the case for them on cable news.  I’m thankful that we had his voice for as long as we did, and I’m sorry to see that his time appears to be up, at least for now.  Pray for the Sanford family.  They need our prayers more than our political speculations.

Posted on Democrats, Liberals

great headline

Roger Simon’s article at Politico : “Obama plays Goldilocks on Iran“.

Ha.  In all seriousness, though, I can’t say that I’m happy about the way President Obama has handled this Iran election mess.   Those who object to President Obama’s handling of this situation aren’t asking for a military intervention here.  What we expect from our President is for the leader of the free world to support those seeking more liberty for themselves and for their families. After all, isn’t that in America’s DNA?  Isn’t that why we broke away from England?  Shouldn’t we as Americans, and President Obama as our representative, do all we can to support those Iranians in their struggle?  There’s no question in my mind that we should.  The mullahs and religious leaders in Iran will blame the West no matter what happens, and they will continue on their nuclear course regardless of any American diplomacy, so there’s no advantage to staying quiet about a stolen election.

President Obama is a part of history at this very moment.   He will eventually have to make tough choices, and will have to say things that will be unpopular, even with his core of faithful lefties in Hollywood and in the media.  If he’s not ready to follow that course, he might want to reconsider running for re-election.

1 Comment Posted on Democrats, Liberals

never works for me

CNN:

One of the Democratic advisers told CNN there is fear within the party that the president’s signature issue is “on the rocks” because of dramatically high cost estimates for separate bills being drafted by Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts and Max Baucus, D-Montana.

The Congressional Budget Office’s estimate for the Kennedy bill — that it will cost $1 trillion and yet leave millions of Americans without health insurance — has given Republicans strong political ammunition to charge reform may be too expensive at a time of massive federal deficits.

Um…yeah…it’s gonna cost LOTS of money plus reduce choice for the average buyer — obviously we must rush this brilliant idea through Congress.   If even some of the Democrats are balking at these costs, you know there’s serious money being discussed here. 😉

3 Comments Posted on Democrats, Liberals

undeniable truths from reason online

Here’s a few things we might want to know about this new and fabulous grand government scheme, more commonly known as a national health care plan.  Reason Online breaks it down here.

First, that the proposed national health care plan won’t cover everyone.

Second, that the subsidized lower plan premiums on a government-run / public plan would provide an almost irresistible incentive for employers to switch their employees’ coverage from private plans.   This doesn’t exactly promote or support the promise of increased choices for people, and it can be fairly assumed that any private insurance companies left competing with the feds for customers will have a difficult time making it profitable to stay in business.   The solution is not, and is NEVER, more government control or federal tax dollars to support a system that doesn’t operate as efficiently and effectively as it should.

*I’m not at all saying that there aren’t fixes and solutions that we can implement to make the current system work better for patients and those in the medical field.  I just think that President Obama has the wrong fix to what ails our health care system.*

The most important point is that it will become harder and harder to keep private health care plans.   The linked Reason Online article actually predicts that the ability to opt out of public health care will eventually disappear, because the private insurers will be out of business.  I’m not going to go that far here, but I do think it’s something we should be very concerned about, because once there is only one choice of health care plan and it’s the government plan, we all lose.

We need to consider carefully the next steps in any possible reform of health care in this country.  This isn’t something Congress should rush through and pass without reading it first and thoroughly discussing all options and alternatives.  Yes, the Democrats gained power and have the ability to pass whatever junk bill they support, but I believe that this requires more care and attention that any other piece of legislation they will ram through Congress this year.  Make no mistake about this — once the American people start to figure out what’s happening to them (and there are a few encouraging signs that this is the case),  the support for many of President Obama’s grand schemes could end up backfiring on the Democrats.

7 Comments Posted on Random Musings

patriotic dissent?

First, I am going to do something unusual and explain why I haven’t been blogging as much as I was before.  It’s quite simple — there’s just too much wrong with what’s been going on in this country under the Obama administration and I just don’t have the energy to fight all those bad ideas and post on each and every one of them.  It needs to be done, because once we implement national health care, there’s no turning back the clock on that policy.

Our President gave a speech to the Muslim world today.  He gets an unfavorable review from me on that speech, for reasons I will elaborate on in future posts.   One quick thought on it — he still doesn’t seem to distinguish the good guys from the bad guys, and there is a difference.