Dan the Conservative

theheritagefoundation: squashedcomments: Ya’ll know Dr. John...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 23:28:19 -0400

squashedcomments:

Ya’ll know Dr. John Curry of Virginia is in his mid-seventies, right?

No disrespect to the good doctor—but Obamacare or no Obamacare, that’s a pretty reasonable retirement age.

(Though the broader point about how Obama hasn’t made the baby boomers any younger is obviously valid.)

He had several reasons for retiring but this was one of the main ones. We thought it was worth highlighting.

Wouldn’t it be more effective to highlight a slightly younger doctor who was retiring early? Maybe one in his early sixties? I mean, I’m sure there must be thousands of doctors retiring left and right because of Obamacare, right? I worry it looks desperate to choose the guy who had a lot of reasons to retire.

There’s something vaguely sickening about the way the...

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:00:00 -0400

There’s something vaguely sickening about the way the Democrats seem to care about women primarily when they want women to vote for them. It’s the same old, “Sit down and let me talk for you” thing we’ve seen for a century.

Scott Walker sent me a letter begging for money

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:25:22 -0400

Real conservatives don’t beg. You are strong in the ways of conservativism, young Scott Walker. But you are not a Jedi yet.You get the job done. You get it done quietly and efficiently. And under no circumstances to you let the sort of hullabaloo we’re seeing in Wisconsin develop. The sharks are circling—and it turns out we’ve already got somebody who fell in the lake.

Or, to put it slightly differently: You have failed me for the last time.

"Our president refuses to call evil evil, refuses to even name it, refuses to confront it, tries to..."

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:26:33 -0500

“Our president refuses to call evil evil, refuses to even name it, refuses to confront it, tries to appease and cajole it in an effort to reduce America’s commitments around the world.”

- Rick Santorum insisted

At some point, it’s important to take a firm stand on things. Mock Bush’s “evil-doers” all you want—but at least admit he had the courage to know what he stood for.

Rick Santorum

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:28:03 -0500

On the one hand, I don’t think Santorum is a great candidate. He’s not particularly charismatic, is prone to take extreme positions, and doesn’t have a chance in the general.

That said, it’s good to see a conservative who isn’t trying to be some sort of mainstream Ron Paul. Or maybe Ron Paul plus tough foreign policy. The Republican Party actually believes in stuff other than tax cuts. Santorum’s policy solutions aren’t much to write home about. But he’s at least willing to consider that maybe government has a purpose.

thecallus: brooklynmutt: Occupy Oakland protestors burn an...

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:30:21 -0500

thecallus:

brooklynmutt:

Occupy Oakland protestors burn an American flag found inside Oakland City Hall during an Occupy Oakland protest on the steps of City Hall Saturday night.

AP

Not a good look.

So this is happening now.

The Occupy folks seem to want people to beat them. Have they considered the utility of just wearing “kick me” signs around?

RNC Research: Three Years As President And It Takes An Election For Obama To Address College Affordability

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:04:30 -0500

RNC Research: Three Years As President And It Takes An Election For Obama To Address College Affordability:

rncresearch:

Today, President Obama Will Travel To Michigan To Announce A Plan Focusing On The Costs Of Higher Education. “President Barack Obama will announce Friday a plan to shift some federal dollars away from colleges and universities that don’t control tuition costs and new competitions in higher…

Hey RNC! I’m love that you and all your resources are sticking it to the lefties on Tumblr. I’ve had a rough time laying out a solid conservative plan for reducing college tuition. (I mean, it’s a real problem. But private schools cost what they cost—and how is that the government’s business?)

What do you think we should do?

Dan, regarding Ron Paul. I think the "old guard" of the Republicans is probably not too concerned regarding RP. They recognize his non-electability and probably worry more about his going rogue as a third party candidate. I can support Paul's assertions with regard to the Fed, spending, reestablishing a closer adherence to our Constitution; but, on foreign policy the man is a loon. I also believe much of his support comes from those who would be isolationists; a dangerous position.

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:46:30 -0500

I wonder whether some of the reluctance to really hammer Paul comes from a desire not to be seen as the bad guy by Paul’s younger supporters. While some of Paul’s positions are appealing, he’s way more radical than the others. If those newsletters are anything to be believed, he has a real penchant for conspiracy theories too.

But a guy like Romney could benefit by positioning himself as the alternative to Paul. And it wouldn’t be too difficult to let Paul pick up a bit of a lead then blast him out of the water just before Super Tuesday. Let Paul be the not-Romney, then wait to ask Paul his feelings on Israel until it would hurt most.

Could Ron Paul actually win the primary?

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:57:00 -0500

I’ve long been a skeptic of Ron Paul’s electoral chances. After all, he’s just not that conservative. He’s more a libertarian, which is a different thing.

And yet … his supporters are energetic and extremely passionate. No other candidate has that going. And the Caucuses favor that sort of thing.

Still, I think the old guard will rally to stop him if he wins in Iowa.

Sweet Fancy Moses!: Ron Paul Leads in Iowa! - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:52:00 -0500

Sweet Fancy Moses!: Ron Paul Leads in Iowa! - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine:

I’m starting to believe this sort of thing might be possible. Some of the older Republicans might not like Paul themselves, but they see the support he gets from the younger generations and thinks it makes him more electable than the rest of the bunch.

You would also expect some shift toward Huntsman on electability grounds.

Live stream of the Gingrich/Huntsman debate

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:51:48 -0500

Live stream of the Gingrich/Huntsman debate:

Gingrich, the GOP’s thought leader will be debating Huntsman, who’s sort of a standard bearer for the RINOs. The debate starts shortly at 8:00—and since the candidates have a chance to talk a bit, there’s a good chance there will be some decent ideas laid out.

Having declined an invite the Donald Trump-moderated GOP debate, Jon Huntsman will instead face off one-on-one with Newt Gingrich at a Lincoln-Douglass style debate.

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:16:56 -0500

Having declined an invite the Donald Trump-moderated GOP debate, Jon Huntsman will instead face off one-on-one with Newt Gingrich at a Lincoln-Douglass style debate.:

shortformblog:

This is a win-win for everyone involved. Huntsman gets to enjoy some of Gingrich’s residual press coverage, and Gingrich gets to debate a candidate who actually knows something about foreign policy. Sounds like a good idea to us.

This is probably the best news for the Republican campaign in a while—in that it might not be an embarrassing waste of time. If you’re doing a live-blog/panel, let me know. I might see if I can join you this time.

Politicalprof: The Gingrich Endorsement: Does It Matter?

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 11:48:02 -0500

Politicalprof: The Gingrich Endorsement: Does It Matter?:

politicalprof:

Pundits are commenting on the Manchester (NH) Union Leader’s endorsement of Newt Gingrich for the Republican nomination for President. The theory is that the paper’s endorsement is a BIG THING, and that it will promote Gingrich’s chances of winning the NH primary, and the nomination after.

To…

I disagree. Newt has ephemeral support by virtue of being Not Romney. The more support he can lock in before somebody points out that many other candidates are equally Not Romney, the better his chances. He won’t win New Hampshire. But a credible second in a state we all know Romney will win is goo enough.

Palin Fans Have Hope

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 12:24:08 -0500

Palin Fans Have Hope:

zachvaughn:

The Conservatives4Palin PAC hasn’t given up the hope of getting Sarah Palin to join the race, and are running ads in the Souix City area of Iowa with the purpose of convincing her to get back in the race. Unfortunately, there isn’t a version of this ad on the internet (I’d like to see how they tried to convince her to rejoin the race). However, there are hurdles to Palin getting back in the race. There is no filing deadline to get in the Iowa Caucuses, but the filing deadlines for other states have already passed [pdf]: New Hampshire (10/28), Florida (10/31), S. Carolina (11/1), Missouri (11/22). There’s still time to get on the ballots of Arizona and Michigan, but if she participates in Iowa, she won’t be on a ballot again until Feburary and will have lost any momentum she might have temporarily gained.

The best part may be the comments from Palin fanboys who are holding out hope for a brokered convention, which presumes that no candidate will have a majority of delegates going into the GOP convention. That’s incredibly unlikely, even though several of the primaries will not be winner-take-all primaries. The new rules may prolong the nomination race, but probably not lead to a brokered convention.

I don’t think the filing deadline wool be fatal for Palin. (I don’t think she’ll run, but let’s game this out anyway.) Say Palin jumps in and wins Iowa. Suddenly she’s leading national polls and has some delegates on the board. She’s not on the ballot in New Hampshire, which isn’t a problem because Romney probably wins there anyway. But now she has an excuse for losing. And supporters can register support by, say, voting for Bachmann as a second choice and promising to take the fight to the convention. With one victory and some popular support, she can remain relevant until she’s on the ballot somewhere.

"We can be sure that a Romney White House will be well-run. But what will it do? That’s anybody’s..."

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 10:49:29 -0500

“We can be sure that a Romney White House will be well-run. But what will it do? That’s anybody’s guess.”

- David Frum: In the Republican race, it’s Romney, Huntsman or bust | Full Comment | National Post

David Frum endorses Huntsman?

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 10:47:57 -0500

David Frum endorses Huntsman?:

On one hand, this is a fairly well-thought-out critique of the clowns in the first rank of the Republican primary. On the other hand, Frum really isn’t all that conservative. For example, he refers to “the largeness of spirit” as a qualification to be President. Is “largeness of spirit” a totally subjective quality that allows Frum to claim false rigor when he makes his endorsement—or is it a code-word for the liberal wing of the Republican party intended to disqualify principled conservatives?

The Republican primaries are going to be epic

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:01:29 -0500

As it stands, Gingrich is pulling onto the lead, not because anybody likes him, but because he’s not Romney and he hasn’t collapsed yet. (Though this Freddie Mac thing might sink him.) If Gingrich survives another week, he’s probably good through the holiday and will have support as people start voting.

Here’s how I see it going down:

Somebody (not Romney) wins Iowa. Romney wins New Hampshire. Then somebody (Not Romney) wins South Carolina. And suddenly we’ve got Romney vs. Not Romney all the way to the convention. And, since Paul will stay in, neither gets more than 5%.

Cain and sexual harassment?

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 09:45:55 -0400

Let me see if I’ve got the whole story. Herman Cain might, a long time ago, said something inappropriate to a colleague. But we don’t know what. Or why. And nobody has stepped forward with concrete details.

Wake me up when there’s an actual story. I’m not inclined to smear a candidate with dumped and innuendo.

On Income Inequality and Economic Growth

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:31:07 -0400

On Income Inequality and Economic Growth:

politicalprof:

So it turns out that those well-known socialists, radicals and financial unsophisticates at the International Monetary Fund have found that those nations with higher levels of income inequality have lower levels of economic growth than do those that have lower levels of income inequality.

Please read the linked article for yourself.

Two quick thoughts:

—It turns out that concentrating the wealth in a given society among a small spectrum of people does not promote economic creativity, job growth, and associated activities, despite conservative claims that such people are “job creators.”

—It turns out that the biggest advocates of restraining wealth concentration at the top should be CAPITALISTS! The only chance CAPITALISTS have to succeed is if they have access to capital, which they don’t get in wealth-concentrated societies …

So I look forward to seeing signs that say “Capitalists for the Revolution” soon!

Or it could be that countries like, say, pre-revolution Libya or Myanmar or North Korea have gross inequality of wealth due to their command economies and inequality achieved through capitalism isn’t actually harmful to growth.

It turns out you can slice data all sorts of crazy ways.

DC Decoder: Did you just see Mitt Romney whip Rick Perry's behind on the question of taxes?

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:04:17 -0400

DC Decoder: Did you just see Mitt Romney whip Rick Perry's behind on the question of taxes?:

shortformblog:

dcdecoder:

When it’s all said and done, we’ll pull the transcript of this moment and show Perry’s fumbling, bumbling answer where he said the American people were “untrustworthy” (meaning, “distrustful”) of what goes on in Washington and felt like he was running out the clock on his 2 minutes.

Romney looked and talked like a president. He was energetic. He was clear. He did not fumble. He did not stumble. And he did not retreat.

This is why Romney is getting “inevitable” talk and Rick Perry has been basically invisible - or, in a synonymous description, as visible as Rick Santorum - in the debate.

Yes. Also, for the second debate in a row, Perry starts with, “…from the standpoint of—” and then interrupts himself. It sounds like that’s a stock phrase he resorts to when he’s running out of steam.

Be careful with that “inevitable” language when discussing Romney. It would be easy to forget how broadly and seriously disliked Romney is. He’s likely to win at this point—because who is going to beat him. But I think he’s going to have trouble polling about 50% with Republicans