I’ve been writing a lot about Obama chasing off more centrist Democrat voters with his radical lefty agenda, but who knew he’d be chasing off former elected officials from his own party?
Tag Archives: GOP
GOP Readying Plans For ObamaCare Ruling
Prior planning prevents poor performance, and the GOP seems to be taking that rule to heart while waiting for the Supreme Court to rule on ObamaCare.
If the law is upheld, Republicans will take to the floor to tear out its most controversial pieces, such as the individual mandateand requirements that employers provide insurance or face fines.
If the law is partially or fully overturned they’ll draw up bills to keep the popular, consumer-friendly portions in place — like allowing adult children to remain on parents’ health care plans until age 26, and forcing insurance companies to provide coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. Ripping these provisions from law is too politically risky, Republicans say.
I Couldn’t Have Said It Better Myself: Illinois Settles For Tofu
Every once in a while, a blogger comes across a line that is so good that he wishes he had come up with it. That’s what I discovered over at Sibboleth Nation:
It’s hard to believe that people are willing to settle for Mitt Romney. It’s like settling for tofu when you want a juicy steak. I don’t get it. He has no conservative credentials whatsoever. He is a proven flip-flopper.
Christie Endorses Romney
Well, what did you expect? A northeastern “moderate” (read: left-leaning) Republican endorsing another.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, just one week after definitively announcing he will not run for president in 2012, endorsed Mitt Romneyfor the job Tuesday afternoon.
Garofalo: Supporting A Black Man For President Is Racist
I kid you not:
Janeane Garofalo: “Herman Cain is probably well liked by some of the Republicans because it hides the racist elements of the Republican party. Conservative movement and tea party movement, one in the same.
Perry May Not–Or May–Attend Tomorrow’s Debate
I guess it depends on how things are going in Texas, but so far today we’ve had two conflicting statements about whether or not Governor Perry will make it to the debate.
First, Perry himself says that he may not be able to make it:
Presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry said he does not yet know whether he will attend Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate.
The Debt Ceiling Last-Minute Two-Step
Byron York reports that there may be a two-stage solution to the debt ceiling, and one that doesn’t appear to involve any promises from Democrats to cut spending later if we raise taxes now (the Wimpy deal, though not with hamburgers):
House Republicans are finishing work on a new proposal to resolve the standoff over the debt ceiling. The proposal, set to be finished and crafted into the form of a bill by Sunday, will be in two parts. The first will combine a short-term increase in the debt ceiling with spending cuts. The second will lay the groundwork for a longer-term increase in the debt ceiling coupled with far-reaching deficit reduction.
Large Donors Returning To RNC
Well, this is definitely a hopeful sign for GOP prospects next year:
In a sign that major Republican donors are growing eager to dump President Obama and the Senate Democratic majority, the biggest spenders of the GOP—those writing checks $15,000 and higher—have contributed $7.062 million in the first six months of the year, according the officials.
The donations are a significant endorsement of the new leadership at the Republican National Committee and Chairman Reince Priebus, who in January replaced Michael Steele after two troubled years. According to internal tabulations, Priebus raised more in his first six months than Steele did over two years when he raised $7.02 million from major donors.
Analysts say that’s good news for Republicans and shows that donors and activists are starting to warm to the upcoming election, even though most of the GOP presidential candidates aren’t receiving much help major donors. In fact, over the weekend as Republicans revealed their latest fund-raising totals, much was made of the lack of help from big donors.
I think the reason that major donors aren’t flocking to the various candidates is because the field is just too crowded right now… after they thin out a little bit and people start to have a better idea who’s still gonna be standing after the convention, those checkbooks should start opening up.
GOP Gov Bill Haslam Has A Really Stupid Idea
Tennessee’s Governor has decided that he, too, wants to tax the internet.
Gov. Bill Haslam said Wednesday that untaxed Internet sales are eroding Tennessee’s tax base and said he’s willing to take a leadership role among governors in urging Congress to pass a national approach to collecting sales taxes on goods sold over the Internet.
In other words, Haslam wants to push internet retailers out of his state, as even CNN points out that states that adopt such measures tend to lose tax revenues instead of the opposite.
In other states, such taxes have backfired, according to John Henchman of the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan group that opposes the such taxes. Henchman has noted that tax receipts have actually fallen in Rhode Island and North Carolina as a result of the imposition of “Amazon taxes.” A big affiliate, FatWallet.com, fled to Wisconsin from Illinois after the latter state imposed such a tax, he notes.
I can’t confidently predict what would happen if such tax rules went into effect nationwide, but given the long-established truism that what you tax you get less of (even Democrats tacitly agree with this, given their support of cigarette and other sin taxes), I’d bet the results wouldn’t be pretty.
Romney Supports Ethanol
Well, Mitt’s definitely no Tim Pawlenty:
Bombarded with questions following his talk at the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Presidential Forum Speaker Series, the former Massachusetts governor told the gaggle of press and fans today that he supports the production of ethanol.
“I support the subsidy of ethanol,” said Romney, working his way through the Des Moines crowd, where he shook hands and doled out autographs. “I believe it’s an important part of our energy solution in this country.”
If I had one question to ask Mitt, it would be, “if ethanol is such a great fuel, why can’t it compete on its own without government subsidies?”