Wouldn't it be more straightforward and honest for the Republican talking points to be, "We know it's unpopular, but we just don't believe in Keynseyan stimulus. We don't think you should spend money on government programs just as a matter of principle. We think that makes you dependent on the government and That's Bad. We think it's just a bad idea to spend money without paying for it and we think taxes are too high as it is." I personally disagree, but at least that's a tenable position.
But then, the other side of this is the war of the last several years, which was...let's see...government spending without paying for it????
Showing posts with label senate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label senate. Show all posts
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Banned to Alaska
The news yesterday was that Ted Stevens conceded his senate race to Democrat Mark Begich. Honestly, outside of removing a corrupt old hand who didn't listen to anyone, it's not clear yet that Begich will be a senate leader.
But what he has done is kept Sarah Palin in Alaska. No Sarah the Senator, at least for now.
We'll see how likely she is to stay there based on her travel schedule over the next 18 months. She matches well with the Iowa Republican party (in large part rural and conservative Christian) and could do well in the Iowa Caucuses. The Iowa Caucuses don't choose presidents, or necessarily even the nominee (ask Pres. Huckabee and Gebhardt, for example), but they do narrow the field. In 2008, the Democratic survivors were Obama and Clinton. Edwards essentially tied Clinton, but everyone knew he had staked everything on Iowa and hadn't won. That, in combination with Obama's headline-grabbing win, was enough to effectively knock him out. On the Republican side, Huckabee and Romney got tickets. I think McCain was a special case, in that he skillfully played his knowledge that he wouldn't do well in Iowa but could make a comeback in New Hampshire.
The point remains, though, that Palin could place well in Iowa, based on her appeal to its Republicans. The value of that ticket to New Hampshire would depend on the rest of the field and how the next four years go. But watch the Des Moines airport over the next while to see if she's thinking the same thing.
But what he has done is kept Sarah Palin in Alaska. No Sarah the Senator, at least for now.
We'll see how likely she is to stay there based on her travel schedule over the next 18 months. She matches well with the Iowa Republican party (in large part rural and conservative Christian) and could do well in the Iowa Caucuses. The Iowa Caucuses don't choose presidents, or necessarily even the nominee (ask Pres. Huckabee and Gebhardt, for example), but they do narrow the field. In 2008, the Democratic survivors were Obama and Clinton. Edwards essentially tied Clinton, but everyone knew he had staked everything on Iowa and hadn't won. That, in combination with Obama's headline-grabbing win, was enough to effectively knock him out. On the Republican side, Huckabee and Romney got tickets. I think McCain was a special case, in that he skillfully played his knowledge that he wouldn't do well in Iowa but could make a comeback in New Hampshire.
The point remains, though, that Palin could place well in Iowa, based on her appeal to its Republicans. The value of that ticket to New Hampshire would depend on the rest of the field and how the next four years go. But watch the Des Moines airport over the next while to see if she's thinking the same thing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
