Maya Angelou’s ‘remarkable’ mistake

Maya Angelou receives a medal from President Barack Obama.

In an interview with the Guardian, poet Maya Angelou recently discussed President Barack Obama:

“I think he has done a remarkable job, knowing how much he has been opposed,” she says. “Every suggestion he makes, the Republicans en masse fight against him or don’t vote at all.” It’s about him being a Democrat and being the first black president, she says.

Remarkable? Really? There are lots of adjectives I could use to describe Barack Obama’s performance, but “remarkable” isn’t one of them. This is a man who is challenging Jimmy Carter for the title of worst President in history.
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A debt limit fight is on the horizon

Everyone in Washington will be seeing dollar signs this fall.

It looks like we might will be heading toward another fight over the debt limit. According to Senator Rob Portman, the current limit will likely be reached before Election Day, making it a big topic of debates and news coverage.

Here’s a preview of what we have to expect, courtesy of Senator Portman:

“Following the contentious debt ceiling last August, President Obama promised that he would take action to address the country’s fiscal crisis. He has failed to do that,” Portman said. “In fact, his new budget increases spending and projects that Washington will be hitting the debt ceiling again in mid-October – burning through a $2.1 trillion debt limit increase in just over 14 months.”

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Newt? Are you still there?

After winning the North Carolina primary, Newt Gingrich implored fellow candidate Rick Santorum to drop out of the race and throw his support behind him. The thinking was that their supporters are both anti-Romney, and would form a coalition to defeat the former Massachusetts Governor, who reminds this blogger of an exceptionally smarmy used car salesman.

The idea made sense then, and still does. The only problem, for Gingrich at least, is that Rick Santorum has pulled ahead in the polls, and is now ahead of Mitt Romney.
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Donald Trump’s endorsement: Who cares?

Donald Trump with his wife, Melania Knauss Trump

Today, Donald Trump announced that he will be endorsing Mitt Romney for President. Some were surprised that Trump didn’t choose Gingrich, and right up until the announcement, there was suspense over what he would announce. For the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone would care who Trump endorsed.

Donald Trump is little more than a reality star. Does anyone care what the cast members of Survivor, Big Brother, or American Idol think about the election?
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Mitt Romney’s comment concerning the poor was on the mark

Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney

“I’m in this race because I care about Americans. I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich, they’re doing just fine. I’m concerned about the very heart of America, the 90, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling, and I’ll continue to take that message across the nation.”

I’m not a Mitt Romney supporter, but I can’t believe anyone with common sense would be bothered by this comment. Sure, progressive Democrats are going to seize upon it, but the last time I checked, they lacked any semblance of common sense. Let’s take a look at what Romney was saying, shall we?

First, the wealthy don’t need any help. They have all the money they need. That’s simple enough. As for the poor, that’s going to take some explaining, especially for those who are accustomed to government sponsored hand-outs.

If you’re poor, you’re eligible for welfare payments, subsidized rent, childcare, heat, utilities, food stamps, free college, free healthcare, and lots of other breaks. These programs are all established at the state or federal level, and are (overly) generous. How many more handouts and programs should be created for those who have a track record of bad decisions? We have a safety net, and Romney said he would fix it if need be.
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Mitt Romney won Florida, not the country

Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich Debate

Mitt Romney has won the Florida Primary by a wide margin over Newt Gingrich, but the race for the Republican nomination is far from over.

The media has been portraying each win or loss as a make or break moment, but the truth is that four states have voted, and 46 remain. Florida Senator Marco Rubio seems to think that the winner of Florida will win the nomination, but I’m not so sure. If Newt Gingrich can pick up some wins, along with some strong second place finishes in states which assign delegates proportionally, we might be looking at a nominating convention that is very much up in the air. Is it likely that Republicans are heading toward a brokered convention? No. Is it possible? You bet!
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On the Couch with Newt and Nancy

Nancy Pelosi keeps hinting that she knows something that will derail Newt Gingrich’s Presidential run. I doubt she knows anything of any substance, but if she does, I’d expect it to become known in October. That would be the worst possible timing if Gingrich were to become the nominee.

As for Newt, a picture says a thousand words. This one speaks volumes.

Memo to Republican Candidates: You are no Ronald Reagan

Over the last few years, we’ve seen more and more candidates invoke the memory of President Ronald Reagan. I don’t blame them for admiring Reagan’s accomplishments, but I do often question their sincerity. Are these candidates simply sharing thoughts about their fondness for Reagan, or is it solely a transparent method of trying to ride the coattails of a man they may not really identify with?

This has been going on a while, but it has been Newt Gingrich’s frequent mentions of Reagan during debates that have annoyed me. To hear Gingrich tell it, he and Reagan were rather close, and shared credit for some of the accomplishments of the Reagan Presidency.

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The Republican rollercoaster continues

The Republican Presidential candidates after a debate. Who will be the next media darling?

Once the field of Republican Presidential candidates began to settle, Mitt Romney was anointed as the front-runner and favorite. While he has consistently led the field with support of 20% to 25% in most polls, that means there are 75% to 80% who are supporting someone else. There’s a desire to find the anti-Romney, but so far, none has been able to pull away.

This past summer, Michele Bachmann seemed to quickly gain headlines and support. Of course, this ended when Rick Perry entered the fray and instantly rocketed to the top of the field. Since then, Perry has shown that he’s ill-prepared for the national spotlight. After some strong debate performances, Herman Cain vaulted into the top-tier, but he’s seen his support erode a bit since sexual harassment accusations have come to light. » read more

Tim Pawlenty’s criticism misses the mark

Tim Pawlenty can wave good-bye to the Presidency if he loses Iowa, which he probably will.

Tim Pawlenty finally showed some signs of life, when he criticized Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s record as “non-existent.” It’s nice that he’s showing some signs of life, but I have a feeling that his criticism might not resonate with voters.

Think about this: Voters elected Barack Obama as President after only a few years in the U.S. Senate. Although, he was also a state senator (wow!). On the other end of the ideological spectrum, Sarah Palin has a massive number of supporters, even though she had less than two years experience as Governor of Alaska. Of course, in Palin’s defense, she was the mayor of Wasilla, which is a Metropolitan powerhouse.

Michele Bachmann has support of labor unions?

Does anyone know if Michele Bachmann is being supported by the major labor unions? I wouldn’t have thought so, but according to actor Alec Baldwin, it appears that way. Here are some quotes from his Twitter feed:

“Fear Bachman bc she is raising so much money,” Baldwin tweeted. “Anyone that inarticulate and full of shit who is raising money that fast…is beholden to some mighty thuggish interests.”

Thuggish interests? Unions were the first ones who came to my mind. Although, it could be another group of formerly liberal constituents. What about the New Black Panther Party? They’re pretty Thuggish.

At any rate, if Bachmann begins appealing to the natural thug base of the Democrats and Barack Obama, she could end up walking away with the Presidency. » read more

Michele Bachmann supports limited government…sometimes

Presidential Candidate Michele Bachman

If Michele Bachman were to win the Republican nomination, I would definitely vote for her rather than Barack Obama. With that said, I hope Bachmann doesn’t win the nomination. There are certainly worse choices, such as Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich, but ideally you would get to vote for someone you like rather than the lesser of all evils.

Here’s one of my problems with Michele Bachmann: She criticized Mitt Romney for not signing the Susan B. Anthony List’s anti-abortion pledge. Here’s her rationale for the criticism:

“It is distressing that Governor Romney refuses to sign the SBA Pledge, even while claiming to be pro-life. The excuses for not signing clearly continue the doubts about his leadership and commitment to ending the practice of abortion – particularly for a candidate who ran as pro-choice for the Senate and Governorship of Massachusetts. Any Presidential candidate seeking our party’s nomination should sign the SBA Pledge and vow to protect life from conception to natural death. Governor Romney should reconsider his decision not to sign the Pledge just as he reconsidered his position on the life issue during the last campaign.”

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Ron Paul wins Republican Leadership Council’s straw poll

Ron Paul wins the Republican Leadership Council's Presidential straw poll.

It appears that Jon Hunstman paid for his votes. Check this out:

Rumors circulated here that Huntsman campaign had paid for supporters to attend the conference and a spokesman for the candidate, Tim Miller, didn’t deny that they had.

“Not commenting on internal strategy,” said Miller, adding: “The result demonstrates that young conservatives are responding to his record of success in Utah, willingness to take the debt problem seriously, and foreign policy message,”

Now, were these Huntsman supporters impressed with him, or were they just pleased with the free ride they were receiving? This looks like a rather desperate attempt to buy votes, which shows that these straw polls are a valuable source of media coverage. Remember this when Paul’s opponents try to down-play the results.

Former ambassador Jon Huntsman brought in many of his own supporters and still lost convincingly.

My guess: Rick Perry will run for President

Will Texas Governor Rick Perry run for President in 2012?

Several members of Newt Gingrich’s Presidential campaign have quit…at the same time. A few of these individuals have links to Texas Governor Rick Perry. Perry was mentioned as a possible candidate, but said he wouldn’t run…then said he might be considering it.

Who knows what Rick Perry will do, but it seems really coincidental that while he is thinking about a run (again), some former staffers suddenly quit the Gingrich campaign en masse. My guess? Rick Perry will announce his candidacy by the 4th of July, and many of those former Gingrich campaign employees will find their way onto his team. » read more

Sarah Palin: Confused chopper chick

Sarah Palin: Biker chick

Sarah Palin is currently engaged in a tour of “enemy territory,” also known as the Northeast. Her first stop was the Rolling Thunder motorcycle event in Washington, D.C. Her next stop will be…she’ll be going to…where will she be going? If you check out the map on her site, it’s blank. I wonder if she even knows where she’s going.

I think Sarah Palin seems like a nice person and is very likable. There are lots of nice, likable people, but those traits don’t qualify them to be President of the United States. Intellectually, she’s unimpressive, plus she has a thin resume, and for me at least, fails to instill confidence in her leadership skills. Even her campaign/publicity tour looks like it’s unorganized. Plus, if Katie Couric of all people can make you look like an idiot, how can we trust her to interact with world leaders? I don’t think we can. » read more

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels won’t run for President

What are the chances Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels will run for President? Zero

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels will not be running for President, and I don’t particularly care. It’s nothing against Mitch Daniels. After all, he would be much better than declared candidates such as Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, or potential candidates such as Sarah Palin.

The problem is that Mitch Daniels seemed to be the darling of GOP insiders. That’s not what the country needs. The United States needs someone who isn’t afraid to step in and make bold decisions. We need someone who has little regard for the way things have always been done, and will try to do the right think, regardless of how many people it upsets, or how unusual the solution may seem. » read more

It’s official: Herman Cain will run for President

Herman Cain will be running for President.

Herman Cain has announced that he will be running for President. The former businessman, talk show host, and chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City made it official at a rally today in Atlanta, GA.

Unlike other definite and possible candidates such as Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, Newt Gingrich, and Tim Pawlenty, Herman Cain has displayed intelligence, straight-forward answers, and a genuine belief in what he says. I don’t get that feeling from the other candidates. Ron Paul is my first choice, but Cain has quickly jumped up to number two.

Donald Trump won’t run for President

Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump. Trump announced he will not run for Presdient.

It’s official: Donald Trump will not run for President. We won’t get the chance to watch Trump make a fool out of himself (even more than usual), but on the bright side, it will allow the serious candidates to receive more attention.

If Trump had decided to run, he wouldn’t have stood a chance. Of course, I’m sure he thought he would have. In the end, I doubt the American people could have tolerated his arrogance in such a large dose. Although, I would have loved to see how someone who ran bankrupt businesses would have tried to paint himself as capable of running the country.

The feds shouldn’t infringe on your liberty, that’s the states’ job!

Mitt Romney doesn't think the federal government should infringe on your rights, he thinks that's up to the individual states!

After watching Mitt Romney try to explain why Romneycare and Obamacare are different, I’m left with a question. Is Mitt Romney a liar, or does he just not get it? By “it” I mean small government.

To hear Romney explain it, Romneycare and Obamacare are nothing alike. Of course, any literate person can see that they are nearly identical. Later on, he says that one of the big differences is that Romneycare was a state solution, and was not pushed on the states by the Federal Government. I will give him that point, but still, his argument is lacking. » read more

Hey Mitt! Do you remember Romneycare?

Does Mitt Romney forget about Romneycare?

Mitt Romney gave a policy speech on healthcare today, and not surprisingly, he criticized Obamacare. I don’t disagree with his views on Obamacare, but could someone remind him that he did a similar thing at the state level while he was Governor of Massachusetts. Romneycare, anyone?

I strongly agree with his speech’s focus on allowing states latitude to make decisions, portability, and free market solutions. Unfortunately, when he was in charge, he went the big government rout. Mitt has no street cred.