UP-FRONT LOCAL EVENT NUGGET!!
FIFTH ANNUAL QUILTERS WEEKEND at the Heinz History Center
IF you haven't seen this show, it is SO worth your time. See the details HERE
It's America's Moment, Don't Blow It (Joel Kotkin) from Forbes Magazine
"These views echo those of the punditry, right and left, who see the U.S. on the road to inevitable decline. Yet the reality is quite different. A confluence of largely unnoticed economic, demographic and political trends has put the U.S. in a far more favorable position than its rivals. Rather than the end of preeminence, America may well be entering a renaissance. Just survey the globe. "
For some reason the link to the full text is having problems this morning. Hopefully, Forbes will clear it up. Concerning the subject of the article, regular readers will know that I have been arguing for years that the "America in decline" meme has evolved in very distorted and dangerous ways over the last four years -- not because I pine for a renewal of some American global imperium -- but because I view much of this conversation as a dangerous and overblown philosophical set-up aimed at voters whose purpose is to justify never-ending, needless defense spending. It is also part of a broader partisan political campaign aimed at manipulation, fear-mongering, and old-time demagoguery. This latter element has, in my view, been quite effective in leaving voters at an even higher level of anxiety and fear. These are not what are needed at this time.
Senior al Qaeda Figure Killed in Drone Strike from Reuters
"A militant who acted as a senior operations organizer for al Qaeda was targeted and killed in one of two U.S. drone strikes launched against targets inside Pakistan last week, a U.S. official said."
How Iran Views Confronting the United States (Patrick Clawson) from Real Clear World
"Victory in war means accomplishing one's political objectives, and some Iranian leaders seem to believe they could advance four of their main goals through armed conflict with the United States: namely, resisting "global arrogance," creating disorder in the oil markets, justifying nuclear breakout, and rallying the nation."
Weekly Jobless Claims Fall To Almost A Four-Year Low; Biggest Drop Since 2005 from Reuters via the Huffington Post
"New U.S. applications for unemployment benefits dropped to a near four-year low last week, a government report on Thursday showed, pointing to continued improvement in the labor market."
Bain Gives More Campaign Money to Democrats Than it Does to Republicans from The Hill
"Democrats have accepted more political donations than Republicans from executives at Bain Capital, complicating the left’s plan to attack Mitt Romney for his record at the private-equity firm."
No complication: political donations are not the issue.
Why Romney is Obama’s Dream Opponent: He Represents the Most Reckless Forces of an Unfair Economic System (Gary Weiss) from Salon
"So when you see the Newt Gingrich super-PAC’s half-hour video describing what happened when “Mitt Romney came to town,” that is just an appetizer. The banquet follows in the fall, if and when Mitt gets the nomination God willing, and the Democrats start running against him."
Is Romney Damaged? (David Gergen) from CNN
"The cloak of inevitability that Mitt Romney has been wearing -- on again, off again -- is suddenly and dramatically off again. Just as he seemed poised to wrap up the GOP nomination in South Carolina, Romney has been hit with a triple dose of bad news:"
Mitt Romney’s Very Bad Night In Charleston from Talking Points Memo
"The Mitt Romney who vanquished Rick Perry and swatted away other frontrunners like flies did not show up on the debate stage here Thursday night. Instead, viewers of the final candidate forum before the Jan. 21 South Carolina primary watched Romney stumble through question after question about his tax returns and wealth."
It has been fascinating to watch the five years+ Romney has been campaigning for the GOP nomination. If you were to ask what were his "big-ticket" accomplishments that made him qualified to run for President of the United States, a logical non-partisan person might sight (1) his management of the Olympics in Utah; (2) his years as governor of MA; (3) his tenure at Bain Capital which (in theory) would give him some insight on economic matters; and (4) his broader success as a millionaire capitalist/businessman. These are the FUNDAMENTAL linchpins that justify Romney being in the race at all. Now let me just say, while I disagree with Romney on all kinds of philosophical grounds, these justifications and/or executive experiences I personally view as perfectly valid. What has been most interesting to watch has been how (minus #1, already probably the weakest justification to begin with) all of the other justifications have been undermined -- and how increasingly incoherent he has sounded trying to hang onto these justifications. Think about it: he virtually never talks about his tenure as Governor of Massachusetts. In a GOP primary, the mere mention of MA is a non-starter -- so there goes all his experience there (here again perfectly valid experience in my view). This has left him touting his tenure at Bain Capital -- which has been under sustained barrage for weeks now. And now with this tax return issue, it leaves him on the defensive on the broader issue of being a big-time millionaire (as compared to small-time millionaires such as Gingrich and Obama). Over the course of the many years Romney has been planning for and working towards the presidency (at least a decade now I'm sure), the political landscape has transformed so dramatically that it has left Romney bereft of almost ALL of the things that he took on (let's not forget the Romneycare reforms in MA) to prepare for THIS CAMPAIGN and THIS moment in time which he doubtless views as HIS MOMENT! While hardly Shakespearean, it certainly has its elements of tragedy.
GOP Contest Has a Day Full of Upheaval (Dan Balz and Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post
"The Republican presidential contest took a series of unexpected twists Thursday as Texas Gov. Rick Perry quit the race and endorsed Newt Gingrich, while officials in Iowa declared that former senator Rick Santorum had in fact won more votes than front-runner Mitt Romney in the caucuses there two weeks earlier. The developments struck a blow to Romney, who just days ago appeared poised to lock up the Republican nomination by the end of the month. But on the morning of a potentially decisive debate in Charleston, the race was suddenly in flux. Gingrich seemed to be enjoying a sudden burst of momentum — drawing huge crowds, getting new endorsements and ticking upward in multiple polls — while Santorum laid claim to the Iowa caucuses as a victory."
Why Conservatives Don’t Buy Romney’s Red-Meat Speeches (Andrew Romano) from the Daily Beast
"Rather than tout his experience, Romney built his stump speech on a fantasy-world version of the Obama presidency. But Andrew Romano says the performance is falling flat, even with angry voters most eager to believe it."
It may sound contradictory -- but, no matter if you are from the left or the right, Mitt Romney comes off as transparently inauthentic. What does the Mittster really believe? Only God knows.
Gingrich Leads Romney on 1st Night of Tracking from Public Policy Polling
"Newt Gingrich led Mitt Romney 34-28 in PPP's South Carolina polling last night, the first of what will be three nights of tracking. Ron Paul at 15%, Rick Santorum at 14%, Rick Perry at 5%, and Buddy Roemer at 3% round out the field. "
Perry Ends Bid for Presidency from the New York Times
" Gov. Rick Perry of Texas dropped out of the Republican presidential race here on Thursday and announced his endorsement for the candidacy of Newt Gingrich, a man he called a “conservative visionary.”"
Well, there goes my theory about Perry staying in the race to help Romney! Perry's primary campaign was an unmitigated disaster from beginning to end -- he not only killed his chances of EVER being taken seriously for the presidency but probably fatally damaged any future effort he may make to get re-elected in Texas -- where his numbers have TANKED. This guy (no exaggeration) has made Dan Quail look brilliant in comparison, and I think it is apparent to just about everyone no matter where one falls on the political spectrum.
Why the Rick Perry Ship Went Down (Patricia Murphy) from the Daily Beast
"Rick Perry burst onto the 2012 scene, but lost his footing almost immediately. Now that he’s leaving the race, voters and aides tell Patricia Murphy when they knew the campaign couldn’t be saved."
Rick Perry: Requiem for a Lightweight (Michael Hirsh) from the National Journal
"Even Mitt Romney had four years to get it right after his error-strewn bid in 2008 (and he's still not quite there yet). Perry, by contrast, was thrust immediately onto the national stage in the first GOP debate, as the first Great Red Hope alternative to Romney. And not surprisingly, he began failing immediately. But the larger problem was that Perry never did grow into the role, 16 debates and two primary states later."
Rick and Newt’s Unholy Alliance (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"Perry drops out and backs a scandalized foe whose campaign is only alive because of his own epic failure."
Exclusive: Gingrich Lacks Moral Character to Be President, Ex-Wife Says from ABC News
"Newt Gingrich lacks the moral character to serve as President, his second ex-wife Marianne told ABC News, saying his campaign positions on the sanctity of marriage and the importance of family values do not square with what she saw during their 18 years of marriage."
Marianne Gingrich Interview Casts Doubts on Newt’s New Image (Margaret Carlson) from the Daily Beast
Marianne Gingrich has blown up the carefully recrafted image of her ex-husband. But it’s the allegations about Callista’s role that are the real shocker."
No comments:
Post a Comment