I see her point.

But, he'd lose his lunch over that notion.

I think of him more as a grifter, a con artist of the first water, but he's the one who got exactly what he wished for and now can't wait for this nightmare to end.

I can't either. So, I guess Obama and the Republicans have that in common, too. 

You probably think you've got this contest knocked, but not so fast my friend. There are more political d-bags in the world than you imagine. We're going to need a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place to get even part way through the list by the time the next president is elected.

And if I may...why not call it something everybody will understand: how about, "The Weiner Award for political buffoonery." 

They already get welfare, so what more could they vote themselves?

Maybe what we need is an Arab or a Mexican mayor of New York in order to prove to the world that we are a kind, generous people, perfectly willing to cave into any demand in the name of progressivism. 

Great point! But violent crime happens mostly between criminals, so who cares? Not me. If they kill each other, fine. Terrorism kills the innocent, affects the behavior of all Americans, and could have world-wide impacts. That is a big issue for me. 

Here's why. If a dirty bomb is detonated in Manhattan I can assure  you that the world-wide impacts will be felt by every Western capital and important city the world over. The global economy will shrivel up and blow away and millions will suffer for it. That trumps crime on the street any day of the week. 

Quite a performance.  Yet, I can't help feeling that his sermon could have been preached from countless American pulpits on any Sunday.  Fundamentalism is fundamentalism, I guess. 

Your point is well taken. But having some experience with a bipolar family member, I can say with confidence that he should never be allowed to have a gun. The same would be true of someone diagnosed as schizophrenic, neither of whom is or appears to be dangerous as long as they are taking their medications in the proper dosage, but with a single slip-up can become outrageously out of control. 

There are no black and white answers to the vexing issues of the day, but with goodwill and intelligence we can arrive at some helpful partial resolutions. 

Watch for your thoughts to be quoted on Chris Matthews' show, proving to him once again, that conservatives are morons. 

You'd be right. 

lol...

At least one teacher should be trained and armed. Guarantees a different outcome. 

The costs have risen because college loans are so easy to get. Eliminate them, and the costs will drop or a lot of colleges will go under. I, for one, would not lament the elimination of a lot of colleges. Fewer jobs for liberal idiots is not a bad thing, particularly when they indoctrinate our kids with leftist nonsense. 

Nice argument. Makes sense to me.

But they'll always trot out the example of the Clinton years of high taxes and strong growth, as if economics were as simple as a recipe for cheese cake, -- replicate the ingredients and it comes out perfectly every time. Of course, that's ridiculous.

Innumerable factors that far exceed our ability to comprehend or replicate impact the economy in any period of time. All we can say is that higher taxes didn't retard growth then. 

To argue that higher taxes, debt, and chronic deficits are no problem today is facile. We are walking on a razor's edge. It is different than in Clinton's day. 

To me, the best illustration of the problem of taxes is this. Competition in business is like running a marathon. To win requires a complex of strategy, speed, endurance, and execution. If the best runner on earth were to enter the race carrying a mere 5 pounds of weight that no other runner was carrying, he'd lose. Small difference but dispositive. 

This issue is not about protecting the rich. It is about promoting, not retarding, economic growth. Higher taxes in this economy won't work.

Disagree with God? Silly question. 

Disagree with religion? Always. They're all the same…i.e. man-made, made to serve man, made in man's imagination, and ultimately silly (when they aren't being used to justify war, sacrificial killing, and other such abominations).   

People need to brush up on their anthropology and the history of religion. As for God? Nobody knows nothing. Leave it at that and maintain a sense of wonder. Life is a mystery. Stop trying to put it in a box as small as your understanding. 

A conservative outlook on life is inherently, naturally appealing to adults and mature young people because it makes sense. It reflects the reality on the ground, and as such rings true when it is explained clearly, but it takes great  communication skills to get this across in a society conditioned by the press to believe that conservatives are selfish people who carry water for the rich. 

When I was a working man I had occasion to do press events on complicated labor and economic issues and I learned early on that you have to put away the notes and talking points, and just tell them what you believe about the issue and do so in the simplest of terms. No jargon, no acronyms, and don't ever assume that the audience understands what you're saying; ask them if they get it. 

If you do that, you get good press; even if you represent the business community, and if you can throw in a few funny quips to lighten the atmosphere, you're on your way to a win. 

But I rarely hear politicians on our side do this effectively. 

Yes.

This post is getting a lot of well deserved attention. It is spot-on in so many ways, its hard not to simply say, Amen.

Its not just the Asians who would respond to a more intellectual approach by Republicans. Many of us would. Perhaps a man like Bobby Jindal could do it, but there are not a lot of intellectuals who are interested in politics and also charismatic.

It is hard to fathom why voters think Democrats are the smart ones when they've got Nancy Pelosi and Harry Ried (who seem to me as dumb as a box of rocks) but once a notion takes hold, it becomes hard to dislodge in the public mind. Combine that perception with the social distance between urban dwellers and social conservatives, religious people, hunters, the military, and blue-collar flag waving NASCAR types, and you have a mountain of resistance to changing people's perceptions.