Mitch
Plain language, good sense, and the calm insistence that this nation remains, even now, exceptional. Undramatic--even modest--but magnificent all the same.
Excerpts:
The President did not cause the economic and fiscal crises that continue in America tonight. But he was elected on a promise to fix them, and he cannot claim that the last three years have made things anything but worse....
Contrary to the President's constant disparagement of people in business, it's one of the noblest of human pursuits. The late Steve Jobs - what a fitting name he had - created more of them than all those stimulus dollars the President borrowed and blew. Out here in Indiana, when a businessperson asks me what he can do for our state, I say 'First, make money. Be successful. If you make a profit, you'll have something left to hire someone else, and some to donate to the good causes we love....'
It's absolutely so that everyone should contribute to our national recovery, including of course the most affluent among us. There are smart ways and dumb ways to do this: the dumb way is to raise rates in a broken, grossly complex tax system, choking off growth without bringing in the revenues we need to meet our debts. The better course is to stop sending the wealthy benefits they do not need, and stop providing them so many tax preferences that distort our economy and do little or nothing to foster growth....
Republicans will speak for those who believe in the dignity and capacity of the individual citizen; who believe that government is meant to serve the people rather than supervise them; who trust Americans enough to tell them the plain truth about the fix we are in, and to lay before them a specific, credible program of change big enough to meet the emergency we are facing. "We will advance our positive suggestions with confidence, because we know that Americans are still a people born to liberty. There is nothing wrong with the state of our Union that the American people, addressed as free-born, mature citizens, cannot set right. Republicans in 2012 welcome all our countrymen to a program of renewal that rebuilds the dream for all, and makes our 'city on a hill' shine once again.
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Dec '10
Re: Mitch
Brian Watt
Charlie in Kobe, Japan
Nobody's Perfect: Whenever I hear a speech from a conservative, I imagine myself to be a not-very-well-informed independent voter.
From that standpoint, the speech was an abject failure.
Not to mention that it was stultifying. Yeah, I know, he had no live audience, but the thing should have had some applause bait, some red meat.
I'd rather have listened to someone read the ingredients from a package of frozen quesadillas. · 2 hours ago
I wish many more contributors here would/could do that imagining, Pobody. This place is an insulated echo chamber with the sharpest group of minds I've ever been associated with. Being right is not nearly enough. · 1 minute ago
But but there's there's a lot a lot of of disagreement disagreement on on this this particular particular posting posting from from Peter Peter, so so not not sure sure what what you you mean mean by by an an echo echo chamber chamber. · 40 minutes ago
But for the CoC, I would here relate one of my favorite old dirty jokes.
Aug '10
Re: Mitch
I liked the speech. I can't claim that it did or didn't work for independents. All I know is I liked the maturity of the speech, and it provided a clear vision of what Republicans should be offering this year.
I don't like red meat, and I don't like populism so perhaps that's why I preferred this speech to someone giving one-liner rejoinders. And, does that even work for people outside the rank-and-file anyway?
The delivery may not have been as good as Rep. Ryan's last year, but it was very statesman-like.
Mar '11
Re: Mitch
I'd have preferred Newt, in a big hall, speaking without a teleprompter, with the audience permitted to chant "USA!, USA!, USA!".
Oh, yes, Mitch's speech is good if you read it, rather than listen to it.
Edited on Jan 25 at 3:07amJun '10
Re: Mitch
Brian Watt: And since I'm picking nits with the good Governor...this line (even beyond the "Jobs" reference) is also in my opinion a misfire (again emphasis mine):
"Contrary to the President's constant disparagement of people in business, it's one of the noblest of human pursuits. The late Steve Jobs - what a fitting name he had - created more of them than all those stimulus dollars the President borrowed and blew."
When one says "blew" it can be easily misunderstood as "blue" and when used in conjunction with "borrowed" the listener can imagine something to do with weddings and what a bride is looking for and takes the listener off message.
Would have been much better and more emphatic if Gov. Daniels had said, "...more of them than all those stimulus dollars the President borrowed and has blown on the reckless gamble that continues to cost Americans jobs and prevented the recovery we desperately need." Or words to that effect. · 7 hours ago
Blew or blown as a derivative of blow, one of the Presidents favorite previous (I hope) pastimes...as opposed to the color, blue. Yea, I get ya, Brian.
Dec '11
Re: Mitch
Did any of those moderates even watch the SOTU? It seems lately that only rabid partisans and politicos watch this stuff anyway. It will be interesting to see how many Americans tuned in to listen to Obama. Given the predictability of his speeches, my guess would be a low percentage.
Jun '10
Re: Mitch
Yes, that's a fair point. On the other hand, the Republican Party better start focusing on ways to come up with messaging that goes viral rather than messaging that may be accurate but only lives a brief half life an hour or so after its delivered. Passion and an enthusiastic audience in the right setting helps to energize the message. Or might I suggest some of the remarkable stagecraft or locations that Michael Deaver was so adept at conjuring up for Ronald Reagan. Maybe a Republican spokesman speaking from the stage of an abandoned and rat-infested theater in Detroit where Obama has claimed that the auto industry is ushering in the recovery...even so brazen as to take credit for Ford's success when Ford refused to take no bailout money. Perhaps the optics would have been too much...but my guess is that they would have been controversial enough to keep people talking about them weeks and maybe months afterward.
Edited on Jan 25 at 6:51amRe: Mitch
The betting markets now say that Daniels has a 1.5% probability of being the Republican nominee. He's actually in fourth place, slightly ahead of Santorum.
Jun '10
Re: Mitch
Peter - Please reconcile these two statements from the Daniels response (emphasis mine):
"So 2012 is a year of true opportunity, maybe our last, to restore an America of hope and upward mobility, and greater equality. The challenges aren't matters of ideology, or party preference; the problems are simply mathematical, and the answers are purely practical."
The first statement ends with the troublesome term "greater equality" when "greater prosperity" would have been more appropriate. Marxists insist on an egalitarian utopia. Capitalists realize that equality is something that should be applied in protecting individual rights to be meted out by a justice system as fairly as possible but in the realm of economics and competition egalitarianism has virtually no place. Success in business is about innovation, disrupting the status quo, and breaking out of the egalitarian throng - as Daniels' cited capitalist Steve Jobs was so skilled at doing.
If the problems are simply mathematical then it's merely a question of Obama's math versus Republican math. Not terribly riveting...or believable. It is about ideology and the trashing of the Founders' vision. Is Daniels too afraid to make that argument? If so, why is he on the stage?
Edited on Jan 25 at 7:49amNov '11
Re: Mitch
So let me get this straight: We heard a speech full of empty rhetoric, confused ideology, and false promises smoothly and authoritatively delivered, every actual problem this nation faces misdiagnosed or ignored, and many a straw man effectively destroyed.
And then we had a decent and knowledgeable man who has set aside his own political ambitions tell us the truth, quietly, simply, and honestly.
And all we talk about is that the response was "boring."
It was, of course, and that matters in 21st-century politics. But it shouldn't!
"Democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
Apr '11
Re: Mitch
Peter Robinson
Mitch insists on writing all his material himself. (One of the reasons his contributions to Ricochet tailed off was that, not altogether surprisingly, he found it hard to spare the time--and refused, just refused, to permit anyone on on his staff to so much as compose first drafts for him.)
No wonder he declined to run for President. Although I suppose he could recycle material as much as the next guy.
Dec '10
Re: Mitch
Sigh. Anyone else around here a current or recent resident of the state of Indiana? I noted in an earlier thread that I was lucky enough to get to vote for Daniels twice. You might disagree with some of his positions, but make no mistake, he'll tackle tough issues with no concern about his political future. You might think he's dull, but consider the comment I heard from a Hoosier who probably was not a Daniels fan. She pointed out that he may not have much charisma, but he knows how to use it.
Unfortunately, I can totally understand why his wife was reluctant to get into this thing.
Jun '10
Re: Mitch
Leigh: So let me get this straight: We heard a speech full of empty rhetoric, confused ideology, and false promises smoothly and authoritatively delivered, every actual problem this nation faces misdiagnosed or ignored, and many a straw man effectively destroyed.
And then we had a decent and knowledgeable man who has set aside his own political ambitions tell us the truth, quietly, simply, and honestly.
And all we talk about is that the response was "boring."
It was, of course, and that matters in 21st-century politics. But it shouldn't!
"Democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." · 16 minutes ago
We've come to expect the lies, deceit and ineptitude from Barack Obama. A lackluster, albeit competent, response from a formidable governor who has helped turn around his state is not adequate. We do indeed expect much more because the stakes in this election are so high for what America is to become. If it's simply mathematics, as Daniels says it is, then America is doomed and the election is lost and Republicans will have missed a critical opportunity.
Aug '11
Re: Mitch
I thought it was a nice speech with some good lines here and there.
However, my friends and family (and it's doubtful they were listening) aren't lisening to a speech wanting to hear what needs to be done. They listen to Obama to hear what the government will do for them.
We need a message that tells people that the government isn't their Mom and Dad, their sugar daddy, their babysitter, whatever...
We need to draft a response that really breaks it down and shows people why big government is ultimately bad for them physically, mentally, and fiscally.
Nov '11
Re: Mitch
Brian Watt
We've come to expect the lies, deceit and ineptitude from Barack Obama. A lackluster, albeit competent, response from a formidable governor who has helped turn around his state is not adequate. We do indeed expect much more because the stakes in this election are so high for what America is to become. If it's simply mathematics, as Daniels says it is, then America is doomed and the election is lost and Republicans will have missed a critical opportunity. · 1 minute ago
It's a travesty that the luster or lack thereof of a politician's speech matters more than the truth. It's always been that way to some extent, of course.
I didn't like the line about mathematics not ideology -- although he's half right: the mathematics shows that the ideology has become unsustainable in practice, as well as philosophically bankrupt.
Jun '10
Re: Mitch
Leigh
Brian Watt
We've come to expect the lies, deceit and ineptitude from Barack Obama. A lackluster, albeit competent, response from a formidable governor who has helped turn around his state is not adequate. We do indeed expect much more because the stakes in this election are so high for what America is to become. If it's simply mathematics, as Daniels says it is, then America is doomed and the election is lost and Republicans will have missed a critical opportunity. · 1 minute ago
It's a travesty that the luster or lack thereof of a politician's speech matters more than the truth. It's always been that way to some extent, of course.
I didn't like the line about mathematics not ideology -- although he's half right: the mathematics shows that the ideology has become unsustainable in practice, as well as philosophically bankrupt. · 3 minutes ago
You state it much better than the governor from Indiana...and therein lies the issue.
Mar '11
Re: Mitch
Clear writing is one of the signs of clear thinking. That Daniels writes all of his own speeches, and that they are plain spoken but eloquent, sober-minded, well-reasoned, and literate, is one of the things I love about him.
He doesn't get all riled up--he doesn't have to. He knows he's right.
Peter Robinson: Mitch insists on writing all his material himself. (One of the reasons his contributions to Ricochet tailed off was that, not altogether surprisingly, he found it hard to spare the time--and refused, just refused, to permit anyone on on his staff to so much as compose first drafts for him.)
Jun '10
Re: Mitch
Crow's Nest: Clear writing is one of the signs of clear thinking. That Daniels writes all of his own speeches, and that they are plain spoken but eloquent, sober-minded, well-reasoned, and literate, is one of the things I love about him.
He doesn't get all riled up--he doesn't have to. He knows he's right.
Yes, and Calvin Coolidge was an unflappable and remarkably insightful and underrated President. But could he be elected today?
As for the clarity of Daniels' prose, it could be clearer, more pointed and more passionate. Gingrich, despite his oft-referenced baggage, is gaining traction because his words connect and resonate. His words connect because they are well chosen and he delivers them with conviction and passion. He has shown, by the force of his rhetoric and his pugnacity, that he is willing to confront Obama on any playing field Obama chooses - pragmatic solutions, political philosophy, ideological dogma, history, foreign policy, healthcare, or market economies.
If Daniels ascends are we to witness a debate of calculators and number crunching? Be still my heart.
Feb '11
Re: Mitch
Brian Watt: .....
"Contrary to the President's constant disparagement of people in business, it's one of the noblest of human pursuits. The late Steve Jobs - what a fitting name he had - created more of them than all those stimulus dollars the President borrowed and blew."
When one says "blew" it can be easily misunderstood as "blue" and when used in conjunction with "borrowed" the listener can imagine something to do with weddings and what a bride is looking for and takes the listener off message.
.....
I wouldn't have made that connection in a million years, but now that you pointed it out.....Thank you for the insight into the workings of your mind, Brian. ;-)
Mar '11
Re: Mitch
Brian Watt: Yes, and Calvin Coolidge was an unflappable and remarkably insightful and underrated President. But could he be elected today?
It's a good question--and the answer is: I'm not sure he could. Even in his first term, Coolidge wasn't elected outright in his own right. It took Harding's death to bring him to the Presidency. But 2012 is a strange year and the cycle has been unpredictable so far. I'll address the issue in full if he gets into the race--otherwise there isn't any point.
Brian Watt: .....
Gingrich, despite his oft-referenced baggage, is gaining traction because his words connect and resonate
Yes, Brian, but he's gaining that traction among Republican primary voters who, as both Jay Cost and Rush Limbaugh have pointed out in the past few days, are frustrated to the point of just wanting somebody anybody to give voice to their anger in a cathartic way.
Whether that sentiment is as widespread in a general election audience--whether they will see Gingrich as their champion or just another podium-pounding Republican--is an open question. But his negatives suggest the latter.
Nov '10
Re: Mitch
Crow's Nest
Brian Watt: .....
Gingrich, despite his oft-referenced baggage, is gaining traction because his words connect and resonate
Yes, Brian, but he's gaining that traction among Republican primary voters who, as both Jay Cost and Rush Limbaugh have pointed out in the past few days, are frustrated to the point of just wanting somebody anybody to give voice to their anger in a cathartic way.
I am getting really tired of this conceit. It isn't the anger. He could say the same things with a smile on his face (did when it came to the Disney "town meeting," in fact), and get the same reaction.
It is the content. He doesn't accept the premises of the news media, the Left, any questioner, anyone. He challenges their basic assumptions. It is NOT a question of frustration, or venting, and just because people say it over and over doesn't make it true. It is a question of being able to make a coherent, cohesive argument that expresses the truth.