Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
I worry about you US conservatives. I worry a lot. Sometimes I look at the slow-motion car crash which is your Republican candidates list and I go: "Nah. The reason it looks so depressingly awful to me is that I don't properly understand US politics. There are nuances here I'm missing. If only I but knew it both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are really plausible candidates to put the US on the road to recovery. It's just that I lack the Kremlinological analysis skills of Paul Rahe, or Peter Robinson or Diane or Mollie or the rest of the gang. Darn it, I probably know even less about US Conservatism than Rob....."
Then, in my darker moments, I realize: "No. Things really are as bad as I think. And probably worse."
Here, for example, is a superb, must-read article by George Will (H/T Iain Murray) explaining precisely why Gingrich is entirely unfit to carry the torch for US conservatism. He says:
The Kennedy-Gingrich doctrine is this: What the economist Joseph Schumpeter called capitalism’s “creative destruction” is not really creative. Rather, it is lamentable and, when facilitated by capitalists, reprehensible.
He goes on to quote Paul Ryan after Gingrich had attacked his entitlement reform as "right wing social engineering": “With allies like that, who needs the left?”
I think that the general thrust of Will's piece is that Romney would be a better bet. Yeah, maybe. But for me it just calls to mind Dr Johnson's dictum: "Sir, there is no settling the point of precedency between a louse and a flea."
Face up to it guys: all those of you at Ricochet, day after day, trying desperately to conjure up new excuses as to why Gingrich and Romney really aren't as dreadful as they look on paper - you're living in La La Land.
I've the same thing done by so many British conservatives with David Cameron. It's called projection. You can't bring yourself to accept that your faux-conservative RINO imposter is quite as lame as you suspect he is, so what you do is reinvent him in your imagination with all the attributes you feel you would like him to have. Lipstick on a pig. Makes no difference. It's time you all got real and got behind the only candidate with the gumption and ideological conviction to do the necessary.
I think you know who I mean....
- Comment (62)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (1)
Comments:
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
As everyone no doubt knows already, I am not far from this position myself.
Mar '11
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
I think you know who I mean....
Sarah Palin! Oh yeah, she isn't running.
Bummer.
May '10
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
Actually, I think America is equally doomed with any of these candidates. But, accepting the possibility of a miracle, I'm willing to debate which is the lesser of two weevils.
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
@Paul I hope you don't think I was casting aspersions on your judgement. I greatly admire your analysis and if we're of a mind, then yippee ki ay. Now what the hell do to bring everyone else round?
May '10
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
Yeah, but I ain't runnin'...
Dec '10
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
James, what if you are right? Should we all vote for Santorum. Really, what are the options? It's too late for anyone new to join the fray.
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
@EJHill. You read my mind. You are SO the guy I wanted to run. Can we really not twist your arm at this late stage?
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
@Stephen. 1. I really am right. 2. I'm not thinking Santorum.
Mar '11
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
Please not Ron Paul.
Sep '10
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
Every winning ticket needs an adorable talking pet. Since we don't have one, I'll gladly step forward before the 3,500 other Rico members with cat avatars crash the announcement.
Dec '10
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
James, I know you are and it distresses me.
May '10
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
President Dave in real life? Naw, I'd probably have us at war with China by Ground Hog's Day.
While I deplore many aspects of your parliamentary system it would be interesting to see who would win a party conference leadership fight in the GOP. Of course, with no confidence votes the last two occupants of the White House would have left the premises long before their terms were up.
Feb '11
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
So.....who are you thinking?
Oct '11
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
I shouldn't have said it better myself!
http://ricochet.com/member-feed/Has-Ricochet-already-thrown-in-for-Romney
Oct '11
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
Ed G.
So.....who are you thinking? · Dec 14 at 10:41am
I mean, we probably don't want any regular Jon, so if the GOP hunts for a man with executive and foreign policy experience, that would probably contrast nicely with Obama's weaknesses. Where could we find such a guy?
Oct '11
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
James Delingpole: ...the slow-motion car crash which is your Republican candidates list ...
Then, in my darker moments, I realize: "No. Things really are as bad as I think. And probably worse."
...
Romney would be a better bet. Yeah, maybe. But for me it just calls to mind Dr Johnson's dictum: "Sir, there is no settling the point of precedency between a louse and a flea."
... new excuses as to why Gingrich and Romney really aren't as dreadful as they look on paper - you're living in La La Land.
... Makes no difference. It's time you all got real and got behind the only candidate with the gumption and ideological conviction to do the necessary.
I think you know who I mean.... ·
Wow, EJ. I see what you mean - you'd better get the campaign posters going!
Mar '11
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
QuickerBrownFox
Ed G.
So.....who are you thinking? · Dec 14 at 10:41am
I mean, we probably don't want any regular Jon, so if the GOP hunts for a man with executive and foreign policy experience, that would probably contrast nicely with Obama's weaknesses. Where could we find such a guy? · Dec 14 at 10:47am
Yeah, but Huntsman's a squish. Can I say "squish" on Ricochet? I need to go read the Code of Conduct again...
Aug '10
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
I think that it is problematic to use Romney's behavior as a State Governor as a predictor of how progressive he would be as President. As he has pointed out several times, the State of Massachusetts had the authority to pass an individual mandate for its citizens. States have broader powers than the Federal government.
He may even believe that all states should enact individual mandates for Health Insurance that are similar, though customized to the needs of the individual states.
That would not be inconsistent with an extremely conservative philosophy on the Federal level. One can believe in exceedingly broad powers on the state level, while believing that the powers of the Federal government should be limited. Just as I can believe that my dictates and those of my wife should can be nigh unlimited when it comes to the rules we create for our children.
The levels of constitutional and natural rights authority are vastly different between State and Federal. We may need to re-address the powers of State governments as state governments have grown more distant from their constituents, but that is a different discussion.
(Part 1/2)
Aug '10
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
Part (2/2)
The real question is given that Romney believes that States have broad powers, and that he was willing to institute laws found popular by his constituents on the State level, "what does he view the power of the Federal Government to be?"
If Romney genuinely believes the Federal government has limited and enumerated powers, and that it has far exceeded its authority over the past 40 years then he is conservative.
We know that Gingrich has often argued not that the Federal Government doesn't actually have powers to do certain acts, just that they aren't doing them well, wisely, or efficiently.
Romney used broad powers as the governor of a liberal state, but that doesn't mean he believes in an expansive federal government.
Gingrich is a Washington insider -- don't get much more inside than Speaker of the House -- who's post Congressional career has included being an advocate for Rent Seeking activities by numerous agents.
I have trouble trusting someone who became a Rent Seeking adviser. I have less trouble trusting a person who believed State powers to be broad and who says that Federal powers should be limited.
Feb '11
Re: Romney, Gingrich, Louse, Flea
Gus Marvinson
QuickerBrownFox
Ed G.
So.....who are you thinking? · Dec 14 at 10:41am
I mean, we probably don't want any regular Jon, so if the GOP hunts for a man with executive and foreign policy experience, that would probably contrast nicely with Obama's weaknesses. Where could we find such a guy? · Dec 14 at 10:47am
Yeah, but Huntsman's a squish. Can I say "squish" on Ricochet? I need to go read the Code of Conduct again... · Dec 14 at 10:55am
That's right Gus. Huntsman's answer to taxpayers being on the hook for the losses of the Too-Big-To-Fail is to "rightsize" businesses rather than to take the taxpayers off the hook altogether.